《Swordmaster's Youngest Son》
Prologue
Prologue
Jin Runcandel often had this thought.
Am I destined for failure?
This young man full of potential had yet to reach his thirties. He didn¡¯t always have this belief in mind while he was growing up. There was a time when he had ambitious goals and grand dreams like anyone else.
For example, one such instance was the day he first held a sword as the youngest child of the Runcandel n.
During his childhood, Jin believed that his future held great sess, honor, and fame, just like his father and siblings.
However, Jin had no talent.
For generations, members of the Runcandel n became 1-star knights by the age of 13. In the long history of the family that exceeded 1000 years, there was not a single child that had failed to be a 1-star knight before turning 14.
An average Runcandel would be a 3-star knight by the age of 16, and wouldter travel the world after bing a 5-star knight before turning 20.
But Jin was 25 by the time he became a 1-star knight.
Even a clown with absolutely no talent at all could aplish this feat, as long as he put in a sufficient amount of effort.
Because they had seen Jin¡¯s noteworthy efforts, his siblings banished him without killing him.
¡®But it wasn¡¯t that I had no talent. It wasn¡¯t that at all¡¡¯
After leaving his family, Jin was surprised to learn that his talenty within a field other than the sword.
Magic.
Jin was extremely talented in magic.
While he was wandering aimlessly, he identally became a magician¡¯s disciple, and within 3 years of training, the God of Shadows offered him a contract.
He was on a solid path to bing the grand magician of his era. The God of Shadows ¡®Solderet¡¯ was a being that all magicians yearned for.
Furthermore, Jin learned that he was also gifted with the sword from Solderet.
[Contractor, it seems that someone bore a grudge against you since your childhood. You haven¡¯t been able to use your full potential due to a trivial curse. That might¡¯ve been the reason why I was so captivated by you.]
¡®Trivial¡¯.
That was how Solderet described the curse that had been suppressing Jin¡¯s talents. A 9-star magician was the cause of the curse in question, which was called the ¡®ded Illusion¡¯.
Needless to say, Jin was unaware that he had been cursed until Solderet informed him.
Solderet easily dispelled the curse that had been tormenting Jin. The blood-red chains hidden inside Jin¡¯s body were absorbed by the shadows.
[You can now be an unparalleled magic swordsman, Contractor. I¡¯ll be watching over you with excitement.]
It was true.
Following Solderet¡¯s words, Jin picked up the sword he had once thrown away. With every swing, he was reaching new levels of mastery. The greatest failure of Runcandel¡¯s history, Jin Runcandel, was no more.
In one hand, magic.
In the other, a sword.
Within 10 years, he would be so powerful that he wouldn¡¯t have to hide from his n, the family that had thrown him aside. All that was left to do was to be history¡¯s strongest magic swordsman and to rule over the world.
¡®Seems like I truly am destined for failure.¡¯
Cough!
Jin spat out a mouthful of blood. He was bleeding everywhere, including his eyes, nose, and ears.
Death was looming over him.
He hadn¡¯t even had the chance to use his magic or Solderet¡¯s power.
Three 9-star knights had attacked the Akin Kingdom¡¯s capital out of the blue, and Jin had received a fatal wound during their rampage in his sleep.
¡¡ In his sleep.
A single 9-star knight could raze a nation the size of the Akin Kingdom within half a day. And since three of them had raided the capital city, there was nothing Jin could¡¯ve done.
He couldn¡¯t even react because he had just finished training and had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
What a ridiculous death he had. He wanted to cry out in madness due to the absurdity, but all that escaped his blood-filled mouth was deliriousughter.
He was on death¡¯s door, and nobody was by his side.
Not his teacher who cared for him, not his siblings and family who had cast him aside, not a single person.
Even Solderet showed no response.
¡®Why¡ Why did the heavens bother giving me an opportunity just to take it away immediately?¡¯
And so, Jin Runcandel closed his eyes.
While he held no lingering feelings, he had many regrets about his life.
Chapter 1: Runcandel’s Superstition
Chapter 1: Runcandel¡¯s Superstition
Waaah, uwaaah.
¡®Is it normal to hear a baby¡¯s cries as you die¡?¡¯
Jin thought to himself.
Was he having auditory hallucinations from the blood loss? Or was the neighbor¡¯s child crying from the 9-star knights¡¯ attack?
If it were thetter, then it was unfortunate. The Akin Kingdom would fall today, so there was no way a newborn could survive the destruction.
¡®I¡¯d love to save it, but I¡¯m in no condition to help others. My body was cut in half. I hope I¡¯ll be reborn in a blissful world instead of a miserable one.¡¯
Waaaaaaah!
The wail was getting louder and louder. It wouldn¡¯t surprise him if the baby died of asphyxiation from crying at the top of its lungs.
¡®What a pathetic death. I couldn¡¯t even save a baby in front of me.¡¯
His vision was filled with darkness.
There was no sign of the baby stopping. As he endured the shame and listened helplessly, Jin wondered why he wasn¡¯t dead yet.
Not only had he received countless fatal wounds, his body had been sliced in two at the waist. There was no way he could¡¯ve survived for another 10 seconds. Nheless, the wailing never stopped¡
¡®Wait, the sound ising from my body!¡¯
He couldn¡¯t understand what was happening.
Jin was the one letting out those cries.
Today was September 9th, 1780.
The youngest son of the n of swordmasters, Jin Runcandel, was born.
***
100 days have passed since his rebirth.
Jin could now skillfully crawl around, and he had no choice but to ept the truth unfolding before him.
He had been reborn after his death. There was no other exnation. And there was no way he could exin it to others, as he could barely form any words.
¡®And even if I tell people after I be 5 years old, no one would believe that I have 28 years¡¯ worth of memories in my head.¡¯
They would just dismiss it as a child¡¯s joke or delusion.
If he were to mention the detailed history or secrets of the family, then some people could potentially believe him. However, the chances of him being treated as a cursed child were extremely high.
Therefore, Jin was once again destined to live as the youngest son of the dreadful Runcandel n.
The youngest child of the Runcandel n!
It was an incredible privilege.
Most people living in the world would consider being born as the Runcandels¡¯ youngest an extraordinary blessing.
However, Jin was at a loss.
¡®I would¡¯ve preferred being reborn in an ordinary family.¡¯
In that scenario, it wouldn¡¯t have taken him 100 days to ept the truth about his situation.
He was reborn in the same family, as the same child, on the same day as his past life. In other words, he was most likely gifted with the same talents as his previous life.
Swordsmanship and magic.
However, the Runcandels hated magic. The Zipfel n, the n of magicians, was the Runcandel¡¯s greatest enemy.
¡®The youngest child of the Runcandel again. I wonder if the curse that Solderet dispelled is still on me. How should I run away from this family and learn magic this time?¡¯
There was no way he could learn magic without leaving the Runcandel House.
If the curse that Solderet had dispelled was affecting him again, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to learn swordsmanship either.
As he pondered deeply, Jin¡¯s eyes slowly began to shut.
His body couldn¡¯t obey his mind and resist its natural needs. And so, he fell into a deep sleep.
***
1 year has passed since his rebirth.
Time was trickling slowly, one day at a time.
Jin was sick ofing up with ns for the future now. His body could never resist the temptation of a snooze, and he was bored to death of living as an inarticte baby.
¡®I want to grow up faster! This is so frustrating! I can¡¯t do anything as I am right now!¡¯
All he could do was drink milk from a bottle and fall asleep when the time came. And whenever he relieved himself in his diapers, Gilly, his nanny, woulde rece them. It was an extremely shameful experience for Jin, who had the mind of an adult man.
That was all his daily schedule had entailed during the entire year.
Step, step.
A certain woman entered Jin¡¯s room. She was the mistress of the house, Rosa Runcandel.
She had ebony hair and a sharp gaze decorating her straight, pointy nose. Despite her alluring charm, she appeared quite shrewd and overpowering, which earned her the nickname ¡®ck Panther¡¯ from others.
¡°Are the preparations over, Gilly?¡±
¡°Of course, ma¡¯am. Today¡¯s the day the young master ¡®selects¡¯, so I¡¯ve paid special attention to everything.¡±
¡°Good. Then let¡¯s go immediately.¡±
Jin realized that today was his birthday from their conversation.
The children of the Runcandel family go through a certain ritual called ¡®Selection¡¯ on their first birthday.
It was a ritual where the adultsid around dozens of items on the floor, and made the baby crawl towards one of them and grab the item.
There was a superstition that when the child ¡®selected¡¯ an item, the item would be a representation of the child¡¯s future and destiny. Strangely enough, the Runcandels were obsessed with this superstition.
Rosa picked up Jin and moved to the castle¡¯s central hall.
At the hall¡¯s center stood a man, arms crossed.
He was Jin¡¯s father, the strongest knight of the present era, Cyron Runcandel.
¡®Father.¡¯
It was Jin¡¯s first time seeing his father after his rebirth. Having reached the demigod realm, Cyron was very rarely present at the castle.
He was always away fighting wars or training in some remote location.
¡®And my siblings¡¡¯
His 12 siblings were also present.
While they had treated Jin like a weakling and a useless insect in his past life, they hadn¡¯tmitted such acts as of yet. They were all waiting for Jin with wide smiles on their faces.
As he remembered the suffering he had gone through because of them, his chest began to feel stuffy.
¡°Rosa, put Jin down.¡±
His mother followed his father¡¯s instructions. As his limbs reached the cold marble floor, a slight shiver shook his body.
Two meters away from himy the items for the Selection ritual.
He could see a book, two coins, a single grain of rice, along with over twenty different types of swords impaling the hall floor.
Jin just had to choose one item among all these.
¡®This is crazy. I couldn¡¯t remember the ritual from my past life because I was too young back then, but now that I see it in person, it¡¯s insane. Do they actually n on making a baby crawl through countless swords and grab one by the de?¡¯
In his past life, Jin had selected a sword. Since the book, coins and grain of rice were hidden amongst the countless swords, it was no surprise that all the Runcandel children had selected the weapons.
¡°Now, choose one of them, son.¡±
The members of the Runcandel family watched Jin crawl with great anticipation.
They were all curious to see which sword the youngest child would select. Whether it would be twinswords, a greatsword, a longsword, or apletely different one.
As the tense gazes focused on Jin, he began to crawl towards the sword he had selected previously.
The people around the world probably had no idea that the renowned Runcandels made their children go through such a ridiculous ritual every time.
Ugh.
Jin was frustrated that he couldn¡¯t advance faster. Crawling was taking so long and so much energy.
¡®The sword I subconsciously chose in the past was quite an inconvenience, but this time, I¡¯ll intentionally select that same sword.¡¯
Badump. Badump.
He could feel his tiny heart beating with power.
The weapons were nted in a circle. The item Jin wanted was in the middle.
As he rolled and crawled around, Jin passed by the sword closest to him. The eyes of all the observers in the hall went wide.
Even if the child were from the renowned n of swordmasters, babies would almost always select the item closest to them.
However, Jin was zigzagging through the forest of swords, and the others couldn¡¯t help but gulp with each of his movements.
They were all thinking the same thing.
¡®Could he be¡ going for that sword?¡¯
Jin continued swerving through the des as the eyebrows on Cyron and Rosa¡¯s frozen faces began twitching in response to each sword he grazed.
¡°Gah gah!¡±
Jin had finally selected his sword. Blood began dripping down the fingers touching the de.
Everyone¡¯s gazes slowly moved from the baby towards the sword in question, and the siblings¡¯ jaws instantly dropped.
They all believed that Jin had coincidentally selected that sword, but the truth couldn¡¯t be more different. He had crawled like a madman to reach this specific weapon. He ended up depleting all his energy, as controlling a 1-year-old¡¯s body wasn¡¯t simple, even with the mind of an adult.
¡®Crawling all the way here intentionally was so exhausting, so how on earth did I identally select this sword in my previous life¡?¡¯
His hand was touching Barisada.
It was the sword¡¯s name, and was the n¡¯s emblem.
For many generations, this sword could only be wielded by the Runcandel patriarchs. To be more specific, the patriarchs that had been recognized and acknowledged by all the members of the Runcandel n.
The number of times Barisada had been ¡®selected¡¯ during the ritual in Runcandel history could be counted on one hand.
And every single child that had selected Barisada grew up to be the patriarch of the Runcandel House. Every single child except for Jin Runcandel from his first life.
¡°Jin chose the Founder¡¯s sword.¡±
Cyron spoke in a solemn tone.
A few people were cheering in joy, and a few others were trying their best to hide their displeasure.
This was what the Runcandel superstition was about.
¡°The ritual is over. And bring Jin to the Storm Castle.¡±
Chapter 2: Stormy Days at the Castle (1)
Chapter 2: Stormy Days at the Castle (1)
6 years have passed since the day Jin selected Barisada.
He no longer had to experience the shame of having his nanny rece his diapers, but it was still difficult for him to imitate the attitude of a child.
¡®I want to escape from this Storm Castle already.¡¯
The Storm Castle.
A castle detached from the Runcandel n¡¯s main castle. Every Runcandel child cannot take a single footstep outside the Storm Castle until they turn ten, to protect them from assassination attempts.
¡®What kind of madman would try to assassinate the Runcandel children? Even their worst enemies, the Zipfels, wouldn¡¯t dare to.¡¯
In actuality, there was a certain case around 200 years ago when someone had attempted it.
The Kungen n, another n of swordmasters, had attacked the Runcandels, and 9 young children of the Runcandel n ended up getting killed.
However, the very next day the entire Kungen n was annihted, including every family member and the extended families of the servants, and disappeared into the annals of history.
Ever since then, it had been a tradition and rule within the Runcandel household to have every child remain within the Storm Castle after their ¡®Selection¡¯ rituals until they became 10 years of age.
¡®I¡¯m so bored.¡¯
The atmosphere in the Storm Castle was indeed worthy of its name.
It was located at the peak of Mt. Murakan, which was presumed to be the tallest mountain in the world. As its name suggested, a tempest was surrounding the castle at all times, during all four seasons. The rain, gales, and lightning constantly affected the mountaintop.
¡®This ce isn¡¯t suitable for a child¡¯s emotional growth. No wonder my brothers ended up bing so violent and brutal¡ It¡¯s because of this goddamn ce.¡¯
There were only two other Runcandel children residing in the castle with Jin. His 10 other siblings had all exceeded the age of ten.
Jin and his two brothers, the 5 elite knights protecting them, their nannies, and the 10-ish servants were the only people upying the Storm Castle.
¡°Jin!¡±
As soon as he heard the voice calling him, Jin¡¯s frustration and irritation increased exponentially.
The boy calling for him with that annoying voice was Daytona Runcandel. He was older than Jin by two years.
¡°Why are you alone without your incredible Barisada? Did you lose it? Kuhaha.¡±
And the other brother who was mocking him was Haytona Runcandel. As their names implied, the two were identical twins.
The Tona twins of the Runcandel n.
During his first life, everyone who had dealt with these twins unanimously agreed on one statement.
That they were the Devil¡¯s Spawn.
¡®These annoying brats.¡¯
Jin turned around to face them.
He had not a single good memory about the Tona twins.
They had bullied him from an early age solely for selecting Barisada during his ritual.
And one would be severely mistaken to underestimate the 9-year-old brats and their harassments.
The first thing these brothers did when they left the Storm Castle at the age of 10 in his previous life was to assassinate someone. That was how messed up they were by nature.
As Jin didn¡¯t react to their mockery, the Tona twins continued to harass him.
Gilly, Jin¡¯s nanny, had temporarily left the Storm Castle today. The twins had been eagerly waiting for this day toe, and had no intention to let Jin spend the day in peace.
¡°Oi, we¡¯re talking to you. Where is Barisada?¡±
The Tona twins had begun to torment him one year ago in this life.
It had started off as some light harassment that Gilly wouldn¡¯t notice. Some examples were locking the door when Jin went to the bathroom, or pouring a bunch of salt in his soup.
But afterwards, it began to escte. They tied a dead bird on the door handle to Jin¡¯s room, and secretly released a venomous scorpion from the Storm Castle¡¯s garden onto Jin¡¯s bed.
Nheless, Jin had endured the harassment in silence.
The twins approached their younger brother withrge strides.
As he watched them indifferently, a smirk began to form on Jin¡¯s face.
¡°Hm, I¡¯m not sure where I put it. Oh, maybe I stuffed it up your asshole?¡±
Snap.
The twins froze, and stared back and forth between each other and their youngest brother. That wasn¡¯t the reaction they had been expecting from him.
Asshole¡
Despite being innate murderers, the Tona twins were still 9-year-old children. It was an aggressive term for the two of them. When they realized the offensive nature of the expression, the Tonas¡¯ faces began boiling in rage.
¡°What did you just¡ Did you lose your mind, Jin?¡±
¡°Wake up already. Your nanny isn¡¯t here to protect you today.¡±
¡°Pffft.¡±
Jin let out a small sneer, and took a step towards his brothers.
The Tona twins weren¡¯t the only ones waiting for his nanny¡¯s absence. Rather, Jin had been waiting for this day toe far more ardently than them.
He couldn¡¯t wait to beat these little demons into submission.
¡®My past 7-year-old self could never even have thought of standing up against the Tona twins.¡¯
But he was different now.
Even if the two brothers before him were a decade older, Jin was confident he could kill at least one of them.
Not having realized the urgency of their situation, the Tona twins boldly continued ring at Jin.
¡°If you beg for forgiveness right now, we¡¯ll let you off by just breaking your nose.¡±
¡°Otherwise, we¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re in a state far worse than the bird on your door yesterday.¡±
Approximately 5 steps for a 7-year-old. That was the distance between Jin and his brothers in the Storm Castle¡¯s hallway.
¡°Aack!¡±
Suddenly, Haytona yelped as he crouched on the floor. The startled Daytona looked around to check their surroundings, only to realize that his twin brother¡¯s back was being squashed by Jin underfoot.
Jin had instantaneously narrowed the distance between them and had nted his fist in Haytona¡¯s stomach.
¡°Eh?¡±
Ugh.
Eventually, Daytona took a punch to the jaw and copsed on the floor. It was their first time being hit in this manner. Moreover, their 7-year-old brother¡¯s fist felt like a chunk of ice. Cold and hard.
¡®Wha-What was that?¡¯
The instant he got hit, Daytona caught sight of a dark aura surrounding Jin¡¯s fist.
But he didn¡¯t have time to dwell on it. As he began to return to his senses, another punch came flying at him.
Thwack!
¡°Urgh!¡±
His painful cry couldn¡¯t escape from his mouth, as if his throat were blocked by something. All he could do was rack his brains and figure out where everything had gone wrong as throbbing tears ran down his face.
No one else was in the hallway.
They had chosen this location specifically to harass Jin, but the Tona twins could never have imagined that their decision woulde back to bite them.
¡°About that pitiful bird you two trampled to death, I gave it a proper burial.¡±
Thud, thud, thwack.
Jin continued straddling the two unconscious twins and swung his fists as he spoke in a monotonous voice.
¡®Am I going too far? They are technically still kids.¡¯
A sudden hesitation came over him, but ended up disappearing as quickly as it hade. The previous versions of the 9-year-old Tona brothers were far worse than the current him. They even made him swallow horse shit.
If Jin were to hold back today, the twins would most likely try tomit simr acts again.
¡°Phew.¡±
Twitch, twitch!
After a long beating, the bodies of the two unconscious twins began convulsing. Their youngest brother finally stood up and looked down on them indifferently.
¡°You two better do your best not to catch my attention from now on. As long as you want to live, that is.¡±
¡°Young master!¡±
Having sensed the unusual atmosphere in the castle, a knight in charge of their protection came running down the hallway.
He was a top-ss guardian knight, and normally wouldn¡¯t have been shocked by a fistfight between kids, even if they were from the Runcandel n.
However, even he couldn¡¯t help but stare in disbelief at Jin who was looking down indifferently towards the unconscious twins lying on the ground.
¡®The 7-year-old young master pummelled his older brothers?¡¯
He couldn¡¯t believe it. Normally, there should¡¯ve been arge difference in physique between a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old. Moreover, the Tona twins had been learning the Runcandel Martial Arts recently.
On the other hand, Jin had yet to start learning martial arts. In fact, he hadn¡¯t begun to learn anything at all. At least, that¡¯s what the guardian knight had been told.
¡°Uuugh.¡±
¡°Young Master Jin, what just¡¡±
The knight asked him as Daytona let out a barely audible moan.
¡°They started fighting each other out of nowhere.¡±
¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°They fought each other.¡±
The knight realized immediately that Jin was lying, but he couldn¡¯t pursue the matter anymore. He could see Jin smirking, as if everything had gone ording to his n.
While the guardian knight¡¯s duty was to protect the children, he was still an outsider to this family. He was not in a position where he could argue with the young masters of the Storm Castle.
¡®I already knew that the children of the Runcandel n were violent and brutal, but this just confirms my beliefs¡ I should just report to the patriarch and stay out of this.¡¯
The knight courteously bowed to Jin. He may be a 7-year-old, but he was still a bona fide Runcandel by blood.
¡°I understand. Then I shall take the Tona young masters to the doctor.¡±
¡°No need. There¡¯s somewhere else my brothers need to go.¡±
¡°Somewhere else? Where is that?¡±
¡°The grave.¡±
¡°The¡ grave?¡±
¡°Carry them for me.¡±
As the light in Jin¡¯s eyes changed, the knight had no choice but to pick up the unconscious boys on his shoulders.
¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
He awkwardly followed the young boy before him. Jin was headed towards the small mound in the Storm Castle¡¯s backyard, where a heavy rainstorm was crashing down.
It was the bird¡¯s grave. The bird the Tona twins had killed.
The small mound hadn¡¯t been destroyed by the downpour yet.
¡°Put them down.¡±
¡°But Young Master, the storm¡¡±
The fierce rainstorm was about to swallow up the knight and Jin, not to mention the two unconscious boys.
Jin didn¡¯t reply and merely stared at him dead in the eye.
The knight soon realized that it was amand. He could see it from Jin¡¯s attitude. It was the attitude of a Runcandel who was giving a serious order.
He could never have imagined that a 7-year-old could have such an imposing and kingly aura.
The knight had no right to refuse. Even if themand would harm another Runcandel, he still couldn¡¯t refuse it. In the first ce, the Tona twins weren¡¯t awake to order him to refuse right now.
All he could do was follow themand of the Runcandel before him.
It wasn¡¯t up to him to consider the consequences of these orders, it was up to the patriarch and the elders. Even if the Tona twins were to die of hypothermia, the Runcandel n wouldn¡¯t put the me on the knight.
Familial disputes and quarrels weremon within the n.
¡°I shallply, Young Master.¡±
He put the twins down in front of the grave. The two boys were still motionless, except for a few asional twitches.
The Tona twins were rescued two hourster by Gilly, who was returning from her outing.
The two of them had acute pneumonia for a few days, and didn¡¯t dare to look Jin in the eyes until the day they left the Storm Castle.
***
The continent¡¯s eastern region, the unprotected area. Also known as the ck Sea.
Cyron had been meditating in this monster-infestednd for a few days now.
He was merely sitting on the ground, but the nearby monsters wouldn¡¯t dare approach him, even the ones the size of buildings.
Soon, a man covered in the blood of countless monsters walked towards Cyron.
¡°Greetings to the patriarch. This is Khan.¡±
It was the guardian knight who had obeyed Jin¡¯s orders and left the Tona twins out in the rainstorm ten days ago.
¡°Is something the matter?¡±
Cyron asked as he carefully opened his eyes.
¡°I havee to report about a dispute between the young masters at the Storm Castle.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no way you¡¯d disturb my training just because of a dispute between children. Speak freely.¡±
Khan exined the details of the incident, and a smile grew on Cyron¡¯s face.
¡°So, did the twins die?¡±
¡°They did get acute pneumonia, but their lives aren¡¯t in danger.¡±
¡°Then they must¡¯ve learnt an important lesson. I see. You may return.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
Khan had desperately struggled against countless monsters for three whole days just to make this short report, but he didn¡¯t hold any resentment against the patriarch or the young master. He silently returned to the direction of the Storm Castle.
¡®I should go see the youngest for myself.¡¯
And so, Cyron made an appearance at the Storm Castle one monthter.
Chapter 3: Stormy Days at the Castle (2)
Chapter 3: Stormy Days at the Castle (2)
When Cyron left the ck Sea, the Runcandels living outside the Storm Castle became busy. They had to wee back the patriarch who was returning from his outing for the first time in 5 years.
¡°Every Runcandel g-bearer must gather at the Storm Castle, except for those working on imperial requests.¡±
The ck Panther Rosa Runcandel¡¯smand spread around the world like a pulse. The g-bearers of the n working in the Vermont Empire, Akin Kingdom, Zhan Kingdom, Curano Dukedom, etc. all promptly gathered at the Storm Castle.
¡°What is going on? Our youngest brother¡¯s Selection ritual ended years ago, so why is fathering to the Storm Castle?¡±
Cyron¡¯s third son, Ran Runcandel, had returned from the continent¡¯s northern region, where he had been mowing down monsters.
¡°Did the guardian knights stationed at the Storm Castle mention anything?¡±
Cyron¡¯s fourth son, Vigo Runcandel. He had to suspend his assassination taskmissioned by a big shot of the Curano Dukedom in order to return.
His client would most definitely be displeased, but he had no other choice. Unfortunately for him, the Runcandel n wouldn¡¯tpensate its agents for discontinuing their ongoing missions in order to answer their summons.
¡°Nothing at all. Seems like it¡¯s a confidential matter. Well, I¡¯m not surprised. Even father is personallying¡¡±
Cyron¡¯s third daughter, Mary Runcandel. She had been duelling and defeating powerful warriors in the southern region.
And so, seven of Cyron¡¯s children assembled at the Storm Castle, along with a total of more than 200 knights and aides who had been assisting them.
With this many members, they could destroy an average city in a mere 30 minutes, and an average country in a single day.
When the news that Cyron had begun to move spread around the world, various rumors began to spread within the ruling ss.
¡®Why is Cyron making a move? Didn¡¯t he say he wouldn¡¯t leave the ck Sea for another 10 years?¡¯
¡®Are the Runcandels finally nning to dominate the world?¡¯
¡®Did the Zipfel n show any reaction to this?¡¯
The world¡¯s one and only Genesis Knight, Cyron.
Cyron¡¯s offsprings, the Runcandels.
The ripple effect of these names was huge.
Cyron¡¯s children and the n¡¯s guardian knights were standing in two rows on both sides of the stairs leading up to the Storm Castle. Under the heavy rainstorm, the look in everyone¡¯s eyes was serious. They all appeared determined, as if they were about to go to war.
¡°Greetings to the patriarch!¡±
¡°Greetings to the patriarch!¡±
As Cyron arrived at the Storm Castle¡¯s entrance, they simultaneously raised their swords in the air. The mountaintop shook with their resonating voices, as ifndslides would ur everywhere.
¡°Mhm.¡±
With a slight nod, Cyron began ascending the stairs.
¡®Father¡¯s mood is odd. Is something extremely important about to happen?¡¯
The Runcandel children exchanged nces, sharing their thoughts without any words. As Cyron passed by them, they slowly followed his footsteps with serious expressions. The guardian knights remained behind and guarded the Storm Castle gates.
However, none of them were aware of the truth.
The reason Cyron hade to the Storm Castle was simply to see his youngest child.
***
¡°Daytona, Haytona.¡±
¡°Yes, father.¡±
Cyron summoned the Tona twins first. The sick brothers knelt before their father as their runny noses caused snuffles to resound in the throne room.
¡°Tell me what mistake the two of you made.¡±
Jin was waiting inside his room with Gilly, so he couldn¡¯t hear the conversation.
The Tona twins hesitated to answer. As seconds passed, Cyron¡¯s eyebrow twitched slightly.
¡°I asked you to tell me what mistake you made.¡±
¡°Th-That¡¯s¡¡±
In Jin¡¯s previous life, the Tona twins hadmitted their first murder right after leaving the Storm Castle, at the age of 10. And as they grew older, they killed an average of 50 people every year. They were, quite literally, homicidal maniacs.
However, as of right now, they were just 9-year-old brats.
They were at the age when their strict father terrified them. Moreover, the word ¡®strict¡¯ couldn¡¯t do their father justice.
Not only that, their father had asked for their mistake.
They had gotten pummelled by their younger brother. If they had to me something or someone, it was Jin.
The twins seemed to have forgotten how they had harassed their brother before.
As they reached this conclusion, the Tona twins made up their minds.
¡°We haven¡¯t made any mistakes.¡±
Daytona gathered his courage and answered. Cyron propped his chin on his hand, as if he were waiting for his son to finish speaking.
¡°Jin used some unknown power to punch Haytona and me.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. He used a power that wasn¡¯t aura!¡±
Haytona intervened as he entuated the second half of his sentence.
¡®A power that wasn¡¯t aura¡¯. In this world, there could only be one answer when it came to a power that wasn¡¯t aura.
Magic.
If the 7-year-old Jin had used aura in order to beat them, he would¡¯ve been praised by the others. However, it was an entirely different case if it were magic.
A child with Runcandel blood using magic was sphemy.
Therefore, the Tona twins were trying to convey the fact that Jin had used magic to defeat them.
¡°My sons.¡±
A gentle tone resounded.
¡°Yes, father!¡±
The twins answered brightly, as if they were criminals who had found a loophole to take advantage of. Realizing that their father¡¯s voice was gentle, they believed that they had a chance to seize victory.
However, Cyronpletely ignored the Tona twins¡¯ excuse and spoke in a mellow voice.
¡°I shall give you two a piece of advice that you should engrave in your hearts. If you keep behaving like this¡ you will never survive within the Runcandel n.¡±
¡°Ah¡¡±
¡°W-We apologize, father.¡±
¡°Go call Jin for me.¡±
***
As he walked down the hallway, Jin thought about the Tona twins who hade to fetch him.
They werepletely shrivelled up and looked close to copsing, as if they had fallen into a beast¡¯s cage and had barely escaped with their lives.
¡®I used to wear the same expression in my previous life whenever I met up with father. I can imagine what those two went through.¡¯
Jin hadn¡¯t heard the conversation between the twins and Cyron, but he had an idea about what had been discussed.
¡®Father most likely asked them a question, and the twins weren¡¯t able to give him a satisfying answer. Well, it¡¯s understandable since they¡¯re still kids.¡¯
That was how Cyron educated his children.
No, it couldn¡¯t even qualify as education. Despite having 13 children, Cyron never raised a single child himself.
The people who raised the children within the Runcandel n were the nannies.
All Cyron and Rosa did was observe their children. They observed how their children grew up, and tried to determine which one of them was most worthy of leading the n after their father.
Furthermore, they would slowly get involved with their children only after they grew into adults and showed results exceeding the ¡®Runcandel standard¡¯.
Therefore, Cyron¡¯s arrival at the Storm Castle had be a huge deal.
The other siblings waiting in the lobby were dying to know what was urring inside the throne room.
Step, step.
Jin could finally see the throne. His father was seated, waiting for him to arrive. He carefully walked towards Cyron as the events in his past life shed through his head.
¡®My father. The strongest person I¡¯ve ever seen, yet also the cruelest I¡¯ve known.¡¯
His mother, Rosa Runcandel, somewhat had a humane aspect to her. When Jin was kicked out of the n, the news that she refused to eat anything for two days had spread around the world.
Nheless, she ended up erasing the existence known as ¡®Jin¡¯ from her heart entirely after a few days.
However, Cyron was different.
He still had some human aspects to him, such as twitching his brows when he got angry or slightly smiling when he found something entertaining.
Jin had also heard that when Cyron was younger and hadn¡¯t be the patriarch yet, he could get frustrated, happy, and also struggled for his life.
However, when he reached the demigod realm and became the Genesis Knight, those emotions slowly faded away. All that was left within him was an unconditional concern for the n.
¡®It¡¯s a funny story. Even though he¡¯s reached the demigod realm, he¡¯s still protecting the n as Eldest Brother hasn¡¯t taken over.¡¯
Jin was clenching his teeth so hard he could hear them grinding.
He had lived a miserable life in the n until he got banished. Even when they ate at the same dinner table, the other n members treated him like air.
However, he couldn¡¯t continue acting like this. Cyron would definitely notice it. There¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t realize his youngest son was grinding his teeth as soon as he saw him.
¡®He may be my father, but I¡¯ll make sure he can¡¯t look down on me in this life.¡¯
Jin knelt before Cyron as he vowed this to himself, and greeted him.
¡°Greetings to the patriarch.¡±
He was behaving like the adults of the n who had long since departed the Storm Castle. He was weing Cyron not as his youngest son, but as a member of the n.
Cyron nodded in satisfaction and spoke to his son.
¡°Why did you call me ¡®patriarch¡¯ instead of ¡®father¡¯?¡±
Jin pretended to ponder for a while. He had already predicted Cyron¡¯s reaction to his greeting.
¡°My elder brothers, elder sisters, and the guardian knights numbering over 100 returned to this castle to wee you. So I inferred that the patriarch¡¯s visit to the castle was a formal one.¡±
Cyron¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°Excellent.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t respond to his father¡¯s exmation and slightly lowered his head to show his gratitude.
While it was unthinkable for a 7-year-old to show such impressive manners, Cyron didn¡¯t suspect anything. He merely believed that Gilly had educated Jin properly and that his son had a keen insight, just like how he had selected Barisada during the ritual.
However, Jin wasn¡¯t a genuine 7-year-old. He had the mind of an adult from his past life. Cyron was unaware of that fact, despite having reached the demigod realm.
As he gazed at his son vacantly, Cyron spoke once again.
¡°Just now, I asked your brothers what mistake they had made. They weren¡¯t able to answer my question.¡±
¡°Yes, patriarch.¡±
¡°However, I feel like I should try asking you that same question. So, what mistake did Daytona and Haytona make?¡±
Once again, Jin pretended to think to himself. He had somewhat foreseen the conversation developing in this direction.
No. In fact, he hadpletely predicted this oue because Cyron Runcandel would not hesitate to treat his sick children like war veterans who had been through countless hardships.
The answer Cyron wanted to hear had already been decided from the beginning.
¡°It¡¯s revenge.¡±
¡°Hm!¡±
Cyron¡¯s wide eyes glinted in astonishment. As he sat quietly for a few seconds, Jin exined his previous answer.
¡°My brothers should¡¯ve tried to get revenge on me. A Runcandel must always repay one¡¯s dues to another, whether it be a favor or a grudge.¡±
Silence ensued.
Jin was certain that thisck of reaction from his father was synonymous to satisfaction.
However, he now had to show a childish attitude to eliminate any suspicions Cyron could have. He raised his head ever so slightly with a worried gaze, and asked his father.
¡°Was my answer incorrect?¡±
¡°No. On the contrary, it was extremely satisfactory.¡±
¡°Thank you, patriarch.¡±
At his son¡¯s words, Cyron showed hints of sadness in his eyes.
¡°You may call me ¡®father¡¯ for now. Our n members may have gathered at this castle to wee me, but my visit here is purely for personal reasons.¡±
¡°Yes, father.¡±
Cyron faintly smiled as he looked down at his son.
In the blink of an eye, all signs of contentment disappeared from his face. As his aloof and indifferent expression returned, Cyron asked his son another question.
¡°What is this special power you used to defeat your brothers?¡±
Chapter 4: Stormy Days at the Castle (3)
Chapter 4: Stormy Days at the Castle (3)
¡°I do not know either.¡±
Jin responded in a calm tone.
¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±
Cyron raised his head. He hadn¡¯t expected this reply from his clever son, who had been giving satisfactory answers all this time.
¡°Yes, father. This power isn¡¯t aura, so I¡¯m not sure what I should call it.¡±
Once again, the flow of the conversation had been predicted by Jin. He had shown a child-like innocence on purpose, just like he had done earlier.
Swoosh.
The sound of mes swirling resounded. Jin had generated a handful of dark energy atop his palm. It was the power he had used to pummel the Tona twins.
He had gained this power, Spiritual Power, through his contract with Solderet, the God of Shadows. Despite acting like an ignorant child, Jin knew better than anyone what this power was.
He also knew that Cyron would recognize this power.
¡°May I request father to give this power a name?¡±
Jin looked up to Cyron with twinkling eyes.
Cyron¡¯s jaw dropped for the first time since he reached the demigod realm and became a Genesis Knight¡
¡®Lord Solderet¡¡¯
He finally managed to shut his mouth. As he stared at his son¡¯s palm, Cyron gulped.
Could it be that this child was the reincarnation of the n¡¯s founder and first patriarch? Such questions went through his mind as Cyron thought to himself.
Solderet. The God of Shadows. A being that all the magicians of the world yearn for.
However, Cyron and Jin were both aware of a different truth.
Originally, Solderet didn¡¯t specialize in magic, but was something akin to a God of Swords. Moreover, 1000 years ago, he had made a contract with the n¡¯s founder and had protected the Runcandels for years.
¡®I thought that he had abandoned the n ever since the founder passed away, but it seems that he has taken an interest in my youngest child.¡¯
Could this be a sign that the Runcandels could once again rise and prosper in the future?
No, it was also possible that the god who had once abandoned them had returned on a whim, and would soon leave again. Cyron began to calcte the possibilities as he watched the shadows dance upon Jin¡¯s palm.
¡®I¡¯m certain that he hasn¡¯t made a contract with the god yet. If he had gained this power through the contract, there¡¯s no way he wouldn¡¯t know what power this is.¡¯
Jin could easily guess the thoughts passing through his father¡¯s mind.
He started getting somewhat nervous as everything had gone ording to his n. It was far too easy. He believed that Cyron would show some suspicions at some moment, but that moment never came. Maybe it was because of his young age and childish appearance.
7 years of age was an excellent period to lie and trick people.
¡°My son.¡±
Cyron had finished sorting out his thoughts.
¡°Yes, father.¡±
¡°That is the power of a god named Solderet. Therefore, I cannot name it. Lord Solderet is one of the secrets our n has kept hidden for a long time.¡±
¡°Solderet¡¡±
¡°It is the being who brought about shadows in this world. You may be a clever child, but you¡¯re still too young to understand this.¡±
¡°Is he¡¡±
When Jin paused, Cyron nodded to urge him to continue.
¡°Is God Solderet stronger than father?¡±
¡°Haha¡¡±
Cyron let out an awkwardugh signifying his defeat. He had neverughed like this ever since bing a demigod.
Having devoted his time and energy to his training for countless years now, his emotions and spirit had been stirred for the first time in a long time.
¡°I wonder¡ Your father has never attempted to challenge gods, so I cannot say.¡±
Truly a prideful reply. Not knowing the answer for never having battled gods.
Nheless, Jin shuddered as he listened to his father¡¯s reply. The person in question was Cyron Runcandel.
The strongest man on the continent.
Even the nmaster of the Zipfel n, Kelliark Zipfel, could not hold a candle to this man.
Smirk.
Cyron showed a toothy grin.
¡°I¡¯ve truly made the correct decision toe and meet you today. Your naive question has be a great topic of interest for me. Thank you, my son. Come closer.¡±
Could he win against a god? Cyron had called this question a ¡®topic of interest¡¯.
Once Jin walked up to him, his father lightly patted his head. The handful of shadow was still swirling on Jin¡¯s palm right now.
¡°How do you want to use this power?¡±
¡°I want to use it for the n, father.¡±
I want to use it for myself.
There was no need for him to answer honestly. The only things the n had given Jin in his past life was scorn and contempt.
He had never felt the warmth called ¡®family¡¯ again after turning 7 years old. Therefore, Jin had absolutely no intention of using his life to serve the n, unless he somehow became the patriarch of the family. However, in order to do that, he would have to defeat his monstrously powerful siblings.
¡°Kuhahaha!¡±
Cyron suddenly burst intoughter. The echoes resounded throughout the entire Storm Castle and shook the ground.
The siblings waiting outside the throne room all jolted in surprise. They had never heard their fatherugh so vigorously in recent years.
After a while, theughter subsided and Cyron turned expressionless as usual. He bent down and brought his face up close to Jin¡¯s.
¡°What an amusing lie. You can be more honest with your father, you know?¡±
Jin hadn¡¯t expected this situation. Nevertheless, he suppressed his shock and slowly spoke.
¡°¡for me.¡±
¡°Hm?¡±
¡°I want to use it for myself.¡±
¡°Right. After having pummelled your brothers and leaving them out in the storm, there¡¯s no way you¡¯d use your power for the n. I¡¯ll be watching over you from here on out.¡±
Cyron walked past Jin and left the room. After his father¡¯s footsteps disappeared into the distance, Jin finally noticed the cold sweat running down his face and back.
A mixture of disbelief and relief painted across his face.
¡°Phew!¡±
He let out arge breath of air and wiped his sweat with his sleeve. He had never faced his father in such a bold manner during his past 28 years of life.
¡®I did it. I made it!¡¯
As the adrenaline rush subsided, he could finally hear his heart beating like crazy.
Through today¡¯s conversation with his father, Jin had obtained Cyron¡¯s approval to use Solderet¡¯s power freely, and his father¡¯s expectations of him were high.
¡®In my first life, I ended up dying without getting the chance to properly use Solderet¡¯s power, and I never would¡¯ve thought that father would hold expectations for me back then.¡¯
Even after getting banished from the n, Jin did not have the liberty of using Solderet¡¯s power freely.
The n wouldn¡¯t allow a banished Runcandel to gain power and potentially use it against them.
Therefore, Jin had to hide in the Akin Kingdom and train in secrecy. The Akin Kingdom was affiliated to the Lutero Magic Federation, which was under the Zipfel n¡¯s influence. It was the perfect ce for Jin to hide, as he was technically a magician back then.
The Runcandel n¡¯s long-time secret: the founder¡¯s contract with Solderet.
Jin was already aware of this undisclosed information before his rebirth. Cyron had called it a secret the n had ¡®kept hidden for a long time¡¯, but Jin was more knowledgeable about the details of the founder¡¯s rtion with Solderet than his father.
Solderet had told Jin about his history with the Runcandel n personally after their contract was made. At that time, Solderet and Jin would chat amicably like two close friends.
¡®But he never told me why he left the Runcandels and became a god of magic instead of the god of swords. He didn¡¯t get involved during my death either.¡¯
Moreover, ever since his rebirth, Solderet hadn¡¯t spoken to him once.
Jin spected that his rebirth was a phenomenon that had transpired due to Solderet¡¯s power and authority, but that was merely a hypothesis.
***
When Jin was one year old, he realized that the power he had obtained through the contract was still avable to him.
¡®It became usable immediately after I ¡®selected¡¯ Barisada.¡¯
On his ¡®Selection¡¯ day, during the night after the ritual was over, a 9-star magician¡¯s curse, the ¡®ded Illusion¡¯, was cast on Jin. It was the same curse as his past life. The incident was repeating itself.
[Contractor, it seems that someone bore a grudge against you since your childhood. You haven¡¯t been able to use your full potential due to a trivial curse. That might¡¯ve been the reason why I was so captivated by you.]
Those were Solderet¡¯s words right after they had made their contract.
As Jin remembered that conversation, he watched the curse¡¯s chains slowly crawl into his cradle. While he was fully conscious, he couldn¡¯t resist or block the curse with the body of a 1-year-old.
He began ming his newborn body for his powerlessness. He could neither resist the curse slithering towards him, nor call out for help.
Suddenly, Solderet¡¯s power manifested itself.
The chains never managed to reach Jin, and disappeared into his shadow.
Curses of this level could not affect Solderet¡¯s contractor. Using his past life¡¯s magic teacher¡¯s expression, it was an ¡®extremely cheat-like¡¯ effect.
¡®Just you wait. I don¡¯t know who cast this curse on me, but once I¡¯ve grown up, I will find you. And I will kill you.¡¯
The power to control shadows; his knowledge of magic he gained in his past life; and, despite having unlocked and practiced it btedly, his skills and talent with the sword. Jin had retained all these qualities through the reincarnation.
He would not face the same fate asst time. The n would not banish him for not having any talents this time. An entirely different future was awaiting him.
¡°Young Master.¡±
¡°Yes, Nanny Gilly?¡±
As he turned around, Gilly was waiting for him at the entrance.
¡°The patriarch has announced his departure. You muste to see him off.¡±
¡°Okay.¡±
¡°But¡ are you alright?¡±
Gilly asked in concern.
She had seen the Tona twins returning to their rooms with ashen-white faces and expressions of terror, therefore she couldn¡¯t hide her worries for Jin.
¡°I¡¯m okay. Are my elder brothers and sisters leaving as well?¡±
¡°Yes. They only came here to greet the patriarch. Ah! But Lady Mary has left behind a gift for you, Young Master.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll open the giftter. I should go see father off first.¡±
There were over 200 guardian knights who had turned up at the Storm Castle, apanying their respective Runcandel g-bearers.
As Cyron was preparing to leave again, the others had no reason to stay. Once they would leave, Jin could ignore the Tona twins and spend his days quietly at the Storm Castle here on out.
Spend his days quietly gaining strength without anyone noticing, in fact.
¡°All hail!¡±
¡°All hail!¡±
The knights raised their swords to the sky as Cyron exited the gates. Jin and the Tona twins stood next to them and bowed their heads as well.
¡®The next time I see father will be at the main house instead of the Storm Castle.¡¯
Cyron returned to the direction of the ck Sea.
The people who were expecting Cyron to lead them to a bloody battle against the Zipfel n all hid their disappointment deep in their hearts. The Runcandel g-bearers each returned to their original whereabouts, followed by their guardian knights.
Cyron never returned to the Storm Castle again until Jin turned 10 and left. However, the guardian knight called Khan would asionally leave for the ck Sea in order to inform the patriarch about Jin¡¯s recent actions.
¡®Elder sister Mary isn¡¯t in her right mind. I¡¯m still only 7 years old¡ Hahaha. To think she¡¯d give me such an amazing present!¡¯
Jin shouted out in his mind as he opened the gift in his room. Gilly¡¯s eyes also turned wide as she checked the item left behind by Jin¡¯s third sister, Mary.
Before their eyes was the heart of a beast summoned by a magician from the Zipfel n. Mary had personally killed the summoned beast in the continent¡¯s southern region.
A Phoenix Heart.
A rare and precious gift Jin never received in his previous life.
Mary was wishing for his well-being and wanted her youngest brother to grow up strong and healthy.
Jin could now decoct the heart and consume it.
Chapter 5: Stormy Days at the Castle (4)
Chapter 5: Stormy Days at the Castle (4)
Jin¡¯s third sister, Mary Runcandel.
Currently aged 19, she is known around the world as ¡®Stormwind Mary¡¯.
In the Runcandel n¡¯s thousand-year-old history, not a single child failed to be a 1-star knight before reaching 14. By 16, most would be 3-star knights, and the average would be a 5-star before the age of 20.
Mary¡¯s case was theplete opposite of the past Jin.
She exceeded the Runcandel n¡¯s norm. While Jin became a 1-star knight at 25 years old, she achieved the same feat at 12 and was already a 5-star knight at 16.
Moreover, she was currently a 6-star knight.
Despite not being 20 yet, she reached a stage that most people around the world could only dream of attaining.
By exceeding the Runcandel norm, the word ¡®genius¡¯ that applied to all Runcandels could no longer do justice to her and her achievements.
Regardless of her talents, Mary was one of the few people who had shown goodwill andpassion towards Jin in his previous life.
¡®She may have a screw or two loose in her head, but she¡¯s given me an incredible gift. I was just starting to get frustrated by my slow growth speed.¡¯
One month has passed since Cyron left the Storm Castle.
During that time, the smell of the Phoenix Heart being decocted in the kitchen had spread throughout the entire castle. Moreover, several corridors and halls near the kitchen were scorching due to the special heat released by the Phoenix Heart.
Despite all this havoc, Mary had returned to the southern region as if the heart was insignificant to her.
Normally speaking, a Phoenix Heart was¡ a rarity simr to an elixir that even kings and queens couldn¡¯t eat often.
The meat was tender and softer than veal, it had a richer fragrance than truffles, and its effects were far more potent than herbal tonics.
¡°Young Master, within a couple of hours, you¡¯ll finally be able to eat the heart. Good job waiting patiently until now.¡±
Jin nodded excitedly as his eyes glimmered.
It had taken Mary¡¯s gift a month to be fully cooked. Gilly hadn¡¯t been able to sleep properly during this entire month because she was busy simmering the Phoenix Heart for her young master.
Nevertheless, she was ecstatic. Jin¡¯s happiness was her happiness. A nanny within this n was responsible for a Runcandel child¡¯s growth, and their future depended greatly on how strong and dependable the child became.
Due to this tradition, Jin felt guilt-ridden towards Gilly. In his previous life, his nanny¡¯s life had taken a turn for the worse after his banishment from the n. Her future was bleak and her lifestyle hadpletely crumbled.
¡°You may not be aware, Young Master, but the Phoenix Heart is an elixir that is especially effective on children. You can increase your tolerance against mes only by eating it at a young age. Lady Mary has given you a truly priceless gift.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
Jin was far more knowledgeable about the heart than Gilly, but he pretended to be interested by her exnation.
He had studied about the Phoenix Heart endlessly during the years when he was training his magic.
¡®However, I didn¡¯t do research on it back then because I wanted to eat one, but because I wanted to learn the traits of a phoenix as a magician.¡¯
Summoning a phoenix was every magician¡¯s dream. But Jin had died right before bing a 6-star magician, the stage at which one can finally summon the bird in question.
¡°Of course! I hid your eyes when I first saw the puddle of blood inside the box, but once I realized it was the priceless product that even the Vermont imperial family couldn¡¯t easily obtain¡¡±
As Gilly continued her lengthymentary, Jin began to think about phoenixes.
He couldn¡¯t wait until he could finally summon one during this life. Learning magic as a Runcandel was strictly prohibited, but Jin had no intentions of giving up on it.
As long as he didn¡¯t get caught, everything would work out.
Moreover, if he gained unparalleled power or influence, or if he had a good enough justification, then it wouldn¡¯t matter even if he did get discovered.
Martial arts and magic.
A lifestyle and path that epassed both of those aspects: the Magic Swordsman. In order to be a magic swordsman, Jin was prepared to shoulder any hardships.
¡®If it were me¡ I would never have let my enemies steal and eat my phoenix¡¯s heart.¡¯
Phoenixes were immortal beings that would be reborn even after death. Even if one were killed by an enemy and had its heart stolen, it would revive 100 yearster in nature.
Nevertheless, 100 years was a long period of time. The phoenix¡¯s original summoner would¡¯ve died by then.
¡°You mustn¡¯t forget to thank Lady Mary the next time you see her, Young Master.¡±
¡°Yeah, I won¡¯t.¡±
The Phoenix Heart was ready. A strong and rich fragrance began to spread throughout the castle.
¡°I must go prepare your meal, soe down in a little while, Young Master!¡±
Gilly exited the room, humming and skipping in joy as the door remained ajar. Once she left his field of vision, a deep sigh escaped Jin¡¯s mouth.
¡°Stop loitering around me. It¡¯s annoying.¡±
¡°Ah, o-okay.¡±
¡°Sure¡¡±
The Tona twins had been dawdling outside the room since a while ago. Once Gilly had left, they stood by the entrance, close to the door, and shot nces towards their youngest brother.
Jin let out a light snicker when he noticed the twins drooling from the smell.
¡®Geez, look at these cute, little brats¡¡¯
When he gestured them to get closer with his finger, the Tona twins dashed inside the room.
¡°Why are you here?¡±
Jin asked them coldly despite knowing full well that they were here for the Phoenix Heart. The Tona twins were squirming awkwardly, as if they desperately needed to head to the bathroom.
They wanted to ask Jin to share some of the Phoenix Heart, but were too afraid to do so. The beating fromst month and their father¡¯s scolding had traumatized them.
Jin found this situation quite entertaining. In his previous life, the Tona twins would always steal something from him or beat him up if he bumped into them in the hallways. He could never have imagined that they¡¯d be the ones being cautious of him now.
¡®They were probably ordered by Emma to convince me to share some Phoenix Heart with them.¡¯
Emma Niltro.
Just like Gilly, she was a nanny living in the Storm Castle. She was in charge of the Tona twins¡¯ growth. However, unlike Gilly who had died a gruesome death during Jin¡¯s first life, Emma had been livingvishly thanks to the well-off Tona twins.
Despite bing crazed murderers, Daytona and Haytona never forgot about Emma and took good care of her. But that was all part of her n.
If Gilly was the type to raise children with love and affection, Emma was the type to raise them using the carrot and stick approach. She never taught the Tona twins concepts such as selflessness or morality.
Truth be told, both of those concepts weren¡¯t very useful in the Runcandel n, as one¡¯s enemies could take advantage of them. But Jin still believed that Emma¡¯s teachings were distorted.
She was the biggest influence upon the Tona twins¡¯ upbringing, and was the cause of their twisted characters.
¡°Um¡ you see¡ the Phoenix¡¡±
¡°That¡ isn¡¯t there¡ a bit too much to eat¡ on your own?¡±
¡°What was that? I can¡¯t hear you.¡±
¡°The Phoenix Heart soup. Could you share a bowl with us? Otherwise, we¡¯ll get scolded by Emma.¡±
¡°Do us a favor, brother.¡±
¡®Seems like they¡¯re more afraid of Emma than me.¡¯
Jin snickered as he thought to himself.
¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±
¡°Ah, please¡¡±
¡°We¡¯re begging you!¡±
The Tona twins were on the verge of crying, but Jin had not a speck of sympathy for them within his heart.
Jin already knew that the Tonas were used to the carrot and stick approach, so he nned on making them do some physically exhausting work in return for the Phoenix Heart soup.
¡°If you¡¯re willing to go that far, then I won¡¯t refuse. But I have a condition.¡±
¡°Oh, what is it? What is it?¡±
¡°Remember that grave I made?¡±
The Tona twins shuddered and turned pale at the word ¡®grave¡¯. The memories of being pummelled and left out in the rainstorm in front of the grave had resurfaced.
¡°If you look carefully, there¡¯s a small hole behind that grave.¡±
¡°A hole?¡±
¡°Yeah. Like a burrow. I want you two to dig into that hole and make it deeper. You have until nightfall. Of course, you can¡¯t rest at all.¡±
The task Jin had given to his 9-year-old brothers was, quite literally, a waste of time.
¡°Why¡ do we need to dig there?¡±
¡°I want to bury the bird you two killed in a deeper hole and give it a better grave.¡±
The twins lost strength in their legs and felt them wobble.
However, if they didn¡¯t have to face their terrifying brother in another fight, and could eat the Phoenix Heart soup with such a trifling task, then they had noints.
¡°How deep do we need to dig?¡±
¡°I told you to dig until nightfall with no rest, didn¡¯t I?¡±
¡°Alright. So if we dig until then, you¡¯ll share some Phoenix Heart soup with us?¡±
¡°Of course I will. But you need to do your best. If I¡¯m not satisfied by the depth of the hole, this agreement is invalid. Oh, by the way, there are plenty of shovels in the warehouse. You should use those.¡±
¡°Sure!¡±
¡°And this is pretty obvious, but you can¡¯t order someone else to dig for you, alright?¡±
The twins nodded vigorously and immediately departed to begin their work.
***
While the Tona twins were shovelling in the backyard, Jin was eating the Phoenix Heart soup at the dinner table.
¡°Is it that tasty, Young Master?¡±
Gilly asked as she watched Jin gleefully slurping down the meal. She thought that Jin was joyful because of the delicious soup.
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s so tasty!¡±
¡°There¡¯s more than enough tost you for 3 days, so don¡¯t hesitate to ask if you want another serving.¡±
With each spoonful going down his throat, Jin could feel his bones and skin bing sturdy. If he ate the soup for 3 days, his affinity and resistance against fire would increase substantially.
However, Jin wasn¡¯t smiling from ear to ear because of the Phoenix Heart.
¡®Within a few days, I¡¯ll have ess to the secret tomes¡!¡¯
The spot where the Tona twins were digging, behind the bird¡¯s grave.
Despite being only 9 years old, the twins¡¯ physical abilities were still far above the world¡¯s average as they were of the Runcandel bloodline.
The Runcandels had special bodies as if they had been blessed by the heavens.
So if the twins continued digging until nightfall using their blessed bodies, the hole would reach the ¡®underground wall¡¯.
¡®They won¡¯t be able to tell if it¡¯s a wall or just a hard boulder, though.¡¯
Below the Storm Castle was a secret underground area where some of the Runcandel n¡¯s ¡®wrongdoings¡¯ were hidden.
The secret tomes of other ns.
The Runcandels had subdued and destroyed other ns throughout their history. During these wars, they would steal their enemies¡¯ secret books, scrolls, and records.
It goes without saying that Jin wouldn¡¯t be able to easily infiltrate the underground area just because the Tona twins dug until the wall. He would have to deal with the two protective instations that repelled outsiders first.
But Jin already knew how to disable them. He had technically lived in the Runcandel n for 25 years during his previous life, despite being treated worse than bugs. He had picked up some information and a few tricks here and there within the n.
¡®I¡¯ll just study those books until the day I leave the Storm Castle.¡¯
Jin had emptied two bowls of soup for dinner.
¡°Nanny Gilly.¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master?¡±
¡°Could you share some of the Phoenix Heart soup with the twins when night falls?¡±
¡°Ah, how much should I give them?¡±
¡°One spoonful each.¡±
¡°O-One¡ spoonful? Why bother sharing some with them in that case? You should eat it all on your own instead.¡±
¡°I must keep my promise. If theyin about it and ask for more, tell them I said this: ¡®I¡¯ll show you how kind and gentle Emma ispared to me¡¯.¡±
Gilly smiled awkwardly as she bowed to him.
¡®Young Master Jin¡ Has the ruthlessness of the n already started to affect him? He¡¯s still too young to be acting like this.¡¯
As her wry smile turned into a bitter expression, Jin cuddled into Gilly¡¯s embrace.
¡°Elder sister Mary gave me the heart for my sake, and Gilly carefully prepared the soup for an entire month with dozens of sleepless nights. I don¡¯t want to share such a precious meal with those idiots.¡±
¡°Young master¡¡±
Shcrrt, shcrrt.
Despite being drenched from the rain, the twins continued shovelling the earth.
They reached the underground wall around midnight, which was when they finally stopped digging.
¡°One spoon?!¡±
¡°One spoonful only? That¡¯s just unfair! We dug the ground for the entire day!¡±
The Tona twins btedly realized that they hadn¡¯t decided upon a proper ¡®amount¡¯ during their agreement with Jin, and were enraged by their so-called ¡®reward¡¯.
However, they couldn¡¯t voice out their frustrations for too long, as Jin red at them, as if to tell them to savour the spoonful gratefully.
¡®You brats¡ If one could earn a spoonful of Phoenix Heart soup with one day of shovelling, most people around the world woulde running to me.¡¯
Jin truly believed that the twins should be extremely grateful to receive a spoonful of the soup from him.
Chapter 6: Stormy Days at the Castle (5)
Chapter 6: Stormy Days at the Castle (5)
The next morning, Jin went to the hole the Tona twins had dug.
It appeared that the twins hadn¡¯t resorted to petty tricks. They had dug the hole quite seriously. Inside the deep hole, Jin could see a goldish stone wall on the side at the bottom.
Currently, there were 7 guardian knights, 2 nannies and a dozen servants at the castle. Of course, the Tona twins were here as well.
Nobody woulde here looking for Jin or suspect him of scheming something.
¡®Telling them that I wanted toe here to pray for the dead bird was a pretty good excuse.¡¯
Recently, the members of the Runcandel n residing at the Storm Castle were wary of Jin. The youngest child of the patriarch did not behave like a young child, and was eerily mature.
In fact, some were more than just wary. Many were afraid of the 7-year-old boy. The servants gossiped about him, saying that he was a perfect copy of his cold-hearted father, and the guardian knights obeyed him as if he were their superior.
But when Jin said that he would go pray for the bird, they were all relieved. They thought that despite being Cyron Runcandel¡¯s son, a child is still a child.
¡®I pray that you¡¯ll find happiness in your next life.¡¯
Jin hadn¡¯t lied when he said he would pray for the bird. He truly did pity it.
Once he finished moving the bird¡¯s grave to the bottom of the deep hole the twins had dug, Jin approached the stone wall on the side. There were scratches made by the shovels on its surface.
The wall itself wasn¡¯t very solid. There weren¡¯t any metal bars or wires inside to increase its durability, so Jin could easily destroy it with a punch wrapped in shadows.
However, breaking it like that would definitely create a loud explosion.
The constant rain outside would somewhat muffle the sound, but the 7-star knights in the castle would most likely catch the noise.
¡°Hahaha.¡±
Jin suddenlyughed as he couldn¡¯t hold himself back. He then spread out his arms and ced his hands against the wall. Immediately, the stone wall began to vibrate ever so slightly.
Wroooom!
It was the 1-star earth magic spell, ¡®Earth Resonance¡¯.
Earth Resonance was a spell that magicians often used while camping outside or exploring the wild, but its lethality was nigh-zero.
¡°I¡¯ve been dying to use magic!¡±
The practicality and pleasure of using magic!
He hadn¡¯t felt this liberating sensation for the past 7 years. Because he had retained his memories and knowledge from his past life, being unable to use magic since he was born was like a punishment to Jin.
Magic, a magician¡¯s strength.
When he first realized he had been reborn, Jin wondered how he should start learning magic and store mana again¡
However, his worries were unfounded. Just like how Solderet¡¯s power was still avable to him, the mana he had amassed during his previous life was also essible in this new life.
¡®The only issue is that there¡¯s a limit to the amount of mana I can use right now because of my immature body. But it¡¯s better than nothing!¡¯
In his past life, Jin was about to reach the 6-star realm in magic after training for 3 years.
Currently, the amount of mana Jin could utilize was equivalent to that of a 1-star magician, but it would increase over time as he grew up.
Everytime he aged by another year, he could feel more mana generating within him. Moreover, it was a natural urrence. Jin hadn¡¯t been training to increase his mana or anything.
Therefore, he came to the conclusion that the mana he had umted in his past life was slowly returning to him over the years.
¡®The mana of a 1-star magician at 7 years old! I¡¯m certain that no one else in history managed to achieve this feat. At this pace, I¡¯ll reach 6-star before I turn 20 at thetest.¡¯
His second life was iparably preferable and advantageouspared to his first one.
He was ecstatic and overjoyed right now. At the young age of 7, Jin could utilize both spiritual power and mana, along with the knowledge and expertise in 3-star swordsmanship and 5-star magic.
Furthermore, he could now study the secret tomes of countless martial ns around the world that the Runcandel n plundered from! His motivation was at its peak currently, and it would not die down for a long while.
¡®Heh, I truly am a magician down to the core. I never thought I¡¯d be so delighted to use a simple spell like Earth Resonance.¡¯
The times he could use magic within the Runcandel n was extremely limited.
One could even say that until this moment, Jin had no other opportunities to use magic. There were almost no instances when Jin was on his own without anyone apanying him.
Gilly would always be with him, and in the rare cases when she wasn¡¯t present, the guardian knights and servants would be by his side. And if, by some miracle, none of them were next to Jin, the Tona twins woulde bother him.
Therefore, Jin never had the chance to use magic. There were also no moments when he would have no other choice but to resort to magic.
Even though Jin could now push the twins around like his servants, he could not afford to use magic and get busted by them.
If word spread to his parents or older siblings that Jin had used magic¡ his pleasant new life would immediatelye to a close at that exact moment.
¡®I should seal away my magic for a while after today. Can¡¯t afford to get caught. But one day, I¡¯ll find a way to use as much magic as I want. Just you wait.¡¯
As he licked his lips in anticipation, Jin once again focused on his hands ced against the wall. The sensation of having mana flow through his hands and fingers, and spread throughout the wall sent shivers down his spine.
Sssssssssst¡
And so, 10 minutes passed by quietly. Earth Resonance¡¯s vibrations silently created dozens of cracks and fissures on the wall. Dirt and dust fell down heavily, as if the stone wall would soon copse.
Krrrrrrt!
As a matter of fact, the center of the wall where Jin¡¯s hands were located crumbled into fine particles. A small hole appeared, where Jin could barely squeeze his body through. The child stared into the sight beyond the wall for a short instance.
There was an old, long hallway¡ªas if he were in some ancient ruins¡ªalong with arge steel gate in the distance.
It would be a mistake to think that the Runcandel n¡¯s secret underground room could be so easily broken into.
The ¡®Storm Castle¡¯ was a fortress that even the Zipfel n¡¯s elite troops wouldn¡¯t be able to easily conquer. Jin was just lucky as he was a member of the Runcandel n who was residing within the said castle.
¡®So this is the secret underground sector that only the Runcandel g-bearers can enter¡ Interestingyout.¡¯
g-bearers.
They were the n¡¯s representatives who stood on the front lines, waving the n¡¯s emblem.
All the children of the Runcandel n became g-bearers when they reached a certain level, barring the few exceptions like the previous Jin who was deemed ipetent.
Jin had heard countless stories about this underground room from his siblings. He, who could only imagine the wonders hiding inside, could finally see it with his own eyes.
Jin slightly choked up, as if something deep within his heart had surfaced.
¡®I didn¡¯t think it would affect me this much, but seeing it for myself, my emotions reacted subconsciously.¡¯
Phew¡
After exhaling and calming down, Jin squeezed himself into the hole.
Back in the pit the twins had dug, he could hear the constant downpour crashing onto the ground, but as soon as he entered the underground corridor, the noisepletely disappeared. With a solemn heart, Jin removed his shoes.
He couldn¡¯t leave behind traces of mud in the corridor.
The path was dimly lit by a few torches on the walls, where oil dripped down.
Jin was about to create a me with magic to illuminate the ce, but decided to grab one of the torches instead. Walking down a worn down corridor barefoot with a torch in hand, he felt like he had be a monk.
¡®Mother used to tell me that before reaching that door, the Runcandel children need to prove that they¡¯re part of the bloodline.¡¯
Jin remembered hearing that when he was around 16.
Back then, Rosa still believed that her youngest child would one day be a respectable member of the n.
She could not ept the fact that her child was untalented, and held distorted expectations towards him.
Rosa had secretly broken the n rules in order to give Jin confidential information, despite the fact that he wasn¡¯t a genius like his siblings.
She wanted to believe that Jin would one day be a 6-star knight and receive the qualifications of a g-bearer.
Rosa Runcandel, the ck Panther, was one of the strongest people in the n and the world. However, the reason why she couldn¡¯t have an objective view and judgement towards Jin was simply because she was a mother.
His mother.
¡®Even so, she ended up facing and epting the realityter on.¡¯
***
Jin stopped reminiscing about the past and paused his walk towards the metal door.
He was at the center of the corridor. There were still around 50 steps left until he reached the gate.
¡®Runcandels and magic¡?¡¯
Pfft.
Jin couldn¡¯t help but chuckle when he noticed the magic circle on the floor.
It was arge magic circle, but even apprentice magicians could easily analyze it.
The Magic Circle of Blood and Barrier.
It was a popr magic circle one could often find at the entrances to kingdoms, or inside a businessman¡¯s warehouse, or at a famous mercenary group¡¯s headquarters.
Despite its impressive and grand name, it was a basic circle.
It was no different to a simple security device. All it could do was determine whether someone would pose a threat through one¡¯s blood.
¡®Those magic-hating n members actuallyid down a magic circle in front of the n¡¯s secret chamber? Not only that, it¡¯s such a flimsy circle!¡¯
Jin bit down on the inside of his cheek. A trail of blood seeped out of his mouth and ran down his chin. Before it could drop on the floor, Jin caught the blood with his hand.
Drip, drip¡
All he needed was a few drops in order to activate the Magic Circle of Blood and Barrier. As he shook off the blood on his hands onto the circle, a blue aura began to fill the air from all four directions.
¡®Proof that we¡¯re part of the bloodline? What a joke.¡¯
Jin was curious to know which of his ancestors was stupid enough to ce this magic circle here.
This magic circle wasn¡¯t borate enough to be able to verify someone¡¯s bloodline and lineage. In fact, Jin wasn¡¯t sure if such magic existed in the first ce.
There were only 3 things this magic circle could determine.
It could detect whether the blood was that of a monster, a human, or a gue-stricken human.
In other words, as long as they¡¯re able to reach this underground corridor, any healthy human is able to activate this magic circle safely.
The magic circle waspletely useless, except for how it added an air of mystery to this ancient, hidden chamber.
¡®They believe in that weird superstition called the Selection ritual. They also believe that this magic circle is able to recognize a pure-blooded Runcandel. This n is quite¡ peculiar. Very peculiar.¡¯
ng! ng! Creaaaak¡.!
With the circle¡¯s activation, Jin could hear gears and metallic parts grinding and moving beneath the floor.
The circle was stopping the traps¡¯ operation¡ªthe traps that would¡¯ve attacked Jin if he didn¡¯t activate the magic circle. He silently stood still and waited for the noise to subside.
¡®There are quite a lot of traps. I don¡¯t know the specifics, but the traps here are more borate than those found in a royal pce.¡¯
The magic circle soon began to dim down, and lost its lustre. The traps had all been disabled. Jin resumed his march and headed towards the door.
He had safely dealt with one of the security systems of the Storm Castle¡¯s secret chamber. The remaining one was to safely open the door.
But that was even easier to do than activating the magic circle.
¡°Runcandel¡¯s descendant hase to sce Murakan.¡±
Creaaak!
The gate began to slide open as soon as Jin uttered the password.
It was another type of ¡®barrier magic¡¯ simr to the magic circle just now, but was on apletely different level. It was a spell cast by a great dragon, who has since fallen into a deep slumber.
The password deactivates the spell, but without the correct words, the door will never budge open. That was the potency of this barrier magic.
One would have to be at least a 9-star knight in order to break the door open.
¡®I heard the password from my second brother before my rebirth, though he was being sarcastic, saying that it would never be of use to me.¡¯
The Storm Castle¡¯s location: Mt. Murakan¡¯s summit.
The name ¡®Murakan¡¯ did not signify the mountain in the first ce. It was the name of the ck Dragon who once reigned over this region.
Murakan was defeated 1000 years ago by the first Runcandel patriarch, and went into a deep slumber after handing over the Storm Castle.
This story was the most popr legend of the Runcandel n, known to everyone around the world.
The first thing Jin saw when the door opened wasn¡¯t a shelf with countless books, but a ss coffin.
Inside the ss coffin was a human body. It was Murakan who had transformed into a human before entering a deep slumber.
¡®Nobody told me about this¡¡¯
Ba-dump, Ba-dump.
Havinge across an unexpected sight, Jin¡¯s body froze in surprise and unease.
He then slowly began approaching the ss coffin.
Chapter 7: Black Dragon Murakan (1)
Chapter 7: ck Dragon Murakan (1)
¡®I remember hearing the story that the ck Dragon Murakan was defeated by the first patriarch and fell into a deep slumber¡ So he was sleeping here?¡¯
Jin didn¡¯t know a lot about Murakan. The legends and myths of the n rarely mentioned him.
They just didn¡¯t care much about a dragon that had long since disappeared into the annals of history. The currently active dragons were more worrisome and troubling.
The ss coffin was sparkling clean, without a single speck of dust on its surface. But it wasn¡¯t being cleaned every day by a maid. The spotlessness was due to the mana surrounding the coffin.
Jin touched the mana with one hand, and chills immediately ran down his spine. As he swallowed his saliva, Jin took another step forward.
¡®That was an interesting sight.¡¯
There was nothing Jin could learn from Murakan. If it were an awake and active dragon, things would¡¯ve been different. But Murakan was a hibernating dragon inside a coffin, so Jin was more interested in finding the secret tomes.
¡®This ce is bigger than I thought.¡¯
The underground chamber seemedrger than the central hall at the Storm Castle. However, it felt empty as there were no decorations furbishing the ce. Jin quickly began searching for the tomes.
Creaaak¡
He pushed open the sliding door and located the library. Actually, it was far too shabby to be called a library. The Runcandel Secret ¡®Library¡¯ only contained one bookshelf and a few chairs. However, that was more than enough space to house the secret tomes.
There could only be so many books written by other martial ns around the world. The library would have no use of extra shelves.
¡®The tomes!¡¯
On the 1.50 meter-wide shelf were dusty books arranged neatly. These books had once been written and used by martial ns around the world, and tried to protect them with their lives on the line.
These were the essence of the martial ns that only the g-bearers could read.
Jin calmed down his trembling heart and began checking the names on each of the books on the shelf.
¡®The hand-to-handbat techniques of the Meyer n and Typhen n, spear techniques of the Euron n and Shagal n, swordsmanship from the Att n, etc.¡ There are so many of them.¡¯
Jin also found a few books from the Kungen n, the n of swordsmen that had attacked the Storm Castle around 200 years ago. Jin¡¯s hands were trembling ever so slightly as he checked the tomes one by one.
His excitement was overflowing.
In his first life, he had always wished to be a g-bearer ande down here to read the secret tomes. Now that he was finally here, the memories of his hardships and despair shed through his mind.
Of course, he hadn¡¯te down to the underground chamber as a g-bearer this time. Despite having the ¡®Runcandel¡¯ family name, he was no different to a thief who had infiltrated the library.
However, Jin didn¡¯t care about those small details.
Using whatever methods at hand was part of the Runcandels¡¯ virtue. Moreover, he was nning on officiallying to this underground chamber in a few years after bing a true g-bearer.
¡®Which one should I start with?¡¯
What a first world problem. He was spoiled for choice. Jin wondered whether his older brothers felt this way when they were secretly reading porn books when their nannies were away. Jin chuckled as he scanned the books before him.
He didn¡¯t have a lot of time to remain down here.
2 hours.
The free time he had obtained through the excuse of wanting to pray for the bird was a mere 2 hours. After this amount of time, Gilly would most probablye to the castle¡¯s backyard in order to look for him.
It was as if Jin had a mountain of food before him, but could only eat for a few minutes.
¡®But I¡¯ll have another opportunity. I cane back here another day if I tell them I want to pray for the bird again or that I want to meditate.¡¯
Ssst.
He pulled out a book from the shelf. Jin¡¯s first secret tome was the Kungen n¡¯s book of swordsmanship.
¡®Third Brother once told me that there is a lot to learn from this tome¡ Let¡¯s start with this.¡¯
There were a total of 3 volumes of the Kungen n¡¯s secret tomes. Jin also picked out the remaining two volumes and sat on a chair.
Originally, the Kungen n¡¯s secret tomes numbered over 10. But when the Runcandels destroyed the n 200 years ago, most of them were lost during the conflict.
The Runcandel n had destroyed them intentionally.
However, the three volumes in his hands were left untouched. These tomes summarized the essence of the Kungen Swordsmanship¡¯s greatest techniques.
Flutter, flutter.
The sound of pages turning elerated. Despite being a secret tome, the first few pages of volume 1 only talked about the base and foundation of the swordsmanship, as well as the behaviour of the Kungen knights.
The flutter of pages stopped once Jin arrived at the middle of the book. His gaze deepened as his mind tried to absorb the words on the page.
The book that had only been describing the bases suddenly broached upon a difficult subject that Jin couldn¡¯tprehend at all.
¡®I see¡ No wonder they¡¯re called secret tomes. It¡¯s not as easy as I thought.¡¯
Despite being written in the continent¡¯smonnguage, Jin couldn¡¯t understand most of its contents due to hiscking skills and knowledge in swordsmanship.
Before his sudden death in the Akin Kingdom, the 28-year-old Jin had attained the 3-star realm in swordsmanship.
Not only was he slower to reach that stage than ¡®slightly skilled¡¯ people in general, he could be considered ¡®defective¡¯pared to the average Runcandel.
However, it had only taken him half a year to reach that stage after his contract with Solderet, which could be considered an incredible feat.
Nheless, the Kungen book was far too difficult for him to understand with his 3-star skills and knowledge in swordsmanship.
Be that as it may, Jin had expected this oue.
He took out a notebook and pencil he had brought with him.
Jin then began to copy the contents of the tome into his notebook. It was a transcription. In roughly 2 hours, he could copy around 10 pages of the book.
Back in his days as a magician, he had transcribed so many books that the fingerprints on his fingers holding the pencil had begun to fade away.
10 pages per day.
There were 3 years left until Jin would have to leave the Storm Castle. If he transcribed 10 pages every day during those 3 years, he could easily copy all the books here.
¡®And as I continue studying these, I¡¯ll slowly begin to understand the content over time. I¡¯m sure there will be some tomes I won¡¯t have to transcribe.¡¯
Scrt, scrt¡
The sound of a pencil scratching paper resonated in the silent underground room. Jin took exactly 1 hour to copy 10 pages. He then retraced his steps and left the library.
He plugged the hole in the wall with earth magic and the dirt around him.
***
And so, 2 months went by. During that time, Jin had fully transcribed the 3 volumes from the Kungen n, as well as 2 tomes about the Meyer n¡¯s hand-to-handbat techniques.
As the days went by, Jin felt more and more energetic and enthusiastic. He had never felt happier to get out of bed in the mornings before.
¡®What excuse should I use to go down there today? Praying? Meditating? No¡ I used those yesterday and the day before that already.¡¯
There was a rumour going around the castle, where the servants believed that the spirit of the dead bird had possessed Jin.
He continuously went to its grave for 2 months in order to pray and meditate, so their confusion was understandable. Moreover, having heard this odd rumour, the Tona twins began to fear Jin to a far greater extent.
¡®Should Ie up with an excuse¡ that will let me go there every day without raising suspicion?¡¯
After pondering for a while, Jin couldn¡¯t think of anything. How could he possibly convince everyone to let him go to the grave every day?
Therefore, Jin began to change his train of thought.
¡®There¡¯s no need to convince them. If I tell them I¡¯ll go there every day, who would dare stand against me? This is the Storm Castle, not the n¡¯s main residence.¡¯
The guardian knights living here already served Jin as a ¡®true Runcandel¡¯ instead of treating him like a child, and the servants had no right to disprove his decisions from the start. The Tona twins were terrified of Jin, so he had no reason to worry about them.
The only problem was Gilly.
A nanny¡¯s role was different to that of a knight or a servant. They were people who supervised and guided the children they were in charge of.
¡°Nanny Gilly.¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master.¡±
¡°I want to go there again.¡±
¡°Again¡?¡±
Gilly¡¯s gaze was filled with concern.
Haaa.
She let out a deep sigh and patted Jin on the head.
¡°Young Master. It¡¯s unfortunate, but the bird has already passed away. It¡¯s been 2 months now. This nanny of yours is so concerned about you that she can¡¯t sleep properly at night.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve forgotten about the bird already. Honestly, I¡¯m only going there everyday because I like it there.¡±
¡°Y-You like it there? Young Master. You mustn¡¯t enjoy being near a grave. Misfortune will befall upon you!¡±
¡°What kind of misfortune?¡±
¡°Graves are the home of the deceased. Nothing good will happen by staying close to one. You must steer clear from those ces to be blessed with good fortune, Young Master.¡±
Apparently, the nannies of the Runcandel n had a tendency to believe in superstitions as well. Jin was sighing and shaking his head in his mind.
¡°No, I¡¯ll keep liking graves from now on.¡±
¡°Young Master!¡±
¡°Nanny. Think about it. I¡¯m the youngest child of the Runcandel n.¡±
Once Jin took on a serious tone, Gilly¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°Why are you suddenly talking about¡¡±
¡°How many graves do you think I¡¯ll have to make as I live in this world as a Runcandel? To tell the truth, I¡¯m trying my best to understand what ¡®death¡¯ is these days. So I¡¯m going to that grave every day in order to get used to it.¡±
¡°Ah.¡±
Gilly let out a mumble and stood there wordlessly.
She stared nkly at her young master as if her thoughts hade to a sudden stop.
Her 7-year-old young master, who was born as a ¡®predator¡¯ amongst the Runcandels, was trying to face the concept of fate and destiny already.
Needless to say, that was all her own misunderstanding.
Jin was just tricking his nanny¡ªwho was younger than him in his first life¡ªto do his bidding.
To be frank, no actual 7-year-old would talk about such topics, even if they were geniuses born in the dreadful Runcandel n.
Nevertheless, Gilly and the others at the Storm Castle had no reason to doubt Jin¡¯s words and actions. No one would imagine that he had retained the memories from his first life.
¡®Something has definitely changed about the young master ever since he met the patriarch. The patriarch must¡¯ve told him something crucial.¡¯
Gilly fixed her expression and bowed down.
¡°¡In that case, I will not stop you. I believe that the young master will one day be a remarkable knight who will lead the n. And having listened to your honest opinion, I must say that I¡¯m extremely proud of you, Young Master.¡±
¡°Thanks, Gilly. Until I leave the Storm Castle, I¡¯ll be spending time at the grave for 1 to 2 hours every day.¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master.¡±
¡°And while I¡¯m over there, I don¡¯t want to be disturbed in any way. Do you understand?¡±
¡°I shall inform the knights about that. Also, Young Master?¡±
¡°Yeah?¡±
¡°If I were to say something as your nanny and as an adult¡ it¡¯s not always a good thing to think too deeply about such topics at a young age. Please enjoy yourself doing fun activities from time to time.¡±
¡°Alright, Gilly. In that case¡ hmm¡ I want a strawberry pie as a snackter. With lots of honey on it.¡±
Gilly¡¯s stiff expression finally loosened as color returned to her face.
¡°I¡¯ll bake the best strawberry pie in the world. Have a good time.¡±
Jin smiled brightly and immediately left the room.
¡®I did it! Now I can concentrate on transcribing without having to worry about anything.¡¯
During the past 2 months, Jin was always nervous when he entered the underground chamber. If the knights or Gilly came looking for him and discovered the hole, chaos would descend upon the n.
¡®Since I managed to catch father¡¯s interest, they probably won¡¯t execute me even if they find out about this. But it would still be extremely troublesome and unnerving.¡¯
A humming sound escaped his nose unconsciously. Even the Earth Resonance spell felt like it was creating a rhythm as it destroyed the underground wall he had resealed the previous day.
He was nning on transcribing the final volume of the Meyer n¡¯s tomes on hand-to-handbat techniques.
Scribble, scribble!
As he rejoiced at how his remaining 3 years at the castle would be peaceful, he copied the contents of the page.
His reincarnation was truly a blessing to him.
¡®The Meyer n¡¯s hand-to-handbat technique doesn¡¯t seem as difficult to understand as the Kungen n¡¯s swordsmanship. But this passage about merging one¡¯s physical body with aura¡ I don¡¯t get it. Oh well, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be clear with time.¡¯
An hour went by inside the underground library.
Having transcribed several pages without rest, Jin¡¯s thin and soft fingers were throbbing. As he decided to take a 3-minute break,
Click¡
He heard a noise behind the sliding door. Jin immediately stood up in surprise and focused his senses.
It was the sound of the ss coffin opening.
Chapter 8: Black Dragon Murakan (2)
Chapter 8: ck Dragon Murakan (2)
During the past 2 months he had spent transcribing the books underground, the only sounds that resounded down there were that of his pencil scribbling on paper and the asional wind blowing.
Therefore, despite being separated by the sliding door, Jin instinctively knew that Murakan¡¯s ss coffin was opening. Anyone else in Jin¡¯s situation would¡¯vee to the same conclusion.
¡®Goddammit. Why is Murakan waking up now of all times?!¡¯
Badump! Badump!
His heart elerated like crazy as if it had lostplete control over itself.
The calm and safe Storm Castle¡¯s underground area had suddenly be menacing and hazardous. A chill ran up his spine as cold sweat slid down his face.
¡®Could it be¡ that I misheard it?¡¯
As silence ensued, Jin began to doubt his ears. The previous sound could¡¯ve been something else, or Jin might¡¯ve imagined it from the beginning.
However, his hopes were destroyed, as another click rang beyond the sliding door.
As a matter of fact, that wasn¡¯t the only noise this time. He could hear clothes brushing against the ss coffin, along with the sound of someone¡¯s feet touching the ground.
There was no way the dragon who had been sleeping for 1000 years was suddenly sleepwalking. It could only have woken up for a clear reason and purpose.
Or it could be that its slumber was finally over, and that the timing was aplete coincidence.
¡®Calm down, calm down. I¡¯ve never offended Murakan before. It shouldn¡¯t be hostile towards me¡¡¯
He didn¡¯t remember Murakan waking up in his past life.
There¡¯s no way Jin couldn¡¯t have heard of the news of Murakan¡¯s awakening, especially since he was still living in the Storm Castle back then as well.
¡®In that case, this incident is because of my return in time. My guess is that Murakan woke up because of my constant appearance here.¡¯
There was a famous story around the continent. It said that one shouldn¡¯t disturb a sleeping dragon. Otherwise, one¡¯s life would be forfeited.
Needless to say, despite being a famous story, people rarely came across dragons in real life.
In any case, the moral of the story was that¡
Dragons have terrible personalities.
¡°Hey.¡±
Flinch.
A low and deep voice reached Jin from behind the door. Jin was still pondering on how to survive this situation.
A few chaotic seconds went by. He made up his mind on how to behave towards Murakan.
¡®Be respectful yet brazen. Even if Murakan tries to attack me¡ I just need to buy time until the knights arrive.¡¯
But that was only for the worst case scenario.
And even if the worst case scenario were to ur, Jin was confident that he could survive with his life intact at the very least. He could easily buy time with Solderet¡¯s spiritual power, his own magic, and his silver tongue.
It was unlikely that he would die.
As soon as he reached that conclusion, the stress weighing down on his shoulders eased up. Murakan could also be different from what he imagined. The dragon could be friendly with him instead of being hostile.
rt.
Jin stood up and slid the door open to face Murakan.
The ck-haired handsome young man he saw every day in the coffin was now standing straight before him. The dragon¡¯s human body was toned, and one would never believe that he had been asleep for over 1000 years.
¡°R-Runcandel¡¯s descendent¡ greets the n¡¯s guardian.¡±
Jin deliberately stuttered and spoke nervously.
He believed that he should act like a child who was afraid of the thousand-year-old dragon. Moreover, the Runcandels used to call Murakan their ¡®guardian¡¯, so Jin decided to emphasize that word.
¡°Ha!¡±
Murakan snorted.
¡°Guardiannnn? Guardian? Did you just say ¡®guardian¡¯? Huh?¡±
Woooong!
All he had done was speak out loud, but the mana inside the room began to tremble and spin around like a vortex.
¡°Say that again, you shitty brat. Did you just say that I¡¯m your n¡¯s guardian?¡±
Murakan¡¯s body disappeared into a handful of ck smoke, only to materialize right before his eyes.
¡°Are you not Lord Murakan? I¡¯ve been told that the ck Dragon Murakan is the Runcandel n¡¯s guardian.¡±
When Jin answered properly, Murakan stared at him and blinked several times. He felt like there was no need to stutter and act scared anymore.
¡°Sigh, I see. Those damned Runcandel bastards¡ So that¡¯s what you told your descendants. Haha! And it¡¯s not like I can take out my anger on this chestnut-sized kid. This is driving me crazy!¡±
Jin was relieved after hearing the dragon¡¯s reply.
¡®Looks like he¡¯s notpletely merciless against children.¡¯
Nevertheless, the murderous intent within the dragon¡¯s ck irides were an indication of his character.
If Jin were in his original 28-year-old body, Murakan would¡¯ve broken a limb or two without hesitation before continuing the conversation.
¡®But why on earth did the ck dragon wake up now? It doesn¡¯t seem to be because I¡¯ve beening down here every day. Could there be some other reason¡? Ah, maybe it¡¯s because of Solderet¡¯s power?¡¯
Spiritual power.
The power of shadows.
That was the only thing Jin could think of as the reason behind Murakan¡¯s awakening from his thousand-year slumber.
Jin didn¡¯t use spiritual power outside of special circumstances. But there was always a subtle amount of spiritual energy swirling around him, an amount that humans wouldn¡¯t be able to detect.
¡®Come to think of it, the contractors of gods generally have a guardian dragon by their sides, other than certain exceptional cases¡¡¯
Contractors of the God of mes Sheenu received the favour of fire dragons, while contractors of the God of Wind Melzeyer are favoured by wind dragons.
That was the reason why the Zipfel n was slightly more advanced than the Runcandel n. Officially speaking, the Zipfel n has more than 100 dragons under theirmand. Who knows how many more they have behind the scenes?
While this was just Jin¡¯s hypothesis, depending on the oue, this encounter between Jin and Murakan may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
¡®The only problem is that my theory may be wrong. Moreover, I¡¯ve never heard of a dragon whose attribute is simr to ¡®shadows¡¯¡¡¯
The current patriarch of the Zipfel n is Kelliark Zipfel, the contractor of the God of mes Sheenu. They say that he is very close with the fire dragon ¡®Kadun¡¯.
The contractor of the God of Wind Melzeyer is the current second-inmand of the Zipfel n, and is famous for handling a wind dragon.
ording to these two examples, dragons try to look for contractors who have a simr attribute as them.
However, Jin had never heard of a story associating Solderet with a dragon.
Even during his conversations with Solderet in his first life, the topic of Murakan was never brought up.
¡®Let¡¯s test it out for now. Thankfully, this isn¡¯t the worst case scenario.¡¯
If Murakan had truly woken up due to Jin¡¯s spiritual energy, then there was nothing for him to be afraid of.
Sssssst¡
Hmph!
Murakan suddenly took in a deep breath, just like a dog who got a whiff of something delicious, or a heavy smoker who finally managed to light a cigarette.
¡°Ha¡ Anyways. This child isn¡¯t to me for any of that. Hmm¡ This energy smells nice. For some reason, it makes me feel great! What¡¯s your name, kid?¡±
¡°It¡¯s Jin Runcandel, Lord Murakan.¡±
¡°Good, good. Jin, you say? Honestly, I couldn¡¯t care less about your name. You¡¯re a Runcandel, right? Then lead me to Solderet¡¯s contractor right away.¡±
¡°Solderet¡¯s contractor?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right! This deep energy¡ Only the contractor could have such strong spiritual energy. I just hope this contractor isn¡¯t as rude as Temar, that son of a bitch.¡±
Temar Runcandel.
The name of the first patriarch.
Jin almost identally cried out in joy.
It seemed his second life was going to be smooth sailing. To think that his earlier questions and concerns would be answered and resolved so quickly!
¡®It¡¯s certain now. He woke up because of the spiritual energy! Moreover, his reaction¡ It means that I¡¯m the one in power in this rtionship!¡¯
Sniff, sniff. Sniff!
Murakan was nowpletely ignoring Jin. He closed his eyes and focused on sensing the energy.
Meanwhile, Jin pondered for a moment.
¡®Should I tell him I¡¯m the contractor? Or should I say that I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about?¡¯
The first option would be preferable. With the first option, Jin would be able to order Murakan around like a servant in the future.
The second option would be a lot more troublesome. If Jin acted ignorant, the dragon would tell him to bring an adult of the n. And if Jin did bring an adult down here, he would have to exin how this situation urred in the first ce.
In that scenario, he would have to kiss these peaceful days goodbye. He wouldn¡¯t be able to transcribe any more books. Moreover, his fateful encounter with Murakan would have amounted to nothing.
Fwoosh.
A small ball of energy that danced like mes appeared on Jin¡¯s palm.
¡°Sniff! Hm! Oooh! It¡¯s like my mind is getting clearer¡ Huh?¡±
Murakan savoured the energy¡¯s scent before opening his eyes. Immediately, he couldn¡¯t hide his surprise.
¡°It seems that I¡¯m the contractor you¡¯re looking for, Lord Murakan.¡±
¡°Y-Y-Y-Y-You? Impossible. This is madness! Solderet made a contract with a kid like you?¡±
Murakan began to retreat in fear. He almost fell down from tripping on his own feet, as the panic in him began to grow.
¡°This is crazy. Uneptable. Oi, Solderet! You¡¯re listening, right? Did you finally go batshit? Exin yourself!¡±
While Murakan was freaking out, Jin created a second cluster of shadows on his other hand.
¡°My father told me that this power was given to me by the being who brought shadows into this world.¡±
¡°Urgh.¡±
Thump.
Murakan fell on his behind and looked up at Jin.
Silence ensued. Jin wanted to continue their conversation, but the mood wasn¡¯t right. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to do so when he saw Murakan¡¯sposure fall apart in real time.
Denial. Anger. Doubt. Fear. Surrender.
His expressions were changing in that exact order.
¡°Oi¡ Solderet. This is a joke, right? This isn¡¯t right. Say something. Why is the promised contractor of a thousand years this kid¡¡?¡±
Solderet never showed himself.
His silence was also one of Jin¡¯s concerns.
Back when they had made their contract, the two used to chat like good friends. But ever since right before his death, Solderet never spoke to Jin again to this day.
In any case, it seemed Murakan needed some time to ept this reality.
However, he was a dragon.
Despite his short temper and wicked personality, he was still a dragon who had lived for thousands of years. He had a keen insight, along with an indomitable spirit that wouldn¡¯t despair at unexpected situations.
Murakan soon ended up epting this absurd situation. That was the most he could do right now.
¡°Sigh¡ Kid.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°It seems that you¡¯re the individual with whom I must adjust my breath, as ording to my promise with Solderet.¡±
A dragon¡¯s breath!
A dragon had personally dered as such to Jin. And it was Murakan, the ck dragon the first patriarch had defeated, to boot!
Back when he was a magician, his heart used to beat so loudly whenever he heard rumours of magicians fighting side by side with a dragon.
Jin¡¯s nose began to itch as his emotions intensified. He couldn¡¯t control the heat rising to his face in excitement, so he ended up lowering his head.
¡°Um, by adjusting your breath, you mean¡?¡±
¡°Sigh¡ You¡¯re still too young to understand the details. And I¡¯m not in the right mind to exin it to you right now.¡±
Jin silently nodded at his answer.
¡°First and foremost, as a friend of Solderet¡¯s, allow me to formally introduce myself to Solderet¡¯s contractor.¡±
Whoosh¡
A heavy wind blew in the room. A dark energy began to form in the air and swirled around Murakan¡¯s body.
He was transforming into his dragon form. The dark energy covering Murakan expanded like a cloud, and a huge ck dragon thatpletely filled up the underground room entered Jin¡¯s vision.
[I am Murakan. Solderet¡¯s proxy as well as his friend. Thest descendant of the first being to be created from shadows. Following the thousand-year promise, I shall be your life-long partner from today onwards. State your name.]
A grandiose voice shook the room. The hot-tempered attitude from earlier was nowhere to be found.
¡°I am Jin Runcandel. Thirteenth and final child of the Runcandels.¡±
Jin answered as he barely repressed his trembling heart.
Chapter 9: Until I Turn Ten (1)
Chapter 9: Until I Turn Ten (1)
Fun.
Every day is so fun.
It¡¯s been about 6 months since the encounter with Murakan. Jin turned 8 years old and transcribed a total of 50 secret tomes.
Today is the day the Tona twins leave the Storm Castle.
¡®Now no one will be bothering me for the next 2 years.¡¯
Jin thought as he stared out the window, watching the servants pack the twins¡¯ luggage in the carriage.
Ever since the day he pummelled them in the hallway and left them out by the bird¡¯s grave, the Tona twins never bothered him again. The servants delightfully call that incident the ¡®Revenge of the Bird¡¯, as they weren¡¯t very fond of the twins either. Jin wasn¡¯t the only one who was harassed by them in the past.
But ever since that day, Jin¡¯s older brothers were obedient and would listen to his every word. He could order them around and treat them like servants, which was quite practical.
However, the existence of their nanny ¡®Emma¡¯ was disturbing. She would outright monitor Jin while pretending to be friendly with him.
¡®Within another few months, that shrewd woman would¡¯ve tried to follow me when I¡¯d go ¡®meditate¡¯ at the grave. I can¡¯t have her discover that I¡¯ve been going underground, so it¡¯s perfect that she¡¯s leaving now.¡¯
To this day, Jin viciously ignored Emma and cut her off whenever she tried to approach him. Her true intentions were as clear as day.
On the outside, she wanted him to get along with the Tona twins.
But deep down, she was hoping for Jin to fall from grace and be trampled on by the twins.
¡®Emma¡¯s disturbing gaze will finally be no more. If something like this happens again in the future, I¡¯ll have to take action and deal with her.¡¯
Until this day, Emma hadn¡¯t bared her fangs or backstabbed Jin openly.
Despite that, Jin decided to give Emma a farewell gift that would haunt her for the rest of her life.
¡°Young Master, you must go bid farewell to your brothers now.¡±
¡°Alright, Gilly. Let¡¯s go.¡±
The two of them descended to the Storm Castle¡¯s courtyard.
Under the constant downpour, the knights who hade to escort the Tona twins to the main house were standing in silence.
One 7-star guardian knight, and five 6-star guardian knights. They were all part of the Runcandel¡¯s main house.
The twins were at the center, wearing relieved smiles as they would finally be distanced from their devilish brother.
¡°Elder brothers.¡±
¡°Ah, yeah, Jin.¡±
¡°H-Hey.¡±
As Jin spoke to them with arge grin, his brothers tensed up.
¡°Why are you so surprised? I¡¯m just here to see you off.¡±
¡°Thanks¡¡±
¡°Thanks¡ Jin!¡±
¡°I guess I won¡¯t be seeing you for another two years. That¡¯s too bad, isn¡¯t it?¡±
Despite not agreeing with him, the Tona twins furiously nodded their heads.
After patting them on the shoulders, Jin then turned to Emma.
¡°Stay safe too, Nanny Emma.¡±
¡°Thank you very much, Young Master.¡±
¡°Could you bend down for a bit?¡±
Emma lowered herself to match Jin¡¯s eye level. He then approached her ear and whispered.
¡®Emma. I hope you act with a bit more caution at the main house.¡¯
As soon as her brain processed the meaning behind his words, Emma¡¯s face paled into a deathly white hue.
When she realized that this 8-year-old child had fully noticed her actions and hidden intentions, a jolting chill ran down her spine.
Her throat squeezed up, and she couldn¡¯t respond to him. Nevertheless, Emma somehow forced her body to move and bowed to Jin, while trying to conceal her trembling.
¡°We must depart now. Young Master Jin, I shall await with impatience to see your dignified appearance in 2 years!¡±
¡°Very well.¡±
The knights raised their swords to salute Jin before departing.
They then got on the carriage waiting at the bottom of Mt. Murakan and headed to the Runcandel main house, the ¡®Garden of Swords¡¯.
Jin would also head there in another 2 years.
***
¡°sted kid! Exin yourself already. An exnation that I can understand.¡±
The Storm Castle¡¯s underground area.
Murakan expressed his frustrations to Jin as he grabbed the basket Jin had brought. The 8-year-old boy lightly brushed off his words and moved to the shelf.
¡°How¡ How can this be¡ Why is there only one strawberry pie in the basket? Are you looking down on the Great Murakan?¡±
Murakan was angry¡ because of a strawberry pie.
¡°Ah, geez. Be thankful you at least have one pie. I had to save some of my share.¡±
¡°Do you truly believe a dragon would feel full from a single measly pie?!¡±
¡®Well, I didn¡¯t believe dragons could be furious because of strawberry pies¡ but now I do.¡¯
The ¡®strawberry pie¡¯ was the first gourmet food Murakan had eaten in a thousand years.
It was also the only food that could satiate his stomach, tongue, and mind in this underground chamber since he was still ¡®trapped down here¡¯.
¡°Don¡¯t you feel full even without food thanks to my spiritual energy? Enough with that nonsense of yours.¡±
¡°You¡ you heartless brat! Don¡¯t you know that dragons are very picky gourmets? And not only am I unable to leave this stuffy ce because of your circumstances, now you won¡¯t give me extra strawberry pies?¡±
Murakan hadn¡¯t left the underground chamber ever since his awakening.
It was all for Jin. He needed to hide his connection with Murakan until he was strong enough, and Murakan also believed that was the correct choice.
The underground chamber was only essible to the ¡®g-bearers¡¯.
If the n learned that Jin had been sneaking down here in order to copy the secret tomes, Cyron would most probably ask Murakan to take responsibility as well¡ªeven if he were the n¡¯s guardian deity who had awoken from a thousand-year slumber.
In other words, Jin and Murakan were aplices of the same crime.
¡°Ha! You and that gourmet tongue of yours! You¡¯re the one who said you didn¡¯t like any of the food I brought other than the pie. Do you think it¡¯s so easy to airlift strawberries to this Storm Castle?¡±
Jin also wanted to give a piece of his mind about this topic.
Not only was there a constant downpour at the castle regardless of seasons, it was also located at the peak of Mt. Murakan. It wasn¡¯t a simple task to supply the castle with fresh strawberries.
Moreover, this gourmet ck dragon said that all the other food at the Storm Castle was¡ trash, and only asked for Gilly¡¯s strawberry pie.
¡°Goddammit¡ Is this an era where people can¡¯t even eat strawberry pies properly?¡±
¡°There are only 2 years left of this ¡®era¡¯ you speak of, so finish eating that already. Let¡¯s begin training.¡±
¡°It also seems to be an era where rude kids mess around with powerful ck dragons.¡±
Munch.
In the end, Murakan yielded. It wasn¡¯t as if a non-existing strawberry pie would appear out of thin air just because he got mad at the kid.
¡°Delicious¡ Damn, this is crazy delicious. Did you say your nanny cooked it? You must definitely introduce me to her when I get out of here.¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah, you already said that dozens of times.¡±
Jin replied as he shook his head in exasperation.
During the past 6 months, Jin¡¯s vision of dragons waspletely destroyed by the slob before him.
The legendary dragons he had imagined during his days as a magician¡ The wise, majestic, mysterious yet powerful beings¡
But the dragon before him was childish, extremely whimsical, and aplete slob. He would always be lying down, scratching his groins as heined about something.
Scratch, scratch.
Having devoured the strawberry pie in an instant, Murakan was once again scratching an¡ odd ce.
¡®The only thing that my imagination was correct about is¡ how powerful dragons are, maybe¡?¡¯
Ever since the day after their first encounter, Murakan began to teach Jin how to manipte spiritual power along with several types of martial arts.
Despite having never fought him in person, Jin could sense how strong Murakan was through his teachings and guidance.
However, most of Murakan¡¯s strength was currently sealed because Jin¡¯s ¡®spiritual energy¡¯ was still too weak. Spiritual energy was a necessity to Murakan¡¯s strength and survival, just like how the sun was necessary to nts, and how aquatic life forms needed the sea to survive.
In other words, Jin was like the sun to Murakan. An irreceable existence.
However, it was a sun that needed to grow stronger. In order for Murakan¡¯s full strength to return, Jin had to grow older and be more powerful.
¡°Do that transcription thing for 30 minutes, thene to the hallway.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
After finishing the transcription, Jin left and entered the hallway to face Murakan.
¡°What did you copy today?¡±
¡°The Att n¡¯s book of swordsmanship.¡±
¡°Oh! Att. Their swordsmanship was pretty decent. Reminds me of how I sunk my teeth into their patriarch and killed him about 1500 years ago. Did you understand some of it?¡±
¡°About 30% of the content. I didn¡¯t quite get the rest of it.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t be discouraged. It¡¯s still incredible that you understood 30% of it at your age.¡±
Havingprehended about 30% of the Att n¡¯s secret book at the tender age of 8 was an enormous feat.
However, Jin was craving for more. The ¡®enormous feat¡¯ was ording to the Runcandel standards. But with this being his second life, Jin wanted to achieve far more than just that.
If he couldn¡¯t exceed the normal genius standard, he would once again be unable to overpower his 12 genius siblings.
¡°How much of this book would the first patriarch have understood at my age?¡±
¡°Kuhaha. Right, right. You did say that you chose Temar¡¯s sword during the Selection Ritual. Is that why you keepparing yourself to him?¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s because I¡¯ve heard people endlessly say that the first patriarch was the ¡®strongest man in history¡¯. So much that the phrase is engraved in my mind now. That¡¯s why I¡¯mparing myself to him.¡±
¡°The strongest man in history, you say¡ Fair enough. Temar truly was incredibly strong. Even your father, who¡¯s called the Genesis Knight, is probably one level weaker than Temar.¡±
That was a realm of strength that Jin couldn¡¯t even imagine.
Despite Jin¡¯s rapid growth speed during his final 3 years of life after making a contract with Solderet, he still had a long way to go to reach the Genesis Knight realm. Even if he became an ¡®unparalleled magic swordsman¡¯ like Solderet had said, Jin still wasn¡¯t sure if he could defeat his father.
¡°Hm, sure. Alright. I guess it would be best to make it clear.¡±
¡°Make what clear?¡±
¡°The difference between you and Temar.¡±
Jin nodded as he focused on Murakan¡¯s next words.
¡°At the age of 8, Temar would not have been able to understand a single sentence in that book.¡±
A short pause followed, before Murakan continued speaking.
¡°But one¡¯s talents cannot always be measured by one¡¯s knowledge and understanding of swordsmanship. From what I¡¯ve seen, you are quite gifted. In fact, you¡¯re like a genius that¡¯s born once every hundreds of years¡ However, you still can¡¯tpare to Temar.¡±
¡°Hm, that¡¯s somewhat disheartening.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sure that your Genesis Knight father is far more gifted than you are.¡±
¡°Then, will I never be able to overpower my father because of the disparity in our talents?¡±
To overpower his father.
That was the reborn Jin¡¯s biggest and most ambitious goal. If he couldn¡¯t win against Cyron, Jin would have no choice but to live while trying not to stand out again, so that he doesn¡¯t incur the Runcandels¡¯ wrath.
The pathetic death in his first life.
Three 9-star knights who had attacked the Akin Kingdom. Jin¡¯s hypothesis was that Cyron had secretly dispatched those three, even though he strongly wished it were false.
¡°Indeed, you won¡¯t win against your father if it purelyes to swordsmanship.¡±
¡°If it purelyes to swordsmanship?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, you brat. Don¡¯t think that the world solely revolves around swordsmanship. You also have spiritual power and magic at your disposal.¡±
¡°True enough.¡±
¡°If you master magic and spiritual power to the extreme limits, it may be possible to be stronger than Temar, let alone your father. So don¡¯t be impatient.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not impatient. I just wanted to know my limits.¡±
¡°Ha! You¡¯re still thinking about your ¡®limits¡¯ even after gaining Solderet¡¯s spiritual power? Maybe it¡¯s because you¡¯re still a kid. You¡¯re just too unaware. Solderet¡¯s nickname amongst the gods is¡ ¡®the Infinite¡¯.¡±
¡°Infinite?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, infinite. The potential you have is far greater than anyone else in the world. It¡¯s infinite. Limitless. That¡¯s why, just focus on growing up for now. You have to leave this suffocating ce and explore the world in order to experience life.¡±
¡°In that case, what¡¯s today¡¯s training about?¡±
¡°Releasing your spiritual energy. You can always learn the basics of martial artster on. So from today onwards, till the day you leave the Storm Castle, you will only train your spiritual powers.¡±
Chapter 10: Until I Turn Ten (2)
Chapter 10: Until I Turn Ten (2)
Aside from aura and mana, there are some people in this world who wield other special powers¡ªalthough they are few and far between. Amongst these ¡®special powers¡¯, spiritual power is the rarest of them all.
And the beings who control spiritual power can be separated into two categories.
Those who were born from Solderet, just like Murakan, and people who made a contract with the god, just like Jin.
During his prime, Murakan could use spiritual power to fend off five 9-star magicians simultaneously without having to escape. Jin couldn¡¯t even picture the dragon¡¯s full power.
In other words, now that Solderet was refusing to show himself, Murakan was the perfect teacher for Jin.
¡°People like you and me who can use spiritual power can release spiritual energy. It¡¯s the first andst technique we need to know.¡±
¡°First andst?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a basic technique yet also a lethal move. The principle is easy. It¡¯s simr to how a magician uses mana.¡±
When magicians reached the 3-star stage, they could release mana.
In other words, if someone could release mana, they had reached the 3-star stage. Since Jin was a 5-star magician in his past life, releasing mana was a piece of cake for him.
However, while Murakan knew that Jin had ¡®mana¡¯ within him, he didn¡¯t know that the child had the ¡®knowledge and skills of a 5-star magician¡¯.
Jin had yet to tell the dragon about his rebirth, and he wasn¡¯t nning on telling anyone from here on out.
¡°But as far as I know, magicians don¡¯t use mana release as a lethal move¡ do they?¡±
¡°Just because they both use the word ¡®release¡¯ and are simr in style doesn¡¯t mean mana release is on the same level as releasing spiritual energy.¡±
¡°Hm.¡±
¡°In any case, before you learn how to release spiritual energy, you must learn how to release mana first.¡±
¡°Howe?¡±
At Jin¡¯s question, Murakan simply shrugged.
¡°You need to begin with learning the easier techniques. Would you try to learn how to swing a steel sword when you can¡¯t even lift a wooden one?¡±
¡°Aha.¡±
Jin nodded as he grasped the meaning, despite his reluctance. He had already mastered how to release mana in his previous life, so he was feeling impatient¡
¡®Oh well, I should just think of this as a revision. I haven¡¯t tried to release mana ever since my regression either, so this is a good opportunity.¡¯
Once Murakan sat straight before Jin, he suddenly burst out inughter.
¡°Pffft hahaha¡ How amusing. I never would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d teach magic to a Runcandel child. If your father ever finds out about this, you and I are both as good as dead.¡±
Learning magic as a Runcandel signified treason.
Most martial ns disliked magic, but not many of them despised the very thought of magic as much as the Runcandel n. Ever since the death of the first patriarch, the Runcandels considered magic and its usage a taboo within the n.
The n members¡¯ thought process was that if one learned magic, one wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship. In actuality, several magic swordsmen had appeared throughout history, but none of them achieved incredible feats. They slowly disappeared and all traces of them vanished.
It was the same for the magic ns.
While magic ns didn¡¯t ban martial arts, they highly looked down upon the usage of ¡®aura¡¯. It was believed that aura would dirty and muddy the purity of mana.
However, these beliefs were wed.
The true reason why the Runcandels had banned magic was due to a humiliating and disgraceful pledge made with the Zipfels a thousand years ago.
During the era when Temar was still alive, the Runcandels were a n of ¡®magic swordsmen¡¯.
Back then, the Runcandel n wasn¡¯t as famous as it was today, and history wasn¡¯t as distorted and fabricated.
The only ones who were aware of this truth were Jin¡ªthe regressor and Solderet¡¯s contractor¡ªand Murakan, along with some key figures of the Runcandel and Zipfel ns.
¡°My father will kill us when he realizes I learned magic from you? Not if he kills me before that for secretlying down here without authorization.¡±
¡°Indeed. If what you¡¯ve told me about your father is true, then I have no doubt he¡¯d kill you. Since we are aplices, let me tell you a secret before we begin training. The people around the world believe that despite being rare, ¡®magic swordsmen¡¯ can never be truly powerful, right?¡±
¡°They certainly do, oddly enough.¡±
Jin pretended to be ignorant, to which Murakan chuckled.
¡°That¡¯s all bullshit! It¡¯s a lie made up by those Zipfel morons who are far more evil than the Runcandels. While you need a precondition to achieve it, magic swordsmen are the ultimate powerhouses. Your n was once a venerable and respected n of magic swordsmen.¡±
¡°Really? First time hearing this story.¡±
¡°¡Are you not surprised?¡±
Murakan asked in a disappointed voice. Albeit btedly, Jin let out a gasp and wowed at the dragon, who just shook his head at the child¡¯s terrible acting.
¡°Haha, nothing could ever top the surprise I felt the day I met you. Anyways, you said something about a precondition?¡±
¡°Geez, you really aren¡¯t cute at all, kid. So, you need to have a great affinity with mana, sensitivity to aura, and an excellent physical body. Oh, and a contract with a god.¡±
¡°So I already cleared the conditions.¡±
¡°Now that you understand, there¡¯s no need to be afraid of learning magic from here on out. But promise me one thing, kid. You must never reveal your magic to the n until you¡¯re strong enough.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no need to make me promise that. I already know of the potential consequences. I¡¯ve only just turned eight, and I don¡¯t n on biting the dust anytime soon.¡±
¡°Good, good. Then from now on, your objective in life is to stand at the summit¡ªstronger than anyone else¡ªin order to let me livefortably and in luxury. Let¡¯s begin training now. First, let¡¯s try to stimte and awaken your mana. Hm, in order to do that, you need to¡¡±
Vwwooong.
Jin created a mana sphere the size of a walnut on top of his palm, and Murakan could only stare in disbelief.
¡°This crazy twat¡ What in the world? How could you do that in a second? You didn¡¯t even let me finish exining!¡±
Jin also couldn¡¯t hide his surprise.
He was nning on holding back and showing the dragon only the bare minimum in order to satisfy him, but had created the mana sphere subconsciously. It was more difficult to minutiously control the body of an 8-year-oldpared to that of a 28-year-old.
Moreover, he hadn¡¯t used magic in a long time, which was another cause of this mistake.
Before Jin coulde up with an excuse, Murakan clenched his fists tightly and stood up.
¡°I see, Solderet! I finally understand why you chose him as your contractor after a thousand years! Kuhaha, he¡¯s really something. He¡¯s truly unbelievable! Kid, you make my heart beat so fast in excitement!¡±
The mistake seemed to have benefited Jin.
In order to continue his childish act, Jin scratched the back of his head and wore an awkward smile.
¡°Is this something that impressive?¡±
¡°Is that even a question? I¡¯ve only ever seen three people seed in creating a mana sphere so early in their childhood! The first time was with the Zipfel n¡¯s first patriarch, the second was with the fourth patriarch. And finally, you!¡±
Murakan began to recount the story of how the first and fourth Zipfel patriarchs had achieved this feat at the tender ages of 5 and 7, respectively. However, Jin wasn¡¯t very inspired by the story.
Because he was the same as them.
Jin, along with those two patriarchs, were all ¡®magic geniuses¡¯ in its truest meaning.
Before his regression, Jin had be a 5-star magician within 3 years. And since he had managed to make a contract with Solderet, Jin was potentially even more talented than those two acimed magicians.
¡®If I were born in the Zipfel n during my first life, I would¡¯ve reached the 8-star stage, at the very least, by 28 years old. Maybe even the 9-star stage.¡¯
Murakan finally ended his maniacalughter.
¡°Kid. Honestly, I thought it would take you at least a few years in order to learn how to release spiritual energy. But at this rate, you might be able to seed before you leave the Storm Castle. Let¡¯s move onto the next phase immediately!¡±
The next lesson was on mana transfer. It was a basic technique which required one to extinguish the mana on one hand, and move it to the other with pinpoint uracy.
Learning this technique was a piece of cake for Jin once again, but he had to control himself and hold back this time.
Now that Murakan held high expectations towards Jin, there was no need to increase it even further. Otherwise, Murakan¡¯s overwhelming yet unbearable expectations would be a burden to Jin, and coulde back to bite himter on in life.
Additionally, even though his earlier mistake benefited Jin this time, the fact that he made the mistake was important and rming. In order to gain the skills and techniques to control mana as proficient as his previous life, he had to train repeatedly, even for the basic techniques.
Jin listened to Murakan¡¯s exnation and attempted to transfer the mana on his right hand to his left.
¡®Hm¡ I should fail on purpose for a while before seeding. 10 minutes should be enough.¡¯
10 minutester, Jin sessfully transferred the mana on his right hand to his left urately. Murakan then grinned widely.
Droplets of sweat began forming on Jin¡¯s forehead. It was actually more difficult for him to purposefully perform an easy technique a lot slower, just like how lifting a heavy object slowly was more taxingpared to lifting it quickly.
¡°Good. Excellent work. If you manage toplete this procedure within 5 seconds, you should be able to release mana. In other words, you¡¯ll have be a 3-star magician.¡±
¡°How long do you think it will take me to achieve that?¡±
Jin asked as he wiped his sweat away.
¡°2 years.¡±
Hearing the answer, Jin decided that achieving it in 1 year would be convincing enough.
Having finished the calctions in his mind, Jin nodded to the dragon.
¡°Good. Then practice mana transfer for a bit more and then head back up for today. And just in case, don¡¯t practice within the castle when I¡¯m not with you.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
After training for another hour, it was time for Jin to return to the surface. As he packed up his notebooks and the basket, Murakan lied back down on the floor, scratching his groins.
¡°Oh also, kid. When youe by tomorrow, make sure to fill that basket to the brim with strawberry pies. Otherwise, I¡¯ll make sure you know of the consequences.¡±
Murakan warned Jin as he began walking away.
¡°The strawberry pie you ate earlier was thest of it. Do you have any idea how many strawberries you ate during the past 6 months?¡±
¡°Goddammit, then bring me another type of pie your nanny bakes!¡±
¡°Then what about a rat pie?¡±
¡°You wretched brat,e here and have a taste of my fist¡ Hey, hey! Hey!¡±
Swoosh!
Jin dashed out the hole connected to the underground corridor.
¡°Something other than rats! Please! I¡¯m begging you!¡±
When Jin returned the next day, his basket was full of apple pies instead.
Murakan was satisfied and stroked the child¡¯s head.
***
A year went by. Today was September 9th, 1789. Jin¡¯s ninth birthday.
Spending their birthdays at the Storm Castle¡ªwhich was stormy and wet all year round¡ªwasn¡¯t good for children¡¯s mental and emotional growth.
As a dozen servants and Gilly, along with 5 knights, ced candles on the cake, the fierce gale outside was smashing into the castle windows.
¡°Happy birthday, Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°Happy birthday!¡±
¡°Thank you, everyone.¡±
As the 9-year-old blew on the candle mes, everyone gathered around him and pped.
ng, ng, ng, ng.
Since the knights were wearing gauntlets, their powerful ¡®pping¡¯ noises overpowered everyone else¡¯s. The birthday party was bleak and deste, as if they were meremoners who couldn¡¯t afford avishing meal.
Despite this, Jin was still overjoyed and felt blessed. In his previous life, he hadn¡¯t even received greetings from the people living in the castle for his birthday, other than his nanny.
As Gilly sliced the cake and gave everyone a piece, the lone knight who was guarding the Storm Castle¡¯s main entrance suddenly barged in the room.
¡°Young Master Jin!¡±
It was the guardian knight called Khan.
¡°Khan?¡±
There weren¡¯t many situations in which Khan would dare to run within the castle hallways.
Jin¡¯s intuition told him that someone from the n¡¯s main house hade to visit.
¡°The eldestdy hase to visit!¡±
¡°Elder sister Luna¡?¡±
Jin eximed as he stood up.
Jin¡¯s eldest sister, Luna Runcandel.
The firstborn of Cyron Runcandel¡¯s 13 children. It was a well-established fact that she was the strongest out of all the siblings. At her current age of 28, she became a 9-star knight, which proved the previous assumption.
However, despite her strength and fame, she never participated in the Runcandel¡¯s ¡®War of Session¡¯¡ªa hideous and unsightlypetition for the throne¡ªin Jin¡¯s first life, and always moved on her own.
¡®She¡¯s not the type of person toe congratte her younger sibling on his birthday. Why is she here¡?¡¯
Jin ran to the window and looked outside. Luna was takingrge strides as she walked up the stairs leading to the Storm Castle.
On her back was her emblematic sword: the enormous axe-sword, ¡®Crantel¡¯.
Chapter 11: Until I Turn Ten (3)
Chapter 11: Until I Turn Ten (3)
Luna and Jin had an age gap of 19 years, which was to no surprise as they were respectively Cyron and Rosa¡¯s first andst children.
With such arge age gap, there are many cases where the older sibling dotes on the younger one¡ But that wasn¡¯t the case for Jin in his first life.
And so, with Luna¡¯s sudden visit, Jin was more panicked than joyful.
¡®This is somewhat concerning. Has my eldest sister ever shown interest in our other siblings as well?¡¯
Despite rummaging through his memories, Jin couldn¡¯t remember a simr event in the past.
The nickname the public used to call Luna was the ¡®White Whale¡¯.
She was aloof, distant, and hard to get in touch with just like the ¡®White Whale¡¯ in the myths. And since there was only a single white whale in the world, the nickname also reflected her anti-social tendencies.
¡°Greetings to the eldestdy!¡±
¡°Greetings to the eldestdy!¡±
The knights who were gathered for Jin¡¯s birthday all ran outside and shouted in unison.
Even though she had yet to enter the castle, the servants in the dining room also began to bow in advance.
¡°Let¡¯s head downstairs to wee my sister, Nanny.¡±
Gilly was dumbfounded and staring into nothingness. Having the opportunity to meet the n¡¯s eldest child was rare, yet extremely nerve-wracking.
¡°Ah, yes, Young Master.¡±
Jin and Luna came face to face in the central hall. It was the child¡¯s first time seeing his eldest sister ever since the Selection Ritual.
Dazzling silver hair, porcin-like skin, and¡ deep eyes that appeared to pierce through everything in their vision.
Luna¡¯s deep gaze contained an inexplicable sense of danger and menace. Those were the eyes of someone who had in myriads of powerful warriors around the world as she slowly approached the realm of a sword emperor.
As they made eye contact, Jin¡¯s heart began beating furiously.
¡®So this is the gaze of someone who¡¯s close to being the world¡¯s strongest¡¡¯
However, Jin hadn¡¯t the leisure to admire her forever. He couldn¡¯t put aside the possibility that she hade all this way as she had somehow sensed Murakan¡¯s awakening.
If that were the case, Jin had toe up with a solution to his pinch.
As he racked his brain, Luna appeased the knights around them by speaking out first.
¡°You¡¯ve grown a lot.¡±
A cold and dry voice. It wasn¡¯t a tone suitable to address a sibling she hadn¡¯t seen in 8 years.
However, Jin sensed a faint amount of goodwill within that dry voice. Nheless, it was far too early for him to let down his guard.
¡°Thank you foring all this way. We would¡¯ve prepared a far more suitable feast had you notified us in advance, Elder Sister.¡±
¡°That¡¯s cute. But there¡¯s no need for such hospitality when I¡¯m simply visiting my younger brother.¡±
Luna replied as she patted her brother¡¯s head.
To think that his eldest sister¡ªwith whom he had barely talked to in his past life¡ªwas patting him¡ Jin couldn¡¯t understand what was happening.
¡®Just why? Why? Why is she acting like this?¡¯
The same question kept repeating itself in his mind.
When Cyron hade to visit, everything urred as he had predicted, but he just simply couldn¡¯t read through Luna¡¯s true intentions.
However, just because it was difficult didn¡¯t mean he had to stop trying. No matter how incredible of a fighter she was, Luna was still a 28-year-olddy.
As for Jin, this was his 37th year alive in total, so there was no need to feel pressured.
¡°That¡¯s true. There¡¯s no need for you to do that when you¡¯re merely travelling within Runcandel territory, Elder Sister. But honestly speaking¡ since I don¡¯t know you well enough, I was subconsciously feeling nervous and on edge.¡±
The hand that was stroking Jin¡¯s head froze. Gilly was bewildered by Jin¡¯s honest statement and made a dry cough. Even the knights around them were staring in disbelief.
Silence ensued. The surrounding people were sweating buckets as they watched the siblings stare at each other.
¡°You were¡ nervous?¡±
¡°Yes, Sister.¡±
¡°Should I interpret that as you being ufortable around me?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not ufortable. It¡¯s just that since this is basically my first time meeting you¡¡±
Another round of silence.
The atmosphere around Luna was ambiguous.
The knights and Gilly all thought that she would be furious, but it was the opposite. They could never have predicted the emotions they saw in the woman¡¯s deep ocean eyes.
Sorrow, regret, and bitterness.
Those were the emotions surfacing on Luna¡¯s face.
¡°¡You¡¯re right, I was being inconsiderate. You may be young, but you¡¯re still a Runcandel. How could I forget that¡ I¡¯m sorry.¡±
Even Jin was taken by surprise by her reaction.
Runcandel.
Thisrge n of swordmasters wasn¡¯t a family where siblings would support and love each other, and sacrifice oneself for a brother or sister.
Monitoring each other, stealing from each other, and dragging another down were the family traditions. Therefore, having heard Jin¡¯s exnation, Luna believed that the young child thought of her as an ¡®obstacle¡¯ and a ¡®hindrance¡¯.
That was the reason behind her sorrowful gaze.
¡°Everyone, give us some space¡ Actually, nevermind. Can I ask your knights and nanny to leave the hall, Jin?¡±
Luna bent down and matched her eye-level with her brother¡¯s. Once Jin nodded, the knights and Gilly emptied the ce.
While he still couldn¡¯t read her true intentions, Jin believed that Luna didn¡¯t mean him any harm.
¡°My youngest sibling.¡±
¡°Yes, Sister.¡±
¡°The reason I came looking for you so suddenly is because¡ I have something I must tell you. And today happened to be your birthday as well.¡±
Jin let down his guard visibly.
¡°Something to tell me¡?¡±
¡°Due to Father¡¯s interest in you, all of our siblings are keeping an eye on you. And seeing your attitude today, it seems I don¡¯t need to exin what that signifies.¡±
Every Runcandel was paying great attention to Jin.
And it was to no surprise. It was widely known that Cyron hade all the way to the Storm Castlest year in order to see his youngest child.
Moreover, Jin had chosen Barisada during his Selection Ritual, so it would be weirder if they weren¡¯t keeping an eye on him.
¡°Yes, I am aware. You mean that once I leave the Storm Castle, our siblings will try to keep me in check, right?¡±
Luna removed the axe-sword Crantel from her back and ced it on the floor.
Thud!
Despite her best attempt at being quiet, it still ended up creating arge echo in the hall.
¡°That¡¯s right. So you know already. You must¡¯ve been on guard against me for that same reason as well.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t answer and stared back into Luna¡¯s deep blue eyes.
¡°But this is what I wanted to tell you. I truly hope¡ªfrom the bottom of my heart¡ªthat you won¡¯t take part in this dirty family feud and let your happiness slip away from your grasp.¡±
Her words came crashing down on Jin¡¯s mind.
¡®Is this what Eldest Sister has been thinking all this time? Is this why¡ she didn¡¯t participate in the bloody session war in my past life?¡¯
Being the strongest of the siblings, Luna could easily take the throne from their other siblings.
However, Jin didn¡¯t find her true intentions absurd or hard to believe. Luna did indeed steer away from the bloody session war before, so there was a speck of credibility in her words. He was simply surprised from hearing those words from the person herself.
But Jin still felt some revulsion towards her mindset.
¡®If you don¡¯t want to see me be sacrificed by our other siblings during the session war, then why didn¡¯t you say anything back in my first life?¡¯
Was it because he held no value at all back then, that she didn¡¯t bother warning him?
Or was it because their other siblings didn¡¯t even consider Jin a dangerous opponent in the session war?
Such questions popped up in his mind, but they were not relevant in the situation at hand.
¡°Elder Sister Luna.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°I am very grateful for those words, but I do not intend on dropping out of the conflict.¡±
A polite yet resolute tone.
¡°I¡¯m being genuine here. I¡¯m not saying this because I fear you could surpass me, Jin.¡±
¡°I am also aware of that, Elder Sister. I can see your pure intentions, and I am very grateful for that. I never expected a sibling of mine to be worried about me. But I don¡¯t n on changing my mind.¡±
¡°¡Then could I ask the reason behind your decision?¡±
¡°You may not know about this, but¡¡±
Jin took in a deep breath before continuing his story.
¡°There has already been an assassination attempt against me. I¡¯ve never talked about it to anyone else. Not even Gilly. And due to that incident, my fight has already begun.¡±
Technically speaking, it wasn¡¯t an assassination attempt but rather a curse. However, the ¡®ded Illusion¡¯ curse was no different to a death sentence for a child living in the Runcandel n.
¡°Who dared to!¡±
Rumble!
At her shout, aura began to pour out of Luna¡¯s body, expanding in the empty hall. A rumbling shook the closed space as the aura swirled around in a whirlpool.
¡°A sibling of ours dared to attempt to kill you inside the Storm Castle?! Who was it? Was it the Tona twins?¡±
¡°That, I cannot tell you.¡±
Despite his dry response, Jin¡¯s heart and chest felt warm and content from seeing Luna get enraged for his sake.
¡°But rather than being unwilling to tell you, I am incapable of answering that question, as there are many things I¡¯m unaware of as well.¡±
¡°Ha!¡±
There was no need to continue this conversation.
Luna could only ept the fact that her youngest brother was already far too involved in the family feud to break free now.
As Luna tried to sort out her mixed feelings, Jin carefully approached her and hugged her around the neck.
¡°But I am extremely happy to have learned that not all of my siblings despise me and are after my life, Elder Sister.¡±
¡°Jin. My brother. This saddens me so deeply.¡±
Who could¡¯ve thought that the famous White Whale was such a sweet and tender sister.
Jin no longer thought of her as a terrifying 9-star knight, but instead considered her a mere human being who was suffering within this messed up family.
¡°Please don¡¯t be so dejected.¡±
***
After their conversation inside the hall, Luna stayed at the castle for another 2 hours before leaving. Jin¡¯s bleak and deste birthday was brightened by his sister¡¯s presence.
¡®I never knew there was such a kind side to my eldest sister.¡¯
Jin thought to himself as he touched the pendant around his neck.
It was Luna¡¯s birthday present for him.
¡®She told me to break the gem on the pendant when I¡¯m in a critical situation I can¡¯t deal with.¡¯
If he broke the deep blue gem on the pendant, Luna would be sent to Jin¡¯s location just once. She had obtained this artifact after killing a demon a while ago.
¡°Oh, kid! That thing around your neck! Isn¡¯t that Demonic Beast King Orgal¡¯s pendant? It is! Dayum, you got yourself a priceless birthday present. Dozens of monarchs and rulers lost their lives trying to obtain that pendant a thousand years ago.¡±
¡°Demonic Beast King Orgal? Who¡¯s that?¡±
¡°An incredible demon from back in the days. I could recognize that at a nce. I imagine you received it from the person with the powerful aura I sensed earlier. Damn, you basically have an extra life now. Congrats, kid.¡±
Murakan was aware of the pendant¡¯s effects.
¡°I can see that it¡¯s an amazing artifact. But Murakan, did you say ¡®powerful aura¡¯? You felt that from down here?¡±
¡°Of course I did, brat. I may have lost a lot of my strength, but I¡¯m still a dragon. Who was it? I first thought it was your father, but seeing how they noticed me and still left without making a fuss, I imagine it was someone else.¡±
¡°What? Wait a second. My eldest sister noticed you?¡±
The bewildered Jin asked back.
¡°Haha, so that aura¡¯s owner was your sister? I see that this n is still as crazy powerful as ever. I was even thinking of grabbing you and running away if things went south.¡±
¡°Ah.¡±
¡°Well, seeing how she gave you Orgal¡¯s pendant, I don¡¯t think your sister will tell the other n members about us. Today was a great day.¡±
¡°So you think my sister will just let it pass?¡±
¡°I bet a hundred apple pies on that. If she were narrow-minded, she would never have given you that pendant in the first ce. You have a great sister. Ugh, I¡¯m so jealous of you, kid. Whereas my sister is¡¡±
As Murakan began describing his elder sister, Jin pondered on what to do if¡ªin the one in a million chance¡ªLuna decided to tell the n about Murakan¡¯s existence.
However, he soon remembered Luna¡¯sst words before leaving, and soon calmed down.
¡®I just want you to remember this, Jin. My brother. No matter what you do, no matter what you be, I will always be rooting for you.¡¯
Chapter 12: Departing the Storm Castle (1)
Chapter 12: Departing the Storm Castle (1)
And so, another 6 months went by.
March 12th, 1790. In the Mitel Kingdom¡ªlocated south of the Storm Castle¡ªspring was finally here. In another half a year, Jin would turn 10 years old and leave the Storm Castle.
In the end, Luna never informed the n about Murakan¡¯s existence, just as he had bet 100 apple pies on it.
However, he didn¡¯t get a single apple pie for winning that bet as Jin also ended up betting that she wouldn¡¯t betray them. So technically, Jin had also won the wager.
The past 6 months were a period of peace and boredom for the knights and servants working at the Storm Castle. On the other hand, it was a period of growth and development for Jin, for whom time went by in a sh.
¡°I¡¯m sick of this. I¡¯m so freaking sick of this.¡±
Murakan spoke as he stared nkly at the soon-to-be 10-year-old.
¡°Not only did you manage to reduce the time it takes you to transfer mana from 10 minutes to 5 seconds in a single year, you also learned how to release mana in half a year. And you act as if it¡¯s so easy for you! I can¡¯t believe my eyes.¡±
Just as Jin had nned, he mastered mana transfer in 1 year instead of the 2 years Murakan had predicted, and mastered mana release within the 6 months after Luna¡¯s visit.
Jin sessfully held himself back and learned how to fine-tune his control over mana. And that wasn¡¯t the only favourable result.
In his past life, he rushed to quickly reach the 5-star stage within a mere 3 years, so he had no time to train and practice the basic techniques. Since he was already 25 years old by the time he began learning magic, he didn¡¯t have the leeway to take his time learning the basics.
However, now that he had repeatedly practiced mana transfer while making sure he had full control over his speed, Jin felt like he had attained a new realm of magic. It was like the difference between sprinting and taking a slow stroll. The scenery one sees during those two instances arepletely different.
¡°I¡¯ve always behaved the same way ever since I met you, so no need to overreact now.¡±
In addition, after Luna¡¯s visit, Jin began to train mana release.
Just like mana transfer, it was an easy task for the regressor, but he still practiced seriously for 6 months. And through this training, he realized that his past life¡¯s basics were sloppy.
¡°Be grateful that you¡¯re currently living in the Storm Castle, kid. If this were the Vermont Empire¡¯s academy, the others would¡¯ve alienated you for your talent.¡±
Jin had heard the exact same words dozens of times from his past life¡¯s ¡®master¡¯.
¡®I wonder what Master is doing right now. I suppose he¡¯s just a shitty brat whose nose keeps dripping or something.¡¯
The boy recalled his master¡¯s face. The magician who had informed Jin about his talent in magic and taught him everything was, in fact, 2 years younger than him.
¡®Despite that, he was a 7-star magician back then. Actually, he was almost at the 8-star stage. Geez, there are far too many geniuses in this world. I can¡¯t let myself be pushed around by them. I need to devote myself to my studies and training.¡¯
Jin shrugged with a smirk forming on his face.
¡°Then, will you teach me how to release spiritual energy starting today?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. Tell me when you¡¯re done transcribing those books.¡±
¡°Murakan, do you care that little about me? I already finished transcribing all the books a week ago.¡±
Except for the ones Jin didn¡¯t need, he had fully copied the contents of all the secret tomes that were only avable to the n¡¯s g-bearers.
He still couldn¡¯t understand every notion and idea explored in the books, but Jin would slowly realize their meanings in the future as his swordsmanship got better.
All that was left for him to do before leaving the Storm Castle was to learn how to release spiritual energy.
When Murakan first mentioned this technique, he never imagined Jin would be skilled enough to start learning it before leaving the castle.
The dragon had only told Jin about the technique in order to motivate him to train harder, but it seemed that Murakan had underestimated the child.
He would be at Jin¡¯s mercy until they left the castle.
¡°Oh right, that¡¯s true. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t care about you, it just slipped my mind. Well then, let¡¯s begin now.¡±
With a serious tone, Murakan sat down with his back straight, and Jin followed suit.
¡°I¡¯m warning you in advance, but releasing spiritual energy isn¡¯t a technique you can quickly master. It¡¯ll take longer than it did for mana transfer and release.¡±
¡°I know.¡±
¡°So don¡¯t be impatient. Just like I said before, it¡¯s both a basic and lethal technique. Let me show you.¡±
Swoosh!
Even before he finished talking, a dark energy materialized like smoke and burst out of Murakan.
It was spiritual energy. If Jin¡¯s spiritual energy was like a light fog that blurred one¡¯s vision, Murakan¡¯s spiritual energy was like the deep abyss that could swallow light and extinguish it.
It was Jin¡¯s second time ever seeing the dragon¡¯s power¡ªthe first being the day Murakan woke up.
¡®It¡¯s a lot denser and heavier than my energy.¡¯
Swoosh¡
Jin observed the dancing energy that swirled around.
It felt as if the energy was waving at him, telling him to approach it. Jin caught himself about to reach out to the dark smoke.
¡°The energy¡¯s colour is different, but overall, it looks simr to mana release, right?¡±
¡°Yeah, but it does feel a lot more mysterious.¡±
¡°For magicians, mana release is the act of connecting the mana inside their body with the mana in the environment. What¡¯s the intention behind that technique, Jin?¡±
¡°It¡¯s for mana recovery and strengthening.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. By releasing mana, the body is open to epting the outside mana. Then, you can use the outside mana in order to recover your own, or to strengthen the magic spell you¡¯re about to cast. Releasing spiritual energy is more or less the same, but there are a few differences.¡±
¡°What are they?¡±
¡°Releasing spiritual energy isn¡¯t connecting your energy to the energy in your surroundings. It¡¯s connecting the natural energy around you to your inner energy.¡±
¡°So¡ it¡¯s the other way around?¡±
It was somewhat difficult to understand this notion.
The aura and magic inside humans behave like rivers.
The water in rivers always flows towards the open sea. Rivers are never bigger than seas or oceans. They¡¯re offshoots of the sea that branch out into thend.
However, it was the opposite for spiritual energy.
¡°Shadows.¡±
Murakan spoke out as he waved his hand to disperse the smoke covering half of his appearance.
¡°Spiritual power is derived from shadows. In that case, where do shadowse from?¡±
It was a simple and short question. Yet, it was full of divine subtlety.
¡°I imagine that theye from Solderet.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not ¡®I imagine¡¯. All shadows in this world unambiguously originate from Solderet. He¡¯s the master of all shadows around the world, and you are his one and only contractor.¡±
Murakan voiced powerfully as he continued.
¡°In other words, you can also be the master of all shadows around the world.¡±
The countless offshoots around the world called ¡®shadows¡¯ would gather to a singr point. To the ¡®sea¡¯. To Jin Runcandel.
That was the theory behind spiritual energy release.
Murakan¡¯s spiritual energy began to swirl in countless tiny vortices, no bigger than plums. They then suddenly fused and created a bright and colourful pattern.
¡°Pay close attention to what¡¯s about to happen.¡±
Jin focused all his senses and observed his surroundings. It felt like time had slowed to the speed of a crawl as he tried to see what change the energy release would bring.
¡®What on earth!¡¯
Jin could only gasp in shock when he noticed a big change.
Near the ss coffin behind Murakan were several candlesticks and torches.
The shadows of these light sources in the underground chamber extended like long streams of water, and began flowing towards Murakan¡¯s energy whirlpool. Jin turned back to observe the other objects in the room, and the same phenomenon was affecting the bookshelf¡¯s shadow.
Soon, a sudden dizziness struck the child.
A powerful sense of dissociation encroached upon him. He could feel the damp sweat in his tightly clenched fist. An urge to take several steps backwards rose in him.
¡®Is this an illusion?¡¯
As soon as such thoughts came to mind, Jin shook his head to clear his mind. However, the phenomenon urring before him was no illusion. The shadows of the objects in their surroundings were indeed gathering towards Murakan.
It looked like a supernatural spectacle.
The overwhelmingly menacing aura around Murakan made Jin¡¯s hair stand on end.
It was as if¡ not a single existence in this world could ever kill the being before Jin.
And Jin instinctively realized that he couldn¡¯t let this threatening aura crush his spirit. ording to Murakan, the ones who should be trembling in fear were the shadows.
Because one day, Jin would be the one wielding that dark and terrifying power.
Murakan smirked at the sight of fear dissipating from the child¡¯s eyes.
¡°Good. That should be the attitude of the promised contractor of a thousand years.¡±
Swoosh¡
The shadow vortex soon halted its movement, and the rivers of shadows returned to their respective positions.
Having gone through an intense experience about the extent of this power, the usual peaceful and calm scenery around him somewhat felt pleasing, unlike before.
It was like the night had passed. Or maybe like a festival had finally ended.
Thest stream of shadow reached its original object, and the oppressive atmosphere hadpletely vanished.
Jin was sweating buckets, but wore a refreshing smile as he pulled his drenched shirt away from his chest.
¡°How was it?¡±
¡°Incredible.¡±
¡°Is that all? You do realize that was the Great Murakan¡¯s killer blow, right?¡±
¡°It was like you hadplete control over day and night inside this room.¡±
Murakan nodded, seemingly satisfied by Jin¡¯s spontaneousment.
¡°Day and night¡ I haven¡¯t heard that expression in a long while. People love associating users of spiritual power with those kinds of words and expressions since ancient times. Things like ¡®Ruler of the Night¡¯, or ¡®Creator of Darkness in Daylight¡¯. They¡¯re pretty childish, honestly.¡±
¡°Yeah, that¡¯s so embarrassing.¡±
¡°I know, right? And ¡®Ruler of the Night¡¯ is a nickname that holds so many misconceptions and prejudices¡ For your information, people used to call me that around two thousand years ago. Actually, it¡¯s technically not wrong to call me that. Bwahahaha!¡±
¡®Is this dragon seriously saying such cheap jokes in front of a child?¡¯
Jin swallowed hiseback and giggled.
¡°Hm, in any case, do you understand what spiritual energy release is? Technically, it¡¯s just like a different version of mana release, so I assume you understand the principle behind it.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve got a good grasp over it. Just give me one hour. I think I¡¯ll be able to do it.¡±
¡°Get off your high horse, kid. Like I said earlier, releasing spiritual energy isn¡¯t something you can master in a short period of time¡¡±
¡°I know that. I didn¡¯t mean I could master the technique with your level of proficiency in an hour, but I think I could at least manage a small energy release. You know, like how the simplest of sword shes performed by a novice and a swordmaster can bepletely different.¡±
¡°Exactly! That¡¯s why I said that spiritual energy release is both a basic and lethal move.¡±
¡°Then, what level of mastery was the technique you showed me just now?¡±
¡°Around intermediate level. Maybe a bit above intermediate.¡±
Intermediate.
Jin was sure of himself. Even if a grand magician from the Zipfel n were to perform a 9-star magic spell, it wouldn¡¯t be any stronger than the energy release he had observed just now.
Murakan hadn¡¯t used the spiritual energy to destroy anything in order to show its strength, so Jin had no concrete proof to back his opinion. However, even if he didn¡¯t see its destructive power with his own eyes, he could urately sense the spiritual power¡¯s superiority over 9-star magic.
¡°If you fully master this technique, you could evenpletely annihte an army of one million in an instant. Having the shadow taken away from a lifeform is synonymous to death.¡±
Crack!
A couple of torches ced in the corridor suddenly broke apart and fell to the floor.
¡°And having the shadow taken away from an object is synonymous to destruction.¡±
Jin couldn¡¯t hide his shock, and nkly stared at the broken torches.
¡°¡Still, dammit! I did my best to hold back so that nothing would get destroyed, so why did those torches break?! We¡¯ll have to fix those before leaving the castle. What a pain in the ass.¡±
Crack, crack!
The torches weren¡¯t the only things that broke down. The stone parts of the ss coffin Murakan was slumbering inside of hadrge fissures across them.
¡°Fuck.¡±
A deep sigh escaped the dragon¡¯s mouth as he frowned. He now had small chores to do while waiting for Jin from here on out.
Chapter 13: Departing the Storm Castle (2)
Chapter 13: Departing the Storm Castle (2)
Orgal¡¯s Pendant.
The Phoenix Heart.
And the manuscript of the secret tomes.
These were the physical gains Jin had obtained during his stay in the Storm Castle.
And ording to Murakan¡¯s exnation, Jin could use the pendant to summon Luna once. Moreover, the artifact¡¯s effect also provided him a powerful immunity against 5-star or lower attack spells.
Additionally, the pendant could amplify the effects of magic buffs cast on its user.
Two years have already passed since Jin ate the Phoenix Heart, but it had yet to be fully absorbed by his body.
One month after he ate the heart, Jin tested how much his body had absorbed its effects every day by cing his finger on a candle me.
¡°Lady Mary would be very proud of you if she were here, Young Master.¡±
And sure enough, Jin ced his index finger above a candle me today as well.
The me that touched the tip of his finger had absolutely no effect on it. Jin felt no burning sensation¡ªit was as if he had ced his finger in warm water.
Gilly was thrilled by this sight and slowly approached the young boy.
¡°Gilly.¡±
¡°It¡¯s also my first time seeing the effects of the Phoenix Heart. And as your nanny, I¡¯m overjoyed to know that the beneficiary of the heart is you, Young Master Jin.¡±
A wide smile drew on Gilly¡¯s face. Jin truly believed that amongst the nannies working for the Runcandel n, she was the most honest and sincere.
¡®If my knowledge from when I was a magician doesn¡¯t betray me, I seem to have absorbed around 50% of the heart.¡¯
Should he absorb 100% of the heart, Jin would be able to withstand a fearsome firestorm that could burn down an entire castle¡ªlet alone a candle me. In other words, Jin would be near-perfectly resistant to all mes that don¡¯t contain mana.
To put it another way, Jin wouldn¡¯t be fully resistant against mes generated with magic.
Needless to say, unless it¡¯s a high-rank fire magic spell cast by a 6-star or higher magician, they wouldn¡¯t be able to break through the heart¡¯s me resistance effects. However, there is another reason why the Phoenix Heart is considered such a crucial item amongst magicians.
¡®If I fully absorb the heart, I won¡¯t be restricted when I summon a phoenix in a few years.¡¯
The mes that are constantly swirling around the mystical beasts known as phoenixes generally have the force of 5-star spells. So whenever a phoenix ps its wings, it¡¯s no different from having 5-star fire magic being shot out constantly.
And unfortunately, these mes can also injure the magician who summoned the phoenix. So even if someone were to be a 6-star magician, it would be difficult to summon and use a phoenix unless they have a high resistance against mes.
In other words, one had to eat a Phoenix Heart to haveplete control over a phoenix familiar and make full use of it.
¡®I can¡¯t wait.¡¯
To this day, Jin was far more interested in magic than in swordsmanship. Before his regression, thest three years of his 28 years of life were far more enjoyable than the initial 25.
¡°You seem to be quite loved by your sisters, Young Master. There¡¯s Lady Luna as well as Lady Mary. I wonder how you will repay their affection, hohoho.¡±
Jin nearly snorted from hearing Gilly¡¯s words.
He couldn¡¯t help butugh to himself when he remembered the stories about ¡®Mary Runcandel¡¯ from his past life, along with her unique personality.
¡®I¡¯m sure that Mary gave me the Phoenix Heart to speed up my growth, so that I can challenge herter on in life.¡¯
That was how Jin¡¯s third sister¡¯s mind functioned.
She was a battle-crazed, muscle-brained maniac. Moreover, she loved fighting against other Runcandels or enemies from the Zipfel n.
That was why she became a 6-star knight and roamed around the continent¡ªchallenging powerful opponents despite not being 20 yet. She stirred trouble everywhere she went, which earned her the nickname ¡®Stormwind Mary¡¯.
Initially, it was ¡®The Southern Region¡¯s Madwoman¡¯. However, Mary ughtered everyone who called her that, so she received a cooler sounding nickname.
¡®Not only does she want me to challenge her after I be powerful, she also gave the heart away because she believes that she doesn¡¯t need it. So it was a gift that originated from her pride and self-confidence. Mary¡¯s one helluva prideful nutcase.¡¯
Jin grinned as his thoughts reached a conclusion.
¡°I should repay them the way they want me to.¡±
Luna wanted Jin to grow up strong and healthy, and to survive the family¡¯s deadly feud.
Mary wanted Jin to grow up strong and healthy, and attempt to cleanly slice off her head with his sword.
Therefore, Jin had to repay them by doing exactly what they expected of him.
Knock-knock.
Someone was behind the door to Jin¡¯s room.
¡°This is Khan, Young Master Jin. It¡¯s time for your training.¡±
¡°Oh, so it¡¯s already time. I¡¯ll be there.¡±
Currently, Jin was training two skills simultaneously.
He was learning spirit energy release from Murakan in the underground chamber, and was being taught the Runcandel martial arts by Khan, a knight at the castle. As a result, Jin had no time to rest on a daily basis.
When he opened the door and exited his room, Khan politely bowed.
¡°What will today¡¯s lesson be about, Khan?¡±
¡°In the morning, we¡¯ll studybat footwork. Around noon, it will be the different striking techniques using both punches and kicks. Then, we¡¯ll tackle joint lock techniques in the evening together with some general physical training.¡±
It was a busy schedule, but Jin nodded in satisfaction. He was emanating an aura of dignity and majesty like a ruler who had received a report from a subordinate.
Khan tensed up as he observed Jin¡¯s behaviour.
As a guardian knight of the Runcandel n and the young master¡¯s martial arts instructor, he should¡¯ve been extremely proud of the child¡¯s growth.
However, Khan was on edge and nervous whenever he trained the young boy.
¡®I mustn¡¯t ck off and idle around while teaching Young Master Jin.¡¯
Khan had taught the n¡¯sbat techniques to a total of six Runcandel children in the Storm Castle.
The Tona twins, who had left two years ago; Jin¡¯s sixth sister, Yona; his fifth sister, Anne; his fourth sister, Myu; and finally, Jin himself.
Except for the twins, the other three had already left the Storm Castle when Jin was still a baby.
¡®I¡¯ve never felt like this when I was teaching the others. They were all busy keeping up with the training program, and all I had to do was evaluate their growth. But for Young Master Jin¡ He¡¯s the one evaluating me. There¡¯s something different about him.¡¯
Evaluate.
Normally, the instructor is the only one with the right to evaluate his student¡ªsimr to the rtionship between a boss and a subordinate.
But Khan could sense that Jin was inversely evaluating his ¡®teaching skills¡¯. And it happened on a daily basis during their training sessions ever since their first lesson.
During the exhausting physical training when Jin would sweat buckets, during the exercises where he¡¯d get bruised and his youthful skin would tear and burst, even during the spars when he¡¯d get thrown onto the floor.
Jin would always be closely observing Khan¡¯s teaching skills.
This was a first for Khan.
However, he didn¡¯t find it unpleasant or ufortable. On the contrary, Khan believed that Jin possessed all the virtues a pure-blooded Runcandel should have.
¡®No wonder the patriarch shows great interest in him. I mustn¡¯t let down my guard today as well.¡¯
Khan focused his attention as a me of enthusiasm sparked in his eyes. He and Jin then moved to the training grounds inside the castle.
¡°Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°Speak freely, Khan.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a great honour to be able to instruct you, Young Master. I promise to provide you the best possible training regime and guide you to the best of my abilities in the next few months, until your 10th birthday.¡±
¡°I appreciate your thoughts. I¡¯ll be in your care until then.¡±
It was only after thebat training session had ended that Jin could go visit Murakan, despite hisplete exhaustion.
He then practiced the spirit energy release technique under the dragon¡¯s guidance.
Today was a gruelling and demanding day, but still a joyous one.
***
¡°Kya!¡±
Murakan let out a cry of excitement and amazement.
Jin wondered how many times Murakan had been astonished already. ording to a quick calction, it was over 20 times during the past hour.
¡°Are you that happy, Murakan?¡±
Murakan turned his head back and stared at Jin.
¡°Is that even a question, kid? I can finally get out of this boring and stuffy ce! And it¡¯s tomorrow!¡±
Two years have passed since the Tona twins left the castle. But for Jin, the two years went by in a sh. He had countless more things he wanted to learn and practice, so he would¡¯ve loved to stay for a few more years.
¡®He¡¯s right. Up until the day I met him down here, I also found every day boring as hell in this castle.¡¯
He had graduated from Khan¡¯sbat lessons 10 days ago with his instructor¡¯s recognition, and he had achieved double the progress Murakan had expected Jin to aplish when it came to spiritual energy release.
In the n¡¯s history, there was not a single Runcandel who had achieved as many feats as Jin during their stay in the Storm Castle. Normally, the only training the Runcandel children could receive at the castle wasbat training. Thus, it was to no surprise that Jin was the highest achiever ever.
However, the boy in question was still not satisfied.
¡®I wanted to reach 5-star in mana and 2-star in spiritual energy before leaving the castle¡ Oh well, I guess I was being too impatient.¡¯
He was, indeed, being impatient. Even in the entire world¡¯s history, there was not a single individual who had gained such powers at the age of ten.
¡®Stay calm. Don¡¯t rush. My achievements so far are already impressive enough. If the world knew about my powers, everyone would treat me like an unprecedented genius.¡¯
Today was October 30th, 1790.
Tomorrow, the Runcandel n¡¯s guardian knights would arrive to escort Jin back to the n¡¯s main house, the ¡®Garden of Swords¡¯.
¡°By the way, if you leave this ce, what do we do about your empty coffin, Murakan?¡±
¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Those whoe down here will just read those books and won¡¯t notice that I¡¯m not inside.¡±
¡°How will they not notice it? Even though you fixed that ss coffin, the insides are still empty.¡±
¡°Kuhaha. Your knowledge in magic is stillcking if you¡¯re worrying about such things, kid.¡±
¡°Sheesh, fine. Then tell me what your fail-safe n is.¡±
¡°I just need to create an illusion of myself lying down inside the coffin using Draconic Magic.¡±
¡®Holy cow, you can do that?¡¯
Jin almost spontaneously shouted that out, but barely held himself back. ording to his knowledge, illusion magic couldn¡¯t recreate borate images.
¡°Who do you think I am? I¡¯m a dragon. Moreover, the Shadow Dragon. Creating an illusion like that is as easy as blowing my nose into your shirt.¡±
¡°Amazing. Is it possible to maintain the illusion over a long period of time?¡±
¡°Hm¡ That might be harder, even for me. Oh well, what other choice do we have? I¡¯ll just do my best to sustain it for as long as possible until you grow old enough to protect yourself. So be grateful, alright? Respect and revere me, alright kid?¡±
¡°That¡¯s exactly why I brought you a little special something today.¡±
As Jin opened up the basket, stars shone in Murakan¡¯s eyes. The basket was filled to the brim with strawberry pies. Gilly had made them using the Mitel Kingdom¡¯s first harvest.
¡°S-Strawberry pies¡¡! My strawberry pies!¡±
Jin grinned as he watched Murakan wolf down the pies before him. He then took out a few bottles from the cloth bag that usually held his notebooks.
¡°Those bottles! Don¡¯t tell me¡! Is that alcohol?¡±
¡°Yep. Since today¡¯s ourst day here, I stole some without letting my nanny know.¡±
¡°So you do have some humanity left in you, kid! My time spent educating you was worth it. Hahaha!!¡±
He was such an easy dragon to manipte.
***
The next day, around lunchtime, two knights from the Runcandel main house came to the castle.
There were fewer escortspared to the time the Tona twins left the castle, but both escorts were 7-star knights this time around.
¡°Young Master, you must steel yourself now. From here on out, your every desire won¡¯t be fulfilled. It will be difficult for me to bake you strawberry pies all the time too¡¡±
Gilly spoke in a solemn tone as she stared directly into Jin¡¯s eyes.
¡°The main house won¡¯t be as tranquil and peaceful as our days here. You must keep that in mind.¡±
Jin¡¯s days at the Storm Castle were rarely tranquil and peaceful due to his constant training sessions, but he adjusted his attitude to the serious atmosphere.
¡°I know. Don¡¯t worry, Gilly. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±
¡°I will faithfully assist you to the best of my abilities out there, Young Master. Well then, let us go.¡±
¡°Guardian Knights Jerome and Holtz greet Young Master Jin. The two of us will safely escort you to the Garden of Swords.¡±
The knights from the main house politely saluted the young boy.
A steel, horse-drawn carriage was waiting for them at the bottom of the mountain.
***
Later, during the night.
A group of unidentified assants attacked the steel carriage belonging to the Runcandel n.
Chapter 14: Attack
Chapter 14: Attack
Jin¡¯s days at the Storm Castle were apanied by constant rain. However, once they descended the mountain and reached the bottom, the scenery was white.
It was the Mitel Kingdom¡¯s first snowfall. Moreover, a heavy snowfall. Within hours, the snow had piled up to knee-level.
Due to this pure whitendscape, the carriage had to slow down its pace. The knights Jerome and Holtz got off and began to sweep the snow in their way with their swords.
¡°We should take refuge in a vige nearby and wait for it to stop snowing, Young Master. Even if we were to reach the capital without stopping, we wouldn¡¯t be able to use the transfer gate due to the snow.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right. We¡¯ve got no choice.¡±
Although this was Jin¡¯s first time seeing snow in a long while, he wasn¡¯t particrly excited about it due to their grave circumstances.
A carriage advancing slowly, and a snowfall that seems to be attempting to swallow the entire world whole. Jin was flipping through his notes¡ªthe transcripts of the secret tomes at the Storm Castle¡ªin order to kill time.
But in the middle of the night¡
Swoosh!
Neiiiigh-!
Suddenly, the two horses pulling the carriage screamed out in horror.
The 3-star magic spell ¡®Icicle Shot¡¯ had pierced the horses¡¯ nks. The carriage shook as if it were about to flip over, and in the next second, the coachman was killed by the same spell.
¡°We¡¯re being attacked! Please stay inside the carriage, Young Master!¡±
¡°It¡¯s an attack!¡±
Jerome and Holtz shouted out loud. Immediately, Gilly covered Jin with her body and observed the situation outside.
The usual gentle and kind gaze was nowhere to be seen. Her eyes appeared to be burning with rage as she showed fierce killing intent.
¡°We¡¯ll be alright, Young Master. You have me and two 7-star guardian knights to protect you. No need to worry.¡±
A calm and rxed voice. Jin had seen Gilly behave like this a couple of times in his past life. It would happen everytime the Runcandels got attacked and Jin was in danger.
¡°There are around 20 assassins. They seem to beposed of magicians and warriors, but we cannot eliminate the possibility that they have archers with them. I have yet to determine whether there are 7-star or higher enemies.¡±
Gilly reported her own observations of the situation.
The Runcandel nannies were all 7-star or higher warriors. Before long, Gilly¡¯s weapon¡ªa w¡ªrevealed itself from within her sleeve and gave off a sharp glow.
¡®What a mess. An attack as soon as we left the Storm Castle? Who are they?¡¯
Although Gilly was trying to reassure Jin, he was far moreposed than the nanny was.
Fear due to the sudden attack?
There was no way that was possible. He had three 7-starbatants by his side protecting him. And if the worst was toe, he could use Orgal¡¯s Pendant.
As long as the pendant was with him, he could definitely survive any threat a single time.
¡®If they¡¯re willing to attack a Runcandel carriage, these attackers aren¡¯t nobodies. Since the knights couldn¡¯t detect them beforehand, there must be at least a 6-star magician amongst them.¡¯
Jin was calmly evaluating the situation outside.
¡®The carriage wasn¡¯t attacked after those first few spells, and I can hear weapons shing in the distance. In other words, the enemies were hiding in the distance, and Jerome and Holtz went after them to counter¡ attack?¡¯
As his thought process reached that conclusion, Jin realized that something was wrong.
¡°Gilly.¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master?¡±
¡°Jerome and Holtz. Those two weren¡¯t sent by the n. That, or they¡¯re traitors.¡±
¡°Young Master, what are you talking about¡? Everyone at the Storm Castle knows of their faces, including me. They¡¯re definitely Jerome and Holtz of the n.¡±
Even Jin knew of their faces. He hade across them a few times in his past life.
Nevertheless, Jin had his reasons for treating them as impostors or traitors.
¡°Gilly. The guardian knights of the n never leave the Runcandel children unattended like this, even if the nannies are with them.¡±
¡°Ah!¡±
¡°One of those two should¡¯ve stayed next to the carriage. But Jerome and Holtz both went out to engage the enemies. They¡¯re either traitors or impostors.¡±
Gilly checked the situation outside through the window. Just as Jin had remarked, Jerome and Holtz had left their positions as soon as the attack began.
Crack!
Gilly¡¯s face distorted in fury as she grinded her teeth. The anger was directed towards the two traitors, as well as to herself for noticing the situation only after Jin had pointed it out.
¡°¡I apologize, Young Master. I will make sure to receive severe punishment for this oversight of mine once we return to the n.
¡°As of right now, Gilly McRn will protect Young Master Jin as a member of the Runcandel n. Please be patient and lenient even if my protection ends up being somewhat drastic and violent.¡±
¡°While it¡¯s important to get us out of danger, it¡¯s also crucial to learn who these assassins are, since they may be allies who are here to rescue us from those two traitors.¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master. I will not bring dishonor to the n.¡±
sh!
Gilly suddenly swung her w diagonally while still being seated. The steel carriage was cleanly bisected and easily fell apart. Jin could now see the sky from inside(?) the carriage.
She then immediately carried her young master and jumped out of the metal, running like an arrow flying with the wind. Since the traitors had prepared the carriage, there could¡¯ve been hidden features to prevent them from escaping. Therefore, the nanny had to be quick in order to avoid all the potential traps.
Due to the darkness of the night and the heavy snow, their visibility wasn¡¯t any better outside. All they could see was some shes and sparks about 200 meters away from them.
¡®Since the both of them left to fight the attackers as soon as the battle began, they must¡¯ve judged that they couldn¡¯t stop the enemies alone.¡¯
If the opponents that Jerome and Holtz were fighting against were Jin¡¯s allies, then the boy and the nanny were about to be saved.
But Jin couldn¡¯t discard the possibility that the attackers were, in fact, other enemies who had different goals than the two traitors. Nevertheless, Gilly carried the boy and ran towards the battlefield.
¡°Find Jin Runcandel!¡±
¡°Team 3! Block the one on the left!¡±
The voices of those who had attacked the carriage. At a closer look, Jerome and Holtz were fighting on equal grounds against 20 or so opponents.
¡°Young Master, why did you leave the carriage!¡±
¡°This ce is dangerous. Please return to the carriage for now!¡±
Jerome and Holtz shouted towards Jin when they noticed him.
¡°Shut it, you dirty treacherous bastards. On whose orders are you two here? How dare you attempt to kidnap the young master¡¡!¡±
Gilly wrapped aura around her w and red furiously. The face of the two traitors distorted visibly, and smiles began forming on the attackers¡¯ faces who had surrounded the 7-star knights.
¡°That woman is Gilly McRn! Jin Runcandel¡¯s presence has been confirmed!¡±
¡°All men, prioritize the protection of Jin Runcandel!¡±
The attackers were indeed the boy and nanny¡¯s allies.
Jin felt somewhat relieved. If Gilly joined forces with them, he wouldn¡¯t have to break Orgal¡¯s Pendant in order to activate it.
The battle came to a sudden standstill with Jin¡¯s arrival. During this short moment in time, the boy scanned the armors and robes of his presumed allies.
¡®A leaf and a ck grebe. It¡¯s the Yuta n and the ck King Mercenaries.¡¯
The Yuta n was a n of magicians in the Mitel Kingdom, whereas the ck King was a group of mercenaries that could be considered one of the strongest mercenary groups out there. Since there was only a single ck grebe on their crest, it seemed that it wasn¡¯t their most elite troops.
Nheless, each mercenary was in the 5-star realm, and the Yuta magicians seemed to be masters of their craft.
¡®So they aren¡¯t traitors but impostors. The horses and coachman were killed with the Icicle Shots¡ due to a failed preemptive attack.¡¯
Having surveyed his allies and observed their strength and numbers, Jin came to a sound conclusion.
If Jerome and Holtz were truly 7-star knights, they could¡¯ve easily decimated the twenty 5-star attackers¡ªparticrly in the darkness and heavy snowfall where everyone¡¯s vision is restricted.
However, despite the battle havingsted for a long while, there were no visible casualties amongst the assants. In other words, Jerome and Holtz weren¡¯t true 7-star knights from the Runcandel n.
¡°I am Murka, Vice-captain of the ck King Mercenaries¡¯ 3rd Corps! Having received amission from the Runcandel n, we joined forces with the Yuta n of the Mitel Kingdom in order to rescue Jin Runcandel!¡±
¡°Pfft hahaha¡¡±
Suddenly, the fake Jerome let out a small chuckle.
The oddughtersted for a long time. Due to the strange sense of incongruity, the Yuta magicians and ck King mercenaries readied their weapons as a chill ran down their spines.
Gilly stood before Jin and spoke.
¡°Who are you two?¡±
She had also realized that the two knights were not the Runcandel knights she knew of. Just like Jin, she was aware of the might and strength that true 7-star knights held.
¡°Kek, what a stupid question, Gilly McRn¡ We have nothing to say to a mutt who licks the boots of the Runcandels.¡±
The fake Holtz also let out a sickening chuckle and repositioned himself. They didn¡¯t seem to be willing to give more information.
¡°¡What should I do, Young Master?¡±
Jin answered Gilly¡¯s questions without an ounce of hesitation.
¡°Kill one of them and cut the arms of the other before you bring him to me.¡±
¡°Your wish is mymand.¡±
¡°You may be powerful, Gilly McRn, but you shouldn¡¯t underestimate us.¡±
¡°Murka of the ck King Mercenaries. I shall leave the Young Master in your care for 30 seconds.¡±
Gilly ignored the fake Jerome¡¯s retort and addressed Murka. The vice-captain immediately ran before Jin with his men, and formed a line of defense.
¡®I haven¡¯t seen a 7-star knight¡¯s battle in a long while.¡¯
As Jin thought to himself, Gilly had already shot towards the two impostors. As she shed across the snow-filledndscape, the air tore as a sonic boom sted.
She was a speeding arrow. The mercenaries and magicians couldn¡¯t believe that one could reach such speeds by running on this thickyer of soft snow.
Rip-!
The three-pronged w tore through the fake Jerome¡¯s neck.
The impostor couldn¡¯t even react to the nanny¡¯s speed. He only noticed his iing death when his head touched the snow.
The fake Holtz who was next to Jerome turned around in order to find Gilly¡¯s figure, who had shot past them.
However, he couldn¡¯t follow her movements with his untrained eyes. As he tried to retaliate by swinging the sword in his hand¡
Thump.
The sound of his right arm and sword falling into the snow reached his ears.
¡°Oh.¡±
sh!
Swoosh-!
The fake Holtz somehow managed to avoid Gilly¡¯s follow-up dance of fury a couple of times.
However, that was his limit. Without his right arm, his unbnced body couldn¡¯t properly follow his mind¡¯s orders. Before long, Gilly¡¯s w cleanly cut off her enemy¡¯s left arm.
Seven seconds.
Barely seven seconds had passed since her involvement in the battle. Gilly used the remaining 23 seconds to stop the blood pouring out of the victim¡¯s wounds. She cut off the dead Jerome(?)¡¯s long hair to tie up Holtz(?)¡¯s armless stumps.
The mercenaries and magicians couldn¡¯t help but watch the phenomenon urring before them in astonishment.
¡®S-Such a powerful woman is merely a nanny?¡¯
¡®She¡¯s in a whole different realmpared to us¡!¡¯
On the other hand, Jin was wearing a satisfied smile.
¡°I have carried out yourmand, Young Master.¡±
Gilly dragged the fake Holtz behind her and walked towards the boy. As snow kept entering his mouth, the armless victim couldn¡¯t even scream in pain properly.
Thud!
Upon her arrival, she grabbed the impostor¡¯s head and anchored it firmly before Jin¡¯s feet.
¡°It seems like the one who was underestimating their opponent wasn¡¯t Gilly, but you two. If you were attempting to assassinate the Runcandels¡¯ youngest child, you should¡¯ve sent three or four 8-star knights instead.¡±
As Jin spoke in a cold tone, the fake Holtz spat out.
¡°Keuk, Kuhuhu¡ This is merely a warning. The Era of the Runcandels is, urgh¡ing to an end.¡±
¡°That¡¯s actually something I look forward to.¡±
Jin¡¯s statement sparked surprise and confusion amongst the mercenaries and magicians.
¡°Because the Era of the Runcandels will end, and the Era of Jin Runcandel is about to begin.¡±
¡°Glory to the Zipfels!¡±
¡°Oh, so you¡¯re a follower of the Zipfels. I guess there¡¯s no need to take you back to the n and torture information out of you anymore.¡±
Smash!
Jin covered his fist in aura and mmed it down next to the impostor¡¯s head. He had learned how to wield aura through his martial arts sses with Khan.
¡°Release him.¡±
¡°Men, kill him!¡±
¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. Try your best to survive and return to your base in that state, Mr. Impostor. It¡¯ll teach yourrades a lesson. Well, this was a waste of time. Gilly, throw away this little piece of junk somewhere.¡±
¡°Understood, Young Master.¡±
Gilly picked up the armless man and threw him away in the distant snowfield.
Jin thought to himself as he watched the fake Holtz coughing in the snow.
¡®Geez, what naive lunatics. Did they think the Zipfels would be thankful to them for doing something like this?¡¯
Chapter 15: Truth Revealed?
Chapter 15: Truth Revealed?
A tense mood filled the air.
Sweat could be seen dripping down people¡¯s necks.
Having dealt with the impostors, the ck King Mercenaries ended up bing Jin¡¯s new escorts. However, the escorts couldn¡¯t help but hold their breaths around their client. Now that the Yuta magicians had returned on their own, the mercenaries were the only ones left to take care of the terrifying kid.
¡®What kind of a 10-year-old boy acts like this?¡¯
The vice-captain of the ck King Mercenaries¡¯ 3rd Corps asked himself¡ªa question that all his men were also thinking.
The ck King Mercenaries! They are veteran warriors who can turn the tables on the battlefield. Bloodshed, broken bones, burnt skin! Nothing can stop these battle-scarred soldiers.
The sight of prisoners being mercilessly tortured and murdered is a daily urrence to these men. Watching Jin order Gilly to kill the fake Jerome and Holtz in a bloody manner was nothing new to them.
Nevertheless, these vicious mercenaries were wary of Jin due to his age.
Where else would they ever find a 10-year-old behaving this way towards their assassin? Even though he was a Runcandel, he was merely a kid who had just left the Storm Castle and entered the world.
In fact, their senses were warning them to be extremely careful with Jin when they saw him give Gilly orders. His speech and behaviour weren¡¯t those of a child, not to mention his method of disposal of the surviving assassin.
The mercenaries could only see Jin as a Runcandel overlord¡ªwho just happened to be somewhat short in height.
¡°We mustn¡¯t make the slightest mistake until we sessfully escort him to the transfer gate. Any frivolous or superficial behaviour is absolutely prohibited, do you understand?¡±
¡°Yes, Vice-captain Murka.¡±
The ck King Mercenaries¡ªknown for their rough and boorish behaviour¡ªwere acting like dignified gentlemen. They were all standing stiff and nervous, as if they were wearing tight, ufortable clothes.
However, they weren¡¯t acting like this solely due to their fear of the child known as Jin Runcandel. There was also a hint of admiration and fascination in their eyes towards this dangerous boy.
¡°Young Master.¡±
While Jin was kicking the snow away as he walked, Gilly called out to him. She was wearing a calm expression and tone, but the boy caught the slight mncholic look thatsted for an instant.
¡°We¡¯ll reach the vige in about two hours. Once we arrive, it would be best to wait for the snowfall to die down before continuing our journey.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡±
Jin brushed off the snow piling on his shoulder.
¡°Oh, Gilly?¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about what happened. It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡±
Jin truly believed so in his heart. Even Khan hadn¡¯t noticed that Jerome and Holtz were impostors back at the Storm Castle, so there was no way Gilly would¡¯ve.
In addition, the fact that Jin knew better about the guardian knights¡¯ rules than his nanny wasn¡¯t much of a problem either. At the very least, Jin didn¡¯t think so. Yet, Gilly was still dwelling on this incident.
¡°I apologize.¡±
Once he heard her reply, Jin wore a bitter smile as he recalled some memories.
Gilly never makes excuses.
She never brings up justifications such as ¡®I¡¯ve lost my touch from spending ten peaceful years at the Storm Castle¡¯ or ¡®I was feeling under the weather, which dulled my senses¡¯.
¡®In my first life¡ Gilly was the same, always apologizing for something that wasn¡¯t her fault. Made me feel sorry for her. All the torment she must¡¯ve gone through¡¡¯
Before his regression, the only person within the n who unconditionally cared for Jin was Gilly. When Jin was banished, her life took a terrible turn and she became miserable. Nevertheless, Gilly never med her Young Master.
Even when her 7-star aura was sealed and she was kicked out of the n with Jin, she repeated the same sentence as today.
¡®I apologize¡¯.
¡°Once we return to the main house, I shall ept any punishment for¡¡±
¡°Enough. I told you not to worry about it, didn¡¯t I? It¡¯s an order.¡±
Gilly lowered her head.
¡°I understand.¡±
¡°You may be my nanny, but you¡¯re also my lone guardian knight right now. If you continue brooding over a minor mistake which doesn¡¯t bother me, you won¡¯t be able to protect me to the fullest extent. I hope I won¡¯t have to repeat myself.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t want to talk to Gilly in such an overbearing manner, but it was the only way to get her to listen.
In this life, it was his turn to protect his nanny. Even if Jin had to act cold-blooded at times, he had to make sure the harsh reality wouldn¡¯t crush her kind and warm heart. It was the boy¡¯s turn to lead his nanny to a better life.
¡°Your wish is mymand, Young Master.¡±
Gilly answered as she bit her lower lip. She was aware that Jin¡¯s indifferent tone was due to his goodwill towards her.
¡®Why did such a bright and intelligent young master have to get stuck with a dull and slow nanny like me? I shoulde to my senses and make sure no other troublesome matters bother the young master today.¡¯
Bing a person worthy of the young master!
As she made a pledge to herself, Gilly tightened her fist and raised her head. Feeling relieved by her resolute face, Jin began to think about the assassins.
The fake Jerome and Holtz.
They were part of a radical group of Zipfel followers and had perfectly disguised themselves, fooling everyone at the Storm Castle.
It was impossible to create such a perfect disguise with magic. ¡®Transformation¡¯ was a special privilege granted only to dragons, and even with that power, it was impossible to perfectly replicate and imitate another individual.
In that case, how did the assassins recreate the knights¡¯ appearance without any imperfections?
Once they verified the deaths of the real Jerome and Holtz, the Runcandel main house immediately dispatched the ck King Mercenaries who were on standby in the Mitel Kingdom, and began to investigate the identities of the impostors.
However, Jin didn¡¯t expect them to discover anything. The entire world was crawling with followers of the Zipfel n. ming and executing them all would be impossible to achieve, both practically and politically.
Moreover, revealing the assassination attempt on Jin and arranging a search warrant around the world would be unfavourable to the Runcandels.
Therefore, the Runcandels will definitely do as usual. They¡¯ll find a random group of Zipfel followers and punish them to make an example out of them, and instill fear in the others.
However, Jin already knew who the mastermind was.
¡®Bouvard Gaston.¡¯
Technically speaking, he wasn¡¯t the mastermind¡ but the culprit behind the excellent disguises.
ording to Jin¡¯s knowledge, Bouvard Gaston was the only person in this world who could sessfully create a ¡®perfect transformation¡¯.
By the time Jin turned 20, Bouvard¡¯s identity was revealed to the world. The Vermont Empire had dispatched a group of special forces in order to track down the unknown criminal behind the ¡®transformation crimes¡¯, and finally captured him after a 10-year pursuit.
Jin still remembered how the news about the transformation criminal Bouvard spread around the entire world in his first life.
In the future, people woulde to learn about Bouvard. However, Jin was the only person who knew about him in his current life.
¡®His perfect transformations would be quite useful to have. If I win Bouvard over and make use of his skills¡¡¯
But Jin then shook his head.
¡®He¡¯s aplete lunatic. When Bouvard was imprisoned in Vermont, he wouldn¡¯t stop proiming that he¡¯s an artist and no criminal. It would be best to get rid of him instead. At this point, he¡¯s already raised his de against me.¡¯
Bouvard was an existence that only created chaos in the world. Chaos for the sake of chaos. That was his inspiration and ¡®artstyle¡¯.
Now that he had remembered everything terrible about this lunatic, Jin was starting to get a headache.
Fortunately, there was no need for Jin to spend years searching for Bouvard. He already knew that Bouvard was pretending to be an ordinary citizen, and remembered the location of the ¡®fragmented workshop¡¯ the artist was managing.
¡°We will arrive soon. If there is anything you need, please don¡¯t hesitate to tell my subordinates.¡±
As soon as one of Jin¡¯s escorts spoke to him, the morning sun began to rise.
Jin had a simple mealposed of soup and eggs at the inn, before taking a rest in his room. Despite having trained his magic, spiritual arts, and martial arts at the Storm Castle, walking under heavy snowfall for several hours was still an exhausting task for a child¡¯s body.
***
¡°Meoow.¡±
¡°Meow.¡±
¡°Meow!¡±
November 2nd, 1790. 3 PM.
The heavy snowfallsted until noon, butpletely vanished soon afterwards as if it had never existed. Now, a certain ck cat was meowing.
The cat was outside the 3rd floor window of an inn. Inside, it could see a certain boy quietly sleeping on the bed.
The adorable little feline raised its front paw and began tapping on the window. It didn¡¯t look any different from your ordinary cheerful cat.
¡°Mmm.¡±
Now awake, Jin sat up and rubbed his eyes. Having slept for several hours, his body now felt as light as a feather.
¡°Meow~ Meow!¡±
Noticing the change, the cat was now violently scratching the ss with both its front paws, as if it wanted to desperately get inside.
Pffft.
Seeing the cat¡¯s behaviour, a short snicker escaped the boy¡¯s mouth. Who would ever imagine that this ultra-adorable cat was actually the Great ck Dragon Murakan?
¡®Damn¡ so cute. Should I tease him a bit?¡¯
Jin¡¯s yfulness had activated. He feigned ignorance and grabbed the cup of warm water next to his bed, when suddenly¡
Hissss! Hiiissssss!
Murakan began to get impatient and irritated. Jin realized that if he continued, it would soon be a bother to pacify the angry cat. He then stopped his taunt and opened the window.
¡°I-I get it. I get it. I was just joking around, no need to get so mad¡¡±
Poof!
Murakan instantly transformed back into a human and did a facent on the floor.
WhaBAM!
A heavy sound shook the room, and the nanny¡ªwho was on standby next to the door¡ªimmediately rushed inside.
¡°Young Master!¡±
ng!
As soon as the unknown human on the floor entered her vision, she swiftly took out her w. It was already covered in ayer of abyssal blue, ready to engage the enemy.
¡®We fucked up. God, why¡¡¯
It was all over. An unexpected situation hadpletely foiled his ns, and put him between a rock and a hard ce¡
Before Jin and Murakan could utter any word, Gilly shot towards the man lying on the floor and pressed her w against his nape.
¡°Who sent you?! Speak before I tear you to shreds and slice you into a thousand pieces¡!¡±
She mistakenly believed that Murakan was an assassin. There was not a single speck of hesitation in her mind.
As he stood agape, Jin could feel something slowly escape his mouth. It was most probably his soul and his hope for the future¡
¡°G-Gilly.¡±
¡°Please stay back, Young Master! He is an extremely skilled assassin. To think he sneaked into your room without a single trace of his presence¡!¡±
It was not surprising that Gilly hadn¡¯t sensed Murakan¡¯s presence despite standing guard in front of the room the entire time Jin was sleeping. Because moments ago, Murakan was¡ merely a small cat.
In an instant, Jin came up with dozens of excuses he could use in order to deal with this unnned situation peacefully.
¡None of them were good excuses.
¡®It¡¯s impossible. There¡¯s no way to handle this situation without telling her the truth.¡¯
Sigh!
Jin took in a deep breath before opening his mouth.
¡°Gilly, that man isn¡¯t an assassin. Retract your w.¡±
The nanny¡¯s eyes opened wide. She then swiftly stood up and took a few steps back. Murakan, who had his arm twisted backwards until a few moments ago, was now coughing and writhing on the floor.
¡°Young Master, who is¡¡±
¡°Once you¡¯ve apologized properly, greet him with respect. He is the n¡¯s guardian, ck Dragon Murakan.¡±
Gilly couldn¡¯t believe her own ears.
This shabby-looking pathetic man¡ªwho was still grunting on the floor¡ªwas the Great ck Dragon Murakan? This man, who was still agonizing due to that small arm twist, was the n¡¯s guardian?
The reason Murakan was in so much pain wasn¡¯t due to Gilly¡¯s overwhelming strength, but because of the side effects of his transformation. But there was no way Gilly would know that. In fact, even Jin wasn¡¯t told about these side effects.
After observing Jin¡¯s expression, Gilly obediently followed his order.
¡°As a lowly member of the Runcandel n, I have shown great disrespect to the n¡¯s guardian. Please have mercy on me.¡±
¡°Urghhh¡¡±
Murakan flipped around and stared nkly at Gilly.
¡°I forgive you¡ my strawberry pie.¡±
Strawberry pie!
As soon as she heard those words, Gilly finally realized the truth.
The reason why Jin was always craving for strawberry pies. The reason he¡¯d always go down the burrow in the Storm Castle¡¯s backyard, and why he¡¯d always take those pies with him.
She had no definite proof, but her intuition had alreadye to a conclusion.
Whoooosh¡!
A gust of cold wind blew from the window. In the quiet winter air, the three individuals only exchanged awkward nces and stares.
¡°Gilly.¡±
¡°Yes¡ Young Master.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll tell you the entire truth, so could you close the door?¡±
Creak.
Once the deed was done, Jin began recounting and exining his recent years spent at the Storm Castle. Although he didn¡¯t mention his regression, he did tell her about his transcription of the secret tomes and about his status as Solderet¡¯s contractor.
Surprisingly, Gilly stayed calm andposed during Jin¡¯s story. She did, however, nod intensely during the entire time.
¡°So now, you¡¯re also an aplice. I cannot let the n know about Murakan¡¯s awakening, nor about my connection with him yet.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll be in your care from now on, Strawberry Pie.¡±
It was at this moment the informal group of three Runcandelsposed of a nanny, a child, and a dragon¡ªwas formed.
Chapter 16: Garden of Swords (1)
Chapter 16: Garden of Swords (1)
¡°I mean, why didn¡¯t you tell me about the side effects of the transformation before?¡±
One hour had passed since the creation of the informal group of three Runcandels.
Outside the inn, the ck King Mercenaries were busy preparing to depart. Meanwhile, the three members of the new group were sitting in a circle in Jin¡¯s room, having a friendly conversation.
¡°Kid, try sleeping for a thousand years yourself. When you finally wake up, your mind doesn¡¯t function properly, alright? Anyways, I totally forgot to tell you about it. Not only that, it¡¯s been so long that it¡¯s hard to maintain a transformation.¡±
¡°You crazy dragon. You almost ended up staying in the form of a cat for eternity!¡±
A special privilege given to dragons only: transformation.
While it¡¯s a privilege, it¡¯s by no means an ability that can be called a ¡®blessing¡¯. In fact, there are a few crucial and fatal restrictions to this ability.
Firstly, a dragon in a transformed state is extremely weak.
If one transforms into a cat, they only have the fighting prowess of a cat. The same would happen if one transforms into a lion, fish, bird, or any other animal.
Secondly, if the transformation exceeds a time limit, the dragon bes incapable of returning to its original form on its own.
Once they reach that point, the dragon begins to lose its ego and consciousness as the mighty beast, and will end up gaining the mind of the animal they transformed into.
¡°That was close. Too close. I was freaking out. In the past, I once saw a dragon transform into a fish and enjoy a leisurely life, but they ended up getting caught by a fisherman. Iughed for around 200 years because of that~ But damn, I almost ended up having the same fate¡¡±
¡°Hahaha! I can¡¯t believe there are actually such stupid dragons out th¡ªoops.¡±
After identally letting her inner thoughts escape, Gilly immediately fixed her expression and attitude.
¡°Apologies, Young Master, Lord Murakan.¡±
¡°Why are you apologizing, Strawberry Pie?¡±
¡°It was unmannerly of me tough out loud while on duty.¡±
¡°Geez, are you some sort of golem, Strawberry Pie? Every human should be allowed tough, no? Oi, kid! Did you not even allow your nanny tough thus far?¡±
¡°L-Lord Murakan, the young master isn¡¯t at fault. He treats me very well all the time.¡±
¡°If he treats you badly from now on, don¡¯t hesitate to tell me. I¡¯ll teach him a lesson.¡±
¡®They¡¯re getting along pretty well¡¡¯
Jin lightly chuckled to himself. He hadn¡¯t seen Gilly be so lively in a long time.
¡°By the way, Murakan, do the restrictions not apply when you¡¯re transformed as a human?¡±
¡°Yeah. There aren¡¯t any huge limitations when ites to transforming into a human. In fact, it¡¯s morefortable being a human. When we¡¯re in our original forms, we continuously consume mana. It takes a lot of energy to maintain such arge body.¡±
¡°Why are there no restrictions for human transformations?¡±
¡°The gods were being considerate to us dragons. When we¡¯re born, we look the same as humans, you know? In our dragon forms, it¡¯s difficult to propagate as a species and satisfy our various desires, so¡¡±
¡°Yeah, that¡¯s already too much information.¡±
For some reason, Murakan was cracking up on his own as if he had heard a hrious joke. Surprisingly, the corners of Gilly¡¯s mouth were trembling as she tried her hardest to hold back herughter.
¡®I¡¯m so done with them.¡¯
Although that thought came to Jin¡¯s mind, he didn¡¯t really mean it. Even though this team was formed on the spur of the moment, Jin didn¡¯t dislike their strange interactions and atmosphere.
In fact, he quite enjoyed being with them. Having trustworthyrades he could share his secrets with was convenient and pleasant.
¡°Anyways, we¡¯ll be leaving soon. Transform into a cat again.¡±
Murakan grumbled as he became an adorable ck cat again. He would have to continue doing this until Jin became strong enough.
***
For the next two days, the ck King Mercenaries properly escorted Jin andpany to the Mitel Kingdom¡¯s capital. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration topare the mercenaries to actual knights for their surprising dignity and the courtesy they showed to their clients.
However, they never understood why their client picked up a ck cat halfway through their journey.
The ck King Mercenaries just came to the conclusion that the tiny yet merciless overlord called Jin also had a childish aspect to him.
¡°Thank you for your work, Vice-Captain Murka of the ck King Mercenaries¡¯ 3rd Corps. The Runcandel n¡¯s main house will properly reward you for escorting us¡ªwhich wasn¡¯t part of the originalmission¡ªon ater date.¡±
¡°This mission was also a good experience for us, Gilly. I can¡¯t wait to see the future of the young Runcandel you serve.¡±
Gilly and Murka exchanged their farewells while Jin watched from a distance with a cat on his shoulder.
¡°By the way, Gilly McRn.¡±
¡°What is it, Murka?¡±
¡°I may be overstepping my boundaries, but I¡¯vee to admire you after seeing you in battle. Therefore, as a warrior who makes a living by fighting, I must ask you. Why did the McRn n do such a thing to y¡ª¡±
Gilly¡¯s expression immediately darkened. Murka swiftly shook his hand and coughed loudly.
¡°I apologize. I shouldn¡¯t have. If only I could punch myself from 10 seconds ago.¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine. Well then, I wish you the best.¡±
As soon as the ck King Mercenaries took their leave, Gilly sighed deeply. Once she fixed her appearance, she joined Jin and Murakan, and they went to the administrative office of the Mitel Kingdom¡¯s transfer gate.
¡°Wee to the Mitel Transfer Gate. Do you have any identification?¡±
Gilly presented a dagger with the Runcandel emblem, the ¡®ck Sword¡¯, engraved on it.
¡°Oh! So you belong to the Runcandel n. It¡¯s an honour to meet you. Are you headed to the Huphester Alliance¡¯s Karlon City?¡±
Karlon is the city where the Runcandel main house, ¡®Garden of Swords¡¯, is located. In addition, the Huphester Alliance was a group of nations under the rule of the Runcandels.
¡°Indeed.¡±
¡°Pleasee this way. I will lead you to the first-ss seats.¡±
Since the Mitel Kingdom was part of the Huphester Alliance, it was basically part of the Runcandel n¡¯s territory. The manager of the transfer gate guided Jin and hispanions with a beaming smile, as if it was the greatest thing to happen in his life.
¡°We will depart in two hours and arrive in the blink of an eye. I hope you have afortable journey.¡±
The Mitel Special Transfer Gate had a waiting room which was as luxurious as a rich noble¡¯s living room. There was no other client using the first-ss waiting room.
Jin leaped onto a soft sofa and took out his notebook as his body sank in it. He had gained the habit of using any free time to study from his days as a magician in his past life.
¡°Sigh, Young Master.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°If I were to be fully honest, I¡¯m quite worried. We could somehow find a way to exin your contract with a god and Lord Murakan¡¯s true identity if the n were to find out, but¡¡±
¡°My magic is the problem, right?¡±
¡°Yes. That is the one thing the Runcandels will never tolerate and approve of.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll make sure to keep it a secr¡ª¡±
Suddenly, the door to the first-ss waiting room was swung open.
It was a young boy who appeared to be from a noble family. He had light brown skin, and seemed taller than Jin by 20 centimeters. He was apanied by two escorts.
As soon as they stepped inside the room, the atmosphere changed. Tension grew in the air as Gilly and the noble boy¡¯s escorts red at each other.
This situation was inevitable, as Runcandels and Zipfels hade face to face in person.
¡®Members of the Zipfel n? Who exactly are these assholes?¡¯
Jin calmly observed the Zipfel boy¡¯s face and pondered. His face seemed somewhat familiar, but Jin couldn¡¯t quite remember who that was. He hadn¡¯t seen many Zipfels from close up in his past life.
¡°No wonder I didn¡¯t want toe to Huphester. My instincts were warning me that I¡¯de across these cocksuckers.¡±
The Zipfel boy, who was still by the entrance and distant from Jin¡¯s position, muttered audibly. His escorts were now also quietly observing Jin once they were done scrutinizing Gilly.
It was just a childish provocation.
The veins on Gilly¡¯s neck began popping out, but since Jin remained silent and was observing the situation, she didn¡¯t step forward.
¡°Meow~¡±
Murakan was walking in circles between the opposing groups, meowing as if he found the situation entertaining.
¡°Oh, at least the cat they¡¯re raising is cute. Those cowards don¡¯t deserve to raise such a cute pet. Come over here, kitty~¡±
¡°Meow!¡±
The tiny Murakan leaped into the Zipfel boy¡¯s arms. He let the boy stroke him for a moment, until¡
¡°Kyaa!¡±
The cat brandished its ws and scratched the boy¡¯s nose before quickly escaping his grasp.
Pfft!
Seeing this spectacle, Jin couldn¡¯t help but burst out inughter.
¡°Urgh!¡±
¡°8th Young Master!¡±
As the escorts attempted to draw their swords on their waists, the boy raised his hands to stop them.
¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s just a light scratch. No need to overreact because of a cat. I guess I deserved it for provoking them.¡±
(T/N: Good, I like this kid. No one should hurt pets, especially cats. Cats are the bestest~~!)
As he wiped the blood on the bridge of his nose, the boy continued speaking.
¡°¡And above all, drawing your swords before Runcandels is a foolish act.¡±
The boy shrugged and directed his gaze to Jin.
¡®I was mistaken. He¡¯s not a coward, he¡¯s calmly watching us. No, maybe he just doesn¡¯t care about us?¡¯
The boy had intentionally provoked Jin as soon as he entered the waiting room in order to check Jin¡¯s reaction.
He wanted to know whether the youngest child of the Runcandels¡ªwho had just left the Storm Castle¡ªwas promising and showed potential or not. The boy promptly made his mind about the Runcandel before him.
¡°Well, aren¡¯t you an interesting one, Jin Runcandel?¡±
The boy approached Jin and extended his hand.
¡°I¡¯m Beradin Zipfel. I only provoked you to test you, but allow me to apologize properly.¡±
Beradin Zipfel!
As soon as he heard the name, Jin finally remembered why the boy before him looked so familiar.
In his past life, Beradin became a 9-star magician by the age of 30, and was near-unanimously chosen to be the next Zipfel patriarch. As he was a famous and influential figure, Jin had often seen his face in the newspaper along with news of his achievements.
Having equally great skills and personality, he was highly popr and idolized by young magicians around the world.
Jin¡ªwho had just be a 5-star magician¡ªalso looked up to Beradin and considered him a goal he could never catch up to.
¡°Is that so? I was also quietly observing you to see what kind of a person you are, so it¡¯s a relief to see you¡¯re not aplete moron.¡±
¡°Oho, why did you make such a judgement?¡±
¡°Even if it was just a joke, had you allowed your subordinates to draw their swords, you would¡¯ve had to travel around Huphester without any attendants. You would¡¯ve also lost a couple fingers.¡±
¡°Haha, what an entertaining joke.¡±
¡°Do I sound like I¡¯m joking?¡±
As Beradin received Jin¡¯s cold gaze upfront, he flinched and pursed his lips.
¡°¡Well, fine. You¡¯re a confident one. But let me give you some advice as someone who¡¯s in simr circumstances as you. Next time you meet a rude Zipfel who does something offensive, don¡¯t recklessly cut off their fingers. It would stir trouble in both our ns, don¡¯t you think?¡±
Beradin was warning Jin not to carelessly start a war between the two ns.
It was actual serious adviceing from a member of the enemy n.
¡°Now that¡¯s what a real joke sounds like, Beradin Zipfel.¡±
¡°Hm? Why do you say so? If the Zipfels and Runcandels fought to the death for every trivial issue we faced, the world wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the bloody battles. I¡¯m telling you to keep in mind the potential disasters and chaos the innocent civilians would face because of us.¡±
¡°My father, Cyron Runcandel, and your father, Kelliark Zipfel.¡±
Jin smirked before continuing his words.
¡°Do you really think they would mobilize their entire ns due to a trivial quarrel between kids?¡±
Beradin¡¯s eyes opened wide, as if he had nothing to say to Jin¡¯s words.
¡°Even if I were to cut off your fingers today, the Runcandels and Zipfels wouldn¡¯t go to war. We¡¯d just have to pay a few thousand gold bars or something.¡±
Beradin stared dumbfounded and blinked several times before nodding his head.
¡°That was surprisingly enlightening and informative. I shall definitely repay this debt to you in the future.¡±
¡°Forget about the future. Repay it now.¡±
¡°How?¡±
¡°Just wait silently until the transfer gate activates. Don¡¯t disturb my quiet time.¡±
Chapter 17: Garden of Swords (2)
Chapter 17: Garden of Swords (2)
Beradin Zipfel returned the favour just as Jin demanded.
He didn¡¯t utter a single word until the transfer gate activated. He did nce at Jin from time to time to check what the Runcandel boy was doing.
¡®Jin Runcandel¡ I¡¯m certain he¡¯ll shake the world and spread his name within a few years. Ugh, I¡¯m so curious! I wanna talk with him a bit more, but he doesn¡¯t want me to.¡¯
Beradin¡¯s eyes were gleaming with curiosity as he kept ncing at the 10-year-old. They had only shared a short conversation, but their encounter was a refreshing and exciting one.
Hence, there was a certain amount of goodwill within Beradin¡¯s curious gaze.
¡®If he weren¡¯t a Runcandel, we could¡¯ve been good friends¡ Oh well, let¡¯s be satisfied with the fact that I discovered a worthy enemy. In fact, he might be my lifelong rival!¡¯
Beradin quietly chuckled as he let his imagination fly to the skies. In the meantime, Jin also thought to himself.
¡®Whether he was a celebrity amongst magicians before my regression or not, he¡¯s somewhat of a pain in the ass.¡¯
As a matter of fact, whenever Beradin stared at Jin and they made eye contact, the Zipfel boy would turn his head away with a blush.
(T/N: Is this a BL ship??? Or is he a reverse trap????)
(PR/N: Ohoho~? Fujoshi senses are tingling¡ª)
¡®That red face and that gaze¡ He¡¯s definitely some sort of lunatic. Sigh, should I really cut off a couple of fingers to set his head straight?¡¯
There was no way Jin could concentrate when such a disturbing gaze was directed towards him. In the end, he just closed his notebook and put it away. As they waited for the transfer gate to activate, Jin just petted the cat Murakan.
¡°Thank you for your patience. You shall be teleported in a few moments. There may be side effects from the teleportation, such as headaches or nausea, so please be seated as we¡¡±
Whirrrrr!
Blue mana began to dye the special waiting room. It then softly covered the members inside.
¡°I had fun. Let¡¯s meet again, Jin Runcandel!¡±
Beradin shouted with an excited voice. Since their destinations were different, this was the only opportunity he had to bid Jin farewell.
¡°Yeah, whatever.¡±
But Beradin couldn¡¯t hear Jin¡¯s reply.
He was sent to his destination and had to deal with formalities for his entry in the country, whereas Jin and hispanions were directly sent to another first-ss waiting room.
The Runcandel n held absolute power within the Huphester Alliance along with a great reputation. On the other hand, the Zipfels were absolutely detested, which led to some discrimination in their treatments.
Most ces in the world loved one n and hated the other, and vice versa. There weren¡¯t many nations which were free from the two ns¡¯ influence.
¡°argh, urrggh¡!¡±
Pat, pat.
Gilly was awkwardly patting Murakan¡¯s back, unable to do anything else to help.
¡°Geez, you¡¯re one pathetic dragon¡¡±
¡°rgh, urgh, keuk! We didn¡¯t have these kinds of devices in my era. Urgh, it¡¯s like my organs were flipped around.¡±
It had only been a hundred years since magicians had developed transfer gates.
But since the gates were invented based on humans, it wasn¡¯t quite suitable for dragons. After retching for a while, Murakan exhaled deeply as if he could finally breathe properly.
¡°Are you alright, Lord Murakan?¡±
¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s been a thousand years since Ist threw up. In the past, there were even some morons who¡¯d use dragon puke as ingredients for perfume.¡±
¡°They still do that today. If you gather what you just puked and take it to some nobles, they¡¯d instantly buy it with gold coins.¡±
¡°Oh, they still do it today? Is there anything you want, Strawberry Pie? I could go sell this and¡¡±
¡°Enough talking. Just throw it in the incinerator over there. Our nsmen are probably waiting outside right now.¡±
Once they exited the waiting room, they were weed by the quiet scenery of the Huphester Alliance¡¯s transfer gate.
Generally speaking, there would be countless people in the area, but since the Runcandel youngest child wasing today, the administration had set up severe regtions.
ng, ng!
A group of knights approached Jin and his crew. They were Runcandel guardian knights.
¡°We have been expecting you, Young Master. Pleased to meet you. I am Petro, the second butler of the house.¡±
The middle-aged man at the center of the knights spoke up.
Jin and the others got on the steel carriage prepared in advance and headed to the Garden of Swords.
***
Garden of Swords.
The ce that symbolized and represented the Runcandels.
As the name suggested, the wide and vast garden had more swords nted in the ground than flowers or trees.
The thousands of swords belonged to deceased Runcandels and nsmen, but not just any nsmen. One didn¡¯t obtain the right to have their swords nted in the garden just because they were a member of the n.
It was a special right only granted to nsmen who had contributed to the n¡¯s growth and prosperity.
Once they entered the Garden of Swords, the steel carriage began to slow down. Jin watched the countless swords pass by outside the window, and mulled over the past.
¡®It was once my greatest wish in life to have my sword nted in this garden.¡¯
Why was he so naive and foolish back then?
Had he epted the reality of his situation earlier, Jin would¡¯ve left the n sooner than he did in his first life. The n would never allow the ¡®n¡¯s disgrace¡¯¡ªwho became a 1-star knight at the age of 25¡ªto nt his sword in the garden.
¡®Why¡ Why was I so naive and foolish?¡¯
Jin asked himself a second time. He already knew the answer to his question. The boy only asked himself again to remind himself of his past mistakes, and to steel himself now that he had returned to the n¡¯s main house.
¡®I was weak. A weak person can only survive and thrive by being smart and cunning, but that wasn¡¯t the case for me either.¡¯
Jin smirked and closed his eyes.
His gift with the sword he regained after contracting Solderet, his gift with magic he¡¯d always had, the tricks he learned over 38 years of life and his maturity, the recklessness and guts one can only obtain by dying once, the knowledge about the future only a regressor can acquire.
Finally, Gilly and Murakan. Powerful allies he could share his secrets with. Moreover, one of them was the legendary ck Dragon.
¡®Right. This time, I¡¯ll survive and thrive in this shitty hellhole.¡¯
This was only the beginning.
Jin believed that he would be nervous on his way to the Garden of Swords, but it was the opposite. In fact, the sight of the swords nted in the garden made him gain confidence and mental fortitude.
¡°All hail!¡±
¡°All hail!¡±
The carriage came to a stop at the center of the garden. The guardian knights who were on duty raised their des and gave a sword salute.
Standing before them were Jin¡¯s 12 siblings and¡ his parents.
The Runcandel n masters and all the potential sessors to the throne were gathered in one ce. Having every single direct descendant of the Runcandel bloodline together was an extremely rare asion.
Creak¡
The butler Petro opened the carriage door. Jin gently descended with Gilly and Murakan in his arms. As soon as she got down, Gilly bowed deeply before Cyron and Jin lowered his head.
¡°It¡¯s been a long time, my child.¡±
Jin¡¯s mother, Rosa Runcandel was the first to speak.
¡°Yes, mother.¡±
Step, step.
Jin slowly walked towards his parents. As he tread forwards, Jin could feel the gazes of his siblings who were standing in line on both sides.
Murakan was the cause of this. Their youngest sibling¡ªwho had caught their father¡¯s attention¡ªwas lovingly caring for a cat. They showed a mixture of surprise, amazement, and ridicule.
As Cyron frowned, he asked Jin.
¡°Did you pick it up?¡±
Again, it was about Murakan.
Jin had expected his father to ask this question first before any greeting. And he also knew what to answer in order to satisfy this nitpicky man, who happened to be the world¡¯s strongest.
¡°I acquired it, father.¡±
¡°You didn¡¯t pick it up, but acquired it¡?¡±
The corners of Cyron¡¯s mouth rose to shape a light grin.
¡°A bold and confident answer. I like it. That¡¯s right. It¡¯s only proper for a Runcandel to have such an attitude when they obtain something.¡±
Some of his siblings¡¯ expressions turned grim. Probably because they had been severely punished by their father before when they picked up a cute pet.
Or maybe some of them just didn¡¯t like Jin.
The 10-year-old turned his head to observe each of his siblings.
¡®Among them¡ is the one who cursed me.¡¯
Who could it be?
Ever since the day he saw the curse with his own two eyes inside his cradle nine years ago, Jin asked himself this question on a daily basis.
And why did they curse him?
Why curse their 1-year-old sibling who hadn¡¯t done anything? Why did they attempt to curse him¡ªa curse that would give him a fate far worse than death as a Runcandel?
¡®Is it just because I chose Barisada on my Selection Ritual? Or are they trying to get rid of everypetitor for the throne, and I just happened to be an easy target?¡¯
Jin wanted to question all his siblings immediately, but this wasn¡¯t the right moment.
None of his 12 siblings were weaker than the current Jin. Even the Tona twins¡ªthe idiots he used to boss around at the Storm Castle¡ªhad trained their swordsmanship for two years, so they were most likely stronger than Jin.
¡®Moreover, today is a joyous day where the entire family has finally reunited, isn¡¯t it?¡¯
The days filled with bloodshed were about to begin.
As he smiled with somewhat malicious intent, Jin put Murakan down.
¡°Meow.¡±
The cat leaped into Rosa¡¯s arms. Surprisingly, she simply caught it and began calmly stroking its fur.
¡°Son, what is this child¡¯s name?¡±
¡°His name is Nabi Runcandel, mother.¡±
(T/N: ¡®Nabi¡¯ means ¡®butterfly¡¯ in Korean.)
Pfft.
Rosa couldn¡¯t hold back herughter, and most of his siblings wore a sinister look. Cyron stared at Jin in silence.
¡°Father, mother! No matter how young he is, this is uneptable.¡±
¡°How dare he give the Runcandel family name to such a lowly beast! I also agree with Fourth Brother¡¯s opinion.¡±
¡°Gilly! You wench, how on earth did you educate the youngest? How could you let him call a mere cat such a name¡!¡±
There was a hurl ofints. But as soon as Cyron opened his mouth, everyone immediately shut up.
¡°Why did you give it the Runcandel family name?¡±
Jin made eye contact with Cyron and answered.
¡°It was to give myself a sense of responsibility. He may be a mere cat, but he is the first living being I¡¯ve acquired. I thought that I should give him a name with meaning and weight.¡±
The gaze of the silent siblings were dyed with shock, and Cyron calmly nodded.
¡°How amusing. But son¡ Do you truly realize how much weight the Runcandel name actually bears?¡±
It was a tricky question, but Jin nodded without hesitation.
¡°I am aware of the weight it has. It signifies that if someone were to attempt to hurt Nabi, I would have to make them pay the price personally.¡±
The death stares directed by the Tona twins promptly changed into shock.
They believed that they wouldn¡¯t have to be afraid of Jin anymore, but seeing his current attitude, their trauma from the Storm Castle resurfaced.
¡°You seem to be gifted at making enemies, son. Your siblings are ring at you so intensely, don¡¯t you think?¡±
This was a warning.
Not towards Jin¡ªwho had caused a ruckus as soon as he arrived at the main house¡ªbut towards the others. A warning to them for daring to show killing intent in front of the patriarch.
The siblings immediately adjusted their expressions and stances.
¡°It appears so. But I believe I¡¯m also gifted at killing my enemies, father.¡±
¡°Kuhaha¡ Then you all should be mindful of that when dealing with your strong-willed little brother.¡±
Cyron¡¯s children, with the exception of Jin, all lowered their heads in response to their father¡¯s statement.
Soon afterwards, every Runcandel gathered today entered the mansion, and the banquet celebrating Jin¡¯s arrival began.
During the entire meal, most of the siblings stared at their ludicrous youngest brother withplex feelings.
Chapter 18: What Even is the Eye of the Mind? (1)
Chapter 18: What Even is the Eye of the Mind? (1)
It is the beginning of summer, 1794.
Four years have passed since Jin returned to the main house.
¡°We will end the training with this. Good work today, Young Master.¡±
¡°Phew, is it already time, Garon?¡±
Garon Altemiro.
This young 7-star knight teaches the basics and foundations of swordsmanship at the Garden of Swords.
His pupils include Runcandel children when they first arrive at the main house, and nsmen who are training to be guardian knights. Every Runcandel has to learn the basics under Garon.
¡°Haha, surely you jest. Please take a look at the guardian cadets around you, Young Master. They are all on death¡¯s door.¡±
Jin took a look around him. There were young boys and girls around his age. Just as Garon stated, they were all sweating profusely, panting and wheezing to catch their breaths.
¡®I guess he¡¯s right. I would¡¯ve been in the same state as them.¡¯
Two years ago, when Garon was assigned this job, his training regimen quickly gained the reputation of being harsh and intense.
Guardian cadets are young elite trainees who stood out amongst other trainees and were selected to be future guardian knights. Thepetition to be a guardian cadet is high, and trainees have to undergo difficult training in order to gain that rank.
However, despite their expertise and experience, many guardian cadets dropped out due to being unable to endure Garon¡¯s severe training.
Jin did the same in his past life. He couldn¡¯t continue Garon¡¯s training regimen, and instead received individual lessons from his siblings. It may appear like preferential treatment, but for Runcandels, there is no greater disgrace.
Even though other children are able to withstand Garon¡¯s lessons, a Runcandel child dropping out and being taught by his siblings is uneptable. Not to mention that Jin couldn¡¯t endure his siblings¡¯ lessons either, and ended up being neglected by everyone.
Having recalled the past, Jin shook his head to stop thinking about it.
¡°Moreover, you will have to attend Lady Luna¡¯s training session in the afternoon.¡±
Jin nodded to Garon¡¯s point.
These days, Jin trains under Garon as well his eldest sister, Luna ¡°White Whale¡± Runcandel.
However, unlike his first life, it wasn¡¯t a disgraceful individual lesson. Having noticed Jin¡¯s terrifying growth speed, Luna volunteered to teach him herself. Thus, it was an achievement instead of a disgrace.
However, it brought Jin both the admiration from the guardian cadets and the jealousy from his other siblings.
¡°That¡¯s true. Then I should go get lunch now.¡±
¡°Will you partake with the other cadets today as well? Dame Rosa appears to be dejected for being unable to eat with you every time¡¡±
¡°I¡¯d rather eat with these cadets with whom I train every day, not my siblings who seem displeased about my very existence.¡±
¡°I understand, Young Master.¡±
Servants began to bring their meals to the training ground.
There was an enormous pot with rice, vegetables and meat. It was a simple and crude meal, but the ingredients were top-ss.
The guardian cadets stood in line, waiting for the food to be distributed. Jin didn¡¯t follow them since ¡®Bellop¡¯ was in charge of getting his food.
¡°Thanks.¡±
¡°Not at all, Young Master.¡±
¡°As if. Sit down, let¡¯s eat.¡±
Bellop Schmitz. A 13-year-oldmoner boy, one year younger than Jin.
He was destined to fall behind in Garon¡¯s training and lose his qualifications as a guardian cadet, getting kicked out of the Garden of Swords.
At least, that was before Jin¡¯s regression.
¡°Is it good?¡±
¡°It¡¯s delicious. I am always grateful to the n for allowing me to eat such good meat, as well as to the 13th Young Master for sharing his portion of meat with me¡¡±
¡°Enough, enough. Sigh, how do you give the same answer every single time without a single mistake? Did you memorize the phrase by heart or something?¡±
Bellop coughed and blushed in embarrassment.
¡°You need to learn how to speak simply and concisely, Bellop. The others are ignoring you because you keep giving a speech every time you open your mouth, you know?¡±
¡°I-Is that so¡¡±
¡°Shoulders straight! Have some more pride. You¡¯re a Runcandel guardian cadet.¡±
¡°But my grades are the lowest, and I have yet to be a 1-star knight¡¡±
¡°Geez, do you think anyone can be a Runcandel cadet? You¡¯ve already achieved a lot by reaching where you are currently.¡±
He¡¯s quite timid, and has little to no self-confidence. He¡¯s as innocent and naive as one can be.
That¡¯s why Jin was still confused.
¡®I can see why the n kicked him out. But I still can¡¯t figure out how such an innocent boy grew up to be the Vermont Empire¡¯s notorious imperial guard.¡¯
Before his regression, Bellop¡¯s life ended up having an amazing reversal after getting kicked out of the Runcandel n.
After barely passing the exam to be a guardian cadet, Bellop Schmitz always stayed amongst the worst of the cadets, before having to leave¡ But afterwards, he caught the eye of another n of swordsmen, the Hairan n.
The Hairan n is the empire¡¯s greatest n of swordsmen, and one of the biggest noble families.
Bellop¡¯s talent with the sword bloomed btedly in the Hairan n. He then became an imperial guard and received the nickname ¡°Vermont¡¯s Loyal Hound¡±.
Vermont¡¯s Loyal Hound.
Jin had no idea what Bellop experienced at the Hairan n for him to change so much.
When Bellop received that nickname, he was no longer the naive and gentle Bellop Jin now knows. He followed the emperor¡¯s orders, led the imperial guards to battle, and ughtered countless people without mercy.
But one year before Jin¡¯s death, Bellop ended his unfortunate life filled with bloodshed himself, leaving behind a will with a message of repentance.
¡®I was shocked to hear he became the imperial guard, and felt vexed when the news of his suicide reached me.¡¯
Jin nced at his surroundings. After making sure no one else was looking in their direction, he quickly passed his remaining pieces of meat to Bellop.
¡°Eh, Young Master?¡±
¡°Shush. I¡¯m not feeling hungry.¡±
Jin pretended to eat until lunchtime ended as he vacantly watched Bellop.
¡®Bellop Schmitz¡ This time, I¡¯ll take care of you so that you don¡¯t fall behind and get kicked out.¡¯
It wasn¡¯t just because Jin wanted to keep this diamond in the rough within the n.
He also felt somewhat empathetic towards this boy. Both had discovered their true talents btedly, and had miserable deaths.
¡®If he has the potential to be an imperial guard, it would also be beneficial to keep him by my side. I¡¯ll have to keep guardian knights around me andmand them in the future, anyways.¡¯
Instead of bing a murder puppet of the Vermont Empire, it was favourable for both Bellop and Jin to raise him as a Runcandel guardian knight.
Once lunch ended, Jin stood up and Garon approached him.
¡°I shall see you tomorrow, Young Master. Oh, tomorrow we¡¯ll be having spars during training.¡±
¡°Alright. Good work today, Garon.¡±
¡°Thank you, Young Master.¡±
Once Jin returned to his room, there stood Gilly with a change of clothes in her arms and a hot bath behind her.
¡°Good work during training, Young Master. The eldestdy¡¯s lesson will begin in three hours.¡±
¡°Alright. Thanks, Strawberry P¡ª¡±
Catching himself saying something unexpected, Jin suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.
¡°Geez, Murakan calls you Strawberry Pie so often that even I¡¯m getting confused now¡!¡±
¡°Oh, you¡¯re here, kid?¡±
Jin turned his head and saw Murakanzily flipping through an erotic drawing magazine on the sofa.
¡°You crazy dragon, what on earth are you reading in broad daylight?¡±
¡°This? A limited edition erotic magazine. I had a hard time getting this. Haha, don¡¯t hesitate to tell me if you want one too. Fourteen is the age when you begin to get horn¡¡±
¡°Also. Didn¡¯t. I. Tell. You. To. Stay. In. Cat. Form. As. Much. As. Possible. At. Home? What if someone sees you?¡±
¡°I won¡¯t get caught, don¡¯t worry. I also have the right to be free, no? Juste over and look at this. Should I kidnap the guy who drew this?¡±
Seeing him snicker and return to his erotic magazine, Jin suddenly gained the urge to punch the dragon in the face.
However, punching a dragon who had lived for thousands of years was unreasonable. Jin gave a deep sigh and sat beside Murakan.
¡°I guess it¡¯s not bad. How much did you buy it for?¡±
¡°About 100 gold coins, I think¡?¡±
¡°Oh, izzat so? A hundred gold coins, you say? A hundred¡ gold coins. Where on earth did you find that money?¡±
¡°I borrowed from Strawberry Pie. Gosh, the Runcandel nannies¡¯ sry is no joke.¡±
Jin turned his gaze to Gilly, who only gave a dry cough.
¡°Sigh, just tell me if you need money from now on. Don¡¯t bother Gilly.¡±
¡°Really? Then 1000 gold coins please~¡±
¡°I¡¯ll give you 1000 gold coins if you write a report which exins why you need that money. And please prepare a simple meal for me, Gilly.¡±
Murakan closed and put away the magazine at the speed of light and began writing a report. He even started mumbling to himself. This disturbing sight of extreme tenacity made Jin speechless.
¡°Did you not have lunch outside already?¡±
¡°I did, but I¡¯m at the age where I¡¯m growing.¡±
¡°What would you like to have?¡±
¡°Just a simple sandwich.¡±
¡°Strawberry Pie, I¡¯d like a strawberry pie.¡±
An hour had passed by the time Jin finished eating.
During the two hours until Luna¡¯s lesson, Jin sat in his room and practiced releasing his spiritual energy.
¡®I¡¯m about to reach 2-star in spiritual release¡ 4-star in mana and 2-star in swordsmanship.¡¯
These were the results of four years of training after leaving the Storm Castle.
His growth speed in spiritual release was far beyond what Murakan was expecting. However, the growth of his mana was far too slow ording to Jin¡¯s standards. But it wasn¡¯t exactly a surprise since he couldn¡¯t use magic within the Garden of Swords.
Still, reaching the 4-star stage at the age of fourteen was an incredible achievement that wasparable to the geniuses at the Zipfel n.
His swordsmanship would also reach 3-star by the age of sixteen, which was one year earlier than the ¡®Runcandel average¡¯.
Jin¡¯s growth was progressing favourably.
***
Feeling himself getting stronger by the day was the best feeling there could ever be.
There was Garon¡¯s intense training regimen, Jin¡¯s notebook which he studied every day, and his spiritual energy he would strengthen whenever he had time.
All these activities were far more enjoyable than resting for the 14-year-old boy.
However, Luna¡¯s training was¡ pure drudgery, even for the workaholic Jin.
¡®Even our other siblings who envy me for receiving her guidance would immediately change their minds if they were in my shoes.¡¯
Jin smiled bitterly in his heart before looking up at Luna.
¡°My dearest brother.¡±
¡°Yes, sister?¡±
¡°Today¡¯s training will be the same as yesterday.¡±
¡°I am aware.¡±
¡°But you will have to change your approach and methods every day during this repetitive training.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
Luna walked towards Jin and closed her eyes. Jin copied her and also closed his.
Then, the same line he had heard over and over during the past month resounded.
¡°Brother. The eye of the mind¡ Use the eye of the mind to observe¡¡±
This was the drudgery in question.
Luna¡¯s lessons weren¡¯t methodical, intuitive and physically painful like Garon¡¯s lessons.
It was always about¡ the eye of the mind!
She would just repeat that.
¡®This is driving me crazy.¡¯
Jin had often heard the 8-star and above knights mention the ¡®Mind¡¯s de¡¯ realm.
But normally speaking, one would start training the Mind¡¯s de after reaching the 7-star stage. And it wouldn¡¯t be through silent lessons like this, but¡ by trying to scatter aura in all directions naturally.
¡®Why doesn¡¯t Eldest Sister do or say anything else? She always stands still, telling me to open the eye of the mind.¡¯
He had never heard of a training like this.
¡°For people who wield des to advance in life, gaining the Mind¡¯s Eye is the most important thing of all. Never open your physical eyes during our training.¡±
Nevertheless, Jin obeyed his eldest sister¡¯s guidance and kept his eyes closed because he knew her personality. Moreover, she was widely known as the strongest among the 13 Runcandel children.
If any other sibling were to teach Jin like Luna was currently doing, he would¡¯ve thought that they were trying to obstruct Jin¡¯s growth with some bullshit. Or maybe that they had be a fanatic of some pseudo-religion.
¡®I¡¯m sure the day wille when I finally understand Eldest Sister¡¯s guidance.¡¯
The two of them stood facing each other, eyes closed, until evening came. Once their lesson ended, Luna wore a refreshing smile.
¡°You did good today. You can head back now, brother.¡±
Jin had absolutely no idea what he had done well, but he could only nod to her statement.
Jin began walking away and Luna pondered as she watched his back.
¡®The incredible concentration he shows when he closes his eyes, and the tenacity to maintain that posture for several hours¡ With Jin¡¯s potential, he should realize it within a few years. Keep growing like this, Jin.¡¯
Luna wore a satisfied smile and closed her eyes once again.
Even as a 9-star knight, she had yet to have the second enlightenment necessary to reach the Mind¡¯s Eye realm.
Chapter 19: What Even is the Eye of the Mind? (2)
Chapter 19: What Even is the Eye of the Mind? (2)
What even is the eye of the mind?
Whenever his training with Luna ended, Jin never failed to ask himself this question. He continued pondering about this for days and weeks since the start of the training, due to which his head hurt and frustration grew inside.
This time, his concernsted until the very next day.
Luna¡¯s training most definitely had some sort of effect and aim. There was no way the famous ¡®genius among geniuses¡¯ would make him practice so much for no reason.
¡®Hm, my body feels heavy. Must be because I spent the entire night asking myself that question. Let¡¯s cool my head down during morning training and stop worrying for a while.¡¯
Did Eldest Sister Luna also do the same training as what she was ordering Jin to do when she was 14 years old? As he proceeded to Garon¡¯s training ground, Jin thought about his 1st sister¡¯s past.
As they were 19 years apart, he hadn¡¯t seen her growth and development. But he had heard that during her puberty, she was quite the problem child.
¡®Either way, Eldest Sister must be making me do this training because she believes I can figure out the meaning and goal behind it.¡¯
7 AM.
The guardian cadets were gathering at the training ground. They would be sparring today, so there was a bizarre mood between everyone.
The results of the spars were quite important to their overall scores and assessments.
And having higher scores would grant them greater sries and the possibility of bing a guardian knight with special treatment. It was to no surprise the cadets were all on edge.
¡®What a heavy andpetitive atmosphere. Their gazes show that they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to beat any opponent half dead. As for Bellop¡ Sigh.¡¯
Jin turned his attention to the corner, where Bellop was crouching down.
As one would expect, the cowardly boy was looking at his surroundings with nervous eyes. He reminded Jin of a small prey having barely escaped its predator and hiding in a small hole.
¡®What on earth is wrong with him? Actually, how on earth did he pass the exam to be a guardian cadet?¡¯
After passing the exam, Bellop must¡¯ve probably been called a ¡®genius¡¯ by many outside the Garden of Swords. So Jin couldn¡¯t understand the reason behind his shyness.
¡®Hm¡ It might be that he once believed he was a genius, but found out that there were far better and stronger geniuses than him here, which made him lose confidence. Or was he just born this way¡?¡¯
As his thoughts reached that point, Jin shook his head.
¡®I¡¯m already busy enough thinking about the meaning behind Eldest Sister¡¯s training. I don¡¯t have the time and energy to figure out what his deal is. I just need to make it so that he doesn¡¯t get kicked out, which should be more than enough!¡¯
Garon arrived at the training ground, and the cadets immediately stood in line. After a simple warm-up and physical exercise, Garon announced the order of the spars and the schedule.
¡°There will be three rounds of spars! You will be changing opponents each time. And the ten most notable winners will be able to challenge Young Master Jin one at a time.¡±
¡°Yes, Instructor!¡±
There was not a single cadet in Garon¡¯s ss who could defeat Jin. Therefore, whenever there was a sparring session, Jin would be fighting several duels more than the others.
¡°Garon, when will I be able to move up to the intermediate training ss?¡±
Starting from the intermediate training ss, the instructor was a veteran knight of the n instead of a guest instructor like Garon. Moreover, during the lessons, the students were allowed to use aura and real swords, which was still prohibited in the beginner ss.
Jin now wanted to move up to the next stage.
¡°Madame Rosa stated that if Young Master Jin wins against ten opponents today, you will be allowed to join the intermediate ss at the start of next year.¡±
¡°Is that true?¡±
While the story so far had belittled them, they were still guardian cadets of the Runcandel n.
They were the top ten cadets who won their other spars to boot. Facing all ten of them consecutively wouldn¡¯t be so easy for Jin.
Runcandel cadets were on a whole other levelpared to the cadets of other nations¡¯ swordsmanship academies and mercenary trainees.
¡°Edington, Mark! You¡¯re up first. Get ready!¡±
Two boys with resolute expressions faced each other in the center of the training ground. Once Garon¡¯s signal arrived, the spar began. Jin observed their movements without much concern.
¡®Everyone¡¯s doing pretty well.¡¯
Their movements were flexible and agile, yet powerful. Despite looking nervous, they were calmly calcting their actions and scanning their opponents. They weren¡¯t Runcandel cadets for nothing.
Swoosh, swoosh!
Although they were wielding wooden swords, each swing was slicing the wind. Even with theck of sharp edges, a clean blow wouldpletely smash an ordinary human¡¯s head.
¡°Urgh!¡±
Crack!
The boy called Edington¡¯s wooden swordnded on his opponent¡¯s nk. As the sound of a rib breaking resounded, Mark crouched on the spot and trembled in pain.
The Runcandel¡¯s medical team¡ªwhich was waiting on one side of the training groundid the injured boy on a stretcher.
¡°Winner, Edington. Take a break over there and stay on standby. Next up are Phils and Sierra¡¡±
And so, nine matches followed. The tenth was between Bellop and a girl called Mesa Milkano.
Jin paid close attention to Bellop¡¯s spar.
¡®Bellop seems to be focused on defense as usual.¡¯
On the other side, Mesa was ruthlessly attacking him. As one of the top cadets of the beginner training ss, her strength was evident.
But Jin was used to this sight. It wasn¡¯t his first time watching one of Bellop¡¯s spars.
¡°Fight me, Bellop Schmitz! Stop running and fight me like a man!¡±
Mesa was hurling provocations while wildly swinging her wooden sword.
Suddenly, Jin noticed that Bellop¡¯s movements were ¡®better than expected¡¯¡ He then realized that it was the result of the development of his ¡®eyes¡¯.
¡®Bellop, that prick. He¡¯s not just getting pushed back. He¡¯s going easy on her!¡¯
Jin instinctively got up.
It looked like Bellop was barely blocking Mesa¡¯s attacks at thest moment, but Jin could see that Bellop¡¯s movements were somewhat easygoing.
¡®During this exchange¡ªwhere their swords shed twenty times¡ªBellop had the chance to counterattack three times. They weren¡¯t by chance either. Bellop guided her movements to create those opportunities himself. So why?¡¯
Why won¡¯t he fight back?
While Jin was racking his brain, the other cadets were just waiting for Mesa to deal the finishing blow.
They didn¡¯t think there was anything to learn from such a one-sided battle, especially since it was Bellop on the receiving side.
¡®¡Could it be¡?¡¯
Jin carefully observed Bellop again. He scanned how Bellop avoided and parried the attacks, along with his expression.
Overall, he wasn¡¯t looking good. His nervous eyes were showing pain and his clenched jaw showed how he wanted to get out of this situation as soon as possible.
However, his movements were far better than Mesa¡¯s. While it appeared as if he was getting pushed back, his actions were carefree at times. As long as he wished for it, he could turn the tables on her at any time.
Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t counterattack, a discrepancy which confused Jin.
Other than the Runcandel boy, the others werepletely oblivious to Bellop¡¯s actions.
Soon, Jin figured out the origin of this discrepancy.
¡®He¡¯s not scared of getting hit or feeling pain.¡¯
There was no reason for a human to feel fear due to another being that was obviously ¡®weaker¡¯ than them. And from Jin¡¯s perspective, Bellop was stronger than Mesa.
¡®He¡¯s worried about hurting his opponent. That¡¯s why he¡¯s being so passive in this fight.¡¯
Other than that, there was no other way of exining this odd spar.
¡®Knowing his personality, he¡¯s not being overconfident in his skills and going easy on her on purpose. He just doesn¡¯t know what to do, and can only defend without attacking, which ended up looking like he¡¯s going easy on her.¡¯
As Jin¡¯s thoughts came to a conclusion, Bellop¡¯s wooden sword was stabbed in the ground. Mesa immediately flew forward and mmed him in the chin with her knee.
¡°Stop. Winner, Mesa. Wait over there.¡±
¡°Yes, Instructor.¡±
These spars continued for another two hours, and it was finally Jin¡¯s turn. Amongst the 24 winners, Garon selected the top 10.
¡°Please get ready, Young Master.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
As Jin stood at the center of the training ground, the eyes of the cadets shone. He was the youngest child of the Runcandels they would have to serve, and an extremely skilled monster.
ording to the cadets, being able to witness Jin¡¯s skills was the highlight of the sparring sessions.
¡°Edington, Sierra, David, Mesa¡ You will be facing Young Master Jin in that order.¡±
Jin grabbed his wooden sword and faced his first opponent.
¡®Hm, so I need to defeat ten cadets.¡¯
His highest score so far was eight.
By increasing that number by two, he would be allowed to attend the intermediate sses his siblings were taking by next year.
If this were a real battle to the death instead of a spar, he could easily take down twenty of them without question¡ But during a spar, he couldn¡¯t use spiritual power and magic.
He could only use pure swordsmanship in order to win. Moreover, he couldn¡¯t kill his opponents.
¡®Even the Tona morons entered the intermediate ssst year.¡¯
It goes without saying that the twins entered the intermediate ss faster than Jin not because they were more skilled than him.
While they could overpower Jin when he first arrived at the Garden of Swords, their younger brother could easily turn them into rags during spars one yearter. However, they went out with their other siblings on missions¡¯ and made achievements, which allowed them to advance to the intermediate ss.
Furthermore, Jin believed that there were still a few more things he could learn from the beginner ss until recently. And having seen through Bellop¡¯s movements today, Jin realized that he had made the correct decision to stay behind a little longer.
¡°If you shall allow me, Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°Yes, Edington. I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±
Swoosh!
Edington darted towards Jin and wielded his wooden sword. A surprise attack. He had calcted that if he didn¡¯t seize control of the duel from the start, he would never win against Jin.
However, that was a bad move.
As he watched the wooden sword fly towards his chest, Jin pushed himself forward instead of dodging. But at thest moment, he sidestepped, trampled on Edington¡¯s foot, and swung his sword towards his opponent¡¯s neck.
Be that as it may, Edington hadn¡¯t be a Runcandel guardian cadet through pure luck. He twisted his body out of reflex and avoided Jin¡¯s attack.
¡°Urgh!¡±
But it wasn¡¯t a perfect evasion. Jin¡¯s sword hit Edington¡¯s ear instead of his neck before shing the air behind.
¡®I missed, but it wasn¡¯t bad.¡¯
After having put some distance between them, Edington gripped his sword tightly. But because of the injury, his eardrums were ringing and his sense of bnce took a turn for the worse for a short while.
If Jin were facing only a single opponent, he could¡¯ve waited to let Edington recover.
But he had another nine spars to fight. Jin suddenly appeared before Edington and ended the first duel.
Since he had lost his sense of bnce, Jin could easily defeat Edington without hurting him too badly.
¡°¡It¡¯s my loss, Young Master.¡±
¡°Good game, Edington Wez. Go have the medical team check your ear.¡±
¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡±
¡°Next up, Sierra! Begin the spar immediately.¡±
With Garon¡¯s shout, the second duel was initiated.
¡°I¡¯ll be in your care, Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°Likewise, Sierra Camaro.¡±
The second fight didn¡¯t end as quickly as it did with Edington. The ten winners Garon had chosen were ordered from the weakest to the strongest.
Chapter 20: What Even is the Eye of the Mind? (3)
Chapter 20: What Even is the Eye of the Mind? (3)
Sierra Camarosted about one minute longer than Edington, but still didn¡¯t manage to injure or wear out Jin.
After her was David McChi, but Jin¡¯s spar against him ended in a simr way as his two previous ones. However, David was somewhat more tenacious than Sierra and Jin had to exert more strength than before, due to which his opponent ended up with a broken rib.
A simple fracture can easily be dealt with by the Runcandel medical team. As long as the injuries aren¡¯t fatal¡ªsuch as amputated limbs or damaged vital organs¡ªthe medical team can fully heal the victim in an instant.
¡°Urgh, that was enlightening, Young Master. Thank you for your guidance! Urgh!¡±
Jin flinched when he saw David lose consciousness and fall over, all the while keeping a smile on his face and a thumbs up.
Just¡ how many more of these muscle-brained lunatics are there in this crazy n?? Even if Jin was David¡¯s superior, no sane person would smile and show gratitude to the man who just destroyed one of their ribs.
Moreover, it wasn¡¯t a forced statement. David was truly grateful from the bottom of his heart. Jin hid his difort and lightly nodded back.
¡®Well,e to think of it, I used to behave the same way while learning and training magic under my master before my regression. I shouldn¡¯t be judging David right now.¡¯
Jin¡¯s master¡ªwho was two years younger than him¡ªwasn¡¯t your ordinary teacher.
They once scorched Jin with lightning for hours on end to ¡®teach him lightning magic¡¯, and also sent him flying in the air for an entire day to ¡®teach him wind magic¡¯. And they wereughing the entire time.
Each time something like this happened during his training, Jin would be thanking his master with a smile on his face like the current David. The desire to ¡®be stronger¡¯ can sometimes turn humans into muscle-brained maniacs.
¡®I really wasn¡¯t thinking straight back then, was I?¡¯
Swoosh, swoosh.
Jin lightly swung his wooden sword around, waiting for his next opponent.
¡°I am Mesa Milkano, Young Master.¡±
¡°I am aware of your name. You¡¯re the second daughter of the Milkano family.¡±
¡°It¡¯s an honor to have you remember me. I won¡¯t be as easy to deal with as the other cadets you faced before me. Today, I will definitely defeat you, Young Master.¡±
¡°I look forward to it.¡±
Mesa positioned herself and prepared for battle. She then calmly began circling Jin without showing any openings. No wonder she was the strongest of Garon¡¯s beginner ss cadets.
She wasn¡¯t behaving the same way as when she was mercilessly attacking Bellop.
Mesa was looking down on Bellop and attacking without considering the consequences. However, Jin was apletely different opponentpared to Bellop, so shepletely changed her attitude and approach to the duel.
¡®Mesa Milkano. I remember that in my first life, she passed all the exams and qualifications required to graduate as a cadet, and was quickly deployed to the main house as a guardian knight. I never interacted with her personally, though, so I don¡¯t quite remember the details of her life.¡¯
She was the perfect example of an elite.
Even though she hadn¡¯t seen through Bellop¡¯s true strength, Mesa was still an extremely gifted fighter.
Jin had sparred against Mesa a total of seven times until now. He had lost the first two times, and won the remaining five. And each time, the difference in their skills and strength was getting wider and wider.
And through his duels against talented individuals like Mesa, Jin realized how impressive his gift with the sword was¡ªa gift he never got to use and experience to the full extent in his first life due to the ded Illusion curse.
¡®I still need to face six more opponents after Mesa. But holding back my strength and energy while facing Mesa is a bad idea. I need to defeat her in a direct confrontation in order to nt fear in my next opponents¡¯ heads.¡¯
His spars against Edington, Sierra and David were merely appetizers.
The duels against the real elites of the beginner training ss started with Mesa. And for the 14-year-old Jin, defeating them all head-on in session would be demanding and strenuous.
Therefore, Jin was nning on nting a ¡®misconception¡¯ in the other cadets¡¯ minds during his duel against Mesa: that they would never be able to win against Jin in a head-on battle.
¡®Having a frontal sh, while still looking rxed and calm the entire time. Those are the two key points I need to keep in mind during this spar.¡¯
This time, Jin was the first to make a move.
His attacks consisted of the most basic of stabs and shes. Not a single irregr or odd movement was added. Mesa easily parried and avoided his attacks, but as the offensive continued, her thoughts gotplicated and heavy.
¡®Why is the young master only using such basic attacks?¡¯
While they were your standard attacks, each move was heavy and sharp. Mesa¡¯s hands and wrists were going numb from parrying all of them.
However, that wasn¡¯t the reason why her mind was boggled.
¡®When will he start going all out?¡¯
¡®He had the opportunity to send my sword flying just now, but he didn¡¯t.¡¯
¡®He¡¯s definitely doing this on purpose. But why¡¡¯
While Mesa racked her brain, Jin continued swinging his wooden sword with aposed expression. Even when Mesa twisted her body in order to escape his sequence of basic attacks, he still adhered to the fundamentals.
¡®Is he looking down on me?¡¯
Ugh!
Mesa ground her teeth and stomped on the ground in order to stabilize her stance.
¡°Fine, allow me to entertain you, Young Master!¡±
Once Mesa fixed her posture and gripped her wooden sword tightly, her worries vanished. She also began using only the most basic of attacks in order to face Jin.
Soon, all the fancy techniques andplex movementspletely disappeared from their duel. They were each taking turns attacking and defending. It had be an extremely simple fight.
A simple battle of brute strength.
Mesa was quite confident and proud of her physical strength. She wasn¡¯t being conceited, as she had learned the basics of aura maniption back at the Milkano castle beforeing to the Runcandel n.
Bang, skrrrt! Boom!
Explosive sounds echoed throughout the training ground as the two fighters¡¯ wooden swords hit each other. This battle of brute strength had alreadysted for over five minutes. The other cadets could only watch the duel with wide eyes.
Huff, huff.
Someone was now out of breath. It was the sound of Mesa panting.
¡®I¡¯m¡ being pushed back in terms of physical strength?¡¯
Even Mesa knew that she couldn¡¯t win against Jin in this spar.
But she believed that her physical strength surpassed his, if not equal. Mesa couldn¡¯t ept that she would get pushed back by someone younger than her.
She was still not aware of the gap between ordinary people and people of Runcandel descent¡ªwho own blessed bodies.
¡°Haaah!¡±
Mesa suddenly shouted loudly as she swung down her wooden sword. She was attempting to regain full control of her emotions, but it ended up being the cause of her defeat.
Jin didn¡¯t avoid the strike containing the entirety of Mesa¡¯s strength, and received it head-on.
Mesa had expected him to step back in order to dodge her attack, so she was nning on swiftly dashing forward to deal the final blow after her swing.
But even if Jin received her frontal attack head-on, Mesa had a backup n. She would let go of her sword at thest moment, grab his sword arm, swing her legs upwards and catch his neck and shoulders in a front triangle choke.
In other words, this was Mesa¡¯s trump card. Even Garon judged that her n was reasonable.
However, the situation didn¡¯t develop the way Mesa had been expecting.
Crack!
¡°Eh¡¡?!¡±
The wooden sword she was swinging downwards with all her strength shattered as Jin¡¯s sword hit it in an upwards swing.
¡®Howe? It¡¯s not like Young Master Jin used aura just now¡¡¯
As Mesa asked herself the question subconsciously, Jin¡¯s wooden sword had already reached her neck, waiting a few millimeters away from her skin.
Pheww.
Jin exhaled deeply and fixed his breath.
¡°¡It¡¯s my loss, Young Master.¡±
¡°That was a great duel, Mesa Milkano.¡±
While he replied calmly, Jin¡¯s forehead was drenched in sweat.
Mesa then shifted her gaze down to her broken sword. This was neither a trick nor an illusion. Jin hadn¡¯t used aura either. So why was her wooden sword the only one that broke?
¡®Dammit!¡¯
As she watched Jin head to one side of the training ground to get a new wooden sword, Mesa finally realized the reason behind this phenomenon.
¡°I can¡¯t use this one anymore.¡±
Every onlooker believed that the duel between Jin and Mesa was one of brute strength with no intricacy or borate techniques.
However, there was one hidden truth within the battle.
While Jin and Mesa were exchanging blows one after another, the boy had aimed for the center of Mesa¡¯s de each time.
On the other hand, Mesa¡¯s attacks had affected the entire surface of Jin¡¯s wooden de.
Jin¡¯s resolve to break Mesa¡¯s sword, versus Mesa¡¯s resolve to face him in a head-on battle. Mesa¡¯s wooden sword breaking was by no means a coincidence.
She had believed that this was a battle of ¡®brute strength¡¯, but in reality, it was a battle of ¡®uracy¡¯.
There wasn¡¯t a big difference in their strength and stamina. However, the cause of her loss was the difference in their uracy and persistence.
¡®Is this even humanly possible?¡¯
Mesa asked herself as she bit her lower lip.
A few secondster, she came to the conclusion that it was indeed possible to achieve such a feat. As long as one was more skilled than their opponent and predicted the development of the battle, it would be easy to achieve.
However, she had never thought it would be possible to pull it off right here, right now. Despite being in the renowned Runcandel n¡¯s training ss, it was still the ¡®beginner¡¯ training ss. No one was supposed to be skilled enough to pull this off.
¡®So, is this what it means to be a Runcandel? I¡¯ll have to devote myself to my training, and next time, I¡¯ll definitely¡!¡¯
Mesa returned to her seat.
Even if one was expecting to lose, actually experiencing the defeat always left a bitter taste in the mouth. Mesa¡¯s heart was filled with pain from the defeat, but also gratitude for having learned an important lesson from Jin.
Following his duel with Mesa, Jin faced the remaining six cadets. However, he was able to win without much difficulty. No one else faced him head-on like Mesa. Therefore, none of them could steal control over the flow of the battle from Jin.
When the final opponent fell before Jin, the other cadets all gulped audibly.
In their eyes, Jin had easily defeated all the challengers after Mesa.
However, it wasn¡¯t as easy as it appeared to be.
Having faced ten extremely talented cadets one after another, Jin was somewhat out of breath after his final battle.
¡®Great, I still have some energy left.¡¯
Jin hadn¡¯t made an example out of Mesa just to save his energy as much as possible because he feared he couldn¡¯t defeat all ten cadets.
Even if he hadn¡¯t nted a misconception in the other challengers¡¯ minds by breaking Mesa¡¯s sword, he could¡¯ve still defeated them all.
¡°Excellent work, Young Master. With this, you shall be permitted to attend the intermediate training ss starting next year. Congrattions.¡±
¡°Huff, huff¡ Thanks, Garon. I¡¯ll be in your care until next year.¡±
¡°Should we end the morning training session now? It¡¯s almost time for lunch.¡±
¡°How long until lunchtime?¡±
¡°There¡¯s about ten minutes left. Is something the matter?¡±
¡°There¡¯s one more person I want to face.¡±
Garon froze at Jin¡¯s words, and stared at the boy¡¯s eyes.
¡°Who do you have in mind?¡±
Jin slowly turned his gaze to the cadets.
In one corner of the group was a boy sitting with a nk expression, scratching his head.
¡°Bellop. Bellop Schmitz.¡±
All the cadets¡¯ gazes turned to Bellop in an instant.
Garon¡¯s eyes opened wide as the name escaped Jin¡¯s mouth.
¡®¡Has the young master seen through Bellop¡¯s hidden talent?¡¯
The person in question was looking around, dumbfounded. He and the other cadets had no idea why Jin had chosen him.
¡°Get up. Come on over and fight me.¡±
Jin lightly threw a wooden sword towards the startled boy.
¡°Y-Young Master? I¡ Um, I¡¯m¡ª¡±
¡°Bellop Schmitz!¡±
Jin suddenly yelled his name, to which Bellop instinctively stood up.
¡°You cannot survive within this n if you continue acting like that. Get over here. I¡¯ll knock your sleepy head awake.¡±
Chapter 21: What Even is the Eye of the Mind? (4)
Chapter 21: What Even is the Eye of the Mind? (4)
Bellop stood before Jin, squeezing his wooden sword¡¯s handle as cold sweat ran down his face. His eyes kept darting around as he wiped his forehead with his sleeve.
He hadn¡¯t received so much attention ever since bing a guardian cadet, which exined his restlessness.
The other spectating cadets could see Bellop¡¯s soul escaping through his mouth already as the staredown with Jin continued.
Everyone couldn¡¯t help but think back on the words the Runcandel boy had told the coward.
You cannot survive within this n if you continue acting like that.
¡®Why did the Young Master tell me such things¡?¡¯
Is it because I¡¯m too weak? Or because I¡¯m too timid? Such questions went through Bellop¡¯s mind.
¡®Is Young Master Jin trying to humiliate Bellop since he gets on the Young Master¡¯s nerves?¡¯
¡®Is he warning Bellop that he won¡¯t survive in the Runcandel n because he¡¯s such a weakling?¡¯
¡®Young Master Jin is crueler than I thought¡¡¯
The cadets were all in agreement.
Nevertheless, Jin¡¯s eyes were fixated on Bellop, and he tightened his grip on the sword.
¡°Bellop.¡±
¡°Oh! Y-Yes, Young Master.¡±
Snicker, snicker.
Some suppressed scornfulughs echoed amongst the spectators. But the cadets who reacted immediately corrected their expressions and attitude, as they feared Garon would chastise them.
However, nevermind Garon, even Jin didn¡¯t give them a nce and kept his eyes on Bellop.
¡°I¡¯ve already lost a lot of stamina from sparring against ten cadets.¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master.¡±
Having barelye to his senses, Bellop answered respectfully.
¡°And you are still unscathed.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°In spite of that,¡±
Jin began walking towards Bellop before continuing his sentence.
¡°I am probably stronger than you right now. Excluding Garon, I would most likely win against anyone here in onest duel.¡±
Bellop didn¡¯t know how to reply to that, so he simply nodded quietly.
¡°That is the reason why I want to fight you right now.¡±
¡°Young Master, I still do not understand what you¡ Urgh!¡±
Thud!
Jin instantly reduced the distance between the two. His wooden sword flew towards Bellop¡¯s shoulder, but thetter somehow managed to avoid the blow at thest second, despite his panicked footwork.
Following that, the attacks continued nonstop, like an endlessly flowing river. Bellop parried and avoided the sword while retreating.
¡°Good moves.¡±
¡°Thank you very mu¡ª Urgh!¡±
Shwoop!
Jin suddenly grabbed a handful of sand on the training ground and scattered it in Bellop¡¯s face. As Bellop tried to resist the urge to close and rub his eyes, he tightened his hold on his wooden sword and stood strong.
¡°Y-Young Master¡?!¡±
But Jin didn¡¯t answer and darted towards Bellop again, grabbed his shirt, and mmed his shin into his opponent¡¯s thigh. As the impact resounded, Bellop let out a deep groan and copsed to the ground.
¡°I didn¡¯t call you here to have a spar. As I said, I want to ¡®fight¡¯ you.¡±
Jin approached the seated Bellop, who could barely open his irritated eyes and look up to the Runcandel boy.
¡°I also said that I would ¡®most likely¡¯ win. That I would ¡®most likely win against anyone here in onest duel¡¯. That means that I¡¯m not 100% certain about it. Wipe your face.¡±
Bellop used his shirt to wipe off the sand on his face and eyes.
¡°¡Does that mean that the opponent you¡¯re not certain of winning against is me, Young Master?¡±
¡°Finally, we¡¯re on the same page. This isn¡¯t a spar, this is a real fight. So it¡¯s time you wipe off that incredulous expression and face me seriously. I could have killed you countless times while you were on the ground.¡±
¡°Young Master.¡±
¡°But the only reason I didn¡¯t deal the final blow yet is because I¡¯m showing mercy, for you are incapable ofprehending my intentions. Stand up. I won¡¯t go easy on you again.¡±
His tone was far too dreary for this to be considered a prank of bad taste.
Jin turned around and began to widen the space between them once again. Bellop lowered his face and let out a deep sigh, before lifting himself up and wielding his wooden sword.
The cadets who were spectating so far began to wonder whether Jin was actually deranged.
No matter how foolish and cowardly Bellop was, the Young Master was going too far¡ or so thought some of the observers.
Some even expected Garon to intervene and stop the bloodbath that was about to begin.
Nevertheless, the instructor only stood on the side, carefully watching the scene before his eyes.
Seeing hisck of mediation, frustration grew in the cadets¡¯ hearts as they became disheartened. Simultaneously, anger sparked in their eyes. The 7-star knight¡ªwho also happened to be a swordsmanship instructor of the n¡ªcouldn¡¯t stop Jin Runcandel.
So what on earth could the lowly cadets even do on their own? Nothing at all.
Yet, they couldn¡¯t stop anger from forming. Anger and dissatisfaction that the training ss¡¯s strongest¡ªJin Runcandel¡ªcould allow himself to bully the weakest of the ss, Bellop.
Where had the dignity and honor of the Runcandels gone?! Was the act of throwing sand at a cadet far weaker than oneself also part of the Runcandels¡¯ glory?!
All the spectators¡¯ faces twisted in fury and despair as they watched the two extremes face each other.
However, the next moment, all their expressions copsed into shock and astonishment.
Beam!
Bellop¡¯s wooden sword was shining with aura. It was pale and dim, but true aura nheless. Even with that little amount of aura, a swordsman¡¯s shing power would increase exponentially and be fatal.
¡°A-Aura¡?!¡±
The weakest of the ss, the eternal loser. That boy was suddenly wielding aura, so the cadets were shocked and confused.
At this rate, one of the two fighters could potentially perish during this duel.
¡°Instructor! We must stop them! This is a training ss, not a battlefield!¡±
¡°Instructor Gar¡¡±
¡°Swordsmanship Instructor, Garon Altemiro!¡±
Jin turned to Garon and yelled at the top of his lungs.
¡°Yes, Young Master.¡±
¡°You must keep what you see today a secret and take it to your grave. You cannot inform any other Runcandel of this incident.¡±
¡°I understand.¡±
In the meantime, Bellop put out the aura covering his wooden sword.
However, his face wasn¡¯t dyed in fear anymore. He seemed dispirited yet furious.
¡°Is this what you truly wish to happen, Young Master?¡±
¡°So you are able to use aura. In that case, you shouldn¡¯t hold back and make the most of it.¡±
Jin versus Bellop.
The two of them had a short staredown. The cadets who wereining all shut their mouths and watched the inevitable sh as cold sweat ran down their cheeks.
Bellop was the first to make a move. He instantly zoomed across the field and appeared before Jin with surprisingly agile movements.
Crash!
Jin blocked Bellop¡¯s heavy wooden blow.
As their swords got tangled, the battle came to a standstill as it became one of strength. The veins on their arms bulged as their muscles contracted, and the wooden swords trembled under the equal pushing forces.
¡°If you wanted to duel me, you¡¯ve made a grave mistake, Young Master.¡±
Scrrrrrt!
Jin¡¯s wooden sword began slipping and cracking as Bellop coated his sword in aura once again.
¡°You should¡¯ve challenged me¡ before dueling the others!¡±
Snap!
Jin¡¯s sword broke under the pressure. Immediately, time slowed down for Bellop and the other cadets during the short instant when Bellop¡¯s shining wooden sword dug into Jin¡¯s shoulder.
The wooden sword hadpletely cut through the shoulder and was about to reach Jin¡¯s heart. As he saw the de dig deeper and deeper, Jin caught sight of Bellop¡¯s expression twisting into despair.
Despair for having gotten on the wrong side of the youngest Runcandel.
In addition, despair for cutting down Young Master Jin who had taken good care of him for so long. Bellop¡¯s innocent eyes were filled with such hopeless thoughts.
¡°As if I¡¯d let you!¡±
Bang!
A sudden heavy blow hit the side of Bellop¡¯s sword. The Runcandel Hand-to-Hand Combat Technique, Deflect Strike. It was Jin¡¯s strong palm.
As the sword flew away, the recoil shook Bellop¡¯s body. Having lost his bnce and footing, Jin swiftly grabbed him from behind and choked him.
¡°Keuk!¡±
The other cadets didn¡¯t realize what had happened in that short moment, omitting a few top-ss cadets like Mesa Milkano.
¡®The fuck?! Are you for real? He¡¯s nuts!¡¯
Mesa couldn¡¯t believe what she saw. Although her spar with Jin had astonished her earlier, it couldn¡¯tpare to the shock she received from seeing Jin¡¯s current superhuman movements.
¡°Urgh!¡±
Bellop couldn¡¯t do anything but struggle for air as he got choked from behind. As the other cadets stood up to stop him, Jin released his arms on his own.
As he coughed and gasped for air, Bellop turned around to face Jin with a displeased look.
¡°Why did you stop? You said you wouldn¡¯t go easy again. Don¡¯t stop, Young Master! You won this fight, have you not?! Are you satisfied now? Is it fun messing around with others, huh?!¡±
Bellop¡¯s pent-up anger all burst out.
Jin shook his head.
¡°It¡¯s not.¡±
¡°If it¡¯s not fun, then why¡!¡±
¡°Having to push you beyond your limits is also unbearable for me. Unbearable and agonizing.¡±
¡°What do you even know about me! Why do you torment me like so?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know much about you. But there¡¯s one thing I know. Being considerate¡ is something you can only afford once you¡¯ve be an extremely powerful figure.¡±
Bellop froze. He then recalled the words Jin had told him before the start of the fight.
You cannot survive within this n if you continue acting like that.
¡°You¡¯ve probably realized just now, but you¡¯re weaker than me. You¡¯re also kinder than me. I like that aspect of you. But you cannot survive in this hellhole by being a bootlicker.¡±
As Jin spoke, the other cadets couldn¡¯t even utter a sound.
In consequence, Bellop¡¯s weeping and tearful sobs echoed around.
¡°Bellop. Bellop Schmitz. Look at me. Lift your head and look into my eyes.¡±
He raised his head and their eyes met.
¡°I truly wish from the bottom of my heart that¡¡±
Jin paused and ced his hand on the boy¡¯s shoulder.
¡°You gain enough power and strength to protect that good-natured and kind heart of yours, along with the others here. Lastly, I¡¯m sorry.¡±
Bellop nodded at his words. Actually, it looked more like he was shaking his head. No, nevermind. It was a mix of both movements.
Thus, Jin couldn¡¯t figure out whether it was an affirmation or a denial. The boy with tears running down his face walked towards the other cadets.
Suddenly, the servants carryingrge pots of crude dishes appeared at the training ground.
¡°Eh¡? The atmosphere seems a bit¡ Should wee backter, Instructor Garon? Young Master Jin?¡±
As the servants hesitated on what to do, Bellop spoke up.
¡°Please go get your serving on your own today, Young Master.¡±
Jin chuckled awkwardly.
¡°Alright. In fact, I¡¯ll bring your portion too today.¡±
As lunchtime came to an end, Garon quietly approached Jin before the afternoon training session began.
¡°So, you¡¯ve awakened Bellop Schmitz. The boy has outstanding talents, but his heart and mind were a bit weak, so I wasn¡¯t sure what to do¡ I am grateful to you, Young Master. It must¡¯ve been a great stimulus for him.¡±
¡°Garon.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t run your mouth thoughtlessly. Awakened him? His heart and mind? No matter what my intentions were, it must¡¯ve been a traumatic experience for Bellop.¡±
¡°Your actions and behaviour today were befitting of a Runcandel. Please do not worry too much about that. He is but a guardian cadet. He is not worthy of your pity, his soon-to-be master.¡±
Jin stared at Garon, before letting out a small sneer.
¡°Swordsmanship Instructor of the Guardian Cadets, Garon Altemiro. The only field you are allowed to judge and evaluate me in is swordsmanship. Do not overstep your boundaries and keep those impertinent opinions to yourself.¡±
Garon felt his stomach drop as Jin stated his point.
¡®The ck King Mercenaries I met before once described him as a young overlord¡ and sure enough, he¡¯s one terrifying predator.¡¯
Garon smirked and immediately lowered his head.
¡°My sincere apologies, Young Master. As you have ordered, I shall take today¡¯s events to the grave.¡±
Chapter 22: What Even is the Eye of the Mind? (5)
Chapter 22: What Even is the Eye of the Mind? (5)
The unique Genesis Knight in the world, Cyron Runcandel.
After he weed his youngest son at the Garden of Swords four years ago, he immediately left for the ck Sea again. The question the boy had asked before was still weighing on his mind.
Is God Solderet stronger than father?
¡®I can be stronger than a god.¡¯
The monsters at the ck Sea didn¡¯t attack Cyron. They didn¡¯t even approach the center of the ck Sea where Cyron was currently sitting. It was their method of conserving the natural ecosystem.
To eat and be eaten.
Cyron quite liked the simplicity of this system, which was why he came to the ck Sea so often.
A few days ago, a knight came looking for him at the ck Sea. The knight in question had fought and killed countless monsters and bathed in their blood in order to see Cyron.
¡°This is Khan, Patriarch.¡±
Cyron didn¡¯t turn around to face him and simply opened his eyes. He was sitting cross-legged, but his body was levitating above the ground by a hand span.
¡°Speak freely, Khan.¡±
Khan approached him while wiping off the blood on his armor.
He then gave his report with a stiff face, and Cyron waited for Khan to finish speaking with aposed look.
However, halfway through the report, the corners of Cyron¡¯s lips rose to form a grin.
¡°¡That is all.¡±
The floating body slowly began its descent onto the ground.
¡°So, that¡¯s what¡ the youngest did?¡±
¡°Indeed, Patriarch.¡±
The content of Khan¡¯s report was the details of the uproar at the beginner training ss caused by Jin¡¯s recent actions.
Although Garon had said that he wouldn¡¯t disclose the details of the incident to other Runcandels, he couldn¡¯t keep it a secret from the Runcandel patriarch. Therefore, he informed Khan¡ªCyron¡¯s right-hand man¡ªabout the incident.
He didn¡¯t tell other individuals, however. Garon wasn¡¯t afraid of the current Jin, but he did fear the future Jin.
¡°Kuhaha.¡±
Cyron suddenly threw his head back andughed out loud.
¡°So those are the principles the youngest believes in. He¡¯ll use overwhelming force to dominate others, while also embracing and caring for the weaker humans at times.¡±
Khan didn¡¯t answer and simply lowered his head.
Smirk.
A wide grin formed on Cyron¡¯s face. In recent years, he wasughing so much, far more than he had everughed after reaching the demigod realm.
¡°Then we¡¯ll need to check whether those principles of his hold any value or worth.¡±
¡°Yes, Patriarch.¡±
¡°Return and tell this to Garon. Before he moves up to the intermediate training ss, have the youngest do a¡¡±
In consequence, Khan had to spend another several days getting out of the ck Sea and fighting monsters in order to ry themand to Garon.
***
January 1795.
Jin¡ªnow 15 years old¡ªwas acknowledged as a 3-star knight and was enjoying the final break of the beginner training ss.
Every year, cadets receive a two-week vacation during the first month. It was their one and only break, as the cadets trained every single day the rest of the year.
It was more or less a vacation.
Most cadets return to their hometowns during this period. Competent cadets train on their own and inspect their equipment, whereas outstanding cadets roam around the Huphester Alliance¡¯s smithies and order custom-made swords.
Why do they order swords, you ask?
The reason is that they¡¯re aware of how they¡¯re the most likely candidates to advance to the next ss. The results and nominees are announced only after the end of the two-week break, but most of the time, it¡¯s quite easy to predict who will advance to the intermediate ss.
Starting from the intermediate training ss, the cadets no longer use wooden swords. They will have to use personal swords tailor-made for them.
The excelling cadets of the beginner ss¡ªsuch as Mesa Milkano¡ªall temporarily left the Garden of Swords in order to acquire their weapons. Even though the results weren¡¯t revealed yet, these cadets all knew they would definitely be chosen.
¡°Jin, my brother.¡±
¡°Yes, Eldest Sister.¡±
Needless to say, the top ranker of the beginner ss this year was Jin.
If Jin were a cadet like Mesa and the others, he would¡¯ve been roaming around the smithies and forges in Huphester.
However, he was a Runcandel.
He was the youngest son of the distinguished n of swordmasters, which had far too many invaluable and top-notch swords. Therefore, he only had to grab a random sword in the n¡¯s armory.
He didn¡¯t need a tailor-made weapon. Amongst the thousands of swords sitting in the armory, a couple of them should fit in his hands perfectly at the very least.
¡°It was quite troublesome finding a sword that suited you, you know?¡±
However, Jin couldn¡¯t choose his sword himself. Luna said that she wanted to gift him his sword and spent an entire month going through the armory.
In any case, Luna was far better at spotting good swordspared to the current Jin, so he had nothing to lose by epting her suggestion.
¡°I look forward to it, Eldest Sister.¡±
Bang!
Luna removed the enormous axe-sword on her back andid it on the floor. It was a different swordpared to her beloved ¡®Crantel¡¯.
Jin couldn¡¯t help but make a confused face. The axe-sword Luna hadid seemed even bigger than himself.
On the other hand, Luna¡¯s eyes were glittering with impatience.
¡°This sword was once called the ¡®Bayles ughterer¡¯. It¡¯s the weapon I enjoyed using back in my teens.¡±
What is an axe-sword, you ask?
Just as its name implies, it¡¯s a sword with an axe de attached to the tip. It¡¯s massive, heavy and bulky. The history of axe-swords is¡ not very long.
It¡¯s a weapon that Luna Runcandel personally invented at the age of fifteen. Until then, no one had used a weapon like this.
In other words, the name ¡®Bayles ughterer¡¯ originated from Luna¡¯s own¡ chaotic, wild, and unstable period of adolescence.
¡°So? Do you like it?¡±
Luna spoke with innocent eyes full of hopes and expectations. Chills ran up Jin¡¯s spine as he coughed awkwardly.
¡°I¡ don¡¯t quite think this one is¡ suitable.¡±
Luna¡¯s joyful and hopeful mood immediately crashed down on her. She wore a sullen smile as a glum atmosphere formed around her.
¡°Haha, I was just joking. Just joking¡¡±
¡®It didn¡¯t seem like a joke, though¡¡¯
Jin barely stopped himself from saying that out loud, and just chuckled awkwardly.
For a few more seconds, Luna held onto the pipe dream that Jin would take the axe-sword. However she soon gave up and sighed deeply before taking out another sword.
¡°It can¡¯t be helped¡ What about this one, then¡?¡±
The sword Luna showed next was inside a neat, ck scabbard without a single ornament or decoration.
It appeared ordinary, but when Jin received the sword from Luna, his eyes began to tremble.
¡°¡Since you chose Barisada during the Selection Ritual, it¡¯s only fitting that you get this de. It also suits your swordsmanship style.¡±
Shrrrrt.
As he grabbed the handle and pulled, a snow-white de entered his sight.
¡®Bradamante!¡¯
Jin admired the pure, undyed sword as he shouted the weapon¡¯s name in his mind. He gazed at the multicoloured reflection that shone like a ster diamond, as if he had fallen head over heels for it.
Bradamante.
It is the brother of Barisada, the de once used by the First Patriarch Temar Runcandel. Excluding Barisada, there were very few swords that outperformed Bradamante in the Runcandel armory.
Before forging Barisada, the legendary cksmith ¡®Picon Minche¡¯ created Bradamante as a prototype, which is now known as one of the finest swords around the world.
¡°You seem to like it.¡±
¡°Of course, Eldest Sister. It¡¯s one of the greatest weapons even amongst the swords we have in the n. Thank you very much.¡±
Jin¡¯s tone wasposed, but he was so happy he wanted to jump around in joy right now.
¡®If it weren¡¯t for Luna, it would¡¯ve been practically impossible for me to take Bradamante from the armory. The n wouldn¡¯t have allowed it. Still, to think she¡¯d give me Bradamante¡ It¡¯s the sword Murakan told me to obtain in the future!¡¯
Since Bradamante was an excellent sword, many of Jin¡¯s siblings were aiming for it.
But there was a reason why this sword was special to Jin.
Spiritual energy.
When Barisada and Bradamante absorb spiritual energy, they reveal their true worth.
But this was a feature only essible by those who control shadows.
¡°Even though many of our siblings yearn for Bradamante¡ How can I ever repay you for this, Eldest Sister?¡±
¡°Repay¡ It seems you¡¯re still ufortable when around me. How saddening.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, Sister.¡±
¡°In order to soothe my sorrow, I¡¯ll have to bully you. Close your eyes right now, Brother. Let¡¯s begin our lesson.¡±
¡°Yes¡¡±
Luna grinned mischievously as she rubbed Jin¡¯s head and messed up his hair.
¡°Today again, I will be telling you to observe using the eye of the mind.¡±
¡°I am aware.¡±
¡°But unlike before, I will tell you something else you need to know about the eye of the mind.¡±
¡°What is it, Sister?¡±
Luna crouched down and held Jin¡¯s hands.
¡°Know that within our family, where siblings are busy trampling over each other, there is at least one person who loves you unconditionally without expecting something in return. So don¡¯t sadden your sister any more than this.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sister.¡±
¡°Before you were born, I was spending my days in loneliness inside this family. But one victim is more than enough. There is no need for you to go through that too.¡±
Jin decided not to question Luna¡¯s goodwill and love from here on out.
It was true that this kind-hearted sister had turned a blind eye to Jin and his misery in his first life. But Jin was willing to turn the page and forget her past disregard towards him.
¡®I don¡¯t even know everything about her from that life. Maybe she was going through difficult times. I shouldn¡¯t judge with iplete information.¡¯
***
¡°It¡¯s too soon.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Your control over spiritual energy is still imperfect in order to awaken Bradamante. You need to reach at least 3-star spiritual release in order to attempt awakening the sword.¡±
¡°3-star? I think I¡¯ll reach that soon enough. I should be able to use the sword soon!¡±
Thump!
Murakan closed the erotic magazine in his hands with force and stared at Jin.
¡°Listen carefully, kid. Barisada and Bradamante. Those two spirit swords are dangerous weapons that mustn¡¯t be awakened carelessly. 3-star is the bare minimum requirement. But use Bradamante as an ordinary sword until you reach 5-star, understood?¡±
¡°But I don¡¯t have a lot of patience¡ I guess I¡¯ll have to reach 5-star within the next year.¡±
¡°Yeah right. Even if you¡¯re the best spirit controller in his teens and you eat spiritual energy every meal instead of real food, that¡¯s still impossible. Enough with the nonsense. Even a street dog would stop on its path tough at you right now.¡±
How immature. Jin couldn¡¯t believe the individual in front of him was really a dragon who has existed for over 3,000 years.
Jin frowned visibly and snatched away the magazine in Murakan¡¯s hands.
¡°What was that? Huh? Something about a street dog? Say that again, I didn¡¯t hear you.¡±
¡°Give my magazine back. Give it back, you brat. Do you know how hard it was to¡¡±
¡°Young Master!¡±
The bickering duo paused and turned to Gilly, who was running towards them. She seemed to be in a hurry.
¡°What¡¯s the matter, Gilly?¡±
¡°Instructor Garon is asking for you, Young Master.¡±
¡°Why would Garon want to see me during the break? If he has something to say, tell him toe find me personally.¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡¡±
As her eyes shook in worry, Gilly approached Jin and spoke quietly.
¡°He says he needs to give a rundown of the operation to you using the map, Young Master.¡±
¡°Operation?¡±
¡°Yes, Instructor Garon has assigned you your first ¡®mission¡¯. And apparently, you¡¯ll need to depart as soon as the break ends.¡±
Jin put down the magazine in his hand.
¡®A mission¡ True, now that I¡¯m a 3-star knight, it¡¯s about time I was given my first assignment. But leaving as soon as the break ends?¡¯
Something was fishy.
¡®Missions¡¯ were given starting from the intermediate training ss. As missions usually concerned assassination,bat, monster subjugation, etc., the beginner ss wasn¡¯t involved with them.
Moreover, the advancement to the intermediate ss happened one month after the break for Runcandel cadets, so it was odd to be assigned a mission right after the break.
¡®Well, I guess I could technically be considered a member of the intermediate ss since my advancement was confirmed a few months ago. Maybe they judged that it wouldn¡¯t matter to give me an assignment.¡¯
Once Jin sorted out his thoughts and nodded, Gilly gave him additional information.
¡°And the participants of this mission are¡ ten members of the beginner training ss including you, Young Master. Something is amiss. You should quickly go talk to Instructor Garon.¡±
Chapter 23: Jin, the Cadets, the Beastman, and… (1)
Chapter 23: Jin, the Cadets, the Beastman, and¡ (1)
There were already three cadets inside Garon¡¯s office. They were standing stiffly and nervously from the sudden summons. Garon was exining the mission while looking at the map on the wall.
¡°Due to the excellent results of this year¡¯s beginner ss, this mission was specially assigned to¡ Ah, you¡¯ve arrived, Young Master.¡±
With Jin¡¯s arrival, Garon wore a faint smile and bowed.
While the beginner ss normally doesn¡¯t receive missions, this case wasn¡¯t the first time it had happened. If the beginner ss¡¯s cadets showed outstanding performance and results, they were issued missions on rare asions.
The current batch of beginner ss cadets could only show so much growth worthy of being sent on a mission due to Jin¡¯s influence.
During Jin and Bellop¡¯s duelst year, thetter wasn¡¯t the only individual to be awakened. While it wasn¡¯t Jin¡¯s intention or n, the battle from that fateful day had greatly impacted the other spectating cadets.
¡°We were given a mission, Garon?¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master. This mission involves ten beginner ss cadets including you.¡±
Jin turned his attention to the world map behind Garon.
¡®The red symbol must be the mission¡¯s destination. That location is¡ somece near the Zhan Kingdom.¡¯
The Zhan Kingdom was in proximity to the ¡®Land of the Beastmen¡¯. In fact, it was adjacent to the headquarters of the most dangerous race¡ªthe White Wolf Tribe. Travelers avoid that area, adventurers flock to it, and mercenaries detest it.
¡°I¡¯ve also contacted the cadets who have temporarily left the Garden of Swords. There are ten participants including you, Young Master. You will have to carry out the mission in two different groups.¡±
¡°You¡¯ll divide the ten participants of the beginner ss into two groups?¡±
¡°Indeed. You will be the leader of Group 1, Young Master. Group 2 will be led by Scott Limon.¡±
Scott Limon. While the results hadn¡¯t been announced yet, everyone predicted that Mesa or Scott would be the runner-up cadet of the beginner ss, behind Jin.
¡®Even so, Scott is only at the level of a 2-star knight. If it¡¯s a mission near the Zhan Kingdom, it¡¯s highly probable that it¡¯ll involve beastmen¡¡¯
Something was off.
Even if they were Runcandel cadets, they were merely rookies between the age of 14 to 16. They weren¡¯t the appropriate participants to carry out a mission dealing with beastmen.
¡®Did one of my siblings bribe Garon to assign us on a difficult mission? No¡ Seeing Garon¡¯s confident face, I¡¯m pretty sure Father personally instructed him to do so.¡¯
But why would Cyron do that? Jin calmly thought to himself.
¡®I highly doubt it¡¯s simply because I¡¯m connected to Solderet or because of my high scores. In that case¡ the incident with Bellop was probably ryed to Father. I see. I¡¯m starting to see the full picture now.¡¯
Jin calmly nodded.
¡°Then one group must beposed of five members. Who will I be working with?¡±
¡°Yes. Group 1 isposed of Bellop, Phils, Edington, Sierra and you, Young Master. Scott¡¯s group isposed of Mesa, Kiko, Taimont and Zhushen.¡±
Having heard the formation of the groups, Jin immediately saw through Cyron¡¯s intentions.
The four cadets of his group were all middle- to low-ranked within the beginner ss, with the exception of Bellop. Having ¡®awakened¡¯ with the duel against Jin, Bellop was now part of the mid-upper ranks.
On the other hand, Scott¡¯s team wasposed of top-rank cadets. There was only one exnation behind this uneven formation of groups.
¡®Father wants to test me. He wants to check if my principles of leading those weaker than me won¡¯t change during this mission.¡¯
In that case, this mission was certain to be troublesome.
As Jin¡¯s intuition told him so, he spoke up again.
¡°Give me a rundown of the mission and operation.¡±
¡°The mission is to scout the vicinity of the Zhan Kingdom¡¯s southern border. It seems a certain tycoon¡¯s son went missing in that area. The groups will be in charge of separate areas, and as soon as you find the missing person or clues, you must report back to me.¡±
The cadets in the office all calmed down when they learned that the mission was simply a search-and-report task.
¡°And after having reported?¡±
¡°If the victim¡¯s survival is confirmed, we will dispatch guardian knights in order to perform a rescue operation. In the meantime, Groups 1 and 2 will return to base. But if the victim is reported dead, the mission wille to an end as long as there aren¡¯t additional requests from the client.¡±
¡°Sounds simple enough.¡±
¡°Yes. However, you must move with prudence as the chances of encountering beastmen are high.¡±
¡°I assume so. And since the Zhan Kingdom¡¯s southern border is where the White Wolf Tribe is most active, we¡¯ll have to be extra careful.¡±
The White Wolf Tribe. Just as their name implies, they are a race of beastmen who look like wolves with white fur. They¡¯re famous for being the most talented and skilled amongst beastmen inbat.
¡°Young Master, if you encounter White Wolf beastmen during the mission, you are to abandon the mission and retreat immediately. That goes for everyone else too.¡±
¡°I also know that. No matter how outstanding this year¡¯s batch of cadets are, we¡¯re no match to the White Wolf warriors. No need to worry.¡±
Garon smiled at his words.
¡°I am not concerned. I¡¯ve personally witnessed how much this year¡¯s cadets have grown¡ªincluding you, Young Master. However, one never knows what kinds of unpredictable dangers are lurking around oneself.¡±
Jin stared straight back at Garon and also smirked.
¡°You talk as if a dangerous incident will definitely ur during the mission, Garon.¡±
¡°You¡¯ve caught me. Personally, I can¡¯t wait to witness your marvelous figure as you ovee the situation, Young Master.¡±
¡°You¡¯re a good teacher. Inform me when the cadets who aren¡¯t at the Garden have all returned.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
***
Three dayster, the cadets¡¯ break ended. Without further ado, the beginner ss¡¯s mission began.
Jin and nine other cadets went to the transfer gate in order to depart to the Zhan Kingdom.
¡°It¡¯s an honor to be able to carry out our very first mission with you, Young Master. Group 2 will do our best not to inconvenience you.¡±
Scott approached Jin and spoke as they waited for the transfer gate to open.
¡°Haha, are you putting pressure on me, Scott Limon?¡±
¡°That¡¯s absolutely not the case! I am simply showing my gratitude towards the Young Master for giving us the opportunity to carry out our first mission while still in the beginner ss.¡±
¡°I¡¯m just kidding.¡±
Scott was extremely loyal towards the Runcandels, and his admiration and respect towards Jin were immense as well.
However, Scott wasn¡¯t the only one to hold Jin in high esteem.
¡°Hey, Group 1. Make sure you don¡¯t get in Young Master Jin¡¯s way, and assist him to the best of your abilities.¡±
As Mesa sharply dered, the cadets of Group 1 all nodded in sync.
¡°Moreover, if we sessfully carry out this mission, you may be given a chance to advance to the intermediate ss despite your low scores. Do you understand?¡±
¡°We understand, Mesa. We¡¯ll do our best.¡±
Jin smiled to himself as he watched their interactions.
It may seem like Mesa was being rude to them, but she truly hoped from the bottom of her heart that all the members of Group 1 would advance to the next ss with her.
She behaved like the disciplinarian of the ss (it seems she has an aptitude for it), but in truth, she was a big-hearted cadet¡ªone who cared most about herrades.
There certainly was something special about this year¡¯s batch of beginner ss cadets. They all had developed strong bonds centered around Jin.
This was a rare case within thepetitive system of the Runcandel n. Moreover, in most cases where strong bonds formed between cadets, they excluded the ¡®Young Masters¡¯ and ¡®Ladies¡¯ from the group.
However, during the past few years, Jin hadpletely made these cadets his subjects.
¡°Quiet, everyone. As the transfer gate will soon open, I shall issue amand.¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
The cadets gathered around Jin in a circle.
¡°As soon as we arrive at the southern border, we will set camp at the center of the area. Once everyone¡¯s done preparing the campsite, Groups 1 and 2 will go their separate ways and begin surveying the area in earnest.¡±
Jin pointed at the map before continuing his speech.
¡°The camp¡¯s use is for sharing information between us and reporting casualties. Each group will send a member to the campsite in order to share information once a day at a prearranged time.¡±
¡°Understood, Young Master.¡±
¡°You shall refer to me as Captain and not Young Master during the mission. And members other than casualties are not to rest at the campsite. However, each group may take breaks at their own discretion. Any questions?¡±
¡°None, Captain!¡±
¡°That is all. Let us hope that our target is alive and well.¡±
A few momentster, the transfer gate activated and everyone¡¯s bodies were surrounded by glowing mana.
Once the teleportation waspleted, the cadets and Jin found themselves at the transfer gate in the central-southern region of the Zhan Kingdom.
Normally speaking, they would¡¯ve had to go through all the administrative procedures after arriving, but as soon as the employees saw the robes the cadets were wearing, they skipped all the procedures. The robes had the Runcandel¡¯s ¡®ck Sword¡¯ emblem on it.
***
Three days have passed since they arrived in the southern region of the Zhan Kingdom.
The cadets had constructed the campsite and were surveying the area, but to no avail.
The Zhan Kingdom¡¯s southern region was andposed of grassy ins and forests. They were thoroughly searching through the open, grassy fields, but finding traces of a single missing human wasn¡¯t a simple task.
¡°It seems we¡¯ll have to focus our search inside the forest. There isn¡¯t a single clue in the grasnds.¡±
¡°Captain, Edington says he saw Watertail beastmen earlier.¡±
¡°Watertail beastmen? If they¡¯re here, it¡¯s unlikely we¡¯ll encounter White Wolf beastmen.¡±
Watertail Tribe beastmen are a docile and gentle tribe that catch fish in rivers or seas using their harpoon-shaped tails.
They aren¡¯t found in areas where White Wolf beastmen or Red Tiger beastmen reside. Watertail beastmen always avoid predators when building their viges.
¡°The one who¡¯ll return to camp and meet Group 2 today is Bellop, right?¡±
¡°That is correct.¡±
¡°Bellop, depart for the campsite two hours earlier than usual today. You¡¯ll be slowed down by the sleet. And once you¡¯re done exchanging info, go to Area 13 instead of here. We¡¯ll be surveying that zone.¡±
¡°Understood, Captain.¡±
Groups 1 and 2 were meeting up at 9 PM every evening at the camp in order to exchange information.
Once Bellop left the group, the other members also began moving towards Area 13. ¡®Area 13¡¯ was a woond that hadn¡¯t been surveyed yet.
¡®Something¡¯s off. Even though Father personally gave us this mission, nothing has happened so far. Was I mistaken thinking that he was trying to test me?¡¯
No incidents happened at Area 13 either, and they couldn¡¯t find any clues about the missing person.
The only special incident that urred was that they were gifted roasted fish from the Watertail Tribe vige they found by coincidence.
¡°Missing human? We, not know. Watertail Tribe, nice. You all, miserable look. Fish, take. Gift.¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah. I know. Thanks. They¡¯re well-cooked. We¡¯ll repay you next time wee over.¡±
Having searched the area well past midnight, the members of Group 1 were now waiting for Bellop to return in the rain as they wiped their wet swords. As the sleet continued, they found it meaningless to continue the search in the darkness in this weather.
¡®Since we didn¡¯t find anything even after surveying Area 13, we¡¯ll have to approach the beastmen¡¯s territory in order to continue the mission¡¡¯
However, surveying the beastmen¡¯s territory wasn¡¯t a mission a beginner ss cadet could do.
¡®There¡¯s no need to do such an unreasonable thing just to obtain good results. It¡¯s foolish to go so far. We should spend the remaining three days checking the surveyed areas again, before ending the mission.¡¯
Bellop finally returned from the camp as the watches neared 2 AM.
¡°Young Master! Young Master Jin!¡±
He was in such a hurry that he hadpletely forgotten about calling him Captain. The cadets on standby stood up and rushed to Bellop as well.
¡°What¡¯s the matter, Bellop?¡±
¡°Group 2 was attacked! Even Kiko¡ªwho was sent to the camp by them¡ªhad minor injuries.¡±
¡°Everyone, prepare to move. Was it beastmen?¡±
The cadets immediately stood in line, ready to start running at any moment.
¡°No, they say it was humans. Group 2 cannot use their res as they have gone into hiding, so we must hurry to them!¡±
Chapter 24: Jin, the Cadets, the Beastman, and… (2)
Chapter 24: Jin, the Cadets, the Beastman, and¡ (2)
¡°Their numbers?¡±
¡°They¡¯ve confirmed three individuals.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no way a mere three idiots would attack Runcandel cadets. There are definitely more of them somewhere. Edington, David! Once we get near the campsite, search for the assants.¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
¡°If you find them, do not engage. Report back to me as fast as possible.¡±
Jin hadn¡¯t expected the cadets to be attacked by humans instead of beastmen.
¡®If they still attacked us despite our Runcandel robes¡ Are they radical Zipfel followers?¡¯
As they urgently ran, Jin continued to listen to Bellop¡¯s report.
¡°The assants were all wearing masks, so Group 2 couldn¡¯t identify them. But they did mention that the attackers were using the most widespread andmon long swords in the Zhan Kingdom.¡±
In that case, it was likely this was the work of insiders from the Zhan Kingdom.
But he still couldn¡¯t put aside the possibility that Zipfel followers were behind this attack. It was possible that they had purposefully used weapons manufactured in Zhan in order to confuse us.
¡®If Group 2 managed to escape after the battle, the enemies mustn¡¯t be 5-star knights or higher. The problem is that we don¡¯t know who they are¡¡¯
Why had they attacked Group 2?
If they were indeed radical Zipfel followers, and if they hade here after hearing that ¡®Runcandel cadets were carrying out a mission in this area¡¯, then they would¡¯ve targeted Group 1 first, as Jin was part of it.
After running non-stop for three hours, the campsite was finally in sight. They would¡¯ve arrived faster if they had travelled through the grasnds instead of the woonds, but they couldn¡¯t afford to get discovered by the enemies.
Edington and David separated from the group in order to search for the attackers. The only ones remaining near the camp were Jin, Bellop and Sierra.
5 AM.
If they headed towards Group 2¡¯s hiding ce now, dawn would arrive. Since they still didn¡¯t know the number of enemies and their forces, the cadets and Jin would be at a disadvantage if light returned.
¡®I hope Group 2 hid themselves properly. They¡¯re all skilled kids, so I shouldn¡¯t have to worry too much¡¡¯
The remaining three members of Group 1 began to move again. They nned on joining Group 2 at their hideout and waiting for Edington and David to return with details on the assants.
Jin and the others swiftly arrived at the hideout, but Group 2 was no longer there. All that was left was a letter at the entrance to the cave and puddles of blood on the ground.
¡°Y-Young Master. This¡¡±
¡°Looks like they got found already.¡±
Jin clenched and ground his teeth at this sight.
¡®These motherfu¡ I don¡¯t know who you are, but I will find you, and I will kill you all.¡¯
Jin hadn¡¯t felt anger in a long time. Even during his sudden death in his first life, he felt more despair than rage. And after his regression, he was busy making the most of his new life every day and had no time to think about his emotions.
But this time, his head heated up with rage in an instant.
The bloodstains around the cave all came from children in their teens. Moreover, those children were his subordinates who were following him.
Jin closed his eyes andposed himself before acting rashly. He had to keep a cool head in order to find the enemies and avenge the cadets.
¡°Calm down, Bellop. The blood hasn¡¯t fully dried yet. It hasn¡¯t been long since they were found.¡±
Jin spoke to Bellop¡ªwho was gasping heavily. There was so much blood that he thought Group 2 had all been killed.
¡°There¡¯s a lot of blood, but no pieces of flesh or bones. And there aren¡¯t any traces of bodies falling onto the grass. Group 2 managed to escape during the battle. There are many footprints here. But looking at the sizes, it seems there were only a couple of enemies who were searching this area when they were discovered.¡±
Sierra calmly nodded to Jin¡¯s observations. She was already tracing down Group 2¡¯s movements by examining the footprints and bloodstains.
¡°They seem to have gone west, Young Master. And there¡¯s a piece of bandage here.¡±
¡°Bandage?¡±
Jin quickly joined Sierra¡¯s side and observed the strip of bandage. It was most definitely manufactured in Huphester.
¡°There was one attacker. He must¡¯ve wounded Group 2 before escaping first. Group 2 seems to have stayed here for a moment in order to tend to their wounds but had to escape as they predicted the attackers would return.¡±
Looking west, Jin would see a long path of grass being stepped on. Since there were no traces of horse hoof prints and only human footprints along with bloodstains, there was no reason for Jin to hesitate.
¡°Sierra, hide in this area and wait for Edington and David to return. Thene rejoin us. We¡¯ll go after them, Bellop.¡±
They were puffing and blowing as they ran at full speed. As none of them had slept a wink and spent the entire night running and searching, their stamina was nearing its limits.
Bellop was exhausted just from keeping up with Jin, but thetter wasn¡¯t too worried right now. As long as there were five or less 4-star warriors to face, Jin could easily deal with them all.
In fact, the one thing that concerned him was how he¡¯d use mana and spiritual power without the cadets noticing, but he didn¡¯t drown himself in those worries.
He cared more about saving the cadets than keeping his secret hidden.
¡®Metallic sounds! The cadets are fighting people!¡¯
Jin and Bellop¡¯s rushed pursuit was fruitful. After around 30 minutes of chase, they could hear noises in the distance. Bellop also noticed the sounds. They both stopped on their tracks to find the source.
Jin stopped his breath and scanned his surroundings, checking if any enemies had followed them as well.
¡®We will move undercover from now on, Bellop.¡¯
¡®But Group 2 is fighting the enemies right now, Young Master.¡¯
¡®We¡¯re in a forest right now. Instead of announcing our arrival to everyone, it¡¯s better to sneak behind the attackers and strike them in surprise. If there aren¡¯t many enemies, we can end this within a few seconds.¡¯
As the two covertly travelled between the trees and approached the source of the noises, they could finally check on the cadets of Group 2.
They were in the middle ofbat in the center of the forest. None of them had received fatal wounds such as amputations, but everyone had minor injuries such as small cuts around their bodies.
¡®Scott, Kiko, Zhushen¡ Where¡¯s Mesa?¡¯
He could only see three cadets.
(T/N & PR/N: #JusticeForTaimont!)
The masked enemies numbered two. Seeing their movements, Jin came to the conclusion that they were indeed 4-star warriors.
¡®We¡¯ll strike them from behind simultaneously at my signal. I¡¯ll take the left, you take the right¡ Wait, no. Do you have a dagger with you?¡¯
Bellop took out a dagger stored in his chest strap.
¡®Close your eyes.¡¯
Why was Jin telling him to close his eyes in a situation like this?
Bellop wasn¡¯t the type of person to ask himself such questions. If the Young Master ordered him to close his eyes, he would close his eyes. Once Bellop did so, Jin covered the dagger in spiritual energy.
Spiritual power could enhance the cutting and destructive power of a weapon like aura.
However, it had one more effect. When a weapon is covered in spiritual energy, the object¡¯s existence and presence thins out. Therefore, it could greatly increase the chances of sess of a surprise attack, especially if one urately threw the dagger without making a sound.
¡®Listen carefully, Bellop. As soon as I¡¯m done talking, wait for two more seconds and go attack the enemy on the left.¡¯
Swoosh!
As soon as he finished whispering, Jin threw the darkened dagger. The de cut the wind as it zoomed across the forest, and lodged itself in the back of the rightmost enemy¡¯s head.
¡°Urgh.¡±
The attacker that was swinging his sword around immediately stopped moving. But before his ally on the left could even turn his head to check on him, Bellop ran up to him from behind and swung his sword down the surviving enemy¡¯s back.
The assant quickly noticed the attack and turned around to parry Bellop¡¯s sword, but had his Achilles tendon cut by Jin¡¯s follow-up surprise attack.
¡°Argh!¡±
Thud! Thump!
Jin didn¡¯t reap the attacker¡¯s life immediately, and striked the back of his head and his temple with the pommel of his sword. And as the enemy fell to the ground half-unconscious, Jin pressed his knee onto his nape andpletely suppressed him.
¡°Young Master!¡±
The Group 2 cadets ran up to Jin. Their faces were painted with relief and hope for their survival, but was soon followed by the despair of having ruined the young master¡¯s very first mission.
¡°Is everyone alright? Do you know who sent this bastard?¡±
Jin mmed his fist down on the attacker¡¯s calf as he kept groaning and wheezing. He also put more strength in his knee to dunk the assant¡¯s head in the mud.
¡°We¡¯re okay. But Mesa was¡ captured by them.¡±
¡°We have failed you, Young Master.¡±
Sigh.
Jin exhaled deeply and grabbed the surviving assant by the hair and removed his mask. It was the face of a 30-something-year-old man he had never seen before.
¡°The ones who¡¯ve failed are him and his boss. You guys take care of your injuries for now. Scott seems to have been wounded the most.¡±
¡°S-Spare me¡¡±
¡°You want me to spare you?¡±
Jin couldn¡¯t help but let out a sarcastic chuckle at the assant¡¯s words.
¡®Doesn¡¯t seem to be a Zipfel follower since he cares for his life.¡¯
¡®Spare me¡¯ aren¡¯t the first words a bold and reckless person would say after daring to attack Runcandel cadets.
¡°You should¡¯ve said that before attacking my subordinates. You have two choices right now. Either you tell us your affiliation and why you attacked us along with where your headquarters are, and we¡¯ll kill you¡ªand only you¡ªpainlessly.¡±
Smack, smack.
Jin spoke as he pped the assant¡¯s cheeks from side to side.
¡°Or you keep your mouth shut, and the Runcandel n will kill anyone and everyone rted to you in the most painful manner that exists. Choose wisely.¡±
The attacker¡¯s eyes trembled as he listened to Jin¡¯s cold voice.
¡°You don¡¯t have a lot of time to think. Make a choice already.¡±
¡°Will¡ Will you really kill¡ only me if I talk? I know that¡ the revenge of the Runcandels¡ is never this merciful¡¡±
¡°That¡¯s usually the case. But I am someone who keeps my promises. My name is Jin Runcandel. If you talk, your family and friends won¡¯t be put in harm¡¯s way. I put my honor and the n¡¯s honor on the line.¡±
The attacker turned his gaze to observe the cadets. They simply stood quietly and nodded.
¡°I will talk.¡±
¡°A wise choice.¡±
¡°I am from a revolutionary group called ¡®Kinzelo¡¯.¡±
Kinzelo.
As soon as he heard the name, Jin remembered an incident which created an uproar and shook the Zhan Kingdom in his first life. It was therge-scale terror attackmitted by the self-proimed ¡®revolutionary group¡¯ Kinzelo.
Kinzelo was differentpared to the radical followers of the Zipfel n.
The Zipfel followers only targeted the Runcandels when performing terror attacks, but Kinzelo¡¯s area of activity was all around the world. They were crazy lunatics who believed that their king had to be the king of the world in order for their ¡®revolution¡¯ to beplete.
¡®Kinzelo had ties with the beastmen and caused so much chaos. They became famous for assassinating the King of Zhan and massacring so many civilians.¡¯
However, Jin didn¡¯t know what happened to Kinzelo afterwards. He only knew that they were still active and thriving around the time he died.
¡°A revolutionary group¡ I see now. You nned on attacking Runcandel cadets, causing disorder in the Zhan Kingdom, right?¡±
¡°I¡¯m only a low-ranked member, so I don¡¯t know that much. I also don¡¯t know the location of our headquarters, but the branch I was part of is located at the entrance of the beastmen¡¯s territory. There are around 20 members in that branch.¡±
¡°I see. I¡¯ll ask onest question. Why did you capture Mesa?¡±
The attacker shook his head and sighed.
¡°For propaganda. Apparently, the superiors ordered us to capture the female cadets alive if possible in order to use them for propaganda and publicity for the revolution¡¡±
¡°What a foul story.¡±
rrt!
Jin pulled Bradamante out of its scabbard, and the attacker closed his eyes.
Thud.
¡°With this, I have kept my promise.¡±
A head fell to the ground, and Jin swung his sword onest time to remove the blood on his de.
¡®The situation is dire. We don¡¯t have time to ask for reinforcements from the n. I¡¯ll have to go on my own.¡¯
Chapter 25: Jin, the Cadets, the Beastman, and… (3)
Chapter 25: Jin, the Cadets, the Beastman, and¡ (3)
Jin couldn¡¯t have predicted that they were dealing with the terrorist group from his past life¡ªa group he had only heard about from rumors. Moreover, they weren¡¯t satisfied with just attacking the Runcandel cadets. They also nned on kidnapping the girls.
¡°How long has it been since Mesa was captured?¡±
¡°It hasn¡¯t been an hour yet.¡±
¡°Then they must still be on their way to the beastmen¡¯s territory¡¯s entrance.¡±
Jin approached the dead body with the dagger in the head and pulled it out. He then received two more daggers from the cadets and stored them in his boots and inside his robe.
¡°We will also prepare to pursue them, Young Master.¡±
¡°No, I¡¯ll go rescue Mesa on my own. You stay here and finish treating your wounds. Once you¡¯re done, reunite with Group 1 and request for assistance from the n.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
The cadets all showed surprised expressions.
¡°The attackers we faced were all about 4-star warriors. How could we send you alone when there are twenty of them?!¡±
¡°You mustn¡¯t, Young Master. Please take us with you.¡±
¡°Rescuing Mesa is important, but your safety is our utmost priority, Young Master. In fact, it¡¯s far too dangerous for you to pursue them. Let¡¯s return and ask for reinforcements from the n together¡¡±
The cadets all raised their voices in disapproval.
ording to the now-dead assant, there were a total of twenty members in their branch.
The cadets were right. Chasing them to rescue Mesa was foolhardy. Especially if he were to go alone.
¡°And he might¡¯ve been lying when he said there were twenty of them. If we all die¡ªincluding you, Young Master¡ªthe promise you made with him would be voided. Please make a careful judgement.¡±
¡°Mesa is arade we all care about, but deaths happen regrly on missions. And if we immediately ask for reinforcements from the n, she could be safely rescued¡¡±
¡°Scott.¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master.¡±
¡°As you say, deaths happen regrly on missions. But how can a legitimate Runcandel child sit by and not do anything when a cadet was captured?¡±
Jin calmly looked around, making eye contact with each cadet.
¡°I am stronger than you all think I am. So stand up straight and follow my orders. Any other objections will be considered insubordination.¡±
The cadets all erased their distressed expressions. They couldn¡¯t say anything else due to Jin¡¯s powerful tone and gaze.
¡°I await with impatience for all of you to grow stronger so that we can fight side by side in the future. I will get going now. Oh, and Bellop.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Since everyone from Group 2 has been wounded, you are the strongest person after me now. Do you understand? You mustn¡¯t hesitate anymore.¡±
¡°I shall bear that in mind.¡±
Now that all was said, Jin sprinted away as time was of the utmost importance.
All the cadets bowed in his direction until he was out of view.
***
Currently, Jin has reached 3-star spiritual release, 3-star swordsmanship and 4-star mana.
Nobody would believe it if someone said these were the abilities and strengths of a 15-year-old boy. However, it was still reckless to face twenty 4-star warriors simultaneously with these abilities.
Furthermore, if the low-rankedckeys were 4-star warriors, it was likely that the superiors were 5-star or stronger.
However, Jin was confident enough to go face them all alone, as the enemies weren¡¯t aware of his ¡®spiritual power¡¯ and ¡®magic¡¯.
Moreover, although his swordsmanship was 3-star only, he had gained the knowledge of the secret tomes of countless martial ns. His chances of winning were not that low.
¡®I won¡¯t have to fight against twenty opponents at the same time. They¡¯ve all scattered around, looking for the cadets, so I just need to deal with one small group at a time while searching for Mesa.¡¯
Jin judged that there was enough distance between him and the cadets as he came to a halt.
As he calmed his breath, Jin created a ball of mana on his right palm. He nned on using mana to search for the enemies.
¡®Seismic Sense.¡¯
Seismic Sense was a 3-star earth magic spell. As its name implies, it is a spell that senses the state of the ground, and is often used to detect earthquakes or other natural disasters.
In other words, it wasn¡¯t the appropriate spell to use to track down enemies.
However, depending on its application and links, magic has an infinite amount of possibilities and usages. Be that as it may, ordinary magicians require cooperation with another when trying to make use of the application and link tricks.
Whoosh!
As the ball of mana on Jin¡¯s right hand gradually permeated the ground, Jin created a second ball of mana on his left hand. This one was partially transparent as it was of the wind attribute.
Multicasting.
This was a skill that most magicians around the world could only dream of mastering. Without an aptitude for it, even 7-star magicians are unable to use this crucial skill.
Jin could use multicasting since his past life, as soon as he became his magic teacher¡¯s pupil.
¡®Wind Pursuit.¡¯
As he finished casting the second spell, wind began to gather around the transparent mana. After the wind blew around Jin for a few seconds, it detected the slight reaction from Seismic Sense and began flowing in that direction.
The wind was following the information given to it by Seismic Sense.
¡®I¡¯m lucky they¡¯re moving in the grasnds. If they were in the woods, it would¡¯ve been hard to track them even with these two spells.¡¯
If the members of Kinzelo had gone through the forest, the trees and lifeforms in there would¡¯ve disturbed the detection, making it nigh-impossible to find them.
Jin cancelled his magic.
Multicasting consumed an extreme amount of mana, and if there was a magician amongst the enemies, they could find out that they were being pursued.
¡®They haven¡¯t gone very far.¡¯
After running for around an hour, Jin could finally see physical traces of the terrorists around him, such as footprints or ttened grass.
As he was about to start running again, Jin flinched and immediately stopped all movements.
When he checked the footprints again, the number of pairs had gone down.
Thwish!
An arrow came flying at him through the high grass. Jin effortlessly avoided it and aimed his sword in the direction it hade from.
There was a ditch.
The attackers had expected the cadets to follow them, and had dug a hole in advance.
¡°As I thought, a Runcandel cadet! Your movements are good. I can see why Chaph had such a hard time earlier.¡±
¡°The kid dodged the arrow, rk. Give me a gold coin!¡±
Three men wearing masks came out of the burrow and giggled amongst themselves.
It seemed they had made a bet when they saw Jin: whether he would be able to avoid the surprise attack or not.
The man they called rk took out a gold coin and tossed it.
¡°You made money thanks to that fucking brat. Good for you.¡±
The winner of the bet caught the coin and smirked as he took out his sword. Jin was still silently observing his opponents.
They wereposed of one magician and two warriors.
¡®Their aura and mana aren¡¯t that strong. They must all be around the 4-star stage.¡¯
While Jin carefully judged his enemies¡¯ strengths, the people in question thought the boy was frozen in fear.
¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, kid. I don¡¯t have a habit of torturing people to death on purpose. We¡¯ll end this asap.¡±
¡°But why is he alone? Where are all the other brats?¡±
¡°They must¡¯ve all been killed by Chaph and Greg, kekek.¡±
¡°About this Chaph and Greg, does one have a scar on his left cheek and is the other bald?¡±
When Jin spoke up for the first time, two of the men burst out inughter.
¡°Bwahaha, scar on his cheek, bald!!¡±
¡°It¡¯s gonna be hrious when we tell them about this, hahaha!¡±
However, one of them wasn¡¯tughing. The magician.
¡°You, how do you know about Chaph and Greg¡¯s appearances?¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I took off their masks to check after killing them. They were fighting against my subordinates, you know?¡±
The glee in their eyes immediately disappeared. Jin was still holding his sword casually with an indifferent expression.
¡°Stop bluffing. Those two are 4-star knights. They¡¯re not people some Runcandel beginner ss cadets can defea¡ª¡±
¡°Do you guys actually call assholes who gang up on kids ¡®knights¡¯ in Kinzelo? Your group seems vastly differentpared to the Runcandel n.¡±
¡°rk, Mills. Check our surroundings. It seems there weren¡¯t just children on this mission. This brat isn¡¯t a cadet. There must be a guardian knight somewhere!¡±
The men didn¡¯t seem to think that Jin could¡¯ve killed Chaph and Greg. Even if he was a pure-blooded Runcandel, they couldn¡¯t imagine that a child who had yet to fully develop had killed two 4-star knights.
Thus, the three of them immediately steeled themselves. Death could arrive at any moment for them. Before joining Kinzelo, they were either mercenaries or knights. And during those days, they had heard plenty about the strength of Runcandel guardian knights.
Pfft hahaha¡
Jin let out a chuckle.
¡°Even though you guys fear the Runcandels, you didn¡¯t think twice about attacking our cadets? There are no guardian knights here. I came alone.¡±
¡°Bullshit!¡±
¡°If I had a guardian knight with me, you guys wouldn¡¯t have been able to chat leisurely like this. And if I had one with me, where could they be hiding in these ins? Also, there¡¯s no way our knights would need to hide in front of three baboons like you.¡±
The nervous men controlled their breaths as they observed their surroundings. Jin¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong. There was nowhere to hide in this open area.
And so, the men returned to their threatening and arrogant attitude.
They were embarrassed and felt humiliated for being afraid of a kid like Jin¡ªa brat who seemed 20 years younger than them.
¡°You really came alone¡ I thought you were an arrogant kid who trusted his n¡¯s knights, but you¡¯re just an ignorant brat who doesn¡¯t know when to fear for his life.¡±
¡°You think so? It would¡¯ve been better for you guys¡¡±
Before letting Jin finish, rk dashed to him and swung his sword at the boy¡¯s neck.
¡°If I were merely an arrogant kid who trusted his n¡¯s knights.¡±
¡°Dieeee¡ªurgh!¡±
rk suddenly fell t on his face with a groan even though he was just about to kill Jin. One of his legs had been cleanly sliced off without warning.
¡®Good thing I bought time.¡¯
The cause of rk¡¯s amputation was a spell called ¡®Wind de¡¯. It was one of the hardest spells to use amongst the 4-star wind magic spells.
Jin had secretly prepared the spell while chatting with them.
¡°rk! What kind of Runcandel uses magic¡?!¡±
The magician began to cast a spell to counterattack while Mills sprinted towards Jin in a fury as he wielded his sword.
¡°You bastard!¡±
ng!
Jin took a stance as he parried Mill¡¯s downward swing. The aura-covered attack felt heavy to Jin due to his immature body.
Nevertheless, a single 4-star knight was no problem for him.
As Jin pivoted and aimed for Mill¡¯s nk with his sword, the magician yelled.
¡°Mills, fall back!¡±
Fwoosh!
A huge me had formed on the magician¡¯s palm. He thenunched his spell, swinging his arm, and the me streaked towards the boy like a rope.
A 4-star fire spell, me Whip. It was the strongest spell the Kinzelo magician could cast right now.
Jin didn¡¯t avoid the attack and received it with his body. The corner of the magician¡¯s lips rose as he saw his spell hit. Jin then used the fact that his body was hidden by the mes to stab Mills in the neck with Bradamante.
Slrrt¡!
With a de in his neck, Mills couldn¡¯t even cry out in pain and fell into death¡¯s embrace. The magician stepped back in shock as he couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. The final member, rk, was still on the floor, crying in pain as he held his stump of a leg.
Jin grabbed the me Whip clinging to his robe with his hand and extinguished it. Sparks scattered around as the mana in the spell disappeared in the wind like ashes.
As he had fully absorbed the Phoenix Heart, all fire spells of 6-star or lower rank couldn¡¯t inflict damage on Jin anymore.
¡°sted!¡±
The magician began casting a new spell when he realized Jin had high resistance against fire magic. Icicle Shot. The same spell that had attacked Jin¡¯s carriage on his way to the Garden of Swords.
¡°Don¡¯t approach me!¡±
The Icicle Shot flew towards Jin, but this time, it broke apart and fell to the ground before even reaching him.
Beast King Orgal¡¯s Pendant. The artifact¡¯s mana had protected Jin. Prating the pendant¡¯s mana with spells of 5-star or lower was going to be difficult for the magician.
¡°H-How¡! Uwack!¡±
Bradamante drew a parab as it shed the magician in the waist. When Jin twisted the de inside the man¡¯s body, the trembling magician bit the dust.
¡°I have a nice sister, that¡¯s how.¡±
After finishing off rk who was going into shock, Jin began running across the grasnds again.
Obviously, he made sure to disguise rk¡¯s injury as a sword cut instead of a magic attack before leaving.
Chapter 26: Jin, the Cadets, the Beastman, and… (4)
Chapter 26: Jin, the Cadets, the Beastman, and¡ (4)
¡®They weren¡¯t lying in ambush for long. The ones who captured Mesa aren¡¯t far from here.¡¯
Jin¡¯s entire body was soaking in sweat as he ran across the ins.
Since yesterday morning to now, he had been awake for over 24 hours searching for clues and pursuing the enemies. And since he had also engaged them inbat, his stamina was starting to reach its limits.
In fact, the use of Multicasting and ¡®Wind de¡¯ were the decisive factors behind his stamina¡¯s depletion.
There were still 15 enemies left.
In the worst case scenario, he would have to face them all simultaneously, but if he is lucky, he would face them in small groups of two or three.
¡®Having a child¡¯s body is such a pain. I¡¯m still too young. If I had my past life¡¯sbat abilities, I could¡¯ve easily decimated those morons from earlier without having to strategize everything.¡¯
During his chase, Jin realized that the attackers from Kinzelo were all shabby and unskilled.
They were all ex-mercenaries or knights, but it bugged Jin how they didn¡¯t even bother erasing their tracks while moving.
¡®It¡¯s probably because they¡¯re underestimating us.¡¯
Jin was on point. Kinzelo was looking down on the Runcandel cadets. While the cadets were part of the Runcandel n, they were all rookies who had yet to experience a real battlefield in their lives.
Kinzelo¡¯sck of caution was also evident in how they only left behind two members to finish off Group 2 after they captured Mesa. They had also ced just one magician and two warriors in that ditch to deal with potential survivors and pursuers.
¡®Keep underestimating us. I¡¯ll make sure you regret itter, though.¡¯
Jin¡¯s greatest weapon right now was the fact that they were underestimating him. That was why he wasn¡¯t afraid of facing them all in battle despite his low stamina.
He ran for another hour. This time, he was keeping an eye out for ambushes, but the footprints remained unchanged.
In fact, he could now see the wheel tracks of a carriage in addition. Jin stopped for a moment in order to inspect those tracks.
¡®The ones who captured Mesa reunited with another group here. They probably locked her in the carriage.¡¯
Now that a carriage was involved, it would be much easier for Jin to catch up to them. The ground was uneven due to the sleet from the previous night, so they wouldn¡¯t be able to advance quickly.
As he followed the wheel tracks for a while, Jin came across an unknown path that continued into a forest.
It was a road that led to the beastmen¡¯s territory.
After recollecting himself and his breath, Jin entered the forest. The wheel tracks continued along the unique path into the depth of the trees.
¡®Well then, how should I n it out?¡¯
Jin was in the middle of the Cadet Rescue Operation. An unexpected situation had arisen during their mission, so his current operation had changed from scouting to rescuing. The search mission for the tycoon¡¯s missing son wasn¡¯t the priority anymore.
In that case, what was the most important aspect of a rescue mission?
The answer was obvious: the protection and safety of the target.
¡®Killing all my enemies isn¡¯t the priority. I need to make sure Mesa doesn¡¯t get hurt.¡¯
Currently, three hours have passed since Mesa¡¯s kidnapping.
Three hours. Too much time had passed. The dishonorable and immoral kidnappers could¡¯ve started using Mesa as a ything during this timespan.
However, Jin still believed that Mesa was safe. If they were humiliating Mesa, Jin would¡¯ve caught up to them already.
The only information about Kinzelo Jin had was from the newspapers in his past life.
They were a criminal armed group of radicals, who followed a strict hierarchy on the inside. That was how Jin viewed Kinzelo.
A strict hierarchy.
That was the aspect Jin was focusing on. It was highly likely that Kinzelo¡¯s members enjoyed their ¡®spoils of war¡¯ in an order of privilege amongst them, and hence Jin believed Mesa was still safe.
¡®I should reach their branch headquarters soon if I continue along this path. And it hasn¡¯t been long since Mesa and her kidnappers arrived there.¡¯
About thirty minutes ago? One hour?
It was probably something between that. The kidnappers were most likely handing Mesa over to their superiors right now.
Therefore, this was thest chance he could rescue Mesa safely. Every minute, every second was crucial now. Thus, he had to attack them head-on in order to save time.
However, if he did such a frontal assault at their branch headquarters, several problems would arise.
If all the surviving members of the group were gathered there, Jin would have to face dozens of enemies on his own. And even if he could kill them all, they would probably use Mesa as a hostage.
After thinking for a few seconds, Jin nodded to himself.
¡®First, I need to create confusion and chaos amongst them, so that they wouldn¡¯t even think of using Mesa. Fortunately, we¡¯re inside a forest right now.¡¯
Two balls of crimson mana formed on Jin¡¯s hands. They were the same spell the enemy magician had used earlier: the 4-star fire spell, me Whip.
¡®Good thing I reached 4-star in magic before this mission. It would¡¯ve been difficult to burn down a damp forest with just the firepower of a 3-star magician.¡¯
Fwoosh!
Jin swung his two me Whips in all four directions. The spell has decent firepower, but its real advantage is that once it hits a target, it doesn¡¯t get detached so easily from it.
In other words, there was no better spell than this to burn down a drenched forest. Jin cast the same spells over and over again.
Magical arson was a serious felony in this world.
However, such restrictions didn¡¯t matter to Jin Runcandel. Once the area was aze, Jin then conjured wind mana.
¡®Wind Wave.¡¯
Another 4-star spell. Once he finished casting it, a blueish wind filled with mana began blowing the ze forward. Just like the name implied, it was a spell that created a huge gust of wind that undted forward like a wave.
The ze encroached onto the forest. Initially, it was unable to burn the damp trees, but once the mes grewrge enough, it began swallowing everything in its path, wet or not.
And so, Jin advanced through the forest as he burned it down. He concealed his body behind the mes, taking advantage of his resistance provided by the Phoenix Heart.
His mana had greatly diminished due to blindly casting 4-star spells, but his n was extremely sessful.
Now, he could see a building in the distance. It was Kinzelo¡¯s branch headquarters. People were exiting the building in panic one by one.
¡°Fire! The forest is burning!¡±
¡°Report to the captain! And gather the magicians!¡±
¡°Water! We need water!¡±
¡°Why is there a fire¡?!¡±
Kinzelo¡¯s members were running around chaotically. As the fire hadn¡¯t reached the headquarters yet, they nned on extinguishing it beforehand.
¡®I don¡¯t know who their leader is, but he¡¯s probably not crazy enough to enjoy the spoils of war during a forest fire.¡¯
Now, he just had to kill them one by one and rescue Mesa. Jin removed the two daggers in his boots and covered them in spiritual energy.
In the meantime, Kinzelo had no idea someone was aiming for their lives. People usually can¡¯t think rationally while in a state of panic during a sudden disaster.
If there were a single cool-headed individual amongst them, they would¡¯ve realized this forest fire was created artificially.
However, the warriors were hastily pouring water on the fire, whereas the magicians were busy casting water or ice spells.
Jin easily managed to get near them as he was hidden amongst the mes.
Swoosh!
A shadowy dagger flew and stabbed a magician in the neck. The victim let out a yelp, but it was camouged by the sound of crackling branches and the panicked shouts of the others.
¡®That¡¯s one down.¡¯
Jin threw the corpse into the ze and set his eyes on his next prey: an out-of-breath warrior holding buckets of water. He perished the same way as the magician.
Detecting the dark de flying through the mes was difficult for mere 4-star warriors.
Jin retrieved one of the daggers he threw. Including the one in his robe, he still had two remaining.
¡®It would be so satisfying if I killed them all like this, but even these morons would notice something if people keep disappearing like this.¡¯
Jin lowered himself and observed the situation amongst the enemies. A man who appeared higher-ranked than the others seemed to have noticed something. He began leading the others and giving out orders.
¡®I should kill him first.¡¯
As the man yelled something that was inaudible to Jin, the men around him all took out their weapons. They then scattered around the building.
¡®He had two magicians and warriors stay to put out the fire and had the others stay on alert around the building. Not a bad decision.¡¯
Well, it would¡¯ve been a great decision if Jin weren¡¯t within the fire.
Jin flew towards themander¡ªwho was left alone¡ªlike a whistling arrow. He hadn¡¯t removed Bradamante from its scabbard yet on purpose. The metallic sound and Bradamante¡¯s white de would¡¯ve ruined his surprise attack.
Streak!
As Jin suddenly appeared from within the fire, themander swung his sword around in shock and panic. The boy bent down to avoid the de, but he couldn¡¯t dodge the kick that followed.
Bam!
As Jin rolled on the ground, the man continued his flurry of attacks.
¡°You rat! So you¡¯re the one who set the forest on fire!¡±
Stab! sh!
The man kept aiming for the boy on the ground, and Jin rolled his body to avoid the attacks without a moment to rest. The man then threw his sword away and jumped onto Jin, seizing him.
¡°You fucking brat! I¡¯ll definitely kill y¡ª¡±
But Jin had allowed himself to get captured on purpose. He had also initiated this hand-to-hand fight on purpose by leaving Bradamante sheathed.
Despite the man¡¯s entire body weight pushing down on Jin¡¯s body, he wriggled around like a flexible snake. Before the man could realize what was happening, Jin had already snapped his neck after deforming his body into an unnatural position.
Crack!
With the sound of the neck bones snapping, the man flopped onto the ground as saliva dripped out of his mouth.
¡®It was my first time using the Meyer-style martial arts. Fuck, it hurts.¡¯
Jin could only deform his body beyond its limits to kill the man thanks to the Meyer n¡¯s martial arts.
He dislocated his own shoulder in mere instants and passed his legs in between their bodies to twist the enemy¡¯s neck. It was one of the techniques written in the Meyer n¡¯s secret tomes: the ¡®Revenant¡¯s Assassination¡¯.
He had killed the man who appeared to be the leader.
All he had to do now was deal with the underlings who were mindlessly running around the ze and the morons who were nervously guarding the building¡¯s surroundings.
After fixing his shoulder, Jin set his gaze on Kinzelo¡¯s branch headquarters. The old stone building was slightly smaller than the residence of middle-ss nobles. Jin spected that there weren¡¯t many enemies left inside.
¡®He also had all the keys.¡¯
After going through the leader-like man¡¯s corpse, Jin found a keyring and some gold coins. He threw the body and the coins into the fire and approached the building¡¯s front gate.
Creaaaak¡
As he opened the rusty iron door, the first thing he saw were candles. And on the walls were bizarre drawings he couldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind. They were Kinzelo¡¯s symbols.
¡®What an unpleasant bunch of people.¡¯
He stuck to the wall and walked down the corridor. Not long after, Jin realized that he couldn¡¯t sense anyone in the area. At the very least, there wasn¡¯t anyone on his floor.
And after using the keys to open every room he came across, there was a single key left untouched.
¡®Is it a key that leads to the basement?¡¯
As the building¡¯s structure was fairly simple, Jin quickly found the entrance to the basement.
The remaining key fit perfectly inside the keyhole. Once he descended the stairs, he saw Mesa chained to the wall.
¡°Mesa.¡±
As soon as he saw her, Jin felt relieved.
She hadn¡¯t experienced anything concerning yet. She was still wearing the cadets¡¯ uniform. However, her face was bruised all over from being seemingly beaten.
ng! ng!
Jin imbued aura into Bradamante and cut the chains tying her against the wall.
¡°It¡¯s¡ dangerous, Young Master¡ Why are you¡¡±
When he heard the very first words she spoke to him, Jin couldn¡¯t help but clench his fist and grind his teeth.
¡°This isn¡¯t the moment to worry about me, Mesa Milkano. Can you walk?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think I can run.¡±
¡°I see. For now I¡¯ll support you, so let¡¯s¡ª¡±
Booooooom!
The two of them flinched and raised their heads. With that sudden explosive sound, the entire building began trembling.
Chapter 27: Jin, the Cadets, the Beastman, and… (5)
Chapter 27: Jin, the Cadets, the Beastman, and¡ (5)
¡®Shit, what¡¯s going on now?¡¯
After propping one of Mesa¡¯s arms over his shoulders, Jin was about to get up.
Boom! Boom!
But due to the sudden explosions, they had to stay crouching. The Kinzelo branch headquarters shook as if it were about to copse on itself.
An earthquake?
Or did someone upstairs identally blow up some explosives?
Jin stared at the ceiling and sharpened his senses. He had a bad feeling, but kept hisposure.
¡°Young Master, please escape first!¡±
¡°Silence, Mesa.¡±
¡°Please promise me one thing.¡±
Mesa spoke as she stared directly into Jin¡¯s eyes.
¡°If we¡¯re confronted with a life-threatening situation, you must abandon me. You cannoty down your life here.¡±
Jin nodded silently.
But that didn¡¯t mean he agreed with Mesa. If he actually agreed with her, he wouldn¡¯t havee to rescue her on his own in the first ce. However, he judged that pretending to agree with her was the best way to calm her down in this situation.
¡°We need to figure out what¡¯s happening up there first.¡±
¡°Could it be magicians attacking the building? It feels like it¡¯ll copse at any moment.¡±
¡°The magicians here don¡¯t have this much power.¡±
The reverberations and explosions continued throughout their conversation.
¡°We¡¯re going up. Unfortunately, I won¡¯t be able to support you. Concentrate and stay right behind me.¡±
The two of them sneaked up the stairs.
The impacts were happening on the outside, but the walls inside the building already had fissures and cracks all over them. The murals with Kinzelo¡¯s symbols were destroyed as pieces fell to the floor.
However, oddly enough, despite the critical situation on the inside, not a single member of Kinzelo had entered to check up on the building.
¡®They¡¯re either still outside trying to figure out what¡¯s happening, or they¡¯re already dead.¡¯
Jin exited the headquarters apanied by Mesa. Once they were outside, he finally understood what was going on.
It was thetter. When he opened the iron gates, he was greeted by the corpses of the Kinzelo members. They appeared to have been shed byrge ws, as their bodies were covered in scratches andcerations.
¡®They were killed while trying to return to the building. And this¡ is the work of beastmen.¡¯
They ended up encountering the one group of foes he wanted to see the least. Jin felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
The outside was synonymous to hell.
The ze Jin had caused had already reached the building, and the small paths that weren¡¯t burning between the mes were covered in corpses in hideous states.
¡°Mesa.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°It¡¯s the beastmen. Looking at the corpses, it¡¯s a tribe that fights with their ws. Shush, don¡¯t say anything. Follow that path and keep walking. I¡¯m sure you can avoid the mes yours¡ªshit.¡±
Having stopped midway through his sentence, Jin unsheathed Bradamante and raised it. Something was slowly walking out of the inferno not too far from them.
His fur was far too white to belong to someone who had just stepped out of the fire behind them. A height that exceeded two meters and eyes that shone blue.
The White Wolf Tribe.
Their opponent held an enormous hammer in his right hand, and that weapon was the cause of the tremors so far that shook the entire building.
With his herculean strength¡ªa characteristic that belonged to their tribe specializing inbat¡ªhe had smashed the hammer around the building the entire time, as if to get some cornered mice to reveal themselves.
¡°Huh? I was wondering who subdued these pieces of shit, but it¡¯s just a kid?¡±
Their opponent stopped on his tracks and began swinging his hammer. Meanwhile, Mesa was struck with fear. Not because of her impending death, but because of the Young Master¡¯s.
¡°¡Young Master, it¡¯s the White Wolf Tribe. I will buy you some time. Please keep your promise.¡±
Haaah.
Jin exhaled deeply. He then turned around and karate-chopped Mesa in the back of the neck. Her trembling body flopped as she fell unconscious before she could say anything else.
The beastman shrugged and grinned as if they found the situation amusing.
¡°Geez, what a tearful scene. Such a shame I¡¯m the only one here to see it. Is this¡ y¡¯know, that thing you humans talk about. That thing, um¡ Ah, right! Love! Are you two lovers? Hm?¡±
He spoke like some crude, backstreet gangster, but the White Wolf tribe couldn¡¯t bepared to such weaklings.
Whenpared to a knight, White Wolf beastmen were at least 6-star. And that was for your average adult beastman. In other words, they were a race born and raised solely forbat.
Therefore, if Jin faced him in battle right now, his chances of survival were close to zero.
¡°I am Jin Runcandel, legitimate son of Cyron Runcandel. Reveal your name, beastman.¡±
¡°Runcandel¡?¡±
The smile on the beastman¡¯s face vanished. In these situations, there are only two reasons why an individual¡¯s smile disappears after hearing the Runcandel name.
Either they fear the Runcandels¡
¡°Looks like among the prey I¡¯ve killed so far in life, today¡¯s prey takes the win as the most pricey one¡ Come to think of it, your robes do have the ck Sword on it. My name is Quazito Truka, warrior of the Truka Tribe.¡±
Or they loathe the Runcandels.
And the White Wolf beastmen¡¯s case is thetter. Back in the day, it was the Runcandel n¡¯s first patriarch who killed ¡®Javier¡¯, a White Wolf beastman the tribe worshipped as a god.
¡°Today I will offer you to Javier at the altar to soothe his grudge and sorrows! Jin Runcandel! Make a choice. Will you have an honorable duel with me, or will you attempt to run away like a coward before being torn to thousands of pieces?¡±
Jin imbued aura into his sword.
¡°I shall have an honorable duel.¡±
Jin made that decision after taking the White Wolf beastmen¡¯s characteristics into ount.
Generally, they considered humans as mere preys or toys they could mess around with. They never showed honor or dignity, and cruelly killed their prey.
However, there are specific situations in which they put their honor on the line to battle the enemy. It happens when they consider their enemy to be strong enough, or when they¡¯re a Runcandel.
In these cases, they attempt to have an honorable duel with their opponent. They will put aside all underhanded methods and face their adversary with respect.
Since those who die through this duel don¡¯t experience ¡®unfairness or corruption¡¯, they can be offered to Javier at the altar.
¡°Quazito Truka, I would like to make a suggestion before the duel begins.¡±
¡°Speak, Little Runcandel.¡±
¡°During the duel, you cannot harm the unconscious human behind me.¡±
Quazito nodded in agreement.
¡°Alright. But if I win, thatss is mine to kill as well.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
Jin moved to the empty area in front of the building. By doing that, he walked past Quazito. Nevertheless, the beastman didn¡¯t attack the boy who had shown his back to him. It was due to the White Wolf tribe¡¯sws about honor and duels.
¡°This seems like a good ce. That way, you can keep your promise during the duel.¡±
¡°Good idea. It seems you¡¯re knowledgeable about ourws. But keep this in mind, Little Runcandel. If you take advantage of ourws to double-cross me¡¡±
¡°You¡¯ll tear me to pieces, whether or not that ¡®corrupts¡¯ me. I don¡¯t n on doing that.¡±
¡°Kuhaha! It seems there are some honorable humans even among the Runcandels.¡±
Jin smiled as he listened to the beastman¡¯s words.
This Quazito seemed to have met a Runcandel for the first time ever. If he had encountered one of Jin¡¯s siblings instead of himself, there was no way he would¡¯ve survived and talked for so long like this.
Jin and Quazito faced each other with around ten steps between them.
¡°Let¡¯s begin!¡±
Quazito lifted his hammer and took a stance. He nned on making the first move.
Swoosh!
Quazito darted forward as he wielded his hammer. He was unbelievably fast that no one would think his speed came from someone with over 200 kilograms of pure muscle mass.
Jin avoided the blow by stepping backwards with skilled footwork and thrusted Bradamante towards the beastman¡¯s chest.
However, a White Wolf beastman wasn¡¯t about to get injured from Jin¡¯s swordsmanship. Quazito adeptly changed his attack patterns as he overwhelmed the boy. Jin could only helplessly get pushed around by the giant enemy.
ng!
During these few seconds of exchange, their weapons only made contact once. But that single blow was enough to make Jin feel like his wrists were about to fall off.
No, it wasn¡¯t just his wrists. His entire body was stinging and in pain, from his head to the tip of his toes. Jin judged that he could only parry ten blows from this beast at most, before his body copsed.
¡®I¡¯ll only get one chance.¡¯
If he had no chances at winning at all, Jin would¡¯ve immediately broken Orgal¡¯s Pendant to summon Luna. And if his eldest sister were here, a weakling like Quazito wouldn¡¯t havested a single second against her.
But this crisis wasn¡¯t life-threatening enough that he¡¯d break the pendant.
Moreover, if he couldn¡¯t ovee a simple crisis like this, he wouldn¡¯t have the right or qualification to be the world¡¯s most powerful magic swordsman in the future. All the powerful and mighty individuals Jin knew overcame deadly crises in their lives and became symbols of strength.
In cases like this, having a weapon that the opponent wasn¡¯t aware of was always an advantage.
There were two crucial things Quazito didn¡¯t know about Jin. The fact that he could use both spiritual power and magic.
¡®I can¡¯t use magic, though.¡¯
Magic was out of the question. If he missed the opportunity and failed to kill Quazito, he would have to break the pendant to summon Luna.
If Luna noticed the traces of magic and Quazito bbed about it, Jin¡¯s life would take a turn for the worse.
Furthermore, 4-star magic spells wouldn¡¯t be strong enough to pierce through the White Wolf beastman¡¯s thick coat.
In other words, he only had one choice: spiritual power. And Jin had already made up his mind on how to use it to overpower his opponent.
¡®I¡¯ll awaken the sword.¡¯
Awakening Bradamante.
The exclusive function that was only avable to a contractor that controlled spiritual energy. The function Murakan told Jin not to dream of using until he reached 5-star in spiritual release.
The day Jin received the sword from Luna, he actually attempted to awaken Bradamante that evening.
When he awakened the sword, Jin felt a surge of power overflowing within and coiling around him. However, Murakan intervened and pummeled him, so Jin couldn¡¯tplete the awakening.
¡ªAre you trying to kill yourself, Jin Runcandel?! You¡¯re the unique contractor! If something happens to you¡!
That was the first time Jin saw Murakan get genuinely angry and furiously yell like that. In order to make up for that, Jin had to buy countless types of erotic magazines for the perverted dragon¡
And now, Jin was waiting for an opportunity to experience that surge of power again.
m!
Jin groaned loudly as he blocked a heavy blow from Quazito¡¯s hammer. Despite Bradamante¡¯s perfect shielding, the boy¡¯s body was nearing its breaking point.
¡°That¡¯s a good sword, Little Runcandel. It doesn¡¯t have a single nick even after receiving my hammer¡¯s attacks.¡±
¡°Thanks for thepliment.¡±
¡°But it doesn¡¯t match well with your symbol, the ck Sword. It¡¯s too white and dazzling.¡±
ng!
Another blow came at him. This time, Jin was sent flying all the way to the Kinzelo building¡¯s wall.
m!
Feeling the hard stone wall in his back, Jin felt like his skull and spine would shatter. But he somehow managed to hold onto his consciousness and stay awake.
Haaaa. Cough! Haaaa¡
As he panted while coughing up blood, Jin could see two Quazitos approaching him, his vision doubling due to the concussion.
¡°It¡¯s over now. I¡¯ll offer that sword along with you to Javier. That was a good duel.¡±
Quazito raised his hammer up high. If that boulder-esque weapon fell on Jin, he would perish without a doubt.
¡°Farewell!¡±
The moment he was about to deal the finishing blow, Quazito felt his vision suddenly go dark. It was only for an instant, but for some reason, he felt like several hours had gone by.
Quazito couldn¡¯t swing the hammer.
Time had stopped momentarily for him.
When he regained consciousness and looked down, his now-clear eyes saw a ck de impaling his body.
A ck de that seemed to have been dyed by the shadows within the darkness.
And on the other end of the sword was Jin, whose hair was swaying in the air like a zing fire being fueled by a warm wind.
¡°Just¡ when¡¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t know why a ck sword was the n¡¯s emblem either until recently.¡±
Quazito coughed and red blood sttered on the ground. But suddenly, Jin let out a horrible shriek.
Once he calmed down, he spoke in a voice that waspletely different than usual. A coarse, rough and unsettling voice.
¡°That was a good duel.¡±
Shhhhraaaaaaaa!
The dead Quazito¡¯s shadow. Mesa¡¯s shadow in the distance. The shadows of the burning trees.
They all flew towards Jin before getting absorbed by him.
The shadows moved as if they were avoiding the light and taking cover inside the boy.
Chapter 28: Class Advancement, Welcoming Ceremony (1)
Chapter 28: ss Advancement, Weing Ceremony (1)
Fortunately, Jin sessfully awakened Bradamante.
Unfortunately, as all the shadows in the area were sucked into him, Jin felt the searing pain of his body tearing into thousands of pieces.
His mouth was screaming on its own volition, and his limbs were subconsciously twisting around. Whether he opened or closed his eyes, he still saw the same muddled and dizzying darkness. Jin wondered whether this was going to be the end of him.
It was a miracle he hadn¡¯t fainted yet.
Jin realized this was the ¡®spiritual energy congestion¡¯ Murakan had warned him about.
When the boy first attempted to awaken Bradamante and Murakan became infuriated, the dragonter sat down and calmly exined the dangers of the sword.
When individuals with insufficient spiritual energy try to awaken the sword recklessly, they pay the price for it. If one experiences spiritual energy congestion, nine in ten people immediately perish.
It wasn¡¯t as if Jin had forgotten about the energy congestion when awakening Bradamante during the fight.
He simply didn¡¯t have any other solution to win and survive, other than Orgal¡¯s Pendant. But Jin didn¡¯t want to break it yet, as it could only be used once in his lifetime.
The sudden mission issued to the beginner ss cadets. The appearance of Kinzelo and a White Wolf beastman.
Jin believed that while Cyron hadn¡¯t predicted Mesa¡¯s kidnapping, his father had nned for this unexpected incident to ur to examine Jin¡¯s handling of the situation.
This mission wasn¡¯t to test the cadets. It¡¯s true objective was to evaluate Jin, and Jin only.
¡®If I had used the pendant to survive the life-threatening situation, Father would¡¯ve given me the worst possible score.¡¯
Jin¡¯s father, Cyron Runcandel, was an extremely cold-hearted person.
The patriarch was only showing interest in Jin because the boy was connected to Solderet and because of his prominent results and skills in ss.
However, if Jin disappointed his father a single time, Cyron would ruthlessly abandon all hopes and interests in his youngest son immediately.
In truth, Jin was hoping for that to happen. As long as Cyron¡¯s interest in him persisted, the boy would have a harder time to act covertly and train his magic. Jin didn¡¯t really hold any attachments towards the n and his reputation in the first ce.
However, today wasn¡¯t the right day to disappoint his father. Jin still had a lot to learn and receive from the Runcandel n.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGHHH!
Jin cried out in agony again as he bent his back on the wrong side. Each time a shadow got absorbed in his body, Jin thought that death wouldn¡¯t be a bad solution to escape this pain.
If there truly were punishments waiting for sinners in hell, would it feel like this?
The boy was experiencing the sensation of being burned alive as well as having his organs frozen at the same time.
¡®I can¡¯t lose consciousness. If I do, it¡¯s over for me. Stay focused¡!¡¯
He had never experienced such pain even in his first life. The suffering wasn¡¯t as bad as this back when his teacher struck lightning at him for several hours to make him understand the essence behind lightning magic.
Jin had no idea whether time was flowing or not. He wasn¡¯t sure whether a couple of minutes or several hours had passed since the agony began.
He couldn¡¯t resist this forever. Jin had to do something in order to ovee this crisis.
And the answer to this ¡®something¡¯ was obvious.
¡®Spiritual release.¡¯
The boy barely managed to sit cross-legged on the ground and began gathering the spiritual energy inside his body to one location.
Dark red blood poured out between his trembling lips, and his eyes hadpletely rolled back, unable to return to their original positions.
He constantly coughed and gasped for air. Jin could feel that he was walking on a thin line between life and death right now.
However, he couldn¡¯t control the violent and chaotic spiritual energy inside him merely with 3-star spiritual release, a stage he had just recently reached. Having started the spiritual release, Jin spat out a clot of dark blood and fell forward.
¡®Again, again¡ Again. Keep your cool.¡¯
A strong dizziness took over him as he began to hear auditory hallucinations.
Most of the hallucinations were rted to the events in Jin¡¯s past life. Stuff like ¡®You¡¯re the disgrace of the n¡¯ or ¡®A failure like you shouldn¡¯t have been born in our n¡¯. Those kinds of auditory hallucinations kept constantly bothering him.
However, such words and nder had no effect on the current Jin. Hepletely ignored what his ears were telling him, and concentrated on the spiritual energy inside him.
Hot energy on one side, cold energy on the other.
Jin instinctively separated the spiritual energy inside his body to the right and left ording to their properties, as if he were sorting out pebbles on the ground ording to their colours.
The violent pain rooted in his brain slowly started to dissipate.
His eyes rolled back to their normal positions and light returned to his vision. Jin¡¯s intuition was telling him that he was about to sessfully gain control over the spiritual energy congestion inside him. As the agony diminished, Jin slowly inspected his surroundings.
The shadows Jin had absorbed had returned to their original positions. However, unlike what Murakan had shown him in the Storm Castle¡¯s underground chamber, the objects that had their shadows stolen from them didn¡¯t get damaged or broken.
The more the pain disappeared, the better Jin could think with a clear mind. Soon enough, Jin fully separated the two types of spiritual energy remaining inside him.
His surroundings regained their original colours. The ze died down under the influence of the spiritual energy, and the burnt forest smelled of ashes.
¡°Phew.¡±
As he exhaled deeply, the disciplined spiritual energy came to a standstill.
The energy no longer harmed Jin in any way.
¡®Did it work? The pain disappeared unnaturally quickly that it¡¯s making me nervous now.¡¯
Jin stood up and started stretching his body. He felt nothing out of ce. In fact, everything was as usual.
However, the one differencepared to before was the abundant spiritual energy inside him. It felt like it was about to leak even if Jin stood still, doing nothing.
¡®In any case, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll have any problems moving around now. I should quickly head back with Mesa.¡¯
Mesa was still unconscious in front of the Kinzelo building. In order words, not much time had passed since the beginning of his battle against Quazito.
As he passed Mesa¡¯s arms over his shoulders, Jin suddenly turned around to face the building again.
¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡±
He had detected someone. Someone was walking down the corridor inside the building towards the front door.
However, unlike the Kinzelo members he had fought against earlier, this person didn¡¯t feel like a trained fighter. The unknown individual was walking carelessly as Jin heard their ragged breath.
¡°P-Please save me!¡±
As Jin ripped the door open, he saw a terrified young man raise both his hands in defense. He looked delicate and weak, as if he hadn¡¯t faced any hardships in life. Jin couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head in confusion.
¡°Who¡¯re you? Another Kinzelo member?¡±
¡°No! Absolutely not! I am Cember Bill, from the Bill n of the Zhan Kingdom¡¡±
¡°Ah, so it¡¯s you. I almost missed you. Nice to meet you.¡±
Jin grinned as he spoke.
Cember Bill. He was the heir of the ¡®Bill¡¯ Merchant n of the Zhan Kingdom. He was the missing individual the cadets were searching for.
¡°Y-You are?¡±
¡°Jin Runcandel. I was looking for you after receiving a request from your father.¡±
¡°Runcandel?! Thank the heavens!¡±
As soon as Cember heard Jin¡¯s name, his eyes began to glisten in tears.
¡°You have saved my life. I, Cember Bill, will never forget this favour, Lord Jin. Thank you very much!¡±
As he received the heartfelt gratitude, Jin could only stand awkwardly and feel guilty.
Ever since the Kinzelo members had attacked the cadets, he hadpletely forgotten about Cember¡¯s existence and their mission to search for him.
¡°There¡¯s no favour to repay. We received this mission after being remunerated. Now, stop crying. It¡¯s time to go home.¡±
¡°Sob, sob. Sniff. Yes.¡±
And so, Jin and Cember left the ashen forest as the former carried Mesa on his back. Cember only recovered his senses a while after they had left the forest.
¡°Come to think of it, how did you get captured by them, Cember? We only heard that you had disappeared in this area.¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡¡±
¡°If it¡¯s difficult to talk about, you don¡¯t have to.¡±
¡°Not at all. In truth, it was because of my lover. But I¡¯m not sure whether Lord Jin will believe me.¡±
¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I believe you? Did you elope with her or something?¡±
¡°¡No. I came to the southern border because I was following my lover, who passed away two years ago.¡±
Jin stopped nodding along and froze in his footsteps.
¡°You followed your deceased lover here? What do you mean?¡±
Had he lost his mind from the shock of being kidnapped? Jin thought to himself as he observed Cember¡¯s gaze. However, his eyes seemed clear and alive.
¡°I¡¯m also wondering whether I saw a ghost or not. But it was definitely her. She had the exact same face, and also had the two moles on her wrist. She gave me a note that told me toe here. And you know what happened afterwards.¡±
Cember awkwardly turned to Jin.
¡°Haha. As I thought, you don¡¯t believe me. I¡¯m also not sure whether I should tell my nsmen about this or not once I¡¯m home.¡±
¡°No, keep talking. The woman who gave you the note¡ Was it really your lover?¡±
¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been saying. There¡¯s no way I wouldn¡¯t recognize her. Her face, voice, her gaze as she looked at me. Everything was exactly the same as before.¡±
At those words, Jin thought of a single name.
¡®Bouvard Gaston. This seems to be that transformation master¡¯s handiwork.¡¯
The transformation crimes.
A series of umon crimes that shook the world in his past life. When the Vermont Empire¡¯s special forces revealed Bouvard Gaston¡¯s crimes to the public after capturing him, a majority of them were kidnapping cases.
And there was only one reason why he would kidnap a rich tycoon¡¯s son.
¡®He was nning on demanding a ransom. What is the rtion between Bouvard and Kinzelo?¡¯
Jin couldn¡¯t find the answer to that right now. The boy decided that it was about time he went to find Bouvard himself.
Ever since the Zipfel followers tried to kidnap Jin when he left the Storm Castle, he and Bouvard were fated to meet one day. However, Jin hadn¡¯t gone to find the criminal until now as he was still growing and had no opportunities.
¡®The ¡°fragmented workshop¡± he manages is located in the Curano Dukedom¡¯s capital. I should find an opportunity to go see him while I¡¯m in the intermediate training ss.¡¯
Jin felt a sense of incongruity whenever he thought of Bouvard.
If the criminal was truly connected to Kinzelo and the radical Zipfel followers, Jin couldn¡¯t recklessly stir trouble with Bouvard as the bacsh would be immense.
¡®I need to meet him face to face and find out what kind of person he is. It would also be a good idea to obtain more information about him that wasn¡¯t written in the newspapers in my past life.¡¯
Having finished recounting his story, Cember smiled bashfully.
¡°Thank you for taking me seriously, Lord Jin. In truth, I thought no one would believe me if I went back home, which was giving me a heavy heart. But seeing you listen earnestly is a breath of fresh air.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a relief to know.¡±
After walking for another two hours, Jin took out a re from his chest pocket and shot it in the sky.
¡°The main house must¡¯ve sent some reinforcements by now. Let us wait for them to arrive here.¡±
¡°Huh? Lord Jin, did you actually call for Runcandel guardian knights just to rescue me?¡±
Cember was moved by Jin¡¯s sincerity(?) and appeared as if he would willingly pay several golden crowns to Jin if thetter asked for it. Jin didn¡¯t have the heart to say that it was all for Mesa, so he only nodded awkwardly.
Ignorance is bliss.
¡°I will never forget today, Lord Jin. If you ever need my help in some way, please don¡¯t hesitate toe to me.¡±
Cember Bill spoke as he extended his hand.
Jin didn¡¯t think the Runcandels would ever need the help of a mere n of merchants, but again, he didn¡¯t say that out loud.
Jin replied positively as he shook Cember¡¯s hand.
Chapter 29: Class Advancement, Welcoming Ceremony (2)
Chapter 29: ss Advancement, Weing Ceremony (2)
As soon as the beginner ss cadets finished reporting the results of their mission, chaos descended upon the Garden of Swords.
As Garon announced the mission¡¯s wlesspletion to Rosa, she wore a satisfied smile.
The other Runcandels who were waiting at the main house couldn¡¯t hide their shock and disbelief.
¡°What? Jin fought against a White Wolf warrior beastman and won?!¡±
¡°Impossible. Must¡¯ve been some bandit wearing wolf fur or something. How could a brat who just became a 3-star knight kill a White Wolf beastman?¡±
The fourth daughter Myu Runcandel and fifth daughter Anne Runcandel were chatting amongst themselves. They were respectively ten and nine years older than Jin and were both currently 7-star knights.
A powerful White Wolf warrior beastman would be a difficult opponent even for knights who recently reached the 7-star stage. It was to no surprise that Myu and Anne couldn¡¯t believe Jin¡¯s achievement.
¡°Even if the youngest faced a beastman that was extremely weakpared to their tribe¡¯s average, a 3-star still can¡¯t defeat a White Wolf beastman.¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah. But are you telling me Mother seriously believed what the report said?¡±
The two disgruntleddies shook their heads. Meanwhile, two young men were as white as a sheet.
Needless to say, they were Daytona and Haytona.
Ever since the beginning of their ill-fated rtionship with Jin back at the Storm Castle, the twins couldn¡¯t see Jin as a little brother. To them, Jin was a monster.
¡°D-Do you think that¡ Jin actually killed the beastman?¡±
Haytona spoke as he grabbed his twin¡¯s shoulder. His hand was visibly shaking in fear.
¡°No matter how strong that monster is, a White Wolf beastman is impossible for him.¡±
¡°I thought so¡¡±
A relieved smile grew on Haytona¡¯s face. But Daytona turned to his brother and stared at him in the eyes.
¡°But it¡¯s not important whether he actually killed a White Wolf beastman or not, Haytona. What¡¯s more urgent is that we¡¯re done for if he advances to the intermediate ss!¡±
Despair rooted itself in the Tona twins¡¯ eyes as they visibly lost their will to live.
In truth, the twins were hoping deep down that Jin would fail his mission miserably. They were expecting for his advancement to be postponed due to his failure, and in the meantime, the twins would train harder than ever to grow stronger. And once Jin finally advanced to the intermediate ss, they wouldn¡¯t have to quiver in fear of their little brother.
However, it was all over for them. Not only did Jin sessfully rescue the missing individual, he also defeated a White Wolf beastman. In fact, Jin was considered a hero amongst the cadets in the beginner ss.
¡®Fuck, fuck, fuck! Sure, he could¡¯ve been stronger than us back at the Storm Castle since we were also young, but really? Even now?? We shouldn¡¯t have messed with him back when he first joined the beginner training ss¡!¡¯
Daytona sighed deeply as he recalled past events.
Back when the Tona twins were in their 2nd year of the beginner ss, there was a period of time when they fervently bullied Jin. As they had started learning proper swordsmanship two years earlier than Jin, the twins were stronger than their brother for a short while.
Those first few months were full of delight and exhration.
They could use the spars as a pretext to beat up their brother¡ªwho used to boss the twins around back at the Storm Castle. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that those months were the best days of their lives.
However, their happiness didn¡¯tst long. A few months after Jin joined the training ss, the twins got clobbered and thrashed by their little brother in front of the cadets almost everyday.
And now, that nightmare was about to start over again as their devil of a brother would soon join the intermediate training ss!
¡°This is depressing¡¡±
Haytona spoke as he recalled the same events as his twin. His voice was weak and feeble, as if his soul was escaping through his mouth.
¡°Wait, no. No! It might be alright. We might be able to win against him! Our hard work so far in the intermediate ss won¡¯t go to waste!¡±
Haytona spoke with hope as he changed his mind.
¡°¡No. We can¡¯t win against him. Honestly, I can¡¯t believe that he defeated a White Wolf beastman. But I¡¯m sure that story has some level of truth behind it.¡±
¡°Ah.¡±
The twins lowered their heads once again and sighed. They were fully aware that they were ¡®below¡¯ Jin in the food chain.
While the Tona brothers stood in dismay, Myu and Anne snorted and sneered.
¡°Right, I forgot we had these morons within the family. Sheesh!¡±
¡°Are you actually terrified that the youngest is advancing to the intermediate ss? Kyahaha!¡±
¡°Hiiik!¡±
The twins red back at them with tomato-red faces, but that onlysted for two seconds. Since they were in the middle of the 3-star stage, they wouldn¡¯t dare anger their 7-star elder sisters.
¡°Daytona, you just went hiik and squealed like a pig, right?¡±
¡°Want me to break your arm and put you in the pigpen?¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡ not it!¡±
¡°Oh? Aren¡¯t you missing something there?¡±
¡°¡That¡¯s not it, Elder Sister¡¡±
The sistersughed as they watched the Tona twins. After a while, Myu and Anne grabbed one Tona each and kissed them on the forehead.
¡°Geez, we¡¯re just kidding! Our little brothers are just so cute~¡±
¡°I know, right? They¡¯re so sweet that sometimes, I want to bite them and crush them into little pieces, you know?¡±
The brothers trembled as they watched their sisters express their excessive love(?) for them. Then, Myu suddenly smacked her lips and grinned.
¡°Hm, so¡ Our dear little brothers are scared of Jin?¡±
¡°As if we¡¯d fear the youngest, Elder Sister. Haha¡ There¡¯s no way that¡¯s¡ª¡±
¡°Shush! You can be honest, you know? Keep in mind that I absolutely detest liars.¡±
¡°¡We¡¯re scared of him.¡±
This time, Anne wore an evil grin as she nodded. Myu and Anne were a great sister duo that got along very well, just like the twins.
¡°Then do you want us to help you out?¡±
¡°How?¡±
¡°When there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way. And he¡¯s just about to get in the intermediate ss, right?¡±
The Runcandel¡¯s intermediate training ss.
It was on apletely different scalepared to the beginner ss. The weaker cadets were at the 3-star stage, while the stronger ones were around the 5-star stage.
There were far more memberspared to the beginner ss. The intermediate ss was no different to a wild savanna or jungle: a ce where thew of the survival of the fittest applied.
In this setting, 3-star knights are herbivores, 4-stars are strong herbivores, and 5-star knights are savage predators.
It was apletely different environment and atmospherepared to the current beginner ss, where the cadets considered each other as rades¡¯ and helped each other out.
As the spectrum of cadets was quite wide¡ªfrom 3-star to 5-star¡ªthere were several cadets who had remained within the intermediate ss for over ten years. Myu and Anne were using these ¡®senior intermediate cadets¡¯ as ves and pushing them around.
¡°I¡¯ll tell our ves in the intermediate ss about you two. Use them to trample on the youngest.¡±
¡°They may be untalented pieces of crap who couldn¡¯t even graduate from the intermediate ss, but they¡¯re still 5-star knights. They should be somewhat useful. Do you understand?¡±
¡°Oh, oooooh¡!¡±
The Tona twins¡¯ eyes glittered.
¡°Are you handing over your faction within the intermediate ss to us, Elder Sisters? For real?¡±
As there were 13 siblings, there were obviously factions within the Runcandel n.
Even the Tona twins had somewhat created their own faction within the intermediate ss. In fact, one could consider the current beginner ss cadets to be part of Jin¡¯s faction.
¡°Hahaha, we¡¯re just lending them to you, you foolish boys. I don¡¯t like how the youngest is growing rapidly either. He makes me ufortable.¡±
¡°If you use our ves and fail to trample on Jin, then you two better prepare yourselves, my adorable brothers.¡±
The Tona twins squeezed their fists tightly and nodded.
If they used their sisters¡¯ 5-star cadets, then destroying Jin wasn¡¯t just a pipe dream.
***
¡®Is someone talking about me?¡¯
Jin thought as he scratched his ear after finishing his report.
(T/N: In Korea, there¡¯s this superstition where people believe that if their ears are itchy, it means someone is talking about them behind their back.)
¡°I hear you sessfullypleted your first mission. Congrattions, Young Master. Your nanny is so proud of you¡!¡±
¡°Thanks, Gilly. Can you prepare the warm water? I want to take a bath.¡±
¡°Everything¡¯s already been prepared.¡±
¡°You¡¯re the best.¡±
Yes, and being at home was the best as well. Jin began humming to himself. As he had been camping outside for an entire week, he missed taking a warm bath with pleasing soap scents.
¡°Oi, kid.¡±
But before Jin could enter the bathroom¡ an angry Murakan stood in his way.
¡°Oh, my dearest Nabi Runcandel. I missed you so mu¡ª¡±
¡°Did you lose your freaking mind?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t see what you¡¯re talking about.¡±
Jin flinched and avoided making eye contact with Murakan.
¡°How. Many. Times. Did. I. Tell. You. NOT. To. Awaken. The. Sword?! You could die if things go wrong, alright? Are your ears the problem here or is it your head? Answer me. I¡¯ll get rid of one of those two for you.¡±
¡°Haha¡ Why would the Great ck Dragon talk of such grim stuff? There were some circumstan¡ª¡±
¡°Huuuh? Some circumstancessss?? So, those circumstances were more important than your own life??? Where in the world are there circumstances that are more important than Solderet¡¯s ONE AND ONLY contractor, HUH?¡±
¡°Lord Murakan, please calm down for now. The young master only just came back from¡¡±
¡°Stay out of this, Strawberry Pie. This is a serious conversation between us two.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
¡°Wait, Murakan. You see, I didn¡¯t do it intentionally. My cadet was kidnapped right in front of me, so how could I let them be? And I almost ended up bing minced meat under the hands of the White Wolf beastman.¡±
¡°The pendant! Is Orgal¡¯s Pendant around your neck just for decoration? You could¡¯ve summoned your sister using that!¡±
¡°That would¡¯ve been a waste! You never know who I¡¯ll fight against in the future, so how could I use it now?¡±
¡°A-A waste? Do you value that pendant more than your own life? Ah, my head hurts from talking with you. Ugh!¡±
Murakan held his head with his hands and fell. A flustered Gilly quickly ran and caught him.
¡°Are you okay, Lord Murakan?¡±
¡°Hey, you alright? Don¡¯t faint for something like this.¡±
¡°¡Whatever. Fuck, what¡¯s done is done. It¡¯s a waste of time for me to get angry now. It just overheats my head and makes me copse.¡±
However, as Gilly supported him, Murakan grinned from ear to ear. It was such a satisfied smile that Jin wondered whether he was actually mad at him, or whether he was just acting to get some skinship with Gilly.
(PR/N: MAH MAN WITH THE MOOOOOOVESSSSSS!)
¡°Hm, by the way, Murakan. How did you know I awakened the sword?¡±
¡°Your spiritual energy suddenly spiked up to the 4-star middle stage, so how could I not know? You sted kid. Do you think the promised contractor of a thousand years can just jump up a rank after a simple week-long outing like that?¡±
¡°I did feel stronger than before after experiencing the spiritual energy congestion, but I didn¡¯t know it was by a whole rank.¡±
Jin could only scream in delight on the inside. In truth, he was secretly concerned as his spiritual energy had suddenly increased, but seeing Murakan¡¯s reaction, it seemed there were no side effects to worry about.
¡°Be thankful to Solderet for being interested in you. I¡¯ve seen ten people experience spiritual energy congestion in my lifetime, and nine out of ten died from it. No, I guess it¡¯s nine out of eleven now.¡±
¡°Who¡¯s the other person who survived? The first patriarch?¡±
¡°No, it was me. Temar would¡¯ve died from it too.¡±
Pffft.
Murakan and Jin chuckled simultaneously.
¡°Anyways, I dare you to attempt to awaken the sword again. Aren¡¯t you happy that you¡¯ve jumped to 4-star in mere instants? Well, that¡¯s the reward for putting your life on the line. So I dare you to try awakening the sword again before reaching 5-star. Because you¡¯ll definitely die this time around.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t want to go through that painful experience a second time either. Anyways, are you finished scolding me? I¡¯m gonna take a bath now.¡±
Jin darted away and ran to the bathroom.
¡°Strawberry Pie, don¡¯t give him dinner today. We need to starve him for at least two days in order to set his mind straight. Understand?¡±
Murakan spoke as he saw Jin scurrying away.
¡°That¡¯s¡ I apologize, Lord Murakan. I cannot ignore my duties of serving the Young Master.¡±
¡°Geez, I¡¯m so jealous of him. It¡¯s driving me crazy. That kid was born with such good fortune that he¡¯s overflowing with luck now.¡±
Chapter 30: Class Advancement, Welcoming Ceremony (3)
Chapter 30: ss Advancement, Weing Ceremony (3)
As he rxed in the warm bath, Jin thought about the fruits of histest mission.
He had strengthened the cadets¡¯ admiration and faith towards him. Where else would someone find a Runcandel who would willingly put their life on the line to rescue a mere cadet? Normally speaking, a hundred cadets would be forced to risk their lives to save a single Runcandel.
Many of the beginner cadets held great potential. Mesa and Bellop were obviously very promising, but most of the cadets who participated in the mission were also very gifted.
None of them would ever forget Jin¡¯s valour when rescuing Mesa in their lifetime.
¡®I didn¡¯t necessarily act like I did to gain their trust or admiration, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to have those.¡¯
Rescuing Mesa wasn¡¯t a calcted scheme.
Jin has lived for 43 years if you include his past life. So as a skilled, strong, and mature human being, he couldn¡¯t sit by and do nothing as a young girl got kidnapped and almost had terrible things done to her.
If Jin hadn¡¯t saved Mesa during this mission, he would¡¯ve been gued by a sense of guilt and shame for a long while. And he hadn¡¯t regressed to relive a life of such disgrace.
He had experienced more than enough feelings of helplessness in his first life.
It was now time for him to live a different lifestyle.
¡°Hm.¡±
Swoosh!
A ck ball of energy formed on top of his wet, soapy palm.
¡®So this is 4-star spiritual energy¡¡¯
It didn¡¯t appear different on the outside from back when it was 3-star. However, the weight was different. The ball of spiritual energy pulsating on his hand felt substantially heavier than before.
4-star spiritual energy had as much destructive power as 6-star aura and mana.
It was on a different levelpared to ordinary forces. In fact, due to his spiritual energy, the current Jin was stronger than he ever was in his past life in terms of pure destructive power.
¡®But since my swordsmanship is still 3-star, I can¡¯t make full use of the spiritual energy.¡¯
Spiritual power is most effective when used with a sword. Moreover, its effect is maximized when used with ¡®Bradamante¡¯ or ¡®Barisada¡¯, swords that were specially crafted to channel spiritual energy.
Solderet is the God of Shadows as well as the God of Swords.
Therefore, it was to no surprise that spiritual power and magic weren¡¯t a good match. Although magicians yearn for Solderet, they are only interested in the superior strength of spiritual power.
¡®But just because they¡¯re not a good match doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re useless with one another.¡¯
It was all a question of efficiency.
And now, Jin had the freedom of choice to select the most efficient methods at all times, as he could alsobine magic with swordsmanship if he wanted.
¡®I should reach 6-star swordsmanship in the next five years.¡¯
6-star swordsmanship.
It ismonly known that 1-star to 2-star are considered novice knights, 3 to 4-star aremon knights, 5-stars are superior knights, and finally, 6-stars are elite knights. The rankings for magicians are more or less the same as for knights.
7-star onwards are ¡®master¡¯ knights.
However, there are countless masters around the world, whiches to no surprise as the continent has a poption of two billion people.
7-star is only considered a transcendental realm amongst ordinary people. However, amongst warriors, the 8-star stage and onwards is truly considered ¡®exceptional¡¯.
There are noticeably less people who have reached 8-star around the world.
As for the 9-star stage, there probably exist less than one hundred, even if one were to find every single entric hermit training in seclusion. Needless to say, there are far less than that at 10-star.
Finally, the stage where there exists only one person.
The unique realm, Genesis. That is the realm where one has transcended the limitations of humanity and has be a demigod.
(T/N: The Korean word the author uses for ¡°Genesis¡± has several meanings, and they didn¡¯t specify which one. Previously, the same Korean word was used for Cyron Runcandel¡¯s title ¡°True Holy Knight¡±. So technically, we should¡¯ve tranted it as ¡°True Holy¡±. But ording to the context here, we decided that ¡°true holy¡± wasn¡¯t the right one, and changed it to ¡°Genesis¡±. So from now on, Cyron will be called the ¡°Genesis Knight¡±.)
¡®I¡¯ll definitely reach that realm in this life. No, I¡¯ll surpass that realm.¡¯
In order to do that, Jin first had to sessfully deal with his siblings¡¯ schemes and ruses once he advanced to the intermediate training ss.
Although Myu, Anne, and the Tona twins were conversing in a secluded area earlier, Jin could already predict the twins¡¯ movements. He was already anticipating all their possible ns of action.
As someone who had lived at the bottom of the Runcandel food chain for 25 years in his past life, there was no way Jin didn¡¯t know about their schemes.
Jin had never experienced the intermediate training ss in his first life due to dropping out of the beginner ss. But he was more than aware that the intermediate ss was like the wilderness, a ce where only the strongest survive.
In other words, logic and reason were unnecessary in the intermediate training ss.
It was the same in the jungles around the continent. Although there are some smart and cunning animals at times who use their brains to survive, most of them are in the middle or bottom of the food chain.
In that case, which animals live peacefully in the jungle without being bothered?
¡®I¡¯ll dominate the intermediate ss with pure power.¡¯
The ferocious predators that hold absolute strength.
***
[Trantor ¨C KokoonutMoth
[Proofreader ¨C herc-yuki-s(?) beetle]
https://discord.gg/MaRegMFhRb
***
February 1795.
The cadets¡¯ results and scores have been announced.
All the members who apanied Jin on the mission have advanced to the intermediate ss. As the valedictorian of the beginner training ss, Jin received a medal and the encouragement of the Runcandel n¡¯s elders. All the cadets that advanced have now moved to their new dormitories.
Jin also received an offer from the second butler, Petro, to change rooms. Rosa had prepared arge room at the center of the mansion for her youngest son.
The room was previously used by ¡®Joshua Runcandel¡¯ in his youth, Jin¡¯s eldest brother. After Joshua stopped using the room, no one was allowed to use it ever since.
¡°Petro, tell my mother that I¡¯m fine where I am right now. I¡¯d like to continue using this room.¡±
¡°Young Master Jin, the room Young Master Joshua used to use is the best in the Garden of Swords and holds great significance. It is the room that was only bestowed to the n¡¯s eldest son.¡±
¡°I know that much. But tell Mother that I just prefer it here so that she doesn¡¯t get upset. Understood?¡±
Petro had gained a good understanding of Jin¡¯s personality over the past few years. The 13th young master he knew had never changed his mind after making a decision.
That¡¯s why it was such a pity.
The room symbolizing the eldest son had been offered to him, so why was he refusing it? Jin¡¯s other siblings could only suck their thumbs while secretly wishing they¡¯d receive the room for themselves!
¡°Young Master, please reconsider one more time.¡±
¡°I¡¯m thankful for your concern, but I already said I didn¡¯t need it. And if you think it¡¯s a pity, use the room for yourself.¡±
¡°Young Master!¡±
¡°Haha, in the end it¡¯s just a room. You may take your leave. I don¡¯t really enjoy using such big and burdensome rooms.¡±
Petro lowered his head in response as if he had gotten a wind of Jin¡¯s intention.
The butler couldn¡¯t believe that the 13th young master¡ªa 15-year-old boy¡ªhad such deep insight.
¡®He noticed that the Madame offered the room to him as a test instead of a reward!¡¯
Petro then returned to Rosa and informed her of Jin¡¯s decision.
¡°Jin refused?¡±
¡°Yes, Madame.¡±
Rosa listened as she rested her chin on one hand and hummed softly. She was content with Jin¡¯s refusal of receiving Joshua¡¯s room.
¡®Jin. I sometimes can¡¯t distinguish if our youngest son has no desires or has too many of them.¡¯
The room Jin had refused was none other than the Great Runcandel n¡¯s eldest son¡¯s room.
It remained empty ever since Joshua moved out of it. In other words, it implied that the room was only bestowed to the child who would be ¡®responsible for the n in the future¡¯. As soon as they took a step inside the room, they¡¯d get the full backing from the n.
And Jin had immediately realized that this beautiful offer was sweet bait connected to a terrifying fishing line. As soon as he moved into that room, Jin would¡¯ve been targeted by all his siblings.
¡®Mother is annoyingly insistent.¡¯
ck.
Jin left his room with Bradamante on his hip.
He was going out to check on the cadets he¡¯d train with starting tomorrow at the intermediate training ss.
¡°Good morning, Young Master!¡±
¡°Scott, gather all the cadets who advanced to the intermediate ss.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
A total of nine cadets gathered in Scott¡¯s room, including Mesa and Bellop. Although they pretended to be fine, you could see the stress and unease in their eyes.
¡°We¡¯ll be in the intermediate ss starting tomorrow. Have you all resolved yourselves?¡±
¡°¡°¡°Yes!¡±¡±¡±
¡°As you may know, the intermediate ss is divided into several forces under the name of ¡®factions¡¯.¡±
The cadets all nodded in unison. They knew better than anyone else that they were the only people in Jin¡¯s faction.
The cadets also knew they¡¯d be the targets of harassment, threats, and coercion due to that.
It was a natural urrence. While the other cadets couldn¡¯t torment a pure-blooded Runcandel, they could still target his faction.
¡°There¡¯s no need to be afraid. I called you all here to say that.¡±
¡°¡°¡°Yes!¡±¡±¡±
The cadets answered with determined faces. Jin found their behaviour adorable and endearing.
It was obvious who would be the first to aim at these kids starting tomorrow.
¡®First off, the Tona twins.¡¯
Although the twins were probably still afraid of Jin right now, he was certain that they were scheming something.
¡®And someone else who¡¯ll help the Tona twins to keep me in check. It¡¯s highly likely to be Elder Sisters Myu or Anne. It could also be Elder Brother Vigo.¡¯
Whoever the Tona twins¡¯ backer was, Jin was nning on outsmarting them.
¡°I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow. Oh, and during hours outside of training sessions, make sure you move around in groups of three minimum. You are forbidden from acting individually until Ipletely conquer the intermediate ss.¡±
¡°¡°¡°Understood!¡±¡±¡±
***
Starting from the intermediate training ss, the cadets aren¡¯t taught by a guest instructor from outside the n like Garon Altemiro. It¡¯s an elder of the Runcandel n who is in charge of the cadets.
The elders of the n who used to be 8-star or higher knights in their youth take turns teaching the ss. They also used to be g-bearers of the n who failed to be the patriarch.
Currently, there are around 150 cadets in the intermediate ss. The elder who has been in charge of instructing them the past few years is ¡®Zed Runcandel¡¯. He¡ªwho was once famed for being an 8-star knight¡ªwas Cyron¡¯s younger brother.
¡°Attention.¡±
¡°¡°¡°Attention!¡±¡±¡±
The cadets repeated Zed¡¯smand as they stood at the training ground.
¡°This year, we have ten new cadets amongst us, while 27 dropped out.¡±
Zed spoke with a displeased look as he stood on the tform. He was dissatisfied by how there were more dropouts than neers.
¡°Newbies, learn from your seniors how an intermediate cadet¡¯s lifestyle is. My role is only to teach swordsmanship and evaluate everyone. As long as there are no deaths, just deal with all your internal problems between yourselves.¡±
¡°¡°¡°Understood!¡±¡±¡±
¡°I ask the seniors. What is it that I always emphasize?¡±
¡°¡°¡°The Runcandels have no need for weaklings!¡±¡±¡±
¡°¡°¡°The Runcandels have no need for weaklings!¡±¡±¡±
The intermediate cadets suddenly yelled in unison and continued chanting the motto as they stared at the neers. Moreover, there was obvious malice in their gazes.
Jin¡¯s cadets were pressured by their stares and shouts that they had a hard time keeping their heads up.
Anyone around the world would also feel oppressed by a sudden ceremony where their seniors preyed on them with a morbid warning.
Amongst the group of people shouting the motto were the Tona twins. Standing around them were several 4 and 5-star knights, who were all part of Myu and Anne¡¯s factions.
¡®How noisy. Anyways, the Tona twins are over there¡ There are a few people around them with deep frowns. Ah, they¡¯re from Elder Sister Anne¡¯s faction.¡¯
The Runcandels have no need for weaklings!
The Runcandels have no need for weaklings!
The chanting continued endlessly. The intermediate cadets seemed to be nning on shouting the warning until the neers all lowered their heads.
Suddenly, Jin stepped forward and approached the twins. His steps were light and rxed as if he were taking a mere walk.
¡®Wh-Why is heing over here?¡¯
¡®Don¡¯t be afraid! Just think of destroying him starting from today!¡¯
The Tona twinsmunicated with their gazes and began yelling louder than ever. Zed watched Jin with great interest as he stroked his beard.
Jin¡¯s pace didn¡¯t slow down. It appeared like he wouldn¡¯t stop until he stood centimeters away from the twins. The other intermediate cadets shifted their gazes from the neers to the Runcandel boy.
Skrrrt! sh!
Jin unsheathed Bradamante out of nowhere and cut something.
¡°Arrghhh!¡±
The cadets¡¯ deafening chanting ended instantly. Their jaws dropped as they watched the astonishing scene before them in shock.
The Tona twins were petrified like stone statues. Zed¡¯s hand also froze halfway down his beard.
Jin had sliced off a forearm. The forearm that belonged to one of the cadets standing around the twins.
As a member of Anne¡¯s faction, he was a 5-star knight. In other words, he was at the top of the food chain in the intermediate ss. Until now.
There was no way the cadet could have predicted or defended himself from that surprise attack.
Even if one were a pure-blooded Runcandel, who in their right mind would brandish their sword on their first day in the intermediate ss? During the warning weing ceremony organized by Zed Runcandel, to boot?
As blood gushed out of the cadet¡¯s wound, the Tona twins couldn¡¯t do anything as they panicked. The heat and excitement that was overwhelming the training ground moments ago hadpletely vanished.
The 150 pairs of gazes were all concentrated on Jin. But the boy in question didn¡¯t give any exnation for his actions and simply sheathed his sword.
Instead, he spoke with aposed tone.
¡°Call the medical team.¡±
Jin thought to himself:
The ones that needed a warning weren¡¯t him and his cadets. It was their seniors.
Chapter 31: Fight, Win, Enjoy (1)
Chapter 31: Fight, Win, Enjoy (1)
¡°Kugh. Argh!¡±
Everyone stood quietly in shock as the amputated cadet¡¯s groans echoed in the training ground. The other cadets just couldn¡¯t believe what they were witnessing that they doubted their eyes and ears.
¡°Arghhhh!¡±
¡°Wh-What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡±
¡°Stop wasting time! Go call the medical team!¡±
The Tona twins raised their voices, although it was one step toote. Jin was still standing before them with an indifferent look.
¡°Jin! You bastard¡! Did you lose your mind?¡±
¡°Why did you swing your sword without warning?!¡±
Although the twins objected to Jin¡¯s actions, their eyes were trembling in anxiety.
¡®Did he already notice that we borrowed our elder sisters¡¯ckeys?¡¯
¡®But how could he pinpoint them so urately and cut one¡¯s arm?!¡¯
All the twins could think of right now was dealing with this problem no matter what.
Otherwise, they¡¯d have to handle two catastrophes.
Firstly, they had let one of their elder sisters¡¯ckeys get injured on their very first day. At this rate, their sisters would reprimand them to death.
Secondly, if they didn¡¯t avenge the cadet immediately and acted against Jin, their dignity would hit rock bottom.
The news that the Tona twins had been humiliated by their youngest brother in front of all the other intermediate cadets would instantly spread within the n. Shivers ran down their spine as they stared at theposed Jin in the eyes, but they couldn¡¯t allow themselves to shrink back in fear.
How would they exin themselves to their sisters? ¡®We¡¯re terribly sorry. We were terrified of the youngest even though we had yourckeys with us.¡¯ ¡ As if they could say something like that.
Skrrt!
In the end, the Tona twins unsheathed their swords simultaneously.
¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±
¡°That¡¯s it! Stop trying to crawl your way up the ranks!¡±
¡°You.¡±
Jinpletely ignored the Tona twins and turned to the cadet holding his bloody arm(?). The cadet raised his head and stared at Jin.
¡°What is your name?¡±
¡°¡Kajin Romello.¡±
¡°Do you know why I cut your arm?¡±
¡°Urgh, I do not. Why did you do such a thing?¡±
¡°Hey, Jin! Are you ignoring us? Unsheathe your weapon again, bastard! It¡¯s time we brought this conflict to an en¡ª¡±
¡°Elder Brothers.¡±
Jin slightly tilted his head to make eye contact with the twins.
¡°I am talking with Kajin right now.¡±
¡°Wh-What was that?¡±
¡°Please be quiet. If you wish to battle me, I will indulge on ater date.¡±
¡°How dare you! After attacking our cadet¡ª!¡±
¡°Your cadet?¡±
Haytona almost instinctively blocked his own mouth with his hand.
¡°Was this individual a part of your clique? I only shed him as he was directing killing intent towards me.¡±
Silence descended upon the training ground once again. The Tona twins could only stare in astonishment with their mouths and eyes wide open.
They were nning on confronting Jin, but got wrapped up in his pace. With the exchange just now, Kajin Romello was established as part of the ¡°Tona twins¡¯ faction¡±.
In other words, Jin¡¯s actions just now weren¡¯t a simple rebellious outbreak, but rather, a part of a longsting tradition within the Runcandel n.
It was a part of their ¡®battle for dominance¡¯.
The Runcandel¡¯s familial conflict was always a source of inspiration for travelling bards and minstrels. It was also great gossip material for drunk customers in bars.
In general, there were no stories more exhrating than the story of siblings having a bloody battle to trample on each other.
¡°The medical team has arrived!¡±
As a yell resounded from behind the rank of cadets, the crowd split in half to create a passage. The medical team behaved as usual, unlike the Tona twins or the other cadets. They had gotten used to seeing blood and wounds on a daily basis in the n.
Due to the medical team¡¯s natural movements as they settled around Kajin, the twins also had to get out of their way. Although they were pure-blooded Runcandels, they still couldn¡¯t disturb an emergency medical operation.
¡°Listen carefully, Kajin. That also goes for all the cadets here!¡±
Jin suddenly cried out as he lifted his head.
¡°I am Jin Runcandel. From now on, I do not mind if any of you behave like I just did towards Kajin. You can surprise attack me with your swords, or strike me from behind when I¡¯ve let my guard down.¡±
The dumbfounded cadets stared at Jin with mouths agape.
¡°But keep this in mind. If I sense anyone directing even the slightest amount of murderous intent towards me, I will not hesitate to cut you down as well. Just like what I did moments ago.¡±
After saying what he had to say, Jin casually returned to his original position. The cadets in the area could only gulp as Jin passed by them.
He had caused such chaos, even as Zed Runcandel watched him with wide eyes from the stage.
However, Jin didn¡¯t even bother apologizing to Zed. The boy knew that, ording to the Zed he knew, his uncle would praise him instead of punishing him.
¡®He loves familial conflict and bold people more than anyone else in this n. More than father, in fact.¡¯
The medical team left the training ground with Kajin on a stretcher. The cadets all watched with impatience to see how Zed would penalize Jin.
They all expected the boy to be reproached by the instructor. The Tona twins especially hoped that their uncle would severely punish their brother.
¡°Jin Runcandel. The patriarch¡¯s 13th child.¡±
¡°Yes, Elder.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t call him uncle on purpose. His father and uncle were simr. It seemed that the elders of the n all preferred to be shown respect ording to their ranks.
¡°You¡¯ve done something quite dreadful. You dare¡ do such a thing in my presence?¡±
Colour returned to the Tona twins¡¯ faces as they stood frozen.
Zed Runcandel, their awe-inspiring uncle! Zed¡¯s thunderous roars could make anyone shrink back in fear, even their monstrous younger brother.
¡°That is correct.¡±
¡°How insolent. Why did you do so?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t challenge my brothers just now. I was challenging you, Elder.¡±
Not only had he cut Kajin, Jin also made an offensive remark.
At this point, even the Tona twins could only hold their breath in shock, despite their wish to see Jin getting demolished.
¡®Did he actually lose his mind? Goodness. How can he act like this?¡¯
The twins were having the same thoughts as the other cadets.
¡°You? Challenging me? What a very, very interesting story. What made you do that?¡±
Sssssssssst¡!
A white sword took shape in Zed¡¯s hand. Forming a sword of pure aura was something that only outstanding 8-star knights could do.
¡°Speak. Depending on your answer, I may cut your head off immediately.¡±
¡°Despite the fact that I was amongst the new cadets, you organized a special intermediate ss weing ceremony. I perceived that as a challenge and attack from you, Elder.¡±
Swoosh, slit!
Zed lightly swung his sword and a small gash appeared on Jin¡¯s left cheek. But the boy stood still and waited for a reply from his uncle.
¡°So, you were offended by the ceremony I organized and caused all this confusion and chaos? You thought I was challenging and attacking you?¡±
¡°While I was not offended, that is exactly it.¡±
¡°In that case, why did you attack a cadet instead of me?¡±
¡°Because I cannot win against the elder yet. Had I had a real chance of winning, I would¡¯ve shed you instead of Kajin or my brothers, Elder.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t seem to care about your life. Or maybe you trust your position as the patriarch¡¯s son too much.¡±
¡°Just because my opponent is stronger than me does not mean I should sit back and get abused by them. I merely believe such thoughts aren¡¯t a part of the Runcandels¡¯ virtues and standards.¡±
The legs of the cadets nearby were on the brink of trembling. They had no idea on what basis this 15-year-old rookie could stand his ground and run his mouth as such.
Zed only spoke again after thinking to himself for a few minutes.
¡°So you mean that one¡¯s life may only be temporary, but one¡¯s honorsts forever? How foolish.¡±
The sword-shaped aura on his hand dispersed and scattered away.
¡°But this uncle of yours quite likes your foolish audacity. Good, I shall admit it. You are worthy of surviving amongst the Runcandels.¡±
Kuhahaha!
Zed suddenly burst out inughter.
¡°Remember this day, cadets. Today, you have witnessed the very essence of the Runcandels. This rookie¡¯s attitude is the core of our identities as swordmasters.¡±
¡°¡°¡°Yes!¡±¡±¡±
¡°Every day is a battle. You are dismissed! Daytona and Haytona will stay behind. The rest of you may return. Training starts tomorrow.¡±
The cadets began to exit the training ground in an orderly fashion. The Tona twins felt like their blood was being drained from their bodies. As Jin passed by them, he spoke.
¡°As your little brother, I¡¯d like to give you some advice.¡±
The twins turned their heads to face him with nk expressions.
¡°Always think about the future. You may be more afraid of our older siblings than me right now, but that may changeter on. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±
The Tona twins couldn¡¯t even answer Jin as he smiled gently.
***
¡°Woah, I gotta say¡ His drive and willpower were amazing. Were we dreaming just now? I still can¡¯t believe that happened.¡±
¡°Do you think the rumours that he killed the White Wolf warrior are true? Putting how we could join his faction aside, we definitely shouldn¡¯t have him as an enemy.¡±
¡°But he¡¯s still the 13th amongst the 13 Runcandel children. We don¡¯t want to ruin our entire lives by joining the wrong faction. The other Runcandels are all already distinguished¡¡±
¡°That¡¯s not wrong. But still, he was quite the sight to behold. Just who would ever be brave enough to act like that in front of Elder Zed?¡±
¡°And have you heard? They say that Young Master Jin may one day be the sessor of the n. It¡¯s an open secret that the patriarch has been dissatisfied by Lord Joshua, so¡¡±
¡°Shush! What if someone hears us? You¡¯re gonna get us all in trouble!¡±
The recent incident in the intermediate training ss immediately spread amongst the cadets. Every single intermediate cadet in the dormitory was talking about Jin¡¯s behaviour today.
Meanwhile, Scott, Mesa, Bellop and the other cadets who had advanced with Jin this year were already being called the ¡®Youngest Division¡¯. In other words, they were the object of their seniors¡¯ sharp and pressuring gazes.
The new intermediate cadets were moving around in groups at all times, just as Jin had told them to.
¡°Since Young Master Jin cut Kajin¡¯s arm, they may retaliate to get revenge within the day. Keep an eye on your surroundings at all times and stay sharp!¡±
Mesa¡ªthe unofficial leader of the group¡ªgave out orders to the rest of them. And around an hourter, a group of intermediate cadets came to the room where the Youngest Division was gathered.
The Youngest Division members exchanged nervous gazes and took their stances as one of them carefully opened the door.
Just like what Young Master Jin had done in ss today, they were prepared to swing their fists as soon as they detected the slightest bit of murderous intent.
¡°Nice to meet you, juniors.¡±
However, the intermediate cadets standing before the door were holding cigarettes, alcohol, and all kinds of food and snacks.
It was as if an enemy nation had sent an ambassador in order to build a friendly rtionship between the two countries.
The Youngest Division was in shock, and couldn¡¯t help but receive the basket of food with nk expressions.
In truth, after experiencing the weing ceremony earlier today, the newbies were extremely nervous about the chaos and violence that would ensue in their dormitories.
They weren¡¯t afraid of being beaten by their seniors. In fact, they couldn¡¯t care less about themselves.
Instead, they were worried that if they got beaten down by their seniors every day, it would sully Young Master Jin¡¯s dignity and reputation.
¡°We didn¡¯t know what you like, so we just got a bunch of different stuff. The cigarettes were made in Mi, and the alcohol is from a famous brand in the Curano Dukedom. They were expensive, you know? We didn¡¯t put poison or anything in them, so we¡¯d be grateful if you epted these.¡±
¡°Why are you suddenly giving us such things?¡±
¡°Why, you ask? Because we¡¯re currying favour with you. We¡¯re not affiliated with any faction, so while we can¡¯t participate in the family dispute, we do want to root for Young Master Jin.¡±
In the Runcandel n, being unaffiliated to any faction meant that the cadets were not skilled enough.
And despite being in this nonmittal situation, these cadets hade looking for the Youngest Division because of the Tona twins.
These cadets had experienced all kinds of torment and bullying ever since the Tona twins had advanced to the intermediate ss one year ago. Therefore, they wanted to express their gratitude to Jin.
The Tona twins only behaved like obedient sheep in front of Jin or other Runcandel children, but most of the time, they were tyrannical madmen.
They weren¡¯t known as the Nefarious Homicidal Maniacs for nothing in Jin¡¯s first life.
¡°Well then, we¡¯ll be going. I hope that your future is brighter and more promising than ours.¡±
Chapter 32: Fight, Win, Enjoy (2)
Chapter 32: Fight, Win, Enjoy (2)
Phew!
Having returned to his room, Jin let out a long sigh. He shut the door and leaned against the wall as the tension left him.
In fact, he was d he could finally express his stress and nervousness ever since the beginning of ss.
¡®Sheesh, I thought my heart would explode.¡¯
As he recalled his conversation with his uncle, Zed Runcandel, Jin could only stare at the ceiling in astonishment.
Thanks to his regression, Jin was aware of his uncle¡¯s personality and thought process, so he knew what to say exactly to satisfy the instructor. However, knowing what to say and actually having to say it in front of his uncle werepletely different problems.
Had Jin shown even the slightest hint of fear on his expression before Zed, one of his limbs would¡¯ve been sent flying immediately. In fact, his uncle might¡¯ve even cleanly sliced Jin¡¯s head off like he had said.
However, Jin had sessfully resolved the situation. He had nted a powerful and intense image of himself inside Zed and the other cadets¡¯ minds. Moreover, Jin had already dered war on the Tona twins¡¯ faction over the hegemony of the intermediate ss.
Although the benefits Jin received seemed far too littlepared to how he had risked his life to confront Zed, the boy knew it was worth it.
Jin knew better than anyone else that one could very easily lose their life in the Runcandel n for the smallest of issues, and that one couldn¡¯t earn anything unless they used all their forces and strength.
¡®Fight, win, and enjoy the benefits¡ I¡¯m sure that even if everyone were a regressor, they wouldn¡¯t be able to act and behave like me.¡¯
The three great virtues of the Runcandel n he once hated in his first life.
The current Jin was closer than anyone else to attaining these virtues.
¡°Gilly.¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve officially dered war on the Tona elder brothers. But it seems that Elder Sisters Anne and Myu are secretly backing them.¡±
Gilly instantly froze. The hand that was wiping the tea cup stopped dead in its tracks.
She had been expecting Jin and the Tona twins to fight over the hegemony when the youngest boy advanced sses. It was an inevitable conflict as long as they were all standing inside the same enclosure called the intermediate ss.
However, Gilly hadn¡¯t expected the Tona twins to have a backer. Soon, her gaze darkened and deepened.
¡°Ladies Anne and Myu¡ Are you certain?¡±
¡°Yeah. Today, I cut down a cadet who was alongside Elder Brothers, and after looking into it, he was a part of Elder Sisters Anne and Myu¡¯s faction. In fact, there¡¯s no way the Tona Elder Brothers would already have a 5-star knight in their faction.¡±
Even if someone is a part of the Runcandel direct lineage, a knight of the n won¡¯t be willing to subordinate themselves to someone weaker than them. However, the Tona twins were still only at the 3-star stage.
¡°Haa, I didn¡¯t expect them to already start trying to keep you in check, Young Master, since they¡¯re already active g-bearers.¡±
Myu and Anne were 7-star knights who had already fought on many battlefields. Due to their numerous contributions, they received the g-bearer qualification from the n.
Amongst Cyron Runcandel¡¯s 13 children, only four had yet to be g-bearers.
Jin, the Tona twins, and Cyron¡¯s youngest daughter, Yona.
Gilly fiddled with the dry tea towel withplicated feelings.
¡°It¡¯s actually good news that my elder sisters are trying to keep me in check already. It means that they¡¯re already concerned by me despite our age gap.¡±
¡°Even so, it¡¯s unreasonable. You¡¯re only 15 years old, Young Master. And it¡¯s an unwritten rule that g-bearers should only fight between themselves and not get involved with their youngest siblings!¡±
Gilly bursted out in fury.
¡°It¡¯s fine. I just have to change things so that my elder sisters don¡¯t just feel concerned by me, but also fear me.¡±
Poof!
The sunbathing cat lying next to the window suddenly turned around and transformed into a human.
¡°What¡¯s going on? What are you talking about? Lemme in on it as well.¡±
Gilly exined the situation in simple terms to Murakan, who then sighed deeply.
¡°It¡¯s such a pity I can¡¯t reveal my identity yet. I could easily beat up two 7-star knights with the flick of a finger. Why do your siblings obsess with trampling on you even though you¡¯re the n¡¯s only hope of defeating the Zipfels in the future?¡±
The n¡¯s only hope of defeating the Zipfels in the future.
Murakan¡¯s words were urate. If Jin mastered Solderet¡¯s power and stayed within the n, the Runcandels could trample on the Zipfels and take over the world in the future.
Currently, the Zipfels had the upper hand. If the Runcandels and Zipfels were to start an all out war today, the n of magicians woulde out victorious in the end.
But the Zipfel n hadn¡¯t dered war on the Runcandels yet for two reasons:
The conflict would cause irreparable damage to the Zipfels, and the existence of Cyron Runcandel.
However, there was one teensy-weensy, but ever so crucial, little tiny detail the Zipfels weren¡¯t aware of. The god they were desperately yearning for¡ªSolderet¡ªwas currently contracted to Jin.
¡°Are your siblings acting like this because they don¡¯t know you¡¯re Solderet¡¯s contractor?¡±
¡°No, they just try to keep anyone who shows potential in check. In fact, if they knew I was Solderet¡¯s contractor, they would¡¯ve been ten times more motivated to trample me down. It would¡¯ve been a miracle if I survived till the age of 15.¡±
¡°Even so, the n is still as fucked up as it was a thousand years ago. In fact, things might¡¯ve been better back then. Your first patriarch was rude and insolent, but he still hadpassion and heart.¡±
¡°¡Then what do you n on doing from now on, Young Master?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve got no reason to hesitate. I¡¯ve already dealt my sisters a heavy blow. Not only did I cut down their strongest intermediate-ss subordinate on my first day, I also shifted his official affiliation to the Tona faction instead of my sisters¡¯.¡±
Jin exined the incident at the training ground to the other two in detail.
Officially speaking, Kajin was not a member of Anne and Myu¡¯s faction anymore, as the Tona twins had called him ¡®our cadet¡¯.
¡°I¡¯m sure my elder brothers will get beaten to death by our sisters. They¡¯ll definitelye to the training ground tomorrow with bruised and swollen faces. It¡¯ll be hard for them to try to oppress me with their intermediate-ss subordinates now.¡±
If a king bestowed his strongest army to a general and the general returned after getting the entire army decimated, the king wouldn¡¯t give them a second chance.
That was the situation between Myu, Anne, and the Tona twins.
¡°And since they¡¯re already g-bearers, my elder sisters can¡¯t personallye to the intermediate ss to beat me to death. In that case, there¡¯s just onest method they can use to attempt to oppress me.¡±
Gilly gasped as she realized what Jin was talking about.
¡°Through missions!¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. They¡¯ll most likely manipte the missions I receive with their authority as g-bearers. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll specifically choose to assign me disgustingly difficult missions and earnestly wait for me to die on duty or to return with a severe injury.¡±
¡°I will try to discuss it with thedies¡¯ nannies. I cannot let such a thing happen to you, Young Master.¡±
The kind and naive Gilly didn¡¯t know how to think in a cunning and sly manner.
¡°You mustn¡¯t, Gilly. If they find out, Elder Sisters will use me of trying to abuse my power and will take disciplinary action against me. And the supervision of missions is part of the g-bearers¡¯ jurisdiction, so if we have no real exnation, we cannot stop them from manipting my schedule of missions.¡±
¡°Shit! God-fucking-dammit! Ack, apologies, Young Master. That came out on the spur of the moment¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine, Strawberry Pie.¡±
Murakan replied in Jin¡¯s stead. The boy also smiled gently and continued his words.
¡°But there¡¯s one thing my elder sisters aren¡¯t aware of. Most of the difficult missions are one-man tasks¡ But if I¡¯m assigned one-man missions, I won¡¯t have to hold back and hide my true abilities, don¡¯t you think?¡±
Unlike group missions, Jin would be able to use magic and spiritual power when carrying out solo missions.
He could use magic, spiritual power, and thebat techniques written in the secret tomes of the various martial ns as long as there was no one around or he killed all the witnesses.
¡°So solo missions are actually a great opportunity for me. If my elder sisters send me on solo missions, I¡¯d be infinitely grateful. It¡¯s suffocating having to limit myself with just swordsmanship. I¡¯ll just go on the missions, use my hidden abilities to wipe out my enemies, and gain some achievements.¡±
Achievements on missions. That was the absolute criterion the instructors used to evaluate the cadets in the intermediate ss.
There were cases where a cadet had excellent swordsmanship but fell behind on missions, and vice versa. Needless to say, the more important criterion was the missions.
Moreover, solo missions with high difficulties were the best missions to carry out in order to gain the most points. Solo missions usually consisted of assassinations and espionage, so they were the most dangerous tasks.
¡°That¡¯s a great n, kid!¡±
¡°¡If you were to use all your hidden abilities, you should be able to rival the weaker advanced-ss cadets, Young Master.¡±
Murakan and Gilly were well aware of Jin¡¯s truebat capabilities. Since Jin¡¯s swordsmanship was developing at a quick pace, he would probably reach the 4-star stage before being sent on his first mission.
¡°And if one of the missions appears to be too difficult for you, I could apany you to help out. Even if it¡¯s a solo mission, they should allow you to take a mere cat along, no?¡±
¡°They would. But I need you to do something else for me.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll tell youter. Since we¡¯ve discussed the most important stuff, I should head over to Elder Sister Luna¡¯s training session now. Behave yourself while I¡¯m gone and don¡¯t cause any problems.¡±
***
The intermediate ss began its training in earnest.
Compared to the beginner training ss, there were no particr differences in the regimen other than the fact that the cadets used real swords and that the difficulty was higher.
However, when the afternoon sses began, Jin and the Tona twins were led to a hidden area inside the training ground and were taught the ¡®Runcandel Swordsmanship¡¯. This was a privilege only avable to direct Runcandel descendants.
¡°Our n¡¯s swordsmanship is, in simple terms, overpowering. It¡¯s destructive and unwavering. The n¡¯s personality and virtues are perfectly embodied in our swordsmanship.¡±
The three boys sitting cross-legged on the floor nodded in sync.
The Tona twins¡¯ faces were bruised and swollen just as Jin had predicted. They had been pummelled and beaten by their sisters all night long.
However, Zed didn¡¯t even bother asking why the twins were in such pitiable states. He didn¡¯t care. He already knew that the Tona twins didn¡¯t have great potential since before Jin joined the intermediate ss.
¡®I never thought the day would evere when I¡¯d feel pity for the Tona twins. Still, they reap what they sow.¡¯
They were crazy homicidal maniacs in Jin¡¯s past life and were growing up to be the same homicidal maniacs right now.
However, the twins were treated as outstanding, genius kids in the outside world. Yet, they fell short in Zed¡¯s eyes, and their uncle couldn¡¯t care less about them now.
Moreover, the twins had gotten humiliated by their little brother yesterday, so Zed couldn¡¯t be more displeased with them.
However, it wasn¡¯t as if Zed held absolutely no sense of affection towards them.
Do not confront the youngest until you two are strong enough. That is, if you wish to live long. That child isn¡¯t someone you two can rival.
Yesterday, after telling the twins to stay behind after ss, Zed warned Jin¡¯s older brothers as so.
¡°You three must already be aware, but our n¡¯s swordsmanship doesn¡¯t have a single style or form. While we do have secret techniques and decisive killing moves, those are only taught once you be g-bearers.¡±
The swordsmanship that is taught to the direct Runcandel descendants is a formless style of swordsmanship. It was differentpared to the style taught to the cadets.
There were no patterns, no footwork, and no real shape or form. This was the biggest difference between the Runcandel n and other martial ns.
¡°Do you know why our n¡¯s swordsmanship is formless?¡±
¡°It is due to the special physical capabilities and sensory faculties that the Runcandel bloodline possesses.¡±
¡°Correct. The Runcandel lineage possesses blessed bodies. We hold special sensory faculties towards our own bodies and the sword that no ordinary human could understand. No one else! Not a single person out of thousands or tens of thousands.¡±
The timing at which the bloodline¡¯s blessing blooms and the overall effect on one¡¯s talents were different for each individual. However, the blessing did indeed bloom in every single Runcandel since a thousand years ago. No one was exempted from it.
However, the bloodline¡¯s affinity with magic was incredibly low. Jin was an extremely rare exception to the rule amongst the Runcandels.
Zed continued his words and finished his exnation.
¡°And so, what I¡¯m about to teach you three is extremely simple and unsophisticated. Get up.¡±
Chapter 33: Fight, Win, Enjoy (3)
Chapter 33: Fight, Win, Enjoy (3)
Zed pointed next to the three kids.
Over there were roundish balls of metal piled up like mountains, and several tables standing next to those piles.
¡°Bring those tables and steel balls here.¡±
¡°How many of them should we move?¡±
Zed smirked maliciously at Haytona¡¯s question.
¡°Four tables, and as many steel balls as you can.¡±
The three boys began moving the tables and balls towards the center of the hidden area. The steel balls were heavier than your average person. Moreover, when they picked one up, they felt something dense moving around inside.
¡®What are these?¡¯
As he moved the steel balls, Jin scanned through his memories, and confirmed that he had never seen these objects in his past life.
Yet, he wasn¡¯t surprised about that. From what he had deduced, these steel balls were used to teach the direct Runcandel descendants the n¡¯s swordsmanship. However, Jin wasn¡¯t talented enough to enter the intermediate ss and train with his uncle in his first life.
Thud, thud.
Each time they dropped a ball to the floor, it left dents on the hard ground.
Zed only told them to stop after the three boys moved around fifty of those steel balls.
¡°Do you know what these balls are?¡±
He asked as he ced one of them on a table. The ball was now sitting slightly below the height of Zed¡¯s waist.
¡°No, sir.¡±
¡°These steel balls are called Clear Stones, because you can hear a clear echo resounding when you hit them.¡±
The Tona twins tilted their heads in confusion. They couldn¡¯t understand why they needed these stones in order to train their swordsmanship. Meanwhile, Jin didn¡¯t show his emotions, but he was curious to know how they¡¯d end up using these Clear Stones.
Zed slowly unsheathed the sword attached to his waist and ced it against the Clear Stone.
¡°I will swing my de down onto this ball a total of three times. Tryparing the sounds that are created.¡±
The first swing. Zed didn¡¯t put much force behind his sword and simply lowered his de onto the ball lightly.
Thoomp¡
A rather thick and murky sound echoed in the room. It felt as if one would feel nauseous by listening to it for an extended period of time.
¡°Not a pleasant sound, isn¡¯t it?¡±
Soon enough, Zed striked the ball again. This time, his swing contained far more strength and speed than before.
aang!
This time, a pure and elegant sound worthy of the Clear Stone¡¯s name resonated in the room. It felt like the sound entered their ears and soothed their entire bodies from the inside.
¡°Oooh!¡±
The twins eximed simultaneously. Jin¡¯s eyes also widened as he stared at the Clear Stone.
¡°Hm, it¡¯s also quite pleasant for me to listen to. It¡¯s been a while since Ist heard this sound. As you have seen, the Clear Stone emits a thick and murky sound when you hit it weakly, but creates a beautiful sound when hit with the perfect amount of strength.¡±
It was a simple principle.
But Jin was concerned about how Zed didn¡¯t tell them what this ¡®perfect amount of strength¡¯ was exactly. Thus, he soon realized the purpose behind this training method.
¡®The goal of this exercise is to create that beautiful sound every single time you strike the Clear Stone.¡¯
Striking it with the perfect amount of force and speed once would be easy to achieve. But after observing Zed¡¯s behaviour, it seemed that achieving it every single time was a much harder exercise.
They would have to strike the ball countless times until they found the perfect strength. However, the boys would most likely be distracted by the unpleasant sounds created by their imperfect strikes every time.
Even so, just because their concentration has been disturbed doesn¡¯t mean they could abandon this exercise. In other words, this exercise was also to train their willpower and mental strength.
¡®But why did he say he¡¯d strike it three times?¡¯
The first and second swings were to show the importance of fine control over one¡¯s strength.
The third swing would most probably be for the same objective. Jin couldn¡¯t see another reason behind hitting the Clear Stone.
¡®We¡¯re doing this exercise since it fits the Runcandels¡¯ physical capabilities quite well. Uncle said that this training was simple and unsophisticated. However, there¡¯s far too few dangerous hazards in this exercise.¡¯
The Runcandel-style swordsmanship was all about overpowering another and ruling by force. In other words, their techniques were powerful enough that it could potentially harm its user. Thus, there was no way the training exercise that was only essible to pure-blooded Runcandels would be so safe and risk-free.
¡®There was definitely something shaking around inside the Clear Stones when I picked them up. It felt and sounded like some piece of metal¡¡¯
Ah!
Jin found the answer to his question as Zed raised his sword onest time. He then immediately grabbed the back of the Tona twins¡¯ necks standing on both of his sides and pushed.
¡°And now, the third strike.¡±
¡°Get down!¡±
Jin shouted as he shoved them forward. The surprised twins fell to the ground along with their little brother due to his strength.
As soon as they touched the floor, the twins were about to hurl curses at Jin, but could only blink their eyes in shock as they watched the situation unfold.
Booooom!
With Zed¡¯s final swing, the Clear Stone exploded with a deafening roar.
And from within it came hurling out dozens of steel marbles. They flew in all directions like arrows. An average person would¡¯ve easily died from being pierced by all these powerful projectiles.
¡°Eh¡ Huh?¡±
¡°Wha¡ª!¡±
The astonished twins stared at their surroundings. They felt their heart drop as the marbles rolled around on the ground.
¡°The youngest has great instincts. These Clear Stones have been designed to explode if they sustain too great of an impact.¡±
Zed spoke with a pleased smile on his face.
Jin got up and dusted himself off. It seemed that his uncle wasn¡¯t in his right mind either. He had put his nephews in life-threatening danger without a word of warning beforehand.
Was anyone in this n actually sane?
In any case, Jin began to ponder.
¡®Every Runcandel has gone through this training. Since most of my siblings have been taught by Uncle Zed as well, they somehow survived this hazardous demonstration.¡¯
In Jin¡¯s case, he had survived the explosion by getting on the ground in time thanks to his instincts. The Tona twins had survived thanks to their brother.
Then what about all the others?
¡°You three are the first ones not to get injured during the Clear Stone¡¯s demonstration session since Luna. Other than her and you boys, all your other siblings were gravely wounded by the steel marbles. You can think of this as a rite of passage.¡±
As they watched Zedughing out loud, the Tona twins once again realized that their uing adventures in the intermediate ss were full of pain, agony and struggles.
Meanwhile, Jin felt proud by the fact that they were the first ones to be unscathed after Luna.
¡°Uncle, may I ask you how Eldest Sister Luna avoided these steel projectiles?¡±
¡°Hm, you¡¯ll get upset if you hear about it. At least, all your other siblings got upset when they heard what she did.¡±
¡°I do not mind.¡±
¡°Technically speaking, Luna couldn¡¯t avoid the marbles like you. In fact, none of your siblings managed to avoid them all. She just received them head-on, but didn¡¯t get injured. She was just that robust and strong¡¡±
Just as Zed had warned them, it was a somewhat disheartening story.
Even so, Jin was quite satisfied. Had one of his siblings avoided all the pellets while being ignorant of the dangers of this demonstration, it would¡¯ve meant that they were more gifted and talented than Jin himself.
¡°In any case, I assume that you three have understood the content of this exercise. From today onwards, you boys will spend your afternoons swinging your swords onto the steel balls every day. You¡¯ll only stop when you¡¯re able to strike the Clear Stones in any circumstances and sessfully create a clear and beautiful sound each time.¡±
***
Luna¡¯s room.
The woman in question was spending a peaceful and rxing time inside, sipping on a cup of tea with her nanny.
¡®It¡¯s about time the youngest starts to show some results from our Mind¡¯s Eye training sessions. It¡¯ll hurt if he gets hit by the Clear Stone¡¯s projectiles, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll manage to do something about it. It¡¯s so gratifying to watch him grow up and get stronger.¡¯
Siiip.
¡°Lady Luna.¡±
¡°Yes, Nanny?¡±
¡°I believe that Lady Anne and Myu are quite suspicious. There was the incident where they tried to keep Young Master Jin in check to take into ount.¡±
The two of them were conversing about the potential suspects behind the ¡®assassination attempt¡¯ on Jin when he was merely a year old.
There has already been an assassination attempt against me. I¡¯ve never talked about it to anyone else. Not even Gilly. And due to that incident, my fight has already begun.
Ever since Luna first heard Jin¡¯s words when she visited him at the Storm Castle, she has been searching for the culprit to this day. She hadn¡¯t given up even after five whole years.
It was because she greatly cared about her youngest brother, but that wasn¡¯t the only reason.
It was a long-established and traditional taboo within the n for a pure-blooded Runcandel residing in the main house to aim for the life of a family member that had yet to leave the Storm Castle.
If Luna informed Cyron about this incident, it would cause great chaos within the n. However, she judged that doing so wouldn¡¯t benefit Jin, so Luna decided against reporting to her father.
Moreover, they had no evidence to show Cyron about this attempted assassination.
¡°Hm, it¡¯s true that those two are very domineering and tend to step over their boundaries, but I don¡¯t think so. Would they be crazy enough to attempt to assassinate someone inside the Storm Castle?¡±
Technically speaking, Jin hadn¡¯t been the target of an assassination attempt, but rather the target of the ¡®ded Illusion¡¯ curse. However, Luna wasn¡¯t aware of this truth yet.
¡°To be truthful, I believe that there¡¯s the possibility of Young Master Jin having lied to you. He was only 10 years old back then, so isn¡¯t it highly likely? We haven¡¯t found out anything after all these years.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think Jin lied to me. Back then, he was wary of me. Not because he found it awkward to interact with me for the first time ever, but because he was on guard. His gaze¡ It was the gaze of someone whose life was being threatened.¡±
¡°Then should we investigate Lady Myu and Anne for the time being?¡±
¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll leave it in your care. I¡¯m more concerned by the fact that we haven¡¯t discovered anything so far. Something¡¯s wrong¡ I have an ominous presentiment.¡±
¡°I feel the same way. But I¡¯m more concerned for you, Lady Luna. I¡¯m worried your siblings will break your heart again.¡±
¡°Haha, I¡¯m already in my thirties, Nanny.¡±
Luna hid her bitter smile with her teacup.
***
And so, a day went by.
Jin and the Tona twins had yet to create a beautiful sound by striking the Clear Stones. Fortunately, there were still no incidents where someone identally burst the steel balls.
Thooomp¡!
Thuud¡!
The unpleasant noises have been echoing inside the hidden training room for four hours straight.
¡®I can dere with certainty that amongst all the training I¡¯ve done in my life, this is by far the nastiest.¡¯
These abominable sounds had been disturbing his concentration. The twins had already vomited on the ground a couple of times. In the meantime, Jin was sweating buckets, but somehow managed not to let go of his sword and drop to the ground.
In the morning, he had experienced the intermediate ss¡¯s hellish training, and in the afternoon, he was constantly hitting the Clear Stones; Jin was on the verge of death. He couldn¡¯t get used to these unpleasant sounds and echoes no matter how hard he tried to.
¡°Take a five-minute break.¡±
As soon as the words left Zed¡¯s mouth, the three boys sat cross-legged on the floor. However, the Tona twins¡¯ posture was terrible as they were exhausted both mentally and physically.
In fact, the five-minute break wasn¡¯t quite a ¡®break¡¯.
ording to Zed¡¯s training regime, the boys had to hold their swords straight and cover them in aura while sitting upright and maintain that position during the so-called ¡®break¡¯. So the break was, in other words, an exercise where they were training their aura.
Jin¡¯s hands were trembling as they squeezed the sword¡¯s handle, whereas the Tona twins couldn¡¯t even hold onto theirs properly.
While it was the nastiest training Jin had ever experienced, it wasn¡¯t the most difficult one.
In his past life, Jin had trained several dozens of times more than others in order to be a 1-star knight by the age of 25. Compared to his despairing and miserable days back then, this exercise with the Clear Stones was somewhat bearable.
¡®The purpose of this training was to increase our aura¡¯s destructive power in the first ce.¡¯
Zed had destroyed the Clear Stone without using any aura, but that was only possible because he was an 8-star knight. The three boys first had to train and develop their auras in order to strike the Clear Stones with enough force to make a beautiful sound, let alone make them explode.
¡°Daytona, Haytona. Sit straight. If you can¡¯t endure this, you won¡¯t be able to survive within the n.¡±
As Zed spoke calmly, the twins fixed their postures with tears in their eyes. It was tear-jerkingly difficult for them, but Jin knew that they would sessfully be g-bearers of the n thanks to his past life¡¯s knowledge.
¡®Even my stupid brothers managed to be g-bearers in the past, so there¡¯s no way I won¡¯t be able to do it.¡¯
Therefore, there was no need for Jin to feel impatient.
The boy closed his eyes and focused his senses on the aura covering his sword.
Thooomp, Thooooomp.
Even though he could hear the residual auditory hallucinations from the echoes earlier, Jin kept his eyes closed and concentrated. He was quite good at erasing all distracting thoughts and keeping his eyes closed.
¡®I noticed it the first day as well, but that kid¡ he¡¯s quite something. The Tona twins aren¡¯t doing so badly either, but this one¡ He might even break Luna¡¯s record.¡¯
Zed praised Jin in his mind but didn¡¯t express it out loud.
He could always praise the boy when he broke Luna¡¯s record.
Chapter 34: Fight, Win, Enjoy (4)
Chapter 34: Fight, Win, Enjoy (4)
The Clear Stone training session only ended at 9 PM, after the Tona twins copsed side by side.
They hadpletely exhausted their physical and mental strength that they ended up falling unconscious.
¡°Pathetic.¡±
Zed clicked his tongue and called the medical team. Meanwhile, Jin didn¡¯t fully agree with his uncle¡¯s statement.
¡®It¡¯s quite impressive they¡¯vested this long in the first ce.¡¯
Jin was still standing on both feet. His legs were trembling like crazy and the unpleasant ringing was still echoing in his mind, but he was standing.
The attitude and dedication the twins had shown today were praiseworthy. In all honesty, even Jin was on the verge of copsing. If the training had continued for another thirty minutes, he would¡¯ve surely flopped onto the ground.
The medical team ced the twins on stretchers and took them out.
¡°Make sure you tell your brothers that if they n on fainting during tomorrow¡¯s training as well, they shouldn¡¯te to ss in the first ce.¡±
¡°I understand.¡±
Jin exited the hidden training room and pondered to himself as he walked back to his dorm.
¡®Seeing Uncle¡¯s reaction, I was close to disappointing him as well. Had the training been slightly longer, I would¡¯ve fainted. And Uncle would¡¯ve considered me a failure as well¡ I should be more careful tomorrow.¡¯
However, Zed was having different thoughts than what Jin was predicting. He stayed behind in the hidden room, staring at the spots where his three nephews had been standing until moments ago.
¡®The Tona twins ended up copsing farter than what I was initially expecting. Kekek, they¡¯re Runcandels alright. But the youngest¡¡¯
Despite being two years younger than the twins, he had managed to endure the training today without falling unconscious. It was an incredible feat, considering his body hadn¡¯t developed as much as theirs.
¡®A shame. Such a shame! Why did he have to be born as the youngest?!¡¯
ording to what Zed had witnessed today, Jin was the most talented child amongst Cyron¡¯s 13 children. While it was debatable whether or not he was better than Luna, he was far more gifted than Joshua, the soon-to-be patriarch.
However, he was too young.
Jin was only 15 years old.
Even if he trained seriously and became a 9-star knight by the age of 30, Joshua would already be leading the n by then.
These days, the patriarch¡¯s authority and power were slowly beginning to be transferred over to Joshua already. Very slowly, but steadily.
¡®If only he were born ten years earlier, he would¡¯ve had the Runcandel n in his grasp¡!¡¯
Currently, Jin¡¯s talents and growth speed were¡ seeds that would sow chaos and havoc in the n.
If Jin were to be the strongest person in the n in ten or fifteen years and aimed for the throne¡ how much damage would he cause to Joshua¡¯s rule? To the Runcandel n?
And what if the n¡¯s enemies¡ªsuch as the Zipfels¡ªtook advantage of the inner conflict to attack the n?
As his thoughts reached that conclusion, Zed let out a deep sigh.
¡®Let¡¯s keep watch for now. Seeing how Luna cares for him, Jin might grow up to resemble her. He might be a Shadow that protects the n just like that child.¡¯
Countless variables that could affect Jin¡¯s ¡®future¡¯ and ¡®growth¡¯ existed. The boy could die during a mission or could suddenly decide to leave the n one day and be a wanderer.
Children go through many different experiences and incidents as they grow up, so Zed couldn¡¯t predict Jin and the n¡¯s future as of yet.
***
March 1795. A month had gone by.
Jin and the Tona twins were in open warfare for hegemony from day one, but since they were stuck in the Clear Stone training room the entire afternoon, there were no real fights between them.
Ever since Kajin Romello was cut down by Jin, the other cadets didn¡¯t darey a finger on the Youngest Division even when the young master was away. They had also been ordered by Myu and Anne not to do so.
Jin¡¯s two older sisters had decided not to interfere with the happenings within the intermediate training ss, just as he had predicted.
They had no more expectations for the Tona twins. The idiots had borrowed their best intermediate-ss cadet and had returned him defective, so they had no reason to support the twins anymore.
¡°¡It¡¯s so peaceful that it¡¯s concerning.¡±
Mesa spoke as she dusted the dirt off her clothes, which were in terrible condition as they had just finished their morning training session. The cadets around her were in the same condition as her.
¡°Do you think the young master is doing okay in the afternoons? We don¡¯t even know what they¡¯re being taught.¡±
Bellop asked with a worried tone, but Mesa snorted.
¡°We aren¡¯t at the level where we can worry about the young master.¡±
¡°But from time to time, I hear explosions inside the hidden training room along with people screaming¡ The medical team always seems to be in a hurry to head inside when that happens. The Tona young masters were even brought out on stretchers before the training session had ended two days ago.¡±
¡°Stop worrying and focus on your own training. Don¡¯t you remember what the young master told us? We¡¯ll be assigned missions soon enough. Disgustingly difficult missions, ording to the young master.¡±
Except for Mesa, Scott, Zhushen, Taimont and Kiko, the other members of the Youngest Division didn¡¯t reach the average level of intermediate-ss cadets.
In other words, Edington, Sierra, Phils and Bellop weren¡¯t supposed to be sent out on missions yet. Well, technically speaking, Bellop was skilled enough. He just hadn¡¯t recovered a good enough mental strength yet in order to utilize his abilities to the maximum.
¡°I do not wish to be a hindrance to the young master from now on. So we should focus on our own problems right now. We all need to reach 3-star at the very least before we¡¯re given our first missions.¡±
¡°She¡¯s right. And it¡¯s thanks to Young Master Jin that we¡¯re not being harassed or persecuted during this faction war.¡±
The cadets nodded with resolute expressions.
¡°Attention!¡±
The intermediate training ss¡¯s assistant instructor, ¡®Mael Trasil¡¯, yelled out loud. There were a total of three assistant instructors in the intermediate ss, and they were all guardian knights of the Runcandel n. Mael was the main assistant instructor.
¡°The first missions of this year¡¯s intermediate ss have been issued. There are a total of five missions. I will now call out names. The cadets who have their names called must step forward. There are a total of 60 cadets who will be dispatched this time.¡±
The cadets who had spent several years in the intermediate ss didn¡¯t show any particr reactions. However, those who were in their 3rd year or less were showing tense expressions.
¡°The first is a monster subjugation mission. The subjugation targets are goblins. You shall hear the details of the mission from Petro, the second butler. The cadets involved are Denkello, Atan, John¡¡±
¡°The second is a bodyguard mission. Themissioners that need protection are the rookies within the Minche Smithy Association. It would be beneficial to some of you if you get friendly with them. Those involved are Houston, Bading¡¡±
¡°The third mission is another monster subjugation. The targets are orcs this time. The area of operations is an unprotected zone as well. The cadets involved are, um¡¡±
Mael¡¯s hands stopped once he flipped the page. He frowned before making sure he had read the names right on the document.
¡®The area of operations is an unprotected area, but all the cadets are neers¡ Young Master Jin will be displeased by this. It¡¯ll be difficult for everyone to return alive. But it¡¯s not like we canin to the g-bearers.¡¯
Mael coughed awkwardly before finishing his sentence.
¡°Mesa, Scott, Taimont, Kiko, Zhushen, Edington, Sierra, Phils, and David. Petro will inform you about the details as well. I bid you all godspeed¡¡±
A ruckus began amongst the intermediate cadets. Not only were the targets orcs, but they were to enter an unprotected zone. Half or more of the Youngest Division would certainly die during this mission.
However, there wasn¡¯t a single word of protest addressed to the assistant instructors.
Since the g-bearers had chosen this lineup, they had no say in this. If someone were to object to this, it had to be the faction¡¯s leader, Jin himself.
If Jin were to go find the g-bearers personally in order toin, he could easily change the members of the 3rd mission. He could either make a deal or make use of Luna¡¯s authority and influence.
However, that would end up biting him backter on.
He would be publicly admitting that his faction¡¯s members weren¡¯t skilled enough to be sent on official missions. And if he made use of Luna¡¯s authority, Jin would be proving that he himself had no power or qualifications.
In this case, Jin would checkmate himself. Thus, the Youngest Division had no choice but to go along with it and carry out the mission.
¡°Instructor, what are the 4th and 5th missions?¡±
¡°Those were assigned to the young masters. You need not concern yourselves. Dismissed! Once you¡¯ve had lunch, the cadets who were assigned missions may take a break from ss until they depart. You will be dispatched in two days.¡±
Once the assistant instructors made their leave, amotion began within the cadets.
¡°Damn, good luck to those kids.¡±
¡°There¡¯s gonna be at least four or five deaths¡¡±
¡°It would¡¯ve been better for them to not be a part of any faction.¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t I say so? If you join the wrong faction, you¡¯ll only see a sea of blood.¡±
¡°The poor kids.¡±
The cadets who were part of Myu and Anne¡¯s faction, like Kajin, all wore suspicious grins as they nodded between themselves.
¡°We¡¯ll have to prepare some coffins. Kekek.¡±
¡°We should have a proper funeral for them. Since they have two days left, let¡¯s have someone paint their portraits in advance. Oh, and they shouldn¡¯t forget to write a will.¡±
¡°Bwahaha! Have a good trip, you cutie-pies! Otherwise, you could ask Young Master Jin for some help. ¡®Please save us! Please save us!¡¯ Kekekek.¡±
The cadets in Myu and Anne¡¯s faction giggled between themselves as they stared at the Youngest Division. Taimont was about to stand up and face them, but Mesa grabbed him by the shoulder and held him back.
¡°Endure it. We still can¡¯t win against them, and starting a fight right before we leave on a mission will do us no good.¡±
¡°But those bastards were¡!¡±
¡°Shut up and sit down, Taimont. You don¡¯t want to cause problems for the young master, do you? Do I really have to spell it out to you?¡±
A fuming Taimont sat back down.
¡°¡What do we do?¡±
Sierra sighed deeply. The other members of the Youngest Division were also wearing distressed expressions.
¡°Is that a question? This is the Runcandel n. If they want us to go out and fight, we go and fight. We¡¯ll do whatever we can to aplish the mission sessfully and return alive. That¡¯s the one and only way we can trample on those bastards¡¯ pride and humiliate them.¡±
Mesa spoke as she ground her teeth. Despite her confident front, her hands were trembling lightly.
No, she wasn¡¯t afraid of death. She was simply disappointed in herself that she could only be a hindrance to Young Master Jin and cause him problems.
***
Boooom!
¡°Argh!¡±
¡°Haytona!¡±
¡°Urgh!¡±
Haytona¡¯s Clear Stone had exploded. This was already his third stone today. The steel marbles grazed Daytona and headed towards Jin, who was concentrating on his own sword and steel ball.
Haytona was hit in the chest, and Jin in the nk. Had it been his own steel ball exploding, Jin would have avoided the projectiles. But someone else¡¯s ball exploding and marbles flying at him from the side? Even that was unavoidable for him.
Zed was sitting in the corner, calmly reading the mission documents as if he didn¡¯t care what was happening to them.
¡°Urgh, fuck!¡±
¡°Are you okay?¡±
¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine, Daytona. Um¡ sorry, Jin. Uh, I didn¡¯t do that on purpose¡¡±
Haytona fearfully approached Jin. Daytona followed suit as he scratched the back of his head.
As he watched their actions, Jin began to wonder if they were truly the same Nefarious Homicidal Maniacs from his first life.
¡°I¡¯m fine. But from now on, I want you two to practice in that corner over there.¡±
¡°S-Sure.¡±
The Tona twins grunted as they pushed their tables towards the corner.
There was a reason why the twins were so obedient to their little brother. After having spent time training together for an entire month, they soon realized that their uncle¡¯s words were correct.
Do not confront the youngest until you two are strong enough. That is, if you wish to live long.
The Jin they had witnessed so far was a beast. Today, the Tona twins had finally gained enough strength to make the Clear Stones blow up three to four times per session. However, Jin had already been blowing the Stones up since a couple of days ago, creating five to six explosions every session.
¡®Today, I will definitely create a clear sound. Definitely.¡¯
His nk was throbbing from the pain. He didn¡¯t feel his ribs cracking, so he was physically fine. However, his breath waspletely erratic now.
Phew¡ Phew¡
Jin closed his eyes and regted his breathing. He could subconsciously see the Clear Stone¡¯s surface, its rigidity, and its weight in his mind, despite the darkness.
As the pain in his nk kept disturbing his focus, Jin felt a sudden change.
¡®Huh?¡¯
A strange sensation overtook his senses. For some reason, he could precisely see the direction the steel marble had flown to hit him despite his closed eyes. It was being drawn in his mind.
¡®What is this? Why do I suddenly feel like¡¡¯
As he was about to open his eyes and verify the marble¡¯s actual trajectory, Zed suddenly stood up. Jin and the Tona twins immediately ran before him and corrected their stances.
¡°The details of your missions have been delivered.¡±
Chapter 35: Receiving His First Solo Mission
Chapter 35: Receiving His First Solo Mission
The Tona twins¡¯ mission was to attend a ceremony.
They were being ordered to attend several events and parties organized by the Vermont emperor and the empire¡¯s dukes to curry favours with them.
In truth, calling this invitation to parties a ¡®mission¡¯ was an embarrassment. There was absolutely no risk of them seeing any blood or conflict during this mission. All they had to do was eat the excellent dishes prepared at the parties and have fun in the empire.
¡°Ugh!¡±
¡°A ceremony?! In the Vermont Empire at that¡¡±
However, the Tona twins¡¯ faces crumpled once they heard the details of their mission.
¡®Attending ceremonies¡¯ was a type of mission that was only assigned to direct members of the Runcandel lineage.
The n could ignore invitations and the like from your average nation, but the empire¡¯s invitation was a different story. The Runcandels couldn¡¯t refuse them so easily.
Thus, one of the Runcandel children had to ept the invitation and attend the events.
So whenever an invitation arrived from the Vermont Empire, the Runcandel children prayed to avoid being chosen.
None of them wanted to attend those sickening and boring parties.
¡°My condolences, boys. Thanks to your sacrifices, your siblings won¡¯t have to go to the empire and dance around aimlessly.¡±
¡°Haaaa¡¡±
¡°Is that a sigh I hear? Although it¡¯s an invitation to parties, this is a bona fide mission. If you show this sort of attitude again, I¡¯ll beat you two up so badly you¡¯ll beg me to kill you.¡±
The Tona twins nodded as they hid away their disgusted expressions.
This mission was more or less a ¡®punishment¡¯ for them. Their elder sisters were punishing them, as they had failed to trample on their youngest sibling even after borrowing a 5-star cadet from their faction.
Attending parties was a drudgery for the twins, as they didn¡¯t have an ounce of oratory skills and hadn¡¯t learnt the subtle art of surviving in social situations.
¡®Geez, Elder Sister Myu and Anne are so ill-natured.¡¯
Jinughed to himself.
¡°It¡¯s a mission someone has to aplish. And when you arrive on site, you will see dozens of powerful people, whether it be in theirbat prowess or their authority and influence. Make sure you observe them carefully.¡±
¡°Understood, Uncle¡¡±
¡°And you, Jin.¡±
¡°Yes, Uncle.¡±
¡°The mission you¡¯ve been assigned is¡¡±
Zed stopped halfway through the sentence. The Tona twins paid close attention to his next words.
They were curious to know how crazy of a mission their sisters had assigned to their youngest sibling.
Hopefully, it was something that would break Jin physically and mentally. In fact, the best case scenario would be that Jin wouldn¡¯t return at all from the mission.
¡°An assassination task. Your target is the Master of the Hidden Pce Tris¡¯s ything. Hm¡ You basically need to kill a loafer.¡±
The Master of the Hidden Pce.
That is the title given to the owner of the ¡®Hidden Pce¡¯, an enormous tower standing in the middle of the west sea. The 51st master is Tris, nicknamed the ¡®Abyssal Spider¡¯.
The Hidden Pce is an independent force that is influenced by neither the Runcandels nor the Zipfels.
¡°Uncle, by ¡®ything¡¯, you mean¡¡±
¡°The Abyssal Spider¡¯s ything? It¡¯s that woman¡¯s lover.¡±
Jin¡¯s assassination target was the master¡¯s ything.
In other words, her paramour. Jin had to kill one of the countless young men Tris was ying around with.
¡°Oh snap.¡±
The Tona twins unintentionally let out words of shock.
They didn¡¯t believe that Jin would be able to kill the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s lover and return alive.
Tris¡¯s notoriety was known around the world, even to the country bumpkins living in some corner of the Mitel Kingdom. She was especially known for being merciless to the people whoid a finger on her lovers.
¡°Your target is currently residing in thewless zone of Mamit under the protection of members of the Hidden Pce.¡±
¡°Mamit?!¡±
¡°Holy smokes!¡±
The twins eximed out loud once again.
Missions in the Mamit Lawless Zone were generally assigned to guardian knights. It wasn¡¯t a mission that a mere intermediate-ss cadet like Jin was supposed to undertake.
Killing the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s lover in Mamit.
You could easily summarize the mission with that sentence. The Tona twins already believed that Jin would never return alive from this mission.
¡°There is one question I¡¯d like to ask, Uncle.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°Who is our client?¡±
As Jin asked in a confident tone, Zed¡¯s lips rose into a soft smirk.
¡®This kid¡ He should know who the Master of the Hidden Pce and where Mamit is, but he¡¯s going to ept the mission immediately? If he imed the mission was irrational, I would¡¯ve been willing to go say a word to the g-bearers myself.¡¯
Zed was somewhat hoping Jin would be shocked and vexed.
Recently, the elder¡¯s greatest enjoyment was watching his youngest nephew grow. Even the unsympathetic Zed didn¡¯t appreciate sending a yet-to-be-fully-forged sword on a dangerous mission like this where it would most certainly break.
However, Jin didn¡¯t show an ounce of shock or vexation.
Since the cadet in question was nning on epting the mission, Zed had no reason to intervene.
¡°The Tzendler n. Your target¡ªthe loafer¡ªis called Alkaro Tzendler, the disgrace of the n.¡±
¡°I see now. They¡¯re worried that the child who left the n will spill the n¡¯s secrets to the Master of the Hidden Pce.¡±
¡°Exactly. It seems the Tzendler n tried to solve this issue on their own, but gave up and came to us instead. Looks like the child in question doesn¡¯t have a good reputation in the first ce¡ Hm, can you do it?¡±
Zed asked with great anticipation.
He was deeply hoping the words ¡®this mission should be assigned to guardian knights instead¡¯ would leave Jin¡¯s mouth.
¡°I will do it.¡±
¡°Why are you so¡ No, nevermind. Haaa, it¡¯s good to be decisive.¡±
Zed coughed awkwardly before handing over the documents to his nephews.
¡°You will all depart in two days. You are excused from the afternoon training sessions until then. In the meantime, make sure to train on your own, but only to the extent that it doesn¡¯t hinder your mission.¡±
¡°Yes, Uncle.¡±
Zed exited the hidden training room first.
The Tona twins stood around Jin awkwardly for a while.
While they felt ecstatic by the fact that their brother was about to die, they were also disgruntled by it, as if there was a bitter taste in their mouths. The twins didn¡¯t know that they had a strong bond of love and hatred with their little brother.
¡°What?¡±
¡°No, um¡ Good luck. Come back safely.¡±
¡°Yeah. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re gonna die, right? If something goes wrong, just reveal that you¡¯re a Runcandel! Then no one will be able toy a finger on you.¡±
¡°Haha, geez. Are you worried about me? I didn¡¯t know you two had such adorable sides to you.¡±
¡°W-We¡¯re not worried! We¡ª¡±
¡°Before I return¡¡±
Jin interrupted Daytona and unsheathed Bradamante, covering it in aura. The twins froze as their brother had suddenly pulled out his weapon.
Swoosh!
Before they could even ask what he was doing, Jin swung his sword, aiming it at the Clear Stone sitting behind them.
aaang¡ª!
A beautiful metallic sound resonated, bouncing off the arched ceiling and echoing in the room.
Jin smiled in satisfaction.
He had suddenly felt like he would definitely seed if he struck the Clear Stone right now, and that feeling turned into reality within a few instants.
One month had passed since they began training with the Clear Stones.
Jin had no idea how inconceivable this record was.
¡°You two should make a choice, Elder Brothers. Whether you prefer our elder sisters¡ or me.¡±
The Tona twins gulped audibly before clumsily nodding.
Jin then exited the room, leaving the two of them behind in silence.
¡°¡What do we do?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. Elder Sisters are out of their minds, while our younger brother is not in his right mind. Seriously¡ But I think that the youngest is scarier than Elder Sisters¡¡±
¡°I agree.¡±
The twins sighed in dejection.
Having made his way outside, Jin wasn¡¯t concerned about his mission. Rather than the dangerous task, his mind was far more interested in another topic.
¡®What was that sensation earlier?¡¯
The steel marble that hade flying out of the Clear Stone Haytona had blown up.
After getting hit by it, Jin suddenly pictured the marble¡¯s detailed trajectory in his mind for no reason. It also felt like if another marble came hurling at him from the same direction, he would be able to avoid it.
¡®I should ask Elder Sister Luna about this once I return from my mission. This sensation might be rted to the training I had been doing with her.¡¯
***
Two days went by in a sh.
Those who had been assigned a mission had finished their preparations yesterday. All that was left to do was to go to the Huphester Transfer Gate and teleport to their respective destinations.
¡°Phew¡ Young Master.¡±
Before he got on the steel carriage, the members of the Youngest Division called out to him.
They were all wearing somber expressions, as if they were a herd of cows being led to a ughterhouse. No one could guess how many of them would die in their uing mission.
However, that wasn¡¯t the only reason they were dejected.
¡°We heard you¡¯re going to the Mamit Lawless Zone.¡±
¡°Indeed. I need to go to the transfer gate separately since I was tasked with an assassination mission. I also need to go through all the administrative procedures properly. How annoying.¡±
¡°¡We¡¯vee to bid you farewell before departing.¡±
The reason why the Youngest Division hade to salute him was quite obvious.
This could be the final time they would see the young master. Not only was it likely that some of them would die during their mission in the unprotected area, Young Master Jin himself was tasked with a mission in which he had an 80% chance of dying.
Other than Jin, everyone else in the intermediate ss thought he was headed to his death.
¡°No need to. Why, do you think we¡¯ll never see each other again?¡±
Jin said in a yful tone, to which Mesa sighed deeply. The other cadets couldn¡¯t even lift their heads up properly to face the young master.
¡°Well, it¡¯s true that life doesn¡¯t always go the way one expects it to. Some of us may die on our mission if we¡¯re ill-fortuned.¡±
¡°We¡¯ll be okay. But the mission you were assigned is¡¡±
¡°Geez, no need to worry about me, you brats. Focus on your own mission only, alright?¡±
¡°Yes¡¡±
¡°Get going, then. We¡¯ll see each other when we¡¯re back.¡±
The Youngest Division hesitantly stood around before going down the corridor.
¡°Such endearing kids. Keep them safe, Murakan.¡±
¡°Meow~¡±
¡°I¡¯ve said this already, but make sure you don¡¯t get seen, alright?¡±
¡°Meooow~¡±
The ck cat raised its front paw and waved it, as if he were saying ¡®worry more about yourself, kid¡¯.
¡°I¡¯ll be lonely for a while since both of you are leaving, Young Master, Lord Murakan.¡±
¡°Think of it as a break, Gilly. Do you want some souvenirs from Mamit?¡±
¡°I know that you¡¯re stronger than intermediate-ss cadets, Young Master, but please be careful. Mamit is a dangerous ce. To think that you have to assassinate the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s paramour¡ Please take good care of yourself.¡±
¡°Yes. I¡¯ll see you soon!¡±
Jin didn¡¯t get on the steel carriage, but rather on horseback. He had already dyed his hair brown yesterday and was currently dressed like an ordinary traveler.
The boy had Bradamante with him, but he had covered the de in ayer of metallic coating to conceal its normal colour. With such a disguise, no one would ever think of him as a Runcandel.
This was his second mission but his first solo mission.
As Gilly had stated, the current Jin was quite a force to be reckoned with if you took all his abilities into ount. Even so, the mission was a dangerous one where he could lose his life.
Nevertheless, Jin was fearless. In fact, he was excited about how he¡¯d be able to use spiritual power and magic as much as possible.
¡®I¡¯ve always wanted to visit Mamit since my past life.¡¯
Before his regression, Jin¡¯s magic teacher had mentioned that Mamit was more of a ¡®romantic city¡¯ than he had expected.
Having spent two years in Mamit, his master would tell fond stories about the city. Within those stories were countless details about the city and its popce.
¡®I remember Master saying that the pubs in the center of the city are locations where informers and spies often go. And if I want to buy high-ss information, I need to head to the underground ck market¡¡¯
To think that his master¡¯s boring stories woulde in handy like this. Of course, there was a difference in time period, so some of the information may be inurate for now. But the system and order within the city was unlikely to have changed.
With a feeling of gratitude towards his master in his heart, Jin pulled on the horse¡¯s reins and began his journey.
A refreshing sense of liberty rushed through him as he departed the Garden of Swords on his own.
Trantor¡¯s Section:
Jin¡¯s off on his first solo journey~!! Can¡¯t wait to see what happens~
Also, the moron twins are starting to grow on me. They¡¯re like cute little idiots hahaha. I hope they get redeemed and be allies Jin can trust.
Chapter 36: Mamit Lawless Zone (1)
Chapter 36: Mamit Lawless Zone (1)
The Mamit Lawless Zone was a region where all kinds of criminals and offenders gathered.
There were even rumours around the world that due to the evil energy thesewbreakers emitted, this criminal-infestednd was so deste that no nts could grow on it.
But it was no rumour. Mamit was, in actual fact, a barren wastnd where not a single strand of grass grew.
The scorching sun that red down on the area.
The criminals that crawled around in the small city like disgusting insects.
There was no gateway to enter the city. There was only a broken signpost surrounded by rubbish. And once you walked past that signpost, you were inside Mamit.
¡°Herees a neer, you sons of bitches!¡±
A hulking man shouted as he barged inside one of the pubs in the center of the city. He was carrying an equallyrge and terrifying iron mace on his back.
¡°Bwahaha! Neer my ass. I bet you¡¯re back cuz you were put on the wanted list again. Freaking hell, are you a salmon or something? Stoping back all the time!¡±
The people inside the pub cheered joyfully as they all recognized the hulking man. Mocking someone until one loses their voice, pointing fingers, and throwing entire mugs of beer are Mamit¡¯s traditional yet peculiar ways of greeting others.
Crash! Smash! ng!
The thick mugs smashed into the ¡®neer¡¯s head and chest. The ss fragments covered the floor along with a sea of beer. Nevertheless, the barman didn¡¯t even bother ncing at the mess, let alone clean it up.
The hulking man that was hit by countless cups smiled delightfully and grabbed one of the ss shards on the floor.
Crunch.
Soon enough, a sight that one could normally only see in a circus urred. The man chewed on the piece of ss and swallowed it.
¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯m a salmon. The Great Thonk¡¯s true birthce is right here, in Mamit! Drink up, everyone! The drinks are on me today!¡±
¡°Geez, Thonk. What did you do this time that you had to run away ande back here? C¡¯mon, speak up. Let¡¯s hear the story.¡±
¡°Kuhaha! I, the Great Thonk, had some fun with a high-ss bitch in the Ekan Kingdom.¡±
¡°Oooh! Who was it?¡±
¡°No idea, just some girl from a noble family. And I killed the five guards who came to arrest me. Geez, do they seriously think they can capture me with ordinary guards? They kept sending them as well.¡±
¡°Kuhaha, those fucking morons.¡±
¡°Yep, yep. That¡¯s why I smashed them up like mashed potatoes. About fifty of them? While I was destroying them, I subconsciously headed towards Mamit, and found myself here before I realized it¡¡±
¡°To Thonk¡¯s massacre! Cheers!¡±
¡°Cheers! Wee back home! It¡¯s good to see you again!¡±
Gulp, gulp, gulp!
The men were emptying their sses.
The rowdy craze calmed down as everyone was busy finishing their beers. But in the meantime¡
Creaaak¡
One boy entered the bar covered up in a tattered robe.
It was Jin.
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°Looks like there¡¯s a real neer this time.¡±
Thonk and the other men exchanged nces, asking each other if anyone knew who this was. But everyone shook their heads.
Thud, thud.
A thick noise echoed every time Jin took a step with his old, ragged boots. He silently crossed the room and sat down next to Thonk.
¡°One ss of cold water. And some simple snacks.¡±
Jin took out one silver coin from his chest pocket and flicked it to the barman.
¡°Hah.¡±
The barman caught the coin and snorted as if he couldn¡¯t believe what was happening. Soon enough, the entire pub roared inughter.
¡°Kya!¡±
¡°Wow, I thought I was watching the protagonist of an action novel or something. Look at him. He¡¯s a natural at acting cool!¡±
¡°So? Who are you, hm? Some 9-star knight?¡±
¡°Can¡¯t you see? He¡¯s gotta be a legendary swordsman! Pfffft!¡±
The men spouting sarcasticments all simultaneously changed their expressions. They swiftly stood up and surrounded Jin with menacing grins and chuckles.
¡°Hey, Mr. Neer. I, the Great Thonk, am in a good mood today. So let¡¯s not get on each others¡¯ nerves, alright? If you get on your knees and suck on everyone¡¯s toes right now, I will forgive y¡ªkurgh!¡±
Thonk was interrupted before he could even finish his sentence. In fact, he would never be able to finish his sentence ever again because the tip of the dagger Jin had taken out was lodged in Thonk¡¯s neck.
The hulking man was standing too close to Jin without keeping his guard up, so he didn¡¯t even have the time to react to the boy¡¯s attack. No one had expected this young brat to stab a giant like Thonk in the neck without a speck of hesitation.
¡°Keuk, grrr¡¡±
Once Jin retracted his dagger, blood gushed out of Thonk¡¯s wound as he fell to the floor.
A long moment of silence followed. No one uttered a single sound. Jin silently waved his finger at the barman, urging him to bring his cold water and snacks.
¡°He¡¯s gone!¡±
¡°Thonk¡¯s gone!¡±
¡°I knew this would happen one day, pffft.¡±
Soon enough, the men surrounding Jin scattered around.
They behaved as if the friendly exchanges they had with Thonk until not long ago were a sham and returned to their respective tables, downing beer in their original groups.
This was amon urrence. No matter how friendly they acted with Thonk, there was no true friendship between them.
¡®Just as Master used to say, this ce is filled with lunatics.¡¯
The reason they had shown interest in Jin was because he appeared weak. They were curious to know why a boy¡ªwho seemed to have yet to grow any hair down there¡ªhad entered a den of criminals like it was nothing.
However, their questions had found an answer.
Jin killed Thonk with a dagger and, by doing so, gained the approval of the criminals inside the pub. This was how the residents of Mamit ¡®truly weed¡¯ a neer.
¡®I always seem to be in your debt. You¡¯ve been a great help to me, both in my past and present life. I hope the dayes when I get an opportunity to repay you, Master.¡¯
ck.
The barman ced a ss cup on Jin¡¯s table. A cup of cold water.
¡°I didn¡¯t put in any poison.¡±
¡°Even I know that killing people with poison is a taboo here.¡±
¡°You seem to know a great deal about Mamit despite your youth. Are your parents or siblings familiar with this ce?¡±
¡°None of your business.¡±
Cling.
This time, Jin flicked a gold coin to the barman, who just shrugged in response.
¡°What do you want? Drugs? There¡¯s one product that¡¯s been the craze in Mamit recently. Or are you looking for someone?¡±
¡°Thetter. Is that enough to cover the fee?¡±
The barman rubbed the coin with a handkerchief and calmly weighed it with his hand. The substantial weight proved that it was a genuine gold coin.
¡°Depends on who you¡¯re looking for.¡±
¡°Is there someone who goes by Hister in this area?¡±
¡°No. That, I¡¯m certain of.¡±
Jin clicked his tongue as if he were disappointed.
¡°I see. Then just bring over my snacks. And if you could, rmend some inn to stay at tonight. Preferably a ce without any bugs.¡±
¡®A ce without any bugs¡¯ signified the safest inn in Mamit.
¡°Then I know just the ce. There¡¯s an inn called the Moonlit Well west of the city. The Kings of Mamit reside there, so no need to cause a fuss when you enter.¡±
¡°Thanks.¡±
Jin emptied his te of rough bread and dry bacon before leaving the pub.
***
The atmosphere inside the ¡®Moonlit Well¡¯ was vastly different from the pub, since the most influential people of Mamit resided in it. It was surprisingly clean and orderly, just like an ordinary inn outside of Mamit.
It wasn¡¯tparable to a high-ss inn in a big city. But at the very least, the clients wouldn¡¯te across lowly criminals who behaved like wild dogs.
¡®Even if he¡¯s the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s lover, he¡¯s just the disgrace of the Tzendler n. This is the only ce where Alkaro Tzendler could stay in the city.¡¯
There was no real need to go down to the underground ck market to buy more information on Alkaro.
ording to the documents and information sent by the Tzendler n to the Runcandels, Alkaro wasn¡¯t someone who would be willing to spend the night in a dirty and damp inn. He was a conceited rich brat who hadn¡¯t experienced any hardships in life.
Alkaro Tzendler acts obedient to powerful people and overbearing to the weak. He only wants premium goods and services and is obsessed with hedonistic pleasures. The only qualities he has are his good looks and his lineage.
There was only one reason why this fancy-pants was residing in this dangerous city.
It was a superficial scheme trying to regain the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s attention, as she was recently engrossed in another paramour.
A childish tantrum along the lines of ¡®will you really not show any attention to me when I¡¯m in such a dangerous ce?¡¯
But if the Master of the Hidden Pce genuinely paid attention to him and came to Mamit to check on Alkaro now, Jin wouldn¡¯t have another opportunity to kill him for a long time. If the Master herself protected Alkaro personally, even Luna wouldn¡¯t be able to assassinate him.
That was why the Tzendler n had urgentlymissioned the Runcandels using this opportunity.
¡®For now, rumours about me will spread around Mamit. Things like ¡°some kid killed Thonk as soon as he arrived, and he¡¯s looking for someone called Hister,¡± should spread to everyone.¡¯
Jin had wreaked havoc in the pub for a reason.
After causing a ruckus in a location where low-ranking informants gathered, he had spread false information, saying that he was looking for Hister. That he hade this far in search of this specific person.
And this rumour would reach the Hidden Pce bodyguards protecting Alkaro within the day. Jin had done this because the bodyguards were most likely checking every customer¡¯s identity.
In consequence, Jin would naturally be excluded from their prioritized surveince target. If someone were toe with the goal of assassinating Alkaro, they wouldn¡¯t suspect a boy like Jin who wasn¡¯t hiding his presence and clumsily trudging along in the city.
¡®The people who hade to assassinate Alkaro so far were all skilled, hired mercenaries. But since I look a lot sloppier, it¡¯s unlikely they¡¯ll suspect me much.¡¯
Alkaro¡¯s bodyguards wouldn¡¯t focus on people like Jin who had a clear objective.
In fact, they would be more wary of someone like Thonk¡ªa criminal who was familiar with the city¡ªwho recently returned to Mamit for no apparent reason.
An assassin wants to blend in with the residents and mingle with them, trying not to attract attention. But with how Jin was doing it, he was standing out to be forgotten. As they say, it is darkest under themp.
In fact, his strategy worked like magic.
The men who were observing Jin inside the Moonlit Well during the day visibly let down their guards once night fell.
¡®It seems that those three are the Hidden Pce guards protecting Alkaro¡ They appear to be 6-star or stronger. If I face them head-on, I have a very low chance of winning.¡¯
If he fully utilized both magic and spiritual power, Jin could somehow deal with one of them. But two or more were impossible.
An entire day went by, but Alkaro was nowhere to be seen. Jin came to the conclusion that Alkaro was constantly staying inside his room, eating the food that his bodyguards were bringing him.
¡®It¡¯s impossible to assassinate him by entering his room. There are probably more men standing guard inside at all times. In that case, I need to wait for him toe out.¡¯
Jin recalled Alkaro¡¯s personality as it was written in the documents sent by the Tzendler n.
¡®Alkaro Tzendler is obsessed with hedonistic pleasures.¡¯
Suddenly, Jin remembered something the barman had told him the day before at the pub.
What do you want? Drugs? There¡¯s one product that¡¯s been the craze in Mamit recently.
It was very likely that Alkaro was stuck in his room doing drugs.
Once his thoughts reached that conclusion, Jin wiped his forehead and headed downstairs to the lobby. He was nning on cracking open a cold one and getting to know the others in the lobby.
But once he arrived, he had to prevent his shock and surprise from appearing on his face.
¡°Just why?! Why can¡¯t you do it?! You were getting it fine until yesterday!¡±
¡°I cannot do it anymore.¡±
¡°Goddammit! Go get some more, I¡¯m telling you!¡±
The young man having a temper tantrum at the center of the lobby was Alkaro Tzendler himself. Jin had memorized his target¡¯s face in advance, so he recognized him immediately. It appeared that he was enraged as one of his bodyguards wouldn¡¯t get him more of the drugs.
¡®Ah¡ Your typical lowlife douchebag.¡¯
Jin smiled maliciously in his mind.
Chapter 37: Mamit Lawless Zone (2)
Chapter 37: Mamit Lawless Zone (2)
Before Jin¡¯s regression¡ªback when he had just been banished from the Garden of Swords¡ªthere was a period when he roamed from country to country, sleeping out in the open.
He had lost his lifelong goal after being banished from his n and was surviving like a cripple on the streets. But everything changed when he met his magic teacher.
Nevertheless, until the day he met his master, Jin had seen and experienced countless types of criminals and scoundrels in the dark alleyways where no one entered.
Petty thieves, robbers, beggars, alcoholics, etc. Those people lived like no tomorrow, and were only loyal to their desires.
¡®The most notable scumbags amongst them were druggies.¡¯
Drug addicts.
Those people couldn¡¯t survive for another day without their drugs. Without their ¡®medicine¡¯, they would sit lifelessly with hollow eyes and foam in their mouths. But if someone were to offer them the drugs, it was second nature for them to be willing to carve out their hearts to pay.
Ten times out of ten. A hundred out of a hundred. A thousand out of a thousand!
Every single drug addict Jin had seen was the same, without a single exception.
There were some rare people who had managed to stop their addiction with their superhuman willpower and returned to an ordinary lifestyle, but obviously enough, they were one in a million.
In any case, ording to Jin¡¯s observations and the documents he had read, Alkaro Tzendler wasn¡¯t someone with such strong willpower.
¡°Fuck! Please, do me a favour, alright? I don¡¯t think I can survive for another hour without it. Please, I¡¯m begging you¡¡±
Alkaro flopped onto the floor and put his hands together, begging his bodyguards.
The Hidden Pce guards were all wearingposed looks, but Jin noticed the slight disgust in their gazes that appeared momentarily.
¡°As I¡¯ve said before, it cannot be done. Our task is to prioritize your safety, Young Master. Please keep in mind that we¡¯re not here to babysit you. If you continue to have a temper tantrum, we will have to¡ª¡±
¡°Aaaaargh! I don¡¯t care! Shut up! If you won¡¯t get me the drugs, then I¡¯ll do something myself! Fucking hell, just you wait. Once my sweetheart returns, you¡¯re all losing your heads! Your heads, do you hear that?! I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re all executed!¡±
¡°Haaa.¡±
¡°Huh? Did you just sigh? Am I a joke to you? You lowly guards! You insignificant pleb bastards! I¡¯m from the Tzend¡ª¡±
Thwack!
One guard suddenly punched Alkaro in the abdomen. The arrogant druggy trembled on the spot for a few seconds before fainting.
¡°Goddammit. How much longer do we have to protect this piece of crap?¡±
¡°I wish he¡¯d just die from an overdose or something. Just why is the master keeping this piece of shit alive¡?¡±
¡°Silence. We just need to fulfill the mission we¡¯ve been assigned. You mustn¡¯t get your personal feelings involved.¡±
The guards carried the unconscious Alkaro back to the room.
Having witnessed the entire scene, Jin felt like he had discovered a treasure chest full of gold.
¡®Alkaro¡¯s rtionship with his bodyguards is the worst. And it seems like he¡¯d be willing to do anything to get drugs once he wakes up.¡¯
Hm¡
As he drank the beer the inn¡¯s employee brought him, Jin pondered to himself. Assassinating Alkaro would not be such a difficult task in the end.
The druggy young master¡¯s tantrums would get worse and worse as the days went by. And if his outbursts repeated enough times, Jin would have more opportunities to assassinate him throughout the next few days.
Whether he used magic, spiritual power, or a in old dagger, killing Alkaro was going to be a piece of cake.
¡®But the problem is the aftermath. I need to find a way to avoid the guards and return home safely after I¡¯ve killed him.¡¯
That was the most difficult aspect of this mission.
It was impossible to kill him in broad daylight inside the inn and escape alive. The 6-star or higher bodyguards were far more physically capable than Jin and could catch up to him in no time.
Poison wouldn¡¯t work either. If Jin baited Alkaro with drugs and killed him using poison, the entirety of Mamit would be in an uproar.
The greatest unwritten taboo in thewless city is the usage of poison.
Jin¡¯s head began aching as he tried toe up with a n. Assassinating Alkaro inside the Moonlit Well using traditional methods was impossible.
Bang.
Having chugged down his beer, Jin ced the mug back on the table with vigour.
¡®I¡¯ve made up my mind.¡¯
Jin hade up with a strategy.
He would do a terror attack on the Moonlit Well using magic from inside his room.
The Moonlit Well was the inn where the kings of Mamit resided.
A building where the most notorious and prominent figures amongst the worst criminals of Mamit were gathered. As soon as the terror attack begins, these ¡®kings¡¯ of Mamit would counterattack and track down the culprit.
Moreover, their main suspect would be a ¡®6-star or higher magician¡¯.
¡®If I cast a 4-star spell and enhance its effects with spiritual energy, it should be as powerful as a 6-star spell. The most effective way would be to use the lightning spell ¡®Summon Lightning¡¯ and amplify its firepower.¡¯
Who in the world would ever believe that a 15-year-old kid was a 6-star magician?
No one. Not a single soul.
Even Beradin Zipfel¡ªa candidate to be the next Zipfel patriarch¡ªhad just be a 6-star magician at the age of 18, shaking the entire world with his genius.
Blindly casting 6-star spells at the age of 15 was impossible to do, even for geniuses from the Zipfel n.
¡®No need to overthink this. I¡¯ll fill my room with spiritual energy to cover up the traces of magic being cast.¡¯
When something gets covered in spiritual energy, its existence and presence bes faint, no matter what it is.
Jin had once thrown a dagger covered in spiritual energy and easily managed to kill a 4-star warrior. Mana and aura weren¡¯t an exception to this rule either. Jin was confident that he could effortlessly conceal 4-star spells with his spiritual energy.
Thus, the guests residing in the Moonlit Well would believe that the terror attack had originated from outside.
There was no way the powerful kings of Mamit wouldn¡¯t notice mana suddenly being generated inside the inn. Therefore, they¡¯d trust their senses and believe that the culprit was outside.
¡®I¡¯ll amplify the Summon Lightning spell and drop it on the Moonlit Well. I¡¯ll probably be injured as well, but I should be fine since I have Orgal¡¯s Pendant with me.¡¯
Orgal¡¯s Pendant could nullify most of the effects of 5-star or lower magic spells. 6-star and onwards were a bit more dangerous, but the pendant¡¯s nullifying powers weren¡¯tpletely useless.
¡®With my current mana and spiritual energy, I think I can use the amplified Summon Lightning spell a total of four times. If I cast the spell four times on different areas of the inn, it should start an uproar amongst the guests.¡¯
In the meantime, Jin would pretend to be injured and walk around the inn. And once he found Alkaro, he¡¯d kill him andplete his task.
It would be even better if Alkaro unluckily got hit directly by one of the lightning spells and died immediately.
¡®I¡¯ve always felt annoyed by how young I am, but it¡¯s pretty helpful at times.¡¯
Just as its name implies, Summon Lightning is a spell that attacks someone with a sudden streak of lightning falling from the sky. It onlysts for an instant; thus, it would be hard for people to notice that there was spiritual energy mixed in with the spell.
And even if someone did discern some dark energy within the streak of lightning, it was likely that they¡¯d just think of it as some unknown variant of the normal spell. Spiritual power wasn¡¯t very well-known around the world, whereas all kinds of magic variants existed throughout the continent.
Jin¡¯s regression, his spiritual power, along with his innate talent with magic.
Had he been missing one of these, he wouldn¡¯t have even thought of attempting a terror attack on the Moonlit Well.
¡®There¡¯s no need to wait a few more days. We never know what that drug addict might attempt to do if I wait for too long. I¡¯ll initiate the n at noon tomorrow.¡¯
Instead of attacking during the evening or the middle of the night when most people were asleep, it would be far more efficient to attack in broad daylight.
The more people witnessed the 6-star Summon Lightning spell with their own eyes, the more beneficial it was for Jin.
***
[Trantor ¨C Koko¡¯s muscles are sore from bouldering
[Proofreader ¨C yuki¡¯s brain is sore from thinking]
https://discord.gg/MaRegMFhRb
***
10:30 AM.
Jin descended to the lobby and ordered ate breakfast. He was served freshly baked bread, boiled eggs, and soup.
This was all part of his n. He had to behave like every other guest staying at the Moonlit Well and start his morning as a normal human being.
Five of Mamit¡¯s kings were at the lobby eating breakfast as well. They smirked as they sensed the weak aura exuding from Jin.
¡°Kid. You seem to be quite talented for your age, but you shouldn¡¯t stay for too long in this city with that level of skills. You¡¯ll just be at a disadvantage if you stir up trouble.¡±
One of the five spoke to the boy.
¡°Thank you for the advice. But there is someone I must find. I will make sure I don¡¯t cause any trouble for the people residing here.¡±
¡°Haha, what a docilemb. Even though you were a ferocious wolf who killed someone with a dagger in mere instants not long ago.¡±
¡°You are on apletely different levelpared to those drunkards. I know my ce and know when not to cross the line.¡±
¡°Your manners are adequate. Good, I shall allow you to stay here for a few more days.¡±
¡°Thank you very much. I shall never forget how the kings of Mamit took care of me even after I leave the city.¡±
Jin slightly lowered his head and left his seat, returning to his room. The kings of Mamit found his attitude endearing and began chatting amongst each other.
¡°Mamit is done for. Look, even brats like him areing and going as they please now.¡±
¡°Well, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll leave after a few days. If not, he¡¯ll probably get killed by some random lowlifes in the area.¡±
¡°Still, he seemed like quite the decent kid. Maybe I should recruit him into our organization as a rookie.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t. He¡¯ll probably end up a cripple if you let your men loose around him due to his good looks.¡±
Bwahahaha!
The kings of Mamit all burst out inughter.
¡®My manners are adequate? Whatughable pieces of trash.¡¯
Having returned to his room, Jin also exploded inughter. He found it hrious that the scoundrels who hadmitted some of the worst crimes in the city were being advocates of manners and courtesy. He couldn¡¯t wait to drop some thunderbolts on their heads.
Jin sat down cross-legged in the middle of the room.
He closed his eyes and released spiritual energy. Soon enough, dark smoky energy began seeping out of his entire body. In order to start the attack at noon, he had to diligently prepare the smaller details early on.
¡®I¡¯ll fill up the entire room with spiritual energy so that no one can sense anything from outside.¡¯
As his room was tiny, he could cover up and fill in every little crack within an hour.
This single hour was the most important step of the n. If someone came to his room during this time, his n would be in shambles.
He could constantly hear footsteps outside his room, in the corridor. It was the sound of the employees cleaning the ce, and guests leaving and entering their rooms.
¡®Well, I have to take a risk. Otherwise, I won¡¯t be able to aplish anything.¡¯
Jin properly began the spiritual release. As the room filled up with more and more dark energy, the sounds from beyond his door got fainter and fainter. This gave Jin a sense of security and calm.
The hour went by. The room was filled with spiritual energy, as if ink had permeated into every surface and into the air. One couldn¡¯t discern the outline of the furniture. It was basically synonymous to total darkness.
The only entity that had retained colour inside the room was Jin.
¡®I gotta say, quite the perfect work, Jin.¡¯
Phe.
Jin regained control over his breathing and wiped off the sweat on his forehead. All that was left to do was generating mana and preparing to cast Summon Lightning.
¡®I¡¯ll make the spiritual energy inside the room disappear by infusing it inside the final Summon Lightning spell. Afterwards, all that¡¯s left to do is scream and run out of the room, pretending to be injured, and to check whether Alkaro¡¯s alive or not¡¡¯
A simple, yet effective strategy.
As Jin praised himself and his n, he began gathering mana in both his hands.
Crackle! Crack!
Blue electricity ran down his arms to his hands as they generated a lot of noise. However, not a single soul could hear sounds outside the room, just as Jin had nned.
Next, string-like strands of spiritual energy were mixed into the electricity.
¡®Summon Lightning.¡¯
Boooooooooooom!
The first bolt of lightning fell onto the Moonlit Well, destroying half the building¡¯s roof.
¡°Aaarg¡ª!¡±
Before the casualties could cry out in pain, before the uninjured could raise their heads to look at the sky¡
A second streak of dark-blue lightning struck down on the Moonlit Well. It was the second attack.
People began running out of the ashen and destroyed guest rooms, screaming for their lives.
¡°What the¡ Looks like I chose the wrong day toe here.¡±
And a certain girl¡ªwho was about to set foot inside the Moonlit Well¡ªtilted her head in confusion as she watched this spectacle.
Chapter 38: Mamit Lawless Zone (3)
Chapter 38: Mamit Lawless Zone (3)
¡°It seems that a high-ranking magician bears a grudge against one of the guests residing in the Moonlit Well, Mdy.¡±
¡°I shall go locate the magician. You stay here and protect mdy.¡±
The two men standing beside the girl spoke in turn.
However, she just snorted and spoke in a mocking tone.
¡°Do you think I¡¯m some powerless idiot who can¡¯t even protect herself? There are six of our guards inside the inn already. In other words, this may be a terror attack against the Hidden Pce. Ryu, go search for the magician. Hiten,e check on the guards inside with me.¡±
Ryu and Hiten lowered their heads in respect to thedy.
The girl who hadmanded them was Syris Endorma.
She was the Master of the Hidden Pce Tris Endorma¡¯s daughter.
¡°We can kill someone like Alkaro whenever we want. So instead of him, make it your top priority to check on our guards¡¯ safety and well-being.¡±
¡°Understood, Mdy.¡±
Ryu leaped in the air to track down the magician. Meanwhile, Syris and Hiten entered the inn.
Boooom!
The third bolt of lightning fell onto the Moonlit Well. This time, an entire floor was destroyed, and the Kings of Mamit shouted their frustrations at the top of their lungs.
Even Syris and Hiten stopped in their tracks. Now that they were seeing it from up close, the lightning bolt¡¯s power was far greater than they had expected.
¡°Fucking hell! Just which son of a bitch is it?!¡±
¡°Menka, you bastard! Didn¡¯t you say you killed a few magicians from the Zipfel n not long ago? Aren¡¯t they back to get revenge on you?¡±
¡°I was bluffing! It never happened!¡±
The customers ran out of the inn and bickered amongst each other.
But not all of them were doing so. As they were called the Kings of Mamit, some of them were getting ready for battle, while the others were trying to find the source of the magic spells.
Immediately, the final lightning bolt struck the inn.
The fourth bolt was far stronger than the initial three as Jin had amplified the spell using all the spiritual energy in his room; this, in turn, erased all traces of dark energy in it.
Boooom! Craaaash!
The streak of electricity struck the inn in the center, and the building was split in half. The divided inn was on the verge of copsing on either side.
¡°Argh!¡±
¡°Keuk!¡±
More guests covered in soot and ashes escaped from the dust and joined the lobby.
Barely thirty seconds had passed since the beginning of this pandemonium. The people had no idea who had attacked the Moonlit Well.
¡°¡Looks like the attacks have ceased.¡±
¡°Yes, Mdy.¡±
As Syris and Hiten entered the remains of the building, Jin came falling down from the 2nd floor.
Thud!
¡°Urgh¡!¡±
Falling from the 2nd floor wasn¡¯t that painful, but Jin had dropped the final bolt near his guestroom.
(TL/N: In Korea, you start counting floors from 1st, 2nd. So there¡¯s no ground floor/floor zero. So he didn¡¯t fall from that high up.)
¡®Thatst one was closer to the level of a 7-star spell¡ Maybe because I infused all the spiritual energy in the room with the spell.¡¯
Had it not been for Orgal¡¯s Pendant around his neck, Jin would¡¯ve received a fatal injury. But as of right now, he had gotten away with a burnt robe and some veins popping here and there in his body.
The boy looked at his surroundings, acting as naturally as possible.
He had to check whether Alkaro was still alive or not. While he didn¡¯t see his assassination target, Jin did catch the bodyguards running around in a rush.
There was still smoke filling up the air in the lobby. If Alkaro had survived the extremely powerful lightning spells, Jin had to find him now and kill him. This was his only chance.
Jin was about to take out his dagger, but froze. He looked up and saw an unknown girl looking down at him.
¡°Oh? I never thought I¡¯d find a boy around my age here in Mamit. Hey, are you alright? You should head outside to safety for now.¡±
¡°Mdy, our men seem to be gathered over there. All six of them are safe and sound.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a relief. For now, tell them to assemble. And if they¡¯re still protecting Alkaro, just order them to kill him.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
¡°And once Ryu finds the magician, go capture him with our men. Since the spells all looked simr, it must be a single magician behind this attack.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
The boy on the floor immediately came to a realization as he listened to their exchange.
¡®She¡¯s the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s daughter! From her attitude, she came all this way to deal with Alkaro.¡¯
An unexpected encounter.
But Jin thought of this meeting as a blessing rather than misfortune.
¡®ording to what she said, even if Alkaro survived the spells, they¡¯ll kill him anyway. So there¡¯s no need for me to check on him and kill him myself. Moreover, the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s daughter thinks this attack was caused by a magician and doesn¡¯t suspect me.¡¯
From now on, the person holding the highest authority here in the inn would be the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s daughter.
Even if the Kings of Mamit were revered by the city and treated as royals here, they didn¡¯t stand a chance against her.
¡®It¡¯s highly likely that she¡¯ll suspect this was a terror attack against the Hidden Pce. Then all I need to do is pretend to be terrified and escape from this ce.¡¯
It wasn¡¯t just the girl. The rest of the customers residing in the Moonlit Well were thinking a magician had attacked them.
Thus, the chances of Jin being used as the culprit were extremely low.
However, there was one problem.
¡®If the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s daughter sees my face, things can getplicatedter on in life.¡¯
It didn¡¯t matter much if the leaders of Mamit or the small fry of the city saw his face. They would never meet again in Jin¡¯s life, and even if it ended up bing problematic, he could just silence them in the future.
But the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s daughter was apletely different story.
She was someone Jin inevitably had to meet if he stayed at the Garden of Swords.
¡°Mdy!¡±
¡°Is everyone alright? Where¡¯s Alkaro?¡±
¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡ We have no excuses. Alkaro has perished from the attacks just now. We have failed to protect him.¡±
¡°Is that so? That¡¯s perfect. No need to be ashamed. Good work enduring that moron¡¯s irritating behaviour so far. I came all this way to deal with him in the first ce.¡±
While the girl conversed with her men, Jin grabbed a handful of soot and rubbed it all over his face. This was better than nothing to hide his face.
Shling!
Syris unsheathed a pure-white sword and raised it in the air.
¡°The Hidden Pce shall now take control over this inn! I am Syris Endorma, daughter of the Master of the Hidden Pce Tris Endorma, captain of the Hidden Pce¡¯s Seven Swords. All those who oppose will be considered enemies of the Hidden Pce from now on.
¡°Hiten, order our men to block and regte all movement and activity in a radius of five hundred meters. Make sure nobody can move until Ryu has found the magician. Understood?¡±
¡°Yes, Mdy.¡±
¡°Ah, um. Did you say you¡¯re the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s daughter? Still, this ce is Mamit. So as the Kings of Mamit, it¡¯s a bit irritating if you try to take control of the situation despite our very obvious presence. Also, isn¡¯t it highly possible that we were attacked because of the Hidden Pce in the first ce?¡±
The one who spoke up was the King of Mamit who had mentioned about ¡®manners¡¯ this morning to Jin. Once he finished stating his point, the other kings around him nodded in agreement.
¡°Hiten.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Bring me his head.¡±
As those terrifying words echoed, Hiten vanished from his spot without a trace.
Scrrt!
The guard appeared behind the opposer out of nowhere, and a metallic linear sh was reflected in everyone¡¯s eyes. Hiten brought the head of the dead man¡ªwho still had his eyes open¡ªand politelyid it at Syris¡¯s feet.
¡°I mentioned that all those who oppose would be considered enemies, didn¡¯t I? And ¡®Kings of Mamit¡¯? Have you been ying royals in this rubbish heap of a city for so long that you¡¯ve forgotten your ces? Is the Hidden Pce a joke to you ¡®kings¡¯?¡±
The Kings of Mamit all averted their gazes, some coughing awkwardly.
They weren¡¯t weak in any way. If the Kings of Mamit all united their forces, they could even stand a chance against Syris¡¯s subordinates. However, none of them wanted to have the Hidden Pce as their enemy.
¡°Ehem. We don¡¯t want to have you people as our enemies either. But at the very least, do respect us and be mindful of our positions. The one who just died wasn¡¯tpletely wrong either, was he?¡±
¡°If it¡¯s revealed that the attack was aimed at the guards of the Hidden Pce, we willpensate you for the damages. But what if it¡¯s the other way around? What if our men were innocent bystanders of an attack that was aimed at one of you people?¡±
Syris sharply retorted, to which the Kings of Mamit couldn¡¯t refute.
¡°Sigh, alright. Do as you wish. We didn¡¯t know that the guards who were protecting that druggy were part of the Hidden Pce. We shall leave you in charge. We also wish to find the magician and kill him, so our goals are aligned.¡±
¡°Good. For now, have all the survivors gather here. Currently, one of the Hidden Pce¡¯s Seven Swords is searching for the magician out there. But it¡¯s still possible that the culprit is someone amongst you.¡±
¡°That¡¯s unlikely. None of us are magicians.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t doubt that. But it¡¯s possible that one of you recently got on the bad side of this magician in question. Pieces of trash like you cause all kinds of trouble wherever you go, am I right? In any case, have everyone gather here.¡±
The Kings of Mamit all sighed as they descended the stairs along with the other survivors. Meanwhile, Syris lowered her gaze.
¡°Why are you still dilly-dallying here? Didn¡¯t I tell you to head outside to safety about three minutes ago?¡±
Unlike her conversation with the Kings of Mamit, Syris was using a much softer and tender tone when addressing Jin. The boy curled up in order to hide his face as much as possible.
¡°Tha-That¡¯s¡ Because it¡¯s terrifying. And I hurt my leg earlier. I¡¯m sorry¡¡±
¡°Ahahaha, you¡¯re quite fearful for a young man, even though you¡¯ve got a sword at your belt. How cute. Now, get moving. And forget everything you saw today. Oh, and put this on your leg before leaving.¡±
¡°Thank you very much.¡±
Syris took out an ointment that was brewed using healing mana. Jin was about to receive it with his sooty hands, but Syris smiled and shook her head.
¡°Look at your dirty hands. Just let me put it on you. Pull back your pant leg. Still, aren¡¯t you quite the lucky one? Not only did you survive a terror attack, I, Syris Endorma, am personally putting ointment on your leg. You should feel honoured.¡±
Jin clumsily pulled back his pant leg. Syris crouched down and rubbed some ointment on the boy¡¯s shin. In the middle of his shin was a deep and long gash.
¡®Why is she so kind? The Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s daughter was infamous in my first life for being crazed and out of her mind. Were the rumourspletely unfounded?¡¯
Once she finished putting on the ointment, Syris and Jin¡¯s gazes met each other.
The girl had not a single ounce of suspicion towards the boy. Furthermore, she was happy to finally meet someone of her age group in this deste city and felt like helping him out.
¡°There, all done. Hiten! Why is Ryu taking so long? Don¡¯t tell me he can¡¯t find the magician? That Ryu?¡±
¡°He is somewhatte indeed. Should I head out there and search for the culprit as well?¡±
¡°Hm, forget it. The magician seems to be skilled at concealing themselves. Even so, they must be inside the city, so it¡¯s only a question of time. I doubt Ryu won¡¯t be able to find his target. It¡¯s just a measly magician after all.¡±
¡°I concur.¡±
After straightening his pant leg, Jin stood up and bowed deeply.
¡°Um, how can I return this favour?¡±
As he asked her, Jin had to hold back the smile that was about to creep up on his face. Afterpleting the terror attack, if the Kings of Mamit held him back for some reason, things could¡¯ve gottenplicated for him. However, the situation had unfolded so easily.
Moreover, Syris wasn¡¯t trying to check Jin¡¯s face properly either. She was simply showing him kindness and sending him on his way.
¡°How could you ever repay a debt to someone like me? Just think of this as a nice memory. And if you remember me from time to time, just bow in the direction of the Hidden Pce whenever you can. Well then, bye!¡±
Having left the Moonlit Well inn, Jin followed the streets and left Mamit.
While he had gotten some help from Syris, Alkaro had still died from Jin¡¯s own magic, so he had no reason to feel guilty or ashamed about thepletion of his mission.
Chapter 39: Kinzelo’s Misunderstanding
Chapter 39: Kinzelo¡¯s Misunderstanding
In the meantime, the Youngest Division was on their own mission.
And contrary to the expectations of all members of the intermediate ss, the members of Jin¡¯s faction were faring quite well against the orcs. They had already subjugated 17 of the 25 orcs they were assigned to defeat.
¡°This makes 18! At this rate, we might all actually return alive with no casualties!¡±
Scott and Taimont extracted their swords from the orc¡¯s corpse.
¡°Let¡¯s return safely and destroy all of those bastards¡¯ pride and ego. I was worried we¡¯d ruin the Young Master¡¯s reputation, but if this goes on, it might be the opposite instead.¡±
¡°There are still seven orcs left. We mustn¡¯t let down our guards until we subjugate them all.¡±
While Mesa burst their little bubble of excitement, she was actually smiling deep inside.
¡®It¡¯s almost as if we were blessed by the gods. No, it might be Young Master Jin who was blessed by the gods, and his good fortune rubbed off on us as well.¡¯
All the members of Jin¡¯s division were of the same opinion.
Normally, orcs moved in groups. However, for some reason, these orcs were appearing one at a time, as if they were asking to be killed. Moreover, they were never in a hurry, and attacked the cadets sluggishly.
No wonder they thought they were extremely lucky.
¡°Resume scouting the area! Make sure you stay vignt, everyone!¡±
The Jin Division cut and stored the dead orc¡¯s ear in a bag and returned to their respective positions in the formation.
As they moved through the forest, one man observed the cadets from behind, hidden in the dense, tall grass.
¡®Once they defeat the remaining seven orcs, I can finally go back home as well¡¡¯
The man wearing a bored and dull face was Murakan.
Mesa thought that the gods¡¯ blessing was protecting them, but it was in fact the ck Dragon Murakan who was acting as their guardian angel.
Murakan had arrived here, in the unprotected zone of the Curano Dukedom, before the Jin Division and had assembled the orcs.
Afterwards, he told them as such:
¡ªListen carefully, you stinking pigs. I won¡¯t say this twice. From today onwards, you all need to move around alone. If I see a single one of you trying to build a group and gather other orcs, I will personally annihte you all. Do you understand?
Lowly orcs couldn¡¯t go against the orders of the Great ck Dragon.
Moreover, he had spoken to them in ¡®Dragon-Tongue¡¯, thenguage that represented the authority of the dragons. Dominating the minds of low-ss monsters with Dragon-Tongue was as easy as breathing to Murakan.
He was the only reason the Jin Division could safely defeat the orcs one by one so far. Needless to say, the cadets had no idea about this truth.
¡®Still, it seems like Jin, that kid¡ he¡¯s nning on continuously sending me on these trivial missions. Geez, do you think being the promised contractor of a thousand years makes you the boss of me? Fuck, it does! Dammit! That son of a¡ª!¡¯
The members of the Jin Division managed to subjugate the remaining seven orcs the next day in the middle of the night.
¡°We did it!¡±
¡°We really made it alive!¡±
This time around, even Mesa couldn¡¯t hide her joy and glee, and cheered along with her teammates. They hadpleted the mission one day earlier than what they had expected.
¡°We¡¯ll take turns resting and keeping watch until the afternoon. Once everyone has gotten some sleep, we¡¯re returning to the Garden of Swords! We switch the members on night watch duty every 45 minutes. The one on food duty will prepare breakfast.¡±
And so began theirte-night/early morning camp.
Murakan also lied down amongst the tall grass near the campsite. He was nning on spending time until afternoon came by reading the erotic magazines he had brought with him.
As he read the magazines, his annoyance and irritation slowly disappeared. He hadn¡¯t been able to spend time reading them until now as he had to keep an eye on the human brats¡ªkids who weren¡¯t even involved in his destiny.
¡®Once we¡¯re back, I¡¯m definitely telling the kid to get me several limited edition magazines in return for this favour. Hehe, thinking of it like that, helping these brats on their mission is quite profitable for me as well¡ª¡¯
Floop.
Murakan suddenly closed the magazine he was reading and sighed.
He could sense a dangerous presence in the distance slowly approaching the campsite where the Jin Division was staying. He didn¡¯t know who this presence belonged to or what their objective was, but Murakan was certain about two things:
One, the individual was slowly approaching the cadets¡¯ campsite.
And two, the individual had considerable power.
¡®Seems like fate isn¡¯t on our side. At this rate, the effort I put in this mission won¡¯t match the profit I¡¯ll make. Where did this bastard suddenly pop out of?¡¯
Tsk!
Murakan clicked his tongue bitterly and stood up.
Fortunately, the cadets of the Jin Division were only at the 3-star level. Thus, Murakan could erect arge barrier around the campsite, and the kids wouldn¡¯t be able to differentiate the darkness of the night from the shadowy hemisphere protecting them.
Ssssssssssssst¡!
A handful of shadows gathered in both of his palms.
This was on apletely different scalepared to the demonstration he had done in the underground chamber of the Storm Castle. As Murakan lived alongside Jin on the surface of the continent, he was slowly breathing in some of the abundant shadows around him on a daily basis. Therefore, he had regained some of his strength from the era when he was known as the ck Dragon that shook the world.
¡°Hm?¡±
As Murakan covered the campsite in a barrier of spiritual energy, Bellop¡ªwho was on night watch duty¡ªtilted his head in confusion.
He felt like his surroundings had suddenly gotten darker than before. However, he didn¡¯t think much of it. The boy merely believed they were deeper into the night, and didn¡¯t notice the barrier.
As a gust of heavy wind shook the trees, Murakan covered his entire body in spiritual energy as well. Soon, what emerged from his original position was an enormous ck dragon. It was Murakan¡¯s original form.
Swoosh!
His gigantic pair of wings covered the moon. All the monsters, alongside the animals and other living creatures in the area, began to tremble in instinctive fear and subconscious terror.
Unsurprisingly, the powerful entity that was approaching the campsite also stopped in its tracks; it had detected Murakan.
[Who dares to leak their energy in my presence without my permission?]
Murakan flew into the sky and covered the moon and stars. The ck dragon blocking the moonlight exuded a dangerous air that no one would doubt it of being an agent of the gods.
However, there was no answer.
Unfortunately, Murakan wasn¡¯t as merciful as usual when in his original form.
Swooooosh! Swooooosh!
With each p of a wing, a dark storm swept through the area.
A storm of shadows. As the tempest raged in the forest, it snappedrge trees like twigs and swirled around the source of this spiritual energy.
Only then did the individual lying down in the distance finally stand up to reveal themselves. Having verified the response from this ¡®entity¡¯, Murakan stopped pping his wings.
Its gigantic body that could bepared to a fortress was covered in rocks. Beneath therge helmet moulded with ancient magic were two bright-red eyes, ring at the dragon.
Finally, there was an immense spear and shield in both of its hands.
It was a being called a ¡®Cemetery Giant¡¯.
[¡Oho, I see. It wasn¡¯t a living being, but rather an outdated relic from the old ages.]
Murakan was surprised by the appearance of this Cemetery Giant.
The Cemetery Giants had already disappeared without a trace around two thousand years ago. They were tasked with protecting the graves of the deceased gods, but the dragon race had exterminated them.
In other words, this giant wasn¡¯t supposed to exist in modern times anymore, let alone appear before Murakan.
As the dragon calmlynded on the ground, the Cemetery Giant raised its shield. For a short while, Murakan looked down at his enemy and felt something was wrong with this situation.
[But I¡¯m not pleased to see you.]
Krrrrr.
The Cemetery Giant let out a disgusting groan and lowered its stance. Murakan tightened his scales as he recalled the ancient war between both races.
He was preparing to release his breath. While it would leave behind traces, he had to finish this fight as quickly as possible.
Murakan opened his jaw and darkness gathered in a dangerous sphere. After a few seconds, he had amassed enough spiritual energy topletely raze an entire mountain range to the ground.
Ziiingggg!
As he fired his breath, the surrounding area was suddenly submerged in total darkness. The Cemetery Giant lowered one leg and hid its body behind its shield, but it couldn¡¯t withstand Murakan¡¯s strength.
¡°Guoooo¡!¡±
All it could do was yell onest groan upon death¡¯s door, just as the rest of the Cemetery Giants had done two thousand years ago when facing the dragons.
Crumble.
As it breathed itsst, the Cemetery Giant fell apart into small pieces, and a rain of rubble came down where it was previously standing.
¡°Huff, huff¡!¡±
After the end of the battle, Murakan returned to his human form and panted intensely. His entire body felt like it was breaking apart as he had used too much power for the first time in a long period.
¡®There¡¯s no way one Cemetery Giant just randomly survived the war until today and stayed undetected. Fuck, I¡¯m sure that the Zipfels are somehow rted to this incident. What on earth is happening around the world right now?¡¯
After pondering for a short moment, Murakan shook his head.
¡®For now, I shouldn¡¯t tell Jin about this. No matter what happens, I just need to protect him. As long as the kid grows steadily for another ten years¡ he¡¯ll be strong enough to face the Zipfels.¡¯
***
The next day, in Bouvard Gaston¡¯s Fragmented Workshop¡¯s underground room.
Bouvard was walking in circles and dragging his fat body around; he was anxious enough that he couldn¡¯t stop biting on his thumbnail.
Creak.
One man entered the room. With a slick coat and a fierce gaze, this stern individual was Vishukel Yvliano.
He was the vice-leader of the revolutionary group ¡®Kinzelo¡¯.
¡°L-Lord Vishukel! A problem has urred! My work of art¡ My masterful work of art was¡!¡±
¡°¡I¡¯ve already been told about it. The Cemetery Giant was destroyedst night, wasn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°Indeed! Urgh, just who would do such an atrocious act¡?! How dare they treat my artwork in such a way! Are they looking down on the soul of an artisan?!¡±
Vishukel sighed deeply.
In order to achieve Kinzelo¡¯s grand objective, this moron who preached about the ¡®soul of an artisan¡¯ was indispensable, and Vishukel found that truth to be unfortunate.
¡°Bouvard. Your artisan¡¯s soul isn¡¯t what¡¯s important right now. The Cemetery Giant was destroyed by a dragonst night.¡±
¡°A-A dragon?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. In fact, it was a dragon that controls shadows. I confirmed it with my own eyes beforeing here.¡±
Vishukel was extremely anxious and on edge that he was about to go crazy.
Kinzelo had prepared their grand mastern since five hundred years ago.
They were finally putting their n in action, but this incident had suddenly hindered them. Moreover, most active dragons these days were working for the ¡®Zipfels¡¯.
Bouvard stopped making a fuss and stared at Vishukel silently.
¡°¡That can¡¯t be. Are you saying the dragons have already noticed our movements and ns? Not only that, it was a shadow dragon?¡±
¡°Nothing¡¯s certain for now, but that was definitely a warning from them. I¡¯ll try to have a meeting with the Zipfels sometime soon. In the meantime, make sure you keep an eye on everything that happens in this area. I¡¯ll lend you some useful men to work with.¡±
¡°Understood. Urgh, I can¡¯t believe this¡ Ah, speaking of which, Lord Vishukel, have you had breakfast yet? I¡¯d like to have a sweet potato croquette.¡±
Vishukel endured the boiling rage inside him and barely answered back.
¡°¡Sure, I¡¯ll go buy some, so let¡¯s eat together.¡±
¡°Hehe, that sounds good. I¡¯d like some fresh milk as well.¡±
He also vowed to himself that he¡¯d murder this sickening fatass with his own hands one day.
Chapter 40: Dominating the Intermediate Class
Chapter 40: Dominating the Intermediate ss
Jin and the Youngest Division¡¯s sessful return from their respective missions were the hottest topics within the intermediate ss.
Nobody had predicted this oue. Most people believed that while some members of the Youngest Division would return alive, many of them would perish during the mission.
However, Jin was the biggest surprise. He had to assassinate the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s lover in Mamit, and no one thought it was achievable.
They all thought that Jin would return withoutpleting the mission. No one in the world wants to die at the tender age of 15.
¡°Kuhahaha, the g-bearers who assigned you this mission must be taken aback. I bet they¡¯re fuming right now.¡±
Even Zed was surprised by the sess of the mission.
He praised Jin in front of the other cadets several times and showed his satisfaction and delight. Every time it happened, the Tona twins shrank back in fear, and the other cadets epted that Jin had be the new trend of the intermediate ss.
Yes, the new trend.
The members of the Youngest Division were the target of envy from the others. More and more cadets were hoping to join the Youngest Division instead of Myu, Anne, or the Tona twins¡¯ factions.
But there was one group of cadets who were grinding their teeth in irritation as they watched this new trend.
¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, some random magician happened to attack the inn where the assassination target was residing on the same day. The damned Young Master Jin has such good luck.¡±
¡°What an unfair world. Not only was he born a Runcandel, he¡¯s also blessed with good fortune? Some of us are only intermediate-ss cadets even though we used up all the luck in our lives¡ Tch.¡±
They were the cadets from Myu and Anne¡¯s faction, including Kajin Romello, sitting on the ground andining together.
Previously, they were at the top of the food chain in this jungle-like intermediate ss, but recently, their authority and power had taken a nosedive.
The lowly cadets who once used to be wary of them were now sucking up to the Youngest Division, and that annoyed them to death.
¡°If Young Master Jin or the other brats were exceptionally strong, I¡¯d ept this oue. But Young Master Jin is only a 4-star knight, and the others are 3-stars! Kajin, are we seriously letting them do as they please?¡±
Kajin smiled bitterly and shook his head.
¡°What would happen to us if we attempted something? He may be irritating, but Young Master Jin is still a pure-blooded Runcandel. There¡¯s nothing we can do until Ladies Myu and Anne give us ord¡ª¡±
Kajin suddenly stopped talking.
He noticed that Jin¡ªwho was sitting on the other side of the training ground¡ªwas suddenly approaching them.
¡°¡Why is he¡ª? Did he hear us?¡±
¡°He didn¡¯t. It¡¯s impossible with this distance.¡±
¡°Unfortunately, I heard everything, my friends.¡±
Jin shrugged and spoke as he joined the group. Kajin and the others¡¯ expressions visibly darkened. Despite his shock and surprise, Kajin changed his attitude and let out a soft chuckle.
¡°My apologies, Young Master Jin. Lowly weaklings like us are only able to rival your mighty strength by talking behind your back like this. Please forgive us for this blunder.¡±
Kajin¡¯s sarcastic and arrogant tone surprised his own associates. Even the other cadets in the area who were having their own conversations stopped talking and turned to them, eyes wide open.
But the boy in question didn¡¯t think much of Kajin¡¯s words.
¡°I mean, there¡¯s nothing to forgive. I¡¯m not a g-bearer yet, so strictly speaking, it¡¯s not up to me.¡±
¡°You may say that, but can¡¯t you use your authority as a Runcandel to have a lowly cadet like me be whipped as punishment? I shall humbly ept any punishment you are to give me.¡±
The situation had turned sour, but Kajin hadn¡¯t forgotten that Myu and Anne¡ªwho were backing him¡ªhad far more authority than Jin.
¡°Why do you believe that I¡¯d do such a thing?¡±
¡°Because of my insolent and disrespectful attitude.¡±
The other cadets began to gather around them, whispering to each other. ss had ended for the day already, so Zed and the assistant instructors had already left.
¡°Hey! Kajin! Watch your tongue when talking to the young master!¡±
¡°Are you crazy? He¡¯s already overlooked your offense. Don¡¯t push your luck!¡±
¡°You guys are the ones who shouldn¡¯t push their luck. I¡¯m the one who¡¯ll get punished, not you bastards. Geez, all of you have grown so much in such a short while. You couldn¡¯t even look me in the eyes until not long ago. Should I consider you guys as part of Young Master Jin¡¯s faction now?¡±
Kajin red at the spectators and they avoided his gaze.
He was the apex predator of the intermediate ss until Jin arrived.
He was one of the most skilled 5-star knights in the ss and had the support of Myu and Anne Runcandel. Even the Tona twins couldn¡¯t carelessly talk to Kajin.
¡°What a distasteful sight, Kajin.¡±
¡°Yes, I bet it must be distasteful to you, Young Master. But I find it equally unpleasant to watch others respect you for a mission you didn¡¯t aplish with your own strength. It¡¯s only because you¡¯re a pure-blooded Runcandel that they¡¯re wagging their tails at you.¡±
¡°This crazy bastard! Who do you think you¡¯re talking to¡!¡±
Shling!
The onlooking Mesa stepped forward and unsheathed her sword. She was about to leap at Kajin to murder him, but Jin raised his hand and stopped her.
¡°Young Master! I must kill that insolent bastard today. Even if I die trying, I will definitely cut off an arm at the very least!¡±
¡°Enough.¡±
Mesa hesitated for a moment before putting away her de.
¡°It seems you¡¯ve misunderstood me, Kajin. When I said it was a distasteful sight, I wasn¡¯t talking about your sarcasticments to the others or your insolent attitude towards me.¡±
¡°Ha! Then what is it that you found so distasteful, Young Master?¡±
¡°As a 5-star knight, you are one of, if not the most skilled cadet in the intermediate ss. You may even be stronger than me. So why do you resort to simple badmouthing behind my back?¡±
Shling!
This time, Jin unsheathed his sword and aimed it at Kajin.
¡°You could just nder me right in my face. Was it because you weren¡¯t courageous enough to face me in a fight? I¡¯m pretty certain I said anyone could attack me if they wanted to on my first day here.¡±
Kajin raised his head and silently stared at Jin¡¯s eyes.
¡°¡Are you certain about this?¡±
¡°Indeed. Stand up and ready your sword.¡±
Jin took a few steps back and prepared his stance. Kajin only stared dumbfounded and the other cadets couldn¡¯t hide their shock and tension.
Just why was Young Master Jin doing this?
Everyone was asking the same question. While Jin was strong, they all believed that he was stillckingpared to Kajin and that he could never win against the 5-star knight.
¡°No need to go easy on me. Let¡¯s take this seriously.¡±
¡°That sounds like you want me to go all out and even use aura.¡±
Kajin stood up and unsheathed his own sword.
¡°Correct.¡±
¡°You will regret this, Young Master. Don¡¯t think that you¡¯ll be able to take me by surprise and cut my arm off so easily likest time. You will need to go all out in order to even dream of facing me.¡±
¡°If I were to go all out, you would never be able to win against me, even in a thousand years.¡±
¡°What an empty bluff!¡±
ng!
Kajin was the one to make the first move.
He shortened the distance between them in an instant and made use of his superior build to overpower his opponent in a frontal attack. Each sharp swing created deep reverberations which made Jin stagger.
¡®His attacks are all so heavy.¡¯
Kajin Romello, 24 years old, 5-star knight.
He was only an intermediate cadet in the Runcandel n, but in the outside world, he was strong enough that every group and organization around the world would try to recruit him. Even if he left the n right now, he could easily find a job as a knight and be revered by the public as a respected warrior.
Amongst all the people Jin had faced in a duel of swordsmanship, Kajin was the strongest opponent so far, even if you included Jin¡¯s adversaries from his past life.
¡®Butpared to the people I¡¯ll be fighting from here on out, this is nothing.¡¯
ng! ng!
As the battle continued, Jin kept retreating as Kajin chased him like a predator. One could easily notice the overflowing malice in Kajin¡¯s eyes as he swung his sword.
¡°Keuk!¡±
¡°Are you giving up already? Do you finally have a grasp of reality now? You aren¡¯t skilled enough to pick a fight with me, Young Master!¡±
Kajin instantly changed his stance and grabbed his sword with both hands. He then enveloped it with aura and swung it with all his might.
It was as if he were wielding a warhammer instead of a sword. He had even tilted his sword to strike with the t of his de.
He was trying to destroy Jin¡¯s guard.
Boom!
Even though Jin parried the blow, an explosion resonated in the area and Jin barely managed to hold onto his sword.
However, his posture was disrupted. It was the same for Kajin, but that was his intention from the start; Kajin had swung with all his might expecting to ruin his stance.
Making use of the recoil from his extreme swing, Kajin roundhouse kicked his opponent in the thigh. The shin guards he was wearing amplified the total force and damage.
Jin ground his teeth as his thigh throbbed in agony. He didn¡¯t have the time to groan out loud. Kajin had already regained his bnce and was making a flurry of attacks.
Slit!
Kajin¡¯s de grazed Jin¡¯s forehead, cutting off some of his front hair. Had Jin not leaned his head backwards, his brain would be visible to everyone by now.
At that moment, Taimont stood up in a hurry. He was nning on stopping the fight as he feared for the Young Master¡¯s life. However, Mesa stopped him.
¡°Do you think the Young Master will lose?¡±
The convinced Taimont scratched the back of his head awkwardly and sat back down.
By now, all the spectating cadets believed the battle waspletely one-sided. Compared to the breathless Jin, Kajin was still swiftly swinging his sword covered in powerful and ring aura.
However, Jin wasn¡¯t retreating out of fear.
He was trying to concentrate his mind on a certain sensation.
¡®Just like when I got hit by Haytona¡¯s steel marble¡ I can slowly start seeing the trajectories of Kajin¡¯s attacks.¡¯
The strange sensation he had felt when he trained with the Clear Stones with his brothers.
There are an infinite number of paths a single de can take when gliding through the air. But for a 5-star knight, there are only so many trajectories they can take with their level of skill.
That was especially the case for opponents like Kajin, who was letting rage control his mind and body. Thus, Jin decided to end the fight with the next three moves.
He had to provoke Kajin even more to make him use his hidden skills and techniques in case there were any.
¡°I¡¯ve gotten a good grasp of your attacks now. You won¡¯t be able to win against me.¡±
¡°I see that you¡¯ll continue bluffing to the end, Young Master.¡±
Jin only had to dodge the attacks two more times.
He believed that Kajin was going to adhere to the attack patterns he had used so far.
There was no need to change ns or tactics when it had been useful so far. In fact, now that Jin had provoked him by saying he could read Kajin¡¯s moves, the 5-star knight was never going to change his approach due to his fury and arrogance.
But if Jin avoided Kajin¡¯s attacks perfectly two more times, Kajin would have to make a choice.
Either he changed tactics with a calm mind, or he used his most powerful attack that Jin wouldn¡¯t be able to evade or block even if he saw iting.
And needless to say, the fight progressed just as Jin had predicted.
One left swing followed by an irregr upward sh. Jin didn¡¯t parry those attacks and dodged them perfectly. He spread his feet apart and crouched to avoid the first move, and side-stepped in advance to dodge the second one.
During this short exchange, Kajin¡¯s mind was in turmoil. He admitted that Jin could¡¯ve evaded the first left swing. But the boy had dodged the unpredictable upward swing even before Kajin had begun to raise his sword.
¡°Tch!¡±
Thus, Kajin released all the aura he had to power-up his third attack. Whether Jin had evaded his attacks by reading his moves or through pure coincidence, the boy wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge this one. The human body wasn¡¯t as free and flexible as water.
And in the slight chance that Jin did manage to avoid it, his stance would bepletely ruined, creating a great opening for Kajin to take advantage of. Therefore, Kajin decided to release arge amount of aura so powerful that no 4-star knight could ever defend from.
¡°This is¡ª!¡±
The end!
But Kajin couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. Something unexpected had urred.
Jin didn¡¯t try to evade the powerful attack. Instead, he covered his own sword with aura as well and swung it with all his might, receiving the attack head-on.
Booom!
When the two des met each other, the one who was pushed back was, surprisingly, Kajin. The 5-star knight had lost to the 4-star.
He had been pushed back in a battle of strength. Until seconds ago, he had been overpowering Jin with his bigger build, but Kajin had been overwhelmed this time around.
His eyes trembled as he couldn¡¯t hide his shock. The aura covering Bradamante had a colour and glint that was far deeper than that of a 4-star knight.
¡°I also thought it would take me a few more years to reach 5-star.¡±
Swoosh!
Jin made use of Kajin¡¯s disarray and bolted before him.
Anyone would be in a predicament when facing an opponent who was far stronger than what they had initially expected.
Kajin finally realized he had let his guard down when Bradamante¡¯s de reached his neck.
And so, the victor was decided.
¡°Did you¡ trick me? To think you were 5-star already¡ haha.¡±
Kajin spoke in a disheartened voice as his sword fell to the ground.
¡°No, you just don¡¯t know me well enough. I never fight a battle where I¡¯m not confident of winning.¡±
¡°Wh-What¡¯s going on here?!¡±
Two individuals came running btedly to the training grounds; they were the Tona twins, who had heard the news of this fight moments ago.
The twins couldn¡¯t hide their astonishment as they saw the two figures standing at the center of the crowd.
¡®H-He defeated Kajin? The youngest actually beat him?!¡¯
Jin turned around and sheathed his sword. As he passed by his older brothers with a slow pace, he calmly said,
¡°Nothing important.¡±
The twins felt chills run down their spines and got goosebumps from their little brother¡¯s words.
Trantor¡¯s Section:
So¡ nice fight, right?
Also, anyone else confused on how Kajin got his arm back? xD
The author didn¡¯t give any details, but he did somehow get it back.
But after the PR and I check back on the older chapters, in chapter 20 they say: ¡°As long as the injuries aren¡¯t fatal¡ªsuch as amputated limbs or damaged vital organs¡ªthe medical team can fully heal the victim in an instant.¡±
So¡ we assume that the medical team just can¡¯t heal amputations in an instant. In other words, it¡¯s possible that they reattached it properly, but it just took longer than¡ ¡°an instant¡±¡
Author, please be more clear with things like this xDDD
Anyways, I¡¯ll see you all on Wednesday~!
Chapter 41: Enemies In And Out (1)
Chapter 41: Enemies In And Out (1)
A 5-star knight.
Jin had predicted that he would take at least three years and five at most in order to reach that stage. In fact, the average Runcandel reached the 5-star stage by the age of 20.
However, Jin had defeated the 5-star knight Kajin at the age of 15.
While it was true that Kajin had underestimated Jin and had let down his guard, the boy would still win even if they had another duel.
¡°You¡ lost against the youngest?¡±
¡°Haa, are you seriously going to lie to us? Does that even make sense? The youngest was only a 3-star knight until not long ago. No matter how much of a moron you are, this is just impossible.¡±
Myu and Anne couldn¡¯t believe what they heard from Kajin¡¯s report.
This wasn¡¯t a surprising reaction. Jin hadn¡¯t done a surprise attack and Kajin hadn¡¯t given himself a handicap. The 5-star knight had far more experience and physical strength than the Runcandel boy.
¡°I have no excuses.¡±
¡°Or did you go easy on him since he¡¯s a pure-blooded Runcandel?¡±
¡°Or did you get bribed by him?¡±
¡°¡That is definitely not the case, Mdies.¡±
¡°Then what is it? Are you seriously telling me the youngest reached the 5-star stage in such a short amount of time? Do you seriously want us to believe that?¡±
¡°Everyone else at the training ground can testify for me. His aura was that of a 5-star knight at least.¡±
¡°Ha!¡±
Myu frowned deeply and Anne sneered.
¡°Forget it. It¡¯s my fault for having high expectations for someone like you. Get out of my sight.¡±
As soon as Kajin left the room, the two women stared at each other.
¡°The youngest is officially baring his fangs against us, isn¡¯t he?¡±
Anne asked her sister.
¡°No, it¡¯s not just to us. He¡¯s baring his fangs against everyone in the n. We¡¯ll have to assign him a mission that¡¯s certain to kill him next time¡ by sending some of our men as well.¡±
***
The Garden of Swords was suddenly in an uproar.
The rumour that Jin had defeated Kajin and had officially be the strongest cadet in the intermediate ss had spread amongst the servants. However, many amongst them couldn¡¯t believe this story, just like Myu and Anne.
That was how unbelievably fast Jin had grown. If you counted all the Runcandels who had be 5-star knights before the age of 16 in the n¡¯s thousand-year history, there were only three: the first patriarch Temar, Cyron, and Luna.
However, the nsmen only knew of his growth in swordsmanship.
¡®5-star in swordsmanship, 4-star in magic, and 4-star in spiritual power.¡¯
The person in question hadn¡¯t expected to reach the 5-star stage so quickly either.
He was simply training with the Clear Stones ever since returning from Mamit, but his aura reached 5-star in no time.
During the breaks from the Clear Stone training sessions, he would cover his sword with aura and maintain it as such. And every time, he could sense aura amassing inside his body at an incredible speed.
This phenomenon wasn¡¯t happening solely because of Jin¡¯s natural talent for swordsmanship.
It was due to the synergy.
The synergy between the three powers flowing in his body: spiritual energy, mana, and aura.
Ordinary people have never had the chance of using all three types of energies, so they¡¯re unaware of this fact, but Jin noticed that the energies interacted with each other.
If one of the powers gets stronger, it influences and strengthens the other two as well. Moreover, the most influential energy amongst the three is spiritual energy.
Therefore, due to the ¡®spiritual energy congestion¡¯ Jin had experiencedst time, his spiritual energy had increased, strengthening his two other powers as well.
In consequence, the channels through which aura and mana flow in his body had increased in number. It was as if Jin had won the lottery without doing a single thing.
¡®Now that I¡¯ve publicly revealed having reached 5-star at the age of 15, my siblings will start getting properly nervous here on out.¡¯
Jin had made an incredible aplishment.
However, he wasn¡¯t strong enough to face his siblings yet. Excluding the Tona twins, the other g-bearers of the n could easily trample on Jin if they ever had the chance to.
It wasn¡¯t just Myu and Anne.
There was Joshua, Cyron¡¯s most likely sessor, along with Jin¡¯s other older siblings who were aiming to take that position for themselves as well. They now had no choice but to keep an eye on Jin and his growth.
The youngest was a thorn in the side of those who were aiming for the position of patriarch.
Choosing Barisada during the Selection Ritual could be considered a coincidence. But revealing his true talents and gaining prominence was apletely different story.
¡®It might¡¯ve been a good idea to stay low and hide my talents for now, but no.¡¯
Had he revealed his abilities when he was 18, the candidates for the throne would¡¯ve been less wary of him.
However, Jin believed that he had benefited far more by doing the reveal today.
¡®From today onwards, people outside of the Runcandel n will learn of me¡ªof how I became a 5-star knight at the age of 15. Countless ns and alliances wille and take a look at me out of curiosity and wariness. My siblings won¡¯t be able to move or aim for my life recklessly due to the observant eyes on me.¡¯
Moreover, his father¡ªCyron Runcandel¡ªwould most definitely return to the Garden of Swords.
He was currently thinking of having someone other than Joshua take over the n, and was keeping an eye on all his children in the hopes of finding a better sessor. Yet, all his children after Luna hadn¡¯t been able to satisfy him a single time.
However, the only child whom he was content with¡ªLuna¡ªwasn¡¯t interested in the throne. In fact, she said that she didn¡¯t like this familial conflict and wished to simply observe from the sidelines.
Therefore, no matter how strong she was, Cyron judged that Luna wasn¡¯t suited to rule and lead the n.
He then designated his second child Joshua as his provisional sessor, as he was the best alternative after Luna. Joshua was suited to lead the n personality-wise. While he wasn¡¯t extremely satisfactory, he was decisive, level-headed, sharp like a de, and had a powerful drive.
Alternatively, if something ever happened to Joshua, Cyron still had a third option.
Cyron¡¯s second son Dipus, his second daughter Luntia, or even his third daughter Mary were decent candidates for the throne as well.
That was the order amongst the candidates for the Runcandel throne, which solidified over the years as no one stood out particrly.
¡®But now, there¡¯s me.¡¯
With Jin¡¯s arrival, the battlefield for the throne had an upheaval. Cyron was someone who didn¡¯t care about age and gave opportunities to his children ording to their aplishments.
¡®Just like when he sent me on the special mission when I was still in the beginner ss, my growth and achievement this time will definitely be reported to father¡ And he¡¯ll issue some orders.¡¯
Jin predicted that whatever Cyron¡¯s orders were going to be, they would include two things:
First was a trial.
Cyron would test Jin with the intention of checking whether the boy was able to ovee his age difference with his older siblings who were already candidates for the throne.
Second was protection.
Having revealed his true abilities, it was inevitable that Jin¡¯s older siblings would start attacking him personally. However, Cyron didn¡¯t want Jin to be trampled on by his siblings before he could even test his youngest child.
Jin was a special case. He was just far too youngpared to his other siblings, which was why Cyron would exceptionally intervene in his children¡¯s conflict.
¡°Gilly.¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master.¡±
¡°In the near future, many important ns and organizations will request a meeting with the Runcandel n. They will want to see the new 15-year-old 5-star knight with their own eyes since rumours of the youngest child of the Runcandels will spread throughout the world.¡±
The Yvliano n of swordsmanship, the Ken n of spearmanship, the Tuko n of hand-to-handbat, and all the other martial ns would want to see Jin.
Even national organizations like the Vermont Empire¡¯s Imperial Guards and Special Forces as well as the Dragon King Knights would send some men. It was the same case for the armed forces around the world like the Hidden Pce, the ck King Mercenaries, and the Ghost Mercenaries.
¡°Geez, look at you, bragging with such a smug face, kid. Do you think they¡¯ve got nothing else to do but toe visit you?¡±
¡°To those people, figuring out the changes and trends in the Runcandel n is of the utmost importance. They¡¯re all expecting my achievements to bring change to the current hierarchy amongst the candidates for the throne. So they all need toe personally to check on me.¡±
Jin was certain about his predictions not only because he was good at reading the political changes in the n, but also because of a story he had heard from his past life.
He had heard that when Luna became a 5-star knight at the age of 15 as well, countless people had gathered at the n in order to see her. It was like a legend amongst his siblings.
¡°Geez, good for you. Nobody ever cares about a lowly ck dragon like me.¡±
¡°Yep. That¡¯s exactly right. Anyways, once the official requests to visit the n arrive, father will return to the Garden of Swords. He¡¯ll probably start a banquet as well.¡±
¡°I see. The patriarch will vacate the ck Sea once again. I shall make preparations in advance.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll leave that in your care, Gilly. And make sure to keep Murakan hidden away from the public. If he transforms into a human and sneaks into the banquet, we¡¯re done for. Do you understand?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not a kid. I can take care of myse¡ª¡±
¡°I will bear that in mind.¡±
Murakan red at Gilly, but the nanny simply avoided making eye contact and looked away.
***
Two dayster, the n began receiving letters regarding the Runcandels¡¯ youngest child just as Jin had predicted.
As Jin had never shown himself to the public outside of the n, the reporters and envoys were desperate to get more information about him.
In fact, all that was known about him outside the n was his age and his 5-star rank.
The rich reporters and journalists bribed the servants of the Garden of Swords in order to get some insider information, whereas the skilled ones went to find the receptionist at the Mitel Kingdom¡¯s Transfer Gate and the ck King Mercenaries¡¯ 3rd Corps.
Those two were the only group of people around the world who had met Jin in person. However, the receptionist was someone who cared for her life and didn¡¯t reveal her clients¡¯ information, while the ck King Mercenaries absolutely detested journalists.
Meanwhile, the less skilled reporters¡ªin other words, the naive ones who didn¡¯t know much about the world¡ªthought that the Runcandels had spread a fake rumour in order to gain some attention.
¡°Just what kind of person is Jin Runcandel?¡±
The reporters were all sighing and groaning to each other.
The Garden of Swords wasn¡¯t a ce mere reporters could set their foot into. All they could do was wait impatiently as they tried to make use of their connections with other ns; those that had enough influence to enter the Garden of Swords as visitors.
And so, another week went by. It was now May 1795.
Countless demands and requests to visit the Garden of Swords came rushing to the n like a broken dam. Everything was going as Jin had predicted.
¡°It seems the butlers are extremely busy writing replies to all the requests these days, Young Master. When I asked Petro, he mentioned that even the Vermont Imperial Family sent an official letter.¡±
¡°The Imperial Family? I didn¡¯t expect that. Those mystics couldn¡¯t hold back their curiosity either, it seems.¡±
¡°I find it more mystical that you managed to predict the future so urately, Young Master Jin.¡±
Gilly smiled as she felt proud of the boy and continued speaking.
¡°Also, Guardian Knight Khan returned to the main house today and announced the patriarch¡¯s decision. He will return in one month. The n is now matching the timing of the visitors with the patriarch¡¯s return.¡±
The n was in an uproar both on the inside and outside due to Jin.
However, there were no movements or odd actions from his siblings as of yet. They were simply going on missions or training as usual, and it was the same for Jin.
But this wasn¡¯t a surprising oue. Trying to attack or keep Jin in check while the entire n¡¯s attention was on him was a stupid move.
The moment they would try to keep him in check, they would be announcing to the world that they feared and/or detested their youngest sibling. It would cause great damage to their reputation.
But it wasn¡¯t as if all his siblings weren¡¯t willing to make this stupid move.
¡°Y-Young Master!¡±
The man who came running to Jin with a distressed expression was Petro, the 2nd butler.
As soon as he saw the butler¡¯s face, Jin knew the time had finallye.
¡®Elder Sisters Myu and Anne must¡¯ve schemed something again.¡¯
Petro¡¯s entire body was drenched in sweat. It appeared he had run across the enormous Garden of Swords to tell Jin of this urgent news.
¡°Take your time to catch your breath, Petro.¡±
¡°Haaa, haaa¡ Thank you very much. Phew¡ You have been assigned a new mission, Young Master. But the ce you¡¯ll be dispatched to is¡¡±
¡°Where is it?¡±
¡°The Kollon Ruins.¡±
¡°Ha! The Kollon Ruins? Young Master, the g-bearers have gone too far this time. The Kollon Ruins are in Zipfel territory!¡±
¡°That is correct¡ The g-bearers have gone too far. Thus, Madame Rosa has be enraged. She has already summoned the g-bearers to admonish them. I believe Young Master Jin should go see Madame Rosa as well.¡±
Jin calmly nodded and began making his way to the main building.
Chapter 42: Enemies In And Out (2)
Chapter 42: Enemies In And Out (2)
There were a total of five g-bearers who came running to the main building with Rosa¡¯s summons.
They were the third son Ran, the fourth son Vigo, the fourth daughter Myu, the fifth daughter Anne, and finally, the second daughter Luntia.
Rosa made them stand straight in a single file and red at them with a dark, heavy gaze. The flurry of shouts and reprimands she had been hurling at them had calmed down a bit.
But once Jin entered the room, she raised her voice again.
¡°How can you people who call themselves ¡®g-bearers¡¯ mess up so badly?!¡±
As Rosa let out a thunderous roar, the documents and pen holder on her table went flying in all four directions. In fact, the pen holder cracked and broke apart due to the energy in her voice.
Haaaaa¡!
She let out a deep sigh and turned to Jin.
¡°¡You¡¯ve arrived.¡±
¡°Yes, Mother.¡±
His siblings¡¯ attention turned to him as well.
Ran and Vigo¡¯s gazes were dyed in annoyance and irritation. Their reactions were natural as they weren¡¯t involved in the issuing of his mission.
Myu and Anne were openly showing their animosity towards Jin.
Their lips were curled upwards, but their pupils were dyed red in bloodthirst, as if they were warning him they¡¯d kill him if they ever had the chance.
Meanwhile, Luntia had a calm bearing. She was merely curious to know if her youngest sibling¡ªwhom she hadn¡¯t seen in a long while¡ªwas truly a 5-star knight as the rumours said.
¡°Have you heard of the news? Your next mission will be at the Kollon Ruins.¡±
¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been told.¡±
¡°I¡¯m cancelling that mission. You won¡¯t be going to Kollon.¡±
¡°¡°Mother!¡±¡±
Myu and Anne raised their voices simultaneously and took a couple of steps forward.
¡°You wenches only care about killing the youngest, don¡¯t you? Did gaining the petty authority and power of a g-bearer grant you nonexistent balls to stand against your mother?¡±
Rosa looked down at her daughters with ice-cold eyes.
However, the two daughters didn¡¯t let themselves get intimidated.
¡°Mother, is it really so strange that we¡¯re trying to kill the youngest?¡±
¡°What¡?¡±
¡°To be honest, I cannot understand why you try to protect the youngest so much.¡±
Myu stared at her mother in the eyes.
¡°Go on, I dare you to continue yapping with that piehole. Have you lost your mind?¡±
¡°Ever since we were born, you have merely watched us from the sidelines with father and even encouraged us to fight amongst each other, Mother. Was that not becausepetition is a necessity in our family?¡±
¡°She¡¯s right, Mother. In fact, you must know how much everyone here has been oppressed and pressured by our older siblings while growing up. Back when I was in the intermediate ss, I was also sent on highly difficult missions assigned to me by my older siblings! Dozens of times!¡±
A moment of silence followed.
Myu and Anne weren¡¯tpletely in the wrong. Conflict and secret harassment between siblings in the Runcandel n was inevitable. In fact, it was the fate of all Runcandel children. Moreover, Cyron and Rosa never intervened to stop the bloodbath urring amongst their children.
¡°Indeed, you two aren¡¯t wrong. Competition is necessary, and you can use whatever means at your disposal toe out on top.¡±
Rosa spoke with a soft smile. Myu and Anne understood their mother¡¯s intentions.
¡°Be that as it may, did you two reach the 5-star stage by the age of 15?¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°You two are differentpared to the youngest. Had you two made the same achievements as him in your teenage years, I would¡¯ve protected you as well. However, you didn¡¯t.¡±
Rosa openly revealed that she was giving Jin preferential treatment.
¡°In other words, you two weren¡¯t worthy of my protection and care. As a matter of fact, seeing how you two are now insolently talking back to me after bing g-bearers, I don¡¯t regret never having protected you two.¡±
Myu and Anne¡¯s faces distorted as they blinked, dumbfounded.
No matter how harsh of an environment the n was and how cruel one¡¯s siblings were, every child in the world would be hurt after hearing such heart-wrenching words from their parents.
¡°¡Haa, you are correct, Mother. I was being insensible and naive.¡±
¡°Thank you for your guidance, Mother.¡±
The two girls lowered their heads and turned around, exiting the room. Despite having turned their backs to Jin, their burning rage and hatred towards their youngest sibling could be distinguished more than ever.
¡°Luntia, Ran, Vigo.¡±
¡°¡°¡°Yes, Mother.¡±¡±¡±
¡°As Myu and Anne¡¯s fellow g-bearers, you three aren¡¯t guilt-free either. Especially you, Luntia. I¡¯m very disappointed in you. You will need to reflect on your oversight for a while. Ran and Vigo, return one of your swords each.¡±
Luntia merely shrugged and went along with it, whereas Ran and Vigo protested.
¡°M-Mother? Y-You want us to return a sword?¡±
¡°Are you dissatisfied? You should be d it¡¯s only one sword. I personally would¡¯ve preferred confiscating all the invaluable swords you two took from the n¡¯s armory, so be grateful I didn¡¯t do that.¡±
The brothers couldn¡¯t say anything in return and lowered their heads. Ran and Vigo felt like they were being framed for a crime they hadn¡¯tmitted, and obviously enough, their frustration and anger diverted to Jin.
¡®Our family is so messed up. Things are getting troublesome.¡¯
Jin discreetly clicked his tongue and thought to himself.
Rosa Runcandel.
Was she truly rebuking the g-bearers out of love for Jin?
Jin was certain that it wasn¡¯t the case.
¡®Mother¡ wants me to sh with my siblings far more fiercely and violently. She purposefully summoned Elder Sister Luntia and Elder Brothers Ran and Vigo¡ªeven though they¡¯re unrted to this incident¡ªin order to have them develop animosity towards me.¡¯
Correct.
Rosa had summoned three other g-bearers in addition to Myu and Anne in order to test Jin.
To be more precise, she was testing every single child in this room.
She wanted to see how far she could push her children, and whether they¡¯d persistently try to tear each other apart.
¡®I wonder how the youngest will pull through this situation. He¡¯s a smart boy, so I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t act conceited from here on out just because he thinks I¡¯m favouring him¡ So what will he do?¡¯
Rosa asked herself. She was excited and curious, but made sure to maintain the furious expression on her face.
Would he pretend to defend his siblings and tell her to punish him instead?
If he simply stood there with a content smile for having his mother on his side, then that was the end of it. While Jin was a rare genius for reaching 5-star at 15 years old, if that was the extent of his reaction and intelligence, then Rosa was nning on erasing all her interest in her youngest son immediately.
Needless to say, even if she were disappointed, he would still be her beloved youngest son. He would just be eliminated from the list of candidates for the session.
If Jin did nothing when she gave him an advantage, Rosa would judge that he wasn¡¯t suited to lead the Runcandel n.
¡°Mother.¡±
¡°Speak freely, Jin.¡±
Rosa spoke in a low tone, hiding her excitement.
¡°I quite like the mission Elder Sisters assigned to me.¡±
¡°Do you even know where the Kollon Ruins are?¡±
Rosa sneered.
¡°Yes. It¡¯s in Zipfel territory, and the Runcandels once tried to invade and capture it, but failed to do so. It happened long before I was born, though.¡±
¡°So you are aware. Back then, Elder Tellot went to battle with thirty guardian knights but faced a predicament. It¡¯s now a tourist spot, but the Zipfels are still greatly involved with it. You won¡¯t be able to do anything even if you go there.¡±
The mission that was assigned to Jin was ¡®theft¡¯.
He had to steal some of the ancient relics the Zipfels were excavating from the Kollon Ruins. Jin hadn¡¯t checked the list of items he had to steal yet, but there were probably at least three relics on it.
¡°We can¡¯t verify that if I don¡¯t head there. While it¡¯s a dangerous ce, I do not believe it¡¯s an unreasonable mission. Don¡¯t you think Elder Sisters assigned this mission to me as they believed I was skilled enough for it?¡±
¡°What reckless bravado. That, or you¡¯re trying to test your mother.¡±
Reckless bravado.
It wasn¡¯t a bad reaction, but it wasn¡¯t what Rosa was hoping for.
¡°Moreover, if we suddenly change the issuing of the mission, we will be showing our nsmen howx and careless our n¡¯s system is.¡±
¡°No nsmen would question the Runcandels just because of something like that. Your sisters were simply trying to harm you. And since they couldn¡¯t attack you physically, they took advantage of their authority as g-bearers.¡±
¡°That is exactly what I mean, Mother.¡±
Jin grinned brightly.
¡°I do not n on backing away from this fight. If I were to duel Elder Sisters right here, right now, I will definitely lose miserably. However, if I sessfully aplish my mission, I would be able to deal them a powerful blow.¡±
Rosa¡¯s eyes glittered.
¡°In other words, I have a slight chance of winning this fight. I know it would be wiser for me to back away now, develop my strength, and defeat them in a duel in a few years¡ But I simply cannot wait that long, as Elder Sisters are getting on my nerves.¡±
¡°You could easily die at the Kollon Ruins with the smallest of mistakes. Are you really confident in yourself?¡±
¡°Yes. And if I return sessfully from the mission, I¡¯d like to be awarded the swords that were confiscated from Elder Brothers. Since you judged this mission to be extremely dangerous, Mother, I wish to be rewarded ording to the amount of risk I took.¡±
¡°¡°What was that?¡±¡±
Ran and Vigo spontaneously red at Jin, whereas Rosa hid her delighted smile.
The youngest was provoking his older siblings just as she had hoped for, as if he had read her mind.
¡°Brother, why are you saying you¡¯d like to take the swords we¡¯re returning¡ª¡±
¡°Good. I¡¯ll allow it.¡±
Rosa interrupted Vigo¡¯s remark.
Nevertheless, Ran sighed deeply before giving a piece of his own mind.
¡°If you desire to gain some top-notch swords, I can simply give you one of the weapons I own. But give up on this mission. Your achievements have spread around the world already, so you must remain alive until father returns to the Garden.¡±
If Cyron returned to the Garden of Swords in one month and Jin wasn¡¯t present, then all the guests who came to visit the Runcandel n would be disappointed.
Thus, people would raise suspicions and say that the 5-star 15-year-old knight was a false rumour started by the Runcandels. Some would even believe that the n tried to cover up the false rumour by saying the child had died on a mission right before the visit.
Ran acted as if he were worried about this oue, but Jin tilted his head in confusion.
¡°You¡¯re being hypocritical, Elder Brother Ran. If that were such an important problem you were wary of, you should¡¯ve stopped Elder Sisters from assigning this mission to me in the first ce.¡±
Ran was pretending to be generous and kind-hearted, but Jin didn¡¯t buy it. Ran and Vigo hadn¡¯t opposed Myu and Anne when they decided to assign the Kollon Ruins mission to Jin.
Jin could see that Ran was tantly acting broad-minded in order to gain their mother¡¯s approval.
¡°Hahaha¡ That must be quite humiliating, Ran. You should¡¯ve stayed silent like your elder sister instead.¡±
Ran couldn¡¯t stop his ears from turning bright red as their motherughed.
¡°I¡¯m quite curious to know whether the youngest will be able to steal his brothers¡¯ swords now. I¡¯ll be watching carefully to see whether it was just an empty provocation, or whether he¡¯ll be able to make it a reality. You may all take your leave now.¡±
Once all her children left the room, Rosa propped her chin on her hand.
¡®¡I trampled on the others¡¯ pride so that the youngest doesn¡¯t turn out like Luna, but it seems that was unnecessary.¡¯
The youngest seemed to be famished for conflict. Today, it was a verbal battle and not a physical one, but he hadpletely dominated the flow of the conversation, overwhelming his siblings who were several years older than him.
¡®Cyron will be happy to see the youngest¡¯s growth so far when he¡¯s back.¡¯
Of course, such a thing wouldn¡¯t happen if Jin didn¡¯t return alive from the Kollon Ruins.
As soon as they exited the building, Ran and Vigo immediately returned to their rooms. Luntia hesitated to talk with the youngest for a bit, but simply returned to her room as if she couldn¡¯t be bothered to do so.
¡°Do you actually think you¡¯ll be so lucky this time around as well?¡±
Myu spoke up without even looking her brother in the eyes. She and Anne were standing against the wall, waiting for him toe out.
¡°Who knows? Elder Sisters might not know this well, but I¡¯m actually pretty unlucky in life.¡±
¡°This is thest time you¡¯ll ever act so easygoing. The mission isn¡¯t a solo mission. You won¡¯t be feeling so lonely on your way to your destination.¡±
¡°Haha, thank you for your concern, Elder Sisters. Well then, I shall see you another time.¡±
The two women red at the boy¡¯s back as he strided away until he disappeared from their sights.
Chapter 43: An Unexpected Incident(1)
Chapter 43: An Unexpected Incident(1)
There were three other cadets who were assigned the Kollon Ruins mission alongside Jin.
Kajin Romello, Mayl Hass, and Rima Hass. All three were part of Myu and Anne¡¯s faction. The Hass brothers were slightly weaker than Kajin, but were still bona fide 5-star knights.
¡°Young Master. Allow me to apologize for my transgression a few days ago. I will make sure not to disappoint you anymore during the uing mission.¡±
¡°It is an honour to be given the chance to work alongside Young Master Jin.¡±
The day before their departure, Kajin and the Hass brothers came to find Jin.
Their behaviour had made a full 180pared to a few days ago. Their sarcastic remarks hadpletely vanished and had been reced by courteous and submissive attitudes.
Jin wore a wide smile to show his satisfaction.
¡°Indeed, the past is in the past. Let¡¯s turn the page now. I¡¯ll be in your care from here on out.¡±
¡°Thank you very much, Young Master.¡±
¡°Thank you very much!¡±
Once the three of them left the room, Murakan leaped onto Jin¡¯sp.
¡°It¡¯s because they kept talking behind my back without having the courage to confront me that they were abandoned by Elder Sisters. Sending those three to the Kollon Ruins is basically being sent to die¡ Backstabbing me during the mission must be their desperatest-ditch effort.¡±
Jin was sure of himself.
Myu and Anne. Those sly foxes must¡¯ve ordered theirckeys to kill Jin during the mission. He was also certain that his sisters had promised to look after their family if they sessfully killed Jin and also died bravely on the battlefield.
The boy had witnessed Myu and Anne deal with people using this exact same method in his past life countless times.
¡°Meow~¡±
The cat sitting on hispughed out loud.
***
They had to use a transfer gate and travel onnd to reach the Kollon Ruins.
The Kollon Ruins originally had around a couple of thousands of natives living in viges. However, the Zipfels discovered thend several hundreds of years ago and took control of the area, so the ruins became a part of the Peylon Kingdom.
Afterwards, most of the natives were ughtered and the survivors were enved. The descendants of the natives who are still living in Kollon to this day appear to be respected by the Zipfels, but they gnash their teeth at the n of magicians.
However, there was nothing the descendants could do.
While they appeared respected, they were still ves. Moreover, the rest of the world didn¡¯t really care about the lives and rights of the Kollon natives.
The Zipfels spared the descendents and allowed them to remain in Kollon with the excuse of preserving thend in its original state. However, it was all an act where they were trying to redeem themselves from their horrible past deeds.
As he thought about this sad truth, Jin frowned deeply.
¡®The weak being trampled on by the strong is amon urrence around the world, but the Zipfels really went too far back then.¡¯
Originally, the Zipfels weren¡¯t the type tomit such massacres.
They normally prefer to conquer newnds peacefully and reasonably, while trying to gain the natural respect and loyalty of the conquered. The Zipfels were far more advanced in terms of their public image and rtionspared to the Runcandels.
In fact, ruling by force was the Runcandels¡¯ style.
If so, why did the Zipfels suppress the Kollon natives in such a violent and cruel way back then?
Jin knew the answer to this question.
¡®It was because of the mirror-like artifact the natives hid away. The Zipfels had some vague knowledge of this artifact when they discovered the ind. So they trampled on the natives in order to find it.¡¯
Currently, the existence of this ¡®ancient mirror¡¯ was top secret information that hadn¡¯t spread outside of the Zipfel n.
However, before Jin¡¯s regression, the entire world came to know of this mirror by the time he was 27. One brave journalist wrote an article about this ancient artifact the Zipfels had recently found.
The journalist even recorded the details of the artifact¡¯s excavation site. The natives who bore a grudge against the Zipfels informed the journalist about how the n had robbed them of their divine artifact and the history of the oppression.
¡®Later on, people started calling that mirror the Fountain of Mana.¡¯
The mirror artifact¡ªthe Fountain of Mana¡ªhad a simple yet terrifying effect.
It could increase your mana just by staring into it. Needless to say, there were some extreme side effects, but the artifact¡¯s value and benefits were still considerable even when taking those into ount.
The limit of the increase in mana using the Fountain was up to 7-star.
Thanks to the item, the Zipfels were able to nurture and develop countless 7-star magicians as if they were a factory. And once these ¡®mass-produced magicians¡¯ made their appearance in the world, numerous aspirants aiming to be magicians joined their n.
Thus, the already-powerful Zipfel n began leaving the Runcandels behind in the dust and solidified their standing on the continent while putting pressure on their enemy n of swordsmen.
¡®This time, I won¡¯t let those Zipfel bastards get the mirror in their hands.¡¯
As one would expect, he wasn¡¯t nning on stealing the artifact while oppressing the natives like the Zipfels had done. However, for the price of suppressing the natives for several hundreds of years, he was nning on stopping the Zipfels from gaining more power using the Fountain.
There was no need to hurry. ording to his knowledge from his past life, the Zipfels needed another ten years or more in order to find the mirror. Thus, Jin only needed to steal it before that day came.
¡°We will arrive soon, Young Master.¡±
Jin¡¯s strides came to a halt. They were walking down a mountainous road in disguises and masks.
¡°This ce is the Zipfel magicians¡¯ lodgings. This one is for independent magicians. And the relics we must find are here, in the third warehouse.¡±
Kajin spread open a map of the Kollon Ruins and pointed at each vital location.
¡°Are you certain that the items are in the 3rd warehouse?¡±
¡°We must hope so. If it isn¡¯t the case, then our chances at seeding this mission will drop to zero.¡±
There were a total of four relics they had to steal: three bs of stones the size of their palms, and one bronze bowl.
They were worthless items for most people, but for historians, these items were far more valuable than gold.
The cadets had to sneak inside the warehouse, steal the relics, and return to the n.
Sneaking inside the warehouse wasn¡¯t such a difficult task. The 3rd warehouse didn¡¯t contain precious artifacts, so the security wasx. In fact, the warehouse was open to visitors during the day.
However, the problem was returning safely to the n.
¡®No matter how worthless the items in the warehouse are, I¡¯m certain there¡¯ll be severalyers of protective barriers around the building. It¡¯s almost impossible to enter the warehouse without getting detected with our current party.¡¯
The Zipfel magicians weren¡¯t pushovers. If the 3rd warehouse was attacked, they¡¯d be dispatched and would arrive within five minutes. Obviously, they¡¯d also capture and punish all intruders.
¡°Due to the rich and curious historians making a request to the n, it seems the four of us may die tonight trying toplete our tasks.¡±
¡°No matter what happens, the three of us willy our lives down to protect you, Young Master.¡±
Kajin spoke with resolute eyes and the Hass brothers nodded with determined looks.
Their acting was pitiful. As he chuckled in his mind, Jin took out some beef jerky from his pocket.
¡°Laying your lives down to protect me¡ That¡¯s good to hear. Have some jerky and rest for a bit. We¡¯llmence the operation in an hour.¡±
¡°¡°¡°Understood.¡±¡±¡±
The three cadets eagerly received the jerky.
Chomp, munch, nibble, chew, gulp.
As soon as he saw them swallow their food, Jin immediately spat out the jerky he was chewing on.
¡°Young Master? Eh? Huhh¡¡±
The three of them realized that something was wrong, but it was already toote.
The jerky was coated with a sleep-inducing drug that could make even a 7-star knight fall asleep in a couple of seconds. Kajin and the Hass brothers were already feeling drowsy and were barely staying standing.
¡°Don¡¯t worry. It wasn¡¯t poisoned.¡±
¡°Wh-What are youuuuu¡¡±
¡°You c-cannn¡¯t¡¡±
Thump, flop, thud.
All three fell over, entering the dreand. Jin dug a hole in the ground and pushed them inside, and proceeded to cover up the hole with leaves.
They were unlikely to wake up for another 24 hours. And when they did, the mission would already be finished.
¡°¡®You c-cannn¡¯t¡¯, he said. As if I could keep traitors who were nning on backstabbing me by my side when entering enemy territory.¡±
In fact, had they not acted so polite, Jin would¡¯ve been less suspicious of them.
However, during their entire trip here, the three cadets were constantly currying favours with Jin. They were nning on having Jin let down his guard, and when the opportunity arose, they¡¯d slice his throat with no hesitation.
But Jin had seen through their utterly predictable strategy.
It wasn¡¯t as if he couldn¡¯t understand and sympathize with those three. It was normal for a dog to follow its owner¡¯s orders, especially when they were facing a crisis after having made several mistakes.
However, they had chosen the worst opponent. As he was living in the Runcandel n for the second time, Jin could not be tricked by his elder sisters¡¯ sloppy schemes.
¡®Moreover, I can¡¯t use magic or spiritual power while these three are watching me.¡¯
Brazenly attacking the warehouse while being fully aware of the magic barrier protecting it was suicide if Jin didn¡¯t use magic or spiritual power.
If the four of them tried to infiltrate the warehouse, the spell would definitely detect them. However, it was a different story if Jin sneaked in alone.
¡®Well then, shall we get going?¡¯
Jin wore his mask properly and headed down the mountain road. The evening breeze blowing between the trees and branches was refreshing.
The Kollon Ruins were shaped like an enormous ellipse.
The important excavation site was located at the center, whereas the 3rd warehouse was on the outskirts. It was now 6 PM, and the ruins had closed. The path to the warehouse¡¯s entrance was quiet and dull.
Jiny down on the grass in the forest from where he could see the 3rd warehouse. As he observed the area, he noticed people walking by from time to time. They were magicians dispatched here to investigate the ruins. Fortunately, Jin couldn¡¯t see anyone at the 5-star stage or above.
Additionally, the guards standing by the warehouse¡¯s main and back entrances weren¡¯t magicians, just as Jin had predicted. They seemed to be 1-star or 2-star warriors at best.
This didn¡¯te as a surprise. They had no need to assign magicians¡ªexpensive and valuable manpower¡ªjust to guard a warehouse of little importance.
The guards seemed bored and kept yawning as they waited for time to pass. They even joked between each other at times,ughing and chuckling.
Once the magicians in the area were at a proper distance, Jin dashed towards the warehouse¡¯s main entrance.
¡°So remember that girl I metst night?¡±
¡°Oh yeah, how far did you two go? Hm? C¡¯mon, spill the beans!¡±
¡°Geez, should I really say it? You might punch me out of jealousy, lmao. Oh well, so what happened is¡ª¡±
Kurgh.
One mercenary fainted after taking Jin¡¯s punch to the chin. The other guard who was waiting for the rest of the story immediately thrust his spear towards the intruder.
Jin swiftly turned around and avoided the spearhead, and used his momentum to jab his opponent in the throat with his elbow. The second mercenary¡¯s eyes lost their focus and flopped onto the ground.
¡®Maybe I should¡¯ve waited for him to end the story before attacking them¡¡¯
Jin chuckled before picking up the two unconscious bodies, got them on their feet, and leaned them against the wall. By sticking the spears between their legs, they could somehow stay upright. This way, they appeared to be properly standing guard from afar.
Jin rummaged through their pockets and found the keys to the warehouse door. The lock on the door was an ordinary one without any spells protecting it. That was how much the Zipfels didn¡¯t care about the 3rd warehouse.
¡®No wonder the historians fearlessly requested the Runcandels to rob these relics.¡¯
Creaaaak!
There was no way of repressing the sound of the metal door grinding open. Jin hesitated to use some noise-cancelling or noise-reduction magic spells, but decided not to. If there were a magician nearby, the chances of his mana getting detected were high.
Before entering the warehouse, Jin observed the interior. After a short while, he noticed a certain familiar magic circle on the floor right in front of the door.
¡®Isn¡¯t this the Magic Circle of Blood and Barrier?¡¯
It was the same magic circle as the one he had seen several years ago, when he first sneaked inside the underground chambers beneath the Storm Castle. By dropping a few droplets of human blood on it, he could easily neutralize the effects of the circle.
The defensive magic circle protecting an unimportant Zipfel warehouse was the same as the one protecting a secret chamber only the Runcandel g-bearers could enter. If the public ever came to learn of this truth, the n of swordsmen would be aughingstock.
The Magic Circle of Blood and Barrier can recognize the blood of a human, a monster, or a gue-stricken human. As long as it was someone healthy, the blood of any human was enough to neutralize it.
Jin approached the unconscious yet standing mercenaries again. He then used his dagger to lightly cut the tip of one¡¯s finger and caught a few drops of blood with his palm. Afterwards, he sprinkled the blood onto the magic circle.
Jin had used the mercenary¡¯s blood in order to avoid getting caught after he aplished his mission. If the Zipfels came to investigate the intrusion, they might believe that the magic circle had been neutralized due to the mercenaries¡¯ mistake.
¡®The first protective spell was easily dealt with. Let¡¯s search for the relics now¡ª¡¯
Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
Suddenly, the magic circle glowed bright red and let out a sharp squeal. The flustered Jin flinched in panic, but soon calmed down and looked back at the bloodstain on his palm.
The stain had been made using the unconscious mercenary¡¯s blood. In other words, it was definitely human blood.
Nevertheless, the Magic Circle of Blood and Barrier had reacted to it. In other words, either the mercenary was currently afflicted by the gue¡
¡°Krrrrrr.¡±
Or the mercenary¡ wasn¡¯t a human.
Chapter 44: An Unexpected Incident (2)
Chapter 44: An Unexpected Incident (2)
¡®What the fu¡ª!¡¯
Jin abruptly turned around and unsheathed his dagger.
The unconscious mercenaries were regaining control over their body.
¡®Their eyes are red?¡¯
Moreover, the two of them were growling like beasts and breathing heavily inconsistently. It sounded almost like the breathing pattern of an orc or a troll.
Jin had no time to ask himself how this had happened.
The steel armours of these ex-human mercenaries were inting. The rapidly swelling muscles on the inside were tearing the metal apart.
Crack!
The moment the armour tore apart, Jin reflexively cast a spell.
¡®Silent Wind!¡¯
A gust of mana instantly engulfed the inside of the warehouse and formed a thin hemisphericalyer.
It was a 4-star spell that reduced all noises in a radius of 15 meters. Jin had decided not to use magic earlier as he didn¡¯t want to risk getting detected by the magicians in the area, but the situation had changed.
He couldn¡¯t avoid fighting the mercenaries who had transformed into monsters. They were already reaching their hands out towards Jin. Their fingers had grown sharp and long ws, just like those of the Red Tiger Tribe.
¡®I can only hope the magicians out there don¡¯t notice us.¡¯
Krawwr!
His two enemies were already pouncing towards him simultaneously.
Jin didn¡¯t even have time to unsheathe Bradamante. The monsters were swinging their arms one after another, taking turns so that their target had no time to breathe.
Swish!
The ws sharply tore the air as they drew arcs. Jin narrowly dodged the attacks by crouching down, and stabbed one of the monsters in the ribs with his dagger.
He had aimed at the heart, but the monster had barely managed to avoid getting killed by twisting its body. However, Jin definitely felt the sensation of flesh being torn and bones breaking.
¡°Graah!¡±
The monster let out a horrible shriek.
It didn¡¯t appear to be a fatal injury. The monster didn¡¯t bother removing the dagger in its torso and continued swinging its ws.
Fortunately, Jin made use of this short breather to create some distance between them and unsheathed Bradamante. As he hurriedly enveloped the de in aura, the dark warehouse was brightened up a little.
The monsters seemed to have sensed that aura was a dangerous power. As Jin adjusted the distance between them while keeping his sword straight, the ck fur covering the monsters¡¯ bodies stood on end.
¡°Krrrr¡!¡±
¡°Kraaagh.¡±
The wounded monster btedly removed the dagger in its chest.
Seeing what happened afterwards, Jin couldn¡¯t help but let his face show his shock.
¡®They can even regenerate?¡¯
The monster¡¯s deep gash in its chest was rapidly healing and closing. The dark red blood quickly stopped gushing out after a couple of seconds.
This sort of high-speed regeneration could only be seen in high-ranking and powerful monsters.
However, Jin¡¯s opponents weren¡¯t your typical, naturally born monsters. These enemies were undoubtedly humans even a minute ago.
With every passing second, all sorts of thoughts and hypotheses passed through Jin¡¯s mind. However, he didn¡¯t have the necessary knowledge to understand exactly how this mysterious and freaky incident had happened.
He had never seen anything like this in his total 43 years of life.
Fortunately, while he couldn¡¯t understand how it had happened, Jin could somewhat grasp the fundamentals behind it, thanks to his life as a magician in his past life.
¡®It¡¯s highly likely these are living golems created through forbidden magic. Those Zipfel bastards¡ Are they using the Kollon Ruins as an experimental facility for forbidden magic?¡¯
Swoosh!
The monsters resumed their flurry of attacks.
Jin could only narrowly evade the attacks earlier as he was taken by surprise, but now that he had regained his calm, his enemies¡¯ movements appeared clumsy. They had the strength and speed of low-leveled 4-star fighters.
However, there was a vast difference between a trained 4-star knight and monsters that only had 4-star physical abilities. Jin easily parried and dodged the monsters¡¯ ws and counterattacked.
¡®It¡¯s not too difficult facing them.¡¯
Whenever Jin made a feint or moved irregrly, the monsters fell for it each time. He could see their feet getting tangled up, resulting in the monsters losing their bnce.
¡®There are three ces the core could be located: the heart, head, or lower abdomen.¡¯
When ites to these magical weapons called golems, they never stop moving no matter how much they get wrecked. In fact, Jin had sliced one of the monsters¡¯ wrist and shoulder, yet there was no change in its behaviour.
On the other hand, if their cores get destroyed, it¡¯s over for them. This was the case even for these living golems that were made with forbidden magic.
Stab!
Jin backstepped and changed his attack pattern, easily piercing one in the head. The aura surrounding his sword was spinning rapidly, so there was arge hole the size of a fist in the monster¡¯s head.
¡®So it¡¯s not the head.¡¯
Had Jin fought like he was facing humans, he would¡¯ve been in a predicament just now. After inflicting a deadly blow to one of the enemies, most fighters would have shifted their focus on the remaining foe.
However, the golem with a hole in its head continued swiping its ws. Its speed and power hadn¡¯t been affected a single bit. Rather, it became more violent and aggressive.
Jin spun around to dodge the attacks and thrust his sword again, this time in the lower abdomen.
But this time, he raised his arm with the de until he reached the heart. This sort of attack would¡¯ve been nigh-impossible for ordinary people. It was at times like this when Jin was grateful for his Runcandel bloodline for giving him a blessed body with superhuman strength.
Scriieaakch!
The disgusting sound of the monster¡¯s flesh ripping apart and its rib cage shattering echoed. Once he retracted his de, Jin realized that the core was located at the heart.
Instead of an actual beating heart, there was a ball of blue mana at the center of the chest.
However, it was apletely different-looking core than what Jin was familiar with. Instead of mana, it almost looked like a big ss marble filled with some blue liquid.
Moreover, it was iparably harder than what a normal human¡¯s heart was supposed to be. Through the recoil Jin felt when cutting the core apart, he realized that he had barely managed to break it despite the 5-star aura covering his sword.
Pfffcht!
The solid-looking ball of mana burst and a terrible stench spread in the air.
The dead monster was now slowly¡ slowly transforming back into a human. It couldn¡¯t turn back into its previous form perfectly, as the swollen skin and ripped muscles were irreversible.
Nevertheless, the shrivelled up corpse on the ground was undoubtedly that of a human.
As soon as he saw that, aplicated sentiment grew within Jin, and rage suddenly began boiling in his heart.
¡®How dare they do something like this to a fellow human being¡¡¯
Rage towards the Zipfels.
The remaining monster pounced on Jin as if in response to the boy¡¯s anger. Jin had yet to fix his posture after finishing off the first foe.
Screeee!
Its ws mmed and scratched against Bradamante, creating an unpleasant sound. Jin ced his right foot back and pushed with all his strength to stand his ground.
His foe¡¯s ws weren¡¯t as tough as Bradamante¡¯s de. While it seemed stronger than ordinary steel, it couldn¡¯tpare to the de of a powerful, ancient sword from thousands of years ago.
Crack!
As the two opponents shed, five ws broke away, disrupting the power bnce. The monster lost its footing and fell face-first to the floor.
Jin stamped on the back of its head and stabbed it in the heart from above.
He felt the solid ball of mana break at the tip of his sword. The fallen monster¡¯s body trembled, and soon enough, it returned to its human form as well.
¡°Phew.¡±
Only then could Jin finally sigh and rx. He looked at his surroundings and saw that the floor was drenched in the monsters¡¯ dark red blood. The Silent Wind spell he had cast earlier was still present.
Fortunately, it seemed the magicians in the area hadn¡¯t sensed the usage of magic.
¡°K-Ki¡¡±
Jin suddenly heard a voice. It came from the fallen monster¡ no, from the human writhing on the floor.
¡°Kill¡ me¡¡±
He hurriedly crouched down and examined the second victim. Surprisingly, he was still breathing. Barely, but breathing. However, he still had a somewhat inhuman appearance.
It was obvious their entire bodies had swollen and torn beyond their limits. Jin soon came to the conclusion that he couldn¡¯t be saved.
He had countless questions to ask. How and why had they be living golems, who was behind this, how they had be the Zipfels¡¯ experimental subjects.
However, the mercenary had no strength left to speak. All Jin could do was liberate him from the pain and agony.
Stab.
Jin pierced the man in his disturbingly skinny neck, and the victim closed his eyes peacefully.
Jin also closed his eyes for a moment and lifted his head.
He did not know of their circumstances, but no human in the world wished to be a living golem willingly.
Especially if they were made to transform into monsters and were treated as expendables.
A me burned in Jin¡¯s eyes as he ground his teeth.
But this wasn¡¯t the moment to lose his cool.
An unexpected incident had urred, through which Jin witnessed the horrible actsmitted by the Zipfels behind the scenes. And now, Jin was suspicious of his elder sisters, wondering if they were aware of this truth when sending him on this mission.
However, he still had a task toplete.
He couldn¡¯t just go back home and tell his siblings ¡®I couldn¡¯t finish the mission because a monster attacked me¡¯. Otherwise, his entire n would mock him.
And even if the Runcandels decided to bear the disgrace and publicized the details of this mission¡ªabout the horrible experiments being secretly performed in the Zipfel n¡ªnothing would change. The Runcandels could demand the Vermont Empire to perform an official investigation of the Zipfels, but the n of magicians would never admit to having used forbidden magic.
Creating living golems was a terrible crime. Simply finding signs of living golems was more than enough to pressure the empire to do a formal investigation. However, the Zipfels could just feign innocence even if conclusive evidence were to be found.
In that case, no one would be able to hold them responsible for this crime. That was how much power and authority the Zipfels wielded.
¡®First, I should take some broken shards of the ball of mana and quickly finish my mission.¡¯
After a while, Jin regained hisposure and picked up a few pieces of the lump of mana. He then walked to the warehouse entrance and checked the situation outside.
¡®¡The magicians aren¡¯t making any moves. In other words, most of the magicians here don¡¯t know of these living golems and were just told that the warehouse was just an ordinary one.¡¯
If the magicians knew that living golems were ced as guards outside this building, the security here wouldn¡¯t be sox. There would be at least twenty 7-star magicians constantly keeping an eye on this ce.
In other words, not every personnel stationed at the Kollon Ruins were involved with the use of forbidden magic in the n.
¡®I just need to steal the relics and escape as originally nned.¡¯
Jin carefully dispelled the Silent Wind spell he had cast and searched around the warehouse.
Finding three bs of stone was a piece of cake.
They were all stored away on the first floor of the warehouse. He also found the bronze bowl very quickly.
(TL/N: Final reminder to people living in countries where you have a ¡®ground floor¡¯: Korea calls the lowest floor the ¡®first floor¡¯ like the USA. Keep it in mind when you see another ¡°X floor¡± in the future in this novel.)
However, unlike the bs of stone, the bronze bowl was protected by aplex spell. It was set to activate when the bowl was removed from its disy case.
This entire protective spell was the reason why the mission¡¯s difficulty was so high.
¡®The standard procedure would be to spend several hours trying to dispel the magic like untying a string knot, but¡¡¯
Ooooong.
Jin sheathed his sword and gathered mana in both his hands.
¡®I¡¯ll steal it using a more extreme method. Since there are already two living golems lying here as corpses, no matter what crazy thing I do in this building today¡¡¯
Fwoosh!
The mana in his hands gained a fire attribute.
But Jin then infused the mana with spiritual energy. The me mixed with darkness projectedrge shadows in the room.
¡®The Zipfels will have no choice but to sweep it under the rug.¡¯
The ancient relics he had to steal were merely stone bs and one bronze bowl. Even if those were stolen, the Zipfels had nothing to worry about.
Nevertheless, the Zipfels would normally do their utmost when trying to find the culprit as the n¡¯s dignity was on the line.
However, the situation was different if you added living golems created with forbidden magic into the equation. They would have to conceal the incident and let no rumours spread at all costs.
¡®me Explosion.¡¯
Therefore, causing amotion would actually benefit Jin when escaping. He nned on lighting a fire that engulfed the entire building and escaping while hiding his body inside the mes.
Fwooooosh!
The burning balls of mana in his hands floated in the air. They glowed bright scarlet as spiritual energy had amplified them.
Once the preparations were done, the two balls of mana exploded.
Boooooooooom!
The inside of the warehouse was engulfed in mes in mere instants, and the ceiling copsed due to the explosion.
Kiiiing! Kiiiing!
The protection spells cast on all the items and relics¡¯ disy cases activated simultaneously. The shrilling noises resounded everywhere in the warehouse. However, Jin ignored the spells and simply grabbed the bronze bowl and quickly left the front door.
The Zipfels were probably going to disguise this incident as an idental fire outbreak.
Chapter 45: An Unexpected Incident (3)
Chapter 45: An Unexpected Incident (3)
¡°Just what on earth do you two think you¡¯re doing?!¡±
THWACK! THWACK!
Luna aggressively pped two women. The strength of a 9-star knight was nothing to scoff at, even if it were a simple p. The two victims let out short groans which were barely audible due to the loud smack. In fact, they were sent back flying from the overwhelming force.
Boom!
The two women mmed into the wall behind them and trembled.
They were Myu and Anne. The instant they got pped, they protected their bodies with aura. However, the shock was so strong that they couldn¡¯t avoid coughing up blood.
¡°You sent him to Zipfel territory? Myu, he¡¯s ten years younger than you! Have you lost your mind?¡±
Luna had just returned to the Garden of Swords after leaving to deal with some personal issues. As soon as she arrived home, she summoned her two little sisters who had assigned Jin his most recent mission.
The girls couldn¡¯t even look their sister in the eyes.
Luna wasn¡¯t just their eldest sibling to them. She was an existence they feared more than their father at times.
¡°Get up.¡±
The sisters stood up with unsteady steps. These two were also Luna¡¯s youngest siblings like Jin. Her own flesh and blood. Seeing their lowered gazes and trembling, Luna pitied them a little, but she had decided to give them a stern warning today no matter what.
¡°Why did you do it?¡±
Myu and Anne didn¡¯t answer for a while and kept their heads down.
It wasn¡¯t because they had nothing to say. They were feeling bitter towards their eldest sister because she already knew the answer to that question. That it was because of the traditional familial conflict¡ªthe battle for hegemony¡ªwhere children fought between each other for a higher standing in the n.
¡°¡Elder Sister Luna, are you seriously asking that question because you don¡¯t know the answer?¡±
Myu spoke up with difficulty to which Luna snickered.
¡°So what if I really didn¡¯t know the answer? You¡¯re not saying that a g-bearer of the n is now waging war against their youngest brother who¡¯s still in the intermediate ss, are you?¡±
The two sisters couldn¡¯t say anything in return and trembled.
They felt embarrassed. While the battle for hegemony was a longsting tradition in the Runcandel n, a g-bearer confronting a yet-to-be g-bearer was aplete mismatch.
g-bearers fighting other g-bearers, and cadets fighting other cadets.
That was the unwritten rule of the battle for hegemony in the Runcandel n. While the children didn¡¯t have to follow the rule at all times, Myu and Anne had taken it one step too far with their recent actions.
Luna looked down at her siblings for a moment before opening her mouth. Before one could react, her look of disdain had changed into that of murderous intent.
¡°Learn to be ashamed. The fact that you two are g-bearers of this n is a disgrace. It¡¯s humiliating for me.¡±
¡°¡°Elder Sister!¡±¡±
The younger sisters raised their voices at the same time. However, Luna paid no heed to that and smirked.
¡°What? Do you think I¡¯m exaggerating? Is it unpleasant getting mocked by me? Did I hurt your pride as g-bearers?¡±
¡°You¡¯ve never gotten involved in the conflicts of the n, so what right do you have to say all thi¡ª¡±
¡°Had you confronted the youngest and won, I wouldn¡¯t have gone this far.¡±
¡°¡What do you mean?¡±
Myu and Anne¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°You¡¯ve already lost against him. The youngest returned from the Kollon Ruins afterpleting his mission. Jin arrived not long ago and went to report to Mother. I ran into him on my way home and verified his sess with my own two eyes.¡±
The two girls bit down on their lips.
¡°Do you understand why I told you to be ashamed now? You two ended up attaching wings on the youngest¡¯s back while trying to trample on him. I wonder whether there¡¯s ever been any g-bearer in history who lost this miserably after confronting their youngest sibling¡¡±
Luna continued talking sarcastically and her younger sisters¡¯ ears turned bright red. On one hand, they couldn¡¯t handle this humiliation. On the other, they were also terrified.
Myu and Anne wouldn¡¯t be able toy a finger on Jin for a while. Their n of destroying the youngest before he could fully develop had gone up in mes.
The sisters weren¡¯t confident that they¡¯d be able to defeat Jin after he fully matured.
In a few years, the youngest would start getting his revenge against them. As they feared the future, a freezing chill ran down their spines.
They could only stare into the emptiness in stupefaction as they turned around to exit Luna¡¯s room.
Luna spoke up one final time before they could leave.
¡°From what I¡¯ve observed so far, the youngest isn¡¯t a merciful child. You two should be careful from here on out.¡±
¡°¡Do you still have more mockery left to throw at us, Elder Sister?¡±
Luna wore a bitter smile on her face.
¡°No, I¡¯m saying this because I¡¯m truly concerned for you. Our rtionship may have gone astray sometime in the past, but you two are still my little sisters.¡±
Myu and Anne left without saying anything. Luna stared at the door for a while after their exit and sighed deeply.
ck.
As she sat back down at her desk, a teacup was ced in front of her. Taimyun¡ªher nanny who was waiting in the room next door¡ªhad returned to Luna¡¯s room.
¡°Ah, thanks, Nanny.¡±
¡°Hoho, I thought that you had rpsed into your period of adolescence when you came home and immediately pummelled your siblings, Mdy.¡±
¡°Adolescence? At my age? As if¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s because your teenage years were quite memorable. Sigh¡ Still, I¡¯m worried about Ladies Myu and Anne. Considering the 13th young master¡¯s personality, I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t forget what happened even in the distant future.¡±
¡°Do you also think that they won¡¯t be able topete with Jin, Nanny?¡±
¡°Hm, I believe that in another five years, they won¡¯t be able to rival Young Master Jin even in a formal duel. Considering that, Ladies Myu and Anne have less than five years left to live.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t talk about such gruesome things. They¡¯re still our flesh and blood. If the youngest kills them once he¡¯s older¡ It gives me shivers just thinking of it. Speaking of which, have you looked into what we were talking aboutst time, Nanny?¡±
By ¡®what we were talking aboutst time¡¯, Luna meant the incident when someone attempted to assassinate Jin in the Storm Castle. She had asked her nanny to look into their other siblings to find out who was the culprit behind the attempt.
Technically speaking, it was a curse instead of an assassination attempt, but Luna didn¡¯t know about that.
Moreover, she had misunderstood the situation. When Jin brought it up, she believed that he was around 5 or 6 years old. However, he was actually a 1-year-old baby when someone had attempted to cast the ded Illusion curse on him.
This was because Jin hadn¡¯t mentioned that he still remembered everything from back when he was an infant.
¡°Yes. First of all, the culprits aren¡¯t Ladies Myu and Anne whom you pummelled earlier. Back then, they were still in the intermediate ss, so it wasn¡¯t difficult to dig up information about them.¡±
¡°Hm¡ That makes sense. I¡¯m pretty certain it¡¯s not Mary or Yona either. Same with the Tona twins.¡±
¡°Then the remaining suspects are Young Masters Joshua, Dipus, Ran, Vigo, and Lady Luntia. Except for Young Masters Ran and Vigo, I cannot carelessly investigate the others.¡±
¡°Right. Joshua, Dipus, and Luntia¡¯s standings are already established and stable. Things can get troublesome if we investigate them recklessly.¡±
¡°Then should I begin with Young Masters Ran and Vigo for now?¡±
Luna pondered for a moment and tapped on the table with her finger.
¡°No. Let¡¯s just keep an eye on everyone for now. If we keep poking our heads in everyone¡¯s affairs, you might get in danger, Nanny.¡±
¡°A wise decision. Although there was an assassination attempt back in the Storm Castle, Young Master Jin is growing properly, so I believe there is no need to worry too much now.¡±
¡°No matter who the culprit is, they must know that I¡¯m looking after Jin now. They won¡¯t make a move carelessly anymore. Anyways, thank you for your help so far, Nanny.¡±
¡°It was my pleasure. Should I prepare your meal now?¡±
¡°Yeah. Some alcohol as well. The usual.¡±
***
Rosa had myriads of questions she wanted to ask her youngest son when he returned after aplishing his mission. However, she didn¡¯t express them out loud.
Mamit and the Kollon Ruins. Everyone had expected him to fail, but each time, he returned triumphant and proud.
Was he blessed by the heavens? Or did he receive the help of a third party each time? Nobody knew the answer.
But with this mission, Rosa was certain that it was thetter.
¡®There¡¯s an exceptional expert supporting the youngest from the shadows. And the youngest is using that to his advantage toplete his missions.¡¯
Aplishing one¡¯s missions with the help of another went against the unwritten rule of the n. The only help one could ask for during a difficult mission was reinforcements from the n.
However, Rosa decided not to question her son nor to me him.
Soon, countless influential envoys from all around the world woulde visit the Garden of Swords just to have a look at the youngest. Cyron would host a banquet, and the star of the show would be Jin.
Even if he had gotten the help of a third party from outside the n without informing them, the most important fact was that he had returned alive from the mission.
Rosa could always reprimand her son on ater date at an appropriate moment after having gathered enough evidence.
¡°Good work. No need to go report to the g-bearers. Go take a good rest for today. I¡¯ll inform them about your return.¡±
¡°Thank you very much, Mother.¡±
As soon as he exited the main building where Rosa¡¯s office was located, Jin sensed gazes on him. Cadets showed admiration in their eyes, guardian knights wore looks of astonishment, whereas g-bearers had looks of contempt and disgust.
¡®Mother and my siblings must think I received the help of someone else toplete my missions.¡¯
Well, that wasn¡¯t his problem.
Jin didn¡¯t n on resolving this misunderstanding for now. Everything would be uncovered in the future when he reveals his true powers and deres himself a magic swordsman who had contracted with Solderet.
As soon as Jin entered his room, Gilly ran up to him and hugged him tightly. When he felt her tears on his cheek, Jin realized how worried Gilly had been for him.
¡°I¡¯m alright, Gilly. I¡¯m strong now. I might even win against you in a duel in the near future if I went all out.¡±
¡°If something terrible had happened to you, I would¡¯ve done everything to get revenge on thedies at the expense of my own life, Young Master.¡±
¡°Geez, don¡¯t talk about such scary things, Strawberry Pie. You¡¯re too hot-blooded. Isn¡¯t it good now that he¡¯s back with us safe and sound?¡±
¡°Give me a minute, Gilly. Murakan, take a look at this.¡±
Jin took out the ss bottle in which he had put the shards of the living golem¡¯s core.
¡°It¡¯s the heart of a living golem. You were lucky, kid. Seeing how you¡¯re unscathed, this one must¡¯ve been a failure. Did you find it at the Kollon Ruins?¡±
¡°The two guards positioned outside the warehouse suddenly transformed into monsters and attacked me. They regenerated no matter where I cut them. But I managed to kill them by destroying the cores in their chests.¡±
As Jin exined the situation, Gilly¡¯s face turned pale. Murakan calmly exined what forbidden magic and living golems were to her.
¡®Last time, it was a cemetary giant, and now it¡¯s a living golem? Those Zipfel bastards are getting on my nerves¡¡¯
What on earth were they scheming?
Murakan shook his head and spoke to the other two.
¡°In any case, this must be the Zipfels¡¯ handiwork as you said, since the Kollon Ruins are in Zipfel territory.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°You and I need to make some time and visit that area again in the future. I need to go take a look and ask them what they¡¯re scheming personally.¡±
Jin was somewhat nervous about having to return to the ruins due to the living golems, but since Murakan was going with him, it would be a much safer trip than his recent mission.
¡®And if we¡¯re lucky enough, we could even try searching for the mirror, the Fountain of Mana. Even if we wreak havoc, the Zipfels will have no choice but to sweep it under the rug due to their usage of forbidden magic.¡¯
Jin nodded to the dragon.
Trantor¡¯s Corner:
That¡¯s it for this week! Next chapteres out on Wednesday!! It¡¯s the beginning of the Banquet Arc (maybe my favourite arc so far)!!
Chapter 46: Banquet (1)
Chapter 46: Banquet (1)
[Trankoko ¨C Tor]
[yukireader ¨C Proof]
Three weeks have passed since Jin returned to the n.
He had left Kajin and the Hass brothers down in the hole on the mountainous road on his way back. Fortunately, the three of them woke up the next day and returned safely to the Garden of Swords afterwards.
However, this time around, Myu and Anne abandoned them for good and cast them aside. In fact, it wasn¡¯t just those three, but all the members of their faction within the intermediate ss.
Additionally, Kajin and the Hass brothers were stripped of their titles and qualifications as Runcandel cadets.
These appeared to be extreme punishments to others, especially considering those three had, officially speaking, aplished the mission at the Kollon Ruins with Jin.
However, all the other cadets knew of the truth. Kajin and the Hass brothers were being banished from the Runcandel n due to their mistake; the mistake of joining the wrong faction.
¡°You must find me foolish andughable.¡±
Before leaving the Garden of Swords, Kajin shouted to the intermediate cadets. He looked around the crowd, but then stopped his gaze on the leader of the Youngest Division, Mesa Milkano.
¡°But soon enough, you all will be in the same situation as me. We¡¯re different from purebloods. No matter how much effort we put into the n, we¡¯re mere mutts being bred by the Runcandels¡ And in the end, you get cast aside like trash¡ Kekeke, I wish you all the best.¡±
Nevertheless, not a single cadet shared sympathy towards Kajin Romello.
No one had forgotten his tyrannical rule and terrible deeds from back when he was the intermediate ss¡¯s dictator.
¡°Whatever, you retarded dog.¡±
Mesa snorted and waved her hand towards Kajin, shooing him away as if he were a street dog.
***
aang!
ng!
Every time Jin swung down on the Clear Stone, a beautiful sound resonated inside the hidden training area.
¡°That¡¯s enough. Your training with the Clear Stones ends today. Tomorrow onwards, the Tona twins will be the only ones who have to attend.¡±
Although he spoke with aposed tone, Zed was actually having a difficult time hiding his shock. Jin was the first Runcandel child he had trained toplete the Clear Stone training within half a year.
¡®Moreover, he perfectlypleted the mission at the Kollon Ruins. Whether he¡¯s been blessed with great fortune since his mission at Mamit, or whether he¡¯s aplished his tasks with his own capabilities, I guess we¡¯ll never know¡ But whatever the answer is, my elder brother won¡¯t leave him to stagnate amongst the cadets here on out.¡¯
Zed was somewhat suspicious of the incidents that had urred every time Jin was dispatched on a mission. There was the magician¡¯s terror attack at Mamit, and now there was a fire at the Kollon Ruins.
However, he didn¡¯t find it to be particrly problematic. He didn¡¯t care how Jin had aplished the missions. What mattered most was that he had skillfully and neatlypleted all his tasks using whatever method he had nned in advance.
After Jin escaped from the Kollon Ruins, the Zipfels reported the incident as an idental fire at the warehouse, just as he had predicted.
There was neither a single bit of information about the robbery of ancient relics nor about the living golems and usage of forbidden magic.
Jin didn¡¯t inform the n about the Zipfels¡¯ illegal experiments, though.
¡°Jin.¡±
¡°Yes, Uncle.¡±
¡°You won¡¯t need to attend the morning sses with the cadets anymore either. Next week, the patriarch will make you take an oath.¡±
The Tona twins¡¯ ears perked up.
Although they were usually dense and dull-witted, they could still understand what Zed was implying with his words.
¡®Will Father grant the position of provisional g-bearer to Jin¡?¡¯
¡®Already?¡¯
The minimum qualification necessary to be a Runcandel g-bearer was being a 6-star knight. Jin was still at 5-star, so he didn¡¯t meet the requirements. However, his age was a game changer. He was a 5-star knight at such a young age that he had caught Cyron¡¯s attention.
But that young age was the entire reason why he was at the bottom of the hierarchy in the family, so his youth had its merits and demerits.
¡°Do you understand what I mean? No matter what the patriarch demands of you, I believe that you will be sessful henceforth.¡±
Since Zed was going as far as saying so, it was almost certain that Jin would be a provisional g-bearer.
The Runcandels¡¯ provisional g-bearers were given onemand: to umte achievements and gain honour. It was a trial.
Honour wasn¡¯t something one could suddenly obtain one day. Therefore, provisional g-bearers often left the n for a long period of time and ventured out into the world on their own.
Jin was a super rookie amongst the cadets, but no one outside the n would recognize him. Someone like Mary Runcandel¡ªJin¡¯s third sister¡ªhad to leave to the south and earn the nicknames ¡®The Southern Region¡¯s Madwoman¡¯ and ¡®Stormwind Mary¡¯ in order to be a fully-fledged g-bearer.
Thus, one had to gain reputation about their battle prowess and have everyone recognize their glory to be a true g-bearer. Needless to say, the provisional g-bearers weren¡¯t allowed to get any help or support from the n during this entire trial.
¡°Yes, Uncle! Thank you very much!¡±
For once, Jin didn¡¯t hide his emotions and expressed his joy.
So far, his life at the Storm Castle and the Garden of Swords was filled with restrictions. He could only train his swordsmanship openly and not his magic or spiritual power.
The other two had to be practiced in secret, away from the public¡¯s eyes as if he were a criminal. However, if he gained the opportunity to spend a long period of time outside the Runcandel n¡
¡®I can train my powers as much as I want, without having to be wary of others!¡¯
Obviously speaking, he would have to return to the Garden of Swords after having gained great fame and hide his abilities again. But there was no need toin as he would finally gain the proper authority and power of a true g-bearer.
Because when that day arrives, he would create an enormous fissure in the session, where the positions and standings of the candidates for the throne would be flipped around.
***
[Trankoko ¨C Tor]
[yukireader ¨C Proof]
https://discord.gg/MaRegMFhRb
***
June 1795.
The atmosphere at the Garden of Swords was greatly tense and agitated. All kinds of renowned celebrities and envoys were about to visit the Runcandel n to see the youngest child, so everything had to be prepared carefully and be absolutely perfect.
Moreover, the world¡¯s one-and-only Genesis Knight¡ªtheir patriarch¡ªwas returning to the main house.
Cyron was on his way to the Garden of Swords. Not only was it an official visit, he was organizing arge banquet with all the guests.
Currently, there were over five hundred guardian knights escorting Cyron from the ck Sea as a formality. Cyron had departed the ck Sea two weeks ago. While he could¡¯ve used transfer gates to arrive faster, he insisted on walking his way back home.
Travelling from the ck Sea to the main house on foot and by sea would take them at least two weeks to arrive.
During the entire two weeks, the five-hundred-plus guardian knights would be travelling alongside the patriarch, so the necessary expenses were astronomical. Moreover, since over five hundred guardian knights had emptied their positions at the main house, the others had to fill in the empty spots and work a lot harder than usual.
Nevertheless, Cyron insisted on travelling by foot in order to show the entire world the Runcandels¡¯ dignity.
During the past two weeks, the outside world was constantly talking about how Cyron was doing a magnificent parade across the continent to return home.
Whenever Cyron and the guardian knights marched through cities and towns, the inhabitants stood on the side to watch the incredible spectacle and bowed when the Genesis Knight passed in front of them.
¡°Lord Patriarch, we will be arriving at the Garden of Swords in two hours.¡±
¡°My youngest child seems to enjoy constantly disturbing my training. I was nning on staying at the ck Sea for at least ten years. How many times have I left the ck Sea to return to the n just because of him?¡±
Although he appeared to be irritated, Cyron had a soft grin on his face.
¡°I noticed that Young Master Jin was out of the ordinary since his days at the Storm Castle, but¡ to be honest, I never thought he¡¯d be this outstanding. His behaviour and achievements at the Garden of Swords are really astonishing.¡±
¡°His fighting spirit and audacity are quite exceptional. That little kid¡¯s gaze has always shown great ambition and drive ever since I went to visit the Storm Castle. He thinks he kept it properly hidden and that I hadn¡¯t noticed it though¡ Haha.¡±
Jin Runcandel. His 13th child. Even Cyron could see that his youngest son was greatly differentpared to his other children.
It wasn¡¯t just a question of being able to use a bit of spiritual power due to having gained Solderet¡¯s interest. Cyron had been keeping an eye on Jin because of the fighting spirit and resolve he had seen in the boy¡¯s eyes many years ago.
Although no one had specifically taught him, the youngest already knew how to properly destroy and tear someone down back then.
Even if one assumed that he was able to defeat and oppress the Tona twins back at the Storm Castle thanks to his spiritual power, Cyron was still unable to forget Jin¡¯s silhouette as he provoked his other siblings as soon as he had arrived at the Garden of Swords.
¡°I already have plenty of children who are eloquent and have a way with words. I wasn¡¯t very surprised when the youngest came to the Garden and immediately provoked the others, but I still had some interest in him. And look at how far he¡¯se now. He¡¯s returned alive every time his siblings sent him out to die and even became a 5-star knight.¡±
¡°I¡¯m still more amazed by the results of his very first mission¡ªthe one you assigned to him, Lord Patriarch¡ªrather than his achievements at Mamit and the Kollon Ruins. While Mesa Milkano getting kidnapped was outside our expectations, we could never have imagined the young master would fight and kill the white wolf warrior.¡±
¡°It was quite an odd incident. I was hoping the youngest would use hispanions as meat shields in order to kill the white wolf warrior; never in my wildest dreams did I think he¡¯d defeat the warrior on his own. He even rescued the kidnapped cadet. It seems he proved to us the weight of his principles and beliefs.¡±
As he reminisced about the past, Cyron nodded to himself in satisfaction.
¡°Do you truly believe that the young master defeated the white wolf warrior on his own?¡±
¡°I do. Oh, technically speaking, I guess it¡¯s not quite ¡®on his own¡¯. In any case, he¡¯s quite the interesting brat. I¡¯ll ask him some questions about that incident when I see him this time.¡±
Cyron was thinking that Jin had used spiritual power to kill the white wolf warrior.
***
The parade reached the Garden of Swords at noon.
The guardian knights who were at the Garden of Swords had already finished lining up at the gate three hours before Cyron¡¯s arrival.
The knights wearing shining armours all raised their swords in synchronization.
¡°¡°¡°All hail!¡±¡±¡±
¡°¡°¡°All hail!¡±¡±¡±
Cyron stood silently and stared at everyone, and nodded in satisfaction after a while. Immediately, all the swords returned to their original positions, by the knights¡¯ sides.
Soon enough, Rosa and the n¡¯s g-bearers appeared from behind the guardian knights. The pure-blooded Runcandels who had yet to be g-bearers were standing behind them.
Jin was the youngest Runcandel pureblood¡ªeven when including all his cousins¡ªthus, he was standing at the very back.
¡°We¡¯ve been expecting you, Lord Patriarch.¡±
¡°Rosa. It must¡¯ve been quite exhausting preparing all this.¡±
¡°Not at all. Our reliable children were the ones who arranged this, so I had nothing to do with it.¡±
As she replied, Rosa¡¯s gaze discreetly moved towards Joshua.
She truly believed that the infighting andpetition amongst the Runcandels was the virtue of the n. Moreover, she had recently started to hold great expectations towards her youngest child¡ªwho had started showing his prominence and potential.
Nevertheless, she still hoped for Joshua to be the next patriarch. The expectations she had towards her second daughter Luntia, second son Dipus, third daughter Mary, and youngest son Jin were all as candidates for the throne after Joshua.
Cyron could clearly read Rosa¡¯s intentions, but didn¡¯t react to them.
However, there was one thing he found unpleasant: the imposing and confident expression on his eldest son¡¯s face.
Ever since Luna renounced her right for the throne, Joshua was convinced he¡¯d be the next patriarch. He considered this ¡®battle for hegemony¡¯ a walk in the park and believed the throne was guaranteed to be his.
Cyron actually thought that his second son Dipus or third daughter Mary were more suited for the throne, despite the fact that they weren¡¯t perfectly satisfactory either.
¡°If our children were truly so reliable, I wouldn¡¯t have needed to leave the ck Sea. The guests visiting today are onlying here to stay on my good side, not out of fear of our children.¡±
Cyron put emphasis on the word ¡®children¡¯.
¡°You are indeed correct. Let us head inside. I¡¯ve personally prepared your favourite dishes for the first time in a while.¡±
¡°Now that must¡¯ve been quite strenuous. I have great expectations for today¡¯s lunch.¡±
Cyron walked past Joshua and didn¡¯t even nce at his eldest son. Strictly speaking, he didn¡¯t nce at his other children either as he continued walking. However, it must¡¯ve felt like a humiliation to Joshua as they were standing before the entire n.
Cyron continued making his way but came to a halt just a single time and spoke out loud.
¡°Ran, Vigo.¡±
¡°Yes, Father.¡±
¡°Did you gift your swords to the youngest? The swords I gave you special permission to take from the n¡¯s armory?¡±
Cyron finally turned his gaze and stared at the two swords hanging by Jin¡¯s waist.
It was a somewhat reprimanding tone. Cyron was implying his dissatisfaction at his sons for giving away the precious swords he had lent them without his permission, and that they shouldn¡¯t expect to be allowed to borrow any other item from the n in the future.
Ran and Vigo were about to lose their minds.
If they had indeed gifted those swords, they could somehow appease their father¡¯s anger in the future. But if they told him they had lost the weapons to the youngest, they were doomed.
Yet, that was their only choice. They could only answer honestly.
¡°¡The youngest took them away from us.¡±
¡°What? Are you telling me you two lost against the youngest?¡±
¡°Ah, that¡¯s not the case. We promised to give them to the youngest if he aplished his mission at the Kollon Ruins, so¡¡±
Ran and Vigo wanted to dig a hole on the spot and hide. The humiliation was horrible, and they couldn¡¯t bear the thought of their father being disappointed and losing all interest in them.
¡°Bwahahaha!¡±
However, Cyron simplyughed out loud and patted his sons on the shoulder.
¡°I see, I see. Then next time, make sure you get the swords back from him. The youngest is always so shrewd. I sometimes wonder whether it reallyes from my blood. Haha!¡±
Ran and Vigo sighed in relief. Not only had they avoided their father¡¯s fury, he had also cracked a joke, which washed away all their worries.
However, they didn¡¯t know one important fact.
When Cyron said ¡®I sometimes wonder whether it reallyes from my blood¡¯, he wasn¡¯t talking about Jin¡¯s shrewdness.
He was talking about Ran and Vigo¡¯s uselessness.
Proofreader¡¯s Corner:
PFFFFFAHAHAHAHA what a great way to end a chapter. Imagine your parents calling you useless¡ªwait, that hits too close to home¡ WELP. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter~ Can¡¯t wait to see how the banquet will go. Will someone attempt to do something to Jin? Are the Runcandel siblings going to pull something? Will Murakan suddenly barge in?!?! Tune in next time! But before that¡ª
¡°Joshua was convinced he¡¯d be the next patriarch.¡±
PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT just look at this dude. Who¡¯s gonna tell him??
Chapter 47 – Banquet (2)
Chapter 47 ¨C Banquet (2)
[Trantor ¨C Chapter 46 was a fucking nightmare. Longest chap so far¡ Koko wakes up in drenched clothes, breathing heavily, terrified of the number 46 now¡]
[Proofreader ¨C yuki¡ wants to feel sorry for koko but is staring in amazement instead; that chapter was gold]
Since the master of the n had arrived, the guests began entering the Garden of Swords.
There were delegates from every nation, including the Vermont Empire; The Imperial Guards, Special Forces, Dragon King Knights, the Yvliano n, the Tuko n, the Ken n, the ck King Mercenaries, the Ghost Mercenaries, etc.
Each and every one of them were people with great power from highly influential ns or organizations. As they entered the Garden one after another, it appeared as if the Garden¡¯s mansion stood with pride, looming over them like a monarch on the throne.
It was like the building wasmanding the guests to show the minimum courtesy and manners when in its presence.
Additionally, there were the several thousands of swords nted in the ground around the Garden of Swords, and the myriads of highly important visitors walked through this metal forest.
It was a majestic sight. In fact, the Vermont Emperor¡¯s coronation ceremony wasn¡¯t as luxurious or radiant as this spectacle. The thousand guests who hade to the n today represented the Runcandels¡¯ prestige, authority, and power.
The guardian knights and servants of the n were intoxicated with this feeling of importance as they all stood with imposing expressions. They had to show that the Runcandel n¡¯s guardian knights and servants weren¡¯t ordinary people either, that they shared the glory of the n as well.
Except the Zipfels, there wasn¡¯t a single other n that could rival the Runcandels. And since the Zipfels hadn¡¯t sent an official request to visit the n today, the Runcandel nsmen could stand straight with their chests puffed out without fearing anything.
Meanwhile, Jin was witnessing this incredible sight alongside Cyron. They stood on the balcony looking down at the courtyard. Cyron waved his hand towards the guests from time to time, while Jin lowered his head in courtesy.
¡°This must be your first banquet.¡±
¡°Yes, Father.¡±
Jin had actually attended a few banquets in his past life thanks to his magic teacher, but this was his first time taking part in a banquet hosted by the Runcandels, even if he took his past life into ount.
Back then, whenever the n organized a banquet, he wasn¡¯t allowed to attend and had to keep himself out of sight like a criminal. A pure-blooded Runcandel bing a 1-star knight at the age of 25 was an embodiment of the n¡¯s disgrace.
¡®But now, I¡¯m standing next to Father during the banquet as one of the main stars of the night¡ To think I¡¯d finally reach this ce after dying once.¡¯
Jin felt proud yet bitter at the same time. In fact, if you took a deeper look into his emotions, the bitterness overwhelmed the feeling of pride and joy.
However, Jin didn¡¯t express his feelings and simply waited for his father¡¯s next words.
¡°As you may know, our n seldom hosts banquets.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°We only organize one when there¡¯s something truly worth celebrating. In other words, the feats you¡¯ve achieved so far are that impressive.¡±
¡°Thank you very much, Father.¡±
Cyron softly stroked Jin on the head. Jin was initially scared out of his wits, but managed to keep his shock hidden.
¡°How many guests do you think there are today?¡±
¡°My rough estimate would be a thousand, Father.¡±
¡°Right, I received a report that it was about a thousand. There are around two hundred more guests todaypared to the banquet we organized seven years ago. Do you understand what that signifies?¡±
Jin didn¡¯t need to think about the answer.
¡°It means that during the past seven years, our n¡¯s authority and power has increased.¡±
Cyron had a satisfied smile.
¡°Exactly. Other ns could easily have a thousand guestse to their banquet as well¡ But all the visitors today are prominent and distinguished figures. We don¡¯t let small fry or worthless people attend our banquets.¡±
Jin nodded to his father¡¯s words.
Just as Cyron had said, the thousand guests today were all stars and celebrities. They were the leaders standing at the steering wheel of the world, ruling over the billions of people inhabiting this continent.
But even amongst all these rulers, the one standing at the summit was Cyron Runcandel.
¡°All I¡¯ve done during the past seven years was killing monsters in the ck Sea and training in seclusion. Yet, our n¡¯s prestige has increased over the years, and the only reason behind it is that I¡¯m the only Genesis Knight of this era.¡±
Jin politely waited for Cyron to continue his speech.
¡°In other words¡ Once I disappear, most of the people gathered here today may turn their backs on the Runcandel n.¡±
Jin was aware of this truth better than anyone else.
Without his father, Cyron Runcandel, the n would never have been able to amass so much power and influence. The Runcandels were one of the two major ns on this continent alongside the Zipfels. But if Cyron were to be taken out of the equation, the gap in power and military strength between the Zipfels and the Runcandels would only growrger andrger.
Thus, the world would head towards a system where the Zipfels held total power over the continent. The Vermont Empire¡ªwhich was currently acting as the mediator between the two ns¡ªwould most definitely side with the n of magicians if things took such a drastic turn.
¡®I wonder what the youngest has to say about this.¡¯
Cyron has had this conversation with all his children so far.
He had asked them simr questions along the lines of ¡®If I disappear, people will turn their backs on the Runcandels. What do you think of this?¡¯
Most of the time, his children gave simr answers, such as ¡®That won¡¯t happen, Father!¡¯ or ¡®Why would you ever disappear, Father!¡¯ Some of them would even foolishly dere that they¡¯d be the next Genesis Knight.
¡°Father.¡±
After a long silence, Jin called out to his father.
¡°Speak freely, Son.¡±
¡°If you were to disappear one day, and all these guests truly turned their backs on the Runcandels¡ And in consequence, the Zipfels mobilized all their forces to suppress us, and the n were to be at the point of no return¡¡±
Jin paused for a moment and made eye contact with Cyron.
¡°I would leave the n.¡±
Having heard the answer, Cyron red at Jin with bloodshot eyes.
¡°What? Did you say you¡¯d leave the n?¡±
¡°Yes. If the Runcandel n were to copse just because you aren¡¯t present, Father, then it would be due to the seeding n leader¡¯s ipetence. I do not n on dying a dog¡¯s death under an ipetent patriarch or matriarch.¡±
It was a shocking and absurd answer. Cyron was angered by the youngest¡¯s insolent attitude for a short while, but it was soon reced with great curiosity.
¡°Keep talking.¡±
Jin let out a deep breath before continuing his words.
¡°How many of those guests¡¯ weaknesses do we, as a n, have in our grasp?¡±
¡°Weaknesses?¡±
¡°Yes. Allow me to take Duke Bern over there as an example. The Bern n¡¯s head tricked the Emperor and embezzled some of the empire¡¯s treasures. Nevertheless, he¡¯s confidently attending our banquet, all thanks to our help and the debt he owes us.
¡°There is also the man smoking towards the left of the courtyard. He is Lance Cleaver, am I correct? It¡¯s a bit difficult to recognize people just from the portraits I¡¯ve seen before. In any case, Lance¡ªthe Cleaver n¡¯s greatest warrior¡ªonce requested us to kill three Zipfel magicians for him.
¡°Over there is Miss Charlotte Herald, who once sold her family¡¯s heirloom due to her terrible gambling addiction. She then requested us to recover it for her, and the Herald n has yet to repay us that debt in full to this day.
¡°And the woman behind Miss Charlotte is Lord Berd¡¯s mistress. She was originally an illegitimate daughter of the Vermont Imperial Family. But due to her talent as a genius magician, she was oppressed by the legitimate children and waster banished. Lord Berd has beenmissioning us to protect her for several years already.
¡°And the person over at the¡¡±
¡°Enough.¡±
Cyron lightly shook his hand.
¡°It seems you¡¯ve read through the n¡¯smission contracts. But that¡¯s normally only allowed to g-bearers. Did Luna show them to you? I won¡¯t punish you, so speak truthfully.¡±
¡°No. I asked Elder Brother Vigo to show them to me in exchange for returning his sword, since I had no use for that weapon.¡±
¡°Kuhaha, you really are remarkable.¡±
¡°Just by skimming through those documents, one can find all these weapons that aren¡¯t swords the n could make use of. I imagine that the ssified documents that only Father and Mother are allowed to read must hold even greater and numerous weapons.¡±
¡°So, are you saying that one could use those to protect the n even when I¡¯m not here?¡±
¡°It all depends on the next n leader¡¯s negotiation skills. In your case, Father, you have no use of negotiation skills as you are the strongest knight in existence. However, the circumstances are different for future patriarchs and matriarchs who aren¡¯t Genesis Knights.¡±
Cyron slowly and calmly nodded and smiled.
¡°You are correct. But we aren¡¯t the only ones who have a grasp on others¡¯ weaknesses, Son. The Zipfels also have a hold on their weaknesses as much as we do.¡±
¡°I assume so. However, the Zipfels don¡¯t have an adequate justification to thoughtlessly take advantage of those weaknesses.¡±
¡°They don¡¯t have a justification? Why so?¡±
¡°Because the role of the viin belongs to us Runcandels. In any case, if the next patriarch is unable to protect the n even with all these weapons at his disposal, I will leave the n without a speck of hesitation. I will depart and prepare my revenge against those who brought us to ruin.¡±
Whether they secretly performed experiments with forbidden magic at the Kollon Ruins, whether they found the Fountain of Mana and used it to print out 7-star magicians like a factory, the Zipfels were still the n that symbolized good and justice to the public.
They couldn¡¯t openlymit evil deeds like the Runcandels.
¡°Haha, revenge you say¡ I see, one can only get revenge if they¡¯re still alive. I see your point. It¡¯s not bad.¡±
Jin silently lowered his head in response to his father¡¯s approval. He was still somewhat disappointed by Cyron¡¯s strict assessment.
¡®Well, I guess I¡¯ve put up a good defense nheless. Father is usually far more stern and upromising.¡¯
¡ªIt¡¯s not bad.
Although he had said so, Cyron was actually quite content with Jin¡¯s answer. Cyron believed that the youngest was pragmatic enough and hade up with an effective n.
It wasn¡¯t as if his other children hadn¡¯te up with simr ideas in their heads.
But their problem was that they didn¡¯t dare to assume the ¡®Runcandel n would be destroyed¡¯ and say it out loud to their father. Meanwhile, Jin¡¯s honest and confident beliefs were quite a breath of fresh air to Cyron.
The boy wasn¡¯t being conceited and getting ahead of himself. Calcting wasn¡¯t quite the right word to describe him right now; cool-headed was a better choice. And that collected attitude of his was what Cyron was highly satisfied with in Jin.
¡®It¡¯s such a pity this child was born sote. It¡¯s as if Luna¡¯s talent, Mary¡¯s wild nature, and Dipus¡¯spetitive spirit were collected into one single body.¡¯
Ten years at the shortest, and fifteen at the longest. That was Cyron¡¯s prediction on how long he could protect his position as patriarch.
He was now curious to know whether the youngest would be able to turn around the current sessor candidate hierarchy in that period of time. Watching over Jin would be his new entertainment and hobby now.
¡°The guests have almost reached the mansion. Let¡¯s head back inside.¡±
Under the dark evening sky, countless lights illuminated the ins beyond the Garden of Swords¡¯s front gate. Those lights belonged to the campsites that were created outside the Runcandel main house, where the attendants of today¡¯s visitors remained at.
These people would have to wait under the tents for three days until the banquet ended.
¡°Yes, Father.¡±
¡°Oh, and after the banquet ends, I need to have a word with you. Stay on standby in the house until I summon you.¡±
Jin¡¯s promotion to a provisional g-bearer!
That was what this was about. As he had already heard about it from his uncle, Jin wasn¡¯t quite surprised. However, hearing about it from his father¡¯s mouth directly was apletely different feeling.
¡®So once the banquet ends, I¡¯ll have to set out and travel for a long time.¡¯
One thing that was necessary to be a true g-bearer was honour and reputation.
Jin would have to wander around the world after the banquet in order to build up his honour.
During that time, he would not be restricted by the n in any way, so he could use his magic and spiritual power alongside his swordsmanship as much as he wanted.
Using his past life¡¯s knowledge, he could even find great opportunities for himself and search for artifacts or divine objects. His memories would be a great advantage for him.
¡®The next three days will feel like an eternity. I can¡¯t wait to depart already.¡¯
Cyron and Jin left the balcony and entered the central hall. The gigantic chandelier hanging on the ceiling illuminated their faces as they took a step inside.
The two headed up the second floor and waited for the guests to arrive and greet them, when suddenly, three butlers came rushing towards Cyron.
¡°Lord Patriarch, guests who hadn¡¯t sent a formal request to visit have arrived. What should we do?¡±
Guests who hadn¡¯t sent a formal request.
The Zipfels hade.
Chapter 48: Banquet (3)
Chapter 48: Banquet (3)
The butlers continued reporting to the patriarch with concerned looks.
¡°There are five of them. Andrei Zipfel came personally with other family members.¡±
Andrei Zipfel, the Zipfel n¡¯s second-inmand.
He was given the title of ¡®Wind King¡¯ due to his contract with the God of Wind Melzeyer and the blessing he received from the Wind Dragon Vyuretta.
He was the man with the highest authority in the n after Kelliark Zipfel, the patriarch. He was a 9-star magician who could annihte a couple of small nations within a morning if he felt like it.
Such a powerful man had suddenlye to the Runcandel n without any forewarning.
¡®Andrei Zipfel¡?¡¯
Just like Beradin Zipfel, he was someone Jin envied and idolized in his past life as a rookie magician.
If it were the Jin from before his death, his heart would be racing like crazy right now from excitement of meeting his idol, a grand magician even his master had acknowledged.
¡®But it seems like he¡¯s someone without any manners.¡¯
Right now, he was merely an impudent and rude guest who hade uninvited.
Whether he was a grand magician or a grand magician¡¯s grandfather, one had to show the proper courtesy and manners when visiting the Runcandels¡¯ venerated Garden.
Even Kelliark Zipfel¡ªthe patriarch¡ªhad shown the proper respect when visiting the n twenty years ago, and the Vermont Emperor had done the same twelve years ago.
Jin discreetly turned his head to check his father, and Cyron appeared to be of the same opinion as his son.
¡°What an impertinent prick.¡±
The visitors who were looking up at Cyron from the first floor didn¡¯t know what was going on, but the sharp ones amongst them noticed the change in facial expression on Cyron¡¯s face. Soon enough, a tense atmosphere took over the hall.
The butlers kept their heads lowered and waited for Cyron to respond.
¡°Heinz.¡±
The first-ss butler in the middle with clean, white hair approached Cyron.
¡°Yes, Lord Patriarch.¡±
¡°Inform Andrei Zipfel to get lost, but let the other Zipfel nsmen with him inside. And don¡¯t do it yourself. Tell the servants to do it.¡±
Jin almost choked on his saliva as he listened from the side.
Although Andrei had been rude toe uninvited, to send him away at the gate like this would be a terrible insult¡ Only a true monarch would be allowed to refuse and humiliate Andrei like this.
¡°Understood.¡±
Heinz replied with aposed tone.
Once the butlers took their leave, Cyron turned to Jin with a softened look.
¡°Do you think that my decision was a bit extreme?¡±
¡°I found it quite gratifying. This should embarrass Andrei Zipfel quite a bit and put him in a tough spot.¡±
¡°Why do you think it¡¯ll put him in a tough spot?¡±
¡°Father ordered to ¡®let the other Zipfel nsmen inside¡¯. In other words, if Andrei Zipfel takes his leave with the other nsmen out of embarrassment, he¡¯ll have ignored the Runcandel patriarch¡¯s permission. But such a thing is not permitted in the Garden of Swords.¡±
¡°Haha, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d have deduced it that far. Indeed, Andrei will follow my orders. If he doesn¡¯t, he¡¯ll have to crawl his way back to the Zipfels without his two legs.¡±
Had Andrei arrived uninvited at a banquet hosted by another n, the head would¡¯ve had to allow him inside despite the difort.
However, no matter how influential and powerful he was as a grand magician, he was merely a humanpared to Cyron, who had entered the realm of demigods. A slightly powerful human, but a human nheless.
And even if Cyron turned Andrei into a cripple, the Zipfels wouldn¡¯t begin an all-out war against the Runcandels. However, they would retaliate once Cyron passed away.
Around twenty minutester, four people entered the banquet hall. They were the Zipfel purebloods who hade with Andrei. The grand magician himself didn¡¯t join the venue though, just as the father and son had predicted.
Three of the four Zipfels were anxiously looking around the hall, carefully keeping an eye on their surroundings. They appeared to be between 15 and 20 years of age.
Cyron smiled in satisfaction at the sight, stood up, and pped a single time.
Thump¡!
It sounded more like a deep and powerful drum than that of a p. As the echo resonated in the hall, the guests chatting on the first floor stopped talking and raised their heads to the second floor where Cyron was waiting.
The boys and girls from the Zipfel n were concerned that Cyron would rebuke them in public. Needless to say, the Genesis Knight had already turned the page and held no more interest in them.
Amidst the silence, Cyron looked down at the guests and spoke out loud.
¡°Ladies and gentlemen, thank you foring all this way to the Garden of Swords. I am Cyron, patriarch of the Runcandel n. It seems I¡¯ve gotten myself quite a decent son in mytter years. Thanks to him, I have another opportunity to reunite with all these familiar faces and spend a good time. So, a round of apuse to Jin Runcandel.¡±
p-p-p-p!
Cheers and apuse ensued like every formal banquet.
However, the banquets hosted by the Runcandels were known for being quite peculiar¡ªwhere the greetings were short, and the hosts didn¡¯t ept gifts.
¡°As you all may know, there are just two simple rules you need to follow at Runcandel banquets. First, if a fight breaks out during the merrymaking, the people involved will be escorted to the duelling arena by the guardian knights. Second, the loser must ept their defeat, and the winner must show mercy. Don¡¯t forget that this is a celebration.¡±
The public call the Runcandel banquets a ¡®single-log bridge party¡¯.
The principle behind a single-log bridge is that if two peoplee face to face on the bridge, it will be followed by confrontation and dispute until one person admits defeat and goes back the way they came.
And that was exactly the case at Runcandel banquets.
A thousand influential and powerful figures from around the world had gathered in one ce. Many of them held grudges against other guests, so confrontation and disputes were inevitable since the guests would¡¯ve gotten drunk from the avable alcohol.
In normal banquets, the two parties with animosity would just stare at each other from afar or would simply have light verbal disputes. But the banquets hosted by the Runcandels were different.
If two drunk archenemies made eye contact, they just had to head to the arena without making a fuss.
The only rules were no killing, and epting the results of the duels.
Some would find it a shame, not being able to kill their nemesis, but it was still quite enjoyable for the winner to pummel and clobber their opponent to the ground. The loser would even have to admit being weaker and inferior to them, which was very satisfying.
¡°Well then, I hope you all have a great time before you return.¡±
Woohoooooo!
More cheers followed, and Jin trembled as he watched the flushed and joyful faces downstairs. A refreshing and thrilling chill ran down his spine and spread around his body.
¡®Seriously¡ this is one hell of a crazy n.¡¯
And unfortunately, he was a part of this crazy n.
¡°You can also head downstairs and enjoy yourself. And if someone piques your interest, you can take them to the arena. But it can¡¯t be someone who looks weaker than you, unless they insulted you and the n.¡±
¡°Yes, Father. And I assume I¡¯m not allowed to lose either.¡±
¡°Obviously. If you do, I will take away everything I¡¯ve given you so far. Bradamante and your nanny included.¡±
¡°I shall keep that in mind.¡±
Cyron went downstairs first and mingled with the guests. Although he had organized this banquet for Jin, he didn¡¯t n on bringing his son everywhere with him and bragging to the guests.
Jin chuckled as he watched his father¡¯s back. He then turned around and went down the stairs on the other side.
¡®¡Come to think of it, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve chatted with my father like this.¡¯
Back in his past life, he could never have imagined a day like this woulde; the day he and his father would chat like a typical father-son rtionship.
Suddenly, a surge of emotions took over him and a lump formed in his throat. But Jin then took a deep breath and erased these feelings.
Having a good father-son rtionship or making his father proud weren¡¯t part of his objectives for his new life.
¡®What matters most is for me to surpass you, Father.¡¯
In truth, that was what Cyron wished for the most from his children. But Jin had no way of knowing that fact.
As soon as Jin arrived on the first floor, he immediately sensed countless gazes on him, scrutinizing him. Some of them came fromrge groups of people who stared at him openly, while others were far more discreet.
They were all surprised yet interested.
Was this delicate and childish-looking boy really a 5-star knight? The guests asked each other with eyes filled with curiosity.
What should Jin do now?
Should he confidently walk towards the crowd with an imposing expression like a lion? Or should he act like an innocent child and approach the guests, thanking them foring today?
Jin grinned to himself as he realized he hade up with ridiculous ideas he¡¯d never even carry out.
He nned on walking to the center of the hall and standing still with aposed look, as if he had little to no regard for the guests. His position tonight would be at the center of everything, and this would continue being the case for the rest of his life.
The future owner of the house merely had to stay still at his position.
The ones who had to make an effort toe talk to him were the guests.
Jin grabbed a ss of wine from one of the busy servants¡¯ tray. The expensive and famed wine that even a rich aristocrat only opened on special days was being handed out like cheap water.
¡°Ha, haha¡ Congrattions, Brother.¡±
¡°Can we stay by your side for a while?¡±
The first ones toe talk to Jin were none other than the Tona twins. Jin stared at his brothers standing side by side and smiled.
¡°Of course. How is your Clear Stone training going these days?¡±
As Jin happily weed them, colour returned to the twins¡¯ faces.
Amidst all these guests, they wanted to use Jin¡¯s fame to increase their own standing and reputation. Something along the lines of ¡®We¡¯re close to him, everyone!¡¯.
Not to mention that Emma had told them to do so.
Now that Myu and Anne had given up on them, their nanny had told the twins to get on Jin¡¯s good side. Needless to say, Jin had already predicted all this, and he decided to turn the page and put aside his previous enmity towards Emma.
That woman was quite unpleasant to be around, but she seemed to be one of the more perceptive and sharper people of the Runcandel n.
¡°It¡¯s getting better these days. We changed our main weapons to a greatsword and a chainsword as advised by Uncle Zed, and it¡¯s so much better now.¡±
¡°Really? That¡¯s great. I¡¯m always cheering for you two, Elder Brothers. You know that, right?¡±
¡°O-Of course! Of course we do. It¡¯s so reassuring to know you have our backs.¡±
As he awkwardly replied, Daytona mustered all the courage inside him and ced his arm on Jin¡¯s shoulders.
Meanwhile, Jin found the twins¡¯ fidgeting and their desperate attempts quite endearing and let his brother do as he pleased.
Instead, he quietly whispered in Daytona¡¯s ear.
¡®Once you¡¯ve done enough acting and are satisfied, get moving. And tell Emma to keep making good use of her sharp wit in the future.¡¯
Daytona barely managed to prevent his face from showing his terror and nodded discreetly. Afterwards, the Tona twins stayed for another five minutes making small talk with Jin before taking their leave.
The twins¡¯ withdrawal was like the breaking of a dam. Once they had emptied the spot, the guests who had been ncing at the star of the night began approaching him one after another.
Thanks to the Tona twins, the guests had learned that Jin wasn¡¯t as irritable or ill-tempered as Luna from the past. Most of the guests tonight had also attended the banquet from neen years ago to congratte Luna for bing a 5-star knight at the age of 15.
And back then, they had all learned of how bad-tempered and cold-hearted Luna was¡ There was no way anyone could ever forget.
¡°Nice to meet you. I am Jrd Ken from the Ken n.¡±
¡°A pleasure to meet you, Sir Jrd Ken. Does the food prepared by the Runcandel n suit your tastes?¡±
¡°Nice to meet you. I am Seager Ken, also from the Ken n.¡±
¡°Likewise. I am Jin Runcandel. I¡¯ve always wanted to meet people from the Ken n who are renowned for their spearmanship.¡±
¡°Haha, we came running here as fast as possible when we heard the young master of the Runcandel n had be a 5-star knight. Pleasure to meet you! I am Jonsina Perral of the Dragon King Knights.¡±
¡°Oh, so you are Sir Jonsina! My nanny has often told me stories of your heroic exploits when I was younger. It¡¯s an honour to finally meet you.¡±
And so, the guests formally yet warmly greeted Jin one after another. Suddenly, one titanic man loomed over Jin, rumpled his hair and spoke loudly in a casual and friendly manner.
¡°Haha, so you¡¯re Jin Runcandel! I was so curious to know what brat had reached the 5-star stage at 15 years old. Ha, you really are just a little brat ten years younger than me. Good to meet you! The name¡¯s Huger.¡±
Huger didn¡¯t reveal his family name as he believed Jin would recognize him¡ªand recognize, he did. He was a talented, strong, and promising warrior from the Tuko n.
Maybe it was because he was respected and looked up to in his n, but Huger seemed to have forgotten that he was at the Garden of Swords¡ªthe Runcandel n¡¯s main house¡ªand that he had to show proper manners.
And so, Jin gently smiled and replied.
¡°Oh, yeah, good to meet you, Huger.¡±
The air surrounding them immediately became heavy. Tension spread amongst the guests who were watching their interaction.
***
[Trantor ¨C okoK
[Proofreader ¨C iyuk]
https://discord.gg/MaRegMFhRb
Chapter 49: Banquet (4)
Chapter 49: Banquet (4)
Huger¡¯s vigorousughter and excitement disappeared, and his face hardened.
One second¡ two seconds¡ three seconds¡ four seconds¡ five seconds¡
Jin waited for Huger to make up for his mistake, while Huger¡¯s expression slowly began showing displeasure.
This wasn¡¯t someplicated issue. Even Jonsina Perral¡ªwho was entering his fifties this year¡ªwas showing proper respect to a boy decades younger than him. So Huger¡ªwho had yet to turn thirty¡ªhad no right to speak informally to Jin.
¡°Ah, I¡¯m not sure the food we¡¯ve prepared will suit that tactless and rude cakehole of yours, Huger.¡±
Jin followed up and spoke softly, to which Huger¡¯s ears turned bright red. Many guests were watching the two of them. The anger and nder made Huger¡¯s blood boil and pump faster through his veins.
¡°Oi, Mr. Outstanding Brat. Are you trying to embarrass me just because I spoke a bit casually? You may be a Runcandel, but in the world of warriors and martial artists, I¡¯m your senior by far. I was just being friendly since you¡¯re an impressive rookie, so don¡¯t get ahead of yourself!¡±
Huger spoke as if he couldn¡¯t believe the absurdity of the boy.
But Jin realized he had to exin the current situation in great detail to get across the moron¡¯s empty head.
¡°Listen carefully, Huger of the Tuko n. Your behaviour was an insult not just to me, but also to all the guests who have shown proper courtesy to me. If you really care about senior-junior rtions, then you should¡¯ve been far more careful than usual.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°The first and second g-bearers of the Ken n, Sir Jonsina Perral of the Dragon King Knights, and everyone else. Aren¡¯t they all your seniors? If you have proper eyes and earholes, you should¡¯ve noticed how they have behaved towards me so far.¡±
Jrd and Seager Ken nodded in affirmation, while Jonsina watched with shining eyes as he found the situation interesting.
The other onlookers either sighed or whispered to each other.
¡°If you behave like that, then what does that make of the others¡ªyour seniors? Acknowledge your blunder and apologize. I¡¯ll turn a blind eye to this incident if you do, since I¡¯ve already said my piece.¡±
Huger was about to explode in rage, but¡
Ooooh¡ª!
The spectators let out sounds of admiration and awe, while some of them even whistled out loud.
¡°He¡¯s got you this time, Huger!¡±
¡°Kuhaha, see? I¡¯ve always told you to be more careful in front of others, Huger. My friend, it seems you¡¯ve been taught an important life lesson by the Runcandel young master.¡±
¡°The youngest master has saved your life, you know? I¡¯m sure you would¡¯ve gotten in deep troubleter on in life due to your yapping trap. Haha, listen to the young master¡¯s teachings.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t tell us you¡¯re gonna challenge him to a duel due to your embarrassment. I¡¯d like to think you aren¡¯t such a narrow-minded person.¡±
The other guests naturally approached Huger and patted him on the back and shoulders to lighten the atmosphere. They were all senior martial artists who were close with Huger.
Moreover, Huger was a very simple-minded man. Soon enough, his anger disappeared and he spoke with a light-hearted tone.
¡°Hm-hm, since my seniors are saying as such¡ Geez, it seems I¡¯ve blundered. I hope you will forgive your foolish junior for his mistake, Seniors and Elders. I¡¯d be grateful if Young Master Jin were to forgive me as well.¡±
¡°Of course, Sir Huger.¡±
A situation that could¡¯ve escted terribly had concluded itself in a warm and friendly manner.
The slightly shy Hugerughed out loud to wash away his embarrassment and walked away towards his nsmen.
After a while, the guests around Jin slowly returned to their original groups. Soon, Luna¡ªwho was watching this spectacle from the other side of the banquet hall¡ªslowly approached Jin.
¡°Elder Sister Luna.¡±
¡°Haha, you really do have an innate talent at making enemies, don¡¯t you? You can behave more like a cute and ordinary child from time to time if you want.¡±
ng.
The two of them lightly clinked their sses together.
¡°If there weren¡¯t so many guests watching us, I would¡¯ve shrugged it off and moved on as well. But just now, I was no different to a representative of the Runcandel n, so I had to force myself to be a strict and upromising figure of authority.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right. But what would you have done had Huger challenged you to a duel? He is still stronger than you. I think he¡¯s around the 6-star stage?¡±
¡°I believed that it was unlikely. And if he truly challenged me to a duel, the Tuko n¡¯s patriarch and elders who were watching nervously from the table over there would¡¯vee running at full speed to take Huger away from me.¡±
Jin discreetly directed his gaze, and Luna turned her attention towards the Tuko n¡¯s table. The Tuko n¡¯s patriarch was personally scolding Huger for his behaviour.
¡°¡Goodness. Did you actually take them into ount and calcted the entire situation as it happened?¡±
¡°Yes. Moreover, the Tuko n¡¯s patriarch was already frowning when Huger spoke to me informally. He had already realized that his n member hadmitted a blunder.¡±
¡°Did you learn how to deal with conflicts and how to conduct yourself appropriately from an aristocrat or something?¡±
¡°If there really is someone who teaches such life lessons, it wouldn¡¯t be such a bad idea to keep them by my side. The only thing I¡¯m taught here at the Garden of Swords is swordsmanship after all.¡±
¡°That¡¯s more than enough, no¡? What else do you need to learn?¡±
¡°Oh, no, someone like Elder Sister doesn¡¯t need to learn anything else. But youngest-born children who are hated by their siblings like me need to learn countless things in order to ensure their survival.¡±
¡°Is that so¡?¡±
Luna adorably tilted her head with naivety, as if she truly had no idea what Jin was talking about. She was born as a predator and had no need to be wary of others during her entire life. So it wasn¡¯t surprising that Luna found Jin intriguing.
On the other hand, Jin was watching his elder sister with amazement and surprise.
Meanwhile, Luna thought to herself.
¡®He is as gifted, if not more gifted than I am, but he also has a good head on his shoulders. No wonder someone tried to kill him back at the Storm Castle¡ Just which of our siblings noticed Jin¡¯s potential so many years ago?¡¯
As the guests watched the two siblings have a friendly chat, they wondered whether Luna was truly the terrifying ¡®White Whale¡¯.
Ever since the banquet celebrating her reaching the 5-star stage when she was 15 years old, Luna hadn¡¯t participated in any other parties. Moreover, during her own banquet, she took everyone who approached her to the duelling arena and killed about half of her opponents.
People believed that Luna hated parties and being around people like the White Whale from the myths. However, they couldn¡¯t be more wrong. In fact, Luna loved social events more than anyone.
To be more precise, she loved hiding her identity and going to pubs down the street to attend their small parties and dance with others.
¡°Anyways, I came to this banquet to congratte you, but as I thought, this type of event isn¡¯t my cup of tea. I¡¯ll be heading over to another, more enjoyable ce now.¡±
¡°Are you leaving already?¡±
¡°Yeah. You¡¯re still a bit too short to dance with me right now. Once you¡¯ve grown enough, I¡¯ll take you to a fun little ce I know of.¡±
The brother and sister stared at each other and grinned joyfully.
¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for that day to arrive, Elder Sister.¡±
¡°Oh, before I go, I should leave behind a message to the guests here like you do.¡±
Luna got up from her chair and walked behind Jin. Then, she gave him a big and deep hug from behind.
¡®Geez, why are you doing this? I almost got a heart attack.¡¯
Indeed, Jin almost got a heart attack from her sudden actions.
¡®With this, everyone gathered here today will realize that I deeply care for you, won¡¯t they? Then they¡¯ll be less likely to make mistakes and behave rudely towards you out of fear of me. I¡¯ll see youter.¡¯
Just as Luna had whispered, the guests witnessing this scene barely managed to stop their astonishment and shock from appearing in their expressions.
The White Whale¡ªwho was known for being awkward around her siblings¡ªwas openly and proudly showing her love and affection towards the youngest.
Moreover, the men who secretly had a crush on Luna were divided into two groups. One group realized they had to get on Jin¡¯s good side and use the boy to get an opportunity to meet and converse with Luna. Meanwhile, the other group of people were¡
¡°Urgh¡ I¡¯m so jealous! Fuck! I also want to hug Lady Luna like that, Lord Vishukel! Uuuuugh, that brat is so lucky!¡±
Crazy jealous. And one man in particr was expressing his displeasure. He¡ªwho considered himself Luna¡¯s greatest fan¡ªwas Bouvard Gaston.
¡°Ah! Lord Vishukel, I will definitely write a poem about her tonight. Haaa, even with my perfect transformation skills, I will never be able to make someone as beautiful and stunning as her¡¡±
Meanwhile, Vishukel Yvliano¡¯s head was about to explode out of irritation.
He hade to attend this banquet using his position as the Yvliano n¡¯s next patriarch, but his true objective was to observe the movements and actions of the Runcandel n for Kinzelo.
He was originally nning oning alone, but Bouvard begged him to bring him along as Vishukel¡¯s attendant, and threw a fit until the vice-leader of Kinzelo agreed to it.
This decision had created so many problems and issues.
But the main problem was that ¡®attendants¡¯ of guests weren¡¯t allowed to join the Runcandel banquets. Thus, Vishukel had to beg the Garden to allow Bouvard inside. He even had to convince his little sister toe and used her handicapped legs as an excuse to let the fat-ass inside.
However, the only reason behind Bouvard¡¯s wish to attend the banquet¡ was to see Luna Runcandel. Vishukel hid his trembling fist that couldn¡¯t wait to punch Bouvard inside his coat pocket.
¡°Aaaah, Lord Vishukel. Tonight, I¡¯ll write a poem for Lady Luna and sing it for the entire night. The entire night!¡±
¡°Just¡ shut up for a minute, Bouvard Gaston.¡±
¡°Please don¡¯t be like that, Elder Brother. This may be an important issue for Mr. Bouvard. And thanks to Mr. Bouvard, I¡¯m able to attend and observe the Runcandels¡¯ famous banquet called the ¡®single-log bridge¡¯ party.¡±
A woman with beaming eyes spoke to her brother from the wheelchair Bouvard was pushing.
Vishukel¡¯s one and only little sister, Margi Yvliano.
¡°Lady Margi is such an understanding and kinddy. Sniff, sniff¡ I, Bouvard Gaston, will explore every nook and cranny of this banquet hall for you, Mdy!¡±
¡°Thank you, Bouvard.¡±
The group of three was quite conspicuous due to the wheelchair. In fact, Jin¡¯s attention was caught by them and he was calmly watching them, but he didn¡¯t recognize Vishukel or Bouvard.
He didn¡¯t know Vishukel was Kinzelo¡¯s vice-leader in his past life either, while Bouvard had changed his appearance with his transformation skills.
After a while, Jin shifted his gaze away from them. People were once againing to make small talk with him, so he didn¡¯t have the leeway to continue observing them.
¡®It¡¯s tiresome, being the star of the night. In any case, where did those Zipfels go¡?¡¯
Jin had been searching for the Zipfel visitors who had arrived at thest moment. They were, quite obviously, the guests Jin was most wary of.
However, Jin couldn¡¯t find the Zipfel boys and girls amidst the thousand guests in the hall. Maybe they were hiding in one corner of the room, trying not to catch anyone¡¯s attention.
¡®Hm, it¡¯s a bit annoying, but let¡¯s try walking around the hall to look for them.¡¯
Jin was about to get off his chair, when suddenly¡
ck!
Someoneid down their wine ss on Jin¡¯s table and sat down next to him.
¡°May I dare ask the Runcandels¡¯ rising star for a ss?¡±
Although her words were polite, her tone wasn¡¯t the same. It was the voice of a young woman who sounded like she was challenging him.
Jin raised his head and made eye contact with the girl. He then couldn¡¯t stop himself from chuckling softly.
¡°Ah, you are¡¡±
¡°I am Syris Endorma of the Hidden Pce. It¡¯s an honour to meet you.¡±
Syris smiled thinly with squinted eyes.
Trantor¡¯s Corner:
Aaaah! What a cliffhanger!!!! I hate you for this, author!!! Now I gotta trante the next chapter immediately!!!
Proofreader¡¯s Corner:
Oooooh ya boi got caught~! Are they gonna fight? Are they?? ARE THEY???? KOKO WE NEED TO KNOW!!!
Trantor¡¯s Corner 2:
YES, WE NEED TO KNOW! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! I CAN¡¯T WAIT FOR THE NEXT CHAP!!!!
Chapter 50: Banquet (5)
Chapter 50: Banquet (5)
¡®Of course the Hidden Pce sent an envoy to the Runcandel banquet.¡¯
Jin had somewhat expected this reunion.
He stared at Syris for a few seconds before grabbing the wine bottle. He then calmly poured her a ss.
¡°So you are the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s daughter. Likewise, it¡¯s an honour to meet you.¡±
Jin handed her ss back as he stayed wary of her.
¡ªHow could you ever repay a debt to someone like me? Just think of this as a nice memory. And if you remember me from time to time, just bow in the direction of the Hidden Pce whenever you can. Well then, bye!
Those were Syris¡¯s words back at Mamit.
Back then, she was oddly kind to Jin. Not only had she immediately removed Jin from the list of suspects for the terror attack on the Moonlit Well, she had even rubbed some ointment on his injured shin.
She seemed very different from the rumours Jin had heard about her in his past life.
Nevertheless, Jin didn¡¯t think much about her show of kindness.
¡®She was probably nice to me on a whim as someone with more power than me.¡¯
That was how Jin understood Syris Endorma as a person. Needless to say, this didn¡¯t mean Syris was actually stronger than Jin. She just believed herself to be stronger than him back at Mamit.
¡°I am quite jealous of you for growing so strong so quickly, even though we are the same age. How envious I am of your blessed Runcandel blood and body.¡±
Although she was expressing her envy, Syris herself was no ordinary girl either. She was already in the middle phase of the 4-star stage and was still growing at an incredible speed.
¡°Indeed, we Runcandels are fortunate to have these blessed bodies. However, the Hidden Pce¡¯s bloodline can also be considered blessed, no? I cannot even imagine how much the Master of the Hidden Pce must cherish Mdy.¡±
¡°Yes, unlike you, I am an only child. Thus, it is true that I receive a lot of love and attention. Ah, is it considered discourteous to bring up such a topic?¡±
Syris¡¯s gaze softened a little. Her silver hair was naturally swaying, as if to entuate her beauty.
¡°Not at all. Everyone around the world knows the fact that I¡¯m the youngest-born child of the Runcandels already. In fact, I should be the one envious of you, Lady Syris. It¡¯s quite troublesome having numerous siblings.¡±
¡°Oh my, you speak of such things so casually despite all these eyes and ears watching and listening to us. What if your siblings interrogate you about thister on?¡±
¡°Is it not considered the youngest child¡¯s privilege to be able toin whenever and wherever they want? Hahaha. In any case, I would love to visit the Hidden Pce one day. And it may not be a pipe dream if I maintain close rtions with Lady Syris from now on.¡±
¡°Haha, I never expected someone from the Garden of Swords to wish to visit the Hidden Pce¡ Alright, we shall send you an invitation in the near future.¡±
Before Jin could respond, Syris grabbed the wine bottle and poured Jin a ss as well. His attention moved towards the ss, which was now being filled with colour once more. A few minutes went by where the two 15-year-olds didn¡¯t share a word.
¡®I¡¯m quite certain she recognized me. Isn¡¯t it about time for her to bring up that incident?¡¯
It wasn¡¯t as if soot couldpletely hide someone¡¯s face, and he couldn¡¯t change his voice either. Jin was confident Syris had recognized him today.
¡®And if the Hidden Pce¡¯s sessor did in fact fail to recognize me, then I¡¯d be greatly disappointed in her.¡¯
Syris suddenly leaned closer to Jin.
¡°There is one thing I¡¯d like to ask you, Young Master Jin Runcandel.¡±
¡°Yes, Lady Syris. Ask away.¡±
¡°Has the wound on your shin healed already?¡±
Finally, the real conversation was about to begin.
Jin smiled and shrugged lightly.
¡°Yes, it has, all thanks to a certain outstandingdy¡ªto whom a lowly boy like me will never be able to repay his debt¡ªwho rubbed some ointment on it with her own hands.¡±
He answered in an offhand manner, to which Syris frowned.
¡°You¡¯re a lot more shameless than you look, Young Master Jin. In this case, you will need to exin to me why you were present at the Moonlit Well in Mamit that day.¡±
¡°And why must I do that?¡±
¡°On that day, my subordinate¡ªRyu of the Hidden Pce¡¯s Seven Swords¡ªdidn¡¯t manage to find the culprit behind the magic attack. It was quite a disgraceful incident for all of us. Later on, I even wondered whether the young boy I had released was in fact the culprit.¡±
Crrrrrr.
Syris dragged her chair closer to Jin. The two of them were now sitting side by side but staring in each others¡¯ eyes, face to face. There was merely the length of a handspan between their noses.
¡°I see. That is understandable. But magic, you say? As you can see, I am a Runcandel. Do you believe I¡¯d be the culprit? My hand has only ever held a sword since birth, never a magician¡¯s staff.¡±
¡°Of course, I am of the same opinion. However, I assume that you were at Mamit that day on a mission for the Runcandel n. So it is possible that you found the task difficult to achieve alone and hired a magician to help you out.¡±
Syris ground her teeth and continued talking.
¡°Moreover, no matter how much I think about it, the only people worthy of being assassination targets of the Runcandel n on that day at the Moonlit Well were our guards from the Hidden Pce. Thus, as the Captain of the Hidden Pce¡¯s Seven Swords, this isn¡¯t an issue I can simply forget about.¡±
Although she was speaking softly and calmly, there was a hint of killing intent in her voice.
The moment she had seen Jin¡¯s face in the banquet hall, she was absolutely certain that Jin had been sent to Mamit to assassinate one or more of the Hidden Pce guards.
Moreover, she was disappointed in herself for having failed to recognize the culprit behind the attack on her subordinates and for foolishly showing good will to the boy.
¡®She thinks that I attacked the Moonlit Well because my targets were the Hidden Pce guards. Well, I guess she¡¯s half-right since I did end up injuring some of the guards while trying to kill Alkaro.¡¯
Having read through Syris¡¯s intentions, Jin continued feigning ignorance.
¡°Hm, I thought we were getting along quite well, so I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re acting like this, Lady Syris.¡±
¡°Hmph! So you n on pleading innocent until the end. Alright, then. If that¡¯s how you¡¯re going to be, I have an idea of my own.¡±
¡°May I ask what this n of yours is?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll drag you to the duelling arena and beat you up like a sandbag! Once I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll spit on that contemptible smug face of yours. I challenge you to a duel, Jin Runcandel.¡±
¡°Goodness¡¡±
Jin urgently checked his surroundings to see if anyone had heard Syris¡¯s deration.
Fortunately, no one appeared to have heard her as she was whispering to him from up close.
¡°Should I say it louder? Let¡¯s go. You need to pay for ridiculing me back then.¡±
At this rate, Jin wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid fighting her.
¡®Syris would be the perfect opponent for me to test my current swordy skills on. But¡¡¯
The Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s only child, Syris Endorma. She was definitely strong and talented for her age, but¡ Jin remembered his father¡¯s words.
¡°Lady Syris. I¡¯m terribly sorry, but I cannot ept your challenge.¡±
¡°Is it because you¡¯re not confident in yourself?¡±
¡°Ah, the thing is¡ My father gave me a stern warning not to duel anyone weaker than myself.¡±
Crack!
The wine ss Syris was holding with two fingers broke at the stem. Her now-clenched fist was trembling like crazy.
¡°What¡ did you just say?¡±
¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand. I would love to duel you, Lady Syris. However, I cannot go against my father¡¯s orders.¡±
¡°You little¡! Haaaaa¡!¡±
Syris red at Jin with bloodshot eyes, but soon sighed deeply topose herself. As she regained her calm, Syris carefully ced the pieces of broken ss in her hand onto the table.
¡°You seem to enjoy messing with me, Young Master Jin. Then, should I give you a taste of your own medicine?¡±
Syris suddenly grabbed Jin¡¯s hand and ced it on her thigh.
¡°Now, if I were to shout out ¡®Kyaa, where do you think you¡¯re touching?!¡¯ and shoved you away¡¡±
Jin hurriedly blocked her mouth with his other hand. He then chuckled to himself and nodded in defeat.
¡°If you¡¯re willing to go that far, then I guess I have no choice. Let us make our leave quietly.¡±
¡°You should¡¯ve said so earlier.¡±
The two of them stood up simultaneously and made their way to the door.
However, the few people who had been observing them couldn¡¯t help but misunderstand.
¡°How immoral¡ Depraved¡ Did you see that, Mary? The youngest put his hand on her thigh¡ And I think they even kissed. Do kids these days actually behave like that the moment they make eye contact with a stranger? Unbelievable. Where do they think they¡¯re going?¡±
At the table on the other side was Dipus Runcandel gulping down wine with his sister Mary. From their position, it almost looked like Jin had kissed Syris when he blocked her mouth with his hand.
¡°We¡¯ve got countless empty rooms nearby, so I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll just go to one of those. Stop thinking about them, Elder Brother. They¡¯re all grown up already. They¡¯re fifteen.¡±
¡°Goodness gracious. Are you telling me you also behaved like that when you were fifteen?¡±
¡°That¡¯s none of your business. Or do you think you can handle the truth?¡±
¡°Forget it¡¡±
¡°Just drink some more wine. Whether it be the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s daughter or our youngest sibling, they won¡¯t be able to date others freely in a couple of years. So let them have their fun while they still can.¡±
***
The duelling arena was still quiet.
Thebatants and spectators would begin gathering here once midnight passed. It appeared Jin and Syris would do the honour of having the first duel of this banquet.
Jin actually preferred this silence. Defeating Syris in front of countless guests would¡¯ve been far too cruel to the girl.
Once they entered the arena, the guardian knights stationed inside raised their des in salutation.
¡°Have youe to duel, Young Master?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. Other than the medic, you may all take a break outside. Oh, and bring us two decent swords to use.¡±
¡°Yes. We shall seal off the arena until your duel is over.¡±
The sharp-witted guardian knight replied to Jin, and the boy nodded in satisfaction.
¡°That would be perfect.¡±
The medic also read the room and left Jin and Syris alone. He would remain in the waiting room until the battle ended.
Now, there were only two people standing inside the wide, round arena. Not long afterwards, the guardian knight returned with two swords. Jin told Syris to choose her weapon first.
¡°Please choose the one that best fits in your hand, Lady Syris.¡±
¡°Jin Runcandel. Your arrogance pierces through the skies, even though you¡¯re just an ordinary 5-star knight.¡±
Syris didn¡¯t botherparing the des and simply grabbed the one closest to her.
Once she got in her stance and raised her weapon, the air around her changedpletely. The burning anger in her eyes was reced with icy-cold concentration, and the sword she held diagonally didn¡¯t show any visible trembling.
¡®So this is how I get to experience the famous Hidden Pce¡¯s swordsmanship from the rumours.¡¯
An ordinary 5-star knight.
That was how Syris had described Jin. And she wasn¡¯t wrong. Syris knew that Jin had yet to learn the Runcandels¡¯ secret techniques and decisive killing moves.
On the other hand, while Syris was still at 4-star, she was the Hidden Pce¡¯s only sessor. That was why she could openly look down on Jin, who had reached a higher stage than her.
¡°Before we begin, I want you to promise me something.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°If I win, you must tell me everything rted to the incident at Mamit. Not a single piece of information left out, do you understand?¡±
¡°I understand. In that case, if I win, Lady Syris will have to forget our coincidental encounter that day. You will never have seen me that day. Today is the first time you will have met me.¡±
¡°Looks like you truly were doing something fishy. Come at me!¡±
As soon as she finished talking, Jin dashed and reduced the distance between them. He was nning on overpowering her with the vast difference in their physical capabilities.
Sckrrrr¡ª!
Suddenly, a strange cold energy swirled around Syris¡¯s sword and froze her de.
It was the main reason why the Hidden Pce could stand tall in the middle of the West Sea, as well as the power that symbolized the Endorma bloodline.
The ¡®Myriad Icedes¡¯.
Trantor¡¯s Corner:
AAAAAH! Another cliffhanger!!!! The author just loves torturing their readers!!!
This is by far my favourite chapter in this novel as of now! Loved Jin¡¯s interactions with Syris and his siblings¡¯ reaction to their ¡°immoral¡± behaviour lmao
Welp, it¡¯s the end of volume 2!!!! I¡¯ll see you all on Wednesday for the beginning of volume 3!!!
Chapter 51: Banquet (6)
Chapter 51: Banquet (6)
Sharp and hard crystals of ice were swirling around Syris¡¯s de.
Although it was the innate power of the Endorma bloodline used to kill their opponents, Jin couldn¡¯t help but find her figure beautiful and breathtaking, shining under the crystal lights.
Every time she thrust her sword, the small crystals broke apart and reflected the moonlight.
The cold energy¡¯s crystals were spread apart densely like a and shone brilliantly. And while it gave Jin the urge to touch these beautiful floating shards, they were lethal weapons that would tear him apart.
Craack!
The two des collided, and the sound of ice breaking echoed in the arena. Had Jin not covered his sword with aura instinctively, his weapon would¡¯ve shattered into bits and pieces.
¡®So this is the rumoured Myriad Icedes.¡¯
Most people would¡¯ve been bewildered when suddenly facing the Myriad Icedes, but Jin didn¡¯t show any change in his expression.
¡°It¡¯s still too early to be surprised, Jin Runcandel!¡±
¡®Um, I¡¯m not really surprised¡¡¯ or so Jin would¡¯ve liked to reply, but his opponent had such an ted and triumphant face that he didn¡¯t want to spoil her mood.
So he didn¡¯t say anything and calmly dodged her attack with nimble footwork. Although Jin had some time and room to spare, Syris believed he had narrowly avoided her de.
As Jin adjusted the distance between them and continued retreating, a wide grin grew on Syris¡¯s face.
¡°You will tell me everything rted to that day.¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure. I could¡¯ve cut you down just now if I wished for it.¡±
Indeed, it would¡¯ve been possible had he used spiritual power, so Jin was technically telling the truth.
¡°Looks like your bluffs are 5-star like your swordsmanship!¡±
Syris swung her sword with full power once again.
There are many cases where a 4-star defeats a 5-star in a duel of pure swordsmanship. Thus, if you added the Myriad Icedes and Syris¡¯s abundant fighting experience into the equation, it was beyond doubt that she would win this duel. At least, that¡¯s what Syris was thinking.
Shhhrk! Shrrrrk!
Every time her sword was swung, the air around the de froze.
It was a highly dangerous power. In fact, the rumours say that an Endorma who masters the Myriad Icedes can freeze an entire ocean.
¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d use your secret technique right off the bat, Syris. As the youngest child who has yet to learn the n¡¯s secret techniques, it¡¯s quite disheartening to watch.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not my problem!¡±
Jin didn¡¯t counterattack and simply continued concentrating on his defense. Thus, Syris believed that her victory was guaranteed.
A horizontal sh. Lower sh. Now a diagonal.
Syris¡¯s swordy was fierce yet drew flexible trajectories. Jin threw his body around to dodge and fend off her attacks.
Although it appeared as if he was being pushed back, Jin was waiting for an opening. Moreover, the fact that he was able to ward off her sword every time proved his swordsmanship¡¯s superiority to Syris¡¯s.
Soon enough, Syris realized that her opponent was moreposed than she had expected.
¡®I guess a 5-star is still a 5-star. He was narrowly dodging and parrying my attacks earlier, but as we continue fighting, his true character and skills are showing.¡¯
It took a genius to know another genius.
Syris admitted the fact that she had underestimated Jin. His swordsmanship was clearly far more advanced than hers.
¡®But that¡¯s the extent of it. The Myriad Icedes 3rd Form can easily make up for the difference.¡¯
The Myriad Icedes 3rd Form. It was a technique that the Endormas called ¡®Avnche¡¯. Syris could only use this technique a single time. Its consumption of aura and cold energy was severe, so it was ast resort she could only use at a decisive moment in a duel.
¡®His strength and stamina are superior to mine, so there¡¯s no need to drag out this fight. When he finishes reading my attack pattern and finally counterattacks, I¡¯ll turn the tables on him and finish this once and for all!¡¯
ng! ng! Skrrrt!
Their messy and chaotic duel slowly but gradually came to a stalemate. As time passed, both of them were getting used to each other¡¯s movements.
But there was no reason to let the fight drag out.
And Syris wasn¡¯t the only one thinking that. Jin was slowly changing to a footwork that put him on the offensive, and he had the same thoughts as his opponent.
¡®Syris should have recognized the difference in our skills by now, and she must be preparing to deal a decisive blow to end the fight. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll use some secret technique, but the question is: how powerful is it going to be?¡¯
Jin couldn¡¯t quite estimate the strength of her secret technique as he had never confronted someone using the Myriad Icedes.
Therefore, Jin decided to use the most powerful ¡®secret technique¡¯ he himself knew.
Back when he was at the Storm Castle, he wasn¡¯t just reading the secret tomes underground in order to kill time. Needless to say, Syris didn¡¯t know that Jin already knew several secret techniques of various martial ns from history.
Before Jin could decide on his countermeasure, Syris boldly charged at him. She yelled loudly and swung her sword down, aimed at Jin¡¯s shoulder. A few strands of her long, silver hair got in the way of her de and were sliced off.
¡°It¡¯s over, Jin!¡±
Fwoooosh!
Suddenly, a violent blizzard materialized in the arena, swirling around in a circle with Syris at the center. But unlike the blizzards that form naturally, when the icy winds reached Jin, he received small gashes on his forehead.
The sharp winds were slicing away at his clothes, and the cold air was making his neck and joints stiff.
Myriad Icedes 3rd Form, Avnche!
Once Syris finished generating this snowstorm, the arena waspletely dyed white. Crystals of ice formed and exploded with dull sounds, and pure-white aura crashed into the obstacles like an avnche.
The scenery had unexpectedly changed to that of a snowy mountain peak in winter. The snow/aura blocked Jin¡¯s vision, and the wave of cold energy made it impossible to breathe.
At the center was Syris with an enthusiastic expression showing her confidence in her victory.
But she then saw Jin wearing the same look on his face. It was the glow and grin of a human who knew they had already defeated their opponent.
¡®Howe?¡¯
The avnche-esque snowstorm was already rampaging in the arena, so even if he was a 5-star genius swordsman, he wouldn¡¯t be able to ovee the Hidden Pce¡¯s secret technique.
Although she felt uneasy for a short moment, Syris didn¡¯t pay it much heed. The main force which prevented the world¡¯s two superpowers¡ªthe Runcandels and Zipfels¡ªfrom conquering the Hidden Pce was this power.
Stagger.
Syris stumbled as she had used up all the energy and aura within her. Since she had avoided hitting Jin in the vital areas, he would most likely survive this ordeal. But at the very least, the Runcandels¡¯ youngest child would fear her from today onwards.
However, Syris couldn¡¯t savour the taste of victory yet.
Akin to an ice pick, a single handle-less de pierced through the thickyer of white, snowy energy that blocked their vision.
¡®What? How did he¡ª!¡¯
Syris hastily fixed her posture¡ At least, she tried to. The will wasn¡¯t enough on its own. Her body¡¯sck of strength from using the secret technique prevented it from following her brain¡¯s orders. She could only wait for the next sequence of events to ur in her bad posture.
Shhhhrk!
A single sh of light streaked through the snowstorm.
The de didn¡¯t contain a god¡¯s power like Syris¡¯s sword¡ªin which she had injected her cold energy. In fact, the de wasn¡¯t even covered in aura, the universal and basic power that every knight used.
It merely appeared to be an ordinary steel edge without a handle.
Syris couldn¡¯t ept the fact that such an unremarkable weapon was tearing through her Avnche.
¡°This can¡¯t¡ª¡±
Be!
She couldn¡¯t even finish her sentence, because the annoyingly persistent deing at her was about to explode.
Crrrk!
Crack!
Syris clearly witnessed the steel crumbling on itself as dents formed on it, along with a bright and dangerous glow escaping through the cracks on the metal. Before she could even realize what was happening, a loud and urgent yell pierced her ears.
¡°Get down!¡±
It was the boy whom she had been fighting until now.
Syris didn¡¯t n on listening to him. Even if she was in great peril and could lose her life, epting her opponent¡¯s mercy in order to avoid the danger was a greater humiliation than being defeated.
BOOOOOOM!
Jin¡¯s steel de that had beenpressed to the size of a knuckle exploded.
Tiny steel shards flew forward. Each little fragment was shining with aura.
Although the weapon that tore through the storm wasn¡¯t covered in aura, its de was filled to the brim with energy.
It was the decisive and killing move called ¡®de Storm¡¯ of the ancient and ruined n of swordsmen¡ªthe Att n. Since they had been destroyed by the Runcandels, there were barely any records left of their swordy and techniques. In other words, this move was quite literally Jin¡¯s secret technique.
This was the strongest technique Jin had mastered amongst all the ones he had learned from the secret tomes beneath the Storm Castle. Even if she was a user of the Myriad Icedes, Syris wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the de Storm¡¯s firepower as a 4-star knight.
¡®Dammit!¡¯
Either Jin had overestimated the power of the Myriad Icedes, or the Att n¡¯s secret technique was far more powerful than he had expected.
Whatever the answer was, Jin was regretting having used the de Storm. If she didn¡¯t dodge it, Syris would definitely die. If not, she would at least be crippled for life.
Jin¡¯s heart was beating rapidly in worry of her possible death.
Meanwhile, Syris clenched her teeth to suppress her instincts of wanting to save herself by crouching, since she didn¡¯t want to be humiliated.
And so, a second went by.
¡®Ah!¡¯
¡®Ah¡¡¯
Once the de Storm subsided, the two fighters eximed to themselves.
One had a sense of relief, while the other groaned in mortification.
Syris had crouched just as Jin had shouted.
¡°Are you alright?¡±
Jin threw away the sword handle that was remaining in his hand and grabbed Syris by the shoulders. She was just staring into the emptiness with wide eyes due to the big shock.
This was her first ever defeat since the first time she grabbed a sword in her life.
¡®I¡ crouched because¡ I was afraid of dying or getting hurt? I, Syris Endorma, was afraid?¡¯
When victory was within hand¡¯s reach but the de Storm turned the tables, Syris had made up her mind not to avoid the blow. She believed that she wasn¡¯t a weak human who needed to rely on her enemies¡¯ mercy and pity.
However, no matter how strong her pride was, no matter how important her honour waspared to her life, no matter how iron-willed she was, she was still a 15-year-old girl. She was too young to willingly and forcibly suppress her survival instincts and desire to live.
¡°Phew, things could¡¯ve taken a dangerous turn just now. I deeply apologize for that.¡±
Once he made sure Syris was unscathed, Jin sighed and put a hand on his chest.
He could tell what the silent Syris was thinking. No matter what he says to cheer her up, she would still be crushed by this sense of defeat.
¡®Geez, I¡¯m so¡ I should¡¯ve held myself back and narrowly lost to her¡ She¡¯s just a kid.¡¯
If one counted the total number of years Jin had lived, he was already in his forties. When he realized that he was almost the cause of death of a young 15-year-old girl, he was crushed by a sense of guilt.
Moreover, she could either be a rival or a friendly associate in the future, yet he was about to kill her.
Jin stared at Syris for a short moment as he sorted out his thoughts on what to tell her. But he didn¡¯t need a lot of time to ponder.
¡°If I were in the same situation, I would have avoided the blow as well. And you also would¡¯ve yelled at me to get down. So I won¡¯t say any more about this incident.¡±
He knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to cheer her up. And he didn¡¯t n on forcing himself to try to console her.
So once he said his piece, Jin merely turned around and walked away. It was best to just leave her alone in times like this.
¡°Jin Runcandel.¡±
But before he could leave, Syris called out to him and stared into his eyes. Light had returned in her gaze. In fact, her gaze was brighter and deeper than before, as if she had been enlightened and changed on the inside.
¡°You¡¯re still bleeding from the forehead from when I cut you earlier.¡±
She took a few steps towards Jin and took out a handkerchief from her inner pocket.
She then silently wiped his wound and even rubbed some of the healing ointment on it. It was the same ointment as the one she had rubbed on his shin in Mamit.
¡°With this, I¡¯ve repaid you for saving my life.¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t you considering the value of your life a bit too cheaply? I don¡¯t think the Hidden Pce¡¯s sessor¡¯s life can be repaid with some ointment on a graze.¡±
¡°That¡¯s why I rubbed the ointment extremely carefully since you just saved me out of pity. From now on, I¡¯ll be an invaluable and distinguished person again, so in the future, I hope I can get an opportunity to save you.¡±
They both moved towards the arena¡¯s exit. Once they took a step outside, Syris added one finalment.
¡°Oh, and from now on, today¡¯s the first time we¡¯ve ever met.¡±
¡°Indeed, it seems I¡¯ve won the bet. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±
Chapter 52: Banquet (7)
Chapter 52: Banquet (7)
Jin attended the banquet the following day as well.
Fortunately, not many people were aware of his duel with Syris. In fact, many were misunderstanding their rtionship just like Dipus Runcandel, and their beliefs were reinforced today.
Had they actually duelled, the winner would¡¯ve been bragging about their victory to others at the banquet. Nevertheless, Jin and Syris remained silent and didn¡¯t bring up the topic, so people naturally came to the conclusion that they had had a secret love affairst night.
The banquet continued in a simr fashion as the day before.
Jin stayed seated in one location, and the guests came introducing themselves to him. However, there were less people crowding around him. Since the secret and veiled child of the Runcandels had already revealed himselfst night, the guests were busier dealing with their own favours and grudges amongst themselves.
Ever since Jin and Syris had left the arenast night, countless other duels have been urring nonstop until now.
And since people were allowed to spectate the fight, there were more guests gathered at the arena than the banquet hall.
The ¡®single-log bridge¡¯ party had begun for real.
Nevertheless, Jin was sitting at the center of the hall, sipping on his wine as he looked around in glee.
¡®I should be able to meet those Zipfels today.¡¯
Jin was curious to know how high their mastery of magic was. Since he had heard that the four Zipfel guests were between 15 and 20 years of age, they were the best magicians he couldpare himself to.
Moreover, if he got the chance, he wanted to ask them about the Kollon Ruins. But Jin changed his mind as it was probably a bad idea.
¡®I¡¯ll get a lot of free time once I be a provisional g-bearer. I can just go investigate the Kollon Ruins with Murakan whenever I want in the near future.¡¯
And if he received Murakan¡¯s help, Jin could easily find and take the mirror artifact called the ¡®Fountain of Mana¡¯ for himself.
¡®I¡¯ll make sure the Zipfels can¡¯t mass-produce 7-star magicians like a factory this time around.¡¯
Once his thoughts reached that conclusion, Jinid his ss on the table and exhaled deeply.
Meow.
Meooow.
He suddenly noticed a ck cat naively walking around the banquet hall. The guests were surprised by the presence of a small cat at the Runcandel main house, so they couldn¡¯t help but stare at it.
¡®That stupid¡!¡¯
Jin was certain Murakan had sneaked inside without Gilly¡¯s knowledge. The boy wasn¡¯t sure whether the dragon had noticed his gaze on him, but Murakan raised his tail straight and catwalked to the center of the hall.
He then safely arrived at his destination: on top of Syris¡¯sp.
The girl was satisfied by the cute pet¡¯s affection towards her and she started stroking it. After a short while, she looked at the nametag on the cat¡¯s cor and burst out inughter.
¡ªNabi Runcandel
That was the name written on the tag. Syrisughed out loud for a long time, beforeposing herself and wiping her tears. She then got up and approached Jin.
¡°Did youe up with his name, Young Master Jin?¡±
She was speaking in a soft tone, aplete 180pared to her attitude back at the arena.
The way she skillfully carried him showed her abundant experience with animals. Jin smiled awkwardly and nodded.
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Beforeing here, I imagined you to be a battle maniac obsessed with swords, but you have quite a few surprising sides to yourself. May I y with him for a short while?¡±
¡°Feel free to.¡±
After receiving his approval, Syris bowed and left the hall.
¡®Did she reallye to me just to ask that?¡¯
Jin found her quite peculiar but somewhat likeable. Then, someone else unexpectedly sat next to him.
¡°Oh! So we finally meet again, Jin Runcandel! You have no idea how difficult it was finding you, haha.¡±
A young man wearing a genuinely friendly smile spoke to Jin enthusiastically.
Jin knew this boy, as well as all the feats and aplishments he¡¯d achieve in the future.
However, he didn¡¯t want to act familiar with him, even though he was a Zipfel Jin had been looking forward to seeing.
¡°Who¡ are you?¡±
¡°Goodness! To think I¡¯d hear such a disheartening greeting from you at our reunion! How could you forget about me? I¡¯ve been thinking about you every day all this time.¡±
¡°So who on earth are you?¡±
¡°C¡¯mon, try guessing. The first two letters of my name are ¡®Be¡¯. Haha, do you remember now?¡±
¡°Nope.¡±
¡°Dammit! We first met each other at the Mitel Kingdom¡¯s transfer gate. Does it not ring a bell?¡±
¡°Nope, no bells ringing at all.¡±
At this point, Jin found their interaction amusing, so he continued feigning ignorance.
¡°Hahaha¡ To think that you don¡¯t remember even with all these clues¡ Jin, I think you have the memory of a goldfish. Listen carefully. My name is Bera¡ª¡±
¡°Beradin Zipfel. You¡¯re still as oblivious as ever. I was indirectly saying that I didn¡¯t want to act like your acquaintance. Yet you didn¡¯t get the hint and continued bringing up the topic. How tiresome.¡±
¡°Oh, is that what it was¡?¡±
To think that this boy would actually be a 9-star magician by 30 years old and get selected as the seeding patriarch. Jin had also realized how clueless Beradin was on their first encounter, but this was just on another level. He was speechless at how ridiculous the situation was.
Even though Jin had bluntly said how tiresome Beradin was, the Zipfel boy didn¡¯t let it bother him for too long. He wore a gloomy expression for a short while, but soon resumed the conversation.
¡°You have no idea how much I was looking for you since yesterday. Geez, the Runcandels¡¯ banquet hall is enormous. No matter how much I walked around, I just couldn¡¯t find you. I think I roamed the hall for two hours or something.¡±
¡°Gosh, no matter howrge this hall is, it¡¯s just a banquet hall. Are you seriously telling me you didn¡¯t find me after searching for two hours?¡±
Jin spoke as he recalled the previous day.
He was the center of attention and guests continued approaching him. He was also located at the center of the hall, so even if someone didn¡¯t want to see him, they¡¯d inevitably notice the boy at least once during the evening.
¡°Yeah, I¡¯m serious. Had I used magic, I could¡¯ve found you in ten seconds, but isn¡¯t it banned to use magic at the Runcandel estate? I just kept walking around, but always saw the same faces around me.¡±
¡°Is that so.¡±
¡°Anyways, it¡¯s so good to see you again, Jin. Has it been five years already? To think you¡¯re already a 5-star. I knew you¡¯d be the cause of some big event thest time I saw you, haha. But I haven¡¯t beenzing around all this time either. I¡¯ve already reached the¡¡±
The directionally-challenged boy paused to add a dramatic effect.
¡°6-star stage! Kuhahaha, I¡¯m already a 6-star magician. In other words, I¡¯m one level higher than your swordsmanship!¡±
Beradin was three years older than Jin, so he was a 6-star magician by the age of 18. This was quite the achievement. It was worthy of being celebrated just like Jin¡¯s exceptional growth. However¡
¡®He¡¯s only 6-star?¡¯
Jin was greatly surprised as Beradin¡¯s level was far lower than he had expected. Putting aside the foolish act of revealing his abilities in enemy territory, Jin was shocked that the most talented pureblood of the Zipfel n was only a 6-star magician.
¡®I feel like my mana will be about 7-star in three years, though¡¡¯
Had he overestimated Beradin due to his achievements in Jin¡¯s past life? Or was he lying about his own growth to trick the Runcandels?
¡°Seeing your shocked face makes the time I spent searching for you totally worth it, Jin. I¡¯m looking forward to the day I finally get to fight you. I was greatly enlightened by ourst encounter and trained like crazy. Try your best catching up to me, Jin. Now, let¡¯s have a toast.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t bother revealing the true reason behind his shock and raised his ss of wine with a bewildered face.
As the cups hit each other, Jin barely suppressed the smile that was about to grow on his face.
¡®If Beradin was only able to reach 6-star by 18 years old¡ the next person to reach the peak of magic after Kelliark Zipfel will be me. I¡¯m sure of it.¡¯
Jin was reevaluating his own potential objectively. Meanwhile, the unaware Beradin was standing with his chest puffed out as he thought Jin had acknowledged him.
¡°You should care more about me from now on. I have no doubts that you¡¯ll be the seeding Runcandel patriarch. So in the future, the Runcandels under your rule will be fighting the Zipfels under mine. Just think about it. Doesn¡¯t that get your blood pumping?¡±
Jin smiled softly.
¡°Beradin Zipfel. It seems I need to give you another piece of advice just like five years ago.¡±
¡°Oh, what is it?¡±
¡°You should learn to hold your tongue.¡±
¡°Haha, you say the same thing as my father.¡±
¡°Anyone would say that after knowing you for more than a minute. Anyways, why did the Zipfelse to the banquet without sending a formal request?¡±
They hade at thest minute, resulting in their second-inmand getting humiliated.
Jin silently waited for Beradin¡¯s answer.
¡°Oh, that¡¯s because of me. I pestered Uncle Andrei to let mee, saying that I absolutely had to see you.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°We just happened to be in Huphester when I heard the news of a banquet celebrating your achievement, so I thought, ¡®This is fate! Fate is letting me see him once again!¡¯, and so I came here.¡±
¡°Is that it?¡±
¡°Yep, that¡¯s it.¡±
Jin was at a loss for words.
¡®Andrei Zipfel¡ªthe n¡¯s second-inmand¡ªactually listened to a kid¡¯s tantrum and came to enemy territory without any preparation?¡¯
Jin just couldn¡¯tprehend Andrei¡¯s thought process usingmon sense.
However, as he dwelled on it a bit longer, he realized how much love, affection, and attention the boy known as ¡®Beradin Zipfel¡¯ was receiving in the n of magicians.
Beradin was already being treated like the next patriarch of the n.
The Zipfel n was a ce where geniuses in magic were a dime a dozen. However, this boy was already being considered the best of the best, despite not being 20 years old yet.
Once he realized that, a certain thought went through Jin¡¯s mind.
¡®If we kill Beradin before he can fully mature¡ we could deal a terrible blow against the Zipfels.¡¯
Even if they killed Beradin, the Zipfels surely had an alternative.
Nevertheless, they would lose the only magician of this generation who would reach 9-star by the age of 30.
Beradin would surely be the Zipfels¡¯ strongest magician of this generation in the future, and losing him would be a terrible oue for them.
¡°Beradin.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°You should be grateful that we¡¯re in a banquet hall right now.¡±
¡°Keke, aren¡¯t you being a bit too cold to me? But yeah, I know. I know that your father showed mercy to my uncle. Speaking of which, let me make you a promise. If you evere to a Zipfel banquet without a formal request, we won¡¯t bring you any harm.¡±
Beradin wore a cunning smile as he scratched the back of his head.
¡°Really? What if I suddenly attacked people in the middle of the hall and sabotaged the banquet?¡±
¡°I never take back my words. Even if you cause a terror attack, we won¡¯t kill you. If a fight were to break out, I won¡¯t take part in it at the very least.¡±
¡®What a foolish romanticist,¡¯ thought Jin.
Still, he couldn¡¯t put aside the possibility that Beradin knew about the human experiments conducted using forbidden magic inside the Zipfel n. However, no matter how stupid Beradin was, Jin couldn¡¯t just bluntly ask questions about the Kollon Ruins as it was risky.
Having emptied his ss, Jin suddenly stood up from his seat.
¡°Where are you going?¡±
¡°Some displeasing creep has been ncing at me since earlier, so I¡¯m off to give him a good scolding.¡±
Jin directed his gaze towards the left.
Over there was a certain man leering at Jin since a while ago: Bouvard Gaston.
¡°Oh, are you starting a fight? Can I watch?¡±
Jin ignored Beradin¡¯s question and walked towards Bouvard.
¡°Excuse me, sir. Do you happen to have something you wish to tell me?¡±
Vishukel wasn¡¯t next to him. He was looking around the banquet hall with his sister Margi. That was why Bouvard could act so carelessly with no repercussions¡ until now, that is.
¡°Um¡ When will Lady Luna return?¡±
¡°What was that?¡±
¡°Hehe, I¡¯m talking about Lady Luna. Will she not make another appearance at the banquet? I wanted to give her this¡ It¡¯s a poem I wrote all night long, filling it with my love¡¡±
¡°Haha.¡±
Jin chuckled and Bouvard took that as an acknowledgement. So far, Jin could just let this insolence pass as just one chubby man¡¯s ¡®foolishness¡¯. He was about to ignore the man as he appeared to becking in the brain department.
¡®To think that there¡¯d be a moron disrespectfully and thoughtlessly searching for Elder Sister Luna at the Garden of Swords. Isn¡¯t he an attendant serving the Yvliano n? I should warn Lord Vishukel about his attendant¡¯s behaviour sometime before the banquet ends.¡¯
However, Bouvard ended up trespassing his limits and infuriating Jin.
¡°Hehe, Lady Luna will realize once she reads my poem that I¡¯m not your typical man. In fact, I may even be your brother-inw in the near future, Young Master Jin. Uhehehe.¡±
Even Beradin¡ªwho was silently watching this interaction while sipping on his ss¡ªcouldn¡¯t help but spit out his wine once he heard those words.
***
Trantor¡¯s Section (08/06/21):
Haha, I love Jin and Beradin¡¯s rtionship dynamic. Can¡¯t wait to see whether they end up as friends or rivals or enemies¡
Murakan sneaking out and jumping onto Syris¡¯sp xDDDD He¡¯s a man of culture who likes his thighs ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)
And finally¡ Can someone get me a f-ing shotgun? I need to go hunt down a wild pig that¡¯s bothering Best Sister Luna¡
Proofreader¡¯s Section (08/06/21):
That Jin-Beradin dynamic was going so well, but then towards the end it¡¯s just¡ chills. Just¡ªchills. Such unwarranted confidence. Tonight, we hunt, Koko. Lemme grab my hunting gear real quick¡
Chapter 53: Banquet (8)
Chapter 53: Banquet (8)
Skrrt! Skrrt!
Jin took the pieces of paper in Bouvard¡¯s hands and tore them in four. The thick stack was easily torn apart like a thin cloth.
¡°It seems you need a beating, sir.¡±
¡°Eh¡?¡±
Bouvard¡¯s eyes opened wide as he stared at Jin, dumbfounded. He had no idea why Jin was reacting as such.
And that ignorant look of surprise on his face angered Jin even further.
¡®Not only did he thoughtlessly mention Elder Sister¡¯s name, he also wants to be my brother-inw?¡¯
If they weren¡¯t in the banquet hall, Jin would¡¯ve ripped the guest¡¯s tongue out of his mouth immediately.
Not only had Bouvard insulted Luna Runcandel with his words, he had basically looked down upon the entire Runcandel n. No one was allowed to speak as such of the Runcandels unless they were the Vermont Imperial Family.
Needless to say, Bouvard wasn¡¯t trying to offend the Runcandels. The problem was that he was incredibly dull and slow-witted.
¡°Haha, why are you acting like this, Brother-inw¡ I mean, Young Master?¡±
Bouvard identally called Jin ¡®Brother-inw¡¯ again, and the boy nearly sent his fist flying at Bouvard¡¯s face on the spur of the moment. However, he closed his eyes and calmed his anger before raising his hand and calling the guardian knights.
¡°Drag this man to the arena.¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master.¡±
ng! ng!
Two guardian knights who were standing by the edge of the hall grabbed Bouvard by the shoulder. To this instant, Bouvard still had no idea why Jin was seething with anger against him.
¡®Did he not like my joke? Is he seriously humiliating someone like this just because of a stupid reason like that? This bratty piece of shit!¡¯
He was merely in a shocked mental state.
As someone who hadn¡¯t learned any manners or cultural knowledge in life, he would¡¯ve been long dead on the streets, killed by some thugs if not for his ¡®transformation¡¯ ability.
People¡¯s attention was directed towards the ruckus. Their eyes were full of curiosity as they observed the man who would be Jin¡¯s first duelling opponent of the banquet (most weren¡¯t aware of Jin¡¯s battle with Syris).
¡°Please don¡¯t act like this, Young Master! I was merely expressing my love! Everyone in the world has the right to express their love freely!¡±
Bouvard continued yelling as he got dragged away, but Jin didn¡¯t bother answering. It wasn¡¯t that Jin had nothing to say to this worthless man in return.
¡°Argh, Young Master Jin! Who on earth treats their guests as such? Release me!¡±
As they slowly approached the arena, Bouvard felt like livestock being dragged to the ughterhouse.
¡®Goddammit! Those Zipfel followers should¡¯ve murdered this brat five years ago!¡¯
Five years ago, Jin had departed from the Storm Castle. The radical Zipfel followers had disguised themselves as guardian knights and attempted to assassinate Jin.
The culprit behind their perfect disguises was Bouvard Gaston. Although he was affiliated with Kinzelo, he often lent a helping hand to the Zipfel followers.
Due to his personality, Bouvard would help anyone out as long as they were going tomit acts that would cause chaos in the world. Of course, as long as he himself didn¡¯t get put in danger.
¡®There¡¯s no way he knows I¡¯m the one who transformed those assassins, so why is he acting like this? He¡¯s making a fuss just cuz I called his sister pretty!¡¯
In fact, no one else in the world knew that Bouvard was the culprit behind the attack five years ago, as he had been informed that the Zipfel followers who had asked for his help failed their mission and died.
¡°The duel shall be a barehanded fight.¡±
Before entering the arena, Jin spoke in a cold voice. Bouvard stayed silent and didn¡¯t consent, so the guardian knights grabbed his head and forcefully made him nod.
¡®B-Bouvard?!¡¯
Vishukel Yvliano had coincidentally returned from his tour of the Garden with Margi. As soon as he saw the spectacle and Bouvard¡¯s involvement, he was greatly shocked and stared in astonishment.
¡°What is going on, Elder Brother? Wow! A duel! It seems Mr. Bouvard is having a duel with Young Master Jin!¡±
¡°That fucking moron¡!¡±
He had caused trouble in the short time during which the siblings were away.
Vishukel was certain that Bouvard had asked Jin to introduce him to Lady Luna, talking about stupid things like love and marriage. Once Vishukel sessfully carries out Kinzelo¡¯s grand mastern, he swore to tear that pig apart and murder him horribly.
¡°Sigh¡ We should follow them to the arena for the time being, Margi.¡±
¡°Understood, Elder Brother! I¡¯ve always wanted to see Mr. Bouvard fighting before.¡±
The siblings weren¡¯t the only ones headed to the arena. Syris had also been watching the spectacle before her with Murakan in her arms.
¡®I was nning on asking him for another duelter on, but what¡¯s this now? Why is he willingly duelling against that man?¡¯
Her irritation was unsurprising. Although she wasn¡¯t confident of defeating Jin even if they fought again, she wanted to continue facing him in multiple duels until the end of the banquet.
¡°Oh! To think I¡¯d meet the Hidden Pce¡¯s sessor in person! It seems it was the correct decision to participate in the banquet this time. You must be Lady Syris Endorma. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Beradin Zip¡ª¡±
¡°Get lost.¡±
¡°Ah, yes.¡±
After his pitiful attempt at trying to get to know her, Beradin simply followed her from behind to the arena with a sorrowful expression.
¡°By the way, you should be wary of that cat. It once scratched me on the face, haha. Quite the nasty feline.¡±
Syrispletely ignored him as he continued attempting to have small talk with her and entered the spectators¡¯ area in the arena. Even if she knew that he was the rising star of the Zipfels, she would¡¯ve behaved the same way.
The arena was filled with excitement and vigor, unlike when Jin had duelled with Syris the previous evening.
Countless martial artists were having fights one after another, while the spectators cheered and booed at the top of their lungs.
Normally speaking, one had to inform the arena¡¯s host about their intention to duel and wait in line until their turn. However, Jin had no need to follow those rules. As soon as he appeared at the arena, the crowd immediately died down.
One guardian knight approached the host and whispered to him the details of Jin¡¯s duel.
¡°Next up is the leading man of the banquet! The rising star of the Runcandels, Young Master Jin will be having a duel!¡±
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah~!
As the crowd cheered like crazy, Jin warmed his body up and got on the circr stage. He then turned around and spoke to Bouvard.
¡°Get up.¡±
Most of the spectators didn¡¯t recognize Bouvard.
But even though his name wasn¡¯t well known, no one looked down on him. They believed that anyone who was worthy enough toe to the Runcandel banquet would be strong.
¡°Is he some hermit who trains in seclusion?¡±
¡°I hear he came as an attendant of the Yvliano n, but he seems quite noteworthy.¡±
At this stage, Bouvard couldn¡¯t bail out of the duel. Irritation and anger began boiling inside.
Even though he had been proving his innocence during the entire walk to the arena, the little brat hadpletely ignored and humiliated him. It was now time for Bouvard to reveal his skills.
¡°Good! I ept the duel. Try not to regret your decision!¡±
Bouvard got on stage and stood before Jin.
¡°Young Master Jin Runcandel. Allow me to formally introduce myself before the duel. I am Bou¡ª¡±
¡°Silence. I do not care for your insignificant name. Let us begin.¡±
Before the host could even announce the beginning of the duel, Jin dashed to his opponent. The spectators deduced that Bouvard hadmitted a grave offense for Jin to behave in such a way.
¡°Keuk!¡±
Having not expected the surprise attack, Bouvard took a punch in the cheek and took a couple of steps back. As he winced in pain, foul words and curses escaped his mouth instinctively.
But Bouvard was no dunce. Although it wasn¡¯t well known, he was a 6-star martial artist.
¡°Haah!¡±
Swoosh!
His fist flew forward at an unbelievable speed one would never expect from a portly man like him. Although his strike appeared quite simple and unsophisticated, Bouvard¡¯s hand was covered in a piercing aura.
A fierce counterattack. But Jin calmly avoided the punch.
At first sight, Bouvard¡¯s aura appeared to be far more destructive and powerful than Jin¡¯s. The spectators were slightly disappointed since Bouvard was ¡®weaker than expected¡¯, but they still watched in excitement since he was stronger than Jin.
¡°Looks like Young Master Jin chose an opponent stronger than himself.¡±
¡°And that fatty¡¯s specialty seems to be hand-to-handbat. The Young Master made a poor choice by putting his sword away. He might get defeated and humiliated at this rate.¡±
Just as the audience had observed, Bouvard was skilled in hand-to-handbat. In fact, if this arena weren¡¯t in the Garden of Swords but in an ordinary city with more average contestants, then Bouvard would attract a lot of attention from the spectators.
Meanwhile, Jin was a knight who fought with a sword. So not only did Bouvard have greater aura, he was also better skilled as both duelists were fighting barehanded. It was to no surprise that the audience expected Jin¡¯s defeat.
Whack!
Bouvard¡¯s follow-up hook struck Jin square in the jaw. Jin felt his legs lose strength, and a soft grin grew on Bouvard¡¯s face.
¡®You dare attempt toy a finger on the Great Bouvard with such measly skills? I¡¯ll pummel you and make you beg for your life, punk.¡¯
However, Bouvard¡¯s smile didn¡¯tst long.
¡°Keuk!¡±
The stumbling Jin should¡¯ve fallen face first to the floor, but instead, he pounced at Bouvard with an arm clocked back and bloodlust in his eyes.
¡®I punched him straight in the jaw, so how is he still conscious?!¡±
He had definitely seen Jin¡¯s legs losing strength as well.
However, that was merely an act. The Runcandels¡¯ blessed bodies wouldn¡¯t crumble simply from a strike to the jaw. Had Bouvard fought against a Runcandel before, he wouldn¡¯t have let down his guard after sessfully hitting Jin.
Whack!
Jin palm-striked Bouvard straight in the face and a heavy strike echoed in the arena. Bouvard¡¯s nose was ttened and distorted as a string of blood ran down his chin.
But he didn¡¯t have time to groan in pain. The Runcandels¡¯bat style was to show less and less mercy the more the opponent was beaten down.
Thwack! Thud! Boom, crack!
Another punch to the broken nose, one to the left cheek, his right nk, his sr plexus. Jin¡¯s two fists covered in aura were relentlessly clobbering Bouvard.
And it was far from over. Jin then started adding kicks to his movements. In mere seconds, Bouvard was covered in his own blood and was being thrown around the stage like a dirty and bloody rag.
¡°It appears to be over.¡±
¡°He made his opponent let down his guard, followed up with a surprise attack and incessant blows aiming at different parts of the body to be unpredictable. That truly is the best strategy to use against someone stronger than yourself.¡±
The spectators were disappointed for not seeing Jin¡¯s swordsmanship, but found the actual battle more than entertaining enough. Moreover, the greatest harvest of this duel was being able to observe Jin¡¯s battle style.
¡®I see. Young Master Jin isn¡¯t the kind of person to let his hubris and arrogance hold him back in fights. As soon as he judges that his opponent is stronger than himself, he makes use of every possible strategy at his disposal.¡¯
It isn¡¯t umon for 5-stars to win against 6-stars in a duel. However, it is quite rare to see the 5-starpletely overpower the 6-star like Jin moments ago.
It was a one-sided beatdown. Bouvard¡¯s first sessful hit was also hisst. He then got mercilessly pounded like a sandbag. In fact, he was still being beaten to the ground like minced meat.
¡®I guess it¡¯s about time I stopped. Geez, I get too emotional at times.¡¯
Actually, Jin was behaving somewhat reasonably. Had it been another Runcandel, Bouvard would¡¯ve been cut down on the spot before he could finish uttering ¡®brother-inw¡¯, even if they were in the banquet hall.
¡°Phew.¡±
Jin shook both of his hands to get rid of the blood and took in a deep breath. The unconscious Bouvard was twitching on the floor as tears ran down his mangled face.
Jin turned around and was about to exit the arena, when he heard a certaindy¡¯s voice amongst the audience.
¡°Elder Brother Vishukel! I cannotprehend the reason behind Young Master Jin¡¯s actions. Wasn¡¯t the victor already decided earlier? How could he beat up an unconscious and vulnerable man in such a cruel manner?!¡±
¡°M-Margi?¡±
The shocked Vishukel stared dumbfounded at his little sister.
¡°Young Master Jin went too far. He was bullying the weak. The unconscious man down there is our friend, is he not? Will you just stand here and do nothing, Elder Brother? Your little sister is very disappointed in you.¡±
Bouvard Gaston. That unpleasant man was neither weaker than Jin nor was he their friend¡
Vishukel wanted to answer as such, but he couldn¡¯t as his one and only sibling¡¯s words weighed on his mind¡
¡ªVery disappointed in you.
¡°¡Are you telling me to duel Young Master Jin?¡±
¡°Yes. I wish Elder Brother would teach Young Master Jin a lesson. Of course, in an honourable and dignified manner, unlike the behaviour Young Master Jin showed us earlier.¡±
¡°Oh, what a mboyant youngdy!¡±
¡°Vishukel! You should listen to your sister¡¯s request. Haha, an interesting battle is about to unfold.¡±
In the end, Vishukel went down to the stage due to his sister and the audience¡¯s pressure and expectations.
***
Chapter 54: Banquet (9)
Chapter 54: Banquet (9)
Vishukel Yvliano was known as a 7-star knight, but in reality, he had already reached 8-star. In other words, he was an insurmountable opponent to the current Jin.
¡®A duel with a 7-star knight.¡¯
This was a great opportunity for Jin.
Whether he won or lost, the battle would greatly affect his reputation in a positive manner. As long as he appeared to have put up a good fight to the spectators, it would benefit him.
Moreover, experiencing the Yvliano swordsmanship would be a perfect opportunity to study it. Even Cyron had recognized the previous Yvliano patriarch as a powerful man worthy of respect, so Jin always wanted to face an Yvliano swordsman.
However¡
¡®Margi Yvliano. What aughabledy.¡¯
Jin was fully aware that the woman was enjoying this situation. The moral duty she had brought up was all just a sham. Her goal was merely to watch an entertaining battle.
That, or she enjoyed putting her brother in troublesome situations and watching him il around. Whatever her real intention was, Jin didn¡¯t find it very pleasing.
¡°You seem to care deeply about your sister, Lord Vishukel.¡±
Jin reached out his hand towards the guardian knights on standby outside the stage as he spoke. One knight respectfully approached and ced a sword in the young master¡¯s hand.
Whirrrrrrrrrrr!
Jin¡¯s de immediately began shining in aura, as if someone had cast a magic light.
¡°¡Yes, indeed, Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°I also care deeply about my elder sister. So from now on, you should teach your servants not to open their mouths carelessly.¡±
He referred to the 6-star martial artist Bouvard Gaston as a mere ¡®servant¡¯.
The audience realized that the Runcandels and their pride had not changed over the years.
¡°The man you pummelled to the ground is called Bouvard Gaston, and he is our attendant, not a servant. Did hemit some sort of blunder?¡±
Vishukel pretended to be unaware and asked Jin to exin himself despite knowing what offense Bouvard had most likelymitted. Meanwhile, Jin was taken aback when he heard the name ¡®Bouvard Gaston¡¯.
It wasn¡¯t amon name. He had beaten up the man without even asking for his name due to his insolence, but to think he was that Bouvard Gaston.
¡°Did you just say that his name is Bouvard Gaston?¡±
¡°Indeed. He merely attended this banquet to aid my sister, who is physically disabled. He is an artisan who doesn¡¯t fit well in the Runcandel banquet in the first ce. Thus, whatever faux pas he may havemitted, he meant no evil. I hope the young master will generously overlook his blunder this time around.¡±
An artisan.
There was no need to verify the fatass¡¯s identity any longer. The ¡®attendant¡¯ Vishukel had brought with him was none other than the Transformer Jin had been searching for.
The people around the world were still unaware of the existence of the Transformer Bouvard Gaston. Even the Vermont Empire¡¯s Special Forces, who were investigating the transformation crimes, had yet to find any clues or traces potentially leading to the culprit.
Thus, Vishukel had merely told Bouvard to wear a simple disguise whening to the Runcandels¡¯, as no one would suspect them. Moreover, since ¡®Bouvard Gaston¡¯ had yet to spread around the world as the Transformer¡¯s name, he had no need to use a fake name when attending the banquet.
Vishukel had thought that no one would show any interest in Bouvard in the first ce, so he wondered whether a disguise was truly necessary.
Of course, this didn¡¯t apply to Jin as he was a regressor. He knew about Bouvard Gaston from his past life.
¡®I should¡¯ve let him introduce himself earlier. Not only is his face different, but we¡¯re also located in the Runcandel n¡¯s main house¡ªthe Garden of Swords. I could never have predicted my opponent to be Bouvard. Had I known his true identity earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have let him off with such a light beating.¡¯
Not only was Bouvard implicated in Jin¡¯s assassination attempt when he had departed the Storm Castle, but the Transformer was also the main cause behind the chaos and confusion that would soon take over the world.
Thus, it would¡¯ve been much better to kill him and use him aspost.
If Jin were certain that Vishukel had no real connection with Bouvard Gaston, he would¡¯ve grabbed this opportunity and killed the unconscious, bloodied Bouvard straight away.
However¡
¡®Bouvard Gaston and Vishukel Yvliano¡¡¯
How were they rted? Did Vishukel know that Bouvard was the Transformer?
Jin¡¯s brain began overclocking, and his thought process elerated. When Bouvard was captured by the Vermont Special Forces in his past life, there was not a single piece of news about the Yvliano n being involved with the transformation crimes.
It was greatly emphasized that Bouvard was the one and only culprit behind those crimes. Back then, Jin read the articles in the newspapers without much thought. But if he assumed that Vishukel was aware of Bouvard¡¯s true identity, this situation was far more dangerous than he had initially thought.
Anyhow, Jin did not have enough time toe up with all the answers. There were countless eyes watching them right now and Jin was still standing face to face with Vishukel.
¡°¡Very well. Since I also took advantage of the duel to beat him half to death, I shall overlook the blunder this time around.¡±
¡°Thank you very much. Then, shall we begin our duel as well? I am in your care, Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°I thank you in advance for your guidance.¡±
A guardian knight handed Vishukel a sword, and the duel began.
Jin promptly erased all the questions popping up in his head. He couldn¡¯t afford to show a change in his behaviour after hearing Bouvard¡¯s name, nor could he show his suspicion towards Vishukel and Bouvard¡¯s rtionship.
¡®I¡¯ll need to start investigating the Yvliano n alongside the Zipfel n, especially everything rted to Vishukel Yvliano.¡¯
ng!
Jin realized the truth as soon as their des shed the first time.
¡®Unlike what¡¯s known publicly, he¡¯s not a 7-star knight.¡¯
That was Jin¡¯s intuition. Needless to say, Vishukel hadn¡¯t used his full power in the exchange just now. However, his swordy and the trajectory of his de wasn¡¯t ordinary.
Jin could even say that Vishukel¡¯s swordsmanship had as much depth as his uncle Zed¡¯s. He couldn¡¯t exin it properly, but Jin knew as soon as their swords shed that Vishukel was hiding his true skills.
Many of the spectators also realized this truth while observing the first exchange.
¡°That fellow seems to have had an enlightenment recently. His movements have gotten more profound.¡±
¡°No wonder he¡¯s called the Yvliano n¡¯s hope.¡±
The expressions of the spectators got serious.
Although the duel was aplete mismatch, this was the perfect opportunity to observe and appreciate the swordsmanship of both the Yvliano n¡¯s pir of support and the Runcandels¡¯ rising star.
Shling! Slit!
Vishukel¡¯s de moved like a whip and cut Jin¡¯s shoulder. It wasn¡¯t deep, but blood erupted from the injury and sttered on the arena¡¯s floor.
Jin tried to avoid the following attacks but got wounded at the thigh. Vishukel¡¯s de flew in unpredictable trajectories, and the boy could notprehend his opponent¡¯s swordy with his current proficiency.
¡°As I thought, Young Master Jin is getting overwhelmed by Lord Vishukel. I know best that the Yvliano swordsmanship is no joke. It¡¯s terribly difficult to counter.¡±
¡°The gap in their skills is too big. Well, it¡¯s not surprising since a 5-star is facing a 7-star. Hm, in fact, we should be amazed that the young master managed to fend off a few attacks¡¡±
The Yvliano n¡¯s swordsmanship was cunning and irregr. Those who have experienced that devious style before always tried to avoid facing another Yvliano swordsman in their life.
¡°Hm, you all seem to be unaware, but swordsmen from the Runcandel n often shine brighter in situations like this.¡±
If the Yvliano n¡¯s swordsmanship was a cunning snake, then the Runcandels¡¯ was a charging rhinoceros. Even if its horn were to be broken, it would never stop its headbutt.
The Runcandel swordsmanship was specialized in facing foes stronger than the user. The problem was that, since the Runcandels were often too strong and rarely faced opponents that surpassed them, they couldn¡¯t make full use of their fighting style efficiently.
Although blood kept gushing out of his shoulder and thigh, Jin¡¯s de still stood strong and fierce. In fact, his movements slowly changed from the defensive to the offensive. His senses got sharper and his de¡¯s trajectory became bolder and daring.
Vishukel¡¯s sword shed Jin in the chest, but the boy took another step forward, as if he would put his life on the line to aim at the 7-star(?)¡¯s neck.
¡°Impressive, Young Master Jin!¡±
Vishukel yelled as he dodged Jin¡¯s attack. Even though he was facing a young boy who was weaker than himself, the Runcandels¡¯ wild and bold swordy was sending chills down his spine and making his hair stand on end.
¡°Keuk.¡±
The attack Jin had attempted, in return for a 20-ish centimeter-long wound on his chest, went down the drain. The boy let out a low groan, as the long injury was inhibiting his battle prowess unlike the small gashes on his shoulder and thigh.
Fortunately, his bones and organs hadn¡¯t been touched.
¡®This reminds me of that time I fought against the White Wolf warrior.¡¯
He had no way of defeating Vishukel through ordinary means¡ªsimr to his battle against the beastman. Even with the Runcandels¡¯ blessed body and their bold swordsmanship, Jin couldn¡¯t defeat his opponent.
He had no choice but to lose.
Nevertheless, Jin¡¯s heart began beating like crazy for the first time in a long while as a feeling of satisfaction swept through his body.
¡®It¡¯s clear that Vishukel is going easy on me. But it¡¯s also true that I¡¯m facing him quite remarkably.¡¯
And that was more than enough for now.
Not all 8-stars were on the same level, and that also went for 5-stars.
If any other 5-star knight amongst the Runcandel cadets were to face Vishukel right now, they wouldn¡¯t be able to put up a good fight like Jin was doing¡ªno matter how much Vishukel went easy on them.
Moreover, Jin was facing his opponent while having sealed two of his abilities: magic and spiritual power.
¡®My vision is starting to get blurrier and dimmer¡ But for some reason, I still feel like I can read and predict Vishukel¡¯s next move.¡¯
Jin had lost too much blood.
He slowly made up his mind to bring this duel to an end. As his vision got darker, Jin finally realized the goal of his training with Luna and began to understand the principle behind the Mind¡¯s Eye exercise.
The boy¡¯s stance changed.
Jin closed his eyes and held his sword upright with both hands in front of his chest. It almost looked like the stance knights would take during a wedding ceremony or something of the sort. The audience believed that Jin had given up and was waiting for his opponent to deal the final blow to end the duel.
Vishukel was of the same opinion. Deep down, he wanted to praise the young boy forsting this long. To show respect to Young Master Jin, he finally wrapped his sword in aura for the first time during the battle. His intention was to break Jin¡¯s de and bring an end to the duel.
He believed that it was an appropriate way to finish things while respecting the boy¡¯s spirit and tenacity.
¡°This was an excellent duel, Young Master Jin.¡±
Zooom!
Vishukel went all out on thisst attack and charged at Jin. His de was covered in the powerful aura of an 8-star knight. It sliced the air and flew horizontally along with Vishukel¡¯s body.
Craaang!
Jin¡¯s sword¡ªwhich was standing vertically in his hands¡ªshattered almost simultaneously as Vishukel made his final move.
The Yvliano n¡¯s secret technique smashed the sword and reached towards Jin¡¯s neck, but froze right before touching the boy¡¯s skin. Had Vishukel not stopped his weapon in time, it would¡¯ve definitely decapitated his target.
Jin remained standing for around two seconds, before falling to the ground, unconscious.
¡°The victor is Lord Vishukel!¡±
As soon as the host announced the results of the duel, the medical team rushed onto the stage. The spectators watched the medics¡¯ reactions with nervous looks, until they received a signal indicating Jin¡¯s safety.
p p p!
The audience apuded in response to the spectacr duel they witnessed. In fact, the martial artists were highly impressed by Vishukel¡¯s final technique.
However, Vishukel and other prominent martial artists noticed something during the two contenders¡¯ final exchange. Before Jin fell unconscious, something extremely extraordinary had urred.
¡®What was that¡ at the end? Are you seriously telling me that during our spar, he reached the Mind¡¯s de Realm for a split second?¡¯
Vishukel had undoubtedly destroyed Jin¡¯s sword. However, the instant the de shattered, Vishukel felt the sensation of something sharp flying upwards and piercing his chin.
That would¡¯ve been the conclusion of the duel had Vishukel¡¯s final attacknded 0.1 seconds slower. The 8-star¡¯s instincts were telling him as such.
If Jin had reacted 0.1 seconds faster, Vishukel would¡¯ve been carried off the stage fatally injured. The sword standing vertically before Jin¡¯s face would¡¯ve stabbed him from below the chin.
Moreover, since Jin was already half-unconscious during their final exchange, the boy wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop his attack in time to spare Vishukel¡¯s life.
Needless to say, being able to shorten that gap of 0.1 seconds is what makes one a true master and expert.
¡®Jin Runcandel. What a terrifying boy.¡¯
In fact, he could be a great threat to Kinzelo in the future when they start properly executing their grand mastern.
¡®It¡¯s truly a relief that he was born sote. He¡¯s too young to defeat his siblings and be the next patriarch.¡¯
Vishukel sheathed his sword with a trembling hand.
***
Chapter 55: The Outside World (1)
Chapter 55: The Outside World (1)
Jin was having a dream.
A jet-ck tentacle monster was stuck to his face and wouldn¡¯t let go no matter what.
Mmmh! Mmmhmmm!
He couldn¡¯t breathe. He could only let out small groans as he suffocated.
As he frantically opened his eyes, Jin finally realized the source of his nightmare.
Meow~
Meow, meow~ Meoo!
A small ck cat was asleep on Jin¡¯s face. Indeed, it was Murakan. He had been lying on Jin¡¯s face for over thirty minutes.
¡°Get off me, geez.¡±
Jin slowly got up and stretched his arms. Sunrays beamed in through the window and brightened his room. He could smell the fragrant aroma of tea near him; it was the scent of the ck tea Gilly often brewed for him.
¡®I had a nightmare because of Murakan¡ But now that I¡¯m awake, I feel fully refreshed. Did I fall unconscious right after the duel with Vishukel?¡¯
His entire body felt light like a feather. The wound on his chest and the grazes throughout his entire body hadpletely vanished. The Runcandel medic had probably healed Jin while he was unconscious.
¡°You¡¯ve awakened, Young Master.¡±
Gilly sensed his awakening and approached the bedside with a cup of tea and some cold water.
¡°How long was I out for, Gilly?¡±
¡°For two days.¡±
¡°What? Two days?¡±
Jin was surprised but quickly nodded in acknowledgement. Not only had he bled too much, but during the final exchange, he had reached a new realm for a short instant, which used up all his mental and physical energy. Considering those circumstances, he had woken up pretty early.
¡°The banquet must have ended already. It seems I was unable to send everyone off and bid them farewell.¡±
¡°There is no need to worry so much. During the past two days, your duel against Lord Vishukel was the hot topic of the banquet that everyone gossipped about. I think everyone was understanding of your situation. Moreover, you¡¯ve shown them more than enough courtesy while you were attending.¡±
Gilly was right. Although there was aplete mismatch between an 8-star and a 5-star, the duel was all that the guests were talking about until the end of the banquet.
It was because of the ¡®Mind¡¯s de¡¯ Jin had disyed at the very end. Although it couldn¡¯t be called a perfect Mind¡¯s de, the fact that a turnabout almost happened during Jin¡¯s fight against an 8-star knight was more than extraordinary.
Vishukel wasn¡¯t the only one to have noticed Jin¡¯s feat. In fact, many others had realized it. However, the 8-star knight in question appeared to have been so shocked that he never returned to the arena afterwards until the end of the banquet.
¡®The daily training I¡¯ve done with Elder Sister Luna is finally paying off. I couldn¡¯t understand anything in the beginning¡ To think that it woulde in handy like this.¡¯
Jin recalled Luna continuously saying ¡®use the eye of the mind to observe¡¯ like some religious chant and chuckled to himself.
He first realized what kind of sensation the Mind¡¯s de produced during his training with the Clear Stones. Afterwards, he tried to recreate that feeling again, but to no avail, which frustrated Jin.
¡®Seems like for now, that sensation will only manifest itself during dangerous situations or in subconscious moments.¡¯
It was a pity, but Jin couldn¡¯t do anything about it. It was already impressive that he had somehow managed to imitate the Mind¡¯s de, albeit sloppily. Generally speaking, the Mind¡¯s de was a realm only attainable by true masters starting from the 8-star stage.
Jin stretched again and got off the bed.
¡®In any case, that was a very fruitful banquet. I gained so much. I figured out Beradin¡¯s standing within the Zipfel n, started a good¡ friendship? Bond? Something like that with the Hidden Pce¡¯s sessor. At the very least, she behaved somewhat amicably after our duel.¡¯
Moreover, Jin got the chance to beat up Bouvard Gaston half-dead and also learned that Bouvard has a close rtionship with Vishukel. This was the greatest oue of the banquet.
¡®It¡¯s highly likely that the Yvliano n or Vishukel alone are backing the transformation crimes. It¡¯s also possible that Vishukel is part of some organization outside of his n, and Bouvard Gaston is affiliated with them.¡¯
Jin thought of many possibilities, but he couldn¡¯t make a hasty judgement. He had to investigate them and unravel the truth himself.
Moreover, he nned on making them take responsibility. Responsibility for the assassination attempt on him five years ago performed by the radical Zipfel followers. Jin was going to interrogate them and make them admit their involvement with the assassins¡¯ disguises.
After Jin¡¯s thoughts came to an end, Gilly pointed at a certain vase on the bedside. There were pure-white flowers resembling Baby¡¯s Breaths but with a soft, snowke-like shape glowing faintly.
[TL/N: Check out Baby¡¯s Breath on Google if you don¡¯t know what type of flowers they are.]
¡°The Hidden Pce¡¯s sessor left these flowers for you. She waited for you to wake up until this morning but left afterwards as she had to return.¡±
¡°Hm? Lady Syris left these behind?¡±
¡°Yes. Maybe you hold a special ce in her heart~?¡±
¡°No. The Hidden Pce¡¯s snow blossoms mean ¡®unfinished battle¡¯ in thenguage of flowers. Seems like she wants to fight me again in another duel. She¡¯s quite the persistent and tenacious woman.¡±
Gilly simply shrugged at Jin¡¯s response.
¡°Whatever it signifies, this is still your first time receiving flowers from ady. Congrattions, Young Master.¡±
¡°Kuahaha! Your first flowers are a letter of challenge. That¡¯s hrious! This is monumental, don¡¯t you think so, Strawberry Pie?¡±
Murakanughed out loud excessively and nced at Gilly.
He was being cautious around her due to the incident where he sneaked into the banquet hall without her authorization. Indeed, Gilly was acting like Murakan didn¡¯t exist for the second day straight.
Having grasped the situation at hand, Jin just lightly shook his head. A despondent Murakan transformed back into a cat, his ears drooped.
¡°Speaking of which, the patriarch has ordered you to go find him as soon as you wake up, Young Master. Just as you mentioned before¡ I think the time for you to prove your qualifications has arrived.¡±
The trial to prove his qualifications to be a g-bearer. Although he had been expecting this, Jin felt somewhat conflicted now that his father¡¯s directive had arrived.
Jin couldn¡¯t even have dreamt of this day in his past life, but now it was right before him, within his grasp.
¡°I see. It seems we¡¯ll be leaving the n for a while. Where is Father?¡±
¡°At the mausoleum.¡±
¡°Alright. I¡¯m off.¡±
When Jin¡¯s siblings received the same summons from their father, they all wore neat ceremonial clothes and brushed their hair before going to see him.
However, Jinzily tidied his disheveled hair and wore some good-quality leather travel clothes. He also wore Bradamante at his waist before entering the corridor.
The mausoleum.
The Garden of Swords¡¯ courtyard¡ªwhere countless swords were impaled¡ªwas no different to the n¡¯s graveyard. However, the nsmen who achieved extraordinary aplishments even amidst the best of the best knights were allowed to be buried in the mausoleum as heroes of the n.
Inside the mausoleum, at the lowest floor underground, there was not a single spot of light. The darkness smelled of metal, and a low voice resounded.
¡°You¡¯re here.¡±
Jin could barely see Cyron¡¯s silhouette from behind. He respectfully lowered his head.
¡°It¡¯s been a long time since a child of mine answered my summons in suchfortable clothes. I assume you¡¯ve realized that you¡¯ll be spending time outside of the n for a while, right?¡±
¡°Yes, I n on departing immediately.¡±
Cyron quite liked this aspect of his youngest son. The boy didn¡¯t feel intimidated by him and simply announced his intentions clearly.
His other children couldn¡¯t even have imagined behaving as such before their father. They already had a hard time trying to conceal their fear and anxiety just by being in his presence¡ Actually, it wasn¡¯t the case for all his other children. Luna was also different. She had quickly left Cyron¡¯s grasp and lived her own life.
Jin was aware of his father¡¯s personality, which was why he purposefully came inid-back clothes.
¡®Ever since my regression, I find my father to be the easiest person to read.¡¯
It was an inexplicable thought. In his past life, not only was Jin terrified of Cyron, but he also had barely interacted with his father during his 28 years of life.
The father and son duo didn¡¯t speak for a while. Nevertheless, it wasn¡¯t an awkward silence.
¡°Is this your first time inside the mausoleum?¡±
Cyron was the first to break the silence.
¡°Yes, Father.¡±
¡°If the garden is a burial ground permitted only to those who bring honour to the n, then the mausoleum is only permitted to those who protect the n.¡±
That was it. As simple as that.
The Runcandel n had faced countless dangers during its thousand-year-long history. The dangers varied from all kinds of small, personal disputes to big threats that brought the n to the brink of destruction. Indeed, all kinds of conflicts and battles had threatened the n throughout time.
And every time such major incidents happened, the people who protected the n till their veryst breaths received the honour of getting buried in the n¡¯s mausoleum.
¡°Did you know? The n¡¯s first patriarch, Temar Runcandel, is not buried here.¡±
As soon as Temar¡¯s name exited Cyron¡¯s mouth, Jin had a hunch that his father would bring up the topic of Solderet.
He was confident in his intuition.
¡°Yes. I am also aware that there is not a single grave or tombstone throughout the garden dedicated to the first patriarch.¡±
The only legacy that was left behind was Temar¡¯s beloved sword ¡®Barisada¡¯, which was now hailed as the family heirloom. Other than the weapon, there was not a single memorial or ceremony that honoured him.
¡°The dark power you possess. That power is the reason why we are unable to honour the first patriarch. Show me your spiritual energy.¡±
Jin calmly extended his hand and created a ball of spiritual energy on his palm.
After the first patriarch¡¯s death, the Runcandels made a humiliating pact with the Zipfels.
A pact that banned the swordsmen from using magic ever again.
Moreover, they were prohibited from worshipping ancestors who used magic.
That was the true reason behind the downgrade of the Runcandel n¡ªthe unique ¡®n of Magic Swordsmen¡¯¡ªto a mere n of knights.
It was an inescapable fate as Solderet wasn¡¯t there to protect the Runcandels from the Zipfels¡¯ gods anymore.
As a result of the pact, the Zipfels¡¯ gods united their powers and cast a curse on the Runcandel bloodline.
Thus, every Runcandel after Temar was born with a body that couldn¡¯t control mana.
¡°When you beat the Tona twins with spiritual power back at the Storm Castle, I didn¡¯t ask you the details of how you obtained that power. Do you remember?¡±
¡°Yes. I also remember that I lied about how I¡¯d use the spiritual power to protect the n.¡±
¡°Haha, that¡¯s right. You were lucky you were still young. If you told such a lie before me now, I wouldn¡¯t have let it slide so easily.¡±
Although Cyron wasughing, Jin knew that his father was being serious. Thus, he didn¡¯tugh along.
¡°¡Solderet. Did you hear his voice?¡±
¡°Yes, I heard him. He called me his contractor.¡±
Needless to say, Jin had yet to hear Solderet¡¯s voice ever since his regression. But there was no need to hide his identity as the contractor from Cyron anymore.
¡°How unfair this is for your siblings.¡±
Not only was Jin born with more potential than Luna, but he had also contracted the god who had left the n long ago. In fact, maybe Jin was able to contract Solderet thanks to his extraordinary potential.
¡°Will you be able to defeat your siblings and conquer the n using that power?¡±
Jin had alreadye up with an answer to that question.
¡°If I explore the world and do not find anything else worth conquering more than the n, then I shall do so.¡±
Jin had also predicted that this answer would greatly satisfy his father. It goes without saying that Cyron smiled widely, showing his beautiful and uniform teeth.
¡°The others departed the Garden of Swords in order to get recognized by the n¡ but you will depart the Garden in order to find a reason to recognize the n itself, is that it? I¡¯m not sure whether it¡¯s praiseworthy or pure insolence. Kuhahaha.¡±
Cyron hunched forward towards Jin, who still had his right arm extended forward with a ball of spiritual energy.
¡°I shall give you five years. During that time, whether you get recognized by the n or recognize it, find an answer for yourself and return. I shall await with impatience.¡±
There was no need to drag out the conversation.
Shling!
Jin unsheathed Bradamante and raised his sword.
¡°Thank you for everything until now. I shall see you again in five years, Father.¡±
Jin exited the mausoleum and returned to his room. Gilly had already finished the preparations for their departure and was waiting for him.
The only luggage they had was a small basket in whichy Murakan along with some dry food and Jin¡¯s notebook with the transcription of the secret tomes.
Gilly had metal nails impaling her wrists and ankles. As Jin¡¯s gaze reached these anomalies, Gilly adjusted her clothes and hid the oddities.
The nails were medical tools used to seal Gilly¡¯s aura. She would be unable to use the energy until Jin¡¯s qualifications as a g-bearer were proven.
¡°I had heard about this from my seniors and the other nannies, but it feels quite weird to suddenly lose my powers. Haha¡¡±
Gillyughed awkwardly, to which Jin felt a suffocating throb in his chest.
It was the n¡¯s tradition. The Runcandels sealed the nannies¡¯ powers so that the provisional g-bearers couldn¡¯t receive their help in gaining reputation and honour.
If they ever removed the seal without the n¡¯s authorization, the nanny would be crippled mercilessly.
¡°I¡¯ll protect you from now on, Nanny. Not just for the next five years, but for the rest of my life. I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡°Please don¡¯t say such things. I am just content and touched that you¡¯ve be a provisional g-bearer already, Young Master. And I¡¯ll regain my powers once the trial is over, so please don¡¯t worry.¡±
And so, they left the room and departed the Garden of Swords.
Trantor¡¯s Corner (08/11/2021):
Damn, I love this chapter, Jin¡¯s interactions with Gilly are so wholesome.
¡°If I explore the world and do not find anything else worth conquering more than the n, then I shall do so.¡± ¡ªDamn, Jin, the boldest dude ever bwahahaha
I hope we see more of Syris in the near future. I ship!!!!
Anyways, onto a new arc!!
Proofreader¡¯s Corner (08/11/2021):
Are we not gonna talk about how the line ¡°Gilly had metal nails impaling her wrists and ankles.¡± was just casually brought up¡? Surely that¡¯s not a normal urrence, no¡?
Chapter 56: The Outside World (2)
Chapter 56: The Outside World (2)
The first thing that provisional g-bearers had to do in order to gain honour and reputation when departing the Garden of Swords was to leave the Huphester Alliance.
Jin and Gilly erased all traces of their affiliation with the Runcandels. The robes covering their clothes didn¡¯t have the ck Sword emblem on it, and the bag containing their belongings had nobel either.
Details of Jin¡¯s face had yet to spread to the public, so there was no need for him to wear a disguise. Nevertheless, he still tweaked his appearance a little bit.
He cut the ck hair that came down to his shoulders. However, his appearance didn¡¯t matter much. In fact, the martial artist known as ¡®Gilly McRn¡¯ was far more famous than Jin to the public. Fortunately, her active years were short, so she wasn¡¯t extremely well-known either.
The names written on their identification were aliases; Jin Grey and Gilly Piten.
Although they had fake names on their papers, those were still borate passports that even allowed them to leave and enter Vermont¡¯s capital city as they pleased.
Be that as it may, anyone in the Huphester Alliance would be able to guess that they were provisional g-bearers of the Runcandel n. Huphester was no different from the Runcandels¡¯ main headquarters, so it wasn¡¯t surprising that the people would see through their lies.
Therefore, Jin and hispanions had to go to and where the Runcandels¡¯ influence didn¡¯t reach¡ªsomewhere beyond the sea.
¡°Lady Luna will be quite saddened by your departure. The same goes for the cadets in your faction, Young Master. Will you really leave without telling them goodbye?¡±
¡°Yeah. Elder Sister Luna is also quite free-spirited herself, and the cadets are probably going to overreact. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to die or something.¡±
However, as they were about to pass through the Garden of Swords¡¯ main gate, Jin came face to face with nine cadets.
¡°Geez, hasn¡¯t training started already? Uncle Zed won¡¯t forgive you so easily for skipping.¡±
¡°¡°¡°Please stay safe during your travels!¡±¡±¡±
The cadets raised their swords in unison. Jin silently stared at them for a moment, but before long, a small smile drew on his face.
¡°I expect everyone to be far stronger than my expectations by the time I¡¯m back. I don¡¯t want any deaths or dropouts while I¡¯m away. Good luck enduring the disciplinary punishment for skipping ss toe see me.¡±
Jin fist-bumped everyone before continuing his way to leave the Garden.
¡®How curious. It¡¯s apletely different feelingpared to back then.¡¯
In his past life, Jin was banished from the n at the age of 25. He had to leave the Garden of Swords in a simr fashion as today. However, the atmosphere of leaving as a 15-year-old provisional g-bearer was poles apart from the atmosphere back then.
Fifteen years.
It had taken Jin fifteen long years to finally get five years of freedom. Those fifteen years felt like an eternity to the boy, since he had a fully conscious mind since his rebirth.
Jin felt so giddy that he couldn¡¯t stop himself from humming a cute little melody.
Generally speaking, Cyron never gave a five-year timespan to a provisional g-bearer; it usually spanned between six months to two years maximum. Within that time, the provisional g-bearers have to gain honour and reputation before returning to the n.
¡®There¡¯s only one reason Father gave me five long years. It¡¯s for me to reach the pinnacle of spiritual power beforeing back.¡¯
Needless to say, Jin wasn¡¯t a goody two shoes who listened to his father¡¯s every word. He didn¡¯t n on reaching the pinnacle of spiritual power only, but also that of magic
***
Cyron¡ªwho had remained in the mausoleum¡ªquietly thought to himself.
¡®I wonder¡ Will the youngest gain the power to liberate the Runcandels from the Zipfels? I can¡¯t wait to see.¡¯
Even though Cyron had reached the demigod realm by wielding a single sword, he still couldn¡¯t destroy the pact his ancestors had made with the Zipfels.
The Runcandel n¡¯s only hope was Solderet¡¯s contractor, his youngest son. Of course, this hope was merely a candle in the wind at the moment.
***
One day went by. Two people were walking down a path in the forest.
Most Runcandel provisional g-bearers head to the Mamit Lawless Zone first in order to gain honour. Mamit was an area where countless criminals and ouws crawled around like cockroaches, which made it the perfect ce for provisional g-bearers to beat up viins and gain a decent reputation.
Jin had also considered choosing Mamit as his first destination.
But his reasoning was different from the others. He didn¡¯t want to go to Mamit to beat up criminals, but to find someone who went by the name ¡®Hister¡¯. Hister was Jin¡¯s magic teacher in his past life, and he couldn¡¯t wait to see them again.
However, Jin couldn¡¯t allow himself to waste time just because he missed his master.
¡®It¡¯s not like Master will recognize me in this life anyway.¡¯
Jin could always go find his Master whenever he wanted in the future.
Thus, Jin renounced Mamit as his first destination and decided to head to the ¡®Akin Kingdom¡¯.
¡®Thend where I died in my past life.¡¯
Jin had died in his sleep when three 9-star knights attacked the city he was in. Fortunately, that death ended up being a blessing in disguise, as Jin gained a second chance at life.
¡°Why the Akin Kingdom specifically, Young Master?¡±
¡°Have you been to Akin before, Gilly?¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°When I was out on my mission at the Kollon Ruins, I overheard a conversation between some magicians there. Apparently, many unregistered magicians have been messing around in the Akin Kingdom recently.¡±
¡°Unregistered magicians?¡±
Just as the name implied, unregistered magicians are magicians who didn¡¯t register their names at the Magic Association. Most of them are either criminals or evil mercenaries.
¡°Right. It seems they¡¯ve been coborating with martial artist mercenaries and terrorizing the Akin citizens. I n on heading there and beating them to a pulp.¡±
It goes without saying that Jin hadn¡¯t overheard any of this at the Kollon Ruins; it was merely the information he knew from his past life. Anyone who has been in the Akin Kingdom knows that unregistered magicians and mercenaries have been wreaking havoc.
The small number of unregistered magicians and mercenaries in Akin were all pawns and henchmen of the evil ¡®Tesing¡¯ n of the Akin underworld.
Jin¡¯s true businessy with that n. The underground auction house the Tesings hosted contained countless items¡ªitems whose true values were yet to be known around the world.
¡®I absolutely need to buy a few magic tomes and a certain ring.¡¯
Although most books are written in archaguage or in a secret code, the ancient magic tomes contain some interesting spells. Many of them can¡¯tpare to modern magic spells that have been improved over decades and centuries, but some rare ones are still exceptional spells that transcend time and era.
Thanks to his excellent master, Jin also knows how to distinguish the good magic tomes from the bad ones.
Moreover, in five to six years, a certain item¡¯s true value will spread around the world, and the artifact in question would receive a proper name. It was a helmet artifact in the shape of a ring, and it was an item that every martial artist in his past life dreamed of having.
¡°A great idea, Young Master. I very much adored beating up viins back when I was still active as well. I¡¯m feeling excited already!¡±
Gilly spoke as she did a fist pump.
Although her skills as a 7-star knight had been sealed, Gilly¡¯s heart couldn¡¯t help but beat in excitement at the thought of travelling the world with Jin and Murakan.
However, there was one big problem¡
¡°Young Master, I don¡¯t think we can use the transfer gate to go to the Akin Kingdom. We will have to buy the cheapest ticket and go by ship¡¡±
The trio were broke.
Back at the Garden of Swords, none of them had to worry about money, but currently, they only had ten gold coins in their pockets.
With these funds, they couldn¡¯t pay for the transfer gate, let alone buy a single high-ss ship ticket. Jin¡¯s life as the rich son of a wealthy family that could use 3000 to 5000 coins per day without hesitation hade to an end.
Poof!
The ck cat inside Gilly¡¯s basket transformed back into a human.
¡°Strawberry Pie! I knew this would happen, so I secretly brought a few of my limited edition magazines with me. Fufu, we could easily buy a high-ss ship ticket by selling one of these.¡±
¡°When did you even pack those up, Lord Murakan? Hm¡ Won¡¯t it be a bit embarrassing when we sell them?¡±
¡°Put those away, Murakan. We¡¯re not cold-hearted people that¡¯d make you sell your treasured collection.¡±
¡°Young Master, I do believe that I¡¯d be able to earn a few hundred coins by enduring the shame and selling them to a peddler in a city.¡±
¡°Hundred?! I bought this one for 2000 coins. You can¡¯t sell this at that price.¡±
Gilly and Murakan squabbled with each other for a short while about the erotic magazines¡¯ prices, and Jin found them adorable. Soon enough, he shook his head and spoke up.
¡°Enough, both of you. I have an idea for our funds. Before heading to Akin, let¡¯s stop by the Zhan Kingdom tonight. There¡¯s someone I can make good use of over there.¡±
¡°The Zhan Kingdom? But how will we get there without money in the first ce?¡±
¡°We can just ride Murakan. What are you doing? Transform into your original form already.¡±
Although a day had passed since they had left the Garden of Swords, it was still broad daylight. It wasn¡¯t the appropriate time for the legendary ck Dragon to suddenly appear in the skies.
¡°Oh, can I really do that, kid?¡±
¡°N-Nonsense! We cannot do that, Young Master! What if someone sees us? We haven¡¯t exited the Runcandel territory yet.¡±
¡°C¡¯mon, it¡¯s fine. We should enjoy ourselves for once. A single time wouldn¡¯t hurt. Transform already, Murakan. We¡¯ve got a long journey ahead of us.¡±
Gilly didn¡¯t even have the opportunity to stop them again.
Swooooosh!
Murakan had already returned to his ck dragon form and grabbed the two humans with his hand. He then ced them on his back.
[Hold on tight. I¡¯ll have to fly restlessly to reach the Zhan Kingdom by nightfall.]
The three of them soon darted across the Huphester skyline and headed to the Zhan Kingdom.
In the near future, a small rumour spread within central Huphester, where people said they ¡®saw a dragon¡¯. Nevertheless, no one ever learned of the truth of that incident.
No one, except Jin¡¯s eldest sister.
¡°He really is quite extraordinary. He¡¯s flying through the sky on a dragon as soon as he bes a provisional g-bearer?¡±
Luna was sitting on her balcony drinking alcohol while thinking of her youngest sibling who had just departed. Needless to say, she had seen Murakan flying across the sky as well as the two people riding on his back.
¡°A toast to my ungrateful and insensitive brother who didn¡¯te say bye. Hmph.¡±
***
¡°Urgh¡ Uub.¡±
Unfortunately, Gilly had a terrible case of acrophobia. As soon as theynded on a hill in the vicinity of the Zhan Kingdom¡¯s capital, Gilly got off Murakan and trembled in fear for a long while.
¡°A-Are you alright, Strawberry Pie? Hey! Kid! Strawberry Pie ispletely terrified right now because of you!¡±
¡°Why is it my fault? It¡¯s because you were flying weirdly.¡±
¡°You¡¯re the one who wanted to ride me! Ah, breathe deeply, Strawberry Pie¡ That¡¯s right, take it slow. Breathe deeply. Good.¡±
Jin and Murakan consoled Strawberry P¡ªI mean, Gilly for a while as they patted her on the back. She was still trembling all over with a face pale as a ghost.
Murakan made use of this opportunity and embraced Gilly in a big hug. Whether she was aware of his intentions or not, Gilly didn¡¯t resist. Murakan then talked big while staring at Jin.
¡°This won¡¯t do. I¡¯ll look after Strawberry Pie, so you go get the money, kid.¡±
¡®You crazy¡ Are you being serious?¡¯
Jin was about to blurt that out, but managed to hold back. He then decided to follow Murakan¡¯s suggestion.
The boy ran down the hill and the streets for two hours before reaching his destination.
The Bill n¡¯s residence.
It was a gigantic mansion visible from anywhere in the Zhan Kingdom¡¯s capital city. No wonder they were Zhan¡¯s greatest n of merchants.
Jin approached the front gate and the guards stopped him.
¡°What¡¯s with you? Get lost, brat.¡±
Aaah¡
As soon as he heard the old-fashioned, clich¨¦ line, Jin felt a nostalgic sensation as memories flooded his mind. He had heard simr lines so many times in his past life, where he roamed¡ no, crawled thends as a beggar.
The long flight on Murakan had disheveled his hair, and the travelling clothes he was wearing didn¡¯t have the n¡¯s ck Sword emblem on them. In the guards¡¯ point of view, Jin was merely an annoying brat who was approaching the mansion in the middle of the night.
¡°Cember Bill. Is he inside?¡±
Jin bluntly mentioned the Bill n¡¯s eldest son¡¯s name, and the guards looked at each other, baffled. The boy¡¯s behaviour was like that of the son from a prominent family.
¡°Yes, he is residing inside the mansion. If I may ask, who might you be, young sir?¡±
Jin pondered on what to answer.
What about ¡®I am Jin Runcandel¡¯? Or ¡®an old friend¡¯? Maybe ¡®I dropped by since I was nearby. Tell Cember toe on out¡¯?
None of them were appropriate answers. Revealing his name would mean breaking the rule of not using the n¡¯s name as a provisional g-bearer. Meanwhile, the other options would take too long. The guards would make Jin go through all the procedures and paperwork before allowing him to meet Cember.
¡°Thanks. And sorry about this.¡±
Thwack!
Jin swiftly chopped the two guards in the back of the neck with his hands and they fell unconscious. Jin took out his entire fortune¡ªten coins¡ªand ced them on their stomachs aspensation. Jin then opened the front gate and entered the Bill n¡¯s residence.
Fortunately, Cember was sitting at the center of theke in the residence, acting pitiful. Thus, Jin didn¡¯t need to deal with other guards and wreak havoc.
¡°Cember.¡±
¡°Who ar¡ªmmh, mhmm!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t shout. It¡¯s me, Jin. The one who rescued you from Kinzelo.¡±
¡°Bwaaah! My, Lord Jin? What brings you here?¡±
¡°Do you remember how you told me toe find you if I¡¯m ever in need of help?¡±
¡°Of course I do. How could I ever forget my debt to Lord Jin? If it weren¡¯t for you, right now I wouldn¡¯t be¡ª¡±
¡°Great. I¡¯ll be waiting here, so go get me some gold and money.¡±
Chapter 57: The Outside World (3)
Chapter 57: The Outside World (3)
Cember immediately ran to the main building and thought to himself.
¡®Jin Runcandel! An iparable genius that reached 5-star at the age of 15. My life saviour. To think that such an incredible person woulde find someone like me in the middle of the night to ask for help!¡¯
Cember was incredibly touched. Jin was his saviour who even brought along Runcandel guardian knights on a mission to rescue him. No matter how much money one had, one couldn¡¯t easily experience such a luxury when being rescued.
What was the reason behind Jin¡¯s request? The Runcandel n¡¯s youngest child should be overflowing with money normally. Was he on a secret mission during which he urgently needed some funds?
¡®Whatever the answer is, I¡¯ll have helped him out in making a great achievement in the near future, even if my influence is minimal. After our deaths, historians will write records of Jin Runcandel, and I¡¯ll be happy if there¡¯s even a single line in his biography mentioning ¡°Cember Bill¡±.¡¯
During the short ten minutes Cember took to collect the money, his imagination ran wild.
Cember returned with arge leather bag with all kinds of valuables and plenty of gold coins.
¡°Huff, huff¡ Here¡¯s what you asked for, Lord Jin!¡±
He had brought too much. Even at first nce, the bag appeared to weigh more than 30kg of treasure. Jin wouldn¡¯t be able to take all that and continue his journey.
Jin grabbed a handful of golden valuables and took about 500 gold coins. Even robbers didn¡¯t dream of gaining this much money in one day.
¡°This is more than enough. It was good seeing you again, Cember Bill.¡±
¡°It was an honour, Lord Jin. I do not know what mission you are undertaking, but I wish you the best and pray you return in good health¡!¡±
¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll see you another time. Oh, and when I came here, I had to do something about the guards at the gate, so¡¡±
¡°I understand. I shall deal with that myself, so please do not concern yourself. And I shall keep my mouth closed about today¡¯s matters until Lord Jin gives me permission to talk about it.¡±
Jin wasn¡¯t expecting much of Cember Bill when he first coincidentally rescued him back in the Zhan Kingdom¡¯s southern region by the border. However, he now saw Cember as quite the decent person. Not only did he remember his debts, but he was also sharp and quick-witted.
¡®I should get him some gifts in the future, whatever they may be.¡¯
Cember excitedly waved his hands until Jin¡¯s silhouette disappeared into the night.
***
Most Runcandel provisional g-bearers spend their first two months in poverty.
They had only ever learnt striking, stabbing, and shing enemies since their birth inside this n of swordsmen. Thus, their senses and intuition in money and finances were non-existent. They had never earned money themselves, so it wasn¡¯t surprising that they¡¯d spend a couple months in poverty once out in the real world.
Therefore, most provisional g-bearers either killed the crime lords in Mamit and brought their heads to the Vermont criminal investigation team, or they lived as mercenaries to earn money. But until then, they¡¯d still be penniless.
Munch, munch. Gulp.
Today was Jin¡¯s third day as a provisional g-bearer. The boy, his nanny, and his (pet?) dragon were devouring all the food at the Zhan Kingdom¡¯s best and most popr restaurant. Although they had ordered dozens of dishes, the bill had barely scratched their funds.
¡°Don¡¯t eat too much, Murakan. The transfer gate is in an hour. If you throw up everything likest time¡¡±
¡°Quiet, kid. Even if I end up vomitingter, I¡¯ll still eat everything. That¡¯s what it means to live like an apex predator like me.
¡°How stubborn.¡±
¡°Young Master, please try some of this too. Zhan cooking is quite delicious.¡±
¡°Kuhaha. Didn¡¯t you ask Jin ¡®isn¡¯t that extorting money from him, Young Master?¡¯ just yesterday, Strawberry Pie? You seem prettyfortable eating now.¡±
The three of them were nning on using the transfer gate rather than riding Murakan to travel. The reason behind this decision wasn¡¯t Gilly¡¯s fear of heights but because of their destination.
Although the underground organization Tesing was making a mess out of the country, the Akin kingdom was undeniably part of the ¡®Lutero Magic Federation¡¯. And the Lutero Magic Federation was under the management of the Zipfels.
Moreover, 80% of the active dragons today were affiliated with the Zipfels. Therefore, recklessly riding on Murakan and flying into the kingdom was no different from a deration of war to them.
¡®The reason why the Runcandels can¡¯t break their pact with the Zipfels is also because of those dragons.¡¯
Technically, it was because of the gods who had created those dragons.
The Runcandels only had a single member who had contracted a god: Jin. However, the situation was different at the Zipfels. Dozens of contractors were supporting the n.
And they were all patiently waiting for Cyron¡¯s death.
As long as Cyron disappeared, the Zipfels could easily obliterate the Runcandels who were a thorn in their flesh.
¡°It¡¯s about time now. Let¡¯s go.¡±
3 PM.
The trio finished their meal and headed to the Zhan Kingdom¡¯s transfer gate and finished the legal procedures. Murakan had no identification, so he transformed into a cat in order to travel with Jin and Gilly.
¡°The teleportation will soon begin.¡±
Whiiir!
Once they took their seats in a quiet waiting room, a staff member announced as such.
Bright blue mana softly enveloped the three of them, and after a short while, they opened their eyes in the Akin Kingdom.
¡°Wee to the Akin Kingdom in the Lutero Magic Federation.¡±
Their fake papers allowed them to enter the kingdom with no problems. As they exited the building and entered the streets, the strong sunlight shone on them.
¡®It¡¯s been fifteen years.¡¯
Jin had spent one year in the Akin Kingdom¡¯s capital city right before his regression.
Although there was a fifteen-year gap between the current city and the one from Jin¡¯s memories, the view hadn¡¯t particrly changed. The street vendors who were doing business on the streets, the homeless people crouching on the ground next to them, people from the dark alleyways of the city, etc.
The shadows on people¡¯s faces drew a stark contrast to the clean roads and the bright sunlight. Indeed, the city was warm all year round.
¡®It must be because of the Tesing n¡¯s tyranny. I remember hearing that their reign of terror was worse nowpared to in the future.¡¯
Gilly also noticed the disparity and stayed wary of their surroundings.
¡°The city is oddly sombre, even though the weather¡¯s so pleasant.¡±
¡°ording to the magicians at the Kollon Ruins, the climate here is good, but life here isn¡¯t enjoyable. Let¡¯s find an inn first before we search for our prey.¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master.¡±
In truth, Jin had already chosen their inn as well as their first target.
Jet, the information broker.
Jin was quite close with Jet in his past life. Not long after he arrived in the Akin Kingdom, he received Jet¡¯s help when settling down.
However, they weren¡¯t close in the good sense of the term. Jet was someone who often backstabbed people for his own benefit.
¡®That punk. These days, he must be scamming morons as a self-proimed top-ss information broker. Fuck, just thinking of him makes my blood boil.¡¯
In fact, Jin himself was one of those ¡®morons¡¯ who got scammed by Jet in his past life. The information broker had tricked him so much under the guise of introducing him to the Tesing underground auction house.
This time, Jin nned on revealing Jet¡¯s schemes from the beginning to teach him a lesson.
¡®I¡¯ll beat Jet up. Then, I¡¯ll control him and make good use of his skills. It¡¯s much easier to exin things to Gilly and Murakan if I associate myself with Jet.¡¯
Jin didn¡¯t n on revealing himself as a regressor to Gilly and Murakan in the future.
Thus, Jin needed good excuses in order to convince them whenever he made ns using his knowledge from his past life.
Just like right now.
¡°Kid, do we really need to look for an inn in this rundown alleyway? Aren¡¯t there good enough inns by the main street?¡±
¡°The Young Master must have a good reason for his actions, Lord Murakan.¡±
¡°But there is no need to reside in a ce like this when we have as much money as we do, Strawberry Pie.¡±
¡°Indeed, it would be a great idea to spread the news that we have a lot of money in this city, where countless unregistered magicians are wreaking havoc. Am I right, Murakan?¡±
¡°Ha! Are you seriously telling me that I, the Great Murakan, must sleep in this dirty inn¡ªthat even orcs would avoid¡ªjust because of those petty criminals?¡±
Jin made up some excuse and guided the two others towards Jet¡¯s inn.
But he couldn¡¯t behave like this forever. On the other hand, if he made Jet his subordinate, these problems would disappear.
Huh? How do you know that, Young Master?
Kid, why do we need to do that?
So then, if Gilly and Murakan were to ask him these questions, he could reply that he had gotten the information from Jet and easily convince them.
¡°Hm, this ce looks good.¡±
After squabbling with Murakan for an hour, Jin and the others finally arrived before the inn Jet managed. But because of Murakan¡¯s constant grumbling, it felt like it had taken ten times longer.
Please call for Jet at the reception.
Jin unintentionally snorted and smirked when he saw the familiar signboard again.
As always, the inn had a very odd name. Though, it was quite the fitting name if you took into ount the fact that the ce wasn¡¯t quite an inn, but an information broker¡¯s residence.
¡°Why here specifically?¡±
¡°Because I heard the magicians at the Kollon Ruins talk about¡ Never mind. It¡¯s just my gut feeling.¡±
Murakan was still sulking and pouting as they walked through the front door. Meanwhile, Gilly stood confidently behind them as she fully trusted the young master no matter what.
One slim man was sitting behind the counter, head on the hard table as his drool made a puddle. It was Jet. He hadn¡¯t sensed the trio¡¯s presence and simply snored loudly as the smell of alcohol filled the air.
¡°Are you the owner of the inn?¡±
¡°Hmmgh. Ah, a customer? Wee.¡±
Jet unsteadily fixed his posture and quickly scanned the three guests from head to toe. He then immediately categorized them into fools he could trick.
¡®A thin, weak-looking kid in a nice shirt, a swordsman on his first journey, and a woman. Well, she¡¯s quite pretty. Is she a maid? They¡¯re obviously a young and stupid aristocrat with his servants ying at adventurers.¡¯
Despite such thoughts running through his mind, Jet simply showed a bright smile on the outside.
¡°Do you have empty rooms?¡±
¡°Well¡ They¡¯re all empty. You¡¯vee to the right ce. I take pride in my pricings. For travelers like you, it¡¯s the lowest price for the greatest treatment and beds! Now then, please take a look at our rooms and choose the ones you prefer most.¡±
Jet stood up and swiftly pushed the trio upstairs. He was telling them to choose the room they wanted on their own ande back down.
He nned to make them use the rooms already without telling them the detailed pricings. A typical scammer¡¯s technique.
Furthermore, Jet quickly prepared three drinks for the guests while they were upstairs. Once the kid and his servants downed their sses, he would charge them absurd fees for the service.
Had the guests been seasoned mercenaries, Jet would¡¯ve stopped his schemes at this point.
However, Jet didn¡¯t n on holding back his tricks before this group of naive travelers.
¡®Once they¡¯re back and drink these, those three will start a new life in the underground auction house forever, huehuehue. I just hit the jackpot!¡¯
Jet had made up his mind as soon as he saw the trio.
He would sedate them with sleeping pills and sell them as ves in the Tesing underground auction house. A quick mind and fast execution of his ns. This was how Jet became the greatest information broker of Akin in the future.
Needless to say, Jin knew more about Jet than Jet himself did. He was already four steps ahead of him.
¡®I bet he¡¯s impatiently waiting for us to trick us with that outdated technique and make the most profit possible. Get ready to die, Jet.¡¯
As he had predicted, Jet was waiting for them downstairs with three drinks as the trio returned.
¡°Goodness, you must be parched from your journey. Please have a cup to quench your throats, hehe. This is our inn¡¯s special orange juice. Its taste is unrivaled! Even aristocrats sometimese here just to have another sip of this juice.¡±
The Runcandels¡¯ blessed bodies have a slight resistance against most poisons, so these cheap sleeping pills would barely have an effect on Jin.
Jin pondered for a while.
Should he down the cup and tell him the sleeping pill was tasty while pummelling the man? Or should he dare Jet to taste test the drink first?
However, there was one option that Jin hadpletely overlooked.
¡°Did you lose your fucking mind, you lowly son of a flea?¡±
Murakan wasn¡¯t in a good mood for a while now.
The dragon had been staring at the bubbles floating in the spiked orange juice.
¡°Oi, kid! Didn¡¯t your gut tell you this ce was good? Then you should check your gut and fix it while I beat this piece of crap to death. Make sure to check carefully, alright?¡±
Creaaak.
Murakan spoke as he slowly closed the inn¡¯s front door. It was now Jet¡¯s fate to endure Murakan¡¯s beating and spill all the beans.
***
Proofreader¡¯s Corner (12/03/21):
Just something to note and a little transparency, especially for those who are not in our Discord server. Yes, the credits for this chapter (and the next one) still say that Koko is the trantor¡ªand that she has ¡°returned¡±, which still pains my heart¡ªbut we decided to change trantors around two weeks ago. Both chapters were done a while back in preparation for the nned increase in locked chaps. However, personal things happened, and Koko was unable to work on the rest of the locked chaps. SMYS¡¯s new trantor is still adjusting but is slowly working on them, so please wait a little more. I hope you all understand the slow updates and enjoyed this chap regardless.
I¡¯ll go cry in a corner now¡
Chapter 58: Tesing Underground Auction House (1)
Chapter 58: Tesing Underground Auction House (1)
Jet was doubting his own ears.
Had these travelers, who were in Akin for the first time, lost their minds? Even so, customers were still customers. He decided to treat them with respect as he normally should.
¡°Why are you acting like this, sir? Haha, even if you¡¯re a customer, it¡¯ll be problematic if you hurl insults at me¡ Kurgh!¡±
Crack.
Murakan¡¯s left punch broke one of Jet¡¯s ribs in the blink of an eye. The scammer gasped for air, but before he could even feel the pain, a heel swiftly descended upon his shoulder, instantly rupturing his shoulder muscle.
His two eyes and ears couldn¡¯t believe what was happening before him.
¡®E-Even though I¡¯m a 5-star knight?¡¯
Although he was currently living like a ruffian in these streets, Jet was once part of a mercenary group. He had gone through countless hardships and was a seasoned fighter.
There were very few situations where a 5-star knight could get beaten down so one-sidedly.
¡°Lord Murakan! Why are you attacking him? The inn¡¯s owner is going to die!¡±
¡°That¡¯s the whole point, Strawberry Pie. I¡¯m trying to kill him. He put some poison in our drinks.¡±
Fortunately for him, Jet was quick-witted and adaptable. He didn¡¯t hesitate to change his behaviour as he was quite attached to his life. The best n right now was to immediately kneel down, admit his wrongdoings, and beg for his life.
¡°That¡¯s¡ª Khargh¡ª Keuk¡ª Urpp¡!¡±
Needless to say, Murakan didn¡¯t give Jet the time to apologize and continued his flurry of attacks. The dragon in human form spat out all kinds of insults to the inn owner, such as ¡®you lowly son of a flea¡¯, ¡®piece of trash¡¯, ¡®go die¡¯, etc. However, his face was surprisingly expressionless the entire time.
Murakan¡¯sck of expression further enhanced Jet¡¯s fears.
¡®Such a satisfying spectacle.¡¯
Seeing Jet¡ªwith whom Jin had a terrible rtionship in his past life¡ªgetting pummelled to the ground gave him a brand new sense of gratification.
However, the scammer would be quite useful here on out. If this continued, Jet would soon turn into a cold corpse.
¡°Enough, Murakan. Let¡¯s hear him out for now.¡±
¡°Do you seriously have things to talk about with this asshole who secretly tried to poison us, kid?¡±
Murakan paused his beating and turned to Jin. Seeing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Jet immediately knelt towards the boy.
¡°Please spare my life, Young Master! I will do anything to pay for my sins!¡±
Despite his broken ribs and his ttened nose, Jet spoke clearly and artictely. His tenacity and will to survive were quite admirable.
Jet had crawled to Jin¡¯s feet in the blink of an eye and clung to his pants. Murakan snorted but reluctantly paused his outburst of anger. Jin was still the promised contractor of a thousand years, so he would listen to the boy¡¯s thoughts and ns.
Whack!
¡°Let go. Your blood is staining it.¡±
Jin crouched down and pped Jet across the cheek.
¡°Yes! My deepest apologies. I¡¯ll let go, so please spare my life¡!¡±
¡°I will ask you a few simple questions from now on. If you lie to us, you¡¯ll die. But if you answer truthfully, you¡¯ll live. I¡¯ll judge whether you¡¯ve lied or not depending on my mood, intuition, and gut feeling. Do you understand?¡±
Jet nodded furiously, sttering droplets of blood everywhere around him.
¡°Good. What do you do for a living?¡±
Normally speaking, the first question one would ask would be something along the lines of ¡®Did you really spike our drinks?¡¯ or ¡®Why did you spike our drinks?¡¯ However, Jin¡¯s interrogation started off with a more fundamental question. Thus, Jet realized that Jin wasn¡¯t your ordinary kid.
He knew it would be useless to try to gain Jin¡¯s sympathy, so all he could do was to reveal the truth as objectively as possible.
¡°I-I¡¯m an owner of an inn and an information broker. I also work as a pimp from time to time and dabble in some human trafficking¡ So I¡¯m involved in various jobs. I-If you spare my life, I can be very useful to you, Young Master! Akin is my area of expertise.¡±
Gilly¡¯s face contorted due to Jet¡¯s mind-blowing self-introduction. Murakan nodded to himself while muttering ¡®I knew it¡¯.
¡°Enough with the unnecessaryments. In other words, you¡¯re a multi-functional piece of trash. Then did you spike our drinks to sell us somewhere as ves?¡±
¡°As deplorable as it may be, that is the case¡¡±
¡°Where to?¡±
¡°Excuse me?¡±
Crack!
Jin helped Jet¡¯s pinky finger meet the back of his hand for the first time. Jet didn¡¯t dare cry out in pain and stuttered out a certain name.
¡°T-T-T-T-Tesing! To the Tesing underground auction house!¡±
¡°Exin.¡±
¡°Yes! The Tesing underground auction house is an auction house that an underground organization called Tesing manages¡ Down there, you can buy and sell ves, drugs, all kinds of smuggled products and stolen artifacts!¡±
¡°I¡¯ll have someone heal your body by this evening. You understand what you need to do afterwards, right?¡±
¡°Of course! Thank you very much, Young Master. Thank you very much!¡±
Having realized his life would be spared, Jet was about to kiss Jin¡¯s shoes.
This multi-functional piece of trash would be useful to them during their stay in the Akin Kingdom. While Jin loathed Jet and his very existence, he still highly evaluated the piece of trash¡¯s skills and knowledge.
Jin sent Jet upstairs. Today¡¯s ¡®Please call for Jet at the reception¡¯ would be closed for business.
¡°Kid, why don¡¯t we just bury that piece of trash up some random mountain instead of paying for his medical fees?¡±
¡°I concur, Young Master. He may try to backstab us again if we let him survive.¡±
¡°An underground organization and their auction house. It¡¯s the perfect thing to destroy in order to gain honour and reputation, don¡¯t you think? We can always kill him afterwards.¡±
¡°That is true, but¡¡±
¡°Let¡¯s trust him this one time. We do need a guide during our stay in Akin after all.¡±
The nanny and the dragon didn¡¯t argue anymore and agreed to the boy¡¯s n. In order to have a smooth journey with noplications, one sometimes had to amodate the party leader¡¯s decisions.
Murakan and Gilly stayed behind in the inn to keep an eye on Jet while Jin left to find someone to heal the scammer.
Jin truly considered the two of them as good friends.
Nevertheless, as soon as Jin took a step outside the inn on his own, he felt an unprecedented sense of freedom and exhration. He could now make use of his knowledge as a regressor as much as he wanted inside the Akin Kingdom.
The city¡¯s development was being hindered by the Tesings¡¯ tyranny. In other words, most of the buildings, facilities, groups, and organizations Jin knew of in his past life were highly likely to be present today.
It didn¡¯t take him long to find a tight-lipped healer he could trust. ¡®Maltran¡¯ was someone who would heal anyone¡ªeven wanted criminals¡ªas long as he was paid properly. Fortunately, his magic store was located at the same ce as in Jin¡¯s memories.
¡°I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re excellent at performing illegal medical procedures.¡±
¡°Where did you hear that?¡±
¡°Unimportant. I will pay you handsomely.¡±
Although he definitely looked fifteen years younger, Maltran was still the same pot-bellied middle-aged man. Maltran visibly pondered for a moment, caressing his bulging stomach in the meantime.
¡°¡How¡¯s the patient¡¯s situation?¡±
¡°A couple of broken ribs and a finger dangling abnormally. But he didn¡¯t lose a lot of blood.¡±
Cling.
Jin flicked a well-crafted ring to the middle-aged man. Maltran stood up immediately as he caught the payment.
¡°My lucky day. Let¡¯s go.¡±
Maltran was a highly skilled healing magician.
Once he arrived at the inn, it barely took him five hours to erase all traces of violence on Jet.
In fact, Maltran¡¯s sweaty appearance as he earnestly cast healing magic made him look like a devout cleric.
¡°I see. The Lutero Magic Federation isn¡¯t called a magic federation for nothing. To think that a healer we found on the streets would be this skilled.¡±
Gilly whispered to herself as she watched the medical procedure. Her eyes twinkled with curiosity and awe as she had rarely observed magic during her life with the Runcandels.
Jet was touched by Jin and his willingness to hire such a good healer. As soon as he fully recovered, he knelt on the ground and continuously showed his gratitude.
¡°Young Master, although our first meeting did not go so well, I now pledge my eternal allegiance to you. Please allow me to serve you.¡±
¡°That¡¯ll depend on your behaviour and performance here on out. Have you finished, Healer? I hope his ribs won¡¯t suddenly break apart again in a few hours.¡±
¡°What an unfunny joke. Well then, I will take my leave. Please call me again if there¡¯s another emergency. I will even heal someone for free a single time as long as it¡¯s nothing too serious. I always work as much as I¡¯m paid.¡±
¡°You have excellent work ethics. Have a nice day.¡±
Maltran left the inn.
Jet was now carefully observing the trio¡ªwho were sipping on their cups of ck tea while seated.
¡®No matter how much I think about it, these people¡ They smell of money and authority. And here I thought I had an eye for people¡ How did I not notice it immediately?! And why did such big shotse to this deste area of the city?¡¯
The man who had beat him up was an extremely skilled fighter. The maid seemed to be used to seeing violent scenes. Finally, the boy Jet judged as a young and stupid aristocrat was naturally ordering the other two around as if they were his vassals.
This was a sight Jet had never seen before.
¡®Is he the heir to a prominent martial n? Or the Vermont Special Forces? Either way, if I recklessly betray them, I¡¯ll be erased from the face of this continent without a single trace left behind.¡¯
After a while, Jet concluded that the trio were the Vermont Special Forces.
He even believed that their actions so far had all been calcted, including their disastrous first encounter. Jet wasn¡¯t foolish to think so. The trio immediately realized their drinks were spiked and somehow found an excellent healer within an hour after the beating.
¡®These people must have investigated me before. I bet they know all kinds of information about me. They must n on using me to enter the Tesing underground auction house to carry out some kind of mission¡¡¯
And once they fulfill their mission, they would get rid of their now-useless hunting dog: Jet.
Once he came to that conclusion, Jet clenched his teeth and steeled himself. He needed to be an indispensable existence to them in order to survive. He needed to be so useful to them that they wouldn¡¯t kill him. Thus, he needed to show them his absolute and undying loyalty and serve them wholeheartedly.
Although the Tesings held immense power and authority, they could only wield those inside Akin like a frog in a well. Meanwhile, the Vermont Special Forces was an internationally renowned and prestigious organization. Therefore, Jet had no reason to hesitate on which side of the conflict he had to stand on.
Jet soon shared more information about the Tesings and the underground auction house to the trio. Even though he made the wrong assumption about them, he was still a top-notch information broker.
¡°Although the Tesings¡¯ publicly known boss is someone called Salka, the real boss of the group is someone else. Salka is just a frontman and signboard. We call the real boss ¡®Spiderhand Alu¡¯ among ourselves.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Alu is an extremely dangerous individual. Rumours say that Alu even has connections with pureblood Runcandels beyond the sea. About the underground auction house¡¡±
Jin already knew most of the information Jet was sharing, but simply let the information broker continue his endless speech. This way, hispanions could also learn of the information Jin knew from his past life.
¡®Still, connections with pureblood Runcandels? To think that such false rumours about Alu would spread. I highly doubt any of my siblings would associate themselves with some random thugs in the Lutero Magic Federa¡ª¡¯
Jin suddenly ced his teacup back on the table as if he had suddenly remembered something.
¡®There is one. The one who tried to ce a curse on me. It¡¯s possible if it¡¯s them. After all, this is the Lutero Magic Federation¡ªthe Zipfels¡¯ territory.¡¯
He couldn¡¯t make a hasty conclusion. Only a top-ss magician could cast a curse on the level of ¡®ded Illusion¡¯, and there was no way these underground thugs had such a magician within their ranks.
However, there was nothing Jin could do other than grasping at straws. He had spent ten years in the Storm Castle and five in the Garden of Swords. All this time, he had searched for the culprit behind the curse but couldn¡¯t find a single clue or trace.
¡°Have you finished exining?¡±
¡°Yes! Please don¡¯t hesitate to ask me any questions after we arrive as well. I shall exin everything with all my heart. I swear to you on my son¡¯s life.¡±
¡°You have a son?¡±
Although Jin acted ignorant, he was quite close with Jet¡¯s son in his past life. The son was a kind and gentle kid, unlike his father.
¡°Yes. Since I¡¯ve pledged my allegiance to you, let us set off after you¡¯ve seen my son¡¯s face. It is to prove that I hold no intention of betraying you, Young Master.¡±
The son was probably about 2 years old right now. To think that he¡¯d use his own toddler as a tool to show his sincerity¡ Jin was once again amazed by Jet¡¯s awful nature and shook his head in response.
¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s just go.¡±
***
https://dsc.gg/reapeics
Chapter 59: Tesing Underground Auction House (2)
Chapter 59: Tesing Underground Auction House (2)
Any facilities managed by the Tesings can only be essed by neers if they have an introduction from a regr. As a matter of course, that held true for the underground auction house as well.
One hour by carriage. It wasn¡¯t very far from Jet¡¯s inn.
The ce they arrived at looked like an ordinary aristocrat¡¯s vi at first sight. However, it was actually a location where all kinds of illegal transactions took ce.
¡°Oh hey, Jet. Why do you have so many people with you today? Are they goods?¡±
¡°Watch your mouth. These people are my guests.¡±
Jet simultaneously shamed all of the guards. Although the guard apologized for his careless words, it showed that Jet was a respected and honored individual of Tesing.
The three then followed Jet into the auction house. Even though it was operated by sketchy alleyway dealers, there were Akin nobles partying from the courtyard.
¡®This ce hasn¡¯t changed one bit. Still pretty corrupted.¡¯
Most of the nation¡¯s leaders were from the Tesing n, and not even official investigation agencies could snoop around this area.
While regr citizens got abused by unregistered magicians and mercenaries, the feast never ended in the auction house as all kinds of things¡ªincluding humans¡ªgot sold.
Although the Zipfels were aware that all of this was happening, they didn¡¯t try to control and restrict these people. Not only was it because thisnd was important to the people of Akin, but also because the Zipfel n received bribes from Spiderhand Alu.
It was very nerve-racking.
¡®Filthy scum.¡¯
Jet ordered the guards to retrieve some masks and distributed them to his guests.
¡°Since we are going underground instead of lingering here, I rmend wearing a mask. Usually, masks aren¡¯t allowed. But, since I am your escort, you can cover your profile. Hehe.¡±
There was a hidden staircase behind the garden. As expected, there wasn¡¯t a single thing different about this ce. Even in the far future, the Tesings would rule the Akin Kingdom, and an auction would be held here everyday.
Unless Jin interfered with the business of this ce.
As soon as they entered the underground area, the chattering stopped, and a pleasant violin melody filled the air. A group of musicians in tuxedos was constantly ying tunes for the public.
¡®It¡¯s just as I remembered it.¡¯
It was all to Spiderhand Alu¡¯s tastes. He always tried to convince people that he wasn¡¯t an uncivilized gangster.
¡°What? Are you sure this is an underground auction house? Music? You¡¯ve got to be joking.¡±
¡°I know, right?¡±
They sat in the outskirts of the room for an hour. In the meantime, Jet informed the other executives that he brought guests. For the time being, there wasn¡¯t anyone who came to check the three masked people.
¡°It does seem like Jet is a respected newbie recruit amongst those other fat-asses. So, what are you gonna do? Wipe out these lowly gangsters on your first day in Akin?¡±
¡°The guards that we saw on the way here didn¡¯t seem too shabby. There are also a lot of unregistered magicians. You aren¡¯t going to engage in a battle here, right, Young Master?¡±
¡°You guys think I¡¯m stupid? Let¡¯s at least look around the ce.¡±
Jin definitely did not want to flip this ce upside down. As hispanions said, it was dangerous, but there were also items that he had to obtain.
¡®Ancient magic tomes and the helm artifact.¡¯
Magic tomes with spells that transcended the ones of this era, and a ring that turned into a helm artifact that overflowed with mana.
Amongst the magic tomes, Jin wanted one from a great historical magician called ¡®O¡¯Hensirk¡¯. As for the helm artifact, it had amazing abilities. The owner could also mask their face anytime, which was convenient.
Jin didn¡¯t know the exact date that O¡¯Hensirk¡¯s magic tome would be auctioned. It was more likely to get struck by lightning than the chances of the tome being sold today.
¡®It doesn¡¯t really need to be O¡¯Hensirk¡¯s. Ancient magicians¡¯ tomes are sold here everyday anyway. It¡¯ll be best to just wait a few days and buy the best item there is.¡¯
Conversely, he knew the exact date when the helm artifact would be sold.
Around five or six yearster, the ¡®Helm of the Demon King¡¯ would soon fall into the hands of Emperor Vermont.
When Emperor Vermont acquired the helm through tribute, many romanticists, historians, and scientists gathered together. They all considered the helm a masterpiece and tracked it down to take it for themselves.
The historians called it the Helm of the Demon King due to the spection that ancient demon kings used it in the past.
For a while, there was a greatmotion in the magic journalismmunity. They always got worked up when magic experimenters discovered or dered a new masterpiece.
Since Jin was caught up on the massive, thick journals, he naturally knew the location where it was first discovered as well as the date it was auctioned.
Surprisingly, it was located in Akin¡¯s notorious underground auction house. Yet, the helm had not been sold for the past few years, so it was thrown into a room¡
¡®The helm would be traded five yearster, which means that it¡¯s in storage right now.¡¯
They didn¡¯t have toe on the day of the helm¡¯s auction.
They just needed to steal it.
¡®The problem is, how do we find and steal it in the first ce?¡¯
As Murakan and Gilly mentioned, they weren¡¯t dealing with a small organization that they could easily fight. Most of the guards were at least 6-stars, and there were unregistered magicians disguised as regr customers.
It wasn¡¯t a crowd that Jin could handle on his own, and neither could they just use Murakan¡¯s power. As soon as he reveals his Draconic Magic, the Lutero Magic Federation would alert an emergency.
¡°Thank you to those who came here this wonderful evening at the Tesing underground auction house, and thank you for waiting. We will now start the auction!¡±
After debating with himself for a while, the auctioneer finally emerged onto the stage.
Simultaneously, a dozen naked ves joined him, separated between men and women. All of them had drowsy eyes¡ªas if they were drugged. At least there weren¡¯t any children.
¡°Alright, alright. Numbers 1 through 30. Today¡¯s stock looks pretty darn good. Let¡¯s get this started.¡±
The ve auction began. It didn¡¯t even take an hour for all of them to be sold.
¡°So you were trying to sell us off like that?¡±
¡°H-haha. It was foolish of me, Young Master.¡±
Jin wanted to save them. Half of them were probably misfortunate people who were dragged in here without them knowing.
But now wasn¡¯t the time.
¡®I can¡¯t think of a way to retrieve the helm without getting caught.¡¯
The best idea was to bribe mercenary groups like the ck King Mercenaries or Ghost Mercenaries and call several 7-star soldiers to wipe out the entire ce.
But, aside from not having the kind of money to do that, Jin couldn¡¯t use his Runcandel name tomand the army¡ªespecially an army of a grand scale.
He was terrorized by the feeling of being cornered. The situations and ns were too risky.
A littleter, he thought of a third option.
¡®Well¡ it¡¯ll feel a little awkward, but it¡¯ll be fun. It¡¯ll also help with finding out who Alu¡¯s connection is within the Runcandel n.¡¯
That day, Jin didn¡¯t buy anything from the auction and returned to the inn.
* * *
For a while, Jin spent each day doing nothing.
He trained his magic and spirit energy on one side of the inn during the day and spent the rest of the day carefully watching the items sold at the underground auction house.
When the threepanions first came to the auction house, the Tesing guards were uninterested. But as the days progressed, their gaze slowly changed. Jet offered hospitality without anyints.
¡°Hey, kid. I am often curious about what goes on inside your head. You think that n would actually work?¡±
¡°Young Master, I¡ I have an uneasy feeling about this. Would they really not know him? Jet emphasized that Spiderhand Alu is a people person.¡±
¡°That¡¯s the key point, Gilly. Alu probably knows someone from the Zipfel n, but they¡¯re probably just a low-tier magician or some old servant. So, even if I call myself Beradin, he can¡¯t call bullshit.¡±
¡°But you are a Runcandel. To say that you will impersonate Beradin Zipfel¡ This n is a little¡ I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±
Jin¡¯s n went like this.
If a valuable ancient tome was put on auction, he would buy it and find Alu. Then, in the name of Beradin Zipfel, reprimand him for selling tomes that are of ¡°his n¡¯s¡± property.
Like Jin, Beradin was yet to be an important leader, so he was not well known yet.
¡°At my age, I am able to conjure at least 5-star magic. If I were Alu, I would believe that I am Beradin. And even if we get busted, we can just run away.¡±
¡°Well, I¡¯m powerless right now, and would it be that simple¡¡±
¡°The kid¡¯s right, Strawberry Pie. I wouldn¡¯t even need to transform into my true form. Running away with two people is a piece of cake against these thugs.¡±
¡°Hmmm.¡±
¡°Either way, if we want to execute this n, a legitimately valuable ancient tome needs to be auctioned. Let¡¯s hope that onees out today.¡±
As the night arrived, as always, Jet prepared the carriage.
¡°Sir, this may be out of the blue¡ but if you don¡¯t buy anything today as well, the Tesing executives may pester you. They¡¯ll probably call you out on only looking and not purchasing.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just focus on the carriage.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
The auction started once again. Soon, the ve auction ended, and as the tomes and artifacts entered the stage, Jin straightened his back.
¡°The ves are once again sold out! And now¡ time for the antiques. I hope all of these return to people who actually respect the items¡¯ value. Let¡¯s begin!
¡°The first item. The tome of a magician who once ruled the world, Matthew Woniak¡¯s magic tome. We haven¡¯t deciphered it, but some incredible spells are probably recorded on it. And already, our first bid!¡±
Jin smirked. The auctioneer made a mistake while introducing the item. The correct name was Matthew Morniak. And, as Jin remembered, his publications were already in the Zipfels¡¯ bookshelves.
The week¡¯s auctions were always like this; the auctioneer spat some nonsense, then the vanity-seeking magicians made stupid bids¡
¡°This is the seventh item. Hmm, the author of this tome is¡ Tzenmi. Does anyone know of a magician named Tzenmi?¡±
The auction house was quiet. Even Jin didn¡¯t know of that name.
¡®A tome like that is a gamble, and it¡¯s extremely rare to win that gamble.¡¯
ording to Jin¡¯s master¡¯s teaching of premonition, there was no need to buy Tzenmi¡¯s magic tome.
However, Murakan thought differently.
¡°Kid.¡±
¡°Hm?¡±
¡°Buy that. If it¡¯s the Tzenmi that I know¡ this is huge.¡±
The dragon¡¯s advice¡ªa strong rmendation.
Jin had no reason to doubt his words, so he raised his hand towards the auctioneer.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 60: Tesing Underground Auction House (3)
Chapter 60: Tesing Underground Auction House (3)
¡°One hundred.¡±
One hundred gold.
That¡¯s how much Jin bid. For an ancient magic tome, the price wasn¡¯t too high or too low. However, the other guests thought Jin was crazy.
¡®He¡¯s paying a hundred for that?¡¯
There were also magicians who were curious. After all, a guy who hasn¡¯t bought anything for the past week just bid for a magic tome.
¡°One-fifty.¡±
¡°One hundred fifty on the table!¡±
Someone raised the bid, but it wasn¡¯t because they wanted the item. The bidder held in hisughter as he stared at Jin.
He was teasing him. He wanted to make a fool of Jin for trying to strike it rich or attain a higher level of magic by buying a mysterious tome, which was amon sight during the magic tome auctions in the auction house.
Jin just ignored him and called for the next bid.
¡°One-seventy.¡±
If it were back in his first life, he would have called one or two thousand to unt his money and destroy the provoker¡¯s pride.
But Jin knew that this wasn¡¯t the time to attract attention.
¡°Any more bids? Going once. Going twice. Sold!¡±
Tzenmi¡¯s magic tome was delivered to Jin.
With a straight face, Murakan opened the ancient tome and gripped Jin¡¯s hand.
¡°Kid, this is an amazing acquisition.¡±
This renowned shadow dragon was not an idiot obsessed with aura. He, like other dragons, could cast countless spells. And, back in his heyday, his magic skill level was at least 9-stars.
¡®An item that got Murakan all worked up? It must have spells iparable to those of O¡¯Hensirk¡¯s.¡¯
Additionally, Jin¡¯s and hispanions¡¯ luck was yet to be over.
¡°Uh, this is the 25th item of the auction. Previously owned by ¡®Schugiel Hister¡¯. Let the auction begin!¡±
Hister.
The name that Jin had the bar owner look into when he first went to a bar in Mamit. As soon as he heard the name, he doubted his own ears.
Hister was the n of Jin¡¯s master. But it was also a n that officially dissolved hundreds of years ago.
¡°Two hundred.¡±
Just as before, the crowd began to whisper after Jin called his first bid. They first thought he was somebody special, but now they thought of him as an idiot bidding for shit.
¡°Two hundred. Anyone else?¡±
Schugiel Hister¡¯s tome was immediately sold.
¡°Hey, kid. Why¡¯d you buy that? Are you feelin¡¯ something again?¡±
¡°I thought it would be weird if I only bought one item, and I also have a good feeling about this one.¡±
As soon as the tome arrived, Murakan cracked open the book. Not even one minute in, he shook his head. Unlike Murakan, Jin¡¯s heart pounded as he examined the tome.
¡°It¡¯s just a tome with weird andplicated ciphers. Nothing too special.¡±
Murakan didn¡¯t seem to know.
This weird andplicated cipher system was only known by two people¡ªJin and his master. And since Jin learned it from his master, ¡®Schugiel Hister¡¯ must be his master¡¯s ancestor.
After seeing theplex text, sorrow struck Jin¡¯s heart. He watched the auction continue, barely concealing his emotions. In the end, he didn¡¯t find anything interesting to buy.
The night came to a close as the auction ended. Some guests stayed and enjoyed their time while others immediately left.
Jin usually joined thetter, but tonight, he had to stay in the auction house.
¡°Jet.¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
¡°I want to meet Spiderhand Alu.¡±
Usually, Jet would say that he understood. However, this time, his expression changed.
¡°Uh¡ sir. That will be difficult. Even though you are a guest, meeting Alu is impossible. The most I can do is introduce you to Salka. If you really need to meet him directly, then please give us a few days.¡±
¡°Tell Alu that Beradin Zipfel wanted to see him.¡±
It looked as if Jet¡¯s eyes would pop out as his face flushed red. He covered his mouth in shock.
¡®B-Beradin Zipfel?¡¯
¡°Understood?¡±
Instead of answering, Jet simply blinked.
¡®Shit. These guys weren¡¯t part of Vermont¡¯s Special Forces¡ but were members of the Zipfel n?¡¯
Cold sweat drenched his body. Even though Vermont¡¯s Special Forces were notorious, it wasn¡¯tparable to the Lutero Magic Federation.
If anyone else introduced themselves as Beradin Zipfel, Jet would¡¯ve scoffed and cussed at the sight. However, that was not the case. In Jet¡¯s eyes, Jin and his party were beyondprehension.
Additionally, they have been part of the Lutero Magic Federation for quite some time, so there is no way they would be used of impersonating the Zipfels.
Jet¡¯s brain was running at the speed of light.
¡®I was mistaken. Severely mistaken. They¡¯re not a part of Vermont¡¯s Special Forces, but are pureblood Zipfels! This is an encounter of a lifetime.¡¯
Five minutes ago, Jet¡¯s main goal was to be an informant of the presumed Special Forces unit. Then, he could¡¯ve saved his life and earned some reward greater than that of Tesing¡¯s.
But what about bing a servant of a Zipfel?
To a member of the Lutero Magic Federation, there is no greater honor than serving a Zipfel. As Jin lifted his hand, Jet stood with stone-cold eyes.
He quickly passed a few employees and opened a door.
¡°Shit. Whatever. Whatever happens, happens.¡±
Murakan shrugged. Unlike his careless words, he was definitely itching for a fight. Gilly put her hand on her forehead as she heaved a heavy sigh.
A Runcandel impersonated a Zipfel.
Other than getting the message to Alu, Gilly thought of a different, more important problem.
¡®If this information ever reaches the ears of future n members or the patriarch, then the Young Master will be executed.¡¯
It would be the first time in the n¡¯s thousand-year history.
Not only that, but the Zipfels were also surely going to get worked up to catch the impersonator. Lies are always meant to be uncovered.
¡®On the contrary, it¡¯s surprising how the Young Mastermitted these devious acts without remorse.¡¯
The awkward melody of a violin filled the room. As time felt like it was slowing down, a different agent came to greet the three.
¡°You¡ are Beradin?¡±
SLAP!
In a split second, Jin pped the life out of the agent and caught the attention of the entire room.
¡°Are you Alu?¡±
He wasn¡¯t. Jin still asked despite knowing Alu¡¯s face. The agent looked confused, but he couldn¡¯t fight back or anything.
¡®If this insolent kid is indeed Beradin Zipfel, the entirety of Tesing could disappear overnight.¡¯
¡°N-No, sir! The boss ordered me to escort you to him.¡±
SLAP!
Jin pped the agent once more. The agent quickly straightened his back and bowed as an apology for his ineptitude.
Up until this moment, the n went perfectly.
¡°Make Alu bring his ass here. I already revealed my name, and yet he sends over an underling?¡±
Fwooooosh!
On his right hand, Jin conjured a crimson sphere made of mes. Jin¡¯s mask flickered.
With one look, one could tell that it was, at the very least, a 5-star skill.
Anyone can im to be a Zipfel. However, a young boy invoking high-level magic and calling himself Zipfel seemed more convincing.
¡°I apologize. I will report this to the boss.¡±
The agents quickly led the other customers out of the auction house. The agent who got pped was scrambling away, but Jin wasn¡¯t satisfied.
¡°Tell your stupid boss to crawl to my feet. Since he mistreated his guests, he must be punished.¡±
Jin discontinued the spell and scanned his surroundings. The rest of the guests had left, and the agents were startled.
His words were loud and clear. If the boss actually appeared crawling on the floor, then the agents would have to do so as well.
Five minutes passed.
Spiderhand Alu crawled into Jin¡¯s presence. A fairlyrge middle-aged man crawling on the floor wasn¡¯t the most pleasurable sight. As for Alu, there were a million thoughts passing his mind.
With him was a herd of his underlings, and among them was Jet who had bruises all over his face.
It seemed that the others beat him up for saying bullshit about Beradin Zipfel being present.
The other agents, who were awkwardly standing, quickly lowered their bodies to the ground.
¡®I guess ¡°Zipfel¡± is a very scary name to hear. I¡¯m sure the detected aura would be around 7-star, but they came crawling without even checking?¡¯
If the situation proceeded as is, the rest of the job would be a piece of cake. After scaring Alu, they could examine the storage and take the helm artifact.
However, Alu wasn¡¯t just any easy human. If he ever saw an opportunity after conversing for a while, he would let loose and kill all three of them.
Jin did not say anything while Alu crawled to his feet. Jin stood as if he was used to acting like a superior. Frankly speaking, he acted the same way back home.
¡°Rise.¡±
¡°I am Alu¡ the man who runs the Tesing n. I failed to recognize Your Excellency, and for that, I beg for mercy.¡±
With the other man towering over two meters, meeting Alu felt like facing a wall. However, he was permanently looking downwards, eyes never meeting Jin¡¯s.
It was an obvious reaction after meeting an assumed pureblood Zipfel.
¡°Shut up. Look at these.¡±
Jin tossed Tzenmi¡¯s and Schugiel¡¯s tomes to Alu.
¡°What do these look like?¡±
Opening the tomes, Alu¡¯s face drained of color.
¡°They¡¯re magic tomes. I apologize. We sold ancient magic tomes without the Zipfels¡¯ permission.¡±
¡°These two tomes that I purchased today are greatly valued¡ªeven by my n. I can¡¯t imagine the number of magicians who left to search for these¡¡±
¡°Beradin, sir. This may sound like an excuse, but I am unrted to that. My stupidity couldn¡¯t realize the tomes¡¯ worth and troubled you. I will try my best to recollect the other auctioned tomes. Please give me a chance.¡±
¡°Would you be faster at gathering them, or would we magicians be faster? Quit the bullshit and bring an ountant and customer registry. Starting tomorrow, my n will investigate your mischief.¡±
As Jin skillfully lied, Alu realized that he had nothing to say. If the Zipfels started the investigation, then the Tesings would be destroyed.
Alu reconsidered his options.
¡®Beradin Zipfel¡ Does his n know that he¡¯s here?¡¯
If they didn¡¯t¡
Maybe getting rid of him would be better.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 61: Tesing Underground Auction House (4)
Chapter 61: Tesing Underground Auction House (4)
¡®They¡¯re probably trying toprehend the situation. Aside from identifying me as the real Beradin, they would be dying to know if the Zipfel n knew of thismotion.¡¯
He would be thinking of that too. In extreme scenarios, humans tend to prioritize survival over anything else.
¡®They can¡¯t strike me anyway even if they confirm that I am acting without the n¡¯s knowledge.¡¯
The real Beradin Zipfel and the impersonator Jin Runcandel. They could be identified as the brightest magicians of their era, but they were still in their teens. So fighting a group of Tesing¡¯s unregistered magicians would still be dangerous. There was actually no need to even summon them; Alu could probably deal with Jin by himself.
But ¡°Beradin¡± wasn¡¯t the only person that Alu had to consider.
¡®How good are Beradin Zipfel¡¯s bodyguards?¡¯
A young man with nted eyes and an emotionless woman. In the process of getting rid of Beradin, the bodyguards were the greatest threat.
It wasn¡¯t easy to consider. Seeing that neither of their auras were detectable, they could either be weak magicians or masters who concealed their true power.
¡°And Jet,e over here. Don¡¯t just sit there like that.¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
¡°Damn, your face is a mess. Did you get beat up after mentioning my name?¡±
¡°Oh, I¡¯m okay, sir. Don¡¯t worry about an insignificant guy like me¡ please remember your tasks.¡±
¡°Yeah? Alright, then.¡±
Although Jin felt sympathy for Jet, he was the least of his concerns.
¡°What are you doing, Alu? Bring me your transaction records and customer registry.¡±
¡°Yes, Sir Beradin. Hey! Didn¡¯t you hear him? Hustle!¡±
The Tesing agents at the edge of the room scattered like ants. Despite there being over ten volumes of the records and registry, it was all still just the tip of the iceberg.
¡°This is everything that is in the auction house, Sir Beradin. More important documents are in my residence¡¯s magic safe¡¡±
As Alu¡¯s voice drifted off, he became self-conscious.
¡°May I go there myself and retrieve it? You only need to wait a little bit.¡±
¡°Haha¡ ¡®Wait a little bit¡¯, my ass. Can¡¯t you see the situation you¡¯re in?
¡°Who are you trying to fool with that obvious trickery? If I send you alone to find the purchase history, do you n on destroying all of the important documents and contacting your connections to find out whether I¡¯m real and why I¡¯m here?¡±
¡°No, Sir Beradin. That is not my true intention.¡±
Alu knew that his n was obvious, but he had to take his chances. Alu¡¯s ears flushed red, and he ducked his head only to see the edge of Jin¡¯s foot.
¡°Hahaha¡ Alu. It seems you know how to be embarrassed. Very well, go ahead. Go by yourself. Do whatever you can for the time being, and you¡¯d still be in the palm of the Zipfels.¡±
As soon as he heard that, Alu lost all hope.
From his perspective, those were words that sprouted a chain of misunderstandings.
¡®He was¡ not alone. I thought wrong. There must be Zipfel magicians outside already¡!¡¯
Jin smirked knowing that Alu would dig his own grave by overthinking the whole situation.
¡°I¡ I have been mistaken. I will proceed with a supervisor of your choice, Sir Beradin.¡±
¡°Piss off. Starting now, I expect wise decisions from you, Spiderhand Alu. For the time being, I will be searching the storage.¡±
The hopelessness in Alu¡¯s face dissolved. If he acted upon ¡°Beradin¡¯s¡± expectations, he could get out of this situation alive.
¡°¡It will take around two hours, Sir Beradin. You guys escort Sir Beradin to the storage room while I am absent.¡±
With a serious look on his face, Alu moved to exit the auction house. The only ones left inside were the Tesing agents as well as Jin and hispanions.
The quick-witted agents approached Jin and immediately escorted him to the storage.
¡°There are many items from the boss¡¯s residence and summer house, but the Tesing auction house has only one official storage room. This way, please.¡±
A snitch. As soon as the boss was about to crumble, the agentmented about the ¡®many items from the boss¡¯s residence and summer house¡¯ to expose the crimes of embezzlement.
If they all found out that he was bluffing, how would they react? Jin scoffed.
It was his first time seeing the Tesing underground auction house¡¯s storage room. It started one more floor beneath the auction house, and its entire structure had three levels.
The first basement housed the ves, below that was the second basement with shelves of magic tomes, andstly, the third basement that was filled with artifacts. Jin and the others were surprised at seeing the storage being bigger and more organized than they had expected.
The ves didn¡¯t react to the sight of new people. Although they were not drugged yet to be presented on stage, they didn¡¯t exactly foster any hope either.
¡°I will be outside. Please call me anytime if you need assistance.¡±
As soon as the Tesing guard left, Jet began to worry.
¡°I didn¡¯t know you were such an important person! A sessor of the Zipfel n. Sir, please offer me a chance to disy my loyalty. I will do anything.¡±
¡°Good idea. Starting now, go find out about the birthce and real name of each ve in the first basement. Afterwards, a n member wille and take them away.¡±
¡°Oh! Yes, I understand. I will proceed immediately.¡±
The Zipfel n explicitly prohibited ve trading. In reality, there were still many who engaged in these illicit activities, but they just needed to avoid getting caught.
Also, underlings should have fun while working for their reward.
¡°So, kid. What are you gonna do? That Alu bastard will return after confirming that you¡¯re an imposter.¡±
¡°Yeah, I know that.¡±
Outside the auction house, contrary to what Alu imagined, there were no Zipfel magicians. He was walking on eggshells thinking that they were watching, but he would soon realize that it was all a hoax and contact acquaintances to confirm Beradin¡¯s identity.
He would ask someone who knew of the appearance and whereabouts of Beradin Zipfel. It was only a matter of time until Jin got busted.
¡°Why did you order Jet to survey the ves when we are short on time? It¡¯s easy for us to escape, but he¡¯s dead meat anyway.¡±
¡°No, the paper with the birthce and name will save Jet. As long as we drop off the ve registry at the Zipfel n¡¯s residence and the Vermont Empire¡¯s press, the Tesing n is doomed. Even if we¡¯re impersonators.¡±
If the public caught on to this, not even the Zipfels could let this institution continue. The most elite magicians will be dispatched to save the ves, wipe out the Tesings, and righteously rebuild the rotten Akin Kingdom.
This result was obvious because the n¡¯s lowest-ranked members needed to prioritize the Zipfels¡¯ reputation over the Tesing n¡¯s bribe.
¡®The irony will force them to make a move.¡¯
Jin nned on appointing Jet as the messenger. Then the Zipfel n would protect him as a witness.
Of course, in this scenario, Jet would be stuck with the Zipfels and the Empire¡¯s Investigation Team. But since he had strong survival instincts, he would only spit evidence that would be advantageous for him.
For example, he would say something like ¡°There definitely wasn¡¯t an impersonator of Beradin in Akin, and I am only reporting this institution because I felt disillusioned from the ve trading done by the Tesings.¡±
Ultimately, Jin was not saving Jet because he was valuable; he was just being considerate of Jet¡¯s two-year-old son.
Under witness protection, Jet can scrap his shady backstreet life and peacefully live the rest of his life with his son in vast unknownnds.
It wasn¡¯t a bad future for the father and son. When considering all the other possibilities, there was no better future than this one¡ªnot for Jet, but for the child.
Because the pure and kind child would be following in his father¡¯s footsteps.
¡°Well, okay. Let¡¯s just say that part goes as nned. What next?¡±
¡°Well, what do you think? Until Alues back, we get to shop for free and then leave. The Zipfels will deal with our mess, so you go to the second basement to find useful magic tomes. Gilly and I will visit the third basement to find the artifact.¡±
¡°Young Master, will we be choosing tomit these reckless actions in the future? I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re doing this.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll take that as apliment, Gilly. Let¡¯s go.¡±
At the Lutero Magic Federation, artifacts are normally more valuable than standard magic tomes.
Additionally, in an auction house like this, it wasmon to find ancient magic tomes, but finding a high-tier artifact was pretty rare.
The third basement was no different from a trash dump. It was hard to believe that there was a hidden masterpiece between these useless artifacts that people wouldn¡¯t take even if given for free.
The two didn¡¯t need much time to find the Helm of the Demon King. Within the unruly mess in the corner of the room, they chose and opened the smallest chest.
¡®This is it!¡¯
A low-quality silver ring with a ruby stone.
As Jin suppressed his excitement and slipped on the ring, he could feel the energy flowing through his fingers.
The mana, unlike normal mana, was formless. It was as if a dozen snakes wrapped around his finger, and the mana slowly entered his head.
And Jin absorbed it all.
¡®Normal magicians would only think of this effect as an enhancement in magic. That¡¯s probably why this isn¡¯t considered a masterpiece right now.¡¯
Now, Jin could use the magic he absorbed to summon a shadow-ck helm whenever he wanted.
If the user never utilized a powerful artifact or didn¡¯t have a strong feel for magic like Jin did, then the power was not immediately noticeable.
¡®Summon Helm.¡¯
Fwoooosh!
Jin tested out his new artifact, and ck mana spread through the air. It formed lines and discs that slowly approached Jin¡¯s face.
It didn¡¯t even take one second for the helm to form. Thepleted helm covered the entire face and neck; it had a hole for breathing and two others for the eyes. On each side of the helmet were two cool-looking sharp horns.
Rather than being surprised, Gilly smiled at the sight of Jin¡¯s sessful conjuring of the helm.
¡®I actually doubted if this would work out, but thankfully, we found it quick.¡¯
Since they found the artifact, there was no need to stay in the third basement.
¡°Gilly, I think this ce is filled with garbage. Let¡¯s just return to Murakan.¡±
¡°Mmm, even I, an expert in magical artifacts, do not see anything in particr that catches my eye. Still, just in case, I shall take some ornamental artifacts that would make us good money.¡±
The magic tome basement had the same situation. Even though Murakan meticulously searched for O¡¯Hensirk¡¯s works, he couldn¡¯t find anything while Jet surveyed the ves.
¡°Kiddo, since we already got Tzenmi¡¯s tome, there is no need to greed for more. Let¡¯s leave.¡±
It had been an hour since Alu left. When Jin, Murakan, and Gilly walked back upstairs into the auction house, the agents respectfully greeted them.
¡°Jet, you can go home now.¡±
¡°Yes, sir. I will be waiting for you at the inn. Hehe, please do not forget my service.¡±
¡°¡®Service¡¯, my ass. You were going to rat us out.¡±
¡°Oh, please forget the past. Since I met Sir Beradin, I have been reborn as a new person.¡±
Jin shed a sarcastic smile.
¡°Yeah¡ Let¡¯s just forget the past, shall we? Big shot of Akin Jet, lend me your ear for a moment.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
As Jet offered his ear, Jin finally whispered.
¡°I am not Beradin Zipfel. So take your son and quickly escape this ce. If you can, go to the Vermont Empire. I assure you, that is the only way for you to survive.¡±
To Jet, it had to be a jaw-dropping truth.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 62: Tesing Underground Auction House (5)
Chapter 62: Tesing Underground Auction House (5)
¡®Wait, then who is that bastard? Is he part of the Vermont Special Forces, just like I guessed?¡¯
Jet was hastily running with his son peacefully sleeping in his arms. Luckily, the child remained sound asleep until they arrived at the dock.
¡®Dammit, my life is ruined. I was gonnand a position as an ountant in Akin.¡¯
His big dreams, everything he worked hard for; he had to leave them all behind.
¡®I didn¡¯t think that I would be running away.¡¯
Even until the moment he boarded the ship, he doubted his life decisions based on the words of a child he didn¡¯t even know.
Jet climbed into the starboard with a disappointed face and sifted through his pockets. He grabbed a heavy gold ne, a ring, and a handful of tiny gold pieces.
Keep this while you run away. Feed your son well.
Those were thest words Jet heard from Jin. He couldn¡¯t understand the child¡¯s intent of helping after impersonating Beradin and manipting Jet.
¡®Welp, I¡¯ll first get to Vermont and wait for the news.¡¯
Jet was clearly depressed.
* * *
BANG!
The auction house¡¯s agents woke up to the sound of someone busting a door open. Alu furiously stomped in with heavy breaths.
¡°That scamming fucker¡ªWhere is he?!¡±
¡°Huh? Boss, who do you mean?¡±
¡°Beradin Zipfel! That bloody impersonator of Beradin Zipfel! Bring him to me right now. I will peel his skin and kill him¡!¡±
¡°Wh-what do you mean by ¡®impersonator¡¯, boss? There¡¯s no way.¡±
All of the agents exchanged nces of cluelessness, as if uttering ¡®Did you know?¡¯ ¡®The hell if I did.¡¯
¡°Boss, th-they already left. About an hour ago.¡±
Alu was going to go insane from their stupidity.
p! p!
He pped each of his agents with his thick hand.
¡°You useless sons of bitches. You let that happen? You just let that happen?¡±
¡®But boss, you got tricked as well.¡¯
No one had the courage to point it out. Whenever Alu¡¯s eyes were in the back of his head, it was smarter to just stay silent.
¡°Boss, those guys¡ They took all of the customer registry and transaction records. They didn¡¯t take anything valuable from the basement though¡¡±
Alu was about to explode. As much as he wanted to ughter all of his workers, catching the impersonator was more important.
¡°Get ready to chase them down. We¡¯re catching those rat bastards before sunrise.¡±
* * *
Meanwhile, Jin had already sent the anonymous letter to three ces using postal magic. He sent it to the Vermont Imperial Family, Zipfel House, and the Akin Kingdom Press.
If the anonymous note only said ¡®Tesing is bad¡¯, then the three organizations wouldn¡¯t bat an eye.
However, Jin sent different pieces of evidence for each recipient. He sent the ve records to the Imperial Family, the transaction history to the Zipfels, and the customer registry to the press.
¡®The Vermont Imperial Family would take action after seeing that the majority of the ves in the Tesing underground were citizens of its empire. The Zipfels would get heated over all of the illegal transactions of valuable artifacts. Essentially, the Tesing n is doomed.¡¯
And of course, the Akin Kingdom Press would speak out after receiving the customer registry. Even though the press was under the Tesings¡¯ control, there were those who silently despised the n¡¯s business.
Now, the organizations just needed to read the information within two days. Then, the Tesing n would be obliterated and forgotten forever.
Despite the imminent downfall, Jin did not leave Akin. He and hispanions were waiting for Alu at the outskirts of the kingdom.
Jin needed to check if he has a connection with a Runcandel in any way.
¡°Kiddo, aren¡¯t you being too wary of Jet¡¯s words? You really think any of your siblings could get along with those lowly scums?¡±
¡°I agree, Young Master. There¡¯s no way a Runcandel would meet such people.¡±
¡°The Tesings themselves are not significant, but Alu is at least a 7-star. Thus, he is a man of significance.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t know anything from Alu¡¯s past aside from the fact that, at some point, he took control of the n and corrupted Akin.
¡°Hm¡ Well, we should at least thank him before we leave. Other than Tzenmi¡¯s magic tome, he also gave us a great masterpiece. I was pretty surprised when you came out of the basement with that ring.¡±
ording to Murakan, the ring artifact was not called the ¡®Helm of the Demon King¡¯, but instead was called ¡®Myulta¡¯s Rune¡¯.
Thousands of years ago, the demons of Myulta created this artifact in order to protect one of their great leaders from the never-ending battles.
And that great leader was the first emperor of Vermont.
¡°I honestly can¡¯t believe we found this in some sketchy basement. After everything is over, let¡¯s decipher and read through Tzenmi¡¯s magic tome.¡±
They waited for two hours.
Some timeter, a group of Tesing agents found the three sitting around a small fire.
¡°It¡¯s him! Report to the boss!¡±
Boom!
An agent fired a signal firework. However, they couldn¡¯t tantly attack the three targets. The impersonator was a child, but they remembered that he wielded at least 5-star magic.
It was a weird standoff.
Jin¡ªwho had no intention of running away¡ªnkly stared at the agents, and the agents were waiting for reinforcements.
¡°Murakan.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°I want to duel Alu.¡±
¡°You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me. So, you¡¯re telling me to deal with all of the peons?¡±
¡°Exactly.¡±
¡°Man, what a hassle¡¡±
While Murakanined, Alu arrived. He was soaked with sweat from running hastily.
Behind him were about a hundred underlings who were also panting from exhaustion.
The agents who were cautious of Jin became confident after the reinforcements¡¯ arrival.
¡°Y-You¡ motherfucker. The hell are you guys doing? Get him!¡±
¡°Wait here and guard our Strawberry Pie.¡±
Out of all the attacking agents, half of them were magicians, and the other half were mercenaries. The magicians started to cast their spells from afar, while the mercenaries charged at the enemy.
Unlike them, Murakan was basically naked. He only wore a thin shirt and had a small dagger in his hand.
Crack!
¡°Kurkk.¡±
However, despite hisck of gear, Murakan cracked the first attacker¡¯s jaw with his elbow and dashed into the crowd of mercenaries.
They weren¡¯t well-trained, but they weren¡¯t unskilled either. In the middle of the crowd, every time Murakan threw a punch, someone either died or fainted.
In the eyes of Alu and his bodyguards, Murakan looked like an invincible fighter.
¡°You fucking idiots! Attack the kid in the back, not him!¡±
The magicians changed their target after hearing Alu¡¯s screech. Jin scoffed at the sight of ineptitude.
¡°Fire!¡±
The lead magician shouted, and the magicians simultaneously raised their staves.
¡°Gilly, get behind me.¡±
Fwoooooosh.
They chose to fire the 3-star ice magic, Icicle Shot. Fifty icicles aimed for Jin and flew towards him.
However¡ª
¡®I don¡¯t even need to block this.¡¯
Thanks to Demonic Beast King Orgal¡¯s Pendant, Jin was immune to any spells that are 5-stars or lower.
Crackle¡ Crackle¡!
The icicles disintegrated before they could reach Jin. The spells of Tesing¡¯s unregistered magicians were blocked with a blink of an eye.
¡°Wh-What are those guys¡?¡±
¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡±
¡°Oof!
Murakan was already almost done with the peons. It didn¡¯t matter if there were fifty or a hundred¡ªpeons were peons. It was too easy for the Shadow Dragon.
Five minutes passed since the battle started.
The Tesing mercenaries were losing their will for battle. But their devastating defeat against the ones who tricked the n was not only because Jin and hispanions were strong.
After finding out that Jin was an impersonator, the agents of the Tesings¡¯ elite forces ran away.
They predicted that ¡®Alu was done for¡¯. Until now, the Zipfels had overlooked the Tesings¡¯ illegal activities. But after being tricked by the impersonator, they knew that the Tesing n would inevitably fall.
After sunrise, it was certain that the Zipfels would take action, so their escape was a wise choice.
At this point, Alu knew that his underground empire would soon fall.
¡°Hehehehe.¡±
Alu cracked a pained smile as his sword emitted a white aura.
¡°It seems that you guys aren¡¯t just any normal scammers.¡±
SCHICK!
Alu began to sh at his own magicians. They could not escape their crazy boss, so most of them immediately died on the spot.
¡°B-Boss, why are you doing thi¡ªAAACK!¡±
¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!¡±
Alu ughtered every single one of his minions with a straight face, living up to his ¡®Spiderhand¡¯ name.
¡°Who sent you guys? Who hired you in the first ce?¡±
He spoke with bloodshot eyes.
¡°You guys were gonna go to hell anyways. I¡¯m just alleviating the pain you would have felt.¡±
¡°That¡¯s true¡ but¡ª¡±
SLASH!
¡®He¡¯s fast!¡¯
Alu threw a dagger at Jin, barely missing his cheek. If Jin were a little slower, the dagger would have sliced his neck.
¡°But how unfortunate. I don¡¯t intend to go to hell alone. You guys areing with me.¡±
This was just the beginning.
There were 50 meters between Jin and Alu.
Jin felt the goosebumps traversing his body.
¡®As expected from a 7-star knight.¡¯
He had met countless 7-star knights, but this was the first time one tried to kill him. His throat dried from the pressure of the standoff.
The moment he drew his sword¡
¡°You finally met someone your size. I guess it is my turn to guard Strawberry Pie. Kuku, good luck!¡±
Murakan shouted at Jin as he ran away with Gilly on his back.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 63: Tesing Underground Auction House (6)
Chapter 63: Tesing Underground Auction House (6)
¡°You dare dodge my dagger? Pretty impressive agility for a magician. Or maybe it was luck?¡±
Alu thought that Jin was a magician; probably because Jin showed off 5-star magic when he impersonated Beradin Zipfel.
ng!
Alu quickly closed the gap between them and swung his sword.
His eyes widened, however, as Jin deflected it.
¡°So you weren¡¯t a magician?¡±
Bradamante glowed with an overflowing aura.
All Jin did was deflect Alu¡¯s attack, but it felt as if his bones rattled. Jin quickly backed off.
As soon as he widened the gap, Alu closed the distance once more. He could read all of Jin¡¯s movements.
¡°This is getting pretty annoying.¡±
sh!
The following shes ripped Jin¡¯s coat. Droplets of blood scattered into the air, but it wasn¡¯t a serious injury.
¡®He¡¯s fast. It probably isn¡¯t even his full power, but I¡¯m already getting tired.¡¯
The fight was proceeding as Alu nned.
It was unbelievable that Alu was this strong. Jin barely had time to react to each attack, constantly being pushed back.
At this point, Alu thought that the child was a knight.
¡®The spell he showed at the underground auction house was probably fake. Dammit, how could I fall for such a trick?!¡¯
He was pretty pissed at himself.
Even though he knew his opponent was not Beradin Zipfel, he controlled himself and attacked withposure. His enemy¡¯s rank was about 5-stars, but still, he couldn¡¯t assume anything.
And yet, despite that knowledge, Alu was not concerned about Jin. He was more worried about Murakan, who was shing a smile while watching them.
¡®I thought that guy was a minion. Why isn¡¯t he fighting?¡¯
After destroying dozens of Alu¡¯s men, Murakan just proceeded to stop fighting altogether. Alu didn¡¯t know the guy¡¯s intentions, but he wanted to think about it after killing Jin.
Murakan, on the other hand, enjoyed watching the young Runcandel struggle.
¡®I know you¡¯re pretty talented, but enough to challenge a 7-star? Yeah, right. I hope you learn something today, you audacious brat. Hehe.¡¯
Murakan smirked.
ng, ng!
The shing of Jin¡¯s and Alu¡¯s swords was music to his ears.
¡°Lord Murakan, are you not going to help? I understand that it was Young Master¡¯s orders, but he doesn¡¯t stand a chance against a 7-star.¡±
As Gilly said, Jin was barely staying alive. His dodges were on point, but his movements were definitely getting slower.
¡°It¡¯s alright, Strawberry Pie. That kid needs to know the value of life.¡±
¡°That¡¯s true.¡±
¡°And, my little Strawberry Pie, you think that kid will lose?¡±
¡°What?¡±
Murakan smirked.
It was fun watching Jin get constantly attacked, but Murakan already knew the oue of the fight.
¡°For the magic swordsmen of the Runcandel n¡¡±
Speak of the devil. As soon as Murakan began his sentence, Alu quickly backed off from Jin.
Fwoooosh!
From Jin¡¯s hand came a pir of me. It was the 5-star fire spell ¡®me Pir¡¯. More fiery pirs sted out from the ground.
¡°¡A 7-star knight is nothing.¡±
It was the first time Alu had backed off in a fight. His eyes widened.
¡°A m-magic swordsman?¡±
Alu tried his best to dodge or deflect the iing mes¡ªthey were very difficult to extinguish.
¡®There¡¯s no chance to react. Shit¡¡¯
Normal magicians needed some preparation time in order to fully cast a spell. One must gather up mana and then convert it into usable magic.
However, it was different for those who were more talented. Jin could gather and convert mana simultaneously at a ridiculous speed.
Additionally, because Jin was a ¡®Dual Caster¡¯, he could secretly prepare a spell without Alu¡¯s knowledge.
¡®My spells will be effective in this fight.¡¯
Jin felt pretty confident. A high-level spell out of nowhere would scare anyone¡ªeven a 7-star like Alu.
¡°You two-faced bitch!¡±
Alu shouted as he barely extinguished the fire off his clothes.
Jin already prepared the same spell, but he knew that the same attack wouldn¡¯t work twice.
¡®I¡¯ll use this spell again to make him piss his pants, and then I¡¯ll finish him off shortly afterwards.¡¯
It didn¡¯t matter how strong the opponent was.
As long as he held a few tricks up his sleeve, the oue of the battle would always be a fifty-fifty.
Win or lose.
That was how Jin maintained a 50% win rate throughout his battles against opponents who were stronger than him. Or at least before the world finds out he was a magic swordsman.
It was because he had mana and spirit energy. With only one spell using mana, Jin was able to scare the living daylights out of a 7-star knight. But if he also used his spirit energy¡
However, Jin did not intend to use it.
Bzzzzzzt!
Next came a lightning spell. Jin conjured the spell he used on the Moonlight Fountain, and a bolt of lightning struck the location he selected, illuminating the night sky.
Alu felt the imminent strike and quickly moved away, throwing his body to the side and releasing a volley of daggers after.
Zoom!
When a dagger brushed past Jin¡¯s shoulder, Alu thought that it was a chance to kill him.
However, Jin already expected more attacks after the flying daggers. He knew that dagger-users used that technique beforending a lethal blow.
The moment Jin lowered his body to dodge the rest, Alu nned to close the distance and strike his throat.
It was the perfect opportunity.
¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯
For a split second, Alu¡¯s legs overflowed with energy. There was an explosion as he pushed off the ground, leaving a crater in his wake.
His sword was aimed at Jin¡¯s neck. Whether it was by stabbing, or beheading, Alu was sure that Jin would be dead.
He never would have guessed that this entire situation was formted by Jin.
¡®I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t notice that I became vulnerable too easily.¡¯
On a normal asion, Alu would¡¯ve noticed this trick. He was a 7-star for a reason.
However, he was desperate.
Since it was his first time fighting a magic swordsman, he decided to end the fight as soon as possible. After all, the longer the fight, the more chances a magic swordsman had to attack their opponent with more spells.
Alu¡¯s sword was about to sh Jin¡¯s throat.
Gilly gulped.
Murakan knew it was Jin¡¯s victory.
¡®Summon Helm.¡¯
ng!
The sword was supposed to smoothly slide through, but it was halted by something instead. It was because Jin activated his newly acquired artifact, Myulta¡¯s Rune, to conjure a ck helm.
This was why every knight dreamt of owning Myulta¡¯s Rune. It was the only helm that couldpletely nullify a 7-star knight¡¯s strike¡ªthe only one in the world.
The helm deflected Alu¡¯s de, causing the man to lose his bnce. Jin took this opportunity.
sh!
Bradamante cut through Alu¡¯s shoulder.
¡°I guess it¡¯s over.¡±
Murakan shrugged. Gilly couldn¡¯t believe her eyes.
¡°Kuuuuuh¡¡±
He could¡¯ve stabbed his heart, but Jin stopped his sword. Barely breathing, Alu fell to the ground, and he was able to postpone his death a little longer.
Gurgle, gurgle.
Jin stared at Alu, who had a mouth bubbling with blood.
¡°Let me ask one more thing before I leave. I heard you had ties with the Runcandels.¡±
¡°Kukuku.¡±
Alu smirked and red at Jin, as if he were saying ¡®You¡¯re a Runcandel?¡¯
¡°Tell me. Name any Runcandel.¡±
¡°Hey, hey. Kiddo. You got it all wrong. You should¡¯ve pinned him down and then asked him. How is a dying guy gonna answer all your questions?¡±
Murakan walked towards Jin, shaking his head in disapproval. He was right, but Jin couldn¡¯t do anything about it.
It was probably impossible for him to pin down a 7-star knight.
¡°I¡ see. I get it. Jin¡ you bastard. Jin¡ Runcandel¡¡±
¡°I mean, the name ¡®Jin Grey¡¯ is prettymon nowadays. I guess it doesn¡¯t matter for a guy who¡¯s about to die.¡±
¡°Ptoo!¡±
Alu coughed as he spat out blood. And yet, he was smirking. For a while, Alu breathed coarsely while smiling creepily.
Then, he spoke.
¡°It doesn¡¯t matter¡ You¡ªYou can¡¯t stop him¡¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Even though he failed back then¡¡±
Those were hisst words. His eyelids lowered, and he no longer breathed.
¡°The fuck did he mean?¡±
¡°Young Master, are you alright?¡±
Murakan and Gilly spoke at the same time.
Jin lightly nodded, still confused about Alu¡¯s final words.
¡®He failed back then, and I can¡¯t stop him¡?¡¯
Of course, those were some words from a scummy thug. His words definitely implied some connection with a Runcandel, but they¡¯re not necessarily trustworthy words.
But if this man had ties with a Runcandel, the ¡®failure¡¯ he uttered would refer to ¡®ded Illusion¡¯, and the ¡®unstoppable entity¡¯ would be¡
¡®No way.¡¯
One name popped up in his head.
Runecandel¡¯s sessor, Joshua Runcandel.
¡®Alu means that I can¡¯t stop him. The only person who I can¡¯t stop is the man who would lead the n.¡¯
The entire world knew that Joshua would be the next Runcandel patriarch.
All of these realizations were still an assumption, but it was still unsettling.
¡°Spiderhand Alu. It probably isn¡¯t his real name.¡±
It was something he never thought of.
¡°Young Master, why do you bring that up?¡±
¡°I should find out. Because this guy seems to have ties with a Runcandel. It¡¯s also weird that a 7-star is running some sketchy side business.¡±
¡°Kiddo, there are 9-stars who run a bar their entire lives. I¡¯ve seen many like this corpse. One of your ancestors was like that.¡±
¡°It¡¯s the n I will soon lead. It¡¯d be nice to clean up some old history. Well, let¡¯s go. We should look for more informative people like Jet.¡±
The three then left the capital city of Akin.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 64: Tzenmi’s Magic (1)
Chapter 64: Tzenmi¡¯s Magic (1)
Volume 3 Chapter 64 ¨C Tzenmi¡¯s Magic (1)
Two men were frowning as they sat in a cramped room.
They had been talking with Jet for the past few hours.
¡°So let me get this straight, Mr. Jet. You¡ filled out this anonymous note for the prosperity of the citizens and the downfall of Akin.
¡°And you, who were mostly a lowly ountant, decided to betray your organization because you identally walked into the ve storage and was shocked by the atrocity?
¡°Moreover, among the documents you risked your life to take, there was also an ounting record of the magic tome auctions. And you thought it would be a way to copse the Tesing n from the inside, so you handed it over to the Zipfel n.
¡°And out of all of the different press media throughout Akin, you specifically chose the one that is against the Tesings¡¯ atrocities because you were interested in Akin¡¯s politics¡
¡°Lastly, since you are a mere harmless reporter, you want us to protect you in order to stay safe from Tesing¡¯s surviving forces¡ Is that what you mean?¡±
Jet frantically nodded.
¡°Precisely! Man, I tried to do some good deeds in order to live out my life. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m being treated like this. Please let me go. I¡¯m worried about my son.¡±
The two men let out a deep sigh.
They were part of the Vermont Criminal Investigation Team. After receiving the letter about the Tesing n¡¯s misdeeds, they caught Jet at the port and began an investigation.
As Jin expected, Jet had a strong survival instinct.
He listened to each word uttered by the investigators and responded with the most advantageous reply possible.
Talking about the Beradin impersonator wouldn¡¯t help him in this situation. He had to sugarcoat everything as an ¡°act of goodness¡± to gain witness protection.
The investigators were baffled.
¡®No matter how I look at it, there¡¯s no way this bastard acted upon moral values. He just wrote his name on the letter. He didn¡¯t draft the entire thing.¡¯
¡®It¡¯s probably the shady people who destroyed the Tesings. However, we don¡¯t need to chase the culprits around.¡¯
Instead of finding the true author of the letter, dering the bastard in front of them as the righteous hero would be much more convenient.
On top of that, apart from the initial letter, the handwriting from the ve records matched Jet¡¯s signature. At least he wrote the ve records himself to save the Vermont citizens.
The investigators shrugged.
¡°Alright, Mr. Jet. Honestly, you kinda look like some lowly scum, but we¡¯ll turn a blind eye on your lies since you are saving dozens of Akin citizens.¡±
¡°However, the Zipfels have already requested your testimony, so you have to cooperate with us.¡±
¡°The Zipfels are searching for me¡? No, no, no way. If I go there, I¡¯ll die.¡±
¡°Nothing will happen if you tell them what you told us. As long as your story stays consistent, the Vermont Criminal Investigation Team will keep you safe. Just go and tell them the story.¡±
¡°If they hear something different from us, then it gets really annoying. You have some time before you go to the Zipfels¡¯ investigation room, so go see your son and eat some food.¡±
An hourter, Jet followed the investigators to the investigation room.
Ultimately, he didn¡¯t say a single thing about the Beradin impersonator, and the Zipfel investigators couldn¡¯t kill him even though they knew that he was lying.
¡°Still, we can¡¯t make you a hero. The Zipfel n will take the credit for the downfall of the Tesings.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t care, as long as you promise to keep me alive and protect me.¡±
¡°I will hear the truth once I beat the crap out of the surviving Tesing agents. Leave. Also, don¡¯t think that the Vermont witness protection is perfect.¡±
* * *
The Tesing n was demolished.
Despite causing a ruckus, the threepanions didn¡¯t even get a bounty on their heads.
This wasn¡¯t the Zipfels¡¯ business. The destruction was unfortunate for those who lived off of Tesing¡¯s dirty money. However, if the Zipfels announced that they destroyed the Tesings, then they would gain more trust from the citizens of Akin.
Either way, for the Zipfels, the support gained from the people of a miniscule kingdom was equivalent to that of an ant.
¡°So the Zipfel n and Vermont Imperial Family would share the fame while you would rake in the true benefits.¡±
¡°Indeed. Myulta¡¯s Rune, Tzenmi¡¯s magic tome, and Schugiel Hister¡¯s magic tome are now in our hands. Also, I got to fight a 7-star knight.¡±
¡°Not all 7-stars are the same, Young Master. Please be more cautious in the future. A magic helm, magic, spirit energy, and swordsmanship¡ You¡¯re a great fighter. However, we can¡¯t always walk on a tightrope like this.¡±
¡°Of course. No matter how hard I try, I can¡¯t stand against actual opponents like you can, Gilly. I already know that. Still, I¡¯ll be more careful.¡±
For a few days, the three spent their time in a remote vige near Akin and observed the flow of events. With everything going as Jin predicted, Murakan and Gilly were astonished.
¡°Well, it looks like the Zipfels wouldn¡¯t be searching for us. We can travel to our next destination without too much pressure.¡±
¡°Where¡¯s our next stop?¡±
Jin already had a ce in mind.
¡°The Free City of Tikan.¡±
¡°Tikan?¡±
After experiencing their journey through Akin, the three felt the importance of having an information broker like Jet. They needed someone to give them valuable information about the area as they continued on their journey based on Gilly¡¯s and Murakan¡¯s memories.
Additionally, information about Vishukel Yvliano¡¯s, Kinzelo¡¯s, and Alu¡¯s true names; the prohibited magic in the Kollon Ruins; as well as other things.
There were many things they wanted to know. Moreover, territories weren¡¯t some ces one would just casually visit.
Tikan, the Free City, wasn¡¯t an exception.
¡®Once we get there, I should form rtions with Ghostde Kashimir.¡¯
Even in the present world, there weren¡¯t many who knew of Ghost de Kashimir. Many young Runcandel swordsmen begged him to be their teacher, but he always refused.
The reason being that he had a valuable intelligence agency known as ¡®Seven-Colored Peacock¡¯.
Excluding the intelligence agencies of the Runcandels, Zipfiels, and Vermont Imperial Family, the Seven-Colored Peacock was the next best information source. It would be the most useful source during a time before the Runcandels rose to power.
The agency was an incredible group of information brokers, but none knew that its leader was Kashimir.
He was also known as ¡®the Fallen Prince of Vermont¡¯ in the present world. To a regressor like Jin, it wasn¡¯t anything special, but the world was turned upside down when his status and identity were revealed.
¡®The seven information brokers that form the Seven-Colored Peacock were all loyal Vermont higher-ups. Along with Kashimir, they are a gathering of abandoned Vermont nobles.¡¯
Jin didn¡¯t know the entire story, but he knew that the Seven-Colored Peacock consisted of many useful people.
Ten yearster, the Fallen Prince Kashimir would be the first ruler of The Free City of Tikan.
Using the information that they gathered for decades, they wouldpromise sovereignty and the right to rule thend. They were beyond talented.
¡®Going to Tikan is easy. The problem is getting close to Kashimir.¡¯
Deeply in thought, Jin smirked.
¡®A small country needs power. I¡¯ll lure Kashimir to me with the thing he wants most.¡¯
The most stable way to strengthen a country is to erge its military force. This way, it can fight against invasions and build its infrastructure.
However, after earning its independence, Tikan remained as a mere small country.
Due to its small poption, the military force is small. There wasn¡¯t a great abundance in resources, so it couldn¡¯t even advance its technologies. It was a country reliant on ¡®information¡¯.
¡®If he seems reasonable, I¡¯ll ask him about the mirror artifact at the Kollon Ruins.¡¯
Of course, Jin couldn¡¯t show Kashimir an artifact that he doesn¡¯t have, nor could he exin its abilities.
Moreover, it all depended on Kashimir¡¯s aspirations for the army he had. Humans would naturally believe things they want to believe.
¡®Even if I obtain the mirror artifact, I don¡¯t intend to hand it to Kashimir. Though, I can share its healing effects. I¡¯ll show him Myulta¡¯s Rune and teach him the existence of these masterpieces. After that, I will slowly convince him to support me.¡¯
Not only that, Jin also nned to break the rule of not using the n¡¯s name as a provisional g-bearer. He had to introduce himself as a Runcandel to at least make Kashimir bat an eye.
¡°Why are youughing, kiddo? What kind of ce is Tikan? Never heard of it in my generation.¡±
¡°It¡¯s probably because of the information brokers, Lord Murakan. There is a massive intelligence agency called the Seven-Colored Peacock¡¡±
As Gilly continued to exin, Murakan shook his head.
¡°You¡¯re choosing abusable scapegoats, just like we used Jet. Not bad. Is that why you were so excited?¡±
¡°I wasughing because of the magic tome. By this time tomorrow, wouldn¡¯t the deciphering of Tezmi¡¯s magic tome be finished? I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±
¡°Yeah, wondering about that Tzenmi guy¡¯s magic got my stomach in knots. Seems to be light-type magic¡¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°I said it¡¯s light-type magic.¡±
¡°I remember that all light-type magic was forgotten after ancient times¡ Wait¡¡±
Jin shook his head. He already heard a few times that Tzenmi was a magician of Murakan¡¯s era.
Light magic.
It was the dream of all magicians of the present.
¡°What the fuck happened? To think that Tzenmi¡¯s tome was being tossed around in a sketchy, run-down underground auction house. If I were Tzenmi, I would¡¯ve crawled out of my grave.¡±
¡°What kind of person was Tzenmi?¡±
Murakan smirked at Jin for a few seconds.
¡°Fifteen hundred years ago, around five hundred renowned Zipfel magicians plotted to assassinate Tzenmi. But they all failed. Which is probably why no one¡ªincluding you¡ªknows of Tzenmi.¡±
It was simr to how they wiped any records of the Runcandels¡¯ magic swordsmanship to a clean te.
The Zipfel npletely erased Tzenmi¡¯s existence from the history books.
¡°It¡¯s their specialty. They erase any threat to them from the history books. If you hadn¡¯t awakened your spiritual energy, you would have ended up the same as Tzenmi. Forgotten.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 65: Tzenmi’s Magic (2)
Chapter 65: Tzenmi¡¯s Magic (2)
¡°Anyways, about that Tzenmi guy¡¡±
Murakan continued to ramble on about Tzenmi. It was a story so long, it would take a thousand years just to finish telling even its summarized version.
Jin¡¯s eyes sparkled as he listened to Murakan, and Gilly softlyy her eyes on Jin.
¡®At times like this, it¡¯s as if he¡¯s still a child.¡¯
And so, they left the vige for the Free City of Tikan.
Although there was no bounty on them, they couldn¡¯t go back to the capital and use a transfer gate due to the ruckus they caused.
Thus, they chose to ride a ship.
After travelling on a carriage for a day, they arrived at a port and contracted with the best ship on dock. Being offered arge sum of jewels and gold, the captain prepared to set sail.
¡°I am honoured to escort you.¡±
Crewmates were called out to deck, and they didn¡¯tin at the sight of many precious minerals.
¡°It will take one week at most to get to Tikan.¡±
The boat departed within an hour.
On the first day, Jin trained the release of his spiritual energy with the ocean wind blowing against his chest. If there wasn¡¯t anything to do, training was the way to go.
The fun part would start after Tzenmi¡¯s magic tome got fully deciphered.
¡°I wondered what light magic Tzenmi practiced. And it looks like some magic you need the most.¡±
¡°What is it? What is it?¡±
Jin, who was resting in his room, bolted to Murakan.
It was hard for him to contain his excitement. Murakan exined Tzenmi¡¯s strange magic techniques as destructive spells that made even dragons quiver in fear during their era.
Among the spells within the tome were one that dposed an opponent into light particles, a piercing spell that prated any shield or force field, and a spell that summoned a spirit of light.
There wasn¡¯t really a spell that was better than the others.
Murakanughed at Jin¡¯s excessive curiosity. Then, with a straight face, he spoke,
¡°Tzenmi called this spell Photon Cannon.¡±
¡°Photon Cannon! The spell that breaks down the opponent into particles of light¡¡±
¡°Nah. It¡¯s just a spell that instantly blinds someone. With a strong sh of light, that is.¡±
¡°Hm.¡±
Jin calmed down and nodded.
He then considered the effectiveness of Photon Cannon. It wasn¡¯t what he wanted, but it was definitely useful in some scenarios.
¡°It¡¯s perfect as a distraction for attacking or escaping.¡±
¡°Whoa, kiddo. You don¡¯t seem too disinterested.¡±
¡°It¡¯s probably in the magic tome because it has good use. But I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t disappointed. Still, it¡¯s indeed a spell that I may need the most.¡±
¡°Of course. It¡¯s easy to learn too. I deciphered it an hour ago and cast it as a test¡ Close the door for a sec. The curtains too.¡±
Seeing the darkness in the room during a bright afternoon felt bizarre.
¡°It doesn¡¯t necessarily need to be cast in the darkness, but it¡¯s a light spell. I¡¯ll demonstrate, so open your eyes wide and watch carefully.¡±
Sssssssss¡ª
In Murakan¡¯s right hand, mana started to gather and solidify. Naturally, Jin was staring intently at the mana sphere, awaiting some bright result. However, the ball of energy was drowned in ck.
¡°It¡¯s a light spell, so why is it ¡ª¡±
The moment he spoke, before the mana sphere dissipated and disappeared, there was a bright white light akin to hot, glowing steel. For a split second. The instant the light exploded, Jin reflexively flinched and let out a groan.
¡°Ugh!¡±
It was because of the blinding light that filled the room.
It was as if he were staring at the sun during the highest noon. The light felt like a giant needle prodding his retinas.
¡®I feel like my eyes will get swollen.¡¯
Photon Cannon was unleashed for only a second, yet being exposed for such a short time was enough to make one¡¯s eyes very weary. Jin opened his eyes and saw an afterimage¡ªa giant blob floating across his vision.
He really wanted to give Murakan a nice uppercut for telling him to ¡®watch carefully¡¯, but the strength of the spell gave him goosebumps.
¡®Incredible¡!¡¯
If he could cast this spell at will during a battle, fighting a stronger opponent wouldn¡¯t be a problem.
Including the scenarios where he would need to escape, the spell was useful in terms of offense and defense.
¡°From my knowledge, I¡¯m pretty sure this spell was Tzenmi¡¯s most prized spell. So, what do you think?¡±
¡°It¡¯s incredible. In fact, your cast wasn¡¯t even 30% of its true power, right?¡±
Jin knew without an exnation, making Murakan proud.
A shoddy demonstration right after deciphering.
Additionally, Murakan said that it was easy to learn, so Jin could master the spell by the end of the boat ride.
¡°With your talent, you could master it in two days. If you absorb the magic tome for the rest of the trip, then by the time we get to Tikan, you¡¯ll have a god-tier weapon under your belt.¡±
Even if Jin finished mastering these ¡®unique spells¡¯, he would still need to absorb the magic tome to enhance his general skills and abilities.
The process of absorbing a magic tome was simple. Jin just had to convert the cipher system into a rune and then cast the magic tome onto his body.
¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll make me deal with the rune conversion. Am I right, kiddo?¡±
¡°Mhm.¡±
¡°How do you expect to repay me for that kind of debt?¡±
Jin immediately started to learn Photon Cannon. Murakan said it would take him two days, but mastering the theory of the spell didn¡¯t even require a day.
¡®It¡¯s the most incredible spell I¡¯ve ever seen. Such a sophisticated and simple spell, yet so powerful.¡¯
However, the spell was simple for a reason. Moreover, even though all of the magicians in the world attempted the simple spell, not many were able to use it.
Photon Cannon required insane levels of mana and mana control that only talented magicians had.
sh!
Although the resulting light was not as brilliant as Murakan¡¯s shoddy demonstration, Jin understood the spell as soon as he tried it.
He felt weak and dizzy, but he smiled in the light of sess.
¡®The caster is not affected by the lighting from the spell.¡¯
There was a big difference between the light emitted by the spell and the surrounding natural light. Jin could stare at the sh, but it still wouldn¡¯t affect his vision.
¡°Hey, kiddo.¡±
Four dayster, Murakan finished the rune conversion and asked Jin,
¡°Schugiel Hister or whatever¡¯s magic tome. I can¡¯t decipher it. I think it¡¯s just regr garbage. Wanna use it as kindling?¡±
¡°Kindling?¡±
¡°I¡¯m just pissed. This stupid-ass code¡¯s annoying me, the great Murakan.¡±
Jin was about to say that it was a code from his fond memories.
But instead, he just smiled.
¡®I was originally gonna decipher it myself and use it¡ But I¡¯ll just find my teacher and have them teach it to me instead.¡¯
Jin¡¯s master spent their entire life recovering the magic spells of Hister. Although it was a rtionship in his past life, Jin always felt indebted to his teacher.
¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find many great spells if we find a good decoder. I just feel it. So don¡¯t fuss over it, and just give it to Gilly.¡±
¡°You little brat. You could burn my precious magazines any time, but this old book¡¡±
¡°Speak some sense, O Great ck Dragon. If you¡¯re done with the rune conversion of Tzenmi¡¯s magic tome, just cast it on me.¡±
Murakan scoffed.
¡°Ha! Strawberry Pie and I¡ªwe¡¯re no different from ves. Ever heard of a wicked master who got stabbed and killed by a ve?¡±
¡°My bad. Unfortunately, growing up as a Runcandel made me like this.¡±
Murakan began to cast the magic tome on Jin¡¯s back. The text in the magic tome began to glow ande off the pages.
Murakan slowly moved the glowing text towards Jin¡¯s left shoulder de, and the magic tome¡¯s text was printed onto Jin¡¯s back. It emitted an eerie glow¡ªlike a special tattoo.
¡°Damn, I wanted to cast it on your ass, or even your di¡ª¡±
¡°Enough with the unfunny jokes. Let¡¯s see what changed.¡±
As soon as the text sank into Jin¡¯s skin, his understanding of Photon Cannon increased rapidly. The absorption of Tzenmi¡¯s tome seemed to have stimted his abilities.
¡®Photon Cannon.¡¯
Fwoooosh!
The spell was cast, and the entire room was bathed in white. The ardent light pierced through the curtains and was seen on the deck.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.
The captain¡ªwho was surprised by the light¡ªrushed into the guest room.
¡°Sir, did anything happen? There was a light¡!¡±
Jin and Murakan looked at the captain and simultaneously denied.
¡°Light? What light?¡±
¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing. I presume you were hallucinating.¡±
The captain didn¡¯t need to know that they just practiced an ancient light spell.
* * *
The boat arrived in the Free City of Tikan on the 2nd of July, 1795.
To show his appreciation for the satisfactory trip, Jin tipped the captain, then passed the city gates with his fake identification. When passing the gate, Murakan temporarily transformed into a cat.
¡°Meow.¡±
In Gilly¡¯s arms, Murakan shook his head.
¡°The atmosphere in Tikan and Akin arepletely different, Young Master.¡±
¡°Yeah, you can feel the energy and enthusiasm wherever we go.¡±
As opposed to its amazing scenery, Akin was filled with hopeless people. In Tikan, on the other hand, the ocean was always in view wherever they looked.
It was because of the city¡¯s uniquendform. The entire ind had a single horn-shaped tower with ten floors.
Instead of ¡®Free City¡¯, calling it a ¡®Tower¡¯ was more fitting. It was a name that held the dreams of the initial founders.
¡°Young Master, shall we first find a ce to stay?¡±
Poof!
Jin almost tripped when Murakan suddenly returned to his normal form and spoke.
¡°You won¡¯t just go to a ramshackle inn and abuse the hell out of the owner likest time, right?¡±
¡°Murakan, you know how many people are here? Transforming in the middle of a city¡¡±
Although Tikan had a small poption, the density was high. Transforming in the middle of the road was an easy way to lose anonymity.
Gilly tried to add to Jin¡¯s scolding, but Murakan shook his head.
¡°Humans never pay attention to strangers. Haha, no one probably saw.¡±
They scouted the area, and it seemed like it was the case. Everybody walked with busy footsteps, and even in an open area, no one seemed to care about the three.
¡°Uhh¡¡±
However, it only ¡®seemed¡¯ as if nobody cared.
¡°A cat¡ turned into a man.¡±
Startled, Jin, Murakan, and Gilly turned their heads towards the voice.
¡°How did you do that?¡±
While holding a small dragon plushie, a small girl stared at them.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 66: Ghostblade Kashimir (1)
Chapter 66: Ghostde Kashimir (1)
¡°¡How is it?¡±
¡°Mm! It¡¯s good, sir.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not that old¡¡±
Being called ¡®sir¡¯ at the age of 15 was harsh.
¡°Sir is right.¡±
Jin cracked an awkward smile and shrugged.
They bought some ice cream for the girl with the dragon plushie. Although watching her happily eat the cold treat was cute¡
¡®How the hell do we deal with her?¡¯
While evaluating the situation, Murakan got tense and clenched his fist.
Gilly was furious¡ªher expression cold as stone. Whenever the little girl looked at her, however, she shed a bright smile.
Thankfully, it was only a little girl who witnessed Murakan¡¯s transformation.
Thank goodness.
¡®What if it was a group of adults and not a little kid? The Zipfels would have put a bounty on me immediately.¡¯
Murakan learned from this experience. Indeed, humans often didn¡¯t care about others¡¯ businesses, but he promised to be careful when transforming.
Jin sighed as he stared at a hunched-over Murakan who was racked with guilt.
¡®Damn¡ As bad as it is for us, it¡¯s worse for him. After all, he was a grand ck dragon who didn¡¯t need to care about people¡¯s gazes.¡¯
It had been five years since he broke out of the ss coffin in the Storm Castle¡¯s underground chamber.
Murakan¡¯s emotions hadn¡¯t changed even from before his slumber a thousand years ago. Although he wanted to cause mass destruction, he patiently held in his urges and matched the behaviour Jin expected of him.
Excluding the several rowdy moments at the Storm Castle and Garden of Swords, the shadow dragon suppressed his emotions well.
¡®If I think about it like that, I kinda feel sorry.¡¯
Jin bought more ice cream and gave it to Murakan. Without a word, Murakan received the treat and smiled. Gilly exploded intoughter.
Oblivious to what was happening, the little girl grinned.
¡°Then is that guy not a cat?¡±
¡°Yeah, I guess Euria is seeing things.¡±
¡°Euria isn¡¯t seeing things! That guy is cat. You are not cat.¡±
¡°Haha, you like cats?¡±
Jin and hispanions were sitting on a bench, watching the cute kid eat ice cream. Her name was Euria.
¡°Mmmm¡¡±
¡°Euria, do you know the way home?¡±
¡°No, Euria don¡¯t know.¡±
They listened to her story and concluded that her parents lost her in the crowd, and she encountered Jin while wandering the streets.
So, the three decided to find the child¡¯s parents. They didn¡¯t have any immediate objectives anyways.
Twenty minutes passed, and the child¡¯s parents never showed up.
¡°Young Master, shouldn¡¯t we take her over to the guards at a nearby garrison? Technically, we aren¡¯t obliged to solve this problem.¡±
¡°That would be good. Did you finish your ice cre¡ª¡±
As soon as she heard ¡®guards¡¯, Euria frowned.
¡°I don¡¯t like there. Make mommy tired.¡±
¡°The garrison makes your mother tired?¡±
¡°Ya, that ce make mommy very tired.¡±
At that moment, a million thoughts went through their heads.
¡®Is she being exploited?¡¯
¡®Is her mother a criminal?¡¯
There weren¡¯t many interpretations of the girl¡¯s words.
After a bit of thinking, they still agreed that taking her to the guards was the best conclusion. Euria pouted then epted her fate.
¡°What a nice child, Young Master. There was a time when Young Master was also¡ Hmmm, never mind. Haha.¡±
Finding the way to the garrison wasn¡¯t hard. Living up to its name, the Free City did not have anyone who was scared of outsiders.
The garrison looked immacte, with ¡®The Free City of Tikan Central Defense Force¡¯ written neatly on the white walls.
Jin liked the presence of a central defense force. Whatever issue existed, dealing with problems at a big organization was easier.
¡°Tikan Central Defense Force. How may we help you?¡±
¡°Oh, uh, this child¡¡±
¡°Oh, it¡¯s Euria. Hey, guys, bring the chief.¡±
¡°Do you know this girl?¡±
¡°Haha, more than just know. She¡¯s the chief¡¯s daughter.¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
Euria, who apparently hated the garrison, was being treated like a princess.
So that¡¯s what she meant when she said the garrison made her mother tired. The three of them smiled simultaneously.
¡°Hey, kid. You dare fool the great Murakan?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t fool you, cat man.¡±
¡°I said I wasn¡¯t a cat.¡±
Clomp, clomp.
A tall woman walked towards them. She looked at least 2 meters tall with broad shoulders and had a knife scar on her left eye.
It wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if she operated several dark organizations like Tesing, but she was wearing a military uniform. It was hard to miss the shy ¡®chief¡¯ badge.
The woman embraced Euria before picking her up.
¡°Haha, Euria. My bad, my bad. Mom remembered she had some work to do, so I rushed back and identally forgot about you.¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±
¡°Of course it¡¯s okay. The people in this city know that if they mess with you, they¡¯ll go to the sky world. Or they¡¯ll never see the sky again.¡±
She was throwing violent jokes in front of a 5-year-old, but the words were filled with love and affection.
The three spectators were at a loss for words.
¡°You guys brought Euria? My apologies. I am Tikan¡¯s Chief of Defense, Alisa Betzer.¡±
They exchanged handshakes.
¡°Tourists, I see. It seems that I was a little careless since I knew that the citizens knew Euria well.¡±
¡°No, no. It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s a relief that she¡¯s your daughter. We were worried that it would take longer to find her parents.¡±
¡°Oh, it seems that you also ate some ice cream. Euria, make sure to thank them. Good girl. Anyways, thank you very much. How may I return the favor?¡±
¡°If there are any good inns nearby, it would be great if you could rmend some. We just arrived¡ ¡°
¡°Oh, a ce to stay? Hold on. Euria, what did you say?¡±
Whispers.
Alisa bent over and lent her ear to Euria, who then began to whisper.
Alisa thought for a moment, wrote something on a piece of paper, stamped it, and handed it to Jin. It was a simple letter.
¡°It¡¯s an introductory letter with the Chief of Defense¡¯s seal. Wherever you go, if you show them this pass, then you will be treated with the utmost respect. The provided food will change as well.¡±
¡°That¡¯s amazing. It will be of good use. We shall leave now.¡±
The three left the building, and Alisa shrugged her shoulders.
¡°Euria, you really saw a cat turn into that man?¡±
¡°Mm, but they didn¡¯t want to share it. So I guess they didn¡¯t tell you.¡±
Alisa patted Euria¡¯s head.
¡°Alright, everyone has their secrets.¡±
And then she thought:
¡®Transformation¡ Only dragons can do that. And there¡¯s no way Euria is lying. I must ask Kashimir.¡¯
* * *
The power of Tikan¡¯s Chief of Defense¡¯s pass was beyond their expectations.
Jin chose the most luxurious inn in the outskirts of the city. When he showed the pass to the receptionist, employees were summoned to escort them, and all kinds of services were discounted.
On top of that, they were offered the most luxurious room without a reservation. Jin, Murakan, and Gilly were finally able to restfortably.
¡°Wow. We¡¯ve only experienced this kind of treatment in Huphester. Isn¡¯t nepotism great?¡±
¡°The cushioned bed is great, kiddo. Our living space needs to be more like this. Our ce in Akin was a pain in the ass.¡±
¡°I have a good feeling about this ce, seeing the great fortune we got as soon as we came. Oh my, the cocktails and saut¨¦ed shrimp are delicious. Young Master, have a taste. Can we order some more?¡±
¡°My goodness, Gilly. No need to ask. Just order more.¡±
Their visit felt like a vacation trip.
¡®This is new.¡¯
The three have been together since their days at the Storm Castle, but it was their first time experiencing this kind of hospitality.
Gilly seemed to be especially happy, for she was constantly singing and humming a tune. Seeing her indulge in thevish goods, Jin felt pity.
¡®She likes this stuff so much. As soon as she became a fairdy, she got stuck with me. No time to y, no time for herself.¡¯
He wouldn¡¯t have made Gilly go through this in his past life. In fact, he wouldn¡¯t make anybody in the n experience this kind of abject deprivation. Even if they weren¡¯t pureblood Runcandels.
Was this lifestyle truly for Gilly? Was it righteous to let her live her life from here?
For a moment, he considered letting Gilly go.
¡°Gilly.¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master?¡±
¡°Have you ever regretted apanying me?¡±
Gilly halted her humming and movements and stared at Jin. She knew exactly why he posed this question.
¡°Not once in my life. This kind of joy is meaningless if not spent with you, Young Master. Oh, including Lord Murakan. Though, he is definitely annoying at times.¡±
¡°On that note, let me ask you, Strawberry Pie. Why do you remain stuck to the Runcandels? You don¡¯t seek treasures like that Emma person, nor do you want political power.¡±
Jin was thankful that Murakan joined the conversation. He didn¡¯t know how to respond to Gilly¡¯s heartwarming response.
¡°Uhm¡ that¡¯s¡¡±
¡°Did I catch onto somethin¡¯? Or do you feel indebted to the n for life? Your dedication definitely has some ulterior motive.¡±
¡°May I share regarding this topic at ater time?¡±
¡°When are you gonna tell us, huh? Strawberry Pie?¡±
¡°When I be old and senile, perhaps?¡±
¡°That¡¯s not too far in the future. I can wait until then, but you¡¯ll have to tell us why.¡±
Gilly meant that response as a joke, but Murakan took her seriously. Realistically speaking, a few decades of her life was nothing to Murakan.
¡°Haha, I guess I¡¯ll order some more shrimp.¡±
Once Gilly left the room, Murakan called Jin over.
¡°Hey, kid.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a blessed life.¡±
¡°Agreed.¡±
Not long after leaving, Gilly returned to their quarters.
However, her startled face didn¡¯t look as if she had ordered more shrimps.
¡°Young Master, Lord Murakan, something¡¯s not right. There¡¯s not a single person in sight in the lobby.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Employees, and guests included, all seemed to have cleared the building. Something¡¡±
Clunk, clunk, clunk.
At that moment, dozens of footsteps resounded from the hallway, approaching their vicinity. It was definitely the sound of marching soldiers equipped with steel boots.
The stomping stopped at their door. Then, a more quiet pair of footsteps approached it.
A man entered the opened door.
Murakan was clueless about the man¡¯s identity, but their visitor was a famous swordsman that Jin and Gilly knew.
¡°Hello there.¡±
It was Ghostde Kashimir.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 67: Ghostblade Kashimir (2)
Chapter 67: Ghostde Kashimir (2)
Meeting Kashimir was their main objective foring to Tikan. However, they struggled to find a way to meet him.
But to think that he woulde straight to their doorstep. Quite the unexpected turn of events.
¡°What¡¯s this?¡±
Naturally, Jin stepped in front of Gilly and Murakan.
Kashimir leaned on the doorway and shrugged his shoulders. It was hard to miss the scimitar on his waist. It was a curved de that ughtered hundreds of strong opponents before its owner was given the name ¡®Ghostde¡¯.
¡°Oh my. Did I disturb your peaceful break?¡±
Murakan¡ªwho was amused by the situation¡ªsmirked. Jin thought about why Kashimir came to them.
¡®There¡¯s no way he knows about our business in Akin. It seems the chief of defense leaked our general location, and the inn owner saw our pass and contacted her.¡¯
But why?
They just arrived in Tikan and have only been in the city for a grand total of two hours. They didn¡¯t do anything in particr¡ªjust spent some quality quiet time.
There was no reason for Kashimir to be interested in them.
Then he remembered their encounter with Euria.
¡®Unless¡? What if Euria told Alisa about Murakan¡¯s transformation, and knowing that transformation is an ability only dragons have, Alisa reported it to Kashimir?¡¯
Certain of the possibility, Jin began to formte the scenarios in his head.
¡®If he was convinced by a 5-year-old who witnessed it and believes that we are dragons, it means that he¡¯s desperate. As a close acquaintance, the chief of defense probably knows this as well.¡¯
It didn¡¯t seem like a horrible situation, though.
¡®The armoured knights outside don¡¯t seem to intend to threaten us. They were brought to prepare for a possible fight against a dragon. If not, there¡¯s no reason to keep them outside. They would¡¯vee into the room if they wanted to scare us.¡¯
Jin realized that Kashimir evacuated the people inside the inn for the same reason.
¡®Probably evacuated not only the inn, but the surrounding area as well. Causing a dragon¡¯s rage because of this encounter would devastate the vicinity.¡¯
It didn¡¯t even take a few seconds to evaluate the situation. Their short stay in Tikan easily narrowed down all of the possibilities.
At this point, Jin thought he could safely approach Kashimir. In addition to not knowing that Murakan was the dragon, he mobilized the troops outside and evacuated everyone. His preparation was immacte.
However, he made one small mistake.
¡°¡®Oh my¡¯, my ass. You bitch. You talking like that to me? Do you know who I am?
¡°Wh-what?¡±
¡°So fucking annoying. You think the world is so easy just because you have a cool weapon on your ass and some goons to drag around?¡±
Kashimir didn¡¯t greet them¡ªmore specifically, Murakan¡ªrespectfully.
Murakan continued to spit swears and curses, and Kashimir was startled.
It was a widely known fact that dragons didn¡¯t have the greatest personalities.
Kashimir should have known this, but he just nonchntly greeted Murakan anyways. Though he was the Fallen Prince, was his attitude because he had been part of the Vermont Imperial Family?
Regardless, Murakan was on the nicer side amongst the nasty dragons.
¡°Who do you think you are, messing up the nice mood. I¡¯m asking you, you mongrel. Do you know who I am? Answer me.¡±
¡°I¡ don¡¯t know.¡±
Kashimir¡¯s handsome profile was ruined as he answered Murakan. He seemed to be very shocked.
At that moment, he was certain that Murakan was the dragon. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t stand still like a scarecrow after being brutally humiliated.
¡°Oh, is there a lump of gold stuck in your throat? You¡¯re still not talking, you dumbass dog. C¡¯mere. Get your ass over here. People like you need a nice beating to get into the right mind¡¡±
Despite telling Kashimir toe to him, Murakan stomped towards the other man.
Kashimir shivered in fear as he slowly backed away. Jin wanted tough at the sight.
¡°Murakan, calm down. Rx. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±
Jin softly stopped Murakan. The dragon then stood still, eyes fixed on Kashimir. He would¡¯ve spun the other¡¯s jaw multiple times if he hadn¡¯t been stopped.
There were three reasons why Murakan was pissed.
The biggest reason was because he made his poor Strawberry Pie feel threatened, and then it was a split between him disturbing their peace andcking respect.
Barely catching his breath, Kashimir cleared his throat.
¡°Ehem! My apologies. It seems I was insolent. I did not intend to aggravate you, so please, I humbly request your forgiveness.¡±
¡°Sir Ghostde Kashimir.¡±
¡°Uh, pardon me, but you know who I am?¡±
¡°How would I not? I¡¯ve been wanting to meet the glorious ruler of Tikan.¡±
Jin¡¯s demeanor was much calmer than Murakan¡¯s. Kashimir cleared his mind and avoided Murakan¡¯s gaze.
¡°I didn¡¯t know that you would suddenly visit like this. Maybe because of a certain cat?¡±
Hearing this, Kashimir regained hisposure and the sharpness in his eyes. He overcame his trauma when he remembered what he originally came for.
¡°And your name is?¡±
¡°It¡¯s Jin Runcandel.¡±
Without hesitation, he said his real name. Gilly¡ªwho stood behind him¡ªcovered her mouth. Murakan was also slightly surprised.
Someone identifying as a Runcandel heir was an asion out of their control, but revealing his own identity should¡¯ve been avoided at all costs.
Of course, the one who was surprised the most was Kashimir.
¡°If you had attended the banquet not so long ago, then I¡¯m sure we would have met beforehand. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Kashimir.¡±
Kashimir slightly smiled.
¡®So he¡¯s Jin Runcandel¡ After revealing that man as the dragon, the boy just reveals himself. Was there even a case where the Runcandels and dragons got along?¡¯
ording to his knowledge, it was impossible. Since ancient times, dragons only formed rtions with magicians who either contracted with gods or have special abilities.
¡®That frivolous man is the dragon. His speech and tone was like a back-alley thug, but the momentary pressure and threat he gave off was immense.¡¯
Analyzing the crew in front of him, Kashimir naturally turned his eyes towards Gilly.
¡®And isn¡¯t that woman Gilly McRn?¡¯
Before being deemed the Fallen Prince, he had seen some of the McRns at the Vermont Imperial Pce.
Although he didn¡¯t remember Gilly precisely, he had a vivid memory of a young Gilly disying a w¡¯s potent power at a training academy.
And there was no doubt about it. The boy in front of him was a Runcandel. Though, he couldn¡¯t understand why Jin was being apanied by a dragon.
¡°It¡¯s a long story. Sir Kashimir, please take a seat.¡±
Kashimir ordered the soldiers to clear the area. In his position, it was a dangerous move, but he acted out of pacifism to gain the favour of the dragon.
Murakan, however, was still annoyed.
Respecting Jin¡¯s decision, Gilly set three goblets on the table. Murakan was forced to follow the kid¡¯s agenda.
Glug, glug.
Jin poured some wine into Kashimir¡¯s goblet.
¡°Young Master Jin, does your n know of your whereabouts with a dragon? I¡¯ve never thought of a Runcandel and a dragon working together.¡±
¡°The n does not know.¡±
¡°You¡¯re telling me a risky secret like it¡¯s nothing.¡±
¡°Because you just sent your soldiers away. If things don¡¯t go as I nned, and depending on the oue of this conversation, we can just get rid of you.¡±
Kashimir assumed that Jin was joking and awkwardlyughed.
¡°I guess we didn¡¯t give Euria enough ice cream. If we knew this would happen, we would¡¯ve bought her better stuff. I guess Sir Kashimir and Alisa really trust Euria? Seeing that you acted upon the child¡¯s seemingly fake story¡¡±
¡°And since Young Master Jin shared a ndestine secret, I will share one as well. Euria is my daughter. There is no reason for me not to trust her.¡±
Kashimir looked robust, but he definitely wasckingpared to Alisa. However, picturing the two next to each other, they do look nice together¡
¡®No, that¡¯s not important right now.¡¯
Jin nodded and continued to speak,
¡°I have never heard news of Sir Kashimir having a daughter.¡±
As if that information wasn¡¯t enough, Kashimir added to his words.
¡°And my daughter contracted with Az Mil.¡±
¡°By Az Mil, you mean¡¡±
¡°Yes, the God of Sight, Az Mil.¡±
Jin finally understood why Kashimir and Alisa trusted Euria¡¯s absurd story.
Anyone who contracted with the God of Sight would never be ¡®seeing things¡¯. There was no such thing as hallucinations for them.
¡°I think my secret is of equivalent weight to yours.¡±
¡ªMy daughter contracted with Az Mil.
Revealing such truth required a great sum of courage. Az Mil¡¯s contractor not only gained the ¡®Absolute Eye¡¯ that enables them to see the truth behind everything, but also the ¡®All-Seeing Eye¡¯ which allows them to see a vision of the future.
All of the rulers and leaders in the world searched for the one who contracted with Az Mil with the hopes and greed of avoiding the uncertainty of the future.
Which is why most of Az Mil¡¯s contractors were abused and taken advantage of, living the rest of their life in misery.
Especially with the extremity of the Zipfels¡¯ and the Vermont Imperial Family¡¯s actions. Everyone knew that they wanted to keep the contractor by their side ¡®by all means¡¯.
¡°Wait, you mongrel. If that kid is Az¡¯s contractor, then where¡¯s the dragon? I didn¡¯t sense any presence of a dragon in this city. It¡¯s well known that Az¡¯s dragons take really good care of the contractors.¡±
Engaged in the conversation, Murakan sat in a chair, which settled the mood. Combining the dragon¡¯s words with the image of Euria holding onto a dragon doll, Jin finally deduced why Kashimir came to them.
¡®For some reason, the dragon disappeared. That¡¯s why he urgently came here after hearing of another dragon¡¯s presence.¡¯
Kashimir¡¯s face dimmed.
¡°¡Euria¡¯s guardian dragon suddenly disappeared about a year ago. I think that either the Vermont Imperial Family or the Zipfels are at fault, but it¡¯s just a hunch.¡±
¡°What kind of stupid dragon would get kidnapped just like that? At least speak some sense¡¡±
Murakan paused, then his eyes widened.
¡°Wait, it¡¯s been a year? And your daughter¡ is 5?¡±
¡°Indeed.¡±
Kashimir dropped his head, holding a hopeless and mncholic expression as he thought of the day he lost his friend and creating a doll for his daughter tomemorate them.
But right now, losing an acquaintance was the least of Kashimir¡¯s concerns.
¡°Then that means your daughter is constantly looking into the future! A young contractor can¡¯t control their abilities without their dragon. Holy shit, she probably saw my transformation from a vision.¡±
¡°Pardon? Euria is constantly looking into the future?¡±
¡°A measly human like you wouldn¡¯t understand. Witnessing the future inflicts so much mental strain¡ªeven for a dragon. Right now, your daughter is so young. She can¡¯t differentiate between fantasy and reality.¡±
¡°Wh-What do you¡¡±
¡°At this rate, your daughter will go crazy and be bedridden forever. After one or two years, she will slowly feel exhausted, and it just snowballs from there. It bes impossible to stop. We must find that dragon.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 68: Ghostblade Kashimir (3)
Chapter 68: Ghostde Kashimir (3)
Kashimir¡¯s eyes went bloodshot. Anyone would get shocked after hearing that their daughter would be bedridden for life.
¡°Murakan, what do you mean by that? That kid will be bedridden? borate.¡±
Jin¡¯s chest felt heavy. He felt his stomach sink at the thought of a horrible fate for a small, innocent child.
¡°You humans think that irvoyance is miraculous and extraordinary, but that is only one side of the coin. The moment you make a contract with Az Mil, you lose the ability to change the future.¡±
Murakan continued to exin the ¡®causation principle¡¯.
¡°If one sees the future, they must follow it. No matter what. When you begin to act against it, Az Mil will begin to condemn you.¡±
Even though they want to alter their actions, thought processes, or decisions based upon the future, Az Mil¡¯s contractors must abide by their fate.
Thus, even if they see in the future that their brother was going to get assassinated, they must not tell him or go stop the assassination.
Since everyone in the room deduced the near future, the ¡®causation principle¡¯ applied to them as well. However, even though they try to change the future, Az Mil punishes the contractor regardless.
¡°If they disobey the ¡®causation principle¡¯, the contractor will receive death as their punishment. Your daughter has been living in a different world than you and me. She¡¯s basically living a pre-nned life.¡±
¡°I-I can¡¯t believe it. I¡¯ve never heard of that before.¡±
¡°Of course not. It isn¡¯t well known even amongst the dragons.¡±
¡°Then about Euria¡¯s discovery of your transformation¡ If she was destined to meet you, what does that mean?¡±
¡°That it was from a prophecy. What are the chances of meeting Az Mil¡¯s contractor in a big city like this? Az Mil probably set us up to offer the helpless girl some assistance because she lost her dragon. Essentially, Az Mil is requesting help.¡±
¡°A god is asking some humans for a favour?¡±
¡°For a dragon and two humans, that is. I can¡¯t exactly pinpoint Az Mil¡¯s intentions of intervention, but I¡¯m probably right. A coincidental encounter seems very improbable.¡±
Kashimir, speechless, shook his head, and Jin thought about the little girl.
The All-Seeing Eye that could see into the future, and the Absolute Eye that could see the truth behind everything in the world.
¡®Calling me ¡®sir¡¯¡ Did she see me before I regressed?¡¯
Now that he thought about the possibility, goosebumps crawled all over Jin¡¯s body.
¡°Either way, we need to find the dragon and return it to her side.¡±
¡°¡O Great Dragon, it is not known to the world, but I am the leader of the information broker agency, ¡®Seven-Colored Peacock¡¯. We have many skillful workers, but for the past year, we did not find any news about Euria¡¯s guardian dragon.¡±
¡°The Seven-Colored Peacock is yours? I can see why Az Mil is messing with our world. We came to Tikan to use the Seven-Colored Peacock¡¯s information anyways.¡±
To Kashimir, Murakan¡¯s words were like a beam of light through a cloudy sky. Instead of just requesting for upensated help from a dragon, he could offer his services to sessfully seal the deal.
Thump!
Kashimir fell to his knees and lowered his head.
¡°O Great Dragon, I humbly beg for your assistance. I will do anything for my daughter. I would even offer you the entirety of the Seven-Colored Peacock.¡±
Normally, Kashimir was a veryposed man. Although he was kicked out, as a former member of the Vermont Imperial Family, his sense of pride and self-esteem were very strong.
However, this was a situation in which his daughter¡¯s life was on the line. Although they were not backed with any evidence, Kashimir didn¡¯t doubt a single word uttered by the dragon, desperation filling his senses.
After all, he was in the presence of a dragon and a Runcandel; they would not lie as it would soil their name.
Surprised, Gilly blinked, and Jin¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°I want to help out, but I don¡¯t make the final decision.¡±
¡°Pardon?¡±
¡°You hafta ask this kid. Whatever we do, it¡¯s this little fe that decides everything. So, what are we gonna do, kiddo?¡±
Normally, a dragon and its god¡¯s contractor usually have a somewhat ¡®equivalent rtionship¡¯, but the contractor does havemand over the dragon. Essentially, the dragon has a sense of independence.
No matter how close the dragon is to the contractor, the dragon does not forget its principles. Kashimir knew of this principle, and from it, he realized that Jin wasn¡¯t just any Runcandel.
¡°Please offer your assistance, Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°Please stand up, Sir Kashimir. Though we¡¯ve only just met, the life of a child is on the line. epting the request is not a problem.¡±
Jin helped Kashimir onto his feet.
The man¡¯s eyes were filled with tears. Jin could feel his anxiety and frustration.
¡°Sir Kashimir, I understand that you are nervous, but let us keep our calm. Starting today, we¡¯ll look for Euria¡¯s guardian dragon. There has to be a way to find it.¡±
¡°I will be forever indebted, Young Master.¡±
The encounter proceeded very smoothly.
Jin didn¡¯t even need to reveal his masterpiece of an artifact, nor did he have the need to ess the Fountain of Mana that he didn¡¯t even have. They could cooperate with Kashimir and the Seven-Colored Peacock.
But it wasn¡¯t a joyful turn of events. Nobody would find joy in a quest with a little girl¡¯s life on the line.
¡®If the Seven-Colored Peacock doesn¡¯t have anything, then we have to rely on the Runcandels¡¯ or the Zipfels¡¯ intelligence.¡¯
But since he was on a mission to be a provisional g-bearer, he could not ask for help from his n. In his current situation, he wanted to break some rules, but they wouldn¡¯t help him in any way.
¡°Sir Kashimir. You said that you suspect the Zipfels or Vermont Imperial Family of kidnapping Euria¡¯s guardian dragon. What did you mean by that? You said that it was simply a gut feeling.¡±
¡°If the dragon died, then Euria would know, no matter what. Only the Zipfel n and Vermont Imperial Family are capable of kidnapping a dragon without a trace.¡±
He wasn¡¯t wrong.
Many different types of magic are needed to kidnap a dragon. For an infantry and swordsmanship-based n like the Runcandels,mitting such a crime was not impossible, but it would leave evidence of battle.
¡°The suspected date of disappearance was August 2, 1794. ording to my workers¡¯ research, the Zipfels¡¯ and Vermonts¡¯ strongest magicians left their posts that day.¡±
¡°The Zipfel n and the Vermont Imperial Family¡¡±
If it¡¯s those two, whether they conclude by intuition or with the use of evidence, rescuing the dragon wouldn¡¯t be easy.
Not even difficult¡ªit would be impossible. Along with the Runcandels, the Zipfels and Vermont Imperial Family made up the three strongest families, and amongst them, the Zipfel n was on top.
¡°I already kind of gave up rescuing my daughter¡¯s guardian dragon. And if you hadn¡¯t told me that her life was on the line, I would¡¯ve given up indefinitely.¡±
¡°Do not fret. It¡¯s also my first time learning about the fate of Az Mil¡¯s contractors.¡±
¡°Correct, mortal. Self-me won¡¯t solve anything. Hmmm, the Zipfels and an empire¡ Hey, kid. Is the Free City of Tikan part of the Lutero Magic Federation?¡±
¡°No, Tikan is a city-state¡ªjust like Mamit. It¡¯s not exactly a country of some sort or a part of anything else.¡±
However, one key difference between Tikan and Mamit was that Tikan had vastnds. The Zipfels and Vermont Imperial Family, some other kingdoms and the Runcandels as well, of course, wanted their hands on Tikan¡¯snd.
Additionally, the Vermont Imperial Family found the Fallen Prince¡¯s easily earned freedom very annoying as well.
Establishing a city amongst manynd-hungry empires after ten strenuous years, Kashimir and the Seven-Colored Peacock¡¯s ability topromise was incredible.
¡®Even though he could raise a city, he couldn¡¯t save his own daughter¡ because the citizens themselves weren¡¯t aware that the ruler of the Free City of Tikan, Kashimir, had a daughter.¡¯
Additionally, if news ever got into the limelight, rescuing Euria couldrgely impact the course of history.
¡°Then, I can just transform here, right?¡±
¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±
¡°Gonna fly to the Vermont Empire and ask some other dragons. Most of the dragons over at the Zipfels¡¯ are my enemy, so I can¡¯t ask them.¡±
Almost 80% of the existing dragons were affiliated with the Zipfel n.
Most of the remaining 20% were under the Vermont Imperial Family, and the rest¡ªa very small portion¡ªwas associated with smaller ns or unknown contractors.
¡°You can¡¯t just fly into the Vermont Empire because of their barrier. Getting another fake identification and passing through a transfer gate would be much easier.¡±
¡°Barriers don¡¯t matter. If I emit a ton of energy while flying, then a few goons would notice me. So I¡¯m going somewhere I won¡¯t be detected.¡±
¡°What? How?¡±
¡°I may have just awoken from a thousand-year slumber, but when I was in my prime, there were many who were indebted to me, you know? Hopefully, I¡¯ll find one of my fes in the outskirts of the empire. If not, it¡¯s whatever.¡±
Dragons often remained active for more than thousands of years. As long as a god constantly renewed contracts, it was possible.
¡°O Dragon Lord!¡±
Having thought of something, Kashimir eximed.
¡°Hey, just call me by my name. Don¡¯t keep calling me like that. It¡¯s embarrassing. Am I some kind of cult leader?¡±
¡°Sir Murakan! Before you leave, I can offer you an archive of the Vermont Imperial Family¡¯s dragons. It is something that agents of the Seven-Colored Peacock are already investigating!¡±
¡°Oh, really? Then rush over there and bring it to me. I¡¯m really looking forward to our partnership. Let¡¯s hope I see a familiar name.¡±
¡°Yes, Sir. Please wait a moment!¡±
¡°Hey, hey, wait.¡±
Murakan stopped Kashimir at the door.
¡°Before you leave, I¡¯ll tell you two things. First, starting today, your daughter will spend tiring hours. Every single day, make her y until the sun sets. Whenever she¡¯s awake, make her constantly waste time. So then she falls fast asleep.¡±
¡°H-How long will she need to do this?¡±
¡°Until we find her guardian dragon. Get a clown or entertainer or something. You have to entertain her out of her mind. Whenever she gets tired, Az Mil¡¯s powers naturally be weaker.¡±
The weaker the power, the safer Euria will be. Then there will be a higher chance she won¡¯t see her future and will not need to live by it.
Although she was at an age where she could not distinguish between the present and future as well as fantasy and reality, if she sees her ¡®shocking future¡¯, then her actions will be influenced. And once she reaches that point, she will be in grave danger.
However, it is possible that she could interpret the future as just one of her dreams.
¡°Oh.¡±
¡°Feed her sleeping pills, or you can cast a sleeping spell on her. But I presume you wouldn¡¯t like that. I don¡¯t like it either. Neither does the kid or Strawberry Pie or your wife¡ªeven your child herself. Right?¡±
¡°Understood. I will try my best to tire her through joy and entertainment. And the second?¡±
¡°Recall the inn¡¯s chefs that you evacuated and tell them to make a lot of shrimp dishes. A substantial amount.¡±
Kashimir nodded and rushed out the door.
Gilly walked over to Murakan.
¡°Lord Murakan, that was very nice of you.¡±
¡°Haha, Strawberry Pie, I remembered that you couldn¡¯t get the shrimp dishes that you wanted.¡±
¡°No, not that. I meant when you calmlymunicated with Sir Kashimir in order to alleviate his anxiety.¡±
Embarrassed, Murakan awkwardly looked away and coughed.
¡°His feelings don¡¯t mean anything to me anyway.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 69: Intertwining Fates (1)
Chapter 69: Intertwining Fates (1)
Amongst the dragons currently affiliated with the Vermont Imperial Family, the Seven-Colored Peacock could identify six.
Earth Dragon Labus.
Earth Dragon Virtega.
Earth Dragon Untiel.
Golden Dragon Ziv.
Azure Dragon Madurai.
Silver Dragon Quikantel.
After learning of their identities, Murakan let out a sigh.
¡°Hah, these guys are still active.¡±
Before he regressed, Jin had information on the three earth dragons as well as the azure and golden dragons being affiliated with the Vermont Imperial Family.
However, he didn¡¯t expect the Silver Dragon Quikantel to be included.
¡®Were there people who contracted with the God of Time?¡¯
Only a contractor with the God of Time can be blessed with the presence of a Silver Dragon. It was simr to how Fire Dragon Kadun apanied Kelliark Zipfel, contractor of the God of mes; Wind Dragon Vyuretta guarded Andrei Zipfel, contractor of the God of Wind; and ck Dragon Murakan protected Jin, contractor of the God of Shadows.
In his past life, Jin was 26 when he heard about a magician who contracted with the God of Time, Olta.
¡®At the time, it had been at least half a century since anyone worthy of being Olta¡¯s contractor had been born, and it caused an uproar throughout the world¡ If what I heard was true, then it means that something nasty happened.¡¯
And indeed, something nasty had happened.
ording to his memory, the contractor was a pureblood Zipfel. And a pureblood Zipfel would not be working as a magician at the Vermont Empire.
Jin tried to tell Murakan this information, but the dragon opened his mouth first.
¡°And Quikantel? Does Olta¡¯s contractor reside in the Vermont Empire? Hey, twerp. You sure this info¡¯s urate?¡±
¡°Yes, Murakan, Sir. The world does not know that Olta¡¯s contractor is with the Vermont Imperial Family.¡±
¡°Which magician n is Quikantel¡¯s contractor from? Let me think about Olta¡¯s favourite ns¡ Lafun? Kainul?¡±
¡°Oh, that. It¡¯s amoner named Enya. Apparently, she¡¯s a talented schr at the Vermont Magic Academy. In fact, she¡¯s still attending school.¡±
¡°Amoner! The pure-royal-blood-loving Olta contracted with her? I guess talent doesn¡¯t lie. Anyways, that¡¯s pretty funny. I can just ask Quikantel regarding the whereabouts of Az Mil¡¯s guardian dragon.¡±
Jin was confused by moner¡¯ and ¡®talented schr¡¯.
¡®I¡¯ve never heard of the name ¡®Enya¡¯. If she was able to contract with Olta, then she potentially possesses incredible power. And since she¡¯s a student, she¡¯s about the same age or slightly older.¡¯
Aside from Solderet, the other gods worshipped by magicians were the God of mes Sheenu, and the God of Time Olta.
Despite that, why didn¡¯t Enya be a famous magician? And, ording to Jin¡¯s memory, why did Olta¡¯s contractor only appear half a centuryter?
There was no need to think hard.
¡®Zipfel magicians probably got rid of Enya and formed another contract.¡¯
Although he didn¡¯t have any evidence or even something as simple as a hunch, he was certain of it.
Getting rid of amoner student in a calm suburb was as easy as breathing for them.
But there was no way to form another contract. Nobody knew if it was even possible, but if it were the Zipfels, they would¡¯ve found a way to do so.
¡°Hm, I¡¯ve heard the rumours quite thoroughly, Sir Kashimir. The Seven-Colored Peacock¡¯s intelligencework is amazing. I didn¡¯t have the time to say so before, but I was really surprised that you were the leader of this incredible information broker agency.¡±
¡°It¡¯s nothingpared to the Runcandels¡¯, Young Master Jin. Still, I would like to thank you for yourpliment. Phew, I also could not say this, but I vow that I will take your words to my grave.¡±
¡°Same here. Even after rescuing Euria, you and I will have a lot of work to do anyways.¡±
¡°Indeed, we are now on the same boat. Even if we can¡¯t save my daughter¡¯s guardian dragon¡ I would never betray you, Young Master. I would assist in your work as if it were my own.¡±
¡°I also promise to find and return the dragon.¡±
Jin extended his arm and the two shook hands. Kashimir looked much calmerpared to when he first learned about his daughter¡¯s condition.
They had work to do in order to save Euria.
¡°I will divert all resources of the Seven-Colored Peacock to finding the guardian dragon.¡±
¡°Good boy. Make sure to y with the kid. I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±
¡°Murakan.¡±
¡°What do you want, kid?¡±
¡°I think I should go too.¡±
¡°Sure, whatever. What about Strawberry Pie¡ Since you have a fear of heights, you should just stay here. Also, it¡¯s a little dangerous.¡±
¡°Dangerous?¡±
¡°Mmm¡ Quikantel¡¯s a bitch. And we had a rough past.¡±
¡°Lady Gilly, I shall hire an escort to take you there. I¡¯ll get some talkative fellows so they can keep you from worrying about Sir Murakan or the young master.¡±
¡°If you can, please prepare escorts with Vermont imperial blood.¡±
As Jin said this, Kashimir¡¯s eyes widened.
Not only was the fact that he led a great information broker agency kept hidden, but also the fact that the great leaders of the Seven-Colored Peacock¡ªthe Big Seven¡ªhad Vermont imperial blood in their veins wasn¡¯t known to the world just yet.
¡°¡Damn, I underestimated the Runcandels¡¯ intelligencework. I wasn¡¯t nning on hiding it from you, though, Young Master¡¡±
¡°I¡¯ll see youter, Sir Kashimir.¡±
Kashimir left the inn, leaving Jin¡¯s crew in the empty room.
* * *
They flew for at least two days to a remote ocean territory near the Vermont Empire. As they approached the vast ocean at a high altitude, Murakan slowly began his descent.
They arrived in the early morning, not a single boat afloat in the moonlit waters.
During their journey, Jin listened to many stories about various dragons¡¯ rtions from Murakan.
¡°Are you okay with that? ording to your stories¡ I think these dragons won¡¯t be friendly towards you. If anything, they¡¯d bepelled with fear.¡±
Murakan said that the current dragons residing in the Vermont Empire got beat up by him a long time ago. It was because they encroached and flew near his mountain during his prime.
[Anyone who invades my territory is weed with a beating. It was like that at the time.]
¡°Wow, you¡¯re so cool,¡±
Jin sarcasticallymented.
However, unlike the other five, Murakan¡¯s rtionship with Quikantel was a littleplicated. It was one that was littered with love as they were in a loving rtionship for about five hundred years.
[For humans, it would be equivalent to meeting each other for five years.]
¡°With Quikantel? Why¡¯d you break up?¡±
[Well, just¡ personality difference. Alright, if I slowly emit my energy, Quikantel or the other goons wille out. I¡¯m starting.]
Murakan began to emit his energy, but Jin couldn¡¯t feel anything.
A special energy that only dragons could emit and identify¡ªakin to a dolphin¡¯s echolocation. It was a signal that humans could not detect.
However, looking down at the ocean directly below Murakan, constant ripples of waves formed.
¡®That¡¯s cool¡ So this signal can really reach the empire¡¯s inner boundaries?¡¯
If estimated, it would at least span about dozens of kilometers. Notifying one¡¯s presence only with this energy was very astonishing.
[It¡¯s possible because I¡¯m me. Not all dragons can do this, kid.]
¡°You¡¯re full of yourself.¡±
An hour passed.
Surprisingly, just as Murakan said, two flying figures approached them from afar. It was two earth dragons.
[Labus and Untiel. As expected of the two who I beat the most. Wear your helmet.]
Jin used Myulta¡¯s Rune to cover his face.
They were moving so fast, the tiny specks in the distance became massive draconic figures in a second.
Not fast, more so rushed, as if they were tardy for ss.
[Murakan~!]
As they came closer, Murakanmunicated in a high-and-mighty voice.
[Earth Dragons Labus and Untiel. I have awoken from my slumber for some tasks¡ Offer your assistance.]
The two dragons looked at each other, cleared their throats, and slowed the pping of their wings.
[Solderet¡¯s acquaintance, the Ruler of the Mountain. I do not know what position you are in, but now is not a good time. Please retreat from this ce.]
[Please leave this ce! I, Untiel, do not want a battle in the Vermont Empire¡¯s territory. I am d to greet you today, but I do not wish to put my contractor in danger.]
Listening to Murakan¡¯s altered speech habits along with the other dragons¡¯, Jin wanted to burst intoughter.
They talked as if they were hypnotizing each other.
¡®What do they mean by ¡°get out of here¡±?¡¯
Murakan shook his head.
[There is no ce for me to hide under this sky. How dare you tell me to flee? Do you fear me? I¡¯m sure I have stated my business.]
Murakan maintained hisposure.
The earth dragons lost it.
[Ah! Fuck, stop! Stop! Now isn¡¯t the time. Get out! Quikantel is thirsting for your death right now!]
[If a fight ensues here, our contractors¡¯ empire will get destroyed! I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯te knowing that Quikantel is also here?]
[What dost thou mean, my old friends? You im that the Silver Dragon of Time intends to harm me?]
[Oh,e on! Please, brother, I beg you. Can¡¯t you just leave?]
[The other dragons don¡¯t know of your awakening, right? If you don¡¯t leave, I¡¯ll tell the other drag¡ª]
[It seems you forgot your fear, you lowly earth dragons. Would you like to reminisce about the nightmares from a thousand years ago?]
Whooooosh~!
Murakan released his spirit energy, and their surroundings darkened. Just as Murakan said, the earth dragons were scared out of their minds; they couldn¡¯t even look Murakan in the eyes.
As Jin watched, he found the situation very interesting while also realizing that Murakan was a great dragon in the past.
However, if the other dragons were begging as they are now, maybe fleeing the area was a good idea.
[Ahhhhh!]
[Whatever!]
Just as Jin was about to get Murakan to listen to them, the two dragons split apart and began flying in opposite directions.
Swoooooosh~!
And from far away, causing a great wave of energy was a figure flying straight at them.
Quikantel¡¯s breath.
¡°Uh, hey¡¡±
[Hold on tight, kid.]
Murakan bolted across the sky to dodge the breath. Jin turned his head and saw the wave of energy that bent space as it traveled.
It wasparable to an ultimate ability from a mythical knight.
Shwooooot, shooooooom.
More breaths flew towards them. Murakan danced across the sky, dodging the projectiles. Jin verified the attacker¡¯s direction while holding onto Murakan¡¯s scales.
¡®Shooting breaths and closing the gap?¡¯
A shiny silver dragon that blended into the night sky finally revealed itself as it flew through the clouds. Quikantel, the one who guarded the horizon of time.
Crack!
Quickly closing the gap, Quikantel opened her snout and snapped at Murakan¡¯s neck. Thankfully, it only skimmed his scales, but as their bodies tangled, Murakan felt that he was being overpowered.
Unlike Murakan who lost his power after losing Temar, she was still in her prime.
[I will disembowel you. Who do you think you are, showing your face on thisnd! You should¡¯ve remained asleep.]
[Pretty harsh for a greeting.]
Murakan untangled himself and backed off.
¡°What¡¯s this? We have to fight that monstrous dragon?¡±
[That¡¯s why I said it might be dangerous, kid. If she gets any closer, shove Bradamante into her. Okay?]
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 70: Intertwining Fates (2)
Chapter 70: Intertwining Fates (2)
¡®How the hell am I supposed to stab that thing?¡¯
Firmly holding on for dear life during a turbulent and erratic flight was already enough. Every time Murakan and Quikantel tackled each other, Jin felt the impact vibrate his bones.
¡®She¡¯s treating him like a mortal enemy.¡¯
Quikantel¡¯s movements screamed her intention to kill Murakan. The breaths she shot were filled with murderous intent, and she kept snapping at his throat.
Fwiiit!
Quikantel¡¯s breath skimmed past Murakan¡¯s back. He checked his back, and there he saw Jin, dripping with cold sweat.
The battle seemed one-sided with Murakan constantly being beaten up. But Murakan wasn¡¯t thinking of ying defensive the entire time.
[Calm down and let¡¯s talk this out, Quikantel!]
Whooooosh~!
The sky filled with dark clouds.
The ck clouds were Murakan¡¯s spirit energy in its materialized form. Murakan flew directly into the clouds, and Quikantel let out an ear-splitting scream.
Jin felt like his eardrums were going to rip. The screech that traveled through his ears rattled his brain.
Just like how humans had a ranking system from 1-star to Genesis, dragons were also divided into different ranks. Amongst the active dragons, Quikantel had thebat skills of the highest rank.
If Jin hadn¡¯t trained enough, he would¡¯ve fainted just from the dragon¡¯s shriek.
Jin caught his breath as darkness surrounded him.
¡°I have to get my mind straight. Good thing I came along, if you died to that silver dragon, I wouldn¡¯t have heard a thing.¡±
[No way I¡¯d die. No matter how strong Quikantel is, she can¡¯te in here. Let¡¯s take our time thinking of something. A way to persuade that fellow.]
But Murakan was delusional.
[You think I can¡¯t chase you in there?]
Quikantel¡¯s wings caused a sharp thunderp. Then, a massive body pierced through Murakan¡¯s spirit energy like a diver through water.
[Quikantel, how did you¡?]
[It seems you still haven¡¯t realized how weak you¡¯ve be. You call this garbage ¡®energy release¡¯? Murakan, I cannot hide my disappointment.]
[Hmm, Quikantel. Think of our past. Why not just end it here? I merely came to ask you something.]
[Thinking of our past, ripping you into millions of pieces is not enough.]
[Well, okay. I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Come at me if you can. You were always like this. All we did was break up.]
Crack!
Quikantel bit Murakan¡¯s wing. Sounds of breaking and snapping echoed throughout, and Jin instinctively pulled out Bradamante.
Murakan also bit Quikantel¡¯s wing. Due to them being wrapped in spirit energy, neither of the dragons fell even though they stopped pping their wings.
They suffered the same attack, but Murakan took more damage. Blood sttered from his wing while Quikantel¡¯s just had a fissure across it like cracks on ss.
Jin had to swing his sword before the two dragons began to move. As soon as Murakan was bitten, the spirit energy clouds began to recede at an rming rate.
¡®It¡¯s a tough exoskeleton that even Murakan¡¯s teeth can¡¯t pierce. My current blows won¡¯t do anything.¡¯
So, Jin targeted the fissures across Quikantel¡¯s wings. It probably wasn¡¯t her weak spot, but it was better than wasting an opportune chance.
Woooom!
Bradamante glowed with an aura. Within the dark environment, a shining aura illuminated its surroundings.
[What?!]
Surprisingly, Quikantel never detected a human on Murakan¡¯s back. She only noticed at that moment that Jin was on him.
Gripping his sword, Jinunched off Murakan¡¯s back like an arrow aimed towards the silver dragon¡¯s wing.
A decisive strike with all his might. The sword slipped into the fissures and prated flesh, but Jin was not finished.
¡®de: Unleash.¡¯
Murakan told him not to use this skill until he achieved 5-star spiritual energy release. However, now was not the time to hold back.
If this attack did not inflict critical damage, then there was only one other option: breaking Orgal¡¯s Pendant and summoning Luna.
Jin didn¡¯t n on doing that, so he at least tried to use all of his cards.
And above all, he did notck the spirit energy to unleash Bradamante. Jin had been absorbing some from Murakan¡¯s spirit energy release.
[Good job, kid. Now sh her wing so she can calm down!]
Jin did not hear his words.
The unleashing began, and just like the time he ughtered the White Wolf Tribesman, time seemed to have stopped.
All around him, the spirit energy began to whirlpool into Bradamante. More and more crackling energy entered Quikantel¡¯s wound, and the ruptures spread across her left wing.
She let out a painful cry and tried to shake off the cause, but it was toote to stop Bradamante.
Essentially, she let her guard down. Blinded by anger, she failed to notice the human on Murakan¡¯s back, and it was the result of ignoring a peaceful resolution.
The spirit energy finished traveling through Quikantel¡¯s wing.
Jin pushed his entire body weight onto the handle of the sword.
Creaaaak!
A high-pitched scraping sound echoed, and the spirit energy began to glow. Jin slid down Quikantel¡¯s wing and dragged the sword through it as he went, ripping the dragon¡¯s wing apart.
The deeper he pushed his sword, the farther the spirit energy traveled. Since he was expending energy dozens of times beyond his power limit, the rate of energy consumption was inefficient.
Not even a 7-star knight could prate Quikantel¡¯s wing, so there was no choice but to pour all his energy into one attack. There were bound to be some spills.
The de finished ripping through, and Murakan caught Jin as he fell with his sword.
Cold sweat covered Jin¡¯s body from expending so much power. However, seeing the massive wing falling into the ocean, he felt confident with his amazing feat.
A secondter, Quikantel plummeted. Her other wing pped uselessly.
¡®Did I just be a dragon yer?¡¯
The ocean swallowed her whole¡ªa massive ssh symbolizing her death.
¡°Phew, urgh.¡±
Jin also had to deal with the aftershock, the consequence for crossing his limits.
¡®Thankfully, there¡¯s no excruciating pain likest time. Probably means my skills have increased since then.¡¯
Still, his limbs trembled before the pain rushed in. He tried to lie down on Murakan¡¯s back.
[Alright, now all we need to do is to pray that Quikantel can think straight.]
¡°What do you mean? We¡¯re not done?¡±
[Dragons that control time don¡¯t die so easily. Like that.]
Looking down onto the ocean, Jin gulped.
A dark shadow resurfaced from the water. Jin then remembered the special ability of time-controlling entities.
Rewind.
The disconnected wing and Quikantel¡¯s body floated back into the sky. She was rewinding her time.
In fact, she wasn¡¯t defenseless during this process. The space around her recreation was warped, and swinging a sword through it wouldn¡¯t really hit anything.
Goosebumps ran all over Jin¡¯s body as he watched the sight before him.
[This is the difference between inherent ability and magic. But don¡¯t worry. The ability is pretty broken, but it takes a disgusting amount of power to use it. Also, you¡¯ll need to act like you can keep fighting.]
Quikantel¡¯s fully intact body now floated in front of them.
The space around her restored to its normal state, and Quikantel began to move.
Just as Murakan said, she looked very exhausted. She had short and fast breaths, and her wings seemed sluggish.
They didn¡¯t want to immediately attack again.
[Not attacking yet? I guess you want to talk this out.]
[¡What happened, Murakan? Is that human Solderet¡¯s contractor?]
[Yeah. Is your tantrum over yet? I didn¡¯t know you had so much rage left over from our breakup. Didn¡¯t we end well?]
[End well? You just threw me away, one-sided. Just like what I did a while ago,st time, you never gave me a chance to speak.]
[Is this and that the same? Whenever I said that we should live our separate ways, your eyes would roll to the back of your head, and you would attack. So why should I let you speak? I didn¡¯t cheat on you or anything. What do you want me to do about our ipatibility?!]
This was a conversation between two dragons who had lived for thousands of years.
Jin had to swallow his sigh.
¡®It¡¯s not like I ever expected dragons to be overflowing with courtesy and respect in the first ce¡ but this is too human. Were the murderous attacks only because she wasn¡¯t over what happened between them thousands of years ago?¡¯
The dragons tried to sort things out, but they simply repeated the same words over and over again. Their conversation never progressed.
[Well, let¡¯s stop this nonsense, Quikantel. I didn¡¯te here to fight. I came to ask you something. My ally¡¯s life is in danger.]
[Ha! The greedy and high-headed Murakan cares about his allies. You speak lies! How many of your own species have you killed?]
As Murakan heard thosest few words, his expression froze. It was a sensitive topic. Quikantel noticed her mistake and looked away.
[¡Indeed, of the dragons I have killed, there was also your father¡¯s mortal enemy. A dragon that I knew nothing about. I killed him only because you hated him, you know? Did you want to hear that?]
Murakan breathed a deep sigh and continued.
[I¡¯m done, it was my fault for trying to ask you. I will solve this issue with another.]
[Just tell me. Damn it, just looking at you makes me emotional. I apologize for my words.]
[What about the part where you tried to kill me.]
[I had a righteous reason to do so.]
[Sure, buddy. Anyways¡ recently, Az Mil¡¯s guardian dragon went missing. You know anything? Az Mil¡¯s contractor needs them.]
[Missing? Are you talking about Lathry?]
[Oh, yeah. Lathry. I haven¡¯t heard of the name because of the generation gap.]
Quikantel nkly stared at Murakan and blinked.
[What an interesting topic. Wind Dragon Vyuretta took them somewhere some time ago.]
Wind Dragon Vyuretta.
A dragon rted to Andrei Zipfel. Jin and Murakan had a bad feeling as soon as they heard his name.
[Why, though?]
[I heard that, since the other dragons under Az Mil weren¡¯t active, Vyuretta took Lathry instead to teach them some Draconic Magic.]
They finally knew the culprit behind Euria¡¯s missing dragon.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 71: Intertwining Fates (3)
Chapter 71: Intertwining Fates (3)
Quikantel slowly blinked as Murakan thoroughly exined the situation.
[¡It certainly is a serious problem. But first, let us relocate. There is a small ind a few minutes from here. Follow me.]
Quikantel flew past Murakan. Before following her, Murakan talked with Jin.
[Whew, we could¡¯ve died today. You okay, kiddo? I didn¡¯t think you could sessfully unleash your sword.]
¡°There wasn¡¯t any spiritual energy congestion likest time, but my entire body feels like it¡¯s gonna shatter. More than that, are you okay? Getting beat up by your ex doesn¡¯t sound really fun.¡±
[Olta¡¯s dragons know they¡¯re hotshots, so a small scratch to their pride will make them turn into monsters. I mean, I came to see her despite knowing that, so it was my fault. I mean, I knew she would get kinda mad, but not this much. The bigger man is supposed to be patient. On that note, you don¡¯t need to wait ten years to cast spells. Anyways, good thing we¡¯re making progress. As soon as we came, we found out who the kidnapper was. Vyuretta¡]
Jin had already asked Murakan about Vyuretta at the Runcandel banquet; the day when Andrei Zipfel got kicked out.
ording to Murakan, Vyuretta was a little younger than him. The third strongest dragon amongst those under Melzeyer, the God of Wind.
[It¡¯s possible that it doesn¡¯t only involve Vyuretta, but also the God of Wind. It¡¯s starting to smell a little fishy. Alright, let¡¯s go.]
They instantly caught up to Quikantel. She slowed down to match Murakan¡¯s speed, considerate of his exhausted state. It seemed she lost her violent tendencies.
They approached a no-man¡¯s ind in the middle of the Vermont Empire¡¯s waters. Once they sessfullynded, the two dragons changed into their human forms.
Jin was startled by Quikantel¡¯s transformation. The hysterical breath-shooting dragon was gone, and there stood a beautiful woman, which was weird to him.
¡°No one¡¯s here. It is possible, however, that other dragons can hear our conversation.¡±
She didn¡¯t seem to trust Earth Dragons Labus and Untiel, as if not regarding them as her allies.
Murakan shrugged.
Quikantel remained silent for a while, staring at the ck dragon. Though, it was hard to tell if it truly was just staring or ring.
Murakan couldn¡¯t ignore her gaze.
¡®Am I supposed to leave them alone, or¡?¡¯
Before Jin had the chance to leave, Murakan broke the silence.
¡°We didn¡¯te here to just exchange weird nces. Tell me exactly when Vyuretta took Lathry.¡±
Quikantel bit her lower lip and sighed.
¡°Over a year ago.¡±
Exactly when Kashimir said the dragon went missing.
¡°Tricking Lathry about learning Draconic Magic¡ That¡¯s pretty nasty.¡±
¡°But Murakan, why do you think that Vyuretta kidnapped Lathry for malicious intent? Maybe it really is to teach them Draconic Magic.¡±
¡°Quikantel, Az Mil¡¯s current contractor is really young. She can¡¯t control her powers.¡±
¡°What? That¡¯s when it¡¯s most dangerous without a guardian dragon.¡±
¡°Vyuretta definitely knows about that. And even if he didn¡¯t, Lathry would¡¯ve told him. Doesn¡¯t matter. Tell him that Lathry will learn the Draconic stuffter and to return them to their contractor now.¡±
¡°Hm, definitely peculiar. If they didn¡¯t intend to kill Az Mil¡¯s contractor, Lathry would¡¯ve been returned ages ago.¡±
Quikantel furrowed her eyebrows.
To her, the life of Az Mil¡¯s contractor was not important. After all, she had to protect Enya, not a contractor of a different god.
However, Quikantel just remembered that Vyuretta showed some interest towards Enya.
¡°How did you know that Vyuretta took Lathry?¡±
¡°Vyuretta stopped by the empire when it happened. Apparently, he was going to introduce Lathry to me, but in reality, it was to see Enya.¡±
¡°Who¡¯s Enya?¡±
Murakan yed it dumb, and Quikantel, unexpectedly, revealed that she was Olta¡¯s contractor.
¡°Anyways, Vyuretta really wanted to meet Enya for some reason. Even though I rejected his requests many times, that creep keeps trying totch on.¡±
¡°With your personality, you just let himtch on to ya? You calmly denied it, I see. What¡¯s this? You¡¯re scared of the Zipfels now?¡±
Quikantel sighed.
¡°It wasn¡¯t because I was scared of the Zipfels. There was nothing I could do. The higher-ups of the Vermont Empire already knew that Enya was the contractor, and the information was probably already passed down to Andrei Zipfel.¡±
And Enya was one of Vermont Magic Academy¡¯s schrs.
If Quikantel fought with Vyuretta for any reason, the academy¡¯s Zipfel thugs would do some undesirable things towards Enya.
¡°¡If I dealt with it my way, it¡¯s a loss for me as a guardian dragon. Anyways, hearing about Lathry, I think that Vyuretta¡¯s approach towards Enya may have some shady goal.¡±
¡°Huh, you¡¯re one to talk. You were trying to harm my contractor a while ago.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t know you had a human on your back. If I knew Solderet had a contractor, I wouldn¡¯t have gone that far.¡±
¡°Sure, you wouldn¡¯t.¡±
Silence.
¡°Murakan.¡±
¡°What, kid?¡±
¡°For Enya¡¯s case, the higher-ups of the Vermont Empire already know who and where she is, but not Az Mil¡¯s contractor.¡±
Jin intentionally did not mention Euria¡¯s name. He didn¡¯t trust Quikantel with such ssified information.
¡°With that in mind, how did Vyuretta approach Lathry in the first ce? Seeing that Vyuretta hasn¡¯t returned Lathry yet, I¡¯m pretty sure he knew of the existence of Az Mil¡¯s contractor. On top of that, the fact that the contractor is young¡¡±
¡°For sure. Hmm¡ For the thousand years I was asleep, was there a spell that could detect contractors?¡±
Quikantel shook her head.
¡°There¡¯s no way something like that could be developed, whether it was a thousand years ago or today. No one could tell who the contractor was until the contractor discovered their own powers.¡±
¡°We never know. Those Zipfel bastards. I don¡¯t want to admit it, but they¡¯re a pretty impressive bunch.¡±
¡°Okay, but even if that kind of magic exists, what good would they get from finding the contractors?¡±
¡°They can benefit in two ways. Any contractor outside of their control is considered a threat, so they can simply eliminate them. Also, if the contractor dies, the Zipfel n has an opportunity to form a contract with the then-vacant god.¡±
Jin answered, attracting Quikantel¡¯s attention.
¡°Just for that¡? Don¡¯t they already have immense national power? One or two contractors won¡¯t be of any threat.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know about dragons, but humans¡¯ thirst for power never ends. Also, if a few contractors were to get together, they would definitely be a force to be reckoned with.¡±
Quikantel had a hard time understanding the child¡¯s words. Considering that the Zipfels were a n that was already at the top of the world, she didn¡¯t think that they needed to take drastic actions for such trivial matters.
However, Murakan nodded in agreement.
¡°Definitely a possibility. I know best about the Zipfels¡¯ greed. Let¡¯s just put it this way. First, they have a method to track down contractors. Second, if they find any non-Zipfel contractors, they¡¯ll eliminate them.¡±
¡°Hold on. Do we really need to assume that? We can just ask Vyuretta.¡±
¡°You serious? Stop talking bullshit, Quikantel. If you were a kidnapper, would you just spill everything? Get your shit together. From what I can see, your Enya kid might be in danger.¡±
It wasn¡¯t that Enya ¡®might be¡¯ in danger; she was definitely in danger.
A few yearster, Enya would be assassinated by the Zipfels, and not a single word about it would appear on the news. Instead, a new pureblood Zipfel would be Olta¡¯s contractor and be known around the world.
As a regressor, Jin was certain of this theory. He remembered the different events and urrences in his past life very clearly.
¡°I have my eyes wide open, and Enya is not in danger. Until that child fully grows, nobody can harm her.¡±
¡®Please stop denying it, and think straight. Leaving her alone will lead to her death.¡¯
These words were about toe out of Jin¡¯s mouth, but Murakan said it a little louder.
¡°Quikantel, there¡¯s nothing wrong with being very cautious. But it¡¯s impossible for you to be beside Enya 24/7 for 365 days and more. Just get the hell outta the Vermont Empire. The academy rys Enya¡¯s every move to the Zipfels.¡±
¡°That child has never left the empire since birth. In fact, her entire family is there. Are you telling me to change their life because of an unknown and uncertain threat?¡±
¡°Life is only enjoyable if you¡¯re still breathing. Look, this is only a suggestion. The choice is yours anyways.¡±
¡°Hmmm¡ Ms. Quikantel, please listen to what I have to say.¡±
Quikantel turned towards Jin.
¡°Murakan and I will search for Lathry. We will do whatever it takes. But if Lathry is discovered imprisoned or injured, and we tell you about it, what will you do?¡±
¡°I would¡¡±
Quikantel clenched her teeth.
¡°¡relocate Enya.¡±
¡°Then I would do that now. If Lathry is already imprisoned or injured as we speak, no matter how fast you are, it will be toote. I humbly request that you make a wise decision.¡±
¡°The kid¡¯s right, Quikantel. Move Olta¡¯s contractor and her family to a safer ce. We¡¯ll determine whether Vyuretta is full of shit or not, and then we¡¯ll meet once more.¡±
Quikantel could no longer stand her ground. There wasn¡¯t a single w in their argument, and she was genuinely concerned about Enya¡¯s future.
¡®They are more worried for Enya¡¯s safety than I am¡ I have a lot to learn from them.¡¯
Phew.
Quikantel heaved a deep sigh and nodded.
¡°Alright, let¡¯s do that. I will assist you two.¡±
¡°Oh, no need. It¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll deal with it ourselves. Sure, my darkness got a little weaker, but you don¡¯t need to help me deal with a measly wind dragon. That Vyuretta bitch is washed up.¡±
¡°¡And how will you meet him?¡±
¡°What do you mean, how will I meet Vyuretta? Just like how I called you¡ªwith my energy.¡±
¡°Are you saying this even after knowing how many dragons are with the Zipfels? On top of that, you¡¯re going to take the Runcandel kid and head to the Zipfels¡¯ maind?¡±
Jin and Murakan faced Quikantel with a look of surprise.
¡°What are you startled by? The kid has an aura like that Temar runt. You think I wouldn¡¯t notice that energy?¡±
¡°Hmmm¡ Quikantel, can I entrust you with these secrets?¡±
¡°I still hold Temar in high regard. Being with one of his sessors reminds me of the old days.¡±
Temar Runcandel, Murakan, and Quikantel were close friends. When Murakan and Quikantel were together, that is.
¡°Anyways, I will call Vyuretta. He¡¯ll react to my call like a horny teenager. You guys can deal with him after that.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 72: Intertwining Fates (4)
Chapter 72: Intertwining Fates (4)
¡®Damn, I already revealed my identity to two people ever since I arrived in Tikan.¡¯
Ghostde Kashimir and Silver Dragon Quikantel.
Kashimir was already their ally, and it was likely for Quikantel to join their forces as well. Jin wondered if anyone amongst the provisional g-bearers revealed their identity openly, but at this point, he didn¡¯t care.
¡®Who cares if I break some rules? I¡¯m already behind on training anyways. I¡¯m living this life however I want.¡¯
Each time Jin broke his n¡¯s rules, he felt refreshing pleasure from the delinquency.
Then, Jin formally introduced himself to Quikantel.
¡°Hm, so you¡¯re that Jin Runcandel. I already expected it when I felt Temar¡¯s aura, but still¡ very fascinating.¡±
¡°I think you¡¯re the more fascinating one. The Silver Dragon of Time. I¡¯ve heard of rumours, but I was speechless when I witnessed you turning back your time.¡±
¡°Not something I want to hear from the child who slit my wing. Hm, I¡¯m saying that you¡¯re interesting because Enya often talked about you.¡±
¡°Olta¡¯s contractor spoke of me?¡±
¡°Yes. Not so long ago, every single press in the world couldn¡¯t stop talking about your 5-star acquisition. Enya read about it and told me multiple times that, even though you¡¯re both 15, she admires you because you¡¯re very talented.¡±
¡°Haha, there¡¯s nothing to admire¡ It¡¯s a little embarrassing since I¡¯ve never even met her before. I¡¯m sure she has incredible potential within her as a contractor.¡±
¡°Yeah, Quikantel. Very awkward of you to put Jin on top of a pedestal. You gonna take responsibility for his heightened ego?¡±
Jin and Quikantel naturally ignored Murakan¡¯s interruption and continued their conversation.
¡°If that kid sees you, she would be very ted. Why don¡¯t you visit the Vermont Empire before you set out for Vyuretta?¡±
Quikantel said that it would take about a week to summon the wind dragon.
It would¡¯ve been great if they could immediately meet and beat Vyuretta, but the wind dragon was with the Zipfels¡¯ second-inmand. Basically, not an entity that was easy to meet.
¡°Enya will also need time to get things sorted out, and it would be nice to have you exin to her why she must leave the empire. Since you¡¯re the man of her dreams, maybe it¡¯ll be easier for her to understand.¡±
Jin nodded.
Persuading Enya was an ulterior motive. After all, staying in the Vermont Empire to meet Vyuretta was convenient.
The reason being the location of their rendezvous, the ce they were standing on¡ªthe uninhabited ind.
At this location, even if a big fight broke out, no problems would arise from it. Just like how Jin and Murakan were not interrupted while fighting Quikantel.
¡°Then, Ms. Quikantel. Where would be a good ce to stay in the empire? I believe that the capital is too crowded to maintain our secrecy.¡±
The Vermont Empire was not small like Akin. There were probably people who could recognize Jin in the streets. People like low-ranked nobles and the Dragon King Knights resided there. It would be too risky.
¡°Oh, you can stay at my ce. We have a lot of empty rooms.¡±
¡°Hey, hey! Wait. Your house? It¡¯s okay if it¡¯s a small ce, so just buy us a remote residence. I¡¯ll repay youter. Isn¡¯t it weird to share a roof when we, you know, broke up?¡±
¡°Stop acting hysterical, Murakan. I merely proposed this to help you with your little business.¡±
¡°Huh?! Hysterical? What about you?¡±
¡°It would be great if we forget past events. Let¡¯s make sure to distinguish work and personal matters.¡±
Though it was baffling, there was no point in talking. Murakan quaked in frustration before letting out a sigh.
* * *
Jin and Murakan had no choice but to hide in Quikantel¡¯s wings to sneak in since Murakan couldn¡¯t transform carelessly within the empire.
Quikantel¡¯s dwelling sat in the middle of a forest on the outskirts of the capital. It was a house she built when she became Enya¡¯s guardian dragon.
Built with logs, it had a very clean and cool facade. A nice, refreshing smell of wood lightly surrounded their bodies.
¡°Wait for a moment. I¡¯ll be out after cleaning a little bit.¡±
¡°Take your time.¡±
Although they were dragons, was she really conscious about showing a dirty room to her ex? Quikantel went in first, and Jin shrugged.
¡°How does it feel to ally with your old love interest, Murakan?¡±
¡°Ha¡ Don¡¯t even remind me. I feel a little uneasy inside.¡±
Murakan could not take his eyes off the log cabin.
¡®That bitch¡ She built the exact same house from a thousand years ago. So this is why she wanted to bring us here.¡¯
Yet, despite being faced with the house of their past, Murakan didn¡¯t feel his burnt-out love rekindle.
His uneasiness stemmed from reminiscing about their nostalgic past.
A thousand years ago, partying all the time with Temar and Quikantel in a log cabin with the same design.
One passed without leaving a grave. And the other became a past lover. As he remembered the good old days, bitterness filled his heart.
¡°You cane in now.¡±
As soon as he entered, Jin unintentionally smirked.
¡®This is ¡°clean¡±? Quikantel seems to have an unexpectedly clumsy side to her.¡¯
It looked like the room was hastily cleaned, but around the house, there were clothes and empty bottles lying on the floor.
¡°Anything to drink?¡±
¡°Just some cold water, thank you.¡±
¡°You, Murakan?¡±
¡°Toss me a few bottles of wine. God damn it, this is why I didn¡¯t want toe here.¡±
¡°You came here first and disturbed my peace. And I really don¡¯t have any other intentions, so if you really don¡¯t like it, then get the hell out.¡±
¡°Whatever.¡±
Murakan murmured someints as he tossed himself on the living room sofa.
Before Quikantel could bring over the water and wine to her guests, Murakan was suddenly sound asleep, snoring loudly.
¡°What the¡ Murakan? Asleep? How do you just sleep like that?¡±
¡°¡Probably because of our fight. He was bitten all over, after all. I used a lot of spirit energy myself, which exins my exhaustion.¡±
¡°Ah¡ I see. I didn¡¯t know because you seemed fine a moment ago.¡±
POP!
Quikantel popped the cork off the wine bottle that was originally for Murakan and poured some wine into her own ss.
¡°Jin Runcandel.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°I¡¯m assisting you due to my allegiance with Temar as well as for Enya¡¯s safety, but the main reason is that sleeping bastard.¡±
¡°I see.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t have anything to say. He could only imagine how deep her lingering feelings were for Murakan.
But the words that followed werepletely different.
¡°That fool doesn¡¯t really know how weak he has be.¡±
When he was in his prime, Murakan was the strongest of the strongest. Even the fire dragons, who were born forbat, tried to avoid him at all costs.
In fact, other dragons had subservient rtionships with their gods, but Murakan had an equal rtionship with Solderet, hence he was special.
Unfortunately, this was no longer the case. Thanks to Jin, Murakan was recovering some of his spiritual energy, but he was still iparably weaker than his past self.
¡°Currently, Murakan can¡¯t fight Vyuretta. With respect to his pride, I didn¡¯t mention it a moment ago. But when the timees for them to fight, I will fight in lieu of him.¡±
¡°Is Vyuretta that strong?¡±
¡°Kind of, but it¡¯s more because Murakan is significantly weaker. My murderous rampage earlier would simply be a child¡¯s tantrum for the Murakan from a thousand years ago.¡±
Quikantel drained her goblet into her mouth.
She looked discontent as she poured herself another.
¡°I¡¯m saying this so you¡¯d know. If I told this to Murakan, he would strongly deny my help.¡±
Jin calmly nodded.
¡®She was crazy at first sight, but it¡¯s relieving to see this side of her.¡¯
Zzzzzzzz, zzzzzzzzz.
Murakan¡¯s snoring echoed throughout the room.
¡°Jin Runcandel. What will you do after you confirm whether or not Vyuretta kidnapped Lathry? If I help you capture or kill Vyuretta, the Zipfels will take action.¡±
¡°Well, I am a Runcandel¡ Having disputes with the Zipfels is pretty natural.¡±
¡°An interesting response. I can assume you didn¡¯t think this through yet?¡±
¡°Not that I¡¯ve never thought about it. However, I don¡¯t have anything fully nned, so you¡¯re not wrong. Either way, the first thing to do is to save Az Mil¡¯s contractor.¡±
¡°It seems you are very close to Az Mil¡¯s contractor.¡±
¡°Not really. We only met two days ago.¡±
Quikantel¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°What?¡±
¡°I mean, I can¡¯t just watch a kid shrivel up and die. Az Mil¡¯s contractor is a child named Euria, and she¡¯s only 5 years old.¡±
¡°So for a child you only met two days ago, you¡¯re nning to risk your life and fight Vyuretta? And as a provisional g-bearer, rouse the entire Zipfel n?¡±
¡°Something like that.¡±
¡°Haha¡ truly, the return of Temar. Each action and intent of yours is analogous to his fervour. Very interesting.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve noticed it earlier, but it seems you were very close to the first patriarch.¡±
¡°¡®Close¡¯ is an understatement. Temar was a friend I would¡¯ve given up everything for. Together with Murakan, we had a hell of a time in the past.¡±
¡°Then why did Murakan go into a thousand-year slumber after losing to the first patriarch?¡±
A question Jin often pondered about. He asked Murakan a few times, but he never heard a real answer from him.
¡°It¡¯ll be better if you heard directly from Murakan. He¡¯ll tell you when the timees.¡±
It must be a meaningful story.
Jin understood the situation and simply nodded. There was no reason to hear the story as of this moment.
Naturally, silence ensued. Soon after, footsteps could be heard from outside the cabin.
Creak.
The front door opened, and a girl peered inside.
¡°Ms. Quikantel, I¡¯m¡ home? Who might these men be?¡±
It was Enya, who immediately bowed to Jin. She didn¡¯t know who he was, but she had a hunch that he was someone important.
¡°Come sit here, Enya. This is Jin Runcandel, and that sleeping scoundrel is a dragon. An old friend.¡±
¡°Ah, yes. Mr. Jin Runcandel. It is nice to mee¡ªJin Runcandel?!¡±
Enya¡¯s eyes grew and ran up to Jin. Her face flushed red.
¡°I¡ I¡¯m a big fan! Lord Jin! It is an honour to be in your presence!¡±
Quikantel smacked her forehead, and Jin could only offer an awkward smile.
¡°¡Enya, how about we maintain your dignity as a contractor?¡±
¡°Oopsie¡ My apologies, Ms. Quikantel. But it¡¯s Lord Jin. Is he the real Jin Runcandel? Oh heavens, my goodness! Oh god! Lord Jin is in front of my eyes! Aaaaah!¡±
Enya¡¯s dream came true in the presence of Jin.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 73: Intertwining Fates (5)
Chapter 73: Intertwining Fates (5)
Whooooaaaa~!
Excited out of her mind, Enya bellowed and beat her chest like a beastly primate. Her uproar surprised Jin, making him step backwards. The girl¡¯s guardian dragon sighed.
Snatch!
Enya grabbed Jin¡¯s two hands and bowed. With her head inches away from hitting the ground, it looked like prostration.
¡°It¡¯s a great pleasure to meet you, Lord Jin! I¡¯m Enya!¡±
¡°Oh, mhm¡ Nice to meet you too, Enya.¡±
¡°Kyaaaaa~!¡±
¡®Seriously.¡¯
Jin had never seen a situation like this in his entire life. Even the all-great-and-powerful Beradin Zipfel wouldn¡¯t get this much admiration from a single admirer.
¡®Is this what ¡°admiration¡± means?¡¯
It was akin to a follower meeting their god. Frankly, Enya¡ªwho was still crouched on the ground¡ªbegan to mumble some prayers.
Jin¡¯s chest was about to burst from embarrassment.
A girl with dreams of meeting a ¡®deity¡¯, something that Jin will never truly understand. Probably because he never experienced such excitement.
¡°¡It wasn¡¯t this bad when she became Olta¡¯s contractor.¡±
Quikantel sighed once more.
When the God of Time chose her, all Enya said was ¡®Whoa.¡¯ And now she was jumping around like an excited dog, which disappointed Quikantel.
¡®This is why I told Lord Olta about royal blood!¡¯
A sight without anyposure or self-control!
This was why Olta and the silver dragons prioritized blood ss. A contractor of a god should at least be civilized.
But what could they do?
In the present, no human was more friendly and approachable than Enya, so they forced themselves to make a contract with her. Due to the irrevocable contract, Quikantel had to love and take care of Enya.
Because that was the duty of a guardian dragon.
¡°Ahem, Enya. That¡¯s enough.¡±
Quikantel tried to alleviate Enya¡¯s enthusiasm. Quikantel lightly pressed Enya¡¯s forehead, and finally, the girl calmed down.
Of course, her sparkling silver eyes never stopped staring at Jin.
The young Runcandel chuckled to himself.
¡®I wonder what Murakan would say to her.¡¯
¡°Oh, I must¡¯ve gotten too excited. Seeing the real Jin Runcandel in the flesh and not in something released by the press really got me going¡ I¡¯m sorry!¡±
Enya bowed once more in apology.
A girl with a severely sociable and lively personality¡ªthat¡¯s what Jin thought of her.
¡°No need to apologize, Enya. I just don¡¯t know how to react to the celebratory wee.¡±
¡°Kyaaaa! Would you like some more?¡±
¡°That would be enough.¡±
¡°Ms. Quikantel! Ms. Quikantel! Can you please tell me now? The reason why Lord Jin came to our ce? Did Olta respond to my prayers?¡±
¡°You pray to Olta nightly?¡±
¡°Obviously, I prayed to meet Lord Jin someday. Heehee. Anyways, today is such a great day! I was so tired at the academy.¡±
Quikantel¡¯s face darkened. She knew how often Enya was discriminated against by the other students and staff.
¡®I can¡¯t ughter all of those bastards either¡¡¯
Quikantel ground her teeth as she thought of the noble scum bullying Enya. If they physically abused her, she would kill them all. But all they did was treat Enya as if she didn¡¯t exist.
Jin looked at Quikantel and felt sympathy for her pain. He knew how the academy¡¯s nobility acted in the presence of amoner. He nodded.
¡®They would do all kinds of bad things just because she¡¯s amoner. This is why I didn¡¯t talk to magicians from the academy.¡¯
During Jin¡¯s learning days, he encountered all kinds of magicians from the academy. To this day, he never met a group of people he hated more than them.
Moving on.
It was time to pull Enya out of the discriminatory shithole. As a Runcandel, Jin couldn¡¯t specifically help her, but their borate n for relocation would be just enough.
¡®I just need to persuade Enya to immigrate her entire family to Tikan. And as for magic, I can just find an excellent teacher.¡¯
Overall, the Free City of Tikan had a carefree and weingmunity. Additionally, Kashimir would take care of her, so she would experience the most extravagant life.
If she could just forfeit her homnd, then it would be a great opportunity.
¡°Miss Enya, the goal of my visit is to ensure your safety and take you somewhere safer.¡±
He straightforwardly stated the truth.
It didn¡¯t take long for him to realize that his phrasing could be misunderstood. As soon as she heard what Jin said, Enya felt like the main character in a novel.
¡°To¡ take me¡ To. Take. Meeeeee!¡±
His words caused another chaotic mess. Enya started punching the air like a hallucinating patient, and her eyes were bloodshot.
¡°I go¡ª I¡¯ll go! Wherever it is, I¡¯ll go! All hail Olta!¡±
Thock!
Tired of the sight, Quikantel lightly hit the back of Enya¡¯s neck. Enya¡¯s body shook, then fell to the ground as she fainted. Jin chuckled at the funny sight.
¡°My goodness. How did she be Olta¡¯s contractor?¡±
¡°Well, a child has got to be a child. You¡¯re a child as well. Phew, there¡¯s no need to persuade her. She would even follow you to the Runcandel underground prison.¡±
¡°We do not retain an underground prison in our n, Ms. Quikantel.¡±
¡°It¡¯s gone? It should still be there. And probably has some dragons locked up.¡±
¡°¡What?¡±
¡°That¡¯s not important, so forget it. Okay, listen. Enya will wake up exactly ten seconds from now. Once she does, make sure to choose your words carefully, and exin the current situation to her.¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t you hit her pretty hard? Not even a trained knight can survive that blow.¡±
Rustle.
Ten seconds hadn¡¯t even passed, yet Enya starteding to. Goosebumps traversed Jin¡¯s body. Modern physiology and medicine could not exin the phenomenon before him.
It was the will of a fanatic.
Still, the strike definitely had some effect. Enya seemed to have lost some of her overflowing energy.
She was also at a loss for words.
¡°Looooooord Jiiiiin.¡±
¡°Miss Enya, I will slowly exin the current situation.¡±
Enya nodded. Jin then began from Euria and her predicament, all the way to the spections regarding Vyuretta and the Zipfels.
He couldn¡¯t say anything from his past life, but thankfully, Enya easily digested all of the content.
¡°Mhm, since they¡¯re the words of Lord Jin, I¡¯ll trust every single one. It¡¯s so romantic! Dragons, conflict, adventure, a boy and a girl! And Lord Jin!¡±
¡°Something like that.¡±
¡°I¡¯m fine as long as it¡¯s for the benefit of me. Anyways, I must leave the Vermont Empire with my family and head to Tikan?¡±
¡°Exactly.¡±
¡°And when should we leave?¡±
¡°The sooner the better. Ms. Quikantel and I have some business in the empire, so it¡¯s a good idea for you to leave first.¡±
Officially leaving the academy and clearing out the area was not a good idea.
The Vermont Imperial Family will not let Olta¡¯s contractor go so easily, and the moment they notice her intention to leave, they will chain her down at all costs¡ªwhether it be by capturing her family as hostage or using drugs to prevent her from leaving. The Vermont Special Forces would also be assigned to monitor them.
Before that happens, secretly leaving was the most optimal choice. There would be a search and chase, but it would start in the Lutero Magic Federation instead of Tikan.
Though, it doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no danger at all.
¡®It depends how much the Vermont Imperial Family cares about Olta¡¯s contractor.¡¯
As Jin saw it, the Vermont Imperial Family didn¡¯t really care about Enya. If they did care, then Enya wouldn¡¯t be wearing ragged clothes.
¡®Either they¡¯re being cautious of the Zipfels or they can¡¯t give her special care because the world simply doesn¡¯t know about her yet. She isn¡¯t even being escorted by anyone.¡¯
If the problem was thetter, then she would at least have some bodyguards around her at all times.
Even though she was a contractor, she couldn¡¯t receive special aid because of her social ss. In the eyes of the rich and privileged, a poor contractor was only a nuisance.
Essentially, the Zipfels enforced their ideal through the working staff¡ªto never aid the worthlessmoner.
¡°So as soon as possible. I understand, milord. I will get my family ready by tomorrow.¡±
Enya¡¯s entire family was just her 7-year-old brother and an old dog named Pupi.
¡°But Jin, how are you going to transport her? You can¡¯t go through the gate, and I can¡¯t take her there myself. Everything will be put on record, so the threat of a chase is likely.¡±
It would be the same if they were to fly with Murakan.
However, Jin already thought of a way.
¡°Merchant ships from Tikan periodically dock in the capital¡¯s port. Just sneak on one of them.¡±
The Seven-Colored Peacock agents in the Vermont Empire all worked around that docking schedule. Although the empire knew the sailors worked for the intelligence agency, they couldn¡¯t do anything because the organization had valuable information about the empire¡¯s corrupt government and high-ranking officials.
Aside from the agents that had a hold of sensitive information, lower-ranked agents could travel in and out of the Vermont Empire freely.
¡°After Enya leaves, I will proceed with a normal life and try to find an opportunity to meet Vyuretta. As for the academy, I¡¯ll say that Enya is sick.¡±
The rich and nobility wouldn¡¯t give a damn about Enya¡¯s attendance. They would rather have her nevere in for the rest of her life.
¡°Yes, we can wrap things up with Vyuretta and return to Tikan. I hope we can resolve issues without fighting¡ but a battle is imminent.¡±
¡°As mentioned before, Vyuretta is mine. That sleeping dog shouldn¡¯t fight him.¡±
Wrapping up their conversation, Jin and Quikantel simultaneously looked at the front door.
They could hear pairs of footsteps getting louder from the front yard. Then¡
Knock, knock.
One of the owners of the footsteps knocked on the door.
¡°Anyone home? We came to ask for some kindling.¡±
There¡¯s no way someone woulde all the way to their remote location for some firewood.
They were either the Special Forces or the Imperial Guard that came to check up on them.
¡°Coming all the way here for some kindling? How absurd. Please wait a moment.¡±
And surprisingly, Quikantel didn¡¯t even doubt the uninvited guests.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 74: Intertwining Fates (6)
Chapter 74: Intertwining Fates (6)
Volume 3 Chapter 74 ¨C Intertwining Fates (6)
¡°Wait, Ms. Quikantel.¡±
¡°Hm?¡±
¡°Do you really think those people outside are neighbours who came for some firewood? I think they¡¯re from the Special Forces.¡±
Quikantel was definitely very strong, but because of her strength, she didn¡¯t even have a single ounce of caution.
¡®Considering all the things she had done and Enya¡¯s assassination in my past life, Quikantel is not suited to be a guardian. At least, in her current situation.¡¯
¡°Vermont Special Forces¡ I¡¯ve heard of them before, but why would they¡?¡±
Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock.
The people outside¡ªspected to be the Special Forces¡ªrapped on the door once more. Quikantel looked confused as she tried to interpret the situation.
¡°Probably because of Enya. I think they were supervising this area. And when they saw you bringing some outsiders, they came to check on you.¡±
It could be a far-fetched assumption, but who in the world woulde to a remote log cabin in the middle of a forest to get some firewood?
Moreover, there was no negative consequence in encountering them with caution.
¡°If you¡¯re right about those guys being the Special Forces, hiding from them would elicit more suspicion. I¡¯ll observe them, and when they seem a little suspicious, I will immediately disable and capture them.¡±
¡°Capture? Do we really need to do that? Isn¡¯t it better to just make an excuse and have them go on their way?¡±
¡°No. If they¡¯re trying to supervise me, I can¡¯t let that slide. Viting my privacy is unforgivable.¡±
Quikantel trotted to the door.
Meanwhile, Jin dragged Murakan to a room and activated Myulta¡¯s Rune, and Enya watched in awe.
¡®Damn¡ Nothing is normal in Quikantel¡¯s and Enya¡¯s lives¡¡¯
Creeaaaaak.
Quikantel opened the door and was greeted by two big men. They wore oversized shirts and straw hats, and their lower bodies were well-built.
¡°Speak the truth. You runts are part of the Special Forces, right?¡±
The two men shook their heads at Quikantel¡¯s aggressive query.
¡°What do you mean by that?¡±
¡°We apologize for the unexpected inconvenience. We are farmers from down the forest, and we were out of kindling¡¡±
Hearing all of this, Jin thought to himself.
¡®Those guys will have to face severe reprimand and write a dozen pages of apologies for their ipetence once they return to headquarters.¡¯
The Special Forces needed to carry out their tasks smoothly while in a disguise that suited the time and ce.
On that note, the soldiers at the door were a pair of bums. It made no sense that they came for firewood when there¡¯s wood all around them. Moreover, they had a shoddy disguise.
They were probably the lowest of the low, newly recruited newbies from the Special Forces.
¡®I can see how easily the Vermont Imperial Family can supervise Enya and Quikantel. But isn¡¯t this too effortless¡? Are those guys even from the Special Forces?¡¯
Pow! Thwack!
Before Jin could evenplete his thoughts, solid striking sounds could be heard from outside the room.
It was from Quikantel beating the crap out of the guests.
¡°I¡¯m sure I told you to tell the truth. And yet, you dared to lie¡¡±
Peering out, Jin saw Quikantel brutally abusing the visitors. By the first strike, they couldn¡¯t even resist and fell to the ground.
¡°Kuheok!¡±
¡°Where do you think you¡¯re spilling your dirty blood?¡±
Violent beatings ensued, and Quikantel dragged two flimsy corpses by the head into the living room. The two men looked pitiful.
¡°Since when have you been watching me?¡±
¡°W-We are not with the Special Forces!¡±
¡°What? Who sent you, then?¡±
¡°I did.¡±
The voice of another man resounded. And surprisingly, it came from inside the house.
Additionally, its source was right next to Jin.
¡®What?! I didn¡¯t even detect his aura¡!¡¯
Jin flinched and inched away from the man.
The intruder wore a red mask and a skin-tight blue suit¡ªthe uniform of the Vermont Special Forces. ording to his knowledge, Jin knew that only important leaders wore red face coverings.
Quikantel¡ªwho was slightly startled by the urrence¡ªreleased the two men¡¯s cors.
¡°Ohhh, so you are in the Special Forces. You sent these goons to sneak into my house?¡±
¡°You guys are dismissed.¡±
The two men who ¡°wanted kindling¡± scrambled away.
Quikantel was about to flick a magic arrow to their backsides, but the masked man opened his mouth.
¡°Killing them wouldplicate the situation. Other soldiers will be summoned to this location.¡±
¡°Oh yeah? Why don¡¯t weplicate things, then?¡±
¡°If you really want to, then I will not stop you.¡±
Quikantel paused, then lowered her hand.
¡°Yeah, if I¡¯m going to kill a human, it better be you. Not those guys.¡±
The man didn¡¯t seem to show any fear in the presence of Quikantel¡¯s fury.
It was obvious. At first nce, Jin knew this man was at least an 8-star. Quikantel knew this as well.
¡®Now that I think about it, that scimitar¡ I¡¯ve heard about it multiple times in my past life.¡¯
Only one person wielded a scimitar in the Vermont Special Forces.
Codenamed Wratch, the Special Forces 3rd Division Leader. As Vermont Emperor¡¯s most trusted person, he was well known in the Runcandel n as ¡®the guy with good swordsmanship¡¯.
Essentially, he was a swordsman that even the Runcandels acknowledged. There was no need to doubt his skills.
¡®Good thing I used Myulta¡¯s Rune to cover my face. That was close.¡¯
Wratch slightly lowered his head towards Quikantel.
¡°I apologize if we offended you. I had to identify the guests you brought into ournds. Since I have identified them, I shall depart.¡±
Wratch didn¡¯t even ask who Jin and Murakan were, and even if he did ask, Quikantel wouldn¡¯t tell him. Looking up their citizenship and identification would be easier.
¡°I don¡¯t think you can end this with just an apology for stalking me. And who said you could leave already?¡±
Quikantel threw a punch.
Wratch didn¡¯t even flinch, nor did he dodge. His face received the full blow, yet he remained still like a statue¡ªunscathed.
¡°I see how it is, you¡¯re something. Pretty useful for a human. You relied on your toughness to act like a fool around me?¡±
¡°If your anger has been alleviated through that, I think you should stop.¡±
¡°What if I don¡¯t?¡±
¡°Then I, as well, will attack. My mission is in no way rted to ensuring Enya¡¯s safety should anything happen.¡±
Wratch slowly shifted his eyes towards Enya. With eyes glittering with curiosity, Enya met his cold eyes. The man¡¯s frigid re froze her in ce.
It was a threat. If they were to fight, he didn¡¯t know about Quikantel, but he could definitely take care of Enya. And since he didn¡¯t want to fight, it was apromise for his departure.
That was a pretty smart move by him. It didn¡¯t matter how angry Quikantel was, as long as Enya¡¯s life was on the line.
No matter how strong Wratch was, it probably was impossible for him to defeat Quikantel in a duel. However, fighting in such a cramped space could possibly endanger Enya.
Things would be different if Murakan was awake. Thankfully, without him, the conflict slowly and quietly resolved itself.
¡°Alright, then. I will see you next time.¡±
Wratch walked past Quikantel and through the doorway. The moment he stepped outside, he vanished.
¡°That piece of¡¡±
Quikantel threw a tantrum. Aside from the fact that she had been stalked by the Vermont Imperial Family, she also felt like she had been yed.
¡°I¡¯m a dumbass for keeping Enya in this hellhole.¡±
Quikantel sighed.
¡°Jin Runcandel. If I hadn¡¯t met you and Murakan, I can¡¯t imagine the horrible fate that Enya would¡¯ve faced. Not just Enya, they were watching me too¡!¡±
Enya remained shocked¡ªeyes widened and face frozen.
¡°Th-That person¡ w-was very scary.¡±
Receiving a look filled with murderous intent from an 8-star knight was a different level from the bullying she received at the magic academy.
¡°My brother! I must go get my brother. Lord Jin, let¡¯s leave now¡!¡±
¡°Please go with Ms. Quikantel. You should board the Tikan merchant ship first thing tomorrow morning.¡±
* * *
Her luggage was a small bundle of items.
No different than the items in her school bag, it was all of the things she needed to leave the Vermont Empire.
With the bundle on her back, she tightly held her brother, Pinte, by the hand and tucked her dog to her chest with the other.
Her eyes were filled with fear.
¡°Uhhhhh, milord? Are we really not going to get caught? I was super scared after seeing that man that I couldn¡¯t even sleep¡¡±
All Jin could do was offer her some words of relief.
¡°Even if we get caught, I will promise that you and your family will be safe. Trust me. Either way, getting out of here as soon as possible would be our safest bet.¡±
Still, Jin safely assumed that the Vermont Special Forces didn¡¯t monitor Enya in close quarters. Despite Quikantel¡¯s carelessness, it wasn¡¯t enough to miss stalkers within her vicinity.
¡®Before Wratch came in, even Murakan didn¡¯t detect anything. We were probably found out when we flew through the empire¡¯s barrier while on Ms. Quikantel¡¯s back. And it¡¯s likely that the Vermont Special Forces were dispatched afterwards.¡¯
Additionally, with yesterday¡¯s incident, the Vermont Imperial Family probably knows that Quikantel was pissed. They wouldn¡¯t get anything good out of aggravating her even further.
And they would never expect Enya to sneak out of the empire immediately. They would assume her absence at the academy to be caused by mental shock.
¡°No need to worry, and board the ship. Beyond all this, Ms. Quikantel probably can¡¯t imagine you traveling alone as she stays in her cabin. And this cat¡ªI mean, Murakan will protect you.¡±
Since Jin couldn¡¯t expose himself, he couldn¡¯t escort Enya to the merchant ship.
Just in case, he had Murakan turn into a cat and protect Enya. If the Special Forces were to notice Enya¡¯s escape, Murakan could stop their attacks.
The main street led straight to the port anyways, so Jin was sure that being spotted would be unlikely.
In a street filled with thousands of people, pinpointing Enya¡¯s family¡¯s exact location would be impossible without closely stalking her.
¡°Milord¡¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry. He is the Great ck Dragon. I will see you in Tikan soon, Miss Enya. And Pinte.¡±
Enya bit her lips and bowed. She then left the remote log cabin and headed to the heart of the capital. No different than her daily walk to the academy.
This time, however, she wouldn¡¯t be going to the magic academy, and Pinte wouldn¡¯t be going to his preschool.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 75: Intertwining Fates (7)
Chapter 75: Intertwining Fates (7)
Volume 3 Chapter 75 ¨C Intertwining Fates (7)
¡®I would¡¯ve died if I wasn¡¯t careful.¡¯
Wratch¡ªwho escaped the remote log cabin¡ªfelt relief despite only showing a straight face. His demeanor was born from hours and hours of strict facial expression and emotion suppression training necessary to be a Vermont Special Forces Division Leader.
Quikantel probably disyed inconceivable power to him, but he didn¡¯t really feel fear. After all, to the Vermont Special Forces, death was considered only a small inconvenience when it came to executing missions.
¡®But who were those two guys in the house? The man with long hair was probably Quikantel¡¯s lover, and the boy with the strange artifact covering his face¡ Maybe she¡¯s hiding her children?¡¯
He would¡¯ve never imagined that they were Jin Runcandel and Murkan¡ªthe ck dragon who woke from a thousand-year slumber.
Either way, Wratchpletely misunderstood the rtionship between Quikantel and the two mysterious people. He had a feeling that it wouldn¡¯t be easy finding information about those people.
¡®I should tone down on the close-quarter monitoring. I should order soldiers to return with simple reports until she starts acting strange.¡¯
Although he treated death like amon cold, it was different when it came to the sub-ss soldier¡¯s livelihood.
Wratch didn¡¯t think he needed to have his henchmen supervise Quikantel while she was in a sensitive state.
Thanks to the division leader¡¯s decision to take caution, Enya and her family were able to safely board the Tikan merchant ship.
And the Vermont Imperial Family did not notice that Olta¡¯s contractor was missing.
At least, until Quikantel left to meet Vyuretta.
* * *
A weekter, mid-July of 1795.
Just as Jin expected, there weren¡¯t any spies monitoring Enya and Quikantel¡¯s location around the cabin at all times.
During that time, Jin and Murakan never left the house. Once a day, only Quikantel left for the city to get food and drinks.
During their stay, Jin received a message that Enya safely arrived in Tikan and was receiving protection under Kashimir.
¡°Well, I already knew they¡¯d be safe, but receiving a personal letter from Enya is more reassuring. We can definitely meet Vyuretta with a lighter burden.¡±
Quikantel had already contacted the wind dragon. She requested a rendezvous to discuss Enya.
Vyuretta quickly epted the request, and the promised date was tomorrow night.
¡°You think Vyuretta wille alone?¡±
¡°Kid, between dragons, etiquette is very important. Quikantel called to just meet, so bringing a line of Zipfel magicians would be uneptable. Even if you call them for a fight, they¡¯lle alone¡ªwithout reinforcements.¡±
¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why you went to the Vermont Empire¡¯s ocean territory with such bravado.¡±
¡°Of course. There¡¯s nothing that could stop the great Murakan.¡±
¡°Sure, buddy. Remember when you almost died to me when you came here? If it weren¡¯t for Jin, you would have been sinking to the depths of the cold ocean right now.¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡ I was going easy on you, Quikantel.¡±
¡°Do I need to beat some more sense into you?¡±
¡°What?¡±
While the two dragons growled at each other, arguing that one¡¯s strength is more superior than the other¡¯s, Jin was deeply entrenched in his thoughts.
¡®¡So he¡¯s saying the dragonse alone whenever they¡¯re summoned because of etiquette. But we¡¯re a group of three going to meet Vyuretta¡ Well, who really cares?¡¯
Jin shrugged it off and went to separate the two whose fighting easily became a routine sight for the young Runcandel.
¡°Yeah, yeah. No more, you guys. You¡¯ll end up fighting before we even meet Vyuretta tomorrow. I think we should n more thoroughly about what we should do once we meet him.¡±
¡°What do you mean, ¡®what we should do¡¯? We just tell him that we called to find out about the whereabouts of Lathry, not to talk about Enya. And if he¡¯s bullshitting about teaching them Draconic Magic, then we just beat him up.¡±
¡°I concur. Since Enya isn¡¯t here, I can act as aggressively as I want.¡±
¡°Hmmm. Yes, it all sounds good. I just wanted to ask because Vyuretta wouldn¡¯t answer so easily. And if a battle breaks out, even if we win, we will need to face the Zipfels¡¯ wrath. I think we should at least consider the consequences of our actions.¡±
Jin firmly stated this in a serious tone.
¡®I already predicted that intervening with the Zipfels in order to save Euria¡¯s guardian dragon would cause some problems¡ But not this much.¡¯
Fighting with Vyuretta meant turning the entirety of the Zipfel n into their enemy.
And, as of the moment, Jin did not have the forces to fight them. Even if he called histest ally¡¯s army¡ªKashimir¡¯s regiment of Tikan¡ªthey wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.
As a matter of fact, rescuing Lathry wasn¡¯t that beneficial in many ways.
In exchange for allying with Kashimir, Az Mil¡¯s contractor, and the Seven-Colored Peacock, Jin would be turning the Zipfels against himself.
Despite this consequence, Jin chose to meet Vyuretta for three main reasons.
First, he promised Kashimir about returning Lathry to Euria¡¯s side.
Second, verifying the Zipfels¡¯ plot of finding and assassinating contractors.
Lastly, acting in order to save a child was a given.
¡°Hmmm, the kid¡¯s right. Though I¡¯m not really scared of their retaliation, it¡¯s still something to think about.¡±
¡°Not only that, we also have to consider the oue if we were to lose. Unlike you two, I think it¡¯s possible that Vyuretta woulde with the second-inmand, Andrei. In a scenario where he disregards the dragons¡¯ etiquette.¡±
And if Vyuretta dide with Andrei? Or what if he shows up with other advanced magicians in tow? There was no definitive answer. Each of the Zipfels¡¯ advanced magicians were equivalent in power to a low-tier dragon.
Of course, Jin already had ast resort nned, but he wanted to hear Quikantel¡¯s opinion.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. If Vyuretta brings other goons to the rendezvous point and they try to attack me, I will summon the Vermont Imperial Family¡¯s dragons as reinforcement.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a great n. Even if we don¡¯t find out more about the kidnappings, in the event that Vyuretta refuses to cooperate, we have a good reason to call reinforcements.¡±
¡°Exactly. And when I take care of Vyuretta, if we have the Imperial Family¡¯s dragons on our side, then the Zipfels can¡¯t really take action. The Zipfel n and Vermont Imperial Family have someplicated political ties, after all.¡±
The Vermont Imperial Family was the bncing weight between the Zipfel n and Runcandel n.
Whichever direction the Vermont Imperial Family were to stick to, the bnce between the two strongest ns would break. Therefore, Quikantel could destroy Vyuretta, and the Zipfels would still be unable to do anything.
If the Zipfels made the Vermont Imperial Family turn against them, then the Runcandels would take the free benefit.
It would be a very satisfactory response. This way, no matter what they did, they would not be targeted by the Zipfels.
¡°Sounds good. Then tomorrow, we will entrust the job to you. In the meantime, Murakan and I will be hiding nearby.¡±
¡°Huh? Kid, what do you mean by that?¡±
¡°It means we¡¯ll be backup. If Vyurettaes alone, Ms. Quikantel will fight him by herself. Nothing good wille out from us selling our faces to the Zipfels.¡±
Quikantel smiled at Jin¡¯s response in satisfaction.
¡°Yeah, Murakan. It would be best if you don¡¯te out at all. I will be fighting, so all you need to do is watch.¡±
Her words were lined with a teasing undertone, but Quikantel was genuinely concerned about Murakan. She firmly believed that he stood no chance against Vyuretta in his current state.
¡°¡Damn it. I understand that I got a little weaker, but I don¡¯t want any sympathy from my ex.¡±
¡°Who¡¯s sympathizing? Shut your idiotic self up, and help me out if I ever get in trouble. But of course, that would never happen.¡±
* * *
Nothing would have happened if Vyuretta came alone because, amongst all of the active dragons out there, Quikantel was one of the strongest dragons.
However, as Jin predicted, Vyuretta brought along a person.
And it was the Zipfels¡¯ second-inmand, Andrei Zipfel.
Standing in the middle of the ind, Quikantel red at Vyuretta.
Jin and Murakan were hiding, watching the tense scene. They already filled the forest with spiritual energy, so their presence was concealed.
¡°Ho, ho, hum. It is this old man¡¯s first time meeting the Silver Dragon of Time. Madame Quikantel, it is an honor to meet you. I am Andrei Zipfel.¡±
[¡Vyuretta. I didn¡¯t think you would bring a person in response to my call.]
[Please understand, Silver Dragon. When I received your signal, Andrei was right next to me. With the topic being about Olta¡¯s contractor, he showed great interest, so I brought him along.]
Quikantel expressed severe disappointment, and Andrei chuckled, messing up his first impression even further.
[Vyuretta, you have been very disrespectful ever since you started asking me to introduce Enya. I hope you never do something like this again.]
[Understood. So, let¡¯s get right into it. What do you want to tell me about Olta¡¯s contractor?]
[Before that, I would like to ask you something.]
[Go ahead.]
[Az Mil¡¯s contractor¡¯s guardian dragon, Lathry. What did you do to them?]
She spoke in a dangerous tone.
Vyuretta chuckled for a bit in return, then held a straight face.
[Damn¡ I got baited. You called to talk about Lathry, not Olta¡¯s contractor. I knew something was up.]
Vyuretta¡¯s head shook as he spoke.
[Answer my question, Vyuretta. One year ago, you took Lathry to teach them some Draconic Magic. I saw with my own two eyes. And to this day, Az Mil¡¯s contractor failed to locate their guardian dragon.]
[I don¡¯t know how to answer you without leaving you unsatisfied. Hm, Lathry¡ is fine. I would¡¯ve never known you¡¯d have a connection with Az Mil¡¯s contractor. Were you asked to find Lathry?]
[Exactly. Now, if that made sense, return Lathry now. Az Mil¡¯s contractor is searching intently.]
Wooooosh~ Wooooosh¡!
Whirlwinds suddenly manifested, surrounding the ind. It was a cyclone caused by Vyuretta¡¯s wind ability.
[Vyuretta, it seems you¡¯ve gone crazy. You are under the Zipfels indeed. But to a point where you kidnap your own kind? And a youngling, at that? Based on your actions, just tell me that you want a fight.]
[You know too much about our business. I will say this now. Hand over Enya, and we will spare you.]
Quikantel smirked.
[Oh yeah? Perfect. I wasn¡¯t going to spare you anyway, no matter what you chose to do.]
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 76: A Replica That Shouldn’t Exist (1)
Chapter 76: A Replica That Shouldn¡¯t Exist (1)
Volume 4 Chapter 76 ¨C A Replica That Shouldn¡¯t Exist (1)
¡®These crazy fuckers¡ I didn¡¯t think they woulde out aggressively this fast.¡¯
They were now certain that the Zipfels kidnapped Lathry, but seeing their bravado for the misdeed baffled Jin.
Additionally, their brash attitude towards eliminating Quikantel without hesitation made it clear that the Zipfels¡¯ central forces definitely had a hand on any business rted to Lathry or Enya.
¡®They just demanded for Quikantel to hand over Enya. They are definitely hunting down contractors outside of the Zipfel n and are either using or eliminating them.¡¯
The fight was about to begin, so Jin and Murakan remained hidden.
¡®We strike when Ms. Quikantel gets into a dangerous position or when there is an opportunity for ambush.¡¯
Andrei and Vyuretta still did not notice Jin and Murakan¡¯s presence, so observing the fight for now was a better idea.
[I¡¯ll be honest, I haven¡¯t really liked you ever since we met, Quikantel.]
Vyuretta shouted, spreading a massive pair of wings.
Mana flowed through the powerful winds, and the static tornados began to close in on the silver dragon.
Whooooooooosh¡!
The tornados moved like huge snakes. As trees got torn away from the ground, Quikantel scoffed.
[I¡¯m sure you aren¡¯t nning to do anything with wind like child¡¯s y.]
It was at least an 8-star spell¡ªnot something one would call ¡®child¡¯s y¡¯.
However, it was not enough to pierce her exoskeleton. She didn¡¯t even dodge the attack and took the winds at full force. Not that she was underestimating the attack, but she genuinely believed that she had no need to.
Loud screeches echoed throughout the ind as the cyclones made contact with her silver armor.
But that was all.
The cyclones died down, failing to affect even a single scale.
The surroundings were devastated, as if caused by a bombing. And yet, Quikantel stood in the same spot¡ªin the same position.
Vyuretta was a little surprised, eyes slightly widening.
¡°Whoa¡! Incredible!¡±
Andrei expressed his admiration with a shaky voice.
Quikantel didn¡¯t like his expressive attitude. Not one bit.
The 9-star grand magician, ¡®Wind King¡¯ Andrei Zipfel.
As the second-inmand, everyone knew how strong he was, but not many knew of his ¡®real¡¯ power. Simply due to the fact that everyone who fought him had died. People only could infer hisbat power.
And as for Quikantel, she didn¡¯t know much about Andrei either.
[I guess Wind King isn¡¯t just a title. You filthy human. Show me your strength. After I begin my attack, you won¡¯t have any opportunity to show off.]
¡°I can finally use my full power. In that case, I will enjoy it, Silver Dragon of Time.¡±
Andrei¡¯s staff began to glow.
Mana Expansion¡ªa spell signifying the start of an attack.
¡®It¡¯s been a long time since I saw a 9-star Mana Expansion up close.¡¯
In an instant, about 500 meters around them, the blue mana dyed their surroundings. It was not amon sight.
And because he was the contractor of the God of Wind, Andrei¡¯s magic was the pure essence of wind. Every movement of air around the ind could potentially be Andrei¡¯s weapon.
Wind was invisible. Although the artificialpression and movement of wind was visible as it ripped through space, wind¡ªat its purest¡ªhad no form.
Thus, Andrei¡¯s wind could be an invisible sword or a formless spear and pierce the enemy.
The space around the grand magician began to morph with the flow of wind. No one knew what woulde out of the bending space.
¡°If I had one thing to say¡¡±
Andrei smirked and extended his finger towards Quikantel.
¡°I am especially strong against dragons. So please be careful.¡±
Hissss~
From Andrei¡¯s finger, wind in the form of a spike flew out.
Quikantel sensed the danger and spread her wings. She nned on flying upwards, dodging the attack and shooting her breath to counter him.
But there was a reason Andrei mentioned his strength against dragons.
¡®My flight¡ has been disabled?¡¯
No matter how much she pped her gigantic wings, no wind urred. In fact, her wings felt heavier, as if she were swimming in water.
A technique that only Melzeyer¡¯s contractor could use¡ªWindless Domain.
Inside the Mana Expansion, there was nothing that could fly without Andrei¡¯s permission. And losing the ability to fly was a great loss to a dragon¡¯sbat power.
Crackle!
Andrei¡¯s wind spikes hit Quikantel¡¯s chest. Some scales broke off and fell to the ground. Simultaneously, Vyuretta flew to the sky.
[These bastards¡!]
[You are definitely strong, but you were too careless.]
Vyuretta¡¯s breath flew at many angles. Quikantel conjured a force field with her mana, but Andrei cast another spell.
This time, it wasn¡¯t an inherited spell from Melzeyer. Instead, it was the Zipfels¡¯ lightning-attributed spell, Lightning Storm. Blue chains crackled and gathered in Andrei¡¯s palm as his feet started lifting off the ground.
Just because he was Melzeyer¡¯s contractor didn¡¯t mean that he was limited to wind-attributed spells. Even Jin used spells of multiple attributes freely while using spiritual energy.
¡®This can be lethal. That cursed human¡!¡¯
Unable to attack, Quikantel felt as if she was being pushed into a corner.
¡®Do we go now?¡¯
Jin exchanged looks with Murakan, and the ck dragon shook his head.
¡°Quikantel was indeed acting cocky, but those guys are also underestimating her. Let¡¯s watch for a little longer. If we go now, then her pride is gonna get hurt.¡±
As Murakan finished speaking, Andrei also finished casting his spell.
Violent chains of electricity charged towards Quikantel. Hundreds of sparks and crackles of electricity¡ªenough to blind a man¡ªmixed with Quikantel¡¯s breath.
Although they were pretty far away, Jin felt shocks throughout his body despite protecting himself with spiritual energy.
Power definitely worthy of being the Zipfel n¡¯s second-inmand.
However, despite its uncontested strength, the spell didn¡¯t hit its target and was rendered useless.
Quikantel activated her temporal powers and froze Andrei¡¯s spell.
As the grand magician ruled the wind as Melzeyer¡¯s contractor, Quikantel ruled time as one of Olta¡¯s dragons.
[That was a pretty neat trick.]
More and more crackling bolts of lightning froze in front of Quikantel.
Before them was an even match between two god-given powers.
Andrei lowered his staff and lowered to the ground. Strangely, avarice flickered in his eyes.
¡°A very coveted power¡ Hehehe. Seeing it with my own eyes, I can feel the blood vessels twitching inside my aged body.¡±
Quikantel remained silent and stepped away from the frozen bolts of lightning.
[I guess it¡¯s my turn now.]
It may still be a situation where her ability to fly was incapacitated, but Quikantel was confident that she could still rule the skies.
[If you won¡¯t let me fly, then I will not let you move a single finger!]
Screeeeeeeeeeech!
A sharp sound echoed, and waves of energy emerged from Quikantel¡¯s forehead.
Ripples could be seen throughout space, as if a rock was thrown into water, and everything that the ripples touched lost its time.
Inside the frozen time, one would basically be a statue.
¡°That is the reason why you permanently be a mere nt if you don¡¯t get along with the dragons of time, kid. Get caught by it, and it¡¯s over.¡±
¡°That¡¯s unspeakably overpowered!¡±
¡°Well, not really. Just don¡¯t make contact with it. Then it bes easy. The spell itself is hard to sustain too.¡±
As it was Vyuretta¡¯s and Andrei¡¯s first time fighting a dragon of time, they dodged the pulses by instinct. But they forgot one crucial fact.
If any part of the body gets caught¡ªwhether it was the tip of the toe or a strand of hair¡ªthen the entire body will freeze.
Andrei easily dodged with his small and nimble body, but that was not the case for Vyuretta.
Thoooom!
Quikantel sted off the ground with her feet and charged at the wind dragon who was frozen still.
¡°Vyuretta!¡±
When she got close enough, she released the time prison and ripped Vyuretta¡¯s throat apart with her jaws. Screeching, Vyuretta fell with Quikantel.
Boom!
From Vyuretta¡¯s long neck spilled thick rivers of blood. With his neck in her jaws, Quikantel stood like a beast that caught its prey.
Every time the wind dragon moved, green scales, blood, and flesh sttered everywhere.
Andrei was furious, but he couldn¡¯t do anything. Any move he made could kill Vyuretta. In fact, if he tried to approach them, then Quikantel could recast her ultimate spell.
[Keuuuook!]
[Tastes like garbage. You said I¡¯m cocky? Say that shit again!]
Chomp!
Quikantel bit off a chunk of Vyuretta¡¯s flesh and taunted her enemies. From Vyuretta¡¯s wound, the white of bone was visible, and the wounded dragon floundered to escape.
Reactivating her ability, Quikantel froze Vyuretta once more.
The silver dragon made an unbearable sight as she repeated the same process. Her brutal attacks instinctively made the spectators squint their eyes.
¡°Wow, I¡¯m getting goosebumps. I also suffered from that attack before.¡±
¡°From Ms. Quikantel?¡±
¡°Yeah, we fought a lot while we were in a rtionship.¡±
Two more times and Vyuretta would be decapitated. The wind dragon¡¯s consciousness was already gone. And even when his time wasn¡¯t frozen, his massive body only flinched a little.
¡°S-Stop, Silver Dragon!¡±
[Shut the fuck up and watch, Zipfel magician. You¡¯re next in line. And you¡¯re at a loss for words? Maybe you¡¯re scared of your impending doom.]
Despite her threatening words, Quikantel was also very exhausted at that point.
If she could infinitely use her temporal abilities, then the world¡¯s strongest being would not be Cyron Runcandel.
¡®I was able to im victory due to Vyuretta¡¯s carelessness. I¡¯ll kill this bastard. As for the magician, I¡¯ll get help from Jin and Murakan¡!¡¯
Because she abused her ability, Quikantel¡¯s mana had depleted.
Huff, puff¡
Breathing heavily, Quikantel was about to cut off Vyuretta¡¯s airway.
Yet, with a firm resolve, Andrei walked towards the two dragons.
¡°You have gone too far.¡±
[Look who¡¯s talking.]
¡°That is only for the stronger one to say, Silver Dragon. You were born as a Silver Dragon of Time, dering yourself and your god as strong. All this time, you probably thought of yourselves as rulers of the world¡¡±
¡®¡But that¡¯s a delusion. Everything will fall under the Zipfels¡¯ g¡ªall humans and gods.¡¯
Andrei lowered his staff and pulled out something from his robe.
In his hand was an orb emitting an ominous ck glow. The moment Murakan saw this, he eximed.
¡°The Orb of Origin¡! No way!¡±
He transformed into his true form, and his torso broke through the spiritual energy, revealing a massive shadow unto the ground.
[Escape, Quikantel!]
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 77: A Replica That Shouldn’t Exist (2)
Chapter 77: A Replica That Shouldn¡¯t Exist (2)
Volume 4 Chapter 77 ¨C A Replica That Shouldn¡¯t Exist (2)
¡°Oh, I see there were more guests.¡±
Andrei cracked a big grin.
Goosebumps covered Quikantel as she saw the hysterical smile, backing off after hearing Murakan¡¯s warning.
They felt an ineffably ominous energy flowing throughout Andrei¡¯s mysterious orb.
And Quikantel¡¯s instincts were not wrong.
Kieeeeeeeeeeeek!
Not long after, a long entity emerged from the orb, making a screeching sound that ripped their eardrums.
¡®A face¡?!¡¯
From what Murakan called the ¡®Orb of Origin¡¯ came a huge, ck entity that resembled a face. However, its eye sockets were empty. And with part of the face being disfigured, the exact facial features were indistinguishable.
As soon as the face formed, the ck entity¡¯s long neck extended, and the figure moved to bite Quikantel¡¯s throat.
In a split second, it munched on thin air. Had she ignored Murakan¡¯s call, she would not have evaded death.
¡°I wanted to use you as a test subject¡ but that¡¯s too bad. Since you saw this face, don¡¯t expect to get any time to rest.¡±
Then, Andrei turned to Murakan.
¡°A ck dragon, I see. I only know of two ck dragons alive in this world. And since you aren¡¯t a female, you must be the Runcandel n¡¯s Murakan. It seems you have awoken from your slumber? Then, the boy next to you¡¡±
Jin was covering his face with Myulta¡¯s Rune, but Andrei knew who he was.
¡°¡must be Solderet¡¯s contractor. Certainly¡ Jin Runcandel. You¡¯re the only Runcandel provisional g-bearer in this area. Am I wrong?¡±
Andrei¡¯s eyes overflowed with avarice.
He originally only wanted to ¡®consume¡¯ Olta¡¯s contractor. However, the possibility of making two great catches filled him with greed.
Instead of answering the grand magician, Jin just red at Andrei. Quikantel remained cautious despite the battle being in temporary armistice.
During that time, Murakan could not stop looking at the orb in Andrei¡¯s hand and the ¡®face¡¯ that stemmed from it.
¡®It¡¯s simr to the Orb of Origin, but it¡¯s a little different. The gods already disposed of it, so there¡¯s no way for a human to possess such an object.¡¯
It could only mean that the orb in the grand magician¡¯s hand was a replica.
¡®But how?¡¯
Questioning the situation, Murakan thought deeply.
The ¡®Orb of Origin¡¯ is a sacred object that contained the power of all gods, and it was a kind of safety mechanism.
It prevents the gods¡¯ creations from attacking the gods, and the gods themselves from attacking other gods. Essentially, it was an object that prevented the end of the world.
However, the gods found out that the Orb of Origin possessed powers exceeding the threat of possible war. They evaluated it to be enough to obliterate the entire world. So, as humankind began to prosper, the orb was destroyed.
¡®Last time, it was the cemetery giants. Now, it¡¯s a replica of the Orb of Origin? What the hell is happening?¡¯
Although it was merely a replica, the orb in Andrei¡¯s hand possessed disgusting amounts of power.
The ¡®face¡¯ approached Vyuretta¡¯s corpse and whispered a chant. Soon after, ck smoke emerged from the wind dragon¡¯s wound, and it began to heal. However, it wasn¡¯t a normal regeneration.
Instead of green skin and emerald scales, the missing flesh was filled up with the same dark energy as that from the orb.
¡°I shouldn¡¯t have held back. I apologize for your loss, my old friend, Vyuretta.¡±
It didn¡¯t even take ten seconds for the exposed white bones to be covered by the newly grown flesh, skin, and scales.
Vyuretta slowly raised his body. The ground below him still hadkes of blood and remnants of his flesh and scales, but the wind dragon seemed unaffected¡ªbesides the massive ck blotch on one side of his neck.
The sight startled Jin.
Even Quikantel¡ªwho ¡°regenerated¡± a severed wing¡ªslowly stepped backwards, and Murakan gritted his teeth.
The wind dragon¡¯s corpse was resurrected.
urrences such as this would still be impossible even with the help of the God of Healing, but it happened right in front of their eyes.
[We gotta get serious, kiddo.]
[Murakan! I will call the dragons of the Vermont Imperial Family. Until then, buy me some ti¡ª]
¡°Uh-uh. I can¡¯t let you do that.¡±
Fwit!
Instantaneously, Andrei disappeared and reappeared behind Quikantel. The face from the Orb of Origin replica opened its jaws.
Chomp!
Quikantel¡¯s left foot grazed the ck teeth¡ªalbeit only slightly.
However, Quikantel¡ªwho didn¡¯t show a single sign of pain while fighting Vyuretta¡ªfloundered, screaming in her suffering.
Smoke emerged from the grazed wound. Quikantel backed off, limping away from the enemy.
¡°What a great scream to hear, Silver Dragon. It¡¯s a shame I cannot hear more of it.¡±
And as Murakan tried to run to her¡
[You think you can make a difference, Murakan?]
[Move away, Vyuretta.]
[Move away? The great Murakan is asking me?! Hahaha! I¡¯m sure many dragons would be dying to meet you if they found out about your reawakening. I agree with what Andrei said earlier. It¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t tell the others about you.]
Spiritual energy began to spread from Murakan¡¯s wings.
[At some point, all dragons feared your presence. But do you think they still do? You have gotten weak. And your contractor is still a baby!]
Wooooosh!
As he finished his monologue, Vyuretta released a breath.
Compressed wind projectiles.
The breaths quickly disced the spiritual energy as they traveled. Vyuretta¡¯s breaths were definitely stronger aspared to before his ¡®resurrection¡¯. All because of the Orb of Origin.
Vyuretta was ted as he watched the view before him; for overpowering an old bully felt amazing and refreshed him.
[I, Vyuretta, will go down in history as your killer!]
[Yeah, right, crazy bastard.]
Although he was iparably weaker than his past self, it was still a fact that Murakan was at the apex among all of the entities in the sky at one point.
He wasn¡¯t going to lose only after one breath.
Fwooooosh¡!
After resisting the breath, Murakan¡¯s body sublimed and scattered into the ck smoke. Then, he approached Vyuretta and reconstructed his body, revealing himself next to his enemy.
[Indeed, it¡¯s too easy, isn¡¯t it?]
And a closebat fight ensued. Each time the two massive dragons shed, the ind rumbled and quaked.
As space was morphed with the merging of spiritual energy and wind, Jin intently watched the fight between Andrei and Quikantel.
He had to read the flow of the battle.
¡®In my current state, joining Murakan and Vyuretta¡¯s fight is suicide. Just getting near them is already impossible. On the other hand, for Andrei¡¡¯
There was no chance for ambush.
After Andrei revealed his Orb of Origin, Quikantel was just running away. Because of this, there was no opportunity for Jin to attack.
Additionally, the main enemy of this fight wasn¡¯t Vyuretta, but Andrei Zipfel. Killing him first would make Vyuretta¡¯s demise more meaningful.
¡®Andrei can¡¯t cast a spell while holding that orb. Probably because the artifact drains insane amounts of mana.¡¯
If he was casting 9-star spells instead, then Andrei would have been unapproachable. However, he was focusing on the orb. asionally, he would cast a short teleportation spell to catch up to Quikantel, yet that was all.
¡®I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the orb, but his overall physical abilities increased. At the level of a 7-star knight, at the very least. This will be difficult.¡¯
Ambush and execute instantly.
Or at least cut off the hand holding the orb.
After concluding his ns, Jin began to move. Thankfully, Vyuretta didn¡¯t seem to notice Jin¡¯s movements as he fought against Murakan.
It was only possible because Murakan was putting up a good fight.
¡®When I go back, I should ask Kashimir about this. Well, I don¡¯t know if this will work for Andrei¡!¡¯
Once he got past Vyuretta, he increased his speed and sprinted towards Quikantel. She and Jin were looking at each other, with Andrei¡¯s back towards the young Runcandel.
He only needed three steps before getting in range to strike.
However, Andrei spun around with a grin, expecting the ambush.
¡°So you havee, Jin Run¡ªErk!¡±
But Jin never actually thought of shing Andrei from behind. Not even once.
sh!
Instead of swinging his sword, Jin opened his hand in front of Andrei¡¯s face. A spell was ready in his left hand.
A spell that everyone thought was gone. An ancient light magic that only one person in the world mastered not so long ago.
Photon Cannon¡ªTzenmi¡¯s vision-impairing spell that Jin mastered in the ship, right before his arrival at Tikan.
¡®It worked!¡¯
Instinctively, Andrei used one hand to cover his eyes and bent over. As the magician staggered backwards, Jin unsheathed his sword and swung.
sh!
He felt the de cutting through the flesh at Andrei¡¯s chest. Jin recoiled to stab him, but the orb¡¯s face charged towards Jin.
However, the ck figure seemed to be influenced by Andrei¡¯s vision, as it just floundered while snapping its jaws at empty air.
Jin lowered his torso and swung his sword in an unnatural stance, aiming to sh Andrei¡¯s legs.
¡°Kraaaaaaaagh!¡±
Slice¡!
Andrei¡ªwith his ankles cut through¡ªstumbled and fell backwards.
A normal enemy would have been doomed and met their end at that point, but Jin didn¡¯t have the opportunity to finish him off.
Quikantel was also at her limit. Even with Jin buying her time, she couldn¡¯t lengthen the distance between her and Andrei. She was hunching over the ground, catching her breath.
¡°I apud your ambush. However, you and your god will be ingredients for the Demon God¡¯s Orb, Jin Runcandel.¡±
Even after being blinded by Photon Cannon and having his feet severed, Andrei spoke normally.
Using the face of the Demon God¡¯s Orb, he protected his body. And just like Vyuretta¡¯s resurrection, his ankles were being regenerated.
As this all urred, Vyuretta pushed Murakan away and rapidly stomped towards Jin. He didn¡¯t defeat Murakan, but he flew through the Windless Domain, unaffected by the skill¡¯s effect.
[Kid! Above you!]
Crash!
Vyuretta fell to the ground, right where Jin was standing. Jin was able to throw his body aside to dodge the attack, but evading the subsequent breaths while also avoiding the orb¡¯s face was impossible.
He felt that he was right at the doorstep of death.
At that moment, Jin put his hand towards his neck and thought of a name.
One belonging to the world¡¯s greatest knight, praised by everyone. The transcendent White Whale.
His eldest sister¡ªLuna Runcandel.
He clenched his fist, and Orgal¡¯s Pendant shattered. For the past six years, he had never taken it off.
Crrrack!
Simultaneously, a sh of mana burst out, and a dimensional gate opened.
¡°It seems you¡¯re in a tough spot, youngest Runcandel.¡±
And from it, the White Whale emerged.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 78: An Anomaly Called the Runcandels (1)
Chapter 78: An Anomaly Called the Runcandels (1)
Volume 4 Chapter 78 ¨C An Anomaly Called the Runcandels (1)
The axe-sword, Crantel. The sword with a tip forged into the shape of an axe de. A weapon born to satisfy Luna¡¯s tastes.
At first nce, one would say that it was a heavy and inefficient weapon¡ªit easily weighed heavier than three or four men.
But Luna swung the axe-sword as if it were as light as a feather.
Sheeeek! Krrrrt!
The first strike deflected Vyuretta¡¯s breath, splitting it into two and sending them to the ground. The second struck the face from the Demon God¡¯s Orb, redirecting it towards Andrei like a ball.
Andrei¡ªwho had been confident and rxed¡ªlooked anxious and tense. On the other hand, Vyuretta didn¡¯t dare to attack again afternding on the ground.
As soon as Luna appeared, the battle scene rapidly changed.
She stepped in front of Jin and looked around, then lightly grinned.
¡°The Zipfels¡¯ second-inmand and a wind dragon. Yes, it¡¯s worth calling me for this kind of fight. Jin, are you hurt anywhere?¡±
The sun shone behind Luna as she turned to face Jin.
Looking into her ocean-deep eyes, Jin was certain.
The fight was already won.
After all, she was the definition of ¡®strongest¡¯.
¡°No, not a scratch.¡±
¡°Good. If you got hurt, I¡¯d kill those two then go flip the Zipfel n inside out.¡±
Hearing these words, Jin got goosebumps. Mainly because he felt the love and careing from his sister.
Also because ¡®flipping the Zipfel n inside out¡¯ wasn¡¯t impossible for Luna.
¡°Anyways, I missed you. It was so boring without you back at home. I¡¯m sure you felt the same?¡±
¡°I think so.¡±
¡°How cute.¡±
Arriving next to Jin, Murakan covered him with his wings.
[Damned kid. You have such a great sister. I thought I was gonna die.]
¡°Lord Murakan, it is our first time meeting, yes? As the eldest daughter of the Runcandel n, I believe that officially introducing myself would be proper. However, I think that I will be a little busy. Please take care of my youngest brother.¡±
[Understood. I entrust you with the rest of the job, Luna Runcandel.]
¡°Sister, please be careful. The Demon God¡¯s Orb artifact resurrected the wind dragon earlier.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, and get out of here. The adult will deal with this, child.¡±
With Jin on his back and lightly holding Quikantel in his mouth, Murakan began their retreat. Although it lookedughable, if he didn¡¯t get as far as possible¡
He would be struck by Luna¡¯s sword. They would be safe if they¡¯re at least 500 meters away.
[Alright, alright. Now, let¡¯s just spectate. Quikantel, don¡¯t be too embarrassed. It may just be a replica, but it¡¯s normal for a dragon to be afraid of the Orb of Origin.]
It didn¡¯t take long for them to get far away from the battlefield. During that time, Andrei and Vyuretta only stared at Luna, at a loss for words.
Luna, on the other hand, looked at the Demon God¡¯s Orb that the grand magician was holding.
¡®What in the world is that? That ominous energy¡ It feels very simr to that of the demons I killed in the past¡ Well, whatever it is, there¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t cut through.¡¯
Thinking this, Luna slowly pointed her axe-sword at Andrei.
¡°Are you just going to look at me like that, Andrei Zipfel? To think that a legendary figure like you would have business with my brother. I would like an exnation.¡±
Andrei¡¯s eyes narrowed.
¡°¡Heh, this is an unexpected variable. O White Whale, the Runcandel n has broken its oath. Your brother used magic.¡±
¡°Indeed, he broke the oath. But that news won¡¯t get to your n. Oh, if you want, I can go tell Kelliark Zipfel myself. I think it¡¯d be great if I also tell him about your visit to the banquet and fleeing from my father.
Andrei gritted his teeth.
¡®Luna Runcandel¡ How dare you, you worthless bitch.¡¯
But he couldn¡¯t reveal his anger.
¡®That bitch is just food for the Demon God¡¯s Orb. After all, she¡¯s just a mere human. As long as she¡¯s not a demigod like her father, she can¡¯t handle its power.¡¯
Andrei firmly believed in the power of the orb and that the Runcandel bitch had no intel or feel for it.
¡®If I cast normal spells like before, it would be a difficult battle. But with the orb, there¡¯s no way I would lose. Nothing changed.¡¯
Thinking this, Andrei¡¯s eyes found calm.
¡°Well, alright. I knew that I would have to fight against you like this one day. Today, we will find out if you truly are worthy of the grand name ¡®White Whale¡¯.¡±
¡°Among all of the Zipfels, you have the talent of making a boring speech even more boring. Just as boring as you!¡±
Shaaang!
With a single step off the ground, Luna arrived right in front of Andrei like a bullet.
The grand magician was instantly within the axe-sword¡¯s massive strike zone.
¡°And weirdly enough, amongst the Zipfels¡¡±
Crackle!
Andrei barely blocked Luna¡¯s attack with the orb¡¯s face. Vyuretta charged at her, but in an instant, she was standing next to him instead.
¡°¡no one knows about me that well.¡±
sh!
The edge of Vyuretta¡¯s wing was cut off. Although it was a small injury, the wind dragon was startled by his inability to react to her attack.
¡®What kind of speed is this¡?!¡¯
To Vyuretta and Andrei, Luna moved at the speed of light. Following her movements with the naked eye was impossible, and it was the ultimate speed. They could only react to her actions by predicting her next move.
¡°Will the dragon not fight me in his original form? There¡¯s nothing good about having a big body right now.¡±
Surprisingly, after hearing the human¡¯s mocking advice, Vyuretta transformed into a human. As Luna said, one wrong move, and he would be cut into dozens of pieces.
The Zipfel n didn¡¯t necessarily have zero information on Luna.
Being the strongest after Cyron, the Zipfels endlessly scraped information about her. However, the intelligence agents who got too close often got killed. And every single Zipfel who fought against her died, not even leaving out a single one.
Additionally, to the Zipfel n, Luna was a mystery. They only heard about the rumours of her strength, yet no one told the tale about the whole truth¡ªonly settling with a vague conclusion.
That she transcended human limits.
¡®Are you saying that a non-contractor could possess this much power? A human other than Cyron?¡¯
For a moment, Andrei was delusional. He had mistaken that Luna was a ¡®consumable contractor¡¯ for the Demon God¡¯s Orb.
However, the orb didn¡¯t react to her. Therefore, Luna was a normal human.
¡®As soon as I return to the n, I mustpletely revise the ns against the Runcandels. If we let them grow in power, the Zipfels will be the first to fall.¡¯
Andrei could only be worried about the future of his n.
¡®Meeting Luna today is an opportunity given by god. If I don¡¯t kill her now, the next chance is when the orb isplete¡!¡¯
As Andrei thought about his ns, his thoughts on ¡®Luna Runcandel¡¯ rapidly changed.
Orb in hand, faced with a person that he could never think of fighting against without it, and in a no-man¡¯s ind with no witnesses.
What were the chances of facing Luna Runcandel in the first ce?
There would never be a second chance.
¡°Vyuretta!¡±
Vyuretta nodded as he heard Andrei¡¯s urgent cry. Because they have coordinated their attacks for a long time, the two couldmunicate their next move even without speech.
Whoooooooosh!
Wind began topress on Vyuretta¡¯s palm, its form loosely resembling a spear.
And even in his human form, the ck blotch on Vyuretta¡¯s neck was flickering. The power that he received from the orb during his resurrection was still being used.
¡°I show my utmost respect. I would have never thought I¡¯d use this power against a human.¡±
¡°You must¡¯ve lived a long time. It seems you have fought against many humans.¡±
Luna was pretty rxed.
However, as soon as Vyuretta began to conjure power from the power he inherited from the orb, Luna knew that the dragon¡¯s movements changed.
¡®This isn¡¯t magic. It¡¯s closer to some god-given power. I can see why the aura I felt was simr to the demons¡¯. And this dragon started to use all its power to¡¡¯
It was to buy time for Andrei, who could extract more power from the orb.
With all of it thought out, Luna scoffed.
¡®A 9-star old grand magician and a wind dragon. Do they really believe some measly artifact could save their life?¡¯
Baffled, no words came out of her mouth.
She realized why the Zipfels couldn¡¯t overtake the Runcandel n after so long. They had such a pathetic human as their second-inmand.
This thought baffled Luna, silencing her. Then, a thought sparked in her mind.
¡®There¡¯s no way this guy is the Zipfels¡¯ second-inmand. The real one must be a figure who isn¡¯t well known.¡¯
Watching from far away, Jin thought the same thing.
¡®It¡¯s so weird. Elder Sister Luna is very strong, but is that really the strength of a 9-star magician?¡¯
It definitely looked as if the mancked the mana to cast other regr spells while operating the orb. The initial Mana Expansion would¡¯ve consumed a lot of mana already.
Even considering that, Jin really didn¡¯t expect Luna to dominate the battle.
¡®Either he¡¯s a fake Andrei, information about Andrei has been exaggerated, or the real second-inmand is a different member of the Zipfel n and Andrei is just the figurehead. It¡¯s one of these three.¡¯
While the Runcandel siblings determined these facts and possibilities, Vyruetta¡¯s wind spear grew massive.
Wind, aura, mana, and the Demon God¡¯s Orb¡¯s energy. All four powers seeped into the spear.
¡°Do you really think that you will win with one strike using that big and slow weapon of yours, Wind Dragon Vyuretta?¡±
Just as Luna said, the spear continuously grew and reached a point where it no longer resembled a spear.
Without hesitation, Vyuretta began to swing and thrust the weapon, and Luna felt a little sorry.
¡®How could a dragon be so corrupt?¡¯
After dodging two attacks, Luna stopped in ce.
¡°I¡¯ll show you, then. I will take it head-on. I didn¡¯t want to stall anyways.¡±
Fwooooosh!
Crantel let out a brilliant glow; the de¡¯s endless light shone in all directions. Resembling the light emitted by the sun, its aura looked more sacred than dangerous.
The Runcandels¡¯ third decisive killing move, ¡®Meteor Shower¡¯.
The de was mmed to the ground. And, true to the technique¡¯s name, the clouds split open as meteors began to fall.
Right where Luna¡¯s arrogant opponents stood.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 79: An Anomaly Called the Runcandels (2)
Chapter 79: An Anomaly Called the Runcandels (2)
Volume 4 Chapter 79 ¨C An Anomaly Called the Runcandels (2)
¡®That¡¯s¡!¡¯
Jin¡¯s eyes filled with awe as he looked up to the sky.
He had heard his brothers discuss the n¡¯s different decisive killing moves multiple times in his past life.
Seeing the sky open up and an aura plummet to the ground, he was able to deduce that it was the n¡¯s third decisive killing move, ¡®Meteor Shower¡¯. But it was the first time he actually witnessed it.
As well as his first time seeing one of his n¡¯s secret techniques.
¡®It¡¯s surprisingly beautiful¡¡¯
And strong.
Countless balls of energy fell like shooting stars. As each streak of light hit the ground, Jin could feel the impact throughout his body.
He felt like he was looking at the absolute limit of human ability.
He clenched his fist and focused on observing, not wanting to miss a single moment. He wanted to remember this scene and someday recreate it himself.
Recreate the same domineering power.
Quikantel mindlessly stared at the hundreds of aura stars falling from the sky. The only calm person was Murakan.
[Decisive killing move, Meteor Shower. It¡¯s been a thousand years. It¡¯s stillckingpared to Temar¡¯s, but your sister is still a monster.]
BOOM! KABOOM!
Every time a meteor smashed the ground, the entire ind wailed.
Thend became disfigured, rocks shattered, and dirt crumbled into smaller particles. Meteors thrashed the ground, powerful enough to disintegrate everything that makes contact into nothing.
Among the explosions, a helpless human and dragon looked pitiful as they searched for shelter.
They realized that they couldn¡¯t survive relying on some iplete artifact¡ªultimately filling their hearts with hopelessness and misery.
¡®No¡! This can¡¯t be!¡¯
Andrei muttered words like a prayer as he gripped the Demon God¡¯s Orb. Vyuretta returned to his dragon form and leapt to protect him.
¡®We can win if I keep Andrei safe. If I protect Andrei¡!¡¯
Even if his body was torn into millions of pieces, as long as one broken bone or chunk of flesh remained, Vyuretta could be resurrected with the power of the orb. It was because of this that he never feared death.
However, Luna¡¯s strength was still horrific.
It didn¡¯t matter if he got revived and resurrected. He was guaranteed to die again anyway. Maybe, even with aplete Demon God¡¯s Orb, it would be impossible to defeat the human before him.
On the other hand, Luna overflowed with majestic might as she lowered her axe-sword.
She didn¡¯t even look at the meteor shower ripping Vyuretta apart, preupied by her dissatisfaction with the results.
She disintegrated the ind and ughtered the Zipfel grand magician as well as his dragon. And yet, she was not satisfied.
¡®Not even close to Father¡¯s.¡¯
Cyron¡¯s Meteor Shower, which she had witnessed only once in the past, was much stronger.
It was difficult to exin, but it transcended¡ it wouldn¡¯t even be considered as something that was done by a human.
She had to do something that would absolutely dominate the battlefield. Only then could she considerparing herself with her father.
¡®Still, this is a good experience for the youngest. Hopefully, it gives him some inspiration. If I¡¯m not worthy of being Father¡¯s sessor¡ it definitely has to be you, our youngest brother.¡¯
With that thought, she looked behind her.
She wanted to send a message to her sibling who was watching the iplete yet amazing technique. That he should grow and be much stronger in order to be the next patriarch of the Runcandel n.
And Jin felt his sister¡¯s sentiment. Even though she didn¡¯t voice it out, or even if she said it and Jin couldn¡¯t hear it¡ Even though Jin could barely see her from far away, he knew what she wanted to tell him.
¡®She is always teaching me something.¡¯
She lit a fire in his heart.
Compared to any other moments, he had never felt more passionate about swordsmanship. The thought of surpassing his eldest sister and their father to seed the throne suffocated him.
He would never forget this moment.
At the end of the meteor shower, a massive crater was left behind in the middle of the ind, filling up with water. And, as if a submarine volcano erupted, a tsunami grew from the filled crater. Additionally, Vyuretta and Andrei were nowhere to be seen.
They surrendered their life to the body of water¡ªfor within the tsunami, parts of Vyuretta¡¯s corpse were visible.
The sky above was clear; every single bit of cloud had been dispersed by the meteors that pierced through them.
Luna lightly shook her head as she stood underneath the shining sun and in front of the growing tsunami.
¡°This is a little disappointing. In front of my brother¡ It¡¯s annoying if you hold on for too long.¡±
Luna pointed Crantel at the tsunami.
Simultaneously, something inside the massive wall of water slowly revealed itself.
A ck, massive, monstrous face.
It resembled the entity from the Demon God¡¯s Orb. However, it soon emerged out of the water with a full body. Its arms and legs broke out of the water¡¯s surface first, then its torso followed.
Andrei had fused with the orb.
¡°That crazy¡ What is that? Is that the result of unleashing the artifiact¡¯s powers?¡±
Orb of Origin, Demon God¡¯s Orb¡ªwhatever it was, Jin knew it wasn¡¯t normal. Moreover, the power was too horrific to simply be from an ¡®artifact¡¯.
¡®I¡¯ve never seen anything like it in my past life. It¡¯s as if a powerful god has descended.¡¯
There was no word to describe the terrifying creature other than ¡®god¡¯.
Quikantel¡¯s tail curled up, unable to resist the terror in front of her.
Although it was a replica, the Demon God¡¯s Orb still contained the power of the gods, which automatically drew the fear out of dragons.
[Whew, I¡¯m certain now. Kid, the Zipfels used a contractor to recreate the Orb of Origin. Thankfully, it¡¯s not very strong right now. Just a little evil¡ I¡¯ll tell you the restter. First, we have to get outta here.]
¡°We have to escape?¡±
Andrei¡¯s Windless Domain was long gone. Murakan opened his wings and began to rise, and Jin instinctively shouted.
¡°We have to get Elder Sister Luna! We can¡¯t let her fight that thing alone!¡±
[No, that thing needs to be killed. If we let it live, then it will torment the world. The Orb of Origin is like that. And the only person who can end that thing is your sister.]
¡°But¡¡±
[Even though I lost my strength, my eyes are still sharp. Your sister can definitely take it head-on. If it were the real Orb of Origin, even Temar wouldn¡¯t be able to stop it.]
As if she were listening in on their conversation, Luna looked up towards Jin and Murakan. She waved her hand in the air as she shouted.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, and go somewhere safe!¡±
Jin still felt uneasy and thought it wasn¡¯t right for him to just escape.
Yet, he instinctively knew. As Murakan said, ¡®that¡¯ needed to be exterminated.
However, he was extremely upset and disappointed that he could only watch from the sidelines instead of help.
¡®After today, there will never be a day where I¡¯m powerless¡!¡¯
Jin gritted his teeth.
Murakan grinned, for he was proud of Jin¡¯s hunger for improvement.
¡®Friggin¡¯ kid. I knew you had no fear. Looking at that thing and still emitting your battle aura¡ Looks like you really want to kill it yourself.¡¯
A strong energy, enough to sting Murakan¡¯s ted back; it was undoubtedly Jin¡¯s.
An unbelievably prominent battle aura from a fifteen-year-old who just became a 5-star.
¡®You will be the best, Jin Runcandel, the contractor of a thousand years.¡¯
Murakan didn¡¯t feel great about escaping as well. However, he was looking forward to Jin¡¯s future and potential.
[C¡¯mon, don¡¯t be too down, and watch your sister. Watch the anomaly called the Runcandels. Today, Luna Runcandel will save the world!]
When she thought they got far enough from the ind, Luna wrapped Crantel with aura. At the same time, Andrei stepped away from the massive water wall and looked down on her.
¡°Andrei Zipfel. Hmm¡ Your face is too disfigured for me to tell, but you¡¯re definitely making a confident expression. Since you became a monster with that artifact, you must think you could defeat me now.¡±
Grrrrr, grrrrrrrrk, grrrrrrrk!
The monster let out a triumphantugh that sounded simr to someone violently clearing their throat. As she said, Andrei was no longer afraid of Luna.
¡°The power of the Twelve Gods are currently inside me, Luna Runcandel! And what do you have? Even if your father was here, you wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat me!¡±
¡°Ah, the Twelve Gods. Unfortunately, I only have this one sword right now.¡±
She responded with a calm face.
¡°Show me all you¡¯ve got. I will dly receive it!¡±
A belittling smirk then grew on Luna¡¯s face.
¡°As expected, you¡¯re still delusional. If you fought me using the magic you had trained for years, you could¡¯ve seen half of my true skill at most.¡±
Andrei tried to respond, but held back after seeing that Crantel was dyed in red.
¡®Crimson aura?¡¯
Andrei tilted his head in confusion. He had fought hundreds of knights, but he had never seen any of them use a crimson aura.
¡°On that note, although you never deserved it¡¡±
Crantel was set aze.
¡°In order to fix your foolishness¡ I shall show you what true swordsmanship is. And naturally, you will see the ws in your ways.¡±
¡®You allegedly caged the entities you proim as ¡®gods¡¯ inside that pathetic little rock, and you think that nothing can stand in your way just because you have it in your possession. Delusional. The man I¡¯ve seen my entire life¡ªwho is deemed a ¡®demigod¡¯¡ªis dominating the world. Or are you saying that your gods are stronger than him?¡¯
¡®Mind¡¯s de: Blood Moon.¡¯
Luna whispered, a brilliant red light emitting from Crantel.
A light that swallowed the ind and sky. Andrei didn¡¯t feel an ounce of danger, for he trusted the orb too much.
¡°Come! With your powerless attack!¡±
Luna swung her sword, and a massive red wave of energy traveled quickly across the ind. The ground soon began to rumble, and in an instant, the ground split, forming fissures.
The sh of red light passed through the entirety of the ind.
And Luna, thinking there was nothing to check, lowered her sword and turned.
¡°I¡¯ll¡¡±
¡®I¡¯ll show you.¡¯
He couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. And that became hisst will.
Pzzzzzt!
Crack!
The orb hidden in Andrei¡¯s chest pocket shattered. The space around him cracked like ss, and the orb¡¯s dark energy was sucked into its crevices.
On the pathetic excuse of an ind, even the biggest of boulders were being vacuumed into the void.
The moment Luna¡ªwho was kneeling on one knee due to exhaustion¡ªwas about to reach its edge¡
Whooooosh!
Murakan descended at full speed, and Jin extended his hand towards her. She barely caught his hand, and she shed a smile.
¡°It looks like our youngest has saved me this time.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 80: Each Other’s Business
Chapter 80: Each Other¡¯s Business
The ind where they foughtpletely disappeared after the destructive onught from Meteor Shower, Mind¡¯s de: Blood Moon, and the explosion from the shattering of the Demon God¡¯s Orb. It was enough destructive power topletely annihte the ind from existence.
The Vermont Empire realized this case and dispatched an investigation team. In the nearby seas, the naval security witnessed the great explosions and alerted the maind.
The dispatched investigation team were the Imperial Magicians and Vermont Special Forces 3rd Division.
They could only be shocked at the devastated scenery.
The obliterated ind was one thing, but the eerie mana continued to whirlpool into nothingness. It was the main reason as to why they couldn¡¯t approach the remnants of the ind.
¡®What the hell happened here?¡¯
And the Special Forces soldiers who were tracking down Quikantel and Enya felt their hearts sink.
They knew that the destruction before them was definitely rted to the whereabouts of the contractor and her dragon.
An Imperial Magician¡ªwho was watching the scene¡ªapproached the Special Forces.
¡°Division Leader Wratch, it seems that Silver Dragon Quikantel had a battle here. The silver dragon¡¯s mana¡ and the wind dragon¡¯s mana can be detected here.¡±
¡°The wind dragon¡ Are you sure?¡±
¡°Yes. I think it¡¯s the Zipfels¡¯ Vyuretta. He was the only wind dragon who came near this area. And I can detect a human¡¯s mana¡ but I can¡¯t determine whose it is.¡±
Wratch ced his hand on his forehead.
Why did they fight? No answers immediately came to mind.
¡®The human¡¯s mana is highly likely to be from Olta¡¯s contractor, Enya. Maybe it¡¯s rted to the ¡°thing¡± that the Zipfels are making? Shit, I should have kept more eyes on the log cabin¡!¡¯
The ¡®thing¡¯ he referred to was the Demon God¡¯s Orb.
Currently, there weren¡¯t many in the Vermont Empire who knew about the orb. The only ones who knew of its existence were the emperor, the Special Forces Division Leaders, and some imperial ministers.
However, none of them exactly knew its abilities and functions, nor did they know the item¡¯s name.
They only had knowledge of the Zipfels making an artifact involving the ¡®contractors of gods¡¯.
¡°Division Leader! The navy discovered parts of a dragon¡¯s corpse on the opposite side of the ind.¡±
The discovered pieces of flesh and scales were stuck to some remnants of dead trees floating in the ocean.
¡°¡They¡¯re certainly from the silver dragon¡¯s wing and the wind dragon¡¯s tail.¡±
The imperial magician verified after looking at the remains.
¡°Gather all of the remains in the ocean. Make sure you don¡¯t let it fall into that void!¡±
In the following hours, the investigation team was able to recover many pieces of flesh, bones, and scales.
The imperial magicians concluded that both dragons died from the battle, and reporting such news to the emperor was Wratch¡¯s job.
¡°Indeed, just like you said, this may be rted to the artifact that they are making. Does that mean you didn¡¯t identify what caused the whirlpool that superseded the ind?¡±
¡°Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.¡±
¡°There seems to be many uncertainties within your reports. And you didn¡¯t even identify Quikantel¡¯s guests.¡±
¡°My apologies, Your Imperial Majesty.¡±
¡°Well, you probably didn¡¯t do it on purpose. If you are not able to find them, then they must be extraordinary people. Still, I believe that you can track them in the end.¡±
Wratch lowered his head.
¡°Anyway¡ In our perspective, we should be praying that both dragons are dead. Else, they¡¯d see it as a threat. First, let¡¯s wait for the Zipfel n¡¯s official deration.¡±
¡°What shall we tell our press?¡±
¡°Tell them to cover it up for now. If Enya isn¡¯t found until tonight, then dere her as missing. Quikantel probably just died with her. The nobles at the academy would be delighted.¡±
After Wratch left, the emperor sat alone in the office and thought to himself.
¡®I should dispatch more of the Special Forces near the Zipfel n. Too many things happened while I wasn¡¯t paying attention.¡¯
* * *
At the topmost floor of the Zipfel n¡¯s Tower of Magicians, a man looking into a crystal ball spoke.
¡°Andrei¡ is dead.¡±
The man was Kelliark Zipfel, the Zipfel n¡¯s current patriarch.
Although Andrei was his younger brother, finding out that the second-inmand had died didn¡¯t really affect him.
Unlike the world¡¯s perception of his appearance, he had the face of a young adult. Anyone who didn¡¯t know what Kelliark looked like back in his youth wouldn¡¯t be able to immediately identify him on the streets.
[What? Your brother died? What do you mean? That crystal ball¡ You can¡¯t see anything inside it. It¡¯s just for decoration. Is that supposed to be another unfunny joke, Kelliark?]
The only being who could talk to Kelliark Zipfel thisfortably was Fire Dragon Kadun¡ªone of the God of mes Sheenu¡¯s dragons and Kelliark¡¯s guardian dragon. He was slowly cooking a meat skewer using the breathing out of his snout.
¡°No, not through the crystal, you idiot. I can feel it. My younger brother just died. I¡¯m not kidding.¡±
Kadun stopped turning his skewer.
[Hm¡ so you say it¡¯s true. Maybe he lost to Quikantel? Didn¡¯t he take the Demon God¡¯s Orb with him? He also had Vyuretta. Ah, since Andrei died, then did Vyuretta perish as well? Either way, Quikantel should have been an easy opponent if he had the orb¡¯s power by his side.]
¡°No idea. Perhaps the silver dragon was stronger than we thought, or a third party helped them.¡±
[Quikantel? That bitch is strong, but not enough to fight both of them. She¡¯s definitely not enough against the orb!]
Chomp!
Kadun chewed off a bite of the skewer. Kelliark looked at him and gently grinned.
¡°If that¡¯s so, then it means that there was a third party. Who do you think it is?¡±
[How the fuck would I know? Dumbass.]
Kelliark frowned at the dragon¡¯s words.
[¡It¡¯s probably a dragon! Last time, didn¡¯t Kinzelo say that ¡®a dragon controlling the shadows¡¯ killed the cemetery giants? Then it could be Misha. Very likely.]
¡°By Misha do you mean ck Dragon Murakan¡¯s sister?¡±
[Yeah, her. That bitch wouldn¡¯t feel fear from the orb¡¯s power. She may not be as strong as Murakan in his prime, but she¡¯s still super strong.]
¡°Your duty has been determined, Kadun.¡±
[To go find Misha? I guess I do all the dirty work. I¡¯ll try to find her, but don¡¯t expect anything from me. If a ck dragon tries their best to hide, even the God of Searching wouldn¡¯t be able to find them.]
¡°I¡¯ll just trust you, Kadun. Either way, losing the orb is kind of a pain in the ass.¡±
[Do you even give a single fuck that your brother just died?]
¡°Well, I knew that dumbass would die at some point. A while back, he just waltzed into Cyron¡¯s banquet without an ounce of fear, and I was pretty worked up. I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d take the orb with him to the grave, though.¡±
[We gotta call the Fragmentor to make it again. Without that, we can¡¯t go for the Runcandels before Cyron dies. And the kings of the ck Sea¡]
¡°I know. I know already. Man, this is all a mess. Just in case, I should go get rid of all evidence of the orb. I got more dirty work than you, Kadun.¡±
[You should be doing that much. In order to be the God of the World, that is.]
* * *
In Bouvard Gaston¡¯s Fragmented Workshop located in the Curano Dukedom, Vishukel sat down as he suppressed his hateful wrath and emotion.
¡°Ah, wee, Sir Vishukel! Good timing. I was craving those sweet potato croquettes of yours. Hehe¡ No croquettes today¡?¡±
¡°Listen closely, Bouvard. I came after hearing from the traitors of the Vermont Imperial Family. It seems that the Zipfel n used the Demon God¡¯s Orb behind our backs.¡±
¡°What? They did?¡±
¡°Yes. In the Vermont Empire¡¯s ocean territory, a silver dragon and wind dragon had a big battle, and an ind got annihted. And because of the remaining mana, there¡¯s a whirlpool in the middle of the ocean that wouldn¡¯t disappear¡ It¡¯s definitely caused by the orb¡¯s destruction.¡±
Hearing this, Bouvard jumped up from his seat and shouted.
¡°Urrrrggghhh! That orb was my creation! I¡¯m sure I warned them not to use it in its iplete state! I¡¯ll never forgive them if it¡¯s true!¡±
As Bouvard threw a tantrum, Vishukel grimaced.
¡®The day to kill this dumbass hog strays further. He has to remake the orb.¡¯
The Zipfels came up with the initial idea, but Bouvard took care of the orb¡¯s creation.
Thus, the orb¡¯s ownership was equally shared between the Zipfel n and Kinzelo group.
¡°Even our leader is furious. Since our alliance with the Zipfels could shatter at any moment, don¡¯tmunicate with them for the time being.¡±
* * *
Two dayster.
¡°Young Master Jin, wee back!¡±
Jin and hispanions arrived at Kashimir¡¯s mansion in Tikan. Kashimir and the agents of the Seven-Colored Peacock came out to the courtyard to greet them. And Gilly¡ªwho was awaiting their arrival¡ªfrantically ran to them.
¡°Young Master! Are you alright?¡±
¡°Strawberry Pie. Haha, I¡¯m okay.¡±
Gilly had heard about Enya¡¯s plight, and never slept one bit as she worried about Jin. She turned her head towards Luna, and immediately bowed.
¡°It¡¯s alright, Gilly. I heard on the way here, but the youngest seems to love you a lot. Please continue to take care of him.¡±
¡°Luna¡? Wait¡ The White Whale, Lady Luna Runcandel?¡±
¡°Ah, you must be Sir Kashimir. Greetings. I am Luna Runcandel.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t believe that Lady Luna woulde to my residence. It is my honor to serve you. Please,e in. You have all done well.¡±
As they entered the mansion, Kashimir spoke before Jin could open his mouth.
¡°Young Master Jin, I must tell you something first. Earlier today, about three hours ago, my daughter¡¯s guardian dragon returned.¡±
Jin¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°Lathry returned?¡±
¡°Yes, but there¡¯s something weird. It seems like Lathry has a gap in their memory for the time they went missing. For now, Lathry is beside my daughter, but it seems like they couldn¡¯t understand the situation themself. Maybe it wasn¡¯t a kidnapping?¡±
¡°It definitely was. Quikantel got a confession directly from Vyuretta.¡±
A thought suddenly came to Jin.
¡®Maybe the Zipfels are concerned about other ns discovering the existence of the orb, so they¡¯re getting rid of all evidence regarding the situation. Then, it¡¯s likely that they would purposefully erase Lathry¡¯s memories to protect its secrecy.¡¯
With this in mind, Jin exined the events at the ind, and Kashimir nodded as he listened.
¡°Those are some extreme situations¡ I feel bad that I forced you into such circumstances while I powerlessly remained in Tikan. An artifact that swallows contractors whole¡ What the hell is happening in the Zipfel n¡?¡±
¡°There¡¯s only one reason to make a replica of the Orb of Origin, twerp.¡±
Murakan opened his mouth. Jin, Quikantel, and Luna nodded.
On the way to Tikan, they had heard more about the Orb of Origin.
¡°They¡¯re trying to be a god in order to rule the world¡ Well, I don¡¯t know if things will go how they want it to, though.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 81: Meeting Cyron (1)
Chapter 81: Meeting Cyron (1)
It hasn¡¯t even been a month since he became a provisional g-bearer and left the Garden of Swords, yet Jin has already destroyed the Akin Kingdom¡¯s underground organization, settled in the Free City of Tikan, and killed the Zipfel n¡¯s second-inmand along with his guardian dragon, Vyuretta.
Thest battle may have been concluded by Luna, but if it wasn¡¯t for Jin, Andrei and Vyuretta would¡¯ve nevere to the ind in the first ce.
No provisional g-bearer in Runcandel history had this many achievements in such a short amount of time.
However, there was a problem.
¡°I worked my ass off and did a lot of stuff, but not anything to instantly prove myself worthy of bing a provisional g-bearer.¡±
Murakan sighed at the young Runcandel and spoke.
¡°Well, when this is all over, I can say that I caused all the ruckus, so there¡¯s nothing to be worried about. Either way, it¡¯s better to not be a public figure right now.¡±
A provisional g-bearer¡¯s fame was stocked up on a ¡®fake name¡¯ that the n determined beforehand.
And once it was known that the provisional g-bearer had gathered enough fame, the n would contact the candidate to inform them of their worthiness to the throne.
Therefore, Jin¡¯s fame needs to naturally travel into the ears of the Runcandel n in order to be considered a strong candidate.
However, he could not do this. Until now, everything he did wasn¡¯t resolved with only the use of his sword.
¡®Since I dealt with stuff using magic, I definitely can¡¯t tell anyone in the n.¡¯
He would only be able to tell them once he had umted enough power and authority¡ªto a point where there would be no problem when his siblings find out about a ¡®magic-using Runcandel¡¯.
Until then, Jin nned to remain as a ¡®rumour¡¯ to the world.
Simply put, a rumour of a human who could resist the Zipfels and other powerful entities. One who could wield the sword and use magic, and also has unknown individual powers.
Furthermore, a rumour that he is Solderet¡¯s contractor.
¡®Until then, the people who know of my ability to use magic must be limited to mypanions, Elder Sister Luna, and Father.¡¯
Luna knew Jin¡¯s inner thoughts. Even before she heard Andrei say that Jin ¡®broke the oath¡¯, she knew that her brother was a magic-user. Being the one to visit the Storm Castle and detect Murakan¡¯s presence, it was obvious that she knew.
And Jin was certain that she knew about Murakan. He had no doubt that Cyron was also aware of her knowing about the ck dragon.
¡°Our dear youngest brother, using magic even though he¡¯s a Runcandel. A free-flying teenager, I see. He¡¯s gonna cut you in half, hehe.¡±
Luna walked towards Jin and spoke in a yful tone.
¡°I¡¯m also worried about the Young Master¡¯s magic, Lady Luna. If the patriarch hears about this, he won¡¯t sit still.¡±
¡°No, Gilly. Father probably already knows. The destruction of the Tesing n and Andrei Zipfel¡¯s death¡ He probably already assumed that it was all done by me.¡±
Luna nodded at her brother¡¯s conviction.
¡°You¡¯re pretty confident while saying that. You got something nned?¡±
¡°Yes, Elder Sister. I¡¯m nning to go see Father with you tomorrow.¡±
¡°Oh, sure. We can go see Fa¡ What?¡±
Luna stared at Jin in disbelief.
¡°Everyone knows that you¡¯re impulsive, but wouldn¡¯t it be better to stay put when Father is turning a blind eye to you? What are you going to do when you meet him?¡±
¡°I¡¯m going to warn him that the Zipfels are executing multiple ns to strike at the Runcandels.¡±
The life in Gilly¡¯s face drained, and Murakan was a little surprised.
¡°Hmm, the story about the orb? Wouldn¡¯t it be better if I told him about it? A provisional g-bearer returning to the n without permission is basically ruining your chances to the throne.¡±
As Luna said, a provisional g-bearer could not enter the Garden of Swords without permission. It was equivalent to a ¡®forfeit¡¯.
¡°No, if you were the one to tell him, you would also have to mention that I summoned you to the ind. It¡¯s better if I confront him myself. And with the story as the base, I n to strike a deal with Father.¡±
Gilly spat out the water that she was drinking, shocked at the younger Runcandel¡¯s deration.
¡°Y-Young Master, you¡¯re joking, right?¡±
¡°On top of returning to your n, you¡¯re going to make a deal with your dad? Hah, what in the world¡ I would¡¯ve never thought of that. Not even through my entire lifetime.¡±
The very idea of striking a bargain with Cyron Runcandel doused the group in awkward silence.
Was that even possible? Even Luna was concerned that her brother might have hurt his head during the battle.
¡°What do you n on bargaining for from Father?¡±
¡°There are too many, so I¡¯m nning to choose one or two while on the way there.¡±
¡°¡I can see how tiresome it is for Gilly to deal with you. Losing your chances of being a g-bearer is not the problem. One wrong move and you¡¯ll die. What should we do, Gilly? Stopping him will be futile, so is beating some sense into him the right answer?¡±
¡°If the situation doesn¡¯t go well, you can just calm him down.¡±
Luna ultimately didn¡¯t beat Jin, but Gilly could only sigh at the sight of her young master¡¯s impulses.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, Gilly. If I block with my body, then Father will not be so harsh.¡±
¡°Lady Luna¡ In that case, I shall follow you, Young Master.¡±
¡°A, not you too. I¡¯m tired.¡±
Contrary to her words, Luna thought it was nice of Gilly to volunteer.
¡®I¡¯m sure she¡¯s scared, but is she dering that if she were to die, she will die with Jin? The youngest is very lucky to have such a protective guardian.¡¯
She was a little heartbroken. After all, Luna knew the backstory of how ¡®Gilly McRn¡¯ became ¡®Nanny Gilly¡¯.
¡®If she hadn¡¯t be Jin¡¯s guardian, then she would¡¯ve be the McRn¡¯s next generation¡¯s strongest sword. A destiny very simr to that of Jin.¡¯
Murakan cleared his throat, attracting everyone¡¯s attention.
¡°Eldest daughter of Runcandel. I shall go together with Strawberry Pie.¡±
¡°The great ck dragon should remain here. Even if you go, wouldn¡¯t you have to stay as a cat the entire time?¡±
¡°I understand¡¡±
Disappointed, Murakan turned into a cat and lowered his tail. However, no one really turned to look at him, so Murakan sauntered over to an adjacent room, where Euria and Enya were ying.
At least there, he was the center of attention.
¡°Alright, then. Tomorrow, we¡¯ll depart for the first transfer gate. It hasn¡¯t even been a month, but it feels like it¡¯s been a long time.¡±
The day passed, and right before their departure to the Garden of Swords, Jin visited Kashimir¡¯s office.
¡°Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°Sir Kashimir, I came for some favours.¡±
¡°Favours? No need. You and I now share the same fate, so all of my powers and acquisitions are yours as well.¡±
Jin knew that Kashimir was the Fallen Prince of Vermont and that his daughter was Az Mil¡¯s contractor.
Kashimir knew that Jin was a Runcandel provisional g-bearer who was a talented magic user and got along well with dragons.
Essentially, they both had information that enabled them to hold each other by the throat. Which is why they shared the same fate.
On top of that, Kashimir felt indebted to Jin. Although he didn¡¯t directly bring back Lathry, ultimately, it was Jin who saved his daughter.
¡°If I never met you, I would be watching my daughter suffer and die without knowing. I would never be able to repay this debt even until my final days.¡±
Kashimir¡¯s eyes were glistening.
¡®He¡¯s very sensitive and delicate¡ªeven more so than I expected. I mean, in my past life, I heard that the Free City of Tikan was established during the era of Holy Kings. A very romantic and emotional time period.¡¯
While Jin looked for an answer, Kashimir hurriedly wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.
¡°My apologies¡ Haha, the mood would¡¯ve been ruined. Anyways, what do you want me to prepare? Tell me anything you need.¡±
¡°Please tell the Seven-Colored Peacock to research and investigate these things.¡±
He pulled out a piece of paper from his chest pocket and lent it to Kashimir.
Written on the paper was a list of the Zipfels¡¯ wrongdoings that Jin witnessed. The creation of living golems at the Kollon Ruins, and his experiences fighting against the Demon God¡¯s Orb.
Including everything regarding the Cemetery Giants in the Curano Dukedom, which Murakan confessed on discovering as he exined the Orb of Origin yesterday.
Kashimir¡¯s eyes shook after reading through the paper.
¡°Creation of living golems¡ If the world finds out, everyone¡¯s respect for the Zipfel n would plummet. As for the Demon God¡¯s Orb¡ Since nobody knows of the Orb of Origin, I will not approach this problem.¡±
¡°Alright. However, this is information that shouldn¡¯t be exposed to the public. If anything happens, the Zipfels will conceal their illicit actions even further.¡±
¡°I agree. I will order investigations to the most trustworthy agents. On the contrary, may I ask why you want the real name of this gangster named ¡®Spiderhand Alu¡¯ and information regarding Vishukel Yvliano?¡±
Kashimir simply asked about the purpose of the investigation in order to confirm whether Jin also thought of Kashimir as apanion.
Jin answered him without hesitation.
¡°We caused the destruction of the Tesing n and found out back then that Alu had ties with a Runcandel. As for Vishukel¡ Recently, there were some weird things that happened at the banquet. However, I¡¯m not certain of anything, so it¡¯s hard to answer.¡±
¡°I understand. Although I can resolve the Alu and Vishukel cases very quickly, I don¡¯t know how long the other cases will take.¡±
¡°It¡¯s alright. Investigating the Zipfel n is not an easy task.¡±
The two met eyes, and Jin extended his arm for a handshake.
¡°I look forward to our partnership, Sir Kashimir.¡±
¡°I as well, Young Master Jin. I will prepare some high quality wine in the belief that you will return in one piece from the Garden of Swords. There are many things I would like to discuss with you. The Free City of Tikan will soon be a country, and you will be its closest friend.¡±
Kashimir met Jin¡¯s hand.
Within the hour, Jin left Kashimir¡¯s residence and prepared to board a carriage with Luna and Gilly to leave for the transfer gate.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 82: Meeting Cyron (2)
Chapter 82: Meeting Cyron (2)
Early in the morning, the Huphester Alliance¡¯s transfer gatecked people.
Yet, as soon as Jin, Luna, and Gilly arrived, they attracted the attention of the few people who were there.
Mainly because of Luna.
Jin¡¯s face had not been widely known yet. But when it came to Luna, people would notice her anywhere she went. And being the Runcandel n¡¯s military ally, the people of the Huphester Alliance especially paid more attention to her.
However, nobody spoke to her nor mentioned her name. Instead, that night, there would be bustling talk about her visit to the city.
¡°This is why I don¡¯t like moving around. I usually enjoy a small rural area where nobody knows me. How could you say that the outdoors are morefortable?¡±
While Lunained, Jin pulled down his hood to partially cover his face.
The transfer gate¡¯s security ran towards them.
¡°¡°All hail!¡±¡±
¡°I am honored to escort the first g-bearer of Runcandel!¡±
¡°Since we¡¯re going to the Garden of Swords, please call a carriage for us.¡±
Luna received the salutes and responded.
¡°¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±¡±
The security officers ran off. Although they were not directly affiliated with the Garden of Swords, they received financialpensation from the Runcandels for their work. It was the same for all knights in the Huphester Alliance.
After ten minutes, a steel carriage belonging to the Runcandel n arrived at the VIP waiting hall.
The person who brought the vehicle was the n¡¯s second butler, Petro. Conveniently, he hade to the transfer gate to deliver some important documents.
¡°Lady Luna! The main house was petrified because of your sudden disappearance. Where have you been? ¡Huh? And Young Master Jin¡? Gilly?! Why are you with the eldest daughter?¡±
Petro¡¯s eyes widened.
To his knowledge, these three people shouldn¡¯t be together. A provisional g-bearer acting with the first g-bearer was uneptable.
¡°¡It seems there is some backstory to this nonsense. Well, let¡¯s go, Lady. There are too many eyes here. You guys go to the main house first and tell them the news.¡±
Petro looked around and told the guardian knights to go ahead. He was worried that there would be rumors of Luna being together with Jin.
Clop, clop.
The carriage began to move, and Petro still couldn¡¯t suppress his difort.
¡®What the hell is going on? At this rate, if Young Master Jin arrives at the house¡¡¯
Then the Garden of Swords would definitely turn upside down.
Luna¡¯s sudden disappearance was dismissable because it often happened.
But a provisional g-bearer returning without permission when it hadn¡¯t even been a month since they left?
At that point, if blood dropped from the sky, nobody would be surprised.
¡°Uh, Lady Luna, Young Master Jin! It may seem a little tactless, but I have something to ask.¡±
¡°You¡¯re already making it awkward, so shut up. I¡¯m also very concerned.¡±
¡°Understood¡¡±
Unaware of the embarrassment burning Petro from the inside, the carriage and its passengers departed for the Garden of Swords.
¡®We came here, but what should we do if Father gets furious? Do I have to pray that Gilly takes Jin and escapes while I block Father¡¯s attacks?¡¯
There were too many stationed guardian knights to do that. Even without them, running away from the other Runcandel children was impossible for Gilly alone. Additionally, the nanny¡¯s power was currently being suppressed.
As they got closer to the Garden of Swords, Luna got more and more ufortable.
¡®Whatever. Whatever happens, happens. There¡¯s no way Father will try to kill him, right? I mean¡ No, he definitely has the drive to do so.¡¯
Luna gave up on thinking through the situation and stared at Jin.
¡®Even I¡¯m sweating from anxiety, but this kid is annoyingly straight-faced.¡¯
In fact, Jin was leaning on a window, lost in thought. Of the things he nned to request from Cyron, he was deciding which would be more strategically advantageous for him.
¡°Youngest Brother.¡±
¡°Yes, Eldest Sister?¡±
¡°You better be really nice to me.¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
The carriage stopped.
In the courtyard, there were countless swords with the hilt sticking out of the ground. A few servants were working about. The guardian knights on standby raised their swords in salute at the sight of the carriage¡¯s arrival.
Petro opened the carriage door, and Luna stepped out.
Subsequently, Gilly and Jin disembarked the carriage, startling the servants. Even the lowest-ss servants expected something bad to happen in the near future.
Receiving the reports from the guardian knights who left earlier on Petro¡¯s orders, Jin¡¯s siblings emerged from the residence.
¡°This crazy bastard! Youngest Brother! Do you not have any respect or responsibility after leaving the house? How dare you enter the Garden of Swords as a provisional g-bearer?!¡±
The first one to exim was the fourth son, Vigo Runcandel. Next to him were the fourth and fifth daughters, Myu and Anne.
¡°Probably the result of Eldest Sister¡¯s kindness.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think Eldest Sister Luna can help you this time. This is really not okay.¡±
Luna, Jin, and Gilly stood still and remained silent.
On the other hand, as the man who brought them here, Petro felt like he was sitting on thorns.
¡®Ha, they¡¯re getting scolded as expected!¡¯
The servants couldn¡¯t even murmur. After some time, they stopped their work in the courtyard and frantically fled to safety.
Jin¡¯s disobedience of the rules was that severe.
From the residence, the second daughter Luntia, third daughter Mary, and second son Dipus emerged.
¡°Wow¡ It¡¯s more shocking in person. What is it, youngest idiot? Are you forfeiting your chance of bing a g-bearer? Or is your pubertypelling you tomit suicide?¡±
Dipus clicked his tongue and looked towards Mary. However, Mary did not respond and instead continued to re at Jin.
¡®You dumbass¡ You can¡¯te back yet. You have to get stronger and fight me someday.¡¯
From the moment she gifted him the Phoenix Heart, she was awaiting a great battle with Jin. But now, with Jin standing before them, she could only be confused and disappointed.
As the culprits stood like statues, Luntia sighed and walked towards them.
¡°Eldest Sister Luna¡ for what reason did you bring him back?¡±
Luntia spoke with a soft tone, but her eyes held a cold, violent re.
¡°I didn¡¯t bring him here. He brought himself.¡±
¡°Then you should¡¯ve stopped him. Just because his head is empty doesn¡¯t mean you can just allow this!¡±
Even though Luntia shouted at her, Luna didn¡¯t really have anything to say.
After all, she was more or less correct.
¡°Whatever. So, where¡¯s Father?¡±
Annoyed, Luna turned her head away from all of the insults. Ever since she was young, Luna had a hard time dealing with Luntia, which exined why the second daughter was the only sibling who could talk to her in this manner.
¡°Oh my. Did you really return to see Father?¡±
¡°Indeed, Sister.¡±
Luntia facepalmed and spat some curses.
If Luna wasn¡¯t there, the Runcandel siblings would¡¯ve ripped Jin to shreds.
¡®What a wonderful family.¡¯
Jin sarcastically praised his family. Luntia shook her head and sighed.
¡°I don¡¯t know what he¡¯ll do, big sister. You, youngest. I don¡¯t know why you even came to see Father, but brace yourself. Go ahead. He¡¯s in his study.¡±
Jin moved his feet and Luna began to follow him.
Shing!
Along with the siblings, all of the guardian knights unsheathed their swords.
¡°¡As of now, please surrender your weapon and wait, first g-bearer. There was a strict order from the patriarch that we must send Jin Runcandel alone.¡±
Their father, the patriarch; the eldest daughter, the first g-bearer.
Luntia stopped screaming at Luna because she wanted to deal with this problem professionally. Additionally, it was on Cyron¡¯s orders.
¡®Ah, this isn¡¯t how I expected it to turn out.¡¯
Luna thought. At this rate, if their father decides to kill Jin, she won¡¯t be there to be Jin¡¯s shield.
¡°And if I decline?¡±
As Luna slowly reached for Crantel, a guardian knight stood behind Gilly and put a sword to her throat. Since her powers were still suppressed, she couldn¡¯t even react.
¡°Please halt, first g-bearer. It is the patriarch¡¯s orders.¡±
¡°You little¡ª! Put that sword away!¡±
¡°You¡¯ve crossed the line. If you don¡¯t offer a satisfactory discussion to Father, then you will not return alive. As for the first g-bearer, you can¡¯t evade banishment.¡±
¡°Please surrender your weapon. If you resist, I will kill her.¡±
Luna gritted her teeth.
¡®We¡¯re doomed¡ Should I just escape with Jin? Damn it. I knew I didn¡¯t think this through. I didn¡¯t think anything would happen since I thought Father favored Jin¡!¡¯
If she fought them and escaped, they were likely to seed.
However, she probably couldn¡¯t save Gilly and would live the rest of her life being chased by the Runcandel n.
Of course, losing Luna¡ªwho had be a 5-star knight at the age of 15, the genius among geniuses, and the strongest knight after Cyron¡ªwould be a great loss for the n.
However, the Runcandel n wasn¡¯t a rational n. Even though they would lose a significant amount of power as a consequence, the orders of the patriarch were absolute.
At this point, Jin had no choice but to satisfy Cyron¡¯s will.
Still, Jin was expressionless the entire time.
¡°¡Brothers, Sisters. It seems that you are all worked up. As a son¡ªas a member of the Runcandel n, I only came to report something to Father. Please calm yourselves.¡±
His siblings held back their res and lowered their voices.
They were all just keeping an eye on Luna with a ¡®professional¡¯ attitude.
¡°Eldest Sister Luna and Gilly, I apologize for putting you in such a situation.¡±
Jin began to walk towards the residence.
He did expect such a reaction from their family, but he would be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t nervous.
¡®My siblings don¡¯t know Father that well. It¡¯s against the rules for a provisional g-bearer to return to the main house. But surprisingly, Father isn¡¯t that strict with rules.¡¯
Either way, getting something from Cyron without any fear of danger was impossible. He couldn¡¯t evade the gamble.
On top of that, after his regression, Jin thought that it was much easier to understand his Father.
Usually, he couldn¡¯t even look his father in the eye. Now, however, Jin found it mostfortable when confronting him.
¡®If I just stay alert, then I can seed. If he just gives me a chance to talk, I must.¡¯
Phew.
Jin took a deep breath as he arrived at the study¡¯s door and carefully knocked.
Knock. Knock.
Swoooooosh.
Simultaneously, a de beam flew past Jin¡¯s head¡ªundetectable to Jin at the moment.
¡°I guess I thought of you too highly. I¡¯m sure I gave you five years.¡±
Cyron¡¯s booming voice followed soon after. The de beam disintegrated the door to the study into dust.
As he looked at his father, Jin felt himself smile internally.
For some reason, his mind became calm the moment he saw Cyron. And the things he wanted to discuss constantly popped up in his mind.
¡®I can¡¯t say that I¡¯m sorry. I must maintain a confident attitude, but not to a point where ites off as disrespectful.¡¯
He immediately chose his response.
¡°I came because I wanted to see you again, Father.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 83: Meeting Cyron (3)
Chapter 83: Meeting Cyron (3)
Fsssssshhh¡
The former intact door¡¯s dust flew away silently.
¡®I¡¯ve heard about it many times. Father¡¯s de beam is at the level of instantly disintegrating anything it touches.¡¯
Since there were remnants of the object¡ªalbeit in the form of dust¡ªsaying that it waspletely disintegrated was inurate. However, Cyron¡¯s swordsmanship was stillposed of techniques that transcended humanity.
In fact, he didn¡¯t even have his sword in his hand. Instead, at the tip of his fingers were the glowing embers of residual aura¡ªimplying that he temporarily conjured a sword.
Although the destroyed door was a murderous threat, Jin felt like he received a present.
¡®He was showing me a close-up of the edge of his sword.¡¯
Cyron, with his eyes wide open, looked down upon Jin. This time, even Jin couldn¡¯t decipher his expression.
¡®Hm¡ Should I have greeted Father differently? Since my head is still intact, I don¡¯t think it was that bad¡¡¯
And Cyron was doused with a strange feeling.
For five minutes, none of them exchanged any words. The patriarch could only feel his throat drying up as he thought of his youngest son.
It was because¡
¡®It¡¯s the first time I heard my child say that they missed me.¡¯
His feelings were genuine, and Jin¡¯s words rendered him speechless.
He had thirteen children, but they all just called him ¡®Father¡¯. Beyond that name, he had never formed rtionships with them.
The Runcandel children¡¯s childhoods were the nannies¡¯ responsibilities.
And as soon as the children became one year old andpleted the Selection Ritual, they would be sent to the Mitel Kingdom to spend their early years.
After hitting the age of 10 and returning to the Garden of Swords, the children were bound to fear Cyron and Rosa.
It was because they learned about their parents through different sses and lectures at the Storm Castle.
Beyond being ¡®parents¡¯, they were the absolute rulers of the massive n. In fact, they held power that could twist and turn the world. If possible, the children would be taught through blood and violence should they fail to produce good results.
So, of course, Cyron and Rosa didn¡¯t expect any ¡®I wanted you see you¡¯ from their children after putting them into such an environment.
All they wanted was to determine the next-in-line to the throne¡ªthe one to continue Cyron¡¯s grand legacy of being the world¡¯s greatest swordsman.
Only that was important.
¡®¡Not bad.¡¯
It had been a long time since his heart was filled with emotion.
Looking back, after rising to the demigod realm, it was his youngest son who always moved him.
¡®Although I praise you for moving your father¡¯s heart, that is still not enough. Alright, let¡¯s hear what you have to say.¡¯
Cyron gently smiled.
¡°You came to see me¡ Did you get infected with awkward familial love after drinking sewage water? I didn¡¯t expect that kind of response from you.¡±
¡®Not a bad reaction!¡¯
Ascertaining a good response, Jin lowered his head and continued to lie a little more.
¡°I didn¡¯t drink some sewage water. I have always loved you, Father.¡±
Cyron suppressed hisughter and unleashed his Fatal Air, causing the air in the room to suddenly be as sharp as a knife. Every breath he took felt as if spikes were piercing through his lungs. Jin gritted his teeth in pain and met eyes with Cyron.
¡°Enough with the nonsense. State your reason for your return to the Garden. ording to the quality of your response, you and your sister¡¯s fate will be sealed.¡±
And that was the truth.
Cyron had full intentions of beheading Jin the moment he responded with ¡®some useless stuff¡¯. Then instantly erase Jin from his heart afterwards.
The same way he shed and killed his own siblings andpanions before he became the patriarch.
¡°The one who was insulted by you during the banquet, the Zipfels¡¯ second-inmand, has died.¡±
¡°What? Are you saying you killed him?¡±
¡°No, Father. A few days ago, Eldest Sister Luna killed him. And I was the one who called her. Would you allow me to state my experiences after being dered a provisional g-bearer?¡±
¡°A provisional g-bearer receiving help from Luna¡ How insolent. Well, keep talking.¡±
Finding the story to be interesting, Cyron stroked his beard. Jin then exined his narrative from his days in Akin and Tikan, all the way to the events in the Vermont Empire.
Of course, he didn¡¯t report every single thing. Jin made sure not to mention the suspicions of Spiderhand Alu having ties with a Runcandel, Myulta¡¯s Rune, Tzenmi¡¯s Tome, and his alliance with the Seven-Colored Peacock.
¡°It seems you have experienced many things in a short period. So, you came to tell me that you killed Andrei Zipfel? Are you hoping that you caused some imbnce in the world after killing the second-inmand of a powerful n?¡±
¡°That¡¯s not all, Father. After confronting him, I don¡¯t think that Andrei is the n¡¯s true second strongest.¡±
Cyron raised his eyebrow.
¡°Hoh? And why is that?¡±
¡°There is no way that man is the second-inmand of the one n that could destroy the Runcandels. Well, it¡¯s a hunch anyway.¡±
¡°Precisely. As you said, he is just second-inmand by name. He¡¯s not really the second strongest in the Zipfel n. There probably is another strong being after Kelliark. Though, it¡¯s not information that I could tell you now anyway.¡±
¡°Thank you for confirming my suspicions, Father. However, what I really wanted to tell you was regarding the existence of Andrei¡¯s strange artifact.¡±
¡°Artifact?¡±
¡°Yes. An artifact called the Demon¡¯s God¡¯s Orb.¡±
Jin continued exining what he knew about the orb. He mentioned that it was a replica of an item of the gods called the Orb of Origin, and that it got stronger after each contractor it consumed.
And surprisingly, Cyron was shocked. His eyes widened.
¡°A replica of the Orb of Origin¡ Is this true? There¡¯s no way you could identify the artifact¡¯s powers and abilities. It seems your guardian dragon, Murakan, informed you about this.¡±
¡°Yes, my guardian dra¡ªHuh? You knew that he had awakened?¡±
Jin was startled and stared at his father.
¡°Would that be all that I know, I wonder? I also know that you are a magic-user. Did you think that you could fool me all this time?¡±
¡°I, of course, knew that you would sense it, but I didn¡¯t know you detected Murakan¡¯s presence all this time.¡±
¡°Hahaha!¡±
Cyron burst intoughter. He wanted tough because he was proud of his son, and he couldn¡¯t hold it in much longer after the banter regarding Murakan.
¡°As you said, I merely assumed Murakan¡¯s awakening! It¡¯s nice to see him figuring out things for himself. ¡®Nabi Runcandel¡¯? Kukuku¡ The great and powerful ck dragon has plummeted to a housecat!¡±
Jin couldn¡¯tugh along with Cyron due to embarrassment.
While feeling naked, Jin felt his ears burn up. He couldn¡¯t even tell his father to stopughing.
Instead, he scratched the back of his head.
¡®Is ¡°Nabi Runcandel¡± that funny? Well, at least the situation is unraveling well¡¡¯
Cyron immediately stoppedughing and fixed his posture. The carefree mood instantly became as heavy as a boulder.
¡°A replica of the Orb of Origin. You have really brought a heavy case onto the table. I must talk with Luna who broke the artifact.¡±
Cyron already knew about the Orb of Origin fairly well.
¡®I wonder if the Kings of the ck Sea know about this as well. I should return to the ck Sea. Certainly, that power is dangerous¡ but I don¡¯t know how well they mimicked the original.¡¯
After rising to the demigod realm, Cyron spent most of his time in the ck Sea.
He dueled the Kings of the ck Sea many times, and each king was a ¡®piece¡¯ of the Orb of Origin.
¡°Just this once, I will pardon you for breaking the rules. But you wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with just this, considering you physically came here instead of just telling me through a messenger.¡±
Jin slightly bowed and Cyron gently grinned.
¡°Dere your request.¡±
It was all Jin wished for. Before Jin even proposed the deal, Cyron offered the gift before him.
But Jin knew.
¡®Father wouldn¡¯t just let me walk away with something for free. Once I dere my request, he¡¯ll definitely add some terms and conditions¡!¡¯
He had to think hard.
If he asked for something too big, then the conditions would be too strict. But that didn¡¯t mean he could back off. The person sitting on thepromising end was Cyron.
¡°For the time being, please do not allow any Runcandel to travel through the Free City of Tikan.¡±
¡°Tikan? Interesting.¡±
Cyron¡¯s eyes glinted with an eerie light.
¡®Oho, youngest runt. You already made it your main base? The Free City of Tikan¡¡¯
Living up to its name, Tikan was and that wasn¡¯t affiliated with anyone¡ªbe it the Runcandels, Zipfels, or the Vermont Imperial Family.
Simultaneously, all three powers aimed to colonize thatnd. It wasn¡¯t for power or resources; attaining the Seven-Colored Peacock, intellectual prowess, and the trade center would be a wonderful three-in-one gain.
It was just a free gold coin on the ground.
Tikan wasn¡¯t worth fighting other ns to acquire thend, but it was still wasteful to leave such an easy acquisition alone.
¡®If he is settling there and has it as his main base, it is likely that Tikan would be under the Runcandel n after all of this. This baby couldn¡¯t have possibly already formed ties with Kashimir¡ Well, it¡¯s worth watching for a while.¡¯
Cyron hid how proud he was of Jin¡¯s achievements and spoke.
¡°I shall ept your request if you pass the test I give you.¡±
¡°Yes, Father. Please tell me what kind of test it is.¡±
¡°Ghostde Kashimir. Make him join you and prove to me that he is your ally. If you seed, then no Runcandel will be able to step on Tikan without your permission.¡±
Doubting his ears, Jin let out a refreshing scream in his mind.
After all, Kashimir was already Jin¡¯s ally.
¡°Yes, Father. I already nned on establishing a strong and friendly rapport with him. Because just leaving Tikan untouched would be wasteful.¡±
All this time, other provisional g-bearers worked to raise their own name to fame.
However, Cyron found Jin¡¯s attention towards the n¡¯s strength to be very impressive and interesting.
¡°You have one year. That insolent fool refused to be the instructor of the Runcandel cadet trainees multiple times¡ I¡¯ll see if you could coax him into your cause.¡±
¡°I will bring him to you quickly.¡±
¡°Alright, now proceed on your path.¡±
After bowing and exiting the study, Jin would¡¯ve hummed a song.
¡®Everything I did in my past life didn¡¯t go well, but this life is going pretty smoothly.¡¯
However, when he reached the bottom of the stairs, his expression froze at the sight of two boys running towards him.
¡°J-Jin! Are you okay¡?!¡±
¡°Did Father say that he¡¯ll let you live? Why did you even do this?¡±
After Jin left the courtyard to see their father, the Tona twins were very concerned about his imminent death. However, they were afraid of their other siblings, so they stayed inside and bit their nails.
¡°You guys act too cute sometimes. I¡¯m fine. Besides, I have a favor to ask.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 84: A Terrifying Clan
Chapter 84: A Terrifying n
¡°A f-favor¡?¡±
The Tona twins tilted their heads.
They were already astonished by their youngest sibling returning alive after meeting their father, but him asking for a favor out of nowhere was very confusing for them.
¡°Oh, uh, it¡¯s nothing too grand. My faction¡¯s cadets¡ Until Ie back, please take care of them. I¡¯ll also tell them myself before I leave.¡±
Before the Tona twins could even respond, Jin walked away. He had to tell Luna and Gilly¡ªwho were probably worried sick¡ªthat he was okay.
¡°Nothing changed about him¡ He came back from meeting Father, right?¡±
¡°Right.¡±
Watching Jin¡¯s back, the Tona twins shrugged.
¡°Wait, why are you worrying about him so much in the first ce?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±
¡°Hm¡ Whatever. Well, I guess he¡¯s gonna leave his faction¡¯s cadets to us. Hehe. I guess we gotta deal with the intermediate sses.¡±
Outside, the siblings guarding Luna and Gilly were shocked at the sight of Jin walking out of the doors unscathed.
Myu and Anne especially¡ªwho really wanted Jin to die¡ªgrew pale in the face.
¡°It seems like Father and the youngest had a nice talk. Now, why don¡¯t you move your sword? Before I kill all of you.¡±
At Luna¡¯s low tone, her siblings and the guardian knights immediately lowered their weapons.
The guardian knight who had a de on Gilly¡¯s throat was about faint, eyes rolling back in the presence Luna¡¯s murderous re.
¡®Damn, you little runt. You luckily survive each time¡!¡¯
Myu and Anne thought while grinding their teeth.
¡®As expected, he¡¯s not a guy who would die that easily. Grow a little older and entertain your older sister!¡¯
Mary grinned while looking at Jin.
¡°Eldest Sister Luna, I think you should pay Father a visit. He seems to be curious about some things regarding the events of that day.¡±
¡°Alright, I understand.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve also received some homework from him, so I will make a trip to the transfer gate. I¡¯ll see youter.¡±
¡°Transfer gate? Hm, I don¡¯t know what kind of homework that is, but I¡¯ll see you.¡±
Jin and Luna calmly exchanged words.
In fact, the others had no idea what they were talking about.
¡®That day?¡¯
¡®A trip to the transfer gate? Wait, does that mean he¡¯s gonnae back?¡¯
¡®What does he mean by Father giving him homework?!¡¯
And it wasn¡¯t anything to ask about either. The siblings could only exchange nces.
¡°Let¡¯s go, Gilly.¡±
¡°Oh, yes, Young Master!¡±
Gilly never expected the situation to proceed smoothly, so she was still in a state of awe. They quickly left the Garden of Swords, and Luna proceeded to the study.
All the rest of their siblings could do in the courtyard was to stand around and do nothing.
* * *
Three hourster, in Cyron¡¯s study.
Although he didn¡¯t show it, Cyron was a little surprised that Jin confronted him with a confident expression.
¡°¡Just as I expected. You weren¡¯t startled at all after hearing the details about the test. Your confidence wasn¡¯t for nothing.¡±
Cyron puffed augh and directed his eyes towards Kashimir.
He had just traveled through the transfer gate toe to the Garden of Swords while hiding his identity.
¡®This man is the world¡¯s strongest knight, Cyron Runcandel¡ Errrrr, just meeting him is making my stomach ache.¡¯
Kashimir had refused multiple offers of being the instructor of Runcandel¡¯s beginner ss cadets.
In the process of making Tikan a ¡®country¡¯, bing an instructor in the Runcandel n would not help at all. Moreover, it would be a distraction from his main goals.
Additionally, Cyron was ¡®someone he didn¡¯t want to meet¡¯. Though, Kashimir couldn¡¯t me Cyron for feeling disrespected when he rejected the offer multiple times.
Furthermore, if Cyron tried to ally with Tikan, Kashimir wouldn¡¯t have many ways to resist it.
¡®Well, I came because of Young Master Jin¡¯s favor¡ But it¡¯s very awkward. Have I been declining a favor from this person all this time?¡¯
Actually seeing Cyron for the first time.
The overwhelmingness was way beyond the rumors. Although Kashimir was also a pretty strong knight, he knew that his swordsmanship was child¡¯s y in the presence of Cyron.
¡®So this is the dignity of the absolute strongest¡ Still, let¡¯s keep ourposure.¡¯
Kashimir grew conscious of Jin¡¯s goals and fixed his posture.
¡®I am Young Master Jin¡¯s guest. There¡¯s no need to fear Lord Cyron¡¡¯
¡°So you¡¯re Ghostde Kashimir.¡±
¡°Y-Yes! However, it¡¯s embarrassing for Lord Cyron to call me Gh-Ghostde, so p-please refrain from doing so!¡±
He instinctively stuttered as he responded. He himself didn¡¯t even know what he was saying.
Inside, he shed tears, and from the outside, sweat ran down his face. He didn¡¯t even feel embarrassed from the fact that Jin was right next to him.
¡®Give me a break. Last time I almost got beat by Sir Murakan. This time, it¡¯s showing disrespect towards Lord Cyron¡¡¯
It seemed that after meeting Jin, he just kept meeting troublesome people.
¡°Father.¡±
¡°Proceed.¡±
¡°To describe my rtionship with Sir Kashimir, we have intertwined fates¡ or something like that. Moving on, it is now your turn to keep your end of the promise.¡±
Kashimir doubted his ears as he listened to Jin¡¯s perfectly enunciated speech.
¡®Young Master Jin, how are you so confident when talking to Lord Cyron? And having intertwined fates! I know I said that first, but if you say that in front of Lord Cyron¡!¡¯
For a moment, multiple possible dark oues zipped through Kashimir¡¯s brain.
Kashimir¡ So you and my son have intertwined fates? In that case, Tikan now belongs to the Runcandels.
You share the same fate¡ The Runcandel n and Tikan can do that too, then.
If that¡¯s so, starting today, the Runcandel n and the Free City of Tikan would also have intertwined fates. Hahaha!
Kashimir envisioned Cyron in these horrific conversations.
Of course, that was only a result of Kashimir¡¯s fear.
¡°You petty runt¡ You dare trick your father?¡±
Completely different from Kashimir¡¯s imagination, Cyron looked down on Jin with an undecipherable expression.
In reality, Cyron was very satisfied. He didn¡¯t know what Jin did to meet Kashimir, but his youngest son was surpassing his expectations.
¡°What do you mean by ¡®trick¡¯, Father? You¡¯re mistaken. I was merely lucky. In fact, as soon as I arrived in Tikan, we immediately formed rtions.¡±
¡°Alright. Anyways, you pass the test. Starting today, no Runcandel will step into Tikan without your permission. Even if that Runcandel is me.¡±
¡°Thank you, Father.¡±
¡°If that is all, you can go on ahead. I have other things to talk about with Kashimir.¡±
Jin bowed and left the study.
Being left with Cyron alone, Kashimir cleared his throat while looking at Jin¡¯s back, getting farther and farther.
¡°Don¡¯t get too nervous. You make it look as if I¡¯m going to eat you or something.¡±
¡°H-Haha¡ I apologize. Lord Cyron, I¡¯ll be honest. Seeing you in-person, I cannot hide the respect and fear within me.¡±
Cyron said nothing and walked towards the tea table. He brewed a cup of tea and handed it to Kashimir, who received the teacup with two hands.
¡°The reason I dismissed the youngest and kept you here¡¡±
Kashimir unintentionally gulped.
¡®Is he going to talk about forming an alliance? Or maybe to ask for the reason as to why I constantly declined the Runcandel instructor position offer?¡¯
In the midst of his guest¡¯s fretting, Cyron continued.
¡°¡is because I wanted to request something from you.¡±
Kashimir¡¯s heart sank at the word ¡®request¡¯. However, he reminded himself that he was going to be the leader of many and will soon be the ruler of a country.
¡®I can¡¯t act like an idiot. If he asks for Tikan, I have to firmly refuse!¡¯
Strengthening his resolve, Kashimir looked Cyron in the eye.
¡°I am listening, Lord Cyron. If it¡¯s anything that doesn¡¯t harm Tikan, I am more than happy to help.¡±
His response drew the line, but Cyron didn¡¯t really care. Kashimir calmed his burning insides and waited for Cyron¡¯s next response.
¡°From now on¡¡±
¡°Yes, Lord Cyron?¡±
¡°Please report my youngest son¡¯s progress whenever you can. I think he needs some supervision.¡±
It was somethingpletely unexpected.
¡®¡Well it isn¡¯t about an alliance, so that¡¯s good. And I can infer how much Lord Cyron cares for Young Master Jin.¡¯
A Runcandel¡ªthe Cyron Runcandel¡ªcared for someone.
He didn¡¯t expect this kind of favor. Kashimir began to wonder more about their father-son rtionship.
¡®I knew something was off. Enough for Lord Cyron to request for supervision? ording to the Seven-Colored Peacock¡¯s information, he doesn¡¯t even care about Joshua¡ªwho is presumed to inherit the throne.¡¯
Kashimir nodded.
¡°That is not at all difficult, Lord Cyron. If you just establish a faster means ofmunication, then I will report every single bit of information.¡±
This was an opportunity for Kashimir. It was a way for him to repay his debt to Cyron as well as a direct contact to the Runcandel n.
Being able to contact Cyron Runcandel at will wasn¡¯t an easy feat. It was a special offer that even Emperor Vermont did not have.
¡°I am very grateful. I won¡¯t forget your kindness. And no one should know about this agreement.¡±
¡°Affirmative. I will keep it a secret¡ªeven to Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°Before you leave, a guardian knight named Khan will give you an address. Direct all your reports there. If there is a special conflict, pleasee here yourself and tell me. I will even offer you good wine.¡±
¡°Thank you, Lord Cyron.¡±
¡°You are dismissed.¡±
When Kashimir bowed and prepared to leave, Cyron opened his mouth once more.
¡°Oh, and¡¡±
¡°Yes? I am listening.¡±
¡°Brace yourself. The youngest said that he wasn¡¯t satisfied with just the Runcandel n. I am expecting great growth from you and Tikan. Enough for him to want your country.¡±
Afterwards, before they left for Tikan, Kashimir wasn¡¯t able to meet the guardian knight named Khan.
¡®I¡¯m pretty sure he said that he¡¯d establish a means ofmunication¡ Do I have toe back when Young Master Jin isn¡¯t present?¡¯
Confused, he shoved his hands in his pockets and felt an unknown piece of paper.
A note.
(Greetings, Sir Kashimir. I am Khan, a Runcandel guardian knight. The patriarch¡¯s address is¡)
Kashimir didn¡¯t notice that Khan had already approached him and slipped the note into his pocket when he wasn¡¯t looking.
Realizing how quickly executed the action was, goosebumps raised on Kashimir¡¯s skin.
¡®It means that they could easily get rid of me without anyone noticing. The Runcandel n¡ truly is a terrifying n.¡¯
Kashimir turned his head towards Jin, who could possibly be the next patriarch of the said fearsome n.
¡°How does it feel knowing that Tikan is guaranteed to be free from any Runcandel, Sir Kashimir?¡±
¡°I¡¯m very confused at this very moment, but I really look forward to the things about toe.¡±
Kashimir frantically hid the note and grinned.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 85: Take Down Alisa! (1)
Chapter 85: Take Down Alisa! (1)
Volume 4 Chapter 85 ¨C Take Down Alisa! (1)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Early August of 1795, the Zipfel Press finally officially dered the death of the second-inmand Andrei Zipfel, and his dragon, Vyuretta.
Despite the official deration, the cause of death wasn¡¯t rified. Even the date of death was made up. Additionally, Quikantel¡¯s or Jin¡¯s name was not mentioned anywhere.
Nheless, it was groundbreaking news.
The Runcandels, Vermont Imperial Family, and other powers including the Hidden Pce heightened their senses and watched the situation unravel.
In light of the news, many rumors spread amongst the people. Rumors that he was killed off for losing in political disputes, or that he lost in a heated duel against a grand magician named ¡®Cold Joe¡¯. Or that Emperor Vermont ordered the Vermont Special Forces to assassinate him.
However, the more popr rumor was ¡®the g-bearers of the Runcandel n killed him.¡¯ There was also ¡®the Master of the Hidden Pce, Tris Endorma, assassinated him¡¯, though that one didn¡¯t gain too much attention.
Of course, the official location of death was a remote ind in the Vermont Empire, and at the time, the g-bearers of the Runcandel n were at the Garden of Swords. On top of that, the Zipfel n and Vermont Imperial Family weren¡¯t able to identify the mana that would have proven Luna¡¯s involvement.
But to the masses, the truth didn¡¯t matter.
They thought that the more interesting narrative deserved to be the truth¡ªmore than the truth itself.
¡®Will the Runcandels begin to dominate the entire world?¡¯
After the press release, bar regrs endlessly debated.
Which is stronger¡ªswords or magic?
Many thought that the Runcandels and the Zipfels would finally start a war. They definitely believed that Andrei¡¯s killer was a Runcandel.
And it wasn¡¯t only themoners who found interest in foreign politics, but also the nobles and soldiers.
Especially the neutral powers who were not directly affiliated with the Runcandel n, Vermont Imperial Family, the Zipfel n, or other big ns.
Just like the Hidden Pce, they maintained a ¡®neutral¡¯ state. But unlike the Hidden Pce, smaller ns couldn¡¯t defend themselves in an emergency.
Which basicallypelled them to take a side between the Runcandels and Zipfels.
If a war broke out between swords and magic, the neutral states in the gray region would be of leaves being swept away should they get caught in the middle of it.
And surprisingly, the neutral powers sought for the sword more than magic.
They all huddle towards the Runcandel n instead of the Zipfel n despite thetter being deemed the strongest at the moment.
¡°Lord Patriarch, today, the Schucheron Kingdom¡¯s prince and five second-ss mercenary troops requested protection from the n. Following the death of Andrei, it seems we get protection requests every day. The rumors sure do seem scary.¡±
The Runcandels¡¯ first-ss butler, Heinz, had been reporting simr information for the fourth day in a row.
¡°Return all of their gifts and tell them that the request will be fulfilled. And make sure to offer the Schucheron prince a fine sword to make sure he inherits the throne.¡±
¡°Understood. I will send an 8-star guardian knight.¡±
¡°Alright, you¡¯re dismissed.¡±
As long as the requester was not an immediate enemy to Cyron, he epted any favor.
Although the ¡®neutral¡¯ ns didn¡¯t have any presence in the world and didn¡¯t really support the Runcandels at all, the smaller ns would be something of use once the n of swordmasters take down the Zipfels and be the ruler of the world.
As more and more ns sought to ally with the Runcandel n, more rumors spread amongst themon folk¡ªthat the Zipfels can no longer overtake the Runcandels. And the fact that all of the neutral forces sided with the Runcandel n made the rumor seem all the more likely.
¡®I believe this is because of the youngest¡¯s horsey on that remote ind. Some kind of butterfly effect. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s hearing these rumors in Tikan as well.¡¯
Cyron thought about his son as Heinz left.
Of course, the rumors of the Runcandels surpassing the Zipfels was merely a rumor. The Zipfel n was doing pretty well, and the truth was that the Runcandel n was only a little ahead.
¡®We were able to absorb many neutral forces recently. That provisional g-bearer is already making big changes for the n. He¡¯s a very interesting fellow¡¡¯
Cyron grinned and summoned Guardian Knight Khan.
¡°At your service, Lord Patriarch.¡±
¡°Any messages from Kashimir?¡±
Khan could barely contain his surprise.
¡®I knew Young Master Jin was special ever since the Storm Castle¡ but I never would¡¯ve thought that the Lord Patriarch would give him so much attention. He¡¯s itching to know!¡¯
It was Khan¡¯s first time seeing Cyron like this. When Joshua became a 9-star knight, Cyron didn¡¯t even flinch.
¡°There were none, Lord Patriarch.¡±
¡°Hmmm¡ Alright.¡±
Cyron responded with disappointment, and Khan lowered his head as if it was his fault.
¡°The day after tomorrow, I will be leaving for the ck Sea once again. If there are any reports on him,e find me and inform me.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
Aftering back from the Garden of Swords, Jin¡ªwho Cyron yearned to hear about¡ªdedicated his time to personal training.
¡®If it wasn¡¯t for Eldest Sister Luna, I would¡¯ve died on the ind in the Vermont Empire.¡¯
After his regression, although his swordsmanship and magic had reached 5-star, and his spiritual energy would soon reach 5-star¡
¡®Considering the eventsing soon¡ It¡¯s not enough.¡¯
Which made Jin feel impatient.
He felt it the most after the fight on the ind. Although he was very talented and strong in terms of a 15-year-old, there weren¡¯t many enemies that he could face by himself.
¡®I need to get stronger. In the five years that my father gave me, I need to get strong enough to take down all of my siblings¡ªenough to not need anyone¡¯s help!¡¯
And Luna, especially, motivated him.
An opponent who Murakan and Quikantel couldn¡¯tnd a finger on was defeated with a single sh of a sword¡ She looked like the god of battle.
However, even the god of battle went to the Garden of Swords, dropped her weapon, and got humiliated. Just because she had to save someone weaker.
Jin¡¯s enemies were like that¡ªtargeting hispanions first so they couldn¡¯t help him.
Swoosh!
Bradamante swept through the air violently.
After shing over ten thousand times, his muscles felt like exploding, and his bones felt like shattering.
However, Jin felt worry more than pain.
¡®Although Mind¡¯s Eye is still beyond my reach¡ In five years, I must reach the Mind¡¯s de Absolute Realm that eldest sister showed me.¡¯
Mind¡¯s de: Blood Moon.
It was not a Runcandel secret technique, but a domain that Luna experienced on her own while surpassing Mind¡¯s Eye.
A realm that could be awakened by casting Divine Language on the sword, Mind¡¯s de. Every knight¡¯s dream. If Luna hadn¡¯t realized the special techniques and secrets of her red aura, she would¡¯ve never achieved Mind¡¯s de.
¡ªFor you, you can definitely get there in five years. First, to awaken your Divine Language, you need to practice expressing your fervor in your sword.
¡ªThe way to do that is¡
¡ªIf you swing your sword ten thousand times, it means that your first andst swing must be simr in terms of effort and technique.
That was what Luna told him.
¡®Then, is one thousand consistently identical swings my limit right now?¡¯
After passing the fifteen thousand mark, he could no longer tell whether he was swinging the sword or the sword was swinging him.
¡°Please stop, Young Master Jin.¡±
Kashimir was right next to Jin just as he prepared for another swing.
¡°Phew. Sir Kashimir.¡±
¡°Even when I trained, I never trained as hard as you¡ If you do this every day, even if you have the Runcandel n¡¯s blessed physique, nothing will be left of you.¡±
Enya¡ªwho followed behind Kashimir¡ªhanded the young Runcandel a towel.
¡°Lord Jin! Your face looks dead. W-Wait, oh heavens. Lord Jin, your hand is all torn! There¡¯s blood all over the floor! Uwaaah.¡±
Just like she said, below Jin was a small puddle consisting of blood and sweat¡ªstrands of red swirling in the clear water.
While Enya wiped Jin¡¯s face and called for healers, Kashimir kept his eyes on the puddle.
¡®What kind of resilience is this¡? It¡¯s nothing I¡¯ve ever seen from a fifteen year old boy.¡¯
Healing magicians rushed over and began to cast healing spells onto Jin¡¯s hands. The young Runcandel just sat down, staring at his palms.
¡°My apologies for causing a mess, Sir Kashimir, Enya.¡±
¡°Why would you abuse those beautiful hands! I-I think I see some b-bones¡?¡±
Jin had calluses all over his hands, having held a sword ever since his youth. However, to a fanatic like Enya, it looked like a beautiful sculpture.
The healing magicians left, and Kashimir sat next to Jin.
¡°The reason you are doing all this¡ must be because of the events on the ind?¡±
¡°Indeed. Not only because of Andrei and hispanion. There would have been too many potentially dangerous moments if it wasn¡¯t for Gilly or Murakan. In order to not be a burden to my allies, I must train harder.¡±
¡°Lord Jin is the same age as I am. Don¡¯t be too impatient. I¡¯ll be sad.¡±
¡°No, Miss Enya. Young Master Jin is judging himself from a cynical perspective.¡±
Kashimir responded, and Enya was startled.
¡°You¡¯re too mean, Sir Kashimir. Lord Jin is¡ª¡±
¡°Just like you said, he is very strong. Amongst 15-year-olds, he¡¯s probably the strongest. However, I understand Young Master Jin¡¯s intent. The opponents he will face will neither be young nor normal.¡±
Jin slowly nodded.
¡°But Young Master Jin, impatience is the poison to your growth. I could make your straight path and progress make a turn. Though, Miss Gilly had been saying the same thing every day.¡±
As Kashimir said, Gilly also told Jin the same advice every day. That he should slow down a little, or that he¡¯s pushing his limits too much.
¡°I know well enough about that, but after making up my mind, stopping myself isn¡¯t easy. I¡¯m embarrassed.¡±
¡°No need for embarrassment. I find it incredible that you are executing a volume of training that no one else can. Instead, how about some training that could cool your mind?¡±
¡°Training that could cool my mind¡?¡±
Kashimir grinned.
¡°How about a spar?¡±
¡°With you?¡±
Kashimir shook his head.
¡°No. You¡¯re stillcking a little to spar against me, so that¡¯s for another time¡ªfor when you get stronger.¡±
Despite his words, Kashimir still wasn¡¯t able to notice Guardian Knight Khan sneaking and slipping a note into his pocket.
However, that was just Khan being incredible. It wasn¡¯t that Kashimir was weaker. After all, the nickname ¡®Ghostde¡¯ wasn¡¯t just given to him for free.
¡°Within six months, please try to defeat my wife, Alisa Betzer, using all that you¡¯ve got¡ªsword, magic, and spiritual energy. I can guarantee you, this will be a good learning experience for you.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 86: Take Down Alisa! (2)
Chapter 86: Take Down Alisa! (2)
Volume 4 Chapter 86 ¨C Take Down Alisa! (2)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Alisa Betzer.
Along with a massive physique, she had a knife scar on her left eye. She was also Tikan¡¯s Chief of Defense and Ghostde Kashimir¡¯s wife.
¡®Take that person down in six months?¡¯
At first nce, she already looked stronger than the criminals in Mamit. Her bulky build made her two times bigger than Kashimir¡ªanything but normal.
But was she really that strong?
Jin had swordsmanship, magic, and spiritual energy. Would it really take six months?
He had seen her every day for a month after he arrived in Tikan. They ate breakfast at the same table and also bantered every now and then.
He didn¡¯t truly feel that she was strong.
¡®I know that she¡¯s a unique person¡ but will fighting her really be hard when I have magic and spiritual energy? I even defeated a 7-star knight with the use of all my skills. I¡¯m sure Sir Kashimir knows that she¡¯s at my level.¡¯
Despite the doubt, he knew it was going to be fun after seeing Kashimir¡¯s confidence in his wife.
¡°Lady Alisa, you say¡ If you say so, there must be a reason. Alright, I will try sparring her. As long as she agrees.¡±
¡°She most certainly will. She was getting bored from theck of fights after bing the chief of defense. A duel against you will be a great gift for her.¡±
As Kashimir said, Alisa showed a refreshed expression as soon as they asked her. She excitedly epted.
¡°Me? With Young Master Jin? Haha! Sounds fun. Fighting shriveled criminals was getting boring. Well, I don¡¯t see any anymore, since I caught all of them¡¡±
¡°Mommy and Mister Jin fighting?¡±
Euria, who was in Alisa¡¯s arms, trembled with tears of worry rolling down her face.
¡°No, we¡¯re not fighting. We¡¯re¡ strengthening our friendship.¡±
¡°But everyone who fought mommy lost¡¡±
¡°Well¡ Anyway, if we strengthened our friendship, who would you cheer for?¡±
¡°Uhmm¡ I want Mister Jin to win.¡±
¡°They said that teaching children would be futile¡ You little brat. Good 5-year-olds would cheer for their mother.¡±
Alisa jokingly spoke and bit her child¡¯s cheek, and Euria¡¯s next words temporarily made Jin forget how to speak.
¡°But, but! Mister Jin is much weaker. I will always be on the weak people¡¯s side! For people who are weak and suffering!¡±
¡°Pfffffffffffahahahaha.¡±
Murakan¡ªwho was reading an erotic novel on a nearby sofa¡ªsat himself up and burst intoughter.
¡°¡®Weak and¡ suffering Mister Jin.¡¯ Hehehehe. Ice cream runt, you already know how to judge people! As expected from Az Mil¡¯s contractor.¡±
With an awkward smile, Jin silently walked over to Murakan and tried to dig his heel into the dragon¡¯s foot. Murakan managed to slip his foot out in time, but that didn¡¯t stop Jin from snatching his book.
¡°You fu¡ªI mean, bad dragon. Didn¡¯t I say not to read this kind of stuff in front of a child?¡±
¡°I purposefully chose the one with small text and archaic dialect and have been reading it secretly ever since. Put it down, while I¡¯m asking nicely.¡±
¡°Where do you keep getting these things? I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t have anything like this when we first left the Garden of Swords.¡±
Kashimir cleared his throat in guilt.
He had been sourcing five erotic novels every week for Murakan. The great ck dragon requested it, so as a mere mortal, he could not refuse.
¡°Ehem! Anyways, how about you start sparring the day after tomorrow, Young Master Jin?¡±
¡°For the next six months, let¡¯s spar every day after I return from work and eat dinner. I should show you why I am Tikan¡¯s Chief of Defense.¡±
¡°Every day? That¡¯s fine with me, but I think I would be taking too much of your time.¡±
Alisa smiled and shook her head.
¡°No worries. For the time being, it will end quickly.¡±
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
Two dayster at the underground sparring room in Kashimir¡¯s mansion.
In order to improve his body¡¯s condition, he had taken a two-day break from his personal training. And since he was in his best condition for their first spar, he nned topare and inspect his subsequent results.
Alisa stood in front of Jin as she loosened her body and spoke.
¡°Young Master Jin. Before we begin, I would like to mention something.¡±
¡°Please go on, Lady Alisa.¡±
¡°I was in the Vermont Special Forces. Before Kashimir became the Fallen Prince, I was his bodyguard. We left together when he was banished from the Vermont Imperial Family.¡±
Hearing that, Jin instantly understood why he could feel her radiating strength.
Unlike the Vermont Empire Imperial Guards, the Vermont Special Forces needed to operate in the shadows. Thus, the first thing they learned was how to conceal their strength.
¡®I expected something like this, but a former Special Forces knight¡ Kashimir didn¡¯t say six months for nothing.¡¯
Jin knew that the Vermont Special Forces¡¯ units were at least 6-stars.
However, that was merely a minimum. If she had guarded ¡®Prince¡¯ Kashimir, she was definitely at least a 7-star.
¡°On that topic, please don¡¯t feel down from losing too much. Also, I don¡¯t n on going easy on you. So, shall we begin?¡±
The instant Jin nodded¡
Whoooosh!
Alisa closed the gap between them¡ªher fist right in front of Jin¡¯s face. Her movement¡¯s speed wasn¡¯t one that a regr 5-star knight could react to.
She nned on finishing the first battle with one strike.
Even though it was just a spar, fighting as if it was the real thing was her ideology.
¡®For the past two days, I¡¯ve asked Sir Murakan and Miss Gilly about Young Master Jin¡¯s past. And from what they said, all he needs is a humiliating failure and the process of standing up against it. For at least ten days, you won¡¯t be able to dodge the first strike.¡¯
From what she heard, there was always an ¡®opportunity¡¯ and a ¡®variable¡¯ in all the dangerous situations that Jin got in.
When he fought Alu, he had a variable called Myulta¡¯s Rune.
When he fought Quikantel, he was able to cut her wing when she least expected it.
And very recently, when he fought Andrei, he was only able to swing his sword because Murakan and Luna were there.
As for his fight against Quazito Truka of the White Wolf Tribe, if he knew that Jin had spiritual energy, then he wouldn¡¯t have lost.
Hence, all of Jin¡¯s opponents either let their guard down or did not have enough information on him.
On the other hand, Alisa knew all about Jin¡¯s abilities. Swordsmanship, magic, and spiritual energy, and also the fact that he had Myulta¡¯s Rune.
Therefore, Alisa decided to show him the reality of being exposed to ¡®true danger¡¯. For a knight to be stronger, the best way was to simte danger.
And so, Alisa aimed her fist at Jin¡¯s face.
However, it met the surface of a scabbard instead.
¡®He blocked it?!¡¯
Alisa¡¯s eyes widened.
It wasn¡¯tpletely blocked, though. Through the scabbard, the shockwave traveled to Jin¡¯s body and instinctively made him back off.
The staggering made him lose the ability to defend or dodge. There was nothing worse than losing your bnce in a battle. Alisa could easily take him out with one more blow.
Although, she could only be surprised after being denied a direct attack.
¡®I¡¯m sure it was at a speed that he couldn¡¯t react to¡ªeven ounting for his blessed Runcandel physique. Did I get slower? I think I felt like my punches got minisculely slower.¡¯
Jin was still defenseless. He hadn¡¯t even drawn his sword, yet Alisa¡¯s second fist was already about to make contact with his ribs.
Then, he activated Myulta¡¯s Rune and wore the helmet.
Along with it, he unleashed a spell that he prepared beforeing to the underground training area.
¡®Photon Cannon!¡¯
sh¡!
Even for a trained knight, closing one¡¯s eyes due to a blinding sh of light was inevitable. Even in a moment before defeating the opponent.
¡°Erk!¡±
Pow!
Because of the bright light, her stance faltered, causing her punch to not go as expected.
Still, it was enough for one of Jin¡¯s ribs to be blown. The light couldn¡¯t change the fact that the punch was enough to end the battle.
Before following up with a third strike, Alisa felt admiration for her opponent.
¡®All of those opportunities and variables weren¡¯t from luck. He purposely created all of them! I would¡¯ve never expected him to prepare a spell.¡¯
It was the same this time.
Simply put, Alisa lost in the battle of strategy.
¡®I get it now. Blocking my first attack¡ and using magic to decrease the density of the ground. Because of that, I couldn¡¯t harness my true speed.¡¯
When she looked behind her, she found a deep hole at the spot where she stood beforehand. It was a microscopic difference.
If Jin had tampered more with the floor, she would¡¯ve noticed before the approach. A knight like her would notice such subtleties.
¡®It¡¯s alright. It¡¯ll all be over soon.¡¯
Jin knew that, when he faced Alisa, the fight would be over in seconds.
Before the battle began, he constantly thought of the different variables that could affect their fight. Ultimately, all of the variables he tweaked worked to some extent.
But not enough to take down the chief of defense.
Crack!
The third punch was sent straight into his hip. Jin flew about three meters andy on the floor, and a shock went through Alisa¡¯s body.
Not because of her sweet victory, but because she was amazed at how much Jin surprised her on the first day.
¡°Damn¡ Little clever tricks weren¡¯t enough.¡±
¡®Tricks?¡¯
Alisa was about to correct his word choice. This wasn¡¯t some trick but an actual, borate n.
¡°Remarkle, Young Master Jin. I would¡¯ve never thought I needed to attack thrice.¡±
Jin fell back to the ground, struggling to stand up.
Just like Alisa, he was also in shock.
¡®As expected from a former Vermont Special Forces knight. All of my variables worked, but I couldn¡¯t even draw my sword.¡¯
He was disappointed and upset, but his heart was still pumping.
It was the first time hepletely failed, even with his little gimmicks.
And as Kashimir mentioned, his mind cooled off.
¡°So, uh, Lady Alisa.¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master Jin?¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t you going to call¡ a doctor?¡±
¡°Oh my, what am I doing? You must be severely injured. Please wait a moment!¡±
Alisa frantically ran out, and Jin smirked.
¡®I will take her down in less than six months¡¯ time.¡¯
Compared to learning and mastering Mind¡¯s de, defeating Alisa before the aforementioned time was a very attainable goal. In Jin¡¯s heart, a great fervor for achievement roared.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 87: Take Down Alisa! (3)
Chapter 87: Take Down Alisa! (3)
Volume 4 Chapter 87 ¨C Take Down Alisa! (3)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
September 27th, 1795.
The unsupervisednd in the east, also known as the ck Sea.
Four days had already passed since Guardian Knight Khan arrived. Which meant that he hadn¡¯t slept a wink for the past four days. He had shed through more than five hundred monsters along the way.
Even the weakest among the ck Sea¡¯s monsters were iparably stronger than the monsters in knownnds. It was because these monsters grew up breathing pure evil energy.
Even for a guardian knight like Khan, the slightest mistake could easily result in death¡ªsuch was the dangers of the ck Sea.
sh! sh!
Although he had an emotionless expression, he couldn¡¯t hide his dead, tired eyes.
He felt like there were more monsters than usual.
¡®I wonder¡ What kind of information is written on this letter?¡¯
Khan was suffering like this because he had to deliver a letter from Kashimir to Cyron. It was the first after being informed of the secret address.
¡®I¡¯m sure it¡¯s about the Youngest Master¡¯s growth¡ But it¡¯s only been a month. Has there been rapid and important growth? Enough to report to the patriarch?¡¯
He could only wonder.
Since Khan¡¯s cadet days in the Runcandel n and being named a ¡®monster¡¯ by his friends, he remembered the tough and strenuous times he went through when he tried to break through the 5-star barrier.
¡®There¡¯s no way he already achieved 6-star, right? Phew¡ I hope Lord Patriarch tells me the information as well.¡¯
Khan charged forward and fought more monsters for five hours.
Soon after, he finally found Cyron sitting in the middle of the ck Sea.
¡°Greetings to the patriarch. This is Khan.¡±
Cyron¡ªwho had already detected Khan¡¯s presence¡ªslowly opened his eyes. Khan proceeded to salute him. The patriarch raised his hand and waved it in a circle.
As he moved his hand in the air, all of the monsters in the area fled away, scattering as if they were bugs sprayed with bug repellent.
A disy of the Genesis Knight¡¯s power and dignity.
Though, in reality, he was suppressing his happiness.
¡®It must be about the youngest¡!¡¯
Khan handed the letter over with two hands.
¡°A letter from Sir Kashimir arrived ten days ago. I tried toe as fast as possible, but the monsters were very aggressive. I apologize for my ipetence.¡±
Cyron received the letter with a frown.
¡®I should take some time and kill off some of the monsters in the area. If it weren¡¯t for them, I would¡¯ve received this a day earlier.¡¯
Sssst.
With a flick of a finger, Cyron ripped the letter¡¯s seal. The envelope was quite thick.
Like an elder who found old diary entries, Cyron began to attentively read.
(To the admired Lord Cyron.
As a knight of a small city, I am ineffably honored to flip my pen and send a letter to Your Honor.
How is the weather in the Garden of Swords?
In the Free City of Tikan, it is currently dusk. The soft clouds like velvet, high in the sky, with stars sprinkled here and there, and they seem to sing of your greatness.
I will say it once more.
I, Kashimir Alfleon, am very thankful and honored that you offered a mere knight an opportunity to send a heart-filled letter. I hope the deep effort poured into each character satisfies you¡)
Cyron flinched.
¡®I also felt itst time, but this guy has a problem¡ Why is this introduction so long?¡¯
He was very annoyed, but with the patience of a Genesis Knight, he turned the page. However, the next page was also filled with greetings and thanks, and there wasn¡¯t even a single sentence about Jin on the third.
¡°Haaa¡¡±
Cyron sighed and shook his head, and Khan suddenly felt like it was his fault.
¡®The patriarch is¡ angry. Did something happen to Young Master Jin?¡¯
But then, on the fourth page, Cyron¡¯s expression brightened a little. His eyes began to sparkle, and he slowly began to grin.
¡°Hoho.¡±
He evenughed a little.
Khan had been Cyron¡¯s bodyguard for the past twenty years, but it was his first time seeing the patriarch like this. After Luna dered that she wasn¡¯t interested in inheriting the throne, Cyron was always cold with his children.
Thus, Khan was dying from curiosity. What happened to Young Master Jin to make the patriarch that happy?
¡°Khan.¡±
¡°Yes, Lord Patriarch?¡±
¡°It seems that the youngest is getting beat by Kashimir¡¯s wife. Ahahaha. From the time he wrote this letter, it looks like they sparred at least forty times and Jin lost all of them.¡±
Khan couldn¡¯t believe his ears.
Usually, Cyron would click his tongue and call his child weak and powerless, but Khan was surprised that he was amused by the news.
¡°That¡¯s a lot of losses.¡±
¡°The first battlested three seconds, and the secondsted five. The seventhsted ten seconds, the twentiethsted twenty-five, and the thirtiethsted forty.¡±
¡°I can see how the young master withstands against a 7-star using magic and spiritual energy. In fact, if it¡¯s against the same person, he will gradually survive longer.¡±
Because Khan was Cyron¡¯s most prized and trusted guard, he knew all of Jin¡¯s secrets as well.
Of course, he would never reveal such secrets. Even if Cyron were to unreasonably fire him.
¡°Indeed. But do you know what happened in the fortieth battle?¡±
¡°What happened?¡±
¡°Hested over 120 seconds. He overcame a barrier¡ªrealized something.¡±
Although it was incredible for a 5-star to make so much progress against a 7-star, Khan knew that it wasn¡¯t only because of his improved swordsmanship.
Khan¡¯s eyes widened as Cyron continued rying the contents of the letter.
¡°And it says here that Kashimir¡¯s wife, Alisa Betzer, is a former Vermont Special Forces agent. The 2nd Division. Hoho, now I can onlyugh. It has definitely been a while since her retirement, so she¡¯s probably rusty. Still, it¡¯s nice of her to volunteer.¡±
The Vermont Special Forces.
Amongst the Forces, the division tasked with protecting the Imperial Family was the 2nd Division, and Khan knew well of their strengths.
¡°¡If she was previously in the Special Forces 2nd Division¡ She¡¯s not an opponent that the young master can use tricks and gimmicks on. I congratte your son, Lord Patriarch.¡±
¡°Since he hasn¡¯t even defeated her, it¡¯s too early to celebrate. Kashimir said that he gave the youngest six months. To defeat her, that is.¡±
¡°At this rate, he¡¯ll seed before the time period ends.¡±
¡°If that runt was the first child, I would¡¯ve left the n in his hands without remorse. What a shame. Khan, what do you think of the youngest?¡±
¡°I concur. If he were the firstborn, then Master Joshua would¡¯ve been superseded by Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t mean that.¡±
Khan was startled and stared at Cyron.
¡°Do you mean¡ as a sessor?¡±
Cyron nodded.
Khan was surprised, but not because of Jin¡¯s measly age of 15.
¡®This is the first time the patriarch talked about his desired sessor¡!¡¯
Cyron had never chosen a sessor. Although he looked forward to some of his children¡ªlike Luna¡ªthis was the first time he explicitly stated his opinion.
People only thought of Joshua as the first sessor candidate after Luna¡¯s refusal of inheritance, but Cyron never truly selected him.
The same went for the other sessor candidates¡ªMary, Dipus, and Luntia.
After reorganizing his thoughts, Khan spoke.
¡°I think he needs a little more observation due to his young age. Although he is growing and learning very quickly, I don¡¯t think he is suited for the throne just yet.¡±
¡°And why do you think that?¡±
¡°Hecks coldness. The story of the Young Master¡¯s journey to save the beginner cadets was from his personality. I can see that he has a very kind and malleable heart.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right. On the other hand, Joshua is the opposite. The youngest often showed weakness towards rtionships and attachments. How about when you ignore all of that?¡±
¡°When needed, he must be cold enough to get rid of his own sister, and with his current growth rate, he will be perfect for your position.¡±
Satisfied with the guardian knight¡¯s answer, Cyron grinned.
¡°Indeed, that is what a Runcandel is. You are dismissed.¡±
¡°Yes, Lord Patriarch.¡±
He had fought and shed through monsters for four days to get there, but as soon as the order was heeded, Khan immediately began to walk the exact same path that he came from.
To exit Cyron¡¯s domain, he would have to sh and kill monsters for another four days.
Before he drew his sword, a thought urred to him.
¡®Did the patriarch smile because he looked forward to Young Master Jin transcending the Runcandels¡¯ ancestors?¡¯
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
Mid-November, 1795.
Three months had passed since Jin¡¯s quest to defeat Alisa.
No longer did he pre-cast spells before the fight.
¡°Whew! Young Master Jin. Today was also a close game.¡±
At the 95th battle, Alisa wiped her forehead after knocking down Jin.
¡°Haha, you said that yesterday as well. This makes it 95 losses. It¡¯s kinda depressing¡¡±
¡°The small differences will umte. And now, you can fight me for at least fifteen minutes. Anyways, Young Master Jin, are you going to do ¡®that¡¯ before returning?¡±
¡°Yes. Please go on ahead, Lady Alisa.¡±
Tired from watching, Alisa shook her head.
Since one week ago, after each battle, Jin only left the training area afterpleting ten thousand swings.
Ten. Thousand.
¡®I must channel my will through the sword¡¡¯
A realm that could be awakened when the first andst of ten thousand swings were identical. While training with Alisa, Jin could enact the same swing three thousand times. Even with an exhausted body.
¡®This isn¡¯t about physical strength. Whether I am exhausted or perfectly fine, the importance is in the transferring of one¡¯s will into the de.¡¯
Jin took his stance for the long haul, and Alisa exited the sparring room.
¡®Whew, I didn¡¯t think he would catch up this fast. Watching that toxic amount of training¡ He makes me feel like I¡¯m not trying hard enough.¡¯
Alisa watched Jin train for a while, then she slowly closed the door.
¡°He truly deserves to be stronger.¡±
She never would have expected what awaited her the next day.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Proofreader¡¯s Corner (03/23/22):
Get you a man who would write you at least two pages¡¯ worth of admiration and thanks. But also, I¡¯m not the only one who felt like Kashimir gave Cyron a pseudo-love letter, right¡?
Chapter 88: Take Down Alisa! (4)
Chapter 88: Take Down Alisa! (4)
Volume 4 Chapter 88 ¨C Take Down Alisa! (4)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡®Did the anxiety and nervousness slowly recede after each and every spar?¡¯
The next day, during the 96th spar, Alisa finally lost to Jin. As the battle reached the 70-second mark, Jin¡¯s stab prated her shoulder.
¡°Erk!¡±
The moment his attack seeded, they were both very surprised.
In fact, it was a wound that was severe enough to prevent Alisa from continuing the battle. Jin dropped his sword and frantically called a healer, and Alisa smiled awkwardly.
¡°Lady Alisa! Are you alright?¡±
¡°Uh¡ Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I haven¡¯t had this kind of injury in a while.¡±
Blood spilled all over the ce. While the healers cast healing magic, Jin tilted his head.
¡®It wasn¡¯t an attack that Lady Alisa couldn¡¯t dodge. This is a victory born from luck.¡±
And it was true.
Jin hadn¡¯t given his full effort yet. When training with Alisa, he often yed his final trump cards after the 100-second mark.
In other words, Jin always beat Alisa in the ¡®Analysis Phase¡¯. Though, this time wasn¡¯t because of his growth, but because of his opponent¡¯s mistake¡ªso today¡¯s victory wasn¡¯t as sweet.
¡®I temporarily lost vision from the spiritual energy and failed to read his sword¡¯s movements¡ I can¡¯t believe I made this mistake. I guess I got pretty rusty after retiring.¡¯
Maintaining the same amount of focus while fighting an opponent who she beat 94 times was not easy, even for a knight like Alisa.
Alisa wiped her forehead and shook her head.
¡°Damn. I¡¯ve lost.¡±
¡°No, I think we shouldn¡¯t count this match. I cannot ept this victory.¡±
¡°I knew you would say that. I agree. I understand that you can¡¯t ept this. My mistake has caused a dilemma.¡±
Thanks to the healers¡¯ hard work, the wound was treated in an instant.
¡°However, Young Master Jin, we can¡¯t just ¡®not count it¡¯. If it were you from three months ago, even if I made a mistake or hesitated, you would never be able to defeat me.¡±
A difference of roughly only three months¡ª97 days, to be exact.
As for Alisa, she couldn¡¯t believe how fast Jin improved in that short amount of time.
¡®Even considering that he¡¯s a Runcandel, I don¡¯t understand this level. Soon, his swordsmanship and magic would both be 6-star.¡¯
Because she was a former member of the Vermont Special Forces, she had met many swordsmen from a famous n of swordsmen known as Hairan.
However, Alisa was certain. Amongst all of the talented knights she fought, Jin was on another level.
¡°Then, does that mean I can¡¯t fight you anymore?¡±
¡°Not at all. In the remaining three months, try to achieve your desired victory. Until then, I will always keep my evenings open.¡±
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
December 1st, 1795.
The day for Jin and Alisa¡¯s 110th battle, Alisa took the day off from work. She wanted to fight Jin in perfect condition.
Because of that, the two didn¡¯t fight in the evening, but at noon instead.
And thirty minutes before the battle, Kashimir sought Jin.
¡°Young Master Jin, the information that you requested has finally arrived. It took longer than expected¡¡±
¡°You found Alu¡¯s real name?¡±
The head of the Tesing n, Spiderhand Alu.
At first, Kashimir thought that searching for a person¡¯s name would be a piece of cake¡ªthat finding information about some sketchy alleyway gangster leader was easy with the Seven-Colored Peacock¡¯s intelligencework.
However, even after all this time, they failed to find Alu¡¯s real name.
¡°Unfortunately, that is not the case. The best agents investigated everything regarding that fellow named Alu. Seems like he had a lot of secrets. But there is nothing left from anything he did before bing Tesing¡¯s leader.¡±
Kashimir shrugged.
¡°There is only one reason for the Seven-Colored Peacock¡¯s failure. Someone must¡¯ve intentionally erased his records. As you said, he may have some connections with a Runcandel.¡±
¡°Hmmm¡ I regret killing him now. Then, how about the information on Vishukel?¡±
¡°Yes, Vishukel Yvliano. The Yvliano n¡¯s next patriarch. Hm¡ Young Master Jin, do you know of an organization named ¡®Kinzelo Group¡¯?¡±
¡°I do. Our paths met when I executed a mission with my fellow cadets this year.¡±
The Kinzelo Group.
A crazy organization that wanted to make their leader the king of the world. In Jin¡¯s past life, they assassinated the Zhan Kingdom¡¯s king and ughtered their people, which really fostered their notoriety.
¡°Although I am not sure, it is possible that Vishukel is part of the Kinzelo Group. Once a week, he visits the Curano Dukedom, and he always goes to this one fragment workshop.¡±
¡°Please tell me more.¡±
¡°The owner of the strangely titled fragment workshop, ¡®Artistic Explosion¡¯, is a man named Bouvard Gaston. ording to what we found, Bouvard is an executive of the Kinzelo Group. And Vishukel visits him every week, which raises suspicion.¡±
¡°Bouvard Gaston?¡±
Jin spoke as if he didn¡¯t know. He couldn¡¯t tell Kashimir that Bouvard could ¡®transform¡¯ into other people just yet.
Not because he couldn¡¯t trust him, but because there was no way to prove it.
¡°Yes. A rather fat man in his mid-thirties. And Vishukel always brought sweet potato croquettes every time he went to his shop. Like some kind of delivery.¡±
¡°Hmm, assuming that both of them are part of the Kinzelo Group, Bouvard must be of a higher rank.¡±
¡°Most likely so. I have actually met Vishukel once in the past. He¡¯s a very proud individual. But if it¡¯s a man who he always delivers food to, then¡¡±
In reality, Bouvard was an executive and Vishukel was the vice-leader of the group, so thetter was the one with the higher rank. However, the Seven-Colored Peacock didn¡¯t figure that out yet.
Kashimir and Jin simultaneously chuckled. They couldn¡¯t imagine Vishukel delivering food to a fat man.
¡®I expected a rtionship between them, but the Kinzelo Group¡ This is unexpected. In fact, Bouvard seems to have a higher rank¡ What does Vishukel get out of being part of Kinzelo?¡¯
The answer was simple.
Although the Yvliano n couldn¡¯t go against the Runcandel n, they were strong enough to put up a fight against the Vermont Empire¡¯s Hairan n.
However, the ncked any other talented knight, so if they excluded Vishukel, their power would decline.
¡®It¡¯s either he¡¯s trying to use the Kinzelo Group¡¯s strength to regain his n¡¯s honor or he¡¯s being hypnotized.¡¯
But is the Kinzelo Group that strong? Enough for a talented knight like Vishukel to seek them?
¡®Looking back at my past life, when the Kinzelo Group was at its peak¡ It¡¯s not impossible. Even the three strongest powers didn¡¯t touch those crazy guys.¡¯
As he thought of the past, he remembered some weird things that happened.
Whether it was before or after he regressed, the Runcandels didn¡¯ty a finger on the Kinzelo Group. Even though he and the other beginner cadets got fucked over by them.
¡®Was it because the Runcandel n didn¡¯t think that they¡¯re worth anything? Or because they considered them a very dangerous organization? Well, I¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡¯
Jin lightly bowed to Kashimir.
¡°Well, alright, Sir Kashimir. Thank you for your service.¡±
¡°Well the service was from the agents. I only sat and listened to their reports. I presume the next task is to find out about the Kinzelo Group, then? As well as to continue searching for information on Alu.¡±
This was the part that Jin liked about Kashimir. Even without saying anything, they had the same n.
¡°I am always in your debt, Sir Kashimir.¡±
¡°In that case, why don¡¯t you go y with Euria? Every day in my office, she yearns for your presence. And with Miss Enya present, they make my head hurt.¡±
¡°Understood. Oh, anyways, it¡¯s time for me to spar with Lady Alisa. Would you like toe and watch?¡±
¡°Sounds good. I wanted to see how much you¡¯ve improved anyway.¡±
Kashimir¡¯s expression was filled with confidence.
He was confident that Jin couldn¡¯t defeat Alisa yet.
¡®I should witness Young Master Jin¡¯s growth and send another letter to Lord Cyron.¡¯
Alisa was already in the training area, waiting for Jin.
¡°Huh? What? Honey, why are you here?¡±
Alisa began to jokinglyin after seeing Kashimir walk alongside the young Runcandel.
¡°What, am I not allowed toe here? Young Master Jin invited me to watch.¡±
¡°Well, no, it¡¯s not that. It¡¯s just¡ I don¡¯t want you to see me losing.¡±
¡°Losing¡? Wh-What? You¡¯re going to lose? What do you mean by that?¡±
Kashimir¡¯s eyes were filled with shock.
¡®Instead of the promised six months, he managed to defeat her in only three?¡¯
Asking with his eyes, Kashimir looked at Alisa, and she nodded.
Alisa Betzer, former Vermont Special Forces 2nd Division agent and Tikan¡¯s current Chief of Defense.
She took a day off from work to fight in perfect condition because she expected a loss in today¡¯s battle.
¡®His skill has already caught up to mine. Yesterday.¡¯
While Kashimir lost his sense of reality, Jin and Alisa took their positions.
¡°Seems like today will be thest spar, Young Master Jin.¡±
Jin only bowed instead of responding to his opponent. Alisa continued.
¡°Even in the far future. I wish you would remember me as a great sparring partner. Even the moment when you reach the top of the world.¡±
¡°Instead of a sparring partner, I willmemorate you as a great teacher and friend. And I hope you remember me as a wonderful student.¡±
Kashimir got a hold of himself and stepped away from the battlefield. He didn¡¯t want to interfere with their fight.
Alisa clenched her fists, and Jin muttered.
¡°Summon.¡±
Phoenix.
A summoned beast from a different world. An entity that could only be summoned by magicians who are 6-star and above.
For the past 109 battles, it wasn¡¯t only his swordsmanship that improved. His spiritual energy and magic were also greatly enhanced.
Fwoooosh¡!
Jin conjured a dimensional portal, and a massive ming bird emerged from it.
And Kashimir¡ªwho was looking at Jin¡¯s phoenix¡ªlet out a gasp.
He knew who that phoenix was.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 89: Tess the Phoenix
Chapter 89: Tess the Phoenix
Volume 4 Chapter 89 ¨C Tess the Phoenix
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
If a magician was at least 6-star, then they could contract with a phoenix.
And of course, all magicians wanted to own a ¡®special¡¯ or ¡®unique¡¯ phoenix.
Something like Kelliark Zipfel¡¯s ¡®Beloit¡¯ or the historical grand magician O¡¯Hensirk¡¯s ¡®Maniere¡¯.
They wanted to be an owner of a well-known phoenix.
However, magicians were never given the ability to choose.
After bing a 6-star and opening the door to the Fire Dimension, no magician knew what kind of phoenix would approach them.
With sweat rolling down his face, Kashimir stared at Jin¡¯s phoenix.
He felt the burning heat waves every time the mystical blue-me phoenix pped its wings.
In the Magicians¡¯ Society, there were over ten thousand registered phoenixes, but there was only one that was characterized with ¡®blue mes¡¯.
¡°Tess¡! What in the world, Young Master Jin?!¡±
Jin had summoned Tess, the beast deemed as ¡®the most noble phoenix¡¯.
And every magician who summoned it became that era¡¯s strongest magician.
¡ªEven in the far future. I wish you would remember me as a great sparring partner. Even the moment when you reach the top of the world.
As soon as Kashimir saw the phoenix, he knew why Alisa spoke such words.
She was no longer able to face Jin.
Shing!
Jin unsheathed Bradamante and spoke.
¡°Then, shall we start, Lady Alisa?¡±
Jin stood still, pointing his sword at Alisa. It was only a month ago when he was the challenger. Now, the tables had turned.
Today¡¯s challenger was Alisa.
¡°Prepare yourself, Young Master Jin.¡±
A white aura surrounded her two fists, and she bolted forward like a bullet, instantly closing the gap.
In his current state, Jin couldn¡¯t follow Alisa¡¯s movements with his hand-eye coordination. Usually, he predicted her movements and counterattacked.
However, he didn¡¯t need to do so today. Tess emitted deep-blue mes that licked its surroundings, preventing Alisa from approaching.
Fwoosh! Fwoooooosh~!
The smallest of the mes were at least 5-star level. Even for a 7-star knight with a trained body, without an aura shield, she would get a second-degree burn.
On top of that, Tess¡¯s mes had a special ability called ¡®Pressure¡¯.
¡®If that gets on her, then she¡¯ll start to rapidly burn energy. She has to finish the battle quickly!¡¯
As the name suggested, pressure pressed upon the opponent afflicted with the phoenix¡¯s ability.
Tess¡¯s mes had weight that defied allws of nature. Therefore, the moment itnded upon an aura shield, she couldn¡¯t ignore it because the mes didn¡¯t extinguish easilypared to a normal fire.
Because the opponent¡¯s body itself would feel as heavy as a rock in water.
Dodging the mes, Alisa weaved through each attack and put herself in a defensive stance. As such, Jin was easily given the upperhand.
¡®I can only keep Tess here for about three minutes. Within that time, I must make a meaningful attack towards her, so I can end the battle swiftly afterwards.¡¯
Although it was only a spar, in the past 109 times, Jin always felt the threat of death. Now, it was Jin¡¯s turn to make Alisa feel the same.
Without skipping a single day for the past three months, Alisa trained Jin to help him get stronger, and he knew the best gift to give her.
Swoosh!
Alisa jumped into the air, dodging a me, and Jin swung his sword towards her.
¡°Urgh!¡±
She quickly twisted her torso, and the de barely scratched her back. A minor tear on her clothes, but enough to make her very tense.
Then, as soon as shended and caught her bnce, a sphere of mana formed in Jin¡¯s left hand.
¡®Wind de! Using this, I can force her to dodge once more.¡¯
He threw Wind de towards her ankles, and as he expected, she leapt into the air again.
¡®I¡¯ll prevent her from regainingposure to pester her impatience¡ And then I¡¯ll end it!¡¯
After fighting Alisa 109 times, Jin realized that her patterns were diverse. As of the current moment, predicting her moves and reacting to them would be practically impossible.
However, among all of Alisa¡¯s many patterns, there was amon ¡®order¡¯.
In any situation, she always tried to get the upper hand.
¡®As I use more of my swordsmanship, magic, and spiritual energy, she will start to feel tired and will be more desperate to gain the upper hand. However, that will be the reason for her loss.¡¯
Alisa moved to the left, dodging the Wind de. She fixed her eyes back to Jin as the spell flew past her.
With fire in its mouth, Tess was prepared to shoot its breath.
¡®Phew. So you¡¯re a magic swordsman, Young Master Jin!¡¯
Alisa quickly turned her head.
From the sides, Jin swung his sword multiple times, creating multiple crescent shes in the air. And with Tess shooting its breath at the same time, an attack from the front and sides approached her.
It wasn¡¯t impossible to dodge both attacks, but doing so would enable Jin to have the offensive advantage once more.
¡®Instead, I¡¯ll block the breath with my aura shield and then parry Young Master Jin¡¯s attacks!¡¯
After giving Jin a nice slug in the stomach, she nned on waiting out the phoenix¡¯s summon timer.
Even if she faced an injury, she decided that gaining the upper hand would be the most optimal choice. She would never win if she stayed cornered for the entire battle. She needed to interrupt the flow that Jin had set for the battle.
Fwoooosh!
Tess¡¯s breath struck Alisa. The cone-shaped blue mes seemed to swallow her.
However, the mes couldn¡¯t prate the aura shield that she created. Tess couldn¡¯t unleash anything stronger because the strength of the phoenix depended on the summoner¡¯s mana.
¡®Gotcha!¡¯
And just as she nned, Alisa caught Jin¡¯s de. Although she protected her hand with aura, blood sttered. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to cut her fingers off.
Crunch!
In order to throw a punch, she nted her feet on the ground and pulled on the sword to drag Jin towards her.
¡°Hup!¡±
With an echoing shout, she threw her punch. She couldn¡¯t give it her all due to the aura shield she raised, but it was still enough to make Jin recoil.
BAM!
A refreshing, clear sound of impact should¡¯ve been made. But theck thereof caused Alisa to flicker her eyes around.
¡®He¡¯s not here? I¡¯m sure I pulled him in and hit him.¡¯
Her fist had hit thin air.
Instinctively, she looked upon the sword she was holding. And at the end of the handle, where Jin should¡¯ve been, was no one.
¡®Then I must¡¯ve felt and pulled the weight from Pressure¡!¡¯
A blue fire burned brightly at the other end of the sword.
After Alisa caught the de, Jin had given up on his sword and repositioned himself. In lieu of him, he ced a heavy me on the hilt of the sword, tricking his opponent.
Alisa was too busy dealing with Tess¡¯s breath and failed to notice it.
She only noticed everything after it all happened.
As such, she was toote to react.
¡°Haha¡ I¡¯ve lost, Young Master Jin. I¡¯ve fought many foes, but I¡¯ve never imagined them using a trick like this.¡±
The phoenix halted its breath.
Alisa¡¯s aura shield dissipated, and Jin emerged behind her with a dagger.
¡°I pushed myself and made this shield strategy for the chance of victory, but it came back to bite me. My goodness, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve lost because I didn¡¯t keep my rear in check. I¡¯m a little shocked. Since when did you calcte all this?¡±
¡°If I say ¡®since the first battle¡¯, would I sound too arrogant?¡±
Alisa waved her hand in defeat.
¡°No, that soundspletely reasonable. A little surprising.¡±
¡°Thank you for all your time, Lady Alisa.¡±
¡°As for me, Young Master Jin. You would never know how proud I am of you.¡±
Alisa turned around, and Jin put away his dagger.
They looked at each other, then simultaneously extended their arms to shake hands.
¡°How does it feel to defeat a former Vermont Special Forces agent before hitting the age of 16?¡±
¡°Honestly, pretty good. Very good. In fact¡ I would like to fight you full force again next year.¡±
Alisa softly smiled at Jin¡¯s response.
¡°I don¡¯t gear up if I don¡¯t have to kill my opponent. So, there won¡¯t be a reason for you to fight me when I¡¯m at my full potential.¡±
In the 110th battle, Alisa did not use a gauntlet or piece of armor. Not even once. A fully armored Alisa was an opponent that even Kashimir couldn¡¯t face. It wouldn¡¯t be suitable for Jin.
¡°Well¡ at this rate, you would surpass my full potential in no time. Anyways, congrattions, Young Master Jin. We should throw a party at dinner.¡±
Kashimir¡ªwho had watched the entire battle¡ªlooked soulless.
¡®I honestly thought six months wouldn¡¯t be enough. He¡¯s crazy! Crazy! Lord Cyron, the next letter will be super special!¡¯
In reality, Kashimir thought that Jin needed at least a year to defeat Alisa.
He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes even after witnessing that it only took the young Runcandel 110 days.
¡°Why don¡¯t you go get healed and prepare for the party?¡±
¡°Oh, uh-huh. Alright.¡±
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
The victory was celebrated with all of Jin¡¯spanions in Tikan.
During the feast, everyone was told that he summoned Tess the Phoenix and defeated Alisa.
¡°By Tess do you mean, Tess the Blue-me Phoenix? Young Master, I have heard of it before. That it¡¯s a very rare phoenix¡¡±
¡°Miss Gilly! That¡¯s not even the most crucial part about it. Magicians who are able to summon Tess are guaranteed to be the best magician in the era. Lord Jin! Please give me an autograph! Quick! Right here, on the back of my shirt!¡±
Enya scrambled towards Jin, eyes gleaming.
While more people were astonished by his feat, Murakan and Quikantel were at a loss for words.
ng!
In fact, they both dropped their silverwares at the same time. They seemed to be in deep shock.
¡°Hey, kid¡ Did you just say¡ Tess?¡±
¡°Jin, did you really contract with the Majestic? I-In fact, you first met at the underground training area, and as soon as you summoned the Majestic, you made them fight?¡±
This time, Jin was confused.
Even the proud dragons were baffled, respectfully addressing the phoenix.
¡°Murakan, Miss Quikantel, is there a problem¡?¡±
¡°Hey, anyways, try summoning them now!¡±
¡°Summoning uses too much mana, so it¡¯s exhausting.¡±
Jin looked around him then summoned Tess.
¡°We are honored to meet the ruler of the Fire Dimension!¡±
Quikantel got on her knees and bowed, shouting her greetings.
¡°Hey, uh¡ ruler of the Fire Dimension¡ Long time no see¡ Uhh¡ What¡ªwhy¡ I can talk to you like this. I can also¡ªYeah, my condolences. Understood. Oh, okay. I understand, so please stop cursing.¡±
Murakan looked as if he met an old teacher that he had a bad history with.
Everyone¡¯s stomach flipped at the fantastical sight.
In the short time of Murakan and Tess¡¯s conversation, no human could hear Tess¡¯s voice.
¡°Hmm¡ Alright, alright. I understand. I will tell Jin. Aaaah,e on. The curses! This isn¡¯t even the Fire Dimension. If you keep doing this, I¡¯ll get mad!¡±
Peck-peck-peck-peck-peck!
Tess pecked on Murakan¡¯s head at ridiculous speeds. Surprisingly, the ck dragon didn¡¯t fuss and just backed off.
The phoenix said something after punishing the dragon, and Murakan nodded.
¡°Whew¡ I understand, I¡¯ll tell him that, so please calm down. Ha, you caused a fuss as soon as you came. Hey, hey! Tryna peck me again¡ So hot-headed. Whatever. Kid! Send this bird back to the Fire Dimension.¡±
Jin released his summoning spell. The bird thrashed and threw a tantrum as it was unwillingly sucked into a dimensional portal. Quikantel finally stood up and sighed.
¡°You and Miss Quikantel seem to have aplex rtionship with Tess¡ It was pretty surprising. Anyways, what did you talk about?¡±
As soon as Jin asked, Murakan shuddered, as if there were an impending doom.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 90: The Cosmos Arena (1)
Chapter 90: The Cosmos Arena (1)
Volume 4 Chapter 90 ¨C The Cosmos Arena (1)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
There wasn¡¯t much information about the ¡®other world¡¯.
All entities from the alternate dimension were witnessed in unsupervisednds like the ck Sea which fostered many monsters or through different summoned beasts like the phoenix.
In his past life, Jin had never heard of the ¡®Fire Dimension¡¯ despite his vast knowledge of magic¡ªvast enough to trump many professors.
¡°Fire Dimension¡ This is top-ss information. Usually, ipetent and unimportant runts don¡¯t need to know this stuff. There aren¡¯t many dragons who exactly know of that ce, and the number of those who have personally gone there are in the single digits.¡±
¡°It¡¯smon knowledge that phoenixes are summoned beasts from the other world, but it¡¯s the first time in which the other world was called the Fire Dimension.¡±
Jin scratched his chin, and Murakan shook his head.
¡°The name ¡®Fire Dimension¡¯ is just an easy name for us to call it in this world. It¡¯s just a dimension with fire and phoenixes. Even the gods don¡¯t know the true name of that world.¡±
Everyone listened to Murakan as if he were some lecturer. Enya, who was a pupil in magical studies, was very worked up.
¡°Even the gods don¡¯t know? Does that mean the Fire Dimension is outside of the gods¡¯ control?¡±
¡°Exactly. Even the God of mes can¡¯t control the fire in that world. However, the ruler of the Fire Dimension, Tess, can¡¯t control Sheenu¡¯s fire either.¡±
¡°Ah¡ Then the Majestic became the Young Master¡¯s summoned beast. Isn¡¯t that a great thing?¡±
¡°Strawberry Pie is also correct. But as for it being a great thing¡ Well, it¡¯s the opposite. It¡¯s very bad.¡±
Murakan clicked his tongue and a shadow loomed over his face. Quikantel¡¯s expression was still frozen, still shocked from meeting Tess.
One second, Two seconds, Three¡
As Murakan¡¯s silence prolonged, some audience members gulped. They thought that Tess¡¯s summoner had received some special curse or something.
¡°Hey, just tell us. Don¡¯t just leave us hanging. Why¡¯s it bad?¡±
Jin grew impatient and asked Murakan. The shadow dragon lowered his head.
¡°It¡¯s great¡ only for you. God fucking dammit, I don¡¯t like that guy! Why Tess? There are so many other good phoenixes. There¡¯s Maniere or Shankish!¡±
Murakan threw a tantrum and some punches in the air. Many sighs of relief could be heard from the crowd. Jin thought that Murakan would never mature.
¡°Well, although I¡¯m a little pissed, I¡¯ll offer you a nd congrattions, kiddo. You can¡¯t use that guy¡¯s full potential ¡®cause youck some mana, but it¡¯s better than some random phoenix.¡±
¡°If I unleash all of their power, how strong will they get?¡±
¡°You can¡¯t unleash all of their power. Never will. At full strength, your beast can vaporize a mid-high-tier god.¡±
Quikantel shuddered at those words.
She remembered the horrifying nightmare she experienced when she visited the Fire Dimension with Murakan and their respective gods, Olta and Solderet. That day, she watched five gods disappear from existence.
¡°What¡? They¡¯re that powerful?¡±
Jin asked, observing Quikantel¡¯s reaction.
¡°I heard he can¡¯t do it outside of the Fire Dimension. In my case, thank goodness. I can talk to them casually and even tease them a little. Just like how our gods can¡¯t use their powers in the Fire Dimension¡ªa mutual penalty.¡±
¡°Mmmm. I see.¡±
Well, even if Tess¡¯s powers weren¡¯t that overwhelming, Jin was satisfied with it based on what he saw in textbooks. And the best part was that their fire could not be controlled by Sheenu.
A full-scale war was imminent between the Runcandels and Zipfels. And if Jin were to fight against Kelliark, Tess¡¯s strength would be of great help. No matter its tier, normal me spells would never be effective against Kelliark, Sheenu¡¯s contractor.
¡°Oh, and what did Tess want to tell me? What kind of conversation did you have with them? And am I not able to directlymunicate with them?¡±
¡°You can¡¯t. It¡¯s spiritualmunication. And the thing they wanted to tell you is, well, nothing much¡ Just that they like you a lot. Also said it¡¯s the first time they were summoned for such a minor reason. They¡¯re a special fellow. Said toe over to the Fire Dimension after you get stronger.¡±
¡°Oh, I can go there too?¡±
¡°Well, when you reach 10-star and canfortably breathe in the fire. That neighborhood¡¯s a little rough.¡±
Murakan wrapped up his little exnation, and the party continued to talk about Jin¡¯s victory and his summoned phoenix.
And as soon as the celebration ended, Kashimir took a bath and sat in his office, preparing himself to write a new letter.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
January 1st, 1796.
The new year came.
On the first day of the new year, the family would get together and pray for a safe year. Fostering love with family, loved ones, and friends would be wonderful¡
But one man, Guardian Knight Khan, was charging through the ck Sea and covering himself in the ck creatures¡¯ blood and guts.
And this time as well, he had a letter stored safely in his chestte. His new year¡¯s mission was to deliver a letter.
¡®This time, it has been three months. Did the Young Master defeat Alisa Betzer? Now I¡¯m looking forward to this letter¡¡¯
Khan was also curious about the letter¡¯s content. It seemed to motivate a faster trek to Cyron, who was at the center of the ck Sea.
¡°Greetings to the patria¡ª¡±
¡°Give it here.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
With a grave expression, Cyron hastily ripped off the seal. He looked like a parent who sent his children off to study abroad.
(To the legendary knight who I admire most, Lord Cyron.
Oh, it is the second letter. I am once again writing this letter with all of my heart and soul with the warm sun shining on my back¡)
¡°Shorter.¡±
¡°Pardon?¡±
¡°Next time, tell Kashimir to write a shorter letter.¡±
¡°¡Understood, Lord Patriarch.¡±
Just likest time, the long letter was at least 70% misceneous greetings.
But reading the fourth page, Cyron began to smile.
¡°It seems that Young Master Jin defeated Alisa Betzer.¡±
Khan guessed so while watching Cyron¡¯s expression.
¡°Hehe, he won by catching her off guard. On top of that, he seemed to have tamed Tess the Phoenix. I¡¯m sure you know who that is?¡±
¡°I apologize, Lord Patriarch. I do not know of that entity.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a blue-fire phoenix, and any magician who summons it bes the best magician of the century.¡±
¡°Congrattions!¡±
¡°But I don¡¯t care about some phoenix. Today¡¯s letter is just about it. Not more than a single line about Jin¡¯s swordsmanship.¡±
(His swordsmanship improved significantly. At a ridiculous speed.)
Cyron was disappointed.
He allowed Jin to practice swordsmanship, magic, and spiritual energy at the same time. But of course, as a Runcandel, he wanted to see more improvement in his son¡¯s swordsmanship.
Khan nodded.
¡°I can see the problem. It¡¯s a little worrying that he might be too entrenched in magic.¡±
¡°It¡¯s exactly as you said. I know he¡¯ll bnce it out well on his own, but it¡¯s getting on my nerves¡ Hmmm.¡±
A long silence.
While Khan maintained his kneeling position, Cyron spoke.
¡°Ron Hairan¡¯s son. Go find out what he¡¯s up to.¡±
Ron Hairan.
The Vermont Empire¡¯s swordmaster, patriarch of the Hairan n, and at some point, Cyron¡¯s worst enemy.
However, the difference in their power became clear when Cyron achieved the Genesis Knight realm. Even Ron¡¯s children were being overpowered by the Runcandel children.
In that situation, the most talented child was born¡ªRon¡¯s son.
Despite being a child, he already transcended his generation, being deemed the next patriarch.
¡°You mean Dante Hairan? Coincidentally, there is information about his recent whereabouts.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Yes. Not long ago, we received a request regarding the Cosmos Arena. Seeing that the request asked for an assassination of a pirate, Dante Hairan entered thepetition with a fake name.¡±
Cyron¡¯s eyes shimmered.
¡°The Cosmos Arena¡ I¡¯m sure that¡¯s¡ the fightingpetition hosted by the pirates? I remember Mary got second ce and threw a tantrum.¡±
¡°That is correct, Lord Patriarch. And to my knowledge, it was her first defeat. However, she went back for revenge two monthster.¡±
A secret that not many nspeople knew.
¡°Send Jin there and have him fight Dante Hairan. It¡¯ll be fun. He can¡¯t use his magic or spiritual energy there, right? He can only fight with his sword.¡±
The only cases when Jin can use his spiritual energy and magic was when ¡®there were no witnesses¡¯ or ¡®he can get rid of all the witnesses.¡¯
Of course, he could not use all three of his strengths in that contest. He could enter as a magician and only use magic, or he can enter as a knight and only use swordsmanship.
And Jin could not fight Dante with only a sword.
Cyron wanted to stimte Jin through Dante. The phoenix and magic were nice and all, but Cyron wanted Jin to prioritize the art of the sword.
¡°Understood. I will deliver your message to Sir Kashimir.¡±
* * *
However, the 16-year-old used most of his time training his swordsmanship¡ªenough to make Cyron¡¯s concerns pointless.
¡®Ten thousand swings. The first¡ same as thest¡!¡¯
After ending the consecutive battles with Alisa, he devoted all of his energy into his training.
But he didn¡¯t feel as impatient to improve. Thanks to Alisa, he learned many things about himself.
¡°Is it not boring, Young Master Jin?¡±
¡°Nope, it¡¯s only fun¡ª¡±
¡°Did you say it¡¯s boring?! I prepared this for you! Tadaaa!¡±
Kashimir pulled out a piece of paper and shook it in front of Jin.
¡°What¡¯s this?¡±
¡°An entry to the Cosmos Arena. Recently, the intelligence agents found out that a special fellow is entering thispetition. An opponent that wouldpel you to fight¡ªDante Hairan, the Hairan n¡¯s next patriarch!¡±
¡°Dante Hairan? Why is that guy going there¡¡±
From Jin¡¯s knowledge, the Cosmos Arena was just a yground for pirates. In fact, most of thepetitors were around 2 to 3-star.
Kashimir raised his eyebrows and continued.
¡°You are mistaken. Thispetition is more dangerous than you think.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 91: The Cosmos Arena (2)
Chapter 91: The Cosmos Arena (2)
Volume 4 Chapter 91 ¨C The Cosmos Arena (2)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡°It¡¯s more dangerous than I think?¡±
Jin repeated Kashimir¡¯s words as he sheathed his sword, and hispanion nodded in affirmation.
¡°Indeed. It doesn¡¯t have a ¡®no-killing¡¯ rule, unlike otherpetitions, so it¡¯s very dangerous. Although it¡¯s true that most of thepetitors are novices, somepetitors are just there for ughter.¡±
The Cosmos Arena had no rules, as expected from a pirate-organized fight.
Including murder, there were no other restrictions for special weapons and tools. It was a crazypetition that even allowed murder or assassination before the fight.
¡°You just need to defeat your opponent using any method. There¡¯s a story where a guy held the opponent¡¯s family hostage and threatened to kill them. All in order to win, of course.¡±
Which was why, even though the opponents were only 2 to 3-star,petitors had to anticipate dirty tricks.
¡°4 to 5-star who don¡¯t know anything will be their prey. After walking the world while being oblivious of the world¡¯s dark side, they be humiliated by the tricks and gimmicks used in that crazypetition. Well, I¡¯m not saying that you¡¯ll experience the same thing. You are¡ well, far off from that level.¡±
Indeed, he wasn¡¯t evenparable to those people.
¡°There are also fighters who are above 6-star who take down the opponent with the use of immense strength. At that point, it doesn¡¯t matter if they use tricks or not. These are the true predators of the arena. Well, they¡¯re just perverts whoe for the stimtion.¡±
¡°Stimtion?¡±
¡°Yes. You know, those kinds of people. Sadists who destroy their enemy and feel satisfaction from it¡ªthe most dangerous people.¡±
¡°Man, what kind ofpetition allows this stuff to happen?¡±
ording to Kashimir, it was a dirty, low contest. One characterized by filthy scuffles that enticed its audience to drink and gamble.
¡°Well, the official name isn¡¯t apetition, it¡¯s just an arena. If it wasn¡¯t for Dante, I wouldn¡¯t have asked you to enter.¡±
¡°Surely he won¡¯t fit into the crowd. Is there some insane grand prize awaiting for first ce?¡±
¡°The winner can choose from a plethora of prizes or one thousand gold coins. To amoner, that would be a lot of money. But for the sessor of the Hairan n, it would be pocket change.¡±
¡°Then is his mortal enemy there or something?¡±
¡°As of now, we have no information regarding his entry. But in my opinion¡¡±
Kashimir paused for a second.
¡°Maybe he wants to test his swordsmanship. To see if his de will glow in the darkness of evil tricks. If not, he¡¯s just throwing himself into a shithole.¡±
That made no sense.
It would make no sense if Dante really entered the dirtypetition in order to test his swordsmanship.
¡°Either way, I feelpelled to go. Dante Hairan¡ I could never dream of fighting him.¡±
Before his regression, prior to his banishment from the n, themoners would always debate who was stronger with the sword¡ªDante or Beradin.
Because they had many simrities.
They were both over 7-star at an early age, were nominated as the next patriarch of their respective powerful ns, and achieved 9-star at the age of 30. Whenever they encountered each other during a meeting, the press would go off. On top of that, they were the same age.
¡®At the time, they got more attention than the Runcandel children. Eldest Sister Luna didn¡¯t present herself too much, and Eldest Brother fell behind them.¡¯
There weren¡¯t any other second-generation Runcandel who was stronger than Dante other than Luna. Though, there wasn¡¯t definitive proof that he was stronger than all of the Runcandel children, but that¡¯s what the world thought.
¡®He¡¯s a fellow I¡¯m curious about. There¡¯s nothing bad from meeting him once. Hopefully, he¡¯s not hot-headed like the Beradin from my past life.¡¯
However, Kashimir¡¯s exaggerated attitude was getting on his nerves. He could¡¯ve just naturally asked Jin topete, but he was promoting it as if he were a businessman selling drugs.
¡®And I¡¯m sure the Seven-Colored Peacock doesn¡¯t have spare time to investigate Dante Hairan. All of the best agents should be investigating the Zipfels, Alu, and Kinzelo. I doubt that it¡¯s just some idle information they found¡¡¯
Thinking until that point, Jin smiled.
¡®It was Father¡¯s orders. The information about Dante is likely to havee from the Runcandel n. And now that I think about it, back at the Garden, Father sent me off first so he could talk to Kashimir alone.¡¯
He pondered the possibility of Kashimir sending reports to Cyron regarding his progress ever since that day at the Garden of Swords. However, it wasn¡¯t of any importance. There weren¡¯t any disadvantages that would affect Jin.
Instead, he felt a little mischievous.
¡°Hmmm¡ Sir Kashimir, do I really need to go?¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t really want to attend such a pathetic battle. And I can face Dante Hairan anytime in the future.¡±
¡°Ehem! Young Master Jin, please think about it. You would obviously meet him many times since you are a Runcandel, but would there be an opportunity to fight him? It could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance¡¡±
¡°Haha, I¡¯m not some fighting legend or anything. And I¡¯ve recently been feeling tired from fighting Lady Alisa.¡±
¡°Y-Young Master, don¡¯t be like that¡ Just trust me and try participating. I-Isn¡¯t it a chance to evaluate Dante Hairan¡¯s strength? Hahaha, my tongue is getting twisted. Maybe I¡¯m getting a heatstroke¡¡±
Jin pointed to the window andughed. Outside, snow was falling. The early January blizzards were rolling in.
¡°Heatstroke?¡±
¡°Oh, my mistake again. Anyways, Young Master Jin! I¡¯ve already filled out your entry form. Just trust me and enter, ok? I¡¯m sure this will be a great experience for you!¡±
¡°Well¡ If you say so, then there¡¯s nothing I can do. I¡¯ll participate.¡±
¡°Thank you, Young Master Jin! Oh, and on top of that, you must leave tomorrow. The schedule is tight. That is all!¡±
¡°Tomorrow? Wait, Sir Kashimir!¡±
Kashimir quickly escaped the training area without looking back.
And Jin¡¯s suspicions were solidified.
¡®He¡¯s definitely reporting my progress to Father. And this must be the first order¡ªto face Dante Hairan.¡¯
Jin chuckled. He knew his father was interested in him and his progress, but he didn¡¯t think that it was enough to make him intervene.
His siblings would go crazy if they found out.
¡®And Sir Kashimir is terrible at acting¡ Is it just in front of me? I heard he was really good at politics after bing the ruler of Tikan.¡¯
Jin chuckled once more.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
The Cosmos Arena was hosted on an ind south of the Berd Empire. It was right outside of Berd territory, so the surrounding ocean was the pirates¡¯ yground.
Jin went alone to that ind.
¡®It¡¯s a mission ordered by Father, so it¡¯s right to not bring anyone else.¡¯
If he brought anyone with him, Jin would have an emotional attachment that could potentially drag him down.
He knew what his father wanted to say: to sweep thepetition alone with a sword.
Using magic and spiritual energy around a massive audience was crazy.
¡®It¡¯s been a while since I received a solo mission after the one in Mamit. But just likest time, I¡¯m dealing with ouws.¡¯
After arriving in the Berd Empire, he took a ferry to the ind, using up a thick bag of gold.
The ind¡ didn¡¯t look nice.
It had the ambience of the lowest of the low infesting the ce, with stenched streets that had fresh streaks of blood everywhere.
Any type of disturbance would get one stabbed. In addition to being a remote ind, since it was filled with pirates who tasted the bitter and sweet of life, it was impossible to maintain order in the ce.
¡°Kekekeke.¡±
Every five steps, there were peopleughing hysterically, driven mad by drugs.
But not all were like that.
asionally, there were houses with guards and children, and knights who had decent armor. They were eitherpetitors or spectators of the arena.
Jin began to follow one of these respectable people. He felt that he could arrive at the reception desk after following the man.
And just as he thought, after walking for thirty minutes, he reached the reception desk. A single-table set up in front of an arena that looked worse than a pig pen.
¡°I came to register for the arena.¡±
He held out the entry form that Kashimir filled out, and the receptionist opened his eyes. Hair covered his big body, and tattoos crawled all over his arms.
¡°Huh? The time frame for registration¡¯s already passed. Fuck off. Better if you die while leaving.¡±
¡°It¡¯s passed? I¡¯m sure you guys are open until sundown.¡±
¡°Oh, I just don¡¯t want to take any more entries. You deaf?¡±
The man then formed a circle with his thumb and index finger. Clearly, he wanted money.
Jin knew to end money-rted problems by paying up.
With the added interest of beating some sense into the guy.
Crack!
Jin kicked the table to the side. As the man tried to stand up, Jin mmed his fist on the crown of his head. In Jin¡¯s fist was the crumpled registration form.
¡°Erk! Argggh, this bastard.¡±
¡°Take it. I¡¯ll give you the money.¡±
And he threw some gold coins on the ground. The guy¡¯s expression brightened, and he nodded.
Jin could only be surprised at the strength of his punch, which could have severely injured a trained 4-star knight.
However, even though the guy took the hit, he immediately stood up andughed at the sight of money.
¡°Registrationplete! Hahaha! A hotshot kid. I like it. You¡¯ll fight in group 13. Take this and go inside. The other fellows will escort you.¡±
The man handed him a small piece of paper with something written on it.
(Group 13, Jin Grey.)
¡°Kuhaha, wee to the Cosmos Arena, filled with love and fervor. Try your best!¡±
¡®Since he struck me for no reason, I¡¯ll stick him with the strong guys. Oh, and if this kid doesn¡¯t survive tonight, I¡¯ll cook him and feed him to the sharks.¡¯
The man¡ªsmiling with his gold-ted teeth¡ªwas the host of thepetition.
Pirate King Cosmos.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 92: The Cosmos Arena (3)
Chapter 92: The Cosmos Arena (3)
Volume 4 Chapter 92 ¨C The Cosmos Arena (3)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Filled with love and fervor¡ And yet, the arena interior reflected the structure of a prison.
There were long, dark hallways with individual rooms squished together on either side. However, instead of a normal door simr to that used on a normal house, each room had a jail door.
The only difference the ce had from a prison was that thepetitors could enter and exit the rooms freely. Also, the guides¡ªCosmos¡¯s underlings¡ªwere pretty nice.
¡°What¡¯s this? There¡¯s a fetus in thispetition? Kuhaha, this year¡¯s arena rumble is filled with children. C¡¯mere. Let¡¯s see¡ What the¡ªGroup 13? Oh, uh¡ And you beat the captain? This kid¡¯s a special breed.¡±
Amazed, the guide scanned Jin.
¡°Kids these days don¡¯t have any fear. There¡¯s another kid who struck the captain, and if you two fought, it¡¯d be fun to watch. Unfortunately, your groups are different.¡±
There was no need to ask who that kid was. On this deranged ind, there wasn¡¯t any other teenager aside from Dante Hairan.
¡°So, what room do I use?¡±
Jin asked with irritation, and the guide only shrugged in response.
¡°Wherever the fuck you want! Group 13 fights tomorrow, so if you¡¯re bored, go watch the other groups. Shouldn¡¯t you make some fun memories before you die?¡±
The guide definitely thought that Jin would die immediately. However, it wasn¡¯t in a mocking tone, so Jin just walked past him and began to choose a room.
Clop, clop.
As he observed each room while walking slowly, he noticed that there was significant diversity within the rooms.
One room had someone sitting in the corner and muttering prayers, another had someone inspecting unidentified objects. Somepetitors had already formed gangs and bantered amongst themselves.
In some aspects, it felt more barbaric than the Mamit Lawless Zone.
¡®And that pirate named Cosmos¡ He¡¯s not an easy fellow. I wonder why he¡¯s marauding in this area.¡¯
Jin shrugged and chose a room. He had been roaming the halls for about ten minutes, but there wasn¡¯t any specific room that was cleaner or nicer. They were all old and dirty.
¡®In fact, there aren¡¯t enough rooms for all of thepetitors. It seems that two or three people per room is the norm. It¡¯s extremely obvious that they intentionally wanted to cram people in here, and I hate it.¡¯
The Cosmos Arena was a scuffle in which killing was allowed even before the fight. The contest was more of a survival game than a regr scuffle.
Hence, they purposefully crammed thepetitors into cramped rooms. They wanted them to fight whenever possible in the tight spaces.
And once one entered thepetition, it was impossible to withdraw. Cosmos¡¯s underlings guarded the entrance, and the otherpetitors would not let anyone escape so easily.
If someone were to make a poor attempt at escaping, the otherpetitors would turn the runaway into dead meat before the guards could even get to them.
That was the very reason why Cosmos thought that Jin would be shark food if he didn¡¯t survive and the reason why the guide said that Jin will die anyways.
It was hard to expect a newbie to survive in such a savage environment. They thought that Jin¡¯s chances of death were high even if he were a talented 4-star.
In order to survive the veiled enmity and rotten gimmicks, observation and experience was more important than pure fighting power. And to a pirate, that wasn¡¯t something a young adult would have.
¡ªYou are mistaken. Thispetition is more dangerous than you think.
Jin remembered Kashimir¡¯s words. After exploring the area, he finally understood what he meant.
¡®Well, it¡¯s an experience.¡¯
In the middle of the long hallway, Jin pulled on a cell door.
ck, creeaaaak¡
The irritating sound of metal scraping against concrete echoed, and the threepetitors inside the cell red at Jin.
¡°Can¡¯t you see that there are already three people in here? Fuck off to another room, kid.¡±
¡°Man, as much as this is a shitty contest, this is off the top. They let babies enter?¡±
¡°Why are you just standing there? Go away.¡±
The three guys were in their mid tote-twenties. Hearing their attitude and seeing their crooked posture, Jin concluded that they were just some irrelevant gangsters.
¡®I wonder who said that punches were medicine for these kinds of people? I wonder¡ Was it an old master? Was it Elder Sister Mary?¡¯
Thinking that he should still give them a chance before beating them up, Jin met eyes with each of them.
¡°Starting today, I¡¯m using this room by myself. I will count to three. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s enough time for all three of you to walk out of this room?¡±
He didn¡¯t have any intentions of sharing a room¡ªnot even in the slightest. If he left these people next to him, they could backstab him at any moment.
The hoodlums doubted their ears and blinked.
¡°One. Two. Three.¡±
Bam! Crack! Thoom!
Two punches and one wrestling throw. All of which resulted in a fractured bone, shattered skull, and a dislocated shoulder, respectively. The thugs couldn¡¯t even react to the quick attacks.
Following the painful cries were loud cheers echoing from the adjacent room. Jin put his hands on his hips, and the three scrambled out of the room without a single word.
Clean room: check.
But the real battle had just begun.
¡®I¡¯m certain that other people will attack me after seeing that I¡¯m alone here¡ Well, so much for sleep.¡¯
And his prediction was precise.
Not even ten minutester, two contenders appeared.
¡°Hey, let¡¯s share a room.¡±
They entered with bravado.
¡°Erk! Argh!¡±
Although it was adorable of them to get beat up and run away from him, Jin couldn¡¯t forgive those who sprayed poison or fired a crossbow.
For those people, he cut off either all of their fingers or their entire hand. It would convey a better message to the other contenders rather than just killing them.
However, the most concerning type of people were the ones who just watched and then walked past.
¡®They will definitely strike when they see the opportunity. Possibly when I¡¯m busy dealing with the other guys and lowering my guard.¡¯
He wasn¡¯t scared, but more so they were getting on his nerves. Because he couldn¡¯t use magic or spiritual energy.
¡®It¡¯s kinda pressuring that I have to use my sword in whatever situation I get into. Since I¡¯m used to always utilizing all three of my strengths.¡¯
Either that or he had hispanions to rely on. And not so long ago, he had a ne that would save him, no matter who he faced.
¡®I can see why Father wanted to send me here. Fighting Dante is important, but it¡¯s also to drag down my ego on my swordsmanship.¡¯
So much time passed as he watched the entrance to his cell, with his senses heightened to the maximum.
Then, he heard the guide¡¯s voice resounding from outside.
¡°Alright, alright. We¡¯ll have the battles for groups 1 and 2! If you wanna watch, then get your asses to the audience seats. Oh, and I¡¯m sure you know the audience seats is a murder-free area. Don¡¯t do dumb shit. Or else¡ Well, you know the consequences, so watch your ass.¡±
nk, ng!
The cells in the hallway began to open one by one. They were all heading over to watch the fights between the participants in groups 1 and 2.
And on top of that, since the area was murder-free, they could finally be at ease.
With that, there also seemed to be an implied rule; no one attacked another as they relocated to the seats. So Jin tried to naturally join the cramped line.
¡®The guys who looked at me and walked past¡ If I were them, I would stab my target while we¡¯re in that line. That would bring the highest chance of sess.¡¯
No matter how great Jin was, noticing a de and dodging it was impossible when standing in the middle of a crowd.
However, not attacking while amongst the line was at most an ¡®implied rule¡¯.
He had read the rules on the back of the entry form dozens of times, but it had no mention of it. After all, it wasn¡¯t one established by the host.
Of course, if anyone attacked Jin, then the surrounding people would re at the attacker. However, they would rather thank the murderer for eliminating the arrogant kid who monopolized a room.
¡®There¡¯s nothing bad about going outte. I¡¯ll leave after the hallway clears up.¡¯
Which was the right decision.
The ones who nced at Jin and walked past earlier were all part of the same group. They assumed that Jin was a 4-star and had ns to eliminate him.
They didn¡¯t really have a reason to get rid of him. They just thought that he was the most enjoyable to kill amongst all of the other prey.
However, they could not execute their n because of Jin¡¯s quick thinking. Watching this, the guide muttered.
¡°I thought he was just a fearless child who just trusted his strength, but he¡¯s also very intelligent. I can see why the boss stuck him against the stronger opponents.¡±
As the hallway cleared up, Jin silently left his room.
Getting closer to the arena, the screams and shouts grew clearer. Arriving in the audience seats, Jin silently stood to conceive the massive crowd.
¡®Holy shit¡ This many people came to see this?¡¯
Excluding the contenders, there were at least a thousand other spectators.
For a moment, Jin worried that there may be someone who would recognize his face, but he didn¡¯t think that someone who went to a Runcandel banquet woulde to such a dirty ce.
¡®Well, as for Dante Hairan, he probably entered knowing that not many people knew what he looked like and that his acquaintances will not attend this arena.¡¯
Still, if he knew that there would be this many people, he would¡¯ve focused on his disguise a little more.
Jin licked his lips and sat in a decent spot. He could hear the spectators¡¯ voices.
They looked like upper-ss Berd Empire nobles who visited the arena annually.
¡°Hey, you heard the rumor?¡±
¡°What rumor?¡±
¡°There¡¯s a rumor that a Runcandel provisional g-bearer is attending this arena with a fake name.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 93: The Cosmos Arena (4)
Chapter 93: The Cosmos Arena (4)
Volume 4 Chapter 93 ¨C The Cosmos Arena (4)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Jin flinched.
¡®Shit. What the hell? Why do people already know?¡¯
Jin would¡¯ve never thought of hearing this kind of rumor right as he reached the audience. He sneakily took a seat near the two nobles and listened in on their conversation.
¡°A Runcandel provisional g-bearer? Haha, you fool. Why would someone that amazinge here? This ce is only crawling with the lowest of the low.¡±
¡°It¡¯s just something that I heard while drinking with the Cosmos Pirates executives. They said that there¡¯s a talented youngling among thebatants, and they were sure that it was one of the Runcandels¡¯ provisional g-bearers.¡±
¡°Hmmm, really? Let¡¯s see¡ Right now, the Runcandel n¡¯s three active provisional g-bearers are Daytona, Haytona, and Jin Runcandel. So it¡¯s one of those three.¡±
¡°Jin Runcandel really shook the publicst year. Every single press talked about his 5-star achievement. Either way, the executive guy was certain. One of those three must¡¯ve entered.¡±
Jin found it interesting that he was closely listening to nobles discussing this new rumor.
¡®I guess the n¡¯s fame and power is really well known. My name was written in press releases many times, but they even know the Tona twins¡¯ names.¡¯
The Tona twins were about to be provisional g-bearers. Before Jin¡¯s regression, they started their provisional g-bearer missions around 1796 or 1797.
Thinking about the environment and mood of the ¡®Cosmos Arena¡¯ as well as the twins being deemed the Nefarious Homicidal Maniacs in his past life, Jin inferred that it waspletely possible for them to join the arena.
Of course, in this life, the Tona twins were abused by Jin since their youth. Compared to his past life, they got significantly tamer.
¡®If the twins did enter, then it¡¯s great for my case. I can bring them to my room and use them as guards. Make them do all of the dirty work as well.¡¯
Afterwards, the nobles debated on which Runcandel entered thepetition.
Not only that, but other nobles also began to whisper about the same topic.
¡®Now that I think about it, most of the spectators are nobles. Well, rich people are always looking for some entertainment.¡¯
Creaaaaaak!
A massive steel door on one side of the circr stadium suddenly began to open.
A man then emerged and walked to the middle of the arena¡ªPirate King Cosmos. As soon as he appeared, the audience went crazy. Cosmos seemed to be very popr with the crowd.
¡°Thank you for waiting!¡±
¡°¡°¡°COSMOS! COSMOS!¡±¡±¡±
Around him were nobles who screamed and cheered in excitement for outright criminals. It was bizarre to witness the very people who looked down uponmon folk suddenly cheer forwbreakers.
¡°Ladies and gentlemen. Wee to the Cosmos Arena. I, Pirate King Cosmos, thank you foring here. Hahaha! This time, there are significantly more people thanst year. I can¡¯t wait to see the fight!¡±
p!
Cosmos pped some and fireworks were shot into the air, coloring the sky in bright colors. As the explosions ensued, the air around them warmed up.
¡°Alrighty, alrighty. Then, let¡¯s get riiiiiight into the fight! Hehe, fes! Bring in two guys from group 1! Cue the horns!¡±
Toooooooo~! Toooooooooot!
The pirates at the edge of the arena blew their horns. The steel doors on both sides of the arena rose, and the contenders revealed themselves.
Each group had 14 people, and since there were up to 13 groups, there were 182 contenders who entered this filthy contest. There was no other fightingpetition that had this many people.
¡°The lucky guy to fight in the honorary first round¡ Last year¡¯s 16th-round qualifier and cutie of Shark Pirates! Mantis! And the opponent!¡±
Cosmos¡¯ eyes narrowed and shoved his face into the roster. His expressions implied that something was wrong.
¡°Oh damn. I¡¯m gonna get med by the Shark dudes¡¯ captain. And I¡¯ll drown the guy who nned the brackets. Well, here he is anyway! Paul Mick!¡±
¡°Who¡¯s Paul Mick?¡±
¡°Never heard of him. Seeing Cosmos¡¯s reaction, I think he¡¯s a special fellow.¡±
As the nobles conversed with astonishment, Mantis entered the arena first.
With a shriveled physique and a distinct shark tattoo on his back, he made an awkward stance with scimitars in his hand. The epitome of a pirate.
¡°Hoho, Cosmos. What kind of guy is Paul or Mick or something? Making me all nervous. I¡¯m a little disappointed, making me look bad.¡±
Cosmos ignored Mantis¡¯s banter.
Paul Mick came out of the waiting room, and the audience began to chatter.
¡°That¡¯s a kid.¡±
¡°What is this¡? I know that there were a lot of kids in this contest, but this is too much.¡±
¡°If he bent his knees a little, the sword on his back would drag on the ground. Hoho.¡±
Jin was also a little surprised.
This Paul Mick guy didn¡¯t look like he was over 15.
¡®13? 14? They let a child enter here? That¡¯s crazy!¡¯
He would¡¯ve jumped into the arena without hesitation. He couldn¡¯t just let the child die there.
If Cosmos didn¡¯t make a strange reaction, that is.
¡®Wait¡ Is that kid Dante Hairan? No, Dante Hairan is three years older¡¡¯
The next series of events was most surprising.
Notifying the start of the battle, Cosmos walked out of the ring, and Mantis shrugged in confusion.
However¡ª
sh!
It happened in an instant.
Mantis¡¯s neck was cut.
¡°Oh?¡±
¡°What¡ was that?¡±
¡°Anyone see that correctly?¡±
The audience couldn¡¯t exactly pinpoint when the pirate¡¯s head fell off.
It was obvious. The movement was so quick that Jin¡ªwho was about to hit 6-star¡ªbarely saw what happened.
¡®It was a crescent sh. He instantly closed the gap between them, and when he was only five steps away from the pirate, he used a crescent sh to slice his head off. Damn, that guy¡¡¯
No, there was no doubt about it.
Amongst the contenders, there was no one other than Dante Hairan who could pull it off.
The audience went quiet. Those who were talking until a minute ago were now at a loss for words.
Thud!
Mantis¡¯s body fell to the ground.
And Cosmos smacked his forehead, dumbfounded.
¡°Wow, fucking dammit. Mantis was a 16th-round finalist, so we could¡¯ve profited off his poprity. And now, he just dies¡ Well, anyway. It¡¯s Paul Mick¡¯s victory!¡±
Cosmos announced the victor, but the audience remained silent. While everyone was still shocked, a man in the VIP seats on the opposite side of Jin¡¯s seat stood and began to p.
¡°From now on, I have all my money on Paul Mick. Paul Mick! Paul Mick! Amazing!¡±
And surprisingly, it was someone that Jin knew well.
¡®What the¡ªBeradin Zipfel?! Why¡¯s he here?!¡¯
Jin¡¯s eyes widened, and he had to reconfirm that the face he saw was Beradin Zipfel. The audience began to btedly cheer.
Beradin hade by order of the Zipfel elders. Since the Hairan n¡¯s sessor was growing rapidly, they ordered Beradin toe and see for himself.
¡°Wooooooh!¡±
¡°This youngling¡¯s spicy!¡±
¡°I¡¯m also betting on Paul Mick this time! All in!¡±
And the two Berd Empire nobles in front of Jin began to whisper in certainty.
¡°See? Is my information ever incorrect? It¡¯s him, the Runcandel provisional g-bearer!¡±
¡°Wow¡ That¡¯s a surprise. Well, if he isn¡¯t a Runcandel provisional g-bearer, he can¡¯t do that at that age. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s Jin Runcandel.¡±
¡°Me too. He¡¯s too young to be one of the Tona twins.¡±
The other nobles nearby nodded in approval.
Of course, no one yelled his name out loud. They knew that bbering about a provisional g-bearer would result in a manhunt.
Which was why they were whispering amongst themselves. Paul Mick is Jin Runcandel, Paul Mick is the provisional g-bearer!
Listening to all this, Jin scoffed.
¡®Anyways¡ It¡¯s my first time seeing Dante looking that young. In my past life, I just heard from the press that he looked nice, but he doesn¡¯t even look 19.¡¯
Jin looked at Paul Mick¡ªno, Dante and then at Beradin, who was still pping.
¡®Beradin probably came because his n told him to. He¡¯s also getting on my nerves, just like Dante. He¡¯s definitely going to notice me¡ And if he does, he¡¯s going to be a pain in the ass.¡¯
His anxious predictions couldn¡¯t be wrong.
And unfortunately, right at that moment, Beradin spotted Jin who was looking at him intently.
¡°Oh? Wow!¡±
Beradin crazily waved his arm at Jin.
Of course, Jin ignored him and looked back at Dante. Amusingly, Dante turned his head and red at Beradin.
¡®That is¡ Beradin Zipfel. Is he acting like he knows me? I¡¯ve only met him at the Zipfel banquet, and yet, he¡¯s enthusiastically greeting me. Alright, I will also greet you, Beradin!¡¯
Misunderstanding the situation, Dante waved his hand at Beradin. Jin burst intoughter. He couldn¡¯t read Dante¡¯s mind, but he could assume what he was thinking.
¡®Funny fellows.¡¯
Cosmos¡¯s underlings ran over and retrieved Mantis¡¯s corpse.
¡°Alrighty, alrighty. Ladies and gentlemen, it seems that Mantis had a short standing. Let¡¯s hear some words from our victor. Mister Paul Mick, how do you feel?¡±
¡°I feel like I got rid of another filthy scum. I pray he doesn¡¯t be a pirate in his next life.¡±
Although his appearance was child-like, his voice wasparably deeper. And with it, he berated the pirates in a pirates cove.
A lot of pirates ground their teeth, but they couldn¡¯t attack Dante. Their hesitation was expected after bearing witness to his swordsmanship.
Cosmos let out an awkward chuckle and nodded.
¡°Heheh, being a pirate isn¡¯t a job to rmend to children. But remember that it¡¯s a great start for those cornered at the bottom of the socialdder.¡±
Dante silently walked towards the waiting room, and Cosmos carried on with the battles.
Jin then thought to himself while watching Dante¡¯s back.
¡®That guy¡ Can I beat him?¡¯
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 94: The Cosmos Arena (5)
Chapter 94: The Cosmos Arena (5)
Volume 4 Chapter 94 ¨C The Cosmos Arena (5)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Jin quickly concluded that a fight against Dante was winnable.
¡®If I could use magic and spiritual energy.¡¯
Not long ago, he defeated a former Vermont Special Forces agent¡ªthough she was retired and washed out. It was true that Dante was very talented, but Jin could definitely take him down.
¡®But if we were to fight only with swords, there¡¯s no certainty. His crescent shes, agility, explosive strength, and uracy were all extraordinary.¡¯
The second battle began, but it didn¡¯t catch his eye. Instead, the sight of Dante beheading Mantis constantly repeated in his head.
Dante Hairan definitely practiced more skilled swordsmanship. It was inevitable because he was three years older.
So Jin had to analyze.
He could possibly win if he gathers all methods of victory until he meets Dante in the arena.
¡®But unlike the other contenders, I don¡¯t want to use tricks or gimmicks on him. It¡¯s only meaningful if I beat him head-on.¡¯
While Jin was deep in his concerns, on the opposite side of the arena, Beradin couldn¡¯t contain his beating heart as he sat in his VIP seat.
¡®Thank god I came. Who would¡¯ve thought that Jin also entered! And seeing him and Dante meet swords like this¡ is a miracle.¡¯
Jin and Dante.
Beradin considered them to be his only two rivals in the world, and he never expected to meet both of them here.
Unfortunately, Jin didn¡¯t really care about Beradin.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
Jin watched all of the battles in groups 1 and 2.
He concluded that there was no other formidable foe aside from Dante. From the beginning, he could tell that the arena was closer to a tragic ughterfest than a fighting tournament.
Those who were 3-star and below were busy using tricks. And the inexperienced contestants fell for said tricks, which then satisfied the nobles who were watching. The veterans tortured their opponents, and the crowd would then cheer.
That was the Cosmos Arena.
¡®Starting tomorrow, they¡¯ll start doing four or five groups per day. Then I¡¯d be on the field after four days. Until then¡¡¯
He had to survive the nights in the arena.
Which was the most dangerous aspect¡ªmore than the battle itself.
There were 147 people left in the arena living spaces. Out of 182 contenders, 35 had already died.
About ten of them actually died from battle, and the other 25 died while fighting in their cells before the real fights.
Poisoning, assassination, and ambush were staple methods. There were also gang fights.
Just sitting in one¡¯s room and trying to rest was a one-way ticket to hell.
However, Jin couldn¡¯t just not sleep for the next four days. Having a light nap while in the audience seat was possible, but a deep sleep was impossible.
¡®I did get insomnia training during my cadet years¡ But this is the first time I¡¯m trying tost four days.¡¯
He had already thought of making some contestants his underlings and they could take turns resting.
But is there anyone he could trust in this tournament? Trust them with his back, enough to protect him while he eats, sleeps, or rests until his battle.
There was no one. About 70% of the contestants were plundering pirate ouws, and about 20% were cunning gangsters.
Still, the slightly-better 10% were just regr knights who attended just to gain some experience since they didn¡¯t know much about the world. In simpler terms, they were ipetent, ordinary people.
And most of them had already died. They were too naive to survive in the hell hole they were in. But if they were alive, Jin would team up with them anyways.
¡®Fuck it. I¡¯ll just stay awake. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the only tired one. The ones who¡¯ll try to kill me will also die of exhaustion.¡¯
Shing!
Jin unsheathed Bradamante and set it on the ground as he sat down, making it easier for him to swing it as soon as someone attacked him.
Time passed very slowly.
While his senses were heightened, time felt as if it passed even slower knowing that there were 147 enemies outside his room.
As he watched the time pass at a snail¡¯s pace, the sun eventually rose and illuminated the surroundings.
And Jin was not attacked a single time.
¡®Did cutting off their fingers scare them off? I didn¡¯t think that no one woulde to my room.¡¯
Of course, that didn¡¯t mean that Jin could sleep tonight without worry. The others could be waiting for Jin to lower his guard.
¡®It seems that many fights broke out throughout the night.¡¯
The contender count decreased from 147 to 140, and although not dead, there were many who were severely injured.
As he satiated himself with dried food and water, the guide notified the start of the battles. There were battles scheduled all the way until the next morning.
Rumble, rumble.
With tired expressions, the contenders moved their feet. Just likest time, Jin waited for the crowd to die down before proceeding to the audience seats himself.
And the events were the same as yesterday. He watched pathetic scuffles and returned to his room as the battles ended.
Because murder was prohibited while in the audience seats, Jin could catch multiple light naps. Other contenders did the same, but it didn¡¯t really help with getting rid of the exhaustion.
Another night came.
For the two days Jin was at the arena, he didn¡¯t do anything. Other than chasing out the previous inhabitants of his room.
Despite doing nothing, he felt like dying from acute exhaustion obviously caused by sleep deprivation.
But he wouldn¡¯t be this tired just because of sleep deprivation. The fact that he had to heighten his senses and be prepared for battle for two straight days exhausted him most. It was hell.
¡®Today, and tomorrow¡ Gotta hold on. They said that I can get actual time to rest during the preliminary rounds, so I have to clench my teeth and endure.¡¯
It didn¡¯t matter. As long as his opponent wasn¡¯t Dante, he could destroy them with 20% of his power. Even if it was a ¡®talented¡¯ veteran.
Jin kept Bradamante out, prepared to strike.
Time, again, went slower than ever.
Was it because of his umted exhaustion?
He almost nodded off to sleep multiple times due to fatigue.
And strangely, the night was quiet. There were asional screams of death, but that was all.
Yet again, no one attacked Jin that night.
And the fact that no one did tortured Jin. He confirmed that there were people who waited for him to lower his guard, but he felt humiliated realizing that he had no idea who was doing so.
And as the day¡¯s fourth hour approached, a thought shot through Jin¡¯s brain.
¡®Do I just go out and kill all of them?¡¯
Chills.
Most of the contenders were bad people. However, he still debated whether it would be right to ughter a hundred people for no reason.
¡®Ha¡ I¡¯m going crazy. As Sir Kashimir said, it¡¯s a dangerouspetition.¡¯
Phew!
He took a deep breath, and regained hisposure. As a knight, he knew he could kill many people, but he didn¡¯t feel the need to be a mass-ughterer.
And after one hour¡ª
Clop, clop¡
He heard footsteps growing louder in the hallway. There was no way it was just a passerby. It had to be the movement of a person who intended to kill him.
¡®And so it begins?¡¯
They could be going for someone else, but still, Jin silently picked up Bradamante.
The footsteps got closer, louder.
They stopped in front of the room adjacent to Jin¡¯s. One more step and it would be Jin¡¯s room.
¡®He¡¯s going for me. Is he bold or stupid? He justes at me like that? Or did he go crazy fromck of sleep?¡¯
Jin stood and lowered his stance while firmly gripping his sword. As soon as the visitor came inside his cell, Jin nned on immediately striking.
The man outside emitted a strong metallic stench¡ªthe smell of blood.
And then, Jin heard an unexpected voice.
¡°Wait¡ Can we talk for a sec?¡±
A husky voice.
It was Dante.
¡®What the¡ Why is Danteing to me?¡¯
Suddenly, all kinds of thoughts went through his mind.
¡®Does he know who I am? If he does, did Beradin tell him? Did hee to settle our anticipated battle without waiting? Or none of that, and just coincidentally came here?¡¯
Jin could hear his heartbeat.
If Dante was in a rested state, Jin couldn¡¯t win. But he couldn¡¯t decline the fight just because he was tired either.
¡°Talk?¡±
Jin concealed his nervousness and calmly asked.
¡°Yes.¡±
Jin thought for a bit before opening the door.
¡°Come in.¡±
¡°Thanks¡¡±
Thud!
¡®Huh?¡¯
As soon as he came in, Dante kneeled on one knee, as if he couldn¡¯t control his body. While Jin¡¯s eyes widened, Dante spoke.
¡°I apologize for the request on our first meeting¡ but please¡ let me sleep. In exchange, I will guard you so that you can sleep.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Just as I said. I can¡¯t endure much longer. I must sleep for at least an hour¡ so I won¡¯t go crazy.¡±
If it was like this, his limit was different. Like Jin, he kept his eyes wide open as he waited for potential assassins.
¡°But why me? What is there to trust about me?¡±
¡°Yesterday, I watched you. Unlike the others, you seemed like a real knight. Out of everyone¡ just you. Which is why¡ I can trust¡ zzzzzz¡¡±
Thud.
Zzzzzz, zzzzzzzz¡
Jin could only be surprised.
¡®What in the world is this guy? The audacity! On some aspects, he¡¯s worse than Beradin.¡¯
There would be no problem slitting Dante¡¯s throat while he was vulnerable. He was fast asleep on the spot.
¡®Does the Hairan n not do insomnia training? Either that or more contenders attacked him.¡¯
Shuffle, shuffle.
However, before his frustrations receded, Jin heard evident footsteps from people who tried to sneak and conceal them.
It was the gang that waited for Dante to be knocked out, and at that moment, Jin finally realized.
¡®Dante¡¯s pungent metallic smell¡ He came here after fending off the many enemies that went into his room. Unlike my room, which had no visitors.¡¯
Making the Hairan n¡¯s next patriarch indebted to him wouldn¡¯t be bad at all.
Jin covered Bradamante with aura and prepared to fight the aggressors.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 95: The Cosmos Arena (6)
Chapter 95: The Cosmos Arena (6)
Volume 4 Chapter 95 ¨C The Cosmos Arena (6)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡®Four¡ªno¡ Five.¡¯
Seeing that they poorly concealed their presence, Jin knew they weren¡¯t trained assassins. Additionally, their breaths were hoarse, which meant that they were very nervous.
They would still be able to deal with Dante, who was exhausted to death.
But they weren¡¯t enough to take care of Jin.
¡®I don¡¯t need to fight them in such a cramped space. I don¡¯t want to contaminate my living space with bloodstains.¡¯
Stomp!
Jin intentionally stomped towards the cell door, and the assassins stopped in ce. Before his enemies could exchange signals¡
¡°This isn¡¯t Paul Mick¡¯s room.¡±
sh!
Jin shot out like a bullet towards the cell door and shed the assassins near the hallway wall. He didn¡¯t want to send them back with only severed fingers or hands.
He had already done that on the first day to warn the rest of the attackers.
The next time someone came to his room, they would not be losing a body part, but their life.
¡°Ahhhh!¡±
Hearing the swing of a sword, the man behind the victim screamed instinctively.
As Jin predicted, there were a total of five enemies. And since one just died, they were now down to four. Amongst them, none saw how the first one died.
After his battles with Alisa, Jin¡¯s swordsmanship improved significantly.
¡°G-Get him!¡±
Stab!
His second strike exactly pierced the target¡¯s heart. The other three ran in simultaneously, but their movements were stiff due to nervousness.
Coating the de with venom didn¡¯t matter if the sword didn¡¯t hit anything. Jin easily dodged each poison-gleaming de and continued to attack.
¡°W-We are not here to attack you!¡±
¡°I know. You came to kill Paul Mick. But since you came to my room, it¡¯s the end for you.¡±
Every time Bradamante¡¯s de danced through air, blood flew and sttered. People in adjacent rooms stuck out their heads to watch the spectacle. However, they immediately returned to hiding, afraid that they would be associated with the fight.
As Jin tried to clean up the rest of the assassins, something shining at the edge of the hallway caught the corner of his eye.
He heard the pull of a bow string and soon realized that the glimmer came from the light hitting an arrowhead.
¡®They even prepared a ranged attacker? Or maybe¡ these guys were bait to begin with, and they nned to shoot Dante when hees out?¡¯
Tang!
He barely deflected the arrow. If he hadn¡¯t caught sight of the glimmer earlier, he would¡¯ve gotten injured.
Fwoo-fwoo-fwoo-fwoo!
Subsequently, more arrows flew. It looked like they prepared at least ten archers.
However, Jin had expected this much, so he used a corpse as a meat shield.
Thud, thud-thud, thud!
As the arrows pierced through the corpse, Jin could see the arrowhead covered in yellow poison.
¡®These bastards¡¡¯
At this point, he was furious.
Although they weren¡¯t his mortal enemies, he really wanted to know why they were going so far to get rid of some kids.
¡®I know that this contest is all about dirty, underhanded tricks, but this is too much. And these guys are too organized despite being average contenders.¡¯
He threw the corpse away and ran towards the archers, jumping from wall to wall.
He nned on leaving one alive for questioning. With what intention did they attack? And who ordered them to do this?
Just as the first five had poor swordsmanship, the archers didn¡¯t have great aim.
Things would have been different if Jin moved in a straight line, but instead, his sporadic movements prevented them from hitting him.
¡®I need to wrap it up ASAP. Someone might attack Dante while I¡¯m not in my room.¡¯
As he quickly closed the gap, his sword began to glow.
Some of them began to run away, and Jin let them.
He personally wanted to chase and execute them, but Dante¡¯s safety was his priority. Jin could kill them anytime, but getting the Hairan n¡¯s prospective sessor indebted to him was a rare opportunity.
sh! Slice!
Heads fell to the ground. He didn¡¯t even need ten seconds to kill three of the four who didn¡¯t escape.
¡°S-Save me.¡±
¡°Shut up.¡±
Bam!
Instead of attacking with his sword, Jin threw his fist at thest archer, rendering him unconscious. Soon after, he dragged his newly acquired hostage back to his room.
The spectators who watched from their rooms didn¡¯t even make a sound.
¡°Phew. Hey. Wake up.¡±
p! p! p!
As soon as he returned to his room, Jin pped the hostage awake. Meanwhile, Dante was still fast asleep.
¡°Euk! Erk!¡±
¡°Alright, starting now, I¡¯m going to ask you something, and you¡¯ll have to answer every time. If you answer to my satisfaction, I will send you back. If not, I¡¯ll send you to the sky. And if you don¡¯t answer within three seconds, you¡¯ll also go to the sky. Understood?¡±
He nodded.
¡°First, who are you guys?¡±
¡°P-Pirates. I-I¡¯ll exin more! Please lower your sword. We¡¯re One-Eyed Joe¡¯s underlings. He¡¯s the winner ofst year¡¯s arena rumble.¡±
¡°Second, why are you going after Paul Mick? In such an organized way too.¡±
¡°Captain Joe¡ said that Paul Mick was an important figure in a big n, so he told us to capture him.¡±
¡°Did he say which n?¡±
¡°He said that it was probably R-Runcandel¡¡±
Jin instinctively grinned.
¡®You do this shit despite thinking that he¡¯s a Runcandel? Well, they say that ignorance is courage whenbined with confidence.¡¯
¡°Why are your arrowheads poisoned, then? He asked for a hostage, not a corpse.¡±
¡°We have an antidote.¡±
¡°Then, third. Where is Joe? Is he also in the arena?¡±
¡°No, he came as a spectator this year, and he only ordered us to capture Paul Mick.¡±
Dante entered thispetition in Jin¡¯s past life as well.
And that time, he became these guys¡¯ hostage. The Hairan n were able to retrieve Dante after giving them an inconceivable amount of money and solemnly swearing that they wouldn¡¯t take revenge.
Like a butterfly effect, the Hairan n faced internal failure and many consequences.
Jin didn¡¯t know much about the backstory of the n¡¯s internal failures due to its secrecy, but he knew that he had just changed history just by saving Dante.
¡®Hm¡ Just as this guy said, Dante was kidnappedst time. Then these pirate fuckers held him hostage and took a big bite out of the Hairans.¡¯
Even if they were a renowned n, if an important figure were to get caught, the n could only be dragged along. Especially when the hostage was their next patriarch.
¡®Of course, if it were the Runcandel n, they would just tell the pirates to kill the hostage and would proceed to ughter the kidnappers, their families, acquaintances, and even unrted individuals. Everyone would die¡¡¯
That was the Runcandel method. Strikingly different from other big ns.
¡°Alright, perfect. I like it. I¡¯ll spare you.¡±
¡°Th-Thank you!¡±
¡°Instead, leave two fingers here.¡±
¡°¡Huh?¡±
¡°Just as I said. Leave two fingers here. If not, leave your head here.¡±
Losing one¡¯s fingers was better than getting beheaded.
¡°Kraaaaah!¡±
Ultimately, the pirate trudged back to his room after blowing off some information and leaving some of his fingers in Jin¡¯s room.
The young Runcandel sat back down and waited for Dante to wake up.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
Dante woke up after seventeen hours, around dinner time.
And as soon as he awoke, Jin exined everything that happened since he passed out.
He went on about how much he did to keep Dante¡¯s ass alive, and how he captured one guy and found out about One-Eyed Joe as well as his gang of pirate gangsters.
¡°So they mistook me for a Runcandel and tried to capture me¡ That One-Eyed Joe guy is definitely crazy. I find all of this absurdughable. A Runcandel? Absurd!¡±
He let out a deepugh and shook his head. Seeing Jin¡¯s soulless eyes, Dante continued.
¡°Ah, since you are my savior, I must exin. As they suspected, I am a noble. Although I¡¯m not a Runcandel¡ I¡¯m a little embarrassed to tell you my n¡¯s name. Will you understand if I just say that I¡¯m a noble from the Vermont Empire?¡±
Dante thought that Jin¡¯s attitude would change if he revealed that he was a Hairan.
While traveling with an alias, whenever his status got revealed, he had often seen his friends suddenly act like servants.
Noticing Dante¡¯s intention, Jin cleared his throat and contained hisughter.
¡®Well, I don¡¯t need to tell him that I¡¯m Jin Runcandel. He¡¯ll find out soon enough. And Beradin¡¯s fat mouth will bber about it anyway.¡¯
Jin nodded.
¡°Ehem! I understand. Everyone has that moment when they want to conceal themselves.¡±
¡°I appreciate it. Anyways, I¡¯m very thankful that I came to you. If I kept fighting them, I wouldn¡¯t be able to fend them off for so long¡ I don¡¯t know how to repay this debt.¡±
Saying this, Dante¡¯s eyes were filled with genuine gratitude.
¡°You probably do not understand the great feat you have aplished¡ A knight like you doesn¡¯t seem to want capital. I cannot express my gratitude with one great sword or anything material!¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s not much.¡±
Inside, Jin felt good. He certainly knew that he sessfully nted indebtedness inside Dante.
¡®Yes, yes. I don¡¯t need a sword or money. I like the guilty, indebted heart that you have towards me.¡¯
Dante concluded his thoughts and turned towards Jin.
¡°The best way is to offer my life to you. From now on, whenever you are in danger, whenever you need me, I will fight by your side with my life. I swear by my name.¡±
¡°Hmm, do whatever you want. Anyways, as we promised, I¡¯m gonna sleep, so just protect me well. Wake me up when group 13 starts.¡±
¡°Understood! Ah, and me protecting you right now is unrted to my solemn swear.¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±
Zzzzzzz.
Jin instantly fell asleep just like Dante did in the morning.
And as he stared at Jin who slept soundly, Dante thought to himself.
¡®Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t even know this guy¡¯s name. I hope we meet in the finals¡ Whatever the result, there is much to tell my parents.¡¯
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 96: The Cosmos Arena (7)
Chapter 96: The Cosmos Arena (7)
Volume 4 Chapter 96 ¨C The Cosmos Arena (7)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Jin¡¯s battles the next day were not that different from Dante¡¯s.
His opponents were introduced with pretentious names like Hellia¡¯s Demon King or something, but it took only seven seconds to kill them.
Once again, the audience went quiet, and Beradin led the crowd to cheer.
¡°This year¡¯s arena finalists must be those two.¡±
¡°That Jin Grey fellow is incredible, but it¡¯d be hard for the Runcandel provisional g-bearer¡ Who are you betting on? Jin Grey? Or Paul Mick?¡±
¡°I¡¯m still with Paul Mick. After seeing yesterday¡¯s fight, I contacted the main house and brought all of the money. You should bet on Paul Mick too. He¡¯s a Runcandel. A Runcandel! Who could beat a Runcandel when ites to the sword?¡±
¡°Hm, good point¡¡±
Jin showed off his amazing sword skill, but the nobles in the audience were already certain that Dante was the Runcandel n¡¯s provisional g-bearer. It was no longer just a rumor to them. More and more money umted onto Dante¡¯s pool, and not that many bet their money on Jin.
Thanks to Jin, the other contestants naturally became irrelevant. The previous year¡¯s finalists, victors, and veterans¡ªwho were supposed to lead the event¡ªseemed underwhelming.
¡°Dammit. Those kids are making it hard to touch some money this year.¡±
Most of the contestants were murder enjoyers, but as much as they enjoyed killing, what they wanted most was money.
More than the grand prize of 1000 gold coins for thepetitors, receiving a portion of the pool from the host was much more important.
¡°Should we just kill ¡®em off before the rest of the preliminaries? I think we can get ¡®em if the veterans band together.¡±
The distributed prize money for the winner would increase as more bets umted on one person. Other¡¯s fortune could only be a pain for the veterans.
¡°Hold on. Did you not see the One-Eyed Pirates get destroyed? This year¡¯s contest is those kids¡¯ stage. If you want to save your life, you gotta stay out of it.¡±
¡°Goddammit¡¡±
Since the veterans¡¯ mood was this sour, the other contestants had to team up amongst themselves.
¡°Until the end of the preliminaries, let¡¯s fight minimally. That way, we cane back next year and earn money. We can also bully the newbies too.¡±
The veterans¡¯ n was to manipte the victory. They nned to stage ambiguous battles without killing each other. That way, they could guarantee easy money by distributing the bets.
The guide ryed all this information to Cosmos.
¡°Ha, so they¡¯re plotting something, eh? Bullshitting the fight to bathe in some money¡¡±
¡°What should we do? If thepetition gets boring, then we¡¯ll have some problems next year.¡±
Hmm!
Cosmos scratched his gold tooth with his index finger and shook his head.
¡°Change the preliminaries around. Make sure that Paul Mick and Jin Grey don¡¯t awkwardly meet and fight each other in the quarter-finals of something. They have to meet in the finals.¡±
¡°Are you sure?¡±
¡°The most important part of the show is to give what the audience wants. They want this duel more than the ughterfest, so it¡¯s all we can do. Instead, make sure they can¡¯t bet anymore, and increase the other guys¡¯ distribution pay.¡±
¡°Then who should meet Jin Grey and Paul Mick throughout the rest of the preliminaries?¡±
¡°Stick them with the One-Eyed Pirates. We can¡¯t let the other veteran contenders die, since we gotta use them next year.¡±
¡°There¡¯s going to be a lot of dissent from One-Eyed Joe if he hears about it.¡±
Cosmos burst intoughter.
¡°You idiot! If Paul Mick really is Jin Runcandel, do you think he¡¯ll live? The One-Eyed Pirates were done for as soon as they pissed him off. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±
¡°¡Good point.¡±
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
The remaining rounds in the preliminaries proceeded quickly.
As much as it was staged, it wasn¡¯t as bloody or brutal as the previous year¡¯s.
The veterans just broke some bones and effortlessly wrapped up their eventless battles, causing angry shouts to ensue from the spectators.
They could tell that the fights were staged.
Despite this, however, no one left their audience seats. They knew that, after all of the boring battles, they would be able to see the duel between Jin and Dante.
And every time Jin or Dante faced a One-Eyed Pirate in the arena¡
¡°Ohhhhhhh!¡±
¡°Paul Mick! Paul Mick!¡±
Although neither of the crowd favorites really did anything special, the crowd would go wild. The two didn¡¯t even need to brutally murder their opponents.
The two fellows finished their battles within one or two swings of the sword. From the preliminary rounds all the way to the semifinals, all of their battles easily ended like that.
And finally came the finals.
¡°They finally face each other today.¡±
The entirety of the audience awaited their appearance. Beradin hade out to watch without sleeping a wink due to anxiety.
¡°Who do you think will win between those two?¡±
Beradin asked his bodyguards.
¡°Paul Mick.¡±
¡°Seeing the previous battles, I think that Paul Mick¡¯s swordsmanship is better.¡±
¡°Hm¡ You think?¡±
¡°Youngest Master, what are your predictions?¡±
¡°I¡ bet on Jin. About 100,000 gold¡¡±
¡°H-How much?¡±
¡°100,000.¡±
¡°You¡¯ve bet too much. If Jin Grey wins, would Cosmos be able to match that amount? The odds are three to one. I don¡¯t think such a pirate would have that much money.¡±
¡°No, they¡¯re bigger than we thought. They can pay as much as 300,000 gold. If they sell some of their inds, that is. Ohhh, they¡¯re starting!¡±
Cosmos walked out to the middle of the arena.
¡°Thank you for waiting,dies and gentlemen! I greet you once again today. I, Pirate King Cosmos, thank you for being here for the grand finals!¡±
Cosmos bowed towards the audience.
¡°¡°¡°WOOOOOOO!¡±¡±¡±
Many cheered after seeing him introduce himself.
¡°Fuck off and just bring out the kids!¡±
¡°Yeah! Just proceed with the finals, you dumb pirate fuck!¡±
And there were also those who swore at him.
Cosmos could only feel disappointment. Usually, the audience would shower him with cheers and flowers for hosting such a great show.
¡®These stupid noble bastards. When was it that you gave me a thumbs up for inventing the best show in the world¡ Starting next year, I¡¯m gonna raise the entrance fee!¡¯
Cosmos stood up, hiding his dissent.
¡°Yes, yes! I understand. Paul Mick and Jin Grey. I¡¯m sure you are itching to see their battle¡ Why don¡¯t we call them, then? Paaauuul!¡±
¡°¡°¡°Mick! Paul Mick!¡±¡±¡±
Dante was more popr than Jin. It was unavoidable, since the audience thought that he was a Runcandel.
As Dante entered the arena, there were many who screamed their hearts out for him.
¡°Alright, and his opponent! The nameless teenage swordsman, Jin Grey!¡±
As Jin entered the stadium, the cheers were significantly quieter. Instead, there were many who had their hands together on their forehead, praying for their desired oue. They were the gambling addicts who saw the three-fold gambling multiplier and brought all of their life savings to use for betting.
Despite their misprediction of Dante being the Runcandels¡¯ provisional g-bearer, people definitely thought that he would defeat Jin. Until now, Dante had freely and skillfully handled his sword and crescent shes, and Jin had not.
So, the people who bet on Jin prayed for his victory.
¡°Jin Grey! Let¡¯s goooo!¡±
Beradin stood up and screamed with bloodshot eyes.
¡°¡°¡°Let¡¯s gooooooooo!¡±¡±¡±
Other audience members who bet on Jin began to scream as well.
¡®Go where, you sick fuck.¡¯
Of course, Jin didn¡¯t give them a single nce and walked to his side of the arena.
He felt significant pressure. Not because of the gamblers who bet their lives on the line, but because he was uncertain if he could actually defeat Dante.
Jin Runcandel and Dante Hairan.
The two faced each other with a calm expression. Unlike their other fights, they purposefully left thirty steps between each other. One more step would be within striking range. They were standing still, but a crippling tension stifled the two contenders.
As the audience went silent, Cosmos opened his mouth once more.
¡°Oh my, I didn¡¯t think that my arena would be like this. This is like watching a dueling championship between famous ns¡ Then, let¡¯s begin the final battle!¡±
Tooooo~!
The pirates blew the horns, and Cosmos ran out. The two contenders slowly unsheathed their swords.
Simultaneously, they conjured their aura, and their swords began to glow.
¡®There¡¯s no opportunity to strike¡¡¯
Jin could not make the first move as per usual. Even without shing swords, he knew that Dante¡¯s swordsmanship was better than his. He felt it ever since he first watched Dante¡¯s fights.
As for Dante, he couldn¡¯t strike first as well, but not because he thought Jin was better.
¡®Strangely, I sense something ominous. I don¡¯t know what it is, but something¡¯s up.¡¯
After hitting 7-star, it was the first time Dante felt uncertainty while in the presence of a sub-6-star, and he fell into a dilemma. Does he use all his energy to finish the battle quickly, or does he observe his opponent and slowly wear him out?
To begin with, he never entertained the idea of losing¡ªnever thought that he would lose to Jin.
¡®This sense of foreboding must mean that you prepared something to face me. In that case, I should take it slow.¡¯
Thinking that he should be extremely cautious, Dante stepped forward. He chose to take precaution instead of closing the gap and finishing the battle quickly.
At that moment, Jin smiled in his mind.
¡®I guess you chose to carefully take me on. It means that my chances of defeating you just increased by ten percent.¡¯
Jin had already nned a method to defeat Dante.
He, as well, never considered losing this fight.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 97: The Cosmos Arena (8)
Chapter 97: The Cosmos Arena (8)
Volume 4 Chapter 97 ¨C The Cosmos Arena (8)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
One step forward.
Jin matched Dante¡¯s movement and closed the gap a little more. Subsequently, Dante took another step, and Jin mirrored it again. Prudently searching for an opportunity to attack.
¡®This is more nerve-racking than I thought. Five more steps and Dante will start his atta¡ªHmf!!!¡¯
Jin unconsciously stopped.
He had a strong feeling that Dante¡¯s attack would begin earlier than expected.
¡®Left? Right?¡¯
His eyes flickered to the left, then to the right. Then, as he focused his attention back to the middle¡
Dante had disappeared.
Swoosh!
And the familiar sound of a sword traveling through the air went to his ear.
¡°Erk!¡±
Surprised, Jin raised Bradamante, and Dante smiled as he flew towards Jin.
ng!
The impact that traveled through the sword hilt was incredible, as if an explosion urred within his sword. Within the heavy blow was an energy as sharp as shattered obsidian.
If Jin evencked a little less hip and lower-body strength, his stance would have copsed immediately. He let out a sigh of relief. Then, he calmly took steps towards the left to retreat from Dante.
¡°I tried it, thinking that there was a possibility of it working. But as expected, it didn¡¯t.¡±
Disappointed, Dante licked his lips. Jin cracked an awkward smile instead of responding.
¡®He¡¯s faster than I thought¡?¡¯
The battle could¡¯ve finished on the first sword swing. Jin¡¯s entire body was covered in goosebumps, and his back was covered in sweat. All the while, Dante looked very carefree.
¡®This is like Lady Alisa¡¯s top speed. If it weren¡¯t for the 110 battles that we had, there would be no way I blocked that attack. What kind of observation game is this, crazy bastard? You tried to finish it in a single strike.¡¯
Although a little surprised, he could feel that he improved and grew a lot.
Additionally¡
¡®And if this is his top speed, it¡¯s super winnable.¡¯
He was certain. With this certainty, Jin also thought that, if Dante could attack any faster, there was no way of winning.
Wooooom!
As Jin prepared to swing his sword, Dante¡¯s de was covered in a more potent aura.
¡°If I can¡¯t win with speed, I¡¯ll do it with strength.¡±
¡®Just what I wanted!¡¯
Jin had no time to respond. Dante had already begun to swing his sword, and Jin was still gathering his aura to defend.
He was too slow.
Boom! Boboom! Boom!
Every time their des met, sounds of explosion echoed. Instead of two sharp weapons, it sounded as if two blunt weapons were hitting each other.
¡°Whooaaa!¡±
¡°Is this really a fight between kids?¡±
Compliments could be heard all over the audience. They all expected a great battle between the two, but they didn¡¯t think it would be this entertaining.
Beradin, oblivious of his sweaty hands, clenched his fists.
In the beginning, Jin looked as if he was being pushed to a corner. But as each second passed, he caught up to Dante¡¯s tempo. When they were about twenty swings into the fight, the two looked evenly matched.
¡®That was his top speed!¡¯
Jin was certain of it after matching swords multiple times.
No matter how talented Dante was, there was no way a 19-year-old could surpass the speed and strength of a former Vermont Special Forces agent.
All Jin had to do now was to hold on.
¡®Dante only increases his speed at strategic moments to ration his energy. I just need to barely match his tempo until he gets exhausted.¡¯
Jin¡¯s n to take down Dante was simple. He would utilize the only trait that he had an advantage in against Dante.
Stamina.
¡®I felt it when he came to my room. Dante has shockingly great skill, but his stamina is very low.¡¯
Dante¡¯s body didn¡¯tplement his skill, and that was his weakness. He was 19 but looked around 13 or 14. He had a very small physique, which made it hard to believe that he was 19. He could raise his power and strength using his aura, but altering his endurance was beyond his range of ability. If his stamina were as great as his sword skill, then he would¡¯ve never requested Jin for help.
On the other hand, Jin was blessed with the Runcandel n¡¯s renowned physique. His physical strength, endurance, recovery rate, and agility surpassed most if not all human beings.
He could survive the nights in the arena without Dante.
But the same could not be said for Dante.
¡®The key is how fast Dante realizes that my stamina is far greater than his.¡¯
Dante¡¯s stamina was iparable to Jin¡¯s. Dante had always attempted to ovee his weakness, dripping blood and sweat. He also executed inconceivable amounts of training.
Which was why it was hard for Dante to realize.
That he stillcked one major traitpared to the 16-year-old in front of him.
Outssed by innate talent.
¡°You¡¯re holding on well! If you have somethinging, you should bring out all of it now. Starting now, I¡¯m gonna get a little faster.¡±
¡°If I bring out everything I have, you¡¯ll get depressed, idiot.¡±
¡°Your jokes are pretty average, just like you. I like that.¡±
sh!
Dante¡¯s de slit Jin¡¯s thigh. It wasn¡¯t a deep cut, but blood still sttered. Jin gritted his teeth. It was close. If it were a little deeper, it would¡¯ve been fatal.
¡®I¡¯m gonna have to let him get some shallow cuts on me.¡¯
The problem was the need to dodge every lethal swing. Since the tempo was faster, Dante¡¯s stamina would deplete faster. However, as Jin received more shallow wounds, he also got gradually exhausted.
Losing blood meant that he was also losing stamina.
¡®Conversely, I can¡¯t give him a single scratch until he gets tired.¡¯
Still, with hopes of victory, Jin gritted his teeth and kept dodging. As long as he maintained his current speed, he extrapted that he could continue with the battle for at least an hour.
¡®But that guy will go for the win at some point.¡¯
Dante wasn¡¯t an idiot.
Although it looked as if Jin was losing and Dante was carefree, there was no way Dante would be oblivious of Jin¡¯s n. Ultimately, he would find a way to outy Jin¡¯s defense n.
Evading that attack was crucial. Another cut on the shoulder. And while dodging a storm of jabs, Jin got a cut on his hand, almost letting go of his sword.
He backed off, tore off a part of his coat with his teeth, and wrapped his hand to cover the wound. Dante tilted his head in confusion.
¡°He¡¯s done for! End him!¡±
¡°Just a little more, Paul Mick!¡±
All of the spectators who had bet their money on Dante began to shout and scream. To their eyes, Jin looked like he was getting single-handedly beaten, so they thought the battle was soon to be over.
However, Dante finally realized it.
¡®He knows that he has more stamina than me, so he¡¯s dragging out the battle. And finally I know¡ that you were also using an alias¡!¡¯
Jin Runcandel.
If he was a Runcandel, he would have an inconceivable endurance beyond Dante¡¯s knowledge.
Putting aside the cuts on the thigh, shoulder, and hand, if Jin possessed a normal body, he should¡¯ve fainted during the shockwaves from the shing of swords.
Dante mouthed Jin¡¯s real name, and Jin smiled.
¡®So you figured it out?¡¯
Hoo, hoo¡
Jin felt that Dante¡¯s breaths were getting hoarse. His own breaths weren¡¯t the same as in the beginning of the fight, but he still had more breathing room than Dante.
¡°I guess it¡¯s my turn now.¡±
As the audience¡¯s energy and screams continued to fill the arena, this time, Jin charged towards Dante. The spectators¡ªwho had their money on Jin¡ªstood and screamed.
¡°Let¡¯s gooooo! Let¡¯s fucking gooo!¡±
Jin¡ªwho had been on the defensive the entire fight¡ªbegan to attack.
And Dante began to look back to see where it all went wrong.
¡®Damn it. I should¡¯ve finished him off at the beginning!¡¯
He didn¡¯t need much time to make that conclusion. If he didn¡¯t have that sense of foreboding at the beginning, Dante would¡¯ve already won.
¡®Then what was that feeling? My instincts were telling me that a careless attack would be dangerous.¡¯
Dante could not work out that what he sensed was due to Jin¡¯s two suppressed abilities¡ªspiritual energy and magic. If Jin used those abilities, Dante wouldn¡¯t even stand a chance.
An inherent terror that came from a ¡®stronger opponent¡¯.
ng! ng!
Jin swung Bradamante with all his might and began his attack. Dante¡¯s stance staggered, urging him to back off.
Jin only did a single movement in each attack.
The swing he practiced ten thousand times with maximum effort every day. One that he could replicate three thousand times.
¡®Jin Runcandel, you monster. You still had this much energy left¡! On top of that, how is a simple swing so heavy?¡¯
Jin continued with the same vertical swing, and Dante could not easily escape from it.
Each time Bradamante fell on him, it felt as if a massive wall pressed upon him. He had neither the time nor strength to change his stance.
At this rate, in a few minutes, Dante would experience an embarrassing defeat to the same swing. So he had toe to a decision.
¡®Do I have to use the n¡¯s secret technique¡?¡¯
Unlike Jin¡ªwho hadn¡¯t learned any secret decisive killing moves¡ªDante had already mastered multiple secret techniques from his n. These attacks had the potential to flip the battlepletely. He could easily use it with his remaining energy.
However, he was faced with a dilemma.
¡®But I don¡¯t want to kill you.¡¯
If he used his secret technique, then Jin would certainly die.
Which prevented him from using it. Although they had only met a few days ago, Jin was a very important person to him.
A savior. A worthy opponent. A mountain that the Hairan n must ovee. The Runcandel n¡¯s youngest son.
A friend.
Dante made a conflicted expression while sorting out his thoughts, and Jin knew exactly what he was feeling.
¡®He¡¯s hesitating because he doesn¡¯t want to kill me. If not, he would¡¯ve gone for the win by now.¡¯
Clink.
Jin sheathed his sword and looked Dante in the eye before speaking.
¡°I am Jin Runcandel. Don¡¯t go easy on me, Dante Hairan.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 98: The Cosmos Arena (9)
Chapter 98: The Cosmos Arena (9)
Volume 4 Chapter 98 ¨C The Cosmos Arena (9)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
The two had stopped moving, but the audience continued to shout and scream. Even though the tables had turned significantly, with hope in their bets, the people contributed to the loud noise.
Jin¡¯s words were overpowered by the wild crowd, and the two just stood and stared.
¡ªDon¡¯t go easy on me.
Hearing those words, Dante felt embarrassed.
¡®Yeah¡ It could look like that. It could look like I¡¯m going easy on you.¡¯
In whatever situation, refusing to hurt the opponent meant failure as a warrior. That was disgraceful while confronting an enemy, and even more disrespectful in front of a worthy opponent.
¡®Is there anything more embarrassing than going easy on an opponent that I value?¡¯
The problem wasn¡¯t whether or not to use his secret technique.
It was whether or not he would try his best without hesitation.
Ending the battle without doing so would be pointless regardless if he won or lost.
¡°I apologize for showing such disgrace. Let¡¯s start anew.¡±
Dante pointed his sword at Jin, meaning to tap swords to represent respect for each other. Jin used his sword to tap Dante¡¯s, emitting a soft musical sound of metal hitting metal.
And at that moment, they experienced a weird feeling.
The shouts and screams grew faint, like an echo traveling in a canyon. Their surroundings blurred and gradually became dark. In their world, it was just the two of them, standing in front of each other.
They both trusted that either one of them would put up an exhrating fight. They didn¡¯t need to talk to share this feeling. It was amon hallucination that swordmasters enter when dueling their rival.
¡°Then let¡¯s begin.¡±
Whew.
Hoo.
They simultaneously took a deep breath.
It was difficult to tell who struck first as they shed swords. Unlike their respectful sword taps in the beginning, the impact of their des caused blinding sparks to scatter.
Sounds akin to explosions, the screech of metallic friction, and wind echoing throughout; aura flickering everywhere.
As if his exhaustion was a lie, Dante swung his sword more energetically than before. Jin, as well, channeled the rest of his energy in his attacks with a shout.
Dash.
Because of the impact, blood and sand sttered and sprayed throughout the arena.
In a moment where they should be cheering, the crowd grew quiet from shock. In their eyes, the two fighting teens looked like giants, and they didn¡¯t dare to blink lest they would miss a moment of the fight.
It had been ten years since the arena had opened, but they never had a moment like this. The spectators¡ªwho originally came to watch a cruel ughterfest¡ªwere now blessed with a spectacle. They were witnessing a duel between two talented knights.
At this point, the gambling aspect of the arena became irrelevant. Of course, once the battle finished, some would beughing, and some would be crying.
Still, as of this moment, everyone was astonished by the fight.
¡®Maybe I kind of underestimated Dante. I was sure he was exhausted, but where did this powere from¡?!¡¯
Blood dripped from Jin¡¯s lip. He was too busy deflecting Dante¡¯s attacks to notice that he had been biting his lip.
Dante¡¯s feel for the sword was a god-given talent, but his strength and stamina were painfully average.
No, how much effort did this undersized boy¡ªwho was born with below-average physical traits¡ªput into training? How many times did he kneel in despair before oveing his fatal w?
Those who trained until death could notice the amount of effort in others. As for Jin in his past life, he remembered the seemingly eternal hell of being unable to ovee the 1-star wall despite having the Runcandels¡¯ blessed body.
So he could easily picture Dante¡¯s past. Him curled up like a little ball in a dark training room, staring at his small and frail body in the mirror with distress. He who trained and whipped himself until he was on the verge of death and exhaustion.
And in all those moments, he never let go of his sword.
Just like his own past life.
However, unlike the past Jin, Dante persisted through each hardship.
¡®Makes me shed a tear.¡¯
Dante¡¯s hoarse and husky voice was born from all of the shouts and screams he channeled in order to ovee his challenges.
Shudder, shudder.
Dante began to tremble.
From wandering through hopelessness to bing the prospective sessor of the Hairan n and having the motivation to try harder and harder after each tiring day.
Simply because he was one with his sword.
If he weren¡¯t, even if he were a noble in an empire, life would merely be a boring stage y.
Dante was like that.
¡®Jin Runcandel. Runcandel¡¯s thirteenth young master.¡¯
As each strike of the de vibrated throughout his body, Dante thought about Jin.
¡®You were born with everything you needed.¡¯
The bloodline of every knights¡¯ dream. A durable body that came from the blessed bloodline. Jin¡ªwho became a 5-star at the age of 15 and was now 16¡ªcould face Dante head-on.
The most talented among the talented.
¡®Why am I feeling desperation from you, then? Despite being born into a world considered a heaven for knights, you act as if you¡¯ve been watching this heavenly world from afar.
¡®Why are you so desperate? Why, despite being born with everything, do you have such emotions dyed in your de? Is it because being the heir to the throne is far from reach as the youngest son? No, you are not an earthly being to fuss about hierarchy¡ Is it just to be the best in the world? Or is it because you had lived many days of hopelessness and despair? Are you saying you had more days of anguish than I did?
¡®Who are you, Jin Runcandel? ¡No, it doesn¡¯t matter who you are. Today¡ is the day I prove that my efforts weren¡¯t in vain.¡¯
Crackle.
As he exerted force into his sword¡¯s handle, Dante could feel cracks crawling throughout the bones in his hands. Excruciating pain traversed his body, yet he didn¡¯t falter.
Instead, he smiled.
Crrraaaack¡
Every time he swung his sword, his bones would suffer from more fissures, but his movements didn¡¯t change in the slightest¡ªnot even his shoulders, chest, waist, and feet.
Although his stance began to fall apart, Dante did not despise his weak body.
¡®I¡¯m just fighting because I love to.¡¯
Dante was smiling as Jin began to dominate the battle. He knew he couldn¡¯t do anything about it.
¡®Dante¡¯s body¡ is falling apart?¡¯
While Jin felt the sword closer than his skin, he could feel Dante¡¯s exhaustion through each sh of their swords.
Once he felt that his victory was within reach, Jin felt anger more than joy.
¡®Why are you not using your n¡¯s decisive killing move?! Are you hiding another skill that I don¡¯t know about?¡¯
He was wrong.
Dante staggered back, looking as if he were a beast that had used all of its energy. Although his eyes glimmered with a burning fighting spirit, he was truly on the verge of fainting.
¡®You definitely had the chance. You still don¡¯t hesitate to sh me, so why¡?¡¯
It was now Jin¡¯s turn to decide.
¡®Do I sh him, or do I not?¡¯
He didn¡¯t need to think for long.
¡®Putting away my sword would mean disrespecting you.¡¯
ng~!
Jin swung a horizontal swipe. Dante deflected the blow, but his body shook. Barely maintaining his bnce, Dante felt more bones breaking in his body. Before he could turn his head and track Jin¡¯s movements, Bradamante was already on its second strike.
Thankfully, there was hesitation in the de.
¡®You bastard! Why?!¡¯
Gritting his teeth, Jin changed the trajectory of his swing, which was supposed to sh through Dante¡¯s chest.
Because he forced his sword to move unnaturally, his hands cramped up. Bradamante flew out of Jin¡¯s hands, and Dante aimed his sword towards Jin¡¯s throat.
It looked like it was purposefully aimed. However, before he could even thrust it, his body lost all control.
In fact, Dante had already lost consciousness before Jin¡¯s second attack.
Thud!
Dante fell on the dirt floor.
Jin rapidly blinked and breathed coarsely as he stared down at him.
Time seemed to stop in the ensuing silence.
At that moment, the audience held their breath.
And as for Jin, he had manyplex feelings. Victory aside, millions ofplicated emotions heated his body. He prayed that Dante didn¡¯t die. However, he was certain that he died, but he felt a little scared to check.
Instinctively, he sat on the ground beside his body and checked for his pulse. Jin couldn¡¯t feel anything due to his own blood pumping through his fingers.
¡®We have to call a doctor¡!¡¯
The moment he tried to yelp for a doctor or anyone who could treat Dante, an audience member jumped out of the spectator area and into the arena.
¡°Young Master!¡±
Bodyguards followed the teenager into the arena.
Beradin Zipfel¡¯s hands glowed with a warm, green light as he sprinted on the dirt. He was already preparing a healing spell halfway through the battle, worried that he would lose either one of his friends.
¡°Beradin¡!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll save him!¡±
Beradin kneeled beside Dante and chanted a spell.
Then he cast two more.
Beradin had cast three healing spells consecutively, disying his insane talent for magic. However, at this very moment, Jin was only concerned about Dante.
Beradin¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look great as he chanted the spell. Not even ten seconds had passed, yet his entire body was drenched in sweat. Jin wondered how much mana he channeled.
Even though he was using a spell that could instantly heal a fatal wound, Dante¡¯s eyes were not opening.
While Jin and Beradin¡¯s hearts ached, the young Zipfel lowered his hands and shook his head.
¡®Shit. This isn¡¯t something that could be healed with magic¡!¡¯
All of Dante¡¯s insides were messed up.
Not a single bone was intact. In fact, his broken body was burning with aura. Not even Holy King Miken could revive him with a miracle.
¡®Jin.¡¯
Beradin whispered Jin¡¯s name.
¡®Beradin, Dante is¡ª¡¯
¡®Listen well. This will stay between the three of us.¡¯
Following his words, Beradin revealed something from his cloak.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 99: The Cosmos Arena (10)
Chapter 99: The Cosmos Arena (10)
Volume 4 Chapter 99 ¨C The Cosmos Arena (10)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡°Young Master, that¡¯s¡ª!¡±
As soon as they saw the object that Beradin revealed, the guards¡¯ faces turned white in fear.
The young Zipfel put his index finger over his puckered lips.
¡°Quiet. And use your capes to cover us up.¡±
The guards bit their lips and surrounded Beradin, Jin, and Dante with their capes.
The crowd began to chatter, whispering amongst themselves at the sudden turn of events. No one detested Beradin¡¯s actions after seeing the Zipfels¡¯ insignia on the guards¡¯ capes.
¡°The Zipfel n¡?¡±
¡°That fellow¡ was a Zipfel?¡±
¡°Oh, what will you do? When that Zipfel cheered for Jin Grey, you swore at him to cheer for Paul Mick.¡±
¡°Yeah, maybe I-I¡¯ll go home first.¡±
As soon as the Zipfel coat of arms was revealed, everyone¡ªincluding the pirates¡ªbecame as quiet and calm as a flock of sheep. Even Cosmos, the host, did not dare to step into the ring to intervene with the current state of events.
¡®Shit¡¯s going down. Did hee to kidnap Paul Mick because he¡¯s a Runcandel?! Dammit. One wrong move and I¡¯ll be saying goodbye to my pirate life. I must act professionally.¡¯
¡°Everyone, close your eyes and plug your ears!¡±
Cosmos shouted. The charismatic host who warmly weed his audience suddenly ordered the sealing of the senses.
It was a veryughable situation, but the audience actually listened to his orders. Not a single person smiled orughed.
The Zipfel n was not a force to be reckoned with.
¡°That fellow¡ He knows what¡¯s going on. Maybe I can discount 100,000 gold from my winnings.¡±
Beradin had pulled out some kind of gemstone. At first nce, it was a spherical ruby. However, upon closer look, it had a much deeper shade of red¡ªas if it were bloodpressed together.
And they detected an ineffably weird energy from it.
¡®That¡¯s¡?¡¯
Jin had also seen it from somewhere.
But he could not exactly remember what it was. It wasn¡¯t something he saw physically, but something he saw through a textbook when he was a student.
¡°It¡¯s Numerous¡¯s Blood.¡±
The moment Beradin divulged its name, Jin¡¯s jaw dropped.
Numerousl
The God of Hope who disappeared because of a few incidents before the rise of the Holy Kingdom of Vank.
All Numerous left before disappearing were eight teardrops and a hundred drops of blood, and humans led a bloody history in order to collect these artifacts.
Numerous¡¯s Tear was an item that could resurrect the dead.
On the other hand, resurrecting the dead wasn¡¯t easily possible with Numerous¡¯s Blood. However, it could heal any injury or sickness with ease.
So far, seventy drops of blood had been used, and the rest were still missing.
It was the most pursued artifact at first, but as it became more rare, its existence became a myth.
And one of those mythical objects was shining in front of him.
¡°What¡? Using this on Dante now¡?¡±
Although Numerous¡¯s Blood was a tier lower than the Tear, it could not be replicated anywhere. The Runcandels and Zipfels were still searching with bloodshot eyes for more copies.
¡®And the Zipfels had one of them!¡¯
In fact, it wasn¡¯t even the patriarch who had it. It was in the hands of Beradin who came out for a trip. Jin could not understand.
It implied that the Zipfel n exclusively reserved the Blood for Beradin. The world¡¯s greatest n, the Zipfels, only had two of the gemstones.
¡°Shhhhh, let¡¯s keep this between us. Me, you, and Dante.¡±
Jin couldn¡¯t ask why he was going to use it on Dante.
From a rational perspective, Beradin¡¯s actions were unreasonable. Although the Hairan n was smaller than the Zipfel n, they were stillpeting with each other. And Dante was the prospective sessor of that n.
As of the moment, Dante¡¯s death was the best-case scenario for Beradin.
¡®However, I also feel the same. Although Dante¡¯s death is beneficial for the Runcandels, since he put away his sword at thest moment¡¡¯
Beradin grinned.
¡°I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to exin to you why I¡¯m doing this.¡±
Beradin ced Numerous¡¯s Blood near Dante¡¯s mouth and spoke. Using magic, he cracked the gemstone, and a red mist emerged. The crimson clouds of energy slowly slid like water into Dante¡¯s mouth.
Shshshshhhshhshh¡
¡°Oh, and no need to thank me. Losing a rival is as sad as losing a friend, am I right?¡±
Flinch!
As soon as Numerous¡¯s Blood entered his body, Dante reacted. They couldn¡¯t see what was happening within him, but his pale face gradually reimed its normal color.
¡®Beradin Zipfel¡ I didn¡¯t think you would do something like this.¡¯
Jin never thought that he would be so unpredictable. Doing a massive favor for another person who was no different than an enemy. He wasn¡¯t an easily judgeable character.
While Jin trapped himself inplicated thought, he had one clear emotion.
¡®He has a cool side to him.¡¯
Puah!
Dante breathed hoarsely, as if he came out of water. Shocked, he looked at his own body in amazement. He knew that he escaped from the verge of death.
¡°How in the world¡?¡±
¡°Let¡¯s have a drink after the closing ceremony, Dante. You¡¯re gonna tag along, right, Jin? Don¡¯t say no. And whenever we meet anywhere, it would be nice if you noticed me.¡±
Jin remembered dismissing Beradin at the Runcandel banquet. Jin chuckled.
¡°Sure.¡±
As Dante slowly stood, Cosmos looked around and concluded that the issue was resolved. Then he knew what the three teens needed as of the current moment.
To make it look as if nothing had happened.
In reality, the audience didn¡¯t know what transpired underneath the cloaks. Just assumptions that Beradin treated Dante with his magic.
However, everyone questioned the young Zipfel¡¯s actions upon helping Paul Mick, who was assumed to be a Runcandel. Still, no one expressed curiosity as they valued their own life.
¡°Alrighty! That was a heated battle! The victor is the nameless teenage swordsman, Jin Grey! Ladies and gentlemen! Please give them a round of apuse!¡±
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
The closing ceremony began that night.
The arena that was once filled with murder and assassination became a ce of celebration. Whenever they had the chance, the surviving contestants sprayed wine on the floor to honor the dead contenders.
Usually, everyone would start stuffing their faces with great amounts of food.
However, people merely drank wine, not daring to eat before a Zipfel.
¡°The victor, Jin Grey. Please step forward!¡±
Jin stepped towards the podium made out of stacked wine bottles.
Cosmos waited in front of him with a trophy made out of shark bones as well as a bag containing 1,000 gold coins.
And at Cosmos¡¯s feet was a small treasure chest. It was the secondary prize.
He could choose between 1,000 gold or the chest with an unknown prize inside it.
¡°Alrighty, choose your prize! Gold or treasure chest? What do you choo¡ª¡±
¡°Just give me both.¡±
Jin responded, tired of the ce. Laughter exploded from the audience.
In the history of the arena, it wasn¡¯t the first time the victor requested for both of the prizes. But never this blunt.
¡®I didn¡¯t get to sleep for the first few days, and I almost killed Dante while fighting him. Risking my life to take these pathetic prizes¡ and to choose only one?¡¯
He could not ept it.
Remembering the wave of despair when he thought Dante was dead, Jin thought that even owning Cosmos¡¯s entire pirate gang didn¡¯t satisfy his frustration.
¡°I understand that you want to have it all, haha. But you see, kid, we have this thing called tradition.¡±
¡°And I can annihte that history and tradition today.¡±
Cosmos frowned then nodded.
¡°Yeah, okay, buddy. Take it all¡¡±
At that point, Cosmos and the spectators knew that Jin was some hotshot from a famous n. The Pirate King let him do as he pleased simply because he didn¡¯t want to mess with him.
¡®This runt kinda feels like he¡¯s from the Hidden Pce¡ Ha. Starting next year, I¡¯ll make sure to do thorough background checks. Make sure that there are only lowly runts who I can control.¡¯
After the ceremony.
While the drunkards rampaged the arena, Jin and Dante reconciled in the cell they first met.
Together with Beradin, who escaped from his bodyguards.
¡°Wow¡ You two¡ lived here for multiple days? My goodness. I wouldn¡¯t even survive one day! Even my n¡¯s stables are better than this.¡±
Beradin cracked open the luxurious wine, which he ordered the bodyguards to bring before the event.
Glug, glug.
While each goblet was filled, Jin passed the bag of gold to Dante.
¡°You¡¯re giving it to me?¡±
¡°Yes. You take it.¡±
¡°But you¡¯re the victor.¡±
¡°Well, don¡¯t take it if you don¡¯t want it, then.¡±
Dante stared at the bag then shook his head.
¡°No, I shall take it. Although the Hairan n has a lot of money¡ I will ce this upon a pedestal when I get home. Tomemorate this moment.¡±
With a lifted mood, Dante took the bag and shook it. A solid jingling sound echoed throughout the cell.
Seeing Dante¡¯s look of satisfaction, Beradin licked his lips in disappointment.
¡°Jin, me too. Gimme something too. Some souvenir. Today was a special day for me too.¡±
Eyes glimmering, Beradin put his two hands forward.
¡®Do it yourself.¡¯
Jin would have responded heartlessly. However, since Beradin really did something special today, he felt kind enough to offer him something.
Jin wanted to keep the shark bone trophy with his name on it.
So only the treasure chest was left.
Thinking of a good idea, Jin nodded.
¡°Wait a sec.¡±
ck!
Jin broke the lock and opened the chest. This was the first time he revealed the contents of the box.
¡®Paper?¡¯
Inside the box was a poorly drawn topographic treasure map with an ¡®X¡¯ near the middle.
¡°Oh? There¡¯s ancient texts on there. I¡¯ve never seen those characters before. Interesting¡ Give that treasure map to me¡ª¡±
¡°No, your souvenir is the box. Take it.¡±
¡°Oh, that¡¯s great too! Thanks!¡±
¡®One guy says that he¡¯ll disy the bag of gold on a pedestal, and the other is thankful for some garbage. Are they idiots?¡¯
Jin chuckled. As heughed, the other two began tough as well. Then, Jin straightened his expression, and the others coughed.
¡°Hey, Dante Hairan. Let me ask you something.¡±
¡°Oh, ehem. What would you like to know?¡±
¡°Why didn¡¯t you use your secret technique? I¡¯m sure I said to not go easy.¡±
Dante scratched the back of his head and responded.
¡°You¡ did not use your secret power and went easy on me too. Therefore, I didn¡¯t think that my secret technique would make it a fair fight.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 100: Frenemy
Chapter 100: Frenemy
Volume 4 Chapter 100 ¨C Frenemy
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
His heart dropped.
¡®Dante Hairan. There¡¯s no way¡ Did he detect my magic and spiritual energy?¡¯
Recently, the number of people who knew about his alternative powers increased.
However, it was power that should not go public yet. Jin tried his best to conceal his nervousness and looked Dante straight in the eyes.
¡°Hidden powers? What do you mean by that?¡±
¡°What¡¯s this? Jin, did you already learn the Runcandel n¡¯s decisive killing moves?¡±
Beradin abruptly joined the conversation. Since he became a 7-star magician, he awaited a simr growth from Jin as well.
¡°Ah¡ It was just a hunch. There was never a time where my guts lied to me during a battle. I knew from the moment we shed swords. Whether I can win or lose¡ Stuff like that. And even though your swordsmanship seemed to be duller than mine, I still felt like I would lose.¡±
¡°Really? How cool.¡±
¡°Ultimately, I failed, so my hunch was correct. However, if you really didn¡¯t have any secret techniques or powers, then I held back for nothing.¡±
At Dante¡¯s words, Jin just smiled outwardly. But inside, he was surprised. Dante¡¯s hunch was spot on.
¡°Anyways, be prepared the next time we fight. I will give it my all.¡±
¡°Jin, Dante. Me too. I¡¯m awaiting the day we all lead our respective ns and have a legendary battle.¡±
Dante¡¯s and Beradin¡¯s eyes glimmered with fighting spirit.
Although they were sitting in a circle with a wine ss in hand at the moment, they would have to fight each other someday.
Enemies that were friends, friends that were enemies. Their rtionship was like that.
¡®However, when the timees, I don¡¯t think I can kill you.¡¯
As silence ensued, Dante was trapped in his thoughts.
¡°But on that topic, bing allies after fighting wouldn¡¯t be that bad. Just settling on a victory and bing good friends again and all¡¡±
Beradin broke the silence while scratching the back of his head.
¡°I would¡¯ve never thought the prospective sessor of the Zipfel n would speak such soft words.¡±
¡°It¡¯s just a hope! Hope! You mess up a little, and you both die to me, hehe. Oh, but besides that, the craziest thing happened to me.¡±
¡°What is it, Beradin?¡±
Dante showed interest, and Beradin clenched his fist.
¡°You know the Akin Kingdom? It¡¯s a kingdom that¡¯s part of the Lutero Magic Federation, and apparently, someone impersonated me therest year.¡±
Jin would¡¯ve spat the wine in his mouth, but he safely retainedposure.
¡°Ha! Is that true? In thend of the Lutero Magic Federation, impersonating you¡ A man with no brain. So, what happened?¡±
¡°¡Surprisingly, they haven¡¯t caught the culprit. Apparently, the impersonator destroyed the underground organization known as Tesing. A very weird intent. And the n¡¯s investigators can¡¯t find anything.¡±
¡°Why not put a bounty?¡±
¡°Doing that means soiling the Zipfel name, Dante. It¡¯s basically advertising that the all-powerful Zipfels can¡¯t find a measly impersonator.¡±
Jin calmly exined, and Beradin nodded.
¡°Exactly. And recently, we lost Lord Andrei¡ It isn¡¯t something to bring up right now. Oh, Jin. It wasn¡¯t to make you ufortable. It isn¡¯t even confirmed that the Runcandel n is the culprit behind his death.¡±
¡°But what if it is?¡±
To Jin¡¯s question, Dante coughed and nced at Beradin.
The young Zipfel shrugged.
¡°We, as well, killed many from Runcandel. It¡¯s just a debt-repaying rtionship. So when the timees, it¡¯ll be equal¡ And to be honest, I didn¡¯t really like him. In fact, I hated him.¡±
¡°So the prospective sessor of the Zipfel n did not like the old geezer of a second-inmand. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something you should say without caution. What do you think, Beradin?¡±
Jin calmly spoke. He wondered why Beradin didn¡¯t like Andrei.
¡®Is it because Andrei lost the way of the pure magicians by using the Demon God¡¯s Orb? Or just his different perversive temperament? Either way, the orb should be a big deal for the entirety of the Zipfels¡
¡®But before that¡ does Beradin even know about the orb? Seeing him, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll have some sense of hesitation for human experimentation or gathering contractors for the orb, but he would do it anyway. It could be rted to the reason he disliked Andrei.¡¯
But it wasn¡¯t something Jin could ask about.
¡°It¡¯s just something I say. I can say that I don¡¯t like someone simply because I don¡¯t like them. We¡¯re close enough to say that stuff, right? I believe we are!¡±
¡°Hoho¡ Hearing you say suchints, I¡¯ve also thought of annoying stories from my n. Someday, I shall get rid of all of those peasants!¡±
Pointlessly bbering about personal problems within the n in front of the enemy.
An act only an idiot could do.
¡®Dante is definitely a certified idiot, but I don¡¯t know about Beradin. He¡¯s definitely not the average guy.¡¯
In addition to that, using Numerous¡¯s Blood for Dante.
Bringing up the dead Andrei and saying that he ¡®hated him¡¯. It was hard for Jin to pinpoint Beradin¡¯s intent.
Within a few seconds, Beradin raised his voice again in fury.
¡°Oh shoot, the conversation strayed too much. Anyways! The impersonator. We can¡¯t put a bounty or anything, but we couldn¡¯t just gloss over it¡ We¡¯re thinking of putting the high-star magicians into investigation.¡±
¡°Oh, you¡¯re deploying 8-star magicians to catch a mere impersonator? The Zipfel n truly is a great n.¡±
¡°What do you mean? The Hairan n can do that as well. Jin, what do you think?¡±
¡°If I were you, I¡¯d just say that there was no impersonator and that I destroyed the Tesings.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°By your words, the culprit used your name to destroy an underground organization. Did he harm the kingdom¡¯s citizens?¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s the opposite. Recently, Akin seems to be having a festival every day. It appears that the Tesings¡¯ corruption was insane.¡±
¡°Then it¡¯d be better to take credit for the oue. In fact, since the culprit hasn¡¯t been caught, he¡¯ll probably impersonate you again. As the tail grows longer, it¡¯ll be easier to catch. Deploying high-star magicians would be foolish.¡±
¡°Hm¡ Good point. I guess I was going too far. I should ponder on this more.¡±
¡°If you catch the culprit, please inform me. I would like to see such a courageous man.¡±
¡°Alright. For the time being, Dante, make sure to visit one of our banquets. I¡¯ll make sure to send an invitation.¡±
The three spent the night talking and drinking.
Apart from Dante and Beradin, Jin reserved his words¡ªfor one reason.
¡®More words could hit me in the back.¡¯
Although it was a short meeting, that night, he wished they were his friends. Not enemies.
* * *
¡°Young Master! For what reason did you use Numerous¡¯s Blood on Dante Hairan?¡±
¡°And you should¡¯ve killed Jin Runcandel on the spot. It was an opportunity to kill off yourpetition!¡±
¡°Make that part a secret. And as for this treasure chest, make sure it doesn¡¯t get a single scratch when it gets back to the n. Hehe, it¡¯s a very nice souvenir.¡±
¡°Why is it so important? Don¡¯t me us for wasting such a valuable artifact.¡±
¡°Stop, stop. Gaining Dante Hairan¡¯s trust is nothing bad. From losing one drop of blood, it¡¯s raising the chances of having the Hairan n on our side when we wage war against the Runcandels.¡±
¡°But¡!¡±
¡°As for not killing Jin, there are some things I needed to check. I¡¯m gonna sleep until we return, so you guys are dismissed.¡±
The bodyguards mumbled in disapproval and left.
And Beradin sighed.
¡®Well, Father and the elders will find out soon enough. The excuse for Numerous¡¯s Blood is fine, but what do I tell them about Jin¡? Should I say that I couldn¡¯t have won? That wouldn¡¯t seem like a lie¡¡¯
Beradin¡¯s future already seemed grim.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
¡°I¡¯m sorry, grandfather. On top of losing thepetition, I¡¯ve had a close encounter with death. Twice.¡±
¡°You almost lost your life in an insignificantpetition¡? How did this happen? Was it ack of swordsmanship or was there a master who was blinded by money?¡±
The patriarch of the Hairan n questioned Dante. In contrast to his words, his expression was not the slightest bit angry.
He felt proud as soon as his grandson returned. His adorable and precious grandson returned home with lessons learnt.
¡°I did notck such sword skill, but resilience. Additionally, there was no such master, but two friendly boys.¡±
¡°Hoho, hearing you say that, I¡¯d like to hear some more. You don¡¯t even bat an eye towards the most beautiful women in the n¡ Alright, what are the names of these fellows?¡±
¡°Grandfather, unfortunately, I cannot tell you of their names¡ Instead, I would like to request something.¡±
¡°You little¡ª!¡±
Ron embraced Dante and jokingly choked him.
However, he did not press and ask for the boys¡¯ names. Changing his grandson¡¯s mind was harder than rising to the top spot of his n.
¡°Kurgh. I c-can¡¯t breathe.¡±
Even though it was a joke, the choke was still painful as it came from a 10-star knight.
¡°You make your grandfather disappointed as soon as youe! However, I forgive you. What is your request?¡±
¡°In whatever situation, please let me save these acquaintances.¡±
* * *
¡°Oh, you¡¯re back? How was it, kid? Did you get beat by Dante or Donte or whatever-his-name-was? Your expression¡¯s a little grim. Don¡¯t you think, Strawberry Pie?¡±
¡°What do you mean by grim? Of course I won.¡±
¡°Young Master, are you tired? You don¡¯t look too good. I congratte you on your victory¡ but did you fall into a dilemma? Did you get poisoned or something of the sort?¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s fine, Gilly. I¡¯m just a little tired. How were you guys without me?¡±
¡°Oh, Lord Jin! You¡¯re back! Whoa! This time, victory in a fightingpetition! As a celebration, please sign the back of my shirt!¡±
Enya ran towards Jin, offering him a pen and her back.
¡®A celebration.¡¯
Jin took the pen and looked at his other hand. He held the shark-tooth trophy tightly.
¡®Those idiots. They won¡¯t keep the bag of gold and treasure chest as souvenirs, right?¡¯
Jin smiled as he signed Enya¡¯s shirt.
¡°Thank you for appreciating me, Miss Enya.¡±
He was thankful that he had friendly people who would offer him all the love and kindness in the world.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Trantor¡¯s Corner (04/11/22):
We hit 100 chapters, let¡¯s goooooooo!!!!
Proofreader¡¯s Corner (04/11/22):
Let¡¯s goooooooo!!! Only hundreds more to go¡
Chapter 101: Resonating Truths
Chapter 101: Resonating Truths
Volume 5 Chapter 101 ¨C Resonating Truths
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
February 1st, 1796.
Under a dark sky. One man trudged through the ck Sea under the harsh rain. Guardian Knight Khan had another letter in his breastte.
¡°You¡¯re here?¡±
¡°Yes, Lord Patriarch.¡±
Now, Cyron didn¡¯t even need to say anything for Khan to take out the letter.
The guardian knight handed it over with two hands, and Cyron smiled.
¡°What are your predictions on the results?¡±
¡°Do you mean the Young Master¡¯s duel against Dante Hairan?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°Rationally speaking, Dante definitely would¡¯ve won since the Young Master couldn¡¯t use two of his specialties. However, seeing Young Master Jin¡¯s progress¡ he has a chance.¡±
Slit.
Opening the letter, Cyron felt his heart flutter.
(Sender: Kashimir
Receiver: Cyron Runcandel
Report: Jin Runcandel defeated Dante Hairan and won in the Cosmos Arena.
Misceneous: Jin Runcandel achieved 6-star in swordsmanship.)
Four lines.
That was Kashimir¡¯s entire letter. Not a single line of banter or greeting.
The epitome of brevity. However, reading the letter, Cyron felt disappointed.
¡®¡Did he send it like this because I wanted it to be short?¡¯
Of course, he was very proud that the youngest had some sense of awakening.
However, he somewhat felt as if he were scammed¡
¡°Lord Patriarch, did something happen to the youngest?¡±
Seeing Cyron¡¯s expressionless face, Khan carefully asked.
¡°No¡ it¡¯s nothing. He defeated Dante.¡±
¡°Then¡¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. When you get back, tell Kashimir that I¡¯d like to have a drink. I¡¯m going to have to see his face.¡±
¡°Understood!¡±
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
Shiver.
¡°Was there a cold breeze just now¡?¡±
¡°Cold breeze, Sir Kashimir? There¡¯s a fire right in front of us.¡±
Jin pointed at the firece. Enya and Euria snickered, and Alisa shrugged.
¡°Last time, you spoke of a heatstroke in the middle of a January blizzard¡¡±
¡°Honey, what¡¯s wrong? I think you¡¯re getting old.¡±
¡°No, no. Not that. I think it¡¯s just a hallucination.¡±
¡°I think I should get you some medication.¡±
Kashmir lightly shook his head.
They had all gathered in Jin¡¯s room to congregate.
Jin already finished his training, Alisa got off from work, and Kashimir returned after finishing his job.
Enya and Euria just came to y with Jin, but Murakan and Gilly tried to make them y with puzzles instead.
¡°Hey, hey, ice cream runt. Go y with this.¡±
¡°No. I want cat.¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°Please.¡±
¡°No. Mmmmm¡ Alright, I¡¯ll transform into a cat if you finish this puzzle.¡±
¡°You promise.¡±
For a 6-year-old girl, a thousand-piece puzzle was very hard.
However, Euria began to solve the jigsaw puzzle at a ridiculous speed. She didn¡¯t even start at the edges or matched simr pieces. She grabbed random pieces and ced them on the carpet. It was as if she had already memorized the puzzle beforehand.
¡°Sir Murakan. I don¡¯t think a puzzle is effective for Az Mil¡¯s contractor.¡±
¡°Ah! I forgot. Dammit, I lost.¡±
¡°What do you mean you lost? You wanted to y with her in the first ce. Stopining.¡±
¡°Shut up, kiddo. Being a cat was boring enough when we were at the Runcandel main house.¡±
Poof!
Murakan then transformed into a cat and began to meow. Euria meowed back, then giggled.
¡°Hehe.¡±
Everyone in the room smiled as they watched the yful sight.
Trying to exhaust her and knock her out, Murakan energetically yed with Euria.
¡®ying tag is the best game to get kids tired.¡¯
Swoosh, swoosh!
Murakan jumped from floor to desk, and Euria chased him as if she were hypnotized.
¡°He¡¯s such a kind man in contrast to his manner of speech. Don¡¯t you think, Young Master?¡±
Euria stumbled across the room while failing to catch Murakan. On the other hand, Murakan was having fun. He teased Euria by barely escaping her hands each time she tried to catch him.
¡°Hmph!¡±
After five minutes of chasing, Euria tried to jump on top of the desk that Murakan was on.
Hop!
However, the desk was too tall for Euria to jump on.
¡°Uh-oh!¡±
¡°Euria!¡±
The young girl hit her head on the corner of the desk and fell backwards. The short game of tag quickly ended. Thankfully, she wasn¡¯t severely injured, but it was normal for all eyes to re at Murakan.
¡°Stupid ck dragon. What were you gonna do if the kid got hurt?¡±
¡°Nya¡¡±
Murakan lowered his ears.
p¡
From the desk¡¯s cab, a piece of paper flew out andnded next to Euria like a fallen leaf.
¡°Hm?¡±
While everyone checked on her well-being, Euria did not fuss about her bruise. Instead, her eyes were fixed upon the piece of paper.
¡°Wowie! It¡¯s a treasure map!¡±
With glistening eyes, Euria shouted.
It was the treasure map that Jin received at the Cosmos Arena.
He had ced the trophy on his desk and the meaningless treasure map in his cab, being forgotten.
He thought that receiving a treasure map as a prize from a pirate gang was worthless.
In reality, Cosmos wanted the victor to take the treasure chest instead of the 1,000 gold coins. He had also determined that the treasure map he stole from one of his plundering conquests was worthless.
Essentially, it was a scam.
However, thanks to Jin taking both prizes, Cosmos couldn¡¯t make much of a profit that day.
¡°Anyways, be more careful when ying. Are you gonna take responsibility when the kid gets hurt?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, Sir Murakan. Still, Miss Euria is strong. I¡¯m pretty she fell pretty hard¡¡±
¡°There¡¯s something important there!¡±
Euria stood up and raised the map into the air.
¡°There¡¯s! There¡¯s something important here!¡±
Euria¡¯s eyes were filled with certainty and hope.
If it were a random child who was shouting, then they¡¯dugh off the child¡¯s imagination.
However, as Az Mil¡¯s contractor, Euria could easily match thousand-piece or ten-thousand-piece puzzles and see all objects and phenomena ¡®as they should be¡¯ with her Absolute Eye.
Hence, the map was a real treasure map.
On the shoddy drawings, there was an ¡®X¡¯ on one side and ancient scripts in the empty space.
¡®I thought those characters were a joke because even Murakan and Quikantel couldn¡¯t read it.¡¯
There weren¡¯t many ancientnguages that Murakan couldn¡¯t read. Even though he couldn¡¯t read some, he could still deduce its era by looking at the characters.
¡°What do you mean by something important? Euria, can you tell us more?¡±
As soon as Jin threw a question.
Euria¡¯s glimmering eyes of curiosity proceeded to glisten with tears.
She slumped down and began to wail.
¡°Waaaah! I¡¯m¡ very sad!¡±
With Az Mil¡¯s ability activated, Euria was seeing something different than the others.
A treasure hidden somewhere deep.
And the tragedies that ured because of said treasure.
¡°¡Az Mil¡¯s ability must be activated right now. First, we have to calm her. Runt! Bring Lathry, quick!¡±
The activation of a divine ability against the young contractor¡¯s will was not good. Especially for Az Mil¡¯s contractors due to the fact that they could lose their sense of reality.
At these times, she needed her guardian dragon.
¡°Y-Yes!¡±
Kashimir rushed outside, and Alisa cradled the little girl in her arms.
¡°This happened many times before. It seems our daughter isn¡¯t normal at all.¡±
A few secondster, Lathry arrived.
¡°Where¡¯s Euria?!¡±
¡°Here!¡±
Lathry ran over to Euria and sat next to her. His eyes closed, and a blue energy wrapped around them.
¡®Resonance.¡¯
Among the scenes that Euria saw with her ability, Lathry took the sad and depressing parts and suffered them instead.
The child soon began to calm down.
However, Lathry¡ªin his human form¡ªflinched every now and then. He was clearly seeing shocking sights.
After ten minutes of Resonance, Euria was fast asleep, and Lathry took a deep breath as he sweated rivers.
¡°Phew¡!¡±
Lathry stood and bowed. Even though he wasn¡¯t born yet during Murakan¡¯s prime, he gave the shadow dragon the utmost respect.
¡°Oh, Sir Murakan. I couldn¡¯t greet you due to theck of time.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. What did ice cream runt see?¡±
¡°That¡ wasn¡¯t the future, but the past.¡±
¡°Past? Az Mil¡¯s contractor can only see the past in certain cases.¡±
¡°Yes. Deeply rooted desires or resentment¡ Only when she touches an object or visits a location associated with such emotions does she see the past. Whew, if I were a littlete, it would¡¯ve been fatal. It was awfully grotesque¡¡±
No matter how young, the Dragon of Verity had lived for over five hundred years.
Lathry shuddered. He knew how horrifying it would be for Euria to witness such visions.
¡°Hm, I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be anything important because I couldn¡¯t interpret it. However, it must be a very important map. So, what did you see?¡±
¡°Some ancientnds¡ A tribe of natives worshipping some temple¡¡±
Lathry breathed slowly, remembering what he just saw.
¡°Other humans¡ came to them. They seemed to be magicians. About ten of them. The magicians initially joined their religious practice.¡±
¡°And then?¡±
¡°One magician killed a native¡¯s child. A very young person. Younger than Euria¡ While alive¡¡±
As the horrifying exnation continued, the listeners began to breathe heavily.
Lathry shed a tear as he looked at Euria¡¯s innocent face.
¡°¡And they kept on killing the children. Constantly. They wanted something. It¡¯s¡ the divine object that the natives worshipped.¡±
After listening up to that point, Jin thought of a tale that he knew.
¡°Sir Lathry, would you please draw what that divine object looked like?¡±
¡°Oh, wait.¡±
Lathry received the pen and paper and quickly drew the object that he saw.
A round disk.
¡°The object was emitting light, but it looked like a normal silver mirror when it didn¡¯t.¡±
Kollon Ruins.
The treasure map was pointing to the Kollon Ruins¡¯ mirror artifact.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 102: Tragedy of Kollon (1)
Chapter 102: Tragedy of Kollon (1)
Volume 5 Chapter 102 ¨C Tragedy of Kollon (1)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
An unexpected discovery.
¡®A mirror¡ The Fountain of Mana¡ Who would¡¯ve thought that a map from a pirate-hosted tournament led to such an artifact?¡¯
An ancient artifact made known to the world by a brave journalist before Jin¡¯s regression.
At the time, the journalist scrupulously revealed the mirror¡¯s existence together with the atrocities that the Zipfel nmitted towards the Kollon natives.
Of course, this news was fatal for the Zipfels, who symbolized and protected peace and justice.
However, the journalist could not face the massive n alone.
The Zipfels quickly silenced those who spoke angrily of the n.
And the tragedy of Kollon¡¯s natives was never spoken of again.
Soon after, the first journalist disappeared. It didn¡¯t take long for the people to forget the journalist¡¯s brave deeds.
The Kollon natives then continued their civilization as if they were invisible.
¡®¡Then this map must be made by the natives. And since its worth wasn¡¯t discovered, this map was just tossed everywhere. Just like Myulta¡¯s Rune.¡¯
It was possible that the Kollon natives, who were oppressed by the Zipfels, wanted someone to notice the map and hoped an adventurer woulde to free them.
Well, Jin nned on visiting the Kollon Ruins anyways.
He needed to find the mirror before the Zipfels and prevent them from creating a powerful magician army. Additionally, he needed to investigate the illegal magic experimentation in the area.
Personally for Jin, there were more reasons to go.
¡®Unlike the journalist, I don¡¯t have the heart to save those people¡ But I¡¯d be helping them a little if I¡¯m packing some punches onto the Zipfel n.¡¯
But there was one problem.
¡°Hey, kid. Why the long face? Do you know what Lathry drew?¡±
They didn¡¯t know that Jin knew about the tragedy of Kollon and the mirror.
¡®This is what¡¯s bad about being a regressor.¡¯
Though, it was an easy problem to solve.
¡°Hm, I don¡¯t know. But I got a bad feeling¡ Sir Kashimir, I think you should investigate the contents of this map.¡±
This was why he settled in Tikan.
¡°Yes, I agree. I¡¯m also worried about the history that my daughter envisioned. It¡¯s as if¡ I think this map came into your hands for a reason.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, Young Master Jin. First, I¡¯ll search far and wide for someone to read these ancient texts. Then we can find our first clue.¡±
¡°Sir Kashimir, this is just a hunch, but I don¡¯t think the Seven-Colored Peacock should openly investigate this case. With that much resentment stored in the object, we may not know if the atrocities are still uring.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a good point. Hmmm, magicians who ughtered the natives¡ I hope it¡¯s not rted to the Zipfels.¡±
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
The Seven-Colored Peacock immediately began their investigation, but they couldn¡¯t achieve much in two weeks.
It was expected.
The Kollon natives were part of the Peylon Kingdom, which was part of the Lutero Magic Federation. And centuries ago, a majority of them were ughtered by the Zipfels. Due to this, not many remained on thend.
On top of that, since the few that were left remained trapped in the Kollon Ruins, it was definitely hard to find someone who could read the map.
However, the first clue was found in an unexpectedly close location.
February 17th, 1796.
After finishing his morning training, he sought the Tikan Central Defense Force with Euria and Lathry in order to find Alisa.
¡°Jin. Mommy will like it if she gets this, right?¡±
¡°Most certainly. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll toss you in the air andugh.¡±
Euria wanted to give her mother a family drawing, so she asked Jin toe with her.
¡°Wee to the Tikan Centr¡ªOh, Euria. Hello.¡±
¡°Hello! Where¡¯s mommy?¡±
¡°Oh, my daughter! Mommy¡¯s over here! I see you two are also here. Oh, what¡¯s this?¡±
¡°Present!¡±
Euria grinned and showed the drawing to her mother.
Alisa couldn¡¯t contain her maternal pride.
¡°My goodness, you¡¯re so good at drawing! Let¡¯s see¡ This must be daddy. This is Jin, and you drew Enya too.¡±
Gilly, Murakan, Quikantel, and Lathry were also drawn on the small paper. Alisa picked up Euria as she looked throughout the entire page.
¡°Hahaha, you should be a painter when you grow up. Alright, wait a moment here. Mommy has to fight some papers and documents, and then let¡¯s go eat lunch. You wanna eat seafood stew?¡±
¡°Oh! Oh! Seafood! Yes!¡±
After seeing her mother so happy and hearing the word ¡®seafood¡¯, Euria began to sing a song containing only the word ¡®seafood¡¯.
Jin and Lathry couldn¡¯t contain their smiles as well.
Fwip, fwip.
Sounds of moving pens from here and there could be heard. It was the defense forces dealing with legal documents and the criminals writing self-reflections.
Self-reflections.
After Alisa was promoted to the Chief of Defense, she was plummeting the already-low crime rate of Tikan.
However, those who were dragged in trampled some flowers in the public garden or acted poorly while drunk, so they just wrote a self-reflection and made a short visit to a correctional facility.
¡®The city isn¡¯t that big, but she manages it so well. Lady Alisa is amazing. The Huphester Alliance is managed by the Runcandels, yet they still have a lot of bad crimes.¡¯
As Jin mentally apuded Alisa¡¯s work, Lathry looked around at the criminals.
¡°Humans are such mysterious creatures. Why do they make the same mistake if they know that breaking thew would get them punished?¡±
¡°Not sure. Are dragons not like that?¡±
¡°Mmmm¡ No. Now that I think about it, dragons are also pretty foolish. Haha, what am I saying? Please don¡¯t tell Sir Murakan that I tainted the dragon race¡¯s reputation.¡±
¡°It seems you are very cautious of Murakan. Did he bully you or something?¡±
¡°No, not that. Did you know what my parents already pegged into my ear? ¡®Watch out for the ck dragons. Especially the Murakan and Misha siblings¡¯¡¡±
Lathry definitely fell for Wind Dragon Vyuretta¡¯s tricks while avoiding ck dragons.
¡°And amongst my fellow dragons, Sir Murakan is a legendary being. There¡¯s some bad and some good reasons¡ Oh?¡±
While exining, Lathry stopped and fixed his eyes on something.
It was someone getting questioned by a defense agent. Jin naturally looked as well. The man¡¯s slow and slurred speech stuttered.
¡°Yesterday¡ I¡ drank¡ too¡ much. I¡ a-apologize.¡±
¡°Hey, don¡¯t talk like that. You¡¯re not reflecting at all. If you¡¯re drunk, then go inside and sleep. Why sing in the middle of the night and wake everyone?¡±
¡°Because¡ I¡¯m zad. Ah, I¡¯m zorry.¡±
¡°You¡¯ve done this multiple times before. If you keep doing this, the bar will not take you anymore. Do you know how much I pleaded the local bartenders to not kick you out?¡±
¡°Thamk you. Oh, you wanna cigar?¡±
¡°Ha! Shit, I¡¯m gonna die early because of you. Alright, let¡¯s burn through one, and you¡¯re gonna promise me that you¡¯ll drink and not cause a ruckus. Please.¡±
¡°I umderstamd. But I don¡¯t have any cigar.¡±
¡°Fuckin¡¯ hell.¡±
It looked like an alcoholic who came in often. He caused nothing serious, but he formed rtionships with the defense forces every time he came.
And the man had deep-red skin.
¡°A crimson-person? His skin is pretty red for one.¡±
Nothing too abnormal for a diverse city like Tikan.
However, seeing that man, Lathry¡¯s expression was not great.
¡°Lord Jin¡ That man looks just like the natives I saw in the vision when I resonated with Euria.¡±
¡°Oh, really?¡±
¡°Yes, and that slurred speech¡ It means that he¡¯s not used to speaking thisnd¡¯snguage.¡±
There was only one way to find out.
¡°Why don¡¯t we show him the map? Let¡¯s take him to lunch as well.¡±
As the man and the defense agent went to smoke, Jin followed them. The man lit a cigar. The officer took a puff as well, swore a little, then went back to work.
¡°Hey.¡±
¡°A boy¡ Whomm are you?¡±
¡°Why don¡¯t we go eat something? I had quite a drink as well.¡±
¡°Oh, soumds good. But I dom¡¯t got money.¡±
¡°It¡¯s on me.¡±
* * *
The man¡¯s eyes darted from ce to ce. The crimson-person¡¯s name was Alopan Tupan Meipan.
¡®Pan¡¯ for short.
¡®Boy¡ Why did you not tell me that the chief wasing? The chief is scary.¡¯
Alisa wasn¡¯t really looking at Pan at all. She had already heard the story from Jin and Lathry.
¡°Help yourself, Pan. And stop getting caught. You¡¯re too innocent.¡±
¡°I see this man a lot. He¡¯s always there when I go see mommy.¡±
¡°Not¡ always.¡±
Fwoooooo¡
The delectable seafood stew was served steaming hot. Euria¡¯s and Pan¡¯s eyes glimmered.
¡°Thank you for the meal!¡±
The crimson-person no longer felt awkward and began to stuff himself. It seemed he had some pocket problems.
After an hour of eating¡
¡°Uh¡ boy.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Can I take somme to-go? My sibling is humgry.¡±
¡°Take as much as you need. But before you leave¡ªOh, they¡¯re here. Over here!¡±
Jin waved his hand at a very angry man who opened the door.
Murakan¡ªthe angry man¡ªran to Jin after getting the message ¡®Bring the map.¡¯
¡°Now this¡ This is too far! I¡¯m Murakan! Murakan! You can make the runt do this instead!¡±
¡°Sir Kashimir is always busy with his work, and Gilly does a lot of stuff. Enya has to study, and all you do is goof around. This is the least you could do.¡±
¡°What about Quikantel?!¡±
¡°Excluding her.¡±
Lathry fidgeted as he saw Jin reprimand Murakan. The young Runcandel snatched the map from the shadow dragon¡¯s hands and showed it to Pan.
¡°Pan, do you¡ know what this is?¡±
And as soon as he saw the map¡
¡°Th-This¡ Where¡¯d you get this?¡±
He looked very shocked.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 103: Tragedy of Kollon (2)
Chapter 103: Tragedy of Kollon (2)
Volume 5 Chapter 103 ¨C Tragedy of Kollon (2)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Pan¡¯s expression was peculiar.
With furrowed eyebrows, he shuddered in fear, but his eyes continued to trace each character.
¡°Can you read the characters?¡±
¡°How¡ did you know that I was fromm the Kollon Ruins? Whomm are you guys?¡±
With a cautious re, Pan looked at Jin.
He remembered when he escaped his homnd that became ruins three years ago. The day he went to the Free City of Tikan to escape from the eyes of the Zipfel n.
¡°Hm, what¡¯s the best way to put this¡ I¡¯m Chief Alisa¡¯s guest, this ck-haired guy is a dragon, the green-haired fellow is also a dragon, and the child is clearly a 6-year-old child.¡±
Jin revealed their identities, and Pan wasn¡¯t the only one who was startled.
¡°Hey, hey, kid! Why¡¯d you say all that?¡±
¡°What do you mean, ¡®why¡¯? Mr. Pan seems to know some valuable information about the map. Hmm, Mr. Pan. This is how we identified you.¡±
It would be best to tell the truth. Other than the fact that Euria was Az Mil¡¯s contractor.
¡°Lathry, the green-head, is Az Mil¡¯s dragon. He touched this map and saw a vision due to the resentment stored within the object. In his vision, he saw people like you who were being tormented. It was essentially a coincidence.¡±
¡°¡Huh.¡±
Pan remained silent for a while, then spoke.
¡°May I go have a zmoke?¡±
¡°Go ahead.¡±
Pan trudged to the front yard of the restaurant. Leaning on the wall, he lit the stick.
¡®I¡¯m pretty sure he said he didn¡¯t have any cigars, but he had them.¡¯
Jin smirked, and Lathry worriedly opened his mouth.
¡°That man¡ What if he escapes?¡±
¡°How the hell would he? This is the runt¡¯snd.¡±
¡°Oh¡ right. I apologize, Lord Murakan.¡±
¡°Apologize for what?¡±
¡°Oh, uh¡ It¡¯s nothing.¡±
After burning through the entire stick, Pan looked moreposed and organized¡ªcalmer than before.
¡°May I azk a few things?¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
¡°Are you guys the Zipfels?¡±
¡°We aren¡¯t exactly in good rtions with them.¡±
¡°Do you know what thiz map meams?¡±
¡°Doesn¡¯t it lead to treasure?¡±
¡°Not a treamsure.¡±
¡°I see.¡±
Jin answered and lightly shrugged. Pan¡¯s eyes narrowed.
¡°Will you harm me if I dom¡¯t help?¡±
¡°We swear that we will not. Even after you take out the seafood stew, we will not harm or threaten you. We can¡¯t do anything about you being captured for poor behavior. Instead, our meeting will be non-existent.¡±
Jin had no intention of lying.
¡®Since he admitted that he¡¯s a Kollon native, I¡¯m sure he went through many things evading the Zipfels¡¯ eyes. There¡¯s no need to harass him.¡¯
Silence filled the room, and Pan was deep in thought.
Was it truly a coincidence that he met Jin, or were they hunting him down? He arrived at a conclusion.
It wasn¡¯t something he could just decide upon.
¡°My sibling¡¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Everyone, I thimk we should go zee my sibling.¡±
Jin nodded.
¡°Then let¡¯s wait a little for them to package the food.¡±
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
Pan was a talented liar.
He said he didn¡¯t have a cigar, but he had a pack. He said they should go to see his sibling, but it wasn¡¯t his sibling.
After taking his packaged seafood stew, they went to Pan¡¯s home, which was located in a deep alleyway. They barely had any free space.
¡°This is the first time Pan brought guests home. Wee, nobles of Tikan.¡±
The person who weed them was a woman who was disguised as Pan¡¯s ¡®sibling¡¯.
Although she was much younger than Pan, her ¡®brother¡¯ bowed in her presence.
¡°Lady Laosa, I brought guestz without your permissiom.¡±
¡°Good job, Pan.¡±
An eerie mood.
Laosa¡¯s aura felt mysterious. Jin couldn¡¯t say that it was strong, but it wasn¡¯t something to approach without caution.
She overflowed with sacred energy. Usually, Murakan would say something like ¡®Why is the house so shit?¡¯, but he was watching hisnguage.
As soon as Jin saw her, he knew.
¡®The Kollon natives have the most noble blood. They were the god-chosen race. It seems she¡¯s thest descendant.¡¯
Laosa seemed to have deep wisdom.
¡°The one born from the birthce of swordsmanship and chosen by the shadow, a ck Dragon, and the Dragon of Verity as well as the beloved child of Az Mil. And Tikan¡¯s Chief of Defense who always cares for Pan.¡±
Startled.
Everyone was surprised and stared at Laosa.
¡°How did you¡?¡±
¡°It¡¯s just a little talent. I apologize if I startled you. Pan, please get some tea.¡±
¡°Yes¡¯m.¡±
As Pan poured water into a crooked kettle, Jin¡¯s back began to sweat.
¡®A little talent¡?¡¯
And a calm attitude, as if she already knew that they wereing.
Jin had never encountered a human like Laosa. No, he didn¡¯t even know if she was human at all.
¡®This transcending aura¡ I¡¯ve felt it before.¡¯
The same aura he felt the moment he contracted with Solderet in his past life.
It was weaker, but simr.
¡°Lady Laosa, are you a god?¡±
Although it could sound too out of ce, excluding Euria, everybody else also had that question due to the stifling air.
Still, her aura was powerful. It begged the question ¡®Is she a god?¡¯
¡°No, I¡¯m a vessel. If I were a god, then I wouldn¡¯t have lost my homnd and lived my life in hiding.¡±
Murakan nodded as if he knew.
¡°She was a god¡¯s vessel. There¡¯s great wisdom remaining, but soon it¡¯ll be all gone.¡±
¡°That is true. However, saying so makes my heart hurt, O Great ck Dragon.¡±
¡°Listening to all of the conversations so far, I think it¡¯s pointing at the Kollon Ruins. You guys are Kollon natives. This is the first time I heard about a god who descended there. Who is it?¡±
¡°Even if I told you, you would not know. Besides, would you please show me the map?¡±
Laosa extended her arm and opened her hand. Jin lent her the map.
¡°My dead grandfather created this map. It was supposed to have two fates. And thankfully, instead of the Zipfels, it came to you. It seems my feeble devotions have worked.¡±
¡°May I ask what is written on that map?¡±
(The one who reads this through a Kollon¡¯s heart,
Please do not forsake us.
Pleasee and shout; we are mere quiet people.
Quiet people.
The god gave us a heavy order, but not enough strength to execute it.
I am resentful.)
Laosa slowly read and interpreted the sentences written in their native tongue.
¡°Something like that.¡±
Despite her calm voice, Laosa shed a tear. She remembered the centuries of oppression and her dead grandfather.
¡°The order written here is to protect the item located on the ¡®X¡¯. Do you know the situation in Kollon?¡±
¡°It¡¯s in ruins because of the Zipfels. While at home, I have executed a mission there.¡±
¡°Haha¡ Under the guise of artifact excavation, the Zipfel n is trying to find our sacred item. Even with their advanced magic, they are struggling to do so. However, it¡¯s only a matter of time before they seed. Since we cannot stop them.¡±
Tssssssssss.
The kettle blew steam. Pan, who was slowly serving the tea, seemed to be holding back his tears. His back flinched every now and then.
Regainingposure, Pan distributed the filled teacups. Laosa smiled.
¡°My grandfather was a realistic person. Without any promise of reciprocation, he begged to not be forsaken¡ However, I am not like that. Would you like to make a trade with me?¡±
¡°You¡¯re literally on the verge of losing your wisdom, and you want to trade? Just ask us for help. We¡¯re going to go to the Kollon Ruins anyway.¡±
Although he spoke harsh words, Murakan really wanted to help Laosa¡¯s helplessness.
Jin also thought that a deal was not necessary. As Murakan said, they were going to go anyway, and his original n was to prevent the Zipfels from getting their hands on the mirror artifact.
¡°I do not believe in favors done out of pity. Pan and I had to suffer many battles just to achieve this small house.¡±
¡°Oh, Lady Laosa. Please forget thoze memories. I apologize.¡±
¡°If you are sorry, then please stop drinking and getting arrested, Pan. Anyways, if you are willing to save my people, there is only one thing I can offer.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°I will use the rest of my divine power to call your god. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s been a while since you heard Solderet¡¯s voice.¡±
Murakan and Jin looked at each other.
¡°Hoho¡ You seem to know a lot. How does this city have an old god¡¯s vessel and Az Mil¡¯s contractor? Too many kids with irvoyance and wisdom. What¡¯re you gonna do, Jin?¡±
¡°What do you think? There¡¯s no reason to refuse. I understand, Lady Laosa. I will leave for the Kollon Ruins soon. However, I can¡¯t guarantee that I can save your people.¡±
He would help them if it were as simple as fighting the Zipfel magicians, obtaining the mirror, and escorting the natives to safety.
But salvation wasn¡¯t his thing.
¡°Going there is already enough. I will tell you more about the internal problems, so please stay a little longer.¡±
* * *
February 20th, 1796.
Only three were going to the Kollon Ruins: Jin, Murakan, and Kashimir.
After the death of Andrei and Vyuretta, Quikantel could not show her face to the Zipfels at any moment. Gilly¡¯s powers were still being suppressed, and Enya was too inexperienced to venture on such a mission.
As for Alisa, she needed to stay in Tikan to maintain security.
So, by process of elimination, the three men had to go. They disguised themselves as normal tourists and got ready to leave.
However, they already hit a problem.
¡®What¡¯s this¡? They¡¯re not opening the ruins to tourists anymore?¡¯
Things had changed since Jin¡¯s cadet days.
The Kollon Ruins had be a restricted area that even barred people during the day.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 104: Tragedy of Kollon (3)
Chapter 104: Tragedy of Kollon (3)
Volume 5 Chapter 104 ¨C Tragedy of Kollon (3)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡°Damn, I should¡¯ve sent some agents beforehand.¡±
Disappointed, Kashimir shook his head.
They didn¡¯t send anyone before due to the chances of their n getting foiled.
Also, because the Kollon Ruins was such an open tourist area, they didn¡¯t think that they needed to scout the situation.
¡°Even if you sent your goons, there would be no difference.¡±
¡°That¡¯s true, but¡¡±
While everyone stood in despair, Jin remembered that this didn¡¯t happen in his past life.
¡®The Kollon Ruins were always open before my regression. That¡¯s why the brave journalist incident urred in the first ce¡ Maybe my cadet mission here changed something.¡¯
After dealing with the living golems andmitting arson, he had returned to his n.
And the Zipfels announced it as an ident instead of an act of terrorism or invasion.
Responsibility.
That word shot through Jin¡¯s mind.
¡®In my past life, eleven yearster, the world found out about the Zipfels¡¯ n through the journalist. And since the fate of the world changed because of me, the n should be exposed earlier.¡¯
He didn¡¯t really care about the Kollon natives who he had never seen even a single time. However, he didn¡¯t want to make their lives more miserable because of his regression.
¡®I can¡¯t save them as Laosa wished. Well, there¡¯s no need to anyway. However, I don¡¯t need to be like the Zipfel scum who contribute to their suffering.¡¯
Jin looked at the ¡®Restricted Area¡¯ sign with the Zipfel n¡¯s dragon coat of arms.
¡°What¡¯re you gonna do, kiddo? I think trespassing is dangerous since we don¡¯t know their inner workings and troop count.¡±
¡°That¡¯s correct. And you mentioned that Zipfels used this area for forbidden magic? I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll only be a few stationed troops, Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°Hmm¡ There¡¯s a very high chance that they got rid of the evidence for that stuff since I got exposed to it. But this sign¡ Isn¡¯t it a little strange?¡±
Kashimir and Murakan looked where Jin pointed.
¡°What is?¡±
¡°They only installed a steel fence, and there¡¯s no security or barrier magic. Just a sign. The Zipfel n wouldn¡¯t manage an important restricted area like this.¡±
The barrier was very crude for a world-ss n like the Zipfels.
¡°Now that you mention it, you¡¯re right, Young Master Jin. Of course, even though there¡¯s no security, nobody would be crazy enough to enter when the Zipfels¡¯ insignia is ring right at them. But indeed, it¡¯s very poorly done.¡±
¡°When I first came here for a mission, there were many security spells even on the low-tier relic storages. I think the Zipfel n is neglecting this area.¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t Lady Laosa say that the Zipfels were searching for the Kollon natives¡¯ sacred object? Because of this, many natives were massacred to obtain it. But since they¡¯re neglecting it, doesn¡¯t that mean they already found it?¡±
¡°No idea. They¡¯ve been oppressing them for centuries, and their forbidden magic experiments were already exposed to an outsider. For all we know, they could be just leaving the natives alone.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t think that the Zipfels had found the mirror that quickly. If so, they would have already been mass producing 7-star magicians in the magic academy.
¡°In fact, this sign looks too crude. It¡¯s made of wood, not even steel. It looks like a magician just pped it on there.¡±
¡°That could also be the case. They could just be tired of tourists, so someone could¡¯ve asked the Zipfels for permission to close the area for a while. Every organization is bound to have azy manager.¡±
The three just walked past the sign, and the more they walked, the more they were certain with their deductions.
¡®Seeing as there are weeds here and there, it means they¡¯re not tending to it. But still, there¡¯s not a single animal, which means that there are still people in here.¡¯
The museum, warehouse, and magicians¡¯ lodgings were just as he remembered it.
In fact, Jin could see the traces of arson that hemitted. Seeing that they greatly neglected thend, he knew that the Zipfels disposed of the area.
¡°Oh, I see some people over there. Crimson-people like Laosa.¡±
They saw some figures at the end of the road. The three hid in the trees to observe them. The crimson-people looked pretty depressed.
¡®The natives¡¯ presence means that the mirror is still here. Then why did the Zipfels clear out this ce¡? Did they just give up after trying for centuries, just like Kashimir said?¡¯
Right as Jin thought about it, a man emerged from within the crowd.
A man with messy silver hair. He shouted at the crimson-people, but it looked like he was drunk.
¡®His hair color is the same as Beradin¡¯s¡ And that looks like a wine bottle in his hand. Maybe¡?¡¯
A name popped into mind.
The man deemed as the ¡®Hysteric of the Tower¡¯ in Jin¡¯s past life.
¡®Myuron Zipfel?¡¯
Kelliark Zipfel¡¯s sixth son.
As his nickname suggested, Myuron was very hysterical and hot-headed. He would be a celebrity in the future due to his strange demeanor. Mostly because his behavior contradicted the Zipfels¡¯ dignified image.
¡°Young Master, that seems to be Myuron Zipfel. The silver hair is the symbol of their n. And amongst the pureblood Zipfels, he is the only one known to wield a wine bottle in broad daylight.¡±
Kashimir also knew about him.
¡°What? A pureblood Zipfel? Why¡¯s that guy in this uninhabitednd?¡±
¡°Sir Murakan, Myuron¡¯s behavior is known to be rowdy, so he doesn¡¯t get a lot of respect within the Zipfel n. Last I heard was that he¡¯s the Pir of the Zipfels¡¯ Seventh Tower of Magicians, but it seems he was demoted? Or maybe he¡¯s on vacation.¡±
¡°Hmmm, if he¡¯s a pureblood, he must have many guardian magicians. Let¡¯s decide on our next move after we see how many bodyguards he has.¡±
¡°When Myuron goes back into the building, let¡¯s talk to the crimson-people. I think that hearing some insight about the situation is the best way to approach this.¡±
The three waited in the trees until Myuron returned to the building.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
The problem was that Myuron never went back into the building.
¡°That motherfucker¡ What is he? He¡¯s been out here for eight hours, stuffing his ass with alcohol. He isn¡¯t even going to the restroom.¡±
After Myuron showed up, he immediately sat down and began to drink. He hadn¡¯t moved a single inch since then.
¡°I¡¯ve heard rumors that Myuron Zipfel was an alcoholic, but this is too much.¡±
Still, the three didn¡¯t gain nothing from hiding and observing the enemy. Every time Myuron shouted or talked to himself, they were able to extract some information.
First, Myuron didn¡¯t seem to have any other magicians around him.
And he came to the Kollon Ruins because the n ¡®banished¡¯ him.
¡ªKuhaha, those old elder hag bitches treated me like a disposable cockroach. Hehe, those cute fucks¡ More wine!
Shouting such things very often.
Although he looked defenseless, the crimson-people didn¡¯t dare to touch him.
In fact, every time he waved his hand in the air, the Kollon natives either flinched or lowered their heads.
¡°I don¡¯t think he has any backup with him. Don¡¯t we just need to beat him up and then escape with the crimson-people?¡±
Annoyed, Murakan gritted his teeth.
¡°Sir Murakan, Myuron Zipfel is an 8-star magician. On top of that, as the Pir of the Seventh Tower of Magicians, he must have many artifacts.¡±
¡°What¡¯s the problem? Runt, I know I lost a lot of power, but you think I can¡¯t fight an 8-star magician? We have you and this kid as well.¡±
¡°He¡¯s not just any 8-star. He¡¯s a Zipfel, Murakan. Killing a pureblood Zipfel is something to ponder about. With the death of Andrei some time ago, this can affect world politics.¡±
¡°You think I don¡¯t know that? I¡¯m just pissed and annoyed, okay?!¡±
If there were Zipfel magicians stationed within the area, then it would be easier to take action. They could fight the troops, win, then evacuate the Kollon natives.
However, they couldn¡¯t do anything because Myuron was a pureblood.
¡®This isn¡¯t good. As soon as Myuron dies, there¡¯ll be bloodlust from the Zipfels.¡¯
After the death of Andrei, the cold war between the Runcandels and Zipfels had escted.
The Zipfels only remained silent because they did not have evidence that a Runcandel killed Andrei. But things would change if another pureblood Zipfel died.
In fact, assassination would also be impossible. Even though Myuron looked defenseless, they were certain that he would cast defensive spells whenever he passed out.
¡®We need to make it so that the Zipfels stay put even if Myuron dies.¡¯
The best way would be to uncover evidence regarding their forbidden magic experiments. If they could obtain evidence, then the n of magicians wouldn¡¯t budge despite Myuron¡¯s death.
¡®But I¡¯m certain that the remnants of the experiments were demolished¡ Huh?¡¯
Jin covered his own mouth.
While thinking, he forgot one crucial truth.
¡°Murakan! Laosa said that there are about two hundred Kollon natives left, right?¡±
¡°Yeah. That¡¯s why the runt prepared some ships.¡±
¡°¡And how many Kollon natives have we seen so far?¡±
¡°About fifty¡ Wait¡¡±
Murakan and Kashimir sighed.
They hadn¡¯t even seen fifty natives. Including the ones near Myuron.
¡°I don¡¯t think the others are resting or anything¡ They aren¡¯t conducting more living golem experiments, right¡?¡±
If they were conducting living golem experiments using the Kollon natives¡
It was no longer about a deterrent.
¡°Once Myuron falls asleep, let¡¯s check inside theplex.¡±
FWIP.
The moment Jin finished his sentence, the three simultaneously looked back at the entrance of the ruins.
They sensed some footsteps.
Rustle, rustle¡
Someone wasing in.
¡®The footsteps are delicate. Someone who came in without permission, like us.¡¯
However, the person wasn¡¯t talented in concealing their footsteps.
Jin hid his presence with spiritual energy and held his dagger on the new trespasser¡¯s throat.
¡°Who are you?¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 105: Tragedy of Kollon (4)
Chapter 105: Tragedy of Kollon (4)
Volume 5 Chapter 105 ¨C Tragedy of Kollon (4)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
The invader froze like a statue as soon as he felt the de.
He looked very nervous. A man who was a little shorter than Jin.
¡°I will not ask twice. Reveal your identity.¡±
¡°Wahaha¡!¡±
Myuron Zipfel¡¯sugh could be heard from far away. Murakan and Kashimir evaluated the situation and shifted their vision from Myuron to the unknown man.
¡°I-I am¡ª¡±
Gulp!
The man gulped and flexed his muscles. He was trying to suppress his shudders of fear.
Jin thought the man had some courage. It seemed that he wasn¡¯t a knight or a magician, but just a normal civilian.
¡°Dino¡ Dino Zeglun. A journalist.¡±
As soon as he heard the name, Jin¡¯s eyes widened.
¡®Dino Zeglun, the journalist guy?!¡¯
Jin remembered that name. Before his regression, Dino Zeglun was the journalist who exposed the Zipfels¡¯ twisted objectives and the tragedy of Kollon.
He sheathed his dagger.
¡°Turn around.¡±
Dino slowly turned. Although he looked like he was in his early 20s, his facial features suggested that he was younger.
Jin began to analyze the journalist.
¡®Early 20s, frail body. So this guy wrote the report against the Zipfels without a hint of fear. And he¡¯s already investigating the Kollon Ruins, which means he¡¯s been investigating this case for at least a decade.¡¯
Respectable.
Jin felt respect for the man. A man named Dino, who came from nowhere with nothing to lose, exposed the Zipfels simply from pure work ethic.
The journalist could not look at Jin, who was already covering his face with Myulta¡¯s Rune.
With fearful eyes, Dino also began to analyze him¡ªwhether the man with the helm was a Zipfel underling or a relic raider. Or maybe a person who also came to explore the Kollon Ruins.
¡°A journalist? Did youe for some news?¡±
Jin tossed the question, and Dino slowly nodded.
¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±
¡°What is it about?¡±
¡°¡Before I respond, may I ask about your affiliation?¡±
¡°Man! Look at this runt. So fun to watch humans tremble in fear. Especially if it¡¯s a journalist.¡±
Snickering, Murakan walked towards Jin.
Kashimir followed the ck dragon. He pulled out two masks, covered his face with one, and handed the other to Murakan.
Jin began tough as well.
¡°Didn¡¯t you two already reveal your face to this fellow?¡±
¡°Covering up is still a good idea.¡±
¡°Uh, I don¡¯t want to put this on.¡±
¡°Put it on.¡±
¡°Well, whatever.¡±
And from this short conversation, Dino could easily identify the leader of the group.
¡®This guy still sounds like a kid¡ but he¡¯s the leader. He¡¯s not a normal raider or a soldier. Who are these people? I don¡¯t think they¡¯re evil or anything.¡¯
The two fixed their masks, and Jin opened his mouth once more.
¡°We won¡¯t kill you or anything, so you can calm down. As for our affiliation¡ Hmmm¡ We¡¯re just passersby.¡±
¡°You guys are¡ passersby?¡±
¡°It means, ¡®Don¡¯t ask.¡¯ Now it¡¯s your turn to answer. Is there some breaking news here? Or did youe for some allowance from the Zipfel n¡¯s sixth son over there?¡±
Jin turned his head towards Myuron.
He intentionally threw a question to aggravate Dino. That way, he could identify the determined young man¡¯s main goal. Then, Jin could reveal his own motives and team up with the journalist.
Dino chuckled and made an awkward smile.
¡°Allowance, you say¡ Yeah, there¡¯s a lot of journalists like that. Rotten ves who write articles that benefit the rich and noble. If you guys are Zipfel underlings, I¡¯d be dead. I came to rake the muck and expose the garbage.¡±
Satisfied with the response, Jin smiled.
¡®A very respectable fellow.¡¯
It was known that courage shone brighter when onecked strength.
With that in mind, Jin felt great satisfaction from Dino. Additionally, he had a feeling that the journalist would be a great ally with good intel.
¡°Exposing Myuron Zipfel. A random journalist! This is the most moving joke I¡¯ve heard this year.¡±
¡°So¡ are you guys Zipfel underlings? Since I said I¡¯ll expose Myuron, are you going to kill me now?¡±
Dino already forgot about his trembling fear. Weirdly enough, he trusted Jin when he said ¡®We won¡¯t kill you or anything.¡¯
¡°No way. We came due to a friend¡¯s request to rescue the Kollon natives. Unfortunately, we can¡¯t reveal our identities to you, Journalist Dino Zeglun. However, I think we have amon goal. Don¡¯t you think so?¡±
Dino blinked and stared at the three masked men.
Many different emotions made his heart race. Amongst them, the biggest was happiness from finding allies after a long era of solitude and istion.
¡°You guys¡ you guys know about the Kollon natives¡¯ plight¡!¡±
¡°Not very well. We only know that they were conquered by the Zipfels centuries ago and that they¡¯ve lived their lives as ves until now.¡±
¡°Hey, kid. Can you tell this guy all of that?¡±
Murakan intruded on the conversation, and Kashimir lightly put his hand over Murakan¡¯s mouth before pushing him backwards.
Murakan red at Kashimir with beastly eyes.
¡®Eup! What¡¯re you doing, runt? You crazy?¡¯
¡®Young Master Jin seems to be digging for information to find a deterrent against the Zipfels¡¯ retaliation for Myuron¡¯s assassination. Let¡¯s just watch.¡¯
Kashimir had a good feeling about Jin¡¯s actions, so he whispered to Murakan. Just as he said, Jin was trying to get something out of Dino.
In order to prevent a full-scale war, they needed to find a way to prevent the Zipfel n from acting upon another pureblood Zipfel¡¯s death.
¡®In fact, it¡¯s likely that Dino knows a lot about the n¡¯s atrocities against the Kollon natives. Even now, he¡¯s in the restricted area, hunting for scoops.¡¯
Of course, they needed to check for a few things first.
¡°Dino, we have actually been here since noon, and we¡¯ve been observing Myuron ever since. Because we don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on inside, we¡¯re just gathering intel. We¡¯re just here to help the Kollon natives escape instead of assassinating Myuron.¡±
First, how much Dino knew about the Kollon Ruins¡¯ situation. It could be that he only had the fervor for his quest instead of any valuable information.
However, the journalist provided a satisfying answer once more.
¡°It¡¯s only Myuron who¡¯s here. And I think that the person who asked you to help the Kollon natives must be Prophet Laosa. Is that right?¡±
¡°Have you been investigating this area ever since?¡±
¡°No. It hasn¡¯t been long since I started exploring this region. I just found out about her while I interviewed the natives.¡±
His story went on.
After Laosa escaped, the Zipfel n began to abuse the Kollon natives. Afterst year¡¯s arson case, they sealed up the area and forced Myuron to tend thend by himself.
¡°That¡¯s what they did to obtain the divine relic. The n seemed to be diverting all their attention to it, but now, it¡¯s just Myuron here. Maybe their interest declined. I mean, they still haven¡¯t found it even after three hundred years.¡±
Dino pulled out a journal from his chest and handed it to Jin.
A journal with all of the events that happened in the Kollon Ruins after Myuron¡¯s arrival.
(January 3rd, 1796.
Three Kollon natives missing. Myuron probably dragged them into the basement.)
(January 5th, 1796.
The Kollon natives I used to talk to are all gone. I could interview Latika Tika Mamutika. I was told by this native that Myuron was conducting experiments on them. Tika¡ her eyes were filled with fear.)
As Jin calmly read through the journal, he could only focus on the word ¡®experiment¡¯.
¡°Nice journal you got here. As soon as Myuron finds out about this, you¡¯d be dead meat.¡±
¡°As soon as they find out about me, I¡¯m dead. This is proof that I¡¯m doing worthwhile work, and it keeps me responsible. I¡¯m sure you already know from the journal, but Myuron is conducting experiments on the Kollon natives.¡±
¡°Are you sure?¡±
¡°I¡¯m certain. Before the Kollon Ruins closed down, I heard that the Zipfels were conducting living golem experiments. However, it seems the Kollon natives who reported these sightings didn¡¯t seem to know about living golems¡¡±
Dino knew much more than Jin expected.
¡°Myuron¡¯s basement will be the best evidence. Before he came, there were at least two hundred natives. However, most of them got dragged into the basement, and now there are only fifty of them left.¡±
Dino gritted his teeth. Jin was still scanning the journal, and it seemed the journalist had deep ties with the natives.
Basement.
If he could preserve the evidence or publicize a sketch, it could prevent the Zipfels from budging.
¡°Recently, he hasn¡¯t been using the natives for experiments. He may be leaving some alive to find the relic.¡±
Jin continued to read the journal.
(February 6th, 1796.
While investigating, Myuron caught me. Thankfully, he was drunk, and he didn¡¯t do much other than offer me a drink. Maybe I can get more information by taking advantage of this.)
(February 7th, 1796.
I set out to find Myuron if he remembered me, and thankfully he did. He said that he¡¯ll forgive me foring into a restricted area as long as Ie as a drinking buddy. It¡¯s a sess.)
And that was two weeks ago.
¡°¡Ho. So you¡¯ve seeded in encountering Myuron.¡±
Dino grinned and nodded.
¡°Yes, my visit today is to get some information out of him while acting as a friend. Myuron always sits there, drinks, and causes a ruckus.¡±
At this point, Kashimir and Murakan couldn¡¯t hide their surprise. They had been waiting since daylight, making no progress, but this journalist provided everything they needed to know.
¡°I am very thankful that I met you all. So¡ what do you think? I will attract his attention, so you guys can go check out the basement.¡±
Jin shook his head.
¡°No, we can¡¯t do that.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 106: Tragedy of Kollon (5)
Chapter 106: Tragedy of Kollon (5)
Volume 5 Chapter 106 ¨C Tragedy of Kollon (5)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡°Do you not like the n? There¡¯s not a single guard or magician in there. As long as I can divert his attention, sneaking a peek in the basement would be easy as pie.¡±
¡°Nah. Let¡¯s say that you do distract him. We go check the basement and see there really are living golem experiments. Then we can guarantee some evidence of the experiments. We can¡¯t guarantee your safety after that.¡±
¡°Can¡¯t I just deal with him while he drinks and then slowly withdraw? After you all escape the basement, that is.¡±
¡°It seems you don¡¯t know a lot about magicians. How many security spells do you think are in there? The moment we approach the basement, Myuron will definitely find out. Then you¡¯re dead.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯te here without knowing the possibility of death.¡±
¡°Sometimes there is a difference between courage and foolishness, my journalist friend. There¡¯s no point in dying before you even start the revolution.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t want to use Dino like a disposable card. This brave journalist had all rights for a prolonged life.
And if Dino died, then all of his precious progress would be lost.
¡°Let¡¯s do this instead. With your introduction, we also be Myuron¡¯s drinking buddies.¡±
¡°Pardon?¡±
¡°Let¡¯s go drink together. We¡¯ll pretend to be stranded soldiers and storytellers. Our story is that we just met you coincidentally and you brought us to him because you thought we were cool.¡±
¡°You think Myuron will believe that? I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be suspicious.¡±
Jin sighed and grinned.
¡°From your experience, what kind of person is he?¡±
¡°A lunatic. A sadist who feels refreshment from others¡¯ misfortune and pain¡ Something like that.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. But is that all? Even though he¡¯s living each day like that, he¡¯s the Zipfels¡¯ sixth son. I¡¯m sure he already knows who you are.¡±
Dino quickly waved his hands in front, denying that fact.
¡°No way. If he knew, then he wouldn¡¯t have kept me alive.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t know your exact identity. But read your journal again. Every single native you interviewed had been dragged into the basement. What would this mean?¡±
Dino had thought that the order of Myuron¡¯s experimental subjects were random and not at all rted to his own actions because the Zipfel wasn¡¯t harming the journalist in any way. However, following basic logic, a person of power wouldn¡¯t let someone undermine their ns.
The misconception impaired Dino¡¯s thought process, even though he had recorded that every single native he talked with had been dragged into the basement within a week.
¡°And a drinking buddy¡ You think Myuron is really keeping you around because he¡¯s lonely? There¡¯s no way. He had been observing a rat trapped in a cage. You.¡±
¡°What do you¡ A rat in a cage¡ Me¡¡±
¡°Yeah. Maybe he got a little curious. ¡®Why is this kid so courageous for no reason? Why is this kid not realizing that I¡¯m dragging natives each time he talks to them?¡¯ Thinking something like that.¡±
¡°There¡¯s¡ no way. What would he gain from doing that?¡±
¡°You said it yourself. He¡¯s a lunatic who enjoys others¡¯ suffering. Then, he¡¯d be feeling great watching you, right?¡±
Instantaneously, Dino started stumbling backwards.
He thought that Jin¡¯s theory was a stretch. However, there was no way to refute it; the logic was wless. And if it were true, he didn¡¯t know how topensate for the natives whom he indirectly killed.
¡°So even if we all go together, he won¡¯t be cautious. He would wee us as if you were a cute rat bringing new rat friends. In his perspective, he¡¯s just getting more toys.¡±
Jin was saying this so confidently for three reasons.
First, excluding Tika, every native who came in contact with Dino was dragged into the basement.
Second, the stories he heard about Myuron Zipfel before his regression. The rambunctious Tona twins could be considered angelspared to him.
Third, thest conversation he had with Beradin at the Cosmos Arena. They exchanged many words that night, but in one of their conversations, Beradin mentioned that he despised Myuron.
¡ªElder Brother Myuron is a handful. You can¡¯t evenpare him to old hag, fossil-face Andrei. Just thinking about him makes me puke while I sleep. I have no idea why the elders let him be the Pir of the Seventh Tower of Magicians.
¡ªHuh, you despise him that much? What kind of person is this man?
¡ªDante, a nice guy like you could never conceive the level of that sadistic, psychopathic monster.
Jin found it weird that he firmly trusted Beradin¡¯s evaluation of Myuron. He also kind of missed Dante and Beradin for a second.
¡°All of that¡ What if it¡¯s wrong? If y-you read the journal, then one native is still alive even after making contact with me.¡±
¡°Latika Tika Mamutika.¡±
¡°Yes, she is¡¡±
Dino stopped, then gritted his teeth.
¡°I truly wish your theory is wrong. If it is as you expected, then I think I know why Myuron let Tika live¡¡±
¡°Let¡¯s go check it outter. I don¡¯t know if my imagination is vivid, or Myuron is hot garbage.¡±
¡°Hey, kiddo. This is cool and all, but what¡¯re you gonna do when you meet Myuron?¡±
¡°What am I gonna do? I¡¯m going to y along with him and strike him when the time is right. Hearing what Dino said, if we just kill him, then it¡¯s over.¡±
Understanding Jin¡¯s intent, Kashimir nodded and confirmed.
¡°ying along with him while he drinks must be to distract him. Surely, he does not know how strong we are. We can also check for traps or something.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. While drinking and talking with him, wouldn¡¯t there be a chance to strike when his guard is down? I mean, even though my n may be wed, a battle is imminent.¡±
The four gathered and nned their roles.
Each of them selected a fake name and upation. They nned scripts and coordinated conversations just in case.
¡°If we somehow get inside, we must find the natives. Once a battle starts, our priority is to protect Dino and the natives.¡±
¡°And if any of us senses that Myuron lowered his guard, execute him immediately.¡±
Dino then summarized all he knew about the Kollon Ruins in five minutes.
¡°The central basement is where everyone goes. But I will say this one more time: there are no guards or magicians. Since I can¡¯t engage in battle, I can only wish you the best of luck.¡±
After organizing their raid, they began to walk down the path to Myuron. Dino led the way, and the other three followed. Jin took off Myulta¡¯s Rune, and Kashimir and Murakan removed their masks.
Myuron¡ªwho had been talking to himself¡ªsensed their footsteps and waved at Dino.
¡°Oh! I was waiting for you, Dino. Hehe, I can¡¯t talk with these uncivilized fes here¡ And you brought friends today?¡±
As soon as he saw Myuron¡¯s smile, Dino could only feel goosebumps crawling up his back.
¡®As the kid said¡ he¡¯s weing us.¡¯
Dino barely managed to maintainposure. He lowered his head.
¡°I apologize for bringing people without permission, Sir Myuron. I met them coincidentally, and I thought you¡¯d get sick of talking to me¡ If I went overboard, I apologize.¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay, no worries. Where did you meet them?¡±
Myuron looked over to the campfire and spoke.
It looked as if he wanted to hide his grin.
¡°I met them while plowing for herbs in the Peylon Kingdom. They were soldiers in the kingdom¡¯s northern region, but it seems they were returning home for vacation.¡±
¡°I am honored to meet you, Sir Myuron Zipfel.¡±
¡°I am honored¡ª¡±
¡°Enough, enough. I don¡¯t need self-introductions. Get those pointless greetings out of here. Hey! Bring more sses!¡±
A Kollon native ran over with more goblets and distributed them.
Glugluglug.
Myuron poorly filled their goblets. They overflowed with wine, dark purple sttering everyone.
¡°Dino¡ Dino Zeglun.¡±
Throwing the ss bottle away, Myuron made a strange smile. Then squinted his eyes, staring into the fire.
¡°Yes, Sir Myuron?¡±
¡°Two weeks ago, I really wanted to know who you were. Amoner whoes into the Zipfels¡¯ restricted area without remorse. People like that don¡¯t exist.¡±
¡°I apologize.¡±
¡°Ah, hehe. I¡¯m not trying to me or me you. Anyways, from then on, you got on my nerves¡ Especially when you met the natives without my knowing! I thought you were a bad supervisor that my father stuck onto me. He has his ways, you see. Hehe, hehe, hehehehe.¡±
Myuron chuckled. Dino didn¡¯t know what to do, so he just waited for Myuron¡¯s next words.
The visitors were hypersensitive. They felt that the situation was unraveling faster than expected.
¡°And now you bring friends into the restricted area without my permission¡? Aaah! Oh heavens. My Dino, what is wrong with you? How could you be so fearless? I can¡¯t understand you. I¡¯m about to get goosebumps!¡±
Myuron burst into hysterical, maniacalughter. His body quaked from it. He shook so much that he would¡¯ve stuffed his head into the fire if he wasn¡¯t careful.
¡°Sir¡Myuron?¡±
Halt.
Myuron immediately stoppedughing and sipped some wine.
¡°But now I know. Why your liver¡¯s so big and swollen.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know what that means¡¡±
¡°The Garden of Swords. The ones behind you are from there.¡±
Cling!
Jin swung his sword first. Simultaneously, Kashimir stabbed Myuron¡¯s back, and Murakan conjured a force field around Dino.
ng!
Something deflected the two swords.
It was a force field from condensed mana that was hidden by the fire.
¡®I couldn¡¯t detect this much mana? He had his face up close to the fire because of this?¡¯
Murakan was shocked.
Even though Myuron was not a spiritual energy user, he couldpletely conceal his mana usage.
¡°Jin Runcandel! It seems the runaway prophet begged at your feet!¡±
¡°It seems you know my face. I thought we nned it out pretty well, but now our fake identities weren¡¯t even used.¡±
Jin stepped back, clicked his tongue, and fixed his stance.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 107: Tragedy of Kollon (6)
Chapter 107: Tragedy of Kollon (6)
Volume 5 Chapter 107 ¨C Tragedy of Kollon (6)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
They couldn¡¯t really attack.
From the fire, many condensed mana spheres emerged and surrounded Myuron. The three had never seen this kind of magic.
However, they could sense it. It was dangerous.
¡®What¡¯s this? I can see the mana clearly with my own two eyes, but I can¡¯t sense it. And on top of that, Myuron knows my face.¡¯
There was no need to know why Myuron knew. Among the four Zipfels who came to the Runcandel banquet, one of them could have drawn Jin¡¯s profile and shared it with the n.
¡®I should be careful whenever I face a pureblood Zipfel.¡¯
¡°Ehehehehehe. Kuhahaha!¡±
Myuron keptughing like a hyena. It was hard to tell if he was confident in winning or just crazy.
¡°I pity that prophet bitch. She went to beg the Runcandels but didn¡¯t know that they sent a child to me. Wait, aren¡¯t you still a provisional g-bearer? It could¡¯ve been a personal request from her, then. Hehehe.¡±
As Myuron chuckled, Jin was still thinking.
¡®It¡¯s hard to conceal one¡¯s presence even with spiritual energy. An artifact can¡¯t do that either. Is this guy also a contractor?¡¯
Jin dug through his memories from before his regression but couldn¡¯t find any information on him. All the information known about Myuron was only about his crazy personality and crimes.
Jin nced at Murakan, and he didn¡¯t seem to know either. He then looked at Kashimir but realized that the Ghostde wouldn¡¯t know much about magic.
¡®It looks like he has a special ability, but he¡¯s still an 8-star. As long as we don¡¯t get distracted, we will never lose. If he doesn¡¯t cheat like Andrei who used the Demon God¡¯s Orb, that is.¡¯
He was an opponent that Jin couldn¡¯t face by himself. But with Murakan and Kashimir, he had the upper hand.
¡®I just need to fight while keeping in mind that I can¡¯t read the flow of mana.¡¯
Making this conclusion, Jin conjured his aura.
¡°h, h. Shut the fuck up. Yourughter also sounds disgusting.¡±
¡°Fufu, let¡¯s have some fun.¡±
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
The mana spheres quickly froze. Instantaneously, Myuron threw the ice spheres at Jin.
The nine globes of ice the size of cannonballs each split into three smaller projectiles.
Jin and Kashimir dodged to the side. Murakan urately punched each one, having the need to protect Dino.
¡°Oho. Was there a martial artist among the Runcandel guardian knights?¡±
¡°Who the fuck are you takling about? Guardian knight? You dumbass¡ªYou bastard!¡±
After seeing the rest of the projectiles fly to the natives, Murakan spat on the ground then carried Dino¡ªthe journalist¡¯s body ced across the dragon¡¯s shoulders. The natives froze in fear.
After all, normal people couldn¡¯t dodge the fast projectiles.
Papak! Crack!
Murakan threw himself towards the bullets and shattered them with his fists.
¡°Are you all gonna die standing still, you idiots?!¡±
¡°Euhhhhh.¡±
¡°Uhhh.¡±
It sounded as if something was stuck in the natives¡¯ throats.
Murakan then noticed a horrifying sight. Most of them had a deep cut in their necks.
It wasn¡¯t a wound that they had the day before.
¡®Their vocal cords¡ They¡¯re all cut?!¡¯
Jin, Kashimir, and Dino also saw the atrocity. At least seventy percent of the nearby natives had their vocal cords severed.
¡°Aaaack! Y-You¡ You motherfucker!¡±
Dino¡ªwho had been frozen in ce¡ªlooked at Myuron and screamed. His eyes filled with tears and hatred.
¡°How could you?! I¡¯ll kill you¡ I¡¯ll kill¡ª!¡±
¡°Heehee. Dino, I ripped some of them out just to see what face you¡¯d make. It seems that you like my little art project.¡±
Myuron¡¯s maniacal grin distorted his face. His eyes curved like crescent moons, and his hair flipped in the wind.
Moreover, instead of targeting Jin and Kashimir, he was targeting the natives. Murakan was jumping here and there, but he couldn¡¯t do it for long.
It would be easier to transform into his true form. However, they were in and within the Lutero Magic Federation. The moment he turned into a dragon, all of the dragons affiliated with the Zipfel n would find their way to the Kollon Ruins.
Kashimir couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. With feverous anger, he red at Myuron. Dino kept screaming and shouting.
¡°Hehehe. AHAHAHAH! HAH!¡±
Myuron continued tough. However, it was only for a moment.
Jin froze.
And Myuron couldn¡¯t read anything from his expressionless face.
Nevertheless, Murakan could read his god¡¯s contractor¡¯s mind. A clear emotion.
Fury.
¡°Myuron Zipfel. Today is thest day.¡±
¡°Hm¡?¡±
The aura surrounding Bradamante receded.
Then, a ck energy began to envelop the de.
Badump!
Myuron¡¯sughter stopped, and he stared at Jin. He wasn¡¯t scared of the young Runcandel¡¯s new sword. However, it was the first time his heart beat so hard, so rapidly.
A premonition.
Myuron hadn¡¯t felt this in a while.
¡®What is this? Solderet¡¯s power? Then is Jin Runcandel¡?¡¯
The spiritual energy slowly surrounded the de.
¡°Keepughing. Just like before.¡±
Whoooom¡!
The surrounding darkness slowly grew darker and deeper.
In Jin¡¯s spiritual energy release, the surrounding environment was dyed ck. The deepened darkness then gathered to his de.
de: Unleash.
It was his first time using it after his spiritual energy reached 5-star.
¡®Young Master Jin¡ Is this the power of the shadows?¡¯
Kashimir gulped. He had seen Jin¡¯s swordsmanship for the longest time. However, Jin looked like a different person with Bradamante unleashed.
Jin activated Myulta¡¯s Rune, and his grim face was covered by the helm.
¡°Ha, haha¡ Does this mean Solderet stands with the Runcandels once more? Breaking the deal with us!¡±
The ice particles that were flying towards the natives stopped.
Jin did not answer and called Murakan and Kashimir before pointing to the sky.
¡°The two of you need to block that.¡±
They simultaneously looked up.
¡°Huh.¡±
¡°What the hell is that? When the hell did that bastard make that?¡±
Hundreds of ice balls floated in the sky, several times more than the Zipfel had shot. The transparent projectiles were barely visible, camouged in the night sky.
There wasn¡¯t a special reason as to why Murakan and Kashimir couldn¡¯t detect it. Myuron simply did not have a detectable flow of mana.
Jin¡ªwho was the most knowledgeable of magicians among the three of them¡ªfound out after some time of deduction. He deduced that Myuron was preparing something nasty.
¡°¡Heh, you finally noticed? I was gonna explode you and those pathetic crimson-people like bugs. Pop, pop, pop. Well, I guess I can¡¯t anymore.¡±
Regaining hisposure, Myuron grinned.
¡°But saving all of them will be hard.¡±
Myuron didn¡¯t want to talk further. He felt like he was facing mongrels instead of humans.
Shweeek!
Jin lifted off his feet with his sword overflowing with aura. His feet were light as a feather as he charged at Myuron with tremendous power and speed.
Myuron frantically cast a force field and shot the nearby ice bullets at Jin.
However, the ice projectiles were futile in stopping Jin. In the blink of an eye, all of the bullets shattered into ice crystals and helplessly fell to the ground.
Crack! sh!
Every time Myuron blinked, the de was closer than before. At that moment, he fell into a dilemma.
No, he was doubting. Would his force field be able to deflect Jin¡¯s de?
¡®It can¡¯t.¡¯
Quickly making a conclusion, Myuron quickly drew his wand. Instantly, he had cast multiple advanced spells. Jin couldn¡¯t read his mana this time as well.
Three spells were cast.
7-star me spell, Fire Barrier; 7-star ice spell, Ice Wall; 8-star wind spell, Mystic Hellwind. There weren¡¯t many magicians who could cast so many spells in such a short amount of time.
¡®It¡¯s fast, but it¡¯s not a simultaneous cast. Still, pretty impressive.¡¯
Two 7-star defensive spells, and Mystic Hellwind was an offensive spell. Mystic Hellwind was a spell that conjured hundreds of sharp wind des. A cruel and brutal spell infamous for its ability to chop up the enemy. It was the spell that Myuron enjoyed using.
Furthermore, it was a veryplex spell. Running through the ice projectiles, Jin halted to a stop and covered himself with spiritual energy. Myuron smiled as he let out a sigh of relief.
¡®As expected, he did contract with Solderet, but his understanding of magic iscking. He thought of just blocking it. Hellwind doesn¡¯t stop until the caster either dies or their mana runs out.¡¯
The spell began to scratch and tear at Jin¡¯s barrier, and feeling an ominous chill, Myuron turned his head.
A helm with two glimmering eyes¡ªJin.
The spiritual energy barrier was a diversion.
Jin had waited for the moment that the wind des were deflected, spread, and blocked Myuron¡¯s vision. Then, as Myuron¡¯s sight of Jin was obstructed, he quickly moved out.
If Jin hadn¡¯t known about Hellwind, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to pull it off. Even the caster of the spell themself would not be able to read the exact timing that Jin could react to.
¡°What?!¡±
Surprised, Myuron quickly withdrew the spell. He wanted to stop wasting mana and focus on his fire and ice barriers.
He finally found out how heavy and strong Jin¡¯s strike was.
Swinging Bradamante, Jin¡¯s eyes red up.
Kzzzt¡!
Myuron had never seen something like this before. He had fought many knights, and there were some who could ¡®cut away¡¯ his magic with a sword.
However, he never imagined how quickly the unleashed Bradamante could pierce the barriers.
¡®He¡¯s just erasing my magic¡!¡¯
His Fire Barrier and Ice Wall did not get cut or shattered. Instead, the fire was being extinguished.
The Ice Wall was prated first, and the oveying Fire Barrier died down.
His pure mana force field was the only defensiveyer remaining. As the sword approached him, Myuron could only step backwards with a shocked expression on his face.
However, along with that expression came excitement.
He ducked out of his force field and struck his wand on the ground. The floating ice projectiles began to fall, elerating to the speed of bullets.
¡°You would taste very good. Oh how glorious it would be! Good thing I stayed on thisnd¡!¡±
On the ground that Jin was standing on, a magic circle started to glow.
A trap.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 108: Tragedy of Kollon (7)
Chapter 108: Tragedy of Kollon (7)
Volume 5 Chapter 108 ¨C Tragedy of Kollon (7)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡°God damn it! Runt! Block it!¡±
¡°Alright!¡±
¡°You guys, gather around me!¡±
Murakan and Kashimir couldn¡¯t stop all of the falling ice. Blocking hundreds of projectiles would have been much easier if Murakan could transform into a dragon.
¡°Aaaack!¡±
¡°Euhh.¡±
Those with their vocal cords still intact screamed, and those with theirs severed let out a low, airy sound. There were also many who froze in ce.
¡°Hey! Move along if you don¡¯t want to die!¡±
Murakan swore and ran towards the ones who froze in fear. He tossed them to Kashimir.
¡°I¡¯m gonna send all of the natives to you, so just focus on blocking the ice bullets!¡±
¡°Toss them carefully, Sir Murakan!¡±
Jin could not participate in the rescue because of the magic trap.
Wooooom¡!
Mana chains emerged from the glowing magic circle beneath his feet and wrapped around his ankles.
Myuron was going to go crazy from the enthusiasm. As hundreds of ice bullets smashed into the ground, the earth rumbled and quaked.
¡°Isn¡¯t it¡ such a lovely night, Jin Runcandel?¡±
ng!
Jin swung Bradamante to cut the chains.
However, no matter how much he swung his sword and broke through the chains, new chains emerged and restrained him.
¡°Kuheeheehee, that¡¯s a spell that we, the Seventh Tower of Magicians, brag about. It¡¯s impossible¡¡±
Crack!
¡°¡to get out¡ Hmm, was that too weak? A, don¡¯t look at me like that. There¡¯s a lot more where that came from.¡±
Before Myuron couldplete his sentence, Jin broke free from the chains. He enhanced his spiritual energy then attacked, shattering the magic circle.
However, his surroundings still glowed with mana. Many magic circles were suspended in the air, so he couldn¡¯t move as freely.
¡®This guy is crazy. How many traps did he even cast? I can¡¯t read his mana flow, so I can¡¯t even sense these traps.¡¯
The Kollon Ruins was no longer a disposed ruin with all of the traps. It was now akin to a kind of magic fortress.
Jin had never fought someone in a ce with so many pre-cast spells.
Although it looked as if he escaped the mana chains with ease, in reality, it took quite a toll on him. Mustering explosive amounts of spiritual energy right after unleashing his de was not an easy feat.
¡®If all of his traps are like this¡ This is a little problemattic. I can¡¯t use spiritual energy like that much longer. I¡¯m just gonna die of exhaustion before I can even get my hands on him.¡¯
Murakan and Kashimir were busy saving the natives. They couldn¡¯t help until all of the ice projectiles had been deflected.
¡®But¡ can an 8-star magician use this much mana?¡¯
Although Jin couldn¡¯t read Myuron¡¯s mana flow, just by looking at the spells, he knew that Myuron needed to use insane amounts of mana at once.
Only considering the ice projectiles falling towards the natives, that would take at least sixty percent of an 8-star magician¡¯s mana.
¡®Even if he cast the traps beforehand, maintaining them would drain him quickly. In fact, he used three high-tier spells before this¡¡¯
It wasn¡¯t the strength of an 8-star. Either Myuron was a 9-star or¡
¡®He has a mana enhancement artifact. I have to find and destroy it.¡¯
¡°I wonder what you¡¯re pondering about.¡±
Myuron spun his wand through the air, and another trap was activated.
This time, a concentrated beam of mana was shot behind Jin. As he prepared to throw himself to the side to dodge, dozens of smaller magic circles were activated. It was a spell that Jin knew well.
¡®Erosion?!¡¯
An 8-star earth spell where any object within the magic circle would disintegrate and get absorbed by the ground.
There were only two ways to evade the spell: either break the magic with stronger spells or escape the area surrounded by the magic circles.
Instead of throwing himself into the activated earth spells, getting hit by the giantser was better.
Vooooom!
Jin used Bradamante to cut through the beam of light. Sparks of mana flew everywhere and burned Jin¡¯s skin. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t suffer any severe injuries.
Just as he was about to move out of theser, more Erosion traps were activated. The dark red mana began to disintegrate and vacuum the surroundings, and Jin gulped.
¡®Phew, I would¡¯ve died there.¡¯
The fact that he sliced through the 8-starser beam meant that his spiritual energy was stronger than Myuron¡¯s magic.
Myuron¡¯s eyes narrowed.
¡®Father said that Solderet was originally the God of Swords. As expected, Jin Runcandel will be hard to deal with when he uses his sword. And on top of that, he¡ understands my spells?¡¯
He thought that Jin¡¯s deflection of Hellwind was a coincidence.
However, his calm andposed actions at the activation of multiple traps and not dodging into Erosion were too perfect to be a coincidence.
¡°Wait, are you¡ a magic swordsman?¡±
Jin¡¯s eyes widened. Thankfully, his helm covered his face, so Myuron could not see his shock. No one had figured out Jin¡¯s specialty this fast.
Myuron wasn¡¯t the Pir of the Seventh Tower of Magicians for nothing.
He was definitely much stronger considering his horrible personality. In a mannerism-obsessed society like the Zipfel n, his magic had to be that much stronger topensate for his scumbag demeanor.
¡°Kuheehee. No answer! I¡¯m already sure of it. You¡¯re a magic swordsman.¡±
Myuron¡ªwho had kept his distance all this time¡ªapproached Jin.
It would be weird for him to enter closebat range as a magician against an opponent like Jin who had an unleashed sword. All of his traps were working fine, so there was no need to close the gap.
However, Jin instantly understood the magician¡¯s goal.
¡®He¡¯s going to inject mana into me and force a mana overload!¡¯
To those who possess mana, the most dangerous moment was when their mana began to overload.
For magicians, the oue of the battle was more predictable than that of knights. The magician with the stronger magic could induce a mana overload and easily end the battle.
This was not good for Jin.
Surrounded by dozens of activating traps, he couldn¡¯t move between all of the magic circles.
And conversely, Myuron walked through them as if it was nothing, so Jin¡¯s durable and powerful body was ruled out for the fight.
¡°Mana overload is the most devastating loss for those who possess magic¡ Kuheeha¡ªERK!¡±
However, in closebat, martial arts and swordsmanship weren¡¯t Jin¡¯s only skills.
As Myuron gathered inconceivable amounts of mana in his wand and prepared to stab Jin with it¡
sh!
An ancient light spell that offered him a second chance in moments of danger¡ªPhoton Cannon.
A powerful light shed between them. Jin smiled in relief, and Myuron stumbled backwards with hands over his eyes.
¡°The fuck are you mumbling about?¡±
As Myuron recoiled for a short moment, the traps¡¯ magic circles dimmed. The ice projectiles in the sky shattered into pieces. Jin then swung Bradamante.
sh!
Particles of spiritual energy scattered, trailing behind the de¡¯s path.
The feeling of cutting through flesh and bones. Jin could sense it through his fingertips.
¡®Left arm. Disappointing.¡¯
He aimed to cut Myuron in half, but Jin could only cut his left arm. The magician used his mana andpressed the air to change Bradamante¡¯s trajectory.
¡®Reactions unlike any magician, almost like a beast. He¡¯sckingpared to Andrei, but he¡¯s still a formidable opponent.¡¯
He knew that he couldn¡¯t kill with another attack, so he nned to escape the trap-infested grounds instead.
The entirety of the Kollon Ruins was covered in traps anyway. Despite this, Jin concluded that the most dangerous traps were on the battlefield.
Plop.
Myuron¡¯s left arm fell on the ground, and a whirlpool of dark mist spiraled around the wound. The same was urring for his shoulder. The remaining spiritual energy ate away at his bones and flesh.
¡°Wow¡ Amazing! The power of light and shadow. I really want it for myself. Erk!¡±
Myuron let out a deep breath and conjured a small magic sword. He cut off the wound infected with the dark spiritual energy.
He didn¡¯t really care that his arm was cut off. It wasn¡¯t just any bravado.
He was enjoying the fight.
¡°You think I¡¯m crazy? Jin Runcandel, I can¡¯t see your beautiful face because of that helm¡ but I think you are making an excited expression. You and I are not so different. We both love to fight.¡±
That was Myuron¡¯s mistake.
¡°Think whatever you want to think. I¡¯ll give you that freedom until your death.¡±
¡°Why, thank you. But can you really kill me? These pathetic fellows¡ They¡¯ll protect me. Let¡¯s see, I¡¯ve used three so far.¡±
¡°The fuck do you mean?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little strange? Your understanding of magic is deep. You definitely know that I¡¯m operating above the 8-star limit.¡±
¡ªUsed three so far.
Jin reinterpreted that line and let out short breaths.
¡°Myuron Zipfel¡ You¡ There¡¯s no way¡¡±
¡°Whaddya mean, ¡®there¡¯s no way¡¯? It¡¯s exactly what you¡¯re thinking! I¡¯m using these useless people to enhance my mana!¡±
¡°You¡¯re using humans as your catalyst?¡±
¡°If you can¡¯t believe it, I¡¯ll show you. Hehe.¡±
Boom!
Myuron shot a ball of mana towards the small building. The structure, which was already broken from the falling ice, was obliterated.
It was the ¡®basement where the natives were dragged¡¯ that Dino described.
The dust settled and revealed a pile of people covered with runes. Not all of them were visible. However, it was definitely the destination of Myuron¡¯s victims.
Kashimir and Murakan saw the horrifying sight and shook their heads.
Dino looked soulless and slumped to the ground.
¡°You seem to be confused. You must be wondering why I¡¯m just showing you my weakness like that.¡±
¡°You¡¡±
¡°I¡¯m showing you because I want to know how much you value these mongrels. If you didn¡¯t care about them, all three of you would be hitting me at once. But instead, you let Jin Runcandel fight me alone. How foolish.¡±
Myuron clicked his tongue.
¡°If you want to end me, let those mana-source roaches die. They don¡¯t deserve to be alive. And fight me, all three of you. Isn¡¯t that easy? Fuck that kindness and morality bullshit, and give me your all. Kuheehee.¡±
¡°Hoo.¡±
Jin let out a heavy sigh.
¡°It¡¯s a lie!¡±
A woman shouted.
¡°It¡¯s all a lie! His mana isn¡¯t empowered by the people but our divine relic!¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 109: Tragedy of Kollon (8)
Chapter 109: Tragedy of Kollon (8)
Volume 5 Chapter 109 ¨C Tragedy of Kollon (8)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Note: Due to a slight mistake in trantion, ¡®Liosa¡¯ has been changed to ¡®Laosa¡¯. Sorry for the error, and we hope you enjoy this chapter regardless!
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
The woman was limping.
She had been hiding near the demolished building when she got caught in the debris.
And there was one reason as to why she was there.
She thought that maybe¡ªjust maybe¡ªit would be possible to save the people piled up in the building while Jin fought Myuron.
Not because they were alive, but because she wished to create an honorary grave for them.
¡°The ones over there are already dead. He¡¯s enhancing his mana with the divine relic!¡±
¡°Tika¡!¡±
Dino shouted.
The woman¡¯s name was Latika Tika Mamutika. She took the ce of Laosa as the natives¡¯ prophet.
However, since she was not a chosen one, she didn¡¯t have any divine powers. She was just a normal human.
Myuron¡¯s face wrinkled.
He wanted to see Jin guard the pile of people with his life following the delusion of their livelihood.
¡°That rat-bastard bitch¡ you dare ruin my show?!¡±
Ting!
Two blue mes red in Myuron¡¯s eyes.
The Zipfel n¡¯s vision spell, Gaze of Azure me. He had heard about it from his master in the past, but it was his first time seeing it in action.
¡ªThe Zipfels¡¯ secret techniques are dangerous, but the Gaze of Azure me is the most annoying. Having it directed at you would engulf you in inextinguishable blue mes.
Myuron¡¯s eyes flicked towards Tika.
¡°Burn in hell¡!¡±
And from Tika¡¯s ankles, fire began to spread.
Although she was severely injured, she had enough capacity to shout towards Jin and his allies.
However, the moment the blue firebusted her skin, the pain was nothing a normal human could bear.
¡°Aaaack!¡±
¡°T-Tika! We must save her! She is the only one that keeps the tribe together!¡±
Tika fell to the floor and began to convulse, eyes rolling back. She struggled to breathe because of the excruciating pain that echoed through her body after each contracting muscle.
¡°The highlight of tonight was you fools guarding a pile of corpses!¡±
Myuron was not satisfied with Tika¡¯s painful misery. He spat on the ground.
¡®At this rate, she¡¯s going to die before the firepletely spreads.¡¯
Running towards Tika, Jin remembered another conversation with his master.
¡ªThen what do I do when one is affected by this spell?
¡ªDon¡¯t try to neutralize it with a poor ice or healing spell. Whatever you do, you have to overpower it with a stronger me.
A stronger me.
A name immediately popped into mind. Jin put his hands together to gather enough mana and open the dimensional portal.
The ruler of the Fire Dimension.
The phoenix, Tess.
¡°Summon.¡±
Vvvvvvt!
A massive tear in space emerged next to Jin. Between the gap came ming blue wings. Every time they moved, hot wind spread everywhere.
Myuron couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. He blinked slowly multiple times.
¡°Te¡ss? You summoned Tess?¡±
The legend of every magician¡¯s dream. Zipfel magicians were very disappointed because they couldn¡¯t contract with Tess.
Because bing the owner of Tess would mean bing the best magician of the era.
¡®That Runcandel fetus¡ is going to be the greatest magician of the century? You¡¯re going to surpass me without my permission?¡¯
Myuron¡¯sughter disappeared.
On the other hand, Jin smiled. As soon as Tess was summoned, he was certain that the Zipfels¡¯ Gaze of Azure me wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against true blue mes.
¡°Everything will be alright, Tika.¡±
Tess lowered their head to Tika¡¯s burning body. After a second, they let out a fiery breath.
Instantly, the blue mes at Tika¡¯s ankles were extinguished. The burn marks disappeared as well, as if there was no me in the first ce.
The power as the Lord of mes. Tess could make it so that the wounds caused by a pathetic imitation of blue mes never existed.
¡°Th-Thank you.¡±
¡°As for me. If it weren¡¯t for you, we would have been toyed with by that garbage.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll tell you the main points since we don¡¯t have much time. The tribesmen in the building had been dead, and Myuron is using the divine relic. However, he did not find it.¡±
¡°Then how?¡±
¡°Myuron tortured our people to get some activation chants out of us. The divine relic is still hidden. In a ce where only we can find.¡±
Though not fitting with the situation, Dino felt a little disappointed.
¡®Damn, she didn¡¯t even tell me that much.¡¯
For centuries, under the Zipfels¡¯ oppression, the Kollon natives hadn¡¯t revealed the location of the divine relic a single time.
¡°If it¡¯s someone sent by Lady Laosa, I can trust them. I will tell you. After we get rid of that man.¡±
Jin nodded.
Myuron could not contain his hate and anger that his frown distorted his face.
Jin turned around and looked at him.
¡°Alright, blue fire. Is that it? Now I¡¯ll send you away, just as you wished. To the ce you deserve to be the most. Hell.¡±
Jin could easily discern Myuron¡¯s expression.
¡®I¡¯m sure he is humiliated because I summoned Tess. He doesn¡¯t want to admit that he¡¯s weaker.¡¯
Myuron looked furious. Which was why Jin chose his words carefully to provoke him further.
¡°ytime¡¯s over, Jin Runcandel. I¡¯ll tear you apart little by little and chew on each bit of flesh. I will lick your bones clean¡¡±
Fighting an enraged enemy was always an easier battle.
¡°Sir Kashimir, please continue to protect the natives! Murakan, let¡¯s go all out! Don¡¯t give him a single second to react!¡±
¡°Are you saying I can transform?¡±
¡°You crazy? You really think you should?¡±
¡°Shit! Yeah, yeah. Alright. Hey, hey! You friggin¡¯ bird. Stop swearing!¡±
Of course, they carried on this weird side conversation to piss off Myuron. They didn¡¯t really n this. However, the contractor and his dragon were inherently coordinated.
Murakan charged in from behind while Jin and Tess rushed in from the front.
Blood rushed to Myuron¡¯s brain, blood vessels bing visible on his forehead.
¡°I, Myuron, will not be easy to punish.¡±
Tsssssss¡!
The blue fire on Myuron¡¯s eyes extinguished. In Tess¡¯s presence, his vision spell was pointless.
¡°You said I deserve to be in hell? A fine choice of words, Jin Runcandel!¡±
Myuron began to cast a spell that the n restored and dered as a secret technique.
Hence, a sealed technique.
¡°At one point, I was the spouse of witch Helluram. A man who shared a ss with the Kings at Tigris Mountain in the western region of the ck Sea.¡±
Jin stopped just as he was about to draw his sword.
¡®This¡ Is this a darkness-type spell?¡¯
Simr to the light spell, it was erased and forgotten off the face of the. Darkness spells could not be found in a single magic tome or book; people thought that it was merely an oral tradition.
Jin only guessed that it was a darkness spell, but he didn¡¯t exactly know what it was.
Murakan flinched, and Tess let out a screech as if they were angry.
Kaaaaaaaaah!
The phoenix blew fire with massive Pressure onto Myuron.
It was on a different level than the one used on Alisa. Even the summoner, Jin, could feel the weight of the pressure from the fire.
¡®Tess is furious? What the hell is that spell anyways?¡¯
At that moment, Murakan gathered the shadows cast by Tess¡¯s fire and converted it into spiritual energy.
¡°Kiddo! He¡¯s lending his body to Demon King Orgal! We have to end him before he finishes the spell! Unleash your de to the maximum! Now!¡±
Wooooooooooosh.
Murakan shot out the spiritual energy as if he were releasing a dragon¡¯s breath.
The blue mes and spiritual energy swallowed Myuron, but Jin realized that none of the attacks were effective.
A strange purple energy protected Myuron. Something that Jin had never seen before.
¡®A force field? No, that¡¯s a dimensional portal!¡¯
The same gateway he made to summon Tess¡ªexcluding the eerie purple light.
And the portal was connected to the dark world that people usually referred to as ¡®hell¡¯.
Tess¡¯s highest-pressure fire breath was to prevent the portal frompletely opening. Murakan stained the hell gate with his spiritual energy so Jin could aim his sword.
It was a mark. Otherwise, he would be swinging at thin air.
¡°Use Bradamante to cut at the spiritual energy!¡±
¡°Alright!¡±
Sssssssss¡!
Mustering spiritual energy as his mana rapidly depleted from summoning Tess was almost impossible for Jin.
¡°Kurgh!¡±
As soon as he gathered spiritual energy, early signs of mana overflow emerged. Blood flowed out of his mouth, nose, and ears, and he felt like fainting immediately.
As his mana grew more unstable, Tess¡¯s power gradually decreased. The pressure of the blue mes grew visibly weaker, and Myuron took this chance to recast his spell.
¡°¡And he whose life miserably ended to Helluram¡¯s dagger. Bestowed with death, entering the depths of Hell. Call my name¡¡±
Kraaaaagh!
Deactivating Myulta¡¯s Rune, Jin spat out blood and charged forward.
The mana overflow urred because of magic, and Jin¡¯s will to move came from his spirit as a knight.
Being able to exert identical swings of the sword ten thousand times.
The stage where he could show determination through the sword. Although Mind¡¯s de was far from his reach, right before he lost consciousness¡
¡°Cut.¡±
As if he were casting a spell, he chanted that word. Every step he took towards Myuron, Jin chanted it over and over again.
In order to fully manifest his goal to cut the portal.
Just like how the ancient Runcandel magic swordsmen mustered their power.
Sssshhhhhh¡!
The zing spiritual energy on Bradamante¡¯s de slowly simmered.
The smoky spiritual energypletely soaked into the de, and the sword was born anew.
Compared to the musky spiritual energy, the de shone as it reflected the moonlight¡ªas if it were sharpened and polished to perfection.
aaaaash!
Jin swung down onto the hell gate.
Feeling thest bits of possession, Myuron shuddered. Then, he realized that his n was foiled.
¡°Damn¡ Kuheehee.¡±
And with his only arm, he squeezed out the rest of his energy to whip out his wand one more time.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 110: Tragedy of Kollon (9)
Chapter 110: Tragedy of Kollon (9)
Volume 5 Chapter 110 ¨C Tragedy of Kollon (9)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Whip!
Myuron¡¯s hand ripped through the air. He didn¡¯t have a single drop of mana left, so it looked as if he was just swinging his wand around.
¡®Is it over¡?¡¯
The hell gate¡ªwhich was cut by the sword engulfed in spiritual energy¡ªlet out a loud screech as it shriveled up into nothing.
Thump!
Jin fell to the ground. His face was stained with blood, but he didn¡¯t have any severe injuries. Bradamante returned to its original form.
¡°Kid!¡±
¡°Young Master Jin! Are you alright?¡±
Murakan and Kashimir frantically rushed over to him, and Tess drew back the fire. The phoenix slowly faded and disappeared while worriedly looking at Jin.
Jin couldn¡¯t keep Tess summoned as his mana had been all used up.
¡°Wh-What about¡ Myuron?¡±
¡°He burned to death while standing. Well done, kid.¡±
Murakan pointed at Myuron who failed to cast his final spell. He died to Tess¡¯s mes, but apparently, standing and dying emotionlessly wasn¡¯t enough for him. Even in death, Myuron had a creepy smile stretched across his face.
¡®From all of the enemies I¡¯ve faced, he¡¯s the most terrifying. Did he swing his wand unconsciously?¡¯
Although the magician¡¯s death left a weird aftertaste, Jin couldn¡¯t think much longer. His exhaustion made staying awake unbearable.
Dino and Tika as well as all of the other survivors surrounded Jin.
They were shivering from fear¡ªenough to trigger a seizure. It was because of Myuron¡¯s still-standing corpse.
¡°Eerk, Murakan. You¡¯re alright. And what about Sir Kashimir¡?¡±
¡°Everyone¡¯s okay except you, so shut the fuck up. Three insane powers are having an orgy inside your body. Damn it, if the mana overflow causes a counter current¡¡±
¡°Will I die?¡±
¡°Yeah, you¡¯ll die.¡±
¡°Really¡?¡±
¡°Nah, I¡¯m joking, you good boy! I knew you could do it. Anyways, you¡¯re not gonna die. But if we don¡¯t do anything, you¡¯re gonna be crippled for half a year. Show me all of the medicine we have.¡±
¡°Right here!¡±
Kashimir took out the medicine that he brought.
He had brought many luxurious remedies for the heat of battle. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t anything that could help Jin.
¡°What the fuck? Who told you to bring all these useless stuff? Why didn¡¯t you bring the unicorn horn powder? You also had other healing stuff in your bag. Anything else? How about blue fish scales?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t have those in my bag. I apologize. You said to bring immediate healing items¡¡±
¡°Huh! Well, shit. Kid, say goodbye to half a yea¡ªHey, hey! Jin! Don¡¯t die on me, kid!¡±
¡°Hey.¡±
Murakan turned his head. It was Tika.
¡°What?¡±
¡°There may be medicine in Myuron¡¯s basement. I heard that he captured some unicorns while drunk.¡±
A magician¡¯sboratory usually had many items for experimentation. Such was especially true for ab that belonged to a pureblood Zipfel. One would be able to find a plethora of weirdpounds there.
¡°Lead me there. Now.¡±
¡°Over there¡ with the pile of corpses.¡±
Murakan ran towards the destroyed building and began to shuffle through the debris. He found a barely-intact cab and ripped off the lock.
¡°Whoa.¡±
A big unicorn horn met his eyes. He crushed it as if it were nothing, then slipped the powder into Jin¡¯s mouth. The young Runcandel¡¯s body jolted.
¡°Kurgh!¡±
Jin vomited dark red blood.
Unicorn horn was the best to deal with mana overflow.
However, if the consumer was above 7-star, then it would be ineffective.
¡°Finally. That feels better. Though, my spiritual energy and aura were all twisted up¡ Where¡¯d you get the unicorn horn?¡±
Murakan tried to answer but was interrupted by Tika who began to cry and bow to Jin.
¡°My name is Latika Tika Mamutika, and I greatly thank you for saving us. Our people will never forget your deed.¡±
And the other natives began to bow as well. Dino joined them too.
¡°Oh¡ Please stand. Lady Laosa sent me here.¡±
¡°We know. Jin Runcandel, our savior. If it weren¡¯t for you, we would never have executed our objective and sumbed to the Zipfels¡¯ rule.¡±
There were only around thirty natives left.
About twenty died from Myuron¡¯s ice projectiles, and a hundred and fifty died after being brought to the basement.
It was depressing.
The natives finished their bowing and went to the pile of corpses. They mourned at the horrifying sight.
¡°The prophet¡ She asked you to save us. Is that right?¡±
¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±
This couldn¡¯t be called saving. So many people had already died.
Jin made a bittersweet smile.
¡°She didn¡¯t mean to bring everyone back alive. She was asking us to recover the divine relic of Kollon.¡±
The mirror.
¡®We have to ¡°recover¡± it? Does that mean it¡¯s broken or something? I¡¯ve never heard of that in my past life.¡¯
Jin knew about the mirror, but Murakan did not.
¡°Hey, you¡¯re Tika, right? What is this ¡®divine relic¡¯? Myuron¡¯s mana got super boosted or something, and you said that you orally activated the relic, right?¡±
¡°Yes, that is correct. And you probably noticed that his mana was unreadable. That is also due to the relic¡¯s power.¡±
¡°I¡¯m actually a dragon who has lived for over three thousand years, but I¡¯ve never heard of such a relic. What the hell is it? What kind of god do you serve?¡±
¡°Our god goes by Kum.¡±
¡°Hm¡ Never heard of ¡®em. Well, alright. Let¡¯s get that relic and return home. We have some ships awaiting us. The survivors gotta survive.¡±
Although he spoke without care, Murakan still felt pity for the natives.
Whoever saw their plight would have felt pity as well. As long as they weren¡¯t a man named Myuron.
¡°¡We should. I know that we are always in grave danger. However, O Great Dragon, recovering the divine relic would take until tomorrow noon even if we start now.¡±
¡°What? Tomorrow noon? It takes that long?¡±
¡°We must gather our people and unseal ournd. And so, we need the sun¡¯s energy. I apologize that we are causing such a hassle for our saviors¡¡±
¡°Young Master Jin, Sir Murakan. We can¡¯t wait until tomorrow morning. Thisnd is within the Lutero Magic Federation, and we just killed a pureblood Zipfel.
Kashimir pointed at Myuron¡¯s corpse¡ªcharred but still standing.
¡°Lady Laosa indeed mentioned the recovery of the divine relic, but staying until tomorrow¡ We will all be ughtered.¡±
He was right.
However, since there were no witnesses other than the natives and Dino, holding until the next morning was possible.
In fact, they were in restrictednd managed by the Zipfel n. Even if the sun was high, no one woulde near the area.
¡°Hm, well the decision always goes to the kid. What¡¯s the next move? Do we wait until noon tomorrow, or do we escape with the survivors?¡±
Tika¡¯s eyes flickered.
Including her and the natives, the recovery of the divine relic was more important than their life.
Jin opened his mouth to speak.
¡°Miss Tika. Is there a Zipfel inspection team thates here regrly? Or checks on Myuron?¡±
¡°There are almost no cases where outsiderse to us. There hasn¡¯t been anyone other than Dino for the past month. Before that, his underlings came sometimes, but they really didn¡¯t want to be with him.¡±
¡°Probably because Myuron knew they were supervisors. If there isn¡¯t anyone whoes regrly¡ I think that we could wait until noon and take the divine relic with us.¡±
¡°Young Master, will that be alright? It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±
¡°Sir Kashimir, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve fought with an 8-star magician before.¡±
¡°About three times.¡±
¡°As you felt, Myuron had cast spells with mana close to that of a 9-star. In fact, we couldn¡¯t read his mana flow at all. And that wasn¡¯t even using the divine relic properly. If such an item goes into the hands of the Zipfels¡¡±
Silence.
Jin already experienced what happened when the Zipfels obtained the mirror.
¡®They cranked out 7-stars like a factory. Only their mana was 7-star, though they were pathetic excuses of magicians¡ And the world was just ruled by the Zipfels.¡¯
On that note, they had to acquire the mirror before them.
¡°The kid¡¯s right. Runt, that kid isn¡¯t stupid. Getting out of here would be the most reasonable decision. However, the Zipfels with that artifact? We can¡¯t deal with that. Never.¡±
¡°Good point. I didn¡¯t think it through that far.¡±
¡°And even if we wanted to leave, Miss Tika wouldn¡¯t. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±
Tika nodded.
¡°Our reason for living and our life¡¯s ultimate goal is to guard Kum¡¯s will. We would only be a hassle to you.¡±
¡°Which is probably why you didn¡¯t give the Zipfels the relic even after going through three hundred years of oppression. No need to be sorry. We are only working for ourselves. Miss Tika, you should go help your people.¡±
Jin nced at the demolished building, where many were weeping.
Tika bowed with moist eyes.
¡°Hey, uh¡¡±
Dino approached Jin.
¡°Yes, Journalist Dino Zeglun?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t know that you were Jin Runcandel¡¡±
¡°Let¡¯s try to brainstorm how we could write an article which would deliver the most difort to the Zipfels. Of course, you would leave out our names in the report?¡±
¡°¡As a journalist, I solemnly swear that I will not write your names in the article. I would never betray those who saved my friends.¡±
¡°You do seem like a person who would do that, Dino. Well, I have some stuff to think about, so you do your thing. Find solid evidence until noon. Evidence that will prevent the Zipfel n from lifting a finger.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
Dino then disappeared into the woods.
Jin looked at Myuron¡¯s corpse, eyes slowly dting, and continued his earlier train of thought.
¡®Was¡ was thest swing of his wand really done while unconscious?¡¯
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 111: Reinforcements (1)
Chapter 111: Reinforcements (1)
Volume 5 Chapter 111 ¨C Reinforcements (1)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡®No way¡!¡¯
Jin remembered a conversation he had with his master.
¡ªThe Zipfels¡¯ pirs have wands with special mechanisms. On the upper part of the wand, there are small rune characters on it.
¡ªWhat for?
¡ªIf the pir activates the rune, a signal is sent to the tower. Basically an emergency call to summon reinforcements. Of course, they use it when they¡¯re in grave danger or facing an enemy they can¡¯t defeat. Damn, that was a pain in the ass.
Jin rushed over to Myuron¡¯s corpse.
If his master was right, then Myuron¡¯sst whip of the wand would be him activating the rune.
¡°What¡¯s wrong, kid?¡±
¡°I need to see his wand!¡±
¡°Why his wand?¡±
Murakan didn¡¯t know about the existence of such a mechanism in the Zipfels¡¯ wands. It wasn¡¯t something that was developed during his period of activity.
Jin thought of an appropriate response, but Kashimir pped his hands, as if he realized something.
¡°The rune characters! I heard about how the pirs¡¯ wands have a rune that could call for reinforcement.¡±
¡°What? Something like that exists?¡±
¡°It¡¯s just a rumor I¡¯ve heard. I¡¯m sure Young Master Jin would know more about the Zipfel n as a Runcandel.¡±
¡°I¡¯m just checking because Eldest Sister Luna mentioned something like that. If there really are rune characters¡¡±
¡°That would be problematic¡¡±
Eyes flickering in uncertainty, the three stood in front of Myuron¡¯s charred body.
¡°Hmm¡ That bird burned him too hard. I can¡¯t even tell if this wand is wood or charcoal. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any rune. You said it would glow when activated.¡±
¡°That¡¯s what I see as well, Sir Murakan. Haha, it must¡¯ve been just a false rumor.¡±
The two stared at the ck wand and awkwardly smiled.
Jin scraped it with his dagger.
He could see it. Faded green characters¡ªglowing. His premonition was spot on.
¡°Shit.¡±
¡°Fuck!¡±
Murakan and Kashimir smacked their foreheads.
¡°Hey, kid. That divine relic thing¡ Can we tell the people to look for itter? I can¡¯t even transform into my true form. Runt, about how many wille?¡±
¡°There are at least one hundred magicians stationed for each pir. With a mix of 7- and 8-stars, half of them would be enough to wipe us out.¡±
Not even half. A quarter of the magicians would be more than enough to deal with the trio.
¡°Damn. This world got a lot better. Really. Four or five 8-stars were nothing during my prime. Damn it! Well, tell them toe. We¡¯ll destroy them. I¡¯ll show them my three thousand years of experience.¡±
¡°Sir Murakan, I personally don¡¯t think we can win. Even if you faced all of them alone, I don¡¯t think I can protect Young Master Jin in such a situation.¡±
Luckily, Jin¡¯s mana overflow was stopped by the unicorn horn.
However, he still wasn¡¯t fully recovered. His mana would overflow again during battle, and it wouldn¡¯t be something they could just heal.
¡°Well, we can¡¯t just leave with the relic still here. Runt, you return with Jin. I got a lot weaker, but I can still beat up some peons.¡±
¡°How could we leave with you, Sir Murakan?!¡±
¡°Haha, you runt. I always knew you were kind. Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d die, right?¡±
Murakan scratched his nose with his inted ego. Kashimir nodded furiously.
¡°¡I understand! Then I shall take Young Master Jin and leave immediately!¡±
¡°Wait. Why¡¯d this bitch give up so fast? Isn¡¯t it normal to say that we¡¯ll die fighting together or something? It¡¯s strangely annoying.¡±
¡°That¡¯s just you, Sir Murakan.¡±
The two exchanged a pointless conversation, and Jin sighed.
¡°How long would it take?¡±
¡°Oh, Young Master. How long would what take?¡±
¡°Hmm¡ The Seventh Tower of Magicians is at the edge of the northern region. They would need approximately two hours to get here, maybe a little earlier.¡±
¡®Two hours, he says. Can we recover the artifact within that time frame? Even if they¡¯ll face the possibility of death, I don¡¯t think the natives will leave thend without it.¡¯
Tika¡¯s tears said it all. They wouldn¡¯t throw away this chance after centuries of being under the Zipfel n¡¯s oppression.
¡®Two hours, two hours¡ Either way, we need strong reinforcement that coulde ASAP.¡¯
They exempted the Runcandel n. As a provisional g-bearer, calling Luna again would be problematic, and Jin¡¯s other siblings wouldn¡¯t let him be.
A reinforcement other than his n, able to fight against the Zipfels, and coulde to the Kollon Ruins immediately.
There weren¡¯t many allies like that.
Making a final decision, Jin looked at Kashimir.
¡°Sir Kashimir, there is something you need to do.¡±
Jin quickly exined his n, and Kashimir¡¯s expression froze up.
¡°¡Young Master, do you think that would really be possible? If they refuse, you and Sir Murakan will be in grave danger.¡±
¡°We should try. Well, even though it¡¯s a little humiliating, they wouldn¡¯t refuse. There¡¯s no time. Please hurry.¡±
* * *
The continent¡¯s northern region, Seventh Tower of Magicians.
¡°The crystal ball turned red!¡±
¡°The pir is in danger!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s just joking around again? We wentst time, and he was sound asleep. Probably drunk as well.¡±
¡°Even if it¡¯s a joke, it is our duty to respond to his summons.¡±
¡°Ha, how is he the pir when he can¡¯t even respect the tower elders?¡±
¡°Shhh! Troublesome words will be drilled into our ears if the vice pir hears you. Either way, let¡¯s alert the vice pir. Hey! Summon the vice pir.¡±
Although Myuron¡¯s rune triggered the alert system, most of the elders looked disappointed. However, it was their usual cold reaction to Myuron¡¯s call.
One servant started running in one direction, and soon, the vice pir emerged.
A beautiful and young skillful magician, Midor Elner.
Kelliark Zipfel¡¯s son.
¡°Where did the crystal orb locate Myuron?¡±
¡°The Kollon Ruins.¡±
¡°As of now, we shall gather all magicians of the Seventh Tower and go there. Elders, please alert the main house and other towers.¡±
¡°And other towers? Aren¡¯t you just escting the situation?¡±
¡°I have a bad feeling. A summon this early in the morning¡ I¡¯m sure something bad happened. Third elder, please open the transfer gates.¡±
¡°Hm, I wanted to do that, but¡¡±
The third elder scratched his chin and pointed outside.
¡°So much snow has been falling since an hour ago, vice pir. We cannot use the transfer gates in such weather.¡±
As he said, a blizzard ravaged outside.
¡°We will go by dragon. After flying to Chenka, we shall use the transfer gate to the Kollon Ruins.¡±
That meant that all of the dragons of the Seventh Tower were going as well.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
After an hour, morning came.
In that time, Jin and Murakan helped the natives bury the dead, and Dino found some undeniable evidence regarding Myuron¡¯s atrocities.
¡°Murakan, I¡¯ve been thinking. The Seventh Tower¡¯s magicians probably can¡¯te here in two hours.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°There¡¯s always harsh snowfall in the northern region around January and February. And during that time, they can¡¯t use transfer gates.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not certain, though. It just snows a lot, and there¡¯s some wind as well. But two hours is too short.¡±
Thankfully, as Jin predicted, the magicians couldn¡¯t use the transfer gates.
However, he didn¡¯t know that the dragons wereing as well.
Blergh!
Jin vomited a clump of blood. An aftershock of mana overflow. The immediate danger was avoided with the unicorn horn, but it didn¡¯tpletely suppress the symptoms.
¡°Errrrr, I guess I¡¯m pushing myself too much.¡±
¡°Too, too much. I didn¡¯t know that crazy bastard would use darkness-type spells. On top of that, a rune that could summon his allies¡ Back in my day, we would draw outpletely after losing a battle. The audacity of people these days. No honor.¡±
¡°We summoned Eldest Sister Luna with Orgal¡¯s Pendantst time. And Kashimir left to call for his allies.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a little different, yeah? That time, we were protecting the world, and if we hadn¡¯t stopped the Demon God¡¯s Orb, the world would have been in shambles. It¡¯s the same with the Kollon natives¡¯ relic getting into the Zipfels¡¯ hands.¡±
Jin smirked. He thought of his master. If it weren¡¯t for them, he would have had no idea about the reinforcements.
¡®Master¡ I wonder if you¡¯re growing well. I hope you are.¡¯
* * *
¡°Sir Kashimir! Why did you return alone?!¡±
¡°Honey? Why are you alone? You don¡¯t look good¡ªDid something happen?!¡±
Gilly and Alisa shouted at him while Enya and Quikantel looked in disbelief.
¡°There¡¯s no time to exin! Gilly, where is that flower?!¡±
¡°Flower? Why are you looking for a flower?¡±
¡°Oh! Over there!¡±
Kashimir pointed at a flower vase as he shouted.
A vase with a unique flower adorned with pure-white, snowke-like petals grew from it.
The Hidden Pce¡¯s snow blossoms.
¡°Alisa, open a transfer gate closest to the Hidden Pce. The faster I go, the more likely Young Master Jin will survive.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 112: Reinforcements (2)
Chapter 112: Reinforcements (2)
Volume 5 Chapter 112 ¨C Reinforcements (2)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
The Hidden Pce.
The tower that stood alone in the western region of the continent.
To resolve the current conflict, Jin chose the Hidden Pce. Normal people couldn¡¯t go near that ce, but as someone who was operating a massive intelligence agency, Kashimir had connections.
And at his request, Alisa nodded.
¡°I¡¯ll open a transfer gate to the western region¡¯s Manji Ind. Thankfully, there¡¯s a Seven-Colored Peacock agent over there.¡±
Manji Ind was the only ind that led to the Hidden Pce. Attempting to enter the ind any other way would be deemed as intrusion or invasion and was punishable by execution.
Of course, just because the visit was through Manji Ind didn¡¯t mean free entry to the Hidden Pce. Someone could only enter with enough trust umted through connections, like Kashimir, or enough payment.
¡°Three years ago, I stationed an agent there just in case. Good thing it¡¯s paying off. I wonder if that fellow has made any contact with the Hidden Pce. His name was¡ Lucas?¡±
As much as the intelligence agent could open a pathway to the Hidden Pce, would the tower respond to the entry?
¡°We didn¡¯t get any information about direct contact. We should at least get some confirmation from the higher-ups.¡±
¡°No, there¡¯s no time. If the intelligence agent is doing nothing, maybe we should start talking smack about the Master of the Hidden Pce. Then, someone woulde out, right?¡±
Alisa rushed to the transfer gate. In the meantime, Kashimir exined the situation to Gilly.
¡°You guys killed a pureblood Zipfel, and to face the repercussions, you are calling for reinforcements from the Hidden Pce? Ah¡ Young Master. Why is he always walking on a tightrope¡ I can¡¯t even help because my aura is sealed.¡±
¡°The Jin kid knows this, but he doesn¡¯t fear death. He flirts with it.¡±
¡°Miss Quikantel, I¡¯m going crazy from his excessive confidence. What should we do? ording to Sir Kashimir, the magicians will be arriving any time soon.¡±
Gilly bit at her nails. Enya, Lathry, and Euria patted her back in an attempt tofort her.
¡°Either way, don¡¯t fret, Gilly. Your Young Master doesn¡¯t die that easily. And I¡¯m here too. If the Master of the Hidden Pce or whatever doesn¡¯t help, I can go and wipe them all out. Fuck it if I¡¯ll get a bountry from the Zipfels with that.¡±
Although she spoke with bravado, Quikantel was still worried.
A horde of Zipfel magicians was inconceivable. And if she reveals her true form in front of the Zipfel n, Andrei and Vyuretta¡¯s death would be reinvestigated.
¡°¡Don¡¯t worry, Gilly. I will convince the Master of the Hidden Pce and go help Young Master Jin and Sir Murakan!¡±
The transfer gate to the ind was ready, and Kashimir set out for his quest.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
Most people in the world died without visiting Manji Ind.
However, those who did visit always wanted to go back.
A small, warm ind with many wild animals frolicking in the meadows. Ten lucky people received explicit permission from the Hidden Pce to settle on thend where the vast ocean and the tower were visible in the distance.
Three years ago, Intelligence Agent Lucas Manfren was stationed on the said ind. He was currently sitting on a hammock on the beach, rocking back and forth as he drank a cocktail and watched the romantic sunrise as it dyed the ocean orange. A loose shirt was draped over his tanned skin.
He looked more like a tourist than an intelligence agent.
¡°I never thought I¡¯d enjoy this life on the continent. Fufu, there¡¯s nothing as sweet as this.¡±
He would only make short contacts with headquarters every three months. The other leaders of the Seven-Colored Peacock used to call often, but they toned down because they didn¡¯t want to anger the Master of the Hidden Pce.
Lucas¡¯s identity was pretty publicized in the tower, so making secret calls would be suspicious.
¡°Lucas! Lucas Manfren!¡±
A familiar voice called his name. At the distant voice, Lucas set down his ss. He doubted his ears for two seconds before standing and greeting his leader.
¡°S-Sir Kashimir? Why at this time¡?¡±
Meeting eyes with Kashimir, Lucas began to imagine many unfortunate things.
Being punished for hiszy attitude, detained, or in the worst case, being told to return to the main base, essentially ending his heavenly life at the ind¡
However, unlike all of his worries, Kashimir didn¡¯t care about any of his work habits. Instead, he asked in a rushed voice.
¡°I must meet the Master of the Hidden Pce! Immediately! Did you manage to form a direct contact with the Hidden Pce? Please say that you have. I¡¯m in a rush!¡±
A smile stretched across Lucas¡¯s formerly worried face.
¡®An opportunity for a raise! Or a promotion, even!¡¯
The leader of the Seven-Colored Peacock requested him to establish direct contact with the tower.
And Lucas could reciprocate this request.
¡°Of course, Sir Kashimir. I could immediately escort you there.¡±
¡°Whoa¡ Really¡!¡±
¡°Yes, I have spent so much time establishing this contact for the past three years¡ I¡¯m thankful that it could be used in times of need.¡±
Lucas made up some words.
¡°I will never forget this favor. If things go well with the Master of the Hidden Pce, feel free to await for a massive reward.¡±
¡°I merely did my job as an intelligence agent. Then, please wait a moment. I will contact the Hidden Pce now.¡±
Ping¡!
Boom, boom! Crackle!
Lucas shot firecrackers into the air.
¡°Fireworks? Is this a signal?¡±
¡°Yes, and do not be surprised. Something¡ big and warm will surround us, and once we open our eyes, we will be at the Hidden Pce.¡±
¡°What? What do you mean¡ªAh!¡±
Whoop, whap!
Just as Lucas said, a huge silhouette swallowed them whole. It looked like a mouth, but it was too fast for Kashimir to identify.
¡®Something swallowed us¡ Huh?¡¯
Ptoo!
The mouth that ate them soon spat them out.
Kashimir then opened his eyes. The warm breeze of Manji Ind was gone and had been reced with cold wind blowing on his skin.
Blue white walls surrounded him. Even the floor was emitting cool air that was cold enough to make a person furiously shiver.
He then realized that they were inside the Hidden Pce.
¡®What kind of entrance is this?!¡¯
Kashimir suppressed his shock and looked around. Beside him was Lucas, and in front of them¡
¡°You baby. I told you not to call me early in the morning.¡±
A strange sense of affection and coldness came from the woman¡¯s voice. Shey on the bed with a cigar as she looked down at the two on the floor.
Her name was Tris Endorma.
The 51st Master of the Hidden Pce with the alias ¡®Abyssal Spider¡¯. A 10-star knight, and a formidable presence in the world.
¡°And a guest without my permission¡ Fufu. My baby, you¡¯ve gotten a lot slimmer since yourst visit. Are you trying to prove that you¡¯re not a baby anymore?¡±
Direct contact? A hotline?
Lucas definitely made a ¡®hot¡¯ line with Tris Endorma.
¡°Honey¡ I¡¯m sorry for suddenly contacting you and bringing an uninvited guest over. But see here, Sir Kashimir¡¯s giving me a raise. He said he really wanted to see you.¡±
Seeing their rtionship, Kashimir could only be shocked.
¡®I knew that Tris Endorma was good with men, but even our intelligence agent?! And this Lucas kid didn¡¯t even report it to us?¡¯
However, he could easily evaluate his situation.
Tris and Lucas were not ¡®lovers¡¯. Lucas was one of Tris¡¯s ythings. Rumor has it that publicizing the rtionship would result in a missing man.
¡°Hngggh¡ Sure, I¡¯m sure you have your problems. You¡¯re dismissed. Be prepared to be punished.¡±
Thump!
Tris waved her hand around, and the big mouth swallowed Lucas and disappeared.
The Ghostde couldn¡¯t even react to the speed even with his senses heightened for the tense situation. He and Tris were now alone.
Lying downfortably on the bed, Tris¡¯s natural intimidation almost matched that of Cyron Runcandel¡¯s. Kashimir could feel it.
¡®Think straight¡! I¡¯ve talked to Cyron Runcandel before!¡¯
He gritted his teeth, and Tris shook her head.
¡°Kashimir Vermont¡ªAh, you don¡¯t use that name anymore. Either way, you already have a wife, and you aren¡¯t my type anyways. So, what made you believe that I would listen to you?¡±
Kashimir flinched.
¡°¡I apologize for thete introduction, 51st Master of the Hidden Pce. I am Kashimir, a knight serving the Free City of Tikan. I came to see you because¡ª¡±
¡°Uh-uh, I don¡¯t want to hear about your problems. Can you tell me the summary? Just answer my question. What did you believe ande to this ce for.¡±
Tris said thest few words with emphasis, and Kashimir¡¯s eyes shook. She wasn¡¯t even emitting her aura, yet the intimidation sent shocks through him.
¡®I¡ can barely breathe. I guess this is the presence of a 10-star knight.¡¯
There are these issues, so please help.
Exining it like that wouldn¡¯t help at all. Kashimir immediately pulled out the Hidden Pce¡¯s snow blossoms.
¡°The person who received this flower from the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s sole daughter is in grave danger.¡±
¡°Pfft!¡±
Tris burst intoughter.
* * *
Three hours had passed since Myuron¡¯s death.
And as Jin, Murakan, and the surviving Kollon natives waited for Kashimir¡
¡®Shit¡¡¯
Six dragons circled above the ruins, and the bright sky grew dark under their shadows.
Unfortunately, Jin, Dino, Murakan, and everyone else couldn¡¯t escape the crime scene.
The natives already began the ritual to recover the divine relic. Thend of their temple just had to be near Myuron¡¯s corpse.
¡°The Kollon natives are doing some kind of ritual. They seemed to have disobeyed the pir¡¯s orders, vice pir.¡±
¡°Find the pir! And capture all of the humans in the area!¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 113: Reinforcements (3)
Chapter 113: Reinforcements (3)
Volume 5 Chapter 113 ¨C Reinforcements (3)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Although Myuron¡¯s standing corpse was put away, the natives couldn¡¯t hide as they were doing the ritual to uncover the mirror.
To them, getting the mirror in the right hands was more important than their own lives. Jin and Murakan couldn¡¯t hide as well as they had to defend the natives from an ambush.
¡°¡It seems the pir has activated the rune because of those outsiders with the crimson-people.¡±
¡°It¡¯s possible that the pir already died to them. We should encounter them carefully, vice pir.¡±
¡°Those men probably have reinforcements holding the pir hostage.¡±
Jin used Myulta¡¯s Rune to block his face, and Murakan used a mask for his. They looked like Myuron¡¯s killers at first sight.
Looking down at the culprits, Midor Elner stared with a murderous re.
¡°If the pir¡ªNo. If Myuron died because of them¡ I will give them something far more painful than death.¡±
Midor clenched and gritted his teeth.
Jin was too far to listen in on their conversation, but he felt the hostility despite the distance.
¡®Six dragons and about thirty magicians. Shit. I expected it, but seeing it in person is exhrating.¡¯
They had enough to face an entire nation.
However, they were only faced with about thirty defenseless natives, an internally wounded Jin, and a washed ck dragon.
¡°Phew¡ Well, they came before the runt coulde back. That runt¡ I hope he didn¡¯t fail.¡±
Looking up at the dragons and magicians, Murakan was also very nervous.
¡°¡°¡°O Great Kum¡¡±¡±¡±
On the other hand, the natives muttered their god¡¯s name. Standing in a circle, they concentrated on their ritual and ignored everyone else in sight.
With transcending will, they suppressed their fear and focused on the task at hand. And with their eyes closed, they recited their ancient scriptures, which were all destroyed centuries ago.
Although they were faced with a life-threatening danger, the ones who led the ritual emitted an eerie divine energy.
¡°Heh. Their little religion helps them at times like this since they could just rely on their god for protection. On that note, do you want to create a Church of Solderet with me? ¡®The Shadow Brotherhood¡¯. Name sounds fine.¡±
¡°Seeing that you can still joke around in this situation, it seems this fight is winnable.¡±
¡°No, we¡¯re fucked. The natives are bound to die anyway, and neither can I guarantee our escape. Do you have another Orgal¡¯s Pendant or something?¡±
¡°You think?¡±
¡°Then make a decision. Quick. Do we let those natives die and then run away, or do we attempt to fight those guys and die honorably? The former doesn¡¯t have a good chance like thetter, though.¡±
He was not joking.
Murakan evaluated the situation after observing the opposing forces. They could never win the battle.
¡®Shit. This would have been nothing if I were in my prime. Temar, you motherfucker. The heart you stabbed thousands of years ago is still aching.¡¯
Jin thought for a second before shaking his head.
¡°We came all the way here, so we can¡¯t just give up on them. Let¡¯s try to stall a little longer.¡±
¡°What? How the hell would we be able to stall for time? Once they start to cast spells, it¡¯s over.¡±
¡°But they haven¡¯t yet. Those guys aren¡¯t in a position to just strike us. They don¡¯t know about Myuron¡¯s current state, and they might think that we¡¯re keeping him hostage.¡±
As Jin said, Midor and the other magicians knew nothing regarding Myuron¡¯s whereabouts.
¡®If they were certain of his death, they would have attacked immediately. However, since that¡¯s not the case, they¡¯re calcting all of the possibilities.¡¯
On top of that, Jin thought that the magicians wouldn¡¯t barrage the ground with advanced spells to ravage thend.
Furthermore, even if they thought Myuron died, they needed to deal with retrieving his corpse.
p¡!
With the magicians on their back, the six dragons began to descend.
¡°Is there a dragon you know? They¡¯re all fire dragons.¡±
¡°Nope. They¡¯re all youngins that became active while I was asleep. And they¡¯re not fire dragons but crimson dragons. A subgroup of fire dragons. They must be Fire Dragon Kadun¡¯s underlings.¡±
The dragons of the Seventh Tower of Magicians were not guardian dragons but Kadun¡¯s underlings. It meant that, among the magicians, none were contractors.
However, that didn¡¯t mean that they weren¡¯t strong.
Knowing this fact, Jin evaluated Midor, who was slowly approaching them alone.
¡®He¡¯s strong¡ He¡¯s on the same level as Myuron. Maybe stronger.¡¯
Although Midor was concealing his mana, Jin could feel his power as a fellow magician.
¡®Additionally, the other magicians are trusting him. He¡¯s closing the gap against a knight, and no one is stopping him.¡¯
Clip, clop¡
With the natives behind his back, Jin met eyes with Midor.
¡°I am the Zipfels¡¯ Seventh Tower of Magicians¡¯ vice pir, Midor Elner. Where is our pir?¡±
A name Jin never heard of even in his past life.
¡°No idea.¡±
He answered carelessly, and Midor shook his head.
¡°I don¡¯t know why you guys would go after him. I guess his disgusting personality elicited your hate¡? Or are you the Runcandels¡¯ dogs?¡±
¡°I have no reason to answer you. But how did you know that we attacked Myuron?¡±
Jin asked as if he didn¡¯t know, and surprisingly, Midor didn¡¯t seem to hide the facts about the rune.
¡°There are runes that our pir can activate if and when he¡¯s in danger. When activated, the crystal ball in the Seventh Tower turns red.¡±
Revealing the pir¡¯s runes so easily meant that Midor had no intention of sparing Jin nor his acquaintances.
¡°I will not ask you to take off your mask or discard your weapon. However, I only wish for you to answer my question truthfully. Is our pir¡ still alive?¡±
Saying those words, Midor¡¯s eyes wavered with sadness underneath his murderous re.
For a while, Jin did not answer, and Midor asked him once more.
¡°Please answer me. I am asking as a family member. I¡¯m sure you have a family as well. Only if you¡ answer me truthfully will I¡ªas the vice pir of the Seventh Tower of Magicians¡ªsolemnly swear that, after killing you, I will leave your family alone.¡±
Midor showed his tenderness, and Jin gave a bitter smile in return.
¡°I agree. A family member dying or getting hurt is a painful experience. However, Zipfel magician, look over there.¡±
Jin pointed towards his left.
¡°What does that look like? Graves. The graves of the natives ughtered by your prideful pir. And look behind me. There are about thirty fellow humans who lost their families just like you.¡±
¡°Do notpare those pathetic mongrels to our pir!¡±
Midor¡¯s face wrinkled with anger.
¡°I¡¯m sure you are not simplyparing our great pir to those pathetic beings! Does that mean you attacked our pir not because of hate, but because you wanted to save those people?!¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°¡Our pir is not here right now¡ is he?¡±
Jin nodded.
¡°Myuron is dead.¡±
Midor began to cry.
Tears streamed down his face. Jin and Murakan felt the air turning heavy.
The magician then began to emit his mana.
¡°I willmemorate his death with your screams and blood. And I¡¯ll let you watch me ughter those pathetic dogs. Magicians of the Seventh Tower, heed me. Capture those animals. I will not allow any more deaths.¡±
As soon as he finished speaking¡
Boom!
¡®Huh?¡¯
There was an explosion right next to Jin.
Biiiiiiiiiiiiiii¡!
It filled his ears with a sharp ring, hurting his eardrums. Soon after, Jin heard an ear-ripping screech.
He knew which spell Midor prepared.
¡®Spatial Explosion? Only an extremely talented magician contracted with Sheenu can use this spell¡¡¯
And there was only one person who fit those requirements.
Kelliark Zipfel.
Before Jin¡¯s regression, he heard stories about the Zipfel patriarch often while walking the path of a magician. That same Kelliark Zipfel could cause explosions to ur anywhere¡ªjust with a twirl of his finger.
People said that he was simr to a god giving judgment whenever he cast Spatial Explosion.
¡®But why is he¡?¡¯
There was no time to think.
¡®He said ¡°family member¡±. Is he Kelliark¡¯s son? Even so, is it even possible to share Sheenu¡¯s abilities?¡¯
Then, the second explosion urred.
This time, to Jin¡¯s right. However, he couldn¡¯t dodge it. Even if his body were in top condition, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge it. His internal injuries hurt him too much.
Biiiiiiiiiii¡ª
Another screeching sound.
Myulta¡¯s Rune couldpletely stop a 7-star knight¡¯s strike, but it could not block out sound.
Midor identified that Jin¡¯s helm was a masterpiece, and he selected the most effective way to defeat him.
If he had mana left to summon Tess, then he could create an absolute domain with the phoenix¡¯s blue mes to stop the Spatial Explosions. Since Tess¡¯s mes couldn¡¯t be affected by Sheenu¡¯s mes.
However, summoning the phoenix was impossible due to the mana overflow.
Looking around, Jin saw Murakan barely dodging the attacks.
The natives were not being attacked, but it was because Midor ordered the magicians to capture them alive.
Seeing as the natives wouldn¡¯t stop their ritual despite being in the midst of battle, they would eventually fall like flies. There was no need to attack them in the first ce, since they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape anyway.
¡°Did he get injured after fighting our pir? He acted like he was fine when he was talking to me, so I¡¯ll at least praise him for that. I am relieved our pir didn¡¯t die from his own ipetence¡ I shall keep our promise.¡±
Jin couldn¡¯t hear Midor¡¯s voice due to all the explosions.
Moreover, he had to throw his body around to dodge the explosive spells and lessen the risk of triggering mana overflow. Blood visibly streamed out through the breaths of the helm.
¡®The kid¡¯s gonna die at this rate! That bastard¡ How the fuck are we supposed to stall for time against these crazy guys?!¡¯
Murakan decided his next move.
¡®I¡¯ll transform into my true form then do whatever I can for the kid¡¯s survival. Shit. One wrong move and I¡¯ll have to say myst goodbye.¡¯
All of his memories shed in his mind.
He smiled, remembering the past six years that he spent with Jin. He felt more nostalgic recalling those memories than his experiences as Temar¡¯s guardian dragon.
Swooop!
A white dimensional portal suddenly opened in the middle of the ruins.
And from it emerged something massive.
A white toad.
As well as a silver-haired woman and a younger girl on top of it.
¡°Hmm, it looks like I¡¯m notte.¡±
The Master of the Hidden Pce, Tris Endorma.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 114: Reinforcements (4)
Chapter 114: Reinforcements (4)
Volume 5 Chapter 114 ¨C Reinforcements (4)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡°That¡¯s¡¡±
¡°Th-The Master of the Hidden Pce, Tris Endorma?!¡±
Amongst the high-star magicians of the Seventh Tower, there wasn¡¯t anyone who didn¡¯t know the face of the Abyssal Spider.
The magicians who were bombarding Murakan with spells simultaneously stopped. Midor, too, couldn¡¯t help but stare at the white toad.
¡®You did it, Sir Kashimir!¡¯
Jin almost fainted after feeling great relief. He was pushing himself far beyond his physical limits; the only thing he could do was stand.
While the barrage of spells were at a brief pause, Murakan quickly ran to support Jin.
¡°If that toad came even two secondster, I wouldn¡¯t be able to see you again. Kuku, kiddo. Is this the first time an amphibian looked so attractive? Snow Toad Mort. There¡¯s a human that could summon that thing in this era as well.¡±
Summoned beast, Snow Toad Mort.
It was bigger than the magicians¡¯ dragons and had a voluminous white beard, as if it had lived thousands of years.
A summoned beast that could only be controlled by the one chosen by the Myriad Ice. Every time Mort croaked, Tris nodded.
¡°Yes, it was a long distance to travel quickly. Go rest until I call you again, cutie.¡±
Swoop.
Surprisingly, Mort¡¯s massive body immediately disappeared into the white dimensional portal.
As the portal closed, Tris and Syrisnded on the ground and looked around.
¡°Let¡¯s see¡ The kid who received the Hidden Pce¡¯s snow blossoms¡ Ah, there he is.¡±
About thirty high-star magicians and six dragons were anxious. They couldn¡¯t process the series of events that transpired on the ground. Even the dragons who didn¡¯t know of Tris¡¯s notoriety didn¡¯t budge.
The course of battle had instantly changed at her appearance.
The natives continued their ritual as the situation unfolded.
Clip, clop.
With carefree steps, Tris snickered as she walked towards Jin without acknowledging Midor. The moment she walked past the Zipfel, Midor felt an ineffable humiliation. However, he did not dare to strike her from behind.
If he did, his head would be cut off before he knew it.
¡°Oh my, you¡¯re in an unspeakable condition. Can you even hear me?¡±
¡°Yes, Madame Tris.¡±
¡°Yes? Alright. Before I help you, let me ask one thing. Did you really kill my 307th boyfriend?¡±
¡°I beg your pardon?¡±
¡°I meant Alkaro Tzendler.¡±
The drug dealer that Jin killed in his assassination mission during his cadet days.
Caught off guard by the ¡®small talk¡¯, Jin cleared his throat, temporarily forgetting about his unbearable pain. Syris shook her head from secondhand embarrassment.
¡°Oh, that¡¡±
¡°I¡¯m not trying to antagonize you. I was going to get rid of that druggie anyway. Instead, please introduce a better person after getting rid of one. Like that handsome gentleman next to you.¡±
Jin and Syris were bbergasted but suppressed it. Murakan shrugged.
¡°Hmph, ¡®handsome gentleman¡¯, you say. I must say, you sure know how to look at people. And your entrance was very extravagant.¡±
¡°In that case, we should have a drink some time. Anyways, my daughter. Go help out your lover and frolic in the grass or something. I have some business to deal with.¡±
¡°I said, he¡¯s not a lover¡ Haaa, whatever. Good luck, mother.¡±
¡°Yes, yes. Oh, and you should be very thankful to my daughter. If it weren¡¯t for her, I wouldn¡¯t even be here.¡±
Crrrrackle-crackle.
Tris turned around, and an ice wall rose from the ground, surrounding Jin. She was using ¡®Myriad Ice¡¯ to protect her priorities.
All she did was wave her hand, and she created an indestructible barrier. Murakan was impressed.
Tris then did the same for the natives.
¡®Thank god.¡¯
Relieved, Jin finally let go and let his body fall to the ground. Syris hung his arm around her neck.
¡°¡Long time no see, Jin Runcandel. I was sure that we would have a duel the next time we met, but I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be like this.¡±
¡°Lady Syris, thank you. I am indebted to you.¡±
¡°No need. There¡¯s no way I would let you die before I defeat you.¡±
¡°Urgh.¡±
Jin let out a groan, and Myulta¡¯s Rune was deactivated. All of the blood that umted in his helm spilled out.
¡®Oh my¡ªHe was standing in this condition? I¡¯ve never seen so much blood before!¡¯
Spiritual energy, mana, and aura were mixed in with Jin¡¯s blood, making it have a dark glow. Syris quickly pulled out a potion and rested Jin on herp.
¡°I¡¯m sorr¡ª¡±
¡°Silence.¡±
Syris slowly and calmly poured the concoction into Jin¡¯s mouth. Murakan smiled at the sight.
¡°Lookin¡¯ good. I apologize if I¡¯m disturbing your guys¡¯ special time. Should I clear out for y¡¯all?¡±
Murakan was in a very good mood.
Not so long ago, he was preparing himself to never see Jin again, but with the situation improving, he was relieved.
¡°Hmph. Out of all the dragons I¡¯ve met, you are the most childish.¡±
¡°Huh? How¡¯d you know I was a dragon?¡±
¡°My mother doesn¡¯t call just anyone a ¡®handsome gentleman¡¯. She only uses that towards dragons. And I¡¯m not in such a great mood right now, so I wish you would stop fooling around.¡±
¡°Fufu, alright. I need to rest anyways. I¡¯ll leave the kid to you.¡±
Poof!
Murakan transformed into a cat. He paced back and forth around Jin before settling next to him. Syris scoffed.
¡®Wait, was he the cat that I saw at the banquet? It was a dragon?!¡¯
She shuddered at the memory of petting and loving Nabi Runcandel after dueling Jin at the Runcandel banquet.
¡®Jin Runcandel. I don¡¯t like the atmosphere around you too much.¡¯
However, she didn¡¯t really hate Jin¡¯s wet hair on her knees.
On the other side of the barrier, the magicians awaited Midor¡¯s next move.
Since the Master of the Hidden Pce entered the battle, would they silently retreat or fight in the name of the Zipfels?
From a technical standpoint, the former was a smarter decision; thetter wasn¡¯t. Facing her would be borderline impossible.
However, Midor chose thetter.
¡®Even though the opponent is the Master of the Hidden Pce, I can¡¯t just let the pir¡¯s killer go.¡¯
He also had a n up his sleeve.
¡®Even with the Seventh Tower of Magicians, she would be a challenge¡ but if we hold on for a bit, then the other towers will reinforce us!¡¯
Beforeing to the Kollon Ruins, Midor alerted the other towers that Myuron was in grave danger.
¡ªAs of now, we shall gather all magicians of the Seventh Tower and go there. Elders, please alert the main house and other towers.
¡ªAnd other towers? Aren¡¯t you just escting the situation?
¡ªI have a bad feeling. A summon this early in the morning¡
Midor¡¯s hunch was spot on. On top of Myuron¡¯s death, they had to face the Master of the Hidden Pce.
And if sufficient reinforcements were sent, then their victory was attainable since the opponent was Tris Endorma and not Cyron Runcandel.
¡®And the patriarch has bestowed his abilities upon me. Even if I can¡¯t inflict enough damage with Spatial Explosion, I can at least stall for time.¡¯
Midor made his decision and stepped forward. His eyes met with Tris.
¡°Master of the Hidden Pce. I am the vice pir of the Seventh Tower of Magicians, Midor Elner. I would like to ask why the Ruler of the West Sea is interfering with Zipfel business.¡±
As Midor finished his sentence, the magicians nned their battle formation. The six dragons gathered their breaths, preparing for an attack.
Tris scoffed in pity.
¡°Interfering with Zipfel business? I¡¯m dealing with some business myself. On that note, you guys are the ones meddling with my business. If you understand and walk away, I¡¯ll be nice enough to let you go.¡±
¡°I understand that the world knows of your strength and skills being uncontested, but the Hidden Pce cannot threaten the Zipfel n. Those people are the ones who killed the sixth son of the patriarch, the pir of the Seventh Tower of Magicians. So please back away, Master of the Hidden Pce.¡±
¡°Oho, that¡¯s some serious stuff.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sure that you do not want the Zipfels as an enemy of the Hidden Pce. Additionally, thisnd is part of the Lutero Magic Federation¡ªpart of Zipfelnd.¡±
¡°But there¡¯s not enough spark or sh. ¡®Our n is so great that we¡¯re the best in thend.¡¯ That¡¯s something dogs would say. Well, they do say that dogs act like wolves in their territory.¡±
The elders behind Midor furrowed their brows.
¡°Master of the Hidden Pce! That¡¯s too far¡ª!¡±
¡°Shut the fuck up.¡±
Tris red daggers at the elders.
¡°Erk!¡±
That was all she did, but the two elders fell to the ground, holding onto their throat as if they were suffocating.
The elders fell after receiving the re filled with concentrated murderous intimidation from Tris. The ¡®will¡¯ of a 10-star knight was no different from a weapon.
¡°Third elder!¡±
¡°Raise a barrier!¡±
The magicians quickly cast a barrier, and simultaneously, the dragons released their breaths.
Fwooooosh~!
There weren¡¯t many moments where the breath of a dragon looked pitiful.
Tris instantly disintegrated the six dragons¡¯ breaths.
Crackle!
As the breaths reached her hand, it turned into brittle ice. The ice shattered, and the air glimmered with the sparkles of ice. The magicians instinctively stepped backwards.
¡°Isn¡¯t it morous? If you shoot your breath one more time, you ugly reptiles will be Mort¡¯s meal. Alright, I think I¡¯ve shown off the difference in power. Are you going to continue?¡±
This was the Zipfel magicians¡¯st chance. Theirst chance to leave without losing anyone.
However, Midor was too blind to seize the opportunity of survival.
¡°Even if we all die fighting you, the ones to be erased from this world will be you. Not us!¡±
Boom!
Midor aimed and used Spatial Explosion on Tris¡¯s neck.
Tris¡¯s eyes shook.
She reacted perfectly to the explosion and blocked it with her ice, but she was very surprised.
¡°Huh? This is Kelliark Zipfel¡¯s power¡ What the hell are you?¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 115: Reinforcements (5)
Chapter 115: Reinforcements (5)
Volume 5 Chapter 115 ¨C Reinforcements (5)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡°Although I do not want to fight you, I cannot let it stain my n¡¯s name.¡±
Boom!
Another explosion. This time, Tris reacted in time with another ice crystal. She frowned in disapproval.
At this point, Midor thought that it was possible to win.
However, that was a delusion.
¡°Hmph. Spatial Explosion, you say. You are too rambunctious with Kelliark¡¯s power at hand.¡±
Thump!
Tris stomped on the ground.
Rumble, rumble¡!
The Zipfel magicians¡¯ barrier began to freeze. Thirty magicians contributed to the barrier, and it only took one person to take it down. Only three seconds were needed to shatter it.
¡°Wh-What is this?!¡±
All of the Seventh Tower¡¯s magicians knew Tris¡¯s face, but none of them really had any experience fighting her.
If anyone actually knew her true strength, they never would¡¯ve challenged her.
The magicians¡¯ faces turned red. The dragons let out low, quiet whimpers.
Tris started to use her true power; her long hair flew in the wind.
Many snowke-shaped particles flew around her. Each crystal glowed, illuminating their surroundings.
¡°Maybe I was too inactive recently. Oh my, and you pathetic peons attacking¡ It feels a little off. It seems you have never heard anything about me from your little patriarch?¡±
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
The ice crystals gathered on Tris¡¯s right hand and formed a long silhouette.
A sword.
With the name ¡®Myriad Ice¡¯.
¡°I¡¯ll teach you a lesson.¡±
Swoosh¡!
Tris swung Myriad Ice once, and a sharp, skin-piercing wind flew.
The bitter cold was visible in the form of white particles. The wind rushed forward, and the magicians began to cast their defensive spells.
However, as long as Tris held her sword, her opponents were powerless.
¡°Urgh!¡±
Midor let out a short groan, and soon, the magicians behind him screamed.
It was as if thousands of knives rushed towards them instead of a gust of wind. As it prated their barrier, blood sttered on the magicians.
Their bloodstained robes were ripped and torn apart. Wands and staves broke. Their flesh and bones were brutally being carved away.
Tris scoffed at the pitiful sight.
¡°I don¡¯t mean to kill youpletely.¡±
It wasn¡¯t an attack where she needed to concentrate or muster a lot of aura.
It was nothing beyond a swing of a sword, and still, the magicians took severe damage.
In fact, there were five casualties despite them being 7-stars.
¡®Is this really the power of a human¡?!¡¯
Midor¡ªwho was barely holding onto consciousness¡ªshook in fear.
The woman before him was unbelievably powerful.
With the difference in power, the Zipfel magicians would be done for before they could even get the chance to cast the next spell. Moreover, the only attack he could do was Spatial Explosion.
¡°Oh, and you¡¯re Midor? Darling, you made a grave mistake. I really hate Spatial Explosion. It¡¯s that very annoying spell when I fought against Kelliark a while back.¡±
Tris quickly closed the gap between them and towered over Midor.
¡°Urk!¡±
¡°Why so surprised? You didn¡¯t even notice that your right hand is already gone.¡±
Midor instinctively looked down to his hands. Indeed, the right was cleanly cut off andid on the ground.
Additionally, his wound was already frozen, which exined why he didn¡¯t feel anything.
¡°This is why I really, really don¡¯t like magicians. You had the gumption to check your hand? When I¡¯m right in front of you? Trained knights wouldn¡¯t dare to look away from their enemy. Or else, the next thing you know, you¡¯ve been decapitated.¡±
Gasp!
Midor grabbed his neck and stepped backwards. Seeing his fear, Tris clicked her tongue. Midor felt his heart stop.
He couldn¡¯t do anything.
¡°Vice Pir!¡±
¡°Protect the vice pir!¡±
¡°You background characters still have quite the loyalty. But how will you protect him when your conditions are like that? You guys would be better off running away. Your leader is a fool. Fighting without acknowledging the opponent¡¯s power.¡±
Tris gave a cold smile, and the magicians gritted their teeth.
She wasn¡¯t wrong. Midor had to ept the truth as well as his grave mistake.
¡®Shit. I expected this, but even with the patriarch¡¯s Spatial Explosion¡! At this rate, even if the other reinforcements arrive¡¡¯
They would not win.
Either Kelliark Zipfel needed to show up or top Twilight Magicians had to arrive.
¡°I have no words for you¡ªWhat the hell is that?¡±
As Midor fell into despair, beams of light pierced through the clouds of the morning sky. The light¡¯s source was a massive ship flying through the sky.
And Tris knew what the arrival of the ship meant.
¡®That¡¯s the Twilights¡¯ ship. That Kashimir bastard. He didn¡¯t tell me that these guys were gonnae.¡¯
Tris¡¯s expression tensed up for the first time.
Midor and the other magicians also stared in disbelief, but for a different reason. They never would¡¯ve thought that the Zipfel main house would send such reinforcements.
Woooom¡!
The one ship that flew in the sky¡ªthe Kozak.
As soon as the airship came into view, Jin stood up.
¡®What the hell? Why is that here?¡¯
The Kozak was the Zipfel n¡¯s ship that only moved in times of war. Jin heard about it many times, but it was his first time seeing it in person.
Poof.
Murakan changed back into his human form and stared at the massive airship. Syris¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°Ah, wait. The Kozak would be difficult for that woman to deal with. Was that Myuron guy that important in the Zipfel n?¡±
¡°¡I think the Zipfels got a little sensitive after Andrei¡¯s death. And since another pureblood Zipfel was attacked, they¡¯re probably sending adequate reinforcements. In fact, this area has the relic that they¡¯ve been searching for thousands of years.¡±
Jin shook his head.
¡®Even if it¡¯s Madame Tris, fighting the Twilight Magicians will be tough¡ At this rate, saving the natives and recovering the relic would be impossible.¡¯
With the entrance of the Kozak, the battle stopped. The natives, however, continued their ritual.
It was still four in the morning when the Kozak came in, and there were eight hours until the ritual finished. Executing Laosa¡¯s request would be impossible.
¡®Even if Tris can fight the Twilight Magicians, she doesn¡¯t even need to. She could just take me and Murakan and escape.¡¯
Kashimir explicitly requested Jin and Murakan¡¯s rescue.
He didn¡¯t say anything about saving the natives or their ritual. After all, dealing with the natives was Jin¡¯s business.
Despite all this, Jin didn¡¯t want to give up. He wanted to save everyone and everything.
Not because he wanted to have the ancient masterpiece, but because he wanted to save the Kollon natives who had suffered for centuries.
However, if they could escape the area while riding Snow Toad Mort, then he would have an eternal burden on his mind.
¡°Where are you going, kid?!¡±
¡°I¡¯m gonna go see the natives.¡±
Jin activated Myulta¡¯s Rune and ran towards the natives. Seeing this, Tris lowered the ice barrier. Tika then grabbed Jin¡¯s hands, looking very desperate.
She¡ªand all the other Kollon natives¡ªdidn¡¯t want to burden him.
¡°This doesn¡¯t look too good. We know what that ship is. Please escape, Jin. I am really sorry. You have done so much for us¡ but we cannot return the favor. I am sad that we will meet a bitter end.¡±
¡°Tika.¡±
¡°¡After centuries of torture and oppression, the only ones who lent a hand were you and Dino. Our saviors, please. Please get to safety.¡±
Truly, the events that unfolded the past few hours had been a miracle.
Jin¡¯s partying to the Kollon Ruins, the death of Myuron, creating a grave for all who had been killed, Tris¡¯s appearance at the sight of the magicians¡
They couldn¡¯t wish for more miracles.
¡°I don¡¯t want to give up on you guys. Can you speed up the ritual process? If I persuade Madame Tris, we can stall for time before a fight against the Twilight ensues.¡±
¡°That would be possible if Lady Laosa didn¡¯t lose her divinity. But since she has, it¡¯s impossible. Please leave. They will not kill us until they get their hands on the relic. Maybe.¡±
Maybe.
Her words pierced Jin¡¯s heart. He had felt the same emotions when he created almost two hundred graves for the deceased Kollon natives.
¡°Lady Laosa didn¡¯t lose all of the divinity. She used it when we first met her.¡±
¡°But¡¡±
¡°I will bring her here. If that still doesn¡¯t work, then we will give up.¡±
¡°No! There isn¡¯t enough time. Please, run away. You don¡¯t need to do so much for us. You have already done more than enough. We cannot let a person like you die.¡±
Vwoooooooom!
To Jin¡¯s left, a pale-white dimensional portal opened, and Snow Toad Mort jumped out.
Syris had summoned it.
¡°Come on.¡±
Already riding Mort, Syris lent out a hand to Jin.
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°Get on here. I felt like I should aid an entitled Runcandel in helping someone in need. However, I can¡¯t buy you much time.¡±
Jin nodded with a grim expression.
¡°I will never forget this favor, Lady Syris.¡±
¡°A ¡®thank you¡¯ is enough. It¡¯s nothing hard. Let¡¯s go.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 116: Reinforcements (6)
Chapter 116: Reinforcements (6)
Volume 5 Chapter 116 ¨C Reinforcements (6)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Tris smiled at her daughter.
¡®Summoning Mort without my permission? Well, have fun, my precious daughter.¡¯
She at least wanted her daughter to tell her when she was going to return.
Even more so in a scenario where the Kozak, the Zipfels¡¯ ultimate weapon, slowly circled around them.
Tris jumped on top of Mort and confronted Jin and Syris.
¡°I understand your teenage romance in these desperate times, my daughter. But pleasee back as soon as possible. I can¡¯t hold a long time against that thing. Defending extras makes it more tiring.¡±
¡°We just need to get their prophet, Laosa, from Tikan. We¡¯ll return quickly.¡±
¡°Hmm, I can see you¡¯re not considering the possibility of my death?¡±
Syris scoffed.
¡°If the Zipfels didn¡¯t need this much just to possibly defeat you, there would be no Hidden Pce.¡±
Syris knew well about the power of the Twilight and Kozak. However, she thought that her mother with the Myriad Ice was stronger.
She heard that even Cyron Runcandel¡ªa demigod¡ªhad a hard time dealing with her mother with the Myriad Ice.
¡®However, even if she is that strong, fighting many people while protecting the natives would be tough. Also, she can¡¯t kill any of the Twilight Magicians.¡¯
Jin¡¯s thoughts concurred with Syris¡¯s.
¡®Tris cannot kill any of the Twilight Magicians. Killing several Seventh Tower magicians is fine since the Zipfels can just cover it up and not deal with the Hidden Pce. However, killing some of the Twilights is different. That would result in an all-out war.¡¯
Tris came to the Kollon Ruins as per Kashimir¡¯s request.
But it didn¡¯t have anything to do with going head to head with the Zipfel n. It was very disadvantageous for her to drag on the fight to this point.
Despite all this, Tris¡ªRuler of the West Sea¡ªdecided to help out Jin for one reason.
¡®I love his eyes. There was a reason why my daughter looked dreamy aftering back from that Runcandel banquet. I doubt this kid will be the next patriarch. Maybe I can marry him to my daughter and make him our own?¡¯
Tris stroked Mort¡¯s cheek.
¡°Alright, go quick. I¡¯ll give you an hour. Until then, I¡¯ll keep everyone alive. Of course, the handsome gentleman doesn¡¯t need to transform into his true form.¡±
Boooooong!
Mort croaked, and a white portal opened.
¡°Hold on. If you fall into the Other Snow Garden, then you can nevere back.¡±
Swooop!
The massive body slipped into the tiny portal.
In an instant, they were surrounded by an endless snowfield. Mort was sprinting through the fields, but the wind wasn¡¯t cold at all.
¡®It¡¯s another Other World like the Fire Dimension¡ Does the toad use this space to teleport?¡¯
A fascinating summoned beast. Jin had never heard about it, so he assumed that their reinforcements woulde through a transfer gate.
¡°Mort says that you have a nostalgic scent.¡±
Syris spoke in a low voice, and Jin tilted his head.
¡°What?¡±
¡°Mort¡ Tess? Are you the summoner of Phoenix Tess?¡±
An unexpected question, but Jin was used to it.
¡®Soon, everyone would find out that I¡¯m a magic swordsman. Even a summoned beast can identify my magic abilities.¡¯
He didn¡¯t want to hide it.
After meeting in Mamit for the first time anding to save him in more dire situations, Syris was basically his savior.
Though, he did destroy her in a duel at the banquetst year.
¡°That¡¯s correct. Fascinating. Do Tess and Mort know each other?¡±
¡°They say they were close friends for a long time. Well, I won¡¯t pester you further. Besides, hold on tight. We¡¯re arriving in Tikan soon, and there will be a lot of impact when we re-enter a portal.¡±
He felt a little awkward, but Jin held onto Syris a little tighter.
¡°This is why we usually put strangers in Mort¡¯s mouth when we relocate. That¡¯s what happened to Sir Kashimir. No matter how rough the ride, they wouldn¡¯t fall out of Mort¡¯s mouth that way, right?¡±
¡°Then why am I not¡?¡±
¡°Well, you¡¯re the youngest son of the Runcandels, so I should treat you with respect. And get a lot of money out of you rich ones. One wrong move, and the Hidden Pce and Zipfel n will be your worst enemies!¡±
Booooong!
Far away, another dimensional portal opened.
Inside the tear through space, the first port of the Free City of Tikan was visible. Mort pounced towards the tiny crevice.
sh!
And they arrived. Syris hopped off and dismissed Mort before anyone could see them.
¡°Now, where do we go?¡±
¡°Thankfully, we are near Lady Laosa¡¯s home. What a coincidence.¡±
They navigated through multiple turns. It wasn¡¯t long until they arrived in front of a small, wooden door.
Knock-knock!
¡°Lady Laosa! Pan!¡±
¡°Ah, at thiz time¡ Whomm the fu¡ªOh, Lord Jim? How iz Kollon goin¡¯?¡±
Pan was drunk, not even sleeping.
Instead, he seemed to be praying with a single lit candle. Beside ity Laosa on the floor with her eyes closed.
¡°¡I was waiting for you, Lord Jin. It seems the child of the snow came with you.¡±
With those words, Jin knew that Laosa was reading into his fate.
¡°Prophet Laosa. Did you know that this would happen?¡±
Laosa made a bitter mile.
¡°If I did, then there would not have been many casualties. I only remained here and searched for my god.¡±
It was only a few days ago when he had asked ¡®Are you a god?¡¯ at her immense aura.
But now, Jin felt the diminished divine aura. Still, her presence was different from that of a normal human¡¯s.
¡°It seems that the Zipfel magicians are destroying the Kollon natives¡¯nd once more, seeing as my divinity is deteriorating.¡±
¡°When we killed Myuron, the Zipfel magicians called reinforcements beforeing to the ruins. Just now, the Twilight Magicians arrived on the Kozak.¡±
Laosa nodded.
¡°You need not speak further. I understand the situation. It seems you need me to speed up the ritual process?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, Prophet Laosa. And each second that passes, the Kollon Ruins is bombarded with more spells and demolished even further. We should go. Quickly.¡±
¡°Understood, child of the snow. In that case, may we finish our prayers?¡±
Jin thought that Syris wouldn¡¯t let them, but she actually let it slide.
¡°It must be an important prayer. Alright. Jin and I will be waiting outside, so pleasee out quickly.¡±
Syris stepped outside and sighed.
¡°Prophet Laosa, you say. I¡¯ve never felt respect for something that¡¯s not physically strong. That was her diminishing divinity¡?¡±
¡°It seems you felt her aura as well. When we first met, it was much stronger.¡±
¡°I¡¯m starting to get curious after meeting her in person. What the hell is the divine relic that they¡¯re guarding?¡±
Laosa finished her prayer and exited the house. Syris summoned Mort once more, and the portal opened.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
Right under the Kozak, which covered the entire sky with its massive starboard, thirty minutes had passed since Tris¡¯s battle with the Twilight Magicians.
And yet, not a single one had fallen.
She was controlling her strength.
¡®Phew. I promised that I¡¯d keep them safe for an hour, but this¡ This is very tiring.¡¯
The initial magicians who came and fought her went into the airship to receive care. Midor and the Twilight Magicians started to cast a spell.
The magician that Jin considered to be a powerful magician, Midor Elner, looked pretty normal amongst the Twilight Magicians.
Fifty 8-stars and two 9-tars. About fifty percent of the Twilight Magicians¡¯ forces. That was the entire troop that came to the Kollon Ruins. It really showed how sensitive they were to the pureblood Zipfels¡¯ plights.
¡°Please stop, Master of the Hidden Pce! We do not want to hurt you. As long as you hand over Myuron Zipfel¡¯s killer together with the natives, we will leave quietly.¡±
There wasn¡¯t a single piece ofnd intact between Tris and the Twilight Magicians.
It looked as if a massive beast bulldozed through thend. Buildings had gotten demolished, and the debris scattered everywhere.
They were only threatening her from a distance. Tris was just deflecting iing spells, so in reality, it was the Twilight Magicians who were really exhausted.
¡°If you want topromise, then call for Kelliark Zipfel.¡±
¡°Master of the Hidden Pce! Your tower and the Zipfel n do not need to have this fight. To you, this battle is merely a request. But to us, it is for the death of a leader.¡±
¡°God dammit. I¡¯m holding back on my urge to kill you, you know?¡±
About an hour had passed.
¡®Are those kids still out on a date? I¡¯ve been having an easy time blocking these magicians because they aren¡¯t going all out¡¡¯
Tris looked up.
The Kozak.
If the Twilight Magicians used their full power, then she wouldn¡¯t be able to fight back as easily.
¡®They wouldn¡¯t just use that, right? The Zipfels have something they want buried here.¡¯
If the Kozak¡¯s weapon was used, the Kollon Ruins would be devastated in an instant.
Tris thought that they wouldn¡¯t use such a weapon on such preciousnd.
That was until the Twilight Magicians began to activate the weapon with runes.
¡°You have provoked this action. We have just received full permission from the patriarch.¡±
The bottom of the airship opened up, and a massive cannon peeked out.
¡°Huh? Wait¡ª¡±
As the massive mana cluster charged up, Jin and Syris hurriedly arrived in the Kollon Ruins. Laosa jumped down from the giant toad.
¡°Look out!¡±
Tris shouted, desperation sewn into her voice.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 117: Forces That Destroy the World, Forces That Save the World (1)
Chapter 117: Forces That Destroy the World, Forces That Save the World (1)
Volume 5 Chapter 117 ¨C Forces That Destroy the World, Forces That Save the World (1)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Pzzzzt!
Right before the weapon was fired, Tris swung Myriad Ice.
From the tip of the transparent sword emerged a crescent sh that would easily cut through the Kozak.
As the chilling-cold crescent sh flew towards the cannon, the air behind it froze, leaving a glimmering trail of ice.
However, there was no time to appreciate the beauty of the attack.
Snatch!
Jin carried Laosa on his shoulder and ran away, Syris not far behind him. All of this happened in one second.
The problem was that the Kozak¡¯s weapon would vaporize the entirety of the Kollon Ruins within that one second.
Krrrrrrr¡!
The sky was dyed gold. The result of apressed gold mana sphere pouring out of the cannon.
If Tris¡¯s sword did not block it¡
The Kollon Ruins would be wiped off the face of the earth.
Shhhhhhk! Krrrk!
As the crescent sh and cannon met, an ear-ripping screech echoed throughout. One human¡¯s strength against the most overpowered weapon of war.
The Kozak¡¯s artillery fire couldn¡¯t hit the ground; neither could Tris¡¯s sh reach the ship in the sky.
Instead, a powerful shockwave shook the earth.
The ice wall that Tris had set up for the natives began to crack. The millions of ice particles around her began to shatter and explode.
The shimmering and glittering lights from the sparks of aura and mana that flew out from the collision blinded those around it.
Tris warned them to dodge the lights. Each and every shard of energy that fell like hail had the power to cause death even to a trained knight.
There was a limit to dodging all of the falling shrapnels. Jin, Laosa, and Syris reached an area with the least projectiles, but there wasn¡¯t an areapletely safe from the flying debris.
¡°Prophet! Please duck here and not move a single step.¡±
Jin and Syris started to deflect the remnants of the collision. Thanks to Syris¡¯s healing potion, Jin was able to swing his sword normally.
Maybe it was because of their duel in the past, but their swords were synchronized as they deflected all of the glowing, flying specks of energy.
However, they couldn¡¯t do anything about their declining strength.
Each little spark had the power of a 6-star knight. As such, deflecting the particles would be the equivalent of fighting dozens of knights at once.
¡°You¡¯ve gotten better, Jin Runcandel.¡±
¡°The same goes to you. Phew. The situation doesn¡¯t look too good in the first ce, though. Taking Lady Laosa to the natives will be hard.¡±
It would be great if everything was over after one attack.
Unfortunately, the Kozak was ready to take another shot. Tris was also ready to take another swing at full force.
¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t know you would really shoot it. I am Tris Endorma. Wake the fuck up, you sons of bitches.¡±
Tris swiped her forehead.
The Twilight Magicians looked at her with grim expressions. They knew that she would block it, but they never thought that she would also get close to destroying the Kozak with a single swing.
¡°This is yourst warning! Master of the Hidden Pce, if you do not heed by our order, we will kill all of your associates even if it destroys the Kollon Ruins.¡±
¡°Hmph, you really don¡¯t want to say outright that you¡¯ll kill me, since that¡¯s impossible even with all your power.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. But deflecting our cannon while also protecting those behind you is impossible. We are merely humiliated, but you are failing to fulfill your request.¡±
Tris smiled.
Because she had nothing to say.
¡°Since we got this far, let¡¯s see who really is better: the Hidden Pce or the Zipfels? Syris! You guys do whatever you can to get that woman over there!¡±
She pointed towards the ce where the natives were chanting their ritual.
They were about seven hundred steps from where Jin and Syris stood. It would have been an easy gap to close if it weren¡¯t for the remnants of aura and mana contaminating thend with stains hotter thanva.
If one didn¡¯t protect their body with aura, they would be instantly vaporized.
The Kozak began to ready its next attack with a more defined gold color. Tris prepared an even stronger crescent sh in return.
¡®Even more shards will fall¡¡¯
While evading all of the va¡¯ pools, they had to deflect more flying shards and get to the ritual¡¯s location.
¡®Since Murakan is helping the natives behind the cracked ice barrier, he can¡¯t help us. It¡¯s just me and Syris for this task.¡¯
On top of that, one of the two had to carry Laosa.
Even if she was a prophet, her physical capabilities were equivalent to that of a normal human. Stepping on the ground would be impossible for her.
¡®What a sticky situation.¡¯
For the first time in his life, the seven-hundred-pace distance seemed so far away.
¡®But if we fail, all of the fights until now will be rendered meaningless. And the oppression of the Kollon natives will continue.¡¯
Syris sighed, and Jin met eyes with her.
¡°Lady Syris, please take the prophet and follow me. I will open up the path by myself.¡±
¡°What? What do you mean? You¡¯re going to do a task¡ªthat¡¯s hard even for the both of us¡ªby yourself? Your body isn¡¯t even in good shape.¡±
¡°Which is why I¡¯m doing it myself. Between the two of us, even if I die, you are more than capable of getting her to the natives.¡±
¡°Are you serious?¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why go so far?¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t you and Madame Tris doing a lot for us as well? To the point where one would find it difficult to understand?¡±
¡°That¡¯s different. My mother and I will evade death no matter what. We do care about the natives, but if we encounter the risk of death, we will disengage immediately.¡±
Then, Jin smiled.
¡°Madame Tris is iparably stronger than I am. If she hadn¡¯t volunteered toe here, then I¡¯d have already died, or would have faced consequences close to death.¡±
¡°What the hell are you trying to say, Jin Runcandel?¡±
Syris was genuinely furious¡ªeyes ming as if it emitted fire. However, she didn¡¯t really know why she was so emotional.
¡°I am supposed to deal with this mess. Getting help from someone stronger and not even risking my own life is uneptable.¡±
Jin responded in a low, calm voice, and Syris¡¯s eyes shook.
Laosa then sat upright. She could only feel embarrassed.
¡®As the prophet of Kollon, what did I sacrifice to save my home?¡¯
¡ªRun away, Mdy!
¡ªIf you die, then our connection with Kum will be severed! Please escape to a ce where we¡¯ll never find you!
¡ªLady, please leave before you lose any more of your divinity. We¡¯ll be fine.
The desperate voices that she heard when she escaped the Kollon Ruins with Pan echoed in her head.
It was true that her brethren told her to escape, but ultimately, she was the one who chose to leave.
And where she hid, she waited for someone strong¡ªa savior¡ªto show up at her front door.
She lifted her head and looked up at Jin.
¡°¡So please, Lady Laosa, brace yourself. I am risking my life because Madame Tris is offering her power. Please show us your resilience.¡±
¡°Lord Jin, I¡¡±
From seven hundred paces away, she could see the others showing their resilience.
The normal Kollon natives would continue their ritual even if their bodies broke and melted.
¡°Even if we die, we will get over there. Understood?¡±
Laosa bit her lower lip and nodded.
¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go!¡±
Syris carried Laosa on her back, and as soon as Jin lifted his feet to depart¡ª
¡°Now! Fire!¡±
Kwaaaaaa¡!
The Kozak released the essence of the gold mana sphere.
The Twilight Magicians intentionally waited for the three¡¯s movement. Their goal wasn¡¯t to threaten Tris, but to kill her associates.
The Myriad Ice¡¯s crescent sh met the golden mana once more.
¡°Erk!¡±
As expected, more shards of energy flew throughout the ruins. The ear-ripping screech became sharper. Midor¡¯s ears started to bleed again.
One shard, another shard¡ªeach time a shard hit Jin, his two legs trembled.
However, he kept persisting.
¡®Six hundred seventy¡ Six hundred sixty-six¡ Six hundred¡ Five hundred¡¡¯
Gripping the sword, Jin already started to lose his stamina.
He only believed in one thing: the will to swing his sword with identical force three thousand times.
The will to take those seven hundred steps.
Seeing his strong will from behind, Syris felt her heart beat faster and faster as a knight.
Admiration.
¡°There¡¯s only fifty steps left! Jin, just a little longer¡ª!¡±
Tumble!
¡°Damn it¡ªJin!¡±
The final shard that struck Bradamante was unexpectedly heavy. Losing his bnce, Jin barely deflected the shrapnel, and Syris tried to pass on ahead.
¡°I will travel this distance myself.¡±
¡°This is no different than a volcano. How will you walk? You can¡¯t even protect your body with aura!¡±
¡°Even if my feet melt on the ground, I will crawl to my destination. So please, keep Lord Jin safe. I beg you. He will die at this rate.¡±
Laosa jumped off Syris.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, her sandals and skin began to melt.
Tssssss.
And one by one, she began to move her feet. She let out short breaths to endure the pain, and she progressed further and further.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 118: Forces That Destroy the World, Forces That Save the World (2)
Chapter 118: Forces That Destroy the World, Forces That Save the World (2)
Volume 5 Chapter 118 ¨C Forces That Destroy the World, Forces That Save the World (2)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Every time she took a step, she felt as if she were in hell. Setting fire to bare skin was a pain indescribable by words. Especially for an untrained human like Laosa.
However, the physical hell she was currently experiencing was far better than the mental hell she had been putting herself through. She believed that she was finally doing something as the prophet.
¡®As Lord Jin said, even if my body bes a pile of ash, I will serve my people.¡¯
He had many opportunities to escape, but Jin chose to help those around him.
Laosa responded to Jin¡¯s sacrifice with her transcending will.
Theirmitment moved Laosa¡¯s heart.
¡°Jin! Last a little longer. Laosa¡¯s going on her own! I¡¯ll take care of the shards behind you, so just move forward!¡±
Jin nodded.
Bradamante¡¯s fading glow began to shine once more. From Syris¡¯s reliable words of having his back, Jin trusted her and mustered up the rest of his strength.
In the storm of flying energy shards, the three slowly moved forward.
And the Twilight Magicians could only watch this sight. They thought there was no way that the children would seed without the Master of the Hidden Pce¡¯s help.
¡°Increase the cannon¡¯s strength! We will erase thisnd off the face of the earth!¡±
Chiiiiiiing¡!
The cannon that had forced ns and empires into extinction emitted an even stronger light.
If it weren¡¯t for the cold aura of the Myriad Ice, the entirety of the Kollon Ruins would have melted.
¡°When the kids are achieving something, the adults shouldn¡¯t just ck off, right?¡±
Although she spoke in a carefree manner, her limit was being reached. Pressuring the Twilights without killing any of them was a tiresome task.
¡®Syris and Jin, there really is no time. Just finish the job¡!¡¯
Thirty steps.
Twenty steps.
And when there were only ten steps left¡
¡®Ah¡¡¯
The excruciating pain that epassed Laosa¡¯s body forced her nervous system to shut down.
Her feet burnt to ck, and the white of bone was exposed.
Her two hands that were iling in the hot air faced the same senseless fate. Her eyes were open, but her vision was dark. It was hard to say whether she was even alive.
And of course, her feet no longer moved. Her entire body started to die.
¡®If I hade back a little earlier¡ No, if only I never ran away in the first ce¡¡¯
She felt sorry.
Sorry for Jin who risked everything to free the Kollon natives from their misery.
¡°Mdy!¡±
Syris shouted towards Laosa, who had stopped moving.
The prophet¡¯s body did not budge, and Syris couldn¡¯t even check up on her as she was too busy deflecting all of the energy shards.
¡°Jin! Lady Laosa is¡ª!¡±
She didn¡¯t want to say that she was dead.
Because she knew how hard Jin was trying to keep them safe.
In the continued explosions, Jin didn¡¯t notice Laosa¡¯s death, and he continued forward.
¡®Are there only five steps left?¡¯
Jin, too, was not in his right mind.
¡°Ji¡in¡ Jiiiiiin¡!¡±
Syris caught up to him and shouted his name in his ear. Her voice sounded so far away; Jin didn¡¯t even look back at her.
His fading vision caught a nce of her face before fading to ck.
Ffff-thunk.
One long shard pierced his chest, yet not a single groan of pain came out.
¡®Is this it?¡¯
Without Numerous¡¯s Tear to save the dead, Jin had no way of escaping death this time.
¡®Should we have escaped after killing Myuron Zipfel? Or when Midor Elner came here? Did we have to escape with the natives? Maybe the moment when the Kozak revealed itself over the horizon?¡¯
Should they have nevere in the first ce?
¡®Where did it all go wrong?¡¯
Jin thought as he exploded intoughter.
However, even if he could go back to the time before he came to the Kollon Ruins, he wouldn¡¯t have made so many different decisions.
Because every time he was given the choice with the consequences of death, he refused to ignore the Kollon natives.
Of course, he would make better ns and allocate stronger allies in order to evade failure.
However, it was all pointless at this point.
¡®How could I be such an idiot? I could¡¯ve just turned down the job. ¡But why couldn¡¯t I?¡¯
In the first ce, saving these people was such an unimportant side quest.
Would it help surpassing his father and his goal of bing the strongest knight in the world? Would it help him have a hold on world politics by bing the patriarch of the Runcandel n?
All of his goals did not line up with this request that he took.
Then why?
Why couldn¡¯t he just walk away?
¡®If the natives face their end here, then that¡¯s my fault. I basically forced their untimely death.¡¯
He realized that he couldn¡¯t overpower the Zipfels and that the world went how the strongest wanted it to.
He was the weakling once more.
¡®I couldn¡¯t say any thanks or apologies to many people.¡¯
He threw up a clump of blood before falling to the floor.
¡°No!¡±
The energy shards in the air suddenly increased in number. Was it because Bradamante stopped moving?
¡°You were deflecting this many of them by yourself, but it¡¯s not enough for you to die just like that!¡±
Syris¡¯s eyes began to water. They weren¡¯t lovers like her mother insisted, but he was someone she didn¡¯t want to send away so easily.
¡°Give me a response. You have to survive and duel me again!¡±
That was thest thing Jin heard.
Soon after, he died.
Syris already knew that fact, but she still continued to protect his corpse.
Chang!
Kerk! Krak!
¡°Syris! Stop that ande over here, dammit!¡±
The Kozak¡¯s cannon glowed with another golden light.
As the spread of theser got smaller, the destructive power increased.
The airship had immense destructive power, urging the journalists to attach a phrase to its name.
¡®A force that could destroy the world¡¯.
¡°We have said it time and time again. You will not achieve your goals!¡±
¡°If my daughter gets hurt, not a single one of you will make it out alive!¡±
¡°You are definitely stronger than us, but the Hidden Pce is not stronger than the Zipfel n. Isn¡¯t that why you¡¯ve stayed hidden even with this much strength?¡±
The moment Tris tried to answer, something else revealed itself from the horizon. The Twilight Magicians smiled.
¡°Kadun?!¡±
¡°Ourst reinforcement has arrived. Now, we cannot guarantee your daughter¡¯s survival. Yours as well.¡±
Fire Dragon Kadun.
Kelliark Zipfel¡¯s guardian dragon and the King of the Fire Dragons. Kadun let out a roar, and the Myriad Ice¡¯s cold aura was immediately extinguished.
[Long time no see, Tris Endorma. The one chosen by the Myriad Ice.]
Tris did not answer. She only gritted her teeth.
And in these hopeless moments, even though he was dead, Jin was watching all of it.
¡®What the hell? I should be dead¡ Huh? Shit, I can see my own corpse!¡¯
His body felt light. Jin¡¯s body was high in the sky, translucent, looking as if it were a mirage.
He could see the entire battleground, but no one else could see him. He watched Murakan as he changed into his true form from mourning at Jin¡¯s death. He even saw Syris, who fainted from protecting Jin¡¯s corpse.
The natives who continued their ritual. Tris whopletely unleashed the Myriad Ice to fight Kadun¡
Everyone fought at their best.
And for a second, Jin thought that seeing this sight may be some kind of purgatory. God¡¯s punishment for attempting at the impossible whilst being a weakling.
It was a horrible sight.
He had to watch his allies die. He felt as if he couldn¡¯t breathe¡ªas if his heart was going to explode.
¡¸How does it feel, Solderet¡¯s chosen one?¡¹
Then, he heard a voice.
Surprised, Jin turned his head and saw someone else standing and looking at the massacre. He couldn¡¯t tell if the person was a guy or a girl.
¡°You are¡?¡±
¡¸I¡¯ve been waiting for you for a while now.¡¹
¡°You¡¯ve been waiting for me? What do you mean?¡±
¡¸I am Kum. The one who sealed himself inside the mirror with Solderet¡¯s help.¡¹
As soon as he heard the other¡¯s name, Jin felt a surge of anger. He was about to ask why he didn¡¯t do anything, but Kum spoke first.
¡¸I¡¯m sure you want to ask why I showed up sote.¡¹
¡°Well, no shit.¡±
¡¸Answer my question first. How do you feel watching this sight? The ones who fought for you and the ones you tried to protect are all dying.¡¹
He wanted to unsheathe his sword and sh him, but instead, Jin took a deep breath.
¡°I just think that I was weak and stupid. Crazy, even.¡±
Kum smiled.
¡¸Don¡¯t forget that.¡¹
Click!
Kollon¡¯s god snapped his fingers, and Jin opened his eyes.
As if a page was being turned, his surroundings started changing.
His light, floating body gained the weight of his bones and flesh, and he was standing on the ground again.
And the god that he was talking to took the form of Laosa.
¡¸I responded to Laosa¡¯s call the moment she realized something while looking at you. The death that you face, and the death that you have witnessed.¡¹
Kum gently ced his hand on Jin¡¯s head.
¡¸It¡¯s a small lesson. You showed your will even at the verge of failure. The thousand-year contractor, you must get stronger. Iparably strong. Strong enough that the gods cannot budge.¡¹
Jin looked at their surroundings.
The Myriad Ice calmed down. The darkness slowly took over the sky.
The Kozak was split in half, spewing smoke into the sky. The Twilight Magicians twitched and shook on the ground.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 119: Forces That Destroy the World, Forces That Save the World (3)
Chapter 119: Forces That Destroy the World, Forces That Save the World (3)
Volume 5 Chapter 119 ¨C Forces That Destroy the World, Forces That Save the World (3)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Jin was thest one to find out that Kum had descended.
Everyone else had been waiting for five minutes for Jin to wake up.
¡®Was everything that I saw a delusion?¡¯
Impossible.
The energy shard that pierced his chest. Him throwing up blood and fainting. Everything seemed so real. Even now, being alive felt like an illusion.
¡®Then does that mean I already lost my consciousness when Laosa started walking?¡¯
Exactly as he said, Jin had already lost consciousness at that point. However, all of his wounds from the impacts and mana overflow were now gone.
His body felt cleansed and light. He pinched his cheek to confirm whether it was all a dream, and he felt pain.
Seeing his confusion, Syrisughed.
¡°Just a moment ago, you were ready to face the end. But it seems you really do value your life.¡±
¡°And you tried to save me there when I fainted¡¡±
¡°What? When did I? As soon as you fell, the god descended, and it was game over.¡±
Jin made an awkward smile.
¡®It seems Kum showed me the scenario where everything went wrong.¡¯
The others didn¡¯t experience the ¡®worst universe¡¯.
Yet, Jin knew that Syris would act the same if she were at death¡¯s door.
¡°Hmph. Honestly, I thought the Runcandel baby was out of his mind doing something so foolish based on nothing. Somehow, he made the god descend¡ Syris, your lover here is so mature for his age.¡±
Tris thought that Kum¡¯s descent was due to Jin¡¯s meticulous calctions. Syris thought the same, so they were genuinely impressed.
Jin felt a little embarrassed in the situation, but before he could clear things up, there was business to deal with.
¡°Murakan¡ Where¡¯s Murakan?!¡±
¡°I¡¯m fine. God dammit. You beatable motherfucker. I thought you died!¡±
Murakan spat curses with a beet-red face. He was just pouring out his relief onto Jin.
Indeed, it was very dangerous.
Had Kum not descended, their ns would have been over.
Murakan halted his reproaching at Jin and turned to re at Kum.
¡°So, who the hell are you? You¡¯re doing some divine ability stuff, so you aren¡¯t just any minor god or something. But your energy is very foreign to my memory.¡±
Murakan felt that Kum wasn¡¯t very authentic.
Experiencing the life of the gods with Solderet, Murakan knew that gods descended in order to fulfill some ulterior, selfish motive.
¡°Damn, look at the destroyed ship. That Zipfel genius is lying and rolling on the ground¡ Look at you, showing up sote even when you have this much power. You definitely have something up your sleeve. What the hell do you want from the kid?¡±
Wherever Murakan pointed, there were magicians who fainted from mana overflow. Even the six dragons sumbed to the immense power.
Kum used his divine abilities to induce it within them. Instead of answering the ck dragon, he pulled out a small mirror.
¡®Mirror?!¡¯
The artifact that the Zipfels used to generate 7-star magicians in Jin¡¯s past life¡ªthe Fountain of Mana.
¡¸I was waiting for someone to take this. Solderet¡¯s thousand-year contractor. That fellow over there.¡¹
Kum looked towards Jin, and everyone else¡¯s eyes followed. Some of the Kollon natives who were bowing to Kum also nced at Jin every now and then.
¡¸There was a time when I was a god who had a hold of all the mana. But after losing control and almost destroying the entire world, I received help from Solderet to seal myself in the mirror.¡¹
¡°I haven¡¯t heard anything about that from Solderet. And the fact that a God of Mana existed.¡±
¡¸I¡¯ll show you evidence that you cannot doubt, ck Dragon.¡¹
As soon as Kum stopped talking, the mirror turned ck.
In an instant, something within the mirror tried to escape. However, the ck energy on the surface of the mirror kept it in.
The ck covering was made of spiritual energy. A strong and potent concentration of it that Murakan would never be able to handle.
¡°Solderet¡¯s seal¡?¡±
Murakan had seen many beings sealed by Solderet before, but he had never seen a seal this strong.
He nodded.
¡°I guess you weren¡¯t lying about destroying the entire world¡ I kinda get it. So the seal is getting weaker. And you needed someone to fortify the seal.¡±
¡¸That¡¯s right. This seal separates the world and the source of infinite mana¡ªme. With the infinitely expanding and increasing mana, I can swallow this world whole¡¡¹
Kum made a mncholic smile.
If there were more mana than air, no life on the would be able to breathe.
¡¸So I asked Solderet to seal me inside this mirror. And the Kollon natives who were worshipping me at the time swore to protect the mirror at all costs.¡¹
¡°Why did you offer that important job to these runts? Do you even know how long they suffered?¡±
¡¸¡That was because it was the beginning of human history, and the natives were ahead of their time. Back then, they were the strongest tribe on the.¡¹
The ancient rtives of the Kollon natives were the rulers during the early ages of humanity.
¡¸Furthermore, in my sealed state, I couldn¡¯t intervene with their actions. I couldn¡¯t help them advance their technology and create a stronger civilization.¡¹
The natives were speechless at their own worthlessness, and Kum opened his mouth once more.
¡¸However, my decision was right. Thankfully, Solderet¡¯s thousand-year contractor found me.¡¹
Kum walked towards Jin.
¡¸Take it, Jin Runcandel.¡¹
Jin received the mirror, and the spiritual energy undting on the surface of the mirror suddenly died down.
Just by touching it, he could feel the immense energy of the spiritual energy seal together with the infinite mana pool that was shocking him like electricity.
The two energies mixed and roared inside his body.
¡¸On the item you are holding is the force that is saving the world from destruction. Solderet¡¯s seal.¡¹
Jin never knew such information about the Fountain of Mana. He just thought that it was an overpowered artifact that would increase one¡¯s mana.
¡®This isn¡¯t an artifact but a weapon of mass destruction.¡¯
Holding the mirror, he felt that his mana rapidly increased¡ªas if he could gain at least 7-star on his mana just by holding onto it for a day.
¡®However, every second my mana increases, the seal grows a little weaker.¡¯
If one didn¡¯t have the ability to use spiritual energy, they would not be able to sense it.
¡®If someone used this without knowing and the seal broke¡ It¡¯d be all over.¡¯
The Zipfels did exactly that in his past life.
As they cranked out thousands of magicians, the seal grew weaker and weaker.
And during that process, consequences would definitely arise.
¡°So, has the duty of protecting this been passed on from the Kollon natives to me?¡±
¡¸To be exact, the Kollon natives were protecting something that only you¡ªJin Runcandel¡ªcan protect.¡¹
¡°That is an exceedingly heavy task. I¡¯ve watched the natives suffer even after centuries of oppression without anything in return. Of course, I doubt I will face such fates.¡±
Kum nodded.
¡¸You¡¯re right. I, as a god, have done nothing to the people who worshipped me. But since I was sealed, there was nothing I could do, so my case is different from yours.¡¹
¡°How so?¡±
¡¸Solderet¡¯s seal. That is not just any seal, but also a present for you.¡¹
¡°This seal?¡±
¡¸That is a creation that Solderet used when he was in his most powerful state. It is not just dense spiritual energy, but a part of the God of Shadows himself.¡¹
¡°My original reward for this conquest was being able to see Solderet one more time from Lady Laosa¡¯s call¡¡±
¡®She said that because she does not know that you are living your second life. Neither does she know how you got such an opportunity.¡¯
Kum swallowed those words and met Jin¡¯s eyes.
¡¸She probably lied to convince you to help. How would she be able to call such a being when she can¡¯t even address your ck dragon?¡¹
In his past life, Jin faced death, and his connection with Solderet was severed. Murakan lost his connection with his god after losing a battle against Temar. They were two beings who weren¡¯t receiving any protection from their god.
¡¸On that note, you two have a simr fate as the Kollon natives. Maybe that is why you help them so much. Because you saw a reflection of yourself in them.¡¹
Kum lowered his head for a short bow.
Seeing this, Tris felt a shock in the back of her head. She had never seen a god bow down to a human.
¡¸I feel deep gratitude for you who protected and helped these people. Now, to put those other fellows in eternal slumber.¡¹
Before Jin could even respond, Kum¡¯s body slowly became transparent¡ªakin to salt dissolving in a river.
The epiphany was ending, which also meant that Laosa¡¯s body was going to disappear as well.
¡°Kum! Prophet Laosa!¡±
Jin tried to hold on to Laosa¡¯s disappearing body, but before he could even reach her, her body was gone.
Kum¡ªwith all of his power sealed in the mirror¡ªcould only appear because Laosa sacrificed herself.
¡°¡Hmph, alright. So you¡¯re Solderet¡¯s contractor. Well, I heard a lot of fun things today. And saw a god bow down to a child.¡±
Startled, Jin looked at Tris.
Associates of the Hidden Pce had just found out a lot about him.
¡°Madame Tris.¡±
¡°How about we get out of here? I think that they¡¯ll wake up in a few hours. And that over there looks like it¡¯s gonna crash any time now.¡±
Her finger was pointing at the Kozak that was split in half and slowly descending to the ground.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 120: Forces That Destroy the World, Forces That Save the World (4)
Chapter 120: Forces That Destroy the World, Forces That Save the World (4)
Volume 5 Chapter 120 ¨C Forces That Destroy the World, Forces That Save the World (4)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Evacuating everyone to the prepared ships took an hour.
The ships quickly cruised through the water towards Tikan. Thirty Kollon natives stared into the distance.
Ten thousand years had passed after the ancient god, Kum, ordered them to protect the mirror.
The people who were once the rulers of the world became a minority tribe under the Zipfel n and was subjected to very.
In the continued history of oppression and deprivation, it was hard to determine how many of them died unfairly.
¡°¡However, if I never met you, we would¡¯ve ended our lives and civilization without fulfilling our god¡¯s orders. I am thankful that the mirror got into safe hands.¡±
Tika approached Jin and bowed.
¡°I believe that it was the natives¡¯ indomitable resilience that prevented the Zipfels from obtaining such an item. Who knows what those crazy fools would have done with such a powerful artifact.¡±
Jin already knew what they would have done with the mirror.
¡®I thought they only produced 7-star magicians. But ording to Kum, continuously producing them means that the Zipfels would¡¯ve ended the world.¡¯
As more and more people increased their mana through the mirror, Solderet¡¯s seal became weaker.
And breaking the seal would destroy the entire world.
¡°Ultimately, meeting me and fulfilling the order was thanks to the natives¡¯ endurance. No need to feel any self-remorse, and just think of the bright future. We will make sure to allocate refuge for the Kollon natives.¡±
¡°Are you not a provisional g-bearer? I thought Runcandel provisional g-bearers were prohibited from receiving any assistance from the n.¡±
Dino questioned him, and Jin smiled.
¡°Journalist Dino. Don¡¯t worry about that bit of detail. Just work on your article about the Kollon Ruins.¡±
Jin also began to write a letter to his Eldest Sister, Luna Runcandel. He nned on sending the Kollon natives to her privatend. He really wanted to ensure their safety.
Of course, sending a letter to Luna would also be breaking the rules as a provisional g-bearer. Well, Jin never cared about such rules in the first ce.
¡°When we arrive in Tikan, the Seven-Colored Peacock will n out your transportation. Show this to Eldest Sister Luna, you understand?¡±
¡°¡Thank you, Lord Jin.¡±
¡°If you¡¯re thankful, then write your article. Expose everything you saw and discovered at the Kollon Ruins. All of it.¡±
¡°Since we have tangible evidence, publishing such an article wouldn¡¯t be that hard. I¡¯m only worried about their censorship.¡±
Jin smirked.
¡°You think you¡¯re the only one who hates the Zipfels? If you make the first move, the Runcandel n and its allies will join you to rip the n of magicians apart like dogs on a corpse. As long as the evidence is solid, the public will follow.¡±
As Jin said, as long as the evidence was there, the enemies of the Zipfel n would protect Dino at all costs and start a movement.
At that point, the Zipfels wouldn¡¯t dare do anything to the journalist. The ones symbolizing good and justice couldn¡¯t just assassinate a brave man.
¡°Ah¡ That¡¯s a good point. I didn¡¯t think of that.¡±
¡°You¡¯ll be a star. I¡¯ll give you my preemptive congrattions, Dino Zeglun. After publishing that article, many institutions will try to recruit you. Pick whichever you like.¡±
Dino bing a well-known journalist was bound to happen. A brave soul exposing the Zipfels¡ªof all ns¡ªin an article was very rare.
¡°I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t forget about removing my and mypanions¡¯ names?¡±
¡°Of course. Saving the Kollon Ruins was just a passerby¡ A nameless hero. I shall write it like that. No one will believe it, but they would think it would be you guys.¡±
Jin nodded.
¡°After the publications start rolling in, almost all misdoings in the world will be pointed towards the Zipfels¡¯ selfish goals.¡±
¡°Indeed. I concur with that prediction.¡±
¡°When the timees, drop the remnants of the Kozak. The symbol of their omnipotence is destroyed, so force their dirty hands back in their cave.¡±
However, even if they do that, the citizens of the Zipfels would still pledge their allegiance to their n. They would just pour more money into the Lutero Magic Federation in order to keep their bellies happy and shift their attention away from the controversy.
Expecting the failed result, Dino made a bitter smile, and Jin patted him on the back.
¡°You¡¯ve done enough. If we give them a nice punch in the gut every now and then, it might make a chance to take them down.¡±
¡°Until then, as a journalist and a friend of the Kollon natives, I give all my contributions to this mission. Lord Jin, when you rise to power in the Runcandel n, please feel free to utilize my efforts.¡±
¡°I look forward to our partnership.¡±
Tika and Dino then walked away, and Jin went to Tris. She was waiting on the deck, chatting with Murakan.
¡°I apologize for my bted greetings, Madame Tris.¡±
¡°No need for introductions, youngest baby of Runcandel. It seems you¡¯remitting some serious crimes.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t know they would actually send the Twilight Magicians and the Kozak. I¡¯m worried that the Hidden Pce would now be one of the Zipfel n¡¯s targets.¡±
¡°Hmph, I doubt it. Kelliark would think that I got stronger and treat the Hidden Pce with more caution. It¡¯s kind of hard to tell whether it was me who took down the ship or if it was that unnamed god.¡±
The destruction of the Kozak as well as the mana overflow of the Twilight Magicians were all due to Kum¡¯s ability to control all mana.
¡°The Twilight Magicians fainted as soon as the ancient god descended. Which is why they could think it was me.¡±
¡°In that case, I am relieved.¡±
¡°And I did all this because of a request. Thankfully, I met such a handsome gentleman from it.¡±
Tris giggled while pointing at Murakan.
¡°I was going to take some extrapensation¡ But since I found out that the youngest son of the Runcandel n was Solderet¡¯s contractor and a magic swordsman, I¡¯ll let you pass on paying the price.¡±
It was hard to tell Tris¡¯s true intent when she wasughing.
¡®Thankfully, there¡¯s no hostility. But the Hidden Pce found out about my identity so soon¡¡¯
Someday, the entire world would find out about Jin¡¯s powers. However, he had to hide it as much as possible. If Tris used this secret to ckmail him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything but to ept her terms.
¡®Receiving threats before even bing the patriarch won¡¯t bode well.¡¯
She was currently acting nice, but any change in her behavior wouldn¡¯t be uncalled for at all considering that the Runcandel n and the Hidden Pce didn¡¯t have a formal alliance.
While Jin hid his anxiety, Tris was thinking about somethingpletely different.
¡®He¡¯s the perfect spouse for my Syris. Hmph. Well, he¡¯s the youngest anyways, so this baby can never rise to the top¡ Maybe I can talk to Cyron about the arrangement.¡¯
In the fiercepetition between the Runcandel children, instead of wasting his youth and failing to be the patriarch, it was better for Jin toe to the Hidden Pce, be Tris¡¯s henchman, and lead the West Sea.
That¡¯s what the Master of the Hidden Pce thought, a smirk growing on her face.
Jin saw her grin and felt a chill climb up his back.
¡°Well, let¡¯s go back now. Make sure toe over with your handsome friend here.¡±
Booooong.
A white dimensional portal opened, and Mort was summoned onto the starboard. It had bags under its eyes from all of the dimensional jumping it had been doing recently.
Tris and Syris hopped on the toad, and Jin bowed.
¡°When I get back, I¡¯ll send Kashimir over to Tikan. I put him in jail because I thought he had something up his sleeve.¡±
¡°Oh, please do.¡±
¡°Jin Runcandel.¡±
Jin looked at Syris.
¡°I hope we can find the true victor the next time we meet. Don¡¯t think about going easy on me.¡±
¡°Oh, sorry, sorry. My daughter is still in puberty. See youter!¡±
Mort hopped into the portal, and the ships continued to sail toward the Free City.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
It took them ten days to arrive. To prevent the Zipfels from tracking their position, they didn¡¯t use any transfer gates and instead used trading routes while carrying fake cargo.
¡°Young Master Jin!¡±
Kashimir ran out to Jin with tears in his eyes.
¡°I thought something would happen to you without me. I was worried sick. I heard through Lucas that you escaped the Kollon Ruins safely, but now that I see you in person, I am truly relieved.¡±
¡°Sir Kashimir, you have been stuck in a jail cell at the Hidden Pce in exchange for Madame Tris¡¯s assistance. You served your time and did your job well.¡±
¡°I feel like I¡¯m walking on a tightrope. Good thing you returned safely today, but I can¡¯t get rid of the worry in my heart. Why did you keep it a secret?¡±
¡°Huh? Gilly, what secret is he talking about?¡±
¡°That you were going out with the daughter of the Hidden Pce. I heard it from Sir Kashimir, and I was saddened by it.¡±
Jin tilted his head at the unheard news, and everyone else looked very confused.
¡°Uh¡ Are you not¡?¡±
¡°What do you mean, I¡¯m dating Syris?¡±
¡°Sir Kashimir said¡ He heard it from the Master of the Hidden Pce.¡±
All eyes went to Kashimir.
¡°Oh. Uh¡ So basically, when I first met Madame Tris, she said she wouldn¡¯t help even after seeing the snow blossoms. However, when Lady Syris came over to give a second opinion¡¡±
¡ªSyris, this Jin Runcandel¡ Do you like this child?
¡ªNo, Mother.
¡ªThen why must I use my aching joints and put myself in a fight with the Zipfels? It doesn¡¯t matter if he dies. Are you dating him without my knowing?
¡ªI¡¯m not! Can¡¯t we just go and help?
¡ªNo, I don¡¯t want to. Let¡¯s just let them die.
¡ªHah. Mother, I need to defeat him. Not the Zipfels.
¡ªAdmit it, then. That you like that boy.
¡ªArgh! Alright! I admit it. Are you happy? Come on, let¡¯s go!
That was the conversation between the mother and daughter before Kashimir was detained. Kashimir truly misunderstood the rtionship between Jin and Syris because of it.
Initially, Tris only did it to annoy and tease her daughter.
However, she was now serious about having Jin marry into the Hidden Pce. Nobody knew that she was nning to have some conversations with the Runcandels to fully execute her ns.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 121: Why Did You Come Out From There?
Chapter 121: Why Did You Come Out From There?
Volume 5 Chapter 121 ¨C Why Did You Come Out From There?
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
For a month, the ¡®Kollon Massacre¡¯ was big news.
After Dino published the paper, the Runcandel n and other forces pressured the Zipfels and looked into the issue, and the n of magicians med Myuron for such actions.
However, the Zipfels were pushed to a corner after the remnants of the Kozak came into the table.
Of course, they¡ªagain¡ªtried to push the me on Myuron Zipfel. Additionally, they poured dark money into the press and sent ships filled with gold to the Vermont Empire, the capital of news coverage.
Citizens of the Huphester Alliance were furious, and citizens of the Lutero Magic Federation stayed quiet.
The Vermont Imperial Family led the confirmation of the Zipfels¡¯ confession, and the bubbles of the briskly boiling pot of furious people began to die down. The dirty deal was done.
Ultimately, the Runcandel n received some intel. The Vermont Imperial Family got some money, and the Zipfels lost their honor and pride.
A mole tainted the n of magicians¡¯ image of ¡®good and justice¡¯.
¡°The Zipfels are going to be quiet for a while with the death of the vice-pir and the Kollon Massacre. Slowly, their true intentions are being exposed, and they can¡¯t stop their credibility from declining.¡±
Dino spun his pen.
He and the Kollon natives had arrived in the Huphester Alliance, and Luna was protecting them. They haven¡¯t met her in person, but the people on thend treated the neers with great respect.
¡°Lord Jin¡ He understood each and every one of our desires at that young age. I think about it again, and it¡¯s amazing. I thought all Runcandels were obsessed with swords.¡±
¡°But Lord Jin did the unthinkable.¡±
Tika smiled, looking out the window.
There were many boxes filled with living supplies for the Kollon natives. Each box contained all kinds of things to support their tribes¡¯ recovery, including letters of encouragement.
The managers of the house had been organizing the materials all day and night.
¡°It is because the Lord saved us. And now, in contrast to the centuries of neglect, everyone is finally showing interest.¡±
Tika slowly turned and began to light candles to honor the ones who died¡ªincluding Laosa.
¡°From now on, we will direct our prayers not to Kum, but to Lord Jin. I wonder when the ¡®passerby¡¯ in your article will be known to the world.¡±
Passerby.
That was what Dino named the savior of the natives. Although the news already died down, everyone was asking about who the passerby was.
Every time Dino received the question, he said that he ¡®genuinely didn¡¯t know¡¯.
¡°The truth will be revealed after Lord Jin bes a Runcandel g-bearer. This case will be put back into the limelight, and Lord Jin will be honored by everyone.¡±
¡°By officially uncovering the secrets of the mirror¡ªthe relic that we were guarding?¡±
Dino nodded. He was waiting for that moment.
Jin bing a g-bearer, and then rising to the throne. Then slowly making the Zipfels disappear.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
(Sender: Kashimir
Receiver: Cyron Runcandel
Report: The ¡®passerby¡¯ in the ¡®Kollon Massacre¡¯ were Jin Runcandel, Murakan, and yours truly. We also killed Myuron Zipfel together.
Others: Myuron¡¯s corpse was retrieved by the Zipfel n.)
At the ck Sea.
Cyron was furious after reading the message he received from Khan.
¡®The patriarch is enraged. What the hell did the Ghostde write to garner such a reaction¡?¡¯
The stuffy ck Sea air got heavier, and Khan could only take nces at Cyron.
Whew¡
The patriarch let out a sigh with all of his anger.
¡°Lord Patriarch, did something happen to the youngest?¡±
¡°Not that, Khan. In fact, the opposite. Apparently, they got Myuron Zipfel¡¯s head.¡±
¡°I expected the youngest to be the main cause of the Kollon Massacre case, but after hearing the confirmation, I¡¯m still pretty surprised. First was Andrei Zipfel, and now it¡¯s the vice-pir of the Seventh Tower. He got rid of two pureblood Zipfels before even bing a g-bearer.¡±
¡°But take a look at this letter.¡±
As soon as he saw the message, Khan¡¯s face immediately drained of color.
¡°¡There¡¯s no way. The Ghostde has been sending these low-quality messages sincest time?¡±
¡°The simple format is the result of my audaciousment. But this time, he left out a lot of meaty information.¡±
As Cyron said, Kashimir did not list any important content that he wanted.
Grit!
Cyron gritted his teeth, and an earthquake rumbled throughout the ck Sea.
¡°The modern world has been crazy about this issue. However, no matter how strong the youngest is, he couldn¡¯t have handled the Kozak himself.¡±
¡°Yes, someone else must be behind this. And the Ghostde definitely knows.¡±
The report about the Kollon Ruins didn¡¯t leave out Jin¡¯s name alone.
There wasn¡¯t a single line that mentioned the Master of the Hidden Pce, Tris Endorma, and her daughter, Syris.
Thus, the people of the world began to specte. Either one troop of the Ghost Mercenaries or ck King Mercenaries were deployed, Ron Hairan made a move, the Hidden Pce entered the battle, or the Runcandel g-bearers assisted their¡ªsupposed¡ªpasserby ally.
Since Journalist Dino and the Zipfel n had their mouths shut, Cyron had no way of knowing what happened.
¡°How dare he offer the patriarch such curt letters. With your order, I can immediately go educate this man¡ª¡±
Whooooosh!
In front of Cyron, a pure-white dimensional portal opened. Khan instinctively prepared his sword, but Cyron slowly raised his hand.
Boooooooong!
From the white portal emerged Snow Toad Mort, and on top of it was Tris.
¡°Hmph. I was worried that you were at the meditating site. Good thing I came to the right ce. Long time no see, Cyron.¡±
¡°Tris?¡±
¡°It¡¯s our first time meeting in a while. Can¡¯t you give me a more warm wee?¡±
Khan and Tris bowed to each other, and for a while, Cyron stared at her.
Feeling difort from his gaze, Tris waved her hands.
¡°Oh my, that re. One more minute under such scrutiny and I might die. I didn¡¯te to fight you likest time, so loosen up.¡±
¡°It was you.¡±
¡°What was?¡±
¡°The one who destroyed the Kozak. It seems you helped Jin, Tris.¡±
Cyron eased his re, and Tris smiled.
¡°That¡¯s right. And I identally overheard your knight fellow¡¯s words. It seems Kashimir hid some information from you?¡±
Cyron handed the letter to her, and Tris made a weird smile.
¡°Enough for you to get mad. Although I may have caused his myopia in the situation, he didn¡¯t mention a lot. So, you¡¯re gonna send this man here to beat him up?¡±
¡°More like a light warning.¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that. In fact, I would praise him.¡±
¡°Praise?¡±
¡°Yes. In this letter, Kashimir truly denoted who he works for. That he is not for Cyron Runcandel, but for Jin Runcandel.¡±
Cyron¡¯s eyes narrowed.
Then, as if he understood, he nodded.
¡°¡Good point. He¡¯s not just reporting to me, but also considering Jin¡¯s perspective.¡±
¡°That¡¯s how much of a great person your youngest has next to him. That man¡ªKashimir. When he came to the Hidden Pce, you could see in his eyes that he knew he was risking his life. For Jin, that is. He seems like a useful guy, so give him some credit.¡±
Cyron eased his expression.
As she said, Kashimir probably was adamant that he would be Jin¡¯s ally. Not many people could pledge allegiance to someone else in the presence of Cyron Runcandel.
¡°I almost messed with the youngest¡¯s bestpanion. I am indebted to you, Tris.¡±
¡°What about your son¡¯s debt to me? Hmph. Blocking the Kozak was a pain in the ass. I also almost became one of the Zipfels¡¯ targets.¡±
¡°Did you reallye here looking forpensation? Get that from the youngest.¡±
¡°I¡¯m joking. I actually came here because¡¡±
Tris paused and began to sweat a little.
¡°My daughter and your youngest son. What do you think about¡ their marriage?¡±
Khan¡¯s jaw dropped.
* * *
Shiver.
¡°What is it, Young Master?¡±
¡°Oh, nothing. I just felt a chill.¡±
¡°You also felt that, Young Master? I also have been getting such shivers very recently.¡±
Jin and Kashimir looked at each other and nodded.
Aside from the chills, they had been spending their days peacefully aftering back from the Kollon Ruins.
They needed rest. After Jin became a provisional g-bearer, he and hispanions had only been constantly engaging in big fights.
After destroying the Tesing n followed by the Kollon Massacre, Jin was the center of the world¡¯s issues.
And with these adventures, he had made massive improvements.
¡®6-star swordsmanship and 5-star spiritual energy. And with the mirror, my mana has be 7-star.¡¯
He had to stop increasing his mana with the mirror. Weakening Solderet¡¯s seal further would be the end of the world.
However, holding onto the mirror while traveling from the Kollon Ruins to Tikan naturally increased his mana. Moreover, not gaining any sort of reward for the amount of work andmitment he had done would be discouraging.
Still, he felt a little desperate.
Spiderhand Alu. The man who was possibly rted to Joshua Runcandel, Jin¡¯s older brother. Or perhaps the man who was rted to the ¡®magicians who cursed Jin¡¯.
The Seven-Colored Peacock still couldn¡¯t find any intel on him.
¡ªIt doesn¡¯t matter¡ You¡ªYou can¡¯t stop ¡®em¡
¡ªWhat?
¡ªEven though it failed back then¡
Jin recalled hisst conversation with Alu right before the man died.
That conversation bugged him to this day. He admitted that the corruption and tyranny with the Zipfels¡ªas well as seeing some of the darkest secrets of the world¡ªwas cool.
But Jin was most curious about the one who cursed him with ded Illusion.
¡®The fact that all of Alu¡¯s records are gone¡ I can¡¯t stop thinking about it. If the Seven-Colored Peacock still hasn¡¯t uncovered it until now, it means we can never find it¡¡¯
Jin let out a sigh, and one servant approached Kashimir.
¡°Master.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°Uh, a man came to the residence. He looks like a beggar, but he introduced himself as an information broker. He said he wants to work under you, Master.¡±
¡°Haha, my friend. Those kinds of guyse every year. It¡¯s obviously a back-alley street beggar who just heard about me. Give him some money for some food and a bath before sending him on his way.¡±
¡°I was about to. But he seemed to know the exact location of one of our secret bases, so I came to you for assistance.¡±
Kashimir¡¯s eyes narrowed.
¡°¡He knows one of our secret bases? Where is that man now?¡±
The servant carefully pointed outside.
¡°Hoho, I have made a fool of myself in front of the young master. I thought that our security was immacte and imprable¡ I am embarrassed.¡±
Kashimir and Jin went to the window and looked down to see the man in question.
They saw a depraved man hanging onto the guards, begging for his life. Kashimir pped his forehead.
Jin, on the other hand, was surprised. The man¡¯s name echoed in his mind.
¡®Jet?!¡¯
The one who visited Kashimir was the Akin Kingdom information broker, Jet.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 122: The Jet Who Rolled In Is Kinda Useful (1)
Chapter 122: The Jet Who Rolled In Is Kinda Useful (1)
Volume 5 Chapter 122 ¨C The Jet Who Rolled In Is Kinda Useful (1)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
When Jin brought down the Tesings, he sent three messages to three different organizations¡ªeach with specific records attached to it.
The ve records to the Vermont Imperial Family, the illegal transaction history to the Zipfel n, and the Tesing n¡¯s customer registry to the Akin Press.
And Jet¡¯s name was written on those documents. Consequently, he was dragged into the Vermont Empire¡¯s and Zipfels¡¯ investigation teams, but the Vermont Empire¡¯s witness protectionws kept him safe.
At the time, Jin hoped for Jet and his son to gain a new life.
However, after seeing the man¡¯s current state in Tikan, Jin realized that he was too careless.
¡®I kinda get it. It seems that the Vermont Empire¡¯s witness protection is a little worse than I thought. He probably came here while being chased by Zipfel headhunters.¡¯
However, Jin didn¡¯t feel any pity. Jet was a traitor who backstabbed him multiple times in his past life. The man even poisoned Jin¡¯s drink in this life.
If it weren¡¯t for Jet¡¯s 3-year-old son, Jin would¡¯ve told Kashimir to kick him out without remorse.
¡°Let¡¯s hear what he has to say. Bring him over.¡±
The bulky guards dragged Jet into Kashimir¡¯s office.
He looked terrible. Multiple scabs were scattered around his face, as if he had been beat up through the night.
Now facing Kashimir, Jet¡¯s fearful eyes shifted to the floor, and the guard maintained a suffocating pressure.
Jin remained at the windowsill, leaning his head on the window with his back towards Jet so that the uninvited guest couldn¡¯t identify him.
¡°Hm, I heard that you knew the location of one of our secret bases, so I thought you were one of our old boys. But it¡¯s a face I¡¯ve never seen before. Where did you roll in from?¡±
Kashimir¡¯s attitude towards Jet was cold.
For the leader of the intelligence agency, any leaked insider information was serious business. He could only be so cold.
¡°I am Jet, and I operated an information agency in the Akin Kingdom.¡±
¡°Akin? That means you were working under the Tesings. And since you lost your job there, you came here. How do you know our secret base¡¯s location? Your life depends on your answer.¡±
Then, Jet gave an unexpected answer.
¡°¡To an information broker, security is no different than their life. Before I be your worker, I cannot tell you such an answer.¡±
¡°You! How dare you unt your information. Tell me now. How do you know about our base?¡±
¡°That information is a means for me to negotiate a deal with you. Even if you beat me to death, I will not tell you.¡±
Jet¡¯s eyes were filled with determination.
¡°And on top of the secret base, I have some information on one of the investigation requests that you guys are working on.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Please use it well. If you find me useless within one month of my contributions, I will ept any fate you bestow upon me.¡±
¡°You little¡ª!¡±
Kashimir shouted with anger, but he was curious about Jet.
The man¡¯s attitude wasn¡¯t bad at all. Keeping one¡¯s lips sealed was most important to an information broker. On that note, Jet was doing a fantastic job.
Whatever happened during the past few months after Tesing¡¯s destruction, Jet became a more different person than Jin thought.
Aside from him looking run down and ragged, his trickery and malevolence were all gone. He was now a man pushed to the brink, just trying to survive.
¡°Sir Kashimir, I will be content with doing dirty work in the lowest, third division. If you give me one month, even you will realize my skill and expertise. However, if you choose to kill me on the spot, I honestly have no way of stopping you.¡±
¡°Very demanding¡ You even know that we¡¯re split into three divisions.¡±
Kashimir eased his expression.
¡°You have nothing to lose. I n on bing a hardworking, trustworthy worker. But if you don¡¯t like me, then you can get rid of me any time.¡±
Kashimir were allies with Jin, and Jet¡¯s eyes flicked towards the young Runcandel. He had been concerned about the person at the windowsill since he first came in.
¡®From my knowledge, Ghostde Kashimir is the ruler of Tikan. But who is this man who could just leave Sir Kashimir and look out the window?¡¯
Jet¡¯s heart sank as the person in question slowly turned to face them.
¡°Y-Y-You are¡ª!¡±
¡°Long time no see, Information Broker Jet. I¡¯m sure I gave you many jewels and gems before we parted. Why are you broke now?¡±
¡°You scammer! What are you nning to scam out of Sir Kashimir?! Sir Kashimir, do not fall for his tricks! That man impersonated Beradin Zipfel and destroyed all of Tesing! He¡¯s part of the Vermont Special Forces!¡±
With bloodshot eyes, Jet screamed at the Runcandel.
He definitely had the right to do so since he firmly believed that his life was ruined because of Jin.
He wasn¡¯t wrong. In fact, in Jin¡¯s past life, Jet lived as an affluent information broker in Akin. Of course, he was a malicious viin.
Silence ensued. Then, Kashimir and Jin burst intoughter.
¡°Young Master¡ Kuhahaha, this is the first time I¡¯m hearing that you are from the Vermont Special Forces.¡±
¡°Jet, it seems you were mistaken. I mean, it¡¯s usible. But do you think Sir Kashimir would be with me without knowing my identity?¡±
As soon as his sentence ended, Jet¡¯s face lost its color.
¡°Th-Then¡ the fall of Tesing¡ was Sir Kashimir¡¯s orders¡?¡±
At that moment, Murakan burst through the doors and came into the room,ining.
¡°Hey! Runt! Where are the ero novels that I told you to buy? Do you know how long it¡¯s been¡ªHuh? Isn¡¯t this kid¡?¡±
¡°Uh¡¡±
¡°That¡¯s the parasitic bitch who poisoned our drinks. Runt, why is this thing here?¡±
¡°Urk!¡±
There could only be confusion in Jet¡¯s mind.
¡®H-He¡¯s addressing Sir Kashimir as ¡°runt¡±?!¡¯
From Jet¡¯s memory, this dumb scary man was the scammer¡¯s right-hand man.
Jet¡¯s mind constantly tried to make sense of the situation.
¡®Kashimir is the ruler of Tikan. But that dumbass looks down on him. And the dumbass is the scammer¡¯s underling. Then the highest ranked person here is¡?¡¯
The scammer that Jet despised.
He should¡¯ve been pleading Jin for an opportunity.
Thump!
He went on his knees and faced Jin.
¡°Oh, Young Master! I apologize for not recognizing your greatness! H-Haha. To think that I used you of being in the Vermont Special Forces¡ªto call you a scammer, even! Of course you are not one. Please forgive this poor soul who could not perceive your greatness, Young Master.¡±
¡°Oho, now you¡¯re acting like the real Jet.¡±
¡°Oh goodness, oh gracious. You may not know, but life after leaving Akin was harsh! But thanks to Young Master¡¯s efforts, I was able to be the warrior of justice who freed Akin!¡±
Instantly changing his demenaor, Jet believed in Jin. Just as hopeful as the time the young Runcandel impersonated Beradin Zipfel.
¡®I don¡¯t know who the hell he is! I really don¡¯t! But he is above Kashimir! I can live a rosy life once more if I work under him!¡¯
¡ªI didn¡¯t know you were such an important person! A sessor of the Zipfel n. Sir, please offer me a chance to disy my loyalty. I will do anything.
He recalled the words that he spat when Jin imed that he was Beradin Zipfel.
¡®Let¡¯s forget all of the trickery that hemitted. Either way, when we parted ways, he even gave me a handful of valuable gems. He¡¯s not a bad person!¡¯
Jet rubbed his hands, pleading, and looked up at Jin.
¡°Hm, it seems that you have had a tough time. I apologize for that. Alright, you want to work for the Seven-Colored Peacock?¡±
¡°Yes! I¡¯m sure you have experienced it, but this Jet is pretty useful, you know? Didn¡¯t you use me well in Akin?¡±
¡°Well, yeah, sure¡ Things went well thanks to you. Alright, if Sir Kashimir allows it, you will be enlisted in the agency. But before that, make sure to answer these next few questions truthfully.¡±
¡°Please ask me anything!¡±
¡°First, how do you know the secret base¡¯s location?¡±
¡°When I was still operating the information agency in Akin, I coincidentally got my hands on a Seven-Colored Peacock agent¡¯s notebook. I decrypted the codes for fun and found one of the locations.¡±
¡°Ha! You said that you wouldn¡¯t speak even if I beat you to death, but you are breathing out your information like air in front of the young master! So you aren¡¯t scared of me, but him?¡±
Kashimir said these words, but he didn¡¯t really foster any hate towards Jet.
He was more impressed at the fact that he managed to decode the notebook by himself. It was an impossible feat for anyone who wasn¡¯t a ¡®useful¡¯ person.
¡°Hm, alright. Then, second. Where is your son? You didn¡¯t sell him away while escaping or forget about him, did you?¡±
¡°I believe that you may see me as a traitor¡ªa rat. And although that is true, I absolutely adore my child! My son is currently in the Tikan nursery. My final savings all went there.¡±
Jet risked his life and came to Kashimir because he wasn¡¯t certain that he could get more money to feed his son after paying the nursery.
¡°Although it¡¯s a little embarrassing, if Sir Kashimir kills me off, please take care of my son¡ I¡¯ve heard that Sir Kashimir was a warm-hearted individual.¡±
Jin¡¯s heart sank.
If Jet¡¯s son faced negative consequences from this timeline, it would be Jin¡¯s fault as a regressor. He wouldn¡¯t be able to handle the remorse.
¡°Lastly, if your answer is satisfactory for this one, you will probably be able to be a certified agent under Sir Kashimir.¡±
¡°I am ready, Young Master!¡±
¡°In your conversation with Kashimir, you said that you had some good information about a case that he is investigating right now. What request is this information about?¡±
For the first time, a smile stretched across Jet¡¯s face.
The information that he knew was likely rted to Jin¡¯s request.
¡°The ce that you destroyed¡ Testing n¡¯s leader, Spiderhand Alu. It seems that the Seven-Colored Peacock was investigating that case. And I know quite a bit about that man¡¯s past.¡±
Satisfied, Jin nodded.
He never would¡¯ve thought that he would get key information to one of his big questions in such a scenario.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 123: The Jet Who Rolled In Is Kinda Useful (2)
Chapter 123: The Jet Who Rolled In Is Kinda Useful (2)
Volume 5 Chapter 123 ¨C The Jet Who Rolled In Is Kinda Useful (2)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡°Wait, but how did you know that my guys were looking into Alu?¡±
¡°I would know since the Seven-Colored Peacock agents came to ask me, Sir Kashimir. It seems that I was categorized as an affiliate of Tesing.¡±
¡°Hmm, Sir Kashimir. What do you think? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea to take Jet under your wing as an official agent.¡±
¡°If you say so, then I will ept him. Well, he does seem to be a talented fellow since he deciphered our code by himself. Someone bring me the form.¡±
A servant ran out the door and returned with a packet that contained the thick 50-page entrance form. Around ny percent of its contents were terms and conditions at the event of an information leak.
Jet signed without giving a nce at the thick paragraphs.
¡°I will make sure to meticulously read the terms and conditions at ater time, Master!¡±
¡°An agent does not call me ¡®Master¡¯. From now on, call me ¡®Sir¡¯ or ¡®Mister Kashimir¡¯, Jet. And after your training, you will be deployed in the Third Intelligence Team.¡±
¡°Yay! This man will volunteer his life for Sir Kashimir, the Seven-Colored Peacock, and the Young Master!¡±
For the first time in his life, Jet got an official, professional job.
A great achievement. Although he sessfully got recruited with Jin¡¯s special rmendation, bing an agent of the best intelligence agency in the world was harder than joining the Vermont Special Forces.
¡°Let¡¯s leave the new recruit training for ater time. First, give the information regarding Young Master Jin¡¯s request on Spiderhand Alu¡¯s past. If it¡¯s nothing groundbreaking, then your application will be revoked.¡±
Jet began to start talking about Alu while rubbing his two hands together.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
Spiderhand Alu.
He was born in the Delki Kingdom, part of the Huphester Alliance. In his early years, he passed the Runcandel guardian cadet exam.
Back then, he was known as Tagan Marius.
That was Spiderhand Alu¡¯s true identity before it got wiped off the face of the.
¡ªAlu is an extremely dangerous individual. Rumours say that he even has connections with pureblood Runcandels beyond the sea. About the underground auction house¡
Jet told the Young Master this when they first visited the underground auction house.
Jet¡¯s suspicion of Alu¡¯s ties with the Runcandels as well as its alleged high probability were based on Alu¡¯s past experiences.
Only those at the top of the Tesing n and some underlings knew of this information. They were the select few who had a spot at Alu¡¯s drinking table.
The Seven-Colored Peacock couldn¡¯t figure out the Spiderhand¡¯s true name and birthce, which Jet knew about.
After the fall of the Tesing n, all of the surviving higher-ups of the n either died or were being tortured in the hands of the Zipfels.
Apart from being tricked by the Beradin impersonator, they were trading ancient magic tomes and artifacts under the Zipfels¡¯ nose, which angered the n of magicians the most.
Excluding Jet, there was basically no one left who was affiliated with the dark organization known as Tesing. Thus, a challenging investigation was imminent for the Seven-Colored Peacock.
¡°This fellow¡ªJet¡ He did indeed bring some useful information. We found out our target¡¯s true name and ce of origin. Information that my agency couldn¡¯t find for a long time¡ He will be a useful one in information collection.¡±
¡°Tagan Marius¡ Marius, Marius¡ I think I¡¯ve heard of that name before¡¡±
¡°You have, Young Master?¡±
¡°Yes. It doesn¡¯t sound foreign at all.¡±
¡°Since that guy passed the Runcandel guardian cadet exam, maybe you saw his name in a rted document?¡±
¡°Alu attempted the guardian cadet exam twenty years ago¡ªbefore I was even born. Any rted documents around that time would be stored deep inside the archives. And before I be an official g-bearer, I cannot ess such documents.¡±
Constantly saying the name ¡®Marius¡¯ out loud, Jin felt very unsatisfied. At that moment, Gilly walked in with a cup of tea.
¡°Marius, Marius¡¡±
¡°Oh? Young Master, why are you repeating that name?¡±
¡°Ah, it¡¯s Spiderhand Alu. Apparently, his real name is Tagan Marius, and I felt like I¡¯ve heard of it before.¡±
¡°Haha, Young Master. That¡¯s thest name of Lady Luna¡¯s nanny, Miss Taimyun. It¡¯s not the mostmon surname, but not the rarest. It¡¯s definitely something you¡¯ve heard.¡±
Jin froze while in the middle of receiving his tea.
¡°¡That¡¯s right, Nanny Taimyun¡¯s surname is Marius. Taimyun Marius. Wait, Gilly, do you know Nanny Taimyun¡¯s ce of origin?¡±
¡°Let¡¯s see, hmm. Oh! Delki. She said she was from Delki. Now that I think about it, I remember she used to send Delki¡¯s special exports to the Storm Castle when you were young.¡±
Jin and Kashimir stared at each other.
¡°Young Master, do you think¡?¡±
¡°What¡¯s wrong, you two?¡±
¡°Tagan Marius. Spiderhand Alu is also from the Delki Kingdom.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°It¡¯s possible that Alu is rted to Nanny Taimyun. No, it¡¯s very likely. On top of that, apparently, Alu attempted the Runcandel guardian cadet exam as well.¡±
Putting her tea cup down, Gilly covered her mouth with her two hands.
¡°It¡¯s very strange that he even took the guardian cadet exam¡ When was this again?¡±
¡°1776. Exactly 20 years ago, ording to Jet.¡±
¡°If my memory serves right, at that time, every single sword-wielder was sent into battle due to some internal conflict in the Delki Kingdom. Even princes and princesses were engaged in the battle, but a normalmoner taking the Runcandel guardian cadet exam is¡¡±
¡°Ah, I remember that too. The kingdom was split into two factions: one for the emperor, and the other for the prince. All press releases were about that civil war, and the Runcandel n announced its support for the victor.¡±
Sifting through his old memories, Kashimir nodded. Twenty years ago, he was a prince of the Vermont Empire, so he kept his nose in many foreign affairs.
Even though the others were not as invested in intercontinental history, the Delki Civil War was a big issue. The world watched as if there were a war between the Runcandels.
¡°If it¡¯s true that Alu took the guardian cadet exam as a Delkian during wartime, it could only mean that he used his connection with Miss Taimyun, who was already working for the Runcandels at the time.¡±
¡°Probably. Since the Delki Kingdom locked down its borders during the war, it was impossible for an outsider toe in and an insider to go out. Until the war ended, that is.¡±
The nannies of Runcandel were not just some regr guardians for the children in a noble family.
By taking care of the pureblood Runcandels, they wielded tremendous power within the n and had a say in all kinds of decisions.
On that note, Taimyun¡¯s power within the n was above a normal pureblood as the time she joined and started working for the Runcandels was also when people determined 15-year-old Luna as the n¡¯s prospective sessor.
At the time, even Cyron wanted to present Luna as his sessor at a public gathering.
¡°If Alu shares the same blood as Nanny Taimyun¡¡±
¡®Then the one who cursed me with ded Illusion could be Sister Luna¡¡¯
With that ominous thought, he remembered his final conversation with Alu once more.
¡ªIt doesn¡¯t matter¡ You¡ªYou can¡¯t stop ¡®em¡
¡ªWhat?
¡ªEven though it failed back then¡
Alu could have been talking about Luna. If it weren¡¯t for that conversation, Jin wouldn¡¯t be specting about this.
Blood began to rush to his brain.
¡®Eldest Sister Luna came to the Storm Castle when I was 9¡ Maybe she came because I wasn¡¯t cursed?¡¯
In his past life, Luna never visited the Storm Castle. Even after leaving the Storm Castle, she never met with him, who was being treated like garbage.
Of course, she never showed any interest in him in the first ce.
From far away, Jin questioned why he couldn¡¯t be like his sister; why he couldn¡¯t even be half as talented as her.
¡®Then what about the things Eldest Sister Luna had done for me after I left the Storm Castle? She trained me multiple times. Saved my life a few times as well. Did she change her course after finding out that I¡¯m immune to curses?¡¯
As he continued his thought, Jin jolted, then shook his head.
¡®What am I thinking? We only just discovered that Taimyun and Alu were somewhat blood rted. Even if they are blood rted and are associated with my curse, Eldest Sister Luna wouldn¡¯t know anything about it.¡¯
He felt pathetic for doubting his sister.
Still, the ufortable feeling didn¡¯t pass. It was true that her demeanor towards Jin in this life waspletely different from her behavior in the past.
The painful life before his regression, his loveless family, the finger-pointing and snickers during his expulsion, and the neglect from his siblings. Luna was definitely included in that mess.
These memories made Jin very ufortable.
¡°¡We should confirm first whether Alu and Taimyun are truly blood-rted. After that, find out why he became the boss of a dark organization even after passing the Runcandel guardian cadet exam. We also need to know if somebody is behind them and what their motive is.¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t it easiest to just ask Lady Luna? Through a message of some sort.¡±
Gilly did not know about Jin¡¯s exposure to ded Illusion when he was only one year old. Not just Gilly, but everyone else as well.
¡°No, that would put her in a dilemma. If they are blood-rted, then I¡¯m basically exposing Nanny Taimyun¡¯s ill intent.¡±
¡°Ah, that¡¯s a good point. Since the First Lady really loved Miss Taimyun. If the question isn¡¯t too important, then we can keep it concealed.¡±
¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking. If Taimyun¡¯s malevolence is exposed, even if Eldest Sister stays still. The other siblings will rip Nanny Taimyun apart like dogs on a corpse. Especially Eldest Brother Joshua, Elder Sister Myu, and Elder Sister Anne.¡±
The best conclusion was that Taimyun made Alu go through the guardian cadet exams because she didn¡¯t want her rtive to be used in the war. And, despite passing the exam, Alu did nothing for a while and settled in the Akin Kingdom. Without any connections to the curse, Taimyun would be linked to a normal scale of crimes.
Jin could just look over it.
¡°Please send the agents to the Delki Kingdom. If we get good information from there, we will start moving ourselves.¡±
¡°Understood, Young Master.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 124: Pursuers in Delki (1)
Chapter 124: Pursuers in Delki (1)
Volume 5 Chapter 124 ¨C Pursuers in Delki (1)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
It took four days for the agents to return with meaningful information.
¡°We didn¡¯t make any progress for the past few months, but we already got information after some clues. The agents brought some intel.¡±
¡°What is it about?¡±
¡°About the Marius surname. It¡¯s a name found here and there in the region, but only one organization uses the name in the Delki Kingdom.¡±
¡°Not a n, but an organization?¡±
¡°Yes. There¡¯s an orphanage in the southern region of the Delki Kingdom called ¡®Lunar Sacrifice¡¯. And everyone from that orphanage uses the Marius surname.¡±
¡°It probably means that Alu and Taimyun were from the same orphanage. Although they aren¡¯t blood-rted, they must have a deep connection.¡±
¡°Correct. And it seems the agents got some cool information about the orphanage as well. Lunar Sacrifice was not just any orphanage.¡±
Lunar Sacrifice¡¯s objective was not just to take care of orphans.
It was true that they took in many orphans, but the true motive was to sharpen the dagger of the king¡¯s army.
¡°The followers of Delki¡¯s king operated Lunar Sacrifice. They trained the orphans to be assassins or spies. It was shut down after the king¡¯s faction won the civil war.¡±
¡°Basically, a secret weapon factory.¡±
¡°Yes, and their training methods were brutal. They made the orphans create strong bonds with each other before forcing them to kill one another. Ultimately, the surviving child would be the chosen one¡¡±
¡°Crazy bastards. Even the Runcandel n doesn¡¯t do that. Then, does the activity period between Nanny Taimyun and Alu ovep? I¡¯m sure the age gap is huge.¡±
¡°Although their activity periods do not ovep, apparently, Taimyun Marius visited Lunar Sacrifice whenever she had the chance. Even after she became one of the Runcandel n¡¯s nannies.¡±
¡°Even then?¡±
¡°Yes. That¡¯s the main part of the agents¡¯ report. I don¡¯t know whether the Runcandels stayed silent about it or they simply didn¡¯t care. But she went at least once every two months.¡±
ording to Jin¡¯s knowledge, the nannies almost never had personal time. They only had one week in the entire year as an official break.
And, usually, they would forfeit their one-week break and return to their caretaking. They were mostly those with ¡®no ce to return¡¯.
¡®Personality-wise, Luna could¡¯ve given her many unofficial breaks. But constantly visiting the same orphanage¡ Maybe she felt bad for the orphans who are in her same abject situation?¡¯
In that case, it would make sense for Taimyun to give Alu an opportunity.
Either way, after confirming their rtions, Jin felt a little uneasy. He wished that their surnames were coincidentally identical and that they had absolutely no connection to each other.
Then, even if Alu was rted to Jin¡¯s curse, Jin wouldn¡¯t need to suspect Taimyun.
¡°What¡¯s the source?¡±
¡°There were some Lunar Sacrifice survivors in Delki. Nine people, excluding the deceased Alu. They were survivors when the Delki prince¡¯s faction shut down the facility.¡±
All of the survivors acted in the shadows. Either they worked in the dark alleyways or as gangsters who ripped money offmoners.
¡°They were all careful with their speech regarding Taimyun. The agents¡¯ massive mary bribes were barely able to pull out the information on Taimyun¡¯s frequent visits.¡±
¡°I would really like to meet them. If I reveal my identity to them, they would tell us more about her.¡±
¡°You¡¯re a provisional g-bearer. Wouldn¡¯t that be a little dangerous?¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine. As long as it stays out of my siblings¡¯ ears.¡±
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
April 1st, 1796.
Jin and Jet arrived at the transfer gate to go to the Delki Kingdom.
The Huphester Alliance. They didn¡¯t need many people to go to the Runcandels¡¯nd. There was nothing good about attracting attention.
¡°Hehe, Young Master! While this Jet is alive, I will protect you with my life.¡±
Jin took Jet with him to give him the menial jobs.
¡°¡®Protect¡¯, my ass. At the small chance of battle, you¡¯ll just be a liability.¡±
¡°Ahah! You¡¯ll take care of me? Oh, how grateful I am. If we ever get into any tight situation, I will not despise you for leaving me!¡±
¡°Why would I leave you? I got you into the Seven-Colored Peacock, so I got to milk you empty. How have your days been going?¡±
¡°Very good! If someone¡¯s an intelligence agent of the Seven-Colored Peacock, they get fed like elites! Fufu, if it weren¡¯t for you, Young Master, then a guy like me wouldn¡¯t have had an opportunity to work in such a ce.¡±
¡°Good point. Oh, the teleportation is starting.¡±
¡°When we arrive, I will find a clean inn for our stay.¡±
¡°No, no need. Today, we¡¯ll scour the western region where three survivors are living. For the inn, we will get it after we meet the three people and relocate to the northern region.¡±
Woooom!
The transfer gate was activated, and Jin¡¯s surroundings began to rumble. Deep blue mana swallowed the two, and when they opened their eyes, they were in the waiting room of the Delki Kingdom¡¯s western region transfer gate.
The guide nced at their identifications and smiled.
¡°Wee, Mr. Jin Grey, Mr. Jet. We hope you had a wonderful trip.¡±
Jin exited the room and put on his hood. Jet had a big smile on his face.
¡°I can feel it! The nice weather makes me feel like we can get the information we want very easily.¡±
¡°Who¡¯s the first survivor we¡¯re meeting?¡±
¡°Let¡¯s see¡ Gaber Marius. He¡¯s doing gangster stuff in a neighborhood called Nelta, which is about an hour away on horse.¡±
¡°Go get a horse.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
Despiteing to West Delki for the first time, Jet returned with two robust horses not even thirty minutes after he left. On top of that, he used less gold than what Jin gave and returned all of the change to the young Runcandel.
Jin felt a little surprised.
¡®In my past life, he was a dog who would eat me alive when given the chance. Well, in this life, he tried to sell me, Murakan, and Gilly away. People¡¯s business. I really don¡¯t get it.¡¯
Jin lightly shook his head, and Jet frowned.
¡°Young Master, do you not like the stallion that I got? Or was I toote?¡±
¡°No, you did great. Keep the change. Let us depart.¡±
¡°Oh, goodness! Thank you! I will use it wisely.¡±
Neigh!
They sped down the stone road made for horses and arrived in Nelta around noon.
¡°It should be around here¡ Oh, over there, Young Master. The Nelta Vignte Group. Ah, these funny fellows. They call themselves ¡®vigntes¡¯ when they¡¯re filthy gangsters.¡±
Jin almost scoffed at the pathetic organization trying to im their actions as just, but he suppressed it and knocked on their door.
¡°Young Master! Please let me do these things. The bad energy will stain your precious hands. And if we are knocking on the gangsters¡¯ cove in the daylight, we must knock more vigorously to have at least one guy turn up.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Yes. These fellows usually work during the night and sleep during the day, so they won¡¯t hear a single thing from such a shy knock.¡±
Ehem!
Jet cleared his throat before kicking the front door.
¡°We are here to meet Gaber Marius! Come out!¡±
He shouted at the top of his lungs, and some passersby stared at the peculiar sight.
Thump! Thump, thump!
Even after many kicks, the wooden door didn¡¯t seem to be opening any time soon.
¡°Huh. Well, would you look at that? It seems they partied all night and are in a deep slumber. Not a single one came out.¡±
¡°Maybe no one is in there?¡±
¡°There¡¯s no way. Gangsters usually love their base to death. Hey! Come out! Anyone!¡±
There was still no reaction from Jet¡¯s continued kicks on the door. Embarrassed, he scratched his head, and Jin put his ear on the door to listen for any footsteps.
Jin didn¡¯t hear any footsteps at the time. However¡
¡®This is¡?!¡¯
From the bottom of the door wafted a strange stench of blood.
As if he also sensed it, Jet¡ªwho also had his head on the door¡ªlooked up at Jin with a hopeless expression.
¡°These guys¡ Did they have a fight through the night? I think we should take down the door and barge in. If the smell reached all the way here, it¡¯s not just one or two people dead.¡±
¡°Back off. I¡¯m taking down the door.¡±
¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t. We¡¯ll attract attention. And if we use a sword now, then it¡¯ll bite back at us. Please wait. Seeing the keyhole, it seems like the type that I can pick.¡±
¡°You can do that?¡±
¡°Haha, I¡¯ve been in the shadows for a while. Kuu¡ This brings back memories. When I was young, I fed myself with the use of my lockpicking skills.¡±
Jet pulled out a long pin and hook, then wrestled the lock. After five minutes¡ª
Click.
The door was unlocked.
¡°It was a good idea to bring me with you, right?¡±
Creaaaaaaak.
When the door opened, the smell of iron got more potent. The inside was dark enough to drown out the sun. Nothing could be seen.
Jet closed the door and lit antern.
Chhsssssss.
And their jaws dropped.
¡°The fuck? What in the world¡?¡±
¡°O-Oh my goodness. What¡ªThis¡ Young Master, something is definitely wrong!¡±
The room looked like hell.
The floor, walls, and ceiling were sprinkled with bits of human flesh. From the estimated twenty corpses that should be present, not a single part of their bodies remained untouched.
If they weren¡¯t used to blood and corpses, they would have fallen to the floor and begun vomiting everywhere.
¡°Erk.¡±
¡°These guys didn¡¯t die long ago. Not all of the blood has hardened yet.¡±
¡°Huh, now that you say¡ No, with this much of a massacre here, did nobody outside really notice? Did they get ripped apart by a monster? Or did they misbehave in front of a knight?¡±
A chilling feeling crawled up Jin¡¯s spine.
¡°First, let¡¯s find Gaber Marius. I doubt any of the corpses¡¯ faces are recognizable, though¡¡±
Jet carefully stepped on parts of the floor without blood puddles as he searched for Gaber. Jin inspected the corpses.
¡®This isn¡¯t from a high-ranked knight. These guys¡¯ bodies were ripped apart by a wind-type spell.¡¯
This was at least the work of an 8-star magician. Simr to the 8-star wind spell, Hellwind.
And the Huphester Alliance dealt with magic-rted crimes with utmost importance.
¡°Jet, that¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s get out of here as soon as possible. As you said, we could possibly be used or taken in as an affiliate.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 125: Pursuers in Delki (2)
Chapter 125: Pursuers in Delki (2)
Volume 5 Chapter 125 ¨C Pursuers in Delki (2)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
As if they just saw nothing, they exited the residence, and the noon sun shone on their face.
¡°Oh, Young Master. What in the world did we just see? Why are they all dead?¡±
¡°They died to a magician, at least 8-star. There is evidence of Hellwind being used in there.¡±
¡°An 8-star magician? I don¡¯t think such a great person like that would have business with such lowly gangsters, but I guess we saw some grotesque sights as soon as we got here.¡±
Jin raised Jet to the saddle and shook his head.
¡°Go find anyone within a ten-minute radius who knows Gaber Marius. I¡¯ll be in front of the water fountain back there. If we can¡¯t find anyone, we¡¯re moving on to the next survivor.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
When Jin arrived at the fountain and started to ponder about the death of the Nelta Vignte Group, Jet returned.
¡°I didn¡¯t even need ten minutes, Young Master. There are three people who saw Gaber return to his home early in the morning while drunk.¡±
¡°Then that means Gaber is also dead. Alright, let¡¯s get moving. Who¡¯s the next survivor?¡±
¡°In a two-hour distance from here, Weatherway Marius. This fellow is a soldier.¡±
The two left Nelta feeling a little ufortable.
¡®No matter how much I think about it, I don¡¯t get it. An 8-star magician doesn¡¯t need to make a mess to deal with those guys.¡¯
Why would someone take the risk tomit a crime with magic and ughter a bunch of goons?
¡®It looked like it ended too quickly to be a massacre out of hate. There was no sight of torture either. It felt like the murderer was in a hurry¡ªdealt with the situation like stepping on a bug and left immediately.¡¯
There was a limitation to the inference due to theck of evidence, but there was something suspicious that prevented him from assuming that it was merely a coincidence.
Jin thought about it for two hours and continued to ponder until they arrived at the army camp where Weatherway Marius was stationed.
Creaaak.
As soon as the door opened, two crude-looking men weed them.
¡°Haha, nice to meet you, and thank you for your service. We came to meet Weatherway Marius.¡±
Jet nicely confronted them, but the men sighed with disappointment.
¡°What¡¯s this? I thought we finally got a customer. Why are you looking for him? Oh, are you the one who got beat up by himst night?¡±
¡°Oh, not that. We¡¯re old friends, and we coincidentally came this way, so I thought I might as well see an old friend¡¯s face¡¡±
¡°Damn, that kid had a friend? Fascinating! Weatherway didn¡¯t leave for work yet. I¡¯ll give you a rough map, so go find him.¡±
¡°Thank you, my brothers!¡±
Jet and Jin received the map and passed through various turns and streets to arrive at Weatherway¡¯s house. Jet knocked on the door.
¡°Weatherway! Are you in there?¡±
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
Neighbors began toin about the ruckus, but the door didn¡¯t seem to open.
¡°Well, I¡¯m picking into strangers¡¯ homes all over again.¡±
Before Jin even asked for it, Jet began to pick the lock.
Click.
The door unlocked.
¡°Ha.¡±
¡°Shit.¡±
The first thing they saw was a man lying on the ground in a strange pose¡ªWeatherway Marius.
¡°Young Master. I think this fellow¡¯s dead¡ Hm, he¡¯s not breathing.¡±
¡°An assassination through poisoning. And just like Gaber, it hasn¡¯t been long since he died. Since his skin and blood didn¡¯t change colors from the poison, it¡¯s a well-made poison.¡±
The corpse¡¯s chest was still emanating warmth. It was evident that the man died only about two to three hours ago.
¡°Young Master, does that mean¡?¡±
¡°Someone is killing the Lunar Sacrifice survivors in real time. However, the killer of the Nelta Vigntes and the murderer of Weatherway are different. The modus operandi this time is too different. Both killers are a duo, at least.¡±
As they confirmed the second survivor¡¯s death, Jin was certain.
¡®The culprits recently found out that the Seven-Colored Peacock is mining information about the Marius name. Worried about their information and history getting leaked, they are ¡°sorting out¡± the Lunar Sacrifice survivors.¡¯
It could no longer be a coincidence.
Additionally, if there was a likelihood of it only being a coincidence, then fate would be in favor of the culprit.
¡®I don¡¯t know if the culprits know about me and Jet searching for the survivors. But if they do know, then they¡¯re trying to strategically put us as a suspect. And if they don¡¯t¡ then our luck is just garbage.¡¯
No matter howte they start the investigation on the Nelta Vignte massacre and Weatherway murder, it would begin in thete afternoon at thetest.
And as themon folk saw, thest two people who went to visit the Nelta Vignte Group were two people. As for the Weatherway case, the soldiers certainly saw Jet and Jin¡¯s face.
Returning to the army camp and telling them ¡®Report to the police, Weatherway is dead¡¯ would be pointless. Even if the soldiers believed them, Jin and Jet would be investigated and interrogated.
In that case, Jin¡¯s position as a provisional g-bearer would be revoked, and he couldn¡¯t even dream of meeting the other survivors.
Suppressing his anger and stress, Jin gritted his teeth.
¡®I may be a provisional g-bearer breaking some rules, but how dare you toy with me in my ownnd?¡¯
Currently, the confirmed culprits were a magician with an 8-star rank¡ªat the very least¡ªand an assassin who was good with poisons.
¡®Even with just that, the forces trying to get rid of the Lunar Sacrifice survivors are phenomenal. That¡¯s how important the information is to them. There could be more assassins.¡¯
Jin left Weatherway¡¯s home and Jet frantically followed him.
¡°Young Master, what shall we do? Wouldn¡¯t it be good to return to Tikan? We might be used of this case as well.¡±
¡°Nice thinking, Jet. But we have to see the rest of the survivors. We have to move quickly, before the assassins kill them all.¡±
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
The third survivor.
The fourth survivor, the fifth¡ until the eighth.
Jin and Jet changed horses three times and used two transfer gates, crazily searching for the remaining survivors until midnight.
But not a single one wasn¡¯t a corpse. Each one was killed an hour or two before their arrival.
But thankfully, there were only two assassins. The victims all died from either a wind-type spell or poison.
Jin was about to go crazy. He felt like the survivor was going to be found dead each time they visited one.
Jet sighed.
¡°This is thest survivor, Young Master. Dan Marius. What if this fellow is dead as well?¡±
¡°Just open the door.¡±
Dan Marius lived in a remote cabin on the outskirts of a vige in East Delki.
The two had stopped knocking since the fourth survivor. They just wished that the survivor would be in one shape when they opened the door.
Click, click¡ªTick!
The door to thest survivor¡¯s cabin opened.
Fffffft!
And an arrow flew at Jet.
He flinched, failing to react and move away. Jin grabbed it with his bare hand before it could pierce the man¡¯s chest.
¡°O-Oh my¡ª! How crazy, Young Master! I¡¯m safe thanks to¡ª¡±
Fttt!
ng!
Jin deflected the second arrow with his dagger. The man in the cabin¡¯s living room just stood there, eyes wide.
With fear in his voice, he shouted.
¡°Wh-Who are you?! If you are skillful enough to deflect a crossbow shot from this distance, y-you mustn¡¯t be a normal knight. Why did you barge into my house and¡ª¡±
¡°Are you Dan Marius, a Lunar Sacrifice survivor?¡±
The man¡¯s jaw dropped.
¡°How do you¡ No¡ Are you the Specters of the king¡¯s faction? Or did that person send you?!¡±
Jin would have hugged the man after confirming that he was Dan Marius. He didn¡¯t think that thest survivor would be alive.
¡®And he said ¡°that person¡±. Was he talking about Taimyun? Or maybe the person that Alu mentioned in his dying breath?¡¯
Whoever it was, he knew it would lead to more clues on who cursed him.
¡°Dan, there¡¯s no time to exin. You¡¯re in danger. Soon, assassins wille for you, soe out. I¡¯m here to save you.¡±
¡°Wh-What do you mean?¡±
¡°Gaber, Weatherway, Bert, and the others. Since this morning, assassins have been killing the Lunar Sacrifice survivors. The nine others are all dead. I don¡¯t know if they are the Specters of the king¡¯s faction as you said or Taimyun Marius¡¯s goons, but it wasn¡¯t me.¡±
¡°You¡ You know Miss Taimyun?!¡±
¡°It¡¯s a little confusing, but just trust me and follow me. I don¡¯t even need five seconds to kill you, but you¡¯re clearly not dead yet. Do you understand? I will not harm you. I promise.¡±
For a few seconds, Dan gritted his teeth and fell into thought. Then, he nodded.
¡°I understand¡ Please wait here. My daughter is sleeping.¡±
¡°Oh my, my friend. Go get her, quick! Do you also have a wife?¡±
¡°I do not. I¡¯ll bring my child swiftly!¡±
Dan frantically brought his sleepy daughter and mounted the horse.
¡°How long until the eastern transfer gate?¡±
¡°We must move for at least three hours.¡±
¡°That¡¯s far. I will exin the rest as we go. Giddy up!¡±
Neeeeigh!
The horses let out a loud neigh and started galloping through the night.
Jin and Jet had hoods over their heads, followed by one rather crude man with his daughter on his back.
As they paved through the pathways and into the forest, Dan opened his mouth.
¡°Did the others really die?¡±
¡°Yes. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the Specters of the king¡¯s faction getting rid of them, but assassins sent over by the other person that you mentioned. Who are they?¡±
Dan evaded the question as if he didn¡¯t want to answer. Annoyed, Jet turned and was about to cuss at him. However, after seeing the man¡¯s daughter, he looked away before facing forward again.
¡°You¡¯re gonna tell us anyway, my guy! Don¡¯t keep it to yourself, and tell us. I also lived a scummy life like you, but my life improved after meeting this man!¡±
¡°¡Before that, didn¡¯t you say that nine of my siblings died?¡±
¡°Yes. We saw their corpses ourselves. They¡¯re all dead.¡±
Jin answered, and Dan tilted his head as if something was weird.
¡°Then that¡¯s not right. I didn¡¯t tell you because I didn¡¯t have the chance, but there are twelve Lunar Sacrifice siblings.¡±
Kkkkkrrrr~!
Jin pulled on the reins, and the horses stopped running.
¡°What?¡±
¡°There are two more.¡±
¡°Where are the other two?¡±
¡°I do not know. Unlike me, they moved based on orders.¡±
From those words, Jin and Jet stared at each other.
Two siblings left.
Two assassins.
As soon as Jet tried to ask, a blue light shone in the dark forest in Jin¡¯s field of vision.
¡°An ambush!¡±
Neeiiigh!
The light was shot from the thick woods, and the horses fainted, letting out a pitiful sound.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 126: Beris and Kuzan (1)
Chapter 126: Beris and Kuzan (1)
Volume 6 Chapter 126 ¨C Beris and Kuzan (1)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Two mana beams pierced through the horses, immediately killing them. However, thanks to Jin¡¯s warning, the ridersnded safely on the ground.
¡°Urgh¡ªWhat in the world was that?!¡±
¡°It¡¯s them.¡±
Jin took a defensive stance, expecting a second attack. However, it didn¡¯te immediately. Instead, two shadows slowly emerged from the thick grass.
A man and woman. Very young adults; probably not even over 30 yet.
Dan¡¯s expression turned dark after seeing their profile.
¡°Y-You guys are¡¡±
¡°Oh, Old Man Dan. What¡¯s this, what¡¯s this! How¡¯d you know we¡¯de for you? You even got some guards. You¡¯re pretty quick-witted!¡±
The woman opened her mouth first. She had a well-structured face and was taller than the man next to her. Her expression showed how she thought the situation was funny, which didn¡¯t fit the current mood.
Additionally, she thought that Jin and Jet were Dan¡¯s bodyguards.
¡°Beris¡!¡±
The woman smirked at Dan calling her name.
In her hand, concentrated mana turned into a sphere of wind. She was the magician who had been killing the Lunar Sacrifice survivors.
¡®She doesn¡¯t even seem to be 30, yet she¡¯s an 8-star magician? And she isn¡¯t even a Zipfel.¡¯
He was shocked at the young age. She was that much of a talented genius, and Jin didn¡¯t even know her?
¡°How do you think Dan found out that we¡¯re killing out the brethren? First let¡¯s make some ground beef out of Old Man Dan, then we can question those two.¡±
¡°That dumbass couldn¡¯t have known. Those guys probably did some investigation on us and realized that we¡¯re on a hunt. Beris, be prepared. That hooded guy isn¡¯t just any guy.¡±
¡°Eyyy, what do you mean ¡®be prepared¡¯? That¡¯s too harsh! You think it¡¯s easy to find an opponent that requires our full focus? Kuzan, your cautiousness is too much. Probably exins yourck of poprity.¡±
Beris and Kuzan Marius.
The youngest and strongest hunting dogs of Lunar Sacrifice.
Jet anxiously stared at the two while Dan hugged his daughter with quaking hands.
¡°You said they¡¯re Beris and Kuzan. I was curious about which bastards were messing with my business. Nice to meet you.¡±
Jin covered Bradamante with aura, and Kuzan pulled out a sword in return. Unlike Beris, Kuzan had a straight, dull face¡ªa show of prudence.
¡°Hehe, I¡¯m also curious as to who you are and what you do, so I¡¯m d that I¡¯ll find out soon. But first, we gotta finish our business. Old Man Dan,e out now. Then we¡¯ll spare your daughter¡ maybe?¡±
Beris threw the wind sphere in front of her andughed.
¡®It¡¯s the 4-star wind spell, Wind de.¡¯
It was enough to take Dan¡¯s life, but an 8-star magician would normally still use a higher-ranked spell. As a magician, Jin knew why Beris was using such a low-ranked spell.
¡®Since she used Hellwind to kill the survivors in the morning, she¡¯s saving her mana. Even if she thinks I¡¯m a bodyguard, I¡¯m certain she¡¯s ying conservative from that move.¡¯
Beris using Hellwind to kill the survivors was probably because of her particrly cruel and ruthless personality. She enjoyed massacres.
An 8-star magician with sufficient mana would be difficult to fight.
However, an 8-star magiciancking mana or on the verge of mana overflow wouldn¡¯t be too hard. As long as they weren¡¯t a particrly talented 8-star.
¡®The problem is that guy. I¡¯m sure he killed the survivors with the use of poisons, but a sword¡¡¯
Kuzan¡¯s sword was a very universal long sword. People who trained the arts of assassination usually didn¡¯t use such a bulky sword.
¡®Is poisoning just one of his gimmicks? And his main weapon is the sword?¡¯
In the worst scenario, he would be talented in the arts of poison and the sword. And of course, Jin had to fight while considering the worst scenario.
Was it possible for him to fight and win against these guys?
7-star magic, 6-star swordsmanship, and 5-star spiritual energy. If the opponents lost focus and Jin fought them well, it was possible.
¡®But if Kuzan is also an 8-star, it¡¯s impossible. Unlike Beris, he didn¡¯t waste a single bit of aura. As always, I have to whip up a gimmick.¡¯
Concluding his thoughts, Jin tried to talk.
However¡ª
¡°Man~ I¡¯m getting pissed. I told you to get your ass out here, you roach-like old man.¡±
Shraaaaaa!
From Beris¡¯s palm, wind des flew straight towards the three. Jin created a force field with his aura, and Beris immediately began to cast her next spell.
¡°Jet.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
¡°Take Dan and run.¡±
¡°Yes¡ yes? What?! No way, sir! Eeeek!¡±
Jin swung his sword to deflect the wind des. Kuzan bolted towards him and aimed for his shoulder.
¡®Shoulder. These guys want to keep me alive since they have a lot to ask.¡¯
Ka-ng!
Despite not using his full force, the impact from Kuzan¡¯s swing was immense. Even withoutparing it to any sort of measurement, Jin confirmed that he was an 8-star. The worst case scenario came true.
Still, thanks to Jin¡¯s blessed Runcandel body, he could deflect the attack with one hand.
¡°I think that you¡¯re more important than Dan, so isn¡¯t it better for you to run away instead of him? On top of that, you¡¯re only using one hand. I feel like I¡¯m being looked down on.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t know. My life is pretty important, but I don¡¯t want to let the child see her father die. I¡¯m weak in the heart.¡±
ng! Sssk-ng!
Jin¡¯s and Kuzan¡¯s des shed, sparks flying everywhere. Jet didn¡¯t do anything and just stomped on the floor.
¡°Oh, Young Master!¡±
¡°Just run! With your skill, you¡¯re practically useless. Fighting alone would be better. Either I kill these guys or at least you guys can live.¡±
¡°I¡¯d rather die with you.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t tell me that heartless shit, and just fuck off. It¡¯s an order.¡±
¡°Oh, Young Master, I wish you the best of luck!¡±
Sniffling and holding back his tears, Jet took the child in Dan¡¯s arms and began to sprint away. Dan followed him. Beris burst intoughter after seeing them flee.
¡°Oh my goodness~! I can¡¯t watch because of these tears~ Hehe. Honey, do they really think they can run away? Kuzan! y with the cutie for a while. I¡¯ll go deal with them.¡±
Kuzan lightly nodded.
Jin¡¯s eyes widened as more des flew towards him. He then activated a spell with his other hand.
The spell that never disappointed him every time he was in grave danger.
Photon Cannon.
Fwooooosh!
A blinding light brightened their surroundings. Taking the light full face, Kuzan stumbled backwards.
¡°Urgh!¡±
Even an 8-star knight would lose their bnce due to the bright light. Beris¡ªwho was quite far from Jin¡ªflinched and covered her eyes.
Before one second even passed, Jin charged towards Kuzan¡¯s torso, eyeing the man¡¯s neck. He felt like he could end the battle with one swing.
Shhhk!
Bradamante¡¯s crescent sh followed by a short echo. Jin felt the tip of the sword cut something.
¡°Kurgh!¡±
However, the level of an 8-star should not be underestimated.
¡®He was able to react to that?¡¯
Drip, drip.
Blood was dripping from the tip of Jin¡¯s sword as he backed off, wary of a counterattack.
At that moment, Kuzan recovered his vision and repositioned himself.
¡°Tch.¡±
Jin shed Kuzan¡¯s chest instead of his throat. However, seeing that the bloodstain in the other¡¯s coat rapidly grew, Jin knew that¡ªthankfully¡ªthe wound was not shallow.
¡°Kyaaa! Kuzan!¡±
For the first time, Beris¡¯s liveliness was gone. With a startled, pale face, she ran over and tended to Kuzan. She red at Jin.
¡°I will thoroughly rip you apart. Piece by piece. How dare you do this to him!¡±
Krrrrrrrrrr!
Mana began to flood around her. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she screamed. She was going all out against Jin.
However, the young Runcandel was smiling internally.
¡®I¡¯m sure she¡¯s in a position where she¡¯s out of mana. Keep gathering a lot of it. If I just block a few times, you¡¯ll self-destruct from mana overflow¡¡¯
Grip¡!
As Beris tried to charge at Jin, Kuzan grabbed her shoulder and shook his head.
¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself, Beris. He¡¯s a magic swordsman. He knows the weakness of magicians. On top of that, he just used light magic. We must take it slow.¡±
¡°But he¡ª!¡±
¡°You know this wound isn¡¯t really anything. We¡¯ll chase Danter. We need to deal with this kid before they get far.¡±
¡°¡®Isn¡¯t really anything¡¯? Your life just got shorter!¡±
Kuzan was the problem.
¡®He¡¯s strong, not arrogant, and prudent. After seeing Photon Cannon, he knew I was a magic swordsman instead of mistaking it for an effect of an artifact. He¡¯s a tough one.¡¯
A chill ran up Jin¡¯s spine.
Two 8-stars, and they weren¡¯t making any mistakes. If they were careful of Jin¡¯s gimmicks, then his probability of winning would plummet.
Although Kuzan took some damage, he pulled out a ss bottle and drank its contents. Almost immediately, his bleeding slowed down.
What he drank was poison.
However, to a person with a great resistance to poison, it was nothing more than a divine potion.
¡®Is he like Elder Sister Yona? That guy¡ He¡¯s a handful.¡¯
Yona Runcandel. Having her as a sister, Jin knew what was going on.
¡ªIf you meet an enemy like your sister Yona, remember this: you must finish them in one strike. Or else, they¡¯ll heal themselves like they¡¯re some immortal being. They use their lifespan to heal themselves at that moment, but it¡¯s a pain in the ass to deal with.
¡ªConversely, you can¡¯t allow any small injuries or wounds. When they go all out, they have a bit of lethal poison on their weapons. Even with your resistance to poisons, it¡¯s still pretty fatal.
He remembered his conversation with Luna during one of their training sessions.
And as she said, Kuzan stood up after finishing his recovery. His sword glowed with a light green sheen. Poison and aura mixed on Kuzan¡¯s de, emitting an eerie green color.
¡°No time to capture him alive, Beris. Watch my back.¡±
¡°Alright. Instead, don¡¯t go too hard. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt from that kid that I want to rip apart.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll do what I can.¡±
Dash!
Kuzan¡¯s speed was fast; the glow of his eye left an afterimage. Jin also pushed his feet off the ground with his sword extended.
CLANG!
The two swords shed, and a loud sound of collision reverberated through the air. They only shed their des once, but it was enough to feel the power of a ¡®real¡¯ 8-star knight.
¡°Die!¡±
Furthermore, Beris was reinforcing Kuzan with magic from behind.
Jin was backed into a corner. He thought of when to reveal his remaining cards.
Tess, Myulta¡¯s Rune, and de: Unleash.
Those were all he could do to turn the tide.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 127: Beris and Kuzan (2)
Chapter 127: Beris and Kuzan (2)
Volume 6 Chapter 127 ¨C Beris and Kuzan (2)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Boom!
Their auras shed, and an ear-splitting explosion resounded. Despite Jin and Kuzan only constantly leaving afterimages as they met swords, Beris was surprisingly able to consistently aim perfectly at Jin.
¡®Is that the girl who lost half her mind?¡¯
sh!
Kuzan¡¯s de barely grazed Jin¡¯s sleeve. The coat sleeve burned to ck, as if his skin were rotting.
Jin quickly ripped off the sleeve and threw it to the ground. If his coat hadn¡¯t been thick enough, the poison would¡¯ve prated it and gone through his skin.
¡°Phew, you¡¯re attacking at the same time, so isn¡¯t using poison kinda cheating?¡±
Kuzan didn¡¯t answer and kept charging at him.
At first nce, it looked as if Jin was losing, but Kuzan was very confused.
¡®It feels like he has 6-star aura, and his swordsmanship is strangely amazing. And the strength supporting it¡ Maybe he¡¯s hiding his aura? Or maybe he¡¯s a magic swordsman?¡¯
While he was undergoing training to be a hunting dog, Kuzan heard about the magic swordsmen who were active in the far past. Compared to those who only knew one physical or magical fighting technique, magic swordsmen had a divine-like power that they could use very efficiently.
He wasn¡¯t wrong. Jin just had the blessed body of a Runcandel. However, obviously, Kuzan could not make this conclusion.
Beris was pretty surprised as well.
¡®This slippery bastard. He deflected Kuzan¡¯s de and dodged my spells? And I can¡¯t even get close because he can pull out his light spell. The most annoying brat¡!¡¯
Beris and Kuzan were constantly pushing back on Jin.
And because of their desperation building up, they tried their best to maintain theirposure. As for Jin, beyond desperation, he was feeling the threat of death as time went on.
¡®The spells are getting more frequent. Her uracy is improving as more time passes. If it gets better than this¡ I don¡¯t have a solution for that.¡¯
Even though she was low on mana, Beris was also showing her skills as an 8-star magician.
Bang! Bang!
No different than a line of cannons, her mana winds prevented Jin from counterattacking.
¡®It¡¯s a shame, but I guess I have to pull out my trump card.¡¯
Fwoosh!
From Jin¡¯s palm, a small blue me came to life, and Kuzan stopped his attacks.
The Ruler of the Fire Dimension, Tess. The blue fire signaled the opening of the dimensional portal.
¡®Blue mes?!¡¯
A crevice opened through space, as if curtains were ripped, and Tess¡¯s long neck peered out. Beris¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°Sh-Shit. Tess?! Kuzan, get away from him! You can¡¯t get exposed to Pressure!¡±
Pressure. The special power that only Tess held.
The one who knew of Tess¡¯s transcendent power was the magician. Kuzan didn¡¯t have many memories of her desperately screaming.
However, he also knew of Pressure. He jumped away while conjuring de crescents, nning to pressure Jin from afar before the mes could get to him.
¡®Bingo.¡¯
They definitely thought that Jin would shoot the pressured mes at Kuzan since limiting the movements of the 8-star knight would be more efficient.
Kwooooooosh!
However, Tess unleashed the mes at a different target¡ªBeris. The thick blue mes crashed like waves towards the magician, and Jin didn¡¯t miss Kuzan¡¯s wavering eyes.
Kuzan turned and bolted towards her, and Jin shot de crescents towards his back.
¡°I feel like you are underestimating me. I shouldn¡¯t be an opponent you would be turning your back to.¡±
¡°You¡!¡±
ng!
Jin conjured up the aura that he saved while fighting defensively.
The aura around Bradamante spread like smoke. An energy known as de Mist contaminated the surroundings.
While Jin kept Kuzanpany, Tess pped its huge wings and contained Beris. Each p of its wings caused thousands of small mes to fly towards the magician.
Then, a breath of blue mes hit her directly.
Detecting that its contractor was in danger, Tess breathed harsh mes with all its might.
¡°Kiaaaaaaak¡!¡±
A horrible cry that hazed the mind. Sweating rivers, Beris used all her mana to set up mana barriers. A stream of blood flowed out of her mouth.
¡®Mana overflow! She¡¯s finally facing the repercussions of wasting mana while killing the Lunar Sacrifice survivors. It¡¯s good for me, though!¡¯
However, summoning Tess was a little tiring for Jin.
¡®How long can he maintain the summon? Probably ten minutes at most. If Beris falls into mana overflow during that time, I¡¯ll basically lose a weapon.¡¯
A gamble. Jin¡¯s mana recently reached 7-star, but he used a lot of it when he cast Photon Cannon.
Because of that, summoning Tess and simultaneously using other spells strained him.
¡®While Beris is locked down, I have to take down Kuzan. Otherwise, I have to end it when Kuzan goes to aid her.¡¯
Thetter was Jin¡¯s desired scenario. Myulta¡¯s Rune and de: Unleash were still on the table, but fighting an 8-star without Tess was impossible.
Kang! Cling! Booooom!
Kuzan¡¯s expression wavered as he was restrained by Jin. From the moment Beris was in danger, Kuzan lost hisposure.
Does he risk getting an injury and rescue Beris, or does he trust Beris and kill Jin?
After a short moment of contemtion, Kuzan¡¯s de flickered.
¡°I don¡¯t know who sent you, but if Beris gets hurt, I¡¯ll kill you and your superior.¡±
¡°Sorry to inform you, but I don¡¯t move based on orders like you dogs.¡±
Shhhhhk!
Kuzan¡¯s sword skill changed.
His attacks until now wereposed of steady sword swings. However, the ensuing swings were theplete opposite. It was apletely defenseless, full-offensive, destructive swordsmanship.
He was determined to kill Jin, even if it meant giving away his flesh¡ªbones, even.
¡®Shit. I thought he¡¯d go save his magician.¡¯
A shock went through Jin¡¯s body after realizing the sudden change in style. He unwillingly followed Kuzan¡¯s tempo, and the dozens of sparks from their shing swords pierced his eyes.
¡®So fast¡!¡¯
The fastest de that Jin had ever experienced.
Nheless, there were more opportunities to strike than before. If Jin changed the trajectory of his de¡ªeven by a little bit¡ªhe would die. However, he still saw the short time frames of the gaps where he could attack. Jin wanted to strike.
Even so, the moment he would try to attack, Kuzan¡¯s poison de would sh through him.
The problem was that Jin wouldn¡¯t hold on for long at their current pace. If he allowed even one small cut, the poison would spread throughout his body.
Selecting his next move, Jin took a half step forward and swung Bradamante.
He nned on activating Myulta¡¯s Rune and cutting through Kuzan¡¯s throat.
As the two charged at each other, Kuzan dodged the stab by adjusting his shoulders. Kuzan¡¯s dark green de was about to prate between Jin¡¯s eyebrows.
¡®Activate Helm!¡¯
Tong!
However, the sudden activation of the helm deflected it.
Yet, it was much different than when he blocked Alu¡¯s de. He felt as if a massive hammer struck his head, causing him to almost lose his bnce.
¡°Kerk!¡±
Without hesitation, Kuzan prepared his next attack.
¡®If this is all you have, I¡¯ll end you here and now.¡¯
Unfortunately, Kuzan couldn¡¯t swing his sword properly.
As he tried to swing his poison sword, Bradamante emitted a vantack darkness.
Woooom¡!
Not only that, but for a moment, their entire surrounding was also dyed in ck. Everyone had their sight marred.
Except for Jin.
¡®This is¡ spiritual energy?!¡¯
Kuzan didn¡¯t lose his prudence when he found out Jin was a magic swordsman, or when Tess was summoned, or when the boy activated Myulta¡¯s Rune. But not this time. He had heard about spiritual energy multiple times.
Nevertheless, there was a striking difference between imagination and actual experience. It was a strange force that made people feel fear just by watching it spread.
The darkness would onlyst for one second.
Shweeek!
Then, like a needle in the darkness, Bradamante¡ªthe de that was one with the darkness¡ªprated Kuzan¡¯s chest.
Due to that one second of ckness, Kuzan couldn¡¯t react in time. The ck de pierced him square in the chest, and a thick line of blood poured out.
¡°Eup!¡±
It didn¡¯t stab his heart.
However, if Jin turned the handle and twisted his de, Kuzan would not survive even with his special poison.
If he just exerted force into his palm¡
And just turned it¡
¡®Huh?¡¯
Yet, Jin¡¯s body loosened. Simultaneous dizziness and nausea overcame him, and Kuzan got farther and farther away.
His eyesight started fading, and his heavy breaths gradually turned into loud shrieks and messed up his mind.
Jin was also cut from Kuzan¡¯s poison de.
It was a slight scratch on his hip, but the poison was already inside his body, flowing through his veins.
¡°Kerk.¡±
Jin slowly trudged backwards, and his sword naturally slid out of Kuzan¡¯s chest. Kuzan threw up blood and fell to his knees, but he had a grin on his face.
Tess¡¯s and Jin¡¯s mana link was severed. The phoenix let out a screech, and Jin couldn¡¯t stop it from being withdrawn.
As Tess disappeared, Beris fell to the ground and shivered. With a quivering hand, Kuzan pulled out another ss bottle.
He drank the poison, and his wound slowly sealed itself. He thought of taking Jin¡¯s life as soon as he had enough energy to hold his sword.
¡°I¡ have to¡ get up. Or else, I¡¯m doomed.¡±
Pant, gasp, pant.
With heavy breaths, Jin plunged his sword into the ground and caught his bnce. If he let go of his sword, he would struggle to even stand.
He felt as if his bare body were on fire, but not a single scream came out. The most poisonous poison. If it weren¡¯t for the Runcandels¡¯ blessed body, he would¡¯ve already died.
For a while, all three of them didn¡¯t move; Jin due to the poison, Beris from mana overflow, and Kuzan from his injury not healing too quickly.
Amongst the three, Kuzan stood first with trembling legs. And Jin barely got into his fighting stance.
¡°Over there!¡±
¡°ck hood, it¡¯s the outfit the citizens described. Your Highness! It¡¯s a possible suspect!¡±
¡°Archers, prepare to fire. Knights, follow me!¡±
From afar, a group of knights on horseback ran towards the three.
It was the military of the prince¡¯s faction who had been pursuing the culprit responsible for the mysterious serial killings in the Delki Kingdom that started yesterday morning.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 128: Taimyun Marius (1)
Chapter 128: Taimyun Marius (1)
Volume 6 Chapter 128 ¨C Taimyun Marius (1)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Criminals whomitted magical arson in the Huphester Alliance faced the highest punishment. On top of that, serial killing with high-tier magic was the highest crime of them all.
Realizing the severity of the case, the Delki Prince took the knights and pursued the culprit.
In dangerous times, the people of nobility should step forward. That was the principle that the king¡¯s faction promoted after winning the war twenty years ago.
¡°I am Delki¡¯s third prince, Laika Delki. Put down your weapons!¡±
The prince shouted after seeing Kuzan and Beris.
¡®Shit, it had to be now¡! I was about to end him!¡¯
Kuzan¡¯s eyes flicked between Jin and the prince¡¯s army. Jin had a fighting stance, but half of his consciousness was gone. He was breathing heavily.
Behind Kuzan, Beris was trembling from mana overflow. She didn¡¯t even know the knights were there.
Kuzan gritted his teeth.
¡®I will find you again and kill you!¡¯
The moment Kuzan picked up Beris, the archers fired. At that moment, the knights ran towards Jin and pinned him to the ground.
Jin didn¡¯t even let out a sound as he fell to the ground. All of his senses were shut down, so he didn¡¯t feel any pain.
Laika jumped off his horse and unhooded Jin.
¡®Huh? This boy is¡?!¡¯
Jin Runcandel.
It was a face that he remembered seeing at the previous year¡¯s Runcandel banquet. Laika gasped and checked the young Runcandel¡¯s profile again.
¡°They¡¯re¡ the culprits¡¡±
Jin whispered with his remaining strength.
The prince looked back and saw Kuzan running away with Beris in his arms. Despite the archers¡¯ shower of arrows, the two managed to get far away.
¡°Get them! Healer, aid this man immediately!¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
* * *
Jin jolted awake and sat up to look around him.
¡°Are you awake?¡±
It was Laika.
¡°This is my summer house, Young Master. I chose this ce in consideration of your current situation. And you woke up within three hours.¡±
¡°Three hours?¡±
¡°Please be thankful that you are not dead. ording to the healer, the poison in your blood was difficult for even 8-star warriors to bear. If you weren¡¯t a Runcandel, you would have never woken up again.¡±
Kuzan and Beris.
They were the strongest opponents he had fought thus far. Especially surviving Kuzan¡¯s poison was no different from a miracle.
If Laika had arrivedter, Jin would have been gone for good.
¡°What happened to them?¡±
¡°We lost them. I don¡¯t know how you somehow injured that monster. That man with the injury ran away with the woman in his arms.¡±
From Laika¡¯s knowledge, Jin was a 5-star. On the other hand, Kuzan couldn¡¯t face the knights despite being an 8-star due to his injured state.
¡®Even if the press announces Young Master Jin¡¯s promotion to 6-star, standing on the same level as that man is impossible.¡¯
Which was why he believed another person was behind the Delki serial killings.
¡°Well, I must thank you for your hospitality, Prince Laika.¡±
¡°It is the duty of the knights of Huphester to help a Runcandel in need. Although, you are a provisional g-bearer¡¡±
¡°If you are thinking of reporting this to the main house¡¡±
Jin and Laika¡¯s eyes met.
¡°Ah, we have no intention of that. We might die if we do. It hasn¡¯t been long since you became a provisional g-bearer, but it seems you have a great team behind you.¡±
¡°Pardon?¡±
¡°Right as we brought you here, some crazy warriors began to search the eastern region. They said that you were a provisional g-bearer, so one wrong move and my head would¡¯ve been gone.¡±
Jin said nothing and smiled.
¡®Are my allies in Tikan searching for me? It¡¯s enough to make Prince Laika subservient. I feel sorry for my allies and this prince.¡¯
¡°I apologize, Prince Laika. I have be a hassle.¡±
¡°That is not true, Young Master. With consideration of your situation, I will keep my mouth shut.¡±
The true ruler of the Huphester Alliance was the Runcandels.
Even if Laika was a royal, he couldn¡¯t be above Jin.
¡°Instead, please do me a favor when you be a g-bearer. I can ask for that, right? I have saved your life and treated you with great care.¡±
On that wording, Jin read Laika¡¯s thoughts like a book.
He wasn¡¯t taking advantage of Jin¡¯s weakness, not just because he was scared of the people who searched for Jin.
¡°It seems you want something from me. Please tell me, Prince Laika.¡±
¡°When you be a g-bearer, please station more guardian knights in the Delki Kingdom. I also ask for the return of some of the mined gold that the Runcandels taxed.¡±
Jin smiled.
¡°You treat my life as if it were so cheap. Once I be a g-bearer, I will return all of the kingdom¡¯s gold that the n retains and station twice as many guardian knights. Please give me a pen and paper. I will make sure to write it down.¡±
Prince Laika¡¯s eyes glimmered.
¡°W-Will you really do that for us?¡±
¡°There is nothing I cannot do for the Huphester Alliance.¡±
Jin finished writing the contract and left the summer house, and Laika couldn¡¯t stop celebrating.
¡®What a miracle! Thanks to the serial killer, I was able to build a rtionship with the Runcandels¡¯ brightest star. He even handwrote a contract¡ I¡¯m sure the heavens are taking care of Delki!¡¯
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
¡°Young Master!¡±
¡°Kid!¡±
Gilly and Murakan as well as Jin¡¯s other allies stood up and greeted Jin.
¡°Why must you scare me all the time, Young Master?! It hasn¡¯t even been that long since all that ruckus in the Kollon Ruins. If you had died, then I¡ª ¡I felt like I was burning in hell for hours, waiting for confirmation that you were alive.¡±
¡°You thought of fighting an 8-star knight and magician duo alone? You¡¯ve been getting stronger too quickly, so you have no brain or fear. I heard that you¡¯d have been dead meat had the Prince of Delki note.¡±
¡°Young Master, we were all so worried¡ªyou wouldn¡¯t even know. When Jet arrived alone, Miss Quikantel transformed and went to the Delki Kingdom to search for you.¡±
Hearing that Quikantel made a move, Jin then understood what Laika meant when he said that he¡¯d die with one wrong move.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, everyone. I will not do it again. But if we lose Dan, then I think that we would never find information about Taimyun. Also, escaping with them on our tail seemed impossible.¡±
¡°Oh goodness, oh gracious! Young Master! You have returned!¡±
As he had received multiple beatings from returning without Jin, Jet was thankful that the young master returned in one piece.
¡°Jet, I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t forget about Dan?¡±
¡°Young Master. Even if I, Jet, were to die, I would never forget. I made sure to heed your order and get him to Tikan. He and his daughter are safe! They have been saved with your sacrifice!¡±
¡°Great job!¡±
Jin shouted with his hands on Jet¡¯s shoulders. He went through so much for this, and if Jet had lost Dan, then it would have all been for nothing.
¡°Even though I exined that I was ordered to escape, they beat me to a pulp! Wah!¡±
¡°Yes, yes. You went through a lot. Did Dan Marius say anything while I was gone?¡±
¡°Nothing, Young Master. He said he wouldn¡¯t say anything until you arrived. And I apologize. We didn¡¯t have enough agents to identify that there were twelve Mariuses and put you in danger¡¡±
¡°No need, Sir Kashimir. Please bring Dan.¡±
A whileter, Dan was dragged over and couldn¡¯t meet eyes with the young Runcandel. Everyone aside from Jin red at him.
¡°Alright. We won¡¯t need to talk for long, Dan Marius. I almost lost my life trying to save you and your daughter. Now, it is your turn to return the favor.¡±
¡°A-Are Beris and Kuzan dead?¡±
¡°No, they are not. Who they hell are they? Unlike your other siblings, they were very skilled.¡±
Shivering in fear, Dan took a deep breath and looked into Jin¡¯s eyes.
¡°¡Even after Lunar Sacrifice closed, unlike us, they were trained to be hunting dogs.¡±
¡°And who trained them?¡±
¡°Taimyun Marius¡ A nanny of Runcandel trained them herself.¡±
Gilly covered her mouth in surprise.
There wasn¡¯t any corrtion between Taimyun and Jin¡¯s curse, but the fact that she trained Beris and Kuzan was still shocking.
If Dan¡¯s words were true, then the ones who attacked Jin were Taimyun¡¯s underlings. And they were Runcandel affiliates. Runcandel affiliates attacking a Runcandel was something that should never happen. It was basically a heinous crime.
If the n found out, then Taimyun and everyone somewhat rted would be ughtered¡ªeven servants who worked with Taimyun. Not a single one would be spared.
¡°¡®That person¡¯. Your other brother, Tagan Marius, also talked about them. I presume that person is also Taimyun Marius?¡±
¡°Tagan¡ Did he also die from Beris and Kuzan like the others? It¡¯s been so long since he left the Delki Kingdom, so I haven¡¯t heard from him.¡±
¡°No, I killed Tagan myself.¡±
¡°What¡?¡±
¡°Tagan operated under the name of Alu, and before he died in my hands, he said that ¡®that person¡¯ failed once but will finish me off in the end. And Dan Marius, my name is Jin Runcandel.¡±
¡°¡Huh?¡±
¡°Like you, Tagan was referring to Taimyun. And she was trying to kill a Runcandel.¡±
At that moment Jet¡¯s eyes widened. He just found out that Jin was a Runcandel.
¡®Young Master¡ Y-You were a R-Runcandel?¡¯
He was about to spit out those words, but he kept his mouth shut.
¡°W-Wait. Did Tagan really say that before he died?¡±
¡°Indeed. So I traced back to his origins and found out about the Marius name as well as Lunar Sacrifice. And when I went to look for you guys, everyone was being killed by Beris and Kuzan. Thankfully, I found you before they did.¡±
Jin slowly exined the situation, and Dan took slow deep breaths, trying toprehend the situation.
¡°¡I understand a little better now. Why Beris and Kuzan killed our siblings. About fifteen years ago, Tagan told me something before he left Delki.¡±
Jin¡¯s eyes flickered.
¡°What did he say?¡±
¡°That Miss Taimyun did many deals with a person of high standing in the Runcandel n. He also said that if something goes wrong, then all of the siblings could die. So he told me to be careful. Probably because he cared about me.¡±
¡°Did he specify exactly what kind of deal it was?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t hear anything about that. After Lunar Sacrifice closed, the other siblings and I were basically thrown away. Sometimes, Tagan would take Beris and Kuzan to meet Miss Taimyun, though.¡±
¡°Then, as you said, Tagan and Taimyun were birds of a feather? At least at the time.¡±
¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±
Jin couldn¡¯t get any more information out of Dan after their exchange.
Now, it was time to meet Taimyun Marius.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 129: Taimyun Marius (2)
Chapter 129: Taimyun Marius (2)
Volume 6 Chapter 129 ¨C Taimyun Marius (2)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
In a residence located in the central region of the Huphester Alliance.
¡°¡It¡¯s been four days since you left, and that¡¯s all you tell me? You lost Dan, and your identities were leaked to an unknown magic swordsman?¡±
Beris and Kuzan lowered their heads.
They had just escaped the pursuers from the Delki Kingdom and were about to return. Beris was still suffering from the aftereffects of mana overflow, and Kuzan¡¯s wound didn¡¯tpletely heal.
¡°We have no words, Miss Taimyun.¡±
Krrrrk.
Taimyun ground her teeth as she looked down at them.
A dark shade momentarily covered her face, as if she were thinking about something.
¡°You idiots¡ I don¡¯t even want to see how pathetic you are, so piss off. I will never order you useless shits ever again.¡±
The two kneeling siblings¡¯ eyes widened.
¡°What do you mean by that¡?¡±
¡°Just as I said. You guys made too big of a mistake.¡±
¡°M-Miss Taimyun, are you disposing of us?¡±
¡°Miss Taimyun! We are gravely sorry! Please forgive our mistake!¡±
Kuzan¡¯s voice shook while Beris hunched over and begged while crying, akin to a child begging to a parent.
¡°Forgive? You two are useless hunting dogs that failed their hunt. How dare you request that from me?¡±
¡°Miss Taimyun, Miss Taimyun, Miss Taimyun. I¡¯m really sorry. I won¡¯t make mistakes from now on. Please¡ Please don¡¯t throw us away.¡±
Beris grabbed Taimyun¡¯s dress and continued to wail.
Thump, thud!
Without remorse, Taimyun kicked Beris¡¯s face while Kuzan knelt, shedding tears.
¡°How would we live without you, Miss Taimyun?! We will take any beating and torture as a treat¡ Just please don¡¯t throw us away. Please¡¡±
As if her cruelty and bloodlust from killing the other Lunar Sacrifice survivors were mere hallucinations, Beris constantly rubbed her hands together and begged.
¡°Yeah? If you will take anything as a treat, then die. I will kill you here, right on this spot.¡±
Shing!
Taimyun unsheathed her sword, but Beris didn¡¯t have any intention of dodging. She just had her eyes closed, awaiting her death.
The moment Taimyun swung her sword, Kuzan embraced Beris, urging the nanny to halt her movements.
Taimyun looked down at them with the de on Kuzan¡¯s neck.
¡°¡Miss Taimyun. I mean, Mother¡¡±
Kuzan stood and looked into Taimyun¡¯s eyes.
¡°I¡ I wish you well.¡±
¡°Nevere back to me. Never again.¡±
Kuzan left with Beris in his arms. Their rtionship with Taimyun ended today.
Taimyun clicked her tongue as she watched their backs grow smaller and smaller.
¡®The magic swordsman they saw is definitely Young Master Jin. Most definitely so since he used spiritual energy. And soon, he and Lady Luna wille to me. This would¡¯ve been bad if I didn¡¯t know about Young Master Jin¡¯s powers.¡¯
For a second, Luna¡¯s face popped into her mind.
It was Taimyun¡¯s dream to see Luna powerful and beautiful at the same time.
¡®Lady Luna can¡¯t kill me anyway. And now, I¡¯ve learned something. In addition to Young Master Jin being Solderet¡¯s contractor, he also has magic abilities? This is information even that person doesn¡¯t know¡!¡¯
Taimyun smiled.
The hunting dogs were not as useless as she thought.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
¡°Yeah, yeah. Is there anything bugging you nowadays?¡±
¡°Yes. There¡¯s nothing much to do since Madame Luna offered us so much. All of our people have found jobs, and we are all now living like normal people.¡±
After returning to hernd, Luna was having tea with Tika.
¡°That¡¯s good. ¡Huh?¡±
¡°What¡¯s wrong, Madame Luna?¡±
Luna looked around her. Tika put her teacup down, looking around herself as well.
¡°I can suddenly feel my youngest brother¡¯s energy. What the heck? This is mynd, though. Maybe I have mistaken?¡±
¡°You can feel that?¡±
¡°That kid¡¯s energy is kind of special. Well, there¡¯s also the part where I¡¯m sensitive¡ Uhhh, who is that? So I wasn¡¯t wrong?¡±
Outside the window, Luna saw and pointed at Jin who had a robe on. Despite him having a disguise on, it wasn¡¯t enough for him to just freely show himself in Luna¡¯snd in broad daylight.
Due to that, he couldn¡¯t approach the guards and instead solicited outside the gates.
¡°That fearless idiot. He justes here without regret. What¡¯s going to happen when the other siblings find out? You provisional g-bearer!¡±
Lunained about her brother¡¯s uninvited visit, but her eyes glimmered as she ran down the stairs.
¡°Hey!¡±
Luna jumped over the fence and nted her fist on Jin¡¯s head.
Bam!
¡°You¡¯re crazy, youngest boy. If you keep doing this, you¡¯re gonna get in big trouble.¡±
¡°Erk, Eldest Sister. Your greeting is very violent.¡±
¡°You¡¯re the violent one, you idiot. Because of you, I can¡¯t live up to my honor. Let¡¯s go in first before anyone sees you.¡±
They went to the front door and into Luna¡¯s room.
As soon as the door was locked, Luna grinned and beat the hell out of Jin.
Thunk, wham!
¡°Alright, let¡¯s hear what the little boy came for, shall we? Huh? Or did youe because you wanted to see your sister?¡±
She would be satisfied with either answer. Luna was just in a good mood.
She really wanted to see her youngest brother. Since thest time she saw him was when he flipped the main house inside out, she wanted to know whether he was growing well.
¡®Even if Miss Taimyun is rted to my curse, it isn¡¯t rted to Eldest Sister. She would never want to harm me in any way.¡¯
Jin was embarrassed that he felt the slightest hint of doubt towards a sibling like this.
¡°First, I would like to thank you, Eldest Sister. If it weren¡¯t for you, the Kollon natives wouldn¡¯t have had any other ce to live.¡±
¡°You should¡¯ve sent a letter along with your friends here. I wouldn¡¯t be able to meet them if I had work to do.¡±
Since Taimyun would have seen the letter first, he didn¡¯t send one.
¡°And you¡¯re saying that stuff again? I already told youst time that between us Runcandel siblings, there¡¯s at least one who will give you unrequited love.¡±
¡°Yes, I do remember¡¡±
¡°Hm? You seem a little conflicted. Is there some problem that¡¯s hard to deal with?¡±
Some problem that¡¯s hard to deal with.
Well, she wasn¡¯t wrong.
¡®Eldest Sister probably cares about Nanny Taimyun after me¡ªpossibly more than me. I don¡¯t know how to tell her that Nanny Taimyun tried to harm me.¡¯
He had been conflicted even before his arrival.
Since Taimyun Marius was one of the people his eldest sister loved most, he felt even more ufortable with Luna looking at him happily.
¡°Eldest Sister.¡±
¡°I¡¯m listening, my dear brother.¡±
¡°I sought you because I have something to confirm with Nanny Taimyun.¡±
¡°My nanny? Why her?¡±
¡°Do you remember what I told you when you first came to visit me at the Storm Castle?¡±
¡°That someone tried to assassinate you?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
The joy in Luna¡¯s face disappeared.
¡°Go on.¡±
¡°Recently, there has been friction between those of the Marius name in the Delki Kingdom. We managed to find only one Marius alive and well in the kingdom¡¡±
Jin took a deep breath and continued to ry the story to her.
He started with his conversation with Alu regarding ¡®that person¡¯ after destroying the Tesings, all of the information he got while investigating Alu, up until his confrontation with Kuzan and Beris.
When he finished talking, Luna barely suppressed her shivers and had drips of sweat rolling down her face.
It was the first time in her life where she had such ominous feelings in her chest.
If her youngest brother¡¯s words were true, whether it was rted to the assassination attempt or not, her nanny hadmitted a serious felony. Whatever Taimyun¡¯s rtionship was with those underlings, they attacked a pureblood Runcandel.
¡°¡Hence, I would like to meet your nanny and confirm this information.¡±
¡°My nanny¡ has trained assassin orphans in Delki? Th-There¡¯s no way. I¡¯ve never heard of such a thing. There must be a misunderstanding, Jin.¡±
Jin thought of seeing Taimyun himself as he expected that Luna might react like this. However, if Taimyun really was the culprit behind the curse or an aplice of the crimes, she couldn¡¯t stay alive.
Additionally, even if she was the culprit, not allowing her to talk to Luna was a cruel oue.
¡®But Eldest Sister Luna didn¡¯t even know about her troops. Taimyun Marius¡ Just who the hell is she? What does she want?¡¯
Shudder.
Luna put her hand on Jin¡¯s shoulder, and he could feel that she was trembling like a tree branch in the wind.
¡°My nanny is¡ on vacation. She said she had business in central Huphester. We should wait until¡ No, no. We must go to her now.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, Eldest Sister.¡±
¡°What are you sorry about? Nanny Taimyun is definitely not rted to this. That all had to be the assassins¡¯ own will. Well, if there was a connection between them, then my nanny must have¡ some reason.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t answer and just held onto his sister¡¯s hand.
¡®Looking back, she went to the Delki Kingdom very often. She went on vacation a lot, and I heard that she donated money to an orphanage every time she got paid.¡¯
Back then, it wasn¡¯t treated with any importance. When she was in her 20s, Luna had followed her nanny to volunteer at various orphanages, but they were all normal orphanages, not Lunar Sacrifice.
¡ªNanny, I know this is a good deed, but why do you help out these orphans this much?
¡ªI was also an orphan. Oh, I must have not told you. Haha, if your adolescence was a little less grand, I would¡¯ve had the opportunity to tell you. You should¡¯ve drank with me at some point back then.
¡ªOh, uh¡ Sorry. I didn¡¯t know. I was too mean.
¡ªWhat do you mean by sorry, My Lady? The other nannies of Runcandel could only dream of bing your guardian. You gave me more than enough time for myself, so doing volunteer work became possible.
¡ªUh, hm. Do you need more days off?
¡ªIn that case, can I have one more?
Recalling one of their conversations from the past, Luna shook her head.
¡®I¡ Looking back, I don¡¯t know much about my nanny. I learned that she was an orphan in my 20s, and I thought she was just doing volunteer work during her breaks.¡¯
Taimyun¡¯s favorite food, favorite alcohol, favorite book, favorite clothes¡
While failing to know these petty facts, Luna couldn¡¯t imagine her nanny ordering 8-star assassins around.
She indeed loved Taimyun, but she didn¡¯t have much curiosity about her.
From the 1st year until the 35th, they had been together for so many hours. Taimyun was her confidant.
¡°Let¡¯s go, Jin. If your words are true, then my nanny¡ With my own hands, I¡¯ll¡ No, wait. Wait, Jin¡ Let¡¯s go a littleter.¡±
Luna sat and hugged her legs.
Jin couldn¡¯t say anything, so he just patted his sister¡¯s back in sympathy.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 130: Taimyun Marius (3)
Chapter 130: Taimyun Marius (3)
Volume 6 Chapter 130 ¨C Taimyun Marius (3)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡°Alright, so Taimyun got rid of those two.¡±
¡°Yes, My Lord. I confirmed it myself. What should I do?¡±
¡°Take care of them.¡±
* * *
Taimyun still remained in her summer house in the central region of Huphester. She dismissed all of the servants taking care of the summer house, leaving her alone in the massive mansion.
On the table in front of her was the red tea that Luna regrly enjoyed. Taimyun held the teacup with delicate hands as her mind wandered into deep thought.
¡®Beris and Kuzan¡ They won¡¯t stay alive for long. Since their identities were made known to Young Master Jin.¡¯
The best hunting dogs that she trained in Lunar Sacrifice.
An 8-star magician and an 8-star knight. It was a great, painstaking loss, but Taimyun decided she could just train new dogs for herself.
¡®All I need is time. With indoctrination and training, I can make hunting dogs whenever I want. Those kids will be dealt with by the assassination team. For now, I need to figure out how Young Master Jin is uncovering facts about me.¡¯
From investigating the Marius name to meeting Beris and Kuzan.
Taimyun couldn¡¯t deduce what happened between those two events.
Fifteen years ago, she received an order from ¡®that person¡¯ and cursed Jin when he was only one year old.
For some reason, the curse failed. However, she still thought her tail was safe. She was certain that there wasn¡¯t a single witness or evidence left behind on the crime scene.
¡®Did the curse caster¡¯s information get revealed? Either way, I¡¯ll find out when I meet Lady Luna and Young Master Jin. The weak-hearted Luna cannot kill me.¡¯
Thinking about the absolute postte, Taimyun lifted her teacup.
Clink¡!
As soon as she began to organize her thoughts, the house¡¯s doors opened.
And approaching her were the said two Runcandels.
¡°Wee, Mdy. Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°Nanny.¡±
Tap, tap, tap¡
The two slowly walked towards Taimyun.
¡®It¡¯s as if she knew we wereing. She probably has something up her sleeve.¡¯
Jin felt a little uneasy.
Taimyun stared directly at Luna. On the other hand, Luna looked elsewhere, trying to hide her reddened eyes.
Then, she looked into her nanny¡¯s eyes.
¡°I will just ask this directly. Do you know Beris Marius and Kuzan Marius?¡±
¡°I do, Mdy.¡±
¡°What is the reason for keeping underlings behind my back? And why did your underlings sh with the youngest? Before Tagan Marius died to Jin, he said some weird things. What the hell is going on¡?¡±
Luna reminded herself multiple times to ask calmly.
However, her shocked voice shook.
¡°¡What weird words did he leave behind? My underlings shing with Young Master Jin was not on my orders. Mdy, did youe here thinking that I intended to kill Young Master Jin in the first ce?¡±
¡°Even if you didn¡¯t order them, your underlings attacked a pureblood Runcandel¡ªthe youngest son! And what is with your attitude towards me?¡±
¡°If you will punish me for that crime, I will take it sweetly, Mdy. I was very concerned after hearing the news from Kuzan and Beris, so I had been awaiting your arrival.¡±
¡°Answer this first. Why the hell were you raising assassins behind my back?¡±
¡°Please forward me to the n¡¯s court. Then I will testify in depth.¡±
Jin shook his head.
¡°Hold on, Taimyun. I know that you have something up your sleeve, but I can¡¯t let you act so disrespectfully towards my sister. And you said you had nothing to do with the incident? You started killing the Lunar Sacrifice survivors as soon as I began to investigate the Marius name.¡±
¡°There seems to be a misunderstanding, Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°Yeah? I wish there were. With consideration of my sister, I hope you¡¯re not rted to ded Illusion. Before Tagan Marius died, he gave away a lot of clues, you know? The same with Dan Marius, who survived.¡±
He mentioned the curse¡¯s name, ded Illusion, on purpose. It was a name that Luna, Gilly, Murakan¡ªeveryone and their mother¡ªknew about.
Taimyun paused before looking at Jin.
¡°Why? Do you think it¡¯s weird that I have memories of my first year of life? I am a contractor. I don¡¯t remember it, but my god seemed to remember what happened at the cradle in the Storm Castle.¡±
It was a lie. Jin hadn¡¯t heard Solderet¡¯s voice ever since he regressed.
However, Taimyun couldn¡¯t think of it as a lie.
¡®So that¡¯s why¡ Young Master Jin was already chosen by Solderet by then. A magician didn¡¯t reveal the information. The god told him himself. Then, after he met Lady Luna at the Storm Castle, he began to search for the culprit.
¡®Young Master Jin¡¯s presence is not a coincidence. Searching for Tagan Marius in Akin¡ He put me as a suspect from the beginning.¡¯
Confirming Jin¡¯s current knowledge, Taimyun suppressed herughter.
Coming all the way here was impressive, but Jin had no tangible ¡®convincing evidence¡¯.
¡®Tagan and Dan do not know any specifics about the curse. Jin is telling a shallow lie. As of now, he can¡¯t do anything to me.¡¯
On the other hand, Jin had many weaknesses: using magic and being Solderet¡¯s contractor as well as breaking many rules as a provisional g-bearer.
Taimyun knew all of that.
¡°I see, Young Master Jin. Being a contractor is an amazing thing. Even as a Runcandel¡ But why does that rte to me? Are you perhaps saying that I cast the curse upon you? That¡¯s the first time I heard that today.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t know. We¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡±
¡°I will testify truthfully at the n court.¡±
While Luna remained speechless, Jin stepped forward.
¡°n court? It seems you are mistaken, Taimyun. Seeing that you¡¯re constantly referring to the n court, it seems you have a lot of underlings in the main house as well. You will be investigated under my private order.¡±
Taimyun furrowed her eyebrows.
¡°Does the young master truly have that power as a provisional g-bearer? Mdy, this is beyond his jurisdiction. If you are going to punish me, thedy should execute such an action. When the hearing begins, I will also mention the Young Master¡¯s meeting with¡ª¡±
¡°Nanny.¡±
Luna bit her lips and red at Taimyun.
¡°Yes, Mdy?¡±
¡°I¡ don¡¯t know who you are anymore. And your behavior right now¡ I don¡¯t understand it at all.¡±
¡°I, too, can¡¯t understand you, Mdy. It is true that my underlings coincidentally encountered Young Master Jin, but how could you doubt me, the one who has served you for all your life?¡±
¡°Since you raised and trained those assassins¡¡±
¡°I apologize for hiding that fact from you, Mdy. However, raising them was to defend myself.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Do you know how many enemies you have in the n, Mdy? Because of that, I was threatened with death every day. I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t know.¡±
¡°What the hell do you mean? How dare they, in the Runcandel n, when the first g-bearer has her eyes wide open? How dare they try to kill you?¡±
¡°¡You really don¡¯t know anything, Mdy.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t y with me, and tell me truthfully. My heart is about to break.¡±
¡°Mdy, please look back at our past. The servants outside your room had always changed every year. Aside from me, everyone who took care of you changed annually.¡±
It was true.
Servants serving pureblood Runcandels were often changed. Normally, a butler would either be promoted to a guard or be transferred to another job.
However, in Luna¡¯s case, her servants changed more frequently.
¡°Why would that be?¡±
¡°Th-That would be¡¡±
¡°Did you ever show any interest in them, Mdy? Probably thinking that they just get reced anyway, you never asked me about it. All the way until you were all grown up.¡±
¡°What are you trying to say¡?¡±
Luna shook her head in confusion. Jin held her quivering hand quietly.
He knew what Taimyun was going to say.
¡°They were all killed, Mdy. By your siblings. While you gave them no attention! That was why they changed so often.¡±
Luna¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°Mdy, you were blessed with the most omnipotent power, yet you lived so carelessly. You failed to realize what the people under you were going through. Everyone around you, even just from being next to you, bore the threat of death.¡±
¡°Why¡ Why didn¡¯t you tell me this before?¡±
¡°Because you would be sad and depressed. Your siblings harmed the people around you instead of harming you directly. After all, wouldn¡¯t it be impossible for them toy a single finger on you?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t say shit that doesn¡¯t make any sense. If you told me ahead of time, would I just do nothing? Do you know nothing of me? Even if I knew these things, you think I would do nothing?¡±
¡°¡I didn¡¯t tell you because I knew you the best out of everyone else.¡±
¡°Bullshit!¡±
The house shook as Luna shouted. The teacup in front of Taimyun ttered on the table, its contents forming a whirlpool.
¡°Mdy, would you¡ be able to sh your siblings who killed your servants? Knowing that you had the power to easily kill or dominate your siblings to take the throne¡ªyet was too scared to do so¡ªwould you?¡±
Luna stopped in her tracks.
¡°Please answer me, Mdy. How would you have your revenge? Would you kill your siblings for the sake of your people? Wouldn¡¯t you just throw a tantrum in pain and agony?¡±
¡°I¡¡±
¡°Maybe your heart would¡¯ve broken. Oh, how delicate your heart is. I would know best. Would you be able to take the grief of the dying servants from me?¡±
Taimyun held her ttering teacup and made a bitter smile.
¡°Fighting for the Runcandel throne is a disgusting war. And the moment you stepped out of it, all of your people were targeted as prey. Mdy, you shouldn¡¯t have given up the throne.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 131: Taimyun Marius (4)
Chapter 131: Taimyun Marius (4)
Volume 6 Chapter 131 ¨C Taimyun Marius (4)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Thirty-five years ago.
The day she became a nanny of Runcandel, Taimyun felt ¡®true power¡¯ for the first time.
The powerful people of the Delki Kingdom¡ªwho treated her and her siblings like dogs or lower entities¡ªworshiped her. Taimyun felt like throwing up at the amusing sight.
She experienced apletely different life than back at Lunar Sacrifice, where she had lived below livable conditions.
¡®Life¡¯s nice. I had to live a horrible life as a child, but as soon as I started flying, I found myself taking care of the Runcandel n¡¯s firstborn.¡¯
Taimyun thought as she looked at Luna, who had just been born.
It was neither with envy or jealousy. Her world was now too great, and she was thankful that she became Luna¡¯s nanny.
Above all, she was surprised that a child could be so warm and caring.
When she embraced the children at Lunar Sacrifice, they were all cold and hard corpses.
Contrariwise, Luna¡¯s inconceivable warmth stole her heart. She couldn¡¯t believe how fast she was swayed by it.
And soon, Taimyun poured all of her genuine love to Luna.
¡®Well¡ She¡¯s kinda cute.¡¯
One year old, two years old, three years old¡ five.
Taimyun was very proud as she watched Luna grow every day.
However, another pureblood Runcandel was born each year.
Luna¡¯s contenders.
Cyron and Rosa hoped for them topete against one another.
That made Taimyun desperate.
¡®There won¡¯t be any problems. As the patriarch said that Lady Luna was the only one who fully inherited his power, Mdy will ultimately be the one seeding him.¡¯
As Taimyun hoped, Luna gained attention even before she left for the Storm Castle and entered training when she returned to the main house. All of the expectations and anticipation went to her.
¡ªToday, I fought with the entirety of the beginner ss and won, Nanny. Luntia and Joshua don¡¯t stand a chance against me even if they attack together.
¡ªCongrattions, Mdy. Do you have to keep¡ª
¡ªBut I don¡¯t feel good. I just like the sword. No, thepetition. When they fight me, they all get depressed, so I feel like intentionally losing to them.
At the time, Taimyun thought those words were due to a child¡¯s pure-heartedness. Although it would be a crime in Runcandel, she wanted to take Luna away from the cruel training methods of the Runcandels. However, she didn¡¯t want to educate her like the children of Lunar Sacrifice either.
Yet Taimyun confirmed Luna¡¯s personality when she turned 13.
¡ªDon¡¯t even dare to get in my sight, Joshua. It won¡¯t end here next time.
¡ªLuntia, don¡¯t sit at the same table as me. Before I kill you.
¡ªYou¡¯re attacking with that skill? You won¡¯t even scratch my shadow.
Her warmth disappeared, and she began to dominate the Runcandel n.
Still, that was merely her adolescence showing.
Tired of the provocations of the n, Luna fell into a dark time of adolescence. Yet Cyron, Rosa, and Taimyun all thought that it was her real self and felt satisfied.
Taimyun especially pushed Luna to be the ruler of Runcandel and wanted to erase all of her caring memories. Seeing the possibility of her being the nanny of the future matriarch, Taimyun wanted to wield that power to have vengeance on the world.
Taimyun never forgot the abuse that she went through for over twenty years while in the Delki Kingdom.
¡®When thedy bes the matriarch, I will erase the Delki royalty off the face of the¡¡¯
If Luna grew at that rate, it was easily possible.
¡ªShe destroyed the high-ranked Zipfel magicians in Bayles this time? Congrattions, Mdy! After bing a g-bearer, it¡¯s your 37th consecutive sessful mission. You have created quite the gap between you and your siblings. The patriarch is very pleased.
¡ªNanny, it might seem weird, but¡ I¡¯m very tired. I¡ I-I just want to be left alone. Away from my father, mother, and siblings.
¡ªPardon? What do you mean? Mdy, is there something wrong?
¡ªYou¡¯re on my side, right? Whatever path I choose, whatever position I am in.
¡ªOf course, I will always be on your¡ª
¡ªI¡¯m not going to be the ruler of this stupid n.
At the age of 19, her adolescence ended.
And not once did Taimyun see Luna go back on her word.
¡ªAre you serious, Mdy? Please think this through. Mdy, you have the greatest talent after the patriarch. Are you going to let that go to waste? If it isn¡¯t you, who else would lead the n?
¡ªOne of the other siblings will take my ce. I think Dipus and Mary are nice. Father, Mother, and the elders will get upset. I just need you to be on my side. Oh, but my siblings will love it.
¡ªMdy.
¡ªAnd I don¡¯t n on wasting my talent. I will get stronger. While my siblings fight and bleed, I will be the strongest de that guards the n, and show them that I am on a different level.
¡ªAh¡
¡ªMore than that, I need to feel better. Wanna go see my youngest brother? Strangely, I just feel better whenever I go see him. Maybe because he¡¯s a baby?
¡ªH-Haha. Even if we go, we can only watch him sleep from afar. Do you really like him?
¡ªYes. I feelforted. I¡¯m a little sensitive, you know. I can feel the sound of someone sleeping traveling through the air. Oh, and it would be nice if I could hold him.
That day, Luna had a new dream, and Taimyun¡¯s dream had been shattered.
Luna immediately gave up her chance for the throne. And as she traveled and devastated the world, she earned the name ¡®White Whale¡¯.
The legendary creature in myths.
¡®In that case, am I the angler that lurks near the grand whale?¡¯
Dejection, disappointment.
She felt that she should feel such emotions towards thedy. Taimyun spent her days in an internal conflict.
Concurrently, after realizing Luna¡¯s resignation, the siblings began their ¡®hunt¡¯.
There was no clear indication as to what impelled them to do so. It was possible that they were either driven by their zealous hate towards Luna¡ªthe wall they couldn¡¯t ovee¡ªor simply taking advantage of the fact that she would never kill them.
Or maybe because the Runcandel rank wars were just like that.
They struck, pushed, and killed the eldest¡¯s servants. The siblings¡¯ will on the people was worse than Taimyun¡¯s experience with the Lunar Sacrifice night fights.
¡®Let¡¯s not tell Mdy. She will not be able to bear it. I am her nanny¡
¡®How in the world does she not know this is going on? Is she just ignoring it?
¡®Had she not forfeited the throne, would this have happened?¡¯
To survive, Taimyun raised hunting dogs. In her mind, there wasn¡¯t enough room to think about her revenge against the Delki royalty. The situation was too crazy.
¡®Should I tell her now? These hunting dogs are too slow. At this rate, I won¡¯t survive. Lady Luna will not take my death well.¡¯
As expected, it didn¡¯t take long before Taimyun got captured.
While Luna left the main house to train, the guardian knights of Runcandel dragged Taimyun into the underground prison and held her there.
¡ªTaimyun Marius, the greatest assassin and chief of Lunar Sacrifice. How would you like to share that skill with me? I will give you anything you want.
¡ªI have no thoughts of betraying Mdy. Please kill me instead.
¡ªSaying such heartless words while suppressing a smile. I can see anger and happiness within you.
At that ce, Taimyun could hear the voice of rescue.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
Commemorating that time, Taimyun¡¯s eyes narrowed.
¡®Even so, I still love you, Mdy. Even though I hurt you, you were able to stay alive and well because I stood with you that day.¡¯
Phew.
She exhaled deeply and stood to walk as she spoke.
¡°¡I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a shock. Before I die¡ Even after I die, I wish you would never find out any more of such horrifying truths.¡±
¡°Nanny¡¡±
¡°And whatever the reason, it is true that I have been raising underlings behind your back and that some of them shed with Young Master Jin. Even if it weren¡¯t on my orders, my servants attacking a pureblood Runcandel is the worst crime of them all.¡±
¡°Nanny.¡±
¡°I have no thoughts of not paying the price. Hence, I already reported my crime to the main house.¡±
Clunk, clunk, clunk¡
A group of footsteps echoed behind the doors.
Enforcement Knights. The ones who punished those who broke thews of the Runcandel n. They came after receiving the report from Taimyun.
¡®She nned it out before Eldest Sister and I came. She¡¯s saying some bullshit, but she¡¯s certain that she¡¯ll survive the trial. If we had arrived a littleter, then we would¡¯ve had no chance to question her.¡¯
While Jin calcted how to react, Luna struggled to even stand with her shaking legs.
Taimyun stopped in front of Luna before speaking.
¡°If possible, instead of them, I would like you to take me to the main house, Mdy. Even if I die, I would like it to be in your hands.¡±
¡°Nanny, don¡¯t leave. Don¡¯t leave me. Let¡¯s talk a little more, yeah?¡±
¡°I have alreadymitted a crime. If I retaliate against my self-report, then I would bemitting another unwashable crime.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t leave. Please. Just stop. I¡¯ll turn them away.¡±
¡°I must leave, Mdy.¡±
Taimyun then continued walking and passed by Luna. Luna didn¡¯t turn to look at her and held in her tears.
Jin ced his hand on Taimyun¡¯s shoulder.
¡°Taimyun Marius.¡±
¡°Yes, Young Master?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know who is supporting you from behind, but there aren¡¯t many who will spare you in the n court.¡±
¡°It seems you still suspect me.¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s no longer a mere spection. It¡¯s already confirmed. Seeing your actions, you are deeply rted to that cursing attempt.¡±
¡°Whatever the Young Master thinks, that is something the n has to decide¡¡±
¡°I¡¯ll give you some words of wisdom. You think your higher-up will save you after you exposed so much to me and my sister? If you follow them, you¡¯ll die. No matter what.¡±
¡°You speak odd words. Excluding Lady Luna, there is no one behind me. Death or torture¡ªdo you think I am scared of such things?¡±
¡°Yeah, you do look like it. You talk too much for someone who¡¯s ¡®prepared to die¡¯.¡±
Taimyun simply stared at Jin for two seconds before shaking her head.
¡°I will not say anything that will harm you while in court, Young Master Jin. I think that would be best for Mdy.¡±
Clunk, creaaaaak.
The house¡¯s doors opened, and five enforcement knights emerged. At the same time, Jin activated Myulta¡¯s Rune and covered his face.
While they approached Taimyun. Jin and Taimyun fell into thought.
¡®If Taimyun dies, investigating my curse will get harder. Before she gets to the main house, I need to convince my sister to get Taimyun back, even if it requires attacking the knights.¡¯
¡®Fufu, such a witty one. Yes, they can throw me out. However, even if they do, I¡¯ll be saved by the fact that the young master can wield magic and hasmunicated with Solderet.¡¯
Taimyun gave her hands to the enforcement knights to show that she submitted to their capture.
And Jin didn¡¯t miss the knight on his left revealing a dagger hidden in his gauntlet.
They never came to escort Taimyun to the main house.
¡®They were going to kill her without taking her to trial! No, they weren¡¯t enforcement knights in the first ce, but disguised assassins!¡¯
They came to get rid of her.
¡°Eldest Sister!¡±
The moment Jin bolted like a bullet and shouted, the assassins went for Taimyun¡¯s throat.
He also whipped out his dagger, aiming to deflect the assassins¡¯ dagger with his throwing dagger.
However¡ª
ng!
Moving at the speed of light, Luna was already beheading the other assassins who barely started unsheathing their swords.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 132: Taimyun Marius (5)
Chapter 132: Taimyun Marius (5)
Volume 6 Chapter 132 ¨C Taimyun Marius (5)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Although Taimyun had the skills of at least a 7-star as a nanny of Runcandel, she couldn¡¯t react to the ambush from the knights¡ªwhom she thought were her allies¡ªwhile she was in an unprepared position.
Stab!
Jin¡¯s throwing dagger pierced an assassin¡¯s shoulder. The killer couldn¡¯t swing their weapon properly, allowing Taimyun to evade a fatal wound even though she reacted a littlete.
Sssk.
The edge of the dagger skimmed her shoulder. Still, she couldn¡¯t ept the situation. Her eyes widened.
¡®That was dangerous. If I were a littlete, Taimyun would¡¯ve died.¡¯
Jin saved her not because he liked her.
There was a mountain of information they needed out of her.
He couldn¡¯t leave the culprit of his curse to die after having no clues despite fifteen years of searching. Furthermore, the person punishing her should be him, and no one else.
Finding Taimyun and the Runcandel sibling behind her, he was close to solving the mystery of his past life. Jin alleviated his anger and gritted his teeth.
¡°How dare you¡ in mynd!¡±
Luna swung Crantel, and two assassins lost their heads.
If they were real enforcement knights, then they would¡¯ve at least resisted the attack. At that moment, Luna knew that they were fake. She stared at the rest of the assassins.
Before the disconnected heads could hit the ground, Jin instantly closed the gap between him and Taimyun.
¡°Who sent them?! Who soiled the Runcandel name?!¡±
Luna¡¯s angry voice echoed throughout. The other assassins lost their bnce and stumbled backwards.
Not because they were scared of Luna¡¯s immense power. It was an instinctive reaction due to her iprehensible power.
If they stumbled due to the energy in her voice, then the assassins were lower than 6-star. And there were only five of them, so the moment they fail their assassination on the first strike, they would lose their only opportunity.
However, they weren¡¯t knights, but well-trained assassins.
Two of their allies died in a sh, but without changing their expression, they continued to target Taimyun.
¡°Jin!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡±
Jin swung Bradamante towards the assassin who first tried to kill Taimyun. Grabbing and throwing Taimyun backwards, the assassin tried to deflect the swing with their dagger.
sh!
Jin cut off the assassin¡¯s arm, pinned him to the ground, and cut open the airways.
While blood sttered everywhere, Jin felt like the assassins came knowing that they¡¯d die. As he expected, they came to self-destruct alongside Taimyun in the first ce.
¡°I was right, Taimyun Marius. Your higher-up has no intention of saving you.¡±
Jin calmly spoke as he shook the blood off his de. Luna broke the limbs of the remaining assassins and sessfully pinned them down.
They needed to ask some questions, so they didn¡¯t kill them offpletely.
Crrrrk!
Luna crumpled the helmets on their heads. The thick steel helmet that was worn to emte a real enforcement knight crumpled like paper in Luna¡¯s hands.
¡°If you answer truthfully, I will save those unrted to¡ª¡±
Luna stopped abruptly after noticing the assassins¡¯ faces. Jin came over to see what she saw and gulped.
Their hideous faces looked like worn and torn clothes sewn together. From their forehead to their chin, there were many wounds and cuts. Their ears cut off as well.
Seeing the wounds still open and the swelling still prominent, this definitely happened recently. In case their identities got revealed, they ruined their faces on purpose.
On top of that, they weren¡¯t even breathing. Their eyes rolled back and blood foamed in their mouth.
¡°What is this¡?!¡±
¡°Wait, Eldest Sister.¡±
Jin shoved his fingers into the dead assassins. He couldn¡¯t feel their tongue but felt many small grains near their mrs.
¡°They had poison between their teeth. They must¡¯ve bitten down on it before they got pinned down.¡±
¡°Damn it, so dirty.¡±
Disturbed, Luna gripped her forehead. Her mind was already all messed up before the assassins came, but after the situation unfolded, she could only be certain.
That her own nanny was trying to harm Jin and that one of their siblings was supporting Taimyun from behind.
And that the very same sibling tried to get rid of Taimyun to erase all evidence.
Along with anger, disappointment erupted within Luna.
¡°How¡ could you do this to me? How?! Who ordered you? When I asked you to investigate who tried to harm Jin, you acted like you knew nothing¡¡±
Luna couldn¡¯t look at Taimyun.
She couldn¡¯t deal with her confused feelings. Only a few hours ago, Taimyun was Luna¡¯s most trusted person.
Even until the end, she wanted to believe that it was all a misunderstanding.
Killing Taimyun¡ªwho was no different than her own mother¡ªwas harder than killing her own siblings.
¡®It must be devastating. Just as Gilly is to me, to Eldest Sister Luna, Taimyun is a more motherly figure than our birth mother.¡¯
Jin felt a little ufortable. However, he knew that he would face this pitiful moment when he suspected Taimyun in the first ce.
If he was going to forget about the curse since this life was nice, he would¡¯ve nevere to Luna.
¡®ded Illusion. Because of that curse, I spent 25 painful years in the n and then just got kicked out. Taimyun Marius, you will tell me everything regarding this.¡¯
Jin slowly walked towards Taimyun. While his confident footsteps echoed throughout the chamber, Luna closed her eyes.
¡°Youngest Brother.¡±
¡°Yes, Sister?¡±
¡°Now, I must also strengthen my mind. I will take full responsibility for Taimyun Marius¡¯s intentions to harm you, and before all of her truths are uncovered, I will not impede you.¡±
As if she were crying blood, Luna spoke in a low tone.
¡°There is nothing you need to take responsibility for.¡±
¡®In fact, as the person who put this upon you, I should be the one consoling you. Though, no amount of support would alleviate the pain of betrayal and misery.¡¯
Jin swallowed these words and red at Taimyun on the wall.
¡°Fu, fufu¡ I didn¡¯t think it would turn out this way, Young Master Jin.¡±
She spoke with a shaky voice.
However, it wasn¡¯t from fear or confusion. Because she was out of energy, her voice came out thin and her breathing was heavy. It was as if she were dying.
¡®No way¡!¡¯
Jin leaned over her and checked her face. She was covered in cold sweat, and red blood flowed from her half-open mouth.
¡°Did you also have poison hidden in your mouth? Taimyun Marius, you¡¯re showing this shameful sight to my sister?¡±
¡°No¡ Young Master¡ªKurgh! Well, this would indeed be a shameful moment¡¡±
Jerk!
Shaking her head, Taimyun suddenly threw up blood and quivered.
Feeling that something was off, Luna came over and covered her mouth. Jin found a dark stain over Taimyun¡¯s shoulder.
The spot where the gauntleted man reached her with a dagger. It was just a slight skim from the de.
However, the de was covered in poison.
The strongest poison of them all.
It was one of Kuzan Marius¡¯s poisons. Stronger than the one he used against Jin.
¡°Urgh, it seems I got pretty old. I know it was an ambush, but I couldn¡¯t dodge that¡¡±
¡°Stop talking, Taimyun. The poison will spread. I¡¯ll get a healer.¡±
¡°There¡¯s¡ no need, Young Master.¡±
¡°Nanny! Just wait a little, this is mynd. I-I¡¯ll go get a healer.¡±
Yet Luna¡ªwho was screaming at that point¡ªinherently knew. The poison affecting Taimyun wasn¡¯t something that could be dealt with by a healer.
¡°Mdy¡ªCough!¡±
¡°Nanny¡ Nanny! This can¡¯t be ourst moment. Please don¡¯t do this. Please¡¡±
¡°I know this poison well, Mdy¡ Kuzan¡ That child¡¯s¡ proudest creation.¡±
Gag, jerk¡
Taimyun constantly vomited dark globs of blood.
Not only that, but the affected area also began to erupt with blood. The poison could no longer be suppressed and began to wreak havoc.
The moment the dagger skimmed her, Taimyun epted that her life was over.
She knew that even with just a light scratch, she wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid death if she didn¡¯t possess a blessed body like that of the Runcandels.
¡®I guess this is karma.¡¯
Her eyes slowly closed. The dark smell of death right at her nose.
A human knee-deep in crimes always feared death.
¡®I don¡¯t want to die. If I can, I want to ask Mdy and Young Master Jin for forgiveness and live. I want to be with Lady Luna.¡¯
She had these selfish thoughts sh through her mind. She wanted to beg and pray to get a hold of Numerous¡¯s Tears, which could save those who died.
And Luna wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore the request.
Within this moment, Taimyun grinned.
¡®I shouldn¡¯t make a horrible and dirtysting impression on Mdy. To my lovely Luna¡¡¯
Although Taimyun tricked her, tried to kill Jin without her knowing, andmitted crimes with her siblings, Taimyun¡¯s love for her was genuine¡ªalbeit a little twisted.
¡°Mdy¡ and Young Master Jin. Please listen to me carefully.¡±
¡°Nanny, why are you talking as if you¡¯re going to speak your final words? Are you really going to do this to me¡?¡±
From Luna¡¯s eyes, warm tears dropped onto Taimyun¡¯s forehead.
¡°I couldn¡¯t even properly apologize for lying to you. Though my sins will not be washed away, I confess¡¡±
¡°Please, stop, Nanny. Blood¡ªYou¡¯ll bleed more.¡±
¡°¡Fifteen years ago, the magician who cursed the young master¡ was Kidard Hall.¡±
Every syble she spoke, her voice faded more and more. It seemed the poison got all the way to her tongue.
¡°The one¡ who ordered me¡ to harm the young master. Is. Jo¡shua. Young Master Joshua.¡±
Shhk, shhk.
Her breaths sounded no different from steel being scraped. Her eyes slowly faded to ck from the poison.
¡°And¡ he¡ knows. Your power¡ your contract.¡±
¡°Nanny, ah¡ No¡¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 133: Those with Poison (1)
Chapter 133: Those with Poison (1)
Volume 6 Chapter 133 ¨C Those with Poison (1)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
At the Huphester Alliance, Joshua¡¯s secret residence.
With his back to ten ck-robed knights, Joshua looked at two kneeling people.
Kuzan Marius and Beris Marius.
Still with reddened, wet eyes, they were waiting for Joshua¡¯s reply.
¡°Alright¡ so Taimyun dismissed you guys.¡±
¡°Yes¡¡±
¡°Sir Joshua, we will do anything. Please help us. Please make her change her mind. We are nothing without our mother¡¡±
Beris kneeled and begged, slowly inching towards Joshua. The guardian knights pushed her down and stepped on her shoulders.
¡°Do not approach him without permission.¡±
Beris muttered apologies while wailing, and Kuzan sighed in misery.
¡°Beris, even our mother hasn¡¯t made such a sight in front of Sir Joshua. Remember that she may not be too happy about this. Stop crying and think straight.¡±
Kuzan¡¯s sharp voice brought Beris¡¯s muttering to a halt.
As the guardian knights tried to violently grab and throw Beris back to her spot, Joshua gently raised his hand to stop them.
¡°Stop. That¡¯s enough. Please be a little more understanding. Right now, my knights are quite sensitive.¡±
Beris sobbed.
¡°¡Thank you. Thank you, Sir Joshua.¡±
Joshua made a bitter smile and looked into their eyes.
¡®They¡¯re stuck to their mother even though they aren¡¯t blood rted. They wouldn¡¯t know that they were only hunting dogs for the now-dead Taimyun. Seeing it myself, it¡¯s scoffable.¡¯
However, Joshua wanted these scoffable fellows for himself for a long time.
Taimyun had treated them like underlings, but Joshua really valued their ¡®loyalty¡¯.
¡®A skilled dog is easy to get. However, there aren¡¯t many dogs that would set themselves on fire when ordered to.¡¯
Joshua saw Beris and Kuzan exactly like that. Dogs with skill that would even go through a painful suicide from their master¡¯s orders.
Unfortunately, the problem was that their loyalty was towards Taimyun. Taimyun was Joshua¡¯s subordinate, but Kuzan and Beris weren¡¯t.
They only worked for Taimyun. Even when they were helping Joshua, they didn¡¯t budge if it wasn¡¯t on Taimyun¡¯s orders.
¡®That would be the same for Taimyun. If I told her to attack Luna and not the youngest, then she would¡¯ve betrayed me.¡¯
Taimyun¡¯s heart was with Luna, and Kuzan¡¯s and Beris¡¯s heart were with Taimyun.
Joshua never really liked that from the very beginning. Especially Taimyun, who didn¡¯t offer her full loyalty despite knowing his secrets, so he had to get rid of her at some point.
And the opportunity presented itself.
The opportunity to turn the nice hunting dogs into his own henchmen after getting rid of Taimyun.
¡°Kuzan, Beris.¡±
¡°Yes, Sir Joshua?¡±
¡°Unfortunately, I cannot fulfill your request.¡±
¡°Ah¡¡±
¡°And seeing as you havee like this, it seems you haven¡¯t heard. Taimyun frantically dismissed you, yes?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. Until now, we¡¯ve never failed her missions, but who knew she¡¯d fire us after one failure.¡±
¡°It isn¡¯t that.¡±
¡°Pardon?¡±
¡°¡I can see how much your mother cared for you. She never cut ties because she was disappointed.¡±
¡°P-Please tell us more.¡±
Kuzan¡¯s voice shook while Beris¡¯s quaked, as if she were someone having a seizure. She held onto Joshua¡¯s ankle.
¡°Then¡ Then why did our mother¡?¡±
Joshua shook his head and continued.
¡°¡She was killed. By the unknown swordsman you fought. To be exact, his guardian ck dragon took her life.¡±
¡°Ah¡ A-Aaah¡ There¡¯s no way¡ Our mother¡ªNo¡¡±
¡°Taimyun desperately requested help, so I sent five of my enforcement knights. They all died while fighting the ck dragon, and the other dispatched knights were wiped.¡±
Beris fell to the ground like a corpse, and Kuzan cried thick bloody tears.
They couldn¡¯t doubt it. To the two, Joshua was their mother¡¯s boss as well as a good supporter.
¡°Was our mother¡¯s final moments¡fortable?¡±
¡°I hope so. Ha, no. I should tell you truthfully. She resisted until her body decayed, and then she died.¡±
¡°That magic swordsman¡ Who is he, Sir Joshua?¡±
¡°I¡¯m trying my best to identify him, but I don¡¯t know yet. He was someone that Taimyun knew. When you fought Solderet¡¯s contractor, she knew that she wouldn¡¯t stay alive for long. She wanted to save you. She knew you woulde to me after being dismissed from your positions.¡±
¡°That person¡ Why did he attack our mother and not us?¡±
¡°No idea¡ That person was investigating your family name, so it meant that he had disputes with Taimyun in the past. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t have his guardian dragon when you fought him, but his motive since the beginning was to go for Taimyun.¡±
¡°His face was covered, but he didn¡¯t look too old. So having resentment with our mother¡¡±
¡°He may have lost a family member to her. Then, he gained power through his contract with Solderet and came back for revenge¡ That seems to be the situation. Well, I still need to investigate, though.¡±
Kuzan lowered his head. As he began to tremble from his tears, Joshua embraced him.
Then, Beris¡¯s body convulsed.
¡°We will¡ªWe will find that bastard and kill him¡!¡±
¡°You guys can¡¯t fight him now. It seems like you were evenly matched because he didn¡¯t have his guardian dragon, but with his ck dragon, you stand no chance against him. You think Taimyun cut you off because she wanted that?¡±
Kuzan couldn¡¯t answer.
¡°Wait with me. I, too, have some business with him for killing Taimyun and my soldiers. And if the world finds out about Solderet¡¯s contractor, the Zipfels will begin to move as well. They will have to either make him theirs¡ or kill him off.¡±
¡°We won¡¯t leave him in anyone else¡¯s hands. Even if it¡¯s the Zipfels.¡±
Kuzan ground his teeth and continued.
¡°They have no right to take away his life. Only Beris and I can kill him.¡±
Joshua suppressed hisughter and met Kuzan¡¯s eyes.
¡°Alright, I will offer you some support for your resentment.¡±
¡°¡We will withdraw for today. Please give us time to reconcile.¡±
¡°Of course. But do not be toote. I¡¯m a little frightened that I might lose you to him as well.¡±
The two left the hall, and Joshua bit on a cigar. The glowing light made his thick eyebrows and defined nose very prominent.
¡°Sir Joshua, are you alright? If those guys spew nonsense or cause amotion¡¡±
¡°Fufu, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m just nting a violent will into them since that¡¯s the best way to manage hunting dogs. They will return to me quickly, with hatred as their weapon.¡±
Phe¡
As the smoke from his cigar spread, Joshua thought about his sister who woulde for him.
¡®It doesn¡¯t matter how much that old hunting dog blew before she died. If Elder Sister Luna and the youngest strikes without reason or evidence, that would be better for me. Everything will go my way.¡¯
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
Crash!
The massive steel door ripped and shattered from Luna¡¯s fist.
¡°What is the meaning of this, first g-bearer?¡±
At the same time, the Runcandel guardian knights in the residence drew their swords and blocked her way.
Behind Luna, about a hundred guardian knights were unconscious. They all suffered the consequences of standing in her way.
¡°Is Joshua here?¡±
¡°First, please calm down. Why are you doing this? If you approach further, we will only take it as a deration of war.¡±
¡°Answer my question. Is Joshua here?¡±
¡°Even if the second g-bearer is here, we will not open the gates. Even if this is a war between siblings, barging in like this is outside of the Runcandel n¡¯s rules¡ª¡±
Kurgh!
Luna stomped towards the rambling man and gripped his throat. It wasn¡¯t some ludicrous speed, but the other guardian knight just couldn¡¯t counterattack in the presence of her aura.
¡°Rules? Joshua¡¯s knights should never even utter that word. If you want to stop me, just fight me. I will not punish you for it.¡±
The knights charged at her simultaneously and swung their swords.
Without even dodging, Luna threw the guardian knight in her hands and proceeded to the main building.
ng! Kiiiiing!
Seven des scratched and scraped Luna, and the guardian knights started to draw back without their knowing.
Even if they attacked again, the result would be the same. Just dodging the remnants of the flickering aura wrapped around Luna was hard enough.
¡°You havee, Sister.¡±
Joshua¡ªwho had been watching the fight¡ªemerged from the central hall of the residence.
And he had ten robed knights behind him.
¡°It seems you are very scared, Joshua. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d station all of the n¡¯s dark knights.¡±
¡°My sister is this angry, so I should prepare some forms of defense. Why have youe here?¡±
¡°Pfft¡¡±
Luna burst intoughter.
¡°Wait, you thought I would kill you over your actions? I¡¯m embarrassed because of how stupid you are. I should have nevere to see your shameful face.¡±
Joshua smiled.
And Luna knew best about the face that her second sibling makes when he wants to hide his humiliation.
¡°Oh my, you say that you¡¯re taking down all my knights¡ Since it seems you are a little sad, I¡¯ll turn a blind eye over your actions towards me as your kind younger brother. Afterwards, pleasee back when you are in a good mental state.¡±
The dark knights couldn¡¯t be taken down by Luna.
So, Joshua wanted Luna to swing Crantel, which was hanging on her back. He had no intention of killing Luna, but he wanted to have a little control over her for once.
¡®If she strikes me in this situation, Mother will have a reason to control her. She has to stay alive before I be the patriarch. After all, someone has to keep the Zipfels in check.¡¯
A de that would guard the n.
Joshua still thought that she was needed. He had been waiting for this moment. It wasn¡¯t a one-on-one confrontation, but it would be the first time he could humiliate Luna.
Everything was going as nned.
Concluding his train of thought, Joshua tried to provoke Luna once more.
However, Luna spoke first.
¡°My brother. Even though you are trash lower than a dog, you are still the second g-bearer. So I am here to give you a love-filled warning.¡±
Words spoken with all of her genuineness.
Disappointed, Joshua opened his mouth, only to be interrupted once more.
¡°Once that kides back to the n, you will never be able to stop him. So, before it gets toote, I advise you to run away.¡±
Luna¡ªwho was walking away quickly¡ªstopped andughed.
¡°You can¡¯t even attack me when I am showing you my back? Even with all of those dark knights? Nothing really has changed since our youth.¡±
Even until Luna exited the residence after stepping on all of the corpses, the smile on Joshua¡¯s face didn¡¯t disappear.
The smile that suppressed his humiliation.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 134: Those with Poison (2)
Chapter 134: Those with Poison (2)
Volume 6 Chapter 134 ¨C Those with Poison (2)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡°Are you hurt anywhere, Eldest Sister?¡±
¡°Hm¡ no. If it weren¡¯t for you, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to control my anger and would¡¯ve gotten injured.¡±
Luna fell onto her sofa and put her hand on her head.
The murderous intent and fighting energy that swelled after visiting Joshua¡¯s residence was all gone. A shadow darkened her cold expression.
¡°Ha.¡±
Then, her eyes began to water.
Only a day had passed since Taimyun¡¯s death, and Luna couldn¡¯t give her a funeral.
The poisoned corpse slowly shriveled up and acidified, only leaving a ck puddle behind. Luna couldn¡¯t take her soulless eyes off that spot.
She didn¡¯t know if she should even honor her nanny in a funeral despite what she¡¯s done.
Because she tricked her and tried to kill her brother, the person she loved most.
¡°Joshua didn¡¯t seem to care about Taimyun¡¯s death. He was just filled with fear and wanted me to strike first. It was as you expected. But he had gathered all of the n¡¯s dark knights.¡±
Dark knights.
Among the Runcandel guardian knights, only the best of the best could obtain the dark knights¡¯ ck robe. They were immediately under the patriarch and his wife. If the two didn¡¯t permit it, these strongest warriors wouldn¡¯t obey anyone else.
And Joshua already had them under his wing.
¡®Even the dark knights? Did Mother give them to Joshua since Father isn¡¯t very satisfied with him? Persuading Father should¡¯ve been hard.¡¯
Jin earned new information about his foe, but he pushed off the new intel. Holding his sister¡¯s hand and offering a handkerchief was his current priority.
Although Taimyun was a traitor, she was still family to Luna. And although Joshua was garbage, he was still Luna¡¯s brother.
Luna lost both of them simultaneously. One had died, and the other became a clear enemy.
¡°Haha, Nanny¡ If you betrayed the one who cared for you, I would understand a little. No, it¡¯s my fault. If I just understood you a little more¡¡±
The heart that was unable to forgive Taimyun stung, and the never-ending sadness punctured it.
With what can she erase this loss?
With what can she cover up this scar?
Even when she confronted Joshua, these questions were running through her head.
¡°It¡¯s all my fault. My nanny betraying me, Joshua cursing you, my servants dying to our siblings¡¯ rampage¡ None of this would have happened if I had only kept everything in check.¡±
That was wrong.
Following Luna¡¯s logic, if they were to find the root cause of everything, it would be Luna¡¯s birth.
And most of all, Jin thought Luna was unrted to the curse.
Because he experienced it even when he had no rtions with Luna in his past life.
¡®Even though that crazy bastard wasn¡¯t Taimyun, he ultimately ordered someone to curse me. But I still don¡¯t know the motive behind it. It can¡¯t be exined even if I consider choosing Barisada at the Selection Ritual as the reason.¡¯
For this life, the most probable root cause seemed like Barisada.
However, at the time, Joshua was already gaining power among the siblings.
It was thanks to Rosa who slowly supported him as the prospective sessor after Luna forfeited the throne.
¡®Joshua¡¯s main source of power is Mother. I didn¡¯t know that he already got the dark knights, but Mother looking out for the other siblings is a well-known fact.¡¯
She also showed this when Cyron came to the Garden of Swords to organize the banquet the previous year.
¡ªRosa. It must¡¯ve been quite exhausting preparing all this.
¡ªNot at all. Our reliable children were the ones who arranged this, so I had nothing to do with it.
¡ªIf our children were truly so reliable, I wouldn¡¯t have needed to leave the ck Sea. The guests visiting today are onlying here to stay on my good side, not out of fear of our children.
Even then, Rosa¡¯s ¡®reliable children¡¯ mainly pertained to Joshua.
On the other hand, Cyron¡¯s ¡®our children¡¯ were all of the siblings. They had conversed at a ce where all of the elders and purebloods were listening.
¡®Even though he didn¡¯t earn Father¡¯s trust, Mother was already supporting Joshua before I was born. I was never a rival to begin with.¡¯
Attacking a young pureblood was the most heinous crime.
If people found out that this rule was broken, even the patriarch would be punished.
The myths regarding ¡®Barisada¡¯ were deep, but there was still no benefit for Joshua to kill Jin just for that reason.
¡®When I return to the main house, killing or cursing would be the most safe and stable.¡¯
After his regression, Jin thought that the curse woulde after he turned 10. Or that he would be cursed while he was still inside Rosa. Which was why he was worried that the curse that Solderet dispelled was still there.
The moment Jin worried about his next move, a red marble came into his cradle.
Solderet¡¯s powers activated, which helped him evade the curse.
Jin realized that his contract and innate talent were still intact, and soon after, he pursued the culprit.
Leaving him in this spot.
¡®Why would he break the n¡¯s rules and go for me? I will find out his true intentions when I be a g-bearer and get to take him down.¡¯
Concluding his thoughts, Jin was about to tell Luna that she had no fault.
¡°¡Jin.¡±
Luna called his name.
¡°I never wanted to have my siblings¡¯ blood on my hands. No¡ I was scared. Knowing that our parents wanted to watch us purebloods kill each other¡ It was too hard for me.¡±
¡°So you became the de that guards the n so that our siblings wouldn¡¯t cross the line. Thanks to you, unlike the older generations, all of our siblings are enjoying life.¡±
Cyron¡¯s children, the current Runcandel n¡¯s second generation.
They were specialpared to what could be seen in the n¡¯s thousand-year history. Especially since in the older generations, when ten were born, only five would survive, and one would lead the n.
However, Jin¡¯s siblings didn¡¯t suffer this bloody fate thanks to Luna. It wasn¡¯t that the Battle for Hegemony didn¡¯t exist, but it progressed without killing one another.
Because Luna stopped them from ¡®killing¡¯ each other with her exceeding power.
In other words, she was basically the bncing weight in Runcandel.
However, the other siblings didn¡¯t really enjoy the presence of this bnce. It was obvious since Luna¡¯s intentions didn¡¯t really align with the Runcandel n¡¯s values.
To the siblings, it just seemed like Luna was ying with them with her power.
¡°Yeah. Thanks to me, everyone is alive and well. But now I know. I just ran away because I was scared of fighting and enjoyed my leisure.¡±
Luna scoffed and shook her head.
¡°A hypocrite. There is no other word that fits me. I am being punished for the disgusting hypocrisy that Imitted so far.¡±
¡°The hypocrite is not you. It¡¯s Nanny Taimyun. And Joshua will need to face the punishment.¡±
¡°While my servants died, my nanny betrayed me to stay alive and received orders from Joshua to harm you. What did I do? I just looked away, acting all nice.¡±
¡°Sister¡¡±
¡°Nanny is right. If I hadn¡¯t forfeited the throne, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. Rather, it¡¯s better that I shouldn¡¯t have been born at all.¡±
¡°Do you feel better after saying that?¡±
¡°No. Whatever I do, I will never feel better.¡±
Although the situation was different, Jin was currently looking at a reflection of his past self.
¡®Why was I born? Why was I forced to suffer in the n without any talents?¡¯
The same misery applied to Luna.
¡®Why was I born? Why couldn¡¯t I adjust to the n with this power?¡¯
The two worked their entire lives to improve their skills and character. Jin never let go of his sword even after facing contempt, and Luna protected her own interests despite the n¡¯s provocations.
And from that, Jin lost Gilly in his past life, and Luna lost Taimyun.
¡®What consoled me the most at that moment¡¡¯
He immediately remembered that voice.
¡ªYoung Master, whoever you are, wherever you are, I will always love you.
The words Gilly gave Jin in his past life, telling him that she would never give up on him.
And Jin also remembered the words Luna told him when she came to the Storm Castle.
¡ªRemember one thing, Jin. My brother. Whatever you do, whatever you be, I will always cheer you on.
Jin spoke these two sentences from his memory, and Luna covered her face, crying like a child.
¡°I¡¯m here, Sister. I will take the blood of our siblings, so you can run away for now. If you still don¡¯t feel ready after running away, please rely on me.¡±
Luna¡¯s tears stopped, and she shook her head.
¡°No, I have no thoughts of running. Joshua has to die by your hands. But if the other siblingse for you, then I will cut them all.¡±
¡°If I be a g-bearer and have to fight our siblings, would I not be stronger than you?¡±
¡°Starting today, I am no longer the de that guards the n, but the de that guards you. Jin Runcandel, my youngest brother. I will make you the patriarch no matter what.¡±
¡°Please don¡¯t push yourself. And I don¡¯t mind if you love Taimyun, so please don¡¯t hold back. Although I only have bad memories of her, she is still your family.¡±
And after listening to Luna¡¯s countless stories and memories with Taimyun, Jin left Luna¡¯snd.
Returning to Tikan, he constantly thought of revenge against Joshua Runcandel¡ªof the steps he needed to take to stomp on his filthy elder brother.
¡®Taimyun said that he knows about my contract. The one who revealed that must have been the magician who noticed that the curse didn¡¯t go through.¡¯
Kidard Hall.
The 9-star magician who tried to curse Jin with ded Illusion.
He was a grand magician Jin often heard of in his past life, but he never thought that magician would be rted to his curse.
¡®I should kill him first to send Joshua a message.¡¯
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 135: A Plan That Isn’t Reckless… To Jin
Chapter 135: A n That Isn¡¯t Reckless¡ To Jin
Volume 6 Chapter 135 ¨C A n That Isn¡¯t Reckless¡ To Jin
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
April 20th, 1796, two weeks after Taimyun¡¯s death.
Jin had exined the situation to his allies.
Only excluding the fact that he already knew about the curse since he was a 1-year-old, he framed the story as if he found out everything from Taimyun.
Kashimir didn¡¯t report this information to Cyron.
He really wanted to share that Jin fought an 8-star knight and magician pair, but the intertwining problems were a little too sensitive to share.
¡°My shock isn¡¯t receding, Young Master. Why would Joshua, that stupid bast¡ªAh, my apologies for cursing in front of the young master. Anyways, why would the second g-bearer try to harm you¡?¡±
¡°Strawberry Pie, feel free to swear. This would have been uneptable had Temar been alive! Whoever this Joshua is, I will swallow that cockroach whole!¡±
¡°Ha! It¡¯s so infuriating!¡±
¡°Oi, I said you could just swear. Come on, just shout it out loud! If you keep it in, you¡¯ll get sick. Yeah? Alright, repeat after me. Bas¡¡±
ncing at the surroundings, Gilly slowly began to speak undesirable words, and Murakan cheered her on.
It didn¡¯t take long for the room to fill with curses and swears.
¡®They¡¯re a match made in heaven¡¡¯
Jin smirked while watching the two.
¡°That feels pretty refreshing. You feel better, Gilly?¡±
¡°Huah! Feels a bit better. Still, I don¡¯t understand why he did such a thing. He was basically the prospective sessor, so why did he have resentment with the Young Master?!¡±
¡°Maybe because I selected Barisada. Or maybe he already determined I waspetition and tried to cut me off early. But the reason isn¡¯t too important.¡±
¡°Then¡?¡±
¡°The bigger question is: why did he stay still for a long while after the cursing attempt failed?¡±
¡°Ah, that¡¯s true. Fifteen years ago, he broke the taboo of the Storm Castle and tried to curse you, but didn¡¯t attack you in the main house.¡±
¡°I agree. Myu and Anne¡ªwho are far off from Joshua¡ªordered a mission to kill the kid! Joshua could¡¯ve done more.¡±
¡°On top of that, whenever the young master entered the main house, he turned his horns towards him. Since the second g-bearer knew that the young master was a contractor, he had a reason to pressure you.¡±
¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m theorizing a lot based upon that fact. He couldn¡¯t touch me before because he was scared of Eldest Sister Luna. This is the first one.¡±
¡°Lady Luna does seem to care a lot about you.¡±
¡°There¡¯s a lead to the mystery. Your sister¡¯s power is something that dragons fear as well. But there¡¯s too much that is left unexined.¡±
¡°Correct. And if I stretch it a little further, there¡¯s the second theory. After hearing from Kidard Hall that the curse failed because of Solderet¡¯s power, he decided to keep me alive.¡±
¡°Since you were Solderet¡¯s chosen one from the day you were born, maybe he changed course to make you his ally?¡±
¡°Hm¡ He neglected you too much to earn your favor.¡±
¡°Then why keep the kid alive?¡±
¡°You remember when we fought Andrei Zipfel?¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
¡°Andrei said something like this¡¡±
¡ªI apud your ambush. However, you and your god will be ingredients for the Demon God¡¯s Orb, Jin Runcandel.
¡ªThe twelve gods right now, they are inside me! Luna Runcandel, and what do you have? Even if your father was here, you wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat me.
At the time, Andrei described it as if contractors were ingredients for the Demon God¡¯s Orb.
¡°At first, he aimed for Enya and Euria. And he definitely wanted to feed them to the orb since they were contractors.¡±
¡°Hm¡¡±
¡°I¡¯m thinking it¡¯s like this. The Zipfels used the orb to eat up the contractors and forcefully undo their contracts. Then, they would contract with whoever they want.¡±
He said it as if it were only a stretched theory, but he was already certain of it.
After all, the Zipfel n had already broken Enya¡¯s contract in his past life.
¡°Oh, I remember those words from the ind. Then what you¡¯re saying is that Joshua already knew of this fifteen years ago and was thinking of taking your contract.¡±
¡°Almost. But at the time, we didn¡¯t know that the orb existed, and I don¡¯t think Joshua wouldmunicate so secretly with the Zipfels. However¡¡±
Tap, tap.
Jin lightly tapped the table and continued.
¡°¡He may have known that transferring a contract is possible. A method to take away a contract¡ Would the Demon God¡¯s Orb be the only one that could do that?¡±
Gilly and Murakan¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°Oh! So the second g-bearer left you alone so that he could steal your contract?¡±
¡°It¡¯s quite a stretch, but it¡¯s likely. After Eldest Sister Luna withdrew from the Battle for Hegemony, Joshua received upfront assistance from Mother to strengthen his position in the n.¡±
¡°But the patriarch still doesn¡¯t give the second g-bearer his respect.¡±
¡°That¡¯s because hecks strength. Early 9-star at the age of 34. It¡¯s incredible, but as long as Eldest Sister Luna exists, it¡¯s not enough to be the patriarch. The thing he needs is a transcendent strength like Father¡¯s or Sister Luna¡¯s.¡±
A sphere of spiritual energy formed on Jin¡¯s palm.
¡°Wouldn¡¯t he want this power to death? Either he just doesn¡¯t have a way to take it away or he¡¯s not ready to do so.¡±
¡°Certainly¡ It could be true. Your mother would¡¯ve told him about the fact that Solderet is closer to being the God of Swords than magic.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no way to be certain, but if it¡¯s as we theorized, after failing to curse me, Joshua¡¯s actions would make sense. Well, we¡¯ll only find out from Joshua and his underlings directly.¡±
Knock-knock.
While the three shared their conversation, Kashimir came into the room.
¡°Young Master Jin, we have found his residence.¡±
¡®His¡¯.
Kidard Hall, the one who rendered Jin useless in his past life. Jin¡¯s eyes sharpened and flicked towards Kashimir.
He had already dispatched the Seven-Colored Peacock to search for Kidard as soon as he came back to Tikan.
¡°Where is he?¡±
¡°The eastern region of the continent. He seems to be hiding in the Meltador Empire. After being employed at Zipfel Advanced Magic Academy, he had been conducting his research.¡±
Kashimir lent Jin the report. On it, Kidard Hall¡¯s personal information as well as a detailed list of all of his whereabouts for thest few years were written.
¡°¡In February 1765, he was appointed to the Vermont Magic Academy Educational Center. In his first year, he expelled fifteen students. He faced harsh friction with the Vermont nobles¡ Wow, there are even records dating thirty years back! That¡¯s incredible, Sir Kashimir.¡±
¡°It is not I, but my goons who are incredible, haha. Along with his residence, we have the name of the restaurant that he often visits.¡±
Jin was getting goosebumps as he read through the report. Theypletely dposed this man¡¯s identity and brought it back.
Even though Kidard Hall was a famous 9-star magician, tracking his whereabouts from decades ago was not an easy feat.
¡°This will be of great help, Sir Kashimir.¡±
Truly.
However, there would be an important fact about Kidard that wouldn¡¯t be listed in the report. A fact that only Jin knew.
The main way to kill Kidard.
¡°We were able to dispatch Jet into this case as well. He isn¡¯t even done with training, but he¡¯s doing a great job. Thanks to you, we have a prodigy.¡±
¡°I¡¯m very thankful that he¡¯s doing his money¡¯s worth. Alright, the Meltador Empire¡ That¡¯s a pretty far ce. Since we can¡¯t go there directly through a transfer gate, we should prepare immediately and leave tomorrow.¡±
¡°Huh? Tomorrow?¡±
¡°Young Master, why tomorrow?¡±
¡°Kid, you¡¯re gonna go now and kill him?¡±
His allies asked him with surprised voices, and Jin nodded.
¡°Also, I¡¯m going alone this time.¡±
¡°Alone? Did you already forget that you almost died to an 8-star?¡±
¡°You¡¯re kidding, right, Young Master?¡±
¡°Young Master, do you have a n?¡±
¡°Hey, runt. You said that Kidard human was a 9-star magician?¡±
¡°Yes, Sir Murakan. Before going into hiding, he was one of the most famous magicians, excluding the Zipfels. Everyone knows about ¡®Kidard of lusion¡¯.¡±
¡°How can the kid kill that guy on his own? Won¡¯t it only be possible after forming your party, strategizing, and taking the perfect opportunity? Huh? Tell me, runt. I¡¯m getting heated right now.¡±
¡°Yes¡? B-But Sir Murakan, I would like to ask why you are angry at me.¡±
¡°That crazy kid thinks he¡¯s an indestructible mosquito! And Kidard is the me! Plus, I¡¯m his guardian dragon, so who would I vent to? To poor Strawberry Pie?¡±
¡°A-Ah, I understand. Yes, I must take it. But Sir Murakan, if Young Master Jin is this confident, don¡¯t you think he is certain about something?¡±
The three looked at Jin simultaneously.
¡°Hm¡ First, Murakan, stop messing with Sir Kashimir. All three of you, listen without getting surprised. I have a n, and even if it fails, there is very low risk.¡±
As Jin began to exin, Gilly and Murakan could only blink.
Meanwhile, Kashimir pped and understood the n.
¡°Runt, you think this is even possible?¡±
¡°I think that Young Master Jin¡¯s method is much cleaner and safer than creating a party, Sir Murakan. As Young Master Jin said, he¡¯ll likely still be able to safely return even upon failure. It¡¯s the perfect n.¡±
¡°What do you think, Strawberry Pie?¡±
¡°As long as Young Master is safe, it¡¯s worth a try. But I¡¯m a little sad that I won¡¯t be able to see him for long.¡±
¡°Then I must agree. While that kid isn¡¯t here, I¡¯ll keep youpany. So no need to be sad, Strawberry Pie.¡±
The three ultimately agreed.
And Kashimir felt a tingling sensation in his fingertips.
¡®I was a little disappointed that I couldn¡¯t report his fight with the two 8-stars, but I might get to report something bigger, Lord Cyron!¡¯
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 136: The Big Picture (1)
Chapter 136: The Big Picture (1)
Volume 6 Chapter 136 ¨C The Big Picture (1)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
With the time to pathfind and use transfer gates, getting to the Meltador Empire took about a week.
¡®I could think about it again, and I would still be baffled. I would¡¯ve never known that the one who gave me the curse was Kidard.¡¯
Jin stared at the report on Kidard that Kashimir gave him and kept thinking about the grand magician.
A 9-star non-Zipfel grand magician.
In his past life, Jin had heard a lot about him. His name came up often in the Magical Research Association¡¯s schrly articles and press releases.
A self-centered, bad-tempered grand magician thrown away by the Zipfel n.
Despite this, Kidard stayed at the Vermont Magic Academy Educational Center and led the Zipfel Advanced Magic Academy¡¯s Administrative Council. All thanks to his deep understanding and natural prowess of magic.
He was a great man.
But to Jin, he was just Joshua¡¯s aplice; the one who tried to curse him when he was young.
¡®I remember the things Master told me about Kidard. An old monster that doesn¡¯t give basic respect to those who aren¡¯t a genius. And constantly scared that his own magical achievements will be stolen by the Zipfels.¡¯
He didn¡¯t care about non-geniuses.
In other words, he sought for the geniuses. In Jin¡¯s past life, Kidard had shown great interest in Jin¡¯s magic teacher.
¡°We¡¯re here.¡±
The ferryman took off his straw hat.
The small boat arrived in Romp City, the coastal city of the Meltador Empire. The empty dock presented the entire city in one view.
Jin paid his fare and stepped onto thend with run-down clothes. A cheap robe, an old oak wand, dust-filled sses, and worn-down boots.
The appearance of a poor magic student in training.
However,pared to his evident poverty, his eyes glowed with confidence and gumption.
In order to trick Kidard, cowardice wasn¡¯t included.
¡®First, let¡¯s prepare a residence and go to the restaurant he likes.¡¯
Romp City. When Jin first received the report, he liked the fact that Kidard resided in a small city. There was no need to pathfind, which also meant that finding him wouldn¡¯t be hard.
Jin asked around and walked for about an hour before finding a shopping district. He burned Kashimir¡¯s report with a me spell and spread the ashes in the grass.
The sun was bright, and the wind blew nicely. The roads were peaceful. The children ying in the streets stared at Jin and whispered to one another. They were a little scared.
The restaurant that Kidard visited often was the Full Ship. It was amon name that could be found in a city with fisheries as its main industry. On the establishment¡¯s opposite side was a small inn.
First, Jin went to the inn.
¡°Wee¡ªHuh? A magician?¡±
As soon as he saw Jin, the inn owner frowned.
¡®Probably because of Kidard. ording to the report, he treated other people like servants as he hid here.¡¯
There was no way Kidard even respected the Meltador residents when he treated anyone below his ¡®genius¡¯ standard as an insect.
¡°I would like a room.¡±
¡°We have many empty rooms. Hm¡ You¡ Are you rted to Mr. Amel?¡±
Amel Ord. Kidard¡¯s alias.
The citizens of Romp only knew Kidard as a bad-tempered, dirty magician. They didn¡¯t know that he was a 9-star.
¡°Who is Amel?¡±
¡°Ah, I asked because you¡¯re both magicians. He came to our town about five years ago, and he¡¯s not a nice fellow.¡±
¡°He seems to be famous.¡±
¡°There¡¯s no one here who doesn¡¯t know about him. He seems to be some hotshot in the past, but I wish he would leave. He¡¯s just been ruining the mood the past few years¡ Anyways, here¡¯s the key. Five bronze coins per day.¡±
Jin passed the bronze coins and showed curiosity.
¡°That Amel fellow¡ I¡¯d like to meet him. I¡¯m no magician but an aspiring student. I¡¯m going to the magic academy in the capital of Meltador.¡±
¡°Ah, you seem tock the funds for another transfer gate. If you want to meet Mr. Amel, I suggest you wait in the restaurant across from here for dinner. He¡¯ll probablye out to eat.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
¡°But I think you should ignore him and just get on your way. You seem to want to learn from him, but he¡¯s just¡ not the nicest.¡±
¡°Is his personality horrible?¡±
¡°Very. Last time, some kids went up to him out of curiosity, and he kicked them away! And that wasn¡¯t the only time.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a little far.¡±
¡°He¡¯s probably a failure in his hometown, which is why he¡¯s being a dick in this small town. When you get to the capital¡¯s magic school, please ask them to take him away.¡±
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
After resting until dinner, Jin went to Full Ship.
¡®It¡¯s been a week since I touched a sword. It feels super weird.¡±
It was the first time since he left the Storm Castle. Still, he couldn¡¯t hide the traces of a warrior; he looked at the calluses on his hands and felt that his disguise was too shoddy.
¡°A cooked fish and beer please.¡±
About two beers in, Kidard appeared.
As soon as he entered, he stared at Jin for a moment, then went to sit in a corner.
Jin trotted towards him, and the other customers nced.
¡°Are you Mr. Amel?¡±
The other customers were locals, and they had never seen anyone end up well after approaching Kidard.
Whether they be a child, an adult, elder¡ªeven animals. Kidard didn¡¯t allow anyone to approach him aftering to Meltador.
¡°¡And you, my fellow, are?¡±
Kidard looked up and spoke. The other customers watched intently.
In fact, he said ¡®fellow¡¯. It was the first time Kidard used words that weren¡¯t contemptuous.
¡°I am Huell, an aspiring magic student. I stopped in this city on the way to the Meltador Magic Academy, and I heard that you may be an old alumnus, so I wanted to meet you.¡±
Jin spoke while staring into Kidard¡¯s eyes. The other customers watched the exchange nervously.
¡°An alumnus¡ Howughable. Meltador Magic Academy, huh. I have never associated myself with that trash hole. Very unpleasant. I¡¯ll forgive you since you don¡¯t know me so well.¡±
¡°Ah, I have disrespected you. I apolo¡ª¡±
¡°What¡¯re you looking at, you shit bastards? Leave before I toast all of you.¡±
Woooom¡!
Kidard began to unleash his mana, and the other customers frantically left the establishment. Even the restaurant owner threw away the fish and ran away. Jin was bbergasted.
¡®He¡¯s over the top. He knows that themoners can¡¯t do anything even if they report it.¡¯
Krrrrk.
Cracks began to form on everything that Kidard¡¯s mana touched.
tes shattered and fishes exploded while a weird sound echoed throughout. Jin stared at Kidard without changing his expression.
¡°It seems that you and I have disturbed the people¡¯s dinner here.¡±
At that moment, Jin didn¡¯t miss Kidard¡¯s eyes shaking.
¡°You aren¡¯t surprised by my mana release.¡±
¡°It¡¯s just massive power that I¡¯ve never experienced, so it¡¯s nothing too fun. How could you do this? This is embarrassing.¡±
¡°A massive power that you¡¯ve never experienced¡ My mana release is about 6-star. A 7-star like you shouldn¡¯t feel any threat from it.¡±
Kidard knew the level of Jin¡¯s mana at first sight. Well, Jin didn¡¯t hide it anyway.
¡°I said it like that because I felt the concealed mana. I thought I¡¯d be talking to some retired magician, but I didn¡¯t think that Mister Amel would be a grand magician in hiding.¡±
¡°Hoho, I was surprised when I first met you. But you¡¯re bing more enjoyable. Meltador Magic Academy? Aspiring student? You¡¯re not good at lying. Why would a talented fellow like you go to a third-rate¡ªI mean, fifth-rate school?¡±
Jin acted surprised on purpose and widened his eyes.
¡°It¡¯s no lie. I really am going to the Meltador Magic Academy.¡±
¡°If you are a 7-star at that age, you would already be a great teacher. And your meeting with me must be your teacher¡¯s doing. Since you are not a Zipfel, who is it? Is it Cold Joe?¡±
¡°No, sir.¡±
¡°And exin that body that those cheap-ass robes are covering. You have a body that deals with weapons.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t answer, and Kidard continued.
¡°Do everything truthfully. If you don¡¯t, then you will be a useless husk that can¡¯t use magic.¡±
Phew.
Jin took a breath and recollected his thoughts.
¡®I made backup ns just in case he attacks, but I¡¯m still nervous. But Kidard, I already caught your interest, so you will only want me now. Today won¡¯t be the day you die.¡¯
Jin shrugged as if nothing could be done.
¡°My trained body is from my time spent as a mercenary untilst year. When I first started, I held the sword. But with no talent for it, I remained a 2-star.¡±
¡°I¡¯m getting very annoyed. I don¡¯t have any patience. How can a 2-star warrior fromst year suddenly attain 7-star mana?¡±
Jin nodded and frowned.
¡°I wonder the same thing. If I knew the secret of my birth, I wouldn¡¯t have be a soldier. My name is Huell¡ Huell Hister. I am thest descendant of the Hister n.¡±
¡°Wh-What?!¡±
Kidard stood and stumbled backwards.
Not because he was scared, but because the ¡®Hister¡¯ name was that shocking.
¡°You seem to know about my n. Do you understand why I couldn¡¯t register as an official magician and why I seek the Meltador Magic Academy out of other great institutions despite having 7-star mana?¡±
¡°Are you¡ serious? You are thest descendant of the Hister n?¡±
The Hister n.
Jin¡¯s magic teacher¡¯s n. The one that officially dissolved centuries ago.
¡°¡Yes. One year ago, the mercenaries confessed the truth to me. Of me being a Hister¡ and that everyone in the n is gone. So, as the group leader ordered, I went to the n¡¯s session house, and easily attained 7-star.¡±
Woosh.
Kidard immediately dispersed the mana around him and blinked.
¡°Am I going to die now? Or are you going to hand me over to the Zipfels? I think this is a little unfair. I just wanted to be a normal magician living a quiet life. I didn¡¯t want to find a grand magician that I don¡¯t even know.¡±
¡°F-First. Let¡¯s relocate. I think we need to have a talk.¡±
Jin smiled.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 137: The Big Picture (2)
Chapter 137: The Big Picture (2)
Volume 6 Chapter 137 ¨C The Big Picture (2)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Kidard Hall¡¯s residence was in a remote forest off of the road.
The nice-looking brick house looked no different than a regr house, but underneath it, there was a magic research facility.
It was the first time Kidard invited someone to this ce.
He brewed some tea after seating Jin in the living room.
¡®What in the world is this? A Hister! In fact, if the mana got passed down, this child must be the possessor of the ultimate mana.¡¯
Thump, thump.
Kidard¡¯s hands trembled as he held the teapot. On the other hand, Jin sat straight and tall, waiting for his tea.
Hister.
The Hister n was an ancient n of magicians that threatened the Zipfels around the 1400s to 1500s.
Yet, as always, they lost to the Zipfel n and lost their ce in history. Now, there were no books rted to them, and their elegant magic was discontinued.
Despite that, Kidard knew the name as well as the great magic that came from them.
¡®When I was in the Zipfel Advanced Magic Academy¡¯s Administrative Council, I found a short history about the Hister n in the secret archive. What I read¡ was something that all magicians could only dream of.¡¯
Since then, Kidard had been researching the Histers. He gathered the remnants of their history by travelling all around the world, going to various academies and auctions.
Artifacts, magic tomes¡ªeverything rted to the Hister n.
However, it was all garbage. Anything of high magical regard or anything authentic were all in the Zipfels¡¯ secret archive.
Nevertheless, a few years ago, he miraculously found a magic tome while in the Huphester Alliance. And with it, hepleted a unique magic that earned him the name ¡®Kidard of Profusion¡¯. His newfound magic filled a portion of his puzzle for mana-overload-inducing spells.
¡®Kidard, I wonder how you would confirm that I am a Hister. And if you do, I wonder how much you want to take me in as an apprentice. I¡¯m sure you are desperate¡ Just like what you did to my teacher.¡¯
Kidard handed Jin a cup of tea, and Jin lightly nodded.
¡°Thank you, Mister Amel.¡±
¡°If I knew you were a descendant of the Hister n¡ I wouldn¡¯t have treated you like that. At first, I thought you were Kelliark¡¯s son or another grand magician¡¯s underling.¡±
¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t want to reveal my name. I wanted to keep it a secret forever since I can easily get exterminated because of it. Since you know about my n, you don¡¯t need to tell¡¡±
¡°Ah, yeah. I know. The moment your existence bes known to the Zipfels, you will never survive.¡±
¡°¡But you won¡¯t hand me over. If you wanted to, then you wouldn¡¯t have given me such nice tea. I don¡¯t know much about tea, but this one has a nice scent.¡±
Kidard smiled.
¡°Fufu, it seems it hasn¡¯t been long since you found out about yourself. Do you know about the Zipfels¡¯ bounty on your n?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t.¡±
¡°At least one million gold coins. In fact, since you also have the magic, it¡¯ll be ten-fold!¡±
Pffft!
Jin purposefully spewed the drink out of his mouth.
¡°Huh¡ I¡¯m¡ sorry. That¡¯s an inconceivable amount of money. A million¡ that would be more than the entirety of the Meltador emperor¡¯s storage.¡±
It was genuinely surprising. In that case, it meant that his past life¡¯s magic teacher also had that same bounty.
¡°One million gold. This old man can¡¯t even spend that much until I die. First, I¡¯ll get out of this brick house, then use that good money to buy an entire ind. And then, I would make that ind my researchb. I don¡¯t have a reason not to hand you over.¡±
¡°Hm.¡±
¡°Hence, your destiny lies in my hands. My real name is Kidard Hall. Before you were even born, I was already a 9-star and making myself notorious.¡±
¡°Are you saying that you are the Kidard of Profusion?¡±
Kidard smiled, satisfied with the response.
¡°You know my name? I wasn¡¯t active during your time.¡±
Kidard gathered some mana in his palm.
Kiiing, keeng!
The mana spun like a whirlpool and let out a screech. It was the precursor of the overload spells that symbolized him in his prime.
¡°After bing a student, I looked up to you the most. Whilst studying, you wouldn¡¯t know how many books I¡¯ve read about you.¡±
¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±
¡°Unlike me, you don¡¯t conceal your power or hide from the Zipfel n.¡±
¡°Oho.¡±
¡°Even after realizing my potential, I wanted to graduate from the Meltador Magic Academy and be a normal low-ranked magician to live the rest of my life in peace. In that ce, my talent wouldn¡¯t be recognized and appreciated.¡±
Not even third but fifth-rate. Kidard¡¯s judgement of the institution was precise. The professors and faculty remained at 4- to 5-star.
¡°Certainly¡ The trash of Meltador will never realize your talent. Yeah, I understand now since I also worried and pondered about my talent being stomped on by the Zipfels. Since you¡¯re a Hister, it must be worse.¡±
Jin swallowed his scoff.
Before Kidard developed the overload spells, he tried his best to remain under the Zipfels. Yet he distanced himself from them after developing new magic.
¡°But you have attained 9-star without the Zipfels¡¯ assistance. Compared to you, I¡¯m¡ Well, this is pointless, since I¡¯m in a position where I can¡¯t even hide myself. I¡¯m actually very thankful.¡±
¡°Thankful for what?¡±
¡°Please think about it. While running away from them, I coincidentally met you, and you are doing me a big favor.¡±
¡°A favor! Why do you think that? I can technically kill you in three seconds and sell you over to them. Well, no problem, though. No problem.¡±
¡°If you were blinded by money, you would still be upying a spot under the Zipfel n or Vermont Imperial Family. And as their affiliate, you would be honored and showered with wealth, and all magicians would respect you.¡±
Picking his words wisely, Jin spoke some more.
¡°But you weren¡¯t. You left thefortable life and kept distance from them. In a book I read about you, it was stated that ¡®Kidard Hall is a bold person with a powerful will and determination who didn¡¯te from privilege.¡¯ That¡¯s what I see.¡±
Throughout their conversation, there was nothing Kidard didn¡¯t like about Jin. As they continued, he fell more and more for him.
Not because he was good at ttery. Despite facing someone who could send him to his death, Jin¡¯s confidence didn¡¯t shrivel, and his eyes radiated dignity.
Those were the aspects that grasped Kidard¡¯s interest. To be exact, he fell due to the desire to have a sessor.
¡®Meltador Magic Academy? This boy is a god-given prodigy that can¡¯t rot in that fifth-rate school among fifth-rate nobodies! And those eyes that shine with bold confidence¡ He holds what I wanted when I was young¡¡¯
A long silence ensued.
Kidard needed time to deal with his emotions.
¡®I have never dreamt of a family in which my own magic would be passed down. However, how long have I spent searching for someone who could seed me?¡¯
If this were a coincidence, the gods must¡¯ve fallen in love with Kidard and given him a gift.
A meeting that would never happen twice.
Thinking this, Kidard was certain that Jin was thest descendant of the Hister n. However, there was no downside to checking again.
Kiiiiiiiing¡!
He raised the mana in his palm and looked into Jin¡¯s eyes.
¡°You must prove to me that you are a Hister. And you must make a decision.¡±
¡°¡What decision?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll tell you after you prove yourself. Show me that you are a Hister. Any item or skill is alright.¡±
Jin pulled out a tome from his worn leather bag.
¡°The mercenary group leader who raised me gave me this while telling me the truth. The author is Schugiel Hister, one of my ancestors. However, I don¡¯t know exactly who they are.¡±
¡°Hand it here!¡±
Kidard instinctively reached forward, but Jin shook his head.
¡°I can show you, but I can¡¯t let you touch it.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°I swore to myself that I wouldn¡¯t let anyone else touch this book even if I die. Please look from afar. If you don¡¯t intend to kill me.¡±
The words that he prepared stung Kidard¡¯s heart. He didn¡¯t even think it was disrespectful. Jin had been leading their conversation all along.
¡°Alright¡ In that case, open it up and show me.¡±
Fwip, fwip, fwip¡
Every time Jin flipped a page, Kidard¡¯s mouth opened wider.
¡®This encoding¡ It¡¯s the real thing!¡¯
Jin closed the magic tome and opened his mouth.
¡°I am 16, and as you may know, I have 7-star mana. I heard that only pureblood Histers with the plete mana-body¡¯ can obtain this kind of mana.¡±
¡°You said you grew up under the mercenary leader. How¡¯d you know about theplete mana-body? That is a term that¡¯s been lost in history.¡±
¡°I found out about it in the session temple. When I entered, all kinds of archival magic activated and told me everything. Then, they told me that I waspatible with the mana, so I inherited it. I can¡¯t prove that part, though.¡±
¡°A-Archival magic! You experienced that too¡?!¡±
The Zipfel n got rid of the Hister n because their potential threatened the entire n. However, the main reason was due to their ¡®archival magic¡¯. To a n that manipted history all the time, the Histers¡¯ archival magic was a hindrance in their eyes.
It was something that even Zipfel geniuses couldn¡¯t imitate. It was more like a glorious phenomena than magic.
¡°Is that enough proof, Mister Kidard?¡±
¡°What is the name of the mercenary leader who raised you?¡±
¡°He is Ocly Ben in the Schucheron Kingdom¡¯s southern region. He operated a small mercenary group called the Grey Owl Mercenaries, and everyone¡ died to the Zipfels, trying to save me. I came to Meltador so that their death wouldn¡¯t be in vain.¡±
Smiling bitterly, Jin looked at the floor.
All of his lies were true stories that he heard from his old teacher. His teacher, who was 14 at the time of the incident, probably cried every night for the mercenaries¡¯ sacrifices.
¡®I¡¯m sorry, Master. I¡¯m using your pain for my revenge. When we meet again, I will return the favor when I have the chance.¡¯
Kidard sighed.
¡°¡Alright, you are proven to be a Hister. Now, decide.¡±
¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±
¡°Do you want to live a meaningless life as a normal magician in Meltador, or do you want to continue the ¡®Profusion¡¯ title and leave your name in history?¡±
Jin whispered his answer.
Kidard clenched his fist and shook.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 138: The Big Picture (3)
Chapter 138: The Big Picture (3)
Volume 6 Chapter 138 ¨C The Big Picture (3)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
July 20th, 1796.
Three months had passed since Jin became Kidard¡¯s apprentice. Even after forming the teacher-apprentice rtionship, Kidard continued to look into Jin¡¯s past, and he confirmed that the Grey Owl Mercenaries were eliminated by the Zipfel n.
However, he couldn¡¯t dig any further. There was a possibility that he would get caught by the Zipfels while investigating and lose his sole apprentice and sessor.
To Kidard, Jin was a bag of luck that just rolled in.
¡°This kid¡ He talked smack about killing him after bing his apprentice. But he¡¯s still cruising. Sometimes I feel like he has snakes in his stomach.¡±
¡°We can¡¯t check on him because of the risk of exposure. But ording to the Seven-Colored Peacock, their time spent together is gradually increasing, Sir Murakan.¡±
Jin and Kidard were currently being routinely monitored by an agent who was disguised as a merchant that imported supplies.
However, since the enemy was a 9-star, he couldn¡¯t approach too close. Just enough to check on Jin¡¯s livelihood whenever he passed by.
The agent joined in on the gossip of the people in Romp. In such a small city, an old freak took in a magic student. So, naturally, it became the talk of the town.
¡°Phew, I¡¯m going to die from anxiety. It might seem that Kidard is taking care of the young master, but it¡¯s possible that he would start abusing him on a whim.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, Strawberry Pie. That bum Jet said that Kidard¡¯s eyes dripped honey all over whenever he looked at Jin. I think the kid got him good.¡±
¡°Err¡ It sounds kinda weird if you say it like that, Murakan. I can imagine it.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right! You make it sound as if Lord Jin is wagging his tail for that bad man! At the end of the day, it¡¯s just part of the n. A n.¡±
Quikantel and Enya shook their heads as they spoke, and the little children of Tikan chattered.
¡°Jin has a tail?¡±
¡°No, Pinte. Only Nabi Runcandel has a tail.¡±
¡°I wanna see Jin¡¡±
¡°Me too.¡±
Enya¡¯s little brother, Pinte, and Euria. The children bit at their ice cream as their eyes watered. Alisa swooped in, took them both, and left.
¡°Since you ate your snacks, you have to exercise, right? Please don¡¯t talk about Young Master Jin in front of the children. If he¡¯s mentioned once, they¡¯ll want to see him forever. Oh, yeah, yeah. Jin wille back soon.¡±
Everyone scratched their heads as Alisa left the room.
¡°Ta-da~ Lathry¡¯s apple cookies are here. Since it¡¯s too good for the kids, I was looking to give it to you guys.¡±
Lathry brought in a mound of cookies, and the conversations about Jin continued.
¡°This is probably the only ce where a dragon bakes cookies. The world is doomed. The apocalypse is upon us. ¡Hm, it tastes magnificent. I¡¯ll be enjoying this. Anyways¡ Strawberry Pie, don¡¯t think about the kid too much.¡±
¡°I still worry often. If the young master faces a problem, we can¡¯t really do anything.¡±
¡°I agree, Sir Kashimir. I¡¯m most scared of that as well¡ I should trust the young master, but Kidard Hall is a 9-star. Would he really fall for the young master¡¯s n?¡±
¡°It¡¯d be great if he just falls for his tricks and dies.¡±
Murakan grinned, as if he already knew how the situation would unfold.
¡®Man, you were the one who vented at me and disapproved of the n¡¡¯
Kashimir could only swallow those words.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
¡°Huell.¡±
Kidard called for Jin in the warmest voice.
¡°For the past three months, you have mastered the basics of overload-inducing magic. In other words, you learned a new interpretation of ¡®overload¡¯ that other magicians didn¡¯t know about.¡±
¡°Yes, Master. I am very thankful. Once I started mastering your overload magic, I felt like my understanding of magic expanded¡¡±
It was true.
The man he wanted to kill was still a genius magician who became a 9-star by himself. Kidard was more talented than Jin had expected.
Mana overload, the most lethal phenomenon that could befall a magician.
Because of mana overload, it was easier topare the levels of two magicians than knights. The side with greater mana could just induce the deadly phenomenon upon the other.
Usually, magicians would gather mana into ¡®one spot¡¯ when inducing an overload. After condensing mana at the tip of a finger, wand, or staff, they would press the mana into the opponent and cause a shock in their system.
However, Kidard¡¯s overload induced an overflow urrence by ¡®sucking in¡¯ the opponent¡¯s mana.
It was the best way to respond to the opponent¡¯s magic with the entire body. One would absorb the magic and return it as ¡®overload¡¯.
¡°Try unleashing the 3-star overload inducer.¡±
Chiiiiiing¡
From Jin¡¯s palm, a small mana spiral formed. It was much weaker than what Kidard conjured at the restaurant, but Kidard smiled in satisfaction.
¡°That¡¯s enough to overload the mana of third-rates without their knowing. You¡¯re not far from killing second-rates. But to take down first-rates, you have to master Extreme Overload.¡±
Kuhum¡!
While emphasizing ¡®Extreme Overload¡¯, Kidard cleared his throat and nced at Jin.
¡°Yes, that¡¯s something you emphasized until now. One of the Extreme Overload spells doesn¡¯t necessarily require returning the mana to induce overload. When are you thinking of teaching me that?¡±
¡°Hm-hm¡ With your level ofprehension, we can start now.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Yes. However, Huell. Before that, your teacher¡ wants to ask you a favor.¡±
¡°Please tell me, Master.¡±
Jin already knew what he wanted.
¡°Schugiel Hister¡¯s tome. WIll you show it to me?¡±
¡°No, Master.¡±
Jin immediately declined.
Kidard red at him.
¡°I understand that the tome is more important than your life. However, it has been three months since I became your teacher. Do you still not trust me?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t trust you. It¡¯s merely my vow. I¡¯m sorry. Last time, I said that was the one thing I couldn¡¯t do for you.¡±
¡°Huh! A vow! Huell. Honestly, taking the tome from you is such an easy task. Despite this, I¡¯m kindly asking for such an acquisition from my one and only apprentice.
¡°Master.¡±
Jin opened his eyes wide and stared at Kidard. His intended surprise forced Kidard to cough and look away.
¡°Oh my. I have made a mistake. But I can only feel a little disappointed. I¡¯m trying to give you everything I have, but you¡¯re staying distant from me.¡±
¡°Not at all. I¡¯m just acking student who is acting selfish.¡±
¡°Then does that mean you will show me¡?¡±
Kidard¡¯s old, dark eyes filled to the brim with greed. In the past, he had used the Histers¡¯ magic tomes to achieve higher levels of overload. He was a man intoxicated by the Hister n¡¯s mysteries.
After taking in Jin as an apprentice, he was eager to decipher the magic tome.
Instead of a scoff, Jin fake-pondered for a bit.
¡°Ha. In that case, Master, how about we do this?¡±
¡°Go on.¡±
¡°I will let you borrow my ancestor¡¯s magic tome.¡±
¡°Ohhhh.¡±
¡°However, there is a catch. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a point in telling you this, but please offer me a way to stand by my vow.¡±
¡°Alright, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll do anything that I can. What is it?¡±
¡°I want you to also give me something that is worth your life.¡±
Kidard¡¯s eyebrows twitched, and silence ensued.
Usually, to a magician, there was only one thing that was as important as their life. Moreso for a high-achieving magician.
¡°¡The Tome of Overload. You¡¯re telling me to give it to you?¡±
The magic tome that recorded the grand magician¡¯s greatest achievements.
Jin only kept him alive because of this.
There were many opportunities to kill him. However, Jin kept himself in check and waited for the day to obtain the Tome of Overload.
Just killing him wouldn¡¯t exact his revenge.
¡®In my past life, I waited a long time just to find you and kill you. But waiting for a small reward wasn¡¯t too hard¡¡¯
Will he give it to him?
Jin maintained an expressionless face, and Kidard thought to himself.
¡®The Tome of Overload¡ Huell can¡¯t just have it. He would have to inherit it when I¡¯m on my deathbed. Hm, this is a dilemma¡ Either way, he can¡¯t understand the texts, nor could he extract the runes in the tome. Even though he¡¯s a genius, he¡¯s still a child. And since he can¡¯t even run away with it, there won¡¯t be a problem.¡¯
He nodded after making his decision.
¡°¡Alright. While I borrow Schugiel Hister¡¯s magic tome, you can keep the Tome of Overload. It¡¯s not a problematic request.¡±
¡°Thank you for understanding, Master.¡±
¡°I will need some time. The Tome of Overload isn¡¯t here, but in the eternal storage room of the Holy Kingdom of Vanke. Until I retrieve it, master the art of Extreme Overload.¡±
Thud, thud.
Kidard left two books on Extreme Overload on the desk and spoke.
¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡±
He returned after ten days. It was aplicated process to get something from the eternal storage of Vanke.
¡°Wee back, Master.¡±
¡°Did you read the magic tomes regarding Extreme Overload?¡±
¡°Indeed, I have.¡±
Kidard handed the magic tome to him, and Jin handed Schugiel Hister¡¯s magic tome. Kidard¡¯s face immediately lit up when he got his hands on it.
¡°Oh, ohhhhh¡!¡±
¡°Do you like it that much?¡±
¡°I knew it as soon as I saw it. This must be about archival magic! This will need time to decipher¡ Fufu. Thank you, my apprentice. You are wee to scour the Tome of Overload as much as you please.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t possess the ability to understand theplexity of your magic, so I¡¯m satisfied by merely holding onto it.¡±
¡°Do whatever you want, haha. Besides, you already started to master Extreme Overload¡ You should start with applied practice. Starting tomorrow, you should get the feel of overload magic on some bugs.¡±
¡°Bugs? Can you also induce mana overload on a bug? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard of such a thing.¡±
Kidard shook his head.
¡°Not that bug. I meant those humans who do nothing but breathe and die. On that note, the people of this vige are the perfect test subject.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 139: Extermination
Chapter 139: Extermination
Volume 6 Chapter 139 ¨C Extermination
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡°Pardon¡?¡±
Startled, Jin stared at Kidard.
¡°Are you telling me to test the overload spells on the people of Romp?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. Why are you making that face on this happy day? I have an opportunity to look at Schugiel Hister¡¯s magic tome, and you received the Tome of Overload. With each other¡¯s life on the line, I feel that our trust has been solidified.¡±
No words came out of his mouth. After some silence, Kidard nodded as if he understood.
¡°Oh, Huell. Have you¡ never killed someone before? Even in your mercenary days?¡±
Jin suppressed the swears and curses that were about to erupt from his throat. He shook his head.
Extreme Overload magic.
For the past ten days, he learned that it was a magic used to induce an overload to not only a magician, but also a normal person.
Apart from normal overload, it was possible to induce a fatal overload with the innate but miniscule amount of mana within a human.
Furthermore, Jin was a beginner, so he had no way of controlling the destructive power. Which was why Kidard suggested experimenting on themon folk¡ªto adjust the magic¡¯s force.
¡°It¡¯s not that. I just find it a little surprising.¡±
¡°What is?¡±
Kidard quickly turned his head and with a slight anger in his eyes.
¡°Aren¡¯t they just normal, innocent citizens? If you tell me to use them as test subjects for my magical achievement¡¡±
¡°Ha! Huell Hister. Listen carefully!¡±
Kidard shouted and grabbed Jin¡¯s shoulders.
¡°Don¡¯t be scared of killing some bugs. You have a talent that the sky has bestowed upon you, and your worth and value is on a different level than them. They be your resources, and that is fate!¡±
A violence that he had never seen before.
Kidard breathed heavily, continuing to spew his contempt.
¡°Do you know who I was when I achieved 9-star? Amon folk who couldn¡¯t get any help from anyone. You can¡¯t avoid bing a monster, Huell. If you do, then you can¡¯t be the best.¡±
¡°Master¡¡±
¡°Those with mary backgrounds do worse than this. They can get test subjects and buy expensive equipment all with ease. However, when I was young, I had to flounder about despite having more talent than others.¡±
Listening to hisints about capitalism and privilege was painful, but Jin just listened along.
¡°I, like you, was ufortable. However, back then, if someone had opened my eyes¡ I would have instantly known that I am worth much more than the millions of bugs crawling about in this world. I wish someone told me earlier that it¡¯s fine to use them however I want.¡±
Jostle, jostle.
Kidard held Jin¡¯s shoulders and vigorously shook him back and forth.
¡°Kidard Hall of Profusion would have been in a higher position. Huell, you need not face losses like I did. All you need to do is to learn from my mistakes and failures for free.¡±
As Kidard spat his monologue, Jin¡¯s eyes slowly looked at the ground.
Just as Jin had seen this side of Kidard for the first time, it was also a first for Kidard to see Jin¡¯s tired look.
¡®A little more. Just a little more, and he would concede to these harsh words.¡¯
Kidard firmly believed that thought.
¡°¡Huell, if it weren¡¯t for me, your talents wouldn¡¯t have had the opportunity to flourish. You would have lived the rest of your boring life as a third-rate magician. Now that you possess the Tome of Overload, show me your resolve. If not, I will kick you out.¡±
¡°K-Kick me out?¡±
¡°It¡¯s that important. You must master the technique by killing other bugs¡ªnot just the bugs in Romp City. If you can¡¯t ept that, I have no intention of keeping you here.¡±
¡°¡Please give me some time to think, Master.¡±
Kidard hid his smile and looked into Jin¡¯s trembling eyes.
¡®Yeah, it¡¯ll be hard to understand at first. But Huell, as you use those bugs, you will understand why the world is split into geniuses and the ordinary.¡¯
He truly believed that this was for his apprentice. Kidard had lived with killing his entire life and achieved 9-star. He was living proof that his cruel but logical training method was effective.
Jin lowered his head.
¡°I was foolish, Master. Honestly, I can¡¯t ept itpletely¡ but I will try to follow your lead.¡±
¡°Are you lying because you are scared of getting disposed of?¡±
¡°No, sir. If it weren¡¯t for you, I¡¯d either be rotting away in the Meltador Magic Academy or be killed by the Zipfels. If I don¡¯t trust you, I¡¯d have no other path.¡±
¡°Hm!¡±
¡®He¡¯s a smart kid. My eyes didn¡¯t fail me.¡¯
Kidard swallowed those words and stroked Jin¡¯s hair. He was actually worried about what he would do if Jin chose to quit.
¡°¡I¡¯ll be back. However, we should never have a day like this ever again. I have achieved many things while walking through hell, and I¡¯m trying to give it all to you. My apprentice, you are no different than my clone.¡±
¡°Yes, Master. I will keep that in mind.¡±
¡°Good¡ Now, tomorrow night, if you use those bugs without remorse, I will offer you a reward. This master of yours doesn¡¯t only have overload spells in his sleeves. From elemental spells to curses¡ªevery time you seed, I¡¯ll teach you one.¡±
Curses.
After hearing that word, Jin¡¯s expression almost faltered.
¡®I don¡¯t want to learn that from you. Nor do I need it.¡¯
There was no need to wait anymore.
¡°Master, before tomorrow night, I would like to ask something of you.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°Please demonstrate the Extreme Overload spell.¡±
¡°Of course¡ª¡±
¡°On my body. Try it out.¡±
Before Kidard could ask why, Jin continued.
¡°I want to know where I should induce a mana overload in order to achieve the best oue. So I can get the hang of it as fast as possible.¡±
¡°Kuhaha¡! Yes, that¡¯s the right thought process. I¡¯m proud! If you kill over five bugs, then the knights from the capital wille. So we would have to evacuate right after. I haven¡¯t thought of that.¡±
Kiiiiiiiiiing! Ching!
A sharp screech resounded, and in Kidard¡¯s hand, mana for overload magic gathered to form a sphere.
¡°I¡¯ll show you now. You need to recover before tomorrow night. Also, as an overload magic user, you should know how it feels at least once.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
¡°You may already know this since you looked into the magic tomes on Extreme Overload, but this spell¡¯s name is Overload Vortex. You basically create a force that pulls and steals the opponent¡¯s mana, and with it, you induce an overload. This is the spell you will practice tomorrow.¡±
¡°Yes, this is the spell I practiced while you were in Vanke.¡±
¡°Now, I will elerate the spin of this mana sphere, and it¡¯ll begin to suck the mana out of you from head to toe. I will concentrate on each part of your body, so focus on where it is the most painful.¡±
Jin stepped back and closed his eyes.
¡°I¡¯m starting.¡±
Screeeeeeeech!
Kidard¡¯s Overload Vortex began to rotate rapidly.
From Jin¡¯s body, tiny mana particles emerged from his skin and flew into the spinning vortex.
Then, a flood of blue particles flowed out of his body. It looked as if the mana wrapped around him.
¡®What¡?!¡¯
And as soon as Kidard noticed it, he couldn¡¯t hide his surprise.
¡®I cast the highest level suited for a 7-star so that he could feel the pain clearly, but why don¡¯t I feel the slightest hint of mana overload? Huh?!¡¯
Kidard looked at his Overload Vortex.
Crrrrack.
A crack began to form on the sphere.
¡®N-No way. Huell was far beyond 7-star! No, it can¡¯t be. I¡¯ll raise the intensity.¡¯
Screeeeeeeeeech! Shhhhhhht!
The sphere¡¯s spin elerated, and the light blue mana emerging from Jin¡¯s body grew a little darker.
Kidard was using mana close to that of a veteran 8-star. Jin had his eyes closed without any change in expression.
The Overload Vortex couldn¡¯t handle the mana that Jin had.
The mirror artifact¡¯s infinite mana.
Kidard only realized something was wrong when the sphere began to expand.
Kum.
When Jin first came to the city, he had already activated the Fountain of Mana.
Just for this moment.
Kzzzzzzk! Boom!
The Overload Vortex disfigured and exploded. Kidard gathered all of his energy to contain the mana.
However, even though he was a 9-star magician, he was still human. He couldn¡¯t handle the mirror¡¯s infinite mana. It was as if he were trying to block a waterfall with his hands.
Kidard absorbed the mana he used to cast the intense Overload Vortex together with the mirror¡¯s infinite mana. His body began to show signs of mana overload, and the overload began to spread.
¡°Kidard Hall. You would know best of the horrifying suffering brought about by overload.¡±
¡°C-Cough¡ªAAARRRGH!¡±
Blood spilled out from all orifices on Kidard¡¯s face as he began to tremble. Jin slowly walked towards him.
¡°You must¡¯ve lived without knowing¡¡±
¡°Urgh, wh-who¡?¡±
Kidard¡¯s face was covered in blood.
His two eyes filled with shock, and his two legs shivered, unable to handle the pain caused by mana overload.
Thud!
Losing his strength, Kidard kneeled and barely held his head up to look at Jin.
¡°H-Huueellll! How could you?!¡±
¡°Fifteen years ago, you tried to curse a little baby at the Storm Castle. Do you remember the baby¡¯s name, Kidard?¡±
¡°Y-Yoooouuuu!¡±
¡°I am not Huell Hister, but Jin Runcandel.¡±
Shing¡
Jin pulled out a blue dagger from his sleeve and looked down at his enemy.
He recalled the 28 pathetic years that he lived in his past life. He had to go through hell all because of that damned curse¡ªthe damned ded Illusion.
¡°It took almost 44 years to find out that Joshua ordered Taimyun to tell you to curse me.¡±
¡°Please¡ Cough! No¡¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t have a chance to beg for mercy back then, Kidard. I was only one year old.¡±
Jin dyed his dagger with spiritual energy, and Kidard rapidly shook his head as he began to convulse. Blood spewed out from his mouth, staining Jin¡¯s clothes.
Jin slowly lowered his torso and took Schugiel Hister¡¯s magic tome from Kidard¡¯s robe.
¡°Your pathetic 80 years can¡¯tpensate for my 44 years, but I¡¯ll use the Tome of Overload very well.¡±
¡°S-Save me¡ Cough¡ª¡±
Stab.
The darkened de pierced Kidard¡¯s cheek, and foamy blood erupted from his mouth. Death. Kidard¡¯s body ckened, and Jin walked away.
Swinging the dagger across the wall, he left a message.
(You will not die peacefully like this man.
¨C Jin Grey)
So that Joshua Runcandel¡ªhis older brother¡ªcould see.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 140: After His Death (1)
Chapter 140: After His Death (1)
Volume 6 Chapter 140 ¨C After His Death (1)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Kidard¡¯s death became known at least a month after his passing, and the world was shocked. Although his presence dissipated due to him being in hiding, the death of a 9-star was still shocking.
Furthermore, the exact cause of death wasn¡¯t known.
The location of death was a residence off-road of a forest in Romp City. The citizens didn¡¯t really worry or think about Kidard¡¯s absence in the main city for a month. They just assumed that he was researching something with the young boy that he kidnapped.
Thanks to that, Kidard¡¯s corpse¡ªthat was discovered to have been abandoned for a month¡ªbecame food for the mountain beasts. Only a few small bones remained.
Journalists of the press, affiliates of the Ministry of Magic, and those who had personal ties to Kidard could only focus on the message on the wall.
¡ªJin Grey, the likely culprit behind Kidard Hall¡¯s death. Who is he?
¡ªWhy did he kill Kidard Hall? And what¡¯s the reason for his hiding?
¡ªUnfortunately, scriptures of Kidard¡¯s overload magic are supposedly in Vanke¡¯s eternal storage¡
While the people loaded the press with these titles, those who knew of Jin Grey had their own separate debate.
¡°It¡¯s not the youngest, right? Jin Grey¡¯s amon name¡¡±
¡°No way. I know the youngest is amazing and all, but it¡¯s against a 9-star magician. There¡¯s no way. Yeah, there¡¯s no way. It¡¯s definitely not him.¡±
¡°Haha, right¡?¡±
The Tona Twins were about to leave after bing provisional g-bearers. Despite their denial of Jin¡¯s achievement, they couldn¡¯t stop thinking that it was him.
¡°Our stupid siblings. They talk well for some kids who haven¡¯t met a 9-star magician. I can¡¯t believe that they¡¯re provisional g-bearers after only a few months¡ Tsk.¡±
¡°Hey, why, Myu? They¡¯re kinda cute when they spit some dumb stuff. Enough for me to want to kill them. A frickin¡¯ 9-star¡ I thought that White Wolf Tribe incidentst time was enough.¡±
Myu and Anne smirked and red at the Tona Twins, and this time, Mary looked at the girls.
¡°Shut up. You¡¯re interrupting the meal.¡±
¡°Tch! We can¡¯t even talk this much?¡±
¡°I said, shut up.¡±
¡°Ha! You stayed quiet when the Tona brats were¡ª¡±
¡°Myu, Anne, one more word and Mary will kill you. I can¡¯t stop her now, since Mother isn¡¯t here either.¡±
The second son, Dipus shrugged. Luntia shook her head, tired of everything. Ran and Vigo quietly focused on cooking.
The pureblood Runcandel children gathered at one table. The only ones missing were Luna, Yona, and the provisional g-bearer, Jin.
Clink.
Joshua lowered his knife and wiped his mouth.
¡°Alright, alright. Stop it, everyone. It¡¯s been a long time since we had a dinner like this. Do we need to get our faces red and hot like this? I, for one, think that the youngest did indeed kill Kidard.¡±
All eyes fell on him. Even Luntia, who didn¡¯t really care.
¡°Joshua, why do you also think that? Why? You think that makes sense?¡±
¡°Hm¡ It wouldn¡¯t be possible on his own. If that kid, Yona, helped him, then maybe.¡±
Mary and Dipus red at their eldest brother with hatred. The two had always despised his weird plots.
¡°Calm down, Brother. I knew that we weren¡¯t here just for a meal, but your exposition is annoying. Do you have to doubt a provisional g-bearer?¡±
¡°Can you back the im that Yona helped him, Eldest Brother?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know for certain. It¡¯s just a hunch. Do I have to take responsibility for my words? A 9-star grand magician died and there¡¯s no clear reason of death. That¡¯s hard to achieve for someone who isn¡¯t ¡®Nameless¡¯.¡±
Nameless.
The assassin organization that Yona was currently affiliated with.
¡°You seem to want Yona to have a bad time. Bringing up her name now without reason makes me want to barf. And tying her with the youngest makes no fucking sense.¡±
¡°On the death scene, ¡®Jin Grey¡¯ was written on the wall. I think that the youngest requested something from Nameless in order to publicize his name, and Yona wrote the message in lieu of the youngest.¡±
Myu and Anne apuded his im and nodded.
¡°Oh, thinking of it that way makes sense! Then Jin¡¯s sessful mission in the past would also be by Nameless!¡±
¡°It¡¯s all under an assumption. As Myu said, the youngest had done amazing things since back then, so I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any downside to opening an investigation.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, Brother. There were too many questions regarding Jin. I also want to know what Yona thinks about the n.¡±
THUD!
Mary stood as she mmed the table. Myu and Anne were startled and turned to look at her. Luntia sighed. Another troublesome situation was brewing.
¡°Against the business of the second g-bearer, I, the seventh g-bearer, shouldn¡¯t be talking shit to you. But remember one thing, Brother. If you hurt Yona, Father will not sit still.¡±
Dipus stood up and added on to Mary¡¯s words.
¡°Brother, please show some coolness. If you are jealous of Yona, just put her under your sword. Simply ndering and flicking your tongue at her is not the Runcandel way.¡±
¡°Fufu¡ I don¡¯t think you¡¯re in a position to say that, Dipus. If you don¡¯t like my style, why don¡¯t you just unsheathe your sword?¡±
Dipus¡¯s eyes flicked to Luntia.
¡°For whom?¡±
Mary and Dipus left the dining hall, and Joshua smiled in satisfaction.
Meanwhile, the twins¡ªwho were the cause of the situation¡ªcould only think.
¡®Uwaaah, since Jin the doormat disappeared, the higher-ups are getting messy¡¡¯
¡®I don¡¯t know how long Myu and Anne will keep their focus on us. Shit. If Jin were here, our sisters would¡¯ve teased us less. I can¡¯t believe I miss him¡¡¯
The Tona Twins were depressed.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
¡°Dante!¡±
The world¡¯s most boring event, a Zipfel banquet.
Beradin waved a newsletter and sat next to Dante, who came only because he was invited.
Nheless, Dante was concerned as to what expression he should make at the dull party in order to not be disrespectful. So, after multiple greetings and bows here and there, he made an awkward smile when Beradin came.
¡°You came, Beradin? It¡¯s a¡ wonderful¡ banquet. Thank you for not forgetting to invite me.¡±
¡°Hey, why are you trying to save face? I know our n¡¯s banquet is boring as hell. I just wanted to see you again. Sorry, sorry. You were bored, right? Me too. I miss that night at the arena.¡±
¡°Oh, the arena! That was nice. No need to be sorry. After that day, I also felt pretty empty.¡±
¡°There wasn¡¯t a single day when I didn¡¯t fiddle with the empty chest,memorating those days. But that aside, did you hear? About this.¡±
Beradin put the newsletter in Dante¡¯s face.
Surprisingly, Dante had just found out about Kidard Hall¡¯s death. Right beforeing to the banquet, he had only been a shut-in, engrossed in training. He had no idea what was going on in the world.
¡°Huh? This¡ A 9-star magician had been murdered, and Jin Grey¡¯s name was left on the crime scene?¡±
¡°I¡¯m more surprised at you. You didn¡¯t know about this? Anyways, this case¡ It has to be his doing. What do you think?¡±
¡°Hm!¡±
Dante snorted with certainty.
¡°Most certainly! He is a man who would do such a thing. I don¡¯t know his reason or method, but it must be his doing.¡±
¡°On that note, Dante, can you make some time?¡±
¡°Now?¡±
¡°No, starting tomorrow. A good chunk of the day.¡±
Beradin whispered into Dante¡¯s ear.
¡®Wanna go see him?¡¯
¡®Do you know where he is?¡¯
¡®Well, we can just look for him!¡¯
Dante chuckled and nodded.
The guests and journalists attending at the banquet interpreted the sight differently.
¡®Those two just discussed the Kidard Hall case, right? They were talking and smiling, as if there was something only they knew.¡¯
¡®Recently, I heard good rtions between the Hairan n and Zipfel n. The Zipfels must be rted to Kidard Hall¡¯s death, and it seems Young Master Beradin offered some information to Young Master Dante.¡¯
¡®The Zipfels might be strengthening their friendly ties and organizing the unallied forces. Since the Zipfels took down Kidard with intent, I should be careful of what I write about them.¡¯
* * *
Meanwhile, the main character of all of this talk searched for an ear cleaner.
¡°Is someone talking about me behind my back? My ears tickle¡ Murakan.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Are you done with the Tome of Overload?¡±
¡°Argh! Shit, I have a right to live like a human, kid. I¡¯ve been on this tome for a fucking month!¡±
As he said, Murakan had been deciphering the text ever since Jin returned. He could cast the runes to his body only after the process was done.
Compared to Tzenmi¡¯s Photon Cannon, the rune characters were overlyplicated, so it took more time to decode.
¡°But no one else can do the tome-work than you.¡±
¡°Why do you keep forgetting about Quikantel? She knows how to do this too!¡±
¡°We¡¯re not that close. In exchange, I¡¯ll bring a wagonful of your nice little magazines. The exclusive editions.¡±
¡°If you bring anything less than the special edition, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±
While Murakan huffed and puffed in anger, Kashimir came to Jin.
¡°Young Master.¡±
¡°Yes, Sir Kashimir?¡±
¡°Uhm¡ I came to tell you that I¡¯ll be leaving for about a month.¡±
¡°A month? Where to?¡±
¡°So, that¡¯s, uhhh¡ The Vermont Empire. Yes, the Vermont Empire. I must go because I forgot something there.¡±
As the Fallen Prince of Vermont, Kashimir had no reason to return and find something he wanted in the empire.
Jin examined Kashimir¡¯s awkward speech and soon realized exactly why the other needed to leave for a while.
¡®My father called for him. He¡¯s headed for the ck Sea, probably because of Kidard Hall. It seems he wants to talk about it in person.¡¯
The awkwardness was born from Kashimir clumsily making excuses while lying about being in contact with Cyron. He still thought that Jin didn¡¯t know about the reports being sent to the patriarch.
¡°Is there anything I can help with?¡±
¡°Oh, of course! Well, it¡¯s something I must do alone, haha. Anyways, Young Master Jin. I already retrieved what you requestedst time, so please spend your time wisely during my absence.¡±
Jin wished Kashimir luck and smiled.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 141: After His Death (2)
Chapter 141: After His Death (2)
Volume 6 Chapter 141 ¨C After His Death (2)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Kashimir obtained a ¡®Nameless Pass¡¯.
It was an object required to enter Samil City, where the main base of Nameless was located. Going to the city without the Nameless Pass was suicide.
However, possessing the Nameless Pass didn¡¯t guarantee safety in Samil. The city was more dangerous than an unprotected area like the ck Sea.
The sacred ce for all assassins.
There were nomon folk in Samil City. Everyone residing there were cadets aiming to be a part of Nameless. The entire city was essentially a training ground, which meant that assassin training was constantly in session. However, apart from normal training, cadets were allowed to assassinate within the grounds, and protecting the visitors wasn¡¯t the higher-ups¡¯ duty.
Hence, using a visitor for assassin training was no problem.
¡®Going there with the Nameless Pass basically means that I will follow their ways.¡¯
On the other hand, going without the Nameless Pass meant they were not a visitor, but an enemy.
A visitor would still survive assassination attempts from cadets and barely return. However, if an enemy sessfully escapes, they¡¯d be left on Nameless¡¯s hit list and live the rest of their life in threat of murder.
Not many could even think of survival after getting on the list.
Jiny on the sofa, ying with the Nameless Pass.
¡®Where Elder Sister Yona is. Going to see her wouldn¡¯t vite the rules of being a provisional g-bearer either.¡¯
Yona was not in the Garden of Swords. She wasn¡¯t acting as a Runcandel affiliate, but as one of Nameless¡¯s executioners. Additionally, even if he met her, Jin would face no punishment from the n.
After regressing, he wanted to visit Nameless before 1799.
Leaving now was a little early, however. The Namless cadets¡¯ assassination attempts were hard for even 7-star knights to deal with.
¡®I was going to go when their assassinations have beughable¡ but if I meet Kuzan again, or meet another poison master, then I can¡¯t do anything.¡¯
Jin intended to visit Samil City because of poison.
¡®There are too many poisons that my Runcandel-blessed body can¡¯t handle.¡¯
He remembered all of the moments he was at death¡¯s doorstep.
The time he met the White Wolf Tribe warrior Quazito Truka in his first mission, when he fought Andrei Zipfel, when he faced the Zipfel magicians in the Kollon Ruins, among others¡
Yet the most dangerous encounter was when he fought Beris and Kuzan. When he got hit by Kuzan¡¯s poison, he would have definitely died if it weren¡¯t for Prince Laika.
Jin contemted after Taimyun¡¯s death.
¡®Kuzan will continue to pursue me. And besides him, there¡¯ll be many who will try to kill me with poison. Even after I return to the main house.¡¯
Everyone affiliated with Nameless increased their poison resistance through training. Even the cadets in Samil had enough resistance against mid-tier poisons. Those who officially be a ¡®Nameless Assassin¡¯ would have achieved significant resistance to deadly poisons.
However, Jin didn¡¯t want only that. He already had that resistance since he was born.
¡®The Thousand-Poison Antidote. I have to obtain it.¡¯
An antidote passed down to the best executioners of Nameless.
Those who drank it got one step closer to Absolute Resistance.
Absolute Resistance wasn¡¯t recorded in history, but it seemed to be a domain only few had achieved. The first patriarch of Runcandel, Temar; the current patriarch, Cyron; the first leader of Nameless, Corun.
Obviously, it wasn¡¯t something that Jin could just get. It was an item that was offered only to those that the leader of Nameless approved as the greatest executioners of Nameless.
¡®But in my past life, Anne drank it. Around 1799.¡±
If the events unraveled the same way as in Jin¡¯s past life, Anne would drink the Thousand-Poison Antidote in three years.
Gifted to her by Yona.
¡®At the time, Elder Sister Yona became the greatest assassin of Nameless in the shortest time in history. In fact, she already had a body close to Absolute Resistance since birth, so she didn¡¯t really need it.¡¯
As such, Yona offered the antidote to the n.
Nameless¡¯s leader was infuriated by it, but he stayed quiet due to two reasons. Firstly, his concern for Yona was no different than for his own children. Secondly, Nameless would fall the moment it retaliated against the Runcandel n.
Instead, the organization¡¯s leaderined to the Runcandels and kept Yona in the organization even after her contract expired.
¡®It would be better for her to be there anyways. Well, Anne drank it back then¡ but this time, I¡¯ll drink it.¡¯
Jin felt that Anne was definitely on Joshua¡¯s side, and he nned on ruining everything good for his enemies. From stealing the benefits that they reaped to magnifying the harms towards them.
He would slowly but surely have his revenge that way.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
The deciphering of the Tome of Overload wasplete.
¡°Ugh, finally. It¡¯s over, damn! Come over here and give me your back.¡±
¡°Thanks.¡±
One by one, Murakan cast the characters onto Jin¡¯s back while muttering some words.
Jin felt that his understanding of overload spells rapidly increased every time a rune character was cast on his back.
Overload Reflection and Overload Vortex among other normal Extreme Overload spells. As well as an ultimate overload spell called ¡®Heavenly Defiance¡¯.
Satisfied, Jin burst intoughter, and Murakan shrugged.
¡°You like it that much?¡±
¡°I like this aspect of magic. I can¡¯t master decisive killing moves of the sword through rune character decoding.¡±
¡°It¡¯s also the downside of magic. If you don¡¯t have the rune characters, sometimes, you can never master the magic. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t use Photon Cannon. Well, I don¡¯t need that to be strong anyway.¡±
¡°I feel like I got some good weapons after Photon Cannon.¡±
¡°I saw them while deciphering, and they¡¯re pretty useless spells. If you master the Heavenly Defiance spell or something, you¡¯ll dominate even a herd of 7-stars.¡±
Heavenly Defiance was essentially a massive Overload Vortex in the sky. It sucked mana iparably more than the Overload Vortex that was only on the caster¡¯s hand.
Moreover, it shattered the basic rule of overload. Even if the opponent was of higher mana level, the user could still induce a mana overload.
If Kidard had unleashed a Heavenly Defiance instead of a regr Overload Vortex, he would have been difficult to defeat even with the Fountain of Mana in hand.
¡°I kinda stressed the barrier on the mirror to get this magic, so it has to be worth something.¡±
¡°My god. You think a seal from Solderet¡¯s prime would loosen just because of a 9-star magician? Use that thing morefortably.¡±
¡°Still, it doesn¡¯t feel right. If the seal breaks, the world ends. I have to use these as ast resort. And if I just rely on the mirror, my growth will only be dyed.¡±
¡°Good point.¡±
Murakan responded boringly, but he was genuinely astonished.
¡®He should¡¯ve realized how great the infinite mana pool is when he killed Kidard, but this kid isn¡¯t falling for the temptations offort¡¡¯
In his three thousand years of activity, he had seen many geniuses who ruined their lives due to cutting corners. Getting stronger efficiently was important, but there was no definitive easy way to get stronger.
¡°Hm¡ Anyways, why don¡¯t you try it out?¡±
¡°Heavenly Defiance?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°Wait a moment, let me release some spiritual energy.¡±
¡°It¡¯ll take time to cast anyway since you¡¯re new to it. It was a 9-star¡¯s ultimate spell. Plus, youck the mana, and we¡¯re indoors, you crazy kid.¡±
¡°It¡¯s spacious enough. I¡¯m starting.¡±
Jin closed his eyes and started to cast. Murakan quickly covered his body with spirit energy. Since he also had some mana, he had to prevent himself from being affected by the massive mana vacuum.
Whoooooooosh, kaaaaaaang¡!
The mana that emerged from Jin¡¯s hand began to form a massive circr shape on the ceiling, and it took approximately fifteen seconds to cover the entire surface.
After he finished his cast, the mana spun quickly, and the room began to rumble.
¡°Ohhh!¡±
¡°Lord Jiiiiiiii¡ª!¡±
The moment Murakan looked up at the Heavenly Defiance, Enya entered the room. Exposed to the spell, foam began emerging from her mouth.
¡°Shit!¡±
Jin immediately canceled his spell and ran over to Enya. Murakan pointed at him andughed as the young Runcandel helped Enya up.
¡°Are you okay, Enya? I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know you were nearby¡¡±
Enya flicked her thumb up with sparkling eyes.
¡°It¡¯s the best¡!¡±
¡°¡Huh?¡±
¡°It¡¯s the best! Just now! Crazy cool!¡±
It was hard to tell if it was the Heavenly Defiance or the current situation that she found cool.
Nevertheless, Jin was relieved that Enya wasn¡¯t badly hurt.
¡°Phew, that¡¯s a relief. If you had gotten hurt¡¡±
¡°Wait, stay like this for a sec. No, forever! I feel like I seeded in life¡ªAck!¡±
Quikantel smacked the back of Enya¡¯s neck, causing her to lose consciousness. Amon sight.
¡°Shit¡ You let her y with you? My goodness, I told her not to do so no matter how much she loved you.¡±
At that point, Murakan was rolling on the floor,ughing like a hyena. Jin exined the situation to Quikantel.
¡°This is my fault, Miss Quikantel. I will apologize to Miss Enya when she wakes up.¡±
¡°An apology¡ No need. Enya needs to get into her right mind. Anyways, I heard you¡¯re going to Samil City, where Nameless is, right? To get the Thousand-Poison Antidote.¡±
¡°Yes. I want to leave by the day after tomorrow.¡±
¡°Do you know what kind of ce that is?¡±
¡°I do. The entire city is basically a massive training ground, and even visitors aren¡¯t free from the threat of assassination.¡±
¡°At your level, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re capable of holding off the Nameless cadets. However, as you survive longer and longer, you will encounter stronger assassins. The best wille if you defeat them too.¡±
¡°Oh, I¡¯ve never heard of that.¡±
¡°Of course you haven¡¯t. Because anyone who escapes with that kind of knowledge would probably die knowing since they retain knowledge regarding Nameless and could potentially spread it. Usually, they die before encountering the best executioner or they¡¯d return after finishing their business.¡±
During Quikantel¡¯s era, Nameless was a famous assassin organization. And among her allies, she was the most knowledgeable about Nameless.
¡°Even your sister can¡¯t stand a chance against the real assassins of Nameless. So, when you feel like you¡¯ve been pushed into a corner, show them this. Then, you might just live.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 142: Nameless (1)
Chapter 142: Nameless (1)
Volume 6 Chapter 142 ¨C Nameless (1)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Jin boarded himself on a carriage to Samil. It had been four days since he left Tikan.
At Samil¡¯s location¡ªthe southern region of the Kon Kingdom¡ªit was already autumn. A wind carrying the good autumn atmosphere lightly shook Jin¡¯s hair as he leaned against the windowsill.
In the midst of the unbelievably peaceful moment on the way to an assassins¡¯ cove, Jin remembered Gilly¡¯s unhappiness right before he left.
¡ªIt¡¯s your birthday soon, and I¡¯m so disappointed that I won¡¯t be able to celebrate with you if you leave now, Young Master. You¡¯re definitely making great achievements as a provisional g-bearer, but please make sure to allocate time for some leisure.
After seeing Luna and Taimyun, Jin thought about Gilly a lot more.
¡®I should be nice to her. On that note, I don¡¯t know much about her either¡¡¯
Luna and Taimyun were a different case. Taimyun never spoke about her past since Luna bore no curiosity. Gilly was the opposite.
From his past life to the current, whenever Jin asked about her past, Gilly would either avoid the question or t-out ignore it.
¡®I heard that she was the smartest member of the McRn n in history, and I don¡¯t even know why she became my guardian.¡¯
The McRns.
One of the ns loyal to the Runcandels. They were a famous martial arts n that was a prick in the finger for the Huphester Alliance. Gilly was the youngest daughter of such a n.
¡®Why would such a person like that be a Runcandel nanny?¡¯
Jin had heard that question even in his past life.
At some point, he wanted to send a person to find out why, but he knew that it wouldn¡¯t be very respectful towards Gilly.
¡®She¡¯ll tell me soon enough. It was just that she didn¡¯t have the chance in my past life. When I get back, maybe we¡¯ll go on a vacation.¡¯
Thump, thump, thump.
The carriage continued forward. Organizing his thoughts, Jin looked out the window and at the coachman.
¡®For someone steering a carriage, he¡¯s too young. His lower body is well-built too.¡¯
A normal coachman would decline any request to Samil City regardless of the pay. Jin had been rejected at least five times before he got someone to take the job.
Which was why he spected that the coachman was a Nameless cadet.
¡°Hey.¡±
¡°Yes, sir?¡±
¡°How long until we arrive?¡±
¡°About two more hours.¡±
¡°Is this the right path?¡±
¡°Yes, it is. Don¡¯t worry, and take a nap. People still live in Samil City, so coachmen like me go there every now and then.¡±
Verifying his im, Jin nodded.
¡®He is a cadet. If he were a real Nameless Assassin, he wouldn¡¯t have used these kinds of tricks.¡¯
Every inhabitant of the city was either an assassin or an assassin cadet. However, not all of them were the top-tier assassins that lived up to Nameless. Amongst the cadets, there always had to be more gravel than gems.
¡®I¡¯ll only be able to see Nameless Assassins once I actually arrive in the city. And this coachman won¡¯t attack me until we get there. ¡Maybe.¡¯
As he expected, nothing much happened in the next two hours.
Jin arrived at the entrance of Samil City at approximately two in the afternoon.
¡®At first nce, it looks like a regr city. Well, the entrance looks like it belongs to one, at least.¡¯
A normal pathway led to the heart of the city, and two guards stood at each side of the not-so-high gate.
If he were to offer something different, the guards wore white fabric clothing and didn¡¯t hold any weapons. They didn¡¯t need to look threatening, since no human would intrude upon Samil City without intention.
The white color was a symbol of Nameless. Everyone in the city¡ªfrom cadets to the best executioners¡ªall wore the same white clothes. The only exception were the visitors.
¡°Stop your carriage.¡±
The guard spoke, and the coachman pulled on the reins.
Jin got out of the carriage and immediately pulled out the Nameless Pass. The guards exchanged nces with each other.
¡°What¡¯s your reason foring to Samil City?¡±
They didn¡¯t ask him who he was or where he was from. Their tone wasn¡¯t threatening either.
¡°Just for experience.¡±
¡°It¡¯ll be a fun experience. Enter. You may retrieve your pass when you leave.¡±
¡°I have something to ask before I step foot into the city.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°Do the rules of Nameless apply after you receive the pass or only when you enter the city?¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡±
Shhhhhhk!
Before the guard could finish answering, a dagger flew towards Jin¡¯s back. Jin¡ªwho had his senses heightened¡ªquickly dodged it.
¡®Definitely the coachman.¡¯
With his momentum, Jin threw himself towards the coachman¡ªwho was drawing another dagger¡ªand kicked his thigh.
Crack!
The sound of bone breaking resounded after Jin came into contact. He then swung his elbow towards the coachman¡¯s chin. The man fell to the ground, and Jin shook his head.
¡°I guess it¡¯s the former. Will you guys attack too?¡±
With eyes widened, the guards shook their heads.
¡°No, we are mastering assassination, not martial arts. The moment you destroyed that fellow, we already failed. Enter.¡±
¡°Thanks. And this fellow will be kicked out, correct? Since he attempted murder without wearing the proper attire and failed.¡±
¡°You know our rules well.¡±
¡°It isn¡¯t a well-concealed secret, so it¡¯s nothing incredible. Tell him to not be so disappointed. Seeing as he was clearly inept during our ride, I think this job isn¡¯t fit for him. Maybe he can be a real coachman instead.¡±
Ting!
Jin flicked a gold coin towards the fainted man. The man would be very disappointed, but Jin felt that he actually saved his life.
After all, a pathetic one like him would only face death in Samil City.
¡°And tell him that this is for the ride.¡±
Jin trotted past the entrance and into the city. The guards nced at his back.
¡®An interesting and merciful fellow made a visit.¡¯
Jin could only be astonished as he walked in.
¡®Whoa¡¡¯
Before he left, the Seven-Colored Peacock gave him some information. Contrary to the views and beliefs of people, Samil was a quiet and beautiful city. The roads didn¡¯t have a single speck of dirt or mud, and each building was spaced evenly and perfectly. They looked as if they were new.
Each and every person who wore the Nameless uniform remained quiet. They didn¡¯t even dare to nce at the visitor.
Everything white glimmered in the afternoon sun.
¡®It¡¯s more beautiful than I imagined.¡¯
Goosebumps rose on the back of his neck.
This beauty hid blood. The reason as to why Nameless¡¯s symbol was the color white was because the assassins were confident that they could execute their targets without staining their uniforms.
Those who manage to make progress in this quiet city without being caught by anyone would then earn the privilege to live in the ¡®Nameless Manor¡¯.
¡®Visitors are merely special training dummies. Otherwise, they kill each other day by day.¡¯
At first nce, the cadets ranged from teenagers, to young adults, to middle-aged people. There were even children four or five years younger than Jin. And among them, a talented one definitely existed. However, it was rare for one to ever show mercy.
Age, experience, origin¡ªnone of that mattered here. Every cadet¡¯s goal was to kill others, climb the cadet ranks, and head to the Nameless Manor.
¡®No matter what angle you look at it, this ce is worse than the Runcandel n.¡¯
Seeing the children in this brutal city, Jin conjured an image of his sister, Yona Runcandel.
¡®Elder Sister Yona said that she was sent here at the age of 12¡¡¯
Realizing Yona¡¯s talents very early, Cyron debated whether to send her to the Hidden Pce or Samil City.
Both were ces to escape the world powers and ces to colonize.
Between the two, Cyron wanted the Hidden Pce more. However, he sent his youngest daughter to Nameless for one reason.
At the Hidden Pce, Syris was already chosen to be the sessor, but there wasn¡¯t anyone yet for Nameless. Even until now, when Yona was already 23 years old.
Which was why Jin could count the number of times he saw Yona with his hands.
¡®In my past life, she came back and became an assassin for the n.¡¯
It was far from an ¡®honorable g-bearer¡¯. She became an unofficial g-bearer who had to hide her presence at all times.
Although she had some freedom in the Garden of Swords, Yona normally lived in hiding and often erased her presence. The reason was unknown; whether it was due to her personality or she thought her presence brought misfortune.
And seeing her live like that, Jin felt empathy. Yona wouldn¡¯t know, but¡
¡®I was also pushed to a corner and suffocated. Though, the treatment between us were pr opposites.¡¯
It was an opportunity for him to have a nice talk with her. Along with the request to have the Thousand-Poison Antidote.
Jin walked along the path as he smiled bitterly.
First, he needed to find a room to reside in. Samil was a moderate-sized city. Due to theck of visitors, there weren¡¯t many inns.
However, Jin didn¡¯t think of going to an inn.
¡®An inn has a high risk of assassination. I won¡¯tst long tracking the inn owner, workers, and other guests.¡¯
He already experienced how painful that was at the Cosmos Arena. He barely survived even from inexperienced pirates.
¡®It¡¯s better to choose a room from an average cadet.¡¯
Peons like the coachman wouldn¡¯t attack Jin out of fear. Instead, Jin¡¯s life would be threatened by the cadet homeowner.
¡®I have to choose wisely. A cadet who thinks they could kill me anytime, but never will.¡¯
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
Meanwhile, at a dock in the central region of the Kon Kingdom.
Beradin and Dante were tracking down Jin after the Zipfel banquet.
¡°Hey, you. Yeah, you. Come help me for a second. Have you seen someone like this?¡±
¡°Ehem, have you seen someone like this? If so, I will be very thankful.¡±
Using Hairan¡¯s political power, they dug through all of the recent transfer gate usage records, found forty-five instances of ¡®Jin Grey¡¯, and met ten different people who bore the same name.
It would be easier if the Hairan and Zipfel ns worked together, but that would destroy the meaning of a ¡®secret trip¡¯ and the opportunity for the three to gather.
The two made that decision.
¡°We are certain that this Jin Grey came here as well¡ but what if the Jin Grey in the Kon Kingdom isn¡¯t the one we¡¯re looking for?¡±
¡°What do you think we¡¯ll do? Go to the next town over, that¡¯s what! At least one of the forty-five must be him. Else, we¡¯ll have to start all over again.¡±
Amitment that no one else would willingly make.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 143: Nameless (2)
Chapter 143: Nameless (2)
Volume 6 Chapter 143 ¨C Nameless (2)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡°You want to borrow a room?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
The man looked down at Jin with an expressionless face.
A man who easily towered over 2 meters with a scary face. For the other cadets, the pure-white uniform at least made them look nicer, but not for this man.
He resembled a martial artist¡ªor a mercenary instructor who used an axe¡ªmore than an assassin.
While scouring the streets until sundown, Jin chose this man, and his standards were his footsteps.
An assassin was a beginner if Jin could hear their footsteps without the need to focus, intermediate if he needed to focus a little, and advanced if he couldn¡¯t hear them at all.
As for those who required the utmost focus to detect, they would easily go to the Nameless Manor.
With that in mind, Jin determined this man to be an intermediate cadet. After facing the coachman and the guards, beginners were off the list, and confronting an advanced assassin from the start was a little too much.
¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to stay at an inn?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t like it because there are many customers at night. I¡¯ll pay more than enough for each night, so please.¡±
¡°I feel very offended¡¡±
The man¡¯s eyes narrowed.
Not because Jin just asked for a room out of the blue, but because the man interpreted the request as a tease; something along the lines of ¡®you can¡¯t kill me.¡¯
¡°Seeing that you entered with the Nameless Pass, you must be an offspring of a n, and you must have incredible skills for your age. I understand that you¡¯re confident, but this is Samil City. There is no such thing as a fair fight.¡±
¡°I know well about that, so I avoided going to an inn. If you will not offer your room, I¡¯ll search for someone else.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll let you in. I won¡¯t take any payments. Though, I may take your life instead. Don¡¯t forget that this is all on you.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
After a five-minute walk, they arrived at a two-story residence.
Jin chose to use a rtively small room on the second floor. As soon as he entered, he asked for dinner.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about your food being poisoned.¡±
¡°I never thought of you as that much of a beginner. Thanks for the meal.¡±
An efficient meal with some meat, eggs, and vegetables. Very fresh produce, as the cadet said. Jin quickly finished his te before the man and stared at him.
¡®Even if he¡¯s an intermediate, I should never lower my guard around him.¡¯
Jin looked carefree, but it would be a lie if he said he wasn¡¯t nervous.
The man could release poisonous gas under the table, go for Jin¡¯s throat with the fork, or throw the poison needles hidden in his sleeve.
Anything could happen if Jin lowered his guard.
Even though he possessed better physical skills, he had to think of all the possibilities against a trained assassin.
¡®Two needles in his sleeve. And he¡¯s always keeping the middle of his mouth empty while he chews, so he has needles or a poison sk in there. However, I can¡¯t only check on those.¡¯
His knowledge of assassins¡¯ basic principles from his cadet days helped him.
¡ªWhenagainst assassins, you must think of them as illusionists or scammers, Young Master. If the opponent¡¯s eyes give away that they saw a hidden weapon, they¡¯ll use another unexpected hidden card.
It was something the beginner ss instructor told him. Also, before Jin left for Samil City, hispanions provided advice that often applied.
Especially Quikantel¡ªwho knew well about Nameless¡ªoffered many points of advice, which Jin constantly thought about.
¡ªThere is one thing you need to keep an eye on when in Samil. When a door suddenly opens, never take your eyes off what you¡¯re looking at. The moment you instinctively turn and look, it¡¯ll be the end of your life.
Creeeaaaaaak.
How could he have such great teachers andpanions?
Thankfully, even when the front door opened, Jin could keep an eye on the man.
¡®What is this kid? He knew that the door was gonna open?¡¯
On the other hand, the assassin expected Jin to turn his head. He nned to suffocate Jin with the table cloth¡ªwhich was covered in chloroform¡ªwhile he was looking away. However, he couldn¡¯t execute it. Even after three seconds since the door opened, Jin maintained his upright position.
Squeeeaaak, squeeaak¡
The open door swayed and made a squeaking sound.
Nobody came through the door. Just some evening wind blew past the two inhabitants.
¡ªIt¡¯s their special training method. Instructors would dress as cadets, open doors, and walk past. Especially for houses with visitors. It¡¯s a principle of the assassins to catch an opportune moment by staying alert 24/7.
Had Jine to Samil without hearing this from Quikantel, his visit would have been more fatal than expected.
For a while, Jin stared at the man.
¡°Should I close it?¡±
Jin asked cluelessly, and the man nodded whilst suppressing his surprise.
¡®He¡¯s not an easy kid. He¡¯s an unnerving one. Maybe he¡¯s from an elite n¡ That would be more dangerous for me than him. I¡¯ll observe him for a while and take the opportunity. I shouldn¡¯t take him lightly.¡¯
.
If he forced an attack on Jin, the Nameless instructor who opened the door would kick him out immediately.
Because that was not the way of Nameless.
¡°May I go rest upstairs?¡±
¡°Do as you wish.¡±
On the second floor, Jin started to investigate his surroundings.
He took note of how many possible paths external intruders could take; whether there were any traps or assassins in position. He didn¡¯t simply scan and check for one or two things.
¡®There¡¯s nothing that could pose a problem on the second floor. One window limits the possibility of invasion, and even a slightlyrge physique would prevent such entry. No special contraptions on the ceiling, floor, or walls either¡¡¯
After finishing the hour-long inspection, Jiny on the bed and thought about the instructor that opened the door while he ate dinner.
¡®¡Nameless is beyondprehension. Are you telling me that all of the instructors are on that level? How can a person move like a ghost like that?¡¯
While he was eating, Jin had his senses heightened; enough to detect even the movement of dust. He also expected that his concentration would be marred by the door suddenly opening.
Despite all that, he wasn¡¯t able to detect the instructor¡¯s footsteps.
It was as if nobody turned the doorknob and the door just opened on its own.
Even Jin couldn¡¯t replicate such ghostliness with his spiritual energy.
¡®That instructor could kill me whenever they want, even if this wasn¡¯t Samil and it was my room in Tikan. Even if all of mypanions guarded my room, my survival wouldn¡¯t be guaranteed.¡¯
Goosebumps crawled up his spine.
¡®I shouldn¡¯t be proud of identifying an intermediate cadet¡¯s schemes. If I encounter an instructor-level assassin, I¡¯ll be dead before I can even show them what Miss Quikantel gave me.¡¯
He finally started to feel what kind of ce he got into.
However, there were still many things he didn¡¯t know about. And if they remained unknown to him, Jin¡ªwho had gone through so many conflicts¡ªwould fall to the ground in despair¡
¡®I think that¡¯s him? Isn¡¯t it? Is it?¡¯
Sitting upside down on the ceiling was a woman who had been watching Jin this entire time.
Even while Jin inspected the second floor, she stayed right on his tail. And the moment Jin sat on his bed, she took position on the ceiling.
The woman had been observing Jin while maintaining a half-step distance for about an hour.
¡®Is it him? Is it not? Is it? Err, should I just ask? ¡No. If it isn¡¯t him, I have to kill him. He definitely looks like him, though¡!¡¯
Jin sighed and unsheathed Bradamante to clean it, and the woman smiled with glittering eyes.
Her name was Yona Runcandel.
The best Executioner of Nameless, Jin¡¯s sister, and the instructor who opened the door.
¡®It¡¯s Bradamante! It is the youngest! Wow! Nice to see you again!¡¯
Unable to suppress her happiness, she pped.
¡®pping?!¡¯
Jin instinctively stood and took a defensive stance. He simultaneously looked towards the source of the sound: the ceiling.
At that moment, Yona already repositioned herself behind Jin again.
¡®Phew. That was close.¡¯
As if she were weightless, the bedding that she stood on didn¡¯t have a single wrinkle.
Jin quickly spun in ce to analyze his surroundings, but like a shadow, Yona stuck right behind Jin.
¡®My youngest brother, couldn¡¯t you just act like you didn¡¯t hear it?¡¯
The current leader of Nameless didn¡¯t favor her for nothing. Yona¡¯s abilities were something that even the leader couldn¡¯t do.
¡®Am I hearing things? What was it? What the hell was it? I¡¯m sure I heard a pping sound on the ceiling¡ Am I hearing things because I¡¯m so sensitive? I can¡¯t even use magic or spiritual energy¡!¡¯
Contrary to Yona, Jin was going crazy. He had been dripping cold sweat for an hour, but he still couldn¡¯t identify what the sound was.
¡®Is it the instructor from before? No, even an instructor can¡¯t conceal themselves in this space.¡¯
Ultimately, Jin concluded that he was hearing things. Otherwise, it would be an iprehensible scenario.
¡°Phew¡¡±
He slumped back onto the bed but still couldn¡¯t let go of his alertness. He wouldn¡¯t be sleeping tonight.
¡®You¡¯ll never be able to find me since you didn¡¯t open your Mind¡¯s Eye, heehee. But that¡¯s incredible. How much have you grown since thest time I saw you?¡¯
Yona knew Jin to be a 5-star. However, seeing him in person, his aura was at least 7-star. That was incredible enough, but she didn¡¯t forget that he prevented all attempts of murder on the first floor.
¡®I¡¯m certain even Eldest Sister Luna couldn¡¯t do that at your age. Well, she would just take no damage from poison needles or daggers and just counterattack, but she would never prevent such attacks from happening.¡¯
Proud of her brother, she wanted to give Jin a big hug. Yet, after debating on whether she should reveal herself and praise the youngest, Yona shook her head.
¡®There¡¯s so much I want to tell you, teehee. Let¡¯s y a little more until the day you leave, shall we?¡¯
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 144: Nameless (3)
Chapter 144: Nameless (3)
Volume 6 Chapter 144 ¨C Nameless (3)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Four days had passed. Every day after waking up, Jin ate breakfast with the man, roamed the streets, returned by sunset, and ate dinner.
The carefree days made him feel like he came to a remote vacation spot instead of Samil. Whenever he roamed the streets or resided in the house with the man, there wasn¡¯t a single assassination attempt.
Jin¡¯s days were very peaceful.
The ce he resided in was an intermediate cadet¡¯s home.
The cadets in the streets were worse than hisndlord. The fact that he came back alive from the house reminded those below that Jin was not someone to mess with.
¡®No one¡¯s going for me after the first day. Feels a little weird.¡¯
Flip, flip.
Leaning on a tree, Jin flipped through an encyclopedia about different poisons and poisonous nts from Samil¡¯s library.
As much as a visitor could borrow it, it didn¡¯t have much information in it. However, since Jin didn¡¯t know much about poisons, he was very intrigued.
A pair of eyes hiding behind a tree across from him watched him intently.
¡®Heehee. Out of everyone in the family, he seems to like books.¡¯
Yona was very busy supervising her younger brother.
Aside from the fact that she hadn¡¯t seen him in a long time, Yona had her own reason to watch him.
Jin¡¯s skill level.
She had to identify that in order to send assassins at his level. And based on her observations, his skills were unbelievable for a 16-year-old.
¡®Not only is his aura spectacr, but his ability to detect danger is also remarkable. Like a veteran who survived death multiple times.¡¯
Even for a Runcandel, that much experience was rare.
Usually, if they didn¡¯t push themselves on the verge of death because they were a Runcandel, then experiencing life or death situations was hard.
¡®He would¡¯ve ovee those situations at least once or twice at the age of 16¡ What kind of life did this kid live through?¡¯
Just as Yona said, pureblood Runcandels usually went through simr experiences during their g-bearer conquests. However, she felt that the youngest didn¡¯t just experience it once or twice.
She wasn¡¯t wrong. In fact, Jin had ovee more challenges and hardships than any other Runcandel.
Although Yona didn¡¯t know it, Jin had the experience of someone who had lived until their mid-40s¡ªincluding his past life. And since he was a weakling in his past life, he had to live through many more things the hard way.
¡®Very interesting! Intermediate or intermediate-advanced wouldn¡¯t be enough¡ I should send some advanced assassin groups.¡¯
¡°Heehee~¡±
Yona lightly giggled and left the forest.
¡®Hm?¡¯
Jin looked at where she wasst. And then he thought to himself.
¡®Something was over there again¡ It¡¯s been so many days since I¡¯ve started sensing these. Ha. Ever since the pping sound, I think I¡¯m going crazy.¡¯
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
¡°You, can¡¯t you leave my house now?¡±
The next evening, the intermediate cadet spoke in an exhausted voice right after serving dinner.
¡°Am I perhaps eating too much or disrupting your daily life?¡±
Jin asked with widened eyes, and the man shook his head.
¡°No, it¡¯s not that.¡±
¡°Then why¡?¡±
The man sighed deeply.
¡°I gave up trying to assassinate you.¡±
¡°Ah¡¡±
¡°At first I thought you were a fearless child. A child who grew up as an offspring of a n only knowing the good side of the world. Something pathetic like that. And I was very wrong.¡±
¡°I see.¡±
They awkwardly smiled at each other.
¡°¡But for four days, I tried to find an opening. I couldn¡¯t get a single opportunity. Four days. So I admit, I am not at a level to kill you.¡±
¡°Hm, it would be right for me to leave after hearing that reason. But why give up without even trying¡?¡±
¡°Failing an assassination attempt on a visitor causes deductions. Usually, I¡¯m supposed to finish you off by the end of day one, but you didn¡¯t offer any openings. And I¡¯m about to be promoted anyway.¡±
¡®Do I show sympathy¡?¡¯
Jin thought for a second, but then just shrugged.
¡°It was a meaningful four days for me. I learned a lot by staying alert this entire time. I hope you learned something new as well.¡±
And for once, the manughed out loud.
¡°Kuhaha! I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d answer like that. I learned a lot too. My skill level stagnated for a while, but this experience really stimted me¡ I give you my thanks.¡±
The man offered his hand.
¡°I¡¯m not trying to kill you here. However, after you leave my house, I hope you get out of Samil safely.¡±
Jin grabbed his hand after pondering for a bit.
¡°I hope you be a Nameless Assassin ande work for me someday. I won¡¯t ask for your name. Though, I will return the hospitality.¡±
For the first time in the man¡¯s house, Jin had afortable meal.
Immediately after, he packed his bags and left. It was a dark night with no moon or stars in sight.
¡®Now I don¡¯t feel bad about going to the inn.¡¯
Even at the inn, the inexperienced insects wouldn¡¯t bug him.
Thinking this, Jin started walking.
However, not even five steps away from the house, he instinctively felt something and looked below his feet
¡®Huh? This is¡?¡¯
A trap used to catchrge beasts. If one stepped on the middle, a sharp steel trap would grip onto one¡¯s ankle.
About thirty of those were scattered across Jin¡¯s path.
¡ªWhen against assassins, you must think of them as illusionists or scammers, Young Master.
If he didn¡¯t think of Garon Altemiro¡¯s advice again, Jin would¡¯ve been caught by the traps.
¡®Above!¡¯
Shing!
Jin unsheathed Baradmante and looked at the roof of the house. Someone had their head peering over the side.
An advanced cadet sent by Yona. The cadet bit on a long tube, preparing to shoot a poison dart.
The traps were to slightly falter Jin¡¯s focus for a split second so that the blow dart could actually hit its target.
Pfft!
The dart was shot before Bradamante could be fully unsheathed.
Thankfully, Jin could deflect it with the half-unsheathed sword. However, he couldn¡¯t counter it.
The cadet then pulled on a string that was tied to all of the traps.
The dozens of bear traps in the front yard all flew towards Jin. The steel mouth would bite into his skin and inject its poison the moment it touches him.
¡®Holy shit!¡¯
The sight resembled a pack of alligators charging towards him.
ng! Ka-ng! Kang!
Jin fully unsheathed Bradamante and deflected all of the traps, swinging the sword as fast as he could. As the de left pale-white afterimages, some of the traps remained on the de.
That was the cadet¡¯s goal. Should the assassination fail, the cadet nned to neutralize Jin¡¯s sword to buy time and escape.
They already failed as soon as the dart was deflected, so the cadet had no intention of killing Jin with the traps.
The cadet thought that Jin would get rid of the traps on his sword first instead of chasing the culprit. They also wished the sword would break.
¡°You bastard!¡±
Yet there was no way some bear traps would scratch Bradamante, a de forged from a thousand-year-old steel. With the bear traps clinging onto his sword, Jin chose to jump onto the roof.
The de now resembled a bat more than a sword. Jin threw the metal stick towards the cadet.
Wooooong!
Bradamante let out a ringing sound as it travelled through the air. Because of the traps, the de couldn¡¯t cut anything. However, the massive stick hit the cadet¡¯s thigh and then fell to the ground.
ng!
Jin jumped off the y rooftop and onto the cadet who lost bnce.
¡®Gotcha!¡¯
The two tangled together and fell on the roof. Jin immediately got on top of the cadet and wrapped his fist in aura, ready to strike his opponent¡¯s face.
¡°I admit failure!¡±
The cadet shouted in a frantic voice.
¡°What?¡±
¡°I admit failure, my fellow. So please stop. You¡¯ve won.¡±
¡°Would you stop in my position? I won¡¯t kill you. Thank your cadet status.¡±
Crack!
Jin struck the cadet regardless, and their nose and cheekbones ttened out. Blood sttered everywhere, yet Jin didn¡¯t stop until the cadet fainted.
¡®What a mess as soon as I left.¡¯
He haphazardly cleaned the blood off his fist. There were six traps biting down on his sword, so he couldn¡¯t use it before he got rid of them.
¡®I should get rid of these. I¡¯ll need at least three minutes¡¡¯
Jin stopped his hand extending towards the traps and looked around.
They were on the roof, so there was no ce to hide the body. There were also many other spaces for other people to conceal themselves on the adjacent roofs.
¡®First, I need to move somewhere safe. Since this guy ced those traps, they knew I¡¯d leave the house today.¡¯
Jin concluded that the advanced cadet definitely heard the conversation he had with the intermediate cadet. He had mentioned that he would leave after dinner, and the advanced cadet chose to attempt the assassination then.
¡®That guy didn¡¯t backstab me. Moreso some higher-up ordered him or something. Or maybe, after evaluating my skill level, someone ordered to hunt me down.¡¯
Right as he thought so¡ª
Fwiiiiiiiit!
Fwit!
Arrows flew towards him from both sides. And as expected, they were poison-tipped arrows. Jin could barely evade them, but he couldn¡¯t extrapte the source due to more arrows flying towards him.
Arrows continued to rain towards him, and he couldn¡¯t even deduce how many people were shooting.
He had to get on the ground. He needed at least the building wall to block the arrowsing from one direction.
¡®Shit, I feel like there¡¯s something else waiting for me on the ground¡!¡¯
However, he had no choice. If he didn¡¯t want to turn into a porcupine, he had to get on the ground.
Jin gritted his teeth and jumped off the roof.
Yona smiled, satisfied.
¡®Hehe, suffer a little, youngest brother. After being chased like this for a week, you¡¯ll awaken your Mind¡¯s Eye. It¡¯s already half open. If you don¡¯t survive, and end up dying¡ it¡¯ll be a little sad, but it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯
¡°Hm-hmhm~¡±
Yona hummed a tune as Jin sprinted away. She truly wished for Jin to grow stronger.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 145: Nameless (4)
Chapter 145: Nameless (4)
Volume 6 Chapter 145 ¨C Nameless (4)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
The assassins¡¯ pursuit continued throughout the night and into the morning.
Just as Jin said himself, the first advanced assassin, who blew poison darts at him, was merely the beginning. Right after Jin jumped from the roof, the streets filled with poisonous fumes. His vision marred by the gasses, Jin got lost in the alleys. Whenever he paused to catch his breath, a de would fly right past his face.
Another flurry of arrows followed him as he escaped the alleys.
Deflecting and dodging all of the projectiles, Jin thought he was dead when three advanced cadets ambushed him from the sewers.
Not only that.
When he finally found the inn, as soon as he opened the door, fumes began to leak out. And through the haze, a dagger flew out.
It was pretty surprising for Jin, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about the half-a-breath¡¯s worth of fumes that he inhaled.
¡°Pant, pant¡ These crazy bastards¡¡±
Jin escaped into the forest where he previously read his book.
Ptoo!
He spat out a mix of saliva and blood before shaking his head. If it weren¡¯t for his body, he would be suffering from a fever and spitting blood clumps into red spit.
¡®Even though this is a little organized, it¡¯s too organized. I don¡¯t know who¡¯s sending all these people, but I¡¯ll find them and beat their ass¡!¡¯
Krrrrrrrrrk.
Gritting his teeth, Jin clenched his fists. His eyes burned with passion and fighting spirit.
At the end of the forest, the sun began to rise. However, Jin couldn¡¯t be sure if the pursuit stopped by the morning.
His face was covered in cold sweat, and his robe was ripped and torn everywhere like an old rag.
Even so, he was surprised that he didn¡¯t have a single nick on his skin.
¡°Phew.¡±
After spending five minutes scouting the area, Jin leaned on a tree. He could never dream of knowing that Yona was on top of that tree.
¡®Heehee. You¡¯re the best.¡¯
p¡
Yona dropped a piece of paper and concealed herself.
¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯
Jin instinctively caught the paper out of the air.
(ytime resumes in the evening.)
At that moment, Jin was at his limit. He would¡¯ve cut the tree down.
Barely holding in his anger, Jin chuckled.
¡°Haha.¡±
¡®I thought it¡¯d be the best of the best executioners of Nameless, but it was just Elder Sister Yona. Well that¡¯s a little better. If I survive these attacks, I can more righteously and bluntly ask for the Thousand-Poison Antidote.¡¯
* * *
Since Yona herself sent the message, Jin rxed for the afternoon. After locking the inn door and taking a deep nap, the fatigue dissipated. The miniscule amount of poisonous fumes got cleansed. Everything left his system as he breathed during his sleep.
This would never happen if the poison were from a more trained Nameless Assassin.
¡®Now that I think about it, Elder Sister Anne received the Thousand-Poison Antidote because she entertained Elder Sister Yona for a while. Well, they ¡°yed¡± a little differently, though¡¡¯
Anne very annoyingly approached Yona then.
She targeted Yona¡¯s heart that had a unique personality and often faced loneliness. At first, Yona didn¡¯t trust her too much. But slowly and surely, her heart opened, and Anne obtained the potion.
¡ªI loved you so much for so long, and you won¡¯t do anything for me?
Anne obtained the potion by forcing Yona to feel remorse. After her acquisition, she distanced herself from Yona, saying that she couldn¡¯t deal with her personality. Every sibling knew that.
¡®Elder Sister Yona¡¯s depression at the main house had many reasons, but her scars and bruises from Elder Sister Anne weren¡¯t small. Even I knew at such a young age.¡¯
Of course, Jin had no intention of ying with Yona to achieve his goal.
Splish, ssh!
Beforeing into his room, he quickly washed his face in water that he gathered in a bowl. He tied his bangs so it wouldn¡¯t hang over.
Then, he shoddily sewed the holes in his robe and examined his equipment.
¡®It¡¯ll begin as soon as I open the door. If I open it without care, it¡¯ll be like a bee¡¯s nest.¡¯
Was it because he already experienced it the previous night?
He felt like he could verse more skillful assassins. He got used to an entire city going for his head.
¡®But I won¡¯t be wasting time like yesterday. Be thankful that I¡¯m only using my sword, you cadets.¡¯
Jin thought that he could resist as many cadets if he used magic or spiritual energy. He was handicapped this entire time.
Creaaaak!!
Pshooo! Shhshhhk! Crk!
As expected, as soon as the door opened, the traps installed in front of the door activated. Poisonous darts flew towards Jin.
He moved out of the doorway. Having already expected Jin¡¯s movement, the assassins in the hallway held their breaths to conceal their location.
¡®I have no intention of losing to your pace, today.¡¯
BOOM!
Jin wrapped the knob of his sword with aura and knocked down the door. The thin wooden door shattered, and a hole big enough for a man to pass through formed.
¡°I spared your asses yesterday, but starting now, you are risking your limbs trying to kill me!¡±
Wholeheartedly.
He let himself get chased because he didn¡¯t want to kill any cadets. Although he showed mercy the previous night, they had pushed Jin to the edge. Whether they were cadets or moving on orders. Either way, they were trying to kill him.
sh!
Jin darted out of the hole and lightly cut the waist of a cadet. Before he could hear a scream, Jin twisted the de to deepen the wound.
¡°If you don¡¯t find a doctor soon, you¡¯ll be finished.¡±
The other cadets surrounded Jin and began throwing sharp projectiles. Deflecting them would be easy, but the most threatening in the swarm were the hooks.
These hideous hooks, made with the talons of eagles woven together, clung onto anything it touched and never let go.
And its tensional strength was off the charts. It didn¡¯t break at the swing of the sword covered in blue aura.
¡®Every time I see that, I feel like I¡¯m being treated like some beast.¡¯
At first, because it didn¡¯t break easily, Jin didn¡¯t know what to do. It was the main cause of the tears in his robe.
However, he didn¡¯t n on falling for it twice.
¡®Something I can just stab and withdraw¡ Why did I think to just swing at it?¡¯
Thinking of stabbing something flying at the speed of an arrow wasn¡¯tmon.
Ting, titing!
Jin began to lightly stab each grapple like quick jabs, and the cadets licked their lips.
Unfortunately, they did not have sword skill or physical ability like that of Jin. The reflected grapples with the jaws open flew towards the cadets. Earsplitting screams echoed.
¡°Kaaaaargh!¡±
¡°Errrrrk¡!¡±
The small hallway then filled with blood and bits of flesh. Jin walked on and over the cadets to head to the first floor.
¡®They¡¯re a little worse than the guys from yesterday. Probably trying to elicit hubris or something. The ones on the first floor will probably be the special ones amongst the cadets.¡¯
The best cadets who were one or two steps away from the Nameless Manor. Just as Jin expected, the assassins stationed on the first floor and outside the inn were very talented.
¡®I should never move in the trajectory they want me to go. I¡¯ll lose if I do. Wherever the attacks fly in, I shouldn¡¯t dodge them. Just charge through.¡¯
¡®Instead of being chased, make him chase.¡¯ Jin presumed that the assassins would act upon that principle.
¡®If I destroy everything in my path, they¡¯ll naturally just follow me. Since they treated me like some giant beast, I¡¯ll return the favor.¡¯
sh! Crash!
As soon as he arrived on the first floor, he shot de crescents everywhere like a madman and bulldozed through the first floor. Every pole or wall he encountered, he burst through it.
Of course, this was through all of the projectiles, but it was better than the day before. Once caught in a de crescent, a head would be lost.
¡®Nobody get startled. If he escapes the inn, then the squad on the roof will snipe him¡¡¯
The squadron leader signaled his thoughts, but not even ten secondster, his prediction was proven wrong.
As soon as Jin burst out of the inn walls, his n was to ¡®bulldoze through anything in sight¡¯, including cadets¡¯ residences and small shops.
¡°Aaaaaaack!¡±
¡°Oh! M-My house!¡±
The Jin-assassination squad couldn¡¯t register the situation, and the beginner cadets suffered great damages in their property.
They attacked him first as an organization. Not just a cadet¡¯s assassination attempt, but a nned action with dozens of people involved. And Jin thought that was too much.
¡®Are these cadets resilient or will my aura deplete? Or will the leader of Nameless take action? Let¡¯s see what happens, Elder Sister Yona.¡¯
Every time another brick house copsed, Jin¡¯s smile grew.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
¡°Haaah¡ hoo¡.¡±
Jin slowly got exhausted. The aura on Bradamante got significantly fainter, and his body felt heavy like steel.
So, after the pursuit settled down, he hid himself in a restaurant and caught his breath.
¡®Shit, it seems the leader likes Elder Sister Yona more than I thought¡¡¯
At this point, Jin thought that the leader or one of the best executioners woulde for him.
Then, he could use Quikantel¡¯s present and reason his way out of the situation.
However, it was Yona who sent the cadets to pursue him.
The leader of Nameless would respect all of Yona¡¯s decisions. Even causing this much of a ruckus, Yona would just write a one-hundred-page self-reflection and face no other punishment.
Knowing this fact, Jin would be lying if he said he wasn¡¯t surprised.
¡®At this rate, the cadets will find out that my aura is weak, clench their teeth, and then give it their all. What should I do? Do I have to use magic or spiritual energy? Using Miss Quikantel¡¯s present now would be too premature and humiliating.¡¯
After thinking for a while, Jin¡¯s eyes burned with anger.
¡°Hey, you guys hiding over there. Come out. Before I bring you down with the ceiling. Seeing that you¡¯re shit at hiding your footsteps, it seems you guys aren¡¯t the ones who are out to kill me. If you leave, I¡¯ll let you live.¡±
The next moment, Jin was met with unexpected faces.
¡°Huh¡ What? Why are you guysing out from there?¡±
The ones behind the pir were Dante and Beradin, who were scratching their heads.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 146: Nameless (5)
Chapter 146: Nameless (5)
Volume 6 Chapter 146 ¨C Nameless (5)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
¡°Hey, Jin!¡±
Beradin waved his hand crazily with a big smile across his face.
¡°Greetings, old friend!¡±
Dante grinned and tried to approach Jin. However, Jin held out his sword and stayed cautious.
¡°I¡¯m a little sensitive right now. I would like you to exin why you showed up at this location at this exact moment.¡±
¡°Hm, are you not d to see us?¡±
¡°I¡¯d be a little d to see you in a bar, but this isn¡¯t that.¡±
¡°A little¡¡±
Disappointed, Dante looked at the ground. Beradin grabbed Dante¡¯s shoulders and held him up.
¡°Only a little d¡ That¡¯s too harsh.¡±
Letting down both of his friends, Jin was startled.
¡®Is that important right now? No, was I too harsh?¡¯
His conscience was confused.
Thinking that it couldn¡¯t be helped, Jin lowered Bradamante and sighed.
¡°You wouldn¡¯t say that if you knew just how much we struggled to find you!¡±
¡°Exactly! I had to use my slush fund in order to obtain the Nameless Pass!¡±
Jin sighed.
¡°Alright, then. Go ahead and tell me. How you found me and for what reason you came.¡±
¡°So basically¡¡±
Beradin rambled on about their journey to find Jin.
About sifting through the usage history of all transfer gates in the Vermont Empire and finding 45 different Jin Greys, the days they spent tracking down each and every one, meeting fourteen Jin Greys before finding the one they wanted.
¡°When we arrived in central Kon, I had a good feeling. So we sought every single coachman in the area since this was the ce with Samil.¡±
¡°And you killed Kidard not so long ago, so I just knew you¡¯d be here. And our predictions were right! Do you now know how much we¡¯ve been through?¡±
Listening to their story, Jin¡¯s head went nk.
¡®Fucking hell¡ What kind of tenacity is this?¡¯
It was the first time he questioned someone¡¯s resilience.
¡°Haaa, yeah. I heard you loud and clear. Then what was your reason?¡±
¡°The reason why we went looking for you?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°Just ¡®cause¡ we wanna see you? Because the night at the arena was nostalgic?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you think we need not a major reason for us to see each other¡¯s faces once more?¡±
¡°Yeah¡ that¡¯s usible, alright. There doesn¡¯t need to be a reason. Thenstly, whye to Samil and hide in the corner of a restaurant?¡±
¡°Oh, that. I just knew that you were messing with Nameless. And I didn¡¯t want to get tied into that mess.¡±
¡°We arrived three hours ago and were about to go look for you. But then the town got a little noisy, and after understanding the situation¡ you were destroying and terrorizing the city.¡±
¡°And we were so hungry. We spent all our money to get the Nameless Pass, so we don¡¯t have money to eat.¡±
¡°Then your reason why you¡¯re at a restaurant is to fill your stomachs?¡±
Dante shook his head.
¡°We have no intention of eating for free! We were nning to ask you to pay. Coincidentally, you stumbled in on us.¡±
¡°Yeah, not a single thought to steal food. You know that, right? We¡¯re not that kind of people.¡±
Silence ensued.
Seeing the sauce on Dante¡¯s and Beradin¡¯s mouth, Jin smirked and chuckled. The two culprits then burst intoughter.
¡°I¡¯ll still pay for it.¡±
Jin took out a dozen gold coins and handed it to the two food robbers.
¡°Of course, we should pay the price!¡±
¡°Then do the money¡¯s worth.¡±
Their grins disappeared and they looked at Jin.
¡°Money¡¯s worth¡?¡±
¡°I¡¯m saying let¡¯s beat those guys together. Beradin, watch your back.¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
sh!
The cadet swarm threw a flurry of daggers.
ng!
Jin bolted past Beradin and deflected the projectiles. Dante drew his sword and took a defensive stance.
¡°Did I almost die there? Wow, I guess this really is Samil.¡±
¡°You knew I was going to block it for you, so shut your trap and prepare some spells. They¡¯re about to release the fumes.¡±
Beradin grinned and began to gather mana in his hands. Jin was surprised at how fast he gathered inconceivable amounts of mana.
And Jin could confirm that Beradin could multicast three spells at once.
¡®I saw a bit of it when he tried to heal Dante¡ but he really is multicasting three.¡¯
To cast three spells simultaneously meant that he could get out three times as much output from a static amount of mana.
The mana in Beradin¡¯s hands slowed down into fire, wind, and ice elements.
¡®On top of that, I don¡¯t know what Dante did, but his de got sharper.¡¯
Starting to move, Dante showed more refined yet aggressive movement than when he met Jin at the arena.
At Dante¡¯s current state, Jin would have to use either magic or spiritual energy in order to beat him.
He did train there more years than Jin, but it was still hard to believe that he made that much progress in three months after their time at the arena.
¡°Dante! Don¡¯t kill them!¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t think of doing that anyway, Beradin.¡±
The attack of the advanced cadets continued, butpared to before, Jin fought them withfort.
¡®Instead of thinking that I¡¯m expending all of my own energy and using all of my skills, they need to think about these other guys.¡¯
Revealing his magic and spiritual energy would be problematic, but if he used his alternative skills, even the advanced cadets wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.
Whoooooosh, fwooooosh!
From Beradin¡¯s hands, a wind blew out the restaurant and took the poisonous fumes with it.
Simultaneously, a trail of mes sped across the floor then spread outwards towards the cadets. Dante defended against the cadets who jumped through the windows.
¡°There¡¯s no end if we fight them here. Let¡¯s bulldoze out of here!¡±
¡°Then what shall we do? It seems the entire city wants your head.¡±
¡°Just do what I was doing before. Since you guys are with me, more cadets wille. Maybe a high-ranked executioner wille for us.¡±
¡°We were watching from the sidelines because we didn¡¯t want to get involved, but now there¡¯s no point!¡±
¡°Think of it as punishment for intruding with my private business.¡±
Ultimately, Dante and Beradin could only join the fight.
However, they didn¡¯t really dislike it. When they first began their search, they had a feeling they¡¯d be intertwined with some problems.
Though, the problem was a little bigger than they expected.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
Sitting atop the Nameless Manor, Yona sighed.
¡°What the hell?! What are those guys?!¡±
Unable to hold in her anger, she threw a tantrum with a strange envy.
¡°Hm¡ Yona, what¡¯s wrong?¡±
A man walked over to her and lit a cigar. A pale white uniform, and a ck belt that only one person of Nameless could wear.
The Leader of Nameless, Owal.
¡°I was having fun with my youngest brother, but some weird kids interfered and interrupted my ns. I¡¯m so pissed, Leader Owal. And they seemed to be close to him. I haven¡¯t even had a proper conversation with him!¡±
¡°So you¡¯re throwing a tantrum?¡±
¡°Yes! It¡¯s the first time I¡¯m this mad.¡±
¡°Th-That much?¡±
¡°You wouldn¡¯t know. I was so d to see him¡ I was going to help him open his Mind¡¯s Eye! Those fuckers! Oh, and don¡¯t tell anyone that he¡¯s a provisional g-bearer, yeah?¡±
¡°I do know¡¡±
Owal awkwardly shook his head.
¡®The sessors of the Zipfel n and Hairan n¡ It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen Yona this mad. But she won¡¯t kill them, right?¡¯
He thought too soon.
¡°I¡¯m gonna kill them!¡±
¡°Oh, Yona. You can¡¯t do that.¡±
¡°Why not? I¡¯ll kill them. Jin came to me for the first time, and they ruined everything. Everything! A white-haired magician and a child with a sword. Their faces are already engraved in my brain.¡±
¡°Do you really need to kill them? The entirety of Nameless may be put in a difficult spot.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t let this slide. I yielded everything until now. I killed people I didn¡¯t want to kill, even when people came to visit the main house.¡±
Owal licked his lips bitterly.
When the world powers had been moving ominously, Owal thought he evaded the fate of Nameless¡¯s extinction after getting Yona to seed him.
If it weren¡¯t for her, this era¡ªor maybe the next¡ªwould have been thest. That was Yona¡¯s presence in Samil.
However, her personality was far from universal. Although she was 23, she had a very pure aspect of her.
Putting ¡®pure¡¯ into other words, she could make anything happen. And in her mind, important things and unimportant things could change quickly.
¡®She¡¯s dangerous. If she moves on her own, they may never get out alive. If I need to keep them safe, I either need to kill Yona or make her disabled. But I don¡¯t want to think of that.¡¯
It wasn¡¯t because Owal wasckingpared to her. It was because Yona¡¯s prowess made her the most talented assassin in history.
Born to assassinate. The seconding of the god of death.
The Nameless Executioners called her that. And a small poption who knew about her called her a different name¡
The Chaotic de.
Thankfully, Owal knew well about controlling her.
¡°Then how about we y a game, Yona?¡±
¡°Go on.¡±
¡°Instead of cadets, we send three executioners. If they die, you win. And if they survive, you lose.¡±
Of course, in Yona¡¯s position, she wouldn¡¯t gain anything.
However, she fell deep into thought.
¡°Hmm, then the chance of Jin dying is very high. I don¡¯t want him to die. He ys along with me so well. And he¡¯s too precious.¡±
¡°If you let them live, then I won¡¯t bat an eye. Your brother lives, and hispanions live as well.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t want that either¡ Hm¡¡±
She didn¡¯t think for long.
¡°Sure! Let¡¯s do that game. But in addition, you can¡¯t intervene. If you help them in any way¡¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡±
¡°Heeheee, then I¡¯ll see youter. I¡¯ll go pick the assassins.¡±
Yona shed a big grin, and Owal made a bitter smile.
¡°But Yona, do you know how many houses fell today?¡±
¡°Nope.¡±
¡°¡Thirty-seven houses got destroyed. This is because you sent those guys to your brother. So you have to write a self-reflection.¡±
¡°Alrighty!¡±
Yona hummed a tune and jumped down from the rooftop, to the balcony.
¡®Phew, I stopped her from acting on her own, but can they really hold off one of ours¡¡¯
Even if the executioners killed Dante and Beradin, the Zipfels and Hairans wouldn¡¯t have a reason to immediately take action against Nameless. Since they were often involved in city destruction, the teens could be med for the crimes in the city.
However, if the pressure gradually increased, the Runcandels would take Yona before the situation could escte. Then, Nameless would either fall or be a follower of a kingdom and lose their sovereignty.
Even though Nameless was a great assassin organization, the world powers that lost their sessors wouldn¡¯t remain still and definitely retaliate.
¡®I didn¡¯t think the future of Nameless would be this dark. I must see Jin Runcandel without Yona knowing.¡¯
Lighting a cigarette, Owal devised his next move.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 147: Accidental Victory (1)
Chapter 147: idental Victory (1)
Volume 6 Chapter 147 ¨C idental Victory (1)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Morning of September 8th, 1796.
The three finished their face-off against the advanced cadets and sought an inn.
The strange thing was, after destroying part of the city, they went back to the restaurant and left the gold there.
Though, the restaurant where they met was half destroyed and burnt to a crisp¡
¡°Bleuuurghhh!¡±
Beradin threw up as soon as he rxed his body.
The result of breathing in the fumes the cadets nted in the streets. The magician didn¡¯t have such a durable body like Jin or Dante.
And even for a magician, Beradin was a little weak.
¡°Beradin, are you alright?! Here¡¯s some water. Take deep breaths. The fumes need to naturally circte out of your system.¡±
Dante pounded his hand on Beradin¡¯s back with a worried expression. While he threw up, Beradin constantly cast healing spells on himself, and every time he felt a little better, he flicked up his thumb.
¡®I feel like this is amon sight. Those guys are a dynamic duo.¡¯
They reminded him of Murakan, who chose to fly because he was bored of transfer gates, and Gilly, who had a fear of heights. Jin shook his head.
¡°His cold sweat isn¡¯t stopping. Jin, is there anything we can do for Beradin?¡±
¡°Yeah, Jin. Worry for me! Treating me would be better.¡±
Jin stared at Beradin.
¡®I never know what he really wants.¡¯
Apart from Dante, Jin knew that Beradin was doing it on purpose.
No matter how weak he was, he could instantly eliminate such poisons with his own recovery spells.
¡®What¡¯s his intention?¡¯
Pausing his thought, Jin walked over to Beradin, pulled out some herbs, and began to mince it with his dagger¡¯s handle in order to make the antidote he learned from the book.
¡°Here.¡±
¡°Wow!¡±
Receiving the antidote, Beradin happily looked at Jin. His eyes sparkled. He swallowed it whole and nodded in approval.
¡°Now I feel more alive. You knew how to make this stuff too?¡±
¡°Whoa, you feel better?¡±
¡°All thanks to Jin. Fufu, it¡¯s the first time I took an antidote from my friend.¡±
He really forced the word ¡®friend¡¯ into the sentence.
Beradin¡¯s acting was to simte friendship. If he hadn¡¯t done so, then Jin would always remain distant from him, so it couldn¡¯t be helped.
Of course, Beradin didn¡¯t only think of Jin as a friend. However, he didn¡¯t want to miss moments where he wanted to be a little closer to Jin.
¡°Get some good rest. There won¡¯t be any attacks before the sun sets.¡±
¡°How do you know?¡±
¡°I¡¯m ying a game with a higher-up of the city. The rule is that there won¡¯t be any attacks in the day, but she sends groups in the night.¡±
¡°What do you earn if you win?¡±
¡°Experience and growth.¡±
¡°You came to Samil and risked your life just for that?!¡±
¡°Why? Can¡¯t I?¡±
Jin answered calmly. Beradin interjected and Dante clenched his fist thinking:
¡®That¡¯s the Jin I know!¡¯
Jin didn¡¯t really bet his life. With Quikantel¡¯s present, he had ast resort at hand. He also didn¡¯te just for the experience and growth.
However, he had no intention of sharing the Thousand-Poison Antidote with the others, so he didn¡¯t need to mention it. Neither was it an item that he was guaranteed to obtain anyway.
¡®It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like them or anything, but I can¡¯t share that.¡¯
If he acquired anything else, then he could possibly distribute it. Although they tracked him down like stalkers, they joined his cause to fight the cadets on just a few gold pieces.
No one else in the world could move them with such a small reward.
¡°Thanks, guys.¡±
On Jin¡¯s mindlessment, the two shuddered.
¡®Didja hear that?¡¯
¡®Did you hear what he just said?¡¯
The two exchanged nces simultaneously and felt that their visit was worth it. Jin turned around and began to meditate.
¡®Once again, I can feel that experience is the most effective way of training. Just fighting cadets for a few days makes me feel close to opening my Mind¡¯s Eye¡¡¯
¡ªUse the eye of the mind to observe.
Something Jin heard hundreds of times from Luna during his own cadet days. After multiple years since the start of his Mind¡¯s Eye training, Jin¡¯s understanding became clearer and clearer.
He was desperate, but he wasn¡¯tte. Dante would be surprised if he found out that Jin was close to opening his Mind¡¯s Eye.
Normally, knights would unlock their Mind¡¯s Eye halfway through their training as a 7-star. Yet that only applied to those with talented senses. Mind¡¯s Eye was something that knights had to train endlessly even until 8- to 9-star.
It was the basic ability and sixth sense of those who fought masters or talented knights.
Jin slowly approached it before hitting 7-star. His prowess and Luna¡¯s training as well as the many life-or-death situations helped him to this point.
Life-or-death situations.
He said it with such ease, but no one would believe that a 16-year-old 6-star knight survived battles against a herd of Samil¡¯s advanced cadets.
¡°Go ahead and sleep. I¡¯ll take care of your equipment.¡±
¡°Thank you!¡±
¡°So cool!¡±
The twoy down and began to snore. Their stamina had been depleted from the unexpected battle.
¡®Dante is still pretty weak, but he¡¯ll get over it¡ Starting tomorrow, I¡¯ll use them and protect them somehow.¡¯
Using them was simple. The three meshed well with each other, so they easily filled each other¡¯s gaps.
However, Jin had to consider how to protect them.
¡®Elder Sister Yona will probably start sending more skillful cadets. We have to prepare for when a real executioneres. These two are just good at sword skill or magic. They don¡¯t have much experience on assassinations.¡¯
He felt it the past night. The two only survived because they just overpowered the cadets. Once the stronger assassinse, it would be too challenging for them.
Pondering for a solution, Jin sensed something approaching. He looked around.
¡®Footsteps?¡¯
The moment he looked forward¡ª
¡®Huh?!¡¯
A man with a white mask stood in front of him.
The Leader of Nameless, Owal. However, since he unstrapped his ck belt, Jin couldn¡¯t identify who he was.
Owal just stood and stared at him for a good few seconds. Murderous intent flickered in the leader¡¯s eyes for no apparent reason.
A re that could break even stones, trees, and other objects.
Jin instantly knew.
He knew that this man could target him one hundred times and kill him one hundred times. Only the most fierce and capable warriors possessed such transcendent res.
¡®He made his footsteps known on purpose. To see if I could detect him. Is he one of the best executioners of Nameless? ¡No. Excluding Yona, an executioner would have no reason to test me.¡¯
¡°A distant servant greets the 85th Leader of Nameless.¡±
It looked as if he showed full respect, but Jin was still seated. Owal was a little surprised, but he maintained his stance as he looked down at Jin.
¡°Lord Cyron recently acquired a gem. Truly someone to talk about marriage with the Hidden Pce. However, despite knowing it¡¯s me, I think it¡¯s a little too much to remain seated on such asions.¡±
Jin almost uttered ¡®Pardon?¡¯ like an idiot. It wasn¡¯t surprising that the Leader of Nameless knew his status.
However, marriage talk was not important.
First Jin had to think of why he visited him and what he could earn out of him.
¡°I tried to see if the owner of the pure-whites would take my life. The moment I die, the ones fated with misfortune wouldn¡¯t be the Runcandels anyway. I presume you came to make me take responsibility for the city I destroyed the past few days.¡±
¡°You easily knew that I would never kill you. After messing with mynd, you are also very blunt.¡±
¡°Since you brought up my father¡¯s name, I felt great respect and consideration from you.¡±
Even though he was a provisional g-bearer, there was no need to mention Cyron¡¯s name and try to threaten a Runcandel. Especially for someone who needed to y tug-of-war with the Runcandel n, Zipfel n, and Vermont Imperial Family.
¡®As long as he treats me like Jin Runcandel, it¡¯ll be easy to coerce the conversation in a direction that I please. It¡¯s only disadvantageous if I talk in fear.¡¯
Although he didn¡¯t know the rtionship between Yona and the Leader of Nameless, he knew the ties between the Runcandel n and Nameless. Jin nned on using that to gain control of the situation.
¡®Fighting sword to sword with him would be impossible, but it¡¯d be different in a game ofpromise.¡¯
Especially in a situation where he felt like the Leader of Nameless ¡®desperately¡¯ sought him.
Jin never thought Owal confronted him to take responsibility for the city¡¯s destruction in the first ce.
If it were that, then he¡¯d send the strongest assassin¡ªlooking away from the fact that Jin was a Runcandel¡ªor call him directly to the Nameless Manor to punish him.
However, Owal came to him secretly like a burr.
¡®For what reason did hee so desperately and guarantee that he will not cut my throat?¡¯
As Owal¡¯s harsh re pressed all over his body, his brain ran and thought of every scenario. If he didn¡¯t do so, then the conversation would go into the leader¡¯s favor.
¡®If it isn¡¯t for the demolished city, it must be about Elder Sister Yona.¡¯
Jin opened his mouth first.
¡°If you have something to say about Elder Sister Yona, then please tell me anything.¡±
¡°Haha¡¡±
Owal let out a low-pitchedugh. However, it reeked of bloodlust. Jin¡¯s senses became hyperactive, reacting even to the slightest bit of dust.
¡°Even Lord Cyron doesn¡¯t toy with the weakness of the Land of White. How dare you, a mere youngest son of Runcandel¡!¡±
Hph!
Jin instinctively grabbed his throat.
He couldn¡¯t breathe at the fighting spirit he felt for the first time.
Cyron¡¯s fighting spirit had a strength that shook the heavens, Tris¡¯s was the essence of bitter frost, and Luna¡¯s reminded him that there was nothing in the world that she couldn¡¯t cut.
Every great being he encountered, they had that kind of fighting spirit.
However, Owal¡¯s fighting spirit was like a dead night where nothing could be seen. A darkness where it couldn¡¯t be differentiated whether one¡¯s eyes were closed or open.
While his consciousness slowly faded away, Jin thought about his words.
¡®Weakness¡?! Elder Sister Yona is Nameless¡¯s weakness?¡¯
Owal was mistaken.
The reason why Jin tore down the city. The reason why he was so blunt. The reason why he had such hubris despite being a child.
It was because he knew that Nameless relied on Yona.
¡®It won¡¯t be too bad if I start threatening instead ofpromising.¡¯
Cough, cough¡
Jin let out the stifled air and sat straight up.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 148: Accidental Victory (2)
Chapter 148: idental Victory (2)
Volume 6 Chapter 148 ¨C idental Victory (2)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Owal lightened the pressure he ced upon Jin. The bottomless darkness soaked the atmosphere, but Beradin¡¯s and Dante¡¯s snoring didn¡¯t change one bit.
Owal already used some needles to paralyze them. Now, instead of his fighting spirit, he could immobilize Jin with just his re.
Jin¡¯s body trembled regardless of his resolve, but he didn¡¯t feel any fear.
He shook because his body couldn¡¯t take all of the energy being emitted by Owal.
¡®I didn¡¯t say it on purpose, but he¡¯s furious just because I brought up Elder Sister Yona¡¯s name. It means it¡¯s sensitive information, basically resulting in the leader¡¯s wrath.¡¯
In fact, Owal revealed his own weakness. Even now, all he did was re at Jin, and he didn¡¯t look like he was going to take Jin¡¯s life.
¡®I kinda get it¡¡¯
He concluded his calctions.
All thanks to the past few days that Yona presented to him.
¡®The Leader of Nameless is incredibly strong, but when ites to assassination skills, Elder Sister Yona is one level above him based on Nameless¡¯s principles.¡¯
When Jin first spent his time in the intermediate cadet¡¯s house, Yona observed him in the cramped second floor for over an hour. Afterwards, she constantly stalked Jin close by, indiscriminate between open or cramped spaces.
Without being spotted. That was a skill iparable to assassination, and Jin had been mistaken thinking that he was just weak or Nameless¡¯s best assassins was a little better.
It wasn¡¯t that at all.
If basic assassination were the goal, the Leader of Nameless could take Jin¡¯s life without him knowing. However, even the leader couldn¡¯t make a feat like Yona had.
Not just in Nameless. No one in the entire world could mimic Yona Runcandel¡¯s skills.
Jin suddenly remembered Luna¡¯s words before he became a provisional g-bearer.
¡ªAmong the siblings, is there anyone you feel a threat from?
¡ªNobody for a one-on-one. Maybe Luntia or Dipus? Or maybe you in the future¡? However, Yona is really dangerous.
¡ªElder Sister Yona? Because of poison?
¡ªNo, she¡¯s an assassin. Assassins can take anyone¡¯s life if they lower their guard.
At the time, Jin thought it was just a reminder about the danger of assassins. However, he just realized the hidden meaning behind Luna¡¯s words.
¡°I wouldn¡¯t care if I rip you apart right now, but just to be considerate of Lord Cyron, I¡¯ll turn a blind eye for you.¡±
Owal responded in a soft voice, Jin stood and bowed.
¡®He mentioned Father because he had a reason to. To guarantee that he¡¯ll never kill me, even if I nder Elder Sister Yona.¡¯
Jin liked the fact that there was less of a reason to die at Owal¡¯s hand.
Moreover, he became more certain that the leader came to save him.
¡®The Leader of Nameless came so he could save me from my sister. The deaths of Dante and Beradin from Yona¡¯s horsey would be problematic for the leader.¡¯
Jin willed down his smirk.
He liked his ability and position to throw threats, but a weakness was more effective when it was held in hand than shaking it provokingly. With the attitude that he could squeeze and make it explode whenever he wanted.
Unfortunately for him, he caught another weakness aside from Yona¡ªBeradin and Dante.
¡°I apologize. I was naive and provoked you. I will receive any punishment.¡±
¡°You thought I wouldn¡¯t know? With an expression that tells me that you know why I¡¯m here. No matter how courageous you are, that demeanor is impossible unless you are certain of your survival.¡±
That was Nameless¡¯s leader. Jin¡¯s mask became useless, but he didn¡¯t really care.
Exaggerated respect and etiquette would be futile against these types of people.
¡°It was a poor choice of words that disrespected you. I don¡¯t want to make such mistakes twice. I¡¯m certain that you havee for Dante and Beradin who are lying over there.¡±
¡°Correct. Killing you, a provisional g-bearer, wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem, but they¡¯re a different story. If you obey my words well, then I¡¯ll dismiss your mockery from before. I¡¯ll also forget about your rtionship with those two.¡±
¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±
The leader alleviated his anger and lit a cigar.
¡°Starting tonight, instead of cadets, white-masked executioners wille for you. You three must stick together, and make sure to seek the town square while escaping.¡±
Hearing the orders, Jin extrapted that the leader could no longer control Yona.
If the leader wanted to save Dante and Beradin, then he just had to exclude them from being targets. However, he chose toe to Jin and offered him advice instead.
¡°May I ask why?¡±
¡°You still have the courage to scorn me?¡±
¡°No, sir. I will do as you say.¡±
¡°And when the day after tomorrowes, make sure to escort the two sessors out of the city. At all costs. If they do not listen, take them down and throw them out.¡±
¡°So I should be alone.¡±
¡°You understood well. The executioners wille thrice.¡±
Owal¡¯s simtion went like this:
Since Yona had three opportunities, he would help the teens for the first two times, but the final time would be to not raise suspicion.
If Yona found out, Nameless would be flipped inside out. So if Dante and Beradin ran away, she would forget about them.
Since the one most important to Yona, Jin, remained in the city until thest day of the challenge.
¡®Yona will send an intermediate, advanced, then a master executioner. Since she intends to help her brother¡¯s growth instead of killing Beradin and Dante.¡¯
The three could never survive a master executioner. Neither would Jin alone.
¡®If Dante and Beradin leave, it doesn¡¯t matter if Jin lives or not. Well, it¡¯d be nice if he survives and makes Yona happy, but that¡¯s too much to ask.¡¯
It was still possible that Yona would step in and save Jin before the master executioner kills him.
Owal honestly thought that was the only way.
Organizing his thoughts, the leader rubbed the light of his cigar on his finger.
¡°Sir.¡±
¡°Speak.¡±
¡°You have just told me to face death. Since you told me to survive where it¡¯d be challenging even with mypanions.¡±
¡°So you are saying that you can¡¯t do it?¡±
¡°No, sir. However, I believe that I should also have a reward for risking my life. At least, in the case where I sessfully execute your orders.¡±
Owal nodded.
¡°Alright, I¡¯ll heed your request. What do you want?¡±
¡°The Thousand-Poison Antidote.¡±
¡°You crazy bastard.¡±
¡°Is that not possible?¡±
Unable to express Jin¡¯s shamelessness in words, Owal burst intoughter.
¡°That wouldn¡¯t be possible, even for Lord Cyron.¡±
¡°Hm¡¡±
Maybe that was too far.
¡®I was going to get it through Elder Sister Yona anyway, but if the leader were to give it to me directly, it¡¯ll be guaranteed. And I won¡¯t need to deal with him if I get it from my sister. But now that I think about it, it¡¯s too far-fetched.¡¯
Knowing that his request had been rejected, Jin wasn¡¯t too disappointed. It was just a crazy thought that was worth a try.
¡°Request something else. If you speak more nonsense, I won¡¯t give you more opportunities to speak.¡±
Jin enunciated what he wanted, syble by syble, and Owal¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°¡Alright. You can request that in exchange for risking your life. However, you must keep the two sessors alive.¡±
Owal would fulfill Jin¡¯s request only if Jin satisfied his conditions and survived.
¡°Thank you for understanding. I will keep your promise.¡±
Jin internally screamed in happiness.
The moment the leader epted the deal, Jin deduced that he was unstoppable in Samil.
About to leave the inn, the leader nced back at Jin.
¡°And let me offer you some words of wisdom.¡±
¡°I will listen with gratitude.¡±
¡°There¡¯s only a few who we can¡¯t kill with ease, but we do not senselessly kill everyone. Do you know why that is?¡±
Having already decoded Owal¡¯s intention, Jin looked up at him.
Owal was gently scolding him, who toyed with the Leader of Nameless.
¡°Because a weapon that could fatally wound a man is more frightening when held in hand. And wielding such a weapon without care could result in amotion.¡±
And Jin was dropping more hints to ¡®the leader whom he owed.¡¯
¡°Huh! Then why did you¡ª¡±
Owal halted mid-sentence and stopped in his tracks. He shook his head.
¡®Wait, Jin Runcandel, that kid¡ Did he not know that Yona was our weakness¡?! Since I didn¡¯t ask about the city¡¯s destruction first, he already predicted that our meeting was about Yona?¡¯
He remembered his expressive self that overreacted when Yona¡¯s name was mentioned, and for the first time in a while, he felt embarrassed. A feeling of shame and failure washed over him.
He lost to a child in a game. The ruler of the city, the man deemed as the king of assassins.
¡®I can¡¯t even look at him anymore. Shit. I¡¯m an embarrassment. Even if he¡¯s a pureblood, he¡¯sst in line and only a provisional g-bearer. Of course he doesn¡¯t know a lot about Yona.¡¯
Jin sarcastically bowed and hid his smile.
¡°¡Terrific.¡±
Owal¡¯s short, deepplement echoed in the room, and the moment he stepped out of the inn, he disappeared.
As he returned to his chamber, the leader felt disappointed. The youngest son of the Runcandel n was fated to die at the hands of Yona¡¯s master executioner.
Beradin and Dante¡¯s paralysis disappeared, and they couldn¡¯t even conceive what happened while they were asleep.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
¡°Even the lord couldn¡¯t have known that the provisional g-bearer was friends with the sessors of the Zipfels and Hairans¡ We¡¯ve obtained some interesting information we can report.¡±
¡°There¡¯s also something between Yona and the provisional g-bearer. Since we witnessed the situation, the evidence will soon start pouring in.¡±
A group of men were having a discussion. They were in an advanced cadet¡¯s home. The house owners had a chain around their throat, suffocated to death.
The group were Joshua¡¯s henchmen.
¡°We aren¡¯t done just because we got some information. And since the level of the assassins after the youngest son¡¯s head is increasing, watch very closely. Don¡¯t forget that he can¡¯t die yet.¡±
However, they forgot that Nameless¡¯s best executioner resided in the building across them.
The executioner had been stalking them since they came into the city, watching them every single moment.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 149: Two Long Nights, One Short Night (1)
Chapter 149: Two Long Nights, One Short Night (1)
Volume 6 Chapter 149 ¨C Two Long Nights, One Short Night (1)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
The first batch sent to the three teens were advanced executioners. The progression from intermediate, advanced, to master executioner, as predicted by the Leader of Nameless, was horribly wrong.
Atop a tower, the leader and Yona watched the three get chased around the city.
¡°Yona¡ are you alright with this? You sent advanced ones from the start. Your brother might actually die. Is that what you want?¡±
¡°Jin¡¯s super strong.¡±
¡°I know his achievements are unbelievable for his age. However, that is different from¡ª¡±
¡°And the fake-friends stuck to him need to die as well.¡±
¡°Hmmm.¡±
¡°If they don¡¯t die, we decided that I would give them personal training.¡±
Owal gripped his forehead. Amongst the assassins of Nameless, Yona¡¯s training was the most terrifying and painful.
¡®Then they would attack with all they''ve got¡ I wonder if Jin and the others can take them to the town square¡¡¯
He sighed.
Whether they died or not, Yona watched them with ming eyes. Especially Beradin and Dante.
Then, she gave a short giggle before continuing to re down at the chase.
¡°Uwaaaaaah! This doesn¡¯t reallypensate for the food Jin paid for!¡±
¡°There seems to be no end to them!¡±
¡°And how is this an assassination?! This is a hunt! Isn¡¯t this Samil? Why are those bastards just chasing us in public?¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t it an assassination as long as there¡¯re no witnesses? There hasn¡¯t been a person in sight. It¡¯s as if the entire city is after our heads.¡±
The three rushed through the streets like mad bulls. The assassins right behind them wore white masks, signifying that they were ranked Nameless Executioners.
¡°Why are you so heavy for someone who looks light?!¡±
Jin had Beradin in a fireman¡¯s carry. The magician would never be able to outrun the assassins.
¡°Sorry, I have a lot of stuff in my bag.¡±
Shouting those words, Beradin lifted his wand and began to cast a spell.
Giant¡¯s Hand, 6-star earth spell. As soon as he finished casting, the mana from the wand soaked the ground. The rocks and dirt formed a massive hand and blocked the path behind them.
Among the ten assassins, five were obstructed by the hand.
Crash!
However, the hand that smashed the ground didn¡¯t harm a single one.
Swooosh! Swoosh!
The executioners hopped like crickets onto the rooftops to evade the spell and threw daggers towards the three. It looked as if they were only lightly flung, yet the des pierced through all surfaces¡ªgates, bricks, and pavement. A true disy of an executioner¡¯s throwing dagger.
¡°Holy shit. The daggers melt through everything!¡±
Watching the attacks unfold, Beradin screamed, and goosebumps stretched across his body.
Dante quickly nced at the poison iparable to any other. He gulped.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Jin and Dante¡¯s footsteps quickened. Soon after, they were confronted by a dead end where two buildings met.
¡°Dante, break through! I got you back!¡±
¡°Understood!¡±
¡°And dodge immediately! There has to be a trap¡¡±
Creeaak! Pssshhht!
The sound of sword shing bricks urred with the sound of activated traps. However, the traps behind the wall were not darts, daggers, or arrows.
It was the hooks that ripped Jin¡¯s robes.
¡°Uh-oh!¡±
Living up to his name as the prospective sessor of the Hairan n, Dante swung his sword to cut through the chains of two hooks. Sparks flew everywhere.
However, the chains did not disconnect and instead curved towards Dante along with the three other grapples.
Not even a secondter, Jin clenched his teeth and threw himself towards Dante.
Ting! Ting!
If it weren¡¯t for Beradin on his shoulders, he would¡¯ve deflected all three grapples. Even after Jin¡¯s feat, one grapple went from Dante¡¯s throat.
However, he wasn¡¯t just anyone who overcame the generation above him to be the prospective sessor. In that short moment, Dante copied Jin and stabbed the grapples.
¡°I dodged an injury, thank you!¡±
Jin forgot that he told Dante about the grapples.
Before Jin could respond, the assassins behind them threw more projectiles.
However, they didn¡¯t know that Jin led them to a dead end on purpose.
¡®I was so surprised when I checked my pockets after the leader left.¡¯
A map.
The leader not only had a conversation with Jin, but also put a map in his pocket. One that showed the path to safely evade the executioners.
A path that intentionally led towards a dead end with a path straight to the square behind it. Towards their destination without Yona¡¯s suspicion.
Behind the remnants of the wall, they saw the pathway straight to an open area.
And in this main street, there wasn¡¯t a low building, wall, or sewer where an assassin could hide. Almost like a pilgrimage route for the priests of the Holy Kingdom of Vanke, the road was wide and clean.
Essentially, no matter how ghost-like the executioners were, assassination attempts were impossible. Unless they were as good as Yona.
¡°Completely open terrain! We should lure them there and fight them off!¡±
¡°Affirmative, we won¡¯t need to run away over there. They¡¯re all dead now.¡±
The two grinded their teeth.
However, Jin thought differently.
¡®It¡¯s still a road, not the central square. There must be a reason why the leader told us to go there.¡¯
Even though the three were very talented.
Jin could still not use magic or spiritual energy, and their opponents were ten advanced executioners. On top of that, they were the ones handpicked by Yona.
¡®It won¡¯t be too bad to fight these guys. See their capabilities firsthand.¡¯
Just because he thought differently didn¡¯t mean that he didn¡¯t want to fight. It was an opportunity to check Beradin and Dante¡¯s improvement and return the favor to the assassins who treated them like hunting game.
¡°Beradin.¡±
¡°Yeah?¡±
¡°We¡¯ll protect you, so cast one of your strongest light spells. Bonus points if you wipe them all out at once.¡±
ng! Clink-ng!
Dante and Jin deflected the projectiles and entered the main street.
¡°Just give me ten minutes. I know a perfect spell for this.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
The executioners ran around Jin and surrounded the three teens.
¡°Ring of Erupting mes Massacre by the Empress of Magic 1st Form.¡±
¡°Whoa, the name is astounding.¡±
Jin almost stopped in his tracks when he heard Beradin¡¯s reply.
¡®He learned that?!¡¯
Dante just thought that the name was obnoxiously long. He didn¡¯t know about it at all.
Of course he wouldn¡¯t.
Only a small number of magicians knew of it. Two hundred years ago, the Zipfel patriarch¡ªLiol Zipfel¡ªwho was called the Empress of Magic, used it once.
Yet, in the long history of magic, her life and achievements filled multiple pages.
Jin had seen his past life¡¯s master cast an iplete version. And Jin knew where the tome for its final form existed.
¡°Here theye.¡±
Jin regained hisposure as the executioners charged in.
Just because they were assassins didn¡¯t mean that they were only trained for assassination. They were all at least 6-star warriors, and the leader had to be at least 7-star.
Kang! ng!
The two swords shed with ten others. Jin stuck right next to Beradin¡¯s barriers and guarded him, and Dante lured the others into the open area.
Seven on Dante, three on Jin and Beradin. The executioners nned on dealing with Dante first before moving on to Jin and Beradin.
However, Dante didn¡¯t seem to be pushed back at all by the seven warriors.
A blue aura whirled and whipped around him, indicating Hairan¡¯s decisive killing move.
¡®I heard that he shut himself in for training. Did he finally master ¡°that¡±?¡¯
Every time a de entered the gaps between the rings of aura, sparks flew. The bright blue rings blocked the des like armor.
The move was called Imperial de: Dragon de Armor. Just a barrier in an abnormal form.
Every time the armor received an impact, the aura belt would absorb it and return it to the opponent. So, no matter what direction, if the attack wasn¡¯t enough to pierce the armor, the attacker would take damage.
¡°Kurgh!¡±
Two assassins fell backwards with their shoulders and thighs stabbed. The others gripped their swords and swung sparingly.
Jin was kind of proud of his friends.
¡®A barrier that counterattacks¡ I should be careful of that move. And is Beradin actually casting that spell? The amount of mana gathered in that barrier is a little disquieting.¡¯
Compared to Dante, Jin made light footsteps while pressing onto the three executioners. There was the mid-level 7-star, but he was also being pushed back.
Even though Jin¡¯s aura was only 6-star.
¡®As expected, my body is waking up.¡¯
The blessed body of a Runcandel.
Every time he swung, his body¡¯s immense power supported hiscking aura, which made his progress possible. A strength that truly marked the best n of swordmasters in history.
ng!
Jin swung with all his might, and the executioner¡¯s sword snapped.
Even the squad leader was surprised and put some distance. Behind the mask, the executioners¡¯ eyes quivered.
¡°Fighting isn¡¯t your main profession anyways. Don¡¯t be too sad.¡±
Just as he was about to smirk¡ª
¡°Jin!¡±
Dante desperately called for Jin. His Dragon de Armor clearly diminished.
His stamina was wavering. They had been running from the pursuers since the evening, and he used his decisive killing move for the victory.
¡®This idiot should¡¯ve rationed his energy while fighting!¡¯
It wasn¡¯t that Dante didn¡¯t control his stamina.
He decided that everything would be alright even if he went too far since Jin was there¡ªthe warrior he trusted the most.
The same applied for Beradin.
The magician nodded to Jin to signal that the spell wasplete and that he could go help Dante.
As soon as Jin bolted away, the squad leader swung at Beradin¡¯s barrier, and it shattered like ss. Jin cleared the attackers on Dante.
Fwoooooooosh!
mes erupted from the cracks of the barrier.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 150: Two Long Nights, One Short Night (2)
Chapter 150: Two Long Nights, One Short Night (2)
Volume 6 Chapter 150 ¨C Two Long Nights, One Short Night (2)
[Trantor ¨C jhei]
[Proofreader ¨C yukitokata]
Bong.
Pop-plop-pop¡
The problem was that the mes from the spell¡ were patheticpared to its grand name.
The first mes were almost fierce, but it instantly dissolved in the air. Then, small bubbles of me just floated about.
¡°Huh?¡¯
¡°What?¡±
Those reactions didn¡¯te from Jin and Dante.
It was from the executioners who, until now, hadn¡¯t shown a single bit of emotion even when Jin pressed the attack as a 6-star or when Dante used his decisive killing move.
The oue was so disappointing that the executioners¡ªwho had emotion training¡ªgave a reaction.
They expected some terrifying spell since two of them were guarding the magician with their life.
Pop-plop, plop-pop-pop. Psssshsshhsh¡
These cute mes extinguished.
Like snow melting in water, the mes disappeared in thin air. The heat probably couldn¡¯t even melt a candle.
¡®Shit.¡¯
A short silence befell them. However, it was enough time for Dante and Jin to shame and me Beradin for the embarrassing spectacle.
Beradin¡¯s thick skin was gone as well. His ears turned bright red.
¡®I know that it wouldn¡¯t be at full power, but this is kinda harsh.¡¯
If one didn¡¯t retain an extremely unique talent, not even a 10-star or Genesis Knight couldpletely cast this pretentious spell.
However, since Beradin was a pureblood Zipfel, they expected at least ten-percent of the spell¡¯s effect.
¡°You done?¡±
The leader spoke for the first time, suppressing his disappointment. The other executionersughed silently and exchanged nces with one another.
As much as they were humans, they wanted to return the ineffable humiliation as their fighting skills were ridiculed by Jin.
And the executioners were embarrassed that they couldn¡¯t take down some kids. It would be news that would put Nameless to shame.
However, the squad leader wasn¡¯t a person who would make the same mistake twice.
¡®That ck-haired kid probably has something up his sleeve. It can be a variable in closebat, so we¡¯ll finish them off with projectiles before they can get there!¡¯
He signaled the others, and the assassins surrounded Jin¡ªeven the ones that were injured by Dante.
If they couldn¡¯t continue their mission despite their injuries, they wouldn¡¯t be ranked as advanced executioners.
Jin quickly examined Dante and Beradin.
¡®Dante¡¯s stamina¡¯s depleted.¡¯
Dante¡¯s heavy breaths proved Jin¡¯s point. There was no need to ask.
¡®And Beradin¡ This fucking bastard. He¡¯s already showing the early stages of overflow?!¡¯
A river of blood flowed out of Beradin¡¯s nose as he writhed in embarrassment. He was suffering from mana overflow after failing to cast the extravagant spell.
However, Jin was relieved to see the unicorn¡¯s horn that peeked out of the heavy backpack.
Regardless, they needed at least an hour for the mana overflow symptoms to recede.
Essentially, the two were incapable of battle.
¡°I-It¡¯s been a while since Ist cast it, so I may have messed up the chant¡ It¡¯s reallyplicated¡¡±
Cough! Cough!
Beradin spat excuses with his croaky voice, and Dante consoled him.
As for Jin, he felt like his insides were going to explode.
¡®I guess it¡¯s my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have let them fight in the first ce.¡¯
However, they weren¡¯t done for just yet.
¡°Dante, take Beradin and run. I¡¯ll take down these guys and follow you.¡±
¡°Will you be okay on your own?¡±
¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. But you guys might die if you don¡¯t run like your life depended on it.¡±
¡°Uh¡¡±
¡°Ah¡¡±
Understanding Jin¡¯s words, Beradin and Dante sighed.
In open terrain, Jin would never take damage from the enemy. As long as they didn¡¯t all run in at once, Jin held an advantage. He just needed to deflect all weapons from all directions.
And since it would quickly be a chase anyway, there was no chance of them getting surrounded again. They were able to get to their destination because they could outrun them in the first ce.
¡°Pray that I can parry all of their attacks¡ and run!¡±
Jin shouted as he swung his sword at the enemy. Blue de crescents flew towards their formation, and the executioners temporarily scattered.
At the same time, Dante picked up Beradin and sprinted away.
If even one dagger were to fly past Jin and hit either of the two, the Zipfels or Hairans would lose an heir.
That would honestly be favorable for Jin, who would be a future patriarch.
However, Jin chose loyalty over a favorable future. He didn¡¯t want them to die as of the moment.
¡®If I somehow protect them until they get into the town square, then we¡¯ll all survive!¡¯
There was a reason for the leader¡¯s advice. Jin had faith in his words.
¡°Kaaaaaaah!¡±
Dante ran while screaming his lungs out, and the flurry of daggers continued.
ng! nk! Ting!
Jin followed right behind them and parried each and every flying dagger. If it were a month ago, he wouldn¡¯t know if his feat was possible.
Jin definitely became aware that he improved a lot recently.
¡®My Mind¡¯s Eye is almost open.¡¯
He thought back to his Clear Stone training with the Tona Twins in the secret training room for the intermediate ss, where steel marbles flew everywhere because of the Tonas¡¯ mistake.
He recalled the weird sensation that he felt back then. Whether a steel marble flew near or towards him, the trajectories that became visible in his head¡
¡®All the suffering I went through in this city wasn¡¯t for nothing. I guess this is thanks to Elder Sister Yona.¡¯
He didn¡¯t even obtain the Thousand-Poison Antidote, but since he almost died multiple times, he was thankful for the fruits of hisbor.
¡®I will survive until the day after tomorrow and receive the potion from my sister, then make the leader keep his promise.¡¯
Of course, he didn¡¯t forget to keep Dante and Beradin safe.
* * *
Reaper Scans
* * *
Two long nights had passed.
On the second day, the chase progressed the same as the previous. Although there were twenty assassins instead of the previous ten, it was easier than the day before.
It was thanks to them abstaining from fighting as soon as they found the road to the town square.
¡°I didn¡¯t know they¡¯d stop attacking as soon as we got through that road. It¡¯s a weird yet cool tradition.¡±
¡°If it weren¡¯t for that tradition, us two¡ªI mean three would¡¯ve died, Beradin.¡±
The center of Samil City.
That was the special area where Nameless¡¯s high-ranked executioners¡¯ families resided. Nameless Executioners never unsheathed their des at that location unless it was an emergency or there was an invasion.
Hence, it was the only peaceful area in Samil.
A tradition that even Quikantel didn¡¯t know of. It was an unspoken rule established after her prime.
¡°What do you mean by that Beradin? We said we¡¯d call him Lord Holocaust Fire Bubble of the Emperor 1st Form.¡±
¡°Stop teasing¡! People can make mistakes.¡±
¡°People can tease others.¡±
Jin smirked, and Dante coughed awkwardly.
¡°Ehem! Anyways, I think escaping to the town square would have a limit. When does the game with the higher-ups end?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think this deal will just end with us cheating our way out, but I¡¯m also curious about this higher-up that you know.¡±
The two looked at Jin with sparkling eyes. Clearly, they wanted to know more about the deal he made.
It wasn¡¯t a deal, but more so an order. Jin looked away.
¡®As promised to the leader, I have to send these guys out before the evening.¡¯
¡ªAnd when the day after tomorrowes, make sure to escort the two sessors out of the city. At all costs. If they do not listen, take them down and throw them out.
Thanks to Owal¡¯s map, they were able to progress throughout the challenge.
And that was pretty incredible. Although they cheated a little, no one would believe that these three young adults survived dozens of advanced executioners for two days.
However, the three would never be able to survive the iing wave.
¡®Tonight, the best of the best wille. And the leader will not appreciate these two who are still here.¡¯
Jin didn¡¯t want to send them out.
¡°Today¡¯s thest day. You two should sleep well for the evening.¡±
¡°Whoa, it means we¡¯ll suffer onest time.¡±
¡°If you gain something from winning, you have to share it with us. You¡¯ll share it, right? Just like the time at the arena.¡±
¡°Sure.¡±
¡®I¡¯ll give you a souvenir.¡¯
Jin swallowed his follow-up and smiled.
* * *
¡°Owal, please answer my question truthfully.¡±
¡°Hm¡ Yona, what is it that you want to ask?¡±
¡°You helped them.¡±
Owal hid his surprise and tilted his head, feigning innocence.
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°It makes no sense. How did Jin and the two weirdos go to the non-violence zone twice in a row? This must be your¡ª¡±
¡°Haha, it can¡¯t be.¡±
¡°It¡¯s obvious that you¡¯re lying, heehee.¡±
Yona spoke while giggling, and goosebumps climbed up Owal¡¯s back.
¡°Ehem, anyways, did you write the self-reflection on the destruction¡¡±
¡°Heh, since you broke your promise first, I¡¯m taking action.¡±
¡°You do not trust me?¡±
¡°Nope. And starting today, you¡¯ll stick right next to me since you might help them again.¡±
¡°Hoho.¡±
It was a dejectedughter, but Owal wanted it this way in the first ce.
¡®That obedient kid will send them off. And Yona going after him is better than some other executioner. Since she likes Jin¡ she might show mercy.¡¯
However, he couldn¡¯t be certain. Yona¡¯s personality reeked of chaos, so she could choose to kill her loving brother anytime.
¡°It¡¯s dinnertime soon. Time to kill some children. Will youe with me?¡±
¡°I shall.¡±
¡°Heehee!¡±
They silently went towards the inn where Jin¡¯s party resided.
They took position on a rooftop across the inn. Owal felt soreness on the back of his neck and experienced light suffocation.
¡®Wh-Why are those three still together?!¡¯
He could see clearly across the window without curtains. The three were together.
In fact, Jin was awake, and Beradin and Dante were fast asleep.
¡°Y-Yona¡¡±
¡°They¡¯re gathered nicely before their death¡¡±
¡°Just wait a moment¡¡±
¡°Uh?!¡±
¡°Huh?!¡±
Their eyes widened.
They saw the object in Jin¡¯s hand: the present that Quikantel gave.
And surprisingly, Jin clearly disyed it in Yona¡¯s and Owal¡¯s view.
Yona red at Owal.
¡°Your title is the Leader of Nameless, and yet you gave him that?! To save them?!¡±
¡°N-No! I really didn¡¯t! Yona!¡±
Cold sweat drenched Owal¡¯s face.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 151 – Two Long Nights, One Short Night (3)
Chapter 151 ¨C Two Long Nights, One Short Night (3)
A dull light glimmered from Jin¡¯s palms. The object curved like a scimitar was at least two and a half hand spans long. Its tip was as sharp as a needle.
The entire thing didn¡¯t fit inside his hand. It was eerily cold to the touch and very heavy.
¡®A silver dragon¡¯s w¡! He had that! How?!¡¯
Owal gulped. Yona¡¯s questioning re flickered with anger and embarrassment.
¡°What do you mean you didn¡¯t do anything?! How in the world did Jin get his hands on such a valuable item? The main house in no way would have supplied him with it! The Runcandel n¡¯s storage wouldn¡¯t even have that!¡±
If the Runcandels already had such an item in stock, then they would¡¯ve already sold it to the Leader of Nameless.
Defeated, Owal shook his head.
¡°I swear that it was not me. As you know, we only have two ws in our secret storage. And apart from that one in his hand, ours are broken.¡±
A dragon¡¯s w was a material that cksmiths and artifact craftsmen could only dream of obtaining. Any equipment that used a part of a dragon¡¯s body inherited a miniscule fraction of the dragon¡¯s god¡¯s ability.
As such, scales, teeth, bones, and insides; anything part of a dragon was valuable.
Obtaining such material was like catching a shooting star in the first ce. Even though items from lesser dragons were considered luxuries due to itsck of usefulness, the demand for equipment from a dragon¡¯s corpse never stopped.
However, to Nameless, a silver dragon¡¯s w was considered and valued far beyond any ¡®valuable material¡¯. This was very ssified information that even the most knowledgeable dragon corpse traders didn¡¯t know.
¡°Then how did the youngest obtain¡?¡±
¡°We¡¯ll find out soon enough. First, it seems I have won the bet. Since your brother has revealed that thing, this assassination is a failure.¡±
¡°Erk¡¡±
¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s disappointing and aggravating, but you have lost. And I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t think that killing them is more important than a silver dragon¡¯s w? I know who you are, but I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t¡¡±
¡°¡I know, I know! But it¡¯s not done yet. Jin might not give it to us.¡±
¡°If that were the case, then he wouldn¡¯t have taken it out. Let¡¯s go see him.¡±
With the w in his hand, Jin walked to the window and teasingly shook it in their view. He didn¡¯t know where they were, but he knew they were watching.
¡®I didn¡¯t kick out Dante and Beradin, but I saved them. So I¡¯ve won our bet, Leader of Nameless.¡¯
After thirty seconds, Jin turned around. Yona and Owal were standing across the room. If he didn¡¯t expect it, Jin would¡¯ve fainted from surprise.
¡®I get goosebumps every time I experience it. How can you silence your footsteps like that?¡¯
However, it wasn¡¯t the same as before.
He slightly ¡®felt¡¯ it when the two jumped down from the roof across the street. If he hadn¡¯t trained his Mind¡¯s Eye, he would¡¯ve been oblivious.
Jin maintained a calm expression and bowed.
¡°Nice to meet you for the first time, 85th Leader of Nameless. And long time no see, Elder Sister Yona.¡±
Jin answered as if he had never met Owal, and Yona let out a cough behind her leader. She didn¡¯t want to confront Jin.
¡°Where did you get a silver dragon¡¯s w?¡±
Owal directly dove into the interrogation. Jin instinctively looked at Beradin and Dante.
¡®And he finished them off with paralysis, preventing them from listening in likest time.¡¯
A bitter cold climbed up his spine, but he didn¡¯t need to be scared anymore.
¡°I can¡¯t tell you. However, please just think of it as a present received from a silver dragon that I came to know throughout my journey.¡±
Despite the disrespectful response, Owal couldn¡¯t say anything. In fact, his eyes actually glimmered in interest.
¡°It seems that you not only received it, but also heard how we use it.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. I was told that I would be spared in any scenario if I showed this¡¡±
¡ªThe executioners of Nameless consider our type¡¯s ws more valuable than any divine artifact.
¡ªWhy is that?
¡ªIf you use it well, you can even kill someone who¡¯s impossible to assassinate. They have their method of using it: they can stop the victim¡¯s time for a blink.
¡ªExecutioners at the highest level only need that much time. Then there¡¯s no one they can¡¯t kill. A human toying with time¡ It¡¯s that simple?
¡ªI mean, it¡¯s even hard for Olta to do it. It¡¯s very limited. And their method seems to require a sacrifice.
Essentially, the w bought an ¡®instant¡¯ of time for the Nameless Assassins.
¡®For an assassin like Elder Sister Yona or Leader Owal, that split second would be the game-ender. Not just for assassinations, but for fights as well.¡¯
Even if it were Luna or Tris, they stood no chance against Owal who owned about four ws.
And in a position where almost nobody was aware of Nameless utilizing the w, then it would be more effective.
However, making an opportunity for an assassination even with the w would still be difficult.
¡°It¡¯s just as you said. If you hand that to me, I will dismiss all of your misdeeds.¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t killing me, stealing it, and destroying my body more effective? The silver dragon told me it was the most ndestine secret of Nameless.¡±
¡°If you were not a Runcandel, or if those two were normal people, I wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to make such a decision.¡±
¡°I hated my background ever since I was born, but today I feel thankful for it.¡±
Jin disyed Quikantel¡¯s w to Owal.
¡°Before I offer this to you, I would like to ask something.¡±
¡°Speak.¡±
¡°I wonder why real executioners instead of cadets targeted me today. Was Elder Sister Yona keeping me in check or were you testing me?¡±
Owal smiled and looked down at Jin. He knew that Jin was forcing a question that he already knew the answer to.
¡®I¡¯m losing to this kid twice in four days. Is he asking me to say that I made a bet with Yona with my own mouth?¡¯
It was a threat.
If he didn¡¯t answer truthfully, then he would blow off their secret.
Yet it was also to keep his side of the deal.
¡°Yona and I made a bet. I bet that you would survive, and Yona did the opposite. Since I won and obtained a silver dragon¡¯s w thanks to you, I¡¯ll offer you a prize.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
¡°Then I¡¯ll take my leave. I¡¯m sure you two have some catching up to do. Once you finish,e to the Nameless Manor.¡±
¡°So I don¡¯t need to feel threatened by executioners anymore?¡±
¡°That includes me and Yona. No assassin of Nameless will try to kill you. This will go on for ten years after you leave. So long as your n doesn¡¯t invade us, this promise will stand.¡±
Jin¡¯s eyes widened.
¡®Ten years¡!¡¯
Jin never expected his name to be off the hit list for that long.
¡®That¡¯s good to hear. Then if I go to war with my siblings, I won¡¯t need to worry about Nameless.¡¯
Between g-bearers, using external help wasughable.
However, Jin thought that Joshua, Myu, or Anne would definitelymit something like that. At this point, even Jin would really want to get rid of himself.
Owal left the room, and Yona pressed her fingertips togethers.
Then, she spun her hair with her index finger and swayed between a frown and smile.
¡°Ehhh¡ My youngest brother.¡±
¡°Yes, Elder Sister?¡±
Jin¡¯s response radiated coldness.
Yona grew desperate.
¡°I had no intention to keep you in check. Really! I just really want you to grow.¡±
¡°So you sent a dozen professional executioners on top of stalking me every day?¡±
¡°I did¡¡±
¡°I had no other alternative analyses of your behavior other thanpetition for the throne.¡±
¡°Alrighty, then. Who are those two?¡±
Showing interest, Yona looked at Dante and Beradin, paralyzed. She didn¡¯t know who they were.
¡°It¡¯s Beradin Zipfel and Dante Hairan.¡±
¡°Ehhh¡ I see.¡±
¡°You failed to kill me, and the leader guaranteed my safety, so you wouldn¡¯t kill me now either. Now, all you need to do is to tell everyone that I¡¯m apanied by those guys.¡±
¡°Uhhh, why do you think that? Then the probability of your death will skyrocket!¡±
¡°Because you hate me. If it weren¡¯t for that, you wouldn¡¯t have sent nned attacks with executioners to me. Our reunion doesn¡¯t even break the rules of g-bearers, so why did you attack me?¡±
A bit of genuine anger was fused into his words.
Jin didn¡¯t really know who Yona was.
However, because of her, he dealt with the threat of extremely talented assassins on him, so he couldn¡¯t just gloss over it. His pain was worth far greater than the Thousand-Poison Antidote.
¡°I just wanted to y with you¡ I even wrote it on the¡ª¡±
¡°You treated me like a toy.¡±
¡°No! I would never!¡±
¡®I didn¡¯t even feel a hint of regret from her earlier. What is this? Did she really think she was only ying with me?¡¯
Yona¡¯s eyes watered, and Jin could only feel sorry.
¡°I mean, you were the one who tried to kill me, so why are you crying?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. Tears are flooding my eyes, so what else am I supposed to do?¡±
¡°Are you not the best Nameless Executioner? What happened to the emotion suppression training¡¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t do such a thing, since I could kill people so well without it when Mother first introduced me to Leader Owal.¡±
Jin¡¯s face grew dim.
¡®What¡?¡¯
Yona was introduced to the organization at the age of 12.
Even if she was a Runcandel, she was still too young to be treated like an emotionless killing machine. Still, their mother¡
Jin would¡¯ve never known.
Yona¡¯s first murder was when she was 8 years old. The victim was a cousin who visited her at the Storm Castle.
Yona never had a nanny. Neither did she go through cadet training.
On top of that, she never had a meal with her siblings in the two years she stayed in the main house.
All because of Cyron¡¯s decree.
The Battle for Hegemony was important, but he couldn¡¯t let all of his children die before they left the Storm Castle.
Sniff, sniff.
Giggle.
Jin felt a chill as he watched his sister sniffle and giggle simultaneously.
A big and heavy weight pressed on his chest.
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
Chapter 152: Yona Runcandel (1)
Chapter 152: Yona Runcandel (1)
REAPER SCANS
Swordmaster¡¯s Youngest Son
Volume 7 Chapter 152 ¨C Yona Runcandel (1)
It didn¡¯t take long for Jin to realize that the weight in his chest was ¡®sympathy¡¯.
¡®At the age of 12¡ No, she might¡¯ve been nurtured to be a killing machine even before then.¡¯
They only exchanged a few words, but Jin felt that Yona was a young woman filled with emotions. Someone with manyughs and many tears.
However, her emotions were twisted somewhere.
In Jin¡¯s past life, shecked more remorse than the Tona Twins after killing anyone.
To her, most people were just moving chunks of meat. She didn¡¯t even consider the infinite possibilities of a life to experience.
A monster.
But not a real monster.
Inside the heart of the Yona in Jin¡¯s past life¡ªwho lived in the shadows after being neglected by Anne¡ªas well as the Yona who was currently stuck in a loop ofughter and tears were emotions that everybody else had.
Love for her siblings, fear of being hurt, the desire to make a friend, a small wish to y with someone.
All of those feelings were locked away.
Just because she had the potential, she became the most evil assassin in history.
¡®Haaah¡¡¯
Something hot and sharp climbed up through his chest. It ripped through his abdomen and strained his heart. It scratched at his throat, screaming to be let out.
It was anger.
Directed at the ones who killed his sister¡¯s humanity since she was 12.
Jin and his family.
¡°Are you mad because I stuck around you without telling you? I didn¡¯t watch you bathe or anything.¡±
¡°It¡¯s nothing like that. Besides that, you were always beside me?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°The entire time?¡±
Yona nced at Beradin and Dante.
¡°Hmm¡ I was about ten steps away from you for five hours max. This continued even after your frie¡ªI mean, after those guys came.¡±
It wasn¡¯t as if Jin didn¡¯t expect it.
Nevertheless, he was shocked after hearing it himself. He only detected that she was nearby thrice aftering to Samil.
Once was when Yona dropped the paper, and another was just a moment ago, when Yona and Owal were together.
The other was when he opened his Mind¡¯s Eye and dodged the executioners¡¯ attacks.
¡°Jin, am I scary? Or do you not like me?¡±
Jin shook his head.
¡°Not until a moment ago. Not now, though.¡±
¡°Heehee!¡±
Yona giggled. Feeling a little better, she took a step closer to Jin.
¡°I also thought of the possibility of your death. However, it¡¯s true that I wanted you to grow. If you died, I¡¯d be a little sad. Then I¡¯d forget about it, and you¡¯d be at peace.¡±
Her words pierced Jin like shattered ss.
¡°Did you ever think that it was fair?¡±
¡°What is? Me watching you? I said it before, but I didn¡¯t watch when you were¡¡±
¡°Not that. You¡¯ve been treated like a killing machine since you were young. That¡¯s unbelievable and disgusting, even for a pureblood Runcandel.¡±
¡°That¡¯s bad?¡±
¡°That¡¯s bad.¡±
Yona tilted her head, as if she didn¡¯t understand.
¡°Have you ever killed someone?¡±
¡°That¡¯s not the problem.¡±
¡°Heehee, I was born like this anyways. Don¡¯t be sad.¡±
¡°What do you mean, you were born like that¡?¡±
Jin stopped talking and fell into thought.
¡®It¡¯s true that the n is inhumane, but the treatment towards Elder Sister Yona is iparably disgusting and toxic. It¡¯s probably rted to the reason why she¡¯s already more talented than the Leader of Nameless.
It was impossible even for Leader Owal to be in a room with Jin for hours on end. More so, observing Jin from a ten-step radius for twenty hours.
¡°Sister, are you a contractor?¡±
¡°Nope.¡±
There was no god rted to assassination or concealing footsteps, but the closest one was Solderet.
He asked because she had abilities that transcended human possibility.
¡°Then how are you able to make such feats? If your words are true, then you can basically kill everyone.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t need to know. Hm¡ And there are some people I can¡¯t kill. A lot if I¡¯m alone. If I have a nned team, then maybe I can count them with my fingers and toes.¡±
In other words, there were only twenty people who could survive a nned onught. Although she didn¡¯t ount for them escaping, it was still hard to believe.
¡°So you can¡¯t tell me?¡±
¡°You have secrets too.¡±
Jin was about to deny her suspicion, but Yona looked at Jin¡¯s shadow.
As if she knew all about Jin¡¯s power over shadows.
¡®Does she know that I¡¯m Solderet¡¯s contractor? Or is she just looking at my shadow?¡¯
There was no need to ask.
Yona sensed Jin¡¯s spiritual energy. That was because she was scared of her own spiritual energy.
Jin would never know, but the power was constantly telling Yona to kill him.
Yet Yona ignored the whispers.
¡°You¡¯re making me flustered.¡±
¡°Just think of it as my excessive love for my little brother. You wouldn¡¯t know how surprised I was when you came. Even the nice Eldest Sister Luna didn¡¯te to visit me.¡±
¡°You¡¯re making me sad too. Does Eldest Sister Luna hate you?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think she likes me. I broke a few promises. No, actually, a lot¡¡±
Jin drenched his handkerchief in water and handed it to her.
¡°Here. For the tear marks on your face.¡±
Yona took the soaked cloth and wiped her face. Her eyes glimmered.
¡°I wish you appreciated me.¡±
¡°We haven¡¯t spent enough time together to fuel such love or empathy.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t have any of that, but I love you this much.¡±
¡°That¡¯s because you have fantasies about me. And it¡¯s true that you tried to kill me. It would be a sign of love for you, but that was a threat to my life.¡±
¡°Then what should I do?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±
¡®Give me the Thousand-Poison Antidote.¡¯
He couldn¡¯t say that. He couldn¡¯t let her see his true selfish intentions. He didn¡¯t want her to offer him an excessivepensation for his measly affection.
He also couldn¡¯t grasp how to deal with their rtionship.
He did feel sympathy for her, but hearing her story, even Luna gave up on her or kept her distance.
¡®Breaking a promise with Eldest Sister Luna means that Elder Sister Yona killed a family member before. If not that, Eldest Sister Luna wouldn¡¯t have given her such a harsh silent treatment.¡¯
Sifting through his memories¡ªboth in his past and present life¡ªwhen he was at the Storm Castle, Gilly often attended funerals of his cousins, uncles, and aunts. The cause of their death was never revealed.
At the time, Jin thought a distant cousin died, so he didn¡¯t pay much attention. Although they were cousins, he had never seen their face.
¡°Errrr, do I have to give death threats for you to love me?¡±
¡°That would make a normal rtionship more distant.¡±
¡°Then do you want the Thousand-Poison Antidote or something? Take that and y with me more. I already knew that my siblings woulde to me only for that.¡±
It would be a lie if he said he didn¡¯t want to nod.
However, Jin initially denied it. He wanted to request it after sorting out his rtionship with her.
¡°No thank you. And I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want requited love from me. You do not exchange affection through those conditions. Even if you gave me the potion, my love would remain the same.¡±
¡°UUUUUGH!¡±
Yona pulled her hair.
¡°What do you want me to do, then?! Are you saying I can never be friends with you? Even though I love you so much?¡±
Tears began to dribble down her cheeks again, and she began to shout desperately. Jin hid his bitter smile.
¡°The cadets aren¡¯t outside, right? I heard that a curfew was instated for two days for our fight.¡±
¡°Yeah, no one¡¯s out there.¡±
¡°Why don¡¯t we take a walk?¡±
¡°Heehee!¡±
He needed time to organize his thoughts. How he should treat his crazy sister whom he feels sorry for.
A path filled with moonlight. A rxed night for the first time in the city of Samil.
¡°Too many destroyed houses.¡±
¡°¡®Cause you broke everything. I wrote a hundred freaking pages of self-reflection. A little more this way and we¡¯ll get to this ce I like. Visitors aren¡¯t allowed. Wanna go?¡±
¡°Sure.¡±
For the entire walk, Yona bbered on about something while Jin gave heartfelt reactions.
Thinking that this would be herst memory with her brother, she walked very slowly. Every step, Jin felt more and more regret.
After many paths that should¡¯ve been filled with cadets, a green hill emerged. The location that Yona said was ¡®a little more this way¡¯ had been a two-hour walk.
¡°What¡¯s up there?¡±
¡°A flower field and cliff.¡±
¡°A little scary when you say it.¡±
¡°You think I¡¯ll push you off? That¡¯ll be so foolish of me. And you wouldn¡¯t die off that high cliff anyways.¡±
¡°I was joking.¡±
They hiked up the hill with smiles, and they saw a beautiful patch of wildflowers.
It was a flower Jin knew well: green roses. Just like its name, they were roses that were indistinguishable from weeds due to their tiny petals.
It was amon nt across thend, so it was often treated like a weed. It could be found anywhere, grew all year long, and was not useful in cooking either. It was just like a weed.
¡°Whoa¡¡±
The moonlight offered beauty into the roses. Watching each and every petal sway in the wind, it felt a little eerie.
¡°It¡¯s pretty, right?¡±
¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t know that green roses were a sight to see under the moonlight.¡±
¡°Green roses are often viewed as weeds, but it¡¯s my favorite flower. It doesn¡¯t die easily even if you step on it or don¡¯t give it water. Even if it dies, a new flower blooms on top of it.¡±
¡®The reason was¡¡¯
Jin swallowed his words and looked around. Yona plucked two roses from the ground and began to weave them together.
¡°If I do this, the petals spread apart and make a pretty shape. You get to see something new about them. It¡¯s harder than it looks, you know? If you force it, then the flower breaks, so it¡¯s a meticulous process.¡±
Yona weaved the two roses together into a hook and handed it to Jin while giggling.
¡°Oh!¡±
Jin remembered something from his past life.
It wasn¡¯t the first time he received this little gift.
It was the first time in this life, but in his past life¡ªback when he was treated like garbage even though he was a pureblood¡ªsomeone always left these in his room. Two roses weaved together with their petals spread out.
He thought it was one of his servants, but Gilly insisted it wasn¡¯t her.
¡°Take this and let it go. Either way, you didn¡¯t die and opened your Mind¡¯s Eye¡¡±
¡°I can¡¯t believe it was you.¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 153: Yona Runcandel (2)
Chapter 153: Yona Runcandel (2)
REAPER SCANS
Swordmaster¡¯s Youngest Son
Volume 7 Chapter 153 ¨C Yona Runcandel (2)
Jin met Yona¡¯s eyes.
¡®So she¡¯s the one¡ who always visited me.¡¯
He struggled to remember when exactly he started receiving the weaved roses. When he was 20, maybe 22?
Since then, someone kept leaving weaved roses in his room.
¡®There was a time I really wondered who left them in my room¡¡¯
However, it didn¡¯t take long for his curiosity to disappear. The hellish training ended with no progress, and the days of hopelessness continued.
The curiosity couldn¡¯t halt all of the misery in his past life, where he had to train several times more than others to attain merely one star.
For several years, he couldn¡¯t even have the time to think about who left the present in his room. Sometimes, on bad days, he even shredded the roses into pieces.
Jin didn¡¯t feel a glimpse of appreciation from the flowers.
And on the day he was emunicated, when he mindlessly shoved his hands into his pockets, he had a pair of green roses in there too.
He remembered the hopelessughter it brought about. He wanted to keep that green rose forever, but he lost it while roaming thends. Possibly when he got mugged, or when he went on a short adventure with his master.
Jin took the green roses with quaking hands.
¡°Tying it together like this¡ It¡¯s truly beautiful, just as you said.¡±
¡°Right? It¡¯s something I give to people I especially like. Heehee~¡±
He wanted to thank her, but his throat was too hot and clogged.
¡®For so many years, without a word¡¡¯
There was only one reason as to why she did it. If she openly paid him attention, then the other siblings wouldn¡¯t leave Jin alone.
Yona always stalked Jin in his past life. Whether it was for her own entertainment or due to genuine love, she always offered a rose to him.
Other than Gilly, there wasn¡¯t a single person who didn¡¯t neglect Jin. None.
Those were his darkest times.
¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±
Jin shook his head, suppressing his emotions.
¡°I take back what I said. About having no memories together, I take it all back.¡±
¡°Really?!¡±
¡°Yes. And this time, I should give you more attention.¡±
Yona was no longer an ambivalent person.
¡°Hah!¡±
They shared stories with their legs dangling off the cliff¡¯s edge.
Just as a conversation between normal siblings would, their stories continued until morning.
¡°¡So you even tried to kill the leader?? Just because he kinda insulted you? My goodness.¡±
¡°Yeah. It was when I was 14. I got caught, so I got locked in a room and was forced to write a self-reflection. After that, I tried two more times, but still failed.¡±
¡°He lives up to his name as the Leader of Nameless. His asssasination ability falls off of you, though.¡±
¡°I think I can do it if I try a lot harder. Heehee. Anyways¡ how the hell did you get a silver dragon¡¯s w?¡±
¡°Before that, if I didn¡¯t have it, would you have killed me?¡±
¡°Hmm¡ Fifty-fifty chance!¡±
¡°How unfortunate. If you just answered ¡®yes¡¯, then I would¡¯ve introduced you to the silver dragon.¡±
¡°Huh? You can¡¯t do that. I wanna meet the dragon. Are you two close?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll kill it. I¡¯ll harvest all the ws and use it all.¡±
¡°I said it multiple times before, but please spare mypanions and allies. They could all be your friends too.¡±
¡°Hehehehe. But Jin, you aren¡¯t scared of me at all. Other than Father and Leader Owal, it¡¯s the first time I had a rxed conversation like this.¡±
¡°You¡¯re more like a flower shop owner than an assassin. It should be your career after retiring.¡±
¡°Wow, a flower shop?¡±
¡°You won¡¯t make much. Well, I can just fund you every now and then¡ It wouldn¡¯t be too bad as a hobby. When you get the chance, I suggest you study about flowers. I¡¯m sure you have lots of time.¡±
¡°A flower shop!¡±
¡°Of course, you can¡¯t kill the customers.¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°Anyways, we should go to the leader. I need to leave Samil tomorrow, so I have to im my prize.¡±
Yona¡¯s expression instantly darkened.
¡°Where are you going? I¡¯m gonna kill¡ª¡±
¡°Please, please stop.¡±
¡°Heeeh¡¡±
¡°Instead, I¡¯ll give you a special address. Send a letter. If you promise to not kill any of my allies, I¡¯ll invite you too. If you give the address to anyone else¡¡±
¡°I would never. Yeah, never. Oh! I forgot, I had a mission today!¡±
¡°A mission? The best executioner forgets those? Go deal with it.¡±
¡°Laters!¡±
Yona skipped down the hill, and Jin smiled as she sprinted away.
After spending some time weaving roses, he walked towards the Nameless Manor.
Compared to the previous night, the streets were filled with cadets. If there was anything different, it was that they bowed to Jin whenever they were near him.
It was because the leader deemed him as ¡®Nameless¡¯s Ten-Year Savior¡¯. If he wanted to, he could set up a house and live in the area.
Jin took a carriage to the manor. The executioners at the manor bowed to him as well. No one stood in his way.
¡°You¡¯re here.¡±
As soon as he entered, Owal greeted him. The executioners beside him disappeared without a sound.
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°It seems you cleared things up with Yona. Knowing damn well that I was waiting.¡±
He wasn¡¯t asking for an excuse. In fact, there was a light smile on Owal¡¯s face.
It was true that he relied on Yona as the Leader of Nameless. He was fond of her as her teacher.
He could only be proud of Jin who spent time with her all night. On top of the fact that he brought a silver dragon¡¯s w to him.
¡°Although you are insolent and caused great damage to the city, I¡¯ve grown fond of you.¡±
¡°I will say this ahead of time, but I have no intention to enter Nameless after bing a g-bearer.¡±
¡°Hoho, it already seems like the Master of the Hidden Pce took a liking to you. I have no thought to interfere. Weren¡¯t you going for something bigger from the beginning.¡±
The bigger reward.
Bing the patriarch of Runcandel.
No one would expect the youngest son of Runcandel, a newly appointed g-bearer, to be the patriarch. Especially since there were twelvepetent siblings older and more experienced than him.
However, Luna, Owal, and Tris thought it was definitely possible. It was something only few could conclude after meeting Jin.
¡°¡The thing you requested four days ago. It¡¯s ready.¡±
When Owal first caught Jin, the young Runcandel requested something in return for ¡®keeping Beradin and Dante safe¡¯.
¡ªHowever, I believe that I should also have a reward for risking my life. At least, in the case where I sessfully execute your orders.
¡°You didn¡¯t really follow my orders exactly, but the two ultimately survived and you brought the w, so I decided topensate. Seriously, when I saw the three of you together, I felt a strain on the back of my neck.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t know you liked suspense.¡±
¡°Are you talking back to me just because you and Yona got close?¡±
¡°I¡¯m just trying stuff to get to know you as well. I told my sister to open a flower shop instead of returning to the main house.¡±
Owal¡¯s eyes glimmered.
Other Runcandels would use Yona¡¯s weakness to use Nameless. However, Jin was different.
Not only that, there was no nuance of using Yona at all. Owal grew curious whether Jin¡¯s words were genuine.
¡°That¡¯s something that she¡¯d definitely appreciate. However, there¡¯s no way your n would let her go like that.¡±
¡°I will create an excuse for her immediate return.¡±
¡°Hmm, so you¡¯ll take responsibility? A mere provisional g-bearer?¡±
¡°Definitely. I can dy her return by at least five years.¡±
Although he didn¡¯t get it this time, Jin thought of requesting the Thousand-Poison Antidote from Yona. He could also offer her a wonderful present in return. Enough love and genuineness to not feel that he used her.
If Jin received the antidote, then Owal could goin to Cyron. A pureblood Runcandel essentially stole from him, so Owal could then ask for Yona¡¯s dyed return.
¡°At least five years¡ It seems you heard something from her.¡±
¡°Instead, just once, please offer me help when I need it. Not to Jin Runcandel, but to Jin Grey.¡±
¡°Alright. If you keep your word, then I shall. You already yed with me twice, so I¡¯m sure you have something up your sleeve again.¡±
¡°Then I¡¯m thinking of leaving Samil now. I¡¯ll take Dante and Beradin, so we will not be of any interference now.¡±
Jin bowed and turned. Owal bit on a cigar before asking.
¡°But is that really okay? Your request, I mean.¡±
¡°Definitely.¡±
¡°It may be more than you expect. It may have an aftershock. It may harm you.¡±
Jin smiled with certainty.
¡°There¡¯s no way. I was just lucky to have a nice catch after mindlessly throwing a.¡±
Snoooooore, hoo¡ snoooooore, hoo!
Dante and Beradin continued to snore on the bed.
In fact, Beradin scratched his bare stomach.
¡®They¡¯re sleeping obliviously.¡¯
Jin shrugged and put his hands into his pockets. He put his shoddily woven roses onto their faces.
However, his hands touched an unidentified object in his pocket.
¡®A stick?¡¯
A ck stick. Staring at the object for a few seconds, Jin¡¯s eyes almost left its sockets.
¡®It¡¯s the Thousand-Poison Antidote!¡¯
Yona left it there.
¡®But when?¡¯
His question was answered when he sifted through his other pocket.
A letter.
(It was your birthday a few days ago, so this is your birthday present. If you rx just because you opened your Mind¡¯s Eye, you¡¯ll lose to me without anyone knowing.
If you drink this and perfect your Mind¡¯s Eye, there won¡¯t be a single assassin who could kill you with poison. It¡¯s hard to poison me too.
Since I kinda threatened your life a few times¡ I mean several times, I might as well give you another life.
Although it¡¯ste, happy birthday, my precious brother.
Oh, and I never had a mission! Teehee~)
Yona lied about a mission in order to secretly take the leader¡¯s precious antidote.
At the same time¡
¡°Wh¡ What in the¡ª?!¡±
Joshua¡¯s knights¡ªwho had been watching Jin¡ªcouldn¡¯t hide their shock.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Reaper Scans
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 154: Union at the Black Sea
Chapter 154: Union at the ck Sea
sh¡
Heuk! Hoo!
While blood sttered everywhere, the guardian knights of Runcandel could only feel hopelessness.
There were twenty 7- to 8-star guardian knights¡ªthe ones who kept an eye on Jin under Joshua¡¯s orders.
As soon as they escaped Samil, they had been targeted as Samil¡¯s prey. They couldn¡¯t resist.
Nine Executioners, the top ten excluding Yona, gathered. The guardian knights couldn¡¯t handle them. They weren¡¯t as notorious as the ck knights, but still they definitely lived up to their notoriety.
¡°Check their attack positions! They must be the best of the best!¡±
¡°Shit! Don¡¯t split up! We¡¯ll die if they surround each one of us!¡±
Although they were Mind¡¯s Eye users, they couldn¡¯t read the executioners¡¯ footsteps.
sh!
Every time something suddenly shed in the corner of their eye, guardian knights fell to the floor.
The leader of the guardian knights raised his voice.
¡°Is Nameless not scared of Runcandel?! I don¡¯t know for what reason you¡¯re attacking us, but we are the Runcandel n¡¯s prospective sessor¡¯s¡ª¡±
Stab.
A dagger pierced through his back.
The other guardian knights could only grit their teeth.
¡°Complete. Disperse. I will report to the leader.¡±
The second best executioner, Vizen, spoke these words only three minutes into the fight. And their pure-white uniforms remained as white as snow.
¡ªI wish you would erase all records of my visit to Samil. Meaning that, excluding the people of the Kon Kingdom and the cadets and executioners of Nameless, I wish they forgot the existence of Jin Grey or Jin Runcandel.
That was what Jin requested the Leader of Nameless.
Erasing the fact that Jin Grey, or Jin Runcandel, ever visited Samil. Which was why the best executioners ughtered Joshua¡¯s knights.
Since no one other than the people of Kon and the associates of Nameless should know of him¡
Owal repeated Jin¡¯s request with his own mouth, then spat cigarette ash.
¡®Jin¡ He said it like his thoughtless throw of the caught a big fish. But he probably knew this would happen. What a scary kid.¡¯
Owal concluded his thoughts, and Vizen arrived.
¡°Missionplete. Total guardian knights killed, 24. The corpses will be dealt with within the hour.¡±
¡°Well done.
¡°I am worried about the Runcandels¡¯ reaction to this issue. Although we have a valid reason, killing that many guardian knights will stir up some tension.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, Vizen. I will speak with Lord Cyron myself. I will leave for the ck Sea within two days, so take care of the Manor for the time being.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
* * *
* * *
Cold sweat poured down Kashimir¡¯s head. The man who bought the misunderstood image of a miraculous being with a royal status, handsome profile, and ghost-like swordsmanship.
When he went near the ck Sea, he thought Khan would escort him.
However, Cyron didn¡¯t send Khan. As such, Kashimir wore the blood of monsters for the past week without any road to follow.
He couldn¡¯t even remember how many monsters he ughtered before arriving at his destination.
After excessive effort, he arrived at the center of the ck Sea, where Cyron was. However¡
¡®Why are they here¡?¡¯
He was sure Cyron only summoned him, but Kashimir saw a total of four people.
¡°Ah, you have arrived, Ghostde.¡±
Firstly, Guardian Knight Khan.
He was speaking out of respect, but Khan honestly thought Kashimir deserved it.
Kashimir got to experience thebor of delivering a letter firsthand. A speechless re pressured him to write more satisfactory letters.
¡°What¡¯s this? Cyron, why¡¯d you call that married man? I wanted to have a nice chat, but there are too many unwanted visitors.¡±
The Master of the Hidden Pce, Tris.
She examined Kashimir before clicking her tongue, showing scorn for the man who struggled through the monsters of the ck Sea.
¡°Ghostde Kashimir? Lord Cyron, it seems the Runcandels have formed a good rapport with the Free City of Tikan.¡±
The Leader of Nameless, Owal.
He had arrived thirty minutes before Kashimir.
Lastly, a man who sat in the air with his legs crossed as he stared at Kashimir. The strongest knight of the generation, Cyron Runcandel.
As soon as their eyes met, Kashimir quickly lowered his head.
¡°I apologize for my tardiness, Lord Cyron.¡±
¡°Sit. And Tris, the unwanted visitor isn¡¯t the Ghostde, but you and Owal.¡±
¡°Hm?¡±
¡°Ah, it seems you had nned a meeting prior with the Ghostde.¡±
Surprisingly, Tris and Owal stepped away after Cyron¡¯s words, giving Kashimir enough room to stand in front of Cyron.
The Master of the Hidden Pce and the Leader of Nameless.
The only person who could move them with words was Cyron Runcandel. All the while staring down at the Ghostde.
Kashimir could only feel gratitude.
¡®Lord Cyron really cares about me!¡¯
The pain of fighting the monsters for the past week all melted away. Kashimir stepped forward and nced around.
¡®Madame Tris probably came for some marriage proposal, but why the Leader of Nameless? Did Young Master Jin misbehave in Samil?¡¯
It was nice that Cyron made room for him. However, it felt like he was sitting on thorns. Tris and Owal were ring at him for taking their spot.
¡®Since Kashimir and Owal are here, I can¡¯t even talk about marriage!¡¯
¡®¡The Master of the Hidden Pce and the Ghostde. It¡¯ll be hard to bring up stuff about Jin and Yona.¡¯
On the other hand, Cyron was a little proud.
Kashimir was definitely far below the other two. Nheless, three very famous and hard-to-meet people came to him regarding his youngest son.
¡°I originally summoned you for a drink, but there seems to be two extra guests. Please understand. We will have a drink after these two leave.¡±
At Cyron¡¯s words, Kashimir felt equal to the Master of the Hidden Pce and the Leader of Nameless for an instant. And the two grand beings were shocked.
It was the respect of the absolute power. He didn¡¯t want Kashimir to hold back on his words because bystanders were listening.
¡°No worries, Lord Cyron.¡±
¡°So, how¡¯s the youngest doing?¡±
¡°Just as I departed for the ck Sea, Young Master Jin left for the Leader of Nameless¡¯s city in order to train for any assassination attempts or poison.¡±
Except Kashimir, everyone¡¯s eyes rattled.
¡®Why does that damned kid constantly visit dangerous ces? How will he marry my daughter if he dies?¡¯
¡®I know Jin is an incredible kid, but Lord Cyron is showing this much interest in him¡?¡¯
Cyron¡¯s eyes flicked to Owal, ordering an exnation.
¡°Ahem. The Ghostde is correct. I came to discuss the young master¡¯s visit to Samil. However, it is not something I can speak of with the presence of the Master of the Hidden Pce and the Ghostde.¡±
¡°Just speak. As you know, the Hidden Pce and Runcandel n are basically one. Besides that, the Master of the Hidden Pce is one of my few close friends. And the Ghostde is close-mouthed.¡±
Owal thought for a bit before speaking. He now considered the Hidden Pce and Tikan City as allies of the Runcandel n.
He proceeded to summarize Jin¡¯s visit in detail. Everyone concentrated on every word he spoke. Of course, he left out the part about Dante and Beradin being present.
Hearing that the youngest son messed around, survived, and opened his Mind¡¯s Eye, Cyron smiled.
Right after Owal mentioned that he had 24 guardian knights killed by Jin¡¯s request, Cyron burst intoughter.
From his bellows, small earthquakes urred throughout the ck Sea.
¡°I see why you came. Were you scared of taking responsibility for that?¡±
¡°Although it is embarrassing, yes. It wasn¡¯t one or two, but 24.¡±
¡°He has already started to open his eyes to rity. That annoying runt¡¡±
Cyron¡¯s joy was erased from his voice, but he still looked satisfied. Almost so that ¡®annoying¡¯ meant ¡®sessful¡¯.
Only Kashimir was nervous, thinking that Jin may have done something wrong.
¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. It would remain the same even if you killed two hundred.¡±
¡°Milord, you lighten my chest. However, Lord Cyron, I have one more thing to say.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°¡I wish you¡¯d read this paper. This isn¡¯t something that I can reveal to the others.¡±
¡°Hand it over.¡±
Cyron¡¯s eyes narrowed.
(I have received the Thousand-Poison Antidote from Sister Yona. So, in exchange for this, pleasepromise with the Leader of Nameless to dy Elder Sister Yona¡¯s return to the n.
For the antidote, up to five years shouldn¡¯t be hard.
Oh, and on top of that, I didn¡¯t use any tricks or anything. It should be appropriate to return it, but the Leader of Nameless told me to ¡®relieve myself from the assassinations from Nameless for ten years.¡¯ So greed for the antidote outgrows my fear for Nameless¡
It was in a petty manner, but I kept my promise. I trust that you will keep my promise with the Leader of Nameless as well.
Thank you.)
A letter that Jin left when leaving Samil.
¡°Why? Is there something wrong, Cyron? Did my daughter¡¯s fianc¨¦ misbehave?¡±
Tris opened her mouth out of curiosity.
¡°¡Owal, is this true?¡±
¡°Yes. In fact, he yed with me more times than mentioned in that letter.¡±
¡°A man like you to a kid like him? I know he¡¯s smart, but that can¡¯t be true. And there¡¯s no way he coborated with Yona.¡±
Owal sighed and shook his head.
¡°I wish it were like that.¡±
¡°It seems that you weren¡¯t the only one who has been yed.¡±
¡°Still, Milord, he is your child. Unlike me who has been wiped clean, you have something to be proud of.¡±
¡°Hoho¡ We will discuss this matterter. I will send you an official invitation, so I¡¯ll see you at the Garden of Swords soon.¡°
¡°I will inform you of the specifics at ater date.¡±
¡°Cyron, you¡¯re leaving the ck Sea again? I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening, but you aren¡¯t going to punish my son-inw.¡±
¡°Who the hell is your son-inw, Tris?¡±
¡°Hmph, I¡¯m sure you can answer that yourself. What did Jin do to receive a big punishment?¡±
Cyron lightly shook his head.
¡°He didn¡¯t do anything.¡±
¡°Thank goodness.¡±
A silence ensued. Cyron fell deep into thought, and Tris was relieved. Owal was concerned about how long he wanted to dy Yona¡¯s return.
¡°Ghostde.¡±
¡°Yes, Lord Cyron?¡±
¡°I am also curious about what news you brought. I couldn¡¯t listen to you because of Owal.¡±
¡°I was about to tell you as well. Regarding the death of Kidard Hall that shook the world not so long ago. I came to tell you that it was at the hands of Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°What?!¡±
¡°Huh?!¡±
Tris and Owal shouted simultaneously, and Cyron nodded with an emotionless expression.
¡°I see. Now then, unwanted guests should clear out. I must have a drink with this man.¡±
¡°I know what you¡¯re going to talk about, so I don¡¯t count. Let me join in. Don¡¯t make me disappointed.¡±
Tris knew that Jin was a magic swordsman, so it wouldn¡¯t be a problem if she found out how Jin killed Kidard.
The only one who didn¡¯t know of Jin¡¯s secret, Owal, had to leave.
¡®Alright, so the Master of the Hidden Pce is friends with Lord Cyron, but the Ghostde is closer to him than I am¡? I mean, I¡¯m kinda curious about how Jin killed Kidard too.¡¯
Owal was a little disappointed, but it was fine since he achieved his goal.
He decided to just be satisfied.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 155: Reward (1)
Chapter 155: Reward (1)
7-star swordsmanship, 7-star magic, and 5-star spiritual energy.
He was about to achieve a body that has Thousand-Poison Immunity despite him not drinking the antidote yet.
¡®When are these guys gonna go back?¡¯
Jin, Beradin, and Dante. It had been two days since they left Samil City. However, Beradin and Dante didn¡¯t think about letting Jin go.
¡°Isn¡¯t it time to split now¡?¡±
¡°The hell do you mean?! It was a pain in the ass to find you, and even more of a pain after finding you. If you had a heart, then you would y with us for a little longer.¡±
¡°Beradin¡¯s right.¡±
¡°You two¡ Aren¡¯t you guys prospective sessors? Isn¡¯t this the time where each passing day is precious?¡±
¡°Nope. Since my n is well-established, I can be the patriarch without doing anything. And Dante is basically confirmed. Do you know how much Lord Ron Hairan loves that fellow?¡±
Dante let out a cough in embarrassment.
¡°Yeah, I know that much. But unlike you guys, I need to get moving. I need to get stuff done as a provisional g-bearer.¡±
¡°You killed Kidard Hall not so long ago. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s enough.¡±
¡°I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m not responsible for his death.¡±
¡°Hey, hey! Look at this guy, lying again.¡±
¡°It seems Jin is in a difficult position, Beradin. I don¡¯t think we should question him any more.¡±
¡°This guy is constantly drawing lines on us!¡±
¡°Haven¡¯t you thought of yourselves who excessively crossed every line in existence?¡±
¡°And ording to Dante, he says your aura is almost at 7-star. You¡¯re way beyond normal achievement. Enough to be a g-bearer this instant.¡±
¡°But if I be a g-bearer, wouldn¡¯t the days spent with us decrease? It¡¯s already very sparse.¡±
Jin realized something after being with Dante and Beradin for the past few days.
The flow of their conversation constantly led towards what they wanted to say.
¡°Just because someone¡¯s aura is at 7-star doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re a 7-star knight. What¡¯s important is swordsmanship.¡±
¡°Your swordsmanship is better than a normal 7-star¡¯s. Right, Dante?¡±
¡°I concur. This is true as well back at the arena. Honestly, to the point where I wonder why you are still a provisional g-bearer. Didn¡¯t your third eldest sister, Lady Mary Runcandel, achieve 6-star at the age of 19?¡±
As Dante mentioned, the children of Runcandel usually became g-bearers when they became 6- to 7-star knights.
After bing a g-bearer, they would learn the Runcandel n¡¯s secret techniques one by one to mark their insane growth.
The decisive killing moves of Runcandel had the potential to outss all swordmaster ns altogether.
¡°I¡¯m not as famous as Elder Sister Mary. Jin Grey, as a swordsman, is still not well-known.¡±
Honestly, for Jin, that fame and poprity could be established in a few months. However, he had to make himself the perfect magic swordsman by the end of the five years that Cyron gave him. He couldn¡¯t exin that to the two, so he kept avoiding the question.
¡°Oho. Then Samil was also included in that reason. You were trying to make your alias known by surviving thend of the assassins.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right.¡±
¡°Want me to help?¡±
¡°With what?¡±
¡°Who am I? I¡¯m Beradin Zipfel! Hehe, when I go back, I¡¯ll tell the n press to spread the word. That these things happened in Samil.¡±
¡°Then I shall help as well. I will request it from all the press that shed light onto the Hairan n. I¡¯m sure you would want to be a g-bearer as soon as possible.¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t do it.¡±
Jin instantly rejected their offers of assistance, and they pulled out different cards.
¡°How about we go on an adventure? Dante and I will hide our identities and help you out. Like a baggage carrier of some sort.¡±
¡°Oh! That¡¯s a good idea. If we work together, we can probably defeat any bad guy. If we give all the credit to Jin, we can stack fame much quicker.¡±
¡°And then we¡¯ll put it all in the news. ¡®Jin Grey and his servants, seekers of justice.¡¯ With a title like that.¡±
¡°Then we should start looking for a scummy viin!¡±
¡°There¡¯s a ton of those! The Kings of Mamit, West Vermont¡¯s Mad Jack Glow, the cultists of the Dark Magic Association, Vanke¡¯s Knight of Destruction Hwirok, the Leader of the Orange Tiger Tribe Fanta¡¡±
¡°The three of us, going off for an adventure to take care of those horrible viins¡ my heart is beating out of my chest.¡±
As Jin blocked out their nonsense, the two raised their voices at the fantasies.
¡®Well, someone¡¯s excited.¡¯
Jin had no words, for he was so baffled. However, he didn¡¯t hate looking after the two idiots.
¡®On that note, he mentioned a ton of viins to gain experience. I honestly think that they¡¯ve been around for a long time, so they¡¯re getting forgotten.¡¯
From Beradin¡¯s list of viins, they were middle- to high-tier enemies. For the era¡¯s most evil beings that even the world powers couldn¡¯t deal with, he didn¡¯t even mention them.
Barely listening to their nonsense, Jin shook his head.
¡°You guys having fun? Tell me if a novel of your adventures is published. I¡¯ll make sure to read it.¡±
¡°Are you not going to join us?¡±
¡°Obviously.¡±
¡°An adventure. An adventure! Do you not yearn for excitement?¡±
¡°My life is filled with enough excitement and adventure.¡±
¡°Errrrrrrr¡!¡±
¡°Jin, we can¡¯t yield this time. We really want to do this!¡±
Jin sighed.
For the past two days, they had been dragging and pulling on Jin¡¯s conscience. Which helped him understand why they came to Samil for him.
¡®They¡¯ll never give up after thinking of it once.¡¯
Thankfully, he slowly mastered the method to manipte these morons.
¡°I understand your intentions, but I can¡¯t right now.¡±
He emphasized ¡®right now¡¯.
¡°Why not?¡±
¡°Does that mean you are avableter?¡±
They took the bait.
Jin smirked and looked at the two.
¡°Yeah. I honestly don¡¯t hate hanging out with you guys, but I have things to do, you know? I have something arranged already, so I gotta go. I can¡¯t just cancel something like that for two days just for you guys.¡±
Of course, there was no prior arrangement. The only ones waiting for Jin were his allies back at Tikan.
¡°An arrangement with whom?¡±
¡°You don¡¯t ask things like that, Beradin. Respect my privacy. Anyways, we¡¯ll go on an adventureter.¡±
¡°Later when?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll send a letter.¡±
¡°To where?¡±
He felt like an uncle dealing with his nieces and nephews. Getting children off his back with baseless promises was possible, but they were 19-year-olds.
¡°Give me your address.¡±
Beradin quickly handed a paper with his address.
¡°This is my summer house. Anything that happens here is never reported to the n and never interfered by the n.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t even have such a thing like a summer house.¡±
¡°When I get a letter from Jin, I¡¯ll definitely contact you. Don¡¯t worry. Since it turned out like this, let¡¯s use my summer house as our hideout. I¡¯ll tell your names to the butler so you cane in anytime.¡±
Surprisingly, Beradin¡¯s summer house was on an uninhabited ind in the west seas. To avoid supervision from the n, he purposefully purchasednd under the rule of the Hidden Pce.
His position was pretty strong as the prospective sessor. Still, his siblings and opposing forces kept an eye on him. Hence, he allocated a secret resting space.
¡°And you can just tell me about this ce?¡±
¡°You wouldn¡¯t tell this to my siblings. Same way I wouldn¡¯t tell your siblings that I¡¯m friends with you.¡±
A warning.
Jin shrugged and stuffed the paper into his pocket.
¡°Well, that¡¯s true. Alright, is that it? I have to go now.¡±
¡°Tell me where you¡¯re going. I told you my little hideout. And now, Dante and I can track you down whenever you need help.¡±
Beradin and Dante didn¡¯t know that Jin resided in Tikan.
¡°Still, you have some morals. If you just used the Zipfels¡¯ power, finding my location would be a piece of cake.¡±
¡°I at least know that we aren¡¯t allowed to be friends. Especially you and me. The moment I investigate you with the n¡¯s power, I¡¯ll lose my freedom. Then I won¡¯t be able to meet you, or I¡¯ll have to fight you when confronted.¡±
¡°An unfortunate reality¡ As for me, my grandfather doesn¡¯t know of my friendship with Jin. He just knows that I have a new friend who he doesn¡¯t know of.¡±
Jin felt a little guilty at their disappointment.
¡°I feel guilty if you put it like that. Well, I¡¯ll buy us drinks to celebrate our newly established hideout.¡±
* * *
* * *
After drinking for a while, he finally returned to Tikante at night. And as always, his allies in Tikan weed him warmly. However, Kashimir still had not returned from his visit to the ck Sea at Cyron¡¯s order.
¡®I¡¯m sure he¡¯s struggling and suffering. Knowing Father¡¯s personality, he wouldn¡¯t send Sir Kashimir any guide or escort.¡¯
Jin went to Quikantel first. He had to thank her the most.
¡°Thank you, Miss Quikantel. Thanks to you, I returned safely.¡±
¡°Goodness, what¡¯s this? Did you make some progress at Samil? Oh! That¡ is the Thousand-Poison Antidote!¡±
Jin revealed the antidote, and Quikantel stood up and shouted.
¡°I wanted to show you before I consume it.¡±
¡°My goodness. How¡¯d you obtain it? I knew they would treat the silver dragon¡¯s w like some divine object, but I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t exchange it for anything.¡±
Jin exined what happened in Samil, and all Quikantel could do was blink.
¡°The more I see you, the more surprises you have. Not satisfied with this antidote, you even beat the Leader of Nameless in his own mind games¡ And you got an opportunity to receive his assistance.¡±
¡°This was all thanks to your w, Miss Quikantel. Without it, it would¡¯ve been impossible. Had I been empty-handed, I would have needed to use my secret powers. I was able to avoid such awkward situations.¡±
¡°Fufu, that¡¯s enough gratitude. I¡¯m proud. My hundred years didn¡¯t go to waste.¡±
¡°A hundred years?¡±
¡°That¡¯s the time it takes for my w to regrow.¡±
¡°Oh¡¡±
She gave it so willingly, so he didn¡¯t think it cost much.
However, a dragon¡¯s w was no different from a human¡¯s fingernail. She sacrificed her fingernail at the possibility of Jin¡¯s death.
¡°It¡¯s a long time for a human, but it¡¯s nothing for a dragon. Don¡¯t feel too guilty. Hand the antidote to me. I¡¯ll purify it so you can absorb it quicker.¡±
¡°You have made such a big sacrifice for me.¡±
¡°No, if it weren¡¯t for you, Enya would be dead. On that note, I am more indebted to you. So don¡¯t get all subservient, you runt.¡±
As Quikantel handled the drink, Jin wondered why he was so loved in this life.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 156: Reward (2)
Chapter 156: Reward (2)
>
The refined Thousand-Poison Antidote became a wine. Jin drank it whole, and his vision went ck.
He fainted right then and there.
When he opened his eyes, instead of Quikantel, Enya was at his side.
¡°Eeerrrrr¡¡±
¡°Ah, Lord Jin. You¡¯ve finally awoken!¡±
¡°Enya? Where¡¯s Miss Quikantel? And what do you mean by ¡®finally¡¯?¡±
Jin thought he lost consciousness for only a short while. However, it was odd that Enya was watching him instead of Quikantel.
¡°Miss Quikantel is in the room over there. And you were knocked out for five days.¡±
¡°What?! Five days?!¡±
¡°Indeed. I thought you actually died. While you were half-dead, your entire body turned ck and then normal again. Probably did that dozens of times. It was super cool!¡±
It only took him five days due to the Runcandels¡¯ blessed body.
A normal knight would require at least a month to fully absorb the antidote. Quikantel knew this but didn¡¯t tell him. She thought that not knowing would be better in any case.
¡°So I presume you are immune to all kinds of poison? Congrattions, milord. You don¡¯t know how wonderful it is for me to see you make achievement after achievement! Anyways, everyone! The lord has awoken!¡±
Enya ran out to the hallway and shouted, and one by one, more people sought Jin. Gilly, Murakan, Quikantel, Alisa, and Jet. While everyone gathered, only Kashimir was absent.
He was currently fighting his way through the monsters of the ck Sea after ending his little drink with Cyron.
¡°Oh my goodness, Young Master! Great work! And Congrattions!¡±
¡°You said you¡¯ll be off of Nameless¡¯s radar for ten years, right? You should still be careful during that time. The Thousand-Poison Antidote is an absorbable elixir. Which is why it¡¯s passed down to the best executioners of Nameless.¡±
Quikantel sat on the bed.
¡°I thought you¡¯d be out for at least a week, but you got up in five days. There was also an intent for you to rest, so don¡¯t think of it too badly.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t feel bad at all. Consuming it without knowing is better. If I knew about it, then it would¡¯ve been really nerve-racking.¡±
¡°Congrattions, Young Master. Thousand-Poison Immunity¡ You¡¯ve achieved what most knights dream of.¡±
¡°Hey, kid. Drink this as a celebration.¡±
Murakan handed him a goblet filled with an unidentifiable ck liquid.
¡°¡The hell is this? This¡ I don¡¯t think this is something a human can drink.¡±
Sizzle, sizzle.
Bubbles burst and smoke rose from it.
¡°What else do you think it is? It¡¯s poison. While you were asleep, Jet got it from the Vermont ck Market. Drink up. I wanna see the immunity for myself.¡±
¡°Murakan, are you crazy? Seriously? Experimenting on me as soon as I wake up¡¡±
However, all of hispanions around the bed looked like they were awaiting results. Even for dragons who lived thousands of years, immunity was not amon sight.
Even Gilly only acted like she was stopping Murakan.
¡°Haaa, alright.¡±
Gulp, gulp¡!
With a burning sensation in his tongue, the poison slithered down his throat.
Cough!
¡°Tastes disgusting.¡±
¡°Whoa, milord. How do you feel?¡±
¡°Wow, he¡¯s actually fine?¡±
¡°My stomach is getting a little hot¡ but that¡¯s it. What kind of poison is this?¡±
He rinsed his mouth with a ss of water from Gilly.
¡°It was something that could end a 7-star with one sip.¡±
¡°Haha, and you gave me that? I might shed a tear because I¡¯m so thankful. Yeah? You¡¯re messed in the head.¡±
¡°Quikantel said that there¡¯s no poison in the world that could instantly take you out.¡±
Jin turned his head to Quikantel.
¡°It¡¯s true. There¡¯s no poison that can kill you instantly. You haveplete immunity over the one you just drank. And above that, if you get excessive exposure, then it¡¯ll be dangerous. Instead, for poisons that could kill others with a single drop, you can take an entire goblet-full.¡±
Despite that, it still wasn¡¯t an absolute Thousand-Poison Immunity. That was something that only Temar, Cyron, and the first Leader of Nameless, Corun, achieved.
However, that was only a spection. Nothing was confirmed. Still, Jin¡¯s poison immunity was very strong.
¡°From now on, no poison-tipped weapon or poisoned food can threaten you. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to exin that in depth.¡±
Killing Jin with poison basically became impossible.
¡®Next time I meet Kuzan, I won¡¯t need to back down because of his poison. Not only him, but other poison users I¡¯d face in the future as well.¡¯
As he thought about his brighter future, he forgot about being used as a human experiment. The heat in his stomach was now neutralized. Jin felt it being carried away by his breaths.
¡°Satisfactory. It was all worth it. Alright, now then¡ A meal. No matter how curious you are, why would you give poison instead of a meal to someone who woke up after a five-daya?¡±
It was lunchtime.
Kashimir was still absent, but they exchanged many stories as they had a nice familial meal. The main story being Jin¡¯s adventures in Samil, and Enya constantly smacked her lips in jealousy.
¡°Lord Jin, since you are super strong, can I go with you on your next mission? I¡¯ll go anywhere. I want to grow with you.¡±
¡°Well, she has to gain real-life experience now. Just enough to carry her own weight. Don¡¯t you think, Quikantel? Your contractor needs to be buckled up.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t like it, but you¡¯re right. I shouldn¡¯t be keeping her in the nest, worrying about everything.¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t Miss Enya training with Miss Quikantel and Lord Murakan? I heard she hit 4-star.¡±
She was being underestimated because of Jin¡¯s excessive achievements. However, achieving 4-star at the age of 16 wasn¡¯t an easy feat. Only nationally recognized magicians could grow that quickly. Enya didn¡¯t attend the Vermont Magic Academy as an honored schr just because she was Olta¡¯s contractor.
¡°Since she only learns from theory with application, her growth is slow. And she hasn¡¯t killed anyone before.¡±
¡°Hmm. Killing¡ Does Miss Enya really need to experience such things?
Clink!
Quikantel loudly set down her fork.
¡°Jin Runcandel. Everyone here is your ally. That means that we will also offer a hand when you be a g-bearer and join the Battle for Hegemony. It will be an all-out war. Do you mean Enya to be deadweight when that happens?¡±
She spoke with the intention to make Jin feel shame. However, she was actually scolding Enya. Aftering to Tikan, Enya hadn¡¯t done much other than magic training and ying with the other children.
Of course, she was only 16. However, in the current state of the world, enough skill in self-defense was mandatory. Someone who got someone¡¯s back in a fight.
And Quikantel felt a little jealous of Murakan. As guardian dragons, they only watched Jin¡¯s rapid growth together.
¡°Despite looking like this, this girl is Olta¡¯s contractor with a genius¡¯s talent. And the opponents we will face are Runcandels and Zipfels. She needs to get stronger. Enough to support you even after you be a g-bearer.¡±
Understanding Quikantel¡¯s intention, Jin nodded.
¡°I have never thought of that. Alright, I was thinking of facing magicians in the next mission. Since I¡¯m just testing out the new overload magic, I can go with Miss Enya.¡±
¡°Whoooaaa!¡±
Enya beat her chest as her eyes glimmered. Her unique way of¡ showing happiness.
¡°Adventure! With Lord Jin! The two of us! Then when should I n the wedding?¡±
Jin spat the water he had been drinking. Quikantel sighed. Calming Murakan, who wasughing his heart out, was Gilly¡¯s job.
¡°Enya. I will not tell you to act more respectable. Even Lord Olta gave up on that¡ Please act withmon sense. I wasn¡¯t scolding Jin, I was scolding you. Do you understand?¡±
¡°Haha, I was just joking. I¡¯m sorry!¡±
Her words held genuineness, but Jin justughed it off. It wasn¡¯t that she was like this for only a day of two. He kind of felt that Enya acted like Yona.
¡®Since she lived through the bullying and discrimination in the Vermont Empire, she would definitely have scars on her heart. And her excessively easygoing personality probablyes from there too.¡¯
Jin, too, experienced the horrors of society. To the point where he couldn¡¯t keep track of how many times he wanted to end his own life.
So, whenever Enya acted bright and happy, he didn¡¯t feel great.
¡°Oh, and Young Master. I have something to tell you.¡±
¡°Hm?¡±
¡°I should visit the main house soon. I don¡¯t know why, but the patriarch has decreed an order.¡±
¡°Father did¡?¡±
¡®Why would he summon a provisional g-bearer¡¯s nanny? Just like the g-bearer, the nanny also became an outsider with the provisional g-bearer.¡¯
After shortly thinking about it, Jin was struck with an idea and met Gilly¡¯s eyes.
¡°Maybe he summoned you for a reward?¡±
¡°A reward? Young Master, you are a provisional g-bearer.¡±
¡°Some of Joshua¡¯s knights died at the hands of Nameless Executioners because of me. I¡¯m not too certain, but I think it¡¯s a reward for that. With a provisional g-bearer status, I basically won an unofficial battle in the Battle for Hegemony.¡±
Jin unraveled his theory, and hispanions were shocked.
¡°My goodness¡ That¡¯s what happened with Miss Yona? And you asked for such things from the Leader of Nameless¡ Joshua, that bastar¡ªI mean, did you expect Young Master Joshua to have knights on your tail¡?¡±
¡°I wasn¡¯tpletely expecting it. However, I did leave a warning after killing Kidard. I thought he¡¯d definitely send someone. So after the Leader of Nameless agreed to help me out, I gave him the subtle request to deal with them.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, Young Master.¡±
¡°Why the sudden apology?¡±
¡°I should¡¯ve acted after thinking it through. I merely waited for your safe return without doing anything. I feel embarrassed to show my face to you.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t give me that. Have a nice trip. If it were a punishment, then he would have called me directly, so it must be a reward. And I¡¯m sure you know what it means to win a Battle for Hegemony.¡±
¡°Yes. If it really is a reward, the patriarch will take something from Young Master Joshua and offer it to you.¡±
If g-bearers were to fight, the one who woulde out on top would get to take the loser¡¯s knights or materials.
However, that didn¡¯t apply to all fights. It was only for victories with special meaning. And since Jin defeated the second g-bearer as a provisional g-bearer, it was a special victory.
¡°I¡¯m excited to see what Father took from him to give to me.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 157: Reward (3)
Chapter 157: Reward (3)
While Gilly left for the main house, Jin ordered an investigation on the remaining members of the Dark Magic Association.
The association was in its prime two hundred years ago. And just as their name suggested, they were crazy people who worshiped dark magic and beasts. Their history was decently long, and during their peak, they had the ability to throw the world into chaos.
¡®And the one who hammered them down was Liol Zipfel. The one time she used Ring of Erupting mes Massacre by the Empress of Magic 1st Form was when she wiped out the Dark Magic Association.¡¯
A history that Jin learned when he studied magic.
After contracting with Solderet, Jin actually researched the Zipfel n¡¯s old patriarch for a while.
Contrary to its name, the ultimate destruction spell, Ring of Erupting mes Massacre, had ties to darkness, which made it definitely rted to Solderet.
¡®Beradin said it was Ring of Erupting mes Massacre, but that was just some Erupting mes.¡¯
Liol was Solderet¡¯s contractor two contractors ago. She wasn¡¯t the thousand-year contractor, but she was one of the best, excluding Temar and Jin.
The one who guided Jin to the book with Ring of Erupting mes Massacre Final Form was none other than Solderet.
¡ªMy contractor, after bing plenty strong, we shall go find Liol¡¯s magic tome. That is, when you can pass the test she left before her passing.
Something Jin heard after being Solderet¡¯s contractor for about a month.
Was it because he watched Beradin¡ªthough pathetically failed¡ªcast the spell?
He wanted to go find the tome immediately, but finding a tome belonging to one of the greatest magicians in history wasn¡¯t going to be easy.
¡®Instead of some legendary spell that I can¡¯t handle, refining my current spells is more important right now.¡¯
Kiiiiiiiing!
In Jin¡¯s palm, an Overload Vortex let out a shrill vibrating noise. After Gilly had left, Jin had been hooked on practicing his overload magic.
¡°Young Master. I, Jet, seek your presence.¡±
As soon as Jet came in, Jin deactivated his spell. With two hands, Jet handed a crumpled sheet of paper. The document had the cumtive forces and location of the Dark Magic Association as well as their most recent activities.
¡°Southern region of the Vermont Empire? They¡¯re really active there?¡±
Jin asked, raising an eyebrow.
He didn¡¯t expect them at such a location.
¡°And there are over fifty of them there? I can¡¯t believe the Vermont Imperial Family is just letting this happen. And if what¡¯s written here is true, they aren¡¯t staying put or anything.¡±
¡°Yes. They trash and loot cities while letting beasts loose in the empire, but it seems the Imperial Family isn¡¯t particrly reacting.¡±
¡°Hmmm¡ something smells fishy.¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? Either the unfair officials are being bribed or the weak leaders are trying to fake an aplishment. Haaah. Well, the ones dying are always the poor.¡±
¡°In the Vermont Empire, widespread intervention is pretty rare. However, they¡¯re inside the maind, so I¡¯m sure there¡¯s some reason.¡±
¡°Shall I go and find out?¡±
¡°No need. I¡¯ll find out when I get there. Having a basic idea on what they¡¯re doing is enough.¡±
The remnants of the Dark Magic Association consisted of 3- to 4-star magicians. There were some 6-stars here and there, but they weren¡¯t enough to threaten Jin.
After all, Jin was confident in fighting fifty 7-stars simultaneously. He physically felt that he was ¡®strong¡¯. However, he had no intention of stopping where he was.
¡°Oh, and Lady Gilly has returned.¡±
¡°Whoa.¡±
As soon as she returned, Gilly shed a big smile.
¡°Young Master!¡±
¡°Gilly, how was your trip?¡±
¡°You¡¯ll be very surprised about what I brought and what I¡¯ll tell you. Hehe, I felt so refreshed when the patriarch pped Young Master Joshua across his face!¡±
¡°Huh? Father pped Joshua¡¯s cheek?¡±
¡°Indeed! In front of my and Lord Owal¡¯s eyes! Oh, I forgot to mention that Lord Owal was present as well. I would¡¯ve never guessed, so I was very surprised. But that cannot overtake my happiness.¡±
¡°The Leader of Nameless was there as well? Tell me more.¡±
¡°So it went like this¡¡±
* * *
* * *
Four days ago, Garden of Swords.
Cyron had left the ck Sea and sent Owal an official invitation. He also sent the telegram to Tikan to summon Gilly.
Both of the invitees arrived, and Cyron had a short discussion about Yona with the elders.
After the meeting, he called Gilly, Owal, and Joshua into his room.
¡°Joshua.¡±
¡°Yes, Father?¡±
¡°Thanks to you, Yona¡¯s return has been dyed for five more years. Do you have anything to say?¡±
¡°...No, Father.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t even want to mention that the second g-bearer showed mistakes towards the youngest provisional g-bearer. And I¡¯m sure I warned your siblings about one thing. What was it?¡±
¡°You said to nevery a finger on Yona.¡±
p!
Cyron pped him.
p, p!
Even from ps without any aura, at every moment of contact, bits of flesh and blood sttered all over.
¡°You cowards would have never disobeyed myw. However, it turned out to be so.¡±
¡°I apologize.¡±
¡°Return the ck Light Cuirass. It seems that it doesn¡¯t fit you.¡±
¡°...Yes.¡±
Joshua immediately removed his sweater, and when he took off his shirt, the ck Light Cuirass revealed itself.
Watching him take off the shimmering ck chestte, Cyron clicked his tongue.
¡°Years passed since Rosa gave this to you¡ but the luster is the same as when you received it. Did you not know that your mother¡¯s intent in offering this armor¡!¡±
Clink, clink.
Removing the breastte, Joshua fixed his clothes. At that point, Gilly was looking straight down, not even letting out a sound.
¡°The next time I leave the ck Sea to meet you again, be prepared to lose your g-bearer title! Leave!¡±
* * *
Jin¡¯s eyes deepend.
¡°Isn¡¯t it crazy? Young Master Joshua had to self-reflect for while and you received the ck Light Armor!¡±
ck Light Cuirass.
The ultimate armor that was forged thirty years ago in the Minche Smithy Association founded by legendary cksmith, Picon Minche.
At first, this little group only created the armor for the Zipfel n.
However, after Zed took over the Zipfels¡¯ Fifth Tower by waging war, the Runcandel n obtained the armor, and it had been sitting in storage ever since. Rosa then bestowed it upon Joshua seventeen years ago.
Helping him out when he was losing severely to Luna.
¡°I understand why Father intentionally punished Joshua in front of Gilly and the Leader of Nameless. Also the reason to bestow the ck Light Cuirass.¡±
¡°Why do you think so? Are you not happy, Young Master? I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be this calm.¡±
¡°I am ted. But the fact that Joshua got struck¡ Father is assigning some homework through the armor. During my time as a provisional g-bearer, I should return to the main house after fighting the strongest foes¡ªenough to break the chestte. It¡¯s closer to an assignment than a reward.¡±
¡°So that¡¯s what he meant when he criticized the unchanged luster.¡±
¡°He also warned the Leader of Nameless. To never use Elder Sister Yona forpromises. Since he will crack down on the second g-bearer anytime, he¡¯s implying that he can do it to Leader Owal as well.¡±
¡°I felt that too. It seems the patriarch treats Lady Yona with care. I never knew. She didn¡¯t have a nanny and went to Samil at an early age, so I thought she had been kicked out.¡±
¡°Same for you. He also warned me through you. To never even think of using Elder Sister Yona.¡±
¡°Oh¡ Goodness, so that¡¯s what he intended.¡±
Jin¡¯s spection was spot on.
Cyron purposefully called the three of them to one ce for a reason.
¡®Elder Sister Yona definitely has something. Seeing that Father reacted like this, it must be her special powers or something.¡¯
¡ªYou also have a secret.
He remembered some of Yona¡¯s words.
¡®I think she definitely has something big that she¡¯s hiding. But it isn¡¯t something to uncover right now. Realizing and addressing it is enough.¡¯
Organizing his thoughts, Jin nodded.
¡°Now I just need to find opponents strong enough to break my new armor. I can¡¯t disappoint Father.¡±
¡°Phew, I only celebrated like a fool. I didn¡¯t know that such a reward would carry such heavy burdens¡¡±
Jin smiled at Gilly.
¡°No, it¡¯s your job to be happy at these things.¡±
One weekter, Kashimir returned, and Jin and Enya prepared to embark for the Vermont Empire.
Kashimir looked dead from fighting the ck Sea¡¯s monsters for a month.
However, feeling a little aplished, his two eyes only glimmered.
¡°Goodness, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen you, but you are leaving once again. I heard you are wiping out the remains of the Dark Magic Association?¡±
¡°My father gave me some homework to do. It seems that rxing will be hard. Besides, did you forget anything?¡±
¡°Pardon? Forget anything?¡±
¡°You said you forgot something at the Vermont Empire, so you left for an entire month. You also emphasized that it¡¯s something you needed to find on your own.¡±
Jin asked as if he didn¡¯t know, and Kashimir cleared his throat.
Jin already knew that he left for the ck Sea at Cyron¡¯s request from the day he left.
¡°Ah, ahhh! That, yes, I found it and stored it in Vanke¡¯s eternal storage room.¡±
¡°Hm, that¡¯s weird. I don¡¯t know why, but you reek of a pungent monster blood smell. And you said you went to the Holy Kingdom of Vanke¡ I don¡¯t think they would¡¯ve let you in.¡±
¡°Monster¡¯s blood, haha. Your jokes have improved over the years, Young Master. Anyway, I¡¯m worried for Enya.¡±
¡°Because of me?¡±
¡°Yes, that. I¡¯m sure you have stated that the Dark Magic Association was active in the southern region of the Vermont Empire. And that even though they are ravaging viges, the Vermont Imperial Family isn¡¯t doing anything.¡±
¡°That¡¯s correct. I don¡¯t really understand why, so do you have any theories?¡±
¡°Hmmm¡ The Vermont Empire is known for its security. Enough for normal pirates or bandits to immediately be dealt with by the defense forces. However, they intentionally refrain from intervening with stronger foes.¡±
¡°Why is that?¡±
¡°They¡¯re leaving them as the royals¡¯ hunting game. I think the defense forces are leaving the Dark Magic Association alone so that the academy magicians can set achievements.¡±
As much as Kashimir was a former prince of the Vermont Empire, he knew well about the inner workings of the nobles.
¡°I¡¯m worried because of that. If Enya were to meet the nobles who bullied her, she might recall some unwanted memories.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 158: Impersonator, Ta-da! (1)
Chapter 158: Impersonator, Ta-da! (1)
October 17th, 1796. Noon.
Jin and Enya arrived at an inn in a small city in the southern region of the Vermont Empire and unpacked their belongings.
¡°It does feel weird that I¡¯m in the Vermont Empire. I remember the first time I met you, milord, and escaped on the Tikan merchant ship.¡±
¡°And since we made fake identifications and made disguises¡ Please don¡¯t be too worried. Also, make sure to address me as ¡®brother¡¯ instead of ¡®lord¡¯.¡±
Jin had to use ¡®Jin Grey¡¯, the alias he received when he became a provisional g-bearer, for his identification. For Enya, the Seven-Colored Peacock created an identity named ¡®Austin Grey¡¯.
It was because, technically, Enya should not exist in the Vermont Empire. And since she was technically a wanted defector, she crossdressed.
Pfft.
Jin failed to hold in hisughter. It was inevitable after seeing Enya put on a loose masculine robe and a mustache.
¡°Bro! Do I look funny?¡±
¡°I can¡¯t honestly say no. Please try to lower the tone of your voice. And now, I will begin to drop my honorary speech since we¡¯re brothers. So you should speakfortably to me as well.¡±
¡°Kuharhar. Like this? Is this enough?¡±
¡°Perfect.¡±
Contrasting with their two bright and cheery attitudes, Hosen City carried a dull and heavy atmosphere despite it only being midday. Everyone walked with a dark expression, and even the dogs had visible fear in their eyes.
The nearby market was also quiet. The city¡¯s environment was so devastated, no one really sold anything.
¡®It could only be like this since the Dark Magic Association is rampant.¡¯
From the inn, they would find a long trail leading to the central southern region by horse.
Currently, the Dark Magic Association resided there. And when night came, they split into groups of three or four and attacked the city. They continued their robbery and harassment.
Which was why armed soldiers were stationed here and there, but their expressions were not so different from the citizens.
They were stationed only because of the emperor¡¯s orders. They looked tired and exhausted.
¡°Anyway, Bro, the remnants of the Dark Magic Association must be really bad guys. Did you hear what that soldier was saying? They even indiscriminately kidnap children. I can¡¯t believe this is actually the Vermont Empire.¡±
¡°This must be weirder since you¡¯ve lived in the capital. There aren¡¯t many other cities with better security than Vermont¡¯s capital city.¡±
¡°So now we demolish those filthy viins?¡±
¡°Maybe. Let¡¯s wait until they show up.¡±
However, when night came, the first people who came were a group of noble magicians.
An extravagant and fancy gold carriage passed through Hosen¡¯s transfer gate.
Citizens gathered to gawk at the carriage. Jin and Enya mixed into the crowd.
¡°It¡¯s the academy magicians!¡±
¡°They must be here to chase them off!¡±
A golden eagle, the symbol of the magic academy, adorned each g.
¡ªThey¡¯re leaving them as the royals¡¯ hunting game. I think the defense forces are leaving the Dark Magic Association alone so that the academy magicians can set achievements.
¡®I didn¡¯t want it to be like that, but Sir Kashimir was spot on. And they even came on the day we came as well. What the hell?¡¯
Jin clicked his tongue and fixed his hood.
¡°Uh¡¡±
Enya looked surprised as soon as she faced the carriage. She didn¡¯t have a single good memory from the academy.
¡°Why did they¡? It seems they¡¯re here to do good things¡¡±
¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Austin. They aren¡¯t worth anything.¡±
Jin spoke in a calm voice.
The girl who didn¡¯t budge when embarking on a journey to fight the Dark Magic Association froze as soon as she saw the academy gs. Jin felt a little bitter.
¡°Yeah, thanks.¡±
When he was mastering magic in his past life, Jin didn¡¯t get along well with the academy magicians as well.
Their pretentiousness from privilege and elitism was unbearable.
Although not every magician from the academy was like that, he knew just from the pointless gold painting on the carriage that academy magicians thought like they were at the top of the world.
¡®Well, I don¡¯t not understand anything. It¡¯s true that some talented and privileged people got together. I already know how much they bullied Enya for being a normal citizen. And since she¡¯s an honor schr, their jealousy and hate would go through the roof.¡¯
Jin thought that Enya was at least several hundred times more talented than they were. After all, she was chosen by Olta, who was obsessed with royal bloodlines.
¡°Seeing their poor gold coating on the carriage, it probably isn¡¯t an official magician. Probably a very proud novice magician, but from what I can see, they can¡¯t defeat the Dark Magic Association.¡±
¡°Huh? Even if they are novice magicians, they probably can cast some amazing spells. 4-star on average. The Dark Magic Association is just fifty 3- to 4-star and a sprinkle of 5-stars.¡±
¡°That¡¯s why they don¡¯t stand a chance. These remnants are veterans who rolled in from the streets. And novices like them usually only know the theory but never real experience. Compared to the foe, theyck in manpower and experience.¡±
There were a total of fifteen carriages.
If there were two people in each carriage, then there were only thirty magicians.
¡°Still, the Academy Council probably knows what they''re doing, so they probably mixed in some professionals in there. Just as Sir Kashimir put it, they will ¡®gather them up without leaving a dent¡¯. A modest 7-star at that.
¡°Hm, if it¡¯s two academy 7-stars, then I guess we won¡¯t need to do anything?¡±
Jin shrugged and smiled.
¡°We¡¯ll find out soon enough. Let¡¯s go eat and have a simple ss of beer.¡±
¡°Ohhh, sounds good, Bro!¡±
The academy¡¯s novice magicians¡¯ entrance seemed to reach far and wide.
The depressed area instantly became lively. The closed restaurants and bars opened, and even the darkest alleys had small lights illuminating every corner.
Noble novices were known to spend extravagantly. Since they were also heroes who saved the city, the city had to open back up.
Jin and Enya selected a nice bar with a good bnce between food and drinks.
¡°Bro, can I really order anything?¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t there expensive things on the menu?¡±
¡°...Austin. Shouldn¡¯t you be a little more self-conscious that including me, ourpanions are very rich people? Why ask such questions?¡±
¡°But I¡¯m not rich. Now that I¡¯m out here, I don¡¯t feel like splurging money.¡±
¡°When we go back, open a personal ount either in the Tikan Central Bank, United Steel Dragon Bank, or Vanke Eternal Storage. I¡¯ll make sure to allocate some allowance for you.¡±
¡°I will serve you with my life, Big Brother! Also, please promise to give me an autograph.¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±
On a normal scale, about 5,000 gold coins would consider someone as rich.
Nevertheless, without this sense of money, Enya got excited. She ordered all kinds of things.
¡°Oh, a robe and wand? You fellows must also be some magic students. Followers of the novice magicians, I presume?¡±
Jin shook his head at the disrespectful banter tossed by the restaurant owner. Since they didn¡¯t look like they were from around the area, he made sure to fit in a little.
¡°We¡¯re just travelers who just coincidentally stopped by. Since we are not affiliated with the academy, there¡¯s no need for special service.¡±
¡°Ah, I see. Hoho, but this fe ordered all of our special dishes, so this calls for obligatory special service. You¡¯re richer than you look.¡±
The owner smiled and returned to the kitchen.
¡°Brother, that sounded really infuriating, but you went along with it. Before I met you, I thought the Runcandel n was filled with angry and toxic people.¡±
Jin scoffed as Enya whispered into his ear.
¡°He merely approached us without context, and he¡¯s offering us some extra stuff. If I were any other Runcandel, it would¡¯ve gone differently. His limbs would¡¯ve been removed by now.¡±
Jin responded into Enya¡¯s ear and smiled.
¡°So it¡¯s true that it¡¯s filled with angry toxic people! Except you.¡±
¡°Ok, but why did you change from ¡®bro¡¯ to ¡®brother¡¯?¡±
¡°Since you said you¡¯d give me allowance, hehe.¡±
Tsssssssssss, chch!
The sound of oil and fire shing on the pan echoed throughout the restaurant. The splendid aroma was a default. As the two were about to clink their beers¡
Creaaaak.
Another customer entered the establishment.
And the moment the door opened, Jin had a bad feeling. He sighed.
¡°Goddammit. I¡¯m not hungry anymore after hearing all that ttery. Without pig-face and snorting ¡®hyehyehye¡¯. Rubbing his hands together and smiling. How is that okay?¡±
¡°Agreed. Still, the upperssmen told us that street food here is worth eating. Let¡¯s get our hopes up. Hey, owner!¡±
¡°Oh, yes. Yes!¡±
The owner ran out to the front and bowed to the two customers. Unlike Jin and Enya, they had white robes with gold strings weaved in and out of the silk. With high quality wands in their hands, they were two of the academy novices who came to Hosen.
¡®I knew that eatingfortably was not an option.¡¯
It would be the move to leave before he could get mixed into any kind of mess.
The novice magicians contemptuously red at him and Enya, even while they ordered.
Easy to target magic students with worn clothes, like a cat who couldn¡¯t pass a flopping fish.
Jin ced three gold coins beside his beer ss. Even though he wanted to leave quickly, he had to pay the bill.
¡°Austin, let¡¯s just leave¡ Hm?¡±
However, Enya¡¯s attitude was weird. With clenched fists, her eyes shook. He could feel that she was trembling beneath her robe.
¡®Maybe¡? Really, now? Those are the novices who bullied her?¡¯
Jin met her eyes.
¡°Austin, are you thinking what I¡¯m thinking?¡±
¡°Ah, Brother. That¡¯s¡ Yes. You¡¯re right. Yeah, let¡¯s get out of here. Let¡¯s.¡±
¡®If you want, I can beat them up without breaking a sweat.¡¯
He wanted to say that, but relieving Enya was the first priority.
¡®How much did they bully her for her to get this scared¡?¡¯
Crackle.
Jin ground his teeth and stood.
¡°Hey, you over there. Where are you from? I don¡¯t think you¡¯re our followers.¡±
One of the novice magicians pped the cheek of someone who wanted to cry.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 159: Impersonator, Ta-da! (2)
Chapter 159: Impersonator, Ta-da! (2)
¡°Why do you ask?¡±
Jin answered without an expression, and the air in the bar turned cold.
Even the owner who was taking their order couldn¡¯t believe his own ears. The other novice magicians froze up and blinked furiously.
After a few seconds of silence, the owner got nervous and looked as if his stomach were about to flip. The only customers in the store were the novices and Jin and his friend, so he worried about a potential fight.
¡°Why do I ask¡? Man, I must¡¯ve been very disrespectful. Yeah, I¡¯ll ask more coherently. Who are you affiliated with, trash?¡±
¡°We will leave quietly, so don¡¯t act so brash and have your meal. And didn¡¯t you say you would ask more clearly?¡±
¡°Be thankful that I¡¯m not pping the teeth out of you right now. Answer me. Seeing that you really wanted to leave as soon as we came in, there must be something you¡¯re hiding? Are you part of the Dark Magic Association?¡±
Hearing contempt along with insults from a novice magician, Jin really thought he was pathetic.
Still, there was nothing weird about their mannerisms. Everyone worshiped and ttered these poor excuses of nobles, but mere novices. How pathetic would the academy look with these as the face of their institution?
No one would think they were any skillful in their fields. No one.
¡°Oh. Oh goodness, novice magicians. Haha, they are just passersby. Please don¡¯t continue, and I¡¯ll quickly prepare the specialty dishes¡ª¡±
p!
The novice smacked the owner across the face. Enya flinched and tried to stand instinctively, but Jin held her back.
¡°What¡¯re you gonna do, patheticmoner shit?¡±
¡°Sorry.¡±
¡°Hey, because of you, the hardworking owner got pped. You were pretty brave, eh? Identify yourself. I think I should know more about you.¡±
¡®How should I answer?¡¯
Jin didn¡¯t think for long. He would take all of them down and immediately thought of one organization he could use.
Clip, clop.
Jin passed the table where the novice magicians sat and closed the bar door.
Creeeeeak, thud, clink!
Then, after clearing his throat, he spoke.
¡°Vermont Empire, Emperor¡¯s Guards Special Forces for Magic Group 1 3rd Division.¡±
¡°Bullshit! Special Forces Group 1 3rd Division? This bastard¡!¡±
Even Enya was startled by his lie, so she hid under her hood.
¡®L-Lord Jin?! What is this?!¡¯
Jin still looked calm. Lying and impersonation was a field of his expertise. Weirdly enough, every time he did so, he felt like he was only raking names that were actually less important than his true identity in the mud.
¡°You want us to believe that? I-I can¡¯t even think of a response because I¡¯m so dumbfounded! Special Forces for Magic Group 1 3rd Division?¡±
¡°You¡¯ll believe it soon enough.¡±
Thud!
Jin mmed his fist into the closest novice¡¯s chest. His slim and weak body would not be able to take the fists that had been trained since the Storm Castle.
¡°H-Huh?!¡±
The struck novice knelt on the ground, foam emerging from his mouth. The other two novices frantically began to cast a spell, but Jin got to his wand a lot quicker.
A small light glowed from its tip.
¡®I wanted to knock them out with an overload spell, but using a normal spell would be better since I¡¯m impersonating the Special Forces.¡¯
Fssh, fssh!
The wand pierced the other novices¡¯ chests. Before they even got through half their spell, as soon as 7-star mana entered their bodies, they experienced mana overflow. They were merely 3- to 4-star magicians.
¡°Kuhhh! Kurgh!¡±
¡°Eerrrrrrk¡ªGrrraah!¡±
Blood flowed out of their nostrils as they fell to the ground. They slumped down like invertebrates. Jin looked down on them as cold as ice.
¡®These bastards bullied Enya.¡¯
It only took Jin four seconds to deal with them.
At that point, the owner watched soullessly, his mouth wide open.
¡°Erk. S-Save¡ me¡ Ugh.¡±
¡°It¡¯s only the early signs of overflow, so don¡¯t be so worried. To experience overflow from only that much¡ Director Dolce said that the future of the academy is not so bright, and it seems like he is right.¡±
Jin knew about Dolce Rilistar, the Director of the Special Forces of Magic Group 1, from his past life. He was alive around this time. Unlike a normal agent, the directors of each group often disappeared from their official seats.
Wriggle, wriggle.
The two novice magicians crawled the floor, and the first novice¡ªwho got hit in the chest¡ªbarely helped himself up. With eyes soaked with fear, they looked up at Jin.
¡°A-Are you really part of the Special Forces¡?¡±
¡°You want to hear my codename too? If that happens, then you three will not be able to evade the investigation room of the Special Forces main base. It seems you aren¡¯t aware yet.¡¯
Excluding the emperor¡¯s immediate units, the Special Forces wielded the most power. And amongst them, units of the Special Forces of Magic Group 1 3rd Division were known as ¡®Gods of Death¡¯. They acted as supervisors who uncovered illegal activities of magicians and immediately punished them.
If Jin were actually in the Special Forces, he had the decision over the life and death of these three.
He could also cause ultimate chaos in the empire. Since they were not any important representatives of Hairan, Hensirk, Rilistar, or other empires.
¡°No, sir! No, sir! We were mistaken. W-We didn¡¯t know you were part of the Special Forces!¡±
¡°Does that mean your behavior would¡¯ve been alright if I were a normal citizen?¡±
¡°That¡¯s not¡¡±
¡°There¡¯s a saying amongst the Special Forces about you guys. The bugs who taint the peace and goodness of the Fathend. You scabs! You novices who guard the emperor and the people act like this in a bar?¡±
At Jin¡¯s scolding, the novices closed their eyes. Jin looked at the little logos on their robes.
Below the symbol of the academy, the golden eagle, their own ns¡¯ insignia was embroidered as well. The novices suffering from mana overflow were from the Maura and Orel ns. The one hit in the chest was from Chip.
¡°Maura n, Orel n, and Chip n. The patriarch of each is Vysus Maura, Russo Orel, and Mata Chip, respectively, maybe? No, I¡¯m pretty sure Maura¡¯s is Vysus¡¯s eldest son, Gallon?¡±
Jin memorized all of the patriarchs of the magic ns in the Vermont Empire since his past life. He also checked the records of each country before the banquet.
¡°Agent, s-sir. Please don¡¯t tell the n¡¡±
¡°Rise.¡±
¡°Rise! Hey, g-guys, stand up! Hurry!¡±
Chip helped Maura and Orel up while shouting. Maura and Orel couldn¡¯t speak because of the overflow, but they knew that their livelihoods were on the line.
They were regretting their actions.
Why did they have to insult this man? Why did they escte the situation when the man only tried to leave quietly¡?
The three novices had their arms around each other¡¯s napes, with their legs quaking.
They could only believe Jin as part of the Special Forces. Magic Group 1¡¯s Director¡¯s name came out, and he knew about each of their ns. His fighting skills were also better than that of a normal magician, so it had to be true.
¡°First, you disobeyed the first and most well-enforcedw of protecting the people. Second, you broke the Magic Academy Magician Code of Conduct. Third, you caused amotion and interfered with a Special Forces agent¡¯s mission.¡±
Excluding the third one, the other two werews known to noble magicians but non-existent. However, it would be different in this scenario.
The novices were dripping blood, tears, and snot. They constantly apologized as they wet their pants.
¡°The usual would be taking you to the main base investigation room, putting you guys in reform school, and telling your entire n about it.¡±
Jin stopped and red upon them.
¡°But it¡¯s a shame I can¡¯t immediately file and execute all of that due to my mission. I received orders from the director unofficially to supervise the dealing with the Dark Magic Association.
¡°Ah¡¡±
The novices sighed, and Enya covered her mouth. The owner plugged his ears to not hear what the Special Force unit¡¯s mission was.
¡°Do you now know what kind of crime youmitted?¡±
¡°P-Please¡ give us another chance. We will do anything.¡±
¡°Anything?¡±
Jin smiled. He thought of something good.
¡°Alright. I¡¯ll give you another chance.¡±
¡°Tell us!¡±
Chip, the only able one at the moment, frantically nodded.
¡°That fellow there and I will be your followers starting today. As your followers, we will participate in the wipeout of the Dark Magic Association. Do you understand?¡±
¡°Yes, definitely.¡±
¡°Are the other followers¡¯ faces known to the other novices? In that case, you will not be able to take this opportunity.¡±
¡°Th-Thankfully not. Firstly, we did not bring any followers. There¡¯s no need to suspect us to quickly hire followers to carry our luggage¡¡±
Jin grabbed Chip by the chin.
¡°You sure?¡±
¡°Uph korz.¡±
¡°If you disappoint me one more time, your ns will not be able to stop their downfall. Once I feel that you executed my orders perfectly, I¡¯ll forgive and forget the mistake you made before.¡±
¡°Th-Thank you¡! Thank you very much!¡±
¡°Hey, owner.¡±
The owner hurried over and bent his torso over.
¡°Y-Yes!¡±
¡°It seems you faced some consequences because of me.¡±
¡°I did not hear or see anything!¡±
¡°Perfect. How¡¯s your cheek?¡±
¡°There was nothing like that! I will know nothing until my grave. I-I am merely¡¡±
Special Force agents were not only harbingers of fear for novices. Even themoners knew that if a rat or bird messed with an agent, it could disappear as well.
¡°You¡¯re better than those novice magicians. I¡¯ll take it that you forgot everything, so bring me the stuff that I ordered. Ah, and you guys should go wash your clothes in the kitchen. Since you can¡¯t return with those on.¡±
Jin pointed at their wet clothes and clicked his tongue.
The owner and the novices then ran to the kitchen, and Enya let out a deep exhale.
¡°L-Lord J-Jin. No, no, Brother¡¡±
¡®Is this okay? Impersonating the Special Forces is a heinous crime!¡¯
Jin thought she was going to say that.
¡°You¡¯re the best! Wow. My goodness. Good heavens! I¡¯ve never experienced something so refreshing before! I feel like I could fly! Whoa¡ªHup.¡±
Jin lightly covered her mouth. He could get misunderstood if the novices heard her loud rambling.
¡°How was the acting?¡±
Nod, nod.
¡°And you feel a little better?¡±
¡°Of course! Those three were notorious for their bullying. Especially how much they bullied me. I wake up with a jolt whenever they show up in my dreams. How did we meet them in a ce like this?¡±
¡°You want me to do some more? Or Austin can do it yourself.¡±
¡°Hm, no. This is enough for now. Since beating them up myself instead of using your power will be true revenge.¡±
¡°Good thinking. Right, the real revenge is when you do it yourself. Though, I think I did enough.¡±
¡°Hehe, now isn¡¯t the time for them. Clinking our sses and having a beer with you is better.¡±
Clink.
Jin and Enya had their cheers and smirked. Their smiles soon changed into a burst ofughter.
Tsssssss. Slish, slosh.
From inside the kitchen, they could hear the cooking of meat and the sound of clothes being washed.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 160: Remnants of the Dark Magic Association (1)
Chapter 160: Remnants of the Dark Magic Association (1)
October 22nd, 1796.
Five days had passed since Jin and Enya became followers of the novice magicians. As Chip said, nobody suspected a thing from the neers. Surprisingly, the three novices didn¡¯t identify Enya either. The disguise seemed pretty effective, and it was thanks to her face that was always draped by her hood.
¡®I guess we¡¯re starting the extermination today.¡¯
For the past five days, the Dark Magic Association didn¡¯t invade the city, not even once.
Thirty-three total academy magicians came to Hosin for their duty. The 3- to 4-star novices made ten three-person groups, and the others were two professional 6-star magicians and a 7-star magician.
Although they were stationed near the forest of the Dark Magic Association¡¯s base, there hadn¡¯t been a single interaction.
Was it perhaps because of that?
The academy magicians thought of the extermination to be very easy. Not a single hint of nervousness and tension could be found in their residential rooms. They looked bored, as if they unhappily came out on a pic.
They assumed ¡®the targets got scared when they saw us¡¯. Since there wasn¡¯t an ambush since their deployment, their assumption wasn¡¯t irrational.
Obviously.
To Jin, they were only arrogant children.
¡®About fifty enemies are hidden in that forest, but they¡¯re like this. Even though they know it¡¯s just herding them up, this is too much.¡¯
It was a mess.
¡®This isn¡¯t good. Although there hasn¡¯t been a single ambush since they came, there aren¡¯t any signs of their escape. The remaining Dark Magic Association members are confident in defeating the academy magicians.¡¯
There wasn¡¯t a single trap at the entrance of the forest. They were waiting for the magicians toe find them in their cave hideout.
¡®They said that they didn¡¯t deploy in the cave because it¡¯s too dangerous, but in reality, it¡¯s justziness. Then they¡¯d throw the herding technique, and they want to gossip, rx, and y.¡¯
He understood the novice¡¯s true wants. However, to think that even the professional 6- and 7-stars were acting this way¡ Jin shook his head, and Maura, Orel, and Chip exchanged nces.
These three novices actually stayed more alert than the others. Since in their case, a Special Forces agent was supervising their every action, they couldn¡¯t act with w. Hence, they felt like they were walking on eggshells every second they were with Jin and Enya. From their eyes, they knew that the academy magicians¡¯ strategies and formations were a mess, but they couldn¡¯t even tell anyone that an agent was watching.
¡°Uh, sir. Are we making some mistake¡?¡±
¡°No, amongst the thirty-three magicians, just you guys acting normally is the problem. Are academy magician missions usually like this?¡±
¡°N-No, it probably isn¡¯t. Though, it¡¯s our first mission, so we don¡¯t know very well¡¡±
¡°Pack up well before we execute our strategy. Follow the Novice Magician Deployment Mission Rules as listed.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
The novices rushed away, and Enya walked up next to Jin.
¡°It gets more fascinating as it gets. How are you so thick-skinned? Your acting is just¡ Wow. You¡¯ll be amazing on stage. You¡¯ll probably be more famous than the Zhan Kingdom¡¯s Daniel Mafrio.¡±
¡°That¡¯s apliment, right?¡±
¡°Of course! And you look more handsome than him.¡±
¡°Besides that, this subjugation mission will fail, so do not stray away from me when it begins.¡±
¡°There are three professional magicians, though. One of them¡¯s a 7-star, at that.¡±
In Enya¡¯s perspective, who had been in the academy, professional magicians from the academy were treated like gods. In fact, a 7-star would be considered a dragon that roamed the skies.
¡°Not all 7-stars are the same. All of the events for the past five days happened under his rule, so there¡¯s no answer. He just has high achievements, but no real experience. Very old too. About in the mid-forties.¡±
¡°Why is old age a problem?¡±
¡°Adults obsessed with sess don¡¯t listen to their subordinates. Hence, everyone who approaches him will not satisfy the requirements for his respect.¡±
If the subjugation begins to fall apart as soon as it starts, Jin would borrow Maura¡¯s, Chip¡¯s, and Orel¡¯s mouths to make some remarks. Since his head was filled with secondary ns to avoid absolute failure.
¡®They wouldn¡¯t listen anyways.¡¯
In reality, there wasn¡¯t any loss for Jin. Either way, he sought the Dark Magic Association to practice his overload spells and offer Enya some battle experience. However, he could practice his spells without the association, and Enya could gain visual experience just by watching the magicians fail.
¡°All the preparations have been made, sir. And the order just came in. After an hour, we will begin our operation at 6PM.¡±
The three novices, with their bags packed, informed Jin about the next move. They packed so much that they already had marbles of sweat rolling down their faces.
¡°Alright, then.¡±
* * *
* * *
The woods were dark during the evening.
When the sun set, magterns brightened the area here and there, but the tall trees obscured the moonlight, which made the forest ink-dark.
Then, they arrived at the peak. The academy magicians moved in small groups, each with antern, as if they were advertising that they were present.
¡®In a forest where they don¡¯t know where they¡¯ll encounter the opponents, they decided to use magterns. Are they asking for an ambush? They don¡¯t think about the enemy one bit. This is why the Vermont Magic Academy can¡¯t do anything against the Zipfels.¡¯
Of course, the entire academy wasn¡¯t like this. The Zipfel n was just too superior, but the Vermont Empire still had its fair share of famous grand magicians.
Yaaaawwn~!
The 7-star yawned. It¡¯d be better to see the 7-star fighting for his life thanfortably patrolling the forest. However, he was having the sweet time of his life, executing the little herding operation while acting very arrogantly.
¡®Well, to the academy magicians, the remnants of the Dark Magic Association would only look like some street gangsters.¡¯
Jin and Enya were at the end of the line, carrying some luggage.
¡°We will rest here!¡±
¡®Are you crazy? Here?¡¯
Jin was startled and looked around. Only a few t rocks could be found, and the surroundings were all thick woods. A ce where a sniper could wipe out an entire infantry if they wanted it.
¡°Novice Magician Chip.¡±
¡°Ah, hm?¡±
Chip awkwardly nodded. Since the others could overhear them, Jin and Enya used respectfulnguage, and the novices spoke directly.
¡°Please tell them that this isn¡¯t right. There¡¯s a better resting point about thirty minutes from here. Turn left on a rock that¡¯s five minutes from here.¡±
Jin had participated in some scouting for the past five days. He memorized some good ces to take a break.
¡°That¡¯s¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s an order.¡±
¡°Excuse me, Sir Arch!¡±
Arch, the 6-star co-leader of the party, turned and found Chip.
¡°What do you need?¡±
¡°If we walk for thirty more minutes, there¡¯s a better spot for a break. If we go a bit further there¡¯s a big boulder, and if we go left from there¡¡±
¡°There¡¯s no need. If you¡¯re worried, then set up a force field and rest.¡±
¡°But¡¡±
¡°Do you want to get points? Alright, I thought everyone just goofed around during the scouting, but I guess you were still thinking ahead. When we go back, I¡¯ll make sure to give your professor a letter of rmendation.¡±
¡°Thank¡ you¡¡±
At this point, he just wanted to give up. In fact, it wasn¡¯t something he should poke his nose in anyway.
And for those thirty minutes, it felt like everything went smoothly.
¡°Uhhhh¡?¡±
From the left side of the group, silhouettes emerged. Two orcs that the enemy tortured to tame.
And because of the torture, their bodies were very small.
¡°Kyaaak!¡±
The orcs threw their axes and screamed. The professional magicians quickly cast a force field. Simultaneously, the closest novices, Group 2, began to cast another spell. The others raised their wands and got into a battle stance.
Shhweeeek!
Group 2¡¯s icicles pierced the chest and abdomen of the orcs. The orcs rolled in the grass and let out an ear-splitting scream. The professional magicians shook their heads, as if they were tired.
¡°Orc? What kind of shit¡? Arch, take Groups 1, 2, and 3 to find who sent them. If you do, don¡¯t kill them, but bring them to me.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
¡°Everyone else, we¡¯re relocating.¡±
Despite having less troops than the enemy, they made an obvious move for diversion and split the group. If three groups left, then twenty-four would be left. With the followers, it¡¯d be over fifty, but the followers would not make a good fight. Arch would also most likely fool around with the novices and rendezvous muchter.
About tough at the lead magician, Jin stopped to think. Then, he stared at the lead magician.
¡®This is very weird¡ Could it be?¡¯
An inexperienced elite often underestimated their enemy. Even though it was sess achieved through bloodline and background, 7-star wasn¡¯t a light achievement. To understand theplex equations for 7-stars, they had to have good brains.
However, the lead magician kept making the worst decisions since day one.
¡®I have to think about the possibility of the lead making these decisions on purpose. The 7-star could be a traitor or wants the mission to fail because he hates one of the novices.¡¯
As they lined up once more into formation, Jin asked Maura, Orel, and Chip about the leader, Auten Melson. Until now, he didn¡¯t want to elicit suspicion for his Special Forces status, but he had to know about this.
¡°Do you novices know anything about Sir Auten? His leading is a little weird.¡±
¡°Hmm, no idea. Until a few years ago, he had been going for an established professor position. However, he had always been stuck as an assistant professor because of the Hensirks.¡±
¡°He¡¯s probably very annoyed. It¡¯s already miserable being an instructor, but now he¡¯s with fresh novices on a mission.¡±
¡°Any other situations?¡±
¡°Not off the top of my head. Oh, Sir Auten was eating meat yesterday.¡±
¡°What about that?¡±
¡°Oh, that. He¡¯s known to be a strict vegan. To my knowledge, that is.¡±
To Chip¡¯s answer, Maura and Orel nodded.
Three hourster, Jin, Enya, and the magicians encountered arge stone cave created with the use of earth magic.
The main hideout of the Dark Magic Association.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 161: Remnants of the Dark Magic Association (2)
Chapter 161: Remnants of the Dark Magic Association (2)
Deep, dark, andrge.
It was the first impression the magicians felt when entering the cave. As it was her first time seeing earth magic, Enya looked around with curiosity.
¡°They made it pretty big, those pathetic criminals.¡±
¡°What if there aren¡¯t only fifty, but five hundred of them? Maybe they wanted to make a fortress.¡±
Each of the novices madements of astonishment. Meanwhile, Jin was thinking about something else.
¡®This isn¡¯t something fifty 3¨C4-stars can create.¡¯
Because of its usefulness, earth magic was often used in all kinds of construction, and cave creation was the most representative usage. Whether it was a cave to escape the rain during a trip or a research cave created by lots of time and effort, it was a verymon phenomenon.
However, a cave of this size was on a different level. Compared to a small cave, theserger projects needed to have meticulous support in the ceiling so that the cave wouldn¡¯t copse.
¡®The entrance isrger than the central hall of the castle in Hosen. Though it¡¯s an easy job for about a dozen low-level magicians to do¡¡¯
Jin squinted and examined the ceiling and walls.
¡®The supports are excessively perfect. It has to be a work of one person. The entrance was well-paved concrete. If it isn¡¯t someone who mastered the art of earth magic, it would be impossible.¡¯
Jin stared at Auten Melson¡¯s back. He wanted to see how the lead magician would react.
¡®I don¡¯t know about the novices and the co-leader, but if Auten Melson was really a 7-star, he would be terrified.¡¯
If he were to order further advancement into the cave, Auten either had to be a Dark Magic Association spy or was intentionally putting the novices in danger.
Soon after, Auten twirled his wand and cast a short spell¡ªSeismic Sense.
The spell Jin had used to track down Mesa and the Kinzelo soldiers in his first mission. At the time, he multicasted Wind Pursuit to improve its effectiveness, but Auten was not a multicaster.
Rumble¡
The Seismic Sense magic crawled across the surfaces of the cave.
¡°Seeing that Seismic Sense was extending out, it might be a tunnel instead. At least five hundred meters, at that.¡±
¡°What should we do, Sir Auten?¡±
The co-leader questioned him.
¡°The novices will advance forward with their wands ready for a force field at all times. You will wait here with Groups 4 and 5 and regroup quickly when Arches.¡±
¡°Yes, sir¡±
¡°Don¡¯t fool around for long. This is only in case he might get lost.¡±
He delegated Groups 1, 2, and 3 along with Arch as diversions, and he forced Groups 4 and 5 with a 6-star magician out of the main group.
The group of thirty suddenly became fifteen novices and Auten.
¡®Now I¡¯m certain. He¡¯s either a spy, or he¡¯s sabotaging the n on purpose.¡¯
It was more likely that he was the former. Splitting up the group was probably to allow the Dark Magic Association to take each group down one by one.
¡®And a strict vegan ate some meat¡?¡¯
He also had to consider that the leader was not the real Auten Melson.
Jin then recalled Bouvard Gaston. He had information about Bouvard and was attacked by the Zipfels¡¯ most savageous headhunters transformed as guardian knights.
So, he also considered the transformation crimes.
¡®I¡¯ll just keep watching.¡¯
He suspected that he was a spy. However, he didn¡¯t really want to intervene. None of the academy novices and theirpanions or the innocent citizens look as important to Jin. Given that the Vermont Imperial Family was also closer to the Zipfels than the Runcandels, any novice was a potential threat to Jin.
And above all, even if Auten revealed himself and a fight broke out, Jin just needed to win and escape with Enya.
¡®Since fifty Dark Magic peons and Auten is enough for me.¡¯
They walked for a while.
The cave was only filled with the winds that traveled throughout. From inside the cave, nothing special happened.
¡°Huh.¡±
One of the novices in the front let out a sound and stopped walking. Their body copsed like a sand castle, and a puddle of blood emerged. Even when they saw the orc that shot the arrow that pierced the novice¡¯s chest, the other novices couldn¡¯t detect the severity of the situation.
¡®And so it begins.¡¯
¡°An ambuuuush!¡±
Just noticing the orcs, one novice frantically screamed. Some rushed over to other novices and began to heal while others cast a force field. The others lifted their wands and examined the surroundings.
As for Auten, he gathered mana at the tip of his wand and pierced the novice who first screamed¡
¡°Erk! Kuhugh!¡±
¡and induced an overflow reaction.
Whoever Auten was, he was definitely a magician with 7-star mana.
¡°Sir Auten?!¡±
¡°Why are you doing this?!¡±
The novices near him stepped back. They couldn¡¯t believe their eyes as they saw Auten¡¯s expressionless face.
¡°Sir Auten¡¡±
¡°Th-There are orcs¡ dozens of them.¡±
From the darkness behind Auten, orcs emerged. Behind the army, a group of humans in dark robes made themselves known.
The remnants of the Dark Magic Association.
There were about fifty of them, just as the Seven-Colored Peacock had reported.
¡°Well done for making it all the way here.¡±
Auten announced to the injured novices, their eyes filled with fear and confusion.
¡°S-Sir Auten! What is this¡?! Were you a spy for the Dark Magic Association?!¡±
¡°Unfortunately so. Frontline herding? HAHAHA! How are you not embarrassed?¡±
¡°You¡ bastard!¡±
¡°You will now be the Dark Magic Association¡¯s test subjects.¡±
The novices only thought of the horrible death thaty ahead. Their opponents were fifty dark magicians, twenty orcs, and a 7-star magician. There were only fifteen novices remaining in the cave. With two going down from an arrow and mana overflow, fifteen easily became thirteen.
¡°AHHHHHHHH!¡±
¡°Shit!¡±
The novices dropped their belongings and began to flee. The only ones not fleeing were Jin and Enya.
The orcs didn¡¯t shoot arrows at the ones running away, knowing that it was futile.
¡°Yeah, yeah. He loves hunting game that runs. Run as much as you want since you can¡¯t even be used as test subjects.¡±
The path that they came from was empty, without any obstruction. However, outside the cave, there would soon be monsters that would enjoy their ¡®ytime¡¯ with two 6-star magicians and a herd of novices.
¡®I didn¡¯t expect it to progress like this. Hm, Auten, that bastard. It seems that he¡¯s definitely someone that Bouvard transformed.¡¯
Jin sighed. He could feel Enya shuddering behind him.
However, she wasn¡¯t only quivering in fear, but also releasing her mana to fight whenever the time came. A big difference from the other novices who wandered hopelessly.
Maura, Oren, and Chip only looked at Jin. They knew that he was in the Special Forces of Magic, so they believed there was a way out.
Yet in reality, even a Special Forces of Magic agent couldn¡¯t face all of them. It was better that Jin was not what he told them.
¡°Brother, what do we do¡? The novices are all going to die.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything¡¯s fine. Why are you worried about the ones who bullied you?¡±
¡°Because they all weren¡¯t like that. Most of them were, though. One or two of them would be good people, right?¡±
¡°From now on, stick right next to me. Don¡¯t even get a stride further.¡±
No one could hear their conversation. Jin fixed Enya¡¯s hood and smiled. Jin kept his face hidden with his hood.
There were more enemies than expected, but it was still fine.
¡®The magician who made this cave¡ As long as I y with precaution, this will be an easy job. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s Auten, so it must be one of them.¡¯
The culprit had to be one of the fifty Dark Magic Association magicians. Since they all wore identical robes, confirming it was near impossible.
However, he would find out soon. Jin already knew one spell that would deal with all of them.
¡°Do you think you will survive this way¡! Auten!¡±
¡°A pretentious statement. Now it¡¯s my turn. If you surrender, then I will offer some mercy. However, resistors will face the most horrifying punishment known to man.¡±
The novices exchanged nces with each other, then looked at the enemy. Some escapees were not visible at all as the remaining novices turned to follow the followers who already escaped.
¡°Just as he said, it won¡¯t be a good idea to escape, novices. I can¡¯t guarantee the lives of the ones who already fled. We came in too deep, and it also seems something is waiting outside.¡±
Jin stepped forward.
All eyes were on him.
¡°Oho, a follower who didn¡¯t flee. Have you gone crazy? How dare a mere follower call me¡¡±
ck!
Jin swung his wand to the ground.
The spell he prepared drew a magic circle on the ground, and mana flowed out of the rune characters drawn on Jin¡¯s back.
Whooooooong, Kaaaaaaaang¡!
Kiiiiiiiiiing!
Pale white mana filled the cave ceiling before morphing into a sphere. The novices looked at it for only a moment, and they immediately had foam in their mouths.
The same could have been said for the dark magicians. However,pared to the novices, the dark magicians had blood leaking out of every hole of their body as their bodies convulsed.
It was because Jin concentrated the spell toward them.
And Auten¡ªwho temporarily lost focus due to the unexpected ¡®grand spell¡¯¡ªcould only speak with a quivering voice.
¡®Th-This must be¡ This must be Kidard Hall¡¯s¡ª?!¡±¡¯
Heavenly Defiance.
The ultimate spell of overload magic.
To Jin, the moment he learned that spell marked the day when any fight between magicians was no longer about numbers.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 162: Remnants of the Dark Magic Association (3)
Chapter 162: Remnants of the Dark Magic Association (3)
As if a whirlpool swallowing water, the mana sphere endlessly sucked the mana out of the novices and dark magicians. Dozens of mana strands flew and spiraled into the whirlpool, brightening the dark cave.
Kiiiiiing. Kiing~! KIIIIIIIIING¡!
The shrill noise from the Heavenly Defiance was amplified by the cave walls.
From the absolute cmity in the cave, only four magicians remained.
The culprit of the Heavenly Defiance and Enya sticking right next to him, Fake Auten¡ªwho just got a trail of blood between his lips¡ªand another dark magician who was quivering from the initial attack.
¡®It¡¯s mine. The one who created this cave.¡¯
Compared to Auten, the magician was barely standing. Muttering some words, a mana barrier formed around him, and it looked like the magician was using all of his strength to suppress the overflowing mana.
¡®About an 8-star.¡¯
If overload magic didn¡¯t exist, or if Heavenly Defiance didn¡¯t exist, Jin would never be able to induce an overflow reaction from him. Based on pure mana, the enemy would be one step higher.
¡°Austin, cast a barrier. The orcs will wake up soon.¡±
Multicasting while retaining the Heavenly Defiance was still impossible for Jin.
¡°Oh, yessir!¡±
Because it was her first real fight, Enya was very inexperienced. She didn¡¯t know what to do for about ten seconds after Jin cast the spell. However, he didn¡¯t feel that she was dumb.
¡®She¡¯s still pretty incredible. It¡¯s her first time, and I never told her what would happen, but she¡¯s still in her right mind.¡¯
As an average 16-year-old magician and a student, she would¡¯ve been stuck in despair. However, Jin liked that Enya cast the barrier withposure.
¡°Now go for that one with a spell you¡¯re most confident in.¡±
¡°Not at Auten, but the ck-robed one?¡±
Jin nodded, and a drop of sweat flew off.
Drip.
Only 9-star magicians should be able to cast Heavenly Defiance. Since Jin was only a 7-star, he couldn¡¯t cast it to its full potential, nor could he continue to cast it.
¡°Kuh¡ªKuhurgh.¡±
Losing against the overflow reaction, Fake Auten ultimately fell to the floor, throwing up blood. However, the 8-star seemed to have regained some of his health and stability, beginning to breathe normally.
Shiiiii!
From Enya¡¯s hand, a barrage of sharp wind whooshed out. A harsh echo ensued, but it wasn¡¯t enough to pierce the barrier. The wind shard shattered after contacting the barrier, and the orcs turned their heads towards the attacker.
¡°Stand and shoot¡ your arrows¡!¡±
Thankfully, they also faced the early stages of overflow. They couldn¡¯t attempt an attack equivalent to that of an 8-star magician.
¡®But if Heavenly Defiance recedes, they¡¯ll begin to fire their magic at will.¡¯
If possible, he had to finish the job without using excessive mana. If what Auten said was right, the other enemies would find them immediately.
¡°Kaaaaahk!¡±
The orcs scurried here and there, picked up their bows, and pulled its string. About half of the twenty failed to pull the string back, and about four or five sessfully fired the bow.
The arrows hit Enya¡¯s barrier and made loud, hollow sounds.
¡°Brother, what should we do? If I use Lord Olta¡¯s power, I might be able to deal with some orcs. However, breaking the 8-star magician¡¯s force field by myself¡¡±
¡°Save that power, and just block a few more arrows.¡±
¡°Alright!¡±
A strange smile stretched across the 8-star magician¡¯s face. He felt that the Heavenly Defiance above was getting weaker. He probably noticed that Jin¡¯s mana was rapidly decreasing.
As such, the 8-star could only think that time was on his side.
¡®That kid probably thinks that I¡¯m out of mana.¡¯
It was true that Jin would face overflow effects if he didn¡¯t deactivate the spell.
¡°I guess I took a hit. Did Kidard have a hidden apprentice or something?¡±
The 8-star shouted at Jin. Thanks to the mana whirlpool getting smaller, he regained enough strength.
¡°You¡¯re going to die soon, so why do you need to know?¡±
¡°Nonsense. You would¡¯ve taken a hit from losing focus, but since I already identified that you are only a 7-star, I am Rolt Joe! I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of me?¡±
Rolt Joe.
The younger brother of Andrei Zipfel¡¯s arch nemesis, ¡®Cold Joe¡¯. It piqued his interest.
¡°I¡¯ve heard that Cold Joe had an underachieving younger brother who was talented in earth magic. I would¡¯ve never known his name was Rolt Joe.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll tell you straightforwardly. Join the Dark Magic Association, apprentice of Kidard Hall.¡±
¡°What if I decline?¡±
¡°The moment your mana depletes, I¡¯ll end your life. Isn¡¯t it obvious? You had no chance of victory the moment you didn¡¯t finish me off with that spell.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t reply, so Rolt ordered the orcs to lower their weapons.
¡°I am showing mercy because your master, Kidard Hall, had good rtions with us. There isn¡¯t much time left before your Heavenly Defiance dies out. Your mana is almost all gone. What will you do?¡±
¡°ording to you, I don¡¯t have a choice, don¡¯t I? If I don¡¯t join, I only have death.¡±
¡°That is why I said I¡¯m showing mercy.¡±
Jin sighed and then flicked his eyes to Rolt.
¡°Rolt Joe. What line of the Dark Magic Association are you?¡±
¡°Are you asking for your friend? I¡¯ll say that it is within my ten fingers. Even if Kidard Hall wasn¡¯t our good friend, we would still appreciate your talent and ability. As soon as you join, we will immediately promote you to a higher position.¡±
¡®Within ten fingers?¡¯
Jin¡¯s eyes narrowed.
¡°So you¡¯re telling me that the association has at least nine others as strong as you? I thought you guys were garbage that used your old name to scare others, but the offer is stillpelling.¡±
Jin spoke as if he wasn¡¯t shocked, but he hid his true emotions. If Rolt¡¯s words were true, the association would not only be considered the ¡®remnants¡¯.
¡°Of course, we will ept you after fixing your disrespectful attitude. Well, you achieved a lot at such a young age, so I do understand your ego in the skies.¡±
¡°But don¡¯t you want to know why I came here in the first ce? As a follower of academy magicians, on top of that.¡±
¡°We¡¯ll find out soon enough during the conversion process. Well, alright. You must be itching to try out your overload spells. I¡¯m sure Kidard would¡¯ve told you that the world will be below your feet as he transferred the Tome of Overload.¡±
Jin smiled and nodded.
¡°Alright, I will join the Dark Magic Association. However, I have one request.¡±
¡°One request?¡±
¡°Try to take me down. I can¡¯t go under someone weaker than me, right?¡±
¡°Puhaha! You are something. You still have enough energy to unt your prowess? I can see why Kidard took you in¡¡±
¡°I think you were stuck in a delusion, but I am not Kidard¡¯s apprentice. It seems that you haven¡¯t learned my name yet. The Tome of Overload was my prize for killing him.¡±
¡°...What?¡±
Whoooosh¡!
The Heavenly Defiance shrunk to the size of a head, and the mana spiral turned ck. The whirlpool spun again, bathing the surroundings in darkness.
The spiritual energy strengthened the power of the Heavenly Defiance.
Spiritual energy of the same amount had the same strength as aura or mana that was two levels above. Since it was 5-star spiritual energy, it was no different than 7-star mana.
¡°You¡ªHup!¡±
Gack!
Rolt reactively covered his mouth and threw up blood. It had only been a minute since he suffered from the early stages of overflow from his mana spell.
Before, he used his strength as an 8-star and managed to prevent the worst reaction. However, this time was different. He was certain that Jin was out of mana, and he suffered from the aftershock of overflow. He had to resist another attack.
Yet that was impossible, even for someone like Rolt.
¡°Sh-Shit¡!¡±
One name appeared in Rolt¡¯s head. The name written on Kidard¡¯sb wall.
¡®Jin¡ Grey?! No way¡! And that dark power!¡¯
Spiritual energy. The dark, omnipotent power that all magicians desired. Hopelessness shone in Rolt¡¯s eyes.
¡®So he¡¯s Solderet¡¯s contractor that Kinzelo was searching for! Not just Heavenly Defiance, but also spiritual energy¡!¡¯
There was no time to calm his frantic mind. The orcs stumbled backwards in fear, and Rolt realized his unrecoverable mistake.
¡°You said that I lowered my guard, but you were the one who did.¡±
¡°Keururgh! AAARGH!¡±
Shing¡
Jin unsheathed Bradamant, and from its pale-white de, aura flickered.
¡°Y-You bastard!¡±
Pssssht, glug-glug-glug¡ª!
The overflow took over.
Checking that Rolt leaked blood from every hole on his face, Jin stopped his magic before walking towards him.
¡°Kidard Hall showed simr reactions. I want to let you live and ask you a lot of things. The size of the Dark Magic Association, your main base, and your objectives¡¡±
¡°Kharraark, kurgh!¡±
¡°But I can just use Fake Auten who is soundly fainted. Above all, I might have a little fight with the one who enjoys hunting game.¡±
sh! Thunk!
Jin lightly swung Bradamante and beheaded him. The orcs immediately began to run away.
¡°I¡¯ll take care of that!¡±
Enya swung her wand in the air and shot icicles. A herd of orcs was usually not suitable for a 4-star magician, but it was easier since they were running away.
The orcs that were hit with an icicle fainted near the group of fainted magicians.
¡°Good job, Austin.¡±
¡°Thank you, Brother!¡±
¡°But now, you have to do one more thing. I think some big guy came into the cave.¡±
Boom, boom, boom!
They had just finished their fight with Rolt.
Yet from the path they came from, far away, heavy footsteps came towards them.
A humanoid silhouette emerged, and this time, Jin couldn¡¯t hide his anxiety for the next opponent.
The one who returned from ying with the remaining magicians that Fake Auten separated.
¡®A White Wolf Tribesman¡?¡¯
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 163: Remnants of the Dark Magic Association (4)
Chapter 163: Remnants of the Dark Magic Association (4)
Towering at three meters while looking muscr and nimble at the same time, covered in white fur, and has wolf-like eyes¡ªjust like their name. Ratherrge for a White Wolf Tribesman.
Blood stains were painted across the hammer slung behind his back. Evidence that he ughtered the magicians outside the cave.
¡®I can see why the fake Auten said they enjoy lively hunting game.¡¯
Being the most notorious fighting tribe amongst the beastmen, the White Wolf Tribe treated humans like food or toys when faced with a significant opponent.
¡°Whoa, what the hell happened here? Shit went down!¡±
The White Wolf Tribesman looked around and clicked his tongue. Seeing the dark magicians on the floor, he looked very conflicted.
The giant was surprised, but not scared. Even after seeing close to fifty of his underlings dead or unconscious.
¡°Man, I wondered whose head that was, but it was Rolt¡¯s! Keke, unbelievable. Let¡¯s see¡ I guess the betrayal didn¡¯t work out.¡±
As soon as he appeared, Enya pointed her wand with a stone-cold face. She no longer wanted to shudder in fear, determination fully evident on her face.
¡®You¡¯re going to learn a lot from this experience, Enya.¡¯
If they could resolve the situation and safely return to Tikan, that is.
The beastman pointed at the two with exaggerated movement, as if he were in a y.
¡°You two kids! This is your doing? It must be cuz I¡¯m never wrong. You induced mana overflow to all of them? Rolt said that there was a human magician who was crazy for overload spells.¡±
Everyone knew that a magician going through mana overflow threw up blood and fainted.
The finger pointed at Jin and Enya had the girth of a steel bar. Instead of answering, Jin met eyes with him.
¡°Ha! Well, then. You¡¯re a little kid magician, and you dare look at me like that? It¡¯s alright to be a little scared.¡±
Jin had immediately concealed his sword after beheading Rolt, causing the beastman to think that he was a magician. There was nothing good about telling the enemy that he was a magic swordsman.
Thanks to his decision, the beastman thought he and Enya were magicians.
¡°It won¡¯t be toote to determine that after I hear your name.¡±
Jin spoke, and the beastman shuddered. Then, he pped loudly before howling.
¡°Amazing! On a different level than the ones outside. I like you a lot. My name is Goltep Hafalep. It feels awkward telling you my name when our battle will end very quickly, haha.¡±
After hearing the name, Jin internally sighed in relief.
¡®I thought he was Tuzard Raiker or Buteau Wenz because of hisrge body, but thank goodness.¡¯
Tuzard Raiker and Buteau Wenz were famous warriors of the White Wolf Tribe for their massive bodies. In human terms, they were 9-stars and were still a hard fight for Jin.
Either way, he had never heard of Goltep¡¯s name. It was highly likely that his opponent was not some talented warrior.
Despite it not being Tuzard or Buteau, Jin couldn¡¯t just rx, since all White Wolf Tribespeople were born and raised forbat.
¡°Goltep Hafalep, you say. First time hearing it. I¡¯m Jin Grey. This is Austin Grey. Well, don¡¯t you think you should be a little scared? We two wiped out your entire team.¡±
¡°What do you mean, team? Other than Rolt, they were all just heads of meat to fill the numbers. Don¡¯t be proud of killing some of the peons.¡±
The White Wolf Tribe was specifically covered in magic textbooks. It mentioned that they were difficult to injure with spells that were 6-star and below, and their fur had magic-reflective properties.
Hence, Jin and Enya didn¡¯t scare Goltep despite being in his ¡®very talented magicians¡¯ list. Goltep also assumed that the two acted fine but had depleted mana.
Since Rolt, Fake Auten, and over fifty other peons either suffered from overflow or were dead, Goltep could only make the conclusion.
¡°Well, since Rolt is dead, it¡¯ll be a little problematic if I just return. Hmmm¡!¡±
Goltep grasped his forehead, then pped his hands.
¡°Alright! I will make a deal. Your ability has been proven since you killed Rolt and the other meatball¡ How about this? Instead of being minced by my hammer, you will join the Kinzelo Group.¡±
Jin¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°Kinzelo¡? Isn¡¯t this the Dark Magic Association¡¯s cave?¡±
¡°Oh, uh, that¡¯s Kinzelo¡¯s, uh¡ What do you call that again? A branch of some sort. Only knights and warriors are part of Kinzelo, so the magicians are part of the Dark Magic Association.¡±
He heard something interesting. Ever since the Seven-Colored Peacock identified Vishukel and Bouvard as affiliates of the Kinzelo Group, the organization became Jin¡¯s next target of interest.
¡®Now that I think about it, on my first mission during my cadet days, Quazito Truka also seemed to be affiliated with Kinzelo. And the Dark Magic Association, at that.¡¯
The Kinzelo Group and the White Wolf Tribe¡
What was their rtionship? Along with the assumption that the entirety of the White Wolf Tribe might be a part of the Kinzelo Group, Jin felt that the organization was a bigger and more threatening force than he had initially thought.
Because there were at least nine more magicians over 8-star in the Dark Magic Association.
¡°In other words, you are going to be a part of the Dark Magic Association under the Kinzelo Group. You¡¯ll be perfect in Rolt¡¯s spot. I¡¯ll be seeing the leader soon too.¡±
¡°Who¡¯s your leader?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll tell you after you join. Work with us. I think you guys have more worth than the trash over there. Especially you.¡±
The beastman pointed at Jin.
¡°I just know you¡¯re made of good stuff.¡±
¡°Dead Rolt over there said the same thing. I basically got invited twice. It seems Kinzelo is running low on people? I think you guys are picking people too carelessly and are giving out leadership positions like spraying water.¡±
¡°There¡¯s always not enough people to fuck with the world. And you said this was the second time? There usually isn¡¯t a third chance. Your life is too young and too precious to lose yet. My mercy stops here.¡±
Goltep¡¯s smile disappeared, and he began to emit waves of energy. Within his body, as soon his aura began to engulf his body, the cave¡¯s air got heavier. Enya red at the beastman, and Jin raised his wand.
¡°Do you want to know what I answered when Rolt invited me to be his underling?¡±
¡°Speak.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t work under someone weaker than me. That applies to you as well. If you want me in the organization, take me down. If I lose, then I will take your deal seriously.¡±
Murderous intent grew in Goltep¡¯s eyes.
¡®His energy isn¡¯t anything normal. However, I don¡¯t feel any threat at all¡¡¯
Goltep drew his hammer.
Thud!
It was bigger than Luna¡¯s axe-sword, Crantel. Even though the hammer only lightly hit the ground, the cave rumbled.
¡°Your skill doesn¡¯t match your intelligence¡ I see now. However, as I already said, there will not be a third chance. No more chivalry, only punishment.¡±
Wooooooom!
As soon as Goltep jumped into the air, Enya flinched and raised her wand. She was startled from losing Goltep from her wand¡¯s trajectory. Even a 4-star warrior wouldn¡¯t have been able to detect the speed.
A ck silhouette shed across the cave, instantly closing the gap. At minimum, a 6-star warrior would be able to barely react to such movement.
Boom!
The hammer fell onto Jin¡¯s barrier. From the strike, cracks traversed across it, and it broke to the second strike. For the third strike, Jin had to cast another barrier.
¡°Uwoooooooh!¡±
In the short moment that the first barrier broke, Enya shot wind shards. However, a 4-star wind spell wouldn¡¯t be effective against the beastman¡¯s fur.
On that note, Enya had the abilities and actions of a talented magician. Instead of the body, she went straight for the eye.
However, hitting a fast-moving target with magic was not an easy feat.
Goltep scoffed. He didn¡¯t even block the attack. Instead, he opened his mouth and ate the projectiles, which surprised Jin.
¡°As expected, the girl isn¡¯t much. Why don¡¯t you stop making the barrier and use that egotistical ass of yours, Jin Grey.¡±
Ptoo!
Goltep spat then licked his lips. The spell didn¡¯t even leave a scratch in his mouth; his saliva didn¡¯t have blood mixed with it.
¡°Huh?! How¡¯d he know I was a girl?!¡±
¡°Who¡¯re you tryna fool with that stupid disguise?¡±
¡°Everyone!¡±
¡°Which is why humans are pathetic. Anyway, move aside, side character. I want to see Jin Grey in action!¡±
Boom! Thoom! Boooooooom!
The speed of the hammer made it look light. Blocking with a barrier would no longer be possible.
¡®I guess acting like a pure magician was futile. I wished Enya would at least pop an eyeball before the real battle began.¡¯
Like Enya, Jin also went for the eye. However, noticing that it was basically impossible, he didn¡¯t need to waste any more mana.
Moreover, as he examined Goltep¡¯s swings while in the barrier, he thought that ying defensive was no longer needed.
¡®Is it because I got stronger that he doesn¡¯t feel too threatening?¡¯
Crash!
The moment the fourth barrier broke, Jin threw his wand away and unsheathed Bradamante.
Quickly ducking under a swing, he thrusted Bradamante forward. Thanks to his Mind¡¯s Eye, he could be certain that if he dodged the hammer, it still wouldn¡¯t hit Enya.
¡°Uwah!¡±
Enya ducked, covered her head, and screamed. Goltep got shed by Jin from the unexpected swordsmanship.
Plop, plop.
From his thigh, blood sttered everywhere, and Goltep trudged to make distance.
¡°Shit! You were a magic swordsman?¡±
¡°Everyone falls for it.¡±
Woooooooom!
Jin engulfed Bradamante in aura.
Goltep stopped momentarily, then, forgetting the problem, he covered his hammer with aura once more.
¡°I thought the decapitation on Rolt was too clean. So you did it with a sword instead of magic¡ But nothing will change, Jin Grey. Oh, there is one thing. I won¡¯t kill you. I have to show the boss.¡±
Whip, ssst.
Jin twirled Bradamante in his palm and took his stance.
¡°I want to advise you to not lower your guard. It¡¯s been some time since I fought a White Wolf Tribesman. It¡¯ll be sad if it ends bitterly.¡±
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 164: Remnants of the Dark Magic Association (5)
Chapter 164: Remnants of the Dark Magic Association (5)
Crumble!
Every time Goltep¡¯s hammer fell to the floor, rocks exploded, and shards flew everywhere. Seeing the crater on the floor, Enya gulped, and Jin confidently dodged.
It was leisurely for Jin, but a little too close forfort for Enya. It was unavoidable, since her eyes weren¡¯t adjusted to the movement of a 7-star.
¡°Brother!¡±
¡°Stay back, Austin.¡±
Enya shouted frantically, but Jin felt a shocking feeling through his spine. He could feel his entire body shuddering.
Boom, crash, crack!
The massive hammer restlessly mmed on the floor and minced it. Every time Goltep recoiled for another swing, there was a sound of wind.
The hammer moved erratically. White Wolf Tribesmen held weapons before they even walked, and Goltep was a veteran who had over three hundred battles¡¯ worth of experience.
From the left to the right, right to the left, then left to the right again. The trajectory scarily chased Jin¡¯s dodges. The hammer danced through the air, basically summarizing all of the experiences from past battles.
There was flow amongst his movements as well. The swings were optimized to crush the opponent. Only high-achieving warriors wouldn¡¯t recognize the niche.
And Jin was one of those high-achieving warriors. No wonder his body was shuddering.
¡®Since when was dodging the enemy¡¯s attacks so exasperating?¡¯
The only thing that had been sessfully crushed during the thirty seconds of rapid swinging was the floor. The scattering rocks didn¡¯t even skim Jin.
¡®How long will you evade like a rat?¡¯
Goltep wasn¡¯t dumb enough to say those words. From his sparkling sapphire eyes, astonishment grew.
¡°...Amazing!¡±
Stopping his swings, he looked into Jin¡¯s eyes. Goltep¡¯s breaths were the same as before he started swinging.
¡°Who are you? I have never heard of someone as young as you who rose to the main stage of warriors. Are you fooling people with your disguise?¡±
¡°Think whatever you want.¡±
¡°I can no longer ssify you as just any hunting game. You are worthy of sacrificing to Javier¡¯s Altar.¡±
The greatest warrior in beastman history, the White Wolf Tribe¡¯s Javier. He was a figure of respect across other beastmen, but considered a god amongst the White Wolf Tribe.
There were only two reasons someone would sacrifice another to the altar. Either the enemy was strong enough to fight for honor, or they were a Runcandel.
Goltep thought of Jin as the former.
¡°I, Goltep Hafalep, will put the honor of the entire Hafalep Tribe to fight you. Aspensation, bet your soul to Javier.¡±
¡°It seems the Kinzelo group allows free religion.¡±
¡°Of course. It¡¯s actually a great regime. It¡¯s a shame we won¡¯t work together.¡±
Wooooooong!
Goltep¡¯s hammer grew, an inconceivably bright light shining on his serious face.
¡°So it¡¯s for real now. Well, if your shoddy swings were all you had, that would have been pathetic.¡±
Anotheryer of aura engulfed Bradamante. Jin''s eyes sharpened. He took a deep breath, and Bradamante made the first echo. The de that remained stationary near Jin¡¯s face suddenly flew towards Goltep like an arrow.
It was fast.
Jin felt it, Goltep saw it.
sh!
Following the trajectory of the sword, Jin pupils quivered.
Goltep raised his hammer.
ng!
The sound wasn¡¯t that of a sharp weapon shing against a dull weapon, but that of two dull weapons meeting. Goltep furrowed his eyebrows and prepared for the next strike. He could only hide his surprise.
¡®How? What kind of power is this?!¡¯
It had a 7-star aura, but it was impossible for it to be a fully developed boy¡¯s aura. However, the moment he blocked the attack, he felt like his hands were ripping apart from the impact.
He overcame the weight gap and dominated closebat. After every strike, Goltep¡¯s image of Jin changed.
It wasn¡¯t the power of a 7-star knight. There was only one exnation for such a mysterious power.
¡°A Runcandel¡!¡±
There would be no difference whether he knew about Jin¡¯s blessed bloodline or not. Jin didn¡¯t answer and continued to concentrate on his swings.
One sword diverted the direction of the massive hammer, throwing sparks everywhere. A light-bodied human making a White Wolf warrior stumble backwards¡
The great Runcandel that he dreamed of bing since his past life.
Jin had engaged in many battles since his regression, but there wasn¡¯t a day like this. Indeed, a Runcandel¡¯s fight had to be like this.
This one-sided. Every swing should make the opponent stumble, eventually making them kneel in fear.
¡®Making everyone in the vicinity quiver in fear just by holding my sword.¡¯
That was what the Runcandels aimed for at the extreme. He felt like many messages hid within the shine of his de.
¡°Kraaaaaaaaaah!¡±
Whoooosh! Shhhhhk!
Goltep stepped back and swung his hammer with all his might. He swung at full strength to force Jin to back off, fully knowing that he had less choices the closer the Runcandel boy got. His big weapon had immense destructive power, but it wasn¡¯t suitable for pushing away a close enemy.
¡®Do I dodge? Or do I deflect it?¡¯
If he deflected it, he had to minimize the impact on his body. Even if he had the blessed body and 7-star aura, Goltep¡¯s full blow would still take a toll on his body.
¡®I¡¯ll take it.¡¯
There was only one reason for ignoring the more efficient choice.
He wanted to enjoy his Runcandel name a little longer. To show that he was part of the n full of monsters, the monster that shone the brightest, no longer a banished failure.
That he would never forget the miserable memories.
He suppressed his emotions that wanted to scream to the world.
Cliiiiing¡!
The moment they shed, he felt his body was floating from the impact. However, the impact from the de traveled through his body, then just exited somewhere. Jin just backed off two steps.
Instantly, there was a bitter taste in his mouth. Blood from his throat climbed up his esophagus, and Jin repositioned himself.
Goltep was also managing his hammer. He, too, spilled blood, and he looked flimsy with two broken fingers.
If a Runcandel gave some skin, the opponent gave up bones. If a Runcandel fell into a little ditch, the enemy fell into a bottomless cliff.
Seeing Jin charge again, Goltep would only feel the defeat. Getting him off, pushing him away, hitting, or shouting; the boy would not let him gain any ground.
He med his lifelong weapon for the first time.
¡°God dammit!¡±
Still, Goltep prepared his hammer. He was a warrior. He had pride and honor and was a warrior who knew how to ept defeat.
As long as Javier¡¯s name was spoken, the battle wasn¡¯t over until someone died.
As if his broken finger was nothing, he continued to move the hammer violently.
However, he wouldn¡¯tst long. The moment Bradamante deflected the hammer, the suddenly mustered aura would cause a small congestion effect within his body.
Pant, gasp¡!
Jin and Goltep¡¯s heavy breaths filled the surroundings. The blood from their mouths evaporated at the heat of the aura between the two weapons.
ng! Ka-ng! Ting!
The scattering sparks and loud echoes made Goltep¡¯s desperate face look expressionless. His aura slowly extinguished, and Jin lowered his aura to adjust. There was no need to push it any more.
The victor was already determined.
¡°If I spare you, would you tell me information about Kinzelo?¡±
He didn¡¯t know whether he would meet another Kinzelo associate. There was Bouvard Gaston, but due to Kinzelo¡¯s massive presence, approaching him would be difficult.
¡°Puhuhu, you don¡¯t know much about the White Wolf Tribe¡¯s rules. Even if not in the Kinzelo Group, a snitch would only face death. And as long as we¡¯re in an honorary battle, there¡¯s no stopping, Jin Runcandel.¡±
¡°I know that. However, life can be more valuable than some rules, so I asked.¡±
¡°There isn¡¯t a coward like that in the White Wolf Tribe!¡±
¡°Then I won¡¯t ask if you would like to be a snitch. To your people.¡±
¡°You seem nice for a Runcandel.¡±
ng!
Goltep began to squeeze thest bits of aura. For each instantaneous moment, he could muster a little more than what he had left.
The ability of warriors, gathering aura using the life force. Seeing the hammer burning with aura, Jin stepped back for the first time.
¡°Man, it was getting fun. But you''re actually going for an efficient fight at the end?¡±
If he didn¡¯t fight him, burning away his life force was futile. If Jin dodged, then Goltep wouldn¡¯t have enough energy to even retaliate.
Jin shook his head.
¡°No, as a knight, like you, I show my respect. I salute your final moments.¡±
He remembered his fight with Myuron Zipfel.
The moment he cut the Hell¡¯s Gate that the magician opened, and the ce he went to when he lost consciousness, the barrier walling off an area¡
¡®Cut.¡¯
No one told him about it.
Like the ancient magic swordsmen of Runcandel, Jin murmured a spell.
¡®Cut, cut that¡¡¯
Whoooooosh.
From the body of the de, darkness spread. The burning spiritual energy wrapped around Bradamante and made a figure of a de.
¡°Whoa~¡±
Goltep let out sounds of admiration. Spiritual energy, the power that the first patriarch used to put Javier into eternal sleep.
Some White Wolf Tribesmen considered it a curse.
However, Goltep thought facing the same death as Javier was something glorious.
¡°Come forth, Jin Runcandel!¡±
¡®Cut.¡¯
Jin muttered a spell and charged forward. Goltep swung his hammer down.
For a moment, both their faces glowed from the aura.
sh!
Bradamante¡¯s dark de swallowed the light and cut the hammer.
The hammer was perfectly split into two, falling to the left and right. From the gap between the two pieces, Jin was visible. Seeing Jin, Goltep shed a grin.
Chhhhh¡!
Half a beatter, Goltep¡¯s body split into two. Jin sheathed his sword and breathed deeply.
Looking towards Goltep¡¯s direction, Jin bowed before walking towards Enya¡
¡°A great battle, Goltep Hafalep. I will remember your name.¡±
¡Along with some words of sympathy.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 165: Remnants of the Dark Magic Association (6)
Chapter 165: Remnants of the Dark Magic Association (6)
Enya bowed ny degrees. She was the sole witness of the historical fight involving Jin as a Runcandel. Despite intentionally creating an inefficient battle, in Enya¡¯s eyes, it was a one-sided victory.
¡°I am inspired, Brother!¡±
¡°Inspired¡ Well, you were probably surprised, Austin. Since I started to beat the peon up.¡±
Jin pointed at the dead and unconscious magicians. When he cast the Heavenly Defiance, forty of the fifty magicians died, and the other ten fell unconscious with severe injuries.
However, the unconscious ones were on the verge of death¡ªexcluding Fake Auten. Without the assistance of healing magicians, the low-level magicians could not handle the effects of the Heavenly Defiance¡¯s overload.
¡°Uh¡ I was surprised. For many reasons¡¡±
She tried to keep a straight face, but she was a 16-year-old girl who had never experienced real battle. She was not used to the mass death brought about by battles like Syris and Jin.
¡°It¡¯s your first time seeing so many dead people?¡±
¡°Yeah. I feel a little sick. But I realized what kind of people I¡¯m around and what I have to do in order to not be a burden to those people.¡±
Jin remembered what Quikantel told him.
¡ªJin Runcandel. Everyone here is your ally. That means that we will also offer a hand when you be a g-bearer and join the Battle for Hegemony. It will be an all-out war. Do you mean Enya to be deadweight when that happens?
¡°If it¡¯s fine by you, I don¡¯t mind at all if you remain as a nonbative member. I believe that, at most, one person can stayfortable.¡±
Jin moved between the magicians¡¯ corpses. One by one, he checked their pulse by either the throat or wrist. Those with a pulse, he exerted a little more mana to elerate the overflow effects.
To prevent any remaining magician from staying alive and reporting back to the Kinzelo Group, he had to confirm his kills. He made them look as if they suffered from mana overflow instead of finishing them off with a dagger in order to confuse the Vermont Imperial Family when they send someone to investigate.
As Jin checked each death, Enya clenched her teeth.
¡°I don¡¯t want to force you into this blood-flinging life. Obviously, it isn¡¯t a normal life. If you want, you can have a nice, warm,fortable life.¡±
Confirming all of the deaths, Jin made a bitter smile. Enya shook her head.
¡°As you said, it¡¯s abnormal. Killing others¡ Most people would hate it. Anyone would choose an easy andfortable life.¡±
She slowly approached Jin. Tearing up, she grabbed both of his hands.
¡°However, I don¡¯t want to make you and everyone else do all of that nasty work. I will stand and fight with you.¡±
She resolved to y her part as one of Jin¡¯spanions. That meant taking many lives in the future.
Jin overtaking the Runcandel n, waging war against the Zipfels, conquering Cyron.
How many people would they have to kill?
Jin and his team faced a destiny they could not evade.
Even remaining in The Free City of Tikan would¡¯ve been impossible without war and death. Many powers existed in the world, and those powers had their eyes on Tikan.
Each passing day, the eyes on the city would only grow. For now, it was only Kashimir and the Seven-Colored Peacock. However, if it became known that the ck Dragon, Silver Dragon, and a Runcandel magic swordsman resided there¡
Tikan would be the essence of a storm.
¡°It wouldn¡¯t be immediately, but I will y my part someday. I don¡¯t want to be some damsel in distress like today. So please, don¡¯t tell me to sitfortably.¡±
¡°Austin¡¡±
Enya stepped back and looked at Jin with her teary eyes. Then, she ced her hand on her chest and bowed once more.
¡°I am Olta¡¯s contractor, Enya. Someday, I will be your most trusted grand magician.¡±
Once she returned to Tikan, her days would never be the same.
Jin stopped at Enya¡¯s formality, but then he returned the respect.
¡°My thanks. I, too, will strive to be someone you can always trust.¡±
They raised their heads, and an awkward silence passed. It couldn¡¯t be helped, since they just finished exchanging their solemn vows. And now each was at a loss of words.
¡°Hm, ehem! So, do we just leave? Or is there more to do¡?¡±
¡°We have to take Fake Auten. I kept him alive on purpose.¡±
¡°Ah! Since you have a lot to ask about the Dark Magic Association and Kinzelo. Hm¡ I guess you have to¡ torture him? Ahaha, I swore to y a role myself, but torture is a little¡¡±
Jin smirked then burst intoughter.
¡°Usually, we¡¯d make him open his mouth with torture if he doesn¡¯t speak up on his own. However, we don¡¯t need to do that. We have Lathry.¡±
¡°Ah, the Dragon of Verity!¡±
¡°Since Euria can¡¯t do it herself yet, and though it won¡¯t be perfect, we¡¯ll be able to filter out some lies to some extent. With Lathry¡¯s Resonance through Euria, we can borrow some of the Absolute Eye from her.¡±
Historical figures sought Az Mil¡¯s contractor not only to predict the future. The Absolute Eye could read the lies from anyone¡¯s expression. Those who weren¡¯t intensely trained to lie with immense mental focus would sumb to this ability.
¡°Well, if it doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll have to torture him.¡±
Jin curled up Fake Auten¡¯s body and wrapped him in his robe. He wore the human ball on his back, looking as if he were carrying a sack of potatoes.
However, it looked suspicious up close. At some point, Fake Auten would wake up and begin to il.
¡®It¡¯ll be tiresome to take this thing across the transfer gate security.¡¯
Low-pitched groans echoed throughout the cave. The pitiful sounds wereing from the fallen novice magicians.
As for them, they were all alivepared to the dark magicians. It was thanks to Jin directing the spell towards the other direction.
They were possible enemies, but killing all of them on the spot would just escte the situation. And as Enya mentioned, at least one of them would be a decent human being.
One owner of such groans was Chip.
¡®Was his mana on the greater side? Or is his resolve just that incredible? Maybe the spell was weak on his side.¡¯
Jin walked over, and Chip barely raised his head.
¡°S-Spe¡¡±
¡°Do I still look like I¡¯m from the Special Forces? And if you think I am, you shouldn¡¯t mutter those words.¡±
¡°You weren¡¯t¡ Special Forces¡¡±
Chip shuddered. He knew that Jin wasn¡¯t part of the Special Forces as soon as the Heavenly Defiance was cast. Jin¡¯s spell satisfied all qualities of an overload spell that he learned at the academy.
He didn¡¯t know it was the Heavenly Defiance, but he knew it was a special overload spell that not just anyone could cast. Now, Jin looked like a politically neutral grand magician to Chip.
And if it weren¡¯t for this grand magician, everyone¡ªincluding himself¡ªwould be dead.
¡°Who¡ are¡ you¡? And why did you¡?¡±
A groggy voice. He had just regained consciousness, but the overflow effects hadn¡¯t died down. He was still drowsy, as if he were drugged.
¡°Why did I save you? It was because my little brother wanted so. Be thankful, novice.¡±
¡°Your little brother¡ Austin¡ Grey?¡±
He met Enya¡¯s and Jin¡¯s eyes. He nodded without needing Jin¡¯s exnation.
Rip!
Enya took off her hood, ripped her fake mustache off, then unfurled her hair. She spat out the cotton in her mouth that gave her a defined chin, and she revealed her real face.
¡°Pascal Chip. Remember me?¡±
¡°En¡ya¡?¡±
His eyes widened¡ªenough to seem as if his eyes were about to roll out of their sockets. He just breathed harder, finding it hard to believe it was reality.
¡°Sorry¡¡±
¡°If you know you''re sorry, why¡¯d you do that?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m showwy¡¡±
With slurred speech, he repeated these words. Chip¡¯s eyes began to water. It was hard to tell if it was tears of sincerity or tears to get out of the situation.
Either way, Enya was unfazed.
¡°During my days at the academy, your little gang teased and bullied me. But I saved your dying asses.¡±
¡°I¡¯m¡ sorr¡¡±
¡°I could have had my vengeance whenever I wanted, but I¡¯m different from you guys. I took off my disguise to say that.¡±
Chip swallowed his wails, and Enya replied to these sounds.
¡°Do not evade my eyes even if you¡¯re shameful and scared. Just as I acted when you bullied me.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really sorry.¡±
¡°But remember one thing. That Jin Grey and I saved you. One day, we will return for you to repay the debt. Understood?¡±
Chip nodded, and this time, Jin spoke.
¡°If an investigation begins aftwards, you can give away as much information as you want. If you want to see the fall of your n, that is.¡±
It didn¡¯t matter if Chip kept his mouth shut or open. Preventing the Vermont Empire¡¯s investigation was impossible, since the novices outside the cave were massacred and the inner cave was devastated.
¡®They will cover up and sugarcoat it as much as possible to maintain the academy¡¯s honor. On the other hand, the investigation team and Special Forces will be dispatched to figure something out. They will realize that the Heavenly Defiance urred from the witnesses. I¡¯ll make the Seven-Colored Peacock alter and manipte some of the information.¡¯
Jin slowly turned to Enya.
Just a moment ago, she faced the past that stifled her since. Against all odds, Chip made an unexpected response.
¡°Some¡day¡ I will¡ return¡ the favor¡¡±
He squeezed out those words with his remaining energy before falling unconscious once more. Jin and Enya looked at each other and shrugged.
¡°Whatever.¡±
¡°Yeah. I thought he¡¯d say something much worse.¡±
Jin went through Chip¡¯s pockets and found the badge with the Chip n¡¯s seal.
If he showed the badge to Chip¡¯s horsemen and used them to bypass the gate guards, he would be able to dodge all of the annoying stuff.
¡°Now, let¡¯s go back and see what Fake Auten has to say.¡±
Bouvard Gaston.
Perhaps Jin would hear something about him from Fake Auten. That glutton was the only person who could fool the novices who knew the real Auten.
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª
¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª
Chapter 166: The Fragmentor of Chaos
Volume 7 Chapter 166 ¨C The Fragmentor of Chaos
Ssh!
A bucket of cold water drenched the sleeping Fake Auten. Startled, Auten woke up and realized that he was tied to a chair. He shivered.
¡°Ooof.¡±
In front of him, Alisa was filing her fingernails. The Seven-Colored Peacock agent, who sshed Auten, quickly bowed and exited the room.
As the agent closed the door, all light from the room was eliminated. Darkness filled the underground interrogation room, surrounding Fake Auten and Alisa.
¡°When I face fes like you, I remember a past that I don¡¯t want to recall.¡±
Ch-ch-ch-ch¡
The sound of fingernails being filed was abnormally loud. As the knife flickered the little amount of light that was left in the room, Alisa¡¯s expressionless face asionally came into view.
In exchange for opposing Euria and Lathry¡¯s ¡®Resonance¡¯, she volunteered herself to conduct the interrogation. She was worried that Lathry might make a mistake while using Resonance and cause her daughter to witness the most horrid and treacherous events or viins.
As of now, she was an able and bright leader of Tikan¡¯s Central Defense Force.
However, her past was filled with time spent in the Vermont Special Forces 2nd Division, the division mainly focused on protecting the Vermont Imperial Family. ¡®Protecting¡¯ had more roles than just being a bodyguard.
For example, finding out the subordinates of an assassin, or investigating those kinds of cases, and torturing if needed. Amongst the members of Jin¡¯s party, Alisa was most used to hearing screams. There probably weren¡¯t many people who were as used to screams of pain as she was.
¡°Shit, what is¡ Hoooo.¡±
Stopping the file, Alisa lightly blew on her fingers.
¡°Let me¡ write a letter. If you are doing this for ransom, then I will contact the main base. Who are you? I can¡¯t believe Kidard Hall¡¯s apprentice attacked us. There must be some mistake.¡±
¡°There was no mistake. The chair you are sitting in right now is your world as of now.¡±
¡°Ha, you going to torture me or something? What do you want from me?¡±
¡°Information about the Dark Magic Association. Everything you know.¡±
¡°It seems that Kidard Hall¡¯s apprentice doesn¡¯t know something, but there¡¯s nothing good about knowing more about us. Even Kidard Hall managed a distant rtionship with us. If the main base finds out about torturing¡¡±
¡°You are dying to find out what I can do with this nail file, aren¡¯t you? Hessum¡¯s serial killer, Mato Baker.¡±
¡°How¡ do you know my name¡?¡±
Fake Auten¡ªHessum¡¯s serial killer Mato Baker¡¯s eyes grew wide.
During the four days he was unconscious from mana overflow, Alisa used the Seven-Colored Peacock to uncover some information about him.
They identified the time that the real Auten Melson¡ªwho was a vegetarian¡ªdisappeared and easily found out Fake Auten¡¯s identity through the intervals when he was disguised.
Since Mato was someone famous for enjoying murder, he was a pain in the ass for the Hessum Kingdom that was small and weak.
Ch-ch-ch-ch¡
Alisa began to file her finger nails once more.
¡°I¡¯m the co-leader of the second division in the Vermont Special Forces. And the one who attacked you was not Kidard Hall¡¯s apprentice, but the Vermont Imperial Family¡¯s eighth prince.¡±
¡°Wh-What¡?¡±
¡°Hard to believe? Same here. I couldn¡¯t believe that some rotten old man could transform into a high-standing academy alumnus. Now, let¡¯s have some trust for each other.¡±
¡°Th-The eighth¡ the eighth prince. No way¡ Ah¡ Wait, then the one that killed Kidard of Profusion¡¡±
¡°Shhhh. If you want to end your lifefortably. That¡¯s beyond the scope of the topic right now.¡±
¡°Aaaaaaaack!¡±
Mato Baker began to scream even before Alisa started anything.
He knew that there was no way for him to make it out of the room alive.
* * *
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
* * *
Alisa walked out of the underground interrogation room an hourter.
¡°Good work, Miss Alisa.¡±
¡°Young Master Jin, Enya.¡±
The two had been waiting in the first floor guest room for her to return.
¡°Did you get anything out of him?¡±
¡°Of course. He unraveled some shocking stories. The main base¡¯s location and list of affiliated magicians of the Dark Magic Association was only a fraction. We also got some information about the Transformer.¡±
¡°The Transformer?¡±
¡°Let us get into further detail upstairs, Young Master.¡±
In only an hour, she came back with just what he wanted. Jin genuinely marveled at her skill while Enya¡¯s face lost all color, imagining the horrors that urred during the interrogation. Alisa saw her expression and smiled.
¡°Please do not think of anything too scary, Miss Enya. Interrogation is just an environment to elicit the information. The intel came in naturally when I mentioned Young Master Jin being the eighth prince of Vermont and myself being in the Special Forces 2nd Division. Impersonating my past organization for the sake of interrogation felt a little weird.¡±
¡°Oh, I merely thought that you would be tired because of that man¡¡±
¡°Fufu, Mato Baker is scum that enjoys mass murder. Honestly, I felt a little bummed out when I went too easy. Looking at his past records in the Hessum Kingdom, he¡¯s done some horrendous things.¡±
She dealt with the problem very easily¡ªwithout torture.
Jin and Enya thought about whether that statement was the truth or not, yet they just shook their heads. If they had to choose the scariest person of them all within their group, they would choose Alisa without hesitation.
¡°Then what will happen to Mato now?¡±
¡°That is none of your business, haha.¡±
¡°U-Understood.¡±
They walked to Kashimir¡¯s office, where everyone had already gathered.
¡°Alright, since everyone¡¯s here, let¡¯s sort things out. Young Master Jin brought such a valuable person back. The Dark Magic Association¡¯s main base is surprisingly in Oterium.¡±
¡°Oterium?¡±
¡°Oterium¡ Isn¡¯t that Vanke¡¯s old capital?¡±
Murakan and Quikantel responded simultaneously, and Alisa nodded.
¡°Correct. It is the old capital of Vanke, located in the southwest side of the eastern region. The war was about five hundred years ago, so Miss Quikantel would¡¯ve seen it herself.¡±
It was when Murakan was in his slumber. However, just as Alisa said, Quikantel exactly remembered the Vanke that was on the verge of anarchy.
¡°I wasn¡¯t there at the location, but I remember it clearly since I was around back then.¡±
About five hundred years ago, the Holy Kingdom of Vanke was raided by monsters to recover their sacred item known as ¡®Jito¡¯s Eye¡¯. At the time, the Runcandels and Zipfels cooperated to help the neutral kingdom¡ªVanke¡ªand dispatched knights and magicians.
One of the only wars where the two strongest powers cooperated, the victory of the ¡®Defense of the Holy Kingdom¡¯ went to Vanke, but there was no way of saving the devastatednds.
As a result, Vanke moved most of its main city to a new location and rebuilt the kingdom from there. The old capital remained as an unsupervised area, bing a breeding ground for the surviving monsters.
Murakan yawned as Quikantel summarized this story.
Jin had to conceal his perplexed feelings.
¡°Liol Zipfel¡¯s inheritance, the Ring of Erupting mes Massacre Final Form¡¯s magic tome, is there in Oterium¡ Why the hell are those bastards residing there?¡±
The Dark Magic Association most likely didn¡¯t im thatnd unintentionally. They were eradicated in the past by Liol Zipfel.
At first, he nned to defeat some bad guys, but the more he learned, more unexpected problems kept spilling out.
¡°How long have they been in that location?¡±
¡°About fifty years. Anyway, if it¡¯s as Young Master Jin says, the Dark Magic Association is no longer just the remnants. As expected, Rolt Joe¡¯s brother, Cold Joe is also affiliated with the group. There¡¯s more where he came from.¡±
Alisa continued to read off some names affiliated with the Dark Magic Association. Everyone in the room let out a sigh.
¡°Three 9-stars were identified; Vermont Academy¡¯s great elder, Huejiron Hensirk; Lilistar¡¯s ruler, Susan Lilistar; Anz¡¯s grand magician, Chukon Tolderer. The rest were beyond Mato¡¯s knowledge.¡±
¡°¡Before I killed Rolt Joe, he said that within the Dark Magic Association, he fell into at most the top ten. I guess he was the tenth. What are they? If they¡¯re that strong, I guess Kinzelo is even stronger.¡±
Jin, too, could only be surprised. He couldn¡¯t have imagined that so many powerful and important people gathered in an evil organization.
¡®Even in my past life, I hadn¡¯t heard about the Dark Magic Association and the Kinzelo Group growing that strong. I just found out, but I¡¯m sure the main house and Zipfels already knew.¡¯
They probably did.
The organization was filled to the brim with all kinds of people, so there was no way the Runcandels, Zipfels, and Vermont Imperial Family didn¡¯t bat an eye.
Yet why?
It was a problem to start uncovering, but one wrong move and there¡¯d be too many people to deal with.
¡®The main house, Zipfels, and Vermont Imperial Family probably have a reason to ignore this issue. Either they have something to recover from them or they know they shouldn¡¯t mess with the Dark Magic Association. All of the world powers¡¡¯
Remembering that the world powers didn¡¯t intervene with Kinzelo¡¯s business, Jin grew more certain of the reasons.
¡°And there¡¯s some more shocking information. It seems that the Kinzelo Group has Bouvard Gaston the Transformer in their hands, and Mato Baker¡¯s transformation into Auten Melson was his doing.¡±
Alisa unpacked the rest of the information, and Kashimir¡¯s eyes widened.
It was the information that Jin had been waiting for.
¡°Wait, Bouvard Gaston¡ That¡¯s the name that came out when we investigated Vishukel Yvliano¡¯s name!¡±
¡ªAlthough I am not sure, it is possible that Vishukel is part of the Kinzelo Group. Once a week, he visits the Curano Dukedom, and he always goes to this one fragment workshop.
¡ªThe owner of the strangely titled fragment workshop, ¡®Artistic Explosion¡¯, is a man named Bouvard Gaston. ording to what we found, Bouvard is an executive of the Kinzelo Group. And Vishukel visits him every week, which raises suspicion.
Kashimir looked astonished while recalling his old conversation with Jin. The dragons focused on the word ¡®transformation¡¯.
¡°How the hell does that human transform? And he can transform other people? Not just give them a disguise?¡±
¡°That¡¯s something I¡¯m hearing for the first time as well. Transformation is a blessing just between us dragons¡¡±
¡°Hm, Mato didn¡¯t know the method for his transformation either. He said he swallowed a sleeping pill, and when he woke up, Bouvard had already transformed him.¡±
¡°I have met transformed assassins prior to Mato. When I left the Storm Castle, Zipfel pursuers transformed as guardian knights went for my head.¡±
When Jin mentioned his story, all eyes were on him.
¡°¡And I almost killed Bouvard at the banquet. I will go meet him. Personally.¡±
Chapter 167: The Fragmentor of Chaos (2)
Volume 7 Chapter 167 ¨C The Fragmentor of Chaos (2)
Had Jin¡¯s group noticed the Transformer¡¯s existence back then, they would have looked for him and ordered a confession; how he transformed people, and what he was trying to gain with such power.
However, the situation was different. The Kinzelo Group was dangerous beyondpare, and the infamous Transformer had to be an integral member of the organization.
If anything happened to Bouvard, the organization would not let it slide.
¡®Thank god we found out. I was gonna deal with Bouvard pretty soon¡¡¯
When Kashimir reported that Bouvard was an executive of Kinzelo, he was a little surprised. He didn¡¯t think that dealing with him would be that much of a problem.
¡®We almost made a fatal mistake. I was about to touch a wasp¡¯s nest¡ I¡¯m gonna have to thank the dark magicians some time.¡¯
Jin didn¡¯t really have a reason to seek Bouvard immediately. However, having a light encounter wouldn¡¯t be too bad, since he gained an ample amount of valuable information from the dark magicians¡¯ hideout.
¡°The young master? Hm, I don¡¯t think capturing and dealing with him like Mato Baker is¡¡±
¡°No, Miss Alisa. I just want to disguise myself as a customer and enter his fragment workshop once. I don¡¯t think the Kinzelo Group and the Dark Magic Association have such high security. But how can we know for certain? What other information can be dropped?¡±
The Kinzelo Group and the Dark Magic Association gave Jin their information not because their security was poor. They just didn¡¯t know about ¡®magic swordsman Jin Runcandel¡¯.
Seeing their n to capture the academy magicians, Jin knew that they had been doing this the entire time, even in his past life.
¡®I should take advantage of the situation presented before me. Once the world begins to divert their attention towards magic swordsman Jin Grey or Jin Runcandel bes a little too famous, it¡¯ll be much harder to take action.¡¯
At that point, gathering intel would be harder by tenfold. The moment that people find out about Jin Runcandel, they would also find out that Tikan was under his wing.
¡°Hm, if you say so. Seeing his face at least once isn¡¯t a bad idea. And Kinzelo doesn¡¯t know your face at all¡ Will you be going alone?¡±
Kashimir asked. Jin shook his head and responded with a smile.
¡°No. I got just the person to go with me. Oh, and Sir Kashimir, please make the Seven-Colored Peacock gather some information about the rtionship between Kinzelo and the White Wolf Tribe.¡±
* * *
Meanwhile, the Vermont Special Forces diverted all of their attention to investigating the novices at the Dark Magic Association eradication mission. Looking into the case were the leader of the 3rd Division Wratch and three of his subordinates, together with Special Forces of Magic 1st Division 3rd Lieutenant V and five of his subordinates.
¡°Did seriously no one remember their faces? Pascal Chip. You, Kin Maura, and Moz Orel are the ones who brought them as followers. Does it even make sense that you don¡¯t know their faces?¡±
¡°We really don¡¯t know, Lieutenant.¡±
¡°We lost almost twenty magicians that would¡¯ve protected the empire, and two 6-stars along with one 7-star died. If you don¡¯t tell me at once, the empire will be in great danger!¡±
V shouted at them, and the three novices clenched their eyes shut.
The courageous one was Chip.
¡°But sir, we really don¡¯t know anything. It¡¯s probably because of the overflow, but I have no memory of the event. We told you everything we know.¡±
¡°You little¡ª¡±
¡°And above all, if it weren¡¯t for them, not a single novice would¡¯ve survived. Honestly, we want to find them to repay the debt¡¡±
¡°Th-That¡¯s right, Lieutenant. We only remember the names Jin and Austin Grey. If you find them, will you please tell us?¡±
¡°Not just us three, but I¡¯m sure everyone else is of the same mind. As respected academy novices, we should never forget our indebtedness¡¡±
Wratch and V sighed.
All of the novices were the same. They definitely knew something, but they all kept their mouths shut.
Maura, Orel, and Chip said that they just wanted to return the favor. Nothing good would happen if the two agents found out that the novices got tricked by a pair of Special Forces impersonators. Plus, their fear of Jin was greater.
As for the other novices, they had different reasons. Amongst those who experienced the Heavenly Defiance, they just thought that Kidard of Profusion returned from the dead.
To magicians, Kidard¡¯s notoriety was nothing to bepared to. Although the novices haven¡¯t seen it for themselves, many of their parents experienced Kidard¡¯s magic firsthand. And following their parents¡¯ footsteps, the novices gagged in the presence of overload spells.
Regardless, it was either Kidard¡¯s seconding or his apprentice killed the dark magicians, so they knew that the Special Forces had no reason to pursue him.
Compared to buying Kidard¡¯s hate, making the Special Forces a little more disappointed was better.
The novices¡¯ parents thought that as well. In reality, the ones that the Special Forces should be pursuing should be the Dark Magic Association, not Kidard.
V spoke once the novices went away.
¡°Phew, the emperor said to never torture the novices. This has got to be a joke. I don¡¯t understand why they¡¯re doing that. It must¡¯ve been that much of a shock. Sir Wratch, what do you think?¡±
¡°¡I¡¯m sure of one thing. Jin Grey was Kidard¡¯s apprentice, maybe even the man himself. If not, he would¡¯ve never obtained the magic tome for the Heavenly Defiance from Vanke¡¯s eternal storage.¡±
¡°I agree. When I first heard that Kidard died, I just thought that he died to an assassin. However, from all the press all over the world, they said that the tome for the Heavenly Defiance was still in the eternal storage¡¡±
¡°In the case where Jin Grey is Kidard himself, we can¡¯t forget about the assistance from the Transformer. For many reasons, he could¡¯ve faked dying by Jin Grey¡¯s hand and changed identities.¡±
¡°Ah, the mysterious transformers that Groups 1 and 3 are pursuing¡ Hm, if so, then did Austin Grey kill the White Wolf Tribesman?¡±
Wratch didn¡¯t answer and looked around the scene.
¡®Austin was smaller than Jin Grey and had an unfitting mustache. They also said that his voice sounded weird. Estimated age is mid-teens to early twenties.¡¯
That was the evidence provided by everyone other than Chip, Maura, and Orel. Even though their parents would¡¯ve told them to keep their mouth shut, not telling the Special Forces anything was still a little suffocating.
Because of theirte arrival, Goltep¡¯s corpse had already dposed a little, but not his hammer. Wratch couldn¡¯t get his eyes off the weapon that was perfectly split into two.
He could only think of one name.
¡®Dante Hairan. Small body, weird voice, and a boy who could split that hammer in half¡ From my knowledge, Dante is a strong suspect. I must go to the Hairan n sometime.¡¯
That night, Wratch took both halves of the hammer and sought the Hairan n. Then, he heard these words.
¡°I am not at a level where I can split it this cleanly. Looking at the cross section, the person you¡¯re looking for has to be at least 8-star. Anyway, who was the one who killed the dark magicians? Jin Grey?¡±
Thanks to that, Dante had more to talk about with Beradin. They also got more to talk about with Jin on their next meetup.
* * *
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
* * *
October 30th, 1796.
On the way to meet Bouvard in the Curano Dukedom, Jin had to go through the Kon Kingdom¡¯s transfer gate. He then stopped by the bar where he drank with Beradin and Dante.
He spent the day like that. At around lunch, he bought the ticket to transfer from the central region of the Kon Kingdom to the Curano Dukedom.
In the afternoon, the transfer gates were filled with traveling nobles and workers on business trips. With sses on and without a sword, Jin had gloves to hide all his calluses. He looked like a businessman.
¡°Ladies and gentlemen, the transfer gate will open in fifteen minutes. Until then, please remain in your seats¡¡±
The stewards checked the passengers.
Clop, clop.
Jin heard the sound of shoes¡ªones that recently went trending in the Kon Kingdom.
The owner of the footsteps stopped next to Jin and spoke.
¡°Can you move your bag? This is my seat.¡±
Jin looked up at a woman with gorgeous red hair and a suit, then awkwardly smiled.
¡°Ah, yes. Sorry.¡±
A littleter, the transfer gates opened, and the passengers were swallowed with mana.
As soon as he arrived, Jin sought and found the street with the fragment workshop.
Bouvard¡¯s fragment workshop was not in the street where all the workshops were located. It was intentionally far away, in the outskirts of the capital.
Jin could buy suspicion, so there was nothing bad about being careful. He decidedly went from workshop to workshop and naturally asked each one about the most talented fragmentor. To which everyone brought up Bouvard¡¯s name.
¡°I don¡¯t know which n he¡¯s from, but it seems he¡¯s searching for a genius fragmentor.¡±
¡°I wanted him to fragment a bust of someone I truly respected¡¡±
¡°In a little corner on the west side of the city, you can find Bouvard Gaston¡¯s workshop. Try going there. If you think he¡¯s stillcking, then there¡¯s no one else in Curano who can satisfy you.¡±
¡°I was actually looking for a famous fragmentor on the way, it¡¯s the first time I heard of such a name. Bouvard Gaston? Never heard his name in the Vermont art magazines.¡±
¡°The most talented ones aren¡¯t always famous. If only Bouvard¡¯s personality was fine, he would¡¯ve be the emperor¡¯s sculptor. Maybe he would be scouted by Emperor Vermont.¡±
¡°Is he that great?¡±
¡°Between those who know, Bouvard is said to be a god of fragmenting. Tsk, I don¡¯t understand why the gods gave such a horrible person such great talents. I¡¯m so jealous, I could kill him!¡±
¡°Haha, calm down, sir¡¡±
¡°You wouldn¡¯t know, since you¡¯re not from here, but Curano¡¯s workshop street used to be twice as big. But after Bouvard appeared, many fragmentors saved his creations and stopped their work.¡±
¡°Huh.¡±
The Bouvard Jin saw at the banquet didn¡¯t have that kind of image, but it seemed he was treated as the best of the best.
¡®What¡¯s the rtionship between transformation magic and fragmenting?¡¯
With that question in mind, Jin began to walk towards the fragment workshop. After a while, he arrived in a forest and spoke.
¡°Is it okay to reveal yourself now, Elder Sister Yona?¡±
Chapter 168: The Fragmentor of Chaos (3)
Volume 7 Chapter 168 ¨C The Fragmentor of Chaos (3)
Rustle, rustle.
Along with the sound of rustling leaves, a woman emerged from the shadows amongst the tree branches.
Red hair and a suit¡ªthe woman who sat next to Jin at the transfer gate. The woman examined her surroundings, then hopped down from the tree.
¡°Oh, Brother! Jin! Hehehe!¡±
A very excited voice.
She had been following Jin ever since she found him at the Kon Kingdom. He had used his Mind¡¯s Eye in order to even detect her.
He never had this nned in mind, but it was perfect.
¡°I was so tired of ignoring you on the train!¡±
¡°Me too. How have you been, Sister? Also, what is that disguise? I thought you dyed your hair with blood. At the transfer gate, that is.¡±
¡°I heard from Owal that if I meet you again, then Father will kill you. So I dyed my hair with my favorite color. Fixed my face with some make-up too, hehe.¡±
¡°Hm¡ I don¡¯t know how those rte.¡±
Jin put his emotions aside and remembered one warning.
¡ªHe also warned me through you. To never even think of using Elder Sister Yona.
Cyron¡¯s warning that came with the ck Light Cuirass¡ªto not use Yona.
However, Jin shut his eyes and wanted to use Yona¡¯s power. He wasn¡¯t killing Bouvard, just a light favor to eavesdrop¡
¡®Even if Father finds out, wouldn¡¯t he be fine with it¡?¡¯
Well, it wasn¡¯t illegal if no one found out.
And even if he did get caught, he could nullify the punishment by offering a majestic bust of Cyron.
¡®What the hell am I thinking? If Father was someone to nce over crimes, then our n would¡¯ve never be so great. I¡¯ll just not get caught. Never.¡¯
¡°Don¡¯t worry! Owal said he¡¯ll keep it a secret too. Also, I¡¯ve had my senses heightened, and there wasn¡¯t anyone chasing us.¡±
¡°Thank goodness. Though, I was also moving while keeping an eye out.¡±
¡°So, why did you call for me?¡±
¡°Half because I just wanted to see your face again, and the other half is to ask for a tiny favor. Anyway, take a look at this.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
Jin took out a mysterious vial containing a ck liquid. He unscrewed the cap and downed the bottle.
¡°Keugh, Thousand-Poison Antidote. I¡¯m using it well. I should show off the present you gave me, you know?¡±
¡°Ahahahaha¡. Jin, you¡¯re too funny. That¡¯s ck Moss Poison. Really hard to get your hands on. Did your friends get it for you?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll kill them. How could they give my brother such a thing?¡±
¡°I asked them to get it for me.¡±
¡°Be quiet. I don¡¯t like it at all.¡±
Yona¡¯s eyes became sharp, and Jin shook his hands frantically to calm her down. If she also found out that he was fed poison as soon as he woke up from hisa, Yona would actually kill them.
¡°Heh. Still, seeing that the antidote worked out well, it feels good!¡±
Reuniting with Yona after two months, she was still hard to read. However, Jin didn¡¯t hate her for that, and he didn¡¯t even feel any pity.
Yona didn¡¯t like sympathy for whatever weird actions she did.
¡°So, what¡¯s the favor?¡±
¡°From here on out, I¡¯m going to meet a fragmentor named Bouvard Gaston. If you can, please eavesdrop on him. Whether he¡¯s just muttering to himself or conversing with another person.¡±
¡°Simple, alright. Instead, when I¡¯m done, you have to y with me.¡±
¡°You¡¯re gonna have to watch him for days. If you¡¯re okay with it.¡±
The siblings chattered and walked through the forest together. As they walked for about two hours, they saw a sign that read: ¡®Artistic Explosion¡¯.
Bouvard Gaston¡¯s fragment workshop.
The workshop sat atop a shallow hill, dyeing itself in the sunset.
Tons of fragments¡ªbig and smallid in front of the workshop. The fascinating thing was, from each and every fragment, a strange aura could be felt, even from their distance.
¡®Shocking. Even for someone who¡¯s not an expert, I could feel it. Enough for other artists to feel hopeless.¡¯
Getting closer and taking a gander, it was true. Anything fragmented to look alive looked as if it would move when touched, and every single inanimate object felt more dimensional than an original object.
Yona red at the fragments. Instead of falling into admiration, her eyes looked ufortable and angry.
¡°Sister?¡±
¡°These fragments¡¡±
¡°Are you alright?¡±
¡°Ah, yes. Uh¡ This is a little embarrassing. This¡ Someone like me made this. I just know.¡±
¡°Excuse me? Someone like you?¡±
¡®Is it something about her special powers?¡¯
That thought shot through his head, but he didn¡¯t ask.
¡°Very interesting. Can you tell me now how you found this ce?¡±
Jin thought for a second, then unloaded the information he earned from Mato Baker. Yona was someone he could trust as much as he did Luna.
¡°Hm, so that¡¯s what happened¡ The Transformer? This fragmentor? And you beat him up at the banquet.¡±
¡°Not too sure just yet. I just came to see if I can uncover some things.¡±
¡°First, I¡¯ll erase my footsteps. Even if you can¡¯t detect me, don¡¯t think I abandoned you.¡±
Right after she finished her sentence, she disappeared. No matter how much he opened his Mind¡¯s Eye, he couldn¡¯t detect Yona¡¯s position or her existence.
¡®So this is her full strength. It seems she hid between the fragments. Before that¡ her reaction was weird. Elder Sister Yona and Bouvard being simr people¡?¡¯
ng, ng!
He first shook the bell on the door. Curano¡¯s fragmentors often operated underground, so they couldn¡¯t hear customers knocking on the door.
Thud, thud!
Footsteps echoed after shaking the bell for some time. Bouvard lugged his heavy body up the stairs, as if he were pissed.
The door swung open.
¡°What kind of¡¡±
¡®Runt.¡¯
Failing to continue his words, Bouvard stared at Jin for some time.
¡°Bouvard Gaston. Long time no see.¡±
¡°Eeeek! What do you think you¡¯re doing here?!¡±
He grabbed a handful of salt from his pocket and threw it at Jin.
To his standards, the ones seeking his workshop were ¡®dirty lowlife¡¯ customers, which was why he always had salt prepared.
And amongst the lowlife, Jin was the worst.
Fwing!
Fwip!
Jin quickly evaded the projectiles and didn¡¯t get hit by a single salt crystal.
¡°That¡¯s a bit harsh. I came as a customer today.¡±
¡°Customer, my ass. I don¡¯t take customers like you!¡±
¡°Oh, you¡¯re gonna be like that? I¡¯m no different than your savior.¡±
¡°Saaaaaavior??? Saaaviooorrr?!?!¡±
¡°If my siblings or a guardian knight heard what you did at the banquet, your limbs would¡¯ve been ripped off. You would¡¯ve never dreamt of crafting such beautiful fragments.¡±
¡°Shut up and die!¡±
Crack!
Bouvard¡¯s fist hit Jin¡¯s chin.
¡°Phew, stop it now. Even if I am a prospective sessor, this is¡ª¡±
Crack!
Getting hit twice, Jin felt something snap.
The strings of his patience were snapping apart.
¡®Yeah, maybe beating up this guy might not be too bad. No, but does he have no fear, or is he just stupid?¡¯
The moment the third fist flew¡
Thunk!
Jin dunked his fist on top of Bouvard¡¯s head.
¡°Kugh!¡±
The short battle was different from the battle at the banquet. Jin went through an amazing transformation while Bouvard remained as a pitiful 5-star.
Bouvard lost bnce and fell backwards, but Jin caught his wrist and kept him upright.
Then, another person emerged from inside the workshop.
¡°Bouvard, what¡¯s the matter¡ Young Master¡ Jin?¡±
¡°Lord Vishukel¡?¡±
He didn¡¯t expect Vishukel to be at the Artistic Explosion that day.
¡°Young Master Jin, why are you here? Are you not in the middle of your provisional g-bearer trials?¡±
¡°About that¡¡±
¡°L-Lord Vishukel! This guy embarrassed me at the banquet and sought me again to cause a disruption¡! Aaahhh! Please kill him!¡±
At that moment, Vishukel¡¯s eyes met the salt on the ground. He also nced at Jin¡¯s slightly swollen chin and forehead.
¡®This disgusting fatass. It¡¯s obvious what he did wrong.¡¯
Swallowing those words, Vishukel took a deep breath.
¡°¡Pleasee inside, Bouvard. Apologize to him. Who are you telling me to kill?¡±
¡°Why should I?!¡±
¡°You threw the first punch and incited violence. And you¡¯re telling him to apologize? You have anything to say for yourself?¡±
Vishukel scolded Bouvard, whose face wrinkled in a frown. Vishukel had been very stressed because of him recently.
¡°Eeeerk¡ Still, I can¡¯t apologize!¡±
¡°Uh, yeah, then I¡¯ll do it for you. I¡¯m sorry I hit you, Bouvard.¡±
Jin conceded and pushed Bouvard into the workshop before shaking hands with Vishukel.
¡®So this calm and cold man is also in the Kinzelo Group¡? Sir Kashimir told me that Bouvard was above Vishukel, but it doesn¡¯t seem like it.¡¯
And Vishukel had no idea Yona was nearby.
¡®As much as Vishukel is an 8-star, he must have a more polished Mind¡¯s Eye. I¡¯m sure Elder Sister Yona will adjust ordingly.¡¯
Letting go of Jin¡¯s hand, Vishukel shrugged.
¡°I apologize, Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°No worries. I came knowing that this would happen. I should¡¯ve been more patient. I apologize for causing you stress.¡±
¡°No need. Anyway, what brings you here¡?¡±
¡°I wanted to have a bust of my father created, and all of the fragmentors in the workshop street rmended this ce. This was myst,st straw.¡±
¡°Hm, I see.¡±
¡°I do have a rough past with him, but it¡¯s still my father¡¯s bust. Seeing the fragments in the front, it seems I came to the right ce. I couldn¡¯t hide my astonishment from Bouvard¡¯s pieces.¡±
Vishukel¡¯s eyes narrowed.
¡°Young Master Jin.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Everyone knows that Bouvard¡¯s fragment work is amazing. However, I don¡¯t understand your demeanor as the Runcandel n¡¯s youngest child.¡±
¡°Ah, did I act disrespectful in any way?¡±
¡°Correct. The young master I saw at the banquet wasn¡¯t someone who¡¯d act upon such an extraneous situation. In fact, if you needed a bust of Lord Cyron, anyone from this area would¡¯ve been just fine.¡±
As if admitting defeat, Jin shook his head.
¡°You saw right through me. Indeed, there was an ulterior motive. The one I wanted to meet wasn¡¯t Bouvard, but you, Lord Vishukel.¡±
Jin red at Vishukel with burning eyes.
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
Chapter 169: The Fragmentor of Chaos (4)
Volume 7 Chapter 169 ¨C The Fragmentor of Chaos (4)
It was a tant lie, but it was Jin¡¯s only choice since he slipped up in front of Vishukel.
¡®Vishukel Yvliano. Just one mistake and he¡¯ll be a pain in the ass. I have to conjure something that he¡¯ll believe¡¡¯
Vishukel tilted his head, shook it, and kept a sharp eye on Jin.
¡°To meet me instead of Bouvard?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°For what reason¡ Oh, that¡¯s why.¡±
Jin looked hungry for a fight as his expression looked inviting. Vishukel smiled in interest.
¡°Would you like to duel me as a provisional g-bearer?¡±
¡®Not a bad reaction.¡¯
¡°It¡¯s embarrassing to admit, but that¡¯s true. Since I can¡¯t personally go to the Yvliano n with my current status as a provisional g-bearer, I first sought Bouvard, someone who Lady Margi referred to as a ¡®friend¡¯.¡±
Vishukel flinched at the word ¡®friend¡¯.
¡°Hm, so you¡¯re basically saying that you tried to meet me through Bouvard.¡±
Vishukel didn¡¯t ask Jin as to how he found the workshop¡¯s location. There was no reason for the Runcandels to not investigate Bouvard who dueled the banquet¡¯s host.
¡°Although, I wasn¡¯t lying about having a bust of my father created. If I knew that Bouvard was the most talented fragmentor of this city, I wouldn¡¯t have searched the streets this entire time.¡±
A silence passed.
Jin didn¡¯t know if his lies worked on Vishukel, but he wasn¡¯t desperate to find out. Vishukel took out a cigarette.
Scritch.
He scraped a match on the box¡¯s match striker, and smoke fluttered into the air.
Vishukel took a second puff when half of the cigarette was burnt as he organized his thoughts on Jin¡¯s unexpected appearance.
¡°¡That day, the duel was quite memorable. I also waited for the day to duel you.¡±
¡°Thank you for thepliments.¡±
¡°However, now is not the time.¡±
¡°Why not?¡±
¡°Even though a rose grows some thorns, I should never step on a growing flower. Young Master, as someone older than you, allow me to advise you. Excessive bloodlust is poisonous.¡±
Jin¡¯s pupils shook.
¡®Look at this guy¡¡¯
It was a lie turned challenge, but he didn¡¯t need to be this patronizing.
However, Jin shouldn¡¯t rebuke it.
¡°After bing a provisional g-bearer, I fought many enemies. But it seemed my opponents were always a bitcking. I don¡¯t get the same rush that I got when I fought you. The feeling of using the Mind¡¯s de.¡±
¡°Please don¡¯t embody your current achievements as your whole self, Young Master.¡±
¡°Those achievements almost caused some horrible idents on the duel that day.¡±
The level of provocation rose.
Nheless, Jin knew that Vishukel wouldn¡¯t want to fight him anyway.
¡®He isn¡¯t someone to fall for these provocations, and he won¡¯t earn anything out of a battle.¡¯
Vishukel was currently an 8-star. Jin was announced to be a 5-star at the banquet. A sizable skill gap existed between them.
However, Vishukel knew that Jin¡¯s achievements weren¡¯t small after one and a half years since the banquet. Though, he didn¡¯t think that those achievements were relevant towards the oue of the battle.
Vishukel rubbed the ashes of the cigarette on the wall, then sighed.
¡°Please stop, Young Master Jin. I don¡¯t want to get tired from such extraneous business. I came here on vacation. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little disrespectful?¡±
¡°I apologize for that.¡±
Fwip!
Vishukel created a palm-sized de with his aura and cut Jin¡¯s bangs. Before the de disappeared¡ªbefore the hairs fell to the ground¡ªhe cut the falling strands once more.
Realizing what happened half a beatter, Jin felt a cold sensation creeping up his back, and Bouvard thought Vishukel beheaded the Runcandel.
¡°I¡¯m showing you in case you didn¡¯t understand. Do you think you¡¯d stand a chance after failing to react to that?¡±
He was right.
Excluding the fact that Jin didn¡¯t react on purpose.
¡®I almost instinctively dodged it. Shoot, I would have duel him for real then.¡¯
Jin didn¡¯t want to duel either. The goading was all just to wash his body off from Vishukel¡¯s suspicion and catch his attention so that Yona could do her job.
Bouvard smacked his lips after seeing that Jin was still alive.
¡°Why didn¡¯t you just cut this insolent bastard, Sir Vishukel? It would have felt great.¡±
¡°Bouvard, are you out of your mind? What are you gonna do when Young Master Jin bes a g-bearer in the future?¡±
¡°That kid will definitely die before he does. I can tell just from him fearlessly challenging you. He thinks he¡¯s on top of the world just because he¡¯s a Runcandel¡ª¡±
¡°Bouvard Gaston.¡±
Jin turned and stomped towards Bouvard.
¡°What? Why?¡±
¡°How will you deal with me?¡±
¡°Hmph. You think I¡¯m scared?¡±
Shing!
Jin unsheathed Bradamante.
¡°Young Master Jin?¡±
¡°I admit my hubris and discourtesy, Lord Vishukel. I am no different from a child who can¡¯t even sh swords with you. However, this fellow talking bad of Runcadel is another problem¡¡±
Jin wasn¡¯t simply making a scene; he really wanted to kill him. Bouvard flinched and tried to scramble behind Vishukel.
¡°One more step and I¡¯ll kill you, Bouvard.¡±
¡°Young Master Jin, please stop.¡±
¡°Lord Vishukel, if your n was ndered, would you remain still?¡±
Vishukel could not answer. It was true that Bouvard spoke poorly about the Runcandels.
¡°I could take some of Bouvard¡¯sments towards me since you were in front of me. However, towards my n¡ He¡¯s one crazy fellow.¡±
Watching the situation unfold, Bouvard didn¡¯t bber a single word. He realized that he would actually die if he moved a muscle.
¡°Haaa, I understand. However, in this case, I¡¯m going to have to stop you as well.¡±
¡°Then do so.¡±
¡°And what if you die?¡±
¡°Even if I die, I will kill him and protect the Runcandel name. Of course, since I am a provisional g-bearer, you will face no consequences.¡±
¡°If you kill Bouvard at this moment, I will kill you. If that happens, what¡¯s the point of protecting the Runcandel name?¡±
¡°Even if the n doesn¡¯t find out, I will not be ashamed of myself.¡±
¡°Must you do this?!¡±
Vishukel raised his voice for the first time.
¡®Shit! It¡¯s my fault for not controlling that damned bastard¡¯s mouth. The young master isn¡¯t joking right now. What to do¡?¡¯
Cold sweat dripped down from Vishukel¡¯s nape. His desire to kill Bouvard was stronger than Jin¡¯s, but in order to finish Kinzelo¡¯s project, he had to keep him alive.
However, Jin and Bouvard were too close to stop. The only way to stop Jin would be to cut his arm or throat before he could move.
Yet Vishukel was not confident in cutting his arm.
In his waist was only his belt. Before Jin came, Vishukel was eating sweet potato croquettes, so he unarmed himself. He could conjure a de with his aura, but a small de like that wouldn¡¯t work.
To cut the arm, Vishukel needed a longer sword, but with that size, Bouvard¡¯s head would go off first. Hence, Vishukel¡¯s only choice was to cut Jin by the throat.
¡®If Jin Runcandel dies, will Lord Cyron really do nothing?¡¯
Cyron was not the type to seek such vengeance. It was true that he valued Jin, but the moment the Runcandel n reacted to the death of a provisional g-bearer, they would bebeled as hypocrites.
Vishukel couldn¡¯t be certain, however. The first provisional g-bearer to have an honorary banquet after Luna killed in the hands of an Yvliano. What if that rumor spread¡?
He predicted that, on top of the Yvliano n, the Kinzelo Group would also take a toll.
¡®I just need to hide it. No, I can¡¯t. Too many people saw his face in the workshop street.¡¯
Putting the panicking Vishukel behind him, Jin opened his mouth.
¡°I will count to three, Bouvard. During that time, kneel and apologize with your life! One!¡±
¡°Kneel, Bouvard!¡±
Vishukel screamed. If Bouvard just kneeled, this awkward situation would alle to a close.
¡°Two.¡±
¡°Kne¡ª!¡±
Thump!
Bouvard¡¯s chubby knees hit the ground. Vishukel sighed in relief, and Jin put his sword on Bouvard¡¯s throat.
¡°I did as you¡ª!¡±
¡°You¡¯re not done. Now, apologize. I should hear something I like before my hand slips.¡±
Bouvard trembled in anger and shame, and Vishukel¡¯s heart dropped.
¡°I¡ did you wrong¡¡±
Jin sheathed his sword and smiled.
¡°If it weren¡¯t for Lord Vishukel, I would¡¯ve killed you. That is the usual consequence for ndering the Runcandel n. Thank him, Fragmentor.¡±
Jin then walked to Vishukel and bowed.
¡°I havemitted many acts of discourtesy, Lord Vishukel. If it¡¯ll help, you may beat me as much as you like.¡±
Vishukel smacked his forehead.
¡°¡I knew that Runcandels were like fire, but you are on another level. You were in no wrong to punish Bouvard. I show approval as the patriarch of the Yvliano n.¡±
He was genuinely impressed.
¡®He¡¯s definitely a handful, but no other g-bearer of Runcandel would do this. Jin Runcandel, you have surprised me many times since the banquet.¡¯
He made sure to make Bouvard shut up in front of any stranger since then.
¡°However, I hope we don¡¯t have such chaotic encounters in the future. Please don¡¯t forget that I didn¡¯t attack you because Bouvard deserved his punishment.¡±
¡°I won¡¯t forget.¡±
¡°You are free to leave.¡±
Jin left the workshop, and Vishukel stared at his figure getting smaller and smaller.
Once Jin was no longer in sight, he finally spat curses.
After hearing five or six horrible words, Bouvard grabbed Vishukel and let out depthless excuses. Then, he silently went to the basement.
¡®It¡¯s my first time seeing Sir Vishukel that angry. Jin Runcandel, that bastard. He was so disrespectful¡!¡¯
Bouvard would never realize that Vishukel¡¯s anger was towards him instead of Jin.
When Bouvard returned to the first floor, he had many croquettes in his arms.
Rustle, rustle.
¡°Please eat this and calm down, Sir Vishukel. Errrr, that rat bastard will never live a long life.¡±
Chapter 170: The Fragmentor of Chaos (5)
Volume 7 Chapter 170 - The Fragmentor of Chaos (5)
Vishukel pushed the sweet potato croquettes aside, hands trembling.
¡®Oh, I¡¯d love to kill him! I very much. Would love. To kill. This annoying bastard!¡¯
If he didn¡¯t scream his heart out, Vishukel would explode.
¡°Bouvard.¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Please go outside for ten minutes.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Just¡ Please. I beg you.¡±
¡°Uh-huh¡ Alright, I will. Oh, because there¡¯s no milk!¡±
¡°AAAAAAAARGH!¡±
Crash!
Vishukel destroyed the wooden table and screamed. Bouvard frantically scrambled outside. Even then, he tried to pick up and spare some of the croquettes that fell on the floor.
¡®Wow, Bouvard Gaston. Considering that he¡¯s a human made of chaos, he¡¯s definitely a special hunk of meat¡ Hehe.¡¯
Even Yona had to sigh in disbelief as she watched the series of events from the window.
Vishukel went down to the basement and screamed as if he were in an asylum.
¡°AAAAAAH! ARGH! PLEASE! DIE!¡±
As the roars continued to echo in the basement, Yona watched and smiled.
¡°Phew.¡±
Vishukel returned to the first floor after calming down, then rearranged his hair.
Bouvard reentered with only one croquette left in his hand. He awkwardly nced at Vishukel before cramming the snack into his mouth.
Chew, chew.
Even watching this pitiful sight, Vishukel didn¡¯t react.
¡°Are you alright?¡±
¡°...Let us continue our previous conversation, Bouvard.¡±
The conversation that had been interrupted by Jin¡¯s unexpected arrival.
¡°Oh, yes.¡±
¡°The leader officially wants to end all alliances with the Zipfel n.¡±
Vishukel started with important information.
Yona put her ear closer to the window. Normally, she would keep a distance. Approaching an 8-star knight was hard even for her. Despite this, Vishukel¡¯s senses were weakened due to him enhancing his patience beyond the boundaries of human capability just to tolerate Bouvard¡¯s bullshit.
¡°Ahhh, please tell them that was a great decision. The Zipfels are much worse and more evil than Jin Runcandel. Using the Demon God¡¯s Orb and breaking it¡ We should¡¯ve ended it from the start!¡±
¡°...It¡¯s not the best situation. In order to execute our big ns, we needed their support. Whenever you craft artifacts, the quality of your ingredients won¡¯t be as luxurious.¡±
¡°Wait! There was that problem! But Sir Vishukel, it¡¯s fragmenting, not crafting. They are twopletely different disciplines. And they aren¡¯t ¡®artifacts¡¯, but ¡®pieces¡¯. Pieces of art. How many times do I have to exin this?¡±
¡°Yeah, fragmen¡ Piece¡¡±
Vishukel barely contained his contempt and hatred.
¡°How big is the difference in quality for the ingredients?¡±
¡°We will never get any remains of deceased gods. As for the remains of old civilizations, we won¡¯t get half of what we used to get.¡±
¡°Ha?!¡±
¡°Instead, ording to the deal, we will retrieve all of the pieces that we gave to the Zipfels.¡±
¡°The Compass!¡±
Bouvard¡¯s eyes glimmered.
¡°We must retrieve the Compass! With that, we will easily find gods and get more ingredients.¡±
¡°The Compass will definitely be one of them.¡±
¡°Honestly, if we just get that back, we can let them have the rest. My best piece after the Demon God¡¯s Orb. Compass. Hehehe. My baby, you¡¯reing back to daddy¡¡±
¡°Bouvard. Even then, you shouldn¡¯t be too happy.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°When they first received the Demon God¡¯s Orb and Compass, how did they behave?¡±
¡°Just like I did. They were about to lick the leader¡¯s toes.¡±
¡°And with the terms of cutting alliances, they are willingly giving it back. Do you really not have a single clue what this means?¡±
¡°They¡¯re done using it¡?¡±
¡°No. It means that they are able to make tools like the Compass by themselves.¡±
¡°No way. There¡¯s no way. It¡¯s impossible without my talent.¡±
¡°Their magic is beyond yourprehension. It wouldn¡¯t be weird at all if they can replicate it, let alone fix the Orb. On top of that, we will retrieve such items on the first day of June next year, which gives them more time to experiment.¡±
¡°Uh, why sote? The leader gave them that much time?¡±
¡°It¡¯s because of the revocation use. Since we initiated the revocation, I couldn¡¯t refuse.¡±
Vishukel bit and lit a cigarette in frustration. Bouvard nodded.
¡°First of June next year¡ Uh, would there be any way to shorten that time?¡±
¡°The leader said that he will go all out if the Zipfels don¡¯t keep the promise this time, so it¡¯s basically impossible. As long as the Runcandels stand, they can¡¯t fight us.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a relief. First of June next year¡ Where will the rendezvous point be?¡±
¡°The Berd Empire¡¯s southern ind, the Land of the Pirates.¡±
¡°Thankfully, it isn¡¯t anywhere with annoying monsters. Please take me too.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°I must be there so that the returning pieces won¡¯t get tampered. We can¡¯t have any issues afterwards.¡±
Vishukel¡¯s eyes widened. He couldn¡¯t believe Bouvard could speak sensibly.
¡°That¡¯s¡ right. I will tell the leader.¡±
¡°Oh, and Sir Vishukel, did we ever find him? The one that I transformed into a Zipfel magician.¡±
¡°Mato Baker?¡±
¡°Something like that.¡±
¡°Because of that case, the headquarters are having a hard time¡¡±
Vishukel cut off mid-sentence and stopped moving.
After slowly examining the room, he checked every single window.
¡®Heh. Man, I got too close.¡¯
Ssss, shuffle, shuffle¡
Yona backed off from the window and hid. As she ran across the yard, not a single de of grass bent or deformed.
¡®I sensed a faint footstep¡ Was it just me?¡¯
Vishukel went out to the yard and shuffled through thewn. The only thing he saw was Jin¡¯s footprints.
¡°What¡¯s the matter, Sir Vishukel?¡±
Bouvard waddled out and shrugged.
¡°Nothing.¡±
¡°When I look at you, I think you¡¯re such a snowke. Compared to you, Lady Margi¡¯s optimism makes me happy. How are you siblings so different? Hehehe.¡±
¡°......¡±
Vishukel remained still for a second.
¡°Starting tomorrow, we will move your hideout. Somewhere the Zipfels don¡¯t know.¡±
¡°Ugh! That¡¯s annoying!¡±
Vishukel stared at the spot where Yona had been. He didn¡¯t know, however, that she was ever there.
And Yona ran into the forest, giggling.
¡®I don¡¯t know what that chaotic hunk of meat and poor snowke talked about, but I¡¯m sure Jin would love it!¡¯
* * *
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
* * *
¡°Whoa¡ My goodness.¡±
Listening to what Yona heard, Jin had his jaw dropped the entire time. Yona repeatedly grabbed her stomach as sheughed while narrating.
¡°They¡¯re that interesting? That face is hrious. So you can look stupid like that too.¡±
¡°This is packed with facts. I can¡¯t believe I got all of this in one day¡ªin a few hours. This is more surprising than digging through the Runcandel n¡¯s archived documents.¡±
¡°That much? Tell me about it too.¡±
¡°Hm, so what you told me was¡ªOh, before that, you can¡¯t tell Owal any of this.¡±
¡°Promise!¡±
Jin exined his experience with the Kinzelo Group as well as the information brought today. However, Yona couldn¡¯t understand any of it. She tilted her head to the side.
In reality, she just thought that her little brother was cute, so she wasn¡¯t listening at all.
¡°...So now you know why I¡¯m so shocked.¡±
¡°Yeah, sounds super fun.¡±
Either way, it wasn¡¯t very important to her. She only remembered that Bouvard was an entity of ¡®chaos¡¯.
¡°But Yona, what did you mean when you said Bouvard was like you?¡±
That seemingly small detail was stuck in his mind. How could that fat pig be simr to his sister?
¡°Oh that¡ I can¡¯t tell you yet.¡±
¡°You¡¯re gonna y like that between us?¡±
¡°You have your secrets too¡¡±
Jin conjured up spiritual energy and showed it to her.
It was his way of saying that there were no more secrets between them.
¡°Ack!¡±
Yona scrambled backwards, as if she had seen something she should have never seen.
¡°Huh?¡±
[Die!]
Confronted with the spiritual energy, the endless whispers within her became louder.
A voice strong enough topel her to slice her brother¡¯s throat open.
She and Bouvard were born from deeply concentrated chaos. However, Bouvard¡¯s chaos wouldn¡¯t react simrly in the face of spiritual energy.
¡°Get rid of it!¡±
Jin dispersed the smoke on his hand. The voices in Yona¡¯s head died down, and she was able to be freed of her impulse to kill Jin. The spiritual energy onlysted for about two to three seconds, but her entire body was covered in sweat. She gasped for each breath.
If she didn¡¯t truly love Jin, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold herself back.
¡°Yona!¡±
¡°From now on, never¡ never show that thing to me again. Don¡¯t ask any further.¡±
¡°What¡?¡±
Jin deduced a conclusion.
¡®She definitely backed off to not attack me. The spiritual energy stimted her.¡¯
A few seconds ago, Yona¡¯s widened eyes filled to the brim with fear.
The fear of almost killing her own brother.
Jin suppressed his feelings of horror and shook his head.
¡°I don¡¯t understand, but I apologize. I didn¡¯t know.¡±
¡°If I see spiritual energy, then I lose my consciousness. No need to be sorry, since I never exined it. Heh, I thought you¡¯d hide that secret until you actually became a g-bearer.¡±
¡°Why would I?¡±
¡°Am I someone to be trusted that much? Or is it because you might not like me?¡±
¡°The former ispletely wrong, but thetter sounds honest. It¡¯s true that I wanted to hide that bit. Until we spent time together in the flower fields, that is.¡±
It wasn¡¯t the smoothest reply, but he didn¡¯t want to lie. If he had his spiritual energy out for a little longer, Yona would have killed him on the spot.
Jin had no intention of making her sad.
¡°I should be more careful. We¡¯ll naturally solve this problem when I get strong enough, so you can¡¯t do anything. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡±
¡°Heh. Dream on, kiddo. Now y with me like you promised.¡±
Afterwards, Jin and Yona traveled around the area and hung out.
Not only were Joshua¡¯s knights stationed in the area¡ªalthough they were already dead¡ªbut Cyron¡¯s knights were also guarding it.
And naturally, news of their little ¡®ydate¡¯ reached Cyron¡¯s ears.
Chapter 171: Temporary Farewell (1)
Volume 7 Chapter 171 - Temporary Farewell (1)
sh, sh! Pssssht!
As always, one man was plowing through the monsters of the ck Sea with a concealed letter in this chestte¡ªGuardian Knight Khan.
However, that wasn¡¯t the only message he was delivering that day.
After four days of monster ughter, Khan handed the letter to Cyron.
¡°I was told that Young Master Jin spent time with Lady Yona, milord.¡±
Cyron did not answer. He merely opened the letter; the first ever since Kashimir was called to the ck Sea.
(On the first sheet, you will see a list of Young Master Jin¡¯s actions and results. On the second, there are descriptions of the series of events directly quoted from the young master. You may skip as you please. I hope you do not find this letter arduous to read¡)
From there, the letter was written in an organized manner. Like previous letters, it wasn¡¯t too verbose, nor was it too curt.
¡®Kashimir, that fellow, is finally sending some normal letters.¡¯
Seeing each short description of Jin¡¯s travels, Cyron¡¯s eyes narrowed.
¡®8-star magician Rolt Joe and a White Wolf Tribesman. Hafalep¡ Haven¡¯t heard that in a while.¡¯
Cyron also fought a White Wolf Tribesman in his youth. After his twenties, he fought the chief of the Hafalep Tribe as he aimed towards achieving 10-star.
The chief was a ¡®memorable¡¯ opponent. They dueled for five hours, and the result¡ªof course¡ªended with Cyron¡¯s victory.
After surpassing 10-star and bing a feared Genesis Kight, the tribe chief he fought wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.
However, Cyron noted that the warriors of the Hafalep Tribe retained battle skills that surpassed those of the regr White Wolf Tribesmen.
¡®Then the one that Jin killed would be the old chief¡¯s son¡¯s generation. If the Hafalep Tribe is still filled with powerful warriors, it would be a meaningful victory.¡¯
He flipped the page, and the specific descriptions began. As if reading a novel that he had been waiting for, Cyron read each word carefully and religiously.
(When cutting Goltep¡¯s hammer in half, he said he chanted some spell. ¡®Cut¡¯ or something like that. I think that¡¯s just a cebo of some sort. Whenever he encounters something that is challenging to cut through, that word helps him gain the concentration and strength to sh through his target.)
Cyron was very interested in that section of the letter.
¡®It isn¡¯t just any cebo. It¡¯s an old technique from the ancient Runcandel magic swordsmen. It¡¯s the same as the ones in the archives.¡¯
As the patriarch, Cyron knew every single secret of the Runcandel n, and he was able to weave it into Jin¡¯s actions to make sense of them. The history of the ¡®Era of Magic Swordsmen¡¯ that the Zipfel n couldn¡¯t get rid of, or how those with Solderet¡¯s blessing wielded the sword; with this knowledge, only the patriarch could confirm Jin¡¯s actions. Not even g-bearers or elders could encroach upon these sacred concealed texts.
The chant, the de, the spiritual energy.
After bing the patriarch and reading the archives¡ªespecially when he read the few lines left of Temar¡¯s battle history¡ªhe remembered one question he had the entire time.
¡®Are his achievements as a magic swordsman far greater than mine?¡¯
That one unanswerable question set a ripple through his body.
¡®The record called it Shadow de.¡¯
He wanted his son to cast it this very moment, but he had to patiently wait. Either way, Jin¡¯s would be iplete. The technique had been discontinued for years.
Completing his thoughts while reading, Cyron closed the letter.
¡°Khan.¡±
¡°Yes, Lord Patriarch?¡±
¡°What did Jin and Yona do for two days?¡±
¡°It seems they just hung out. The youngestdy is very sensitive, so supervising her 24/7 was impossible, but they were just fooling around.¡±
¡°Just the two of them?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Anything that Jin requested of her?¡±
¡°ording to the guardian knights stationed in the Kon Kingdom, there was nothing to be reported. After he received the Thousand Poison Antidote, you warned him through Gilly. I¡¯m sure the young master wouldn¡¯t dare to break such promises.¡±
Cyron blinked.
¡°He¡¯s a fascinating kid. Fearless and all.¡±
¡°Do you mean Young Master Jin?¡±
¡°Yeah. I would¡¯ve never imagined Yona getting along with another person. Even Owal, who received some of her love, still got assassination threats often. Even Luna keeps her afar.¡±
Khan lowered his head and Cyron smirked.
¡°Tell the guardian knights in the Kon Kingdom to loosen their supervision on Yona. If I disturb her y, then she¡¯d kill them all, even if she knows they¡¯re my troops.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
* * *
As soon as Jin returned and told everyone about his trip, the group at Tikan held a meeting.
The information was shocking.
¡°The Zipfels¡¯ and Kinzelo¡¯s recent alliance is groundbreaking. And the dissolution of the alliance was because the Zipfels broke the Demon God¡¯s Orb. And that was all because it was¡ broken by none other than Young Master Jin?¡±
Jin destroyed the Zipfels¡¯ little artifact when he fought Andrei Zipfel on an uninhabited ind in the Vermont Empire¡¯s waters.
More urately, Luna broke it. However, her introduction into the entire affair was because Jin met Andrei in the first ce. Thanks to that, Jin changed Enya¡¯s and Euria¡¯s destinies, and the Zipfels lost both their second-inmand and wind dragon that day.
¡®And Bouvard made that thing. Incredible.¡¯
In his past life, Jin thought Bouvard was just the psychopathic Transformer who put the world into chaos. However, as they uncovered more and more information, he seemed to be the center of the Kinzelo Group.
¡°In fact, with his special little talent called ¡®fragmenting¡¯, he can make artifacts like the Orb or transform another person using the remains of dead gods¡¡±
Murakan had a rather more serious expression than usual as he spoke.
¡°By ¡®remains of dead gods¡¯, do you mean things like Numerous¡¯s Blood and Tears?¡±
¡°Yeah. But kiddo, back when I went to help your division at the unsupervised zone near the Curano Dukedom, I told you that I met a Cemetery Giant.¡±
Cemetery Giants.
The golems had already disappeared without a trace around two thousand years ago. They were tasked with protecting the graves of the deceased gods, but the dragon race had exterminated them. Murakan and Quikantel joined in their eradication.
¡°At first, I didn¡¯t know why a Cemetery Giant was there, but now I do. That was one of Bouvard Gaston¡¯s pieces. And that guy¡¯s contracted with Well, the God of Fragmenting.¡±
¡°Well, God of Fragmenting? Never heard of them.¡±
Excluding Murakan and Quikantel, no one else knew of the god. Not many people knew about Well¡¯s existence.
¡°Not surprised that none of you know. If anything, it¡¯d be weird if you did. Just like Kum back in Kollon, Well is one of the gods that disappeared in history. They¡¯re in the graves of the deceased gods.¡±
Well was also the one who participated the most in the creation of the Orb of Origin. After the Orb was destroyed, many centuries passed. They lost their position as a god and descended as a normal human.
The ce where these descended gods gathered was called ¡®the graves of the deceased gods¡¯. The Cemetery Giants were golems created to protect and honor the dignity of these gods.
Murakan exined it as such, and Quikantel just nodded. To most dragons, the eradication of the Cemetery Giants was not a fond memory.
In essence, they annihted the graves of the entities that were treated like gods.
¡°Then you¡¯re saying that this Well guy resurrected and reimed his god title, then contracted with Bouvard. Is that possible?¡±
¡°That¡¯s the thing. It¡¯s impossible. However, if Bouvard isn¡¯t Well¡¯s contractor, all of these feats and phenomena are impossible to exin. He¡¯s transforming people too. So honestly, I think he¡¯s not just a contractor but Well himself.¡±
¡°It¡¯s weird how after I be a provisional g-bearer, I¡¯m constantly being intertwined with gods and divine entities.¡±
¡°Just as Lord Murakan said, Bouvard seems to be a very miraculous human. Why is that man with the Kinzelo Group?¡±
¡°That¡¯s probably because he¡¯s rted to their big projects, Strawberry Pie. First, we need to know what¡¯s up their sleeve. It¡¯s kind of obvious after seeing the Orb they handed to the Zipfels. They want to be the only god in this realm.¡±
Thanks to his memory from his past life, Jin knew what Kinzelo¡¯s ¡®revolution¡¯ was about. To make themselves the king of kings¡ªthe king of the world. The same thing as the Zipfel n trying to make themselves gods of the realm.
¡°The most concerning item is the Compass thing. As Vishukel and Bouvard said, that Compass can find contractors.¡±
¡°I¡¯m concerned about that too, kiddo. They¡¯re definitely using the Compass to find the contractors and then absorb them with the Orb.¡±
¡ªFor Enya¡¯s case, the higher-ups of the Vermont Empire already know who and where she is, but not Az Mil¡¯s contractor.
¡ªWith that in mind, how did Vyuretta approach Lathry in the first ce? Seeing that Vyuretta hasn¡¯t returned Lathry yet, I¡¯m pretty sure he knew of the existence of Az Mil¡¯s contractor. On top of that, the fact that the contractor is young¡
¡ªFor sure. Hmm¡ For the thousand years I was asleep, was there a spell that could detect contractors?
¡ªThere¡¯s no way something like that could be developed, whether it was a thousand years ago or today. No one could tell who the contractor was until the contractor discovered their own powers.
The conversation that Jin and Murakan had when they first met Quikantel.
Remembering that conversation, the three nodded.
¡°It seems the Compass doesn¡¯t work exactly as intended. They couldn¡¯t find Euria, so they kidnapped Lathry instead.¡±
¡°Next year, on the first day of June.¡±
Jin spoke and everyone stopped talking.
¡°That¡¯s the day the Zipfels return the Compass back to Kinzelo. The location is the Berd Empire¡¯s southern ind, the Land of the Pirates.¡±
¡°A little over half a year left.¡±
¡°Until then, we have to uncover as much information about the Kinzelo Group and Zipfel n as possible. And if doable, identify how we can intercept the Compass.¡±
No one contested, nor did anyone ask for the reason behind it.
Three contractors resided at their main base. If the Compass were to point towards Tikan City, Zipfel magicians and Kinzelo hunters would storm in.
Recalling the final battle with Andrei¡ªwhere he stated that Jin was ¡®the best ingredient for the Demon God¡¯s Orb¡¯ and bbered that ¡®twelve gods were within him¡¯¡ªfurther banished all doubt.
¡°Thankfully, they haven¡¯t snuffed us out. But we don¡¯t know when they will. The Zipfels and Kinzelo are doing some serious shit right now. We can¡¯t just let them be.¡±
Chapter 172: Temporary Farewell (2)
Volume 7 Chapter 172 - Temporary Farewell (2)
A few days passed. Until mid-November of 1796, the group at Tikan continued their congregation.
An artifact that could find contractors.
They predicted that the Zipfels had such an item ever since Jin¡¯s battle against Andrei. However, only after hearing the word ¡®Compass¡¯ did they feel a little uneasy.
¡°First, kiddo, send Ice Cream and Enya somewhere else. Before we get the Compass, we should send the contractors somewhere else.¡±
A consensus.
What would the Zipfels do before returning the Compass to the Kinzelo Group?
They would try to hunt as many contractors as possible, granted that they hadn¡¯t sessfully duplicated the artifact yet. Tikan was a great hunting ground for them. The city had three contractors packed together, was not associated with any of the world powers, and did not have any all-powering being residing within.
However, they just assumed that the artifact was imperfect when they failed to find Euria and kidnapped Lathry.
What if the Compass then pointed towards one of the contractors in Tikan?
A horrible problem would arise.
¡°Even after they return the Compass, they could definitely craft a simr item. But I¡¯ve never heard of an artifact that can find contractors. If it isn¡¯t the God of Fragmenting, then that kind of item can¡¯t exist.¡±
Murakan and Quikantel did not think of Bouvard as a mere contractor, but the resurrection or seconding of Well.
¡°Even if the Zipfels crafted something simr, it¡¯d definitely be imperfect. It won¡¯t be as good as Bouvard¡¯s. It¡¯ll be a little dangerous when that happens. They¡¯re probably ramping up their contractor hunting game while they have an actual Compass, which is right now.¡±
The group decided to send Jin, Enya, and Euria away from the city for that reason.
¡°Enya, Euria, and Miss Alisa should request protection from the Hidden Pce. They somewhat know our situation. And even if the Zipfel n finds them in the Hidden Pce, they can¡¯t do a thing.¡±
They decided to send Enya¡¯s brother, his old dog, and Lathry to the Hidden Pce as well. Meanwhile, Murakan, Gilly, Kashimir, and Jet decided to stay in Tikan.
Despite the fact that he was about to leave his wife and daughter for an unknown amount of time, Kashimir looked calm.
Who would want to be far away from their loving family? However, this was a problem with his daughter¡¯s life and Tikan¡¯s well-being on the line.
Above all, Euria was already a priority on the Zipfels¡¯ list. They needed to be careful.
¡°What happens if the Hidden Pce denies our request?¡±
To Gilly¡¯s inquiry, Murakan shook his head.
¡°The Master of the Hidden Pce wouldn¡¯t do that. She''d think of this as a chance to repay the debt for her daughter''s special fianc¨¦, Strawberry Pie.¡±
¡°Hmm, fianc¨¦¡ Do you really think so?¡±
¡°I guarantee it. If it fails, I¡¯ll pull some strings. That woman seems to have some interest in me as well. I heard her say the word ¡®handsome¡¯ so many times back in Kollon.¡±
Murakan bragged a bit, then nced at Gilly.
No, everyone in the meeting room very obviously waited for Gilly¡¯s reaction, hoping to possibly see a hint of jealousy.
She just sighed worrisomely. No specific reaction. Showing no sign of envy, she was clearly distant from Murakan.
¡°Ehem¡ Anyway, don¡¯t worry too much.¡±
¡°I will trust you, Lord Murakan. Haaa, I know that this is all I can do as a nanny with a sealed aura. I can¡¯t do anything this time either¡¡±
To those words, Murakan shook his head again.
¡°Just your presence is more than enough, Strawberry Pie.¡±
¡°Then where will Young Master Jin go?¡±
Kashimir cracked the awkward stuffy air, and all eyes were on Jin.
¡°Oh, the kid has somewhere else to go. Even if this situation didn¡¯t happen, I was gonna send him there anyway. Well, the time is right.¡±
¡°Is there somewhere else that¡¯s as safe as the Hidden Pce?¡±
Murakan¡¯s smile faltered. He shrugged.
¡°Considering that magician n¡¯s tracking, there¡¯s no other ce that¡¯s safer. It¡¯s and they can¡¯t find even with a tracking item more miraculous than the Compass. Even if a god descends, they can¡¯t enter.¡±
Jin heard of this ce right after returning from Hosen City.
¡°You¡¯re probably wondering why I can¡¯t send Enya and Ice Cream to that ce if that¡¯s the case. It can¡¯t be helped. Thatnd is reserved only for Solderet¡¯s contractor. And amongst the contractors, only Runcandel magic swordsmen have ess to it. As of now, no one other than the thousand-year contractor can enter.¡±
¡°So where is it, dipshit?¡±
Quikantel frowned.
¡°Land of the Noble Legends.¡±
¡°Noble Legends¡ They¡¯re the beastmen who went extinct five thousand years ago!¡±
Many beastmen used to roam thend.
Crossing the southern border of the Zhan Kingdom, the Land of the Beastmen began. In thatnd, there were tribes so peaceful and so weak, no one knew how they were still alive.
There were the Watertail Tribe and Gold Snow Tribe¡ªlittle rat-like creatures addicted to gold. There were also the Isted Craftsmen Tribe¡ªwho lived in a secluded area¡ªand warrior tribes like the White Wolf Tribe and Orange Tiger Tribe.
At the mention of ¡®warrior tribe¡¯, everyone would think of either the White Wolf Tribe or Orange Tiger Tribe.
However, the earliest instance of such a tribe was the Noble Legend Tribe, who reigned over all of thends.
After their extinction five thousand years ago, any literature regarding their history was difficult to find. However, not all of their records were erased from existence. Even now, many schrs and archaeologists tried to uncover their secrets.
Because they wanted to know how the entire tribe disappeared when they dominated thends.
¡°Where is it, and how is it still intact?¡±
¡°It remains in the Great Mythra Desert. I can say that there was one contract between Solderet and the Noble Legend Tribe. It¡¯s hard to exin the specifics. Anyway, Jin goes there.¡±
At the name of the location, the group began to murmur.
¡°Isn¡¯t it too dangerous? Knowing that the entire White Wolf Tribe might be rted to the Kinzelo Group and the Great Mythra Desert is where even indigienous beastmen get lost¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s dangerous, of course. But it¡¯s a ce where the kid has to go through multiple times. It¡¯s basically a trial for him to be a real magic swordsman. And since he didn¡¯t reveal his face to Kinzelo, it¡¯ll be fine.¡±
All eyes were on Jin.
And as always, he looked determined. They knew there was no stopping him now.
¡°We should reunite next May. If we gather and leave together in Tikan, the Zipfels and Kinzelo might have suspicions. So let¡¯s meet in the Berd Empire. Towards the end of May, we must have everyone to intercept the Compass.¡±
Afterwards, they strategized the interception of thepass and talked amongst themselves regarding possible problems.
Thankfully, the Hidden Pce epted their request, relieving Gilly of her worries.
As soon as Murakan arrived at Manji Ind, Tris came to greet him herself, asking what happened to her daughter¡¯s fianc¨¦.
¡°Nothing much. Just went to take some test.¡±
¡°Hmph, what test?¡±
¡°Secret. Anyway, we¡¯re going to send some fes to your ce within four days. Also, say hello to your daughter for me.¡±
That night, they had a little farewell party.
The day after, Tikan would be very empty.
* * *
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
* * *
At the southern border of the Zhan Kingdom.
Revisiting the location of his first mission as a cadet, Jin held new emotions regarding the ce.
¡®I wonder how my division is doing. Hope they¡¯re doing well.¡¯
He remembered his subordinates from advanced cadet training. He wanted to see their growth once he returned to the Garden of Swords.
On him were travel robes and one big backpack. In the bag were dried food, water, a nket, some medical herbs, a travel artifact, and some salt.
¡®The Great Mythra Desert¡¡¯
upying the center of the Land of Beastmen, the Great Mythra Desert wasn¡¯t a force to be reckoned with. Even crazy veteran travelers and adventurers didn¡¯t dare to enter thisnd.
In thisnd, no ruins, gold, or divine resources remained from the Noble Legend Tribe as proven by investigation teams and explorers from many different kingdoms and empires across centuries.
Many explorers entered the Great Mythra Desert following myths, legends, and dreams. However, the result was always brutal.
Most adventurers couldn¡¯t fight against the heat, so they became one with the desert. And those whopleted their journey said that all of the stories about Mythra were lies.
Even for those in the White Wolf Tribe and Orange Tiger Tribe, traversing the Great Mythra Desert was suicide.
¡°Why. Do you. Enter. Small human?¡±
¡°Did. You. Break. Up? So you. Wanted. To die? That. Happens. Often. Those stupid. Humans.¡±
At the southern border of the Zhan Kingdom, Jin met the Watertail Tribe for the first time in a while. These questions were not weird at all.
¡°No break-up. Just going. Also, you guys are smaller than I am.¡±
The Watertail beastmen clicked their tongues and shook their heads.
¡°Ah, and you guys. Do you know about the Watertail Tribe that lived over there two years ago? At a vige around two hours west from here.¡±
¡°Oh. There. Vige. Us.¡±
Rustle, rustle.
Jin went through his pockets and pulled out a small gold coin and a gem.
¡°I¡¯m finally paying the price for the fish I ate back then. Why don¡¯t you use it to barter with other humans or the Gold Snow Tribe?¡±
¡°Wait. Back then. You?!¡±
A Watertail Tribesman noticed Jin. The little creature knew that he and his team were the ones who took fishes from the vige.
¡°This. A lot. Too much!¡±
¡°I don¡¯t have any need for money in the desert.¡±
¡°Suicide. Yes?!¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s not. Anyway, I gotta go. I¡¯ll catch youter.¡±
Jin moved, about to leave.
Yet one Watertail creature grabbed his belt.
¡°Do you. Have to. Really. Go?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Really.¡±
¡°Beastmennd. Right now. Orange Tiger. Ganging around. Use. Our trails. If. You. Just go. Gonna. Encounter them. No good.¡±
The Watertail Tribesmen always did their money¡¯s worth even when they didn¡¯t have to.
Chapter 173: Mirages of the Great Mythra Desert (1)
Volume 7 Chapter 173 - Mirages of the Great Mythra Desert (1)
ording to the Watertail beastman, the Orange Tiger Tribe seemed to be taking over the Land of the Beastmen recently.
The Orange Tiger Tribe usually treated other tribes with contempt and had been stealing gold and valuables from passersby as a ¡®toll¡¯.
¡°Those. Evil. Bastard. Get caught. You¡¯re done.¡±
¡°What do you mean by ¡®toll¡¯? That renownedbat tribe is doing some back-alley gangster shit.¡±
¡°Anyway. You lucky. You met us.¡±
Jin previously nned to enter the Land of the Beastmen through the forest where a branch of the Kinzelo Group resided. Had he not met the Watertail Tribesman, many problems would have arisen.
¡°It seems the Orange Tiger Tribe doesn¡¯t know the path you take?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t know. Definitely. Follow. Me.¡±
Other than the Isted Craftsmen Tribe, the Watertail Tribe was known to be the most evasive from predators.
Jin bantered a little while walking with them. Most of the conversations were him making bad excuses or exnations on why he was going to the Great Mythra Desert.
About two hours passed. He crawled out of a hole that the little tribesmen dug, and Jin could only let out a big sigh after crawling out of the tight passage.
At the end of the tunnel, a waterfall roared.
¡°New. Water, drink.¡±
He filled his water bottle with fresh water.
Past the waterfall was another tunnel leading to a rocky cave. However,pared to a normal cave, he couldn¡¯t even count the number of paths within it.
¡°You dug this?¡±
¡°No. Craftsmen, dug.¡±
¡°I see.¡±
The Craftsmen Tribe¡¯s cave was a maze. It was obvious that they wanted to mislead strangers. Each path led to apletely different set of paths. From thousands of possible ways, there was only one correct exit.
Like a game, they went through dozens of seemingly random paths.
Near the end of the cave, there was a group of beastmen about the size of the Watertails¡ªreaching only Jin¡¯s waist¡ªgathered and napping.
Little furballs with rat-like faces¡ªthe Gold Snow Tribe.
¡°Hey, hey, what? Why did you bring that thing here?¡±
As a tribe that specialized in trade, their words were well enunciated and spoken quickly.
Then, the Watertail Tribesman and Gold Snow Tribesmen conversed in both an understandablenguage and their tribe¡¯s nativenguage. Jin thought it was cute.
The conversation ended with a Watertail Tribesman lending a small gem.
¡°Ah, your business in the Great Desert isn¡¯t really our problem, but I wish you luck, Human.¡±
They passed the little furry creatures, and a big wooden door emerged.
¡°Behind. This door. Desert. General market.¡±
¡°General market?¡±
¡°Gold Snow¡¯s. General market. Outside. Yuka-yuka, a marketce.¡±
¡°Ah, the cave is connected there.¡±
The Yuka-yuka Market was where all of the beastmen bartered.
It wasn¡¯t any different from a human marketce. However, they offered ¡®guidance¡¯ for explorers. Since many human explorers visited, every marketce in the Land of the Beastmen had guides for those who explored.
¡°Guidance. Gold Snow rmend, their own. Gold Snow guidance, bad. Ignore. Use, Canus Tribe. Honest. Work hard. No scam.¡±
¡°I am very thankful. Before we part, how about you tell me your name?¡±
¡°Me, Darkme.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Darkme. My name.¡±
¡°Fascinating. You won¡¯t go telling my name to everyone?¡±
¡°No worry.¡±
¡°Alright. In that case, I will repay the favor as a Runcandel.¡±
Creeeaaaak.
As soon as he opened the door and left, Jin was met with the inside of the marketce¡ªjust as Darkme said. A Gold Snow Tribesman, who looked like the owner, escorted him.
Jin ignored the owner and immediately went towards the area with the explorers¡¯ guides. Many other humans were in the market, so he pulled up his hood.
Locating the booth with the big Canus Tribesman wasn¡¯t too hard.
Soon, Jin traveled with them to the Great Mythra Desert, and he didn¡¯t encounter any Orange Tiger Tribesmen. Instead, he saw humans who were definitely members of Kinzelo. They had the organization¡¯s symbol¡ªa broken sun¡ªon their clothes.
In the maind, with those clothes, they would immediately be captured or dragged away by patrols. They weren¡¯t famous, but most areas considered the Kinzelo Group a terrorist organization.
And since they were active in the Land of the Beastmen without any consequences, Jin felt it strange.
¡®It¡¯s possible that the White Wolf Tribe aren¡¯t the only ones affiliated with Kinzelo, but also most of the beastmen are.¡¯
The Canus Tribesman arrived at the entrance to the desert, and then promptly returned to the Yuka-yuka Market. For a while, Jin just stared at the empty, barren desert.
Trekking a desert alone required a lot of courage.
Leaving his first footsteps upon the sand of the Great Mythra Desert, Jin felt more pressure than ever before.
Jin had the confidence forbat against a strong opponent as well as fighting for his life. However, against no enemy, under a cloudless sky, and in the presence of a sea of sand with no answers, Jin felt like he was suffocating just by staring into the vast emptiness.
¡®If I die here, no one will find my body.¡¯
Even indigenous beastmen wouldn¡¯t leave a single bone when they lost their way. Jin remembered the awe of the explorers who trekked the Great Mythra Desert.
¡®So the Shadow de¡¯snd of inheritance¡¡¯
The sensation he felt when hecerated Myuron¡¯s hell¡¯s gate as well as the time he split Goltep¡¯s hammer. The sensation of bing one with his de and spiritual energy, and chanting the spell.
That sensation was called ¡®Shadow de¡¯, a unique technique used only by Runcandel magic swordsmen.
The Noble Legend Tribe¡ªthought to be extinct¡ªfirst created and passed down this technique. Somewhere in the desert was a location where their special tasks to fully inherit the skill could be found.
How did the Noble Legend Tribe be the ones to develop such a skill?
There was an inscription regarding their background, unknown to the world.
¡ªThe Noble Legend Tribe didn¡¯t believe in any god. So they challenged them and miserably failed, ultimately leading to their extinction. Five thousand years ago, they yearned for total reign, but got wiped out.
¡ªIn a day?
¡ªKiddo, how did Quikantel react when she saw the Demon God¡¯s Orb back when you fought Andrei?
¡ªShe trembled in fear.
¡ªEven as the Orb of Origin¡¯s cheap duplicate, the Demon God¡¯s Orb is powerful. The difference is that the Orb of Origin is made from the power of gods. Their power is like that. When the Noble Legend Tribe challenged the gods, the Orb of Origin was already destroyed. But they still didn¡¯t stand a chance.
When the gods cooperated to destroy the Noble Legend Tribe, there was only one god who treated them with pity.
¡ªSolderet saved a small minority of the Noble Legend Tribesmen and turned them into humans. I don¡¯t know much about their agreement, but you can¡¯t learn the way of the Shadow de from anyone other than them. Temar learned it from them as well.
Looking back on the discussion he had with Murakan before leaving on his journey, Jin remembered that Temar Runcandel mastered Shadow de from them.
¡®I might hear stuff about the first patriarch.¡¯
Temar Runcandel.
Despite being the first patriarch, there weren¡¯t many records of his history.
All that could be found on him were him bestowing the name ¡®Runcandel¡¯ upon his followers and founding a n, taking down Murakan, and his precious sword, Barisada.
Furthermore, his name didn¡¯t have a spot in the mausoleum in the Garden of Swords despite being the dawn of the n and the greatest hero.
Because the Zipfel n erased all records of Temar.
Sssssss, ssssss. Splish¡
Whenever Jin took a step, the water inside the canteen on his side sloshed. He wouldst a few days, but he would never know if he could get a refill at an oasis once his canteen emptied out.
He didn¡¯t even pack apass in the first ce. If hispass worked properly in thend, the indigenous beastmen would have never gotten lost.
He just had to look forward and walk.
And he walked for hours.
As his head began to clear of all thought, he looked back. The scenery behind him looked no different than the front. The trees and forests that he saw from the entrancepletely disappeared.
¡®Not even my footprints are here.¡¯
The sand in the Great Desert shifted even to the slightest of winds. The sand hills far away would suddenly copse or move away. Footprints disappeared without a trace like a ripple in ake.
If he were to give up now, would he even be able to return?
Impossible.
Quicklying to that conclusion, Jin shrugged. He felt a little excited at the fact that death was a natural andmon urrence in the desert.
He took a deep breath and continued forward.
The first night was brutal, and the next day¡¯s sun was scorching.
It took a week until it became December 1st of 1796. His canteen no longer made a sshing sound as it dangled on his waist. No oasis in sight either.
A normal human¡ªan average explorer¡ªwould have died.
The despair he experienced in the Kollon Ruins before Kum¡¯s descent was worse. Remembering that he seeded back then, Jin remained determined to walk forward.
¡ªWhen the third mirage ends, release your spiritual energy. Then, the Noble Legend Tribe will appear.
Enduring the Great Mythra Desert was a trial to inherit Shadow de. Fighting against nature inherently meant that he was fighting against a god. Jin realized what this ¡®test¡¯ truly meant.
He only had a few drops of water left, and each step felt heavier and heavier.
However, he continued to pace forward.
¡°Huh.¡±
The first mirage appeared when hepletely emptied his canteen. Not a single drop remained.
Could he even say that was a mirage?
¡°Nice to see you, Brother. You finally found us.¡±
¡°Man, I wanted to see you so bad. Without you in the main house, our life was so boring¡¡±
Out of nowhere, he heard the Tona Twins. Their voices were so clear that he couldn¡¯t treat it as a hallucination.
¡®It¡¯s just some tricks. It¡¯s fake.¡¯
Just a few seconds ago, his surroundings were only filled with sand and sky. It was impossible for the Tona Twins to appear before him. The only other usible exnation was that he was faced with a hallucination.
However, the Tona Twins walked towards him, leaving clear footsteps in the sand.
Moreover, the colossal sword and chainsword that they wielded emitted aura alongside their killing intent towards Jin.
¡®Oh, so it wasn¡¯t just any mirage¡ It¡¯ll be difficult if all three mirages are like this.¡¯
Jin slowly drew Bradamante and gathered his aura.
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
Chapter 174: Mirages of the Great Mythra Desert (2)
Volume 7 Chapter 174 - Mirages of the Great Mythra Desert (2)
Ka-ng! ng!
Haytona¡¯s chainsword shot forward like a whip. Compared to the normal long sword, the chainsword¡¯s attack range was inconceivably long. The blows were quite strong and heavy. The impact through the de and handle was enough to make Jin¡¯s hands sting.
In Jin¡¯s opinion, the mirages¡¯ sword skills were simr to what the Tona Twins actually had.
¡®Had I not known they were mirages, I would have believed that this was real. Murakan never would have thought that the mirages would be like this.¡¯
He had never heard of a type of magic or god-given ability like this anywhere in the world.
Even if they were mirages crafted by some ability, if he didn¡¯t dodge or parry their attacks, he would get cut. Every impact he received, his entire body felt like it was in a real battle.
Haytona spoke with a smirk.
¡°You¡¯re blocking it well.¡±
Then, Daytona charged in. His weapon was a colossal sword slightly smaller than the axe-sword Crantel. Its weight should still be beyond belief, but his swift movements didn¡¯t make it look heavy at all.
Sssssssssst-ng!
The de dragged across the sand, then flew up like lightning. Jin took a step back and parried the attack horizontally. He felt that his strength wasn¡¯t like before.
Daytona only stopped for a second to recoil then continued swinging.
¡®I would usually end his posture in one swing. Unfortunate.¡¯
He had eaten only twenty percent of his normal amount of food and walked the barren wastnd for a week. His body would never be the same.
Still, with his current normal state, he would be able to take down the Tona Twins within five minutes. However, due to theck of strength, the skill gap significantly shortened.
Haytona shouted, swinging his chain sword once more.
¡°Gonna cry? Gonna panic? We waited for you to be exhausted!¡±
As the Tona Twins began to attack together, Jin¡¯s movements got busier. Making small gaps to dodge the mid-range attacks from the chainsword and deflecting the colossal sword.
¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯ve met, and this is how I get greeted?¡±
As he spoke, Jin¡¯s eyes bolted in every direction to find the most optimal path to dodge.
¡°Shut up!¡±
¡°Die!¡±
Ting! ng!
As the three des shed, sparks flew everywhere.
Although his stamina was low, Jin¡¯s aura was simply stronger. Coming into contact with Bradamante¡ªthat burned powerfully and shed de Mist¡ªthe chainsword and colossal sword weakly got deflected.
¡®Their cooperation is immacte. If I try to focus on one of them, the other will immediately get aggressive.¡¯
However, that was it.
At 18, the Tona Twins weren¡¯t beyond Jin¡¯sprehension. Jinuded their movement as one, but there wasn¡¯t a single strong blow.
They were provisional g-bearers, just like Jin. Yet they didn¡¯t learn a single Decisive Killing Move that could change the game.
¡®If I were in my best condition, I could take them down in three minutes. Only if they were as strong as I expect them to be. Maybe I¡¯m overestimating their strength.¡¯
Even if he couldn¡¯t go full force at the moment, the skill gap was too great.
Remembering the Tona Twins who bullied him to death in his past life, Jin thought it was unfair.
He vowed to wreak vengeance since his days at the Storm Castle, but he didn¡¯t.
Eyes cold with killing intent, he red at the twins.
¡°Kill me right, then. I¡¯m getting pissed.¡±
¡°bbering more shit are you?¡±
¡°Still out of your mind? Don¡¯t be too proud that you beat us once.¡±
Swish! Fwooom!
The chainsword and colossal sword took turns swinging at Jin¡¯s head. The aura decreased a bit, so Jin didn¡¯t dodge it.
He had finished analyzing it. The aura they could conjure was barely mid-5-star. That kind of skill wasn¡¯t threatening to him, even with his current stamina.
ng!
With all his might, he swung Bradamante upwards. As soon as the two des contacted Bradamante, an explosion of sparks urred. The twins instinctively backed off.
Jin then kicked the sand.
Sssst!
The cream-colored sand spread like a through the air and concealed Jin¡¯s body.
The twins fixed their posture and blocked each other¡¯s blindspots, waiting for Jin¡¯s attack. The sand settled, and where Jin stood before was now only a blue sky.
¡°Hup!¡±
While the sand was settling, Jin took position right beside the Tona Twins.
Reacting first, Daytona oriented his colossal sword to block Bradamante¡¯s blow. However, trying to block the sword flying at his face, he made the mistake of hindering his view. Jin wouldn¡¯t miss this chance.
sh!
Daytona¡¯s stance fell apart, and Jin gashed his thigh. Blood sttered and dyed the sand red.
He started to wonder if this really was a mirage.
Yet he decided to not hesitate. Whether his opponents were the Tona Twins or not, they really wanted to kill him.
¡°Daytona!¡±
Haytona turned quickly and grabbed Daytona by the cor. Simultaneously, he whipped his chainsword, but Jin deflected it just like how he parried the deadly hooks from Nameless assassins.
Ching!
One of the grooves of the chainsword met Bradamante¡¯s tip. Like a snake pierced by a needle, the chainsword stopped in ce and rattled.
Haytona let go of his weapon. With another quick stab, Jin aimed for his throat, but was barely evaded.
Ssshhht.
However, the de still scratched Haytona¡¯s eye.
¡°Argh!¡±
Bleeding profusely out of his eye, Haytona stumbled backwards. Watching this sight, Jin gritted his teeth.
He took his brother¡¯s sight in one of his eyes. He nned to never hesitate, but he feltpletely different from when he gashed Daytona¡¯s thigh. Apletely different emotion scratched at his heart.
Unlike the leg, the eye couldn¡¯t be healed.
¡°Haytona, your eye¡!¡±
¡°We will kill him! We. Will. Kill. Him!¡±
Were they really mirages?
The Tona Twins spat curses with faces of anger and hate. A perfect replica.
Was it okay to swing at them?
¡®Why am I thinking this? Whether they¡¯re real or fake. They¡¯re trying to kill me.¡¯
The goddess of victory was on Jin¡¯s side. He could end the battle if he wanted to.
However, why did he feel molten metal on his heart and confusion in his head?
¡®Do I not want to fight the Tona Twins? Did I think that they could be on my side just because I spent time with them at the Storm Castle?¡¯
Did he want to build a different rtionship with them than in his past life? Just like with Elder Sisters Luna and Yona?
Looking back, even in this life, Jin didn¡¯t have any great memories with the Tona Twins. Before Jin showed them who was boss, they constantly scoured for an opportunity to mess with him. It was the same during their training as beginner and intermediate cadets.
Despite that, there was a hint of sadness¡
¡ªJ-Jin! Are you okay¡?!
¡ªDid Father say that he¡¯ll let you live? Why did you even do this?
¡ªYou guys act too cute sometimes. I¡¯m fine. Besides, I have a favor to ask.
He remembered the conversation he had with the Tona Twins when he met Cyron after breaking provisional g-bearer regtions and meeting Luna.
At the time, no one¡ªother than Luna¡ªworried for Jin.
Though he didn¡¯t know of it, Mary also didn¡¯t want him to die. However, that was it. If he died, then it couldn¡¯t be helped. And if he lived, then she would be thirsty for a duel.
Only the Tona Twins came to Jin after holding their breaths at the bottom of the staircase. They awkwardly walked up to him, confessed to him about their worries, and asked what he did.
They were so anxious that they bit off all their fingernails. After seeing those nails, there were times where Jin smiled at the thought of it.
¡°I¡¯ll rip your limbs off! Shit, you dog¡!¡±
¡°Aaaaargh!¡±
Those very same Tona Twins were now screaming at Jin. They appeared for no reason and suddenly swung their swords at him.
Their eyes were wet in fear. They only barked loudly like dogs in fear. They didn¡¯t dare to attack.
Because they knew. They knew that they were no match for Jin. So instead, they poured their frightened and hateful emotions.
Staring at the twins, Jin¡¯s re turned dark.
¡®I have to kill them.¡¯
Whether they were mirages or real, he had to kill them.
Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t progress in his journey.
Because he was a Runcandel.
Spiritual energy enveloped Bradamante¡¯s de.
¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡°Shut up!¡±
¡°Because I wasn¡¯t strong enough, you guys got hurt. Now, there will be no pain.¡±
Jin slowly walked across the sand, and the twins scrambled backwards. Thinking they were pushed to a corner, they looked around.
Yet they were in a desert.
Nowhere to run away, nowhere to hide, nowhere to back off.
¡°Don¡¯te¡!¡±
¡°Shit, fuck off!¡±
Immediately, the Tona Twins fell into despair, voices quivering.
Jin didn¡¯t dare to evade their eyes. Each step he took, he felt something falling apart in his heart.
Faced with the opportunity to strike, he hesitated.
The moment he failed to swing Bradamante, Haytona let out a screeching scream and swung his chainsword. Filled with nervousness, his attack was heavily wed. Jin subconsciously smacked the sword away and charged towards Haytona¡¯s neck.
Swoosh!
Before Haytona¡¯s head even fell to the ground, Daytona¡¯s colossal sword flew at Jin. He turned to dodge the massive de. He cut Daytona¡¯s wrist before stabbing his throat.
Thunk.
With a single scream, the Tona Twins dyed the sand red. Jin emotionlessly stared at their rolling heads.
Time passed, yet the corpses still didn¡¯t disappear.
¡®Why¡ are you not disappearing¡? You¡¯re just mirages.¡¯
They remained even after one hour.
So, he dug a grave for each brother and ced them gently in the holes.
He stabbed their respective swords in the ground in ce of gravestones. Jin then continued to walk, his hands shaking.
Not much longer after, he found an oasis.
He plunged his face into the water for a long time. As he rose and opened all of his water canteens to fill them up, he saw the bloodshot eyes in his reflection.
¡°Yeah, killing anyone in your family is a painful experience.¡±
Hiding in the barrier of the Great Desert, a woman watched him drink without him noticing.
With pitch-ck hair akin to Murakan¡¯s, she was Murakan¡¯s sister¡ªck Dragon Misha.
¡°You have chosen a great child, Lord Soderet.¡±
She spoke to herself, then whipped her hands in the air. The two swords that were once erect in the sands disintegrated into dust. The wind blew to whisk away all evidence of the mirage.
In the ce where the Tona Twins fought Jin, only cream-colored sand remained.
Chapter 175: Mirages of the Great Mythra Desert (3)
Volume 7 Chapter 175 - Mirages of the Great Mythra Desert (3)
Every time he exhaled, Jin felt his mouth drying, as if his breath was filled with sand.
Every day, he walked. Every night, he shivered alone in the piercing cold. Whenever he woke up, he found that his nket turned very dry and brittle.
One time, he got stung by a scorpion that was never named. Every creature in the Great Mythra Desert had deadly venom. If he hadn¡¯t obtained the Thousand-Poison Antidote, his journey would have been far more dangerous.
Jin ate the scorpion to conserve his food. Every bug or two-headed snake with ck scales that he saw, he immediately consumed it.
Was it because he swallowed too much sand? The creatures he cookedzily with his magic smelled and tasted horrible, but he didn¡¯t feel it at all.
Crunch, crunch.
The snake got minced between his now-thin cheeks. He let the venom be a substitute for water, and he thanked Yona once more.
Then, four days passed since the first mirage.
He would have never known how much time had passed if the sun and moon didn¡¯t set. That was the harsh reality of the Great Desert; everywhere and anywhere he went, it looked the same.
¡®There really is no one in this desert¡¡¯
That was the most agonizing part.
He had never had such a lonely moment in his life. About ten days had passed since he left Tikan, but the time in the desert passed at apletely different pace than in the real world.
Another week passed.
No snake or scorpion appeared. Jin trekked and trudged through the desert inplete solitude. It would be better if he talked to himself, but his water canteen seemed to have bottomed out. Entertaining himself was not an option either.
And for him, things couldn¡¯t get any worse.
December 11th, 1796. There was no other perfect statement to describe the Great Mythra Desert.
¡®My food that I rationed¡ is all gone?¡¯
As soon as he woke up, he could only scream. However, only a shallow shout came out of his dry throat.
The food he conserved in the bag he hugged as he slept was all gone. All other items remained as it was, but just his consumables had disappeared¡ªnot a single jerky or grain left behind.
He shoved his head into the bag, and even the smell disappeared. As if the food was never there.
¡®Hah.¡¯
He began to curse. He threw his empty canteen across the sand and swore at the sky.
¡®Why are you doing this to me, do you wanna fight?!¡¯
His voice didn¡¯t even leave an echo. It just scattered into the emptiness of the desert.
He had to keep walking.
The only thing waiting for him was the sweet release of death if he justined. Even if it was unfair, he couldn¡¯t let that stop him.
Even the strongest warriors couldn¡¯t survive without food or water. Jin was using his transcending grit to move forward, but it was only because he had no other choice.
A day passed, and the yellow didn¡¯t return.
Two days passed, and his frail body began to tremble. Surviving the desert without food or water for two days straight had to be a miracle.
For four days, there were no ponds or oases, no creatures to eat.
Thump¡
He took a bad step and fell to the ground. All strength left his ankles and calves.
In his open mouth, a handful of sand slid in. His mouth was so dry, no sand stuck to his tongue.
He only tripped once, but he felt the exhaustion rapidly spreading through his bones. The desire to sleep forever overtook his brain like a tsunami.
Resisting the urge was not an easy feat. Especially in a hopeless situation.
¡®Shit, it¡¯s just one trip. I only tripped once¡!¡¯
Ptoo!
He grimaced and spat out the sand. He stood up. He felt dizzy at the sunlight reflected by the sand. His weak legs didn¡¯t feel like they were his own.
Then, he saw a hand holding a canteen.
Someone showed up right next to Jin and handed it to him. Obviously, there was no person like that in the desert.
¡®A mirage!¡¯
Whether it was a mirage or a real person, it was important that he or she walked up without any footsteps and offered the canteen. If it were a sword inside of a water bottle, he would have died on the spot.
Shing!
He hit the canteen with the pommel of his sword and fully unsheathed Bradamante. Without even confirming the person¡¯s face, he turned quickly and oriented himself behind them, holding his sword at their neck.
Thump.
Before the canteen even hit the ground, Jin held the opponent¡¯s lifeline.
His speed was like that of a bullet. His body reacted so quickly, he didn¡¯t even understand how it had enough strength to move as fast.
The owner of the canteen didn¡¯t flinch despite having a sword close to their neck. Then, Jin realized it was a woman in a robe.
The woman held a staff in the opposite hand. A staff made of silver pine¡ªan item he had seen many times before.
The woman¡¯s red hair was also familiar.
Jin¡¯s eyes widened. In his memory, there was only one person with magnificent crimson hair and a silver pine staff.
¡°Valeria¡?¡±
¡°Can you move your sword if you aren¡¯t really going to kill me?¡±
Jin slowly lowered the sword near her throat.
She sighed and turned around, weing Jin with the face that he longed to see greatly.
Valeria Hister.
It was her who taught Jin the secrets of magic.
¡°How¡?¡±
No, it wasn¡¯t ¡®how¡¯.
She was a mirage. Jin saw a 26-year-old Valeria. Just how she looked when Jin left her in his past life.
Was it because he couldn¡¯t take the strenuous days in the desert anymore?
The loneliness and depression that he suppressed for the past two weeks as well as his yearning were all about to burst out.
¡°It¡¯s the same as when I gave my hand to you three years ago. That day, you were on the ground as well. Just like back then, you aimed your sword at me. Though, your skills weren¡¯t as sharp.¡±
That was Jin in the Garden of Swords three years ago.
However, that was not the case for Valeria. In her memory, Jin just got exiled and started roaming thend like a loser.
¡°Valeria¡ No, Master. Are you the second mirage?¡±
¡°I guess so.¡±
¡°What¡¯s this¡? Are you aware that you¡¯re a mirage?¡±
¡°Yeah, I am. Well, the real me who¡¯s going to turn 15 soon doesn¡¯t, though.¡±
¡°Then what I have to do is¡¡±
¡°To kill me and go along.¡±
It was cruel.
The first thought in Jin¡¯s mind. Jin felt it.
The mirages of the Great Desert weren¡¯t born from magic or an ability. The mirages until now were all real people who existed deep within Jin¡¯s heart.
In his heart and memories were the people who were important to him. Hence, when he killed the Tona Twins, he felt like he really killed his own siblings.
And now, he could only feel like he really met his own master.
¡°I¡ didn¡¯t want to reunite with you this way. It would have been better if we met in a better way.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t do this, Master. Why does it have to be you?¡±
Valeria picked up the canteen from the ground and threw it to Jin.
¡°Drink up. If you fight me in that condition, you¡¯ll die on my first cast.¡±
¡°Is there no other way?¡±
¡°You know what¡¯s best. Don¡¯t deny it. I heard you were reborn and got so much stronger. Your concentration is also much better than the apprentice that I remember. Don¡¯t sound like such a pussy.¡±
Thump.
The canteen fell to Jin¡¯s feet. With quivering hands, he picked it up.
He walked the living hell of a desert for many days, and the water he had been searching for was now right in front of him.
However, he didn¡¯t want to drink from it. If he drank it, then afterwards¡
¡®I¡¯ll have to kill her.¡¯
Killing her was iparable to killing the Tona Twins.
If it weren¡¯t for her, Jin would have never gotten a second chance at life. He would have died alone after regretting his 25 miserable years in the Runcandel n and roaming the streets like a wild dog.
Because she lent her hand, even when Jin smacked her hand away and wielded his sword. Because she came back to save him.
Jin could exist today.
¡°You¡¯ve gotten a lot more disrespectful, my apprentice.¡±
Noticing Jin¡¯s hesitation, Valeria raised her staff. She cast Mana Release, and a deep-blue mana whirlpool appeared at the tip of her silver pine staff.
¡°7-star magic. You¡¯re not thinking that you can defeat me with only that, are you? Drink, Jin Runcandel. I¡¯m also your inner voice. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re ready to fight me.¡±
Click¡
He opened the canteen. One more moment of indecisiveness, and she would throw a barrage of spells at him. In Jin¡¯s memories, Valeria Hister was more sword-like than any other warrior.
He then made up his mind. About the love and the hate. The connecting and the severing. The fighting and the fleeing.
¡°What am I to you?¡±
¡°My most valuable, one-and-only apprentice. So all you need to do is to not disappoint me.¡±
¡°Would you have really done this?¡±
¡°I would have shown you more love than this. I would have hugged you by now. Maybe even kissed you on the forehead.¡±
¡°That doesn¡¯t help the situation at all.¡±
¡°Then stop asking. Kill me and move along. There¡¯s one more, you know? Another mirage is waiting for you.¡±
Glug, glug!
Jin chugged the water. However, unlike normal water, it filled Jin with energy.
¡°You can use any trick up your sleeve. Swordsmanship, spiritual energy. Bring whatever you want to the table.¡±
Was the Master in his memory that strong? Enough to pour everything into this battle?
He couldn¡¯t make a decision quickly. However, he was certain of one thing: the mana gathered in Valeria¡¯s staff was stronger than he remembered.
¡°I will regret it if I take you down with my sword. You were everything for my magic, and forever more.¡±
¡°Well, I remember the best part about your looks not matching your recklessness.¡±
Pzzzt!
Valeria¡¯s mana immediately took the form of electricity. The spell that instantly cooked Jin during his apprentice days.
¡°And that recklessness got me in trouble every day.¡±
sh!
Before he could even finish talking, five bolts of lightning fell from the sky. So fast that Jin could barely react.
ming with mana, Valeria¡¯s staff was already prepared to release another spell.
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
Chapter 176: Mirages of the Great Mythra Desert (4)
Volume 8 Chapter 176 - Mirages of the Great Mythra Desert (4)
Lightning rained everywhere.
Whenever a lightning bolt struck the ground, an ear-splitting explosion urred. The power of a spell around 7-star to 8-star, but Jin didn¡¯t know of its name.
It was the same with the second spell. The lightning gathered and spiraled around the tip of the staff and turned into a spear. The spear then shed towards Jin.
Valeria Hister, Jin¡¯s master in magic. The lone descendant of the Hister n.
The level of her magic was beyondprehension.
Her mastery of the art was immacte. She enjoyed using modifications of her magic, utilizing different spells in her own style.
sh!
The lightning spear shattered Jin¡¯s magic barrier. Before the sharp, shattering sound could reach his ears, blood dripped from his ear lobe.
The spear skimmed his ear. Even the strongest warrior with the fastest de couldn¡¯t make such a fast strike.
Jin frantically cast another shield and gritted his teeth.
¡®She¡¯s really going to kill me.¡¯
In his past life, he sparred her over five hundred times.
Jin had over five hundred losses, and not a single time did Valeria try to kill him.
¡°Dodging well, my apprentice.¡±
Shiiieeek!
The spear that Jin dodged turned around. As it charged towards his back, Valeria shot another spear at a slight dy.
The timing made it so that dodging both was almost impossible.
After barely dodging the first, Jin instantly dropped to the floor. Simultaneously, Valeria conjured and shot a third spear.
When Jin cast his first spell, five spears were already flying around.
Valeria gathered all of the spears in front of her.
Jin could no longer gawk at her limitless power. He took a battle stance and eyed her.
¡°Now you want to fight. It¡¯s yourst chance. Grab your sword.¡±
Valeria pointed to Bradamante, stuck upside down in the sand.
Jin¡¯s hand slowly moved towards its handle. However, before he could touch it, he shook his head and refused to grab it.
¡°I can¡¯t.¡±
¡°You¡¯re too stubborn. You¡¯ll die.¡±
¡°We can only find out about that after the fight. And Valeria, I will y your way.¡±
Valeria smiled. Then, her eyes narrowed.
¡°My way, you say. We¡¯ll see, my apprentice.¡±
The five spears moved, each angled in different directions. And from Jin¡¯s left hand, an Overload Vortex emerged with a screech.
¡°I see you have a new master? Well, it would have been a waste of talent if I weren¡¯t there. But Kidard Hall was the best you could find?¡±
His only master, and her only apprentice. They always called each other that. No other grand magician could be Jin¡¯s master, and no other genius could be Valeria¡¯s apprentice.
Knowing that, Valeria carefully selected and intentionally used vocabry that was brutal for Jin. All to take him down a little more easily. To make his heart and emotions waver just a bit to find an opening.
That was how Valeria ¡®yed¡¯. If she nned on killing someone, she would never discriminate between different methods¡ªeven the petty ones.
However, the moment she first bet her life and the moment she let him grab his sword were all in kindness and love for her apprentice.
Screeeeeeeeech¡!
The mana from the lightning spears slowly got sucked into the vortex.
Absorbing Valeria¡¯s magic was hard. If he wanted to induce a mana overflow within her through her strong Mana Release, the only answer was Heavenly Defiance.
¡®I have to buy time until I can cast Heavenly Defiance.¡¯
Valeria probably already knew Jin¡¯s n, so he also started thinking ahead.
¡®She won¡¯tst long with five spears, so she¡¯ll probably only keep one or two and the rest are probably fakes.¡¯
Jin had to rely on identifying which spear was fake.
Shiiiiiing, shiiieeek! Shwwick!
While dodging what he can, he altered the course of more urate projectiles with his vortex. With the pulling force of the vortex, he made small deviations in the course of the trajectory which gave him room to dodge.
At the same time, he multicasted to prepare Heavenly Defiance. In three minutes, he could cast the spell at about seventy percent of its power.
Of course, Valeria wouldn¡¯t only throw lightning spears.
Despite the multiple lightning spears, it was all just one spell. And just like Jin, Valeria was a multicaster.
Pssshhh!
Valeria stuck her staff into the sand, and a magic circle appeared. One that enclosed her and Jin who was busy dodging all of the spears.
Fwoooom!
An eerie sound echoed through the battlefield. Valeria¡¯s lips moved quickly, and the magic circle turned blood red.
Within the magic circle, chains of fire emerged. ming chains akin to massive snakes gathered around Jin to swallow him whole.
Beyond his vision hazed by the fire, the spears continued to fly around. One of the spears skimmed by Jin¡¯s neck. If it weren¡¯t for the Overload Vortex, it would have pierced through his throat.
¡°Keuph!¡±
A burning heat traveled throughout his entire body, the burning sensation stifling him.
Dodging the chains of fire that were closing in was impossible. A force field would only dy his death by a few seconds.
As he thought of his next move, one chain grabbed him by the ankle. He held his breath to not lose focus the moment the scorching pain reached his brain.
Thankfully, Jin recalled his Overload Vortex and opened the summoning gate.
Fwooooosh!
A blue me cut through the surroundings like a de.
Caw!
A blue phoenix emerged from the summoning gate with a majestic cry.
Valeria¡¯s eyes shook.
¡°And you got Tess?¡±
Blue and red mes mixed together. Tess stomped on the chains tied to Jin¡¯s ankle and disintegrated them. Jin fell to his knees and regained his breath.
His ankle bones were exposed. However, there was no time to heal. The ming chains were no longer a problem, but the lightning spears continued to charge towards him and Tess.
¡®One more minute.¡¯
If he held on for a little longer, his ultimate spell would beplete. He only had one chance. However, within that one minute, if he didn¡¯t find the real lightning spears, it would be impossible.
[Kraaaaa!]
Tess¡¯s wings violently pped, forcing powerful winds in all directions. However, it wasn¡¯t even close to the phoenix¡¯s true strength due to Jin¡¯sck of mana.
The hydration from Valeria¡¯s water helped him recover a bit, but he didn¡¯t recover fully. The desert just destroyed his body overall, and he poured in the rest of his mana into preparing Heavenly Defiance. Summoning Tess was scraping up the rest of his energy.
Thunk¡!
One spear prated Tess¡¯s chest. Valeria had immediately realized that it couldn¡¯t use its full strength, so she had changed targets.
Thunk! Thunk!
Three spears pierced through the phoenix¡¯s chest. Jin was dripping in sweat just toplete his spell.
Tess screeched, then limped to stand between Jin and Valeria.
An apology from the Lord of mes.
¡®That was enough.¡¯
Before thest two spears could pierce Tess, the cast on Heavenly Defiance finallypleted.
Tess immediately became a small ball of me before flying into the dimensional portal, and the broken chains of fire shattered on the floor.
Kaaaaang!
In the clear skies, the massive mana disk floated up and filled it. The overload magic filled the entire area, and the lightning spears slowly lost their form.
A stream of blood dribbled out between Valeria¡¯s lips. Heavenly Defiance messed with her mana pool.
Jin also threw up a clump of blood. Bending over, a ck blotch of blood sttered on the ground. He quickly examined his surroundings.
The early stages of mana overflow began.
However, the lightning spears remained hovering in the air.
¡®She¡¯s still a monster. Just like I remember¡¡¯
No other 8-star in the world could mimic her ability.
In a short amount of time, she cast five lightning spears and a me spell. She should be barely preventing herself from losing all her mana. If she lost concentration for only one moment, she would sumb to overflow.
However, Valeria worked through Heavenly Defiance. She held onto her mana tightly. In fact, she had been waiting for the spell to be cast.
¡°Mana overflow is only for those who can¡¯t control their own mana.¡±
She spat blood into the sand then recovered her stability. The fading lightning spears regained their color and flew around her.
¡°I assume you got something else in stock? There¡¯s no way it can just end like this.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t answer. He looked up and met her eyes.
Valeria slowly walked towards him.
¡°No, I lost. I have nothing else I can do.¡±
¡°Liar.¡±
¡°I want to see you up close onest time.¡±
Jin slowly limped towards her.
Every step he took, blood dropped from his ear and soaked the scorching sand.
Thump.
Thump.
¡°Stop. If youe any closer, I¡¯ll use my spears. You definitely prepared something.¡±
¡°When have I ever lied to you?¡±
¡°...Did I anticipate too much?¡±
¡°Am I not enough for a 16-year-old?¡±
¡°That prevented you from growing. You could definitely get stronger. Now stop. I will use my spears.¡±
There were only ten steps between them.
¡®One more step.¡¯
As he walked, he identified which lightning spears were real. Heavenly Defiance was cast solely for that reason.
¡®The top left one.¡¯
It was the only one that didn¡¯t flicker.
¡®If I charge in, then all five will shoot towards me. But only that one will remain. Her mana has probably emptied out by now as well.¡¯
Just dodging two would be half of them. He would block two of the other three. As for thest one, it would chase him until the end.
He had to catch it.
Was it possible with the current state of his leg? With his ankle that was ripped apart?
Thinking about those things was pointless. If he couldn¡¯t do it, the only result was death.
The moment Jin lifted his other leg¡
¡°What are you doing?¡±
Valeria¡¯s eyes became alert, and she swung her staff violently. As the spears shot towards Jin, he threw his body towards her with a short jump.
The first spear missed. The instant it missed, it disappeared into thin air.
The second spear hit him square on the back.
Had he not obtained the ck Light Cuirass, he would have died then and there.
ng!
The spear hit the armor, the impact causing Jin to spit blood. Valeria didn¡¯t expect this. The second spear disappeared as well.
Dodging his tackle, Valeria carefully aimed the spears to prepare for Jin¡¯s next attack.
¡°It seems you¡¯re out of mana. Seeing that the spears are dying out.¡±
Valeria continued her onught.
However, beyond his expectations, the third spear was the real one. The fourth and fifth quickly followed.
The remaining spears flew towards Jin, and he activated Myulta¡¯s Rune. The real spear that had been flying towards his head deflected off his helm. The other spears went for his thighs.
Five steps left between them. Jin just fell to his knees. The lightning spears that should have pierced and damaged his thighs disappeared. The only spear left was the real one, just as Jin predicted.
Before his head could fall to the ground, he pushed his body up with all his might. He had to close the remaining gap between them.
¡°Hmph!¡±
Valeria backed off and whipped her staff around. Following its movement, the lightning spear flew towards Jin¡¯s back.
In the air, Jin had no way of dodging it.
Instead, he revealed a ckened dagger that had been waiting in his sleeve.
Using all his might, he threw it towards her throat.
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
Chapter 177: Mirages of the Great Mythra Desert (5)
Volume 8 Chapter 177 - Mirages of the Great Mythra Desert (5)
Jin intentionally didn¡¯t use Bradamante for this moment.
¡®If I used my de from the start, her battle style would have been drastically more defensive.¡¯
In that case, fighting Valeria would have been more difficult. Her defensive stance was essentially imprable.
Initially, he threw away his sword to ¡®respect¡¯ their battle. However, after engaging in battle, he concluded that he made a wise decision.
He merely obeyed what he learned from his master: ¡®Do whatever it takes to trick and lower the enemy¡¯s guard.¡¯ That would truly be showing admiration to Valeria and her teachings.
The battle had reached its final moments.
¡°Erk!¡±
Valeria frantically reinforced her barrier. She wasn¡¯t absolutely clueless about Jin¡¯s hidden tricks. However, she never would have imagined it to be a melee weapon instead of magic.
Jin nned to go all out from the start. He lied about fighting her only with his magic to show his respect.
That so-called respect. She knew damn well of the vehement admiration.
Valeria gasped the moment Jin threw the dagger.
If Jin yed his trump cards, his swordsmanship, and his spiritual energy earlier¡ When the chains of fire grasped his ankle, when Tess died to the lightning spear, when he confronted the flurry of lightning spears¡
He had all those opportunities. Yet he waited all this time, until now.
Valeria didn¡¯t dare to blink. With her widened eyes, she stared at the ck dagger flying towards her. It had already reached her barrier.
Crash!
Like thin ice breaking apart, the barrier shattered. As soon as the dagger-point touched it, fragments flew everywhere. It didn¡¯t even alter trajectories.
The same fate befell the staff that was swung on reflex. She was no warrior; she was a magician. She didn¡¯t have the physical capabilities to deflect the projectile.
Instead, the lightning spear charged towards Jin.
A spear and a dagger.
Regardless of which would hit its respective target first, Jin already guaranteed his victory. While the dagger aimed straight for Valeria¡¯s throat, the spear did not aim for his.
Onest shot. Valeria was already taking herst breath.
And the lightning spear missed Jinpletely.
Crack!
The dagger broke through her corbone.
From the impact, Valeria flew and tumbled backwards. Blood flew in an arc through the air.
The two fell to the ground, right next to each other.
The mana in her staff quickly extinguished, the lighting spears evaporating into thin air.
They vomited blood. Neither of them could stand. Jin¡¯s legs had been pierced by the lightning spears, and Valeria struggled to even vomit the blood creeping up her throat.
¡°...Your excessive trust is your downfall. I¡¯m sure that I mentioned that I would beat you with your own tactics.¡±
¡°Is that why¡ you didn¡¯t use your sword?¡±
¡°I know you more than you think. If I didn¡¯t take lethal damage, you would have never believed me.¡±
Valeria breathed heavily.
¡°Jin.¡±
He didn¡¯t turn his head.
Even if she were a mirage, he felt an ache in his chest, just like when he killed his own brothers.
He refused to continue the conversation. He wanted to ask why it had to end this way, but he held back his tears.
Jin merely fought an enemy and won.
That was Valeria¡¯s way.
She smiled.
¡°You¡¯ve gotten stronger. By a lot.¡±
Her body slowly disintegrated into dust and flew away into the horizon.
The holes in Jin¡¯s thighs slowly sealed up. His ripped earlobe also recovered, and his charred ankle regained its true color. As if nothing had happened.
Jin stared into the sky.
He felt moltenva broiling within him, but he had to keep on going.
¡°Phew.¡±
Jin stood up and picked up Bradamante. The final mirage awaited him.
* * *
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
* * *
The third mirage came that night.
He swore it was midnight, but the ming sun lingered atop the horizon. A midnight sun.
Beneath the surprisingly bright night sky, far away, stood a man with the sun to his back. His sword was stuck into the sand. Two of his hands were on the pommel of the sword.
¡®Father?¡¯
Jin first thought it was Cyron Runcandel.
No one other than him could create such pressure throughout the entire desert.
It felt like the field of sand was a dark forest. He felt as if he would die immediately if he wasn¡¯t cautious.
Jin then stopped dead in his tracks, the pressure constricting his body.
If the sun fell on top of Temar, he could split in half.
¡®No, that¡¯s not Father¡¡¯
He couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s face at that distance, but he knew who the man was after some thought. A thousand years had passed since his death. Although Jin had never seen his face, he recognized him.
¡®Temar Runcandel.¡¯
The Runcandel n¡¯s first patriarch. The man, the myth, the legend.
It had to be him.
¡®So this is thest test.¡¯
An absurdly strong opponent.
Although he just stood there, Jin felt his entire body soak with sweat. If someone could cut the entire desert in half with one swing, the only person who could do such a feat would be Temar.
Jin could feel the insane strength even from a distance. He felt like he would be immediately decapitated if he made one wrong move.
¡®And he really isn¡¯t a god, but a human.¡¯
Compared to the Tona Twins and Valeria, Temar wasn¡¯t someone who existed in Jin¡¯s memories. He conjured Solderet¡¯s ability in order to give himself a physical form, returning from the dead.
And yet, he managed to suffocate Jin from afar.
Jin had to continue. Through the millions of unseen des.
¡®My foot¡¡¯
It wouldn¡¯t move.
It wasn¡¯t because of the certainty of death or the fear of being attacked the moment he moved.
He couldn¡¯t move due to Temar¡¯s radiating energy. Jin¡¯s body didn¡¯t listen to him at all.
¡®What do you want me to do? I can¡¯t even move because of you.¡¯
Temar said nothing. He just stood like a mountain and looked down upon Jin.
He wouldn¡¯t be able to pass the final test at all. He stood as if his feet were nailed to the ground. His body wouldn¡¯t even move forward or backward. It was driving him crazy.
Not even his vocal cords dared to vibrate. He felt as if he were a rock that sunk at the bottom of the sea.
¡®Wait¡ this is a trial.¡¯
Jin remembered something.
Trial.
Everything he experienced in this desert was a trial. He slowly went through his experiences the past few weeks.
The first hallucination was the Tona Twins. The second was Valeria.
They all had something inmon.
¡®If I didn¡¯t fight, I wouldn¡¯t advance. If I didn¡¯t have the gumption, there was no way to proceed.¡¯
When swinging the sword, there was something more important than swordsmanship.
The desire to swing. The belief. The strong will to cut through anything.
Without it, there was no reason to wield the de in the first ce.
Just as Luna¡ªwith her 10-star swordsmanship¡ªcouldn¡¯t kill Taimyun, Jin couldn¡¯t finish off Dante.
That wasn¡¯t because either of them were weak, but because they were affected by emotion. They didn¡¯t have enough will to swing the de.
If Jin hesitated when ughtering the mirages of his own brothers, he would have never made it past the first trial.
The same applied for the second trial with Valeria.
¡®Temar Runcandel, I will walk towards you.¡¯
With only that much courage, he didn¡¯t stand a chance against this final challenge.
¡®I will defeat you. I can defeat you. Even if you can cut the sun in half, I will defeat you. I will slice him in half.¡¯
Repeating those words in his head like a mantra, Jin convinced his mind and body to move forward. His legs that were once rooted to the ground began to lift.
The best warriors should be able to do anything with will. Jin was one of them.
However, he needed something much more than just that.
¡°Shit¡!¡±
The moment he lifted his foot, his knees forced to bend. As if a cold knife was shoved deep into his leg, a shocking pain coursed through him. Not a single drop of blood was shed, but his fear ripped him apart.
If controlling one¡¯s will was the qualification for any great warrior, then the strength of that will was what made a legendary fighter. This was what differentiated between warriors who were famous and those who were legends.
There existed those who never held a sword but were the epitome of pure tenacity, and there were those who wielded a sword but couldn¡¯t take a single life.
To pass the final trial, Jin needed the strongest will that he had ever mustered. An eternal fire that would never extinguish.
¡®If I didn¡¯t have that urge, then this life wouldn¡¯t be any different, Temar!¡¯
Crack!
While gritting his teeth, he broke his own mr. Struggling to stand, Jin spat out the broken tooth, and then took another step. Temar smiled.
At that point, Jin¡¯s vision was ck. Beneath the blue sky and midnight sun in the great desert, he walked alone in the darkness.
Fwooooooom¡!
A dark smoke appeared beside Temar. The ck dragon who had been hiding in the desert, Misha, stood next to him.
¡°Temar, did you just¡ smile? Are you okay?¡±
She spoke as if Temar had never smiled in his entire life. The ancient king didn¡¯t answer. Misha reached for Temar¡¯s shoulder.
¡°Ah¡!¡±
Her hand passed right through Temar.
Thump.
Misha lost bnce and fell to the ground. She stared into the sand and scoffed in disappointment.
¡®Was I mistaken? No, he definitely grinned.¡¯
As for her, it had been a thousand years since she saw a loved one smile.
Misha turned her head to Jin.
The boy who made Temar smile was only dozens of steps in front of the mirage. She quickly shook off the wetness in her eyes.
Chapter 178: Inheriting the Shadow Blade (1)
Volume 8 Chapter 178 - Inheriting the Shadow de (1)
It felt like walking to the stars.
Jin knew he was walking forward, but he didn¡¯t feel like he was getting any closer. Just as he would never reach the stars, he felt as if he would never reach Temar.
He painfully drew Bradamante, hands trembling.
He struggled to even gasp for each breath.
Every time a breath of hot air traveled through his throat, it felt as if he were swallowing a bundle of knives.
¡®Cut. I will cut him.¡¯
In his nk mind, it was those words that echoed.
Not letting his will bend in any situation, he swung his sword ten thousand times; the first swing the same as thest.
To someone who was almost deemed to be a strong warrior, what else would be better? Despite the torture, Jin was feeling more and more aplished after each step.
¡®Even if I can¡¯t see it, I¡¯m advancing.¡¯
He didn¡¯t feel like he was getting closer, yet he knew it was so.
No one knew how long he walked.
Slowly, his pitch-ck vision slowly regained its colors.
In his hazy vision, Temar¡¯s silhouette was ever so close. Beside him was a woman whose presence Jin could detect.
¡®Who is that?¡¯
He didn¡¯t even dare to ask about her presence.
More specifically, he couldn¡¯t.
Filled with the thought to defeat Temar, Jin had no room for any other thought to take ce. The person next to Temar was not at all important. Paying her any mind could waver his focus and will.
Temar smiled again.
Clenching her fists, Misha intently watched as Jin struggled to walk through t sand. She couldn¡¯t see his smile.
¡®He¡¯s a child full of surprises¡ I would have never thought he would make it this far, Master Solderet.¡¯
The goal of the third trial matched Jin¡¯s expectation.
To have the will to defeat anyone, no matter who he met. To not lose a glimmer of hope even when met with someone like Temar Runcandel.
However, walking all the way to Temar¡¯s feet was never part of the trial.
This ce was not built only for Jin Runcandel, but also for all Runcandel magic swordsmen who wielded spiritual energy.
Because of the humiliating oath between the Runcandel n and Zipfel n, a new sessor appeared a thousand years after Temar¡¯s death.
Any Runcandel magic swordsman had to go through this ce.
If the contract weren¡¯t signed, at least ten others would have sought thisnd. However, amongst them, how many would make progress like Jin did? With a body that hadn¡¯t reached twenty years of age, no less.
¡®Besides Cyron Runcandel, no one wouldpare. No, not even he would make it this far¡¡¯
Not even a hundred steps remained between Temar and Jin.
An iprehensible amount of mental strength would have been depleted just for this task. However, it seemed like Jin¡¯s steps were getting quicker.
If the pressure created by Temar was fire, then time was a hammer. That fire and time constantly beat Jin; the closer he got to Temar, Jin was getting sharper.
He was bing a de.
And ultimately, the sword reached Temar.
Bradamante no longer shook. The midnight sun soaked the de sky blue.
One more step and a swing, and Temar would be finished.
¡®No!¡¯
Jin¡¯s eyes widened.
As soon as he was ready, Temar disappeared. He came all this way to swing his sword, yet the mirage just disappeared.
Those who pursued an oasis just to find a mirage would never face as much disappointment as Jin had.
¡°Temar!¡±
He screamed into the empty desert. In his splitting voice was a genuine shout.
¡°Temar! Where did you flee, Temar?!¡±
Jin swung his sword in the air as he screamed his ancestor¡¯s name.
Yet Temar didn¡¯t return.
The man who once stood in the distance, emitting immense pressure, no longer existed.
¡°Damn it!¡±
The thousands of strings that kept Jin together¡ªthe will that kept his body intact¡ªsnapped all at once.
Disappointment filled that void. A sense of loss swallowed him whole.
Jin then swung his sword five times.
¡®The woman! That woman next to Temar might know something!¡¯
Recalling Misha¡¯s presence, Jin nced around. However, she had already fled to her hiding spot beyond the Great Desert¡¯s barrier. From Jin¡¯s perspective, she was just a mirage on a sandy hill.
¡°Ha¡!¡±
Thud!
Jin fell on his knees. He couldn¡¯tprehend it. To kill Temar, he ughtered his brothers and yed the master he loved. It would have been the same even if it weren¡¯t the Tona Twins and Valeria. Murakan, Gilly, Luna, Yona, Kashimir, Enya, Alisa. No matter who it was, he would face the same¡ªor even greater¡ªinternal conflict.
Swallowing his emotions, he finally arrived at the finish line.
¡®And it was an empty conclusion.¡¯
Along with a void in his heart, rage emerged.
However, he couldn¡¯t even throw a tantrum at the sandy winds around him. He couldn¡¯t wait for Temar to reappear either. Even if he waited, he probably wouldn¡¯t return. Compared to any other moment, his gut had a stronger premonition than ever.
Jin calmed himself down and looked around.
To achieve internal tranquility, he needed a lot of time.
¡®Hrious. I came all the way here, preparing myself for the gates of death. Now that he¡¯s gone, I just remember that I no longer have any water or food¡¡¯
By the time he met Valeria, the second mirage, his supplies bottomed out. The short regeneration after his fight was all he had left.
However, just because Temar was gone didn¡¯t mean he was going to stop. Though, he no longer had the will to advance any more.
It would have been better if he never met Temar.
¡ªWhen the third mirage ends, release your spiritual energy. Then, the Illustrious Legend Tribe will appear.
He decided to cast Spiritual Energy Release, just as Murakan instructed. Either way, all of the trials had finished, and he thought it was the time to meet the Illustrious Legend Tribe.
Whooooosh¡
Jin emitted ck spiritual energy. He didn¡¯t notice it, but his spiritual energy had be much stronger and darker. His aplishments after the third trial.
Sitting in the sand for a while, Jin continued to emit the dark smoke.
Yet the Illustrious Legend Tribe was nowhere to be seen.
¡®The three mirages ended, though¡?¡¯
Had Murakan been mistaken? Or did thend of inheritance for the Shadow de not exist in the first ce?
The anxiety hit him. He released as much spiritual energy as he could, but no one approached.
The night arrived.
The sun continued to burn in the sky, oozing a disgusting heat wave. Jin nkly stared into the empty desert.
¡°HAHAHA!¡±
He howled inughter. If he didn¡¯t let out something at the top of his lungs, he would have never been able to alleviate the suffocation in his chest.
¡°These dogs.Yeah, I¡¯ll fucking do it. Uh-huh. Let¡¯s see whoes out on top.¡±
He didn¡¯t even know who he was talking to at this point.
Jin decided to walk. Even if he didn¡¯t reach thend of inheritance for the Shadow de, he couldn¡¯t let his life end in this godforsaken desert.
The moment his right foot left the sand, he heard a voice.
¡°You pass.¡±
Jin stopped in his tracks and looked around.
A beastman he had never seen before stood a distance away. He looked almost exactly like a human, save for his two hands covered in ck fur, the fist-sized gemstone stuck in his chest, and the tail.
A Illustrious Legend Tribesman.
Jin blinked and rubbed his eyes. Maybe his eyes were too dry. Standing two meters tall, the beastman blocked the sun. Expressionless.
Jin didn¡¯t even want to know where the beast appeared from. He was used to the desert being full of surprises.
¡°If you had only sat,ined, and given up or just asked the gods to save you, it would have been over for you.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°After the third mirage disappeared, you thought the test was over. Well, in Solderet¡¯s standards, it is.¡±
¡°Yeah, so you¡¯re telling me¡ that the test was over a while ago. When the third mirage disappeared.¡±
The beastman shrugged and nodded.
¡°Basically. However, that¡¯s not enough for our standards. If you¡¯re not a warrior who doesn¡¯t lose your spirit until the end, you don¡¯t deserve to be taught what we teach. For that reason, you pass.¡±
Shiiiing!
A fire sparked within Jin¡¯s eyes as he drew Bradamante. He immediately charged.
ng!
The beastman effortlessly flicked the de away and smiled.
¡°Why are you angered, Solderet¡¯s thousand-year contractor? Do you want to fight?¡±
Jin didn¡¯t continue his onught. He sheathed Bradamante. Compared to a moment ago, where he was filled with rage and bloodthirst, he looked rather calm.
¡°No. Simply put, you guys have been toying with me this entire time. I needed to get some rage out of myself.¡±
¡°Yeah? You stopped not because you don¡¯t stand a chance against me?¡±
Jin burst intoughter.
¡°Do I look scared to you? I will fight you if you want me to.¡±
The beastman found Jin very interesting. He stared down at the child without a word.
Then, he smiled.
¡°I like you a lot. You differ from all of the other humans that I¡¯ve met. Usually, humans pissed their pants when meeting us.¡±
¡°You only chose weaklings to fight.¡±
¡°Hahaha! Who knows. You could take that however you want. Back then, we were undefeatable.¡±
The beastman saw Jin speechless, so he lightly patted Jin¡¯s shoulders.
¡°I¡¯m Tantel. What is your name, child of Solderet?¡±
¡°Jin Runcandel.¡±
¡°Alright, Jin Runcandel. I¡¯ll give you one piece of advice. I¡¯m on the tolerant side, so I can take your disrespectful attitude as cute outbursts. But be careful when you meet the Brethren of the Battle Temple.¡±
¡°Battle Temple?¡±
¡°Just as the name goes, brothers who are worshipped in the Halls of Battle Gods. Crazy strong. Anyway, your current demeanor would earn them a valid reason for an extra meal. They don¡¯t like you as much as they do Solderet.¡±
Tantel swung his sword in the air towards the sky. A massive dimensional portal opened, and the forgotten civilization of the Illustrious Legends emerged.
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
Chapter 179: Inheriting the Shadow Blade (2)
Volume 8 Chapter 179 - Inheriting the Shadow de (2)
Beyond the dimensional portal, Jin saw a city.
Tantel stepped through the portal and waved to Jin to follow. Jin trotted behind him. The moment he stepped in, the sand disappeared, and he felt a hard cobblestone floor.
Tantel tossed a canteen of cold water to him. Catching the metal container with one hand, Jin drank its contents all in one gulp, almost gagging at how fast he drank.
Because it wasn¡¯t water that was in the canteen. It was wine.
On top of that, its strength was something that he never experienced in his entire life¡ªregression included. It felt as if he swallowed fire instead of some liquid.
Jin red at the chuckling beastman.
¡°Hahaha! We call it Lafrarosa, you humans call it ck Light.¡±
¡°That¡¯s the name of this disgusting wine?¡±
¡°No, the name of this legendary city. Anyway, tsk, it seems humans don¡¯t know the true taste of wine. We refined diamonds to make it.¡±
¡°Just give me some water.¡±
Lafrarosa. ck Light.
Jin was looking at the city that was built during the Illustrious Legend Tribe¡¯s prime.
Lafrarosa boasted amazing architecture. No one would believe that it was built five thousand years ago.
And it was a bit extravagant.
¡®A golden road¡ I finally know why many explorers came to the Great Desert in search of gold.¡¯
Jin received another canteen, and he put his nose to the spout. It was actually water this time.
He chugged its contents and looked around. Everything was covered in gold. Every building around him was decorated with gemstones¡ªusually the doors. Every door had a gemstone stuck to it, like Tantel¡¯s chest.
¡°Tantel, what¡¯s the gem stuck to your chest? Are you a door?¡±
¡°Heart.¡±
Tantel gave the most curt answer possible while carrying the heaviest sadness in his voice. Jin didn¡¯t continue his question and just continued walking the golden path.
What was the point of all these luxuries?
Jin and Tantel walked the road alone. No matter how much it sparkled and shined, Lafrarosa was a ghost town¡ªa city stuck in time.
The once-great Illustrious Legend Tribe that bragged about their glorious civilization fell. Only a small minority spared by Solderet remained, breathless in the secluded dimension.
The gemstone at the front of each door was the heart that once burned brightly when its owner was still alive.
They walked for two hours and reached the end of the golden road. Yet there were still many paths that he hadn¡¯t walked with more gold than he had ever seen.
Past the end of the golden path was just a cobblestone road. On either side of the road was an endless row of statues, honoring the warriors of the tribe.
¡°We¡¯re going to the Battle Temple. As I said before, Jin Runcandel. Watch your mouth in front of the Brethren of the Temple. Understood?¡±
¡°Duly noted.¡±
¡°Well, the Brethren aren¡¯tbeled as Gods or Fighting Legends¡¡±
¡°How many people are left in your tribe?¡±
¡°Including the Goddess of Battle and Twelve Fighting Legends, there are 77. We¡¯ve all been waiting for you in this eternal hell.¡±
¡°You say that as if they¡¯d disqualify me as soon as I act up.¡±
¡°Even if we wait a longer time, if you don¡¯t fit the criteria, then we can¡¯t teach you.¡±
These beastmen didn¡¯t seem to be the nicest creatures.
Jin shrugged.
¡®The Battle Temple¡¡¯
Just as its name suggested, the temple was a sacred ce built for legendary warriors¡ªa breeding ground for ego. Still, the existence of this hierarchical system piqued Jin¡¯s interest.
It was because, from far away, he could feel the burning energy from the temple that was barely visible from the distance.
¡®It isn¡¯t anythingpared to Temar, but I still get chills up my spine.¡¯
If he never walked the Great Desert, he would have never detected these changes in energy. Just from passing the three mirages in the trials, Jin had developed a lot.
The Battle Temple looked bigger than anything Jin had ever seen. The outer wall was made from steel and stone, and there wasn¡¯t a single decoration there. The steel door¡ªthat alone felt like an entire castle wall¡ªhad countless gems imnted on its facade.
Tantelid his hand on the door, and it slowly opened.
Rumble, rumble.
¡°Whoa!¡±
¡°Whoooaaa!¡±
It wasn¡¯t Jin¡¯s voice.
The voices of astonishment were from a group of Illustrious Legend Tribespeople. They were stuck to the other side of the door. Who knew how long they waited?
¡°Is our apprentice finally here?!¡±
¡°Damn, he¡¯s kinda cute.¡±
¡°A thousand years after Temar! One thousand!¡±
Tantel smacked his forehead at the immaturity. It seemed these beastmen also blushed when embarrassed.
¡®Shit¡ He doesn¡¯t have to blush.¡¯
The beastmen¡¯s eyes sparkled, following Jin wherever he went. Indiscriminate of gender, they were all at least two meters tall.
¡°My brethren, how many times did I say to not act like this¡?¡±
They ignored Tantel. All of their attention was on Jin.
¡°How old are you?!¡±
¡°How is Lafrarosa?¡±
¡°Have you eaten? What¡¯s your favorite food?¡±
Seeing them giggling and conversing in their deep voices, Jin really wondered if they ruled thend in the past.
¡®There probably aren''t any Gods or Fighting Legends here. There¡¯s chatty people like this in every friend group.¡¯
While Jin debated whether to answer or not, one woman raised him to the sky. Jin tried to escape her grasp, but it was futile.
¡®What is this strength¡?!¡¯
He knew that the Illustrious Legend Tribe was strong. Even more so after seeing Tantel and the others. However, when Tantel deflected Bradamante, Jin didn¡¯t feel such strength.
Jin tried his best to escape the woman¡¯s grip, but she looked as if she were ying with a little child. She put Jin on her shoulders and giggled.
Jin¡¯s face turned into a tomato, just as Tantel¡¯s face had.
¡°The kid¡¯s face is a little dirty. Gotta wash him up! Pelos, did you prepare the bathwater?¡±
¡°Of course, Seventh Legend Brethren!¡±
She was the Seventh Fighting Legend, ¡®Beliz¡¯.
Jin sighed.
¡®I guess there¡¯s no point in resisting.¡¯
He felt that they were genuinely weing him, so he didn¡¯t feel the need to decline such hospitality.
Jin had to inherit the Shadow de from them. He came to learn, not fight them.
¡°Amazing! Haha! Who¡¯s going to wash him? Rock, paper, scissors! Thest one standing gets to wash the second historical apprentice!¡±
¡°Rock, paper¡ª!¡±
¡°Scissors!¡±
¡°Again, again!¡±
Chaos took over the group. Tantel looked like he had already given up.
The first human after over a thousand years. Also a candidate to inherit the Shadow de. It was hard to understand¡
¡®No, this isn¡¯t right. It really isn¡¯t.¡¯
If he left them alone, one of those bulky, muscr beastmen would bathe him. Even Jin hated it when Gilly washed him when he was only a year old.
¡°I¡¯ll wash myself!¡±
Jin shouted, and silence consumed the area.
All eyes were on him, who was still sat on top of Beliz¡¯s shoulder.
¡°No, that¡¯s not allowed.¡±
¡°Why not?¡±
¡°You¡¯re about to meet the Goddess of Battle Brethren, so you can¡¯t greet them in such a condition.¡±
¡°You said there was bathwater? I can just wash myself.¡±
¡°Ah, not enough. You must be very clean. Not a single grain of sand can be in your ear.¡±
¡°Yep. Humans are normally very dirty. Wearing dirty clothes, eating with your dirty hands, eating food that went bad and stuff.¡±
Those were the humans back in their day. The beastmen¡¯s history was also frozen five thousand years ago, and people at the time were far from clean and civilized.
¡°I¡¯m not like that.¡±
He felt weird for even answering.
In fact, Jin had to exin how well he bathed. The beastmen nodded in dissatisfaction.
¡°...He knows more than we thought.¡±
¡°What shall we do? Seventh Legend Brethren, hepletely refuses our hospitality.¡±
¡°Hm!¡±
Beliz scratched her chin. Deciding whether Jin was capable or not.
¡°Okay, you will wash yourself ande out. Then, we will judge whether you meet our standards. If you fail to meet them, then you will notin about our future actions. Understood?¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
On one side of the Battle Temple, Jin washed for over three hours. He meticulously cleaned every nook and cranny of his body just because he didn¡¯t want to deal with the aftermath. But it still felt nice. After all, it was the first bath since he entered the desert.
They also prepared fruits and traditional cookies, so Jin made sure to indulge in them.
Returning from the bathhouse, Jin realized that the Battle Temple was more like a town square than a temple. The residents barely left the temple and instead remained on the first floor, reading or talking with one another.
¡°You pass.¡±
Tantel spoke as he handed Jin their traditional robes. They were prepared for the new visitor.
¡°You wash well. I burned and destroyed the clothes you had before.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever get apliment for washing up well. Your people are rowdier than I thought. They looked like crazy maniacs.¡±
¡°We¡¯re people too. It¡¯s been thousands of years since Temar left and time halted since. Everyone¡¯s a little worked up.¡±
Jin tried totch his sheath around his waist when Tantel shook his head.
¡°¡®When you meet the Goddess of Battle, you can¡¯t carry a weapon.¡¯ Is it something like that?¡±
¡°You sound scornful. You think they¡¯d feel threatened just because you had a sword?¡±
¡°What is it, then?¡±
¡°There¡¯s just no need to have it while you¡¯re here for the time being. It looks like it¡¯s Barisada¡¯s brother sword¡ You must use another sword when using Shadow de.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Because the sword will support your spiritual energy, you won¡¯t be training anything. We¡¯re going to stop by your residence, so leave your sword there.¡±
They arrived in Jin¡¯s quarters. A bed and a small bookshelf. Compared to Lafrarosa, there was nothing to see out the window.
¡°If you go to the main house, you¡¯ll see the Seventh Fighting Legend. The environment will bepletely different. Don¡¯t get nervous, and just respond to what they say. Just as I said before, don¡¯t say dumb shit.¡±
¡°When do I get to inherit the Shadow de?¡±
¡°That¡¯s what they¡¯ll decide. Passing the trials is only the minimal requirement. If the council decides you¡¯re not worthy yet, you will return to where you came from.¡±
To those words, Jin¡¯s eyes sharpened.
¡°It¡¯s all just horseshit.¡±
¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be careful when passing down such a strong technique? If we fought with gods with Shadow de, then our life would have never been this way.¡±
The closer they got to the main hall of the Battle Temple, Tantel¡¯s heart grew brighter and brighter. It seemed to be affected by the presence of powerful entities.
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
Chapter 180: Inheriting Shadow Blade (3)
Volume 8 Chapter 180 - Inheriting Shadow de (3)
The Goddess of Battle had a rather small bodypared to the other beastmen. Compared to Jin, she wasn¡¯t as big. However, just by her presence, the goddess absolutely dominated the Twelve Fighting Legends beside him. The gemstones seemed to glow like the sun because of her presence.
Their hearts shone so brightly, Jin would have covered his eyes with his hands.
¡°Did you say your name was Jin Runcandel?¡±
A clear but deep voice.
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Weird. You lookpletely different from Temar, but your aura is very simr.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t answer and just looked into her bottomless eyes, her long hair waving in the air like fire.
It didn¡¯t take long for her to judge and make a decision about him.
¡°I like it, prospective apprentice.¡±
¡®After looking at what? Just because my energy is simr to Temar¡¯s?¡¯
He had questions shoot across his mind, but he didn¡¯t dare ask them.
¡®I can see the first patriarch left asting impression on these arrogant people.¡¯
Remembering their confrontation, it was obvious. The one warrior who could have dominated thend was none other than Temar Runcandel.
¡°Certainly¡ His aura is simr to that of Temar.¡±
¡°However, he may be able to be a more overwhelming warrior in the future.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t get your hopes up too much, Garmund. That¡¯s very greedy.¡±
The Fighting Legends exchanged somements as they examined Jin.
He basically received the approval from the head of the temple, but he didn¡¯t feel too good about it.
¡®They¡¯re all thinking of me as Temar¡¯s shadow.¡¯
He couldn¡¯t deny that Temar was the most legendary warrior in history. He also couldn¡¯t deny that Temar basically built the Runcandel n, so Jin would have never existed without him.
However, he never wanted to be remembered as Temar¡¯s subordinate. Jin didn¡¯t think that surpassing him was impossible.
Furthermore, although it wasn¡¯t a real fight, Jin defeated him beforeing to this ce.
¡°I am Jin Runcandel.¡±
¡°Do not speak when not spoken to by the goddess.¡±
¡°You spoke of my ancestor, so I wanted to rify my name.¡±
¡°You little¡ª!¡±
One Legend stomped forward, but the goddess slowly raised her hand. All of the Legends kneeled and bowed.
¡°Fufu¡ Alright. We did dwell on the past with our future in front of us. Jin Runcandel, my name is Vahn.¡±
She didn¡¯t have any name that signified her n or family.
Whomever¡¯s womb they were birthed, they all treated each other like siblings.
¡°No need to add any prefix or suffix. Just Vahn is fine.¡±
¡°Is that alright?¡±
¡°We don¡¯t share hierarchical respect like your human society. It doesn¡¯t matter if you just call me by my given name. However, there is one thing you should be careful of with your words.¡±
¡°What would that be?¡±
¡°Before the entire tribe epts you, you must never call them your brethren.¡±
Jin nodded. Some of the Legends swallowed their smirks, the look in their eyes saying the same thing: this bastardly human will never receive our approval.
Yet Jin didn¡¯t care.
Those who easily revealed their emotions weren¡¯t problems at all. Those who were honest were simple. And those who were simple were easy to convince.
The Legends who hid their emotions¡ Convincing them would be a challenge.
¡®Goddess of Battle Vahn too. She said she likes me, but I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s being honest or not.¡¯
Vahn stood up from her throne and walked towards Jin. She unbuckled the sheath on her side and handed the sword to him.
It was a very normal sword. Nothing that a legendary beastman would use.
¡°Use this sword when learning the Shadow de technique.¡±
The smirks on some of the Legends grew. Jin understood their glee as soon as he held the sword.
¡®My spiritual energy¡!¡¯
The sword was absorbing it. It appeared to be a normal sword at first nce, but it drained Jin¡¯s spiritual energy like a leech, leaving no evidence behind.
Apletely different experience from when he awakened his de by concentrating his spiritual energy into it.
¡°It¡¯s the Shadow Vacuum. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve never felt this before. Ever since you contracted with Solderet, spiritual energy never left your body.¡±
¡°If I hold onto it all day, then I¡¯ll bepletely drained.¡±
¡°Your ancestor, Temar Runcandel, overcame that sword fairly quickly. Just as you confidently imed your name, can I anticipate some achievement?¡±
It was hard to answer.
The speed at which the sword drained Jin was ominous. As soon as he realized its hidden features, he tried to control his spiritual energy. However, the more he resisted, the stronger the vacuum got.
¡®Shit¡¯s annoying.¡¯
Jin initially nodded. If he couldn¡¯t do what Temar did, he would be treated like a sessor forever.
He just needed to find a way. Just as always.
¡°We begin tomorrow at dawn. You are dismissed.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
Jin exited the temple, and the Legends clicked their tongues.
¡°He should be thankful for even beingpared to Temar. Our second sessor will face the consequences of his arrogance so soon.¡±
Seventh Legend Beliz shrugged and responded.
¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a little harsh, Vahn?¡±
¡°What is?¡±
¡°Temar received the sword afterpleting Shadow de 1st Form. He was way past 20 as well. I don''t think Jin is suited to deal with the sword.¡±
¡°What¡¯s wrong, Beliz? You already love the second one? It¡¯s true that we¡¯re hyped for the second inheritor in history, but we must remain strict within the temple."
Garmund responded, and the goddess smiled.
¡°Our time is frozen, but it has been a thousand years since Temar died. It won¡¯t be strange if someone stronger than Temar was born. I just want to know if humans¡ªRuncandel¡ªgot stronger in those years.¡±
* * *
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
* * *
The night was long.
No one was supervising him, but Jin constantly held onto the sword. Before dawn even came, every bit of spiritual energy disappeared from his body.
¡®Weird.¡¯
The moment he opened his eyes, he tried to release spiritual energy.
A weak ck dust wrapped around his body, as if the training he had done to achieve 6-star had disappeared.
After detaching the sword from himself, the release got better over time. However, in order to recover his original state, he had to constantly practice withoutying a finger on the weapon.
The first to teach Jin was the Eighth Legend.
¡°Who¡¯s the Eighth Legend, Tantel?¡±
¡°Brethren Garmund. The tallest and the one with the longest beard.¡±
¡°Ah, that man.¡±
Garmund was one of the Legends who openly showed emotion. Compared to the Shadow Vacuum homework, it looked as if convincing his first instructor would be easier.
¡°Anyway, how does the hierarchy amongst the Legends work? Does a lower number mean a higher rank?¡±
¡°If I exclude the Chief Brethren, there is no hierarchy. We only use these terms to show respect. So, essentially, we¡¯re equivalent troops in human terms. The number is just to signify the order at which we attained Legend status.¡±
¡°That''s an unexpectedly fair system¡¡±
¡°We have never shed swords within our tribe. We don¡¯t need that kind of pathetic hierarchy.¡±
¡°That''s funny.¡±
They walked to the training area at the center of the temple. A massive open space that took a majority of the temple¡¯s estate.
There was no training equipment. Just a jagged stone floor that looked like it hadn¡¯t been managed for years.
However, the moment Jin stepped onto the warm stone floor, he instantly knew why it was built in such a way.
¡®This floor is inconceivably firm¡¡¯
It wasn¡¯t just any stone. It could bepared to Bradamante and the ck Light Cuirass¡¯s thousand-year steel.
Cracks and crevices littered the flooring, making Jin wonder how much training this tribe had done before their extinction.
¡®And is that one, from Temar?¡¯
There was a giant sword mark that stretched across the entirety of the training grounds. A crater approximately a hundred steps long.
At the end of the crater, Garmund stood with his arms crossed.
¡®Well, a hundred steps isn¡¯t too big if I think about it¡ Can I, as of this moment, leave such a sword mark on this flooring?¡¯
He would never know if he never tried. Jin hadn¡¯t mastered the Shadow de at all, but just as he cut through Myuron¡¯s hell gate and Goltep¡¯s hammer, just as he walked all the way to Temar, he knew it was possible as long as he had the will to do so.
¡®Well, that¡¯s only if the Shadow Vacuum didn¡¯t take away all of my spiritual energy.¡¯
Jin adjusted the cursed sword on his belt. There was only half a year until the Compass interception operation. He had to ovee the Shadow Vacuum and master the Shadow de before returning to his team.
¡°Your ancestor left this mark, Second One.¡±
¡°I thought so, Garmund.¡±
Then, Garmund turned his head towards Tantel and red.
¡®Did you tell this damned kid my name?¡¯
¡°Ah, Eighth Brethren. Shouldn''t this fellow know his teacher¡¯s name beforehand?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t even think of this human child as my apprentice!¡±
¡°Of course. Anyway, I shall take my leave. Hopefully, our first apprentice after the past thousand years won¡¯t die on the first day.¡±
¡°Hmph. You say the same things as the Seventh Brethren. That¡¯s up to this kid. Hold your sword, child. Before our training, there¡¯s something I need to confirm. If you can¡¯t even do this, I will not train you.¡±
The moment Jin unsheathed the sword, Garmund smiled.
¡°Swing your sword ten thousand times. And make it consistent!¡±
Jin let out a refreshing shout within.
That was the one thing he was confident in.
Chapter 181: Inheriting Shadow Blade (4)
Volume 8 Chapter 181 - Inheriting Shadow de (4)
sh, sh, sh!
For exactly five hours, Jin swung his sword ten thousand times. And with the swings being consistent in quality and speed, Garmund couldn¡¯t keep his jaw from dropping.
¡°Phew. I finished.¡±
Jin flicked his sweaty bangs.
Although Tantel said that he would return to his quarters, he remained to watch Jin with his task. After around three thousand swings, other beastmen came to watch. At five thousand, the color in Garmund¡¯s face drained. And at seven thousand, he was sweating.
At the ten thousand mark, Garmund realized that he had been underestimating Jin¡¯s prowess.
The boy genuinely astonished Garmund.
¡®I would¡¯ve never known. This situation¡ I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d happen. What the hell?¡¯
¡°¡°¡°WHOOOAAA!¡±¡±¡±
Disregarding Garmund¡¯s conflicting emotions, the other beastmen shouted and screamed. The normal warriors had different perspectives than the Fighting Legends.
They had been waiting for thousands of years for someone to contest Temar¡¯s absolute dominance. They wanted to verify that their frozen time was worth it.
¡°Garmund, why are you speechless?¡±
A smile grew on Jin¡¯s face, and Garmund cleared his throat.
His brethren enjoyed the sight, so he had felt a little guilty for being the only person who wanted Jin to fail.
¡°¡Well done. I didn¡¯t think you would execute it so perfectly.¡±
¡°No, I didn¡¯t want to hear some patronizingpliments.¡±
¡°Hmph! What do you want me to say, then?¡±
¡°Please confirm that I am ready to receive your teachings. With your own mouth.¡±
Jin wasn¡¯t provoking Garmund without any deep thought. In fact, he relied on all of the spectators around the training grounds. He knew that Garmund was bing conscious of the others.
Amongst the Legends, Garmund had the strongest ties to his people. And if he didn¡¯t ept Jin, then he would be disappointing his brethren.
¡°Tch, alright! I ept you, Jin Runcandel. You are now ready to learn the secret technique known as Shadow de from yours truly, the Eighth Fighting Legend.¡±
¡°Whoa! So cool!¡±
¡°Garmund! Garmund! Garmund!¡±
The spectators chanted simultaneously, and Garmund began to blush. His heart began to shine a little brighter, moved by his emotions.
¡°Alright, alright. Everyone, go on your way. The real training is about to begin.¡±
The audience continued to cheer as they left. With gratitude, Jin also waved his hand in the air.
Again, the two stood together in the training grounds.
¡°How old are you, Apprentice?¡±
¡°Sixteen. After December, I¡¯ll be seventeen.¡±
Garmund¡¯s eyes widened. Even within the tribe, not many others could achieve Jin¡¯s level at that age. Jin had already stepped into the domain of Mind¡¯s de.
¡®This is interesting.¡¯
Garmund swiftly drew his sword.
¡°Is it a spar?¡±
¡°Oho! You overestimate yourself. A spar is only when you are even a tenth of my power!¡±
Jin clearly could not conceive how strong these beastmen were.
¡°How big is our skill gap?¡±
¡°You¡¯re not even close to moving my sword.¡±
Right as Garmund finished his sentence, Jin stabbed him in the throat with Shadow Vacuum.
ng!
Garmund easily deflected the sword, furious. Fire sparked in his eyes.
¡°What¡¯s this?¡±
¡°You said that I wouldn¡¯t even be able to move your sword, so I decided to try something. Turns out that I was wrong. You moved your sword.¡±
Garmund¡¯s face crumpled. Embarrassment after embarrassment befell him. This was not his day.
¡®I was going to make him try to move my sword when he was speechless¡¡¯
Garmund had been talking about strength. No such warrior existed such that no movement of the sword was necessary to block Jin¡¯s attack.
¡°...That¡¯s not what I meant. I meant that, no matter how many times you strike my sword, you won¡¯t be able to move it.¡±
¡°Oh, that¡¯s what you meant? Huh. I knew something was weird. I failed to read between the lines.¡±
Of course, Jin knew what Garmund meant this entire time. He just wanted to embarrass him. There was nothing bad about magnifying his strength through these little conversations.
¡®More than anything, this guy is fun to annoy.¡¯
Jin didn¡¯t hate people like Garmund.
¡°Hmmm, alright. Then try again. Don¡¯t go for me, but my sword.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
Jin stepped forward and swung the cursed sword.
ng!
¡®Whoa¡!¡¯
Jin could only be impressed. He didn¡¯t exert any aura, but he did use a lot of strength. However, Garmund¡¯s sword didn¡¯t budge.
And of course, Garmund¡¯s stance didn¡¯t falter either. On the other hand, Jin lost his bnce temporarily from the impact.
Garmund let out a snort, seeming to know that this would happen.
¡°Just as I said. You can¡¯t make my sword move.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll try again.¡±
¡°As much as you want.¡±
Jin backed off and breathed slowly. He closed his eyes, focusing his energy and concentrating. The blue aura from his palms wrapped around Shadow Vacuum.
¡°Hup!¡±
He swung with all his might.
It was a strike that he would never use in a real fight. What kind of enemy would let him close his eyes?
aang!
de to de, a loud sound echoed throughout the grounds at the collision. However, Garmund¡¯s sword didn¡¯t even vibrate, and Jin flew opposite him. From his mouth, a stream of blood leaked.
¡°Urgh¡!¡±
Garmund originally nned tough. He had already imagined the expected result, hoping to see a pathetic sight.
¡®However¡ my sword almost broke.¡¯
For the first time in a thousand years, Garmund felt like his palms were ripping apart. The heat scorched his hands, and his arms throbbed in pain.
He wanted to smile.
It was equivalent to an 8-star in human terms.
Jin was still a 7-star, but as a Runcandel who just crossed the godforsaken desert, he had already grown a lot.
¡®However, that¡¯s not enough for me to treat you well!¡¯
It had only been a day since he came to Lafrarosa.
If Garmund gave him the respect he wanted, the bastardly human would want more. As such, he had to be tough and strict.
¡°Complete a swing that is able to move my sword!¡±
¡°Will you tell me the process?¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t the three mirages already teach you that? The key is to believe.¡±
¡°Believe?¡±
The most important aspect of Shadow de was ¡®belief¡¯. Subliming the belief into spiritual energy was the core of the technique. It was the equivalent of using Mind¡¯s de, except Shadow de had the ¡®expanding¡¯ property.
The secret technique didn¡¯t exist only to cut through things efficiently.
¡°Alright. I¡¯ll give you a week. Within that week, you have as many attempts to strike my sword. Use everything you¡¯ve got. Rip your hands, break your teeth. You must understand the core of Shadow de.¡±
Jin¡¯s eyes narrowed.
¡®A week¡ He obviously set a tight time limit in his terms. If I seed, then I¡¯ll definitely earn his respect. Hopefully, he won¡¯t go back on his words.¡¯
On the other hand, Garmund was contemting.
¡®Is one week too harsh? I know this kid is something special, but I have to make it a challenge. Stand after failure, Second Apprentice. Then I, and the others, will ept you.¡¯
* * *
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
* * *
¡°Is that it, Apprentice?!¡±
¡®If your belief wavers, so will your sword. Do you not understand? And you¡¯re Solderet¡¯s contractor despite being like that? Hmph. I can see it in your eyes. You are not ready. Temar did it in two days. If the others knew, they would¡¯ve never appreciated you.¡¯
Garmund prepared manyments. He nned to receive Jin¡¯s blows thousands of times while standing still to absolutely devastate him.
¡However, on the third day, after 27,576 swings, Garmund¡¯s sword broke.
He nkly stared at the result of four days of swinging.
Amongst his despicablements, the only one that stimted Jin was ¡®Temar did it in two days.¡¯ And for all of the strikes, Jin looked like he was enjoying it. In fact, Garmund was the only one who looked in pain.
¡°I took one more day than Temar.¡±
Jin picked up a remnant of Garmund¡¯s de as he spoke.
From start to finish, he never showed a face of enjoyment. He was dissatisfied that his results came close to his ancestor¡¯s.
¡®Shit. If only I focused a little more, I would¡¯ve done better.¡¯
Jin sighed.
Garmund just stared in astonishment. He expected at least a month¡¯s work to attain such a feat, yet Jinpleted it in only three days.
Of course, he was still slower than Temar.
¡®However considering the cursed sword and his age¡ a one-day difference is insane. In fact, his sess is even more impressive.¡¯
Jin sought this ce as aplete warrior. There might not be many things that the tribe could teach him.
Garmund thought through Jin¡¯s training.
Thump, thump!
He patted Jin on the back and chuckled.
¡°Second Apprentice, Jin Runcandel. I¡¯ll be honest. You didn¡¯t seem like the freak of nature that you are, but you impressed me until the end.¡±
¡°Are you epting me?¡±
¡°For me, yeah. The other brothers will open their hearts to you. They will feel the purity and strength of your soul.¡±
To Garmund¡¯s drastic personality change, Jin smiled.
Then, Garmund spoke.
¡°I have one small request.¡±
¡°A request?¡±
¡°May I be the first to experience your achievement?¡±
¡°The first to experience¡ my what?¡±
¡°Answer me.¡±
His eyes sparkled. Jin couldn¡¯t deny him at all.
¡°I don¡¯t know what you would like, but I¡¯llply.¡±
Garmund took the de shard from Jin¡¯s hand and tossed it into his mouth. He ground his teeth before swallowing.
Satisfied, he pounded his chest.
¡°A very good taste. Starting tomorrow, the Fifth Legend wille out here as well.¡±
Chapter 182: Inheriting Shadow Blade (5)
Volume 8 Chapter 182 - Inheriting Shadow de (5)
The Fifth Fighting Legend was Boras. He was about half the size of Garmund and a little more chattery.
At first nce, he had an expression of great astonishment. Garmund had probably ryed some information beforehand. Jin would never know that Garmund bbered about Jin¡¯s feat until his mouth became dry.
¡®Hm, these beastmen are just very big dogs.¡¯
The Illustrious Legend Tribe in Lafrarosa felt like the opposite of their notoriety throughout history. Compared to a serious and battle-ready facade, they all just had adorably stupid personalities.
Snatch!
¡®Huh?¡¯
As soon as Jin arrived, Boras grabbed his chin.
¡®I couldn¡¯t react¡? Shit, why¡¯s he so fast?¡¯
Although it was because he carelessly had his guard lowered, it was still very shocking. As Jin failed to contain his surprise, Garmund giggled, having already expected Jin to fail to react. Boras then examined Jin¡¯s mouth.
Jin didn¡¯t try to escape his grasp. He already knew how strong these beastmen were from the time Beliz grabbed him.
¡°Hey, Second Apprentice. Why¡¯re you missing a mr?¡±
¡°It broke.¡±
¡°Hoh? How so?¡±
¡°If you would please let me go¡¡±
Boras instantly let go, and Jin slowly exined why his mr broke.
That he had gritted his teeth too hard when he tried to approach Temar.
¡°Daaamn! That¡¯s sick. Your teeth are stronger than most monsters¡¯. You bit down on your own teeth enough to break them? You¡¯re definitely some specimen¡¡±
¡°...¡®Specimen¡¯?¡±
Jin red at him, and Garmund nonchntly whistled while looking in another direction. Boras chuckled and continued.
¡°No, no. You mustn¡¯t do that. Hehe. Anyway, teeth are important. Hm¡ I guess you need a new one.¡±
Before Jin could even answer¡
Crack!
Boras inserted his own hand into his mouth and plucked a tooth out. Arge, sharp, round tooth.
¡®What the fu¡?¡¯
Blood flooded his mouth. However, Boras was too busy showing off the tooth to care.
¡°Hey, look! These are the teeth that we boast about. Rocks, steel, even diamond¡ªwe can chew it all. Oh, of course, you needplementary bite force to support it.¡±
¡°I understand that Illustrious Legend tribesmen have strong teeth. I watched Garmund eat sword scraps like chips. Anyway, why did you¡?¡±
¡°Hahaha! Now, I will carve this in the shape of your teeth and ram it into your gum! Have some fun with Garmund. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±
Boras gave a thumbs up and disappeared. He vanished so quickly that Jin didn¡¯t even see an afterimage.
¡®How should I interpret this?¡¯
Surprisingly, Garmund didn¡¯t think this situation was weird at all.
¡°Is putting that tooth in my gum even possible?¡±
¡°Nothing is impossible.¡±
¡°So you¡¯ve done this before.¡±
¡°No? First time. Alright, alright. ¡®Nuff talk. Let¡¯s train. Shadow de 1st Technique, Soul sh. I¡¯ll show you.¡¯
Shing!
Garmund drew a new sword and took his stance. Jin followed, not wanting to talk about teeth any more.
¡°Soul sh is the beginning and end of the art of Shadow de.¡±
He had heard the same thing when learning spiritual energy release from Murakan. The beginning and end. Well, all fighting techniques were like that.
The basic swing in swordsmanship, the basic stab in spear-wielding, the basic punch in martial arts. Mastering the most advanced skills in any discipline was the basics with more steps.
¡°Don¡¯t be surprised, Apprentice.¡±
Whoooooooosh!
ck smoke surrounded Garmund¡¯s sword. Concentrated spiritual energy.
Garmund swung the sword here and there while constantly ncing at Jin.
¡®I¡¯m not a contractor, but I¡¯m using spiritual energy. Why aren¡¯t you surprised?¡¯
Jin basically read his mind.
¡°I assumed Solderet distributed his abilities. If you couldn¡¯t wield spiritual energy, then how would you be able to use Shadow de in the first ce?¡±
¡°Ah, well, I guess so¡¡±
Jin still felt a little weird. He never thought of someone other than him using spiritual energy.
¡°Just show me.¡±
Garmund licked his lips.
¡°Well, alright.¡±
The beastman¡¯s eyes narrowed, and Jin could feel the concentration and power from a distance. Instinctively, he took about twenty strides backwards.
The sword constantly burned with ck fire.
Its de fell like lightning.
The ck emission swallowed the empty space.
Not even the ¡®swoosh¡¯ of the sword could be heard. Neither did the screech of metal de to stone floor echo. For those that couldn¡¯t wield spiritual energy had a fate of darkness sealed for them.
Crack!
After the move ended, the first sound was heard. A shockwave exploded from Garmund, and stone debris flew everywhere.
A de mark that spanned about fifty steps long.
Garmund could only shake his head afterpleting the demonstration with unsatisfactory results.
¡°How was that?¡±
¡°Very quick, big, quiet, and strong.¡±
Jin answered calmly. However, deep inside, he thought of Luna¡¯s Mind¡¯s de: Blood Moon.
¡®It looks like a mini-Blood Moon. However, it looks like it has a lesser physical toll. If I can use this sessively¡¡¯
Those who were 7-star and below wouldn¡¯t stand a chance.
¡°What I showed you was only fifty percent of its full power. Which is why Temar¡¯s mark is twice as big.¡±
¡°But didn¡¯t you say Soul sh was the beginning and end of Shadow de?¡±
¡°I did.¡±
¡°Does that mean that, if Iplete Soul sh, the power is limited to a de mark that¡¯s only a hundred steps long?¡±
Garmund chuckled.
¡°That¡¯s only if youplete Soul sh. However, once you begin to master Shadow de, Soul sh wouldn¡¯t be much of a technique but an ability.¡±
¡°An ability?¡±
¡°Why do you think the first technique is Soul sh? You can take the life of anyone who has less will than you. Even if their absolute power is greater than yours, they can¡¯t evade the death of their soul.¡±
Jin couldn¡¯t understand a single word Garmund was spouting. It wasn¡¯t Jin¡¯s problem at the moment, since it wasn¡¯t an area that Temar or half the Fighting Legends couldn¡¯t achieve.
¡°You have to learn how tobine your sword and spiritual energy. And you do that by¡ª¡±
¡°There was one question I couldn¡¯t answer when you asked.¡±
Other than hisments on the swing, Jin forgot to say one more thing.
¡°I¡¯ve seen it. If it weren¡¯t for Shadow Vacuum, I can mimic your action.¡±
¡°Hmm¡ borate.¡±
Garmund no longer got surprised by Jin. He felt that there was nothing wrong with this kid doing amazing things.
Jin summarized his experiences; cutting through Myuron¡¯s hell¡¯s gate and Goltep¡¯s hammer. The beastman apuded.
¡°Yes! It¡¯s exactly that feeling. Spot on. This vermin already felt Shadow de¡¯s first technique while battling. Channeling your will by chanting¡¡±
Garmund pped his hands again.
¡°Alright, I understand now. I¡¯ll show you again.¡±
There was no specific reason for the second demonstration.
In fact, Garmund learned more from his conversation with Jin. This time, he chanted some words as he focused.
¡®I will cut through that. I can cut through.¡¯
He repeatedly chanted those words, just as Jin did.
The ck sword¡¯s crescent swallowed the surroundings as it traveled, and Garmund sessfully left arger mark.
¡°Whoa! This is it!¡±
¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you supposed to teach me? Isn¡¯t this the opposite?¡±
Jin burst intoughter, and Garmund made an awkward smile.
¡°I¡¯m actually more familiar with Glory de than Shadow de¡ Thetter is much more¡ inefficient for me.¡±
He looked satisfied with his own excuse. He used his vocabry very well.
¡°Are you speaking out of your ass? Aren¡¯t you the teacher?¡±
¡°We¡¯re both learning. So shut up and ovee Shadow Vacuum. If you just do that, you¡¯ll quicklyplete the first technique. Then the Fourth Fighting Legend will be here soon.¡±
¡°I feel like I¡¯m being scammed.¡±
¡°It¡¯s just a feeling.¡±
¡°Then show me Glory de.¡±
Jin got more interested in Glory de than Shadow de.
¡°No.¡±
¡°Why not?¡±
¡°You¡¯re not a Brethren.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll tell the others that you learned about Shadow de from me.¡±
¡°You dare threaten me¡? The Eighth Legend, Garmund?!¡±
Garmund screamed and stomped once on the floor.
Crack-crack-crack.
A crevice ripped across the floor instantaneously as the air got dense.
¡®The pressure is definitely thicker than when he used Shadow de.¡¯
However, it was all a bluff. It was akin to children throwing a tantrum when they got busted.
Jin red back, and Garmund shrugged, as if he lost.
¡°Fine. Just once.¡±
¡°Good.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t want to leave with only Shadow de under his belt.
¡ªAfter your training with the Fourth Legend, you will train with normal warriors every day. Before that, make sure to take a good look at Glory de from Garmund.
¡ªCouldn¡¯t you just show me, Tantel?
¡ªIf a Fighting Legend shows you and Goddess Vhan finds out, the cleanup is much easier.
Remembering his conversation the previous night, Jin really wanted to sink his eyes into it. He didn¡¯t think the opportune moment woulde so quickly, though.
¡°Now, I will show you the most basic move¡ª¡±
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
From the other side of the training ground, someone was sprinting from far away, leaving a massive dust cloud behind them. It was Boras, returning after working on the tooth.
¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t show you, haha.¡±
¡°I will take a look.¡±
¡°You and I will no longer have time alone together. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to show you, but it can¡¯t be helped.¡±
¡°How childish.¡±
Boras basically teleported in front of Jin and showed him the small tooth. It was way smaller than when it was removed from his mouth; the perfect size for Jin¡¯s mouth.
And with lightspeed hands, Boras instantly grabbed Jin by the chin again. Jin hung his tongue out.
¡®I should learn agility from this one. Anyway, can I really just take someone else¡¯s tooth like this?¡¯
It felt a little wrong. But without a moment to reject, Boras was already pushing the tooth into his gum.
¡°Hehe, you¡¯ll love it, Apprentice.¡±
Fwoop.
As soon as the mr hit his gum, roots grew from the tooth and nted itself into Jin¡¯s mouth. About to grimace at the pain, Jin realized that the foreign object used mana.
¡®This feels like using a rune page¡!¡¯
Magic was being used from the tooth. And surprisingly, the magic seemed to ¡®transfer memories¡¯.
The techniques of Glory de traveled from the mr and into Jin¡¯s brain.
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata
Chapter 183: Inheriting Shadow Blade (6)
Volume 8 Chapter 183 - Inheriting Shadow de (6)
The Illustrious Legend Tribe didn''t just possess the strength to challenge the gods.
Five thousand years ago, their magical foundations were impressive, even whenpared to that of modern civilization.
¡°We never had a ss of people called magicians, heh. However, anyone who could wield magic worked as a cksmith¡ªjust like me.¡±
Boras puffed his chest, and Jin held in his surprise.
¡®Memory Transfer magic¡!¡¯
He knew that the Histers passed down that magic, and to his knowledge, that magic was exclusive to their n. Not many others could cast it or knew about it.
Even researchers had never dealt with magic that manipted memory.
¡°Huuuh? What? Fifth Brethren, did you put some magic in the tooth?¡±
¡°¡®Tis a secret!¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s up, Jin, but you got a real present right there. Fifth Brethren is the most talented cksmith in our history. We even used to stand in line just to get our equipment touched.¡±
¡°Of course, these are all stories from our prime, hehe.¡±
Not only was he an exceptional cksmith, Boras was also an incredible warrior.
¡°Thank you. I will use it wisely.¡±
¡°I guess there needs to be some reciprocation? Since I gave you my tooth, you must offer me your second achievement.¡±
¡®Why are they so addicted to achievements?¡¯
Jin wanted to ask, but he just nodded instead. Though he didn¡¯t really know what his next task was.
* * *
January 20th, 1797. A month passed since Jin arrived in Lafrarosa.
During that time, he received training from Garmund and Boras. He practiced Soul sh and learnt how to use his body more efficiently from Boras.
Making his body lighter, controlling his power, exerting 120% of his power¡ The techniques taught by Boras were wild and beastly, yet marvelous.
¡°I thought you¡¯d stick with your own beliefs and remain egotistical and stubborn, but you¡¯re doing very well.¡±
¡°You¡¯re just teaching well, Boras.¡±
¡°Hehe, no way. For us Illustrious Legends, auraes from the heart. We channel this aura to different parts of the body to strengthen and lighten them. Imitating me this well is your skill.¡±
These beastmen had a special gem which fueled their power, but Jin did not have such a source.
However, from Jin¡¯s chest, a triangr aura shone, just like a gemstone heart. He had concentrated and formed his own aura heart to imitate the skillful warriors.
It wasn¡¯t an easy feat.
Any talented warrior could create a ''room-like'' gemstone heart.
However, turning that newly formed source into a real gemstone heart was a different issue. No matter how trained a warrior was, learning such a skill was impossible in 10 years, let alone a month.
¡®If it weren¡¯t for that new mr, it would¡¯ve been even harder.¡¯
Jin could master the aura techniques thanks to Boras''s imnt. He could advance his skills ahead of time thanks to those memories.
Boras knew of this fact, but he was still impressed.
¡°You¡¯re more fun to teach than Temar, hehe. The fourth Legend Brethren wille this afternoon. She will teach you the second technique of Shadow de.¡±
¡°Hm? The fourth legend ising this afternoon? Why was I not told?¡±
¡°It¡¯s because we decided this morning, eighth brethren. I specifically requested it. We previously nned this for when he overcame the Shadow Vacuum, but seeing this kid¡¯s progress, now won¡¯t be a bad time.¡±
At those words, Garmund grinned.
¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know how you feel? You just want to eat this kid¡¯s achievement as soon as you can!¡±
Boras looked away and opened his little bundle. For lunch, the three of them sat and ate traditional cookies together.
¡®Kakto¡¯ had no taste. However, just like the water that Valeria gave him in the Great Desert, it helped him recover quickly.
¡°May I pack some of these when I return¡±
¡°If the battle goddess allows.¡±
Nom, nom, nom.
Finishing off thest of the cookies, he trained Soul sh for two hours, and the fourth legend entered the training grounds.
A woman with a massive, colossal sword on her back.
¡®The one who never reveals emotions.¡¯
Garmund was easy to deal with, and Boras was already in favor of Jin. He could easily get close to them, but not all of the legends would be like that.
¡°Hello, I¡¯m Jin Runcandel.¡±
Jin approached and greeted her. She did not speak and just nodded.
¡®Does she not like me? I can¡¯t read her expression at all.¡¯
Jin thought of greeting her once more, but Boras pped his hands as if he just remembered something.
¡°Oh, Yeah! The fourth legend can¡¯t speak.¡±
A speaking disability.
Jin interpreted it like that, but Garmund added on.
¡°She¡¯s doing silence training. It¡¯s been a while. Ever since Lafrarosa¡¯s time stopped¡¡±
She nodded.
¡®Silence training? Why do such a thing?¡¯
He had heard of Vanke¡¯s saints doing such training, but he had never heard of warriors doing it.
¡®Besides, if she doesn¡¯t talk, how will shemunicate?¡¯
While the number of questions were growing, the fourth legend drew her sword.
And with ludicrous speed, she wrote words on the ground.
(Rinpa)
That was her name.
¡°Rinpa, nice to meet you.¡±
¡°Uh, fourth brethren, this is thenguage of the maind.¡±
Rinpa hadn''t written in her ownnguage. Garmund and Boras looked very surprised.
¡°Hahaha! I knew something was up when you stayed in your room all day. You learned a newnguage for our new- Urk!¡±
The colossal sword cut off his words. Rinpa poked him to make him shut his mouth
The warning poke was a hefty stab. Garmund barely parried the sword and flew towards the sky. As she prepared for another attack, Boras stopped her.
¡°Are you really thinking of splitting brother Garmund in half?¡±
Nod, nod.
¡°C¡¯mon, don¡¯t do such things in front of the kid. Garmund¡¯s mouth bbers every day.¡±
Nod, nod.
Rinpa lowered her sword and Garmund sighed in relief. An easy way to see the hierarchy amongst their strengths. It also served to demonstrate Boras¡¯s authority.
Jin found it awkward.
¡®Like, is there anything to be embarrassed about? Damn, I might¡¯ve tried to kill him too.¡¯
Thankfully, Jin dealt with these kinds of people all the time.
To Jin, Rinpa was simr to Yona.
¡®I should treat her like I treat Yona. That might be the most effective method.¡¯
* * *
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata/eternal
* * *
And as expected, Rinpa¡¯s personality was very simr to Yona¡¯s.
That wasn¡¯t particrly good though. Their personalities were just simr, not the same.
Subsequently, no particr interaction urred between Jin and Rinpa. She treated Jin like a glorified ything.
Just like when Jin arrived in Sail.
Rinpa constantly toyed with Jin.
Going intoplete silence after showing the second technique or hitting Jin with her sword when he''s practicing Soul sh, as if trying to convey that something was wrong.
¡°Keup!¡±
If it weren¡¯t for Mind¡¯s Eye, the sword would¡¯vended on his head five times.
Everytime he parried the attack, he felt his entire body fall apart. Looking at him, Rinpa beamed with satisfaction.
He had no idea if she was proud of her strike or the manner he blocked it in.
Jin, however, did not retaliate. ¡®Why are you doing this, what do you want, why do you attack¡¡¯
¡®For people like Sister Yona, I have to y the waiting game. Wait for them to approach me first.¡¯
Garmund and Boras found Jin¡¯s behavior rather strange. They remembered when Temar first met Rinpa, which led to absolute chaos.
Jin finally received the fruits of hisbor after ten days.
Kachzk! Kachzk! Shk!
After the first day, Rinpa wrote on the ground again.
(Why do you not ask the name of the second technique? I''ve shown it to you many times.)
Jin grinned.
¡®Of course!¡¯
Jin immediately wiped his grin and met Rinpa¡¯s eyes.
¡°I wasn¡¯t too curious.¡±
(Why?)
¡°Besides that, can you even consider this as silence training?¡±
Rinpa¡¯s eyes widened.
¡°In my opinion, silence is not only theck of speech. It also impliespletely severingmunication with others.¡±
¡°Oh, I think Jin got it spot on?¡±
¡°That sounds about right.¡±
Garmund and Boras turned and looked at Rinpa.
Rinpa stood there, listless, repeating Jin¡¯s statement in her head.
And finally, the icing on the cake.
¡°You ask me why I don¡¯t want to know the second technique¡¯s name? I do not want to learn from someone who unts the name. So I didn''t bother asking. If you want to teach me, please show me something amazing, like Garmund and Boras did.¡±
¡°Oh.¡±
¡°Uhh¡¡±
Garmund and Boras sighed.
They didn¡¯t think Jin would push Rinpa to a corner like this. Even the battle goddess wouldn¡¯t dare question her like this.
When Jin turned to practice once more.
¡°It¡¯s not¡ that.¡±
For the first time in five thousand years, Rinpa spoke. Well¡ for her and the tribe, she had opened her mouth for the first time in twenty years.
Garmund and Boras lost their marbles.
¡°B-Brethren, your silence¡!¡±
¡°Brethren Rinpa! Are you already¡ª?!¡±
The two stuck right next to Rinpa, but she just ignored them. Rinpa looked into Jin¡¯s eyes and spoke,
¡°I show you¡ something incredible.¡±
They were stupid.
Jin swallowed hisughter. He knew that he couldplete Rinpa¡¯s training in a cinch.
Chapter 184: Inheriting Shadow Blade (7)
Volume 8 Chapter 184 - Inheriting Shadow de (7)
Swoosh!
Fwip¡!
Rinpa¡¯s colossal sword swiftly cut through the air, splitting through space like butter. Coated with spiritual energy, it looked like a massive ck pole being swung around.
Left, right, down, up. Particles of energy sparked everywhere after each swing.
It looked very shy and cool, but it seemed like normal swinging to Jin. However, with a little more focus, he was able to see it. There were two swords that shing through the air.
The sparks had been concealing the other de. In fact, he never saw the second sword in the first ce.
¡®Whenever she swings, a mirror image of the sword appears on the opposite trajectory¡¡¯
When she swung to the left, a shadow image would appear to the right. The same urred in the other direction.
As long as the sword was moving, there was a shadow of it moving in the opposite direction. At any particr moment, two swords cut through the air.
¡®Is this really the second technique? She was just showing a sword covered in spirit energy.¡¯
The swords dance quickened.
Sweat gathered on her forehead, and the colossal sword drew more trajectories per second. Jin mindlessly watched her swing away at the air.
He had never thought of wielding two swords while holding only one. Rinpa was demonstrating what a dual-wielder could do with one sword.
Thump¡!
Finishing her sword dance, she dropped the sword on the ground. Garmund and Boras began to p, and so did Jin.
She deserved it.
¡°How was that?¡±
¡°That was amazing. You never did this before.¡±
Did you want me to pay attention first?
Jin almost spoke those words, which probably would¡¯ve ended his career.
¡°Your silence¡ is it alright, Rinpa?¡±
Garmund and Boras couldn¡¯t believe that Rinpa terminated her training just for a child.
¡°It is alright. No need to be so worked up.¡±
¡°We must tell the others!¡±
¡°Yeah, she canmunicate with us and the apprentice. She couldn¡¯t even talk to Temar back then¡!¡±
The two legends sprinted away to announce the news. Jin and Rinpa were alone in the training grounds now. Jin gave an awkward smile.
¡°Shear.¡±
¡°Pardon?¡±
¡°That¡¯s the name of the second technique, apprentice.¡±
¡°A fitting name. The second de image makes the de work analogous to a pair of scissors.¡±
¡°Can you mimic?¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t it something that I can''t just imitate and perform? And this sword is a problem too.¡±
Jin pointed to Shadow Vacuum on his hip.
The sword continued to drain all of Jin¡¯s spiritual energy.
¡°Shadow Vacuum is like a sheath. When you draw your sword, draw out the spirit energy from the sword along with it.¡±
¡°Yes, I have been feeling that recently. It doesn¡¯t just eat up my spiritual energy, instead it gathers it in a pool.¡±
Jin shrugged.
¡°So, why were you not talking for so long?¡±
¡°No one listened.¡±
¡°To what?¡±
¡°That we shouldn¡¯t challenge gods. I believe that it was the right punishment for not being able to prevent such a fate from befalling them. A damnation, rather than training.
Rinpa believed that her tribe¡¯s extinction was her fault. Jin sympathized with her, but he didn¡¯t verbally console her.
It probably wasn¡¯t what she wanted to hear.
¡°I finished my punishment thanks to you. Very easily, on top of that. I am finally able to speak for the first time since twenty years, so I will now tell you everything I know.¡±
The moment she began to exin the second technique, Garmund and Boras returned, along with a dozen others.
¡°I guess we will continue tomorrow, Jin Runcandel.¡±
¡°Rinpa!¡±
¡°Fourth legend! It¡¯s finally over!¡±
Some of them questioned Jin on how he did it which caused Jin to look away. The others didn¡¯t seem to not know why she had been silent.
Jin tried to slip away, but Boras grabbed him.
¡°I will now consume your second achievement.¡±
¡°But I haven¡¯t done anything.¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t you open Rinpa¡¯s mouth? Hehe, this air must be inhaled by me.¡±
Boras took deep breaths as if he were going to dive underwater. Jin burst intoughter. He looked like a dog trying to eat the falling snow.
He could never know what these beastmen were. He sometimes doubted if these beastmen ruled the world 5000 years ago.
* * *
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C yukitokata/eternal
It was a shame that Rinpa had been mute. Her exnations were immacte.
Thanks to her, Jin learned how to ovee the cursed sword and use Shadow de¡¯s second technique. In just two weeks, he finished his training.
Of course, he just learned how to do it, but didn¡¯t really master it. However, since he knew how to do it, mastering the skill through practice was only a matter of time.
February 1797, Vhan visited him personally and took the Shadow Vacuum. She thought that it was enough.
¡°You¡¯re doing well.¡±
She spoke those words, but she was actually slowly erasing Temar¡¯s shadow off of Jin.
Of course, Jin couldn''t make that out from her curtments.
Subsequently, Tantel returned Bradamante.
¡°I thought I couldn¡¯t use this since it supported my spiritual energy?¡±
¡°You must use it starting today. I told you that sparring would begin once youpleted your training.¡±
Jin had been waiting for this moment.
¡®I wanted to go head-to-head with one of these guys when I first came to Lafrarosa.¡¯
The legends and goddess were out of his reach. He knew that without having to cross swords a single time.
¡®The legends are at least 9-stars, maybe even 10.¡¯
And the goddess could not even be evaluated. She was on the same level as Temar, or even Cyron.
¡®But I have no idea about the other warriors.¡¯
Probably beyond the average white wolf or orange tiger tribes.
¡°The first legend will select your first opponent. Honestly, I think it''s a bit too early¡¡±
¡°You speak like I¡¯m guaranteed to lose.¡±
Tantel nodded.
¡°Certainly. A seventeen year old baby fighting an Illustrious Legend warrior. It would never happen back in the day. And the first legend does not like you.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Hahaha! Isn¡¯t it the obvious reaction since you acted arrogant at first?" Only the fourth, fifth, and eighth looked away.
Tantel¡¯sughter immediately disappeared. He looked straight into Jin¡¯s eyes.
¡°Instead, if you perform well, you can instantly change the public''s opinion of you through the first legend. I¡¯m rooting for you. Good luck. I¡¯m sure you''ve already noted my advice.¡±
He had experienced the Jllustrious deworks. Although he didn¡¯t see it in person, he had it in his memory.
Vhan and Tantel left the training ground, and Garmund shook his head.
¡°Hm, you¡¯re definitely strong enough. No, you''re beyond strong. I can¡¯t even believe you''re a human. So don¡¯t be too downed, kiddo.¡±
¡°Tantel spoke as if I¡¯d lose, and you speak like I already lost. I''ve never lost my determination though.¡±
Boras and Rinpa looked at Jin with the same thought.
¡°Hoho, I¡¯m a little worried. I think you''re the type who¡¯d be scarred from one failure.¡±
¡°Same here. Those who have an endless uphill climb tend to work like that.¡±
A lot of worry in their faces.
¡°But Jin, you must also learn how to stand up from failure.¡±
¡°Affirmative. Failure is the keyponent for growth within a warrior. Outside, Temar never lost a single time, but he had an insane loss streak in Lafrarosa.¡±
An interesting piece of news.
¡°Garmund, how strong was Temar during his first spar?¡±
¡°Stronger than you. Maybe one or two steps ahead.¡±
¡°I see. One or two steps¡¡±
¡°And yet he didn¡¯t beat a single warrior.¡±
¡°Do you see why we¡¯re worried? After his first battle, Temar quit eating. We¡¯re thinking you might have some simr characteristics as him.¡±
Garmund, Boras, and Rinpa werepletely misunderstanding.
¡®One loss isn¡¯t anything. I don¡¯t know why they¡¯re so worried. I lost over a hundred times fighting Lady Alisa.¡¯
Contrast to Temar, Jin was used to countless failures prior to Lafrarosa.
And attaining sess at the end as well.
* * *
The first legend selected a warrior named Shaku. He was long-sword user deemed as Shaku of lightning.
All 77 beastmen came to watch the battle.
The others had the same expectations as Garmund, Boras, and Rinpa. They wondered how many swings it would take to defeat Jin.
About 30 of them chose ¡®within 10¡¯ while the others selected smaller numbers.
The only ones who thought different was Vhan and Jin.
¡°Inheritor! Are you ready?¡±
Shaku spoke in a booming voice as his gemstone heart gleamed.
Shing
He swiftly drew his sword.
The sword reflected the gemstone¡¯s light in all directions.
¡°I wish for you toe at me with the intent to kill.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°It¡¯s just a spar, so I get rusty when I¡¯m not on the edge.¡±
¡°Whatever. I tolerate your little tricks. However, this time, it''s too far. The worst thing on this are humans who don¡¯t know their ce. It¡¯s disgusting.¡±
Jin grinned.
¡°You¡¯ll learn some other things today.¡±
From Jin¡¯s chest, a triangr light burned brightly. Almost identical to the one on Shaku¡¯s chest.
The aura from the light spread to Bradamante. Murderous intent from Shaku¡¯s eyes fell onto Jin. He instinctively felt repulsed that a human was using Illustrious deworks.
¡°Illustrious deworks¡?! No way, did the legend teach you?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t know about that. But it¡¯s nice, your deworks.¡±
Jin made the first move.
Chapter 185: Transfusion, Brethren (1)
Volume 8 Chapter 185 - Transfusion, Brethren (1)
Pzzzzzt!
Aura poured out of Bradamante. The triangr heart on Jin¡¯s chest gleamed like the eyes of a beast in the dead of the night. Shaku looked very startled.
He never expected Jin to use Illustrious deworks. He was expecting Shadow de or just a normal sword skill.
¡®Which brethren told him this..!? No, rather than that, it isn¡¯t something that he can learn even when taught!¡¯
Illustrious deworks was a skill that was made for the Illustrious Legends. It required the aura from the ¡®Heart of Light.¡¯ Skills for swords, spears, bows and martial arts¡ªeverything was included.
The heart of light was vital to execute such techniques.
For thousands of years, many humans and beastmen tried to mimic the heart of light. However, they could only mimic the form, not its unique capability to utilise aura.
Although the sword swinging towards Shaku¡¯s head was that of a human, it was no different from a beastman¡¯s.
Pzzzzzt!
Lightning flowed from Shaku¡¯s sword as well. He copied what Jin did. The two lightning bolts met, causing an explosion.
Gasps could be heard from the crowd.
¡°You!"
Shaku didn¡¯t feel great about blocking Jin¡¯s attack with the same attack.
Although he was the apprentice, he was a runt who hadn¡¯t been epted yet. It didn¡¯t make sense for him to use Illustrious deworks.
¡°Who taught you this?¡±
¡°Tantel?¡±
¡°Feels weird. I have never thought of a human using it¡¡±
Even Temar, who was epted as a brethren, couldn¡¯t master the Illustrious deworks. No one really shared or borated the exact properties and memories regarding it.
¡®I feel weird as well. Not gonna lie, I like this better than Shadow de.¡¯
Shadow de was a very meticulous and quiet skill.
On the other hand, Illustrious dworks had shy explosive and destructive attacks. Of the conquerors, for the conquerors, by the conquerors¡ªRuncandel-style.
¡°Fifth brethren!¡±
Shaku used his immense strength to deflect and fling Jin across the field. Then he sought for Boras.
¡°What is it, Shaku?¡±
Boras tried to look surprised as well. He tried to hide every other emotion possible.
¡°The fifth brethren¡¯s Special Attachment Magic probably still works!¡±
The crowd murmured at those words.
¡°Well¡ obviously.¡±
¡°Then that means that it won¡¯t matter if I rip all of his limbs off.¡±
Boras couldn¡¯t answer, and the first battle legend ¡®Valtirok¡¯ red at him.
¡°Why can¡¯t you answer, fifth brethren? Does that mean you taught him Illustrious de?¡±
¡°No!¡±
Boras panicked on the spot. As if he were saying, ¡®it wasn¡¯t me, it was the tooth.¡¯
¡°Then answer Shaku. He''s requesting permission.¡±
Boras paused, and Jin nodded.
¡°Let him, Boras. Even if he cuts off my limbs, you can just stick it back on with your special attachments or whatever. It seems like it¡¯s some healing skill to help with severed limbs.¡±
¡°But¡ Special Attachments magic is notplete recovery. If I make the smallest mistake, you might never feel that limb again.¡±
¡°It¡¯s alright. It was my idea for him to push me to the brink of death, so I¡¯ll face the consequences.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t say those words just to provoke Shaku.
He was constantly treading the border between life and death, even while training. This ce, Lafrarosa, was not an exception.
¡®During thepass interception mission, who knows what kinds of monsters from Kinzelo and Zipfel I will face? I have to learn as much as possible in Lafrarosa before leaving. I won''t spare my body a single bit.¡¯
Shaku made a murderous smile.
¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes, Boras!¡±
At first nce, it seemed like the decision depended on the consensus between Shaku, Boras, and Valtirok.
But in reality, Vhan held all authority. Even with the conversation proceeding as follows, seeing Vhan make no retaliation meant that anything could happen.
While Garmund, Rinpa, and Boras felt their insides burning and churning, Vhan looked down onto Jin with a strange look in her eyes.
¡°Let us restart, apprentice. I¡¯ll make you pay for using our sacred arts¡!¡±
Shaku then let out a shout.
Even though it was a simple roar, Jin felt like a hammer was pounding his head. If he didn¡¯t protect his body with aura, he would¡¯ve received fatal damage from the shockwave.
¡®The white wolf tribe is just a barkpared to this. This is almost like a dragon¡¯s roar.¡¯
Now, the battle felt something more than just a spar. Jin felt his mouth dry.
Crackle-crackle!
Lightning wrapped around Shaku. The air suddenly became heavy, and it felt like the gravity got stronger. Jin gathered some mana.
¡®It¡¯s great that I can go all out without having to hold back.¡¯
Compared to his depleted aura, Jin had sufficient mana. He decided to summon Tess.
¡®The blue me¡ can''t ignite!¡¯
He realized that he wasn¡¯t in the normal world.
Phoenixes of the fire dimension could note to Lafrarosa. It was already a ¡®dead universe.¡¯
¡®What are you preparing, apprentice?¡±
Five streaks of lightning bolts headed for Jin. It was simr to the Runcandel¡¯s third Decisive Killing Move, Meteor Shower. This was actually one of the basic skills.
Containing the aura from the heart of light, lightning smited after every swing. Jin couldn¡¯t gather aura properly, so receiving the impact was not very enjoyable.
Boom!
He swiftly dodged each attack and prepared a new spell.
¡®I need an opportunity to use Shadow de¡¯s first technique.¡¯
Without Tess, the only way was closebat. Shaku excelled in speed, strength, stamina, and every other physical aspect.
Jin¡¯s blessed body hadn¡¯t awoken fully yet while Shaku was a fully developed Illustrious Legend.
¡®And there were thousands of them before they went extinct.¡¯
He had to finish it in one strike. The only way for David to defeat Goliath was one critical strike.
However, prating the 7-star crackling lightning aura was impossible. Even if he saw a gap and swung at it, the gap wouldn¡¯t be exposed the next moment.
His sword would bounce off due to the repulsion from the lightning, just like the Hairan¡¯s secret technique, Dragon de Armor.
Unlike Dragon de Armor, there was no counterattack, but Shaku¡¯s deft hands kept Jin busy.
The form of the aura changed. Seeing that Jin had been running around the battlefield, he changed strategies.
Shiiiiiiing!
A new aura was produced by the heart of light and seeped into the sword. Now, every time Jin¡¯s sword met Shaku¡¯s, he felt a pulling sensation.
It was simr to dozens of hands trying to resist his motion. Due to this, he had to use three times as much aura to move around.
Which meant that his stamina would decrease thrice as fast, so dodging was no longer an option.
¡®Is it the suppression technique¡?!¡¯
A skill he remembered from the mr.
Illustrious deworks, suppression.
Which basically turned the sword into a big ma.
There was a reason why their entire tribe was remembered as a legendary tribe.
¡°Gotcha!¡±
Shaku caught Jin¡¯s cor. The two swords stuck together as if they were mas. Jin flung his fists towards Shaku¡¯s fists.
Many punches were exchanged and Jin felt like his hands were breaking instead of his target¡¯s. Shakuughed, continuing to receive Jin¡¯s blows.
¡°So, is it my turn yet?¡±
A fist bigger than his head flew towards him. Lightning flowed throughout the fists as well.
He quickly activated Myulta''s rune. If not for it, his face would¡¯ve beenpletely disfigured. Shaku looked surprised.
¡°The hell is this?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a secret helm, dumbass.¡±
¡°Alright, but you¡¯re going to regret it.¡±
Next, Shaku went for Jin¡¯s chest.
And instead of guarding with his arm, he took the opportunity to target Shaku''s eyes.
Jin charged towards Shaku¡¯s right eye with his index finger coated with shadow energy.
¡®Got it!¡¯
He didn¡¯t know if Shaku¡¯s injury could be cured by Special Attachments.
But if he didn¡¯t go for it, then he would lose. Thankfully, he felt like the finger was going to hit.
And it did.
At the same time, Shaku¡¯s fist met Jin¡¯s chest. Boom! He felt like his entire body was broken, shattered into pieces. If he didn¡¯t have the ck Light Cuirass, then he would¡¯ve bitten the dust. It was all thanks to Cyron that he could make this attack without worrying about any other consequences.
¡°Keherk!¡±
But the armor didn¡¯t absorb all of the impact.
Facing the ground, Jin vomited blood. He regretted making this decision.
¡®Shit, what kind of guy has¡ eyes this strong!¡¯
His finger broke.
And it wasn¡¯t due to the aura around his body. Jin was certain that he hit Shaku¡¯s eye ball.
But Shaku¡¯s eyes looked fine, while Jin¡¯s index finger wasid.
¡°Ah, our eyes are as hard as our hearts. It seems that you didn¡¯t know. We weren¡¯t the best for nothing.¡±
Thump!
Shaku threw another massive punch on Jin¡¯s chest. Crack. His ribs cracked one by one from the impact.
He quickly lost consciousness.
¡°I¡¯ll cut your limbs as promised. I hope to see a less cocky battle, apprentice!¡±
* * *
Chapter 186: Transfusion, Brethren (2)
Volume 8 Chapter 186 - Transfusion, Brethren (2)
¡®Where am I?¡¯
Jin was surrounded by walls on all four sides, and the ceiling was right in front of his face.
He couldn¡¯t feel his limbs. His thighs, especially, felt like they were burning from the inside out.
¡®I guess Shaku cut my legs off. He wasn¡¯t lying about severing my limbs. Did Boras stick them back on?¡¯
Severance injuries were an area that even the best healers could not deal with. However, Jin decided not topare this tribe to entities in the normal world.
They were not only strong, but they had insanely advanced skills and technology,parable to the modern age.
The modern world would never understand this tribe. The average warrior, Shaku, is beyond the best guardian knight in Runcandel.
Even considering ck knights¡
These beastmen would¡¯ve ruled the world before their extinction. Imagining this sight, Jin shuddered.
¡®Maybe the gods exterminated this tribe because they got out of control.¡¯
In another moment, Vahn spoke once more.
¡°Is it not possible? Boras?¡±
¡°Of course, I can do it. However, I don¡¯t understand why you want to offer your blood to Jin immediately. Do you want to test him?¡±
¡°Didn''t you give him your mr when you met him?
Along with the memories, too.¡±
Boras paused.
¡°That¡¯s a different matter. Can this kid even retain your blood? If anything goes wrong, he¡¯ll instantly die. That¡¯s why Temar refused it in the first ce.¡±
¡°Temar and he are different.¡±
¡°Yes. I agree. I do like Jin a little more, but the others only remember Temar because he was super strong. Do you think Jin is stronger than Temar?¡±
¡°No, he¡¯scking. But only for now.¡±
Jin could only listen. His voice didn¡¯t evene out, nor could he even move his limbs. He had no way tomunicate.
''
¡°Then why would you¡¡±
¡°After all his development, Temar became a human that even I couldn¡¯t handle. However, what happened after that? He faced the same fate as the others who disappeared from our tribe.¡±
¡°Mmm.¡±
¡°If this child faces the same destiny, what do we have left?¡±
¡°We will need to wait for the next apprentice.¡±
¡°After Temar, one thousand years passed. Unlike Solderet¡¯s prophecies five thousand years ago, only one apprentice came.¡±
¡°...are you saying Jin might be thest apprentice to evere.¡±
¡°Yes. Above all, I don¡¯t hear Solderet¡¯s voice from this child at all. Something must¡¯ve happened to the god of shadows. This child¡¯s death might cause our world to fall apart.¡±
Boras sighed.
¡°It seems you want to give Jin everything we have. But this is a huge gamble. If it is as you said and if Jin can¡¯t handle the blood, everything is over.¡±
¡°Seeing the battle with Shaku, I don¡¯t think that¡¯d happen. If the worst happens, then maybe he wasn¡¯t meant to be.¡±
¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen you so desperate.¡±
¡°I would call it anticipation rather than desperation.¡±
¡°Well, whatever. If you say so, then I don¡¯t have any rebuttal. I will begin the transfusion. Let¡¯s pray that Jin can retain the blood.¡±
A momentter, the little chamber was filled with Vahn¡¯s blood.
Jin closed his eyes and weed the blood.
* * *
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C Eternal
* * *
Thank goodness he drank the thousand poison antidote.
Jin¡¯s body sensed Vahn¡¯s blood as an ¡®external poison,¡¯ so over the course of a month, he developed a resistance to such an external concoction.
As a result, the blood¡¯s negative effect disappeared, and only the divinity filled his body.
''
As soon as he woke up, he felt it. If it weren¡¯t for the antidote, he wouldn¡¯t have woken up for an entire year, or he wouldn''t have woken up at all.
He saw Vahn when he opened his eyes. While Jiny in the chamber, she never moved a single step.
¡°Wee back, apprentice.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know what to say. Boras offered his mr, and this time it¡¯s blood. Without my permission as well.¡±
¡°Did you want to decline?¡±
¡°Did I ever have such jurisdiction? You knew that I was awake when you had the conversation with Boras?¡±
¡°If you feel disrespected, then I apologize.¡±
¡°That is not my point. Well, I guess it¡¯s like making a contract with another god. You¡¯re the goddess of battle.¡±
¡°Very peculiar. I thought you¡¯d try to argue with me.¡±
¡°If you were my enemy, then I would have. I had no mind to argue with you in the first ce. I have no time to do so. I must return before May.¡±
Jin knew that a month had passed. While the antidote did its work, he had been conscious.
It was March 16th, 1797. Jin only had two more months nned in Lafrarosa. He had to return before June 1st, the date of the Compass Interception Operation.
¡°How¡¯s your body?¡±
¡°Very good. I feel light and powerful. Though, it feels weird that I have a heart of light on my chest.¡±
Jin pointed to his chest.
Not a heart made from aura, but a real heart formed from Vahn¡¯s blood. It glimmered in the light.
It was the size of Jin¡¯s fist, but the aura inside was not small.
¡°Just because I have this probably doesn¡¯t mean I am one of the brethren. I¡¯m sure the retaliation from Shaku and the others might be worse.¡±
On the other hand, Garmund, Boras, Rinpa, and Beliz would appreciate it very much.
¡°Probably.¡±
¡°Did you think that I couldn¡¯t change their minds without your help?¡±
Jin met Vahn¡¯s eyes.
''
If he heard a confirmation or a tant lie, he would break the heart without remorse.
¡°If I say no, will you break the heart? Since it isn¡¯t strength you acquired yourself?¡±
Vahn read him like a book.
And as always, Jin formted a ponderous answer.
¡°Exactly so. However, this heart is something I acquired myself. Though it wasn¡¯t something I wanted immediately, if I didn¡¯t meet your expectations, then you would¡¯ve never offered the transfusion in the first ce. I merely take this as a process of inheritance.¡±
¡°So why do you want to break it?¡±
¡°I can do whatever I want with anything that I acquired. If it was a power that you wanted to share, then I would not even think of breaking it. I would never destroy something that isn¡¯t mine.¡±
Vahn smiled.
¡°You would¡¯ve gotten epted by the others well enough without my blood.¡±
¡°Then I will use it well.¡±
Jin wore the robes kept beside his chamber.
ng! ng! While he absorbed the blood, he kept hearing some hammering from Boras¡¯s smithery.
¡°I will be practicing the second technique of shadowde. Do I spar with Shaku in the afternoon?¡±
¡°The seventh legend will also be in the training area. Beliz will teach you the third technique.¡±
¡°I love the tight schedule. I hope to see you in the afternoon.¡±
* * *
Training in the morning and sparring in the afternoon.
And just like that, 49 days passed. Jin had 49 losses against Shaku, and every time he lost, he got a limb severed. Boras pped it back on every day.
The Illustrious Legends were unstoppable.
If gaining the heart of light would instantly close the gap, every warrior in the world would seek such a heart.
However, every time Jin lost, he got a better taste and feeling of how strong these monsters were.
At first, he thought that Shaku was very strong, but after 10 battles, Jinpared Shaku to Luna.
After 20 battles, he doubted hisparison with Luna, and after thirty times, he scrapped hisparisonpletely.
''
After 40, he felt certain that he could sever one of Shaku¡¯s arms.
Just from the way he viewed his opponent, Jin knew he was growing at an insane rate. If Luna was a far mountain, Shaku was the first hill that started to reveal its peak.
¡°Why the long face, Shaku. Are you bored of me?¡±
Jin enjoyed each battle, while Shaku got more and more hesitant to fight aggressively.
Even the first legend, Valtirok, who always looked at Jin without any emotion, no longer viewed him with contempt.
They didn¡¯t want to admit it, but even Shaku, and even Valtirok cherished Jin.
He wasn¡¯t arrogant ever since the battle goddess epted him, he didn¡¯t hate anyone even though his limbs were being chopped off and he never gave up through countless defeats.
In fact, since the others had been caring about Jin ever since, they felt that beating him to a pulp was not ideal.
¡°Not¡ that, but I feel like you¡¯ve grown on me. Cutting you has be very awkward.¡±
Yeah, just like when Temar was here.
He didn¡¯t speak those words in front of the crowd. At some point, no one mentioned Temar to Jin.
¡°I said that I won¡¯t be trained well with such a hesitant mindset. Let¡¯s do it right.¡±
¡°Alright.¡±
¡°Wait. Vahn!¡±
Someone sought Vahn.
It was Tantel.
¡°What is it? Tantel?¡±
¡°Jin Runcandel must leave Lafrarosa soon. It also seems that Shaku and the first legend epted Jin.¡±
¡°Continue.¡±
¡°I think we should ept him as our brethren and give him an opportunity to sh swords with the others. Shaku has taken up too much time.¡±
¡°I agree! The brethren who cared for him could only watch this entire time. Please give us a chance as well.¡±
Shaku nodded first.
¡°I feel like that as well. I wish to see others spar with Jin.¡±
Even Shaku tried to convince Vahn, so she nodded.
¡°Understood. Then if all of the brethren ept it, we shall proceed with the general opinion.¡±
Chapter 187: Transfusion, Brethren (3)
Volume 8 Chapter 187 - Transfusion, Brethren (3)
[Trantor - jhei]
[Proofreader - eternal]
Valtirok, who initially rejected Jin, and the others who hadn''t fought Jin, came to a consensus.
¡®I wasn¡¯t anticipating this¡¡¯
The time had been too short. He arrived at the end of Decemberst year, which meant that had been in Lafrarosa for only 5 months.
Initially, he thought that getting acknowledged by all of the beastmen would be a grand challenge since not all of them had nice personalities like Garmund, Boras, Rinpa, or Beliz.
Therefore, he nned oning back to Lafrarosa another time. Eitherway, he felt that mastering shadowde would require one or two more visits.
¡®I feel like this is too easy.¡¯
The others, however, thought differently.
They found out about Jin helping Boras gain a deeper understanding of shadowde¡¯s first technique, receiving Boras¡¯s mr, and ending Rinpa¡¯s mute training.
Just from that, all of the other legends thought of Jin as a ¡®funny peculiar fellow.¡¯ Their opinion continued to get better as they watched him in the battles with Shaku. They saw a talented young man with undeniable tenacity.
Constantly repeating days of defeat and loss of limbs wasn¡¯t an easy feat. Jin often shook these events off, remembering days from his past life.
¡®Well, I guess there¡¯s nothing bad about that. I¡¯m missing out on cutting off Shaku¡¯s leg, though.¡¯
The legends concluded their vote, and the other warriors shouted in agreement.
However, it didn¡¯t look like they were agreeing just because of the authority. It wasn¡¯t because they had to side with the majority either.
No such hierarchy existed amongst the beastmen. There was no punishment norpelling reason to be dependent on others. Every member was independent.
Even if there were any disagreements, no one would bat an eye.
The battle goddess requested ¡®unanimous consensus¡¯ because of this.
As the final member, Shaku raised his voice.
¡°I have cut Jin¡¯s limbs 49 times. However, now that he is our brethren, there will be no such harm.¡±
¡°What in the world¡ don¡¯t I even get a chance for revenge?¡±
¡°A disrespectful one indeed. The kings of light do not calcte vengeance. Just remember this, brother Jin.¡±
Shaku smiled and walked away. The battle goddess nodded.
¡°Since everyone agrees upon the verdict, Jin Runcandel is now one of us. Proceeding with Tantel¡¯s proposal. Brethren, select your order to fight Jin.¡±
Immediately, the 12 legends began to argue on the order.
Let me go first. You should go first. Like children standing in line.
¡°I first brought him here, so I should be first! Don¡¯t you think so?¡±
¡°Nope. Tantel brought him first and you shed swords once. Therefore, you should gost.¡±
¡°My brethren, we should just choose by rock-paper-scissors.¡±
It was also like this when they were deciding who should bathe Jin. It felt like a crowd of dogs barking at each other.
¡®They¡¯re a funny bunch.¡¯
Jin felt nothing after being epted by them.
They never really interacted with Jin, nor made an important connection with him in the first ce.
The seventh legend, Beliz approached him.
¡°Even though we never hung out, or shareblood, even though we look different or have different objectives¡¡±
Jin looked up to Beliz.
¡°Once you be a brethren, they will continue to treat you like they used to. That is the way of our tribe.¡±
¡°How is that possible, Beliz?¡±
¡°If your tribe understood that 5000 years ago, we would¡¯ve killed much less of your kind.¡±
He felt like he was being struck on the head.
The illustrious legends were not idiots, but just a tribe that Jin couldn¡¯t understand.
¡°If you think about it, there¡¯s nothing weird, my brother. We know that you became one of us after you absorbed our blood, and none of us think it¡¯s weird at all. Technically speaking, your existence in this realm basically made your merging with our tribe inevitable.¡±
¡°It¡¯s strange. So you¡¯re saying that I feel a new connection with the others since I received some measly formal deration. I feel very indifferent about that.¡±
¡°When the river mixes with the sea, what happens? Does the seawater reject and segregate from the river water?¡±
¡°I thought you were a strong energetic woman at first, but now you speak like a philosopher. I¡¯m impressed, Beliz.¡±
The argument stopped.
The 64 warriors divided up and yed in a tournament style, and surprisingly, Shaku came in first.
¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you supposed to not be here?¡±
¡°I thought you returned to your lodging. You¡¯re going to fight him again?¡±
All kinds of disapproval sprouted from the crowd, but they couldn¡¯t argue against the winner of the ultimate decider known as rock-paper-scissors.
Receiving all kinds ofints, he walked up to Jin.
¡°Of course I deserve another chance. You ripped my body apart 49 times. That¡¯s the first time that happened. Today I will definitely¡¡±
Thump!
Beliz¡¯s huge hand pressed onto Jin¡¯s shoulder. The strength was immense. Jin couldn¡¯t shake her hand off.
¡°It is no longer a fight between brethren and apprentice, but it is between brethren and brethren. Do not forget that, Jin.¡±
¡°You look like you would disintegrate my shoulder bones if I don¡¯t nod.¡±
Jin expected Beliz to be the strongest amongst the legends.
¡°Injuring the opponent without using the de is fine. The most important part is to remove all intentions of killing.¡±
¡°Now that¡¯s something I¡¯d like to hear. Then please take this for me.¡±
Jin unshackled his sheath from his waist.
¡°Our 50th fight will be hand-to-handbat, Shaku.¡±
¡°It¡¯s going to be worse though¡¡±
With genuine worry, Shaku shook his head, and Jin gritted his teeth. Up till now, he wanted to rip him apart, but now he couldn¡¯t.
¡°After Shaku, it will be Mouka, then Shul, Anote, En¡ you have to fight dozens, so don¡¯t tire yourself out.¡±
After his first spar with Shaku he would fight 64 more warriors until the next morning. This would go on for today, the day after and the next.
* * *
Trantor ¨C jhei
Proofreader ¨C Eternal
* * *
¡®Shit, that motherfucker. How dare he let me win¡!!!¡¯
Jin imed his first victory against Shaku. He popped a photon cannon in front of him and then proceeded to beat him to a pulp.
But before 5 hits, Shaku forfeit, which prevented Jin from pounding him further.
Such annoyance. Jin felt like exploding, but now was not the time. He had another opponent ready for him.
The more infuriating part was that the others truly went all out.
The fighting techniques were from different worlds. If they both held weapons, then Jin would¡¯ve gotten less injured. After every battle, Jin chuckled and sought Kakto, the traditional cookies.
Crunch, Crunch.
His bruises quickly healed. His face had inmed like a melon, and he had many bruises all over his body. Thankfully, no bones were broken.
¡®Those monsters¡¡¯
Feasting on the cookies as hey on his bed, Jin constantly chuckled at himself. He felt refreshed as he bathed in the moonlight that seeped through the window.
Knock, knock.
Someone was at the door.
¡°Jin, I¡¯ming in.¡±
¡°How do you say you¡¯reing in when I didn¡¯t even ask who it was.¡±
Tantel came in with two huge barrels of wine. Thump! He dropped the barrels on the ground, summoned a goblet out of nowhere and served Jin a shot.
¡°This is the wine I drank on the first day. It tasted like shit.¡±
¡°It¡¯s crystal wine. It¡¯ll taste different.¡±
Downing the cup, Jin tasted a deeper sweet taste.
¡°Woah¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s because you earned the heart of light.¡±
¡°But you said humans don¡¯t know the taste.¡±
¡°Tell me about the outside world. I came alone since the others don¡¯t like to talk about it in public.¡±
Now that he mentioned it, Jin realized that they never asked about the outside world.
Who ruled thend that they once did, what happened to their civilization, what happened to the people that they fought.
They asked no questions.
¡°After our time stopped, we could never return to that world. This ce just looks like Lafrarosa, but it¡¯s more like a purgatory.¡±
¡°Doesn¡¯t that make you more curious of the outside world?"
¡°What¡¯s the point of wanting something you can never attain? Even though we reminisce, none of our passed brethren are there anyways. However!¡±
Tantel looked around carefully. He made sure no one was around to hear something important.
¡°I have heard some things from the goddess herself.¡±
¡°What¡¯s that?¡±
¡°Since 5000 years have passed in the real world, maybe there¡¯s something that could get us out of here.¡±
Unfortunately, to Jin¡¯s knowledge, there was nothing that could do such a thing. Like the fire dimension, the world of the phoenixes, humans were not used to creating permanent links between other worlds.
There weren¡¯t many researchers in that field either. After the War of the Holy Kingdom, most magic rted research groups banned the study of other-worldly creatures.
Additionally, other-world rted magic often included dark magic. Since dark magic had been generally banned throughout history, it was the social norm to never encroach that domain.
¡°On that note, if it¡¯s alright. I¡¯d like you to investigate it.¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t there a way for you to escape? Tantel, you came to get me in the first ce.¡±
¡°That¡¯s only when the apprentice arrives at the rendezvous point near the desert. Beyond that, there¡¯s only one other way to exit, but it¡¯s pointless.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°The battle goddess will tell you.¡±
Chapter 188: Leaving Laprarosa
After bing a brethren of the Plutonian tribe, Jin had only two weeks left.
[T/L:- ??? :- Plutonian tribe (In mtl its Ming Dynasty, in previous trantion it¡¯s illustrator tribe or something, but I¡¯m using Plutonian tribe.]
[T/L:- ?? - brethren/brother/sister. I¡¯m going to use one of these trantion ording to line.]
For four days, Jin was trained by battle kings and sparred with ordinary warriors. Every day for four days, Jinpeted against 64 ordinary warriors Jin in hand-to-hand fighting and martial arts.
[T/L:- ?? :- Battle King (like Boras, Garmund, etc.)]
Jin¡¯s impatience was growing as the time approached to leave Laprarosa, and the time approached tounch apass-taking operation with hispanions outside.
[T/L:- ?? - Companionrade/partner/colleagues]
There is a high probability that the operation to steal thepass will be more dangerous than any fight he has ever fought with hispanions.
In this mission, they requires to deal with both Zipfel and Kinzelo at the same time. There will surely be outstanding figures from each faction at the ce where thepass is retrieved, and Jin and his party decided to hit them ''without fear'' and steal thepass.
''Since it''s a secret exchange, the patriarch of n or the leader won''t attend in person, but they will never send sloppy people.''
Of course, Jin¡¯s party was also made up of incredible people. Jin, Murakan, Cuicantelle, Kashmir, Alisa. Even if you look at these five, it is a level that no one dares to touch.
But what if arge number of Zipfel¡¯s White Nights and Magic Tower masters appeared in feudal state of Bedo?
[T/L:- White Nights is the name of Elite Mage unit of Zipfel which operated Kozec during Kon native arc.]
[T/L:- ???:- Magic Tower masters/ Magic tower lords. These are the owners of Magic tower of Zipfel. Like Myuron Zipfel.]
Kinzelo''s side was also a problem. There are only three 9-star mages confirmed by the seven-colored peacock, and who knows there are how how many warriors higher than Goltep.
''On the day of the operation, we would withdraw quietly if there are talented people of Zipfel and Kinzelo that we could not handle but... If not this time, I don''t know when I''ll be able to take thepass away.''
It was a rare stroke of luck that Yona obtained that much information from Bubare¡¯s sculpture workshop.
I had to seed. To do so, I walked through the hell called Mitra Desert and trained here.
¡°You seem uncharacteristically anxious, Brother Jin.¡±
Just as Jin was about to head to the training ground to meet the battle kings, he heard a familiar voice.
¡°Sister Vahn.¡±
"Can you tell me what you are thinking?"
¡°About the outside work. I have to carry out an operation with myrades, but I wonder if my strength will be enough.¡±
"That''s funny."
"What¡¯s funny?"
¡°Brother Jin, you didn¡¯t showed any sign of fear even when you came out of the main hall of Battle God¡¯s temple and faced the spirit of the brethren battle kings head-on. The enemies you have to deal with outside can''t be stronger than us.¡±
Although the Plutonian tribe looked ratherx and foolish.
If they could leave Laprarosa, thendscape of the outside world would change in an instant. Even those who had already perished and only 77 remained.
After bing brethren, Jin could feel it more desperately.
Among them, battle god and battle kings are two different beings. To the point where Jin thought that even if the whole Zipfel n attacked, it wouldn''t be able to kill them.
¡°I am not afraid of getting hurt. But what if something goes wrong with myrades? Some of myrades are weaker than me.¡±
Vahn stared nkly at Jin. Something shimmered in her dark, blue, deep eyes.
It was in the past. Those long days when she had the same worries as Jin before she became the battle god.
Even after Plutonian tribe was destroyed by gods, this terrible question haunted her constantly.
¡°I want to tell you that it is still too early.¡±
¡°Worrying about others?¡±
¡°Yes, Brother Jin is not simple or stupid like the other brethren. You must be fighting because they are definitely worthy opponents. It''s never toote to start worrying about yourrades when you must fight against an enemy that you can''t handle. Right now, only the anguish is increasing.¡±
¡°But it is true that Zipfel and Kinzelo are formidable.¡±
Then Vahn smiled.
¡°Brother Jin, you don¡¯t know yourself well yet.¡±
Instead of answering, Jin pondered.
I don''t know myself.
What does that mean? Does that mean I''m stronger than I think, and I don''t have to worry about Zipfel and Kinzelo?
Vahn do not know about Zipfel and Kinzelo. Even knowing it, she couldn''t feel as threatened as Jin felt.
While this and that thought shed through Jin''s mind, Vahn opened her mouth again.
¡°From today until you leave, you¡¯d better spend your time with me.¡±
¡°It mean that you will train me, sister battle god? I haven''t finished my training with brethren battle kings yet.¡±
¡°You are the only human who can save us, brother Jin. Therefore, when you are shaken, the entire Plutonian tribe is shaken.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°I will hold you, relieve you, and cleanse your heart, brother. So that you can see into yourself.¡±
What Vahn held out was a sword.
¡°This is the Thunder sword called Sigmund. It is my sword. Brother Boras hammered it so you could use it.¡±
[T/L:- ???:- A sword with lighting(thunder sword)]
***
Boom!
Jin and Vahn¡¯s swords collided.
It was the moment when Jin saw Sigmund''s de for the first time. He received this sword for nine days.
Its pale and blue de, as if it were made by melting sapphire, is exactly the same size as Bradamante.
For nine days.
Vahn killed Jin over ny thousand times.
So far, there is only one thing Vahn has asked for from Jin.
That he can only draw his sword when he was confident that he would die instantly. In that sense, Jin is no different from being killed by her.
It was the first time when he felt that he would not die instantly and drew his sword.
¡°Whoa¡!¡±
Anyone can pull out a sword at a van who is just standing there.
However, it was not allowed for anyone to pletely¡¯ mix sword with the battle god, Vahn.
¡°It¡¯s a good blow.¡±
Vahn smiled and said.
¡°How does it feel to have died ny thousand pointlessly? Brother Jin. So, you can do it like this.¡±
Ny thousand pointless deaths.
Vahn expressed the past nine days, when Jin was sweating in front of her and was unable to draw the sword, that way.
¡°... I won''t able to do it second time.¡±
¡°Even before our time stopped, not many people could mix swords with me twice.¡±
For nine days, Jin¡¯s actual swordsmanship skills did not increase at all. It was only natural because he was stand still.
¡°Brother Jin, you already had enough skills to mix sword with me nine days ago. You have enough faith and skills, but you have been beaten 90,000 times because you don''t know what you are doing.¡±
Vahn spent nine days to confirm that fact to Jin.
¡°Anguish obscures one¡¯s self image. Now that your head is clear, you know your battle prowess is this much. You can share an sword with me.¡±
Jin couldn''t help but think about this as he wiped his forehead.
''Of all the martial artists I know, how many of them can really exchange one move with a sister Vahn?''
None except for a few who immediately came to mind. Simr situationes to mine when he think about people who can make move against Chiron.
"If you didn''t know yourself and couldn''t pull Sigmund in the end, I was going to retrieve the sword again."
¡°Now, no matter how many times I try, I think I can match one against you, sister Vahn.¡±
¡°Since I confirmed that it was possible in the first ce, so it is a natural thing.¡±
Jin smiled awkwardly.
Knowing one''s strength urately is sometimes more miraculous than growing up. Jin was no longer worried about the uing 1st June.
¡°It¡¯s okay to let you go outside now. Next time we meet, I¡¯m looking forward to share some interesting stories with me. Say goodbye to other brethren, and you can go back tomorrow morning.¡±
As Jin tried to lower his head, Vahn gently held his chin.
¡°Brethren do not hold grudge or gratitude between them.¡±
That night, all members of the Plutonian tribe gathered and held a farewell banquet. The wine sses went around until the jewel wine ran out, and Jin wanted to give this strong and innocent tribe a big gift someday.
A gift is something that can be given even if it is not necessarily a return of favor.
¡°Have a good trip, brother. We must remember your achievements.¡±
***
May 17, 1797.
After leaving Laprarosa, it was an ivory-colored desert, that stretched out without end, that weed Jin. The desert sun was so harsh that all the warmth Jin experienced in Laprarosa seemed like a dream.
Wearing the new clothes and robes that Boras had woven, Jin went through the desert again.
After walking for two days, he came to an oasis, and after walking another day, he saw a forest road. It was the same forest road he had been looking for along with a towed guide to reach the Great Desert.
''It looks like I came back to same ce instead of crossing the Great Desert.''
It was a relief. If rumors spread after crossing, rumors might spread all over the world that a great adventurer had been born. It is because there are not one or two beastmen who have seen Jin in thend of beastmen.
¡°Oh, human! Great desert! You came!¡±
¡°Darkme¡¯s, friend!¡±
It was around the time Jin was leaving the forest that he ran into the watertail beastmen, they are on their way back to the Yuka Yuka Market after finishing the barter trade with the Golden Snow Tribe.
¡°Human, not dead. It¡¯s a relief!"
¡°I was worried.¡±
¡°Lost love, pain, did you, ovee?"
May 25th, there were still five days to spare. It would be okay to go leisurely chatting with them for three or four hours.
¡°Human, but,you, can¡¯t go, to Yuka Yuka.¡±
¡°Why?"
¡°A few days ago, the red tiger tribesmen came.¡±
¡°Evil, bastards, all, haphazard, mischievous!¡±
¡°Turn around, there, a passageway, to market side, use it.¡±
Jin had to spend another three or three days to go around the Yuka Yuka market. That would make it too tight, and it could have been toote.
¡°No, then it''s toote. There is a ce I must go by the end of May. Are there any secret passages around here?¡±
¡°None, here.¡±
¡°Then, let¡¯s just go.¡±
¡°Those bastards, might catch, you, and kill you, human.¡±
All the way to Yuka Yuka Market, the Watertail Tribesman talked about their worries. They even dragged Jin with their dainty hand, telling him to go back, but Jin was short on time, so he can¡¯t go back.
Therefore, it could be said that the encounter between Jin and two red tiger beastmen at the entrance of Yuka Yuka Market was a predictable result.
¡°Ugh, it happened, trouble.¡±
¡°Humans, what would you do?¡±
¡°We, go inside, with money. But, maybe, you are not."
¡°For now, pretend you don¡¯t know me and go on your way. Understand?"
The Watertails looked back at Jin restlessly even as they passed first. The red tiger tribesmen take money from them, hit them in the back of the head one by one, and let them pass through.
¡®If they give you money, then just let them go.Why do you hit them?¡±
If the White wolf tribesmen were dirty and entric warriors, the Red tiger tribesmen were strong bully warriors.
The two red tiger tribesmen that had been ring at Jin from a while ago openly started arguing.
¡°Hey, hey, you human,e here. Stand in front of me, give everything you have, take off all your clothes! Open your bag.¡±
¡°Oh, he looks like pretty human. Would we give him to females?¡±
¡°Kiki, they will like him...¡±
But as Jin gets closer.
The red tiger tribesmen were unable to speak for some reason.
''What, what... this human. What kind of energy is this!?''
Not only did they stop talking, but their legs trembled against their will.
Watery saliva flowed from their mouth, the hair all over their body stood on end, and they even felt like their stomach was about to melt.
Such is the fear imprinted in instinct.
The energy of a great race, which had often torn and trampled them, was wrapped around Jin.
It has already been 5000 years since they disappeared, but these two young red tiger tribesmen, who have never even heard their names, trembling with fear.
Beastmen were afraid of their natural enemies even if no one taught them.
¡°Ooh, ooh, ah, ha¡!¡±
¡°Kyaaaaagh! Khiahah!¡±
The red tiger tribesmen reflexively raised their ws and screamed.
¡°Get lost."
However, even if Jin said so, the red tiger tribesmen sat down and urinated on the floor instead of attacking.
¡°Spare, me. Spare me... please."
They didn''t even dare to look up at Jin.
****************************
[T.L: punisher87]
Ko-fi:- ko-fi/punisher87
Buymeacoffee:- bmc.link/punisher87
Patreon:- patreon/Punisher87trantion
Chapter 189: Operation Compass Theft (1)
Jin collected the money and handed it over to the Watertail tribe. The members of the Red Tiger tribe were unable to witness this scene as they ran away with their tails between their legs.
"Thank you, thank you, human!"
As soon as they arrived at the bustling market, the members of the Watertail tribe who had been with Jin exined the situation to their fellow tribe members, and the representative Dark me and zing Rock expressed their gratitude.
"Rest for the day and then leave, human. The Watertail tribe knows how to throw a fiery party."
"Sorry, I have to leave in a hurry. See you next time."
"At least, eat this before you go!"
The Watertail tribe quickly grilled twenty fish. The deliciously cooked fish disappeared as quickly as if they were trying to hide their eyes.
"Oh, right. Dark me, can you dye my hair?"
"Why do you suddenly want to dye your hair?"
"I need to."
"We can''t do it ourselves. Wait a moment, let me see. We''ll bring in a Gold Snow Tribe dye master."
The Gold Snow Tribe dye master arrived through a secret passage in the general store.
"Oh, human. Our dyeing technique is so advanced that it''s a bit expensive. It''s notparable to the shoddy coloring games that humans y. Prices start at this level...."
As the Gold Snow Tribe was about to put a price tag on Jin, Dark me and the members of the Watertail tribe intervened. When they told the Gold Snow Tribe about Jin''s feat of making the Red Tiger tribe surrender, the Gold Snow Tribe smirked.
"If that''s the case, we can do it for free. Oh, I wish I could have seen those trashy guys grovel with my own eyes!"
The dyeing was finished quickly.
After bidding farewell to them, Jin used the secret passage again to leave thend of the aquatic tribes, just as he had arrived.
***
On thest day of May 1797, in the afternoon, Jin arrived at a southern ind of the feudal state of Bedo.
¡®This ce is still the same.¡¯
This unnamed ind is and that has be a yground for pirates as it vaguely borders the waters of the feudal state of Bedo.
This is the ce that Jin sought out to participate in the Cosmo''s arenapetition. Even in broad daylight, the streets were filled with drug addicts, beggars, and nobles gone mad with gambling, creating a chaotic scene.
"Hehehe!"
A disheveled man who looked like a drug addict and a homeless person was lurking near Jin, letting out a strangeughter. These beggars weremon in the harbor, usually mercenaries who lost a lot after participating in the arena.
However, this man who seemed to beughing hysterically was someone Jin knew well. So Jin couldn''t help feeling both happy and sad to see him.
¡®Jet... he¡¯s crazy.¡¯
Jet.
He came here about two months ago and blended in with the beggars in the harbor.
It was to serve as a secret contact. He was so versatile that it was hard to tell if he was a beggar if you didn''t look closely.
"Hehehe! Hey, sir, spare me a penny! Hehehe!"
Jet pushed aside the other beggars and approached with a bag.
There was a note inside the bag.
(Are you doing well, Bill? Three nks under the bed in room 203 at the Sparrow Inn.)
After checking the note and Jin donated some coins, the beggars behind Jet cheered. Wow!
"Hehehe! You''ll be blessed!"
When Jet stepped back, the other beggars ran after him like a pack of wolves. It seemed like he was doing well as the king of beggars.
¡®I''m d I recruited him. We had a rough rtionship in our past life.¡¯
Jin chuckled and headed to the Sparrow Inn.
The owner, who was dozing off on the chair, pped his hands when the door opened.
"I don''t have a room. Go somewhere else."
"How have you been, Bill?"
Then the owner gave him the key to Room 203.
As soon as he entered the room, Jin pushed the bed aside and pulled off a board with three nails in it. Underneath the board, there was a thin red wooden board and a letter wedged inside.
(My lord, it''s been a while. The otherrades arrived about a month to two weeks ago and took a ce in different inns.
Everyone is safe, and enemy has no idea that we are onto them.
Here''s the information that we''ve gathered so far.
Kinzelo¡¯s forces consist of Anz''s great mage Chukon Tolderer, five suspected 8-star mages, and five suspected high-ranking White Wolf warriors.
There may also be other skilled assassins, snipers, and operatives in disguise that we can''t exclude the possibility of.
We don''t have any information about Zipfel¡¯s forces. They''re likely to reveal themselves on the day of the operation. However, there''s a high chance that, like Kinzelo, there are already skilled operatives in ce.
The operation is scheduled for June 1st at 10 PM, and there have been no changes. The location is also the same, the gambling den in the abandoned mansion in the north of the ind. The red wooden board enclosed is the entry ticket to the den.
The escape route after the operation is also the same for options 1, 2, and 3.
The address of the inn where ourrades are staying is written on the back of this letter.
Oh, and Lady Syris of hidden pce will be joining the operation with the consent of Sir Kashmir and Lord Murakan. As someone with experience in espionage, assassination, and guerri warfare, she will be a great help.
This is thest message I''ll be delivering to you, Lord. I''m heading back to Tikan today. I will inform Gilly about your safe return. Good luck, my lord!)
All of therades were staying in different inns, just in case they looked suspicious to the groups of Zipfel and Kinzelo.
¡®A 9-star mage and five 8-star mages, and five elite White Wolf tribe warriors....¡¯
It was a force that could easily overturn any kingdom.
¡®Zipfel will definitely bring at least this much power. By tomorrow night, the dirty and messy yground of the pirates will be the battlefield of the stars.¡¯
Enemies exceeded the power that Jin and hisrades had anticipated six months ago.
Therefore, a full-scale war was out of the question. Although their power had grown stronger, it was still not enough to handle all of them.
However, if Jin and hisrades power had not grown stronger, they would have had to seriously reconsider the n.
Whether to execute the operation or to withdraw was entirely up to Jin''s decision. They had agreed six months ago that if Jin did not reveal himself at the casino, they would quietly return.
Of course, Jin had no intention of retreating.
¡®Bringing in people like this means that thepass is just as important. I will definitely take it with me.¡¯
Since the operation was going to be carried out guerri-style, there would be no need to engage in a full-scale battle with them.
Even if a full-scale battle were to take ce, there might be something worth fighting for. If 8- and 9-star mages and White Wolf warriors fired off all kinds of magic and techniques, this small ind could crumble in an instant.
Everyone would die, not just the ind. All the ships would be destroyed, and a whirlpool would form in the middle of the sea, just as Luna wiped out the Vermont Ind with a single blow of her sword.
¡®Furthermore, if the fight esctes, Runcandel and Vermont will also catch the scent, which is what Kinzelo and Zipfel are most concerned about.¡¯
Runcandel and Vermont still did not clearly realize the existence of thepass. If they did, both of the giant forces'' people should already have been firmly established on this ind.
Jin quietly cleaned his two swords.
Bradamante and Sigmund.
***
The next day, at six o''clock in the evening on an early June day.
Jin found the gambling den in the abandoned mansion on the north side of Ind. He looked like a typical rogue nobleman, who had money to spend and loved to show off, with his hair dyed in a rich golden color by the product of Gold snow tribe, shy clothes, and heavy makeup entuating his waist with two swords.
¡®I wonder why they¡¯re doing this, even though makeup has been a trend in noble social circles for quite some time now.¡¯
Jin felt stuffy due to the thickly applied powder and color blocking his pores. His face reflected in the mirror looked almost like a woman''s, but with pronounced physique his pretty face looked strange. It was the power of the Gold snow tribe''s special cosmetics.
-You seem to need some kind of disguise. My friend, you look very handsome, but if you puts on too much makeup, you looks like a woman. How about going all out woman disguise, not just dyeing your hair? No one will recognize you!
-I¡¯m notfortable with it.
-Anyway, makeup is a must! Our merchandise is different from human technology, so if you apply it roughly, it looks like convincing. Put this on your cheeks, put this on your lips, put this on your forehead, put this on your neck.
While Jin felt awkward about his appearance, the people gathered in the gambling den, regardless of gender, were busy staring at him.
¡®I''ve never seen such a pretty gambler before. I want to hang out with him tonight, lend him money if he''s feeling down, etc....¡¯
The explicit voices were disturbing Jin¡¯s ears. Although he had been recognized by his face quite a lot, it had been a long time since it had be so noisy. Even men with free tastes were openly expressing their interest.
"I haven''t seen your face before, but the seedy gambling den feels much livelier since you came in. Nice to meet you, I''m Julia."
However, the murmur ceased in an instant as a ck-haired woman approached. Julia was a woman who had appeared two weeks ago and had be famous in the gambling den overnight.
At first, Jin didn''t recognize her. It wasn''t as much as Bubare¡¯s sculpting skills, but the masks made in the Hidden Pce were also great.
In that way, all thepanions were wearing the face masks of the Hidden Pce. Except for Murakan, who is cradled in Syris'' arms, transformed into butterfly.
"This ce is known for its marble game, young master. It''s a specialty here. You probably don''t know the rules, but I could teach you if you''d like."
Jin gently pushed her away.
"No, it''s okay."
"Well, if you don''t like it, there''s nothing I can do about it. But if you go to the marble game table without knowing anything, you''ll get ripped off, so stick to something you''re familiar with, like even-odd or dice. If you think of me while you''re ying,e over to the marble game table."
She meant for Jin to take a look ande backter. Hispanions were gathered at the marble game table, while Zipfel and Kinzelo¡¯s factions were disguised among the even-odd and dice tables.
¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡±
"Make sure toe back before it''s toote, it''s almost night."
To the people gathered at the gambling table, Julia sounded like an trickster who was ying tricks on Jin.
After Julia left, people who were really throwing down gathered around Jin. Jin lightly brushed them off and roamed around the even-odd and dice tables, keeping an eye on the enemies one by one.
¡®Kinzelo is one thing, but those Zipfel guys are really cunning. Who would know that the mages of Zipfel, who are proud enough to pierce the sky, would disguise themselves as gamblers and wait here.''
As expected, all of Zipfel¡¯s mages seemed to be first-ss. Just as Jin was looking for any familiar faces, two men in robes turned and looked in Jin''s direction.
They were nearly three meters tall. Clearly, they were not ordinary people.
They were white wolf warriors.
As if they sensed something strange, they looked at Jin and then stood up from their chairs and approached him.
"Hey, you. Can we talk for a moment?"
It was because of the aura of the Plutonian tribe.
''Even though I''m hiding as much as possible, did they sense it?''
Jin replied as he looked at them.
¡°Wow, aren¡¯t you from the White wolf tribe? I didn''t expect to see you here at the gambling den!"
[T/L:- If I got enough readers and patrons for previous chapters, I will trante them. You can contact me on any of my pages.]
****************************
[T.L: punisher87]
Ko-fi:- ko-fi/punisher87
Buymeacoffee:- bmc.link/punisher87
Patreon:- patreon/Punisher87trantion
Chapter 190: Operation Compass Theft (2)
There were those among young nobles or martial artists who often idolized the power and culture of the white wolf tribe. They were usually fools who approached recklessly, drawn to the white fur, blue eyes, strong body, and energy, only to meet their ultimate fate as a meal.
White wolf tribe doesn''t like humans. To most of them, humans were inferior beings, toys, and snacks.
"I''ve always dreamed of talking to a White wolf tribesmen! Wow, your fur is so cool. Can I touch it?" Jin eximed with sparkling eyes, and the White wolf tribesmen''s impression wrinkled.
¡®Was he just an idiot? I thought he smelled dangerous enough to make my fur stand on end...¡?''
The White Wolf Tribe looked down at Jin, who wasughing, for a while.
"Put your hand away."
"Oh, I apologize for being rude. Sorry about that. By the way, what do you want to talk to me about? Ask me anything."
"Hmm, no. It seems like a mistake."
"What? What do you mean?"
"I don''t know."
As the White Wolves returned to their ce, Jin smiled shyly. The people who flirted with him looked at Jin with pity.
''Phew, I almost got tired before the operation even started. From now on, I have to press down more on the energy of the Plutonian tribe.''
He wiped his chest inwardly.
''I must definitely kill all of Kinzelo¡¯s subordinates during the operation.''
If he left them alive, they would undoubtedly go back to Kinzelo and talk about ''someone with dangerous energy.''
It was okay if people knew about his disguised appearance, but if there were rumors about the unique energy of the Plutonian tribe, Jin could be caught anywhere.
He spent two hours checking the enemies on the even-odd and dice game table. Fortunately, there was no sign of the White wolf tribe, and no one suspected Jin.
''I should go see mypanions now.''
The marble game table, where hispanions were, was full of onlookers. Alisa was hiding in the gap, while Kashimir and Enya were nervously cing bets.
''Everyone''s disguise is well done.''
Even Alisa, who was worried about her extraordinarilyrge body, was perfectly disguised. She had put on a fake mustache and was dressed in men''s clothing.
¡°Oh, have you thought of me already? I knew you woulde, young master.¡±
Syris naturally wrapped her arm around Jin''s shoulder, and showed him her palm with something writing on it.
(Item will be exchanged at the 2nd floor central card table.)
¡°Now it''s your turn to tell me your name, young master. Didn''t I only tell you?"
Julia, no, Syris, who tightly hugged Jin, was really good at acting. She was perfectly portraying a promiscuous woman who was obsessed with gambling and entertainment.
Jin was also experienced in acting.
Jin grabbed Syris'' hand, which had writing on it, after moistening his fingers with the remaining water in his ss, and then gently rubbed her palm with his finger to erase the writing.
¡°My name is Vamel, youngdy.¡±
ck! ck!
Kashimir and Enya''s marbles collided on the round table.
Syris pretended to exin the marble game and started exining the detailed strategy that herpanions had already nned.
¡°First, two marbles go up on the board.¡±
¡°Like the youngdy and me now?¡±
"Yes."
Only Jin and Syris go up to the 2nd floor first, meaning they are the ones who will steal the item.
"Then, when the other marbles start running, the dealer''s obstacles start appearing. There are too many variables, there are obstacles to avoid, and throw bigger marbles to break through. I usually prefer to break them."
¡°I think I like that one better.¡±
It means they should kill the enemies who block them while stealing thepass.
¡°You have to choose the marbles that break the obstacles and the marbles that run to the finish line. Even if you use almost all marbles to break the obstacles, you can run alone if there is only one left.¡±
Syris'' gaze was subtly directed towards Enya as she spoke.
Finally, Enya is appropriate to run away with thepass means. Jin¡¯spanions concluded that Enya would be least suspicious of any situation.
Enya felt theplete opposite of Syris. Unlike Seris, who swept away the stakes as soon as she entered the gambling den and showed off her stunning beauty, Enya was like an ant.
She had always yed the role of a hot pants who bet only small amounts with a restless face. No one looked lessposed than her.
"Is the exnation enough?"
¡°Is there anything else I need to be particrly careful about?¡±
"Don''t hesitate too much or waver if too many marbles that remove obstacles are broken. You can''t miss the opportunity. That''s why the scums always lose money."
It means that even if arade is injured or killed, the mission would fail if one became engrossed in the emotion. Jin made eye contact with Syris with a calm face.
"It''s good advice. I feel like I could easily be an expert."
In this way, Jin talked about operation with Syris until around ten o''clock at night. Then, he repeatedly lost money to Syris and showed signs of irritation.
¡°Ha, is the youngdy a god of marble game? How can you not win a match!¡±
Onlookers clicked their tongues.
It wasn''t just a buck or two. The money Jin lost to Syris was already going beyond thousand gold coins.
Jin was a rare type of rich sucker who lost a thousand gold coins in just a few hours at this gambling den.
¡°Well, it seems that young master is not good at marble game. Didn''t I tell you to give up and go drink?¡±
"Hmph! You just want to drink alone after winning like that?"
"Are you really regretting losing a few gold coins? You have a chance to have a drink with Julia alone until tomorrow morning, you know?"
"I don''t mind spending money. But as a gambler, my pride won''t allow me to end like this. I may not know how to y marbles, but in other gambling games, youngdy won''t stand a chance!"
"Oh, you''re confident in other games...?"
Ah!
Sighs ofmentation could be heard among the onlookers.
They realized that another sacrificialmb had emerged.
"I have to make youngdy suffer a crushing defeat at least once to satisfy my conscience."
"Looks like your spirit is still intact. What game do you want to y?"
"If it''s cards, youngdy can never beat me."
¡°The card game is on the second floor. Let''s go, young master Vamel.¡±
With a wicked smile, Syris stood up, and the onlookers crowded around them, eager to witness the handsome fool surrendering all his assets to Syris and bing a weeping mess.
Naturally, most of the people who had been on the marble table rushed to the second-floor card table. However, Alisa, Enya, and Kashimir did not leave the marble table. They had ns to carry out a distraction mission on the first floor.
The two of them took a seat next to the central card table where the deal between Zipfel and Kinzelo was taking ce.
At the central card table, Zipfel representative was disguised, while Kinzelo¡¯s representative, Chukon Todlerer, sat with a bare face, easily recognizable.
''It looks like the master of the Magic Tower, but I don''t know who it is.''
As the onlookers at the table next to me began to get excited, whispers started circting among them. Now, ten o''clock was approaching, and they had to exchange coins and items on the gambling table. However, the sudden influx of people nearby made them uneasy.
The representatives of Kinzelo and Zipfel, who were on the first floor, came up and informed the organizers about the situation. They reported that there seemed to be a nerve-wracking conflict between ordinary gamblers who had made their way up from the marble table.
¡®There are 20 minutes left. Until Zipfel took out apass on the card table.''
In twenty minutes, when the items came out, Jin and Syris wouldunch their surprise attack. It was crucial to make Jin lose all his bets at exactly that time and make the onlookers retreat.
¡®When the onlookers leave with frustrated expressions, I''ll slip away, and Syris will pretend to leave first. Then I''ll follow slowly, and as thepass moves on the gambling table, I''ll fire sh cannon...¡¯
Syris will take care of the flow that makes him lose all his money in exactly 20 minutes.
However, just as Jin and hispanions painstakingly nned this operation for six months, their enemies would have prepared contingency ns for all sorts of variables.
¡®If we kill Chukon Todlerer or render him unable to fight, there will be no problem going down to the first floor. The probability of Zipfel¡¯s representative being a mage stronger than Chukon is low.''
The person who appeared to be Zipfel¡¯s representative did not seem to be over 30, even ounting for disguises. Jin did not know of any mage stronger than Chukon at that age.
Chukon, the Great Mage of Anz.
He reigns as an absolute ruler of the Great in of Anz on the northern continent. Unlike Kidard Hall, he was also a person that Zipfel was eager to bring to him at one time.
It was because of his unique defensive magic, famous for his ''extreme defense''. Eventually, Chukon became a member of the Dark Magic Society and now sat on the opposite side of Zipfel at the card table.
¡°Two hundred, and another two hundred.¡±
"Call."
Jin''s stake started to run out at a moderate pace.
''When the sh cannon explodes, Kinzelo and Zipfel will inevitably suspect each other. But they will quickly identify me and Syris as the culprits. The confusion shouldst around 10 seconds.¡¯
I had to deal with as many enemies as possible within that time.
"Hmm."
Chukon, who had been watching the losing side with sharp eyes for a while from the central card table, shook his head.
"I guess everything bothers me now that I''m getting older. I wondered if they were the thieves prepared by you.¡±
¡°Haha, you are saying something strange. Sir Chukon. If we just wanted to take the goods, would we go to such lengths? We could just refuse to return it. They''re just gamblers who have nothing to do with us."
¡°Don¡¯t be pretentious, Carl Ziple. Aren''t you putting on a y on this ind because you''re cautious too? If you returned it officially, Runcandel might catch a whiff, and if you don''t, we might have leaked information to Runcandel and Vermont."
¡°Your words are sharp, Sir Chukon.¡±
"I''m just saying this because you break the alliance use and act so shamelessly without even apologizing. I have no idea what your father is up to.¡±
¡°If you get a chance, ask yourself. I don¡¯t know if you have the guts to go find my father.¡±
"That''s a cute sound. It''s time. Bring out the item. We need to confirm it."
Jin and Syris couldn''t hear the voices of the two people. The crowd was too noisy and the distance was far.
However, there were no problems with the execution of the operation.
''It''s ten o''clock.''
The stakes are all gone. Jin lowered his head like a person who had lost his country, and Syris stood up from her seat with a face that seemed to have expected it.
"Unfortunately, it''s over, young master. I''ve lost interest too. Let''s just forget about drinking together."
Tick-tock, as Syris left the table, the onlookers naturally followed her.
The card table emptied in an instant. Jin nced up and saw a bag of gold coins in the middle of the central card table.
A bag of gold coins mixed with apass. Jin could also see Chukon opening the bag and pulling out a goldenpass that was a little bigger than a gold coin.
''Now!''
Jin stepped on the table at once and threw himself into the center card table.
In his grasp, a white sh cannon was swollen, ready to explode at any moment.
[T/L:- You can buy ahead chapters from my ko-fi page.]
****************************
[T.L: punisher87]
Ko-fi:- ko-fi/punisher87
Buymeacoffee:- bmc.link/punisher87
Patreon:- patreon/Punisher87trantion
Chapter 191
Bang!
Pure white light exploded from Jin''s grip.
"Damn it!"
"What the fuck!"
Chukon and Carl''s escorts shouted. Before the photon cannon exploded, there were a total of four people who had seized the moment to attack Jin.
All of them were seven-star or higher martial artists, but three of them were intercepted by Siris, who had just turned around before they could reach Jin.
In their panic, they had not thought of Siris. She calmly positioned herself behind three of them and slit their throats with her dagger.
As for the other one, Jin dodged the de and twisted his neck to kill him. The sensation of bones snapping echoed through his grip, and Chukon, Carl and his followers shouted out
If it had been a proper magical attack, Chukon Toldurer would have suffered no damage.
He had cast a reactive defense spell after Jin and Siris sat down at the table next to him.
It was a shield that could not be easily prated by an eight-star mage or a martial artist, so if they ambushed him, he would fight back and tear them apart.
However, if it was an ancient light magic, a magic that did not strike directly but simply emitted a bright light, it was another story. His magic could not defend against that, and the only way to defend against it was to be blindfolded.
"Damn it, Carl Zipple, you really...!"
"Chukon! What kind of trick is this?"
As Jin had predicted, Chukon and Karl were immediately suspicious of each other. Kinzelo and Zipple''s Mages were casting offensive spells with their burning eyes.
Bang!
I grabbed thepass and rammed my bradamant into Chukon''s throat, activating the shield.
''As I expected, this isn''t going to be easy.''
By the time he spun to strike Carl''s throat, the bodyguards, who had been hiding at another table, had pounced on him.
"For Kinzelo!"
It wasn''t what he had nned.
Jin shouted and swung his swords. At the same time, boom!
Siris unleashed a mist. A sh of light followed by a thick cloud of smoke, and the game room was reduced to rubble.
Before the mist dissipated, Siris threw thepass at Jin. Jin unhesitatingly struck the throats of the escorts, realizing that his sword had reached its peak.
Each of them was at least a seven-star swordsman. However, every time he moved, they were wounded or lost their weapons. There were also many who lost their lives with a single blow.
Part of it was the panic of the escorts, of course, but it''s not just anyone''s job to sweep a bunch of people who knew martial arts like that.
Still, there were too many of them. On the second floor of the gambling house, only 20% were regrs, and the rest were Zipple and Kinzello''s henchmen.
"Aaaah!"
"Gah!"
The regrs shouted and scurried away.
''Duck.''
Jin gestured and Siris nodded. Now he had to go downstairs, hand thepass to Enya and escort her discreetly to safety outside the gambling hall.
Would he really be okay alone?
Siris didn''t question it. The first time she had seen him since the Columbus Ruins, he was a different man.
''How the hell did you train, you monster? I don''t know when I''ll be able to beat you.''
Siris let out a piercing scream and mingled with the crowd of regrs descending to the first floor.
There were those who had seen her kill the first three escorts, but they were drowned out by the fog, the screams, the shouts of the mages and the sound of Jin and the escort''s weapons shing.
It all happened in a matter of seconds.
''Ten seconds, at most, before the chaos ends and they realize there is a third force, my existence. And the escorts on both sides on the second floor number about thirty.''
I needed to eliminate as many enemies as possible in that time.
When the chaos was over, Jin not only had to deal with the thirty escorts that had not been exposed to the photon cannon.
Chukon Toldurer and Carl Zipple would also regain some vision, and the White Wolves and Zipple''s minions on the first floor would alsoe out to target Jin.
"Grab things with priority!".
As Chukon shouted, Jin activated the Rune of Fine, sheathed his Bradamante and unsheathed a new sword.
The pale de glowed softly in the mist.
Sigmund the Sword of Balmung (Lightning Sword), blue sparks flew wildly as the hilt began to energize. The eyes of those searching for Jin naturally converged on the lightning.
''What is that?''
Seeing the glowing aura piercing through the mist, everyone immediately thought. It didn''t seem to be a high-level Lightning-type magic, but the way it was engulfed by the sword was strange.
In addition, the face of the person wielding the sword, the alleged culprit, was hidden by a ck hood.
''What I like most about the Sword of Legends (Sword of Glory) is that it doesn''t need to be hidden as with the Sword of Shadows.''
Zzzz!
As he dropped Sigmund, a sharp bolt of lightning rained down from the ceiling.
The Sword of Illustrious Legend, Bnce Lightning, there was no way anyone in the game room would recognize the legendary martial art lost 5000 years ago.
Unknown means difficult to deal with soon.
Unknown and strong means impossible to deal with. In that sense, Jin, who started wielding Sigmund, was able to be a god on the second floor of the gambling house, if only for a moment.
If he sent a lightning bolt to kill them, they would die.
Pak! Kajizik!
A bolt of blue lightning cut through the mist/mist, tearing through the humans in it. Unlike the lightning bolts of nature or mages, the lightning bolts of the Sword of Legend had the characteristics of a sword along with a lightning bolt.
With each sh of blue light, someone lost their head, someone lost their body.
Those who had strained their eyes to find Jin now had to strain not to lose sight of him.
He must have looked like a god, not just a representation.
In the ce of the artifact that had made the Divine Contractor prey, an unidentified, unrecognizable figure of power appeared out of nowhere.
"Lord Carl, you must take shelter!"
"What bullshit are you talking about, I''ll tear Kinzelo''s worms apart myself when my eyes return!".
"Hell, I''m telling you, lightning is falling!"
"What are you talking about...!"
"Lord Chukon, I don''t think it''s a Zipple thing! An intruder is sending lightning... eek!"
Carl and Chukon didn''t know why their escorts flinched; they still couldn''t see the beams.
Argh!
Aah!
The cries of despair continued. They couldn''t even get close enough to Jin to protect their masters.
"What a bunch of human barbarians, I''ve never seen them do things right anyway..."
It was then that the White Wolves from the second floor came up.
They had been grumbling about the humans'' work, but as soon as they went up and saw the lightning feast, they couldn''t help but shut up.
All they could do was contemte the majesty of the Sword of Legends.
But just like the young Red Tigers of the Yukayuka Market, the fear imprinted in their blood chilled the blood of the White Wolves.
"Is this...that idiot''s aura......!!!?
The two White Wolves who had sensed something strange about Jin were the first to notice.
A monster they thought was an idiot.
But unlike the young Red/Orange Tigers, they were warriors. One of them held the rank of assault leader in the White Wolves'' army.
Boom!
The White Wolves smashed the ground with their giant hammers.
"Wake up, you stupid bastards, there''s only one of them! Melto will protect Chukon, and me and Duroka will subdue him!"
"Listen, Zipples! Alliances break, but now is not the time to argue about that. Strike the intruder as soon as you have recovered."
As they raised their voices, the chaos began to subside quickly.
Jin could see one thing in the air.
''None of the enemies gathered here are above the level of a White Wolf raid leader.''
There might be more outside, but at least inside it was safe. If that was the case, the lower levels should be clear enough for hispanions to clear.
''I hope they do well down there. As long as Enya gets to safety, the rest of us should be able to fend for ourselves under most circumstances.''
The second floor was also in an uproar, as the whole building shook after what must have been a rather intense fight.
Kwazizik!
Jin fired a bolt of lightning at the approaching White Wolves.
They had fear in their blood from their history at the hands of the Illustrious Legends, but fear is an emotion thates from knowing the strength of your opponent.
Unlike their human counterparts, the White Wolves did not fall to a single blow from the Sword of Legend. They bounced lightning with their hammers as they approached Jin.
"Tell me your name, human!"
"Why should I?"
"Your power is new to me, but my instinct tells me so. I want to challenge you to an honorable duel and offer your body to Javier''s altar."
Jin then burst outughing.
"Doesn''t that instinct also tell you to run away?".
"What?"
"I don''t have much time to y with you."
Even with Jin''s condescending remarks, the White Wolves didn''t manage to get as excited as they did when dealing with other humans. They had ovee their fears and attacked Jin, but they were notpletely over it.
It was the warrior''s pride and dignity that drove them to fight. To the White Wolves, Jinn was not human, but the giant shadow of a predator they had never seen before.
It was not a representation, but a reality. They could not even see Jin''s full form due to the aura of the Berserk Heart.
Boom, boom, boom!
Under the ck armor, in the heart, the aura began to spin even faster.
Although it was possible to deal with the White Wolf Assault Leader with simple lightning, it was better to finish him off before Chukon and Carl recovered.
To do so, he would have to exert himself a bit.
"Know this with honor, wolves, this is not a skill I intended to use so soon."
Cak!
Sigmund swallowed the electricity that sizzled everywhere. The blue aura that had enveloped the entire second floor converged on the pale body of the sword, the hall suddenly darkened.
One moreyer.
The fear of the White Wolves deepened. They had not yet been struck by a new bolt of lightning, but once again, instinct had taken over their footsteps.
"The Battle God''s Combat Technique. This is the second time I''ve used it afterpleting it".
The ultimate one-on-one fighting technique of the Sword of Legends: The Battle God Combat Technique.
"Third Move of the Battle God''s Combat Technique: Sentence."
As Jin shouted at Sigmund, a single giant spear of thunderous electricity flew out from inside the sword''s body towards the White Wolves.
Chapter 192
C192 - Operation Compass Capture (4).
The transcendently powerful martial art Battle God Combat Technique (???), reserved for only one person, could only be mastered by the owner of the Divine Sword of Legends, Sigmund.
And the Sigmund was no longer half and half Sword with the Goddess of Battle, but the Sword of Jin.
-Don''t forget, brother Jin. You are the sole heir and bearer of the Techniques of Legends. So don''t be afraid of anyone you meet.
He didn''t know if it was because he had seen the despair on the faces of the White Wolves before the ''Sentence'', or because he could almost see Vahn''s face when heunched the Battle God''s Combat Technique....
In the midst of the battle, he suddenly remembered the story Vahn had told him in Laprarosa.
A bright sh of light illuminated the dark room.
"A-Away!"
Shouted the White Wolf called Duroka. It wasn''t his typical thick, husky voice, but a cry of terror.
He knew it as soon as he saw it.
This was not something they could hit with their humble hammers.
Kuzuzuk-!
The giant sword made of lightning looked like a whale. Incredibly powerful,ing from a single longsword.
Although it shouted at them to avoid it, the White Wolves could not do so. There was no room to escape and besides, the intense fear that they could not ovee even with their honor and pride crushed their shoulders.
If it were only the strength of amon warrior of the Legends, even trembling with fear, they would have waved their hammers. But this was the power of the Battle God''s Combat Technique. The majesty of the God (Goddess) of Battle that their ancestors half a millennium ago had dared to look upon.
It was in his eyes, in his sword, in the eyes of a man less than two meters tall.
''Today I did note as a thief to find the despicable ones of you.''
ng!
The ''Sentence'' pierced Duroka''s body.
Not a single drop of blood or a single piece of flesh flew off. Once the Sentence''s beak pierced his body, it swallowed, burned and rusted the rest of him. It turned him to ash.
At lightning speed.
''I came as a conqueror.''
The cry to flee was a hollow cry. In the blink of an eye, Duroka was reduced to ashes, and the White Wolf beside him felt no anger at the death of one of his n.
Only that something was wrong.
This is not real...
The instant that thought crossed his mind, the intense light of doom covered everything, blinding him. There was nothing he could do but close his eyes against the bright light that enveloped him.
sh!
The Sentence shone once more, turning him to ashes. The Sentence''s spear, as if unsatisfied, shed toward its next prey.
Who would have thought that two high-ranking captain level White Wolves would die in such a useless way?
While everyone doubted their eyes and the situation itself.... Sigmund pointed towards Chukon.
The White Wolves, who had banded together to defend Chukon, were unconsciously shaking their heads. Unconsciously, they were begging to be spared.
But Jin''s gaze did not waver. It was as steady as that of a king in front of an execution tform.
"Aaaah!"
There are three retching Bai Liangs with their eyes closed.
Three White Wolves closed their eyes, trembling in fear. But they didn''t die like the two before. This was because Ans'' protective barrier had been deployed to protect Chukon.
''Have Chukon''s eyes recovered yet? ''No, it seems he simply deployed it out of instinct.''
Fazizik! Fazizik!
The Grand Magician''s protective shield called Absolute Shield was truly magic worthy of its name. He must have deployed it in haste as soon as he woke up, because it blocked the Judgment for only an instant.
Although he hadpleted the Third Move of the Sword of Legends, Sentence, Jin''s aura was still in the second half of the 7 stars. If he had reached the 8-star level, Chukon''s shield would not have been able to withstand even 3 seconds of the Sentence.
''Of course, that''s not all I have, Chukon Toldererer!
Crack!
A crack opened up in the protective shield. When the spear tip pierced the crack, the White Wolves shrank into a ball like small animals hiding in the cave to avoid the predators.
The Battle God''s Combat Technique was not a merciful sword technique. The spear soonpletely shattered the protective shield, and the White Wolves hidden inside it left only screams of agony.
Kyaaah!
Before the screams reached their ears, all the White Wolves were dead.
Jin finally stopped the Sentence/Punishment and gathered the remnants of the spear bolts on Sigmund''s sword.
When the desperately crying wild rays were recovered, the aura of the Unstable Berserk Heart decreased due to the use of the fighting technique.
''At least nine stars before you can use it''.
It''s just a meaningless restriction. Its power to quickly sweep away five general level White Wolves, even with the Unstable Berserk Heart, is enough for a fighting technique.
The battlefield darkened once again.
Jin''s enemies did not wish for this darkness to dissipate again. It meant that the monster''s lightning would begin to fall.
"I wonder if Siris has safely delivered thepass to Enya?
I couldn''t wait to go down and find out.
Following Chukon, Karl Zipple had also regained his sight and was observing the situation.
''What the hell... is going on here?''
When Karl''s subordinates were busy moving around in a panic, he didn''t notice the lightning strikes. However, now everything was ck and trembling with the roar of the explosion, and he couldn''t even find the shape of the White Wolves who had been screaming.
Karl''s subordinates who witnessed that sight trembled in fear with their legs shaking. They wanted to run away in a hurry.
Which made him even more fearful.
The identity of the monster could not be understood in any way. Neither Chukon nor Karl could think of anyone.
If it had used an ice sword, they would have assumed it was Tris; if it had used a deep sword, they would have assumed it was Luna; if it had simply deployed a vast killing sword, they would have thought of Runcandel''s ck Knight.
But what Jin used was a lightning sword. As far as they knew, there was not a single martial artist in the world who used lightning.
''An unknown sword technique, followed by an ancient lost light magic. Moreover, the light magic it unleashed is simr to Tzenmi''s Photon Cannon (Chenmi)...... in the family''s confidential records.''''
A Magic Swordsman?
Karl and Chukon concluded simultaneously.
Neither Zipple nor Kinzelo.
Rumor had it that a mysterious magical swordsman had recently appeared in Delki. Rumors had circted since Jin''s encounter with Berys (Beris) and Kuzan.
Zipple, in particr, had considered the possibility that it was the Magic Swordsman who had impersonated Beradin in the Kingdom of Arkyn (Akin) through a small group of Tessing vestiges.
''Could it be that the perpetrator is...?''
As the giddy spections raced through Karl and Chukon''s minds, Jin took a step towards them. It was only a step, but it was enough to make Karl and Chukon''s men reflexively flinch.
"What are you thinking, Chukon Toldererer, Karl Zipple?".
"......Where did youe from?"
Chukon replied.
He and Karl were getting frustrated. They couldn''t figure out where the hell the information about thepass hade from.
There was nothing they could figure out. How many of Jin''s allies were down, what their skill level was, why the hell they were targeting thepass.
They had thought they would be fine as long as they were careful of Runcandel and Vermont, but then someone of this caliber appeared out of nowhere.
''It''s not Runcandel . It''s probably a Vermont.''
''Could it be that it''s the final form of the thing the Vermont guys are experimenting with?''
Jin shrugged.
''It doesn''t matter who I am. You will all die today."
Although he said that coldly, but Jin didn''t expect to kill Chukon and Karl. He was just trying to buy time. To calm his emotions and allow his colleagues on the second floor to resolve the situation.
It was also a way to check Chukon and Karl''s attitude.
"This unpleasant feeling is something I haven''t felt in a long time. The other person knows me, but I don''t know the other person...this is not something I experience often as a member of the Zipple Family. Allow me to formally introduce myself, I am Karl Zipple, the Lord of the Fourth Magic Tower of the Zipple Family."
"I know."
The third son of Kellyak Zipple, and Lord of the Fourth Magic Tower of Zipple.
I didn''t know much about him. He had never appeared in the newspapers, nor had he ever encountered him in his past life. However, he had heard stories about how the Fourth Magic Tower of Zipple took care of the nasty stuff inside Zipple.
At first nce, taking on the dirty work might seem like a bad deal, but it was anything but. The Fourth Magic Tower is an institution with the secondrgest workforce after the First Magic Tower, which was famous as the "Tower of Stories."
In other words, it was one of the most powerful hubs within Zipple.
"You''re bluffing right now, I admit, you''re a formidable force. But I don''t think you''re strong enough to take on me and Lord Chukon at the same time."
"Is that really so? A moment ago you were talking about killing Kinzelo''s insects. Now you''re joining forces with Chukon again."
"Let''s clear up misunderstandings. Our policy is to turn the strong into our allies if possible. Therefore, I will make you an offer. I will make you one of us, and I, Karl Zipple, promise to give you more than you want."
"Karl Zipple, you bastard!"
Chukon''s eyes widened.
"I''m so sorry, Lord Chukon. Thepass has fallen into your hands, hasn''t it? And he seems to know of our rtionship, of our many secrets. It''s no use fighting."
"Nonsense...!"
"Please stay calm. If that person rejects us, we will team up to kill him. If you feel bad, he can offer Lord Chukon a deal and recruit Kinzelo. Frankly, we can''t handle that person alone. Lord Chukon do you agree to work together?"
Five of the general assault level White Wolf warriors were dead, including the countless Seven Star Knights and Seven Star Mages. It wasn''t impossible for Chukon and Karl to do the same, but they couldn''t do it that fast.
"How about bing one of us in Zipple? I don''t think that''s bad news for you, since you were aiming for mypass."
Jin smiled wryly.
And inwardly, he was convinced.
"There doesn''t seem to be an airship like Kozek in the vicinity."
Kozek.
The fearsome aerial vessel he had experienced in the ruins of Columbus.
Jin spoke unnecessarily to confirm if Karl had brought the Kozek.
''If he had, he wouldn''t be making this offer, he''d just be flexing his muscles. ''Even if the ind disappears off the map, if they evacuate on Kozek, that''s all that matters.''
It was something he had been thinking about since he first set foot on the ind. Jin had confirmed that there was no airship, but the Kozek was an airship, so it could hide in the clouds.
But the Kozek''s absence made sense: it was an airship that only moved when the Zipple dered war, and it wasn''t the kind of thing that would be kept on standby in a ce like this.
The same was true for Kinzelo. If he had hidden such an enormous power near the ind, it could have led to a misunderstanding on Zipple''s part and sparked a war.
"There is no Kozek."
When Jin said this, Karl''s pupils dted slightly.
There was no clearer answer than that.
"What...?"
"Well, if that''s the case, there''s no need to talk to you any further. Let''s finish what we were doing."
Chapter 193
C193 - Operation Compass Capture (5)
Kozek''s absence meant that Kinzelo and Zipple would have to fight for their lives.
How many warriors and mages have gathered here, and how powerful are they? There are many 7- and 8-stars, with some 9-star Grand Wizards mixed in.
If they fought with all their might, it will only be a matter of time before this small ind disappears from the map.
It wouldn''t end with the ind disappearing either. Instead, there would be explosions, whirlwinds, tidal waves and all sorts of disasters as a result of the aura of the warriors and the magic of the scattered mages.
How many humans could survive that? Not even the Great Wizards can breathe underwater, and not even the strongest warriors can swim against such a whirlwind.
Even assuming you manage to escape the chaos (by riding a dragon, for example), it''s a bad end for everyone if the ind gets to that point. There''s no way Runcandel and Vermont wouldn''t be able to spot such a big fight.
Zipple and Kinzelo were to hide that they were allies and the existence of thepass. Kinzelo''s loss would be indescribable, especially if thepass was broken or lost during the battle.
Jin and hispanions were also in trouble if their true identities were revealed: they would lose their home on Tikan, and would not be safe anywhere else in the world.
"I thought the threat to kill us all was just a ploy to buy time, but was it to check if the Kozek really wasn''t on the ind?" thought Karl as he took a smack to the back of his head.
''Come to think of it, that ck helmet he''s wearing is undoubtedly the object the Twilight Mages who went to Columbus mentioned. Tris protected his daughter and the man wearing that helmet from Kozec. Damn, howe I only remember it now?"
Midol Elner and hispanions on the ship had also talked about the same thing. They said that the man with the ck helmet was also the one who killed Muron Zipple.
There was no sense in repenting now.
Besides, knowing beforehand would not change Jin''s inaction.
Why was he in Columbus then? Did he know about the existence of the holy relic? What was his rtionship with the Master of the Hidden Pce? Could it be that he was the one who destroyed Kozek instead of the Master of the Hidden Pce?
What grudge does he hold against Zipple? How does he know all of Zipple''s secrets, including the Columbus relic andpass?
These are just a few of the questions that were swirling around in Karl''s mind.
Kak!
An electric shock enveloped Sigmund. The Sword Lightning of Legends, now Jin was trying to control the fight.
''I will fight and escape at the right time.''
The best oue would be to kill Chukon, Karl, and all the minions on the first floor and outside the game room.
But that was not possible. It would be difficult even for him to break Chukon''s protection magic, and they wouldn''t be able to fight with all their might if they had to take care of themselves.
So what would be the oue of this fight when it was over?
Before even unsheathing his sword, he came to a conclusion.
''The best move is to incapacitate Karl and force Kinzelo to take him hostage. If he is Chukon, he would have no reason to leave Karl behind after he fell and escaped.
Jin could sense that both Zipple and Kinzelo avoided fighting each other thoroughly. Even if they hadn''t shown it on the surface, in Jin''s eyes, Kinzelo was a group that could be a pir of a great force.
But here, Kinzelo did not receive thepass as agreed and suffered only heavy losses.
It would be in Kinselo''s best interest to take Karl hostage and demand something from Zipple. There was no reason not to do so.
Of course, deepening the grudge between Kinzelo and Zipple also favored Jin.
''Interesting. You will soon understand my will, Chukon Toldererer. And you''ll have to follow my will, unless you''re a fool.''
sh!
Lightning began to strike and, at the same time, Chukon struck his staff creating arge barrier where Kinzelo''s remaining minions gathered.
But the shield was no match for the lightning, which rained down on Karl and his men.
"Don''t underestimate me, you fucking bastard!"
"You change your nickname often - is that a habit?"
Zipple''s five gentlemen escorts were the most senior of the veterans. They seemed to be a bit more adapted to lightning after having faced it before and were now defending themselves better.
They used their magic shields, or anticipated where the lightning would strike and dodged it. Some knights would strike back with their swords.
Chukon and his men remained behind the shield, watching and waiting.
"Lord Chukon, will you stand still?"
When Karl showed his anger, Chulon raised his head, but with an expression that seemed to say that his alliance was already over and that he had just tried to hit him from behind.
Chang! Pachang!
The sword energy of Karl''s knights struck Sigmund. Zipple''s mages, including Karl, were too busy shielding themselves to counterattack.
They were eager to counterattack, but feared leaving a gap by casting a hasty spell and being attacked. Besides, apart from Karl, they seemed busier blocking the lightning than anything else.
"Lord Karl, evacuate, we''ll stop it!"
"Stop talking nonsense! Aren''t your gangs on the second floor? That said, the special mages on the second floor still hadn''t gone up. Lord Chukon, we must fight together!"
Chukon gave no reply. It seemed that he was now focused on understanding Jin''s true ability instead of dealing with Karl.
''I was confused because of his special lightning power, but from his aura, he seems to be 8 stars or less, and perhaps in the beginning stage. However, his actualbat ability seems to far surpass 8-star warriors.''''
If so, there was no reason why Karl couldn''t subdue Jin even if he took away some of his power.
On the other hand, ording to Chukon, the probability of Karl defeating Jin was low.
''Still, it should be enough to hurt him. I''m afraid I''ll have to activate the Magic Tower Master''s Staff if the battle esctes''.
The Magic Tower Master''s Staff had runes on it. When activated, reinforcements would immediately fly from the Fourth Magic Tower, and Runcandel and Vermont would smell it.
That would pose a great danger to both Kinzelo and Zipple, but if they cornered him, it was clear that Karl would prioritize his own life.
''As much as I hate to say it, I think I''m going to have to help Karl subdue the unwee guests first...''
Chukon thought for a moment.
Suddenly, the lightning ceased.
The knights took the opportunity to charge Jin, and Karl began to cast attack spells.
Jin unsheathed his other great Sword of Legends Technique.
"Bnce Oppression."
Sigmund pulled the swords of the five knights who charged at the same time.
It had been less than a minute since they had started clumsily dealing with the lightning sword, but another unknown sword technique was thrown.
"Billon!"
The heads of two knights twisted as they were caught off guard by Sigmund''s unexpected tug. The other three reflexively closed the distance again, and Jin lunged at Karl as soon as there was an opening.
"Die!"
Karl shouted, extending his staff. Just as countless ice des were about to rain down from the staff....
Gaaaaah!
Shriek!
Sigmund threw a sh at the staff''s head, but the ice des kept raining down as nned, but Jin didn''t dodge.
He believed in the Rune of Myulta and the Breastte of ck Light, and thanks to that, although his clothes were shredded and his arms covered in wounds, he managed to avoid any broken bones.
Thud, thud......!
In an instant, blood and flesh dripped from Jin''s bloody arms and shoulders.
If not for his masterful armor, he would not have escaped death.
"Are you panicking? You''re not even worthy of being a Magic Tower Master."
Crunch! Jin stomped on the fragments of the staff that had fallen to the ground. The runes inscribed on the fragments also shattered and Karl trembled with a deathly pallor.
It was no big deal to use magic without the staff, but it was safe to say that he had lost hisst resort of safety.
"Don''t feel so bad, you would have been in trouble anyway if you had activated the runes."
The words sent a shiver down Karl''s spine, as well as Chukon''s.
Not because of Jin''s swordy and daring. It was because of the feeling of being read, especially Karl was in a state of total shivering.
It was as if he could see through his mind, and as soon as he recognized the staff, he cut it off.
It was then that Jin tore off the ice de stuck in his arm and stared at him. With a look that said ''Have you figured it out yet?
''The wound is deeper than I expected. I''ll have to finish Karl and get out of here.''
The wound wasn''t fatal, but his arm was a wreck and he couldn''t use the sword properly.
Karl hadn''t expected the sword to cut the staff either, but his first attack, ''Ice des'', was a sham. What he really prepared was something else.
Hwaryeok!
Blue mes formed in Karl''s eyes.
This was Zipple''s arcane magic, Mystic Blue Flower mes. It was a magic that held an opponent with an inextinguishable blue me just by looking at him....
It was the same magic Muron Zipple had used on Columbus.
Fighting in mes that burn your entire body.
He wanted to taunt Jin by telling him to writhe in agony in the blue mes. He wanted to see Jin''s face as he slowly lost hisposure.
But the confident smile on Karl''s lips froze in less than a second.
Gaaaaaah!
For he was summoned Tess, the owner of the fire, the true master of the blue mes.
"Tess, Tess...!"
Chukon''s mouth opened wide. No matter how skilled he was at mind reading or foresight, he hadn''t imagined Tess. He knew he was an ult Sword Master, but after the Photon Cannon he hadn''t used any magic spells, which had led him to be confused.
Probably, his magic was only "eptable".
Although his aura seemed to have diminished and his arms were soaked with blood, Jin''s aura and magical powers were still sharpened.
"Hah."
Karl let out a self-deprecating sigh, and Jin''s blue mes were extinguished.
That Jin''s Phoenix was Tess was unknown even to the Twilight Mages and Midor Elner, who had fought Jin in Columbus. Tess'' only other witness, Muron Zipple, had died before they arrived.
"What the hell... are you...?"
A broken voice. Karl still had enough magic to fight, but his will was broken.
This meant his defeat. No matter how incredible his magic or magical power was. No matter how hard he tried, Karl could not defeat Jin.
"There''s no need to know who I am, so I''d rather talk about something else," Jin said.
Jin''s eyes shifted to the position where Chukon was standing, "You''d better be careful from behind, Karl."
Swoosh!
A bolt of magical energy shot by Chukon pierced Karl''s shoulder.
Chapter 194
C194 - Operation Compass Theft (6)
Immediately, the second, third and fourth bolts of magical energy prated Karl''s body.
"Kuah...!"
"Lord Karl!"
The eyes of the three remaining knights and mages were filled with despair as Karl fell to the ground. If even Chukon attacked them in this situation, they would have no way to defend themselves.
"Chu, Chukon, you...."
"I''m just returning your own actions, haha."
At that moment, the mages under the protection of Chukon''s barrier cast an attack spell at the same time. Of course, they were aiming not at Jin, but at Karl''s few remaining subordinates.
"Chukon!"
Before they could finish shouting, all of Zipple''s knights and mages died. Since Jin decided to target Karl, the death of Karl''s subordinates was a predictable oue since Chukon decided to stay as a spectator.
"You''re notpletely dumb, Chukon. I didn''t expect you to be so cooperative, but this way Tess won''t have to do much."
Karl copsed and Jin gently picked him up and tossed him towards Chukon with his injured arm. As soon as Karl fell to Chukon, Kinzelo''s mages deployed healing magic to make sure the valuable hostage didn''t bleed to death.
"Don''t you think that after Karl, it''s your turn now?"
"I don''t think the absolute ruler of Ans is that stupid. Well, I did consider it. I just decided I didn''t care if you came after me."
"You keep bragging all the way to the end. Do you really think you can deal with me calling Tess, even with a body that isn''t even fully healed?"
"Hahaha..."
Gah, gah, gah!
Jin and Tess burst outughing at the same time.
"Chukon Toldurer, you''re not convinced that you can kill me, and that''s why you''ve chosen the path that suits Kinzelo best. So don''t talk nonsense that you don''t even believe."
For a moment, Jin and Chukon exchanged distrustful nces. They were both saying things that were true. Jin was bluffing and Chukon was unsure of himself.
''Even if I pull out everything I have, it would be crazy to fight Chukon in this state. He''s an opponent that can''t be beaten without creating all sorts of variables, even his body is in its best state. If he really wants to fight, he should run away''.
''He has enough magic to use that unknown lightning sword technique and to summon Tess, and he might have some other hidden power. Retrieving thepass has already be very difficult, and we must return safely with Karl from Zipple at least so that the leader won''t kill us''.
They had lost five assault general level White Wolves, most of their senior members, and have had theirpass stolen.
But they didn''t lose everything, like Karl Zipple, as the ship in the harbor was loaded with all of Bouvard''s other works except thepass.
In any case, the Jin variable was a disaster no one could have foreseen.
''If we go ahead with this unnecessary pride and things get worse, even the leader won''t let it go. Besides, when the leader gets the report, he will surely try to turn him into one of ours somehow. We already have enough information to track him down.''
Chukon was the first to step back.
''Very well, we''ll take care of each other''s business today.''
"You have not wasted your youth. Maybe your leader would like catching Karl Zipple better than thepass."
Gone was Tess''s invocation.
''The first floor just went silent. I don''t know if it''s over or if the battlefield has expanded outward.''
Boom!
Immediately, Jin created arge hole in the ground with a strong foot strike. Even this was part of the basic Sword of Legends (Sword of Glory for friends) technique, with electrical energy zigzagging through his body.
"See you next time then."
As he descended through the hole, he immediately saw the chaotic scene on the second floor.
As on the second floor, there were bodies, blood and broken objects everywhere, as if there had been a rather intense battle.
He wasn''t too worried. With a group the size of Murakan, Quikantel, Kashimir and Alisa, all the power of the second floor had to be on the first.
''Have they all gone to the escape point, or have they gone to deal with the henchmen outside the game room?''
Jin felt a twinge of suspicion.
''No, they must have gone up to help me if they had emptied inside. Something''s wrong.''
As Jin exited the game room, he was greeted by Murakan, who was transforming into a cat.
"Nyan~."
He hadn''t participated in the battle on the second floor, but had kept his identity a secret until now in case Jin was in trouble.
"Murakan~"
Poof!
Murakan transformed into a human and approached Jin.
"Hey, brat, how much stronger have you be! I''ve almost seen everything you''ve got in this fight, you''re brave to the point of making me cry! Strawberry Shortcake would probably cry too. And your arms are a wreck, how did those Legends bastards roll you?"
"Are you talking about the injuries the Legends inflicted on me?"
"Hmm, I guess this is no time for jokes anymore."
"What''s the situation?"
"Your crazy fanatic escaped the ind unscathed, taking thepass with her."
"Phew! Well, at least the six months of effort weren''t in vain."
"Yes, but the rest of the situation is not so good."
"What''s wrong?"
"There were two other forces we haven''t identified."
"Not one, but two?"
"The Vermont task force and Runcandel."
"Hmm..."
"They weren''t moving in with reliable information like we were. They only knew that Zipple and Kinzelo were meeting here. They didn''t know what they were trading. So they ran here after they heard the casino had been flipped."
"They could get us in trouble in the end."
"In the meantime, the little guy* (*: Probably Kashimir), Alisa and your lover are trying to deal with them or drive them away."
That was a relief. Thepass had already been stolen, so it was just a matter of getting off the ind without revealing himself.
Just as Runcandel and Vermont didn''t have all the information they needed about Zipple and Kinzelo.
Zipple and Kinselo were also unaware of their presence on the ind.
"How did you know that the task force and my family didn''t know about thepass?"
"They said that if they had known all about it, they wouldn''t have just sent them."
"Okay, so the three of you split up and are heading to the escape point?"
"Yes, but unfortunately, there''s one more problem. The biggest one, to boot."
"Damn, nothing is ever easy. Tell me."
Murakan frowned in annoyance.
Then, he pointed his finger toward the sea that stretched out behind Jin. As he turned his gaze, he saw something dense and small floating in the sea in the distance.
"They''re all warships. Soon, this ind will bepletely surrounded. Even if we gather everyone scattered and board a ship in 10 minutes, we won''t be able to escape the pursuit."
There were no gates in or out on this ind. You could only enter or leave by boat, swimming or flying.
And, of course, being an ind, there was nowhere to flee or hide, and the escape boats that Jin''s group had prepared were not fast enough to outrun the pirate or warships that would pursue them
"...They were sent by the Be Empire, to support the members waiting on the ind in case of a simr situation. There, there will be special forces prepared by the special unit headquarters."
That left Jin andpany with only one option: jump aboard Murakan.
That was thest escape option they left at the meeting half a year ago.
While they could escape immediately if they revealed Murakan''s true appearance, they would be special targets for eternal tracking by Vermont and Zippel and Kinzelo.
There would be nothing more exhausting than that in the world.
''This is really crazy.
It''s almost as if the fight on the second floor is the easy part.
"What are you going to do?"
As usual, Murakan decided to follow Jin''s decision.
"If there''s only one option, there''s nothing to think about. We''ll escape aboard you. We will have to ept the fact that we will be special tracking targets."
"Then, we must first find those who are scattered. Should we search for them while flying?"
"No, that''s too dangerous. We''ll search in the vicinity of the escape point and reconvene here in 30 minutes. If there are anyrades who have not joined up by then, we will initiate an aerial search."
Swish...!
Crack...!
Within five minutes of searching for hispanions, the sound of something cracking in the distance echoed in Jin''s ears.
It was the sound of Runcandel''s Guardian Knights in the northern harbor destroying a ship.
"Destroy all ships! Don''t let anyone escape until the Berd Empire''s reinforcement ships arrive.
"Especially you must not lose sight of the woman named Zelia. She is undoubtedly the key figure in this matter."
Indeed, Runcandel was doing something very Runcandel.
They were trying to prevent the escape of the main target by destroying all the ships at the location of the enemy shipsing from foreignnds.
It was the kind of vileness that was only possible by Runcandels. Damage of any kind could be paid forter with a petition to the main family, and once the warships arrived and those involved were identified, the necessary people could be taken by force.
''It''s a Family that will one day be mine... but what can I say? In every way, it''s amazing.''
The ns and opinions of Vermont and other factions were not important in the process. Especially in a ce where these great powers were fighting each other.
"Oh, gentlemen, why are you doing this!"
"We are honest people who catch fish to earn our daily sustenance. But if you destroy our boats like this...!"
The men who appeared to be the owners of the boat approached the Guardian Knights and lowered their heads.
"Do you think I hadn''t noticed that there are only pirates, beggars and drug addicts on this ind? From now on, I''m going to execute every one of you who tries to bullshit or y a trick on us."
Indeed, every one of them was a pirate ship.
But from the pirates'' point of view, there was no such extreme cruelty as this. On the other hand, they couldn''t take on Runcandel''s guardian knights, which made them feel frustrated.
"Hey, hey. Even if it''s Runcandel''s Guardian Knights, will only ten of them catch us? They don''t seem to be purebloods, they just seem to be ordinary guardian knights. Let''s just get on our ships and run away! The ships are our life and soul! We can find another ind!"
A pirate who was trying to hide from the Guardian Knights shouted out loud.
"Exactly! Even if there are only ten of them, Runcandel''s Guardian Knights can''t capture all of us - there are over fifty ships in the northern harbor!"
"It''s even possible that we''ll be sent to prison in any case. Either way, get aboard a ship and weigh anchor, you damned maggots!"
"Only those who board the ships will escape with their lives!"
Waaaaaaaah!
Suddenly, the pirates who were hiding in different parts of the harbor joined inrge numbers.
They were underestimating the "Runcandel Guardian Knights" too much. The low-level pirates had no idea who the strongest Swordsmen in the world were.
"Idiots. We''re the ones who control this ce, even if you try to escape, you won''t be able to."
There were three of the ten Guardian Knights in the northern port.
With just those three, the Guardian Knights had the power to camp the pirates running like dogs.
A few pirates managed to crawl onto the ship, running like mad, not caring whether theirrades were dead or not. The problem was that they didn''t even make it to the anchor before the sword swept them away.
''There''s nowhere to run. There don''t seem to be anypanions nearby.... Anyway, is the guy who urged us to get on the ship at first running away now?''
Just as that pirate was about to turn around.
Bang! Bang...!
Bang! Bang, Bang, Bang!
The Berd Empire''s warships began firing shells towards the ind.
They seemed to have the same idea as Runcandel''s Guardian Knights. First of all, they wanted to sink all the ships on the ind so that no one could escape.
Chapter 195
C195 - Operation Compass Seizure (7)
The shells fired from the Bed Empire''s warships were enchanted with magic.
It was war-strengthening magic that increased range and firepower. It took at least a hundred six-star mages to strengthen the hundreds of cannons. Moreover, the fact that there were so many six-star mages meant that there were also many high mages leading them.
It was a force that would never have made it to this small abandoned ind. Even Runcandel had only sent ten mid-high level Guardian Knights, and Vermont had sent a war force.
That meant that Vermont was ahead of Runcandel in terms of information about Zipple and Kinzelo, or that they were paying more attention to them.
ck dots in the sky fell quickly. Shells had flown into the harbor in an instant.
"Everybody get down, get down, get down, get down!"
"G-G-God!"
The pirates shouted desperately, and the Runcandel Guardian Knights scowled in displeasure.
Bang, bang, bang!
Shells began to fall on the harbor and the beach. The explosions sent plumes of water upward, pirate ships shattered and splinters flew everywhere, while the rocks and sand that made up the harbor crumbled.
As opposed to the pirates simply lying t or running desperately, the Guardian Knights skillfully maneuvered to cut off or avoid the projectiles and splinters flying towards them.
"Damn, this is annoying."
"We have to inform our headquarters (family). It looks like the Berd Empire bastards have gone mad."
Boom...! Boom, Boom!
Before the pirates coulde to their senses, the next bombardment began.
For Jin, this was advantageous. The more confusion there was, the easier it would be for him to move unseen, and since they were going to steal thepass on Murakan''s back anyway, it didn''t matter if the docked ships were destroyed.
Unfortunately, however, the appearance of Berd''s warships was also a misfortune for Jin.
This was because, after reinforcing the projectile magic, another magic began to unfold.
Suddenly, the dark night sky was being dyed red.
Not because the projectiles were burning, but because the mages aboard the Berd Empire''s ships had deployed a barrier spell.
"The Great Red Entanglement Barrier...!!!! Did VErmont''s Special Force even prepare that?"
As the name suggested, the Great Red Entanglement Barrier was a spell in which several magesbined their powers to build a barrier.
It was usually used to protect a castle or city from enemy attacks.
Sometimes it was used to prevent the enemy from escaping. As now.
"The Great Red Binding Barrier. This is a magic linking spell used by the Emperor''s Guard Mages, not the Special Forces. was the Emperor''s Guard prepared for this too!!!?"
The Great Red Linking Barrier was one of the signature spells of the Vermont Emperor''s Guard Mages. The core of this spell, which they had invented on their own, was "air control".
When dragons or flying creatures attacked the pce, a barrier was deployed to exterminate them and prevent them from fleeing. Within the Great Red Entanglement Barrier, no creature with wingsrger than a sparrow could fly unrestricted.
The moment it detected a flying creature, the barrier immediately spewed out thousands of beams of red light in order to subdue it, so it was a frightening magic designed to protect the safety of the "Emperor".
It was at that moment that Jin''s n to flee in Murakan fell apart. The barrier was sorge that it spanned the entire ind.
''Even assuming Murakan can withstand it, the safety of the others is a concern. We have to change our n.''
They were to flee by boat.
But a constant barrage of shells was smashing the harbor and pirate ships, and the ind was surrounded by the Berd Empire''s fleet.
''Still, it would be better to get a ship and fight the Berd fleet rather than fly into the barrier. ''Getting out of the barrier on a ship is the time when I''ll be able to flee in Murakan again.''
First, they had to leave the barrier on a ship. The fleet would chase them, but if they got out of the barrier, they could escape again in Murakan. Now it was more important to return to where Murakan was rather than to find theirpanions. The Great Red Entanglement Barrier was a magic developed about a hundred years ago, so Murakan could not know all the dangers involved either.
He had to inform them quickly, lest Murakan get frustrated with his search and start flying.
"Murakan!"
"What''s wrong, brat?"
After retracing his steps and looking around, I fortunately found him quickly. And while I was exining about the red barrier, Siris appeared from somewhere.
"Jin, do you understand the situation more or less? The east ispletely destroyed, both the harbor and the ships. Because the ind is small, there is a limit to escape from the annoying swarms of sea mosquitoes."
She was in a situation where she understood the situation as well as Jin, having escaped from the special pursuit team.
"Miss Siris, do you know at which escape point the other team members moved?"
"They went toward the western escape points. Those two are originally from Vermont, so they probably know what this barrier means. If we can''t get a boat, we''re doomed."
"Damn humans, when did they develop such magic? All the ships are being destroyed by shells, so how do we get a ship? Miss lover, didn''t you bring that snow toad?"
"I wouldn''t be going through all this trouble if I could have brought Mort, ck Dragon, why don''t you tell them to announce that it''s a matter of the Hidden Pce," she said.
"Perhaps it would be better if the three of us went together. Let''s look for the others and hope there are some ships left in the nearest port."
The bombardment continued in the distance. Murakan turned back into a cat and curled up in Siris'' arms.
"Wow, first the special forces, and now the guardian knights and the emperor''s mages. I didn''t think things would get thisplicated. When my mother told me about this, I thought it wouldn''t be easy, but it wouldn''t be too hard either."
"When I found out you were in the operation, Miss Siris, I was surprised."
"I was more surprised that you were able to flip the second floor on your own. You have be a monster, Jin Runcandel."
"The Guardian Knights have had their eyes lit up and are looking for you, Miss Siris. Let''s make sure we keep a low profile."
The direction in which Alisa and Kashimir moved to evade the unit/special force was west. Thanks to Siris, the group was able to quickly find the escape points without getting lost.
"Lord Kashimir."
Kashimir, Alisa and Quikantel were found at escape point seven.
It was a warehouse of pirates living on the ind. After thepass theft was over, it had been agreed that those who escaped would blend in with the supplies and board a pirate ship to escape.
"I thought you might show up, so I decided to wait three minutes. Long time no see, Young Master."
"I see Miss Siris has managed to outwit my juniors."
"Murakan seems fine, I guess he didn''t fly into the barrier. I was afraid he would be torn to pieces if he flew after us."
"Is the human barrier really that powerful, can''t we just fly through it?"
"The Vermont Imperial Guard Mages are the same level as Zipple''s Twilight Mages, and yes a bunch of them joined in. There aren''t enough of us to take them on by ourselves."
They decided to skip the greetings and look for a ship, but as they left the escape point, the west harbor waspletely destroyed by the bombardment. Not a single ship was intact and the corpses of in pirates were strewn everywhere.
Only the southern port remained.
But the journey to the southern harbor was too long. Despite the small size of the ind, it was a half-hour journey at most.
The roar of the cannons was getting closer and closer. As hispanions gathered, the fleet of the Berd Empire was approaching, almost encircling the ind.
"There are unlikely to be ships to the south. We''d better swim out of the barrier from here."
Jin said with a sigh.
"What if we get hit by a shell?"
Siris asked, and Jin shrugged.
"Well... we''re all pretty resilient."
"Well. That''s true. I guess we don''t have a choice anyway."
"Well, we''ll have to survive the shells, but the real problem is that we might get spotted by the fleet, and then the troops on board will start attacking us directly."
No matter how strong Jin and his allies were, they could not fight properly underwater.
The risk of being exposed to the fleet''s elite troops or mages was high and, at that point, they would be easily suppressed without being able to properly counterattack.
Because of the barrier, the two dragons could not fly and, while swimming, could not fight properly. In addition, there was no ce to hide on this small ind to avoid the enemies'' gaze.
"Sigh."
Although they talked calmly about swimming, they knew that swimming to escape did not depend on their skill, but on luck, which squeezed their hearts.
"Who would have thought the Imperial Guards would deploy the Great Red Entanglement Barrier? Damn."
Their colleagues were thinking the same thing.
If they were lucky, they could all escape the barrier safely, but they needed to be prepared for the worst case scenario. Some of them might not be able to get back to Tikan.
"Come on..!"
They escaped from the exit point.
The ind was in ruins, the sky was reddened by the barrier, and projectiles were streaking across it.
The pirates were still running in all directions, spreading chaos, and both nobles and paupers were following suit. On the ind, it looked like thendscape at the end of the world.
"The harbor area is being shelled, so we should look for a cliff? Huh?"
"What''s wrong?"
When Jin suddenly stopped, the eyes of hispanions focused on him.
"Isn''t that guy the pirate who incited the others to jump onto the ship from the north port?"
A pirate entered Jin''s field of vision. He suddenly remembered how he had incited the other pirates to flee, only to do the opposite himself.
Unlike his behavior in the northern port, he had a calm expression on his face.
Another pirate, who had been running down the street, stopped beside him. In the midst of everyone else''s frantic running, only the two pirates stopped.
"Siris, Alisa, are you by any chance able to read the mouths of those two pirates over there?"
"Why?"
"Can you?"
"I can."
Siris and Alisa read their lips without further question.
"When the captain said he was going to invest so much money in that, I thought it was a waste, but thanks to that we''re still alive."
"Yeah, sometimes it seems like our captain has a special insight, like knowing that someday this might happen."
"The other fools failed, only we survived. Jumping into the ship was real madness. Runcandel''s guardian knights were holding out, and they jumped ships with a word? They are mad."
"Those fools have survived so far on their luck alone. So have we. Haha, the legend of the great pirate band will grow once again. In the middle of an ind siege, we escaped from a regr Vermont fleet!"
"Well, it looks like there''s no one else around here. We should get going."
That was all the pirates said as they walked away. The team members who had overheard the conversation through Siris and Alisa briefly looked each other in the eye.
"Something doesn''t add up about what they''re saying, does it?"
"I think they''ve been preparing something for just such an asion, and it wouldn''t hurt to follow them."
Jin also smiled without realizing it.
"I don''t like to rely on luck instead of skill, but it looks like this time the story will be different."
Although they didn''t know what the pirates had prepared, they had a feeling that they could ovee this situation impressively.
Chapter 196
C196 - Escaping (1)
The pirates fled, unaware that Jin and hispanions were secretly following them.
They stopped at a well.
A well that, like most on this abandoned ind, had long since dried up and ceased to function. It appeared to be being used as a secret passageway leading somewhere.
The pirates had jumped into the well.
"Hmm."
The team members looked at each other and shrugged.
"Is there a secret space in here and is that captain''s intention for them to hide in there?"
"Not likely, since the captain made it sound like they could escape from the regr Vermont fleet, not hide."
"But they don''t seem like very smart guys, so maybe they''re really just hiding. And they didn''t seem to realize why the fleet surrounded the ind."
"I guess that''s true."
When Kashimir and Alisa spoke, the rest of thepanions nodded in agreement.
"Let''s go ahead and be prepared to swim if we have to. Let''s hope they have some trick up their sleeves."
Soon, they saw an iron lid covering the ground after jumping into the well one by one. It was a door of sorts, handle-less and firmly closed, it seemed difficult to open from the outside without someone opening it from the inside.
Of course, that applied to ordinary people.
Crack!
Jin tore off the iron lid with his bare hands.
"Oh, you''ve gotten stronger? Brat. Now you can tear off the iron like it''s paper!"
Murakan said it like it was no big deal, but Siris trembled when he touched the bent lid.
Just as they were about to go down the passage....
Ssswing! A dagger flew toward them. It had an aura of at least three stars, but Jin deflected it with a simple hand motion and the dagger bounced off the ground.
The pirate who had thrown the dagger didn''t even bother to scream.
Jin swung his saber, closing the distance. The pirate couldn''t even scream as Jin closed in on him in an instant.
With a snap, Jin caught the pirate in the throat. It was one of the pirates Jin had been chasing.
"Sorry for scaring you, but we won''t hurt you. Let''s go together, you have some method to get out of here, don''t you?"
Pahak!
No sooner had Jin finished speaking. Suddenly, the dark passageway was lit up with torches.
The other pirates who opened the iron lid so that the other pirates could enter lit torches. Jin and his group were surprised to see so many pirates gathered under the shaft.
"How many are there?"
It wasn''t one or two. To the naked eye, it was dozens, if not hundreds. It was surprising that so many pirates were gathered under the well, but they were not overwhelmed.
A hundred or a thousand pirates were no threat to the group.
The pirates shone their torches and pointed their guns at Jin and hispanions.
"Who the hell was thest one to arrive? Looks like they stepped on his tail," one of the pirates said.
"It was Chikol and Belb, a couple of nasty guys," said another.
"Fortunately, there aren''t many who followed us. Captain, what do we do? It would be better to kill them all first."
Chikol and Belb were the names of the pirates Jin and his group had followed. As the pirates talked among themselves, Jin and his friends smiled disdainfully.
"Silence!"
Someone in the crowd of pirates shouted and stepped forward. It was someone Jin knew well, the leader of this pirate gang. Cosmos, the pirate king, the one responsible for this secret passage.
"You seem to be the captain."
Pap!
As soon as Jin opened his mouth, Cosmos'' eyes widened.
"Jin Gray...?"
"And who''s that, why are you talking all of a sudden, pirate?"
"You bastard, you''re Jin Gray!"
Jin pretended not to know who it was, but Cosmos spoke in a firm, confident voice.
"You think I''m going to forget that voice? I''m still in debt thanks to you, so it''s good to see you, you bastard!".
"Hey, Cap''n, what do you mean, is that Jin Gray?"
"Jin Gray,st year''s winner, the one who put our captain in debt?"
Jin shrugged his shoulders helplessly. Although his blond hair and makeup made him lookpletely different from his usual appearance, those who knew his real face could recognize him.
"Well, okay, you already know who I am, so we don''t need a long story. Cosmos, you know the situation out there, right? There''s a whole fleet of the Berd Empire out there, and how do you n to escape? I don''t think they''ve all gathered here to hide in this passage."
When Jin asked him bluntly, Cosmos shuddered.
"Whatever it is, do you think I''m going to help you?".
"We don''t really have anything against each other, do we, why are you being so curt?"
"Shut up, because thanks to you we pirates keep bringing gold coins to your pompous friend...!"
"My friend?"
"Beradin Zipple, that human demon!"
"Ah, I remember."
-Jin Gray,e on!
He recalled the scene when Beradin bet 100,000 gold coins against Paul Mick (Dante Hairan) while shouting like this. At that time, Jin''s win was three times bigger.
After Jin''s victory, Cosmos spent its days paying Beradin, who was steadily earning money. The debt was snowballing and Beradin was surprisingly inflexible about money. Cosmos had already paid off the principal, but was still paying higher interest.
For anyone else to swindle Beradin''s money "Zipple" would be unthinkable, even for a pirate king.
"...I''m really sorry. Well, not that I''m sorry. Don''t you have to take that risk if you want to make money in those kinds of underground wrestlingpetitions? If Paul Mick had won, you would have been sitting on a mountain of money."
"Watch your mouth!"
"Captain, stop dithering - just kill him! There''s no time, we must settle this quickly and get out."
The pirates were shouting furiously and yet Cosmos was calcting in his head.
''It''s obvious he''s also an heir to a great family like Jin Runcandel or Veradin Zipple. If he were alone, it wouldn''t matter, but even those who seem to be his peers are no pushovers.''
As Cosmos thought to himself, Murakan and Quikantel had a simr opinion of the pirates.
''''Let''s not waste any more time, brat. Let''s take a few of them and the captain as hostages and get started, why are you talking to them?"
"I agree. We''re running out of time, so let''s stomp them. I want to know if there''s any way off this ind."
As Murakan advanced, the pirates were ready to attack at any moment.
"Hey, Cosmos. If that guy starts shaking his fists, you could all be dead for real, so let me make you a proposition."
"Bullshit!"
"Listen up. We''re all down here in the basement trying to get off the ind in the middle of a mess, and I don''t know what you''ve got nned, but if you let us out, I''ll wipe out all your debts."
"What?"
"Literally. I''m going to wipe out your debts, and I''m going to add a sizable bonus."
Woosh!
The moment Cosmos unsheathed his sword, Jin unleashed an aura that drove back over a hundred pirates.
At the same time, Murakan lunged at Cosmos and broke his sword.
Jin stared at him silently and whispered quietly so the other pirates could not hear: ''I wanted to tell you before you try to refuse or negotiate, my name is not Jin Gray, it''s Jin Runcandel. And the Paul Mick I fought in the finals is Dante Hairan.''
Just like when Beradin saved Dante in the tournament final.
Cosmos was someone who assessed the situation very well.
''...Are you saying that you are Jin Runcandel?
''Yes. There''s no way that coincidence could have led Dante Hairan and I to meet on the battlefield. Beradin Zipple was also watching.''
Cosmos finally understood.
Why Beradin Zipple had saved Paul Mick, also known as the aspiring g bearer Jin Runcandel, in the finals. Until now he had only epted it as a whim or a deal from those living above.
The other pirates quickly realized that Cosmos, who had just been subdued in a second, was looking for an opportunity to escape.
''Come to think of it, the reason the fleet is up is not because of us, but because of you. But there is another condition, Jin Runcandel.''
''Speak.''
''After escaping from the ind, swear to protect the safety of our pirate crew. That is, make sure that you, yourpanions and Runcandel''s Guardian Knights do not wipe us out. No problem with the Berd Empire''.
Cosmos seemed not to know, but not only the Berd Imperior, but also Vermont, Zippel and Kinzelo would pursue them.
Although he doubted whether he should tell Cosmos that fact or not, ultimately, it seemed better to ask for help first and then talk.
''I swear. On my honor and that of my family.''
Cosmos had no choice. Asking for an oath was nothing more than an empty request, and his fate had been sealed the moment Jin and his group found the well.
"Tch, I ept the offer, follow me!"
When Cosmos stood up and shouted like that, his subordinates bowed their heads as if they didn''t understand thenguage.
"Captain! It looks like they threatened you somehow, so don''t try to be heroic. What if they hit us and we can''t handle them? They don''t seem like the kind of people we can easily handle."
"Jin Gray, he also seemed to be a giant like Paul Mick or Beradin Zipple. Well, there''s plenty of room for him."
"Will he really eliminate our debts?"
The previous confident attitude suddenly disappeared. If the leader bowed, his subordinates would follow.
"Anyway, Cosmos, what''s the n, are you sure it will work?"
When Jin asked this as he followed the pirates, Cosmos smiled meaningfully. His attitude seemed to say that even if you were a Runcandel, you would be surprised to see it.
After a moment, they reached the end of the corridor and came upon a cliff. Below the cliff was a cavity, and in the middle of it was arge pirate ship.
It was as if there was a ship somewhere deep underground. Even more pirates were busily working there than those who hade together.
"Her name is ''Order 7''. We''ll make our getaway on that."
"What a fancy name, how the hell do we do that?"
"For now, just hop on. It''s easy."
There isn''t a drop of water underground to keep Order 7 afloat. Besides, there was no way to escape by boat from a cavity sealed on all sides.
Reluctantly, the pirates began to board the ship as instructed by Cosmos. Jin and hispanions also hurried to board the ship.
"Blow it up!"
The moment Cosmos shouted, the cliff that formed the cavity began to copse. The pirates had set off magic bombs they had installed beforehand.
Boom!
At the same time, a literally "huge" jet of water began to flow from the destroyed cliff.
Surprisingly, when the cliff copsed, the sea appeared directly.
"Fly, Order 7!"
Order 7 was swept away by the stream of water and flew into the sea.
Chapter 197
C197 - Escaping (2)
"We shouldn''t fly!"
Jin shouted out of reflex.
But the ship was already running into the sea like a cannon.
"Don''t worry, the Empire''s magic doesn''t work on this."
The ship had no wings and was not a living creature. Besides, Order 7 didn''t actually fly, so Cosmos knew they wouldn''t be detected by the Great Red Entanglement Barrier.
Flying on a ship was an unusual experience.
Not even Jin, who was from the great Runcandel family, Kashimir, who was once a member of royalty, Alisa, who once belonged to the special operations unit, including Siris, who was the heir to the Hidden Pce, and also the dragons who had lived for thousands of years, had experienced this.
Kaaaaaaaah!
Although the water pressure from the stream blocking the wall only temporarily blew them away, the group could not keep their mouths shut.
How could a simple pirate prepare something like this?
That''s what Jin and hispanions were thinking. Cosmos had pre-nned a ship underground on the ind so they could escape at any time in case of emergency.
"Hahahahahahaha, it''s for this kind of thing that we created ships like Order 7!"
So, Order 1 through 6 had probably been used in the same way.
Hispanions could barely hear Cosmos'' boisterousughter. They were experiencing incredible pressure such as they had never felt before as the ship shot up like a projectile.
On the other hand, it seemed familiar to the pirates. Like excited monkeys, they all screamed with joy and enjoyed the incredible speed of the ship.
Jin''s cheeks puffed out in the wind. If he opened his eyes while facing the wind, his eyelids would be inverted, not to mention that his hair was already a mess right now.
Looking down, he could see other ships.
They were the fleet of the Berd Empire,ying siege to the ind, and the men on their decks looked up, dumbfounded, as if in disbelief.
Order VII (Order 7) flew past them like a bird. After flying past them, it flew on for a while longer, plummeting into the ocean in the distance.
It was an unreal scene. The fleetmanders could not direct their weapons or magic against Order Seven.
They simply stood in awe, wondering how the hell they did this.
"Hahaha, now we''re going down, hold on tight!"
Before Cosmos could say that, Jin and hispanions had already dug their fingers into the cracks in the deck.
It was doubtful that the ship would survive the impact. If the sea didn''t hold, the Order 7 would shatter.
But the only doubters were Jin, hispanions and the Berd Empire fleet.
Boom...!ssh...!
Water surged everywhere like a tidal wave.
It was the result of the ship falling into the sea, and at the same time a sound of something breaking was heard. It was the sound of the ship''sponents breaking apart as the ship shook.
Debris flew out. So many fragments of wood flew that it seemed unbelievable, and the deck brokepletely and bounced upwards.
Despite everything, the pirates were busyughing and chatting. "Looks like it went much better this time." Even those words could be heard.
It really was all smashed up.
Surprisingly, when the rising jet of water subsided, Order 7 moved forward nonchntly and gracefully. The keel was in perfect condition.
"Phew..."
Jin sighed without realizing it. When he turned back, the ind and the fleet looked the size of a beanstalk.
"You know how we pirates survive among monsters like you? It''s because of things like this. Neither the Empire, nor the Imperial fleet, can chase us at sea."
"It seems the ship is quite damaged, I also heard a rumbling sound from the direction of the keel. The deck ispletely destroyed, how can we escape the pursuit on this ship?"
Cosmos patted Jin on the shoulder andughed.
"Well, the sea loves us. Don''t worry, when the emergency repairs arepleted, those guys will be at a point in 30 minutes and won''t be seen for an hour. Repairers, begin your work! Crewmen, take over!"
The pirates, who had beenughing their heads off at Cosmos'' words, ran to their posts in unison, leaving only Jin and Cosmos standing with nothing to do.
"Unbelievable, how did you do that?"
"It wouldn''t be good if you knew our trade secret."
"But anyone who experiences something like that can only ask."
"Hehe, something even Runcandel can''t do. That''s why I''m the pirate king."
The others were still in shock.
''Why on earth would someone with this kind of ability be a pirate?''
He wanted to ask, but held back. He seemed to take great pride in his profession as a pirate, and now it was time to say thank you.
"Well, thanks anyway, you got me off the ind in one piece."
"Hmph, that''s a bit of an exaggeration, you wouldn''t have escaped if it wasn''t for me. Keep your word, you took an oath, and I need to be able to trust you."
"As long as mypanions and I make it safely to shore, I''ll have no problem keeping my promise, what''s our route?"
"We will sail undeviating to the neighboring kingdom of Zane, and then replenish our supplies on the ind of our nearby allies. It will only take two weeks. Get off there and be on your way. How much money will you give?"
"More than you can imagine. It will be as much money as you make in those ndestine tournaments you do."
Even if I gave him more money, he wouldn''t mind.
In the midst of the chaos, running away in Murakan or Quikantel was the worst option, but then came Cosmos. Not only that, thanks to Jin participating in the Cosmos tournamentst year, he met with Beradin and Dante, and got a map of the Colon archaeological site.
In fact, Cosmos was practically Jin''s only benefactor.
Jej, Cosmosughed.
"We only took you because we had no other options... We don''t trust the way Runcandel does things. Don''t they kill everyone when they feel safe? There''s even a chance you might kill us, since we''re not even customers, just pirates."
"Is that what you want me to do?"
"It''s just a figure of speech. Unlike us, you seem to take the oath very seriously, so don''t change it now. Haha, it''s exciting. Remember that you have to pay the debt and the reward for this job separately."
"Of course, you did a great job."
* * *
The peerless benefactor, Pirate King Cosmos, wasn''t worried at all.
That is, even when he was informed of the possibility of persecution not only by the Berd Empire, but also by the great forces of Vermont and the Zipple wizards.
"Anyway, they chase us all the time. And they don''t catch us, like now."
"Maybe they''ll send a dragon, this time. No matter how fast Order Seven is, it can''t outrun a dragon."
"Do you think we''re fools? We''re going to hide for years with the money you send us. There are so many inds in the world, how could they possibly check them all? So don''t worry and just send the money."
June 18, 1797.
When all hispanions were together again in Tikan, Jin''s first act was to send the Pirates of Cosmos the gold bars.
He also wrote them a letter. As long as you do nothing improper, if you behave yourselves, I will someday give you a home in Hufester, and you should consider rehabilitation.
"Young Master."
Gilly''s eyes narrowed as soon as she saw Jin. It had been an agonizing wait for her, from her departure for the Great Mithra Desert to her involvement in thepass-stealing operation upon her return.
But she didn''t make a fuss. As a soldier before she was Jin''s nanny, she recognized him at a nce. The fact that Jin was really strong now.
"You''ve grown up and got what you wanted."
Gilly smiled as she held out the goldenpass to Jin.
"Turns out everyone said goodbye to you because of this."
"While you were gone, I worked with the turkey team to figure out how to use it. Just like any other artifact, it works by injecting magical power into it. There are many other things to tell, but you may want me to start with this one, right?
"Yes, I can''t wait to check it out, and I''m craving some of Gilly''s food after all this time."
"I''ll have them ready as soon as we''re done."
Grabbing thepass, Jin calmly began injecting magic into it.
Ding, Ding Dong, Krick...!
Theponents inside thepass began to rotate and the next moment, the magic reflected on the surface of thepass drew a map in the air.
"This is... the continent?"
At first nce, it looked like an ordinary travel artifact map, except that it was a bitrger and had a more intense color.
But what made the group startled were the red dots scattered all over the continent.
Those red dots were concentrated in thends of Vermont and Zipple, and in Luther''s Magical Federation. Some could barely be seen in Hufester''s Union and others were scattered in other areas.
"Could it be that they are all contractors...!"
"I suspect so, Lord Kashimir, and almost all of them are gathered on the Zipple and Vermont side."
It was not a map showing the exact location of the contractors. The red dots were just marks indicating the number of contractors in each region. All of the dots only shone in the center of each area.
It did not show the appearance or status of contractors. But if there were red dots in a region, it meant there were contractors there, which was enough for a force like Zippel.
They could scout and find anything with their limited resources and manpower.
In particr, it would be very easy to search if thend was small and had only one red dot, like the Mamit Lawless Zone shown on thepass.
On the other hand,rge ces with several red dots would seem difficult to find even with apass.
"I looked at it several times before you came, but the position of the red dot changes subtly every day. Maybe it''s because the contractor is moving."
She got goose bumps.
"Good thing Enya, Euria and I left Tikan half a year ago. I don''t know what those Zipples would have done if we''d stayed."
Zipple must have been aware of the fact that there were ''three'' contractors in Tikan from the beginning.
The free city of Tikan is an ind. Therefore, unlike other ces, if the red dots were present, there would be no need to limit their scope. The same would be true for one or more dots.
"If we had continued like this, there would be three red dots on Tikan. Like now... um?"
Jin paused, looking at Tikan on the map.
For some reason, not a single red dot was glowing on Tikan. Even though all three contractors-Jin, Euria, and Enya-were there.
"No way... is this fake, why isn''t there a red dot on Tikan?"
At Jin''s words, all hispanions looked in the same direction.
"That''s strange. It seemed like there was a function to search for a contractor. After a red dot appeared in Shucheron Kingdom three days ago, today morning a small news appeared that someone who made a contract with the Shell God appeared in Shucheron Kingdom..." (Note: He can also be called m God)
"The Shell God, was his name Olmango or Olungo? Anyway, are you saying that even those lesser Gods are marked with a red dot? That friend is so ipetent he''s not even worthy of being called a God."
Murakan snorted, but the others remained stone-faced.
"Something is wrong. If Gilley''s words are true, the object is real, but why are there no contractors on Tikan?"
Quikantel, who had been watching, looked at Jin and Murakan as if something had urred to him.
"You two, step outside for a moment."
"Why so suddenly?"
"Go outside."
"Where to?"
"Outside Tikan."
Chapter 198
C198 - Rumors and Pursuers (1)
Unexpectedly, Jin and Murakan were expelled as soon as they returned home. They also used the transfer gateway to go to Manji Ind in the Western Sea.
"What madness is this, expelling people all of a sudden? What''s going on?"
Murakan grumbled, and Quikantel looked up.
"There are no changes in thepass. Hmm, Enya, this time you have to go out."
"Eh? Me too?"
Enya was sent away. Equally to Manji Ind in the Hidden Pce.
Then there was a change in thepass. As soon as Enya arrived on Manji Ind, a red dot appeared on thepass map.
"Well... I understand more or less. It seems that thispass cannot detect Solderet contractors. But if they are close to Jin, shouldn''t the other contractors also be tracked?"
A red dot appeared when Enya traveled to Manji Ind, but it disappeared when she returned to Tikan.
"I will take Enya and Euria out."
When Jin took them out, red dots appeared on thepass map on Manji Ind. The two red dots belonged to Euria and Enya.
Jin left Tikan alone again. Thepass did not generate red dots in Tikan or on Manji Ind.
"...It''s strange. It''s true that thepass cannot track Jin, but it''s not that Enya and Euria are unaffected and not exposed to tracking, right?"
Since then, Enya and Euria have traveled to other areas besides Manji Ind a few times. Every time, the results were the same, with or without Jin. That is, when they traveled alone, red dots would eventually appear on the map.
"There must be something in Tikan."
Quikantel concluded.
"A mirror...?"
It was the only thing Jin could think of.
Then, the same experiment was conducted with a mirror. Before an hour passed, thepanions were able to realize that the mirror had the effect of concealing the contractor from thepass.
"So, to summarize, Jin is not exposed to detection without the mirror, Euria and Enya neither, and as long as the mirror is in Tikan, this is a safe zone from detection for the contractors."
Thepass couldn''t search for a god with more than a certain amount of power, or their contractor. Since the mirror had the sealing properties of both Kum, the Ancient God, and Solderet, it further hindered thepass''s functioning.
"Hmm, so if we had stayed still, there would have been a low chance of the girl, the fan, and the ice cream cone being exposed by thepass. Even if they were exposed when they left Tikan, it wasn''t something that could be immediately found."
"The fact that Andrei Zipple was unable to locate Euria in the past was probably due to the limitations of his abilities."
Still, it wasn''t all in vain.
From now on, Jin andpany would know the approximate locations of contractors around the world, and from there, they could deduce whether Zipple had kidnapped them or not. If the red dots suddenly started converging in the Magic Federation of Lutero, it would be an unequivocal sign of a kidnapping.
That wasn''t all.
"If a new contractor appears, someone we need, we can search for them before or at the same time as Zipple."
They also confirmed once again that Tikan was a safe zone, so their six months of hard work were not in vain.
"We should create a task force to check thepass daily. Lord Kashimir, I''m counting on you."
"Understood, Young Master. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief now that I know my daughter is not being pursued."
"Young Master, I will tell you about the other reports."
"Yes, please."
"First, you might want to take a look at this..."
Gilli spread a newspaper on the table and spoke.
-Pirate Ind, Berd Empire. A skilled unknown individual with a magical ck helmet has appeared... Is he a hero or a viin?"
"Pft. Haha, haha. Hero, viin, ah, this is madness, kid!"
Murakan nudged Jin with his elbow andughed, and Siris also chuckled.
The article said something like this:
(A mysterious strong man called ''Barmal,'' who uses the "power of lightning," could be the new contractor of the Storm God "Faytel," marking the appearance of a Storm Contractor after 288 years.
He doesn''t seem to belong to any major force, as both the Zipple Family and the Vermont Empire have expressed their desire to make contact with him.
The appearance of such a powerful figure that both empires desire to capture is extremely rare. Runcandel has not taken a stance yet, and his future moves are highly anticipated.
ording to eyewitnesses, he was described as a blond man with a handsome face and a libertine appearance. However, he might have been in disguise.
It''s unclear why he came to the ind. Some say his objective was to clean up the pirate zone, while others believe he was seeking wealth in the casinos. The ind''s inhabitants only hope that this newet shaking the continent is a good omen...)
At this point, Jin couldn''t help but feel ufortable. Hundreds of media outlets had already published news like this.
"I hoped that my name would spread widely at some point, but this is embarrassing."
While Murakanughed, Jin thought about the information that had been "hidden" in the articles.
"Nowhere does it mention Kinzelo and thepass. There''s no mention of Chukon Tolderer or Karl Zipple being there, no mention of the Runcandel Guardian Knights, not a single line about the Special Forces and the Imperial Guard. The focus is on me, the pirates, and the gambling house."
In other words, Runcandel, Zipple, Vermont, and Kinzelo, these four major forces had already controlled the media.
"The fact that Zipple and Vermont publicly express their desire to meet with me means that they have no idea who I am, and they don''t expect to find out anytime soon."
Otherwise, there would be no reason to make such a statement. Without the rest of the world knowing, it was Zipple and Vermont''s way of setting a trap for Jin, and if caught, they would capture or kill him by force.
"And with these articles as a motive, those who had doubts or resentments towards me have obtained many clues."
Those who had encountered Jin, wearing a ''magical ck helmet,'' so to speak.
Among them, Kuzan and Beris, who fought in the Kingdom of Delki, and Ratz, the assassin who met them at Quikantel''s cabin.
Now they had a solid lead to locate Jin. If he used the Myulta Rune anywhere in the future and left a witness, they would close in on Jin.
They were not the only ones; the Four Great Powers and other powerful families and organizations would not remain idle.
Jin quickly became a celebrity. Not as Jin Runcandel or Jinn Grey, but as Barmal.
"Those who have seen the Myulta Rune will search more diligently. Kuzan and Beris, I suspect they and that assassin Ratz will be the most persistent."
"Kids, do you think they will be your opponents now?"
"They probably will."
"It seems you have acquired a new power thanks to your stay in the Land of Legends, Young Master. I haven''t seen it, but judging by Zipple and Vermont''s actions, I assume it''s a great power."
"You''ll be surprised when you see it, Strawberry Tart. We took a glimpse when we wereing here, and it was mind-blowing. Kid, show Strawberry Tartter. With the Shadow Sword."
"Of course."
Jin felt a little embarrassed. But on the other hand, Gilly was very happy.
"Now let''s order and drink together after such a long time, everyone. Seeing everyone gathered here in Tikan again makes me nostalgic," Gilly said.
That day, Siris also enjoyed the party with his colleagues instead of returning to the Hidden Pce. While most of his colleaguesughed and talked, Siris didn''t speak much but hid his inner joy.
While Jin and hispanions enjoyed the party all night in Tikan.
In a secret vi in Hufester, a few gathered. They were Joshua and his followers.
"The power of the ck helmet and the power of lightning... what do you think?"
Joshua looked at Kuzan and Beris, who stood behind him. On the table was a newspaper with the same news Jin had read.
Some time ago, after sorting out their thoughts, both of them swore loyalty to Joshua. If it weren''t for him, who would be the next ruler of Runcandel, they wouldn''t be able to exact revenge on the contractor of Solderet and the ck Dragon.
"I suspect it could be him," Kuzan replied. Beris looked at the young man sitting next to Joshua, with a wide smile on his face.
"Is it because of the ck helmet?" he asked.
"Yes. After that day, we searched everywhere, but we''ve never seen anyone wearing a helmet like that. Since he''s a Magic Swordsman, he could have infused lightning magic into his sword," Joshua exined, exhaling smoke from his cigarette.
"...Yes, that''s what I thought too."
"Don''t you think Barmal might be the Solderet contractor we were looking for?"
Joshua nodded at Kuzan''s question.
"Well, I''m not sure, and if it weren''t for the new information, I would probably havee to the same conclusion as you. That he was putting on a show to hide that he''s a Solderet contractor."
"What new information do we have?" Kuzan asked.
"It wasn''t a trick. The lightning technique used by this Barmal character wasn''t revealed in the media, but he instantly killed five powerful White Wolf warriors with that lightning technique," Joshua said, causing both Kuzan and Beris to tighten their lips.
They hadn''t received any information about the Solderet contractor since Taimyun Marius''s death.
Then, a powerful person appeared wearing a ck Helmet, and they knew it had to be him, but what he used wasn''t a shadow technique¡ªit was a lightning technique!
Kuzan and Beris couldn''t understand it at all. What surprised them more than learning about the five powerful White Wolf warriors being killed was the possibility that Barmal might not be their enemy.
"Damn it! Five powerful White Wolf warriors? Obviously, they''re different people. If his magical achievements were that great, either Kuzan or I would have been roasted alive when we encountered him. Who the hell is Barmal? He doesn''t seem to be a mage."
Beris spoke with a defiant look, licking her lips as she sat next to Joshua, observing the young man''s expressionless face.
"Hey, you. Are you really the Faytel Contractor? I thought Barmal was."
The young man''s eyes turned fierce. Soon, his body began to tremble with the electricity emanating from him.
"Stop."
Upon Joshua''s words, the young man''s face returned to its emotionless state.
"Five high-ranking White Wolves with a single strike... What do you think, Julian? Can you do the same?"
"I cannot."
The young man calmly replied, and Joshua shook his head.
"Then it seems it''s time for you to strengthen your power."
Beris was satisfied. Ever since she encountered Julian after getting close to Joshua, she had been tormenting him for her own amusement.
Under the table, Julian''s hands trembled, not out of anger towards Beris, but out of fear towards Joshua.
Chapter 199
C199 - Rumors and Pursuers (2)
Jiik!
Cyron broke the seal of the letter with his index finger.
It had been a long time since he received hisst letter, almost seven months ago. In other words, seven months had passed since Cyron''sst "unique entertainment."
"It''s been a long time since I covered myself in demon blood. But my lord''s enjoyment is worth it..."
Khan smiled inwardly.
Theck of correspondence from Kashimirtely had unsettled his stomach, as he had no idea where the young master was at the moment.
Fortunately, the long-awaited letter seemed to be filled with phrases that satisfied his Lord''s heart.
"The Sword of Legends and the Sword of Shadows."
The description of the two swords caught Cyron''s attention for a moment.
"I heard there''s a man named Barmal out there. Have you heard anything?"
"Yes, his name came up in a family meeting. They said he might be a contractor of Faytel. I don''t know if he was alone or had associates, but he killed five General White Wolves on an ind in the Berd Empire, so he doesn''t seem like an ordinary man."
"They''ll be shocked when they find out he was the youngest."
"Really?"
"Do something about it. And make sure the standard-bearers don''t pay too much attention to him."
"Understood."
Cyron continued reading the letter.
There was nothing about the Compass, only details about his visit to Lafrarosa and his fight against Kinzelo and Zipple. The assistance of Siris from the Hidden Pce was also mentioned without fail.
Cyron didn''t feel bad knowing that Kashimir had deliberately hidden information. After all, this was not his calction, but the calction of his youngest son.
"Hahahaha..."
The ground around him faintly vibrated at Cyron''s boisterousughter.
"It seems he''s having fun, my Lord."
"You''dugh too if you read this."
The first page of Cyron''s letter said:
(Dear Lord Cyron,st night at a drinking gathering, Young Master Jin told me something surprising. "I think I can nowpete with my father." Oh, what an incredible story...!)
Khan''s expression hardened.
¡°The Ghost Sword seems to have gone crazy. Even if the youngest son said it, it must be properly interpreted and reported! I will go right now and give him a stern warning¡¡±
"Khan, have you ever heard of a beast race called The Legends?"
"Yes, I know they were an unknown species that was defeated 5000 years ago, leading to their extinction."
"It seems the youngest has encountered some of the Legends, through some kind of trial imposed by Solderet, and there is one of them, a person named Tushin (Battle Goddess), who, ording to Jin, is a force to be reckoned with."
Khan was speechless.
There was no human in the world who could rival Cyron in terms of skill. Moreover, it was said that the Legends Race had been destroyed 5000 years ago. To Khan, it was an absurd story.
However, the youngest and the Ghost Sword wouldn''t lie about it. Khan patiently waited for Cyron to speak again.
"The young one''s logic is that, since he haspeted with Tushin (Battle Goddess), he can do the same with me. Haha, it''s so cute it almost makes me cry."
"Honestly, I think it''s just ament from a young person who doesn''t have enough experience in battles yet. Although he''s growing quickly, he''s still just a seventeen-year-old, isn''t he?"
Khan was someone who had seen all of Cyron''s children, as well as all the other pure-blood descendants of the second generation of Runcandel, when they were seventeen.
Even Luna, who had always been recognized as the strongest among them, had been unable topete with Cyron at seventeen, so it was natural for Khan not to believe the contents of the letter.
"Khan."
"Yes, my Lord."
"He never told me he could do something that I couldn''t."
Upon hearing that, Khan tilted his head in disbelief.
"I misspoke."
"I didn''t mean to be critical. But I''m also curious this time. Will the young one be able to take responsibility for his words? If, as you say, he only said it because he is still ignorant of the world, I would be very disappointed."
Khan immediately recognized the meaning behind Cyron''s words.
Cyron wanted to see for himself what Jin was capable of.
"Should we quietly take the young one to the ck Sea?"
Cyron shook his head.
"No, that''s not necessary."
"You don''t mean to tell me that the Family Head will personally visit Tikan...?"
"That would be too harsh for him."
If Cyron personally visited Tikan, the world''s attention would immediately focus on him. For Jin, Tikan would no longer be a safe haven. All kinds of major powers would start sending people there.
Cyron stroked his chin and smiled meaningfully.
"Do you have the paper?"
"Here it is."
Cyron moved the quill and began writing. The smile didn''t leave his face as he wrote.
In moments like this, Khan felt amazed. Ever since Luna had abdicated her throne, their Family Head had beenpletely devoid ofughter.
When he finished, Cyron handed the paper to Khan.
Khan''s eyes widened when he saw the recipient''s name at the top of the letter.
"This person is...!"
The letter was unsealed and unmarked, and its contents were illegible. Khan put it in his pocket without checking its contents. He wouldn''t look at it until it was in the hands of the recipient.
"Khan."
"Yes."
"Deliver the letter and have your butler, Heinz, bring two bottles of Royal Melodic Wine in my name. Give one bottle to Tris and bring me the other one within ten days."
"Very well, then, I bid you farewell."
July 21, 1797.
Two men in blue uniforms and red hoods arrived at the Free City of Tikan.
This attire was worn by the Vermont Special Division/Force only for "official" activities, and the red masks were allowed only for the Special Division Leaders.
The codename of the Third Team Leader of the Special Division was Lars, and the leader of the fourth team was Chris.
As soon as they appeared at the portal, the security forces of Tikan immediately went on high alert. It was understandable since two Special Division Leaders had suddenly appeared in a peaceful city like that.
The patrols on the outskirts took less than ten minutes to report their arrival to the patrol captain, Alisa.
"They are not chasing after Quikantel and Enya."
Quikantel and Enya were being unofficially sought by Vermont. If they were here to capture them, they wouldn''t havee alone or at least would havee in a covert operation.
"Have they found any clues about Young Master Jin?"
Fortunately, it didn''t seem to be the case.
The visit was unexpected, but they were polite enough to request to see Kashimir''s mansion.
Kashimir''s mansion was the home of the leader of the "Seven-Colored Peacocks." Among them, those who had once belonged to the former royal families of Vermont were the ones who knew Ratz and Chris.
Of course, being known didn''t mean they were close. The "Seven-Colored Peacocks" consisted of those who had been exiled along with Kashimir, so they had an uneasy rtionship.
The members of the Seven-Colored Peacocks who were waiting in the city informed Jin''s group about their visit.
"It doesn''t seem like they''vee for us. Hmm, I can''t think of any reason."
"Just in case, Young Master, hide in another room with Miss Enya and Lady Quikantel. I''ll meet with them, find out what they''re up to, and send them back as soon as possible."
The Seven-Colored Peacocks, along with Kashimir, were urgently summoned and gathered in the reception hall.
Kashimir and the Special Division Leaders were unarmed, but there was a palpable tension between them.
It was a natural flow because it was a meeting between an exiled royal descendant of the royal family and the special division directlymanded by the Emperor.
"Thank you for receiving us, Lord Kashimir," said a Special Division Leader in a courteous yet cold tone.
Kashimir smiled in response, "What is the purpose of your visit? I know you must be busy with important matters, so please tell me what it''s about."
Chris, the leader of the Fourth Team of the Special Division, took out a paper from his pocket. It was a check with the seal of the Vermont Emperor, and Kashimir couldn''t help but have his eyes light up upon seeing it.
"What is this...?"
"His Majesty requests the cooperation of the Order of the Seven Colors. The payment is fifty thousand gold coins, and it is to ensure the safety of a person named Barmal. Once the job ispleted, His Majesty will grant double the amount in gold."
"Haha."
Chak! Kashimir tore up the check.
"Lord Kashimir, this is an act of treason against the Imperial Family and a direct disrespect to the Emperor."
"I don''t believe the current Emperor is honorable enough to speak of such matters, Captain Chris. Go back, tell the Emperor that I will not ept any deals with him."
"You don''t understand, Lord Kashimir. Don''t you know that Barmal has recently be a major topic of conversation in society? His Majesty only wishes to speak with him before Zipple does. So if you cooperate with us.."
"Nonsense!"
Kashimir suddenly stood up and shouted.
"You mean to say you don''t see in your eyes the descendants of the ancient royalists of Great Vermont. I lost my position as a prince, and we were betrayed. Do you dare to think that you can y with us in this manner?"
As Kashimir fiercely red with bloodshot eyes, the Special Division Leaders maintained their calm demeanor.
After a moment of silence, Ratz spoke.
"...We will ignore the disrespectful remarks about His Majesty. Instead, I hope you forgive us for interrupting your rest. We will leave now."
The Special Division Leaders picked up the torn check and stood up from their seats.
They immediately retraced their steps, and Kashimir finally calmed his anger after confirming they had disappeared.
"I gave a good performance after a long time."
Kashimir''s anger was false. In fact, even if his anger were genuine, revealing it to the leaders was nothing more than an intentional act.
"Yes, it was good."
"I had to appear as a fool dragged by ancient emotions, unable to forget my former position, so that the Emperor thinks he can do whatever he wants with my family and thisnd at any time."
Jin had not yet heard why Kashimir became an "exiled prince." He was waiting for Kashimir to tell him himself one day.
"I don''t believe the Emperor sent people just to mock me. He must be curious, even wanted the Seven-Colored Peacocks to coborate with the Special Division."
"It''s probably because of the incident with Quikantel and Enya. Ratz saw me with them wearing the ck helmet, so Vermont''s side would have likely assumed that if they captured me, they would know the whereabouts of the two."
"Fifty thousand gold coins, what a waste. It could have been an opportunity to reimburse the money I gave to Cosmos, haha."
At that moment, Jet ran towards them breathlessly.
"My Lord, Lord Kashimir!"
"My eardrums are going to burst, Jet."
"An unidentified person hase to see you, saying they wanted to support the Seven-Colored Peacocks with a special donation."
"Hmm? That''s something the officers and staff should handle. Besides, what do you mean by unidentified?"
"Well... given that the amount of the donation is not normal, it seems they brought arge ship filled with gold coins. So the members rushed to check it, but no one seems to know who that person is."
"No one? Today is a day with many unusual visitors. Where is that person now?"
"They are on their way to the mansion."
Chapter 200
C200 - Identity of the Mysterious Person
The information agency "Chilsaejo" (???: Seven-Colored Peacock) is one of the world''s most important organizations.
It is a group that knows almost all the important information about powerful families in the world.
However, even the elite members of Chilsaejo (???: Seven-Colored Peacock) couldn''t guess the true identity of this noble woman with her brown hair tied up in an elegant bun.
It was understandable. She had arrived by ship, and there were no records of her identity. There was no family crest on her dress, and there were barely any facial details that could be used to identify her.
Furthermore, she had arrived with arge amount of gold coins on a massive ship, without any servants apanying her. Even when the workers on the ship, sweating as they unloaded the gold, were questioned, the answer was always the same.
"If they''re from the Seven-Colored Peacocks, bring carts to transport the gold as soon as possible."
Undoubtedly, she was an unusual person. Even the visit of the Special Division Leaders was insignificantpared to the appearance of someone like her in sequence.
In any case, the noblewoman approached the mansion with an elegant stride.
When Jet exined the situation, Kashimir and Jin shrugged.
"I suppose she''s a great person who has already retired. Well, I never imagined receiving sponsorship like this when I was in the dark alleys, but I feel like I''m rising again. I guess one must live in the bright lights after all."
"If someone brings so much gold on a ship, they surely have some purpose, like delivering a request that is hard to fulfill or wanting information they can''t get elsewhere," Kashimir said.
"Well, she could also be giving it in good faith, couldn''t she?"
"To give as much gold as fills an entire ship? Even if it were less than expected, it would be over 100,000 gold coins."
"Well, the Lord beside me gave half of that money to a band of pirates recently. Wasn''t that out of kindness?"
"That was the price, Jet."
"Well, if I were the Lord, I wouldn''t have given them 50,000 but only 5,000. If they asked for more, I''d settle it with force... Ah, I envy that guy."
"Enough with the nonsense, and if you envy Cosmos, I''ll give you a bonus. That''s what I call goodwill."
"Wow, thanks! I''ll never leave this ce, even if I die in the process!"
"Well, she seems like a strange person anyway, so why don''t you send one of the Seven-Colored Peacocks, Lord Kashimir?"
Jin pushed Jet, who had gotten too close, and said.
"That''s what I have in mind. If she''s a pure sponsor, we should treat her with great respect, and if not, just politely dismiss her."
Bran Pulley, the youngest member of the Seven-Colored Peacocks, stepped out of the mansion to greet the noblewoman.
And 30 minutester, when Bran returned to the mansion after chatting andughing with the noblewoman...
"Holy sh*t."
"Oh my god...!"
Jin and Kashimir, who were waiting for him on the balcony of the second floor, couldn''t help but hold their breath. Not because, judging by Bran''s mood, there was a possibility that she was a pure benefactor.
"W-Who is she...?"
It was because the elderly woman with neatly groomed gray hair was someone "truly formidable."
Her firm hands, which had clearly wielded weapons all her life, were covered by silk gloves, and tightlypressed muscles were hidden beneath a clean and elegant dress.
Jin and Kashimir had never seen her before, but they could immediately tell that she was someone formidable.
She wasn''t simply a wealthy old woman. Though they didn''t know her, it was evident that she had been legendary somewhere and at some point as a formidable warrior.
The elderly woman simply walked with a smile on her face.
And as powerful warriors often do, she concealed her power.
Her unique control of Aura was an art in itself, hidden from the recognition of those with senses below the eight stars.
Hiss~
The elderly woman looked up and smiled at Jin and Kashimir. She had located their position as soon as they crossed the mansion gates, despite Jin and Kashimir also suppressing their Aura.
"...It''s surprising, isn''t it? Do you know her, Young Master?"
"No, I have no idea."
"Hey, you two. What''s going on all of a sudden? Is that old woman someone important?"
When the Special Division Leaders arrived, both the staff and the Seven-Colored Peacocks were in a frenzy, but the fact that no one recognized the appearance of this old monster sent shivers down their spines.
"It seems we''ll have to go and see for ourselves."
"You go first, Lord Kashimir. I''ll notify the otherrades. Jet, go and bring Lady Alisa quickly."
"Then I''ll issue a special emergency order for the Seven-Colored Peacocks."
They had to prepare for the possibility of something unfortunate happening with the presence of the elderly woman, so their strongrades were essential. Moreover, their instincts told them something.
"For some reason, it seems like this old woman knew I was here and came to find me. Who could she be?"
The question was answered as soon as Quikantel arrived.
"What is this aura? It''s simr to the one emitted by the Terror of the Ante Mountains... No, it''s her, I believe. This unpleasant energy can only be hers."
Quikantel said in a rigid tone.
"The Terror of the Ante Mountains?"
"Forty years ago, Dragons never approached the Ante Mountains because if they dared to set foot there, they would be crippled for life or die. Because of that woman."
"I''ve never heard that story before."
"Yes, it''s probably the case. Dragons never speak of their shameful past to humans, and that woman, Vanessa Olsen, was not well-known in human society."
Why was someone of her skill unknown in thend of humans?
Vanessa Olsen rarely revealed her identity in human society. There weren''t even witnesses to her few battles. Even the Dragons gave her the nickname "Terror of the Ante Mountains." Actually, it''s not that they gave her the nickname, but rather, they naturally called her that.
She was a dragon hunter, so to speak.
"By any chance, is she here to attack Murakan and Quikantel-nim?"
"Umm... No, it''s unlikely. After Vanessa ceased her activities, too much time has passed ording to human standards, and I''ve never heard of her hunting someone down. I thought she was dead, but it seems she''s alive."
Murakan, who was listening, raised his head.
"There are strange humans everywhere. ording to what Jet said, she brought a lot of money. Did she do that aspensation to be able to kill us? If so, she''s a very arrogant woman."
"Murakan, you need to let go of the memories of your golden age. Now, you can''t even face Vanessa Olsen in a one-on-one fight."
"If you say it like that, it just makes me want to see how strong she really is."
While they were talking, Vanessa entered the first-floor salon with Kashimir.
Jin decided to confront Vanessa directly after thinking about it for a moment. He was also concerned about leaving Kashimir alone to face such an intimidating person.
"Murakan, don''t make any more noise and wait right next to Quikantel-nim."
"Hah, I don''t know how strong you have to be for my power to return. If it recovered even half, Quikantel wouldn''t be saying such nonsense. Sometimes it feels like my recovery speed is too slow..."
Leaving the muttering Murakan behind, Jin descended to the salon.
He wasn''t carrying a sword. It was better to approach the other as a "guest" until they showed their fangs.
''Maybe...''
Suddenly, he thought that this person might have been sent by his father. No matter how much he thought about it, it didn''t seem likely that someone of her caliber woulde to seek Tikan on behalf of a benefactor.
"Lord Kashimir must have already sent a report to my father about my achievements, and he would have included a mention of the Sword of Laws and the Shadow Sword. Maybe that''s why he sent someone to assess my abilities."
Unlike Kashimir, who tried to maintainposure, Vanessa was rxed and scanning the room.
The others in the mansion still seemed unaware of her abilities. That meant she hadplete control over her powers.
For Bran Pulley, the first to greet her, Vanessa appeared to be a benefactor with a pure purpose. The journey to the mansion cleared any doubts about her intentions.
"I''mte in my introduction, my Lady. My name is Jin Grey, in charge of Team 1 of the Seven-Colored Peacocks."
"You must be the boy who was sitting with Lord Kashimir on the balcony. You''re so young and already leading a team in this prestigious agency. You must be very talented."
"Haha, yes, although my title is team leader, most of my tasks are errands."
"Is that so? Well... I don''t think someone running errands would try to join a meeting of the higher-ups in the Seven-Colored Peacocks."
"Haha, actually, Jin is my nephew. I made him the leader of Team 1 just to keep him out of trouble. It seems he also wants to show his gratitude as a member of the Seven-Colored Peacocks."
When Bran spoke, Jin nodded. At that moment, Vanessa stood up from her seat, indicating that it was time to leave. She then approached Bran to shake his hand.
"Anyway, it was a pleasure meeting you, Bran. I hope there isn''t a statue of me in this city just because I donated arge amount of funds. That wouldn''t live up to the name of Free City."
"Uh, are you leaving already? Oh no, at least we should eat something and chat. You can''t leave like this."
"Hehe,tely I''ve been enjoying surprise donations, so I''m quite busy. Anyway, it was a pleasure meeting you."
"I feel the same way, but do you really not want anything else?"
"It''s alright, Sir Bran. I would like to ask you a small favor in return, and oh, I don''t intend to make any unreasonable demands in the name of sponsorship, of course."
"I was hoping you wouldn''t do that. Please tell me what you need, Lady Vanessa."
Vanessa''s gaze turned towards Jin.
"I would like to borrow your nephew for a while, as I need a guide, and I believe Young Master Jin is the right person. Even if we can''t eat, I don''t think it would hurt to take a stroll in Free City before I leave."
Bran nced quickly at Jin and Kashimir, and Jin could be certain in that moment when Vanessa spoke.
''Now I''m pretty sure this is a person my father sent to assess my abilities.''
Even if he waspletely wrong, even if he risked a total failure by following Vanessa alone, Jin had onest resort to escape from her.
So he responded, "I will serve you with all my heart, my Lady. The glorious moment has finally arrived for me, who usually does low-level work."
"That sounds splendid, Young Master Jin. I look forward to your service."
Chapter 201
C201 - Vanessa Olsen (1)
They explored the excellent restaurants of Tikan City, enjoyed a snack at a charming tea house, and admired the nighttime views from the top of the ind.
Up until then, Vanessa had maintained herposure and acted as a respectabledy, not revealing her true feelings.
The final dessert of the day arrived and was ced on the table.
"It''s a cookie made with figs, grapes, and nuts called ''Fruit Cookies.'' It''s my first time trying it, but there seems to be a long line in front of the dessert shop on the third floor that sells them."
"Oh, really?"
"Apparently, half of the people in line can''t get one."
"Well, I suppose thanks to my donation, I can enjoy my foodfortably. Probably the leaders of Tikan don''t stand in line to buy these delicacies."
"No, ever since I started apanying my Lady, an agent named Jet has been waiting in line all this time. Fortunately, these were thest cookies."
Vanessa smiled contentedly and took a bite of the cookie. The cookie crumbled in her mouth, making a delightful sound.
A cool evening breeze blew by the table. Vanessa''s smile lingered on her face as if she were savoring the taste of the cookie.
Jin patiently waited for Vanessa to finish her dessert. When thest cookie disappeared, he looked straight at her and said:
"At this point, I can''t help but be curious, Vanessa Olsen."
Vanessa used an alias in Tikan.
However, she didn''t seem surprised at all when Jin mentioned her real name. As always, she had a calm expression.
"There''s a dragon''s scent in your home, so I suppose they have revealed my name to you. What do you want to know, Jin Runcandel?"
Her expression remained the same, but her tone changed. Gone was the gentle and casual old woman, and in her ce were the deep and prating eyes of the strongest.
"My father sent you to test me," Jin said, "but you act as if you''re having a pic with your grandson, so maybe I''m mistaken."
"No, you got it right. Lord Cyron sent me a letter asking me to get to know you. It was just a whim that I decided to spend some quiet time with you. It reminded me of a bygone era."
Jin sighed inwardly. Until that moment, he hadn''tpletely dismissed the possibility that Vanessa Olsen wasn''t rted to Cyron.
"You don''t seem surprised at all."
"Surprised, yes. It''s just that I had never heard of someone of Vanessa-nim''s caliber."
"The world is very big, Jin Runcandel. That''s why there are people like you, who are capable of using the sword, magic, and shadow..."
"It seems my father trusts Lady Vanessa a lot."
"Enough for Lord Cyron to entrust his rear to me."
At that passage, Jin couldn''t help but be surprised. The Genesis Knight, Cyron Runcandel, his father, trusting someone else to guard his rear was something he couldn''t even imagine.
"I''ve heard that the dragons... call you the Terror of the Ante Mountains."
"I prefer to remember the days when I was a ck Knight rather than when I was known by that ridiculous nickname."
Jin''s eyes widened.
''I have no idea what the rtionship is with my father, but she said she was a ck Knight...!"
Vanessa Olsen.
Before bing famous in the world, she became a ck Knight of Runcandel and always silently followed Cyron with her ck armor and helmet.
''I had heard that the ancient ck Knights were the strongest in the history of the Family, especially those who fought alongside my father in the conquest of the ck Sea.''
Vanessa Olsen was one of them.
It was unknown how she became a ck Knight after killing the Dragons in the Ante Mountain, or what her feats were after bing one, or how many enemies she had defeated alongside Cyron.
The whole story wasn''t immediately clear to Jin. But he could appreciate the immense power she possessed.
And a thought crossed his mind.
''My father gave the ck Knights to Joshua because they weren''t actually the strongest. It''s possible that all the retired ancient ck Knights are still his, like Vanessa Olsen.''
That was probably the case. After meeting Vanessa Olsen, there was no doubt about it.
''Then, those ck Knights could also be my allies someday.''
Or they could turn against him. If Cyron were to be disappointed in Jin and consider him unfit to lead the family.
Jin quickly organized his thoughts and bowed to one of the former ck Knights.
"I, Jin, currently a Provisional Standard-bearer of Runcandel, pay my respects to the great swordsman of Runcandel."
It was tradition for a retired ck Knight to be honored first, even by the Standard-bearers.
Among the Standard-bearers and Elders of Runcandel, there were not a few who could not be consecrated in the ''Mausoleum,'' but the ck Knights would surely have their names engraved in the Mausoleum after death unless theymitted a crime of treason-level magnitude.
"You don''t seem like apletely despicable guy."
"I apologize for the dy in greeting you."
"Carry your weapon with you and tell the Tikan Gate Guard that you''re heading to the Kingdom of Shucheron. I will punish you there."
Punish me?
He wanted to ask, but silently returned to the mansion to retrieve his weapons.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw hispanions waiting for him with anxious faces.
"Young Master, we were worried that you might get hurt."
"My lord, nothing bad happened, right? We were really scared when we heard Quikantel. Why would someone as elusive as her suddenly be looking for you?"
"Because of Quikantel''s concern, I couldn''t even get close to you disguised as a cat. Who is that Vanessa or whatever?"
Kashimir, Gilly, and Murakan spoke.
"That''s not it, she is a former ck Knight from the previous generation, Vanessa Olsen-nim. Murakan did well to listen to Quikantel. She instantly recognized the Dragon scent. Moreover, it was my father who sent her, and um... he said she wasing to punish me," Jin exined.
"W-what are you saying?"
"That woman suddenly disappeared from the Ante Mountains. Could it be because she became a ck Knight of Runcandel? But... punishment, what does that mean?"
"I also thought it might be a test, but I was surprised she said punishment. We don''t have much time; we have to go to the Kingdom of Shucheron. Lord Kashimir, please prepare the Transfer Portal," Jin said.
"Young Master, if I may ask, this Vanessa Olsen, she is an extraordinary woman, no doubt, but... being a former ck Knight is more than just words. Did she show any recognition like a badge from Lord Cyron?"
"She didn''t show me anything like that," Jin replied.
"This child is so naive sometimes. So, he''s just going to follow that woman Vanessa without any confirmation of her identity? And what if she isn''t actually a former ck Knight?"
"I have to be naive to get what I want. Of course, there''s a possibility that Lady Vanessa isn''t a ck Knight. But what if it''s true? If she really came to punish me on behalf of my father, any doubt or resistance would mean the end," Jin said.
Jin wasn''t a fool for epting to go to the Kingdom of Shucheron. If he dyed time by properly verifying Vanessa''s identity, he might receive a "great" punishment instead of just a simple one.
Above all, in the worst-case scenario, there was at least one way to "escape."
"There''s no clear way to exin her great ability unless she really was the previous generation''s ck Knight," Jin said.
"Well, yeah. But a punishment, what could Young Master have done wrong... the crime of being born in Runcandel and pretending to be Zipple? Or the crime of pretending to be a member of the special division not long ago? Or the crime of continuing to contact Lady Luna? Or maybe the crime of meeting with Lady Yona?"
"...That alone seems like a lot, my Strawberry Cake."
"Damn it! Oops, sorry for that. Anyway, there are quite a few crimes you''vemitted, and if I may say, it''s not just those, I only mentioned the ones I remembered the most," Gilly said, patting Murakan''s back and shaking his head.
"Well, but. Even if Runcandel has great abilities to gather information, how could they know all that?"
"Yeah, at least not through impersonation, unless one of us is a spy reporting Young Master Jin''s actions to Runcandel!"
When Enya shouted, Kashimir''s eyes trembled. Hisplexion quickly turned pale as if he had been stabbed where it hurt the most.
Jin suppressed hisughter inwardly as he looked at Kashimir.
''Lord Kashimir wouldn''t have reported all that. And even if he had, it wouldn''t matter much; there must be another reason why he wants to punish me.''
A part of Jin wanted to reassure Kashimir that everything was fine, and there was nothing to worry about, but he put himself in Kashimir''s shoes and held back. This wasn''t Kashimir''s responsibility.
"Don''t worry too much, everyone. If it were a serious crime, my father wouldn''t have sent someone like her. He could have killed me or called me for interrogation in the ck Sea without anyone knowing. Maybe the word ''punishment'' is just for formality."
"Hmm, if it''s just a formal punishment, it could still be significant. Like when we turned a blind eye to Lady Yona and the Mandokju (Potion of Immunity to Thousand Poisons), for example."
"Anyway, I don''t think we should keep Lady Vanessa waiting any longer. I''ll go back up; let me know when the transportation portal is ready."
Upon arriving at the Kingdom of Shucheron, a carriage was procured.
Vanessa herself drove the carriage, and after three days of travel, they arrived at the ''Tolkar Desert''.
It was an aridnd with only dry grass and rocks. But Vanessa chose it for that very reason.
"If we''re here, there''s no problem in using all your power without worries, Jin Runcandel."
Vanessa untied the horses attached to the carriage as she spoke. The horses ran off into the desert, leaving them alone in the ce.
"Is the punishment a duel with Lady Vanessa?"
"That''s right. Have you thought about your crimes during the journey here?"
Jin had pondered it silently for the three days of the journey. He wondered why he was being punished. But he couldn''t reach a conclusion.
"I don''t know."
"I like your honesty. It''s because of that honesty that you''re being punished, but well. Your crime is spreading unverified information."
"Unverified information...?"
"Do you really think you can measure up to Lord Cyron and me?"
Ah...!
-Now I think I canpete with my father, Lord Kashimir.
-Oh, Young Master Jin. Are you sure?
-I was killed ny thousand times by the Battle Goddess Sister before realizing that.
He suddenly remembered the moment he told that to Kashimir in the meeting after the Compass Takeover Operation.
''Oh my god, did he tell my father exactly as it happened?!''
The image of him pale with guilt from Enya''s ckmail shed quickly in his mind. He had never imagined that could happen.
Thud...!
With a hissing sound, Vanessa slowly drew her sword.
"The path to affirm your innocence is simple. Prove it with all your might and take responsibility for your arrogant words."
"Well, what if I can''t prove it?"
Then Vanessa responded with an expressionless face.
"What punishment do you think someone who insults Cyron Runcandel deserves? From what I''ve seen, the minimum penalty is death."
Chapter 202
C202 - Vanessa Olsen (2)
The minimum penalty is death...
It was a topic that made him think a lot. Perhaps, in one way or another, Jin won''t be killed by Vanessa today.
However, if he couldn''t demonstrate skills worthy of recognition to Vanessa, he would pay a great price. The possibility of losing the privileges he had enjoyed as a Provisional Standard Bearer was the highest.
Sliiiing.
Jin drew his sword, Sigmund.
"You make it sound like my life could end today if I mess up."
"That depends on what you do."
"You''re not implying that I have to defeat Lady Vanessa, right?"
Then Vanessa burst intoughter.
Despite being so tantly ignored, Jin showed no shame.
It was true that Jin had recently killed five General-level White Wolves and had demonstrated his abilities against Karl Zipple and Chukon Tolderer. But Vanessa was a monster among monsters, who had hunted Dragons in the Ante Mountains during her youth.
Excluding Cyron, and if she had a proper name in the world, she would be a figure that couldn''t be ignored in discussions about the strongest in the world.
On the other hand, Jin was still growing, being a strong outsider beyond the standards at the age of 17. However, asking Jin to defeat Vanessa was simply an exaggerated joke.
"Is that even a usible story? Your father is not careless enough to do something like that."
"Good to know, then what do you want me to do?"
Vanessa spun her cheap iron sword slightly. It was a de you could find in any cksmith''s shop.
"Just once, anyway. If you touch me with your sword, you pass the test. Even if you just graze my clothes."
Swoosh!
Before she finished speaking, Jin brandished his sword, Sigmund. They were only about six steps apart, and Jin was performing his Sword of Legends suppression technique while Sigmund crackled with lightning.
"Chit!
ng!
Sigmund bounced off Vanessa''s iron sword. Despite the suppression technique, Jin''s Sigmund sword retreated a few steps, but Vanessa smiled as if it was insignificant.
"I didn''t think it would work, but you blocked it too easily..."
Although there was a sense of "pull," Jin''s suppression technique couldn''t ovee Vanessa''s extreme strength and momentum.
Ten stars.
That was Vanessa''s skill level. There weren''t many in the world who could face her one-on-one. Although Jin''s suppression technique was impressive, it was just an interesting skill for Vanessa.
If their sword skills were equal, he would have been a threat to her as well, but the gap was too wide.
"I thought you weren''t useless, but you turned out to be more or less useless. You unsheathed your sword before I told you to start."
"I thought you were giving me a chance."
"Then you just lost your chance. Hmm, was that the Sword of Legends Technique? That''s interesting, it makes me curious about your magic and shadow energy as well."
"My father must have told you everything because I never told him I had mastered the Sword of Legends."
"If you return alive, I want you to find Lord Cyron''s spies among your people and hold them ountable."
Vanessa knew everything about Jin''s abilities.
This meant creating a variable was difficult.
He had to strike her head-on and make his way through.
"First of all, creating a variable against a monster at the 10-star level is almost impossible, even if she doesn''t know me well."
Boom!
Vanessa''s sword released a deep rumble. The gigantic aurapressed and infiltrated the de of the sword.
Just with that, the cheap sword turned into a more dangerous weapon than any legendary sword. The dark desert they were in illuminated with a dazzling glow from the aura.
Pazuzz!
Before the sword could descend upon him, Jin generated a lightning bolt on the t side of the sword. And just as Sigmund attempted to strike with his sword to bring down the lightning bolt...
From somewhere, a gust of wind arrived. The wind that had been building up in the desert atmosphere was drawn toward Vanessa like seawater in a whirlpool.
"Did the lightning... get twisted?"
Crack, crunch...! The lightning merged with the wind and lost its path. In an instant, the twisted lightningpletely disintegrated into blue particles, and in a moment, the gust of wind subsided.
Thud!
As she lifted her sword to strike, the shattered stones beneath Vanessa''s feet jumped into the air. And before the stone fragments could hit the ground, a sword aura shockwave like a candle expanded through the sword, engulfing everything in its path as it hurtled toward Jin.
Even without touching the shockwave, the floating rock fragments in its orbit vanished into thin air, torn apart by the force of the aura surrounding the sword.
Jin watched the scene unfold.
Jin observed closely what was happening without even blinking. If he had blinked or not noticed, he could have also disintegrated into pieces like the rock fragments and been swept away by the desert wind.
He dodged the sword with an evasive technique and gritted his teeth in frustration before turning his gaze back to Vanessa.
All he could see was a ground of shattered stones from the power of Vanessa.
Vanessa had already closed in behind the sword projectile that had already beenunched, gripping Jin''s nk and forcing him to release the Photon Cannon hidden in his hand.
It would probably be the first time Vanessa would see ancient light magic. Even if she had seen light magic before from those mages or dragons she had killed in the past, it would surely be the first time she would see the Photon Cannon.
Despite everything, Vanessa skillfully avoided the sh of light, as if she had already experienced Tzenmi''s Photon Cannon many times. It''s unknown whether it''s due to the senses of a 10-star knight or because she had already been informed about the ability by Lord Kashimir.
Jin suspected it was the former. If she had been fully aware of Tzenmi''s Photon Cannon beforehand, she would have had no chance to block the iron sword now.
ng!
She narrowly avoided the next strike. And then she created two ice spears and shot them towards Vanessa''s face and body.
Of course, the three-star freezing magic posed no threat at all. But perhaps if he continued with these senseless attacks, he might attempt a real strike at some point.
Ting, ting-ting, crack! The ice spears burst lifelessly under the power enveloping Vanessa''s body.
"She''s truly a magic swordsman, interesting, not much different from facing a warrior."
Although Vanessa had control on this battlefield, she felt that Jin was much more challenging than she had anticipated.
In a sense, Jin was like an assassin, as you never knew what woulde out of his opponent''s hands. In terms of shooting spells big and small from a distance, he was akin to an archer, and his use of "magic" to deceive and provoke illusions was like that of a mage.
But in closebat, he possessed the strength of a warrior, a unique quality of pure-blooded Runcandels, making him more than fascinating, interesting.
"Moreover, he also utilizes lightning attribute technique, so even a 9-star knight would have difficulties with him, and he hasn''t even used his shadow energy yet."
Vanessa finally understood why Cyron was so interested in him, but she still wasn''t convinced that he couldpete with him.
"Gulp!"
Jin coughed up blood and took a step back from Vanessa''s final strike, leaving a minor wound.
"You truly are amazing for your age, evenpared to Luna back then."
"And what''s with the suddenpliment?"
"But she was endowed with less talent than you. A sword, that''s all she had. Considering that you have aura, magic, and shadow energy, I find thatcking."
"Could sister Lunapete against my father at the age of 17?"
Vanessa shook her head.
"No, she probably couldpete starting from eighteen years old."
"When we return, I''ll have to boast to my sister. I mean, I think I''m better."
"You seem to be skilled in battle, but it seems you haven''t learned to speak responsibly. It appears that education in Runcandel isn''t that good."
Although the battle so far seemed desperate at first nce, Jin couldn''t contain his inner pride.
"I still have many cards up my sleeve, but I can still hold my own against a 10-star Knight..."
Of course, even though Vanessa was using a cheap iron sword and regting her strength, Jin was bravely enduring even considering that.
After leaving Lafrarosa, in the Compass Capture Operation, he couldn''t showcase his true ability. He effortlessly killed the five White Wolves and easily deceived the mages.
A man truly knows his ce when he''s caught between a sword and a wall.
In that sense, Jin realized that his growth had far surpassed his imagination. Not even he, nor his allies, nor his enemies could have predicted it. Just like Vanessa was realizing at this very moment.
Furthermore...
Jin was bing increasingly convinced.
"If Lady Vanessa keeps fighting like this, I''m sure I''ll be able to strike the hem of her robe. The question is how many serious injuries should I be prepared to receive."
As it wasn''t truly a life-or-death one-on-one fight, Vanessa wouldn''t give it her all.
Jin considered it that way because otherwise, this wouldn''t be a "test" anymore.
On the other hand, Jin was thinking differently.
"If by some chance Lady Vanessa manages tond a single blow on me. Where will her sword stop? Will it stop after cutting my neck? Will it stop just in front of my neck? Or will it sever one of my limbs?"
He couldn''t calcte that. Since Vanessa had never sworn not to kill him, he had to be cautious of her. Although the chances of her killing him were low, she could still cut off an arm.
Indeed, that was exactly what Vanessa was thinking. If Jin failed this test, she nned to take his right arm.
She believed there should be consequences for "judging" Cyron Runcandel. The suggestion that they might be able to fight was a judgment against Cyron.
Jin soon reached a decision.
"First, I must show Lady Vanessa something even more surprising. Even if she injures me, I can''t afford to be fatally wounded. I want her to think that I reached my limit and left it at that."
There was much to show.
Vanessa would wait. That''s why she came to seek Jin. And Jin was confident he could satisfy her enough.
Fzzzt!
Sigmund began generating lightning once again.
It was the preparation for unleashing the Battle God''s Combat Technique. As expected, Vanessa showed a satisfied smile when Jin generated the lightning.
"If that''s a card up your sleeve, then you must y it carefully."
"You can enjoy it at your own pace, there''s plenty of that."
Chapter 203
C203 - Vanessa Olsen (3)
The energy sword of twisting lightning, as if distorted, transformed into a beam of blue light that scattered through the air.
Dozens of small columns of lightning energy emitted a divine light in the midst of the dark desert. The unstable twisting lightning energy was nowhere to be found, and the columns of lightning energy were arranged as if someone had molded them.
As a starting point, Jin chose the Fourth Movement of the Battle God''s Combat Technique: Erosion.
Boom!
Jin''s sword pierced the ground. At that moment, all the floating lightning columns fell to the ground.
Vanessa attempted to attack with her sword as well. In the moment Jin thrust his sword, Vanessa wanted to show the skilled young man what would happen if he left his weapon on the ground and deployed his technique. However, instead of attacking, Vanessa was forced to retreat.
Because out of nowhere, a strong electric shock ran through the ground. No, it wasn''t just the ground. Even as she breathed, the piercing electricity stabbed her throat.
The blue columns that had formed around where Sigmund was lodged were covering both of them in a field of lightning energy.
For now, Vanessa had no choice but to keep her distance.
Although it might be possible to advance, it was uncertain what would happen within that "field of lightning," and that made her feel uneasy.
In the area outside the field of lightning, the option to strike a sword blow presented itself, and there was no need to join to demonstrate the gap.
"This feels more like magic than a sword technique."
Although the electric currents she felt when breathing were worrisome. Internally, Vanessa hoped that Jin''s Sword could unleash a destructive attack filled with his own determination, like his final blow. After all, that was the sword technique of those who once ruled the world 5,000 years ago, but by its appearance, it seemed more like the technique of a typical mage.
"You said there was more, so for now, I''ll keep observing. If it continues like this, the disappointment will be even greater..."
Vanessa''s sudden thoughts came to a halt as her gaze turned downward.
Crackle, crackle.
Small waves of lightning moved rapidly like a narrow channel. It had definitelye out of the area where Sigmund and the Lightning Columns were eroding.
The lightning waves beneath Vanessa''s feet were as weak as embers, and they seemed to have no rtion to the fierce and rough lightning current eroding thend.
But her instincts told her: Dodge it.
On reflex, Vanessa took a step back. After all, her instincts never failed.
Koozzz! Kajijijik!
The gathered lightning energy around Jin wasunched toward the small channel of lightning waves. Absolute speeds that not even a 10-star Knight could avoid without foresight.
Like a giant serpent passing by, a deep hole appeared where Vanessa had been standing.
''Even if I blocked it with my body alone, it wouldn''t have much power.''
She thought that and turned her head. But at that moment, Vanessa''s eyes were filled with a piercing thunder. Quite literally, thunder came crashing down from the sky and struck the hole once again.
After the loud thunderous sound pierced her eardrums, even Vanessa couldn''t help but shudder.
"Was that... an earthquake?"
Right after the thunder fell into the hole, there was a slight earthquake on the ground where they stood.
And it was thanks to the tremor that Vanessa realized that the small waves of lightning that had "caused the thunder" had actually spread throughout the entire area.
There were small lightning sparks sprouting from everywhere. If all those small sparks could summon thunder...
She imagined that for a moment. It was enough to give her chills.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end.
''Of course, there can''t be such an absurd technique. It would be like having a god summoning thousands of thunders. If that were the case, I would be in a challenging situation with Jin.''
On the other hand, Jin was thinking this: ''The Sentence I developedst time, and now Erosion. It is infinitely insignificantpared to what the sister Battle Goddess showed me.''
The Erosion of the Battle God, Vahn, was exactly what Vanessa had imagined: a thousand thunders at herplete disposal, an electrical storm that few below the ninth star could even think of stopping or evading.
Even if he couldn''t unleash thousands of lightning bolts like Vahn yet, dozens were within his reach.
Kajik, kajik, kajik!
The small waves of lightning started to burst near Vanessa.
Vanessa was, indeed, someone whom Cyron could trust to have his back.
Although the countless scattered small waves of lightning were numerous, she identified them urately and eliminated them before they could invoke the thunders.
It was a skill that went far beyondmon sense, which civilians called ''peripheral vision,'' and warriors called ''internal vision.''
It was an expected result even for Jin.
''Lady Vanessa will probably try to avoid the Thunders of Erosion. She must have judged that it would be dangerous to sever them.''
Therefore, after nting Sigmund in the ground, Jin had already prepared to summon Tess. After the electrical attack, if mes were to suddenly appear with a strong pressure, Vanessa would have no choice but to be taken aback for a moment.
Boom!
Tess''s blue wings emerged from the dimensional portal above Jean. As soon as Tess was summoned, Jin retrieved Sigmund and charged at Vanessa at full speed.
He nned to attack while she dodged the Thunders of Erosion. Even a 10-star Knight would have openings when retreating hastily.
But at the moment Jin closed in.
Did you think I would escape?
Vanessa didn''t say those words out loud. But that was because there wasn''t enough time before the Thunders fell, and Jin could tell from her expression that she was saying that.
She was saying that she would show the true power of a 10-star Knight.
Kurrrr...
As Jin''s Light Core* burned intensely, Tess''s Pressure mespletely enveloped Vanessa (Note: Previously referred to as Berserk Core).
The sky tore apart.
Dozens of Erosion Thunders rained down towards Vanessa.
She could have easily dodged them. Although she might not have been able to avoid them all due to Tess''s mes, she could have repelled the Thunders that she couldn''t dodge.
Instead, Vanessa strengthened her sword with her power.
"Do you really think you can block all of this?"
Jin involuntarily swallowed saliva.
A single sword light gleamed white in her sh and struck. But for those who hadn''t reached a high level, it only seemed like a single line, but in reality, dozens, perhaps hundreds, of sword auras danced within the sword light. Some had caught the Thunders, some had shattered the mes, and some had surrounded Jin.
This time, Jin''s spine shuddered. The sword light spread, and he didn''t blink once, but Jin had already seen the future in an instant.
"Lady Vanessa will eliminate everything without leaving a trace... perfectly!"
Even the Erosion Thunders and Tess''s Pressure mes would be swept away by her sword, without even touching the hem of her clothes.
In other words, Jin''s calction was wrong. He had to admit that he had dared to underestimate a warrior who could have shaken the world if she had wanted to.
"Kaaaah!"
Vanessa screamed, and a shockwave spread.
Before he realized it, the Blue mes and the Erosion Thunders had been crushed by the sword aura and extinguished, and Tess was exhaling to protect Jin.
Even with everything destroyed, the remaining sword aura kept flying towards Jin.
Fortunately, the momentum had been slightly slowed down, but Tess couldn''t protect him forever. Plus, Jin hadn''t been able to attack Vanessa''s body yet.
He had no intention of retreating despite his miscalctions.
"If this fails too, I will admit my defeat."
Sriiing, Whooong...
When Bradamante emerged from its sheath, energy flowed. In the desert filled with a deep blue and white color, ink-like ck energy spread, causing a sense of discord.
First Movement of the Shadow Sword.
Jin crouched down and assumed his stance.
Soul Cut, a technique he had been perfecting even before going to Lafrarosa.
As always, Jin was reciting a spell... Then, the auras awakened by the spell darkened the body of the sword.
"Will this be thest one?"
"Have you enjoyed yourself so far?"
"I''m excited about it."
Vanessa''s iron sword was missing a tooth. It was imbued with the aura of a 10-star knight, but that was the limit of a cheap iron sword.
"I should have brought a better sword. This is incredible, jojo."
With that said, Vanessa admitted her defeat. With this cheap sword, she couldn''t withstand Jin''s final direct blow, and this was no longer a trial duel but a confrontation.
Even without her sword, it would be easy to kill Jin, but Vanessa had already decided that he had passed the test. His clothes were intact, and his body had not been touched, but Vanessa had pushed the limits of her own strength while blocking Jin''s powerful attacks.
Furthermore, receiving this final attack from Jin head-on was like giving an extra point in the test. Or it could be apliment to the young Runcandel who was growing very well.
Jin''s body moved forward.
He hadn''t reached the realm of "directly cutting the soul" yet, but the First Movement of the Shadow Sword that he had perfected in Lafrarosa was very stealthy.
The ghostly sword was merely passing through the opponent, and with enough faith, there was nothing in the world that couldn''t be cut.
And once again, Vanessa intuitively understood the nature of the Shadow Sword.
She wasn''t a Solderet contractor and hadn''t experienced this kind of power before, but she could see what was close to the tip of the sword¡ªit was the depth of all actions performed through a sword.
"It''s wonderful," Vanessa thought.
Bradamante, imbued with dark aura, grazed Vanessa''s cheek. Drip, drops of red blood spilled, and Jin was reveling in the joy of victory as he passed by her.
As a warrior, if he had topare himself to all the great warriors in the world, he would feel disappointed. But as Cyron''s son, he was proud of himself for living up to his father''s expectations, especially since this trial had shown that he and Cyron could pete."
Ching...!
Vanessa''s sword shattered into pieces. It didn''t just break, but shatteredpletely and fell to the ground.
That was the most exhrating sound Jin had ever heard in his life.
"Jin Runcandel, I have a question for you."
"Go ahead, Lady Vanessa."
Vanessa shrugged and looked back at Jin.
"If I had used a little more force, would you have achieved the same result?"
In Vanessa''s opinion, Jin had nothing to envy Cyron in terms of skill. That''s why her curiosity was as pure as a warrior''s.
Could it even be possible topete?
"...Well, actually, there is one more thing."
"What, do you mean you had one more card up your sleeve, besides what you''ve shown me so far?"
"But it can''t be called a sword technique or magic, so it doesn''t have any significance."
"It can''t be called either a sword technique or magic?"
Jin smiled without answering.
It meant that he couldn''t exin it in detail. Vanessa could do nothing but shrug in the face of the mysterious young Runcandel.
"Well, anyway, you''ve defeated me. Your father told me that you should receive some kind of punishment, but if this is the oue, I suppose you deserve some kind of reward."
Chapter 204
C204 - Vanessa Olsen (4)
''A reward.''
She thought to herself with satisfaction. She had anticipated some of it, but hearing it directly with her own ears was different.
"First, bring back the horses we released. At this age, I don''t want to walk through the desert for several days."
"Understood."
Jin set out in search of the horses. The desert was filled with tracks, so it wasn''t difficult to follow them.
Fortunately, the horses were docile and hadn''t strayed far, and Jin soon found them quenching their thirst in a semi-dry puddle of water.
When he returned with the horses, it was already nightfall.
"You did well. Sit here."
Tadak, tadak.......
A well-made campfire burned in front of Vanessa. The fat from the dried meat crackled on the wooden skewers, and there were a few fish, clean wherever they were caught.
And there were three barrels of liquor. Vanessa opened one of them and poured it into two iron cups.
''The wagon was loaded with something before departure, was it alcohol? You made it seem like you wouldn''t pass the test, but you were prepared for this.''
Jin chuckled to himself.
"You''re also very thoughtful, Lady Vanessa. I didn''t know you would be preparing such an elegant feast."
"It''s because I was treated very well in Tikan."
Clink, clink. The metal cups clinked as the liquor poured.
The liquor they were drinking was strong, but unlike ordinary people, their hardened bodies didn''t easily get drunk even with modest amounts of alcohol.
In that sense, the liquor Vanessa had brought was so strong that it would elicit a reaction even from the strong bodies of warriors, so it seemed that even ordinary warriors wouldn''t be able to handle it.
''It''s stronger than that liquor I drank before obtaining the Light Heart.''
Vanessa looked impressive as she drank this unmatched beverage without the slightest hint of intoxication.
She silently emptied a whole bottle and, realizing that Jin was trying to keep up with her pace, she patiently waited while lost in her own thoughts.
In the light of the campfire, the sorrow in her wrinkled eyes could be seen.
"Do you remember when I said that our pleasant stroll through Tikan reminded me of old times?"
"Yes, I remember."
"It was because I thought of my brother. I''m so old, and he remains a child like you in my memory, that sometimes I forget my age."
Her voice was soft.
The sadness Vanessa disyed was only visible to Jin''s eyes. Her brother''s death was already an ancient fact to her, and what she felt was not sadness but loneliness.
"You must be wondering why I''m telling you this all of a sudden."
"Is it because I resemble your brother?"
"Not at all. He wasn''t as handsome as you, nor as strong. He was special to me, but objectively, he was an ordinary guy you could find anywhere. We were orphans, not nobles."
Click.
Vanessa downed her drink in one gulp and lit a cigarette. Then she set fire to the cigarette and inhaled it all at once. The thick smoke covered her face for a moment.
"On the other hand, ever since I was young, I''ve always had great potential like you Runcandels. I was preparing to be a knight of the Kingdom of Shucheron, but at seventeen, I got into a minor fight in a tavern. I thought he was just a beggar, so I beat him up, but it turned out he was a Knight of the Kingdom."
"That knight must have been surprised."
"He was probably speechless. He came back to his hometown on vacation and ended up getting beaten up and thrown out of a tavern. I didn''t know he was a knight until he left the tavern while crying over his broken nose. The owner, who was the only witness, told me he was a Knight of the Kingdom of Shucheron."
"Lady must have been shocked to find out."
"It was a huge surprise. I didn''t think a knight would make a scene because amon girl was drinking alone, let alone tell her to pay for her drinks or leave."
Vanessa took out another cigarette and took a puff.
"The next day, the knight killed the owner instead of me. Then he started killing or capturing the few neighbors he knew. The lord himself set a trap for me and sent troops because he wanted to impress the Knight of the Kingdom."
Vanessa wasn''t as overwhelmingly strong back then as she is now. She was just a seventeen-year-old girl with a lot of potential.
"So I tried to escape. But damn it, I made the decision toote. My brother was captured by the lord''s troops, and I was forced to go to the lord''s castle without a sword."
Vanessa''s brother was brutally beaten and tied up in the front yard of the lord''s castle.
And the knight ordered Vanessa to strip naked and crawl to the front of the lord''s castle. When Jin heard that passage, his fist trembled, and Vanessa sped his hand.
"Fortunately, I didn''t have to undergo that humiliation. While I was trying to undress, I heard a deafening roar, and mes suddenly started falling from the sky... turns out, a dragon had attacked the lord''s castle. It was a fire dragon."
In one strike, the dragon destroyed the lord''s castle, killed the lord and his soldiers, and killed the Knight.
Paradoxically, the only one who survived the confrontation with the dragon was Vanessa.
"It was madness. There was chaos, prisoners escaped, soldiers fled, the lord and the knight died as soon as the dragon appeared, and my brother, who was tied to a stake, was lucky enough to escape the dragon''s breath. So we had to fight."
In that fight, Vanessa awakened.
Her potential, which she didn''t even know herself, blossomed, and her incredible strength was unleashed.
"I used the sword of the dead knight to protect my brother. The knight''s sword that captured my brother, and this scene must have seemed very amusing to the fire dragon, as I desperately clung to my brother and fought against his mes."
Although she awakened, she was no match for the power of a dragon.
The dragon swiftly snatched her brother away from her and deliberately chose to spare her life.
"It burned down the entire castle and vige, and told me that if I wanted to find my brother, I should go to Ante Mountain. So I went there and encountered the dragon in a cave."
Her brother was already dead.
"And the dragon didn''t fight me. It simply flew away and left me there. It just wanted to see me in despair. It realized that it was much more entertaining than trampling a rural vige."
"...And you''ve been in the Ante Mountains ever since."
"Yes, since that day, I haven''t left the Ante Mountains. I couldn''t bring myself to go searching for him. I was exhausted."
Jin, like Vanessa, was quickly emptying his liquor ss.
After that, Vanessa didn''t leave there until she encountered Cyron.
When dragons came, she killed them, and when people came, she killed them too. She didn''t kill many humans, but among them were also skilled warriors like Vanessa.
All of them held grudges against the fire dragon or came to challenge it.
"I was going mad. No, I was already mad. I killed over a hundred dragons, but that dragon never appeared, and more than fifteen years had passed. And then, your father, Lord Cyron, came looking for me."
Cyron was the first human to defeat Vanessa.
"The day after defeating me, he captured the dragon and all its offspring. It turned out he was rted to Kadun, the Guardian Dragon of Kelliark Zipple. So Kadun also came to protect its bloodline. Do you know what happened then?"
"I think my father killed them all. Kadun must have been injured and fled."
"Lord Cyron only helped me to keep Kadun from interfering in the fight. He let me deal with the fire dragon and its offspringpletely."
The revenge was Vanessa''s.
She finally managed to kill the fire dragon and asked it several times before doing so why it had done it.
"As I said before, it did it because it found it amusing to kill my brother. And it did it because it found it amusing to see me in despair... Whether the fire dragon was scared or simply wanted to annoy me until the end, it said it was just a game."
"Hmm."
"Naturally, I became a knight of Cyron. After putting on the ck helmet, the difficult days continued, and I couldn''t remember anything from the past moments. After a while, I got used to it and realized that my speech and actions had be quite convincing, like those of a knight."
Jin didn''t respond but refilled his ss.
"Even if you''re stronger than before, just like your father, you must give your subordinates the chance to seek vengeance for themselves. It''s a virtue you must possess if you want to be a great warrior."
"I will deeply remember that."
"Also, try not to give your heart tomon people like my brother. They are too easily killed and often crumble for no reason simply by being by our side. If you ever find yourself in despair, it will be because of that reason and not because you''ve been struck by a stronger person''s sword. Both your father and I have been hurt by it. Now I don''t even feel sadness for the fact that my brother won''t return."
As the bonfire burned, there was a long silence. Finally, Vanessa opened thest bottle of alcohol.
"Listen to your father when you have the opportunity to do so."
"Yes."
She wondered if bing a transcendent figure was a process of castrating the natural emotions of human beings, and while she pondered on it, she recalled the colleagues she had in Tikan.
"I think this is enough advice... Take this."
Vanessa pulled out a folded paper from her chest.
It was a map. However, it was very different from amon map and depicted an image that waspletely detached from the approximate appearance of the continent Jin knew. Furthermore, much of it was empty, indicating that it hadn''t been fullypleted yet, and there were intentionally concealed areas that were difficult to identify at a nce.
"This is a map of the ck Sea. Head to the area marked in red. You can take yourpanions with you, but once you reach the marked area, you won''t be able to withstand the poison unless you take a very potent antidote." (*: It seems that by antidote, she refers to the Thousand-Poison Antidote that Jin obtained from Yona.)
"Is this the reward you mentioned?"
This was the first time Jin learned that a map of the ck Sea existed.
The previous ck Knights had spent almost their entire lives mapping the ck Sea, and it was still a work in progress.
"After making that map, Lord Cyron immediately handed it over to me. Then he asked me to choose one of his sons who seemed decent in my eyes and deliver it to him. Therefore, this is my reward. Additionally, it is a new trial."
"If I ask what''s in the area marked in red, will you tell me?"
Vanessa shook her head.
"Of course, why do you ask such an obvious question? In the area marked in red, there is a demonic creature. Defeat that creature. It is said that thing used to be raised by the Witch Heluram long ago."
Jin''s pupils dted.
Chapter 205
C205 - The Legacy of Witch Heluram (1)
Vanessa''s house, south of Sucheron.
This is the same rural vige that was devastated by the attack of the Fire Dragon long ago. Since then, thisnd has beenpletely abandoned by the Kingdom of Sucheron, and only Vanessa''s house remains in the middle of an extensive in.
"What a surprise to see you here, Family Head! It hasn''t been long since you sent me a letter, and now youe to visit without notice," Vanessa said as she opened the old wooden door.
Cyron was sitting in the center of the narrow room, and Vanessa sat down in front of him with a shrug.
"Have you onlye to surprise me like before?"
A freshly boiled teapot was on the table, and Cyron poured tea into Vanessa''s cup with a "chrrrr" sound.
"Khan has been working hard. He could have even boiled this and disappeared silently. How about making some tea for yourself?"
"I''ll consider it."
"Well, I can''t deny that Khan is very good at making tea either."
Sipping their tea, the two enjoyed the aroma for a moment.
"It''s as if he''s a proud father showing off his son, isn''t it?" Vanessa thought to herself as she looked at Cyron.
Although nearly half a century had passed since she became Cyron''s knight, Vanessa had never seen him like this.
"Well, how is the younger one doing?"
"He made a good first impression, and it seems he has a lot of useful people among hispanions."
"That''s not what I asked."
He wanted to know if it was possible for Jin topete against him, but Vanessa evasively responded despite knowing it.
"Jojo, it seems you''re already growing old. Are you really that desperate?"
"Well, it might seem that way."
"Jin Runcandel, that boy is very talented. It seems he could not onlypete against you but also surprise you."
Subtly, the corner of Cyron''s mouth lifted.
"That''s why I gave him the map."
"I didn''t expect you to give it away."
"You''re bing more eloquent, sure, you knew this would happen."
Cyron let out a brief chuckle in response.
"If you still had feelings for Luna, you probably wouldn''t have given away that map."
Then, a bitter smile crossed Vanessa''s lips.
The map she had given to Gene was originally meant for Luna.
The map she gave to Jin was originally created for Luna. When they identally discovered the demonic creature while mapping the ck Sea, Cyron kept it with the intention of giving it to Luna someday.
"There was a time when all the ck Knights, including you and me, had hope in that girl. If we had paid a little more attention, she wouldn''t have given up. Now, she probably would have conquered all of Runcandel. We could have focused on our own tasks."
"You want to me me, Vanessa."
"No, you want to reprimand me and myrades. Back then, the only failure among the many missions of the ck Knights was simply that we didn''t properly examine Luna."
"How can that be your fault? It was my fault and Rosa''s."
"Well, to prevent Jin from bing another Luna, I''m going to keep an eye on him. Joshua is quite troublesome too. He seems to be preparing for something while cautiously watching over Jin."
Cyron shook his head.
"If he needed attention, I wouldn''t have bothered. We should only watch without providing direct assistance. If he can''t handle Joshua on his own, then he won''t be able to fight against the family''s enemies."
"And what if he bes another Luna? What will you do then? Do you think you can handle Joshua''s influence when Jin returns to the main house? No, it''s even doubtful that he''ll return safely."
"Isn''t that why you gave him the map?"
Vanessa chuckled ironically as she thought about the part regarding not providing "direct" assistance.
"I understand what you mean. We should have some alcohol while you''re here. Tuben is nearby, so I''ll call him."
"Tuben, I haven''t seen him in years."
Jin and his colleagues were sitting in the meeting room, looking at the map Vanessa had given him.
"...So it''s possible to map the ck Sea. I heard it''s impossible because demons flow like water, and most areas are filled with poison. No one has attempted it before," Kashimir said.
Kashimir was right; mapping the ck Sea had never been attempted by any country or organization. It was a task that even Zipple didn''t dare to try.
Or so everyone believed. However, Runcandel had already made a map.
It was possible to navigate the ck Sea without a map. From the entrance of the ck Sea to the center, there was something that could be called a "path," something that had naturally formed as Cyron traveled through the ck Sea.
Therefore, if one could relentlessly fight against the approaching demons, anyone could reach the center of the ck Sea.
"The sweat, blood, and years of the ancient ck Knights have turned into this map. It''s also highly likely that it was produced confidentially within the n. At least, there are hardly any records of the current Guardian Knights being sent to the ck Sea," Gilly said.
"That''s true, Gilly. Only my father, the ancient ck Knights, and a few elders knew about this mission. It''s information that even the Standard-Bearers were denied," Jin responded.
"Hmm, is that why the brat''s father is always in the ck Sea? Moreover, it''s a demonic creature that Heluram raised."
Heluram.
She was a sorceress who had been the lover of the Demon King Orgal, and she was known among mages as the "Great Mother of Dark Magic" or the "Witch."
Now, dark magic had been lost and forbidden, but it was easy to find descriptions of the magic she used in history books.
On the other hand, historians referred to Heluram as "The Great Catastrophe." All historical records about her were filled with destruction and massacre.
Every time she appeared, the world was destined to suffer a great tragedy.
1500 years ago, starting with the unknown illness called the "mad gue" that spread across the western continent, followed by the descent of demons 1000 years ago, the great fire in the north of the continent 700 years ago, the crisis of the undead, and so on.
These are just some of the catastrophes believed to have been caused by Heluram, although many have wondered if they are of a level that humans can intentionally provoke.
500 years ago, during the Empire''s Protective War, when Heluram summoned the Demon Kings in front of everyone, there wasn''t even any controversy about whether she was responsible.
Instead, a new debate arose in the academicmunity. Was Heluram really a single person, or several mages using the same name?
Of course, most schrs imed thetter. It was an obvious matter, considering Heluram''s estimated period of activity easily exceeded 1500 years.
"Don''t you worry that she will retaliate if you bother her? It''s a bit concerning," Quikantel said, causing everyone else except Murakan to widen their eyes. It was the first time they imagined Quikantel talking about topics like fear of retaliation.
The second reason was that she had spoken of Heluram as if she were a person.
"Does that mean the Witch Heluram is one person, not a group?"
Enya asked, and Quikantel nodded.
"Yes, she is a single person. She is a half-demon, having an appearance almost human-like, but her longevity is equal to that of demons."
Jin already knew this fact. His past life''s Master, Valeria, had encountered Heluram and told him some details about her.
"Furthermore, her very existence is a curse. She is the only being who receives the love of all kinds of Gods and Demons, and not even the Gods seek a contractor when Heluram is awake. When Demon King Orgal could endure her curse and live with her, even the Dragons praised him."
"Wow, so all those cataclysms I read about in textbooks that supposedly Heluram caused were true?"
Enya covered her mouth, astonished by Quikantel''s new exnation.
"It''s true, fan girl. The Dragons know it. Hmm, Demons. That Demon Heluram raised... Quikantel, don''t you have any idea?"
"Do you really want to send Jin there? He might be involved with Heluram."
"Kahaha, me and the kid are immune to the curse, so it wouldn''t matter if we get involved with her, and ording to the Human who calls himself the Terror of the Ant Mountain, the creature is controlled by Runcandel. But if no one is looking for it, it''s probably dead."
"Itsst activity was over three hundred years ago, but it''s probably not dead."
Quikantel kept interrupting Murakan as if she were worried.
Of course, Jin agreed with Murakan. He couldn''t simply let go of the map mentioned by Vanessa as "another proof and reward" dictated by his father.
"It''s a reward given to me by my father. I don''t know what he''ll take away from me if I refuse."
"I also think Young Master''s opinion is correct. We can''t disregard what the Family Chief has ordered us to do."
Kashimir, Alisa, and Jet also nodded, so Quikantel couldn''t stop them.
"Then we have no choice. However, Murakan and I will go together to where the creature is. We can''t go further because of the poison, but at least we can take you there, and that will make me feel a little more at ease."
"Let''s bring the bug (Kashimir) with us too, Quikantel. We need someone to take care of the meals."
"...I used to be a prince, sir."
"Aren''t you good at cooking?"
"No, I''m not."
"Then I''ll have to bring Jet instead of you."
"Jet is another troublesome cook!"
"Bringing a weakling like him to the ck Sea? No, it''s better to bring Kashimir. Or maybe Latry is better? He cooks well."
"Lately, I''m very busy with the tea shop, and if I''m not there, Euria could be in danger... But I can prepare some fresh and crispy cookies to take along."
Bam!
Suddenly, Kashimir mmed the table with his palm.
"Damn it, isn''t there anyone for this?"
"Anyway, I''m also a warrior known as the Ghost Sword in the world, and the Leader of the Seven-Colored Peacocks! My pride won''t allow me to apany you on a journey just to do household chores!"
"Sweetie, just go quietly. Latry is a Dragon, but he also runs a tea shop."
"Are you saying that too? I''m Kashimir, the Warrior Kashimir Alfrion, the Ghost Sword."
"Well, if you don''t mind, I can prepare the food myself. So please, don''t worry unnecessarily..."
As Jin was speaking, Murakan shook his head as if he couldn''t help it.
"Then we can take the bug and Jet with us. Jet can take care of the meals and other tasks, and the bug can fight off the demons."
"Under those conditions, count me in."
At that moment, Jin forgot what he was going to say.
That''s how it was decided that Jin, Murakan, Quikantel, Kashimir, and Jet would embark together to the ck Sea.
Somehow, Jin felt sorry for Kashimir, but he seemed too pleased to beforted.
Chapter 206
C206 - The Legacy of Witch Heluram (2)
August 15, 1797.
Jin and his group stood in the middle of the ck Sea, staring at the map intently.
It had been ten days since they arrived at the ck Sea, and they had killed over three hundred demonic creatures by tearing them apart, stabbing them, or beating them, and they were running out of food for the journey back.
There was nothing suitable for human consumption in the ck Sea.
Since Jin had the Thousand-Poison Antidote Potion, there was no problem in eating demons, and Murakan and Quikantel were Dragons, so they could eat less toxic species, but there was no one in the world who would want to fill their stomach by eating demons.
"Damn it, finding the way even with a map seems to be no easy task. Why can''t we see that stone pir indicated here on the map? It should be around here. Could it be that the map is wrong?"
"We''ve been doing fine so far, so it must be the correct map. I don''t think my father and the ck Knights of the Previous Generation would have done it carelessly."
"I can''t even fly to check, it''s frustrating."
In the ck Sea, apart from a few types of demons, even if they are dragons, they cannot fly at high altitude. This is because a deadly toxin that melts dragon scales like chocte rains in the dense clouds that cover the sky. If there werend where dragons could fly, the ck Knights of the Previous Generation wouldn''t have worked so hard to create a map.
"And what about that stone pir? As indicated on the map, this stone pir has a circle drawn around it, unlike the others."
Jin pointed his finger at the pit ahead.
It was a giant pit as if the moon hade out and then reappeared. At first nce, it seemed to have a depth that easily exceeded 100 meters, and a tall stone pir stood in the middle of it.
The map Vanessa had given Jin was of the "primitive" type. Even experts who mastered the art of reading would have difficulty deciphering it because it intentionally concealed many parts.
"Hmm, it seems to be correct."
"But how are we supposed to descend? Remember, I''m the weakest one here."
"Don''t worry, Jet. Descending is easy."
The toxic clouds were only in the sky. The group descended on the backs of Murakan, who had transformed into their original form.
Up close, the pir was even more massive than they expected, and it wasn''t just any stone pir.
It was a nest. The pir was the enormous nest of the flying demon called "Kolgia" that inhabited the ck Sea.
"Kieeeeeeek!"
"Kiiik!"
Suddenly, cracks in the stone pir opened, and a multitude of Kolgias emitted a deafening scream. In the blink of an eye, it seemed like hundreds of them covered the sky.
Jin and Kashimir quickly drew their weapons, but Quikantel raised a hand as a warning.
"Stay still, Murakan will take care of this."
[How dare they...]
Murakan gathered his breath with shining eyes. The darkness gathered between his open jaws seemed like it would shoot forward at any moment.
Thanks to Jin''s enhanced Shadow Energy, Murakan was stronger than he had been when he first awakened.
Chiiing...!
With a burst of breath, more than half of the Kolgias vanished without a trace. Even Jin stared at Murakan in awe of his power, while Kashimir and Jet stood dumbfounded.
For a moment, the entire area was engulfed in darkness.
It wasn''t just a figure of speech; the other team members, apart from Jin, realized that darkness was actually surrounding them.
The Shadow Energy contained in his breath hadpletely covered the inside of the pit they were standing in.
Even the Kolgias that hadn''t been touched by the first breath were being torn apart in the darkness. Not a single piece of flesh fell to the ground, and the Kolgias that had emerged so forcefully soon vanished without a trace.
"That guy wasn''t called the strongest for nothing in the past."
Quikantel apuded enthusiastically as the aura cleared. Kashimir and Jet followed suit, still in awe.
"Hmph, even so, this doesn''tpare to how it used to be."
"T-This doesn''tpare to how you used to be? In my case, I just couldn''t believe what I was seeing, wondering if this was the same Murakan-nim who used to joke with us every day, right, Lord Kashimir?"
"W-Well, yes. Oh, but Murakan-nim, why did you let me and Quikantel kill almost all the demons if you have so much power?"
"Are you criticizing me?"
"No, I just said it because I found it impressive."
"It''s strange, the speed at which my power returns is too slowpared to how quickly the kid is getting stronger."
To Kashimir and Jet''s surprise, Murakan seemed dissatisfied, as if he didn''t like the power of the breath he had just unleashed.
"Even at your worst, you''re doing quite well."
"The kid''s Shadow Energy has reached the sixth star, logically, shouldn''t my strength return to 60%?"
"You ask for too much, you should be grateful to be alive."
"I''ll have to investigate that, I''m certainly recovering slower than I thought."
"Then you should look for your sister."
"Hah, I''d rather not encounter her if possible."
"What do you mean by that?"
While Murakan and Quikantel argued, Jin and hispanions studied the map.
"ording to the map, we have to cross the pit and go over a river called Molos to get there. We should arrive tonight if we walk fast, assuming we encounter the same number of demons as we have so far."
"Then let''s aim to arrive tonight and let Jin rest well for a night. We don''t know what kind of demon Heluram raised, so we should face it in the best condition. Didn''t she say to defeat it?"
Fortunately, no Demon crossed the pit or crossed the Molos River.
This was due to the nearby Demons'' perception that if they approached the Molos River, they would die.
This perception was due to the fact that Cyron and the former ck Knights had been killing Demons in that area for a long time.
The group continued forward unaware of this and was able to reach their destinationfortably. Thanks to that, Jin and hispanions arrived at their destination around nighttime.
What greeted them was a kind of forest.
"A forest?"
It was known in the world that there were no trees in the ck Sea, only andposed of rocks, volcanoes, and swamps, with rivers filled with poison.
But that was false.
There were many forests in the ck Sea. The one they were seeing now was just one of them, and there were more than a dozen on the map made by the ck Knights.
Naturally, they looked nothing like the forests outside. The thorns of the poisonous trees were sharper than spear tips, and the leaves had "spikes" attached to them.
Those bushes filled the entire ce, leaving only a small space for a person to pass through.
"Hic!"
"Jet carelessly approached a tree at the entrance of the forest and recoiled as he saw the leaves, reaching chest height, open their maws, revealing their sharp fangs. Cang! At the same time, the sound of the fangs closing was heard."
If only he had touched it... The thought sent shivers down his spine.
"What, what is this strange forest? Should I enter there alone?"
"Come with me."
Quikantel passed by Jet and entered the forest. She broke through the thorny bushes with her fist and burned the leaves with magic as if it were nothing.
However, it didn''t take long before she returned to where herpanions were.
"It''s filled with poison inside. We would need something like a Thousand-Poison Antidote Potion or at least a simr resistance. As Vanessa said, it''s concerning. What kind of creature lives in a ce like this?"
The group still hadn''t discovered the identity of the Demon that Heluram had raised. They were not just one or two, and most of them had been killed by powerful individuals of the time or by dragons.
"Whatever it was, it was a creature the kid could defeat, that''s why Vanessa gave him the map, but I don''t see what the reward for killing it is. Could it be the Inner Core (??)? That wouldn''t be useful for the brat."
The Inner Core of a demon was considered an elixir for dragons, but it had no effect on humans.
"You said it was a creature Jin could defeat, but an Inner Core? How does Jin n to defeat a creature with an Inner Core?"
Demons with Inner Cores were often the target of organized hunts by groups of Dragons. Moreover, this type of creature hid itself to avoid being detected by people due to possessing an ability and consciousness beyond that of normal demons.
"Well, that''s true. Anyway, Jet! Prepare the tents and food. Even if we have to eat less, we must make sure to feed Jin well tonight and tomorrow morning. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I''ll use a lot of jerky and wheat flour."
"We don''t need to do that; we''re already short on food."
"Quikantel and I will be out hunting and eating whatever we find around, so don''t worry and eat."
The next morning, early.
Thepanions decided to wait at the edge of the forest while Jin prepared some spells in case of a fight.
He then started advancing further into the forest. Jin cut through the thorns with his sword and lit a fire with magic, so there were no issues with progress.
"This is where the poison begins."
From the area where the poison started, there weren''t as many thorns as in the beginning. Instead, the poison was dense and oppressive, and one wouldn''t havested a minute there without the Immunity Potion.
He walked for a while. The interior of the forest had a rather unique structure.
It seemed like a mix of ins and forests. There were perfectly round rocks that were clearly carved on the ins, and after passing through them, the thorn forest began again...
It was a forest divided into sections like that.
A in with boulders and a forest. As Jin walked, he pondered on the difference between the two areas.
"Why are they separated like this? Were the ck Knights the ones who carved the round rocks? But why did they carve them?"
Although the trees could be derived from the ck Sea, the round rocks seemed utterly useless.
Something used in some kind of ritual?
He advanced with all sorts of imagination. Although three hours had already passed since he entered the forest, there were no signs of monsters, only round rocks and dreadful thorny bushes, which made him increasingly irritated.
But then, without thinking, he looked down and saw something he hadn''t seen before.
"Is this...?"
It was hair.
Thick ck hair filled with poison, which didn''t match the thorn forest at all. Jin followed the hair that naturally fell to the ground and found the fifteenth in.
That was when Jin realized who made the "round rocks" and what they were used for.
[Nyaa]
In the middle of a in, a cat was ying by rolling a rock. However, the problem was that it wasn''t a real cat but a demon with an appearance simr to Murakhan when he transformed into a cat.
It was the Witch Heluram''s cat.
Chapter 207
C207 - The Legacy of Witch Heluram (3)
Drrrrk, dorruruk......
The round rocks rolled forward as the demon''s front paws touched them. The creature seemed like a naturally yful cat, pushing and pulling them with its ws while asionally licking its own body.
The only thing that distinguished it from a regr cat was its enormous size and the leopard-like white pattern covering its fur.
No wonder.
Of course, Jin had never heard of a cat-shaped demon before. Although there were countless creatures in the world, there had never been any reports of a demon cat in academic records.
"Do I have to bring that down? It looks more like a spiritual beast than a demon."
Thanks to this, Jin was able to observe the demon with a calm mind and soon realized that the demon''s favorite food was the thorny bush of the forest.
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
A loud crunching sound was heard as the beast chewed on the thorns as if they were sugar cane.
After settling in this ce, the demon had been eating thorns in this manner for over a thousand years.
When it ate enough bush, it would create a in and then y with the rocks around, carving them into wheel shapes. It would do so until the bushes grew back. That''s how it had lived for over a thousand years in this ce.
Sash! Sussak!
With a light strike of its front paw, a rock buried in the ground jumped into the air.
The rock lost its original shape, turning into a smooth sphere before falling to the ground. The creature made a small sound of satisfaction upon seeing this.
''I''ll have to be careful of its ws.''
Recalling the sharp ws he saw as the demonic creature cut through rocks, Jin tilted his head. He didn''t expect to seed with a surprise attack. The poison around the demonic creature was too strong, and he had to maintain his protective aura barrier at all times.
Just as Jin lifted his foot to take a step, the demonic creature looked around with a fleeting nce. The gentle light of the aura barrier stimted the creature''s eyes. The demon''s gaze turned towards Jin.
[?Kyaaah!]
The creature shrieked upon seeing Jin''s eyes. It was strong enough to make his ears ring, butpared to the roars of the Legends, it was tolerable.
Lightning energy gathered in Sigmund. Lightning was a formidable sword even when faced with arge demonic creature.
''I wonder how strong this thing is... hmm?"
Tudadadadadad!
Suddenly, the creature turned around and ran deeper into the forest. It was so fast that Jin could barely keep track of it with his gaze as he stood there stunned.
"Did it flee? Was it afraid of me with that giant body?"
Before the fight, he felt puzzled.
''No. It probably has already encountered the ck Knights once, so it fears humans, and they probably dealt with it without killing, subjugated it, and then abandoned this forest.''
For some reason, he also felt a sudden sadness. It seemed like the creature lived peacefully alone in this forest, but Jin had suddenly intruded as an intruder to defeat the demonic creature.
''In any case, I will pursue it.''
After all, it was a task assigned to him by his father and Vanessa. He couldn''t simply give up because he felt sorry for the creature.
And the feeling of pity for its behavior disappearedpletely the moment he began to chase after the demon.
And then, boom!
As soon as he followed the demon into the deep forest, the demon''s front paws flew. With its enormous body, the monster managed to hide well among the thorns.
Its front paws knocked down the bushes as if they were grass and struck Jin. He managed to block it with Sigmund, but couldn''t avoid being thrown backward.
Boom, aiming at Jin once again, the demon raised its front paw.
"Kuk!"
Unable to block it with his sword, he released a lightning bolt. The bolt bounced off the demon''s front paw, and Jin fell onto the thorny ground.
Just before touching the ground, Jin unleashed a flurry of sword strikes in all directions. Despite that, he couldn''t avoid being scratched and cut by the thorns and bushes, but thanks to Myulta''s Rune and the ck Light Armor, he didn''t suffer serious injuries.
He also survived thanks to the Thousand-Poison Antidote he had taken. If he hadn''t had the antidote, he would have died from the poison of the bushes and its toxicity.
From the beginning, he was seriously attacked.
Getting up, Jin let out a deep sigh. His arms and legs were torn and bleeding, and his coat was reduced to tatters.
He felt the poison spreading throughout his body, burning like fire. Taking the Immunity Potion didn''t alleviate his pain.
The creature didn''t attack further and slinked deeper into the forest.
"Alright... I was a bit foolish. Feeling sorry for a demon and feeling bad about it... but he probably already nned how to kill me as soon as he saw me."
The demon wasn''t fleeing; it was just trying to deal with Jin more efficiently and safely. It had shown its best strategy without knowing its opponent''s strength.
Jin, on the other hand, was deceived by the demon''s outward appearance and was taken by surprise.
Without thinking, he pursued the demon and was ambushed, bing a bloodied and limping figure, even though no one had seen his appearance. Still, he couldn''t forgive himself for making such a mistake.
Although he had white markings, the fact that the other party was a ck cat somehow reminded him of therge Butterfly Runcandel, and for some reason, he didn''t want to harm it.
But not anymore.
"I''ll deal with you properly."
Boom!
With that, Jin raised his mana power.
His n was to call Tes and start burning the cursed thorn forest. It didn''t matter if it tried to escape; forests and trees burned easily.
But even after setting up the summoning spell to open the dimensional gate, the gate didn''t open. He tried several times, but it didn''t work.
"...Damn, everything is in chaos. It doesn''t seem to be due to the poison, and my magical power is sufficient. Is this ce also a separate world like Lafrarosa?"
Tess couldn''t be summoned in a separate world (also known as a dead world). It was something he had learned while training with the Legends.
Jin soon concluded that this forest was the same as Lafrarosa.
But it didn''t matter because Tess''s absence didn''t mean he couldn''t burn the forest. In no time, a new zing me formed in his left hand.
It was a Fire Gem.
A 7-star magic energy fireball flew toward the dark thorn forest. When the sphere touched the trees, it spread like a and burned the entrance of the forest where the demon had escaped.
Then, he unleashed a series of gusts of wind. He remembered burning the forest like this when he saved Mesa as a cadet.
But there was noparison between the power of Jin''s magic then and now. Although it was the same wind, the force behind it was different. Furthermore, the fire spreading through the thorn trees was made of a 7-star Fire Gem.
The forest turned into a sea of fire in an instant. As if not satisfied enough, Jin walked past the burning thorns and prepared his next Fire Gem.
Surprisingly, even amidst the spreading fire, the poison did not burn at all. In fact, the poison that had been contained in the thorn bushes mixed in the air, making the atmosphere even more suffocating.
It wouldn''t hinder the battle, but Jin knew that if the poison was too much even for his powerful Thousand-Poison Antidote, it would also be too much for the demon.
"If you don''te out immediately, I''ll burn the entire forest!"
Whether the demon understood or not, Jin simply shouted with a loud and energetic voice.
Then heunched the Fire Gem three times.
[Kiik...]
Finally, the demon raised its white g. It crawled, screaming and stumbling through the fire, visibly beaten.
Sigh If you''re a demon, behave like one. It seems to be telling me not to...
Seeing the pointed ears of the demon cat droop, Jin once again felt a sense of guilt as he looked at the cat gazing at him with sadness.
The burning thorn bush was the demon''s home and its only source of food. Jin had a hunch as he watched the zing forest and realized that, but he had no intention of repeating the same mistake. The demon was capable of leaping onto him and biting his neck or ying tricks.
"Don''t pretend to be pitiful."
The moment Jin said that, the eyes of the demon creature changed.
It didn''t work.
It was definitely such a look. At the same time, Jin could feel the release of magical power from the demon''s pupils.
"Magic!"
It was Mana.
Of course, Jin had not considered that this demon could use magic, so he had not been able to avoid the enchanting amber eyes of the demon cat.
The spell the demon unleashed was one of the branches of ancient dark magic that causes the target to lose their mind, the "mental world" magic. Jin was already experiencing a hallucination.
Starting with hallucinations in which his whole body was stabbed with daggers, to reaching the most depressing vision of his past life. In just a second, dozens of hallucinations entered Jin''s mind.
The demonughed maliciously at seeing Jin''s bewildered eyes, with Jin unable to see its repugnant smile while immersed in his hallucinations.
Now, the demon could simply approach and mercilessly tear Jin apart, extinguish the fire that burned its sanctuary, and watch as his body dposed in the forest''s poison.
[?Nyaaah...!]
The demon creature let out a low, sad cry as it took a step forward.
However, in the next moment, the demon was left dumbfounded.
"I hate hallucinations with all my being."
What had urred was beyond the demon''sprehension.
Jin, who had clearly beenpletely exposed to the mental power, had regained his sanity and opened his eyes, full of life.
The Three mirages/illusions experienced in the great desert.
His faith in oveing the three illusions he experienced in the desert, and his training to be a brother of the Legends, is what made him the man he is today, someone who not only has talent but also great mental strength.
Jin, who had challenged and won the third illusion where Temar Runcandel was present. The feeble mental tricks of the demons were no match for such Jin.
He shattered their illusions with his will. For him, it was as easy as breathing.
"Wait a second. You should have finished me off when I was still trapped in the illusion. And you, it seems like you understand the humannguage... right?"
This time, Jin smiled. The demon, who had stopped in its tracks, stood with its fur bristling and its eyes darting.
Thump, thump...
The thorn trees engulfed in mes were falling. Amidst them, Sigmund emitted a blue glow once again.
Third Movement of the Battle Technique of the Sword God of the Legends: Judgment.
Without hesitation, Jin chose that Sword Technique.
"But I don''t understand what you''re saying. Even if you scream something, I won''t understand it. So shut up and speak with your ws."
Chapter 208
C208 - The Legacy of Witch Heluram (4)
The Shadow Energy that surged from the Light Heart enveloped the sword, transforming the fiery redndscape into a beautiful, shining blue. The demon staggered back in the face of that power.
A dazzling light that nearly blinded the eyes.
Soon, the light transformed into a massivence and hurtled towards the Demon''s throat. The ferocious energy absorbed the ashes of the scattered thorns.
Even though thence enveloped the Five General-ranked White Wolves at that moment, it seemed impossible to kill the Demon with just that, and Jin had a sense that it wouldn''t be eliminated in a single strike.
Kyaaaaaagh!
Just as thence was about to pierce its throat, the beast arched its back like a bow andshed out with its front paws.
Five ws as sharp as swords gleamed. It was a unique inherent strength that wasn''t based on magic or aura.
Pum!
When thence and the paws collided, electricity crackled and blue sparks flew. Surprisingly, the trajectory of thence was twisted by the desperate front paws of the demon, and Jin swung his sword again.
The diagonally deflectednce followed Sigmund and attacked the demon''s side once more. The demon struck thence with its ws.
Though there wasn''t a direct sh, it was enough to deduce the terrifying strength of the demon.
"It wasn''t an exaggeration for Lady Vanessa to call it a trial."
It wasn''t just power. The fact that it had already reacted so precisely to the lightningnce was also impressive.
However, the demon feared thence. It instinctively knew that it would suffer pain as soon as thence touched it, so it continued to scream incessantly.
Frzzz, ng! Frzzz-!
Thus, it repelled thence five times, and finally on the sixth, a gap opened in the demon''s hind legs. Jin immediately directed thence there and leaped to attack the front of the demon.
The oppressive energy of the lightning, radiating from Sigmund, drew the demon''s attention. As a result, the demon couldn''t evade thence''s tip that reached its hind leg and only managed to dodge the extending de.
[Kyakk!]
The demon''s ws struck the center of the sword. Jin didn''t lose bnce, evaded, and attacked again, while thence''s tip that struck the demon''s hind leg caused a lightning bolt.
A painful cry spread. The unpleasant noise, as if dozens of babies were crying, made Jin''s ears throb, and he unleashed a lightning bolt towards the demon''s face.
Both attacks, the lightning and the Sentence Lance, impacted simultaneously. Without a protective shield, even a nine-star warrior couldn''t withstand this force.
Then, the lightning struck the demon''s face directly, while thence pierced its hind legs and tore it apart.
[Kaaaah! Kaaaah!]
It screamed in agony to the point that everyone who heard it felt pain. And in the next moment, Jin had to face an astonishing sight.
"Regeneration...?"
The demon''s wounds were regenerating.
The broken bone fragments that had detached from its hind legs dissolved and reformed the flesh, and its lightning-ravaged face was rapidly returning to its original shape.
While it''s a known fact that high-ranking demons possess regenerative abilities, this was too fast.
That was where the problemy. Jin was familiar with the regeneration abilities of high-ranking demons, and this speed was far from normal. The demon cat was regenerating its wounds "immediately" in the literal sense.
This was not the time to stand idly by and marvel. Due to using the Third Movement of the Battle God''s Combat Technique for a long time, his aura was not fully bnced.
He had not ounted for such a powerful regeneration ability. His n was to inflict a mortal injury first and then gradually adjust the situation.
Who could have expected this regeneration ability in the demon? The previous generation ck Knights, who encountered the demon for the first time, also experienced the same absurd sensation as Jin.
[Keeyyyeeeek......!]
Having recovered in an instant, the demon''s well-formed eyes locked onto Jin. "I definitely have to kill him," the demon surely thought as its own spirit struggled to umte energy.
This time it wasn''t magic. The energy gathered in its eyes turned into a beam of light, and although Jin was able to quickly dodge it thanks to his ability, he was left breathless as he saw the ground where the beam struck reduced to a crater and the surroundings shattered as if an entire castle had fallen.
Obviously, if one were to be hit by such a beam, no one, not even the current Jin, would be safe.
"But if I avoid it, it''s fine," Jin thought.
The beam wasn''t so fast as to be impossible to dodge or block, but the fact that the enemy possessed a weapon that had to be constantly taken into ount significantly increased battle fatigue.
This was especially true in a situation where he had to fight for a long time against a demon capable of instant regeneration.
"It can''t regenerate indefinitely either. If I can damage its organs, which are the source of its regeneration, or wound it to the point where it can''t regenerate anymore, I will win."
Of course, it wasn''t as easy as he thought. If Jin were to be hit even once, he would be in mortal danger, while the demon could easily withstand several lethal attacks as long as it could endure the pain. All due to its regeneration ability.
He had to fight efficiently. That meant using a sword with more control, rather than something as destructive as the Shadow de.
Swoosh...
Jin sheathed Sigmund''s de and drew Bradamante''s sword. At the same time, he unleashed his Shadow Energy.
Sword release.
The gleam of Bradamante''s sword, infused with the will of Shadow Energy, vanished into the darkness. Then, as Shadow Energy particles began to float around Jin''s body, the demon''s pupils narrowed.
"It seems you''ve seen Shadow Energy before. Well, with such a long life, I suppose it''s natural."
[Kyaa...]
"It looks like it''s going to be quite a struggle to finish you off, so I hope there''s a satisfying reward."
Jin and the demon rushed toward each other at the same time.
The demon''s eyes continued to shimmer with magic. As it drew closer, it unleashed a beam of light, then continued to build up its magical power, exerting pressure on Jin by repeating this process over and over.
The attacks with its four paws, tail, and mouth didn''t cease. While ws and the mouth were thought to be the most dangerous, it turned out that the tail was even more difficult to handle.
It was hard to read its direction as it came out unexpectedly after being concealed by the body. From Jin''s perspective, it felt as if a pir-shaped mace was descending from the left side, the right side, and the top.
Furthermore, it was the first time Jin faced such a massive demon inbat.
He was dizzy with the agility and flexibility he had never experienced when fighting dragons, but the demon didn''t give him time to adapt.
It was quite challenging.
However, it wasn''t so difficult that he couldn''t aplish anything. If he could maintain his focus, he could dodge or block all of the demon''s attacks.
After about three minutes of defense and offense, he began to spot some weaknesses.
Although the demon had a means of regeneration, when Jin struck a weak point, it hastily retreated.
Jin had a feeling that the demon had no more hidden cards.
Whoosh...
Shadow Energy extended from his sword and gradually started to taint the space between Jin and the demon. As the demon had been using the forest as cover, Jin was creating patterns in his defense and offense along with his Shadow Energy.
On the other hand, the demon could no longer hide in the forest. The nearby bushes continued to burn, and if it hid in the forest, that despicable human would burn its precious food source.
Therefore, regardless of its astonishing regeneration ability, the initiative in the fight was in Jin''s hands.
"The key is whether my stamina will run out first or if its regeneration capacity will run out first."
He considered luring the demon out of the forest and confronting it with the help of hisrades, but the demon wasn''t foolish enough to show its back and flee.
Thus, it could only be a long battle.
The battlested for over 40 hours. The demon never managed to fatally wound Jin, and if it weren''t for its regenerative abilities, Jin would have killed it dozens of times already.
The ground they stood on, covered in mes, was now nothing but ashes and embers. All the surrounding thorns were charred and had disappeared.
But the mes caused by the Fire Gem continued to climb up the thorns and prate deeper into the ground, until the mes engulfed over half of the thorn forest.
At that moment...
A variable that Jin hadn''t taken into ount was starting to change the atmosphere of the battlefield.
"It''s getting impatient."
Could it be because of the fear that the forest would burn and disappear without leaving anything at this rate?
Fatigue was evident in Jin, while the demon also didn''t seem to be in its best shape like at the beginning. As time passed, the demon began to show more weaknesses in its movements. Sometimes, it would get distracted, gazing at the distant mes devouring the thorn trees, giving Jin the opportunity to attack and inflict some damage.
However, the demon''s regenerative ability remained impressive. Contrary to Jin''s expectations, even if the monster suffered an injury to the heart or head, it could recover from such injuries in a short time. It didn''t seem to have vital organs or anything that could exin its regenerative ability. It was like ancient dark magic spells recounted in history books.
Even the being known as the King of the ck Sea, an entity Jin had yet to encounter, didn''t have a regenerative capacity as astonishing as that of this demon. Even the absolute regeneration through time reversal of the Dragons of the God Olta, like Quikantel, had its limits. The ability of this demon to regenerate endlessly without any restrictions was something no mortal creature could possess.
It was a power that couldn''t be "easily acquired." It could only be possible with an appropriate price.
After forty hours of battle, Jin could only arrive at one conclusion about the demon.
"...So it wasn''t regeneration after all."
[Roar!]
"Witch Heluram, once your master, cursed you. Probably with a curse rted to immortality, and that''s why you keep regenerating constantly. Otherwise, there''s no other possible exnation."
[Roar!]
As Jin approached slowly, the demon tore into the ground threateningly.
"You have a body that cannot die. You have been fighting me even though you have been decapitated multiple times, your heart has exploded, and your head has been torn off your neck. Am I wrong?"
Jin knew very little about ancient dark magic, but he was certain the demon was under a curse from Heluram.
And it had likely been abandoned.
"When this forest burns and disappears, where will you go?"
The demon didn''t respond; it simply emitted a low growl.
It seemed to say that it had nowhere to go.
But it didn''t matter that it had nowhere to go. The tree would grow back someday, and even if it couldn''t eat anything until then, it would still be alive.
Instead, in a world where there were rocks and trees and solitude, it would have to live for a long time in a world where there was only solitude now. Until the forest was restored.
"If you don''t attack me, I will try to extinguish the mes now."
When Jin said this with determination, the demon slowly nodded.
Chapter 209
C209 - The Legacy of Witch Heluram (5)
Since then, Jin walked around with the demon to extinguish the fire. However, after two days, it was practically impossible to quell the still-burning fire. It was evident that magic had a limit to smother the mes, and cutting through the burning area with a sword to prevent the fire from spreading was equally futile.
Unless it rained, it was impossible to put out the mes. And even with rain, he doubted it would be possible to extinguish a fire of this magnitude.
To make matters worse, as soon as the fire began to subside, a strong wind blew from somewhere. It was as if they were waiting for the two of them to stop fighting and extinguish the fire.
The sun rose, the moon rose, the moon set, and the sun rose again.
Throughout the day, they had been wandering through the forest like madmen trying to control the fire. At least Jin, after having fought the demon for almost three days, his strength was finally reaching its limit.
And as if wanting to give up already, the demon let out a helpless groan with its ears drooping, and Jin did his best until the end, feeling a strange sense of guilt.
''I don''t know what I''m doing...''
That thought crossed his mind.
Wasn''t the monster simply spending peaceful days in this poisonousnd? On the other hand, he invaded the demon''snd, harassed it, and now he was suppressing the fire he had caused.
What could he gain from this?
The only thing he could think of was his unease and deep regret towards the "demon."
It was difficult for Jin to understand Cyron and Vanessa''s intentions in giving him this trial.
''My father probably knows that it has an immortal body. If we continue fighting endlessly, it''s likely to end in my defeat or a situation where I have no choice but to flee. Is there something I''ve missed?''
At least in terms of "immortality," there was nothing that he had missed. Unless he lifted the curse, the demon was an immortal being that couldn''t be killed in any way.
"Hah..."
As he continued to think, the fire finally devoured almost the entire thorn forest.
Crunch, crunch, crunch...
More than 90% of the forest was reduced to ashes.
Jin and the demon sat in front of the few thorn trees that had barely been protected, listening to the futile sound of smoldering embers nearby.
Thend was burned and cracked. Rounded, ckened rocks stood indifferent as ash swirled with the intermittent breeze.
[Nyaaah...]
The crouched demon let out a soft whimper.
"I''m sorry."
He had nothing more to say. Even though it was a demon, one could only feel pity for it, as it hade unannounced and destroyed its home.
Jin felt that his body was about to break from exhaustion.
The battle hadsted for over 40 hours, and the fire for more than 24 hours. Not even the blessed body of the Runcandels could easily withstand it.
[Nyaa]
The demon turned its head and bared its sharp fangs.
However, it didn''t seem to have the energy to attack immediately. It appeared to be as tired as Jin and soon dropped its head and let out a sigh.
Jin approached the demon cat.
He then gave it a pat on the side. He had no way to console it, and any apology he could offer would sound empty, so he couldn''t think of anything else to do.
"I''m here because I''m undergoing the test imposed by my father. I couldn''t refuse, so I ended up fighting you."
At that moment, the demon lifted its ws.
Instead of attacking Jin, it began drawing something on the ground. Itsrge ws moved with surprising delicacy, and what it drew were five people.
''...Crazy, you''re good at drawing.''
There was a man in light clothing with a sword in hand, and four knights dressed in ck armor.
They were Cyron and the former ck Knights. It wasn''t hard to tell, as the armorless Cyron was drawnrger in the center.
"...Are you asking me which of them is my father?"
[Nyaa]
"The one in the center."
[Meow!]
The demon nodded and began trembling. It seemed terrified just at the thought of Cyron.
"Did my father harm you?"
[N-Nyaa]
The demon nodded.
"I see. He cut you, and you didn''t die, surviving my father''s sword."
[Nyaa]
"I understand. It truly is a terrible curse. Worse than anything I''ve experienced."
He couldn''t even imagine it. What it must be like to be struck by Cyron''s sword, said to "disintegrate" all things, and yet not die.
Immortality is not a happiness at all. Especially if you find yourself alone in such a dreadful thorn forest like this.
"I don''t know what your owner was thinking when she cursed you like this. Heluram, that witch, did she abandon you?"
[.......]
The demon didn''t want to respond to that part. By now, Jin started to doubt whether this demon was truly a demon. It felt more like a conscious pet.
"Alright, let''s set that aside. Why didn''t you think of leaving this ce? Was it because of my father''s order?"
[Nyaa]
The demon said yes, but the truth was moreplicated.
When it first settled in this thorn forest, the demon didn''t know it had been cursed.
Nor did it realize it had been abandoned by Heluram.
So for a hundred years, waiting for its owner who never returned, it finally realized that Heluram would nevere back and that it itself was under the curse of immortality.
Since then, it had been a series of meaningless days. It never considered leaving the forest due to the loss of its owner and hid within the familiarity of the forest.
Meanwhile, Cyron and theter generations of ck Knights discovered the demon.
They started investigating once they realized the demon was immortal and found out that the demon belonged to Heluram.
That was when the demon first had the desire to leave thisnd.
This was due to the overwhelming fear it felt throughout its body when it remembered Cyron''s immense power, which was more terrifying than death.
But escaping from Cyron was impossible. If it tried to leave the ck Sea even for a moment, Cyron would unfailingly appear.
Every time that happened, Cyron always said the same thing.
"Someday, my daughter wille to fetch you to be her new owner. Wait until then."
The demon couldn''t disobey that order. Its owner, Heluram, sometimes shouted at it when she was angry too, but Cyron was much scarier.
All of this couldn''t be expressed through crying or drawing on the ground. That''s why the demon simply responded with a "N-Nyaa."
"Well... you''re saying that the reason you couldn''t leave the forest was because of my father''s orders, so I guess you cane with me."
[Meow?]
"He said there would be a reward for defeating you. I think that means the authority to take you away."
The demon cat narrowed its eyes for a moment.
You''re a son, not a daughter. That was the meaning, but Jin didn''t understand it.
"I''m not lying."
[Nyaaaa]
"The forest has burned anyway, and you have nowhere to go, so it''s my fault. If youe out, I''ll find you a new home. It''s too toxic here, and I can''t bring people to restore the forest."
[Meow!]
There it is!
"Where? Oh, that same hole we found before?"
While extinguishing the fire with the demon, Jin had seen a cave at the heart of the Thorn Forest. That was the demon''s home.
The demon, suddenly standing up, began walking with confident steps.
"How are you going to stay there alone? Even if you''re immortal, don''t you feel hungry? That''s why you''re eating thorns. Or are there things you can hunt around here?"
Jin was genuinely worried. This forest hadn''t been visited by other demons due to Cyron''s influence.
The demon didn''t respond and moved towards the cave. Jin had no choice but to follow it.
And as soon as they arrived at the cave, Jin found something strange. A bottle of liquor was at the deepest part of the cave. The bottle stood there as if someone had just left it.
The bottle was something even the demon had never seen before.
"A bottle of liquor?"
Jin and the demon alternately looked at each other and then at the bottle.
"Do you really not recognize it?"
[Nyaa]
The moment he approached and lifted the bottle, Jin couldn''t help but widen his eyes upon seeing the writing on the back.
(Melodic Royal Wine - Cyron Runcandel)
"Heh... My father must have put it there. Look. It has my father''s name. Ah, don''t you know how to read?"
Melodic Royal Wine.
Jin had heard about this mysterious drink several times.
It was a liquor crafted by the descendants of the Fairy n for special asions, special moments, and special people.
When you drink it, the story the drink''s owner wants to convey spreads in your head like a song, and it is said to have a wonderful melody, hence the name Melodic Royal Wine.
"Surely my father has something he wants to tell me."
Plop. Jin opened the bottle without hesitation and filled his ss with the liquid. He then drank it in one gulp.
The song began after three cups. The beautiful voices of the descendants of the Fairy n who prepared the drink resonated in Jin''s ears.
A beast for Luna Runcandel, Cyron Runcandel''s first daughter...
A beast for Luna Runcandel, Cyron Runcandel''s first daughter...
The music was so perfect that it gave him the sensation that he could naturally imagine the scene, as if he saw the image of Cyron in the past. It was simr to when he received Boras'' fang, but not as vivid.
The song was so perfect that he felt like he could naturally imagine the scene.
The first image he saw was of Cyron in his youth. Cyron always had a smile on his face as he exined something to the descendants of the fairies about the drink they were going to prepare for him.
It seemed as if he had just found the demon, and the ck Knights standing beside him were discussing how Luna would like that.
Cyron seemed kinder thantely, appearing as a normal and loving father towards his daughter, which was more intriguing to Jin than the lyrics of the song.
"It seems you left this guy for Luna, and this drink was originally for her..."
Originally, it was Luna who was supposed to drink this Melodic Royal Wine.
While listening to the song, Jin could feel how much Cyron loved and hoped for Luna. The song spoke of his love and expectations towards her.
But amidst the melodious tones, the song abruptly stopped.
The image that appeared in his mind was not that of a young Cyron, but of the recent Cyron, with a serious expression while saying these words: "From now on, you will follow Jin."
It was a conversation with the demon.
After making sure the map was going to pass to Jin, Cyron took the Melodic Royal Wine he had made for Luna and went back to find the descendants of the Fairy n.
He asked them to add one more line to the lyrics of the Melodic Royal Wine for Luna.
"From now on, you will follow Jin," it was now the descendants of the Fairy n who recited the additional line in the song.
After a moment of reflection, Jin filled his ss.
"You should drink it too." The demon thought cautiously as he touched his tongue to the alcohol. The song Jin heard now spread through the demon''s mind, exactly the same as the one he had heard.
Chapter 210
C210 - Ruby Cat
Murakan and Quikantel knew the name of the cat demon.
"I thought you were taking too long, but I had no idea you would bring something like this back. Look, it''s the Ruby Cat from Heluram. I can''t even remember thest time I saw it. It''s probably been abandoned since it has grown much bigger."
"So, there was a reason why both Quikantel and I couldn''t figure out what kind of demonic creature Heluram might have had. It''s not a demonic creature. It''s a spiritual beast. This is Shuri, Heluram''s cat. It used to be a fairly well-known spiritual beast about two thousand years ago."
The spiritual beast that Jin had mistaken all along for a demonic creature was a gift from Orgal, the Demon Lord, to Heluram.
"He gave Shuri, the Ruby Cat, as a means of transportation because Heluram couldn''t ride a horse, and he couldn''t fly with his staff all the time," said Murakan.
And as described, Shuri didn''t seem hostile to having people on its back.
Jin had already ridden on Shuri''s back when he returned with hispanions after finishing the Melodic Royal Wine.
There was no particr reason why he got on its back. He just thought he could give it a try since it was now his creature.
Besides, people generally wanted to try embracing or ridingrge animals when they saw one, and Jin was no exception to the rule.
Nyaa~
"But why Ruby Cat?"
Jin looked at Shuri while tilting his head in perplexity. It had ck fur with white spots, and its eyes were amber-colored. The name "ruby" didn''t seem to fit anywhere.
"Eh? Haven''t you seen its ruby yet? Didn''t it decide to acknowledge you as its new master?"
"It hasn''t. I also learned its name just now."
"That means you''re not its owner yet."
"Really?"
Then Shuri carefully looked around and opened its mouth to spit out an object.
It was a red gem about half the size of an egg. It was a ruby. The ruby waspletely dry and shone brightly, even though it had juste out of its mouth.
"Oh."
"You must infuse your mana into that gem to be the owner of the Ruby Cat. Not just anyone can do it either. Only people chosen by the Cat can infuse their mana into it."
"Why didn''t you tell me about this before?"
Nyaaa~
Jin quickly turned his head and red at Shuri, causing it to avoid his gaze.
Then it timidly pointed its front paw at the ruby on the ground.
Jin chuckled and picked up the ruby.
When he infused mana into it, the ruby glowed, and Shuri''s eyes turned red.
It seemed as if the ruby and Shuri were resonating together through a mana connection.
Then something astonishing happened.
"Eh?"
Shuri''s giant body turned into red-colored energy and was sucked into the ruby.
There was not a single trace or fur left where Shuri had been, as if it had never been there.
"Now, lick the ruby, like a cat."
"Do I really have to do that?"
He turned around to see Quikantel nodding as well.
It almost seemed as if he was wondering why Jin wasn''t already licking it.
Jin had no choice.
He brought the ruby to his tongue.
"And with that, the contract isplete. Now, you''ll be able to summon Shuri at any time as long as you have the Ruby with you. You won''t even need arge amount of mana, like summoning that guy, Tess."
"I really like that."
Summoning Shuri was quite simple. Shuri leaped out of the ruby when Jin infused a tiny amount of mana into the gem.
Rrrrr!
The ruby filled with color, and Shuri was summoned. Jin was over the moon when he saw it happen.
"But this feline fellow seems somewhat smaller now."
It still had a considerable size, but it wasn''t as huge as its previous size, which could easily match the volume of Murakan in his true form.
Shuri was now the size of a horse-drawn carriage. Jin touched various parts of Shuri''s shrunken new body as he looked at Murakan and demanded an exnation.
"Ruby cats shrink in size depending on their owner. Only ownerless ruby cats are as huge as houses. The ones in a contract usuallye in a smaller size, which reducesplications in living with their owners. It''s a sort of survival mechanism."
"Oh, wow! Congrattions, Lord Jin! I don''t know much about these things, but it seems like you''ve got something incredible, right? It''s also worth noting that you''re going to have your second cat, after Butterfly Runcandel," said Kashmir.
"Who are you calling Butterfly Runcandel? Hey, insect!"
"I apologize, Lord Murakan. Lord Jin, do you think I could also take a ride... Oh, I suppose not!"
Buzz...
Shuri raised its ws as Kashmir approached.
"But Murakan, how do you know so much about them?"
"I made a contract with a Ruby Cat before. It was about two thousand years ago. It lived out its lifespan and crossed the rainbow bridge. Well, Ruby Cats were rare back then too. One had to have connections with demons if they hoped to see them."
Murakan''s favorite transformation mode, the ck cat, was based on his Ruby Cat back then.
After the fall of the demons, Ruby Cats were now nearly extinct.
While there weren''t many written records in human societies, there were quite detailed descriptions of Shuri as part of the intelligence of the major factions, as it was the Ruby Cat of the Witch Heluram.
Cyron was able to identify Shuri because he had taken hold of the old texts from Zipple with his ck Knights.
"It seemed like he originally kept it for Luna."
"Understandable. So, that means he left Shuri for the next Family Head, right? This must mean that your father is starting to acknowledge you as his sessor."
"There was a Melodic Royal Wine rted to Shuri. I could hear what my father told the descendants of the Fairy n when I drank it. My father obviously treasured my sister Luna. I had never imagined my father had that side to him."
He said it seriously. Cyron ordered a Melodic Royal Wine to be made for his children! He could barely believe it, even if he had experienced it himself through the drink.
"However, Shuri made a contract with you and not your sister."
"My father discarded all interest in Luna the moment she abdicated the session seat, allowing the real Melodic Royal Wine he had prepared for her nearly twenty years ago to be mine. I can be discarded at any time as well."
"Wow, you worry about too many things. You hardly have any siblings who can challenge you now."
"Well, we''ll see about that when Ie back."
Jin then described Shuri''s curse to Murakan and Quikantel. Their faces darkened.
"Wow, that''s a witch for you. She ced a truly horrible curse on the Cat. It''s called the Curse of Immortality, quite literally. There are two existences capable of creating such a curse. A human who has made a contract with the Moon God, and of course, the Witch Heluram."
"The catalyst for the curse is at least a million human lives. In my view, one of Heluram''s great tragedies must have urred to put the curse on Shuri."
"Oh my god! That woman is crazy! No matter how much you love a Cat, you can''t use a million humans as a catalyst to make it immortal! Oh boy. I know humans do horrible things, but never in my entire life had I imagined a woman so wicked."
Then Quikantel shook his head with a solemn look on his face.
"The Curse of Immortality is not something you ce on someone you love. Imagine how terrifying it is to live an eternity with a body that will never die, no matter what you do to it."
"There''s no way a witch like Heluram wouldn''t know that either. Knowing her, she might very well have cursed Shuri with immortality on a whim."
"The curse is still active. That means Heluram is still out there. If Heluram truly cherished Shuri, would she have left him alone in the ck Sea after cursing him with immortality? After releasing him from the contract as well?"
"Oh, my god. If both Dragons are right, the Witch is still out there. It gives me chills. Look at my arm. I have goosebumps all over."
Nyaa (¨i©n¨i)...
Shuri suddenly lowered its gaze and let out a sad whimper. Murakan and Quikantel pretended to cough, realizing how rude they had been.
"About that. This kid will be a hundred times better than the witch, Shuri. So don''t be so sad. Come on. If you cry like that, it... It makes me look bad, you know? I''m sorry. So, stop crying now and..."
"Oh, well done, both of you. Quikantel, you went too far too. The whole conversation must have been painful for Shuri."
Nyaa, nyaa (?©n?)~.
"Ugh, damn it. Curse my mouth. Boy, just call for Tess. That guy has always been a master atforting spiritual beasts," advised Murakan.
Kak!
When Tess was summoned, he immediately fluttered his wings joyfully upon seeing Shuri.
"I extend my greetings to the Master of the Fire World!"
Quikantel bowed his head to greet him, but Tess''s gaze only shifted from Murakan to Shuri and back.
"Oh, yes, sure. Long time no see, indeed. Oh, wondering where we got this cute little thing? The brat brought it, of course. Yes, that''s right. Of course, I agree. No, I didn''t make it cry. I told you, it really wasn''t me! It was her! Quikantel!"
Tess pecked at Murakan''s head for a while nheless. Quikantel continued to silently kneel, which might have helped her avoid Tess''s violence.
Nyaa!
Nevertheless, Murakan''s im that Tess was a greatforter of spiritual beasts turned out to be true. Despite seeing Tess for the first time, Shuri snuggled and purred under his wings.
They seemed to bemunicating as well. Just as Murakan and Quikantel could understand Tess''s intent, Shuri could understand him too.
Tess stayed for a while to console Shuri and returned to the Fire World. He didn''t forget to scold and remind Murakan to treat Shuri well.
"Tess said he would lift Shuri''s curse when you yourself bring Shuri to the Fire World," Quikantel told Jin as she wiped cold sweat off her forehead.
Tess remained a figure of utmost reverence to her.
"That guy, really. I think he has a habit of making empty promises. Let''s be frank. By the time the kid can reach his realm, Jin might very well find and kill Heluram on a whim," said Murakan.
Fortunately, Shuri wasn''t the type to get depressed.
It was thanks to this trait that he could endure the loneliness of a thousand years in the ck Sea, but it only made Jin feel more pity for Shuri.
"Anyway, let''s return now. Let''s introduce Shuri to his new family."
Moving on Shuri''s back allowed the group to leave the ck Sea many times faster than traveling on foot, relieving their urgent need for food.
Jin returned Shuri to his ruby and continued on foot as they started seeing human settlements.
"Young Master, if I may be so bold as to attempt to understand the intentions of the Family Head, I don''t think he was so disappointed with the warm-hearted nature of Lady Luna," Gilly said.
"Why do you feel that way?" Jin asked.
"You said this cat was cursed with immortality, right? If that''s the case, even if Lady Luna had obtained the map, she wouldn''t have been able to kill him either. How else would she be expected to subdue him then? Perhaps the Family Head must have thought Lady Luna would take good care of Shuri."
Jin recalled Cyron''s affectionate smile at that moment and thought it was possible.
"Well, Luna continued to enjoy certain privileges even after abdicating her session seat, so it might actually be true."
Jin and Gilly discussed the topic for a while.
They couldn''t reach any conclusion since Cyron''s true feelings were unknown, but it was indeed quite an intriguing topic to discuss.
"Oh, and Young Master, there''s something I must report."
"Well. What is it?"
"There has been notable movement in the Compass recently. A contractor has been going back and forth between the Allied Realms of Hufester and an uninhabited ind in the North Sea. We investigated, and the uninhabited ind was registered under the family of a Guardian Knight of Runcandel."
"Is the ind owned by a Guardian Knight of Runcandel?"
"That Guardian Knight is a man of Joshua. In practical terms, it is likely that the ind is under Joshua''s control."
Chapter 211
C211 - The Secret of the 32nd Ind in the Bluebird Inds (1)
Thend was part of the Bluebird Inds, located in the waters north of the Allied Realms of Hufester.
Although it had a very beautiful name due to the hundred islets that formed a flock of birds, the entire area was uninhabitable.
It was constantly gued by rainstorms and thunderstorms, which caused fires and rock avnches.
Furthermore, the surrounding waters were rough and made it difficult to reach the maind.
Therefore, it was unsuitable for living and also not useful for military instations.
The Bluebird Inds were only useful as low-grade tourist spots in the winter months when there were fewer thunderstorms.
The people who owned an ind in the area were mostlymoners who had the dreamy idea of owning an ind, romantics who wanted to impress their lovers by gifting them an ind, or scammers who tried to appear wealthy by boasting about their cheap properties.
The contractor who was presumed to be working for Joshua was going back and forth daily between Ind 32 and the Allied Realms of Hufester.
"If the ce wasn''t an ind, this person''s movements wouldn''t have been so apparent on the Compass."
The sacred relic that Jin and hispanions stole after six months of unparalleled effort, the Compass, couldn''t show the precise location of a contractor.
If there were twenty contractors in the Allied Realms of Hufester, it could only show twenty red dots in the center of Hufester. It wasn''t possible to find out where exactly the contractors were in Hufester.
However, it worked differently on the inds.
The contractors would appear on their respective inds, even if the ind was under the jurisdiction of the Allied Realms of Hufester on the maind.
The Compass could be used to urately track the contractors under the special premise that they were on the inds.
"Yes, Young Master. The only time the red dot moves away from Hufester is when the Contractor is on the ind. And this particr ind belongs to Joshua under a borrowed name, so I think we should investigate it," said Gilly.
"Since it''s highly unlikely to be a mere coincidence..."
"Yes, that''s right."
"First, inform the agents of the Seven-Colored Peacocks to closely monitor him and gather information about the Bluebird Inds as well. We might raise suspicions if we rush into action immediately."
"Do you think Joshua has information about the Compass?"
"We have no way of knowing. But we must consider the possibility that he''s colluding with Kinzelo or Zipple. It won''t harm us to be cautious."
"Do you think it could be a trap?"
"The chances are slim, but if Joshua is in collusion with a faction that knows about the Compass, he must be aware that the Compass''s abilities are particrly powerful on the inds. If that''s the case, he might be luring the thief of the Compass, namely me, to the ind."
"Then we''ll limit ourselves to tracking the movements for now. I''ll also send some agents of the Seven-Colored Peacocks to the inds. I won''t have them go directly to Ind 32, but I''ll ask them to gather information about the area."
Nyaa~
When they finished talking, Shuri rubbed against Gilly''s body, seeking attention.
Shuri seemed to really like Gilly.
He had been constantly trying to win his affection ever since arriving in Tikan.
"Oh, wow. Shuri is so cute. I was initially taken aback by his size, but the more I see him, the cuter he gets. By the way, are you also going to name this cat Runcandel?"
"Well, we''ve already set the standard with Butterfly Runcandel. Shuri Runcandel. Sounds good, doesn''t it?"
Then Murakan also transformed into a cat, climbed onto Shuri''s head, and dropped into Gilly''s embrace. Jin grabbed Murakan by the scruff of the neck and put him back on the ground.
"Ah, and they''re going to renovate my room to expand it starting today. It''s too small for Shuri to stay with me in my current room."
"That makes sense. It must be ufortable for Shuri to have to stay inside the ruby all the time."
Puff!
Murakan returned from his cat form and looked at them with a sparkle in his eyes.
"So I guess I''ll have to share the room with Strawberry Tart until the renovation is done, right?"
"What the hell are you talking about? Why would you share a room with Gilly when they''re renovating mine?" Jin asked.
"Is that how it works? Aren''t they expanding my room too? Lately, I feel like it''s getting cramped."
"Even if they decide to renovate your room as well, there are plenty of empty rooms in this mansion. You and Gilly will never have to share a room. Out. Get out, you pervert."
Murakan turned back into his cat form and unleashed a flurry of feline punches on Shuri''s paw. Then Shuri licked Murakan with his giant tongue and started ying with him, rolling him like a ball.
"Oh, wow. Haha."
Gilly burst intoughter at the spectacle, and Jin shook his head at the lost cause.
A month passed.
In the meantime, everyone dedicated their time to focusing on the tasks assigned to them or training.
The Contractor of the Bluebird Inds that appeared on the map had not yet left the area, and Jin finally decided to pay a visit to the ce.
"I''m going, whether it''s a trap or not, just out of curiosity. Besides, I think we''ve taken enough precautions."
He decided that it was unlikely to be a trap.
To the public, Joshua was known to be the first in line of session of Runcandel.
The possibility of Joshua being in cahoots with Zipple and Kinzelo would be a huge leap, as it would suggest that most of his forces in the Sword Garden had also switched sides.
But this was impossible as long as Cyron was alive and kicking. They might have some spies in high positions, but it was highly unlikely they had such a close rtionship to share critical information like the Compass.
"Are you sure you''ll be fine there with just Murakan? You don''t know what dangers you might face if it really is a trap," Kashimir asked.
"Even if it turns out to be a trap, I can escape on Murakan since the Bluebird Inds are not part of the Lutero Magical Federation. Besides, I also have Shuri."
Flying on dragons in the Lutero Magical Federation, which was under Zipple''s control, was extremely dangerous, but things were very different for the Allied Realms of Hufester.
As long as the dragon didn''t belong to Zipple or was on the wanted list, the nation wouldn''t deploy forces to kill or capture a non-hostile dragon.
In Jin''s case, people talking about a man flying on a dark dragon wouldn''t be a big problem because the highest authority in Hufester, Cyron, had already approved of Murakan, as unofficial as it was.
"Don''t you think you should bring Quikantel-nim too?"
"I don''t think it''s necessary. She seems busy teaching magic to Enya. We''ll go alone. I hope the renovations are finished by the time I return."
And so, Jin, Murakan, and Shuri set off for the Bluebird Inds.
As they traveled through Hufester, they had to pay special attention to their disguises.
Shuri stayed inside his ruby, which had been shaped into a cor, while Jin and Murakan dyed their hair blue.
"These golden mice thing is really pretty. Maybe I should mention it to Sir Kashimir and start a business with it. I don''t think it would be too difficult to get supplies."
"Yes, they would sell quite well."
They went through several portals (Murakan vomited during all the jumps).
It took them three days to reach the port of Nazca, the closest one to the Bluebird Inds.
The Seven-Colored Peacocks agents had a fake merchant ship waiting at the port.
They boarded the ship as discreetly as possible.
The ship set sail from the port that night, but it didn''t head straight to the inds.
If they ran into trouble by going directly to the inds, it would cause huge problems if other factions traced it back to the Seven-Colored Peacocks.
Since it wasn''t the travel season to the Bluebird Inds, most of the inds were closed to visitors.
Once the port waspletely out of sight, Jin and Murakan took advantage of the darkness of the night to swim to the inds.
They used the Compass they had brought with them to check for the presence of the Contractor on Ind 32 and, after doing so, sent it back to Tikan.
Shuri was in charge of swimming.
The feline had already impressed Jin and his group with its agility in the ck Sea. This was not limited to solid ground.
Shuri swam through the choppy waters near the Bluebird Inds with ease. Thanks to Shuri, Jin and Murakan arrived on the inds without getting soaked in seawater.
They reached the seventh ind.
"Finding the thirty-second ind is going to be a challenge."
"It''s dark, so let''s fly in search of it. How are we going to find it this way?"
Finding the thirty-second of those hundred inds wasn''t an easy task without a guide.
Jin was starting to think that the sun would rise before they found the ind when Shuri started drawing something on the beach.
Surprisingly, Shuri was drawing the map of the inds with its w.
"Woah."
"Look at you, Furball. You have a fascinating talent. Have you been to these inds before?" Murakan said.
Nyaa.
As the cat of the Witch Heluram, Shuri had been to manynds.
In the process, it memorized over several hundred maps.
Of course, the world map was updated to reflect the changes in geography over the past thousand years, but luckily, the Blue Bird Inds were mostly simr to Shuri''s memory.
The drawing was so detailed that it was almost identical to the paper map they had brought.
"This is the thirty-second ind. Can you find it?" Jin asked as he pointed at the map.
Shuri nodded.
"You deserve all the love. Let''s go, Shuri."
They soon found the desired ind.
It was one of the smaller islets in the area.
It was simr in size to the uninhabited Vimenth Ind, where they had fought against Andrei.
Jin put Shuri back into its ruby and began exploring the area.
That''s when it started pouring rain.
The well-known weather of the Blue Bird Inds weed the two explorers.
Thunders and lightning tore through the ominous darkness as the winds raged, intending to uproot the trees.
They couldn''t even see if there were any houses in this weather.
"How is it possible for the weather to be so unsettled?" Murakan frowned and whined. Meanwhile, Jin started feeling a strong vibration at his waist.
"Hey, kid. Your sword. What''s happening to it?"
Sigmund, the Thunder Sword, the Sacred Sword of Legends that he received from Vahn, the Goddess of Battle, was resonating with something.
Jin unsheathed the sword to inspect it and saw a mysterious symbol appearing across the entire de.
"I have no idea."
"Wait, this symbol. I''ve seen it before. Is it the symbol of Peitel? No, it''s slightly different from Peitel''s."
Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck andpletely engulfed arge tree that was in front of them.
The tree shattered as if it had been bombed and copsed without much resistance.
Something happened next...
Their gaze immediately fell on a tombstone standing beyond the tree.
The same symbol as Sigmund was shining on the tombstone.
"This is the tomb of a God!"
"What?"
"Now I can see what''s going on. Kid, your sword is..."
Murakan was about to continue when both Jin and he raised their heads in rm.
A wave of des rushed toward Jin.
And for Murakan, a wind-based spell flew toward him.
Jin wielded Sigmund to dodge the wave, while Murakan blocked the spell with Shadow Energy.
It''s them!
Kuzan and Beris: Taimyun Marius'' hounds. Jin didn''t need to see their faces to realize who they were.
But before they could counterattack, a sharp bolt of lightning struck Murakan''s Shadow Energy barrier.
It wasn''t a natural lightning like the one that had struck the tree. The lightning had been conjured by Yulian, the Contractor of Peitel.
Chapter 212
C212 - The Secret of the 32nd Ind in the Blue Bird Inds
If Jin hadn''t reached out to Samil and Lafrarosa, he wouldn''t have been able to react to their ambushes.
"It seems there was a barrier here. Damn it, a God''s tomb, huh. It would have been dangerous if not for your Sword," Murakan spoke as he swiftly struck with lightning.
This islet was the tomb of Gramm, the God of Thunder who was killed by the Legends in the past.
As it was a God''s tomb, there was a barrier.
Murakan could only avoid the ambush because Sigmund had activated the barrier.
Sigmund was a sword made by sealing Gramm''s powers within it.
"You have no idea how long we''ve been waiting to see you again!" Kuzan shouted with a furious gaze.
Neither Beris nor Kuzan saw Jin''s face when they fought him in the Kingdom of Delki, but they immediately realized that the intruder was the Contractor of Solderet, their sworn enemy who deserved to be torn to pieces.
"Aaaargh, bastards!" Beris couldn''t contain her rage when she thought that she was finally facing the killer of her mother.
As she thought, they must have sworn loyalty to Joshua.
Since Taimyun Marius had been under Joshua''smand, Jin expected that Kuzan and Beris were also serving Taimyun.
But little did he imagine that he would encounter them on the thirty-second ind of the Blue Bird Inds.
Jin and Murakan weren''t the only ones surprised.
Kuzan and Beris hadn''t expected it either, nor did Joshua anticipate it when he sent them here with Yulian.
If Joshua had known that Jin had stolen the Compass and understood its purpose, things would have been very different.
He would never have sent those hounds here.
"I''ll tear you to pieces today, to console our mother''s spirit!"
Boom!
Jin''s and Kuzan''s swords shed, causing the aura on their des to explode.
The sound of their swords colliding was like a cannon st. Jin immediately realized that Kuzan had also be stronger.
Kuzan was still an eight-star, but he had far surpassed his own limits thanks to the body modifications he learned to do with Taimyun.
Beris''s mana was equally dangerous.
She was also an eight-star, but as she used mana fiercely while sacrificing her life force in return, she rivaled a power that was now close to nine stars.
"Yulian! Go after the human first! His Dragon Guardian can followter!" he shouted.
Beris seemed to be holding onto herst thread of reason.
"It doesn''t seem like you''ve been waiting for me toe to this ce. What are you doing here? What are you two doing here?" Jin looked at Kuzan as their swords crossed.
"That doesn''t matter. You will die tonight, in this very ce. I will make sure of it."
"You''ve beenshing out with questionable rage from the moment you saw me. Don''t you think I should be the one furious with you two? I almost died in Delki because of you, you know? And by mother, do you mean Taimyun Marius?"
"Do not dare utter her name with your profane tongue."
He didn''t have time to respond. Kuzan''s venomous sword dazzled his sight relentlessly while Beris supported him with spells as she did in Delki.
Body modification made them stronger. But it was nothingpared to the amount of progress Jin had made since his time in Delki.
Back then, he had to risk his life at every moment of his fight against them, but now things were different.
He could keep fighting even though he hadn''t unleashed Sigmund''s lightning bolt yet.
Jin couldn''t afford to lose against them since being grazed by Kuzan''s sword was no longer a threat due to the Thousand-Poison Antidote, and he also had Murakan with him.
The two of them wouldn''t pose any problem.
"As long as I pay attention, I can even choose whether I only want to subdue them or kill them outright."
Beris and Kuzan didn''t know all the cards Jin could y now.
The Sword of Legends, the Shadow de, Sky Reversal (??), and the Immunity Potion. Jin acquired these four powers after Delki, so they would never expect them.
Therefore, Jin found it very easy to turn the tide of the battle.
"They said his name was Yulian? He''s the one who gets on my nerves. Peitel''s contractor and a Lightning Bow."
Peitel was known for his habit of granting weapons to his contractors.
The Lightning Sword, the Lightning Spear, and the Lightning Bow of the Storm.
Of the three, Harmi, the Lightning Bow, was only given to contractors who pleased himpletely.
Yulian wielded that same bow.
Sparks of lightning began to spread. The lightning emerged from Harmi, not from Sigmund.
It surged and diminished at Yulian''s will even before he loaded it on the bowstring.
Yulian seemed to have made the decision to fight Murakan against Beris'' orders.
Murakan also decided that Yulian was more threatening than Kuzan.
"Haha, I can''t believe all these kids are challenging me just because I''ve passed my prime. Brat! Hurry up and finish those guys off ande here. I''ll beat you up in the meantime."
Jin against Beris and Kuzan.
Murakan against Yulian.
They quickly decided the course of the battle.
There was much chaos with aura and mana ring on Jin''s side, while Shadow Energy and lightning intertwined with Murakan.
Along with rainstorms and strong winds, the thirty-second ind of the Bluebird was soon bing a representation of hell.
"By the way, I don''t understand why you''re so angry with me. It seems strange for you to speak as if I myself killed Taimyun Marius."
"I told you to shut your mouth!"
"Kuzan, I also don''t understand why you''re so unhinged. Thest time we met in Delki, you had a cool head, not unruly like now."
He wasn''t just quite calm.
In Delki, Kuzan was one of the calmest and most perceptive enemies Jin had ever encountered, no, the calmest he had ever known.
He wasn''t caught off guard by the Photon Cannon and fought cautiously after immediately realizing that Jin was a Magic Swordsman.
Even when Tess attacked Beris or when his decisive blow was blocked by Myulta''s Rune, he didn''t flinch.
In fact, even when the person whose life he considered more valuable than his own, Beris, was threatened, he continued to fight without rushing towards her,pletely shattering Jin''s expectations.
Throughout the battle, Kuzan only showed surprise for a second: right after Jin unleashed his Shadow Energy.
But soon after, Kuzan Marius managed to counterattack with his poisoned sword, bringing Jin close to death.
If the Third Prince of Delki, Laika, hadn''t arrived at the scene, Jin''s life would have ended that day.
On the other hand, Beris couldn''t contain her anger throughout the entire fight and wasted her eight-star mana.
But now, Kuzan wasn''t acting any differently than Beris on that day. Although he had clearly be stronger, there was nothing intimidating about him. He was just a small, weak man driven by fury.
"Oh, or are you pretending? Are you trying to me me for Taimyun Marius''s death and sell it to Beris as well?"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"It wasn''t me who killed Taimyun Marius. It was five assassins disguised as Runcandel''s executioner knights. And they had your poison on their daggers."
Kuzan''s eyes shifted.
''I can''t believe this cold-blooded killer flinches so easily at the mention of Taimyun Marius''s death.''
Irony filled Jin''s mind.
"Obviously, I thought Joshua had killed Taimyun with your poison. Now, you also confuse me with this reaction."
"Shut your mouth."
"Kuzan, don''t listen to him! He''s just randomly making up lies because he doesn''t want to die at our hands-"
Bzzzt!
A blue lightning bolt formed above Sigmund for the first time instead of the Aura that had covered it so far.
Jin had been looking for an opportunity to use the lightning bolt since the battle began, with the purpose of subduing Beris in a single move.
The battlefield was filled with sparks of lightning.
Of course, they all came from Yulian, so Kuzan and Beris didn''t realize that Sigmund''s blue spark was actually Jin''s Lightning Bolt.
"Kaargh!"
The lightning bolt reached Beris, who was far away.
The first bolt broke through the barrier of her shield, and the secondpletely tore it apart. When the third bolt fell, Beris had burns all over her body and fell to the ground, unconscious.
Jin wasn''t going to give her time to restore her shield barriers.
The three bolts struck Beris almost simultaneously.
She couldn''t withstand the lightning because she had only formed enough shield barriers to protect herself from de waves and had been using all her mana in her attacks.
The mistake was inevitable as she didn''t know Jin''s Legendary Sword Technique.
"Beris!" Kuzan shouted.
"She''s not dead. I just felt the need to put that chatterbox to sleep. I could have easily killed her as well. In fact, I really wanted to, but I did my best to restrain myself. You should remember that I have unfinished business with both of you. But the only reason I spared her was because we need to talk."
Kuzan didn''t respond. He just stared at Jin.
"Kuzan, do you really believe that I''m the one who killed Taimyun Marius?"
"Who else could it be if not you?"
"Joshua Runcandel. The one who once owned Taimyun Marius. As I see it, he had more reasons to kill Taimyun Marius than I did."
"What are you saying...?"
"Unfortunately, Joshua is my older brother. He convinced Taimyun Marius to hire Kiddard Hall to curse me, but he failed. I was busy tracking him down when I encountered you in Delki."
Kuzan''s eyes widened.
"Don''t tell me you are... Jin Runcandel?"
"The moment I confirmed that Taimyun Marius was involved in my curse, I went to her vacation home with my older sister. There, I witnessed her die with my own eyes. She had a bitter end like a discarded hunting dog."
A brief silence followed.
Kuzan''s eyes immediately turned red. Tears of blood started flowing from them.
"If you had considered me an enemy of Taimyun Marius, it''s probably because you were deceived by Joshua. Or do you disagree?" Jin said.
"Any evidence? Can you prove it with evidence?"
He sounded calm, but there was an inexplicable amount of rage in his voice that sent shivers down Jin''s spine, regardless of Kuzan''s abilities.
"The fact that you were unaware of my name is proof itself. Joshua already knows that I am a Magic Swordsman and a Contractor of Solderet. He would have told you if he had nothing to hide."
"That''s not enough."
"Then, you don''t trust me. Then, I don''t wish to exin anything further. You sound like you want to me me despite everything, for your own failure to protect Taimyun Marius."
Kuzan''s sword trembled.
"Or maybe you are afraid to confront the true culprit of Taimyun Marius''s death, Joshua? Are you trying to console yourself by dying in battle against me, thinking you''ve done everything you could for Taimyun Marius?"
Kroooom!
After Jin''s final word, thunder struck from the sky.
The thunderous strike was as enormous as the God of Battle''s Combat Technique.
The thunder didn''t strike Murakan. Instead, it directly hit Yulian.
Jin turned his gaze in response.
Yulian was covered by the currents left by the thunderstrike. He was convulsing, but for some reason, he slowly rose into the air.
"Kid. We might have a problem," Murakan said.
"What''s wrong?"
"I think Gramm''s Thunder Energy has aggravated Peitel."
"Suddenly? What do you mean?"
"I think that boy has be a medium for Peitel."
Kroom! Krooooom! Bzzt!
When Yulian opened his eyes again, it was as if the dark night sky was shining.
The entire sky was covered in lightning.
Chapter 213
C213 - The Secret of the Ind 32 in the Blue Bird Inds (3)
All the lightning covering the sky was converging towards Yulian.
Even the raindrops that fell contained tiny sparks of electricity, and blue sparks streaked through the powerful winds blowing over the islet.
"Are you telling me that all these lightning bolts areing from him? What is happening here?" Jin shook his head as he looked up at the sky.
Until that moment, Yulian had only been an annoying enemy to Jin, but now it seemed like he had be something beyond his reach.
"I gave him a little strike. Then, suddenly, he went out of control. It seems like he became unstable because of your sword. You experienced a Shadow Energy overload, right? It''s something like that. This God is partially manifesting in his contractor," Murakan said.
"Things are going terribly wrong. It looks quite serious. I guess we can''t escape from him, can we?"
"Are you telling me to fly into that storm? Why don''t you tell me to drop dead in your ce?"
"Sorry. One might ask, you know?"
Wroom, wrooom!
Sigmund resonated once again within Gramm''s tomb.
And unlike the first time, Jin could feel that Yulian''s energy was also affecting Sigmund.
''It''s as if my sword is feeling anger.''
It wasn''t just his imagination.
The mysterious connection between the wielder of Sigmund and the sword flowed through its de to Jin.
He also struggled to understand what it meant for an object to show emotions.
But right now, Jin could clearly feel Sigmund''s emotions every time it trembled.
-Peitel, my brother suited for death.
A voice was heard in the end.
Gramm, the God of Thunder; the remnants of his feelings expressed through Sigmund.
-How dare you manifest yourself, over my very own tomb.
While Jin could hear Gramm''s voice, the deceased God couldn''t hear his wielder''s voice.
Sigmund was never the embodiment of Gramm himself.
It was only a sword made to seal his powers.
Therefore, the voice was merely an empty echo of his own feelings.
The voice never demanded anything from Jin, and only vented its anger against Peitel.
But even if it was just a remnant of his feelings, Gramm was a God who had ruled over many other Gods.
The rage from his lingering emotions grew stronger and stronger against Peitel.
Gradually, it turned into a bolt of lightning that focused on the runes upon Sigmund''s de.
Kzzt, kzt!
Sigmund burst into a blue tone.
The energy clearly surpassed the lightning energy possessed by Jin.
The power within Sigmund was temporarily erupting due to the anger infused by Gramm''s lingering feelings.
"You brat!"
Murakan jumped to his feet and pointed at Sigmund.
He seemed to have realized that Sigmund had also changed.
"Are you also overloading yourself? Or is it a Battle God''s Combat Technique?"
"No, I''ll exin it to youter. Put up your shield barrier!"
The thunder in the sky was about to strike at any moment.
The lightning that gathered around Yulian had now turned into a massive electric storm.
"Look, Kuzan Marius. It seems like you didn''t expect things to turn out like this. So, what do we do now? Do we continue with what we were doing, or do we take care of each of our families for the time being?"
Jin pointed the Sigmund Sword at Beris.
She hadpletely lost consciousness and was convulsing.
In her current state, he was certain she would die if the lightning started to fall.
Kuzan clenched his teeth.
He hadn''t yet escaped from his confusion.
If Jin was Taimyun''s killer, he had to settle the score with him, even if it meant Beris would die in the process.
But what if Jin''s words were true?
If Joshua was the true culprit behind Taimyun''s death, and they had been fooled all along...
Kzzt!
That was when a forked lightning bolt struck the ground.
It didn''t hit anywhere near Jin, Murakan, Kuzan, or Beris.
But the next bolt came before the first one could dissipate.
The lightning, randomly unleashed, not only stabbed the thirty-second ind of the Blue Bird but alsoshed out at the distant sands and waters.
One of them struck Beris.
Kuzan rushed towards her as the lightning began to fork, but the speed of Yulian''s lightning was something he couldn''t cut or stop.
Pa-ching!
The lightning met another lightning.
They created a sharp sound like that of shattering ss.
Jin used his lightning to deflect the one falling on Beris.
"You!" Kuzan shouted.
"We''ll talk about the detailster. But don''t forget that you owe me one."
Jin then used the lightning to st the ground beside Veris.
Her body was propelled into the air by the impact, and Kuzan sprinted at full speed to catch her.
"And if you don''t want to have a pointless death, you better focus from now on. I don''t think I''ll have any more time to deal with the two of you."
Jin decided to forget about Kuzan and Beris until the fight was over.
He didn''t want to deviate from his path to protect them.
The only reason he tried to converse with them was because of the hatred he harbored for the things Joshua did, not out of sympathy for them.
"If they can''t dodge the lightning and die because of it, that''s their fate, although I''d prefer if they survive and give me information about Joshua."
Or if they had to die, he wanted to be the one to kill them.
Whether Joshua had caused a misunderstanding or not, Jin wouldn''t forget what they had done to him back in Delki.
Jin turned around and ran towards Murakan. Kuzan struggled desperately to jump out of danger while holding Beris in his arms.
"Murakan!"
"Yes. Let''s go! Is this manifestation of a God really going to fight against us now? Luckily, the manifestation is defective, and there are ways to get out of this."
"What are the options? Tell me, and I''ll try to work on it as much as I can."
The lightning bombarded the ground around them.
Murakan''s shadow force shield barrier was the only safe zone around.
"Releasing Shadow Energy. Remember what I taught you in the dungeons of Storm Castle, right?"
"Of course."
The movement capable of absorbing the shadows of every object.
"I''m going to use a variation of that ability to forcefully release it from the manifestation. Buy me some time. By that, I mean you have to protect me."
"For how long?"
"For ten minutes. And I''ll need some of your Shadow Energy as well."
"Will it be enough?"
"Probably. But it won''t be easy. The lightning that has been falling isn''t even his attacks. They''re just the result of the divine powers overloaded by the manifestation."
As Murakan described, Yulian wasn''t attacking the people around him.
He had only manifested as the natural power of the lightning itself.
A crack formed in the thunder-filled sky.
It was a dimensional gate.
From it emerged a massive luminous arc.
Covered in crackling lightning streams, the arc was the true form of Harmi.
It gradually shrank to fit in Yulian''s hands.
"That''s the real Harmi."
It was as if a God was preparing to bring divine punishment.
A notably long and sharp lightning bolt came out of the storm and embedded itself into Harmi''s bowstring.
The manifestation had beenpleted.
''I sense the power of my foolish older brother.''
Yulian''s imposing gaze settled on Sigmund.
Though it was defective, it was still the manifestation of a god.
Jin found it difficult to breathe just from his gaze.
''But it''s not as imposing as my father or my Battle Goddess Sister.''
Vahn, the Battle Goddess, was the very one responsible for ending the life of Gramm, the Thunder God.
-Insect-like demon!
Sigmund raised his voice again.
Jin then left Murakan''s shield barrier and assumed his stance.
Yulian pulled the string of his bow.
Crunch, pew!
Jin''s instinct told him the moment the lightning shot out from the bowstring that he wouldn''t have dared to block that attack if Gramm''s feelings hadn''t awakened Sigmund.
A sharp, blue sh of the sword pierced through the center of the lightning.
Shluk! Pzzt!
He had only blocked a single lightning bolt, but he felt as if his body would tear apart from the current, which waspletely different from Sigmund''s.
"Not bad."
He could definitely withstand ten minutes if each strike was as strong as the previous one.
The problem is that his power is likely much stronger than this.
But Jin also felt the power of his newly awakened Sigmund.
If he could handle it properly, he would also be able to strike Yulian before Murakan finished releasing his Shadow Energy.
Hundreds of Shadow Energy vortices of various sizes surrounded Murakan''s shield barrier, and Jin''s Shadow Energy was also absorbed by them.
-Hahaha, how amusing this is. After all your pride, your powers have been sealed, and now you''re swinging in the hands of an insect.
Jin sent lightning towards Sigmund.
Even a small amount of his Light Heart''s aura was enough to amplify the lightning, as if adding fuel to the fire.
It seemed as if the energy could burst out of the de and wreak havoc randomly if he ever lost concentration.
In other words, Sigmund could overload at any moment.
That was the difference between Jin and Yulian.
Yulian couldn''t control the power that went beyond his own physical limitations and overloaded, bing a manifestation of his God.
Meanwhile, Jinpletely manipted Sigmund ording to his own intentions.
-How about it, insect? Do you like my brother''s power?
"Don''t you think you''re talking too much about yourself when you wouldn''t even be able to manifest if it weren''t for an insect? If you''re a God, can''t you have more ss?"
I can defeat him.
For some reason, Jin''s instinct told him so, and he repeated it mentally.
He no longer felt tense.
He looked directly at Yulian.
-Kuhaha. Insect. It seems you see yourself as the legends of old. I have no idea how you obtained the Sword, but...
Jin sneered and unbuttoned his soaked coat.
When he loosened the ck Light Armor, his heart that emitted a brilliant white light was revealed.
The reason Jin bothered to boast about his confidence was to buy time.
Murakan had asked him for ten minutes.
Although he felt capable of defeating the defective manifestation of Peitel, it was safest to allow Murakan to have his Shadow Energy release ready as well.
-What? Are... those the Legends?
It was difficult to read his expression through the lightning.
But Jin felt that Peitel''s eyes showed fear when theynded on his Light Heart.
Peitel had mistaken Jin''s lightning for the exclusive power of Sigmund.
"I received this sword from the one who killed your older brother. Vahn, the Battle Goddess. Have you heard the name of my sister?"
The mere mention of her name made Peitel take a step back in the air, as animals and people often did when invaded by fear.
Somethingpletely unexpected happened.
While Peitel was manifesting in Yulian, the Contractor could feel everything his God felt. He was locked inside Peitel''s inner soul to receive any emotion or sensation that descended from Peitel''s consciousness.
The fear Peitel felt towards Vahn was something that Yulian couldn''t endure with his own willpower.
As a result, the fear nearly destroyed Yulian''s mental capacity, creating disruptions in his union with Peitel.
Jin didn''t fully understand this process, but he understood that his enemy was losing concentration.
He didn''t hesitate to seize an opportunity to attack.
The immense thunder within Sigmund began to surge.
The strength soon turned into a gigantic wave of des and flew towards Peitel, engulfing the void between them.
Chapter 214
C214 - The Secret of Ind 32 in the Blue Bird Inds (4)
Jin had never felt this way before.
It was simr to the time when Tris unleashed giant de waves against the Kozec in Kollon.
Each strike from Sigmund sent piercingly bright attacks.
The lightning-infused de waves tore through the air.
The power broke through thepressed air ahead and produced loud explosion sounds, even sendingyers of shockwaves afterward.
''The heavens have aided me.''
If Sigmund hadn''t awakened the feelings of Gramm, he would certainly have gotten into trouble.
Of course, it would havested for ten minutes even without relying on Sigmund''s power.
But in that scenario, there was nothing else he could do if Murakan''s release of Shadow Energy couldn''t interrupt Yulian''s manifestation.
Moreover, more enemies could always appear even after subduing Yulian, as this was Joshua''s territory.
Yulian looked back at Jin after shouting for some time.
He frowned, as if feeling the greatest shame for his earlier disy of fear.
-Enough of this!
Peitel swung Harmi like a sword, eliminating all of Jin''s sword waves surrounding him.
"Stop floating in the air ande down here."
Jin didn''t miss the opportunity to rush toward Yulian.
One had to close the distance by any means when fighting an archer.
Yulian hastily held Harmi with both hands to block Jin''s strike.
But the impact of the attack caused Yulian to fall directly to the ground while Jin was lifted into the air by the recoil.
Bzzt!
Jin replenished his spent lightning while floating in the air.
The shattered lightning gathered around Sigmund and drew a ray of light.
The ray immediately turned into a bolt of lightning and struck Yulian, who sank into the ground.
Sigmund trembled with the voice of its remaining feelings.
It seemed thrilled by the fact that it was dominating against its younger brother, Peitel.
Jin couldn''t hear the lunatic voice of the sword''s remaining feelings because he was busy preparing for the next strike after the lightning.
Jin swung Sigmund the moment hended on the ground.
Yulian was getting back up when he had to block another attack in a ratherpromised stance.
He almost stumbled after being thrown to the side.
Rocks and mud from the ground sttered around him.
The mud briefly obscured Jin''s view.
When the mud passed through Jin''s eyes, Harmi''s lightning was already at the tip of Jin''s nose.
The lightning grazed Jin''s cheeks, then flew alongside him to create an explosive sound after hitting something.
In return, Jin delivered an upward strike to Yulian''s body with Sigmund.
Thanks to the power of the remaining feeling, Jin had the advantage in sheer strength.
Yulian bounced like a ball each time he blocked Jin''s strikes.
Yulian managed to shield himself from the attacks, but if it weren''t for the manifestation, every bone in his body would have already been broken from the impact.
From afar, it seemed like Jin was dominating the fight.
But Yulian had more power between them as a manifestation of a God.
However, Peitel was a God who wasn''t ustomed to fighting someone more powerful than himself.
He was only ustomed to sending lightning to punish creatures below and was not used to testing himself.
As such, the skill disyed by Vahn''s sessor, the Battle Goddess, was truly a shock to him.
In other words, Jin was ying his game.
That''s why Kuzan could only misinterpret the situation as he ran with Beris on his back.
"He really is a monster. Is he really the same guy we met in Delki?"
He didn''t realize that Sigmund had enhanced Jin''s powers.
Therefore, he could only think that Jin was a transcendent master who far surpassed the norm of a Runcandel Bannerbearer.
"If what Jin Runcandel says is true, what should Beris and I do?"
The lightning continued to rain down on the entire islet like the very embodiment of hell.
But Kuzan had to survive to seek the truth about Taimyun''s death.
-How dare you show me disdain!
Yulian red at him and pulled the bowstring, determined not to be pushed further.
Jin wanted to keep him busy, so he couldn''t pull the bowstring at all.
But the lightning bolts bursting from the ground prevented Jin from charging at Yulian, who had covered the entire ground surface with a current to bind Jin.
Lightning rained from the storm above.
It painted the area around Yulian in blue.
Each one of them was an arrow for Harmi.
-I will make you pay!
A barrage of arrows began.
They rained down on Jin, each one possessing enough power to destroy the entire ind.
In response, Jin unleashed a move: The Fourth Move of the Battle God: Erosion.
Sigmund''s de plunged into the ground before the first arrow could reach him.
It waspletely different from the time he had performed the move against Vanessa.
The raining lightning crushed Harmi''s lightning, driving them into the ground instead of reaching Jin.
At the same time, multiple circles formed over the ground eroded by the lightning.
The circles attracted thunderbolts, which fell from the sky and made Yulian''s massive electrical storm seem almost diminutive.
The thunderous noise was deafening.
Blinding lights burst forth, followed by a tremor that shook their knees.
The thirty-second ind waspletely dominated by all of this.
Each thunder strike on the ground created tremors, and some of themnded directly on Yulian''s head.
His screams were drowned out by the explosions, and his descent was covered by blinding shes.
Yulian was trapped within the thunder, trembling in fear.
Perhaps it was the perfect opportunity to seal his victory.
After taking a deep breath, Jin decided to unleash his next strike.
"Will my body hold up?"
Although Sigmund had greatly enhanced his skill, he wasn''t sure if he could achieve a perfect retaliation as well.
But as the minutes he had promised Murakan drew near, he decided to implement a decisive move.
Sigmund released his lightning once again.
Butpared to its previous ferocity, it seemed slightly overwhelmed.
As Yulian had his limits on Peitel''s power he could wield, Jin also couldn''t use Gramm''s powers too much.
He chose to finish off his enemy with the Third Move of the Battle God: Judgment.
Jin charged at Yulian once he had enough lightning on his sword.
Yulian had no way to see Jin behind the thunder and couldn''t hear him approaching either.
But his instinct told him that the crisis was near.
He aimed Harmi through the thunder strikes.
Surprisingly, he aimed exactly where Jin was charging, and the storm forked and flowed towards Harmi.
The bowstring was pushed back by the massive lightning, which could no longer be called an arrow.
When the Lance of Judgment emerged through the thunder that struck right in front of him, Yulian had only one thought.
"You became too proud because I took a few hits, insect."
He released the bowstring, and the two lightning shed.
The lightning that left Harmi crushed the Lance of Judgment as if it were nothing.
The lightning that formed the Lance shattered, and Harmi''s thunder fell towards Jin''s head at the speed of light.
-I''ve killed the insect!
He felt bad for not making Jin suffer enough for his humiliation, but he could always manage by killing his Dragon Guardian.
Yulian''s lips were about to spread into a satisfied smile. But Yulian was forced to scream again out of fear for something he couldn''t avoid.
"Tess!"
"Woosh!"
A me. For some reason, a blue me ignited in the ce where Jin''s head should have been.
Tess''s mes, the only Blue Phoenix, began to engulf Yulian.
"This God fears so many things."
Jin considered summoning Tess for the first time when he saw Yulian tremble at the name of Vahn, the Battle Goddess.
If he feared Vahn, then it was likely that he also feared Tess since it was said that Tess could negate the existence of the Gods of this world with a slight breath in the Fire World.
Of course, it wouldn''t be a problem even if Peitel didn''t know about Tess.
After initiating the retaliation, Jin decided to bring down Sigmund''s lightning while the thunder concealed him from Yulian''s view.
Although it may have seemed like he was dominating the fight, he knew long before that there was a power imbnce.
There was no reason to fight him head-on when he was fully aware of this fact.
-Clever little one...
What a greatpliment it was for Jin.
Although Peitel couldn''t disy even a tenth of his true powers, a God was different from Humans.
It was only logical that Jin needed to be as cunning as he could be.
Shing~
Amidst all the sounds of explosions, Yulian heard the chilling sound of a sword scraping against its sheath.
It was the sound of Bradamanteing out of its sheath.
The dark Shadow Energy covered the gleam of its de.
With grace and swiftness, Jin took a step forward and pushed Bradamante against Yulian''s side.
The sensation of the de piercing flesh and bone was smooth.
As Peitel needed a vessel to manifest, the body that held him was still human.
Yulian coughed up blood.
His eyes trembled nervously.
Tess''s blue mes engulfed Yulian''s body next, beating him down under the weight of the pressure.
But for some strange reason, Jin felt chills at that moment.
He had just defeated his enemy, but anxiety flooded over him, as if he had broken a dam.
He could see the source of his anxiety in the blink of an eye.
Harmi, the lightning bow, had transformed into a serpent and coiled around Yulian.
Blood no longer flowed from his wounds, and Yulian was even smiling.
-I acknowledge that you''re quite an impressive insect. However, I am a God, which means I don''t die, even if my body breaks into pieces. You wouldn''t know that, of course, mortal.
The incorporeal voice sent chills down his spine.
If he couldn''t be killed even if he was cut or pierced, Jin had no way to win this fight.
-Why, are you disappointed? Go on and keep challenging¡ª
"Ohe on! Bastard, you just never stop talking, do you?"
Murakhan spoke as he approached Jin and Yulian afterpleting his release of Shadow Energy.
He then pushed Jin back and spat on the ground.
-What did you say?
"It seems like you''ve never been served by Shadow Energy. From here on out, I''ll give you a very interesting experience."
-I heard that Solderet favors his Dragons, but you''ve gone too far. I''ll take that as a plea to take your life first.
"What cheap talk. I heard that your older brother at least used to have some ss, even to the point of his death. Heh, hehehehe."
-Why are youughing?
"Imagine how you would feel if you could use more than half of your true powers after manifesting in a body. Wouldn''t you beughing with joy?"
Because that''s what I felt right now.
All the shadows on the islet, except for Jin''s, began to converge on Murakhan.
At the same time, Yulian''s lightning that once covered the entire ind started sumbing to darkness like a dying candle.
Chapter 215
C215 - Bad Rtionship (1)
It almost felt like the energy flooding the ind with shades of blue was nothing but a lie.
It wasn''t just the lightning.
All the small fires he caused, the strong winds, the raindrops.
Everything that made up the ind was falling into darkness.
Murakan''s eyes filled with joy as he suddenly spread his arms and burst into a maniacalughter.
Surprisingly, the thunderous sound of hisughter shook the ind and made the surrounding sea dance.
Jin was astonished.
They had always said he was very powerful in his prime.
But is this only half of it?
It took ten minutes to gather energy, and Jin also had to contribute his own Shadow Energy, but at least for that moment, Murakan was no longer the foolish Dragon he lived with.
He was so imposing that he inspired reverence in Jin.
The constant use of Murakan''s suffix, "the Great," certainly seemed appropriate now.
Murakan''s body spun and disintegrated into ck particles.
The Shadow Energy then gathered where Murakan had been standing and shaped the true form of the dark dragon.
"This is nothingpared to the old times, but it exceeds what I expected. I am very pleased."
Murakan looked at Yulian with his wings spread wide.
His Dragon face made his expression less apparent, but he did seem to be mocking.
"I will be your next ymate, Manifestation of Peitel."
"You are nothing but a creation of Solderet. Your wagging tongue knows no manners, does it? Has your God not taught you anything?" Yulian rekindled his lightning after reprimanding Murakan.
Or at least he tried.
For some reason, the lightning only left a tiny blue spark within the darkness of the Shadow Energy and extinguished.
"What?"
He suppressed his own surprise and tried again, with the same effect.
Yulian''s power didn''t work at all.
Murakan stood still and waited for him.
In this way, Yulian could try to retrieve his lightning as many times as he needed.
His face turned red with embarrassment.
He tried to increase his divine power dozens of times, but the ind remained inplete darkness.
Not only did Yulian lose his divine powers.
Sigmund no longer expressed his feelings either.
Gramm''s lingering sentiment was also affected by the release of the Shadow Energy.
"This can''t be true, it can''t be."
Yulian felt the fear of the past upon mentioning Vahn, the Battle Goddess, and the invocation of Tess.
Although he had momentarily shuddered at the memories, the object of his fears was not real.
But the release of Murakan''s Shadow Energy was different.
Yulian hadn''t heard of any creation that couldpletely block a God''s divine powers.
"Try not to lose your dignity. You are supposed to be a God. If you start panicking just because your powers were blocked, it will make your opponent feel pity, won''t it?"
Murakan lowered his head and spoke.
Yulian took a step back as Murakan''s face approached him, stumbling backward and even turning around to crawl away from him in haste.
Even though it was just a manifestation, this was not characteristic of a God at all.
Murakan silently raised his w in front of the ugly sight.
"You said you wouldn''t die even if your body was torn apart? Then how do you think all those dead Gods died? Answer me, manifestation."
"Get lost! Stay away from me!"
"I see you still haven''t learned your lesson. I doubt you can afford to insult me."
A w as huge as a tree trunk moved at the speed of light and traced a line across Yulian''s body.
It was so silent and swift that it was hard to believe a Dragon''s front paw could move like that.
Yulian screamed in pain as his upper and lower body split apart.
Murakan didn''t seem impressed.
He swung his w several more times to tear his body into smaller pieces.
A few secondster, the screams ceased.
After a few more seconds, Yulian''s fragments disintegrated into particles and reconstituted his body.
Yulian checked his body as he looked at Murakan.
"Don''t do this. Even though I''m only manifesting through a medium, I''m still a God. I swear by the name of the storm that if you let me out..."
Murakan shook his head and interrupted him.
"If it were thunder, maybe. The name of the storm holds no value. And to think I advised you before to retain some dignity. It seems it''s toote for that now."
"Has no value? What do you mean? I''ve evenpeted with your God!"
"To think a God would desperately try to convince someone that they are truly a god. It''s a first. You should be ashamed of yourself. Bear the burden you deserve."
"No! Nooooo!"
Murakan''s w sliced through Yulian''s body once again.
From that moment on, it was a repetition of carnage and rebirth.
Murakan continuously hacked at Yulian, and he couldn''t even defend himself.
"No, stop. Please!"
Jin shivered.
He couldn''t imagine how deste one would feel being cut and hacked in the darkness of the Shadow Energy,pletely unable to resist or fight back.
"This is tiring."
Murakan spoke with little interest in his voice.
Yulian no longer screamed.
He just stood still after each revival, like a piece of processed meat.
"Murakan, are you almost done?"
"Almost."
"Is he dead?"
"He won''t die. But once he gets lost in the endless repetition of suffering, the manifestation will end. Peitel''s will will be gone, and that boy named Yulian will be an ordinary Contractor once again."
"What happens next?"
"That''s for you to decide. You could kill or capture Yulian when he''s unconscious after being forced to release the manifestation. Since we''re not returning him to your brother, you''ll have to choose between the two options."
"Obviously, we''re going to capture him alive and take him with us. Not only Yulian, but also Kuzan and Beris."
He didn''t expect all three of them to have critical information about his Mistress.
But if they could reveal at least one significant piece of information, it would be enough.
"I doubt those Kuzan and Beris are still alive. It seems they had a hard time avoiding Yulian''s lightning bolts."
Crack!
Murakan shed Yulian once again.
He revived through the same body reconstruction once more, but now, the blue energy shining in his eyes was starting to dim.
It was a sign that he had been freed from the manifestation.
"It''s time to seal the deal."
Murakan''s eyes, on the other hand, began to glow ck.
His ck pearl-like eyes absorbed all the Shadow Energy spread across the ind.
There were faint traces of Peitel''s powers within the Shadow Energy.
The ind began to regain its light.
The skies cleared first, revealing the moonlight, the dark hues of dawn, and rain clouds.
They were followed by the forests, trees, and rocks regaining their colors.
The tomb of Gramm, the Thunder God, emerged once again.
But none of the objects on the ground had any shadows left, except for Gramm''s Tomb.
They were allpletely absorbed by Murakan''s release of the Shadow Energy.
The deste terrain only regained its shadow when Murakan returned to his human form.
"Phew, it''s been a while since I expended so much power."
The rocks and trees creaked.
Soon, they turned to dust and were carried away by the wind.
And beneath them, Yulian''s bodyy on the ground, appearing almost lifeless.
His manifestation hadpletely ended.
"He won''t be conscious for a week. Sometimes, it canst even half a year."
Jin passed by Gramm''s tomb as he approached to check on Yulian, but Sigmund no longer responded.
"You''re right. He''s still alive. We should also check if Kuzan and Veris are still..."
Thud!
Murakan suddenly fell into a seated position and gasped for breath.
"Murakan!"
Murakan waved his hand at Jin as he hurriedly approached.
"I''m fine. Dammit. My body can''t handle it."
"Are you sure you''re okay?"
"Of course. I''m d this happened after releasing the manifestation. Otherwise, it would''ve been a problem. Things are so unfair when you fight against Gods. It''s as inefficient as it can be. Though they can''t fully employ all their powers that way either."
"Thanks for going through all this trouble."
"Same to you. Anyway, the Compass helped us achieve it."
Jin reached out to help Murakan up.
Murakan tried to stand by pulling Jin''s hand, but he seemedpletely exhausted and weak.
"Come on! I can''t get up. I think I need to rest a bit. Why don''t you summon Shuri? I''ll use her as a pillow and take a nap."
"Keep sleeping. Once I find Kuzan and Beris, I''ll wrap things up here and bring everyone back in Shuri."
Jin summoned Shuri from the ruby.
"Nyaa!"
Unfortunately, Shuri started rolling Murakan with her front paws to y with him.
She soon realized that Murakan was terribly weak and started licking him.
Murakan then fellpletely unconscious.
Jin watched them for a while and set off to find Kuzan and Beris.
"Joshua. That bastard convinced Kuzan and Beris that I was behind Tymiun''s death. They were always going to be trapped in that lie. It''s obvious. He was just going to use them in a way that they would never cross paths with me."
Jin was right.
Joshua had nned to turn Kuzan and Beris into his loyal hounds and use them for tasks that would never directly involve Jin becauseing into contact with him would likely sow doubts about the truth in their minds.
But his ns were thwarted when Jin arrived at the Blue Bird Inds.
But his ns were thwarted when Jin arrived at the Blue Bird Inds.
In fact, one of his secret assets, Yulian, not only was exposed but also in danger of being captured.
Jin''s visit to the Blue Bird Inds had caused him a lot of damage.
"Kuzan! Beris!"
Jin shouted their names.
All objects on the ind capable of hiding people, like rocks and trees, had been swept away by the Shadow Energy, but Jin still couldn''t find them.
Maybe he should try searching by the cliffs.
But suddenly he heard a familiar and distant crying from where Murakan was.
It was Shuri''s cry.
"Shuri?"
This was not good.
Shuri had been happily licking Murakan moments ago.
A sudden pang of anxiety squeezed his heart.
Jin stepped back and ran as fast as he could towards where he had left hispanions.
And when he arrived...
"You!"
He came face-to-face with someone he didn''t expect to encounter at all.
Jet-ck hair, sharp eyes, and a robe with the emblem of a dark sword.
Shuri looked at him with her fur raised.
She nodded, intrigued, and turned her gaze to Jin.
"What are you doing here, brother?"
He was the eldest son of the Runcandel family and Jin''s second Abandareado, publicly acknowledged as the next in line to seed as the Head of the Family.
The same person responsible for Jin''s curse.
Joshua Runcandel.
Chapter 216
C216 - Bad Rtionship (2)
Joshua also seemed surprised. His eyes trembled slightly as he stared at Jin.
But it was only for a moment.
Soon, a sly smile appeared on Joshua''s lips.
"That should be my question, dear younger brother. You''re a reserve Abanderado. What could have brought you to this ind? It''s quite difficult for me to guess."
Jin tried to assess the situation as he examined Joshua.
Why had Joshua suddenlye to this ind?
Was he with someone else?
How would he handle the situation?
Many questions arose in his mind, but he had to address them quickly.
"I know this isn''t a trap, and you didn''t lure me here. If it were a trap, you would have made sure I never encountered Kuzan and Beris."
He had sent his subordinates to this ind for some unknown reason and was staying in the area.
And when he saw the lightning bolts and Shadow Energy over the ind, he came to check it out and encountered Jin.
It had to be that way.
Joshua grew curious and began looking around. He was alone.
The only vessel he saw in the waters behind Joshua was a small wooden boat.
"Anyway, I''m d to see you. There are many things I wanted to talk to you about."
Hah. Jin shrugged.
"I don''t think we''re on such friendly terms to be d to see each other and discuss things together, right?"
"Hmm?"
"We know each other''s dirty details, so let''s not pretend to be shy. Just as you know my secrets, brother, I know all the terrible things you''ve done to me all this time."
This was followed by a brief period of silence.
Jin and Joshua stared at each other.
Finally, Joshua smiled and shook his head.
"It seems you''re furious. Understandable, yes, but not appropriate. So, I''ll have to punish you as your older brother."
"Did you receive the message I left you at Kiddard Hall''sboratory?"
"You won''t find afortable death like his."
Jin Grey.
That was the message he had engraved with his sword after killing Kiddard Hall.
Joshua nodded. "It was quite an impressive message. All the bulletins covered the incident, but none of the factions figured out that Jin Grey was you."
"You should have killed me back then. Or the day you cursed me when I was in the cradle at Stormcastle."
Shing!
Jin slowly unsheathed Bradamante.
"Then you wouldn''t have to suffer today at my hands."
Jin had decided to kill Joshua.
He didn''t have any of his subordinates with him, and there wasn''t a single witness.
There was no need to be cautious of watchful eyes or assess the situation.
It was the perfect opportunity to kill him without consequences.
He couldn''t fight Joshua head-on, but he still had enough Shadow Energy left.
This deste Blue Bird Ind would be Joshua''s grave.
"Haha. What a ridiculous story. Yes, Jin. You''ve always been like this. I still remember how audaciously you provoked all your brothers when you arrived at the Sword Garden."
"Maybe you should have brought some knights with you, like when you received Luna? Going alone isn''t your thing, right? I had the impression that you only feltfortable with knights and elders around you to protect you."
Joshua''s smile vanished.
On the other hand, Jin smiled and infused Shadow Energy into his sword.
"This power. You must have deceived yourself all this time, telling yourself that you keep me alive only for this power. Otherwise, you wouldn''t have had a reason to keep me alive when the curse failed. Am I right?"
Joshua''s gaze was fixed on Bradamante''s dark sword.
He seemed enchanted by it.
A dark desire ignited in his eyes.
"That power should have been mine."
Jin shook his head.
"You''re delusional. Take it if you can. You haven''t even unsheathed your sword. Don''t tell me you''re too scared to fight me. Draw your weapon, Joshua Runcandel. Let''s settle this once and for all."
Joshua''s face reddened as he sighed.
Although he had only shown his cunning tricks to Jin so far, he was still the eldest son of the Runcandels, his second-inmand, and a Nine Stars Knight.
He had no reason to be mocked by a reserve gbearer.
"You''re mistaken, my dear younger brother. Solderet''s powers? Yes, they are quite desirable. But do you truly believe you can stand against me? Not even Maria is as conceited as you."
Joshua drew his sword.
The silver de covered in its radiant aura contrasted with Bradamante''s de.
The Silver Sword Sran.
He did not wield the sword given to him by his mother.
Joshua''s preferred sword was the Dark Sword Kainer.
The sword was known to be the second-best sword within the Runcandel Family, surpassed only by the Balisada.
It was one of the symbolic swords of the Family.
The Dark Sword Kainer also contributed to Joshua bing the sessor in the public''s opinion because people had the notion that future Family Heads usually wielded the Kainer before obtaining the Balisada.
Of course, whether he wielded the Kainer or the Sran, Joshua''s set of skills remained unchanged.
"Or are you counting on something? Well, it doesn''t matter. I''ll teach you a lesson. You won''t be able to wield a sword after this day."
Jin blinked once as Joshua stopped talking.
When he opened his eyes again, Joshua''s sword was already in his face.
Joshua had closed the ten-step distance between them.
He couldn''t have made that provocation as a reference to my past life. I almost got carried away by it.
Whether he referred to his past life or the current one, it was still a provocation.
If Jin had been swayed by Joshua''s words, he would have reacted toote.
Fortunately, Jin regained hisposure before the fight started and was able to dodge Joshua''s strike without much trouble.
And he counterattacked as well.
Sran''s silver de grazed Jin''s cheek.
It was the result of Jin going beyond evading the de and charging his body to attack.
Joshua hadn''t expected this response at all.
He thought that Jin would obviously dodge his attack and try to gain distance between them first.
All because he thought the difference in their skills would lend him that advantage.
The First Movement of the Shadow de, the Soul Cut; Jin unleashed the Shadow de as soon as it was within his reach.
"Anyway, he knows all my powers, so it won''t be a shock whether I conceal them or not."
The same went for the Photon Cannon or Tess.
The only weapon that could catch him off guard was Sigmund, but he had spent almost all his Lightning Energy on the Light Heart in his previous battle against Yulian.
Bradamante struck down with a sharp, dark blow.
To Jin''s surprise, Joshua blocked it with a horizontal cut and deflected the Soul Cut.
In fact, he had done so while retracting his sword from the initial thrust, adding a movement in the process.
Joshua''s sword had only traveled two fingers'' width to the side.
Crack!
But the swords created a shockwave that couldn''t havee from such a small movement.
Jin gritted his teeth and steadied his stance.
A nine-star Runcandel waspletely different from a nine-star level of other ns.
Just as Jin had been blessed with the body of a Runcandel, the same applied to Joshua.
"So, this is the Shadow de? Not bad."
He didn''t have time to respond.
"An Abanderado deserves the designation after all, huh?"
Although fatigued from his battle against Yulian, a single strike was enough for Jin to feel the difference in skill between him and Joshua.
Joshua had always been overshadowed by the monstrosity of Luna Runcandel, but he too was a top-tier Abanderado.
"Did you have the impression that I employ tricks and use the people around me because Ick the necessary skills? That I can''t be a formidable Master like our sister?"
Ching! Wham! Krgggt!
Light and darkness shed each time their swords met.
"Not at all! If I ever wanted to, I could always surpass our older sister. But, dear younger brother, do you have any idea of the things that lurk in the world above, the world you have yet to experience?"
Joshua suddenly pushed Jin aside and pointed to the sky.
"Why do you think the Runcandels never attempt to surpass the Zipples, despite our father? Why do you think Father has never abandoned me despite his disappointments? Setting aside his own dissatisfaction, it''s because he knows that I am the one most protected against our enemies, among all our siblings in the Sword Garden."
Jin remained silent and chose to catch his breath.
"The state of my body is much worse than I thought."
Joshua would have been a tough rival for Jin on any given day.
With his current level of exhaustion from the battle he had fought all night, it should have been impossible to fight him in the first ce.
Shuri squeaked and stood by Jin''s side.
She realized that her owner couldn''t win against this enemy.
Then Joshua''s gaze fell upon Murakan, whoy unconscious.
Chapter 217
C217 - Bad Rtionship (3)
"Alright, Shuri. Protect Murakan," Jin gently moved Shuri aside.
"What a pitiful sight. Do you really think I would keep that defenseless dark dragon hostage when I''m only facing you?"
"Based on what I''ve seen from you so far, definitely."
"Rx. I won''t kill that dark dragon until this battle is over. The same goes for your beast."
"What an improper disy of mercy. Did you know that most people who believed they had an advantage over me met a tragic end? You should keep that in mind, Joshua."
"Ah, now I understand. Jin, you must think that I can''t afford to kill you. Otherwise, I wouldn''t be able to take your contract for myself. That must be the reason for your terrible rudeness."
Jin heard Joshua mentioning taking the contract in his own words.
He knew. Joshua knew a way to transfer the contract, just like Zipple and Kinzelo.
But unlike the two factions, it didn''t seem like he already possessed a secure means to do so. If he did, he would have located Jin and taken the contract, no matter the cost.
"I congratte you on deducing it. But that won''t change anything. From today onwards, you will be unable to wield the sword ever again, and as a Runcandel, that will be a more horrible fate than death itself."
Joshua intended to sever Jin''s limbs and keep him imprisoned, waiting for the opportunity to obtain the Solderet contract.
Jin gritted his teeth.
"Do you see the situation you''re in now? If you start begging, I promise you''ll suffer less for it. If not, you could try to escape. I''d say that''s your best hope."
"You''re talking nonsense. Well, you''re right, Joshua Runcandel. I don''t think you can kill me."
Jin spoke as he gathered his Shadow Energy once again.
Then he slowly raised his sword towards the sky.
"Although I didn''t mean for you to keep me alive for the sake of my contract. You see, I''m awaiting the arrival of some friendly forces."
"Haha, I''ve imposed a movement restriction in the vicinity of the inds. That means even the Dragons can''t reach the Bluebird Inds now. Too bad."
Jin smiled.
"The joke''s on you. I''m not expecting a Dragon."
Special Move of the Shadow de: Call of Dark Light.
This was the reason why Jin swung Bradamante in the air.
Joshua didn''t know what had just happened, but what Jin had done was dangerous.
His instinct told him so. Joshua''s eyes showed his first hint of murderous intent, and the aura surrounding the silver Sran ignited.
"Enough with your tricks!"
The dense aura of the silver Sran''s de enveloped Jin.
Countless sword waves formed in that short span of time.
It was enough to cover all the scattered Shadow Energy in the air.
But it was already toote.
"I thought I had already told you. You should have killed me then. In other words, I was saying you wouldn''t get a second chance."
Joshua couldn''t stab anything.
The waves of his sword fell into the Shadow Energy like rocks tumbling down a cliff.
Immediately, he sent another wave with the same effect.
In two seconds, dozens of waves from the nine-star knight were absorbed by the Shadow Energy.
Joshua didn''t dare to approach him. Although he had some knowledge about the Shadow de, he had never heard of something like this before.
Joshua could only grasp the handle of Sran while shaking his head.
"It seems like you''ve tricked me well this time, little brother. Yes, I may have let my guard down too much."
The force that unfolded where Jin swung his Shadow Energy and swallowed Joshua''s sword waves had a specific purpose.
It was a Portal.
A Portal that opened the door to Dark Light, the other name for Lafrarosa.
It wasn''t Jin''s inability to control his temper that made him fight Joshua alone. He shed swords with Joshua to gauge their difference in skills.
"As I expected, he had been preparing to steal the contract from me."
And his skills are better than I expected.
Jin never thought he was weak. Sure, he thought he fell short of being worthy of the sessor of the Family Head, but it was proven wrong.
If it hadn''t been for Luna, people would hardly have questioned his abilities.
The Shadow Energy began to spread.
The door of Laphrarosa opened.
"Since Sister Vahn can''t be summoned, I''ll have to wait for one of the Battle Kings."
He couldn''t afford to rx just yet.
The Special Move of the Shadow de: Call of Dark Light, didn''t give Jin a choice of which member of Lafrarosa woulde to his aid.
If he summoned amon warrior instead of a Battle King, he would have to postpone his ns to kill Joshua for another time.
"It''s been a long time, Brother Jin!"
A familiar voice.
A smile appeared on Jin''s face. Today, he wouldn''t lose face.
"I apologize for summoning you, Brother Garmund."
Garmund, the eighth Battle King, the first Battle King who instructed Jin in Lafrarosa.
Fortunately, it was him who came through the door.
Joshua was surprised when Garmund appeared.
A summoning? Damn it, how could he have predicted this?
The fact that he had summoned someone with his own sword was surprising enough, but the majority of the shock came from the mysterious being called Garmund.
He could sense it clearly before they even exchanged blows with their swords.
"He''s so powerful that I''ll have to give it my all. I should have finished this before Jin could start the summoning."
Regretting his decision was useless now.
He had already beenpletely deceived by Jin.
"If you''re sorry, promise me that you''ll tell me everything that happened today when we meet again, brother Jin. So, what should I do here?"
"Kill him."
"It seems like this is the one who apparently cursed you. Are you sure that would be enough? Wouldn''t you prefer to keep him alive so you can ask him questions?"
"No, it''s fine. Anyway, all his confessions will only reveal pitiful and pathetic jealousy."
Garmund clenched his fist with Jin''s.
Then he crushed Joshua with his deep, heavy gaze.
"I am the Eighth Battle King, Garmund, of the mighty Legend Race. I havee here on behalf of my brother''s call, and my task is to annihte my brother''s enemy. If you have anyst words, you may speak them now."
His voice was as solemn as an executioner''s.
It disyed the power of a race that once ruled the entire world.
The voice alone created a wave that gently pushed against the ind''s ground.
Joshua felt briefly intimidated by the force and could only hold onto Sran tightly.
"Don''t you have anything to say?"
"So, you''re the ghost of a race that failed and went extinct five thousand years ago. I don''t know what kind of trick my little brother is ying, but stop talking and unsheathe your sword. I will stab you and punish my brother."
Then Garmund burst intoughter. "You pretend to be a warrior, but you''re not."
"And you pretend to be his brother, but you''re not either."
sh~
A blue light surged from Garmund''s hand.
Jin could barely perceive how he unsheathed his sword.
In the same instant, a forked lightning bolt descended toward Joshua''s head.
The bolt was brighter and sharper than the ones Yulian made rain in his divine manifestation.
And Garmund had unleashed such a lightning bolt while unsheathing his sword without any prior movement or time to gather energy.
Surprisingly, Joshua returned the lightning bolt with precision.
He raised his silver sword to cut the bolt right in half and even managed the wonder of counterattacking with a de wave.
Garmund didn''t bother dodging the wave that rushed toward him.
He simply remained motionless, like a giant tree against the wind.
However, the sword wave failed to cut through Garmund''s body.
Joshua trembled at the chilling sensation that engulfed him.
It wasn''t the fact that his sword wave had been easily blocked that made him panic.
In Garmund, Joshua could see Luna''s image.
The same monster whom he could never leave a scar or wound on, despite having fought with swords countless times since their childhood.
The next sword wave Joshua sent was somewhat less precise, mainly due to his renewed feeling of inferiority.
Garmund had never known Luna. But he seemed to see through Joshua''s thoughts because a smile appeared on his face.
"Do you see? I told you. You''re not a warrior. You''re quite impressive for a human, but the fact that your skills were achieved under safe conditions cannot be hidden."
"Keep talking, ghost. You won''t protect Jin."
Garmund''s sword flickered with lightning.
His illuminating heart throbbed and covered the lightning area once again.
Joshua raised his aura in response.
The aura extending from Sran reacted against the lightning and formed a kind of barrier.
Due to the limited space characteristics of the ind, the relentless battle between a nine-star knight and a Battle King could only lead to mutual death by explosion.
Therefore, they used aura and lightning to create a resilient space where they could unleash all their powers at will.
They had created a sort of artificial arena.
Jin had never thought about those things because his aura was not as strong as theirs.
The battle between the two was beyond Jin''s level of understanding.
In most cases, Jin would have chosen to analyze the fight to study it.
But today, he wanted to savor the moment instead of analyzing it, because his lifelong archenemy was finally going to meet his miserable end.
"But I don''t understand, no matter how much I think about it. Why did hee here alone, without a single guard by his side?"
He must have known that a considerable battle was taking ce when he embarked on this path.
Jin couldn''t understand it.
Joshua wouldn''t have had any problem bringing a few Execution Knights with him if he couldn''t recruit the ck Knights.
Since Jin encountered Joshua, he had been thinking about how strange it was for Joshua to be alone.
"In any case, today he dies. If he had prepared something in case of his own death, I can always find them one by one and crush them all. From today, Joshua''s name will soon be forgotten from the Garden of Swords."
Although Garmund had not yet fully mastered it, the fight was on his side from the beginning.
Although the battle seemed evenly matched from a distance, a single mistake could mean Joshua losing his life.
Meanwhile, Garmund kept Joshua on edge like a catapult squeezing the life out of a castle.
His attacks were so impable that even Jin felt like he was suffocating just by watching them.
Bzzzt! Kzzt! Crrrrt!
Sran emitted agonizing screams as it was dragged by the movement of despotism.
Although the silver Sran was not as good as the Dark Sword Kainer, it was still a legendary sword in its own right.
But before they could exchange even three hundred moves, a crack formed on the de of Sran.
It would have been enough to fight against Jin. However, having a good weapon was essential to fight against someone with equal or superior abilities.
Garmund''s weapon was unknown to humanity, but it was one of the masterpieces of the Legendary cksmith and Fifth Battle King, Boras, just like all the other weapons wielded by the Battle Kings.
Garmund had an advantage both in terms of his abilities and his weapon.
Joshua''s defeat had already been decided the moment Garmund entered the battle.
Joshua would regret not bringing Kainer with him, even in his death.
Of course, it was not over yet.
Joshua''s eyes trembled as he hastily withdrew his sword and jumped back.
Garmund was about to push him and end the fight when he suddenly stopped and caught his breath.
The reason he halted his attack was that his instinct told him it was dangerous for the first time in this fight.
Jin thought the same as Garmund.
The final moves of the Runcandel Family.
That made both of them tense.
That had to be thest thing Joshua had up his sleeve.
It was only natural, considering his sword was about to break, and his enemy was too powerful.
Joshua had to go beyond his limits and try to deliver a critical blow.
But it was already toote.
"If I were him, I would have used the final moves as soon as I realized I was being pushed back."
Jin hadn''t learned the final moves of the Runcandel Family yet because he was still a Reserve g Bearer, but he knew their overwhelming power.
If he had used the final moves before his sword shattered, he might have created some kind of disruption in the fight.
Joshua certainly would have known that too.
But why?
"Is it because he thinks there''s no hope if he fails?"
Joshua''s aura, which had been blocking the lightning around him, began to gather into Sran while Jin was lost in his thoughts.
"Your aura is certainly impressive. It''s almost a shame it had to be yours,"mented Garmund as if it were not threatening at all.
But Jin''s eyes widened when he saw Sran''s sword rapidly expanding.
"Why that one, out of all the moves? It couldn''t be. Did he decide that he was going to die anyway?"
Joshua''s final move was the Seventh Final Move of Runcandel: Volcano.
"Brother Garmund! You must get away! That move is..."
"If I get away, who will protect you now, my brother? I''m fine, so get away from here. Go as far as you can."
Volcano was the only move in the Runcandel Family that caused one to detonate themselves.
It wasn''t the power of Volcano that surprised Jin. It was the fact that Joshua chose to copse with it. From what he knew of Joshua so far, he certainly wasn''t someone who chose suicide.
The expansive de of Sran had not yet exploded.
Garmund raised his Thunder Energy to its maximum to form a shield barrier, and Shuri picked up Yulian with her mouth.
Jin carried Murakan on his back and climbed onto Shuri.
"That bastard is nning something!"
The thought shed in Jin''s mind. But for now, he had no choice but to listen to Garmund.
Chapter 218
C218 - Bad Rtionship (4)
"Brother Garmund. We might be able to escape with this creature. So why not..."
Garmund shook his head.
"No, the chances of you dying or getting injured are too high if I do that. Even I would struggle to withstand this aura. It would probably explode all the way to the waters far from here."
"Seriously, I had no idea that bastard would choose to blow himself up."
"Hurry up and go, brother. You know how this works. I''ll be fine. I told you before. Make sure to tell me next time."
Jin clenched his teeth.
"Alright."
"We''re brothers. We don''t keep count of our favors. Alright, now run. Make sure not to veer off to a side where you can''t see my back."
Jin sighed and nodded, after which Shuri began running at full speed.
As Garmund had calcted, there was no way Jin would survive the explosion if Garmund didn''t block its impact.
A suicidal detonation: this move was thest resort to be used in the worst circumstances.
Volcano was powerful enough to wipe out entire small inds.
And that would be the impact caused by a seven or eight-star pureblood who had just be a Runcandel g Bearer. Needless to say, Joshua''s Volcano would cause much more impact.
Joshua''s body began to glow red as he screamed.
All his veins burst, and his body filled with aura.
Liquid metal started dripping from the expanded de of the silver sword, Sran.
His de was melting from the heat emitted by Joshua''s body.
"Clever bastard. So, you''re still trying to prove that you''re a descendant of Temar, huh?"
Garmund couldn''t approach Joshua, who stood still.
The aura surrounding Joshua was too powerful to prate.
Garmund took a step forward.
The ground gave way, and rocks flew from it.
The Thunder Energy enveloping him gathered in his sword.
Joshua''s Aura began to erode the area around him as Garmund''s Thunder Energypressed into his sword.
The aura and Thunder Energy were quite simr in terms of size.
But while Joshua chose to die to employ such energies, Garmund only prepared to perform the one move he had perfected throughout his life.
"Die!"
That was Joshua''s final cry.
His vocal cords burned from the boiling aura within him.
The scream screeched horribly like metal scraping against another.
The aura in the area was absorbed by Joshua''s sword in a circr motion.
The circle then converged into a single point that met the edge of the melting sword.
It marked the beginning of the final move: Volcano.
A hollow sound, like that of an empty can, rang out.
The explosion of aura within the de of Sran had caused the metallic sound.
Then the sound turned into a tremendous noise.
Bam!
Bam!
Boom!
The sword initiated a series of eruptions and flooded the aura in all directions.
Fwoosh!
The area immediately filled with blinding light.
There was nothing left of Joshua.
Everything that hadposed his body turned into aura itself to form the Volcano.
Joshua died.
The erupting and flooding aura had the appearance of a volcano spewingva.
The aura, which had surged towards the sky, began to fall back to the ground.
But before it reached thend, a shockwave from the eruption traveled through the air and started to destroy the ind.
The shockwave distorted space.
The ind was ravaged by tremendous forces of attraction and repulsion, and the impact of the earthquake caused giant waves in the surrounding waters.
The ind shattered like a piece of ss around the only remaining ground.
It was the ce where Garmund stood, and the stretch of sand behind him, where Shuri desperately ran in the other direction.
"Gaaaaaaah!"
Garmund''s roar twisted the expansive wave of the Volcano. His body shimmered blue with Thunder Energy, but it was not due to sacrificing his own body like Joshua.
The lightning in the roar resembled a spiderweb, spreading in tens of thousands of arrays to hold back the eruption.
Soon, Garmund''s sword made a cut.
The sword wave that pierced through the center of the Volcano shook the foundations of the ind.
Unlike the Volcano, which was rapidly destroying thend, Garmund''s sword quietly traced a line.
It was as smooth as a brushstroke. The sword wave cut through the ind where the Volcano erupted.
The sword wave had only traced a line on the ground.
But the erupting aura on both sides of it began to diminish.
The eruption subsided much more noticeably than its beginning, and the blurry vision began to return slightly.
But Garmund knew it wasn''t over.
It hadn''t finished yet.
The Volcano, momentarily suppressed, would erupt even more intensely after a few seconds.
But in those few seconds, Jin could escape further.
And for those fleeting moments, Garmund gave up his chance to flee.
Fortunately, Jin was no longer in sight when he turned to look.
"I should be fine by now. Come at me then." Garmund assumed his stance. A lightning flickered from his eyes.
The Volcano continued its eruptions for the next ten minutes.
The thirty-second ind of the Blue Birdpletely disappeared, except for a small rock barely five paces wide.
Garmund managed to block all the erupting aura heading towards Jin.
Thanks to his sacrifice, Jin stood unscathed on that five-step rock.
For five minutes, Jin waited on the rock until the eruption ended.
The aura of the Volcano and Thunder Energy had disappeared. Now, only the sun illuminated the inds of the Blue Bird.
It was time to search for Garmund.
Jin began scanning the debris-filled waters of Shuri.
"Garmund! Brother Garmund!"
Jin''s eyes were filled with concern as he shouted desperately.
"My ears! I''m going to go deaf from all that yelling, brother."
"Brother!"
Jin gritted his teeth when he saw Garmund.
He had lost both arms and was leaning against another rock.
The legendary sword crafted by Boras was shattered and embedded in the same rock.
Jin carefully lifted Garmund and ced him on Shuri''s back.
"Don''t be so down, brother. You know I''ll be fine. You don''t have to feel this way."
Garmund chuckled as he nced at his shoulders.
No blood flowed from his wounds. Instead of blood, dark energy emanated from them. It was Shadow Energy.
"But still. It must have hurt."
"It did hurt, but it''s nothing terrible."
The Special Move of the Shadow de: Dark Light''s Call, took the form of an invocation.
But it was more akin to reconstruction than an invocation.
It temporarily opened a door to Lafrarosa and summoned one of its members from Shadow Energy.
This had been the conversation Jin had shared with Tantell before leaving Lafrarosa.
"By the way, I hoped you could investigate it, brother."
"Is there no way for our brothers to get out on their own? You came to the Great Desert to pick me up, brother Tantell."
"That is limited to asions when the heirs arrive in the Great Desert. There is only one other way to leave the outside world, but it is useless."
"Why?"
"Sister Battle Goddess will tell you."
What Vahn, the Battle Goddess, had taught Jin was the Special Move of the Shadow de: Dark Light''s Call.
With Jin''s current level of Shadow Energy, he could only use it once every one or two years.
Dark Light''s Call did not summon the Legends themselves, but their souls. Then, the Shadow Energy merged with their souls, allowing the specters to temporarily reveal themselves to the world.
The reconstituted souls of the Legends by Shadow Energy took on their forms and had the same strength they wielded in life, much like things were in Lafrarosa.
But when the soul returned to Lafrarosa, it forgot everything it had experienced in the world of the living.
Garmund would never remember what had happened today. That was why Garmund repeatedly asked Jin to tell him what had transpired the next time they met.
"Phew, that technique that Temar left behind is truly astonishing. And to think that cunning fox managed to even take away my two arms."
It was only possible because the battle had taken ce on an ind, and Garmund had to protect Jin.
Although Joshua''s Volcano certainly possessed devastating power, Garmund would never have lost both arms if he hadn''t had to face Joshua head-on.
"I''m sorry, brother."
"Come on! I told you to stop feeling like that! You know I''ll forget about it when I return. You''re not teasing me, are you?"
"I didn''t mean that. I mean, think about it. Sure, I know they''re not really gone, but I still saw my family lose their arms because of me. I should be shocked, right?"
"Hm. Well, I suppose you''re right. Yes, you could feel that way."
Garmund chuckled and lifted his leg. He then patted Jin on the head with his foot. His original body in Lafrarosa would be fine, but for now, he had no arms, so he had to manage.
"Are they all okay?"
"Of course. They didn''t have much to do before you came, brother, but now they huddle together and talk about you."
Garmund lowered his foot and burst intoughter.
"By the way, was his name Joshua? So, you finally killed the sworn enemy who cursed you, right?"
"That''s true, but there''s something strange about it. He''s not someone who would consider suicide at all."
"What? So, the one I killed is a specter, like me? Or a double?"
"No. It can''t be. It was definitely Joshua."
"Yes, that can''t be possible. I saw him die with my own eyes. Maybe you don''t feel it''s real because you didn''t cut him yourself, brother."
Jin nodded, "Yes, that''s how I feel, brother. I can''t believe it''s real. I always thought I would kill him after returning to the Family."
"In any case, I''m d I could help you. I also enjoy the fact that I was the first to be summoned by your Dark Light''s Call. Oops, time''s up."
Garmund''s body faded as the Shadow Energy departed. Soon, his soul would be back in Lafrarosa.
"Please tell the others that I miss them all. And that I have been sessful with everything I have done since returning from Lafrarosa, all thanks to them. And..."
Jin''s voice trailed off.
Garmund didn''t reply, knowing that he wouldn''t remember anyway. He listened silently to what Jin had to say and smiled quietly.
"Of course, I''ll make sure to tell them. I''ll see you next time in Lafrarosa, not here."
Soon, Garmund''s bodypletely vanished.
The Shadow Energy lingered around Jin for a while before disappearing.
Afterward, Jin searched for Kuzan and Beris for some time, but it seemed unlikely that they were still alive.
"Let''s go back too, Shuri."
"Meow!"
Several days passed on the way back to Tikan.
Throughout that time, Jin searched the bulletins of every city he visited but couldn''t find any articles about Joshua''s death or his disappearance.
It was only when Jin returned to Tikan that he learned something about Joshua.
Chapter 219
C219 - Son of Prophecy
On October 7, 1797, Jin read a bulletin from Hufester.
The newspaper headline was about the knighthood appointment ceremony of the Schutzeron royal family, held four days ago. (Note: Previously known as Shucheron)
The knighthood appointment ceremony for the central region of the Kingdom of Schutzeron was presided over for the first time by the First Prince, Toleon Schutzeron, instead of His Highness Rumon Schutzeron.
Another noteworthy point was the attendance of the next generation of future patriarchs, namely Joshua Runcandel, and the sessors of the McLoran, Tuko, Neiltrow, and Ken ns at a ceremony organized by Prince Toleon.
This may indicate that Prince Toleon has won the session race, and it has resurfaced that Cyron Runcandel had provided a Guardian Knight to Prince Toleon in the past.
Jin had clearly seen Joshua die, after his entire body disintegrated into a Volcano four days ago.
If he had truly died, the article about events four days ago couldn''t be possible at all.
Jin couldn''t take his eyes off the newspapers for some time.
Worried, Gilly approached his side. "Young master?"
"I knew something was going on. That idiot was never going to die so easily."
Gilly and the otherpanions of Jin learned about what happened on the Blue Bird Inds. That''s why they also found it hard to understand the article, which portrayed Joshua as if he were alive.
"It''s also not possible for you to have mistaken Joshua Runcandel''s face, Lord Jin. There''s something strange. Perhaps the one you killed was a double, or someone whom Bouvard Gaston had transfigured," Kashimir said.
Jin shook his head.
"It''s highly unlikely that it was a double or a transfigured person. The final move he executed was powerful enough to rip off two arms from a King of Battle Legends. No one could have exerted such force except a Runcandel. I would have thought differently if he had used a different sword technique."
Although most other martial arts ns also had their own secret moves and finishing moves, the Runcandel''s sword techniques were impossible to emte without the blessed bodies of the Runcandels, even if the person were a Ten-Star Knight. Their bodies simply couldn''t withstand the energy.
"You''re right. If there had been a double, the one who appeared at the knighthood appointment ceremony of Schutzeron is more likely to be the fake."
"We may have to investigate it. But for some reason, I feel like that cunning snake is using some kind of trick."
"Um, perhaps he could be under a curse like Shuri," Enya whispered, trying to be careful so that Shuri wouldn''t overhear.
"If that''s the case, he should have noticed his body regenerating at the moment it disintegrated."
"Young master, what are the chances that he used the Tear of Numerus?"
"I was told that the Tear of Numerus emits a powerful light around the entire area when used. There was a blinding light when Joshua died due to the aura, but it seemedpletely different from it."
"Sigh. I was deeply asleep at that time," Murakan said.
"This is frustrating. What the hell is wrong with your older brother?"
"A copy?"
Jin mentioning the word caught the attention of hispanions.
"Lord Jin, did you say a copy?"
"It urred to me that it could have been a copy. The things he said and the way he acted on the Blue Bird Inds couldn''t havee from anyone else but him."
Needless to say, copying humans was impossible.
But since something iprehensible had happened, it was also worth considering things that were known to be impossible.
Just to illustrate, Shuri''s immortality curse, Bouvard''s Compass, and the Demon God Stone were all considered impossible not too long ago.
"Please continue."
"This is my theory. He has multiple copies of himself and sent one of them to the Blue Bird Inds. Peitel''s contractor, Yulian, must have been one of his critical assets, and he would have assumed that something had happened to Yulian since the whole ind was covered in lightning."
Jin looked at Yulian. He was still unconscious from the aftermath of his God''s manifestation and was bound by shackles.
"He must have thought that Yulian was going through an overload since Yulian didn''t seem to be on good terms with Kuzan and Beris."
"So, are you suggesting that he came to the ind to master the overload?"
"Yes. The reason he came without an escort was that he didn''t want to lose more capable subordinates due to Yulian''s absence or he wanted to keep the Blue Bird Inds hidden."
Joshua didn''t even have Execution Knights with him. He had taken a small wooden boat alone and rowed to the Blue Bird Inds.
This had bothered Jin from the beginning.
"Maybe he didn''t bring any knights with him because he could easily subdue Yulian by himself. But considering Joshua''s personality, it''s hardly eptable. In fact, he even detonated himself when he fought against Garmund."
"Young master, I couldn''t understand either how that cunning bas... No, I mean, the second standard-bearer had immted himself. Although he had been losing against the Legends, he''s not someone who would easily lose his life," Gilly said.
"It seemed like he hadn''t expected to see me on the Blue Bird Inds at all. But when he decided that he could overpower me, he even confessed that he was after my Shadow Energy. He never said he would kill me, no matter how much I provoked him. Until that moment, he had been thinking of capturing me and nning a future to break my Solderet contract."
"That power should have been mine." Joshua had spoken those words when he saw Jin reveal his Shadow Energy.
It was quite strange, although Jin didn''t realize it at the time. His words left the impression that he had always known that Jin woulde to wield Shadow Energy.
"But things changed after Garmund appeared. Suddenly, he was pushed back. And he had to decide in favor of damaging my forces, even if it meant postponing my capture."
Gilly spoke up.
"Perhaps he could have assumed that the power of the Volcano could kill you too, young master."
"He''s a Nine-Star Knight. He would have undoubtedly known that Garmund had enough power to protect me. That''s why he thought of killing or incapacitating Garmund with the Volcano, to seek another opportunity to steal my contract in the future. That''s my assumption."
Jin thought that Joshua would have never chosen to immte himself if he only had one life. But if he had many, he would probably have one to spare to destroy Garmund, Jin''s ally.
As far as Joshua was concerned, he would have thought that Garmund was the strongest ally Jin had at his disposal.
There was a moment of silence.
Although Jin''s theory wasn''t easily eptable, hispanions considered what else could be possible based on his assumption.
"That''s a headache. If it was a copy of Joshua that you encountered on the Blue Bird Inds, Lord Jin, I don''t know what we should do for revenge."
"Lord Jin, what if we meet with Sir Cyron to discuss this matter?"
Jin shook his head at Alisa''s suggestion.
To him, this was essentially a session war. Seeking his father''s help would only show his ownck of abilities, and they also didn''t have solid evidence. He had no way to prove that he witnessed Joshua''s death.
"That''s true."
"If the man at the knighthood appointment ceremony of Schutzeron was a double, or the one I met was a copy, or maybe wepletely misunderstood everything. For now, all we can do is establish theories. I''m sure we''ll gather some information once Yulian regains consciousness."
"Kuzan and Beris. I''ll have the Peacock agents search for them as well."
Jin couldn''t spend much time looking for them while fleeing from the Blue Bird Inds. He assumed it was unlikely that they had survived, and it was unknown if more of Joshua''s men could also arrive on the ind.
"We don''t have to go out searching for them. Sending people to the Blue Bird Inds could leave a trail for other forces to follow us here. If those two are alive, they''ll point us in their direction first. They would have already realized that I''m not their sworn enemy."
Tremble...
A man trembled in his seat, experiencing cold sweats throughout his body and high temperatures, apanied by unbearable pain and constant nerve shocks that shattered his mind.
One more thing: a sense of defeat that descended into infinite depths.
These were the things that Joshua felt each time he lost a body.
Whoooosh...
A dark force gathered in front of him. Shadow Energy. The very power that Joshua coveted.
The Shadow Energy soon took the form of a woman. She smiled as she looked at Joshua.
"To think that the man who will be the master of the Runcandels is trembling alone in a basement. How pitiful you are. You almost seem like a rain-soaked orphan abandoned by everyone. How does it feel, orphan?"
The darkness of the basement covered the woman''s face. Only her intensely amber eyes flickered in the darkness.
"Have youe to mock me?"
"Yes, that''s right. I''vee to mock you. Haha, you stupid fool! Why did you immte yourself? Do you think it''s an easy job for me to make bodies for you?"
Joshua didn''t reply. He stared at the woman for a while.
"Stop looking at me like that. At least you can try to give some excuse. Was that the best you could do? If it was, it would be disappointing."
"I had no choice if I wanted to kill the Legend I had summoned."
The woman burst intoughter. Then she abruptly stopped and gritted her teeth.
"Well, a question for the fool. Do you think the Legend called Garmund died? First of all, his body never belonged to this world."
"Are you telling me that Legend is still alive?"
"He''s already trapped in a dead world, but in the sense that his body is intact, you could say he''s still alive. In other words, you''ve simply discarded a body that I made for you."
She spoke with a chuckle and a smile, but there was deep disgust in her eyes.
"Seriously, I have no idea why the prophecy pointed to a man like you. If it had been your older sister or younger brother... No, you know what? Even Dyfus or Mary would have made things much easier than this."
Humiliation pierced his heart.
"Or maybe your father, who was originally designated by the prophecy, knew that he wouldn''t go against his own fate to reach the Divine Star Level. How good would it have been if he had met me before he did? I wouldn''t have needed to help a fool like you, right?"
Joshua silently waited for the woman''s mockery to end.
He knew that the woman could never leave him or go against him. She would probably mock him for a while until she obeyed him again as she always did.
The woman stopped mocking and sighed.
"Well. I guess finding out about your little brother''s ability to summon Legends was a gain in itself. What if we had discovered it at a more critical moment? Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps."
The woman gently wrapped her arms around Joshua''s neck.
"And Shuri, we now know the whereabouts of that baby too. The fact that Jin has Shuri with him is much more disturbing. But in the end, they will all be returned to you. Son of Prophecy, I will make a new body for you."
"How many do you need this time?"
The woman grinned widely at Joshua''s question.
"I still have enough ingredients from what you gave mest time."
Chapter 220
C220 - News Heard, News to Find (1)
"Well, I suppose I should go and meet that thing," Murakan said.
"That thing?" Jin asked.
"My sister," Murakan replied.
"Ah, you mean the Dark Dragon named Misha?"
Murakan nodded in response to Jin''s question.
Not only did Murakan refer to his own sister as "that thing," but he also frowned as if he detested the mere thought of her.
Quikantel shook her head at the sight.
"You must have realized that you''re a terrible Dragon Guardian. It''s true, Jin would have died if it weren''t for the special move of the Shadow de. You need to pull yourself together. I thought you were stubbornly refusing to meet her when I suggested itst time."
Something made Murakan want to meet Misha. He wanted to regain his former powers, and he figured Misha might know something about it.
"Hey, Quikantel. Why do you keep belittling me?"
"I admit that you were magnificent a thousand years ago. Not only were you magnificent, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that you were the strongest among the Dragons. But now, let''s be frank. You''re nothing more than a handful of that. Your prime has passed. Pleasee to terms with the reality of things."
"I can still use half of my former strength, you know? The boy saw it with his own eyes this time."
"Ah, yes? Are you referring to that method that requires you to suck the Shadow Energy from Jin for at least ten minutes in the middle of a battle? Plus, after fighting with the Shadow Energy you obtained from Jin, you were unconscious for days. I thought you had died from pushing yourself too far," Quikantel said.
"Well, can you forcefully release the manifestation of a God after taking ten minutes of energy from Enya?"
"I know I can beat everyone up before those ten minutes are up."
"Hmph! I still remember how frightened you were by the Demon God Stone on the deserted ind..."
"Yes, keep talking. I''m going to crush your head." Quikantel red at him.
"Quikantel, please don''t."
"You know, that Dragon Guardian of yours really needs toe to his senses. Someday he''ll get into trouble if he keeps dwelling on the past. He doesn''t understand, no matter how many times I tell him."
Quikantel was genuinely concerned about Murakan.
Since they reunited in Vermont, she saw Murakan as someone so weak that he could die at any moment.
Murakan knew it too. However, he couldn''t ept himself as someone who needed her protection. In fact, he felt the dangers that Quikantel kept reminding him of. The enemies threatening Jin were bing more powerful, but the things he could do for Jin were diminishing day by day.
The fact that he was unconscious throughout Jin''s fight with Joshua was especially shocking to him, especially since it happened right after he briefly regained his strength by taking Jin''s Shadow Energy.
"That''s why I said I''m going to find Misha. Why do you try to pick a fight over that? Although I am worried. I wouldn''t know what to do if that thing tells me she doesn''t know how to fix my heart after I find her."
For Murakan, the act of seeking out Misha went against his ego.
She was a nightmare. When he was a young dragon, Misha was the very embodiment of the great demon from hell or the demon god.
The only being Murakan feared in his life was his own sister. Although he never had to distrust his sister after reaching the prime of his life, he never had a good rtionship with her like Jin did with Luna.
"Do you know where your sister is supposed to be?" Quikantel asked.
"No, I don''t know."
"Then how do you n to meet her?"
"There are a few ces she''s likely to be. The only problem is that there are too many of them. Maybe somewhere in the Krashi Mountain Range or in the forests of the northern continent. If not, then some ancient temples, thend of the Half Men, all sorts of dark and damp ces, luxurious bars serving wines from M that have been aged for over three hundred years."
"What? It sounds like she could be anywhere in the world." Quikantel shrugged.
"More or less. Misha was always like that. She would always hide in the most secluded ces until she suddenly appeared. But somehow, I always knew where to find her when I needed her. I guess we''re siblings after all."
"Siblings?" Jin asked.
"I will be gone for about a month."
"Why don''t we go together?"
"You have a lot to do here. Yulian might also regain consciousness."
It had been a week since they returned to Tikan, but Yulian still hadn''t woken up. He was still unable to ovee the effects of being forced out of the Manifestation.
There was also no movement from Joshua''s camp. No one visited Tikan, perhaps due to Cyron''s strict orders, and there were no search notices for Kuzan and Beris either.
"Well, that''s true, but..."
"More than anything, Misha will never see me if I bring you along. She''ll get furious, iming that I''m plotting to get something out of her with the Millennium Contractor as a hostage."
Quikantel also nodded.
"She''s right. You might also consider the fact that the first thing he did upon reaching full maturity was to exact revenge on all kinds of his sister."
"Wouldn''t that make it even more dangerous for him to go alone? He won''t have anyone to help him if his sister attacks him."
"Don''t worry about that. I''ll be gone for about two months. If I don''t return by December, you can start looking for me because that would mean I''ve been attacked or captured by Misha. I''ll n the routes today and mark the ces where I''ll leave traces."
"Come on! But what about your responsibilities?" Jin wanted toin, but he had never seen Murakan so serious in his life. And it seemed that Quikantel was also pleased. She had always wanted Murakan to visit Misha.
"It would contribute a lot to our strength if he could find Misha and regain his former strength, but I''m quite worried about him going alone."
Murakan silently left Tikan that night. He hadn''t forgotten to leave a note for Gilly behind Jin''s back.
My dearest Strawberry Tart,
I am embarking on a brief, daring journey far, far away. I intended to discuss it with you, but the decision must be mine alone.
If I am in by Misha, please tell the boy he must avenge me. Also, in case of my death, take my babies (girls) from the secret drawer under my bed, burn them, and scatter their ashes into the river.
I pray that you do not suffer too much while I am away.
I suddenly realized that the fact that I found you and the boy after my wearisome slumber was a miracle. If I return, let''s take a trip together, just the two of us, as we promised.
Gilly giggled as she showed Jin Murakan''s solemn letter.
"Young master, is Murakan going somewhere? He almost looks like a teenager."
"He said he''s going to look for his sister, but I didn''t know he would leave without a word in the middle of the night. Isn''t he in his room?"
"No. Euria just told me she saw him flying away."
"By the way, did you promise to go on a trip together? There was something about it in the letter." For some reason, Jin felt strange asking that.
Gilly read the line over and over again,pletely unable to contain herughter.
"No! I had to think about it too! It almost made me feel like I made that promise with Murakan."
Gilly had never made that promise with him. Murakan had made it up.
"Oh, this is hrious. I''m sorry, young master. You must be worried, but here I was,ughing my head off."
"Oh. No, it''s fine." Jin smiled awkwardly, and Gilly burst intoughter.
Meanwhile, now that Murakan had finally listened to her advice, Quikantel looked for liquor to drink with a rather anxious expression on her face.
The news of Kuzan and Beris came before Yulian could wake up in the underground cell beneath the mansion.
"You were right once again, Lord Jin. A man presumed to be Kuzan Marius appeared in the kingdom of Delki," Kashimir said.
"Please tell me more about it," Jin responded, immediately getting up.
"It was said that deadly toxins were circting among the mercenaries of Delki at ridiculously low prices immediately after the knight appointment ceremony. I had the agents investigate it after we saw a small article about it recently, and they said those toxins weren''t registered in academic journals."
Kashimir suspected that Kuzan was sending a signal to Jin.
"Of course, it might not be Kuzan at all. Maybe an unidentified poison master is just carrying out his trade. But in Delki, of all ces? It''s the home of the Marius, the survivors of the Sacrifice of the Moon. That''s where you encountered them for the first time."
Jin and hispanions hadn''t reached a conclusion about Joshua yet after the incident on Blue Bird Ind.
The main theory was that he was a copy of himself, but since they had nothing to confirm it, they lived with a constant and mysterious sense of anxiety.
Any information from Kuzan and Veris could offer them a wee respite from their worries.
"We must leave immediately. Please prepare the portal."
There was no reason to wait. If it turned out to be another poison master, he could simply return. But for now, Jin had to move as fast as he could.
"We must ensure his safety before Joshua reaches him!"
Jin needed to keep Kuzan and Beris alive because they could provide him with information, while Joshua needed to kill them for the same reason. He would surely be aware that Kuzan and Beris had met Jin on Blue Bird Ind and had uncovered the truth behind his lie.
''Joshua. That fool would have received this information too. He will try to eliminate the hounds that don''t return with him.''
Jin, Kashimir, Alisa, and Quikantel headed to Delki together. The group gathered in anticipation of confrontations with Joshua''s forces.
Fortunately, the weather was clear enough for teleportation. The group arrived in Delki''s capital in less than an hour.
"We have agents everywhere, but it will take several hours before we can locate the poison merchant. We must hurry on foot as well."
Kashimir spoke as she spread out a map.
The agents of the Seven-Colored Peacock had marked the locations of each mercenary group and all important figures.
Despite the astonishing capabilities of the Peacocks, gathering the necessary information in real-time was impossible. It would take at least a day or several hours at best.
Jin pondered for a moment and shook his head.
"By then, it will be toote. Joshua must already be on the move since Delki is practically under Runcandel''s control."
He thought for a while and continued when something came to mind.
"Prince Laika. I must meet with him."
Laika was the third prince of Delki, a cunning man who proved his worth in Jin''s first battle against Kuzan. Jin had promised him that in return, he would return to his kingdom all the shares of Delki''s gold mines.
Jin nned to meet with him to search for the poison merchant. Since all mercenary groups must have a license to operate issued by the kingdom, getting the prince''s help should be the fastest way.
''As long as Joshua doesn''t beat me to meeting Prince Laika or the king of Delki, we can find them first.''
Chapter 221
C221 - News Heard, News to Find (2)
Meeting Prince Laika was quite easy.
The ce where the prince had taken Jin for treatment was known only to his acquaintances or verified figures.
The gatekeepers opened the door for Jin without asking any questions.
Fortunately, Prince Laika was on vacation at his summer house, which was a relief for Jin, who had expected to wait at least several hours before being able to see the prince.
"Oh, what a pleasant surprise. Wee, Lord Jin."
Laika dismissed the guards. This was the level of trust one received for bearing the Runcandel name within Hufester.
"Long time no see, Prince Laika."
"Yourpanions seem to be the ones who searched for you in the east of Delkist time."
"Please excuse our previous intrusion."
Kashimir silently bowed, to which Laika waved his hand.
"Please, don''t mention it. None of ours were injured anyway. In any case, it seems you have an urgent matter to discuss, Lord Jin. You have sought me out without prior notice."
"Yes. I must locate a man very urgently."
"Please tell me more about it."
"I need the man who has recently been distributing deadly poisons to Delki''s mercenaries. I must find him alive."
Laika''s eyes sparkled.
Jin saw the glimmer in his eyes and naturally expected him to negotiate, as he did when he acquired the rights to the gold mine and was promised Guardian Knights after saving Jin''s life.
Jin was open to bargaining. Undoubtedly, finding Kuzan before Joshua deserved the effort.
I suppose I could assign several more Guardian Knights.
Jin was thinking about that when Laika broke into a big smile.
"That''s not too difficult then. I''ll tell you his whereabouts. We have been searching for him as well and have already secured his location."
To Jin''s surprise, Laika didn''t demand anything. He even drew him a map.
Laika was a man who knew how to maintain valuable contacts.
"I won''t ask what it''s about, Lord Jin. And if you need anything, I am at your service. Ah, and perhaps this might help you." Laika handed him the mark of the Delki Royal Family.
Though it was nothingpared to the shield of the Runcandel Family''s ck Sword, Laika remembered that Jin was currently a Provisional gbearer.
He gave Jin the shield so he could ovee any tricky situations he might encounter while in Delki. It was a very considerate gesture.
"I won''t forget this favor."
After a brief farewell, they left the mansion.
"Heavens, it seems like I''m always pressed for time."
The map pointed to a small town south of Delki. Jin and hispanions entered a portal to the south and immediately rented horses to ride to the town.
Jin''s group arrived in the south.
At the same time, another group of people arrived at Prince Laika''s mansion. They were Runcandel Execution Knights.
"Prince Laika, there''s someone we urgently need to locate."
"Who could that be?"
"A man has been circting deadly poisons among the mercenaries recently. The Second gbearer of the Runcandel Family has ordered his capture."
"Oh. I have also recently ordered his arrest. His location will be found within a day or two, so rest assured."
"If Kuzan is selling the poison, he must be in a desperate situation."
Jin pondered what that meant throughout the journey to the town. Kuzan was naively exposing himself, considering all his training as a hound. It was as if he was begging to be found.
Is this the smell of blood?
They arrived at the house marked on the map. It reeked of blood from the entrance.
Upon opening the door, the group encountered Kuzan.
His hair was disheveled, and a beard covered his tired face. It was almost difficult to recognize him at first nce, even though he wasn''t wearing any disguises.
He seemed to have been waiting for Jin and didn''t startle at their arrival.
"What a spectacle. I thought you''d be rich selling all those poisons. And here I am, d to see you."
Kuzan didn''t reply and silently stared at Jin. But Jin sensed an unspoken desperation in his gaze.
"You must have been truly desperate to expose your location so easily. Let''s go to a safe ce and talk. I suppose you wanted me to find you before Joshua. Or am I mistaken?"
"You''re correct."
"Where''s Beris?"
"In the back room."
Entering the room revealed the source of the blood smell at the entrance. It hade from there. Beris was tied to the bed due to Kuzan''s desperate attempt to stabilize her from her convulsions.
Beris was unconscious and coughing up blood. Jin understood that it was the final symptom of mana reflux. If Beris wasn''t treated immediately, she would die.
"I see. So, you revealed your location because you had no way to treat Beris."
It wasn''t something that could be treated simply with money.
This was particrly grave in the Allied Realms of Hufester because there were less than five Healers who could treat thete stages of mana reflux in the region. And as Kuzan was practically being hunted for capture, he had no way of meeting those people.
They couldn''t leave Hufester to reach the Lutero Magical Federation. Although Kuzan and Beris had dozens of fake passes, each and every one of them was from Joshua.
It was impossible to pass through Hufester''s portals with those passes. Simrly, they couldn''t smuggle themselves out without someone trustworthy.
In addition to all these things, Beris was dying.
Kuzan''s hand was forced.
Thest move he could make was to reveal his location and hope that Jin would be the first to reach him.
If it weren''t for Beris''s condition, Kuzan would have lived hidden for years, waiting for an opportunity to meet Jin.
Kuzan knelt down.
"Save her. No, I beg you, sir, please save her. I will do whatever you ask. I will pay for my past sins for the rest of my life."
Kashimir and Alisa looked at each other in surprise at Kuzan''s actions. They had thought that Kuzan and Beris were viins who had no sense of loyalty or faithfulness.
Quikantel, on the other hand, maintained a cold gaze.
"I will decide whether to take you in or not after you prove your worth. But we will discuss that after saving your friend," Jin responded, after which he checked on Veris'' condition.
"This is worse than I thought. She won''t survive without the Vank Priests."
Beris was now nothing more than a shattered piece of crystal.
The opportunity for first aid had long passed, and there was nothing they could do.
The biggest problem was that moving her was not going to be easy.
"You might not realize this because you''re not a sorcerer, but in her current state, putting her on a horse carriage could shatter her entire body. She''s in such a condition that even the slightest impact would damage her bones and internal organs. It''s toote," Jin said.
Kuzan couldn''t respond. He could only hang his head. Jin felt a little bit ofpassion for him.
After all, they had nearly killed him when they first met in Delki.
But if one thought about it carefully, Kuzan and Beris had only been manipted and harmed by people associated with the Runcandels from the beginning.
They were recruited for the Sacrifice of the Moon before they could even walk.
Then they obeyed Taimyun Marius as if she were their mother or someone even greater than her, stopping at nothing to carry out her orders.
After Taimyun''s death, they became Joshua''s hounds without realizing that he was their true enemy, and they only learned the truth when they met Jin.
In fact, Taimyun didn''t leave them even the briefest of messages in her death. Taimyun''s love and concern belonged only to Luna Runcandel, Jin''s sister, until the very end.
What was the result of all that?
Beris was on the verge of death, and Kuzan was now pleading for his enemy''s help at his feet. If Jin neglected them, they would be at Joshua''s mercy.
"We''ll try to transport her. But if we encounter Joshua''s forces in the process, we may have to abandon her. Understood?"
Jin saw that Kuzan''s eyes were bloodshot as he nodded. It seemed like he might start shedding tears of blood at any moment.
"Thank you."
Alisa immediately removed her robe after Jin made his decision. She then wrapped Beris in her robe and tied it with a rope to keep her from moving.
A couple of bones in her limbs broke in the process, but Jin thought it was the most appropriate measure given the circumstances.
"I''ve experienced something like this on joint missions with the magic squadron when I was in the special group. This is what the magic squadron leader taught me, that it''s better to tie them up to extract them."
Jin and Quikantel were also aware of it.
The pressure from the ropes would undoubtedly hurt her bones, but broken bones were much better than suffering damage to her organs from movement.
Bound with multiple rolls of rope around her, Beris looked like a corpse ready to be incinerated. Even if they managed to keep her alive, she would never be the same again.
Jin wanted to take Beris to Tikan. Then he would bring Healers for the initial round of treatments and head to Vank to negotiate with the Priests there. Only then could Beris survive.
"We just have to reach the south portal gate. Hopefully, your friend can hold on until then."
"Our two passes have been listed for arrest."
"It won''t matter because I have the mark of the Delki Royal Family with me. It will leave a trail of movement, but Joshua can''t set foot in Tikan anyway."
Due to the circumstances, they couldn''t make Beris travel on horseback. Jin''s group had to carry Beris in their arms and walk carefully until they reached the portal gate.
"It will take us about three hours if we walk fast enough. Lord Jin, there will be too many eyes on us."
Since the portals were the central institutions of every city, they were located right at the heart of it, connected to its major avenues and boulevards.
It was noon, which meant the streets were bustling with people.
It was also a terrible time to be walking around carrying something in a robe that was dripping with blood.
"We can always have the defense guards or security guards apany us with the royal mark, but I''m concerned that the news might reach Joshua''s forces, given the peculiar circumstances."
As long as Joshua''s subordinates didn''t take the form of Guardian Knights or Execution Knights, the group would never fall prey to a threat.
But it was highly likely that Beris would die in battle.
All eyes turned toward them as they stepped onto the street.
Many civilians screamed or covered their mouths upon seeing the blood-stained robe that clearly contained a person inside.
They soon encountered defense guards and security forces as well. But fortunately, either they left after a greeting or volunteered to watch over them as soon as they saw the royal mark.
Of course, Jin declined all their services.
"I knew it. This was never going to be easy. Sir Kashimir, we havepany."
Chapter 222
C222 - News Heard, News to Find (3)
"Two, no. It''s three."
Kashimir spoke without turning his head to take another look.
Alisa and Quikantel realized they were being followed as well.
Only Kuzan, who had all his attention focused on Beris, was startled and started to concentrate.
"We''re moving on the main road and we stand out, so it was only a matter of time." Quikantel shook his head as if finding it troublesome.
"The good news is that they''re not Runcandel Knights. If they were Guardian Knights or Execution Knights, they wouldn''t be following us. They would have simply attacked."
This was Hufester, Runcandel territory. There was no reason for Runcandel knights to bother following Jin, who was a Reserve gbearer.
If their pursuers were Runcandel knights, Beris was undoubtedly a lost cause, but Jin would also have to give up on Kuzan. That was the power the Second Runcandel gbearer had obtained in Hufester.
Undoubtedly, their group could take on ten Guardian Knights by themselves. But engaging in a relentless battle against the Runcandels waspletely different from fighting hounds unrted to the n.
As much as possible, Jin preferred not to leave an official record ofbat against the Runcandels for Alisa, Kashimir, and Quikantel.
"Which means those guys are hounds or informants of Joshua."
"What do you think we should do, Lord Jin?"
After thinking for a moment, Jin expressed his opinion.
"They would have alerted the higher authorities as soon as they saw us. I don''t think they have a direct line to Joshua, so one of them must be rushing right now. That means they are a group of four, not three."
Three people were following them.
But as Jin predicted, they were actually four. The other one started running at full speed when he noticed Jin''s group. That guard hurried toward the south portal gate.
"Alisa?"
"Yes, Lord Jin."
"I think you should run ahead of us toward the south portal gate. Whether toward the central region or the east, he would have to head where the knights are if he wants to notify them. One of them must be heading to the gate right now."
"Understood."
Jin chose Alisa for the task because no one in the group was as skilled in tracking and pursuit as the former special forces agent.
"What should I do when I locate him?"
"He''s Joshua''s man, so we can''t let him live. Take him out, but without pain."
"Understood."
Alisa didn''t separate from the group immediately.
Any abrupt movement was likely to be noticed, so she waited for Jin''s instructions for everyone before carrying out her task.
"And Kuzan?"
"Yes, sir."
"It''s time to test your skills. Kill the remaining three."
"Should I do it when we reach the forest paths?"
"No, right now. Can you do it?"
They were on the main road at noon.
Killing three people without any repercussions under such conditions was only possible for high-level assassins from the Anonymous* (*formerly known as No Names).
But Kuzan nodded without hesitation. "Yes, I can."
The response surprised Jin. "Ah, really?"
"Fortunately, I have a poison that would be perfect for it."
The deadly poison that turned people into unidentifiable ck puddles wasn''t the only one Kuzan possessed. With the right ingredients, Kuzan could prepare thousands of poisons, some specialized in discreet assassinations.
"You mustn''t be noticed under any circumstances."
"Understood, sir. I''ll pretend to buy drinks at that stall over there and poison them. Then I''ll rejoin the group, and you can continue walking as if nothing happened."
"What will happen to them?"
"They''ll try to keep an eye on me as I walk away from the group, but they''ll keep following you. They''ll keep walking,pletely unaware that they''re already poisoned. They''ll copse about five minutester. If they don''t receive treatment within the next ten minutes, they''ll die."
"What? Is it possible to kill people like that?" Jin couldn''t contain his surprise.
Even Quikantel''s eyes widened.
"It seems you''re resorting to extreme measures for the sake of the woman''s life. Are you sure about that...?"
Kuzan left the group before Quikantel could finish because he had already started on the least suspicious route toward the drink stall.
The group looked at each other in silence. Jin intentionally shouted to Kuzan, "I want the apple vor!" which led the rest to shout their preferred vors as well.
They continued walking as the drink vendor started preparing them, and their stalkers passed by Kuzan.
That was when Kuzan spilled his drinks on them and sprayed poison on the three lurkers. The poison was designed to be absorbed through the skin to paralyze the nerves and ultimately lead to death.
"I''m sorry."
The three briefly looked at Kuzan before continuing to chase the group. Kuzan got new drinks and caught up with the group.
"Are you done? Already?"
"Yes. I investigated them, and they seem to be Joshua''s local informants. They''re nobody skilled, and I didn''t recognize their faces. I think it should be safe now to send Lady Alisa to the portal gate."
Jin thought of asking if he was sure, but he decided to trust him and send Alisa ahead. Since Beris''s life was at stake, Kuzan must havepleted his task sessfully.
Waiting for five minutes for them to copse could sabotage their efforts.
"Alisa?"
Alisa nodded and handed Beris to Kashimir.
She then mounted the horse they had brought and rode off at full speed. The stalkers immediately responded to her. Another one of the three fell from their ranks.
Exactly five minutester, someone screamed behind them.
"Look! Someone just copsed here!"
Their stalkers suddenly fell to the ground, and civilians began screaming behind them. Their bodies solidified like rocks. They couldn''t even move their fingers.
"It''s a nerve poison made from toxins of the western desert spiders. It doesn''t work on martial artists of six stars and above. It''s a pretty weak poison that can be neutralized simply by drinking a few sses of water, but if you don''t know what it is, that''s what happens." Kuzan described it as if it was nothing special.
Thest one who fell from the group probably also hit the ground.
"I''m d I got the Thousand-Poison Antidote."
Jin was safe thanks to that drink, but the fact that hispanions didn''t have that immunity meant they could fall just as easily. It sent shivers down his spine.
"I suppose it would be good to have a poison master in Tikan."
There were poison masters in the Runcandel n as well, but Jin could only have ess to them after bing a gbearer.
The road immediately filled with confusion. Jin''s group continued walking slowly toward the portal.
They arrived at the south portal two hourster.
"You''ve arrived."
Alisa smiled as the group arrived.
"It went as I expected, Lord Jin. One of them broke away from the pack and ran toward the portal. I took care of him and hid his body. The security forces will find him soon."
It was only possible because Alisa was much stronger than him. They wouldn''t have made it here safely if Joshua''s informants had been skilled.
Thanks to Alisa''s work, their whereabouts had not yet reached Joshua.
The portal guide initially denied them entry when he saw the group, but he opened the gates when Jin showed the royal mark.
"You''re with the royal family. Wee. I wish you a safe journey."
The group felt relieved as they entered the portal.
"I''ve noticed that the citizens of thisnd seem to unconditionally support their leader."
Quikantel shrugged.
"After the factions loyal to the former king fell in the civil war, the faction led by the current ruling prince of Delki issued decrees that favored their people. It''s no wonder the support is so high. Although thosepanions were discarded after the civil war, of course."
Kashimir spoke as he looked at Kuzan and Beris.
"Well, Kuzan Marius. Your gamble paid off."
"Thank you."
"Forget about thanks. I want more immediate rewards, like Joshua Runcandel. If you don''t have valuable information about him, you can''t join forces with me. Is that clear?"
Kuzan nodded with a heavy heart.
But Jin didn''t intend to discard Kuzan. Even if he didn''t have any important information to provide, a man like him was very useful to Jin.
Since he couldn''t trust Kuzan yet, Jin nned to keep an eye on him for some time.
"Well, regardless of the information, I will save your friend. Pray that the Vank Priests don''t make ridiculous demands."
The guide then informed them that the portal gate was opening, and soon they were engulfed in mana and its light.
All the high-level Healers in Tikan attended to Beris as soon as they returned.
They performed the mostplicated surgery ever conducted in Tikan.
Kuzan waited outside the operating room, feeling terribly anxious and nervous. Jin didn''t force Kuzan to give him any information about Joshua until the operation was over.
Exactly thirty-two hours after starting the operation, the Healers emerged from the room drenched in sweat.
"It was a sess, all thanks to you bringing us the medicines we needed in time, Lord Jin. She only needs to rest in bed for some time, but she''s not in danger of death."
Another Healer chimed in. "However, if she doesn''t receive additional treatments from the Vank Priests, she''ll never be able to wield mana again."
"I see. Thank you all for your hard work."
Upon hearing that Beris was safe, Kuzan dropped to the floor and began crying. He sobbed with such desperation that it briefly cast a gloom over Jin.
Gilly silently handed him a handkerchief. He couldn''t stop thanking her as he took the handkerchief. This was something he had never experienced while serving under Taimyun and Joshua.
They were waiting for him to stop crying when Enya came running in search of Jin.
"Lord Jin! Yulian just woke up. Alisa headed to the basement first."
"Really? Gilly, do we have any sandwiches left?"
"Yes, Young Master."
"Good. Let''s go, Kuzan. Things are going to get very tough for Yulian once Alisa starts interrogating him, so let''s eat something and talk before that happens. You must be hungry too. You haven''t eaten anything in the past two days."
"Yulian is here too?"
"Yes. We brought him here after subduing him in the Bluebird Inds. Do you want to hear something more shocking than that?"
Jin continued after packing the sandwiches: "There, I killed Joshua. But somehow, he''s alive and showed up at the knighthood ceremony in the Kingdom of Schutzeron. It''s better for you or Yulian to know something about this phenomenon."
Yulian looked dazed in the basement, his body tied up.
Jin ced a sandwich in front of him and smiled.
"You have a deep sleep, Peitel contractor. Whether this bes yourst meal or not depends on your choice."
"Kuzan? Don''t tell me you betrayed Sir Joshua?"
"Joshua did all the betrayals around here. You almost died at his hands when Peitel manifested in you. So why don''t we start this by discarding any loyalty toward that bastard?"
Chapter 223
C223 - News Heard, News to Find (4)
Jin took a bite of the sandwich.
It was Kuzan who spoke first, instead of Yulian: "It''s probably not loyalty."
"What?"
"Unlike the other hounds, Yulian never acted out of loyalty to Joshua. He fears Joshua. Just Joshua''s voice alone is enough to make his hands tremble."
Yulian gritted his teeth at Kuzan''s description.
"Shut your mouth, Kuzan!"
"Am I saying something false? Beris and I followed Joshua out of our desire for revenge, and you did it out of fear for him. All of that means nothing now."
"I told you to shut up!"
"If you also want to live, I suggest you cooperate with the young lord."
Yulian''s eyelids trembled violently. He was obviously doing his best to suppress his humiliation.
"Well, it''s not so shameful to fear one''s own lord."
Jin released Yulian from the handcuffs.
"Let me warn you in advance. It would be better if you don''t think about causing any trouble just because I released you from the chains, because you might end up realizing that there are others much more terrifying than Joshua. Well then, eat something first."
Yulian''s and Kuzan''s stomachs growled at the same time.
They silently ate their sandwiches. Yulian''s gaze shifted from Jin to Alisa as he ate. He seemed particrly guarded around Jin.
He still had fragments of memories from the Manifestation, so he knew how terrifying Jin Runcandel was.
Unfortunately for him, the memories he had left were only of Jin dominating Peitel because Yulian''s consciousness awakened during the brief moments of extreme shock.
So it''s not loyalty but fear, huh. Maybe I can recruit this guy too, Jin thought.
It was easy to control people who were deeply scared.
You just had to eliminate the source of fear, plunge them into even greater fear, or help them be strong enough to ovee their own fears.
The first one wasn''t feasible at the moment, and the third one required time and effort. Since Jin didn''t feel much attachment to Yulian anyway, he opted for the second method.
"It seems you''ve finished eating. Now let''s get down to business. Yulian, I am Jin Runcandel. I am the younger brother of that bastard you serve and the Contractor of Solderet. And this is the Free City of Tikan, thend mypanions and I control."
Yulian felt fear at the mere mention of his name and choked on his sandwich. He had been too busy fighting Murakan to hear his name in the Bluebird Inds.
Yulian understood what Jin Runcandel meant to Joshua.
Jin offered him some water and continued. "There''s a good reason why I''m telling you all these things. First, I hope we can be honest and frank with each other, and second, I warn you that this is where you''ll meet your untimely end if you don''t. That should sum it up. Is that clear?"
Yulian nodded eagerly, but he didn''t do it willingly. Alisa grabbed him by the cor and forced him to nod after observing his reaction.
"Good. I like your style. First question. What were all of you doing in the Bluebird Inds?"
Unlike Kuzan, Yulian hadn''t yet given up his attachment to Joshua. Therefore, he looked down without any response. Kuzan spoke with frustration.
"We were in the Bluebird Inds to reinforce Yulian''s powers on Joshua''s orders. Joshua felt challenged by the man named Bamel. Of course, it was only on the inds that I discovered that Bamel was actually you."
"There seems to be a way to strengthen Peitel''s divine power through Gramm''s tomb. Is that something Yulian learned through Peitel?"
"No, Yulian has been under hismand much longer than us. We were told that he has been strengthening his powers there asionally since his childhood. Joshua was the one who told him about the method."
"I wonder if there was anything about Peitel in the n''s secret archives. Anyway, Joshua also knew how to strengthen Peitel''s divine powers. Is that what you''re saying?"
"Sorry, I don''t know anything about that. You''ll have to hear the details from Yulian."
Jin looked at Yulian.
"I have something to tell you. Back in the Bluebird Inds, your lord died."
"Did Sir Joshua die?" Yulian''s nervous gaze filled with horror.
"Yes. He used a Runcandel detonation move to kill me, and you were also about to die in his wake. He didn''t seem to care at all if someone like you died or not in the process. I bothered to take you with me because I had a lot to ask."
A brief silence followed.
Yulian soon burst into bitterughter. It was out of self-contempt.
Jin''s words helped Yulian make sense of everything.
"Why are youughing? Is it because you already know that Joshua never died?"
Jin tossed the newspaper he had brought at Yulian''s feet. It had the article reporting Joshua''s attendance at the knighthood ceremony in Schutzeron.
"I clearly saw his body burn and die from the detonation move. But somehow, he attends ceremonies the next day. It seems you know something about it."
Yulian quickly scanned the article and its date. Then he looked Jin in the eyes. "I suppose, after all, I was just Joshua''s spare toy."
"What do you mean by that?" Jin asked with a glint in his eyes.
"Of course, he wouldn''t care about someone like me when he''s suddenly presented with the unexpected opportunity to capture the Solderet Contractor he desired for so long."
"Now I understand the essence. Joshua intended to keep your contract if he ever failed to capture me. Or don''t you agree?"
Yulian didn''t respond. For a while, all he did was tremble with his fists tightly clenched.
Just as Jin had assumed, Yulian was a kind of backup, an insurance in case Joshua couldn''t snatch the contract from Jin. Joshua had several other Contractors of that kind in his other secret locations.
That''s why Joshua had no reason to secure Yulian in the Bluebird Inds because he thought it was the perfect opportunity to capture Jin without repercussions.
However, the appearance of Garmund reversed his luck, and Joshua chose to detonate himself. It didn''t matter if Yulian got caught in the process or not. Destroying Jin''s forces took priority over keeping Yulian alive.
"How does one transfer the contract anyway? The fact that it''s still alive and active after the Bluebird Inds incident is also unsettling. He must be doing something dreadful and sinister. I hope you can dispel some of my unsettling concerns."
"If I tell you everything I know, can you protect me?" Yulian spoke decisively.
He didn''t ask Jin if he could protect him. He asked if Jin would directly protect him. Jin understood the difference in nuance in the words and nodded.
"If you give me information that''s worth it, of course."
"There''s a woman called The Seer."
Kuzan didn''t know anything about that person.
"The Seer?"
"She is Sir Joshua''s right-hand woman. I''ve only seen her twice, but it seemed like she was behind almost every decision he makes. It was she who told him about Gramm''s tomb on the Bluebird Inds and that it can also be used to strengthen my powers."
"What kind of person is she?"
"A monster who is in absolute servitude to Sir Joshua."
"A monster? Does that mean she''s powerful?"
"No, I don''t know. I referred to her as a monster because she doesn''t feel human. You said you killed Sir Joshua in the Bluebird Inds. You probably killed a copy of him created by that woman."
Jin smiled satisfied. It was solid information obtained from the beginning of this interrogation, and the theory he had discussed with hispanions had proven to be correct.
But it was quite shocking to hear that Joshua had actually been a copy.
"Do you know how that woman creates copies of Joshua?"
"I only know that it requires arge number of humans."
"What?"
It seemed like they used the condemned in Hufester. They sent them to The Seer, and he obtained a new body. He mainly used those bodies to handle people like me. To strengthen his potential Contractors and suppress them in case of overload."
This revealed the purpose of Joshua''s unexpected visit to the Bluebird Inds. He had sent Yulian there, but when he saw the lightning storm forming over the Bluebird Inds, he thought it was an overload, not a manifestation. He went to take care of it himself, and that''s when he encountered Jin.
"That crazy bastard. He''s been using copies of himself because he can''t send the n''s Knights when the Contractors experience an overload."
Jin brought his hand to his forehead as he shook his head.
Condemned or not, using humans as ingredients to create copies of himself and the fact that Joshua did it without any remorse made Jin sick.
"Surely, that can''t be the only purpose for which he used his copies. Do you know how many copies of himself he has?"
"I don''t know. But I do know that he once lost a copy while suppressing the Water Contractor in their overload."
It wasn''t just one copy. There could be multiple instances of him as well.
The Seer truly deserved to be called a monster, just as Yulian had described her.
"It seems we''ll have to verify if this person called The Seer is even human. I''m sure she was the one who informed him about how the contract can be transferred."
In reality, The Seer was gathering ingredients for the contract. But neither Jin nor Yulian were aware of that.
Jin pondered for a while and then looked at Yulian with puzzled eyes.
"You were aware that Joshua would take away the contract from you if he failed to capture me. Howe you never managed to escape from him? Was it because you were too afraid of him?"
"Do you think it''s possible to escape Joshua''s reach within Hufester?"
"I don''t see why not. You''re not just an ordinary person. You''re a Contractor. If you had sought help from the Zipple, they would have weed you with open arms. In that case, not even Joshua could have stopped you."
Since Yulian didn''t officially belong to the Runcandels, Joshua had no justification to bring him back if he sided with the Zipples.
"Is your family held hostage?"
"My Dragon Guardian is. I have no family left. They were all killed by Joshua, the entire vige I lived in."
And yet, you obeyed his orders without rebelling against him. Don''t you have any pride? Any sense of revenge? However, Jin didn''t reprimand him.
He understood how far removed he lived from the emotion of fear as a sessful Runcandel in his current life.
Most people were unable to ovee their fears.
But Jin knew very well that that wasn''t necessarily a bad thing, considering the miserable life he had in the past.
"You must think I''m pathetic. That''s why that woman, Beris, also interrogated me all the time. But Jin Runcandel, this information should be worth it. Keep your end of the deal."
"It''s not very difficult to protect you. As long as you lead a quiet life here in Tikan without ever venturing out, you should be fine. But I don''t think that''s what you''re saying."
"You''re right. Please bring back my Dragon Guardian from Joshua. Without him, my miserable life means nothing."
Jin shook his head without hesitation.
"I''ll give you the opportunity. You''ll be able to bring him back yourself someday."
Chapter 224
C224 - News Heard, News to Find (5)
"Of course, that''s only if you wholeheartedly join my forces. Until then, you''re a captive. We''ll treat you humanely, so I hope you won''t disappoint me," Jin continued.
As he had said, Yulian was practically a prisoner he had obtained after defeating his enemy. Although Yulian had provided a lot of information, he had not yet joined Jin''s forces.
Yulian also understood well that he should be thankful for having his life spared for now.
His request to rescue his Dragon Guardian was more of a deration of his desire to side with Jin.
Yulian never imagined that Joshua could fall.
His family had been massacred, and the vige he lived in was wiped out without a trace. But no one in Hufester ever mentioned it, and no organization demanded the truth.
It was because the Runcandels were behind it.
To Yulian, Joshua was the sessor to the Runcandel patriarchate, one without any realpetitors.
That wasn''t all. He made copies of himself through The Seer and pursued Divine Contractors, easily controlling their Dragons and confining them as well.
Yulian was only twelve years old when he was forced to obey Joshua. To him, Joshua was a divine being he could never disobey, an indescribable source of fear.
But Yulian saw his first ray of hope in Jin.
Not only had he defeated his own manifestation of Peitel, but he was also a Runcandel who had managed to kill Joshua''s copy.
Perhaps he was someone who could help put an end to this terrifying and miserable servitude.
"I understand."
"Let''s take some time to trust each other, okay? Unlike Kuzan, youck motives or reasons to stay by my side. Alisa?"
"Yes, Lord Jin?"
"Please take good care of thispanion until you feel confident that he can leave the basement."
"Understood."
Jin couldn''t release a man capable of causing mass destruction without any verification. Jin nned to keep Yulian confined in the basement to monitor him for a while.
"Oh, and one more thing. Let me know if you ever crave snacks again."
Jin left the basement with Kuzan. Immediately, his mind filled with thoughts.
"The copy was real. And there''s also The Seer."
Kuzan also seemed concerned.
"It seems you didn''t know about The Seer."
"I apologize."
"No need for apologies. From today on, you''ll go to the basement every night to have dinner with Yulian. Try to find out what Yulian knows about Joshua''s forces. Compare it with what you know and present the information to me in the form of charts."
Joshua would know that Yulian was still alive because the captive Dragon Guardian he held would show no signs of change. Therefore, Jin had to make sure not to eliminate or provoke any of Joshua''s forces mentioned by Yulian for some time because that would inform Joshua of his betrayal and cause him to kill the Dragon Guardian.
Kuzan understood his intentions and nodded.
"I''ll make sure to handle it well so that Yulian won''t be seen as a traitor."
"Alright. Why don''t you rest a bit until nightfall? Or you could go see Beris. I''ll listen to your stories and Beris''s when she''s fully healed."
"Thank you, sir."
"Later, I''ll discuss with Sir Kashimir to assign you a position. You''ll likely be assigned to the Seven-Colored Peacocks. No special favor will be shown to you, so make sure to pay attention during basic training."
"Lord Jin?"
"Yes?"
"If it ever happens that Beris bes unable to handle mana, I''ll make sure to do anything to share her burden as well."
Kuzan and Beris had lived their entire lives as tools and hounds for someone. They had the deep notion that their lives were over once they lost their usefulness. That''s why Kuzan was worried that Jin would get rid of Beris.
Kuzan had already decided to be a tool for Jin. Of course, Jin didn''t consider people as tools.
"So, are you asking me not to get rid of Beris or to treat her as if she''s worthless?"
"If you allow me the audacity to ask, yes."
"If talks go well with the Priests of Vank, then we''ll provide her with extra treatment. And even if not, we still have many uses for her, so don''t worry. In any case,e to Sir Kashimir''s office tomorrow at noon. Gilly will assign you a room."
Jin turned around to address his otherpanions.
Kuzan knelt down on the floor and gave a deep bow in Jin''s direction.
Quikantel was passing by the hallway. He grabbed Kuzan by the shoulder and lifted him up.
"What are you doing in the middle of the hallway? At this rate, you might start building altars in his name."
This made Jin smile awkwardly. He tried to pretend he hadn''t noticed Kuzan''s bow. Then, Kuzan headed to Beris''s room with an ufortable air.
"Did you find out anything?" Quikantel asked Jin.
"Yes, let me tell you along with the others."
They headed to Kashimir''s office. Everyone was already gathered there.
Jin informed them of what he had learned from Yulian. Kashimir, Quikantel, and Latrie couldn''t hide their surprise.
"Witchcraft that uses humans to create copies of humans? How terrifying. I mean, it''s not like humans are cookie dough."
Latrie shrugged. Quikantel shook his head.
"Anyway, what about your older brother? He''s supposed to be a Runcandel, but he hires a sorcerer to try to curse you. And now? A copy? And this person called The Seer even has the power to force the contract too, right?"
"God, that gives me chills. I''ve been thinking about this for a while, but it''s so cunning. I can''t believe he shares your lineage, Lord Jin."
As Enya had nearly be a sacrifice for the Demon God Stone, the phrase of forcing a contract itself sent shivers down her spine.
"And what about you, Dragons? Do you have any idea what it could be?"
"A Demon."
"I think it''s a Demon."
Quikantel and Latrie responded at the same time.
"If it''s a Demon with powers like those of a Demon King, it''s very possible. Apart from the contract part, of course. But since the Zipple and Kinzelo tried to transfer contracts with the Demon God Stone, Demons might also have a form."
"Demons, huh."
The Battle for the Holy Kingdom.
In the only battle in history where the Runcandels and the Zipple fought together, the Demons were defeated and destroyed without a chance of recovery. Thanks to that, they were too focused on rebuilding their world to intervene in the human world.
"Or the Witch Heluram. I suppose anything would be possible if it were her. Whether it''s making copies of a person or transferring contracts, I think it would undoubtedly be possible for her."
"Whether it''s a Demon or Heluram, we have to find out how they got involved with Joshua and what their purpose is. But..." Jin paused. "Being realistic, that would be difficult. It''s also too risky to introduce the Peacocks for that. In fact, I''m starting to think that their reach might extend beyond Joshua and actually involve the n."
"That''s certainly possible, Lord Jin. If such a figure is by Joshua''s side, I doubt that the major figures within the Runcandel n arepletely oblivious to it."
They all nodded. The Runcandels wouldn''t bepeting for world domination against the Zipple if they weren''t at least equally cunning.
"Either the Runcandel n is turning a blind eye to Joshua''s alliance with The Seer, or they''re giving it their full support. I suppose that will be the most crucial point." Kashimir spoke with a heavy voice.
"In the case of thetter, I wonder what Temar would think of his descendants."
"I don''t think we should address this issue before I be the gbearer."
They could face a reaction they couldn''t bear.
He couldn''t ask Cyron either. Although he had obtained a witness, it wasn''t enough. If he ever asked for help in the session war, it was unknown how Cyron would treat him afterward.
"Just like the Kinzelo and the Zipple have a tremendous number of hidden forces, I suppose my n might also have some. Is that why Mother has been giving her full support to Joshua? Because she excels in those covert moves?"
Jin delved into various secrets of the major factions as a Reserve gbearer.
The Zipple used all sorts of dirty tricks to be the sole deities of the world, and the Kinzelo were no different.
Vermont hadn''t directly shed with Jin yet, but he maintained a triangr rtionship with the Zipple and Kinzelo.
It was unlikely that the Runcandel n was the only major faction doing nothing.
Suddenly, Jin remembered the words Joshua had spoken on the Blue Bird Inds.
"Not at all. If I had wanted to, I could have always surpassed that older sister of yours. But, dear younger brother, do you have any idea of the kind of things lurking in the world above, in the world you haven''t experienced yet?"
"Why do you think the Runcandels never surpassed the Zipple, despite our father? Why do you think Father has never abandoned me despite his disappointments? Setting aside his own dissatisfaction, it''s because he knows that I am the one most protected against our enemies, of all our siblings in the Garden of Swords."
In reality, the Zipple and the Kinzelo wanted the same thing: to be the sole owners of the world.
"If I can figure it out myself, then the n definitely knows it too. Did Joshua mean that he is the one most protected against the Kinzelo and the Zipple?"
If the Runcandels weren''t against the existence of The Seer, it was probably because she was on their side.
Or is there something I don''t know? After thinking for a while, Jin looked at hispanions with determination.
"I don''t think I can afford to enjoy the five years my father has given me. I must n to return to the n earlier."
It had been almost three years since he became a Reserve gbearer.
But what he could find out as a Reserve gbearer had a limit, especially if the information was rted to the Runcandels.
"When do you n to return?"
"Early 1799 seems fine to me."
"As we''re now in October 1797, that would be a little over a year from now."
"I''ll sort out the things I''ll need to obtain by then and start building a reputation that the n can ept. Then we''ll openly investigate that woman called The Seer, with my right as the gbearer."
Jin''s powers were already more than enough to be epted as a Runcandel gbearer. Besides, he could always build the reputation necessary, with the name he chose himself.
But he needed to make further preparations before returning. Preparations that would allow him to fight against Joshua''s foundations.
"If only that stupid Murakan could regain at least half of his former powers before your return. Then I wouldn''t worry so much about sending you," Quikantel said.
"He left with a firm determination to find his sister, so I''m sure he''ll return with some changes, right?"
Murakan had said that it would take him about two months to find his sister.
But just a monthter, Jin and hispanions heard news presumed to be rted to Murakan.
Chapter 225: Murakhans Benefactor (1)
Chapter 225. Murakhan''s Benefactor (1)
Before departing, Murakhan left a letter and a sheet of paper outlining his approximate travel route for Gilly.
The paper contained a list of marked areas where hispanions could find him in case of trouble during his journey.
Every three days, Seven Colors Group checked Murakhan''s marks, and on November 20, 1797, they heard news of a battle between a dragon and a monster near the Krashi Mountains, in a city called Santel.
The Krashi Mountains were one of the areas where Murakhan had left his mark.
"Young Master! Something strange has happened. Right after we confirmed Murakhan''s mark in the Krashi Mountains, there was a big fight between a fire dragon and a monster in Santel. But the monster was all ck and winged, almost dragon-like¡"
"So you think the monster that fought the fire dragon could be Murakhan?"
"That''s right."
"Why? Because the battle happened immediately after he left his mark?"
"That, and the city of Santel is in chaos. Even though our Seven Colors Group members tried to enter to gather more information, the entire city is locked-down and we couldn''t get in. The city has turned into a sea of fire, and there isn''t a single news article about it!"
That was indeed strange. Although the area around the Krashi Mountains was remote, it would be normal for an article to be published immediately if a battle had taken ce that was severe enough to affect a nearby city.
Seven Colors Group was able to obtain information from locals before the city waspletely blocked off, but not a single external media outlet covered the incident.
"We barely got the information that the monster resembled a dragon. If we were just two hourste, we wouldn''t have met the locals. I''m sure it''s Murakhan."
Media control is a privilege of major powers.
And a fire dragon at that. It didn''t feel good.
"Fire dragon and media control. Young Master, it looks like Zipfel''s side is involved."
"If there is a fire dragon that works with Zipfel, wouldn''t it be Kadun, the guardian dragon of Kelliark?"
Enya looked at Jin worriedly. Ever since Jet started reporting, a bad feeling enveloped thepanions.
"Jet."
"Yes, Ma¡¯am Quinkantel."
"Do you have more information about the fire dragon that attacked the city? Its appearance or itsbat power at the time of the battle."
"All we know is that it was significantlyrger than other dragons."
Sigh...
Quinkantel sighed and put her hand on her forehead.
"It must be Kadun. Jin, it seems like he was the one who attacked. We should not have let Murakhan go alone. From the moment he first came to Bement, Zipfel was clearly targeting him."
Quinkantel suddenly stood up with anxious clearly visible in her eyes.
Kadun, the king of the fire dragons was a tricky opponent even when Murakhan was in his prime. Now, having lost his old power, he was so strong that Murakhan couldn''t evenpete with him.
Quinkantel was someone who knew better than anyone else that Murakhan could never handle Kadun. That''s why she became extremely anxious as soon as she was sure.
"Calm down, Quinkantel. It''s certain that Murakhan is not dead. I''m his contractee and I didn''t feel anything."
"Darn it! If Kadun overpowered Murakhan, it''s only natural that he didn''t kill him. Because if he dies, we don''t know what will happen to the next contractor of Solderet, or who it will be. He probably tore his wings and imprisoned him, or he might have been drugged up. Besides, they want the contract of Solderet, so they will try to find you, the contractor."
The words spat out by Andrei, who had a duel with Jin, shed through Jin''s mind.
¡ªImend your surprise attack. But you and your god will be the most important ingredients of the Demon''s Stone......
The most important ingredient of the Demon''s Stone.
This sentence revealed how much Zipfel valued ''the power of Solderet''.
Andrei died that day with Vyuretta, but there were many more moments when Zipfel could have learned that ''the ck dragon is active''.
The day he became a preliminary rider and left the Garden of Swords on Murakhan, the day he went to Bement to find Quinkantel, the day he killed the graveyard giant, or the Colon ruins, etc.
Even if it wasn''t in the Lutero Magic Federation, considering that Zipfel''s informants are everywhere in the world, they were news items that could easily be passed on.
''As Quinkantel said, maybe they''ve been looking for Murakhan and me from the beginning.''
Of course, it was the result of Murakhan insisting that he had to move alone to meet Misha.
Anyway, regret did not help in finding Murakhan. What was needed now was urate judgment and quick action.
"But Master, there''s one more strange thing."
"What is it?"
"Isn''t Vanke a neutral country? While the rest of us determined that Zipfel was controlling the media, it was the knights of Vanke who were blocking the city."
Santel belonged to the ''Shul Kingdom'', so it was not the territory of Vanke.
"Battle was fought by Kadun and Murakhan, media control is done by Zipfel, and the city blockade is being handled by the knights?"
"Yes. The Shul Kingdom itself isn''t doing anything."
That was definitely strange.
It wasmon for the Holy Kingdom of Vanke to dispatch knights and healers to disaster-stricken areas of various countries for city restoration and relief of the people, but it was rare for them to block an area.
That was the responsibility of the military in the area. If they didn''t have enough military power, it was usually taken care of by whoever was controlling the media.
So Jin and hispanions naturally thought that Zipfel was in control.
"Moreover, the attitude of the knights who drove out the Seven Colors Group members and other reporters who happened to smell something and ran was tantly rude. As if dealing with pagans."
"So you''re saying that the Holy Kingdom is aiding Zipfel?"
Vanke was a country that had never taken sides with anyone throughout history. It maintained neutrality even in Jin''s previous life.
"I''m not sure, but for now, I and the other members think that way."
There was a moment of silence.
Without entering Santel directly, there was no clear information to find out. Gilly ced her hand on Jin''s shoulder and looked into his eyes.
"Young Master, he''s not one to be easily defeated. Don''t worry too much and it would be best to go see for yourself. It might not be Murakhan, but a real winged monster."
Although she said this, Gilly''s hand on Jin''s shoulder was trembling. She was desperately suppressing her emotions so as not to upset Jin further.
To Jin and Gilly, Murakhan was more than just a friend; he was family. When something bad happens to someone like him, they''d rather it be them instead.
"Sir Kashimir, does Seven Colors Group have a line established with Vanke?"
"There are a few priests that Bran (???) and I personally know." [TL: Who was Bran again?]
"Then Sir, could you check with Vanke? What happened in Santel, why the Holy Kingdom is involved in Zipfel''s business."
"Understood."
It was Jin, Quinkantel, and Kuzan who went directly to Santel. Since there was no direct portal to Santel, they had to ride Shuri from the Shul Kingdom, which took a whole day.
Santel, which they saw firsthand, was under stricter control than they had expected.
And it was still engulfed in blood-red mes.
"......I''m sure, that''s Kadun''s me. There''s no other fire dragon that can use such intense fire."
Qunkcantel stood on the cliff overlooking the city and gritted her teeth. They could also see the sights of mages and holy knights fighting the mes inside the city.
The civilians were all gathered in certain areas where the mes were contained.
It was a strange sight.
Vanke always prioritized the lives of the people in situations like disasters and wars. Naturally, since the city was still burning, it was right to first evacuate the people.
However, the holy knights in te armor werepletely blocking the entrance as if they were dealing with heretics.
They had something to hide, so they were blocking it. It was highly likely that there was information that should not be leaked, and there were too many witnesses.
"It seems like Kadun has left the city. If he was still here, mages and holy knights would have been battling or protecting the civilians instead of putting out the fire. Let''s enter the city now."
Santel was a city that was situated on a in. It wasn''t easy to approach avoiding the eyes of the guards and holy knights, but fortunately, there were still some reporters nearby waiting for a chance to enter.
As soon as the group descended the cliff, they mixed with them and approached the city. That should have been enough to get inside the city.
The ce they chose to prate was the side gate on the left of the city. The atmosphere was even more severe than the central gate, and even the reporters did not stake out there.
"Step back."
"Take off your hood and identify yourself. If you take two more steps, I''ll cut you down."
As soon as the holy knights blocking the side gate saw the group, they spoke in low voices. In fact, they seemed to have driven away a few reporters before the group arrived, as there were dried bloodstains on the dirt ground.
The scales drawn on the te armor indicated their position as holy knights. They were second-ss knights of the ''Dawn Guardians of Doctrine'' under the Inquisition, infamous within the Holy Kingdom.
They were not the kind of people to be stationed in such a quiet city or to block it.
''Holy knights of the Dawn Guardians of Doctrine... Both Zipfel and the Holy Kingdom. It''s clear that they''re taking this matter very seriously.''
But this time, it could be a matter of life and death for a family member.
As a result, noplicated move was nned while a justification was crafted. It wasn''t time for actions that required time, such as deceiving or bribing.
''Kuzan.''
Sreeung-!
When Jin gave a signal, Kuzan shed his eyes and drew his dagger. A pre-manufactured anesthetic poison was applied to the de.
"Quiet."
In an instant!
The holy knights couldn''t finish their words. Kuzan and Quinkantel, who rushed at the same time, suppressed them with a single blow.
Kuzan urately stabbed the seams of the te armor with his dagger to anesthetize the opponent, and Quicantel forcefully opened the helm and fed the poison that Kuzan gave him.
The holy knights were instantly paralyzed while standing. While Quinkantel and Kuzan propped up the holy knights against the wall, Jin swung his sword through the gap in the door and cut the bolt inside.
In three minutes at the earliest, and ten minutes at thetest, the fact that the side gate was open would be known.
That was enough. Within that time, they needed to meet a local, find out if the appearance of the monster exactly matched Murakhan, if he used Shadow Qi(Aura), and how the battle with Kadun ended.
Giiiik-!
However, the moment the side gate opened, the group faced two new holy knights. It just happened to be the time for a shift change.
Chapter 226: Murakhans Benefactor (2)
Chapter 226: Murakhan''s Benefactor (2)
It was fortunate that there were only two of them. All they had to do was suppress them in the same way.
With a swift movement, Quinkantel''s fist struck the face of the knight who reflexively drew his sword. The helmet dented, blood sttered, and the knight fell unconscious.
Kuzan, unfazed, stabbed at the seams of the armor, paralyzing his opponent.
"We''ve just arrived and you''ve already taken down four knights," Jinmented as he hid the fallen knights in a drain. They looked like corpses but weren''t dead.
Fortunately, there was not a single person inside the side gate. The city center had already been sealed off, preventing civilians from leaving.
The three of them moved silently. They had to enter the city and check on Murakhan as soon as possible.
Once they entered the city, they noticed quite a few patrolling knights. There were no Shul Kingdom forces, as Jet reported. Instead, the city was filled with extreme and authoritative figures like the Dawn Guardians of Doctrine.
Jin and his group were able to infiltrate the city center undetected, thanks to their superior skills and the noisy and bustling streets.
The buildings were burning and copsing from the mes left by Kadun. The streets were filled with screams and cries. People who had lost family and rtives in the battle were wailing and copsing everywhere.
There were also bodies that had not yet been cleaned up. Knights with indifferent eyes concealed by helmets were throwing corpses onto wagons.
Most, if not all, of the corpses were those who had died from fire. The bodies were burnt ck, making it impossible to identify them.
There were no signs of spiritual power being used yet.
"...This is horrifying," said Jin.
"Dragons like Kadun don''t care about humans, unless you are a special human. To them, humans are no different from bugs. Most dragons view humans as inferior beings, but fire dragons are especially so."
"But can we say that these corpses have nothing to do with Murakan?"
As Jin pondered this, Quinkantel added, "At least he''s not the type to ughter humans indiscriminately for his own purpose."
Jin responded with an awkward smile.
The further they ventured into the city, the more bodies they found. Some were piled up like mountains, with priests singing requiems around them.
There were easily at least five thousand dead. This was a devastating loss for a city the size of Santel. It was likely that more than half of the city''s residents had died.
But it wasn''t just corpses.
A smaller number of injured people were constantly groaning and screaming. The healers, known as the ''Saints'' of Vanke, were sweating as they attended to them.
However, not all the Saints were focused on healing.
This was what made the group feel strange.
"Sir, isn''t the atmosphere in the city... a bit weird?" asked one of the group members.
Jin nodded quietly. Quinkantel was also looking at the Saints, not those performing healing magic, but those preaching.
"Right now, the fire dragon is still fighting monsters on the ins outside the city. But good and gentle people, the messengers of heaven havee, so do not fear or despair..."
"The hateful monster that killed our parents, siblings, children, will soon be killed by the fire dragon! Let us all pray together, may the gods watch over the fire dragon..."
The im that a battle was still ongoing on the ins outside the city was clearly a lie. Jin and hispanions had just passed through there to enter the city.
Outside, there were only a few reporters and the knights blocking them.
However, the civilians sitting in front of the Saint seemed to believe his words.
"Let us pray!"
"Amen!"
Some were even moved by the Saint''s absurd agitation and fell to their knees.
On one side, healing was taking ce, on the other, agitation was being stirred among the less injured, and the city was tightly sealed off. Those from Vanke were tantly manipting the situation.
But it wasn''t that the civilians were fools who were deceived by the Saints'' agitation.
In the midst of the shock and grief of losing their families, they were being brainwashed by the Saints'' unique ''Persuasion Magic''.
The Saints imed it was ''divine power'', but most mages, including Jin, knew it was a type of mana.
Persuasion magic, simr to old mental magic, was often used for preaching and evangelism.
The faint yellow light in the Saint''s eyes was proof that persuasion magic was being used.
"Through the power of prayer, both the dead and the living are bound together, we are never alone! Those who have fulfilled their mission will find peace..."
Persuasion magic was useless against those with strong mental power, but it could easily deceive civilians who were in shock.
"The current Holy King must have strictly prohibited the use of persuasion magic by the Saints, but they''re all using it."
The current Holy King, ''Min'', had even announced that any saint using persuasion magic would be ssified as a ''heretic''.
It had continued to be used out of convenience and tradition, but persuasion magic clearly went against the doctrine and what the Holy Kingdom pursued.
"They''re trying to pin the massacremitted by Kadun on the monster. If Murakhan is the monster, I don''t think he''s been caught by Kadun, yet."
"I think so too, Quinkantel. If he had been caught, there would be no need for thismotion."
The monster presumed to be Murakhan had escaped, and Kadun, in his haste to chase him, had not extinguished the mes spread throughout the city.
Jin and Quinkantel simultaneously deduced the same situation. If he had been caught, Kadun could have extinguished the mes spread throughout the city and even glorified the name of Zipfel by killing the monster.
"We need to figure out why they''re helping Zipfel by breaking the orders of the Holy King," Jin mused.
Judging from the circumstances that had surfaced so far, Vanke was no longer a ''neutral country''. They were aiding Zipfell even at the cost of using forbidden mind control techniques, known as ''Persuasion Magic''. This couldn''t have happened without the permission at the national level.
However, finding Murakhan was more urgent than pondering this issue right now.
"Let''s try to talk to the civilians when we get a chance. We just need to confirm whether the demon is indeed Murakhan before we leave."
It wasn''t easy to find an opportunity to interact with the civilians. There was no point in conversing with civilians who were caught up in the agitation, and there was a high chance they would report them to the saints if they found them suspicious.
Just as they were about to move again, a holy knight found one of the saints standing in front of their group. He whispered something to the saint and quickly moved somewhere else.
"...Good and gentle citizens! We''ve just received a report. A cunning group has infiltrated the city. If you see anyone suspicious, please immediately find our messengers."
The movements of the patrolling holy knights changed too. Up until now, they only looked for civilians who had strayed from the main roads, but now they started checking alleys and gaps between buildings.
They quickly left their spot and started looking for a civilian who could converse with them again.
But there were holy knights, saints, or mages extinguishing fires everywhere. There weren''t any civilians separated from them.
The biggest problem was that the number of holy knights stationed in Santel greatly exceeded their expectations.
"Damn, the streets are full of holy knights. How many are there? If this continues, it''ll soon be impossible to hide, Jin."
"It''s gotten tiresome, I expected this since we broke through the side gate."
Creak... thud! Creak...
They heard the sound of all the double lock mechanisms in every gate tightly closing from afar.
The holy knights on the street started running around shouting something, and the saints led the civilians somewhere and disappeared.
"Over here!"
A holy knight who encountered the group as they passed an alley shouted.
Even though the mes coloring the city and the chaotic atmosphere had hidden their group until now, their senses were also duller than usual due to the situation. Even though Jin had his mind¡¯s eye activated, he couldn''t urately sense the energy of hundreds of people moving nearby in this chaos.
Therefore, they couldn''t change directions before encountering a holy knight at the corner of an alley.
"Drop your weapons and kneel!"
If there were fifty holy knights, or if there were a few high-ranking knights mixed in, the group would have had to fight carefully.
But just five knights from the Dawn Guardians of Doctrine couldn''t do anything against their group. As Quinkantel and Kuzan were about to take two each and suppress them, Jin equipped Sigmund.
Crack-!
Before the five holy knights could attack Jin, he cast a lightning bolt. Since their location had already been exposed by the horn and re, it was better to quickly finish them off with a lightning bolt and move on.
He cast ten lightning bolts in five seconds and suppressed four of them.
Of course, Jin intended to suppress all five. The one who wasn''t hit by the lightning bolt, despite experiencing the King''s Sword for the first time, stepped back calmly.
Even by Jin''s standards, he was quite skilled.
However, for some reason, that holy knight didn''t draw his sword.
Even when he first saw Jin''s group, he didn''t take any proper action even when the other four immediately drew their swords and shouted.
Just as Quinkantel and Kuzan were about to rush at that holy knight together.
"Wait, wait a minute!"
Suddenly, the holy knight raised both his arms. It was an unbelievable behavior for a knight of the Dawn Guardians of Doctrine, an extreme group within Vanke.
"What?"
"I''m Lani Salome, a second-ss knight of the Dawn Guardians of Doctrine. You guys don''t seem like heretics to me."
"What?"
"You''re not heretics, right? Please answer."
An unexpected question.
But the knight''s eyes inside his helmet were so earnest that Jin simply nodded.
"I never draw my sword against those who aren''t heretics. And you guys, you''re rted to the ck dragon who fought against that crazy fire dragon, right?"
Jin''s eyes widened.
The knight who introduced herself as Lani used the term ''ck dragon'' instead of ''monster''. Plus, he called Kadun a crazy fire dragon, showing a strong enmity towards him.
ng, ng, ng-!
They heard the sound of other holy knights running from a distant alley. They would arrive at the alley where they were standing in a few seconds.
"Follow me for now. If you''re caught by my colleagues, you won''t be able to survive."
Chapter 227: Murakhans Benefactor (3)
Chapter 227 - Murakhan''s Benefactor (3)
"What an interesting joke."
"Come this way!"
Lani pointed to a gap in the alley. It was the path she and the other knights had used to follow the group.
The party passed her and headed there first. As soon as Kuzan''s toes disappeared into the gap, about twenty knights flooded the alley.
"Lani Salome!? Where are they?"
The Captain Knight red at the knights fallen next to Lani.
Lani still hadn''t drawn her sword, and the Captain seemed very displeased. The other knights also sighed or clicked their tongues at her.
Everyone knew Lani''s principle of never attacking anyone who wasn''t a ''heretic''.
And from Lani''s point of view, heretics were those who were clearly judged as such in the final trial presided over by Holy King Min, and those who proimed themselves heretics and practiced ck magic.
"I''m sorry, we lost them. It seems they are heading towards Area 1, we should chase..."
"Hmph! Those rats are trapped anyway. They will soon be caught. But Lani Salome, you didn''t even draw your sword when you saw your colleagues fall. Can you still call yourself a knight of the Dawn Guardians of Doctrine?"
With a stiff expression, Lani ground her teeth so that the Captain could hear.
"If I have to receive punishment, I will ept itter. For now, it would be better if you chase the intruders."
"You disappoint me every time. How long do you think he can protect you? Even in front of a heretic, tsk!"
"Just chase them! And how can the 5 Captains be so sure they''re heretics? Aren''t they just intruders yet?"
Furious, Lani shouted.
The Captain red at her for a while, then shook his head with a sigh.
"Unit 3, send Lani''s team members to the saints and regroup in Area 1. And Knight Lani Salome, you''re on probation as of now. Return to the barracks, surrender your weapons and armor, and wait. If you defy this, I can''t guarantee what will happen next. Do you understand?"
The knights left the alley leaving behind the knights of unit 3. The knights of unit 3 who were taking care of her fallen team members were constantly berating her.
"I wish my father was like yours. Disobeying orders and talking back to the Captain, and all you get is probation."
"Do you know? You seem more of a heretic than a heretic. Please request a position change when you get back, and get out of here, stop tarnishing the Dawn Guardians."
Once they left, only Lani remained in the alley.
And Jin''s party had been listening to their conversation from the side gap.
''Lani Salome... It sounded familiar, and I remember now. She''s the adopted daughter of Holy King Min.''
In his previous life, he had read an article or two about her in the newsletter.
Despite being the daughter of the Holy King, she lived a debauched life, soaked in alcohol every day, and was a character that even the citizens of the Holy Kingdom pointed fingers at. The article was very small in the corner of the page, but she was memorable because of her status as the daughter of the Holy King.
Soon, Lani looked around and entered the gap where the party was.
"We''ve passed the crisis for now. Let''s move to a safe ce and have a chat."
"But before that, wait a minute. Lani Salome. You seem to want to help us, but why? And how did you know we were rted to the ck Dragon?"
When Jin asked while looking at her, Lani stood silent for a few seconds.
But it seemed like countless thoughts were passing through her mind.
"...I am a knight belonging to the Dawn Guardians of Doctrine."
"You said that earlier too."
"But before being a knight, I am a citizen of the Holy Kingdom of Vanke, a human, and a daughter who conveys the words of our infinitely merciful Lord Ayulra."(Spelling of Ayulra)
She blurted out an introduction that didn''t fit the situation.
But it was filled with strong determination and resolve, so they couldn''t ignore it as nonsense.
"The duty of someone like me is not to blind people''s eyes, disguise evil as good, and be disgusting by colluding with power. Kadun the Fire Dragon, he is the evil we should be pursuing. The ck Dragon, on the other hand, tried to prevent him from burning down the city."
Her tightly clenched fists trembled.
"Does this exin why I''m helping you?"
"He tried to prevent him from burning down the city? Tell me more, Knight. Where is he?"
Quinkantell grabbed Lani''s shoulder and asked.
"...Please follow me first, we don''t have much time."
The ce Lani led them to was a bustling street.
But more than half of the buildings had ''melted'', and Kadun''s residual fire was still there, continuously spewing toxic smoke, making it an irrecoverable downtown.
Even the saints and magicians had given up on extinguishing the fire here, and it was not designated as a controlled area because the toxicity was too strong.
"Wait a moment, I''ll put up a holy shield..."
"We''re alright, it¡¯s just her."
"The toxicity here is severe."
"It doesn''t matter, let¡¯s hurry up and go."
"Understood."
Lani put a shield around herself and Quinkantel.
"We should be safe for at least 30 minutes here."
"Where''s the ck Dragon?"
"He''s here."
"He can''t withstand this level of toxicity."
"I''ve protected him with my holy power, so don''t worry. But before you see him, let me ask you one thing. Are you Jin Runkandel?"
Suddenly, Jin''s name came up, and Kuzan and Quinkantel''s eyes widened.
Jin nodded without fluster.
"It seems he told you."
"Yes, Murakhan asked for a favor. He said Jin Runkandel would soone looking for him and asked me to protect him until then. Please show me a mark that can prove you are Jin Runkandel. From my point of view, you could be another servant of Kadun."
There was no immediate object that could serve as proof of identity. Though Bradamante was Runkandel''s sword, it was only identifiable by those who were from the n or were the warriors of Hyufester.
"You don¡¯t have it?"
"Hey, let''s stop testing the gentleman. If we were servants of the Fire Dragon, why would we infiltrate soplicatedly?"
Kuzan pointed a dagger at her neck and spoke in a low voice.
"Do you think I will fear your threats? If I did, I wouldn''t have brought you here. And if you harm me, know that Murakhan will surely die."
"Sheath your de, Kuzan."
Kuzan immediately bowed his head and stepped back.
Lani had a stubborn look in her eyes. She seemed determined not to show Murakhan unless Jin could prove his identity.
"I have no objection. Instead...let this reveal that Murakhan is my guardian dragon."
Hooong...
Jin gathered spirit energy in his palm and looked at Lani.
"Spirit energy, the power of the Solderet. It¡¯s up to you to figure out if I am Jin Runkandel or not, but I am the only contractor of the shadow. Do I need to show any more evidence?"
Now was not the time to hide the fact that he was a contractor.
"No, that''s enough."
"Is he safe?"
"Honestly, he''s not safe. He''s been badly injured. And..."
"Let''s see him for now."
Jin suppressed his pounding heart and spoke. It was clearly visible that he wanted to hurry.
It felt like molten iron was boiling in his chest. All kinds of emotions mixed together, almost blinding him.
''Fire Dragon Kadun. I will make sure you experience a terrible end...''
Creak!
Lani tore off the nk under her feet.
The ash that was covering the nk flew up in a clump, and a pumpkin-colored light flowed out from between them.
The same color as the light covering Lani''s body. It was holy power.
It was like a shield protecting the ck cat. Wrapped around Murakhan, the holy power glowed.
"Murakhan...!"
The representative of Solderet, his friend, thest descendant of the first existence created from the shadow, Jin''s only guardian dragon.
It was him.
Lani had been hiding him transformed into a cat in this poison-filled building all along. It was something she couldn''t have done without her outstanding holy power and faith.
As Jin carefully held Murakhan in his arms, tears welled up in Quinkantel''s eyes. Kuzan also breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his chest.
"I''ll exin what happened."
Lani started exining the situation when she rescued Murakhan.
She and the knights were sent to Santel on the orders of the regents.
They were ordered to assist the Fire Dragon Kadun, surround the ''monster'', and ''purify'' the city of Santel, which was in danger of bing a city of heretics.
But what Lani saw here was neither a monster nor a heretic.
Themoners dying from the merciless breath of the Fire Dragon, and for some reason, the ck Dragon preventing the city from copsing.
Among the dispatched knights, it was only Lani who felt that something was wrong.
Under the disguise of ''purification'', the saints stirred up themoners and the knights blocked the city.
"Actually, it''s Kadun who''s killing themoners, and it didn''t take two hours for all that ughter to be med on Lord Murakhan."
When Lani arrived, the battle between Kadun and Murakhan was nearing its end.
Kadun had burned the entire city just to make it impossible for Murakhan to escape. On the other hand, Murakhan was cornered, trying to prevent damage to themoners and losing energy.
In the end, Murakhan managed to escape. Or it seemed like he did. He broke through Kadun''s fire barrier and flew into the sky.
"But it seems he didn''t have the strength to go far. Kadun immediately started chasing him, and Murakhan...it seemed like he had taken a gamble. The moment Kadun broke his barrier and started flying, Murakan re-entered the city."
Out of sight, out of mind. Murakhan, who had taken a position in the sky above Santel again inside the fire barrier, fell to the ground and transformed into a human.
Kadun didn''t notice because he was chasing Murakan''s ''shadow'' created with spirit energy in the sky.
It was a miracle that Lani alone clearly saw that sight.
Lani was immediately able to rescue him, but the problem was the other knights who had been dispatched to Santel.
"He would be in a dangerous situation if he wasn''t treated immediately. But I couldn''t take him to the saints as a disaster victim. His transformation was unstable and ck scales were sprouting all over his body."
Lani desperately tried to save the ck Dragon with holy magic, but it was not enough.
And for some reason, while Murakhan was losing consciousness, he barely left a message to the human trying to treat him, Lani. He said Jin Runkandel woulde looking for him.
"As soon as he finished speaking, he fell unconscious, transformed into this form. I used my holy power to hide Lord Murakan here."
"Jin, this isn''t a transformation. He was forcibly transformed. Let''s talk about the detailster, let''s get out of here first."
"I will show you the best route to escape, please go that way."
"...Lani Salome. I swear on the honor of Solderet and Runkandel, I will repay this debt. As soon as your punishment is over, I will go to the Holy Kingdom."
Chapter 228: The Power of the Black Dragon (1)
Chapter 228 - The Power of the ck Dragon (1)
The first magic tower of Zipfel.
The top floor of this ce,monly known as ''The Tower of Stories'', was where Kelliark spent most of his time these days.
"Murakhan... I was looking for Misha, but I ran into an even bigger fish."
Kelliark spoke, tapping a crystal ball with his fingertips.
Kadun, who was sitting in front of him, had transformed into a human and was frowning heavily.
"So what are you going to do, damn it. I didn''t think you''d let him slip away right in front of your eyes! It was a golden opportunity that doesn''te twice in a lifetime."
"It''s been a while since I''ve seen you regret something this much."
"It''s not just regret, I can''t forgive myself. If I had caught Murakhan, I would have definitely been able to bring out his contractor."
The contractor of Solderet.
The most important ingredient of the ''Demon Stone'' they were working to restore.
Kelliark and the brains of Zipfel had been aware since 1795 that there was a possibility that ''the contractor of Soldelet'' was active.
It was the year when Jin started his life as a preliminary rider, before he met Andrei Zipfel.
Around that time, Kadun heard from Bement''s Earth Dragons Rabus and Untiel that they had directly met Murakhan.
However, Kelliark and Kadun spected that if a dragon had killed Andrei Zipfel and Vyuretta, it was most likely Misha.
Even if Murakhan had woken up, they judged that he would be helpless against Andrei and Vyuretta in his weakened state.
"Well, that''s that. Since it''s proven that the Bement Earth Dragons weren''t talking nonsense, let''s take our time to seize the opportunity again. Anyway, you said he had no strength like before?"
Strength like before.
Naturally, Kelliark had never experienced Murakhan''s heyday firsthand. He only heard about it through documents and the testimonies of other dragons.
On the other hand, Kadun knew very well about the formidable power of Murakhan in those days.
"You never know. He might regain his former strength."
"You mean it''s possible to regenerate a dragon''s heart? Without the Demon Stone?"
"I haven''t seen such a case yet, but the ck dragon is a bit different from ordinary dragons. There''s a high possibility that him being around Santel was part of his efforts to regain his strength."
Kelliark''s eyes lit up with interest.
Whether it was possible to regenerate a dragon''s heart or not, he found it more curious that Kadun was reacting like this.
"It makes me want to fight Murakhan at his prime if you talk about it so much. It wouldn''t be bad if he regained his strength and reappeared."
"Don''t say such horrible things."
"Anyway, I''m more worried about the Holy King. He used the Dawn Guardians without saying a word, so he''ll probably cause a fuss again soon... That friend, I feel like dying every time I meet him. He''s so strong-willed, and he hates me too much. Hmm, what should I do about this..."
Kelliark trembled as he held his forehead.
Then, after a while, he exaggerated his troubled mind with his bodynguage and then smiled.
"Why don''t I just kill him? That friend, he''s lived long enough. If he dies, he''s more likely to go to heaven than hell, so it won''t be entirely bad for Min."
Kadun shook his head at Kelliark.
"Anyway, you''re crazy."
"Haha, did I go too far?"
Thanks to Lani showing them the way, the group was able to escape from Santel without difficulty.
There were about six battles with the Dawn Guardians along the way, and a chase after they escaped the city.
The group managed to fend them off and get to the teleport gate of the Shul Empire before the control order fell.
Now that their destination was Tikan, they took a detour to prevent the Dawn Guardians from guessing this, and if they returned, they would have achieved their initial goal.
However, Jin and hispanions couldn''t help but have dark expressions.
"Nyaoo..."
In Jin''s arms, Murakhan let out a weak cry.
His tiny body was hot as a fireball. Despite being transformed into a cat, there were still injuries inflicted by Kadun.
Forced transformation.
Currently, Murakhan wasn''t transformed by his own will, unlike usual. He had received a fatal blow and underwent an unconscious transformation into the most suitable form for survival.
This forced transformation was a phenomenon that only particrly strong beings among dragons rarely experienced.
"It''s a great relief that he still has this kind of defense mechanism, even though he lost his old power."
It was certainly fortunate that he had escaped from the crisis of being caught by Kadun and survived.
"...The problem is that he''s now fallen to the state of an ordinary cat. Jin, you need to give him some more water. As Lani said, it seems like his fever is slowlying down."
When a dragon transforms into a creature other than a human, there are several fatal restrictions, and the most serious one is exactly the current situation.
If they miss the ''time to return'', dragons cannot return to their original form by themselves.
No matter what they transform into, they fall into that creature and lose their identity as a dragon.
"Nyaaa-"
When Jin offered water in his palm, Murakan licked it.
There was no way to turn Murakan back to normal for now.
It was because of his uniqueness as a ck dragon. Other dragons, except for the ck dragon, could return to their original form with the help of any dragon when they missed the time to return.
However, a ck dragon needed the help of another dragon with the same attribute.
Since there are only two active ck dragons, there was only one thing the group could do. Find Misha, the sister who Murakhan had gone to find.
"We''ve never had a day as frustrating as today, knowing that this guy is a ck dragon. As soon as we get back, let''s check the travel routes that Murakhan had set up again, and start searching mainly those ces."
"Lord, don''t worry too much. As long as he''s alive, we''ll soon find a solution."
"I''m surprised you''re capable of saying such things, Kuzan."
"Just as Kuzan said, he''s alive and we know how to return him back to normal, let''s get going."
The group twisted their route and returned to Tikan by early the next morning.
They wanted to return faster due to Murakhan''s poor condition, but if they were caught, it wouldn''t be the Knights of Dawn, but Kadun and Zipfel''s magicians who could possiblye to Tikan.
Fortunately, Murakhan''s fever had subsided overnight. He was still weakly crying, though.
"My Lord, you''re back! It seems that the beast of Santel was indeed Murakhan. Uh, why does Murakhan look a little unwell? Did he get a bit roughed up by that fire dragon?"
"Tell everyone to gather in the office. Call all the healers and animal handlers in the mansion, too."
"Animal handlers?"
"Hurry."
"Understood. I''ll call on the healers right away! But my lord, your colleagues may find it difficult to go to the office right away. I think it would be better for you to go to the reception room."
"Why? What happened?"
Jet nodded as if to confirm.
Then, as if worried that someone else might hear, he looked around once before whispering.
''Well, isn''t there a sister of Murakhan? Named Misha....''
"Is there news about Misha?"
"Why is Misha here!"
When Jin and Quinkantel both leaned forward to ask, Jet almost stumbled backward.
"Oh dear, please don''t say that! She''s really a bully. She''s definitely Murakhan''s sister! She suddenly came to the mansion about 5 minutes ago and started being violent immediately...!"
"What......?"
Jin and Quinkantel instinctively looked at each other.
''It seems that Beris saw her first. Somehow, she suddenly appeared in the middle of the mansion''s reception room. So Beris was surprised and said, "Who are you, a thief?" and then...''
"What happened to Beris?"
This time, Kuzan leaned towards Jet.
''Ah, man! You''ll scare me to death. Well, umm. Don''t be too surprised and listen calmly. Beris''s jaw twisted a bit from her punch. The healers are now fixing it so there''s no problem....''
Kuzan ran like mad, almost tripping.
"Uh oh, it seems like he''s in trouble. I think, he will suffer the same fate as well."
Jin and Quinkantel began to run towards the reception room.
"Uh, oh, my lord. Let''s go together, be careful!"
Why is Misha here and how did she find this ce? Moreover, she''s causing chaos, does she have ill intentions towards us here in Tikan?
Will she help revert Murakhan? What if she can''t or doesn''t want to?
Various questions shed through their minds as they ran.
A momentter, what Jin and Quinkantel faced was Kuzan lying t on the floor like a wet rag, convulsing.
And behind him, an odd scene was unfolding.
First, there was a sharp-looking ck-haired woman who had just sat down again at the table after resetting Kujan''s jaw.
It was Misha.
"Brother Jin!"
"Master, you''re here? Haha."
Surprisingly, Yuria was nestled in Misha''s arms, and next to them was Lathry, serving cookies and tea. His hands were shaking like aspen leaves as he held the te.
Kashimir, Yurien, Enya, and Gilly were also sitting at the table (Alisa was absent, busy with her guard duties).
Kashimir was wearing a polite business smile, and Yurien, like Lathry, was shaking his hands even with his poker face.
Enya was a little better, but still had a somewhat stiff expression after seeing two people pass out in an instant. Only Gilly was calmly serving cookies on Misha''s te.
Jin and Quinkantel couldn''t help but be dazed for a moment.
''Crazy, what''s this. Wait, this woman was Misha?''
Jin recognized the face.
She was the third mirage of the Mitra Desert, encountered right after oveing Temar''s energy.
He quickly collected his thoughts.
Although they didn''t know why Misha had caused such amotion as soon as she arrived, there was no use in panicking.
"I thought we hadn''t met before, but it turns out we have. A pleasure to meet you, great ck Dragon, Misha. I am Jin Runkandel."
Misha nodded with an emotionless face.
"Right, since we didn''t get a chance to talk in the desert, this is technically our first meeting. Nice to meet you, the thousand-year contractor. Is that my foolish little brother you''re holding?"
"Yes, actually, we were just considering going to find you because of Murakhan. As you can see......"
"I know that. Kadun must have done something to him. I''ll fix itter, so sit down for now. I don''t want to waste time."
Jet wisely took Murakhan and went to the healers.
"Quinkantel, have you been well?"
"Yes, I''ve been well, Misha. You should have signaled if you wereing."
"You''ve be more beautiful since thest time I saw you. It''s a shame for my brother, so I hope you forget about that guy soon."
Quinkantel coughed awkwardly and waved his hand.
"Don''t start with that as soon as you see me... Misha, more importantly, his condition is really not good."
"I know. He must have been hit by Kadun. I''ll fix itter, so tell me about what you''ve been doing. It''s been a long time since I''ve visited, and I miss our talks."
Chapter 229: The Power of the Black Dragon (2)
Chapter 74: The Power of the ck Dragon (2)
Quinkantel decided to stop talking about Murakhan.
Seeing how indifferent Misha was towards him, she thought that Murakhan might not be is as serious danger as they had thought.
¡°It feels like a long time since west saw each other, Misha. It must have been over five hundred years.¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t we see each other in M Kingdom two hundred years ago?¡±
¡°That seems likely. Anyway, it has been a long time. As you can see, I''ve been doing well. Thanks to that guy, I''m now living here with Olta¡¯s contractor."
Quinkantel gestured to Jin with a nod. Misha¡¯s gaze also fell on Jin.
¡°He''s a smart and strong kid. I watched him go through the trial in the Mithra Desert. It was quite surprising when he finally reached Temar and swung his sword.¡±
Everyone in Tikan knew this story.
Misha smiled as she recalled that time. But hidden within that seemingly meaningless smile was a long-held sorrow.
Temar Runkandel.
¡®I felt it before, but there¡¯s something about him that reminds me of Temar.¡¯
The original head of the Runkandels and the only man she had ever loved.
After losing Temar, nothing remained in Misha''s life but duty and obligation.
As Soldret''s representative, she had to take care of things and prevent others from doing things. It was Misha''s role to look after those whom Soldret had left behind.
¡°I didn¡¯t know you were watching me then. The trial was tough, so I had many moments that were less than graceful. It¡¯s a bit embarrassing.¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay, you were impressive. Especially the image of you gnawing at a living creature.¡±
¡°I wanted to ask you something.¡±
¡°How did I find this ce?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Murakhan. That fool couldn''t escape my grasp. I cast a tracking spell on him when he was young, and he still doesn''t know about it. He''s so stupid¡¡¡±
¡°A tracking¡ spell?¡±
¡°So, I didn''t need to trace your path every day, I already knew your route.¡±
A tracking spell that hadsted for thousands of years since Murakhan''s childhood.
As the goosebumps started to rise, Quinkantel burst into a softugh.
¡°You¡¯re still the same, Misha. It''s been a while since I''ve seen someone fooled by you.¡±
"Anyway, everyone believes whatever I say, even if it sounds like nonsense."
¡°Haha, indeed, there¡¯s no way such an absurd tracking spell exists.¡±
Jinughed awkwardly and shrugged his shoulders.
¡°Murakhan can only fight with his aura, but I can do a little more. For example, like this.¡±
Misha scooped up the shadow of her left hand on the table with her right hand. The next moment, Jin could only widen his eyes, as if he were a child seeing magic for the first time.
¡®What in the world?¡¯
She was ¡®scooping up¡¯ her left hand¡¯s shadow with her right hand. Like scooping pudding with a spoon.
The shadow didn¡¯t disappear as much as she scooped. All eyes were focused on the shadow gathered in Misha''s right hand.
Only Quinkantel seemed familiar with this.
¡°Wow!¡±
Yuria eximed. Like a child, she reached out to touch it, and Misha watched her for a moment before blowing on the shadow in her hand.
The shadow dispersed with her breath and flew towards Jin in thousands of particles.
¡®It looks like a gxy flowing in the palm of my hand.¡¯
Jin didn''t avoid the shadow flying towards him. The moment the shadow touched him, it seeped in and disappeared.
There was no change in Jin when the shadow seeped into his body. The only difference was that Misha''s left arm shadow seemed to have faded a bit.
¡°That''s right, there''s no such magic. But it''s possible with a power. The existence that my shadow touches, I can always locate. I put my shadow on that Murakan idiot when he was young. That''s why I followed him and found you."
Then Misha naturally put down Yuria. She then began to float above the heads of the group, scattering her body into aura.
[And that''s how I got into the mansion without anyone noticing.]
It was a mysterious sight. The particles that made up Misha could condense or scatter at will, and whenpletely scattered, it just felt like there was a little ck powder floating around.
Hooong¡¡
The aura floating in the air gathered and settled between Jin and Quikantel. In an instant, it took the shape of a person and the color returned, revealing Misha again.
¡°Is that exnation enough?¡±
Just as Jin was about to nod his head.
¡°Oh no, it''s not good to show your back so easily.¡±
Another voice identical to Misha''s came from directly behind them.
When they hurriedly turned around, there was Misha standing there. To the side, to the back, Misha was everywhere. Even in her original spot, another Misha was sitting, holding Yuria again.
Quinkantel was familiar with Misha''s ability, but the rest of the group couldn''t open their mouths for a while. They all had expressions of, ''What are we even looking at?''
Especially Lathry, who seemed ready to faint at any moment, havinge face to face with a vague fear from his childhood, and seeing these abilities.
¡°Your guardian dragon is a coward, Yuria.¡±
¡°But he''s kind and cute.¡±
¡°He seems to be. He also makes good cookies.¡±
Crunch, crunch¡¡
Three Mishas simultaneously bit into a cookie. Each one was real, not an illusion.
''Indeed, the way Misha and Murakhan manipte Shadow Qi is different from me. I wonder if I can do it too.''
However, something more astonishing happened.
"Ah!?"
"Oh my God... Jin?"
"Young Master!?"
Yurien, Kashimir, and Gilly all looked at one ce and gasped. Following their gaze, Jin was left momentarily speechless.
There stood another ''Jin Runkandel''.
With the same face, clothes, and eyes as Jin. Even Quinkantel, who had seen much, kept ncing between Misha and the new Jin.
Grinning.
The newly appeared Jin approached the real Jin with a te.
"Why don''t you try one?"
His tone and speech were identical to the real Jin, causing confusion among the colleagues who were just watching. They couldn''t tell who the real Jin was.
"It must be an unusual experience. Encountering yourself when there''s no mirror."
Misha, who created the new Jin, acted as if it was nothing. Which made it even more chilling.
''Crazy, this isn¡¯t... a dragon born from a contractor, but a god itself.''
What if Misha wasn''t an ally, but an enemy...
A shiver ran down his spine at the thought.
Whoosh...
Only Misha holding Yuria remained, while the other Mishas and the Jin holding the te dissolved into Shadow Qi.
Jin and hisrades were still in shock.
''Does Joshua also... have a being with such abilities attached to him?''
He was reminded of how terrifying the ''body duplication'' was.
"He probably never told you that this sort of thing was possible with Shadow Qi."
"That''s correct."
At that, Misha let out a sigh of relief.
"I''m d. If he had told you, I would have smashed his head. And you would have been tortured by me until you forgot everything."
"Pardon?"
"How does it feel to witness phenomena far removed from providence?"
Jin looked into Misha''s serious eyes and answered,
"...It was terrifying. If the Jin Runkandel who gave me the cookie earlier could function somewhere else, wouldn''t I be insignificant? Besides, I can''t even begin to imagine how many past events there would be to prove that I''m the real one."
No one in the world wants to exceed ''one'' of themselves. Especially another ''me'' that doesn''t follow the control of the ''real me''.
It wasn''t calcted, but a genuine sentiment.
However, Misha smiled, seemingly satisfied with the answer.
She purposely disyed this power to protect him from temptation in the many battles he would face in the future.
In Misha''s view, ''Shadow Qi'' was a dangerous power for mortals to handle, including humans, dragons, beastmen, devils, and even gods.
The contractor of a thousand years. And undoubtedly, the hope of the shadows.
''I won''t make you meet the same end as Temar. Fortunately, Murakhan seems to be leading well so far...''
I will always be watching over you...
Just as Misha was about to finish her sentence, Yuria grabbed her sleeve.
"Ajusshi isn''t like that."
Neither Jin nor the otherpanions knew why Yuria said that.
So, Jin chuckled at Yuria''s serious face.
"It''s been a while since you called me Ajusshi, Yuria. What suddenly isn''t like what?"
"Just, it''s not."
The only one who became thoughtful at that conversation was Misha.
''Ajusshi...? Moreover, she insightfully perceived my inner thoughts. I expected it, but this child is definitely not by Jin''s side by coincidence.''
Ajusshi.
That one word triggered countless questions in Misha''s mind.
Solderet, their god, why hasn''t he said anything so far, why hasn''t hemunicated with the contractors, why hasn''t he even voiced a word to them.
''Maybe Jin is the reincarnation of Temar! Therefore, it is highly likely that Yuria saw Temar''s image for a moment... No, maybe.''
She might have seen Solderet in Jin.
Azmil, the contract holder of the pupil. Even for a superior contractor like Yuria, it was entirely possible.
For now, it was an issue she couldn''t conclude on.
Misha hid her expression and stroked Yuria''s head.
"Anyway, it''s not bad to asionallye out and talk with people like this. Hmm, you. Gilly, was it?"
"Yes, Lady Misha."
"I''ll need a few days to fix that idiot brother of mine, so during that time, choose a room for me to use."
"I''ll choose the best room. Please list any necessary items."
"Thank you. I want to have a drink with Quinkantel in my room, so please prepare a few bottles of good alcohol. Preferably, something aged over 100 years from M Mountain."
"Understood."
"Jin, we''ll talk more tomorrow."
As Misha turned around, she seemed to remember something and looked at Gilly again.
"And you... should be careful."
"Pardon?"
"You''re too much his type. If he tries anything funny, cut him off in one stroke."
All Gilly could do was cough awkwardly.
Chapter 230: The Power of the Black Dragon (3)
Chapter 74. The Power of the ck Dragon (3)
When Misha and Quinkantel went to their room, stunned friends Kuzan and Beris returned to the reception room. They wore bbergasted and dazed expressions.
"Are you both okay?"
"...I apologize. I got excited for a moment when I heard that Beris was hit. I keep showing you a third-rate side of me."
Kuzan bowed his head deeply, causing Jin to wave his hand dismissively.
"Well, it''s human-like and good. It''s okay, if Gilly had been hit, I would have lost my mind too."
"I just... asked if she was a thief... considering the circumstances... Ah, this is messed up."
Beris clenched her jaw, grimacing greatly. Even though the healers had treated her, she still felt a numb sensation up to her gums.
Beris couldn''t shake off the feeling of injustice.
Since the Blue Bird incident, it had been a month. She had been in Tikan for a month now.
The first week was unbearable, living like an invalid due to the fact that she had been serving Joshua, her true enemy, and losing her magic. At that time, she had no choice because the aftereffects of the reflux phenomenon were too severe.
However, from the second week, Beris decided to try to be ustomed to this ce with Kuzan.
Although her treatment hadn''t finished and her magic hadn''t returned, she did everything she could from cleaning toundry. She was stubborn, even when others told her she didn''t need to do such things.
If she didn''t do so, she felt like she would be a useless person.
So yesterday, she was helping Lathry prepare the tea and faced an unexpected situation. For simply asking an unfamiliar woman if she was a thief.
"Master, should I bring some ice?"
"Again with the ''master'' thing. Are you crazy? Who''s whose master?"
"You taught me the theory and principles of wind-rted magics. You even handed down a 5-star magic, you''re a master."
"If that''s the case then all the teachers at Bement Academy are your masters. Stop talking nonsense and get..."
Of course, losing her magic didn''t mean her foul temper disappeared.
"I never learned it."
"Do you think I don''t know how the academy lectures are structured? They teach theories in the beginner sses. Stop lying."
"But I really never learned. I was discriminated against. Anyway, I''ll bring the ice, so please teach me other magics."
Enya saw herself in Beris, surprisingly.
Neither their appearances nor personalities were alike, but Enya felt a sense of kinship for this reason.
Maybe she was nothing more than a burden to the people here.
After visiting the Dark Magic Council''s cave, Enya desperately trained and studied whenever she had the opportunity. (TL¡¯s note : Dark Magic Council was referred to as Dark Magic Association in Reaper¡¯s TL)
Therefore, Enya, while being stubborn and persistent, learned magic one by one from Beris, who was adjusting to the ce.
As Enya ran to fetch ice, Beris shook her head in disbelief.
"Losing my magic, everyone seems to take me lightly."
Although she said that, Beris snatched the ice brought by Enya and applied it to her jaw.
"Now, since I''ve received this, you promised. Teach me a new magic."
"When did I?"
"I''ll be waiting in the underground training room in the evening! Then, Master Jin, I''ll go ahead!"
Before Beris could yell, Enya quickly left the reception room.
"Ah, my head hurts. Kuzan, why are there people like that? My mood is already bad."
Jin looked at Beris,ughing quietly.
"Beris, here''s some advice. It''s best to watch what you say to Enya around her Master, Quinkantel. Regardless of your intentions, she will beat you up. I can''t stop her, and if you get hit, Kuzan will lose his mind, right? Then Kuzan will also get hit. It''s a vicious cycle."
Beris wasn''t just a murderous maniac. Although her expressions were extremely, seriously clumsy, she felt a sense of gratitude towards Jin and the people of Tikan.
So, even though sheined whenever Enya made an excuse, she taught her magic. Jin felt that truth, so even if Beris acted a bit savage, he let it slide.
"Hmph."
When Beris abruptly turned and left, Kuzan bowed to Jin on her behalf.
"I apologize, Master Jin. I''ll exin it to her so she understands."
"Leave it, she''s doing well with Enya. Even Gilly often praises Beris for being more helpful than expected."
In fact, for Kuzan and Beris, Tikan was a strangely brightnd.
From a young age, they barely remember, they were raised as hunting dogs in the Lunar Sacrifice, exploited, then lost Taymun, and went under Joshua.
The world they had experienced was unspeakably dark and damp. But now, they were slowly realizing what it meant to live as a human.
Yurien was the same.
"Have you been ufortabletely, Yurien?"
"......No."
"That''s good."
He didn''t say anything more. He was still stuck in fear of Joshua and the fact that the guardian dragon was captured.
His character was extremely introverted and he didn''t talk much. It was curious how he had lived under Joshua with those scary knights.
''The power of the God of Thunder, Gramm. If there''s a way to fully contain it in Sigmund, then I''ll have to revisit the Blue Bird Ind with that guy.''
Enhancing Yurien''s authority like Joshua did was not a bad idea. If Yurienpletely became Jin''s ally.
Currently, in Jin''s mind, Yurien was closer to a freeloader than a subordinate, and Kuzan and Beris were closer to subordinates thanrades.
"Sir Kashimir."
"Yes, sir."
"Has there been any news rted to the Holy Kingdom while I was away?"
"After you left, I met with the officials along with Bran. They seemed reluctant to speak. Of course, I mentioned that our trade business in Tikan might be affected. Fortunately, we had a few trade ships passing through Santel."
"You''ve worked hard. You also smell something fishy, don''t you?"
"Yes, I believe the Holy Kingdom of Vanke can no longer be considered neutral. This time, they have clearly aided Zipfel. There hasn''t been a single proper article about it yet."
"The ones who blockaded Santel were the heretic judgment knights from the Dawn Guardians of Doctrine. Moreover, they were even brainwashing themon people within the city."
"It seems they had to hide the events of that day, even by viting King Min''s edict. Or perhaps, King Min was on Zipfel''s side from the beginning..."
That was the worst-case scenario.
If the Holy Kingdom had alreadypletely sided with Zipfel, problems would inevitably arise when the Runkandels began a full-fledged session war.
Countless guardian knights would die or get hurt, and they wouldn''t be able to receive support from the exceptional healers of the Holy Kingdom. Or if they did receive support, they would have to pay an iparably hefty price.
This was a problem that applied not only to Jin but to all warriors in Runkandel, and even further, in Hyufester. That''s how excellent the healing power and various medicines of the Holy Kingdom were.
"There is a possibility of that, but we should hope it''s not the case. Also, I met Lani Salome, the adopted daughter of the king, there."
"King Min is known as a doting father who cherishes his daughter. I''ve heard rted anecdotes several times. But sending his own daughter to aid Zipfel suggests that the Holy Kingdom has already..."
"No, Lani was different from the other knights and saints there. If she hadn''t been there, Murakhan would have been caught by Zipfel, or he wouldn''t have survived."
Jin exined the situation in detail. He told about meeting Lani, rescuing Murakhan, and how the battle between Kadun and Murakhan unfolded.
"Lani said that the Holy Kingdom was corrupt, colluding with power, and covering up the truth. So she decided to help us. After all, it was Kadun, not Murakhan, who ughtered themon people."
"That''s... You received great help, my lord."
"Yes. I''ve thought about it, and perhaps King Min ced Lani in the Dawn Guardians to keep an eye on them."
"You''re saying that not the entire Holy Kingdom, but some factions like the Dawn Society, may have joined hands with Zipfel?"
"That''s right."
"It seems more likely to me as well. Remembering the recent policies of the Holy Kingdom, most of them would have been disliked by the internal vested interests. The prohibition of Persuasion Magic was also part of it."
Min had abolished Persuasion Magic 20 years ago. Both the Jin of his previous life and the current Jin were too young to remember the intense bacsh that urred within the Holy Kingdom at that time.
On the other hand, Kashimir, being a member of the royal family, hadn''t forgotten the consecutive meetings and countless rted articles that poured out at Bement at that time.
Viting the most powerful and easiest method of evangelism and conversion was bound to cause such a reaction.
"But the vested interests of the Holy Kingdom joining Zipfel just because of resentment seems a bitcking. Especially with a huge force like Zipfel, there''s a high risk of bing a mere servant if they bring in the wrong people."
"You''re right, my lord. If that were the case, it would have been better to conspire and depose the king. Hmm, we need to investigate properly. I have a feeling that a moreplicated rtionship wille out than expected."
"First, please find out about Lani Salome. Given that one of the five captains of the Dawn Society was talking about disciplining her, she must be under disciplinary action if King Min couldn''t stop it."
"I understand. As Sir Murakhan¡¯s great benefactor, I will prepare a way topensate her without difort."
The next morning, Murakan''s condition noticeably improved.
The fever that was like a fireballpletely disappeared, and he was strutting around the corridors of Tikan with his tail raised like any other vibrant cat.
His fever had naturally gone down without the need for healers to intervene.
"Mia, Mia."
"Meow."
There were also moments when Shuri often knocked Murakhan down on the floor and yed with him like a ball.
"Should we just leave him like that? He seems happy in his own way. How about letting him live like that, Jin? It''ll save us some air."
"Misha."
"I''m joking. If he was even half as cute as he is now when he was sane, it would have been nice. Hmm... From now on, even if you hear some rather noisy sounds, including screams, just wait. Got it?"
Misha''s shadow fell over Murakhan lying on the floor.
She looked down at Murakhan and grinned a sinister smile.
Chapter 231: The Power of the Black Dragon (4)
Chapter 74. The Power of the ck Dragon (4)
"Is that... a scream?"
As Jin tilted his head and asked, Misha picked up Murakhan.
"Meow?"
"And absolutely do note into the room."
No matter how the treatment was supposed to proceed...
Curiosity arose, but he decided not to ask. After all, Misha was the only one in the world who could restore Murakhan, so worrying was meaningless.
''Whatever the method, it''s certainly going to be an incredibly painful treatment. Hang in there, Murakhan.''
Unaware of the pain about to befall him, Murakhan was quietly nestled in Misha''s arms.
"I''m counting on you, Misha."
"See youter."
ng!
The sound of the door closing was unusually heavy. Jin and Shuri blinked their eyes at each other.
And a few secondster, a scream sounded straight away.
Kyahaaaak-!
The sharp sound peculiar to cats was leaking out of the tightly closed door. Kyahak, Kiaaaak! Shuri, startled, scratched the door as if to open it, and the noise was bone-chilling.
"Meow.....!"
"Uh, Shuri. That''s just Misha treating Murakhan. Don''t worry."
"......Has it started?"
Quinkantel, who happened to be passing by the corridor, stood next to Jin and spoke.
He had just told Shuri not to worry, but in fact, Jin couldn''t bepletely reassured either.
So he was about to ask Quinkantel, ''Will it be okay?'' She had been talking with Misha all night, so she must have heard something more.
But Quinkantel''splexion was dark.
Even her posture, biting her nails with her arms crossed, looked as if she hadmitted some crime, rather than being anxious.
"Quinkantel?"
"Huh, he should hang in there well."
"Hang in there?"
A rapidly spreading sense of anxiety.
"Oh, didn''t Misha tell you?"
"What did she say?"
"This treatment is not simply about turning Murakhan back to his original form. If that were the case, there would be no need to worry. Misha ns to restore Murakhan''s old power along with it."
Kyahak! Kiaaaak!
From beyond the door, Murakhan''s screams continued. There was also something like the sound of a cogwheel turning, but Misha''s voice was not heard at all.
"Do you mean that if something goes wrong while restoring it, Murakhan could die?"
"No, that''s not it. If that were the case, Misha wouldn''t have proceeded with the treatment without telling you."
Quinkantel waved her hand.
"Then what?"
"If the surgery fails, he won''t be in danger of life, but he''ll lose all the remaining power."
Jin''s eyes widened.
For a moment, anger surged towards Misha.
If the surgery carried such risks, Misha should have consulted with him or Gilly first.
However, on the other hand, it was also understandable.
''Murakhan would surely... even with such risks, he would have said he wanted to go through with the surgery.''
Murakhan''s old power, which he heard from Murakhan himself and those around him, was iparable to now. It was at a level that could pete'' with Temar Runekandel.
It was said to overwhelm all the dragons existing in the sky, and the might he saw directly when facing Faitel, who had incarnated as Yurien a while ago, was indeed terrifying. The adjective ¡°Great¡± in Great ck Dragon Murakhan, really meant something.
That Murakhan was now in a state where he could not be said to be stronger than Jin, let alone Quinkantel.
If the two of them were to face a desperate situation together, the one to protect the other would be Jin, not Murakhan.
So there was no way Murakhan wouldn''t want the surgery.
Not all guardian dragons in the world were stronger than contractors, but at least they should not be cking''. That was the general mindset of the guardian dragons.
As if reading Jin''s thoughts, Quinkantel added a word.
"Misha may seem to dislike Murakhan, but she came over here right away as soon as this happened. She will do her best, so let''s wait quietly for a few days."
"What are the chances of sess?"
"She said it was about 50%."
"It''s not too low."
"My goodness, what''s this noise? It sounds like a cat is straining, don''t tell me it''s Murakhan..."
This time Gilly stood in front of the door passing through the corridor.
When Quinkantel exined again, Gilly turned pale in an instant. Jin grabbed her trembling hand.
She too thought the same as Jin. If it was like that, she should have told us in advance, but then again, Murakhan would have definitely agreed to it.
Neither of them could leave the corridor.
Naturally,rades came one by one, and every time, the number of people standing in front of the corridor increased.
"Oh my, Murakhan...! Just listening makes me feel sick. My lord, your worries must be immense."
"Master Jin, Miss Gilly. He will surely ovee this."
"Please have some of these while you wait."
By lunchtime, all the colleagues had gathered in front of the corridor.
The screams continued relentlessly until nightfall. The sounds of something breaking and shattering were also increasingly heard.
Just before midnight, the colleagues heard a distinctly human groan for the first time.
Eugh, Ahhh!
It was apletely different sound from the cat-like screams they had been hearing, and it was unmistakably Murakhan''s voice.
After that, the sounds of a cat''s cry and a human''s scream alternated. It seemed that Murakhan was shifting between a human and a cat during the treatment.
While the colleagues grew increasingly anxious.
The screams suddenly subsided, and the door was opened.
The group managed to glimpse inside as the door was opened, and the room was filled with blood stains and dark orbs of energy floating around. They couldn''t see Murakhan.
"Huff!"
Misha, wiping the sweat off her forehead, stepped into the corridor.
She looked surprised at the sight of Murakhan¡¯s friends gathered in front of her, then she shrugged her shoulders.
"What are you all doing here, looking so entertained? I guess Quinkantel told you. If you''re thinking of ming me......"
"We have no such intention. You know Murakhan better than us, so you must have decided on the surgery. Is he okay?"
"For now. But we have to do this for a few more days. We''re not out done yet."
Her sinister smile from before was gone, and she looked extremely tired.
Not everyone would notice, but Jin, as a contractor of Solderet, knew how much energy she had used throughout the day.
The strong energy he had felt when he first met her had significantly diminished. It was clear evidence that she had given her all to the treatment.
"I''m tired. I should eat something and rest."
"I''ll prepare something right away, Miss Misha. Is there any particr food you''d like?"
To Gilly''s question, surprisingly, Misha gave this answer.
"Strawberry pie. If that''s not avable, then some other pie made from fresh fruit."
They were indeed siblings.
Misha began the treatment every day around noon and finished around midnight.
A week passed like this. As time went by, the frequency of human screams from the room increasedpared to the cat''s cries.
"Today is thest hurdle. I don''t know what kind of problem this immature brother is causing."
Misha looked at Jin and the colleagues with a sullen face.
Whether he ovees this hurdle or not, from today, Murakhan will be able to join his colleagues as a dragon once again.
Ahhh!
As soon as the treatment started, a more fierce scream than ever before ensued.
However, the cat''s cry was nowhere to be heard. The unstable transformation state of shifting between a human and a cat had disappeared.
They had no idea how the time had passed until nightfall. Everyone was anxiously staring at the firmly closed door, trying to suppress their anxiety.
Even if Murakhan lost his power, the way his colleagues treated him wouldn''t change.
But could Murakhan himself bear this fact? That was the question that had kept the group anxious till now.
"It''s almost midnight, Young Master. I hope... I hope he''s alright."
The moment she said that, the screams from inside stopped. At the same time, the noise of various treatment tools also subsided.
The colleagues held their breath and waited for the door to open.
Creak...!
As soon as the door opened, a man with hair as dark as pitch, Murakhan, appeared.
He smiled broadly at his colleagues.
"It''s been a while, everyone."
"Murakhan!"
"Mr. Murakhan!"
His voice, unlike before, carried a strange dignity.
Seeing Murakhan, Jin remembered the moment when he first met him in the storm cer. Just like the young Jin had felt then, an overpowering aura was emanating from his gaze and attitude.
The surgery was a sess.
The colleagues could sense this fact even before Misha announced the results.
"Hahaha! Yes, I am Murakhan!"
Suddenly, Murakhan burst intoughter like a madman. The colleagues had no choice but to back away in surprise, because of the strong aura contained in it.
Crack, crack...!
Just from hisughter, cracks appeared on the thick stone walls of the corridor. Something that would have been impossible for Murakhan 40 days ago.
"Yes, this is it! This is me! Haha, hahaha, ack!"
Bang!
Murakhan''s neck twisted violently. So violently that a normal person would surely die.
Misha hade out of the room and punched the back of his head.
"Are you crazy, hey. Who told you to make such a racket. I''ve nearly lost my eardrums listening to your screams for a week."
Murakhan turned around and red at Misha for a moment, then started to chuckle again.
"Anyway, thank you, I survived thanks to you. I''m grateful, so I''ll give you a hug! Come closer."
"Go away."
"Yeah, just trying it out. I hate it too. Now, go home. I have to have a celebration party with my friends. I''ll send you the feeter."
"Huh, keep talking. It looks like you can''t see anything because you''ve got some strength back. Be careful, I''m telling you nicely."
"Why aren''t you leav... ack! Ack!"
Thud, thud, bang!
At Misha''s punches, Murakhan''s body flew around the corridor. Even at a nce, her punches and kicks were at least 8-star level.
Murakhan took all of it without shedding a drop of blood. The colleagues didn''t know whether to be surprised by Misha''s beating or to admire Murakhan''s durability.
"Only about 40% of your old power has returned, little brother. If you mess around, you could die."
After beating him up for about twenty times, Misha casually threw Murakhan aside and said,
"You... you deliberately only returned 40%, didn''t you? Because if you returned it all, I''d be stronger than you!"
"I don''t think so. I''ll give you five seconds. If you don''t bow down and show your gratitude right away, I''ll turn you back into a cat."
Why would I!
The moment Murakhan was about to shout that out, Jin and Gilly grabbed him at the same time. Then they forced him to bow down.
"You''ve worked hard, Miss Misha."
"You guys too, you must have had a hard time waiting. But, as annoying as it is, that guy is right. I have to go home now."
Chapter 232: Lani Salome (1)
Chapter 75: Lani Salome (1)
"You''re leaving? Right now?"
"I''m busy, unlike him. Fixing Murakhan took more time than I expected, so I can''t afford to dy."
Misha casually shrugged her shoulders, stepping on Murakhan''s head, who was lying down in front of her.
As soon as her foot touched his head, Murakhan tried to stand up with a burst of energy, but he couldn''t resist her strength.
Misha, who easily subdued Murakhan with just one foot, had only regained 40% of his former power. The colleagues, who had felt Murakhan''s power for the first time, couldn''t even gauge how extraordinary Misha''s strength was.
While Murakhan was struggling, Misha calmly continued speaking.
"Don''t feel too bad. My being busy is fundamentally for your benefit."
At Misha''s sudden announcement of departure, the colleagues looked at each other. However, Quinkantel didn''t seem surprised, perhaps she had anticipated it.
"I''m not upset. I just feel sorry. It seems like we''re just letting you go after receiving your help..."
"There''s no need for that. And now, my shadow has rubbed off on you, so we can meet again whenever you have time."
Unlike Murakhan, Misha had many things to do aside from protecting the contractor.
Especially during Solderet''s absence, she had to take over all the tasks that Solderet used to handle.
On top of that, she had to look for Solderet, which left her with virtually no personal time. Even on the first day, she had to prepare for Murakan''s treatment overnight while having a drink with Quinkantel.
"Is there anything I can help with?"
Misha locked eyes with Jin for a moment.
"Not yet. Right now, growing properly is the biggest help."
In Misha''s eyes, there was a full measure of satisfaction as she said this.
"When are you nning to return to your family?"
"I n to return when I turn 19."
"Why not earlier?"
"Originally I promised my father to return when I turn 20. I would already be breaking hismand by going back a year earlier, so it''s hard to move it up any further."
"Hmm, that''s a shame. If you were a Rider, it would be easier to get it. You could bring the Guardian Knights."
"Where are you talking about?"
"The old Oterium."
"The old Oterium?"
The old Oterium.
That ce, which used to be the capital of the Holy Kingdom, is currently the main base of the Dark Magic Council under Kinzelo and the ce where the ''Final Form of Annihtion me Gem'' magic book left by Liol Zipfel is located.
"If you go there, there will be a magic book. It was left by Liol Zipfel, a previous contractor."
Among the colleagues, only Jin, the returnee, knew about the legacy of Liol Zipfel.
However, Jin had obtained information about the Final Form of Annihtion me Gem from Solderet in the past. So it wasn''t surprising that Misha, Solderet''s ck Dragon, knew about it.
"That ce is now the headquarters of the Dark Magic Council under Kinzelo."
"I know. So I thought it would be good to look for it after you be a knight, but if it''s after you turn 19, it''s toote. Well, now that this guy has regained some of his strength, he should be able to handle it even if he goes right away."
"You seem to know a lot about Kinzelo, Misha."
"I know that they once teamed up with Zipfel to scoop up contractors using the demon stone. And that alliance was practically broken by you."
Since Misha had been shadowing Murakhan, she could infer Jin and Murakhan''s movements to a certain extent.
Also, Kinzelo and Zipfel were originally under her surveince. She thought that the reason why Solderet disappeared might be rted to them.
"Is there anything I can help with?"
"If there is any important information about them that I need to tell you, I''ll send a letter here. Anyway, it would be good to acquire Liol Zipfel''s magic book as soon as possible."
"Is someone else eyeing that magic book?"
Misha nodded her head.
"Yes. A magician I''ve been watching recently is after the magic book. Her name is Aria Owlheart, a human girl who, like you, has a rather special destiny."
The colleagues thought that since Misha was watching, it would naturally be a famous Grand Magician or a rising star.
However, ''Aria Owlheart'' was a name that none of them had ever heard of. Except for one person, Jin.
''My mentor was already eyeing the Annihtion me Gem at this time?''
Aria Owlheart.
It was one of the many pseudonyms used by Valeria in his previous life.
Among them, it was a pseudonym she cherished as much as her real name, meaning that she had the heart of a ''gray owl''.
And she didn''t get the final form of the Annihtion me Gem in her previous life. Instead, she got the iplete 2nd form and showed it to Jin.
"A special destiny...?"
"If you are a child chosen by the shadow, Aria is a child chosen by history. If you ever meet her, encourage her. In the grand scheme of things, she can be considered an ally."
She seemed cautious about saying more.
Aria, or Valeria, was not a part of the shadow, so there wasn''t much room for Misha to intervene.
She was wary of giving Jin too much information about Valeria, as it could potentially affect Valeria''s destiny.
''My mentor set the goal of recovering Hister''s magic as a lifelong, vital goal. Is being chosen by history rted to that?''
In the midst of quickly rising questions,
Misha lifted her foot off Murakan.
"Ah, I shouldn''t dy any longer. I should head back. Hey, Murakan."
"Why!"
Murakan stood up and red at Misha defiantly.
However, he couldn''t attack her recklessly. He felt the difference in their strength, and he was afraid that if he acted more rudely, his childhood nightmares might resurface.
"You''re blessed, you know. Take good care of Jin. Understand?"
It was true that Murakhan had less to dopared to Misha. That''s where the phrase ''you''re blessed'' came from.
"Hmph! I don''t need to listen to your nagging. I can handle it on my own."
"It seems I have no choice. I hate to see you like this. Gilly."
"Yes, Miss Misha."
"For the next month, don''t make strawberry pie for him. Got it?"
"Huh, as if the strawberry pie would listen to your..."
"I understand, Miss Misha."
Murakhan''s face turned white in an instant.
"Well, everyone, let''s meet againter."
A week passed since Misha left.
Murakhan, who had regained his strength and was ecstatic, was seen sulking in a corner of the garden every day.
It was because he couldn''t eat strawberry pie. Although he hadn''t had strawberry pie for over a month before, being forcibly deprived of it due to someone else''s will was a terrible thing. Especially because of Misha.
"He''s great, really. How could a dragon be like this? It seems like he''s bing more and more childish."
Unable to watch any longer, Jin finally brought strawberry pies.
"Oh, oh oh. Oh oh oh!"
As soon as Jin held out the strawberry pie, Murakan''splexion returned. No one could think of him as a ck dragon who had existed for more than 3000 years, a magnificent ck dragon who had regained 40% of his power.
Murakhan, who received the basket with the strawberry pie, hugged Jin with a grateful face.
"Indeed, kid, there''s no one like you. You''ve been worth raising."
Murakhan took out two strawberry pies and handed one to Jin. His hands were trembling, indicating that he was reluctant to share but was barely managing to do so.
"I''m good, you eat."
Gulp!
Murakan opened his mouth wide and bit into the strawberry pie.
Jin watched him eat for a while.
¡°Sir Kashimir brought information about Lani. She was imprisoned for helping us, and was released just two days ago "
"Hmm, is that so? That''s fortunate. Honestly, I don''t want to admit it... but if she hadn''t helped me, I wouldn''t have been safe. I probably would have been captured by Kadun and dragged to Zipfel''sb. That guy, thinking about it makes me angry...."
Right after Misha left, Murakhan had said this.
-I owe that knight.
Jin had also been thinking about this, but it was surprising that Murakhan expressed it directly.
"Why didn''t you thank Misha, who cured you, like that?"
"If you knew what Misha did to me when she was young, you wouldn''t say that. She''s not a dragon, she''s a demon."
"Anyway, it''s about Lani. She doesn''t seem to be doing very well."
"She''s not doing well?"
"Apparently, she changed drastically right after her punishment ended. She drinks like a recluse every day, and she caused a disturbance in the temple immediately after her release and was arrested again. So she''s waiting for another trial for additional punishment."
In the news from the previous life, Lani Salome was often described as a prodigal daughter. ording to the information Kashimir brought, Lani was also turning into that state now.
"What? Is that woman''s personality like that?"
Murakhan had never had a proper conversation with Lani because he had fainted as soon as he met her.
"Not from my experience. The Dawn Guardians of Doctrine values discipline and order more than any other organization in the Holy Kingdom. So, even if a knight causes a little trouble, they are often expelled, but Lani hasn''t been expelled yet."
"She''s the adopted daughter of the Holy King. That''s why she got away with it, right?"
"That could be. But when Lani caused a disturbance in the temple, the Holy King was performing a blessing ceremony for the citizens of the Holy Kingdom. In other words, she directly offended the Holy King."
Despite the nickname ''King of Foolish Daughters'', Min cherished his daughter very much, and Lani also obeyed Min well.
After Santel, the girl went through a sudden change of heart.
"Is it like puberty? Hmm......"
"My guess is this. After Santel, Lani btedly realized that the Holy King sided with Zipfel. So she felt a great sense of betrayal, and she is confused about her identity."
-The duty of someone like me is not to blind people''s eyes, disguise evil as good, and be disgusting by colluding with power.
Considering the firm religious belief that Lani showed, the story could be valid.
After some contemtion, Murakhan made eye contact with Jin.
"Whatever it is, I need to meet her once. I''ll help as much as I can. My life must be worth that much, right?"
Chapter 233
Episode 233: Lani Salome (2)
December 14, 1797.
Jin and Murakhan arrived in the Holy Kingdom to meet Lani Salome.
The Holy Kingdom of Vanke was in the midst of celebrating the festival called "Advent Festival," whichmemorated the day when the Divine Princess Ayura, the patron deity of the Holy Kingdom, first arrived. It was thergest festival in the Holy Kingdom andsted for an entire week.
Colorful gs depicting the symbol of Ayura, the "Dormant Volcano," adorned the streets.
"Dormant Volcano, whenever I see it, I can''t help but appreciate how well humans choose their symbols."
Ayura, the Goddess of Peace, revered by the Holy Kingdom of Vanke. Murakhan remembered that she was usually incredibly benevolent, but when angered, she had the personality to burn everything in her path.
"It is said that no matter which deity it was, if they caused chaos among mortals, Ayura would threaten them. There was even a time when she annihted a deity, but it was before I was born. I wonder if the other party was the god of blessings."
"Is that so?"
"There was a time when there were rumors circting about Ayura being responsible for the disappearance of Numeus, the God of Hope, among the dragons. Anyway, she is quite a formidable figure."
The streets were filled with pleasant melodies,ughter, and cheers. Both local residents and tourists who came to enjoy the festival were present, and even journalists could be seen frequently.
And thergest gathering of people was in one ce.
In the center of the capital''s main square, an elderly man with a graceful appearance stood on the podium, waving his hand towards the crowd.
Wielding a golden scepter, wearing the crown of Dormant Volcano, and emanating a faint yellow aura that enveloped his entire body, King Min of Vanke exuded a bright smile with well-arranged teeth.
"Long live the King!"
"Long live the King!"
The love of the citizens towards Min was absolute. As the King who shared the privileges of the aristocracy with themon people, he had done so much for the citizens of the Holy Kingdom that it would be difficult to find another monarch like him in the history of Vanke.
Rather than praising the efforts of the nobles who established him as the king, he had instead granted even more privileges to themon people.
The two men watched him from the square for a while.
"Is that person Min, Lani''s father, the current King?"
"Lower your voice, Murakhan. If anyone hears us, it could be troublesome."
"Hmm, it just doesn''t make sense to me."
¡°What''s the matter?"
"Lani recently caused amotion in the temple during the blessing ceremony. But why would they insist on having Lani for an important event like the King''s coronation? It doesn''t add up."
"Perhaps it''s about maintaining appearances? They say that she has been reading the blessing text on behalf of the King every year."
"That''s one way to think about it, but it feels strangely ufortable. If, by any chance, Lani causes another scene during the coronation ceremony, it would be a major incident. It wouldn''t be a minor ident that could be hidden like the previous incident."
Lani''s trial had been postponed due to the current King. However, it wasn''t because the King had used his power to prevent her punishment; it was because of the Advent festival.
During the Advent period, no criminals were judged as it was a tradition of the Holy Kingdom. However, Lani had always yed an important role during the festival.
The King''s coronation ceremony.
As the name suggested, it was a ritual in which the King personally blessed each and every citizen. It was considered the highlight of the Advent festival, and Lani had faithfully read the blessing text on behalf of the King every year since she was fifteen.
"Therefore, it seems that the members of the Dawn Guard temporarily released Lani. They probably thought it wouldn''t look good if she suddenly disappeared. We might be able to meet Lani before the trial ends."
Before Jin and Murakhan came to the Holy Kingdom, Kashimir had provided them with this information, which turned out to be good. If the trial didn''t go well, it would have been difficult for them to meet her at all.
"Well, I still can''t understand no matter how much I think about it."
Just then.
Jin looked at the King while eating a candy shaped like a Dormant Volcano that he had just bought from a stall. Both of them had disguised themselves as tourists, with their hair dyed red using a high-grade hair dye called "Golden Duck Dye"
"What is it?"
"Lani recently caused a disturbance at the temple during the blessing ceremony. However, it doesn''t make sense to me why they would insist on using her for such an important event like the King''s coronation."
"Isn''t it because of appearances? They say she has been reading the blessing text every year on behalf of the King."
"But it still feels oddly unsatisfying. Maybe Lani was just momentarily insane at that time and still maintains a good rtionship with the King."
"We''ll find out when we meet her."
Lani''s residence was a small house located near the "Ayura Grand Temple", which was right next to the capital of the Holy Kingdom. However, due to the constant visits from devoted followers of Min and Lani, the house was rarely used.
Lani''s actual living space was the "Ayura Eastern Temple" located in the eastern part of the capital. However, it was currently undergoing major renovations, and except for authorized personnel, ess was prohibited.
Of course, Jin and Murakhan didn''t care about such matters.
"Let''s head to the Eastern Temple."
The two men boarded the teleportation gate to the eastern part.
"Why are you still vomiting? Shouldn''t you be used to it by now?"
Murakhan vomited immediately after the teleportation wasplete. He was still sensitive to teleportation gates.
"Damn it, even though I''ve regained 40% of my strength, I still can''t fly freely."
"Hold on a bit. Once I be a rider, you should be able to fly freely over Hyufester, at least."
There was no need to search for the Ayura Eastern Temple; it was the tallest building that could be seen right after exiting the teleportation gate.
Compared to the bustling central area filled with festival atmosphere, the eastern part was quiet. During the Advent period, even the merchants would leave for the central area to set up their stalls, so it was only natural.
They climbed up the hill and arrived at the Ayura Eastern Temple. Unlike the heavily armored knights who blocked the city in Centel, the guards protecting the eastern temple were ordinary soldiers yawning and slouching.
There were no workers visible for the temple''s renovation. They had also left for the central area to enjoy the festival.
Within the Holy Kingdom, there were no unauthorized individuals entering the temple, and from the perspective of tourists, there was nothing to see at the Ayura Eastern Temple. All the important relics had been moved to the central temple, so there was no need for strict security.
Jin took out a small ss bottle from his pocket and opened the lid. Inside was a sleep-inducing poison made by Kuzan.
"I''m sorry, but it''s not a dangerous poison."
Jin looked at Murakhan.
Murakhan initially had a face that seemed to question why he had to go this far, but then he sighed and transformed into a cat.
"Meow."
Murakhan approached the guards with the ss bottle in his mouth. Naturally, the guards'' attention turned to the ss bottle that Murakhan was holding before they could examine it closely. Before they could react, Murakhan dropped the sleep-inducing poison in front of them.
"What is this? Oh, my body..."
Thump, thump.
"Sorry."
After giving them a few gold coins, Jin and Murakhan casually passed through the gate and entered the temple. Lani''s room was located at the end of the hallway on the third floor of the temple.
As they got closer, a strong smell of alcohol filled the air.
Fortunately, there were no other soldiers inside, so they were able to meet Lani without any trouble.
"Lani Salome. I didn''t know you liked alcohol this much."
As Jin quietly closed the door and spoke in a low voice, Lani finally looked at him. Despite intentionally approaching without hiding their presence, she hadn''t paid any attention until that moment.
It was as if she had given up on everything.
"...Jin Runkandel?"
The eyes that were filled with strong conviction and pride back in Santel were now vacant, with pupils drowned in despair.
For a while, Lani stared at Jin as if she couldn''t believe it. It seemed that she hadn''t expected him to find her so quickly.
"How...?"
"We made a promise, didn''t we? I came to repay the debt."
Pop!
Murakhan transformed back into his human form and stood in front of Lani. Seeing him in a healthy state, Lani put down the bottle of alcohol and widened her eyes.
"It''s been a while, religious fanatic. Thanks to you, I''m alive and here to find you. It seems like there''s something wrong with you, but this Great ck Dragon Murakhan will take care of everything. So, how about pouring me a drink?"
Murakhan smiled and effortlessly took the ss away from her, preventing her from drinking more.
Lani, still in a daze, blinked her eyes for a while and then burst into tears. She covered her mouth to prevent her cries from being heard outside.
The two of them waited for her to stop crying for a moment.
"Alright, stop crying and tell us what happened."
"My father, my father..."
"Your father? King Min?"
"They''ve captured my father."
Jin and Murakhan looked at each other and then at Lani in turns.
"What are you talking about? Religious fanatic. We just came from the central square after seeing the King standing there perfectly fine..."
"Those guys used some kind of trickery; that''s a fake. It''s a body double with a striking resemnce. My actual father has been kidnapped."
"What?"
"The King...has been kidnapped?"
Fake.
As soon as they heard that word, a certain figure naturally came to mind.
Bouvar Gaston, the sculptor of Kinzelo.
In that instant, Jin understood why Lani had been assigned the role of reading the blessing text during the "King''s Coronation" ceremony as always.
"She''s being threatened."
The current King Min was being held hostage, and those who were responsible were ckmailing Lani. They told her that if she didn''t behave as usual, her father, the real Min would die.
However, in her distress, Lani caused a disturbance during the blessing ceremony at the fake King''s coronation and became trapped in a situation where she had to wait for the trial.
"Lani Salome, do you know who kidnapped the King?"
Kinzelo.
Of course, Jin had expected that name toe up since they were using Bouvar''s shapeshifting technique.
But the name Lani mentioned was not Kinzelo.
"It''s Zipfel. Those guys...kidnapped my father."
"Zipfel? Are you sure?"
"I''m sure. It seems like other forces are involved as well... Ha, I don''t really know. I had very little I could do."
Lani held her head in her hands and trembled.
"It''s okay, Lani. Have some water to drink. Calm down and tell us the whole story so we can think properly."
The alliance between Zipfel and Kinzelo hade to an end.
Could it be that they joined forces again? That moment, a question arose briefly.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Suddenly, a heavy footsteps could be heard from outside the door. It was undoubtedly someone who had realized that Jin and Murakhan had infiltrated and hade to find them. But for some reason, these footsteps...
They were clearly not the sound of human footsteps.
Chapter 234
C234 - Lani Salome (3)
What else could it be, if not human?
A demonic creature, a beast, or something else. In any case, the heavy footsteps sounded quite hostile, and Murakan looked towards the closed door.
"Boy, take care of the Religious Fanatic*." (*: It seems to be Lani Salome''s nickname, coined by Murakan)
However, Murakan still didn''t let go of his ss.
"I''ll handle it. I don''t know what it is, but make sure to handle it quietly."
"Sure."
The footsteps halted right in front of Lani''s door.
Murakan opened the door with a smile. Or, at least, he tried to smile. But his expression froze immediately.
The source of the footsteps walked on two legs. It had arms and legs, but it was neither human nor a demonic creature.
If it had to be ssified, it was a powerless and unfortunate human. Jin had encountered such beings in Kollon''s historical sites before bing a Provisional gbearer.
Biological golems?
Suddenly, the faces of the soldiers Murakan had drugged to sleep, the ordinary faces of the two people who had just stood guard peacefully, came to Jin''s mind.
Those people didn''t deserve to go through something like this.
It wasn''t any different when he first encountered the biological golems in Kollon. The unconscious mercenaries had suddenly turned into biological golems and started attacking Jin.
The mercenaries had pleaded with him then.
To please kill them.
''Zipple, those lunatics!''
Jin clenched his teeth.
At that very moment, the knife-like nails of the biological golems swerved toward Murakan''s face.
The strike was quick and fierce. The research seemed to have made great strides in the few years since Kollon.
If Murakan hadn''t regained his former powers, he might have allowed one or two small scratches. But now, the attack was as slow as a passing cloud in Murakan''s eyes.
Swish!
Murakan straightened his hand like a sword and lightly swung his arm, shing the four arms of his enemy.
Murakan extended his hand again before the arms could touch the ground.
Crunch!
Murakan coated his hands ck with Shadow Energy and aimed at the lower abdomen of the biological golems, realizing that''s where their cores, or hearts, were located.
"Tsk, I can''t let you live like this."
Murakan clenched his fists gently and crushed the hearts of the biological golems. They couldn''t even let out a scream.
Once their hearts were shattered, their bloated bodies quickly shrank. There was no trace of their human origins in the piece of ckened leather they left behind.
Jin, Murakhan, and Lani silently gazed at the remains for a few seconds.
Obviously, Lani was the most surprised of the three. She snorted a couple of times but soon calmed her trembling body as she remembered her own identity.
She was the adopted daughter of the Holy King, a Holy Knight of the Creed Guardians Society, a sacred subject of the Holy Kingdom, and Ay''s daughter.
Lani took out the scriptures from her inner pockets and knelt beside the golems.
"Oh Ay, my poor brethren have found peace and journeyed to you. Please have mercy on their souls, console them in their pitiful and untimely death."
A bright yellow light flowed from her and enveloped the dead bodies.
Fwoosh.
The light soon transformed into Ay''s sacred me and reduced the corpses to ashes. Lani suppressed her urge to vomit and even delivered a brief eulogy. Now she seemed to have regained control.
The golem hearts that Murakan had shattered remained on the floor.
"Damn, biological golems, huh? I know I just saw it, but I can''t believe it. How can you have things like this in the Holy Kingdom? Don''t tell me we''re in the wrong country." Murakan spoke as he picked up one of the fragments.
Jin also examined the fragments closely. There was a bluish aura shining within. It gave off a chilling and eerie sensation, but it wasn''t the right time to discuss it.
"Lani Salome. I think we should move to a safer ce for now. More people will be sent soon."
Lani closed her eyes. Then she nodded as she opened them again.
"I understand. Follow me."
They stepped into the empty hallway. They followed Lani. However, they never left the eastern temple.
"Once they discover that I''m gone, there will be no ce to hide within the Holy Kingdom. This might be a safer ce."
Lani began climbing the gigantic Ay statue adorning the central wall of the ground floor.
"No one would imagine that I, of all people, would climb up Ay''s body. Besides, not many people know about this secret passage either."
She was skilled in hiding and concealing objects from a young age. Since bing the adopted daughter of the Holy King, she had been exposed to excessive harassment and all sorts of undue expectations from others, which naturally developed her hiding abilities.
Lani forcefully turned the head of the gigantic stone statue.
Then they pushed Ay''s head aside, revealing a hollow space inside the statue. They entered the statue and ced the head back in its original position. The interior was pitch-ck.
The inside of the statue was connected to a hidden passageway in the basement that led to the drains of the eastern temple.
They walked for a few minutes and reached the drain. Suddenly, Lani staggered and grabbed onto the wall.
She was hyperventting.
Her heart was shattered by the fact that the faith she had built throughout her life had proven to be wrong.
His father, Min, the Holy King, had been captured by the Zipple, and Vank had be so corrupted that it could no longer be called the Holy Kingdom.
"The Holy Kingdom has ended."
Jin didn''t respond. He just looked into her eyes.
He was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
He could certainly understand why, but there was nothing he could do to console her.
How could Jinfort someone who had lost their only family, their kingdom, and their own faith?
But Jin could provide practical help.
"Choose, Lani Salome. If you''repletely exhausted and have no heart for revenge, I can send you to and where you can live your life peacefully, without asking questions. I guarantee your safety for the rest of your life, and I''ll also provide you with enough money to sustain you. All you have to do is leave this ce with us, right now."
Jin then looked into Lani''s eyes.
"But if not, gather yourself and give us some useful information, so we can at least help you with something immediately. About how many enemies there are, when they started controlling the Holy Kingdom, or how many people we can still trust within the Holy Kingdom."
"That''s true that I helped both of you in Santelle. But I can''t ask you to save my father and fight against the Zipple based on just that."
"Why not?"
Lani couldn''t respond for some time. "Would you risk your life for me and for the Holy Kingdom? Seriously? You, a Runcandel?"
"Yes, I am a Runcandel. Therefore, the Zipple were always my enemies to begin with. And when I offer to help you, it''s partly to repay your kindness, but the other reason is to win the Holy Kingdom to my side. Letting the Holy Kingdom fall into the hands of the Zipple is a loss for me and my n in the end."
"Well, hey, brat. That''s true but a bit ruthless to say. Imagine how the confused Religious Fanatic present here must feel, right?" Murakan said.
"Then you should start acting in your own best interests as well. What I propose is an exchange, as the sessor of the Runcandels, and you, as the sessor of the Holy King."
Silence followed.
Murakan read Jin''s intentions and looked at Lani with serious eyes.
They were already getting used to the stench of the drain when Lani spoke up.
"I hope you''ll excuse the embarrassing state I''ve been in until now, Jin Runcandel. Well, I''ll follow you. I''ll exchange with the Runcandels."
Many changes urred within Lani in that brief moment.
This Provisional gbearer of the Runcandels was clearly much younger than her, and it was impossible for him to love the Holy Kingdom more than she did. But he was more concerned about the future and well-being of the kingdom than she was. It embarrassed her to think this way.
"Fine. Let me decide my part of the deal after rescuing the Holy King or expelling the Zipple from the Holy Kingdom. What you gain is an army, in the form of Murakan and me. This guy, in particr, has be much stronger since the first time you saw him."
Jin let out a sigh of relief. If Lani had given up and asked him to abandon the Kingdom, he would have had to start from scratch.
On the other hand, if he managed to drive the Zipple out of the Holy Kingdom, not only would he be helping someone he owed a favor to, but he would also have a lot to say about it in his n.
"First, let me tell you what I''ve found out about the current situation."
Over the past few years, the Zipple had been working to win over influential figures and organizations in the Holy Kingdom, one by one.
The Creed Guardians Society, the Order of Holy Knights to which Lani Salome belonged, was the first organization to be a servant of the Zipple.
"That''s why my father sent me to the Society. He had no one he could trust there, and he sent me to join their organization to investigate. I think my father himself was quite unsure about it, until recently."
"Then the Holy King would have reached his conclusion upon receiving your report on the Santelle incident, right?"
"Yes. The Zipple captured my father just after he received my report. At first, they also tried to deceive me with the fake double. It can mimic everything my father does, from his words to his actions."
But there was something that only the closest people to the Holy King knew.
The king couldn''t move the pinky finger of his left hand. Lani had already sensed the decline of her father''s sacred powers when she saw the fake double using the left pinky while dining.
When Lani brought up the issue, the Zipple cut off the Holy King''s left pinky finger and had a Holy Knight around Lani''s age, someone she used to trust, deliver it to her room, no less.
That was when Lani fell into despair.
"What sick thing, those perverted bastards."
"Did you keep the finger?" Jin asked, but Lani shook her head.
"After I saw it, the finger burst into mes and disappeared."
"The mes Seal. Only Shinu''s rtives can perform that spell. It''s the work of Keliac Zipple or Kadun."
They were up against the Zipple. And of all people, it had to be their patriarch, Keliac.
Although Murakan had regained his strength, it was impossible for him alone to take on the entire Zipple n.
However, even though they couldn''t match them in physical battles, they could deal a blow by influencing public opinion. The Holy King''s finger had disappeared, but Jin still carried with him the shard of the biological golem''s heart.
''Biological golems and transfiguration. Those things will drag you down.''
Jin took out the fragment from his pocket. Lani realized what he meant.
"Are you going to use that as evidence to im that the Zipple turned the soldiers of the Holy Kingdom into biological golems?"
"Yes."
"But I''m the only witness."
"No. I also disrupted their experiments with biological golems in the past. A great journalist is already waiting to testify and cover the matter."
"What do you mean?"
"But that won''t be enough. We''ll need other irrefutable evidence to uncover the Zipple and expose them all at once. Who else knows about the Holy King''s condition in his left pinky finger?"
Chapter 235 - Lani Salome (4)
Chapter 235 - Lani Salome (4)
Of course, the shard of the biological golem''s heart alone was not enough to begin waging wars of public opinion, even with Deano Jaglun and the Kollonites behind them.
The minimum requirement to incite public anger against the Zipple was to demonstrate their role in the kidnapping of the Holy King and the cement of a puppet in his stead to deceive the citizens of the Holy Kingdom.
"The Pontiff Montiano, Pontiff Connieu, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Sacred Knights, Sir Vitura, are aware," Lani said.
"Who is the most trustworthy among them?"
"No one." Lani responded sharply and continued, "Pontiffs Montiano and Connieu are definitely sold out. When I realized that the double was impersonating my father, I went to talk to them. But they justughed and wished me luck in the trial that would take ce after the festival, telling me to serve the King well. I can definitely say that they have been bought."
"It can''t be known for certain with nothing else but that, don''t you think?"
"No, I''m sure. I also brought up my father''s finger. They just smiled, instead of giving a response, as if saying that I ampletely under their control anyway."
Lani was particrly devastated by their betrayal.
Montiano and Connieu had been Min''s closest friends, whom he had known since his adolescence, and they were the highest authorities in the Holy Kingdom, surpassed only by Min himself.
"I lost all hope when I became certain of their betrayal because Montiano is the supreme Pontiff of the legition in the Holy Kingdom, and Connieu, of the administration."
Thews of thend and their enforcement werepletely under their control. And with the King being a fake double, things were certainly grim.
A thought struck Jin.
''The Holy Kingdom has fallen under Zipple''s control. What are the Runcandels doing about it? Are we aware of the situation and letting it happen, or are we still unaware of the current state?''
Thetter was more likely.
The news of Murakan and Kadun''s battle in Santelle had not yet reached the rest of the world. Since Santelle was nothing more than a small remote town under the control of the Feudal States of Shol, the Runcandels did not have anyone nted in the city.
Jin only became aware of the situation because Murakan was attacked in Santelle and ended up meeting Lani there. If it hadn''t been for that series of coincidences, he would never have learned about the state of the Holy Kingdom.
"And the Commander, Sir Vitura?"
He was thest person who knew about the state of the Holy King.
Among the three who were aware of the King''s physical disability, he was the only one who was against the King.
"I still don''t know Sir Vitura. But he has a long history of political enmity against my father. He used to make extreme statements, iming that my father should be stripped of his title."
"Is that why you decided not to meet with him?"
"And he always imed that we should be on better terms with the Zipple. I used to think he said those things out of spite for my father, but it seems he has been on the Zipple''s side for a long time."
"The military, legitive, and executive bodies are all in their hands now. This seems quite grim, kid."
"We should meet with Vitura."
"Did you hear what I just said?"
"I heard it. But unlike the two Pontiffs, you haven''t spoken with Vitura yet, have you?"
"My father also hated him. In fact, Sir Vitura used to get on my father''s nerves even at official events. My father used toin and try to leave Sir Vitura out of his banquet invitations."
One had to hate the other passionately if they were to do such things as the leader of a nation, and even more so as the Holy King.
Lani was also influenced by her father. She didn''t like Vitura either. No, in fact, she despised him.
Jin looked Lani in the eyes as if he had juste up with something.
"Lani, how did your father treat Pontiffs Montiano and Connieu?"
"Well, obviously, he always had them sit by his side, both at banquets and meetings, and always deferred to their advice in governance. In his free time, he also took walks with them."
"What would you do if you were the Holy Queen, Lani? If the Holy Kingdom was being sold out to the Zipple,pletely, like now."
"What?"
"If I were him, I would keep close to my enemy''s spies, so that they wouldn''t know that I found out. On the other hand, I would remain hostile to anyone who could help me, at least on the outside."
Lani blinked silently but then shook her head.
"That might be possible. But my father used toin about Sir Vitura very often, even when we were alone..."
"It could be interpreted as his suspicion that there are eavesdroppers within the castle. Of course, it''s only a supposition. But it won''t do us any harm to find out."
"What if I get captured while visiting him? If Sir Vitura is a puppet of the Zipple, he will undoubtedly detain me. They probably decided that I wouldn''t escape because they had my father''s life in their hands. But now, they will think that I escaped after killing their biological golem soldiers."
Murakan shrugged at her response.
"Why would anyone worry about being captured when I''m around? Do you think the Holy Kingdom''s Knights could ever stop me?"
Lani didn''t know how strong Murakan had be. It was to be expected, given that her only memory of him was his struggle to stay alive after being defeated by Kadun.
The question wasn''t whether Murakan could overpower Vitura and his knights or not.
"That''s not the issue. Let''s say you two can overpower the Sacred Knights and escape with me. What happens next? We will be on the most wanted list, and my father, he..."
Lani couldn''t finish her sentence.
The Zipple had a single purpose in keeping Lani alive after capturing the Holy King. They wanted to use the image of the beloved Holy King and his daughter, admired by the people of the kingdom.
That''s why they wanted Lani to read the consecration message at the Ay Manifestation Festival as usual, with the discreet threat of killing her father if she didn''t do well or caused problems like before.
But objectively speaking, it was highly unlikely that the true Holy King was still alive. They practically had the Holy Kingdom under their control and had the perfect double to y his role. They had no reason to keep him alive.
As for Lani, she was a disposable option they could use until the people turned their backs on her, witnessing her mental copse.
"My father! He''s probably no longer in this world."
Lani understood this fact. She had only ignored it because she didn''t want to imagine that possibility. Tears filled her eyes.
She wiped away the tears and clenched her teeth. Tears wouldn''t change anything.
"I''ll go meet with Sir Vitura, as Lord Jin suggested. But promise me one thing."
"Speak."
"You sound like you want to turn public opinion against them. But if Sir Vitura is a traitor like I believe he is, then it will be impossible to drive them out with nothing but public sentiment. I''m sure that''s why you also seek to meet with Sir Vitura."
As Lani mentioned, there was a slight possibility that Vitura was indeed a traitor. And if that was true, Jin had to involve other factions in the matter. He thought of the Hidden Pce or the Nameless. Or he could break Runcandel''s code of conduct and seek help from Luna.
Jin was also interested in preventing the Holy Kingdom from falling into Zipple''s hands, no matter the cost.
"So, if things go wrong, help me restore the Holy Kingdom after bing the gbearer. With that, I''m asking for more than just you and Murakan. I''m asking for the support of the entire Runcandel n," Lani said.
Jin nodded.
"I understand."
-------------------------
Calling Vitura was impossible.
Although Lani was indeed the adopted daughter of the King, in terms of rank, she was only a second-ss Knight of the Creed Guardian Society. The three of them contemted this for a while and finally decided to visit his mansion themselves.
Whether he was a traitor or not, it didn''t matter if they met him at the mansion or elsewhere. The result would be the same.
"Well, well. If it isn''t Lani Salome! The daughter of his mighty holiness, the Holy King, and the troublemaker from the Creed Guardian Society."
Vitura was arrogantly seated in the center of his vast office, with a mocking smile on his face. Behind him stood the Golden Shield Knights, a group of Sacred Knights under his direct control. They stared fixedly at the three.
"And who are these two?" Vitura asked, pointing at Jin and Murakan.
"They''re my friends."
"Friends! Ha! They must be the vagabonds who killed my soldiers in the eastern temple and escaped with you. Huhu, Lani Salome. You see, I''ve been looking for you. You must read the consecration message a few days from now. You can''t just disappear, you know?"
We''re finished.
Jin and Murakan immediately thought the same thing.
It seemed that Lani was right. Damn it. To think that the Holy King despised him because he was actually a spy for Zipple. Did the Holy King truly lose his power so helplessly,pletely oblivious to everything?
However, Murakan had regained forty percent of his powers, so escaping wouldn''t be very difficult.
"You should have known that you could easily incur your father''s death by acting this way. It seems you came to your senses while you were busy running away, huh? Nevertheless, you made the right decision. Sit down."
Lani sat across from Vitura with an emotionless gaze. Jin and Murakan stayed in their ces, trying to find the best moment to escape.
Vitura smiled as he poured himself a cup of tea.
"Kane."
"Yes, Commander."
The Sacred Knight named Kane stepped forward and responded.
"Take those two and lock them up in the dungeon cells. I have a lot to ask them. And tell the Zipple that we''ve secured Lani."
"Yes, sir."
Kane and the other three Sacred Knights immediately headed towards Jin and Murakan.
They had surrendered their weapons before entering the mansion, though it didn''t suggest that they would have trouble against these knights.
''It''s going to be a hassle finding my sword on the way out because... huh?''
A sword emitted a sharp sound as it was unsheathed.
But it wasn''t the Golden Shield Knights who had unsheathed their swords.
It was Vitura Veltor, the Commander-in-Chief of the Sacred Knights.
It was the sound of his favorite sword being unsheathed.
And surprisingly, his sword shed at his own subordinates, who had passed by him.
His single strike pierced through the four necks of the Golden Shield Knights. Their helmet-d heads fell and rolled on the floor with a metallic sound.
Since the Golden Shield Knights were Sacred Knights under his directmand, they were all skilled Swordsmen of Five to Seven-Star levels.
But there was no way they could block the Sword of their ownmander, which was wielded swiftly behind them, especially since the Commander in question was a knight of levels nearing the Nine Stars.
The headless bodies of the Sacred Knights twitched.
"Don''t scream, Lani. And seriously, you made the right decision bying to me. You must have suffered a lot all this time."
Surprised, Lani stood up, but Vitura quickly covered her mouth. Jin and Murakan could only stare at Vitura in astonishment.
The Commander-in-Chief of Vank''s Sacred Knights, Vitura Veltor, was not a puppet of the Zipple.
"Pleasee forward, Lord Jin Runcandel."
In fact, he even knew who Jin was.
Chapter 236 - Individual Study, Group Study (1)
Chapter 236 - Individual Study, Group Study (1)
"I had no idea you would recognize me, Sir Vitura." Jin spoke as he approached.
"I attended the enemy''s celebration. I stayed in a corner and only drank alone, so it''s no surprise you didn''t see me there."
Vitura''s eyes seemed bitter as he looked at the Golden Shield Knights he had killed.
"Even arge portion of the Sacred Knights under my direct control have defected to your side. Lani, I''m grateful that you weren''t injured in this mess."
"Sir Vitura, I had questioned your loyalty. Please forgive me." Lani bowed as she spoke.
Vitura made a gesture of apology.
"I would have done the same since your father and I have been hostile towards each other for a long time. In fact, I was always the first to say that we should side with the Zipple."
The Holy King, Min, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Sacred Knights, Vitura Veltor: both were known to be enemies for a long time, and they had indeed engaged in quite furious debates in the national council.
But it was all just the roles they yed to maintain political bnce. Min yed the benevolent role of squeezing those in power, while Vitura yed the wicked role of representing them.
The conflicts that arose between them since Min''s coronation were actually a coboration between them, and only the two of them were aware of this agreement.
There was a long history behind it.
But Vitura thought that now wasn''t the time to exin those things to Lani. They had to talk about the current situation.
"Lani. Soon, the Zipple will receive news of your visit and Lord Jin''s. There aren''t many people in the mansion who obey me without question, and even they are being watched."
"The Zipple must think you''re on their side, Sir Vitura."
Vitura nodded.
"They must have the impression that I was the first to side with them. They started nting spies in the Holy Kingdom twenty years ago."
Back then, Jin hadn''t even been born.
He was expelled from his n in the past life, with no ess to any information. What he didn''t know was that the Holy Kingdom had also fallen into Zipple''s hands at that time.
"The Holy Kingdom is currently divided into two."
"On one side supporting the Zipple and the other opposing them?"
"No, between those supporting the Zipple and those supporting Kinzelo. The fake double of the Holy King is Kinzelo''s doing. I still can''t believe it, but Kinzelo seems to have a Transfigurer among them."
Lani''s eyes widened. The Holy Kingdom was not only invaded by Zipple, but it was also under the influence of Kinzelo. She was more than surprised.
In fact, she thought that Kinzelo was a third-rate terrorist group, iparable to the Zipple n. Anyone with such ideas would have reacted like her if they were told that half of the Holy Kingdom was under Kinzelo''s control.
Jin didn''t show much reaction, and Murakan simply shrugged.
"You don''t seem very surprised by the mention of Kinzelo, Lord Jin, nor does your knight."
I''m not a wretched knight. Murakan considered saying this aloud but decided against it.
"I was attacked by some Transfigured ones on the day I departed for the Sword Garden. They were Zipple extremists. After that, I started tracking their identities and found out that Kinzelo and Zipple had formed an alliance."
"You went through something like that? I see. But they''re not together anymore. They had been allies until some time ago, but recently they turned their backs on each other for some unknown reason."
Vitura had been observing the state of affairs while pretending to serve the Zipple n.
But there wasn''t much he could do since the reigning Pontiffs Montiano, Connieu, and the others - along with their organizations - were all in total submission to Zipple.
So, when the two allied forces became hostile towards each other, Vitura thought that the only opportunity to reim the Holy Kingdom was within reach. He hoped that their grip on the Holy Kingdom would weaken.
But instead, the Holy Kingdom was divided, along with the struggle between the two factions.
The soft-liners allied with the Zipple, and the hard-liners with the Kinzelo.
"The traitors believe that Keliac Zipple and the leader of Kinzelo are bigger than Ay. I haven''t seen the leader of Kinzelo myself, but Keliac seemed to have enough power to make the weak in faith find him quite convincing."
Even after his loyalty came to an end, the two factions decided to hold onto their semi-domains over the Holy Kingdom and pursue their own interests.
There were a few loyal servants like Vitura, but their number was far outnumbered by the traitors.
The struggle to reim the Holy Kingdom was futile if neither the soft-liners nor the hard-liners were interested in it.
Vitura continued with his rapid briefing session. Meanwhile, the bodies of the in Golden Shield Knights began to emit the smell of blood.
"When did the experiments with biological golems begin? When we went to secure Lani at the Eastern Temple, we fought against soldiers of the Holy Kingdom turned into these golems."
Jin took out the fragment of the biological golem''s heart from his pocket.
"Oh, great Ay. Your children suffer such terrible fates." Vitura held the fragment, and his whole body trembled. "They started their experiments in the Holy Kingdom about six months ago. Over a hundred civilians and soldiers of the Holy Kingdom are captured and sent to their location every month to be used as test subjects."
Lani was horrified.
The fact that she was oblivious to such things happening right under her nose made her feel like she could lose her mind.
"Lani, it''s not your fault. It''s ours, your father''s and mine. We both missed the moment to tell you these things."
"By their location, do you mean the Lutero Magical Federation?"
Jin naturally thought that the experiments with biological golems were the work of the Zipple.
"They''re not the Zipple. It''s the work of Kinzelo."
But unlike in Kollon, the experiments with biological golems conducted on the people of the Holy Kingdom were the work of Kinzelo.
"Is Kinzelo conducting biological experiments with golems?"
Kinzelo was deeply rted to the Half-Men. The prominentbat tribes among them, like the white werewolves and crimson tigers, took orders from Kinzelo''s leader.
Jin recalled that the fragment of the golem hearts had umted a blue aura, which gave him a creepy feeling.
''Kinzelo, those bastards! Are they trying to recreate the Legends!?''
The hearts of the biological golems in the Holy Kingdom were somewhat simr to the Light Hearts of the Legends.
Murakan seemed to think the same. He leaned forward to get a better look at the fragment.
"But how? By what means? My brothers vanishedpletely from the human world five thousand years ago. There are no stories of the Light Heart being passed down through generations, and the Technique of the Sword of Legends waspletely..."
Jin was thinking about that when he remembered an article from a newsletter.
The article was about Bamel, who was actually him using lightning. Then he remembered the Kinzelo agents who survived at that time, all witnesses to the Technique of the Sword of Legends.
"It can''t be just because of that, right?"
An indescribably unsettling and ominous feeling weighed on Jin''s downcast heart.
"The Kinzelo have been taking the citizens of the Holy Kingdom to Old Oterium."
It was the headquarters of the Dark Magic Guild and the ce where Riol Zipple''s legacy rested.
Biological golem experiments were carried out there.
"Are the Zipple capturing people and experimenting on them too?"
"Not for now, at least. The Zipple showed signs of attempting to use our sacred relics and the relics of the demons we guard, but they didn''t use our people for experiments."
"That''s probably the result of their decision to gain favor with the public when they have to fight against Kinzelo to be the sole owners of the Holy Kingdom. That''s how those hypocrites operate."
Vitura nodded with a heavy heart.
However, he was also quite surprised. Jin only needed a few sentences to urately deduce something that Vitura had concluded after many years of observation.
"Well, damn! Look, Holy Knight Chief. How is it that you''ve never once sought help from the Runcandel or the other factions when things are already such a mess?" Murakan said in frustration.
Vitura sighed in response. "If the Runcandel were to join at this point, what would be left of thisnd?"
Jin thought they had acted wisely.
The Zipple and the Kinzelo would only try to discreetly control the Holy Kingdom. But the Runcandel would have seized the opportunity to start a total war, turning the Holy Kingdom into a wastnd and taking away the highly skilled Healing Saints and the objects from the eternal safe.
To be precise, what the Runcandel needed was not Vank, the neutral kingdom. It was the healing ability of the Saints and some valuable objects they desired.
"Hm, you''re right. Kid, what are you thinking?" Murakan asked.
Jin had his arms crossed and fell into a brief silence.
"I''m thinking of a way to drive both the Zipple and Kinzelo out of this ce without great sacrifice."
Jin started racking his brains as soon as he learned that it was actually the Kinzelo who were behind the biological golem experiments, not the Zipple.
He was thinking of a way to mess them up for good.
"What?"
"I have an idea. We should be grateful that the Kinzelo are still unknown to the public. Sir Vitura?"
"Yes, speak, Lord Jin."
"Everyone making decisions in the Holy Kingdom is either a traitor or loyal to the Kingdom but without power, like you. Am I right?"
"Yes."
"But the people don''t know anything about it. They must not be aware that a hundred or even more citizens of the Kingdom are being used as experiments every month."
Vitura''s eyes began to widen.
"Are you going to reveal that to the public?"
"Yes. But no one will believe the in truth, so we''ll need some evidence. I''ll go with this guy to Oterium and rescue the captured citizens."
"I also thought of doing that. But there are many eight or nine-star wizards from Kinzelo in the area."
"Yes, I know. They are the Wizards of the Dark Magic Guild, under the umbre of the Kinzelo organization. I''ve also done a lot of research on the matter."
"But are you sure you two can rescue the people alone?"
The question begged to be asked, but Vitura decided to listen first.
"The rescued citizens will be the most powerful evidence of all this. But unfortunately, the inhabitants of Old Oterium are unlikely to be in their natural state. They would have already been turned into biological golems or be in the process of transformation."
"Then, do you mean to reveal the truth to the people of the Holy Kingdom by showing their states?"
That was the best option if they could only bring back the people who were captured to be subjects of experimentation. However, with the current number of loyal forces to the Kingdom, reaching Oterium itself was utterly impossible.
"Yes, that''s my n. And all the responsibility will fall on the Zipple, rather than Kinzelo because I will im that I rescued the people from the Fourth Magic Tower of the Zipple n."
"The Fourth Magic Tower of the Zipple n? But that would be a lie."
"It wouldn''t matter if it''s a lie or not. Once the news spreads that people from the Holy Kingdom have been captured and even sacrificed for biological golem experiments, the Zipple will have to speak up. It will be much harder to control the people once they fall from grace."
People were unaware that the Holy Kingdom had already fallen to the Zipple.
But once it was revealed that the Zipple had conducted experiments on their people, the Zipple would have to make a tremendous effort to stabilize and they already had in their grasp.
It was not something they could turn a blind eye to, as they were supposedly the defenders of justice, at least in appearance.
"The lie would be exposed if the Master of the Fourth Tower speaks up about it. But it seems he has a n, Lord Jin."
"Currently, the Master of the Fourth Tower, Karl Zipple, is not in the Lutero Magical Federation. He is being held hostage by the Kinzelo. But you see, Kinzelo is currently known as a third-rate terrorist organization."
If Jin entered the Holy Kingdom with the people he had rescued, the Zipple would be forced to make a decision.
Either admit that Keliac''s son, Karl Zipple, is being held captive by an unknown third-rate terrorist group. Or assume the me of Kinzelo and be used of the biological golem experiments.
The former would damage their power reputation, and thetter their justice reputation.
"So we will crush Kinzelo with force and the Zipple with reason."
Chapter 237 - Individual Study, Group Study (2)
Chapter 237 - Individual Study, Group Study (2)
The Zipple will probably choose to take the me.
A n of such influence, especially one like Zipple that imposed its power over the entire world, would never sacrifice its power reputation.
Although their reputation as a n defending justice and goodness would be tarnished, it was better to take the me with a few people they could dismiss as scapegoats.
They could always rebuild their image of being good. However, once the power reputation of a n was questioned, it would take a tremendous effort to restore it.
Even more so with an urgentpetitor like the Runcandel n.
"The Fourth Master of the Zipple Tower is currently held hostage by Kinzelo. I set a trap and convinced Chukon Tolderer, a Kinzelo wizard, to keep him as a hostage."
Jin added a brief description of the Compass Interception Operation(omitting thepass part, of course), leaving Vitura speechless.
"So that''s why you nned to use Karl Zipple, the Fourth Tower Master of the Zipple n. Now I understand your intentions. If everything goes as you say, Zipple will choose to take the me instead of Kinzelo."
"Of course, things may not go exactly as I intend, but I believe it''s the best n we have. It will bring to the surface the current state of the Holy Kingdom andy the groundwork for pursuing them."
Vitura didn''t know what to say. He had originally nned to lead thest knights remaining loyal to the kingdom in their final battle.
His ultimate goal was to save Lani in the process and seek protection from the Runcandel n, the Hidden Pce, or the Nameless.
Whether Lani chose to cling to the bleak hope of the Kingdom to await its future or simply live her life in hiding, that decision would be solely hers.
But then Jin arrived.
"Maybe it was Ay who sent us this boy."
Despite being a Runcandel, he was just a Reserve gbearer who had not yet turned twenty. Vitura would have never asked him for help in any other circumstances, no matter how brilliant he was, because he would have thought Jin was too young to handle such matters.
"Lord Jin?"
"Please speak, Sir Vitura."
"Please tell me what Lani and I should do from now on."
"I will head to Old Oterium immediately. Sir Vitura, you will continue to act as a puppet of the Zipple n and protect Lani until I return. You must not hand her over to anyone. She is highly likely to be drugged or tortured."
The Zipple and Kinzelo would still want to keep Lani close as the centerpiece of the final ceremony for the false Holy King''s Manifestation Festival. Therefore, they would do everything possible to ensure that Lani obeyed their orders, especially after her escape record.
"You can leave that to me."
"And please make a list of the traitors who have allied with Kinzelo and the Zipple so that we can expose them as soon as I return. Lastly, gather the remaining loyal ones. There may be a confrontation in the process."
"Understood."
Lani approached Jin.
"Our brief encounter has put the fate of all Vank in your hands. All I can do right now is sit here and pray for your safe return, but I promise to repay you for the kindness you have shown us."
"Hey, look, Religious Fanatic. You can thank us after we bring the rescued ones here. Just sit here and wait in fervent prayers. And your name was Vitura, right? I''m going to need you to act like you''ve been beaten so we can leave now," Murakan said.
Shluk!
Before Jin could react, Vitura suddenly cut his own arm.
Lani was horrified. She immediately raised her sacred powers, but Vitura shook his head and pushed her away. The deaths of the Golden Shield Knights would be impossible to exin if he himself was not injured.
"Sir Vitura, there was no need for you to cut your arm."
Vitura handed his own sword to Jin.
"Take my sword and escape. Your swords are in the wooden box in the central hallway on the ground floor. As soon as you leave through that door, I will send a group to chase after you."
"I will be back before the Manifestation Festival ends."
"I wish you luck."
---------------------------
Fortunately, they retrieved Jin''s swords and slipped away from their pursuers.
It took them a whole day to leave the Holy Kingdom because they were immediately included in the wanted list, preventing the use of portals.
They had five days until the Manifestation Festival came to an end.
Jin had to rescue the captives and return to the Holy Kingdom within those five days.
The schedule was quite tight.
Murakan''s massive wings sliced through the winds.
Oterium did not belong to the Lutero Magical Federation and posed no restrictions on Murakan''s flight.
Thend had turned into a fallen wastnd after the battle for the Holy Kingdom. Oterium was now an unprotected region infested with demonic creatures and also the operating base of the Dark Magic Guild.
Although Jin had joined the ranks of the powerful by mastering the Shadow de and the Technique of the Sword of Legends, he was not strong enough to take down the ce alone.
Cold Joe, Andrei Zipple''s nemesis and brother of Rolt Joe, whom Jin had defeated, was there.
The same applied to Fegiron Hanserk, the grand elder of Vermont Academy, Chukon Tolderer, the Grand Wizard of Anz, and Suzanne Lilista, the Matriarch of the Lilista n.
These four figures were the Nine-Star Wizards of the Dark Magic Guild. Jin''s group didn''t even have an estimate of the number of Seven and Eight-Star Wizards there, and they didn''t know what kind of traps awaited them.
"Are you getting nervous, kid?" Murakan said.
Jin chuckled.
"Why would I be? I have you by my side."
"Kuhaha! That''s right. There''s no need to fear the hordes of those wretched Wizards when I''m around."
Forty percent, that was the amount of power Murakan had regained thanks to Misha.
Would Murakan be able to take them all down on his own if all the Nine-Star Wizards were there?
Of course, it was unlikely that all the Nine-Star Wizards would be present in the area at once. Except for Cold Joe, the rest were leaders of their ns and organizations. They were unlikely to be at the Dark Magic Guild''s base unless something required their presence.
"Well, I''m sure we''ll find out. He''s confident enough. It seems he can handle it."
It was a moonless night.
Thend beneath them was pitch ck.
Who would have thought that the base of the Dark Magic Guild was in the middle of this abandonednd,pletely uninhabited and without a single speck of light?
An unidentified demonic creature howled somewhere below.
Murakan began to increase his flying speed.
"Kid, it seems we''re close. Haha, the human mages did something clever here."
"Something clever?"
"They created a barrier. Something that creates illusions and serves as an rm as well."
"Really? Well, I knew they would have some kind of barrier. Do you think you can neutralize it?"
Then Murakan burst intoughter once again.
"We just broke through it. Kehehehe, don''t you realize it?".
"You''re lying." Jin was about to say this, but he turned and gasped.
There were traces of barriers in the air they had just passed through. Hidden magic circles were broken and floating in the air. There were so many that Jin couldn''t even count them all.
How many magic circles are those? And did they go through all of them without making any noise?
A dark form of energy contrasted with the magic circles that shone like stars.
It was the trail of Shadow Energy that Murakan had used to break down the barriers. And the mass of Shadow Energy was continuously expanding, absorbing magic circles around it.
The wizards of the Dark Magic Guild had established themselves in Oterium fifty years ago.
Over the course of five decades, countless wizards had poured their mana into maintaining this gigantic barrier, but it proved to be no better than an ordinary castle wall against Murakan.
"You simply released that amount of Shadow Energy without any preparation? And what is that? It''s insane. There''s more than just one mass there."
It wasn''t just the ce they had passed through.
Jin didn''t realize when Murakan had ced them, but simr masses of Shadow Energy were scattered throughout the sky. The gigantic barrier was being erased by the Shadow Energy, as if it were mold.
Jin could only stare at the back of Murakan and the sky with his jaw dropped.
"Don''t be surprised now by such petty tricks. Aren''t you supposed to be the Millennium Contractor, remember? You can do it too, right?"
"Yes, of course."
Given enough time, I can create a hole on one side of the barrier too. Jin didn''t say that out loud.
The gigantic barrier of the Dark Magic Guild had beenpletely erased, leaving no trace of it.
"Ah, now I see. That castle must be the base of those ugly guys."
A tall castle standing amidst the dark ins was revealed once the barrier was lifted.
The mages in the castle had no idea that the massive barrier had disappeared.
"Kid?"
"Yes?"
"Let''s attack them immediately. The experiment victims won''t be in the outer walls. I''ll break down the outer wall. Infiltrate inside and locate the captives. Once you find them, shoot a re immediately."
"Understood. But if we encounter civilians who are not from the Holy Kingdom during the battle, we must rescue them as well. They are important witnesses who will expose the Zipple for what they are."
"Don''t worry. Hold on tight now. I''ll descend at full speed right after I release my breath."
Murakan positioned himself in the air and took a deep breath. The Shadow Energy that broke the barrier now gathered in his mouth.
The Dark Magic Guild''s castle was about three hundred meters away, which was quite far for most breath attacks.
But it wasn''t for Murakan, not today. In fact, if there were no civilians to rescue inside the castle, Murakan could even bring down the entire castle with a single breath.
Fwooosh!
The dark breath streaked across the sky and headed towards the castle like a ck meteor.
Unconsciously, Jin swallowed his saliva as his gaze followed the tail of the breath.
He shifted his attention to Murakan''s target of attack. He was already striking the outer walls. The breathpletely disabled theyers of protection surrounding the walls and pierced through.
The outer wall copsed, causing a tremor. Immediately, a cloud of dust rose, covering the castle''s foothills.
Jin didn''t have time to look in awe.
They began to descend the moment Murakan''s breath hit the outer walls. The descent was so swift that Jin''s cheeks were pushed back. Murakan flew past the broken outer wall literally in the blink of an eye.
He could hear screams.
They were from the mages of the Dark Magic Guild and the Kinzelo Half-Orcs who had been guarding the outer walls. Some were still falling in the air, others barely held onto the broken parts of the wall, and the resty on the ground,pletely knocked out by the sudden onught.
From Murakan''s two wings, hundreds ofnce-shaped forms of Shadow Energy emerged.
The force pierced the necks and hearts of those lucky enough to survive and prated the bodies of those who were already dead, confirming their certain demise.
Barely ten seconds had passed since Murakan initiated his attack. But over two hundred mages and half-orcs were dead, and the castle was already half-ruined, unrecognizable from its appearance just ten seconds ago.
Not even Jin expected Murakan to be so powerful with only forty percent of his original power.
"The living must prepare to meet death, for no one will escape from me," Murakan roared.
Jin leaped off his back and hid amidst the chaos.
Chapter 238
C238 - Individual Study, Group Study (3)
"Emergency! Save me..."
A Mage standing on the outer wall had his body cut in half as he attempted to create a shield barrier.
des formed by Shadow Energy in the air sliced him in two.
It wasn''t just one or two des in the air. There were hundreds of ck des floating in space, all moving at Murakan''s will.
Each dance of the des elicited a series of screams. Some died, while others had their bodies torn apart, leaving them incapacitated. Even the brave White Wolf Warriors couldn''t avert their gaze from the horror and carnage unfolding before them.
"I''ve said that no one will escape from me." Murakan spoke softly as he watched a group of Mages fleeing from the outer wall.
Upon hearing the Dragon''s words, ck swords immediately impaled their backs. The Mages didn''t even have a chance to scream before they died.
Murakan''s ck des tore through the shield barriers of the seven-star Mages as if they were made of paper. Murakan was the very god of death, wrapped in a whirlwind of des.
The Dragon roared.
The sound alone sent chills down one''s spine and made one feel as if their flesh would melt off their skeleton.
Humans fell to the ground and covered their ears from Murakan''s roar.
The Crimson Tiger Warriors and White Wolf Warriors raised their weapons in response.
But it wasn''t to fight against him.
They only raised them out of instinct to cover their bodies and defend themselves. Unlike the Crimson Tigers, the White Wolf Warriors looked towards Murakan, but they couldn''t help but stagger on their paws like frightened little cubs.
The King of the Sky.
That''s what dragons called Murakan. And Murakan''s majesty certainly lived up to the name.
If the goal were simply to rain punishments upon them, the battle would have already ended. Murakan had only stopped destroying them to save the captives. He had more than enough strength to bring down the entire castle.
''That crazy dragon...''
Jin looked at Murakan with a surprised expression on his face.
Was this really the same Dark and foolish Dragon who couldn''t stop reading his hi books and asking for strawberry cakes?
''No wonder he always talked about his fullness. If this is forty percent of his strength, with his full power, he could match my father or my sister.''
Jin had worried on the way to Oterium. Although Murakan had regained his power, he wasn''t quite sure if they could defeat all their enemies on their own.
But now, there was nothing to worry about. Even if the four nine-star Mages were here, he and Murakan wouldn''t be in any danger.
Now, the only question was the status of the Vank captives. If Vitura was correct, there should be at least six hundred captives who were brought here, or maybe more. There probably weren''t many captives left unharmed.
He had to secure at least a few sane ones. If everyst one of them had been turned into biological golems, they could only bring them back dead. The captives wouldn''t be able to testify to the kingdom.
Jin started to move. He was dressed in a ck robe and had activated the Myulta Rune. He clearly looked like an intruder, but the busy Mages running back and forth didn''t pay him any attention.
The entire castle was crumbling under the assault of the Dark Dragon. Everyone was fighting for survival. In fact, it was Jin who grabbed a passing Mage. Jin tripped him and asked with a knife to his throat, "Where are the captives of the Holy Kingdom kept?"
"I... I don''t know."
Thup.
Jin stabbed him without a moment''s hesitation. He felt no pity or sympathy for the Kinzelo Mages.
He grabbed three more, asked them the same question, and disposed of them in the same way. But he didn''t get any answers.
"The low-ranking Mages don''t know their location."
Tsk. Jin gritted his teeth and descended from the ruined outer wall to observe the people and half-orcsing out from the entrance of the inner castle.
He was able to distinguish two faces. Chukon Tolderer and Suzanne Lilista. They were shouting at the top of their lungs, barking orders with veins bulging in their necks.
"All ss One and higher Mages, prepare to cast binding spells!"
"Deserters will be killed by my own hands! Anyway, it''s impossible to escape from the Dark Dragon. Do your best to draw his attention while I cast the shield barrier!"
"We must hold on until Sir Joe is ready!"
Suzanne and Chukon fought desperately.
Undoubtedly, they understood better than the two hundred Mages who died on the outer walls the terror that Murakan was.
Cold Joe. He must also be in the castle. No matter what Joe was preparing, it didn''t seem like anything could threaten Murakan.
Jin moved away from their sight. He stuck to the darkness of the shadow as he made his way through. When he reached the hallway, he encountered a group of Crimson Tiger Warriors running out.
''One, two, five.''
Jin counted their numbers and released the Legendary Energy he had concealed until now. The Crimson Tiger Warriors were about to wield their weapons but recoiled at the force. Sigmund was already covered in Lightning Energy.
Pzzt!
The tigers trembled violently from the impact of the lightning. They were already gripped by fear due to Murakan, who was outside the castle. With the added Legendary Energy, they couldn''t do anything.
Jin fried four of them to death and disabled one by cutting off his arm. He kept thest one captive. Then he asked the same question he had asked the Mages.
"Underground prisoner camp. But Joe is currently collecting the experiments."
"What do you mean by that?"
"He''s gathering subjects who have energy simr to, to you-"
The Legendary Energy.
His ominous premonition proved correct.
The Kinzelo were recreating the Legends. A strong sense of repulsion surged within him. Jin red and grabbed the Crimson Tiger by the neck.
"No, forgive me! Please, forgive me! I''ve told you everything."
"Lead the way to the prisoner camps."
"Yes. Yes, sir!"
The Crimson Tiger foamed at the mouth and crawled on all fours. Jin moved alongside him, constantly looking around as he did.
He hoped to encounter enemies, but no one stood in his way. Most of the castle forces had fled as soon as Murakan''s attacks began.
"He''s here, sir! I, I was the one leading them. But, there, there won''t be many of them left."
The hallway leading to the underground prisoner camp was filled with footprints. They were human footprints. The footprints showed that hundreds of people had left at once.
It was Cold Joe''s trail leading them out of their camp.
The entrance to the prisoner camp was open. Jin slit the Crimson Tiger''s throat. He jumped down to check the interior of the camp, nning to follow the footprints afterward.
Despite its name, the inside of the prisoner camp resembled more of a sorceryboratory. All sorts of jars filled with fluids and dirty books littered the floor, and iron cages were scattered everywhere.
It was evenrger than the central hall. Jin was about to think that Joe had taken all the souls from here when he heard a woman''s voice.
"You. Are you sent by the Holy King? And is the Dark Dragon outside as well?"
The woman''s eyes trembled with fear, but they showed the willpower of a person willing to face death itself.
"I ask. Tell me what happened to the people of the Holy Kingdom. Did Cold Joe take everyst one of them?"
Judging by her whiteb coat, she seemed to have been conducting experiments on the people of the Holy Kingdom until a few moments ago.
Jin was about to intimidate her with his sword when she raised both hands.
"I am a Saint of the Dawn Cart Society. My name is Mirtual S, a first-ss Saint under direct orders from the Holy King. I infiltrated the Dark Magic Guild three years ago under His Majesty''s orders, and I have been acting as a researcher here. I haven''t been able to contact the Kingdom due to the high-security protocols after bing a researcher here."
"And you expect me to believe that?"
Then thedy opened her pendant to reveal a shield.
The dormant volcano. The symbol of the Holy Kingdom. Jin nced between the dormant volcano shield and the woman.
"I also have a lot to ask you, but we don''t have time. A detonation spell has been activated in theboratory wing. Look at the floor."
A white magic circle was forming on the floor. It was a kind of security magic that had been ced by the Dark Magic Guild Mages precisely for this kind of situation.
"In five minutes, the entireboratory wing will disappear without a trace. We must save the survivors."
"Where are they?"
"There''s an underground passage known only to the researchers. Of the eight hundred and twenty-three people from the Holy Kingdom who were brought here as test subjects, eight hundred and thirteen of them have been turned into biological battle golems and were taken by Joe."
"What?"
"Once theboratory wing is sealed, the mana insertion device won''tst either. Then we won''t be able to save thest ten survivors."
Crunch.
Mirtual opened a trapdoor in the ground, revealing a hidden space. Ten people were inside the space that led to the underground passage known only to the researchers. The survivors looked dazed and drooling.
But they were citizens of the Holy Kingdom.
"We must save them. They must have something to bring to the Holy Kingdom, don''t they? This will be thest chance we have. If we can''t bring these survivors to the Holy Kingdom..."
ording to Mirtual, these ten people were the only ones who could provide any testimony.
Should he trust this woman?
Perhaps she was ying a joke on him just to survive.
He contemted it for about three seconds. Then he heard a familiar sounding from outside.
It sounded very distant, but Jin immediately recognized what it was.
It had to be the sound of activated Lightning Energy. It was clearly distinct from the sound of natural thunder and lightning. Joe''s biological golems, the recreation of the Legends.
They were the source of the noise.
"Joe has activated the biological golems outside. No matter how strong the Dark Dragon outside is, it won''tst long. You may not understand, but Joe has the people..."
"Transformed into biological golems resembling the Legends?"
"How... does the Kingdom already have that information?"
"Damn, damn it. Fine. Mirtual S, I''ll trust you. We must rescue these ten witnesses, no matter what. Is there any way?"
"We just have to move the mana insertion device into the secret passage."
"Is it here?"
Jin pointed to a steel container connected to a transparent tube.
Mirtual nodded.
Indeed, she was a spy working for the Holy King. The sudden assault had destroyed theboratory wing, and the only people capable of providing testimony were about to die. She was defenseless and desperate.
She had no way of moving such a heavy equipment to the passage by herself, when even most five-star martial artists would struggle to move it.
But Jin easily lifted the apparatus and inserted it into the passage.
"Why don''t you also enter and wait for a while? Now, all we can do is pray to Ay for the Dark Dragon''s survival. I will start channeling all my mana into the people. Once I''m done, take the people and leave immediately."
"No. I will go out for a moment. You make sure these people survive."
"Don''t you think you should quietly escape while Joe is still unaware of your presence? The Dark Dragon can fly, so I''m sure he can escape afterward."
"How do you expect me to escape with ten people without a Dragon?"
"I can provide you with the demon beasts trained by the Dark Magic Guild."
Mirtual knew how shameless she was to ask Jin to escape at the expense of Murakan''s safety. But she had no choice, as she thought it was thest chance to send witnesses to the Holy Kingdom.
"The Holy Kingdom is important, yes, but to me, he is a higher priority. I can''t help the Holy Kingdom if I have to ignore the harm that may befall Murakan."
"I understand. I will try to return as soon as possible."
"May Ay protect you and the Dark Dragon."
Jin closed the entrance to the hidden passage and turned around.
He understood better than anyone the power of the Legends. If the new biological golems could generate power simr to that of the Illustrious Legends, even Murakan would be in danger.
Something caught his attention as soon as he stepped outside.
Thousands of lightning bolts were branching across the sky.
Chapter 239
C239 - Individual Study, Group Study (4)
The sky was blue, as if bruised by lightning.
It produced a noise that numbed the ears, and its brightness hurt the eyes. Under the sky, there were monstrous creatures that could no longer be called human.
They were the eight hundred and thirteen victims of the biological golem experiments.
Their transformation had beenpleted, and their bodies were enveloped in lightning energy, just like a Legend using the powers of their Light Heart.
The lightning extended across the sky whenever the light surrounding the biological golems grew brighter.
Murakan was covered in lightning and was no longer visible.
The lightning from the biological golems seemed like a formidable force.
But aside from the visual impact of covering the sky, the actual strength was not as transcendent as Mirtual thought.
The way they employed the energy was quite simr, but it didn''te close to the thunder and lightning of true Legends. At least Murakan would never suffer any harm from those biological golems.
Jin had run away at the possibility that the golems possessed power simr to that of the Legends. Mirtual also mentioned that "the Dark Dragon won''t withstand" them.
She wasn''t entirely wrong.
If there were eight hundred lightning-powered biological golems, three Nine-Star Mages, hundreds of Dark Magic Guild Mages, white werewolves and crimson tigers, most Dragons, and even renowned martial artists, they would do well to retreat without hesitation.
But Mirtual didn''t know the powers of Murakan, the Dark Dragon, nor those of the true Legends or Jin.
"You captured innocents and turned them into monsters, mocking my brothers. How dare you, you damned bastards!"
Jin unsheathed Sigmund.
The Dark Magic Guild would be wiped off the face of the earth once and for all this very day.
"Murakan!"
Jin put strength into his voice and spoke his Dragon''s name.
A dark whirlwind formed in the midst of the blue-lit sky, revealing Murakan''s form.
All members of the Dark Magic Guild, except the biological golems, turned their gaze toward Jin.
"That bastard! What''s that bastard doing here?"
It was the Grand Magus of Anz, Chukon Tolderer, who shouted in panic. He recognized Jin as soon as he saw the magical helmet, the Myulta Rune.
The other Nine-Star Mages were bewildered seeing Chukon trembling.
"Lord Chukon, do you know that man?"
The man was thin to the bone with sunken eyes. It was Cold Joe.
"He''s the bastard who stole the Compass in the Berd Feudal States! Be careful. The force of lightning he wields is iparable to these biological golems."
Joe and Suzanne were about to respond when Murakan spoke up.
"Did you get what you needed?"
He was asking about the location of the captives and the evidence to bring to the Holy Kingdom.
Jin nodded.
"Then there should be no need to prolong this any further. What should I do here?"
"Kill all the biological golems and the rest. Disable the Nine-Star Mages and capture them alive."
"That''s a tough order. Can I just kill them all?"
"If so, capture only one of them, Cold Joe."
A smile formed on Murakan''s lips.
"No problem. Sounds quite simple."
"Those bastards are clearly insane. Do they consider themselves Cyron Runcandel or Keliac Zipple?"
Bam!
Cold Joe shouted as he struck the ground with his staff.
The fact that the sudden assault had brought down the castle and forced the closure of theboratory was already vexing enough. With this teenager provoking him, Cold Joe felt like his blood could start boiling at any moment.
Suzanne Lilista had a simr reaction.
Although the sudden assault had caught them off guard, she didn''t believe that the Dark Magic Guild''s base would fall against just one Dragon and a martial artist.
Only Chukon Tolderer, who had personal experience with Jin, maintained a tense expression on his face.
Of course, he also thought it was impossible for the two of them to win against their entire force, regardless of Jin''s skill.
The Dark Dragon in the sky was certainly impressive, but there was no way he could wreak havoc across the entire area while Joe and he were fighting.
He should have been sure of that... ''But why do I still have this ominous feeling?''
Chukon was about to take a deep breath to rid himself of the unsettling feeling gripping his heart.
Whoosh!
Shadow Energy surged from Murakan''s wings like a tsunami.
In an instant, the Shadow Energy stretching across the sky turned into a tornado and swallowed the lightning, spreading darkness over thend.
The biological golems continuously spewed lightning energy. The lightning tried to rise toward the sky butpletely dissipated at the boundary of the area invaded by the force of shadows.
"Well, well. You wouldn''t be the Shadow Dragon if you were any weaker. Let''s see how long that confidence of yourssts! Mediocre men, get him!" Joe shouted, causing the semiorcs in the area to raise their weapons in unison.
They began to advance toward Jin with murder in their eyes.
Bzzt! Pzt!
The force of lightning coiling around Sigmund''s pale de started violently branching at Jin''s will.
The smarter semiorcs trembled and began to retreat. And the slower ones thought that Jin''s lightning was no different from that of the biological golems and raised their auras.
The lightning shot out from Sigmund and spread across the area like pirs.
Murakan sneered at Joe''s ignorance and unleashed all the Shadow Energy shrouding the sky¡ªthe alpha and omega for anyone wielding Shadow Energy. Murakan''s amber eyes shed.
The entire area immediately plunged into absolute darkness. It wasn''t a matter of expression. Everyone on the ground, except Jin, felt that the world around them instantly darkened.
It was only a brief moment. Yet, anyone would be terrified to see their vision darken against their will.
When they regained their sight, the Dark Magic Guild Mages and semiorcs reacted by touching their faces around the eyes and checking each other''s faces with a look that asked, "Did you just lose your sight too?"
They all thought that nothing had actually happened.
That is, until the shadows under their own feet began to move on their own.
"Huh? Ugh, what the hell is this!"
"My shadow, it''s..."
Their shadows were being torn apart. The usual shadows that moved ording to the light source were nowhere to be found. They were tearing and elongating randomly.
Some even merged with the shadows of others.
None of them had experienced or imagined such things in their lives. The grotesque scene unfolding before them made them feel nauseous and shivers ran down their spines.
Not all shadows behaved that way.
Out of the remaining six hundred Mages and Half-Men, around half experienced that phenomenon. But even those whose shadows didn''t change were equally shocked.
"First of all, I see the need to reduce the number. Watching those things writhing and squirming is not a pleasant sight, don''t you think?" Murakan said.
Screams and muffled sounds of things breaking and bursting spread across the ground. It started with those on the outskirts of the Shadow Energy release. Around three hundred of them experienced bodies twisted, torn, and shattered like hammered sculptures. They were deformed ording to their own shadows.
Those whose shadows had their necks cut lost their heads. Those with burst shadows exploded.
The corpses fell to the ground without resistance. But the shadows leaving their bodies entered the sky and were absorbed by Murakan.
Joe and Suzanne changed their minds. At that moment, they instinctively knew that something was terribly wrong. They had mastered Magic for decades to be great Mages, but they had never heard of anything like this.
Chukon had his shield barriers raised for some time. Joe and Suzanne immediately began casting their spells.
But they had already lost precious seconds contemting the hell unleashed by the release of Shadow Energy, something they would regret for the rest of their lives.
Because in that brief moment, Jin had finished preparing his move.
Sigmund pierced the ground, once again painting the shadow-filled earth blue.
It was the Battle God''s Fourth Combat Technique: Erosion.
The lightning pirs floating in the area followed Sigmund''s descent and impaled the ground simultaneously.
Dense lightning flowed throughout the area, just as the hundreds of biological golems had covered the sky in blue, at least until Murakan began unleashing his power.
But it wasn''t the same lightning. Even the Nine-Star Mages who had never seen the power of Legends instinctively understood that this was the real deal.
The Erosion Lightning even forced Vanessa Olsen''s ten-star Knight instincts to step back. There was no way ordinary Half-Men Warriors could withstand the real lightning.
The light pirs embedded in the ground began to unleash thunder. Jin''s lightning streaked across the dark sky.
"Get away from him!"
Joe shouted at the semiorcs charging at Jin and extended his staff. But it was toote. The fierce lightning storm killed more than half of the semiorcs surrounding Jin. The rest managed to stay alive thanks to the shield barriers cast by Joe and Chukon.
But the surviving rank-and-file soldiers seemed dazed. They could only stare at the ground. They were paralyzed by Jin''s fierce Legendary Energy, which was stronger than ever.
Jin had two swords. With Sigmund maintaining the Erosion, it was Bradamante''s turn to leave her sheath. The ck-coated de rushed toward the throats of the semiorcs huddled under the shield barrier. Each sword strike dropped heads to the ground.
Joe''s eyes met Jin''s, who was killing the Half-Men as if he were the harbinger of death.
There were still around five hundred biological golems left.
"Bring him down," Joe shouted, sending all the biological golems charging at Jin. But iplete biological golems, capable of gathering the powers of only four or five stars, wouldn''t harm Jin at all.
That wasn''t why Joe shouted for them to attack. He was only trying to buy time until Jin could reach him.
Joe also realized that the number of biological golems wouldn''t prove anything against Jin and Murakan. Their prowess, especially Murakan''s, was clearly beyond hisprehension.
"I shouldn''t have wasted time gathering these golems. I should have fled. I was a fool."
Regretting was useless.
Jin summoned Tess. Then he pushed back the biological golems¡ªno, the poor golemized civilians¡ªand lunged toward Joe.
"It''s time to pay the price for mocking my brothers."
Suzanne and Chukon were too busy blocking Murakan''s attacks. Joe watched as the defenseless biological golems fell to the blue mes. Then he reminded himself of how Jin had mentioned capturing him alive.
"I must surrender and survive. As long as I''m alive, the leader will save me, no matter what happens."
Chapter 240
C240 - Individual Study, Group Study (5)
The mes of pressure spread, wild and fierce.
What an unsettling feeling.
The fact that the biological golems being engulfed by the mes were civilians not long ago, and the fact that their Legendary brethren were being ridiculed, left a bitter taste.
"I know you''re trying to buy time with the golems as shields. Don''t you have any shame as a Great Mage? Get your ass out of here, Joe! I''m quickly losing interest in capturing you alive."
"Stop, stop! I''ll surrender, so stop your attacks!" Joe raised his arms and his staff in a gesture of surrender.
Chukon and Suzanne''s eyes widened. There they were, desperately defending against Murakan''s attacks, but their leader, Joe, had suddenly surrendered.
To make matters worse, it was he who had taunted Murakan by saying, "You wouldn''t be the Shadow Dragon if things had gone worse." And now, he disyed apletely different attitude. They could barely believe what they were hearing.
"Sir Joe, what are you saying now? Are you really going to surrender?" Suzanne asked, but Joe scolded her instead.
"Darn it! Slow, don''t you realize the power of the Dark Dragon? They''re enemies we can''t defeat. At this rate, we''ll be annihted. It''s only a matter of time. Surrender is the only way!"
"But..."
"But what! Great Mages, express your surrender as well before I change my mind!"
Consider the situation and set aside all positions, pride, and shame.
Joe was right. Chukon and Suzanne knew full well that they had no chance against those monsters.
The three hadn''t felt this way in a long, long time, since they reached the heights of a Nine-Star Mage.
"Stop with the nonsense, Sir Joe! Have you been hit on the head? Surrender? Are those the words of a true leader? If we surrender, do you think that demon will keep us alive? Idiot!" Chukon sharply turned his head and shouted.
"Lord Chukon, what did you just say?"
"It''s that Dark Dragon we can''t handle, not that brat. If we capture him and hold him hostage, we can make the Dark Dragon step aside. No Dragon Guardian will let their Contractor die!"
Chukon was the only one among them who had known Jin before. And that''s why he felt a mysterious foreboding that something bad was going to happen. The incredible abilities that surpassed his age were one thing. But Chukon had the ominous feeling that things would turn against Jin due to mind games, likest time.
When he met Jin on the abandoned ind off the waters of the Berd Feudal States, he only thought of him as a Magic Swordsman. He had never imagined that this young man had anything to do with Solderet or the Dark Dragons.
Magic abilities of over seven stars, swordsmanship of over eight stars, terrifying lightning, and now even Shadow Energy...
Even the Nine-Star Mages would prefer not to fight against him.
"If Sir Joe surrenders now, there is no future. We must capture that bastard and negotiate with the Dark Dragon!" That''s what Chukon had been thinking since he realized Jin was a Contractor. If they could seize that boy, this battle was in the bag.
"Sir Joe, don''t surrender and capture that brat!"
"Sir Chukon is right, Sir Joe. Despite his immense talent, he is still a young monster. If webine our powers, no, don''t you think you could capture him yourself, Sir Joe?" Suzanne chimed in.
Joe couldn''t say anything for some time due to his embarrassment.
Everything they were saying was true.
''What humiliation is this. How did I note up with such a simple solution? I only thought of relying on our leader!''
It wasn''t because Joe was slow. As Chukon mentioned, he truly was dangerous.
''I just felt intimidated by his audacity and got scared for no reason.''
It was just an instinctive fear towards the stronger.
"I was irrational. Yes, no matter how strong the Dark Dragon is, he won''t be able to do anything once we have his Contractor."
"We''ll keep the Dark Dragon tied down for as long as we can. We won''t be able to push him for much longer, so hurry up and grab him."
Meanwhile, the shouts of the biological golems, the semiorcs, and the Mages filled the battlefield. And due to the noise, Jin and Murakan couldn''t hear the conversation between the Nine-Star Mages. But Jin could see that they had shared a conversation that caused a shift in Joe''s attitude, who moved away from surrendering.
Joe''s staff began to fill with mana.
Despite the infamy of his particrly cunning, inhumane, frivolous, and difficult character that constantly overshadowed his abilities, Joe was still a Great Mage who had long been considered the nemesis of Andrei Zipple.
"Get lost! Worthless trash!"
The remaining biological golems followed Joe''s orders and began to disperse to the side.
With the path cleared, Tess unleashed her Breath towards Joe. Joe cast spells in line with the descriptor preceding his name: Cold Joe.
The ground beneath Tess''s breath cracked, and ice pirs shot out. Unlike most ice-based magic, this ice shimmered with a somber purple hue.
What appeared as pirs were actually a mouth made of ice.
It was the mouth of another golem created by Joe. The open jaws snapped at Tess''s breath, tearing it apart like a beast cutting a snake. Then it growled in a low, sinister tone.
"Woah." Jin couldn''t hide his surprise at the abrupt appearance of a golem from beneath the ground. It had even bitten Tess''s mes upon emerging. Jin himself had to shudder at such a scene.
"What is that thing? Don''t tell me that ridiculous thing was hiding underground."
It wasn''t just Jin. Even Murakan seemed surprised.
"Pollook, extinguish Tess''s mes and protect me!" Joe shouted.
Unlike the iplete biological golems they had recently started manufacturing with the wisdom and memories of their leader, this golem called Pollook was alreadyplete.
It was an ice golem immune to fire.
To create Pollook, Joe had to search through ancient ciers to find a white elephant, capture young demons, and use five phoenix hearts and wings.
He started crafting the golem in the time when he dreamed of surpassing Andrei and even challenging Keliac. It took him almost twenty years toplete it.
It was Cold Joe, the Great Mage''s greatest work and masterpiece. This was why Chukon and Suzanne considered Joe to be on a higher level than theirs, despite all being Nine-Star Mages.
The blue mes spreading across the battlefield began to extinguish with Pollook''s appearance.
Meanwhile, Joe began casting his own spells, which he had created and named cier Cold. The purple ice fragments that sprouted from his staff instantly surrounded Jin.
It was as if hundreds of archers were aiming at Jin.
So that''s why you were Andrei Zipple''s rival...
Jin positioned himself and prepared to dodge the ice. He also nced at Chukon and Suzanne without letting Joe notice.
If Tess''s mes didn''t work, it was too risky to fight such a monster.
To make matters worse, Joe had saved most of his mana by using the biological golems as shields. Inparison, Jin was much more fatigued from using the Battle God''s movement and summoning Tess.
Extreme defense. It lives up to its name. Its defensive capabilities are certainly impressive.
Two Nine-Star Warlocks. Since one of the two was famous for being a master of defensive spells, even Murakan with forty percent of his power restored had difficulty prating their barriers.
It was also because Murakan couldn''t afford to bombard the area where Jin was.
I should save myself until Murakan gets rid of those two. I don''t even know how Joe''s signature spells work.
Jin had just chosen to fight more efficiently.
"Tsk, you must be seriously crazy. Although I suspect it was your ignorance that led you to make such a mistake, useless one."
Murakan shook his head with wide-open eyes. Everyone on the battlefield could hear his solemn dragon voice.
"How dare you bring forth a golem made by desecrating a phoenix''s corpse before the very Master of the Fire Kingdom? After recreating the Legends as well. You have a talent for causing disasters," Murakan said.
Shwoom!
Murakhan stopped his attacks and descended to Jin. He then returned to his human form and forcefully cast a shadow shield barrier to cover the two of them.
"That knight is out of control. I don''t think I should stop him. Right now, that knight is going to break the contract he made with you and forcefully use all your powers. Despite how much he appreciates you, this ispletely uneptable to him," Murakan whispered.
"Eh?"
Bang.
Jin staggered and fell onto one knee. His energy was being drained before Murakan could finish exining.
"He appreciates you a lot, so he probably wouldn''t use your life force, but... Oh, he wouldn''t use your life force, right? No, he won''t. Damn it, I''ll exin it to youter."
Jin closed his eyes. A great drowsiness took hold of his body, and he felt helpless against it.
Murakan brought his palm to his forehead, frustrated.
In the next instant, Tess screeched, turning the battlefield into a blue inferno.
The blue mes spread as quickly as Tess''s cry resonated.
It took barely thirty seconds for the hundreds of remaining biological golems to turn into ashes, and the lower-level Mages met the same fate.
All members of the Dark Magic Guild, except the three Nine-Star Mages, were dead.
"What''s happening?" Joe managed to avoid the mes.
He turned his head as he ran towards Chukon''s shield barrier and saw his masterpiece, Pollook, being devoured by the mes.
It wasn''t ignited or covered in mes. It was literally being devoured by the mes, simr to how Pollook had chewed on Tess''s breath.
Even Joe, Chukon, and Suzanne had to retreat in fear.
They knew Tess was one of thergest phoenixes, but this was something they couldn''tprehend with their knowledge. On the other hand, Murakan sighed in relief at the scene.
He managed to control his temper somehow. He feared that he might annihte the entire area by drawing on the boy''s life force. He''s more rational than I thought.
Pollook vanished without a trace. Not a single trace remained. It turned into blue ash.
Obviously, Tess went after the Nine-Star Warlocks next, as if her fury hadn''t been satisfied yet. Murakan was worried that she might cause trouble by not controlling her anger.
"Perhaps it would be wise to retreat now? Look here. The brat has fainted. This is going to bring trouble, you know? I''ll make sure that idiot suffers a lot, so take a breath. Huh? Wait a moment. What is that supposed to be?" Murakan pointed towards the copsed outer wall with his finger.
There was a faint human figure on the debris of the outer wall.
"Can you check what that is before you leave? Do you know what it is? I have a bad feeling. You don''t know what it is either? Are you leaving now? You want me to take care of the child. Yes, sure, sure. Well thought out. Leave this to me then."
Chapter 241
C241 - Individual Study, Group Study (6)
Fwoosh!
Jin regained consciousness once Tess returned to the Fire Kingdom. But controlling his body was not easy due to immense fatigue.
"Hey, you''re awake, kid."
"This seems like a disaster. Is this the work of Tess?" Jin spoke after reactivating the Myulta Rune and taking a look around.
During the few minutes he had been unconscious, the unidentified elephant-shaped golem, hundreds of people, half-orcs, and biological golems had turned to ashes.
Tess had returned, but the blue mes surrounding the battlefield had not yet extinguished, radiating heat in the area. The three Nine-Star Mages hadpletely lost the will to fight and appeared dumbfounded.
"Well, you could say it was your doing since that knight basically borrowed your powers. Only, he used his divine knowledge and experience to explosively utilize that power and... No, that''s not the point now. Take a look at this."
Jin lifted his head and looked towards the outer wall. A humanoid figure stood there and began descending slowly to the ground. "What is that supposed to be now?"
He tilted his head in puzzlement. The Nine-Star Mages followed the couple''s gaze and looked towards the same area. They immediately tilted their heads upon seeing the faint figure, wearing an expression that said, we''re saved.
"Greetings to our leader!"
"Greetings to our leader!"
The Mages kneeled down and shouted.
It was a shocking deration for Jin and Murakan.
Is that supposed to be the Leader of Kinzelo?
Encountering this mysterious figure waspletely unexpected.
Jin had never spent much time imagining what they might look like, but what he had imagined was not this. It didn''t seem to fit in with a terrorist organization like the Kinzelo.
In fact, it emitted light.
It was as if a deity had descended to earth. The leader''s faint spectral body had a glorious light shining around them.
"What''s with that faint glow? It''s like watching a giant firefly."
Murakan expressed his bitter appreciation, to which Jin shrugged. "Yeah, you''re right."
Despite their casual exchange, both of them were nervous. If they were the leader of an organization that even the Zipple hesitated to wage war against, they undoubtedly had enough skills to prove their worth.
"I didn''t even sense them approaching. Hmm, I''m sure they''re dangerous. But there''s something that doesn''t feel real to me. There''s no sense of weight in them, as if they were a spirit or a ghost."
The leader stood in the midst of the confrontation and did not move for a while. They didn''t even spare a nce at their Mages. Their head was turned towards Jin.
There were about thirty steps between them. A skilled master could alwaysunch an attack at that distance in the blink of an eye.
Murakan stood in front of Jin and raised his Shadow Energy to be able to counterattack immediately in case of an attack.
"Atst, I meet the most wanted celebrity by the Zipple and the Vermont. Nice to meet you, Bamel."
The voice sounded deep.
"And as for you, Murakan, long time no see. I heard you woke up from your slumber. Ah, if you''re guarding him, it seems Bamel is from the Runcandel. It seemed strange that such a big figure would suddenly emerge out of nowhere."
"What''s your problem? Do you know who I am?"
"Of course, I know. I saved your life."
"Kuhaha, you crazy bastard. You saved my life? Who do you think you are, you miserable fool? Is this some kind ofedy? How ridiculous."
"When Temar tried to kill you after you lost control due to overload, I was the one who stopped that guy. Murakan, don''t you remember who I am?"
Temar Runcandel.
The mere mention of his name painted Murakan''s eyes with a murderous rage.
Murakan fiercely gathered his Shadow Energy as if he was about to attack but soon dismissed it.
"Bastard, whose name are you trying to bring up here? You may seem like an old demon, but there''s no way Temar would have joined people like you. And overload? You must have heard something, huh? The one who lost control that day was..."
"Not you, but Temar? Is that what you''re trying to say?" The leader disyed a soft smile.
To be precise, it wasn''t exactly a smile. The faint portion where their lips should be opened in the shape of a crescent moon.
"Forget the fact that you don''t recognize me. To think that you remembered that day was Temar''s fault. I can''t even imagine how disappointed thete one would feel if they ever found out."
"Bring up Temar''s name once more, and I''ll kill you and send all those scum called Kinzelo to hell." The only reason Murakan held back fromunching an attack was Jin. If Jin had been fine, Murakan would have lunged without a second thought.
"That would have been impossible for you, even at your best. But I''m curious. Did your memory reconfigure itself in a more convenient way for you?"
"Shut your mouth!"
"Your reaction tells me that it''s probably thetter."
Murakan was about to transform into his true form. But Jin grabbed his shoulder. From the conversation, Jin could deduce that the leader knew Murakan quite well.
''This man understands perfectly what Murakan''s weakest points are.''
Murakan''s breath sounded rough due to his anger. Jin could feel him trembling through his hand on the dragon''s shoulder. Jin decided that Murakan had fallen into the leader''s game.
"It''s just a provocation. Don''t fall for it."
"That bastard, how dare he! Murakan''s eyes seemed dazed as he spoke, as if he was enchanted.
"Calm down. It''s the leader of Kinzelo. If we fight without preparations, it''s more likely that we''ll lose, especially when you''re emotionally unstable."
Murakan wasn''t exactly the rational and calcting type, but Jin had never seen him crumble so much over nothing but words.
"I understand. We all have something we hate to admit. Whether with reconfigured memories or not, your sorrow for losing that guy, Temar, would still be genuine. In a way, I pity you."
"Aaaaargh!"
"Murakan!"
Bam!
Jin hit Murakan on the back of his neck as hard as he could. He didn''t have much strength left, but it was still as powerful as a normal person''s hammer blow.
Murakan stopped and turned to Jin. "Kid? Why did you hit me? Have you gone mad?"
"Get a grip."
"What? What the hell are you... Oh!" Murakan shook his head. "Damn it. I was enchanted by that snake. Sorry for being a mess."
The Leader of Kinzelo hadn''t resorted to any hypnotic or psychic spells, but sowing confusion in Murakan''s unstable memories was much more effective.
"Oh, look at that. It would have been nice to be able to stop your atrocity so easily back then."
Jin spoke before Murakan could get angry again. "Look, you''re not making much of an impression bbering since you arrived. Murakan and I killed all your men. If you''re the leader of Kinzelo, maybe that''s the first thing you should be concerned about. Save your feelings about Temar and start worrying about those men of yours we reduced to ashes."
"The lineage of the Conquerors speaks. Yes, you''re right. I may have given the impression of being frivolous. I was just d to meet an old friend."
"If you realize that,e and avenge your men. Stop wagging that tongue of yours."
Kid, but I thought you just told me that we shouldn''t confront him without preparations. Murakhan looked at Jin with those thoughts.
Of course, Jin didn''t care. Jin spat towards the leader. He didn''t forget to add a mocking gesture, flicking his finger.
"What are you waiting for? If you were strong enough to stop Temar, the first patriarch of the Runcandel n, you must be quite a figure, right? If what you say is true, I bet you could take us down with a single blow."
"What an intriguing guy."
"You''re the one providing all the intrigue here by doing nothing. Maybe Murakan was right. You must be aedian. Have you ever seen Temar? I have. He wasn''t someone you dared to stop. What happened to all your boasting? Don''t tell me you''re scared now that you really have to fight."
Jin''s horribly childish provocations were a gamble.
The truly powerful don''t hold back their words. When they want to speak, they do so only after subduing the opponent.
That''s what all the Transcendent Masters Jin had known did.
Cyron, Tris, Luna, O''ul, Misha, among others. For them, conversation was a procedure that only followed after beating the other person to death orpletely subjugating them through intimidation.
In contrast, provocation is something done when you don''t have as much power or when you need to resort to a trick.
In that sense, the Leader of Kinzelo''s approach was not that of the Transcendent Masters. They acted as if they would only agree to fight if Murakan attacked first. Just like a man who had a trap prepared and waiting.
"Alright, it seems we''re going to have a session of chatan psychotherapy since you''ve been making randomments about Murakan''s memory before. This time, let me take a look into your mind. You came here to save those three and set some kind of hidden trap for them. But you''re starting to get quite anxious because it doesn''t seem like we''re falling for the trap."
"Hahaha."
"What''s so funny, asshole? Tell me I''m wrong. You didn''t think this would be so easy, did you? Come on, answer me." Jin even went a step further.
But the Leader of Kinzelo didn''t attack. They just stared at Jin intently. Obviously, Jin could tell that now the ball was entirely in his court.
But the Leader of Kinzelo''s face was too faint to read.
Jin didn''t know if they were highly embarrassed or highly content.
"That was a nasty blow. You''re right, Jin Runcandel. You got almost everything right. You see, right now I''m not in a condition to take on both of you, not when I don''t have bones in this body."
"Then hold on for a few more minutes. Let me figure out what this trap of yours is, and then I''ll crush you myself."
"Don''t forget I said almost everything."
Click, click, click!
Metal pieces instantly came together right in front of him. The metal pieces appeared out of thin air. They soon formed a sword.
It wasn''t an aura sword. It actually formed a real sword!
The sword of the Leader of Kinzelo flew towards the Mages.
"L-Leader... Kuff!"
Chak!
The sword covered the distance in an instant and severed Suzanne Lilista''s head.
Her head hit the ground, unable to finish the sentence she had started. She could only look at the leader with pitiful eyes. Then, the sword plunged into Chukon''s chest and twisted after doing so. Not even the master of defenses could block an attack in such a state, especially if the attack came from their own master.
"I''m sorry, I can''t save all of you."
Chukon fell forward and met his death.
Then, metal pieces appeared out of thin air once again, instantly forming a door, just as it had created a sword before. The door opened to reveal a dark space. The leader intended to escape into it with Joe.
The leader couldn''t afford to lose Joe, and Joe understood this as well. That was why he had convinced himself that the leader woulde to save him as long as he survived.
"I hope our next encounter will be more pleasant."
The door closed after the leader went through it. The metal pieces forming the door instantly dissipated into smoke.
Chapter 242
C242 - Individual Study, Group Study (7)
The door opened to thend of the Semiorcs.
It was the residence of the great warrior of the White Wolf Men, Berakt Sidlieker, and the headquarters of the Kinzelo.
"Leader!"
"Dear leader, my Lord!"
The leader and Joe stepped out of the door. The humans and half-men immediately bowed their heads. Several half-men also rushed forward and helped the leader up.
Followed by a series of sighs. They were relieved that the leader had returned safe and sound with Joe.
"Joe, you better remember our leader''s grace even after your own death. Why should our leader risk his poor condition and such danger to save someone like you?" Berakt stared at Joe with murderous eyes. Joe didn''t dare to meet his gaze and simply lowered his head.
The fact that the leader of Kinzelo had toe all the way to Old Oterium was a terrible event.
There were no signs of movement from more threatening factions like Zipple and Runcandel, so no one had expected Jin and Murakan tounch an assault on the Dark Magic Guild''s base.
Things would have been different if only Chukon and Suzanne were in the area. But Joe, the key person toplete the illuminators, was also in the base.
Joe''s death would only dy the development of the illuminators, which would also postpone thepletion of their grand objective.
Therefore, the leader had to risk the danger and rescue him, as the leader was the only one among them with teleportation abilities for their urgent need.
"Don''t be too angry at him, Berakt. We both returned safely," the leader said.
"Dear leader, you must prioritize your health, even if it means some dys to the grand objective. For the sake of all ourrades who have ced all their hopes in you, at the very least."
"I will do so. But there I came across quite amusing information."
"What kind of information?"
"Bamel. He was actually the youngest son of the Runcandels. I wonder if Zipple and Vermont are aware of this fact."
"What?" A man shouted in pure shock at the leader''s words. It was Kinzelo''s vice chief, Bishkel Iveliano.
"Vice chief, what''s the matter?"
This cid character''s exaggerated response made all eyes turn to him.
"It''s nothing, really. But what a surprise, boss. To think Jin Runcandel was actually Bamel."
From what I saw through Joe''s eyes, he not only wields the magic and power of Legends, but he is also Solderet''s Contractor. He has broken his oath with Zipple. It seems the Runcandels have decided to wage total war against the Zipple. We must also start our preparations."
Apart from Jin, no one in the world knew as much about the power of Legends as the leader of Kinzelo.
Bishkel could hardly calm his heart.
The fact that he had fought against Bouvard at the party, and the reason he had visited the sculpture workshop many months ago... Were they all intentional approaches? Because he knew about Bouvard and me? But when and how?
Chills and cold sweat ran down his spine.
It was impossible to think that Jin had unearthed their identities on his own. The information must havee from the Runcandel n, who must have given the order to Jin.
''They must have known that all their gbearers had our spies, and that''s why they ordered their Reserve gbearer, Jin, to investigate our activities. They must have guessed that we wouldn''t pay as much attention to their Reserve gbearers.''
Bishkel''s imagination took flight immediately. He gritted his teeth. He thought he was to me for everything, and that he should have ced a spy on Jin the moment Bouvard and Jin kept meeting. That''s what he should have done as the vice chief.
Thest encounter was especially suspicious.
Jin had acted tantly strange when he came to the sculpture workshop and requested a duel with him, using Bouvard as an excuse.
He had made extremely bold statements and actions to grab Bishkel''s attention.
At that time, Bishkel had interpreted it as the pubescent phase of a young swordsman, but now he understood why Jin had acted that way.
Yes, right after Jin left that day, I started discussing the return of the Compass with Bouvard. That''s when I felt a faint movement. The reason Jin had gone to such lengths to catch my attention was to nt someone who could listen to my conversations in the sculpture workshop.
He also remembered how that day he had gone over all the details with Bouvard regarding the return of the Compass. The memory of how he had whispered everyst ultra-secret detail, including the ce and time of its return and the fact that their alliance with Zipple was officially terminated.
And on the first day of June, Bamel, the man who had just revealed himself as Jin Runcandel, had arrived in the Berd Feudal States, which were supposed to be the secret meeting ce of Zipple and Kinzelo officers.
After their failed attempt to retrieve the Compass, countless emergency meetings had been held within Kinzelo, and even more investigations and punishments had been carried out in an effort to find out who had leaked the information.
Bishkel felt as if his entire body waspletely drained of blood. He had to bear the responsibility.
"Dear leader, I have something to..." Bishkel was about to say it in a weak voice.
"Oh! Damn it all!" Suddenly, the leader pped his forehead with his hand as he gasped.
"What''s wrong, leader?"
"I left it there. Damn it. Things were so bad that I forgot to bring it with me. I can''t believe I made such a mistake."
"What are you talking about? Oh, wait. It can''t be."
The leader lowered his head at Berakt''s question and let out a sigh.
"The Final Version of the Devastating zing me Orb. The legacy of Riol Zipple that we kept at the Dark Magic Guild''s base. I didn''t bring it with me. Joe, perhaps you were able to bring it with you? Please tell me you did."
"Oh. That... Leader, I was in a hurry too."
"You useless idiot! Joe, you''re supposed to be the Head of the Dark Magic Guild! How could you forget something like that? Should our leader think of every little thing for you?" Berakt showed his murderous eyes again after grabbing Joe by the cor.
"Great Warrior Berakt. Let me down. We can talk about this. I tried. I tried to bring it with me, but my hand was forced!"
"Are you kidding me right now? I''m so furious, I''m about to explode. Kaargh! Hey! Someone get this worm off my face and make sure I don''t see him for the time being because I might kill him if I keep looking at him!"
Kak! Zas!
Berakt threw Joe to the ground and immediately lifted his foot. He wanted to crush Joe''s skull; he was so angry.
"Oh no! Great Warrior!"
"Lord Great Warrior, our leader has done everything possible to save you and bring you back! Please, control yourself!"
Joe''s head was spared from bing a smashed watermelon thanks to the other Half-Men who jumped in to stop Berakt.
The great wolf man was unable to contain his anger and continued to smoke with fury, even afterunching an attack of rage.
"This is a great loss. I have lost a precious card that could have been used against the Zipple. It''s even more frustrating because I am nning to meet with Keliac soon to negotiate the Final Version of the Devastating zing me Orb."
"Damn it! These humans, they never get anything right! Damn it!"
Berakt''s gaze fell on Bishkel, who remained frozen.
"Of course, that doesn''t include you, vice chief. If these human worms had even a quarter of your qualities, I would never have felt so frustrated. You are all humans, but how can you be so different?"
The leader nodded, his eyes fixed on Joe as he was being dragged away by the other Half-Men.
Bishkel felt his heart about to burst.
"This incident is partly my fault as well, and there is nothing we can do about it. The damage has already been done, so we must find ways to control it. Berakt, send the swiftest Half-Men to Oterium. There may be a chance that the brat, Jin, didn''t take the magic tome. It is highly unlikely that he knows the magic tome is there, so let''s keep our hopes on that."
"Yes, dear leader. I will have them sent immediately."
"Bishkel, you will be in charge of Karl Zipple from now on. If we cannot retrieve the magic tome, we will have to use it as a negotiation tool."
Bishkel nodded.
"And didn''t you say you also had something to tell me, Bishkel?"
In the brief instant their eyes met, a thousand thoughts crowded Bishkel''s mind. Was it the right decision to admit his own mistakes in such a dangerous climate?
He found his answer in what the leader had mentioned ten seconds ago.
The damage has already been done, so we must find ways to control it. It will be of no use if I admit and reveal my error. For now, we must extinguish the urgent fires threatening Kinzelo.
Bishkel fought against the weight of his conscience and spoke.
"I wanted to talk to you about the Holy Kingdom. That boy, Jin, might expose the Oterium incident to bring the biological golem experiments to the surface. For the Runcandels, it would be their best excuse to intervene in the current situation of the Holy Kingdom."
"Oh, yes. Nothing less from our vice chief. You''re right. They will definitely try to use it to their political advantage. That''s what humans do best, isn''t it?"
"Hm, that makes sense. He wasn''t an ordinary Reserve gbearer. He may coordinate with the Sword Garden to escte the incident. What do you think we should do?"
"I think his abrupt assault on Oterium may have been at the request of the remaining loyal forces of the Holy Kingdom. In the process, he may have discovered that the kingdom is divided under the influence of both the Zipple and us."
"Go on."
"From the Runcandels'' perspective, they would prefer to drive the Zipple out of the Holy Kingdom before us. We are too anonymous in the public knowledge for them to attempt to drive out both factions. Therefore, no one would believe them even if the Runcandels imed that we were conducting biological golem experiments."
"Are you suggesting that Jin might me the Zipple for the biological golem experiments?"
"Yes."
"You''re right, especially since it has already been reported that the Zipple were conducting biological experiments in Kollon."
"I think we should observe the progress from a distance and y along. If it goes as I think it would, I know it''s frustrating, but we must support his ims if we want to maintain control over half of the Holy Kingdom."
This was precisely why Berakt appreciated Bishkel and found it difficult to manipte him at will. Such sincere words and a deep understanding of motives. It soothed the anger that Joe had caused in him.
"The vice chief is right. It''s ridiculous how we have to y along once again. But we have no choice. It seems to be the best option. Let''s wait and see how Jin wants to y this."
***
Patreon for Advance Chapter:
Patreon/LevelinGodSwor
***
Meanwhile, Jin and Murakan continued to stare at the still-burning blue mes in the area with lost looks in their eyes.
What was that steel door? Did they really escape? Did they really teleport?
They were about to ask the same questions.
But a bright white light shone amidst the blue mes and caught their attention.
Since neither of them knew the abilities of the Kinzelo Leader, they naturally thought it was an offensive spell or a trap that he had left behind.
But it was none of that. The light took the form of an ordinary shield barrier.
"That i...s?" Jin''s eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly ran towards the light.
It was the Final Version of the Devastating zing me Orb.
The magic tome that Misha had told him to find was emitting its light amidst the blue mes.
The light surrounding the magic tome was a protective spell, ced by the matriarch of the Zipple two generations ago, in case their magic tome was ever damaged or lost.
"It''s going to burn. Murakan! Do something about the blue me!" Jin shouted.
Murakan quickly leaped and rolled over the mes, near the magic circle. "Ouch, it''s so hot!"
It was a pity that some of his hair got burned, but thanks to his effort, Jin secured the magic tome before its protective barrier burned down.
Chapter 243
C243 - Individual Study, Group Study (8)
"These mes are as unpleasant as their master. I almost went bald," Murakanined as he gathered a handful of Shadow Energy and brushed his hair. Surprisingly, the burned hair absorbed the Shadow Energy and returned to its original state.
"Why did you put out the fire with your body instead of using Shadow Energy?" Jin asked.
"Good question. Why did I do that? I guess I was in a hurry. Damn it."
"Ah, well. Thanks anyway. You just did something that will be remembered forever in the history of magic, even if I''m the only witness to it."
"If someone offers to write your biography in the future, make sure to tell them to include this anecdote."
"Of course."
It was the Final Version of the Devastating zing me Orb.
Jin''s eyes gleamed as he held the magic tome. In his past life, Valeria had introduced him to all kinds of rare magic tomes. In his current life, he even inscribed Chen-mi''s and Kiddard Hall''s magic tomes into his body.
But Riol Zipple''s legacy was, quite literally, the greatest masterpiece in the history of magic. Not only was he the greatest of his time, but whenever someone talked about the greatest magicians of all time, Riol Zipple always made the list, and this was his greatest masterpiece.
As a Mage, one could not live a happier moment than this. Jin wished he could open it and check its contents immediately, but he decided to keep it hidden under his coat for now.
Jin barely had time to celebrate. He heard a low groan.
"Urfff."
It was Chukon Tolderer.
Unlike Suzanne, who had her neck cleanly cut, Chukon somehow managed to survive. The secret move of extreme defensive magic had released a shield barrier when the leader''s sword pierced his body, protecting his heart.
But when they reached him, it was clear he wouldn''t survive.
The shield barrier had only prolonged his life briefly. He had a purple face and was quickly turning into a corpse.
Jin asked him the most typical question a victor could ask after the battle was over and the winner and loser were clearly decided.
"Chukon Tolderer, do you have anyst words?"
There was a dark and deep resentment in his eyes as bloody foam escaped from his mouth. It was not surprising. He met his end by the sword of the very lord he had served, in the face of his enemy.
"My magic tome."
He stammered as he spoke, but Jin could guess what he was desperately trying to say.
Like Riol, he wanted to leave behind his legacy. No Mage in the world wanted their life''s work to disappear into history in vain.
And since he was dying by betrayal, he would hand over his magic tome to the enemy if it was thest resort.
"Where is it?"
"Safe... Eternal, lova... va."
The third room of the eternal safe, password lova.
With those as hisst words, Chukon embraced death. Jin closed the eyelids over the dead man''s dark, dazed eyes.
"The third room of the eternal safe? It seems it was highly valued. Well, it was quite a powerful defensive magic, I admit," Murakan said, shrugging.
Neither Jin nor Murakan felt any sympathy for Chukon for entrusting them with his magic tome. It was unlikely that this was the only experiment he had conducted on civilians. Therefore, they thought Chukon should be grateful to them for allowing him to say hisst words.
"Let''s go."
They quickly entered the destroyed castle. They had to return to the Holy Kingdom with Mirtual and the survivors in order to conclude what had happened today and prepare for the next battle.
"The Kinzelo learned about my identity, and I don''t even have a clue who their leader is. Is he a demon, as Murakan suggested?"
The ability to conjure metal was unheard of. The ability to form a sword, okay, maybe that was possible. But teleportation was unimaginable.
The leader seemed to have lived for at least a thousand years. No, maybe he had lived for an even longer period. He might have even existed when the Legends ruled the World.
Their leader must be the one behind the effort to recreate the Legends.
"He also knows about my brothers."
The reason he only took Joe with him is probably because he is a key person in the recreation of them. In addition to that, he was somehow rted to Temar.
Murakan definitely showed a strange reaction when their leader imed that it was Murakan who went into overload, not Temar.
He seemed stunned, like a person facing a past he didn''t want to remember.
Jin had also asked Murakan why he had fought against Temar several times before. And on each asion, Murakan didn''t seem willing to talk about it. So Jin stopped asking him.
"He would tell me himself if there was something I needed to know regarding Temar."
Jin was lost in his thoughts as they entered the castle.
It was now much more damaged than a while ago, which was obviously caused by Murakan''s ruthless attacks.
They moved the broken stone pieces, piled up in heaps, and headed towards theboratory and Mirtual.
Theboratory had been ravaged by detonation spells. Not a single facility rted to the experiments remained intact. Everything was in ruins, making it much more difficult to find the trapdoor to the secret passage.
"Mirtual! Mirtual S!"
"We''re here!"
"Over here!"
It wasn''t Mirtual. They heard the unfamiliar voices of a group of men in the distance. Jin and Murakan moved the rubble to find the source of the sound and tore open the ground.
Once the secret passage was uncovered, the first thing they saw were the frightened and tearful faces of the survivors, and the mana insertion device that Jin had moved.
And Mirtual, who had her eyes closed and her hands peacefully folded on her chest.
"The Saint has saved us and returned to Ay''s embrace."
"Please, take the body of our Saint back to the Holy Kingdom with us."
She had squeezed out thest of her life force to insert mana into her people and headed into Ay''s embrace. She hadpleted her mission as a Saint.
"Perhaps she knew from the beginning that she would die if she wanted to save them. That''s why she desperately asked me to wait here."
She was not an ordinary Healer. She was a Saint. But there was a good reason why she died trying to save them. There were traces of experiments all over her body, like the Light Heart protruding from her torso, a golemized arm, or a tail on her backside.
They could hardly be considered ordinary human beings anymore. As they were on the verge of transformation, she had to pour all her life force into the mana insertion device if she wanted to save them.
"They asked us to give this to you, saying that it must be delivered to His Majesty."
Jin took off his cloak and covered his body. One of the survivors handed him a book and a pendant.
It was Mirtual''s pendant, and the book was a diary. She had been recording everything that happened in this ce since she infiltrated the Dark Magic Guild as a spy by order of the Holy King, every day.
"Please, leave. Let''s go back now."
***
Patreon for Advance Chapter:
Patreon/LevelinGodSwor
***
It was thest day of the Manifestation Festival.
The sun shone over Vank''s capital as if Ay herself was blessing the scene.
A giant carriage of pure white stood in the middle of the crowded city square. The fake Min and Lani stood on top of the carriage, waving to the people.
Thirty holy knights of the golden shield surrounded the carriage to protect it, and a procession of saints followed behind. This in itself was a great attraction for those who hade to the Holy Kingdom to witness the Manifestation Festival.
The city square was literally packed with people, and there was no room to move. Citizens and nobles from various kingdoms and the people of the Holy Kingdom had gathered to receive the consecration of the Holy King. Everyone eagerly awaited the start of the ceremony.
"Your holy majesty!"
"Your majesty!"
Seeing the holy king in person was an overwhelming experience for many. They were overwhelmed with emotion and shouted at the top of their lungs, especially the citizens suffering from illnesses.
For the sick and the poor, the consecration ceremony of the Holy King was a great opportunity and a great hope to prolong their lives. The consecration had the power to heal diseases.
But since the powers of the holy king were limited, not many were fortunate enough to receive the consecration during the Manifestation Festival.
Only about fifty people received the true consecration each year through the divine powers of the Holy King. The rest were simply blessed with words.
These blessings had no practical impact on the fate or life of each individual, but still, many were desperate to receive the words of the king.
The king stopped waving and lowered his hand. The city square fell silent immediately.
"Dear children of Ay, and guests who havee from all corners of the world to see me, I express my gratitude. I am the holy king, Min."
The crowd cheered.
"As in the consecration ceremonies of all the previous years, it will be my precious daughter, Lani Salom¨¦, who will read today''s consecration message on behalf of the voice of this old man. I ask for apuse for my daughter, who will have to pray tomorrow with a sore throat."
The fake holy king patted Lani''s shoulder and showed his affection for his daughter.
Lani took the fake Holy King''s arm and smiled happily. The fake king was perfectly imitating the real Min, who always humbled himself and loved his daughter like no one else.
There was a loud apuse.
Lani began the consecration message once the cheers died down.
"We will begin the consecration ceremony of His Majesty the Holy King. Once the carriage starts moving, please follow us in an orderly manner to avoid any injuries or idents."
As in most ceremonies of this kind, the people who received the true consecration through sacred power were already predetermined, although not many people knew this fact.
The carriage advanced and briefly stopped at the locations where the people destined for consecration were gathered.
At each stop, the Holy King stepped down from the carriage to kiss their foreheads and bless them while Lani read the consecration message.
"May Ay''s will, heart, and love be with you...".
The true consecration was granted to about forty people without major issues. The crippled began to walk after the consecration, and the blind began to see a new light.
The spectators, moved by the miracles that urred, began to cry.
It was then that a group of Vankns dressed in robes emerged from the crowd and blocked the path of the carriage. They were not among the chosen ones.
"Your majesty!"
"Your majesty! Listen to our stories!"
The crowd started booing.
Such intrusions weremon every year during the consecration ceremonies, so they didn''t pay much attention to it.
The Holy King smiled mercifully at the intruders. Lani whispered in his ear,
"Bless them, Father. You also stepped down from the carriage for those who interruptedst year, remember?"
The fake Holy King nodded.
At that moment, he and the Zipple n decided that Lani hadpletely surrendered and had started ying along. They also considered it the result of the continued mental torture while she was held captive by Vitura.
The Holy King stepped down from the carriage and met with them.
"Yes, children of Ay. How burdensome was your pain that you sought me out? Please, tell me your stories."
Those who interrupted the procession raised their bowed heads.
"Your majesty, we..."
They raised their heads and removed their robes, revealing the grotesque bodies that bore the traces of biological experiments.
"Heavens, what the hell is that?"
"No!"
The spectators who caught a glimpse of the horrifying sight gasped and screamed.
The fake Holy King shuddered and realized something was wrong. Lani bit her lower lip and averted her gaze. She tried not to burst into tears as she looked at Vitura, who returned her gaze with an expressionless face.
The thirty Holy Knights of the Golden Shield guarding the carriage also clenched their teeth and looked at Vitura.
"They dragged us into theboratories against our will and turned us into this state...".
"Who did this to you?" The fake Holy King did his best to remain calm. Things would only get worse if he let panic take over.
They responded, "The Head of the Holy Knights, Vitura. He sold us to the Zipple''s experimentation chambers. He turned us into this!"
"Shut your mouth!"
Shing!
Vitura unsheathed his sword as he shouted.
Lani couldn''t take her eyes off him. She tried her best not to cry.
Chapter 244
C244 - Viin (1)
The events unfolded like this on the previous night.
"Lani, you must frame me." That was the first thing Vitura said when Jin returned to the Holy Kingdom with the survivors.
He devised a way to swiftly and wlessly rid the Holy Kingdom of invaders and traitors while Jin was away.
No, devising wouldn''t be the right word. He had resolved to do so with determination.
"Lord Vitura, what do you mean all of a sudden?"
"Lord Jin has brought us witnesses and evidence. And right now, more eyes are watching thend than ever before due to the Manifestation Festival. This is an opportunity we will never have again. If we want to eradicate them once and for all, we need a viin to bear the me."
"Are you joking?," Lani asked with a trembling voice, but Vitura shook his head.
"No, I have already made up my mind."
"Why do you have to do this? We have undeniable witnesses and the record from the holy society of the Dawn Carriage that martyred herself in suffering. There''s no need for you to go down with them, Sir Vitura. We have enough already."
"Those are wishful words, Lani Salome. Did you truly believe it would be so easy to reim the kingdom from a giant n that has the world under their control? Did you think that would be enough?"
"And why not! Whether it''s the Zipple n or Kinzelo, or no matter how powerful they may be, how can they deny the state of the survivors that will be revealed to the world? And if Lord Jin is correct, the Zipple n will undoubtedly act ordingly, if only for the sake of Karl Zipple, and-"
"Of course, Lord Jin''s assistance alone would be enough to give them trouble. But what will happen afterwards? They will pull out a few key individuals as scapegoats and devour thisnd once again like pests."
"Even if that happens, I can''t let you be branded a traitor, Sir Vitura! That is uneptable."
Silence followed. Lani''s anxious breath was more noticeable in the absence of sound.
"Lani Salome, what do you think the Holy Kingdom needs right now?"
Lani couldn''t answer.
"The kingdom needs a leader. Someone to help them believe that the Holy Kingdom is not yet finished. They need a symbol of hope. We need a leader to arise at this moment. One who will punish the traitors in front of everyone and proim that the Holy Kingdom should only be ruled by the children of Ay."
"And you''re telling me to assume that role?"
"Yes."
Sigh. "I understand what you mean. If that''s the case, then you should mark me as the traitor and be the leader, Sir Vitura."
"Lani."
"Let''s be frank. If we''re going topare the two of us, I haven''t contributed anything to thisnd. All I did was receive the love of your people solely for being the daughter of the holy king. What right do I have to lead the people? I have no such capacity."
"My dear friend, Min. He adopted you to raise you as the Holy Queen, from the very beginning."
"My father has never mentioned anything like that to me."
"I can swear on the name of Ay. Min received the prophecy from Ay that you will be the Holy Queen."
"What do you mean by that...?"
"Take a look at this." Vitura pulled out a notebook from his inner pocket.
It was Min''s diary. There was not a single mention of governance and state in the diary. It only contained his personal feelings and religious reflections. Somewhere in the middle of the pages, there was an anecdote rted to Lani and Ay''s prophecy.
Lani sighed.
It was impossible to mistake Min''s handwriting.
"So, if you can''t ept my words, then take it as the will of Ay and ept it. You have always obeyed Ay''s word better than anyone else."
"Even if our God himself has chosen me, this is not right. This cannot be."
"I am already well known as the longtime advocate for the Zipple n, and indeed, I have pretended to do their bidding for a long time. Overthrow me, and with that, show them that Ay''s volcano still grows strong."
"There must be another way, Sir Vitura."
It was much harder for Lani to ept this n because she had always disliked Vitura before the Holy King was kidnapped.
In her eyes, Vitura was not a loyal subject of the kingdom. He was the first to defect to the side of the Zipple n, the greatest political enemy of her father, and a gue to the Holy Kingdom.
But in reality, Vitura was a friend of Min like no other and the most loyal of men who volunteered to y the viin and keep watch over his enemies inside and outside the Kingdom.
Lani could never thank him or earn his forgiveness enough even if she had her whole life to repay it. But to ask him to allow her to continue ying the viin and bear such a heavy burden to the end?
"I can''t do it, Sir Vitura."
"No, you can. In fact, you should be the one toe to your senses here. You also know that there is no better way, don''t you? Even Lord Jin, who has no affiliation with us, fought a difficult battle for the sake of the Holy Kingdom. Ending me is not difficultpared to what he has done for us."
"But who will know of his sacrifice, besides us? Instead, they will only point and jeer at you. Your name will go down in history as a horrible traitor!"
"Must we desire rewards for doing good, seek reputation for defending our beliefs, or calcte our gains when choosing martyrdom? Ay and the great Saints have never taught such lessons."
"But..."
"Lani Salome! Stop acting like a child. Don''t disappoint me any further. Endure your suffering, as I do. Don''t mock my determination out of fear of minor hardships."
Lani eventually dropped to the ground and broke into tears. She clutched her chest in frustration, banged her head on the ground, and screamed.
At that moment, Jin and Murakan saw Lani''s body glow with its own light. It was so brief that they almost thought it was an illusion.
Vitura patted her back and then turned his gaze to Jin.
Jin and Murakan did not interrupt their conversation. While they listened, they also racked their brains to see if there was a better solution than the one Vitura had proposed.
If they found one, they would mention it. Unfortunately, Vitura''s sacrifice was clearly the most powerful way to stabilize the Holy Kingdom.
Jin was only an unrted outsider.
Nevertheless, Jin also thought that Vitura''s sacrifice was tragic. For his own sake, it would have been much better for him to seek asylum in Hufester after exposing the truth or fully side with the Zipple n once and for all.
But it would be a great disrespect to neglect the determination of this man with unwavering will.
"Lord Jin?"
"Yes, Sir Vitura?"
"I am indebted to you in a great way that I cannot repay. I will never forget what you have done for the Holy Kingdom, even in my death."
"Unlike you, I have only done it with the promise of a future reward."
"Nevertheless, it hasn''t been easy."
"Sir Vitura?"
"Yes, please speak."
"I will ensure that your family can live a peaceful life in Hufester."
If Vitura''s n seeded, Lani would have no power to protect her family. It would not be right for the Holy Queen to take care of a traitor''s family.
But Vitura''s family would definitely not survive without external help. The Zipple n would never let them live after their great loss.
The people of the Holy Kingdom would show Ay''s mercy and refrain from throwing stones at them, but they certainly wouldn''t volunteer to protect a traitor''s family.
"I wanted to express my gratitude, but here I am, indebted to you once again."
"I am a martial artist born and raised in the Garden of Swords. Please take it as my show of respect to a great martial artist."
***
Patreon for Advance Chapter:
Patreon/LevelinGodSwor
***
"What are these horrible heretics spheming about? Society of Creed Guardians! Bring them down once and for all!" Vitura shouted with anger in his voice.
The entire square fell silent at his disproportionate response.
Everyone felt that something was amiss. There were ten subjects who had clearly been subjected to biological experiments, the head of the Creed Guardians was too eager tobel them as heretics, and there was shock and horror on the face of the fake Holy King.
All these things added up to the suspicion that quickly grew in people''s minds.
Clunk, clunk, clunk!
The Sacred Knights of the Creed Guardians standing by Vitura immediately formed a formation.
People stood in front of Vitura and the Sacred Knights to block their path. The knights forcefully pushed them aside and made their way forward.
"Your Majesty! They are all heretics. Please, stay away from them! Golden Shield Knights, why don''t you take action? Keep the heretics away from Your Majesty!"
The Golden Shield Knights did not move at Vitura''smand. They stood guard around the carriage.
The fake Holy King couldn''t hide his panic. Lani took the initiative, ring at Vitura and shouted loudly.
"Why do youbel them as heretics, Commander-in-Chief! And how dare you draw your sword before His Majesty gives the order. Stand down!"
Everyone gathered in the square knew about the political disputes between the Holy King and Vitura. Naturally, Vitura seemed like a Zeifl''spdog desperately trying to cover up the incident.
"I am the Commander-in-Chief of the Sacred Knights. The right to judge heretics lies with me. If you have eyes to see, Lani Salome, take a look at them. Do those horrible beings appear as ordinary humans to you? It is clear that they have faced demons."
"That must be decided by His Majesty! Your Majesty, please order Sir Vitura to stand down."
Although the fake Holy King had Bouvard''s help in transforming, he belonged to the Zipple n, not the Kinzelo n. Therefore, he didn''t know how to respond.
"Your Majesty, I have told you many times. They are heretics. We must subdue them before they further tarnish the reputation of the Holy Kingdom and proceed with the consecration ceremony."
"Sir Vitura!"
"If you beat around the bush, you will be considered a heretic as well, Lani Salome. Get out of my way! Make way!"
Vitura and the Sacred Knights of the Creed Guardians headed towards the survivors.
When they were close enough, the Golden Shield Knights drew their swords and stood in their way.
"Do note any closer, Sir Vitura."
"How dare you! You are under my directmand. How dare you stand in my way?"
Under his directmand.
Unlike the ones brought down when Vitura met Jin, these thirty Golden Shield Knights had remained loyal to the kingdom.
Their hearts felt heavy like a man cutting his own tongue when they had to raise their swords against Vitura.
Drawing a weapon without His Majesty''s order itself constitutes treason. Sheathe your weapon immediately, Commander-in-Chief."
Ching!
Vitura fiercely swung his sword against the Golden Shield Knights.
Immediately, the Creed Guardians also began attacking and blood sttered.
Vitura lunged at the survivors like a demon-possessed, as if he could handle the aftermath of the incident with ease as long as he killed them.
Vitura and fifty Creed Guardians Knights, against Lani and thirty Golden Shield Knights.
It seemed like the battle would end in a draw, but Vitura soon disyed formidable skills befitting his position as Commander-in-Chief.
He forcefully pushed back the Golden Shield Knights and approached the survivors.
"Heretics, I will have your heads!"
The ten survivors gathered and closed in around the fake Holy King as Vitura approached.
Everything had been nned in advance. After a few seconds, the ten survivors yelled and surrounded the fake Holy King. Lani stood in front of the king.
And, of course, it was Vitura who reached Lani first. The Golden Shield Knights fought desperately to prevent the Creed Guardians from reaching Lani.
Lani''s eyes met Vitura''s.
It seemed like they were ring at each other, but in their hearts, there was only sympathy.
"Lani, you too are a heretic,ss. Your punishment will be fulfilled in due time. Majesty, Your Majesty! I am here. Vitura hase to save you from the heretics!"
ng!
Lani''s and Vitura''s swords shed.
The choreographed sword exchange they had practiced all night began.
All Lani had to do was dodge and block his attacks, but Vitura had to deflect her while pretending to attack the survivors, all while making his way towards the fake Holy King.
Every time Lani stopped Vitura''s sword, it felt like he wasforting her with the sword.
Everything will be fine. Everything will be fine, Lani.
Vitura''s thrust sent Lani flying through the air and rolling on the ground. At that moment, the fake Holy King, the survivors, and Vitura were only two steps away.
Vitura passed by Lani and stabbed his sword again with madness radiating from his eyes.
What followed made it seem like Vitura had made a terrible mistake.
Vitura''s sword pierced the fake Holy King''s neck.
He trembled as if unable to believe the mistake he had just made. Still, he tried to swing his sword towards the survivors once again.
But before he could do so, Lani stood up. Her sword quickly approached Vitura''s neck.
Chapter 245
C245 - Viin (2)
The sound of a sword piercing a neck was heard. It was followed by a dull thud. Vitura''s head fell to the ground.
Lani stood frozen in the same motion she had finished swinging her sword. Her head was tilted.
It had only been a second, not even half of it. But the brief moment afterpleting the motion felt like an eternity to Lani.
Oh, Sir Vitura.
She wished this eternity would never pass. She wished everything woulde to aplete halt.
Because now she would have to mourn the horrific puppet of the Zipple n, not the man who had gloriously sacrificed himself for the children of Ay.
Hot blood sttered Vitura''s neck onto his face. Some droplets fell into his eyes. Blood and tears ran down his eyelids.
"Father!"
Lani cried out with a hoarse voice as she looked at the fake holy king.
But her cry had actually been for the true Holy King, Min, who was probably in Ay''s embrace now.
"Father, Father! No, this can''t be happening. This can''t be happening! Father, why is this happening?"
Lani lunged forward and embraced the fake Holy King. She immediately began her sacred healing spells, but the damage to the fake Holy King''s neck was beyond any human effort.
Undoubtedly, Vitura had ended him for good. The crown of the dormant volcanoy on the ground,pletely drenched in blood.
Amidst the sh of swords, the grunts and shouts of the holy knights, and the gasps of the anxious crowd, Lani''s desperate cry stood out above all.
Both loyal knights and traitors, as well as the people, felt a dreadful premonition at Lani''s cry.
It didn''t matter whether they knew the holy king was a double or not. Death shook them all.
"Your Majesty, the king has fallen!"
"It was Commander-in-Chief Vitura Veltor! Your Majesty was..."
"Holy ones, heal Your Majesty immediately!"
It was one of the captains of the Creed Guardians who had sought out the Saints. He knew the holy king was dead. He had only shouted because the Saints in the procession were also Zipple''s puppets.
Now that Vitura and the fake holy king were dead, there was only one way out for those who had sided with the Zipple. They had to secure the survivors of the biological golem experiment at all costs.
If they couldn''t get rid of the most crucial evidence that troubled the Zipple, there was no way they would escape their involvement in the holy king''s death.
The entire world had witnessed the death of the holy king. Therefore, the Zipple could only offer to protect those who would y a crucial role in cleaning up this mess.
"Out of my way, out of my way! We must tend to His Majesty!"
The saints in the procession behind the carriage started joining the battlefield. But this only added to the chaos of the crowd that had just witnessed the murder of the fake Holy King.
In front of Lani, a battle unfolded between the Golden Shield Knights and the Creed Guardians Society.
"Creed Guardians! Capture all the heretics!"
It was then that Lani ceased portraying her grief with the fake holy king in her arms.
"Golden Shield Knights! You must not hand them over to the Creed Guardians. There must be a reason why Vitura and the Creed Guardians wanted them dead, even at the cost of high treason!"
"Lani Salome, did you say treason? His Majesty was attacked because you couldn''t protect him,ss. How dare you use us of treason, you cursed witch?"
"Golden Shield Knights, follow the orders of Lani Salome! Stop the traitors! Protect the holy subjects around Lani!"
The loyal Golden Shield Knights reestablished their formation. These men were handpicked by Vitura. Their solidarity was notable, even through the horrific chaos.
"Golden Shields, look at yourselves. Your current actions are the very definition of treason. Leaving aside the heretics, shouldn''t you at least make way for the saints to tend to His Majesty? His Majesty may still be alive. If he dies due tock of treatment, all of you should..."
"His Majesty has perished due to the covert attack by Vitura Veltor. All those who followed his orders, including yourselves, will pay for the death of His Majesty the king."
"Bring them down!"
Despite being outnumbered, the Golden Shield Knights overwhelmed the Creed Guardians.
However, the Golden Shield Knights couldn''t help but feel anxious.
A tremor began to spread from the outskirts of the city square.
A group of heavily armored knights headed towards them on horseback. It was a understandable response, given the extreme nature of the circumstances. And naturally, they were all pawns of Zeifl.
"Kid," Murakhan whispered to Jin. Both of them were in the midst of the crowd.
"Yes?"
"Should we intervene if the Religious Fanatics'' side is pushed back? If anything happens to her, not only would my promise to help be in vain, but Vitura''s sacrifice would also be in vain."
"That will never happen," Jin said.
"How can the Religious Fanatics stop them all?"
"They can''t, if there''s no one left in the holy kingdom to help Lani." At the end of Jin''s sentence, another group of Sacred Knights and Creed Guardians troops arrived at the scene.
There were at least a hundred Sacred Knights, and quite a long row of soldiers marched in to control the people.
"Kill the traitors and capture Lani Salome and the heretics!" shouted the newly arrived captain. The Sacred Knights swiftly charged in wedge formations, and the soldiers pushed back the crowd with the shafts of their spears.
But the people would never ept this. Even an idiot could tell that the Creed Guardians were the traitors.
If it were simply a sh between the Creed Guardians Society and the Golden Shield Knights, the people would have had a different opinion.
But the murder of the fake holy king by Vitura yed a decisive role.
"We must protect His Majesty''s daughter!"
"You won''t take Lady Lani away! You have already harmed His Majesty! Don''t you darey a finger on Lady Lani, you filthy Zipple pawns! Are you not ashamed before Ay?"
"Stop them, stop them with your bodies!"
Suddenly, the people in the city square began rushing toward the battlefield.
The Holy King and his daughter were always loved by the people. And in their eyes, the Creed Guardians were God-forsaken bastards who murdered a father before his daughter''s own eyes on a festival day.
Moreover, Lani and the Golden Shield Knights had only acted sensibly and withmon sense since the incident.
But the Creed Guardians seemed shamelessly desperate to capture the survivors. Not only that, they even demanded that the Golden Shield Knights make way for them, iming they needed to tend to the holy king, who was clearly dead.
Jin and Vitura had shared a conversation the night before.
"It''s true that the Zipple and Kinzelo have absolute control over the leadership of the holy kingdom, but they don''t have it over the people. Thanks to their alliance breaking, they haven''t been able to dull the citizens'' senses at this point," Vitura said.
"We''ll need the Holy Kingdom subjects to identify with us," Jin responded.
"I will attempt to portray the most atrocious viin they have ever seen."
What Jin didn''t know was that by this point in his past life, the people of the holy kingdom had already been dulled and brainwashed. That''s why no one cared when Lani consumed herself.
Lani and Vitura grew tired of their lone struggle and quietly left the holy kingdom, after which they disappeared.
But this time, the story changed thanks to Jin. And now, the perfect conditions were in ce to reveal the truth.
"How dare you! Don''t you realize how grave a crime it is to side with the heretics? Get out of the way! Move aside! I warn you, move!" The confident shouting captain of the Creed Guardians began to frown.
The Sacred Knights of the Creed Guardians who arrived as reinforcements were blocked by a crowd of people.
All the people filling the city square rushed to shield Lani. The soldiers who had been pushing them with their spears were being pushed back. The Sacred Knights could do nothing but repeat the same words over and over.
"I told you, move!"
If it weren''t for the Manifestation Festival. If it had been any other day, they would have pressed forward, regardless of the innocent citizens'' blood spilled.
But if they did it now, the consequences of such an action would have a much greater impact than the testimonies of the biological golem experiment survivors.
There were too many eyes watching.
Several hundred journalists from all nations were scrutinizing them as well. Killing their own people before those watching eyes was the very definition of madness.
They would never recover from it, not even with the Zipple behind them.
"Lady Lani, the Golden Shield Knights stand with you."
"Don''t worry. Fight against them. Secure the children of Ay who have been dragged to the Zipple n''sboratories!"
"Ay herself will bring punishment down upon you!"
There are not many things in the world as terrifying as an enraged crowd. The Sacred Knights of the Creed Guardians dared not approach them. They could only look around.
Lani was no longer crying.
But there were dried marks of blood and tears around her eyes. She quickly wiped them away. Her gazended on Vitura''s head on the ground.
She had a faint smile on her face.
Amidst the countless voices and noises of the city square, Lani slowly knelt beside the fake Holy King.
Death will take you to rest, you who toiled in the dark and heavy world. Your soul will be free in Ay''s vast embrace. All your past suffering will turn into good humor that lightens your heart.
It was a whisper of prayer.
But it was like a breeze of wind. Just as des of grass kneel before the blowing wind, the people of the holy kingdom began to sit in their ces and close their eyes.
"All your past suffering will turn into good humor that lightens your heart."
"The burden you leave behind will be carried by those like you, to be the substance of the next morning. Those who share your burden will be people like you."
All the citizens of the Holy Kingdom knew this prayer.
It was a sight to behold. Even outsiders were moved by the prayer. They closed their eyes and bowed their heads in condolence.
The Golden Shield Knights also sheathed their weapons and knelt. Soon, the Sacred Knights of the Creed Guardians stopped looking around and joined the prayer.
If it weren''t for the steel fragments and blood on the ground, no one would have believed that a battle had taken ce right here moments ago.
The prayer wasing to an end when a man quietly approached Jin.
"Lord Jin," he murmured.
"Hello, Deano."
Deano Jaglun was now a renowned young journalist. He came to the holy kingdom immediately at Jin''s call and began writing articles.
"The record left by Mirtual S is ready to be published. I highlighted its simrities with the tragedy of Kollon and focused on the real losses of the holy kingdom," Deano said.
"Good work. Any chance the Zipple will slip away?"
"None. There is too much evidence we can use to establish the involvement of the Zipple leadership. A few scapegoats won''t save them. The fact that Kinzelo has Karl Zipple in custody is the key point, as you said, Lord Jin."
Deano gave a faint smile and continued. "This incident may well put an end to the days when people considered the Zipple n benevolent."
Chapter 246
C246 - Viin (3)
The prayer initiated by Lani ended at midnight.
Everyone gathered in the city square joined the prayer without anyone deviating from it. Meanwhile, all nations sent delegations to express their condolences for the news of the holy king''s death, and the press immediately printed bulletins reporting on the tragedy of the holy kingdom.
People would remember this prayer as an offering for the Holy King. But Lani, Jin, and Murakan would mourn the death of a great Sacred Knight on this day in the years toe.
The traitors of the Holy Kingdom who had sided with the Kinzelo decided to take the Kinzelo leader as their new god instead of Ay. And the group that sided with the Zipple reced Ay with their reverence for the power and order of Zipple.
The Runcandels had long known about the control of the two factions over the holy kingdom, but they had no reason or justification to intervene.
If they brought down the leaders, it would be seen as an invasion. If they attacked the Zipple and the Kinzelo, it was highly likely that arge-scale war would break out.
The Runcandels didn''t fear war itself. But if a war ever broke out, the people of the holy kingdom would see the Zipple as the just n aiding the kingdom, while the Runcandels would be the crazy invaders.
In such a scenario, all they could gain by striking at the Holy Kingdom would be several saints. They wouldn''t win any favor from the Holy Kingdom subjects, who would end up bing Healers.
Therefore, the holy kingdom had been a headache for the Runcandelstely.
But now an opportunity presented itself.
"Little brother." It was Luna.
The Runcandel n had also sent a delegation to express their condolences, just like the rest of the world.
As it was the death of the Holy King, the n sent their First, Second, and Third gbearers to the Holy Kingdom, which meant Luna, Joshua, and Luntia Runcandel, respectively.
Luna had received news from Kashimir and had briefly stepped away from the delegation to meet Jin.
"It''s been a while, dear sister."
"You''ve be strong."
She noticed Jin''s growth at a nce. She didn''t need to face him or understand the powers of the Sword of Legends or the Shadow de to realize it.
The eyes of the strong were enough to inform the other.
Thest time they had seen each other, Luna had cried like a child when she was with Jin. The impact of Taimyun''s death felt like an entire part of her world had been erased.
But now, Luna wore her imperturbable expression again.
Jin knew she had fought against the pain and sense of loss to regain that expression. "You''ve also grown stronger, dear sister."
The siblings smiled at each other.
"I was about toin about how much I missed you when I heard that you aplished another tremendous feat. Sir Kashimir briefed me briefly. Well, how can I assist you?"
Jin pointed to a carriage parked nearby. "Please take care of them."
Vitura Veltor''s family was in the carriage, disguised as battle casualties from yesterday.
"I''ll take care of it." Luna promptly responded. She didn''t need to ask further because she had already been informed about Vitura. Her family would now join the delegation returning to Hufester. "Anything else?"
"Please stay in the holy kingdom until the trial for the murder of the Holy King is over, so that Joshua doesn''t take the glory for my actions."
Jin knew that the Zipple''s reputation in the holy kingdom would plummet immediately once the trial began.
The holy kingdom subjects were already furious, thanks to Vitura''s sacrifice. Some even demanded an official apology from the Zipple before the Holy King''s funeral even began.
And it wasn''t just the Holy King. The whole world would learn about the atrocities of the Zipple.
The fact that the Runcandel n''s delegation stayed in the Holy Kingdom after paying their respects served as a symbol.
It signaled that the Runcandels were watching the Zipple. The only n that could deter the Zipple had its eyes on their immense strength.
Since Jin was a Reserve gbearer, he couldn''t serve as a symbol.
Of course, Cyron (who would learn about it in a future letter) and any infiltrators would recognize Jin''s work here, but someone else from the Runcandel n had to im the glory in the eyes of the public.
And naturally, Jin wanted it to be Luna. If she stepped back to avoid any unnecessary attention, as she often did, the honor would fall to the Second gbearer, Joshua.
"I was nning on doing it, of course. We can''t let him take all the glory for something you''ve worked so hard for. No."
"Are you aware that Joshua also has many copies of himself?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Jin began to exin Joshua''s secret to her. Luna''s eyes widened in surprise.
She knew nothing about the Seer.
"I knew something was off. Joshua volunteered for extremely risky missions without much thought. He could have been using his copies every time."
"Father must be aware of it, right?"
"Most likely. Father knows everything that goes on within the n."
"Then there must be a reason why he didn''t stop it."
"Probably for the same reason he also overlooked your Shadow Energy. There isn''t much to read into it. If he overlooked something that goes against principles, it can only mean he saw it as beneficial for the n."
Luna ced her hand on Jin''s shoulder, as if to convey that she understood the effort it took. "However, I may have to investigate it. I''ll start looking into it more seriously from now on. You focus on finishing things here in the holy kingdom."
"Agreed, Luna."
Until thest knight of the Creed Guardians Society was detained in the underground cells the next day.
The Zipple tried by all means to prevent them all from being imprisoned, but the murder of the holy king turned out to be too decisive.
It wasn''t just the testimonies of the biological golem experiment survivors. The list revealed by Vitura that Lani exposed was impossible to cover up.
Jin had requested the list of names from Vitura before heading to Old Oterium.
"Please make a list of the traitors who sided with the Kinzelo and the Zipple so that we can expose them as soon as I return. Lastly, gather the remaining faithful. There may be a confrontation in the process," Jin had said.
Vitura made separate lists for the Kinzelo and the Zipple. Lani kept the list of Kinzelo traitors while revealing the list of Zeifl to the world.
She exposed the truth about the Zipple n.
And yet, the Zipple couldn''t release a statement saying that the dead Holy King was a fake and that it was the Kinzelo who carried out the biological golem experiments.
"I can''t reveal the name of the hero who rescued the survivors, but he says that the biological golem experiments were conducted in the fourth magical tower of the Zipple n. We demand an official statement from the Zipple n regarding the matter."
Lani and the people were still in the city square.
Although all pawns of the Zipple n were detained, the people refused to let Lani and the body of the false Holy King enter the castle until everything about the incident was revealed.
Apart from the Creed Guardians Society, everyone else on Vitura''s list was still inside the castle, preparing for the funeral of the Holy King.
It wasn''t reasonable.
But given the power held by the leaders of the Holy Kingdom, such as Pontiff Montiano, it was certainly feasible. Unlike the Creed Guardians, they could only be brought down if there was undeniable proof that they had sided with the Zipple.
Unfortunately, Vitura''s list was not decisive enough for that purpose.
But, of course, Jin had expected it.
"We will not proceed with my father''s funeral until we have an official statement from the Zipple n. They will have to confess before we console the aggrieved spirit of my father."
"Master of the Fourth Tower, exin yourself!"
"Exin!"
They could have easily ignored the cries of Lani and the people if they were the only ones present in the square.
But delegations from around the world and countless journalists had joined them.
The Zipple had to quicklye to an agreement with the Kinzelo about their secret negotiation. They had to retrieve Karl in exchange for taking the me for all the usations.
Everything was going as Jin had predicted.
They preferred taking the me over admitting the truth that they had kidnapped Karl through a third-rate terrorist group like the Kinzelo.
Both the reputation of justice and power were difficult to regain once lost. But the former could be mitigated to some extent with money. On the other hand, thetter required unimaginable sacrifices to regain.
In the end, the Zipple n had to issue a public statement before noon.
"The Zipple n admits to getting involved in the politics of the Holy Kingdom, which led to the biological golem experiments being carried out on the kingdom''s poption with the assistance of officials who operated with the n.
However, we wish to inform you that the biological golem experiments are unrted to the n''s political involvement. The experiments were conducted as an individual crime by Karl Zipple, the fourth tower master. Starting today, Karl Zipple will be sent to the Holy Kingdom under magical restraints to apologize in person, after which Karl Zipple and any rted personnel will be severely punished under nw.
We express our deepest condolences for the departure of the Holy King and promise the full extent of any applicablepensation.
However, we will also refer to nws in addressing the spread of unconfirmed rumors and malicious nder.
The n''s political involvement has always been limited to cases requested by officials of the Holy Kingdom and was not driven by the n''s political ambitions. We wish to inform you that...".
The statement had an assertive tone, quite different from the usual Zipple n style. The words themselves were polite but clearly stated that all punishments would be carried out within their own n.
Naturally, the fury of the holy kingdom subjects skyrocketed a moment after the journalists delivered the statement.
''They are intentionally trying to enrage the holy kingdom subjects so that Karl Zipple gets stoned to death when he arrives here to atone for his crimes.''
It didn''t matter how or why. If Karl Zipple were to die on thesends, the Zipple could reverse the situation and hold the Holy Kingdom ountable for everything.
An objective evaluation based on themon perspective of the world would never value the life of the Holy King above that of the fourth tower master of the Zipple n. If a war ever broke out between the entire Holy Kingdom and the fourth magical tower of the Zipple, the tower forces would always win.
So that''s how much they wanted to get out of this situation, enough to give up Karl Zipple, whom they had just snatched back from the Kinzelo. And I wonder how much they paid to have Karl back.
The Zipple still favored the scapegoat.
But it wasn''t an ordinary sacrifice. The scapegoat was a pure-blooded Zipple. Unlike Miuron, who was already dead when the Kollon incident became known to the world, this time the Zipple med one of their own.
If Karl died, the holy kingdom could no longer demand further ountability from the Zipple for the biological golem incident. The world would continue to criticize their political involvement, but time and money could resolve those matters eventually.
Jin thought it was a pretty shrewd decision.
Except for the fact that their desperation made themmit too early, especially when they didn''t know who they were dealing with.
The Zipple still hadn''t realized that Jin was behind Lani''s movements. They could only assume that a Runcandel or Vermont gbearer was behind her.
Kinzelo would never share with the Zipple the information that it was Bamel who single-handedly razed the Dark Magic Guild headquarters and that Bamel was actually Jin Runcandel.
"Deano?"
"Yes, Lord Jin?"
"When Karl Zipple arrives in the Holy Kingdom, publish all the articles rted to the Kinzelo. That Karl was actually a hostage of the Kinzelo because of Bamel until a few days ago, and that Bamel actually rescued the survivors from Old Oterium, not from the fourth magical tower. Inform them that Karl is not involved in this incident."
"The Zipple will have to do everything possible to deny the im. It will be quite a spectacle to see."
If the Zipple didn''t deny the usation, Keliac would be seen as a cold and ruthless man who sold his own son to rid himself of me.
Jin wasn''t going to help the Zipple choose between their reputation for power or justice.
He was going to make them lose both.
Chapter 247
C247 - Viin (4)
Given the usual circumstances, Jin would have never been able to win against the Zipple in a media coverage battle.
Even if he hit them where it hurt the most, there was a huge difference in the control they had over the media. The Zipple always portrayed themselves as the good guys, and their control over the press was an impregnable fortress.
But at this moment, Jin wielded so much power.
It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that the entire world''s press was gathered in the Holy Kingdom right now.
Several renowned journalists had alsoe, including Deano. Most of them belonged to major factions like the Runcandels, Zipple, and Vermont. But some belonged to neutral news agencies.
It almost feels like I''m looking at a barrel full of oil, Jin thought as he observed the journalists gathered in the city square.
The oil barrel called the press would soon burst into mes when it encountered Deano''s sparks, to the point where even the Zipple wouldn''t be able to control it.
''Both the Zipple and the Kinzelo,e to think of it, have always been my enemies, ever since I left Storm Castle.''
He suddenly remembered how he was attacked by Zipple extremists with the assistance of the Kinzelo when he left Storm Castle.
Perhaps the fight against them was destined from then on. Besides, he had to defeat them anyway once he reached the top of his n.
It was three in the afternoon.
"What''s that?"
The question made the enraged crowd look into the distance in the sky.
The gigantic Zipple n''s frigate, the Kozec, flew in the sky above the capital. Jin unconsciously clenched his fists tightly as he saw it.
The Zipple elite Mage squadron, the White Night*, and Karl Zipple were aboard the ship. (*Formerly known as Twilight Mages)
"Kozec? Damn, what is that thing doing here again?" Murakan red as soon as he spotted the frigate.
"The gbearers of the Runcandel n are staying in the Holy Kingdom, so the Zipple probably wanted to show off their power too. In fact, they''re sending a message to the Runcandels to forget about assassinating Karl Zipple. They''re here for an apology, but here they are, unting their power."
"Arrogant bastards. This reminds me of all the suffering I went through in Kollon. I feel angry. If only I could crush that thing here and now."
"Lord Jin, I''ll go prepare things now," Deano interrupted.
"Sure. I wish you luck."
Deano left. The shadow of the Kozec fell over the city square. The holy kingdom subjects gazed at the gigantic frigate that obscured the sun with anxiety and rage in their eyes.
Soon, a wide beam of light sprouted from the bottom of the Kozec, creating a staircase that extended to the ground. The people on board started descending the steps. They could see Karl Zipple with his entire body bound.
Karl looked extremely distressed and wore a gray fabric that only low-born prisoners could wear. He approached the ground. The angry people shouted at him.
"Boo!"
"What have you done to our brothers and sisters?"
"How dare you experiment on humans! Are you not afraid of the gods?"
"You''re a mad sorcerer! Bastard!"
People hurled all sorts of insults at a tower master of the Zipple n, a pure-blooded Zipple at that.
Nothing like this had happened in the past few decades. It didn''t matter if the problem came from the n or an individual. The Zipple had always designated representatives to handle any incidents, not the pure-blooded Zipple themselves.
The anger in the voices of the people was contagious.
The crowd that had been intimidated by the sight of the Kozec was now shouting, ready to tear Karl apart at any moment. Karl bowed his head and said nothing. The White Night Mages behind him showed no emotion.
Lani had instructions from Jin, so she didn''t attempt to calm the people.
A person in the crowd observed Lani''s response and threw a fist-sized stone at Karl. It hit him on the forehead and sttered blood. The voices of the crowd suddenly fell silent.
Karl remained with his head lowered. Blood dripped down his forehead, but the White Night Mages behind him did not react.
Their silence was a tacit permission that the Zipple n would not intervene, no matter what was done to Karl Zipple. As Jin expected, the Zipple were going to start making their moves after Karl was killed or severely injured.
"Say something!"
Thud, thud! Thud!
Stones started flying as Karlpletely stepped off the staircase of light formed by the Kozec.
The stones knocked him down, but he got back up. The sequence repeated five more times.
Reporters were busy writing this rare scene of retribution in articles.
"Dear people of the Holy Kingdom, please stop for a moment!" Lani shouted as she slowly stood up. The stoning abruptly stopped, and Karl hesitated as he got up again.
"Karl Zipple. Before you confess your deeds, there is something I must ask you."
"What is it?"
"Were the biological golem experiments truly carried out under your leadership?"
Karl could only hear the question as, are you the only one behind it, not the entire Zipple n?
Therefore, he could only respond in the way his father, Keliac Zipple, had ordered him.
"Yes, that''s correct."
"Can you swear to it?"
"You sound like you want to me the sins on the entire n, but that wouldn''t be right. Sure, I understand that you might think the Zipple are scapegoating me. But I am the fourth tower master and a pure-blooded Zipple. There are many others who could have served as scapegoats."
"Then why did youe down here yourself? You could have easily assigned others as scapegoats."
"Because my death is the only way to regain the honor of my n that I tarnished with my actions. Even if you choose to show mercy, my n will never have me back, so kill me in their ce."
"You ask for afortable death that you don''t deserve. The number of our Holy subjects who unjustly died due to your experiments amounts to three thousand. Karl Zipple, you will never enjoy death until you testify with clear details about your actions."
Lani performed healing magic on Karl''s wounds. The scars healed immediately.
"But Karl, doesn''t it seem strange to you?"
"What''s strange?"
"The number of ours who were captured is not three thousand. It was eight hundred and twenty-three."
Karl clearly deserved to be the fourth tower master.
He fell for Lani''s trick and didn''t demonstrate it at all.
"Did Vitura Veltor send that many people? I had no idea."
"Sir Karl Zipple!" Someone shouted Karl''s name and stepped forward.
It was Deano Jaglun. "You were not behind those horrific experiments, Sir Karl! Why are you lying? Why are you volunteering to be incriminated?"
All eyes in the city square instantly focused on Deano.
"Who is this supposed to be?"
"Are you a pawn of the Zipple? Cut the nonsense and get lost!"
"Dear people of the Holy Kingdom, please excuse my manners. I am a journalist! My name is Deano Jaglun. Some of you may know me, and I''m not some pawn writing for the Zipple. I was the first journalist to expose the biological golem experiments carried out by Miuron Zipple in Kollon."
Murmurs followed.
"I, Deano Jaglun, can swear on my honor as a journalist and on the honor of the Kollonites. Whether the rest of the Zipple leaders are involved or not is another matter. But I can firmly state that Sir Karl Zipple has no connection whatsoever to these biological golem experiments."
Deano pulled out a handful of bulletins from his bag and scattered them around.
Some of the journalists hurried to grab the bulletins to read them. Their eyes widened in astonishment, even before they finished reading a few lines. Their gazes shifted from Deano to Karl.
The fire has spread. Jin smiled inwardly.
Until now, only Karl Zipple had to bite the dust. But now, the entire Zipple n was going to be involved in this mud fight.
"Dark Magic Guild, under the Kinzelo?"
"The survivors were rescued at the Dark Magic Guild Castle in Old Oterium, not the fourth magic tower?"
The Kinzelo were known as a third-category terrorist group, and it was said that the Dark Magic Guild had been annihted by Riol Zipple, leaving only low-category remnants of their former glory.
The bulletins Deano tossed around carried the names of irrelevant organizations that massivelycked importancepared to the Zipple.
But it included the fact that an unidentified swordsman known as Vamel had intervened in the meeting between the Zipple and the Kinzelo six months ago, and Karl had been taken hostage by the Kinzelo in the process.
"Look, Deano Jaglun! What''s all this nonsense?" one of them yelled at Deano.
Not many could understand what was going on, even after a quick nce at the bulletin. Few looked kindly upon this young journalist who suddenly intervened in the interrogation.
"Lady Lani refrained from mentioning the name of the hero who saved the survivors, but let me tell you his name instead. It''s Sir Bamel. Yes, it''s the supernova that you all know. It was Sir Bamel."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I became a well-known journalist after covering the Kollonite massacre. At that time, I wrote that the hero who saved the natives were ordinary passersby. The passerby I mentioned was actually Sir Bamel. I became very close to Sir Bamel following the incident and have been writing about his heroic deeds in my articles."
At that moment, Jin was too embarrassed to raise his face, and Murakan had to struggle not to burst intoughter.
Deano put on an unabashed yet determined expression. He looked at the people gathered in the square and continued his exnation.
"And he has been tracking the atrocitiesmitted by the Zipple n all this time. The Zipple already have a track record of conducting biological experiments against the Kollonites. During his pursuit, Sir Bamel came to witness how the Zipple and the Kinzelo were conducting a mysterious trade on an abandoned ind in the waters of the Feudal States of Berd."
"Does that have anything to do with the current situation?"
"Please read the upper paragraph of the second page of the bulletin I gave you. The Kinzelo are not the third-category terrorist organization you think they are. They are a giant faction that used to be the Zipple n''s biggest ally. Sir Bamel intentionally lied to Lady Lani by saying that he rescued the survivors from the fourth magic tower. The reason for that was..."
Because Sir Bamel was convinced that not only the Zipple had swallowed up the entire Holy Kingdom and conducted experiments on their people, which is why he wanted to use Karl Zipple''s capture in the Kinzelo to bring them both to the surface.
But Deano couldn''t finish everything he wanted to say.
"We can''t have any more of this."
One of the White Night Mages behind Karl shot a mana bolt at Deano. The bolt precisely aimed for Deano''s head, and it was so fast that most didn''t even realize it.
Swish!
But someone from the crowd rushed out in an instant and cut off the mana bolt.
"Whoa!"
Deano took a step back a momentter, surprised by the figure that cast a shadow over him.
"And here I thought it was a Hufester tradition to bury the truth with a death. The truth is, this story seems quite entertaining to me. How about we all listen to how it goes, Zipple Magicians?" It was Joshua Runcandel who saved Deano.
But the crowd barely had time to react to the appearance of this well-known figure.
"The Runcandels haven''t suffered any direct threats. There''s no need to draw your sword so carelessly. Sheathe your sword, Second gbearer."
Luna stood in front of Deano as she shook her head.
In fact, she was already in front of Deano before Joshua cut off the mana bolt from the White Night Mage. She had already cut off another mana bolt that flew from another direction with her own hands.
Chapter 248
C248 - Viin (5)
Jin let out a sigh and lowered his hand from his waist.
When Deano was attacked, Jin had unconsciously prepared to unleash the mana bolt.
Luckily, he managed to stop himself. If his mastery had been lower, he would have acted preemptively and drawn everyone''s attention. That would have been a problem.
I thought Luna would block any iing attack. But those crazy bastards. Did they really want to kill Deano in front of all these eyes?
That''s how sensitively the White Night Mages reacted to Deano''s statements.
The sorcerers who had shot the mana bolt did their best to maintain a serious face. But Jin and the Runcandels could see through them. They were more than frustrated.
For the White Night Mages, the attack itself was a great risk.
Even if they had managed to kill Deano, everyone would have criticized them for it. Not even the Runcandels, who cared about nothing but their own dominance, killed journalists so carelessly.
Of course, it would have done much less harm than the truth being revealed.
In any case, Luna is still a monster.
How many people in the world could block a mana bolt from an eight-star Mage with their own hands? Especially an ambush attack like this? Regardless of the current state of affairs, Luna''s monstrous strength sent shivers down his spine.
Shing.
Joshua obeyed Luna and sheathed his sword. He even silently bowed to Luna and admitted his mistake before sheathing his weapon.
It felt rebellious, but he understood that there was no reason to belittle the Runcandel name in public.
The sudden attack from the White Night caused a stir. But what was more surprising than the attack was the appearance of Luna Runcandel, the white whale.
She was known for staying away from public opinion, despite the abundant rumors about her.
However, bards constantly praised her. Their lyrics described Luna as a martial artist with immense skills and astonishing beauty.
When Luna took off her hood, the crowd could barely suppress their astonishment.
It wasn''t her beauty that confirmed the lyrics.
It was the majesty of her deep blue eyes and her unwavering audacity against the White Night and the Kozec. The audience waspletely mesmerized.
The following seconds were soaked in a silence that seemed impossible for such arge crowd.
"Are you alright, Deano Jaglun?"
"Yes, thanks to you. Thank you, Lady Luna, and Sir Joshua."
"You made a very interesting im. I would like to know more, soe visit the Runcandel delegationter," Luna said.
"Of course."
Deano was staying at Luna''s estate with the Kollonites, but they pretended not to know each other.
"Hey, White Night Mages and Karl Zipple. I am Luna Runcandel."
Then Luna turned her gaze to the White Night sorcerers.
"Pleased to meet you, Lady Luna. I am Maul Hanserk, the secondmander of the White Night."
Maul Hanserk, who led the second unit of the White Night, had been observing how everything unfolded on the Kozec''s stairs.
"You? It seems they changed the secondmander, and I didn''t even hear about it."
"My predecessor, Sir Drew Mga, retired..."
"If it were Drew, he would havee down those stairs before responding to my greetings."
Maul furrowed his brow.
He was clearly older than Luna, and since he currently had no superiors, he was the Zipple''s representative here.
But he was belittled from his very introduction.
The gazes of Luna and Maul met, leaving the entire square in suspense. The crowd waspletely intimidated by the dominant show of strength from the two giant ns and could barely breathe.
It wasn''t just the crowd. Even the White Night Mages were tense.
The only ones who remained unruffled by this scene were Luna, Jin, and Murakan.
There was a good reason why they weren''t nervous.
''Maul Hanserk, to think he would show such tant disrespect towards my sister. It seems the second unit of the White Night will have a newmander tomorrow.''
He should have shown his courtesy to Luna before answering. Although he was older than her and belonged to the Zipple, a lowly secondmander of the White Night had no right to belittle the First gbearer of the Runcandel n.
He couldn''t show manners to someone he couldn''t even defeat in battle.
Joshua now looked at Maul with eyes that tantly revealed his desire to kill. He had even shown respect for Luna against his own wishes. This despicable secondmander of the White Night belittling his sister was infuriating.
"Sir Maul. If you find it difficult to resign, I can help youpletely get rid of those stairs. Haven''t you heard the First gbearer?" Joshua growled in a low tone.
Maul''s face turned red. Shame and a sense of defeat made his body tremble with anger.
But fortunately, Maul wasn''t terribly foolish.
"Please excuse my rudeness, Lady Luna."
Maul stepped down from the stairs. The other Mages aboard the Kozec followed suit.
The crowd didn''t understand the exchange and found it difficult toprehend what was happening. The Zipple were undoubtedly thergest n in the world, with the Runcandels following closely behind. They couldn''t understand why Maul submitted after being insulted.
On the other hand, people who had a keen interest in the two ns, especially the nobles, thought that this was how it should have been.
"Now, we can finally talk. Let me ask you something, Sir Maul. Why did your subordinates attack this journalist?"
"Karl Zipple received orders from the patriarch to atone for his sins here. The fourth tower master of the Zipple n hase to pay the price for his crimes with his own life. That man insulted the Zipple n by obscuring the truth."
"Obscuring?"
"I admit that I have belittled you, Lady Luna. But you are also interfering in Zipple''s affairs. It will only cause mutual harm if it esctes between our ns, so we would like to take this journalist named Deano with us." Maul spoke after fixing his gaze confidently.
Whether he was ashamed or not of Luna''s intimidation, that didn''t change the fact that he still represented the Zeifl (Zipple) n. If he backed down for no reason, his shame would be the least of his concerns.
"I cannot allow you to do that."
"On what basis do you countermand it?"
"Haven''t you heard me before? I have told this man to visit the Runcandel delegation. Therefore, Deano Jaglun is my guest from this very moment."
"This is not a personal matter for us."
"Personal matter, you say. It''s not something you want to say to the gbearers of Runcandel. Don''t you think you''re making too many mistakes today?"
"If you don''t retreat, we will be forced to take action."
He spoke as bravely as he could, but everyone present knew that the White Night couldn''t do anything against Luna and Joshua, including Maul himself.
"Lord Maul, life is precious, although that piece of metal floating in the sky is probably more valuable to the Zipples than their own lives. It wouldn''t be very good if you had to return dead and with the ship destroyed, would it?" Luna shed a cold smile.
A thousand thoughts, each one more horrifying than thest, rushed through Maul''s mind.
Were that journalist''s statements part of Runcandel''s ns to set all this up? How much of our information has leaked to the Runcandels? Luna Runcandel? If we were to fight that monster right now...
Obviously, they would be annihted. It wouldn''t even be called a battle, as everyone would be decapitated before they could board the Kozec.
Even if they moved to a remote area and started the fight on board the Kozec, they couldn''t guarantee victory against her.
However, they couldn''t surrender. They had to fight for the reputation of Zipple, even if they were annihted. The reason they came here with Karl Zipple was for the sake of their reputation.
"Please, calm down."
Lani had finished treating Karl Zipple. "Both the Runcandels and the Zipples are much stronger than the Holy Kingdom, and everyone knows it. But let me remind both of you that we haven''t even started the state funeral for His Majesty. Please respect the mourning of thisnd."
Lani''s words were a saving grace for Maul. It gave him an excuse to back down. He was about to genuinely feel grateful to her.
"But you have achieved something great, gbearers of the Runcandel n. We nearly chased an innocent man."
"An innocent man? Look, Lani Salome. Our patriarch has sent the fourth tower master, his own son! Fully aware that he could be stoned to death. Do you think that insignificant journalist''s ims can nullify the decision of the Zipple patriarch?"
Bang.
Jin punched Murakan in the side and muttered under his breath.
"What do you want?" Murakan whispered.
"Yell at him, tell him to stop with the nonsense and leave."
"What?"
"Everyone is on edge right now. If someone starts, everyone will go crazy."
The faces of the crowd turned red with anger as Maul began yelling at Lani. It didn''t take a genius to realize that he was making outrageously ridiculous statements to cover up.
The problem was that the Zipples were certainly capable of covering things up with ridiculous statements.
"You could do it yourself! I''m a dragon, okay?"
"Joshua will recognize my voice. People will stare at you when you yell, so I''ll step aside for a moment..."
At that moment, a woman suddenly shouted.
"Shut up! Dirty bastards from Zipple! When will you stop mocking thisnd blessed by Ay?"
She seemed to have a disability in one leg. She was in a wheelchair and wore a robe with arge representation of the dormant volcano shield.
"It seems I won''t have to do it," Murakan hissed.
"Yes. She did it at the perfect timing," Jin said.
The rest of the crowd followed suit and started voicing their opinions as well.
"Don''t kill the journalist who spoke up for the Holy Kingdom! You can''t let this happen before the whole truth is revealed!"
"If you kill him, kill us too!"
"Not even the Runcandels would do something like this!"
Jin observed the scene for a moment but felt that something was off. He shifted his gaze to the woman who had initiated themotion.
Something about her seemed quite familiar.
That woman. Where have I seen her before? Or does she just resemble someone I know?
Jin stared at her intently.
It was impossible for her to feel his gaze from the crowd, but she also slowly turned her head and met his eyes. Did you like it? There was a smile on her face that seemed to say those words.
Jin remembered who she was.
She''s Bishkel''s little sister.
Margie Iveliano. She was the one who made Bishkel fight against him at the Enemies of the Runcandel n party.
Jin didn''t recognize her at first because of the disguise. But those mischievous lips and the characteristic childlike gaze on her face could only belong to Margie.
"Lord Jin was too cruel against a weaker opponent. The man on the ground is our friend. Are you just going to stand there and watch? Brother, I''mpletely disappointed."
"Are you telling me to fight against Lord Jin?"
"Yes, maybe you could teach Lord Jin a lesson, in a more honorable way than Lord Jin just showed, of course."
He even remembered Margie and Bishkel''s conversation at that time.
"Bamel, the Kinzelo will help you. So don''t go too far with us, alright? All''s well that ends well, isn''t it?"
Margie smiled with her eyes as she uttered those words.
Chapter 249
C249 - Viin (6)
Jin never liked how Bishkel was put in a difficult situation at the Enemies'' Celebration and enjoyed watching it unfold.
"At that moment, I thought she was just a petty character. So, she''s also part of the Kinzelo."
It was unexpected. She had nobat skills or magic. And given her disabilities, her belonging to those terrorist groups, no, those third-rate cult fanatics (that''s how Jin defined the Kinzelo) was a surprise.
And what was the reason she chose to reveal herself at that moment?
"So, the Kinzelo want to help me, and in return, they ask me to be lenient with them?"
If that was all she wanted to convey, she could have sent anyone to deliver the message.
It wasn''t simply due to the inconveniences caused by her disability. Bishkel was a leader of the Kinzelo, and she was his beloved sister.
The Kinzelo were clearly aware that Jin had eliminated anyone he crossed paths with from their ranks. But why would they send him such a valuable person?
Jin couldn''t ept this logic.
"I don''t know what their deal is. But I have a feeling she may have some special abilities, like Yonah (Yona) or Bouvard."
He could always investigate itter.
There was no point racking his brains now. First and foremost, Jin decided to respond.
Not by speaking like her, but with a gesture that everyone could understand.
"Me?" Jin pointed to himself with his index finger.
He was going to pretend he didn''t understand what Margi was saying.
"Kinzelo will help you." Margi pronounced the words again.
Jin made the "Are you talking to me?" gesture again, looked around, and then shrugged as if he didn''t understand what was going on.
Margi pounded her chest in frustration. Come on, don''t they teach lip-reading in the Runcandel n?
She tried again several times, but with the same result. On the fourth try, Jin didn''t even look at her anymore. Margi concluded that she hadn''t sessfully conveyed her message to Jin.
She didn''t expect this at all and wished she could approach Jin and speak with her own voice instead of lip-syncing, but her wheelchair made it quite difficult.
Jin had a reason for pretending not to understand her.
"The Kinzelo will have to help me, no matter what I do. If they''re so eager to help, there''s no need for me to y along."
And the reason they offered help was quite obvious. The Zipples were taking all the me, so they wanted to be careful.
"Jin."
"What is it, Murakan?"
"That woman in a wheelchair seems to be trying to tell you something."
"Don''t stare tantly, but observe her carefully. We''ll have to get to know herter."
"Is she your type?"
"No, she''s from the Kinzelo. Quietly capture her when the crowd disperses."
"This love was destined to fail, huh?"
"You can do it, right?"
"Why are you even asking? Of course, it''s a piece of cake."
"Don''t kill the journalist!! Give us the truth!!"
The enraged mob continued their demands.
Half of them cursed the Zipples, and the other half cheered for the Runcandels, who were blocking the Zipples.
Luna and Joshua pressured the White Night Mages with just their gaze. The Zipples couldn''t force the situation or retreat.
Jin''s gaze fell on the people busily jotting things down in the midst of the crowd. They were all journalists.
It was a strange sight. The Zipples, who were normally the symbol of benevolence and justice, were being criticized, and the Runcandels, the symbol of evil and domination, were gaining support.
This was exactly what Jin wanted.
Although for now, the scene was limited to the central square of the Holy Kingdom, Jin''s ultimate goal was to change the world''s perception.
Of course, he didn''t want the Runcandels to rece the Zipples and be the new symbol of justice because he didn''t believe in them either. However, that didn''t mean he wanted to see those hypocritical Zipples ruling the world.
"Those idiotic Zipples will have to retreat for now if they don''t intend to fight Luna and massacre the crowd here."
Maul shook his head. He thought the same as Jin. There was no justification for pushing the Holy Kingdom to kill Karl Zipple and call it a day.
"White Night! Let''s return to the n!" Maul shouted angrily.
The White Night mages shared his feelings. They had never been so embarrassed since joining Zipple''s elite Mage group.
"A wise decision, Sir Maul."
Luna smiled broadly and waved her hand toward Maul''s back.
Maul and the White Night mages began ascending the staircase of light that extended from Kozec. Luna also turned around.
"Let''s leave the scene as well, second gbearer."
"Understood."
"Deano, see youter."
The two hooded figures slowly made their way through the crowd.
Luna didn''t say anything to Lani because she knew that anything she said would be seen as an attempt by the Runcandel n to intervene in the Holy Kingdom.
And also because the Runcandels would look much better that way. The n that would surely be ruled by her younger brother someday.
The screams and cries of the people turned into joyous cheers. It was for the Runcandel gbearers and the victory they achieved by pushing back the forces of Zipple.
Amidst all the cheers, Karl Zipple remained silent, shackled.
The White Night didn''t take Karl with them when they left. It was the rational response. If they ever took Zipple back to the n, the Zipples would effectively be admitting the fact that he was a scapegoat.
"Sir Karl. Allow me to ask you onest time. Are you truly involved in the biological experiments?" Lani asked as she looked at Karl.
"Kill me. I don''t want to make excuses."
"Clearly, we will if it is revealed that you are indeed guilty. But if it turns out to be a false usation, you will rot for eternity in the Holy Kingdom''s underground cells. Knights of the Golden Shield, lock Sir Karl away."
Every single journalist present in the za that afternoon got the scoop of their lives.
Consequently, the entire world was bombarded with various breaking news stories in the afternoon.
Karl Zipple''s confession, the details revealed by Deano, the identity of the Kinzelo, and the confrontation between the White Night and the Runcandels, among others. No single nation''s incident had spread so rapidly in the past decade.
The Runcandel-affiliated journalists represented by the Allied Kingdoms of Hughester and the Zipple-affiliated journalists represented by the Lutero Magical Federation were at war.
The Runcandels wrote that the White Night couldn''t handle two Runcandel gbearers, even after summoning the Kozec. Meanwhile, the Zipples wrote it off as the mercy of the White Night.
But the battlefield tilted in favor of the Runcandels from the beginning. It wasn''t surprising, given that the first whistleblower, Deano, belonged to Hufester and the White Night had returned home empty-handed.
Neutral press outlets published articles predicting who might be behind the biological golems. It was essentially a giarism of Deano''s bulletins, but that in itself was more than enough information.
However, the name Bamel generated the most intrigue of all.
Who the hell was Bamel?
Why was he exposing the corruption of the Zipple n?
People around the world expressed more curiosity about him than sympathy for the Holy Kingdom''s suffering. The fact that their attention for others'' pain didn''t match their wild enthusiasm for intriguing stories was a bitter truth to swallow, but it still helped the Holy Kingdom in the end.
Uncovering Bamel''s previous actions was the best way to reveal the truth.
"Damn it, that human. What was she supposed to be?"
Meanwhile, Murahan was furious ever since they left the city za.
He lost track of Margi. "I was following her closely, no problem. But when she turned a corner, she vanished like a wisp of smoke."
"Alright, alright. No one''s ming you. There''s no need to be so mad about it."
"For some reason, it hurts my ego. I regained forty percent of my strength. How could I lose track of a simple human? To make matters worse, disappearing like that can only mean she knew I was tailing her from the start. Damn it!"
"I think Margi also has a special power, just like Yonah, Bouvard, or that leader of the Kinzelo."
"Those guys aren''t even deities. Why do they keep showing up with weird powers?"
"The Demon God''s Stone was Kinzelo''s doing, remember? Maybe they''re trying to be deities."
It was a shame they lost Margi.
But Jin hoped Murakan would lose her. They must have had some security measures in ce when sending such a valuable person.
"Anyway, this effort to repay the favor is reaching its final phase. The process of revealing the whole truth will have some bumps along the way, but the conditions are set for Lani to ascend the throne after the trial and investigationse to an end."
Lani had been at the center of all the Holy Kingdom''s operations that took ce after the false Holy King''s death.
The corrupt officials hadn''t fully rallied to her side yet. But now that the Zipple''s deeds had been revealed, they no longer had much power in the kingdom anyway.
Power belonged to the people. Vitura''s list spread worldwide through bulletins, and the Holy Kingdom''s sacred subjects memorized each traitor by name.
The Zipples could no longer hold them. They were practically finished.
Instead, everyst subject of the kingdom supported Lani.
Lani still remained in the city za. And more sacred subjects had filled the za, even more than when Karl Zipple was sent to Vank.
To be precise, people were gathered in the capital of the Holy Kingdom, not just in the central za. People from all over the kingdom hade to protect Lani, and the za couldn''t amodate them all anymore.
And it wasn''t just the Vankns. There were many outsiders who hade to genuinely sympathize with the Holy Kingdom''s sufferings.
There were still people willing to look beyond the intriguing tales.
"That may be true, but the Religious Fanatic, that girl, I''m not sure if she can pull this off. The events that unfolded were too big for a person like her to handle. Make sure to take care of her when you be a gbearer," Murakan said.
"If she needs to be taken care of, then they shouldn''t make her queen in the first ce. I think Lady Lani will do well. She held onto her faith amidst a group of people excluding her, remember?"
"Goodness, you''re so cold-hearted. Well, I suppose you''re right. That''s what it means to be a monarch in the human world, although most of the kings and queens I''ve seen in my three thousand years of life weren''t true ones at all."
The trials were about to begin.
It was a trial to judge the traitors, including the pontiffs Montiano and Connieu. As the trials were presided over by loyal officials who never yielded their will, it was unlikely the traitors would escape a death sentence.
Vitura lost his life and his honor, including his future after death. Those guys deserve at least the same.
After the trials, a good ny percent of the Holy Kingdom''s officials would be executed.
The state funeral and memorial service for the victims of the biological golem experiments would only take ce after the executions.
''By the way, I''m not sure what Kinzelo meant by helping me.''
Jin suddenly remembered what Margi had told him.
His curiosity would be answered the next morning.
Chapter 250
Almost five hundred ships approached the eastern port of the Holy Kingdom.
It was a fleet that should never have appeared by surprise. In fact, the fleet wasn''t even led by an ally of the Holy Kingdom.
It was a fleet of half-orcs led by Berakt Sidlieker, the great warrior of the white werewolves.
He brought five hundred ships into the territorial waters of the Holy Kingdom without permission. From the Holy Kingdom''s perspective, this was practically a deration of war.
But surprisingly, the five hundred ships flew a strip of ck fabric on their highest mast to express their condolences.
The cannons on the ship hulls were removed, and each ship had a white werewolf waving a giant ck g at its helm.
They hadn''te for war. They hade to express their grief.
It was thergest delegation in history ever sent to convey condolences.
"Are those guys crazy? Clearly, they know the Holy Kingdom is in a mess. How could they send five hundred ships with condolences as an excuse?" Murakan shook his head.
"Now that their name was brought to the surface by Deano, the Kinzelo are trying to show off their magnitude, that they''re not a third-rate terrorist group. I don''t know whose idea it was, but it''s a clever move."
"A clever move?"
"The Kinzelo said they would help me, remember? But if the world considers the Kinzelo nothing more than a bunch of riffraff, no one will trust anything they offer to the Holy Kingdom."
"Hm, I guess that makes sense."
"We''re arge faction that can afford to send five hundred ships just to express condolences. That''s what they''re trying to say."
"Those human journalists must be having a feast."
It was quite strange that the Kinzelo were revealing themselves so openly, contrasting with how they had been concealing the scale of their forces until now.
Is it no longer necessary to continue hiding their power? Or have they simply been waiting for the right opportunity to bring it to the surface?
Whatever the reason, the Zipples had to be furious.
They had forsaken their reputation for benevolence to conceal the fact that Karl had been kidnapped by a third-rate terrorist act, but now the Kinzelo were actively unting their scale.
The Holy Kingdom only allowed one in every five hundred ships to dock at the port. Not only was it impossible to amodate the five hundred ships, but it was also too superfluous for expressing condolences.
Berakt, five of his half-orc aides, and twenty bound humans disembarked from the docked ship.
Berakt''s towering stature caught everyone''s attention. His aides were also renowned white werewolf warriors in the world of halfmen, but they couldn''t match the strength radiating from Berakt.
They immediately headed to the portal gate to reach the capital. Once in the capital, they made their way to the central za where Lani was.
Every step Berakt took made the crowd around him tremble. They couldn''t even look directly at him, like animals facing their natural predators.
Berakt didn''t show them any courtesy, but the crowd was too intimidated to begin booing. It was very different from when the White Night had arrived at Kozec.
Berakt finally reached Lani and stood before her. The golden shield sacred knights were on high alert as they waited for him to speak. Jin and Murakan also observed the scene.
"Boy," Murakan said.
"Yes?"
"That guy is pretty strong. I''m not sure if even your older sister can handle him." That was Murakan''s assessment of Berakt.
"I am Berakt Sidlieker, the great warrior of the white werewolves and themander-in-chief of the Kinzelo Revolutionary Forces. I havee to mourn the death of Min, the Holy King."
"Thank you, Berakt Sidlieker."
"Lady Lani, you may not know, but I owed a debt to the Holy King about thirty years ago. I was gravely wounded in battle. Min was meditating in ournds and healed me."
"I remember my father telling me how he performed penance in thends of the halfmen around that time, but I didn''t know about this particr incident."
"He was the finest human I''ve ever known. I offer my deepest condolences."
The crowd waspletely shocked. The white werewolves were famous for treating humans like insects. The fact that a great white werewolf warrior hade was already a shock, but in their lives, they had never imagined that the werewolf warrior would be able to speak like a gentleman.
Lani''s gaze fell on the bound humans behind Berakt. They wore dirty and tattered Zipple robes.
"The bound humans behind me are Zipple prisoners we had under our custody. When we used to be allied with the Zipples, these individuals carried out biological experiments on ournd, under the orders of the Zipple patriarch."
"What?"
"These prisoners will confess the rest. I pray for your nation''s swift recovery from its grief."
The crowd murmured.
Meanwhile, Jin became curious once again about who could have devised such strategies within the Kinzelo.
After unting their might, they treated Lani as if she were the leader of this nation. On top of that, they even caught Keliac, attributing the biological experiments to him.
Shifting all the me to the Zipples was always going to be a mud fight.
In that sense, Berakt''s statement was an excellent attack against the Zipples.
Although it''s shameless of them to say it, considering the fact that the biological experiments were a coborative effort between the Kinzelo and the Zipples.
But for now, expelling the Zipples from the Holy Kingdom was the top priority. They could always press charges against the Kinzelo after the Holy Kingdom had somewhat restored itself. In any case, the Kinzelo were revealing themselves to the world now and could be traced.
Before Lani could choose her response, Berakt spoke again.
"My prolonged presence will only disturb others, so I will depart immediately. It is true that we were also allied with the Zipples, so we will take responsibility for our part at ater time."
It was confirmed that all the prisoners handed over by Berakt were Zipple Academy mages.
They revealed all the experiments the Zipples had conducted on the people of the Holy Kingdom.
Their confessions matched most of the records left by Mirtual S, and they also revealed some experiments the Zipples had carried out without anyone''s assistance.
And through their confessions, the world learned that there were more experimentation facilities within the Holy Kingdom. The Zipples had built secretboratories in the northern part of the capital and in some other cities.
That was the conclusive piece. Lani and the sacred subjects of the kingdom were shocked and horrified to discover that the Zipples possessed experimentation facilities even within the kingdom.
Jin thought the same. "I thought the ideal oue after revealing that Karl Zipple was nothing more than a scapegoat was to expel the Zipples after ruining their reputation. But this changes things. And to think they even made facilities within the Holy Kingdom."
No one in the Holy Kingdom considered the Zipples a benevolent and just mage n anymore.
But despite all these things, the Zipples had yet to make any additional statements.
"The Kinzelo helped you a lot. No, that wouldn''t be correct. Boy, maybe I should say you got a lot out of them," Murakan said.
"That would be correct. I''m not going to let them off either. At this rate, Kinzelo won''t lose anything with this incident. They only gained in reputation as a sessful organization capable of abducting Zipple mages and tower masters."
"Although the Dark Magic Guild waspletely annihted, and they also lost Riol Zipple''s magic tome, that''s true."
"That''s not enough. We have to show people that the Kinzelo are as dirty as the Zipples. I''ve practically stripped them of all their uses in the Holy Kingdom, so it''s about time I get rid of them."
"What do you n to do?"
Jin was about to respond when someone abruptly knocked on the door of the room they were in.
"Mr. Jin!"
An urgent voice. It was Kashmir.
"Mr. Kashimir? What''s the matter?"
"Karl Zipple has been murdered!"
Jin and Murakan immediately stood up.
"What did you say? Weren''t the underground cells guarded by the loyal golden shield knights?"
"The killer broke through the golden shield patrol. They must have been sent by the Zipples."
Karl Zipple shouldn''t be dead now.
He had to be alive if they wanted to prove that Keliac had used his own innocent son as a scapegoat. Furthermore, Karl''s death deprived the Holy Kingdom of justification to press the Zipple n.
Now, it would be interpreted that the Holy Kingdom had executed the man the Zipples had sent as the culprit of the biological experiments. Since Karl was dead, the Zipples could say, the crimes have been paid with blood.
Of course, it was a Zipple assassin who had killed Karl and not the Holy Kingdom. But the truth barely mattered.
The Zipples'' bloodhounds could always start spreading fake news about how the Holy Kingdom was making excessive demands, even after Karl was found dead.
To preempt the scapegoats, the scapegoat had to be kept alive.
"The Zipple press is starting to make moves. They im the Zipples have paid the fair price."
"Human beings are definitely a foolish race, but they won''t believe that nonsense, right? Insect, anyone can see that Karl was killed by the Zipples."
"Of course, no one in the Holy Kingdom would believe it. But outsiders would think that Karl was killed in the process of excessive torture to extract confessions. And the murder will be seen as a made-up story by the holy kingdom to cover up that fact. Because..."
Kashmir let out a long sigh and continued.
"The Zipples, those bastards, left Bamel''s name at the crime scene."
Jin and Murakan''s eyes widened in surprise.
I will wash away the grievances of the sacred subjects with your blood - Bamel
That was the phrase the assassin engraved on the entrance wall of the prison with a sword after killing Karl, ording to Kashmir.
"The journalists went and checked the phrase on the wall. They deliberately left it at the entrance, not in the isted cell where Karl was held. They wanted everyone to see it."
"I understand their intentions. Reputation for justice and power. They lost both thanks to me, so they want me to reveal my identity."
"That would be my assumption as well, Lord Jin."
Karl''s killer identified himself as Bamel.
But as Murakan said, no one would believe that. But if the real Bamel didn''te forward to officially deny the usation, the Holy Kingdom could no longer pressure the Zipples for their crimes.
Regardless of the culprit and the method of murder, Karl was dead.
On the other hand, if Jin, the real Bamel, revealed himself to the public and proved that he wasn''t the killer, the Zipples'' reputation would hit rock bottom. Not only in the Holy Kingdom but in the entire world.
The title of viiny and dominion, once belonging to the Runcandels, could now belong to the Zipples.
"What are your ns?"
"They''re trying very hard to y the viins. I should oblige them. I will make an official statement denying the usations."
"I respect your will, Lord Jin. But revealing your identity is too risky. Like you said, they have lost their reputation for justice and power. That''s why they want to find that man called Bamel, to set an example and show what happens to those who go against the Zipples, isn''t it?"
Jin smiled.
"On the contrary, if the one who rebelled against the Zipples remains alive without much trouble, that would be a great loss on their part itself. It turned out for the better. I will reveal myself and mess with the Kinzelo too."
Chapter 251
The Zipple''s objective was to kill Bamel to regain the n''s dignity. Their reputation had hit rock bottom.
Too many of their atrocities had been exposed to the world by Vamel. And if they couldn''t eliminate Vamel, the dignity of the world''s most powerful n would plummet once again.
Of course, if Jin decided not to reveal himself, the Zipples would simply downy it using Karl''s death as an excuse.
"They will soon appoint me as a full-fledged gbearer, and I''ll just have to live hidden until then. Plus, I''ll always have a safe ce to hide," Jin shrugged as he spoke to Kashmir.
"But that patriarch of the Zipple n, isn''t he too harsh on his own son? He not only sent him to die under false usations but even had his own son killed just to lure you in! What happened to family love?"
"It almost makes me think the victim was a double created by Bouvard Gaston."
"He was probably the real Karl, Sir Kashmir. If it was a double, it would put the Kinzelo in danger if it ever revealed during an interrogation. They have no reason to risk themselves for the Zipples. They are now hostile towards each other."
The ruthless and dirty pinnacle of magic: that was Jin''s definition of Keliac Zipple.
However, the negative connotations did not diminish the fact that he was still at the pinnacle. He was an enemy Jin couldn''t face at the moment. Even Cyron was cautious of him.
The idea of his identity being revealed to Keliac sent shivers down Jin''s spine.
He would never have revealed his identity if the Zipples had undermined anynd other than the sacred kingdom of Vank because he would be captured by Keliac and beheaded before reaching a safe zone.
At the same time, it was something to look forward to.
If the reserve gbearer of the Runcandels won by decision against Keliac Zipple in their first battle, the whole world would be shaken.
The Zipples made no statements regarding the Holy Kingdom after Karl''s death. Lani, the loyal officers, and her people could do nothing to punish the n, although they obviously knew the Zipples had undermined the kingdom.
Their quest for the truth was constantly dyed, and the fervent interest of foreign media began to slowly fade. On the other hand, media outlets based in the Lutero Magical Federation published article after article supporting the Zipple''s point of view.
Of course, Hufester writers responded with criticism of the Zipple n, but they didn''t do much new harm. Setting aside the Holy Kingdom, shes in columns and opinion pieces were part of their daily routine, and both ns always considered each other bastards.
The fury of outsiders quickly subsided.
Nobles from visiting nations no longer came to the za where Lani and the sacred subjects of the kingdom gathered after realizing it wouldn''t be prudent to side against the Zipples.
The way the Zipples pretended to pay a false price by killing Karl Zipple was certainly unreasonable.
But major factions like the Zipples could always make situations even more unreasonable.
If they really put their minds to it, they could always dismiss the protests of weak victims and even bring down third parties involved.
The press and neutral organizations understood this very well. They had to watch how the Zipples received their actions.
Of course, the third parties also had other benefits in mind.
The incident in the Holy Kingdom would be remembered as a major blunder in the Zipple n''s history, but every major power always had some kind of w. Once the tempers cooled, the Zipples would use their wealth and manpower to line the pockets and sweeten the mouths of neutral forces.
"Turn a blind eye. Then we''ll make it worth your while."
That''s how the Zipples consoled neutral factions with each incident.
On the other hand, the Runcandels always clung to their rule of fear. The two ns had very different ideologies that affected their way of governing the world. And clearly, the Zipple''s way was more likely to be effective in dealing with the incident in the Holy Kingdom.
Zipple ships entered the territorial waters of the Holy Kingdom, and each one was filled with gold to the brim.
This was thepensation the Zipples rewarded for the political interference carried out by Karl Zipple''s followers, regardless of his death.
The amount ofpensation was unimaginable.
The Holy Kingdom could easily fund the national budget for the next thirty years with the gold, should they ept thepensation. Lani rejected the offer, of course, and the loyal forces of the kingdom were infuriated by the Zipple''s maneuver.
"Those bastards. Don''t they have any consideration for the Holy Kingdom? No. Do they have any consideration for others?"
Even themon people expressed their anger towards the n.
The Zipples ignored them and simply unloaded the gold at the harbor. They seemed to not care who took it, and in fact, they were inciting people to covet it and steal it.
As proof of their intentions, no one was assigned to guard the abandoned gold chests at the harbor.
Gold ingots piled up in the middle of the harbor, shining like a castle made of wealth. Neither themon folk nor the kings had ever seen so much gold in their treasuries. The massive pile of riches not only incited greed but was also intimidating.
The Zipples would never retrieve the gold even if the Holy Kingdom didn''t ept it.
"They''re showing off, alright." Jin inspected the pile of gold with his arms crossed.
He could see what would happen to the Holy Kingdom if they didn''t ept the wealth.
"Not even in the dens of gold-crazed dragons is there this much gold. Wow. How many limited-edition hi illustration books do you think could be bought with that?" Murakan joked.
"You''re crazy. What did you just say? hi books? How do youe up with these things?"
"It just came to me, I guess."
Jin shook his head. "That gold is enough to cover the Holy Kingdom''s annual budget for thirty years, or even fifty if spent wisely."
"That seems right."
"If they reject the gold, the Zipples will starve them for the next fifty years."
If the Holy Kingdom epted the gold, willingly covered up the incident, and turned a blind eye to the truth just this once, then the Zipples would bring prosperity to the Holy Kingdom. If not, they would cut off all sources of ie for the kingdom.
That''s what the gold at the harbor meant.
"If the Holy Kingdom abandons its ego and vengeance, the Zipples will promise them a prosperous life. But if they cling to their customs, the gold will be handed to other neutral factions. If that happens, the Zipples will make the Holy Kingdom regret not epting the offer by interfering with trade."
For now, the people of the Holy Kingdom had an absolute disdain for the Zipples.
But how long would thatst?
Mostmon people didn''t have unwavering faith like Lani and the loyal aides of Vitura. The life of amoner was nothing more than a series of days spent surviving and striving for their own happiness as a result of their work.
But once the nation became impoverished, individuals would end up poor as well.
Theirpensation for work would decrease, while the intensity of work would only increase. And if their lives didn''t improve under such circumstances...
Would the holy subjects of the kingdom continue to defend the choice that Lani and her loyal leaders made today?
They wouldn''t. They would hold the kingdom''s leaders responsible for the deterioration of their quality of life, not the Zipples who imposed tremendous economic sanctions on the kingdom in the first ce.
And the Zipples wouldn''t stop politically shaking them to expedite the process. Lani and her aides would struggle to find solutions and end up being remembered as tyrants or ipetent leaders.
"I didn''t want to think about all those bothersome circumstances, and that''s why I thought about nude portraits."
"Oh, sure."
Of course, they still had the Runcandel n. The Runcandels would certainly do something if the Holy Kingdom encountered such turmoil.
But would they splurge as much money as the Zipples to stabilize the Holy Kingdom?
Not only that, theycked justification. Manynds in Hufester were grappling with poverty. The Runcandels couldn''t afford to prioritize the Holy Kingdom over their own, as it could cause divisions within the faction.
In the end, the Runcandels would lose if the battle was fought in finances.
"Let''s put an end to this crap."
On December 24, 1797, Lani decided to initiate the requiem for the Holy King and the victims of the biological golem experiments.
The trials had not yet concluded, but they couldn''t dy the requiem any longer. The saints tried to maintain the integrity of the deceased false holy king''s body with their sacred powers, but it was starting to dpose. Vitura''s body, which had been hung as a warning, had already rotted away.
Furthermore, they had to finish the requiem before the neutral press abandoned the kingdom. And the fact that the trials for the murder of the holy king had not yet concluded provided an extrayer of protection for Jin.
The requiem was scheduled tost three hours.
As usual, Lani recited the prayer for the departed souls.
"Please be seated," Lani said as she ascended the podium. She spoke softly, but everyone present knelt down and closed their eyes.
"Dear Ay, your most humble daughter, Lani Salome, stands here today for the evils of thete Holy King Min and your holy subjects. Please answer my prayer so that we maymemorate their final moment on Earth with your voice."
The requiems of the Holy Kingdom were often referred to as the Milky Way prayer by the narrators.
The prayer gathered the sacred powers of all participants in the requiem into a singlebined energy, allowing the prayer to resonate and emit the characteristic yellow sacred light in all participants, including those without sacred powers.
The amount of light emitted by the participants was determined by the sanctity of the person leading the prayer.
That''s why Jin and Murakan werepletely impressed.
Lani Salome. He knew she had a considerable amount of sacred energy when she managed to protect Murakan from those toxic vapors, but this...
The entire za was glowing yellow.
Lani''s body trembled as she recited the prayer. She infused her sacred energy into the bodies of the several thousand holy subjects gathered in the za.
It was exactly as the narrators had described it: as if the Milky Way flowed here on Earth.
The journalists thought it would be thest major scoop they would get from the Holy Kingdom. It was thergest requiem the kingdom had seen in many years.
"Therefore, I pray that Ay''s children may return to your embrace. I pray that our light reaches you and blesses their eternal lives."
After finishing the prayer, Lani stumbled and clung to the lectern.
It was a perfect requiem.
But no one noticed that Lani''s requiem went beyond perfection and was, in fact, a miracle. It restored Vitura''s body, which had beenpletely rotten and now buried underground, to its original state.
Not even Lani was aware of this fact. It was a secret known only to Ay and the soul of the deceased Vitura.
Lani took several deep breaths. After catching her breath, Lani looked at the crowd.
"The requiem has ended. But today, I, Lani Salome, would like to introduce a man who has made a great sacrifice for the Holy Kingdom despite being an outsider."
The crowd looked around as Jin approached slowly.
He took off the hood covering his head, revealing his blonde-dyed hair. Jin spoke without hesitation.
"I am Jin Runcandel."
Chapter 252
No one expected his name. When the elegant blond hair was uncovered beneath the hood and theyers of decadent makeup were revealed, everyone thought that Bamel would finally show up.
But Jin Runcandel?
The entire za fell silent. People questioned their own ears as they waited for Jin to continue.
Jin Runcandel?
Wasn''t it supposed to be Bamel, not Jin Runcandel? The Reserve gbearer of the Runcandels?
The journalists were dumbfounded. They exchanged bewildered looks among themselves.
On the other hand, the Runcandel delegation, paying their respects in a corner of the za, couldn''t believe their eyes.
''Jin, that crazy rascal. He could have given me a heads-up. Did he expect me to follow along by myself?''
Not even Luna had any idea.
But she thought that he must have some solid n in mind if he decided to cause such trouble.
She was about to curse out loud but didn''t forget her promise to be a sword for Jin.
Her most reliable sword, one that he could wield at will whenever and wherever. That was the role she had epted to y. Therefore, she calmed herself and decided to read Jin''s moves and react ordingly.
Joshua, standing next to Luna, looked at Jin with his facepletely red with anger.
''Jin, you bastard. You just had to create more problems.''
Joshua thought that revealing Jin''s identity at that moment was literally a suicidal act.
The Zipples had given up a lot for Bamel''s death. They had discarded their dignity and reputation, resorting even to a false killer for their cause.
They were determined to kill him no matter the cost. They had already suffered too much harm to let him be.
Joshua clenched his teeth. Veins bulged on his neck. He could understand why that damn brother of his revealed himself at that precise moment.
You seem so sure that I won''t let you die, even if it goes against the n''sws, just because of that contract of yours!
The power of shadows. The same power that Joshua coveted.
If Jin died, Joshua would never be able to steal the Solderet''s contract for himself. Therefore, Joshua thought that Jin intended to involve him by endangering his own life.
There was nothing that could be done to prevent other people from recognizing Runcandel''s reserve gbearers, but reserve gbearers were strictly prohibited from revealing their own identities.
The same rule applied to everyone in the Sword Garden. They were not allowed to assist the reserve gbearers.
The n clearly warned against using the n Runcandel''s reputation to make a name for oneself. It was a well-known rule, even to outsiders of the n.
But what would happen if a reserve gbearer and a gbearer broke this rule with so many eyes watching?
The strict interpretation of the rule would clearly demand the death or emunication of both, but this particr gbearer was Joshua, known to be the patriarchal sessor.
It''s unlikely that Mother would punish me severely, and if they don''t punish me for it, that cunning boy must know that he won''t be punished either.
The ck panther, Rosa Runcandel, would resort to any means to protect Joshua. And even Rosa herself couldn''t find justification to punish Jin without also punishing Joshua.
Joshua felt extremely frustrated. He could clearly see Jin''s n, but he knew he had to y along.
I may ept your tricks for now, but I won''t let you fool us all the time.
Joshua thought it over and calmed himself.
"Guardian Knights, prepare forbat." Joshua whispered his order to the knights standing behind him. His intention was to protect Jin if the Zipplesunched an attack.
"Loyalty to the n."
"Loyalty to the n."
The Guardian Knights whispered their acknowledgment courteously and sharpened their senses.
Jin then nced at Joshua, who was obviously doing his best to hide his anger.
Joshua''s and Jin''s eyes met for a moment.
Jin shed a smile and thought to himself, "You''re trying to keep a straight face, Joshua, but I can see through you. You must be very frustrated after realizing that you have no choice but to help me. You''re not my rival."
Jin maintained his smile and continued speaking to the crowd.
"As you all know, I am the reserve gbearer of the Runcandel n. I began my training as a reserve gbearer in 1795 and have since used various false names. Today, I stand before you as Bamel, one of my false identities."
"Are you really Jin Runcandel? We were told that Jin Runcandel has ck eyes and jet-ck hair." A journalist shouted.
Then Jin took out a handkerchief from his inner pockets and wiped his face and hair. Each stroke of the handkerchief erased his makeup and hair dye. The blond hair returned to its original ck color.
Bamel was clearly depicted with elegant blond hair and a pretty boy face, but not much was known about Jin Runcandel''s appearance, even after the enemies'' celebrations.
However, everyone knew that the youngest son of the Runcandels had ck eyes and jet-ck hair.
People were left dumbfounded. But some recognized him.
"It''s Jin Grey!"
"Oh, look at that! It''s the champion of the Cosmos Arena, Jin Grey!"
Shouted some of the nobles from Berd who hade to pay their respects. In particr, the excited one had made a lot of money thanks to Jin back then.
"I''m sure of it. It''s that young man we saw then in the kingdom of Mytell."
Likewise, the mercenary delegation visiting the Holy Kingdom, the ck Kings, also recognized him.
"I knew Lord Jin would be the sensation of the world someday. He was also quite a spectacle at the enemies'' celebration. Kuhaha!"
Joncina Farrell, of the Dragon King''s Knights,ughed out loud upon recognizing Jin. All the knights from the other ns who had been present at the enemies'' celebration and hade to pay their respects to the Holy Kingdom reacted simrly.
Joining the requiem was the final rite to pay respects to the holy king, and thus, delegations from all nations were present in the za.
When the nobles of Berd shouted Jin Grey''s name, the journalists remembered another incident.
Kiddard Hall.
They recalled that mysterious swordsman who left Jin Grey''s name at the crime scene.
All the journalists felt that their instincts were telling them that this would be the biggest scoop of their lives, much bigger than the assassination of the holy king or the political interference of the Zipple n.
They had to ask questions right away.
The journalists thought that Jin could drop dead at any moment. The Zipple Magicians would soon burst into the za to hunt him down.
Would the Runcandels and the Hufester knights then help Jin? The journalists didn''t believe so.
"Lord Jin! Were you also the one who killed Kiddard Hall?"
"What is the reason for risking your safety now by revealing your identity? Aren''t you afraid of the Zipple?"
"Please tell us the reason you helped the Holy Kingdom as a Reserve gbearer. Did you receive orders from the Runcandel n?"
"Tell us about your rtionship with Lady Lani of the Holy Kingdom!"
All the journalists began shouting at once.
Although the Runcandel and Hufester knights red at them, they felt they would never have another chance to ask Jin questions.
The za would instantly descend into chaos as soon as the Zipple Magicians arrived. Therefore, they had to secure their answers quickly and flee from that ce.
Jin was disappointed when he saw the journalists shouting like possessed maniacs. He always knew journalists were exaggerating, but he didn''t expect them to forget their manners in this ce of mourning.
"Silence, all of you. I won''t entertain questions," Jin shouted forcefully.
The journalists immediately trembled and stopped shouting.
"I''m not here to feed your curiosities. Any journalist who dares to speak without my permission will never hold a pen again." There was a dangerous gleam in Jin''s eyes. He intended to follow through on what he had said.
The journalists fell silent.
Jinposed himself and spoke again. "As a reserve gbearer, I traveled to manynds to earn benefits and reputation in preparation to be a gbearer. It was then that I witnessed the biological experiments carried out by the Zipples in Kollon and learned that a terrorist group called the Kinzelo was also involved in the experiments."
The journalists hurriedly wrote to transcribe his speech word for word.
"I didn''t know that the Holy Kingdom had fallen into the hands of the Zipples and the Kinzelo, but it seems I caused both sides to break their alliance. As a result, the factions were constantly fighting in the underworld of the Holy Kingdom, and I felt somewhat responsible for the events."
Lani looked somber as she listened to Jin''s practical speech.
"I also saw it as an opportunity. As a reserve gbearer, what greater achievement can I carve for myself than exposing the corruption of a nation and, in the process, sticking it to the rival Runcandel n?"
They had already agreed on this speech. It was intended to give the impression that Jin was helping the Holy Kingdom for personal glory, not as a means to repay Lani''s favor.
They had already agreed on this speech. It was intended to give the impression that Jin was helping the Holy Kingdom for personal glory, not as a means to repay Lani''s favor.
"Therefore, I went to thends of the Kinzelo to rescue the people of the Holy Kingdom and handed them over to Lady Lani. The only promise I obtained from Lady Lani was that she would testify to my aplishments to my n in the future. But the Zipples had to stand in my way. I haven''t killed Karl Zipple. Killing him would only be a loss for me."
Jin shrugged as he spoke, leaving many dumbfounded.
"Therefore, I havee before you today to prevent my false name of Bamel from beingbeled as Karl Zipple''s killer. Furthermore, the achievement of bringing to light the atrocities of the Zipples and the Kinzelo is mine, not my n''s. I hope you all remember this fact. Because..."
Jin pointed to a corner of the za with his finger. "Now they will try to finish me off. I will see you all alive. Goodbye."
The Zipple Magicians in their robes were in their positions. They had just finished casting and aiming offensive spells.
Guardian knights, protect the reserve gbearer!
Joshua was about to shout his order.
But Luna was the first to raise her voice.
"Guardian knights of the Runcandel n and all Hufester knights, protect the civilians! I myself will decapitate anyone who aids the reserve gbearer."
Jin smiled upon hearing Luna''s order. He understood perfectly what she wanted.
Swoosh!
Five mana bolts flew toward Jin.
Jin easily deflected them and leaped off the podium.
Chapter 253
Sigmund pierced through the mana bolt and sent splinters flying.
The crowd in the za screamed at the sudden assault. The golden shield holy knights leaped onto the podium.
"Protect Lady Lani!"
"Everyone, get down! Don''t get caught in the crossfire!" The golden shield holy knights shouted to the civilians after securing Lani. Most of the crowd followed the orders and dropped to the ground.
But not everyone heeded the advice. A good number of them panicked and became exposed to the attacks of the Zipple Magicians.
All the Magiciansunching attacks at Jin were at least seven-star or higher. A mere touch of their spells could cause serious injuries or death to civilians.
But the Magicians continued casting spells as if they didn''t care whether the civilians lived or died.
In fact, they wouldn''t stop until Jin was dead, regardless of how many civilians perished in the process.
The Zipples no longer clung to their symbol of justice.
If they failed to kill Bamel, who was actually Jin Runcandel, they would be despised from this day forward.
No, it was much graver than that. Losing Bamel here today essentially meant the entire Zipple n was ying with the individual activity of a single Runcandel reserve gbearer.
They had to prevent it at all costs.
"We must finish off Jin Runcandel before he leaves the za!"
"Trap him and push him toward the center!"
The Magicians were desperate. They knew better than anyone that the n wouldn''t spare their lives if they lost Jin now, regardless of their reasons.
Jin calmly assessed the Magicians'' locations. Four on the left, six in the center. Ten for now.
They were all that remained in the za. But there would be several dozen pursuing Jin outside the za.
The six are weaker than the four.
He had to break their formation and leave the za. If their reinforcements started arriving, he would be trapped within the za, and Jin didn''t want innocent civilians getting caught up in the fight and dying.
Of course, he always kept in mind the possibility of civilian casualties when he thought about revealing his identity.
But it was the best he could do.
He had to reveal his identity when there were neutral journalists, third parties, witnesses, and all the help he could gather, in order to stick it to the Zipples.
Lani had also made an urgent request to him.
She told him that civilian casualties would only be the result of her own request for him to reveal himself in the za, that if anyone was to me, it would be her.
Jin wasn''tfortable risking the lives of civilians, but he didn''t reject her.
He knew he could trust Luna.
He feared that some of the innocent civilians might get hurt or killed.
Jin nced toward Luna.
But it seems that won''t happen today. Luna is truly impressive.
The Runcandel guardian knights and the Hufester martial artists wielded their weapons under Luna''s orders.
They achieved the magnificent feat of blocking each and every attack from the Magicians aimed at the civilians.
Despite being a delegation sent to pay respects to the dead, these guardian knights were here to assist the first, second, and third gbearers of the n.
Each one of them was almost as strong as an execution knight, and most of the Hufester martial artists wereposed of the top talents from each n.
"The honor of the Runcandel n and Hufester will hit rock bottom if a single innocent soul dies today in the Holy Kingdom. Block them and disperse! There will be a battle outside the za too!"
Loyalty to the n!
The guardian knights and Hufester martial artists desperately protected the people of the Holy Kingdom as if they were their own.
To them, being able to carry out a mission with Luna was a greater honor than anything else. She was the solitary white whale, the greatest legend after Cyron and admired by all Hufester martial artists.
It was unknown whether they would ever wield a sword alongside Luna again in their lifetime. Therefore, they couldn''t afford to disappoint Luna in her moment of glory.
Meanwhile, this is what Luna thought: Jin, you seem pleased. It seems I read your thoughts correctly.
The fact that she was executing her first task as Jin''s sword made her heart beat faster.
Now, she couldn''t imagine anyone else leading the Runcandel n after Cyron than her younger brother, Jin Runcandel.
Shluk, ching!
Despite the countless number of spells beingunched, only those remaining flew toward Jin, as if they had been filtered.
The civilians began orderly leaving the za under Luna''s protection. Some of the journalists risked their lives and positioned themselves behind the guardian knights to record the incident in their notes.
"First gbearer, we don''t have time for this." Joshua approached Luna.
"What''s the matter?"
"Don''t you think we should save the reserve gbearer? Even if he broke the n''s rule, what will be of our reputation if our reserve gbearer dies at the hands of the Zipples?"
"Second gbearer, what does the death of a reserve gbearer have to do with the reputation of the Runcandels? The gbearer himself must bear the weight of his actions. Our rtionship with the Holy Kingdom takes priority over his safety."
"Then don''t you think we should be the ones to punish the reserve gbearer ourselves? That should be a higher priority than protecting civilians. Please choose wisely."
Immediately, Luna''s eyes gleamed dangerously. "Your ck knights aren''t here now. How dare you defy me? Step up your game if you don''t want to be humiliated in front of everyone."
Joshua''s face instantly paled.
It was as Luna said. His ck knights weren''t here, but he had secretly brought execution knights with him. They were disguised and hidden at various points in the za.
Therefore, he could afford to go against Luna''s orders. Those knights would always prioritize his orders, regardless of what Luna hadmanded.
In that case, it would be Luna who would be humiliated, not himself.
But Joshua decided not to rebel against Luna.
I shouldn''t let my momentary embarrassment undermine the reputation of the Runcandel n, as it will soon be mine. Besides, if I go against Luna right now, I''ll lose the trust of the other martial arts ns.
Rank wars should stay within the n. Challenging Luna''s authority on a public asion like this would only undermine the dignity of the Runcandel n.
Luna''s selfishness frustrated him greatly, but it wasn''t the time to act like a fool.
"Understood," Joshua replied bluntly.
He had acted preemptively out of fear that Jin would die and prevent him from securing the Solderet contract. But when he turned to look, none of that seemed likely.
A blue electric bolt descended from the clear sky.
It was the lightning bolt of the Sword of Legends. The same power that had caused the world to mistake Bamel for the Peitel contractor.
The six Magicians guarding the center of the za couldn''t react to the bolt and fell to the ground from the attack.
That must be the Energy of Legends. It showed great skill against me on the Blue Bird Inds even without using that power. It will be difficult for them to catch him unless the tower masters arrive to create formations to trap him.
He couldn''t understand why the heavens favored Jin when the prophecy had chosen him, Joshua Runcandel.
sh! Crack!
Each lightning drop caused square ground blocks to jump, sending rocks and Magicians flying.
Now that Jin could see Luna perfectly guarding the civilians, he had no reason to hold back.
Only an instant passed before the six Magicians lost their lives.
This is what I like about the Sword of Legends. Unless one is truly gifted, they won''t escape its initial burst.
Of course, the six Magicians in the center were worthy of being called geniuses elsewhere. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have made the cut to join the Zipple n.
But from Jin''s perspective, they were nothing more than mediocre talents. Compared to the powerful opponents he had constantly fought against, they were mere minor subordinates.
"Respond with caution! Consider him a lightning-based Mage. ce spells around the area, so he can''t get close!"
The four Magicians on the left had considerable talent, even by Jin''s standards. They properly blocked the advance of the lightning by casting shield barriers and approached Jin.
They even modified various ice-based spells to dazzle Jin''s vision. Ice pirs surrounded Jin, making it difficult for him to aim the lightning.
He could always cut through all the ice pirs with de waves since the Hufester knights would protect the civilians.
But he didn''t need to waste more time in the za now that he had eliminated the center forces.
"Shuri!" Jin took the red ruby out of his inner pocket. The red ruby emitted light and released Shuri from within.
"What''s that supposed to be?"
"A cat?"
Even the expert Magicians took a step back, surprised. Anyone would react that way if they encountered a catrger than a horse-drawn carriage for the first time in their lives.
The fact that the giant cat shot mana lightning from its eyes didn''t improve the situation for them.
Shuri leaped and screeched while firing lightning bolts at the Magicians. Jin leaped onto the ice pirs created by the Magicians to jump onto Shuri.
Jin climbed onto Shuri''s back. Meanwhile, the Magicians desperately tried to protect themselves from Shuri''s lightning bolts.
Shurinded softly on the ground and screeched again.
Then, the civilians still standing and the desperate witnessing journalists all fell to the ground. Their legs couldn''t withstand the ferocity of Shuri''s screech.
The sound was controlled in a way that only trained martial artists would be able to endure.
Is that really the power of a Runcandel reserve gbearer?
Everyone thought the same¡ªfrom the Hufester martial artists, the civilians who were now all on the ground, and even the surviving Zipple Magicians.
It was a scene straight out of a fairy tale, only it was unfolding before their own eyes.
There was plenty of maneuvering space once all the civilians fell to the ground.
Shuri pounced lightly and began running toward the open path. It moved extremely fast, but not a single civilian was harmed by Shuri''s steps.
"Myaa!" Shuri asked which way to run.
Jin pointed toward the portal gate. He wanted to head to the port, where there were mountains of Zipple gold. Jin''s ultimate goal was to melt all the gold and throw it into the sea before escaping.
It didn''t take long to reach the portal gate. The Zipple Magicians outside the za couldn''t catch up to Shuri.
Loyal officials of the Holy Kingdom awaited Jin and Shuri at the gate and opened ess for them when they arrived.
"Thank you, Lord Jin. I wish you luck."
"I also wish you luck."
When Jin arrived at the port, he encountered thest person he expected to see.
"Jin? Look, it''s Jin!" The white-haired teenager''s eyes widened in surprise upon recognizing Jin. It was Beradin Zipple, the sessor to the Zipple n patriarchate.
It seemed that he had just arrived at the port as well. But behind Beradin, something was burning wildly.
They had set fire to the gold.
Chapter 254
"Beradin?"
Jin had his eyes just as wide with surprise as he dismounted Shuri.
What is this idiot doing here? And what''s with the gold on fire?
The mes over the gold were massive and worthy of being called a congration. Since the amount of gold was enough for the entire Holy Kingdom for decades, the fire engulfing it was equally grand.
Is this your doing? Jin was about to ask Beradin this when he heard another familiar voice.
"Beradin! The fire has broken out even at the back. We should escape now and... huh? Jin? Is it really you?"
A small physique and a husky voice: Dante Hairan. He had been checking if all the gold waspletely ame, which is why Jin didn''t notice him at first.
"Dante? You too?"
Even Jin had to stammer as Dante joined them.
How is it possible that these idiots always show up in the most unexpected ces?
Whenever they met, it was like this: when Jin left the Storm Castle, in the Cosmic Arena, in the city of the Anonymous, Sameel, and even now.
Jinposed himself and inspected the two. His eyes sparkled with joy and happiness.
"To think we would meet here, of all ces! There must be something that truly connects us, dear friends."
"Yes, that''s true. Haha, hee, huhu. Last time, you guys were wreaking havoc in Sameel, but it seems this time it''s us causing trouble."
"By the way, what''s that cat? It''s huge."
"Look at that! You''re riding a ruby cat! How did youe across this spirit beast? Well, anyway, I''m really d to see you. Hahaha."
Dante and Beradin spoke, both pointing at Shuri.
Jin felt a headacheing on as he saw those perfectly happy fools in front of a burning pile of gold.
"Weren''t you talking about an escape? Did you guys set the fire?"
"To be precise, it was Beradin."
Dante pointed his finger at Beradin like a child tattling on a friend after being caught misbehaving.
"No, it was you who did it, remember?"
Beradin quickly denied but was actually pointing at Jin, not Dante.
Jin widened his eyes and pointed at himself incredulously. "What? Me? When did I do that?"
"Beradin, this guy just arrived. The fire was undoubtedly your¡ª"
"Well, let''s say it was Jin. He is a reserve gbearer of Runcandel, so I might as well count it as one of his achievements."
Dante was waving his hand to scold Beradin, but a gold ingot suddenly fell out of his pocket and dropped to the ground.
Jin abruptly stopped and nced from the gold ingot on the floor to Dante''s face.
"Guys,e on. This is insane. Don''t tell me you just looted a bar."
"It''s a misunderstanding! Beradin told me he would give me some money if I helped him. That''s why I followed him here."
"Dante! Did you really steal a gold ingot behind my back?" Beradin reprimanded him.
Dante''s eyes widened so much in surprise they were almost popping out.
"Beradin! Why do you keep changing your words? You set the fire, don''t you remember?"
Beradin quickly shook his head, but he was actually pointing at Jin, not Dante.
Jin pped his forehead and took a deep breath. Yes, it was impossible for that honest guy Dante to stoop so low as to steal a gold ingot. However, Beradin seemed to be acting quite strangely. His eyes were also quite dazed.
Beradin was sweating profusely and desperately looking around. Dante grabbed Beradin by the cor and shouted, using him of being a thief.
"Oh well, it doesn''t matter! I don''t know anymore. What I do know is that we have to me Jin for this. If we don''t, both of us will be in trouble, Dante."
"You didn''t say anything about that until we got here!"
"I briefly lost my mind due to my anger!"
"You briefly lost your mind? We were together on that ship for three days until we got here. You were perfectly fine the whole time. Are you telling me you were faking that determination when you said you couldn''t forgive the atrocities of your n?"
"Urghrfaff." Beradin writhed like a broken wind-up toy.
"Beradin, just shut up for a moment. Dante, tell me what''s going on. We don''t have much time. The Zipple Magicians pursuing my life will arrive soon."
"Jin, what do you mean by that, my friend?"
"I was the one who exposed the incidents in the Holy Kingdom. I just revealed it in the capital za and am now fleeing after fighting against the Zipple Magicians who opened fire on me."
"What? Does this mean you''re Bamel?"
"Are you Bamel?"
Dante and Beradin brought their faces closer to Jin.
The three of them were in a state of shock. Jin could barely keep himself sane. If he also joined in this foolish charade, the situation could be infinitely more absurd.
"Besides that, I even revealed the fact that I''m the reserve gbearer of the Runcandel n, so the Zipple have no choice but to kill me right away. The reason I chose to escape this way was to get rid of the gold that the Zipple provided me with feigned goodwill."
"Jin, we are truly meant to be friends." Dante clenched his fists, his face overwhelmed with emotions.
"Our intention is the same, Jin. Beradin seems to be out of it right now, but he asked for my help after telling me he couldn''t forgive his own n. He wanted to take responsibility as the sessor of the Zipple patriarchate."
In other words, the three of them were at the port for the same purpose.
Beradin and Dante were furious after reading about the situation in the Holy Kingdom.
Beradin, in particr, decided to correct the wrongs, even if it was his own n that was responsible for the incident. As pure-blooded members of important ns, Jin and Dante knew how difficult it was to make that decision.
Setting aside Beradin''s request, it was this understanding that made Dante, the sessor of the Hairan patriarchate, assist Beradin. Dante was moved by his determination.
Of course, now he was less impressed after seeing Beradin spout nonsense while carrying out the act.
"That''s why you can me me for the fire. It doesn''t matter. If you hadn''t set it on fire, I would have done it myself."
"Jin?"
Beradinposed himself and looked Jin in the eyes.
"You said my Magicians attacked you? To hide the truth and protect the dignity of the n?"
Jin didn''t respond but nodded.
Beradin''s face darkened. "And not only that, they are pursuing you right now?"
"Yes."
"Those bastards. Don''t they have any shame? I''ll kill every single one of them myself."
Beradin''s hair stood on end as if blown by the wind. His mana was increasing.
He was an eight-star, or maybe even stronger.
Jin gasped as he felt Beradin''s mana.
''How did he be so strong? It was said that he reached nine stars at thirty years old in my past life.''
Jin thought Beradin''s powers were of seven stars. Since Beradin was capable of extremely fast simultaneous spellcasting, he was stronger than eight-star magicians at his seven stars.
But he was mistaken. The mana that started rising in Beradin was close to a nine-star level, even at a nce.
"Calm down, Beradin."
"n''s dignity? Who cares about that? How many innocent lives must be taken to protect something like that?"
Jin suddenly remembered the first day he met Beradin.
"Well, it''s not bad. Impressive. But let me give you some advice as someone who''s a few years ahead of you in this line of work. If you encounter another Zipple who offends you, try not to rush and cut off their fingers. Don''t you think that would create a lot of trouble for our two ns?" Beradin had said.
"You''re quite the jester too, Beradin Zipple."
"Hm, what makes you say that? If my n and yours went into a bloodbath over every little dispute, the whole world would already be demolished. I gave you that advice so you would consider the suffering of the citizens in war."
That had been the conversation with Beradin at the Mytell Kingdom''s portal when he nearly cut off Beradin''s finger.
Jin always thought Beradin was the mischievous type and was so sure he would be well aware of the Zipple n''s illicit activities.
But right now, Beradin didn''t seem aware of the atrocitiesmitted by the Zipple n at all.
Sure, Beradin was quite odd and entric, but maybe he wasn''t the type of Zipple that Jin had always believed him to be.
"Do you know the meaning of this gold, Jin? Basically, my n threatens to plunge the Holy Kingdom into poverty for several decades if they don''t ept this gold and turn a blind eye to the incident. Essentially, that means we will starve over a million civilians."
Beradin regained the determination that had once moved Dante.
Jin understood why Beradin swung from one extreme to another.
He must be scared.
He was furious at the atrocities of his own n, but on the other hand, he was also terribly scared of the events that would follow his actions.
But when he learned that Jin had been attacked by the Zipple Magicians, his anger triumphed over his fears.
The fact that Jin was attacked left nothing but anger in his mind. All other emotions and reason dissipated. Things would have been very different if Jeremias had made the same decision in simr circumstances.
The Runcandels wouldn''t care about the reason. They would incapacitate him and emunicate him from the n.
They would never tolerate a mere son of the n sabotaging the efforts of the whole n to safeguard their dignity, especially if it was for a petty sense of justice.
"I realize that too. That''s why I tried to destroy the gold even after my identity was revealed."
"Then how do you expect me to calm down?"
"It''s different when I do it and when you do it. All I have to do is give the Holy Kingdom a reason to reject the gold and flee, because I''m just the third party involved. And you? What are you going to do after staining your hands with the blood of those Magicians?"
"My father will understand my intent."
"It''s not pleasant for me to say this, but look at your brother. Even Karl Zipple was killed by an assassin sent by your father. Karl, the master of the Fourth Tower, was used as bait to lure me, understand? Do you think you could...?"
"Fire! The gold is burning!"
"It must be him who set it on fire. Catch him! You must not fail!"
They heard shouts from afar. The Magicians pursuing Jin had just arrived at the port.
"Wait. Jin, Dante. You go ahead. I''ll be the one to stop them." Beradin spoke quietly. The mana in his hands ignited a different kind of fire, the first version of the mewrought decimator orb. This time, the spell worked, unlike the previous time in Sameel.
"Beradin, my friend."
"It''s been fun, guys."
Jin let out a sigh.
''Has pubertyete for him? I understand how he feels, but this is too reckless, angry or not. What does he think he is? A moth to a me?''
Jin can think of a thousand better and more efficient ways to resolve this situation.
"Well, we''ll go ahead, Beradin."
"But Jin! If we escape alone, what will happen to Beradin?"
Dante turned his head and shouted. "But in return, let''s say you were horribly defeated while trying to stop me."
Bam!
Jin''s right fistnded squarely on Beradin''s chin.
"Uff."
Crack! Jin followed up with a front kick to the sr plexus. Beradin fell forward, blood gushing from his mouth. When Beradin fell to the ground, Jin even stepped on the back of his neck to bury his facepletely in the ground.
The sudden ambush even caused a mana reflux in Beradin. They could hear Beradin gurgling blood.
"Jin?"
"You don''t want him to be punished in his n either, right? The same goes for you. Come here."
Jin wrapped Dante in his cloak as if it were a gift box.
"It might hurt a bit, but keep your mouth shut until I give the signal, alright? Shuri, bite him."
Jin climbed onto Shuri''s back, and the cat shoved Dante into its mouth.
Chapter 255
Jin was only able to wrap Dante because he was small enough. If he had been as big as a normal man, he would never have managed to hide his shoe inside the cloak.
Was that a piercing sound? I must be mistaken, right?
Even if he heard it correctly, he couldn''t afford to let Dante out now.
Jin looked at Beradin, who was on the ground. He was convulsing and seemed like he would faint very soon.
The best way to break through a barricade of Zipple Magicians was to keep Beradin as a hostage.
But waving Beradin as a g to drive away the Magicians would leave an official record of defeat against him because countless journalists woulde to witness the event.
If anyone had to find out, ideally, the fact that Beradin was knocked unconscious should be confidential information known only to the Zipples, as much as possible.
He won''t cause trouble in his n after regaining consciousness, right? And here I was thinking that Dante was the only one who would die for his beliefs.
There was a good reason why the two were so close. Dante and Beradin were two reckless types who would risk their lives for their beliefs rather than for efficient exits.
The fire grew stronger as it melted the gold. The molten gold alloy flowed in the opposite direction from Beradin, toward the sea.
"It''s him!"
"We''ve located Jin Runcandel!"
The Magicians immediately turned their eyes to Jin. But unlike their hurried voices, they were not panicked as they had been in the za.
They were forming formations. Some cast shield barriers over themselves to defend against his Sword of Legends, while others prepared effectivebinations of offensive spells.
There were twenty Zipple Magicians behind Jin, but he didn''t feel tense at all.
Since he had just revealed his identity as a Runcandel and his fake name Vamel in the za, there was no need to hide that he was a swordsman anymore.
Of course, the Zipples could always press charges against the Runcandels for breaking the pact.
But this was what Jin thought about it: That''s my n''s problem, not mine.
If he thought the Runcandels weren''t powerful enough to handle such a problem, he wouldn''t have revealed his identity.
No, in fact, he wouldn''t have wished to be their next patriarch upon his return to life.
Mana gathered in Jin''s palm. The Zipple Magicians clearly saw as the dispersed mana in the air instantly condensed into concentrated mana in Jin''s hand.
They couldn''t believe what they were seeing.
"Mana? Did he just gather that much mana?" The captain of the Magicians trembled as he spoke.
There was a reason for their surprise. Jin wasn''t just gathering mana.
He was casting spells at an rming speed, even for those Magicians who were constantly praised as prodigies before joining the Zipples.
In fact, Jin''s mana was much more concentrated than the mana umted by the Zipple Magicians. They thought only pure-blooded Zipples were capable of handling such mana.
But to think a Runcandel could do it, and furthermore, a young provisional gbearer!
"Open fire!" The captain of the Magicians angrily shouted. That damn Runcandel was plotting something, and he felt insulted.
The idea of a Runcandel wielding magic superior to theirs was horrifying to imagine.
Upon hearing his order, the Magicians unleashed multiple lightning bolts from their pentagrams. Shuri''s eyes gleamed as the giant cat twisted to dodge the attacks.
Shuri leaped left and right to evade the mana bolts and shed the inevitable ones with its ws. The Magicians calmly continued with their next move, as if they had foreseen it.
Call of Lightning, Wall of mes, and Frost Prison. Various elemental spells emerged. Shuri barely had time tond on the ground to dodge them all.
As if that wasn''t enough, they even unleashed a giant barrier.
Jin thought the Zipple Magicians were making decent moves against him.
Despite their numerical advantage, they calmly opted for established strategies to eliminate risks. The different elemental spells didn''t intertwine to waste energy. They harmoniously blended together to exert pressure on Jin.
But that was it. They didn''t take into ount the unpredictability that a true genius was capable of.
It barely surprised them. How could they imagine that they themselves were not geniuses and that Jin possessed a much higher knowledge of magic than they did?
Whoosh!
Shuri evaded the me that suddenly surged from the ground by leaping into the air.
The Zipple Magicians were waiting. They raised their staffs simultaneously and aimed at Shuri.
It was the same as when they fired the lightning bolts. The ten who were not casting shield barriers all unleashed the same offensive spell.
"Tear them apart!"
They unleashed the Winds of Hell, the epitome of an eight-star wind-based attack spell.
The artificially created winds flew towards Shuri and Jin. The winds were as deadly as des fused with aura and were translucent, making it difficult to predict their trajectory.
And most importantly, Shuri was in the air, making it impossible to dodge the attack.
I''m sure they chose this spell because they can''t go wrong with the range, and because it would be difficult for me to block it with the sword.
But Jin was waiting for the Zipple Magicians to also unleash the Winds of Hell.
Inverse Sky!
Just before the Winds of Hell reached him, a small patch of space above Jin''s head distorted.
It was the opening to create the Inverse Sky orb. Once mana filled the space to create a tornado, the opening widened to be the Inverse Sky orb.
Nine-star mana was required to cast a proper Inverse Sky, but Jin had been casting an iplete Inverse Sky with his seven-star mana.
But Jin had no intention ofunching the Inverse Sky with his mana at that moment.
Ten Winds of Hell swallowed Shuri in the air. The spell''s mana entangled andpletely enveloped Shuri''s descending form.
The Magicians expected to hear the sounds of Shuri''s flesh and bones being cut and sliced, but instead, they heard a mysterious noise like the Winds of Hell and their mana being shredded by a saw.
In that brief instant, the Magicians instinctively felt that something was wrong.
Whoosh!
Shuri and Jinnded on the ground without a single scar on their bodies.
And before a second passed, the tiny speck of distortion that had caused the inverse sky turned into thergest orb Jin had ever released. The Magicians felt as if the entire sky had been covered by it.
Moreover, the orb emitted a grotesque sound, like the screams of a demonic creature.
Before the Magicians could figure out what was happening, Jin unleashed the bacsh cascade he had performed in the air through simultaneous casting.
The Inverse Sky activated with the least amount of mana needed.
Next, he swung the bacsh cascade with simultaneous casts, like a shield to change the direction of the Winds of Hell.
With that, all the Winds of Hell were sucked into the opening of the inverse sky, turning them into the energy needed to operate the inverse sky.
In other words, he absorbed the Winds of Hell and turned them against the Zipple Magicians.
The Inverse Sky was nowrger than that of a nine-star Mage, for which Jin only had to spend enough mana to cast the bacsh cascade.
Of course, this was something only theoretically possible for most Mages who were not Jin.
The Inverse Sky Jinunched into the air was abination of at least five nearly impossible feats.
A swift casting toplete the Inverse Sky sequence within seconds, tactical mind to urately predict the enemy''s next move, simultaneous casting, precise control to urately define the starting point of a spell while in mid-air.
And in addition to all these, the audacity and confidence to carry it all out in a life-or-death situation.
"This is how magic is used." Jin smiled. A drop of blood trickled from his lips.
But the slight injury was not a sign of bacsh from using too much mana. When he swung the bacsh cascade like a shield, the impact of the Winds of Hell caused his arm to hit his lips.
He felt his mouth go numb.
But aside from that, Jin waspletely unharmed.
"Squad, deploy shields!" The captain was the first to realize the situation. He shouted orders like a madman. Half of the Magicians had no idea what was going on.
His understanding of magic was on another level, that''s what the captain thought of Jin.
If he had known that Jin had such talent and also mastered the secret technique of Kiddard Hall, he would have surely fought differently.
Although they were not elite or special forces of the Zipple, they had twenty Magicians. How could they know they would be rejected in a magical and tactical spell battle? By a provisional gbearer of Runcandel who hadn''t even reached twenty, no less?
After absorbing all the mana from the Winds of Hell, the inverse sky started to suck mana from the area.
First, it went for the shield barriers that had been set up against the Sword of Legends Techniques. The attacking group cast new barriers, but rushed casts always did more harm than good for the Magicians.
Several Magicians were already in recoil. It wasn''t an easy task for adequately talented Magicians who were only slightly above average to cast barriers immediately after executing a big spell like the Winds of Hell.
They were already destined for defeat once the Winds of Hell were absorbed by the inverse sky.
"You shouldn''t have cast barriers. You should have withdrawn your mana and fled. That way, one or two lucky ones might have had a chance to escape."
In his past life, Jin constantly felt a sense of inferiority and defeatpared to his brothers and the knights of the Runcandel n.
But he had never felt envy for the Zipple Magicians. Jin only started learning magic at the age of twenty-five, but he reached five stars within three years. The so-called talented Magicians didn''t surpass him even then.
The only person who made him feel inferior in terms of ability was Beradin. But Jin always thought that he would have surpassed Beradin too if he had started with magic earlier.
And in this life, it was now a reality. And not only that, Beradin became the only Zipple that Jin genuinely liked.
Shing!
Sigmund emerged from its sheath. The de gleamed brightly in the sunlight. The Magicians felt like they were in the corridor of death.
The inverse sky had them shackled and left them with no means to defend against it.
"Pierce through their defenses, Shuri."
Shuri lowered its stance and lunged forward like an arrow.
The Magicians who hadn''t fallen into recoil yet cast spells to stop the feline, but their incantations were cut like falling leaves against the lightning-filled waves of Jin''s sword.
From that moment on, it wasn''t a battle anymore. It was a massacre. Jin had no intention of leaving any of them alive.
"Please, don''t take it personally. Mourn the fact that you belong to the Zipple."
"You bastard! The Zipple will surely bring you down!"
"Good to hear that. I would have been greatly disappointed if you begged for your life."
With every strike of Jin''s sword, the Magicians fell to the ground like marites whose strings had been cut.
A group of journalists arrived at the port. Upon seeing the scene, they covered their mouths, astonished.
"What''s happening?"
The golden castle delivered by the Zipple was melting in the fire.
And in front of it all was Jin, bringing death to the Zipple Magicians.
Tonight, his name would be on every paper in thend.
Chapter 256
Jin immediately left the port after killing all the Magicians. He intentionally took a few corners to throw off his pursuers and jumped into the ocean from a cliff he had observed earlier.
Shuri let out a cry of joy as they plunged into the water. It meant that there was no one chasing them anymore. Jin let out a deep sigh of relief and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"You cane out now, Dante."
Jin pulled Dante out of Shuri''s mouth and was startled to see the blood-soaked cloak that had been wrapped around Dante.
Why so much blood? Shuri''s fangs must have pierced through him earlier.
It wasn''t just the inner lining of the cloak. Dante was drenched in blood, and Jin was worried that Dante might have died.
"Are you alright?" Jin asked.
"I''m fine, haha."
"You have a hole in your shoulder. I''m sorry."
"Whoa, it''s deeper than I thought. Well, it was an animal that did it. I''m sure it didn''t mean to harm me."
Jin shrugged and handed Dante a healing ointment. Dante washed off the blood with seawater and applied the ointment to the wound. Jin noticed that his entire body was covered in scars from his rigorous training.
"I remember Beradin saying something simr when Murakan scratched him at the Mytell portal. These two seem so different, but they''re actually quite simr."
"Jin?"
"Yes?"
"What are you going to do now?" Dante asked, concerned. He knew Jin had killed the Magicians, even though they had wrapped him up and covered him with a cloak.
He also knew that Jin had used magic. Dante didn''t know about the pact between the Zipple and the Runcandel, but he knew that the Runcandel strictly prohibited the use of magic.
"What else can I do? I''ll have to keep running. We''re still too close to rx. And what about you? What did you n to do? Don''t tell me you thought you could escape on that small sailboat after setting the gold on fire."
"Hmm. That''s actually what we nned to do."
The sailboat Dante and Beradin arrived on wasn''t an optimal escape vessel.
"You both would''ve been in serious trouble if you hadn''t run into me today. Beradin would''ve been killed by his father, and the Hairan would''ve incurred a huge debt because of you."
Jin patted Shuri''s back and urged therge feline to swim faster.
"I guess you''re right. I wasn''t in a position to ask you that question. I agreed with Beradin because he was so determined and resolute, but now that I think about it, it was foolish. Although nothing was as crazy as what you did."
They both burst intoughter at the same time.
"I''m worried about our dearpanion, Beradin." Dante gave a bitter smile.
"He won''t die because of that. I held back when I hit him," Jin said.
"I didn''t mean that."
"Are you worried that he might cause a scene in his n? No way. I''m sure he understands why I hit him."
"I didn''t mean that either."
"What do you mean?"
"I''m worried about ourpanion, Beradin. I can''t say for sure, but he didn''t seem to have any idea about what the Zipple have been doing all this time."
A brief silence followed.
"Of course, every n must have its own dirty secrets if you dig deep enough, but the Zipple took it too far. I actually wasn''t so sure about him until now. I thought he might have been involved in some of the n Zipple''s atrocities."
"Do you still think the same?"
"No."
"What do you think will happen from now on?"
Jin looked Dante in the eyes. "In my opinion, there can only be two types of future for Beradin. Either he will go against his n and be emunicated, or he will submit and surrender to the n. Otherwise, he might end up dead like Karl Zipple, instead of being emunicated."
Jin thought of the Beradin from his past life.
He was a Mage who reached nine stars at the age of thirty and was known as the sessor of the Zipple hierarchy even then. He was admired by all the young Mages of the time. He was also reputed to have a good character, which made him a favorite among the people.
But all of that was information he had read in newspapers in his past life.
''I wonder what Beradin was really like back then.''
The Jin of this life had apletely different adolescence. In his previous life, he hadn''t even reached one star in swordsmanship. The entire n regarded him as a waste.
But now, he was a wandering provisional gbearer.
He had caused many world-changing incidents (including today''s incident), discovered the secret histories of many gods, revealed the various faces of different factions, and uncovered the truth about the people around him.
He even met people he could call friends. And Jin had unconsciously tried to keep his distance from one of them, Beradin.
It was because of their legacies as Runcandel and Zipple. Dante was a different story. But when it came to Beradin, Jin thought a sh between them was inevitable.
He felt it even more intensely after discovering the use Andrei Zipple had made of the demon god stone and the biological experiments.
It didn''t matter if Beradin wanted it for himself or not. Jin believed that Beradin would have to get involved at some point.
But that wasn''t true.
In fact, Beradin set the gold on fire out of shame for his n.
He risked his life and attempted to kill the Magicians from his own n. The catalyst for his impulsive decision was simply the fact that his friend, who exposed all these truths, was attacked.
"But we can''t let that happen," Jin finished his sentence. Dante blinked in surprise.
He expected Jin''s response to be colder and more calcted. Perhaps because of what Jin had said the previous night in the arena, when the three of them were drinking together.
"But you know what? Maybe it''s not so bad to remain allies once we''re done fighting. We''ll settle who the winner is and try to remain friends," Beradin had said.
"I never imagined that the sessor of the Zipple patriarchate would make such a weak statement."
"Maybe there''s a reason why Jin can''t talk about it yet, Beradin. We should probably stop discussing the topic."
"You always distance yourself from us!"
"Did you ever consider that maybe you''re the strange one for not distancing yourself at all?"
But now, Jin was saying that he couldn''t let those things happen to Beradin.
"Why are you so surprised?" Jin asked Dante.
"I mean... It''s nothing. I''m just a little surprised that you volunteered to save Beradin."
"First, I need to hear what Beradin thinks about this, so let''s go there."
"There?"
"Our secret hideout. Shuri, speed up. By the way, what did you need the money for? I was horrified when I saw the gold ingoting out of your pocket earlier. You''re the sessor of the Hairan n. Why would you need that measly gold ingot?"
"Ah, about that." Dante hesitated for a moment but continued. "Not long ago, I made a mistake and broke a vase that my grandfather cherished. He''s lenient with most things, but he treasures his ceramics as if they''re a part of him. I had to restore it before he found out. It cost me a fortune to hire a famous restorer."
"What?"
Ron''s love for ceramics was well-known among martial artists. It was so infamous that it was said the first step to improving any diplomatic rtionship with the Hairan n was to be friends with the kingdom of M''s master potters.
"It''s quite embarrassing for me to say it. So, since we''re on the topic, I was wondering."
It was understandable. As the patriarch''s sessor, it wouldn''t bode well for him to spend mysterious sums of money, and if he spent arge sum of money, Ron would undoubtedly receive a report about it.
"If I can lend you money?"
Dante nodded.
"Sure."
"You''re the best, Jin!"
They crossed the sea for six continuous hours.
Fortunately, no one found any trace of them. The sea was dark, without a single lighthouse after sunset. The glimmer of Dante''s eyes was the only thing emitting light in the distance.
On January 1, 1798, a new year dawned.
For most people, the first day of the year was spent giving blessings to their loved ones, facing the first sunrise of the new year with their lovers, or if not, sleeping in since it was a holiday.
But this man, the Guardian Knight Kahn, was dousing himself in the blood, organs, and bone fragments of demonic creatures, just like he did on the first day of 1796.
He was shing through demonic creatures at an rming pace.
He didn''t even take the briefest of breaks. He charged through the Dark Sea for three days and three nights straight, with an anxious look on his face.
"Patriarch!"
Cyron had sensed Kahn approaching for some time, but he only slowly opened his eyes after Kahn let out his urgent call.
"You seem to be in a hurry. What brings you here?"
"Young Master Jin has really done it this time!"
Surprisingly, Cyron merely nodded without changing his expression much. It seemed like he had expected something like this to happen.
Kahn pulled out papers from his inner pockets and politely offered them to the patriarch. But they weren''t letters from Kashimir. They were rolled-up bulletins.
Reserve gbearer of the Runcands Demolishes the Golden Castle of the Zipples!
This Hybrid Runcandel Uses Both Magic and Lightning. Who is this Jin Runcandel?
Youngest Son of Domination Reveals the Ugly Side of Justice: Atrocities Committed in the Name of the Zipple n.
The Biological Experiments of the Zipple Golem and Kinzelo. They are preparing for war.
The first Runcandel of the 1700s breaking the strict rule of Reserve gbearers. Will the Demigod let him live?
Lani Salom¨¦ refers to Jin Runcandel as a friend THREE times in the sacred coronation ceremony. But she seems steadfast in her determination to close the nation''s borders for all activities other than civilian rescue. However, the holy kingdom announced their renewed periodic missions of the Saints to the Runcandel n. This is the victory of the reserve gbearer!
The bulletins were filled with such articles. Cyron maintained a mysterious gaze as he read through all the articles. "He really did it this time."
"Lady Rosa has called for an emergency meeting of the gbearers, sir. She said she would wait for your decision, patriarch. But she seemed ready to deploy all the gbearers to capture Young Master Jin immediately."
Kahn then handed him the bulletins from the Lutero Magical Federation. They had a very different tone.
Keliac Zipple deres holding the Runcandel n responsible.
The Zipple n sanctions the embargo of practical magic items to the allied realms of Hufester. Embargo to persist until Jin Runcandel is delivered.
The worldwide arrest warrant for Jin Runcandel goes into effect today. The Zipple n has promised one hundred million gold coins and lifelong protection to anyone who captures...
Kinzelo is the mastermind behind the biological experiments, not the Zipple n. Alliance links proven false. Fake news born from Runcandel!
Zipple Tower Masters reveal official resolution for total war. The Reserve gbearer of Domination threatens world peace.
A faint smile blossomed on Cyron''s face after reading the bulletins from the Lutero Magical Federation. "This is a great achievement."
Kahn bowed his head and awaited the patriarch''s words.
"I sent him to make a name for himself, but not only did he do that, he also raised the reputation of the Runcandel n and trampled on the honor of the Zipple n. This is worthy of being called a great achievement."
Kahn let out a sigh of relief to himself.
He hadn''t expected Cyron to turn a blind eye to such a big incident, regardless of how much he treasured Jin.
But what Cyron said next made Kahn nervous again.
"But aside from the achievements, Jin always knew how to take responsibility for his actions. Kahn?"
"Yes, patriarch."
"Issue a priority arrest order for Jin. From this moment on, capturing Jin should be a constant mission for every gbearer, Guardian Knight, and Cadet. Promise three hundred million gold coins and absolute protection from the Runcandel n to anyone who captures him, dead or alive."
(Note: These families, really...)
Chapter 257
The patriarchs of the two major factions each promised three hundred and one hundred million gold coins for his capture.
It was the first time in human civilization history that a figure of one hundred million was promised for the capture of a man. The world, already buzzing with news of the Holy Kingdom incident, was stirred by the news of the arrest warrants.
Elite mercenary groups like the ck Kings and the Specters started their independent searches, while smaller groups joined forces for the hunt.
Even state military forces and cavalries of smaller kingdoms eagerly searched for Jin. It was the expected response, as three hundred million gold coins were more than enough to boost the economy of an entire kingdom.
But their pursuit contributed little to the search.
No other group searched for Jin as eagerly and desperately as the two major ns, the Runcandels and the Zipples.
Thousands of Guardian Knights, Mages, the armies theymanded, and allied ns from both factions formed exploration parties to search for Jin.
"Young Master, I wonder if he''ll be okay," Gilly sighed. She held a wanted poster of Jin Runcandel, the Reserve gbearer.
All herpanions were gathered in Tikan, watching the situation unfold.
The promise Jin obtained from Cyron in the past still held. No Runcandel could set foot in Tikan without Jin''s explicit permission.
Thanks to that promise, the Runcandel Guardian Knights didn''t enter Tikan, but there were about fifty of them waiting in the vicinity of the ind.
On the other hand, the Zipple Mages thoroughly searched every inch of Tikan before departing.
They searched the records of every portal in the world for cases involving Jin Grey and Bamel, which pointed to Tikan as their base of operations.
Of course, the Zipples didn''t glean much from their search there. Theypletely disregarded the fact that Tikan was a neutral state. They even forced their way into Kashimir''s mansion but didn''t find Jin.
The reason was simple. Jin wasn''t there.
"He''ll be fine. Don''t worry too much, Strawberry Shortcake," said Murakan.
Gilly weakly nodded. Seeing that, Murakan made a face.
He wasn''t disgusted. Literally, he was contorting his face back and forth to make her smile.
"That''s it. Don''t be so sad because of that foolish boy. You should keep smiling like that. It''s nice to see you smile."
Gilly couldn''t help butugh, and soon she burst into loudughter, making Murakan smile along with her.
All these crazies. How can it be funny? Veris secretly cursed while watching the two and frowned (Note: Beris before, Veris now).
And, surprisingly, Kuzan mimicked Murakan and started contorting his face.
Veris desperately tried to hold backughter this time. Now it was Yulian''s turn to share his thoughts.
Kuzan and Veris. Those lunatics are having a good time.
But even Yulian had to smile when Euria suddenly approached him and nudged him in the side, asking him to y.
In other words, the whole world was busy with people trying to hunt down Jin, but Tikan was quite peaceful.
That, despite the various factions that arrived on the ind to ransack it.
"Lord Jin has truly be a great figure. In fact, he''s the most popr person on Earth right now." Kashimir brushed back his hair. His expression showed fatigue. "You have no idea how those Zipple Mages scrutinized every inch of my safehouses. It gives me a headache just thinking about it."
"But since we agreed to their search, the Zipples can''t say anything against us for a while, as they searched our house without good justification or any solid evidence."
Alisa tapped Kashimir''s shoulder as she spoke.
Although Jin had been to Tikan before, the Zipples had no reason or justification to force an extensive search of Tikan since it was a neutral force.
Therefore, the Zipples couldn''t meddle in Tikan''s affairs for a while, as Alisa just mentioned. The Zipples were certainly powerful, but that didn''t mean they could get away with everything concerning neutral factions outside of the Lutero Magical Federation.
"I was really surprised when the royal guards from Vermont arrived." This time, it was Enya who spoke.
Cuicantelle nodded as well.
Although the Vermonts didn''t search Tikan as thoroughly as the Zipples, the two were still unofficially wanted by the Vimenth.
Especially now that Jin Grey''s name had been revealed to the world, the Vermonts were also tracing the identity of Austin Grey, Enya''s fake name she used in the incident with the remains of the Dark Magic Guild.
But the three cadets from the Academy that Jin and Enya used as servants back then, namely Chip, Maura, and Aurel, concealed from the Vermont leaders the secret that Austin had actually been Enya.
Thanks to that, the Vermonts didn''t search Tikan as thoroughly as the Zipples.
"But we should be thankful that the Runcandels haven''te. If they were here, they would create a disaster, destroying everything in sight, digging upnds, and demolishing things."
Jet shrugged and continued.
"But I can''t understand Sir Cyron. I thought he definitely cared for our dear lord. That''s why he checked most of his deviations and still forbids the Runcandels from entering Tikan, right? I can''t understand why he would put a three hundred million gold coin bounty on Lord Jin''s head."
Jet sounded extremely annoyed by that fact.
"Why don''t you raise it with him if you''re so curious?" Murakan asked.
"Hmph, this Jet doesn''t back down. If you take me to the Dark Sea where Sir Cyron is, Master Murakan, I can always bring it up, yes, sir!"
"Are you crazy? Who said you can ride me? Plus, once you face Cyron, weaklings like you will suffocate and won''t even be able to open your eyes from the gravity he exudes."
"But still, don''t you feel upset about it? I thought Sir Cyron would definitely take care of our lord. But now, the Runcandels are more eager to kill Lord Jin than the Zipples. I''m so frustrated, yes, I am!"
"The boy''s father must have a reason for doing so. I thought I told you that yesterday."
"What reason could that be? Hmph, I also have a son, but I would never do something like that, no, sir."
"Sure, sure. I understand how you feel, but... Wait a moment. Why is this guy taking it out on me? Hey, Insect. Haven''t you been disciplining yourckeys?" Murakan asked.
"But I also agree with Mr. Jet! If Lord Jin is captured by bounty hunters or the Runcandels, how am I supposed to go on living?" Enya shouted, making Murakan''s eyes widen in surprise.
"Wait, what does that have to do with your life?"
"Lord Jin is my light, the carrier of my life energy. He''s essentially my life force. The world will lose all meaning without Lord Jin. I can''t bear this at all. Mr. Jet! Let''s go and talk to Sir Cyron face to face about it."
"Yes, that''s right!"
Enya and Jet high-fived each other and pompously left the room.
Murakan clicked his tongue as they left, and the rest of thepanions simplyughed. Quikantel was the only one who sighed deeply.
Of course, the two never actually went to Cyron. Instead, they went to Latrie''s confectionery to steal cookies and tea while talking behind Cyron''s back.
Rub-rub.
Cyron scratched his ears. As his experienced senses, sharpened as a Demigod, felt an itch in his ears, he always had rather noisy visitors.
Tik!
Mott, the snow toad, opened a dimensional door.
"Cyron!"
Unlike Enya and Jet, here was a person who could trulye to Cyron toin.
Tris, the ruler of the Secret Pce, was fuming and shouted as soon as she saw Cyron.
"You''ll break my eardrums."
"My internal organs burn with frustration, that''s why! What the hell do you think you''re doing? Don''t you ever think about how I would feel, no, how my daughter would feel about it?"
Not even a marriage. They weren''t even engaged, yet she demanded that he consider Siris. Cyron found it ridiculous, but he kept his eyes closed without responding. Now that he reflected on his behavior, he realized Tris was always like this.
"Cyron, you better think carefully. You must know how public opinion must be after Keliac killed his own son, Karl Zipple, just to cover up the incident."
"The situation with the Zipples and the Runcandels is different, Tris."
"It''s not like Jin has caused harm to the Runcandel n. In fact, he brought them much more profit. But an arrest warrant? When they should be rewarding him? Besides the fact that he broke the pact, you still have plenty of reasons to take care of him, don''t you?"
Ribbit, ribbit! Mott croaked loudly, as if he wanted to say he sympathized with Tris''sint. But when Cyron nced at him, Mott averted his big eyes elsewhere and pretended to be busy.
"It has already been decided. The decision will stand."
"My goodness, don''t tell me you actually want to kill Jin."
"Do I have to be more obvious?" He didn''t hesitate for a second.
Tris was about to say something, but instead, she took out a cigarette from her inner pockets. She smoked a whole cigarette in one breath and stuck another one in her mouth.
She finished five consecutive cigarettes and looked at Cyron.
"Cyron, don''t tell me you''ve sumbed to chaos after your battle with the Dark Sea Kings. I suspected you had lost your humanity after reaching the height of a Demigod. But this isn''t right. You wouldn''t do this unless you were mad."
Shriek~
Ice gathered in Tris''s right hand and formed into a sword.
The sea ice sword, the divine sword she had chosen.
"And what exactly are you trying to do right now?"
"If you have truly sumbed to chaos, as the master of the sea ice sword and as your friend, I cannot allow it. Show me proof that you''re still sane before I count to three. If not, I''ll stab you."
One, two...
Cyron gave a faint smile as he watched Tris.
"You haven''t forgotten our promise. Withdraw your sword, Tris. You guessed wrong."
Their conversation up until now was Cyron''s test for Tris.
On the other hand, Tris had also unsheathed the sea ice sword as a gamble to hear Cyron''s innermost thoughts. She knew he wouldn''t reveal his true intentions because she was a stranger, whether an old friend or not.
She had considered the possibility of Cyron sumbing to chaos.
Tris sheathed her sea ice sword.
The ins in the central region of the ck Sea froze into a fan shape behind her. A vast area was frozen due to her powers, and one couldn''t even see where the frost ended.
"I have no idea what happened to that charming lion of the Runcandels. Now, all that''s left is this peculiar old man. Very well then. Tell me. What is your intention?"
"My father has given me another chance."
"How can you interpret it that way? I didn''t know you had such a carefree side. Just like the Zipples, the patriarch of the Runcandels, your own father, issued the arrest warrant. It can''t be a publicity stunt." Dante replied as he handed him the bulletin.
"Even if I hid you within my own n, I can''t say we wouldst more than two months. I''m sure this ce, Beradin''s vacation home, is no different."
If the Runcandels and the Zipples were putting all their forces into finding one man, there wasn''t a single person who could escape their clutches. They would track them down everywhere, no matter where they hid.
This was even more impossible for a celebrity like Jin.
"You''re right. And I''ll never survive if they catch me. Well, if they catch me, that is. On the other hand, if I''m not captured for over a year and I return to my n of my own ord, my reputation will skyrocket as the Reserve gbearer who yed not only with the Zipples but also with the Runcandel n."
The way Jin made fools of the Zipples was a genuine embarrassment for them.
But for the Runcandels, although it would still be a disgrace, ironically, their reputation would also increase.
"Are you saying Sir Cyron would retract his arrest warrant in that case?"
"He won''t retract his arrest warrant for Jin Runcandel the reserve gbearer, but there was never an arrest warrant for Jin Runcandel the gbearer at all."
"Whoa. I feel like you''ll somehow make it happen. If anyone could, but honestly, I''m not so sure. Are you sure you can hold out against the Runcandel and Zipple ns for a whole year?"
Even for Jin, it would be an impossible feat if he had to hide in the human world. However, it was a different story if he could hide in his brothers''nd.
My father must know that I would hide in Lafrarosa because he has the report from Sir Kashimir.
But Dante didn''t need to know that.
He was about to respond with a smile when he saw the private portal door of the vacation home shining with light through the window.
"Duck."
Jin and Dante pressed against the window and ducked.
There was always the possibility that the personing out of the portal wasn''t Beradin but other Zipples.
Chapter 258
A single person emerged from the portal. But the person wore a hood and a mask, making it difficult to distinguish a face.
"I don''t think it''s Beradin."
"I thought the same."
Jin and Dante spoke.
Though they couldn''t see the face, the build was too different. The personing out of the portal had the physique of someone who had trained in martial arts for a long time.
In fact, the person carried a long sword at their waist. It couldn''t be Beradin. Jin recalled what Beradin had said when they made the pact to use the property as a safehouse.
"This is the address of my private vacation home. My n never watches over me or interferes with anything that happens here," Beradin had said. "I''ll give your names to my stewards so you can visit me whenever you want without much trouble."
"Oh, maybe it''s the steward. There was no one here when we arrived."
As Dante said, they hadn''t met the steward yet. There was no one when they arrived. The door was locked, so they kicked it open and had been waiting for Beradin for three days.
"The person seems too strong to be a steward, though."
"I agree."
The masked figure''s gaze fell on the broken door.
The masked figure stood still amid the roaring sounds of the waves and stared at the broken door for some time. It was clear that something displeased them. For some reason, both their hearts sank.
Shing!
The masked figure drew their long sword.
"They must think there''s an intruder."
"Yes, maybe we should step forward and tell them honestly?"
"If that masked figure isn''t on Beradin''s side, we should kill or subdue that person. I don''t know about you, but I can''t afford to get caught now."
They had to consider the possibility that the masked figure was there on the Zipple n''s orders.
Jin unsheathed Bradamante and activated the Myulta rune. Dante was lost for a moment but soon tore his robe to cover his face and followed Jin.
Silently, they stepped out into the hallway. They concealed their energies and took their positions. They hid on either side of the hallway, in the left corridor and the right room.
Soon, they felt the masked figure moving. Unlike the two who had concealed their energies, the person walked down the hallway emitting a force that clearly revealed a killing intent.
The masked figure passed by the room where Jin was hiding.
Jin emerged and attacked the person. He easily approached from behind and pointed his sword at their throat. Dante leaped at the same time and disarmed the person.
"Don''t scream. If you answer my questions, I''ll let you live."
They perfectly subdued the person.
But Jin felt something was off. The masked figure seemedpletely calm, even with a sword at their throat.
"Who are you?"
The person didn''t respond.
"Don''t make me ask twice. This is yourst chance. Who are you...?"
Jin was about to continue his threat.
Ssh!
The person''s body disappeared.
Rather, what hadposed their body turned into water. Jin, who had been pressing his sword against the person''s throat, lost bnce, and Dante looked around in horror.
It''s a dragon!
Jin''s instinct told him. The masked figure was a dragon, and a water dragon at that, a dragon of Itelmion, the water god.
More than eighty percent of the active dragons in the human world belonged to the Zipple n. So, the water dragon they had just encountered would likely be under the Zipple''s control as well.
The water dragon that had turned into water now flowed toward the end of the hallway.
Jin and Dante hurried to chase after it. Jin didn''t need to exin to Dante why they couldn''t let the dragon escape.
But their worries were unnecessary.
"I''ve never seen such audacious brats. No wonder Beradin is interested in you."
The water dragon transformed back into human form at the end of the hallway and shrugged.
"Stop trying to attack me. I only tried to kill you because I thought you were intruders."
Jin and Dante exchanged looks with each other.
"With all due respect, may I ask what brings you here? Was it Beradin who sent you?" Jin sheathed his sword and bowed.
The water dragon returned the gesture with a nod. "Well, you could say it was him. I am the steward here. Don''t look at me with that confused face. Who said dragons can''t be stewards?"
"I didn''t say anything or give a nce."
"Really? Well then."
The water dragon took off their mask.
They had delicate features on their face, which seemed out of ce for their muscr build. The blue hair that reached their shoulders made them almost look like ady, as long as one only looked at their face.
Does this mean Beradin is a contractor of Itelmion?
Thoughts immediately rushed into Jin''s head. He had never considered the possibility of Beradin being a divine contractor. Even in his past life, Beradin was known to be a nine-star Magician, but there was no information about him being a contractor.
In fact, there were no Itelmion contractors in my past life.
Of course, Jin couldn''t know everything that had happened in his past life. He didn''t have ess to intelligence organizations like the Seven-Colored Peacocks, so he had serious limitations in essing information that wasn''t revealed to the public.
On the other hand, Beradin being a contractor wasn''t surprising at all. The Zipple n had the highest number of contractors among their ranks, and divine contracts were usually decided based on talent and potential.
As Beradin was the most gifted among the young generation of the Zipples, he would obviously be a contractor.
"My name is Tuyan. I would say you two are Jin Runcandel and Dante Hairan. Pleased to meet you."
"Tuyan, I think we have intruders!" Before Jin could respond, another dragon appeared outside the vacation home.
The dragoness, who casually called the water dragon by their name, lowered her long neck and ced her head in the hallway to look at the two boys.
"Oh, aren''t those the boys Beradin mentioned?"
"Yes, Phinia."
"He said their names are Jin Runcandel and Dante Hairan? Nice to see you, boys. I''ve always wanted to see you." Phinia transformed back into her human form and grinned widely.
She was an earth dragon of Richta, the earth god.
Even Jin was confused at this point. Dante was overwhelmed, and he couldn''t stop casting nces from Jin to the dragons.
"Have youe to see Beradin?" Phinia asked, walking toward them with a light step.
"Yes, we have."
"He''ll arrive in an hour. We have to prepare some things before hees, so why don''t you take a rest in the reception? By the way, were you the ones who broke the door?"
Both of them nodded, to which Phinia sighed. "The key is under the huge rock next to the entrance, so if Beradin or we aren''t here next time, use the key to open the door. It''s quite a hassle to bring materials here when things break."
Jin and Dante nodded, still confused by everything.
Tuyan and Phinia headed to the storage shed next to the house without saying anything more.
Surprisingly, what they brought from the shed were cleaning supplies.
"Well then? I thought I told you to go to the reception."
Are they trying to clean the house before Beradin arrives?
Jin felt puzzled. Dante must have felt the same because he spoke quickly. "Let us help too."
"Nonsense. We can''t let our guests do the chores. Beradin would be angry if you did."
Tuyan formed water and spread it on the floor to start mopping. Then, Phinia ushered the two boys away.
Jin and Dante had no choice but to sit in the reception. For some reason, they felt very ufortable.
"Those dragons were really cleaning, weren''t they?"
The two dragons, who were the stewards, were cleaning the vacation house before Beradin arrived.
"I think so. Well, I''m d they''re not under the orders of other Zipples. But it''s been quite a surprise."
They sat and waited for the dragons to finish cleaning.
Dante seemed to be on pins and needles. He couldn''t hide his anxiety. Meanwhile, Jin pondered which of the two could be Beradin''s guardian dragon.
The water one? The earth one? Which one could it be?
Jin''s curiosity was immediately answered when Beradin arrived at the vacation house an hourter.
"My friends! Haha, what joy to see you again. I thought thest time would be thest time we saw each other. I hope my guardian dragons weren''t too harsh on you, right?"
Guardian dragons.
That''s how Beradin referred to the two dragons who courteously bowed when Beradin arrived. It was quite a shocking scene, but Jin decided to stop being surprised.
Whether he was contracted by two gods at the same time or hiding something else, that didn''t change the fact that he had rebelled against the Zipple n with his own life.
Simrly, Jin was hiding many things from them as well.
"By the way, Dante is one thing, but I didn''t expect Jin to be here too. Were you so worried about me that you risked your arrest warrant? I''m so moved that I''m about to cry. Look into my eyes. They''re moist, you see?"
"Have you calmed down?"
"Yes, thanks to you. I must have been crazy back then. I would have died if it weren''t for you, and at the hands of my father, too. In fact, I was close to death myself. The mana reflux was so severe that I still have migraines," Beradin responded casually.
The three of them silently looked at each other for a while. The dragons brought them tea.
"Jin?"
"Yes?"
"You have a n, don''t you?" There was bitterness in Beradin''s eyes as he spoke.
He asked if Jin had ns because he knew he couldn''t do much to help. It wasn''t like thest time he set fire to the gold. Even if he rebelled without much consideration, there wasn''t much he could change.
That made Beradin feel awful about himself. Jin had saved his life, but he couldn''t help Jin in any way.
Jin was practically a dead man when his n decided to capture him, and now even the Runcandels were after him. Beradin couldn''t find a way for Jin to survive.
"That serious look doesn''t suit you, Beradin. Unlike you, I''m someone who ns before rushing in. I have ways to survive."
"Really?"
"So don''t worry about that. Instead, I have something I''d like to propose to you."
"What is it?"
"Abandon your surname."
Fwoop!
Dante spat out the tea he was drinking. In fact, he even dropped the teacup he was holding, spilling hot tea on his thighs. But he was so shocked that he barely registered the pain.
That''s how impactful Jin''s words were.
"I will eliminate the entire Zipple n in the future, and that name doesn''t suit you either. Each of your brothers and your uncle who died at my hands were all involved in terrible acts, including biological experiments."
"I knew it. So, you were the one who killed my uncle too."
The fact that Miuron Zipple had died at the hands of Bamel, who was Jin, was now known to everyone. Deano reminded people of the tragedies of Kollon when writing columns about the incident in the Holy Kingdom.
"How much do you know?"
"About what?"
"About what the Zipples, your n, are preparing," Jin said.
Beradin gave a bitter smile. "Well, I''m not sure how much I know."
"I''m asking you a serious question."
"And I''m answering you withplete seriousness, Jin Runcandel. Have you ever experienced something like this? Like trying to write your diary, but yesterday''s entry ispletely different from what I remember from the day."
"What?"
"My memory is being manipted by someone. I thought my uncle was behind it because it didn''t happen again after his death. But take a look at this."
Beradin took out a notebook from his inner pockets.
It was the entry for December 25, 1797, the day after Jin revealed his identity.
December 25, 1797.
I would have died yesterday if it weren''t for him. I felt bad for the n''s decision, but to think I would lose all rationality like that. My chin still hurts from his punch. But thanks to him, I survived. His decision was right.
If I had ever harmed the Magicians of the n, my father could have killed me too.
It might well have been myst encounter with them. I hope both of them are safe.
Although their names weren''t mentioned, it was clear that it referred to Dante and Jin.
"This is the entry I wrote right after my mana reflux treatment. But after the follow-up treatment, I lost all memory of what happened that day. In fact, I don''t even remember setting fire to the gold. I told you I didn''t expect you to arrive because I acted ordingly after reading my diary and the bulletins."
Chapter 259
C259 - Trackers (1)
"Altering your memory? What do you mean by that?" Dante''s eyes widened in horror.
Even Jin felt a chill run down his spine.
"The n has been manipting my mind for some time. Forging memories is actually feasible in magical theory, you know?"
As Beradin said, it was theoretically possible.
There were rumors that the special force Vermont was also secretly forging memories, but the only faction truly capable of memory forging was the Zipple n.
Dante realized that Beradin wasn''t joking. He was stunned by the shock for some time.
"I can''t believe it. Why would someone do that? What do they gain by falsifying your memories, my friend?"
"I have no idea either. It''s the first time it has happened since my uncle''s death, so it must be the elders, or..." Beradin paused and furrowed his brow. "Or they did it on my father''s orders to falsify my memory. But I can''t understand their motives, especially considering the recent incident. It''s not like I witnessed something I shouldn''t have. The whole world saw how my n tried to cover up the Holy Kingdom incident with money."
"It seems the memory maniption might have been imperfect," Jin replied after hearing his story.
Beradin''s eyes widened. "That''s convincing. Maybe they were trying to erase another memory and identally manipted the memory of that day as well. I''m sure doing things like that must be hard to pull off perfectly, even for my n."
"You realize it''s nothing to be happy about, right?"
"But I feel like I''ve finally found a clue. It makes some sense when you put it that way. But what memory were they trying to erase then? There was nothing particr in the recent entries of my diary."
"It''s just a theory."
"But I feel like your theory might be correct."
"Still, you would know better than me. How could I know which memory your n is trying to erase from your head?"
"Urgh, trying to think is giving me a headache again."
Jin remembered the day Latrie returned to Tikan.
"Lord Jin, there''s something I must inform you of first. My daughter''s guardian dragon returned today about three hours ago," Kashimir had said.
"Latrie hase back?"
"Yes, but there''s something strange about him. He doesn''t seem to remember anything from the entire time he was missing. For now, he''s with my daughter, but he also doesn''t seem to understand what has happened. Could it be that he wasn''t kidnapped?"
"It can''t be, since Biuretta herself confessed it to Quikantel."
Jin also thought it was strange that Latrie''s memories had disappeared.
He hoped the Zipples had erased Latrie''s memories, but to think they would do the same to Beradin.
Or maybe Beradin was lying. Or he could simply be mistaken.
But Jin decided to dismiss those possibilities.
Latrie''s memories must have been erased by the demon god''s stone. They erased all his memories during the period he was kidnapped. The reason they bothered to alter his memories instead of simply killing him must have been a measure to ensure the safety of Az Mil''s contractor.
If that was the case, Beradin''s memory maniption could also have something to do with the demon god''s stone.
Perhaps the reason Beradin risked his life to set fire to the gold wasn''t, after all, his anger over the Holy Kingdom incident.
It''s likely that Beradin witnessed other atrocitiesmitted by the Zipple n, like the demon god''s stone, before setting fire to the gold.
And amidst his confusion, the revtion of the Holy Kingdom incidents made him impulsively rebel against his n.
Jin thought about it and sighed inwardly.
The migraines he suffered and the extreme instability he showed in the Holy Kingdom could also be side effects of memory maniption.
But it was not a good idea to ask him if he knew about the demon god''s stone.
Now that he knew about Beradin''s memory instability, he had to take precautions.
If Beradin had been enraged by the demon god''s stone, who knew what he would do after Jin mentioned it.
Until they were sure Beradin would act rationally, it was best that Beradin didn''t know.
"Beradin?"
"Yes?"
"I think there can only be one reason why the Zipples would be manipting your memories. They are trying to turn you into a sessor who perfectly fits their preferences. And it''s not the elders who are behind it. Keliac Zipple, your father, has to be behind all of this."
Jin was sure of this now. Beradin was nothing more than a perfectly groomed sessor in his past life.
Unlike what was known about him in the world, Beradin had also signed a contract with two gods back then. But regardless of the type of power he obtained, all the power he amassed had to be used for the Zipples, not for himself.
At that time, there was no peculiarity of Jin living his second life, and therefore, Beradin had no power to resist his own n. He had reached the age of thirty without knowing about the atrocities his nmitted and what they were doing to him.
"I suppose so, don''t I? Damn it, and here I thought I was an exemry sessor in my own right. Even this isn''t enough to please my father, is it? I''m contracted to two gods, and my magic skills are about to reach nine stars!"
Tuyan and Phinia said nothing. They had finished cleaning. They sat by the window on the other side and drank tea.
No human in history had ever signed a contract with more than one god at a time. Beradin was the first human to do so. But Dante was so shocked by the memory maniption that he barely even reacted.
Jin''s gaze briefly fell on the dragons. Beradin smiled when he saw it.
"By the way, why don''t you ask?"
"Ask you what?"
"How I entered into a contract with two gods."
"You must have had so much potential, I suppose. Plus, it''s not a question to ask at this moment."
"Right. The fact that you''re a Magic Swordsman is much crazier than the fact that I signed a contract with two gods. Wait, but that''s quite annoying when you think about it. See, you keep saying that it wasn''t you who killed Kiddard Hall. Not only did you kill him, but you even took his Inverted Sky."
Jin was about to respond when Beradin continued.
"Furthermore, you were the one who impersonated me in the kingdom of Arkhin! Hey, Dante. What do you think? I''m more scandalized that he took us for fools all this time than by my own memory maniption. He''s a swindler, that''s what he is. We''ll have to turn him in to the police."
There they were, saying whatever came to their minds.
Jin shrugged, and Dante nodded clumsily.
"Beradin, my friend, you don''t have to try so hard."
"Try hard at what?"
"You''re forcing yourself to sound cheerful and bright."
Jin felt a shiver down his spine as Dante spoke.
Beradin must have felt the same. He seemed stunned as he blinked, but quickly shook his head. "No, that''s not true. I''m actually fine, you know?"
"How can someone be fine after having their memories manipted? And by your own n, the one you trusted! You can be honest with us. We''re friends, aren''t we?"
"Yes, the truth is, I''m fine with everything."
An ufortable silence followed. Dante could only fake a few coughs, his ears reddening with indignation.
"But it seems they didn''t touch the diary, even when they manipted your memories."
"Those guys take care of the diaries, that''s why." Beradin pointed to the dragons.
"Do your guardian dragons know about the memory maniption?"
"Yes, they do. In fact, it''s the opposite. Not many people in the n know that I''m a divine contractor and that I have two guardian dragons."
"But why don''t they do anything about it?"
"Because Itelmion and Richta haven''t said much about it. The two gods must have decided that it doesn''t harm me. In fact, they seem eager to see me tamed soon so that I can be the patriarch as soon as possible."
Bing the patriarch of the Zipple n meant bing the most powerful figure in the whole world.
It was the best thing that could happen to the two gods who chose Beradin. Not only would it elevate their reputation, but they would also have dominion over all the other contractors of the n.
Although Jin couldn''t see the true motives of the two gods at the moment, it all seemed too repugnant to him. The dragons, strange and overly courteous, also got on his nerves.
Puppets.
The word struck him.
Beradin wasn''t living his own life. He was living the will of someone else. A will stained by conspiracy and atrocities.
"You just thought of me as a puppet, didn''t you?"
"That''s insane."
"How did you figure it out?"
Startled, Jin and Dante looked at each other. Dante thought the same as Jin.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Jinposed himself and asked.
"About what?"
"Leaving the Zipples."
"Ah, that. I suppose it won''t be easy. The only realistic way to do it is to wait for you to be a gbearer and capture me as a hostage. But that could easily lead to a full-blown war. Besides, there''s no telling how much your brothers could torture me."
"The Runcandels and the Zipples fight each other all the time, regardless of you."
"That may be true, but Jin, I also have my share of responsibilities. If my n is going in the wrong direction, I should be the one to stay and correct it, don''t you think? I''ll restore everything. I''ll make the Zipples the n I''ve always been proud of again."
"That''s the most unrealistic goal of all."
"Not if I have the help of you two."
"Friends or not, there are some lines we cannot cross. The Runcandels can''t help the Zipples."
"That''s very cold of you. I''m starting to feel disgusted again."
"Of course, I suppose I could personally help you. But what will happen afterward? Helping you will cause a division within the Zipple n. If we seed, the division will be so immense that the n has never faced such a crisis. Do you think the Runcandels and the other ns will just sit back and watch?"
That would never happen.
Once Beradin created a division within the Zipples, all factions would seize the opportunity to destroy the n. And before that, Beradin''s determination was impossible from the start.
"Moreover, do you think you''ll still be the person you are now by then? They will continue manipting your memories. Are you sure you can maintain your identity? I don''t think it''s something you can control by will or belief. You must leave the Zipple n, Beradin."
"So, you think I would sumb and change my way of being if I don''t, right?"
"Yes, I do."
"That might be the case. I can''t deny it. But Jin, you would have made the same decision as me if you were in my shoes. I''m not leaving the n."
"No, if I were you, I would leave the Runcandel n if I were forced to live a life where my own will was slowly taken away from me without my knowledge."
"Jin." Beradin smiled and continued. "I''m not an extraordinary guy like you."
There was a tone of resignation in his words. Jin didn''t know what to say.
Beradin wasn''t a fool either. He knew better than anyone how terrifying the idea of memory maniption and altering his personality was.
The discrepancy between his diary entries and reality, and the resulting confusion, were things he had been struggling with for years.
"Jin, I understand Beradin too. I''d like to support his opinion," Dante said.
There was a good reason why Jin insisted on Beradin''s need to leave the n. He didn''t want to face a future where he or his Runcandel brothers had to kill him.
"I know it''s shameful to say this, but as long as you two never abandon me, I think I should be able to change ns. I don''t care if the n''s powers diminish in the process. Huh?"
After Beradin expressed his opinion, the portal door outside the vacation house suddenly lit up.
Someone wasing to this ce. The only people who coulde at this precise moment were members of the Zipple n.
At that very moment, the two guardian dragons who had been having tea jumped to their feet and stood before Beradin in a fraction of a second.
They seemed to be protecting him.
"Tuyan? Phinia?"
Unlike their courteous attitude before, the two dragons didn''t respond. They raised their energies without much emotion.
A group of magicians emerged from the portal door. They wore gray robes without crests.
They had no markings of the White Night, nor of the special and elite sses of the Magicians. The gray robes didn''t even inform others of their Zipple status.
Jin didn''t know what this meant. But he could deduce it from the way they handled mana and the speed at which they cast chain spells as they emerged from the portal door.
They must be like the ck knights of the Runcandel n.
Whoever they were, one thing was clear. They were here to capture Jin.
"Jin, I didn''t call them!" Beradin desperately shouted.
Jin nodded. "Beradin."
"It wasn''t me, believe me, really..."
"I know. I won''t hold it against you, so stop panicking and order your guardian dragons to protect Dante as well. Those guys seem to be trying to blow this whole ce up."
Jin looked out the window and saw that the sky was red from the chain spell cast by the gray-robed magicians.
Chapter 260
C260 - Trackers (2)
How did those Magicians find their way here?
It was quite obvious. Either they obtained clues while manipting Beradin''s memory, or they were eavesdropping on the detection spells cast in the area.
Jin expected both scenarios, to some extent.
He thought that the White Night, or elite Magicians, or even tower masters might appear if someone pursued him here. But those gray robes. Who exactly are they?
Jin hadn''t seen those robes in his past life either.
But he was convinced that they were stronger than any other group of Magicians he had faced to date.
Dante was about to react and unsheathe his sword when Jin grabbed him by the wrist.
"Don''t draw your sword. If you do, they''ll consider you an enemy too. That''s what it seems like."
"I have a bad feeling, Jin. Those guys don''t seem like ordinary Magicians."
"And that''s all the more reason for you to use Beradin as a shield. Beradin, move. Take care of Dante."
"Jin, those guys are Magicians directly under my aunt''smand. My aunt must havee with them, so I''ll try to reason with her."
"I don''t have to knock you out again, do I? What do you think would happen if you spoke on my behalf here?"
"Damn. Shit, I''m sorry."
"Don''t be sorry."
The aunt was the younger sister of Keliac Zipple: Octavia Zipple.
Jin knew who she was. But he only knew her name because she was part of the Zipple n. He didn''t think she had a key role.
She had retired at a seven-star level even before Jin was born.
Obviously, most people considered her abilities to be quite ordinary for a Zipple, and despite being Keliac Zipple''s own sister, her rtively low abilities and early retirement kept her hidden from the public eye.
In other words, she was the wallflower of the Zipple n.
However, there she was, leading an unknown group of elite Magicians. Jin immediately remembered what his father had said about Andrei.
"It''s urate. He may be the vice patriarch, but he''s not second-inmand, as you say. The second position of power after Keliac is held by someone else, although it''s not information you need to know yet."
So, she must be second-inmand.
On the other side of the window, he could see a person wielding a shining staff amidst all the other Magicians casting the chain spell. It was Octavia.
And her staff was pointing directly at where he was.
Whoosh!
Jin almost missed the moment when the staff released its bolt.
The magical light beam Octavia fired wasn''t a spell. It was more like a thrust from a master swordsman.
Shing!
Jin pushed Dante toward Beradin and unsheathed Sigmund.
He didn''t unsheathe it to block the attack. Not even nine-star Swordsmen could block such supersonic attacks if they didn''t see theming.
Jin unsheathed his sword only to avoid any critical damage and prepare for the next series of movements.
A sharp, thread-like beam of light grazed Jin''s left cheek. It cut a few strands of hair and drew blood from his flesh. Fortunately, Dante was safe. Hended somewhere near Tuyan and Phinia.
"You just dodged that? Seems like you have some skills to back up your ims after all."
Crack!
Following her soft words, a line passed through the ce where Jin had been standing. The line was straight and narrow, as if someone had drawn it with a ruler. It ran through the entire house.
Five of those lines appeared in an instant. Octavia followed immediately after Jin dodged the first attack, but none of them were aimed at Jin.
Her intention was to destroy anything he could hide. In other words, she wanted to bring down the whole house.
The gigantic vacation house was sliced like butter. Cracks formed by the beam widened, sending rocks and various materials through the gaps.
Debris flew everywhere in the copsing building, like popcorn in a kettle. Jin and the dragons hurried to cast shield barriers against the debris.
No, the dragons had already cast their shield barriers to protect Beradin and Dante. They were no longer the adorable dragons chattering and cleaning the house. Their gazes were cold and devoid of emotion.
In fact, the dragons even prevented Beradin from approaching Jin. Dante couldn''t break through the dragons'' shield barrier either.
When Octavia appeared, the dragons understood that Beradin and Dante would die for sure if they left their shields.
Simrly, Octavia felt more at ease using all her power to capture Jin because the dragons were present.
As Jin had predicted, Octavia and her followers, the specters, didn''t care whether they blew up the entire ind or not.
This was definitely no joke.
Chills ran down Jin''s neck as he saw the countless debris shatter upon contact with the shield barriers.
It had been a long time since he felt such a crisis.
However, Jin directed the following words to Dante and Beradin, who were desperately trying to leave the dragons'' shield barrier.
It''s impossible for them to capture me.
I''ll see youter.
The entire house copsed. It caused a dark cloud of dust and blocked their view.
"Beat him half to death and bring him to me."
The specters raised their staves immediately after Octavia gave her order. Then the red sky swirled, and countless mana particles rained down.
It was as if blood rained from the sky. The mana particles turned into des and chains as they fell toward Jin.
Jin couldn''t do anything against that spell. It was a chain spell created by nine and ten-star magicians.
The red mana rained fiercely, sending shivers down his spine. The power was so immense that he couldn''t even think of reflecting it with the Inverted Sky as he did against the Zipple Magicians in the holy kingdom.
Even with his lightning energy and Shadow Energy, he couldn''t do anything. The power gap was too wide.
If Jin hadn''t anticipated this and hadn''t nned any countermeasures, he would undoubtedly be finished this time.
They''re quitete.
Jin swiftly dodged the red chains and swords. It had been a long time since Jin felt such terrible tearing sensations in his hand.
At most, ten times.
In fact, blocking this attack ten times was a miracle in itself. They had to arrive before he exhausted himself.
His own guardian dragons were on their way, just as Tuyan and Phinia were here to protect Beradin and Dante at this moment.
Two times, three times, four times.
His physical strength and aura diminished greatly each time he blocked the attacks of the red mana. It was killing him, but the specter magicians were equally shocked.
This eighteen-year-old provisional gbearer of Runcandel was constantly blocking their chain spell.
The ind was already crumbling. Every time Jin severed the red mana, it fell onto the ind, causing a huge piece ofnd to shake and tremble.
Of course, if the specters didn''t need to capture him alive, this battle would have ended long ago. Jin was walking on thin ice every time he stopped the attack.
But that in itself was insulting to the specters.
Seven, eight.
Nine.
Jin coughed up blood and dropped to one knee. The bacsh of aura spread throughout his body. He could barely wield his sword anymore.
But Jin had a slight smile on his face.
When he struck against the ninth attack of red mana, he saw a huge dark hole appear in the middle of the sky.
Guardian dragons. Not in singr.
He said it right. They were guardian dragons.
Beradin wasn''t the only one privileged to receive the protection of two guardian dragons.
Thest two dark dragons remaining in the human world emerged from the dark hole, piercing through the exclusion zone formed by the specters.
"Watch as the champions of humanity plunge into the red abyss to capture a little boy. The previous generations of specters will rise from their graves in shame."
It was Misha.
Her voice resonated. The swords and chains of the chain spell, red abyss, immediately stopped pursuing Jin.
It wasn''t the specters who halted the spell.
It was the Shadow Energy. The shadows blending with the red mana were overpowering the red abyss. It was the power of Misha.
Jin heard Murakan''s voice.
"Kid, how did it go? This time it was really close, huh? How else were we going to teach you to swim, if not in moments like this?"
He was turning the red sky into darkness. Whirlwinds of various sizes swirled as he pped his wings, just like when he crushed the Dark Magic Guild.
It was as if a dark sea had unfolded where the sky should have been.
Meanwhile, Jin pondered Murakan''s greeting.
How was he supposed to learn to swim? Don''t tell me that crazy dragon intentionally arrivedte.
Actually, Murakan and Misha were dyed due to the strong exclusion zones set up by the specters. But Jin would never find out the truth.
Kroooar!
Murakan breathed down toward the ground before the specters could even form their formation.
The specters had cast a gigantic chain spell like the red abyss and were now erecting shield barriers, but they remained calm and serene. None of them showed the slightest sign of retreat.
Octavia''s lightning bolts shot up toward the sky before Murakan''s breath could hit the barriers.
Surprisingly, the lightning cut through the breath in half and shot toward Murakan''s neck. The dragon returned the lightning with his wings instead of dodging it.
Misha descended slowly toward Jin while holding the red abyss.
"Murakan and Misha. I didn''t expect to encounter the legendary dark dragons here. So Jin Runcandel was your contractor after all. How is the wound Kadun inflicted on you? Is it healed?"
Octavia was a monster in her own right. She didn''t even flinch when the dark dragons looked down at her from the sky.
"Magician, if you ever make it out alive, tell Kadun that the king of the skies has returned."
"Not a difficult request."
"And that the king of the world will change too."
"Do you really think the Runcandel n can defeat us for the throne of the world? It seems you''ve forgotten the lesson your previous contractor left you a thousand years ago."
Murakan''s lips moved in response.
But it wasn''t out of anger or humiliation. He scoffed.
It was the kind of mockery that supernatural beings often hurled at those terribly foolish humans out of genuine amusement.
"Who said the Runcandel n would be the kings of the world? I was referring to my contractor. Fools, keep babbling,pletely unaware that today was yourst chance to change the future."
It won''t be the Runcandel n that will bring down the Zipples to be the kings of the world. It will be Jin Runcandel.
For some reason, Octavia couldn''t mock this ridiculously exaggerated im. She remained calm when facing the two dragons, but now, for some reason, she felt as if she had a big fishbone stuck in her throat.
But why?
It was her intuition. Not the senses of a ten-star Magician, but the ordinary premonition that all humans feel from time to time. This ominous yet powerful sensation made Octavia feel distress.
"Very well. If the great dark dragon deviates from his path to warn us, there''s no need to think too much about it. Specters, there''s no need to capture him alive. Kill Jin Runcandel."
Chapter 261
C261 - Trackers (3)
The specters raised their mana once again. The air around them started to vibrate. And it wasn''t just mere vibrations. It was as if the air had turned into water. Breathing became difficult, and they felt the weight on their shoulders.
The phenomenon was caused by the immense expansion of mana. Anyone unable to cast a five-star shield barrier could barely stand under its weight.
As the elite forces of the world''s strongest n, the specters wielded a power beyond the ordinary.
"Do you want to kill the boy? I thought I already told you. You''re toote. You''re not very good with words, are you?"
Octavia smiled slightly at Murakan''s words. "The records told me that you were the greatest dragon in history. But now that I see you with my own eyes, you are unworthy of that title. Your words convey nothing but your anxiety."
Screeeeech!
A terrible, piercing sound came from the sky. It was the sound of the specters'' red abyss pushing back Murakan''s Shadow Energy.
The red mana began to spread like stains across the sky, which had been darkened by the Shadow Energy. Murakan raised his Shadow Energy, but the forty percent of power he regained was not enough to push back the specters'' mana.
The pace of change in the sky elerated even further as Octavia began to add her mana to the red abyss.
I thought Andrei Zipple was a beast. But these guys are much stronger than him.
There were fifteen specters here.
Jin analyzed the flow of their mana and became convinced that there must be more than fifteen.
There are some gaps in how their manaplements each other.
It was amon problem when the number of Magicians casting a chain spell was insufficient. The red abyss could only unleash its full strength whenunched by the entire group of specters.
It was a headache to think that there were more than fifteen Magicians who were as strong as the ck knights.
In fact, those forces were not revealed to external forces at all.
Unlike the ck knights of Runcandel, not even Jin knew about the Zipple specters. They were, quite literally, a secret force.
There was a good reason why Runcandel refrained from total war against the Zipple, even with the Genesis Knight Cyron Runcandel inmand.
"Are you alright?" Misha transformed into her human form andnded next to Jin.
"Yes, thanks to you."
Jin spat blood. He took Misha''s hand and stood up.
He felt nauseous. His Light Heart was overheating due to the aura bacsh, and his vision had blurred. He was not in a condition to fight.
Although Murakan and Misha came to his aid, he still couldn''t rx.
"I had no idea that Magicians of such levels woulde in droves."
"Consider yourself lucky. The specters I faced in the past were stronger than them. But Murakan''s ego is about to take a blow."
Since the specters organized themselves after Temar Runcandel''s death, Murakan had never fought against the specters.
On the other hand, Misha had fought against the specters on several asions over the past thousand years. And she had concluded that the specters were stronger than any otherbat organization in the world.
"Jin?"
"Yes?"
"Listen carefully to everything I say, and do not refute or ask questions."
Shriek! The sky turned almostpletely red again. Now, only traces of Murakan''s Shadow Energy remained.
Gaining or losing territories was a critical element in a battle against groups of Magicians, especially if chain spells were cast in the sky.
If they couldn''t prevent the sky territory from being covered with the mana of opposing Magicians, they would be constantly bombarded with attacks.
"The Zipple reinforcements will start arriving soon. In other words, we have no chance if we prolong the fight."
Not even the dark dragons could withstand it if more specters were deployed as reinforcements from the n''s headquarters, Kadun, or even the White Night and Kozec.
There was a possibility that even Keliac Zipple himself might appear.
No matter how strong the dark dragons were, if they could single-handedly take down the Zipple n''s top forces, the Zipple would never have be the world''s strongest n in the first ce.
Jin silently nodded.
He had expected this. He knew they couldn''t kill Octavia and the specters, even with Misha and Murakan''s arrival.
"So, you will escape with Murakan. I will buy time. And don''t forget. That is the strength of the enemies you will have to crush in the future."
"You say it as if this is thest time we''ll talk."
"I told you not to ask, so now you y with words. Why? Do you think I''m sacrificing myself to save you?"
"Yes."
"If necessary, I will. One never knows what might happen."
Whoosh!
Shadow Energy gathered in Misha''s hand. It soon formed into a spear. Then the Shadow Energy extended from the spear, covering her entire body in armor.
Once fully armed, her body flickered like a dark ghost.
"But I don''t think I''ll die at their hands today. So rest and escape from here. Not even the specters of the past could harm me. I will also escape once I feel you''ve fled far enough. I have already told Murakan about this n."
He had already formted this n when they began breaking through the exclusion barrier set up by the specters. Victory was impossible, so Jin had to escape with Murakan.
That was why Murakan had boasted so confidently that they wouldn''t be able to kill Jin.
But I can''t leave you behind, Misha.
Jin desperately wanted to say those words, but he didn''t speak them aloud.
It was something he could only say when he was powerful enough to turn the situation around, or when he had the absolute determination to die fighting alongside her.
But Misha had no intention of dying in battle for the sake of her ego as a dark dragon of Solderet, and Jin had no desire to give up on the future against his duties.
Even if he insisted on fighting alongside her, the only conclusion would be a senseless death.
Therefore, Jin decided to propose something that could be of practical help. "Misha, this is territory of the Secret Pce."
Beradin had intentionally built his vacation home on an uninhabited ind in the western sea to avoid the scrutiny of his n.
As the western sea fell under the influence of the Secret Pce, Beradin thought that the Zipple couldn''t openly send people to this ce.
His judgment provedpletely wrong with the appearance of Octavia and the specters, but the fact that Beradin established his home here was nevertheless fortunate for Jin.
"If the fight gets out of hand, create as muchmotion as possible, so that the entire western sea bes aware. Once that happens, the ruler of the Secret Pce will provide assistance."
"Oh, now that you mention it, your Tikanrades mentioned something about the only daughter of the current ruler of the Secret Pce being your lover. Some good news would be wee in the current situation."
"That''s not true, but the ruler of the Secret Pce shows me great favor. The Secret Pce would have justification to retaliate if the Zipple cause damage in the western sea, so she will have every reason to help you, Misha."
"Haha, you have a cheeky side, don''t you?"
"I''d rather be cheeky if it means you won''t get hurt, Misha."
The des and chains of red mana that had been restrained by Misha''s Shadow Energy began to give way. The Shadow Energy holding them seemed like it would soon shatter.
Murakan and Octavia had been fighting for a while now. Octavia continued to unleash her lightning bolts against Murakan while he only defended with his breath.
Murakan was also using most of his Shadow Energy to suppress the red abyss, so he didn''t have many attack options.
Whoosh. Misha skillfully spun her spear and took a step forward.
"I''ve only seen you twice, and each time, I end up in your debt, Misha."
Misha shook her head. "No, it''s that foolish one and I who are in your debt. You are thest hope of the shadows."
Jin tried to respond, but at that moment, the Shadow Energy umted at the tip of Misha''s spear. Jin was surprised by the magnitude of the Shadow Energy gathering at the tip of her spear.
It was iparably deeper and denser than the Shadow Energy Murakan deployed when facing Peitel''s manifestation in Yulian and decimating the Dark Guild Magicians.
It only took a second to gather such apressed amount of Shadow Energy at the tip. Misha employed a variation of the Shadow de, using the spear.
Temar had called it the shadowless spear, but ironically, the technique required much more Shadow Energy than the Shadow de.
"I will clear the path."
Shadowless was just a metaphor.
It referred to how fast it was, so fast that even Temar struggled to keep up with its speed. It also referred to how it was capable of destroying everything without leaving a trace if it so desired.
The technique swept away everything to the point where not even a shadow of its target remained.
"So, stay put here. Don''t follow me."
Jin tilted his head. The tip of Misha''s spear cut through the air.
It was then that Octavia flinched and turned her head, refraining from casting spells on Murakan.
Octavia had missed Jin and Misha due to the battle against Murakan and the dust cloud that rose after the ind''s destruction.
That''s why her reaction was slow.
Her dyed reaction also meant that the entire squad of specters didn''t react, as no specter was more skilled than Octavia.
The wave of dark des that emanated from Misha''s spear struck the specters'' barrier.
Crack!
"What?"
A single strike from her spear shattered the center of the thick barrier as if it were an egg.
Even Octavia had to gasp at the spectacle. The specters inside the barrier felt their hair stand on end.
Even Jin swallowed. He thought Misha was incredibly strong when she struck Murakan after healing him.
But this went far beyond his imagination.
He almost felt embarrassed for thinking they could kill her while he was saving her. Even with reinforcements arriving, it was unlikely that Misha wouldn''t be able to escape from this ce.
I guess I was exaggerating.
For some reason, he felt a smile on Misha''s back and asked her a question: Did you think that bunch would defeat me?
"The time hase for your proud tongue to be humiliated, Magician," Murakan spoke as he looked down at Octavia from the sky.
Then he pretended to sigh. When Octavia took a defensive stance, he immediately descended hastily towards Jin.
Octavia realized then that the dark dragons had no intention of fighting them. The reason it seemed like they intended to fight them head-on had only been a smokescreen to rescue Jin.
"Block Murakan! Don''t let him reach Jin Runcandel!"
"Bwahaha, and can you?" Murakan sneered at Octavia. Then he withdrew the Shadow Energy that had been suppressing the red abyss.
The des and chains of red mana immediately flew towards Murakan, but Misha was faster.
"Thought you''d go for other targets when I''m right in front of you. Seems like your predecessors didn''t make a note of me."
The waves of des shooting out from her spear shed through the frenzy of swords and chains from the red abyss. She wielded the spear faster than the eyes could follow, making it appear like a dark orb.
"Time to go, kid!"
Jin kicked the ground forcefully and jumped onto Murakan''s back.
Once Jin safelynded on his back, Murakan shot up into the sky at full speed and flew towards the hole in the exclusion zone that he had made earlier.
Chapter 262
C262 - Departing
Five days had passed since their sessful escape.
Jin walked alone through the forests on the southern borders of the Kingdom of Jian. Murakan had left him there two days ago and returned to Tikan.
The entire world was in a frenzy to capture Jin. And since the Kingdom of Jian was close to the Allied Kingdoms of Hufester, if anyone recognized him, hordes of Runcandel Guardian Knights would storm in.
Of course, Jin wouldn''t be stopped by mere travelers or border defense guards, but encountering them meant he had to subdue them. That''s why Jin had to be cautious.
This is getting slightly confusing now. Was it this way?
Wandering through the forest was a tedious ordeal.
Jin searched his memory to locate the secret passage used by the half-orcs with fish tails. Jin couldn''t head towards established roads and was unfamiliar with the region''s geography, which provided the perfect reason for getting lost.
But he wasn''t anxious. There were many streams flowing through various corners of the forest, so he always had water to drink. There were also plenty of animals, so he wasn''t worried about a shortage of food.
The next morning, Jin smiled as he caught the scent of roasted fish. There was only one tribe that roasted fish for food in such a remote ce.
He cautiously approached the source of the smell. Before his eyes unfolded a beautiful scene that could only be found in fairy tales.
About six half-orcs with fish tails were roasting the fish they had just caught by the stream. They cheerfully sang songs among themselves,pletely unaware that Jin was approaching.
"Hello."
The fish tails froze upon hearing Jin''s voice.
They thought he was a hunter. Although such trade was strictly prohibited by internationalw, there were still people who hunted and sold dried fish tails at exorbitant prices.
"Sorry for startling you. By any chance, do you know... Ah, there it is."
Jinmented as he raised his open hands and bent his knees to match their height. Fortunately, there was a familiar face in the fish tail tribe.
"Long time no see, Dark me."
"Ohh, Jin Runcandel. We meet again? Surprised. Very." The fish tail spoke in their tribe''s broken and peculiar nativenguage.
The other fish tails let out a sigh of relief when Dark me greeted Jin.
He wasn''t the only one who knew Jin. There were other fish tails who had received help from Jin after being stripped of their possessions by the crimson tigers.
Furthermore, Jin was considered a hero among the fish tails after Bamel''s identity, who had faced off against the Kinzelo, was revealed.
The fact that both the Runcandel and Zipple collectively put a bounty of four hundred million gold coins on Jin''s head was also a topic of discussion among the half-orcs.
"How have you been? Also, good, right? You, gold coins, four hundred million." Dark me approached Jin with a concerned expression.
"I''m fine. Sorry to ask you once again, but do you think I could ask for your help this time too? In fact, I''ve been searching for you."
"Going, again, to the great desert?"
"You know how the current situation is."
Dark me was the leader of the group, and they dly decided to help Jin.
"It seems like I''m always in debt to you."
"No, jewels,st time. Still have, plenty."
The reward that Jin had given the fish tails the first time he departed for Lafrarosa was more than what their entire tribe could earn in several years, and the fish tails were still making good use of it.
"And also, helped, Big Snout, and, Big Eyes, of, Crimson Tiger. You, return, the, money. No, reason, not, to, help."
The fish tails called Big Snout and Big Eyes raised their thumbs. Jin felt ttered. He awkwardly smiled and joined them to eat the roasted fish.
After the meal, Jin followed the fish tails to their secret cave.
The cave built by the felinoids remained a mysteriousbyrinth. At the end of the cave, he could see fish tails and golden mice gathered in one ce, taking a nap.
"Hey, fish tails! You can''t bring things like that down here. Look at that. It''s Jin Runcandel."
"What? Jin Runcandel?"
All the half-orcs lying on the ground immediately stood up, their eyes as wide open as they could be.
But they didn''t seem rmed, despite the appearance of the world''s most wanted criminal. They surrounded Jin as if he were a fascinating creature.
"He got caught up in the mess between the Runcandels and Zipple. What a bleak future he has now," one of the golden mice clicked its tongue and spoke.
Its name was Penny. He was the golden mouse hairdresser who had dyed Jin''s hair for the Compass Interception Operation.
Jin looked into Penny''s eyes. "Penny, let me propose a deal that the golden mice will love."
"You''re not asking for permission to live here, are you? That''s something we would have to discuss with the leaders of all the tribes, and even though most of us like you, I don''t think it would work. If you ever got caught, the giant ns would kill everyone...".
Jin shrugged as he watched Penny go on and on.
"No, I''m not making any such request. It''s very simple. Disguise me."
"A disguise?"
"I''m heading to the great desert. But since there will be plenty of half-men who might recognize me, I need an appropriate disguise."
"The great desert? Why? There''s certainly something strange about this guy. It was the samest time. Why do you want to keep going to that destend that everyone else avoids? Do you really want to end your life there this time?"
"Can you do it or not?"
"Hmm, it''s not a very difficult task, yes. But if you get caught and it''s known that we were the ones who disguised you, the Runcandels mighte after us. Right?"
Jin could swear that none of that would happen. But no one trusted him except himself.
That''s why Jin reached for his waist to draw his sword.
"Aaaak!"
"Ugh! No, don''t do this! Okay! We''ll do it."
"Uh, ugh!"
The faces of the small half-orcs immediately paled.
But instead of unsheathing it, Jin untied one of the two swords he had at his waist andid it on the ground.
"You''ve gotten on my nerves! I thought you were threatening us."
"We were also shocked."
"Yes, well. Sorry for scaring you. Yourpensation for the disguise will be this sword."
Jin had left Bradamante on the ground.
"Are you giving this to us?"
The golden mice''s eyes gleamed as they lifted the sword to inspect it. Bradamante was a glorious sight to behold, even for those who knew little about swords. The golden mice were obsessed with money, so it was no wonder that they were now enchanted by it.
"When the rumor of my death starts spreading in the world, contact the Runcandel n and deliver this sword to them. You will be generously rewarded. It''s one of the finest swords in my n. Tell them you found it in a remote location south of the Kingdom of Jian."
"Do you think the Runcandels will believe us?"
"They will believe you, and even if they don''t, they certainly won''t harm you. In any case, the n will be grateful that you found the sword for them. It wouldn''t be good for the n''s reputation if they don''t offer you a huge reward. In fact, they might even protect you."
"No way. Really?"
"Of course. In return, promise me that you won''t try to negotiate with any other n just to drive up prices against the Runcandels. Once they find out that you negotiated with someone else, no matter the rewards, they''ll kill all of you."
Penny and the other golden mice seemed rather disappointed.
They would receive a tremendous object in exchange for the disguise, but they were worried that the Runcandels might violently shake them up in the future.
Jin also understood their point of view. If they refused, he nned to head to the great desert without any disguise.
"It''s quite tempting, but our lives may depend on that object, so... Huh?"
"Oh."
"Wow!"
The small half-orcs were startled, and everyone turned to look.
Jin turned his gaze along with them to see a half-orc he had never seen before. He was small, like the fish tails and golden mice. His height only reached Jin''s waist.
He had a cat-like face, pupils of a mysterious purple color, and fur as white as snow.
He was a felinoid. Jin didn''t know when he had arrived, but the felinoid was nodding towards Jin and the half-orcs.
"As freeloaders living in these caves, I suppose we have no choice if the owner approves. Well, look at that. It seems like you have a long life ahead of you. To think that a human would receive the blessings of a felinoid. My, what have I just witnessed? Four hundred million is quite something, eh."
"A blessing? He just nodded, didn''t he?"
"Humans may not know about these things, but among us, the small half-orc tribes, anyone who receives the approval of the felinoids will be unconditionally weed by us, regardless of race or motive. I ept that deal."
Jin felt equally amused by the felinoid''s sudden appearance. He wanted to express his gratitude, regardless of why the felinoid had decided to help him.
But the felinoid disappeared in an instant without leaving a trace, even when Jin searched for it in his mind''s eye.
How intriguing.
But it made him feel better, as if everything would turn out well.
"And split the reward in half with the fish tails."
Penny pondered for a moment and replied, "No. Eighty-twenty."
"Fifty-fifty."
"Seventy-thirty."
"Sixty-forty. That should be enough, don''t be greedy."
"Hmph, fine! When do you need the disguise?"
"Immediately."
"Wait a moment. Let me fetch the tools."
Penny and the other golden mice hurried away.
When they returned, they carried hair dyes, wigs, and all sorts of mysterious objects that Jin had no idea what they could be used for.
"We''ll make sure no one recognizes you on your way to the great desert!"
They immediately got to work.
After an hour of makeup, Jin looked at himself in the mirror. He immediately chuckled. The mirror showed the face of an old man instead of his own familiar face.
"Nothing is impossible with the makeup skills of the golden mice. But don''t touch it out of curiosity. You''ll ruin the makeup. We tried to make you look like a retired expert mercenary who has been traveling around."
"I like it. When I be a full-fledged gbearer of the Runcandel n, we''ll have many matters to discuss together. It''s been a pleasure seeing all of you. Now, I''m off."
"Oh. Are you leaving already? Be careful. Seriously!"
After a brief farewell, Jin headed through the secret passage that led to the Yuka-yuka Market. The half-orcs looked at each other and shrugged.
"Well, what an experience. And to think that the felinoids would step forward."
"I agree, me too."
Since ancient times, the felinoids had only approved of humans for two reasons.
Either they were contracted by the cat god, or their intuition as felinoids pointed to the human as a protector of the small hybrids.
Obviously, Jin was thetter.
"In any case, the fact that the felinoids blessed Jin Runcandel means that we will be safe too. What great fortune! What will we do once we get the money?" Penny shouted, causing the golden mice and fish tails to embrace each other andugh in celebration.
Perhaps the felinoid''s blessing is real, as they mentioned. The crimson tigers patrolling noticed me on more than five asions, yet none of them bothered to search me.
Exiting the Yuka-yuka Market, Jin arrived at the great desert of Mitra without any major issues.
The desert, ridiculously vast and ivory-colored, and the sun above it burned fiercely with the intention of roasting everyone to death.
But unlike his first visit to the desert, that deste ce no longer seemed unsettling to Jin. In fact, it felt familiar and weing.
It was as if he had returned home, to his ownnd.
And the desert also embraced Jin like a mother weing a child who had traveled far from home. Instead of dreadful mirages, a cool breeze flowed wherever Jin went. During the night, a soft moonlight covered his tent.
"You''ve arrived, Brother Jin."
After four days, Tantell revealed himself in the same manner as the first time.
"Hello, Brother Tantell."
"We were dying to see you. Have you brought any interesting stories? Lafrarosa is going to get busy once again."
Tantell brandished his sword to open the gates of Lafrarosa as he handed Jin a bottle of jewel liquor.
He then added, "Brother Jin, are you prepared for this? The Battle Goddess sister and our battle king brothers are so ready to crush you in training that you might not want to step through the gate if you know what awaits you."
"I''ll make the brothers surrender first, just likest time."
Jin smiled as he took a sip of the jewel liquor.
Six monthster, the golden mice went to the Runcandels to deliver Bradamante and received their reward.
Rumors of Jin''s death began to spread throughout the world.
Chapter 263
C263 - Returning to the Garden of Swords
"Ouch, ouch! My shoulder still hurts asionally from the battle against those lunatics. Honey, why don''t youe here and give Mom a shoulder massage?" Tris whined as she rubbed her left shoulder.
As Jin had predicted, he joined Misha and the specters'' battle in the Western Sea to protect their territory.
A hundred uninhabited inds were wiped off the map by the battle, and the surrounding sea route waspletely blocked.
Even six months after that battle, Shadow Energy, Frost Energy, and mana caused tornadoes that created treacherous winds and surges.
No one witnessed thebat, but the tornado caused major nations to send investigators to the area, whoter concluded that a great battle had taken ce.
Thanks to the presence of Shadow Energy, Frost Energy, and mana in the tornado, the investigators deduced that the Zipples'' Magicians, a Dark Dragon, and the ruler of the Secret Pce had fought there.
The whole world wanted to know the cause and oue of the battle.
The Secret Pce was known as a neutral force, and people considered Solderet a god who mostly made blood-pact contracts with pure-blooded Zipples.
In fact, most of Solderet''s contractors before Jin (and after Temar) belonged to the Zipple n, including Riol Zipple himself. It was also Riol''s overwhelming magic and aplishments that gave people the impression that Solderet was a Zipple god.
But now, with these forces fighting each other in the middle of the Western Sea without much preamble, the whole world mored to know more.
"I don''t want to," said Siris, Tris'' daughter.
"Mmmh, I ended up in this state after trying to help your future boyfriend. Don''t be so cold to me now."
"I know you''re exaggerating."
"I''m not exaggerating, alright? My arm hurts, and it feels like it''s going to fall off. I can''t even lift a spoon."
Kak! Mott, the snow toad, nodded in agreement with Tris'' words.
Siris had a reason for acting rtively indifferent to Tris'' usual self.
"Mother, I still don''t understand. Why did you make a statement saying that we lost?"
Tris recently gathered journalists to make an official statement about the battle in the Western Sea.
She told the journalists, "I don''t know why the Zipples and the Dark Dragon were hostile to each other, but I only joined the battle to protect my territory since they were fighting in mynd. People seem curious about the oue and the whereabouts of the Dark Dragon. I don''t know what happened to the Dark Dragon, but the Zipples were the winners of the battle. Therefore, I hope there is no misunderstanding involving the Secret Pce."
The cause of the battle, thebat oue, the rtionship between the Zipples and the Dark Dragon ¨C the world''s people had no ess to these details before Tris'' statement because the Zipples remained silent.
But Tris revealed everything they wanted to know.
Naturally, the fact that the Zipples won the battle caused the greatest impact.
It was believed that the Zipples had defeated Tris and the Dark Dragon in the absence of the patriarch, regaining some of the dignity they had lost due to Jin, while the Secret Pce experienced the opposite.
But it wasn''t the truth.
"Mother, you killed three specters with Misha, the Dark Dragon, and it was the Zipples who retreated when the Dark Dragon made its escape."
That should be considered a defeat for someone as tremendous as me. With the Dark Dragon present, I should have killed at least ten. Moreover, if I really killed that many, Keliac could personally attack the Secret Pce."
"After you announced the Secret Pce''s defeat, all kinds of despicable scum are looking down on us now, mother. The merchants of the Lutero Magical Federation are already bullying the Western Sea merchants. And that''s not all."
"Perhaps my sweet and dear daughter could cut off the limbs of that scum and feed them to the sharks? And tell the warriors to reinforce the protection of the people in the Western Sea."
"There are too many of them."
"You can kill them all. We made the Zipples happy, so they won''t be able toin about such insignificant matters. This is what politics is about, Siris. Please try to think about what your mother has to endure."
"I wish no one would dare to cause trouble in the Western Sea, neither the Zipples nor the Runcandels, not even the Vermonts."
Siris sighed and approached Tris to massage her tired shoulders. She actually understood and respected her mother''s decision, but she still struggled to suppress her frustration.
"You can make them feel that way in your time. Mmmh, it feels good. By the way, I wonder when my son-inw will return. I hope he''s not really dead, right? We haven''t heard anything from him in six months. All that was found was his sword. I feel anxious. That Dark Dragon, she''s cold. I helped her, but she didn''t give me any information."
Instead of answering, Siris simply looked at the magnificently blooming snow flowers outside the window.
More time passed. It was February 1799.
The Runcandels and Zipples had still not revoked their arrest orders.
But the news of Jin''s death was no longer a rumor. It was epted as true. The youngest son of the Runcandels, who had caused a sensation worldwide, soon faded from people''s memories.
The knights, magicians, and mercenaries who had been after the astronomical amount of gold were no longer searching for Jin.
Journalists also stopped writing articles about him. Only tavern storytellers or minstrels reminisced about the name Jin.
The world seemed fine without him.
But in reality, the world was very different after Jin''s disappearance. It changed since Jin revealed the Zipple n''s hypocrisies and brought the new giant power, Kinzelo, to the surface.
Meanwhile, in the Runcandel n...
"Kehehehe, kuhuhuhu. What? Say it again? Beg for forgiveness? Repeat that, you twisted worms. I feel so thrilled every time I see people''s convictions shatter."
"Sure, sure. Between you and me, I''d also like to spare your lives. But what other choice do we have? This is what we do."
Deitona and Heitona spoke as they looked at a group of bound individuals.
After bing full-fledged gbearersst summer, they earned the nickname "Darlings of Hell" and umted a series of achievements on various missions.
They were especially adept at elimination tasks, especially killing Zipple extremists who started to act after the Zipples'' atrocities were revealed to the world.
"Now, we''ll just do away with one of you. We don''t know who the lucky one will be, but the survivor will tell all their friends, okay? Tell them that no matter where they hide, we will find everyst one of them and crush them like roaches under our feet."
"But you just said you wanted to spare us too."
"Roaches can''t talk. Roaches are not supposed to talk, alright? So if they start talking, it will prove me wrong, won''t it?"
The long saber and the chain sword mercilessly sliced through the bodies of the Zipple extremists.
"Oh, right. We were supposed to spare one. We ended up killing them all."
"That''s fine, Heitona! Kehehe, we can go hunting for them again."
"Deitona, something definitely smells fishy here. These bastards, I swear they must be receiving support from the Zipple n. How else would they get those mana bombs to blow themselves up?"
The extremists were causing trouble in all regions of Hufester. Acts of terrorism, kidnappings, propaganda, and more. They were engaged in daily criminal activities against the people of Hufester.
Deitona had developed a habit ofughing maniacally every time she killed someone, which only ceased when she saw enough blood. "We must find evidence that the Zipple idiots are supporting these extremists, and that''s our job, remember?"
"And to do that, we should have spared one''s life and followed them."
"That''s right! I told you, we can hunt more of them down."
"True. Thest time we spared one''s life, they fled and suddenly poisoned themselves tomit suicide. Sometimes, I feel like they''re being controlled, like puppets. Hmm."
"I feel that way too, sometimes."
"For now, let''s return. Ugh. Miu and Anne. Do you think those bitches are waiting for orders at the n house?"
"Probably, I suppose? Damn, I wonder what they''re going to make us stumble upon this time. I don''t even want to think about it."
As expected, Miu and Anne had returned to the Garden of Swords that morning. It wasn''t just them. All the Runcandel gbearers were gathered in the Garden of Swords.
The n patriarch, Cyron Runcandel, had left the ck Sea to stay at the n house for some time.
"Well, well, look who it is. It''s the Tona idiots."
"Look at those eyes staring at us now that they''re gbearers! Seriously, they don''t want to see the light of day anymore, do they?"
Miu and Anne confronted the Tona twins for no reason when they saw them. To be precise, they weren''t really fighting. It was a one-sided verbal abuse.
The Tona twins still feared their sisters.
"Sisters, it''s been a long time."
"Why are you scared? Have you been talking behind our backs?"
"No, that''s not true."
"Hah,e on, don''t deny it, hellish idiots."
"What''s all thismotion?" Joshua spoke quietly as he walked past them.
"Hello, Joshua."
"I just received news from butler Heinz that Father will arrive in two hours. We have no time to waste, so grab your ceremonial armor and get in formation."
"Understood."
Everyone in the Garden of Swords prepared to greet Cyron.
They always lined up in elegant armor whenever he came to the garden, but it was quite rare to see the cadets also joining the formations. That''s how significant this visit was.
After Jin''s disappearance, the cold war between the Runcandels and Zipples worsened. It was necessary for Cyron to personally encourage the members of the Runcandel n.
His mere presence was more than enough to dispel all the fears and anxieties that hung over the Runcandels and Hufester.
A Divine Star Knight: that was the presence of the world''s greatest swordsman.
The formation was ready in two hours.
Luna, Joshua, Luntia, Dyfus, Ran, Vuigo, Maria, Miu, Anne, Deitona, and Heitona.
The eleven gbearers, except for Yona, who was in Sameel, stood at the front of the formation, holding the banners of the ck Sword Shield.
Behind them were the elders, executioner knights, and all the guardian knights from each division. Even the cadets stood in their ceremonial armor with uniform swords.
But there wasn''t a single foot soldier in sight. There weren''t any in the Garden of Swords to begin with. Only the knights, the knights in formation, and the cadets were part of the Garden of Swords forces.
Cyron''s entourage soon arrived.
"The Patriarch has entered the garden!" Luna shouted as she stomped her foot. The knights stomped after her in a square formation.
"Formation, Sword Tombs!"
"Formation, Sword Tombs!"
The gbearers and knights repeated Luna''smand.
Sword Tombs was a ceremonial formation exclusive to the Runcandel n.
The several thousand swords stuck in the Garden of Swords were each a tomb assigned only to those who had made great contributions to the protection and prosperity of the n.
The gbearers and knights dispersed, each taking their position in front of a sword tomb. It seemed as if they had broken the orderly formations. But this was the epitome of Runcandel''s ceremonial rites.
"Loyalty to the n! We face the Patriarch of the n!"
"Loyalty to the n! We face the Patriarch of the n!"
The gbearers raised their gs as the knights saluted with their swords. Their voices were perfectly synchronized and resonated as one.
Cyron and Rosa surveyed the entire n on horseback. Ten active ck Knights kneeled behind them.
"Excellent. Sheathe your swords."
At Cyron''smand, each sword wielded by the living returned to its sheath. Only the swords stuck in the garden gleamed under the sun.
Cyron remained silent for some time.
He felt something approaching the Garden of Swords from the sky.
For now, only the Divine Star Knight could perceive the approaching presence. It was too far for Luna and the ck Knights to detect.
"It seems someone else wants to wee this old man too," Cyron said.
"Patriarch, what do you mean by that?" his wife asked.
"Rosa, you''ve be dull too. A formidable force is approaching the Garden of Swords, and at a rather fast pace."
Rosa''s eyes widened.
Soon, Luna and the ck Knights perceived what Cyron mentioned. The other gbearers and higher-ranked knights realized itter than they did.
"Patriarch, may I prepare the anti-air defenses?" Luna asked cautiously, but Cyron shook his head.
"It won''t be necessary, First gbearer. Regardless of who it is, it wouldn''t be right for the entire Runcandel n to take action."
"My apologies, Patriarch."
Cyron was right.
No one on earth could single-handedly bring down the Garden of Swords in its current state. The entire Runcandel force, including Cyron, guarded the Garden of Swords.
Therefore, it was unnecessary for the entire Runcandel n to sensibly react to a single target.
Ten seconds passed.
Finally, a gigantic dark dragon revealed itself in the sky above the Garden of Swords.
Murakan.
Its shadow covered the garden, causing the knights to gasp inwardly.
Despite the sudden turn of events, they had to be cautious in the presence of Cyron.
But what truly shocked Luna, the ck Knights, and a few talented gbearers was not the appearance of the dark dragon.
What shocked them was the fact that the formidable force mentioned by Cyron did note from the dark dragon. Despite Murakan''s enormous size, its energies had been concealed with Shadow Energy.
Murakan descended slowly towards the Garden of Swords.
A rider on its back was revealed as the dragonnded. It was the force approaching the Garden of Swords.
Everyone, except for the newly recruited cadets, recognized the face of the rider.
It was Jin Runcandel, now neen years old. He saluted his father with a simple look.
"Father. Provisional gbearer Jin Runcandel has returned afterpleting his training."
Chapter 264
C264 - Embers (1)
Those gathered in the Garden of Swords trembled at his words as if a lightning bolt had struck in front of their noses. Their eyes widened at the audacious wanted man before them.
Everyone with their eyes fixed on Jin, including the elders and pure-blooded Runcandels, had not witnessed a more shocking moment in their lives.
How could he be so bold? Here he was, voluntarily returning to the ce of his execution despite the arrest warrant issued by the tworgest ns in the world.
How dare he? Does he dare to mock this ce? Arrest him right now!
All the elders and his brothers wanted to give the order.
Under most circumstances, they surely would have already done so. But their instincts told them to keep their mouths shut.
Not to speak in front of Cyron. Even Rosa had to calm her startled heart. She looked at her husband for a reaction.
And, obviously, she hoped that Cyron would stab Jin, just as all the other pure-blooded Runcandels thought he would.
Jin dismounted from Murakan''s back, stretched, and looked towards Cyron.
Cyron remained still and met the gaze of his youngest son.
A dreadful silence followed, so quiet that no one dared to breathe aloud. No one could guess what father and son were thinking.
Jin''s eyes gleamed with their own light, as if to say there was nothing on earth he feared.
In contrast, Cyron''s eyes were filled with concern and highlighted the wrinkles around them.
His gaze concealed the deep emotional feeling that the giant named Cyron felt for the first time in his life.
The heart of a father beholding his adult son.
The joy that his son had be the most special and powerful man in the world and that he was finally standing before him as a man, and the faith that it wasn''t an illusion born from parental expectations.
He had sired thirteen children, and Luna was the only one he had embraced in pure ecstasy. But Luna went against his wishes and yielded the seat of patriarch.
After Luna, he regarded the other eleven as pebbles on the road. But when Jin began revealing his talents, he saw a spark in him.
Now, the spark had turned into an uncontroble fire, a great ze that flew towards the Garden of Swords to engulf it entirely.
To sweep this sacred ce of swordsmenpletely in its mes, for this warm grave of swords to ignite its formidable mes once more.
I am proud.
Cyron''s brief but intense feeling did not reach anyone''s ears, including Jin''s.
Several seconds passed. Jin fell into a mysterious sensation, just like Cyron.
There were thousands of swordsmen and eleven of his brothers there, but it felt as if he was alone with his father.
Only his father, Cyron Runcandel, among all those gathered there.
He was the only one worthy of defeating him.
Of course, many present were stronger than Jin. Luna, Rosa, the ck Knights. However, they were people Jin was destined to surpass someday.
But the same couldn''t be said of his father.
Surpassing his father required the determination to ovee his own destiny.
"I will surpass myself over and over to surpass you, father."
Both father and son made ament to themselves.
Cyron was the first to move. After dismounting his horse, he unsheathed his sword.
It was the same sword Jin had chosen in the selection ceremony in both his past and present lives. The pale de of Balisada, the sword of the first patriarch, Temar Runcandel, reflected the sun.
Cyron then raised his strength, causing all the cadets to immediately fall to the ground.
All their legs gave way. Cyron''s strength was impossible for the cadets to resist.
Low-level guardian knights trembled as they struggled to maintain their stance, and even mid-level knights exerted great effort to fight against the force.
Falling to the ground before Cyron was a disgrace only allowed for young cadets.
Rosa, the elders, high-ranking guardian knights, execution knights, ck Knights, and all the gbearers except the Tona twins showed no change in expression.
Meanwhile, Jin gathered all his energy and prepared to respond to the attack.
Here ites. My father''s sword is descending.
I can withstand a single strike from my father.
It was the confidence he had gained from his first visit to Laphrarosa.
Indeed, Jin realized he could block a strike from Vahn, the battle god, after ny thousand deaths, and he even demonstrated it against Vanessa Olsen, a retired ck Knight.
But Cyron chose a very different move from the usual.
It wasn''t a simple horizontal or vertical cut. This strike carried the weight of all the achievements of a demigod named Cyron Runcandel.
The sword.
It gradually descended, in such a way that even a three-year-old child could notice its movement. Its incremental descent made it seem like anyone could dodge it with just a light step.
It continued to fall towards Jin.
No sound of slicing through the air was heard. Balisada leaned forward like a frigate sinking gently into the sea.
But who could say that the sword was slow?
One didn''t need to be a martial arts master to conjure up the only phrase that could fully describe the movement Cyron was making.
Divine Strike.
Something only possible with the powers of a deity.
An incredible technique that was far beyond theprehension of men and thews of nature.
Jin took a deep breath as Balisada approached within an arm''s length of him.
He was sweating all over. Every muscle fiber in his body waspletely contracted, his blood and bones hardened with all the aura he held within.
It would be impossible to face this gradually but incredibly variable technique without raising all his energies.
The pale de of Sigmund left its sheath. A dense lightning energy flowed over the de.
Jin held the sword in a two-handed stance and raised it diagonally to block Balisada. In a matter of seconds, the swords would finally sh.
Everyone gathered in the Garden of Swords thought a million things as the collision approached.
Luna worried that Jin might not be able to withstand the attack.
"Father is convinced that the brat can withstand his strike!"
Meanwhile, Joshua clenched his teeth anxiously. Jin had be an enemy as strong as him. Joshua believed that Jin would undoubtedly survive and drive the sword into his neck.
Most of his brothers shared Joshua''s opinion.
He had simply been the younger brother, just a Provisional gbearer, a condemned criminal who couldn''t escape his sentence.
But now, he had returned to join the race for the throne of swords and angrily eyed his opportunity to pass the final rite of passage.
If he blocks this sword, everything he has caused so far will be taken much less seriously. Cyron, must you throw the Runcandels into the mes of chaos for your own pleasure?
Rosa Runcandel''s eyes narrowed. She also cherished her youngest son, whom she had given birth to with great effort, to the point where she considered him the best candidate to seed Joshua as the patriarch.
If only he hadn''t caused so many problems. No, even if he had deviated from the n by wielding Shadow Energy and magic, if he hadn''t revealed himself to the public of his own ord, she would have done everything in her power to ensure he became Joshua''s sessor.
But now that his deviations had been revealed to the entire world, they had to dismiss Jin, if only for the sake of the n. That''s what Rosa believed.
Still, I cannot go against the Patriarch''s decision. The will of Patriarch Runcandel must be executed with absolute authority, and it must always remain so.
To question the current Patriarch''s decision and turn the situation around could only mean one thing.
It meant that Joshua''s decision could always be overturned by someone else after bing patriarch. It undermined the patriarch''s absolute rule.
That''s why she wanted to make Joshua the patriarch as soon as possible. Rosa saw him as the ideal candidate to safeguard this gigantic sand castle that was the Runcandel n.
In fact, she believed that no one could rece Joshua.
We have too many enemies. The future of the Runcandel n is bleak, and we have nowhere to run. So why do we try to return to the past?
Rosa bit her lower lip. And at that precise moment, the swords of Balisada and Sigmund met.
Steel met steel, emitting an extremely faint sound like an egg forming a small crack.
Cyron did not retract his sword uponpleting his movement. Meanwhile, Jin looked at him with eyespletely bloodshot from the effort.
Blood streamed from his lips and ears.
The force within Balisada transferred to Jin''s body like convection and turned his strengths upside down. It was as if a tsunami surged through his veins. His bones and internal organs screamed as if they were being torn apart.
But Jin stood firm.
Cyron''s strength soon formed aplete circle within Jin''s body and spread through the ground, which trembled and gave way as if someone had forcefully opened its mouth.
An immensely bright light gushed out of the hole in the ground like an oil well. It was the aura of Cyron contained within Balisada.
The desperate lightning sparks that flickered through the furious aura were evidence of the fierceness with which Jin had fought against his father''s sword.
A testament that the youngest son of the Runcandels had withstood the sword that demanded great sacrifice from anyone gathered here to face it.
The surging waves of aura that had been gushing like a waterfall began to diminish.
Cyron''s gaze remained fixed on his son, who still stood, and on the dark dragon that watched him from behind.
Indeed, an impable guardian dragon, thought Cyron.
Damn, what a terrible father, thought Murakan.
Jin coughed up arge amount of crimson blood and briefly lost his bnce.
At that precise moment, everyone gasped; those who mostly adored Jin, were hostile towards him, or were merely curious about him.
If he fell, it would be the end. Jin''s name would never be erased from the list of the Runcandel n''s eliminated.
"Aaaargh!" Jin shouted after plunging his sword into the ground to maintain bnce.
Jin pounded his chest with his fists like a madman and kept fighting. His desperate cry of never epting any mediocrity shook the entire Garden of Swords.
Finally, Jin stood up and faced Cyron once again. He was a mess, but it was clear that he clung to his consciousness.
Upon seeing him, Cyron briefly showed a faint smile for the first time. It was nothing more than a fleeting smile, but everyone near him saw it clearly.
The smile meant a thousand things.
The Magical Swordsman named Jin had just passed the final requirement to enter the Garden of Swords. And it was Cyron himself who proimed it.
Luna was so overwhelmed with emotion that she almost burst into tears, and even those who were not close to Jin felt relieved.
Cyron spoke with a dry voice after his smile faded. "Take Jin Runcandel, the gbearer, to the healers. We will begin his formal initiation as a gbearer as soon as he regains consciousness."
It was at the end of these words that Jin copsed.
Chapter 265: Embers (2)
Chapter 265: Embers (2)
C265 - Embers (2)
Jin was having a nightmare.
A ck monster with tentacles was crushing his body. It pped its tentacles against his face and wouldn''t let go. The terrible sensation made Jin groan.
"Ugh!" He managed to open his eyes and sit up. Jin soon discovered who had caused the nightmare.
Meow, meow! Murakan had pounced on him and was kneading his face with its paws.
"Why does this feel familiar? Let go of me,e on!" He gently pushed Murakan away and checked his body.
Nothing seemed broken.
The Runcandel Healers were quite talented, but it was actually because he was one of the few who could regain consciousness without much trouble after receiving Cyron''s sword strike.
Jin knew it very well.
I became immensely strong, thanks to my brothers. Without the intensive training in Laphrarosa, I wouldn''t have even dreamed of taking that sword.
He looked around. It was a familiar sight because this was the same room he had used as a cadet.
He sensed movement.
"Are you awake, young master?"
It was Gilly. She had returned to the Garden of Swords just after Jin withstood Cyron''s strike and was now by his side, as she had always been during his cadet years.
"Gilly!"
"It''s been a long time, young master." Gilly gave him a warm smile.
Finally, they were together again after being separated for a year and two months. Since leaving Lafrarosa, Jin had only reunited with Misha and Murakan.
"I missed you."
"I missed you too. And you don''t know how much yourpanions missed you as well, young master."
Jin nodded and looked at Gilly''s wrists.
It wasn''t there. The iron pin that had been ced to suppress his powers was no longer there. The Runcandel medical staff had removed it as soon as he returned to the n.
Gilly felt embarrassed and scratched the back of her neck when she caught his gaze.
"Thank you for everything, Gilly."
"It''s nothing. All Runcandel caretakers go through that anyway. I had an easy life as the Provisional gbearer''s caretaker thanks to you, young master."
Gilly looked at Jin with solemn eyes. Then she kneeled down and bowed her head.
"Knight Gilly McLoran pledges loyalty to the twelfth gbearer of the Runcandel n, Sir Jin Runcandel, as his caretaker. It is an honor to serve you again, young master."
That made Jin think of many things.
In his past life, Gilly had been exiled with her powers sealed because of him. But now, he had be a gbearer, and she was a caretaker of a gbearer.
An overwhelming emotion welled up within him.
I won''t let anyone ruin Gilly''s life.
Jin smiled after suppressing his emotions.
"The fact that you''re my caretaker is a great honor for me too, Gilly. I feel ufortable, so please rise."
"Yes, young master."
Puff!
Murakan transformed into his human form and helped Gilly to her feet.
"I have no idea why our dear Strawberry Shortcake is so loyal to this kid. He''s not even adorable. Dear Strawberry Shortcake, didn''t you miss me, the great Murakan? Oh, what a disgrace! This can''t be happening! The boy receives all the love there is, but I''m just a passing dragon, is that it?"
"S-Sir Murakan. Don''t be so hard on yourself. Of course, I missed you too."
"Then why are you so cold to me?"
"But we were all together in Tikan until a week ago."
"So, what you''re saying, Strawberry Shortcake, is that you didn''t miss me as much because we''ve only been apart for a week. Is that what you''re saying?"
"That sums it up quite well."
Murakan had nothing more to say. He also realized that being apart for a week wasn''t a big problem to worry about. Murakan and Gilly still weren''t dating.
Murakan cleared his throat. "But still..."
Jin interrupted. "Hey,e on. She hasn''t done anything. Stop bothering Strawberry Shortcake, no, Gilly, with those things. Besides, this isn''t Tikan, okay? Don''t transform like that. You can''t do that here. You should be Butterfly Runcandel, like in my cadet days."
"What are you talking about, brat? Everyone knows I''m your guardian dragon. Are you saying I should hide my identity and live as a cat?"
"Actually, yes. Anyway, Gilly. How long have I been unconscious?"
"About three hours, young master."
"Okay, three hours. What?" Jin jumped to his feet and looked outside.
It was around noon when they had taken formations for Cyron. The afternoon sun still shone in the Garden of Swords.
Had he regained consciousness from that wound in just three hours?
Jin remembered what Boras, the fifth battle king, saidst year while training in Lafrarosa: "He''s a vampire, that''s what he is! He''s sucking blood cubes from the sister of the battle god, my goodness!"
Jin received blood transfusions from Vahn, the Battle Goddess, this time as well, not just once, but twice. Vahn weakened slightly every time she donated blood because she was performing something close to a miracle, but it fortified Jin''s blessed body and illuminated heart.
That''s why it took Jin only three hours to regain consciousness after withstanding Cyron''s strike.
"The Garden of Swords will be surprised when they learn that you''ve already regained consciousness. The head of the medical staff seemed to expect it somehow, but most people said it would take at least three days for you to wake up, young master."
"And the appointment ceremony for the knight gbearer?"
"Since it was a direct order from the Patriarch, it''s likely to be held today. I think you should go see the Patriarch, young master."
Gilly opened her wardrobe. She had prepared the ceremonial uniform of the Runcandel gbearer. The ck coat had elegant designs stitched with golden threads.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she took out the coat and handed it to him.
"Oh, wow. Please forgive my foolishness. It''s just that I got emotional seeing you finally putting it on, young master. Good luck at today''s ceremony. Oh, and is there anything I can do for you?"
"Hmm. Bake a strawberry cake for Murakan. He''s been singing songs about how much he wanted one all the way here."
"Understood."
Jin washed his face, brushed his hair, straightened his cor, and stepped out into the hallway.
Once there, he felt everyone''s gaze on him.
The servants passing through the halls, the guardian knights, even the cadets. None dared to look at him brazenly, but they all cast curious nces his way.
And right at that moment, some of his siblings passed by.
"Long time no see. Sisters Miu and Anne."
They were passing by Jin''s room on their way to deliver the gbearing mission reports to Rosa.
They immediately stopped and turned their heads.
I wonder how sarcastic they''ll be now. Or maybe they won''t despise me as much as before.
They looked at Jin but remained silent for a while. They even blinked as if witnessing something they shouldn''t.
Has he awakened?
After receiving that strike from father? Am I seeing things correctly now?
Their gazes went back and forth between Jin several times to confirm what they saw. It didn''t take them long to realize that Jin was real, obviously.
"You... No, it doesn''t matter. Come on, Anne." Miu was the first to speak.
She frowned, but it seemed like she didn''t want to talk to Jin.
"Miu?" Anne was startled by her reaction.
She was also surprised to see Jin, but she thought they might as well despise him since they had encountered each other. They were now legitimate contenders in the ranking war.
Anne thought there was no chance they would lose against him. Although Jin had be stronger, there were many ways to win in the ranking war besides individualbat.
"We can''t just leave after encountering this brat who was a criminal this morning and wearing the gbearer''s coat. Let''s go. Let''s beat him up real-"
"I said we''re leaving."
"Young Master Jin!"
Someone roared right after Miu spoke.
The voice carried a weing tone with notes of mockery and strong shades of ttery. That mysteriouslyplex voice could only belong to Emma Neiltrow, the caretaker of the Tona twins.
Beside her were the Tona twins, their mouths agape with expressions of astonishment on their faces. They too were taken aback by Jin''s recovery.
"We heard from the servants that you had awakened, young master. We came as soon as we found out. How have you been, young master? I''m so d to see you safe and, well. What am I saying? I suppose I should start addressing you as the twelfth gbearer, no longer as young master, right?"
She showed a very servile and sly attitude, rubbing her hands greedily and constantly bowing while speaking.
"Oh, my! Emma Neiltrow, have you gone crazy? How dare you interrupt the conversation of the gbearers without being called? Who said you could act like that?" Anne said with disdain in her voice.
"Oh, I apologize, young Lady Anne. In any case, twelfth gbearer Jin, you''ve be a great person! I always knew you would be an esteemed figure. Emma didn''t hesitate for a second, young master."
After saying that, Emma nudged the Tona twins from the sides. She was signaling them to greet Jin.
"Jin! I''m d to see you. How have you been?"
"How, how are you? You withstood father''s sword strike! You have no idea how shocked everyone was! Isn''t that right, Heitona?"
"Absolutely! Deitona. It was amazing, right?"
Seeing the Tona twins babble with exaggerated movements made Jin chuckle.
On the other hand, Emma''s keen judgment sent shivers down his spine.
Emma seems to believe that someday I''ll be the patriarch. Even if that doesn''t happen, I bet she''d love to believe it since the Tona twins have no one else to rely on. Her n must be to improve the future of the Tona twins by ensnaring me.
She used to tantly observe Jin at Stormcastle, and he had warned her about her behavior.
Back then, Emma used to desperately hope that Jin wouldg behind the Tona twins, even when showering him with constant praise.
She intended to order the Tona twins to crush Jin or recruit him as their subordinate if Jin ever fell behind the Tona twins.
But now it was different.
Emma had epted the fact that the Tona twins never had a chance at the patriarchate. Therefore, she began seeking people who could help them survive the ranking war.
The talented pure-bloods didn''t care about the Tona twins, while Miu and Anne tormented them daily. Every day was a series of frustrations for Emma.
But Jin returned to them as a shining star with undeniable strength.
Seems like that fox, Miu, is somewhat smarter than the idiot Anne. She knows she can''t mess with young master Jin anymore. Haha, bitches. How does it feel to be humiliated by me, thanks to young master Jin?
Although it wasn''t anything too humiliating, the fact that Emma had interrupted Miu and Anne''s speech under Jin''s gaze was already a tremendous victory for her.
If she could, Emma would have killed Miu and Anne for tormenting the Tona twins all this time.
I swear all my loyalty to you, so help me and cooperate, young master Jin!
And of course, Jin had already read Emma''s mind.
''Well, I''ll give you points for being the first one from the Garden of Swords to approach me and try to align with me. I''ll help you with your little revenge, Emma. Besides, I''ll have many uses for the Tona twins anyway.''
Jin had to hold back hisughter.
"Have you all gone crazy? Hey, you. Emma. Who do you think you are? Didn''t I just ask you a question? I asked, who said you..."
"My dear sister Anne, you''re being harsh. She overstepped a bit, but please don''t forget that Emma is the caretaker of the tenth and eleventh gbearers. She has served the n for a long time. There are many eyes watching us right now, so I don''t think you should scold her that much."
Anne''s eyes widened when Jin interrupted her.
-
/LevelinGodSwor
Chapter 266: Embers (3)
Chapter 266: Embers (3)
C266 - Embers (3)
Anne was about to raise her hand to p Jin, but Miu grabbed her by the shoulder.
"Anne, I told you we''re leaving." Her tone conveyed an order.
Ana understood very well that going against Miu''s word in such situations would do her no good. The two seemed so close that they ignored the ranks between them, but the chain ofmand was quite clear between the two.
"Tsk!"
Ana quickly stepped back.
Miu seems to be smarter than I expected.
Hitting Jin or trying to pick a fight with him right now would be foolish.
The fact that both of them understood little about Jin''s abilities was a problem in itself, but above all, Cyron had dered the immediate start of the gbearer appointment ceremony following Jin''s recovery.
What would happen if Jin got injured or dyed?
It would be disobedience to Cyron''s orders. In fact, in the past, Miu and Anne had once sent Jin on an excessive mission intended to kill him just before Cyron offered the banquet, so they had more reasons to monitor his actions.
Miu gritted her teeth. She was actually angrier than Ana, but her resolution to stay out of Jin''s cunning ns was stronger.
"I can''t say I congratte you. Go on and go to father."
"I will. See you, sisters."
"And as for you, Emma Neiltrow. It''s better if you refrain from doing things you''ll regret. This will be the first andst warning."
Miu and Anne passed by Jin and continued walking.
The Tona twins'' dropped jaws lowered even more.
Are those psychopaths really struggling to deal with Jin?
What did I just witness?
It was followed by Emma''s struggle to contain theughter that erupted like fireworks from the depths of her heart.
"Brothers, at this rate, your jaws might fall off."
"Oh, right. We''ll close them."
"Thank you!"
The Tona twins took turns hugging Jin after a moment of hesitation.
Both of them understood that Miu and Anne had been humiliated thanks to Jin, and that was something they had only dreamed of experiencing.
"And how have you been, brothers?" Jin asked, gently pushing the Tona twins away from him.
This reminds me of the day I cut them in the mirages in the Great Desert.
Although he didn''t want to admit it, Jin felt something akin to brotherhood with them. Although it was nothingpared to what he shared with Luna and Yonah, it was probably all those years they spent together at Stormcastle, despite all their problems back then.
It seemed quite adorable to Jin how they attentively watched his reaction.
"Well, you know. We''ve been fine, except for the fact that Miu and Anne have been fuck... I mean, giving us a hard time."
"I thought we wouldn''t see you alive again, Jin. I''m so d."
"Me too!"
"Really? I''m not as d to see you." Jin''s cold response made the Tona twins shrink and hunch their shoulders.
"Oh."
"Oh. I see. I''m sorry. We must have rushed ahead."
Jin had a reason to say this. "But let''s try to get along little by little from now on. It''s not like I hate both of you."
He needed to get the message across to Emma.
No matter who the target was, she must never try to use them without his permission. And he encouraged her to show clearer signs of loyalty. Emma, being the cunning woman she was, immediately tilted her head in acknowledgment of Jin''s intentions.
On the other hand, the Tona twins felt moved by the way Jin mentioned getting along and nodded enthusiastically.
"Now we bid farewell, twelfth gbearer, sir."
"You can still call me young master Jin, Emma."
"Alright, young master Jin. Please pay me a visit if you ever crave a good tea. I''ll have a precious tea prepared for you that can''t be found outside the Garden of Swords."
She was inviting him to visit to gain insider information about the n. Her offer pleased Jin. He looked Emma in the eyes.
"I suppose I''lle in a few days. I hope you have some tea leaves that satisfy my taste."
Emma and the Tona twins departed, and the servants lurking nearby dispersed to their respective ces as well. The guardian knights saluted Jin and walked away.
Now that Jin was a gbearer, his rank was officially higher than that of ordinary guardian knights.
Cyron''s office was in the main building.
But Jin nned to stop by another ce before heading to the main building. The underground sacred chambers of the innermost cloister of the Garden of Swords.
The crypts.
''Paying my respects to the heroes who have safeguarded the Runcandel n is the first thing I must do before meeting with father.''
Of course, he truly believed in this, but there were two main reasons why he decided to descend to the crypts first.
Firstly, Cyron didn''t order him to go directly to him.
Secondly, not a single person among his siblings had gone down to the crypts right afterpleting their lives as provisional gbearers.
The second reason was the key point.
The mere fact that I''m heading to the crypts before anything else could make some elders favorably disposed towards me.
Many of the elders considered ceremonial conduct of utmost importance and were sensitive to history and tradition.
For now, the Garden of Swords was the bastion of Jin''s enemies. To defeat Joshua in the throne, Jin needed friendly forces, and many of them.
This simple action could please some of the elders; therefore, there was no reason not to visit the crypts.
I didn''t have ess to the crypts as a cadet, but now things had changed.
More eyes followed Jin as he walked out of the hallway and headed towards the inner cloister. But he didn''t cross paths with any more of his siblings and reached the crypts without much trouble.
Stone tombs filled thepletely dark underground mausoleum.
''That reminds me. Out of all these tombs, Temar''s isn''t here. A pact...''
The Runcandels made a humiliating pact against the Zipples after Temar Runcandel''s death.
The demands were simple. Never venerate the ancestors of sword-wielding magicians and never wield magic again.
That''s why the Zipples always told Jin how he had broken the pact.
I''ve seen them keep talking about breaking the pact, but the Zipples still haven''t done anything to the Runcandels even after my story was revealed to the world.
What that implied was clear.
They felt ufortable striking the Runcandels, and there was only one reason behind it: Cyron Runcandel. The presence of the sole Knight of Genesis (or Divine Star Knight) in the world.
Without him, the Zipples would never fear waging a war against the Runcandels. In other words, as long as Cyron was present, the Zipples would probably maintain their current attitude.
I was quite worried that they might immediately initiate arge-scale war, but now, it''s clear. There won''t be any full-blown war soon.
With these thoughts in mind, he was paying his respects to the stone tombs.
Then he felt movement outside the crypts. Someone had just entered the crypts.
"Hello, father."
It was Cyron. He had been sitting in his office, but when he felt Jin regain consciousness, he also descended to the crypts to speak with his son.
Outside the crypts, the gbearers and guardian knights were already preparing the appointment ceremony by order of Cyron.
"What a disappointment."
That was the first thing Cyron said.
Disappointment.
Jin had heard this word countless times in his past life, but this was the first time he heard it in his current life. But Cyron didn''t seem to want to reprimand Jin. It was the kind of lighthearted joke that any father and son would exchange.
Thanks to the lighthearted tone, Jin felt relieved and managed to respond. "Is it because I woke up toote?"
"What I gave you before was yourst chance to prove your worth to everyone. You should have used everything you had to create a better result."
But what Cyron said wasn''t necessarily true.
After Jin withstood the sword strike, reflecting all of Cyron''s mastery as a swordsman, everyone in the Garden of Swords was impressed beyond their expectations.
However, Cyron thought it wasn''t enough.
To be precise, it wasn''t Jin''s training or growth that he was reproaching since he himself wasn''t superior to Jin in his own neen years.
"Do you think I should have used Shadow Energy?"
Jin hadn''t used a single trace of Shadow Energy when receiving Cyron''s attack. He only used his aura and the energy of the Legends'' lightning.
If he had used Shadow Energy, the results would have been very different. Of course, he would still fall short of stopping andunching a counterattack against Cyron''s movement, but he certainly wouldn''t have fainted because of it.
So, what was the reason he refrained from using Shadow Energy? Jin simply didn''t want to show all his cards to his enemies from the start.
''Right now, except for Luna, everyone is my enemy.''
Those enemies knew that Jin was the contractor of Solderet and a Magical Swordsman wielding tremendous power beyond his age.
But they didn''t know exactly how strong Jin really was. And as in most battles, one gained more advantage with every card the enemy didn''t know.
That''s why my father''s opinion is that I should have also used the power of shadows, so I could have impressed them with a more dominant disy.
Cyron didn''t answer. He merely kept his eyes closed in front of the stone tombs.
A long silence followed.
Jin didn''t find the silence ufortable.
He only found it interesting that his father didn''t reprimand him or give him orders. Instead, he gave him his opinion.
That''s how much his father respected his decision as well.
"My dear youngest son."
"Yes, father?"
"Appointing you as a gbearer is a great loss for the Runcandels."
Jin tilted his head instead of responding.
"I will watch to see if you can make up for that loss."
"I will keep that in mind," Jin said.
"As for me..." Cyron spoke as he turned around, "There isn''t much time left. The knighthood appointment ceremony will begin in an hour, so be present by then."
Cyron exited the crypts before Jin could say anything.
He could only think of one thing as he watched his father walk away.
Doesn''t father have much time left?
What does that mean?
Is it an illness? Those things couldn''t harm the body of a Divine Star Knight. Old age? That didn''t make sense for Cyron at this moment.
His mind went nk.
It wasn''t a passing phrase. But since Cyron didn''t seem to want to discuss it in detail, it meant Jin couldn''t inquire further about it.
Although Jin didn''t know the reason why Cyron didn''t have much time left, he knew what his father had meant.
To be patriarch before my father''s time runs out. And he also told me that he wouldn''t give me any more chances or direct help.
His father''s back as he left the crypt seemed lonely for some reason. It was the first time Jin felt something like that for Cyron, something that not even his siblings had felt yet.
The only ones who had felt something like that for Cyron were the previous generation of ck knights who fought alongside him, and Rosa in her youth.
Jin rified many of his thoughts while in the crypts. Before leaving, he created embers with mana and lit the candles inside the crypts.
Then he headed to the gallery of gbearers.
--
Chapter 267: Flagbearer Ceremony
Chapter 267: gbearer Ceremony
C267 - gbearer Ceremony
The gallery of gbearers was located in a huge corridor situated at the corner of the Garden of Swords. It was the longest building owned by the Runcandels.
Its two walls were filled with the names of all the Runcandel gbearers in history. Any gbearer who had achieved particrly notable aplishments was honored with a portrait.
Jin walked through the gallery, slowly reading the names on the wall. Somehow, it made him smile. Surprisingly, he could remember most of the gbearers from the past thousand years.
''I lost count of all the books about gbearers I read in my past life.''
Now, his own name would be engraved at the end of the long list of names that stretched like the Milky Way.
Trud, trud.
He could feel a tremendous force as he approached the other end of the gallery.
It was the force emanating from Cyron, Rosa, the eleven gbearers, and a hundred knights.
Jin felt excited like a little child, at least for that moment.
He had been the only pure-blooded Runcandel in the n''s thousand-year history to fail in his attempt to be a n gbearer.
On top of that, the n denied him everything and exiled him, erasing all his records.
But now, he walked proudly through this hallway.
It took him a total of forty-seven years.
Twenty-eight years of his past life and neen years of his current life.
Tears almost welled up in his eyes. The fact that he had finally reached the ce where he belonged, only after a lifelong journey, made him tremble with ecstasy.
Jinposed himself, maintaining a serene expression and breathing as he reached the end of the gallery.
Cyron and Rosa stood in the center of the gallery''s end, while eleven of his siblings stood before them in their ceremonial uniforms.
A hundred knights stood in a circle. Jin could also see the n''s scribes and painters scrutinizing the scene with serious faces.
Rosa spoke first. "Twelfth gbearer, Jin Runcandel. Step forward."
She wore a slight smile of pride, but Jin knew very well that her smile wasn''t genuine.
Mother is the greatest enemy of all.
Right in front of her was his elder brother, Joshua Runcandel.
Rosa was the foundation of all his power.
Suddenly, Jin felt curious.
How much does mother know?
The fact that Joshua had attempted to curse him, that he kept trying to steal his contract, that he had a person called the Seer who wielded mysterious and dark powers capable of even creating copies of Joshua...
Could Rosa Runcandel really be unaware of such things?
Mother is not so naive at all. Perhaps the two days of sadness after I was exiled from the n could have been her fault for the curse.
Rosa wouldn''t only be aware of Joshua''s actions. She might well have been the mastermind behind some of them.
It was despicable and repugnant.
But if Rosa was indeed behind the curse, then it would only mean that she considered it the best path for the Runcandel n.
That''s how this terrible n operated.
Each member only did what benefited the n, in their own way. There was no room for petty feelings like affection for rtives in their course of action.
Even if such actions involvedmissioning a curse to harm a baby, or things much more horrible than that. If it was done for the benefit of the n and it achieved its effect, no issues were raised.
I fought even more desperately because of mother and Joshua''s decisions. So, I would say you did well, mother.
Things would have been different if Jin hadn''t witnessed the delusion of the de when he arrived at his cradle.
Jin wouldn''t be as strong as he was now. Revenge and contempt sometimes served as one of the greatest motivators in life.
Although this was something Jin was still unaware of, Rosa still saw Jin as the next patriarch to seed Joshua. This decision was also part of Rosa''s ns for the Runcandel n.
''Of course, you and Joshua will have to pay for what you did since I''ve returned, mother. Just as I''ve decided to respect your repugnant decision, mother, it''s time for you to respect mine.''
It didn''t matter if Rosa was directly involved in the curse or not.
It mattered little to Jin. In any case, he would never give up on cing Joshua on the patriarch''s throne.
Jin returned the smile to Rosa. He took a step forward and stood before her and Cyron. The gbearers immediately drew their swords and raised them in the air.
The gbearers lined up on both sides of him and created a path.
Luna, Joshua, Luntia, Dyfus, Ran, Vuigo, Mary, Miu, Anne, and the Tona twins; the eleven siblings hid their feelings toward Jin as they gazed at him.
''You will be the king of this terrible n. I will make sure of it.''
''In the end, everything will follow the course of the prophecy, Jin.''
Luna and Joshua.
''A Magical Swordsman, huh? I had no idea he would grow to be someone capable of shaking the Runcandels to their core.
I hoped he would challenge me someday. But now, it might be me who challenges him!''
Dyfus and Mary.
''There was a reason Joshua was always sensitive to him.''
''Miu and Anne are going to be in a tight spot now.''
Ran and Vuigo.
''Damn it. We''ll need Joshua''s help to crush him now.''
''I knew it. We should have killed him back then!''
Miu and Anne.
''But Jin is the twelfth gbearer, does that mean his official rank is below ours?''
''He won''t intimidate us like Miu and Anne, right? I guess we should follow Emma''s words and try to get on his good side for now.''
The Tona twins.
Jin felt like he could read all their thoughts except for one person. Luntia.
He really couldn''t tell what Luntia was thinking day by day.
She was the only sister Luna had a hard time dealing with. But in reality, Luntia''s thoughts consisted of only three words.
This is troublesome.
Luntia found it difficult to imagine the bloodshed that would ur in the n now that Jin had returned. At best, she hoped Jin would lead a peaceful life like hers, if that was even possible.
"I wonder how Yonah is doing. I guess she would have made a big fuss after my disappearance."
She was the only sister not present at that moment.
As she gazed at the lion''s den, she felt reassured knowing that Yonah was on her side.
Cyron looked Jin in the eyes. "Step forward."
Jin slowly entered the path created by the gbearers'' swords.
A pair of swords fell every time Jin passed, as if a door closed behind him. At the end of the path, Luna lowered her sword alone.
All the gbearers lowered their swords and maintained their posture. This time, the knights standing in a circle raised their swords simultaneously.
"Jin Runcandel has finally earned the right to raise the n''s g wherever he goes. As the twelfth gbearer of the n, Jin Runcandel will now bear the mission and privileges of his title. However, remember that everything can be taken away from you when you bring dishonor to the n."
"I, Jin Runcandel, the twelfth gbearer, will keep that in mind."
"Go and ce the swords of the gbearers and the knights in their correct positions."
This was the most important part of the gbearer appointment ceremony: raising the lowered swords of the gbearers and lowering the raised swords of the guardian knights.
Jin had to strike the gbearers'' swords upward and bring down the guardian knights'' swords with his own sword.
Bing a gbearer even if he failed would tarnish the beginning of his life as a gbearer with failure.
And for the sake of the ceremony, it was customary for the siblings to receive the iing gbearer''s strike without much resistance.
Jin turned around and slowly unsheathed the Sigmund.
The first sword he had to raise was Luna''s Krantel. For some reason, the massive axe sword seemed to have a lot of strength.
Luna wore a yful smile as she yed a small prank on him.
She decided to y a prank because she knew that Jin would obviously be able to lift the Krantel despite her pressing it with force.
ng!
A loud explosive sound resonated as Jin struck his sword against the Sigmund.
Luna calmed her startled heart as she raised the sword.
"Come on. You didn''t have to hit it so hard! My wrists hurt, you know?"
The Krantel was raised, and Jin returned the smile to Luna as he passed by her.
This dissuaded any other siblings from attempting to break the tradition. Miu and Anne had clearly nned to sabotage him, and even Mary had been so eager to feel Jin''s strength that she was willing to break the tradition.
The remaining ten swords didn''t need to be struck with force. They were gently raised to their correct positions.
Now, it was time to bring down the hundred swords of the guardian knights.
They filled the entire circle with high-level guardian knights.
The custom of letting the new gbearer gently move their swords did not apply to the guardian knights.
Instead, the level of the guardian knights typically reflected the level of the gbearer. In the Tona twins'' case, more than half of the guardian knights were low-level knights, which was only slightly below the average of most Runcandel gbearers.
The guardian knights gripped their swords with all their strength and maintained a motionless posture. Jin had to lower a hundred of those swords.
But Jin had already passed the Garmund test on his first visit to Lafrarosa. This wouldn''t be a major issue for him.
Ching, ng! Bam!
Each strike of Jin''s sword embedded the guardian knights'' swords into the ground. The guardian knights received the strikes without much surprise on their faces.
I guess they''re not surprised anymore.
But contrary to what Jin thought, the guardian knights were truly surprised by him. Some struggled to withstand the sword strike, finding it hard to believe that Jin was just a teenager.
A little over ten minutes passed until the gbearers'' swords were once again in the air, and the guardian knights'' swords were fully lowered.
When Jin returned afterpleting the ceremony, Rosa smiled satisfied. "We conclude the appointment ceremony of the gbearers. Jin Runcandel, you may now traverse the gallery of gbearers and proceed to the council of elders to face the n elders."
The ceremony had ended.
Jin was officially the twelfth gbearer of the Runcandel n and had earned the right to meet with the elders as a gbearer.
Meeting with the elders as a gbearer was entirely different from meeting with a cadet or a provisional gbearer.
This was because the elders were responsible for instructing Runcandel gbearers on the n''s secret techniques and final moves.
"I''m sure things will get ugly in there because mother and Joshua will instruct the elders. I would be grateful and never forget to reward them if only one of them would volunteer to instruct me."
-Click here if you still don''t know why Patreon was removed :(
Chapter 268: Reliable but Unwelcome Flagbearer (1)
Chapter 268: Reliable but Unwee gbearer (1)
C268 - Reliable but Unwee gbearer (1)
The council of elders was quite simr to the supreme court of the Vermont Empire.
There were three huge and imposing wooden podiums in the center of the grand council hall.
On each podium were the chief elder, the vice-chief elder, and the council secretary. All the other elders sat behind them in an arched formation.
The three individuals on the podium were respectively the leaders of the organizations affiliated with the council of elders: the ck Sword Guild, the Lawkeepers, and the People''s Guard.
They were the pirs of the council of elders.
The Lawkeepers and the People''s Guard were literally responsible for ensuringpliance with the Runcandel n''s rules and the protection of the people of Hufester. Meanwhile, the ck Sword Guild oversaw the general identification of friends and enemies.
They were the ones in charge of deciding whom to execute or assist, and they made decisions regarding the method of execution.
The council of elders held a great deal of power within the n.
And the ck Sword Guild held the greatest power among them all.
Once they decided to kill someone within Hufester, an innocent person could be an enemy of the state overnight, and even n coborators could turn into traitors.
These old souls could eliminate anyone in Hufester, whether they weremoners or nobles.
Of course, despite their unquestionable authority, there were systems in ce to keep them in check.
The patriarch and his partner, along with the twelve gbearers, could exercise control over their actions. Specifically, the patriarch''s order was absolute. This meant that even if the guild ordered someone''s execution, the patriarch could veto the decision and have the name immediately removed from the list of condemned.
That''s how Jin''s name was taken off the Runcandel n''s hit list.
"Jin Runcandel?"
"Yes, Chief Elder?"
"Neen years old this year. Your name was listed on the Runcandel death order on January 1, 1798. And on February 9, 1799, today around noon, your name was removed from the list."
The chief elder - and master of the ck Sword Guild - Jorden Runcandel, raised his eyebrows as if greatly displeased by this.
His voice was frail and shaky, far from what one would imagine from a Runcandel. It was apanied by a thin white beard under his chin, making it impossible to take him seriously.
"He doesn''t seem like much, but this cousin of my father is a remarkable self-made man. He survivedpeting for the patriarchate against my father and still managed to gain some power."
The race for power within the Runcandel n mainly urred among the patriarch''s sons, who were the gbearers.
But in some special cases where the sessor eliminated all the other gbearers too early or there were particrly notable figures in the patriarch''s cousin''s families, things worked somewhat differently.
In Jorden''s case, both scenarios applied to him. He showed his potential in his youth andpeted in the ranking war against Cyron as a second-tier gbearer.
Of course, the difference between Jorden and Cyron was likeparing a sparrow to a phoenix. But if he had faced any ordinary pure-blood who wasn''t Cyron, most would have believed that Jorden was the phoenix.
He could have be the patriarch if not for Cyron.
"How do you feel?"
"I feel fine, Chief Elder."
"Sure. I''m sure this must be a pleasant asion for you. But for me, this was quite an unpleasant experience. A wanted criminal voluntarily returns, only to be a gbearer."
Jorden unabashedly revealed his disagreement with Cyron''s decision.
"The whole n knows Uncle Jorden''s feeling of fear and inferiority in front of my father and his peculiar character born out of that issue. But I never knew he could be so audacious."
It was obvious why he was so disgusted.
Not only was he the highest authority in the council of elders, but also no elder would dare report him to Cyron for such a trivial matter.
Moreover, Jorden was a powerful ally of Rosa. The elders were all old and didn''t have much in their favor, so there was no reason formon elders to go against him.
"Please calm down, Chief Elder. I, too, am quite displeased that a Magic Swordsman has be a Runcandel gbearer, but he surely deserves a wee, if only for today." The vice-chief of the Lawkeepers, Lin Milcano, spoke softly.
The former matriarch of the Milcano n was also an ally of Rosa. This meant that the ck Sword Guild and the Lawkeepers, two pirs of the council of elders, were already fully supportive of Joshua.
The council secretary - master of the People''s Guard - Telrod Runcandel simply looked at Jin without speaking.
"Yes, you''re right, Vice-Chief Elder. We were supposed to celebrate the birth of the twelfth gbearer of the n. Yes, congrattions. Jin Runcandel."
After saying those words, Jorden waved his hands insincerely.
He was shooing Jin away.
"I expected this, but it surpasses my expectations. And to think they don''t even mention the final moves."
Normally, the elders would congratte the new gbearers and give them instructions on the final and secret moves during their first visit to the council.
But with Jorden tantly showing his disagreement, none of the elders could offer to do so.
Anyway, who cared? In the first ce, Jin never expected much from them.
But Jin noticed a single elder who was watching everything with a deeply furrowed brow.
Jed Runcandel.
He was Jin''s uncle who had instructed him in his cadet days. It seemed that he would tear Jorden apart right now if he could, but obviously, he had to deal with his frustrations because he couldn''t say a word.
It was no wonder he felt that way. Seeing the boy he had mentored being ignored was no different from his own efforts being ignored.
He should give Uncle Jed a small gift.
Jin met Jorden with a simple look. "Thank you for your congrattions, Chief Elder."
"Sure. You can leave now. I didn''t know you were still there."
"I wouldn''t have survived if it weren''t for you, Chief Elder." Jin''s words had an immediate impact.
Jorden''s eyes turned bloodshot. Bam! Jorden pounded the podium with his fist and stared at Jin.
"What did you just say?" His anger stemmed from the same reason that caused frustration in Jed.
That little boy who had just been appointed as a gbearer had mocked him.
"I wouldn''t have survived if it weren''t for you, Chief Elder." Jin''s words had an immediate impact.
Jorden''s eyes turned bloodshot. Bam! Jorden pounded the podium with his fist and stared at Jin.
"What did you just say?" His anger stemmed from the same reason that caused frustration in Jed.
That little boy who had just been appointed as a gbearer had mocked him.
"I understand that you were also quite harsh with him, Chief Elder. In any case, it seems no one wants to teach him the final moves, so I volunteer to teach the twelfth gbearer the n''s final moves before I be too old and weak to do so."
"Very well, as you wish. But, Elder Jed, I hope you haven''t forgotten. There are quite a few final and secret moves that you cannot transmit without the majority vote of the council of elders."
Veins bulged on Jed''s forehead. He was amon elder who was rather obstinate and temperamental.
On the other hand, Jorden and Lin were the chief and vice-chief elders who led the rest of themon elders.
It was obvious whose opinion the elders would follow. But Jed did not show his embarrassment and replied, "I''m not foolish. Of course, I remember thew. If everyone does not agree with my opinion, I will only teach him what I am allowed to."
"Then let''s put it to a vote here and now. Elders in favor of instructing the twelfth gbearer in the final moves, raise your hand!"
Jorden shouted, to which the entire council fell intoplete silence.
Come on, old bags of bones. I know you''re all afraid of Jorden, but seriously? Not a single person! What has Jin done? In fact, Jin should be congratted for standing up against the Chief Elder like a Runcandel!
Not a single person raised their hand.
Even the one person Jed trusted, the master of the People''s Guard, Telrod Runcandel, was busy avoiding Jed''s gaze.
"Oh, well. The result is as you can see. It''s a shame, Elder Jed. I suppose we can release the twelfth gbearer now? You can do whatever you want with the remaining final moves that do not require the approval of the council of elders."
The Runcandels had ten final moves, seven secret moves, and three profound mysteries.
But the profound mysteries were not something the council of elders could teach. Aside from those, eight of the final moves and five of the secret moves required the majority vote of the council of elders to be transmitted.
Therefore, only the final moves and the secret moves that the elders deemed low-level could be transmitted to Jin.
Jed nodded, trying to suppress his frustration.
''I''m sorry, Jin.''
That''s what Jed thought to himself, but Jin felt he had gained more than he had expected from the meeting with the elders.
Anyway, some of the final moves derived from the Battle God''s Combat Technique and the Sword of Legends. Besides, I don''t have an urgent need to improve my skills at the moment.
On the other hand, the discovery of a friendly force in the form of Jed Runcandel was quite a gain.
He thought it would be quite troublesome to persuade the council of elders if even his Uncle Jed had been on Joshua''s side.
I can always deal with Uncle Jorden in due time. Actually, the master of the Lawkeepers, Lin Milcano, seems to be the toughest one. I wonder what this olddy''s weakness is.
The Milcano n.
It so happened that Jin knew someone from that n.
-Click here if you still don''t know why Patreon was removed :((But we''ll be back soon.)
Chapter 269: Reliable but Unwelcome Flagbearer (2)
Chapter 269: Reliable but Unwee gbearer (2)
C269 - Reliable but Unwee gbearer (2)
As Jin left, the Elder Council disbanded as well. Jed followed him and nudged him in the side.
"Uncle Jed, I apologize for not being able to greet you earlier due to the circumstances..."
"That''s not the first thing you need to tell me! I was wondering how the hell youpleted that Mahmeet mission in your intermediate ss days. And to think it had been through magic! When did you learn all that magic then? Oh, it must have been Lord Murakan, I suppose."
"I had no other choice if I wanted to survive. I apologize."
"Oh, it''s not cheeky of you to say so."
If only Jed could open his young nephew''s head and see how he was wired.
"Jin?"
"Yes, uncle?"
"I rushed ahead because your actions were quite refreshing, but Chief Elder Jorden is a tougher man to deal with than you think. He may seem like a petty old man full of ego, but he''s actually a strong figure with a lot of cunning as well."
"Yes, I''m aware. I assumed so since he survived his rank war against my father."
"Well, I guess it should be said that your father let him be, actually. But why would a boy aware of his character bark like a rabid dog?"
"I simply stayed true to your teachings, uncle."
"What did you say?"
"Wasn''t it you who told me to fight and strive every day when I was in the intermediate ss? I''ve stayed true to those words my whole life, and my provocation against the Chief Elder was an extension of that effort."
Jed couldn''t speak for some time.
He, too, seemed to have had gall the size of a house in his cadet days. But look at this crazy little brat! Not even the patriarch was like him in his youth.
Just like in the days of the intermediate ss, Jin instantly captivated Jed.
"Everything in moderation. If you keep this up, you might die before even getting to use the final movements in a real battle. I''ll teach you the movements soon, so wait for my call."
"Thank you, uncle. I won''t forget what you''ve done for me today."
"But I''m willing to forget youpletely if I see you straying from the path."
He said it in earnest.
He knew it. Anyone who shows me favor always seems to regard me as a viin as well.
A viin, or possibly the prodigal son who returned.
That''s exactly what the people of the Runcandel n saw in Jin.
Cyron and Luna were the only two people who weed Jin wholeheartedly, but Cyron never showed it, and Luna still couldn''t openly show her favor towards Jin.
Emma was also one of those who weed Jin. But her motive was to use Jin to ensure the safety of the Tona and her own. Jin didn''t really sit well with her.
Discrimination and prejudice.
Jin had already mastered fighting against those things in his previous life. At least in this life, there was a reason people treated him like a viin. It was more or less eptable.
After bidding farewell to Jed, Jin was about to head back to his room where Gilly and Murakan were waiting for him.
"Young Master Jin."
A middle-aged man with neatlybed back hair approached him and bowed his head.
Jin inspected his clothes for a moment and returned the greeting.
"Congrattions on your promotion, Petrow. I see you''ve been promoted to first-ss butler."
"Thank you. I just wanted to inform you that the patriarch has called for a gbearers'' meeting. I must congratte you as well, Young Master. It''s your first gbearers'' meeting. Please head to the Patriarch''s office."
Just returning to the n, Jin endured Cyron''s sword strike, went through the appointment ceremony, met with the elders, and now had to attend a meeting. By this point, Jin was starting to feel like his first day back was quite eventful.
"I see."
"I''m very d you''ve returned safe and sound. I hope I can be of great use to you in the future, Young Master."
"Thank you for weing me."
It was the first time someone from the Garden of Swords warmly and sincerely greeted him since his return. But for some reason, Jin had a bad feeling about the way Petrow spoke.
It wasn''t because he thought Petrow meant something different than what he said, but rather a random bad feeling about what was about to happen.
As Jin arrived at the office, the gazes of his siblings, who had been waiting for him, fell upon him.
Jin looked at them and didn''t notice anything in particr, aside from the sadness on Luna''s face.
Has something happened to Luna? He had a feeling that Petrow was acting in a way that hinted at something bad.
Petrow was on Luna''s side.
"Everyone is here. Please have a seat."
"Yes, Patriarch."
Jin sat in thest seat.
Without any exnations or preamble, Cyron began with these words.
"Starting today, I will be returning to the Dark Sea (ck Sea). There have been several asions that made me return to the ntely, but this time, I intend not to leave the Dark Sea until some significant progress is made."
The gbearers nodded with heavy hearts.
No one dared to ask what kind of progress he sought in the Dark Sea.
"In addition, the first gbearer and three ck knights will apany me on this mission to the Dark Sea."
That was why Luna looked so down. Jin intentionally avoided looking at her.
Luna''s sudden call to the mission was quite a shock. But showing concern for Luna in front of Cyron would prove to be a critical mistake.
His father could always interpret those slight actions as "I can''t do anything without my older sister Luna."
"To say that I''ve had many asions to return from the Dark Sea means that the gbearers have not met my expectations so far. I hope you all improve on this."
"We apologize, Patriarch."
"We apologize."
All the gbearers bowed their heads. Rosa spoke next.
"With the sending of the first gbearer on a long-term mission, you will all experience an increased workload, but with our new twelfth gbearer, we hope that part of that burden will be covered. gbearers, therefore, stay alert, but there is no need for great concern."
With that statement, Rosa downyed Luna and predicted Jin''s future.
Rosa''s words made the first and twelfth gbearers sound equal and essentially meant that Luna''s tasks would be passed on to Jin.
It seems she is determined to bleed me dry.
Jin was d. It was better to be assigned impossible tasks and somehow deliver results than to be given no mission at all.
Sabotage and intentional misinterpretations wouldeter, of course, but he just had to carry out all the tasks assigned to him without ever failing.
Once that continued, Jin would eventually gain control of the situation.
Mother and Joshua would resort to all sorts of dirty tricks to ensure that day never arrived.
Rosa''s methods were not much different from how Joshua, Miu, or Anne pressured Jin. But even if they resorted to a simr trick, Jin had to stay on guard if it was Rosa executing it. She was much wiser and stronger than Joshua.
For several decades now, she hadmanded the Garden of Swords in Cyron''s absence, who was always in the Dark Sea. She had the entire n in her hands.
"As always, Rosa takes suprememand of the n in my absence. Deciding ranks among each other is important as well, but always keep in mind that these are not good times."
It was quite surprising to hear Cyron tell them to be calm in the rank war due to the current state in his own words.
He basically strengthened Rosa''s words and also reminded Jin that there were heaps of things he didn''t know in the world of gbearers.
"Third gbearer?"
"Yes, Patriarch?"
"How many Zipple spies do we have in the Garden of Swords at the moment?"
"As confirmed so far, there are ny-seven servants, twenty low-level guardian knights, twelve medium-level guardian knights, five high-level guardian knights, fifteen second-ss or higher butlers and scribes, two second-level gbearers, five execution knights, seven elders, and one ck knight. We estimate there are at least another twenty who may have ess to critical information."
Jin almost let out a gasp of astonishment after hearing Luntia''s report.
A ck knight as well? Seriously?
Second-level gbearers and execution knights were already quite shocking, but it was truly astonishing to hear that a confirmed spy was a ck knight.
"How many spies do we have in the Zipple n?"
"In the Zipple n''s household, we have forty servants, ten low-level magicians, five medium-level magicians, one elder, one magician in the magic tower. That''s all, sir."
For a moment, Jin wondered if this conversation was some kind of initiation ritual meant to scare the iing gbearer by exaggerating the current states of the information war.
But Cyron Runcandel wasn''t someone who cared for such petty games.
"As you can see, they maintain a high level of security with different enchantments and artifacts. On the other hand, the Garden of Swords seems to be literally within their crystal balls'' reach."
"It''s all my fault, Patriarch."
"I can onlyment the fact that our enemies still have the upper hand even after all this time since I reached the Divine Star. It''s not your fault. However, we would need to get rid of that ck knight spy immediately."
"I n to assign the task to the twelfth gbearer as her first mission."
The only ones who remained unfazed by his words were Jin himself and Joshua.
The rest of his siblings startled for a second.
Some thought it was too much, some were d that Jin was given a difficult task, and some feared that he would use the power of Murakan, his guardian dragon, to sessfullyplete the mission.
Even ounting for the secrets of his Shadow Energy and magic, Jin had always returned triumphantly from every mission where they thought he would surely die.
That''s why his siblings were anxious to see if he would truly be able to kill a ck knight.
"I''ll leave that to your discretion."
Rosa made a slight bow, and Cyron directed his gaze at Jin.
However, he didn''t say anything in particr to his son.
Cyron''s personal guidance and instruction, both given directly and indirectly, hade to an end.
But that also meant that Jin had truly earned Cyron''s trust.
"The meeting has concluded. The first, second, third, and fourth gbearers will stay behind. The rest may leave and await further instructions from Rosa."
The gbearers left the office and dispersed to their respective residences.
Ran and Vuigo gave some instructions to their butlers, who were outside the office, and left the hallway. Miu and Anne didn''t forget to sh a disturbing smile at Jin before disappearing.
The Tona twins seemed to want to strike up a conversation with Jin but stood still and left because they couldn''t think of what to say.
Jin chuckled as he watched the Tona twins walk away. Thest of his siblings gave him a strong tap on the shoulder.
"Hey! Look at you, brat. You''vee back after remarkable growth! I''m so d."
"Hello, sister Mary."
"I was super anxious as soon as I saw you. I thought all my hair would fall out from stress. Let''s go. It''s time for me to receive my reward for that phoenix heart."
"I thought I needed something too to clear my head from all these thoughts. Shall we grab a drink and share some long-overdue stories?"
Mary immediately frowned. "What? What the hell are you talking about? Do you think I''ve been waiting all these years just to drink with you? Come and follow me. Let''s spar."
Jin looked at her and gave her a smile.
"I''ll have to say no, Mary."
-
KO-FI
BUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 270: Brother and Sister (1)
Chapter 270: Brother and Sister (1)
C270 - Brother and Sister (1)
Glug, glug, glug...
The famous M liquor filled the ss, but Mary looked dazed, as if her soul had been sucked out. She appeared deste.
In fact, the mental shock she was going through was as terrible as heartbreak.
"No. This can''t be true. Do you have any idea how long I''ve waited? How could he reject me like this and leave? Does this make any sense? How am I supposed to ept this?"
"Don''t bother." Dyfus, who was sitting across from her, simply shrugged.
Mary immediately red at him. "Look, dear brother Dyfus. It seems like you think this is all very easy because it''s not your problem, but you see, the amount of shock I''m going through right now is indescribable, okay?"
The two had been drinking in Mary''s room since the gbearers'' meeting ended.
"Is it something to be so shocked about? The really shocking thing is that Father dered his return to the Dark Sea as soon as he arrived. Imagine how the martial arts ns of Hufester willin again. They have been longing for his return. The gbearers will be busy for some time as we''ll have to console them."
As Dyfus said, the ns under Runcandel''s control, especially the smaller ones, had been eagerly awaiting Cyron''s return.
It was because of the Zipple n.
Since the incident in the Holy Kingdom, the cold war between Runcandel and Zipple had intensified and was reaching a turning point.
Things were going better here in Kalon, where the Garden of Swords was located, or in other ces with considerable forces, but the smaller factions and ns were suffocating under the pressures exerted on them by the cold war.
"They call it a cold war, but it''s not really. These kinds of things don''t get reported in the press, but there are shes with the Lutero Magical Federation every day in various ces. The smaller ns thought Father''s return would give them a respite."
But finding out that Cyron was returning as soon as he arrived was extremely disappointing news for them. Therefore, the Runcandel n''s gbearers would have to visit all of Hufester, starting tomorrow.
The role of the gbearers was to alleviate the concerns of the smaller factions in ce of Cyron and take necessary measures for their problems to satisfy their physical and mental needs.
"Argh! That ungrateful brat! How could you do this to me?" Mary cried out in sadness and clenched her fist. The ss, which had been carefully crafted by the master craftsmen of Cuirano, shattered and ended up on the floor. "Are you even listening to what I''m saying?"
Dyfus brought his hand to his forehead as he handed Mary a handkerchief.
"Listen to me, Dyfus. The ns under our control and the Lutero Magical Federation are always fighting. It''s nothing new. It''s the norm. How is it that the norm is more important than what I''m feeling right now?"
"Yes, let''s forget about it."
Mary grabbed the bottle of liquor from Dyfus''s hand and started gulping it down. It had been a while since she felt so agitated.
"By the way, Mary. About our younger brother."
"Yes?"
"He arrived riding on Murakan, the dark dragon guardian of the n. So that must mean he''s also Solderet''s contractor. I''m sure he was involved in the West Sea battle between the Secret Pce and the Zipple."
"Whoa, you''re right! The West Sea battle was a three-way battle between the ruler of the Secret Pce, the Zipple, and the dark dragon, right?"
"As I see it, the ruler of the Secret Pce was protecting Jin in the West Sea battle, which means he must have stayed in the Secret Pce since then."
"But the Zipple won that battle. How could Jin stay in the Secret Pce?"
"There must have been a negotiation. This is my theory. The winner of the West Sea battle was actually the Secret Pce, not the Zipple. And by dering the battle as their defeat, the ruler of the Secret Pce negotiated with the Zipple to ensure Jin''s safety for a year."
Mary nodded with great intrigue.
"Oh. That''s a very convincing theory."
After Jin exposed their atrocities in the incident in the Holy Kingdom, the dignity of the Zipple was plummeting day by day.
It was no wonder, considering they were not waging all-out wars after beingpletely humiliated by Jin, a provisional gbearer, and they still couldn''t capture him even after putting a hundred million coins on his head.
"Not only Andrei, Miuron, and Karl died, the incident in the Holy Kingdom also happened. And now, they even lost to the Secret Pce? They can''t afford that. The Zipple would have wanted to prevent their vtile dignity and reputation from further plummeting, even if it meant giving up on Jin."
"I was curious about how Jin managed to stay alive, away from the Zipple and our efforts to find him. But if the ruler of the Secret Pce was protecting him, that would make sense. But does she have a reason to protect Jin?"
"Don''t you remember? The daughter of the Secret Pce kissed Jin at the banquet, remember?"
"Yes, I remember. But what about it?"
"The Secret Pce is very different from how things are in our n. The ruler of the Secret Pce values her daughter more than her own life. I investigated it after the banquet and found out that the daughter of the Secret Pce had no romantic interests before. She''s different from her mother. Jin was her first."
"So she helped Jin because her daughter would be saddened if Jin died, is that it?"
"That''s right."
"If what you''re saying is true, then the ruler of the Secret Pce must think of Jin as a potential son-inw."
"Yes. And Father must also be behind some of this."
"What?"
"Don''t you think Father epted Jin as a gbearer too easily?"
"Too easily? You also saw Jin withstand Father''s sword strike with your own eyes, right?"
"Mary! Father must have known the moment heid eyes on the boy that he had the ability to take the sword with all his mastery behind it. He was fully aware of it, but still did it in front of everyone watching, so that everyone woulde to ept Jin, just like you do now."
Mary''s eyes widened. Dyfus continued with great confidence in his theory.
"Therefore, Father must also be optimistic about Jin and the daughter of the Secret Pce''s marriage, just like the ruler of the Secret Pce. There''s no reason to reject building marriage alliances between the Runcandel and the Secret Pce in the current state."
"Marriage, huh? That''s right. The Runcandel n won''t lose anything by forgiving Jin and marrying him off to the Secret Pce. If the Zipple demand ountability in the future, we could deflect it to the Secret Pce, and Jin''s deviation from the legitimacy of the n won''t be much of a problem if he also belongs to the Secret Pce."
"And even if we enter into arge-scale war against the Zipple n, the Secret Pce will also stand by the Runcandel."
"Yes, that''s right."
"Hmm, no wonder he didn''t ept a battle against me. His life was spared for a year after the ruler of the Secret Pce faked the defeat. It wouldn''t be good for him to show people that he doesn''t value his life by fighting me on the day of his return. By the way, Dyfus?"
"What?"
"It''s about mother. She said she will assign the capture of the ck Knight spy as Jin''s first mission as a gbearer, remember? ording to your theory, father wants to hand Jin over to the Secret Pce, but mother sounded like she would push Jin to the limit from the beginning."
"I''m not sure about mother''s intentions either. Maybe she just wants to get rid of him because he might harm Joshua in some way, as she also can''t directly go against father''s decision."
Dyfus continued after shrugging his shoulders.
"Or maybe my theory ispletely wrong. Either way, we''ll have to pay close attention to the state of things for a while."
"Talking about all theseplicated things just made me more frustrated. Damn, this wasn''t what I was supposed to worry about."
"Wasn''t it?"
"Why should I worry about what our parents think? I was supposed to worry about how to arrange a fight against him as soon as possible. You changed the subject, Dyfus."
"Are you talking about that again? Come on!" Even Dyfus had to raise his voice at this point.
"Big brother, everything you just said made you sound quite smart. Why don''t you offer some suggestions instead?"
Dyfus was about to raise his voice again but sighed instead.
Yes, again, that''s Mary.
A straightforward girl who loved to fight and never epted defeat.
Mary firmly believed that fighting against the powerful was the most valuable thing one could do in life.
Unlike the other siblings, she had no ulterior motives, was not blinded by jealousy, and was not engulfed in inferiority or ego.
That''s why Dyfus liked Mary above all his siblings. In fact, she was the only person he liked among them all.
"Ugh, fine. You''re impossible. Completely impossible. Although it doesn''t sound entirely impossible. I''m talking about a way you could lure Jin into a fight."
"Oh! What is it? What is it?"
Mary grabbed Dyfus by the cor with shining eyes. Not many people could look so friendly while holding someone by the cor.
"First, let me go, and then go cut some fruits since we don''t have anything to apany the drinks."
"Okay, I''ll cut them! But if your suggestion is stupid, I''ll cut your neck along with them."
******
Cyron left the Garden of Swords at midnight.
There was a majestic formation to wee his arrival, but by his order, no one was allowed to see him off. Instead, the knights gave him a silent sword salute as he left the Garden of Swords.
Jin stood by the window and waved to Cyron until he could no longer see his father.
"Jin?"
It was Luna. She was going to visit Hughester tomorrow to encourage the ns under her control for a month before heading to the Dark Sea.
"Yes, Luna?"
"There were so many things I wanted to do with you once you came back. I had no idea things would turn out like this. I can''t imagine what kind of things you''ll have to face while I''m not here. I can''t even give you a pendant anymore."
"That''s a strange thing to worry about. Do I still seem so weak to you, Luna?"
"No. But mother showed tant hostilities toward you, and the elders don''t seem like they''ll teach you thetest moves either. And now, even I have to leave your side. I feel horrible inside."
"I hope you don''t take it the wrong way, but everything that has happened after I became a gbearer isn''t as bad as I thought."
"Really?"
"In fact, it wouldn''t have seemed strange to me even if I were captured and dragged to the underground cells as soon as I returned. But father gave me a chance before he left, and mother, well, she still seems to underestimate me."
"Underestimate you?"
"She''s trying to fight me fairly. If I were her, I would have demanded my death as soon as I returned, even if it meant going against father''s decision. She also had justification for it."
"Challenging the patriarch''s authority in front of the n''s eyes is somewhat a more severe blow against the n than treason."
"Do you think challenging father''s authority once,pared to what I will start contributing to the n, is more threatening to the Runcandels led by Joshua?"
Not to the current Runcandels, but to the Runcandels led by Joshua.
Luna didn''t take long to decide. "Thetter is more threatening."
"That''s the point. Mother made a mistake from the beginning. She missed the best opportunity she will ever have, just like Joshua did."
At that moment, Luna felt chills around her neck.
Jin had never been a boy she had to worry about. In fact, she had to be careful not to cause him any worry.
"Even your journey to the Dark Sea is good news for me. The mission that father and the previous generation of ck Knights had been carrying out in the area, and the reason why our father has been so focused on the Dark Sea. Please investigate it thoroughly on this mission."
Not even Luna, the first gbearer, understood why Cyron was so obsessed with the Dark Sea.
"The im that it''s for your training is probably only half of the truth," Jin said.
"I understand. It''s the first time father has taken someone from our generation to the Dark Sea, so I''ll try to bring you news that pleases you. In return, you''ll have to drink with me all night and tell me the things you''ve experienced outside the n."
"Luna?"
"Go on, my brother."
"The fact that we only have one day to freely talk to each other is probably more annoying for me than for you."
"Is this the same boy who struck me so strongly with the sword at the gbearer appointment ceremony?"
"That was just a childish disy of talent, in a way. Just to say that you''ll have to be prepared as well if you want to challenge me from now on, or something like that."
"Haha, I suppose that makes sense. But I wonder when you''ll be admired by everyone with nothing more than the sword, like your dear sister."
"It won''t take long."
The siblings shared drinks throughout the night.
-
KO-FI
BUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 271: Brother and Sister (2)
Chapter 271: Brother and Sister (2)
C271 - Brother and Sister (2)
The next day, Luna and some of the gbearers left the Garden of Swords to encourage the ns under their control.
Jin felt saddened having to bid farewell once again to his older sister, but they both had the chance to express their deep affection as siblings before wishing each other good health and the best of luck.
Petrow, the first-ss butler, appeared before Jin early in the morning.
"Sir, I formally greet you once again, twelfth gbearer. From today onwards, I have been assigned to attend to your needs, young master. I will do my best not to disappoint you."
Obviously, Luna had sent him to Jin.
The other gbearers and their butlers would try to exclude him, so Luna wanted to make sure Jin wouldn''t have difficulty finding information within the n.
"I rely on you, Petrow. From now on, address me as young master. There''s no need for formalities."
"Yes, young master."
"Oh, look at that. So, this guy is your designated butler, huh?"
Poof!
Murakan transformed into his human form. Petrow bowed his head.
"Hmm." Murakan inspected Petrow from head to toe several times.
"Lord Murakan, is there something you want to ask me?"
"From today onwards, your name will be Mono."
"Pardon, sir?"
Petrow wore a monocle.
"So, listen here, Mono. Not only do you have to listen to the kid, but you also have to fulfill my wishes. Understand?"
"Of course, Lord Murakan."
Petrow could hardly believe that the ck cat he saw during Jin''s cadet days turned out to be this man.
"Well, very well. Bring your ear here."
Petrow approached cautiously and lent his ear. Murakan whispered something to him. Petrow didn''t believe what he heard for a second but soon nodded his head.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes, of course."
"What did you tell him?"
"That''s none of your concern, brat."
"Petrow, inform me if this dark dragon makes any strange demands."
"As you wish, young master. Regarding the matter at hand, Lord Murakan instructed me to obtain theplete collection of hi portraits from the top experts of M''s Artists Guild..."
"Mono!" Murakan shouted loudly, causing Gilly to let out a soft chuckle. Jin shook his head at that lost cause of a dragon but didn''t necessarily tell Petrow not to fulfill the order.
After all, it was a small and precious pastime for his guardian dragon.
Of course, Murakan red at Petrow with murderous eyes and clenched his teeth tightly.
"Petrow, investigate how thoserades who were in my faction during my cadet days are faring and report back to me," Jin said.
"Oh, I''ve been monitoring the younger faction even before you returned, young master. Out of the ten cadets, one has already be a guardian knight, and two are undergoing the final trials to be guardian knights. The other seven are training as advanced cadets."
"Oh? One of them has already be a guardian knight, huh. It must be Mesa Milcano."
Jin obviously thought that Mesa, the leader of the younger faction, would be the first to be a guardian knight among them.
But Petrow gave a different response.
"No, young master. Mesa Milcano is undergoing her final trials alongside Scott Rymon. It''s Vellop Schmidtz. That guy started standing out from the pack at some point."
Vellop Schmidtz.
In Jin''s past life, his weak character led to his expulsion from the Garden of Swords. Eventually, he joined the Hairan and became a royal guard of the Vermonts.
Vellop was used as a tool tomit assassinations and was involved in many atrocities. In the end, he took his own life and left a remorseful letter for the killings he hadmitted.
"Vellop! And to think it was that guy. Where is he now?"
Jin felt pleased and proud that Vellop had be a guardian knight of the Runcandel n.
"Um, well... He''s currently on a mission in the snowy mountain ranges of the southeastern region of the Mytell Kingdom. It''s an indeterminate duration, and his mission is to eradicate the bandits in the area."
Jin frowned and showed his difort upon hearing the news.
The southern snow crests of the Mytell Kingdom barely had any citizens due to the harsh cold in the area. Since only a small tribe of less than a hundred families lived in its vast territory, there weren''t even the most insignificant of thieves, let alone bandits.
Being sent there to eradicate bandits meant that Vellop was sidelined the moment he became a guardian knight, likely because he belonged to Jin''s faction.
In fact, Vellop hadn''t even learned of Jin''s return yet due to his own mission. The rest of the younger faction had been present during Jin''s return formation day.
"I see what''s going on."
"Should I put Vellop''s recall from the mission on the agenda for the next gbearers'' meeting?"
"No, leave it be. If we force his return, it might raise suspicion. We must wait for him to return with some achievements."
"But there are no bandits there, young master. Even if there were, eradicating bandits is not something that guardian knights should frequently do. There will be enough justification to recall him."
"May I, first-ss butler Petrow?"
"Yes, young master."
Petrow bowed his head, his tone changing.
"We should always deliver results that surpass everyone''s imagination. It''s not enough to offer wless results asionally. We must show unexpected results every time we face our enemies. If we can''t, we will never be epted. That means we can''t do things the way others do."
Small imperfections were critical ws, and great achievements were mediocre feats.
That was how Jin''s enemies nned to treat Jin and his people.
And Jin decided to earn the eptance of his enemies and bring them to their knees.
"I will keep that in mind, young master!"
"Do you have a prepared list of first-ss wanted criminals and above that the gbearers can ess?"
"Yes, sir."
"Bring it to me."
Petrow hurriedly fetched the document. Jin scanned through it and made a list of about five criminals.
"Firok the apostate knight of the Vank, Jack Glow the rabid dog of the Western Vermonts, Panta the assault leader of the Crimson Tigers... They''re all still active, huh?"
Jin smiled as he scanned their names and sketches.
It reminded him of the conversation he had with Dante and Beradin in Sameel back in his days as a reserve gbearer.
Those guys were excited about the idea of joining that adventure. I know Dante has been fine all this time, but Beradin. I''m worried about him. I wonder how he''s been.
He wanted to contact them immediately if he could.
But he couldn''t contact the princes of hostile nations right aftering to the Garden of Swords. He shouldn''t make contact until there was an opportune moment to meet them without arousing suspicion.
"Take the list of wanted criminals I made and go to the Free City of Tikan. Give it to two guys named Kuzan and Yulian and tell them to search for the traceable ones among them and discreetly lead them to the snow-covered ridges in the southeast of the Mytell Kingdom."
"Understood, sir."
"There must be no civilian casualties or damage in the process. They must also keep the criminals unharmed and ensure that they are not discovered for guiding the criminals, not even by Vellop. The achievement must be solely attributed to Vellop."
"I will instruct them word for word."
But would Vellop be able to handle such major viins? He has just be a guardian knight. If it were possible to guide those criminals to a specific area, they would have been caught centuries ago.
Petrow refrained from asking because he felt a mysterious authority in Jin.
He often felt a great power when serving the young Lady Luna, but the power he felt in young master Jin was very different. There was an indescribable energy in his words, as if they were bound toe true.
It was quite simr to the strength in Patriarch Cyron Runcandel''s words.
Of course, the power in Jin was not as strong as Cyron''s, but Petrow perceived that Jin shared a simr kind of authority to his father''s.
"Starting today, journalists from all over Hufester will begin to spread articles about me. Make sure that all the articles circted by the press that you can control go through a final check by Deano Jaglun, each and every one of them."
"Understood, sir. What should I instruct Deano to focus on?"
"Tell him to emphasize the fact that I am Solderet and Tess''s Contractor. Make sure he uses simpler words and phrases than the rest of the bulletins. Delete anything that mentions n traditions. It should be easy enough for children to read, but it should have a certain ss."
Jin wanted to promote the fact that he was a Magic Swordsman in the simplest way possible.
"Another thing, different ns and organizations will start sending delegations to congratte me starting next week. Make a list of all those who show me special favor. The Holy Queen will visit the n in person, and we must receive her with the utmost courtesy."
The Holy Kingdom has been closed to any foreign diplomacy since Lani ascended as their Holy Queen. But now that the kingdom''s hero, Jin, had be an official gbearer, Lani would undoubtedly pay a visit.
"It will be the first time the current Holy Queen leaves the Holy Kingdom. It will be a historic moment. Hmm. The right thing would be to have an honor guard processionposed of high-level guardian knights, but currently, you don''t have any high-level guardian knights under your control, young master."
Jin gave Petrow time to think.
"If you allow me, young master, to prevent the honor of hosting the saintly queen from falling into the hands of other gbearers, perhaps we could gather a weing delegationposed of survivors from Kollon. There will likely be survivors of biological golem experiments in the procession of the Holy Queen, so it will be a beautiful scene to behold."
Jin nodded, satisfied. This was the response he wanted to hear from Petrow.
"Excellent. Please organize it."
Petrow bowed his head again.
"Andstly, my sword. Who currently has the Bradamante?"
"After recovering the Bradamante from the golden mice, it was directly sent to the armory of the second gbearer."
Jin expected that, so he wasn''t bothered by it.
Besides, the process of recovering the Bradamante was already underway.
"I wonder how long it will take."
"Do you mean the process of recovering the Bradamante, young master?" Petrow asked carefully. He had no good suggestions on how he could retrieve the sword.
"No, I meant how long it will take until Mary appears with the Bradamante in her hands."
Petrow was about to respond when furious footsteps approached quickly.
The origin of the footsteps forcefully opened the door to the room.
Jin spotted the unwanted guest, who red at him with anger in her eyes. It was Mary, his third sister. Jin was about to burst intoughter upon seeing her.
"Jin! You brat."
She seemed to have fought a lot before arriving. Her hair was disheveled, and she had scratches all over her body.
She had two swords at her waist: her own longsword and the Bradamante.
"What can I do for you, dear sister?"
"Brat, this time you won''t be able to reject me. Look at this sword. It''s the Bradamante. You surely want to get it back, right? Follow me right now. I''ll give it to you if you satisfy me enough, brat."
Jin would have danced with joy if he had been alone.
-
KO-FI
BUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 272: Brother and Sister (3)
Chapter 272: Brother and Sister (3)
C272 - Brother and Sister (3)
"Take his sword, the Bradamante. He''ll surely fight you then," Dyfus had said.
"The Bradamante? Isn''t it in Joshua''s armory right now?" Mary asked.
"Exactly. I told you to pay attention, didn''t I? What did I just say? I said the gbearers would be busy because of Father, right? Joshua will be out of the Garden of Swords starting tomorrow. And you''ll probably stay here."
"Oh! So, even if I steal his armory, I won''t get into trouble right away. Is that it?"
"Not right away, probably. Although he''ll be furious once he returns."
"That''s why they call it an afterthought. You think about it afterward. I''ll think about handling my problemster. I have to go get that sword as soon as Joshua leaves. After all, it was worth peeling fruits for you."
"Deal with your own problems, alright?"
"Don''t worry about that. But if Mother tries to kill me for it, then step up, okay? I''m counting on you, dear older brother. See youter then. I''m off!"
"What? Hey,e on! Mary! You idiot! I don''t agree with your request! Did you hear me?"
Mary didn''t stop at anything if she could fight the powerful, even if it meant stealing from the armory of the second gbearer and sessor to the patriarch in broad daylight.
As soon as Joshua left the Garden of Swords, Mary headed to the armory located within his independent residence.
She subdued all of Joshua''s guardian knights who didn''t retreat and sessfully stole the Bradamante. In the process, over a dozen of Joshua''s guardian knights were injured, and Mary herself suffered multiple cuts on her body.
The guardian knights guarding the armory were in shock at this sudden tragedy, but now that Jin had returned, it was inevitable for something like this to happen.
Mary had always been in Jin''s ns to retrieve the Bradamante.
"I didn''t think she would bring it back so quickly. Well... Mary is truly something special. But what is that she''s carrying on her back? It looks very heavy." Jin''s gaze fell on the unidentifiedrge cloth sack she carried on her back.
Mary pointed at the Bradamante hanging from her waist with her thumb.
"Don''t tell me you''re going to reject me again. I never said that Phoenix Heart was free."
"Aren''t birthday gifts usually free?"
"Normally, people return the favor!"
"Mary. Actually, the reason I didn''t want to fight you was that I didn''t want to draw too much attention right after arriving."
"What?"
"Well... it''s hard to exin."
Veins popped on Mary''s neck. "You''re looking down on me right now, aren''t you? Jin, you brat. Uncle Jed told me you were crazy, but I had no idea you were this cool."
Anothermotion was brewing in the hallway.
"We''ve found the seventh gbearer!"
"Retrieve the object at all costs!"
"Lady seventh gbearer! Please stop ying around and return the sword!"
"Oh, damn it. Have they caught up to me already? Hold it right there. I''ll stab you if youe any closer!"
Jin didn''t expect things to escte this far. He predicted that Mary would confront him with the Bradamante, but he had no idea she would also bring the pursuit of the guardian knights to his room.
I guess it''s not the time to act innocent.
Jin infused mana into his red ruby.
Wroom!
"Myaa!" Shuri was summoned out of nowhere. Mary''s eyes widened.
"Let''s go, Mary."
Jin hopped on Shuri''s back and reached out his hand to Mary. When Mary grabbed his hand, Jin realized that the sack on her back was much heavier than it appeared.
Meanwhile, Gilly and Petrow quickly opened thergest window wide enough for Shuri to jump through.
Shuri leaped.
In an instant, Gilly and Petrow''s coboration in opening the window proved futile. Shuri''srge size caused it to bump its head against the window frame and fall t on the ground.
"Hm."
"Meow."
Jin tried to conceal his embarrassment and retracted Shuri back into the red ruby. Then he jumped out the window with Mary and summoned Shuri again.
"Please forget about the awkward scene back there."
"I''ll give you a good beating! I''ll tell you where to go!"
"Alright."
Shuri began running through the Garden of Swords in the direction Mary indicated.
Joshua''s guardian knights managed to suppress the curses they desperately wanted to let out and attempted to follow from behind until they heard a voice.
"Look at these fools. Can''t they see me here? Turns out this room belongs to me too, Murakan. If you ever step into this room, know that you''ll be killed." Murakan prevented the guardian knights from entering the room.
Joshua''s guardian knights werepletely lost. The chain ofmand in the n they were taught never included a dragon.
Does the Dark Dragon outrank the twelfth gbearer? But this Dark Dragon is the guardian dragon of the twelfth gbearer, right?
Wait, are we supposed to listen to this Dark Dragon in the first ce? We should be immediately pursuing the seventh and twelfth gbearers...
Murakan''s face grew fiercer as the guardian knights wracked their brains.
"Damn, look at these useless fools. Even Temar, that boy, never dared to cross my territory. I know times have changed, but should I be treated like this even in the Runcandel n?"
"We will take a detour, Lord Murakan," a guardian knight spoke, but Murakhan was already upset.
"No, no, that won''t do. My ego has suffered considerable damage, and I can''t let you go like this. Fools, you haven''t shown me any respect as soon as youid eyes on me."
"We will retreat for now. Squad, take a detour and pursue!"
At that very moment, dark energy gathered in Murakan''s eyes.
ck scales formed on his arms and face, and wings grew from his back simultaneously.
He transformed parts of his body to reveal the strength of a dragon.
The guardian knights froze immediately like statues before they could turn around.
If this had been a thousand years ago,mon guardian knights would barely be able to look Murakan in the eyes. All members of the Runcandel n showed utmost respect for Murakan in Temar''s days.
"Don''t you know how to bend your knees?"
The guardian knights immediately bent their knees upon hearing Murakan''s words.
Gilly and Petrow were startled by the sight, but they managed to keep theirposure.
Murakan exuded immense and extraordinary strength, but the guardian knights didn''t yield out of fear.
They realized how disrespectful they had been to the revered guardian of the n until recently.
"The servants of the Runcandels have offended the guardian of the n, the great dark dragon. We will ept any punishment you decree upon us."
Murakan looked at them for some time and responded. "Very well. Someone will have to take responsibility for this offense. Bring me Rosa Runcandel."
The guardian knights could solemnly swear that this was the most humiliating and disastrous day they had experienced since bing knights of Joshua.
----------------------------
Jin and Mary arrived at a in on the outskirts of Kalon.
This vast, emptynd was assigned to Mary''s direct control the moment she became a gbearer. Thend had one purpose.
Battles.
Whenever Mary found a worthy opponent, she would drag them here and fight until she was satisfied.
Jin was the first worthy enemy of this year. It was also Jin''s first timeing to this ce.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Mary stretched, brandishing her sword while Jin inspected the dried bloodstains and sword marks covering the area.
I heard that a hundred powerful figures lost their lives here.
There were also numerous deep sword gashes, indicating the number of great battles fought here.
Mary loosened Bradamante from her waist.
Then she threw it as far as she could, across the in.
"I would stake it in the ground somewhere, but it would be dragged into the battle and thrown away anyway. Finally, I can fight against you."
"Now, I can feelfortable fighting against you in this ce."
Jin had provoked her two days in a row, from the moment they had a chance to speak in the Garden of Swords. The motive behind the provocations was the same as always. It was to gain an advantage in defeating her.
She''s in thete stages of the eight stars or the early stages of the nine stars. She''s not intimidated.
Jin wasn''t the only one who had grown stronger in the past four years of his Reserve gbearer stage. All the gbearers had made tremendous progress, including Mary.
In fact, Mary even knew the finishing moves.
She''s not going to use the finishing moves, is she? What a pity. I did everything I could to provoke her until now, but she regained herposure along the way.
No veins were popping on Mary''s neck anymore. She looked at Jin calmly.
"Dear brother?"
"Yes, Mary?"
"Did you know?"
"Know what?"
Mary burst intoughter. "I killed you at least thirty times along the way."
"That''s very strange to say. How is that possible?"
She revealed the dagger she had hidden in her sleeve. "While riding that cat behind you, this little dagger could have explored every nook and cranny of your body if I wanted it to. I didn''t want our reunion to end in such a boring way."
Jin simply observed his third sister speak triumphantly and didn''t respond for some time.
People used to have a misconception about Mary Runcandel, the fiercest person in Hufester. They thought of her as a martial artist who always sought to fight cleanly.
But that couldn''t be further from the truth.
Mary did everything to win. She simplycked talent for schemes and plots, so she stayed away from them. But she never hesitated to use veiled threats, poison, or ambushes.
In that sense, Mary wasn''t lying when she said she had been soft on Jin. Although it was only half true.
"And that''s exactly why I told you earlier. How strange. Did you think I didn''t notice those little things?"
Jin had been aware of Mary''s dagger throughout the journey. It was quite an exhrating experience, and the threat was enough to make him break into a cold sweat.
Mary licked her lips with satisfaction at his response. "Uncle, I''m proud of you. If those fools from Tona had said those words, I would have smashed their jaws. But you are genuine. You sound quite convincing. It doesn''t seem like you''re bluffing."
"Thank you."
"Let''s start now, my dear brother. Before we do, I almost forgot something." Mary finally let go of the heavy sack she had been carrying on her back.
Even Jin couldn''t believe his eyes as she began to unfold the sack.
This is insane. These are mana bombs! And they''re anti-personnel type, the most powerful ones!
Each of the blue clumps the size of an egg filling the sack was as potent as a seven-star attack spell.
Mary scattered the bombs across the terrain without hesitation. They immediately rolled and filled the area between the siblings.
They had safety locks that prevented them from detonating with a slight impact. But with the shockwaves their battle would cause, those safety locks meant nothing.
"I''ve been waiting for this fight for too long. It wouldn''t be good to have a boring scenario, right? I spent the whole night trying to think of how this battle could be more satisfying. Haha. Come at me, Jin!"
-
KO-FI
BUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 273: Brother and Sister (4)
Chapter 273: Brother and Sister (4)
C273 - Brother and Sister (4)
The mana bombs thrown by Mary rolled and scattered. Although they appeared to be small and innocent blue eggs, each one of them could end the lives of dozens of humans in an instant.
How many of these are there? How is it that one almost forgets about these things?
There were at least two hundred, ording to a rough estimate.
Certainly, there wouldn''t be too many people in the world crazy enough to request a battle with such lethal things scattered all around.
The ins, which until a few moments ago had been nothing but empty space, were now a death arena.
"Don''t tell me you''re afraid now. We''vee this far. Don''t disappoint your older sister..."
Shing!
Jin unsheathed Sigmund. Mary grinned widely upon seeing it.
Regardless of one''s mastery, seeing him react like this would send shivers down anyone''s spine. Fortunately, Jin was able to conceal his surprise.
"Yes, that''s right."
Mary gradually raised her energy, causing her short and fluffy hair to flutter in the air.
Her eyes shone as if she were looking at her beloved, but they were filled with the spirit of battle and killing intent.
Indeed, Mary was not the strongest in the Runcandel n. But in terms of pure reverence and enjoyment of battle and victory itself, none could rival her.
"May I take the first step?"
"Of course."
"Really?"
"Yes, I told you."
"Thanks for the offer, then."
Jin lowered his sword and assumed his stance. Mary was so ecstatic that she felt like she was flying. How long had she been waiting for this moment?
Their own father described him as a formidable force. Yes, the energy is extraordinary. Oh, the thrill, the satisfaction, the ecstasy! Jin, let''s exchange blows all day until one of us ends up in the healer''s care!
While Mary suppressed her excitement, Jin slowly prepared his attack.
His movement was extremely slow. It was so slow that Jin wouldn''t have dared to make this move if Mary hadn''t offered him the initiative.
Jin and Mary''s bodies were extremely strong, though not as unbreakable as Luna''s.
But even those bodies wouldn''tst long after a full-fledged battle on the mana bomb-infested field they were in.
It would be better to end this with a single strike. I don''t want to meet the healers twice in a row.
Jin intended to execute the first maneuver of the Shadow de, the Soul sh.
He had trained the Soul Cut every day during the year he spent in Lafrarosa. But, of course, he was nowhere near mastery, which would allow him to stab the enemy''s soul itself.
But Jin''s Soul sh had made a tremendous leap with training. He was skilled enough that he no longer had to tell himself tounch it like before, and the attack was now more deadly.
But if they gave him enough time to repeat the phrase like before and align his Shadow Energy, he could do much more.
He could even create a deadly force capable of threatening transcendent masters like Luna or Vanessa.
Therefore, assuming Mary would wait for him to make the first move, Jin could bring her to the brink of death with a single blow.
Sigmund''s pale de began to turn ck.
Shadow Energy. It must be Solderet''s power. This is quite dullpared to the excitement I felt when I first unsheathed the sword. No, it''s not just dull. It''s too weak. I don''t feel anything at all.
Five seconds passed in that state.
Mary still seemed to have detected no threat.
After ten seconds like that, she was about to get angry. She wanted to yell at him and reprimand him for doing nothing.
Huh?
It was her natural fighter''s instinct that instantly told her that the Shadow Energy gathering in Sigmund was dangerous.
That''s an interesting sword technique. It emits no pressure at all, but it sends shivers down my spine!
Mary''s instincts were always right.
And this is what her instincts told her: If she gave him just a few more seconds, she would be defeated in a single blow.
"Hey!" Mary suddenly closed the distance between her and Jin. She reached him in the blink of an eye and made a vertical sh.
Ching!
Jin had no choice but to stop the movement he was making and parry the attack.
"Mary, I thought you said you''d let me make the initial move."
"Don''t push it too far, you shameless brat! I don''t know what you were trying to do, but I know it was something beyond my capabilities."
"That''s a misunderstanding. How could I know techniques like that if I haven''t even been taught the final moves?"
"Anyway, I''m not letting you start with moves you can''t even use in real fights."
Mary''s eyes gleamed dangerously as she continued with more sword techniques. She dazzled Jin''s sight with highly variable and destructive swordy.
Tsk, that didn''t work. She would never have felt the power of the Shadow Energy. Did she sense it by instinct?
Jin''s Shadow Energy was currently at seven stars.
Shadow Energy was stronger than ordinary powers like aura or mana by two star grades, which meant that it could gather a destructive force of a nine-star aura or mana with just his Shadow Energy.
But that wasn''t the only advantage of Shadow Energy. Unlike other forces, highly concentrated Shadow Energy emitted no presence.
It was the same principle by which shadows had no weight, regardless of their size.
However, Mary sensed the tremendous power of the other side of the energy that didn''t emit presence, and Jin was forced to change his ns.
"Come on. You''re the one taking this too far, Mary. We''re not fighting for our lives. Why would you scatter bombs everywhere?"
"Haven''t you heard of my old nickname?"
"The crazy b*tch of the southern continent?" Jin asked.
"Yes, I really liked that name. Much more than being called Mistral Mary these days."
Yes, the crazy b*tch suits you better.
Jin struggled not to add that remark and instead corrected his posture. Luckily, Jin had considered the possibility of interruptions, so he didn''t end up with an overload of Shadow Energy.
Shik! Swip!
Mary began to release waves of des around her. Jin took a step back and focused first on his defense.
The mana bombs were getting on his nerves. If he didn''t carefully neutralize the sword waves, the bombs would detonate. And if even one exploded, a horrifying chain reaction of explosions would start.
Mary burst intoughter.
Their auras projected a dazzling y of lights in the air. Every sh of swords caused sparks and shockwaves that spread through the area.
For now, the shockwaves only scattered the bombs. But the unpredictability of their potential detonation sent chills down Jin''s spine.
Mary''s alias of being the crazy b*tch seemed quite fitting.
Jin fought with a thick aura barrier around him, but Mary was busyunching fierce attacks as if she didn''t see the bombs surrounding her. In fact, she almost seemed to want them to explode as quickly as possible.
Is Mary the excessively sane type, just like Luna?
Luna was unaffected after the initiation ritual with the singing stones.
Perhaps the high-grade anti-personnel mana bombs only left scratches on Mary''s body even if she received them without any shields.
"Uhuhu, bwahahaha! You block them so well. This is deadly!"
Swiff, swip, crack!
Mary''s sword suddenly began to whip around like a whip.
Her favorite sword, Viper, appeared to be an ordinary longsword, but by unlocking its internal mechanism with aura, it turned into a chain sword.
The sword flew at a right angle and suddenly extended, bent, and twisted. Jin was dazzled by her attacks.
The chain sword struck the ground every time Jin evaded or parried. It scraped the earth and rocks, sending them flying. Meanwhile, the bombs vibrated as if they would explode at any moment.
The detonations were inevitable.
Jin saw a bomb right under his feet forming a tiny crack in slow motion.
Damn it.
Jin sighed and raised his aura. Due to the side effects of failing in his soul sh, he couldn''t unleash the Shadow Energy.
This would have been easier if he had brought the Dark Light Armor.
But the Dark Light Armor was horribly damaged during training in Lafrarosa. He had to rely on his aura barrier and the Rune of Myulta.
Once the bombs start detonating, Mary will also suffer the damage. I just have to recover before her and attack first... huh?"
Jin''s eyes widened. He saw it. The legendary silver armor hidden under Mary''s coat!
The silver light armor. This armor, created along with the dark light armor, was another masterpiece of the Minche Smithing Association.
Indeed, Mary was sticking out her tongue with a euphoric expression on her face.
From the beginning, she hadn''t wanted to face Jin fairly. The mana bombs weren''t ced just for thrills.
You''re not the only one who knows how to provoke others, Jin.
Mary smiled pleasantly, and Jin clenched his teeth. The truth was, it had been a long time since Jin felt tactically lost and provoked against his will.
He had no idea he would fall into such things against Mary.
He was caught off guard.
The chain reaction started with a deafening explosion.
The bombs certainly lived up to their high-grade anti-personnel purpose. These bombs Mary prepared were not only highly explosive but also filled with metallic shrapnel, just like the singing stones. The singing stones had limited power since they were constructed for training, but these mana bombs showed no mercy.
Boom, ng! Swip! Pew!
The explosions and flying shrapnel headed towards Jin at a speed intended to tear him apart.
The metallic shrapnel pierced through the shield barrier and tore through his body. If he didn''t have the blessed Runcandel body, he would have been minced in a matter of seconds.
And that wasn''t all. He had to deal with Mary''s continuous attacks once again. He had a rtively smaller area to protect, thanks to the armor, and could move rtively freely.
Of course, the armor wasn''t perfect. The shrapnel also lodged into his body. Clearly, that was followed by a pain that invited curses as a reaction.
But Mary was the kind who went for the jugr in exchange for a limb. Anyway, Jin was already at a disadvantage against her.
"I know these won''t finish you off. But you''ll have to risk a serious injury, at the very least. Then, I''ll slowly tear you apart until I defeat you!"
The Adder chain sword flew without losing its strength, even amidst all the explosions.
She couldn''t urately target the critical points due to the smoke, but Mary felt the thrilling sensation of piercing flesh from time to time.
The explosionssted for three minutes. Civilians and most martial artists would have been obliterated by the prolonged and powerful explosions.
Mary stood up and gasped as she waited for the dust to settle, hoping to see the tatters of her younger brother.
Once the dust cleared, she could see Jin on one knee,pletely motionless like a statue. His body was drenched in blood, and he was coughing up blood as well.
"Are you okay? Have I gone too far? If you feel like you''re about to die, let''s stop here."
Mary wasn''t the type to say those things. Mary immediately covered her chain sword with a newyer of aura. There was no need to lower her guard before she was certain she had crushed her enemy.
"Brother..."
Mary''s eyes gleamed again at Jin''s call. "Yes, my dear brother! You can still go on, can''t you?"
Jin slowly lifted his head and finished his sentence. "I''m going to kill you."
-
KO-FI
BUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 274: Brother and Sister (5)
Chapter 274: Brother and Sister (5)
C274 - Brother and Sister (5)
Jin felt as if magma was boiling in his head and chest. His blood rushed faster, and his teeth were clenched so tightly that his jaw felt numb.
It wasn''t due to the pain he endured from the explosions and shrapnel tearing through his body.
It was because of the explosive fury he felt towards Mary.
Jin spat out blood-filled saliva and tore off the burnt shreds of clothing stuck to his skin. His flesh was seared red-hot and stung with incredible pain, but it was nothingpared to the pieces of metal now lodged deep within his body.
Some of his bones and joints felt loose, but he managed to avoid any critical injuries to his internal organs thanks to his blessed body and the blood of the Battle God.
With all his heart, he truly wanted to kill his third sister.
Mary seemed pleased as shebed through her disheveled hair, seemingly innocent of her intentions. "Did you say you wanted to kill me?"
He nodded.
"Who taught you to say such sweet things? Aww. Come on,e at me!"
Even Jin''s murderous intent made Mary happy.
To Jin, it felt like something Yona would say, except Mary had never secretly left green roses tied for Jin like Yona had.
Apart from the gift of the Phoenix Heart, Jin didn''t owe her anything. And by now, that debt could be considered almostpletely paid off.
"Let me ask you something in advance."
"What is it?"
"It seems you''re fully satisfied, judging by your reactions. Allow me to offer you a chance as well. How about you return Bradamante now and we end this here? What do you think?"
Mary wiped the joy off her face and abruptly put on a cold expression. "That won''t work at all. Satisfied? No way. Not at all."
"Understood. Then I''ll consider the debt settled since I offered. And now, I''m starting to get curious. Are you really the crazy type, or do you just act like it? If it''s thetter, I won''t save you even if you beg for forgivenesster."
Sigmund lit up in blue as it absorbed the lightning energy.
Mary was picking out the embedded pieces of metal from her body when she caught a glimpse of the new power Jin unleashed. She almost screamed with joy.
Yesterday, it was revealed that Jin was Solderet''s contractor, but his use of the mysterious lightning energy had already been revealed in the Holy Kingdom incident.
Therefore, Mary was more curious about the lightning energy than the Shadow Energy because she wanted to know how powerful the lightning energy was, as both Zipple and Vermont had coveted it until it was revealed that Bamel was Jin.
"Come on, show it to me."
Before she could finish her sentence, lightning struck Mary''s head.
Sword of Legends: Lightning. This was another technique Jin had practiced in Lafrarosa every day, along with the Shadow de. Jin''s lightning energy had also be denser.
A hole appeared where the lightning struck. Mary instinctively moved aside to avoid it and even threw the chain sword to counterattack.
Jin wasn''t going to take it easy anymore.
It wasn''t even a fight to the death, but Mary was the first to make fierce moves in a mere sparring match between gbearers.
That was supposed to be Jin''s move most of the time.
He had to dodge and block all the persistent sparks of lightning while trying to close the distance between them.
Is she trying to fight from a distance? Yes, if I could wield such lightning after being injured like that, I would also seek distance. She''s going to make it rain lightning, and when she sees an opportunity, she''ll probably unleash waves of des.
But Mary had forgotten something.
Jin wasn''t just a swordsman who wielded lightning energy. He was a spellcasting swordsman.
What? Why is he closing the distance now? Does he also feel safe at close range? Or is he finding it difficult to wield the lightning?
Since Jin left Tessing as a provisional gbearer, his enemies often started to recognize his magical prowess after experiencing this spell.
The hidden move of a Great Magician whose name had been erased from history by the Zipple n, the ancient light magic that had been lost: Photon Cannon.
A strong light burst from Jin''s hand. Mary instinctively screamed in response.
"My eyes! It feels like they''re burning! That''s right. That brat. He''s a Magic Swordsman!"
Mary managed to cover her eyes as the photon cannon fired.
Jin trained for more than just the Shadow de and the Sword of Legends in Lafrarosa. He underwent extremely rigorous magic training and had to endure mana reflux several times. As a result of his training, Jin''s magical prowess was already approaching the final stage of the five-star rating.
Thanks to that, the power of the photon cannon was on par with Tzen-mi''s level. Unless the enemy could defend against it with full knowledge of what wasing, they would undoubtedly have trouble.
An extraordinary genius came back to life to live it once again, went through countless trials, met all sorts of powerful people, and never felt satisfied with his achievements, not a single day.
There was no way Jin could be weaker than Mary.
Swish!
Obviously, Jin didn''t miss that brief moment when Mary flinched. He switched from lightning to despotism and thrust his sword at her neck.
Wow, he really is trying to kill me!
Mary realized those weren''t empty words as the de grazed her neck. Of course, she could only feel ted, like someone who had won a huge lottery prize.
Zas!
This time, Jin''s low kick struck Mary''s thigh. She stumbled a bit and lost her stance, while Jin immediately switched from despotism back to lightning.
She let out a cry as the lightning grazed her, but Mary also demonstrated why she was a Runcandel gbearer.
She punched the side of Sigmund with her fist and headbutted Jin''s head.
His skull and the Rune of Myulta collided.
The artifact could easily block the blow of a seven-star knight, but surprisingly, Jin felt the impact of the attack reverberate through the inside of his helmet, ringing in his skull.
This is crazy! What''s with this headbutt?
If he hadn''t been wearing a helmet, Jin would undoubtedly have received most of the damage.
But that wasn''t all. The reason she used her fist to strike outside of Sigmund and headbutted instead of using the chain sword was that all of that was just preparation for the true strike.
Shrrt, shluk!
The chain sword snapped and cut Jin''s chest. In return, Mary''s wrist received a sh from Sigmund, almost making her drop the sword.
If someone said this bloody battle was the sh between siblings who had just seen each other for the first time in four years, without grudges or affections between them, no one would believe it.
But the additionalment that those two were Runcandel gbearers could make people start nodding their heads.
This was closer to the true form of the rank war that their ancestors after Temar had hoped for.
"Die!" Mary shouted as she looked at him. Her sword movements became fiercer despite the injuries she received.
Jin didn''t back down and wielded Sigmund with equal strength. Mary''s sword movements sent sharp aura splinters flying, while Jin''sunched energy bolts into the air.
The fight was at a stalemate. Sigmund and Viper exchanged several sword strikes in a second, but neither managed to attack without allowing the other to do the same.
If one was shed, the other was stabbed. The first to lose concentration would fall after a critical blow.
"Bwahaha! The tip of your sword is quite ferocious, my dear brother!"
Of course, each had their secret weapons.
Mary concealed her final moves, while Jin refrained from using the Battle God''s techniques.
"If I use the Battle God''s techniques, Mary will undoubtedly die."
Or perhaps he could be defeated by his sister''s final moves.
Given the power of Runcandel''s final moves, it was undoubtedly possible. But the key point was the fact that Jin had many more cards to y.
The new moves of the Shadow de that he had learned from the battle kings recently, the Master Combat Technique of the Sword of Legends that he learned from Vahn himself, and the magic he had yet to unleash.
Was he going to resort to them just to be able to truly kill Mary?
Absolutely not.
Her unbearably rough way of expressing herself did make him extremely furious, to the point where he almost wanted to kill her.
But Mary had only approved of Jin in her own way.
From the moment Jin returned to the Garden of Swords, all she did was approve of Jin as a powerful figure she could fight with all her might.
That''s why she racked her brains (not very gifted and rather simple) all night to find a way to easily win their first fight, so she could use it as an excuse to fight him again. That''s when she found her answer in those mana bombs.
But Mary never despised Jin or hated him.
She simply wanted to enjoy the fight as gbearers, martial artists, andpetitors on equal footing. Of course, she didn''t share the deep and warm affection that Luna and Yona felt for him.
But the same was true for Jin, so it wasn''t a big problem.
"To kill Mary just because I feel bad would be foolish. I have to win her over to my side and prepare for the battle against Mother."
While Jin thought along those lines, this is what Mary was thinking:
"I would love to use the final moves to settle this fight, but it would be crazy to end such pleasures all at once. It would be a waste."
The two briefly halted their swords.
"Hey, little brother!"
Affection for her younger brother began to bloom in Mary, although it hadn''t happened yet in Jin. That''s why she started calling him little brother instead of just brother or Jin.
"What?"
"I''ll give you Bradamante. But in return, promise me something."
"More promises? I thought you already said you would return it to me if you were satisfied."
"Yes, and as you said, I am already satisfied. But the thing is, I want this satisfaction to continue for a long time. So let''s modify the conditions a bit. It won''t harm you, so listen to me."
"Then say it."
"Now that I''ve felt your sword, I feel that one of us will die if we really want to settle the score between us. But we don''t really have a reason to kill each other just to settle the score."
"We may not have a reason, but it''s certainly justifiable since it''s part of the rank war."
"Yes, it''s justifiable, but neither of us holds any grudges. So why don''t you keep Bradamante, but in exchange, we fight each other every day until one of us can perfectly subdue the other? That would settle the score, wouldn''t it?"
"When has our n called such lukewarm things a fight? If we''re going to fight, it''s only fair that one of us dies. Besides, remind me. Who shouted ''die'' first? And who scattered the bombs?"
"I understand what you mean. I only did it because I like you, but I understand why you misinterpreted it. I only shouted ''die'' because I was excited earlier. Hmm. How can I exin this in a way that you''ll ept?"
"Why are you asking me that?"
"Because I''m desperate! I mean it. I don''t want this to end, not with just a simple fight. Little brother, don''t you enjoy fighting with your older sister?"
He didn''t exactly hate fighting with her, especially in the sense that he had to overpower the other or give them what they wanted to win them over to his side.
But fighting like that every day was problematic.
"Well, let''s do it that way then."
"Tell me, let''s go."
"First, we can''t fight like this every day. You can only fight with me when I want to."
"Hm. What else?"
"Let''s make knockout the condition for victory. The first one to be unconscious is the loser, and the loser must fulfill an order from the winner, no matter what it is. Of course, we''ll sign contracts so that no one breaks the rule."
"I like that, although contracts sound quite cumbersome."
"And I assume you stole Bradamante instead of going through the proper procedures, right? Promise me that I won''t have to bear any responsibility for your actions after I recover my sword."
"I was going to do it even if you hadn''t brought it up. But in return, fight with me at least once a week."
"Once a year."
"That''s very shameless of you to ask. No, once a month."
"Five months."
"Two months."
"Three months. Why don''t we settle it here?"
"Fine." Surprisingly, Mary calmly epted the offer.
In reality, Mary also understood very well that her body wouldn''t hold up if they fought like that every day. She knew they would need at least a month of rest if they wanted to fight in the best conditions.
In addition to that, they also had gbearer duties that made it more difficult to be in top shape all the time. Taking everything into ount, once every three months was fair.
"So let''s write that contract after we finish what we were doing, little brother!"
"Agreed."
The two continued their bloody battle for another thirty minutes.
And they were both taken to the healer''s office together and had to receive intensive care throughout the day.
But when the treatment was over, Mary had an expression of ecstasy on her face, as if she had just woken up from a wonderful dream.
-
KO-FI
BUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 275:
Chapter 275:
C275 - Congrattions Delegation, An Unexpected Encounter (1)
"I only greeted you after the n members offended you. I should have been more present." Rosa spoke as she set down her teacup.
She was in Jin''s room after receiving the report from the guardian knights.
"Yes, you should have been more present. Don''t you think you and your husband should have greeted me when I woke up and came to the Garden of Swords? But the Patriarch left without acknowledging me, and the servants were rude. It made me feel upset in more ways than one."
"I will take measures to ensure that everyone in the Garden of Swords treats you on par with the great elders from now on, Lord Murakan."
Murakan''s eyebrows furrowed at the mention of being on par with the great elders.
He was annoyed that he was only treated as a great elder. But Murakan decided not to dwell on the good old times. Not only had he not fully recovered his powers from his prime, but also a thousand years had passed since Temar''s death.
When Temar founded the Runcandel n, Murakan was closer to the heart of the n than anyone else.
But now, he was almost a stranger. In fact, he was clearly on hostile terms with Rosa, who wielded most of the n''s power.
"Everything is different from a thousand years ago, not just thendscape but also the people. Temar, I miss you, old friend."
Murakan suddenlyughed. "The Runcandels sure have changed."
"It is natural for one to progress with the flow of time."
"Progress, you say. If the Runcandels achieved such progress, the Zipples would no longer exist on Earth. After losing magic, the n has only lost its power over the course of a thousand years."
"I am but a mortal and can only catch a glimpse of the power of the ancient Runcandels through records. I cannot dare to boast for myself how powerful the Runcandels of old were, so I can only adhere to the traditions andws of the n."
"And are you not aware that those same traditions andws stemmed from the humiliating pact we have made with the Zipples?"
"Yes, I am aware of that."
"Then why does the majority of the n try to exclude the one being who can shatter the pact, namely your youngest son?"
Rosa stared into Murakan''s eyes for a long while.
"The elders seem hesitant to pass down the final techniques to Jin, and I have been told that you have assigned him an impossible mission from the start. I hope you have an exnation that I can ept," she said.
"Lord Murakan. First of all, to say that Jin is the only person who can break the pact is not true. If someone had enough power to subdue the Zipples, they could always nullify the pact."
"There is a curse in the blood of the Runcandels. The curse seals all mana, and no spell or divine power can neutralize it except for Solderet''s power."
"If Solderet is so all-powerful, why has he abandoned us for the past thousand years? In fact, he had been the guardian of the Zipples."
Murakan had nothing to say to that.
What made a god a god? One only answered to the definition of a god if they protected the humans who served them or did things that were beyond the powers of humans.
In that sense, Solderet had never been a god to the Runcandels after Temar''s death.
"Isn''t that why he made a contract with his youngest son?"
"A contract may help Jin grow his personal strength, but I wouldn''t say it means much for the greater perspective of the entire n, unless he intends to descend upon us to rid us of the curse. In fact, it''s only more likely that we will be pressured by the Zipples for breaking the pact or that we will cause chaos within the n by undermining our legitimacy."
"It''s curious that you mention legitimacy before me."
Rosa touched her teacup.
"That is why the elders hesitated to instruct Jin in the final techniques. Additionally, I believe there is a misunderstanding. I have never given Jin an impossible task to aplish."
"Continue," Murakan said.
"Assassinating the ck Knight spy will not solely fall on Jin''s shoulders. As it is of utmost priority, anotherpetent gbearer will join him. The Patriarch has revealed his intentions, so I do not wish for the harm to fall solely on Jin. I am also aware of Jin''s exceptional abilities."
"For some reason, it seems like you want to utilize those exceptional abilities before discarding him."
"In any case, Jin is in a position where he has to constantly create surprises and shocks. If he cannot, he will never be epted in the Runcandel n, even if he is already a gbearer. Does this exin enough?"
Murakan stared into Rosa''s eyes for a while. "Alright. Then let me ask you onest question."
"Please, go ahead."
"Where is Temar''s tomb?"
"I don''t know. Can I leave now?" Rosa got up before Murakan could respond.
"I will impose severe punishments on the knights who have slighted you, Lord Murakan."
Murakan clicked his tongue after Rosa left the room. "She''s not up to Cyron''s level, but she certainly has quite some strength."
Then Gilly finally sighed and shook her head.
"Murakan, I had no idea you would directly summon thedy. I don''t think you should do it again. Thedy is acting on behalf of the Runcandel Patriarch at this moment."
"I know, Strawberry Shortcake. I just wanted to have a conversation with her myself to get an idea of what the boy''s greatest enemy is like."
"You have no idea how terrified she was. I was worried thedy might reveal how offended she was."
"I knew she would have some ss."
"Anyway, you need to stop embarrassing thedy in front of others. If something goes wrong, she could send you to the n''s courts, even if it''s you, Murakan. Oh, God!"
Gilly suddenly shivered and stopped mid-sentence as she looked out the window. She saw Rosa exiting the building and shing the guardian knights.
The blood of the guardian knights sttered in the intense sunlight shining in the Garden of Swords.
They were the guardian knights who had offended Murakan in their pursuit of Mary.
Rosa''s face was expressionless as she took them down. Her sword was swift and precise as it cut off the arms and legs of the guardian knights.
As for the leader of the pack, she severed his head. It fell to the ground, but Rosa didn''t even look at it.
Gilly covered her mouth in shock, and Murakan saw her only after it happened.
Obviously, it was a warning to Murakan.
She was warning him that he wouldn''t be treated as the guardian dragon of the n if he summoned her again.
Rosa continued on as if nothing happened, and the servants hurried to retrieve the corpses of the dead and transport the wounded.
----------------------
Gilly told Jin about the bloody scene that had urred during the day when he returned from his treatment.
"I have never seen thedy punish the guardian knights like that. I''m worried that everyone in the n might feel intimidated for a while," she said.
"Anyway, they are Joshua''s knights. In any case, they would have died or been injured by my hands at some point. But Mother was tough on them. They still served the n faithfully. She treated them harshly for no reason."
"Do you think she did it out of anger for how Murakan treated her?"
"No, it''s not that. Mother''s intention is clear. She is trying to warn others in the n not to meddle with me. She''s implying that they could very well be severely punished for the most insignificant things if it involves me."
Murakan chimed in. "I''ve been thinking about this for a while, but she''s no mother. Brat. Things were tough back in Temar''s time too, but we still felt affection for our families and our people. We had a strong bond among us."
"We still have those bonds. It''s just that the bond is not shared by the whole n and is only sporadic. Besides, why are you surprised? It''s nothing new. Gilly, send condolences andpensation to the family of the guardian knight who died today. Do it discreetly, and don''t mention my name."
The dead knight served Joshua, so he was clearly an enemy of Jin''s.
But in the broader sense of things, he still belonged to the Runcandel n. An enemy, but part of the n. His death was the death of an enemy, but at the same time, the death of someone from the n.
Therefore, Jin thought it deserved a certain level of respect.
While he didn''t need to pay attention to such matters when he killed Joshua''s knights in Sameel because he was a provisional gbearer, now he was a gbearer.
He had to take responsibility for the deaths of n members, even if no one acknowledged him for doing so, nor did he desire it to be known. Of course, only in the case where the deceased didn''t betray the n or harm anyone in Jin''s vicinity.
"Yes, Young Master. I will take care of it discreetly. And congrattions, I see you have recovered your sword."
"I had to go through mana bomb fields just to retrieve it from Mary. I even seriously considered killing Mary at one point."
"I believe young Lady Mary will be a strong ally by your side, Young Master. And also, Elder Jed sent a message earlier. He wants you toe after the congrattory delegations leave, Young Master."
"Alright."
After that day, Jin focused on private training without getting involved in any particr activities. Upon returning to the n, he caused a series of controversial events, so he felt the need toy low for a while.
Meanwhile, the rumor that Jin had defeated Mary spread throughout the Garden of Swords, and the news of him bing a gbearer also circted in the world.
It was natural for the Garden of Swords and the world to be stirred up once again.
Deano followed Jin''s instructions to the letter when writing his articles, while Kuzan and Yulian made sure that Jack Glow, the rabid dog, and Firok, the apostate knight, guided them to the snow-covered ridges in the southeast of the Mytell Kingdom.
Like the eye of the storm, Jin was the only one whose life remained calm.
It was February 15, 1799.
Delegations to congratte Jin began to arrive at the Garden of Swords. The gbearers sent to encourage the ns under his control had not yet returned.
Many groups sent delegations, from the martial ns of Hughester to all kinds of neutral factions and even the Vimenth, but Jin refused to receive most of his visitors. In fact, hemitted the rudeness of sending them back after epting their gifts.
"Young Master, are you sure we can continue sending them back?"
Jin nodded in response to Petrow''s question.
"I have no urgent need to win favors from those who judge me based on such trivial actions, and those who show generosity despite my rudeness will understand my worth regardless. Above all, I have nothing to give them at this moment. Unnecessarily approaching someone will only umte unnecessary debts at this time."
Owing a favor when he himself had nothing to offer meant ending up with great interests to repay.
"I will personally only respond to the delegations from the Delki Kingdom, the McLoran n, the Bill n from the Jian Kingdom, and the Holy Queen. Send the rest back after receiving their gifts."
"Understood, sir. I will also make a list of others who show special favor."
"Oh! And let me know if the Volta n ever sends a delegation. I will also meet with them."
"The Volta n, sir?"
The Volta n was one of the poorest noble ns in Hughester. And to say that a n was poor in Hughester meant that there were no notable martial artists in the n at all.
Petrow found it difficult to understand why Jin would receive a delegation from such a destitute n after sending back delegations from powerful and influential ns.
Oh no. I mentioned the Volta n too randomly. Jin discreetly looked around while Petrow tilted his head in confusion.
Luckily, Gilly and Murakan were busy talking among themselves and didn''t hear what he said.
I''ll have toe up with a good excuse to tell them if those two ever ask why I was looking after the Volta n.
Jin cared about the Volta n because of memories from his past life.
But unlike Murakan and Gilly, Petrow wasn''t apanion. He was Jin''s subordinate in the n, and Jin was a gbearer, which meant he didn''t have to persuade him in detail or exin the reasons behind an order.
''I needed Jet to use the memories from my past life in Arkhin, and Sir Kashmir''s help benefited me afterward. But now I don''t have to do that anymore.''
Jin smiled as he realized it.
"Understood, Young Master. I will inform you immediately when the Volta n''s delegation arrives."
-
KO-FI
BUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 276: Congratulations Delegation, An Unexpected Encounter (2)
Chapter 276: Congrattions Delegation, An Unexpected Encounter (2)
C276 - Congrattions Delegation, An Unexpected Encounter (2)
The delegations came from the Delki Kingdom, the Holy Kingdom, the Bill n, the Volta n, and the McLoran n.
Of the five delegations that Jin agreed to meet in person, the Delki delegates were the first to arrive. Laika, the third prince of Delki, himself led the delegation.
"Lord Jin, no, now I should address you as Sir Jin. It''s been a while."
"I''ve been waiting for you, Prince Laika. Please address me as you always have."
"Now you''re a gbearer. I can''t continue addressing you as a lord."
Jin recalled the exchange they had when he woke up in Laika''s private house after his fight with Kuzan.
"It seems there''s something you want from me. Please go on, Prince Laika."
"When you be a gbearer, please send more guardian knights to Delki and return a portion of the Runcandel''s stake in Delki''s gold mine."
Laika had shown Jin two significant favors during his days as a provisional gbearer. The first asion was when Laika saved Jin after his first battle against Kuzan. Without the prince''s help, Jin would undoubtedly have died.
On the second asion, Laika assisted Jin in reaching Kuzan before Joshua, allowing Jin to win Kuzan to his side.
"How are things in Delkitely?" Jin asked after exchanging pleasantries.
Laika seemed concerned. "Politically speaking, we''re doing well. My brothers get along with each other, and the people show great support for the royal family. But the Zipple extremists are bing a problem."
The highly lethal anti-personnel mana bombs that Mary used against Jin had been confiscated from the Zipple extremists. They traveled the world to carry out the orders of the Zipple n.
In the past, terrorist acts had been independent crimesmitted by fanatics who showed excessive reverence for the n.
But now, these extremists were believed to have direct support and funding from the Zipple n.
The tiny terrorist cells that used to cause random crimes suddenly began coordinating the distribution of mana bombs andunched attacks throughout Hufester with an established chain ofmand.
In fact, talented magicians with more than six stars were also involved in these acts, which would be impossible without the support of a major faction behind them.
But all of this was spection. Hufester still couldn''t establish a direct link between the Zipple n and the extremists.
"We have two to several dozen civilian victims daily due to their activities. I don''t know how they do it. They never betray theirmand group, no matter how much we torture them. They are proving to be a cause for concern."
"I''m sorry, Prince Laika. I can''t deny my role in aggravating and influencing the Zipple to support the extremists."
The rise of the extremists perfectly coincided with the revtion of Jin''s identity.
Many groups in Hufester were already talking about the losses they were suffering because of Jin Runcandel.
"It could be an act of revenge for how you brought down their golden castle in your days as a provisional gbearer, yes. But Sir Jin, the Zipple would have shed with us using those extremists at some point anyway, regardless of your involvement. Whether it was when their veil of justice was exposed or when they felt cornered."
Laika was right.
The war between the Runcandel and the Zipple ns was destined to happen someday, regardless of the timing and manner in which it took ce.
The rampage of the extremists was just the dawn of the battle. More people, no, an uncountable number of people would die when the war erupted because no war was fought without casualties.
It didn''t matter if it was Jin or anyone else who initiated it. Unless one had the power to obliterate the Zipple in an instant, they would only reach the same conclusion.
However, Jin felt the weight of responsibility on him.
"I don''t know you well, Sir Jin, but I believe that over time you will make Hufester prosper beyond what it is today."
"I''m ttered, Prince Laika."
"It''s not mere ttery. Those empty-headed nobles mayin about how things have be more cumbersome because of you, but I want you to know that the people don''t share their opinions. At least not the people of Delki. They still remember your bravery and the results of your actions during your days as a provisional gbearer. Remember that I will always fight against the Zipple by your side, Sir Jin."
Laika brought an assortment of jewels and some distinguished weapons. But the best gift he gave Jin were words of genuine support and encouragement.
As Laika said, most of the people in Hufester supported Jin.
Unveiling the hypocrisy of the Zipple, fighting for those oppressed by the Zipple, and sharing the anger of the victims. It took more than risking one''s life to achieve such things.
"Thank you, Prince Laika. I will fulfill my promises before the year ends."
After Laika''s departure, Jin was greeted by the delegation from the Bill n.
He rejected the delegation from the Jian royal family but received a visit from the Bill n''s delegation. Naturally, the leader of the Bill delegation, Sember Bill, was extremely excited.
"Lord Jin! I mean, Sir Jin! Oh, the great twelfth gbearer of the Runcandel! I knew this day woulde someday! Congrattions!"
"Sember, I started my life as a provisional gbearerfortably thanks to you. I''m d to see you again."
Likewise, there was an exchange of pleasantries for some time.
"How are things in Jian these days?"
"Very peaceful! Not even the Zipple extremists cause terror in the Jian Kingdom."
"It must be because of the Kinzelo."
The Jian Kingdom was close to thend of the halfmen, so the extremists avoided causing trouble in the area.
"You''re right, Sir Jin. After the Kinzelo revealed themselves in the incident at the Holy Kingdom, the crime rate in the Jian Kingdom actually decreased. Not only do people think it''s safe, but there are also traders moving to the kingdom to do business with the Kinzelo."
The notion that the Kinzelo were a third-rate terrorist group waspletely eliminated from the world''s politics. They were now considered the fourth power faction after the Zipple, Runcandel, and Vermont.
I see that the Zipple still avoid conflicts with the Kinzelo. The Zipple must be behind the extremists since the Jian Kingdom is free from terrorist acts. They must have decided that things could getplicated if any of the halfmen got involved in their activities.
Sember also mentioned something unexpected.
"Sir Jin, do you know a golden mouse named Penny?"
"Yes, I do. It was him and his friends who returned the Bradamante to the n."
"Recently, the golden mouse traders led by Penny have be the wealthiest group of traders in the Jian Kingdom, surpassing even my own n. Can you believe it? And all that within the span of a year. They invested the money they received from your n to start various businesses, and every business they started became an instant sess."
"Really?"
Jin expected the golden mice to profit from the transaction, but not to that extent.
"Yes, even my father says their business acumen is impable. I''m telling you this because Penny asked me to convey a message to you if I found you."
"Okay, go on."
"He asked me to tell you that the deal is ready, so all you need to do ise. It sounded like he could sweep up all the money in Hufester if he could just meet with you. And he didn''t sound like he was purely in it for the money either."
Those adorable little ones. Jin smiled. "Tell him I''ve received the message."
He had no idea what it could be about, but the golden mice seemed to have something nned for him.
Sember excitedly chatted with him for a while before finally leaving, not without leaving behind a huge gift of gold coins.
Jin gave everyst piece of gold to Gilly.
When Sember left, the delegation from Lani, the holy queen, entered the Garden of Swords.
Rosa came to wee the holy queen since Lani was also an honored guest for the Runcandels. However, Lani only exchanged greetings with her out of pure formality. She then blessed the surviving Kollon and immediately headed to meet Jin.
Lani looked very different from thest time Jin had seen her.
The gaze in her eyes was as solid as rocks, each of her actions carried the weight of holiness, and her presence was befitting of the dormant volcano crown she wore on her head.
"Sir Jin."
"Your Majesty, the holy queen."
They stared at each other for a while without speaking.
It was evident that each had gone through periods of intense growth since thest time they met.
"You''ve grown stronger once again."
"And I no longer see weakness in you, Majesty."
"Let''s not be so formal when we''re alone. It would bother me."
"Sure then. Lani Salome."
Although the time they knew each other was brief, the bond they shared was deep. Together, they witnessed the sacrifice of an honest knight and saved the holy kingdom from being undermined. Their bond was evident after what they had been through together.
Lani smiled. "It has been over a year, but the holy kingdom has not yetpletely freed itself from chaos. Some of the traitors still live."
"But they are consolidating the throne under their control. I''m sure it will return to being a true Holy Kingdom."
"The holy subjects were starting to grow tired of the continuous closed-door politics. But now, they rejoice with the news of your safe return and your title as a gbearer. Sir Vitura must be seeing you by Ay''s side as well."
"Sir Vitura''s family has adjusted well to their new territory, which is under the control of my sister Luna. Someday, I hope someone tells them that Sir Vitura was an honorable holy knight like no other before he left his throne."
"I will certainly do so. Sir Jin, don''t you want to know what gifts I bring?"
"Tell me."
"Santos. Starting today, we will open our doors to Hufester and send our Santos to yournd for the civilian victims suffering from the Zipple extremists."
Lani was thoughtful enough to understand Jin''s burden and alleviate some of his concerns.
"You told me that the kingdom is still in chaos. Can you really spare them?"
"We can undoubtedly afford to send around five hundred Santos on missions. But in return, please support the finances of the holy kingdom."
The holy kingdom suffered from ack of funds, although it wasn''t as severe as Jin initially expected. The Zipple knew what the kingdom needed when they offered the gold.
Of course, the holy kingdom''s unique assets attracted many factions willing to provide financial support after the incident.
But Lani rejected all support and waited for Jin''s return.
"Receiving financial support means the holy kingdom is officially forming an alliance with the faction. And as I mentioned before, I would like to form an alliance with Sir Jin Runcandel."
Lani emphasized Jin Runcandel to indicate that the offer did not extend to the entire Runcandel n.
"You''re in luck, Lani Salome. I wouldn''t have been able to cover the expenses of the holy kingdom with the money allocated to me as the twelfth gbearer, but it turns out I just found an excellent source of ie."
"I will be delighted to receive it. I won''t have to specify exactly how much you need to contribute, right? I believe we have a good bond between us, Lord Jin, since we are friends."
Lani deliberately addressed him as Lord, as she used to do before, instead of addressing him as Sir.
"You have be quite shrewd. Then again, you are the leader of a nation, and that is an essential trait to have in that position. I will do my best to provide you with more than you need, but in return, please make an official announcement mentioning my contribution in the Santos being sent to Hufester."
"I knew it. Not a single detail escapes you. I was only nning to announce it as Ay''s will. By the way, where is the ck cat I saved?"
"I will call him. We will have tea together. But he will still call you Fanatical Believer even though you are now the holy queen. Would that be okay with you?"
"Well, I can''t say I dislike that nickname."
Murakan seemed extremely happy to see Lani. He roared withughter and spoke with her for a long time.
Lani departed at dusk.
But as midnight approached, the McLorans, Gilly''s n, did not send a delegation.
Since the Garden of Swords was only receiving delegations for Jin that day, it meant that the McLorans had no intention of congratting Jin on his promotion.
"My apologies, young master."
"Why?"
"My n is being rude to you, young master, and it''s probably my fault."
-
KO-FI
BUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 277: Congratulations Delegation, An Unexpected Encounter (3)
Chapter 277: Congrattions Delegation, An Unexpected Encounter (3)
C277 - Congrattions Delegation, An Unexpected Encounter (3)
"Are you saying they''re not sending delegations because of you?"
Gilly''s eyes and gestures revealed countless emotions. Shame, embarrassment, guilt, bitterness, and worry - all the negative emotions that belittle a person. They were weighing her down.
Gilly lowered her head.
Jin didn''t ask any more questions and simply patted her shoulder. "It''s okay. You don''t have to feel that way, Gilly. I won''t hold it against the McLoran n, so please don''t worry."
Jin immediately understood Gilly''s concerns.
"I''ve lost face in front of you. Thank you for understanding, young master."
But Jin actually felt the opposite of what he had told her.
If the McLorans had hurt Gilly in the past, and she was still tormented by it to the point where she couldn''t bring it up to Murakan and himself due to the pain, then he would punish the McLorans sooner orter. The fact that they didn''t send a delegation meant little to himpared to that.
"Oh, Strawberry Shortcake. Don''t be sad ande here. That ungraceful boy ying king for a day ising to an end, so it seems the adults can finally get something."
Murakan gently took Gilly away. Jin looked for Petrow instead.
"Yes, young master!"
"Did the Volta n not send anyone?" Jin asked.
"Let me check again, sir."
It was already past midnight when Petrow returned. "Oddly enough, sir. All the poor noble ns sent people who were rejected, but the Volta n was the only one that didn''t send anyone."
The so-called lowly noble ns like the Voltas didn''t need to be cautious of Jin''s brothers when sending congrattory parties.
Anyway, these ns weren''t significant enough to have direct ties with the pure-blooded Runcandels. Therefore, none of his brothers would care if Jin decided to meet with any of the poor noble ns or not, and Rosa wouldn''t pay them any attention either.
This was precisely why the weaker ns tried their best to establish ties with the pure-blooded Runcandels on such asions.
They often squeezed out everyst bit of their funds to send gifts or even offered n relics if they couldn''t afford anything.
But the Voltas acted differently from the rest of the poor noble ns.
"So, they didn''t, huh? Hmm."
It can''t be. Is there someone in the Volta n who is aware of Picon Minche''s lineage? In this time period?
Picon Minche was the undisputed and unparalleled cksmith in the history of the continent. He himself forged the Balisade and the Bradamante.
Almost a thousand years had passed since Picon Minche''s death, but the Minche Smithing Guild remained the top cksmithing group on the continent.
Licensed cksmiths from the Minche Guild received better treatment than most knights and Magicians, both in Hufester and the Lutero Magical Federation.
Especially the guild''s top three cksmiths, each known as Anvil, Hammer, and Forge, were respected even by Cyron himself.
Given the respect shown to guild members, who would have imagined that Picon''s own descendant was a steward of a struggling noble n?
He was around twenty-three or twenty-four years old when he first appeared in my past life. I know for sure it was before he reached a star in Sword Techniques.
I still remembered it clearly because the whole of Hufester was shocked by the news.
The descendant of Picon Minche went by the name Fin nche.
And like most, he didn''t know he was a descendant of Picon. Just like his parents, their parents, and their grandparents didn''t know either.
Picon''s descendants had lost their Minche surname and identity at some point and lived their lives asmoners. Their surname changed multiple times ording to thews and marriage customs of their time.
Then, suddenly, the god of cksmiths appeared in Fin nche, the steward of the Volta n.
Fin had already made a contract with the god of cksmiths, but he only realized it for the first time when Jin was around twenty-four years old.
"Maybe the information from my past life was wrong. Perhaps the world only became aware of Fin nche''s existence at that time, but the n might have known about Fin much earlier, especially since Joshua has that Seer."
Jin summarized his thoughts and nodded.
Unlike now, Jin was not a gbearer back then and was even looked down upon by the servants.
Therefore, he had no way of understanding what was going on within the n. Back then, his life was just a series of days spent futilely training alone in a corner, only to hastily return to his room and hide from others.
On the other hand, Joshua''s life back then wasn''t much different from now.
Even if some other brother besides Joshua had acquired Fin nche, they would hardly have shared him with the n''s trash, which is what Jin used to be.
Indeed, Jin could never find out which faction Fin nche joined after it was revealed that he was the contractor of the god of cksmiths.
Jin could only assume that he had been recruited by the Runcandels.
In any case, the only way to know for sure was to meet him in person.
"The Volta n''s territory was a remote countryside of the Schutzeron Kingdom, right? Is there a portal directly connecting to the area?"
Do you mean you want to visit the Volta n right now?
Petrow never asked that question.
"There isn''t one, young master. But I will send an order to the gbearer to open the portal to the nearest city in Schutzeron immediately, sir."
--------------------------------
Just after Jin arrived at the southern portal of the Schutzeron Kingdom, he immediately rode Shuri towards the Volta mansion.
Being seen with Shuri was no longer much of a problem, but he stuck to mountainous paths to avoid attracting too much attention.
"Who''s there?"
The small Volta n mansion was terribly run-down and looked like it could copse at any moment.
The doors were guarded by two scrawny boys who weren''t worthy of being called guards. Jin didn''t know if they were malnourished because they weren''t paid on time or if they were thin despite being paid on time.
"I am Jin Runcandel, the twelfth gbearer of the Runcandel n. I havee to meet the patriarch of the Volta n. Show me the way."
"Uhh. Oh!"
"Yes, sir! Patriarch, sir! Sir! The gbearer of the Ru- Runcandels is here!"
The two quickly stood up and shouted for their patriarch.
When the patriarch appeared after a while (even the patriarch himself was quite disheveled, though not as much as the boys), Jin almost ironicallyughed.
The mansion''s door broke and fell off as he exited. In his haste, he opened it a bit faster than usual, causing it toe off its hinges.
At that moment, Jin had to discard every single reason why the Volta n wasn''t sending envoys.
The portals didn''t matter. They were so poor they could barely afford a horse. There was no way they could afford to send envoys.
The Volta n simply didn''t have money.
Fallen n or not, Jin found it unbelievable that such noble ns existed in Hufester.
"How can we assist the twelfth gbearer of the Runcandel n? What has brought Your Lordship to such a humble ce?"
"I havee to ask a question. But how did thingse to this state?"
It was impolite to ask someone he had just met, but the question needed to be asked.
"Oh, we had a recent famine in the area. And with bandits and demonic creatures causing trouble as well, I have nothing to defend myself, sir."
"Why didn''t you seek support from the Schutzeron Kingdom?"
"The Schutzeron royals have abandoned thesends long ago. As you can see, there is no value in thesends, sir."
Jin had to ept it as soon as he heard it. Just as the Volta patriarch mentioned, thends seemedpletely devoid of value.
"But still, the winter harvest ising, so we should be self-sufficient for it... no, what am I saying? I apologize, Sir Jin Runcandel. We couldn''t afford to send envoys, and we couldn''t visit you."
The Volta patriarch was about to kneel when Jin held him by the shoulders.
In fact, Jin wanted to give him a hug and hand him a wad of bills because now he was sure that no one in the Garden of Swords had dug into the Volta n.
If anyone had found out about Fin nche''s existence, they wouldn''t be in this state right now. Therefore, the Volta n''s patriarch had fulfilled his part, at least in Jin''s eyes.
"I haven''te to scold you. I''vee to see Fin nche. I''ve been told that he serves the Volta n as a steward."
The Volta patriarch''s eyes widened in surprise. "Fin? Why are you looking for that guy, sir?"
"Do you need to know?"
The Volta patriarch and his guards quickly shook their heads at Jin''s cold response. "No, Sir Jin! But it''s just that Fin, our steward...". The patriarch''s eyes immediately turned red. "He was captured by bandits three days ago. He was sweeping the snow on that street over there, and, well. If they had caught me instead. I''m old and useless."
The patriarch''s loud sobs were pitiful, but Jin didn''t have time to console him.
"I will bring him back immediately. You should pray for Fin nche''s safety."
He would probably be safe, unless the history-altering caused by Jin''s rebirth had also spread to this impossibly remote vige.
"What, sir?"
"The direction."
"They went north. The bandits headed north, sir."
"Let''s go, Shuri!"
"Mya!"
Shuri kicked up a cloud of snow as the cat sped away. The members of the Volta n stood frozen in ce, blinking as they watched Jin and Shuri disappear.
Jin ran three hours to the north and arrived at the bandits'' hideout.
"What is this?"
"Who are you?"
Jin entered the natural cave, pushing aside the clumsy curtain they had ced at the entrance. The bandits who had been drinking suddenly stood up and shouted.
They were so insignificant that Jin had nevere across such weaklings, even in his days as a provisional gbearer.
The whole world wasn''t as popted and filled with talent as the big cities.
Naturally, Jin had grown up in the group of beasts and transcendental figures, but that didn''t mean there weren''t people in other parts of the world who still fought against wretched bandits like them.
"Fin nche, raise your hand."
"We ask who you are!"
"You look like a noble from the capital. Why don''t you continue on your way? Don''t get yourself in trouble now."
Jin could see a weak teenager raising his hand in the background. It was Fin nche.
Jin found his target, but there was no need to draw his sword or start throwing punches.
When Jin revealed a tiny amount of the energies he wielded, the bandits instinctively fell to the ground and started trembling. When Jin increased his energies even more, they all passed out.
Fin looked around with frightened eyes and slowly walked towards Jin. And with each step he took, Jin felt something.
He felt the mysterious resonance he had experienced on the Bluebird Inds. The phenomenon was simr to how Sigmund had resonated with Gramm''s tomb.
Wrooom!
Except it wasn''t Sigmund resonating now. It was his recently retrieved favorite sword.
It was the Bradamante.
The sword was resonating with the god of cksmiths, who was contracted with Fin.
"It seems today is a lucky day for both you and me." Jin greeted Fin as he offered a handshake.
But when Fin took Jin''s hand, he heard a voice inside his head for the first time in his life.
-Bradamante! Fin, steal the sword that he holds. Right now!
-
KO-FI
BUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 278:
Chapter 278:
C278 - Congrattions Delegation, An Unexpected Encounter (4)
"Wow!" Fin startled. He looked around.
But no matter how hard he looked, the origin of the mysteriously booming voice had to be inside his head.
"What are you doing, Fin nche? Take it off immediately!"
The demanding voice came from the god of cksmiths.
In Jin''s previous life, Finmunicated with the god of cksmiths for the first time after about five years. Jin''s visit was changing the history around him.
Indeed, Fin nche was not the only one who could hear his voice.
"Grab the Bradamante? Wait a moment. Why am I also hearing the voice of the god of cksmiths?"
In most cases, it was extremely rare to hear a god''s voice unless one was their contractor. The exceptions involved prayers powerful enough to move the gods or the incarnation of a god through mediums.
Jin had already experienced a simr anomaly on the thirty-second ind of Bluebird.
Perhaps it was because Bradamante was rted to the god of cksmiths, just as Sigmund was to Gramm.
Jin pondered. Meanwhile, Fin had no idea what was happening.
He looked around several times to check the origin of the voice. He concluded that it was just a hallucination and decided to ignore the voice and thank Jin.
"So... thank you! Sir, I have been saved thanks to you. It seems you came here only to save me. If you could tell me your name. What?"
Fin was about to bow his head when he suddenly made a strange sound and took a step back.
"W-What''s happening?"
"Strike him down! Fin nche! Use this sword! The energy it emits is extremely unsettling."
Fin''s shock was caused by a sword forming in his hand.
ck pieces of metal appeared out of nowhere and swirled around Fin. Jin''s eyes also gleamed with intrigue.
Is the metal turning into a sword?
Jin had already experienced something simr with the leader of the Kinzelo.
He had also shown the ability to control metals to create a sword and a gate in the ancient Oterium, just like Fin was doing now.
"I will lend you my divine powers. Subdue that man and im the Bradamante. Fin nche, I know you are surprised, but you are actually my contractor. You always have been, since your birth. I am the god of cksmiths and your ancestor. If you listen to what I tell you now, I promise to train you from now on."
The god of cksmiths waspletely unaware that Jin could hear his voice.
Meanwhile, Fin was greatly concerned that Jin could also hear that voice, and it was driving him crazy. Jin didn''t visibly react, so he couldn''t tell what he understood, if anything.
"My Sir! Please allow me to exin before you misunderstand anything. I have no idea what this voice is, and I am only grateful that you saved me. But why is a sword suddenly forming in my hand, and...? Aargh!"
Shik!
Fin brandished the sword.
It wasn''t just a threat. It carried the clear intention of cutting Jin''s body in half, starting from the top of his head. In fact, the de even had an aura around it.
Jin slightly moved aside to dodge the attack.
"Fin, what are you doing? I am giving you powers, and I even demonstrated it. Go and attack him. I will continue to assist you. Judging by his movements, he is probably quite a swordsman."
Obviously, the attack didn''t stem from Fin''s will. The god of cksmiths was forcibly moving his body.
"My Sir! Do you also hear this voice? This is not my doing! Something is controlling my body against my will." Fin shouted, his facepletely pale with fright.
"That man cannot hear my voice. Listen to me, will you? Fin, I must reim my masterpiece."
"Get out of my body, evil spirit!"
Jin felt as if he were watching a little absurd monologue.
Ridiculousness aside, there were many intriguing details in what the god of cksmiths had just said.
The god of cksmiths said that Bradamante was his masterpiece and imed to be Fin''s ancestor, as if he were none other than Picon Minche.
Furthermore, he could also conjure metals like the leader of Kinzelo.
Jin felt the need to have a conversation with the actual god of cksmiths.
"Fin nche."
"My Sir! I apologize, Sir. I don''t know why a crazy spirit has entered me at this moment."
"I understand that you haven''t attacked me of your own will. It must be the work of the evil spirit iming to be the god of cksmiths. It seems desperate to take hold of Bradamante."
Tears welled up in Fin''s eyes as he eagerly nodded at Jin''s words. "You''re right, Sir!"
Meanwhile, the god of cksmiths was taken aback. He spoke in response.
"What did you say, brat? Do you mean to say you can hear me?"
This god insulted people and even wielded swords against a stranger who had just saved his own contractor.
At this point, Jin didn''t really feel the need to show him respect, whether he was a god or not.
"I can hear you loud and clear, evil spirit."
"Oh, how interesting. So, you can hear me. But despicable human, how dare you call me an evil spirit? I am the great god of cksmiths, Picon Minche!"
But it was known that the god of cksmiths was Growler, not Picon Minche.
"The god of cksmiths is not Picon Minche. It is Growler."
"Ha! Growler, of course. There was a time when someone like that used to be the god of cksmiths. But I, Picon Minche, was a superior cksmith, not to mention that Growler is dead. Of course, mere wretches like you would be ignorant of the grand stories of the gods."
"What nonsense."
"Where did you get Bradamante from? First, give it to me. If you do, I will overlook your rudeness and kill you without suffering."
At this point, Fin''s body waspletely under Picon''s control, and Fin''s consciousness was pushed aside. There was a faint light emitting from the whites of his nk eyes, and there was a murderous intent in the hand wielding the sword.
But it wasn''t aplete personification like the one Peitel used in Yulian''s body on the Bluebird Inds.
Picon hadn''t umted enough divine energy to fully reveal himself. All he could do for now was forcefully possess his contractor''s body.
But neither Jin nor the rookie god Picon knew this fact.
"Hey, Picon Minche. You keep saying something about killing me and such. Are you sure you can live up to those words?"
"Hmph! Did you think I wasplimenting you when I said you were quite the swordsman?"
Jin chuckled.
''And to think I''ve already gotten into two fights over Bradamante as soon as I returned to the n.''
Instead of revealing the fact that he was a Runcandel, Jin let Bradamante fall to the ground.
"Take it. If you can."
"You insolent brat!"
Steel gathered around Picon, who immediately stood up in one leap.
First the sword, then armor, and even a shield. Steel instantly formed into battle gear, and Jin observed the skill with intense concentration.
He hadn''t heard anything about the god of cksmiths having such powers. This was too simr to the ability of the leader of Kinzelo.
But he realized that there was a clear distinction between the two.
The leader of Kinzelo was clearly more skilled. The weapons formed by Picon''s steel were rather crude, but the sword and gate formed by the leader of Kinzelo had a mysterious perfection.
Did the leader of Kinzelo absorb the powers of Growler, who used to be the god of cksmiths? Or perhaps he absorbed Growler himself, as the Demon God Stone could do.
By doing so, he left a vacancy for the god of cksmiths, which was filled by Picon Minche, who became a god.
The idea suddenly urred to him.
In any case, Picon Minche is definitely not a threat inbat.
Picon''s battle skills were quite mediocre, and it was a mystery what made him so bold and courageous.
Bam!
Jin dodged the sword and struck Picon. k! The shield shattered with a single blow. Picon finally realized that he had made a terrible mistake.
It wasn''t because Jin''s light punch broke his shield. Nor was it because Jin''s fist prated the armor and still seemed like it would go in again.
Was it the Shadow Energy?
It was the dark energy surrounding Jin''s fist.
In Picon''s mind, possessing Shadow Energy meant that whoever wielded it had the right to possess Bradamante.
"Wait! There has been a mistake! You are Solderet''s contractor..."
Jin briefly paused upon hearing the name Solderet, but he decided to pretend he hadn''t heard it for now. He knew he wouldn''t be satisfied until hended another punch.
Picon took a direct hit to the jaw and rolled four times on the ground.
"What did you say?" Picon immediately got up and yelled at Jin''s question.
"Damn it! Why didn''t you tell me from the beginning that you were Solderet''s contractor?"
"Did you give me a chance to speak? And what does that even matter?"
"If I didn''t give you a chance to speak, you should have dered it yourself!"
Despite how loudly Picon shouted, there was a tone of wee in his voice.
Jin sensed that the tables hadpletely turned in his favor after his little show of strength in the shadow.
"Stop talking nonsense and apologize. If you do, I''ll forget your rudeness."
Picon frowned. But he had nothing to say.
"I''m sorry. At first, I only sensed a strange energy in you, so it didn''t cross my mind that you could be Solderet''s contractor."
"What a surprise. I thought you''d foam at the mouth and curse me again. By the way, what kind of strange energy are you talking about?"
Picon pointed to Sigmund, hanging from Jin''s waist.
It seems he was confused by that little toxic sword there. I don''t know much about it, but it seems to have stabbed numerous gods and even sealed divine energy within it. Maybe that''s why I felt extremely unsettled as soon as I saw it.
What Picon felt when he saw Jin were his instincts as a god.
Since Picon had be a god rtively few years ago, he was unaware of the Legends'' Battle against the gods that took ce five thousand years ago.
He was incredibly disturbed by the energy of Sigmund, which was both a god killer and the sealed strength of a god. And since Jin had Bradamante along with Sigmund, Picon desperately desired to reim the former, no matter what.
A brief silence followed.
"What''s your name? I''m sure you must be a Runcandel and a descendant of Temar."
"I''m Jin Runcandel."
"Alright, Jin Runcandel. A thousand years ago, Solderet sealed me to be a god and told me..."
Whether the position of the god of cksmiths was a vacant one as Jin assumed or not, and Picon Minche''s skills as a cksmith god aside...
It was impossible for a mere human like Picon to be granted god status. Therefore, Solderet used his power and position to make him a god.
"...that I must inform the Shadow Contractors toe to me with Bradamante or the Balisade from the ce where Temar was buried. And he added that I must reinforce the des of their swords."
-
KO-FI
BUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 279:
Chapter 279:
C279 - Congrattions Delegation, An Unexpected Encounter (5)
The tragic ancestor and first patriarch of the Runcandel n, who was never buried in the crypts. One whose mere presence in the mirage could subdue the entire Great Desert of Mitra.
Where was Temar first buried?
There were at least two important details in this brief sentence. That Temar''s tomb undoubtedly existed somewhere, and that his tomb had been relocated, at least once.
Jin had only acted on the information from his past to win over Fin nche before anyone else, but now he was about to hear an unexpected secret story.
After his return to life, there were only two people with whom Jin felt rivalry.
His father, Cyron Runcandel, and his ancestor, Temar Runcandel.
Jin told himself in the abstract that he would grow beyond the two at the Storm Castle, and with his growth, the idea was bing a clear goal.
That''s why he was always curious about stories from his youth.
Unlike him, those two transcendent figures achieved the pinnacle of mastery with just one opportunity in their lives.
"Did Solderet really order it?"
Jin calmed down and decided to listen to Picon.
"An order? Well, it was Solderet who sealed me as a god, but we were always friends and equals, even when I was human. In fact, I chose this tedious eternal life for Solderet''s sake."
Friendship with mortals was part of Solderet''s peculiar character. Most gods had extremely hierarchical rtionships with mortals, except for gods of questionable ss like Olmango, the m god.
That''s why Murakan often referred to Solderet as this guy or that guy, despite being his creation (Misha didn''t need to be told to show respect). Likewise, Jin also conversed quite casually with him in his past life.
"It''s true that I mistook you at first. Let me apologize for it once again. But I hope that, at the very least, you consider me a friend of your god."
He said it politely, but it seemed that Picon despised the way Jin spoke to him condescendingly.
"I understand. Likewise, I apologize for being violent towards you."
He was a legendary cksmith who was now a god. Moreover, he was someone who would provide much-needed information. Given his position, it wasn''t too difficult to appease Picon to get what he wanted.
"Hmph! Well, thank you for that. But how did you know I was here?"
"I didn''t know you were here. I just wanted to see Fin nche, but I stumbled upon you by chance."
"Oh? By mere chance? How mysterious. Solderet, that guy. He must have seen things a thousand years before anyone else."
Jin didn''t agree with Picon, but he nodded anyway.
If Solderet was so omniscient that he could see one''s fate a thousand years ahead, there would have been no need for him to die so futilely, only toe back to life.
Of course, the fact that Jin didn''t consider Solderet omniscient didn''t mean hecked respect for him.
Almost twenty years had passed since hest heard his god''s voice as a contractor, but Jin still felt incredibly grateful to Solderet. "To be honest, it''s hard for me to understand how you became the god of cksmiths after Growler''s death, Picon."
"I understand why you might feel that way."
"Indeed, Fin nche was kidnapped and in danger of death a moment ago. Seeing how you manifested in his body, I would say you could have easily subdued them yourself. But why did you let it happen?"
"There aren''t many beings in the world who know that the god of cksmiths died. I decided not to reveal my powers before meeting you because doing so could make me a target for Solderet''s enemies."
"So, does that mean you intended to live in hiding until I appeared?"
"You''re right. I had to hide by any means necessary because I know what those crazy Zipples did to Temar''s tomb."
"And if the bandits harmed Fin nche?"
"I wouldn''t have done anything, even if Fin died."
So, was he simply discovered by my enemies when Jin was twenty-four years old, as they already had thepass at that time? Or maybe Picon broke the promise with Solderet for some unknown reason.
Jin simply nodded.
"I didn''t like seeing my descendants lead miserable lives, and since bing a god, I only made contracts with my direct descendants. But I had no choice if I wanted to fulfill the promise I made to Solderet."
"Wait, does that mean your descendants never enjoyed the benefits as contractors all this time? All because of me?"
"You could say that."
It felt as if someone had struck Jin''s heart with a rock.
Picon''s direct descendants would have led prosperous lives thanks to the support of the Minche cksmith guild, even if they themselves had no talent.
But Picon was the one who deliberately concealed his first direct descendants, his daughter and son, just before bing a god.
Since then, his descendants had lived their lives deprived of the privileges they deserved for the sake of a boy named Jin, whom they had never known and would never know in their entire lives.
Some of them led fairlyfortable lives as leaders of militias protecting merchants, but most had to endure the miserable reality like Fin nche.
And not a single one of them realized their potential as cksmiths. Picon had deliberately blocked their potential to prevent them from bing targets.
Were they all being sacrificed, only for my sake? All because of a decision by Solderet and Picon?
Suddenly, he recalled his experience in Kollon.
"I have been waiting for the person who will take this. That very boy, the thousand-year contractor that Solderet mentioned." This was what m said through the manifestation in Raosa.
At that time, Jin thought he had put an end to the tragedy of the Kollonites.
But it wasn''t true. Just like Picon Minche''s descendants, they were being sacrificed for Jin''s sake without their knowledge.
It was too extreme. Unfair and brutal.
Jin empathized too much with it because he had also struggled through a hopeless period without realizing he had been under a curse.
Picon read Jin''s thoughts and continued.
"I know what you''re thinking. But you must know it was the best we could do."
Why did you have to sacrifice your own descendants for me?, Jin thought. He had never asked for or wanted such things.
Jin knew very well that saying those things wouldn''t change anything for Picon''s descendants who had already died, nor for himself.
It would only beining. He couldn''t do anything about what was already done. Jin was forced to take a position.
A position that made him bear the burden of responsibility for the countless people who were sacrificed for him, all unknowingly.
And above all, he had to deliver results.
Regardless of what Solderet had intended for him, Jin had to carry out what he believed was right. The destruction of the Zipple n was obviously part of his beliefs, and now another goal had been added to the list.
From now on, he would never allow anyone else to make sacrifices for his sake.
Of course, it would be impossible for him alone to bear the burdens of the world, but he wanted to avoid imposing such unreasonable circumstances on others if he could help it.
There were countless elements involved, but the most necessary of all was overwhelming power. He needed a lot of strength, so that no one would dare to sacrifice themselves for him.
Secondly, he needed formidable strength to support him.
And both could be obtained if he reached the pinnacle of the Runcandel n. The idea fueled his burning desire to seize the patriarchal throne even more.
"Please, do not hinder me from supporting Fin nche, and that applies to her descendants as well."
"I understand."
"One more thing. Thank you for your sacrifice."
Not only Picon''s descendants suffered. The guilt of not being able to help his descendants would have tormented Picon Minche more than anyone else.
Perhaps that wasn''t the case, as he started abruptly shouting at Fin to steal the Bradamante from Jin. He even mentioned something aboutmitting to train him as well.
In any case, Picon seemed quite moved by Jin''s words. Tears began to well up in his still-nk eyes.
"Solderet, it seems yourtest contractor doesn''t have such a bad character after all. I wouldn''t mind sharpening his sword with all my effort."
"I wanted to ask before. What do you mean by sharpening the Bradamante? And also, tell me what my ancestor Temar''s tomb means to me."
"First of all, I''m sure you''re aware that Bradamante was an experiment I conducted to create the Balisada. Despite that, even you Runcandels and the people of the world seem to consider it a legendary sword that is only slightly below the Balisada."
The Bradamante and the Balisada; it was Solderet who requested the creation of the sister swords. As the god of swords and shadows, he thought his contractor, Temar Runcandel, needed a special sword.
While the Balisada was a finished product, Bradamante still had many issues, at least by Picon Minche''s standards.
"Although it was just an experiment, it is still a magnificent sword as it represents the best of my abilities at that time. It creates a force close to sixty percent of the Balisada with shadow-based attacks, and it never breaks because it was forged with ancient eversteel."
Picon praised Bradamante for some time, like a loving father showing off his children.
He was a cksmith through and through, and far beyond the ordinary, even in his human days. He felt much more affection for legendary weapons and masterpieces he created than for his own children.
Bradamante was the third on his list of great works, so naturally, he couldn''t stop talking about it.
"But the biggest w of Bradamante is that it''s unable to protect its wielder."
"Protect? But it''s not armor."
"I have forged countless armors throughout my life, but I have never seen an armor better than one formed by Shadow Energy. That''s why I devised a function in the Balisada where one can form armor by inserting their Shadow Energy into it."
Picon wanted to add the same function to Bradamante. One of the main reasons he epted Solderet''s idea of transforming him into a god was his desire, as a cksmith, to turn his iplete masterpiece into a finished work.
"So, give me Bradamante. I will reforge it and return it to you."
Jin willingly handed over Bradamante. Picon felt overwhelmed with emotion and trembled as he received it.
"I can finally reim my baby."
"How long will it take?"
Of course, Jin wasn''t too pleased to see him loving an object more than his own family.
But transcendent masters and geniuses who reached the pinnacle of their craft were often very peculiar and somewhat twisted, so it wasn''t such a strange sight to behold.
"It will take at least six months, and you will also need to acquire a long list of materials."
"I understand."
"And one of them needs to be retrieved from where Temar was initially buried."
"By saying that Temar was ''initially buried,'' it implies that the tomb was moved, which wouldn''t have been necessary unless someone attacked and looted the tomb. You also mentioned that the Zipples did something to the tomb. Does that mean there is still something to retrieve?"
Picon smiled.
"Of course there is. The testament of the great knights. Inside there, you will face those in whom Temar once ced his trust."
-
KO-FI
BUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 280: Temars First Tomb (1)
Chapter 280: Temar''s First Tomb (1)
C280 - Temar''s First Tomb (1)
Fin learned everything that happened immediately after the manifestation because his memory had been active during the brief moment of Picon''s incarnation.
"Wow! It''s incredible. Picon Minche, the legendary cksmith! I never imagined that I would be the lineage of someone so great. And to think it was the voice of a god. I thought it was just an evil spirit. Haha."
Fin let out a loudugh as he rubbed his swollen chin vigorously. He had only been able to withstand Jin''s punch because Picon was manifesting within him.
He seemed to take everything that happened calmly, including the fact that both he and his ancestors had been deprived of the advantages of being divine contractors.
"Fin nche?"
"Yes, Sir Jin. I apologize for not properly greeting you earlier due to the surprise. I also lost control of my body earlier."
"Aren''t you angry?"
"Why?"
"You and your ancestors were forced into a sacrifice they never wanted, all because of me."
Fin widened his eyes in astonishment and waved his hands. "Oh no, what sacrifice are you talking about, Sir? I never knew I was a contractor, and I never benefited from it, but it didn''t harm me either. At least not in my case. Besides, if I''m prone to bing a ve of the Zipples just because I''m the contractor of the god of cksmiths, then obviously, I would live hidden forever. I don''t think it''s any sacrifice at all."
He never really benefited from it, but he was not harmed by it either.
That''s how he genuinely felt about it.
"Of course, if I had known earlier that I was a divine contractor, my life might have been different. No, it would have definitely been different. I could have be the cksmith of the Runcandel n, and if I had joined Minche''s cksmith guild, I would have undoubtedly lived a more abundant life than now."
"That''s right."
"But would that guarantee a happier life than the one I live now?".
This time, it was Jin''s eyes that widened.
"No one can be sure about such things. If I had be the cksmith of Runcandel, maybe I would have earned more. But I could have suffered scrutiny from the elite. Runcandel is quite a terrifying ce, isn''t it? Who knows? Maybe in Minche''s cksmith guild, I would have also been met with envy and jealousy."
Fin paused. Then he shrugged and continued. "On the other hand, I love my current life. Even though living under a terribly poor lord got me kidnapped, I got to experience being saved by you, Sir Jin. And even though the lord I serve has suffered some misfortunes, he is a good man."
"Go on. Go on."
"That''s all I had to say."
"From now on, Picon will use your body to reinforce Bradamante for my sake. For you, that wouldn''t be fair. If there''s anything you want in return, let me know. I''ll do what I can. And even if you refuse, I won''t punish or harm you for it."
"Sir Jin, what do you mean by that? Both you and I unexpectedly encountered Picon today. Leaving aside the fact that I''m the contractor of the god of cksmiths, you saved my life, remember?".
Fin waved his hands once again. "Therefore, I have noints. In fact, this would give me a way to repay you for saving my life, and that makes me happy, sir."
"Thank you for saying that."
"I might also know why you came to see me, Sir Jin. I suppose you wanted to see the responsible person to inquire about the situation of thends since the Volta n was the only one that didn''t send any gifts. But Sir Jin, I want you to know that the lord I serve has never embezzled any tax."
Fin was very mistaken about something.
From his perspective, his encounter with Picon was an unexpected coincidence, but Jin''s visit was a certainty.
In reality, Aleta had constantly worried about not being able to send gifts after Jin became a gbearer.
He didn''t think Jin was so petty as to make an issue out of the gifts since he had also read about the things Jin did in the holy kingdom during his time as a provisional gbearer.
Therefore, Fin deduced that Jin must have suspected that the Volta patriarch had embezzled funds. As impoverished as the n was, it was still a noble n. It wouldn''t make any sense for them to be unable to send a gift.
All the ns in Hufester, except for Volta, where he served as a steward, would have sent a gift to Jin. Fin thought Jin had a good reason to be suspicious.
"The patriarch even sold his private possessions to help the poor. Thend is barren, and we face a famine. With bandits stirring up trouble on top of all that, we couldn''t even find a decent page to write a letter, let alone gifts."
Fin''s abrupt defense of his lord surprised Jin.
But he didn''t find the need to correct his misunderstanding.
"I didn''t suspect that the Volta patriarch had embezzled funds. But as you said, I wanted to know what the situation was. I wanted to offer my support if things got tough."
His words were received with much joy. Fin nodded enthusiastically.
"I knew my concerns were unfounded! Sir Jin, thank you very much for your concern! You care even for worthlessnds like ours, and you even saved me from bandits. I will never forget this honor, even in my death."
Jin thought to himself, "Somehow, I feel like I''m just feeding into this guy''s misunderstanding." No, maybe it''s not a misunderstanding after all. Anyway, he intended to provide ample support to the Volta n as long as he could secure the god of cksmiths before anyone else.
Not only did he secure the god, but he also found out that the god of cksmiths had been changed as part of the preparations Solderet had made for him, and he was even promised to be able to reinforce Bradamante.
It couldn''t be more ideal for Jin.
"Alright. Then please take good care of my sword."
Fin carefully lifted Bradamante.
"I know nothing about cksmithing, so my ancestor will take care of that. As for me, if only I could secure a ce where my ancestor can work on the sword without anyone finding out..."
"It''s my job to figure that out. I''ll take various measures to ensure you don''t run into trouble while the god of cksmiths works on it. I''ll also provide support in terms of funds, including repairing the mansion and providing food for assistance."
"Oh, thank you, sir. Thank you so much."
Fin bowed his head so low that he was about to kneel and touch the ground with his head. Jin awkwardly smiled.
"Is there anything else you want from me?"
"Nothing, Sir. What you have promised me is more than enough, Sir Jin."
"If you wish, I can also provide you with a lot of support. I''m sure you remember my conversation earlier with Picon. I told him not to prevent me from providing support."
"Haha, I am so honored by your words that I don''t know what to say. But Sir Jin, as I mentioned before, I am content with my life. Thesends and the Volta mansion are my home. And for thisnd to rise through the current hardships is no different from my own dreame true."
It was a very brief encounter, but that man named Fin pleased Jin.
He could have asked for more. In fact, he could have shouted and demandedpensation for his own sacrifices and those of his ancestor.
But Fin didn''t do such a thing.
"Thank you. Now, let''s return to your home."
----------------------
Once Jin returned to the Garden of Swords, he sought out Petrow.
"Go to thends of the Volta n tomorrow morning and provide ample support to the n without going overboard. Give them support in the form of gold coins and food, and don''t send troops. Make sure it doesn''t stand out too much in the eyes of my siblings."
"Understood, Sir."
"And contact Tikan to send about five defense guards disguised as civilians to reside in the Volta n''snds."
"Yes, young master."
After Petrow left, Gilly and Murakan, who had been drinking together, approached.
"Young master, where have you been?" Gilly asked.
"The Volta n was the only one that didn''t send any gifts, so I went to see what was going on."
"Well, now that you''re a gbearer, are you unting your authority? Look at you, kid. I really didn''t take you for that type, you know? Fallen noble ns must have it tough. Are you harassing them for money and such?"
"Murakan, I''m sure young master Jin went there to check on their affairs, not because he was angry about not receiving gifts," Gilly said.
"Theirnds were in ruins. I promised them support. But more importantly, I unexpectedly encountered the contractor of the god of cksmiths there."
"What?"
"What did you say?"
Jin exined everything that had happened with Picon. Both of them showed intrigue but soon epted it.
"So, kid. What you''re saying is that Growler died for some unknown reason, and Solderet put Picon as the new god of cksmiths as part of his preparations for you, is that it? And the first tomb of Temar on top of that? Can you believe it?" eximed Murakan.
"It seems you encounter incredible figures wherever you go, young master."
"I can''t believe that this time you encountered a god in a rural town."
"However, neither of you seems very surprised," Jin said.
"It''s not the first time something like this has happened, that''s why. You encountered that strange god m or something in Kollon and received the mirror, which was something Solderet had also prepared for you. When you fought for your die-hard fan on the deserted ind of Vermont, there was that stone of the demon god. Compared to that, the god of cksmiths almost seems normal. And it seems it was also part of Solderet''s ns."
Gilly silently nodded.
"By the way, you mentioned that Picon Minche used a power simr to the one used by the leader of the Kinzelo, right?" Murakan asked.
"Yes. For some reason, the leader of the Kinzelo seemed to wield a power superior to Picon''s. However, Picon could forge and control metals just like him. Is that a power wielded by the god of cksmiths?"
"I have no idea about that either. Growler, the predecessor, was a rather aloof god."
"If the power belongs to the gods of cksmiths, then Growler''s death would be closely rted to the leader of the Kinzelo. You still have no conjecture about him, do you?"
Of course, Murakan had shared a conversation with the leader of the Kinzelo in Old Oterium on this very topic:
"When Temar tried to kill you after you lost control due to the overload, it was me who stopped that guy. Murakan, don''t you remember who I am?"
"You bastard, whose name are you trying to drop here? You seem like an old demon, but there''s no way Temar would have associated with people like you. And an overload? You must have heard something, huh? The one who lost control that day was..."
"Not you, but Temar? Is that what you''re trying to say?"
Since that day, Murakan had been racking his memory. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t remember having any dealings with the leader of the Kinzelo.
"No, I don''t remember. Damn it. I''m so curious to know who that bastard is supposed to be. I''m about to go crazy."
"Kinzelo is exposed to the world anyway, so his identity will be revealed eventually. We won''t be the only ones curious about his identity now."
Murakan showed his frustration, so Gilly changed the subject. "I''m looking forward to Pic¨®n improving Bradamante, but I''m already worried about you going to the first tomb of the first patriarch, young master. I feel like it would be somehow dangerous, especially that testament he mentioned."
"Don''t worry, Gilly. I''ll go with Murakan."
"Thinking that the god of cksmiths is aware of something that not even your mother knows. However, since the tomb has been moved, I won''t be able to greet Temar even if we get there. Ugh, the first tomb of Temar, huh."
Murakan smiled bitterly.
He had actually been suppressing a painful emotion since Jin brought up the topic of Temar''s tomb.
"Alright, then. Where did he say it was? His tomb, I mean."
"The Great ins of Anz, thend that was once under Chukon Tolderer," Jin answered as he showed them the key he had received from Picon.
-
KO-FI
BUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 281: Temars First Tomb (2)
Chapter 281: Temar''s First Tomb (2)
C281 - Temar''s First Tomb (2)
"There is an area called Vaoi in the Great ins of Anz, in the central zone of the ins. Go there and infuse the Shadow Energy into this key. Then his first tomb will be revealed to you."
"Is there anything I should keep in mind?"
"No matter what happens there, do not panic. This is what Solderet wanted me to tell you."
"Is there anything else?"
"Nothing. I wish you luck in your battles, Jin Runcandel."
The key that Picon handed over while uttering those words was a small ck rod the size of a finger. It didn''t look special at all. If one weren''t aware that it was actually a key, they would easily mistake it for a missing piece of a device or something of the sort.
"He told you to infuse your Shadow Energy into it? Give it to me." Murakan took the key and started infusing Shadow Energy into it.
Nothing happened. At least, it seemed so.
"I can see what this object is about. These objects won''t activate unless a sufficient amount of Shadow Energy is infused into them. Solderet used to make these things and call them toys."
"Really?"
"So, when are you going to head to the Great ins of Anz?" Murakan asked.
"I''d like to go immediately, but first I have to see Uncle Jed and also get the dates for the assassination of the ck Knight spy since my mother said that would be my first mission."
"She said she would assign another gbearer who is an expert in that, alongside you. I suppose it will be Joshua, right? Since it''s a crucial mission, he''ll try to use you while giving all the credit to Joshua."
"Hmm, I don''t think Mother would use such superficial tricks. What do you think, Gilly?"
"I agree with you, young master. I don''t think it would be Joshua, that cunning bastard. Oops, sorry. Instead, I believe it would be young Lady Luntia or young Master Dyfus."
Luntia and Dyfus.
These two were always mentioned when people discussed the strongest gbearer of Runcandel besides Luna, who was above the rest.
"Luntia and Dyfus, huh? Well, that''s true. Since we have to eliminate a ck Knight, we''ll need someone with a proven track record as well."
"But if they''re certain this ck Knight is a spy, why not simply capture and kill him? Why go through the trouble of nning a mission and all that? They could easily execute him as a target for elimination in the Garden of Swords, couldn''t they?"
"We need enough justification and a backstory to kill someone as prominent as a ck Knight. We can''t reveal to all n members that the ck Knight had been a spy, so a simple elimination would undermine discipline within the n while revealing the truth. Holding a trial for espionage would undermine the n''s reputation as this particr spy happens to be a ck Knight."
"Goodness, you humans. You barely live a century, and yet you hold your reputation in higher esteem than us dragons. So, we can''t go to Temar''s tomb before you''re assigned a date for the assassination of the ck Knight, right?"
"That''s right."
"Things are going to get slow around here. Tsk."
"They''ll probably give plenty of time to prepare for the mission. Killing a ck Knight spy is not a simple assassination, and the n will also need to prepare well in advance. Once we know the date, let''s head to Temar''s tomb before the mission begins."
-------------------------------
Jin went to see Jed the next day.
He no longer taught the intermediate ss cadets. He was now an instructor for the advanced ss cadets.
"I sent the entire group of advanced-level cadets on external missions so that I can pass on the final movements to you." His voice echoed strongly as he spoke in the center of the empty training field.
Jed was still in the advanced stages of his eight-star level, but that was merely an indication of his aura. It didn''t speak of the actual skill he could disy inbat.
There weren''t many nine-star swordsmen who could defeat Jed inbat.
"Thank you, Uncle."
"There are three final movements that I can teach you without council approval. But one of them is suitable for chain swords, and another is suitable for giant swords. Therefore, I will teach you the final movement suitable for longswords."
"Yes, Sir."
Jin had witnessed and faced two finishing movements since his revival.
The third final movement, Meteor Shower, and the seventh final movement, Volcano. Both techniques were extremely powerful.
In particr, the captivating scene that unfolded before his eyes when Luna executed Meteor Shower to kill Andrei still inspired Jin from time to time.
That''s why he wanted to learn Meteor Shower first, but I guess that will have to wait until I can defeat all the elders.
Jed slowly unsheathed his sword. "The fourth final movement, Petal Cascade. I will demonstrate it slowly at first, so try to follow the flow of the sword and the aura."
Jed''s sword began to emanate light as it was bathed in aura. For now, it was no different from the energy of an ordinary sword.
But soon, he could see the aura around the sword splitting. The concentrated aura started forming small fractures.
It meant that the aura around the sword was weakening. An aura that wasn''t concentrated around the sword could break off like debris at the slightest impact, so knights always had to maintain their aura concentrated around the sword during battle.
The aura around Jed''s sword continued to open around the fractures. It looked like it would detach from the sword at the slightest touch.
"As you know, such fractures in the aura would hinder its use. Any inexperienced swordsman wielding their swords in this state would drop their aura."
Jed then took a slight step forward. The sword naturally rose in the air, and then Jed brought down the sword with a very smooth but swift motion.
It was like any ordinary vertical sh.
The fragments of aura remained intact on Jed''s sword after the sh.
His aura didn''t detach, not even as the sword cut through the air. It was as if someone was moving a sandcastle without it crumbling.
"First, you have to be able to wield the sword in a way that the hanging aura fragments remain intact on the sword."
Fwoosh!
The hanging aura fragments were released. It was like petals being released into the air, just like the name of the movement: Petal Cascade.
But each of these aura petals had devastating power. They could easily cut through steel and even the flesh and bones of eight-star martial artists or higher.
Such petals sttered in the air in unpredictable trajectories. If a person had been standing amidst them, they would have been torn into unrecognizable pieces within seconds.
"Could you feel it well?" Jed asked.
Jin nodded.
"The technique, Petal Cascade, is more difficult to master than it seems. Not only do you need to refine the aura, but also master willpower and the spirit of the word. And most importantly, maintaining the aura intact until the required moment is impossible without the blessed body of the Runcandels."
If someone were to forcefully maintain the falling aura intact without the blessed body, even ten-star knights would end up in recoil.
"I''m sure I don''t need to exin the aura movement. First, practice fracturing and maintaining the aura intact. Once you''ve done that, transform each aura fragment into concentrated de waves."
Jin calmly listened to Jed''s continued exnation. But, in reality, he felt a strange d¨¦j¨¤ vu when Jed fractured his aura.
I''m sure of it. Petal Cascade, the fourth final movement, is based on Cascade, the Legendary Sword Combat Technique.
There were many simrities between Cascade, the Legendary Sword Combat Technique, and Petal Cascade, the final movement. Both required intentional aura fracturing, keeping it intact on the sword, and then releasing it at the desired moment to create waves on the de.
Of course, the original of the two had to be Cascade, the Legendary Sword Combat Technique.
Jin could even tell which of these simr techniques was superior.
Cascade is certainly superior, apart from the fact that humans without a Light Heart could never use it.
Suddenly, he felt worried.
What if most of the long-awaited final movements were nothing more than inferior copies of the Legendary Sword?
At least Meteor Shower and Volcano are original to the Runcandels, so I guess that won''t be the case.
Jed''s exnation continued for another twenty minutes.
"That''s all. If you have any questions, now is the time."
"Uncle."
"What is it?"
"I''m sure you know that I also wield lightning energy, in addition to being Solderet''s contractor."
"Yes, it was widely talked about that you were Peitel''s contractor when you went by the name Bamel."
Jin took off his shirt. He revealed the Light Heart in the center of his chest. Jed''s eyes sparkled with intrigue.
"I had a fortuitous encounter in my days as a Provisional gbearer. As a result, I gained this Light Heart and began wielding lightning energy."
"A fortuitous encounter, you say?"
"I would like to tell you the whole story in detail if you swear to keep my secret, of course."
"What kind of fortuitous encounter would require such secrecy?"
"I can definitely tell you that my story will also benefit you, Uncle."
"Now that you mention it, I''m intrigued. Hmm, very well. I, Jed Runcandel, swear on my honor that I will never speak of it to anyone."
Now it was Jin''s turn to exin to Jed the kind of training he had received from the Legends in Lafrarosa.
Surprisingly, Jed listened with great interest, like a child listening to stories of days past. Jin told him everything, except for the fact that the seventy-seven Legends had been prepared by Solderet for Temar''s and Jin''s own good.
"So our ancestor also knew the semi-orcs that were said to have gone extinct. It seems like a secret story that hasn''t been written in any of the n''s documents. So, are you saying that the technique called Cascade, which you learned from them, is simr to Petal Cascade?"
"I''ll show you."
Buzz!
Lightning energy enveloped Jin''s body, and Jed couldn''t hide his surprise.
The lightning energy gathered in Sigmund, and everything unfolded exactly like Petal Cascade. The energy intentionally split and forcefully remained intact.
"Oh, look at that!" Jed clenched his fists tightly and eximed as Sigmund fell to the ground.
The lightning energy followed Sigmund''s trajectory and flowed down like a cascade. Anyone could tell it was simr to a cascade of petals.
"Just like you, Uncle, I used the minimum amount of lightning energy."
"Of course, you did. Even Petal Cascade would have destroyed the training field if it had arge amount of aura. But this technique you performed called Cascade, clearly, it is something superior. Well, then I would have nothing to teach you."
But that wasn''t all.
In fact, Jin''s demonstration made Jed see the limitations of the Petal Cascade final movement. And fully understanding a limitation was no different from saying that one was given the possibility to further improve oneself.
But in Jed''s case, he soared even higher.
"Since I cannot reach the Light Heart on my own, I won''t be able to mimic Cascade even if I start mastering Petal Cascade again with the inspiration I''ve gained today. However, I feel like I might be able to enhance the power of Petal Cascade on my own."
"What? You''re talking about enhancing the technique, Uncle?"
Just by looking at Jin''s cascade, Jed knew he could go beyond mastering Petal Cascade and further enhance it.
"I like it, Jin. I''ll consider it a great gift you''ve given me today. Once I finish enhancing it and gain the approval of those boneheaded council elders, the council won''t have any reasons to deny it anymore."
"In that case, it will be your achievement, Uncle, not mine. Enhancing a finishing move is a tremendous achievement, and it will earn you many elders who will respect your opinion of me. But that doesn''t mean they''ll take away all the reasons to reject me, right?"
Jed smiled at those words. "No, the council won''t be able to deny or reject you anymore. You see, this old uncle of yours is going to add your name to the enhanced Petal Cascade."
-
KO-FI
BUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 282: Temars First Tomb (3)
Chapter 282: Temar''s First Tomb (3)
C282 - Temar''s First Tomb (3)
On February 25, 1799, all the gbearers who had set out to cheer up the ns under Runcandel''s control returned to the Garden of Swords.
They had heard stories about Jin from sources outside the n while visiting each of their designated areas.
"Hey, brother, wee back!"
Smack!
Mary abruptly punched Dyfus in the back.
"Oh, you little lunatic... Mary! How many times do I have to tell you to stop greeting me like that?"
"Did anything interesting happen on your journey?"
"How could anything be more interesting than what you did here? I may have suggested it, but I made it clear. You deal with the aftermath."
He was referring to Mary stealing Bradamante and handing it over to Jin.
"Why? You were with Joshua a while ago. Did he tell you something?"
"Surprisingly, no. But that''s when it''s most dangerous. You know that, right? Be careful for a while."
"I don''t know anything about that. Besides, I''ve never watched my back in my whole life. Bute on, stop talking about that. I asked if anything interesting happened during the journey."
Dyfus brought his hand to his forehead. "Yes, I''m the fool for expecting a normal conversation from you."
"So, was there or wasn''t there?"
"Yes, there was. On the fourth day of the journey, everyone was talking about Jin."
"Tell me."
"Damn it. Isn''t it condescending of you tomand me like that, seventh gbearer?"
"Please, tell me, good sir fourth gbearer."
"As expected, there were many ns that felt ufortable because Jin undermined the tradition and authenticity of the Runcandel n."
"Is that so?"
"There were some others who congratted him, saying that thanks to him, the Saints are once again helping Hufester, although they were by far the minority."
"No, I''m not interested in any of that. You know what I''m asking you. Were there any rumors about Jin''s strength?"
"Of course. They were talking aboutparing him to Dante Hairan. Apparently, some of the nobles from Hufester went to the Cosmos Arena where Jin had participated during his time as a provisional gbearer. They said the final battle was undoubtedly a spectacle. I mean that fightingpetition where you ended up as the runner-up."
"Runner-up? I defeated that guy two monthster, so I''m the champion. Look, there are ears listening, okay? Don''t spill secrets like that around here. Anyway, Dante Hairan, huh? The world really has no idea."
"What are you talking about?"
"I almost lost to him."
Dyfus immediately stopped. "You''re joking, right?"
"Does it seem like I''m joking? Sure, the sessor of the Hairan Patriarchy is quite impressive, but he''s nothingpared to Jin."
"I think you''re underestimating Dante."
"Do you think it''s possible for me to lose against Dante?"
Dyfus fell silent for a while.
Certainly, Mary wouldn''t have acted this way after fighting Dante. A power simr to Mary''s at the age of neen? Jin is undoubtedly a beast.
Obviously, Dyfus had expected Mary to defeat Jin. His original image was that Jin would be terribly injured in the process, leaving Dyfus alone with the mission to assassinate the ck Knight.
At this rate, I''m just ying into my mother''s hands. Damn it.
The mission to assassinate the spy ck Knight-Rosa had already decided to assign Dyfus with Jin.
Soon, the stewards came to fetch the two gbearers.
"Madam Rosa has called for a gbearer meeting."
All the gbearers immediately gathered in her office.
"We will discuss a single agenda item for this gbearer meeting. We also discussed it before the Patriarch left. It concerns the assassination of the ck Knight spy."
"Yes, mother."
Tension soared in the brief silence.
"This mission will be carried out by the fourth gbearer, Dyfus Runcandel, and the twelfth gbearer, Jin Runcandel. Your mission is to provoke the death of the ck Knight inbat. The mission will take ce in the disputed territory of Bentica, near the Kingdom of M."
The brothers felt different emotions when the fourth and twelfth gbearers were assigned to the mission. Some felt relieved, while others felt like they had missed out on something.
Dyfus immediately looked at Jin, but Jin deliberately avoided his gaze.
"A mining area where ancient eversteel was supposed to be found was recently discovered in Bentica. We have received information that the Zipple are introducing the White Night and the Kozec into the area for that purpose. Therefore, we have decided to send a ck Knight, two gbearers, and ten guardian knights for the mission."
The Runcandels and the Zipples fought daily in skirmishesrge and small overnd, minerals, natural resources... basically everything.
If they fought over gold mines ormonnds, the battle was waged with guardian knights and magicians or through ns under their control.
But when they had to fight over rare goods like ancient eversteel or fairy traces, they shed with troops and key assets.
This time, the Zipples were sending the White Night and the Kozec, while the Runcandels were responding with their ck Knight spy along with two gbearers and ten guardian knights.
"The two gbearers will confront the Zipples along with ten guardian knights and the ck Knight spy. And you will make sure the ck Knight spy dies at the hands of the enemy in battle."
This was an incredibly difficult mission to aplish.
Assassinating a ck Knight itself was an achievement, but they had to induce a discreet death.
The only reason they had to go to such lengths to kill a ck Knight was because of the n''s reputation. It wouldn''t look good if it was known that they killed a ck Knight by fighting against a force weaker than the Kozec.
"Only a few within the Zipple n are aware of the ck Knight spy. Intelligence tells us that Keliac Zipple, Octavia Zipple, and three high-level elders are the only ones who know about it."
This was the main reason the Runcandels were preparing this massive charade of the ck Knight assassination mission.
The White Night didn''t know that the ck Knight was a Zipple spy.
The Runcandels assessed that if the ck Knight was seen obliterating the White Night right up until the moment of his assassination, the Zipples would no longer bother trying to make more ck Knight spies.
And there was a clear incentive if everything went ording to n¡ªit would effectively make the Zipples fall for their own tricks.
"And of course, after the death of the ck Knight spy, you must defeat the Zipple forces and secure the mine. Failure to achieve either of the two objectives will automatically result in failure for this mission."
A brief silence followed.
The gbearers were certain that this was by far the most difficult mission assigned to any of them in the past two years.
"The mission willmence on March 8th. Make sure all preparations arepleted within that timeframe. Fourth gbearer and twelfth gbearer, if you have any requests orints about the mission, now is the time to present them."
"Negative."
"Please tell us the name of the ck Knight spy."
Dyfus and Jin spoke at the same time.
Jin didn''t have ess to all the n''s files with his privileges as the twelfth gbearer. He needed ess permission from at least the fourth gbearer or higher to obtain the personal data of the ck Knights.
"Barton Vichena. I''ll give you detailed documentation on the target, so take a look."
He hadn''t heard the name before. Therefore, he couldn''t gain any advantage in his fight against Barton Vichena from knowledge of his past life.
"Thank you."
"This is a mission that the entire n has put a lot of effort into preparing. I hope the fourth and twelfth gbearers bring us sessful results. That''s all. You may leave."
The gbearers left the office.
It was strange.
For some reason, Joshua didn''t make any moves against Mary, who had recently stolen from his armory, or against Jin, the beneficiary of her theft. He simply walked out without looking at them.
Luntia yawned a couple of times before returning to Rosa''s office. She didn''t mean anything by it. She just went back to retrieve the documents she had left inside.
Miu and Anne didn''t bother Jin either. Ran and Vuigo exchanged several nces with Jin and Mary, but that was it.
The Tona Twins awkwardly paced back and forth around Jin, as they did thest time, before returning to their rooms.
"Do those adorable fools try to fight against you like I do?" Mary asked.
"Probably not."
"Well, it''s good to know. Jin, I''d like to give you some advice."
"I''ll be fine, thank you, Mary."
"No, I''m not fine, that''s why. Try to work with Dyfus on the ck Knight assassination mission as much as possible. Even if it''s just for the sake of the deal you made with me."
Mary estimated that Jin was incredibly strong. But she still didn''t believe he was powerful enough to take on a ck Knight, especially in such aplicated mission.
"Imagine how boring my life would be if you ever died or got injured. You see, the only thing holding me together these days is thinking about how I''ll fight against you in three months when springes. Now I''m leaving for you two to talk, alright?"
Mary left. Jin and Dyfus were the only ones left in the hallway.
"Mary is right, Jin." Dyfus spoke first.
"What do you mean, Dyfus?"
"I mean we should work together. I''m aware that you consider all your brothers as enemies. But this is an important matter. Even Father himself strictly mentioned that we should abstain from rank wars for the time being."
"So, are you offering that we train together until the mission begins?"
"Yes."
"I reject the offer."
Dyfus shrugged. "And why is that?"
"I''m confident that you canplete the mission on your own without me nearby because I personally believe you''re the strongest among the brothers aside from Luna."
"Really?"
"And I also don''t think you''re the selfless type to give me credit for the mission. So why should I train with you? I''d just be used as bait or cannon fodder anyway. It would be a waste of my precious time."
"Well, that wasn''t my intention either. I just needed something to say when Mary asks me about itter."
"It seems you care a lot about Mary."
"Perhaps more than Luna cares about you. So, Jin." Dyfus paused and continued calmly. "I hope you don''t kill or disable Mary in those fights you''ll have every three months."
"Is that a warning?"
"No, it''s just a request, from one person to another. I''m sure you, more than anyone, understand what I mean."
Jin and Dyfus''s gazes shed. They weren''t filled with killing intent or a fighting spirit, but a mysterious tension filled the space between them.
"Do you realize that requests usuallye with a price?"
"Tell me what you want."
"Don''t lower the ss of the Runcandels."
His cold words were spoken out of disappointment.
Dyfus''s eyebrows twitched.
"It''s unbing of the Runcandels to make requests to the enemy. I''ll turn a blind eye to this incident since I also have brothers I care about, but if you show such actions again, I''ll no longer ssify you as my enemy, Dyfus."
Jin turned around.
Dyfus remained lost in thought until Jin waspletely out of sight.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 283:
Chapter 283:
C283 - Temar''s First Tomb (4)
Actually, the Tona Twins didn''t return to their rooms. They hid behind the pir at the end of the hallway to spy on Jin and Dyfus.
The twins weren''t curious about their conversation, but Emma had ordered them to bring Jin since there weren''t many opportunities to get to know him.
Emma was getting nervous because Jin never visited her.
"Dyfus seems very shaken by something. Don''t you think so, Heitona?"
"I agree. We should start walking towards Jin and... Wait. Dyfus ising this way." Heitona whispered back.
"No, we''re doomed. What if he interrogates us again for spying on him?"
"Just act natural, as much as possible."
The Tona Twins hid behind the pir. Their hearts beat faster as Dyfus approached. Finally, he passed by them. The twins smiled awkwardly.
Dyfus nced at them indifferently and continued on. He didn''t roast them like he did with Miu or Anne.
Dyfus acted as if the Tona Twins didn''t exist because they weren''tpetitors, and they weren''t worth paying attention to. In fact, Dyfus knew that the Tona Twins had been hiding behind the pir from the beginning.
In any case, the twins felt relieved that nothing had happened.
But they also felt their self-esteem crumbling. Outside the n, they were known as the Darlings of Hell, but they had no presence among their brothers.
"Let''s go to Jin."
"Yes."
Their steps were somewhat dispirited, but they still walked fast enough to catch up to Jin, who was waiting for them on the other side of the hallway. Jin was also aware that the Tona Twins were observing him.
"Hello, Jin."
"Ah, it''s you two." Jin turned around and greeted them.
The twins scratched their heads.
"What brings you here?"
"Ah, about that. Would you like to..."
"Have tea with us?"
The Tona Twins were endearing in their own way.
"Sorry, but I''m busy today."
"Oh, really? How about tomorrow?"
"I''ll be busy for a while preparing for the mission."
"Oh. I see."
"Brothers?"
"Yes?"
"Maybe it would be good to see both of you acting on your own will asionally, not just Emma''s will."
The Tona Twins seemed embarrassed at the mention of Emma''s name.
"If you had wanted to talk to me alone, I could have dedicated some time to you. The reason why other brothers look down on you is that you seem like Emma''s puppets, not Runcandel gbearers."
"Is it that bad?"
"Does it look like that? Isn''t it because we''re weak?"
"Frankly, you''re not exactly weak elsewhere, you know?"
Both of them were seven stars at the age of twenty-one. They would easily be called prodigies elsewhere, but this was the Runcandels. The Tona Twins were clearly the weakest among the gbearers.
"Respectes from attitude, remember that. And convey a message to Emma from me."
"Oh, okay. What is it?"
"Tell her not to be anxious and not dare to call me unless it''s so important that she absolutely needs to inform me."
The Tona Twins nodded with a heavy heart.
They were ashamed that their younger brother was telling them what to do, but neither of them could say anything, nor did they have a need to say anything. They knew their position in the pecking order.
As for Jin, he genuinely hoped that someday the Tona Twins would be epted by everyone in the n.
In his past life, Jin passionately hated the Tona Twins, but he knew in this life they genuinely cared for him.
"We can have tea after the ck Knight assassination mission is over. Or we could have a drink."
----------------------
"Hey, kid. Do we really have to ride in that thing? Can''t we just fly there?" Murakan asked.
"No, we can''t. It would take us centuries to fly there. Besides, I already told you. We have to be back in the n by March 6th."
"Darn it, I''m going to vomit and get headaches again. What a hassle." Murakan shook his head.
Jin and Murakan were in the armored carriage heading towards the gate of Kalon''s limited express portal.
"We have arrived, young master."
"Thank you. You may return."
"Loyalty to the n!"
Everyone on the street immediately turned their heads to Jin and Murakan as they stepped out of the carriage.
The Runcandel gbearers were the stars of Hufester, which meant people looked at them nostalgically even if all they did was walk down the street.
Of course, that didn''t apply to the sulky ones like Miu and Anne. The authority of the Runcandel gbearers was so powerful that they could have someone killed for looking at them the wrong way.
Although Jin''s true personality hadn''t been revealed to the world yet, most people had fantasies about his character.
They assumed the young man fought alone against the Zipple and achieved victories against them in the name of justice. And they weren''t entirely wrong.
Perhaps it was his reputation that made the two familiar in their eyes. Passersby talked about Jin and Murakan as they walked. They said things like, "Is that Jin Runcandel, he''s so handsome, the man next to him is the legendary cat dragon..."
"Who said I''m a cat! Damn lunatics!" Murakan suddenly yelled, causing people to lower their heads and quickly disappear from the streets.
From today onwards, the rumor would spread that Jin''s guardian dragon was quite obnoxious.
"Come on, my ears hurt. Why are you suddenly yelling?"
"I''m annoyed about having to ride the portal gate as it is, and then those people start calling me a cat! Don''t they know I can hear their whispers?"
"Because not everyone in the world has the hearing of an eight-star martial artist. Most would assume you can''t hear their whispers."
"Who cares! Oh, I''m so angry!"
Murakan was agitated for a reason.
Last night, he had asked Gilly out on a date and was rejected.
"Strawberry Pie, I heard there are many nice ces to go in Kalon. Why don''t we go to all of them, one by one, together? We won''t have to hide our identities anymore, so we canfortably explore the city and have a drink..."
"I''m sorry, Murakan. I think I should watch my actions until young master Jin is fully settled and finds his ce in the n."
This conversation had put Murakan in a bad mood.
"Be the patriarch already! I feel frustrated," he told Jin.
"Speak quieter. People can hear you. Don''t go around saying things like that."
"The Great ins of Anz were Chukon Tolderer''snd, right? That means there might be remnants of the Dark Magic Guild there as well. If I see any of them there, oh, they''ll get the beating of their lives. I mean it."
"We took down the Dark Magic Guildst time."
"I hope there are still some left."
"What a horrible suggestion."
There weren''t many people at the limited express portal gate. The staff immediately called the portal guardian upon seeing Jin''s gbearer coat. The guardian guided Jin to the seats dedicated to the gbearers, located in the inner area, with utmost courtesy.
"Sir Jin Runcandel, it is an honor to serve you. Please tell me your destination."
"The nearest portal to the H Mountain Range."
"Understood, Sir. What should I do with the portal usage records?"
Have them erased so that no one can ess them."
"Yes, Sir. Wishing you afortable journey!"
Fwoosh!
The portal opened once the guardian left.
"Kid, but why the H Mountains? Aren''t we supposed to go to the Great ins of Anz? I thought we were short on time. Earlier, you said we had to hurry."
"I want to test the guardian."
Blue mana enveloped the two of them.
When they opened their eyes, they found themselves at an ancient portal near the H Mountains. The knights standing by the gate greeted Jin. Meanwhile, Murakan spent some time vomiting.
Disgusting!
"No need for attendants. I havee for a personal matter and don''t need anyone to cater to me. Go ahead."
Jin mounted Murakan and deliberately took off flying while the knights kept a watchful eye on him. They flew towards the H Mountains.
Then they flew to various ces in the area for several hours until they hid in a deep valley of the mountain range to disguise themselves with golden mouse hair dye and makeup.
These products could create highly convincing disguises without much trouble.
"Yes, those golden mice didn''t put much effort into making these things. No wonder they became so rich. Murakan, apply some of this too. People might recognize you even if you turn into a cat nowadays."
He carefully folded his gbearer cloak and put it in his bag. In its ce, he wore an ordinary robe. Both of them dyed their hair blue.
"I thought I wouldn''t have to disguise myself anymore after you became a gbearer. Do I really have to do this?" Murakan asked.
"Better safe than sorry. I almost miss my days as a provisional gbearer. Let''s head towards the Great ins of Anz."
Jin took out the red ruby to summon Shuri. They silently rode on the gigantic feline through the mountains.
They crossed the mountain range during the night and sailed across the sea by morning. Murakan didn''t fly a single minute throughout the entire journey.
It was nighttime again when they crossed a forest. Beyond the foresty the Great ins of Anz.
The Great ins were much like the vast desert of Mitra, but covered in grass. The vast fields of green grass gracefully danced in the wind.
They had to ride for a full day from there to reach Vaoi, where Picon Minche said the first tomb of Temar was located.
Fortunately, Murakan''s hopes were not fulfilled. There were no remnants of the Dark Magic Guild in the Great ins. They did spot a couple of ascetic sorcerers in the distance (they were nothing more than ordinary magicians, but Jin had to put in a lot of effort to stop Murakan, who was fully convinced they were remnants of the Dark Magic Guild), although the sorcerers paid no attention to them.
When they arrived at their destination, Shuri whimpered in exhaustion, albeit quite adorably.
"You did a great job, Shuri."
The only people the Jin group encountered on their way to Vaoi were a group of nomads. But they didn''t use the continentalnguage, nor did they realize Jin was a martial artist.
Vaoi seemed like a small hill amidst the in.
But the real reason the Vaoi area had a hill-like shape was that it used to be a gigantic burial mound.
Murakan''s eyes sparkled as he recognized it. He had been quite suspicious of Picon''s words, but upon arriving at Vaoi, he intuitively realized that it was indeed where Temar had been buried.
"Bring out the key, kid."
--------------------------
"Have you found anything yet?"
"No, Sir Joshua. The gate guardian clearly stated that the twelfth gbearer was heading to the H Mountain Range. We searched every nook and cranny of the mountains, but found nothing noteworthy."
Jin was right.
Although the portal usage records had been erased, the guardian''s memory remained intact, and he informed Joshua of Jin''s destination even before he asked.
''H Mountains? Is there something rted to Solderet in that area? Or something he obtained in his days as a provisional gbearer? Is it a person? I need to find out what Jin is looking for there.''
Joshua felt frustrated because his guardian knights were unable to find any information.
Just then, Joshua realized that Jin couldn''t have acted so carelessly. He suspected that Jin would have expected him to investigate and deliberately fed the guardian false information.
He soon convinced himself of his assumption.
"Darn it."
"Sir Joshua?"
"I was too impatient. Gather all the forces. Dismiss the guardian and give him a decent retirement package."
"Understood, Sir."
Joshua took a long drag from his cigarette.
It tasted bitter, in more ways than one.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 284:
Chapter 284:
C284 - Temar''s First Tomb (5)
The dawn light shone upon Vaoi.
Murakan held the key, but he couldn''t help but feel bitter. Remorse, sadness, longing, self-contempt, and powerlessness overwhelmed him. All these dark and heavy emotions pierced his heart.
A friend.
More precious than anyone or anything else.
That''s what Temar was to Murakan. If Temar desired something, Murakan was willing to fight against all odds, and if Temar were in mortal danger, he would dly give up his own life to save him.
But he couldn''t.
If the ancient dark dragon of over three thousand years were to choose the most devastating memory of his life, it would undoubtedly be Temar''s death.
Shuri licked Murakan''s shoulder. He didn''t respond despite Shuri''s multiple licks, so Shuri let out a mournful cry and returned to the red ruby.
Murakan.
Jin couldn''t say much either. It wasn''t normal for Murakan to be so saddened.
Jin had also lost someone he cherished more than anyone in his past life. On the day he was banished from the Garden of Swords, Gilly was stripped of her aura and had to endure a punishment worse than death itself.
Suddenly, Jin was reminded of what hest saw of Gilly in his past life, which made him feel distressed as well.
Murakan''s hand trembled as he held the key.
Then he held the key with both hands and pressed it against his chest. His massive physique suddenly seemed like a withered branch, and his back began to shake.
Was he crying in sorrow for his poor, old friend who had left after leaving him with scars?
Jin slowly approached Murakan. The dragon seemed to needfort.
"Darn it. What the hell is wrong? Curse it all." Murakan cursed aloud.
"Huh? What? Murakan?"
"I''m referring to this key. I''ve infused it with tons of Shadow Energy, and yet, it won''t budge. Now, everything wants to irritate the great Murakan, doesn''t it? Well, let''s see who wins this game, you damn little toy."
Murakan had indeed been trembling, but not because he was sobbing.
He trembled because he was infusingrge amounts of Shadow Energy into the key.
That''s also why he held the key against his chest. At first, he casually infused Shadow Energy into the key with one hand, but once he realized nothing was happening, he started using both hands to infuserge amounts of Shadow Energy.
"Come on, activate already! I think it has absorbed a five-star worth of energy."
Jin felt quite perplexed but soon let out a chuckle. "Stop getting so worked up. I''ll send Gilly on vacation as soon as we return, so maybe you two can go on a trip together."
Fling!
Murakan turned his head at lightning speed.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course. It won''t be anything too difficult."
"Finally, it''s about time you repay me for raising you, brat. Bwahaha, that''s right. Give her a nice, long vacation while you''re at it, so I can have a happy trip with Strawberry Pie and-"
"But Strawberry Pie, I mean, Gilly, might reject you too, you know? Have you ever considered that?"
"What?"
"You seem to think that Gilly would obviously ept a date with you if only she had a vacation. I wonder if you can handle another rejection. It''s going to hurt, you know."
Murakan was almost furious, but instead, he decided to mock Jin.
"Hmph! Bwahaha, you know nothing. Well, on the other hand, you''ve been in Lafrarosa sincete 1797. Anyway, promise me you won''t back out on the offer, since she''ll surely ept me."
His response left Jin mysteriously annoyed.
It didn''t seem like anything was going on between him and Gilly. Why is he so confident? I mean, is it true that those two are dating? Why do I care so much about these things? Why is it so annoying?
And Murakan thought, I just gave a response because the brat was so annoying, but what if she really rejects me?
Of course, neither Jin nor Murakan could read each other''s minds.
"Sure, sure. Go ahead and activate the key now, oh great dark dragon."
"Yes, just you wait. Hmm!"
Murakan began infusing his Shadow Energy into the key again.
But it still wouldn''t move, no matter how desperately he poured his strength into it. At that moment, all the veins on Murakan''s neck burst from the effort.
"Solderet, that scoundrel. Why did he make such a contraption?"
Murakan tossed the key to the ground and gasped for breath.
"Maybe he''s doing it wrong? Or maybe Picon told us something wrong."
Neither of those things are true. I''ve told you, Solderet used to make a bunch of these things. And Picon can''t be wrong either because this is indeed where Temar was buried. I can feel it."
"Then why isn''t it working?"
Wroooom!
Murakan suddenly transformed into his true form. Jin instinctively looked around. They were in an open in. There was nothing that could hide Murakan.
"Why do you think we came all the way to the H Mountains? If someone sees you, all the effort will be wasted. Why are you suddenly transforming?"
"I don''t think this key activates with your usual dose of Shadow Energy. I''ve already put all the Shadow Energy I can in my human form."
Surprised, Jin looked at Murakan.
"What? How much Shadow Energy could this object possibly need?"
"It''s time to find out. Stay alert. If you see any remnants of the Dark Magic Guild, eliminate them."
"I told you, such things don''t exist anymore."
Surprisingly, it took eight hours until the key reacted.
Fortunately, nobody noticed Murakan sitting in the middle of Vaoi, struggling with the tiny object.
Murakan squeezed out thest of his remaining Shadow Energy.
That was when the key slowly levitated from the tip of Murakan''s w into the air.
"Yes, it''s working! Ugh, everything hurts."
"Is it done? Finally?"
Murakan transformed back into his human form and stood beside Jin.
He seemedpletely exhausted. No, he wasn''t just exhausted. He looked pale and on the verge of copsing at any moment.
The key floated in the air and halted its movement.
Then the two of them felt the area surrounding them suddenly darken, as if a surge of Shadow Energy was being released.
Indeed, it was the Shadow Energy from the key that had darkened the world around them.
The Shadow Energy from the key enveloped the entire Vaoi area in a dark semisphere.
What is this? And more importantly, something of this magnitude could easily expose us to the whole world.
It was also the first time Murakan had seen something like this.
Jin was starting to think that all his effort to detour through the H Mountains had gone to waste.
Just then, he felt the dark force semisphere covering Vaoi gradually shrinking.
It was as if a giant hand outside the sphere was squeezing it downward. It became so small that the edge of the semisphere was about to touch Jin and Murakan.
Finally, the semisphere turned into a tiny dot and disappearedpletely.
At that moment, Vaoi was a hill of green grass as usual, but Jin and Murakan, who had been standing there, were no longer visible.
They had been absorbed into the ethereal ne formed by the Shadow Energy.
"Well, I knew I was absorbing too much Shadow Energy. Was it an ethereal ne?"
Murakanughed. Jin looked around, scared and suspicious of the sudden spatial change.
It was dark andpletely devoid of everything. At the same time, it was so vast that he could barely guess the size of the ce.
This deste ce was Temar Runcandel''s first tomb.
"Solderet did so much to conceal it, and yet those Zipple bastards came here and plundered it."
Murakan shook his head, barely controlling his anger. "Create a flower with your Shadow Energy, kid."
Jin had never tried anything like that before.
But it wasn''t too difficult since all he had to do was shape the Shadow Energy into a flower. Jin created an artificial flower with Shadow Energy and ced it on the ground.
"His body is no longer here, but we still need to leave a flower."
Jin left the flower on the ground. They stood in silence for a minute.
Both paid their respects, Murakan as a friend and Jin as a descendant.
"Kid?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
A wind blew from a direction after they paid their respects. The wind gently carried away the flower and passed by indifferently.
"The rookie god of cksmiths, Picon Minche, said that you would meet here with those whom Temar trusted, right?"
"That''s right. He also said that he needed something from this ce to strengthen Bradamante."
"I''ve been thinking a lot on the way here, about what Temar''s first tomb would be like and what you still had to gain from this ce after it waspletely plundered. Well, you know, things like that. But I didn''te up with much."
"And?"
"But now that I see this ethereal ne, I''ve realized something."
Murakan suddenly stopped because he had a bad feeling.
Meanwhile, Jin recalled the conversation he had with Picon Minche.
"There''s an area called Vaoi in the great Anz ins, in the central area of the ins. Go there and infuse Shadow Energy into this key. Then it will reveal his first tomb to you."
"Is there anything I should be aware of?"
"No matter what happens there, don''t panic. That''s what Solderet wanted me to tell you."
"Is there anything else?"
"Nothing. I wish you luck in your battles, Jin Runcandel."
For some reason, the phrase about wishing him luck had disturbed Jin. Why was he being wished luck in battle when he was going to meet someone Temar had trusted? It was hard to understand.
"Kid, I think there''s a guardian. A guardian still resides in this tomb."
"A guardian?"
"Yes. The protector of the tomb. And the reason Solderet bothered to create a key that would only activate with so much Shadow Energy was because he wanted you to have enough Shadow Energy when you used the key toe here."
Picon hadn''t told him about these things. And neither had Solderet.
In any case, the key would never have worked if he didn''t have enough Shadow Energy anyway.
But there was a problem. The person who activated the key wasn''t Jin. It was Murakan.
And indeed, Murakan waspletely depleted of Shadow Energy because of it.
"Murakan, do you think I would have been able to activate the key with my Shadow Energy?"
"No way. The great Murakan himself needed eight hours and everyst drop of his Shadow Energy to activate it. There''s no way you could have done it with your seven-star Shadow Energy."
"So, that means I don''t actually qualify to be here, do I? And you won''t be able to fight if that guardian thing appears since you''ve also run out of Shadow Energy, right?"
"That''s right. But well. I doubt anything will happen. Who knows? Maybe there are no guardians to begin with. We''ll find out soon enough."
Murakan had just finished his sentence when a sublime voice resonated from afar.
"Has the Contractor of Solderete to pay respects to Temar?"
Upon hearing the voice, Murakan recognized who it was and pped his hand on his forehead. He used to hear this voice every day a thousand years ago.
"This is Silderay''s voice!"
Silderay Jizek was one of the biggest contributors to Temar founding the Runcandel n.
The great knight whose legend and records were erased by the Zipples.
The guardian of this tomb was the will of Silderay Jizek himself.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 285: Temars First Tomb (6)
Chapter 285: Temar''s First Tomb (6)
C285 - Temar''s First Tomb (6)
"So, who is Silderay?"
Jin had never heard of his name, neither in all his n history sses at Stormcastle nor in his cadet days because the Zipples had erased every single record rted to Silderay.
They still couldn''t see Silderay, although they could sense a massive force of unknown capacity somewhere in the darkness.
It was like witnessing the emergence of a giant sea monster from the depths of the ocean. Jin didn''t need to face it to recognize the immense power of his enemy.
He could feel his hair standing on end, along with a faint sense of exhration. Shing. Sigmund''s pale sword left its sheath and gleamed in the darkness.
"He was one of Temar''s ten knights. He could be said to be the progenitor of the Runcandel ck knights. His surname was Jizek, butter he changed it to Runcandel when Temar did."
"The progenitor of the ck knights. How interesting."
Murakan seemedpletely taken aback by Jin''s response.
"Interesting? In this situation? You''re going crazy too. Right now, I''m incapacitated and unable to fight. If that guardian is an exact replica, then, woah. There''s no way we can handle this. We barely have a chance of winning."
"You never know until you try. Who knows? Maybe we won''t end up fighting. He asked if I came to pay my respects, so perhaps he''ll be more amodating than we think."
"That won''t happen. It''s not Silderay in person. It''s just a guardian created in his image. And guardians are created with the sole purpose of mutting all intruders."
The energy of the guardian drew near.
Murakan was right. Its energy was clearly filled with a desire to fight. Its fighting spirit was so fierce and immense that Jin could almost feel it burning against his skin.
"Tell me."
"Tell you what?"
"Silderay''s exploits, as you remember them."
"Ten stars. And exceptional besides. Fortunately, he''s not a swordsman like the pure-blooded Runcandels."
"Then I must pray that he''s not a likeness of his firstborn. There doesn''t seem to be a way to escape this ne, right?"
"We either put the same amount of Shadow Energy into the key or the guardian shows the way. It must be one of the two."
"Alright, the fight is inevitable then. Let''s see what happens after I cross swords with him and assess our options then."
Jin assumed his stance.
Murakan observed him and thought to himself. For some reason, this crazy kid seems to be enjoying this.
To some extent, it was true.
Jin was satisfied to have the opportunity to fight against Silderay, one of the progenitors of the ck knights.
However, his satisfaction didn''t stem merely from his love for battle or his sheer recklessness as a warrior.
Each of the trials that Solderet had put him through was a test designed for him to ovee. Plus, he wouldn''t have many opportunities to test himself against a ten-star knight.
There weren''t many days left until the assassination of Barton Vichena, another powerful knight and ck knight spy.
The guardian was the perfect opponent to experience firsthand what it meant to fight a ten-star knight.
And most importantly, Jin didn''t believe he was as useless as Murakan thought.
If things go wrong, I can always summon my Lafrarosa brothers, although I''d prefer not to if I can avoid it.
Finally, the guardian revealed itself from the edge of darkness.
It wore armor simr to that of the Runcandel guardian knights. It had a massive physique, overflowing muscles that refused to be hidden under the armor, and a sharp, intense gaze that seemed capable of cutting through steel.
It wielded an impressive giant sword,rger than its own body. It was more solid than Luna''s axe-sword and seemed to mock the fact that Silderay''s name had never been passed down through generations.
Anyone who could wield that enormous sword at will should have been part of martial arts history.
The guardian halted about twenty paces away from the two.
It was a guardian formed from the same principle as Jin''s Dark Light Calling.
Solderet had molded Silderay''s soul and will with Shadow Energy so that the dead could temporarily appear in the world of the living when certain conditions were met.
Jin and Murakan realized this fact as they saw the guardian.
"I am the guardian of this tomb, Silderay Runcandel."
"Hey, Silderay! Don''t you recognize me?" Murakan stepped forward and shouted.
The guardian fixed its eyes on Jin andpletely ignored Murakan.
"Answer me, Silderay. Answer. I am Murakan, the Dark Dragon."
"I don''t know that useless soulless one."
"What, useless soulless one?"
"Get lost. My business isn''t with you."
"Wow! The things he says! Sure, I may have lost the powers of my prime, and yes, I may bepletely devoid of Shadow Energy right now. But how dare you say those things to me, Silderay? I was your lord''s guardian dragon, Temar."
"Mention Temar-nim''s name once more, and I''ll slit your throat without warning."
The guardian seemed resentful towards Murakan for some reason.
Being a perfect replica of Silderay made with Shadow Energy, its memories remained intact.
Murakan red at the guardian with hatred.
The dragon wanted to beat him up, but that had always been quite a challenging task for Murakan, even in his prime. For now, he didn''t even have Shadow Energy left, so he had to hold back.
"State your name, thest contractor of Solderet."
"I am Jin Runcandel."
Silderay''s eyes turned pensive.
"Solderet has fulfilled his promise. Now it''s my turn to fulfill the promise."
Whoosh!
Silderay gently swung the giant sword. The mere swing generated a strong sword wind that tousled Jin and Murakan''s hair.
"I, Silderay Runcandel of the ten knights, will pass on my will to thest contractor of Solderet ording to the ancient promise I made with the Shadow God."
The transmission of his testament. Its implication was simple.
"Contractor, Jin Runcandel. Prepare yourself to fight me."
"Guardian, Sir Silderay Runcandel. Please promise me one thing."
Despite his polite words, Jin stared into the guardian''s eyes as if he wanted to make a demand, not a request.
"Speak."
"Murakan is currently unable to fight. Would you do me the favor of sparing his life?"
"As long as he doesn''t interfere."
"Thank you."
That was more than enough, even though it hurt Murakan''s pride.
"ept the oue of the battle humbly."
Just after uttering his final word, the guardian''s giant sword shed.
It was literally a sh of light.
It was the result of the giant sword''s swift movement. No one would believe how fast this enormous sword could move until they saw it with their own eyes.
Shik, zas!
The giant sword shed against Sigmund and emitted a deafening noise. The hard stone floor was crushed. The broken pieces of rock turned back into Shadow Energy and evaporated.
The shockwave ravaged the surrounding area.
Jin gritted his teeth.
If he hadn''t spent the past year getting used to the battle techniques of the battle kings or had the chance to experience Vanessa''s sword, he would have been dumbfounded at the first strike.
This is amazing!
The guardian''s strike carried the weight of a mountain and the cutting edge of serrated obsidian.
Murakan was sent flying through the air. The shockwave from the first strike sent him tumbling across the ground.
Fortunately, he didn''t seem to have suffered any serious injuries. Murakan finallynded and muttered all kinds of curses as he distanced himself from the battle.
The guardian didn''t bother pursuing him.
The second and third strikes came at Jin.
Each sh of the sword brought the excruciating pain of bones on the verge of breaking and skin tearing. But despite the pain, Jin''s body distributed and withstood the blow.
All my training has paid off.
Ten stars. One step away from reaching the Divine Star.
There was no way to know if the guardian was a perfect emtion of Silderay, who was supposed to be an exceptional ten-star knight, but Jin could confidently say that these simple attacks held the power of a ten-star knight behind them.
Their destructive force was on par with Vanessa''s or the battle kings''.
Jin was countering the attacks of this guardian with pure sword skill alone.
But I don''t see any chance for a counterattack.
That was the problem.
He was defending so desperately that he had no time to attack. The guardian''s giant sword flickered several times per second to press Jin from all directions.
The guardian was clearly and immensely stronger than Jin.
But Jin had always fought against stronger enemies.
Every time he faced an enemy more powerful than himself, there was disorder with the element of surprise. His ability to respond calmly in battle came from knowing that his enemies didn''t know all his cards.
The photon cannon, Myulta''s rune, the Legends'' lightning energy, Shadow Energy, and more. His movements consistently produced great results.
But would they work against a ten-star knight as well?
Jin realized the answer to the question was no when he fought through Vanessa''s trial. At that time, she faced the photon cannon and Legends'' sword techniques as if they were nothing more than intriguing tricks.
It was as if the element of surprise meant nothing to the master swordsmen who were at the pinnacle of what could be achieved with a sword. Any technique that didn''t have a simr depth and mastery to theirs was nothing more than a trivial spectacle.
I must use the Battle God''s Combat Techniques from the beginning. The rest won''t work against him at all.
Of course, lightning and despotism were certainly powerful techniques in their own right.
But Jin couldn''t execute them at a ten-star level yet. Using them to create mildly effective openings or illusions would only lead to his own loss.
First, I''ll summon Tess to buy time and use the Battle God''s Combat Technique, Erosion, to create space for myself. Damn it. The dimensional gate won''t open! Is it another dead realm?
Jin performed the summoning to open the dimensional gate to the realm of fire, but the gate refused to open.
Jin knew from experience that the dimensional gate wouldn''t open in dead realms.
This ethereal ne created by Solderet was another dead realm.
He desperately attempted the Dark Light Calling, with the same effect. No summoning was possible in dead realms.
"It seems you tried some things, but all failed. Nevertheless, I''m impressed that you haven''t lost yourposure."
The guardian swung the giant sword with even greater force this time.
That was when Jin retreated for the first time. The difference in their abilities was bing more noticeable. Pure strength, precision, and experience. Needless to say, the guardian surpassed Jin in every aspect.
A drop of blood trickled from Jin''s lips.
His mouth was cut by the impact, but his internal organs remained intact.
"Darn it. I had no idea this was a dead realm. Next time I enter an unknown space, I''ll remember to first check if summonings work."
Jin caught his breath.
Although what he had saved for the worst-case scenario was blocked, that didn''t mean everything was over yet.
He really didn''t want to use this because the mission was still a few days away.
The lightning energy began to surge within his Light Heart.
If this didn''t work, the only thing left was to pray and escape.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 286:
Chapter 286:
C286 - Temar''s First Tomb (7)
The dense lightning energy in the Light Heart made it seem as if a small sun was radiating its light from the center of Jin''s chest. The strong white light shone through his shirt and began to cast a glow around him.
And it went beyond that.
As more lightning energy gathered in his Light Heart, it immediately illuminated the dark ethereal ne.
The guardian didn''t seem toprehend what was happening but sensed that a great change had urred within Jin.
It must be the lightning energy. Without a doubt, it''s an intriguing power, just as Temar described it.
His attacks continued.
The guardian''s giant sword now sent enormous waves that could split entire warships in half. Jin waspletely engulfed in those de waves and barely clung to life.
It didn''t seem like he wouldst much longer.
Jin''s movements had noticeably slowed down after the lightning energy began surging into his Light Heart.
Jin was gathering lightning energy for the Battle God''s Combat Technique, which naturally affected his level of concentration.
"Did you think you could afford to make such mistakes in front of me?"
The guardian''s giant sword swung in a vertical sh, creating an ugly tear in the air. Even the mostmon vertical strike of a ten-star knight was as powerful as a master''s move, and Jin certainly couldn''t avoid it with his sluggish movements.
The best he could do was dodge it.
Jin gritted his teeth and moved aside.
He maintained his posture, and Silderay''s giant sword struck the ground.
Dodging the strike of a ten-star knight was entirely different from dodging any other attack.
Simply getting out of the sword''s path was not enough because the shockwaves created in the sword''s movement through the air alone were as powerful as eight-star attacks.
Shluk, shiik! The shockwave cut Jin near his Adam''s apple. If the cut had been deeper, the damage would have been critical. Another shockwave grazed his chest and shoulder.
His blood sprayed in an arc.
His coat and shirt tore and burned from the heat of the aura, revealing a luminous heart charged with lightning energy.
It was radiant. Silderay momentarily squinted his eyes when he suddenly faced the light of the Light Heart.
That brief instant was the first opportunity Jin had since the battle began.
Jin chose to create distance rather than attack. But he only managed to step back once, as Silderay still controlled the distance.
That single step felt precious to Jin.
It didn''t take him out of Silderay''s attack range, but that one step allowed him to breathe away from the intense aura exuding from his opponent.
It felt as if Jin had gained distance from the active volcano that was Silderay.
He felt as if his entire body was being pressed by his aura just by staying close to him.
It was the blessed body of the Runcandels that kept him moving.
Now that he had earned a breather for himself, it was time toplete the Battle God''s Combat Technique. Countless lightning energy flooded his Light Heart, which seemed on the verge of zing.
That was the full capacity of Jin''s lightning energy.
"It seems you havepleted what you have been preparing all this time, Jin Runcandel."
The guardian smiled weakly, as if he had been waiting for this moment. In reality, he had been controlling his attacks so that Jin couldplete the Battle God''s Combat Technique.
Therefore, his smile held several meanings. On one hand, curiosity and anticipation regarding Jin''s power.
And on the other hand, his reprimand for the fact that Jin wouldn''t have evaded death if this had been a real battle, not Solderet''s trial.
"I''m almost offended."
Zas, pum!
Jin read him through his smile and replied while dispersing the sword waves. Silderay''s sword waves shattered with deafening noises.
"Because I waited for you?"
"If this had been a real battle, I wouldn''t have faced you like this, Lord Silderay."
The guardian smiled.
What Jin had just shown reminded him of the man he respected and obeyed all his life and in his youth. Temar Runcandel. That''s how he was.
No matter who he faced. He always faced a challenge without being arrogant and was calcting despite appearing reckless. That''s why everyone around Temar saw him as a mystery.
"You resemble him a lot."
"It''s not an expression I appreciate."
Kzzt!
Something sounded as if it was being crushed inside the Light Heart.
The dense lightning energy exposed on the surface of the Light Heart knotted around the heart like thick ropes, making it seem as if the heart had cracked.
Jin nned to perform the Tenth Battle God''s Combat Technique.
It was the Final Movement of the Battle God and the greatest profound mystery, epassing all his techniques.
It was the Reign of the King of Legends: The Initiation.
When Vahn taught Jin the tenth Battle God''s Combat Technique, he told him that this movement was not a mere killing technique created to destroy enemies.
The Reign of the King of Legends was the roaring deration of a man who had reached the pinnacle among the kings of light.
The ground they stood on began to crack.
It twisted violently, and cracks spewed out lightning energy likeva. The entire area was immediately covered with the devastating forces of lightning energy, making it impossible to breathe.
It wasn''t just a figure of speech. Anyone who couldn''t shield themselves from this torrent of energy would turn into ashes within seconds.
Those who could only gather to cast shield barriers would suffocate over time. And it had nothing to do with Jin''s intentions. Fire never discriminates whom it burns.
Only those who were worthy could survive the lightning of the Reign of the King of Legends. It was a privilege granted only to those who could at least match the strength of the most powerful race ever known in the world.
"That''s why my brothers no longer call me Temar-like, Sir Silderay."
Jin''s voice was different. For some mysterious reason, it sounded as if dozens of people were speaking in unison. Needless to say, there was a deep majestic tone in his voice.
His eyes and hair were now filled with lightning energy, emitting a bright blue color. If there were a lightning god revered by the masses, it would probably look like this.
The guardian thought the same.
However, his superior perception was not deceived by his thoughts.
"Appearing transcendent doesn''t mean you truly are. But I am intrigued nheless."
Ten stars. A height where one truly understands that they are very close to being the most powerful.
The guardian knew what it meant to be transcendent precisely because he was within reach of such heights. And transcendent was a term only granted to those who had reached the Divine Star.
Although Jin had activated the Reign of the King of Legends, the guardian could see that it was nothing more than a burst of Jin''s potential.
But, of course, that still shocked him considerably.
"I see there is less room to attack now. Let''s start again."
Wroom!
Waves burst forth from the guardian''s gigantic sword. They cut through Jin''s lightning bolts as if piercing through water, but their impact was greatly reduced when they reached Jin.
The lightning energy dampened their power. Simrly, Silderay''s movements were slightly restricted.
On the other hand, lightning felt natural to Jin after activating the Reign of the King of Legends. Unlike the guardian, who couldn''t fully unleash his power while resisting the lightning, Jin''s sword movements were deadlier than ever.
The Reign of the King of Legends wasn''t a simple movement. It was an ability that elevated other abilities. One that could turn an ordinary vertical strike into a master''s move.
Now, this wasn''t only true for the guardian. It applied to Jin as well.
This was what Vahn told him before leaving Lafrarosa, right after mastering the Reign of the King of Legends.
"I might have mentioned it to youst time, brother Jin. You are a brother of the Legends, our descendant, and my heir. Therefore, you must never be afraid, no matter whom you have to face."
The lightning covering the battlefield moved along with the Sigmund.
Jin swung his sword upward as the guardian struck downward. Their swings were so fast that they both went after each other''s afterimages. The sh of swords revealed a new dynamic in their battle.
A stalemate.
Who would have imagined it was a battle between a ten-star knight and an eight-star swordsman?
The two swords struggled to push each other away, and it was difficult to tell which was superior.
Amazing!
The guardian didn''t offer clich¨¦s likepliments or show any signs of satisfaction.
Such things were only appropriate when facing an opponent who was clearly inferior in terms of skill.
The guardian no longer needed to evaluate the young descendant of the n before him. Now, he only had to ept Jin as a worthy enemy tomemorate his final battle as a guardian.
This meant he could no longer afford to be lenient with him. Just as Jin was giving his all, he had to give his all as well.
Pum, pum! ng!
The ethereal ne gradually descended from the shockwave, creating swirling Shadow Energy that scattered like sand.
The chaotic scene of lightning energy, sword waves, and Shadow Energy was certainly worthy of being called the battlefield of great warriors.
Just as Silderay remained humble, Jin also didn''t let the current rhythm get to his head.
I can''tst long in this state. I must finish it as soon as possible.
The lightning energy fiercely gathered towards the Sigmund.
And for the first time in the battle, the guardian took a step back. Jin seized the opportunity to perform the third movement of the Battle God''s Combat Technique, Retribution, to push him further back.
Retribution was obviously much stronger now with the Reign of the King of Legends activated.
Three spikes of retribution formed simultaneously and flew toward the guardian.
Supposedly, the Reign of the King of Legends required three stages toplete: initiation, progression, and conclusion. But at Jin''s current level, activating initiation already demanded a lot from him.
Therefore, oveying another Battle God''s Combat Technique was undoubtedly an overwhelming task.
However, Jin had a clear reason for using retribution. He assumed that the guardian didn''t possess the blessed body of the Runcandels.
Sir Silderay will have to userge amounts of aura if he wants to block the retribution performed with the Reign of the King of Legends. If both of us suffer the impact of the outburst, I''m likely to end up on the better side.
Jin''s assessment was urate.
The guardian, Silderay Runcandel, had blocked all attacks so far without significant changes in his expression, but now, he seemed serious, as if this attack was quite difficult for him to handle.
But obviously, it wasn''t out of fear. It was out of a particr resolve.
"I will show you the legacy of your Runcandel ancestors, dear descendant."
The spikes of retribution struck Silderay''s shield barrier. Cracks immediately formed in the shield, and it would only take a blink of an eye for the shield to shatterpletely.
But that split second was more than enough.
It was all Jin needed to reveal one of the supreme moves of the Runcandel Sword Technique created by Temar and the ten knights a thousand years ago.
The secret move of the Runcandel n.
Giant Sword King
Jin stopped exerting more force on the spikes and inwardly gasped for breath.
The guardian''s giant sword was already enormous on its own. But now, it was bing terrifyingly colossal.
He had seen people extend their swords with aura countless times in training.
But he had never imagined a sword so ridiculously massive.
The giant Shadow Energy soared immediately toward the sky as if it wanted to pierce through and rise above the lightning.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 287: Temars First Tomb (8)
Chapter 287: Temar''s First Tomb (8)
C287 - Temar''s First Tomb (8)
It was outrageously enormous.
Jin couldn''t think of any other way to describe it.
The aura transformed the gigantic sword into a tower so massive that he could barely look up to see where it ended.
The de was easily dozens of timesrger than its wielder, and yet the guardian held it in his hands as if it weighed nothing.
What is this? I mean, can it even be called a sword?
Jin didn''t believe he would blink, no matter what was thrown at him.
But this was something that even Jin feltpletely amazed by. The guardian''s giant sword was not only immensely long. Even its width was so vast that it seemed atrocious.
This indescribably excessive expansion had been caused by the aura.
The three spikes had already pierced through the shield barrier, but the repulsive forces of the giant sword prevented them from piercing the guardian, who now smiled confidently.
His descendant was showing him a satisfied face after facing the master move he had spent his entire life creating.
"This is the secret move called ''Giant Sword King.'' No matter how amazing my enemies were, they all had a stunned look like yours when they faced it for the first time."
Jin couldn''t respond. He could only look at the guardian and his giant sword.
The battle seemed to have entered a state of calm. But despite how it seemed, their energies were still desperately fighting to push each other away.
Perhaps they had reached some kind of equilibrium. In the fragile bnce of these two forces, the first one to lose concentration would suffer quite unpleasant consequences.
Jin breathed carefully. He calmed his Light Heart, which had be unstable after executing retribution. Blood started to flow from every opening on his face.
Giant Sword King?
Undoubtedly, the denomination was urate. No one could argue against it. There would definitely be norger giant sword than this.
As far as Jin knew, the Runcandel n had ten ultimate moves, seven secret moves, and three profound mysteries.
None of them were even remotely simr to this.
After the Zipple erased all records rted to Silderay Runcandel, his renowned move, Giant Sword King, was also lost along with his name.
"I spent many days trying toe up with its name with Temar. Don''t you appreciate the beauty of its name?"
"I''m not so sure about that."
"What a shame."
Grooooooar!
Aura surged around the guardian once again. It rose in the air, transforming into several dozen cord-like forms and started to wrap around the giant sword.
It helped the guardian hold and swing the massive sword, or rather, that enormous mass of aura.
Kaaaaargh!
The guardian shouted.
Just as Jin was covered in lightning energy after activating the Reign of the King of Legends, the guardian''s body was also bing brilliantly white due to the aura.
But the difference was that he was bing one with the giant sword.
Countless martial artists in the world imed that bing one with the weapon was the ultimate mastery one could achieve as a martial artist.
But obviously, it was a figurative expression. It had nothing to do with this abnormal sword technique that the guardian was executing.
However, Jin swallowed saliva and felt chills.
It wasn''t his martial artist senses or his intuition, honed through countless trials, that told him it was dangerous.
It was simple.
It was the visual impact.
The visual terror of the ridiculous scale of things that humans certainly should not be allowed to aplish at all.
This is quite shocking.
Jin was convinced.
Even if historians hadn''t written a single line about the Giant Sword King, it would undoubtedly have survived for a thousand years through word of mouth alone.
On the other hand, he was also amazed that the Zipple couldpletely erase such impactful sword techniques from history.
"Try this!"
Whooom!
The Giant Sword King began to descend toward the ground.
It was as slow as the midday sun sinking on the horizon.
It was even slower than Cyron''s strike that Jin resisted on the day he returned to the Garden of Swords afterpleting his training as a provisional gbearer.
Despite its tremendous size, the slowness made it seem like even untrained people could move away from the giant sword.
But it was impossible to escape the technique, despite its slow descent.
It wasn''t because the movement was beyond the principles of nature, like Cyron''s sword skill.
It was the repulsive force that had kept the spikes of retribution at bay.
That same repulsive force now pressed downward, crushing Jin like Tess''s pressure. It was as if thousands of invisible hands were pulling his body downward.
It''s heavy, even after activating the Reign of the King of Legends!
But indeed, the Reign of the King of Legends was the only thing allowing him to breathe and move.
Jin''s aura alone wasn''t enough to bear the weight exuded by the Giant Sword King.
It was the same principle as the lightning of the Reign of the King of Legends, which demanded that one be at least on par with the Legends to survive it.
Jin tried to move away and noticed that his feet weighed incredibly heavy.
It wouldn''t be easy to escape the range of the giant sword even if he focused all his effort on it. In fact, it was impossible to escape its range.
He had to strike back with his sword.
It falls very slowly, but I have no choice but to strike back. What a terrifying secret move. How long will it take for the giant sword to touch the ground? Thirty seconds? Twenty seconds?
Jin took a breath again.
He could feel the rattling of every joint in his body as the Giant Sword King approached. Moreover, Jin was starting to pay the price for executing an iplete Reign of the King of Legends.
My body is nearing its limit.
The blue-tinged lightning energy in Jin''s eyes and hair noticeably faded. The Reign of the King of Legends was nearing its end, while the guardian''s aura grew increasingly brighter.
In Silderay''s days, that''s what martial artists called him: a monstrous strength. Silderay of monstrous strength. Literally, a knight with a monstrous amount of brute force.
Indeed, he wasn''t even a pure-blooded Runcandel.
As Jin suspected, he didn''t possess the blessed body of the Runcandels.
Yet, he was capable of performing indescribable feats.
Jin looked at the sword and adjusted his stance.
There are people who have reached extreme heights with just one chance in life. Yes, the fact that I was fortunate enough to go to Lafrarosa never meant that I was strong enough to challenge them. I almost rushed ahead there.
First of all, there was his father, Cyron Runcandel.
Then his older sister Luna, Vanessa, Temar, and others. These transcendental swordsmen had always seemed like a mystery to Jin.
They were immense mountains. Sometimes, they also served as markers or milestones in his life journey.
And now, Jin achieved another milestone called Silderay Runcandel. Jin was lucky to have a second chance in life and to meet incredible people who helped him. Finally, Jin had to rise above all of that and surpass them all.
"With pleasure."
Shwoom!
The lightning energy of the Reign of the King of Legends faded away.
The Light Heart seemed empty after losing its light. Jin vomited blood after losing his activated energy.
Aura bacsh, multiple fractures, and internal injuries.
That should have been the fair result that Jin received when facing the guardian without what he had gained through fortunate encounters.
It was impossible for the twelfth gbearer of the Runcandels, who had not yet turned twenty, to confront one of the ten knights of Temar Runcandel, said to be the most powerful in history.
However, Jin''s strength was not based solely on his return to life and his fortunate encounters.
They only served an auxiliary purpose because Jin always had something much brighter and more precious than anything else.
His willpower.
That immeasurable strength allowed him to hold onto the sword against any adversity.
If the guardian''s secret move, which made his light shine over the entire ethereal ne, was the legacy of the Runcandel ancestors, Jin''s willpower was the very light carried by the n''s lineage.
Soon, the Giant Sword King fell to the ground.
And the guardian had to praise the brilliant light of Jin''s willpower.
The swords made contact.
The two willpowers that symbolized the first and thest of the Runcandels met across time and space.
The time hade for a mystery to be revealed.
"The transmission isplete," the guardian said softly afterpleting his move.
The aura spread like a tsunami before the guardian. The Giant Sword King fiercely rushed forward in an effort to tear apart the entire ethereal ne, while Jin remained at the center of it all.
Jin stood like a statue after wielding his sword.
He had failed. His willpower was vast, but Jin''s strength was still not powerful enough to pierce through the Giant Sword King.
But this wasn''t a battle for life, nor a ughter to establish the obvious power difference between them.
It was merely a ritual held to transmit the will.
The aura ravaging the ethereal ne began to turn into dark particles. The power that could have torn Jin apart thousands of times now scattered like dandelion seeds in the wind.
Jin extended his arm and felt the dark particles, the Shadow Energy, gently escaping through his fingers.
The guardian who had been standing far away also turned into a faint shadow and disappeared.
"Sir Silderay?" Jin shouted his name in despair.
There were so many things Jin wanted to ask him after the battle. About how the Runcandels of the past were, or why he had been erased from history. But to think that he would disappear so abruptly...
The particles of Shadow Energy roamed like petals in the wind, offering no answers.
Instead, they gathered around Jin and swirled around him as if they wanted to do something.
Jin could hear faint murmursing from far away.
The sound came from the whirlpool of Shadow Energy, and it was something Jin had never heard before while exerting his power.
Jin focused and realized that it was actually human speech.
Is it Sir Silderay''s voice?
The extremely faint voice murmured these words.
Jin, I''m sorry.
-I don''t think I can leave many records.
Jin widened his eyes.
Solderet?
It was Jin''s god''s voice, which hadn''t spoken to him since the moments before his return to life.
It was Solderet''s voice.
Jin began to shout Solderet''s name as soon as he recognized the voice. He shouted with all his might, running around through the dark particles, but received no response.
-Jin, I''m sorry. I don''t think I can leave many records.
The same voice repeated.
Very soon, Jin realized that the voice came from a very distant past.
It was because another voice had joined Solderet''s in the Shadow Energy.
-Who are you talking to, Solderet? Jin? Isn''t Jin the contractor you mentioned before, after a thousand years?
-Hello, Temar.
-Murakan and Misha have beenining that you manifest too often and thattely you''ve been making them too nervous. The battle against the Zipples will begin soon. I''ll be in trouble if either of those two falls ill, you know? Give me a break.
-Don''t talk to them about Jin.
-Come on. I''ve already told you I won''t. Can''t you see? You barely trust me.
The conversation was clearly that of Solderet and Temar, from a thousand years ago.
-But you''ve already chosen the contractor who wille in a thousand years.
-Does that mean you think we''ll win for sure in the battle against the Zipple? I mean, since you''re already nning contractors for a thousand years from now and all that.
-There would barely be any Runcandels left in the world to enter into contracts with you if we ever lost, right?
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 288: Fragments of the Past: Silderay (1)
Chapter 288: Fragments of the Past: Silderay (1)
C288 - Fragments of the Past: Silderay (1)
To hear the voice of the past.
And so clearly...
Jin took another look around but only saw a tornado of Shadow Energy. Jin had lived a total of forty-seven years between his past life and the present and had seen many mysterious things, but none as shocking as this.
To hear voices from a thousand years ago was quite unreal.
Solderet sounded as if he had already foreseen what would happen a thousand years from that moment.
Jin felt confused. It was as if someone had put their hands in his brain and turned them around. He was about to vomit from the nausea.
It also didn''t seem like a third party was ying a prank on him.
Jin had never heard of any spell that could record voices, and even if that were possible, who could imitate Solderet''s voice?
''This can''t be a deception or a trap. And certainly, I haven''t gone mad after the battle. This has to be a message that Solderet left for me.''
There was no other way to exin this strange phenomenon.
A small sound like someone trampling on dry straw resonated in his ears. He stopped hearing the voices when he lost concentration.
''I must remain calm. Rx. I first need to hear the voices.''
Jin calmed himself down and refocused on the voicesing from the tornado.
He heard the ancient conversation again. In fact, he not only heard their voices.
Jin was drawn into the whirlpool of Shadow Energy and absorbed into a different dimension.
------------------
Everything was dark and empty when he opened his eyes again.
It was another ethereal ne within the ethereal ne.
It was iparably darker than the previous one. The entire area was covered inplete darkness. It was ck as coal, and Jin could barely see anything in front of him, but, for some reason, it retained color.
This mysterious ethereal ne should obviously feel strange to him, but it mysteriously felt familiar. He had once arrived in a simr ce when he first signed a contract with Solderet in his past life.
This is quite simr to that day...
That was the first time Jin experienced such ethereal nes, but he didn''t feel out of ce back then.
In fact, as the Shadow Contractor, he instinctively felt safe there. He knew that only those who belonged to the shadows could enter that ce from the moment he set foot in it.
Now he felt the same. Jin no longer felt confused.
There was something different in this ne.
The voices from the past were much clearer.
-Hey, Solderet. Why aren''t you answering my question? Now you''re making me feel ufortable.
-Hey, Solderet! Why aren''t you answering my question? You''re...
-Hey, Solderet! Why aren''t you...?
Temar''s voice resonated, and Jin headed towards the source of the sound. He looked around and saw in the distance arge bright orb of gray color.
When Jin reached the orb, he observed the unfolding events with his own eyes.
He could see Solderet and Temar having this conversation a thousand years ago.
They were talking inside the orb.
The surface of the orb was blurry, and he couldn''t see everything in detail. However, he could distinguish the shapes of the people and objects inside it.
Yet everything was soaked in a dark gray that made it difficult to distinguish colors, like an old and deteriorated painting.
Essentially, Jin was catching a glimpse of the world a thousand years before his time as an observer.
The man sitting at the table must be Temar. Yes. He looks exactly like the man I saw in the great desert.
Solderet manifested in human form. But Jin could only see his back. Jin had never seen him manifest in his past life, so he found it hard to imagine what his face would look like.
Jin took a closer look at the gray orb.
The scene of the two sitting together felt mysteriously familiar to him, and he soon realized the reason.
''It''s the central hall of the Castle of Storms. I can''t believe it looked the same back then.''
The central hall of the Castle of Storms hardly differed from how it was now.
-Well, you know I''m the god of swords and shadows. That means I can''t see the future as clearly as Az Mil.
-What? Then how did you choose the contractor who wille a thousand years from now?
-That and seeing the future are two different things. Let''s say I can already name one, like a god.
The grand doors of the central hall opened.
It was Silderay Runcandel who joined them in the hall. He wore his armor and held his giant sword over his shoulder, dressed the same as in the fight against Jin earlier.
-Silderay, do you really have to bring such intimidating giant swords inside the house?
Silderay simply ignored Temar''sint and greeted Solderet politely.
Silderay Runcandel faced the guardian god of the n. And yet, he paid no attention to the patriarch''s words.
-Hey, Silderay. So, what do you think about it?
-About what, Patriarch?
-Solderet tells me he doesn''t know whether we would win or lose against the Zipples. He even set a contractor toe a thousand yearster, and yet, he''s making excuses, acting as if he can''t see what''sing imminently.
-Patriarch.
-What?
-Are you afraid?
Temar didn''t respond. Instead, he briefly exchanged a nce with Silderay.
-I''m just curious to hear Solderet''s opinion.
-Everyone is counting on you, Patriarch. Don''t you realize the enormous impact of every word you speak? Please, don''t ask those questions so lightly to the guardian god when there''s someone else nearby.
Temar shrugged.
-Well, I guess you''re right. But you know what? I''ll be honest. I''m anxious. Silderay, you must feel the same, right?
-I am not anxious, sir.
-You''re lying more often these days. Even I, as a Knight of the Divine Star, am afraid to fight the Zipples. I''m sure you and the others are much more afraid than I am.
-The Runcandels are undoubtedly the strongest n, Patriarch.
-In any case, feeling fear is not a crime. And one should be proud for not fleeing even with fear.
-I beg to differ, sir.
-Yes, you would differ, alright. But unfortunately for you, my word happens to be the rule and truth within the Runcandel n. I have been hearing news that you have been reprimanding any n member who shows signs of feartely. You shouldn''t do that, you know? A person can feel fear. That''s nothing special. Even more so when facing a battle on an unprecedented scale.
His words were not formal or strict at all. But Temar''s casual and somewhat yful tone still carried undeniable weight.
-You are sensitive and aggressive towards n members because you yourself feel fear, don''t you? Don''t deceive yourself, Silderay. You must recognize it, ept it, and control it. Carrying that atrocious giant sword with you all the time is another sign of your fear.
-Understood, sir.
-Sure, sure. But what has brought you here?
-Oh, I came to report the unusual activities happening around the Zipples'' first magic tower recently, sir.
-First magic tower. The Tower of Tales, right?
-Yes, Patriarch. Over three hundred Dragons gathered abruptly around the first magic tower, so Sarah Runcandel went to investigate with five others.
-With that strength, she wouldn''t have much trouble escaping to a safe ce even if she''s discovered. No, since we''re on the subject, maybe I should go and see. I wonder what they''re trying to do with three hundred Dragons. Prepare yourself, Silderay.
-Yes, sir.
-Solderet, I''ll be back in a-
The gray orb suddenly twisted.
What''s happening? Jin wondered. He shivered and inspected the orb. The disy continued ying on the distorted orb, but it was so twisted that he could barely make out anything. The voices were also distorted, making it impossible to decipher.
It was like a book whose pages had been deliberately torn out.
But Jin couldn''t do anything about it since he knew nothing about those peculiar forms of recording devices.
It was impossible to know if his actions would make things worse.
Time seemed slower now.
"Oh."
Jin couldn''t help butment aloud as the gray orb returned to its original state after a while. It disyed a scene from a thousand years ago.
But it was from a different time.
The scene was no longer unfolding in the central hall of the Castle of Storms. Nor was it the scene of Temar and Silderay on their way to support Sarah Runcandel.
What Jin could see now was a healing room from a thousand years ago. A man was sitting next to the bed with his head hanging in defeat. It was Silderay.
It seemed like a long time had passed within the orb after it became distorted. The beard on Silderay''s face showed the passage of time.
But Jin had no way of knowing what could have happened between the two scenes shown by the orb.
-Patriarch, we all had our hopes ced in you and only you.
It was Temar who was on the bed.
He had no visible wounds, but he was noticeably emaciated and barely breathing. Silderay couldn''t help but sigh loudly and look at the bed and the ceiling as if expressing his resentment.
-Just because... Damn it! Solderet, you damned traitorous bastard! Is this what you meant by keeping the promise? Come out, reveal yourself, you damn bastard!
Silderay shouted aloud. A group of knights who had been outside hastily entered the room. They tried to calm Silderay, but they were no match for his brute strength.
-Sir Silderay! Please, calm down for the sake of the other n members. We need you to be an example for them. Please, calm down, I beg you!
-It wasn''t the guardian god who did this to the Patriarch. Please lower your voice, Sir Silderay.
-Who did this to the Patriarch then, if not Solderet? What was that useless god doing when our Patriarch was attacked?
-How dare you spheme against the guardian god, Silderay?
A woman entered afterward and held Silderay by the shoulder. She was one of the ten knights, just like Silderay.
-spheme?
-Didn''t you hear the Patriarch''s final order? He ordered us not to resent the guardian god and to fulfill the promise we made with him. He emphasized it over and over again, even as his consciousness left him.
Then Silderay''s entire body trembled, as if he couldn''t believe what he had just heard.
-Diana, are you telling me that you still believe in Solderet after seeing the Patriarch in this state?
-Whether I believe in him or not is not important.
-See? Even you no longer believe in Solderet! You feel the same way I do, don''t you, Diana? I know you do!
-What I feel is also irrelevant. Silderay, what truly matters is that this was the order given by the Patriarch. The Patriarch''s word is absolute. We were the ones who established thews of the Runcandel n! If you continue in this state, I won''t let it slide, even if it''s you.
-ept the Patriarch''s order. It is the only duty and the only hope we have left.
Diana waved her hand, and all the knights, except Silderay, left the room.
She gave a long hug to the immensely strong man who cried like a little child.
The gray orb distorted again. But unlike the previous time, it didn''t seem like it would return from its unstable and distorted state.
The Shadow Energy forming the gray orb dispersed into particles. In fact, the ethereal ne itself was dissolving into particles of Shadow Energy.
It took only a blink of an eye.
Jin was torn from the doubleyers of ethereal nes and found himself standing in the middle of Vaoi, in the great ins of Anz. This was the same ce where he had activated the key with Murakan.
He took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind.
Then he saw two unfamiliar objects before him.
One was a ck bead made of Shadow Energy, and the other was a fragment of Silderay Runcandel''s giant sword from a thousand years ago.
-
-
Chapter 289: Fragments of the Past: Silderay (2)
Chapter 289: Fragments of the Past: Silderay (2)
C289 - Fragments of the Past: Silderay (2)
Jin tried to pick up the ck bead and the fragment of the giant sword but ended up coughing up blood instead. He was in shock. It was all due to the extreme tension.
Undoubtedly, the Reign of the King of Legends was an excessive technique that had to be used beforepleting its three phases: initiation, progression, and conclusion.
Chills and pain ran through his spine and spread throughout his body. It was as if furious mes were erupting from his injured organs, and his fractured bones were screaming.
Jin sat in a meditation position and controlled the forces within his body. He calmed the aura that was about to go against the flow and deposited a minimal amount of lightning energy into his empty, illuminated heart.
"Phew."
The pain slowly subsided. He now felt capable of walking and running.
He wasn''t sure if he would be able to bring his body to its optimal condition before the ck Knight''s assassination began, and he started to worry about it.
But it was a small price to pay for everything he had gained bying to the tomb.
He met and fought against a progenitor of the ck Knights, experienced a final move lost in time, and caught a glimpse of the untold stories from a thousand years ago. Those stories spoke of a manifested Solderet and those who were the ancestors and roots of the Runcandel n.
"No matter what happens there, don''t panic. This is what Solderet wanted me to tell you."
Picon Minche wasn''t exaggerating when giving this advice along with the location of the tomb. The things Jin experienced in Vaoi and inside Temar''s first tomb were, in a way, more shocking than his own rebirth.
"Solderet chose me as his contractor a thousand years ago, although I already suspected it to some extent."
The contractor of a thousand years.
A contractor already decided a thousand years ago.
It reminded him of the day he met Murakan in the Castle of Storms.
"Look. Solderet, is this a joke? This is wrong. Say something. How could the promised contractor who was supposed toe in a thousand years be nothing more than this pitiful child?"
"I am Murakan, the emissary of Solderet, his friend, and thest descendant of the first being shaped from the shadows. In fulfillment of the pact made a thousand years ago, I will be with you from now on. Speak your name."
Murakan wasn''t the only one who mentioned something about Jin as the contractor of a thousand years. m, the mana god, had also mentioned something simr to Jin, and the same went for Misha.
But Murakan, Misha, and m only knew that he was a contractor named a thousand years ago. They didn''t seem to know that Solderet had named him by his name at that time.
Solderet had asked Temar not to mention Jin''s name to Murakan and Misha in the untold story he observed in the ethereal ne.
"But why?"
Jin had been named a thousand years before his arrival, and everyone who had a deep connection with Solderet already knew it.
Temar had already heard his name from Solderet''s mouth. And it seemed the same went for Sir Silderay. Why didn''t Solderet tell my name to the guardian dragons and m?
Jin couldn''t see the reason.
Not even the untold story revealed by the gray orb showed any hint.
If Solderet could prepare these things a thousand years in advance, there must be a reason for hiding my name.
It wasn''t just a thousand years.
Solderet had made preparations in the Legends that faded five thousand years ago and in m, the forgotten god whose time was closer to the beginning of the universe. All of this, just for Jin.
Even the simplest calctions indicated that Solderet''s preparations for him had started long before the beginning of the human race itself.
There must be a reason for it, although it''s not something he can figure out at the moment.
It was likely that Solderet had left other clues and messages in other ces as well. He could always find out why Solderet had concealed his name once he reached the other clues.
There were other questions upying Jin''s mind and confusing him at the moment.
"Solderet named me his contractor a thousand years ago, but in my past life, he didn''t reveal any hint about it when I signed a contract with him."
"Contractor, it seems you sparked envy in someone''s heart when you were little. You''ve been unable to tap into your potential all this time due to a trivial curse. But perhaps it was precisely because of that that I was drawn to you."
"Now, you will be an unparalleled sorcerer, contractor. I will enjoy watching you."
The fact that he already knew and had named Jin before their encounter contradicted what he said back then.
"In fact, Solderet went on to reveal to me that he was a god of the sword and shadows, unlike what was known about him in the world. But he didn''t tell me why he abandoned Runcan-."
Suddenly, Jin''s heart started beating faster.
He remembered the second untold story he saw in the ethereal ne.
Temar was slowly agonizing in his bed, and Silderay was furious, calling Solderet a traitor.
Traitor.
It was true that Solderet had never sided with the Runcandels after Temar.
He often signed contracts with Magicians, mostly Zipples, which led people to believe he was a god of the Zipples.
"If he had betrayed the Runcandels, what was it for? If he didn''t betray us, why did Solderet abandon the Runcandel for a thousand years? To the point of bing a god of our sworn enemy."
Actions were always based on objectives.
That must hold true for both gods and humans.
The fact that Solderet left the Runcandels, and then returned, chose Jin out of all people, and all the other actions that were difficult toprehend.
They had to be necessary choices made toward a specific end.
It was very likely that Solderet''s divine powers were what brought him back to life upon birth. What did he want to gain from it?
Jin had long stopped asking himself this question, especially since he deemed it irrelevant.
Regardless of the unknown purpose for which Solderet brought him back to life, Jin decided to follow his own desires and will.
As a result, he naturally began to yearn for the throne of the Runcandels and the downfall of the Zipples. The desire to surpass his father and be the greatest martial artist in the world ignited within him.
He never doubted for a second that he could make that future a reality.
At least until today when he caught a glimpse of the ancient tales of the Runcandels in Temar''s first tomb.
"The untold story I witnessed in the ethereal ne showed that even Temar himself feared the power of the Zipples. I don''t know if Temary in bed before or after the war, but what I do know is that he ultimately lost."
Not even the Divine Star Knight who led the greatest swordsman n in history could break down the walls of the Zipple n.
The Tower of Tales, where it was said that three hundred Dragons had gathered, still stood to this day. Inparison, several parts of the Runcandels'' history were erased, and they even lost their powers as swordsmen.
The power difference between the two ns was greater now than in the time of Temar''s defeat.
"The fact that Sir Silderay mentioned betrayal also bothers me. Temar seemed to have trusted Solderet until the end, but was his trust rewarded?"
Temar had no ce in the Runcandel crypts, and not a single history book in the world spared a line for Silderay.
So far, it was safe to say that they hadn''t been rewarded for their faith.
There were too many questionable elements about Solderet.
"Alright, that''s enough."
Jin halted his train of thought as if he were cutting it with a sword. He felt that the endless anxiety and baseless suspicions would lead nowhere.
At least from what he had seen through the gray orb, there was no clear evidence of Solderet''s betrayal. And the two stories were connected in a very unnatural way, like a book missing crucial pages.
The recording device that Solderet had left in the ethereal ne was somewhat damaged. The way it yed distortedndscapes and speeches seemed certainly irregr.
In the distortedndscape, there might be decisive evidence about the situation of that era.
"Even if Solderet had truly betrayed the Runcandels, and even if that remained true to this day, there''s no reason to be disappointed in him. Temar''s defeat is not my defeat. If the Runcandels of that time were stronger than the Runcandels of today, I just have to make the n surpass their strength after bing their patriarch."
Solderet, Temar, and the Runcandels of that time; regardless of what had transpired between them, Jin decided to uphold the values he had set for himself, just as he had done until now.
This would be his guiding principle, regardless of the secrets of Solderet and the Runcandels that Jin would discover in the future.
He heard the rustling of grass behind him. Jin turned around and saw Murakan running towards him, his brows furrowed horribly and injuries covering his body.
"Hey! Kid! Are you alright?"
"Ah, yes. I almost forgot about you. Where have you been all this time, Murakan? I wanted to find you right away, but I forgot because I was lost in my thoughts."
"You forgot about me? The great Murakan? Well, boy. Silderay must have really knocked some sense out of you. I didn''t expect to hear such bothersome nonsense from you."
"You won''t feel so bothered once you hear what I saw there. You''ll have to agree with me."
"What was it?"
"I was sucked into anotheryer of the ethereal ne after the fight with Sir Silderay ended. There, I saw some people from a thousand years ago, through a recording device that Solderet left there."
"A recording device?"
Jin exined the content of the device. It took him some time.
He described the conversation between Solderet and Temar, Silderay''s fury, and Diana''s constion.
But Jin omitted the part where Solderet had known Jin''s name all along.
It wasn''t for any particr reason, except for the fact that as Solderet''s contractor, Jin had no reason to go against the will of his god at the moment.
Murakan waspletely surprised at first, but soon he listened attentively to Jin''s description as he walked down the path of memories.
Everything Jin recounted seemed to correspond to memories that he cherished, whether good or bad.
"But wait a minute. Silderay, that guy. He must have hit his head or something. It was already quite ridiculous when he called me a useless soulless, but how dare he call Solderet a traitor? Well, if only I could kill the dead once again."
"He showed me an amazing secret move. I was tempted to learn it."
"He was quite an impressive guy, at least in terms of his strength as a knight, although I have no idea why he turned out to be such an idiot. In any case, this is left behind after Solderet''s ethereal ne shattered, right?"
Murakan pointed to the ck beads and the fragment of the giant sword on the ground.
"Yes. It was supposed to be the ingredients for reinforcing Bradamante, so I guess this is it."
"I think it only applies to the fragment of the giant sword. I haven''t seen this ck bead before either, but it''s not something that belongs to a cksmith. I''m sure of it."
"Really? How can you be so sure if it''s the first time you''ve seen such an object?"
"I''m sure you also perceive that the bead is filled with Shadow Energy. It has the shape of a seal, much like the mirror we obtained in Kollon. It''s supposed to be an object made for the purpose of hiding or suppressing something."
"I better show this to Misha."
The mere mention of Misha made Murakan frown.
Jin chuckled at seeing it and summoned Shuri.
"Let''s head back for now, Murakan."
-
-
Chapter 290: Power and Reverence for Power (1)
Chapter 290: Power and Reverence for Power (1)
C290 - Power and Reverence for Power (1)
The Volta mansion was under repair.
Workers were scattered everywhere around the once dpidated mansion, which seemed like a strong wind could bring it down entirely.
Thend lord and members of his n couldn''t help but shed tears from time to time, overwhelmed with emotion that such a dream had be a reality. Even some of the former residents who had left the area due to famine were starting to return home.
Fin nche, the Volta n''s butler, helped in distributing food to the servants during the day and devised budget ns to utilize the Runcandel relief funds with the lord at night.
Petrow had followed Jin''s orders to "provide ample support without going overboard," but even that was more than enough to uplift this small territory and allow it to n for the future.
Therefore, Fin nche was content. In truth, he had never been as happy in his life as he was now.
"All of this is thanks to you, Sir Jin. I have never seen the people of thisnd so happy and joyful ever since I became the Volta n''s butler."
Fin brought out a freshly brewed cup of tea and smiled.
"Once the repair of the Volta mansion isplete, the workers from Tikan will build a new house for you. They will construct a soundproof forge in its basement. If there''s anything you want to add to the house, let me know."
"Oh no, Sir Jin. I couldn''t ask for anything. I am already grateful enough to have a separate house for myself. Thank you, sir."
"No, I should be the one thanking you."
Jin drank the tea, but Murakan frowned, annoyed. In fact, he had been irritated throughout the entire hour they had spent at Fin''s house.
"Hey! Picon Minche! Show yourself already! That mustached demon. How long are you going to make me wait?"
Picon hadn''t shown up yet. Moreover, Murakan was furious because Picon hadn''t warned Jin of all the dangers in Temar''s first tomb during their initial encounter.
"About that, um, um. I''m sorry, Lord Murakan. I may be your contractor, but I don''t have the power to summon him at will." Worried, Fin spoke and scratched his head.
Picon only appeared three hourster. Murakan''s patience was wearing thin.
Fin''s eyes rolled back, and his body started to tremble. It was the sign of a manifestation.
"Uuuurgh."
Soon, they heard Picon''s voice as the whites of his eyes began to emit light.
"Oh, well. You never stop chattering, do you?"
"Greetings to you, Picon."
"Oh, hi. How was the journey, Jin Runcandel? By the way, Murakan. You''re as slow as ever, aren''t you? Don''t tell me you didn''t realize I was trying to avoid having to talk to you?"
"What? You were avoiding me? Why?"
Picon then widened his eyes and red at Murakan. "Have you forgotten how much you annoyed me when I worked with Balisada and Bradamante? You woulde to me every day to insist on theirpletion and mock me, saying that my mustache would grow faster than the speed at which I built the sword."
"What are you talking about? When did I say those things?" Murakan made a face as if he couldn''t remember.
"Well, don''t you remember? You probably don''t even remember how many times Quikantel and Temar had toe to me behind your back to apologize on your behalf. You have no idea how many times I considered abandoning Balisada and Bradamante because of you," Picon barked.
Jin clicked his tongue at Murakan. "Seems like it was your fault."
"That''s not all. The whole time you stayed in my forge and voiced yourints, you would grab and hit any dragon that crossed the skies of my city. Do you know how terrified the other cksmiths were? They all came toin about you."
"What? What''s all this about? Your forge was in a backward vige in the south of Vilmer Kingdom. That ce is too far from Stormcastle, and it wasn''t even my territory. Why would I hit the dragons passing through that area?"
"Where I am is my territory. Wasn''t that what you used to say all the time?"
It suddenly reminded Jin of what Murakan said about the waters of Vermont when they were heading to meet Quikantel.
"Anyone who entered my territory was defeated before any questions. That''s how things worked back then."
In reality, Murakan had an iparably unpleasant personality in his prime.
He was boastful, arrogant, and insolent to the extreme, but he was also fierce and powerful beyond description.
That''s how everyone remembered Murakan in his prime. He was so infamous that even Latrie, who had never known Murakan back then, feared him based on the stories alone.
It was no secret that most dragons had a bad temper. But at that time, Murakan was certainly a level above the majority.
Picon was fuming with anger. Thinking about all the things Murakan had done in the past infuriated him.
"You had such a bad reputation that bards used to make songs about how the vige of cksmiths in Vilmer Kingdom was filled with the screams of dragons every day. A strange rumor started spreading, and people even criticized me for being a power-hungry cksmith who relied on the power of Temar and you!"
Murakan could only blink confusedly for some time. "About that... Picon, if I truly was like that, then I apologize. I''m sorry."
Picon trembled and met Murakan''s eyes, but he was thinking, Apologizing? Is that something Murakan is really capable of saying? Really?
"What did you just...?"
Murakan interrupted. "I said I''m sorry. To be honest, the only thing I remember from everything you said was teasing you about the mustache. But given the things I used to do back then, I guess they''re all usible."
"Are you really Murakan? Really?"
"I think something happened to my memory during my thousand-year slumber. I also lost much of my powers, as you can probably see. In any case, if I have offended you, I apologize for it."
Murakan was about to bow his head. Jin was taken aback and immediately grabbed him by the shoulder.
Picon waspletely dumbfounded but also held onto Murakan''s shoulder. "Uh, no need. Uh,e on, Murakan. We were so close, you know? I was justining because I was annoyed. Now you''re making me feel bad." Now, Picon seemed more remorseful than Murakan.
"Picon Minche?"
"Yes?"
"Was I an evil dragon a thousand years ago?"
That was the core of Murakan''s pride. Although he was the most powerful and arrogant dragon, he prided himself on never having done anything to be ssified as an evil dragon.
"No, you weren''t an evil dragon. You never harmed humans, and... You used to y with the children of the vige. Oh, and do you remember? Ellie, when that girl was kidnapped by the Zipples, you rescued her... Oh, damn it. Why am I justifying your character?"
"I met Silderay in the tomb, and he insulted me, calling me heartless. I thought that idiot had gone crazy, but seeing your reaction, maybe I was the one with issues. All the memories I have of Silderay, or of you, are good ones since you were all people of Temar."
Jin had never seen Murakan act like this.
As for Murakan, he truly didn''t remember. Part of his memory that led him into slumber was blurry, and he was aware of this fact. However, he didn''t believe that the fuzzy parts of his memory were important since he would have remembered them if they were.
But all the people he recently met who knew about his past or spoke like them, such as the Kinzelo leader, Silderay, and Picon, gave him the impression that something had gone wrong.
"Look, Murakan. You''re not an evil dragon. It''s true that you pressed and rushed me back then, but you had good reasons for it. You needed Temar''s sword to bepleted to fight against the Zipples." Picon shrugged and continued, "And it''s also true that you regrly beat up dragons. But the intrusion into their territory gave enough reasons for it, and in fact, it was necessary for security reasons since I was forging Temar''s weapon at the time. Back then, ny percent of all dragons in the world belonged to the Zipples."
Murakan lifted his head.
"Everyone knew that you made many sacrifices for the Runcandel and Hufester ns. Iined because I was d to see you. Don''t make me feel bad now."
"Yes, I knew something was wrong. Both you and Silderay have no reason to hate me, but you confused me by saying those things. Silderay didn''t say anything to you, right? He called me heartless! Can you even imagine that? That courteous guy did!"
"I haven''t seen Silderay since I created the giant sword Tamur for him. He probablyined like I did."
"Silderay went further and even called Solderet a traitor. Apparently, the boy saw him say it in the past through a recording device made with Shadow Energy."
Jin described the recording device for a while. Picon''s eyes widened in surprise.
"I didn''t know such devices were there. The only thing Solderet told me was that there would be a guardian formed from Silderay''s will. That''s why I wanted to reinforce Bradamante with a fragment of Tamur, the giant sword from that ce."
Just as Murakan thought, the Shadow Energy ount was not an object for forging. Picon took a good look at the ount and confirmed once again that Solderet hadn''t mentioned anything like that.
"Above all, I can''tprehend why Silderay would call Solderet a traitor. Didn''t that guy respect Solderet more than any other knight of the Ten? He was also extremely courteous to you."
"Picon. Were you alive after I fell asleep?"
"I lived for about three years after that. Or was it five years?"
"Did Solderet do anything against the Runcandels during that time? Or something of the sort? Although Quikantel and Misha didn''t tell me anything about it."
"Oh, it seems you also met Quikantel. I''m d to know she''s still alive. But no, not that I know of. You all know this, but the Runcandels made a pact after losing to the Zipples. If you and Temar had led the battle unharmed...". Picon paused and observed Murakan''s reaction.
He was well aware that what had happened back then was a great scar and humiliation for both of them, and for the Runcandel n.
"Forgive my mistake. I''m sorry, Murakan."
"First, you used me of being evil, and now you apologize. Mustache, maybe you became a god, but you stillck ss."
"Anyway, I think we''ll have to find the rest of Solderet''s recording devices if we want to figure out why Silderay said that."
"Picon, do you have any more keys from Solderet?" Jin asked.
Picon shook his head. "That was all I had. But I know who has the key to the second tomb. Additionally, there will also be a guardian in the second tomb and an ingredient to reinforce Bradamante."
"Who has the key?"
The key to the second tomb was held by the most surprising figure of all.
Olmango, the God of ms.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 291: Power and Reverence for Power (2)
Chapter 291: Power and Reverence for Power (2)
C291 - Power and Reverence for Power (2)
"The god of ms has the key to Temar''s second tomb? This is ridiculous. Temar''s own guardian dragons, Misha and I, knew nothing about it. Sure, I can understand you having one, Mustache, but what was Solderet thinking, entrusting such a precious item to such a useless god?"
Murakan seemed quite annoyed by the news.
"I couldn''t tell you that. I''m just telling you what Solderet told me."
"Do you know where he is?"
"No idea."
"Well, now we''ll have to start looking for him." Murakan muttered to himself, irritated.
But Jin silently celebrated when he heard the name Olmango. This god was someone they didn''t have to put much effort into finding.
"Murakan, the contractor of the god of ms is in Schutzeron. We discovered that while testing thepass mechanism."
"That''s strange. But it seems to serve the purpose of showing the divine contractors. A red dot appeared in the kingdom of Schutzeron three days ago, and they just published a small article that someone contracted with the god of ms there this morning."
"God of ms? What was his name? Olmango? Olongo? Anyway, does he also mark those useless deities with a red dot? Even that powerless guy isn''t worthy of being called a god."
That had been the conversation Jin had with his Tikanpanions right after seizing thepass.
It was very likely that the contractor of the god of ms was still in the kingdom of Schutzeron.
"Oh! Yes, I remember."
"Murakan?"
"Yes?"
"I''ll head to the n''s house. Go to Tikan and have Sir Kashmir send people to Schutzeron to secure the precise location of Olmango''s contractor."
"Right now?"
"Take your time. You can spend some time with Picon before you leave. I just need to have that information by the time I finish the ck knight assassination task."
"Understood. Hey, Mustache. I have something to ask you. I heard that you used a power to control metals. You formed swords or something, right? Is it a divine power from the god of cksmiths?"
"Of course, how could I use such powers without being a god? What an obvious question."
"It''s just that there''s something that bothers me. You know about the Kinzelo, right? That strange bastard who supposedly leads them also wields a divine power to control metals."
Murakan then went on to describe the conversation he had with the Kinzelo leader, his appearance, and the power he wielded.
Picon shrugged. "It''s strange. Divine powers are exclusive to the god of cksmiths. Hmm. Is it my predecessor, Growler? No, Growler is dead, and his powers were undoubtedly transferred to me. If you encounter him again, bring me some of the metals he uses."
"Can you find out anything about him?"
"I''ll take a look. If it''s about metals, this Picon Minche can find out things about it. Who knows? We might find some clues."
--------------------------------
It was nighttime when Jin returned to the Garden of Swords. It was March 4, 1799, and there were still four days left until the mission began.
Barton Vichena was not at the Garden of Swords. He was supposed to wait at his private residence and meet the rest in the mission area, Bentica.
"I wanted to have a conversation with him before the mission started, if possible," Jin told Gilly.
"I suppose you mean the target for elimination, Barton Vichena, young master."
"Yes. Gilly, you don''t know him either, right?"
"No, young master. I haven''t even heard rumors of his martial arts feats. Barton Vichena is likely a false name. He must have used a different name in his prime."
"You''re right, Gilly."
Jin was in his room, reading the file that Rosa had given him about Barton Vichena.
"His real name is Reigaf Klever. Apparently, he is the older brother of the strongest martial artist in the Klever n, Lanz Klever."
"Wow. Was it Sir Reigaf?"
Gilly had known him before. "Before bing your nanny, I once participated in a martial arts tournament jointly organized by twenty-five martial arts ns of Hufester. Only those under twenty years old were allowed to participate in the tournament. At that time, Sir Reigaf presided as a judge, and I received my trophy from him after winning the tournament."
That was more than a decade ago.
"What was he like back then?" Jin asked.
"Nowadays, people consider Sir Lanz Klever the strongest in the Klever n, but at that time, Sir Reigaf was clearly the stronger of the two. He was the obvious sessor to the patriarchate of the n, but he suddenly passed away three months after I won the tournament. I was told it was due to a mysterious high fever."
That''s what they told Gilly. In fact, she had even attended his funeral as a gbearer of the McLoran n.
But in reality, Reigaf was already being prepared for training to be a Runcandel ck knight at that time.
As a result, he was dered dead and received the ck helmet of the Runcandels instead of bing the patriarch of the Klever n.
"In fact, this file says that the Klever n is unaware of this fact. They actually believe that Reigaf Klever had died."
Of course, there were some in the Klever n who were aware of Reigaf Klever''s appointment as a ck knight. Several of them had known, but none of them were alive anymore.
There was a list of people from the Klever n who had learned of Reigaf''s appointment as a ck knight. To the right of their names was written the ruthless phrase, killed for security.
In other words, no one in the Klever n currently knew that Barton Vichena was Reigaf Klever.
Jin brought his hand to his forehead. "Not only did we steal the sessor of an allied n, but we also killed everyone who knew about this fact."
In fact, the Klevers pledged their unquestionable loyalty to the Runcandels to this day,pletely unaware of what had happened.
A bitter taste lingered.
"It''s understandable why Reigaf Klever betrayed the Runcandel n. From his perspective, we had the entire Klever n as hostages. He probably had no choice but to be a ck knight."
"I didn''t know that''s how the n appoints ck knights."
Jin''s gaze lingered at the bottom of thest page for a while.
His father, Cyron Runcandel, had approved it with his signature.
Obviously, Cyron would have given his direct order for the mission as the patriarch. If it was not outside his direct order, he would still have been aware of it.
"It seems like I don''t understand. If this turns out to be true, I will be quite disappointed."
"Are you saying you''re disappointed in the n?"
"No, not in the n. In my father. The n is definitely capable of doing such things. In fact, it is capable of doing much worse."
Jin closed the document folder and continued. "Undoubtedly, father is a cold-hearted person, but he''s not someone who ys dirty, not in the way I know him, at least. Besides, he is not a powerless person who needs to threaten someone to submit. So, why? I don''t understand why he had to take Barton Vichena in that manner."
Gilly agreed with Jin but was not in a position to judge the patriarch, so she bowed her head instead.
Jin''s eyes gleamed in themp''s light. "Barton Vichena. I''m sure I''ll find out something when I meet him. Gilly."
"Yes, young master."
"I will go to the Holy Kingdom tomorrow and receive treatment until the mission begins."
Gilly sighed upon hearing that. "I thought nothing would happen since Murakan was with you, but to think you returned with so much internal damage. I''m upset that you have troubles in both body and mind just before the mission."
"Don''t be upset. I will carry out the mission with Dyfus anyway. I am likely to seed even if I don''t unleash all my abilities."
The assassination of the ck knight was a very important mission and could be called a critical mission.
"Mother would have assigned someone who can guarantee sess regardless of my involvement. She would have chosen her best option, given how important this is. And that choice was Dyfus."
As Jin said, Rosa didn''t assign Jin to the mission to put him in a tight spot. She assigned him to see how her second son treated the youngest.
Dyfus was still at a nine-star level, but as a pure-blooded Runcandel, he could always deliver unexpected results against a ten-star knight.
The fact that Dyfus had to bring the ck knight to his death in a battle against the Zipple only facilitated the achievement.
The White Night didn''t know that Barton was a Zipple spy, and Barton also wouldn''t know that he had been discovered.
"However, you will still have to face a ck knight."
"I fought against one of the top ten knights in the Runcandel n''s strength and came back alive, remember? Don''t worry about me. Just have a good time with Murakan while I''m away."
"Isn''t Murakan joining the mission?"
"No, it won''t serve to bring my dragon guardian to my first mission. If I did, the n elders would endlessly criticize me. In fact, even the cadets might think I''m a coward."
"Ugh. That might be true since they don''t know what you''re really like, young master. Although I''ve expressed my concern, I know you''ll prove yourself right as always, young master."
Jin smiled. "Ah, and one more thing. You should take a leave of absence when this mission is over, Gilly."
"What? A leave of absence? Why all of a sudden? You''ve been facing battles since you came back, young master. Why are you telling me to take a leave of absence at this moment?"
"It''s not because of that. Murakan seems desperately eager for a date, that''s why." Jin didn''t dare say it.
"Take a leave of absence. Soon, you''ll have many things to worry about, so forget about things in advance. Besides, it''s customary to send nannies on leave right after gbearers are appointed as knights."
Gilly was about to refuse once again, but Jin shook his head first. "I think it''s also important for you to have some private time for yourself, Gilly. You should go out and treat yourself once in a while or just spend some quiet time for yourself without thinking about things."
"Alright."
Gilly had sacrificed her youth for Jin. Not only that, she was also willing to give up the rest of her days.
She always said it was a choice she made for herself, and she truly believed it. But Jin always felt deeply indebted to her.
He just never showed it because she didn''t want him to.
"I want you to know that I''m always grateful to you."
"I feel the same, young master."
--------------------
Jin secretly entered the Holy Kingdom because revealing his treatment would expose his weakness to the n.
Lani and her loyal aides treated Jin with their best efforts for the next two days. There were at least two saints beside Jin for the next forty-eight hours. Jin had never received such luxurious treatment in his entire life.
Thanks to their efforts, Jin was almost in perfect condition when he returned to the Garden of Swords.
I won''t be able to execute the Reign of the King of Legends, but this is more than enough.
Anyway, Rosa didn''t know about the Reign of the King of Legends. Therefore, it was not a necessary element toplete this mission because Rosa believed Jin''s prowess was somewhere at the middle to upper level of the eight stars.
Dyfus and ten guardian knights stood before the designated portals for gbearer missions. Jin didn''t recognize any of the guardian knights.
Half of them would be promoted to execution knights after this mission.
"You''ve arrived, twelfth gbearer." Dyfus didn''t turn to look at Jin. He was cleaning his giant sword, Bolgar, with a cloth.
"Hello, fourth gbearer."
I''ll kill you if you get in my way. I hope you don''t disappoint me. I''ll exin the mission now if you follow me. Dyfus didn''t offer such warnings or advice.
In essence, he didn''t leave the Runcandel ss, just as Jin advised him a few days ago. On one hand, it was his acknowledgment of Jin, and it was also for Mary''s sake.
That terrifying boy.
That was the updated definition of Jin that Dyfus had in his mind since that day.
That''s why he had to think.
If given the chance during the mission, would it be better to kill Jin?
Or should he let him live, so he could constantly pressure Rosa and Joshua? Dyfus couldn''t make up his mind.
"Let''s get going," Dyfus said, burning the cloth with his aura and letting its ashes scatter in the wind.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 292: Power and Reverence for Power (3)
Chapter 292: Power and Reverence for Power (3)
C292 - Power and Reverence for Power (3)
It was March 8, 1799.
The Runcandel swordsmen gathered to kill Barton Vichena arrived in the disputed territory of Bentica, where it was still winter. The skycked moisture. The winds from below blew fiercely and sliced through the ground''s surface.
It was a vast expanse ofnd and rocky mountains. But despite the harshnd conditions, it had been constantly disputed through skirmishes and confrontations for centuries due to its resources.
There wererge holes all over thend. They looked like hollows, but as one approached them, it could be seen that most of them could fit entire ships.
They were the traces of mining. The area was mysteriously abundant in underground resources and provided its conquerors with lucrative ie.
But this was the first time ancient eversteel was discovered in the area. The discovery of the mystical resource had always sparked conflicts between factions.
That was why the Runcandel knights and the Zipple Magicians were gathered here today.
In the distance, there was something that shone its light like the sun.
The gigantic Zipple battleship, Kozec, unleashed its full power.
The White Night. I''ll have to face the power of that annoying battleship once again.
They could also see five red dragons flying at a short distance from the White Night, like a fleet''s convoy. The enormous ship and the five dragons made the vast sky seem to have no space for anything else.
Meanwhile, Jin saw the back of a solitary knight standing up against their full might.
Is that Barton Vichena?
A cape fluttering in the wind, a sword partially visible behind the cape, and a ck helmet.
Barton looked imposing as he stood alone against the Kozec and the five dragons.
They were several hundred meters apart, but they were already within reach. It almost seemed like he could bring down the red dragons and destroy the Kozec at any moment.
A ck knight of Runcandel.
Only ten individuals in the entire n were granted the privilege of wearing the ck helmet and being called a ck knight.
The energy emanating from him convinced Jin that Barton was undoubtedly worthy of wearing the ck helmet. The only issue was that he had be a traitor.
If only Rosa had asserted that he was a spy, Jin would have privately investigated to confirm it. But since Cyron didn''t deny his condition, it was clear that he had to be a traitor.
The fact that they had to kill him made Jin ufortable. What he had read in the dossier was reason enough for Barton to resent the Runcandels.
There was no room for doubt. But Jin hoped to have the chance to talk to him before finishing him off.
"You''ve arrived, fourth gbearer."
Barton was the first to speak as Jin, Dyfus, and the guardian knights approached. The voice escaping from the helmet was somber and coercive.
His words were courteous, but he didn''t bother to turn his head. gbearers were not exactly above ck knights in the chain ofmand.
Dyfus positioned himself beside the ck knight. "Sir Barton."
"I didn''t think the twelfth gbearer would participate in this mission. Was it Lady Rosa''s decision?"
Barton eventually turned around and spoke while inspecting Jin. Jin immediately read his feelings through the straightforwardly spoken words.
Disappointment.
He seemed offended by the fact that he, a ck knight, had to carry out a mission with Jin, who had just been appointed as a gbearer.
Dyfus nodded. "Yes, it was Lady Rosa, Sir Barton."
"This is going to be a quite dangerous battle. Please keep the twelfth gbearer safe, fourth gbearer."
"Well, you''ll see that he won''t need such protection."
"I can''t disagree if you say so, fourth gbearer. But keep in mind that I also have little room for maneuver against those things."
"I''ll keep those words in mind."
Barton''s tone was imposing, but Dyfus didn''t seem offended at all. In fact, he followed the ck knight''s words as if it were standard operating procedure.
And Dyfus was right to do so, aside from the fact that Barton was a spy.
Many more gbearers didn''t make it to the crypt after their death, but ck knights almost always ended up consecrated there as long as they didn''tmit high treason or the like.
In that sense, Barton wouldn''t end up in the crypt.
"Fourth gbearer, take the center of the battle line with me. The three top guardian knights will form the infiltration group. The rest of you seven, eliminate those who leave the battlefield."
"Loyalty to the n!"
"Loyalty to the n!"
"Never head toward the center of the battle line even if you find yourself in unexpected or emergency situations. You''re more likely to get swept away and die there."
"We will remember, sir."
Barton didn''t give any orders to Jin. He acted as if Jin didn''t exist after his initial mention.
Setting aside the betrayal, Barton might consider it quite offensive to carry out a mission with me. Not only am I young, but I also challenge the authenticity of the n.
Jin didn''t react to Barton''s treatment. Shouting and using him of leaving him out would only make him look pitiful, and Jin didn''t truly feel offended.
It didn''t even make Jin feel bad for Barton. In fact, he felt that they cared for him, despite Barton''s original intention.
You can die, flee, or fight. It sounded like Barton was telling him to do as he pleased.
"That''s all. Take your positions."
The guardian knights immediately dispersed at Barton''smand. The three assigned for infiltration stayed behind to put fabric masks on their faces to avoid being identified.
Kozec and the red dragons approached swiftly. They were still at a distance, but the red dragons unleashed shield barriers simultaneously, creating arge sphere in the sky.
Barton, Dyfus, and the infiltrating guardian knights unsheathed their swords in response.
The battle began. The reason the red dragons unleashed shield barriers was to buy time for Kozec to activate its weapons.
"Good luck in the battle, fourth gbearer."
Barton shed his eyes and lunged forward. Each step he took sent rock fragments flying, and a gigantic sail-shaped de wave was already forming above his aura-infused sword.
Dyfus charged after him as the infiltrating guardian knights advanced, trying to predict where the remnants of de waves and cannon sts would fall.
Dyfus and Barton were the only ones who could continue the battle amidst all the falling debris. Or at least, that''s what Barton thought.
"Perhaps I should stay back for now."
Jin decided to withdraw from the battle for the time being. The first reason was that there was no reason to waste his energy, especially since he wasn''t in perfect condition.
The second reason was to keep his powers hidden from Barton until thest moment, if possible.
It will be troublesome if Barton learns about my powers too soon. It could raise suspicions, prompting him to try and confirm various things.
Securing Bentica was Barton''s mission and Barton''s alone. He still had no idea that the gbearers and guardian knights were here to eliminate him. If he had known, he wouldn''t have targeted Jin.
Therefore, Jin had to conceal his abilities for as long as he could.
The best scenario would be to repel the Zipple with only Dyfus, Barton, and the guardian knights, without his own involvement. All he needed to do then was to kill Barton in his exhaustion before the enemies realized the n or led him to his demise at the enemy''s hands.
But it was likely that at some point he would have to intervene, whether to secure victory, change the course of the battle, rescue the knights, or something of the sort.
The second-best option was to be defeated by the Zipple and assassinate Barton while they retreated. In that case, they would have to surrender Bentica to the enemy, but it would probably be Dyfus who would bear the responsibility for it, not Jin.
"Either way, I have nothing to lose in this mission. Likewise, I have nothing to gain. Whether it seeds or fails, all the credit and me will fall on Dyfus. Mother assigned me this mission to use me as efficiently as possible, quite literally."
Jin only had to secure what was beneficial to him, as always.
In that sense, thanks to Barton dismissing Jin without paying much attention to him, Jin had the opportunity to formte a convincing n.
No matter who wins, whether it''s the Runcandels or the Zipple, Dyfus and Barton will be weakened. If I then have the chance, maybe I can even eliminate Dyfus as well.
Eliminate... that didn''t necessarily mean killing him. Jin wanted to instill fear in Dyfus so that he wouldn''t dare challenge him again.
There was no need to kill Dyfus just yet. It would be foolish to eliminate someone who could put pressure on Joshua.
"You can still do a lot for me, Dyfus."
Jin smiled and shifted his gaze to thebat.
It was time to enjoy the battle.
Kroooor!
Kozec spewed a concentrated golden fire from its mana cannon. Jin had experienced its st in Kollon. If allowed to hit the ground unobstructed, it could easily bring down the foundations of the entire area.
Fortunately, it wasn''t as powerful as in Kollon. The Zipple certainly didn''t value ancient eversteel as much as they did the mirror. Therefore, the Magicians on board the ship weren''t as skilled as the Magicians in Kollon.
Shockwaves from Dyfus and Barton''s swords shot up into the sky.
The two powers collided, creating a deafening noise and shockwaves, instantly painting the empty sky in vibrant colors.
Fragments and debris began to fall. Each debris particle that fell was as powerful as a strike from a six-star martial artist. Such particles fell and covered the entire battlefield.
From a distance, it looked quite simr to what had happened in Kollon.
But at that time, Tris couldn''t unleash his full strength against the Zipple because he had to protect the natives of Kollon.
Now, the Runcandel knights had no reason to hold back. It didn''t have to be a battle of de waves and cannon sts like in Kollon.
After Barton fired his de wave, he didn''t care if the second cannon st hit the ground.
The same went for the Zipple. Some of the Night White Magicians aboard Kozec mounted the red dragons and positioned themselves in the sky.
The Magicians began casting high-level destructive spells like hell winds and ice-cutting des, while Barton and Dyfus continuously leaped toward them.
"Barton Vichena. Truly a beast."
Jumping. Propelling the body into the air.
Obviously, it limited movementspared to moving on the ground. But Barton moved freely in the air as if he were flying, unleashing de waves in mid-air.
He used the recoil after firing the waves as a means of propulsion. To everyone''s surprise, none of his waves went to waste. They flew toward the enemy shield barriers and crushed them.
Dyfus was doing something simr. However, it was clear that he was trying to use his aura more efficiently since he didn''t possess the aura of a ten-star knight like Barton.
The two of them constantly leaped from the ground to the sky, reaching all sides of the battlefield until... Boom!
An unexpected explosion erupted. Fortunately, both Barton and Dyfus managed to avoid any damage, but they couldn''t avoid losing momentum and falling to the ground.
At that moment, Jin''s eyes lit up with understanding.
Dyfus and Barton also recognized the spell that had targeted them. Immediately, they started scrutinizing the dragons.
They had to find the sorcerer who was casting the spatial explosion. In their understanding, the only sorcerer capable of casting the spatial explosion in the whole world was supposedly Keliac Zipple.
Jin, on the other hand, was able to guess who had cast the spatial explosion.
"Midor Elnor. It''s him!"
Jin remembered the troubles caused by the spatial explosion in Kollon. Jin immediately started looking for him.
But a few secondster, Jin realized that it wasn''t Midor who had cast the spatial explosion.
His white hair was highly recognizable, even from a distance.
"Beradin?"
He was riding a red dragon, gazing at the Runcandel knights with red eyes that gleamed like embers.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 293: Power and Reverence for Power (4)
Chapter 293: Power and Reverence for Power (4)
C293 - Power and Reverence for Power (4)
How was he supposed to know HE would be in Bentica?
It was hard to see his face due to the distance, but it wasn''t hard to recognize his friend.
Jin''s heart began to pound, even though he hadn''tnded a single sword strike. His instinct told him that Beradin wasn''t his usual self.
Suddenly, he remembered thest conversation he had shared with Beradin.
"What are you going to do now?" Jin had asked.
"About what?"
"Leaving the Zipples."
"Ah, that. I suppose it won''t be easy. The only realistic way to do it is to wait until you be a gbearer and capture me as a hostage. But that could easily lead to a full-blown war. Plus, you never know how much your brothers might torture me."
"The Runcandels and the Zipples fight each other all the time, regardless of you."
"That may be true, but Jin, I also have my share of responsibilities. If my n is going in the wrong direction, I should be the one to stay and correct it, don''t you think? I will restore everything. I will make the Zipples the n I have always been proud of."
It seemed like time had stood still. Beradin''s words echoed in Jin''s mind.
"I will stay and correct the n."
Jin didn''t trust Beradin''s determination.
The evil empire that hadn''t fallen even once in the past thousand years had gone too far to be corrected. The only way to set it right was to bring it down.
But it was so vast and sturdy that bringing it down seemed like an impossible feat.
More than half of the world was under Zipple''s control, their alliances were strong, and countless people depended on Zipple''s magic in their daily lives.
The most powerful n in the world outshined the others by such a margin that even the alliance of the rest of the world couldn''t guarantee its downfall.
That was the Zipple n.
That''s why Jin hoped that Beradin would run away, to live his own life far from the n.
"No, if I were you, I would leave the Runcandel n as soon as I was forced to live a life where my own will is gradually taken away without my knowledge," Jin had said.
Giant de waves and Kozec cannons shed with each other, and the collision of both forces created energy debris that covered the sky.
Beradin''s red eyes flickered and trembled in the dark battlefield sky. He''s not in his right state. Jin repeated the phrase to himself as he gritted his teeth.
Living a life with altered memories that slowly robbed one of their own personhood. Who would want such an existence?
Beradin looked like a madman as he entered the battlefield with divine fire powers evident in his red eyes. He seemed like a monster desperate to kill his enemies.
Boom, m, bam! Spatial explosions erupted everywhere they met Beradin''s gaze.
"You resisted your n until the very end. It''s impossible that you came to this battlefield willingly."
Encountering Beradin on his first mission as a gbearer was something Jin hadn''t foreseen. But it had to turn out this way, with Beradin in this state. Jin wanted to curse the situation.
He wanted to grab Beradin and leave the battlefield, so he could do something to bring his friend back to his right state.
It was impossible, being realistic. Sumbing to fury wouldn''t improve the situation at all.
For now, I won''t be able to bring Beradin back to his right state anyway. It''s probably impossible.
It was necessary to control his anger and make an objective assessment of the situation.
Of course, Jin still worried about him, but he also had another thought. Beradin is not a child either.
It wasn''t Jin''s ce to sacrifice himself to save Beradin, as if he were a child in need of rescue.
That was the challenge Beradin had to ovee on his own. Jin''s role was to extend his hand if Beradin asked for help.
It was Beradin''s decision to fight against his own n, so Jin had to respect that decision as a friend, at least until it became evident that Beradin waspletely shattered.
Jin quickly calmed himself. His state of calm was evident in his eyes.
First and foremost, Beradin''s introduction to the battlefield quickly changed the tide of the battle.
It was the spell resembling a divine power that Beradin was casting, the spatial explosion.
The Runcandels had only two individuals who could deliver real blows to the flying Kozecs and red dragons. They were Dyfus and Barton. They could use their sword waves to soar into the sky and attempt attacks against them.
But due to the spatial explosion, Dyfus and Barton couldn''t move in the air.
Not even a ten-star knight and a nine-star knight with the Runcandels'' blessed bodies could avoid a spatial explosion in the air. It was nearly impossible.
Beradin used this fact to his advantage, disrupting their movements.
Therefore, the two could only respond to the Zipple''s threat by firing sword waves from the ground, leading to a unteral bombardment from the Zipple n.
Beradin''s spatial explosion was nowhere near as threatening as Midor Elnor''s spatial explosion.
But this single spell was able to keep the two transcendent swordsmen on the ground.
Dyfus must be quite confused now. He''s probably in shock seeing Beradin or the fact that someone other than Keliac can use spatial explosion, and he must think Barton must have informed the Zipples about the Bentica mission.
As expected, Dyfus was quite confused. Though he didn''t make it obvious to his enemies, Jin could still see through him.
In reality, Barton probably would have informed the Zipples before the mission began. He would have let them know that he was assigned to the Bentica mission and advised them to take appropriate measures if they wanted to preserve the ancient eversteel.
And the appropriate measure came in the form of spatial explosion.
If the Zipples deployed too many forces to protect thend against Barton and Dyfus, the Runcandels would probably send an equal number, thus nullifying the purpose.
But what if they could simply deter Dyfus and Barton''s aerial capabilities with spatial explosion?
While the Runcandels had only two swordsmen capable of aerialbat, the Zipples deployed five dragons and even the powerful Kozec, on which it was unknown how many of the supposedly more elite magical troops of the Zipples, the White Night, were aboard.
As strong as Dyfus and Barton were, the battle waspletely against them if aerialbat was denied.
The Zipples yed this well. If the Runcandels and the Zipples simply fought with a greater number of forces, spatial explosion alone wouldn''t have been enough to change the course of the battle.
This was only possible if there were other knights who could cover Barton and Dyfus from spatial explosion. But the ten guardian knights who joined the mission were not capable of such things.
The infiltration group was blocked and couldn''t advance further toward the enemy. The guardian knights positioned to kill anyone who left the battlefield were now being pursued by the dragons.
"Damn it, why is Beradin Zipple using Keliac''s powers? Sir Barton! I will try to create an opportunity. You should take him down from a distance."
"Fourth gbearer, how do you propose to create this opportunity? The White Night Magicians are concentrating their defenses on Beradin."
"I can tear through those useless shield barriers anytime."
"I''m not questioning your skill, am I, fourth gbearer? It''s too dangerous. Now that we''re blocked from the air, we''ll have to risk a lot if we really want to proceed with this."
"So you suggest we turn around without even trying?"
"Try to be rational, fourth gbearer. I don''t want to leave a record of my failure as a ck knight either, but the enemy''s tactical advantage is too effective."
"What did you say?"
"Is ancient eversteel worth more than the life of the fourth gbearer? Confirming Beradin''s use of Keliac''s powers is a significant gain in itself."
Countless fragments and spells rained down in the midst of their conversation.
Dyfus and Barton were able to constantly keep themselves away from the spatial explosion, thanks to their superior senses.
However, the rest of the guardian knights couldn''t do the same. Spatial explosion was extremely noticeable, as it had the capability to kill without the slightest indication.
One of the guardian knights screamed. His arm had suddenly exploded. The spatial explosion originally aimed for his head, but the guardian knight instinctively moved aside and ended up losing an arm.
Even Dyfus and Barton had to sharpen their senses to the maximum if they wanted to dodge the spatial explosions.
To make matters worse, Beradin''s spatial explosions wereunched with a triple simultaneous release, meaning three explosions urred at once.
Dyfus and Barton could protect the guardian knights from all other attacks, such as Kozec cannons, spells, and dragon breath, but spatial explosion was an exception.
It was only a matter of time before the rest of the guardian knights were incapacitated by the spatial explosion.
"Fourth gbearer! What is the role of a Runcandel gbearer? It is to lead and protect the n knights. Will you lead them to useless deaths just to keep your mission record clean? Make the call."
"You filthy traitor, I know what you''re thinking!"
Dyfus had to restrain his anger that was dying to escape his lips and shook his head.
If it had been any other ck knight besides Barton, Dyfus would have easily agreed with his rmendation to retreat. After all, he was right.
But Barton was a spy, and Dyfus''s mission was to secure Bentica and eliminate Barton.
"As you say, Sir Barton, ancient eversteel certainly doesn''t hold much value. But Beradin''s head does. We can''t go back empty-handed. We''ll take Bentica and the head of the Zipple sessor."
"Then I will be the one to give the order to retreat."
"Sir Barton!"
"You may be the fourth gbearer, but you have no authority over mine. This is yourst chance. Give yourself the order to retreat. If you don''tply, I will fulfill my duties as a ck knight and leave the area with the rest of the knights. You will be responsible for any casualties that ur in the process, fourth gbearer."
"Why are you saying that? Do you think we would have another opportunity to kill the Zipple patriarch sessor?"
As Dyfus contemted his next move, he thought of the one person who hadn''t yet joined the battle. Jin Runcandel, his younger brother. If it was Jin...
Jin might have a brilliant solution to turn this disastrous situation around.
He had a hunch that Jin would, and though thinking about it was humiliating, things were pretty dire for Dyfus.
''Damn it. How did I let things get like this? Humiliation is not the problem now. I must kill Barton. Right here, right now. I must do it!''
Jin continued to watch them from afar on the battlefield.
He couldn''t hear Dyfus and Barton''s conversation due to the distance and the explosions, but it wasn''t difficult to see how things were going.
Barton would have suggested retreat. It would be foolish to risk the lives of Dyfus and the guardian knights in the face of the threat of a spatial explosion just to obtain some ancient eversteel.
But Jin wasn''t going to let Barton get away with it.
"First, I must neutralize the threat of the spatial explosion."
Jin made his decision and began to walk toward the battlefield.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 294
Chapter 294
C294 - Power and Reverence for Power (5)
"I clearly gave you the opportunity to give the order to retreat, fourth gbearer. I am disappointed," Barton spoke with a cold look on his face.
There were more casualties. The guardian knight who lost his right arm was surrounded by Magicians and was at risk of dying. The infiltration group attempted to save him, but their approach was deterred by a spatial explosion.
"Do not expect me to speak in your favor, fourth gbearer."
"All guardian knights, retreat!"
Barton was about to shout those words when he felt Jin approaching.
"Twelfth gbearer?"
"Sir Barton, I apologize for the dyed support. I stayed on standby because I did not receive any orders."
"You should have stayed on standby. This mission has failed. We must retreat, so return to your position."
"What is the reason for the retreat?"
Jin''s provocative question made Barton''s eyes dangerously gleam. So, you dare to show me your attitude because you too are a gbearer, is that it? That was the message his eyes conveyed.
On the other hand, Dyfus felt a strange sensation. It was a mix of anticipation for the possibility of Jin offering a brilliant solution and the humiliation of his own powerlessness.
"It is due to the spatial explosion. We have lost all aerial capabilities because of that spell. We cannot continue the battle," Dyfus responded.
The three took a step back as Beradin triggered a spatial explosion between them.
"It clearly seems dangerous."
Jin looked up at the sky.
Beradin did not react upon seeing Jin. He simply continued forward, flying across the battlefield on a red dragon and spraying spatial explosions all around.
Jin, on the other hand, maintained hisposure.
"Do you have any solution?"
"Fourth gbearer, stop ying dumb. What could the twelfth gbearer do in this situation?"
"I can suppress the spatial explosion." Jin cut Barton off abruptly.
Dyfus could not believe what he was hearing.
Barton shuddered and turned his head. "What do you mean by that, twelfth gbearer? Can you be held ountable for your words?"
"If the spatial explosion is suppressed, can you continue the mission?" Jin looked directly at Barton and asked.
Barton concealed his dilemma. He remained silent for a moment but soon nodded. "If that is possible, execute it immediately. The guardian knights cannot hold on any longer."
As far as Barton knew, the spatial explosion was impossible to neutralize.
If this young brat could neutralize it, then all those martial artists who challenged Keliac and ended up having their bodies explode all these years would have lost their bodies in vain.
But Barton couldn''t shake off the uneasy feeling that Jin might seed, as Jin had proven himself through various adversities and miracles since his cadet days.
Barton was the only spy of the Runcandel n who reported directly to Keliac.
And yet, he didn''t even get to hear how the Zipple restrained him in Bentica.
So when he saw the spatial explosion, he thought it was a brilliant tactic because no other spell could be more fitting to provide a reason for retreat. It also shocked him horribly that Keliac had shared his divine fire powers with Beradin.
If the twelfth gbearer manages to neutralize the spatial explosion, the n will bepromised. If the tide of battle changes significantly, he probably should guide the Zipple to retreat instead.
Barton formted his ns.
Meanwhile, Jin began casting spells.
Fwoosh. Blue mes extended from Jin''s hands. All the Magicians in the air focused their gaze on Jin. They could feel the unique strength of the blue mes.
"Gaaaah!"
It was Tess, the master of the fire realm. Tess burst through the dimensional gate and screeched.
Now he was muchrger than before Jin crossed Lafrarosa. He looked like a dragon as he pped his gigantic wings, but the force he carried was iparable to the measly red dragons surrounding him.
Tess''s strength had grown due to Jin''s increased mana.
The Magicians had no time to react. The pressure of the blue mes already covered the sky. A thousand veins of blue mes writhed above their heads, creating a circle sorge that it immediately epassed the entire battlefield.
The air became heavy. It was not just a matter of expression. The battlefield was literally pressed down by the pressure of the mes.
The dragons struggled more to p their wings, and the Magicians had to control their breathing and release their mana.
On the other hand, the guardian knights did not have to fight against the weight of the pressure. Tess could perfectly control every tiny ember of his blue mes, which now spread across the entire battlefield in a way that ensured Jin''s friendly forces suffered no harm.
But from their enemy units, Kozec seemed unaffected despite being exposed to the pressure more than any other unit.
"It''s done, Sir Barton. Let''s proceed with the mission."
Barton didn''t have to ask Jin what he meant. Tess''s introduction immediately stopped the spatial explosions.
Barton wasn''t a Magician, but he could tell that it wasn''t the sudden introduction of the phoenix that made Beradin stop casting spells.
It was the region of the absolute blue mes.
No me from Shinu could prate them unless it wasunched by Keliac Zipple himself.
Indeed, the region of the blue mes posed no restriction to other ordinary me spells that did not derive from the powers of Shinu.
Simrly, Tess''s mes couldn''t target Beradin either. Anyone, even those unaware of the fire and Shinu realms, could tell that the blue mes did not extend towards Beradin.
The debris falling from the sh of sword waves and cannon fire turned blue under the pressure mes.
"Fourth gbearer, please retrieve the wounded guardian knights. And as for Sir Barton."
Jin looked up and located Beradin.
The red dragon carrying him flew toward Kozec. Tess''s appearance deactivated his spatial explosions, which in turn made it impossible to ensure Beradin''s safety outside of Kozec.
Beradin did not turn his gaze towards Jin. There was an empty hatred in his eyes, still shining in red.
"Make sure not to lose Beradin Zipple. This is thest chance we''ll have to cut his throat."
Barton had only one option left. To attack Beradin Zipple with all his might. Any hesitation would be an acknowledgment of his own betrayal. For now, he had to leap forward with everything he had.
None of the Zipples present on the battlefield were aware that Barton was their own spy.
Sir Barton would never kill Beradin, although he would pretend to give it his all.
This was the reason why Jin had Barton take the lead against Beradin, and not Dyfus.
Securing the lives of the guardian knights was assigned to Dyfus, who genuinely fought for the Runcandels.
And securing Beradin''s life was assigned to Barton Vichena, who fought for the Zipples.
"Protect the young master!"
"Stop the ck Knight!"
It was almost impossible to stop a ten-star knight leaping in the air without the ability of spatial explosion.
All sorts of attack magic fell like a cascade, but Barton deflected their efforts and secured his path of attack with nothing but de waves.
The faces of the Magicians turned horrified as they saw Barton soar in the air with de waves.
But even Barton couldn''t reach Beradin in a straight line, through the shortest possible distance. It was no easy task to follow the flight course of his red dragon, and the Magicians fought more desperately as he approached.
"All phoenix contractors, summon your phoenixes! Groups one and two, take down Jin Runcandel. The rest, block the ck Knight! He must not reach the young master!"
Amanding Magician aboard Kozec shouted, causing several dimensional gates to open in the sky.
To the sky of Bentica, currently gued with blue mes, de waves, countless spells, and falling debris from the mixture of all these energies, about thirty phoenixes joined in.
Energies of various colors swirled together, making the sight blurry.
Magicians without enhanced vision could not see anything beyond the barriers of their shields, and the guardian knights did not dare to brandish their swords.
Gaaah, gaaaawk!
Tess cried out towards the newly summoned phoenixes.
If Murakan were here, he would have mocked them, saying that humans were foolish enough to summon phoenixes to attack the master of the fire realm.
Jin chuckled. This made no sense.
The Magicians only saw Tess as the most powerful phoenix. Not many were aware that Tess was the sole absolute sovereign of the fire realm.
This was something only the gods who had been in the fire realm or those close to beings of such status knew.
Unfortunately, none of the White Night Magicians aboard Kozec were such figures.
There were also several renowned phoenixes among the summoned ones, but they could only roam the sky, unable to follow the will of the Magicians.
It was clear that they were afraid.
That''s why all the phoenixes from groups one and two, which were supposed to attack Jin, ended up heading towards Barton. Given the urgency of the situation, the Magicians had no time to investigate the phenomenon.
This was what Jin wanted. The thirty phoenixes would serve the purpose of making Barton''s false threat seem real.
If all went well, Barton could receive a good amount of damage and fall to the ground.
Barton was covered by the mes of the phoenixes and waspletely blocked from view. Simrly, the mes also covered Beradin, making him disappear from sight, and only the wing or tail of the red dragon briefly appeared and disappeared from time to time.
Amidst all this chaos, Kozec prepared to fire its cannon. It was aiming at Tess.
"Fourth gbearer!" Jin shouted loudly, causing Dyfus to immediately turn his head. He had just returned to his position after taking the wounded guardian knights away from the battlefield.
Jin pointed at the cannon with his finger. He gestured for him to take it out. It was not something a twelfth gbearer should ask of a fourth gbearer, but Dyfus rushed to defend against the threat withoutining.
He knew that neither Barton nor he were the targets of this operation. Jin was.
He didn''t want to admit it, but it was true. Dyfus was not someone who made foolish decisions out of ego.
"Anyway, how did you neutralize the spatial explosion? Was it Tess''s power? Why didn''t you get involved immediately if you had such powers?" It sounded like he wasining, but in reality, Dyfus had never appreciated his younger brother as much as he did today.
Jin responded coldly. "Shouldn''t you say thank you first?"
"It''s just that I wasn''t ustomed to these scenarios. Thank you. And I mean it."
"Keep blocking the cannon fire until Sir Barton returns or falls to the ground. The spatial explosions will start again the moment Tess is summoned after taking a hit from that cannon."
Dyfus nodded.
Jin assumed a stance and prepared to cast another spell. Now was the time to turn the tide of the battle.
And to think that the first time he would cast this spell would be against the Zipples.
The Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky: The Final Version (??????? ???).
Jin was preparing to cast Riol Zipple''s legacy.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 295: Power and Reverence for Power (6)
Chapter 295: Power and Reverence for Power (6)
C295 - Power and Reverence for Power (6)
It almost seemed like Bentica itself was melting under the heat of a dozen different mes. The sky waspletely painted red, and it was impossible to see what it had looked like before the battle began.
The red dragon carrying Beradin continued flying towards Kozec, constantly evading Barton along the way.
Dyfus raised his giant sword.
Kozec''s cannon was fully charged and golden in color. Ziiing. The ominous sound ofpressed mana pierced through the sounds of the battlefield.
An explosion roared out of the cannon.
Dyfus shouted in response. His giant sword, Bolgar, released a dazzling wave of light in the form of a de wave. It collided with the cannon shots and showered the area with debris, creating punctual shadows on the ground.
The Magicians joined in with Kozec''s fires and unleashed their attacks on the ground. The White Night phoenixes screamed in fury as they tried to deter Barton''s movement.
The sky was in chaos. Barton''s sword waves stood out among the mes, magic, and cannon fire. However, the sword waves constantly failed to reach Beradin.
Dyfus had to restrain his anger at the pretense of the traitor, but Jin didn''tin.
Kish, m!
Dyfus frowned as he struck the falling debris towards Jin and Tess. The impact of the previous cannon shot had not yet subsided, but Kozec was already preparing to fire the next round.
"By the way, how do the Zipples create such monstrous weapons? Oh, Jin. I have a question for you."
"What is it?"
"The traitor would never kill the Zipple sessor. I think you should have told Sir Barton to take care of friendly forces and assigned me to kill Beradin instead. As you said, this was thest chance."
Dyfus was aware that Jin had spent a night drinking with Dante and Beradin at the Arena of Cosmos in his days as a provisional gbearer.
Dyfus had investigated Jin''s past after his identity was revealed, and there were some nobles from Berdo who had been present at the finals and knew that the three young men had drunk together.
Of course, Dyfus didn''t believe that one single incident was enough to assume that Jin had formed a bond with Beradin. However, it was hard to understand why Jin had assigned the task to the traitor, Barton.
"It seems you question my motives. Why did you follow my orders then, fourth gbearer?"
"Because I briefly lostposure, and the knight guardians were in danger of death if I hesitated."
"Fourth gbearer, what is the mission assigned to us?"
"What?"
"The elimination of Beradin is not part of the objective of this mission. Surely, it would be better if we could bring Beradin''s head with us, but securing Bentica and eradicating the traitor are the key objectives."
Dyfus kept his gaze on the cannon and didn''t turn to look at Jin.
"The reason I assigned Sir Barton to attack Beradin was based on the assumption that he is more likely to get injured if he pretends to attack Beradin without actually doing so. Because it would be easier to kill Sir Bartonter, does that exin enough?"
Dyfus nodded. It wasn''t entirely satisfactory, but it was certainly eptable.
Kozec fired its golden mana cannon once again.
The entire battlefield was filled with cannon shots, de waves, and falling energy debris. The infiltrating knight guardians couldn''t bear the heat of the battlefield any longer and retreated to Dyfus'' position, and Barton seemed like he would soon fall from the air as well.
"We have secured the young master!" the Magicians shouted as Beradin''s red dragon reached Kozec.
Bum!
Beradin fired his spatial explosion at Barton once he boarded Kozec. Tess''s mes didn''t cover the entire battlefield.
"Klugh!"
Barton began to fall.
He could no longer go against the premise that humans couldn''t fly. But even as he fell to the ground after taking the full impact of the spatial explosion in his chest, he managed to sh two red dragons and over ten Magicians in his descent.
Enemy bodies sttered and plummeted along with the debris.
If Jin and Dyfus weren''t aware of his betrayal, they wouldn''t have even realized that Barton had purposely missed Beradin.
Now that Beradin was safe, the Zipples had no reason to hold back.
Tes posed a great limitation on the use of the spatial explosion, but now, it was only a matter of time before they gained the upper hand.
"Attack Jin Runcandel and Tess! The Runcandels can''t do anything without those two!"
The Zipple phoenixes began their descent. They still refused to attack Tess. Therefore, they went for Barton, who had fallen to the ground.
There were cannon shots, spells, and dragon breaths in the air.
The phoenixes unleashed their mes on the ground. The battlefield was reaching the climax of chaos.
However, Jin finally finished casting a spell he had been preparing.
"Fourth gbearer, the tide of battle will change from now on."
Dyfus turned and looked at Jin in response. His eyes widened in surprise. Jin had a grotesque appearance. His whole body waspletely covered and painted in darkness by the Shadow Energy.
"Jin?"
"First, I will secure Bentica. Once Kozec withdraws, pursue it with Sir Barton and find a suitable moment to fall back."
''Fall back? What the hell are you talking about?'' Dyfus was about to ask out loud. Although they only intended to give it their all, neither Barton, the ck Knight, nor he could bring down the enemy''s gigantic flying ship.
But there was Jin, iming that he would make it fall back as if it were no difficult task.
''Wait, why is the sky so...?''
Dark. The sky was growing dark.
The sky that had moments ago disyed dazzling colors with cannon shots and spells was nowpletely ck as coal, the same color as Jin''s body, which was covered in Shadow Energy.
This was the conversation Jin had with Murakan during his first lesson on Shadow Energy. That the sky would turn ck was something natural.
"For a Magician, releasing their magical energy is an act that connects their magic with the one already present in nature. And what did I say was the purpose of such actions?"
"Mana replenishment and strengthening their magic," Jin had said.
"Yes! You replenish the lost mana by using the forces of nature and increase the power of the next spell. The same goes for releasing your Shadow Energy. However, there are some differences."
"What kind of differences?"
"When you release your Shadow Energy, you don''t connect with nature. You connect nature to yourself."
It had connected to Jin, who released his Shadow Energy.
It was darker than night. Not even moonless skies devoid of starlight could seem darker than that. Dyfus wasn''t the only one bewildered. Upon noticing the dark sky, even the Magicians briefly halted their attacks in surprise.
Everyone seemed confused.
But they could all feel it in their instincts. Something dangerous was about to happen.
There was a good reason why the spell based on the me orb came with that descriptor.
The legacy of Riol Zipple was based on the powers of Solderet.
It didn''t take long for everyone on the battlefield to realize that the dark energy covering the entire sky was Shadow Energy, and there was only one person here wielding Shadow Energy.
Both the Runcandels and the Zipples reacted in the same way. Themanders of both forces immediately gave decisive orders.
"Deploy shield barriers and take down Jin Runcandel!"
"All Runcandel knights, gather around the twelfth gbearer and protect him!"
Meanwhile, Jin calmly gazed at Kozec.
He wanted to see the face of his friend, who stood at the helm of the ship with his pale hair flowing in the wind.
Their gazes met in the darkness of the battlefield.
Beradin chuckled with madness. His eyes gleamed redder than ever. Certainly, he wasn''tughing because of his memories.
Jin contemted Beradin''s twisted smile as he unleashed the Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-The Final Version.
"I hope he doesn''t get gravely injured."
A hole opened in the sky like a giant beast opening its jaws.
Then, a massive fireball emerged from the hole. The fireball was muchrger than Kozec. It almost resembled the sun itself.
Jin''s body levitated in the air, as if drawn by the gravity of the zing orb.
The runes left by Riol Zipple swirled around Jin''s body. The runes left Jin''s body and left glowing trails all over the battlefield.
One of the Mages saw the shining runic character flying towards him and unconsciously reached out his hand towards it.
At that moment, themanding Mage remembered what he had read about the Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky and shouted in panic.
"Stay away from those runic characters! They are the marks of..."
The runic characters, shining like beautiful petals, were target marks.
Marks that the giant orb in the sky would apply its punishment to.
Themanding Mage couldn''t even finish his sentence. The fireball began to rain down a fiery deluge with countless me tendrils, making it impossible to anticipate their trajectory.
The mes assaulted the floating runic characters. At each point marked by the beautiful shining rune, someone was scorched, someone screamed, and ashes flew.
"Shoot down Jin Runcandel!"
Themanding Mage''s order couldn''t be carried out because all the Mages could barely erect shield barriers against the ultimate spell they had never experienced before.
But even those barriers meant little. Partly because each me tendril had power close to a ten-star spell, but also because the Shadow Energy covering the sky was crushing their shield barriers.
Shadow Energy didn''t just serve to change the color of the sky. Just as the me orb spewed fire, the shadows extended through the veil of Shadow Energy to shatter the shield barriers.
This is madness. Is this really the power of magic alone? And is this supposed to be Jin''s spell? Dyfus could only swallow his saliva as he looked at Jin, who levitated in the air.
It was impossible for him to understand a spell that not even the Mages couldprehend. He could only think that Jin''s spell was closer to divine power than a magical spell.
Suddenly, he was reminded of the enemy leader, Keliac Zipple. Dyfus had encountered him once ten years ago. Thest time he felt like this was when he faced Keliac''s prowess back then.
The fact that Jin reminded him of that experience sent chills down his spine.
The mes grew more intense.
More than half of the Mages flying outside Kozec were already dead. The number of red dragons was decreasing horrifyingly fast.
The tide of battle had changed in an instant.
But the Mages who had read the records of Riol Zipple knew it wasn''t over.
This was only the beginning. If the me orb stopped raining fire and detonated, it could mean the destruction of Kozec.
"Young master, we must retreat! We are unable to handle this surprise attack."
Beradin shook his head at the words of themanding warlock. The dark emotions rippling behind his vacant eyes were hard to read.
"Young master!"
Beradin took a step forward as if captivated by Jin''s mes, which were engulfing the entire battlefield.
He, too, was forming mes on his hand. The me was more than just red. It was menacing and ferocious.
Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-The First Version Of The Demon Empress was another spell left in the legacy of Riol Zipple.
Beradin''s staff pointed towards Jin.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 296: Power and Reverence for Power (7)
Chapter 296: Power and Reverence for Power (7)
C296 - Power and Reverence for Power (7)
Jin focused on Beradin''s staff as he controlled the mes. Clearly, the staff was aimed at him. For some reason, the staff seemed to exude both a murderous intent and intrigue.
Beradin smiled, as if finding the situation exciting.
Jin decided not to dwell on bitterness over the situation. In any case, the person pointing the staff at him was probably not the real Beradin, despite taking on Beradin''s form.
Furthermore, Jin was convinced of another thing: the Zipples would never let Beradin remain in that state.
If the Zipples needed puppets for battle, they had plenty of others. It didn''t have to be Beradin. Surely, he would be himself most of the other times because they couldn''t afford to have a bloodthirsty maniac crazed for battle as their next patriarch.
Jin thought that Beradin might have been manipted in his past life as well.
"Those unsettling bastards."
The shining runic characters floated towards Kozec.
All the Mages realized that the runic characters were target marks of the me orb. They panicked and pointed their staffs towards the runic characters.
They used all sorts of spells to drive away the runes.
But the characters were too small and constantly moving, making it nearly impossible to shoot them down. Some managed to hit them, but it had no effect on the runic characters. They simply pierced through the spells like a breeze and continued floating upward.
Several dozen runic characters abruptly embedded into Kozec''s hull.
An equal number of fire tendrils extended from Jin''s me orb. The chains of mes wrapped and coiled around Kozec like a snake, horrifying the Mages.
It looked as though multiple snakes were squeezing a single prey.
It immediately created small fractures all over the hull. The Mages aboard screamed from the sudden impact.
It seemed like the ming chains could crush Kozec as if it were nothing.
The surviving red dragons charged at the mes holding the hull. But the red dragons couldn''t do anything.
They tried to bite the chains, but instead, their bodies were pierced by other me tendrils or their necks were sliced. Jin looked at them with cold eyes.
"Turn the ship around!"
"The ship is stuck, sir!"
To think that Kozec could be incapacitated by a single man, the twelfth gbearer of the Runcandels no less. No one here had imagined such a scenario.
Every single one of the thirty summoned phoenixes had been invoked. That meant the summoning Mages were all dead.
Tes let out a loud screech and unleashed her breath towards Kozec. Now that the pressure blue mes joined Jin''s mes, Kozec shook violently as if it would shatter at any moment.
The guardian knights could only watch Jin and Kozec, unsure of what to say. Even Barton, the traitor, widened his eyes in shock.
Is this the power of the twelfth gbearer?
He could barely believe what he was seeing.
Even he couldn''t neutralize Kozec in such a manner, despite his ten-star prowess, regardless of Kozec''s operational efficiency at that moment.
"At this rate, the Zipple Mages will bepletely annihted. In fact, I can''t even guarantee Beradin Zipple''s survival."
Assisting the Zipples in securing Bentica was out of the question. He had to do something to ensure that Keliac Zipple wouldn''t be disappointed.
"First, Beradin Zipple seems to be attempting something. I''ll see what he does and try to devise a way to work with him."
Jin shouted and elevated the mana and Shadow Energy of the me orb. At the same time, Beradin''s staff turnedpletely red.
He alsopleted the casting of the Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-The First Version Of The Demon Empress.
The runic characters left by Riol Zipple also escaped from Beradin''s body. They intertwined with Jin''s runic characters and initiated a new series of mes.
The first version took the form of a giant me orb, much like the final version.
A mana-made me orb stood in front of Kozec like a shield. It was smaller than Jin''s but contained more mana.
Blood dripped from Beradin''s lips. His body couldn''t handle casting such massive spells right after his continuous use of spatial explosion.
He was showing signs of mana reflux. But it seemed he felt no pain.
Beradin was pouring more mana into the me orb, even as he coughed up blood. His eyes rolled back.
In the end, Beradin let out augh afterpleting his Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-The First Version Of The Demon Empress.
It seemed like there were two suns in the air. Beradin seemed extremely pleased by this fact. He couldn''t take his eyes off the me orbs.
But unlike Jin''s final version, Beradin''s first version was a spell that moved toward its target. The first version me orb descended toward the ground.
It appeared as though the orb was falling slowly.
But it was the enormous size of the first version me orb that made it seem that way. It was actually traveling at great speed.
Would Kozec collide with the powers of the final version first, or would the first version mes scorch Jin first?
Everyone else could only watch in despair.
Jin maintained his calm gaze while Beradin showed total delight.
"It seems everyone needs to go back to studying magic from scratch."
Jin''s words were not directed at Beradin. He was referring to the Zipples.
They must be controlling and manipting Beradin''s mind through magic.
Jin thought it was terribly ineffective. Losing reason and logic during battle meant fighting blindly.
What was the point of turning Beradin into a battle-crazed warrior if his mental control was so unstable? Beradin was attacking blindly, unaware that his own body was deteriorating due to reflux.
Whoosh!
The Shadow Energy enveloping the sky began to dissipate, and Jin''s body also began to regain its color.
The energy dissipated into countless Shadow Energy particles. Jin''s me orb absorbed all the particles and gradually darkened.
It took only three seconds for the me orb to absorb all the shadow force that had filled the sky.
The first version of Beradin''s me orb still had a long way to go to reach Jin, but the final version was ready to explode.
"Bastards."
Ting.
A pure white light suddenly emerged from the center of the me orb, which now looked like a dark sun.
The light was thin and long, as if it had been bisected by a de. Soon, the explosion began with an unexpected earthquake.
The shockwave from the orb detonation in the air shook the ground.
It also caused the ground to open up. The corpses of the red dragons and the Mages were thrown along with the rocks. But the sky showed an even more horrific scene.
The clouds ripped apart as if a pair of giant hands were tearing them. The sky distorted due to the multiple ovepping shockwaves.
Kozec shook from the explosion, like a defenseless buoy.
Never before had a Kozec looked so pathetic in its entire history. The Zipple n''sst battle cruiser was powerless to defend itself against the attacks of the twelfth gbearer of the Runcandels.
The explosion destroyed the rear cannon of the ship. The shield barrier protecting Kozec now seemed like shattered ss and could no longer fulfill its function.
In fact, even the fire chains holding Kozec were still in ce. It almost seemed like they could bring down the entire Kozec.
Victory waspletely on their side.
But Dyfus couldn''t rx just yet. "Jin!"
Beradin''s me orb continued to descend towards Jin.
Jin fell to one knee and gasped for breath. The Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-The Final Version Of The Demon Empress was an overwhelming spell for him at that moment, much like the Reign of the King of Legends.
Beradin''s me orb approached as Jin desperately gasped for air.
"Get out of its way, now!" Dyfus could see that Beradin''s spell was of the same type as the one Jin had cast. He couldn''t even guarantee his own survival if he faced that spell.
However, he couldn''t go help Jin due to the shockwave.
The guardian knights could only brace themselves in a fixed position by stabbing their swords into the ground. Barton pretended to protect the wounded knights and didn''t help Jin.
To Barton, Jin''s death was the best oue he could hope for. Then he could wait for Kozec to retreat and kill Dyfus and the rest of the guardian knights before returning to the Garden of Swords.
That treacherous bastard! Dyfus clenched his teeth. He could clearly see what Barton was thinking.
Dyfus had also thought about killing Jin before reaching Bentica, but he no longer considered it.
Jin had to survive for now, if only for the sake of the Runcandel n.
"Get out of the way!"
Jin raised his head as Dyfus shouted again. He didn''t do it to look at Dyfus. He did it to see Beradin''s me orb, which was now right in front of him.
It was true. He had no power to dodge it.
I remember he cast it in the Holy Kingdom. Back then, he did it to protect me.
That day, Beradin attempted to cast the first version of the Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky but was defeated by Jin and suffered mana reflux.
If Jin hadn''t done it in an effort to stop him, Beradin would have be a Zipple who killed his own n members for a Runcandel.
Beradin had such determination in trying to cast the me orb back then.
"Stop. Jin, Dante. You go ahead. I''ll be the one to stop them," Beradin had said.
"Alright, we''ll go ahead, Beradin."
"Jin! If we escape alone, what will happen to Beradin?"
"But in return, let''s say you were horribly defeated after trying to stop me."
But now, there was no way he could perform well under mental control.
Beradin suddenly leaned forward in a falling motion.
Mana bacsh.
Although Jin couldn''t punch Beradin''s chin like before, he knew the reflux was imminent since Beradin cast the me orb.
It was impossible for Beradin tounch the first version of the me orb in his current state. Even if he managed to, he would never be able to sustain it until it reached its target.
The me orb diminished rapidly, and it was only an arm''s length away from reaching Jin.
Beradin copsed and screamed. He vomited blood, and all the capiries in his body burst. Convulsions shook his body.
The enormous me orb shrank to the size of an egg in the blink of an eye. Beradin lost control of his mana. The mana dissipated into the air in vain.
The me orb that managed to reach Jin was no different from what he had seen in Sameel. It made small pew, pew sounds and caught the attention of everyone present on the battlefield.
Jin reached out and grabbed the me.
One secondter, Jin turned his gaze to the ck ash in his palm.
Dyfus was dumbfounded. Did this mean that Jin already knew from the beginning that Beradin Zipple''s spell would fizzle out due to mana reflux?
In the sky, Jin''s me orb continued to ravage Kozec. But its power was noticeably weaker than before and began to allow Kozec to turn in its direction.
"Fourth gbearer, pursue them. They''ll start escaping."
Jin spoke as he wiped the ash from his palm.
"I''ve got it! Sir Barton, let''s go!"
Dyfus shouted as he grabbed Barton by the shoulder.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 297: Power and Reverence for Power (8)
Chapter 297: Power and Reverence for Power (8)
C297 - Power and Reverence for Power (8)
The chains of fire restraining Kozec swayed dangerously. They trembled and showed signs of breaking soon.
Kozec was the ultimate weapon of the Zipple n.
As impressive as Jin was, he alone wouldn''t be able to bring down the entire ship. The fact that he had cornered Kozec was a feat that exceeded all expectations.
The Zipple expected an easy victory when they deployed their forces here following Barton''s warning. The n thought they would easily push back the Runcandels since they had Kozec and the space explosion.
And yet, here they were, retreating from the battle against just two Runcandel gbearers, a ck knight, and ten guardian knights.
"Increase Kozec''s speed with all your might! All healing magicians, tend to the young master!"
Over forty elite Magicians and White Night members died, and the six red dragons were massacred.
On the other hand, the Runcandels didn''t suffer a single casualty. There were some seriously wounded guardian knights, but they could easily heal once they managed to return.
All of this was possible because Jin had joined the battle.
A drop of blood dripped from Jin''s lips. Cold sweat continuously fell from his pale face.
I overdid it.
Jin had already sustained a major injury in his fight against Silderay before joining this mission. He received intensive care in the holy kingdom but was unable to restore his body to optimal conditions.
In that state, he expended almost all the mana he could gather, so it was no wonder he was gued by mana reflux.
But it wasn''t as severe as Beradin''s. He just needed about ten minutes of rest to be able to make use of his impable mana control and recover somewhat.
He had to recover, no matter what.
He needed to be able to fight Barton after the Zipple retreated.
There was another battle to be fought. There was no end to the troubles, but there was little need to worry.
Barton suffered considerable damage while pretending to chase Beradin. I can definitely finish him off if I coborate with Dyfus.
The blue mes surrounding Jin began to fade.
Tess was released from her summoning, giving Kozec more room to maneuver. Cut off Jin Runcandel''s mes! Themanding magician didn''t miss the chance to escape and shouted loudly.
The chains of fire restraining Kozec broke. The damage to the first tentacle triggered a chain reaction, causing the chains to break and release Kozec.
Kozec''s mana engine roared. Its intention was to elerate the ship to leave the battlefield as soon as possible.
They only spared the minimum amount of mana necessary to maintain the shield barrier around the ship. The rest of the magicians concentrated all their mana into the engine.
This revealed how desperately the magicians were trying to escape this nightmare.
It''s clearly a reckless move. It seems they are rushing to take desperate measures, Jin thought as he noticed the Kozec''s shield barrier bing thinner.
The Zipple should have prioritized defense over movement. Jin could no longer unleash the Decimating me Orb of the Dark Sky, the Final Version of the Demon Empress, and Barton was injured. The Runcandels had already lost most of their aerialbat capabilities.
Therefore, they should have opted to calmly retreat from the battle.
But the magicians feared that Jin would unleash spells of such magnitude again because they didn''t realize that Jin was experiencing mana reflux.
One always paid a high price for hasty decisions driven by fear.
By focusing all their attention on Jin, theypletely forgot about the fourth Runcandel gbearer, who was nowpletely furious.
"I''ll kill all of you, rats!"
An aura gathered around Bolgar, Dyfus''s giant sword. The heavily concentrated aura mysteriously distorted the space around it. It was the Runcandel n''s third ultimate move: meteor shower.
The aura flowed through the giant sword and immediately shot up into the sky, forming a pir.
From the frying pan into the fire. No other phrase could so perfectly describe the situation the Zipple were in with such brevity.
Dyfus swung his sword with a wide but incredibly fast motion.
The de wave-shaped meteorites pierced through the shattered clouds. If the Zipple had chosen to deploy shield barriers instead of focusing all their energy on movement, they could have minimized the damage from this attack.
No ship in the world could move faster than the de waves, and there was no way Kozec could outpace Dyfus''s meteor shower even if it flew at full speed.
The multitude of randomly falling de waves resembled more of a natural disaster than a skill.
"The meteor shower, huh. It''s been a while since I''ve seen that move."
Dyfus''s meteor shower was clearly one level below Luna''s move.
Nevertheless, it was still incredibly powerful, to the point that it almost seemed illogical for a single person to execute it.
It was an onught.
The de waves rained down like meteorites and ravaged Kozec. The cries of the magicians were drowned out by the sound of Kozec''s hull being crushed and broken.
Some of them couldn''t withstand the impact against the ship and fell out. They released shield barriers in an instinctive effort to survive, but their desperate attempts were in vain.
The guardian knights were waiting for them on the ground.
They mutted the magicians even before their bodies touched the ground.
Some cursed, others screamed in panic, and others begged for mercy.
But the Runcandels didn''t need hostages because the mission objective didn''t require them.
Barton''s de waves joined the meteor shower and struck the base of the flying ship''s hull. They were noticeably weaker than they had been at the beginning of the battle.
Only, this time, he wasn''t acting.
Barton had expended too much aura earlier, and his injury had left him fatigued. Of course, even in his weakened state, his de waves were almost at a five-star level. But they weren''t enough to deliver critical blows to Kozec.
Dyfus didn''t urge Barton on but silently swore to kill him in his ce. He would tear Barton apart once Kozec retreated.
Over forty meteorites struck Kozec''s hull.
Yet, even without proper shield barriers, the gigantic ship still hadn''t fallen. It wavered as if it would crash from the sky at any moment but refused to lose altitude.
Dyfus had to make a decision.
He could use more energy to try to bring down the ship or save it to prepare for the battle against Barton.
It would be a shame to give up on the former.
"If I destroy Kozec and even manage to kill Beradin, I will be the most aplished gbearer of the year, not that idiot Joshua."
He would likely remain that way even if he shared the credit with Jin.
But what if he failed?
It was a risky gamble. There were no guarantees that Kozec would bepletely destroyed even if he executed another ultimate move. But if he did, he might not have enough energy to face Bartonter.
"Jin is right. Securing the given objective is the priority. It''s a shame to give up on the opportunity, but I''ll have to stop after pushing it away."
Above all other reasons, he would be sabotaging the effort by going against Jin''s n of action. And he would earn Jin''s resentment by doing so. Although Jin regarded Dyfus as an enemy, for now, they still had a chance to be partners and coborate.
But things would change if Jin held a grudge. Based on today''s experience, Dyfus defined Jin as someone he should never have as apletely hostile enemy.
"There will be many asions where I''ll have to work with Jin, at least until we''re done with Joshua. For now, I must not disappoint Jin."
Dyfus made up his mind and began to control his aura.
The power of the meteor shower decreased along with it. The magicians were so relieved by its decrease that they almost shouted in celebration.
Kozec''s mana engine heated up. Dyfus realized he had made the right decision when he saw Kozec gaining speed despite being battered and bombarded.
Regardless, he couldn''t destroy it. As long as there were more than five elite magicians aboard the ship, Dyfus''s ultimate moves wouldn''t be able to bring it down.
Kozec eventually left the battlefield.
The ship quickly distanced itself and soon became a small dot in the distance. Dyfus didn''t look away until the dot disappearedpletely.
"Why did you withdraw your attack at thest moment, fourth gbearer?" Barton asked.
"I decided that we could be vulnerable to a counterattack if I cornered them further. I thought they might have a backup n, especially since the sessor of the Zipple patriarchate is on the battlefield. Also, it didn''t seem like I could bring it down with my powers."
Barton nodded, pretending to ept his answer.
Bentica was always a rather unsightly spectacle due to the gigantic holes dug throughout the area, but now it was especially unappealing after the battle.
"A wise decision. It pains my pride to admit it, but I''m not in my best condition either. If we were met with a counterattack, this could have gone south."
"Thank you for your troubles, Sir Barton."
Barton''s gaze turned to Jin, who was sitting in a meditation position to control his energy away from the two.
"Anyway, we owe a lot to the twelfth gbearer. I felt truly humiliated for the first time in a long, long time. At first, I felt somewhat ufortable having to execute the mission with the twelfth gbearer, but now, I''m amazed by Lady Rosa''s foresight."
"I agree. If it weren''t for Jin, it would be us retreating, not the Zipple."
Jin finished his meditation and approached the two.
Barton observed him and extended his hand for a handshake. "Twelfth gbearer, I apologize for my disdain earlier. You saved this mission from bing a failure."
Jin looked at the hand Barton offered. There was tension in the air. It was unknown what expression Barton wore beneath the ck helmet.
Ten seconds passed in silence, but Barton didn''t withdraw his hand.
"Do you want to take off your helmet?" Jin asked.
"I can''t."
"Tell me why you can''t."
"Only gbearers of rank four or higher are allowed to see the faces of the ck knights. It''s true that I owe you a lot today, but I don''t think it''s enough topel me to break the rules."
"In most circumstances, I would have felt greatly honored."
"What are you saying?"
"ck helmets are only permitted to ten knights among the countless knights of the n. For a knight to put on that helmet to offer me a handshake should have certainly been an honor. But it seems that''s no longer the case."
Barton withdrew his hand at the abrupt change in mood, positioning himself better to ess his sword.
"I felt something was off when the fourth gbearer was conserving his energy. So, the true objective of the mission seems to be my assassination, not securing Bentica."
Contrary to his words, his voice was extremely t, as if he had been expecting this day toe.
"Regardless of the reason you''ve betrayed the glory of the Runcandels, I acknowledge that you once served the n to the best of your ability. I will face you with respect."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 298: Power and Reverence for Power (9)
Chapter 298: Power and Reverence for Power (9)
C298 - Power and Reverence for Power (9)
Provoking the natural death of the traitor in a battle against the Zipple.
The current situation wasn''t exactly what Rosa had ordered, nor was it the best scenario Jin had nned. But considering Beradin''s unexpected appearance, it was the best they could do.
"Respect, huh?"
Barton burst intoughter.
The guardian knights formed a formation and surrounded Barton. His sword made a sharp sound as it was drawn from its sheath. Dyfus''s eyes were filled with murderous intent.
"I''ve never wished for such things since I turned my back on the Runcandels. How tiresome, twelfth gbearer."
Reigaf Klever.
Jin suddenly recalled Barton Vichena''s real name.
The knight of tragedy who was named a ck knight and lost his right to decide his own life, the man who had to witness his family and n members being killed for being aware of it.
This was the Barton Vichena Jin believed he was. Therefore, it wasn''t surprising that Barton was cynical at the mention of respect.
But something was off.
For some reason, I don''t perceive any resentment or anger in Barton.
The Runcandels must have had the entire Klever n hostage, even after stealing Barton''s future and killing his family.
Was it because his resentment and fury toward the Runcandels were too deep, dark, and vast? Was that the reason it wasn''t evident? Barton''s eyes seemed calm beneath his helmet.
"Seeing your disgusting pretense has been a pain all this time, Barton Vichena. Don''t you have any honor for the ck helmet? Of all the people to be on their side, you chose to be the Zipple''s rat."
Dyfus''s giant sword spun toward Barton''s neck.
At the same time, Jin unsheathed Sigmund and lunged for Barton''s throat. The guardian knights held their ground. Their role was to maintain the formation and ensure that Barton contained his movements.
Barton drew his sword so quickly it was barely visible. He easily evaded both attacks and stepped aside.
He was injured, but that didn''t mean his ten-star skill counted for nothing.
Barton spun around himself and approached Dyfus. Jin immediately extended his sword to strike Barton in the back, but he only managed to pierce through his cloak.
"Any problem, Dyfus Runcandel?" Barton questioned his usation even in the midst of battle. His attitude gave Dyfus a headache.
"You treacherous bastard. Are you asking me why that''s a problem? This isplete nonsense."
"Dyfus, that''s precisely why you''ll never match Joshua. Your fighting spirit goes beyond any of your brothers, but your motivations are shallow."
Barton''s and Dyfus''s swords shed and briefly fought to push the other away with power. Barton was the first to step back, but not because hecked the strength to continue.
He moved to avoid the Legends'' lightning bolts Jin began to unleash in the area. Barton looked at the spot where the bolt had struck and nodded.
"Ah, and I suppose your fighting spirit isn''t the best among your brothers anymore either. Sir Cyron used to praise the twelfth gbearer for his fighting spirit, even in his cadet days. So, let me ask you again, Dyfus. Is my betrayal a problem?"
Both Jin and Dyfus maintained theirposure and didn''t answer.
Jin was genuinely calm, but Dyfus was doing his best to remain calm.
"Why won''t you answer me, Dyfus Runcandel? Do you really believe I''m to me for bing a Zipple spy?"
There was evident disappointment in Barton''s voice. It was a strange sight. Here he was, a traitor, reprimanding the Runcandel gbearer, instead of the other way around.
Finally, Jin could discern the emotion Barton felt toward the Runcandels. It was a mix of love and hate. Now it was evident.
"It seems you''re spouting nonsense now that your time to die hase. I won''t endure it any longer."
"Then what about you, twelfth gbearer, Jin Runcandel? Why don''t you answer my question?"
Barton abruptly turned and began swinging his sword at Jin. Showing his back to Dyfus was clearly the riskier move, but there was no hesitation in his actions.
He seemed prepared for death.
He had expended too much aura pretending the aerial battle against Kozec, and he had also received a significant injury from Beradin''s spatial explosion.
There might have been a bleak hope if it were only Dyfus and the guardian knights in the area, but with Jin in the group, Barton had no chance of survival.
Minimizing friendly damage by decapitating Barton: that was the only concern the Runcandels should focus on.
"Sir Barton, why are you behaving like a child?"
Barton flinched and looked Jin in the eyes. He received a sh from Dyfus''s attack in that brief moment of surprise, but he managed to avoid critical damage.
"Are you looking for an apology? Because the Runcandels ruined your life?"
"What did you say?"
Then Barton surged with fury. "When did the Runcandels ruin my life?"
"I searched through your files beforeing here. ording to the records, it said you became a ck knight against your will and lost your family in the process."
Barton''s eyes trembled with surprise, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous im of his life.
Dyfus also seemed to have the same expression. Therefore, Jin could sense that he had made a mistake.
Barton didn''t take long to burst into emptyughter. Dyfus assumed his stance andyered a new aura over his giant sword.
"It seems Mother didn''t hand over all the files about Barton to you. Jin, that man has never lost his life at the hands of the Runcandels. In fact, he was obsessed with bing a Runcandel ck knight."
Jin''s eyes widened. "Are you saying that the Runcandels only killed the Klever n members who knew Sir Barton''s identity because Barton himself desired it?"
"Yes. The records they gave you were written in a way that no gbearer below the fifth rank would despise him even if they ended up executing a mission with him. That man discarded his n and killed his rtives just to be a ck knight."
It felt as if someone had struck Jin''s head with a hammer. He remembered his exchange with Gilly before heading to Bentica.
"It seems I don''t understand. If this turns out to be true, I''ll be quite disappointed."
"Are you disappointed in the n?" Gilly had asked.
"No, not the n. My father. The n is definitely capable of doing such things. In fact, it''s capable of doing much worse things."
"Father certainly is a cold-hearted person, but he''s not someone who ys dirty, not in the way I know him, at least. Moreover, he''s not a powerless person who needs to threaten someone to submit. So, why? I don''t understand why he had to take Barton Vichena in that way."
In a way, Jin felt relieved that Cyron didn''t resort to such shameful means to turn Barton into a ck knight.
It was followed by a feeling of disgust.
"Then why?"
The lightning energy surged over Sigmund''s de. While Barton was busy facing Dyfus, Jin had the powers of his Light Heart raised to execute the master move of the Sword of Legends.
"What despicable reasons did you have to be a ck knight at this point?"
There was no reason to be courteous with him anymore. No matter how hard he had worked for the Runcandels before his betrayal, he was now nothing more than a despicable man with power.
Barton had only one word to exin himself: power.
"Power to control the world at will. That''s the only thing I adore. Blood, kinship, n! Those things hold no meaning. Obtaining the greatest power within the greatest n was the very purpose of my existence."
The im was so ridiculous that Jin was left speechless.
"That''s why the Runcandels, under Sir Cyron''smand, were a paradise to me," Barton said.
"It seems you suffer from a severe mental disorder," Jin replied.
"Do you think I, someone without the blessed body, could have reached ten stars without such determination? No, it''s impossible. Humanity or power. I chose long ago which one I wanted to attain."
None of this was eptable in Jin''s heart. But the mind could understand such ims.
Jin had also met people who spoke or acted like him in the past. Kiddard Hall. Jin could see Kiddard in Barton.
Both were simr in the sense that they would stop at nothing to gain strength and power. Both were equally wicked, but in terms of sheer tenacity, Barton was one step ahead of Kiddard.
"Your despicable life seems to be nothing more than a series of betrayals."
"Then, are you going to be like Dyfus and tell me that I''m also wrong? If it were Sir Cyron, he wouldn''t have responded like that."
"You''re right, Barton. If it were father, he would have said this."
"Well, that seems to be your set of values. If so, prove that your values are correct. Is this what you wanted to hear?"
Barton nodded to show his satisfaction. Although he had betrayed the Runcandels, he still held the transcendent figure, Cyron Runcandel, in the highest esteem.
"Then prove to me that you were indeed right. It seems you like my father''s customs. It turns out I like them too. If you can convince me, I''ll forgive you."
Dyfus didn''tin about Jin exceeding his authority.
Anyway, Barton couldn''t do anything. "Right now, it''s not possible. Today, I would probably meet my death at your hands."
"Then your choice would be proven wrong."
"When I was under Sir Cyron''s Runcandels, I thought death meant failure and the end of all things. But I only realized after meeting Sir Keliac. Death is not the end, Jin Runcandel. All I need is time, nothing more."
"Is it sophistry instead? The ten-star skill you attained after discarding and betraying so much, and that new master of yours, are they incapable of saving you in this moment?"
"There are two immutable truths even if you manage to kill me today. The first is that the Runcandels will certainly fall after Sir Cyron is gone. The second is that I will exist much longer than you, even after my body is destroyed."
The lightning energy in Sigmund grew fiercer.
"And when that timees, you will have to conclude that Barton Vichena''s choice was correct after all."
There was such strong faith in him that it was unsettling. Barton sounded like he was mumbling nonsense, but he seemed to have a firm belief that the Zipple would surely bring down the Runcandels.
Had he gone mad from his adoration and pursuit of power? Or had he been crushed by an unexpected elimination order?
Whatever it was, Jin was infuriated by having granted Barton even the slightest sympathy just a few minutes ago.
"Jin, that''s enough. I don''t think there''s a need to continue listening to this lunatic''s nonsense. Let''s proceed."
Dyfus spoke, covering his gigantic sword with the aura he had saved against Kozec. Just as Jin had raised the lightning energy in his Light Heart to execute the master move of the Sword of Legends, Dyfus was also ready to perform another final move.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 299: Power and Reverence for Power (10)
Chapter 299: Power and Reverence for Power (10)
C299 - Power and Reverence for Power (10)
"I didn''t think I would meet my end with the Runcandels'' gbearers'' swords, but with Sir Cyron''s. That would be the only thing I would regret." Barton spoke as he inspected Dyfus'' sword.
There were aura crystals on Bolgar, the giant sword. The crystals appeared hard and solid like minerals, not like aura.
The battle resumed. Barton was the first to attack. He had already expended too much energy to disy his usual skill.
But despite his fatigue and dwindling aura, the desperate determination of the ten-star knight to fight to the death was powerful enough to shake the ground.
Each of his steps cracked the surface of the ground and sent rocks flying. The shield barrier of his body was only that of an eight-star power, but the bite of the barrier itself was strong enough to create tearing sounds in the air.
It was the second dawn, the final return created by raising thest of his energies.
The gleam in Barton''s eyes emanated from his madness.
It stemmed from his self-contempt and emptiness for having lost all the honor of his ck helmet after being discovered for espionage and the humiliation of being killed at the hands of the gbearers instead of Cyron Runcandel.
And things he kept in his heart before meeting Keliac Zipple and betraying the Runcandels, such as his pride as a ck knight, shed within him.
Barton certainly had unwavering faith in the Zipples.
He believed that he could surpass the limitation of being human and truly achieve transcendence with the Zipples.
But Barton Vichena was still clearly human.
Even if he reached a power close to the human limit, discarded his fears of guilt and murder long ago, and hid his emotions beneath his ck helmet, he was still only human.
"It seems you still know how to feel humiliated, judging by your pompous outburst. Did you think you had enough honor to die by my father''s hands?"
Jin understood Barton''s confusion.
Instead of a response, his sword turned toward Jin''s Adam''s apple. The de looked blurry. And the fact that it was blurry meant it had already passed by.
Jin instinctively took a half-step back. He almost unconsciously raised his hand to his neck.
Talent and skill.
If Jin hadcked either of the two, he would have raised his hand and felt his neck. Trying to see if the sword grazed him or missed by a hair''s breadth would have given his enemy an opportunity tond a critical blow.
Instead, Jin extended his sword to counterattack. Just as Barton''s attack didn''t reach Jin''s neck, Sigmund also grazed Barton''s cheek.
Another sh of light spread between them before their swords could even cross. It was the giant sword Bolgar, descending at an incredible speed.
The three swords created a whirlwind. They collided and created a dozen thunderous sounds in a second.
The guardian knights who were in formation far from the three swallowed hard as they watched.
Each of them was at least an eight-star knight, but none dared to engage inbat. It wasn''t because their sword skills werecking.
Their bodies simply couldn''t withstand it. Either the blessed bodies of the Runcandels or hardened bodies trained to the extreme of their own limitations. One had to possess either of the two if one were to enter this battle.
It seemed like thousands of daggers continuously fell through the shockwaves. Flit. Shik. Each indiscernible small sound left a scar somewhere on the bodies of the three.
Dyfus roared and began to move.
Then the aura crystals on Bolgar started shining brighter. Barton seemed to be creating distance from Dyfus, as if he had been wary of him all this time. It was time for the aura that Dyfus had saved against the Kozecs to prove its worth.
Dyfus chose to execute the sixth final move of the Runcandel n: lightning.
The aura crystals on Bolgar shattered.
They scattered like fragments of crystal, and the aura began to flow among the hundreds of those pieces. A powerful noise like that of lightning energy surged, and a blinding light flickered continuously.
Each sh of light changed the trajectory of the giant sword. The unstable aura structure continuously changed the length of its sword, followed by the sight of shattered crystals dancing along with the giant sword.
"Ugh!" Barton twisted and halted the giant sword. It seemed like he had sessfully dodged it, but his armor tore apart, and a trail of blood sttered in the air.
He was shed by the beam of aura clinging around the giant sword.
The only reason Barton suffered only a minor blow was because he had been wary of the move since crystals began forming on Bolgar. If he hadn''t known what lightning was like, even Barton would have suffered severe damage.
The aura beam around the giant sword closely resembled lightning energy.
Of course, it was aura, not lightning energy. But anyone who knew anything about the Sword of Legends could tell at a nce.
The sixth final move of the Runcandel n, lightning, was a technique borrowed from a Legends technique.
It was a coincidence.
Because the move had been borrowed from the same technique Jin nned to execute, Thunder Sword, a Master Move of the Sword of Legends.
Sigmund absorbed the lightning energy from the Light Heart. Crystals like those that had gathered on the giant sword Bolgar covered the surface of its pale de.
Is that the lightning energy they say Jin wields? Why does it look like lightning?
I was told that all the elders, except Jed, had refused to transmit finishing moves to him. How did hee to master lightning?
Dyfus and Barton wondered these things at the same time. Both were surprised when Jin initiated a move that neither of them expected.
But despite how simr it seemed, it was apletely different move.
Lightning could only increase the attack range of the giant sword, twist its trajectory, and broaden its point of attack.
Thunder Sword, on the other hand, formed dozens of des from lightning energy. Blue des filled the air and rained down toward Barton.
The des flickered, making it extremely difficult to read their movements.
"Gaaaah!" Barton shouted and brandished his longsword.
His cloak was in tatters. His armor was shattered and served no purpose anymore.
He had to defend against both Thunder Sword and lightning. He began to resemble a white orb with the speed at which his longsword repelled attacks from all sides.
Jin and Dyfus alsounched attacks with all their might. It seemed like all Barton could do was defend, but he was likely to counterattack at the first opportunity he could seize.
Blood continued to stter in the air. It was difficult to tell whose blood it was, and the blood evaporated in a second in the air due to the flurry of sword movements.
A finger fell from the space distorted by the shockwaves.
It was Barton''s index finger, although it didn''t slow Barton''s movements in the slightest. In fact, his thrusts became fiercer and faster, to the point that Jin and Dyfus had to take a step back.
What a waste, Dyfus thought. It was a shame that such a powerful swordsman had to betray the Runcandels.
It also made him curious. What had the Zipples promised Barton to make him decide to betray the Runcandels? At first, Dyfus only wanted to kill him. But after exchanging blows with the sword, he couldn''t help but feel curious.
On the other hand, Jin didn''t think it was a waste nor felt curious.
He could understand that people could be weak, but having a horrible character was uneptable. It didn''t matter if one was a ten-star knight or even stronger. The Runcandels didn''t need people like Barton.
Dyfus'' giant sword cut through Barton''s chest. The deep cut broke his ribs and pierced his organs. Barton vomited blood but didn''t show any pain.
His movements were unaffected as well. It was almost unbelievable for someone with such injuries, but Jin and Dyfus soon reached their conclusion. It was time to end his life.
This should be over already.
Jin stepped back, and Dyfus also created distance.
The battle came to a brief halt.
It was as if the fierce resistance Barton had shown a moment ago had been a lie. Barton remained in his ce, still as a statue.
In reality, he had long lost his sight. The bleeding hadpletely damaged his vision, but he continued to block their attacks.
Sigmund released its lightning energy once more.
It caused the thunder des to gather in the air around Jin. Dozens of des formed from lightning energy floated behind Jin and aimed at Barton.
Dyfus'' lightning followed a simr course. Nearly a hundred swords and beams targeted Barton from both sides.
Only Barton''s heavy breathing resonated in the center, amidst the buzzing from both sides.
"Barton Vichena."
Barton couldn''t respond. Blood regurgitated in his throat, and he could only emit wheezing sounds.
Although Barton had lost his sight and the movement of his legs, he could still attack anything within a twenty-meter radius. As long as Jin and Dyfus stayed outside that radius, they werepletely safe from his attacks.
"The Zipples must have promised you eternal life and power beyond everything or something like that. And you must have seen solid evidence and reasons to believe it with your own eyes."
The strength of the thunder and lightning des grew increasingly brighter. Neither of them flickered now, only emitting a dazzling light.
"Surely you must have seen the Demon God Stone. I have also seen the deade back to life thanks to that strange object and gain tremendous power. It was a mysterious power that could tempt anyone."
Dyfus shuddered upon hearing his words.
He had never heard of the Demon God Stone in his life. He had nevere across it in the secret documents essible only to fourth-rank gbearers and above.
"But Barton, you know what? I have also seen the Demon God Stone shatter before a Runcandel''s sword."
Barton raised his head. No, it can''t be. Simple humans can''t shatter it. Barton wanted to say this, but all that came out of his lips was a dark spurt of blood.
Barton had witnessed a Demon God Stone different from the one Jin had experienced, so he thought its destruction was impossible.
"In fact, even my father is aware of its existence. So, whatever it is you dream of, you won''t have it. The death you experience today will beplete. Revival and eternal life? Those futile dreams won''te true."
Before Jin pushed Sigmund, he remembered something and continued. "Ah, and one more thing. It seems that hell also exists. The brief vision I had of it seemed like a very fitting ce for you, so I hope you have a great time there."
Sigmund cut through the air and unleashed all the thunder des. Dyfus'' lightning beam also charged toward Barton and left an afterimage.
Thus, the final resistance began, in all its brevity and intensity.
Barton achieved the feat of dodging half of the hundred des and beams that rained down in a second.
But he couldn''t do anything to prevent the rest from tearing his body to pieces.
There was no scream. Only the raw sounds of blood, flesh, organs, and bones sttering in the air among the gbearers and guardian knights.
Soon, Barton''s body waspletely disintegrated. Jin slowly approached the spot where Barton had been.
His body and armor werepletely destroyed, but for some reason, the very symbol of a ck knight¡ªthe ck helmet¡ªremained intact on the ground.
Jin picked up the helmet and turned to look at the knights. "Mission aplished. All units return to the n."
"Loyalty to the n!"
The knights saluted with their swords. Dyfus wasn''t pleased that the knights saluted Jin, the twelfth gbearer, instead of him, but he didn''t reprimand them for it.
He knew this mission would never have seeded without Jin.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 300: Vacation (1)
Chapter 300: Vacation (1)
C300 - Vacation (1)
On March 10, 1799, Rosa called for a meeting of the gbearers.
Barton Vichena''s hollow helmet sat on the long table. All the gbearers, except Jin and Dyfus, were startled at the sight of the helmet, but none showed their excitement.
They were already aware that Jin had yed the most important role in this mission, not Dyfus.
In fact, Dyfus had told Mary that this mission would have been impossible without Jin. Then Mary started boasting about it to the other gbearers as if it were her own achievement.
The sound of Rosa inspecting the mission report resonated in the silence of the conference room. She read the entire report without changing her expression much and spoke. "It seems you have forgotten the purpose of the mission."
"Is there something we missed?"
Several of their siblings flinched at Jin''s calm question. It was Ran, Vuigo, Miu, Anne, and the twins Tona. They had been told that Jin and Dyfus had perfectlypleted the mission.
"I appreciate the fact that you secured Bentica and killed Barton Vichena. But what the n demanded of you was a discreet death."
What the n demanded.
Rosa emphasized the phrase. And indeed, death at the hands of the enemy during a mission was not just Rosa''s demand. It was something that the entire council of elders had agreed upon.
"If Barton Vichena was to be killed in another way, there was no need to assign it to you, gbearers. I could have done it myself with the ck Sword Guild."
"Mother."
"Speak, twelfth gbearer."
"It was impossible for Barton Vichena to die at the hands of the enemy in this mission. The unexpected factor of Keliac''s divine powers required more personnel to carry out the mission ording to n."
"If that''s what you thought, you should have withdrawn when Barton Vichena suggested retreating and seeking the next opportunity. Of course, by then, the mission would have been assigned to other gbearers instead of you."
Jin didn''t hesitate to use Dyfus as an excuse. "However, the fourth gbearer, the mission''smanding officer, showed a strong determination to continue the mission."
"Fourth gbearer. Is that true?"
"Yes."
"Why didn''t you withdraw?"
"I came to the conclusion that there were no other gbearers who could execute this particr task better than the twelfth gbearer and me at this moment, with the absence of the first gbearer."
"I think not, Dyfus."
"We actually delivered results. Although we couldn''t achieve a discreet death, we fulfilled both objectives without any casualties."
"Don''t you realize why the n had to go to such lengths for Barton Vichena to be killed in such aplex manner? It''s to ensure that his betrayal doesn''t be known to others. All the retiring Zipple Magicians know of his survival, don''t they? Once his death is known, they will realize that the Runcandels have executed a ck knight."
Death in action versus execution.
Unlike the other knights, ck knights had to go through the former. Executing the strongest unit of the Runcandel n was equivalent to informing the world about the divisions and fading loyalty within the n.
The news of a ck knight''s execution could cause a great impact and create ripples on its own. That was the symbol the ck knights served within the Runcandel and Hughester ns.
Of course, even death in action would damage the reputation of the Runcandels.
But the forces involved in the task of securing Bentica were much greater on the Zipple side. It was quite usible for a ck knight to die in battle against the Kozec and the White Night.
If the mission went ording to n, they could have always imed that the ck knight had sacrificed themselves to save the gbearers.
"As you all know, these are difficult times. We are left without the Patriarch and the first gbearer, and yet, the Zipple''s influence is growing day by day. What will our alliances think of us if they hear the news of a ck knight''s execution?"
Miu and Anne almostughed out loud in satisfaction.
I knew it. Dyfus and Jin may be impressive, but they''re only human. It seems they became greedy and went overboard. When Joshua takes over, they will be the first to disappear.
I heard that the council of elders also denied him final movement instructions. That''s how it should be. This will make the council hate him even more.
Meanwhile, Ran and Vuigo were genuinely impressed that Dyfus and Jin had killed Barton Vichena and didn''t think much beyond that.
The Tona twins were concerned, as usual, but they did their best to hide their feelings.
Rosa could clearly see the thoughts of the six gbearers and had to suppress her own frustrations and disappointments.
"If the fourth and twelfth gbearers don''t have valid countermeasures for this, the mission will be considered a failure."
"Mother, you could simply announce that Barton Vichena died in battle without much trouble, and you know it."
The six opened their eyes wider in surprise at Jin''s words. It was precisely the six who made Rosa feel disappointed.
On the other hand, Joshua, Luntia, Dyfus, and Mary maintained theirposure as if they knew this was going to happen.
"The enemy nearly destroyed their Kozec, lost six red dragons and over thirty elite Magicians, and Beradin was severely injured even after using Keliac''s powers. Yet, they failed to secure Bentica."
Using Keliac''s powers.
That phrase made the six gbearers look back at Jin. It wasn''t mentioned in the report they had been given. But no one opposed and asked what he was talking about.
"It would be impossible to say that the Runcandels didn''t suffer any damage in the process. In particr, once it bes known that it was me who nearly destroyed the Kozec, they will lose more than just their reputation."
"Wait, Jin. Are you saying that it was you who destroyed the Kozec and not Dyfus?"
Jin ignored Vuigo''s question and continued. "If we publish a false statement about the death of a ck knight, the Zipple will wee it because each of them gains something. Obviously, we didn''t suffer any real harm and even secured Bentica on top of that, so we gained much more than them."
"Aren''t you considering the fact that the Zipple might reveal that the dead ck knight is a spy?"
"No. It''s not worth considering at all. If the Zipple reveal the fact that Barton had been a traitor, it would mean they lost the battlepletely, even with the Kozec and a converted ck knight on their side. I will personally assume full responsibility if the Zipple reveal his identity."
Then silence fell.
Unlike Ran, Vuigo, Miu, Anne, and the Tona twins, the rest of the attendees at the meeting understood that all those questions had been a part of Rosa''s test.
Rosa cornered Jin not just to put him in a difficult situation.
As this mission was a critical matter for the n, she wanted to see how Jin would resolve the issue as a gbearer.
Furthermore, she wanted to set an example for the gbearers who didn''t catch the hint, showing them what a Runcandel gbearer should be like.
If Jin had responded that he had no choice, Rosa would have immediately punished him for failing the mission.
But as always, Jin achieved satisfactory results. Despite the unexpected challenge of the spatial explosion, he achieved nearly perfect results in the mission.
Precisely because of that, Rosa felt a sense of regret.
I regret that one day I''ll have to end this child. But until that dayes, he can do a lot for the n, she thought.
Jin knew exactly what she was thinking. Use me however you want, mother, because they wille back to strangle you and Joshua by the neck.
Jin and Rosa had the same thoughts as they looked at each other.
Someone knocked on the door.
"Lady Rosa, it''s Heinz."
"You may enter."
The butler Heinz bowed his head as he entered. He carried a stack of bulletins in his hand. They were from the Luther Magical Federation.
"The Zipple have published articles about the Bentica mission. They''re trying to give the impression that they managed to kill a ck knight, despite their defeat in battle."
"Keliac Zipple arrived first. What a cunning man he is. He must have realized that Barton was exposed after learning about the course of this mission."
At this point, even the higher-ranked gbearers were quite puzzled. Of course, Luntia was desperately trying not to yawn, as usual.
"Is there anything else of particr note?"
"No, mydy. Shall I prepare the press for a response?"
"Yes, do so. Glorify Barton Vichena''s death but do not reveal his true name. Also, destroy all records and documents rted to Barton."
"I will fulfill your orders, mydy."
Articles praising Barton would fill the headlines throughout Hughester, but his ck helmet and remains would never be taken to the crypts.
Heinz left. Rosa looked at Jin again.
"Things have gone ording to your words, twelfth gbearer. You deserve a reward. Is there anything you desire?"
"After the ancient eversteel is extracted, grant me ten percent of it. And I would also like to have ten days of vacation."
"I will grant them to you."
Surprisingly, Rosa epted Jin''s request without conditions.
She had already decided that, at least for the time being, she would focus on using Jin rather than ending him.
The Runcandels and the Zipple focused on their mutual practical gains and losses, and the same went for Jin and Rosa. Above all, Rosa believed that whatever Jin gained would eventually pass into Joshua''s hands.
Therefore, she lost nothing by giving him her support. In fact, there were times when she had good reasons to support his actions.
"That''s all. The gbearers'' meeting is adjourned. gbearers five, six, seven, eight, and nine. You will be assigned missions this afternoon, so send your stewards to my office."
"Understood."
After leaving the office, Jin headed straight to his room without engaging in conversation with anyone.
But as he passed by the Tona twins, he told them that he hadn''t forgotten their promise.
"Let''s have a drink tonight."
"Oh, alright! We''ll have good ones prepared."
The other gbearers clicked their tongues in disapproval at the Tona twins'' behavior, but Dyfus and Mary could only feel jealous of the twins.
Mary sincerely wished to get closer to Jin. Dyfus, on the other hand, thought differently.
The lightning sword Jin disyed was certainly simr to Lightning, the sixth final movement. And the Demon God''s stone?
''There are so many things I don''t know about Jin. Even his magical prowess far exceeded my expectations.''
Mary shuddered and blinked in disbelief as she looked at the nape of Dyfus'' neck.
"Dyfus? Are you cold? You have goosebumps on your neck. How disgusting. How disgusting. It seems we also need some hot drinks."
Jin returned to his room, greeted by Gilly''s wee.
Meanwhile, the dark dragon of about three thousand years, Murakan, only gave him a brief nce with a sullen face when he arrived.
"Well done, young master."
"Thank you. But what''s wrong with Murakan this time?"
"Oh, about that." Gilly wore an awkward smile as if it were a difficult question to answer.
Murakan was sulking for a simple reason.
Gilly had told him they should spend these vacations together. In other words, Murakan had a hard time epting that the long-awaited date had been missed.
"I heard that the contractor in Olmango is in the Kingdom of Schutzeron, is that true? I''ve always wanted to go to one of their beaches. I thought it would be a great idea to go there on vacation, along with all our Tikanpanions. Young master, if you''re willing toe with us...".
Jin chuckled as he saw Murakan frowning once again.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 301: Vacation (2)
Chapter 301: Vacation (2)
C301 - Vacation (2)
"Really? That''s a great idea. I also got ten days off from my mom."
"Wow. Seriously?"
Unlike Murakan, whose face was distorted with disappointment, Gilly smiled, her eyes sparkling. She was genuinely happy that everyone was going on vacation together.
"That sounds exciting. I should get some new clothes and a makeover too."
"You sound happy, Gilly."
"The idea of all of us being together again is really exciting. It''s been a long time since west saw each other. Haha. When are we leaving?"
"We can''t waste a minute if you''re that happy, Gilly. Let''s leave tomorrow," Jin said.
"What? Tomorrow? Then I must get to the city right away before the stores close."
"Go ahead, Gilly. Have fun."
Gilly grabbed her purse and rushed out of the room.
Jin smiled after her. Murakan just sighed.
"Let me say this in advance. I only told Gilly to take a vacation, and I never suggested that we all spend it together."
"Hmph, did I ever ask?" Murakan said petntly.
"No, it feels like you''re ming me for getting permission."
"Who says I got permission?"
"Well, never mind." For some reason, Jin felt satisfied.
"Well, still, I don''t feel bad seeing her so happy. If Strawberry Pie is happy, that''s more than I can ask for."
"That makes me feel bad for gloating, you know?"
"What? Were you gloating? You brat."
Murakan red at him, so Jin quickly pointed outside.
"If you''re so eager for a date, hurry up and follow Gilly right now. You could help her pick out clothes and watch them do her hair. That''s a kind of date, isn''t it? You could bring her a fruit juice while she''s shopping."
"Oh, that''s an idea! I take back what I said about you."
Jin and Murakan high-fived.
"I''ll be backte!" Murakan ran out.
Jin smiled as he looked out the closed window and watched Murakan catch up to Gilly. They left the Garden of Swords together. Gilly looked very happy as she turned and smiled at Murakan.
"They''re so cute. As for me, I should take a well-deserved nap."
Jin had been exhausted ever since his return to the Garden of Swords.
He had to fend off Cyron''s attack as soon as he arrived, battle Mary and Silderay, and carry out the assassination task of the ck knight. He was overloaded with work without any time for rest.
Jin fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.
-----------------
It was nighttime when he woke up. A cool breeze was blowing, and the moon cast a beautiful light through the open window.
Gilly and Murakan hadn''t returned yet. They were atop a hill, enjoying the nighttime view of Kalon with some fruits and beer.
Jin thought of savoring the quiet nighttime breeze from his bed for a while longer, only to abruptly get out of it.
I never opened the window, and neither would Petrow.
The window couldn''t have opened on its own due to the breeze. He knew he had closed it before going to sleep.
Only one kind of being would sneak in through windows like thieves.
Assassins.
He knew he had a pretty deep sleep, but he should have been alert enough to notice if there were any assassins.
He didn''t believe his brothers were foolish enough to let assassins into the very Garden of Swords, but in any case, he always maintained a certain level of alertness.
He hadn''t noticed the window opening. How skilled could the culprit be?
Jin looked around in rm. Then he chuckled when he saw a green rose tied to the nightstand.
It was a green rose.
Looks like Yona came. That exins everything. He would never have felt her approaching with the level of alertness he maintained.
There was a letter next to the flower.
[Dear little brother! Congrattions on bing a gbearer.
I was right by your side, but you were sleeping as if you didn''t care about anything.
I considered killing you, especially because you disappeared afterst year''s incident and didn''t bother to tell me anything.
But if I pulled out a dagger, maybe you would wake up.
I came by because I missed you. What did you say? You missed me too? Of course, I know. You don''t have to tell me.
It seems you''ve grown much stronger, and I''m proud of you. I didn''t wake you up because you looked tired.
Lately, I''ve had a lot of orders, and I''ve been very busy. All I can hope for is that some of my targets are people you need to get rid of or who have harmed you.
Anyway, let''s meet again when things are a bit less hectic. Goodbye for now.]
Surprisingly, the letter turned into dust and dispersed once he finished reading it. It wasn''t magic. The letter was written on specially treated paper by Sameel.
"Wow, Yona. I''m not sure if I should say she''s being nice or just in deadly."
Jin thought about how Yona must have secretly snuck in just to leave a green rose and a letter.
He felt grateful. The rest of his brothers wanted him dead, but Luna and Yona constantly reminded him of what having a family meant.
He held the green rose up to the moonlight. It reminded him of the patch of green roses he saw in Sameel with Yonah. He couldn''t take his eyes off it for a while.
Almost forgot.
He remembered he had agreed to have a drink with the Tona twins, and they had also promised him some good liquor.
The Tona twins and Emma must have been waiting for quite some time. Emma would be eager, especially.
He headed to the Tona''s room.
He opened their door and burst intoughter once again.
Seems like many things are making meugh today.
A party tomemorate the friendship of gbearers 12, 10, and 11 from Runcandel and the sessful first mission of gbearer 12. Quite an honor.
Jin spotted arge banner with those words as soon as he entered the room. His praise was extremely evident in the way the twelfth was mentioned before the others.
Upon inspecting the banner, Jin saw the Tona twins, both wearing luxurious, questionably sourced cone hats, and there were lit candles on a table filled with fruits and snacks.
"Hello, Jin."
"Sit wherever you like. Haha."
"Brothers, what''s all this?"
"Oh, about that. When Emma heard you wereing..."
He could hear the sound of meat sizzling from the inner chambers. Emma had been waiting all night to impress Jin by cooking the meat just as he arrived.
She then poked her head out from the kitchen to find Jin and hurriedly removed her aprons to greet him politely.
"You''vee, young Master Jin. I''ve made many mistakes in front of you all this time. So, as an apology, I''ve prepared some simple dishes and drinks for you."
It was more than awkward. It was outrageously ridiculous, causing Jin to burst intoughter at the preparations.
"However, it doesn''t look simple at all. This seems quite serious. Did you make all this food by yourself?"
"This is nothingpared to what you did for me and the young Tona masters on the day you returned, sir."
"Are you sure it''s not poisoned?"
"Haha, of course not. Why don''t you start with the appetizers? I''ll be right back with the main course."
Jin took his seat. This brought a smile to Emma''s face.
It also relieved the Tona twins, who had been worried that Emma''s overly prepared wee might leave him with a bad impression.
This is quitemendable.
That''s what Jin thought. He was quite pleased that they had gone to such lengths to show their desire to be on his side. Yonah''s gift had contributed to his good mood as well.
They are trying so hard to win me over; maybe I should y along.
Heitona opened a bottle. The fragrance of its contents filled the room.
"Congrattions, Jin!"
"Congrattions!"
It was the first time Jin had engaged in casual conversation with the Tona twins. They talked about things most close friends did. Frivolous and mostly insignificant things.
The twins did most of the talking while Jin listened.
Part of it was because Emma had advised them to get closer to Jin, but it was also because the twins genuinely wished to befriend him.
Initially, it was because of Jin''s strength and quirkiness, but now, it was purely out of brotherly affection, one that had grown from all the days they spent together at Stormcastle and as cadets.
Of course, the Tona twins had offended Jin countless times in the past, but they had also looked out for him on several asions.
The number of empty bottles grew.
Emma didn''t join their conversation until past midnight and filled Jin in on n and Hufester affairs.
Of everything that was discussed, here''s what Jin observed...
"Young Master Jin. My n, the Neiltrows, is a martial arts n, but we also produce many judges every year. There are also quite a few active judges in my immediate family. So, I''ve heard something strange from my older brother, who serves as the chief judge of the Ponta region."
"What is it?"
"Apparently, Young Master Joshua issued a particr order to all the judges in Hufester to lower the threshold for the death penalty."
"Is it to reduce crime rates? Well, executing criminals is certainly one way to do it."
Emma nodded at Deitona''sment.
"That''s probably the reason. But the interesting thing is the fact that convicted criminals have been transported to Ricarlton for execution instead of their own regions since the threshold was lowered."
"Ricarlton? Isn''t that a city in the southern region?" Jin asked.
"Yes, it is, Young Master Jin. And there''s another peculiar thing about it."
"Go on."
"I''ve heard that the convicted criminals transported to Ricarlton are only executed in mass. Executions are carried out in batches of several hundred at a time, but no one actually witnesses the executions. They only show how they burn the bodies."
A conversation Jin had in the past suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
"Do you know how that woman creates copies of Joshua?"
"I only know that it requires arge number of humans."
"What?"
"It seemed they used convicts in Hufester. They sent them to the Seer, and he got a new body. He mostly used those bodies to handle people like me, to reinforce potential contractors, and suppress them in case of overload."
That had been the conversation when Jin convinced Yulian to join his side in Tikan.
If what Emma had told him was true, then Ricarlton was likely the city where Joshua was using the convicts needed to create copies of himself.
''Emma wouldn''t have brought this up knowing about the Seer and Joshua''s copies. She must have brought up almost anything rted to him, knowing I''m hostile towards him. To think I''d get a lead from someone so random.''
Emma certainly didn''t know anything about the Seer or Joshua''s copies.
But he guessed there might be something in Ricarlton when he saw Jin deep in thought after hearing the news she brought.
"I''m just a nanny. Maybe I went too far talking about the second gbearer. I promise to mind my words when you''re not around, Young Master Jin."
She hinted that she would never speak of this to anyone but him.
Emma was very clever in that regard.
"Seems like a smart thought." Jin smiled as he joined Emma and the Tona twins.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 302
Chapter 302
C302 - Vacation (3)
The next morning, early, a group of swordsmen dressed in robes crossed the courtyard of the Garden of Swords. Their eyes were sharp and focused. They seemed to have a very important agenda.
They were elders.
There were about twenty in the group. It was very rare to see the elders of Runcandel walking together.
The servants dared not lift their heads from a bow. Meanwhile, all the guardian knights greeted them warmly with each step.
Everyone was curious about where the elders were headed, but they didn''t dare to ask.
"Eh? It''s the elders."
The Tona twins had just woken up. They rubbed their eyes and looked out the window.
"Where are they going? Uncle Jed is with the group too. For some reason, it looks like they''re heading to Jin''s room."
The Tona twins were right. The elders were heading to Jin''s room.
"Elder Jed, are you sure about this?"
"Please, don''t tell me you have trust issues! How many times do I have to tell you? I showed you the evolved form of the final move, the Petal Cascade, didn''t I? I''m telling you, I couldn''t have done it alone."
This was why the elders hade to see Jin.
It was the final move.
After Jed improved the Petal Cascade, he requested a review from the council of elders. As the elders were unaware of how it hade about, they naturally congratted Jed and suggested that his name be added to the new version of the Petal Cascade.
However, Jed insisted that Jin''s name be added to the move instead, as he had contributed significantly to improving the technique.
"But I just don''t get it. How could you discover the key to improving the final move from a kid who just became a gbearer?"
"In fact, it was only a few days ago that you taught him the Petal Cascade, Elder Jed."
"Curse it. Are you saying I''m lying for the sake of the twelfth gbearer? Your suspicions never end. If you''re going to keep acting like this, you''d better stop following me!"
"Alright, alright. You know that''s not what I''m trying to say. Why don''t we calm down a bit? I admit it. It''s my fault."
"Yeah, yeah. It was your fault. Elder Jed is not one to lie. Besides, do you remember the strange thing the fourth gbearer told usst night?"
One elder scolded the other while giving Jed a shoulder massage.
"He said that the twelfth gbearer executed a sword move during the mission that was superior to the sixth final move, Lightning. Maybe the twelfth gbearer is a figure who can provide crucial clues to improving Runcandel n''s final moves, just as Elder Jed said."
Dyfus deliberately leaked information about the Legends Master Move Jin used in the mission, the Thunder de, to the elders. He knew Jin would never tell him even if he asked, so he chose to use the elders. It was undoubtedly a wise decision.
"And the fourth gbearer is not one to lie either. That''s why we''re all gathered here to confirm it for ourselves, aren''t we? We''re almost there, so bear your curiosity a little longer."
All the elders pretended to cough as they closely watched Jed''s reaction.
They finally arrived at Jin''s room.
"Old sacks. I can already imagine you drooling over Jin''s sword skill. How dare you doubt my words?"
Jed gritted his teeth and knocked on the door.
"Answer the call of the council of elders! Twelfth gbearer, Jin Runcandel. Respond to the door immediately!" Jed shouted with a firm and resonant voice.
But there was no response.
"Jin! Come out immediately."
There was no response to his second call either, so Jed forcefully opened the door. The lock broke as the door swung open, but there was no one in the room.
"Eh? The boy. Why isn''t he here? Uhm, uhm!"
This time it was Jed''s turn to observe the elders'' reactions.
They all shrugged, as if to say, "I knew it."
"It''s a shame, Elder Jed. We all took our precious time toe here, and yet..."
"Wait, it doesn''t matter that Jin isn''t here. Why do you all look disappointed? Don''t you trust me?"
"Come on. You know that''s not it, Elder Jed. We believe you, of course. I''m sure the twelfth gbearer has his reasons for his absence, haha. For now, let''s go back."
The elders immediately turned around and left, leaving Jed resenting Jin.
"That brat, where is he? Does he have any idea that his uncle was humiliated?"
------------
Jin, on the other hand, was sipping a cocktail at a beachside tavern where seagulls serenaded. Gilly was feeding nearby birds, dressed in a light-colored dress.
"Two more cocktails, please, just like thest order. By the way, isn''t it about time they arrive, young master?"
"Yes. And look, there theye."
Jin pointed to the sky. Seagulls hastily took flight.
A dragon was descending rapidly towards them. It was Murakan. Jin''spanions in Tikan were also on his back.
"Oh, my lord! You have no idea how much I''ve missed you. Yes, sir! Jet definitely did it!"
"Uwoo! Lord Jin!"
Jetu and Enya were the first to run to him.
They were delighted, like puppies reuniting with their lost master.
"Hello, Jet and Enya. How have you been?"
"Oh, I''ve been well, my lord. My life is always filled with happiness, thanks to you. Oh, you''ve had so many troubles for so long. We heard your life has been tumultuous since you returned to the Garden of Swords."
"Oh, wait. I guess we should address him as ''Sir'' now and not ''Lord,'' right? Nevertheless, you look as handsome as ever! Why don''t we start with you giving me an autograph? Make sure to write ''Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel'' there too. Right here, on my back."
Enya thumped her chest like an excited primate to show her joy, as she always did.
"Wow, indeed. Enya. You must be thrilled to get an autograph, right? Yes, I''m sure you are. Good to see you, Jin."
"How have you been, Quikantel-nim?"
"I''ve been well. Apart from Enya, Euria, and Pinte whining about missing you every day, of course."
Quikantel no longer asked Enya to maintain her Olta contractor ss.
"Sir Jin. You''ve always been a very mature person, but now, you truly feel like an adult."
"Alisa, please, call me as always. The same goes for you, Enya."
"Should I then?"
Alisa gave Jin a slight hug after a handshake.
"This reminds me of the first day I met you, Lord Jin."
Kashimir followed her and met Jin.
"Mr. Kashmir."
"My daughter, whom you saved, is doing very well. She''s nine years old now."
"Time really flies. She was only five when we first met."
It had been four years since Jin had started building rtionships with the people of Tikan.
They felt more like family than Jin''s siblings, and Tikan felt more like home than the Garden of Swords.
"Euria and Latrie couldn''t join us. The confectionery is too busy. And Beris has been helping out too. Kuzan and Yulian are still busy with the mission you assigned them, Lord Jin."
It was quite surprising to hear that Beris was working in the confectionery, especially with her personality.
Kashimir handed him a basket. It was filled with cookies. The tastiest and crunchiest Rie cookies, the signature of the Rie confectionery.
However, the cookies weren''t for Jin. Jin only opened the basket to look at the cookies and then closed the lid again.
"I hope he likes them."
"I''m sure he will. ording to the agents'' findings, Olmango''s contractor is dying to eat them."
Jin and Kashimir burst intoughter.
The Seven-Colored Peacock had pinpointed Olmango''s contractor''s exact location centuries ago. They had confirmed it even before Jin gave the order.
As a result, they learned that Olmango''s contractor had a kind of obsession with Rie cookies.
The cookies began to gain worldwide fame for their delicate taste and fragrance sometimest year. They became so popr that even renowned figures from all over the world had to queue up to order these cookies.
Articles and reviews about them appeared in all sorts of magazines and newsletters. For anyone with knowledge of pastries, Rie cookies were a dream.
The anticipation was such that there were even troubadours singing songs about the need to visit the Tikan Free City at least once in a lifetime to taste Rie cookies.
However, only nobles and the wealthy, who had both the money and time for such things, could visit the Tikan Free City to sample the cookies.
Unfortunately, Olmango''s contractor belonged to neither category.
"Anyway, to begin with," Jin looked at hispanions and continued, "Let''s enjoy a few days of rest. We won''t have many opportunities to be together like this."
From that moment on, they left all work and worries behind and enjoyed themselves on the beach.
They shared stories, invited city musicians to enjoy their songs, cooked for them, swam in the sea, and fished in the ocean.
The four days of rxation passed in the blink of an eye, as fast as a crab hiding its eyes. Jin and hispanions had forgotten how enjoyable it was to simply rx and have fun for a long time.
"It looks like you''re all very close, sir. Thanks to your party, I think the tavern will set a new record for sales, sir." A tavern waiter addressed Jin. He had the youthful face of a man who had just turned twenty, with a face and skin that seemed unusually moist for some reason.
He didn''t know who Jin and hispanions were. If he had known, he wouldn''t have been so eager to strike up a conversation.
"mwell."
The waiter was surprised at the abrupt mention of his name, especially since he hadn''t mentioned his name to Jin or any of hispanions.
"Yes? How can I assist you, sir?"
Jin ced the basket of Rie cookies on the table.
"I''m Jin Runcandel, the twelfth gbearer of the Runcandel n and the contractor of Solderet. This is a gift for you."
There was a reason why Jin and hispanions spent their few days off in this particr beachside tavern. It was because mwell, Olmango''s contractor, worked here.
mwell stood still. He tried to speak, but no sound came from his mouth.
He opened the box with trembling hands, releasing a fragrant and delicious cookie aroma into the air.
"I''vee because there''s something I''m looking for from your god. If it''s not too much trouble, could you call Olmango for me?"
mwell looked very surprised.
It wasn''t due to Jin''s identity either. It was the basket full of cookies that was boggling his mind.
"Are these... really all for me?"
"Of course."
"Do you think I could have some while we talk about this?"
Jin nodded. mwell lifted a cookie with trembling hands. He took a bite. His face immediately turned red, and then he rolled his eyes.
The cookie had a quite shocking taste too, but it was actually due to the manifestation of his god. It was quite simr to how Picon had manifested in Fin nche.
"This is amazing! Yes, indeed. I''m fed up with seafood!"
"Olmango?"
"Wait a little, Solderet''s Contractor. Let me finish this first before I grant you what you seek."
Olmango stuck his head into the basket and started devouring the cookies. ss and dignity as a God were clearly something he did not possess.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 303:
Chapter 303:
C303 - Temar''s Second Tomb (1)
The tavern owner had gone home, leaving mwell in charge of the ce. Jin and hispanions were the only patrons left.
Olmango made a lot of noise as he devoured the cookies. He almost seemed like a god gone mad for cookies. He sucked in the treats like one drinks from a rare oasis in the desert.
What kind of god is this?
The scene surprised Jin. He also regretted not ordering more cookies.
Naturally, Jin''spanions also gathered to watch how the scene unfolded.
For them, it was an amusing experience to see a God sticking his head into a basket to devour cookies.
"More, don''t you have more?"
Olmango finally pulled his head out of the basket and asked after finishing about seventy percent of the cookies.
"This is all I have."
"Please tell me there''s more." He seemed genuinely desperate.
"There is more, but only at the third-floor confectionery in the Tikan Free City across the sea."
"No! Then I guess I''ll have to save them forter. My contractor will want to try them too."
Olmango''s hands trembled in a superhuman effort to close the basket.
"It''s so adorable!" Enya shouted unconsciously as the rest shrugged.
Olmango pretended to cough, embarrassed by all the attention. "I acted below my capabilities. If possible, please tell the owner of the Tikan bakery that these are the best cookies Olmango has ever tasted. The baker has superhuman skills."
Indeed, the baker was not human, but that information did not seem necessary.
"I''ll make sure to ry the message."
"Good, good. So you are Jin Runcandel, the thousand-year contractor mentioned by Solderet, is that right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Prove it."
Jin formed a fist-sized Shadow Energy orb in his hand, to which Olmango nodded.
"It looks safe then. Honestly, I didn''t think you''d survive and make it to me. With the trouble you caused against the Zipple even before bing a gbearer and that bounty on your head, I was almost certain you wouldn''t survive."
mwell and Olmango were well aware of the Holy Kingdom incident, as was everyone in Hufester.
"Solderet, my friend. You were right about what woulde in a thousand years."
"Look, Mr. God-of-ms. We''re busy, okay? Why don''t you give us the key?" Murakan spoke with an attitude.
He was quite irritated that Olmango referred to Solderet as a friend. Murakan had never seen Solderet hang out with Olmango before he fell into a long slumber.
In fact, Olmango''s only known powers were the ability to keep the contractor''s skin moist and the power to easily attract seafood. Additionally, contractors were granted the power to cook ms perfectly in any situation.
This was why Murakan considered Olmango a useless deity. It wasn''t necessarily because Murakan was especially rude. Most people in the world regarded Olmango as useless.
This was why mwell, Olmango''s contractor, served tables in a remote tavern like this.
"From the looks of it, you must be Murakan, the dark dragon. Solderet was very concerned about you."
"Don''t tell me he was concerned about me. He left the keys to Temar''s tomb to gods like you or Picon Minche without telling me anything about it."
"Solderet would have had his reasons, don''t you think?"
"Hmph! Would you mind telling me some of those reasons, then?"
Olmango shook his head. His innocent-looking eyes annoyed Murakan. However, the dragon had no reason to hold it against the God of ms.
But the rest of thepanions could deduce from Murakan''s anger that he was quite upset. In Pic¨®n''s case, they had all been very close a thousand years ago, but Olmango was just an ordinary god from Murakan''s perspective.
"Well, anyway. I''m fed up with cookies, so I''m going to talk about the second tomb of the first Runcandel patriarch. By the way, Jin Runcandel?"
"Yes?"
"Do you intend to enter the tomb all together?"
Jin looked surprised at Olmango.
"Is that possible?"
"I don''t see why not. After all, it''s just a tomb made tomemorate a person."
Jin had never thought about entering the tomb withpanions other than Murakan or Misha.
"Of course, it''s quite a particr tomb, so you should be prepared to face its dangers."
Its dangers.
The phrase immediately rted to the memory of the first tomb for Jin. If there was a guardian resembling one of the ten knights like Silderay Runcandel, it was more than just dangerous.
Jin didn''t want to expose hispanions to such dangers if he could avoid it.
But he also understood that trusting hispanions was the best way to show them respect.
Everyone seemed willing to apany him, whatever might happen.
Thepanions were already determined. Lately, they had felt sorry for not being able to help Jin as much as before.
"Olmango, do you know the guardian residing in the second tomb?"
"I cannot answer your question."
"Why?"
"All memories of the guardian have left me. I''ve tried to remember many times, but only a faint imagees to mind."
Each of the ten knights had been erased from history.
"But one thing is certain. The guardian must be tired because many great battles were fought when the Zipple plundered the tomb."
The guardian of the first tomb, Silderay, materialized long after the Zipple plundered the tomb because it required the presence of the thousand-year contractor to appear.
In contrast, the guardian of the second tomb had been guarding the area since its creation.
A bitter smile formed on Olmango''s lips as he tried to remember the forgotten guardian once more.
"Let''s go."
Jin and hispanions followed Olmango out of the tavern.
It was an especially starry night. For some reason, it seemed as if the stars were shining to light their way.
Olmango stopped at the same beach where they had been swimming the past few days.
"Don''t tell me the second tomb is right here."
"But it is."
Olmango waded into the water with a ssh. Then he turned to look at the group and urged them to follow.
"Follow me in a straight line."
Right at that moment, something astonishing happened.
A path was forming on the water with each slow step Olmango took.
He walked on the sea as one walks onnd. The spectacle was truly mysterious and befitting of a god.
Obviously, none of them had ever walked on water before.
"Wow. He really must be a god, Lord Jin."
"I agree, sir. This Jet is experiencing another wonder thanks to you, my lord. Look at all these gentle waves around us. This has to be the most magnificent sight I''ve ever seen."
"These are turning out to be truly wonderful vacations, young master."
Even Quikantel was quite impressed by Olmango''s powers, although Murakan continued to grumble, muttering things like, "What''s so special about walking on water?"
They walked for an hour. The starry sky and the sea were all they could see around them, and thend was barely visible now.
"I guess it would be safe to open it right here."
"What do you mean by ''open''? Weren''t you supposed to give us the key?"
Olmango showed his palms to Murakan at his question. "My power is the key, Murakan."
It happened right then.
The sea suddenly split in front of Olmango, as if two pieces of fabric were torn apart.
"Whoa. What''s this? It''s insane. What''s happening?"
Now, even Murakan, who was doing his best not to be impressed, had to exim in amazement. Hispanions were no different. Even Jin was left in awe.
The sea followed Olmango''s hands and formed waterfalls on both sides of the rift.
No one would have ever believed that the God of ms could create such a miraculous scene.
In fact, the opening of the sea was not the end.
"Holy gods. What is that?"
Jin and hispanions looked down into the open trench under the sea.
There was a m.
It must have been the only one of its kind in the world. The m was indescribably massive and slimy. Yet there it was, opening its shell wide.
It was the size of an entire castle.
"That was tough. It''s been a while since I used my powers. Murakan, this is why Solderet chose me. Not many beings in the world can handle seals of such scales."
It almost seemed like his cookie madness had been nothing but a lie. The group - including Murakan this time - could only show their utmost respect for Olmango.
This was why the God of ms, Olmango, was rumored to be a useless deity to the rest of the world.
He had to make sure he always had energy saved because Olmango''s duty as a god was to use his powers to hide and safeguard the stories, which should only be shown to those who needed them at the required moment.
It almost looked like a ck pearl.
A massive seal of Shadow Energy writhed inside the m. The seal was the entrance to the second tomb of Temar.
"So, I hope you''re not so upset about Solderet anymore. Go on now, all of you."
"Thank you, Olmango."
"I only did what I had to. Oh, and one more thing."
Olmango looked Jin in the eyes and continued, "I don''t remember who was inside, but please tell that guy he did a great job."
"I''ll make sure to tell him."
The group jumped into the Shadow Energy seal inside the m one by one.
Once they were all absorbed by the Shadow Energy seal, Olmango''s m closed its giant shell.
---------------
Once again, they found themselves in an ethereal ne created with Shadow Energy.
But unlike the infinite darkness and emptiness of the first tomb, in the second tomb, there were traces of terrible battles everywhere.
The ce was littered with white skeletons presumed to be Zipple Magicians from ancient times, and the corpses got in their way as they walked. However, when they touched the remains, they turned into ashes and fell.
"Oh, wow. Everything had been so magical until now. This ce is so deste and unsettling, my lord."
"How many groups of skeletons are these? I can''t even fathom how many enemies the guardian must have faced on his own, Lord Jin."
Jet and Kashimir spoke as they explored their surroundings.
The group tried to figure out which direction to head when they heard a woman''s voice in the distance.
"I knew I felt quite a ruckus from afar. Yes, I knew you''de."
The group immediately heightened their senses and turned their heads in the direction of the voice.
Murakan immediately recognized the voice, just like thest time. "Sarah? Sarah Runcandel, is that you, right?"
"Murakan."
Soon, the guardian revealed herself.
She wore armor simr to the Runcandel guardian knights, just like Silderay, but her armor was torn and had holes everywhere.
It wasn''t just the armor. Her body was damaged as well. She had only one arm left, and the countless wounds on her body oozed Shadow Energy like it was blood.
"Why are you sote, you stupid dragon?" The guardian spoke upon meeting Murakan.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 304: Temars Second Tomb (2)
Chapter 304: Temar''s Second Tomb (2)
C304 - Temar''s Second Tomb (2)
Her tone was oddly friendly.
Unlike Silderay, who treated Murakan like any tomb guardian would treat an intruder, the guardian of the second tomb greeted him like an old friend.
''Sarah... I heard her name on the recording device in the first tomb. She''s the Runcandel who''s supposed to have led five Sorcery Swords to the Tower of Tales, where three hundred dragons had gathered.''
Sarah smiled as she looked at Murakan. It was quite strange to see the smile along with all the Shadow Energy coalescing on her face like blood.
"Late? What are you talking about?"
"I killed all those wretches before you arrived. To be precise, I swept them all with Fadler. You''rete again, you know? Where have you been loafing around this time?"
"Sarah."
"Fadler, that fool. He''s injured. I''m fine, as always. But that weakling is going to need some training from you and the patriarch."
Sarah, wake up! Murakan was about to shout, but Jin grabbed him by the shoulder. He tried tomunicate through his gaze that the person before them wasn''t the Sarah Murakan knew, but only a guardian made in her likeness.
The Shadow Energy flowing instead of blood was proof of this.
Murakan was being dragged into the same emotions that had tormented Jin when he shed at his enemies in the great Mitra desert, even though he knew they were only mirages.
The guardian was identical to Sarah Runcandel in every way. The way she spoke, walked, and even how she treated Murakan.
It was impossible to distinguish beings created from Shadow Energy from the real person, especially if they had been infused with the soul.
"Murakan, why don''t you answer my question? You''rete already. You won''t tell me you can''t be bothered with such trifles, will you?"
"It seems you''ve been fighting for too long, Sarah Runcandel." Quikantel stepped forward and spoke. She, too, remembered Sarah.
The guardian stopped and directed her gaze at Quikantel.
"Oh, look who it is. Quikantel. I can''t believe the spectator has finally decided toe to the battlefield. Although, of course, the battle is already over."
Murakan and Quikantel felt terrible.
A thousand years, that was the time during which the guardian had protected the second tomb in the dark ethereal ne all alone.
Her scar-covered body and the thousands of skeletons surrounding the area were evidence of the terrible battles she had fought. In fact, the guardian''s sword was broken, with only half of the de remaining.
The guardian couldn''t distinguish past from present anymore, and at times, no longer remembered what her duty was. This very moment was a prime example of her state.
She wasn''t in her right state of mind. It was the price of all those years she waited after killing the Zipple Magicians who intruded into the tomb a thousand years ago.
"Who are these friends you brought? They''re new faces."
The guardian approached. Murakan seemed to have made a decision.
He transformed into his true form and spread his wings. Quikantel transformed right after him and unleashed the power of the silver dragon.
"My oldrade-in-arms, Sarah Runcandel. I apologize for beingte. I will help you relieve the old burden you''ve been carrying."
The guardian suddenly stopped at Murakan''s words.
Upon closer inspection, the group could see that she was much more injured than they initially thought. If she had been bleeding instead of oozing Shadow Energy, just staying on her feet would have been a miracle in itself.
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"Take up your sword."
"What? Are you challenging me to a fight?"
Twisting tendrils of Shadow Energy began to spread behind Murakan.
Shadow Energy Release; the guardian must have known that Murakan used this move against enemies he had to kill.
"This has got to be a joke, right?"
"Jin and the others, listen up. She may be severely wounded, but remember, Sarah was always mentioned as the strongest of the ten knights of the ancient Runcandel n. You can''t afford to face her without serious resolve," Murakan said.
They wondered if it was possible to fight in her current condition. Indeed, her sword was battered and damaged.
However, she had managed to fight off thousands of Magicians all by herself. All the members of the group drew their weapons.
There was a brief silence between the group and the guardian.
Soon, a great fighting spirit began to emanate from the guardian''s body in the form of a tidal wave.
"I see. I see. Murakan, you bastard. You didn''t arrivete. You deliberately waited for me to tire after the fight."
A great light burst from Sarah''s sword. If Murakan hadn''t covered the area with a veil of Shadow Energy, most of Jin''spanions would have closed their eyes to shield themselves from the light.
And if the guardian had been in perfect condition, everyone who closed their eyes would have been shed without exception. Sarah Runcandel''s prowess at her peak was very close to Divine Star level.
"Don''t tell me you''ve fallen for the spectator''s trick. Or is it that you, despite your braggart ego, have alsoe to fear the Zipple? Everyone had their hopes on you, you dirty turncoat."
Every word she spoke pierced Murakan''s heart.
Covered in Shadow Energy, Murakan''s back had never looked smaller and fainter than it did now. Each encounter with his unforgettable past made Murakan feel like he was being stabbed with a sorrow deadlier than any de.
The guardian raised her sword, which gleamed with an aura.
"It''s better to get ready. Maybe I''m broken, and my ownrades have betrayed me, but remember, I am Sarah Runcandel."
Fwooosh!
The sword red with a newyer of fire that covered its aura.
zing mes also appeared around Sarah, much like the Shadow Energy tornadoes around Murakan.
''Is that magic?''
She was a pure-blooded Runcandel who had lived before the days of the humiliating pact they had signed with the Zipple.
She was a Magic Swordsman.
"Gilly, Alisa, and Kashimir, protect Enya and Jet. Jin, cover us!" Quikantel shouted as she gathered energy for her breath.
Murakan was already targeting the guardian with thousands of nails formed from Shadow Energy.
The nails fell to the ground without warning or sound. The massive amount of dark nails flew toward the severely wounded guardian.
But it only took one sword strike.
That was all the guardian needed to obliterate each and every nail that rained toward her.
The broken sword posed no problem for her. mes erupted fiercely from the sword and did not wane after eliminating the nails.
She immediately created a sea of mes.
The guardian''s me could not only reduce its target to ashes but also cleave it in half. A de-sharp fire. Strange as it sounded, the fire possessed qualities that truly fit the description.
Shadow Energy and fire intertwined in the air and continuously tried to consume each other. Quikantel breathed and used her divine power of time to asionally contain the guardian''s mes.
But there were too many mes.
They outnumbered what Quikantel could contain with her powers. Stopping the mes on one side only led to another me choking another part of the battlefield.
It was an incredible sight. Despite her injuries, the guardian''s strength did not fall short in the face of the two dragons'' power.
Sarah Runcandel, the goddess of fire, that''s what people called her a thousand years ago. The long battle and loneliness might have limited her from unleashing her full power, and her name might have beenpletely lost to history because of the Zipple.
But her me still burned in the deste ethereal ne.
"Murakan, what is this about? This can''t be the extent of your powers. Are guilt and memories holding you back or something?"
The mes grew by the seconds, pushing back Murakan and Quikantel''s powers as they invaded and expanded their territory.
"Or are you going easy on me out of sympathy?"
"It''s not that, Sarah."
"What is it then? If you''ve already decided to betray the Runcandels, don''t beat around the bush!" Sarah shouted as she leaped.
Her strike forced Murakan to hastily deploy a shield barrier while Quikantel twisted her body to bite the guardian.
Sarah used her mes as support to maneuver freely in the air. She hurled her sword forward.
Sparks flew everywhere. The sh of the dragon''s ws and teeth against the sword produced deafening noises, and the resulting shockwaves traveled through the ground, breaking the earth.
A lightning bolt pierced through the mes and Shadow Energy.
It was the Sword of Legends: A Bolt. The abrupt strike made Sarah tremble. She then scanned the battlefield.
"This is the power of the Legends. How does a Zipple possess this power?"
"That boy is not a Zipple. He''s a Runcandel. His name is Jin. He''s a descendant of the Runcandels, the lineage you have sessfully protected."
"Jin? Nobody is named that among the Runcandels."
"Sarah, a thousand years have passed in the world outside of this ne. This is Temar''s tomb, and we''vee here as part of Solderet''s ns to-"
"Perhaps I''m fatigued and weary, but that doesn''t mean my mind has given in. It''s only been two days since I arrived here with Fadler on orders from the Patriarch. Can''t you see the countless corpses around? The Zipples will fall. Nothing less than by our own hands!"
Despite being the guardian of a tomb, she didn''t seem to realize that Temar was already dead.
The guardian was trapped in time, a thousand years in the past when Temar led the Runcandel swordsmen. Back then, bringing honor to the Runcandel name stirred many hearts.
It was cruel to witness.
Granting her eternal rest as soon as possible was the only thing Jin and hispanions could do for the guardian.
The guardian descended to the ground and looked Jin in the eyes. "State your true name, Zipple boy."
"I am Jin Runcandel, the twelfth gbearer of the Runcandels."
"I gave you a chance, yet you continue to answer me with lies. Yes, that''s how the Zipples are. You try to paint the whole world with lies. Now, it seems you even covet the Runcandel name."
"Regardless of your opinion, Lady Sarah, my true name will never change. I havee to inherit the will of the ancient Runcandels, and I am Solderet''s new contractor."
Jin ced Shadow Energy over Sigmund, which was already filling with Lightning Energy.
Sarah''s eyes flickered. "The Shadow Sword."
She couldn''t ept how Jin could wield Shadow Energy since Solderet could only grant power to Temar if he were still alive.
But there was another way. She remembered there was another way to wield Shadow Energy without being Solderet''s contractor.
"The witch. It must be her doing."
Helluram. The eerie witch-like creature.
ording to Sarah''s knowledge, the witch Helluram was the only being who could handle Shadow Energy without entering into a contract with Solderet.
Fwooosh!
All the mes that had spread around the area converged back to Sarah. Seeing the me''s movements, Jin readied the Shadow Sword.
"Today, right here, I will find my end. But in doing so, I will make sure to end you too," Sarah said.
The guardian''s body burst into mes. Murakan immediately released all the Shadow Energy he could gather and covered the entire group. Likewise, Quikantel''s gaze sharpened as she let out a roar.
Sarah had initiated a secret sword technique of the ancient Runcandels.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 305:
Chapter 305:
C305 - Temar''s Second Tomb (3)
The witch''s work? What does she mean by that? Is she implying that one can handle Shadow Energy without being Solderet''s contractor through the powers of the witch?
The name Helluram, the former owner of Shuri, shed in Jin''s mind.
Of course, it was a bad time to ask about these things.
Fire began to spout from the broken sword. Fiercely red points of mes spread in lines, and the lines stretched across a surface, quickly dyeing the entire dark ethereal ne red.
The wounds Sarah had received over a thousand years were no longer visible on her body.
Instead of Shadow Energy, from where open scars had been before, mes burst forth, and soon her entire body was covered in mes. Even her hair, eyes, and nails turned into zing fire.
Finally, her sword lost all its steel properties and also turned into a sword-shaped me. Everyone who had seen her in this terrifying form rightly called her the goddess of fire.
"Really? This is insane! The secret moves of the magic swords (sorcerous swords)? The fire of retribution? Even in that state?" Murakan shouted.
Until that moment, he felt pain every time he saw the scars on the guardian''s body, and his heart ached every time she called him a traitor.
But now, it wasn''t just a feeling. Things had be real.
Murakan didn''t believe the guardian could perform any secret moves of the magic sword because she was too injured, despite her nearly divine skill.
"Are you really going to kill us all?"
"Stop whining, Murakan! Not only did you betray us, but you also dare to mock me? I know my feeble mes can never harm you."
"No, it''s not that."
"Then what are you trying to say, you filthy traitor?"
I never betrayed you, and I''m weaker now.
Murakan''s response never reached the guardian''s ears due to the sound of the bursting mes, though even if she had heard the words, they wouldn''t have made any difference anyway.
A thousand years and all the battles that urred over time had taken a toll on the guardian''s body.
They had also worn down her mind. She was unable to make a rational assessment of the situation, and even as she fought against Jin''s group, she constantly saw and heard hallucinations.
In her almost lunatic state, she could only blindly follow the mission etched into her soul: to kill anything that threatened the Runcandels.
She was entrusted with one more mission for Jin''s sake, but the guardian forgot her second objective in the countless battles she fought.
It seemed like the me was going to engulf the entire world.
If it were Sarah in her prime and without injuries, it would be a literal description. The retribution fire she was now releasing barely contained twenty percent of the strength with which she incinerated the Zipple Magicians a thousand years ago.
She had no choice. Her injuries prevented her from using all of her mana and aura, and she no longer had her former phoenix, Maniere.
However, the guardian''s retribution fire easily pushed back Murakan''s Shadow Energy and secured the battlefield.
mes and Shadow Energy intertwined and created grotesque patterns high in the sky of the ethereal ne. The entire ne swayed as if it could copse at any moment, and the furious heat and Shadow Energy also restricted the flight patterns of the dragons.
"Quikantel!"
"I know. I''ll try to stop it as much as I can. Grab the mes!"
Quikantel''s silver eyes shone as she descended. Ziiiing! A sharp tone resonated as a wave spread from Quikantel''s forehead.
The wave carried the power of time.
It was the same divine power that Quikantel had used against Andrei Zipple and Biuretta, the wind dragon, in the past.
Anything that came into contact with her rapidly spreading-like wave lost its element of time.
In Biuretta''s case, her entire body froze when the tip of her wing got caught in the wave.
But the guardian''s mes only slowed down even when fully enveloped by the time wave, and they continued to spew infernal fire as they advanced.
Quikantel''s powers weren''t enough topletely halt the guardian, which wouldn''t have been different even if Olta, the god of time, had manifested herself.
The guardian went further.
She swung her fiery sword and cleaved the oing waves. The waves lost their strength after being cleaved and dissipated like loose threads.
The guardian was unable to neutralize all the waves that restrained her mes, but the fact that she could do so was astounding.
The guardian advanced.
She cleaved the waves and approached Jin. However, her gaze remained fixed on Murakan.
The guardian was aware of Murakan''s strength because she thought he was the only threat she would face.
Indeed, that would have been true if the guardian and Murakan had been at their best.
"Hey, spectator. Oh, wait. I guess I can''t call you that anymore. Anyway, Quikantel. Why don''t you leave it be? If you keep fighting, you''ll only embarrass that god of yours who''s so concerned about his reputation and dignity."
Quikantel gritted her teeth.
It wasn''t that the guardian''s words wounded her ego. Quikantel was using all the divine power she could muster. However, the guardian neutralized her powers too easily.
Earlier, the guardian used her own retribution fire of being tepid.
But that was only by her own standards. Although the retribution fire spread a distance, the amount of heat it radiated through the shield barrier was enough to keep the group on alert.
After Quikantel''s powers ran out, only Murakan, Quikantel, and Jin with the Reign of the King of Legends would be able to fight through the mes.
Unfortunately, Jin hadn''t recovered enough to execute the Reign of the King of Legends, and he would have to risk permanent damage to his Light Heart if he pushed himself.
Therefore, Jin had to ensure the battle was decided before Quikantel''s powers ran out.
"Quikantel, how much longer do you think you can hold out?"
"Five minutes," Quikantel replied tremblingly. The time was shorter than Jin had expected.
Fortunately, he came up with a way.
The barrier is melting even though Murakan and Quikantel are protecting us from the mes before they reach us. I can''t believe how powerful these mes are. Once Quikantel''s powers run out, we''re sure to suffer severe damage.
Jin, Gilly, Kashimir, Alisa, and Enya. In fact, even Jet was contributing. The six of them were casting shield barriers together.
It seemed like they were protecting each other, but the martial artists'' shield barriers were not really effective at protecting others.
"Enya?"
"Yes, Lord Jin!"
"I need to return to the battle. Once I leave the group, you have to shoulder thergest area of the shield barrier."
Jin was currently ying that role. Unlike the other martial artists, Jin could use both aura and mana to cast shield barriers. Since he was the strongest in the group, it was the logical choice.
But now, Enya had to assume Jin''s role as the group''s Magician. Although Enya was still in the early stages of the five-star level, the effectiveness of her shield barriers as a Magician was far superior to that of the martial artists in protecting others.
"Do you think you can handle it?"
"I''ll try."
"I need you to be certain. If you can''t do it, I must consider other options."
Jin didn''t intend to scold or pressure her, but he couldn''t afford to risk hisrades'' lives on uncertainty.
If only the martial artists had been Magicians of their respective levels, Jin wouldn''t have needed to worry about them at all.
Soon, Enya''s eyes filled with determination. She nodded. "I can do it, Lord Jin. But please, hold your current position for just two minutes while I cast a new spell."
Enya recalled an old memory.
"It will take some time, but I''ll manage on my own in the end. I don''t want to keep being someone who constantly needs your protection, as it happened today. So, please, don''t tell me not to worry about these things."
"..."
"I am Enya, Olta''s contractor. One day, I will be a great Magician in whom you trust the most."
That had been their conversation when they were eradicating the remaining forces of the Dark Magic Guild.
Jin remembered the same and smiled.
Although she was not yet a great Magician, Enya had made great progress while Jin was in Lafrarosa. Her talent was certainly impressive. That''s why Olta, the God so picky about bloodlines, had to sumb and choose amoner like Enya to be her contractor.
"Alright, I got it."
Enya sat down in a meditation position and deactivated her shield barrier. Naturally, this increased the burden on the rest of the group. Jin had to push his mana production to the maximum, running the constant risk of mana bacsh.
Enya''s eyes twitched as she began casting the spell.
The two minutes felt like centuries, but Enya managed to calm herself from the urgency andpleted the steps skillfully without sumbing to the bacsh.
The spell she cast was something Jin had given her at the end of his days as a provisional gbearer: extreme defense spells.
Among the spells Chukon Tolderer left as his legacy, the Dragonfire Barricade was the epitome of his extreme defense spells.
The runic character for extreme defense began to shine on Enya''s shoulder.
"You can go now, Lord Jin!"
Enya gave a thumbs-up, despite the blood oozing from her mouth. A blue barrier began to form around her.
The Dragonfire Barricade. Like its namesake, it was a spell created by Chukon to fight against dragons. The barrier was meant to protect the caster from dragon breath.
Although Enya had not yet fully mastered it, she used Olta''s powers topensate for theck of mana.
"I''ll leave this to you, then."
He only had about three minutes left.
Jin exited the barrier. He also had a spell already cast.
Simultaneous casting.
The skill that made Jin a Magician above all others. While recing Enya in the shield barrier, Jin cast another spell, along with the Shadow de he was already casting.
It was the spell that meant doom for anyone using magic: Inverted Sky, Kiddard Hall''s heritage.
Dame Sarah''s mana is only around eight stars right now.
The retribution fire tore through Murakan''s Shadow Energy like paper and sliced through Quikantel''s divine powers like they were thin strings.
However, the mana behind it was only about eight stars. It was the nine-star aura that added to the eight-star mana and Runcandel''s magical sword''s unique powers that magnified his prowess to such extremes.
Jin knew that it would undoubtedly cause a mana bacsh.
Of course, there was no sure way to know if it would work.
Given the person Sarah was, she might be able to retaliate against the Inverted Sky, even in her current state and despite that enormous spell.
That''s why he also prepared the Shadow de.
Jin had learned new Shadow de techniques from the battle kings of Lafrarosa while he was there, and he chose to execute the second and seventh techniques.
The Scissors and Shadow Assault.
"Even if she falls into a bacsh, I''ll only have one shot. No matter how injured Dame Sarah is. Engaging her in closebat without the Reign of the King of Legends is suicide."
Mana left Jin''s hand and formed the Inverted Sky orb.
Once the Inverted Sky waspleted, the shadow at Jin''s feet rose and joined its master.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r
-
Chapter 306:
Chapter 306:
C306 - Temar''s Second Tomb (4)
He became one with the shadow. His body turned ck, dark but dim. It was as if a shadow upied his ce, like a specter. It seemed like one could pass through it with their hand.
The guardian shivered.
She stopped abruptly.
It was due to the powers of the Inverted Sky.
If it had been any ordinary technique, Jin would never have been able to induce a bacsh, even if the guardian had only five stars of mana instead of her eight stars of magical prowess.
However, the Inverted Sky was a grand spell that challenged everything Magicians understood about bacsh, even in the current era.
Therefore, it was no wonder that the spell appeared even more mysterious to the guardian, whose days dated back a thousand years.
"Is it a secret move of the Zipples? An impressive spell for your age."
Her fiery eyebrows furrowed. The guardian seemed quite disturbed by the Inverted Sky. She stood still and couldn''t take her eyes off the spell.
A part of the manaposing the retribution fire broke off and formed into a ribbon. It was then gradually absorbed by the Inverted Sky orb.
Now, with another spell pressing down on her divine time powers, the guardian could no longer move freely.
She had been continuing the battle of forces against Murakan all this time, with Shadow Energy and mes. These two forces were constantly pushing each other on all sides of the battlefield in an attempt to gain more territory.
But despite the various attacks thrown at her, the guardian still had the upper hand in the battle against Jin and hispanions. Even though she was just standing there, none dared to approach.
It made no sense. The fact that she could unleash such powers with only eight stars of mana and nine of aura was aplete mystery, even if the powers of the ancient Runcandels were taken into ount.
Jin and hispanions should have had much greater power than the guardian. But she was a pure-blooded Runcandel from the days before the pact. Her very existence was an anomaly in itself.
Moreover, she had been one of the most powerful figures among those anomalies.
"Please, I hope Lady Sarah regains her sanity before the battle ends, even if only for a brief moment."
Jin tightened his grip on the sword.
Dark shadows emerged from Jin and painted the ground ck.
It was a massive shadow. It split into several shadows and swiftly slid towards the guardian.
In an instant, theypletely surrounded the guardian. The guardian immediately sent waves of ming swords towards the shadows.
But how could physical blows be dealt to shadows? They only flickered momentarily and continued to upy the ground around them in all their darkness.
The seventh maneuver of the Shadow de was the Shadow Assault.
The maneuver was a move designed to strike the enemy in a way unique to Shadow de wielders. No one could attempt to replicate this move without wielding shadows, no matter how powerful the swordsman.
Jin''s frail body shot forward.
The sight of Jin''s dark and semi-transparent body charging forward would have been enough to possess anyone who had not reached a certain mastery.
He shot forward so quickly that it almost seemed like a wave of dark des had been fired, not a moving body.
Despite the speed, it didn''t take the guardian long to prepare to strike Jin. In fact, she knew exactly what path his sword would take as Jin started to move.
Jin came within range. Each of his swords traced a trajectory.
The guardian''s sword was faster. Setting aside the total amount of aura and her injuries, the guardian''s swordsmanship was already at a transcendent level.
The ming swords and Shadow Energy shed.
Or at least, it appeared they shed. The guardian''s sword only cut through the air, and Jin disappearedpletely from her sight.
In his ce, the guardian found Sigmund, who was now behind her. The dark Sigmund pointed at her back.
But it was Jin''spanions who were surprised by this move.
"Had Lord Jin teleported?"
Hispanions couldn''t exin it any other way since Jin had clearly been charging towards the guardian when he suddenly vanished and reappeared wielding his sword from her back.
They weren''t entirely wrong to think it was teleportation.
Jin had been able to dissipate into the air through the five shadows surrounding the guardian.
The shadows served as a kind of gate. They allowed Jin to enter and exit the shadows once he executed the seventh maneuver of the Shadow de, the Shadow Assault.
Jin concealed himself in the shadow that was in front of the guardian at the moment of collision and reappeared through the shadow behind her to wield his sword.
An assault. It was unpredictable and devastating.
Such was the move one could perform when they could be the very shadow.
Jin''s sword grazed the guardian''s back. It scraped the surface of the fire covering her body like a piece of leather.
She was one of the ten great knights.
The fact that her mes were bound by the divine power of time didn''t matter. Nor did the fact that she was battling for territory against Murakan, or that her mana fluctuated involuntarily due to the inverted sky.
Anyway, Jin never expected to strike her with the first blow.
"Yes, the Shadow de had those moves. How unsettling to see you using the patriarch''s techniques."
Jin no longer bothered to tell her that he wasn''t a Zipple.
The circumstance of the misunderstanding was inconsequential. Jin decided that there was only one way to converse with that old heroine whose mind was no longer stable. It had to be through the sword.
"Unlike the time with Sir Silderay, there''s a problem here. But Lady Sarah still ys a part in Solderet''s ns. As long as she fulfills the conditions of the inheritance, the same thing that happened in the first tomb will ur."
The various trials that Solderet had left for his sake all shared the same solution.
Willpower. The most sacred virtue upheld by martial artists, or perhaps all humans. The way forward always revealed itself once Jin could demonstrate his willpower.
It happened when he first faced the principles of the Shadow de. It was no different in the Great Mitra Desert and the first tomb of Temar. There was no reason for this asion to be any different.
Jin''s sword shed against the guardian''s from five different directions. Jin didn''t have to twist his body because he could freely move through the five shadows. On the other hand, the guardian had to frantically block Sigmund.
But despite her frenzied movements, the guardian''s eyes remained as firm as a rock.
The exchange of moves grew faster.
Their techniques simplified with each sh. Instead of extravagant maneuvers, they fought each other with the depth of their most basic moves.
Which sword technique was deeper?
Obviously, the guardian''s. Mastery, experience, skill, and integration. Aside from the divine element of talent and potential, Jin''s sword skill was inferior to the guardian''s in every aspect.
"It''s a shame, young one. If you had been born a Runcandel, you could have been a hero who saved the world."
The shadows surrounding the guardian slowly moved away from her.
It was an indication that Jin was being pushed back. Jin''spanions clearly saw what was happening, but they could onlyment that they couldn''t do anything to intervene.
Quikantel''s divine power of time was rapidly approaching its limit. Now, he would barely be able to contain the fire of vengeance for a minute, and it was already starting to give way.
Things weren''t going any better on Murakan''s side. With each decrease in time constraints, the fire of retribution grew stronger. Therefore, the bnce of power was breaking.
However, Jin wielded his sword undaunted.
Unlike his desperatepanions, Jin waited for the opportune moment as he carefully observed the changes in mana when the fire of retribution roared to life again.
Now that the time restraint had weakened, the me was showing its full power again. But the mana forming the fire of retribution was no longer as dense as before.
There was a shift in the flow of the guardian''s mana.
Obviously, it was due to the Inverted Sky.
If she had started in perfect condition, she would have been able to maintain the fire of retribution while controlling the mana reflux caused by the inverted sky.
But now she couldn''t.
No one except Jin realized that the fire of retribution had be less dense. Everyone was too busy preparing for the impact of Runcandel''s magical sword secret technique when it roared to life again.
But Jin could see it as a Magician.
''The fire of retribution broke when I unleashed the Inverted Sky. It clings to it forcibly, but its bacsh will begin soon.''
The guardian didn''t seem to be affected at all in her fight, so the rest had no idea that she would fall into a bacsh.
Of course, the onset of a bacsh wouldn''t nullify all of Sarah''s skill. She was confident that she would rein in her unruly mana before it worsened and resume the battle as if nothing had happened.
There was only a moment.
A fraction of a second when she would expose an opening due to the mana bacsh.
''Once Lady Sarah slows down to correct the bacsh in her, that''s when I must strike. If I fail, I''m unlikely to have that opportunity again.''
The shadows born from the seventh maneuver of the Shadow de now formed a circle twice asrge as it had originally been. That was the distance Jin had been pushed back by the guardian.
The guardian had to face multiple enemies at once.
Simrly, Jin had to monitor the various effects caused by the guardian simultaneously. He had to stop his attacks, check the flow and density of mana, observe the path of her mes, and calcte the remaining time until her bacsh began.
There were only about twenty seconds left until the time constraints would break.
And at that very moment, Jin finished his calctions.
Five seconds left.
Until the guardian''s bacsh would start.
One.
Two.
Three...
Kuff!
The guardian abruptly vomited a lump of ck Shadow Energy from her mouth. Jin''s calctions were precise.
Jin finally took his first step forward since they had closed in.
He closed in on her with the trick he intended to bring her down with. He had concealed it under the pretext of the Shadow Assault all this time.
Shiik!
The dark de struck towards the guardian''s heart.
It was the first real crisis she had faced in the hundreds of sword moves they had exchanged.
But even as she struggled to tame her bacsh, she showed the monstrous feat of sessfully reacting to Jin''s sword. Her ming sword struck upward and stopped Sigmund.
Jin''s trick seemed to have failed in the end.
And it certainly would have been a failure if Jin had only struck the guardian with a single sword.
"Oh."
The guardian jumped back to create distance from Jin.
A dark and menacing de was buried in her chest, and Shadow Energy sprouted from the wound.
Sarah knew that Jin would achieve his decisive move once she fell into a bacsh. If he hadn''t, even a master like her wouldn''t have been able to stop the final sword strike.
"Ha ha. Looks like you''ve got me."
The second maneuver of the Shadow de.
This was the trick Jin had intended from the beginning. It was the one thing Sarah couldn''t predict. The moment he struck with Sigmund, the scissor de pierced her heart.
The guardian felt her vision darkening.
She could tell that her deste and agonizing mission as a guardian was finallying to an end.
She also realized the mistake she had been making.
But the battle against the boy standing before her, the same lineage that she and herrades had managed to protect from the Zipples, was not yet over.
"Do not hesitate now. Go and finish it, Jin Runcandel," the guardian spoke.
Jin approached her with swift steps and thrust his sword forward.
''It has been an honor, Lady Sarah Runcandel.''
Sigmund pierced her chest this time. She fell to one knee with a smile on her face.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 307:
Chapter 307:
C307 - Temar''s Second Tomb (5)
Jin drew his sword.
He could feel the eerie sensation of bones and organs caught in the de.
The retribution fire that burned throughout the area began to quickly subside as the guardian fell.
All her mes vanished as if they had never existed. They left behind small hot embers that scattered in the wind like flower petals.
The mes surrounding the guardian''s body also diminished.
Shadow Energy flowed from the countless wounds on her body. The guardian''s breathing was quite rapid, but it soon slowed as she decided to ept her own death.
"Sarah!" Murakannded on the ground in haste and transformed into his human form.
He had been forced to fight her, but that didn''t change the fact that Sarah was an old friend andrade-in-arms for Murakan.
It wasn''t Sarah herself but only a guardian created in her image. Nevertheless, there were traces of Sarah Runcandel''s soul in the guardian.
It was torment for Murakan to see the guardian find her end, even though he had fought with Jin and the others to grant her this very rest.
Quikantel took on his human form andnded beside Murakan. He bit his lower lip. He seemed to have mixed feelings about it.
"Murakan?"
"Yes, it''s me. I''m Murakan. Damn it. Did it really have toe to this? Did you really have toe to your senses like this?"
His emotions were evident in his trembling voice. Murakan bent down and took the guardian''s hand. It was cold. It was hard to imagine that she had wielded such arge fire with her injured body just moments ago.
"You stupid lizard. You and the new contractor..." The guardian stopped at that moment.
The mention of the new contractor reminded her of something she had long forgotten. That Temar had died, and the splendor of the ancient Runcandels had disappeared from history.
That Murakan had onlye to her side after all this time, and the people witnessing her long-standing battleing to an end were not Runcandel swordsmen, but the silver dragon spectator and a handful of unfamiliar faces.
"Fortunately, you were strong enough to defeat me in my weakened state."
Sarah, what happened?
How did Temar die a thousand years ago? Why did Solderet create tomb guardians from the knights, and what do the Zipples gain by raiding Temar''s tombs?
Why did Solderet leave you with this story without telling it to Misha or me? What things were they not telling me back then, and why?
Murakan didn''t dare to ask Sarah these things.
He didn''t believe he deserved to. No matter what had happened, the guilt of not being with hisrades pierced his soul like a knife.
Above all, Murakan was no longer Temar''s guardian dragon. The ancient Runcandels were not under hismand.
Now it was Jin''s task to find the truth ording to Solderet''s ns. Murakan''s role was to serve Jin as his guardian dragon.
"All this time, you''ve had to bear this burden alone. I''m sorry."
He expected to hear strong reprimands like the time with Silderay. But the guardian looked directly into Murakan''s eyes and said something he didn''t expect.
"Just as we had our pains, I''m sure you had yours too. There''s no need to apologize."
Murakan didn''t reply. He just held Sarah''s hand tightly.
"But Quikantel, I''m quite surprised you''re here. I thought you and your god sought neutrality. Was there a change of ns?"
The guardian''s mind returned, but her betrayal against Quikantel hadn''t changed.
"Just like you, the Runcandels, follow Temar''s orders to the letter; I cannot disobey Olta''s will."
"Yes, I''m sure you had no choice, being a dragon. I understand, to some extent. But remember that the Patriarch, my own brother, was a man who would have risked his life at any time if it were for your sake."
Jin''s eyes widened at the mention that Temar was his brother.
Sarah Runcandel was Temar''s younger sister.
"I sincerely hope that your proud God doesn''t stand idly by in the battles that boy will have to face."
Like Murakan, Quikantel couldn''t respond.
However, Sarah actually didn''t despise or detest Quikantel, despite how betrayed she felt.
"But I must thank you for one thing. Thanks to you, I was spared the possibility of killing Murakan and that boy with my own hands."
It was as she described it. Without Quikantel''s powers, Jin would never have been able to bring down the guardian.
The guardian looked into Jin''s eyes.
"Jin Runcandel."
"Yes, Lady Sarah."
"This is my first defeat in a long time. From my weariness in the ancient battle that persisted for far too long, I have mistreated you."
"Since you alone have guarded this ce for a thousand years, I wouldn''t say it has been mistreatment."
The skeletons of the ancient Magicians that once filled the ethereal ne were no longer there. They had all been swept away by the retribution fire and reduced to ashes, disappearing afterward.
Jin''spanions, who had shielded themselves behind a barrier, rushed toward him.
They didn''t share any memories with Sarah like Murakan or Quikantel, nor did they feel indebted as descendants like Jin.
However, they couldn''t harbor hostility toward Sarah, who had moments ago tried to kill them. They didn''t need to be told what she must have endured over the centuries.
In truth, they felt rather helpless and realized they had to strive harder if they wanted to fight alongside Jin.
"I''m d you say that. Jin, my descendant from future centuries."
"Please, go on."
"What are the Runcandels like in the present?"
"I would say they don''t measure up to the days I didn''t have the privilege to experience."
"I suppose the Zipples still control the world?"
Jin nodded.
The guardian could feel the chill of impending death as Shadow Energy continuously flowed out of her body. A hoarse whisper escaped her trembling lips.
"We''ve left you with a heavy burden."
"Bing Solderet''s contractor and inheriting my ancestors'' legacy always seemed like opportunities, not burdens. So, I hope you don''t feel that way."
He spoke sincerely.
Compared to the pitiful past life he had experienced, this was a blessing in itself.
Jin was also not blindly inheriting the will of the Runcandels. He was only moving forward into new frontiers of his second life with his own will.
"It seems you have a talent for making others feel better. Come closer. Come closer."
The guardian couldn''t see Jin, even though he was right in front of her. She had bepletely blind. Gilly patted Murakan on the shoulder as Enya took Quikantel''s hand.
"I, Sarah Runcandel, guardian of Temar Runcandel''s tomb, now pass my inheritance to Jin Runcandel."
Jin nodded.
At that moment, runic characters began to form over the guardian''s body.
''Runic characters?''
They lit up all over Sarah''s body, over the ce where her missing arm should have been, and also over the pierced chest.
The runic characters contained the secret technique of Runcandel''s magical swordy that Sarah Runcandel had created throughout her life.
It was the retribution fire of Sarah Runcandel.
It was not part of Solderet''s ns for Jin. The guardian was transferring it to Jin of her own volition.
The runic characters left Sarah''s body, like a soul departing from a deceased, and were absorbed by Jin''s body. The runic characters also conveyed Sarah''s memories of creating the retribution fire with each character etched into Jin''s body.
It was akin to the memory transfer of the Legends he had experienced from Boras, the fifth battle king, or the inheritance spell from the Historians.
"I had hoped someone worthy of this sword technique woulde along. I suppose one of my small hopes hase true."
Unlike the other runic characters that Jin had on his body, those of the guardian were not visible all the time. They only lit up when activating the retribution fire.
"This is a gift beyond what I could have ever expected."
"Not as great as the sce you''ve given me. Thanks to you, I have finally earned my eternal rest."
Sarah''s body disintegrated into particles of Shadow Energy. The Shadow Energy that flowed in ce of blood now floated in the air like fine dust, enveloping Jin.
Jin would soon be transported to anotheryer of the ethereal ne, one that held old stories, just like with Silderay.
"Are there any final words you''d like to leave, Lady Sarah?"
"I hope all of you won''t suffer too much."
She said ''all of you,'' rather than just ''you.''
Murakan and Quikantel shivered and clenched their teeth at her words.
They would have preferred to hear her resent them for arriving toote. But she didn''t speak such cruel words in her farewell.
Instead, she left onest briefment about the thousand years of her deste battles.
"I will finally be reunited with my brother and myrades."
Soon, the guardian''s bodypletely disintegrated into particles of Shadow Energy.
Jin and his group observed a moment of silence for her. The Shadow Energy created a gentle whirl, and a sound began to emit.
"I will briefly disappear into another ethereal ne. Do not be rmed and wait for my return."
He heard a voice in the distance, just like the other time.
"...mu... s....., Sa... .......of."
"...mu... ....., Sa... ........"
Despite the unclear words, Jin knew whose voice it was.
It was Murakan''s voice!
None of hispanions could hear the voice. Jin quickly turned to look at Murakan, but he didn''t seem to hear his own voice from the past either.
Only Jin could detect it.
The sound resonated as Shadow Energypletely surrounded Jin.
The particles of Shadow Energy then disappeared, leaving hispanions looking dazed at the spot where Jin and Sarah had been.
When Jin opened his eyes again, he found himself in an empty darkness reminiscent of the first tomb.
An ethereal ne within another ethereal ne.
But unlike the first tomb, this ne was clearly damaged.
There were countless gruesome gashes in the darkness, and the entire ne shook as if there had been an earthquake. Additionally, the ominous noise created in the destruction of the ethereal ne constantly grated on his eardrums.
Just as Sarah had been injured in her long battle, the ethereal ne within her had also been destroyed. Jin intuitively understood how ethereal nes worked. He advanced toward the source of the voice in search of the recording device left by Solderet.
Soon, a giant orb shining in gray caught his attention. Murakan''s voice became clearer as he approached the orb.
-We must stop him... We must stop him, Sarah Runcandel.
Murakan and Sarah were speaking in the scene from a thousand years ago disyed by the orb. Both were covered in blood, as if they had juste from battle, and their clothes and armor were torn in several ces.
Sarah red at Murakan.
-What do you mean by ''stop him''? Are you telling me we have to kill the Patriarch? You? Out of all people? Talking about abandoning the Patriarch?
Murakan didn''t respond. He only brought his hand to his forehead in a disy of weariness.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 308: Fragment From The Past: Sarah (1)
Chapter 308: Fragment From The Past: Sarah (1)
C308 - Fragment From The Past: Sarah (1)
Jin opened his eyes wide.
What did that mean?
In the scene reyed by the orb, Murakan was saying something Jin never expected Murakan to say.
Silence fell.
Sarah''s eyes trembled with fury as she stared at Murakan. A murderous intent filled her eyes, but Murakan remained unfazed.
"Abandoning the Patriarch. Yes, I''ve heard you''ve been going around saying those things to others. It was the execution branch swordsmen who told me, and Fadler also told me something simr."
Sarah spat blood and continued.
"I thought it was a misunderstanding. Since they don''t know you like I do. Or maybe, I just thought they were babbling nonsense because they''re tired of this long battle."
Sarah approached Murakan and grabbed him by the neck.
"But to think I would hear it in your own words. That you would actually propose killing the Patriarch. Are you serious? Do we really have to kill the Patriarch? You''re supposed to be his dragon guardian!"
"Sarah."
"Answer me, Murakan."
"Take a look around you."
Sarah nced around the ce.
There were corpses all around her. They were the consequences of their battle. The dismembered bodies were filled with Runcandel ck swords and Zipple dragon crests.
"More than half of the dead Magicians were killed by Temar. If we hadn''t reinforced our forces, things would have turned against us. The Zipples probably would have won this battle."
"What are you trying to say?"
"I arrived on the battlefield before you did. It means, unlike you, I was able to see Temar fight. He killed more than just Zipple Magicians today."
"Are you trying to tell me the Patriarch killed our own knights?"
Murakan nodded slowly.
Sarah released her grip on his neck. She nced around once more to inspect the bodies of the deceased.
She seemed to be examining the particr shing wounds. Soon, she noticed something about the fallen friendly forces.
No, in fact, she realized that most of the friendly casualties had been killed by Temar''s swords. Anyone who died by his sword bore a notable mark.
"Sarah, he''s going mad. Temar is no longer the man we thought he was." Murakan spoke after a long silence.
"No, that''s not true. The Patriarch is..."
"Don''t deny it. You knew it too."
"Nonsense."
"How long do you think you can keep deluding yourself? You don''t want to face the truth. I know because I was like that too. But you also saw Temar stab friendly troops in thest battle. He tried to stab Fadler but managed to pull back in time."
"The Patriarch is human, Murakan. The endless, desperate battles briefly made him lose hisposure, that''s all."
"Will you keep turning a blind eye to these dead knights?"
Sarah shook her head. "There must be a reason why the Patriarch killed them. Murakan, what do you want us to do if we can''t trust the Patriarch?"
"I know better than anyone how hard it is to ept. But we must keep our eyes on the truth, even if it''s for his sake."
"The truth!" Sarah shouted. She sounded as if she were furious, but she was actually starting to cry.
"The truth remains that the Patriarch is the person we believe he is. Murakan, there must be a reason why he killed them."
"Sarah."
"These knights must have been under the mind control of Zipple''s spells. You know it. You know how they manipte people''s minds. We must trust the Patriarch."
"Do you truly believe that?"
"Or maybe, they were spies. I''m sure they must have been spies. And that''s why Temar killed them himse-."
Murakan pped Sarah on the cheek.
Her eyes unfocused. She looked up at the sky.
"Don''t mock the fallen knights. They died fighting for the Runcandels, for Temar, for you, and for the other n members, to prevent the world from falling under Zipple''s control. How dare you mock them when you''re supposed to be one of the ten knights!"
Tears filled Sarah''s eyes. She regretted her words, but she couldn''t take them back now.
Sarah knelt down and hugged the bodies of the friendly casualties on the battlefield. She seemed lost and didn''t know what to do.
Murakan watched Sarah for a while until he silently embraced her.
"What has turned the Patriarch into this? You know what it is, don''t you? You know what is driving the Patriarch mad. Tell me what it is," he said.
The gray orb reying the scene distorted. The screen rapidly flickered between blurry and clear images. Jin could no longer see them clearly, nor could he understand their conversation.
"We''re back again."
He had experienced something simr in the first tomb.
Jin expected it. Since the ethereal space itself was already destroyed, he knew the recording device was also in jeopardy. He could only hope for the orb to stabilize.
"I had the same thing happen with the Shadow Energy (pearl) count I got in the first tomb and also with the recording device from the tomb. They all seem to be damaged."
The recording device was like a broken wind-up clock. It yed back an event from a thousand years ago without any issues until it had problems at the most crucial moment.
ording to the recording device, Murakan decided that Temar had gone mad and tried to kill him. This seemed to be the reason why Sir Silderay sounded hostile toward Murakan.
Jin knew he had to find Misha as soon as possible, as she might know something about these recording devices.
Ssh!
The scene from the gray orb cleared again.
But, just like in the first tomb, it now showed a different scene.
Murakan and Sarah were no longer on a battlefield filled with Runcandel and Zipple corpses. They were in a deste ce filled with demonic creatures.
The Dark Sea.
He knew it at a nce. There was no ce as ck and deste as the Dark Sea in the entire world.
But one strange thing stood out.
Why is there a tower in the Dark Sea?
He wasn''t sure where he was, but he could see a tall tower in the distance from where Murakan, Sarah, and someone unfamiliar to him stood. The tower no longer existed in the Dark Sea.
The man spoke. Murakan and Sarah called him Fadler.
The three of them gazed at the distant tower in silence for a while. Dark smoke continuously rose from the top of the tower. It was Shadow Energy.
It didn''t look benevolent at all. The Shadow Energy emanating from the top of the tower seemed to carry malevolent energy.
Fadler let out a deep sigh. "Murakan, is this the only way?"
Murakan didn''t respond.
Fadler continued. "Honestly, I don''t feel right about this."
"Temar has weakened. In fact, I won''t have any trouble defeating him myself. The only reason I brought you here is because..."
"That''s not what I meant. I''m not sure if this is right. Killing the Patriarch with our own hands. Don''t you think it''s cruel? Both for the Patriarch and for us?"
"Don''t doubt it now, Fadler. You''re already here. Do you think I would have chosen to kill him if I could have chosen? There''s no way to describe how anguished I feel. This is hard for me too." Murakan''s eyes were red as he turned to look at Fadler. "There hasn''t been a single day worse than this in my two thousand years of existence. Can you even imagine it? What must a dragon guardian feel when killing their own contractor? I can''t even end my life in anguish like you humans. If I could, I would also take my own life after killing him."
Murakan paused and clenched his teeth.
The ground of the Dark Sea trembled beneath them. The Shadow Energy pouring from the tower exerted pressure over the entire area.
There wasn''t a single demonic creature in sight. They had all fled, like beasts instinctively hiding from cmities.
"Murakan, but you must know this," Sarah spoke up.
Murakan didn''t turn to look at her.
"If I were in your position, the Patriarch, no, my brother, would never have abandoned you."
"I know that too."
"You say it as if it were for his own good. But both you and your God are making the choices that benefit you the most. The cursed thing is that we have no choice but to follow that choice."
Sarah began to walk forward.
The other two followed her. Their footsteps left marks on the murky ground of the Dark Sea.
The area grew darker and gloomier as they neared the tower. The Shadow Energy from the tower spewed more deadly toxic fumes than anything else in the Dark Sea.
When they reached the entrance of the tower, all three had to cast their best shield barriers. Murakan transformed into his true form and released his Shadow Energy.
The giant tower was hollow on the inside. There was a spiral staircase in the center. The three didn''t speak as they climbed the steps. Soon, they reached the top of the tower.
The three looked at Temar, who stood in the center.
There were dark patches all over Temar''s body, as if he had been riddled with a disease. Temar saw them approach, but he didn''t move at all.
"Brother."
Temar didn''t speak.
"We are... I am here, brother. Why are you alone in this deste ce?"
Hope surged within Sarah when Temar didn''t react at all.
Maybe her beloved brother wasn''t insane, or maybe there was a way to make things right now.
"Sarah."
Sarah''s eyes widened. She nodded. "Yes, it''s me. I''m Sarah. Do you recognize me? Can you?"
"Come here. It''s cold."
Sarah gave a big smile and tried to approach Temar.
But Murakan held her shoulder. "Don''t get closer to him."
"Let go of me."
"Once you''re within his reach, he''ll attack you."
"I said, let go of me."
"Damn it, Sarah. Please, listen to me. Look at all the Shadow Energy swirling around Temar! Can''t you see those de-like things protruding from it? He formed them to cut you, Sarah."
Fadler closed his eyes.
He had been aware of the Shadow Energy weapons from the moment he saw Temar. Therefore, he had to admit the fact: the Patriarch was insane. As far as Fadler knew, Temar would never retaliate even if his only sister decided to stab him in the back.
But now, that same man was trying to lure Sarah so he could kill her.
Fadler drew his sword. A lightning-coated de emerged from its sheath, illuminating the area.
"I am Fadler Runcandel of the ten knights. I received the name of Runcandel from you, Patriarch, and have enjoyed the infinite honor of your privilege. I will attack you now, Patriarch, but I will regret doing so, even in death."
Then, a grotesque smile bloomed on Temar''s face.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 309:
Chapter 309:
C309 - Fragment From The Past: Sarah (2)
"It''s a shame." Temar''s eyes turned ck with Shadow Energy.
Sarah made up her mind when she saw what was happening. She had to strike down her brother. A me-covered sword left its sheath.
Sarah''s eyes filled with an iron will. Now that she had decided to end him, she wanted to do it in the least painful way possible.
She could worry about mourning and sadness afterward.
des shot out from the shadow looming behind Temar. Sarah and Fadler wielded their swords to block the attack as Temar formed a sword in his hand.
It had the shape of Balisada, but it wasn''t genuine. It was just a counterfeit formed with Shadow Energy.
The man wielding the counterfeit sword was not the Temar that all three remembered. He was a monster who couldn''t even recognize his loved ones.
Dark waves of Shadow Energy emanated from Temar''s dark sword.
Each one carried tremendous power, but they were patheticpared to Temar in his true form.
Murakan spread his wings. Temar''s thick Shadow Energy, which filled the entire tower, stopped immediately like a beast freezing in the presence of a giant predator.
This Murakan, the one who faced Temar in his madness, was the dark dragon at the peak of his power a thousand years ago.
People used to say that Murakan and Temar were evenly matched in battle, even under Temar''s best conditions. There was no way Temar could contend with Murakan in his madness.
In addition to that, Sarah and Fadler also joined Murakan.
Two different elemental manas of mes and lightning intertwined with their auras to form waves of multicolored des. They extended with a force powerful enough to slice through the entire tower.
Murakan restrained Temar with Shadow Energy, while Sarah and Fadler reached his two nks and pressed him.
Each of their strengths intertwined with the steel and kept shing. They were terribly surprised to see Temar retreating and barely fending off their sword strikes.
This couldn''t be the power represented by the titan Temar Runcandel.
"I''m sorry, Temar."
Murakan gathered all his released Shadow Energy, indicating that this would end soon. All the Shadow Energy around him surged like waves and enveloped Murakan.
At that moment, the sky above the tower filled with Shadow Energy, and even the skies of the Dark Sea in the distance fell under Murakan''s control.
The poisonous vapors descending from the Dark Sea''s atmosphere were covered with his Shadow Energy and dissipated.
His powers lived up to the name people of the time called Murakan: The Sky King.
"Sarah, Fadler. It''s time to end this."
But Murakan''s words were met with a twist.
A steel dimensional gate opened right in front of Temar. A man with a faint form stepped out of the gate.
His translucent body emitted a bright light.
His abrupt appearance caused Sarah and Fadler to step back and remain on guard. Murakan also halted his attack.
"Fate seems quite cruel at times, doesn''t it? And so does your God. Don''t you agree, Murakan?"
"Demon, how did you know about this ce? What brought you here?"
"There aren''t many things in the known world that I don''t know, as long as they haven''t been erased and remain unchanged. You already know that."
He seemed familiar to Murakan. Sarah and Fadler also seemed to know him.
"About Temar. I suppose you all wish to save this pitiablepanion."
He spoke, cing his hand on Temar''s shoulder. Temar stayed still and didn''t act hostile toward him, although the weight of Murakan''s Shadow Energy seemed to press him and make him gasp for breath.
Sarah and Fadler''s eyes trembled.
"What is this n?" Murakan red at him.
"n? I''m just offering goodwill to the pitiful orphans, as someone very troubled with overflowing fortunes."
"Cut the nonsense and leave before I end up killing you too." Murakan directed his murderous intent towards him.
But Sarah and Fadler stepped in front of Murakan and shook their heads. Their desperate eyes pleaded with the dragon to listen to him. They seemed to have faith that he could offer them a way to pull Temar back from his madness.
"Don''t be so hostile now. At least listen to my offer, dear old friend. I''ve prepared a future that will benefit all of us."
The gray orb distorted again.
It didn''t seem like it would recover. Just like in the first tomb, the orb was breaking down after the scene change.
But Jin was hardly irritated by the abruptly interrupted scene. His heart was already beating too fast from the shock of seeing him towards the end of the scene.
Jin had already faced him once.
The leader of the Kinzelo.
It was clear it was him. The translucent body, the flowing light from him, his way of speaking, his voice, and even the steel dimensional gate.
He also sounded like he knew Murakan back then. In fact, he sounded like he knew Murakan very well.
But unlike in the Old Oterium time, Murakan acted as if he also knew him.
''What''s going on here? If Murakan knew him, why was he acting like he didn''t know him?''
Jin thought about it, but he quickly corrected himself.
No, he probably wasn''t acting. Murakan might not know who he is now.
Something was amiss in Murakan''s memory.
It wasn''t too hard to deduce.
He suddenly remembered the conversation he had overheard in Oterium toward the end of his days as a Provisional gbearer.
"When Temar tried to kill you after you lost control due to the overload, I was the one who stopped that guy. Murakan, don''t you remember who I am?"
"You bastard, whose name are you trying to throw out here? You seem to be an old demon, but there''s no way Temar would have associated with people like you. And an overload? You must have found out something, huh? The one who lost control that day was..."
"Not you, but Temar? Is that what you''re trying to say?"
"Forget the fact that you don''t recognize me. To think that you remember that day was Temar''s fault. I can''t even imagine how disappointed thete one would be if he ever found out."
"Bring up Temar''s name one more time, and I''ll kill you and send all those folks called Kinzelo to hell."
"That would have been impossible for you, even in your best condition. But I''m curious. Have you really lost your memory? Do you really believe it was Temar who lost control, not you?"
"You''re courting death."
"Or have you rearranged your memory in a more convenient way for you?"
"Shut your mouth!"
That was the conversation between Murakan and the Kinzelo leader.
Ever since he heard the exchange, Jin had often wondered what might have happened between Murakan and Temar a thousand years ago.
And also about what his dragon''s rtionship with the Kinzelo leader could be if they really had known each other in the past.
Thoughts immediately flooded his head.
The scene abruptly stopped, but from the looks of it, there was a slim chance that Temar had died in that tower.
Jin guessed, from the way Sarah and Fadler reacted to the appearance of the Kinzelo leader, that there was another reason supporting that assumption.
In the scene, it was clear that Temarcked the skill to pierce through Murakan''s heart and destroy him.
He was so broken that Murakan didn''t need Sarah and Fadler to kill him, and the dragon would have done it easily. There was no way Temar could have put Murakan to sleep for a thousand years from his prime.
Even in that brief glimpse, Jin could clearly see how exorbitant Murakan''s Shadow Energy had been.
Contrary to what the Kinzelo leader imed earlier, the scene demonstrated that it was Temar who lost control, not Murakan. But who knows if the situation changed after the incident? It''s uncertain since the scene stopped.
It was frustrating.
If the recording device hadn''t been damaged, he might have been able to see what would have followed as well.
It wasn''t different from the time with Silderay. Trying to fill in the gaps between scenes with guesses and assumptions made him feel distressed.
''I guess Misha would know, right? There must be a way to restore these recording devices. Wait a moment. Recording devices, recording, recording...''
Right at that moment. A set of words and a name popped into Jin''s mind.
Recording magic.
The recording magic of the Histor n and his past life''s master, Valeria Histor.
She must be wandering the world to restore the lost ancient spells of the Histor n.
''Howe I never thought of my master? She might know something about the recording devices Solderet left behind.''
Recording magic was a set of exclusive spells of the Histor n. Although he had seen the Legends and Solderet use simr devices, they didn''te close to those of the Histor n.
Recording magic was also the main reason why the Zipple ensured the downfall of the Histor n. Nothing sabotaged their efforts to manipte history as the Histor''s recording magic did.
But how?
How was he going to search for his former master, Valeria Histor?
That was the problem. He had desperately wanted to meet her on several asions after his return to life, but aplicated set of reasons forced him to wait for the right time.
One of those reasons was finding the right cause.
Now that he was a gbearer, issuing an order to locate Valeria wouldn''t be too difficult. Or he could easily request it from the Seven-Colored Peacocks.
Jin knew all of Valeria''s hiding ces, the ces she frequented, and even the false names she used.
However, even if he could abruptly search for her to have a meeting on his own, Valeria would see him only as a stranger... and one with unclear motives at that.
Since Misha had mentioned one of his master''s false names, Aria Owlheart, he could use that as an excuse to meet her. But getting to know him could also have a significant impact on her life.
Despite their close rtionship in the past life, they wereplete strangers in the present. He remembered what Misha had said just before leaving Tikan.
"That you were chosen by the shadow, and Aria was chosen by history. If you ever cross paths with her, try to encourage her. On arger scale, you could say she''s your ally."
At that time, Misha was cautious about mentioning more about his master.
''Now that my identity has been revealed, any hasty encounter could make her a target of my enemies. I must think carefully about this. First, I should meet with Misha and ask for her opinion to see what she would say.''
His forces were still not strong enough to guarantee Valeria''s safety. Therefore, for the time being, Jin wanted to take more precautions when meeting with her.
While he was busy with his thoughts, the ethereal ne broke rapidly.
Once he exited it, he could see hispanions standing on the giant m. Then, he noticed two objects.
It was Sarah''s broken sword and a new Shadow Energy Pearl.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 310: Fragment From The Past: Sarah (3)
Chapter 310: Fragment From The Past: Sarah (3)
C310 - Fragment From The Past: Sarah (3)
"Jin!"
"Young master, are you alright?"
Hispanions approached. Jin handed the broken sword and the pearl to Jet and smiled bitterly. "Yes, I''m fine."
Shadow Energy gathered in Jin''s hand. The dark energy soon transformed into a flower. Jin ced it on the ground and bowed his head, to which hispanions followed suit.
It was a moment of silence for Sarah. Murakan and Quikantel seemed to have difficulty suppressing their emotions.
''Rest in peace, Lady Sarah.''
Olmango still stood on the surface of the sea, waiting for the group.
He had used his divine powers to create invisible steps, and the group followed the god to return to where they hade from.
"So, who was the guy inside, Jin Runcandel?" Olmango asked when they reached the beach.
"It was Lady Sarah Runcandel."
"Sarah Runcandel..." Olmango repeated her name over and over to himself, but he couldn''t remember anything about her, no matter how many times he said her name out loud. "I feel a certain nostalgia and sympathy, but for some reason, it seems like I don''t remember anything about this Sarah Runcandel. Perhaps because the Zipple have erased her from history."
"Are you sure you even knew Sarah, Lord God of ms?"
Olmango nodded in response to Murakan''s question. "Yes, I knew her. My heart wouldn''t ache so much if I didn''t, right?"
"But if the Zipple havepletely erased her from history, shouldn''t she have been erased from Murakan''s and Quikantel''s memories as well?" Alisa asked.
"The Zipple n''s maniption of history isn''t perfect. If it were, I wouldn''t have been able to gather all of you. It would have been impossible to hide Temar''s second tomb once again with my powers if it were like that."
Murakan and Quikantel nodded. "That''s right. They''ve always erased defeated enemies from history, but it has its limitations. That''s why Runcandel could also maintain their existence while erasing the fact that they were also a family of Magic Swordsmen."
It was also the same reason why Tzen-mi''s magic tome and Schugiel Histor''s tome still existed in the world, and why Valeria was still alive.
"But even though it''s somewhat limited, I had trouble remembering Silderay and Sarah until I met the guardians of the tomb. That means even my own memory is being affected by their magic."
"Oh, I don''t understand any of this at all. Jet, no, sir. Manipting history? Can one really do such things with magic? It''s not like they''re ying at being gods or something."
"It''s a tremendously dangerous power that should not be allowed for humans. And that''s the kind of enemies we''re up against." A brief silence followed Quikantel''s words.
The onlooker. That''s what Sarah had used her of being. But unlike a thousand years ago, Quikantel was helping Jin. She was now fighting by his side. It also meant that her God, Olta, wasn''t against getting involved in Jin''s battles.
None of them got to hear the details of the story.
But they all understood why Quikantel felt sorrow for Sarah. As a guardian dragon, she wasn''t allowed the perfect free will that humans possessed.
Regardless of her own choice, she had to obey the decisions set by the God she served and had to be willing to make any sacrifice for the contractor on any asion.
Such was the life of a guardian dragon.
And yet, Murakan had tried to kill Temar.
He couldn''t imagine how tormenting it must have been for Murakan.
"Kid?"
"Yes?"
"So, what did you see on the recording device this time? Come on, tell us."
Jin looked at Olmango and hispanions. He had to do it for Murakan''s sake.
"Could you give us a moment?"
Olmango and the rest of the group didn''tin. They were about to give them some space when Murakan gestured with his hand.
"Everyone here is yourpanions, kid. It seems you''ve seen something bad about me. There''s no need to keep it hidden. Tell us everything just as you saw it."
"Hmm. So, shall I leave at least?" Olmango wanted to respect their privacy.
Murakan smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Join us. I''m a bit annoyed that Solderet didn''t leave any message for me, but it seems you were quite friendly with my oldpanions, not to mention the incredible job you did in keeping Temar''s second tomb hidden all this time."
Jin nodded. "What I saw there was how you tried to kill Temar."
Everyone was left open-mouthed by his words. In contrast, Murakan and Quikantel seemed quite calm.
The expressions on everyone''s faces ranged from intrigue to sadness with each detail Jin gave about the fascinating stories of the old days.
Murakan sighed when Jin finished the description. "That Temar. I fought against him when he lost control and fell into a long sleep when he pierced my heart. However."
As expected, Murakan didn''t remember anything about the leader of the Kinzelo or the mysterious Dark Sea Tower. He didn''t remember at all going to that tower with Sarah and Fadler.
"I have no idea who that strange idiot in the Dark Sea Tower is supposed to be. And as far as I recall, Temar didn''t be that weak."
Murakan was quite surprised to hear that Temar was supposed to be subdued so easily.
"The leader of the Kinzelo, huh? So, I met that idiot a thousand years ago, huh? And here I was, thinking he was just some demon who had heard of me. Seems like he has something to do with me after all."
Surprisingly, Murakan didn''t seem confused about it. He simply decided to ept the fact that his memory was wed.
Above all other reasons, it was because Solderet had left recording devices behind.
"The reason my damn God bothered to leave recording devices was probably that he considered my memory might have some issues. No, he must have been sure of it. If we carefully unravel each one of them, someday we''ll get to the truth."
"But Murakan." Quikantel spoke up.
"What?"
"About that phrase the Kinzelo leader was supposed to have said in the scene. About orphans."
"That he only extends goodwill to wretched orphans, like someone very troubled with overflowing fortunes. You mean that part?"
"Yes. Doesn''t it sound familiar to you?"
"Well, I''m not sure. But it does sound exactly like the kind of thing a hateful person might say to someone rtively weaker."
"The expression sounds familiar to me for some reason."
"You know those damn demons use shy expressions for everything. I doubt it''s anything important, but if it''s bothering you, try looking into it. Are there any active demons these days? I heard the kid''s older sister killed one once."
The pendant that Luna had given to Jin back at the Storm Castle was an item that originally belonged to Orugal, a Demon Lord, and he obtained it after killing a demon.
Murakan took the Shadow Energy pearl from Jet. "Hmph, seriously. I really don''t want to, but it looks like I have to meet Misha as soon as possible. I have to find out if she knows anything about this pearl and what she might know about the scenes you''ve seen. You still have a few days of vacation left, right?"
"About a week, yes."
"Alright, then let''s get started. We''ll even have enough time to deliver Sarah''s sword fragment to Picon. Hey, god of ms."
"What?"
"Thanks for keeping that kid''s tomb safe." Murakan scratched his head as if it made him ufortable to say it.
Olmango just shrugged. "Don''t thank me. It was a request from Solderet. How could I refuse?"
"I know it must have been tough, not to mention all the trouble you would have gone through if the Zipples ever discovered you."
At thatment, Olmango pretended to cough and nodded. "Yes, it was quite tough. If you''re really grateful, do you think I could ask you for a favor?"
"Well, what is it?"
Olmango looked around once again to check the reaction of Jin and hispanions. "Cookies."
"What?"
"Um, do you think you could bring me more Rie cookies? Seriously, it was an unforgettable vor."
"Oh,e on. You must be crazy. You''re supposed to be a god! I can''t believe you''re doing this for cookies! No wonder people, including myself, treat you like a useless god when you can even walk on water and handle such huge ms! Have some ss, will you?"
"Try living off seafood your whole life, and you''ll see what I mean."
"I''ll make sure someone is sent to deliver you cookies regrly, Olmango."
Jin''s words made Olmango''s eyes light up. "Are you serious?"
"Of course."
"I couldn''t be more grateful. My contractor, mwell, will finally get plenty for himself too. I''ve been feeling sorry for him all this time, you see. I hadn''t realized I''d eaten almost all of them by myself."
Jin chuckled and looked Olmango in the eyes. "But one more thing, Olmango."
"Yes?"
"Do you know who has the key to the third tomb?"
------------
Jin and Murakan went there to deliver Sarah''s broken sword to Picon (he had nothing to add about the scene Jin saw in the second tomb), and then they immediately headed to see Misha.
------------
"Please present your identification." A well-dressed waiter spoke in a dry tone.
Jin and Murakan were in a luxury bar in the Kingdom of M to see Misha.
The bar, called The Shadow, was exclusively reserved for members, and no one could enter without a rmendation from one of them.
Even royalty couldn''t ess the ce without following the rules.
Elite members of global factions like the Runcandels, Zipples, or the Vermont Empire were exempt and granted entry as long as they could present the emblems or symbols of their ns. However, Jin and Murakan were in disguise.
"We''vee to see Mrs. Grace Shields."
Instead, they presented the name of the bar''s owner, known to an extremely rare number of people.
The waiter immediately changed his attitude. "I didn''t realize you were thedy''s guests. Please forgive my discourtesy. Allow me to escort you inside."
The waiter immediately led the two to a secret room and returned to his ce. A ck-haireddy was drinking alone inside the room.
"It''s been a while, Jin. How have you been?"
Grace Shields. It was Misha''s alias. She was the owner of The Shadow. The bar was one of her many hideouts.
"I''ve been great, thanks to you, Misha. I couldn''t see you after the battle in the Western Sea. I apologize for noting sooner to thank you."
"If you hadn''te to say something more important than a thank you, I would have beaten you up."
"Hmph, you and your damn temper. If we didn''t find you here, we were going to give up. How many hideouts do you need?"
They had to make over twenty jumps through portals in thest two days just to check all the hideouts she had indicated. Thanks to all those jumps, Murakan looked pale and ghastly.
"I can hear you begging for a beating. Damn? Did you just say damn? Come here. Let me twist your jaw in six directions."
After a violent exchange of greetings, Jin handed her the two Shadow Energy pearls.
Blood spurted from Murakan''s mouth. Misha, who had been holding Murakan by the neck, pushed her brother aside and fixed her gaze on the pearls. "Where did you get these?"
"I went to Temar''s tombs."
"Tell me more."
Jin began describing from the day he met Picon to how he found Olmango. Misha seemed serious throughout the time Jin described what had happened.
Like Murakan, she wasn''t aware of the ns Solderet had made in the form of Temar''s tombs.
"Jin, the pearls you''ve brought are recording devices. I''ve only heard of them. This is the first time I''ve seen one."
"They''re recording devices?"
"Yes. The scenes you saw were probably the result of these recording devices being activated. The recorded scenes were likely unstable because the device was damaged."
"Is it possible to repair them?"
This is how Misha responded to Jin''s question. "I find it impossible."
"Damn it, Misha. What do you want us to do if you can''t?" Murakan asked.
"That''s enough from you. Jin, as I see it, it''s time to look for that girl, Aria Owlheart."
Jin''s eyes widened.
He didn''t think Misha was the first to mention her name.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 311: People Searching for Her (1)
Chapter 311: People Searching for Her (1)
C311 - People Searching for Her (1)
''The Shadow Energy Pearl is a damaged recording device, and to fix it, I must see my teacher...''
He almost gasped at the abrupt mention of her.
"By Aria Owlheart, do you mean the sorceress you mentioned the other time? The one after the Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-The Final Version Of The Demon Empress?"
"Yes, that''s her, Jin. It seems you remember her."
"Is she rted to the recording devices left by Solderet?" Jin acted as if he knew nothing about it and asked.
Misha looked into Jin''s eyes. "Nothing directly rted, I suppose. Everything Solderet prepared for you would have been done a thousand years ago. It''s impossible for a girl who just turned seventeen to have made those recording devices with Solderet."
"Oh,e on, why are you bringing this up?" Murakan asked, irritated. He was quite annoyed to hear another familiar name after what had happened with Picon and Olmango.
Misha simply ignored him and looked back at Jin. "About four hundred years ago, there was a n called the Histor."
The Histor. The real surname of Aria Owlheart and the n to which Valeria Histor belonged. Misha was one of the few beings who had firsthand experience with the magic of the Histor.
"They were a talented Mage n. Despite their small size, they continued to pose a threat to the Zipples with their limited numbers. There was something transcendent about each member of their n. There was a mysterious energy in them that couldn''t be measured simply by metrics like the star system."
Murakan tried to recall the time he heard the name Histor while listening to Misha''s description of them.
"But their greatest value wasn''t theirbat abilities. It was the culture they built with magic."
"What exactly was it?"
"The records. The Histor had a record magic that surpassed all others. They had a set of spells that could leave a perfect record that was impossible to manipte in any way."
"An unmanipble record? Setting aside the believability of that, doesn''t every story end with someone''s bias, interpretation, and intention?"
"I can''t fathom what the Historians might have intended in their view of history. But the reason I focused on them was that the Zipples couldn''t manipte written history with their record magic."
Murakan''s eyes widened at her words. "So it''s record magic, huh? You might have a horrible personality, but I know you don''t make false ims. I can see what must have happened. The Histor n must have met its demise due to record magic, at the hands of the Zipples, of course. And Aria Owlheart must be a descendant of the Histor."
"Exactly. What a surprise. I thought your brain was just for decoration. Oh, dear brother of mine. Try using your brain often from now on, like you just did, okay?"
Murakan was about to get angry again, but Jin spoke before he could. "So the reason you suggested I see Aria Owlheart, the descendant of the Histor n, must be because of the record magic."
Misha nodded. "I can''t fix the recording device, so I think you should have her take a look at it. I''m not sure about this, but I think she might help since she''s trying to restore the record magic of the Histor n as well. But it seems she won''t have many reasons to help you."
"Misha, I have no idea how much you trust that human, but in the end, she''s an outsider. These recording devices are Solderet''s legacy. Do you think the kid should let her see them? Plus, even if she managed to restore some of the recording magic, handling Solderet''s devices must be another story. This is Shadow Energy, remember?" Murakan asked.
"Didn''t I just tell you there''s something transcendent about the Histor, you idiot? I''ve experienced the record magic wielded by the Mages of the Histor n myself. They can handle anything rted to records, whether it''s mana, Shadow Energy, or anything else."
She sounded sure.
Even Murakan was starting to feel curious about the Histor n. Although his older sister had a bad temper and was more devilish than the devil himself, Murakan knew that her judgment had always been urate.
"Hmm. So, how are we going to do this? Kid. Are you going to meet with her?"
"We should. Neither Misha nor you can fix the recording device, so it doesn''t make sense to dwell on it."
"We should hope that this human named Aria Owlheart can fix the recording devices. If she can''t, I have a feeling we''ll be running all over the ce looking for other ways. But I have a question, Misha."
"What is it?"
"How did you find out that Aria Owlheart is a descendant of this Histor or Hastor n? It must have been quite a challenge to locate her since the Zipples wiped out her n."
"There''s something I promised to the ancestors of Aria because I owed them."
"To protect their surviving descendants?"
That was something Jin had never heard of either.
From what he remembered of her, she never relied on any other faction or human after the people who raised her, the Gray Owls, were annihted by the Zipple Magicians. The closest she ever got to other people was to manipte and use them for her benefit.
She had always been alone until the day she reached out to Jin, who was broken and desperate.
Jin was the only person Valeria had opened up to and trusted since the Gray Owls were wiped out.
And that was despite Jin not being strong enough to help Valeria.
Just before Jin was killed in the Arkhin Kingdom in his past life, she left the house they shared without saying anything to him.
To this day, Jin had no idea whether she did it to live alone again or if she was just on a research trip.
The mystery would never be solved because Jin died before finding out, and the things that happened in his past life were memories.
"Not to protect them. In fact, quite the opposite." Misha answered Murakan''s question with a bitter smile.
"What I promised the Historians was to watch over their descendants who survived the evil reach of the Zipples. If any of them sumbed to suffering and tried to hand over the Histor magic to the Zipples? What they asked of me was to kill them."
"It''s a cruel request." Jin sounded strangely cold as he made thement. He felt anger towards Valeria''s ancestors, who had made such requests to Misha.
"It''s quite cruel. But so far, not a single historical survivor has tried to side with the Zipples. They have no leading n, they can''t even use the Histor name, and they all suffer under the persecution of the Zipple n. Yet, each of them has lived their life striving to restore the record magic of the n."
"That''s interesting. How can one have loyalty to their own n when the n itself has disappeared?"
"There must be a magic record that is passed down only to their survivors. The mission and memory as a Mage of the Histor n seem to pass from generation to generation in that way."
Misha also had a rough guess about the historical site of the Histor n.
Jin nodded with a heavy heart. Suddenly, he remembered his days as a provisional gbearer when he aspired to be Kiddard''s disciple.
"I''m sixteen years old, and you know I possess seven-star mana. And it''s said that the mana I obtained at the heritage site is something that only pure-blood Histor with a perfect mana body can inherit."
"I thought you were raised by the leader of your mercenary group. How do you know about the perfect mana body? It''s supposed to be a word that was lost even in historical texts," Kiddard had said.
"I learned it at the heritage site. When I entered the ce, all sorts of record magic unfolded and told me what a perfect mana body is. Then it dered that I met the requirements and transferred the mana to me. Although I have no way to prove it to you."
The heritage site of the Histor n.
Just as Misha conjectured, all surviving members of the Histor n could obtain the records, spells, and mana that the Histor had left in their heritage sites.
"Aria Owlheart is now thest Histor left. Like the rest of the Histor who came before her, she never sumbed to the Zipple n''s persecution and tracking and has managed to weather it. This girl is as tough as you."
"Oh, oh!" Murakan suddenly shook his head as if he had abruptly remembered something. "Hey! Misha, now I remember. What satisfaction. I knew that Histor name felt so familiar to me for some reason."
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"I''m not sure it''s real, but we have a magic tome from a Histor Magician."
"What?"
"Right after the kid became a provisional gbearer, we cleaned up the underworld of the Arkhin Kingdom. At that time, we bought Schugiel Histor''s magic tome at ndestine auctions for two hundred gold coins."
Misha''s gaze shifted from Jin to Murakan, astonished.
At that time, Jin bought Schugiel Histor''s magic tome for the incredible price of two hundred gold coins at Tessing''s ndestine auction house, understanding that it was much greater loot than Myulta''s rune or Tzen-mi''s tome.
Undoubtedly, the magic tome was genuine because it was written in the same cryptguage that only Jin and his teacher understood.
"So this is the twenty-fifth item. An item left by a Magician named Schugiel Heicester. Begin bidding."
"Two hundred."
"Two hundred. Do we have any other offers?"
"Why did you get this one? Hey, Kid. Is this because of that good feeling of yours again?"
"Just for no reason. I thought they might suspect if I only get one tome. And I have a good feeling about it, too."
During the meeting with Misha, Jin deliberately kept silent about the tome, despite having it on his mind the whole time. He had been looking for a discreet way to bring it up to Misha.
Meanwhile, Murakan began reproducing the cryptic codes from Schugiel Histor''s magic tome with a pen and paper.
"I took a look at Schugiel''s magic tome while deciphering Tzen-mi''s magic tome. It was such an annoying code to decipher that I still remember it."
Misha carefully inspected the code and spoke. "It must be genuine. You messed it up, but I''ve seen Schugiel use codes like this in his life. It''s extremely simr. It''s insane. Schugiel Histor''s magic tome was found at a ndestine auction?"
"Huh? Misha, have you met Schugiel Histor in person? And here, I thought the tome was fake because the code was too obscure."
"Schugiel Histor was the same man who asked me to watch over his descendants. For a paltry sum of two hundred gold coins? That''s outrageous. So, where is it? The tome."
"It''s stored in Tikan. Ipletely forgot about it for a few years now."
"Those are good news. I was wondering how you should approach that Histor girl. The magic tome you''ve obtained is likely genuine. It seems like Aria and you were meant to meet after all."
"This wouldn''t be part of Solderet''s ns too, would it?"
"It''s not entirely imusible, Murakan."
Jin thought it was clearly imusible, but he didn''t feel the need to correct them.
"Jin, find her and make a deal with her using Schugiel''s magic tome. Tell her to restore the recording devices."
Jin''s heart raced.
Then he caught his breath and looked Misha in the eyes. "Do you know where that Magician named Aria Owlheart might be?"
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 312: People Searching for Her (2)
Chapter 312: People Searching for Her (2)
C312 - People Searching for Her (2)
On March 21, 1799, Jin, Gilly, and Murakan returned to the Garden of Swords after their well-deserved vacation.
The hooves of the horses pulling the armored carriage Runcandel resonated beautifully. Jin thought about Valeria''s hideout, which Misha had informed him about, while asionally waving to the people of Kalon from the carriage window.
''Mahmeet, huh...''
Mahmeet, thewless city: Valeria was currently established there under her false name, Aria Owlheart.
"There''s an inn in Mahmeet called The Moonlight Well. The bosses of that scum call themselves kings and reside there."
"I carried out a mission there during my cadet days. Is Aria Owlheart there too?"
"Yes. It seems like she''s using Mahmeet as a kind of base camp. She lived there when she was around fourteen."
"This is crazy. A human girl of fourteen lived in that den of criminals? That girl named Aria must be quite talented too. And if she was staying at an inn where their leaders reside, does that mean Aria also holds a position in the city?"
"To be honest, I haven''t looked into that. But I agree that the girl is like a finely sharpened sword."
This was the conversation they had before leaving Misha''s bar, The Shadow.
Jin smiled as he imagined his former teacher, who now resided in Mahmeet.
''I thought she might be in Mahmeet around this time. I remember her telling me that Mahmeet was surprisingly more romantic than one would think.''
Jin knew that Valeria had lived there for two years. That''s why he had asked the bartender in Mahmeet if he knew anyone named Histor when he went there to carry out a mission as a cadet.
There must be a reason she uses Mahmeet as one of her base camps. She never makes a move without purpose.
Jin was twenty-five years old, and Valeria was twenty-three when they met in their past life. They had spent about three years together.
At that time, they used to have heartfelt conversations and reveal their innermost thoughts, but Jin didn''t know in detail about all of Valeria''s activities.
Now, he would get to know his teacher six years earlier than in his past life.
Curiosity pricked at him.
What else would he learn about Valeria? Would they be together like in his past life?
Jin briefly thought about Valeria, but he soon shook his head. The reunion was only valid for him. He realized that getting too excited about meeting her wouldn''t serve him any good.
He took out the two Shadow Energy Pearls from his inner pockets. They were distinguishable by their size and color.
"It''s really fascinating, young master. To think these tiny beads were recording devices," Gilly spoke as she looked at the Shadow Energy Pearls.
"If that girl Aria can really restore the device, I''d like to see the scenes too. Are you heading to Mahmeet right away?" Murakan asked.
"Yes, I will, as long as I don''t have anything urgent to deal with at the Garden of Swords."
The carriage came to a stop. The guardian knights opened the doors. Petrow approached the carriage and greeted them. He had been waiting at the entrance of the Garden of Swords for Jin''s return.
"Hello, Petrow."
"How was your vacation, young master?"
"I had a well-deserved break. How have you been?"
"I don''t have much to do, apart from paperwork and room management when you''re not here, young master. I''ve been enjoying my time, sir."
Despite what he had told Jin, Petrow''s days had been quite busy.
He looked after the Volta n''snds while Jin was away, discussed matters regarding Jin with Deano, and invested the money allocated to Jin as a gbearer in various secure businesses.
Above all these activities, checking the state of the n was what kept him most upied.
But as a result of his efforts, he discovered something peculiar.
"Madam Rosa is currently out, so you won''t need to file a return report, sir."
"Where has she gone?"
"I apologize, Young Sir. I don''t know where she is."
Petrow seemed to hint at the guardian knights surrounding them as he spoke. Jin caught the hint and immediately headed to his room.
Petrow began to speak as they entered the room. "Young master, thedy has gone to the Enchanted Fortress."
The Enchanted Fortress was the home of the Specters, one of thergest and most infamous mercenary groups, along with the ck Kings.
There was only one reason why Rosa would visit the ce at this time.
"She must be meeting with Keliac Zipple."
There weren''t many ces on Earth where the leaders of the two ns could meet with security guaranteed.
The Enchanted Fortress was a kind of neutral area and had been used as a secret meeting ce for the Runcandel and Zipple ns throughout the ages.
The Specters managed to maintain a force scale simr to the ck Kings, although they took on far fewer tasks each year because they received annual fees from both ns in exchange for using their base as a meeting ce.
"How did you find out? It would have been top secret."
"The chief scribe of the n owes a favor to young Lady Luna. I was able to use it to find out, sir."
Petrow yed his only card to make the chief scribe do his bidding.
He should have done it only after informing Jin. But Jin didn''t reprimand him and only waited to hear what he had to say about it. He believed Petrow had a good reason for making this decision.
Petrow''s judgment was based on Joshua.
"I received information that the council of elders recently discussed a reward for the second gbearer. I don''t know the details of the discussion, but thedy went to the Enchanted Fortress right after her reward was decided. So, it was a crucial matter."
"Could you find out why exactly the reward was?"
"I apologize, young master. I couldn''t find out."
"That''s alright. Well done. The two events seem to be clearly rted, at least."
Jin immediately deduced a scenario:
Joshua had achieved something.
And the result was significant enough for Rosa to ept the Zipple''s offer herself.
Otherwise, Rosa would never have rushed to the Enchanted Fortress so urgently.
''It''s not Barton Vichena. Mother wouldn''t see Keliac over that matter. If it were him, she would have met with Keliac before sending me on the mission.''
What exactly did Joshua achieve?
Petrow had the chief scribe recount the ultra-secret meeting between Rosa and Keliac.
But he couldn''t find out what Joshua had achieved or what he was supposed to receive as a reward. That only meant that whatever Joshua had achieved was more important than the secret meeting of the two n leaders.
Jin was trying to concentrate on what it could be when he heard heavy footsteps at his door.
"Jin! Is Jin here?"
A raspy voice.
It was Jed.
Jin had to hold back hisughter. It seems he sessfully improved the final move, the Cascade of Petals.
Jin, Petrow, and Gilly nodded.
"Hey, uncle."
"Little brat. If you were going on vacation, you should''ve told me."
"I didn''t think you''d be upset about it."
"Who said I''m upset? Forget it. Your uncle felt humiliated by your absence, that''s what happened."
"Did something happen?"
"Those darn old bags don''t trust your uncle. Haha, follow me now. Today is finally the time to wipe those wrinkled faces off."
This was something he could never have imagined in his middle school days. But there was something endearing about Jed''s enthusiasm.
"All right. Shall we, uncle?"
Jed grandiosely led the way like an excited child and headed to the training grounds.
He had no idea that his nephew had been determined to beat up his uncle from the moment they met.
Shing!
Jed unsheathed his sword as soon as they arrived at the training ground.
"Now, take a look. Your dear uncle has developed a finishing move that equals the Cascade of Legends you taught me."
"Uncle Jed. Before we begin, there''s something I must tell you."
"What is it?"
"I''ve had a change of heart. I think you should call the upgraded petal cascade by its own name."
Jed red at him. "Suddenly? Why?"
"I didn''t feel like showing off my skills to the other elders. I could brag about the things I have, but they would never ept me anyway."
"What the hell are you saying? I''ve already discussed it with those old bags of bones. We agreed to reward you once I can prove that the n''s final move has improved thanks to you, after you return from your vacation. And I''ve already talked to them about the sixth finishing move, the lightning."
"Lightning? The sixth finishing move? What are you talking about? Please don''t tell me the fourth gbearer snitched on my other sword techniques to the elders."
"Is that a problem?"
Then Jin sighed and shook his head. "Uncle Jed. I don''t have many cards I can y to survive in this ruthless n. I wouldn''t have enough even if I kept them all hidden and only used them in the most dire moments."
"That''s... I guess you could feel that way."
"Also, the elders don''t look favorably upon me anyway. I''m not very convinced I should share what I possess with them."
"However, dear Jin. Don''t you care about your uncle''s reputation? If you don''t show them, they will think I lied out of my own ego."
"All you have to do is take credit for improving the fourth finishing move, the Petals in Cascade. I won''t demonstrate anything about the sixth finishing move, the lightning, and I will never perform the Cascade of Legends before them."
Jed feltpletely frustrated by how inflexible Jin was about it.
While he couldn''t understand Jin''s sudden change, it was undeniable that Jin was right.
Has something happened to him during the vacation? Why all of a sudden...?
Jed was pondering the matter when he suddenly realized something.
"That brat. You want something from me, don''t you?"
Now that he thought about it, there seemed to be a mysterious smile on Jin''s face.
"Jin, are you trying to negotiate with me?"
Then Jin shook his head in the most pretentious way possible.
"You little brat. You''d better be straightforward with me. If what you''re asking is reasonable, I''ll grant it."
"Alright, then let me ask. What did the second gbearer, Joshua, achieve that Mother is heading to the Enchanted Fortress for?"
Jed''s eyes widened. "What? But you''ve just returned. How did you find out about that?"
"Tell me, please."
"You seem determined to ruin your uncle''s reputation if I don''t tell you."
"I''m a gbearer of Runcandel too. I don''t want to be left out of crucial n events."
As selfish as it sounded, Jin was right.
Jed sighed. "Jin, I don''t know exactly what Joshua has achieved."
"I''ve asked too much of you. I apologize. I''m leaving now."
Jin bowed his head and turned, making Jed grit his teeth. "Hey,e on, brat!"
"Yes, uncle? Did you call me?"
He''s in.
Jin looked confident. He locked eyes with Jed.
"You shouldn''t tell anyone the things I''m about to tell you."
"I swear I won''t."
"Have you...?"
Have you heard of a n called Histor?
Jin was almost taken aback by the words.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 313:
Chapter 313:
C313 - People Searching for Her (3)
The Histor? Jin had no idea he''d hear that name at this moment and ce.
Is Joshua''s achievement somehow rted to the Histor n?
His heart started beating faster. There was only one surviving Histor: Valeria.
"I haven''t heard of them." Jin spoke bluntly after barely keeping his poker face.
"They were the only n that threatened the Zipples with their magic. The reason you''ve never heard of them is that they were annihted by the Zipples and erased from history. Now, there''s hardly any information left about them."
"Oh, now that you mention it, I might have heard of such a name back in my Provisional gbearer days. No wonder there isn''t much information left about them. I guess the Zipples got rid of everything."
"Yes. The Zipples seem very particr about them, considering they still promise rewards for a n that was wiped out hundreds of years ago."
"Is there any survivor?"
"Only one. A few years ago, the Runcandels realized that the Zipples are searching for that person, so the n has secretly been trying to locate the surviving Histor."
Jin had never heard of Valeria being hunted by the Runcandels.
He had never had ess to that information because in his past life, he was nothing like a gbearer. Most considered him useless.
"My master never told me anything about the Runcandels tracking her. Did she never realize it? No, that''s not possible. She probably didn''t bring it up because she didn''t want me to feel it."
Jin and Valeria hardly spoke about the Runcandels in his past life because the n Runcandel''s name itself symbolized his greatest pain and failure.
"So, does this achievement by the second gbearer have something to do with the capture of the survivor?"
However unlikely, there was still a small chance that Valeria had been captured. She might very well have been released after her capture in his past life. Or escaped.
"No, it''s not that."
Jin felt relieved deep down.
Jed paused and looked around. Obviously, there was no one spying on them in the training field, but he wanted to emphasize the confidentiality of the information.
"Although she wasn''t captured, it seems she found the fake name the survivor was using."
"It''s not like we have her whereabouts or custody. We have nothing more than the name, and you mean to tell me that was enough for Mother to see Keliac and propose an offer herself?"
"And that''s why I told you to keep it a secret, didn''t I?"
"How astonishing to think that a single descendant of a fallen n can have such an impact. It almost seems as if the Zipples fear this n called the Histor."
Jin remembered Misha''s words.
"I can''tprehend what the Histor might have intended in their vision of history. But the reason I focused on them was that the Zipples couldn''t manipte the recorded history with their registry magic."
A spell to leave a record that was impossible to manipte. The Zipples actually feared that the spell could be reintroduced into the world.
"Anyway, is this enough?"
"Uncle, by any chance..."
"Now what?"
"Do you also know the name of the survivor? And what is Mother trying to gain from the negotiation?"
"I was hoping it wouldn''te to this. Are you thick-skinned? You''re asking too much. Either that, or you take your uncle for a fool."
"I apologize. However, I just thought your reputation represents much more value than that information, Uncle."
"It seems you made friends with tterers while you were outside the n. Didn''t I tell you before? I don''t know in detail what Joshua''s achievement is. I don''t know the fake name of the survivor, or what the acting matriarch wants."
"It''s a shame."
But in reality, it didn''t feel that way at all.
"The news of my n''s interest in my master is a gain in itself."
Jin received this unexpected news practically for free.
It would have been perfect if he could have also figured out what Rosa intended to do with it, but he could always look into thatter.
"A shame? Oh, wicked brat. If you ever change your word about the final moves, you''re going to experience some interesting things right here."
"Of course not, uncle. Thank you."
Jin bowed. Jed clicked his tongue in disapproval of Jin''s craftiness.
But in reality, Jed didn''t disapprove of his ways. He found it rather endearing to see his nephew standing up to him.
Of course, if he had only done it for show, Jed would have scolded him immediately. But Jed thought Jin was just being firm to get what he wanted.
Jed''s sword took on an aura and emitted light.
"If you''re grateful, then make sure to show the elders that you''ve found clues to refine the n''s finishing moves."
Soon, Jed began to execute the final move: an enhanced version of the Runcandel n''s fourth finishing move, Petals in Cascade.
Jin focused on his uncle''s sword. He watched as Jed unfolded the aura around the de, making it almost fall and form the shapes of petals. Everything was just like the first time.
The aura petals scattered in unpredictable paths, which were also identical to those of the previous time.
But it was right after withdrawing the sword from the vertical sh.
Kroom!
Pirs of aura suddenly sprang from where the cascade of petals was performed. The petals repeatedly came together and spread from the pirs, making it look as if the aura petals of a tree were rustling in the wind.
"The Master Move of Legends you showed me, the Cascade, spilled lightning energy wherever the sword had passed, just like its namesake. On the other hand, the Cascade of Petals follows an upward pattern. So, I thought of the most efficient shape it could take using aura instead of lightning energy."
The difference with the previous form of Petals in Cascade was clearly evident.
"So, what do you think?"
"When I first saw the Cascade of Petals, I thought the move was a ss below the Cascade. But now it''s just as powerful. The Cascade would be more suitable for single-targetbat, while the new Petals in Cascade seem suitable for fighting multiple foes."
Jed smiled so much that his lips couldn''t stretch any further.
"As expected, you''ve figured it out. The reason why Petals in Cascade didn''t surpass the Cascade was that both techniques were the same. In fact, the Cascade of Petals was a version of the Cascade without the lightning energy, so it was obviously weaker."
It had been only a month since Jin had taught Jed the Cascade.
Yet, Jed analyzed the move he had only seen once and reformed the Petals in Cascade final move one step further in that short span.
This wasn''t just an improvement. It could be said that he practically perfected the move.
Jin held back hisment and brought up something else. "I see why you must have gone through a lot for this, uncle. But I have to ask."
"Ask."
"Do you really intend to put my name on the enhanced Petals in Cascade? I''ve thought about it a lot, but this isn''t something I should take credit for. It''s purely your achievement, uncle."
"I''ve already told you I''ll put your name on Petals in Cascade, and I won''t retract that."
"But..."
"As you say, I know the council of elders isn''t very pleased with you. I also know that in the end, you''ll prove them right, whether I put your name on the y or not, as you always have."
"Then why are you so insistent on attributing to me what you''ve achieved for yourself, uncle? Is it because you''ve already told the council that you had my help?"
Jed shook his head. "You think so? It''s not because I like you or anything like that. I just thought it would be best to clear my debts sooner. Besides,tely, you''ve aplished something significant for the n."
The remarkable thing Jed referred to was the assassination of Barton Vichena.
"So, make sure to y fair while your uncle still feels like showing you some kind of support. However, as I mentioned before, if you ever stray from what''s right, I''ll be the first to draw the sword against you."
"I understand."
"And one more thing. I''ve changed my mind."
"About what?"
"We should postpone the exhibition of evidence to the elders for improving the final moves. At least until I finish refining the sixth final move, lightning, as well. Show me the other Master Move of Legends that Dyfus saw."
"I will show you, of course. But I want you to remember one thing, uncle."
"What is it?"
"If it had been any other elder or anyone else from the family, not you, I would have prevented them from reforming the final moves I possess. And if you manage to improve the sixth move as well, this time, please, put your name on it."
"I can''t agree to that. I''ll put your name on it too, so stop babbling and show me the move already."
The two of them didn''t leave the training ground until well into the night, all the while showcasing their skill with the Sword of Legends and the final moves.
Every time Jin showed Jed new Sword of Legends moves, the smile on Jed''s face never faded as he imagined how they would use them to improve the final moves (and how the council would beg both him and Jin to see them).
--------------
Phew!
Joshua sighed and slumped into a chair. He lit a cigarette that entuated the fatigue on his face.
A woman arrived at his side. "Joshua, how did it go?"
It was Joshua''s wife.
"It seems Keliac Zipple didn''t ept mom''s offer."
Conversations between Rosa and Keliac had broken down. But Keliac had already gained something when Rosa mentioned they had discovered Histor''s name.
"Both the acting matriarch and us expected that. Don''t be so discouraged."
"The name isn''t enough. I need to capture Histor so that mom can exert significant pressure on Keliac."
The woman gently wrapped her arms around Joshua''s neck and smiled.
"In any case, we have her name. It''s only a matter of time before we catch that bitch. That dirty rat is good at hiding, so it will take some time. But in the end, we''ll have her before the Zipples do."
The Zipples still didn''t know Aria Owlheart''s name. Therefore, it was likely that the Runcandels would find Valeria first.
"When that timees, Keliac will have to give up much more than what we proposed this time. So don''t be in such a hurry, Joshua..."
---------------
It was thest day of March 1799.
A zing sun shone down on the city where viins swarmed like insects.
It was a harshnd where not even weeds grew. The city of scum andwless people.
Mahmeet.
"This reminds me of the old days."
Jin was fifteen and in middle ss when he came here in his current life.
He hade a long way since then, but Mahmeet hadn''t changed a bit during that time.
The city''s inhabitants talked about terrible crimes as if they were defining feats. Its streets were littered with waste, organs, fingers, and heads that had clearly once belonged to the living.
Just like four years ago, Mahmeet''s criminals were surprised to see Jin enter the city.
But their surprise was for an entirely different reason.
"It''s Jin Runcandel..."
"This is insane. What''s a man like him doing in this mess?"
"You idiots! Don''t look at him if you want to keep your heads."
That''s what they felt about him.
Fear was in the eyes of Mahmeet''s viins when they set eyes on Jin.
"Mesa?"
"Yes, my Sir."
"Go and tell the kings of Mahmeet in the Moonlight Hall (Well). I want each and every one of them lined up outside and on their knees before I arrive."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 314: People Searching for Her (4)
Chapter 314: People Searching for Her (4)
C314 - People Searching for Her (4)
"Your word is mymand," Mesa replied obediently.
She had recently passed the final test to be a guardian knight and had been assigned as the twelfth gbearer, alongside Scott Rymon, who stood on the other side of Jin.
"Scott?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Go clean up the trash on the streets."
Robberies, murders, violence. All it took was turning one''s head to witness the anarchistsmitting crimes in real time. That was the scum who hadn''t realized Jin had arrived in Mahmeet.
He didn''t actually care if the underworld scum fought amongst themselves, but there were also civilians mixed in.
Jin''s order aimed to put an end to the criminals who were viting civilians.
"I will fulfill your order, sir."
Mesa and Scott passed by Jin and began to move.
Within seconds, the shouts of the anarchists began to sound from different ces. The frequency of the shouts rapidly decreased.
After Scott knifed a few, the rest got the hint. It wasn''t just any guardian knight who hade to this ce on a mission. A Runcandel gbearer was here, in this wastnd.
The streets fell silent immediately.
But Scott couldn''t care less. He went through every alley like a ghost to carry out the cleanup.
The streets emptied as well. Mahmeet''s criminals were busy hiding in their houses and taverns like prey spotting their natural predators.
Only a cold breeze swept through the empty streets. Mahmeet fell silent for the first time in years.
"Mesa and Scott have grown very strong."
Jin formed a soft smile. It was quite interesting that they were now full-fledged guardian knights.
It was about time for Vellop to return from the snowy ridges of the southeastern Mytell Kingdom as well.
The remaining seven members of the younger faction would also take their final tests.
"Once they all be guardian knights, maybe I should take them to a hellish training ground. If possible, it would be great if they all became strong enough to be called up as ck Knights before they turn fifty. Wait. Maybe I should make them work hard so they have no choice but to be ck Knights."
The two werepletely unaware of Jin''s wicked ns.
Mesa and Scott had to calm their excited hearts as they forced Mahmeet''s anarchists to submit. They were ready to give it their all, now that they could be with Jin once more.
Jin walked slowly toward the Moonlight Pit.
Just as the lives of the younger faction boys had changed, my teacher''s life will be alteredpared to my past life once she meets me. Perhaps Joshua discovering her fake name at this moment could also be a result of my return to life.
That sent shivers down his spine.
He always knew that every little thing he did after his return to life could very well change the lives of the people around him.
That''s why he tried his best to make decisions that would guide all his loved ones to a better ending, as much as possible.
But he wasn''t sure what to do about Valeria.
He couldn''t know if meeting Valeria would have a positive impact on her or not.
But now wasn''t the time to ponder over such matters.
He should keep her by his side and provide her with a safety. In my past life, neither the Runcandels nor the Zipples managed to capture her, but in this life, one couldn''t be sure what would happen.
Valeria was undoubtedly a strong person. She was one of the strongest people he knew. It wasn''t just about herbat ability. It was the strength of will that Valeria possessed as a person.
She was radiant and admirable.
But there were things in the world that couldn''t be solved by willpower alone.
A good example would be a seventeen-year-old prodigy sorceress evading pursuit from two giant ns with no one to trust.
Unlike Jin during his days as a Provisional gbearer, Valeria had no siblings to hide her in Lafrarosa orrades willing to risk their lives to protect her.
She would be unable to stay ahead of the pursuit by the two ns forever. If I don''t help her, they''ll eventually catch her.
As her disciple, now was the time to repay the grace of my master from my past life.
My confused heart calmed as I approached the Moonlight Pit.
"He has arrived, my lord."
Mesa and Scott bowed their heads as Jin reached the entrance of the Moonlight Pit.
Behind them, five union leaders and their subordinates were kneeling, neatly arranged in rows. There were about a hundred subordinates, and they were the officers of each of their factions.
Jin observed them for a while without saying anything. He was looking for Valeria.
She''s not here.
So, the next step was to find a leader who might know Valeria.
"Fortunately, there''s a familiar face here. You. Yes, you. What''s your name?" Jin looked at the leader kneeling at the front as he spoke.
"I am Yorke, sir. Do I know you, sir?" The leader replied, stating his name politely.
Indeed, Yorke already knew Jin.
"Hello, kid. You seem like quite the talent for your age, but it won''t do you much good to stay in this city for too long, let alone if you intend to cause trouble."
"Thank you for your advice. But I need to find someone. I''ll make sure not to cause trouble for the people staying here," Jin had said.
"Haha, I heard that the other day you killed a thug in the taverns with a single blow, but now you''re acting like a meekmb."
"That''s because you''re different from all those. Turns out, I know very well what to expect from you."
"You pass for your manners. Well, then I''ll let you stay here a few more days."
"Thank you. I won''t forget the fact that the kings of Mahmeet did me a favor, even after my return."
That was the conversation Jin had with Yorke and the other kings of Mahmeet while on the intermediate-ss mission.
"Yes, Yorke. The guy who madements about my manners in the Moonlight Pit lobby got his head cut off by the swords of the Secret Pce. Do you remember me now?"
"Oh!" The leader''s eyes widened as he nodded.
Of course, he remembered.
After Jin had terrorized the Moonlight Pit to carry out his mission and pretended that the Magician hade from the outside, the leaders of Mahmeet suffered under Siris for a long time afterward.
It was all because Ryu and Heiten, of the seven swords of the Secret Pce, were unable to find the Magician - Jin - who hadunched the lightning call at the Moonlight Pit.
Siris continued to harass the leaders for some time afterward in an effort to find the culprit.
Only after a while did she realize that the boy she had released, Jin, might have been the culprit.
And when she did, she gathered the leaders and had them investigate the boy''s activities in Mahmeet, from his date of arrival, purpose, and every little thing he did in Mahmeet.
It was a great misfortune for the leaders of Mahmeet, but they had no power to refuse Siris''s orders.
"Lady Siris." The boy popped the head of a newbie named Tonk in a tavern shortly after arriving in Mahmeet. Then he acted like he was looking for someone. He came to the Moonlight Pit and did nothing else in Mahmeet."
"Is that so?"
"Yes,dy. As I see it, he may not be the culprit at all. You know it doesn''t make sense for that kid to be casting six or seven-star spells."
"If it''s not him, are you saying my men lost the sorcerer?"
"That''s not what I meant. And even if you were right and he really was the culprit, Lady Siris, I don''t think he was targeting the Secret Pce. Maybe one of us offended him, and he took it out on that person."
"Who was he looking for?"
"I was told he was looking for someone named Fizta or Fester."
It was Yorke, the leader standing in front of Jin at that moment, who had spoken to Siris back then.
Yorke deliberately told Siris the name was Fizta or Fester because he was very upset with her, but he had clearly confirmed that Jin, at the age of fifteen, was looking for a Histor.
Of course, Siris had to waste a lot of time trying to find a Fizta and a Fester.
"I apologize for not recognizing you immediately, Sir Jin."
"Yorke, stay here. The rest of you, disappear from my sight as fast as you can," Jin spoke in a low voice.
The other leaders and subordinates quickly scattered like roaches.
The power represented by the Runcandel name within Hufester was not somethingwless individuals could confront.
"Let''s go inside and talk."
Yorke''s intuition told him at that moment that Jin had returned to Mahmeet to find the person he had been looking for four years ago.
"Yes, sir!"
The two entered the Moonlight Pit. Scott and Maya then guarded the inn as gatekeepers. The lobby waspletely empty.
"I''m looking for someone."
"Yes, Sir Jin. Please tell me who it is. If you can give me the name or description, I assure you I can find that person, as long as they are within Mahmeet."
"Is there a girl around seventeen years old residing in Mahmeet right now? She would have red hair and a silver pine staff."
"Red hair and a staff..." Yorke searched his memory.
As far as he knew, there were no red-haired girls with a silver pine staff in Mahmeet. Besides, how could a seventeen-year-old girl survive in this violent city?
But it reminded him of someone.
"There are no red-haired girls with a staff, but there''s a girl of a simr age who recently joined my organization as an errand girl."
"What''s her name?"
"She said it''s Aria. I don''t know herst name. She was born in the alleys, and she''s quite sharp too."
Jin''s heart began to beat faster. "Is there no one else?"
"None, sir. That girl is the only one under twenty years old. Should I bring her here?"
"Let me check."
"Yes, Sir Jin. Please wait a moment. I''ll go tell my subordinates to bring Aria."
Yorke was about to get up, but the lobby''s ceiling suddenly copsed, dropping a spear through it. It was a blue spear formed with lightning-based mana.
It was the variation spell Jin had experimented with in the Great Mitra Desert.
The spear pierced Yorke''s head and stuck into the ground. Yorke didn''t even have time to scream.
Jin slowly raised his head and looked up.
There was a hooded figure whose figure was visible through the hole in the ceiling.
He could recognize the person, despite the hood covering the face. Even the unfamiliar brown hair peeking out from the hood was enough to convince him.
It was Valeria Histor, his master.
He felt as if time had stopped.
He wanted to shout her name, tell her that it had been so long. All sorts of indescribable feelings crossed his heart like rays of light spreading in all directions.
"Jin?" Valeria asked upon meeting Jin.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 315: Secondary Images of the Past or Future (1)
Chapter 315: Secondary Images of the Past or Future (1)
C315 - Secondary Images of the Past or Future (1)
Jin opened his eyes wide.
''Did she just say my name?''
Hearing Valeria utter that single syble that was his name.
It took neen years.
If she hadn''t extended her hand to him when Jin wandered the world as a useless and desperate wanderer in his past life...
Jin''s life would have been nothing but dark and miserable days. She was his teacher, a friend, a trustedpanion, the object of hispassion, and his savior.
Silence fell.
In that brief span of a few seconds, Jin''s heart was too full for words. He felt as if his head had heated up immediately and gone nk, and his vision had darkened.
He wanted to answer her here and now, if he could. If only he could utter her name as she had in their past life.
But he had to be rational.
''It''s impossible for my teacher to remember me. She has no memory of her past life.''
If he suddenly embraced her and showed his affection, the whole situation could turn into a mess.
He was the only one experiencing this as a reunion.
I must act in a way she can ept. If not, I''ll only raise her guard further.
And if that weren''t the case...
Even if Valeria also had memories of her past life like Jin, emotionally approaching her was foolish.
Jin regarded Valeria as even more ruthless than his father.
If she possessed memories of her past lives but didn''t show them, that meant she had done so as part of an borate n.
Or perhaps the happy memories of their past lives no longer mattered to her.
Whether she had memories of her past lives or not, it was necessary to start this conversation as smoothly as possible.
He couldn''t afford for his emotions to reveal his weaknesses. After all, Jin was here to make a request of Valeria.
He never engaged in deep conversations or made deals unless it was absolutely necessary, or unless it was with someone he could respect.
He had to fulfill at least one of the two.
"It''s quite an elegant entrance. Can you really afford to kill your boss like that, Aria Owlheart? No, should I perhaps call you Aria Histor?"
He dropped both names: Owlheart and Histor. Yet Valeria didn''t seem surprised at all. Jin didn''t know if she was suppressing her surprise or simply expected it.
"Anyway, wasn''t Yorke''s death determined the moment you came looking for me?"
Valerianded in the lobby with a slight movement.
As vile as he might be, it''s still concerning to kill someone who followed one''s orders. I''ve taken care of that for you, so maybe gratitude is in order."
Valeria removed her hood and revealed her face as if she didn''t care.
She had brown-dyed hair, bright red pupils, and tightly pressed lips. She had a youthful appearance due to her young age, seventeen, but retained an unapproachable expression.
Jin had never seen Valeria at seventeen.
It was clear that Valeria would be weaker and more fragile than at twenty-six. She was smaller and thinner than he remembered.
However, something made her feel sharper than in her past life when she was fully grown, like the teeth of a wounded beast.
"I suppose you could think that way. But above all, I didn''t think you''d be so eager to reveal your face."
"Let me warn you in advance. If you ever decide to attack me, I''ll definitely prioritize safety over curiosity."
"Safety, you say. It almost seems like you could escape from me if you wanted to."
"If I couldn''t, I wouldn''t have appeared before you after killing Yorke."
Neither of them disyed any emotion, but both were busy calcting the course of the conversation in their heads.
"I wanted to know who might have been looking for me in this city four years ago. After finding out it was you, I thought about starting a conversation."
Valeria moved to Mahmeet shortly after Jinpleted his intermediate ss mission and lived there for two years.
This was because an inheritance ce of the Histor was located in thewless city. To find it, she used magic registration several times in Mahmeet.
And as a result, she discovered a record that someone had been searching for a Histor in a tavern four years ago, along with the location of the site.
Furthermore, the heritage she found in Mahmeet allowed her to glimpse a record of the future, stating that the same person would meet her again around March 1799.
That''s why she was in Mahmeet.
She had been waiting for Jin.
"I wonder how you found out that I was looking for you."
"That''s my question. How do you know about me?"
"These are the Allied Realms of Hufester. Do you think there''s anything here we don''t know?"
"If the Runcandels were searching for Histor, it would obviously have been top-secret. At that time, you were just a fifteen-year-old intermediate-ss cadet. That means that information shouldn''t have been within your reach since you weren''t even a gbearer."
"Well, top-secret, huh. Are you overestimating yourself?"
"I''m not overestimating myself. I know I''m great. See? Even the great Jin Runcandel himself is here. State the reason you sought me out."
Jin smiled. "I have a request to make."
"What kind of request?"
"The restoration of a recording device."
"By recording device, do you mean something left by my ancestors?"
"I''ll tell you when you agree to help me."
Valeria then mocked him. "It seems you know what the name Histor represents. But, unfortunately for you, there''s no reason why I should help you."
"I can alwayse up with reasons. Coboration for survival, to start with."
"You can''t kill me."
"Why do you feel that way?"
"Because that would help the Zipple and yourpetitors."
"You''re definitely overestimating yourself."
Jin unsheathed Sigmund and waved it close to Valeria''s eyes in an instant. Strands of her dyed hair fell to the floor.
Astounded, Valeria looked at the fallen strands and blinked. "I didn''t think you''d be such a disappointment. Have youe to make a request, and all you do is threaten me by force? Is that all you''ve got?"
Valeria was furious as she stared and yelled at Jin.
It caught Jin off guard. It was very strange to see her like this. In his previous life, Valeria would never have reacted this way.
To think she''d reveal her emotions to someone who could be a friend or foe, especially when she has more reason to see me as an enemy right now. Maybe she''s not skilled in controlling her emotions since she''s almost ten years younger now. But still. There''s something odd. She seems very disappointed about something.
Jin shrugged. "I hope you don''t take it as a threat. It''s advice. If any Runcandel other than me were here right now, it would have been more than just a few strands of hair."
"It seems you''ve misunderstood everything. The only reason you''re in front of me right now is that I chose to meet with you. Neither the Runcandels nor the Zipples will be able to find me from today."
Her speech was rapid, and her tone trembled slightly. Valeria was unable to control her emotions.
''Act as if I''m expecting something from me.''
Things would be different if one assumed that Jin knew nothing about Valeria.
Valeria''s current behavior wasn''t strange at all. She might simply appear as a person weary of the major ns due to her nomadic life.
But it was exactly what Jin thought: Valeria was terribly disappointed in Jin.
In reality, Valeria had been curious about that person named Jin even when she was much younger than now.
It was more or less when she began to realize what the records were.
Or maybe it was when she started to understand what the records meant to a Histor. That''s when she had the same dream over and over again. She didn''t know if it was a senseless dream or a series of a long dream about the future.
But the dream always continued, like a powerful afterimage.
The dream mainly consisted of an adult version of herself conversing with a random wanderer in a dark alley of an unknown city.
"Are you going to sit there for the rest of your life?"
"Get lost."
"How pathetic this is. Jin Runcandel, your brothers will only be delighted about this, you know?" she had said.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?"
"Judging by your curiosity, I guess there are some things you still desire from this world after all. Follow me. I''ll forgive you for sticking your knife into the one person who reached out to you."
She had that dream almost every day, and it was a great mystery to Valeria.
Why did that unknown man always appear in her dreams, and what was his rtionship with the wretch in the dream?
But the emotion she felt for him was clear.
In the dream, she feltpassion.
Sometimes, the dream seemed more real than reality. She would wake up drenched in sweat and bewildered. In the dream, she was a decade younger.
It was only when the world was shaken by the incident in the Holy Kingdom that she realized the vagabond was Jin.
That was when Jin Runcandel''s face was revealed to the entire world.
Thanks to the event, Valeria realized that the man in her dreams was the youngest son of the Runcandel n, whom everyone seemed to praise.
He seemed much better than he appeared in her dreams, but she could clearly tell that he was the same Jin Runcandel she had embraced for no apparent reason.
The reason she had shouted Jin''s name upon seeing him was due to the dream she had had for the past decade.
It was a habit to do the same thing in her dreams every night.
I made a mistake. I attached too much significance to someone I had seen in my dreams and got excited for nothing. But a recording device? I suppose it won''t hurt to check. Besides, I need to find out how this Jin Runcandel tracked me down.
Valeria turned away.
It was time to regain herposure and weigh the demands against what she could gain.
"Aria Owlheart. Are you leaving with nothing?"
"Do you have anything else to say? If it''s about restoring your recording devices, you can find someone else."
"I have Schugiel Histor''s magic tome," Jin said.
She abruptly halted. She turned back to Jin. "What did you say?"
Jin pulled Schugiel''s magic tome from his inner pockets. "I''ve been told these codes belong to the Histor."
What happened next made Valeria gasp in surprise, her hands covering her mouth, as she looked at Jin in disbelief.
"What have you...?"
Jin opened the tome in half and split it in half.
"See for yourself if it''s a genuine Histor''s magic tome or not." Jin handed half of the tome to Valeria.
Surprise was evident on Valeria''s face as she took the magic tome. Jin felt terrible about it, but he had a reason to do so.
''I mustn''t give my teacher time to think. She''s young, and I see she''s less meticulous than I remember her to be, but if she takes it easy, she''ll y tricks on me.''
Valeria''s eyes made a tiny movement to the left as she examined the cryptic codes in the tome.
It was a habit of Valeria''s that she disyed when she felt troubled or cornered.
"Where did you get this?"
"At the underground auction house in the Kingdom of Arkhin. The ce doesn''t exist anymore. If you restore the recording devices I have, I''ll give you the rest of the tome as a reward. Furthermore, I promise to keep you safe from the Runcandels and the Zipples."
"Keeping me safe from the Runcandels and Zipples? I had no idea the twelfth gbearer of the Runcandels held so much power. I would think securing your own ce would be a struggle right now. Besides, I''m not so weak as to need your protection."
"If you''re not weak, then prove it by taking the other half from my hands."
"That''s impossible, but what I can do is flee with the half in my hands."
"From what I''ve seen of you so far, that sounds usible. Well, feel free to do so. But I can promise you that you''ll never see the other half again."
Fwoosh!
Jin conjured a mana me over his hand and brought it towards the remaining half of the tome.
"This makes no sense to me if you don''t cooperate with me. Make your decision. Are you going to help me or run away? What I can promise you is this. If you decide to help me, if you choose to stand with me...".
Jin paused. He cleared his emotions and continued. "I will do and give you everything that is in my power if you wish for it."
Of all the things Jin had done and said to Valeria today, this was the only one he meant sincerely.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 316
Chapter 316
C316 - Secondary Images of the Past or Future (2)
Valeria''s gaze leaned further to the left.
Her confusion and tension were on the rise. In her wildest dreams, she had never imagined that Jin would be reading her subconscious, barely perceptible features.
It was no surprise. Even in her past life, the only ones who knew her features, apart from Jin, were the mercenaries of the Gray Owl who had raised her.
Jin felt just as tense. It was unlikely to happen.
But if Valeria were to give up the other half of the magic tome, there wasn''t much he could do to improve their rtionship.
The sound of mes over Jin''s hand and the blood dripping from Yorke''s corpse echoed in the silence.
"Why don''t we extinguish the mes and talk about this?"
It worked.
"I won''t remove the mes until I get a definitive answer."
Jin felt relieved deep down but shook his head to make the point clear. Valeria nodded.
"Fine. I''ll help you. If the recording device is something I can work with, I''ll have it restored."
"A wise decision."
"But this is only an exchange. I''m not saying I''ll join you. I hope we both understand that clearly."
Fwoom.
Jin closed his hand and extinguished the me. Valeria''s eyes directed another straight gaze.
"After all, continuing the alliance is the result of mutual need. You won''t regret this decision."
"Show me the object."
Jin produced the two Shadow Energy pearls.
The pearls surprised Valeria once again. They closely resembled the various recording devices she had seen in her n''s heritage ces. They only differed in color.
"It seems the device is made of Shadow Energy. Were they made by the god you contracted with, Solderet?"
"Yes."
"Then why can''t you just ask Solderet to restore them?"
"For some unknown reason, I am unable tomunicate with Solderet."
"So how are you so sure these are recording devices? What if they are just pieces of Shadow Energy?"
"It''s because I''ve seen video recordings stored inside them."
"But how?"
"Is that something you need to know to work with them? I thought we were just making an exchange, and you wouldn''t be joining me. You seem to demand a lot of information for someone in such conditions."
Valeria shrugged. "You''re right. Will you leave them with me for a moment?"
Valeria took the Shadow Energy pearls and raised mana over her hands.
A mysterious resonance began forming between her hand and the pearls.
It had been a long time since she had seen something like this.
Valeria was casting the Histor n''s registration magic. She wondered if her magic would work with a Shadow Energy device as well.
Jin observed her for a while, pretending not to know what she was doing.
And shortly after...
Tsst, zzzt...
Tsst!
Jin widened his eyes.
The pearls began emitting the same sound as when they were first activated.
Meanwhile, Valeria nodded, as if she had expected this to happen. "They are undoubtedly recording devices, but they are damaged. They don''t activate correctly."
"You could have checked it. Did you have to ask so many questions?"
"Thanks to that, I now know you can''tmunicate with Solderet."
"I should praise your persistence. Do you think you can restore it?" Jin asked.
"Maybe," Valeria replied as she ced the Shadow Energy pearls on the table.
"It''s a lukewarm answer for someone who was paid upfront."
"Look, Jin Runcandel. Those things called recording devices are much moreplex and intricate than you can imagine. Plus, they''re not identical to the ones my ancestors used to make, so I need time to understand them, okay?"
Jin also knew other traits of Valeria. Her eyes drifting to the left out of anxiety wasn''t the only trait she had.
She crossed her arms and twiddled the tip of her hair with her thumb and index finger. It was something she always did when Valeria was very intrigued by an object or a particr situation.
The fact that she was intrigued by the recording device meant that it could be restored. Or that she needed the item as well.
''If she ever needed them, it was probably because they helped her recover the Histor''s registration magic.''
Jin thought about Solderet''s ns, the records he had left, and his meeting with Valeria today.
For some reason, everything seemed like fate''s work. Even if it seemed like a coincidence, Jin had the feeling that Valeria and he were destined to reunite in the end, like two puzzle pieces that fit together.
"Alright then. I''ll give you time. How much do you need?"
"I don''t know that either."
"Is it because your magic registration is iplete?"
The restoration of historical record magic was iplete even when Valeria was twenty-six, in Jin''s past life.
If memory serves me right, at that time, she would have only found about three heritage ces. She''s not lying when she says she needs more time.
The level of registration magic Valeria handled at seventeen was extremely limited.
"It seems the Runcandels have more information about me than I thought."
"Enough to require my protection, at the very least," Jin replied.
"I''ve told you already. I don''t need your protection."
"My mother and older brother are looking for you. They told me they''ve discovered the name you''re using now. Aria Owlheart."
"It''s not the only name I use, and I''ve made it a point to cover my tracks."
"Anka Roffman, Rylienne Hazard, Lucille Scope, Hartia Vehn."
Jin mentioned Valeria''s other false names. Her eyes twitched. It was a sign of how surprised she was. She rarely showed any emotion when dealing with other people, except for the few traits she had.
"Aren''t those your aliases? You say you''ve covered your tracks, but somehow, this conversation was possible."
Not even the Runcandels and the Zipples knew Valeria''s aliases other than Aria Owlheart.
Except for Valeria herself, Jin was the only one who knew those names.
The problem was that Valeria had no choice but to assume the worst.
Where had she left traces? She believed she had cleared them without a doubt.
Valeria quickly turned to her memory but couldn''t figure out when she had slipped up.
The fact that she couldn''t figure it out implied that she might have slipped up elsewhere too. Uncertainty gripped Valeria''s heart. As strong as she was inside, she was still only seventeen for now.
"No matter how many of my names they know, they''ll never catch me. And like I said, you could only know me because I decided to talk to you."
"I appreciate your confidence, but don''t you think you should be more cautious? If the Runcandels can find out so much, the Zipples surely have more information about you."
"Well, I''m so moved by your concern that I might start crying, you know?"
"The Shadow Energy pearls you have in your hands are more valuable to me than Schugiel Histor''s magic tome or your life, for that matter. I''m only concerned that you might get caught and lose them in the process."
"Jin Runcandel with a four hundred million bounty isn''t the only one capable of staying out of sight from the Runcandels and Zipples. Anyway, I''ll follow your advice to be more cautious."
Valeria stored the Shadow Energy pearls in the inner pockets of her robe.
"I suppose that''s enough for discussion for now. Give me an address where I can send letters, some safe ce."
"You can send them to the head of the central defense guard of Tikan Free City, Alisa Badger."
"I''ll send letters if there''s any progress in the restoration after my return."
"And where can I contact you?"
Jin said it without any expectation. Since she was constantly on the run, he didn''t believe she would give him an address.
But surprisingly, Valeria pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down her address.
Jin''s eyes widened when he saw the address.
"This is the center of Sameel."
Sameel. The city of assassins, the Anonymous.
Only the families of the Anonymous assassins and those whom the Anonymous owed favors could reside in the center of Sameel. It was the only non-lethal area within the city, which Jin had used in the past to win the bet against O''ul.
Valeria had no family, but she had earned the right to own a house in the center of Sameel as a benefactor to the Anonymous.
"Well, now that I think about it, the Zipples could have always contacted the Anonymous to locate or assassinate my teacher in my past life. Maybe that''s why she was never harmed by the world''s top assassins."
She had never thought much about it in her past life, nor had she thought that Valeria might have a hideout in Sameel.
"I don''t actually stay there. But I can check any letters that arrive at that address. So, if there''s something you want to ask of me, get in touch with me there."
Valeria had a reason for giving Jin an address where she could be located.
She wanted to know more about Jin. It was true that she was disappointed by how different he was from the man in her dreams. But for some reason, talking to him made her feel something.
She felt like she had found someone she had been missing.
He was the first person to make her feel this way, apart from the deceased mercenaries of the Gray Owls.
"I had no idea the Anonymous treated you as a benefactor."
"Your reaction tells me the Runcandels still didn''t know this location. I hope you''re not foolish enough toe here yourself."
Valeria got up. "I must leave now. I hope you''ll keep my ancestor''s magic tome safe until I return with your restored device."
"You can ask me for anything you need to restore the recording device, as long as it''s something I can get. And one more thing, I''ll send you an item to Sameel once I return."
"An item?"
"You''ve dyed your hair brown, but anyone could tell you''re actually a redhead. Your disguise doesn''t seem very good, so I''ll have them send you good dyes and disguise tools. Don''t worry. I won''t poison them. Think of it as an extrayer of protection."
"Hair dyes and disguise tools?"
"You''ll see what I mean after using them. They''ll allow you to have a thousand faces."
Valeria burst intoughter. "I didn''t think you were capable of joking."
She got up and extended her hand to Jin.
"For now, it seems the meeting has been mutually beneficial."
Jin silently looked at her slender wrist and tiny hand.
Is she acting like this just because she''s younger than when I met her in my past life?
From what he remembered of Valeria, she would never have offered a handshake in such situations.
Jin didn''t hesitate to take Valeria''s hand. Her hand felt warm in his.
"Aria Owlheart."
"What?"
"When you first saw me, why did you call me by my first name as if you knew me?"
Out of habit from my dreams.
Valeria didn''t say those words. Instead, she just gave a mysterious smile.
"Who knows? Until next time."
---------------
Right after Jin returned to the Garden of Swords, a meeting was held.
It wasn''t just for the gbearers. The meeting was attended by the heads of the elders'' council and other key figures of the council. This meant the meeting wasn''t about mere mission assignments. It was about critical matters within the n.
Everyone rose from their seats when Rosa entered. She indicated they should sit back down with a look and spoke.
"Today''s meeting will focus on a person named Aria Owlheart."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 317: Joshuas Counterattack (1)
Chapter 317: Joshua''s Counterattack (1)
C317 - Joshua''s Counterattack (Part 1)
Aria Owlheart.
Most of the gbearers exchanged confused nces with each other when Valeria''s most precious false name slipped from Rosa''s lips.
They had no idea who this was.
The only gbearers who knew the name were Jin and Joshua.
But no one dared to ask Rosa, "Mother, who is she?" and demand an exnation. Unfair as it may be, asking such questions would only serve as proof of their own ipetence.
On the other hand, the elders who had already decided on Joshua''s reward obviously knew who Aria was.
They shrewdly emphasized their superior knowledge of the gbearers, making it sound like a matter of course.
"You have made a great decision, Command Matriarch and Second gbearer. We must find this person quickly, even if we have to inform the rest of the gbearers in the process."
The elder chief and head of the ck Sword Guild, Jorden Runcandel, spoke with a smile.
The vice-chief and head of the Law Guardians, Lin Milcano, nodded her head, while Telrod Runcandel, the council secretary who was also the head of the People''s Guardians, showed little reaction.
Jorden subtly nced at Joshua.
"The second gbearer yed a great role in this."
"I agree, Elder Chief Jorden. We were able to get ahead of the Zipples thanks to the second gbearer discovering the name."
"I agree too."
All the elders who supported Jorden and Joshua chimed in, leaving the gbearers bbergasted.
"But Joshua hasn''t told us anything!"
"Damn old bags. What are they whispering about? Can''t they exin things before discussing them?"
This is what Miu and Anne were thinking.
"Why are the elders making it seem like Joshua achieved something big? What has he aplished this time?"
"Are they finalizing their preparations to make him the Patriarch?"
Ran and Vuigo.
"Yes, let''s keep quiet around here."
"But let''s not forget to act like we''re discussing something serious."
The Tona twins.
"Have you heard anything about this?"
"I don''t care."
Dyfus and Mary.
"All of this is cumbersome and annoying..."
And finally, Luntia.
While her children were busy with their own thoughts, Rosa spoke again. "I suppose most of the gbearers wouldn''t understand what the name Aria Owlheart means. Allow me to exin. This person is thest survivor of the Histor n, a n that once posed a threat to the Zipples."
Rosa continued her exnation about the Histor for some time.
She talked about their active period, why they were able to pose a threat to the Zipples with their magic, and how such an amazing n was wiped from history in such a way that there was barely any information left about them.
She seems to know quite a lot about it.
In his past life, Jin was not a gbearer, so he had no ce in such meetings.
Therefore, what Jin understood then about the Runcandel n was very limited.
Rosa, no, the Runcandels, were much more interested in the Histor n than Jin ever thought.
"Therefore, if we secure Aria Owlheart of the Histor n first and obtain information from the Histor''s inheritance ces and register the magic, we will have a key asset to press the Zipples."
Jin was genuinely surprised that Rosa mentioned magic registration and the Histor''s inheritance ces. He didn''t think Rosa would share such information with anyone other than Joshua.
Then again, I suppose it''s not a big surprise since she really only shares it with a few key council members and the gbearers.
The gbearers'' eyes gleamed with anticipation as Rosa finished her exnation.
They sensed an opportunity approaching.
"Mother, so the purpose of this meeting is to assign the gbearers to search for this individual?"
"Yes, Ran. The search for Aria Owlheart and her capture is an ongoing mission for all Runcandel gbearers starting today. It will be ssified as top secret, so the use of any external manpower is strictly prohibited."
"Understood."
"If word of us seeking the Histor leaks outside, we will stop at nothing to trace the leak and severely punish anyone involved. There will be no exceptions. So be careful in selecting your guardian knights for this mission, gbearers."
The gbearers nodded with heavy hearts.
She dered that there would be no exceptions in punishment.
If any knight under their control identally leaked any information while carrying out this mission, it would be they who bore the responsibility.
They could very well be stripped of their gbearer status. And that would essentially lead to banishment or exile with no promise of return.
"The Zipples are also fervently searching for this person. But they still don''t know the name Aria Owlheart. We must secure the Histor before the Zipples, at all costs."
"Yes, ma''am!"
Jorden pretended to cough and drew attention.
"As your elder chief, there are a few things I would like to inform the gbearers about this mission. First and foremost, I hope you all understand clearly that this is a crucial matter for the n, not a race for gbearer achievements."
Jorden paused and took his time.
"Secondly, make sure to report all mission progress to the current highest gbearer at the moment, the second gbearer."
His words confirmed some of their fears.
Disappointment was evident in the eyes of several gbearers. They thought it was a fair opportunity to achieve something for themselves without Rosa''s discrimination, but it was all for Joshua once again.
Of course, they all knew Joshua would be the patriarch no matter what they did. So, they didn''t really expect to contend for the patriarch seat through their achievements as gbearers.
But in moments like these, they felt let down. They almost felt like puppets to upy the seats, not gbearers. Why had they fought all their lives to be gbearers if this was what they got in return?
They didn''t need to be patriarchs, but they wanted to take pride in what they did.
Rosa could see through their thoughts, but she knowingly ignored their desirespletely.
She had trained them in such a way that they could never rebel against her unless they could prove their rights, no matter how many times she ignored them.
In that regard, of the eleven gbearers left in the n, there were only four people who could openly show their displeasure against Rosa and the elders in such situations.
"Elder Chief, I fail to understand why the mission progress report must go through the second gbearer."
"The fourth gbearer is right, Elder Chief. The second gbearer is literally a gbearer. He is not a patriarch or a patriarch in charge."
It was Dyfus and Mary.
They had always fought for their rights, even before being turned into gbearers. Both in feats and mission execution, they had never disappointed Cyron, Rosa, and the council of elders.
But not causing any disappointment didn''t mean they were on good terms with the entire council. They didn''t respect Jorden, and they hadn''t given up on the patriarch seat.
"It seems the fourth and seventh gbearers have aint."
"Of course we do. This is a vition of our pride as gbearers. You mentioned that this is a crucial matter for the n. I fail to see why you are creating divisions within the n."
"If you think that way, perhaps it should have been you who delivered us the name Aria Owlheart."
"What?"
"The one who discovered the name that not even the Zipples obtained was the second gbearer, not you two.
This means that this achievement solely belongs to the second gbearer. In fact, we did you all a favor by allowing you to share in his aplishments."
Jorden refuted their argument easily, as if he had foreseen it.
"Oh, really? I had no idea. Then maybe Joshua, no, the second gbearer, could search for this person himself. What''s the point of gathering us all here? Is it your idea, Elder Chief, or is it Mom''s?"
"Insolence!"
"Perhaps not as much as the way you treat us, Elder Chief Jorden." Mary spoke with controlled anger.
Rosa raised her hand. "Enough, seventh gbearer. I understand you''re angry, but maintain your manners with the Elder Chief. And Elder Chief Jorden, I hope you understand. They''re young and hot-blooded."
Rosa''s words halted the three angry individuals.
Rosa then turned her gaze to the other two gbearers who had the right to speak: Jin and Luntia.
"Third gbearer, twelfth gbearer. Do you have anything to add?"
"Nothing."
"Me neither."
"Then this is what I suggest. Fine. In response to the request of the fourth and seventh gbearers, you will report to me directly instead of going through Joshua. Furthermore, I will hand over control of the Eastern Fifth Region of Hufester to whoever captures the Histor."
Upon hearing these words, the eyes of everyone present in the meeting room immediately fixated on Rosa. Even Joshua and Jorden, who were clearly on Rosa''s side, were greatly surprised by this statement.
Only one person remained calm. It was Jin.
"Control over the Eastern Fifth Region. It almost makes the four hundred million gold coin reward for my head look like small change."
Joshua was as surprised as the others.
So he turned his head to look at Rosa. But in the process, his eyes caught a serene look on Jin''s face and he felt that something was amiss.
Control over the Eastern Fifth Region.
It was virtually the most significant reward a gbearer could achieve, apart from bing the Patriarch. Even if one didn''t be Patriarch, having control over the Eastern Fifth Region allowed them to amass their own force.
Indeed, among the regions that any gbearer or Elder could possess, the Eastern Fifth Region ranked among the top three most covetednds.
The rest of the gbearers, who had had no choice but to hide their disappointment when Joshua took all the credit, were inwardly rejoicing.
It no longer mattered whether Cyron and Rosa had trusted them before this.
As long as they could find Aria Owlheart and bring her in, they could now rule as overlords over the Eastern territories.
"Now, I hope everyone realizes how crucial this mission is. Let me repeat it. This is a top-secret and ongoing duty for all of you. Stay vignt and bring me Histor. That''s all."
The meeting is over.
The gbearers and elders nodded to Rosa and began to leave the meeting room.
The stewards and scribes who had been waiting for their masters outside the meeting room followed each of their masters.
"The negotiation between Mother and Keliac Zipple must have broken down if he''s still looking for her. But the Eastern Fifth Region? What exactly is Mother trying to snatch from the Zipples in exchange for my teacher?"
Not even Jin could guess what it might be. However, it had to be something of great magnitude, considering how Rosa was offering up the Eastern Fifth Region for it.
Jin was about to head back to his room with his mind full of thoughts.
Joshua called out to Jin.
"What''s wrong, second gbearer?" Jin turned around.
Joshua had his steward and scribe leave them in private.
Now only the two of them were left in the hallway.
What Joshua said next was something Jin had not expected at all.
"You''ve already found her. Haven''t you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I''m talking about Aria Owlheart. You''ve already found that person."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 318: Joshuas Counterattack (2)
Chapter 318: Joshua''s Counterattack (2)
C318 - Joshua''s Counterattack (Part 2)
In the conference room, everyone held their breath at Rosa''s stunning proposal, and at that moment, Joshua never imagined that within Jin''s imperturbable expression hid something special.
Indeed, Jin always maintained his poker face, so there was no reason for it to appear unusual.
However, the reason he suddenly asked Jin if he had already found Aria Owlheart was purely a judgment based on "instinct."
There was a moment of silence.
''What? I sat there too calmly when everyone else was going crazy, and even if I did, it wouldn''t be enough to speak so confidently.''
Jin quickly searched his memory but couldn''t figure out when or how Joshua had learned about his encounter with Valeria.
For the first time since he started facing Joshua, Jin felt nervous.
Fortunately, he didn''t lose his characteristic poker face when Joshua began to talk about Valeria.
Jin smiled.
Regardless of how Joshua had found out, it was a problem that could be resolved simply by maintaining a poker face.
"Both you and our mother seem quite concerned, judging by the nonsense you''re spouting," Jin said.
"Little brother," Joshua retorted.
"Don''t use such a friendly term. We''re not like brothers who get along, are we?" Jin said.
"This is a matter more important than you think," Joshua said.
"That''s why Mother offered the Eastern Fifth Region as a reward."
Joshua spected confidently at first, but as it was only a hunch, he found it difficult to keep the conversation going.
Does that mean you haven''t found that person yet either?
Joshua didn''t dare to ask directly.
"If you hand over that person to me, I will give you not only the Eastern Fifth Region but more than that. I swear by my name and the honor of the Family."
"Why do you keep stumbling upon such interesting falsehoods? Let''s hear this story again."
"Your life."
Jin burst intoughter.
Then he looked at Joshua with a serious expression.
"You stillck skill in jokes. Didn''t I tell youst time that your chance to kill me had already passed?"
"And the safety of yourrades."
Joshua hoped Jin would be visibly shaken by that remark, just as he was when he referred to him as "little brother" and got angry.
But Jin felt no need to get angry about it.
''I wondered when he would use myrades as hostages, but here it is.''
Therades, while being Jin''s strongest bulwark, were at the same time his greatest and only weakness.
That''s why Jin and hisrades had already prepared for the possibility that Rosa and Joshua would use them as leverage.
''I''m starting to wonder about the value of rescuing the Master. Pulling out the most powerful card to pressure me when even the Eastern Fifth Region isn''t enough?''
Jin''s curiosity about what Rosa would receive in exchange for handing over Histor grew rapidly.
Jin''s life and the lives of hisrades.
What did Joshua mean when he said he would guarantee two things to Jin...
''It''s highly likely that the issue is rted to the contract of Solderet. Mother may have asked Zipple for a Demon God Orb or another means to transfer my contract to Joshua.''
It was only spection, but it seemed like a usible development.
Joshua''s goal isn''t to kill Jin but to take away the powers Jin obtained from Solderet, and Rosa''s goal was likely to correspond with his.
''Mother has been acting strangely since thest time. For her, transferring only my contract to Joshua and using me as a gbearer for our Family would be the best oue.''
Indeed, even without Solderet''s power, Jin can still use Magic and the power of Legends.
Jin was considered the most outstanding of Runcandel''s gbearers and was also someone who could be evaluated as having great potential.
Just with his ability as a swordsman, Jin was demonstrating enough growth to be mentioned as the next patriarch.
Even without Solderet''s power and even if he couldn''t use Magic or the power of Legends, Jin was still regarded as Runcandel''s gbearer with the most talent and great potential.
Like Rosa, there was no reason for her to give up her younger son unless Jin betrayed the Family or handed Shadow Energy to Joshua.
Furthermore, the fact that Zipple could transfer the God''s Contract was almost confirmed, considering that the Time Contractor in the past and present life were different. Also, Midor Elner and Beradin used space explosions.
Various thoughts swirled in Jin''s mind.
The various scenarios unfolding in his mind all boiled down to one question:
Why were Joshua and his mother so obsessed with Histor?
"What do you think? Do you want to talk now?" Joshua asked, and Jin smiled.
"I''ll say it again. I''ve never found Histor. I don''t even know why you''re saying this. It''s like you''re doubting me on a hunch."
"I''ll give you ten days. Bring me Histor within that time frame."
"If you want to achieve something so big, it''s better for you to go out and run to catch Histor instead of wasting time with this nonsense."
Jin turned around and added:
"Just a few words. I hope you''re not one of those fools willing to bleed for delusions. It means there''s nothing good in recklessly touching myrades."
"Let me take your advice into ount."
"This is not advice; it''s a warning. Do you understand? In times like this, if we were in a narrow hallway where it''s just you and me, I might be impulsive and draw my sword to cut the Second Son''s throat without thinking about the consequences."
"How pathetic. Do you think you could beat me one on one?"
"If you''re confident, we could fight right now."
Joshua shrugged as if he didn''t care.
"The Twelfth gbearer is in a better position than I thought. Even if I defeat you, you have nothing to lose."
Jin challenged him because he thought Joshua wouldn''t fight anyway.
As Joshua had said, even if he lost in a one-on-one fight, he wouldn''t lose anything, whereas Joshua would lose his reputation even if he won.
Joshua watched Jin''s back until he disappeared.
Then he was certain.
His dear little brother must have met Aria Owlheart at least once before.
''If the younger one really didn''t know anything about Histor, he would have offered me a reverse deal when I talked to him.''
The Jin that Joshua recognized was that kind of person.
If he saw a desire in his opponent, he would find a way to use it, even if he didn''t have a weapon to shake that desire.
That was the terrifying side of his little brother that he saw.
But now, even though he revealed his desire first, he was only trying to avoid the subject when he didn''t know anything about Histor.
Jin didn''t seem intent on proposing a deal to him or ying with him.
That''s why Joshua was sure about the rtionship between Jin and Histor.
He smiled as if he had achieved something big.
''But even if I really kidnap or kill hisrades, Jin will never hand Histor over to me.''
Rather, it was just provoking the sleeping beast.
''It''s good that the younger one knows Histor. If she''s with him, not even our Runcandel and Zipple will be able to find Histor. Histor is safe.''
The younger one would never let go of the cards he held. That was another thing Joshua understood about him.
Although they were clearly enemies or even nemeses, Joshua respected Jin.
From before Jin showed his abilities until now, Joshua had never underestimated Jin even once.
"My lord."
''Howard,'' the first-ss butler who had retired, approached Joshua. He was the younger brother of butler Heinz and one of Joshua''s closest aides.
"Have you gained something, sir?"
"I caught an unexpected huge fish. Howard, do not assign any of my knights to search for Histor. It''s a waste of resources."
"Understood."
"Instead, spread false information about Histor to the other gbearers. While the gbearers are concerned about finding Histor, make sure to secure as many condemned to death as possible and send them to Rickalton."
Howard did notment on Joshua''s decision.
"And look for a list of all our business partners, including merchants, wealthy individuals, and nobles connected to Tikan Free City."
"Our spies have already identified that information. As the information is updated weekly, the margin of error is minimal."
Joshua nodded in satisfaction.
"Cut it all off. I want to dry up their funds a bit. It doesn''t matter if the younger one and hisrades find out that their business partners have disappeared, but we can''t let the outside world know that we pressured them."
"I''ll make sure to keep them quiet. How should we deal with Zipple''s business partners, the Hidden Pce, and the Empire? It''s difficult to maintain security in those areas."
"How many ces are there?"
"I''ll have to check, but I heard there are about ten. Of those, nearly half are Zipple''s."
"Leave the Hidden Pce alone and check if the rest of the business partners have any connection to the Zipple n or the Imperial Family. If not, send pirates to raid and incite an attack."
"Understood."
There''s no need to provoke a fierce animal into a full confrontation.
Instead, Joshua decided to gently scratch Jin''s nerves by cutting off his money supply and subtly threatening hisrades to see how Jin would react.
And he wondered if Jin''srades would endure all sorts of disadvantages and stand by his side to the end.
''He''s clever enough not toe at me with a full-blown attack. But it will be quite annoying.''
--------------
Ten days had passed.
April 10, 1799. Tikan Free City.
Kashimir''s expression was grim as he sat in his office.
The city''s economy had ground to a halt at an unprecedented pace.
Over 80% of business partners had already requested contract suspensions, enduring breaches and fines, and the remaining 20% seemed poised to disappear as well.
"The power of the Second gbearer of Runcandel is enormous. Not a single business partner has revealed why they are cutting their deals, Young Master."
Jin, disguised as Murakan alongside Gilly, had rushed to Tikan as soon as he heard the news.
"Brat, that brother of yours. Who does he take after to be so ruthless?"
"I don''t know."
"Young Master, you said to prepare thoroughly for the Second gbearer''s attack, but I didn''t expect it to be like this... For now, we''re solving the problems with emergency funds, but I don''t know how long we can hold out."
Joshua''s attack was effective. In a way, it caused more damage than a direct murder threat.
Tikan''s leaders fought for recognition as a "State" and handed out vast amounts of money to each faction every month, so the damage was significant.
"It''s frustrating, but we still don''t have a financial powerparable to that bastard''s, no. Joshua... No, that bastard! We can''t beat him. Young Master, even tourists are leaving when they heard the news of pirate ships appearing in nearby waters," Gilly spoke with anger.
Jin''s emergency funds were substantial, but not enough to sustain an entire city.
"I didn''t expect it to turn out like this either. But we can''t just sit and watch when he''s so eager for a fight."
"Do you have any n, Young Master?"
When Kashimir asked, Jin lifted the corners of his lips.
"It looks like I''ll go and attack one of his vis."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 319: Joshuas Counterattack (3)
Chapter 319: Joshua''s Counterattack (3)
C319 - Joshua''s Counterattack (3)
"If it''s Joshua''s vi... do you mean the secret vi Lady Luna mentioned to youst time?"
"That''s right, Sir Kashimir. It''s a ce I''ve been thinking of raiding at some point anyway."
Joshua had dozens of private vis, but only five were ssified as secret vis or safe houses.
-My older sister''s trip to the ck Sea is good news for me as well. Please take this opportunity to find out what kind of missions our father and the former ck Knights undertook there, and why our father''s Runcandel is so obsessed with the ck Sea.
-All right. It''s the first time our father has taken someone other than hisrade to the ck Sea. So, I''ll bring you news that satisfies you. In return, tonight, you have to sit with me and tell me the stories you''ve experienced outside all night long.
Before departing for the ck Sea, Luna told Jin about two of the five secret vis.
It was information she had gathered after receiving Jin''s request to "find out something about Joshua" during the incident in the Holy Kingdom.
"Are you suggesting we attack it right now?"
"I''d love to, but Kuzan and Yulian haven''t returned from the southeast of Mitel yet."
Dragons couldn''t join the attack on Joshua''s secret vi.
If a Dragon got involved, there could be trouble if there were any survivors among the enemies.
As the ck Dragon was the family''s guardian deity and the Silver Dragon was unofficially sought by Vermont, they couldn''t attack Runcandel.
"And I need to confuse that bastard as well. Let''s show him a bit of how hard I''m working to get money. Also, once his secret vi is exposed, I wonder what expression he''ll make."
"But Young Master, the possibility of us actually fighting is high. The Leaders of the Seven-Colored Peacocks are already meeting with Vermont''s contacts... Frankly, I don''t want to use the Imperial Family''s money."
"I understand, Sir Kashimir."
"Of course, if the situation doesn''t improve, I''m willing to bow my head to the Imperial Family. The Emperor... if I demand it, he''ll surely give me a huge sum of money."
He wouldn''t choose to lower his pride before the Imperial Family that had exiled him.
Kashimir was willing to abandon his pride, as a good leader should, but he didn''t want to use thatst resort unless absolutely necessary.
Jin also hoped that Kashimir wouldn''t have to endure such humiliation because of him.
"As for the money, I''ll try to get some, so don''t worry. Strawberry... no. As Gilly said, it''s still impossible to beat Joshua in terms of financial power, but we''ll prevent the city from going bankrupt."
Kashimir ced his hand on Jin''s shoulder, who looked touched and apologetic as he smiled.
"I''m embarrassed, Young Master. It seems like I keep burdening you with too much."
"What are you talking about, Sir Kashimir? The problem originally started because of me. Don''t think like that. Rather, I should apologize."
"No, Young Master Jin did nothing wrong..."
"You''re ying like children. You''re both at fault. So, how do you n to get the money?"
"You''re a Dragon. Do you have any hidden wealth?"
"No, I don''t. Even if I did, would it still be there, in Storm Castle where the Runcandels live, which used to be my hideout?"
"In that case, you''ll have to sell your vomit and scales. I''m sure they''ll sell well as perfume or armor materials."
"What?"
Then, Gilly burst intoughter.
"It''s a joke. Don''t get so nervous. First of all, we have to borrow some money. We also have to start the business we postponed."
"What kind of business?"
"The business that my friends from the Golden Snow Tribe prepared. I must move diligently. It hasn''t been long since I returned from vacation, so I can''t leave the Garden of Swords for long."
----------------
The next day, Jin arrived in Vermont once again in disguise and with a fake identity to enter the country.
He dyed his hair white and dressed as an aristocratic artist using cosmetics from the Golden Snow Tribe.
"It seems I have to keep hiding my identity even after bing a gbearer."
In his arms, he held a porcin vase wrapped in the finest silk.
Misha: Do you really need to take it? I have quite an attachment to it.
Jin: There''s a ce where I need it.
Misha: Can''t you use something else? That''s an artwork that''s over fifteen hundred years old and its value is incalcble...
Murakan: Hey! You''re a Guardian Dragon too, right? What''s the role of a Guardian Dragon? The Thousand-Year Contractor needs this, so give it to him. Come on, heh heh. Kid, what do you need this for? How about smashing it in front of her?
Misha: Don''t say such things, seriously, stop it, little brother.
A while ago, when Jin visited Misha''s bar called "Velo," he noticed that the interior decoration was extraordinary.
The top-ss bar was strictly run by partners, and the owner was a Dragon who had lived for over 3,000 years with an exceptional sense of aesthetics.
Among the decorations were ancient art pieces that not even most archaeologists had ever seen.
Jin demanded the porcin vase, which was in the ce Misha cherished the most (her bed), and he had glimpsed it.
"I wanted to use it at a better time, but I have no choice. This isn''t bad either. Thank you, Miss Misha."
Jin had requested it just in case he needed it when he found this ce.
"We''ve arrived, sir."
"Keep the change."
After paying the fare and stepping out of the carriage, an imposing castle soon came into view.
This ce, where dozens of guards d in shining armor stood watch in all directions, was the ancestral home of the Hairan n.
The Emperor of the Sword''s Castle.
It was an arrogant yet fitting name for the home of Vermont''s most famous swordsman.
Jin, who had been admiring the castle for a while, approached the gate.
Unlike the intimidating castle, the guards were surprisingly friendly in weing Jin.
As expected of the Hairan n, which had an equally benevolent outward image as the Zipple.
"What brings you here?"
"I am an artisan named Paul Gray Mick. I''vee to deliver the ceramics that Sir Dante ordered some time ago."
The guards nced at the ceramics Jin was carrying and then nodded as if they understood. This was because it wasmon for Dante to order ceramics from time to time.
"This friend will guide you. Please go to the reception hall and wait."
"I must deliver it directly to Sir Dante."
"I can''t guarantee that Young Patriarch Dante wille out by himself. However, it''s unavoidable as Young Patriarch is busy with work. Please don''t take offense."
The guard almost smiled when referring to Dante as the Young Patriarch.
While Jin knew that Dante had been handling his affairs firmly even before the Regression, experiencing it firsthand waspletely different.
"I dare not think such a thing. I came unannounced because it was finished earlier than expected. I appreciate your hospitality."
"You''re the most sensible artist I''ve ever met."
Jin followed the guard into the reception hall of the castle.
Today, only one person hade to see Hairan, and the vast reception hall seemed empty.
Jin had sessfully entered. However, he wasn''t sure if Dante would recognize the name.
"Paul Gray Mick." If he didn''t understand it, Jin would have to address him differently, which could be problematic.
Jin stood still and waited for a while, engaging in conversation with the doorman.
About thirty minutes passed.
Thudud...!
Jin heard footstepsing from the outer hallway of the reception hall.
"Ji, no. Where''s Paul Gray Mick?"
Dante corrected himself hastily after inadvertently calling Jin''s name. As he appeared, the doorman respectfully greeted him, and Jin bowed his head as if he had seen his superior.
"Well... Ahem! I''ve been waiting for this masterpiece for too long. You shoulde back now."
"Yes, Young Patriarch!"
As soon as the guard left, Dante embraced Jin tightly.
"Jin! How could youe here without notifying me? And how long has it been? Have you been well? You''ve grown stronger since thest time I saw you."
It was a familiar and yful voice that Jin hadn''t heard in a long time.
"Slow down, Dante. You seem a bit taller."
"I''ve grown about two centimeters. Did you notice?"
Although he had grown, Dante was still much shorter than Jin. It was the inevitable result of his congenital bone structure.
But Jin immediately noticed how much Dante had trained during the time they hadn''t been in contact.
At neen, he had be the Young Patriarch, and his sword skills had reached a level that could only be described as genius.
It was impressive. Jin wanted to open a bottle of the finest wine to celebrate, but that wasn''t why he hade today.
"Dante, I have a request."
"Oh, anything. What is it?"
"Can you lend me some money?"
Asking for money immediately after meeting for the first time in over a year and a few months meant that this friend clearly wasn''t a good friend.
But Dante thought that if it was Jin, there would be no problem. It meant that even if Jin asked for somethingrger than money, Dante would listen.
"How much do you need? Oh, while we''re at it, I should return the money you lent me when I escaped from the Holy Kingdom, and I''ll make sure to pay you a huge amount of interest."
"About 300 million gold coins."
"I see... Wait a moment. Say that again."
"I need 300 million gold coins."
Dante felt cold sweat on his back for the first time in a long time.
300 million gold coins were a huge amount of money, even for the Young Patriarch of Hairan.
"Did Runcandel ask you to im a 300-million reward for naming you the gbearer?"
"No, it''s not that. Can you get it?"
"Even I need my grandfather''s permission to use such arge amount of money. However, I don''t have enough justification to ask my grandfather."
Jin removed the silk wrapping from the ceramics.
"What if we say it''s for this ceramic?"
Dante wasn''t particrly knowledgeable about art, but he recognized that Jin''s ceramics were not ordinary objects.
He owed it to his grandfather, Ron Hairan, who was a ceramics enthusiast and admired them daily in his study and workshop.
However, even if it was an exceptional ceramic, could it be worth 300 million gold coins? Dante had his doubts.
"A few years ago, I was curious about who shook my grandson''s heart."
A new voice came from beyond the reception hall.
Ron Hairan.
The Patriarch of Hairan, and the invincible knight whopeted the longest against the Divine Star Knight (Genesis Knight), Cyron Runcandel. It was his voice.
"I never thought it would be a swindler like this. 300 million gold coins? Were you really listening to that nonsense? What a disappointment, Dante."
"No, Grandfather. He''s not a swindler; I''ll exin..."
Shling...!
Ron drew his sword from his waist. Then, the aura that escaped from the sheath instantly caused a slight earthquake in the reception hall, and the air distorted.
"Besides, this guy has the distinct dirty smell of Runcandel."
"Grandfather!"
"I won''t kill him. Instead, I''ll take one arm as a lesson. So he never shows his face in front of you, my grandson Dante, ever again."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 320: Without Food (1)
Chapter 320: Without Food (1)
C320 - Without Food (1)
Ron Hairan was undoubtedly one of the greatest Knights among the 10-Star Knights in the world, alongside the Mistress of the Hidden Pce, Tris Endorma.
If he decided to attack, there would be no escape for Jin, no matter how skilled he was.
As Ron approached Jin, Dante''s eyes trembled uncontrobly.
Instinctively, Dante stepped in front of Jin.
"Step aside."
"Please, Grandfather, hear me out!"
"I don''t want to."
Dante couldn''t help but remember the promise he made with his grandfather when he visited the Cosmos Arena a few years ago.
"Sorry, Grandfather. Not only did I not win this time, but I also narrowly escaped death twice."
"You were on the verge of losing your life twice in that vilepetition... What in the world happened? Was it ack of sword skills, or was there a master blinded by money and gambling hiding there?"
"My sword skills weren''tcking, but Icked discipline. And although there were no money and pleasure-obsessed masters there, I encountered two young individuals who captured my heart."
"Heh, to say it so openly, I''m curious. A kid who doesn''t even show interest in the charming women who visit our n... Very well, what are the names of these people who have shaken my grandson''s heart?"
"I''m sorry, Grandfather, but I can''t reveal their names... And once again, I humbly ask for a favor."
"Oh, you insolent child! You''ve just arrived, and you''re already making this old man nervous! However, I''ll forgive you. What is your request?"
Dante''s mind churned for a moment.
Was it really the right time to use that card?
Runcandel and Hairan clearly had apetitive rtionship.
That meant they ssified each other as "enemies" and had every right to strike each other if they had a valid reason.
Therefore, it was a justifiable act for Ron to now cut off Jin''s arm, who was in disguise, as an invasion of Hairan''s territory.
''Maybe my grandfather really intends to end Jin''s life someday. Perhaps it would be better to bring up that promise then...''
His heart pounded as several calctions raced through his mind.
Dante had to make a decision.
Should he save the card his grandfather had given him for a day that might nevere, or should he use it now to prevent his friend from bing a cripple?
He closed his eyes for a moment.
Dante made a decision.
He couldn''t bear to watch his friend''s arm being cut off in front of him.
"Grandfather, please remember the promise we made years ago...!"
But it was already toote.
Ron gently pushed aside Dante, who had been blocking Jin''s path, and his sword, "Rashid," was already poised to strike.
Dante''s blood ran cold as he watched. Instinctively, he lunged forward, even if he had to use his own body to prevent Ron from cutting Jin.
Jin.
On the other hand, Jin, who was facing Ron head-on, maintained a calm gaze. He didn''t lose hisposure even when Ron appeared.
Bam!
Woosh!
Just as Dante was about to shout, he saw his grandfather''s sword stop just before reaching Jin.
"Hahaha!"
Suddenly, Ron burst intoughter, clutching his stomach.
"You fell for it so easily, didn''t you? Hahaha, what did you think of this old man''s performance? Huh? Seeing my grandson''s bewildered face after so long is just... adorable, it''s driving me crazy! Haha."
"G-Grandfather...? You mean all of this was a joke?"
Ron, with a mocking smile on his face, couldn''t stopughing for a while.
"I was very curious when I suddenly saw you looking restless and eager to leave while talking to this old man."
That''s when Dante realized he had been tricked.
In retrospect, something had been amiss from the beginning.
Ron Hairan, the grandfather known to Dante, is not someone who would act with such indifference toward something that could hurt his own heart.
"Why would my grandson be like this over someone who came? Perhaps it''s the princess we saw at thest gathering? Or maybe it''s the woman from the Hensirk n who used to visit the Sword Emperor''s Castle alone every day with the utmost sincerity because she liked you, and now she has achieved results?"
Unintentionally, Jin''s eyes widened at that passage.
''Crazy... Dante, I wondered why you arrived sote. Were you talking to Sir Ron?''
If it were Runcandel, it would be unimaginable. While talking with the Patriarch, being restless because a friend hade to visit.
"Well... then, Grandfather. You won''t harm my friend, will you?"
"Why would I harm someone for no reason who is liked by my grandson? Of course, it''s a bit disappointing that the person you hastily searched for is not a woman. But just confirming the identity of that friend you often speak of is enough to make this old man very happy..."
Thump!
Dante suddenly copsed to the floor.
In an instant, Ron''s face went pale.
"Dante, my grandson! Has anemia struck you again?"
Dante, born with an extremely fragile body, often experienced anemia or seizures when subjected to strong blows or exertion.
Recently, those symptoms had almost disappeared.
"I''m sorry, Grandfather. This grandson has..."
"Oh, no. It''s this old man''s fault. Listen! Call the medical team, quickly!"
At Ron''s urgent shout, the medical team rushed in immediately. They skillfully administered medicine to Dante and took him away.
"We... will talkter."
As soon as Jin looked up, Dante lost consciousness.
"Is my grandson in very bad condition? Is he suffering greatly?"
"It''s just anemia, please don''t worry, Lord Patriarch."
"I''m worried! If anything happens to my grandson, I''ll kill all of you."
"Don''t worry, Lord Patriarch! We''ll take immediate measures to improve the Young Patriarch''s condition."
As the medical team quickly left with Dante, Ron muttered to himself, as if he were the only one suffering and concerned for his grandson.
In the reception room, only Jin and Ron remained.
"...I''mte with greetings, Sir Ron Hairan. I''m Jin Runcandel, the Thirteenth Son of Cyron Runcandel and the Twelfth gbearer."
"I know your name. I didn''t know you had a penchant for disguises."
Ron turned slowly to look at Jin. Unlike when he looked at Dante, there was no trace of kindness in his expression.
"Why were you so confident I wouldn''t kill you?"
Jin gently nodded in response to Ron''s question:
"I thought you wouldn''t be so easy to deal with, sir."
"I considered seriously whether I should cut off one of your arms."
"If that were the case, it would be my duty to bear the consequences of intruding into the Sword Emperor''s Castle."
"You''re not a person to be trifled with. You bear a striking resemnce to my enemy when he was younger, Cyron."
"Thank you."
"It''s not apliment. Your father, even in his youth, was a person unpleasant to the eye."
Ron''s gaze as he spoke carried a hint of greed.
Ceramics.
He couldn''t take his eyes off the ceramics that seemed to intimidate him as he spoke, his voice filled with determination.
"Because of you, my precious and beloved grandson, whom I love so much, was nearly injured. How will you take responsibility for this?"
"Excuse me, but it seems it''s not my responsibility."
"Yes, it wouldn''t be your responsibility. If only you were stronger than me."
Ron chuckled under his breath and lightly grabbed Jin''s shoulder.
As soon as his palm touched Jin, he almost screamed. Ron''s invisible energy pierced through Jin''s body, instantly paralyzing his organs.
"It seems like he''s trying to create a reverse flow, like the Magicians."
Jin''s bones trembled.
Creating a reverse flow in someone''s energy was much more challenging than causing a reverse flow in a magician''s mana. In fact, it was considered nearly impossible.
However, Ron was doing it as if it were nothing.
"So, do you feel responsible now?"
Ron''s induction of the reverse flow grew stronger. Jin''s body trembled, but he didn''t scream, and even in the midst of his weakening grip, he didn''t let go of the ceramics.
"First... Dante doesn''t have anemia."
This statement made Ron''s eyes widen in surprise.
He couldn''t believe that Jin had realized Dante''s "deception" in that brief moment.
It was a problem that even he had doubted at first.
"I know that too."
However, he didn''t show any surprise outwardly.
"Even the whitest of dragons get stained when they''re with a ck dragon. Although Dante had never responded to my jokes like this before, it seems he''s learned something from you. He seems to have learned a trick."
Ron spoke as he released Jin.
Jin wiped the blood from his nose and mouth and took a breath.
"Dante used his head very well. By pretending to have anemia, he made me confront you head-on and passed the 300 million gold coin judgment onto you, sir."
"My grandson may not be malicious, but Ipletely underestimated him. Tsk!"
"So, shouldn''t I receive somepensation for that?"
"What?"
"The innocent Dante showed remarkable audacity in trying to deceive Sir Ron. It seems that in the future, when he gains control of the Hairan n, he won''t be backstabbed by Vermont''s strategists."
Ron was momentarily speechless at Jin''s bold attitude.
"Moreover, I have provoked Dante more than any genius swordsman from Hairan or Vermont. Some of my efforts are fused into Dante''s current achievements."
"Do you wantpensation for that too?"
"Yes."
"Haha... you''re not a ck dragon, but an evil dragon. You know what that means?"
"It seems to mean that even if you cut me down before I stain Dante with more evil, I won''t have anything to say."
"I won''t be able to settle this with words. Honestly, I would like to kill you right now. But I''ll refrain for the sake of my grandson. I''ll let you live. That''s your reward for corrupting Dante."
"That''s not enough."
"Then, isn''t it enough with just that? As the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel who dared to propose a deal to the owner of the Sword Emperor''s Castle, leave that ceramics behind and go."
Ron smiled as he said the rest.
"And also, hand over that ancient iron you agreed to receive as a reward for your recent mission to assassinate the ck Knight. If you want to keep on living, of course."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 321:
Chapter 321:
C321 - Without Food (2)
A private room within the healing center of the Sword Emperor''s Castle.
"Oh my, my grandson! He still hasn''t woken up, huh? Look at him, when will my grandson wake up? He can''t stay like this forever, right?"
"His heart rate and body temperature are very stable, Lord Patriarch. He will surely wake up soon, so please don''t worry."
"Dante, Dante! How much my grandson has suffered...!"
Dante continued to feign unconsciousness, unaware, not even in his dreams, that Ron was aware of his n and ying along.
"It tears at my heart...! I''ll leave. As soon as this old man returns, we''ll eat the Imperial Dragon King''s Soup that my grandson loves so much. I''ll tell the Emperor, no, His Majesty, to have a first-ss chef prepared."
While Ron whimpered, Dante felt a strange satisfaction for sessfully deceiving his grandfather.
Ron saw through his grandson''s act but managed to hold back hisughter.
Crunch~
About fifteen minutes after Ron left, Jin entered the treatment room. At the same time, Dante made a sound as if he were pretending to wake up.
"Uh..."
"Young Patriarch, are you awake now?"
"I passed out a while ago... How long have I been lying here?"
"About 30 minutes."
"Not too long, that''s good. Oh, Paul Gray Mick. You don''t look so good. Please, give us a moment. This friend and I have something to talk about."
As soon as the medical staff left the room, Dante stifled hisughter.
"You fell for the trap too?"
"No."
"Of course, you couldn''t be fooled. Jin! How was my performance? Wasn''t it splendid? Haha, with this, Grandfather must know how much I appreciate you. He probably promised 300 million gold coins. No, maybe even 500 million!"
Dante raised his voice, filled with excitement.
"I was a little worried deep down. I wondered if Grandfather would look favorably on the friendship between Hairan and Runcandel. But in the end, Grandfather is on my side. If I do something for your benefit, Grandfather will also do something for your benefit..."
Dante stopped there and observed Jin''s expression.
Jin had lost all color from his face, with half of his soul seemingly absent from his empty eyes.
"Jin? What''s wrong with you?"
"They stole from me."
"What?"
"Your grandfather stole from me."
"Is it true?"
"It is."
Dante couldn''t believe it even when hearing it firsthand.
Had this demon-like friend of his been stripped of everything he owned by someone? As much as his grandfather was, Dante couldn''t imagine Jin subjected to such a fate.
"Well... I''m sorry. I never expected it to end like this. Grandfather is not the type to do such things."
"No, you don''t have to apologize. It was my carelessness. Sigh, you have such a good grandfather."
"Can I help in any way?"
Upon hearing that, Jin let out an ironic smile.
To be honest, it wasn''t just losses. In addition to the ceramics, I also handed over some parts of the ancient iron mine and even wrote a document... But I discovered the extent of Hairan''s intelligencework."
The mission to assassinate the ck Knight was highly ssified.
Knowing what rewards Jin received afterpleting that mission meant that someone among the gbearers had connections with Ron.
''Whoever that person is, they''re unlikely to have betrayed Runcandel. They probably owe Sir Ron a favor. It''s probably a one-time exchange of information. If they had nted a spy, Sir Ron wouldn''t have been so confident.''
Jin even thought this could have turned out well.
He came to the conclusion that he could figure out which of the gbearers had given that information to Ron and use it to his advantage.
He also learned what kind of existence Ron Hairan, the legendary knight, was.
A role model Patriarch who never let his guard down in any situation and never gave up his own interests for the sake of Hairan.
However, he was also a loving and affectionate grandfather who would sacrifice more than his life for his grandson.
''In that sense, Sir Ron, it''s as if he has already discovered my greatest weakness.''
The mere fact that Jin was Dante''s most cherished friend made it impossible for Ron to treat him lightly. He had witnessed how Dante was willing to sacrifice himself to save Jin.
''Taking the ceramics and ancient iron was a warning. It''s a warning not to dream of using Dante as a pawn in the future.''
In Jin''s opinion, it wasn''t a warning from a "strong" individual.
Instead, it seemed like a boast from the position of unterally seizing something valuable. That''s why he didn''t feel like he had lost much, even after being deceived by Ron.
''I can recover what Sir Ron took from me today. The issue is the immediate loss of funds. It looks like I''ll have to be more resourceful than expected to make money.''
"Jin, for now, within the limits I can use without Grandfather''s permission, let''s try to make as much money as possible. There''s no hiding the frustration of being more of a burden than a help."
"Alright, forget about the money. I can find it elsewhere."
"Is that possible?"
"I''ll make it possible. But most importantly, I met Beradin during the mission."
"...You mean Ventica, the disputed territory of the M Kingdom where Runcandel and Zipple recently shed?"
Dante''s expression darkened even more. For Jin and Beradin to meet during a mission meant their purpose was to kill each other.
"Yes."
"How was Beradin?"
Since Jin had escaped to the Western Sea, Dante hadn''t seen Beradin even once.
"He wasn''t normal. Beyond mind maniption, his mind was no longer intact. It seemed like he couldn''t recognize me, and he even attacked me."
Jin exined to Dante the events of that day.
Throughout the narrative, Dante couldn''t hide his bitter expression.
"...I can''t even imagine how broken Beradin would be once he regains his sanity."
"I think he won''t be in that state of war-induced madness every day. Sometimes reports mention him engaging in normal external activities like banquets."
"I want to save him."
"I agree. But we have to wait for the right opportunity. Until there''s a safer chance."
"Jin."
"What?"
With a hesitant expression, Dante shifted his gaze between Jin and the floor, as if trying to bring up something difficult.
"If, let''s say, Beradin reaches a point of no return. If he can never be the person he was again, and can only live as a puppet for Zipple... What will you do?"
He asked the question, but he didn''t expect to get the answer he wished for.
Dante thought Jin would either give up or consider killing Beradin as the path for his own good...
That''s what he believed Jin''s response would be.
However, he asked because he wanted to confirm it.
He wanted to see if Jin shared the same sentiment.
"We''ll find a way."
Dante raised his head at Jin''s response.
"Really?"
"Of course! Why would I lie? I gain nothing from giving up on him. Besides, he''s my friend."
"Jin! I''m deeply moved!"
"That''s why I want you to let Sir Ron know that I''m not a heartless person like he might think."
"Since Grandfather found out about our rtionship from today''s events, I now feel morefortable talking about you."
"Yes, yes. I think it''s time for me to go."
"Already? How about we have dinner together and have a drink before you leave?"
"With the person who just copsed from anemia?"
"That was all an act."
"Alright, we''ll do it another time. Maybe send an invitation to Beradin, just in case."
"Understood!"
---------------
That night, as Jin returned to Tikan, he could realize how much Ron Hairan cherished his "only" grandson (although Dante also had a brother).
"Young Master Jin! What kind of magic did you perform?"
The atmosphere in Tikan, which had been gloomy until this morning, hadpletely transformed into a festive one.
"Sir Kashimir, what''s going on?"
"Young Master Jin, you truly are the lucky charm of our Tikan. Almost all the Knights of Vermont areing here with money and goods."
Jin smiled, surprised by the news.
''Dante, this guy is bringing us great fortune.''
That''s how Ron evaluated Jin.
A little warrior who, when one thing is lost, always manages to take two or more. Without a doubt, Ron considered his grandson the best among his peers. In terms of strength, insight, strategy, courage, and even magic.
That''s why Ron had made the calcted decision never to interfere with his grandson unless it was absolutely necessary. He hade to the conclusion that meddling in his affairs would bring no benefit to his grandson, whom he loved and respected more than anyone in the world.
"A rain of money! Now I have more solid customers than before!"
Kashimir was practically dancing for joy.
''Sir Ron, you made a really good decision. Not only did you give us money, but you also solved fundamental problems.''
It meant that almost all the knights of Vermont, except for the Imperial Family, wanted to trade with Tikan.
It wasn''t just a favorable development for Tikan''s economy.
When Jin and Kashimir took over Tikan in the future, it meant they wouldn''t have to worry as much about Runcandel''s watchful eyes.
Although there were certain points where Tikan''s autonomy waspromised because they had to pay attention to Ron and Hairan instead of Runcandel.
However, from Jin''s perspective, if he had to fight one of the two factions, Runcandel or Hairan, forplete independence for Tikan: Naturally, thetter was less burdensome.
After all, Runcandel was undeniably a stronger n than Hairan.
"If the knights who visited us today confirm as our business partners, we won''t have to look for money anymore."
Jin raised his head at those words.
"But wouldn''t it be better to have as much money as possible?"
"Of course! I appreciate your concern. The Young Master''s guests will arrive soon. Oh, look, it seems Jet is bringing them."
Jin looked out the window and saw a warrior following Jet.
He was approaching the mansion with strangely out-of-ce movement, dressed in a robe and hood.
"Good evening! I''ve brought them here!"
Jet opened the door with a bang.
Upon closer inspection, the warrior in the robe seemed muchrger. His skeleton was so strange that he didn''t look human.
Jin shrugged as he saw the gleaming golden eyes beneath the hood.
Jin: "Guys, you always organize disguises for others so perfectly. Was this really the best choice?"
Warrior: "Why not? Isn''t it excellent?"
Rustle!
As he removed the robe, strands of hair that barely reached Jin''s waist were revealed.
The true identity of the warrior was someone from the "Golden Snow Tribe," or rather, abination of four people fused into one, forming a strange human structure.
"Well, not bad at all. It''s been a while, Peng."
"Oh,e on. Are you really going to be like this? We''re not poor beggars in that cave anymore. Call me Golden Peng, First Leader Peng. Sir Jin Runcandel, Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 322:
Chapter 322:
C322 - Assault on the Vi (1)
"Hmm... Alright then. Golden Peng, First Leader of the Peng n. If this is your best disguise, then it''s truly pitiful. I''m feeling a bit of confidence loss as we proceed as business partners."
"Confidence loss, you say?! After experiencing our technical skills more than anyone else? I can''t help but feel disappointed, hehe."
As Pengughed, the other three members of the Golden Snow Tribe joined in.
"I''m Golden Suny, Second Leader of the Peng n. Do you remember when we disguised you as a retired mercenary traveling the world?"
"I''m Golden Dori, Third Leader of the Peng n. Nice to meet you again, Jin Runcandel."
"I''m Golden Song, Fourth Leader Peng. Looking closely, your face is quite unique for a human. It certainly befits our Peng n''s reputation."
Peng, Suny, Dori, Song. The four of them were the esteemed figures who portrayed the Golden Snow Tribe as the greatest merchants in the Zhan Kingdom.
"Well, how should we treat these little ones who keep talking disrespectfully to our lord? My lord is the honorable gbearer of Runcandel."
When Jet made a joking remark while clenching his fist, Kashimir grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Shut up and step aside. The Young Master will deal with it in due time."
"Yes!"
"Are you the Phantom Sword, Sir Kashmir? Thanks for stepping in. I was thinking of giving that rude friend a lesson."
Peng snorted as he watched Jet walk away with a lonely expression.
Shush! Shush! The members of the Golden Snow Tribe extended their fists into the air, making a whistling sound.
Seeing these Golden Snow Tribe members, Jin and Kashimir suppressed theirughter.
They were undoubtedly a likable bunch.
"Thanks to you, we''ve managed to amass wealth. But the real business begins now."
"We''ve prepared, but we couldn''t start the business ourselves without a protagonist."
Peng and Suny told Jin.
-I like it. After bing the gbearer of Runcandel, we''ll discuss the real business. Well, it''s been a pleasure meeting all of you. I''m leaving.
That was thest thing Jin said when he met the Golden Snow Tribe.
The business they were talking about was the "cosmetics business."
So far, the Golden Snow Tribe had umted wealth by investing their fortune in various merchants and significant businesses.
But now, they wanted to start a business directly themselves.
An innovative business that could conquer the world.
Chrrr!
Dori and Song unfolded the thick paper they had prepared in advance.
The paper, almost two centimeters thick, contained business ns and contract details.
"Well, take a quick look. The contractor is Jin Runcandel, and the contractee is the Peng n. Well, there are no particrly significant provisions to worry about. In summary, the profit split is 50:50, full operational control is our responsibility, and you must faithfullyply with advertising. Contract termination is absolutely prohibited..."
"I don''t like it from the start. The profit split should be 70:30. I''ll take the 70. As for management rights, you can have full control over the beastmennd, but in human residential areas, you should consider my opinion to some extent."
"Thetter is eptable. But isn''t the first one too much? 70:30? Are you trying to act like a bandit against us?"
"Instead, the Golden Snow Tribe will officially receive protection from the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel. It means I''ll take full responsibility for material damages caused by direct attacks from anyone, let''s say assaults, looting, robberies, and so on."
"It''s tempting." As members of the Golden Snow Tribe, it was genuinely an interesting story.
The reason they hadn''t started their own business until now was primarily due to two reasons.
One was waiting for Jin, and the other was ack of means to protect themselves.
The second problem was significant.
Even if they had a lot of money, finding a trustworthy armed group was not easy.
They had no lineage, no great reputation, no power. The Golden Snow Tribe was nothing more than a group of small, money-grubbing beastmen.
The Guardian Knights of Runcandel had sent some troops to recover Bradamante, so they were protecting the money they had umted.
But the money was in a fragile state like a candle in the wind. The Red Tigers were carefully watching the Guardian Knights of Runcandel and demanding payments, and their attitude seemed to indicate that if they resisted, they would kill and plunder them entirely.
"If Runcandel attacks us, will youpensate for the losses?"
"Of course."
"And if Zipple attacks?"
"Naturally."
"Alright, we ept."
Surprisingly, Peng readily epted Jin''s proposal. He judged that it was more advantageous to have a secure 30% than to risk losing the 50% they currently owned.
"I''ve been listening to your business n, and it seems very detailed and innovative. Especially when ites to advertising... you''ve put a lot of thought into it."
Peng and the members of the Golden Snow Tribe began to exin the business n.
It was a fairly long story, but it could be summarized in one line.
They would directly use Jin Runcandel''s character in their advertisements: "Imagine this, Jin Runcandel. Wherever you go, there will berge paintings of your face on prominent buildings. The size of a ship''s sail. You''ll pose with our cosmetics, holding the products."
"There will also be text below. ''Experience the beauty chosen by Jin Runcandel, try the cosmetics of the Peng n.''"
"Or ''Discover your new beauty. Rmended by Jin Runcandel, cosmetics from the Peng n.''"
"How does that sound? Innovative, right? Whenever people think of Peng n cosmetics, they will naturally think of your face."
In fact, no one had ever done product ads like this before.
"Furthermore, our cosmetics are divided into three categories. Premium Golden Snow, affordable Silver Snow, and costume-specialized Onyx Snow. We will extract money from all the humans in the world, from ordinarymoners to the nobility of Vermont."
"Onyx Snow cosmetics for costumes will be applied by the expert technicians of the Golden Snow Tribe themselves, providing a perfect transformation as if you were a retired mercenary. This is a special product mainly intended for those involved in covert operations. It won''t be included in the ads and can only be discreetly purchased."
"Additionally, a portion of the profits will be donated to various organizations to promote a positive and friendly image of the Golden Snow Tribe. Have you heard of cosmetic donations? The technicians of the Golden Snow Tribe will travel the world and hold free makeup events every week."
Throughout the exnation, Kashimir couldn''t close his mouth.
Jin was also inwardly amazed at their business acumen.
"Young Master, this is... It may seem crazy at first, but it will undoubtedly work. It seems like all the young people in the world will try to follow the Young Master."
"Will my face be painted on every big building in every city...?"
"Well, you''re not a Provisional gbearer anymore, right? Do you need to hide your face? If you really don''t want to, we can use another face, but there are few individuals who can surpass you in influence and appearance. In fact, it seems like there are none."
"I don''t dislike it. I only said it out of naivety. No, it''s a very good idea."
The first time Jin thought about doing business with the cosmetics of the Golden Snow Tribe was during his time as a Provisional gbearer. Their cosmetics undoubtedly surpassed the most well-known products in the market. With proper distribution, they had enough technological advancements to captivate the world.
In that sense, Jin thought that the cosmetics of the Golden Snow Tribe had a simr look to Zipple''s "vital magic products."
Most people in the world, whether they liked it or not, could only use Zipple''s products.
Zipple had dominated the world using various vital magic products like magical lights and magic-powered appliances.
Often, Zipple would impose itself in negotiations with various powers by threatening to cut off their supply of life magic products if they didn''t ept the deal.
Of course, not many people in the world knew about Zipple''s misdeeds. Even if they did, they couldn''t easily raise issues.
On the other hand, Runcandel only possessed physical strength.
Although the weapons created by Runcandel''s cksmiths sold well, the demand was limited.
There were far more ordinary people in the world than warriors.
As a result, over time, Zipple''s influence expanded to more ces in the world, while Runcandel''s power inevitably waned.
Because there were more things that could be achieved with magic than with physical strength.
The decline was not yet visible, but it was an inevitable fate that would eventually be evident.
The Runcandel Family seemed to be solely focused on defeating Zipple and undermining its influence.
However, that alone was not enough.
The matter with the Golden Snow Tribe was the beginning of a change.
Jin smiled and extended his hand to shake hands with the Golden Snow Tribe.
"When do we start?"
"As soon as you sign the contract."
"Then let''s start right now."
When Jin signed the contract, the members of the Golden Snow Tribe shook his hand.
"Let''s make money together! First, we should start with advertising in Hufester."
Jin Runcandel, or simply Runcandel.
From that day on, whenever people thought of Jin Runcandel, they would naturally associate him not only with his formidablebat skills but also with a variety of beautiful cosmetics.
---------------
And so, a week passed.
Joshua, apanied by his Butler Howard and his closest aides, personally visited the Kingdom of Kurano.
They had heard a strange story about a portrait of Jin Runcandel, his younger brother, hung in Kurano''s central square.
To their surprise, Joshua was able to confirm the existence of a giant portrait of Jin at the entrance to Kurano''s Art District.
(Choice of Jin Runcandel: Peng n Cosmetics)
The brilliant smile depicted in the portrait was like a sharp de that scratched Joshua''s heart.
"...Howard."
Joshua, momentarily lost in thought as he read the text below the portrait, opened his mouth.
"Yes."
"What on earth is this? Our n''s gbearer approves of such cosmetics... Cosmetics? I have no words. We cut off his money supply, and now this massive disaster happens."
Shriek!
Joshua clenched his teeth.
Thinking about how people would mock and ridicule Runcandel after seeing those ads was beyond his imagination.
What did the name Runcandel represent?
For a thousand years, Runcandel symbolized terror in the world, but now the youngest, who had just be the gbearer, dared to tarnish that name. Furthermore, he dared to besmirch the name of Runcandel, which would soon be his.
Not only Joshua but many people gathered in front of Jin''s portrait,ughing as if they were witnessing a curious creature.
Witnessing such a scene, Joshua felt his judgment warping and feared going insane.
"Immediately inform the Council of Elders and rmend disciplinary measures against that lunatic brat... and get rid of that damn portrait."
"What about the portraits outside of Hufester?"
"Do they exist outside of Hufester too...?"
"I''ve heard that the portraits of the Twelfth gbearer are already disyed in cities of the Lutero Magical Federation."
"...Investigate who is responsible for this. Don''t apprehend them lightly; first, find out who they are and what they intend to do. Thoroughly investigate who is behind them."
-------------
Meanwhile, as Joshua vented his anger in the Kingdom of Kurano.
Jin and hispanions gradually gathered in a forest in the Kingdom of Ekan.
It was where Joshua''s secret vi was located.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 323:
Chapter 323:
C323 - Assault on the Vi (2)
It was a dense and deep forest. The path was not well-paved in any direction, and even monsters roamed the abandoned forest.
Not many people in the world could build a vi in a ce like this and maintain it.
Joshua had his Guardian Knights and hunting dogs residing here.
Grr, Grrr....
From somewhere, unknown creatures emitted low growls.
However, the monsters couldn''t approach Jin recklessly because they feared the intimidating aura that emanated from him, the aura of the n of Legends.
"If Sister Luna hadn''t told me, even with the Seven-Colored Peacock''s information-gathering ability, it would have been impossible to find this ce."
In a way, this vi was situated in a ce that only someone who had grown up with Joshua, by his side, could find.
-When Joshua was a teenager, there was a forest he used to go to for training on the days when I bullied him a lot. It was a forest where monsters appeared. It seems he chose that ce to follow in Father''s footsteps training in the ck Sea.
Luna shared the story while revealing the location of the secret vi.
The people of the Ekan Kingdom called this ce the Abandoned Forest, the Dark Forest, or the Abyssal Forest, just as people named useless and dangerous forests in various regions.
The nearby vige disappeared after being attacked by monsters, and the Ekan Kingdomcked the capability to clear the forest.
Young Joshua considered this ce the perfect training ground.
And he thought his father would be delighted.
He hoped that if he trained alone in this forest, just like his father did in the ck Sea, he would eventually be recognized.
Only once, Cyron mentioned something about that forest to Joshua.
"You''re doing well. But you won''t be able to catch up to your sister like this."
Cyron rarely praised his children.
So, if hebined praise and admonishment, and it wasn''t a mocking tone, it was certainly closer to praise.
But at that time, Joshua, who respected his father, couldn''t stand beingpared to Luna, even at that moment when he was training following his father.
So, he personally led the knights of his faction and set fire to the vi.
From that day on, the vi disappeared from Runcandel''s records, and Joshua stopped searching for the Ekan Kingdom.
It was about ten years after that, for some reason. Joshua found this ce again and built a vi identical to the one he made in his youth.
"It might be because of his affection for Father, or simply because he liked that forest, or maybe because his sense of inferiority has diminished, I don''t know the reason, but in any case, it seems to have be quite an important ce."
While Jin briefly recalled Luna''s story, he felt a presence and turned his head.
Through the dense and dark trees, he saw people with masks.
They were Kashimir, Alisa, Kuzan, and Yulian.
They had just arrived in the forest and had now found Jin.
"We''ve erased all the traces the young master left when he arrived."
Kuzan said politely, bowing his head. As Kuzan said, hispanions had erased the tracks that Jin intentionally left behind so they could find him.
"Thank you for your hard work."
ording to the information provided by Luna, the number of residents inside the vi was approximately three Guardian Knights and ten hunting dogs.
"You can kill the hunting dogs, but try to do without the Guardian Knights unless absolutely necessary. If you can''t subdue them, then you can eliminate them. Especially with Kuzan and Yulian, there might be an oldrade who recognizes their skills, so they have to change their fighting style."
The reason they wanted to do without the Guardian Knights if possible was that they were individuals who had sworn loyalty to Runcandel before bing followers of Joshua.
Jin wanted to avoid killing more Guardian Knights of the n in the future. In other words, he wanted to give them a chance.
Before therge-scale confrontation with Joshua began, Jin wanted to give them the opportunity to surrender.
Knights who made wise decisions had the option to be recruited.
"Understood."
Jin, Kashimir, and Alisa had brought different weapons than usual.
Alisa carried a pair of daggers instead of her usual gauntlets.
Jin turned his gaze towards Yulian.
Yulian, who used to be extremely introverted and always seemed scared whenever Joshua''s name came up, seemed even tenser today.
"Yulian."
"...Yes?"
"He''s definitely here."
Upon hearing those words, Yulian clenched her lips tightly.
Jin gave her a light tap on the shoulder and continued.
"Let''s go in."
Jin and hispanions began to advance quickly along the forest path.
Except for Yulian, the rest didn''t seem particrly tense.
They had enough power to easily handle three Guardian Knights and ten hunting dogs.
As long as the opponent of Executor Knight level wasn''t here.
The tall trees densely covered the area, darkening it, but it was still daytime.
As they approached the vi, the trees became thinner, and finally, amidst the dense foliage, the vi standing in the center became visible.
The sunlight spilled onto the cabin-like building in the middle of the forest.
It was quite a picturesque scene, but it didn''t seem like it could amodate thirteen people, not by a long shot.
The building was originally constructed by Joshua for his personal use and had been restored exactly as it was, so its scale was very small.
It looked more like a hut than a vi.
The group approached the entrance of the vi, making sure their steps were silent.
Inside, there were two of Joshua''s hunting dogs.
They were ying randomly with each other and only sensed the presence of intruders when the group was right in front of them.
But by then, it was already toote.
Swoosh, swoosh!
Kuzan''s venomous needles pierced through their throats through the gaps in the windows.
When they copsed onto the table, Kuzan skillfully retrieved his needles and erased any trace of injury.
Other than those two, there was no one else inside the vi. Neither the three Guardian Knights nor the other eight hunting dogs were visible.
They must be underground.
Given the small size of the building, finding the passageway leading underground was not a difficult task.
As long as they knew there was an underground area, of course.
Alisa opened the hidden door in the floor, checking for traps.
Since the residents moved frequently, there were no special traps near the entrance.
Once they descended, they found themselves in apletely dark corridor.
The group quickly lit the magicalnterns hanging from the belts of the sacrificed hunting dogs.
Unlike the small cabin above, the underground area had a considerable scale at first nce.
"Do not spread out, Sir Kashimir. We don''t know the internal structure."
"Understood, Young Master Jin."
As they descended further underground, the group had not encountered any enemies for about ten minutes.
During that time, they realized that the underground seemed to be a prison-like structure.
Behind iron bars, there were cells covered in bloodstains, but all the ces they had seen so far were empty.
The bloodstains belonged to both humans and dragons.
In the cells where the dragons had been imprisoned, scales were scattered everywhere, making it easy to distinguish.
Yulian couldn''t hide her unease.
The reason her group had decided to assault this mansion was that Yulian''s Guardian Dragon was held captive here.
"The traces of captive dragons must belong to the Guardian Dragons of the Contractors Joshua brought with him."
The number was certainly not small.
That raised a question.
How could such arge number of dragons be guarded by only thirteen humans?
"That seems unlikely. There must be some other device or means."
The first thing that came to Jin''s mind was the Demon God''s Orb.
Among the objects Jin knew, the only means to terrorize or control dragons would be that.
But Joshua didn''t seem to have a Demon God''s Orb.
As they were lost in their thoughts, they suddenly came across a man in the hallway.
He didn''t seem like a Guardian Knight or a hunting dog.
His hunched back barely reached Jin''s waist, he waspletely covered in ragged robes, and held a staff.
A stranger that Jin had not heard of from Luna.
He didn''t even seem human.
None of the members, including Jin, could sense any energy from him.
[What? Are the materialsing today too?]
He spoke in a deep and somber voice.
While Kuzan tried to subdue the suspect with his poisoned needle, Jin raised his hand to stop him.
Jin realized that the man''s vacant eyes were staring into nothingness.
He couldn''t see what was in front of him.
Unless he was blind, he wouldn''t react like this even after seeing those suspicious masks.
But who is he?
The rest of the team also realized that fact some timeter.
[How many of them came?]
The man''s use of the word "materials" referred to humans.
"Five."
[Only a handful. I can''t do anything with that number. Just throw them in and go.]
"I''ve been curious for a while, but what are these ''materials'' for?"
When Jin approached and asked, the man lifted his head.
[Tsk, Sir Joshua made a big mistake this time. Letting someone like you ask such a question...]
Crack!
He struck the floor with his staff.
Immediately, ominous purple magic circles appeared on the floor, ceiling, and walls.
Intuitively, Jin and the others could sense that this was ancient dark magic.
That meant not even Jin had any idea of what kind of effect this magic would have.
In a brief instant, several thoughts crossed Jin''s mind.
Should he kill the man to dispel the magic?
Or defend against the unknown magic and subdue him to obtain information?
Thetter option appealed to him, but the risk was too high to guarantee the safety of hisrades.
Bam!
Jin lunged forward and drove his sword into the man''s neck.
Jin considered that cutting off his limbs wouldn''t stop the magic.
[Guah!]
The man shivered and fell forward.
Not even a second had passed since the magic circle was activated.
"Young Master, are you alright?"
"I''m not sure what kind of magic it was, so I killed him. It might have been something like what Myuron did, trying to summon something from hell."
When Jin removed the fallen man''s hood, the purple magic circles lost their light and disappeared.
It was a horrifying face.
The features were so distorted that it was impossible to distinguish the nose from the mouth, and the body looked as if someone had forcibly pieced together chunks of flesh.
Moreover, it seemed like the man was already weakened even before Jin killed him.
"Well done. Huh, who is this... a Magician? No, he doesn''t seem human."
"He certainly doesn''t look human, more like a demon. I''ve been taught how weakened demons can end up like this during my days in the special forces."
Alisa added an exnation to Kashimir''s question.
Jin searched the man''s robe, checking his belongings. Strange and worn pieces of paper and bone fragments, whether from animals or humans, fell from the inner pockets of the robe.
Plop, tter...
And then, a familiar ck marble rolled out.
"Young Master Jin, this is...!"
Kashimir eximed in shock as he looked at the marble.
The marble closely resembled an object that Jin and the others knew. It was made exactly from the same material.
A Shadow Energy Pearl?
The recording device used by Solderet.
The bead that had fallen from the man''s robe was precisely that.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 324:
Chapter 324:
C324 - Assault on the Vi (3)
On reflex, Jin picked up the bead.
Upon closer examination, it resembled Solderet''s recording device. The only difference was that it weighed slightly more than the previous ones.
"Wait, what is this doing here?"
The unexpected discovery left him speechless. Jin''spanions looked equally puzzled, exchanging wide-eyed nces.
Joshua, where did he get this?
Could he have essed Temar''s tomb?
Temar''s tomb was inessible without the proper "qualification."
And that qualification was none other than being Solderet''s contractor.
Immediately, two assumptions came to mind.
First, the figure known as the "Prophet" must have used some trick to allow Joshua to enter Temar''s tomb.
Second, Joshua obtained this recording device from a ce other than Temar''s Tomb.
Regardless of which one it was, the important question was whether he knows that this bead is a recording device.
Jin looked at the fallen demon.
The dead can''t speak.
If it had been possible to revive the demon, Jin could have gathered quite a bit of information. But now, he had turned into a lifeless corpse, dark blood spilling from its throat.
A real pity.
However, it was an unexpected harvest. Compared to the near-death experiences Jin went through every time he acquired a recording device, this one practically fell into hisp.
"Young Master, it would be wise to collect the demon''s other belongings as well."
"Yes, it seems worth investigating this demon."
Jin rummaged through the demon''s possessions.
Apart from a stack of illegible ancient texts, demonic symbols, and a book, there didn''t seem to be anything worth taking.
And then, almost unconsciously, Jin opened the book.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, the book emitted an ominous purple glow, and from within it, a peculiar voice resonated.
[You, who have dared toy hands on the great duke of the demon world, the magical tome of Rontelgius! Rontelgius shall curse you forever. You shall turn into a stone statue while you are alive, and your body shall not die even if shattered, even if you turn to dust, me yourself forever]
It was a voice different from the deceased demon''s.
As soon as the curse ended, a translucent, purple chain with a peculiar vibration shot out from the book and ensnared Jin.
"Young Master!"
"Young Master Jin!"
Jin''spanions reacted rmed, drawing their swords. Naturally, the cursed chain did not yield to their swords.
And Jin, calmly raising his hand, signaled that he was fine.
"Do not be rmed. After all, I am immune."
Solderet''s Contractors werepletely immune to all sorts of curses.
Valeria, before the regression, had described this ability as "excessively cheat."
And now, Jin was experiencing that power after a long time.
The chains that had bound Jin slowly seeped into his shadow, blending with it seamlessly.
The chains took no more than five seconds topletely disappear without a trace.
Jin''spanions, unknowingly, silently watched in awe before asking,
"Young Master, are you really okay?"
"Yes, fortunately. If it had been someone else who touched this book... wouldn''t they have turned into a statue? Unless Rontelgius had rigged this book with such a device just to scare us."
When the chains had enveloped him, Jin felt a chill.
Not because he feared the curse, but because Jin realized the terrible fate that would have befallen any otherpanion who had touched it.
"From now on, we must be more cautious when dealing with demons or those who wield dark magic. This time, we were lucky. We learned the name Rontelgius, presumably this demon''s family."
Fssss...
The demon''s body began to disintegrate.
There was no trace left where the corpse hadin, not even a sign of the spilled blood.
"Wretched creatures."
"Let''s move on."
The group continued their journey.
Perhaps due to the sudden encounter with the demon, Jin''spanions were even more nervous.
However, they didn''t encounter any enemies until they reached the end of the underground facility.
Three guardians, eight watchdogs, and the rest of the members were absent.
Oddly, that unsettled Jin.
If there were so few personnel, perhaps Yulian''s Guardian Dragon had been moved elsewhere...
As that sense of unease brushed Jin''s mind, Yulian pointed with trembling hands beyond the underground darkness.
"Cal... Caltor...! Caltor!!"
When the light illuminated the area, a human figure hanging on the wall became visible.
It was none other than Caltor, Yulian''s Guardian Dragon who had transformed into a human.
His appearance was devastatingly pitiful.
His hands and feet were impaled onrge spikes, and his body bore traces of indescribable torture.
He barely seemed to be breathing.
"Caltor! It''s me, Yulian! I''ll free you soon...!"
Tears flowed incessantly from Yulian''s eyes.
This time, Kuzan, who seemed to sympathize with Yulian, silently pulled at the spikes.
With each pull, Caltor''s body trembled, but there were no signs of him regaining consciousness.
"Ah... Caltor, please respond. What have those bastards done to you?"
"He''s alive, Yulian. We can take him back and get him treated. Young Master will surely summon the Saints of Vank for you. So calm down, lower your voice. It must be agonizing now, but Joshua no longer has any means to threaten you, right?"
Kuzan patted Yulian''s back as he spoke.
Jin took off his coat and wrapped the weakened Caltor in it.
"Let''s go back."
Back on the surface, just before escaping from the forest.
Jin turned his head and looked at Joshua''s secret vi, which stood alone.
''If Father had truly recognized him during Joshua''s training days here, would he have be less trash than he is now?''
A sudden question crossed Jin''s mind, making him shake his head.
''No, considering the timing of my curse at the age of one, it''s very likely that it coincided with the time he became so despicable. Sometimes I wonder what made him so wicked.''
--------------------
"We''ve discovered a hideout, my lord."
Among the three Guardian Knights, the leader reported to Joshua.
"Where is it?"
"Surprisingly, it''s in a remote area of the eastern part of the Ekan Kingdom. It''s called Donkey Vige, with a total poption of fewer than 100 people, mostly elderly."
"In a ce like that? Are you sure?"
"Yes, we confirmed it by intimidating the residents. They even built aboratory in a part of the vige. I personally inspected theboratory, and the descriptions given by the vigers about Aria Owlheart match perfectly."
"The darkest ce is under themp, as they say. That fits perfectly."
"However, it would have been difficult to find without the demon''s detection magic."
The three Guardian Knights and the eight watchdogs were supposed to be waiting in Joshua''s secret vi.
The reason for their absence was to trace Aria Owlheart, who had been detected in the Ekan Kingdom using dark magic.
Rontelgius Lamphen.
Joshua nodded, recalling the demon''s horrific appearance.
"Yes, he devoured a thousand prisoners, calling them ingredients for the detection magic. In the end, it seems to have yielded results. Was there any clue about Aria Owlheart''s other hideout in that Donkey Vige?"
"Since the routes to leave Donkey Vige are limited, if we trace the expected movement routes, we can narrow down the suspicious areas. One thing is certain, Aria Owlheart has another hideout in Hufester."
"How long will it take to secure another hideout?"
"We can discover at least one location within a month. Continually reducing the scope that way, we can properly corner them."
"Understood. Make every effort to shorten the time as much as possible."
"We''ll soon bring more satisfactory results."
"And provide more prisoners for Lamphen. His magic has proven exceptional."
Joshua smiled.
"Rontelgius Lamphen... If he can uncover the true nature of that pearl. I should also consider providing prisoners for my clones."
The power of the Shadow Pearl.
Joshua obtained it in the Runcandel n''s mausoleum.
It was during his early days as a cadet, on a day when he was as distracted as ever, losing to Luna as usual.
Instead of cursing himself locked in his room as usual, Joshua headed to the n''s mausoleum.
Even now, he couldn''t remember why he suddenly went to the mausoleum. It was as if fate guided him or something possessed him.
And in the deepest part of the mausoleum.
In the empty tomb where the first patriarch, Temar, should have rested, he found the Shadow Energy Pearl.
"When I touched the power of the Shadow Pearl, the voice of that dog-like creature started to resonate."
The dog-like creature, the Prophet.
At first, it only existed as a voice. A voice thatforted young Joshua and offered him advice.
As Joshua grew, the voice took on tangible form.
It started as a nebulous apparition, like a ghost, and roughly when he became a gbearer, it transformed into the clear image of a woman, just as it is now.
"But the Prophet doesn''t know that it awakened inside that pearl. She doesn''t even know that I have the pearl."
Even in the days when Joshua fully trusted the Prophet, he never told her about the pearl.
It was his inherent instinct.
Even as a child, Joshua instinctively felt that the power of the Shadow Pearl could serve as a safety mechanism.
In other words, he thought it might be useful if the Prophet ever betrayed him for some reason.
"Nowadays, considering the Prophet''s attitude, I have a feeling she could betray me at any moment. Either I deal with her as soon as I be Patriarch or I secure a means to control her before that, I have to choose one of the two options."
Joshua still clung to that old intuition about the power of the Shadow Pearl.
That''s why, casually, or perhaps inevitably, he entrusted Lamphen, the demon, to figure out its purpose.
"I''ll take my leave now, my lord."
As the Guardian Knight finished the report and saluted, preparing to leave, someone rushed in, urgently calling for Joshua.
"My lord!"
It was one of the hunting dogs that entered the room and bowed his head.
"What''s going on?"
"The abandoned forest vi... was assaulted."
"What did you say?"
"Unfortunately, it happened precisely as we were heading to the eastern part of Ekan, based on the information we received from the demon."
Joshua suppressed the curse that rose in his throat.
The Guardian Knight who was about to depart also looked at the hunting dog, startled.
"...What is the extent of the damage?"
"The Thunder Dragon that was captured and the demon disappeared. And the two remaining individuals were found dead..."
The hunting dog couldn''t ascertain for certain whether the demon was killed or simply vanished.
There were no traces left since there were no remains of the demon in the secret underground facilities of the abandoned mansion.
"We tried to track them, but they are exceptional. There are no traces. It''s frustrating."
Phew!
Joshua took a deep breath.
In the end, he had no choice but to rely on the Prophet once again.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 325: What Punishment (1)
Chapter 325: What Punishment (1)
C325 - What Punishment (1)
Tikan.
Jin''spanions were huddled together, gazing at the newly acquired Shadow Energy Pearl.
"So, you got this by raiding that bastard''s mansion, huh?"
Murakan scratched his chin and spoke.
It was difficult for him, as well as the others, toprehend how Joshua had ended up with Solderet''s recording device.
"How in the hell did that happen? Why does that guy have Solderet''s recording device? And he even killed a demon, and it turned out to be Rontelgius?"
Next to the Shadow Energy Pearly Rontelgius''s Magic Tome.
There was also a bundle of papers dropped by the in demon.
"Do you know the name? No, do you even know the family?"
"I know the name. Listen closely, kid. You had an incredible stroke of luck. Because surviving an encounter with a Rontelgius Demon is no small feat."
"Just stabbing him in the throat killed him instantly. He seemed rather weak."
"That''s why I said you were lucky. Rontelgius is a noble family of the Demon Race. They are one of the four great ducal families with power just below the Demon King."
The Demon King, the four great dukes of the Demon World.
Jin couldn''t grasp how important that position was, the power and influence they held. Neither he nor the others could quickly understand it.
They had never encountered demons before.
"Today, with the decline of the Demon Race, it''s natural that you wouldn''t know their name. But there was a time when even the mightiest dragons avoided conflicts with Rontelgius. It wasn''t just a matter of life or injury."
As seen in the curse hanging from Rontelgius Lamphen''s Magic Tome, the Rontelgius Family was known for their mastery of Curses among demons.
"Curses are Curses, but Rontelgius was a family close to the Demon Beast King, Orgal. Maybe Murakan didn''t know it because he was asleep, but Orgal had a notorious reputation even during the Holy Kingdom Protection War."
However, after the Holy Kingdom Protection War ended in the victory of the human alliance, Orgal withdrew from the human world.
Orgal had never been especially visible in the human world, but hepletely disappeared after the war.
"Quikantel, it seems that demons have weakened considerably since then, right? To the point where they can be taken down with just one blow."
"The demon was in a weakened state, as Jin said. And if Jin weren''t Solderet''s Contractor, he would have been cursed with no chance of resisting."
Quikantel spoke with hidden meaning as he looked at Jin.
"Your brother, the Second gbearer of Runcandel. We need to find out how he got involved with Rontelgius and if he knows the purpose of the Shadow Energy Pearl. We must investigate."
How Joshua obtained the Shadow Energy Pearl and his connection to demons were currently a mystery.
"Does that guy even know that the Shadow Energy Pearl is a recording device?"
"Well, once he returns to the Family, Joshua wille to me first."
"Young Master, Joshua has no reason to do that. When we escaped from the Ekan Kingdom, I made sure to erase all traces."
Jin smiled at Kuzan''s words.
"Yes, you erased all evidence. But even without evidence, that guy will convince himself based on his intuition alone. That won''t be a problem. It''s just part of the power struggle, and the dragons haven''t intervened."
"So, are you going to ask Joshua directly about that? About what?"
"I''ll decide based on the atmosphere. I still can''t predict how he''ll react."
"Then when you return, we''ll investigate Rontelgius. It''s hard to believe the demon died so easily. Maybe it was a discarded demon from Rontelgius, or maybe the Rontelgius Family itself has fallen."
"We should also find someone who can decipher the magic tome and the bundle of papers. They seem to be important clues. And..."
Jin looked at Yulian, who was sitting quietly in a corner of the office.
"We should discuss how we can awaken Yulian''s Guardian Dragon."
The Thunder Dragon, Caltor.
He had fallen into a "sleep" state after enduring prolonged and brutal torture.
As a result, even after his rescue, Yulian couldn''t exchange a single word with the Guardian Dragon he longed for so much.
"I''ve mentioned it before, kid. The dragon named Caltor has a broken heart and needs at least five hundred years to recover."
Gilly instinctively covered Murakan''s mouth.
"There must be a way, Yulian. So don''t lose hope and wait patiently."
Yulian looked at hispanions with reddened eyes.
"Thank you all..."
As he said that, everyone blinked.
It was because Yulian had used a respectful tone for the first time.
"The cheeky brat is using formalnguage. It''s surprising. Gak-gak! It feels good. Well, this Murakan will somehow awaken your Guardian Dragon, so wait quietly until then. Now that I think about it, since he''s not even a thousand years old, his heart should recover easily."
"It seems things are more or less settled. So, Gilly, Murakan, and I will return to the Family in a couple of days. Since I''ve been leaving the Garden of Swords empty too oftentely, it will be difficult to visit Tikan for a while unless something special happens."
------------
"Then, I''ll see you next time."
"Yes, yes. Thank you for always taking care of us, Aria..."
Valeria slightly bowed her head and turned away.
The elders of Donkey Vige waved their hands, showing the few teeth they had left, until she disappeared from their view.
As soon as she disappearedpletely from their sight, Valeria clenched her teeth and touched her forehead.
In recent years, no pursuer from any faction hade near her.
They either circled around her long-abandoned hideouts or wasted their efforts by targetingpletely different ces.
But this time was different.
''The Donkey Vige hideout has been exposed... and the pursuers'' movements have be more sophisticated.''
Zzing-!
As Aria infused mana into the staff, blue mana radiated from it.
The mana soon formed a rectangr, translucent "window," and surprisingly, words began to appear on it.
Clever and McRn. Surnames of prestigious Knight ns from Hufester.
Based on those names, Valeria could deduce that the faction that had found her was the Guardians of Runcandel Knights.
"My mother and my older brother are looking for you. They discovered the name you''re currently using. Aria Owlheart, right?"
"I have more than that alias. And I''ve been erasing my tracks quite well."
"Anka Rofman, Riley Hazzard, Lucille Scop, Hartia Ben. Aren''t those your aliases? And if you say you''ve been erasing your tracks well, aren''t you and I having a nice conversation?"
She recalled the conversation she had with Jin in Mamit.
''...I underestimated the major ns too much. The pursuers'' movements have changed.''
What was fortunate, from Valeria''s perspective, was that it wasn''t Zipple who discovered Donkey Vige but Runcandel.
Whoosh!
Valeria released the magic disc and looked toward Donkey Vige.
''The elders will contact Runcandel soon.''
Just a few days ago...
Those people who followed her as saviors. The elders of Donkey Vige, abandoned mostly by their children and without hope, clung to life with no prospects.
And yet, those elders revealed everything about her to Runcandel. They didn''t know much, but they told everything they could.
Valeria never expected loyalty from those elders.
No, Valeria didn''t expect loyalty from anyone.
However, an indescribable bittersweet feeling welled up from the depths of her heart, and there was nothing she could do about it.
''At least no one was exterminated because of me. I must move forward. Toward the hideout in the Lutero Magical Federation.''
She traveled diligently until dusk.
Using bothnd and sea routes, she used over five different identities as she passed through checkpoints. Along the way, she stopped at "Samil" and received letters and goods sent by Jin.
She arrived safely in the ''Palin Kingdom'' of the Lutero Magical Federation. And as soon as she arrived...
In the middle of the checkpoint entrance, she saw the face of Jin Runcandel.
(Jin Runcandel guarantees your beauty. Cosmetics from the Peng n)
Eh!
Unconsciously, Valeria swallowed and stared at the advertisement.
''A cosmetics ad...? What on earth is this guy thinking?''
Valeria stood there, unable to look away from the billboard for a while before finally moving her steps.
When she arrived at the Palin Kingdom hideout, it was already morning.
Only then could Valeria check the letters and goods she had found in Samil.
(This is the first letter. These are cosmetic tools that can create a convincing disguise when applied randomly. You should be thankful that these items fix your clumsy disguises. If you think you might get caught, contact Tikan. That''s it for now.)
Valeria lifted her head as she examined the merchandise.
There was one more letter.
(I didn''t expect to send a second letter so soon. The reason is that there''s another recording device. I hope we can meet as soon as possible. Contact Tikan so we can arrange a meeting ce.)
''He got another Shadow Energy Pearl!?''
Phew! With a burst of energy, Valeria let out a sigh.
Obtaining a recording device that she couldn''t find no matter how hard she searched the world was something that Jin Runcandel seemed to do effortlessly.
Even for the sake of the investigation, Valeria thought it was necessary to meet with Jin Runcandel once again.
''Anyway, it''s a gain for me. Jin Runcandel, I''ll make good use of you.''
--------------
As soon as he returned to Hufester, Jin''s butler, Petro, urgently sought him out.
"Young Master!"
"What''s the matter, Petro?"
"Something important has happened. The Elder Council has issued disciplinary action against you."
"Disciplinary action? For what reason? Calm down and tell me slowly. What is the content of the disciplinary action?"
Although he asked, to some extent, Jin had anticipated it.
The involvement with the Golden Snow Tribe and the cosmetics business they had started. It was undoubtedly the reason behind it.
''Most likely, an arrest warrant or disciplinary unit order was issued. Being subject to a disciplinary unit might be better than being confined to the Garden of Swords.''
After experiencing the life of a gbearer, Jin thought that being locked in a disciplinary unit for a year wouldn''t be so bad.
There were too many prying eyes in the Garden of Swords.
Therefore, as Solderet''s Contractor, there were too many things to worry about every time he had to fulfill his duties, like visiting Temar''s Tomb or managing Solderet''s affairs.
''Anyway, even if I go to the disciplinary unit, it''s an easy task to achieve results and create a justification to return to the Main Family. It might actually work...''
Just when he thought that, the disciplinary measure that came out of Petro''s mouth was something Jin had never expected.
"The content of the disciplinary measure is the prohibition of engaging in external activities. The duration is three years..."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 326: What Punishment (2)
Chapter 326: What Punishment (2)
C326 - What Punishment (2)
Jin thought he had misheard.
"What...? No external ess for three years? Are you sure?"
"Yes, Young Master. The conversation is already circting among the stewards and servants."
"No... what''s the basis for this?"
"Well, it''s because of the recent business you''ve started, Young Master..."
"They must be joking. Is the Elder Council suggesting such a ridiculous punishment of three years'' prohibition just because I did some advertising?"
"It seems so."
"Have they all gone mad? Are they treating Runcandel''s gbearer with such absurd disciplinary measures? Do they think he''s a wayward soul in adolescence? No external ess?! No external ess?! It''s ridiculous. I''ll gather the Elder Council. I''m willing to give them a good lesson..."
"Wait, Lord Murakan. There are many ears here."
"They''re supposed to hear! Strawberry Pie, I can''t believe the Elder Council is considering such a ridiculous punishment."
Jin felt the same frustration as Murakan but couldn''t express his anger.
''It''s Joshua. It''s not the Elder Council; it''s an idea that came out of that guy''s head. It seems he ns to offer a deal using the lifting of the exit prohibition as an excuse.''
Detention or disciplinary unit.
Jin hadn''t expected any other disciplinary action. So, he hadn''t thought of a n to deal with it yet.
Click!
Jin clenched his teeth thinking about that dirty and despicable situation.
On the other hand, that disgusting and despicable situation was the best way to deal with Jin.
''It''s a bit unsettling, but if you thought you could get something from me this way, you''re mistaken. Joshua.''
Jin softened his expression.
"Petro, when is the disciplinary meeting?"
"The Council President said he would hold it as soon as you returned, Young Master. As it has already been reported from the gate of your return, I''m sure the Council members have already been summoned by the Council President."
"I should change clothes before I go."
Jin quickly headed to his room.
"Young Master, I''ll prepare a clean gbearer uniform. Shall I cut your hair before you go?"
"No, that''s not necessary. Prepare the most dazzling clothes. Bring out the cosmetics from the Peng n and the hair dye."
"Pardon?"
"It seems the Council members don''t like our products very much, so I have to show them how good they are."
Jin washed his face and applied makeup, leaving his face radiant and gleaming from the golden dye.
Gilly couldn''t find the right words, while Murakan held his belly, seemingly about to burst intoughter.
"Hahaha, the Council members will be baffled! That''s right, kid. That''s how Runcandel should always be, defiant. Right?"
After a while, when the makeup was finished, Gilly gave an awkward smile.
"Young Master, are you really going like this?"
"Yes. Just make sure Murakan doesn''t cause any trouble. Oh, should I take some product samples?"
"It might be better if you just go out. Young Master, may I ask what you''re thinking...?"
"Strawberry Pie, why are you asking such a difficult question? Eh, kid. What you''re going to do seems fun, but are you okay with it?"
"It''s fine. In my opinion, this punishment is just for show. Joshua only wants to strike a deal with me using this as an excuse. He''ll bypass the punishment and ask for the stolen items back."
Gilly nodded as if he understood.
"Phew, what a relief. I thought you were just being rebellious, Young Master."
"No way, I''m not that childish. I''ll be back. Don''t worry too much."
Of course, there was also a part of him that wanted to infuriate the old men in the back rooms.
Shortly after leaving the room, Jin encountered his brothers in the hallway.
The first one was Joshua. He had been waiting in the hallway as soon as he heard the news of Jin''s return.
He had something to say to him before heading to the disciplinary meeting.
"Jin, let''s talk for a moment... Wait, you. Aren''t you going to see the Council President to receive your punishment?"
"That''s correct."
"But what the heck is that appearance?"
"What''s wrong with my appearance?"
Joshua couldn''t help but feel like he was the one who looked strange in the face of Jin''s confident demeanor.
"What''s wrong? The light reflecting off your hair is blinding, and that heavy makeup... it looks like it''s from a circus! And are you going to the disciplinary meeting like that?"
"The Runcandel Law doesn''t say anything about gbearers not being allowed to wear makeup or dye their hair, does it? As far as I know, there''s no such rule."
Joshua touched his forehead.
"Haha, you''re right. There''s no such rule. But there is one about maintaining dignity. The reason you''re being punished is because you failed to maintain it."
"The reason for the punishment isn''t that. It''s because the Second gbearer influenced the Elder Council."
A sly smile crept onto Joshua''s lips.
"Yes, that''s true. I personally suggested to the council members that they impose a punishment on you. But it wasn''t because you attacked my vi. It was a matter of dignity, just like now."
"Is that so? It''s the first time I''ve heard that I attacked the Second gbearer''s vi."
"It''s a wild guess. Since I have no intention of asking for the stolen items back anyway."
This response was unexpected.
Without responding, Jin remained silent, goading Joshua to continue.
"Anyway, this is just part of the power struggle. This time, you''re the one who hase out victorious, so you have the right to im the spoils."
"I''m d it doesn''t involve harming anyone."
He replied calmly, but Joshua''s attitude made him more cautious.
The stolen Shadow Energy Pearl must not be that important to him.
Or maybe it wasn''t Joshua''s to begin with but belonged to the deceased demon?
No, that doesn''t seem right.
There''s something more at y.
Jin could only think of one possibility.
''Joshua still doesn''t know that the Shadow Energy Pearl is a recording device. And both Joshua and Mother... probably think they can take everything away from me whenever they want. They''re using me until the perfect moment to take everything.''
If that''s the case, Joshua''sck of obsession with the Shadow Energy Pearl might be because...
Perhaps Joshua expected Jin, the official contractor of Solderet, to ''discover its purpose.''
Or he might secretly want to figure out how Jin uses the Shadow Energy Pearl by nting someone to observe him.
"Besides, the condition of having no external ess wasn''t my idea. It''s the disciplinary measure set by the Council. It''s quite severe for failing in dignity, but it''s your fault for earning the Council''s contempt."
"So, what do you want me to do?"
"It means you choose wisely. I can''t control the Councilpletely. If they feel like it, they can even confine me to the house for three years."
"I appreciate the advice, but I''ll handle it myself. Oh, and Second gbearer."
"What?"
"It would be wise not to directly harm myrades from now on. I can understand up to a point as long as you don''t endanger their lives."
"I understand, huh? Doesn''t seem like something you should be telling me. Do you think I spared yourrades because I couldn''t kill them?"
Joshua''s words hinted at animosity, causing Jin to shake his head.
"What I meant was for you to consider who stands to lose more. Think carefully."
Upon hearing that, Joshua smiled satisfactorily.
"I hope you handle the uing disciplinary matter well."
Jin and Joshua crossed paths and began walking in opposite directions.
''It wasn''t just a scheme by Joshua to make a deal with me.''
If that were the case, Joshua wouldn''t have merely mentioned the attack on his vi and let it slide.
''Regardless, Joshua wasn''t the one responsible for the disciplinary decision... I''ll find out the true purpose of the Council once I meet with the Council President.''
As he headed to the disciplinary meeting, Jin''s second encounter was with the Tona Brothers.
As always, they seemed concerned when they saw Jin, but there was something slightly different.
There was no trace of tension in their demeanor.
"Younger one, are you okay? Everything will probably be fine."
"Yeah, yeah. It will pass without a hitch, right?"
The Tona Brothers no longer worried about their younger brother. Whatever happens, as long as he''s the "younger one," if he''s the younger one, then he''ll figure things out on his own...
That perception had taken root in their minds.
"But still, that shy outfit is a bit... No, maybe it''s just your style."
"You''ve got this, younger one. See youter."
Jin felt a strange tenderness as he watched his two brothers clenching their fists tightly.
The next encounter was with Dyfus and Mary.
"Ugh, those old farts. As if the disciplinary measures mean anything. Hey, kiddo. Nothing will happen to you. They wouldn''t confine a talented guy like you for three years, right? Considering how many pending missions there are."
"They''ll just restrict personal outings, but they''ll still send you on missions. Probably under surveince. Younger one, this case could be quite taxing."
"Dyfus oraboni, you talk as if you really want the younger one to end up like this. Huh?"
"When did I say that?"
"But more importantly, younger one."
"Yes, big sister Mary."
"Well, are you really going to go dressed like that? It''s provocative and pretty, but... I don''t know, it seems out of ce for the asion and the ce."
"It would be better to change if possible."
Everyone he crossed paths with pointed out his attire without fail.
Jin was certain he had chosen his clothes very well.
''The Council will lose the justification for this disciplinary action once they see how profitable the products of the Golden Snow Tribe be. And if that''s not enough, I can bring up the matter of improving the decisive killing move. After all, they were a force that had to be assimted and controlled someday.''
The reason Jin felt so confident as he headed to meet with the Council President was the strong conviction that the business he had started with the Golden Snow Tribe would never fail and that the Council members would never give up their desire for the Final Moves.
Dignity.
In Jin''s opinion, the current Runcandel didn''t have time to seek that.
Perhaps true dignity in its real sense, but expanding the Family''s business was an essential task.
Just like Zipple covertly used magical products to turn people into his ves, the Runcandels also needed such items.
Otherwise, they would inevitably decline.
No, they were already in decline.
"If I were a Council member, I would have supported someone from the gbearer who started a business like this. Even if that person had a hostile rtionship with me. Or I would have somehow taken it over and tried to grow the business myself."
Jin was frustrated that neither the Council nor anyone in the Family understood this simple and clear phenomenon.
As he passed through the gbearer''s hallway, he saw the Council President''s office.
Phew.
He took a deep breath, just as he was about to enter...
Creak...!
A Council member came out of the conference room.
Unconsciously, Jin slightly bowed in front of him, inadvertently blocking his path.
"Chief of Civil Guards, Tellot Runcandel."
Tellot stared at Jin for a while without responding.
"Twelfth gbearer, Jin Runcandel."
"Yes."
"No need to go in. Your disciplinary meeting is over."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 327: What Punishment (3)
Chapter 327: What Punishment (3)
C327 - What Punishment (3)
"Has the disciplinary meeting ended?"
Tellot nodded with an expressionless face.
"May I ask what decision was made? A three-year prohibition from leaving the premises, I suppose? Surely such an unreasonable disciplinary measure couldn''t have been confirmed without the involvement of the interested party."
"Do you think it''s an absurd punishment?"
"Yes, I do."
"In what sense?"
"Because it''s a disciplinary measure that has never urred in the history of the Runcandel Family. The prohibition from leaving the premises literally means taking away one''s physical freedom, which is uneptable for a Runcandel gbearer like me. If the fact that I am under a prohibition bes known to the outside world, the image of Runcandel will also be tarnished."
As Jin spoke calmly, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Tellot''s lips.
It was a smile that was hard to decipher.
"You''re right. But the punishment you received has not changed. Three years of prohibition from leaving the premises."
"Are the Elders still inside?"
"Do you n to go in and argue with them?"
"Yes."
"Do you think the Elders will lift the punishment just because you argue?"
"I appreciate your concern, but I tend to have a special ability to make things happen even if it doesn''t work."
Jin looked into Tellot''s eyes as he spoke.
A few seconds of silence passed.
Just as Jin was about to leave without expecting a response, Tellot lightly grabbed Jin''s shoulder.
"I''ve suspended your punishment. So stop."
Jin''s pupils dted.
"You''ve suspended my punishment...? Chief of the Civil Guards?"
"That''s right."
Suspending the punishment was undoubtedly an act of assistance from Tellot.
Then Jin remembered a truth that most people in the world knew.
Unprovoked kindness doesn''t exist.
"It''s impossible for him to show me kindness for no reason. Chief of the Civil Guards... I only remember that he tried and failed to upy the Colonn Ruins long before I was born."
Tellot Runcandel.
Jin didn''t know who he really was.
It was natural, as it was impossible for him to have any connection with the Council of Elders in his past life.
Therefore, Jin couldn''t think of any reason why Tellot would approach him.
"Chief of the Civil Guards, what do you want from me?"
Tellot chuckled as Jin asked him directly.
"Well, you certainly have a way with words. What do you say? Are you going to have a cup of tea with this old man? Or are you going to pick a fight with the Elders by rejecting even the suspension of your punishment?"
There was no need to hesitate.
The Council of Elders was made up of three organizations.
The ck Sword Association.
The Law Guard.
And the Civil Guard.
Although the Civil Guard was the least influential among them, the Chief of the Civil Guard held undeniable swaypared to Jin.
If Tellot had decided on a suspension, it meant that the "maximum" oue Jin could achieve was close to a suspension.
"Maybe even a suspension was difficult for me. After all, it wasn''t Joshua who proposed the deal, so my options were limited."
The money that would start flowing in from the Golden Snow Tribe''s business in the future and the improvement of the Final Moves.
For now, Jin had only two bargaining chips with the Council of Elders.
Using them now wouldn''t be a bad idea, but it was better to save them.
It was a good strategy to be able to use them at a more decisive moment.
"I prefer tea."
"Good choice. Then follow me to my secret hideout. But... Jin."
"Please, speak."
"Did you really intend to attend the disciplinary meeting in that state?"
"Yes. It''s embarrassing to be asked that when we meet at the door."
"Haha. I''m d I had a different opinion than the other Elders. I can''t even imagine how furious the Chief of the ck Sword Association would have been if you had entered as you were."
Tellot ordered his assistant to bring his private carriage.
The two of them boarded the carriage side by side and began heading towards their hideout.
A secret hideout?
Step, step...
Inside the carriage, Tellot remained silent.
Jin made no effort to show curiosity or initiate a conversation, but Tellot seemed to find that attitude quite pleasant.
"It''s been a while since I brought someone from Runcandel here."
Instead of taking Jin to his private vi within the Garden of Swords, Tellot deliberately took him to a different ce.
The ce they arrived at was an alley on the outskirts of Kalon.
Kalon, as a city with the Garden of Swords, was virtually the heart of the Hufester Alliance.
There was no city in the Hufester Alliance more developed than Kalon.
That''s why even the residents of Kalon, thoughmoners, were mostly individuals who had umted considerable wealth.
But here, too, there was a slum.
Although it was subtly outside the administrative area.
Tellot''s secret hideout was here.
"I expected a grand space for a secret hideout, but it''s a hovel," Jin thought.
The alley was too narrow for the carriage to enter.
They walked for about thirty minutes through a few muddy, beggar-filled alleys.
During their walk, beggars or homeless people looked cautiously at the two men.
But no one dared to beg.
If they''re willing to have a residence in a hovel like this, they must want to revitalize this ce.
"But the way he looks at them is harsh," Jin thought.
Tellot showed no sympathy for the destitute.
No, it went beyond not showing sympathy; he seemed to despise them.
Tellot''s pupils filled with disdain as he looked at them.
"The alley is quite long, isn''t it?"
"Yes."
"Most people in the world wouldn''t have any idea that such a slum exists in the very heart of this city, which is the center of the Hufester Alliance. When you arrive through the main gates, all you see are gleaming buildings and well-kept streets."
Jin gradually understood Tellot''s intention.
Crunch~
Tellot opened the old, or rather, almost rotten wooden door.
This narrow, dirty, roughly constructed house made ofyers of fabric was Tellot''s secret hideout.
As soon as the door opened, an animal smell wafted out.
"Woof! Woof!"
"Meow!"
"Meow, meow!"
Tellot distributed food among the animals with a kind look.
The animals flocked to Tellot, leaving marks on his shiny armor.
Jin had been silently watching him as he distributed the food.
"Do you understand why I brought you here?"
"You want the slum to disappear. It seems you realize that mypany can bring you wealth."
"If I wanted to, I could make it disappear right now. I could send the Guardian Knights to kill all the useless humans outside and order theborers to demolish the slum and build new buildings. It would be easier than snapping my fingers."
Tellot gently pushed the animals aside with his hands.
"But that wouldn''t be natural. Also, Runcandel doesn''t get rid of this slum because it doesn''t have excess wealth. There''s no need to spend money on unnecessary ces, no matter how much money you have."
As the animals separated and stuck to him again, Tellot smiled with satisfaction.
"While you judge the destitute as useless humans, you show indulgence to the animals," Jinmented.
"These animals are innocent, aren''t they? Beggars are perfectly capable of working, but they choose to beg, so they deserve to die. I don''t let them live out ofpassion. It''s simply because there''s no need to kill them."
"I see."
"Do you know? In Drakka, the central city of the Lutero Magical Federation, there isn''t a single slum like this."
"I know. Not only in Drakka, but in a score of neighboring cities, there are no slums."
"It''s not because Zipple puts a lot of effort into helping the slums of the central cities. It''s just a natural result of Zipple''s excessive wealth flowing downward. To the point where you''ll be left astounded."
Tellot''s words were true.
With its financial power alone, Runcandelpeted for the second or third ce globally with Vermont.
However, Zipple, being the first, possessed much greater wealth than thebined funds of the two forces.
"I believe the business you''veunched can narrow the gap between Zipple and our financial power. If that happens, this slum will transform into a prosperous area without much effort."
"Are you suggesting I contribute a portion of the business profits to the Garden of Swords?"
"That''s right."
"If that were the case, even if you left it alone, it would naturally contribute to some extent."
"Nonsense. From what I''ve observed, you''re the kind of person who never shares what''s his with others."
"What portion of the profits do you want?"
Tellot''s pupils narrowed.
"20%."
Jin was secretly amazed.
If it were any other elder, they would have demanded a muchrger share in the same situation.
"Indeed, you hit the mark. If you had asked for more than that, I would have never agreed."
"With no deceit, if you faithfully contribute 20% each month, I''ll do my best to assist your business. It''s not impossible topletely eliminate the disciplinary measures that have been suspended."
Anyway, Jin had already prepared himself to collect more than 20 percent. Jin had contemted up to 50%, but since Tellot presented himself this way, it was a concern he didn''t have to worry about.
"But I can''t provide 20% just for the disciplinary measures. It seems what I earn is somewhat insufficient."
However, if he could secure something extra, it would be even better.
"What else do you want?"
"Please, tell me about the rtionship between the Council President and the Second gbearer."
Jordan Runcandel.
Undoubtedly, he was Rosa''s person, but Jin learned a new piece of information from his conversation with Joshua.
Joshua can''t pletely'' control the Council of Elders.
''Joshua subtly hoped that this disciplinary action against me would be shelved.''
Tellot shrugged.
"You have a clever mind but show a careless appearance on an obvious problem. Isn''t it obvious? Jordan Runcandel, the Council President, and the Second gbearer have a rtionship of mutual prosperity, not to mentionpetition."
"You''re right about mutual prosperity, but I''ve never heard of thepetition."
Tellot''s eyes widened.
And after a few seconds, he nodded as if he understood.
"Ah, of course. Well, it makes sense. You are different from me, let alone the highest-ranked gbearer, so it''s understandable. Just remember one thing. The Council President has not given up on his dream of bing the Patriarch."
Most of those who had spent time with Jordan knew this information.
But Jin couldn''t help but not know it because he lived in apletely different era from them.
Everyone fell silent, so to speak.
-Your actions earlier were quite refreshing, but the Council President, Jordan, is a more formidable person than he appears. Despite his narrow-mindedness and outdated behavior, he is a very wicked and strong individual.
-I know. He survived in the hegemony battle against my father.
-Well... you could interpret it as the Patriarch simply letting him escape. Anyway, why did that guy, who seems to know everything, act like a crazed horse?
Suddenly, Jin remembered the conversation he had with Zed immediately after the gbearer Appointment Ceremony.
''... I see why the Council President brought a super-strong disciplinary action, the three-year house arrest ban. He nned to use it as leverage to put a leash on me and rein in Joshua.''
Now he understood.
It was Jordan, not Joshua, who intended to propose a deal under the pretext of disciplinary measures.
A chill ran down his spine. It was a bewildering feeling.
If Jin had known that Jordan was "Joshua''s ally," he would have responded ordingly in the future.
"From your expression, it seems I have negotiated the value properly."
"It''s been a satisfactory conversation."
"Very well, now I take my leave. I will have someone send the contract for this deal to your room. But remember, even though I offer you my protection, your business will not bepletely secure."
"I would appreciate at least some shelter."
Tellot spent some time interacting with the slum''s animals.
Jin watched his actions for a while from the outside and thought to himself.
"Chief of the Civil Guard, you are truly an entric person."
On the other hand, Tellot had another thought as he looked at the path where Jin had departed.
''I wonder if the Twelfth gbearer will bring new changes to the Runcandel Family. I''m looking forward to it.''
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 328: Be Yourself
Chapter 328: Be Yourself
C328 - Be Yourself
After meeting Tellot, Jin stayed at home for a while and focused solely on his missions.
Through teleportation gates, he traveled all over the world, participating in bothrge and small battles against Zipple and mediating conflicts between different factions.
He rescued hostages, eliminated enemies, and even destroyed instations.
In one month, Jinpleted the astonishing number of seven missions.
Although there were no missions of the highest difficulty level, like killing Barton Vichena, aplishing seven tasks without rest was exhausting, and he couldn''t help but feel fatigued.
Naturally, Jin seeded in all the missions.
In five of them, he even achieved additional objectives.
The reason Jin was so enthusiastic about mission aplishment up to that point was that his three-year punishment of no outdoor activities was still in the "suspended" phase.
Tellot was making efforts, but it was impossible topletely eliminate the punishment in a short time.
In particr, Jordan still held a grudge against him for the suspension of his punishment and would bring up the topic again if Jin made the slightest mistake.
Chew, chew, gulp...
"It seems I''ve be a delinquent academy student, doing volunteer work on campus. Achieving this level of sess in just a month, even the Council of Elders will have to look at me differently."
Jin said as he swallowed the meat he was chewing.
"By the way, it reminds me of the old days. It''s been almost ten years since I ate with you and otherrades. Guardian Knight, Bellop. You haven''t forgotten that I always took care of the meat for you back then, have you?"
"If I had known you would be courteous about something that happened almost ten years ago, I would have taken less, my Lord."
Jin was sitting on the floor of the cadet''s empty training field, eating with Bellop. It was a meat-heavy diet, just like in their cadet days.
A smile appeared on Bellop''s face as he looked at the meat on the te.
Bellop Schmitz had returned from the eastern mountain region of the Mittel Kingdom just a few days ago.
In the end, Kuzan and Yulian took Hwirok, the apostate knight of the Vank, to the eastern mountains.
Bellop managed to capture them and secured his reason for returning.
Naturally, as soon as he returned, he sought out Jin and pledged loyalty to him, and they even carried out missions together until yesterday.
"When those wanted criminals suddenly infiltrated the mountain range, I initially thought it was someone from your hostile forces trying to kill me. But I never imagined that lord had sent those terrible criminals..."
Bellop shuddered as he recalled the battle in the mountains.
That was Bellop''s longest, most intense, and loneliest fight of his life.
Chasing, fleeing, seizing opportunities, ambushing, being ambushed, running out of provisions...
He traversed several treacherous mountains to exhaustion, without any support.
"Haha, you must have felt quite betrayed."
"It was an experience I don''t want to go through again. However, thanks to that, I made significant progress. Not only in swordsmanship but also physically and mentally."
"It seems you''ve be much stronger."
Excluding Jin, Bellop had always been the person with the most potential during their cadet days.
With that potential, he set the goal of bing Jin''s knight and dedicated himself to it every day, evening to the brink of life and death several times.
So, his growth was natural.
"By the way, I suddenly feel grateful for having met you in our cadet days, my Lord."
"Why do you suddenly bring it up after talking about betrayal and feeling ufortable?"
"When did I do that? I was a bit nervous, that''s all. Anyway, I only have that thought. If I hadn''t met my Lord, my life would have been very unhappy."
"Why do you think that?"
"During our cadet days, my lord helped me ovee my fear. Even after my lord became the Provisional gbearer, even now, sometimes I think of that day."
-Right now, you''ve probably realized it too, but you''re weaker than me. And you''re kinder than me. I like that about you. But if you only do good things, you won''t survive in this hell.
Bellop recalled the conversation Jin had with him during their cadet days. Jin also remembered the same conversation, and for some reason, it made him blush.
"Thanks to that moment, I was able to be a Runcandel Knight. I couldn''t have endured it without my lord. Maybe it''s an exaggeration, but I feel that one day, overwhelmed by suffering, I would have given up on life."
"You''re saying unnecessary things. Even if it hadn''t been me, you would have done quite well."
Indeed, in Bellop''s previous life, he did not do very well.
Before the regression, Bellop was exiled from Runcandel, then went to Hairan and trained before bing a knight of Vermont.
Following the orders of the Imperial Family, he repeatedlymitted unwanted massacres and ended his wretched life by his own hand.
As these memories resurfaced, Jin, who had changed Bellop''s life, felt even prouder.
"My lord, you have no idea how shocked everyone was by your actions during that duel right now. It stilles up in conversations whenever ourrades gather."
"Ah, really?"
"But the most impactful moment was when my lord rescued Mesa all by himself. When my lord went alone to thend of the beastmen and brought back Mesa, everyone made a vow in their hearts. They pledged their loyalty to only you."
Looking back, the unfortunate connection with Kinzelo began from that moment.
''At that time, I only thought Kinzelo was a group of crazy terrorists.''
Now, they were such a huge force that even Zipple hesitated to engage inrge-scale battles with them.
Moreover, it was still highly likely that the leader''s true identity was a demon.
''Well, Kinzelo is quite worrisome, indeed. I should visit the Ivliano Family soon and monitor their movements.''
For now, there didn''t seem to be room for such actions.
In fact, Jin was still absorbed in his duties, unable even to visit the third tomb revealed by Olmango.
Jin had called Bellop precisely to address that matter.
"It''s been a long time since I heardpliments like this. Where did that immature brat from back then go? Did he grease his tongue with oil or something?"
"If my lord wishes, I can continue."
"No, that''s enough. But speaking of which, Bellop, there''s something I need you to do."
"Please, tell me anything."
"From today until my return, you are Jin Runcandel."
"What?"
"You know the next mission starts tomorrow, right?"
"Do you mean you...? The mission to rescue the Count of the Ekan Kingdom who was kidnapped by mercenaries?"
"Yes. But now it''s no longer my mission; it''s yours. I want you to y the role of Jin Runcandel for a while."
"Are you serious?"
"Well, the count will be blindfolded anyway. Even if someone tries to rescue him, they won''t be able to recognize you urately. Rescue him, pretend to be me for a while, and then hand him over to the Ekan Defense Forces."
"Incredible..."
"Are you telling me youck confidence in a rescue mission?"
"No, it''s not that. How can I pretend to be you, my lord?"
"Why not? The hostage will have his eyes covered, and you will wear a mask. Furthermore, I''ve acquired a fake Sigmund. Say what you need, and I''ll take care of it."
When he had alreadypleted seven missions, Jin had detoured to Pic¨®n Minche and asked for a fake Sigmund sword.
It was nothing more than a sword with no special functions, but it looked exactly the same at first nce.
Of course, it couldn''t perfectly replicate the uniquely sharp and pale gleam of Sigmund, but it could achieve a simr color.
Moreover, as the counterfeit Sigmund was also an item made by the divine craftsmanship of the god cksmith, it could only be a renowned sword in its own right.
"It should be finished by now. And try putting this on."
Jin removed his gbearer''s cloak and handed it to Bellop.
Startled, Bellop anxiously looked around. Even though there was no one nearby who could see them in the training ground, he considered it a delicate matter.
"Young master, I mean, my Lord. Are you serious about this? This is the Abanderado''s coat. Only the Abanderado of Runcandel can wear this!"
"It''s just a piece of clothing. Try it on to see if it fits."
"My Lord!"
"It''s an order. Bellop, you''ve be bold after getting a big head."
It was a jest, but Bellop lowered his head with a serious expression.
"No, I''ll try it on."
"Oh, luckily, it fits you well. I''ll give you dye to darken your hair."
"Are you sure about this?"
"If by any chance your disguise is exposed, and it bes a problem within the n, I''ll make sure you''re not harmed. Don''t worry."
"That''s not what I meant. Am I trying to obstruct my Lord''s will because I fear for my safety?"
"Never mind then. This is how you can help me. You''re the best choice. The most trustworthy, with a build simr to mine, and the best swordsman among my knights. There are enough elements for people who don''t know you well to confuse you with me. I''d like to send Mesa, but there''s a gender issue in her case."
"The gap in battle prowess between my Lord and me is much wider than my Lord thinks. I would easily be exposed."
"That''s why I have to face the strong ones myself. Like you said, they''ll recognize you."
"My Lord, you''re not nning to have me impersonate you not only this time but in the future as well, are you?"
"Unfortunately, your trust is misced. You pay the price for eating meat. I also have a lot of work outside the n, you know? Can you handle it?"
Phew~.
Bellop let out a sigh.
Then, as if determined, he replied.
"From today on, whenever I have free time, I will seek professional actors and practice the art of acting and impersonation. This is also an order from my Lord, so I am obligated to do it perfectly."
"Excellent mindset. And if by any chance the ck Sword Association catches up to us, even if the mission fails, make sure to escape undetected. If you''re caught by the Chief of the ck Sword Association, it will be the end for both of us."
"My Lord, a moment ago you said that if my disguise is exposed, you would somehow ensure that I escape unharmed."
"Did I say such a thing?"
"Yes, my Lord always gets involved in such adventures."
"Since the results have always been good, there was no need to change."
"Sometimes I worry, and all ourrades feel anxious, my Lord."
Some adorable guys.
Jin chuckled and lightly touched Bellop''s shoulder.
"When all ourrades pass the Guardian Knight test, let''s meet. Let''s have a drink and share some words."
"What words do you have to share?"
"I''ll tell you when the timees."
He couldn''t tell the younger division, who woulde running with excitement after passing the test, that another hellish training awaited them.
Except for Bellop, most members of the younger division were at the level ofte 6-stars or early 7-stars, making it difficult to immediately use all their strength.
"But, my Lord, where do you n to go while sending me on the mission?"
"I''m going to visit one of my ancestors."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 329
Chapter 329
C329 - Temar''s Third Tomb (1)
June 5, 1799.
Jin, dressed in a brown robe, disguised as an ordinary traveler, walked along a forest path in the southern border region of the Zhan Kingdom.
"I think I''ve memorized this route too."
Although it was the beginning of summer, the forest path remained pleasantly cool.
The thought of meeting handsome and straightforward friends after a long time put Jeremiah in a good mood.
As Jin strolled leisurely, he suddenly stopped and grinned mischievously.
Once again, the aroma of grilled fish filled the air. The scent of freshly cooked fish wafting through the southern Zhan Kingdom forest meant that the nearby Watertails tribe was preparing their meal.
Thump, thump.
The sounds of excited chatter from the Watertails grew nearer.
As always, they were dancing and celebrating around the freshly roasted fish,pletely oblivious to Jeremiah''s approach.
There were three Watertails, and Jin recognized all their faces.
"Darkme."
"Eh? This voice, is..."
The dancing Watertails turned abruptly toward Jeremiah.
"So, you''re Big Nose and Big Eyes."
"Jin Runcandel. Ah, always. Find us. How?"
"Well, I''ve received your help quite often. This time, I also have a gift. This time, I''m not a needy fugitive."
When Jin pulled a high-quality dried eel from his bag, the eyes of the three Watertails lit up.
"This is eel. Dried. A precious fish."
"Is it for us? Really?"
"Are you serious?"
The Watertails salivated.
"Not only serious but really. Did those stingy Golden Snows never share money? It''s high-quality food, but if you''re financially strong, you can buy it for three meals a day without any problem."
The Watertails were too busy devouring the dried eel to respond. Jin extended the eel to them, and they pounced on it, devouring it eagerly.
Chomp, chomp, yum!
Jin patiently waited for them to finish eating and realized he had to talk to the members of the Golden Snow Tribe when he met with them.
"Oh, sorry, I ate too much. It''s delicious."
The Watertails, with their mouths full, nodded enthusiastically.
"It''s okay."
"Are you going to the cave?"
"Yes."
Following the Watertails, Jin headed toward their secret cave.
"Every time Ie here, I realize that this cave is truly like abyrinth."
No matter how good someone''s memory was, it was easy to get lost within the structure.
The entrance to the area where the Golden Snow Tribe and Watertails lived could not be found without a guide, and the dwelling of the Cat Tribe waspletely inessible. There wasn''t a single guide in the world who knew their location.
If someone were to search for the Cat Tribe within this cave, they could only find them by destroying the entire cave.
Even then, they wouldn''t be able to find that tribe. The destroyers could only catch glimpses of traces of their presence. The Cat Tribe would retreat deep into the cave.
When they reached the space upied by the Watertails and Golden Snow Tribe, a faint yellow glow emanated from within.
"Oh, you''ve arrived! Our strong and mightyrade!"
"Do you know how many letters we receive in each of our branches addressed to you? It''s so strange how humans, regardless of their age or gender, write love letters and send them. It''s hard to understand, even when we know it."
"But still, they''re all lovely customers, aren''t they? You should expect great things, Jin Runcandel. Since we started advertising with your face, our sales have literally skyrocketed. Noble customers line up, willing to pay ten times more for top-quality cosmetics, even if production is dyed!"
Seeing Jin, Suny, Dori, and Song poured out their words with delighted expressions.
"... What''s all this? Gold? Are you kidding me? Have you decorated the entire cave with gold?"
The inside of the cave where the members of the Golden Snow Tribe were sitting waspletely adorned with gold. The faint yellow glow that Jin had sensed from afar now had a clear source.
"Well! We tried the gold bath once. How does it look? Impressive, isn''t it?"
Peng, who was perched on a pile of gold coins, smiled at Jin, his front teeth gleaming under the light emanating from the gold.
Swoosh!
Peng descended and reached out a hand to Jin.
"Thanks to the promotion we did with you, our Peng n business is booming, Jin Runcandel. I need to give you a business report. We have some matters to discuss."
"To discuss?"
"Our researchers have recently developed an incredible cosmetic product. But the ingredients are quite unique, making the supply challenging."
"How unique are the ingredients?"
"There are flowers that only grow in the Hidden Pce Forest. Their whitening effect is tremendous, so it had to be done. So we thought about establishing trade rtions with the Hidden Pce, but... I''ve heard rumors that you... have be the son-inw of the Hidden Pce?"
"Where did you hear those rumors?"
"We encounter quite a few humans in our business. Is that story true?"
"They are baseless rumors."
"Hmm, but smoke doesn''te out of the chimney for no reason. Is it possible to establish a line ofmunication with the Hidden Pce?"
The word "line" made Jin remember Lucas''s direct line and he let out a wryugh.
"I can''t guarantee it. I''m still a human with some sense of shame."
"Sense of shame?"
"I owe a lot to the Hidden Pce, so what''s the point of owing them even more? For now, write a business report and send it to Tikan."
"I don''t know why they call you Runcandel''s gbearer. It seems you like reports."
"But, Peng, do you have money piled up with gold nuggets inside the cave, and yet you don''t even buy dried eels for the Watertails?"
"Why are you saying that all of a sudden?"
"When I gave them dried eels, they devoured them as if they hadn''t eaten in days. I hope you didn''t withhold the money from the sale of Bradamante and didn''t share it with the Watertails."
When Jin asked in a low voice, the members of the Golden Snow Tribe vigorously shook their heads.
"No, we shared it. Definitely."
"But why are those guys still living in poverty?"
"You know what? We gave them money to save, and we told them several times they could buy heaps of dried eels every day. But instead, they have no idea how to spend it properly and just pile it carelessly in some corner of the cave. So, frustrated, I personally took it to the bank. I told them they could enjoy plenty of dried eels every day. But still, they say they''re happy enough. What can we do about it?"
Jin turned to look at the Watertails.
"... And all of this is gold-ted. They''re not real gold nuggets we''ve ced. It''s time for aggressive investments, and there''s no room for unnecessary money squandering. Do you think we would dare to cheat those wretched ones? We have principles, after all."
Peng looked at the Watertails with pride as he spoke.
"So, what brings you here today? Without warning. It doesn''t seem to be rted to business problems judging by the atmosphere."
"I''vee to meet the Cat Tribe."
At Jin''s response, not only the upper echelons of the Peng n but also the small beastmen in the cave perked up.
"Suddenly, the Cat Tribe? Do you have to meet with them?"
"Yes."
"Well, this is going to be difficult. The Cat Tribe saw you as the person who would protect the little beastmen, but other than that... They''re not the type you can meet just because you want to."
"Right. You''d need incredible luck toe across them... Oh, there''s no need to say something painful."
Song pointed behind Jin.
"Oh! What, wh-what?"
"Haha! This is interesting. It reminds me of a simr situation we had before."
"Yes, it was like this when Jin Runcandel was a wanted fugitive being pursued."
A mysterious race with purple eyes gleaming amidst their snow-white fur.
The members of the Cat Tribe had silently distanced themselves about twenty steps away from Jin and the little beastmen, watching them.
"... It seems that, after all, you are truly special. Could it be that you made some kind of promise?"
Peng alternated his gaze between Jin and the members of the Cat Tribe.
Truth be told, Jin was also inwardly surprised by the appearance of the Cat Tribe members.
"But, Olmango."
"Yes?"
"Do you happen to know who possesses the key to the Third Tomb?"
The conversation Jin had with Olmango upon exiting the Second Tomb.
At that time, Olmango had responded that the Cat Tribe possessed the key to the Third Tomb.
''When I asked him what to do if the Cat Tribe doesn''t find me, he said he didn''t know... Could it really have been that easy?''
As Jin cautiously approached the Cat Tribe members, a sudden worry crossed his mind: that they would disappear before him, as when he had fled to Lafrarosa during his time as a Provisional gbearer.
But soon, he saw that the Cats gestured as if inviting him to follow them.
"Hurry! Cats can be very capricious. If you hesitate even for a moment, they might vanish."
Approaching the Cat Tribe members cautiously, Jin kept a certain distance between them.
Just before the Cat Tribe members turned to walk away, Jin was certain it was the same person he had seen before.
Furthermore, they had a strangely somber expression on their face.
''What could be going on? They seempletely different from thest time I saw them.''
The Cat Tribe members walked while maintaining a certain distance from Jin.
Just following them made Jin''s mind grow fuzzy.
It was impossible to know if it was some kind of artifact or a spell they had cast.
It was like wandering through a dream, gradually losing touch with reality.
However, it wasn''t unpleasant or dangerous.
Amidst this seemingly endless stroll, suddenly the view widened, revealing a beach filled with violet stars.
''A beach!? And the starlight is violet.''
The nearest sea in the southern border of the Zhan Kingdom was a distance that couldn''t be covered on foot in a short time.
''I only walked for about five minutes. It felt like the first time I crossed the snow garden riding on the Snow Toad, Mort.''
Looking around, Jin spotted the Cats in the distance drawing something on the sandy beach.
[My name is Neru. A Contractor of a Thousand Years, Jin Runcandel. We''ve met before, haven''t we?]
"Yes, thank you for helping me back then. This is where I greet you properly."
[This is our own space connected to the caves. You''re the first human to enter here.]
"Thank you for inviting me."
[You won''t be able to see this beautiful scenery with your own eyes again, so make sure to take a good look. It will be some time before we open Temar''s Tomb.]
Jin naturally understood that it was because the Cat Tribe would not invite him to this space again.
But in the next moment, Neru added something more.
[Soon, your enemies wille here to destroy this ce and massacre the little beastmen.]
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 330
Chapter 330
C330 - Temar''s Third Tomb (2)
Jin widened his eyes.
"My enemies, who would do such a thing? And how are they going to do it?"
Neru remained silent and shook their head.
"We don''t know the details. We only sense an imminent danger, as if the cave is about to copse soon. The reason our species has survived without extinction until now is that intuition."
The intuition of the Cat Tribe.
Relying solely on that didn''t instill much confidence in the Cat Tribe''s ability to survive so far.
However, based on the experience of crossing from the cave to the ind alone, they seemed to have some sort of mystical power, so Jin decided to believe in it.
"Are you concluding that these attackers who destroyed this ce and massacred the little beastmen are my enemies based solely on intuition?"
"No, it''s just a logical deduction. Considering various causal rtionships, the only reason our territory would be attacked during this period is because of your dealings with the Golden Snow Tribe. The reason we can''t pinpoint the exact enemy is that you have many enemies."
Even without the unique intuition of the Cat Tribe, it was well known that Jin had many enemies. It was evident in Zipple and could be deduced from the conflicts within Runcandel.
During the incident in the Holy Kingdom, he was involved with Kinzelo, so even to a stranger who knew nothing, it was clear that Jin was up against three massive forces in the world.
So, who could it be?
Was it someone from his n trying to hinder his business or warn him by attacking the little beastmen?
Was Zipple nning an ambush after seeing Jin''s bold announcement? Or could it be that Kinzelo had some hidden motive and was meddling in thends of the little beastmen?
All three possibilities were valid, and it was impossible to make a hasty judgment.
"If what you say, Lord Neru, is true, and the cave is attacked because of me, then I will take responsibility."
"We will spread the message to the little beastmen, so you won''t have to be held ountable. Escape routes are already prepared."
"That''s fortunate. However, what if there''s a ''what if'' scenario? It would be better to go back and warn them to escape immediately."
Jin didn''t want to experience the horrific event of the little beastmen being massacred.
"If we inform them in advance, the problem could worsen due to the discement of the Golden Snow Tribe and the Water Tails Tribe. Also, ording to our intuition, if that happens, we won''t be able to fulfill our promise to Solderet."
"It sounds like you''re willing to hold the lives of the little beastmen hostage in order to keep your promise to Solderet."
"That''s right."
"Why would you go to such lengths? What if the little beastmen are annihted? Once they''re dead, no one can take responsibility."
Instantly, anger welled up inside Jin.
Of course, it was all based on the "intuition" of the Cats. The fact that Jin''s enemies were attacking, the possibility of the little beastmen being massacred, and the possibility of the problem worsening if they warned everyone of the danger in advance.
However, Jin couldn''t shake that ominous feeling.
"Jin Runcandel."
Neru lowered their gaze, appearing bitter.
"As we have always done, we want to protect the little beastmen. You asked what would happen if the little beastmen die, but we are more concerned about not keeping our promise to Solderet. It''s a promise we''ve waited a thousand years for."
Jin remained silent, maintaining eye contact with Neru.
"For the promise with Solderet, how many sacrifices do you think have been made so far? Your ancestors, myrades, and countless humans and Dragons. Five hundred years ago, there were even times when myrades were hunted down and killed by Zipple."
Jin let out a sigh.
As a Contractor of Solderet, fulfilling their mission.
The first time he made a contract with Solderet, in his past life, he never had these thoughts.
He simply embraced Solderet''s words, bing an unparalleled Magic Swordsman, ruling the world, and seeking a small revenge against his family, who abandoned him.
However, after the regression, Jin gradually came to understand that Solderet''s power was not an unconditional gift.
Given the circumstances, Regression seemed to have been caused by Solderet, and everything prepared for him bore elements that could topple the world, so he didn''t think the price was excessive.
It just seemed cruel.
For Jin himself and for those who sacrificed for Solderet''s preparations.
Swish, swish...
Neru was drawing something in the sand.
The pattern they were drawing with a branch was of a strange type, one that Jin had never seen before.
"It may be hard to believe, but we, more than anyone else, want to protect the little beastmen."
"What was the connection between the Cat Tribe and Solderet?"
"Friends. The Cat God and Solderet were very good friends. And he has saved us, including the little beastmen, from being exterminated by Javier several times. The little beastmen, all of them, owe their lives to Solderet."
Hwaaah...
Suddenly, the pattern that Neru drew began to glow purple.
Unlike the dark magic used by Rontelgius recently, it emitted a holy aura, something mystical.
It was the phenomenon that urred when the seal of the third tomb was released, a power that the Cat Tribe used when creating special hiding ces.
"If your enemies had reached this ce before you, you would never have been able to enter the Third Tomb of Temar."
"Your choice isn''t entirely convincing, but still..."
Jin paused for a moment as he looked at the seal.
"Thank you. I don''t know what else to say."
"Don''t worry too much. As I said before, since we sense danger in advance, once you return from the tomb, we will evacuate the little beastmen to a ce where they won''t be discovered."
Hummmm!
From the purple pattern, the power of shadow began to emanate, forming an elliptical door.
"Finally, we can fulfill the thousand-year-old promise. Enter, Jin Runcandel."
"I will be back as soon as possible. So that no one gets hurt."
"Yes. And I have a request."
"Please, go ahead."
"Please convey this message to the friend inside. I, Neru, on behalf of the Cat Tribe, express my gratitude for a thousand years of solitude and hard work. Try as I might, I can no longer remember who they were..."
Neru spoke with a sorrowful voice.
-Olmango, do you know who the guardian inside the Second Tomb is?
-I cannot answer that.
-Why not?
-All memories of him are gone. No matter how hard I try to think about it, I can only recall a very faint image.
Just like when Jin met Olmango and found the Second Tomb, Neru seemed to have forgotten who their "friend" was, the one who had guarded the tomb for a thousand years.
It was the result of Zipple erasing them from history.
"Understood."
Jin entered the Shadow Energy Gate.
--------------------
The Third Tomb, unlike the first and second, showed no signs of destruction or traces of battle.
The entire space wasn''t made of dark shadow energy alone. It resembled the central hall of a castle.
There was also a familiar feeling to it, and Jin soon understood the reason.
''It''s exactly like the interior of the Storm Castle I saw in the first tomb, the central vestibule.''
There was no reason to be surprised.
Jin had already witnessed a person''s clone through the power of the shadows with Misha and had encountered guardians that perfectly replicated their appearance from a thousand years ago.
So there was no reason why the space itself couldn''t replicate.
Although he felt the desire to closely examine the appearance of the Storm Castle from a thousand years ago, he moved forward quickly.
He had a sense of urgency, fearing it might be toote for the little beastmen.
It was the first time Jin had gone alone to Temar''s tomb.
The first time was with Murakan, and the second time with hispanions.
So far, every time he found a tomb, there were formidable guardians. Silderay Runcandel, Sarah Runcandel. Both were guardians too strong for Jin.
But this time, the tomb was different.
''Lord Olmango said there wouldn''t be guardians like that in this tomb, so there shouldn''t be a need to fight.''
Olmango also didn''t know exactly who was inside the Third Tomb, just like Neru.
However, Olmango had a bit more memory than Neru.
-Inside the Third Tomb, I''ve heard that the former chief steward of the Runcandel Family is present.
The chief steward.
The person who handled various matters for the Runcandels, a n of Magic Swordsmen, during that time.
''Even now, the n''s chief steward has more information than most members. Especially the steward, Heinz, who is my father''s confidant. He might know more about the n''s secrets than Joshua.''
That was also true for the Runcandels of a thousand years ago.
In any faction, there had to be someone directly responsible for the n''s affairs, big or small.
''But the chief steward here might also have an iplete mental state or memories. Lady Sarah also suffered severe mental fatigue to endure a thousand years...''
Step, step.
When Jin reached the end of the central hall, a person bowed their head to him.
[I have been waiting, Sir Jin Runcandel. It is an honor to meet you.]
"You know my name. Are you the former chief steward of the Runcandels?"
[Yes. Solderet has mentioned the name of the Thousand-Year Contractor several times. I am Lueth Damiro Yul, the chief steward of Runcandel.]
Lueth Damiro Yul.
The chief steward who introduced themselves had the same vibrant red hair as Valeria.
Lueth looked like a young human, but she wasn''t human.
Anyone could tell at first nce that she wasn''t human.
Just looking at her bright eyes that seemed like gxies in motion and her pointed, upright ears, as well as the round gem embedded in her forehead.
She was a "Fairy."
A Fairy as the chief steward of the ancient Runcandels...
Jin knew that Fairies had gone extinct a thousand years ago, and today only their descendants, who made "Royal Melodic Drinks" for special people on special days and hours, lived in the world.
They were elusive beings, not easy toe across.
There were few records left about Fairies, and their lifespan was simr to that of Dragons.
Perhaps that''s why, despite enduring a thousand years alone, Lueth showed no signs of losing her sanity or crumbling.
"Lueth Damiro Yul. Neru, the representative of the Cat Tribe, asked me to convey his gratitude for your efforts. I feel the same."
Upon hearing that, Lueth smiled sadly.
[I don''t remember who Neru was... But I have a strange feeling of nostalgia.]
"...I see."
[Sir Jin Runcandel, once you leave this space, you will forget my name. You won''t remember my appearance or the conversations we had.]
Tick...
Lueth took a small box from her embrace and opened it.
Inside was a Shadow Energy Pearl.
[However, you will remember what you see on this recording device.]
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 331
Chapter 331
C331 - Record of the Past: Chief Steward, Leuth Damiro Yul (1)
The Shadow Energy Pearl that Lueth had taken out looked slightly different from what Jin had seen before.
There was a faint ck light flowing through it, and it was smaller. Upon close inspection, Jin could see people andndscapes inside it.
Instinctively, he knew it was an intact recording device.
The visiblendscapes inside the Pearl were records of the past.
"I won''t be able to remember Miss Lueth anymore, what does that mean?"
[Exactly as it sounds. Zipple, his maniption of history remains effective.]
Jin had heard a lot about Zipple''s maniption of history, but he had not yet experienced it firsthand.
He had only seen issues with other people''s memories, especially those rted to the ancient Runcandel.
That''s why he couldn''t easily ept it. If it was so vivid, would he really forget Lueth''s existence once he left this subspace?
As if reading Jin''s thoughts, Lueth gave a bittersweet smile and took out a feather from her embrace.
"Give me your hand for a moment," Lueth said.
She reached out her hand and wrote her name on the palm of Jin''s hand.
After a while, Jin felt a chill seeing his name written on the palm of his hand.
Lueth Damiro Yul.
...Damiro Yul, ...Yul, ....
''The writing of Miss Lueth''s name on the palm of my hand is disappearing...!''
A chill ran down his spine.
Jin already knew that Zipple possessed the ability to manipte history.
However, experiencing it firsthand was apletely different matter.
[The Thousand-Year Contractor, Sir Jin, must have visited two tombs before. You must have encountered the Guardians there.]
"Yes, I met the Guardians who looked like Sir Silderay and Lady Sarah."
[Indeed, it seems that those individuals have also disappeared from my memories. Unlike them, I am not a Guardian formed from Shadow Energy and soul. That''s why I will keep fading from Sir Jin''s memories.]
She was not a Guardian formed from Shadow Energy and soul, but a living person. Therefore, unlike Silderay or Sarah, who had already faced death, she was continuously being erased from history.
[It would have been nice to share many stories about the Runcandel of a thousand years ago, but unfortunately, I have very few memories of that time.]
The time granted to Fairies is as fleeting as that of Dragons, if not more so.
No existence in this world would want to endure a long period of a thousand years without even havingplete memories.
That''s why Jin found it hard to choose his words.
[There''s no need to be saddened by that, Sir Jin. The loss of history regarding me is nothing more than a scar of the honor I earned as part of Runcandel, as a protector of the n and the world.]
Lueth spoke calmly. She had lost most of her memories of the ancient Runcandel, but her blind affection remained intact.
"...The price paid to protect the n was too cruel."
[But if there hadn''t been such a price, Runcandel would have beenpletely erased from the world. How is Runcandel now?]
"After Zipple, it''s the second most powerful n in the world."
Upon hearing that, Lueth beamed with joy.
[See, it was a sacrifice worth making!]
Like an excited child, Lueth spoke with enthusiastic voice.
[I told you, Temar. We can surely protect the n...!]
Jin''s gaze met Lueth''s.
Lueth looked at Jin for a moment and then lowered her head.
[Oh, I made a mistake. I''m sorry.]
"It''s alright, Miss Lueth."
There was a moment of silence.
Jin was bing increasingly ufortable witnessing the pitiful state of this unfortunate Fairy.
[In my time, the Runcandel n was almost erased from history. The most powerful n of Magic Swordsmen disappeared. Since we made an oath back then, the current Runcandel wouldn''t be able to use magic.]
"That''s correct."
[However, Sir Jin, as Solderet''s Contractor, the curse that Runcandel received back then won''t apply to you.]
Hwaaa...
Jin formed a mana sphere in the palm of his hand. Lueth stared at the sphere in fascination.
"It''s the light, the one we saved."
"Now I''m the only Magic Swordsman of Runcandel."
Lueth also conjured magic.
At that moment, a peculiar wave emanated from the Shadow Energy Pearl, and Jin remembered seeing that magic in the past.
"Recording Magic?"
The magic that Lueth was using resembled History Recording Magic.
Histor had been active between 1400 and 1500. It was known that Fairies had perished long before that.
Buzzzz...
The Shadow Energy Pearl began to activate, producing a familiar and soft sound.
Could there be any connection between Fairies and Histor?
Just as he was reflecting, Lueth spoke.
[You seem a little surprised, Sir Jin.]
"I''ve seen simr magic before."
[It''s not magic but a special ability unique to our Fairy tribe. My kind, we were born with a lifespan close to immortality, but in exchange...]
Wiiii...
The unstable noise of the Shadow Energy Pearl gradually transformed into a smooth sound.
It was a sound that the damaged Shadow Energy Pearl had never made before.
[We have the duty to observe the world and record it.]
Observing the world and recording it.
That was the purpose of the Fairy''s existence.
[Although we possess enough power, we have rarely interfered in human affairs. Even when tyrants arose to ravage the world or when human cultures veered in the wrong direction, we merely observed and recorded. That''s our role.]
"In that case, Miss Lueth, as a Fairy, you became a member of Runcandel because Zipple was manipting history."
Jin understood the context and responded, causing Lueth to nod.
[That''s correct. If they hadn''t distorted history, I wouldn''t have met Temar or be the chief steward of Runcandel.]
Lueth Damiro Yul was originally the noblest being among the Fairies.
The name "Yul" was reserved only for the Fairy King.
[But at some point, I was influenced by Temar and began to consider myself a member of Runcandel. The Storm Castle felt more like my home than the Primeval Forest, which was my original homnd. Compared to the time spent in the forest, the time spent here feels like nothing more than a dream in a midday nap...]
Now, even that feeling had been nearly erased from her memories, and Jin couldn''t even begin to imagine the sense of loss Lueth must be feeling.
[Hahaha, it seems it''s not the time to reminisce forgotten memories.]
"Miss Lueth."
[Yes, what is it?]
"By any chance, do you know of a n called Histor?"
[This is the first time I''ve heard that name.]
"The members of that n possess abilities simr to yours, History Recording Magic. They were destroyed and disappeared at the hands of Zipple, but it turns out I know thest surviving member of Histor. Maybe I can ask that person to restore your memories, Miss Lueth."
[It''s an intriguing story, Humans using magic simr to ours... However, restoring my memories would be impossible.]
"Nevertheless, we should try."
[I can''t leave this ce, and if you leave this space, you will forget everything about me. Therefore, even if you were to ask that person to restore my memories, it wouldn''t be feasible. Even if that person indeed possesses such abilities.]
Lueth ced her hand on Jin''s, resting it on the Shadow Energy Pearl.
[Still, that doesn''t mean a person''s existence ispletely forgotten. As far as I know, shes of my appearance also appear in this recording device. I can only show it to you once, so please take a closer look.]
Oooong!
The magic waves emanating from the Shadow Energy Pearl intensified.
At the same time, Jin felt as if his consciousness was being drawn into it, allowing him to examine the memories recorded inside the Shadow Energy Pearl.
-----------------
It was a ce where storms raged throughout the seasons, but that day was unusually turbulent.
The expressions of the people seated in the conference room of the Storm Castle were grim.
On one side of the room, stacks of nk paper, thousands of sheets, were piled up.
However, the papers were already slightly crumpled, as if they had been touched by human hands.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh...
Stewards and schrs tirelessly wrote something on new sheets of paper.
They were recording thetest events rted to the Fairies.
Hundreds of individuals were simultaneously transcribing the same content with different phrases and interpretations.
(On March 3, 797, Runcandel recorded Zipple''s maniption of history regarding the Fairies. On March 4, the Fairies Shil Damiro, Beka Tishke, Mulias Mon, Trica Tredos, and Zen Mainu were forgotten among the Fairies...)
(..., on March 3, Runcandel recorded Zipple...)
While stewards and schrs were recording, the writings were also being erased.
It was like pouring water into a leaky jug. However, the stewards and schrs continued to desperately transcribe the same content.
They did it out of fear that if they didn''t, the Fairies would fall intoplete oblivion.
However, this fear was not imaginary. It was a fear that arose from witnessing something being erased in such a way.
But what was even more terrifying was the fact that if the Fairiespletely disappeared, there was a possibility that Runcandel would be erased from history in the same way.
"Would Zipple, those insane bastards, really erase the Fairies, who lived and breathed... in such a way?"
Diana, one of the Ten Great Knights, erupted in anger. Everyone else in the room shared her feelings.
They all knew.
In this way, they could only dy the Fairies'' disappearance from history and barely postpone their extinction.
Even though they were living beings.
Once erased from history, they became nonexistent from the beginning.
No one would recognize them, and they would also be lost.
Zipple''s power to manipte history went beyond mere "distortion of the truth" and entered the realm of obliterating the truth itself.
"How can mere humans wield such power, a power that not even the Gods possess... If it weren''t for the Fairies'' abilities, we would have never known that Zipple''s maniption of history reached this level."
Padler, one of the Ten Great Knights, spoke.
As he said, if it weren''t for the Fairies'' "recording abilities," the Runcandels would have never known the truth.
But at this rate, the Fairies would soon disappear.
No one would be able to record the truth for Runcandel, no, for the world.
Crunch!
The chief steward, Lueth Damiro Yul, entered the conference room.
"She''s here, chief steward."
Diana greeted her with a bow, and Lueth opened a translucent window in the air using her Magic.
"Everyone, look at this. There is hope. I have discovered that even Zipple''s maniption of history has its limits...!" Lueth eximed with a triumphant voice that contrasted with her haggard expression.
Recorded on the translucent window were these words.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 332: Record of the Past: Chief Steward, Leuth Damiro Yul (2)
Chapter 332: Record of the Past: Chief Steward, Leuth Damiro Yul (2)
C332 - Record of the Past: Chief Steward, Leuth Damiro Yul (2)
Hope.
In the face of the transcendent and demonic power of the enemy, this hope was desperately needed.
Those gathered in the conference room stared in iprehension at the words written on the floating window for a long while.
Meanwhile, the writings of the stewards and schrs continued to erase.
"Well done, chief steward! ording to what''s written here, it seems that not even with their twisted ability to manipte history can they erase our patriarch...!"
Diana grasped Lueth''s hand and spoke.
Elona Zipple, along with 3026 Magicians.
3026.
The significance of that number was none other than the total number of elite Magicians within Zipple, which Runcandel had already grasped, and it matched exactly.
Furthermore, Elona Zipple, despite not being the matriarch of the Zipple Family, was known as the strongest Magician within Zipple.
Numerous battles had been fought against her.
Temar and the Ten Great Knights hade to the conclusion that Elona represented more than half of Zipple''s overall power, so there could be no better exnation of her strength than that.
"Elona, that monstrous Magician, and all the elite Magicians had conspired against the Patriarch once before."
Padler shivered.
He was recalling the memory of restraining Elona with the other Ten Great Knightsst year.
The Ten Great Knights realized that on that day there was another person in the world who could be called a "monster" besides Temar.
"What the hell are they doing to manipte history? Those damn bastards, it seems there''s some connection to the Tower of Tales...!"
Silderay erupted in anger.
As he had said, Runcandel still didn''t know exactly how Zipple manipted history.
They only knew that maniption urred when Zipple''s Magicians gathered inrge numbers at the Tower of Tales.
But that was nothing more than spection.
There were several other ces suspected of being where "history maniption" urred.
"Since the Patriarch had already decided to prioritize the destruction of Zipple''s Magic Towers, answers would soon be revealed."
They still couldn''t attack the main house of the Lutero Magical Federation, Drakka.
It was because Elona constantly defended it.
Magic Towers were being destroyed without issues.
Except for the locations used by Zipple as their main strongholds, more than a hundred Magic Towers had already been destroyed.
"Lady Sarah Runcandel, one of the Ten Great Knights, has returned!"
A guardian knight rushed into the conference room and spoke.
Upon hearing that, Lueth and the Ten Great Knights simultaneously began to run to greet Sarah.
They had been waiting all this time for either Temar or Sarah to return.
The two were leading the other Ten Great Knights in the attack on Zipple''s Magic Towers.
Lueth and the Ten Great Knights were so eager that they didn''t even bother to shield themselves from the pouring rain as they ran to meet Sarah.
"Sarah!"
"Lady Sarah!"
"My, it seems you were all eagerly waiting for me. You''re not puppies, you know? It''s embarrassing to see you all running towards me like this."
Sarah smiled as she looked at her approachingrades.
Even in the pouring rain that seemed to have torn the sky apart, a strong smell of ash and burnt emanated from her.
It was a testament to how intense the battle she had just fought had been.
"Especially Padler, this weakling would catch a cold if he got wet. Haha."
"What happened? Sarah, did you manage to destroy the enemy''s Magic Towers?"
"No, it wasn''t possible. If there were more Magicians like Elona, would you believe it? Silderay, as terrible as it was, I managed to destroy about fifty before giving up and returning."
"What, are you serious?"
Only Silderay fell for Sarah''s feeble lie.
"Fooled again, Silderay. Haha! You''re letting yourself be deceived by my deception. It''s not easy for me to stop making jokes when you get fooled so easily."
"What? Is it a lie again?"
"Yes. Do you think there would be another crazy monster like that in the world? Anyway, you have the nice side of being a fool."
"I did it to ease the feeling of your blood drying up while waiting for me. That''s what older sisters do."
"You''re five years younger than me, and yet you''re my older sister..."
The otherrades had already realized that Sarah''s mission had been sessful at the point where she lied.
Whenever Sarah showed a yful mood, that''s how it was.
"Well, for now, we''ve destroyed all the Towers assigned to our side. Well, my brother, or rather, the Patriarch, had only a few more than us, but it seems I''ve turned about ten thousand Magicians into ashes."
Indeed, Sarah was undoubtedly the strongest among the Ten Great Knights.
The number of Magicians she killed had no imaginary figures mixed in.
"The Patriarch must have finished on his part soon. But it''s strange. Although there are more towers to destroy on his side, I thought the patriarch would finish before us."
The Towers the group of Sarah nned to destroy were twenty in total.
The Towers the group of Temar nned to destroy were forty.
Despite the double difference, Temar''s power was enough topensate for that gap.
"Why does it feel strange? Did I really defeat the Patriarch after a long time? No, that''s not possible. Something can''t have happened on the Patriarch''s side, right?"
"We were constantly monitoring Elona''s location. So there shouldn''t be any problems on the Patriarch''s part. It''s probably because the secret movement of your magic sword isplete."
"I knew it, didn''t I? Well, I finished off thest five towerspletely. Zipple''s Magicians melted like butter."
"Seriously, can''t you refrain from using expressions like ''melted'' when referring to humans?"
Padler frowned and spoke, and Sarah shrugged.
"For me, ''humans'' refers to those who are not enemies of Runcandel, weakling. You''re pretending to be surprised when you already know."
"Still, it''s not good for your emotions."
"Am I a teenager? Spend your time taking care of your health instead of worrying about my emotions."
Sarahughed, ruffling Padler''s hair.
With Sarah''s arrival, along with the hope brought by Lueth, the heavy expressions on the faces of the Ten Great Knights quickly eased.
"Lady Sarah, take a look at this."
Lueth once again disyed a translucent window in front of her.
"Eh? What''s this, Lueth? Elona Zipple and 3026 Magicians... Oh! That''s very good news. My brother, no, the Patriarch, is really amazing, isn''t he?"
"Of course, we still can''t rxpletely. Even though Elona Zipple and all the elite Magicians are included, the Patriarch and the second inmand of Zipple were not."
Zipple used the Patriarch and the second inmand, as well as five hundred elite Magicians, to manipte the history of the "Fairy" race.
This was also confirmed by Lueth''s recording (record) ability.
Naturally, one should not underestimate the power of the Patriarch and the second inmand.
They may have been inferior to Elona, but they were individuals who had reached a transcendent realm in their own right.
That level of power was needed to erase the history of the Fairy Race, which spanned thousands of years.
The fact that, even with greater power, they couldn''t manipte Temar''s history made Lueth feel fortunate and bitter at the same time.
Her own race was still being forgotten at this very moment.
Furthermore, it was sad to think that the thousands of years of time and history umted by her own race could be considered less valuable than a simple human named Temar.
The Power of Existence.
Lueth couldn''t exactlyprehend the meaning of what was written in the record window.
Sensing her thoughts, Sarah ced her hand on Lueth''s shoulder.
"Chief steward, I know what you''re thinking. But, it''s just my opinion; I believe this Power of Existence isn''t something simple. It''s about how much change a person brings to the world, that''s the norm. The reason why Zipple couldn''t manipte the history of my brother Temar like they did with the Fairy Race is because he''s bringing significant changes to the world."
"So, does Lady Sarah''s words mean that the more influential one''s existence is in changing the world, the harder it is for Zipple to manipte their history?"
"Yes, Temar ispletely reshaping the world right now, right? The Fairy Race, being observers and guardians of records, has the role of not actively changing the world."
Lueth pondered for a moment.
"...It could be interpreted that way, Lady Sarah."
"Of course, it''s just spection to a certain extent. But it seems usible. Honestly, I don''t think Temar''s value as an individual surpasses that of the entire Fairy Race. Among various beings, it''s difficult to definitively say which is superior."
The other Ten Great Knights nodded.
When Lueth first brought the news, they were d, but they also worried about Lueth, just like Sarah.
"Thank you for your concern."
"Well,pared to what the Chief Steward does for us, it''s infinitely insufficient. Now, should we lend a hand to the Chief Steward and the schrs? The more help, the better, right?"
As Sarah leaned on Padler''s shoulder and spoke, Lueth''s pupils naturally widened as she had been staring at the recording window.
"Wait a moment. What is this...?"
In the face of Lueth''s newly rmed voice, the Ten Great Knights couldn''t help but feel uneasy.
"Chief steward, what''s wrong, ha...?"
As Diana approached Lueth, she saw the recording window and fell silent.
Or rather, her words didn''t stop but she was rendered speechless.
Others who saw the recording window had simr reactions to Diana.
In the recording window, phrases were being generated that they couldn''t make sense of.
<...On March 3..., Temar Runcandel and the...Ten Great Knights...Zipple''s Towers..., destroyed...>
<..., Temar Runcandel and......, ......, ......, .........>
They were disappearing.
These were records of Temar and the Ten Great Knights destroying "today" Zipple''s towers.
But the shock that Lueth and the Ten Great Knights would receive didn''t end there.
The contents of the recording window were continuously updating.
And thetest updated information consisted of records like this:
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 333:
Chapter 333:
C333 - Record of the Past: Chief Steward, Leuth Damiro Yul (3)
"What... What is this nonsense!"
Silderay shouted.
The recording ability of the Fairies, including Lueth, had never shown a single lie. However, now clearly false contents were being described in the recording window.
The five Magic Towers of the Palin Kingdom had been attacked by Runcandel''s forces the year before and the year before that.
[Urgh!]
Lueth suddenly vomited.
It was a vomit born of the difort of the sudden maniption of history.
The act of witnessing how reality is manipted in real-time is an event that shakes the human mind more than one can imagine.
"W-We have to tell the schrs! We have to write it down, we have to!"
Diana shouted as Sarah held Lueth, who was about to faint.
ording to her, everyone present should continue recording this phenomenon "beforepletely forgetting" that history was being manipted.
Upon hearing her, the nearby Guardian Knights hurried into the castle.
"Chief Steward! Wake up. We must not forget that what is written in this recording window is false. Chief Steward, Chief Steward!"
Lueth trembled but didn''t respond.
Soon, she lost consciousness and copsed, leaving only the perplexed voices of the Ten Great Knights in the furious storm.
------------
Half a year had passed.
The stewards and schrs of Storm Castle no longer recorded the history of the Fairies.
It was because they had already been forgotten by the people of the world.
The existence of the Fairies had disappearedpletely, as if they had never existed in the first ce, but they did not vanish entirely from the memory of some people.
However, the fact that the Fairy Queen, Lueth Damiro Yul, had met Temar Runcandel by chance and they had fought together against Zipple...
The fact that the entire Fairy Tribe had fought desperately, shedding blood, to prevent Zipple from manipting history had been erased.
Even the people now remembered that the Fairy Tribe had "perished" in ancient times.
However, thousands of Fairies, forgotten by people and forgotten by themselves, still lived and breathed.
"I''m sorry, Lueth."
A man spoke as he looked at Lueth''s back.
It was Temar.
[The patriarch has nothing to apologize for.]
When Temar didn''t respond, Lueth continued.
[Do you really think the Fairy Tribe was erased from history because I met you, Patriarch?]
"Yes. If you hadn''t met me, the Fairy Tribe wouldn''t have been a victim of Zipple..."
[Patriarch, stop talking nonsense. When Zipple manipted history, what would have been their first target to eradicate? Runcandel? No, those people would have eliminated the Fairy Tribe first, regardless of Runcandel.]
In reality, after bing Runcandel''s chief steward, Lueth had discovered the fact that Zipple was manipting the history of the Fairy Tribe while examining the records.
She and Temar had met five years ago.
But the maniption of the Fairy Tribe''s history had begun eight years ago.
That''s why she didn''t consider the erasure of the Fairy Tribe''s history to be Temar''s responsibility.
Rather, she felt profound gratitude towards Temar.
If she hadn''t met him, by now, she too would have been lost like other members of the Fairy Tribe, forgotten by people.
[Thanks to the immense Power of Existence that the Patriarch possesses, I was still able to remain, not forgotten, and fight against Zipple alongside Runcandel. So, please, don''t apologize to me again.]
Temar nodded heavily.
[...And I, Patriarch, and the Ten Great Knights, have not forgotten that the Fairy Tribe fought alongside Runcandel against Zipple, have we? Lord Solderet, Sir Murakan, and Lady Misha haven''t forgotten either.]
The Power of Existence that Temar possessed.
It wasn''t a power limited only to Temar.
Beings deeply influenced by Temar also enjoyed the benefits of that power.
Thanks to that, the individuals mentioned by Lueth a moment ago still had a clear understanding of the history of the Fairy Tribe.
However, as time passed, even they were gradually forgetting the Fairy Tribe.
The two of them were not unaware of this fact.
Temar was the only onepletely free from Zipple''s maniption of history.
Even when Runcandel attacked the Magic Towers of the Palin Kingdom half a year ago, Temar was the only one who saw through the falseness of the history being manipted in real-time.
But human memory...
Inevitably, it would fade with time.
Moreover, memories were like people: they couldn''t exist on their own.
If there were no others to listen to or confirm those memories, over time, they would have no power within oneself. They would lose their meaning.
"I''m worried about you, Patriarch."
"What is there to worry about?"
"Everyone relies too much on the Patriarch. Lately, it seems like the Patriarch is trying to bear too many people."
Since he realized that his influence could dy Zipple''s maniption of history, Temar had been trying to keep as many people around him as possible.
"There were already many people around me from the beginning."
"That''s true. But you haven''t met with people as frequently and without sleep as now. When was thest time you closed your eyes, Patriarch? Ten days ago?"
"More or less, I guess. But you know, sleeping, well... it''s not really my thing..."
"Even you, Patriarch, are ultimately human. You''re not a god or a demon. If you continue like this, your mind will be overwhelmed, Patriarch."
There were signs of movement from outside.
"Patriarch, Chief Steward."
Sarah entered the office with a serious expression.
It must be bad news, thought Temar and Lueth.
When Sarah wasn''t being yful, it always meant something serious.
"Since this morning, Padler has started to forget the history of the Fairy Tribe. Even if he tries to remember, it doesn''t seem to work..."
Even when the other Ten Great Knights who still remembered tried to tell Padler about the Fairy Tribe, he couldn''t understand the content at all.
Even after hearing the story, he would forget it again within a few minutes.
The world was bing a massive theater, steeped in Zipple''s vor.
Within that theater, members of Runcandel were gradually being consumed by fear.
No matter how strong each one''s mental fortitude was, it was impossible to continuously endure the crumbling of known reality.
"We need a way to leave records that those bastards can never touch."
Sarah spoke, biting her lower lip.
"Patriarch, no! Oraboni. It doesn''t seem possible. I will go meet that witch residing in the ck Sea. Lokia said that if it''s the witch, she might know a way to stop Zipple''s maniption of history..."
Lokia was one of the Ten Great Knights. She was a Mage with better magical abilities than swordsmanship in Runcandel.
"Sarah, you can''t do that."
"Why?"
"That woman is a disaster. We don''t know what might happen if we approach her clumsily."
"Oraboni."
Sarah took a deep breath and continued.
"If things continue like this, Runcandel will be destroyed. Not only the Fairy Tribe, but also the history concerning Runcandel has begun to be manipted."
"If Heluram is awakened, it won''t be Runcandel but the world that could face destruction."
"A world without Runcandel makes no sense to me."
"Sarah!"
"Everyone relies only on you, oraboni. We want to do something too, even if it''s little. Instead of being defenseless like this, I''d rather sell my soul to the devil."
"I''ll pretend I didn''t hear that, Sarah. And tell Lokia not to bring up anything about Heluram in the future."
When Sarah didn''t respond, Temar gently embraced her.
"I understand it''s difficult. But I have a n. Soon, along with Solderet, I''ll meet with the other Gods."
"Will the gods help us?"
"It''s not certain. But ording to Solderet, it seems they will manifest themselves."
Sarah reluctantly nodded. Although she possessed the greatest power among the Ten Great Knights, she found it difficult to bear the fact that she couldn''t do anything.
"And I say this with concern, but please, under no circumstances disobey my orders and contact Heluram. It''s an order as Patriarch."
"I understand."
The siblings were lying to each other.
Solderet had already failed to persuade the Gods, and Sarah had no intention of obeying Temar''s order.
She didn''t trust most of the Gods who had already submitted to Zipple.
As Sarah left, Temar let out a deep sigh.
"It seems she''s going to cause trouble. I should ask Diana to keep an eye on Sarah."
In truth, Temar and Lueth...
They had already considered the worst-case scenario.
They had witnessed how Solderet had attempted to leave messages for the "Thousand Year Contractor."
Lueth, in particr, had assisted Solderet in this process.
Of course, it didn''t mean they had given up on fighting against Zipple.
They simply had the grim intuition that this terrible and prolonged battle might continue even after their era had passed.
That''s why preparations were needed for the next generation, and the generation after that, and the generation after that.
It was only natural since theycked certainty of victory in their own time.
"But Sarah''s words were not without merit, Lueth."
[Yes, my lord.]
"Directly contacting Heluram is dangerous, but if it''s about his lover, the situation might be different. Find out the whereabouts of the Demon Beast King Orgal for me."
--------------------
Wow...
The recording device''s records reached their limit.
Jin couldn''t say anything for a while, lost in thought.
[You''ve seen it all. What do you think?]
Luet asked.
"...It''s shocking. I didn''t know Zipple''s maniption of history went to such extremes."
For decades...
No, the fact that they could manipte the history of the Fairy Tribe, which had existed for tens of thousands of years, at their whim.
It could be stated with certainty. Not even the Gods could achieve such a feat.
''That''s why the records probably mention how the Gods submitted to Zipfel.''
For the first time, doubt arose as to whether it was possible to defeat Zipple.
However, Jin quickly shook off that thought.
''If those bastards were still as formidable as a thousand years ago, Runcandel wouldn''t have existed. Surely, when they defeated Runcandel back then, they paid an extremely high price for it.''
Although the exact nature of that price couldn''t be discerned from the current records, Jin had obtained the most important information from this recording device out of all of Solderet''s recording devices he had examined so far.
Especially Zipple''s transcendental abilities were more palpable than ever.
''My master is the key to confronting Zipple.''
Jin''s thoughts naturally drifted to that point.
[Sir Jin, it''s been two days outside.]
Lueth spoke.
"Two days?"
Jin was surprised and looked into Lueth''s eyes.
If two days had passed, there might have been an attack on the caves of the small beastmen by someone from among their "enemies."
-I''ll be back as soon as possible. To make sure no one gets hurt.
Jin remembered the promise he had made to Neru.
[Judging by your expression, it seems there''s an urgent matter outside.]
"There are people I promised to rescue. Because of my presence here, the small beastmen are in mortal danger."
[Then you should leave quickly.]
Lueth''s resolute response weighed heavy on Jin''s heart.
"If I leave this ce, Miss Lueth will be alone again. I''ll forget about Miss Lueth..."
Lueth nodded silently.
[You''ll only remember my image that you saw on the recording device. But Sir Jin, in reality, I''m practically a forgotten person. Rescuing the living outside is more valuable than soothing my loneliness.]
"I''lle back. Definitely."
There were too many small beastmen who could die without Jin knowing, and it was too uncertain to hesitate out ofpassion.
Lueth offered a faint smile.
Recalling Temar''s appearance, who once said the same thing as Jin.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 334: Debt, Debts, and More Debts (1)
Chapter 334: Debt, Debts, and More Debts (1)
C334 - Debt, Debts, and More Debts (1)
I will definitelye back...
Those words ceased to have meaning the moment Jin exited the subspace.
He forgot everything he had shared with Lueth Damiro Yul alive.
Her appearance, the clothes she wore, her red hair, her voice, and everything else.
He even forgot the fact that two days had already passed inside the subspace.
This was because Lueth had told him.
Outside, the beach remained the same, with mysterious and solitary purple stars twinkling.
Jin stared at the stars for a moment, lost in thought.
Entering the Third Tomb...
I have the feeling I met someone.
Or did I just confirm the appearance of the old Storm Castle?
Jin felt an odd sense of emptiness.
''And I haven''t even fought in any battles, why this nausea? Or is it that I participated in such a massive battle that my memories and body have been affected?''
It seemed unlikely, but a feeling of nausea welled up from within him, as if he had pushed his body to the limit.
A chilling sensation, as if insects were crawling all over his body, spread, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
Phew.
Taking a deep breath, Jin recalled what he had experienced in the subspace.
The subspace appeared to be a recreation of the old Storm Castle, and as always, he checked the recording device.
However, no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn''t remember how he had checked the recording device.
It was as if someone had handed it to him, or perhaps he had found it by opening a little box, or maybe it had started working automatically upon entering the tomb.
''Mr. Neru said there was definitely someone inside. So he asked me to convey his gratitude for the hardships of thest thousand years.''
Who were they? Weren''t they inside?
As doubts gnawed at him, the faces of the old Runcandel he "confirmed with the recording device" came to mind.
Temar, Chief Steward Lueth Damiro Yul, the Ten Great Knights, the stewards and schrs recording the history of the forgotten Fairy Tribe...
Among them, strangely.
When he thought of Lueth Damiro Yul, a member of the Fairy Tribe, a strange feeling of oppression welled up on one side of his chest.
Despite not having seen her even once, a longing and bittersweet emotion surged within Jin.
Jin only remembered Lueth from the records.
"Ah!"
While thinking about the ancient Runcandel from the recording device, Jin remembered the problem he had forgotten.
''The small beastmen, I must hurry to rescue them!''
A faint burnt smell reached Jin''s nostrils.
It was definitely a smell he couldn''t detect when he first entered this beautiful Cat Tribe''s Realm.
It wasn''t the smell of fire used for cooking or heating the body. Quickly, Jin turned his head and held his breath.
The forest behind the beach was on fire.
Except for Jin, no human had ever set foot on that mystical beach, and now it was being consumed by mes.
His heart filled with anguish.
Now that he thought about it, even after exiting the subspace, he hadn''t seen the Cat Tribe member named Neru.
"Mr. Neru!"
While shouting and getting ready to run, Jin glimpsed Neru in the distance.
"Mr. Neru, are you alright?"
[Ugh... Jin, Runcandel]
Neru panted, his body covered in sweat. Neru had no visible injuries.
"Have you already been attacked?"
...Shortly after entering Temar''s Tomb, this ce was exposed.
It hadn''t been more than five hours since Jin entered the tomb.
The secret hideout had started being attacked, and the members of the Cat Tribe, including Neru, were desperately defending, using all the powers they had.
Under normal circumstances, they should have sensed danger and escaped when it was exposed.
In fact, the Cat Tribe members had been feeling intense danger three hours before the enemy invasion began.
But the Cat Tribe members couldn''t escape.
If they fled, not only would Temar''s Tomb be exposed, but their thousand-year promise with the Solderet would also be in jeopardy.
Especially with Jin inside, if Temar''s Tomb copsed under an attack, Jin would be trapped in it forever.
The Cat Tribe members had used most of the sacred relics granted to them by the ancient Cat God to repel the attacks.
To buy time, they had erected barriers with relics that had been safeguarded for thousands of years.
Neru didn''t inform Jin of this fact.
Neru believed that even if Jin knew, it would only create a sense of helplessness in him.
"Who the hell are they?" Jin muttered quietly.
[The Zipple]
It wasn''t entirely unexpected.
It could be Joshua''s Runcandel Family, Zipple, or Kinzelo. Jin had anticipated one of the three.
But he couldn''t consider himself lucky.
[Listen closely, Jin Runcandel. From now on, run relentlessly to the other side of the beach. Until you encounter a Cat Tribe Member named Lulu. Then Lulu will guide you to a safe ce.]
"Are you telling me to run alone?"
[That''s the best option.]
"What will be of you, Mr. Neru, the Cat Tribe Members, and the small beastmen? If I escape, can they get away?"
Neru couldn''t answer.
"I''d rather buy time so the Cat Tribe Members can escape with the small beastmen."
[Like the ck Knights, Zipple has a group of elite Magicians called the Specter Corps. There were five of them who attacked us. I know you''re strong, but against them, you can''t afford to buy time.]
Specter Corps.
As soon as he heard the name, Jin''s face hardened.
During his time as a Provisional gbearer, Jin had experienced the formidable skills of the Specter Corps.
''They sent that secret elite unit, the Specter Corps, to capture the Cat Tribe Members and the small beastmen and attack my business, are you serious?''
ording to Neru, the reason Zipple targeted the small beastmen was Jin''s cosmetics business.
It was a passage he couldn''t quite grasp but at the same time made him think that Zipple had individuals with a good head on their shoulders.
''Someone who saw how my cosmetics business would elevate the Runcandels'' influence among the public. Or...''
They discovered the existence of the Third Tomb of Temar in this ce.
Either way, the horrifying fact remained that the Specter Corps had arrived.
[In addition, our barrier has reached its limit. It has already been two days since they entered the tomb.]
"What, two days?"
Jin''s eyes widened.
He never thought so much time had passed.
He couldn''t quite remember what had happened inside the Third Tomb, and his mind grew confused once more upon realizing that two days had passed.
[Yes, within an hour. We can''t hold out any longer. So please, run quickly.]
Crack!
Jin clenched his teeth.
"I can''t do that."
[If it''s because of the guilt that the small beastmen might die because of you, we will do our best to keep them alive. They are still inside the barrier, so they are safe for at least an hour.]
"I need you to tell me their location."
[We have several entrances to our secret space besides the cave. They are currently breaking the barriers of each entrance, but we don''t know the exact direction. However, what''s certain is that all the cave entrances are connected, so eventually, they will converge there.]
Jin could instinctively understand.
Neru and the Cat Tribe Members had a n to protect the small beastmen by sacrificing themselves.
It was true.
In fact, the Cat Tribe Members had used thest sacred relic they had to evacuate the small beastmen and had prepared to die in that ce.
As long as Jin was inside the tomb, it would be impossible to achieve.
Even the slightest opening in the barrier made of sacred relics would increase the chances of the enemies entering the cave through this ce.
The small beastmen in the cave were aware that they were under attack.
They trembled in fear within the confines of the activated barrier, fearing suffocation.
"Is it possible to save them all?"
[Honestly, I can''t guarantee that we can save everyone.]
From the start, it was a remarkable feat to have resisted the Specters for two days and be able to save some of the small beastmen.
However, Jin couldn''t retreat unless he was certain that everyone would survive even if he fled.
At this moment, he didn''t grow stronger by using someone as a shield to escape.
Of course, he couldn''t rely solely on a sense of righteousness or naive justice.
He had no intention of finding death so easily.
"I have experience in buying time against arge number of the Specters."
[If something happens to you, then my thousand-year promise will be in vain.]
"I''m not saying I''ll fight just because I don''t want the small beastmen to die. If I engage in battle with them, someone from my Family or from Kinzelo will definitelye."
[How would the Runcandels and Kinzelo know that you''re fighting?]
"There''s only one Magic Swordsman in the world who uses Shadow Energy and Lightning. And I am the gbearer of Runcandel, and the Zhan Kingdom is the domain of Hufester. Moreover, thend of the beastmen is within Kinzelo''s territory, so they have more than enough justification to get involved."
If Jin were to engage inbat with the Specters near the cave, there was no reason for Runcandel and Kinzelo to stand idly by.
Jin nned to orchestrate a battle with the Specters as grandly as possible to provoke the participation of both forces.
''The key is whether I can hold out against the five members of the Specter Corps until reinforcements from my Family and Kinzelo arrive. And I must do it while protecting the small beastmen.''
But as long as he could hold out, he could save everyone.
No matter how powerful Zipple was, they couldn''t afford to cause amotion in the territories of other major powers.
''If the knights from my Familye, it would distort the purpose of disguising Bellop. It would be seen as an ident of my own doing, and the disciplinary case that the Chief of Civil Guards is trying to suppress would resurface.''
But that was still better than having all the small beastmen dead. If luck was on his side, it might be a problem that could be overlooked.
[But what if the Runcandels and Kinzelo don''te to the battlefield?]
"I will find a way to escape and survive. The thousand years that so many people sacrificed for me will not be in vain."
[What is your reason for being so loyal to the small beastmen?]
"A long time ago, Peng told me that. Among the small beastmen, the principle is that those who gain the sympathy of the Cat Tribe will be weed regardless of reason or race."
[That''s something the small beastmen created among themselves...]
"But even before I met Mr. Neru, I was always well-received by the small beastmen. I even owed them my life. That''s why I''m loyal to them. I can''t bear to see my newly started business fail."
Neru looked at Jin.
"And as I mentioned before, the Zhan Kingdom is Runcandel''snd. That means it''s mynd, and fleeing from here would mean I''m not qualified to be Runcandel''s gbearer."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 335
Chapter 335
C335 - Debt, Debts, and More Debts (2)
Neru closed his eyes as if in deep contemtion.
It wasn''t that he didn''t care about saving the small beastmen; on the contrary, he wanted to save them even more than Jin did.
That''s why Neru and the Cat Tribe had resolved to face death.
As if making a decision, Neru met Jin''s gaze.
[...Alright. But you must keep your promise. If it looks like you''re going to die, you must escape.]
Jin nodded and took out the ruby.
[Nya!]
Shuri approached with a cheerful cry and rubbed her face against Jin''s cheek.
In response, Neru''s eyes widened.
[My goodness, it''s the Witch Heluram''s Cat!] (Note: It seems Shuri is female)
"I see you recognize her."
[I''ve read in the newspapers of the human world that you travel on a Ruby Cat, but I never imagined it would be Shuri...!]
[Nya, nya-nya, nyaa!]
Although the meaning wasn''t clear, Shuri also seemed to recognize Neru. They even nuzzled their noses together as if they were very familiar with each other.
Nya, nya, nya, nya...
For a while, theymunicated in their own iprehensiblenguage, which Jin couldn''t understand. But their adorable appearance made the dire situation seem less grim.
While conversing with Shuri, Neru''s expression kept changing.
When he heard the story of how Shuri had been abandoned and cursed with immortality by the Witch Heluram, his expression darkened.
And when he heard that Shuri had been alone in the ck Sea Forest for a thousand years, tears filled his eyes.
And he smiled when he learned that she had met Jin and left the forest.
Not only did Neru''s expression change, but Shuri also hadrge watery pupils that gleamed and emitted purring sounds as if she was enchanted.
Neru, once the conversation was finished, turned to Jin with a much lighter expression.
[Shuri endured terrible thousand years as well... Jin Runcandel, maybe even Shuri meeting you was part of Solderet''s n. For moments like this.]
[Nya!]
The reason for Neru''s lighter expression was none other than that.
In his view, as long as Shuri was present, Jin could escape from pursuers at any time.
[You didn''t have to worry about helping the small beastmen. I''d love to have a longer conversation with Shuri, but for now, it''s best to go see them.]
Jin climbed onto Shuri''s back.
"Mr. Neru, will you stay here?"
[I have to maintain the barrier, so I can''t leave this ce. As I told you before, head to that beach over there, find Lulu, and ask her to guide you to a safe ce, preferably a cave.]
"Understood."
Just as Jin was about to set off with Shuri, Neru affectionately grabbed Shuri''s leg. Jin and Shuri turned to look at Neru.
[Thank you, Jin Runcandel]
Neru wanted to express his gratitude.
"You''re wee."
Thanks to riding on Shuri, Jin quickly found Lulu.
Lulu was exactly like Neru, making it difficult to distinguish between the twins when looking at them up close.
Neru, Lulu, and Miru, the triplets, formed the core of the Cat Tribe''s barrier.
[What, Shuri? How long has it been, no, how is it that you''re alive...?]
Lulu was visibly delighted to see Shuri, just like Neru.
However, Jin thought they couldn''t have a long conversation, so he exined the situation and expressed his intention to go to the cave.
Lulu briefly greeted Shuri and led Jin back to the Cat Tribe''s cave.
[Once you reach the cave, we can only maintain the barrier for a maximum of ten minutes. Taking travel time into ount, be careful because the Specters will immediately enter the cave as soon as the barrier breaks.]
------------------
During the two days of continuous Specter attacks, there was not a single safe spot left in the cave.
Each time the barriers took a hit, the cave would tremble, or the interior would shake.
The gold-coated rocks would shatter, and the tools of the Watertails Tribe werepletely destroyed.
The small beastmen huddled under an improvised hanging from the ceiling, trembling in fear.
So, the small beastmen could only look to Jin, who had returned, as their savior.
"Jin Runcandel!"
"Jin is here!"
"Well, he''s here. Jin."
Peng, Song, and Darkme all shouted at once. The gazes of the small beastmen all fell upon Jin simultaneously.
Fortunately, amidst the misfortune, none of the small beastmen were severely injured.
Thanks to the set up by the Cat Tribe, not even falling rocks caused any harm.
"Is everyone alright?"
"What the heck happened? The earthquakes started shortly after you followed the Cat Tribe... The cave is blocked!"
The cave was blocked, not by the attack, but by the barrier.
"The Zipple Magicians are attacking the Cat Tribe''s barrier. The barrier will break in 10 minutes. Everyone needs to escape. Gather only what''s strictly necessary as soon as possible."
Jin briefly exined the imminent danger.
Why the Zipple Magicians were attacking this ce, and how the Cat Tribe defended against them.
Naturally, he also conveyed the fact that he was the cause of the attack, but the small beastmen didn''t me him at all.
"It''s alright, Jin. We... can handle it. And escape..."
"For goodness sake! Don''t open your mouth until it''s safe! Get ready to run! Can''t you see it? Everyone, someone must have realized that our cosmetics business was about to explode... Very soon, Zipple, Vermont, and Kinzelo wille after us!"
Peng clenched his fist and spoke.
"That''s right."
"We made a contract with you at such a ridiculous price precisely for moments like this. Seeing that you didn''t flee alone proves it was a good contract."
Peng deliberately spoke as if it were no big deal.
He didn''t want the other small beastmen to get even more anxious.
Peng had a strong intuition that the situation was dire.
"When the barrier copses, the Zipple Magicians will either enter the cave directly or get close. I''ll give you some time, so everyone has to escape."
There were a total of about 150 small beastmen inside the cave.
Jin wanted to save them all.
Thinking about how to make it possible was futile.
The Specters'' reasons for the attack, their intentions, and everything else were still unknown.
He needed to know what the enemy wanted in order to respond appropriately.
"It''s more likely that their goal is to ruin my business rather than sniff around Temar''s Tomb. Besides, I was a wanted criminal by the Lutero Magical Federation untilst year. From Zipple''s perspective, it must have been intolerable for someone like me to boldly advertise cosmetics in their territory."
It wasn''t just a matter of being intolerable. Since the start of the advertising campaign, most of Zipple''s elders had been consumed by anger and couldn''t sleep at night.
That''s why Zipple sent the elite magician''s secret division, the Specter Corps.
Recently, Zipple''s elders had developed unfavorable feelings towards Runcandel.
Not only did they make Jin, a wanted criminal by the Lutero Magical Federation, their gbearer, but they also dared to advertise cosmetics in Zipple''s territory.
Therefore, the assault on the cave was a justified action.
"If I y my cards right, maybe I can turn this situation to my advantage. If I can rescue just the small beastmen... I might be able to use my n as a shield for my business in the future."
Crack! Crack!
Among the small beastmen bustling to gather their belongings, an unexpected sound of something breaking and exploding was heard.
It was the sound of the invisible barrier of the Cat Tribe being shattered.
Following the sound of the rupture, cracks in the air appeared out of nowhere. From these cracks, a powerful flow of mana could be felt.
It was the mana of the Specter Corps.
"Hey, Jin! Ourrade! After saving us, you must definitely escape too!"
Swoosh!
Jin unsheathed his Sigmund.
"Why worry about me? When the barrier copses, run straight to the entrance. Judging by the mana flow, it seems like the enemies enter the cave immediately after breaking the barrier. Now, go. Run to the entrance. Once outside the cave, seek protection from the Runcandels through the Zhan Kingdom. Mention that it''s an order from the Twelfth gbearer."
When the barrier breaks, the sealed entrance of the cave will open.
"Understood. Promise toe back alive, okay? And don''t think we''ll me you if we suffer because of you. It''s not entirely untrue, but we already decided to ept this level of danger when we chose to work with you in the first ce."
"Jin, don''t hurt yourself, thank you!"
"It''s not ''thank you,'' it''s ''thank you very much''! Alright, enough with thepliments, let''s go, Watertails! We''re just going to be a hindrance to ourrade."
"Excuse me."
"It''s not ''excuse me,'' it''s ''I''m sorry''... Never mind, let''s go, let''s go!"
The Golden Snow Tribe pushed the Watertails forward.
Jin couldn''t help but chuckle.
Even though they had every right to be resentful towards him, seeing that the small beastmen didn''t me Jin made him think it was a good decision toe and save them.
As the small beastmen fled, they looked at Jin several times.
Although they werepletely unfamiliar with mana, they could sense it.
They felt the tremendous power flowing into the cave as the barrier broke.
''The mana felt beyond the barrier... I was expecting this, but there''s no chance of winning in a direct confrontation.''
Three members of the Specter Corps.
They were no less formidable than three ck Knights. It wasn''t an easy task even for Luna to face three ck Knights at once.
For Jin, at this moment, it was obviously impossible.
However, Jin decided that there might be an opportunity.
Beyond buying time, he could inflict significant damage on the Specter Corps or even kill them.
"They don''t know I''m here."
As formidable as the Specter Corps was, they couldn''t predict that Jin was inside the cave.
Of course, the Specter Corps could perfectly respond to unexpected variables.
If the enemy was "strong" in themon sense, they could handle it.
Swoosh...!
Shadow Energy spread from Jin''s body, quickly extending throughout the cave and shrouding it like a curtain.
Shadow Energy expanded so rapidly that it filled the cave,pletely concealing Jin.
It was the release of Shadow Energy, extended to erase his presence.
Jin, covered in Shadow Energy, looked like a shadow among the various shadows scattered on the cave walls.
Jin remembered the day he sowed terror at Mamit''s Moonlit Tavern when he was in the intermediate ss.
The attack Jin was about to attempt now was the same as back then. Completely hiding his presence and energy with Shadow Energy and unleashing it at an unexpected moment.
Back then, he had spent hours umting Shadow Energy while sitting in an inn room, but now, that amount of time was more than enough.
Especially in such a confined space as this.
Crunch, crunch...!
The barrier began to crumblepletely.
Whoosh!
And within the curtain of Shadow Energy, a small spark ignited.
That spark was the reason Jin erased his own presence.
Even if they were members of the Specter Corps, they wouldn''t be able to perceive the mana of that small spark beyond the barrier and the curtain of Shadow Energy.
That spark was the ignition point of Runcandel''s Secret Sword Movement.
''I''ll finish them off in one strike as soon as they arrive. Not even the Specters will emerge unscathed if they''re hit by a surprise attack.''
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 336: Debt, Debts, and More Debts (3)
Chapter 336: Debt, Debts, and More Debts (3)
C336 - Debt, Debts, and More Debts (3)
The crack in the barrier had opened almostpletely, revealing the other side. It was one of the secret spaces of the Cat Tribe.
Confirmation of the Specter Corps'' appearance still couldn''t be made.
''Break a bitter...!''
Due to haste, Jin couldn''t fully release his movement.
If the Specter Corps entered the cave 5 secondster, no, even 3 seconds beforepleting the movement, it was highly likely that Jin would be the first to be attacked.
He was certain of it.
If that happened, he would be defeated.
Assuming the enemy consisted of three high-level mages in thete stages of 9 stars.
Three seconds was more than enough time for skilled individuals to kill their opponent ten times over.
Especially in a situation like the current one, where he was exposed and defenseless because he was participating in the decisive battle.
''I need to focus.''
Not losingposure at times like this was one of Jin''s greatest strengths.
Within the curtain of shadowy force, Jin''s eyes were engulfed in mes.
The mes emanated from his body and spread across the dark curtain.
Those mes looked like fierce beasts held by loose chains. When Jin wished, he could pull back the curtain, and the mes would spread in all directions, engulfing his enemies.
Time seemed to flow slowly.
Among the intense beats of his own heart, mana flowed through the runes inscribed on Jin''s body to trigger the movement.
The mana of the Specter Corps was bing increasingly immense.
Even within the confines of the curtain, Jin felt a tingling on his face from the overflowing mana.
Whoosh, crackle, boom...!
The sound of Jin''s mes spreading and the sound of the barrier shattering intermingled chaotically.
Crack!
As the barrier broke, a deafening roar echoed in Jin''s head.
''They''reing.''
Soon, Jin saw the Specter Corps'' bodies.
He could only see blurry silhouettes in the distorted space covered by the curtain and the shattered barrier.
Jin, the most elite of Zipple''s mages in gray robes, gripped his sword''s hilt tightly.
Fortunately, Jin''s movement wasplete. Before they arrived.
The mes first enveloped Jin''s body. Then they permeated it, turning Jin into the very fire itself.
Jin''s burning eyes became even more intense, and even his hair turned into mes.
''I''ll settle that debt, Specters.''
Since the day Jin fled from Beradin''s mansion, leaving only Misha behind, he often thought about it after bing a gbearer.
If he had been stronger, he could have fought alongside Misha.
It was never an act of dishonor for Runcandel''s Reserve gbearer to flee from 15 Specters, but Jin felt shame when he remembered that day.
It was time to erase that feeling.
Runcandel''s Secret Sword Movement.
Hellfire: Sarah Runcandel.
When Jin inherited this Magic Sword Technique from Sarah.
Jin had liked the name "Hellfire" from the moment he received the Sword.
When he remembered all the atrocitiesmitted by the Specter Corps, there seemed to be no more fitting name than "Hellfire" for the act of engulfing them in mes.
Kwaahhh...!
The sharp mes tore through the curtain and spread outward.
As soon as the Specters crossed the barrier, they were met with these sharp mes, leaving them no choice but to widen their eyes in surprise.
"Huh!"
A member of the Specter Corps eximed and erected a protective shield.
The shield, wrapped in mes, trembled unsteadily.
The shield seemed on the verge of breaking.
At first nce, it appeared incapable of withstanding the power of Hellfire, and Jin clicked his tongue inwardly.
''Can they really withstand this with a shield they haven''t even properly forged?''
There wouldn''t be many mages in the world capable of such a feat. Besides, the Specters had just spent a significant amount of mana to break through the barrier.
Of course, Hellfire had only just begun.
Kaaaah!
Jin roared, elevating his mana by a level.
Hepletely dispelled the remaining Shadow Energy curtain and unleashed the mes bound within.
The mes erupted like a torrent.
In an instant, the cave transformed into a hellish scene of voracious fire, and the protective shield of the Specters waspletely engulfed in mes, with their magical essence not visible.
The rocks inside the cave melted.
Runcandel''s Magic Sword Technique, Hellfire, bore an astonishing resemnce to the Plutonian God of Battle''s Reign Sword, covering a substantial area.
Instead of lightning bolts, mes covered all directions, creating a fiery space in which those who hadn''t reached a certain level couldn''t even breathe.
In reality, a thousand years ago, Temar''s council yed the most crucial role inpleting Sarah''s Magic Sword. And Temar''s council was derived from the Sword of Legends.
All the mes filling the cave were heading towards the Specters.
"Damn it!" eximed a Specter urgently and full of confusion.
Jin felt incredibly satisfied hearing that voice.
Although it was only an ambush, the fact that Hellfire was effective against the Specter''s body filled him with excitement.
Feeling oneself grow stronger always brings a sense of joy.
''There''s no way their shields can handle this.''
Crack!
In the midst of the zing mes, a single blue spark emerged.
Hellfire was originally a martial art that used the power of the phoenix. Although Sarah, from the Second Tomb, couldn''t use the Phoenix Maniere power as a guardian, Jin had Tess.
Gaah!
While a single blue me opened the dimensional door to the Fire Dimension, apanied by a sharp but sonorous roar, the Phoenix King was revealed.
The power symbolizing blue and pressure, Tess''s power.
When this powerbined with Hellfire, the Specters groaned.
And as soon as Jin heard their groans, he was certain.
He could kill them.
There''s no problem with an aura shield or a martial artist''s sword shield, but once a mage''s shield is broken, it''s difficult to catch whates next.
Because they didn''t have physically robust bodies like martial artists.
Therefore, when mages were directly hit, their abilities inevitably diminished significantly.
Jin had exploited the advantage.
''Now, to prevent their bodies from burning, he forces them to manipte mana recklessly, causing a bacsh.''
Just like the absolute proposition that all humans die, reckless mana maniption always led to a bacsh.
Not even the Specters could escape thatw.
However, Jin assumed that the members of the Specter Corps had the ability to quickly recover from mana bacsh.
''Their ability to control the bacsh may not be as good as the master''s, but there''s a good chance that the Specters can stabilize their mana within the five seconds after the initial symptoms of the bacsh.''
He would cut them down before they could grasp the bacsh.
Making a quick decision, Jin found the Specters'' figures among the mes.
Jin had only seen their silhouettes since his arrival, and he hadn''t even seen their gray robes clearly.
He could only guess their position and attack based on the energy the Specters emanated and their silhouettes.
''At the moment their energy fluctuates due to the bacsh, I''ll attack and finish them off. I don''t have much time left either.''
Jin was in a precarious state where he could suffer from bacsh at any moment.
It was quite strange that such a grand technique suddenly unleashed, especially alongside the somber force curtain, and yet there was no bacsh.
Even so, time was on Jin''s side.
Before a minute passed, he could feel the Specters'' mana decreasing significantly.
The energy emanating from the Specters, which had even made his face taut after breaking through the barrier, had descended to the level of an ordinary mage.
It was the result of the mana bacsh.
Jin plunged into the mes.
As Tess exhaled a breath of pressure, the Hellfire mes gently receded, creating a path.
Step by step, as Jin advanced, the Specters concealed their bodies within the mes.
"You shouldn''t have moved at all."
Swoosh!
Jin spoke, swinging his sword toward where he sensed movement. A cynical smile on his lips.
Kwak!
A clear sensation of flesh and bone being severed transmitted to Jin''s fingertips through the de of his sword.
The Specters desperately stifled their groans, but it was an action thatcked real meaning.
Their positions were already exposed, and the battle was over.
Bam!
Jin, his eyes radiating a fiery gleam, lunged in the direction he had swung his sword.
"I''ve gained the advantage, but since there are three of them, I can''t waste time, and I need to finish quickly."
During the five seconds it took for the Specters to suppress the mana bacsh, Jin knew he had to eliminate all three of them.
Zas!
Sigmund''s sword pierced the chest of a member of the Specter Corps.
"Kuk!"
It was the final cry before death.
The mage was engulfed by the mes surrounding Sigmund, reduced to ashes.
It was an incredibly miserable death for the most elite secret magician of Zipple.
It also meant how extraordinary Jin was.
Excluding Luna, there was no other brother who could achieve such a result in the same situation.
Although there was an element of surprise attack, the opponents were the Specters.
''Now, there are two left.''
Phew.
Jin took a breath.
His body, enveloped in mes, was bing unbearably hot, and it seemed that the bacsh would start soon.
Three seconds remained.
Among the mes, Jin had enough time to find the two mages caught in the bacsh and cut their throats.
But as soon as he was about to move again, Jin felt a strange unease.
''What''s going on? I''ve only killed one of them, but the rest of the Specters'' mana haspletely disappeared.''
He quickly scanned the mes.
For some reason, he couldn''t find the two remaining members of the Specter Corps, excluding the one who had died.
''Where could they have suddenly gone? It''s unlikely they went back to the barrier. It seemed like the powerful mana belonged to the only deceased member...''
Jin came to a sudden stop.
''Could it be that it wasn''t thebined mana of the three...?''
What Jin had killed was only one of the three members of the Specters.
The other two members had sessfully crossed the barrier into another secret residence of the Cat Tribe and had just entered the cave.
Jin had mistakenly believed that the mana he felt from the Specter Corps member he killed with Hellfire belonged to all three.
Boom!
Once again, Jin felt a powerful manaing from beyond the suddenly shattered barrier.
Feeling a chill down his spine, Jin turned his head and saw the other two members of Spectre Corp emerging from the broken barrier.
This is madness...
Unlike the recently deceased Specter Corps member, these two had already confirmed the mes unfolding inside the cave, even from beyond the barrier.
It was natural because the mana of Hellfire was not concealed by the Shadow Energy curtain.
"Heh, it seems Lokai was taken down. Here, this is his staff."
"The mes are dying down. The one who killed Lokai probably isn''t in perfect condition either. He probably couldn''t have gone far. Before tracking down those insect-like beastmen, we should first pursue that person..."
Jin''s gaze met the eyes of the Specters concealed beneath their gray hoods.
"...there''s no need for that. Jin Runcandel, you are the one who killed Lokai."
A satisfied smile spread across the lips of the Specters hidden beneath their gray hoods.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 337: Debt, Debts, and More Debts (4)
Chapter 337: Debt, Debts, and More Debts (4)
C337 - Debt, Debts, and More Debts (4)
The mana gathered in the hands of the Specters was so swift that it seemed to have suddenly materialized within their reach.
However, the umted mana was so immense that it distorted the surrounding space.
Jin instinctively conjured a protective shield, suppressing a sigh of disbelief.
Whoosh!
If he had deployed the shield just a secondter, he wouldn''t have been able to face tomorrow morning''s rising sun.
The mana beam emitted from the hands of the two Specters struck Jin''s shield,posed of Shadow Energy and Mana.
Even with the shield in ce, it felt like he was being pummeled by an unstoppable force.
Jin deflected the rays that prated the shield, but a thick stter of blood rose up his throat.
Wheeing!
Jin coughed up a clot of blood andposed himself.
"Damn it, so this is what the Specters are capable of."
The fact that Jin could swiftly kill a Specter named Lokai was the result of a perfect ambush.
As demonstrated by his confusion, mistaking Lokai''s mana for that of three individuals, the Specters were originally the most formidable group of magicians in the world. They were iparable even with other magician units.
"...And you managed to block that? Twelfth gbearer Runcandel?"
"It seems what those guys said when they went to Lord Beradin''s secret mansion was true after all. Maybe I wascent, but it wasn''t just luck that you killed Lokai."
"Indeed, hearing about it and experiencing it firsthand are entirely different things."
Jin observed the two men while regting his breathing.
Both of them are on a simr level to the mage Lokai, whom I just killed."
They didn''t belong to the intermediate orter stages of the 9 stars.
If they weren''t from the 10 stars, it was unimaginable to exin this vast mana.
''No, it might be difficult to exin even with the 10 stars.''
There was a vast difference between the 9 and 10 stars, but it wasn''t as if the mana level tripled.
Jin had already encountered several 9-star mages, and although he hadn''t personally met a 10-star one, he could roughly estimate the level based onparisons with knights and warriors.
Considering it from that perspective, there was certainly something unusual about the Specters'' mana.
"What are you thinking, Jin Runcandel?"
Wheeing!
Once again, a mana beam shot out from the mages'' hands.
Aaargh!
This time, Tess unleashed a wave of oppressive mes, distorting the trajectory of the beam, and Jin quickly erected a shield of shadowy force to protect himself.
"Do you n to fight us instead of fleeing? How foolish."
"The Specters I encounteredst time weren''t as talkative. You guys sure like to chat."
In an instant, five curtains of Shadow Energy were deployed.
Jin continued to evade the attacks of the mages by concealing his body within the curtains.
At first nce, it appeared that Jin was effectively opposing the Specters, but there were no signs of a counterattack.
''I can''t use my Shadow Energy properly due to the bacsh. I wonder how long I can drag this out.''
The obvious choice Jin should have made when encountering the two remaining Specters was to immediately summon Shuri and flee.
However, the reason Jin didn''t run when facing the new Specters was another.
If he fled now, the small insect-like beastmen who had just started emerging from the cave would undoubtedly be annihted.
''I can''t hold out much longer. Tess''s summoning is also about to dissipate.''
Tess could only exist in the presence of Jin''s mana.
As the mana bacsh began, Tess''s state became increasingly unstable.
Unlike when they faced Frosty Joe in the past, Tess couldn''t directly intervene by borrowing Jin''s power in the current situation.
Unlike before, Jin was on the brink of mana bacsh, so if Tess mistakenly borrowed his power, it could endanger her life.
In the end, Tess had no choice but to return to the Fire dimension in a few seconds.
But there was one thing.
There was a way to salvage this situation.
Jin wanted to use the special technique of the Shadow de, the ck Light Call, to summon the ck Light Call.
Even an ordinary warrior, not just a battle king, could easily buy time against the two Specters.
But he wanted to save the ck Light Call for the worst-case scenario.
Zipple didn''t know that Jin could summon the Legends, and if they found out, they would be even more cautious about facing Jin in the future.
A trump card should always be saved for when it''s truly necessary.
In the future, there would be many decisive moments where Jin could outwit Zipple with the help of the Legend brothers.
Moreover, in Jin''s opinion, the situation was not yet at its worst.
''Whichever side it is, hurry up ande!''
Either Runcandel or Kinzelo.
One of the two factions had toe to this cave.
Otherwise, not only the cave but the entire area would soon be destroyed in the ongoing battle.
There was a high possibility that Kinzelo would arrive first.
Thisnd belonged to the beastmen.
Kwaang! ng! Crash...!
The cave copsed under the onught of the Specters'' mana rays.
Jin was not aware of it, but the truth was that more than half of the vastbyrinth inside the cave had already been destroyed when the barrier broke.
The continuous shocks caused an incessant rain of falling rocks, and the rays had pierced the roof, exposing the sky.
At that moment, the Specters must have been extremely frustrated.
The Specters were annoyed that the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel was resisting them for so long even though he had fallen into mana bacsh, and his Phoenix had also returned.
It hadn''t been that long, just a few minutes.
"I wanted to take you in good shape, but I guess I''ll have to force it."
Whish, whish! Swiiiish...!
A new magical spell began to intertwine in the hands of the Specters.
Each of them was forming two 9-star destruction spells.
It was Zipple''s vision magic, something Jin had never seen before.
Both of them were performing simultaneous casts.
"Judging by your appearance, it seems you''ll survive even if you take this hit."
"Is that so? It seems you''ve overestimated me."
Jin smiled as he dodged the attack.
"No, if anything, we''ve underestimated you all along. And it doesn''t matter if you die."
With a determined expression, Jin gritted his teeth.
It seemed that, after all, he would have to summon the Plutonian brothers.
"Let me propose onest deal. When my brothers arrive, there''s a chance you won''t make it out of here alive. What do you say? Let''s end it at this point. This, after all, could turn into an all-out battle with one wrong move."
It was nothing more than idle talk to gain a few more seconds, until the end.
"By the time the gbearers of Runcandel arrive, you''ll already be in the Lutero Magical Federation. I didn''t know you had a talent for jokes."
The gbearers weren''t really his brothers, but there was no need to correct them.
"You should work on your sense of humor if you want to endure jokes. What''s the use of being powerful in magic if you can''t do anything else? It''s inhumane."
"Don''t be so arrogant. Ah, and let me tell you something in advance."
The Specter shrugged and continued with his remark.
"The only reason you''re holding out here is probably to save the little beastmen, right? Well, that doesn''t matter much. At this point, others have probably gone to capture those damn cosmetics peddlers."
"The barrier of the Cat Tribe was quite interesting. Things are more troublesome than you think."
A total of five Specters attacked the Cat Tribe''s barrier.
However, the reason Jin decided to face these three Specters was that Lulu had informed him that she had stopped the other two just before leaving.
"The other two are trapped in ourbyrinth and can''t get out. They''ll be trapped for at least three days," Lulu had clearly said.
But the "Specters" were stronger than the Cat Tribe had anticipated.
They had unleashed their unique magic of link casting, erasing the entire barrier and entering this ce.
In the process, there had been a problem with the barrier, and the other two had entered thend of the beastmen outside the cave directly.
"Darn it, if the barrier has copsed... Is the Cat Tribe safe? It''s not the time to save the ck Light Call."
Jin let out a frustrated sigh.
And just as he was about to unleash the ck Light Call.
Bam...!
Unexpectedly, arge steel door formed between Jin and the Specters.
The sound of the steel door hitting the ground was so beautiful that there would never be another moment like it in Jin''s life.
"Hello, everyone!"
The first voice that sounded was cheerful and lively.
To Jin''s knowledge, the most "entric" woman.
It was Margie Iveliano.
She was seated in a wheelchair, as always, and wearing a whimsical cat-face-shaped mask.
''Does she really think she can hide her identity with that? Everyone knows there''s a disabled woman in the Iveliano n.''
Surprisingly, the Specters didn''t recognize Margie.
"Who are these guys?"
The Specters looked at Margie with strange expressions.
They didn''t attack immediately, but it seemed that Margie''s arrival through the "steel door" was quite perplexing to them.
"Nice to meet you all. I''m Marie*. In short, I''m the owner of thesends." (Note: Yes, she''s using an alias)
And by her side was another familiar face.
"Eh, Specters? There might be some old acquaintances among them. How''s Lokai doing, that piece of trash?"
Joe the Cold.
He chuckled with a mocking smile as he looked at the Specters.
Although Jin had personally fought against Joe and knew he was at a level where he couldn''t dare to underestimate the Specters, there was another reason why Joe was so confident.
"Joe, shut up. I''m sure I''ve warned you several times not to support me and act tough. Damn trash, try to at least be half as good as the vice leader. I feel like killing you several times a day."
Berakt Sidricker.
The great warrior of the White Wolf Tribe and one of Kinzelo''s key members.
The reason Joe could smile at the Specters despite facing them.
"Boy."
"Yes?"
"That guy is pretty strong. Not even the safety of your older sister would be guaranteed against him."
A conversation between Murakan and Jin when they saw Berakt, who came to pay his respects to the Holy King during the Holy Kingdom incident.
True to those words, Berakt was the strongest warrior among the beastmen and truly lived up to his title of "great warrior."
"No need for a long conversation, human mages. I''m not in a very good mood right now, so if you don''t disappear in three seconds, I''ll swallow you whole and poop you out after 20 minutes. One, two, three."
Kwaaang!
With no chance to react, after counting what seemed like one second instead of three, Berakt unsheathed therge sword on his back and swung it.
The entire cave disintegrated in a single blow, and the Specters staggered backward.
Jin thought that Murakan''s evaluation might have been somewhatcking.
While Beraktunched his attack, Margie wheeled her wheelchair up to Jin.
"Retreat quickly. And remember, this debt must not be forgotten, understand?"
Margie winked at Jin and smiled.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 338: Debt, Debts, and More Debts (5)
Chapter 338: Debt, Debts, and More Debts (5)
C338 - Debt, Debts, and More Debts (5)
Bang, Kwang! Skung!
Every time Berakt swung his sword, the cave ceiling cut like a piece of paper, revealing the sky above.
The Specters focused solely on defense as soon as his attack began.
Amidst the deafening shes and roars, Margie looked at Jin with a smile.
"Surely, you won''t pretend not to remember, likest time in the Holy Kingdom? I don''t think you''re someone without a conscience to that extent."
Even if Jin received help, there would be no moment after today when Jin would be d to see the group of crazies, Kinzelo.
It was because Jin fundamentally saw them as madmen conducting experiments with living golems and aiming to be the sole ruler of the world like Zipfel.
Of course, Jin also intended to ascend to the throne of Runcandel and be the ruler of the world, but at least he didn''t use humans as mere experimental material like they did.
Above all, Kinzelo was ultimately apetitor and an enemy.
"Debt? Since this is your territory, you should have shown up anyway, shouldn''t you?"
"Well, how bitter. We came to rescue you. It would be a shame if those cute little beasts died, but if you weren''t in danger, we wouldn''t have made any move. This ce isn''t even that important."
"How did you know I was in danger?"
"That''s a trade secret!"
Given the abilities possessed by the leader, it wasn''t particrly surprising even if Kinzelo was monitoring the entire territory through a crystal ball.
"Anyway, I have no intention of harboring feelings like being in debt, so spare me your nonsense. If you only came to save me, then it should be beneficial for you, so it''s the oue you chose."
"Hmph, you make a valid point. Can''t you at least make your words sound nicer? If you stumble, Lord Berakt might even devour you, Sir Jin."
Kraaak! Aaah, cough-!
The Specters'' screams continued.
It seemed that they hadn''t suffered mortal injuries yet, but Berakt waspletely overwhelming them.
Jin chuckled.
"I suppose I should withdraw. And I can''t say anything about Kinzelo, but I''ll let Iveliano make one or two small mistakes in Runcandel in the future."
"Hey, are you going to save the little beastmen who escaped?"
Joe frowned as he stroked his thin beard and joined the conversation.
"What will you do about it?"
"I rmend leaving if possible. We have no intention of sending people there. It means not recklessly wasting the lives we worked so hard to save."
"But Sir Jin, it wasn''t Lord Joe who saved him, it was Lord Berakt, right?"
"Marg... I mean, Marie, if you put it that way, won''t I feel ashamed?"
"Haha, if Lord Berakt heard what you just said, he would get angry again. I worry he might actually kill Lord Joe someday."
Joe scratched his head out of embarrassment.
Among Kinzelo''s executives, Joe the Cold, the infamous 9-Star Magician, was almost treated as a joke.
Jin didn''t respond to Joe''s words and exchanged a nce with Margie for a moment.
''Who is this woman, even during the Holy Kingdom incident? Not much is known about her in public, but does she possess any special abilities? It seems she holds an important position within Kinzelo.''
Probably not just because she''s the beloved younger sister of Bishkel, one of Kinzelo''s executives.
Margie merely smiled knowingly, as if she could see through Jin''s thoughts.
"Farewell, Sir Jin. It''s been a pleasure seeing you."
Woah!
[Nyaa!]
Jin summoned Shuri by taking a ruby from his pocket.
Margie found Shuri''s appearance adorable and chuckled to herself as Jin abruptly left the ce.
"Hey, how rude!"
Joe clicked his tongue andined, but Margie shrugged.
"Well, anyway, it''s cool. I like that style."
Jin sprinted at full speed, praying that the small beastmen hadn''t been devoured by the mes yet.
After running for about ten minutes without any trace of the small beastmen, Jin felt intense anxiety.
"How in the world did they move so fast? I''d dare say there aren''t many creatures on the surface that can move faster than Shuri, maybe none."
Although the battle with the Specters didn''tst long, he was already getting frustrated not being able to catch up to them after running for ten minutes.
Suddenly, Shuri''s tracking of the small beastmen''s footprints abruptly stopped.
"They must have moved along the river!"
He was at the riverbank. Jin could see how the small beastmen could move so swiftly.
Ssh!
Shuri leaped into the river and started swimming with all her might.
The Watertails could swiftly move along the river as long as they had a fewrge leaves that grew on beastmennd, effectively using them as boats.
Jin felt relieved. If they followed the river downstream, the Specters wouldn''t have many means to pursue them.
After another twenty minutes following the river, Jin finally encountered one of the small beastmen.
It was Darkme.
"Darkme!"
"Oh, Jin, it''s you."
Darkme was alone in a boat made of leaves, carrying what looked like fireworks on his back.
"And the rest of the beastmen?"
"They are there, fleeing, hiding."
"Why are you the only one who stayed behind?"
"Something, dangerous, is happening. I, will inform."
As the leader of the Watertail Tribe, Darkme was sacrificing himself for the sake of the other beastmen.
"The Specters on the cave side have been taken care of."
"Oh, that''s a relief."
"But two other Specters are after you, so we shouldn''t stay here. We need to regroup quickly."
Hearing this, Darkme widened his eyes and nodded.
"Understood. Follow me. Come."
Whoosh!
Darkme took a deep breath, and it was incredible how much air his small body could hold. With his breath fully taken, he looked like a giant barrel about to explode.
Whoosh...! Ssh, ssh, ssh!
Upon exhaling, Darkme''s wind spread out like a shockwave, significantly increasing the speed of the leaf boat.
Furthermore, with the typical thin tail of the Watertails, he created a water jet, making it difficult for Shuri to keep up.
[Mya, mya, mya, mya!]
At such a tremendous speed downstream, they soon spotted the remaining beastmen.
All members of the Golden Snow Tribe were on the Watertail leaf boats.
"Oh! Ourrade! You''ve returned alive! You''ve kept your promise!"
Peng vigorously waved his hand, shouting excitedly.
"Wow!"
"Amazing!"
The small beastmen hugged each other tightly, shouting in joy.
Jin felt a moment of pride at the sight, but he knew that things were far from over.
"W-what, what is that?"
"That, what is it?"
A Watertail pointed behind Jin and Darkme.
"Madmen, they''re the Magicians! Everyone, hurry, guys!"
"Human Magicians are chasing us!"
They turned around and saw the Magicians, two of them dressed in gray robes.
They were using wind and ice magic to follow the beastmen to the other side of the river.
Just like Bartonunched multiple sword strikes to propel himself in flight, they used magic to catch up to the beastmen.
"Everyone, lean and head fornd!"
Jin unsheathed his sword and shouted.
The Specters were already aiming attack spells at them.
In the river, no matter how fast they moved, they couldn''t evade the attacks, and there was no way to take cover.
"Uh, aah."
"Oh no, save the members of the Golden Snow Tribe!"
The Watertails quickly changed the direction of their leaf boats.
Members of the Golden Snow Tribe tossed all their bags and gold nuggets into the river.
Ziiing!
As the attack began, Jin leaped into the air and extended his sword.
"Darn it, even though I suppressed the mana reflux during the journey, I''m still not in a condition to fight properly...!"
He needed to use the ck Light Call.
However, there was no room to unleash the ck Light Call right now.
The barrage of mana bolts kepting relentlessly, leaving him with no energy to use other techniques while facing them.
As long as I buy time for the small beastmen to escape, everything will be fine.
After that, I just have to call the Plutonian brothers, and it''ll all be over!
It was another battle against time.
Would the beastmen escape first, or would Jin run out of energy?
"Darkme!"
"Yes!"
"Listen carefully. Once you reach thend, don''t run into the forest. All of you must flee toward the open ins. If you go into the forest, they''ll set it on firepletely. Understand?"
"Understood, yes!"
Fortunately, the river was narrow, so the small beastmen quickly got to drynd.
In response, the Specters swiftly crossed the river to reposition themselves toward Jin and the beastmen.
But even during the shift, the bombardment of mana bolts continued unabated.
"They used various spells to cross the river simultaneously, so they haven''t been able to unleash their attacks fully yet. However, once they''re onnd, they won''t be able to attack all the beastmen with mana bolts."
Not only that, after they no longer needed mana to move, one wizard would shoot bolts while the other prepared significant magic spells.
Given the circumstances, Jin had no choice but to unleash the ck Light Call, even if it meant some of the small beastmen would die.
How many innocent and kind beastmen would lose their lives?
As he wrestled with these thoughts, a subtle vibration emanated from the direction of the forest where the small beastmen were fleeing.
It felt like a faint earthquake, as if a massive creature was running amok.
"What''s happening? It seems these vibrations are created by a giant creature running..."
In that moment of contemtion, Jin realized the source of the vibration.
"We''ve located the wizards!"
"We''ve confirmed the presence of the Twelfth gbearer!"
The vibration came from the charge of over fifty Runcandel Guardian Knights running at full speed.
They were brimming with energy, causing such a significant vibration.
Led by Jin''s brothers, of course.
"Eh, my younger brother? Were you fighting these guys alone to protect the beastmen?"
Runcandel''s Seventh gbearer and third daughter, Mary Runcandel, spoke.
"All Guardian Knights! Protect the Twelfth gbearer and the beastmen. 4th and 5th squads, each take a group of beastmen and lead them to safety."
The Fourth gbearer of Runcandel, the second son, Dyfus Runcandel, gave the orders.
They had been waiting at the main Runcandel Family house until they received news of massive mana detected in the Zhan Kingdom.
Upon hearing the news, they hurried toe.
"They seem like the most elite Magicians, but they don''t seem to have any shields. Anyway, the youngest, you look pretty impressive in this situation."
The appearance of the new Runcandel gbearers made the Specters hesitate and adjust their stance.
"With this, I''ve repaid the debt from the mission to kill the ck Knight, Jin."
Dyfus positioned himself next to Jin and said.
Dyfus''s greatsword, Volgar, and Mary''s chain sword, Viper, emitted unique glows, each with its own vibrant aura.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 339: Debt, Debts, and More Debts (6)
Chapter 339: Debt, Debts, and More Debts (6)
C339 - Debt, Debts, and More Debts (6)
The Guardian Knights of the 4th and 5th groups quickly divided their forces and took charge of the beastmen.
The remaining knights, undaunted, formed their formation and began their search.
Their sharp, gleaming swords surrounded the Specters, and the aura emanating from the knights seemed capable of killing the magicians on the spot.
They were the most loyal knights of Mary and Dyfus, all of whom were soon to be promoted to "Execution Knights," the rank just below that of the ck Knights, meaning they were skilled knights one level below the ck Knights.
"This is a tough situation even for the Specters. With just elder brother Dyfus and elder sister Mary, it''s already a headache, and now we have more than fifty Execution Knights."
Unlike Jin, Mary and Dyfus had been gbearers for a long time.
Naturally, the knights following them were exceptional veterans, unlike Jin''s group, mainlyposed of high-level rookies.
The Specters stopped their attack and assumed a defensive stance.
They had been expecting Runcandel''s arrival, but not this quickly.
Their n didn''t ount for Jin''s presence, let alone the barrier of the Cat Tribe, or even Berakt Sidricker.
Their original n was simply to gather and crush the beastmen haggling over money and leave the ce before Kinzelo and Runcandel arrived.
However, everything went awry from the start.
The barrier erected by the Cat Tribe was so solid that it took them two days to break through, and even then, one of the five members died initially.
And it was at the hands of the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel.
However, at first, they thought they had gotten lucky when they saw Jin.
Capturing Jin alive and taking him away was much more valuable to Zipple than killing the beastmen and destroying their cosmetics business.
But in the end, as the current situation showed, it was all a disaster.
Now, it wasn''t about destroying the cosmetics business or capturing Jin.
The top priority was to escape safely from Runcandel territory and return home.
The two Specters present here didn''t know that had be difficult too.
Because the Specters inside the cave had already be Berakt''s dinner.
"Youngest one."
Amidst the tense atmosphere between the Guardian Knights and the Specters, Mary called out to Jin in a light voice.
"Why are you here? Weren''t you supposed to handle the mission of rescuing some duke or count from the Ekan Kingdom? I''m sure I saw you off on your mission."
Though aware that the Magicians before her were monstrous beings of at least 10-star level, she only felt a slight sense of danger, as if she had encountered a boar while climbing a hill.
Of course, for an ordinary person, even that would be overwhelming terror, but for someone like Mary, it was nothing more than the feeling of encountering a bountiful meal.
"Well..."
Mary smiled in satisfaction.
"Is something the matter?"
"Big sister, do you remember the agreement we madest time, that we''ll fight once every three months?"
-The winner is determined by knockout, and the loser must fulfill a request from the winner. Of course, we''ll draft a contract to ensure there are no misunderstandings.
-That sounds intriguing. Although the contract might be a bitplicated.
Mary nodded, reminiscing about the excitement of that day.
"Let''s say I won that time, and you have to follow one of my orders."
Mary''s eyes widened at Jin''s words.
"What? But if I recall, that was a tie. Alright, this big sister will let it slide."
"Who would let you get away after you scattered those mana bombs in a surprise attack? Come on, help me out."
"I''m already helping you."
"No one here has seen me today."
Mary narrowed her eyes.
When she didn''t respond immediately, Jin wondered if he had been too impolite.
But Mary was savoring the moment.
She liked her younger brother''s audacity; it was always refreshing and invigorating.
"How dare you look at me like that, brat? Do you think I''m someone who would rat out my little brother or something? Huh?"
"I didn''t mean that."
"Then why do you suddenlye up with a pointless request like this? You and I are family, family. Blood ties. Not all siblings always look at you with disdain like Myu and Anne."
This time, Jin''s eyes widened.
He had never considered that he would hear such words from his other siblings, except for Luna and Yona.
Of course, Jin didn''t dislike Mary, but he always tried to keep a certain distance, thinking that getting too close might turn them into enemies.
"I''ll make sure to silence those guys, and if necessary, I''ll prevent information from reaching the elders. Don''t worry, and return to the n. And you, Oraboni?"
"What?"
"Oraboni, you should do the same."
"...Alright."
Dyfus had already nned to do so, even without Mary saying it. After all, it was a way to "repay" the debt when he was saved by Jin (they hade without knowing Jin was here) during his mission to assassinate the ck Knight.
"Well, I think we''re done talking. Let''s meet at home, little brother. Oh, and about our agreement to fight once every three months, it''s about time, so be prepared. Got it?"
"Of course!"
Mary quickly turned around and called out to the Specters behind her.
"You''d better not expect to leave here alive. Instead, I''ll kill you in the least painful way possible. It looks like it''s going to be a fun fight after a long time."
Goooh...!
Mary''s entire body began to be dyed in aura.
The aura waves made her hair flutter around her ears, and the ground beneath her feet cracked under the pressure.
''When we fought, it wasn''t like this at all.''
The aura Mary emitted was enough for everyone nearby to feel a tingling sensation.
Mary had a secret.
She had also improved and given her name to one of the n''s Final Moves.
Most surprisingly, it wasn''t the n elders who allowed it, but the n Patriarch himself, Cyron Runcandel.
''Is this... a Volcano!? No, it''s something different.''
The Seventh Runcandel Final Move that Jin saw on Ind 32.
The aura Mary was emitting was very simr.
From its appearance, it was clear she was unleashing a variation of the Volcano.
But what she unleashed wasn''t a "suicidal attack."
''Now I understand why my father always seemed to have high expectations for elder sister Mary.''
Just by looking at Mary''s back, Jin felt chills.
Undoubtedly, she was someone you couldn''t call weaker than Luna or even Joshua or Luntia.
However, everyone agreed that if they had to choose the opponent they least wanted to fight, it would undoubtedly be Mary. She had the power to wear down opponents with her fierceness, regardless of the level difference.
"It looks like Mary is quite angry. It wouldn''t hurt to wish the Specters a peaceful rest in advance."
Dyfus also prepared his Final Move as he spoke.
"Is it because they invaded Runcandel territory?"
"No, it''s because they touched you."
In the past, Jin wouldn''t have thought much about Dyfus''s response. Jin would have assumed that Mary was angry because the Specters put her in danger, a feeling of anger arising from the enemies endangering her personal source of entertainment.
But now, it''s different.
He could feel that Mary wasn''t angry for herself but specifically for him.
He felt relieved because of it.
If it had been any other sibling, he would never have been able to witness such a touching scene.
"Now, go see them. Oh, and congrattions."
"Why are you saying that all of a sudden?"
"With Zipple''s invasion this time, your cosmetics business will flourish even more. That''s what I meant."
------------------
"Young Master! Young Master Jin!"
As always, it was Petro''s urgent voice that first weed Jin upon his return.
"I thought you''de rushing to find me today. What''s happened this time? Have I caused an ident unknowingly?"
"It''s not that, Young Master. While you were on your mission, amotion broke out. A secret unit of Zipple''s Magicians called the Specter Corps attacked the Zhan Kingdom, and it seems the motive was... to destroy your cosmetics business."
"What? My business?"
Pretending not to know, Jin responded calmly.
Seeing the atmosphere, it seemed that Mary and Dyfus had kept their promise.
They didn''t reveal that Bellop had gone on a mission disguised as Jin.
"They sent elite magicians just to destroy an insignificant cosmetics business?"
"Yes, that''s why an emergency meeting was called. Young Master, pleasee quickly."
"What happened to those damn magicians?"
"The Fourth and Seventh gbearers took care of them."
"Are both of them unharmed?"
Jin asked, concealing his expression.
"Yes, Young Master. I heard that both of them only suffered minor injuries. Along with the apprehension of the invaders in our territory..."
No one in Zipple could have ever imagined that the Specter Corps would lose five of its members like this.
Three to Runcandel and two to Kinzelo.
''I hate to admit it, but I guess I surprisingly get along with those lunatics this time.''
Jin sighed in relief.
Regardless of anything else, he was grateful that Mary wasn''t seriously injured.
''Now might be the time for my business to take off.''
Dyfus''s final words in the Zhan Kingdom were something Jin had foreseen.
Zipple had sent a unit of elite secret magicians into Runcandel''s territory to sabotage the business run by the Runcandel gbearer.
It was an act that could be considered a significant invasion or even a deration of war. No, it had to be. It couldn''t be overlooked.
Click.
As Jin entered the conference room, he saw all the gbearers and elders gathered.
They nced at him briefly and then resumed their conversation among themselves.
"These damn bastards! Are they looking down on us...? From today, the ck Sword Association will attack each of their magical product production centers and exterminate them all!"
"Indeed, Elder President! Zipple''s actions are nothing less than the ck Knights invading the Lutero Magical Federation! Those damn bastards have done something that can''t go unpunished."
"Even civilians could have been harmed. Where did the war treaty go?"
"The Twelfth gbearer was their most wanted person, but we can let this slide. If we let it pass without retaliation, the entire world will ridicule Runcandel."
Even if the whole world ridicules them, Zipple will still feel bitter about Runcandel not retaliating.
It was natural to feel that way after losing their top five Magicians so shamefully.
In reality, Runcandel had already gained an unimaginable advantage.
However, Jin wasn''t satisfied with that level of sess.
"Elders, may I say something about this situation?"
As soon as he spoke, all eyes turned toward Jin.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 340: Debt, Debts, and More Debts (7)
C340 - Debt, Debts, and More Debts (7)
The elders'' eyes were filled with anger.
If anyone dared to provoke them even the slightest, it seemed as if they would tear them apart on the spot.
Of course, this anger wasn''t directed at Jin, who had dared to interrupt the elders and speak.
It was anger directed at Zipple.
Most of the elders had some degree of dislike for Jin, or at least held some animosity toward him.
They were knights who had dedicated their entire lives to Runcandel.
Regardless of whether they were pure-blood, branch families, subordinate families, or outsiders, they all had one thing inmon: overwhelming hatred and resentment toward Zipple.
After decades of fighting against Zipple, it was only natural for them to feel this way.
Most of the elders had memories of losing family members,rades, or loved ones due to Zipple''s actions.
"What''s going on, Twelfth gbearer?" Jorden shouted with bloodshot eyes.
"First of all, I want to apologize for any unfortunate incidents caused by me."
"No need for useless words! Get to the point!"
"We must not retaliate."
Upon hearing this, the elders'' eyes widened.
Other gbearers present in the meeting room also looked equally amazed, staring at Jin.
"What did you say? Twelfth gbearer, what is this nonsense...!"
Jorden took brisk steps toward Jin.
He got so close that their noses almost touched, and he looked at Jin with an oppressive aura.
The atmosphere among the other Elders was no different, as they seemed equally intimidating.
"Do you realize what you''re saying?"
"Yes, I do."
"You better take responsibility and give a reasonable exnation. Otherwise, I''ll cut your arm off right here."
"It seems like a lot of people are after my arms these days. However, fortunately, no one has taken them away from me yet."
"Don''t be cheeky! Do you really think your words are correct in this situation?"
"If you listen to my words until the end, even the elder president will agree that I''m right. When I said not to retaliate, I meant purely physical retaliation."
"Physical retaliation? Are you saying we shouldn''t attack Zipple''s magical product production centers?"
"That''s right."
While Jin responded without flinching, sighs of disbelief echoed throughout the room.
How could a gbearer make such a scandalous statement?
No wonder they despised him...
Tsk! The elders gritted their teeth.
As he looked at them, Jin silently thought.
''Are they out of their minds, or have they gotten older and are a bit confused? Taking this golden opportunity to start a fight they can''t win...''
The elders weren''t the only ones stunned; Jin was equally surprised by their simplistic n.
"Tell me... Why do you think like this?"
"Isn''t it clear? If we touch their magical product production centers and arge-scale war breaks out, what would you do? Do you think we can win?"
"What nonsense!"
"I''m speaking realistically. Can we defeat Zipple? Can we fight against them right now, crush them, and make the world ours?"
There was a moment of silence.
Everyone knew the answer, but it was a question that no one could answer.
"The Patriarch and the strongest gbearer are absent, and the same goes for the former ck Knights. In this situation, if we start a war with Zipple, the likelihood of us shedding blood is much higher."
Even if Runcandel''s most powerful swords, which had headed to the ck Sea, were still guarding their original positions, it wouldn''t make any difference.
Runcandel couldn''t defeat Zipple.
At least not for the moment.
The reason Cyron Runcandel, despite being the Divine Star Knight, didn''t engage in total war with Zipple.
"I don''t have much time," was for this one reason.
It wasn''t the time to discuss things that couldn''t or shouldn''t be executed.
''My father has been silent for a reason all this time. Yes, Jorden and the elders are aware of that fact. They just struggle to control their anger.''
They were acting like children.
They were eager to taunt their opponent butcked the power to do so.
So Jin had to calm them down and guide them in a better direction.
"Touching the enemy''s most critical facilities in such a situation is a shortcut to doom. Also, have we really suffered any losses?"
"I never said we haven''t had losses. How do you know?"
"I received a report from my steward on my way here. The Fourth and Seventh gbearers killed some of them, and our side only suffered minor injuries. Moreover, a moment ago, one of the elders mentioned that there could only have been civilian casualties. Doesn''t that mean there were no civilian casualties?"
Jorden was momentarily speechless.
He knew Jin''s words were correct, but he didn''t want to hear anything from that wretch.
"Therefore, we should view their recent attack as a great victory for our side. We haven''t suffered any losses, but Zipple has lost some of its undisclosed elite magicians."
ng!
Jorden gritted his teeth so hard it seemed like he was going to chew Jin up.
"What do you suggest then? Are you trying to say that no matter what happens on the surface, as long as we get a great victory?"
The reason Jorden was so furious was none other than this.
The decision to attack Zipple''s magical product production facilities was aimed at helping Jin, whose wings Jorden always wanted to clip.
Despite knowing this, Jorden had reluctantly given in to anger, but now it seemed that Jorden was about to explode.
"Moreover, they''re not fools. To go to total war just because we destroyed some facilities, even when other factions are watching for an opportunity."
"As you said, the likelihood of Zipple starting a total war is slim. But there''s always a possibility, and most importantly... it means there are more efficient forms of retaliation avable in the current situation."
"More efficient retaliation?"
Jorden narrowed his eyes.
"It''s about turning public opinion against Zipple."
"Hah! Is that what you''re trying to say after all this? The best you cane up with is waging a war of public opinion? They invaded our territory, and you''re talking about waving a pen and ying word games...!"
It was the reaction Jin expected.
"Please, calm down and listen, Elder President. You''re angry because you have to fight for me, someone you despise. But in the end, you''lle to understand that my n is the best."
Jin spoke as Jorden looked at him in silence.
"You should know well how much influence Zipple''s magical products have in the world. We''ve also been suffering due to the recent absence of their magical products, causing inconvenience to civilians."
After the Holy Kingdom Incident, Zipplepletely cut off the supply of magical products to the Huphester Alliance.
Although they imported everyday magical products through the ck market and smuggling, the supply was insufficientpared to before.
"In a situation like this, hitting Zipple''s production facilities means abandoning public opinion. Although our n has never cared about such things, now it''s necessary. Recently, there''s a trend where the title of the world''s greatest viin is shifting from Runcandel to Zipple."
After the Holy Kingdom Incident, Zipple''s image deteriorated day by day.
"The ''benevolent Zipple'' has be a thing of the past."
On the other hand, Runcandel was showing significant positive changes.
The image of "respected Runcandel" was maintained, but now it was also perceived as the only major faction that didn''t experiment on humans or recklessly interfere with neutral countries like the Holy Kingdom.
All of this was undoubtedly thanks to Jin''s efforts.
"We need to continue influencing this trend. The virtuous beastmen who manufacture cosmetics, Zipple, who attempted to massacre them without warning, and Runcandel''s magnificent appearance. Doesn''t everything fit together perfectly?"
"Forming public opinion, and what does that mean in terms of retaliation against Zipple?"
"If a positive public opinion about Runcandel forms, that will naturally lead to greater awareness of my cosmetics. That, in turn, will trante into increased sales, and as my business grows, Zipple will appear more foolish."
The reason Zipple attacked the small beastmen in the first ce was that the cosmetics business belonged to "Jin Runcandel."
It was retaliation against the cartels that boldly advertised themselves in Zipple''s territory, the Lutero Magical Federation.
But even after deploying the Specters, they hadn''t managed to crush the business of a simple Twelfth gbearer.
That, in itself, was humiliating for Zipple.
"Like what the Fourth and Seventh gbearers did recently. From now on, please protect my business. And I request n-level support."
"It''s bing increasingly absurd."
"Protecting my business at the n level will be a clear message of Runcandel''s contempt for Zipple. And during this process, there will naturally be small battles. There will be no problem in killing Zipple at that time."
Jin smiled slightly as he looked at Tellot.
Tellot had promised to advance Jin, but for some reason, he had remained silent.
''Why is Lord Tellot keeping quiet? He should intervene moderately, and then the Elder President would have no choice but to back down a bit.''
However, Jin soon understood the reason.
"Do as he says."
A sharp and dignified voice affirmed Jin''s opinion.
It was Rosa Runcandel, the ck Panther and Jin''s mother.
When Rosa spoke, the chaotic atmosphere in the meeting room instantly calmed.
"We will protect your business. It seems you are right; taking more precautions would be best. However, from today, the n will take 20% of your business''s profits."
Upon hearing Rosa''s words, a faint smile appeared on Tellot''s lips.
-No deception, if you faithfully dedicate 20% of the profits every month, I will do my best to support your business. And it may not be impossible topletely eliminate the current suspended disciplinary measure.
The 20% mentioned by Rosa had already been decided when Jin had the first conversation with Tellot.
As soon as Tellot heard the rumor that the Specters had attacked the small beastmen, he went directly to Rosa and concluded the conversation in which she would ask Jin for the 20%.
"Furthermore, I willpletely eliminate the current suspended disciplinary measure against you. Remember, it''s not because of your achievements, but because of the situation."
There are no undeserved favors.
''Especially when ites to a rtionship like this with my mother, there is never an undeserved favor. She must be trying to make me owe her something.''
Jin had a hunch that Rosa wanted something from him.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 341: Debt, Debts, and More Debts (8)
C341 - Debt, Debts, and More Debts (8)
The expressions on the faces of the elders, who had been looking at Jin as if they were about to chew him up and spit him out, became emotionless.
Although everyone seemed displeased, no one dared to oppose Rosa''s decision.
Not even the Elder President, Jorden, could voice any objection.
In Runcandel, the patriarch''s orders were absolute.
Even if it was an "acting" patriarch, it made no difference.
Throughout history, the patriarch had rarely forgiven those who opposed his judgment, whether it was a minor or major matter.
"Yes, Mother. I''ll keep that in mind."
Jin looked calmly at Rosa.
From her serene expression as she sat in the conference room''s main seat, it was difficult to read any emotion.
''Sometimes I feel like my mother is even harder to deal with than my father...''
Since his regression, Jin strangely found it not that difficult to deal with Cyron.
It was strange to think that his father, who was like a monstrous figure Jin didn''t dare to even look in the eyes or utter a word to in his previous life, had be easier to handle.
In contrast, facing Rosa was always a challenge.
Jin didn''t have many memories of Rosa or Cyron before his regression.
Both Rosa and Cyron. At some point, they treated Jin as if he didn''t exist.
Not just words and looks filled with deep affection, but also scoldings, teasing, disdainful nces, harsh words, and violence disguised as discipline...
He had never experienced any of that.
At least not from the age where he begins to have "clear memories."
Only an infinitely indifferent and cold gaze, as if they were looking at aplete stranger passing by on the street.
That was all Jin received from his parents in his previous life.
Rosa did show some emotions, like cutting offmunication and secluding herself for two days when "trash Jin Runcandel" was exiled.
Was it all a fa?ade?
Or was it an act to ease her own guilt?
''Neither of those things really matters, but looking at her now, it''s hard to imagine.''
What does Mother want?
''Information about my Master? Partial ownership of the business? Surely she wouldn''t expect me to step aside from the patriarchal race at this point.''
Since Rosa had already revealed her cards about the five eastern regions, and Jin wasn''t backing down, they were destined to fight until one side was destroyed.
As Jin contemted, Rosa left the room without saying anything more.
She had provided the big picture, and the rest was up to Jin to decide.
Phew~
Jorden let out a sigh.
"It seems like luck always follows you, Twelfth gbearer."
"Please take care of me from now on, Elder President. The ck Sword Association will have many tasks to undertake for my sake."
"I''ll be watching to see how long your luck will protect you."
"Of course, I''ll make sure you don''t feel too resentful about helping. I hope you won''t think ill of me."
Although Jin politely bowed his head, there was no one who truly thought he was sincere.
Jorden left the conference room without further argument with Jin, knowing he would only end up making a fool of himself.
Most of the siblings watching the scene had be tired of their younger brother once again.
What''s going through the youngest''s head? How can he confront the Elder President like that?
''It''s not just once or twice; now he seems different from us.''
The Tona siblings looked at Jin with a mixture of fear and admiration, as always.
''What is Mother thinking? It seemed like she was trying to rein in Jin, but this seems more like she''s protecting him.''
''She must have a n. She probably discussed something with Joshua, the eldest brother.''
Myu and Anne felt anger and defeat once again.
The fact that they couldn''t kill the youngest when they had the chance haunted them.
Jin clearly understood their feelings. The feelings of his sisters who regretted not being able to kill him when they could have, due to the taboo of harming family members.
''Since Joshua desires my contract, whatever you did, you couldn''t have killed me. The same will happen in the future.''
Jin smiled at Myu and Anne.
Seeing they had nothing more to add to the meeting, the sisters soon left the conference room.
Luntia, as always, yawned with a seemingly bored expression, while Ran and Vigo appeared upset.
The two hoped that The Youngest wouldn''t cause any more major disturbances in the n.
"Well then, I bid farewell."
As determined, Jin opened his mouth as he looked around at the people in the conference room.
As he exited and walked through the courtyard of the Garden of Swords, Jin unexpectedly ran into Rosa, who had been receiving a report from the butler, Heinz.
Her expression looked serious, indicating that the report might be rted to the ck Sea.
Heinz.
He was Cyron''s man.
Jin had the intuition that the report he was giving to Rosa had something to do with the ck Knights and their news.
''News about Father, the Elder Sister, and the ck Knights.''
Jin was bothered by Rosa''s somber expression.
She hadn''t shown any emotion even when she helped Jin in the conference room.
As Jin casually approached (in the direction of his room), Heinz closed his mouth.
"What''s going on? Is the meeting over?"
"I was just passing by here. Since Elder President Jorden left the room, I had nothing to say, so I left, Mother."
"I see."
"Is it news about the ck Sea?"
"You don''t need to know."
"I''m an Abanderado too."
"Not just you, but any other Abanderado. Being an Abanderado doesn''t give you the right to know everything about n matters."
Jin didn''t expect Rosa to respond.
Anyway, he could learn all about ck Sea affairster through Luna.
Jin and Rosa silently stared at each other for a few seconds.
"Jin."
"Yes, Mother."
"Do you have something to tell me?"
Jin nodded.
"What is it you want?"
"What?"
"Since you just lifted my punishment and ordered to protect my business."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"I think you gave that order because you want something from me."
In Jin''s opinion.
Rosa could have used other means to protect the cosmetics business, excluding Jin''s benefits. But she didn''t.
Rosa''s eyes widened.
"Haha."
Rosaughed and shook her head. At that moment, Jin was left speechless.
"If there''s something I want, would you be willing to grant it?"
"I''ve never neglected my debts."
"Debts... Those things are only allowed when the rtionship is equal. I don''t think it applies to you and me."
"You''re right."
"I haven''t made that judgment because I want something from you. So don''t worry and go on your way."
"I understand."
When Jin bowed and was about to pass by, Rosa turned to him.
"The Youngest."
"Yes?"
"What I want is Runcandel''s survival and prosperity."
Withposed yet sincere voice.
"That''s what I want too."
Hearing that, Rosa smiled faintly.
"No, it might be slightly different."
Jin nodded again and continued walking.
Before heading to his room, Jin first went to the infirmary where Mary and Dyfus were.
ording to the butler Petro''s words, the two had suffered minor injuries...
''No, are they considered minor injuries?''
It seemed Petro had misheard or Mary and Dyfus were bragging.
Both were covered in bandages and had limbs wrapped.
"So, when the Elder Brother was here, would you have gone like this? Huh? And created an opening, and then quickly taken care of those bastards. Then it would have all been over in a jiffy, right?"
"I had bought enough time."
"Ah, you should have done better. I mean, I was invincible back then, right? I would have bought double. Every time I see you, Elder Brother, you seem strong but not so good at fighting. What''s fighting? It''s about using your head, using your head."
"Yeah, you''re great. You''re as stubborn as ever. That''s why you could stand firm in front of them."
"Then, if it were me, I would have stood firm double... Oh, oh, has The Youngest arrived?"
They chatted merrily even while lying in hospital beds.
Seeing the state they were in, Jin felt a bit guilty foring empty-handed. He thought he should have brought some fruit or something.
"Are you both okay?"
"As you can see, we''re perfectly fine."
Mary smiled.
"It seems you''ve suffered quite a bit."
"It''s just an act."
"Were the Specters really that strong? To the point where they''d injure both of you like this?"
It didn''t make sense. If it were just the two of them, it might be understandable, but there were over fifty Guardian Knights at the level of Executioner Knights with them. Even if the Specters were formidable, they should have been overwhelmingly outnumbered and defeated.
"Well, we kind of overdid it, thinking the Guardian Knights might die for nothing while trying to catch those Magicians. Besides, after using my Final Move, my body goes berserk."
A variation of the Volcano move.
Jin recalled the image of Mary activating that technique and nodded.
As it was a self-destructive technique that explosively released Aura, it seemed to subject the body to considerable strain.
"Hehe, you know, Younger Brother, someday if you defeat me and make a wish. If you''re good with words, I might teach you a thing or two."
"Alright, please recover quickly."
"Tsk, you''re no fun at all. Don''t worry about your sister and brother''s bodies, think about how you''re going to take care of your friends in the future."
The term "friends" referred to the small beastmen.
"For now, they''re in the safehouse the Guardian Knights sent them to. The conclusion of the meeting was to protect their businesses, but it would still be better to handle them directly," Diphus said.
"That''s what I had in mind."
Receiving support from the n was good, but he couldn''t hand over everything.
It was evident.
After all, he had to stay in control.
The tasks of the ck Sword Association or the Guardian Knights were only to prevent thepany from being attacked, but they weren''t the ones in control.
"Do you have a n in mind?"
"Yes."
"I''ll let them know the location of my safehouse. Take them there yourself."
Dyfus didn''t ask Jin about the specific n he had in mind. He decided not to interfere in that aspect either.
''...I''ll probably end up relying on the Hidden Pce again.''
Jin nned to send the small beastmen to the Hidden Pce. Since the barrier of the Cat Tribe had disappeared, there was no safer ce for them than the Hidden Pce.
"I should look for the Cat Tribe too."
For now, he could only hope that not all the small beastmen had been killed by the Specters.
Before leaving the infirmary, Jin turned to his siblings.
"What?"
"Just... to say thank you."
As Jin left, Mary and Dyfus blinked at each other.
"Haha, something''s up... He said goodbye to us properly. Didn''t he, oraboni?"
Dyfus shrugged.
The two watched where The Youngest had gone for a while, then started talking about the fight with the Specters and whose fault it was... again...
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 342
C342 - Bted Greetings
Shock!
The Luther Magical Federation attacks the Peng n.
In the process, Zipple''s magicians directly attacked the Hufester Alliance.
The First Leader of the Peng n, Mr. Peng says, "We express our gratitude to Runcandel, who saved us..."
The whereabouts of the Peng n''s executives and employees are unknown.
It is spected that they are under Runcandel''s protection.
Runcandel has decided to support the "Peng n" from now on.
Has there been a change in the Sword Masters'' n?
If so, the cause is presumed to be the new supernova, Jin Runcandel...
June 10, 1799.
Led by Dino Zan, Hufester''s newspapers were filled with articles about Zipple''s recent attack.
The moderately toned articles mostly praised Jin, and the stern-toned ones condemned Zipple.
While Jin skimmed through the articles, he thought, as always, that Dino had done a good job. Of course, his face blushed a bit when reading the praise-filled articles.
"Haha, Strawberry Pie. Look at this, a supernova. Haha, supernova! Our boy is now a star, a star. Huh? Yeah, the other day, he was just a Provisional gbearer, unable to use his real name," Murakan mumbled as he waved the newspapers he held in his hand.
Gilly smiled happily as she ced the strawberry pie on a te.
Slurp! Cough! Cough!
While lying down and eating the strawberry pie, Murakan choked on something and started coughing, and Gilly hurried to get water.
But he was acting.
He was acting in anticipation of Gillying to support him and give him water.
Why does Gilly fall for that every time...?
Is she ying along?
At this point, Jin couldn''t figure it out and just let them be.
"Oh, I''ll survive. Thanks again, Strawberry Pie. I''m lucky to have you."
Jin felt his ears tickling, and it would be hard for him to keep listening.
"Hey, Murakan."
"Yes, Almighty Supernova. Did you call me?"
"Do you remember Leuth Damiro Yul, the Fairy who worked for the ancient Runcandels?"
"Is that so?"
From the recording device of the Third Tomb, Jin saw Leuth from a thousand years ago.
Jin asked Murakan several times after his return if he recognized Leuth, but he seemedpletely clueless.
And Jin himself didn''t remember meeting Leuth in person.
-...And me and the Patriarch, the Ten Great Knights, haven''t forgotten that the Fairies fought alongside Runcandel, have we? Solderet and Lord Murakan and Lady Misha haven''t forgotten either.
Jin felt bitterness thinking about Leuth''s words on the recording device.
"Doesn''t anythinge to mind?"
"The Fairies had already gone extinct back then. At least ording to my memory."
Murakan rubbed his forehead and stood up.
"But there shouldn''t be any incorrect information recorded in Solderet''s device. I vaguely remember the Fairy named Leuth from a thousand years ago, but not anymore. Either my memories were affected while I slept, or Zipple''s maniption of history ended up affecting me."
As Murakan touched his forehead, Gilly put her hand on his shoulder.
Gilly was someone who could see deep inside Murakan, a darkness he himself wasn''t fully aware of.
Every time Murakan realized his memories from that time were bing vague or disappearing, he suffered a significant emotional shock.
His mind was wearing thin without him realizing it.
-We need a way to leave records that those bastards can''t tamper with.
Jin remembered what Sarah had said on the recording device.
An absolute record, the Magic of Histor.
As Jin pondered on it, he remembered that not long ago he had sent a letter to his Master.
"It''s about time for a response to arrive."
It seemed he would have to visit Tikan after stopping by the Hidden Pce.
"Where are you going again?"
"I have to take the little beastmen to the Hidden Pce from the older brother Dyfus'' safehouse."
"Wow, you''ve got thick skin, kid. Did the Mistress of the Hidden Pce do something to you in your past life? What will you do if she doesn''t ept you?"
"I still have about 30% of what I originally should have offered to my n. I''ll try to negotiate with her for at least 10% of that."
---------------
More than a hundred little beastmen were being protected in Dyfus'' safehouse without anyone missing.
Jin headed directly to the Hidden Pce with them.
It took about three days of travel through teleport gates and ships, but Jin asked his n not to give him any missions until his business was settled.
When the ship arrived at Manji Ind, Lucas Manfran, an agent of the Seven-Colored Peacocks and also a direct line to Tris, weed the group.
"Sir Jin, if you had contacted me, I would have informed Madame Tris in advance."
"Lucas, long time no see. I hope you''ve been well."
"Yes, thanks to you, I''ve been doing fine. But seriously, your face says it all. You look extremely tired. Are you okay?"
"Yes, thank you for your concern."
Lucas winked at the little beastman who was behind Jin.
"I''ll inform Madame Tris immediately."
Bang! Bang!
When Lucas fired a signal re, the figure of a giant toad, Mort, suddenly appeared in the sky.
"Ah, ah, a toad!"
"How scary, a toad!"
"Aah! Jin, what is this! A toad!"
The little beastmen instinctively found the giant toad very frightening.
Intentionally or not, Mort opened its mouth wide and began swallowing some of the little beastmen.
To the little beastmen, it seemed like the predatory creature was about to eat them, which caused them to panic.
"I should have exined it to them beforehand."
But there was no time for that.
Mort used five space jumps to transport Jin and the little beastmen to the Hidden Pce.
"Did we survive?"
"Haha! I thought we were dead!"
"Silence."
As soon as they arrived, someone spoke with a chilling voice.
Tris Endorma, the Abyssal Spider.
The little beastmen immediately knelt and lowered their heads, an instinctual response.
It had been almost two years since Jinst saw her.
She often referred to Jin as "my son-inw," but today her gaze toward him was far from pleasant.
"Madame Tris, please ept my bted visit..."
"Hmph, enough already. Shut up for a moment, unfilial son-inw. I wondered if you lost a leg or something. How could youe now?"
Although Jin could have thick skin when necessary, right now he felt a sharp pain and a lump in his throat.
After bing a gbearer, he should have visited the Hidden Pce at least once to pay his respects to Tris.
"I even fought with dozens of Specters because of this son-inw. The Hidden Pce even officially announced that we were defeated in the Battle of the Western Sea... Ohoho, quite turbulent days indeed."
Every word felt like a whip on his conscience.
"Do you have anything to say?"
"Nothing."
"Fine, fine. Nothing to say. Haha, true. It even looks like you''vee to ask me for something. And who are these balls of fur?"
"...They are my business partners whom I brought to request protection from the Hidden Pce."
How could he be so shameless?
Although Tris found the fact very distasteful, she couldn''tpletely hate him either.
There was a part of her that felt a slight familiarity in Jin, as if he resembled a younger version of her friend, Cyron Runcandel.
Young Cyron used to exhibit the same shameless behavior whenever he wanted to ask Tris for something.
But why did I always end up helping them in crucial moments?
Tris chuckled to herself when this thought crossed her mind.
"I should havee to see you earlier. I dyed expressing my gratitude until things were somewhat stable."
Click...
Jin pulled something from his embrace and opened it. Inside was a gleaming ancient iron.
An enigmatic mineral, the reward for the mission to kill the ck Knight. Jin brought it as a token of sincerity to Tris.
In reality, this amount of ancient iron would have been more than enoughpensation for all the favors Tris had done for him.
The value of ancient iron was beyond imagination, as it was an item that Runcandel''s ck Knights, Zipple''s Kozecs, and the Twilight Mages (White Night Mages) were all trying to gain.
However, that was just a general rule.
For Tris and her daughter, who possessed "Myriad Ice," ancient iron held no special value.
"Ancient iron is no different from worthless scrap to me."
But then, in the next moment.
Tris couldn''t help but let out a small, unexpectedugh.
''There''s such a cute side to him, unlike Cyron.''
It was because she saw that under the ancient iron were hundreds of stacked letters.
Throughout the entire journey to the Hidden Pce, Jin had been writing apology letters to Tris, without taking a single break.
Inside the letters were not just simple apologies but also a list of most of the incidents Jin had experienced.
This indicated that Jin trusted Tris, as he even wrote about the history of the "Temar Tombs," which he had not yet told Cyron about.
The reason Lucas had asked for a "tired face" upon seeing Jin''s countenance was precisely this.
Tris had been reading the letters for a while now, and her expression softened slightly.
She was conflicted.
Should she forgive Jin and ept him again as a son-inw, or should she keep him as someone else''s son-inw?
"Mort, go and fetch my daughter."
Boong!
Mort quickly brought Siris back to the Hidden Pce.
"Mother, you summoned me... Jin Runcandel?"
It had been a long time since shest saw him. Her gaze toward Jin wasn''t as unpleasant as Tris'', but there was a difference.
She seemed somewhat dazed, unable to fully collect her thoughts, as she looked at the little beastmen Jin had brought.
In most situations, she tended to be cold and devoid of emotions, but when it came to furry animals, she disyed an extraordinarily tender side.
That''s why she was so surprised when she found out that the Butterfly from the Runcandel banquet was actually Murakan.
"Listen, daughter. Do you know what this unfilial son-inw is saying? Not only has hee to greet me sote, but he even..."
Shriek!
Siris drew her sword from her waist.
Not a single day had passed without her thinking about Jin since he left as a Provisional gbearer to Lafrarosa.
Of course, it wasn''t romantic affection but rather the desire to challenge him once more.
"I want to experience the strength of Jin Runcandel, the Twelfth gbearer. Draw your sword, Jin."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 343
C343 - Record (1)
Siris''s eyes emitted a cold and sharp light. From her sword flowed a blue and vigorous energy that, at first nce, showcased her remarkable growth.
The unique coldness of the Endorma bloodline had long been recognized as a mysterious and powerful force.
This power allowed them to maintain their independence, even with only a tiny territory like the Hidden Pce.
"It''s not even Full Ice, yet her sword skills are at this level."
A tingling sensation made Jin''s forehead prickle. Without a doubt, Siris was considered one of the strongest among her peers and might even be stronger than Dante.
But could she measure up to the current Jin?
It was a question that didn''t require contemtion.
She was undoubtedly formidable, but she was nowhere near Jin''s level.
Young powerhouses like Siris, Dante, and Veradin were no longer rivals for Jin.
It wasn''t even necessary to mention that Jin was the strongest among them all.
Jin was alreadypeting with powers that had made a name for themselves in the outside world.
Although not many were aware of it, the knowledgeable ones recognized it.
Jin and Siris stood silent for a while, facing each other.
The little beastmen trembled, heads bowed in fear, while Tris smiled, seemingly intrigued.
"It wouldn''t be good if I defeated Lady Siris here."
Jin was here to make a difficult request, despite his reluctance. Although it was Siris who first offered to have a match, defeating her would be a heavy task.
On the other hand, losing was not something his pride would easily allow.
It wasn''t as if he wanted to spar with her after not seeing her for almost two years.
Truth be told, Jin was genuinely happy to see her again.
Jin wanted to catch up, exchange greetings, and resolve their misunderstandings from the past.
As Jin contemted whether to draw his sword or not, Siris unexpectedly burst intoughter.
Pfff.
"Heh, you even know how to make that expression. I''ve always seen you with a stone face or acting indifferent, so this is quite refreshing."
Siris sheathed her sword, and Tris chuckled gracefully. The energy released by herughter made the ground tremble as if an earthquake had urred.
"Are you kidding?"
"For now, I know it''s pointless to test our skills against each other. Sometimes, certain things are clear even without confirmation."
Siris had already acknowledged Jin''s superiority two years ago when they participated in the mission.
-When I found out you were joining the operation, Lady Siris, I was really surprised.
-I''m more surprised that you alone turned the second floor upside down. You''ve be a monster, Jin Runcandel.
A conversation between Siris and Jin during the Compass Interception Operation.
Siris wasn''t one to act mean-spirited in the face of objective facts. She wasn''t ashamed of not being stronger than Jin either.
However, her desire to test her skills was genuine, even though she could do it anytime, even after inheriting Full Ice.
It was both her sincere wish to see Jin after such a long time and her mischievous nature that led her to y a little prank on him.
"It''s been a long time, Jin."
Siris extended her hand for a handshake, and Jin responded with a smile, shaking her hand.
"I''m sorry I didn''te earlier."
"You say you couldn''te earlier. If you had, you would have incurred an additional offense. I can say it even without seeing it; my mother would have been furious."
"Your mother would have been furious with someone else''s son-inw. Hmm. Still, he wrote hundreds of letters, so my heart must have softened a bit, daughter."
"Hundreds of letters?"
"Yes, look at this. Isn''t it cute?"
As Siris examined the letters, her eyes narrowed.
"Are they for me?"
"Yes?"
"Does my mother have eyes and I don''t?"
Jin raised the corner of his lips.
Then he took another case out of his pocket and handed it to Siris. Inside were about ten letters.
Seeing that, Siris couldn''t help but let out anotherugh.
"I was joking this time too; I never thought it would be real."
"I''ve written the most in my life these days."
"Hmm, it seems I''ve seen a pleasant joke after a long time."
Tris nodded as if that was enough.
"Well, you''ve shown some effort, so I''ll forgive you. So, this time, have youe to entrust us with these furballs?"
Upon hearing that, Peng, who read the atmosphere, quickly stood up and assumed a formal posture.
"Greetings! Great and Almighty 51st Mistress of the Hidden Pce, Tris Endorma! I am Peng, the First Leader of the Golden Peng."
Then Suny, Dori, and Song all stood up together, nodding their heads.
"I''m Suny, the Second Leader! If you save us, we''ll serve you as benefactors for life."
"I''m Dori, the Third Leader! We''ll infuse vitality into the Hidden Pce!"
"I''m Song, the Fourth Leader! We''ll make you happy."
Darkme, who got upte, also spoke up.
"Dark, me. Representative of the Watertail Tribe. Calm, and, kind. We. Catch, fish, well."
"Hey! How can you talk informally like that?"
"Human,nguage, honorifics. Don''t know. All."
Tris didn''t seem moved by their appearance, but Siris looked at the little beastmen with almost hypnotized eyes.
"I''ve more or less heard about the situation. These little ones got in trouble for making cosmetic ads and ended up being chased by Zipple. Is that true?"
"Correct."
"Now that you have a reason, Runcandel would protect the business, so why did youe to our Hidden Pce?"
Having lived as the Mistress of the Hidden Pce for a long time, Tris quickly understood the situation without needing a detailed exnation.
"It''s because I trust the Hidden Pce more than my n."
"Approved. Well then, what benefit do we get from this?"
"I will share a portion of the profits from the cosmetics business..."
"No, no. I also have plenty of money. I have more than enough, and there''s plenty of food for this smallnd."
"There''s a saying that goes, the more money, the better."
"So, you''re willing to hand over a portion of the profits. However, that alone is not enough; I hope you''ve brought something more intriguing."
For a few seconds, Jin contemted Tris''s intentions. He noticed that she was still fixated on the letter, and he knew she wouldn''t keep reading it continuously just because she found it entertaining.
''She must be focused on the special content of the letter.''
The description of the Tomb of Temar. That''s what he included in the letter. While exining about the Tomb of Temar, Jin naturally included details about Zipple''s maniption of history.
"I will share all the information I find about Zipple with the Hidden Pce in the future."
"That''s a satisfactory answer. Well, with those conditions, I can y babysitter."
Feeling relieved atst, Jin inwardly sighed with relief.
He had been worried the whole time. Even if he received the letters or the ancient iron, Tris was in a position to coldly dismiss Jin or even drive him away.
Although she had attacked him because he was "unpleasant," Jin wouldn''t have words to refute it.
Nevertheless, Tris, as always, decided to help Jin.
Although she paid him somepensation, Jin felt like she didn''t really give him anything in return.
''Anyway, sharing the profits of the business is something that should be done, and I should have also shared information about Zipple.''
To fight against Zipple, an alliance like the Hidden Pce was absolutely necessary.
The more Jin learned about them, the more he believed he couldn''t defeat them with just Runcandel.
"Although Zipple may not go to the extreme ofpletely manipting history like a thousand years ago right now, there is a possibility that something is unknown. The maniption of history is still happening, and even I might know the wrong history."
Since witnessing the maniption of history within the recording device, it had been hard for him to dismiss such thoughts.
Knowing that he could remember a falsehood as truth was one thing, but not being able to fullyprehend it was undoubtedly detrimental to a person''s mental state.
"Today, with a few words, you''ve settled a significant debt, my son-inw."
Tris felt even more affection for Jin than he thought. It wasn''t just because she saw him as her son-inw but also because he was as irascible and entric as her friend. Especially considering he was the son of Cyron, whom she had acknowledged several years ago.
Although Siris murmured for her to stop calling Jin her son-inw, Trispletely ignored thatment.
"Now, only my daughter and my son-inw are left. The rest of you can go; we have something to discuss."
"Yes!"
"Understood."
As the little beastmen quickly left the training ground, Tris''s expression turned serious.
"Jin."
"Yes, Lady Tris."
"Although the Hidden Pce has remained mostly neutral over the ages, it hasn''t always been so. When the first master of the Hidden Pce was chosen by the divine sword ''Full Ice'' and the snow toad ''Mort,'' we made a certain oath."
Fssssss...
The ice crystals on Tris''s hand gathered to form a single sword, Full Ice.
"This sword possesses the absolute power of cold that nothing can break. Even ancient iron would be nothing more than a heavy, clumsy piece of metal in front of Full Ice''s ice. Not even your father could break this sword."
Suddenly, Tris began to talk about Full Ice, intending to exin the "oath" made by the Endorma bloodline.
Boom!
Mort growled below. Then Tris mounted Mort and extended her hand.
Jin and Siris also got on Mort, and before them, a white dimensional gate opened, leading to the "Snow Garden."
Jin was taken aback by the inexplicable snowy gardenndscape. Mort sprinted with all his might.
"Where are we going?"
Just as Jin was about to ask that, the resonating sound of Tris''s Full Ice intensified, emitting a bright light.
The resonating sound grew louder and reached its peak, causing Mort to stop.
As they got off Mort, Jin saw another castle, which looked evenrger than the Hidden Pce itself.
"It''s been a long time since I came here."
The Hidden Pce within the Hidden Pce.
Or the real Hidden Pce.
That''s what those who knew the Hidden Pce''s secret called it.
"It''s been a long time since I brought outsiders here."
As they slowly walked inside, the vast interior seemed deste and pale.
And right in the center, there was a massive ice pir formed by the power of Full Ice.
"Who is that person inside the ice...?
The ice pir seemed to hold a person like a coffin. She was an unfamiliar woman, but Jin felt a sense of familiarity from her silver hair.
"This woman is an ancient magician from Zipple, whom our Hidden Pce has sealed for a thousand years using the power of Full Ice."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 344: Record (2)
C344 - Record (2)
''Come to think of it, she has the characteristic white hair of a pure-blood Zipple.''
In the ice pir, the white-haired woman appeared so young that it was hard to believe she was a Magician from the Zipple n of a thousand years ago.
''She could be in her thirties, perhaps? She looks so young.''
Her long, snowy hair glistened, perhaps frozen in Full Ice''s absolute cold.
Her closed eyes appeared asleep, and it seemed like her bright pupils could open at any moment.
The robe she wore had no visible imperfections, but it seemed to be made of sturdy leather, and the staff she had held firmly until she was captured was an unadorned, ordinary object.
And she had an extraordinarily clear face.
With such a benevolent appearance that she seemed incapable of harming anyone, not even a small insect.
It was hard to believe that someone like her had been part of the forces of evil that once ruled the world a thousand years ago.
It was also hard to understand how she had ended up trapped in this ice pir in such a vivid state.
The woman seemed as if she could break free from the ice pir at any moment and move.
"Is this woman truly an ancient Zipple Magician?"
"Yes. A thousand years ago, the second master sealed this Magician using the power of Full Ice," said Tris as she touched the ice pir.
Jin noticed a wrinkle on her hand that wasn''t there before but didn''t mention it.
"Is it because of the Endorma n''s oath you mentioned earlier?"
"Yes. You should know well. There is no power without a price."
As a Thousand Year Contractor, Jin knew better than anyone the cost and responsibilities that came with gaining a second life and power and potential beyond that of any other genius of his time.
Of course, Tris didn''t know everything about the Thousand Year Contractor.
But she believed that Jin already understood the concept of "responsibility" when she saw him trying to save the native of Col¨®n.
"Our Endorma bloodline also obtained the power of Full Ice. We gained overwhelmingly greater power than any human could possess, but in return, we received the mission to help resolve extraordinary phenomena in the world."
It was the first time Jin had heard this story.
''I always thought the Hidden Pce''s neutrality was simply due to its nature and influence. Are you saying there was such a mission?''
It was a story very few knew.
The promise made by the Endorma bloodline with ''Full Ice,'' no, with the Gods, had a slightly different nature than the typical ''contract'' made by Contractors.
"What kind of extraordinary phenomena are you talking about?"
"When ites to extraordinary phenomena, the cmities brought by Witch Helluram are the most representative. Previous masters of the Hidden Pce worked hard to stop that woman, and so did my mother."
"You''re revealing too much to an outsider, Mother."
"An outsider? Daughter, how can my son-inw be considered an outsider...?"
"Why the hell do you call Jin son-inw..."
"Anyway, most ordinary people don''t know. If my mother hadn''t stopped Helluram, the world''s poption would have been tens of millions, if not billions, less than it is now."
Ignoring Siris, Tris continued speaking.
Siris sighed, and Jin''s eyes widened.
If what she was saying was true, it seemed that the entire world, to some extent, owed a debt to the Hidden Pce.
"Five hundred years ago, the Holy Kingdom Protection War took ce. Even then, the Hidden Pce''s swords infiltrated demon territory and killed high-ranking demons, contributing greatly to humanity''s peace."
Since the first master was chosen by Full Ice, the Hidden Pce had made countless significant contributions to the world''s peace and prosperity over thest thousand years.
Tris herself had sacrificed greatly from her youth to the present to eliminate "extraordinary phenomena" and continued to do so.
"This woman was also one of those extraordinary phenomena, from what I''ve heard."
Jin shifted his gaze to the woman trapped in the ice pir.
"In my experience with numerous lovers, I''ve realized that you can''t judge a person solely by appearances. Sometimes, someone who looks innocent can be a tough and powerful individual, and vice versa. At first nce, this woman might seem incapable of even killing a single ant."
"That''s true."
"Due to foreign invasions, detailed records about her were lost, but even from the records that remain in the Hidden Pce archives, I can tell you that this woman was as wicked as Helluram."
Suddenly, the name of a woman Jin had seen in the third tomb''s recording device came to mind.
-What happened? Did you manage to destroy all the enemy towers?
-No, it wasn''t possible. If I told you there are more magicians like Elona, would you believe it? Silderay. It was terrible; I destroyed about fifty and gave up, and then came back.
-What, really...?
-I tricked you again, Silderay. Haha! I tricked you again. I can''t help but y these kinds of pranks on you so easily.
-What? Are you saying it''s a lie again?
-Yes, that''s right. Who would believe there''s another crazy monster like her in the world, huh? Anyway, you''re so silly and cute.
Elona Zipple.
Even the ten great knights of Runcandel from that time would tremble in fear at the mention of that name, and the joke that there might be another magician like her terrified Silderay.
"Her name is Elona Zipple, a pure-blood Zipple, but she had never been the matriarch. Apart from her name, not a single piece of information is known about her. Strangely, there are no records about her. However, based on the clues left by the second master through Full Ice..."
They say she was a magician capable ofying waste to an entire continent.
Tris continued her exnation as she infused the ice pir with the power of Full Ice.
Suddenly, the pir emitted light, and several ''screens'' appeared around it.
Recording devices? Videos!?
Jin examined the pir in surprise.
Unlike the recording device left by Solderet, the images appearing from the ice pir were not videos but still images like paintings.
Within these images were scenes of Elona Zipple inbat or the aftermath of the battlefields she hadid waste to.
Though they were only still images and not videos, Jin was overwhelmed just by looking at Elona''s appearance.
Elona with her staff raised, ruined mountains, and thousands of humans gathered to confront her...
In the next moment shown in the images, there was no one left alive, only countless drops of blood forming rivers and bones. Elona''s clothes weren''t even slightly damaged.
"Maybe not even the second master could kill this woman. It seems he barely managed to seal her using the power of Full Ice."
"So, is this Elona Zipple still alive?"
"Some records were lost, but there has never been any record of her being killed. It is said her time is frozen."
Suddenly, a chill ran down Jin''s spine, and goosebumps appeared on his back and waist.
''What a monster... She has been sealed for a thousand years, but she''s still alive.''
Even now, they couldn''t kill her.
If it were possible, the masters of the previous generation of the Hidden Pce, including Tris, wouldn''t have left Elona unattended. And there was a part that was hard to ept.
''Why are there so few records of such a caliber magician? Even in other historical texts, her name is likely to be absent, and only traces remain in the Hidden Pce records.''
From the expressions of the ten great knights in the recording device and the traces left by the second master of the Hidden Pce while sealing Elona, it was beyond doubt that Elona Zipple was the strongest magician in Zipple''s history. Even if she wasn''t, her name should have been mentioned whenever the subject of the strongest magicians was brought up.
However, Jin had never heard the name Elona even when he was deeply immersed in the study of magic in his past life.
When people talked about the strongest magicians in history, the name Riol Zipple was mentioned, not Elona''s.
In a way, she was a forgotten person, like Tzenmi or the countless people erased by Zipple.
"Was it Zipple who erased her?"
The first thought that came to mind was, of course, Zipple''s maniption of history.
But why? Elona Zipple was Zipple''s greatest force at that time. Expressions like ''on par with the patriarch'' and ''half of Zipple''s entire power'' found in Solderet''s recording device proved that.
''Was it necessary to erase the traces of the cmities caused by Elona Zipple? Or was her power too overwhelming and uncontroble? Seeing that she attempted to manipte Temar''s history, it doesn''t seem to be the case.''
Or perhaps something went wrong, and Zipple himself suffered significant damage when defeating the Runcandel at that time.
Amidst all sorts of spections, Tris spoke.
"For a thousand years, the Hidden Pce has been hiding this woman from Zipple."
Tris had just revealed one of the Hidden Pce''s greatest secrets to Jin.
The reason they concealed Elona''s existence from Zipple was no other than this.
"If they find out, it means this woman could be active again."
"A future I don''t want to imagine. If a monster like her is added to Zipple, which is already dominant, the bnce will cease to exist."
Indeed, that was the case.
Runcandel, despite having the Genesis Knight (Divine Star Knight), Cyron, couldn''t surpass Zipple. Other forces like Vermont, Kinzelo, and the Hidden Pce would naturally be absorbed or face destruction if the bnce between them copsed.
Of course, Elona might no longer fight for Zipple''s cause. But that was an illusion, and an extremely unlikely scenario.
"I revealed the Hidden Pce''s secret to you because you''re investigating the tombs of Runcandel''s first patriarch and glimpsing into the past."
Tris believed that Jin might find clues that could "kill" Elona during that process.
It was also possible to find ways to restrain Zipple''s extraordinary phenomenon by manipting history.
Furthermore, Tris was anxious.
Jin could sense that emotion in her.
"Lately, the Full Ice seal has been weakening."
Upon hearing that, Jin looked at Tris''s palm again.
It had wrinkles it didn''t have before. Given her age, having wrinkles was natural, but like many warriors who gained enlightenment, she had been significantly suppressing aging until now.
Moreover, the Endorma bloodline was especially immune to the effects of aging due to the power of Full Ice.
The appearance of wrinkles on her palm indicated that the power of Full Ice, which was suppressing Elona, was reaching its limits.
For her, maintaining her body at its peak had be an increasingly challenging task.
"So, how much time do we have left...?"
At the moment Jin said that.
Crack...!
A crack appeared in the middle of the ice pir.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 345: Record (3)
C345 - Record (3)
''Incredible! Could it be happening right now?''
Jin and Siris instinctively reached for the swords at their waists.
On the other hand, Tris shrugged as if it were something that had already happened before, a bitter smile forming on her lips.
"...A human sealed a thousand years ago has surpassed the power of Full Ice and mine. It''s not surprising. There was even a time when the seal broke more than halfway."
Despite the crack, Elona, inside the ice pir, remained motionless with her eyes closed.
Tris reached her hand towards the crack, and the power of Full Ice flowed into it, repairing the fracture. Slowly, the ice pir returned to its original state.
Even just restoring the crack seemed to have exhausted Tris, who showed an expression of extreme fatigue.
"Mother, are you alright?"
"I''m fine. Hmph, maybe I worried my son-inw for nothing. Haha."
Siris continued to worry about her mother, not even bothering with the continuous jokes about my son-inw.
"It seems this woman is tired of sitting in the same ce for a thousand years."
"...Does my father also know about the existence of Elona Zipple?"
"Yes, he does. In our youth, when I didn''t know much about our circumstances, he used to make a fuss to wake her up and try to fight with her."
"My father?"
When Jin asked with wide-open eyes, Tris smiled with satisfaction.
"Back then, Cyron just hoped for a worthy opponent toe forth and calm him. The fact that awakening that woman could cause a great disturbance in the world didn''t matter at all to your father, who lived the life of a Warrior."
Tris became friends with Cyron during that time. They shed swords numerous times in the Hidden Pce, but at some point, they came to understand each other.
"Of course, now your father has regained his sanity and is responsible for the power he possesses."
"Is that responsibility rted to the ck Sea?"
"Ask Cyron that directly. If you still don''t know anything about Cyron''s affairs, it''s because that''s how he wants it."
"Understood."
"Jin."
"Yes, Madame Tris."
"From today, you will also join the task of protecting this seal."
Upon hearing Tris''s words, Siris looked at her mother in disbelief.
"Mother? Jin is an outsider... No, you can''t be serious. Are you really considering him as your son-inw?"
"What if I am?"
"You should say something that makes sense...!"
"Hmph, no matter how much I tease my daughter, I never get tired of it. It''s just a joke. I just think Jin''s skills will be of great help in maintaining this seal. It hase to a point where I can''t handle it alone anymore. I can''t pass Full Ice to you yet."
For Siris, it was an unimaginable situation. The fact that her mother could trust Jin for something. She felt frustrated that she couldn''t be a support to her mother, but she had no choice. If that was her decision, she had to ept it.
After gathering her thoughts, Siris reached out her hand to Jin. Jin hesitated for a moment before shaking it.
"I want you to know that this is not an alliance between the Hidden Pce and Runcandel, but between the Hidden Pce and Jin Runcandel."
"I prefer it that way too."
In reality, Siris didn''t mind being close to Jin.
As the daughter of the Mistress of the Hidden Pce, she wasn''t familiar with the concept of "friends." Jin was the only person close to her age whom she considered a friend.
''At first, it annoyed me when he tricked me. But he''s not a bad guy, all things considered.''
Apart from their first encounter, Siris had a favorable impression of Jin since then. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have joined the mission to steal thepass.
"Oh, how good you two look together. How about I leave you alone for a while, daughter?"
"It''s not necessary, Mother."
"Alright then. Goodbye, my daughter."
Vooom!
Mort opened a white dimensional door.
Tris left the two, or rather, the three - Siris, Jin, and Elona in the ice pir - behind and rode with Mort back to the outside of the Hidden Pce. They could only watch in puzzlement as Tris departed through the ce she had left them alone.
In an instant, an ufortable tension filled the air between the two.
"...If you could understand that my mother is a bit peculiar, Jin, I would appreciate it."
"Of course. Compared to my father, she seems to be on the more ordinary side."
After a brief exchange, silence fell once again.
''Awkward.''
''Indeed.''
A few secondster, they both spoke at the same time.
"Um..."
"Lady Siris, go ahead."
Jin gently addressed her since he didn''t really have anything to say.
"I was wondering..."
"Yes?"
"Do those guys also transform?"
"Transform? Who are you talking about?"
"The little beast-men you brought. Do they transform into creepy humans like Butterfly Runc... I mean, like your ck Dragon?"
Jin was about to burst outughing but managed to contain it as it would have embarrassed Siris.
"No, those friends are not dragons; they are true beast-men. Dragons are the only ones who can transform."
"That''s a relief."
"If they were all dragons, it would have been quite intimidating."
"I still get goosebumps sometimes when I think that the cute cat I saw at the banquet is that ck dragon. You know how much I pampered that cat in the banquet hall."
"Haha..."
Even thinking about it again, Siris squinted her eyes in disbelief.
"He stayed by my side throughout the entire party. Even when I went to watch your duel with Bouvard, he was curled up in my arms."
"Oh! I think attending this banquet was actually a good decision. I never expected to get so close to the sessor of the Hidden Pce! Nice to meet you, Siris Endorma, right? I''m Beradin Zi..."
"Just get lost."
"Oh, alright."
"By the way, be careful with that cat. It''s the one that scratched my face, haha. It''s quite feisty."
Siris recalled the conversation she had with Beradin at the previous banquet and shared it with Jin.
Beradin, that guy, Jin wondered how he was doing now, and his heart weighed on him at the thought of him.
''It''s so frustrating that there''s no news from him. Even Dante seems not to have heard anything yet. Not only should I ask him to invite Beradin to the Hairan banquet, but I should also ask him to go to the Zipple banquet.''
Amid various thoughts, Siris continued to talk about the Runcandel banquet.
Apart from Jin, she didn''t have many memories with people her age, as she had always been trained and focused on missions.
Unbeknownst to her, that banquet had left her with special memories.
Jin suddenly realized it and met Siris''s gaze.
He too had spent his childhood and youth in his past life without significant memories.
''Unlike my past self, Lady Siris, you have achievements in your growth. She must have been bored then.''
She might have felt lonely at times.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Just because there''s nowhere else to look, Lady Siris."
"Yes."
"Visit Tikan often. We''re allies now, and you''re also mypanion, Lady Siris."
Jin had already regarded Siris as hispanion. He just hadn''t expressed it out loud, thinking that she might not feel the same way.
"Visiting ces for leisure is not something I''m ustomed to."
"I was the same."
"But it doesn''t sound like a bad idea. When I think of it as ''hanging out,'' it somehow excites me."
Although Siris mostly appeared cool andposed in most situations, she wasn''t a dishonest person.
Born as the sessor of the Hidden Pce, she had always lived a life of dedication and determination, but she was still a young woman with her own desires. Naturally, there were times when she wanted to connect with others and simply have fun without worries.
"I''m d you''re taking it positively."
But isn''t it time for you to drop the formalnguage too?
It feels weird when it''s just me still using it.
Siris swallowed those words.
If they spokefortably with each other, she would naturally get closer to Jin, and she feared that could cause confusion in her own feelings if it happened too quickly.
"By the way, I wonder when my mother will open the portal."
"She''ll probablye today. Until then, let''s chat a bit more."
"I never expected you to be a chatterbox."
"I enjoy it."
----------------
Tris opened the portal the next morning.
Until then, the two had been talking all night, sharing small and pleasant stories that seemed to pass quickly.
Tris seemed slightly disappointed by this, but for Jin and Siris, it was a moment of joy.
"Wee, my lord!"
As Jin stepped out of the Hidden Pce, he found himself in Tikan. The matter with the small beast-men had been resolved, so he only wanted to briefly visit Tikan before returning to the Garden of Swords.
"But how did you get in touch? Butler Petro said you were absent, and Lucas said you hadn''t left the Hidden Pce yet."
"You got in touch with me? Why?"
"A guest has arrived."
"Guest?"
"Yes, it''s Aria Owlheart..."
"Where is she?"
"She''s at Latrie''s snack shop."
Although it was morning, the snack shop had a long line.
Jin used the secret passage leading to the snack shop (newly installed due to the influx of guests) and entered directly into the kitchen, where he could see Valeria sitting on one side of the dining table.
Seeing her, Jin suppressed augh inwardly.
''She''s making good use of n Peng''s products.''
Valeria had dyed her hair ck and added five years to her age, making her look like apletely different person with her skillfully natural makeup.
Jin took a seat in front of Valeria.
"I didn''t expect you toe. You said it wasn''t necessary, but it looks like you''re making good use of the products."
"Not bad. You''re going to make a lot of money. Did you get the second Shadow Energy Pearl?"
Valeria got straight to the point. Jin expected it, of course.
"Yes."
"Show it to me. Let me check what it is."
"Aren''t there too many prying eyes here? Let''s go."
"There are only four of us who can see inside the kitchen: you, me, Latrie, and a magician. It shouldn''t matter since Az Mil''s dragon is your ally. And I think the same goes for that mage who lost her magic."
Valeria didn''t want to move because she judged it safer here.
"It seems like you know everything. Although you say you read the mana flow from Beris, knowing that Latrie is Az Mil''s Dragon is ssified information."
She had confirmed that information by checking the records.
"My existence was ssified too. Show me the recording device. Let me check if it''s malfunctioning again."
Jin took out from his pocket the Shadow Energy Pearl he had obtained in Joshua''s vige.
Valeria nonchntly cast the recording magic, and indeed, inside the snack shop, no one could see what they were doing.
A blue mana enveloped the marble.
A momentter, Jin noticed that Valeria had the habit of slightly shifting her gaze to the left when she was perplexed or confused.
Is she confused because of the pearl? What''s going on with her?
The blue mana of the recording magic disappeared.
"So? Does it malfunction again this time?"
Valeria''s response was truly unexpected.
"...This doesn''t seem to be a Solderet device."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 346
C346 - Record (4)
"Isn''t it the Solderet device? What on earth does that mean?"
It was a question Jin had never considered. If it''s not from Solderet, who could have used Shadow Energy to create the recording device?
"That''s exactly what I said. This recording device is entirely made of Shadow Energy, but it''s not something created by Solderet. There''s an indescribably malevolent force inside the device. It nearly contaminated my mind."
Valeria took a deep breath.
What surprised her was that for a moment, as she stared at the pearl, the "Shadow Malevolent Energy" inside the apparatus seemed to be pointing toward her.
"You were nearly contaminated in your mind?"
Jin felt uneasy about Valeria''s response.
The Valeria he knew was not one to simply dismiss such situations as mere "mistakes" and move on easily.
''Darn it, I never thought checking this recording device would harm my master.''
And to make matters worse, it''s not even the Solderet device.
Amidst the confusion, Valeria''s eyes turned cold like ice.
"Jin Runcandel, in these circumstances, it''s natural for me to doubt you."
In his past life, she wouldn''t have had to doubt Jin. But in her current life, Jin and Valeria were not yet as closely connected.
"It almost seemed like it was trying to attack you using the Pearl."
"Like you, a Runcandel, trying to capture me, that only increases suspicions."
Defending his innocence wasn''t going to help clear Valeria''s misunderstanding.
''If I lose my master''s trust now, we might not see each other again for several years. Or maybe she''ll cut all contact with me until she''s captured by Runcandel or Zipple.''
Valeria was someone who could very well do that.
''But maybe because my master is still young, she still has some confidence in me, or maybe the situation is just helping me. Or she doesn''t doubt me for sure.''
It would probably be the third possibility.
Valeria still has the Shadow Energy Pearl Jin entrusted her with at the beginning, and she probably thought Jin wouldn''t know its hiding ce.
"Well, that might be true. I understand. If I say I wasn''t involved here, it will only increase distrust between us."
Jin shrugged.
"You know it well."
"Of course, iming the attack you received was a mental contamination is rather abstract damage. Besides, one of my recording devices is in your possession, and you are someone I need. But there''s still a possibility that it attacked you. Right? Furthermore, if it''s mental contamination, it could be the ancient dark magic that has now disappeared."
As Jin spoke, Valeria shrugged.
"Well, you can think that way. I understand. But that doesn''t mean I''ll overlook the fact that it might not be you."
"If there''s something you want to confirm, go ahead and do it. If possible, I''ll cooperate."
"You don''t need to cooperate, so don''t worry. I''ll check it myself. Let''s go somewhere else for now."
"A while ago, you said this ce can only be seen from the kitchen and refused to move. If you need a secluded ce, how about going to Sir Kashimir''s mansion?"
"Follow me. Confirmation won''t take long."
Valeria got up from her seat.
As Jin stood up to follow her, she stopped as if she had forgotten something and picked up something from the dining table. They were two pieces of special cookies made by Latrie.
She carefully wrapped the cookies and put them in the pocket of her robe.
Jin couldn''t help but suppress a smile at that.
''Does my young master have a cute side, or are Latrie''s cookies like drugs? It''s the first time I''ve seen my master care about food when it''s not a fleeing situation.''
Jin followed Valeria to Latrie''s snack shop.
It seemed like she had already been here several times as she knew the streets well.
They walked for a while, took a carriage halfway, and walked again until they reached a cliff at the edge of the ind.
Below, there was a makeshift small boat that Valeria had arrived in.
"...So you didn''t officially enter the Free City but infiltrated it?"
"Given the circumstances."
"Anyway, why is this city called the Free City? It''s a cozy ce unless you''re a serious criminal. Hardly anyone here can recognize you apart from my colleagues and me," Jin said in frustration.
Even in the "Free City," his young master had to hide and sneak around. It was amentable life.
"I know that too. But I feel morefortable this way. Let''s get on the boat."
Thud!
Valeria jumped from the cliff.
Although it was a height that could lead to death ifnded poorly, Jin had seen her do it several times in her past life, so it wasn''t that surprising.
Just beforending, she used her mana to create a gust of wind to cushion the impact andnded softly on the boat. Jin followed her off the cliff and onto the small makeshift boat, which was quite narrow with the two of them aboard. They were practically shoulder to shoulder.
"Even the upper cliff was quite secluded. Did we really have to get to such a tight space? How did you navigate a boat like this to get here?"
"It''s better to be as secure as possible."
With a smooth motion, Valeria moved her wooden staff (which had also been dyed with the ck dye of the Peng n). It was as if she was steering the boat.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, the seawater near the boat stirred and froze, forming a semispherical ice barrier thatpletely enclosed the boat. The ice was so thick that sunlight couldn''t prate it.
Tang! Valeria''s touch made a blue magical light bloom like antern.
Regardless of the situation, the scene of the boat wrapped in ice and the two of them inside looked like a meticulously painted picture.
"Jin Runcandel, I''m now going to read your records."
Naturally, Jin had anticipated that Valeria would do this. However, he didn''t show it on the surface.
"You''re going to read my records. It sounds quite dangerous. Can you exin it?"
"Perhaps it''s easier to understand if I say I''m going to examine your memories. Strictly speaking, it''s slightly different but simr."
"So, what you mean is you''re going to read my memories to confirm whether I intended to harm you. Is that correct?"
"Exactly."
"Alright. But there are two conditions."
"Tell me."
"First, I don''t know to what extent you can read memories, but I hope you''ll respect my privacy."
"Believe it or not, directly reading someone''s records is a rather challenging task. It''s different from reading the records left by a person''s traces or objects. It''s also challenging to find irrelevant memories."
Jin was aware of this. Not even his twenty-five-year-old teacher could read all of Jin''s records.
"Second, if it''s proven that I had no ill intentions toward you, then from now on, cooperate more with me. To be honest, if you''re willing to go this far, I think creating some trust won''t be a problem."
Surprisingly, Valeria simply nodded.
"Agreed. Then, extend your hand."
Jinplied with Valeria''s request.
Then, she closed her eyes and ced her hand, wrapped in the characteristic blue mana of the disk magic, on top of Jin''s.
At that moment, Valeria waspletely defenseless.
''This is the most vulnerable moment for my master.''
By unleashing the record magic to the maximum, Valeria couldn''t do anything else.
''Maybe she''s showing this vulnerability so easily because she thinks I don''t know it. Or perhaps she trusted me from the beginning.''
Slowly, Jin''s records as a human began to seep into Valeria''s mind.
Jin watched closely, waiting for the magic to finish.
''There doesn''t seem to be anything particrly suspicious. It doesn''t appear he was trying to harm me intentionally, given he was trying to figure out the status of the recording device,'' Valeria thought, instantly breaking into a sweat.
''Young Jin Runcandel? From what time is this record? Focus, I only need to look at events from the past few days.''
Directly peering into someone''s records wasn''t something that could be easily controlled. It was inevitable to see some records that didn''t need confirmation.
''This is strange, isn''t it? Wait a minute... feeling embarrassed at one year old?''
It was a rather odd scene.
Was it possible for someone to feel such emotions at the age of one? No one would feel embarrassed when having their diapers changed, whoever it was.
''Maybe it''s a bit exaggerated to consider him an extraordinary person from birth. Let''s keep watching. But who is this woman? Leuth Damiro Yul...?''
It was a recent memory.
It was a vivid memory. Valeria found herself strangely drawn to Leuth''s unusual red hair, the same color as her own.
''Forgotten Fairy Race?''
Her magic was reaching its limit. Valeria began to breathe heavily, and Jin looked at her with anxious eyes.
Enough.
It seemed there was no need to confirm anything further. So, as Valeria tried to stop the record magic, she suddenly encountered a type of record she had never seen before, something entirely unknown.
Unlike the other ordinary records she had just examined, this one conveyed an indescribably strange sensation.
A sharp headache struck her as if des had pierced her mind.
At the same time, an unbearable curiosity and the idea that perhaps she wouldn''t have another chance to confirm that record about Jin crossed her mind.
"Aria Owlheart, are you okay?"
Blood was dripping from Valeria''s mouth and nose.
She was never one to sumb to mana bacsh, but examining records was always a taxing task. Especially if it continued when halted at a moment like this, it could be dangerous even for Valeria.
''Just a little more, just a bit...!''
Now, blood was flowing from her eyes and ears too. If this continued, she might soon fall into the final stage of bacsh.
"Aria!"
Zap!
Valeria stumbled forward, coughing up blood.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 347: Record (5)
C347 - Record (5)
Jump!!
As if her body was propelled by a spring, Valeria quickly got to her feet. Without pausing to reflect or assess the situation, she immediately scanned her surroundings for her staff.
However, realizing that her staff was nowhere to be found, she instantly conjured offensive magic spells in both hands and assumed a defensive posture. All of this happened in less than two seconds.
Hoo, hoo, hoo...!
Valeria was breathing heavily, as if she had just run at full speed. How much time has passed? Where have I ended up? Am I trapped?
She couldn''t believe she had lost consciousness. It was the first time since her days with the Gray Owl Mercenaries.
"Oh, you''re awake! Sir! My Lord! Ar, no. The guest has awakened... Huh, my friend! Are you aiming those magic spells at me? Hey, put that down. You shouldn''t aim at someone who saved your life like that. Geez."
Valeria red at Jet with red eyes. While most humans might react that way, she had developed an aversion to losing consciousness since the Gray Owl Mercenaries were annihted.
"Damn it, you Zipple bastard!"
"Eh, eh. I''m not a Zipple; I''m the adorable Jet from Tikan. Calm down a bit."
"I... I''ll kill them all. Every single one...!"
Shaaak!
A burst of mana shot out of Valeria''s hand. Fortunately, Jet quickly dodged the st and managed to escape the room.
"Why, why are you acting like this? I''ll bring you some cold water!"
Even after Jet left, Valeria still felt unsteady due to the throbbing headache and confusion in her mind, making it difficult to find strength in her body.
"Whimpering like a trapped beast as soon as you wake up. There are no Zipples here or anyone who can harm you. You''d better express your gratitude to those who helped you."
It was Jin. He had gone to get a towel for her forehead.
"Jin. Jin Runcandel...?"
Jin met Valeria''s gaze as he ced the towel on her forehead.
"Calm down. Drink this."
Valeria looked at the ss of water Jin was offering for a moment before gently touching her forehead.
"I must have caused amotion. I''m sorry."
"As long as no one is hurt, I can overlook it."
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Two days. It''s quitemon in situations like this."
While Valeria took a sip of water, another person entered the room.
"How are you feeling?"
"...Your Majesty, Holy King?"
"You''re not a citizen of the Holy Kingdom, so there''s no need to address me so formally. Just treat me as Jin''s friend. I''ve heard that you''re also hisrade."
It was Lani.
After Valeria''s copse, Jin immediately contacted Lani for help.
Across the world, there was only one person capable of summoning the Holy King of the Holy Kingdom, especially in such circumstances, and that was Jin.
"I''m... fine."
"Thank goodness. Since you two have something to discuss, I''ll take my leave. Today, I n to return to my homnd. If you need further treatment, feel free to request it anytime."
Once Lani left the room, only Jin and Valeria remained. Valeria seemed calmer now, her eyes more serene as she organized her thoughts.
"I had no choice but to call for Lani because the mana reaction was severe. Don''t worry, I didn''t reveal your identity to him."
As if molten metal had been poured into her chest, Valeria felt her heart warming.
It was an emotion she hadn''t felt in a long time: the genuine feeling of sorrow and gratitude towards someone. Since the Gray Owl Mercenaries were annihted, she had never established true human connections.
So, along with fear, she was also overwhelmed by a sense of vulnerability, like being submerged in water.
She had always believed that getting close to others would only expose her weaknesses.
"If I intended to harm you, I could have done so a thousand times before you fell."
Valeria silently nodded her head.
There was nothing significant in Jin''s records that she had checked before losing consciousness. She felt sorry for wasting his time.
"If you think it''s a waste, then it''s a waste. But it can still be meaningful for building trust. I prefer to see it that way."
Valeria looked at Jin without responding, contemting the st record" she had remembered before losing consciousness.
"Within Solderet''s record device that Jin Runcandel confirmed, the ancient fairies had the duty of keeping records."
"A thousand years ago, all the ancient fairies remained faithful."
"They had a deep connection with humans bearing the name Histor."
Valeria ran her fingers through her red hair that fell over her shoulder and remembered Lueth''s red hair from Jin''s records. Everyone born as Histor had that distinctive red hair.
"Is the ancient fairy race rted to the Histor n?"
Since realizing her identity as Histor, Valeria had always fought to reim her ancestors'' magic and identity.
But not once had she considered the possibility of a connection between the ancient fairies and the Histor n.
"Those who remained faithful... What does that mean?"
She never expected to uncover such a truth through Jin''s records.
And the shocking revtion wasn''t the end.
"Jin Runcandel experienced death once."
The magic of Histor''s records never lied. What the records conveyed was an absolute truth that nothing could alter.
"He died and came back to life."
Confused, it wasn''t too difficult for her to arrive at that conclusion.
Resurrection, a phrase found in countless legends and myths around the world.
It wasn''t an event limited to stories alone.
"Did Runcandel have one of Numerus''s Tears?"
Numerus, the God of Hope.
He was a God known to have perished in some event before the founding of the Holy Kingdom, Vank, leaving behind eight teardrops and a hundred drops of blood as his legacy.
The blood was an unparalleled healing agent that could be used to mend any wound, while the tears were the only objects capable of bringing the dead back to life.
Of the eight tears, it was known that four had records of their use, but the whereabouts of the other four remained unknown. Valeria believed one of them had been used for Jin.
"Why? Isn''t it a waste to use such a valuable item for Runcandel''s twelfth gbearer?"
If she were Runcandel, she would have used it on someone like Cyron or Luna if they were facing death.
"What are you thinking, Aria Owlheart?"
Aria tilted her head.
"My head is a bit stiff since I just woke up."
"Then let''s talk after you eat. If it''s ufortable to eat together, I''ll take it to your room."
"I''d appreciate that."
As Jin left the room, Gilly soon brought Valeria her meal.
"Is this woman Gilly McRn, Jin''s nanny?"
Gilly offered a friendly smile to Valeria without saying much.
The meal consisted of minced meat soup and fresh milk. There was also a slice of strawberry pie for dessert (at that moment, Valeria smiled inadvertently).
While eating, Valeria pondered the kind of profound conversation she should have with Jin.
"Now I understand. He learned about the connection between the ancient fairies and Histor through Solderet''s recording devices. It''s something independent of Runcandel, personal information he obtained. That''s why he needs me. Since Solderet''s recording devices are malfunctioning."
Runcandel''s or Zipple''s purpose in seeking her was entirely different.
They could use her as a bargaining chip or attempt to kill her, but Jin literally "needed" her help.
"The puzzle pieces are falling into ce. Seeing Jin repeatedly in my dreams might have been some kind of magic left by the ancient fairies or my ancestors. Since my record magic is still iplete, it only revealed itself indirectly."
The encounter with Jin could be destiny, she thought. It felt like an old connection, like the legacy left by the ancient fairies and her ancestors.
The main reason she felt this encounter could be her ancestors'' legacy was the "future record" left by the Histor n in the sessor temple of Mamit.
A future record that stated that "he who inquires about the whereabouts of Histor" to a bartender in a Mamit tavern in 1795 would return to Mamit around March 1799.
Valeria was stunned when she confirmed it was "Jin," the one from her long-held dream.
''I need Jin Runcandel to tell me everything about the ancient fairies. I shouldn''t keep too much from him anymore.''
After finishing her meal, Valeria sought out Jin.
"Has your head calmed down a bit?"
"Thanks to you."
"And you haven''t forgotten our promise, have you? You have to cooperate more actively with me from now on."
"Of course. Just as you use me, I also felt I should use you more."
"Good."
"Can I ask you some questions? Jin."
"Sure, go ahead."
"While reviewing your records, I found that the ancient fairies have a deep connection with the Histor n. I''ve only nced at the records, but you probably know more about it."
Jin''s eyes widened for a moment, but he quickly concealed his surprise.
"Tell me about it. What is the rtionship between the ancient fairies and my n? If you help me fulfill my mission, I''ll genuinely work for you as well."
"Um, Aria. Wait a second. There seems to be a misunderstanding. I''ve never heard of such a thing."
"What are you talking about? Records never lie. From what I saw, it''s evident..."
"If you want, you can check my records again. But honestly, I''ve never heard of such a story."
Valeria decided not to doubt Jin.
The information about the ancient fairies and their connection to Histor was something that Jin, the human, had learned through Solderet''s records. Therefore, it was possible that Jin didn''t know about it either.
"However, I do know that the ancient fairies had abilities simr to your record magic. So, I had also considered the possibility of some connection between you and them."
"Abilities simr to record magic...?"
Jin exined to Valeria for a while about the abilities of the fairies.
Although he couldn''t recall what the real Lueth had exined, he clearly remembered the information he had seen in the records of the third tomb.
"...Can you tell me where and how you saw the records containing the ancient fairies? It''s a matter of great importance to me."
"I saw them in the hiding ce of the Cat Tribe. Before you rush over there, I must tell you that I currently don''t know their whereabouts either."
"I will find them."
Valeria said with determination.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 348: Record (6)
C348 - Record (6)
"With the help of record magic?"
"Yes. Although I can''t guarantee I''ll find them faster than you, I can certainly do it more discreetly."
"I''m d to hear that."
Currently, Jin couldn''t afford to allocate proper manpower to find the Cat Tribe.
There were too many eyes on him now.
Not only his n, but other forces, including the Zipple, were closely monitoring Jin since he started his cosmetics business and fought against the Specter Corps.
People''s interest in Jin had skyrocketed.
Of course, it was already there, but recently, various world-ruling forces were sensing an unusual flow between Runcandel and Zipple.
And at the center of that was Jin, not Cyron or Kelliark.
That''s why investing too much manpower in searching for the Cat Tribe would likely trigger Zipple''s detectionwork.
Above all, Jin owed a debt to the Cat Tribe.
"I told you to cooperate more actively, but by seeing you act immediately, it seems you''ve realized you need me now."
Valeria looked at Jin.
"Just as you said, it''s because we''ve built some trust."
She now felt an intense curiosity about the human named Jin.
Maybe it was because of the legacy her ancestors had left her, or because she had memories from when she was one year old and had died once.
''What the hell? Does he know he died once?''
But seeing Jin''s actions so far, they were too radical.
''Jin Runcandel has been moving as if he doesn''t care about his life since he was a Provisional gbearer. Just with the actions known to the outside world, he could have died dozens of times, and it wouldn''t be strange.''
Is someone helping him, or is he just strong?
She hoped it was the former. Now that they had a cooperative rtionship, it would be troublesome if Jin died prematurely.
''If Jin Runcandel dies, I have a feeling I''ll never be able to recover Histor''s history...''
It was a strange feeling.
"Aria Owlheart."
"What?"
"Now that things have been settled broadly, I want to talk about the recording device," Jin said as he ced the Shadow Energy Pearl on the table.
"You were sure it wasn''t a Solderet device. Although you mentioned it was made of Shadow Energy. I''d like to know what you''re basing that judgment on."
"Where did you get this Shadow Energy Pearl?"
"I obtained it during the assault on the Second gbearer, Joshua Runcandel''s secret vi."
Jin exined to Valeria the events of that day. How they had tried to rescue theirrade''s Guardian Dragon but encountered an unexpected demon and ended up killing it to obtain the Shadow Energy Pearl.
"Rontelgius, one of the Four Great Dukes of the Demon Kingdom. That roughly fits the description."
"It seems like you know everything. Even among myrades, only the Dragons knew about it."
Valeria had checked that name in the sessor temple of Histor.
"I said the artifact wasn''t from Solderet due to its unique and malicious magic. And you may or may not know this, but there are individuals who can use Shadow Energy even if they''re not rted to Solderet."
-[The witch, that was her doing]
Jin remembered the words of Sarah Runcandel, the Guardian of the Second Tomb.
Jin couldn''t continue the conversation with Sarah at that time, but she clearly mentioned that Helluram could also use Shadow Energy.
"Are you referring to Witch Helluram?"
"You seem to know everything too. Yes, the recording device is probably the creation of the witch. It''s impossible for it to contain so much magic unless it''s her work. Rontelgius was the closest aide to Demon Beast King Orgal, and Orgal was Helluram''s lover. So, the demon you killed probably carried that Pearl."
Witch Helluram. In Jin''s past life, Valeria had known her personally.
''She said she met Helluram when she was twenty and again when she was about twenty-five.''
That''s why Jin wasn''t particrly surprised when Quikantel told everyone that Helluram was an "individual." He had already heard Valeria say it before his regression.
"We still can''t be sure if this device belongs to that demon or to Joshua."
"If this recording device is something belonging to Runcandel''s Second gbearer, then there''s a high probability that your older brother is connected with Witch Helluram."
The Prophet.
As Jin thought about his existence, he nodded.
''Maybe the Prophet is Helluram.''
It seemed it wouldn''t be toote to discuss it with Valeria once more solid information about the Prophet surfaced. For now, the fact that they had established a cooperative rtionship was already a significant gain.
"What will you do with that recording device? It''s unrted to Solderet, but are you going to leave it with me?"
"Yes, and by any chance, do you know how to read demonnguage?"
"Are you asking me that because you want me to check the papers and magical tome you obtained from Rontelgius''s demon during the battle?"
"That''s right."
"Unfortunately, I don''t know demonnguage. I''m not omniscient, you know."
Valeria picked up the robe hanging next to the bed. Then she noticed there was still a trace of Latrie''s cookie on the robe and chuckled.
"I''m leaving now. I have to examine the recording devices you gave me and also search for the Cat Tribe, so I won''t have a free moment."
"Are there still no developments with the faulty recording devices I gave you?"
"It''s a time-consuming task, so please understand. I want to finish it as soon as possible and receive the remaining half of my ancestor''s magical tome."
Unlike their first encounter, this time it was Jin who extended his hand to shake hers. Valeria didn''t hesitate and shook his hand firmly.
"Take care, Aria Owlheart."
"Likewise."
--------------
August 20, 1799.
Two months had passed since Jin returned to his n.
The cosmetics business resumed advertising shortly after the Little Beastmen were rescued, and as a result, Jin, Runcandel, and Hidden Pce made a fortune.
Both the high-end and basic products were selling like hotcakes, quickly dominating the world''s cosmetics market.
Of course, they couldn''t advertise in the Lutero Magical Federation anymore.
But word of mouth had formidable power of its own.
The nobles of the Lutero Magical Federation were willing to pay several times or even dozens of times the price to buy high-end cosmetics on the ck market.
Runcandel''s massive earnings meant that Zipple''s coffers were leaking.
The elders could no longer dismiss Jin''s cosmetics business, and Tellot felt satisfaction in his judgment.
The tremendous sess of the n Peng''s cosmetics business was causing great dissatisfaction and hurting the pride of an individual.
"Ugh, this can''t be happening! This can''t be!"
Bouvard Gaston.
He was currently losing one of his jobs and hobbies.
"What do those cosmetics have to do with anything? Don''t these ignorant fools recognize Bouvard''s artistic soul? My transformation skills are being overshadowed by cosmetics; I can''t ept it..."
The special product "Jade" from n Peng continued to sell day by day alongside the high-end and basic cosmetics.
Jade''s main customers were assassins, top actors, and spies.
Since it had an instant transformation effect on another person with just a quick application, most of Bouvard''s customers who had sought his transformation skills quickly abandoned him.
"...Please, be quiet, Bouvard Gaston."
For several days, Bishkel had been forced to listen to Bouvard''s whining for over five hours each day.
He felt his sanity slipping away.
He could barely count the times he had reached his limit after encountering this repulsive human, buttely, it had be especially difficult to endure.
''I can''t wait to achieve the great cause and twist this bastard''s neck. No, that''s not enough. I want to skin him alive...''
Bishkel''s eyes twitched at his violent imagination.
"That damn Jin Runcandel! Since I met that bastard, nothing has gone well! What''s so good about those cosmetics that they disguise as Jade? Sir Bishkel, get me one, I must see it with my own eyes."
"...I''ve told you countless times that they don''t sell Jade-disguising cosmetics to just anyone. Kinzelo and Zipple are not allowed to buy them at all."
"If you send lower-ranked members whose identities aren''t exposed, you can get it, right?"
"Idiot! Those lower-ranked members won''t even be recognized by them. How many times do I have to exin it to you, Bouvard?"
"Ugh! It''s useless, I can''t take it anymore. Don''t you know? I might not care about other things, but I can''t tolerate anything that hurts my artistic soul!"
"What does your artistic soul have to do with their cosmetics selling well?"
"It has everything to do with it! I feel like it''s taking away my own creations. Ah, I''m so frustrated that my head could explode. Sir Bishkel, I think I need to eat something simple. Please bring me a sweet potato croquette."
In an instant, Bishkel reached for his sword.
If he had regained his senses just a secondter, he might have unsheathed his sword and sliced Bouvard''s neck.
In that case, from Bishkel''s personal perspective, it would have been a very satisfying oue.
''Calm down, for the great cause,'' Bishkel''s hands were shaking.
Even in the midst of his attempts to regainposure, Bouvard continued his incessant rambling, even spitting as he passionately delivered his monologue, not sparing Bishkel''s elegant blue coat.
"I''ll... I''ll bring you the sweet potato croquette... so please calm down..."
He felt like he was going bald from the stress.
"Argh! I want to scream, but if I do, Bouvard might go into a frenzy, foam at the mouth, and start self-harming. I can''t risk it."
"Elder Brother, Mr. Bouvard."
Margie entered the room in her wheelchair.
"Margie."
"Mr. Bouvard, listen to me!"
"Haha, I heard everything outside. Mr. Bouvard was quite upset."
"Indeed, Miss Margie, you truly understand my feelings!"
"Of course, Mr. Bouvard is our friend after all!"
With Margie''s entrance, Bouvard immediately softened his anger.
"Well then, could you, Miss Margie, bring me that cosmetic called Jade?"
"Mr. Bouvard, I understand your strong desire to have it, but everything has its order, right? We have to go step by step."
"But I can''t take it anymore. At this rate, I might actually die."
"I know, I know. I can''t stand idly by and let a friend die. Let me meet with Jin Runcandel and talk to him."
"Ugh, that scoundrel? No, it can''t be. He''ll definitely anger Miss Margie."
"But I have a debt to settle, so he won''t do anything reckless." Um, Elder Brother, what if we visit the Garden of Swords with Mr. Berakt?"
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 349
C349 - Kinzelo''s Visit (1)
Calon.
The residents watched with curious eyes as a group of people walked down the street.
Those who were watching consisted of ten Beastmen and two humans.
Among them were the White Wolf Warriors and Berakt, along with Bishkel and Margie.
In Calon, it wasn''t umon to see armored knights gathered in groups of five to hundreds, but seeing Beastmen walking was a spectacle worth beholding.
Among them, Berakt stood out.
Just by walking, he exuded an overwhelming presence, as if a fortress was on the move or a gigantic battleship was sailing.
In any other city, the inhabitants would have trembled with anxiety and fear upon seeing Berakt, even if they hadn''tmitted any wrongdoing against him.
But this was Calon.
The heart of Hufester and the stronghold of Runcandel.
The inhabitants of Calon did not fear outsiders. It was undoubtedly the safest city in the world.
Neither raiders, nor enemies, nor monsters could cause chaos within Calon. Drawing swords, fighting, and determining victory or defeat were only allowed for those who belonged to Runcandel.
"Halt."
As Berakt''s group approached the entrance of the Garden of Swords, a Guardian Knight guarding the area spoke in a low voice.
From the perspective of the White Wolf Warriors, it was a truly disrespectful voice. How dared a mere human speak to the great warrior of the White Wolf Tribe with such arrogance?
So, the moment the White Wolf Warriors growled, Berakt emitted an aura ofposure. It was an order to stay still.
"Why didn''t you inform us in advance of your visit?"
"I didn''t think it was necessary when I was meeting an old friend."
Berakt calmly responded to the Guardian Knight''s question.
"We''ll need to confirm if you''re allowed to enter. Please wait."
The knight who maintainedposure even under an overwhelming aura was of 7 stars.
By general standards, it was an impressive level, but at that level, he couldn''t face anyone Berakt brought with him, let alone Berakt.
However, the confidence of the Guardian Knight stemmed from the pride of being in Runcandel.
The Guardian Knight believed that even if the opponent were a massive giant and killed him for disrespect, the opponent would never leave the city alive. This applied to Kelliark Zipple as well, not just Berakt.
A whileter, the Knights returned with the answer and informed the Guardian Knight.
"You are allowed to enter."
The White Wolf Warriors wanted to tear him apart immediately, but Berakt seemedpletely unruffled.
Instead, he secretly praised the Guardian Knight.
"I''ve been thinking for a while. Among the human race, it seems that those who are somewhat useful have gathered in Runcandel."
"The Knights of Runcandel have some spirit, Lord Berakt."
"Hmph! Of course, the best among them is our Vice-Leader."
But Berakt''s humiliation didn''t end there.
Even after entering the Garden of Swords, there was no one there to greet them. As a result, they had no choice but to awkwardly stand in the courtyard for a while.
"These guys are being too much. Great Warrior, even if we came here suddenly, do we have to stay still and endure this treatment?"
"What else can we do if we don''t stay still?"
"Let''s go back. We didn''te here to have a conversation with these humans in the first ce."
At that moment, Berakt raised his head, and Bishkel spoke on his behalf.
"For us, this treatment might be unpleasant, but for Runcandel, the fact that we''ve shown up here without saying a word is unpleasant enough. Considering that, they''re showing us considerable hospitality, so let''s stay here."
Upon Bishkel''s exnation, Berakt seemed satisfied and shed a small smile of contentment.
"As expected, only our Vice-Leader is worthy among the humans."
After a while, 30 Execution Knights and Rosa Runcandel came out to the garden.
"''Old friend,'' I didn''t know we were on such terms, Berakt Sidricker."
"It''s been a while, Rosa."
In their youth, Rosa and Berakt had many intense duels. The results were evenly matched, and every time they fought, both suffered significant wounds.
On all asions, they refrained from taking each other''s lives because they hoped to avoid unnecessary conflicts between the Beastmen and Runcandel.
"You haven''te here to duel over personal grudges, have you? What''s this, youe without prior notice?"
"I have something to tell, something to receive, and an offer for your youngest son."
"My youngest son, you say?"
"Yes."
"Come in. Let''s talk inside."
Rosa instructed someone to bring refreshments.
However, she didn''t immediately ask Jin toe.
(When it bes clear what Berakt wants to tell you, what he wants from you, and what he''s offering you, and when it''s concluded that your meeting with Berakt is beneficial to Runcandel, thene to the reception room - Rosa).
That was the content of the note brought by Rosa''s servant.
Jin: ''Visiting me unexpectedly, with things to tell and ask, and making offers.''
What''s going on?
"Furthermore, ording to the servant''s message, Bishkel and Margie have alsoe."
Bishkel, who became the new patriarch of the Ivlianos n when Jin began his career as a Provisional gbearer.
Jin had always thought that Bishkel''s executive position in Kinzelo was most likely for the resurgence of the Ivlianos n, given their martial heritage in Hufester.
"It wouldn''t be necessary to act hostile toward Runcandel if that were the case. Coming to the Garden of Swords without even requesting a visit, apanied by the giants of Kinzelo... Bishkel''s intentions have exceeded my expectations."
Or he finished weighing between Runcandel and Kinzelo.
In any case, it was crucial to know Berakt''s purpose foring immediately.
Things to tell and ask, and an offer. It wasn''t very difficult to deduce two of the three.
What they will receive from me must be apass or a debt from the previous Specter Corps attack. There''s nothing else Kinzelo can demand from me. And what they want to offer me is..."
An alliance.
Jin concluded that Kinzelo would propose an alliance.
"During the incident in the Holy Kingdom and the recent rescue of the little Beastmen, Kinzelo has shown me consistent favor. They haven''t taken a single hostile action against me."
There are no free favors. There must be a clear reason why Kinzelo kept showing goodwill toward Jin.
It was because their alliance with Zipple had broken.
The one who had contributed the most to breaking the alliance had been Jin. Destroying the Demon God Orb and stealing the Compass shattered trust between the two factions.
Although the alliance was bound to break someday, Jin significantly elerated the process.
During this process, while Zipple suffered unteral losses, Kinzelo gained some benefits.
Furthermore, with the sudden appearance of Bamel, Jin Runcandel continued to provoke Zipple, leading Kinzelo to naturally consider proposing an alliance.
If Kinzelo formed a partial alliance with Jin, an individual, andter Jin ascended to the throne of his n, then Kinzelo could proceed to form a full alliance with the powerful force known as Runcandel.
They had concluded that their great cause would be easily achieved.
"What he wants to tell me... What could it be? Information about Zipple?"
A thought immediately came to mind, but there was no way to guess what kind of information it might be.
"When the purpose of Kinzelo bes clear, and when it is concluded that your meeting with Berakt is beneficial to Runcandel...e to the reception room..."
Jin reviewed the contents of the note again.
It didn''t take him long to figure it all out.
"Murakan."
"Yes."
"Let''s go to the reception room."
"Eh? Me too?"
While Jin was lost in thought about Rosa''s note, Murakan had been chatting with Gilly without much concern.
"Yes, I think Kinzelo might propose an alliance, so it''s better if you apany me."
"Why? Are you afraid Berakt will cause trouble?"
"I don''t think that will happen. It''s just that I need to let my mother know that the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel and the Contractor of Solderet are different entities."
"In that case, I''ll pretend to be a cat. I don''t want to bother talking to those people more than necessary if I''m in my human form. It''s too much trouble."
"Sure, go ahead."
Puff, nyaa! Transformed into a cat, Murakan climbed onto Jin''s shoulder.
"He''s the Twelfth gbearer."
"Go ahead."
Upon entering the reception room, they saw Rosa, the Knights, and Berakt''s group.
Rosa and Berakt seemed calm, but there was a tense atmosphere between the Knights and the Beastmen. Their energy was so intense that Jin felt like his face was going to go numb.
In that tense atmosphere, Margie, with a cheerful smile, stood out the most.
"I heard you''vee looking for me. Sir Berakt Sidricker, the Great Warrior of the White Wolf Tribe."
"That''s right. We''ve met before, haven''t we?"
"This is the first time I''m seeing you," Jin replied indifferently, and Berakt let out a small chuckle.
" I''d like to talk to you alone, but my old friend doesn''t seem to allow it, so let''s be frank."
"Yes. You mentioned there''s something to tell me, something to receive, and something to offer."
"Let''s start with the offer. Join Kinzelo."
Shiing, shiing!
The Execution Knights unsheathed their swords threateningly as soon as Berakt finished speaking.
The White Wolf Warriors couldn''t draw their weapons in response. Their blood was boiling, but they knew that openly challenging Runcandel''s Knights would lead to immediate annihtion.
Attack.
If Rosa uttered that single word, Berakt and Kinzelo''s Warriors would be wiped out on the spot.
In the silence that followed, Jin shrugged.
"Alright."
Upon Jin''s words, the eyebrows of the Execution Knights furrowed, and Jin continued immediately.
"If you offer me the position of leader, I will join Kinzelo."
"Hahaha!"
Berakt burst intoughter, and a strong vibration filled the reception room.
"The son of a ck Panther is a ck Panther, indeed. It''s a sure thing you were born from Rosa Runcandel''s womb."
"I''ll take that as apliment."
"But why did you answer that way? Were you really considering giving up your position as the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel and joining Kinzelo?"
"Personally, it''s not the most satisfying choice, but for the sake of my n, it doesn''t seem like a bad option. If Kinzelo has be a powerful force instead of a third-rate terrorist organization, then teaming up with Runcandel might be enough to wipe out Zipple."
Of course, it was a lie.
Jin had no intention of joining Kinzelo, regardless of any proposal they made.
"It''s a pity. I can offer you the Vice-Leader position, so if you change your mind, feel free to contact me anytime you want."
Jin could read a clear intent in Berakt''s words.
"It''s a warning to my mother. If Runcandel tries to restrain me too much, it means Kinzelo is willing to extract me with a drastic condition."
For Jin, it was like buying insurance without intending to use it. But Rosa would have to think about how to treat Jin a bit more carefully.
"What do you have to tell me?"
At that moment, Jin could see Margie using lipnguage, just like during the Holy Kingdom incident, saying something with gestures.
"That''s something I''ll tell you, Sir Jin."
With Rosa and dozens of Execution Knights watching, Margie was probably the only one who could express her thoughts through gestures.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 350: Kinzelos Visit (2)
C350 - Kinzelo''s Visit (2)
For a moment, Jin couldn''t help but doubt his own eyes.
Is she crazy... Is she doing this here?
His mind was left gaping, almost speechless, but after a while, Jin had to realize an even more shocking fact.
No one in the reception room had witnessed Margie''s actions.
Even a five-star knight or anyone with decent observational skills would easily notice such a scene. But all the martial artists who had reached the pinnacle had missed it.
It was a strange phenomenon.
''Even this woman is strange.''
Was it just a coincidence?
Thinking so, there were too many people in the reception room. Moreover, with Rosa present, the likelihood of all of them ''casually'' missing Margie''s actions was lower than winning the lottery.
"Can I say it here?"
As no one had seen Margie''s whispering, it didn''t seem strange to anyone that Berakt responded to Jin''s question.
However, Berakt''s response made thew enforcement knights alert once again.
Berakt seemed to want to speak with Jin personally despite Rosa being present.
"I don''t mind."
As the Twelfth gbearer, Jin couldn''t give any other response.
"That''s fortunate."
Berakt paused before continuing.
"It''s valuable information that can''t be bought with money. First of all, I hope you know that our leader holds you in high regard."
"I''ve felt that way for a while, but it seems Kinzelocks talented individuals."
"There aren''t many worthy humans in this world. This is the information I''ll share with you. You''re not the only one looking for the tomb."
Jin''s eyes almost widened in surprise.
There''s only one person whose tomb Jin is looking for.
Temar''s tomb... Is someone else looking for it besides me?".
Despite barely maintaining hisposure, Berakt smiled, clearly noticing Jin''s confusion.
"Our leader said that saying this much should be enough for you to understand."
"It''s intriguing information."
Jin responded indifferently, but his mind quickly became moreplicated.
''Kinzelo too? Zipple? In any case, what do they intend to find in Temar''s Tomb? And how did Kinzelo know I was searching for the tomb? There''s no connection point.''
The most likely possibility was recent events.
The day when Berakt and Margie arrived at the cave of the little beastmen to help Jin.
''During the process of breaking the barrier of the Cat Tribe, did the Specter Corps find information about Temar''s Tomb, and Berakt interrogated them before killing them...?''
It didn''t seem likely. Even if Berakt was powerful, it was hard to believe that high-level magicians like the Specters would fear death and give away information.
''Kinzelo knew the information about Temar''s Tomb even before. Their leader is someone who existed even in Temar''s time, so it''s possible he confirmed that Zipple is looking for the tomb."
Coming to this conclusion, Jin met Berakt''s eyes.
"So tell me what you want from me."
Return the stolen item, thepass.
Naturally, Jin expected to hear that, but once again, Berakt said something different.
"Cosmetics."
"What did you say?"
"I want a sample of the cosmetics sold by the beastmen. Its name... was it wood?"
"It''s Jade, Sir Berakt."
"Ah, right. Jade. Can you give me some, Jin Runcandel?"
Even without asking, Jin could figure out why Kinzelo was making this silly request.
"Bouvard, that crazy bastard. It seems like he''s been getting too much worktely."
In the business reports Jin received from the Golden Snow Tribe every week, there was information about customers using the Jade product, along with their sales figures.
The number of Jade users was rapidly increasing. Since Jin knew that there was only one person doing the "disguise business" before, Bouvard must be raking it in.
Without hesitation, Jin nodded.
"If you give me an address, I''ll send it to you."
"Great, it looks like things are settled. Well then... Rosa."
"Speak."
"How about we have a drink together after a long time? Just the two of us. To be honest, I''m curious about the taste of the alcohol back then; it probably won''t be the same."
Rosa obediently replied.
"Everyone, leave."
The Execution Knights left the reception room with disciplined steps. No one questioned the fact that Rosa and Berakt were staying alone; they simply went out to wait outside.
"You guys wait outside too. The warriors can wait outside the Garden of Swords."
Thanks to Rosa''s approval, Jin was able to have a separate conversation with Bishkel and Margie.
''Since my mother also hopes to get more information from them, she created this opportunity.''
The fact that he''s not the only one looking for the tomb gave Rosa new insight into her younger son''s activities.
"I want a drink too!"
As they left the reception room, Margie spoke up.
"Sure, let''s do it."
Boom!
Suddenly, Murakan transformed back into his human form and squinted his eyes. Margie reacted with exaggerated astonishment and admiration.
"Kid."
"Yes?"
"I need to hear your conversation."
Murakan''s face showed a certain annoyance.
-Anyway, the younger one needs to keep increasing his reputation. Otherwise, he won''t be recognized by Runcandel even if he bes a gbearer. Is that exnation enough?
-Yes, then I have one more question.
-Please, go ahead.
-Where is Temar''s Tomb?
-I don''t know. Can I go now?
It was from the conversation Murakan had with Rosa shortly after Jin became a gbearer.
Although he was now Jin''s Guardian Dragon, Murakan originally existed to protect all of Runcandel.
In Murakan''s opinion, if a story about Temar''s Tomb came up, Rosa should have been the one to suggest that they listen to the information together.
"My mother and Sir Berakt?"
"Yes. If I go back in now, your mother won''t have any reason to kick me out."
"Well, go then. But don''t get mad if they tell you to leave ande back to our room."
"Understood."
Murakan returned to the reception room, while Jin, Bishkel, and Margie headed to Jin''s room.
"Could you prepare some tea, Gilly?"
Margie was a person with exceptional affability. She praised the tea to the point where Gilly''s lips unconsciously formed a smile. However, she continued to be cautious around Margie. After all, Kinzelo had been Jin''s enemy since his cadet days.
"What''s your rank in Kinzelo, Sir Bishkel?"
"I''m the Vice Leader."
As if there was no need to hide it, Bishkel revealed her rank.
"I''m disappointed. When I first heard that you were part of Kinzelo, I thought you were seeking their power to restore your n. But it seems you have apletely different purpose."
"Even if you''re disappointed, in reality, I was deceived, Sir Jin. It happened when you visited the Principality of Kurano during your days as a Provisional gbearer. I don''t know what you did that day, but you managed to obtain information about thepass."
Since there was no evidence, there was no need to admit something that didn''t require confirmation.
"Except for the fact that I nned to kill Bouvard that day, I don''t think I made any mistakes. But do you want me to return the Compass?"
"No, it''s ridiculous to ask for something that was taken from you in battle. That object now belongs to you, sir."
"I actually don''t seem to care. As long as Bouvard exists, you can recreate it anytime."
"Not necessarily. I just have faith that when Sir Jin uses the Compass, he won''t do anything that benefits Zipple."
As Jin shrugged, Margie spoke up.
"Perhaps you have no idea of the troubles we''ve gone through to appease Lord Bouvard because of thepass, Sir Jin."
"It seems that Bouvard Gaston is desperately needed to make your King, the King of the World. Is it true that even Sir Berakt, who could chew up the Specters, cates Bouvard?"
Jin directly mentioned Kinzelo''s "grand cause," but Bishkel''s expression remained unchanged.
However, Bishkel was also suppressing her emotions and, deep down, she was surprised.
''Our grand cause hasn''t been made public, how does he know about it? Did information leak?''
No information had leaked about the grand cause.
Jin found out before his regression. However, Bishkel had no way of knowing.
"Feel free to think what you want."
"The power of chaos seems to be quite remarkable. Both Bouvard Gaston and Miss Margie are examples of that."
It was still an assumption that Margie also possessed the "power of chaos."
Bishkel narrowed her eyes.
"...It''s not good to casually talk about things you''re not sure of, Sir Jin."
"It won''t be worse than Kinzeloing to Runcandel and talking about the tomb."
Even before, Jin didn''t like that fact.
If Kinzelo really wanted to recruit him or propose an alliance, they could have conveyed that information in ces where they wouldn''t be overheard.
"I suppose Kinzelo brought up the topic of the tomb in front of my mother and the execution knights because it benefited them. Besides me, the Runcandels didn''t seem to know much about the tomb."
After today, Jin was convinced that the Runcandels would put all their effort into finding Temar''s tomb.
It was natural that there would be restrictions when searching for the tomb independently.
''I can move in secret, but in the process of finding the tomb, I''ll inevitably run into other n members.''
Since Jin was the only Thousand Year Contractor, there would be no need to share what he obtained from the tomb. However, it was still annoying.
''I need to make sure that the n''s search for the tomb also benefits me.''
Temar''s Tomb.
Now the Runcandels would participate in its search, and there were already others looking for it.
In that case, the benefits Jin could gain were clear.
''I can use my n as a shield. It can prevent other forces from finding the tomb or approaching it when it''s discovered.''
Kinzelo also hoped that Jin would use the Runcandel in that way with the information they provided him.
"Who else is searching for Temar''s Tomb?"
Jin asked Margie, knowing that would be the real information Kinzelo wanted to share with him.
"Who do you think?"
"Zipple."
"Correct! But that''s not all."
Click... Margie gently ced her teacup back down.
"The Vermont Imperial Family is also searching for the tomb of Runcandel''s first patriarch. Your movements have been exposed to them before, Sir Jin."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 351: Kinzelos Visit (3)
C351 - Kinzelo''s Visit (3)
Vermont Imperial Family.
People from around the worldmonly referred to them as a noble lineage, the imperial family from the beginning of time, and rulers of the empire. Jin had never considered the idea that they would be searching for Temar''s Tomb.
Why?
Instead of worrying about his movements being exposed, a more fundamental question came to Jin''s mind.
What would they do if they found Temar''s tomb?
Those who weren''t Shadows Contractors couldn''t make use of Solderet''s legacy.
So the most likely reason for third parties to seek the tomb would be to prevent the Contractor from using the legacy.
Or perhaps there was something more unknown within Temar''s tomb.
"You don''t seem very surprised. But I''m sure you must be surprised."
"I am surprised."
"Well, I''ve never seen anyone handle their expression as well as my Big Brother in moments like this."
Watching Bishkel''s behavior toward Bouvard, it seemed she wasn''t very good at hiding her emotions, but that wasn''t important.
"Alright, let''s say the Vermont Imperial Family is also searching for Temar''s tomb. How did youe by this information?"
"Well, you see, there''s not much our leader doesn''t know. Would that exnation suffice?"
Margie replied with an innocent expression, causing Jin to raise the corner of his lips.
"No, it doesn''t. Kinzelo has no obligation to inform me of everything in full detail. I was just asking."
"Very kind of you to let it slide."
"Although the source of the information is unclear, the intent seems quite clear. It doesn''t seem to be false information."
It''s not that Jin wasn''t curious about the source. He just assumed they wouldn''t tell him anyway.
"Do you also know the reason?"
"Why the Vermont Imperial Family is seeking the tomb of Runcandel''s first patriarch?"
"Yes."
"Hoho, I don''t remember it well. Although if Sir Jin were to join us in the revolution, I think I''d remember."
"Keep forgetting."
"Wouldn''t you be truly disappointed? It''s probably the most impressive information I''ve given you so far."
This wasn''t an ordinary wager.
Their identity was unknown, presumed tainted by the power of chaos, and had a thick face and rxed demeanor. Margie was quite a heavy one to deal with.
Fortunately, Jin knew how to handle such people.
"You can leave now. I won''t ept any payment for the tea."
"Pay for tea?"
"It was the finest tea from the M Mountains. I appreciate it too. Well, that''s not important, Gilly. Please see Sir Bishkel and Miss Margie out, will you?"
"Understood, Young Master."
"You''re kidding, right?"
"I''m absolutely serious."
"All right, hold on!"
Without even hearing those words, Jin quickly turned around.
"One moment! I''ll give you a little hint. Why don''t youe back and sit here...?"
However, Jin had already entered another room and closed the door.
Margie stared at the closed door for a while, then shook her head in helplessness.
"In social circles, they call this push and pull, right? Have I pushed too much? Big Brother, what do you think?"
"...Not a very fitting expression."
"Well, Lady Gilly McRn? If I apologize for my rudeness, will Sir Jine out again?"
Gilly shook her head.
"He definitely won''te out. Please follow me."
With Gilly leading the way, Bishkel had no choice but to push the wheelchair and follow.
Margie looked incredibly disappointed, while Bishkel had a cold expression. He must have been angry because Jin had upset his younger sister.
"Lady Gilly McRn."
"Speak, Miss Margie."
"The Imperial Family is seeking Temar Runcandel''s remains. Please ry this to Sir Jin."
Gilly didn''t respond and continued walking.
But even though she didn''t show it on the surface, her heart was pounding, almost as if it were going crazy.
Gilly had experienced Sarah''s pristine appearance, the guardian of the second tomb.
So maybe Temar could also exist within a tomb created for him in a simr manner.
In the form of a person who "seems alive."
At the same time, a premonition welled up within Gilly.
If the first patriarch exists in some tomb... would he be friendly with the young master?".
Sarah attacked Jin upon seeing him. She had also heard that Silderay Runcandel, the guardian Jin encountered in the first tomb, had acted in the same way.
''For some reason, it seems ominous to me, but ultimately, it''s a matter that the young master must judge.''
Not receiving a response from Gilly, Margie sighed in disappointment.
"I just want to be a part of Sir Jin''s life, but it seems that Sir Jin isn''t interested. It feels like unrequited love."
Silence.
At that moment, Gilly briefly stopped walking and turned to Margie.
"Kinzelo has always had friction with the Young Master in the past. During his early years as a cadet, they kidnapped people close to the Young Master, formed an alliance with Zipple, created strange objects that threatened the world, and numerous people were unjustly sacrificed in the process."
And that wasn''t all.
"Furthermore, using thepass they created, Zipple collected Contractors as if searching for oddities, and Kinzelo''s dark magic society even turned citizens of the Holy Kingdom into living golems."
"Oh..."
"I heard you witnessed it during the incident in the Holy Kingdom. The victims turned into living golems. Even seeing those who had lost their lives and were grotesquely transformed, don''t you feel any remorse?"
"Well..."
"Don''t delude yourself into thinking you''ve done small favors for the young master. Even without you, the young master could have ovee this crisis. What the young master despises most in this world is people like you."
The remorseful expression on Gilly''s face then returned to impassive.
''...I''ve gone too far, reflecting on these crazy bastards'' past. I didn''t need to say this.''
And as Gilly turned around and tried to guide the Ivlian brothers.
"It might be difficult for you to understand."
Margie opened her mouth with a faint smile.
"And surely, we might appear as viins. Our Kinzelo is, in a broader sense, working for the betterment of the world."
"What are you saying...?"
"We''re going to create a better world than the one we have now. That''s what we''re doing. And we sincerely hope that Sir Jin will join us in that effort. Once Sir Jin understands our intentions, he will think positively."
In response to that statement, reason almost left Gilly.
Surely, if someone hadn''t grabbed Gilly''s shoulder. Surely, it would have happened.
"...Fourth Miss."
It was Miu who put a hand on Gilly''s shoulder.
"Fourth Miss? Can you call me that?"
"I apologize, Eighth gbearer."
"Right. Next time, I won''t let it pass with a warning, Gilly McRn."
"Yes, I understand."
Gilly bowed deeply.
Miu''s gaze was fixed on the Ivlian brothers. She had overheard their conversation as she walked down the hallway.
"These crazy bastards exist everywhere, right? Working to improve the world? Third-rate terrorist scum trying to make it big? So shut up and get lost already. Before I break your wheelchair and leave your arm crippled."
Bloodlust appeared in Bishkel''s eyes in an instant.
However, Miuughed, disregarding her reaction.
"What''s wrong? Sir Bishkel, don''t like it? Hurt your feelings?"
"You''re being a little excessive in your words. Lady Miu Runcandel."
"What if we go to the arena? As gbearer, I have that authority."
Margie responded with a bright smile, intending to prevent her dear older brother from getting nervous or making a mistake out of anger.
"Well, you''re Lady Miu Runcandel, aren''t you? A pretty face with harsh words has always been to my liking. It''s so nice to witness it again."
"What?"
"It''s been a pleasure meeting you. I didn''t mean to be unpleasant, but I''d appreciate it if you''d show your broad generosity as the gbearer of the ruling n of the Hufester. Goodbye."
Swoosh!
Margie pushed the wheelchair with all her might, passing by Miu.
The speed she could generate with her slender arms was almost incredible.
"Oh, and Lady Gilly. Thank you for guiding me. Next time, I''ll bring you some tea."
Bishkel red at Miu for a moment before chasing after her younger sister.
It was a moment when one more name was added to the list of people he wanted to kill as much as Bouvard.
"Gilly."
"Yes, Eighth gbearer."
"Weren''t you trying to attack them a moment ago? A babysitter, are you crazy?"
When Gilly couldn''t respond and lowered her head, Miu''s hand raised. She was about to p Gilly''s cheek.
Fortunately, such an incident did not ur.
"Hey, Miu. Are you trying toy hands on the youngest''s nanny? Lower your hand."
This time, it was Mary.
They happened to be just outside Mary''s room while they were talking. So Mary, finding the conversation outside intriguing, stepped out into the hallway, anticipating that something might happen.
"Big Sister Mary?"
"Am I supposed to be called that?"
"...Seventh gbearer."
"Fine. I won''t say much. If you don''t want to get in trouble, just move along."
"Big Sister!"
"You''re calling me ''Big Sister'' again. Hey, idiot. You created a situation where you could look good in front of the youngest, so why are you making a scene to subtract points from yourself again? After hitting Gilly, do you think you can handle it?"
Of course, Miu never had any intention of insulting the Ivlian brothers to gain favor with Jin.
She simply didn''t want to hear Ivlianos or Kinzelo spouting nonsense in the Garden of Swords. There was no hidden agenda.
"Hah."
"Hah? Try harder."
Crack...!
Miu looked at Mary with clenched teeth.
"...Today, I''ll take a step back, but you too, big sister. Be reasonable. Beating someone into submission is something a beast does, not a human. Don''t assume I''ll tolerate it forever."
"You speak well. Even a beast listens when it''s beaten. Shouldn''t humans listen even better?"
As Miu walked away with trembling fists, Mary shrugged.
"Now I understand why Big Sister Luna found them so exhausting."
"...Thank you, Lady Mary."
"Although Miu was a bit out of line at the end, you should be grateful to her, not me. If you had actually attacked Ivlianos a moment ago, it would have been a disaster."
Gilly knew this better than anyone.
If she had attacked the Ivlian brothers in anger, Jin would have found himself in a terrible situation.
That''s why Gilly began to deeply resent herself.
Instead of being of some help to Jin, she was on the verge of making a mistake due to petty emotions.
"Well, should I say you have a strong sense of justice? Anyway, I like it. You''re a pure-blood''s nanny. I think my nanny would have done the same."
Mary patted Gilly''s shoulder with a smile.
"Tell the youngest to set a date and event for the duel. And Gilly..."
"Yes."
"In my opinion, the youngest only loses hisposure and goes crazy when hisrades are in trouble. Especially when ites to you, be smarter in the future. You''re probably more important to the youngest than anyone else."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 352: The Final Stage of Bradamantes Strengthening (1)
C352 - The Final Stage of Bradamante''s Strengthening (1)
Gilly couldn''t understand herself.
"It''s true that they were repugnant. But I shouldn''t have been unable to control my emotions to that extent..."
It should have been something she could brush off. However, an inexplicable anger had surged within her, nearly causing her to attack the Ivlian brothers.
"Even if you had attacked them, it wouldn''t have been a big problem."
Jin shrugged, indicating that the incident wasn''t a big deal, after Gilly exined the events that had urred in the hallway.
"I''m ashamed of myself. I almost embarrassed Young Master."
"Well, there might have been a little trouble. But it wouldn''t have been a fatal blow."
Jin genuinely believed it, not just saying it to console Gilly.
The first reason was Bishkel.
"He couldn''t have ignored Gilly''s attack."
Even if Miu hadn''t witnessed that scene, and Gilly had attacked, Bishkel would have easily blocked Gilly''s strike.
Gilly was currently at the 7-star level.
Of course, she was exceptionally talented and still had immense potential, but Bishkel was a more advanced martial artist than her.
The second reason was that this was the Garden of Swords.
Even if Bishkel hadn''t blocked Gilly''s attack, Jin would have used the excuse of "disrespecting the Runcandel gbearer," and it would have been a problem they could somehow overlook.
Especially considering they were uninvited guests who had arrived without any prior contact.
"But the part where Gilly said she suddenly couldn''t control her anger is strange. Could it be because she''s rted to me? Maybe she''s been unknowingly umting stresstely."
If that were the case, Jin would have been even more careful. Whenever someone did something harmful to Jin, Gilly would burst into anger, but she was always rational when it came to situations where she could damage Jin''s status.
"Or maybe it''s because of the Chaos Energy that Margie might have..."
In any case, Jin thought Gilly wasn''t making a scene over such an issue. It was also true that Margie possessed some strange power.
"If I were in your shoes, I would have done the same. So don''t worry."
"Yes, Strawberry Pie. After all, humans have always spouted such nonsense throughout history. They should just be honest about wanting to satisfy their desires rather than clinging to lofty ideals or a better world. I mean, they name it as their cause."
"It''s interesting how chatans manipte such statements to gain influence, no matter the era, Murakan."
"Because humans are apletely weak race. That''s why, in ancient times, some crazy dragons insisted on killing humans except the useful ones. They even suggested killing 80% of the poption."
"That''s madness in itself."
"That''s why I killed those Dragons. Well, it was more because their actions were ridiculous and annoying than for the sake of humans."
"You are you. But anyway, Gilly. Did Big Sister Mary ask to set a date for the duel?"
"Yes, Young Master."
"We agreed to have a duel every three months, but it''s still a headache. Fighting again and again with Big Sister Mary is quite a strain on the body."
He recalled the time he rescued the little Beastmen and Mary unleashed the variation of Volcan, a Final Move.
"If Big Sister Mary gets carried away and uses that during the duel... Just thinking about it makes me dizzy."
A cold sweat ran down his spine.
"Since she mentioned selecting the theme as well, why don''t you look for something other than a duel?"
"It''s probably a good idea. Murakan, did you hear anything special in the reception room?"
"That guy named Berakt slightly fooled your mother. He only mentioned to your mother that Zipple is looking for Temar''s tomb."
''Berakt didn''t report to Rosa about the information regarding the "Vermont Imperial Family."
"Your mother doesn''t seem to suspect much about that information. Berakt seems to have fought quite intensely against your mother in the past. Would it be correct to say they felt a certain camaraderie as opponents?"
"Since our n is about to start a thorough investigation of the tomb, my mother will eventually learn that Vermont is involved as well. Nevertheless, for now, she should be able to maintain an informational advantage regarding the tomb."
Even after Kinzelo had left, Rosa hadn''t called Jin separately. And that despite having heard Berakt talk about the "tomb."
The only reason for this was simple.
"My mother already knew that Temar''s tomb existed. Maybe she even knew that Zipple was looking for it."
He hadn''t really expected it, but it seemed likely.
"My mother must have been waiting for the right time to find Temar''s tomb, even if it meant breaking the oath with Zipple. Or perhaps she thought there was no need to find it."
In any case, circumstances were about to change. Since both Kinzelo and Jin had mentioned the existence of the tomb and the fact that Jin was looking for it, it was natural for Rosa to take action.
"Temar. He can''t find peace even in death. Why are those Vermont people so obsessed with finding his body? It''s amazing how the great powers resort to the same methods asmon grave robbers."
Murakan spoke with a bitter expression. The reason Vermont was searching for Temar''s body still troubled Jin.
"I should meet Lady Misha at least once. I also need to share the story about Aria Histor."
"Oh, do I have to meet her again?"
"I think you should get to know her too."
Murakan rubbed his forehead. The information they had obtained from Kinzelo also needed to be shared with Misha.
"And you held back well. There were enough opportunities to vent your anger at my mother, didn''t you?"
"I didn''t hold back."
"What?"
"I yelled at your mother. I asked her if she knew where his body was. She dodged the question, giving some vague answer. Now I can''t believe her even if she says she didn''t know."
Murakan added some sarcastic remarks, but Rosa responded calmly and sent him back.
"In the past, I wouldn''t have settled for just words. I would have overthrown the entire n. But this time, I held back for your sake."
"Yes, that''s true. You did well. Gilly, has there been any word from Tikan?"
Message from Tikan. It meant news about the "Cat Tribe" and the "Demon n, Rontelgius Family."
It had been almost two months since theirst encounter, but Valeria still hadn''t located the whereabouts of the Cat Tribe. Simrly, Quikantel hadn''t found anything about the Rontelgius Family.
Even with tracking magic, finding the Cat Tribe wasn''t an easy task, and Quikantel was still an undercover imperial fugitive, so there were limits to the information she could gather on her own. It took time.
All Jin could do was hope that the members of the Cat Tribe were safe and sound.
"Yes, Young Master. It seems the agents of the Seven-Colored Peacocks aren''t moving so easilytely."
"With more eyes on them, it''s an inevitable problem. However, it''s frustrating. I can''t take action myself."
Zap.
Butler Petro entered Jin''s room.
"Young Master, a letter has arrived from the Lord of Voltaga."
-Respected Sir Jin Runcandel, thanks to your efforts, the territories of Voltaga...
So began the letter from the Lord of Voltaga, filled with mundane stories and ttery.
However, the letter contained an important message despite itsck of substantial content.
Bradamante''s strengthening.
It was a message that Picon Minche had sent through the Lord of Voltaga to convey the news about it.
"Just in case, let''s wait until tomorrow for my mother''s summons. If it doesn''t arrive, we should go immediately."
------------
The next day, Rosa still hadn''t summoned Jin.
Although some routine tasks were assigned as usual, Jin sent Bellop in disguise and visited the "Velo" of the M Kingdom.
"The Mistress is not avable at the moment."
However, they couldn''t meet with Misha.
She had been absent for over a month without even informing her employees of when she might return.
"It happens often. I''ll send a letter as soon as she''s back."
Since she handled all of Solderet''s responsibilities, it was natural for Misha to have busy days without a moment''s rest.
"This is like trying to use manure as medicine when you don''t have any. We walked for nothing."
He said it that way, but strangely, Murakan felt relieved not to have to see Misha.
The two of them headed straight to Voltaga and then to Vin Branche''s house.
"Sir Jin Runcandel! Come in... ugh."
Vin''s greeting was interrupted as he suffered a convulsion, eyes rolling back due to Picon''s manifestation.
[Have you arrived?]
"I hope you''ve been well, Lord Picon."
"Enough with the pleasantries, Picon. Since you told us toe, you must have what''s needed prepared. Is Bradamante''s strengtheningplete?"
[Actually, I never told you toe, did I, Murakan?]
"Oh, is that so?"
Seeing the two of them bantering, Jin burst intoughter.
[Huh, huh. You''re as ignorant as ever, relying only on your strength. Alright, alright! I give up, I''ve lost!]
Picon controlled his breath as he brought out the sword from the underground forge.
It was Bradamante.
At first nce, nothing seemed to have changed, but Jin noticed with a single look.
His beloved sword had be even harder and sharper.
As Jin affectionately stroked Bradamante, a satisfied smile formed on his lips, and Picon spoke with an enthusiastic tone.
[It''s amazing, isn''t it?]
"I''d like to test it right now."
"But it''s not quite finished yet."
"Are you saying you can make it even better?"
[There''s one more function I haven''t added yet.]
-... But Bradamante''s only drawback is that it doesn''t provide protection to the user.
-Protection? But it''s not armor.
-I''ve created countless armors throughout my life, but none have been better than armor formed using Shadow Energy. So, when I designed Barisada, I added a function for armor to form by injecting Shadow Energy.
Jin recalled the conversation he had with Picon when they first met.
"So, you mean the function to form armor with Shadow Energy."
[That''s right. Thanks to you providing materials from Temar''s tombs and ancient iron, the work is almost done. However, there''s one moreponent I need.]
"What else do you need?"
[A demon creature''s core.]
Upon hearing this, Murakan eximed in surprise.
"A demon creature''s core. A demon creature''s core? Why would you need something like that to make a sword?"
[I need it. To activate that function, I need the core of a demon creature that has been preserved for a thousand years. Otherwise, I would need the hearts of multiple dragons, which is not feasible, right?]
"Where can we find it?" Jin interjected before Murakan could ask more questions.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 353: The Final Stage of Bradamantes Strengthening (2)
C353 - The Final Stage of Bradamante''s Strengthening (2)
[It can''t be acquired with money or goods.]
"Of course, I already suspected that."
[But you''ll need quite a bit of gold. More than a little.]
"Gold?"
As soon as the word "gold" was mentioned, something seemed to click, and Murakan''s eyes widened.
"Hey, Picon. Are you talking about Ozdock?"
[Oh, you remember that name.]
Jin also knew that name.
"Ozdock, you mean... the monster from the popr tales of the eastern continent?"
There were popr tales rted to Ozdock, a demon creature, on the eastern continent.
A monster that eats gold, greedy humans who offer gold to harness its power, and nations that fall into ruin as they be prosperous due to its influence.
It was a fairlymon type of legend that could be found anywhere. An allegory warning against excessive greed and the ruin brought about by corruption.
[Time has passed. Nowadays, the younger generation only knows Ozdock as a creature from stories. In our time, it was a real headache. Around 30% of the world''s gold production was devoured by that thing.]
"Is it still alive? Wasn''t it subdued after I fell asleep?"
[Just before you fell asleep, he was sealed beneath the Royal Capital of Sarba. It was his stronghold, and with the fall of the Sarba Kingdom, he couldn''t get any more gold.]
Ozdock is a demon creature that awakens through gold, so it could only exert its power with gold. When the Sarba Kingdom fell, Ozdock couldn''t obtain more gold, so it chose to sleep.
At that time, Ozdock instinctively made that decision because it couldn''t survive if it stood in the way of the powerful Runcandel and Zipple, who ruled the world at that time.
It was a good choice, but luck wasn''t on Ozdock''s side.
While Ozdock hid in the underground depths of the fallen Sarba Kingdom, the territory of the ck Sea started to "expand."
Today, everyone considers the ce where the Sarba Kingdom used to be as part of the ck Sea territory. However, a thousand years ago, it was just ordinarynd not included in the ck Sea.
[As the ck Sea expanded rapidly, Ozdock ended up swallowed by the taintednd of the ck Sea. You could say he remained dormant but buried in the poisoned territory.]
"So, the n is to awaken the sealed Ozdock and capture it to obtain its core?"
[Exactly.]
"This guy is crazy... Do you think this kid is one of the Ten Great Knights of ancient Runcandel? How is this kid going to capture Ozdock?!"
[You''re here. And Ozdock is much weaker nowpared to then. It''s likely on the verge of death.]
Having gone without consuming gold for a thousand years, Ozdock had lost much of its incredible strength from the past.
"What if it''s still okay? Are you suggesting we awaken it unnecessarily and end up with more trouble? Have you forgotten the headache that thing caused a thousand years ago?"
As Murakan pointed out, Ozdock was a major troublemaker in those times.
Before settling in the Sarba Kingdom, it caused countless civilian casualties, and the fluctuating price of gold disrupted the world economy.
Runcandel, Zipple, and even Vermont, the major forces of that time, invested considerable efforts in capturing Ozdock.
There was no reason why those powerful forces couldn''t have subdued Ozdock using brute force.
The problem was that until Ozdock was on the brink of bing a "demon creature with a core," no one recognized its threat, and the same urred even after its transformation wasplete.
In other words, the response came toote.
When the major forces finally decided to subdue Ozdock, the creature had already taken the residents of the Sarba Kingdom hostage and used them as shields.
Thus, while the major forces tried to minimize casualties and seize the opportunity to kill Ozdock, the Sarba Kingdom fell.
[Ha, it''s definitely weakened!]
"Oh, this bald bastard... It''s quite suspicious, isn''t it? Last time, we had a tough time when we faced Sylderay in the first tomb. I''m sure he''s plotting something simr with Ozdock. It''s the first time I''ve heard that you need a demon creature''s core to build a weapon."
Snap!
Murakan pped his palm as if he remembered something.
"I see, you bastard. So now you have a Guardian Dragon, right? Are you nning to use Ozdock''s core for some kind of elixir?"
It was known that a demon core was useless for humans.
But for dragons, it was a top-tier elixir. It was one of the few means that could dramatically boost the strength of their heart''s energy in an instant.
[Ha! What are you saying? This Picon Minche has never told a lie in his life. A Guardian Dragon? I didn''t even ask Jin to look for one. I probably just sent a Guardian Dragon.]
"I really can''t believe it."
b"Mr. Picon, I didn''t say that. Uh, Murakan. Why are you doing this? Why?"
Jin began to gently persuade Picon.
In reality, Jin''s thoughts were somewhat simr to Murakan''s. Awakening such a dangerous creature was a burden in itself, and he also remembered the difficulties of the first tomb.
But it didn''t seem like a lie.
Furthermore, he thought that capturing Ozdock might have more uses than just crafting a weapon.
"Please, calm down, Mr. Picon. After all, you also need toplete your masterpiece, right?"
"Hmm, hmm. Yes, yes. I''m sorry. We''ll go awaken and capture Ozdock or Modok, right?"
Murakan looked around cautiously and spoke, and Picon nodded.
[Anyway, damn ck Dragon. If it weren''t for Jin, there wouldn''t even be soup, just bones.]
A vein popped on Murakan''s forehead. However, he patiently swallowed his anger and scratched his neck with an awkward smile.
"Haha, sure, sure... we''re going. Well, it wouldn''t be bad to finally cut Ozdock''s throat for good this time."
[When you retrieve the core, don''t take a single bite out of it. Bring it back as it is, Murakan.]
"Understood. I''m strong even if I don''t eat that thing."
--------------
August 28, 1799.
A massive cat with cheeks puffed as if about to burst was walking on the outskirts of the ck Sea.
It was Shuri.
Once again, Shuri was using her spiritual abilities to easily locate the ancient capital of the Sarba Kingdom.
Shuri was familiar with this area from her time as Helluram''s Cat.
"I''ve thought about it before. I really want this cat. Can''t you give it to your big sister? It seems like I''m liked as well."
While Mary was petting Shuri''s back, she spoke.
"It''s not possible."
"Then I''ll win this duel and use the winner''smand to take it. Hehehe."
The reason she was riding on Shuri''s back alongside Jin and Murakan was for abat session.
This time, it wasn''t a one-on-one duel, but they had chosen the "Subjugation of Ozdock" as theirbat.
By subduing Ozdock together and determining whonded more blows and performed better, they would decide the victor.
Murakan had taken on the role of referee and security personnel in case of unexpected circumstances. If they,bined, couldn''t defeat Ozdock and considered it too dangerous, they would cancel thebat and engage in a duel.
Of course, Mary was unaware that this duel was also rted to the strengthening of Jin''s weapon.
''I am deeply grateful to my older sister, Mary, but revealing the existence of Vin Branche and Lord Picon could be risky.''
It''s not that Jin didn''t trust Mary Runcandel as ''his third sister.''
But once Mary learned of Vin, the God of Smiths'' contractor, and Picon Minche, ''the Seventh gbearer of Runcandel, Mary,'' she would likely make a decision advantageous to the n.
It would mean that the legendary cksmith Picon Minche would have to forge weapons for all Runcandels, not just Jin.
''Someday it mighte to this because of me, but not now.''
Proud Picon couldn''t ept it.
In the end, Runcandel could use Vin as a hostage or force Picon to work for them, which was very likely to cause trouble.
The natural course was to restrict all personal benefits that Jin could gain through Picon.
Until Jin was convinced that Mary was a sword of Jin Runcandel, not the Runcandel sword, he needed to be cautious about sharing information.
"By the way, it''s a demon creature with a core. I''ve wanted to face such a thing at least once. They say it''s on a different level from those trivial monsters that roam near the outskirts of the ck Sea, so it won''t end in a boring way, will it?"
With the idea of fighting an extraordinary monster, Mary''s heart raced all night, and she couldn''t sleep well.
The reason she didn''t ask Jin how he knew about such a monster was that.
If she could have a proper fight, other things didn''t matter much to Mary.
"Huhu, if Ozdock were in his prime, you wouldn''t have been able to do anything."
As if Mary had made an adorablement, Murakan chuckled to himself.
Mary didn''t seem to mind much.
"Our Guardian Dragon seems to like the term ''prime'' a lot. Guardian Dragon, I''m just curious, but you wouldn''t give biased judgments, would you?"
"Of course, I''m an impartial Dragon."
"Good, once we catch it and return, let''s have a good drink. I''ve heard you also have a liking for magazines, right? I have some nice articles in my collection that you might like."
"Good liquor and good magazines, excellent. I''ll make sure to do that."
Throughout the journey, Murakan and Mary got along very well. They seemed to effortlessly get along as if they had been close from the beginning, which somehow didn''t seem very fascinating to Jin.
He had suspected that they would get along.
"It looks like we''ve arrived."
Shuri stopped walking.
In the deste cknd on the outskirts of the ck Sea, only the sky and the earth could be seen, but this used to be the location of the ancient capital of the Sarba Kingdom.
Nyaa!
Shuri opened her mouth wide.
Suddenly, a flurry of gold nuggets spilled out. These gold nuggets they had been carrying since they left the main house were prepared to attract Ozdock.
Naturally, the entry and exit of humans to the ck Sea were extremely rare.
Moreover, they were the only onesing to the ck Sea with such a quantity of gold, and also to the location of the ancient capital of Sarba.
"A monster that eats gold, huh? Let''s see where and how it came from. Since we''ve brought its food, it shoulde out quickly!"
As Mary jumped off Shuri''s back and shouted, a powerful vibration began to spread through the ground beneath them.
Crunch...
The intense vibration began to shake the ground they stood on.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 354
C354 - Ozdock (1)
"Oh, are you really reacting so quickly?" Mary smiled with a curious gleam in her eyes.
Jin reacted half-heartedly. Although Ozdock, the core monster, was weakerpared to its prime, Jin couldn''t help but wonder if it was really possible for it to survive underground in the ck Sea for a thousand years.
Kuurur... The vibration suddenly intensified.
From the depths of the underground, a massive lifeform writhed and trembled as if erupting from a volcano, vividly transmitting its presence through the ground.
"It''s like fishing for a whale with a fishing rod."
Mary licked her lips.
"Although we don''t know how much it has weakened, both of you should stay vignt."
Murakan found Mary''s nonchnce amusing.
She seemed too confident, as she had never experienced Ozdock''s full power in its prime.
Snap!
In an instant, what looked like Ozdock''s "arm" shot out of the ground, splitting the earth.
It looked like a metallic pir.
There were no apparent joints, making flexible movement impossible, but the arm moved with the fluidity of molten iron.
A body with the texture of steel and the fluid nature of water at the same time. Just by looking at it, Jin had the intuition that it wouldn''t be easy to strike.
Ozdock''s arm sought the gold scattered on the ground, and Mary watched the scene with fascination.
On the other hand, before Ozdock could fully reveal itself, Jin unsheathed his sword. Quick! The pale de emerged from its sheath, emitting a faint glow as lightning bolts crackled.
Simultaneously, a flickering light emanated from Jin, and the next moment, even before Ozdock could fully reveal its body, Jin sliced off Ozdock''srger arm.
''I didn''t cut it.''
Jin''s premonition hade true.
It was as if he had sliced through water. There was only a strange and eerie sensation when the de made contact with Ozdock''s arm, but there was no sense of a dense impact as the de cut through flesh and bone.
"Hey, younger one! What are you doing?" Mary eximed in frustration.
She had nned to wait for Ozdock to eat the gold scattered on the ground. It was a consideration for a fun fight.
"The prey was almost injured. It seems there''s no significant damage. Phew."
"Now is not the time to be picky, big sister."
"This sister of yours was so excited she couldn''t sleepst night. It''s already weakened, so I wanted to improve its condition a bit before fighting..."
"I didn''t mean that. Aren''t you currentlypeting against me?"
Mary''s gaze sharpened at those words.
"It means there''s no time to waste. Before you finish off that thing, you also have to do something."
"Ugh, troublesome guy."
"Are you going to spread mana bomb again after wearing shiny armor likest time, big sister?"
"You''re subtly cunning too."
Swoosh!
The joints of Mary''s chain sword, "Venom," separated.
Dozens of des were instantly imbued with aura and began to spread as she swung the sword.
Sharp shockwaves burst in all directions.
The pieces of gold sent flying by Shuri were sliced like tofu, and Ozdock''s arm was pulverized to the point where its original shape couldn''t be recognized.
However, it wasn''t a sessful strike.
Ozdock''s arm had briefly lost its shape due to the Venom, and when Mary stopped the attack, it quickly regained its original form.
Then, it hesitated over the gold scattered on the ground.
The impact generated by the shockwaves had sent a few pieces of gold into the hole from which the arm had emerged.
Ching! Ching!
The sound of Ozdock awkwardly consuming the fallen gold could be heard.
The unpleasant resonance of the sound was filled with Ozdock''s dark and vicious energy.
The two pieces of gold that fell into the hole were like sparks falling into a sea of oil.
[Grrooar...!]
Once again, the ground trembled with Ozdock''s roar.
The tremors were several times stronger than when the creature first moved, as if the earth could overturn at any moment.
Kuuaaah!
Ozdock began to rise from the ground.
Explosions, bothrge and small, erupted from various points on the ground due to Ozdock''s emitted energy.
Jin and Mary adjusted their stances, deflecting debris.
Meanwhile, Murakan mounted Shuri and positioned herself in the distance.
"Baldie''s words were true. It''s iparably weaker than back then. But even so, it will be a challenge for these two."
It seems I''ll have to step in and help at the right moment.
Murakan came to that conclusion.
Although it had been sealed for a thousand years, and its body had weakened, Ozdock had not entirely lost its former majesty.
The immense shadow of Ozdock cast a dark hue over thend.
''Does it have a strange shape?''
''Here ites, that shuddering sensation of incredible strength.''
Jin and Mary gazed at Ozdock.
Its body was angr everywhere, hairless, and if there were a monkey the size of a fortress, it would resemble this.
Golden energy radiated from its chest, and that was Ozdock''s inner core.
[Krrah. Ghooaaak]
Ozdock, after setting one foot on the ground, only made strange noises for a while. It seemed entirely disinterested in Jin and Mary.
It appeared that Ozdock hadn''t even realized that Jin and Mary had attacked it. Its attention was solely on searching for gold, while it stared nkly with itsrge red eye in the center of its face.
"You slightly hurt my pride, you know?"
Although she said that, Mary''s pupils shone as she looked at Ozdock.
Perhaps one could feel terror when facing an opponent seemingly invulnerable to physical attacks.
No, undoubtedly, most Warriors would feel that way when facing Ozdock.
But this story didn''t apply to Mary. Jin felt the same.
''It''s probably not regeneration, but is its body like a ghost?''
While Jin pondered for a moment, Mary had already charged toward Ozdock.
Ozdock extended its long, dark tongue toward the gold scattered on the ground.
"I''ll keep slicing until you vanish, Ozdock."
Chaaak!
She severed Ozdock''s tongue. Or rather, what seemed like a cut was just the beginning.
Mary''s sword, "Venom," released des randomly like scattered beams of light.
The rays ovepped at a speed even Jin had trouble keeping up with, and with each sh, Ozdock''s massive body became blurry.
For the first few seconds, Ozdock continued to ignore Mary.
However, when the gold it was about to swallow turned to dust due to Mary''s aura, Ozdock finally reacted, its red eyes ring.
Zas!
Right after Ozdock shifted its gaze to Mary, that sound rang out.
It was the unmistakable sound of a trained Warrior''s punch or a blunt weapon strike against a human body.
"Kuk!"
At the same time, Mary was sent flying and bit her lip. It was the result of being hit by Ozdock''s tail in her side.
Fortunately, thanks to herst-minute defense, she managed to avoid a fatal wound, but the mental shock was greater than the physical one.
''I almost took a direct hit...?''
Just one blow.
Not even a properly prepared strike, it was an attack that resembled an unconscious hand movement to swat a fly.
She could have been incapacitated in an instant. If her defense had been dyed even slightly, it wouldn''t have ended with just a few broken ribs.
Watching this, Jin couldn''t help but be amazed.
''With that size, it moves at a speed even big sister Mary can''t react to.''
He became nervous.
"Murakan! Is this its weakened state?"
Jin shouted, and Murakan raised both arms, drawing a circle in the air.
"If it gets really tough, this mighty ck Dragon here will lend you a hand, so give it your all. Hahaha!"
Mary got up again, her eyes shining. Her entire body trembled, a mix of embarrassment and anger quickly rising.
Instead of expressing it directly, she decided to keep herposure.
In the world of Warriors, there was no one who didn''t know that Mary was a crazy fighting maniac. Furthermore, it was a well-known fact that she loved to fight recklessly without any calctions.
Most Warriors, therefore, thought of Mary as a hot-blooded and straightforward person.
However, those who truly knew Mary had said that she was the most fearsome when her eyes seemed as icy as they did now.
''It was like this when I fought the younger one, when I killed those damn Specters, and even now. Since the younger one returned, the fights have been thrilling. Now, how should I deal with this guy?''
Kak, kak!
The fallen gold was being absorbed by Ozdock''s belly.
The surprise attacks of the two hadn''t been entirely ineffective. Although they hadn''t inflicted wounds on Ozdock, more than half of the gold ingots they had brought as bait had been lost in the attacks.
Since gold was the source of Ozdock''s power, if it had consumed it all, it would probably have regained its vitality twice as much as now.
"Younger one."
"Yes, sister."
"To inflict physical damage on Ozdock, we''ll probably have to target when it hardens its body for an attack."
"I was thinking the same. It seems to be in a state simr to air most of the time. It would have been nice if that damned ck Dragon we have behind us had warned us about this."
Murakany on Shuri''s back, watching the siblings with a smile. He even nibbled on the Latrie cookies they had brought.
"Even so, its entire body isn''t always in a state like air. If it were, it couldn''t chew and swallow gold like this."
"Must there be weak points?"
"Yes, and there could also be ways to expose its body to physical attacks."
Swoosh, crack!
Jin wielded fire and ice magic in his palms, chanting simultaneously.
"I''ll look for a way tond an effective blow using magic and strength. In the meantime, big sister, please find its weaknesses."
"Understood."
St!
Spitting out the blood umted in her mouth, Mary closed the distance between her and Ozdock.
Now, Ozdock was aware of Jin and Mary''s presence.
At first, Ozdock had almost lost consciousness due to the smell of gold after being recently awakened from its seal, but its intelligence had recovered somewhat.
[Grrraah!]
The Poison Sword traced a sharp path tainted with aura once again. This time, Ozdock didn''t dodge the attack, it simply brushed Mary aside.
Despite being mmed into the ground several times, Mary extended her sword toward Ozdock without showing any signs of fatigue. However, in just a minute, she had to experience being pushed aside more than ten times, hitting the ground each time.
But it was no longer about Mary''s wounded pride.
It was because she had epted that Ozdock was stronger than her.
''It seems to be immune to magic too.''
Fire, ice, wind, earth, lightning. Jin had tried all types of magic, but none of them seemed to hit their mark.
It appeared to be an impregnable fortress.
Unless Jin discovered one more thing:
''He can''t have simultaneous immunity to both physical and magical attacks...!''
Jin had almost overlooked this. Since Mary was being pushed back so much, there hadn''t been many opportunities for them to attack simultaneously.
It was easier said than done. Normally, the toughest tasks weren''t simple.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 355: Ozdock (2)
C355 - Ozdock (2)
[?Grrraah!]
Ozdock roared as it pounded the ground with both hands.
The impact not only caused the ground to crack, and rocks to scatter like toasted beans, but it also triggered an earthquake.
The shockwave sent Mary''s body flying.
Then, Ozdock extended its fist toward Mary as she floated in the air.
Crunch!
The enormous fist tore through the air, emitting an eerie crunching sound.
If Mary had taken a direct hit, even her blessed Runcandel body would have been gravely injured.
However, just like Barton had done before, Mary released sword aura into the air, quickly altering her position.
Furthermore, the moment Ozdock''s fist struck the air, she managed to wrap her sword, Venom, around its arm.
Swimp, swimp!
Mary coiled Venom, spiraling Ozdock''s arm.
Although sparks flew due to the friction between Venom and Ozdock''s arm, she still couldn''tnd an effective blow.
Ironically, before Mary could even touch the ground, she was countered. When Ozdock''s tail extended along with its fist, Mary had to raise her arm to block the attack.
Swoosh!
Mary exhaled as she staggered backward. The horrible mark on the ground followed the direction she had retreated.
"It''s much better than I expected."
However, instead of discouraging Mary, it only ignited her fighting spirit even more.
In fact, she felt a bit disappointed.
''If it weren''t for the younger one and Lord Murakan, I might have enjoyed a more exciting fight.''
That was the source of Mary''s disappointment.
As outmatched as she might be against Ozdock, what was at stake wasn''t "life or death."
She trusted her younger brother behind her, and the same applied to Murakan behind them.
No matter how strong Ozdock might be, as long as they were there, Mary believed their odds of winning were close to 100%.
''I have to read the flow before my sister gets tired.''
Jin hadn''t initiated any attacks yet.
He was reading Mary''s ''flow.''
It involved attacking from a different angle, in a different way, at the same time.
Even for a duo that had perfected their teamwork, sessfully performing such a feat was not easy.
For a while, Jin simply watched without doing anything, and Mary showed no resentment. She had sensed what her younger brother was calcting.
As the exchange of attacks between Mary and Ozdock continued several more times, Jin slowly umted mana in the palms of his hands, as if his calctions wereing to an end.
''The brat is truly extraordinary. Did he manage to read his sister''s attack flow during that brief opening?''
Of course, Murakan also secretly admired Jin''s n.
And on the battlefield, there was another man who shared simr thoughts with Murakan.
''Jojo, Jin Runcandel. This is interesting. They didn''t praise him for nothing.''
Hepletely concealed his presence, hiding to the side of the battlefield and observing the group from earlier.
And no one had noticed his presence.
With a sly smile, the man continued to watch the battle''s development.
Crack!
The blue mes of the me Sovereign ignited.
Then, the ruler of the me World extended its long neck through a dimensional gate, roaring as Ozdock shuddered and turned its head.
"Where is this damn monster looking in front of me!"
Seizing the opportunity, Mary leaped upwards and thrust her sword into Ozdock''s jaw.
Until now, she hadn''t found any openings, so it''s the first time she''s attacked the face.
Bam! The de of the Venom Chain Sword was stopped by the teeth, unable to enter the creature''s throat. But a wicked smile crept onto Mary''s lips.
"Oh, do you have a weak tooth?"
Ozdock trembled.
One of the teeth that the de touched was clearly wobbling unstably, transmitting a sensation through the sword de.
A weak tooth: that was Ozdock''s first weakness. Additionally, the creature seemed to shudder quite painfully when its tooth was struck, as if it were ufortable.
"Younger one!"
In response to Mary''s call, Jin nodded as if he understood. He immediately signaled Tess to use her breath on Ozdock''s jaw while simultaneously weaving new offensive magic in his hands.
A seven-star me orb and an eight-star hellwind.
The bloated mass of mes and wind grew to the point of seeming ready to burst. When released, Ozdock took its first steps backward.
Blocking magic wasn''t a difficult task, but Ozdock instinctively realized. The two humans in front of it had found two ways to harm it.
Teeth and physical strikebined with magical assault.
A thousand years ago, when Ozdock had first turned into a monster, humans took quite a while to discover this weakness.
Back then, Ozdock was several times stronger than it was now, and there weren''t many individuals capable of engaging in closebat and searching for its weakness.
[Grrooaaar!]
Ozdock roared as it raised its fist.
However, Tess''s mes prated between its fists and headed for its jaw, drawing all of Ozdock''s attention to the mes.
The clever Mary aimed for its ankle.
If she had been her younger brother, she probably would have known that striking a different point rather than focusing on the teeth would be more advantageous.
That thought hit the mark.
The two spells Jin had prepared flew toward Ozdock''s right ankle. They were perfectly aligned with Mary''s charge toward that point.
The moment both attacks struck the ankle, there was not even a second of discrepancy.
Thud, crack!
"Well, you managed to hit it in one go! Good job, my little one."
The sticky, characteristic blood of demonic creatures spurted from Ozdock''s ankle. The spewed blood covered Mary''s hair and armor, but she smiled with a sense of satisfaction.
On the other hand, Ozdock intended to rip off the blue mes from its face and regenerate its ankle.
So it let out an unpleasant scream that surpassed the blue me ruler''s, attempting to dy the attacks of both even a little.
But the Runcandels weren''t the type to back down just because of a scream.
"Now is the time to take the blows until you fall, Ozdock!"
Mary shouted as she put a new aura on Venom. After being pounded by Ozdock''s fist and tail on the ground dozens of times in just a few minutes, the moment of counterattack was going to be exhrating.
Jin prepared sessive offensive magic spells.
As things stood, they could probably achieve victory without resorting to techniques like the Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky.
"Hahaha!"
Mary felt like a "Magic Swordsman."
Whenever she attacked, Jin''s offensive magic assisted her like two mounts that fit perfectly.
Even if she awakened to another level as a martial artist, she began to wonder if she could perform even better and more efficient attacks with Jin''s magical attack assistance.
"Now I understand why Lord Murakan said that the ancient Magic Swordsmen of Runcandel were the most powerful of their time."
However, they had the advantage.
Ozdock''s gigantic body was now nearlypletely bloodied, and its movements had significantly slowed.
Its fingers had been severed, and some of its teeth had melted from Tess''s mes.
However, as time passed, Mary and Jin''s attacks grew stronger.
In particr, Mary''s endurance was recovering as she no longer had to dodge or block Ozdock''s attacks like before.
"My sister is a monster too. After taking such a beating earlier, she''s getting fiercer."
If only considering pure endurance, even calling her the second best after Luna among the gbearers was far from inadequate.
[Gwaaak...]
Thud!
Ozdock knelt with a low groan.
Amid Tess''s sharp roar as she soared through the sky, it seemed that just a bit more attack would end the battle.
However, Jin and Mary thought differently.
He doesn''t seem like the type to be defeated so easily.
Was it enough to end this demonic creature that had only been provoked once? It had weakened more than enough, but this was the same gold-devouring monster that had terrorized the world a thousand years ago.
But there was no need to cautiously await its demise.
sh it, tear it apart, cleave it, shatter it¡ªwhatever it took to finish it.
Jin and Mary''s gazes focused on the center of Ozdock''s chest.
It was where its Inner Core (Naedan) resided. Despite its whole body being reddened, only the center of its chest, where the inner core was located, emitted a faint golden light.
Attack the inner core.
They didn''t need to voice this thought; the siblings understood each other.
Even though Ozdock was surrounded, it had constantly protected its inner core.
It might even be a trap.
Attack the inner core, and when the elder sister gets close, it might unveil a new attack.
It was a usible development.
However, Mary had also considered these possibilities. Even if Ozdock used its inner core as bait for a surprise attack, she trusted that she could avoid a mortal wound.
Jin didn''t offer separate advice since he had read Mary''s thoughts.
Instead, he prepared the right magic to synchronize perfectly with her until the end.
"From one to ten, every move you make pleases me, younger brother. Here''s a very considerate gift for you."
Mary''s lips curled upward.
Then, while firmly gripping the ckened Chain Sword, her eyes gleamed.
A bright gleam shone from the de that had suddenly been enveloped in aura, dazzling as if it could make one''s eyes itch.
A thrusting stance.
A secret technique.
Unlike decisive killing moves, this was another category of Runcandel''s special moves.
The thrust Mary was about to execute was one of the seven secret techniques of the Runcandel n.
Jin had never seen this technique, but he realized it wasn''t an ordinary thrust.
"Last time, he taught me the transformed version of the Volcano. Is he trying to surprise me again?"
There was no time to deduce which technique it was.
The rhythm, which had been natural until now, suddenly elerated.
Before Mary''s motion couldplete, Jin had to prepare his magic at the same speed as her.
"It seems the Lord cared for the Seventh gbearer. Judging by the stance, it seems he taught her personally."
The man watching them became interested.
"Moreover, she is undoubtedly new to the Twelfth gbearer, yet she''s already following his lead and providing support..."
It was a good decision toe and see for himself.
While the man organized his thoughts,
Swaack!
Mary extended the Chain Sword in a straight line.
The Fifth Secret Technique of the Runcandel n:
Light Speed Thrust. (Push At The Speed Of Light.)
That was the name of the unfolded sword technique.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 356: Ozdock (3)
C356 - Ozdock (3)
Jin squinted reflexively.
The gleam of Poison extending from Mary''s hand had stung his eyes.
It was a blinding light,parable to a direct hit from a sh Cannon.
A Final Move? Or perhaps a secret technique?
It didn''t seem like an attack patterned after the Sword of Legends.
When Jin had these thoughts, Mary had alreadypleted her move.
White smoke billowed from Mary''s sword, extending diagonally toward Ozdock.
Hoo!
Mary took a deep breath.
The move had ended, but nothing had changed yet.
"I couldn''t even see the moment the sword struck...!"
Not even for someone like Jin.
No, not even for a Warrior more skilled than Jin.
Reacting to that light was impossible.
True to its name, Light Speed, an attack with which even a pinnacle being wouldn''t be able to evade with just reaction, since no one in the world could respond to it.
It could be evaded by prediction that surpassed reaction.
Or some kind of realization that exceeded prediction.
The Light Speed Thrust was a sword that could never be evaded without those elements.
Furthermore, a monster that didn''t even grasp the basics of swordsmanship couldn''t react to that mysterious strike.
The gleam had already pierced through Ozdock''s chest three seconds ago.
Squelch-!
A momentter, the sound of something tearing and bursting in Ozdock''s chest could be heard.
A hole,rge enough for a person''s head to fit through, was punched through the center of its massive chest.
Ozdock lowered its head in despair, staring at the hole, while Jin looked on the other side.
He beheld a scene where an evenrger hole had opened in the sky.
The Light Speed Thrust had reached the sky.
It stretched like a circr ind through the dense clouds floating in the sky akin to the ck Sea, creating a rift.
A shiver ran down Jin''s spine. As a Warrior, he couldn''t help but be amazed. That was the result of a single thrust.
"Fortunately, my magic managed to hit alongside the tremendous speed of that thrust. Maybe older sister Mary adjusted her speed for that. It wasn''t just luck; maybe older sister Mary lined up her synchronization."
Ozdock couldn''t defend against both magical and physical attacks simultaneously. Jin nodded unconsciously, recalling that fact.
But even if my magic had missed, it seems that thrust wouldn''t have failed Ozdock.
Aaagh-!
Ozdock spat out a chunk of ck blood. It roared in agony, writhing in pain, and pounded the ground with its fist.
Chak...
It felt like threads were breaking, and from the hole that had pierced through its chest, a new crunching began.
Lines appeared on Ozdock''s body like blood vessels, randomly etched across it. There were hundreds, thousands of these lines, all stemming from where the Light Speed Thrust had passed through.
Its fingers had been severed, its tail sliced into dozens of pieces, its ankles and thighs torn apart. Literally, Ozdock''s entire body was disintegrating.
A shock worthy of the name "Secret Technique."
However, Mary seemed unsatisfied, despite this almost divine power.
"Tch, it''s still far from enough."
Anyone who had witnessed a thrust approaching this level of power would never think to use the phrase ''it''s still far from enough.''
However, if someone had seen Cyron Runcandel''s sword erasing opponents in a single strike, if you were a Runcandel who had grown up watching such a scene. They might believe it''s still not enough.
Or they might seem too proud.
Comparing themselves already to their father.
But there was something that sent shivers down Jin''s spine even more than Mary''s Light Speed Thrust.
''This isn''t over yet.''
Ozdock.
Jin and Mary sensed that this thousand-year-old monster wasn''t dead yet.
High-level demonic creatures with super-regeneration abilities weren''t rare.
In the case of a named monster like Ozdock, it was a given.
If Ozdock were simply at the level of a decent core monster, the heroes from a thousand years ago wouldn''t have had so much trouble.
Ozdock was undoubtedly the most powerful among those with the core monster, possibly the strongest of his time.
Thud-!
Ozdock''s shattered body began to shrink rapidly.
Superficially, it didn''t seem threatening at all.
It almost looked like the separated bones and flesh were turning to dust and vanishing.
However, this was the preparation for a "transformation."
Ozdock''s body, which had turned into particles, was shaping a new figure in the air.
Mary''s pupils dted, and Jin called for his phoenix.
"Tess!!"
Gaahh-!
Tess emitted zing blue mes. It was a concentrated burst of all the mes it could muster at that moment.
It was an instant when Tesspletely consumed Ozdock''s form. Still, the insufficient blue mes formed barriers in all directions,pletely imprisoning Ozdock.
However, Jin and Mary couldn''t let their guard down and adjusted their stance.
"A rather unpleasant fellow, isn''t he? After taking a direct hit from the Light Speed Thrust and still standing, it''s been a long time since I''ve seen someone like that."
Fssshhhh...
Tess, who had been staring at Ozdock for a moment, gradually shrunk, and its summoning was released.
It wasn''t because Tess had exhausted all of Jin''s mana.
"I have a bad feeling. I need to conserve my power and prepare for a new move."
Jin couldn''t predict the extent of Ozdock''s power after the transformation, so he had to be ready for variables.
If a situation arose where he needed to use the secret technique of the magic sword, he would then summon Tess.
"It''s been a while since I''ve seen that annoying form."
Murakan looked at Ozdock, who was finishing his transformation, at the spot where Tess''s blue mes had disappeared.
The monster who had been wounded by the swordsman pondered countless moments of defeat, until one day it evolved into a core monster with a body shape resembling a sharp sword, or a monster who had been afflicted by a mage became immune to magic...
In Ozdock''s case, it was greed.
It hadn''t always fed on gold. It was amon existence like other monsters, feeding on beasts, humans, or other monsters.
However, one day, Ozdock noticed the habit of the humans it killed: they didn''t release their gold coins even in death.
Before acquiring a core, it lived near a trading city. There, Ozdock devoured numerous humans who clung to their gold coins even in death, prioritizing their wealth over theirrades.
And when it obtained the core.
Ozdock became more human than any other monster. Not just in appearance but also in personality, actions, and evennguage.
Ssshh...
Emerging from the smoke, Ozdock descended from the sky to the ground.
Its enormous body seemed asrge as a mountain, yet it had disappearedpletely. Now, it looked perfectly human. As if its previous ck flesh had turned into armor and a sword, it was fully armed.
"Wow, what''s that? Is it really a monster? It looks like a person!"
It had shrunk. It was even smaller than Jin.
Clearly, it had be much smaller than before its transformation, but the intimidation emanating from Ozdock was several times greater.
A chill ran down Jin and Mary''s spines.
[Awakening after a thousand years, and they can''t even wee me properly. What kind of treatment is this...]
Ozdock shrugged and spoke.
"Damn it, the youngest one. Did that thing just say human words?"
[Thatst push was quite dangerous. It almost caused a big problem.]
Ssshiikkk!
As Ozdock finished speaking, a drop of blood sttered on Mary''s right cheek.
It was the energy of the sword that Ozdock had fired, narrowly grazing her cheek.
Originally aimed at her neck, had Mary not turned her head, her throat might have been sliced.
Mary quickly distanced herself.
Dump, dump.
Her chest pounded heavily, and her breathing elerated. A cold sweat formed on the hand gripping the sword.
[Oh ho, you dodged that? My intention was to kill you painlessly, considering the merit of waking me up. But if you walk away like this, you''ll only suffer.]
While saying this,
Ozdock was already thrusting his sword into Mary''s side. He closed the distance at an impossibly fast speed that she couldn''t even perceive.
Although the attack was blocked by her armor, a long gash appeared on Mary''s shoulder due to the subsequent blow.
If Jin hadn''t intervened and deflected Ozdock''s third sword strike, Mary''s wounds could have been much worse.
ng, swoosh!
Sigmund''s sword and Ozdock''s shed.
The lightning and suppression of the Sword of Legends alternated incessantly in the attacks, but Ozdock seemedpletely undisturbed by the pressure.
"Wait, guys. This swordsman... Could he be a Runcandel?"
Ozdock attacked leisurely while inquiring.
"What do you intend to do, knowing that?"
Jin took a defensive posture, protecting Mary''s back.
He had just rapidly consumed a massive amount of aura through the Light Speed Thrust and dodged a surprise attack, so he needed a moment to regain his strength.
"To save you."
"What?"
"Now that I''ve finally awakened, I don''t think I need to be humiliated by you ignorant fools again. If Runcandel still exists, then Zipple is destroyed, isn''t it?"
As all factions had designated monsters as public enemies in the past, Ozdock understood how humans viewed individuals as representatives of their factions.
Therefore, he had always traded with various factions as needed to survive. And he had nned to do the same this time.
As strong as he was, he had learned a lesson a thousand years ago: he couldn''t take on the entire world by himself.
"If Zipple is still standing, maybe I can help a bit. How about forming some kind of symbiotic rtionship between your n and me?"
"Not a symbiotic rtionship, but more like parasitic, Ozdock. Do you think Runcandel is a name someone like you can casually utter?"
"I don''t think you''re that smart."
Skkk!
Ozdock''s sword cut the edge of Jin''s coat.
"Younger one, can you buy me 30 seconds? Is it possible?" Mary spoke quietly, but she didn''t have a serious expression.
"I''ll buy you more than that, as much as you need."
"You''re quite bold."
In fact, Mary wore a delighted expression, as if she was excited about the prospect of recovering her strength in just 30 seconds.
The idea of recovering and engaging in a fierce battle with Ozdock once again using the Volcano variation thrilled her.
Mary Runcandel.
She''s quite mad too.
''Does this mean she won''t ask for help in this situation and only wants to keep fighting? I thought the boy would ask me for help, but he just wants to keep fighting alone...''
Murakan assessed the situation and shook his head.
It was his time to intervene. There was no need to put the siblings in danger.
''I''ll transform into my true form and start properly from the beginning... Huh? What''s that?''
While Murakan calcted the situation regarding his entry...
Zzzing!
From somewhere, a beam of light flew and severed Ozdock''s right arm.
It wasn''t the attack of Jin and Mary.
Moreover, it was an attack that originally intended to destroy Ozdock''s torso.
[Kugh!]
"Oh ho, did you dodge that?"
A man smiled as he uttered the words Ozdock had said to Mary a while ago.
He had been observing Jin''s group on the battlefield all this time.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 357: Ozdock (4)
C357 - Ozdock (4)
The man was wielding a scimitar, which appeared to be twice as long as a regr one and wasmonly used by Vermont knights.
"There definitely wasn''t anyone like him nearby. How in the hell...?"
Jin, Mary, and Murakan.
They werepletely unaware that the man had been observing the battle from the sidelines all along.
The reason they didn''t know was because the man didn''t want them to. Initially, he had nned to simply watch the gbearers'' battle and then leave.
However, the presence of the demon creature named Ozdock piqued his interest, and he revealed himself.
He was an extraordinarily skilled individual. No, the term ''skilled individual'' is inadequate.
A Super Human.
The brothers immediately ssified the man as such.
The sudden intrusion of a powerful individual made their hearts race as if ance had pierced them.
Transformed Ozdock was a formidable opponent; Jin doubted if he could defeat him even using techniques like the Battle God''s Combat Technique of Legends, among others.
And this man severed Ozdock''s right arm with a single blow. There couldn''t be many humans capable of that in the world.
Moreover, this was the ck Sea.
"It''s highly likely that he''s someone associated with my father."
A ck Knight or perhaps a former ck Knight.
The man''s face was not visible due to the hood of his cloak. He nced briefly at Jin and Mary, then turned his attention to Ozdock, who was regenerating his arm before anyone could notice.
[Who are you...!]
Ozdock was indeed an intelligent creature capable of speaking like humans.
He realized it as soon as he received the blow. That this man was not someone he could handle. Although, if he had been at his best, there would have been no need to feel intimidated. However, in his current state, that made no sense.
"Is it you?"
sh!
Like a crescent moon, a sword strike passed and severed Ozdock''s freshly regenerated right arm. Blood spurted like a fountain, and Ozdock grimaced in pain, raising his arm again to create some distance.
"Not even my lord addresses me in such a manner... Yet, a mere demon creature like you dares to speak so boldly."
[Who... are you, sir?]
Ozdock had instantly shifted to a submissive posture after receiving the blow. His expression and posture disyed the fear he felt even from a distance.
"An intelligent demon creature, aren''t you? Don''t you have the ability to learn?"
Swoosh! As the curved sword swayed, a chilling sound of something being sliced echoed. This time, it was Ozdock''s right arm again.
[Kugh...!]
"When one inquires about an opponent, it''s usually best to first reveal one''s own name and status. Oh, have I expected too much from a demon creature?"
[No, it''s not that...!]
Crack! This time, the man had grabbed Ozdock from behind and delivered a powerful low kick to his thigh. If one wasn''t ustomed to hearing the sound of muscles tearing and bones breaking, they might have tightly shut their eyes.
"Name."
[Oz... Oz... dock]
When the man asked indifferently, Ozdock grimaced in pain and answered, restraining his moans.
"A legendary creature from the legends, it seems. I never imagined it would be buried in a ce like this."
[If you spare me, I can be useful... Cough!]
This time, a fist struck his abdomen. The blow, seemingly light, created a shockwave that reverberated throughout his body, and before that shockwave could fully dissipate, the man jumped and delivered a kick to Ozdock''s thigh, causing him to fall backward to the ground.
Thud!
With his head mmed against the ground, Ozdock''s body trembled, as if it were about to stop trembling and die at any moment.
"I warn you in advance, I won''t tolerate any impudence."
Of course, the man didn''t find Ozdock''s state even slightlymentable.
Since Murakan was present, the odds of Ozdock winning a prolonged battle were already slim. However, with the appearance of the man, even that slim chance hadpletely disappeared.
Ozdock lifted his head from the ground, took a deep breath, and exhaled forcefully.
[I''ll do anything, just forgive me!]
He knelt before the man, his hands rubbing against the ground fervently. He rubbed his hands so quickly that it left marks.
"Sure, now it seems like you''re starting to realize your position."
[If this pitiful monster hasmitted any crimes, it''s only for waking up from slumber. I have no intention of causing chaos in the world again; I''m only drawn to the scent of delicious prey, namely gold, not humans...]
While Ozdock exined his circumstances in great detail, Jin was left speechless.
The demon creature that had been relentlessly attacking him and Mary moments ago had suddenly be so submissive. It was a scenario Jin had never imagined.
[...So, I will live quietly and virtuously. So, please, let me go.]
"Hey, hey. Ozdock. What''s that bastard babbling about? Virtuous? Quiet? Can we believe anything thates out of your mouth?"
Murakan approached Jin as he spoke. He frowned as if Ozdock''s words were quite absurd.
[Nyaa, nyaa!]
Shuri chimed in, raising her voice in agreement. Shuri had also heard of Ozdock''s notorious reputation in its prime. Of course,pared to its former owner, it was not a threat, to say the least.
"A thousand years ago, how many humans did you kill or eat for leisure? In the Sarba Kingdom, did you and the corrupt human rulers coborate to starve and kill how many people? Do the souls of those you consumed or killed never haunt your dreams when you sleep?"
[You, could you be... M-Murakan!? Then, is this person also a Runcandel Knight?]
Ozdock stepped back, surprised. When he referred to "this person," he naturally meant the man.
In Ozdock''s memories, Murakan remained the Sky King, even at his peak. Unless he had taken the entire Sarba Kingdom hostage, it was best to avoid meeting his gaze.
Whew, whew.
Murakan used his pinkie to dig into his ear while shrugging.
"It seems like you need more beatings. How can you say my name so lightly?"
[I-I''m sorry. No, I apologize. It''s just that I woke up after a long time.]
"Yes, that''s more appropriate. Now let''s go."
[W-Where are we going?]
"To hell. The surface is not a suitable ce for a monster like you with so many debts. Drop your core along the way. Figure it out yourself. Or should I do it for you?"
After the man, Jin also sensed an odd fear in Ozdock towards Murakan. The attitude of ancient beings from a thousand years ago towards Murakan was something he couldn''t get used to.
[How is this possible? And what do you intend to do with my core?]
"You have many questions, even though you''re about to die."
As Murakan advanced briskly, Ozdock seemed on the verge of tears.
When there were about five steps between Ozdock and Murakan, the man blocked Murakan''s path.
"What?"
"My apologies for the bted greetings, Sir Murakan. The Runcandel Sword greets the Dragon Guardian of the n. My name is Tuben."
The man introduced himself and respectfully bowed his head. Murakan smiled in apparent satisfaction at Tuben''s demeanor.
"Oh, are you a ck Knight?"
"I removed the ck helmet long ago, but I still perform functions simr to those times."
"Yes, you''ve been through a lot. Anyway, step aside and let me finish this."
"I''m sorry. I can''t do that."
"Why?"
Murakan didn''t ask for the reasons.
"Then I''ll have to handle it by force."
"Is there no way for you to step back?"
"I have a use for your core. Step aside."
Tuben stared at Murakan without responding.
In his mind, calctions raced as he wondered how his lord would judge the situation.
"Well, well. Does no one here care about me and the younger one?"
Maria spoke up with a determined expression.
"Seventh gbearer, equally, I apologize for thete greeting. Have you been well?"
"As you can see, I''ve been fine. But I didn''t expect that the one who would break into my fight would be Sir Tuben. No, I mean, Uncle Tuben."
Mary narrowed her eyes.
"If this is the Uncle Tuben I know, he wouldn''t dare touch my prey carelessly... Am I right?"
Tuben had assisted in Mary''s sword training under Rosa''smand in the past. Although he hadn''t taught her for long, Tuben held Mary''s primal instincts in high regard.
That''s why he wasn''t particrly surprised when he saw Cyron directly transmitting the Secret Technique to her.
Woong...!
Mary''s sword gleamed with a smoky aura.
In reality, since Tuben''s appearance, Mary had wanted to say something, but she held back because she was repressing the surging aura.
"It seems like everyone has misunderstood. This guy is prey for both me and the younger one. Even if my father were here in person and not the former ck Knight, he wouldn''ty a finger on my prey."
Mary was now preparing to fight Tuben instead of Ozdock.
That was just how she was. It was because of these qualities that she always received high marks from Cyron.
However, not everything she was saying now was entirely sincere.
"Even my older sister knows how to brag."
Though Mary was genuinely angry at Tuben''s sudden intrusion, she was putting on a show to protect what her beloved younger brother deserved¡ªthe core of Ozdock.
"But if Sir Tuben doesn''t step back here, I''ll have to stick to the words I just said."
Would there be any chance of victory if Mary, Murakan, and Jin joined forces against Tuben?
Amidst the rapid calctions, Murakan also began participating in Mary''s bluff.
[Yes, Mary is right. You can''t suddenly appear and interfere in someone else''s fight.]
Having transformed into his true form, Murakan nced at Tuben and Ozdock.
Ozdock felt like he was crossing the river of life and death with each passing moment. He had gone from trying to dominate the children trying to kill him to pleading with a giant, and now he faced the threat of Murakan and the children together.
"And as for your mission, I don''t even know what it is. But that monster won''t bring anything good to the world even if you spare it."
"You know my personality well, don''t you? Uncle Tuben. I never back down in moments like these. Even if it leads to a pathetic death."
Jin, enveloping Sigmund with his lightning energy, took his stance alongside Mary. He had never imagined he would be facing an Ancient ck Knight in this manner.
"It would be best for you to retreat, Sir Tuben."
"I didn''t know the Twelfth gbearer had such a reckless side."
"Haha, Uncle Tuben. This guy is even more stubborn than me. If you''re going to do it, let''s finish it quickly before his enthusiasm fades."
Just as Mary was about to extend her sword with a gleam in her eyes.
[Wait a moment!]
Ozdock, who had just finished organizing his thoughts, spoke up.
[That''s it, there''s a way to achieve everyone''s... objectives. If Lord Murakan and the children of Runcandel take my core, and Sir Tuben takes me alive, wouldn''t that solve the problem...?]
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 358: Ozdock (5)
C358 - Ozdock (5)
Jin, Murakan, Mary, and Tuben all simultaneously turned their heads and looked at Ozdock. Murakan, in particr, blinked hisrge eyes as if he were astonished.
"What? Seriously, are you still spewing nonsense to somehow prolong your pitiful life? Hey, hey! Are you out of your mind?"
"No, please, listen to me just once!"
Seeing this, Jin was reminded of someone.
"Is this Jet but in a Demon version...?"
Ozdock''s gestures and actions strangely resembled Jet''s.
Up until just before Tuben appeared, the legendary demonic creature that had disyed immense power was nowhere to be found.
Drip, drip!
Tears even rolled from Ozdock''s eyes like small drops of chicken dung as he let out a sigh of despair.
Perhaps someone not immune to such dejection might involuntarily look away due to his appearance and spare him.
However, this did not apply to the mighty ck Dragon and the Swordmasters of Runcandel.
"Speak. I will at least try to listen for now."
Among them, Jin was the one with a sympathetic tone. Ozdock could only feel his voice as a lifeline.
"Boy, there''s no need to hear more. A demonic creature like him will die as soon as he loses his core."
"If I determine that what he''s saying is nonsense, there''s no need to ask. Just kill him immediately."
It was a precarious lifeline that could be cut at any moment.
"Thank you!"
Ozdock cautiously observed the reactions of the four and began his exnation.
"This is really a secret... Actually, I have more than one core."
The concept of a demonic creature having more than one core had not yet been revealed to the world.
So, Murakan immediately raised his foot to crush him.
"C-calm down. If I were a single-core demonic creature, could I have survived after causing so much destruction?"
Both Murakan and the Great Warriors from a thousand years ago who had faced the formidable Ozdock at the height of his power.
They had found his immense strength somewhat strange. It wasmon to form a subjugation group to deal with Dragons even if theirbat skills were average, but Ozdock was different.
However, people simply regarded Ozdock as an extraordinary demonic creature.
Just as asionally among humans and Dragons, exceptional individuals emerged who surpassedmon sense.
However, the source of Ozdock''s powery in his two cores.
Unlike other demonic creatures, Ozdock, who had embraced the very essence of "human greed," desired more even though the conditions to be a core demonic creature were already met, and as a result...
Without anyone knowing, he ended up with two cores.
"Well, let''s say you have two cores. They should be inside you, right? Take them out right now."
"The other one isn''t inside my body, it''s in another ce."
Snap!
Tuben lightly hit Ozdock''s chin with his elbow, causing him to stagger before quickly straightening up.
"When the Dragon Guardian of Runcandel asks you, you won''t just tell us the location, but you have to bring it here and show it to us."
"Yes..."
Originally, Ozdock had nned to lie, saying that his other core was buried far away from here. He had thought of using it to escape when there was an opportunity.
But once again, he realized that the situation was not in his favor. Helpless, he spat out his second core and allowed himself to be captured by Tuben. It was the only future left for Ozdock.
Swallowing a deep sigh, Ozdock took a step back to where he had awakened.
How did I end up in this situation... and why do I have to hand it over like this?
As he retrieved the core buried in that ce, such thoughts crossed his mind. However, Ozdock wasn''t just seeking gold and power; he was a demonic creature with an insatiable greed for survival, much like all living beings.
After a while of digging, Ozdock emerged from underground, holding the buried core.
"Huh, do you really have two?"
The core looked like a golden apple, emitting a vivid glow that clearly set it apart frommon gold, even to the eyes of an ordinary person.
"It seems your second core is even better than the one you have inside. Why did you hide it? Was it some kind of insurance?"
Murakan instantly recognized the immense energy contained within the core. If Ozdock had held this core within him, he wouldn''t have fallen so easily into Tuben''s hands.
"At the moment, my bodycks the nutrients to contain it."
"I see. So you were nning to recover, use the second core, and then regain your full power? After causing quite a stir outside, I suppose."
"Yes."
"Give it to him. Not to me, to the kid. No, not that kid, this one!"
Ozdock, who had addressed Mary, extended the core to Jin. His trembling hand seemed reluctant to let it go, as if he didn''t want it taken away.
"If you had recovered and used this second core, you could have reached around 60 or 70 percent of your full power. I wonder how much chaos you would have caused. It''s quite a spectacle to imagine."
While Jin held the core, Ozdock managed to shake off his reluctance and said, "Please... use it for something good."
The words of a demonic creature like him seemed ironic. However, instead ofughing, Jin simply nodded. It wasn''t too difficult to show such kindness.
"And you must not forget this, Ozdock. Someday, I hope to be of service to you..."
Indeed, Ozdock was a calcting demonic creature. He realized it was important to make a favorable impression on Jin, not Murakan, to hold onto a glimmer of hope for the future.
"You must not forget." By emphasizing this, he meant that he hoped Jin would rescue him from Tuben in the future.
Would my father and the ancient ck Knights forgive Ozdock?
It was natural for Tuben to try to capture Ozdock alive. He was unique enough to be reported to Cyron.
Furthermore, Ozdock possessed memories from a thousand years ago.
"Based on Murakan''s reaction, he may not know all the details of that time, but if we dig a little deeper, there might be useful information for Runcandel or my father."
Ozdock looked at Tuben with a sullen expression. It was a look that begged to be left alone.
It was because he thought the situation would be more troublesome if that human named Mary attacked again, iming that Ozdock was her prey.
"Lord Murakan, may I withdraw now?"
Murakan nodded.
In fact, he had grown fond of Tuben for some time. The way Tuben treated him without excessive arrogance, as an ancient ck Knight, was quitemendable in his eyes.
"Yes, go ahead."
Tuben offered a gesture of respect. After a while, he made eye contact with Mary.
"You''ve grown stronger, Seventh gbearer. Impressive. However... you''ve changed too."
"Have I changed?"
"The previous Seventh gbearer didn''t resort to lies to achieve her goals."
"What are you talking about, Uncle?"
"The moment I said I would take the demonic creature with me, you would have drawn your sword without hesitation. If you were the girl I remember, that would be certain."
Lies to achieve the goal.
Not only Jin but Tuben also knew Mary''s bluff to help the younger one.
"If you want, we can fight for real right now. Until one of us dies or is left disabled."
Tubenughed as if he were in front of an adorable niece.
"I didn''t mean that in a negative sense when I said that."
"You''ve aged quite a bit too, Uncle. It''s been a long time since you officially retired."
"If the gbearers had done better, I might have retired for real."
Tuben slung the enormous curved sword onto his back.
Though his words were true, Mary showed no signs of irritation. In fact, she believed what he was saying was true.
"Twelfth gbearer."
"Yes, Sir Tuben."
"I sense that you''re curious about something."
Of course, she was.
She hadn''t managed to find an opportunity to ask a question, so it was a relief that Tuben had brought up the topic first.
"He''ll probably ask about Lady Luna. Since Lady Luna holds the Twelfth gbearer in high esteem. Or maybe he''ll inquire about the mission in the ck Sea."
Since Cyron had taken Luna on this mission to the ck Sea, Tuben had naturally had numerous conversations with her.
Apart from mission-rted conversations, Luna had talked mostly about her younger brother. To Tuben, who had observed her for a long time, he didn''t look the least bit familiar.
Moreover, he remembered how another former ck Knight, Vanessa Olsen, had mentioned Jin several times.
"Since when have you been on the battlefield?"
Jin posed apletely different question than what Tuben had anticipated.
"Until you revealed yourself, I couldn''t sense any presence at all. I''m an expert in reading auras, and I feltpletely dominated."
"Dominated?"
"If you had wanted to kill me, it wouldn''t have been difficult. To conceal your presence to such an extent, I''m curious about what kind of enlightenment is required for that."
Tuben''s eyes deepened within his ck hood.
"Have I asked something foolish?"
"...No. It''s just that it''s apletely unexpected question. Honestly, I thought the Twelfth gbearer would ask about the mission in the ck Sea or inquire about Lady Luna''s well-being."
"As for the ck Sea, I will naturally find out once my father deems it necessary for me to know. And though I''m curious about the well-being of older sister Luna, I believe there must be a reason why she hasn''t told me anything yet."
For a few seconds, Tuben didn''t reply and simply stared at Jin. Then he responded:
"Twelfth gbearer, you are impressive."
"You tter me."
"I was able to conceal my presence not because I have a natural talent like Lady Yona or some advanced stealth ability like the Nameless King. It''s as simple as this."
Tuben waved his hand lightly in the air.
In that instant, Jin could feel an invisible energy extending through the air, distorting strangely along his touch.
"Huh?"
The sensation conveyed through the air that Tuben had dispersed felt peculiar. Like the path was blocked, he couldn''t sense anything from that direction, no matter how much he focused his attention.
It was as if not even the wind passed through there.
"It was a slight deception. Using my Aura, I created a kind of barrier in the air. But both the Seventh and Twelfth gbearers were so focused on the battle that neither of you noticed. You couldn''t perceive the unusual hidden space."
Calling it a "slight deception" hardly did it justice.
It was something that demanded an extraordinary level of skill.
''He can twist the sense of space in such a small area using Aura. However, even that would cause a significant amount of fatigue.''
Nevertheless, Tuben had filled most of the battlefield with that Aura to deceive them. And even with that, the fact that he could handle Ozdock as if dealing with alleyway thugs was astonishing.
"It seems you''re intrigued."
"Yes, Sir Tuben."
"I will inform my Lord that the Twelfth gbearer was the first to discover this demonic creature. If my Lord deems the demonic creature valuable, you will receive a reward befitting it."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 359: New Bradamente (1)
C359 - New Bradamente (1)
The bodies of unknown demonic creatures were scattered to the point where the ground was not visible. When the knights stepped, there was a dull sound as they trod on the blood-soaked ground, and their clothes and armor were stained with a dark and sickly hue.
However, there was only one person who remained untouched amidst it all: Cyron Runcandel.
Though he had single-handedly turned over more than 50% of the demon creatures into pulp, not a single drop of blood had marred his immacte appearance. Despite the ck blood reaching up to his ankles, his steps were light, as if treading fallen leaves, and his boots remained impably clean.
This was the depths of the ck Sea.
For decades, only Cyron and his knights had set foot in the depths of the ck Sea. Excluding them, no one else in the world had ventured into this infernal region.
Apart from the map they were creating as top-secret, there were no official maps of this ce. No one knew what dangers lurked, and even killing dreadful demon creatures only yielded a few useless bone fragments as a reward.
For people in the world, there was no reason to venture into the depths of the ck Sea.
There were reckless warriors who embarked on solitary journeys to grow, and even the few good warriors among them didn''t know what the depths of the ck Sea were like.
However, Cyron and the Runcandels explored the ck Sea because they believed the fate of the n was at stake.
"Luna."
"Yes, Father."
"We will soon reach the territory of the Five Kings of the ck Sea."
"...I''ve been thinking it''s time to meet one soon."
"Are you exhausted?"
Luna pushed back her blood-soaked hair.
She remembered the demon creatures they had fought on their way here. The relentless tide of demon creatures had prevented them, Cyron, and all the knights from closing their eyes for even a moment over the past ten days.
"No, I find it rather dull. Even when I fought by your side, Father, it felt like I was shing through an endless sea of thingsparable to dust."
For the first time, she realized that such a long battle could feel so secure.
Cyron turned his head.
"Haven''t you learned anything from these battles?"
Learn...
Only Cyron could pose such a question to Luna, a knight who had already reached a transcendental level.
Luna looked at Cyron for a moment and then nced around. She saw the ck Knights checking their equipment and sharing water.
"I''ve learned to trust my back to others."
Cyron nodded in approval.
The eldest daughter, the first daughter of the man named Cyron Runcandel.
From the moment Luna was born, she had always impressed and raised expectations in Cyron. Until she decided to step down from the patriarchy, Luna had not disappointed Cyron a single time.
Even when she withdrew from thepetition for the patriarchy and dered her intention to be a guardian sword of the n, Cyron did not let go of the expectations he had ced on her, for a long time. With a human feeling that was somewhat unfamiliar to him.
He also hoped that his eldest daughter would live a full life as a Warrior and as a human being, regardless of her position as patriarch.
However, Luna, even after reaching a certain age, showed that she could not knock down some walls that confined her. To Cyron, that had always been a bit disappointing.
Not knowing how to fight as a team.
That was the biggest w Cyron had identified in Luna. She had been born with absolute talent and the fate of solitude.
"Now you''re realizing that. It''s something essential when facing the Kings of the ck Sea."
His tone was not admonishing. Rather, Cyron seemed pleased, wearing a faint and almost imperceptible smile.
It was a loaded statement, and Luna knew it. That''s why she found it difficult to respond.
More distant than the stars in the universe, or a sun that was impossible to approach, Luna felt that kind of rtionship between her and her father.
Not only she, but all the children had felt that way towards Cyron since they were very young.
"Compliment? No, it''s not just that... I don''t know what to say."
She awkwardly scratched her head.
Of course, Cyron didn''t expect a concrete response. It was just that giving no response seemed impolite from Luna''s perspective, but responding was quite a challenge when she couldn''t think of anything.
In the midst of her awkwardness, someone was seen joining the ranks behind her.
It was Tuben.
"Sir Tuben, have you found anything unusual in the center of the ck Sea? Did you bring a human, no, it''s a demon creature?"
Tuben was mapping the middle region of the ck Sea apanied by Vanessa Olsen, standing far from Cyron''s ranks.
Everyone''s attention shifted to Tuben and, by his side, Ozdock, who politely bowed his head as he followed.
Ozdock, though still humanoid in form, was instantly recognizable to all.
"My lord. I''vee to report an unusual discovery in the middle of the ck Sea."
"Tell me, Tuben."
"I''ve confirmed that the Seventh gbearer and the Twelfth gbearer entered the vicinity of the ck Sea entrance and found themselves in a battle with this demon creature."
Mentioning the Twelfth gbearer, Luna perked up her ears. Thanks to Tuben, not only had she smoothly ovee a difficult situation, but she had also received news of her younger brother.
Ozdock looked at Cyron and the ck Knights once more, his shoulders involuntarily tense.
''Ah, I can''t even say how many demon creatures have been killed... but they all could have turned into core demon creatures if given time and opportunity. How many humans of Tuben''s caliber are here? And on top of that, Lord Tuben...''
Ozdock recalled a name that had been called the strongest a thousand years ago.
Temar Runcandel.
As he remembered his sword, Ozdock shivered as if a chill ran down his spine. Ozdock took the ancient Sarba Kingdom hostage to prevent Temar and Runcandel''s attack.
["I am, I am Oz... Ozdock...! I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to...!"]
Unintentionally, Ozdock let his name slip, even falling to his knees. He even prostrated himself, but Cyron didn''t spare him a nce.
"How did it go?"
"The Seventh and Twelfth gbearers worked together, but they struggled a bit. I intervened afterward and resolved the situation."
"Did you think they were going to lose?"
"Truthfully, no. I just judged that if the gbearers used all their strength, there was a possibility the battle could be observed from the outside."
"Excellent."
Tuben felt thepliment wasn''t directed at him for resolving the situation but at the gbearers.
''This demon creature Ozdock is quite powerful. Could the younger one face it alone? I wonder how much stronger he has be in recent months.''
No one paid attention to the fact that Ozdock was a "demon creature using humannguage." They had asionally seen such creatures in the depths of the ck Sea.
While Luna hesitated about asking that question, Tuben, who sensed her thoughts, spoke first.
"The Twelfth gbearer could have easily killed it on his own. However, he wouldn''t have escaped serious injuries, and without allies like Murakan or the Seventh gbearer, he might have died from the injuries before leaving the ck Sea."
Cyron shared Luna''s curiosity as well. Jin''s growth was exceeding even his predictions.
"It''s been a while since someone other than you reported about the younger one, Kahn."
Kahn closed the water bottle and silently bowed.
He, too, was mapping alongside the ck Knights. He yed the dual role of reporting external news while traveling between the depths of the ck Sea and the outer continents.
"It''s been quite some time since I received a special letter from Tikan these days, so I was curious as well."
"That person called Kashimir takes quite a long time to send a decent letter. Come to think of it, it''s quite amusing."
Funny, Cyron said, and everyone was surprised by his remark.
Lately, they saw moments like this from his youth¡ªwhen he used to joke asionally and talk about trivial, everyday desires¡ªbefore bing the Genesis Knight. The deeper they ventured into the ck Sea, the more frequently he disyed this behavior.
Hence, the Knights concealed their deep sorrow in their hearts.
It was a sorrow rooted in the fact that not long ago, their lord was an ordinary human, and his time as a human was truly limited.
"Ozdock, the creature from the legends."
For the first time, Cyron directed his gaze towards Ozdock.
[Yes!]
"From bing a core demon creature to now using humannguage, it must have taken an excessively long time."
[That''s right!]
Tuben lightly pressed Ozdock''s shoulder as a warning, and Ozdock dared not groan.
"When the lord asks, give a more detailed answer."
[In the ck Sea, I, I lived for about... a thousand years...!]
And Ozdock responded.
A thousand years in the ck Sea.
And another thousand years, traveling between the outer and the ck Sea. The total time it took Ozdock to be a core demon creature was two thousand years.
"In that case, you must also be familiar with the geography of the ck Sea and its Kings."
At first nce, it might seem like an inconsequential statement.
Ozdock instantly understood it.
The moment he responded with "I don''t know," his entire body would disintegrate, and he would perish without further ado.
''Oh, darn! I don''t remember much before having the core...!''
Still, he had to answer that he knew. Technically, it wasn''t an outright lie.
[That''s right.]
"Guide us. Beyond the regions of the Five Kings of the ck Sea."
[Understood! Leave it to me!]
Ozdock replied with a forced smile.
And deep down, he could only think that he should have kept on sleeping.
-----------
Baldie, no... the legendary cksmith and now God, Picon Minche, had shining eyes full of excitement as he received the core.
[Oh...!]
His heart raced as he realized he could nowplete his masterpiece.
Furthermore, the core brought by Jin was even more massive than he had anticipated, to the point where he felt he could enhance the sword and still have some left for another use.
The fact that the core was more massive than expected also meant that Ozdock was less weakened than Picon had thought.
"Hey, Minche. Do you like it? Do you like it? Huh? You''re always so happy when you pull off a scam, aren''t you?"
Therefore, it was entirely reasonable for Murakan to tease Picon in this manner.
This time, Picon didn''t protest against Murakan''s taunts with as much awareness.
It might be because he was too excited to think about retaliation, but also partly because it was Murakan.
[F-Finally, I canplete my masterpiece...! Jin! Now, there''s only one more thing I need... Ugh!]
Murakan grabbed Picon by the cor, making his eyes moisten.
"What? Need something else now? Seriously, do you want to die? Huh? Kid, don''t stop me."
"Yes, I won''t stop you. Go on with what you were doing."
[Hey, wait a minute! R-release my neck. Listen to what I have to say all the way!]
"I''ll give you five seconds. Speak. If it''s not convincing, I''ll continue."
[Thest thing you need is fire. It''s not something you need to find separately. It''s just a matter of Jin unleashing the power of the Shadow de''s Secret Sword Technique.]
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 360: New Bradamente (2)
C360 - New Bradamente (2)
"Then you should have said so from the beginning; it''s unnecessarily surprising."
Murakan released Picon''s cor. Picon cleared his throat, looking embarrassed.
[Now that I no longer have the old forge, I can''t create the mes necessary to forge Bradamante myself. So I need the power of the Shadow de''s Secret Sword Technique.]
"Do it quickly and quietly. Anyway, if you just open your mouth, it''ll be a lie. Do you know how powerful Ozdock was?"
[I can guess more or less from the core, but...]
Picon looked at the core with greedy eyes.
Although the gleam in his eyes came from the idea of finishing Bradamante, a stranger might think Picon had some corrupt desire.
"Again, I didn''t know what would have happened if I had trusted you and sent the kids alone. Ugh, thinking about it makes me annoyed again."
[Hahaha. Everyone, follow me. Let''s finish the task right away!]
Picon sang a tune as he descended into the basement.
Murakan watched his back and shook his head in exasperation, while Jin shrugged.
"In his human days, hecked self-respect to the point where he would just bark if someone visited him. He''s that kind of guy. Honestly, I almost preferred that time; he''s more peculiar as a God."
"Well, thanks to Mr. Picon, we started searching for Temar''s Tomb. He''s naughty, but fundamentally a good person."
"Heh, it''s not thanks to that guy that we started looking for that tomb. It''s thanks to Solderet."
Both followed Picon down to the basement.
There was a secret forge that Jin had built in the basement, muchrger in scale than the house above.
Their gazes fixed on the enormous anvil in the center. Bradamante emitted shes of light above it.
After obtaining it during his cadet days, Bradamante had be nothing less than Jin''s alter ego.
''I''ve gone months without being able to wield it. I''m looking forward to it...''
Picon ced the core on top of Bradamante.
Then, as he had mentioned earlier, as if indicating that he didn''t need to use it all, he skillfully carved around 30% of it with a scalpel. The rtively solid core was cut as smoothly as dough.
"Hey, hey, don''t even think about keeping that piece."
[Do you think I''m a thief? I have no intention of doing that. Besides, I still don''t have a Guardian Dragon. Jin, where are you going to use the remaining piece? Are you nning to use it to restore his heart?]
The inner core of a demon creature acted as a potent elixir for Dragons. Especially the inner core of demon creatures like Ozdock, it wasn''t entirely impossible to reverse damage to a Dragon''s heart.
However, Murakan chuckled softly.
"You really don''t know much to say something like that. Baldie, a mere inner core like that can''t do anything for my heart. If fixing a heart were that simple, the kid and I would have found demon creatures with inner cores a long time ago."
[Then?]
"There''s a Dragon who needs this besides me. I''m going to feed it to him."
Caltor, the Thunder Dragon, Yulian''s Guardian Dragon.
Jin intended to use the remaining inner core for him.
Tsk.
Picon clicked his tongue as if disappointed. He had a slight hope that if Jin gave him the remaining core, he could create other weapons.
Of course, Picon''s desire was limited to the act of "craftsmanship" as a cksmith, and he had little interest in personal gain from it.
"In the future, as I get news of demon creatures with inner cores, I''ll continue to provide you with inner cores. Whenever you urgently need it, I''ll support you, so don''t be too disappointed."
When Jin read his mind and spoke, Picon smiled broadly.
[Really?]
"Yes. Now that I know the inner core is used in cksmithing, I need to create weapons for mypanions and my knights."
[Well, well. I guess bing a God was a good choice. Well then, let''s get to work.]
Picon said, hiding behind Jin.
[Unleash the mes onto Bradamante!]
"...Here?"
[What''s the problem?]
"There won''t be any basement left if I unleash my technique here."
[I''ll help you with that, so don''t worry. Just release it as soon as possible. Try to converge on Bradamante''s de as much as possible. However, if you feel that my power is interfering, don''t push it away.]
"Understood."
Whoosh-!
When he drew upon his power, mes erupted. Simultaneously, the mes colored Jin''s pupils, and mana and aura flowed through the runic marks engraved on his body.
The energy of a colossal me, to the point that even Murakan shuddered, instantly filled the basement.
As skilled as Jin was, he couldn''t fully concentrate such a massive me into the small object that was Bradamante.
With a slight misstep, not only this basement but also the surroundings could catch fire.
In a moment of unease, Jin thought so.
Phe-!
Among the mes, Picon conjured another "fire."
In the cksmithing trade, not only iron and steel were necessaryponents. Fire was also an essential element, inseparable from cksmithing. That''s why the God of Smiths possessed the ability to manipte mes.
Picon''s fire blended with Jin''s mes, helping Jin guide the mes onto Bradamante more smoothly.
[Hmm, it''s still not enough!]
As Picon spoke, a blue me surged amid the red ones. When Tess materialized, adding her breath, Picon burst into a satisfiedughter.
[Yes, that''s it!]
For a considerable amount of time, Jin poured mes until both mana and aura were on the verge of exhaustion.
Jin had already lowered the sword and was catching his breath, but the spiraling mes were still directed towards Bradamante. Thanks to the fused inner core, Bradamante gleamed with a golden hue.
[Good work. Rest a bit, and I''ll finish it soon.]
Tak!
Suddenly, a dimensional portal opened in front of Picon.
What emerged from it was a hammer muchrger than a regr weapon.
Picon lifted the enormous hammer and began pounding vigorously.
ng, ng! The sound of the colossal hammer striking Bradamante resonated and echoed.
Suddenly, Jin felt his strength leaving him and fell asleep.
-----------
September 4, 1799.
A whole day had passed since the forging began.
"Are you done? It took you all day. You said it would take a little longer, and it''s another lie, but well... You''ve done a good job."
Murakan spoke with his usual roughness, but he added the words "good job" almost too quietly to hear.
Picon''s face, who had finished the work, twitched.
Given that he had tirelessly wielded the enormous hammer without a single moment of rest, it was natural.
However, despite his worn-out appearance, Picon''s eyes shone with a sense of aplishment.
"Kid, you seem pretty tired, huh? Falling asleep so suddenly. Was the fight with Ozdock tougher than I thought?"
Jin shook his head.
"I don''t think that''s it; I''m not sure. Not even when I unleashed the mes was I this tired."
"Maybe you should take some medicine."
Although Jin had fallen asleep suddenly, for now, he wanted to touch the finished Bradamante.
Picon''s hand, offering Bradamante to Jin, was noticeably trembling.
[Hehehe, it''s the best sword after Barisada....]
When Jin wielded the sword, he could still feel residual warmth.
Even before swinging it, he noticed the difference. It had be something far superior to what he had used before.
[What do you think?]
"I don''t know if swords can change like this."
[The activation phrase is "Open Armor." I''ve paired the activation phrase with the Myulta Rune you possess.]
Open Armor.
Just like with the Myulta Rune, as soon as he uttered the activation phrase within, the armor formed immediately. Shadow Energy emitted by Bradamante enveloped his entire body.
Hooong...!
In less than a second, armor had formed over his body. It had an elegant design overall, but instead of gleaming like steel armor, it radiated with the unique nature of Shadow Energy.
In the armor Bradamante formed, there were no seams or gaps.
Despite that, there was no hindrance to moving the joints.
Jin couldn''t even feel its weight; the armor was glossy ck and utterly wless. It exuded a presence that could undoubtedly be called a masterpiece made by the God of Smiths.
And the grandly fluttering cape was quite impressive.
[I''ve added the cape with your future dignity in mind. Of course, it''s not without function... It specializes in repelling magic. Most importantly, the cape can detach, making it very useful in situations where you need to protect others. Do you like it?]
"Yes, thank you for your hard work, Mr. Picon."
[Hahaha, seeing you make that expression is quite rare. If you also check its offensive capabilities, you might be speechless]
As he said this, as soon as he infused Shadow Energy, Jin lifted the corners of his lips.
''Different...!''
When he infused Shadow Energy into Bradamante,pared to before, Jin felt a very distinct sensation. Just by infusing Shadow Energy, he felt a surge of power akin to when he used a sword technique.
[Originally, I couldn''t further improve the offensive side, but you know, your Phoenix. Thanks to Tess''s fire, the weapon suddenly gained a new power I didn''t even know about. I suppose we''d call it ''Pressure,'' maybe?]
Within the darkened de, a faint blue aura circted.
It was the aura of the blue mes. This power held the essence of pressure, the result of Tess infusing a portion of the Ruler of the me World''s power permanently into the sword while forging it.
''Ah, so that''s why I fell asleep.''
After the battle with Ozdock and unleashing the mes, it was indeed draining for Jin.
His sudden drowsiness was because Tess used Jin''s mana to interfere with this world to its limits.
It was for the purpose of infusing Pressure into the sword he would wield as her contractor.
Tess hoped that Jin could utilize this ability, regardless of the situation. Even when his mana was depleted, or perhaps, he couldn''t summon Tess for some reason, he could still use Pressure.
Although Tess had tremendous authority as the Ruler of the me World, amon cksmith wouldn''t be able to do this when creating ordinary weapons.
It was only possible because a God of Smiths like Picon forged the Bradamante Sword.
However, it was not without limitations.
''Is the dimensional portal leading to the me World not opening...?''
He had tried to summon Tess to convey his gratitude, but even afterpleting the summoning spell, the dimensional portal didn''t open.
Only the blue mes, used to open dimensional portals in the air, flickered.
Could it be because of the power of the blue mes imbued in the sword?
Through Bradamante, Jin could feel Tess''s "will."
To manifest herself again in the human world, Tess needed time to recover.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 361: Trail (1)
C361 - Trail (1)
It had been ten days since Jin acquired the new Bradamante.
Jin hadn''t had the chance to properly use it yet.
As a knight, he wanted to test the enhanced features of his sword as soon as possible, but there was another matter that concerned him.
''The Great Anz in, where Temar''s Orimera Tomb is located. And the Schutzeron Kingdom, where Olmango-nim and his Contractor, Jogeobi, have been...''
Since Kinzelo came and informed him that "other factions are also searching for Temar''s tomb."
Jin had been thinking about it all the time, and before going to capture Ozdock, he had asked Tikan''srades to revisit the tombs they had been to before.
And today, Kashimir brought the news.
"Suspicious individuals associated with Zipple and Vermont have been seen near the Great Anz in and the beaches near the Schutzeron Kingdom."
Jin learned of the existence of Temar''s Tombs in those regions through the instructions left by Solderet as his Contractor.
In other words, unless you''re a Contractor, it''s practically impossible to trace the tombs.
''They must have gone to the Great Anz in and the Schutzeron Beach because of my actions.''
Even after bing a gbearer, Jin has always moved incognito when it came to matters rted to Temar or other personal matters.
When he went to the Great Anz in, he deliberately crossed the H Mountains to create confusion in case someone was tracking him (at that time, only Joshua was aware of it), and when he went to the Schutzeron Beach, he pretended to be on vacation for a few days.
The third tomb was located in the Cat Tribe''s hideout, and it was impossible to enter without their guide due to its unique characteristic. Nevertheless, the Specters Corps had tracked Jin and found him.
''My routes are being discovered.''
Jin wasn''t directly followed by a pursuer.
If he had, it would be impossible not to notice. Unless it was someone like Yona or the Nameless King.
"Margie mentioned that my movements were exposed to the Vermont Imperial Family. They probably tracked and deduced various important areas from the aliases I used and the revealed movements. That''s why they sent people to the Great Anz in and the Schutzeron Beach."
Of course, the fact that Zipple and Vermont sent people to the Great Anz in and the Schutzeron Beach didn''t mean they immediately discovered significant information.
Investigations in those ces had already concluded, and Jin had taken the recording devices.
However, the fact that they were "following him" was important in itself.
He had thought that someday it woulde to this. Major factions aren''t foolish.
It was just a bit disappointing that he started getting exposed faster than expected.
Being the "Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel" was a position where he couldn''t carry out covert actions. Not only the Garden of Swords but also enemies were naturally eager to scrutinize every move Jin made.
Furthermore, enemies were also searching for Temar''s tombs like Jin.
Discovering three tombs by himself without any fatal mishaps so far was nothing short of a miracle.
''Part of it is because I did well, but over time, there will be a limit. And I was lucky to encounter the Specters Corps at the third tomb; it could have been a significant setback.''
Without Kinzelo''s sudden intervention and the help of Dyfus and Mary, Jin could have suffered considerable losses.
''I need more allies.''
Not only Jin alone, not even Jin''spanions and Tikan''s together could stand against Vermont and Zipple.
Even Runcandel was filled with enemies, and Kinzelo would eventually participate in the ''tomb searchpetition.''
While he was contemting, someone tapped Jin''s shoulder.
"Hey, youngster!"
It was Mary.
"Big sister."
"What are you thinking so deeply about? Oh, are you pondering when you''ll get a rematch with me?"
Mary sat down next to Jin.
Jin looked at her, slightly perturbed.
''If Big Sister Mary is a true ally, she might be genuinely trustworthy.''
Mary already considered Jin as one of her own.
Jin also felt a human fondness for her, akin to brotherly affection.
However, Jin hadn''t informed her of the existence of Vin Branche and Picon Minche.
It was because Jin considered that, as the Seventh gbearer, she would most likely utilize them as the n''s cksmiths.
But there was another reason Jin couldn''t fully trust her.
''As long as my second older brother exists, Big Sister Mary can''t be entirely on my side.''
Dyfus Runcandel, the Fourth gbearer of the n.
To make Mary an ally, Dyfus had to be brought on board.
But of course, not only Dyfus, not even Mary had renounced patriarchy.
''I, the Fourth Older Brother, Big Sister Mary, and Joshua. The four of us haven''t definitively renounced patriarchy.''
And then there was one person whose intentions were entirely uncertain, Luntia Runcandel.
If she, too, was aiming for patriarchy, there would be a total of five peoplepeting.
Therefore, attempting to approach Dyfus to solve the immediate issue was a reckless gamble.
Trying to win over both Dyfus and Mary could easily end with just providing information and getting stabbed in the back.
''Trying to recruit Dyfus and Mary immediately might be an exaggeration. But it''s possible to use them.''
Dyfus and Mary always prioritized options for the n as gbearers, regardless of the matter.
Jin inwardly smiled, suddenly recalling that proposition.
"A rematch, you say? It would be better to conclude this match with your victory, Big Sister."
"Eh? Why would that be? Since Uncle Tuben barged in, it''s only fair to dere it invalid and have a rematch!"
"The match was already decided even before Tuben-nim arrived. Your big move caused Ozdock to transform."
"No, do you really think so?"
"Yes."
Of course, Mary knew it.
That''s why she had been thinking about having another match, but when Jin admitted his defeat so easily, it was apletely unexpected turn of events.
"But this can''t be, right? I''d have to wait another three months for a rematch with the youngest."
Thinking that, Mary let out a sigh.
She knew that the youngest was as fiercelypetitive as her, so she had anticipated that he would dly ept the rematch.
"I don''t think that way. Let''s fight again."
"Don''t be so stubborn with someone who has admitted defeat."
"Then I''ll use the winner''smand. My order is a rematch. There''s no problem with that, right?"
"...Didn''t you bother to read the contract I sent you when we agreed to the match in the first ce?"
-In each match, victory or defeat is based on knocking someone out. The first one to fall is the loser, and the loser must obey amand from the winner. Of course, we will ensure that there are no unfortunate events and draft the contract ordingly.
-That sounds appealing. However, the contract is a bit burdensome.
A conversation they had during their first battle. At that time, Jin had drafted a contract and obtained Mary''s signature.
As she remembered it, Mary tilted her head.
"I think I''ve read it."
"The contract includes uses about the limits of the winner''smand. It states that you cannot demand the loser''s suicide, expulsion from the n, property confiscation, etc. And it also mentions that you cannot order a rematch."
"Alright, with suicide and expulsion from the family, I guess. But why the rematch?"
"...Do you really think I need to exin that?"
"Then let''s say I ept my victory. Nullify the entire battle that used that demonic creature and let''s talk about a rematch from scratch."
"I believe the winner was decided from the moment you mentioned the right ofmand, Big Sister."
Mary had nothing more to say.
"You cunning little fox!"
"A tteringpliment."
"Fine. Alright. You win. So, I''ll really use mymand. Hand over that cat."
"If you''re referring to Butterfly Runcandel, you can take her all you want."
"Butterfly, no. Not Lord Murakan. I mean Shuri, your ruby cat."
"If you read the contract, there''s a use that says the winner can''t give amand the opponent can''t fulfill. Shuri is already contracted to me, and I can''t release her."
"This, this is just unfair."
"Big sister, please give a more realisticmand. It''s not that difficult, is it?"
Mary nearly grabbed Jin''s head in frustration.
But it wasn''t Jin''s fault.
She was the fool for not reading the contract properly... and she had been trying to take advantage of the youngest once again.
So, she had no right to feel aggrieved. However, she couldn''t help but feel anger welling up within her.
Jin looked at Mary, who was pouting.
"For example... you could order me to bring you a delicious liquor."
"I don''t need those things!"
"Or maybe ask for some limited edition magazines that Murakan has?"
"Right... thest time I checked, he had an even more amazing collection... ugh, no. Wait. Who do you think you''re fooling?"
"If you don''t like that, you could inquire about the information Kinzelo brought me this time. How many practicalmands like this do you have?"
Mary''s pupils suddenly widened.
Ah, why had she forgotten about that? Her expression seemed to say.
When Kinzelo visited the n, it was she herself who had prevented Gilly from making a mistake.
"It''s a bit frustrating that it''s the youngest who gets it... Well, it''s not bad to know. Big Brother Dyfus would also be curious about what was discussed between Mother, Jin, and Kinzelo at that time."
Since Kinzelo''s visit, Rosa had not disclosed any information about it to the gbearers.
"Alright, then. What information did Kinzelo give you?"
"They told me that several factions, including Zipple and Vermont, are tracking the legacy of the First Patriarch."
"What? The legacy of the First Patriarch?"
"It''s about the Tomb of Temar Runcandel."
"...The Tomb of the First Patriarch, what about it?"
"In the tomb are the long-guarded powers and secrets of the ancient Runcandel. I was searching for the tomb independently of the n, and Kinzelo found out."
Mary''s eyes widened.
"You were searching for the Tomb of the First Patriarch independently of the n? Are you saying Mother knew and kept quiet about it?"
Mary''s sudden anger wasn''t directed at Jin.
Rosa Runcandel.
Her anger stemmed from the fact that her own mother hadn''t revealed such a crucial matter to the gbearers until now.
"Surely, you didn''t expect Mother-nim to spill the truth about Temar''s tomb to the other gbearers."
Jin nodded, concealing his smile.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 362:
C362 - Trail (2)
The reason why Rosa hadn''t disclosed information about the Tomb of the First Patriarch to the gbearers was evident.
Firstly, it was a matter of benefit.
She had no intention of sharing any benefits that might arise from Temar''s Tomb with the other gbearers.
Regardless of the benefits that might emerge, she believed that what she and Joshua would exclusively gain was the true way to serve the Runcandels.
Secondly, it was a matter of confusion.
The moment information about Temar''s Tomb became known to the gbearers, it was natural for gbearers like Mary and Dyfus, who had not renounced patriarchy, to react, even without solid evidence.
Rosa''s decision to share information about Temar''s tomb only with Joshua was a straightforward matter.
"My brothers have no objections to Mother''s favoritism toward Joshua."
It wasn''t always like this.
The times when they all felt that way had long passed.
As gbearers, they, like humans, had moments when they were frustrated by Rosa''s favoritism and found it hard to endure.
Runcandel.
They struggled to find their ce in this tough family and survive on their own.
There was no room to vent frustration toward loving parents.
In their younger days, both Cyron and Rosa were even more indulgent toward their children than they are now.
Cadets and Provisional gbearers, who were not yet qualified to carry the n''s g, couldn''t even dream of rebelling.
Luna was an exception, but that was the story of a monster who deviated from the norms from the moment she was born.
She endured injustice, hardships, and a painful growing period and became a gbearer.
Bing a gbearer wasn''t something that could be achieved simply with age and aplishments.
Only those who were strong both externally and internally were qualified to hoist the Runcandel g.
Therefore, the gbearers were no longer troubled by "favoritism." Rosa''s favoritism no longer kindled anger in their hearts; it had be a minor annoyance at best.
However, it wasn''t because the emotions of the other gbearers, except for Joshua, had faded or extinguished.
"It''s because they were convinced that Mother''s favoritism toward Joshua was undoubtedly the best decision for the Runcandel n."
Joshua wasn''t as exceptional as Luna, but the gbearers also didn''t believe that rejecting him was the path for the Runcandel n.
They were convinced that Rosa''s favoritism wasn''t for her own benefit. That was why the gbearers respected Rosa''s favoritism.
"However, sharing information about Temar''s Tomb exclusively with Joshua... in the eyes of the other gbearers... definitely isn''t a decision for the n."
Temar Runcandel.
Despite being the n''s founder, he was an unfortunate First Patriarch who couldn''t be enshrined in the mausoleum.
The empty Tomb of the First Patriarch in the mausoleum was a symbol of misfortune and a reminder of defeat for the Runcandels.
"Do you know? The First Patriarch, Temar Runcandel, wasn''t buried here."
"Yes, and I also know that there''s no dedicated tomb for him in the Garden of Swords."
"The Shadow Energy you possess. That power is why we can''t honor the First Patriarch. Show your Shadow Energy."
The conversation between Cyron and Jin on the day he became a Provisional gbearer and left the n.
The absence of Temar''s Tomb in the mausoleum was due to the ancient oath, or rather, curse, made between Runcandel and Zipple long ago.
A thousand years ago, the Gods of Zipple joined forces to cast a curse upon the Runcandel bloodline.
A curse that rendered all Runcandels after Temar incapable of wielding mana.
In the current Runcandel n, there were no tombs to honor Temar.
Very few people knew the detailed circumstances. Even within Runcandel, only a handful knew that the Gods of Zipple had directly cursed Runcandel a thousand years ago.
But all the high-ranking gbearers knew.
Especially Joshua, who was trying to be a Solderet Contractor himself. And the gbearers who hadpeted with him for a long time must have known.
Mary was the Seventh gbearer, though not at the top. Her actual rank as a gbearer was among the top five.
Most importantly, she hadpeted with Joshua for a long time and shared information with Dyfus, unlike other mid to low-ranking gbearers.
Mary couldn''t "respect" Rosa''s decision this time.
"Darn it..."
Mary muttered this through clenched teeth.
"You''re smart, so you probably know why I''m so furious."
"Elder sister."
"And... you probably anticipated this kind of reaction from me."
Jin didn''t want to deny it, so he refrained from answering.
Mary, Runcandel''s Seventh gbearer, was a person who could remain cold and sharp whenever she wanted.
She knew well that her dear younger brother wasn''t sharing this information just out of affection for her. She knew very well that he had informed her to use it.
What was the intention behind this maniption?
Undoubtedly, it was to oppose and thwart both Mother and Joshua, disrupting their ns.
That''s why the wheels of calction were spinning rapidly in her mind.
Remove the adjective ''beloved'' from her dear younger brother and rece it with ''Twelfth gbearer.''
That was Mary''s calction.
Mary''s calction was nothing more than considering how to act after hearing her younger brother''s story to determine what benefits it could bring to the n and herself.
While Mary was lost in thought, Jin began to organize his own.
"Mother must have thought that I would never share the information about Temar''s Tomb with my other siblings. She probably thought that if that happened, I would hinder her from monopolizing the tomb''s inheritance."
But there''s no need to worry about obstacles.
First of all, unless one is a Solderet Contractor, they can''t possess the rest of the tomb''s inheritance.
"Mother knew about the tomb''s existence from before, but she doesn''t know the exact details. Those who aren''t Shadow Contractors can only oppose the Guardians when seeking the tomb."
Therefore, Rosa was implicitly granting Jin a certain degree of freedom.
Since she didn''t know the exact details about the tomb and the Thousand Year Contractor, she was waiting for Jin to discover everything and acquire it all.
And when Jin finally understood everything, she could take everything at once.
"If there''s an obstacle, it''s not that she can''t monopolize the inheritance and arrangement... It''s that no one, including me, can obtain it."
Even if one couldn''t obtain the inheritance and arrangement unless they were a Solderet Contractor.
Even if one wasn''t a contractor, it was possible to destroy the inheritance and arrangement.
That''s why Zipple was actively searching for Temar''s tomb even after so many centuries.
Furthermore, Vermont was searching for Temar''s body, not to destroy the inheritance but to acquire it.
"I don''t know how much Vermont knows about the inheritance and arrangement. But they have a strong belief that they can use Temar''s body even if they''re not Contractors."
In that case, the worst oue that Jin and Runcandel could face was this.
Jin wouldn''t obtain the inheritance, Runcandel wouldn''t ovee the shame of a thousand years ago, Zipple would destroy all the tombs, and Vermont would obtain Temar''s body.
"If I continue searching for Temar''s Tomb on my own, the likelihood of reaching that point is high."
In the end, he would need his n''s help. To protect the inheritance, he needed strength.
But among the gbearers, the only person he could fully trust was Luna, and she was absent.
Therefore, he had to ept the risk.
If making the information about Temar''s tomb public was more dangerous or if continuing to investigate the tomb alone was more dangerous, the answer to this question had already been reached.
Finally, Mary also made a decision.
"I will officially raise this issue at the next meeting."
Fortunately, she had given the answer Jin desired.
Mary judged that this was the path for the Runcandel n.
To reim the inheritance of the First Patriarch and restore the status of the ancient Runcandel that even Zipple feared.
That was what mattered most to the current Runcandel.
Furthermore, a thought briefly crossed her mind.
"Father cannot be unaware of this fact. No way."
If that was the case, could Father''s obsession with the ck Sea be rted to Temar''s Tomb?
Mary nodded at this thought. It must be true.
Mary''s faith and respect for Rosa had slowly wavered and crumbledpletely due to Jin''s recent confession.
However, her unwavering belief in Cyron''s ultimate goal of reviving the n''s glory and restoring its legitimacy remained solid.
That was an unchanging proposition.
"As for Temar''s Tomb, how much do you know?"
"The First Patriarch was a Solderet Contractor. That''s why Murakan was his Guardian Dragon. In the First Patriarch''s Tomb, along with the First Patriarch''s inheritance and ancient Runcandel, there are also things Solderet left for me."
Mary''s pupils dted.
"Things left by Solderet for you... Is it because you''re a Runcandel Contractor who appeared after a thousand years?"
"Yes, elder sister."
"I see."
As if relieved, Mary pushed her hair back and continued.
"Your intention was to take possession of the things Solderet left behind without the n''s knowledge. However, when Kinzelo suddenly appeared and revealed that other factions were also searching for his tomb, you decided that you couldn''t handle it on your own, right?"
Jin couldn''t help but be amazed at Mary''s keen observation.
"That''s correct."
Bloodlust appeared in Mary''s eyes.
This time, it was clearly hostility directed at Jin. As the seventh gbearer, she was furious that Jin had concealed such an important matter.
However, she could understand it to some extent, unlike when she thought about Rosa.
In Mary''s view, most n members looked down on Jin.
"The youngest is 19 years old?"
"If it were me back then, I would never have informed the n even if I couldn''t possess what was in the tomb. I would have kept it hidden from the n, consumed by revenge and hatred."
Mary, who slowly closed her eyes, seemed to be organizing her thoughts.
"Damn it... it''s annoying."
Jin didn''t bother to add any apologies.
There was no need to apologize.
He hadn''t asked for help whileining about the burden.
"Anyway, you thought it through, Jin. If you had continued to hide this fact out of greed, and I found out, I wouldn''t have overlooked it like I am now."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 363:
C363 - Trail (3)
"Perhaps if I hadn''t spoken, you would have never known, elder sister."
"If that were the case, Mother..."
I would have informed you.
Because, in the end, it''s a matter that concerns the n.
Mary couldn''t continue the sentence. If it had been before hearing this story, maybe she wouldn''t have known, but now she wasn''t entirely convinced that Rosa''s decision was solely for the good of the n.
The sandcastle of trust in Rosa had crumbled.
"...Anyway, I unexpectedly heard an extraordinary story. If I were to reveal this content at the next gbearers'' meeting, it would surely bring chaos to the n."
Not only Mary and Dyfus, but from now on, all the gbearers would seek and protect Temar''s tomb.
Not only the gbearers but also prominent figures of the Council of Elders, especially those like Jorden, who still clung to their old ambitions.
It was an opportunity to "achieve great glory" that rarely came along.
There were those who stepped forward purely for the n and those who did it to satisfy their desire for honor.
Those who found or protected Temar''s tomb would have their names forever engraved in Runcandel.
"Chaos. Looking back, that was always my role in the n."
"That''s why the Council of Elders dislikes you so much."
Mary''s voice softened even more as she said it.
"Wouldn''t it be the same for you, elder sister?"
"Isn''t it? Among the elders, there are many people who like me. Hm, after the chaos you caused this time, it would be nice if order were restored. See you at the meeting."
--------------
However, Jin did not attend the next meeting.
Once again, he left the n, using his mission as an excuse.
"It''s lucky I was assigned a mission."
No matter what agenda was discussed at the meeting, the central topic would inevitably be Temar''s Tomb.
Jin gained nothing from attending the meeting where Mary would detonate a bomb.
"I wonder if elder sister Mary is nervous about my absence. Nevertheless, the process of public debate should have continued, so chaos must have already erupted in the meeting room."
Although it was regrettable not to witness that scene firsthand, he didn''t want to get involved in an unnecessarily exhausting situation.
Jin nned to return slowly.
Until all the right figures for the scenario had finished their preparations and begun their substantial activities.
"Ten days, perhaps two weeks. Returning afterward should be fine. This mission is quite important. Rescuing a royal captive from a maritime fortress isn''t so extraordinary for a gbearer, is it?"
Of course, Jin wasn''t the one directly handling that substantial mission.
Once again, Bellop Shmitz was tasked with rescuing royalty on behalf of Jin.
Jin felt a little worried about whether that guy would handle it well while he pondered this.
Bellopbed through all the maritime fortresses near Vermont, shouting out in frustration.
Where the hell was the captive to be rescued, he shouted, surrounded by the merciless swords of the mercenaries.
"Stay strong, Bellop."
There was someone else who needed to stay strong.
More precisely, not a person, but a dragon.
Jin hade to Tikan to witness the awakening of that dragon.
"Has Jin-nim arrived?"
"Whoa! It''s Sir Jin!"
"You''re here!"
Upon entering the mansion, Kashimir, Enya, and Jet greeted Jin simultaneously.
Otherrades also gathered for greetings.
Enya, as usual, bared her back and asked for an autograph, while Jin, as if with water, wrote smoothly on her shirt.
"You''re always collecting meaningless autographs."
While Murakan messed up Enya''s hair and spoke, Alisa giggled.
"Murakan-nim, don''t you also have a hobby of collecting meaningless magazines?"
"Alisa, it''s not the same. How can collecting such noble texts be meaningless? Besides, this scent. Hm, that Quikantel. She seems to be skilled in making potions."
Sniffing and wrinkling his nose, Murakan referred to the smell of Ozdock''s core as a potion.
After Jin acquired the inner core, Quikantel had been up all night preparing a potion.
All with the purpose of awakening the Dragon Guardian, Caltor, from Yulian.
Although Murakan had clearly told Picon that he had no interest in potions made from the inner core, just like dragons are dragons, Murakan seemed to have unknowingly regained his appetite for the scent of potions.
"Huh, it seems her skills haven''t disappeared yet. Quikantel has been exceptional at making potions for a long time. How is Caltor? Is there any improvement?"
Since being rescued, Caltor had been virtually in a corpse-like state.
His energy was barely detectable, and he hardly breathed.
The shattered bone joints had no hope of rejoining, and the chest wounds remained unhealed.
Anyone who saw that appearance would have thought he was already dead.
A dragon with a mortal wound to the heart could never rise again on its own.
Even Murakan, recognized as the strongest dragon, had fallen into a thousand-year slumber after suffering heart injuries.
Now he wouldn''t have awakened if Jin hadn''t found him in the Storm Castle''s basement.
"There are improvements. However, Lady Quikantel mentioned that due to Caltor''s weakened state, we should be extremely cautious when administering him potions."
Latrie looked worriedly toward the other door. Beyond that door was the room where Misha had once healed Murakan.
"It seems they need a bit more time."
"Yes. However, there''s nothing preventing him from waking up, so I think you shouldn''t worry too much."
"Worry about what..."
Although he replied that way, Murakan subtly rolled his eyes toward Yulian, who was sitting in a corner. It was a gesture that showed he cared in his own way.
For days, Yulian had been sitting there, refusing food and waiting for Caltor to wake up.
Jin was about to offer words offort, but he swallowed them. Whatever he said could probably wait until Caltor regained consciousness.
"By the way, I haven''t seen Beris around here."
"Oh, Professor Beris is currently working. There are ns to open a Second Snack Shop for Latrie-nim soon, and it seems she''ll be the head chef there. ording to what Latrie-nim said, she has quite a talent..."
Enya still referred to Beris as her professor.
And Beris had now genuinely given up on deterring her, passing on her magical knowledge.
"From a fearsome Taimyun Marius hound to a cook in a snack shop..."
Instead of ordering her killed as when she was a hound and a genius altered magician, the everyday task of baking cookies was now more familiar to Beris.
Considering that she had been raised as an assassin doll since childhood, I wondered if she would be able to lead a normal life even after losing her mana. It seems she''s adapting surprisingly well."
Somehow, Jin thought of Yona.
"And Kuzan?"
"Kuzan-nim went to check on tasks rted to the Seven-Colored Peacocks... Oh, there he is!"
Almost instinctively, everyone''s gaze turned to Kuzan, who had just entered the hallway.
He was carrying a stack of documents in both hands. Upon seeing Jin, he gave a slight nod of greeting before identally dropping the entire pile.
Thud!
"Hey, man! Be a bit more careful."
Jet hurriedly helped Kuzan pick up the scattered papers. Then, upon seeing Kuzan mimic clinking sses in the air tonight, he let out a chuckle. Surprisingly, the two got along quite well.
"My lord, I actually intended to get in touch with you. It''s perfect timing. A letter has arrived for you."
There was only one letter that had reached Tikan for Jin.
"Valeria!
Crack! Jin opened the letter as soon as he received it.
(I have discovered traces of the Cat Tribe. It is a forest called ''Wantaramo'' to the west of the Empire''s feudal state, Kiken. If this is you, you probably know that the ce is no ordinary forest.
We will discuss the details in person. Come to thergest inn in the southwest of Kiken before September 19.
Besides, I''ve run out of cosmetics. Bring me some.)
It was a contact she had been waiting for for three whole months.
And Valeria had kept her promise to search for the Cat Tribe.
So far, even the Seven-Colored Peacocks had deployed their maximum avable personnel to search for the Cat Tribe, but they hadn''t been able to find even the slightest clue. That''s how difficult it was to locate the Cat Tribe.
It took three months for the record magician to finally find something.
"By the way, Wantaramo...? I''ve never heard that name before. And what do you mean it''s not an ordinary forest?"
Valeria must have thought that Jin would know, but even digging into the memories of his past life, the name Wantaramo Forest still didn''t ring a bell.
"What''s up, kid? Did you find the Cat Tribe?"
"She hasn''tpletely found them, but it seems that he has discovered some traces. It is a forest called Wantaramo in the Empire''s feudal state, Kiken. Do you know anything about that ce?"
"Wantaramo? Does such a forest exist?"
While everyone acted like they didn''t know, one person, Kashimir, pped as if he remembered something.
"When I was a prince, I remember my father and advisers talking about a forest called Wantaramo. I was so young then that I had forgotten, but hearing the name brings back memories. I think I was about seven or eight years old."
"Oh, insect... Right, you were a prince. It''s imperial territory, so you must have heard of it."
It''s not an ordinary forest.
Excluding Murakan, thepanions carefully examined the excerpt from the letter that Jin had exposed.
"The emperor and the empire''s advisers wouldn''t have casual conversations about a forest that most people in the world don''t even know about. There must be something in that forest."
Jin nodded at Kashimir''s words.
If the emperor and the advisers had conversations about that ce, then it wasn''t an ordinary forest by any means.
"Sir Kashimir, do you recall anything else?"
"I don''t think there is... Oh! Back then, the advisers mentioned that negotiations with the Wantaramo had failed. Now that I think about it again, it''s strange. The empire''s advisers were negotiating with an imperial forest."
There was no such thing as negotiations between the empire and an imperial forest.
Extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Although the Wantaramo Forest belonged to Vermont''s territory, it wasnd that wasn''t subject to its dominion.
"Kid, once you go there, Aria Owlheart will probably tell you what kind of ce it is. Why do you think about suchplicated things?"
Murakan''s words were on point.
"The other party will think I know everything about it, and I''m afraid of embarrassing myself if I don''t know anything."
Jin shrugged and smiled.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 364:
C364 - Trail (4)
On September 19, 1799, at the Toad Inn in the southwest of the Feudal State of the Empire, Kyken.
Valeria sat in the lobby with her hair dyed ck, wearing light leather armor, and sipping on beer.
Her staff was propped against the wall, wrapped in cloth to look like a spear, giving her the appearance of a novice adventurer engrossed in her task.
She had been staring at a flyer hanging on the inn''s wall for a while.
(Jin Runcandel said, "Beauty, that''s your other name." Surrender to the stunning performance of the Peng n''s makeup.)
Setting aside the embarrassing advertising slogan (though the Peng n''s advertising slogan garnered significant attention), it was remarkable that even in a small town like this, there were flyers hanging around.
"Not many mercenaries would order a beer in broad daylight and stare at an advertising flyer with such a cold expression. I rmend changing things up a bit. Order lots of food, put a mercenary magazine in front of you, that would be nice."
Jin took a seat across from her, shrugging.
"Did you really say that?"
"That ''your other name'' part? No way."
Even though Jin himself was right in front of the consecutive advertising flyers, no one recognized him.
Jin opened the menu and, naturally, called the innkeeper. He then proceeded to order a variety of dishes.
"Beef stew with lots of chili and onions, and ox intestine stew. Add plenty of pepper to thetter. And..."
Jin stopped when he saw Valeria''s expression.
"I identally mentioned the dishes we used to eat often during our time together in our past lives. Since I got used to eating ording to my master''s preferences, my taste has changed a bit."
Fortunately, Valeria didn''t react any differently.
"Well, the dishes avable at any inn aremon foods. There shouldn''t be anything unusual."
But Valeria thought differently.
"Lots of chili, onions, and plenty of pepper. How can he be so urate? It''s not extremely unusual; some people eat like that from time to time."
Valeria''s pte had been cultivated during her time with the Gray Owl Mercenaries. Thinking suddenly of them, Valeria wore a bitter smile.
"Oddly enough, sometimes... it feels like Jin Runcandel knows me well."
It had been a long time since Valeria ate these dishes with others, but she thought it wasn''t a bad feeling. Not exactly great, just eptable.
They ate to their heart''s content while pretending to be the typical mercenary duo and discussed their future as frencers.
"Good job, Aria Owlheart. Impressive, you managed to find the Cat Tribe in just three months."
As they left the inn and walked along the quiet path to Wantaramo, Jin began to speak.
"I haven''t found thempletely yet; as I wrote in the letter, I only found traces. They lead to the Wantaramo Forest."
Jin nodded.
Actually, I don''t know if the Wantaramo Forest is an ordinary forest.
This time, I heard the name for the first time.
Just as Jin was about to say that, Valeria continued.
"Moreover, if the Cat Tribe hadn''t intentionally left traces, I wouldn''t have found even those. It''s not me who''s impressive; it''s them."
"The Cat Tribe intentionally left traces?"
"Yes. They know I''m looking for them. I think they realized a month ago, and since then, they''ve been subtly sending messages, almost like posing riddles."
The Cat Tribe was leading Valeria to the Wantaramo Forest.
"If they could leave messages to pursuers, at least they weren''t all wiped out..."
When she recalled the moment when she left them alone with the cave barrier in the third tomb and departed, even now, a part of her heart felt heavy as if it wereden with metal.
-The Cat Tribe''s barrier is quite interesting. There are more troublesome things than you think.
The words that the Specter Corps had uttered when they broke through the Cat Tribe''s barrier and entered the cave.
Even after hearing those words, Jin never asked the Specter Corps what they had done with the Cat Tribe.
Perhaps it was because he couldn''t afford to reveal unnecessary weaknesses or engage in psychological warfare with them.
Later, when Berakt appeared and met other specters upon leaving the forest, Jin couldn''t shake the fact that he hadn''t asked the specters about the Cat Tribe.
"I was nning to contact you when I had the chance to meet them in person. But since it''s the Wantaramo Forest, it was necessary to bring someone they knew. I thought they might have considered me a threat and decided to eliminate me."
"Eliminate you?" Jin asked, and Valeria smiled in satisfaction.
"Seriously, you don''t know what the Wantaramo Forest is?"
"I don''t."
"Then why did you pretend to know?"
"When did I...?"
"You just did."
"No, I was actually about to give an honest answer before. You just didn''t give me a chance to speak."
Pfft.
Valeria let out a light chuckle.
"I was actually testing you. I was curious about the information-gathering ability of Runcandel''s gbearers. It seems that information about the Wantaramo Forest isn''t given to lower-ranked gbearers."
It wasn''t that big a deal, but it felt like a blow to the back of his head.
"If you feel bad about it, then I apologize."
"It''s okay. So, what is that forest anyway?"
"Although you don''t know the Wantaramo Forest, you must have heard of the Royal Melodic Drink, right?"
"I''ve tried it before. My father gave it to me."
"Most people in the world probably think of you as the least favored younger son, but you were a very beloved child. And to think that even Cyron Runcandel granted you the Royal Melodic Drink. The Wantaramo Forest is thend where the Royal Melodic Drink is brewed."
It was then that Jin finally understood why, when Kashimir was young, the emperor and Vermont''s associates negotiated with the Wantaramo Forest.
Royal Melodic Drink.
A special drink crafted for a special day, at a special moment, for a special person.
Only one race in the world could make the Royal Melodic Drink.
''Descendants of the Fairy Tribe...''
In the Wantaramo Forest lived the descendants of the Fairy Tribe.
Very few knew this fact.
Even most Dragons who had lived for thousands of years didn''t know, let alone the Twelfth gbearer.
Literally at the pinnacle of the world or near it, those in power and their close associates, or those with the special ability to uncover the many secrets of the world, were the only ones who knew Wantaramo''s true nature.
And those who knew Wantaramo were always cautious about approaching it.
The Wantaramo Forest wasmon property of the giant forces. If rumors about Wantaramo spread to unnecessary individuals and caused trouble in the forest, everyone would suffer the consequences together.
"Jin Runcandel."
"Yes?"
"Last time, when I took a look at your records, I learned that the Fairy Tribe has a close connection to my n."
During the investigation to restore the recording device and the search for the Cat Tribe, those phrases within the records had been Valeria''s main focus.
"Also, you mentioned that you saw the Ancient Fairy in the third tomb using abilities simr to Histor''s magical records."
"Yes, that''s right."
"So, while I was searching for the Cat Tribe, I realized that the Royal Melodic Drink, crafted by the descendants of the Fairy Tribe, might also be a form of record. It''s strange that I''m realizing this now."
"Are you implying there might be some connection between the Descendants of the Fairy Tribe and your n?"
"Exactly."
"In that case, there''s also the possibility that the Cat Tribe might have some knowledge of your true identity. That could exin why they intentionally led you to the Wantaramo Forest."
"That''s the reason I called you. From what I know, the race known as Descendants of the Fairy Tribe deviates considerably from the universal image people have."
The Royal Melodic Drink is a beverage with the ability to convey stories.
By its own right, it''s incredibly romantic, inspiring numerous poets topose songs about the descendants of the Fairy Tribe.
As a result, when people hear "Descendants of the Fairy Tribe," they often conjure up images of small and adorable figures and, for some reason, enigmatic and beautiful forests.
Although their appearance andndscape quite fit themon imagination...
Their actual personalities don''t.
"The Descendants of the Fairy Tribe are extremely exclusive and brutally harsh to outsiders. If an ignorant person stumbles upon the Wantaramo Forest and crosses paths with them, they will kill without hesitation."
"This is the first time I''ve heard of something like that."
"They don''t just kill without pain. They y with their target like a toy and finish them off when they get bored."
Valeria''s perspective waspletely different from Jin''s. She had no trust in the Cat Tribe at all.
So it wasn''t unreasonable for her to believe that the Cat Tribe had intentionally left traces and lured her into the Wantaramo Forest with the intent to kill her.
"Maybe the Cat Tribe had a favorable impression of me and was trying to call me here by leaving traces, but they must have informed me that Wantaramo is a dangerous ce. Well, even I would probably do something like that if a tracker suddenly started chasing me, so I don''t really hold any ill feelings toward the Cat Tribe."
"If the descendants of the Fairy Tribe are really as cruel as you say, it might even be possible that the Cat Tribe sent out a distress signal."
"That possibility can''t be ruled out."
When they reached the entrance to the Wantaramo Forest, it was nighttime.
Amidst the cold wind, the distant howls of beasts echoed, and the forest seemed to indicate its sparse human presence by not even having a path at the entrance.
Woo-ahh...!
When Valeria activated her recording magic, bright blue markings appeared on the ground.
Such a phrase was written on a semi-transparent window that appeared before Valeria.
The blue markings were all footprints left by Lulu.
Following the glowing footprints, after about thirty minutes of venturing deep into the forest, the two could sense thendscape suddenly changing.
The nearby, densely clustered trees began to twist.
The forest moved as if it were a massive entity, and the trees clung to each other and unraveled, emitting a thunderous sound.
"..."
Jin''s pupils dted as he saw the inside of a twisted tree.
And then, he felt a surge of murderous intent.
It was because Lulu, covered in blood, was bound inside a tree.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 365:
C365 - Trail (5)
Jin''s gaze, delving into the depths of the forest, quickly turned cold.
"As you say, the descendants of the Fairy Tribe seem to be malicious."
Shahak-!
As Jin spoke, he wielded his sword, slicing through the tree.
The de moved smoothly, cutting through the wood.
Lulu, who was inside the tree, was also cut, but that wasn''t the real Lulu; it was just a malicious illusion.
When Lulu''s illusion disappeared, a trap in the form of a magic circle was revealed.
If the two had approached carelessly, the trap would have been activated.
Kik, kik, kik, kik-!
From deep within the forest, a sinisterughter echoed.
Jin and Valeria stood with expressionless faces, silently waiting for the figure to appear.
"Weren''t you fooled?"
Ting, ting, ting...!
From the darkness beyond the forest emerged a sparkling figure, apanied by cheerful sounds.
It was the sound of a descendant of the Fairy Tribe pping its wings.
The Fairy that revealed itself had a beautiful appearance that contrastedpletely with the unpleasantughter it had been emitting.
Tiny, radiant, adorable wings, a face so cute you''d want to reach out and touch it, an adorable expression brimming with mischief.
Of course, Jin and Valeria''s looks at the newly appeared descendant of the Fairy Tribe were filled with nothing but a chilling aura.
"Hello? You weren''t bothered by the prank, were you?"
The Fairy descendant scratched her head as she spoke.
"Where are the members of the Cat Tribe?"
"Why the hurry? Shouldn''t we introduce ourselves first? Hello again! I''m M, the younger sister of the Queen of the Fairy Tribe."
Jin and Valeria stared at M without responding.
"...Aren''t you d to see me? Humans who stumble into this forest and encounter me usually shout in excitement at having found something mystical."
"The members of the Cat Tribe, where are they?"
Jin asked again in a low voice, to which M chuckled.
"The Cat Tribe is well protected by me and mine. They were in such a pitiful state when they arrived in the Wantaramo Forest, all wounded. I couldn''t just leave them!"
M continued, looking at Jin.
"But, Cyron Runcandel''s youngest son, Jin Runcandel. Don''t you think youck manners? I revealed my name first, and yet your neck is high to the end. Should I bend it for you? Including that human by your side."
"You make jokes like that and still expect me to be polite?"
"Well, so what? I really didn''t harm Lulu. Those kids are too naive. Despite that, I treated them."
M pouted her lips.
Then, apparently disappointed by theck of reaction to her cute gestures, she tilted her head.
She even made some more charming movements, but Jin and Valeria could only think that they would have attacked that annoying Fairy immediately if not for the Cat Tribe.
"...Fine, I get it. It seems like I would get hit if I yed another prank on you. I''ll introduce you to the Cat Tribe. Follow me."
M started flying back into the forest, leading the way.
Interestingly, every time M moved, the forest transformed.
Objects like trees and rocks moved organically, as if they were living beings, following M''s path.
As they walked, Jin and Valeria couldn''t help but be nervous. It was natural, given theirck of trust in M.
They thought traps could suddenly appear, or an attack could start at any moment.
"Hmph, don''t worry. I won''t y any more pranks. It''s the first time I''ve seen humans as boring as you."
Getting no response to that remark, M remained silent until they reached their destination. The three of them walked in silence deep into the forest for about an hour.
Fortunately, there were no more traps.
[We''ve arrived.]
They reached a ce where thousands of trees twisted and intertwined strangely, forming a massive cave.
"Come out, children."
As M spoke, a sudden, dazzling light emerged from inside the cave.
It was the light generated by thousands of descendants of the Fairy Tribe pouring out of the cave simultaneously. Despite their mischievous nature, it was a magnificent sight.
Swish, swish!
In an instant, the entire area was filled with descendants of the Fairy Tribe,ughing as they surrounded Jin and Valeria.
Thest toe out of the cave were the members of the Cat Tribe and a descendant of the Fairy Tribe with wings twice asrge as the others.
"Lulu!"
"Jin Runcandel!"
Lulu and Miru.
In the Cat Tribe''s cave, the twins who had guarded the barrier against the Specters to the end.
Seeing them, Jin felt a weight lift off his shoulders, but at the same time, a sense of unease crept over him.
"...Where is Neru-nim?"
Lulu smiled when she saw Jin concerned about whether Neru had died while defending the barrier to the end.
"Neru led the rest of the tribe and hid elsewhere. Miru and I entrusted ourselves to the Fairy Tribe. At that time, everyone was pretty injured, but fortunately, no one died."
Only then did Jin smile.
Everyone had managed to escape safely from the cave.
"I''m d everyone survived."
Jin bowed and took Lulu and Miru''s hands.
"Oh, what a touching reunion. I really can''t bear to watch it without tears. Don''t you agree, Your Majesty?"
M said as she sat next to Lulu, Miru, and the descendant of the Fairy Tribe with therger wings.
She was the queen of the descendants of the Fairy Tribe and, unlike M, exuded an air of sophistication.
"I am Jin Runcandel."
"You can call me She."
She was M''s older sister and the queen of the Fairy Tribe.
"I''m sure M must have yed some annoying pranks on the way here, so please ept my apologies on her behalf."
"Apologies? Why apologize? In fact, strictly speaking, they are intruders. To be honest, there would be no problem if we killed them."
"They came to rescue the Cat Tribe, right, M? Besides, the Cat Tribe asked for my permission and left traces."
"Although they didn''t inform us that the one who can read those traces might be a Magician with Record Magic abilities."
M''s mocking voice made Valeria''s eyes shift slightly to the left.
The Fairy Tribe and the Cat Tribe had not noticed this behavior from Valeria, who was bing increasingly anxious due to her presence, but Jin noticed.
And Jin himself, like Valeria, was a little puzzled.
"How did M recognize that Valeria is a Magician with Record Magic? Did she see it when Valeria used Record Magic at the forest entrance? Moreover, I never informed Lulu and Miru about Valeria''s existence."
Swish, swish...
Jin could see that the gathered descendants of the Fairy Tribe nearby were discussing something after hearing M.
But Jin was unable to understand thenguage.
[Jin.]
"Yes, Lulu-nim."
[As we entrusted ourselves to thend of the descendants of the Fairy Tribe, we left two types of traces. So that they could find us...]
The two types of traces they left were intended to be found by both those with Record Magic abilities and those without them.
Valeria''s tracking speed was excessively fast.
The usual traces they left couldn''t even be touched by the Seven-Colored Peacock, so Valeria''s tracking speed clearly exceeded the ordinary range.
ording to Lulu and Miru''s thinking, Valeria couldn''t have found them so quickly without possessing Record Magic.
Therefore, they assumed that Valeria was a Magician with Record Magic abilities and attempted to confirm one thing.
Whether the pursuer was an ally of Jin or not.
As Valeria had initially assumed, in thetter case, they had ns to use the power of the descendants of the Fairy Tribe to eliminate the tracker.
When Lulu exined this, Jin nodded, and Valeria seemed lost in thought.
"If I''m not an ally of Jin, what could be the reason you wanted to kill me?"
"This is because there may be information that a Magician not rted to the Solderet Contractor shouldn''t verify here," She, the Queen of the Fairy Tribe descendants, spoke in ce of Lulu.
Using his intuition, Jin could guess what She meant.
"The Fourth Tomb of Temar is here. Lulu and Miru naturally led me to the fourth tomb during their escape, unlike other members of the Cat Tribe, and fled to the Wantaramo Forest."
It was the correct assumption.
The descendants of the Fairy Tribe knew the way to the Fourth Tomb of Temar.
There was a moment of silence.
M wore a slightly displeased expression, as if she didn''t like how easily She was revealing such information.
"Human, what is your rtionship with Jin Runcandel?"
When Valeria was about to answer She''s sudden question, Jin spoke up.
"She''s mypanion. Someone I trust more than anyone else in the world."
"In that case, I, She, the Queen of the Fairy Tribe Descendants, will uphold our age-old promise with Solderet. Furthermore, I must express my gratitude to Lulu and Miru of the Cat Tribe, longtime friends who have helped me keep that promise."
Whoosh...!
She''s wings emitted an even brighter light.
It was a symbol of the utmost authority in the Wantaramo Forest, and all the other descendants of the Fairy Tribe, including M, descended to the ground and respectfully lowered their heads toward She.
Indeed, it was a scene that depicted the majestic presence befitting the queen of the Fairy Tribe descendants.
"Jin Runcandel and his apanying magician, and my friends, follow me. The tomb is inside the cave. Finally, after a thousand years, we cany down the heavy burden we''ve carried."
She began to flutter her wings toward the cave formed by twisted, intertwined trees.
Jin and hispanions followed her into the cave. Until everyone had entered the cave, the descendants of the Fairy Tribe outside didn''t dare to raise their heads.
Of course, Jin assumed that She''s authority as the Queen of the Fairy Tribe Descendants would be absolute, given the respect they showed her. But in reality, it wasn''t.
"Lulu, Miru. You two probably noticed during your time here..."
Crack!
Suddenly, the trees twisted and intertwined, blocking the entrance to the cave.
When Jin turned around, he saw M smiling through the narrowing gap.
"M betrayed me a long time ago."
The entrance to the cave was not blocked by She.
In title, she remained the queen, but real power and control over the Wantaramo Forest had already been transferred to M and the other descendants of the Fairy Tribe.
"Yes, I was sensing it. She..."
"M has no intention of keeping her promise with Solderet. That''s why she nned to trap me when she had the chance. Although I didn''t expect her to go so far as to also trap the Thousand Year Contractor."
Faced with the abrupt change in circumstances, Jin and Valeria remained unfazed.
Given M''s behavior and attitude, it was something they could have easily foreseen.
"Soon, the humans in contact with M wille to Wantaramo, I suppose."
"Who are they?"
"The Zipple n. There is no other force besides them that can satisfy M''s inted ambitions."
She smiled weakly.
Her wings, which shone brightly in the darkness, seemed somewhat helpless.
"She-nim, it seems you have a n. Allowing M to deliberately keep us trapped even after discovering her betrayal."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 366:
C366 - Trail (6)
"I don''t have ns. I only have a purpose."
The purpose She was talking about was to help Jin, Solderet''s Thousand-Year Contractor, safely reach the Fourth Tomb of Temar.
"It seems that M, along with other children, didn''t like the idea of fulfilling the promise with Solderet. They think that all the descendants of the Fairy Tribe are making unnecessary sacrifices. Or they think I harbor senseless hopes."
"So, are they practically dethroning you and allowing M to take control of the forest?"
"Yes. Waiting for you was too uncertain, and the rewards were unclear. However, there were those willing to provide everything we wanted with just a little information. In a way, betrayal was a natural course of action."
"What do the descendants of the Fairy Tribe want?"
"To regain our original forms."
She continued with a mncholic voice.
"...We will talk more about thister when there is an opportunity. For now, it''s essential to ovee this situation and guide you to the Fourth Tomb of Temar."
Priing...!
Glistening particles spread from She''s wings. The view became brighter, revealing the surface of tangled trees.
The dim interior of the cave looked like the inside of a colossal beast.
"Lulu, Miru."
"Yes."
"The Fourth Tomb of Temar doesn''t exist in this cave."
She had anticipated M and the other fairies'' betrayal for a long time.
That''s why she hadn''t revealed the true location of the fourth tomb to anyone.
All the descendants of the Fairy Tribe, except She, believed that Temar''s tomb existed at the end of this cave.
"So, where...?"
"The Red Lake. It is the water source in the Wantaramo Forest."
The Red Lake is thergest water source in the Wantaramo Forest, connecting to the outer Yulpi River. All life in the forest, including the descendants of the Fairy Tribe, relies on the Red Lake to survive.
"We have to get there as soon as possible. The Contractor must reach the Tomb of Temar before the trackers arrive. Summon the Ruby Cat, Jin Runcandel."
She had learned that Jin was Shuri''s Contractor from the Cat Tribe.
Whoosh!
"Nyaa!"
After being summoned, Shuri carried the group on her back and began to run.
They had to reach the end of the cave first to avoid being detected and then head to the Red Lake.
The cave was much deeper than Jin and Valeria had imagined.
They had been riding Shuri at maximum speed for over 30 minutes.
When they reached the end, they could see a massive magic-made door.
"It''s simr to the door to the secret library under the Storm Castle."
Like that door, this one required activation words to open, but this door would be destroyed without fairynguage.
It was even more potent than the door of the Secret Library under the Storm Castle.
When She spoke the activation words in thenguage of the fairies, the door opened, revealing the interior.
"M believes that beyond this door lies my crown, the Fourth Tomb of Temar, and the incredible legacy left by our ancestors..."
However, beyond the door was simply an empty space.
Bare rocks reced the walls, and only a faint breeze whispered from an unknown source, weing the group.
"There''s nothing here. Someday, when M became an adult, I thought of showing her this emptyndscape. I hoped she woulde to understand why we became such an empty race."
Swoosh...!
The door closed.
"Oh, I got lost in my thoughts for a moment. Keep moving forward. From here on, Lulu and Miru, your dimensional abilities might be needed."
She was referring to the unique dimensional abilities of the Cat Tribe.
"We need to create a passage leading to the Red Lake, right?"
"Yes. If time allows, it would be great to create a way to confuse the pursuers."
"How much time do we have left?"
Upon hearing those words, Jin and Valeria thought the same thing.
"Where is the nearest Magic Tower to Kyken?"
"Where was Zipple''s nearest Magic Tower?"
Third Magic Tower.
They arrived at the same conclusion. The 3rd Magic Tower was on Rachan Ind, located between the Lutero Magical Federation and the Vermont Sea Territory. If Zipple received the signal and deployed their forces, it undoubtedly came from there.
"About three hours."
"Probably about three hours. Assuming M can inform Zipple in one hour."
Jin and Valeria responded simultaneously, looking at each other.
"Both of you are quicker at calcting than I am. It''s been a long time since I left Kyken, so I got confused."
"We can definitely create abyrinth in three hours."
As Lulu and Miru said this confidently, She shook her head.
"But there''s one thing both of you overlooked. Do you know about Zipple''s Master Magic Tower Staff?"
The Master Magic Tower Staffs had special runic symbols inscribed on them.
The troublesome runic symbol that Valeria had experienced so much in her previous life and her current one.
"Did Zipple inscribe runic symbols to summon Magic Tower Magicians in the Wantaramo Forest?"
"Most likely. In the past, when Kelliark came to request the Royal Melodic Drink, he gave M a staff. I suspected that the staff would have runic symbols simr to those of the Master Magic Tower Masters."
M''s betrayal had already urred decades ago. Naturally, they must have had a means of immediate summons.
"Two hours. That''s how much time we have left. Lulu, Miru, do you think you can do it?"
"We''ll try."
Lulu and Miru took an object that looked like a w from their pockets.
"Jin Runcandel, you must be very good to us from now on."
Lulu grinned mischievously.
However, Jin could read the sorrow hidden behind that smile.
"...A Divine Artifact."
As Jin said that, it was a long time ago when the God of the Cat Tribe gave them their Divine ws.
"Yes. I used this Divine Artifact to protect you and the little beastmen even inside the cave. Fortunately, two of them are still left."
One was with Neru, and the other was with Lulu and Miru.
Divine Artifacts were the only means through which the Cat Tribe couldmunicate with their previous Gods.
The Cat Tribe mostly used them for Jin and the little beastmen.
"She-nim, is it impossible to force our way through?"
Jin spoke with frustration.
The cave was mostly formed by trees. It seemed impossible for him not to be able to break through with his strength.
"If we rush to open the cave, we will lose our way due to the rampaging trees. Since M has control over the Wantaramo Forest, if the trees inside the cave start going wild, even I might lose my sense of direction. I''m sorry."
I''m sorry.
Every time situations like this urred, Jin hated hearing those words.
He didn''t understand why people who had sacrificed themselves for a thousand years apologized to him.
However, he knew that venting his anger or showing unnecessary anger would only distress the people who had made such great sacrifices for him.
So he suppressed what bothered him in his heart and adopted a calm attitude.
His intention was to show them results worthy of their sacrifices without making them feel pity.
Valeria looked at Jin and thought, "In our first encounter, he disappointed me quite a bit, but the more I see him, the more he seems like a human with a somewhat profound side. When facing me, he doesn''t seem to have intentions of just using me."
Valeria moved alongside Lulu and Miru.
"I will help too."
"Eh? In creating a subspace and forming a dimensional portal?"
"Yes."
"Although I appreciate it, it''s a task tooplex for humans."
"Even though the spatial abilities of the Cat Tribe border on omnipotence, parts of it still contain mana, right? I''ll just read the mana flow and assist wherever magic is needed."
"Well, I guess it''s better to wait in silence. But how did you know our abilities involve mana?"
"Because I can sense the scent of mana from you. People who don''t use mana often can''t have it so strong."
"Mana has a scent?"
"Just let me know if I be a hindrance. I''ll withdraw quietly. Or are you worried I might uncover the secret of the Cat Tribe''s abilities?"
"No, it''s not that..."
Valeria sat down, and as soon as she did, Lulu and Miru looked at her alternately and then shrugged.
It was clear that she could be a hindrance... That was the look they had.
It was as if they were sending Jin a look that said, "Stop her."
However, as Jin was not in a position to order anything, he simply shook his head helplessly.
"I guess it can''t be helped. Okay, but if we say you''re being a hindrance, you have to leave immediately. We don''t have time to waste."
"Understood."
Lulu and Miru cautiously touched the Divine w of the Cat God and muttered in an unknownnguage.
Then, just like when Neru had opened the Third Tomb, a mystical purple energy began to spread in all directions.
It was clear that, as Valeria had said, there was mixed mana.
"Could she have instantly recognized that the Cat Tribe also uses mana, something I had no idea about?"
Indeed, Valeria was a person who could be called a "Master."
Furthermore, does she say she can help by observing the flow of mana that she has never seen before?
This time, not even Jin could avoid doubting Valeria.
It was something that seemed totally impossible even for him, a genius among geniuses.
However, Valeria seemed to dismiss those doubts with augh and was effortlessly reading the mana flow that the Cat Tribe was deploying.
Inside, she was already infusing her own mana, speeding up the formation of the dimensional portal and subspace.
"Is this possible?"
"Who the heck are you?"
Lulu and Miru looked at Valeria in astonishment.
"I told you it would be possible," Valeria replied calmly but was sweating as if it were raining.
She was giving her all to read the mana flow. Valeria''s robe was quickly soaking wet, and the heat radiating from her body was so intense that it was melting the dye from her hair.
Finally, Valeria''s red hair became visible.
She couldn''t take her eyes off Valeria''s hair and had a thoughtful expression on her face.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 367:
C367 - Trail (7)
A long time had passed, and the heat continued to emanate from Valeria.
There was no trace of dye left in her hair. A hot torrent surged from her sweaty robe, and her red hair, fluttering in the mana, looked like a bundle of mes.
"Descendant of Histor, huh. Where did you meet that girl?"
"I met her in thewless city of Mamit."
Jin didn''t share more details because She didn''t seem too curious.
She''s pupils sank.
"Luckily, she''s a strong girl who doesn''t need your protection. However, not only humans, but all living beings ultimately need to protect each other. There is no life that can exist alone."
It was a sudden conversation, but Jin nodded in agreement. He didn''t mind She''s words.
"While my friends and your ally suffer, we must consider the variables."
"Are there other matters you''re considering apart from Zipple''s magicians?"
"This is thend of Vermont. Among my rtives, some might be coborating with them."
"Well, it''s unlikely that the split fragments of their absolute power ended up in a single person like M. Vermont... It''s very possible."
"Also, there might be something connected to your Runcandel."
"I hope that''s not the case. Dealing with both Zipple and Vermont together is headache enough. For now, it''s best to assume that we''ll definitely only encounter Zipple and Vermont."
Vermont is searching for Temar''s body, Jin thought, keeping that fact in mind. There''s almost a 100% chance that among the descendants of the Fairy Tribe, someone is colluding with Vermont.
Jin recalled what Kashimir had identally overheard as a child about the ancient emperors and counselors: Perhaps their negotiations with the Wantaramo Forest were rted to information about the infiltrator.
"Maybe Vermont started searching for Temar''s body because a descendant of the Fairy Tribe had leaked information about his tomb from the beginning."
If not, Vermont wouldn''t be searching for Temar''s Tomb, which even Runcandel might not know about, except for Cyron, Rosa, and some key elders (this was just a conjecture).
"Vermont might send the special forces or the imperial guards. Large-scale troop movements would only announce that there''s something in the Wantaramo Forest."
I mighte face to face with familiar faces. Jin thought and shrugged.
"Special forces and imperial guards. Are they stronger than you?"
Jin could answer without hesitation.
"Themanders might be stronger than me. However, I can easily subdue those below that rank."
Jin came to this conclusion based on his encounters with the special forcesmander, Ratz, and with Alisa, the formermander, during his days as a Provisional gbearer.
"There are four of them. They won''t all gather at once."
Commander and Sumander of the Imperial Guard and the Special Forces. If all four of them came at once, even Luna would find it overwhelming, let alone Jin.
"She-nim, how much fighting strength do you have?"
Asking such a question to the descendant of the ruler of the Fairy Tribe felt a bit odd.
However, it was something that needed to be known.
Understanding the strength of allies was only natural.
"Not only Zipple and Vermont, but I might also have to fight the Guardian of the Fourth Tomb."
The Guardian, Zipple, Vermont.
Regardless of which side they fought against first, Jin needed to conserve enough energy to face the final opponent.
Of course, if there were no guardians like in the case of the third tomb, it would be the best scenario, but worst-case scenarios had to be considered.
"Well, I haven''t experienced fighting in a long time, so I''m not sure. I just know that I''m not very weak."
"Can you give me a more specific answer?"
At that, She seemed thoughtful, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes.
"...I really don''t know. I rarely use strength, even when my people kill intruders."
"Understood."
It seemed he would have to fight without relying on She''s strength.
Jin felt a little regretful for not bringing Murakan. There were two reasons why Jin hadn''t brought him.
First, it was to assist in Bellop''s undercover mission (if it were revealed that Bellop was carrying out Jin''s missions, it could be a significant problem).
Secondly, because Valeria hadn''t met Murakan yet.
Although their cooperative rtionship had improved since then, Jin still felt a little ufortable facing Valeria with a powerful ally.
This could cause Valeria to be more cautious, which she had already loosened a bit.
"If the situation bes desperate, maybe I''ll have to create a three-front battle formation."
Jin had a rough n, but there were too many variables.
He didn''t know which enemies they would encounter first, whether they should prioritize facing them or directly finding the tomb, and what would happen if they had to retreat after the enemy discovered their location...
While Jin was pondering, She spoke.
[Jin Runcandel]
"Yes."
[There''s one thing I want to tell you. Battles must be conducted in a way that doesn''t damage the forest to the point where it can''t regenerate.]
The Wantaramo Forest was "public property" of beings at the pinnacle of power.
All of them were consumers of the Royal Melodic Drink.
The fact that Jin and his allies hadn''t known about the forest until now wasn''t due to ignorance but because powerful beings concealed it to prevent problems from arising within.
If the forest were to be damaged, those beings of unimaginable power would undoubtedly scrutinize the situation and demand properpensation from the one most responsible.
Jin smiled contentedly.
''Then, whether fighting individually or in a three-front battle formation, I''ll have an overwhelming advantage.''
Closebat battles without harming the environment.
Given the nature of the power called "Shadow Energy," there probably wasn''t any disposition in which Jin could be more effective than that.
"I understand. In fact, that might be better."
[In that case, good luck to us. Even after a thousand years, the influence of your ancestor still shakes the world.]
"It seems you know my ancestor well."
[I don''t remember many details. You''ve looked into the tombs of the past, so you must know that the Runcandels of that era have been nearly forgotten. However, I clearly remember that Temar''s actions at that time had a significant impact on the world.]
She looked Jin in the eyes.
[Now you''ll have to rece his shadow. Or project a new shadow called Jin Runcandel onto the world.]
By then, the members of the Cat Tribe and Valeria had finished their work.
"Woo-hoo!"
"We''re done...!"
An hour and thirty minutes.
The Cat Tribe members found it hard to believe they had created passages leading to the Red Lake and trap routes to confuse Zipple, all in such a short time.
Fourteen purple entrances they had made shone on the cave walls. Among them, only one was the true passage to the Red Lake; the others were false, leading to the center of the forest.
"The entrances change randomly each time they are used. Unless the Zipple Magicians have incredible luck or are very clever, they won''t be able to guess the right one on their first attempt."
With fourteen entrances to choose from, splitting up and entering was the obvious choice.
As Lulu had said, unless they were an astonishingly intelligent group, it was unlikely they would get it right on their first try.
m!
Jin handed a canteen to Valeria.
She received it with a dry throat and immediately began gulping it down.
"Jin Runcandel, give me a moment to tune my mana before we depart. It seems we have enough time to spare."
Seeing Valeria stabilizing her mana while sitting cross-legged, Lulu and Miru smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Thanks to her, we saved our artifact."
"We were able to save half of it!"
Lulu and Miru disyed the Divine w of the Felic God, of which only half remained, and smiled.
Valeria, swaying a little, got up, and when she staggered, Jin supported her.
"Are you okay?"
"I just got a little dizzy."
She didn''t add that she had exerted more effort than expected to protect half of the artifact. It was an action that not even Valeria herself could understand.
Initially, she had offered to help the Cat Tribe members for efficiency reasons, but using more energy than necessary for the sake of the Cat Tribe had been an impulsive decision.
"You can rest for another ten minutes."
"It''s not necessary. I know my body. Just keep the promise you made on the way here."
Unlike when she initially offered to help the Cat Tribe, her tone now sounded somewhat assertive.
Valeria had been feeling like she was acting strangely since meeting Jin.
"Thest time, you said you had obtained the recording device from the Cat Tribe''s hideout... was it actually the tomb of the first Runcandel patriarch?"
"The tomb of the first patriarch was in the Cat Tribe''s hideout."
"You''re ying with words."
"We''re in the stage of getting to know each other, right? You must have many things you haven''t told me as well. No, you''re probably hiding much more than me. Since I told you about Temar''s Tomb, my secrets are almost exhausted."
"Fine. I won''t think you deceived me. After hearing your exnation about Temar''s Tomb, I can imagine how surprised you must have been when you obtained the Shadow Energy Pearl from Helluram in Joshua Runcandel''s mansion."
"It was more surprising when you examined that Shadow Energy Pearl, and it was misinterpreted."
"Anyway, we need to get clues about the Fourth Tomb of Temar from the Cat Tribe... When we discover the Fourth Tomb, let me take a look too. Can you make that happen?"
"I will. It''s a promise."
Valeria recalled her conversation with Jin when they arrived at the Wantaramo Forest.
The promise he mentioned referred to entering the tomb together with Jin.
"It''s only been a few hours since I had that conversation with Jin Runcandel, and yet I didn''t expect to find the fourth tomb so quickly. I thought it would take at least a few months to save the Cat Tribe and get clues from them about the tomb."
Could she confirm new traces left by her ancestors in that tomb?
Alone, without assistance.
Tracking the messages left by her ancestors, retrieving Histor''s magic...
These were unspeakably lonely tasks.
At some point, she hadn''t realized how lonely it was.
Her life had consisted of practicing magic, finding her ancestors'' messages and legacy, and wandering the world since she opened her eyes.
However, now, so easily...
If she anticipated a new discovery about Histor thanks to someone other than herself, and if she found her ancestors'' footsteps by someone else''s hand...
Then, were the dark and bitter times of the past a futile struggle?
It was because of such thoughts that her tone had sharpened without her realizing.
"...I was a bit touchy."
"It must have been tough. I didn''t feel bad, so you don''t need to apologize."
Valeria''s brow twitched slightly.
"Now we have to enter the passage. It would be fine if I supported you until we reach the Red Lake. If you''re notfortable, let me know," Jin said as he took Valeria''s canteen.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 368:
C368 - Trail (8)
"Help me with the hair dye."
Valeria extended the hair dye she had received from Jin earlier.
"I don''t want to show this hair when I meet the people from Vermont or Zipple."
Jin shrugged.
Then he turned around and applied some of the dye to Valeria''s red hair.
A shine emanated from the hair that was turning ck.
Jin''s fingers gently ran through it, spreading the dye.
Somehow, the members of the Cat Tribe opened their mouths wide and stared with sparkling eyes.
Their atmosphere is strange, isn''t it?
"They get along really well, don''t they?"
Contrary to what the Cat Tribe members thought, the two of them didn''t feel anything special about each other''s physical contact.
Valeria was momentarily dizzy, busy sorting her thoughts, and Jin was only concerned about whether her body had truly recovered to a decent level.
"It''s done."
Jin wiped the dye off his hands with a cloth.
After briefly examining her newly dyed hair in a hand mirror, Valeria nodded in satisfaction.
The red color was perfectly concealed.
[Let''s go!]
They followed Lulu and Miru into the passageway.
The interior of the passageway was misty like fog, and their vision wavered as if they were underwater, but strangely, they didn''t feel any fatigue as they walked.
It felt more like they were wandering in a pleasant dream.
They emerged from the passageway before taking a hundred steps.
Originally, the distance would have required a considerable amount of time, even for a trained martial artist, but the passages of the Cat Tribe were nothing less than teleportation gates.
"They''ve just arrived, Lulu. Your skills are as impressive as ever."
"Still, since we had time to create the passage, I''m not sure if we can evade their pursuit."
Outside the passageway, the area was filled with strangely bent trees.
Despite their curved appearance, they were tall and thick enough to bepared to the central pir of a castle.
The densely blooming leaves prevented even a hint of moonlight from entering.
As a result, the vastke that stretched below looked like ck oil.
"Is Temar''s tomb hidden in there?"
Jin remembered Olmango, who had sealed the second tomb in the depths of the sea.
She had also hidden a medium that linked to a tomb beneath theke.
Laaa,a~
She began to sing.
Her voice was incredibly pleasant.
It seemed as if sugar crystals were causing delightful vibrations in the ears.
Even Valeria couldn''t help but smile involuntarily at She''s singing.
Tiny particles, like crystal dust, emanated from She''s small mouth.
The particles floated toward theke, and the ripples changed with them.
Soft swirls.
That was the only way to describe the phenomenon.
Small and gentle whirlpools danced on theke''s surface in response to the song.
Several minutes passed this way.
Finally, something exceptionally bright emerged from theke''s surface, like a rising star.
It was a slender bottle.
Royal Melodic Wine.
The reason why the powerful beings hadn''t harmed this forest, the significance of Wantaramo''s existence.
The slender bottle floated slowly to She''s side.
The moment she embraced the bottle with her small body, the light particles that illuminated theke disappeared, and the forest darkened again.
"Take it, Jin Runcandel."
He courteously epted the Royal Melodic Wine.
(Royal Melodic Wine - Sheel Damiro)
The Royal Melodic Wine bore the name of the person who seemed to have crafted the alcohol, not the manufacturer or recipient.
That''s why when they crafted the Royal Melodic Wine over Shuri, it wasn''t attached to the name of a fairy or Luna but to Cyron''s name.
''Sheel Damiro... An individual with the same name as Lueth Damiro Yul from the records of the third tomb. A blood rtive, perhaps.''
Sheel Damiro was also a name Jin had seen in the record of the third tomb.
-(March 3, 797, Runcandel records the maniption of Zipple''s history rted to the Fairy Tribe. March 4, 797, among the Fairy Tribe, five individuals, including Sheel Damiro, Beka Tichke, Mulias Morn, Trika Tredos, and Zen Mainu, are forgotten...)
"In the recording device in the third tomb, I saw the name Lueth Damiro Yul. It seems to have been a request from that person''s lineage to craft the alcohol."
[Lueth Damiro Yul...?]
"Do you know the name?"
She closed her eyes as if trying to remember something.
[I don''t remember. However, the name Yul is only reserved for the ruler of the Fairy Tribe, so that person must have been the noblest existence among the fairies.]
M described herself as a fairy, but She had always distinguished between fairies and Descendants of the Fairy Tribe.
[Drink]
As Jin was about to pour the wine, he looked at She.
"How long will it take?"
[What are you talking about?]
"They had been gone for two days when I entered and exited the third tomb. I want to know how long it will take if I drink this Royal Melodic Wine."
[I can''t know that.]
"The pursuers will arrive soon. If it takes too long, it will depend on She, Lulu, and Miru-nim to face them alone."
"You''re worrying for nothing."
"No, it''s not an unfounded concern. Lulu and Miru-nim have just exhausted their energy creating the passage, and She-nim, you mentioned not knowing your own fighting ability."
"This is my forest."
"You said you lost control over the power that controls the forest."
"Even if that''s the case, do you think I can''t handle a few humans like you?"
If Jin had to judge whether She was strong or not, he could easily choose thetter.
It was clear she had the dignity of a queen, and yet she emitted none of the dangerous aura characteristic of the strong.
If the members of the Cat Tribe weren''t tired, Jin would have trusted in their abilities andfortably drunk the Royal Melodic Wine.
"If you''re so worried, can''t you leave that girl here and go?"
"That''s not possible. I made a promise."
"Are you saying you''ll wait for the pursuers? If the Royal Melodic Wine is damaged, it will be a big problem. You could inadvertently reveal the location of the Royal Melodic Wine to the enemies and might have to withdraw."
"Taking the Royal Melodic Wine outside at all and drinking it is impossible, right?"
"As soon as the Royal Melodic Wine leaves the forest, the stories contained in the wine disappear. If that were possible, would I have told you to drink it immediately?"
Jin nodded. "That''s what I thought. Still, I believe it would be more reassuring in many ways to deal with the enemies and then leave."
"In the worst case, it would be difficult for us even to save our lives."
"No, it''s impossible."
"Why are you so sure?"
"Didn''t you say just now? The fight should only take ce without causing irreparable damage to the forest. It will be an overwhelmingly advantageous fight for me."
"I can hide quite well with the Cat Tribe."
"Look at this. At first, you definitely said you could easily handle a few humans like me, but now you''re talking about hiding. She-nim, you don''t have the strength to face them."
"...Even if they capture me, they won''t kill me immediately."
"In that case, if She-nim and the Cat Tribe members are captured, I''ll be caught in a hostage situation. Is that really a good oue for me?"
He no longer wanted to sacrifice the Cat Tribe members or She.
And he had the confidence that, except for the Commanders, he could suppress anyone who came, whether they were imperial guards or special forces.
"Even if a Commanderes, with my Master, it''s a battle worth trying. No, it will definitely flow as an overwhelmingly favorable battle."
She had nothing more to say.
[Lulu, Miru. Try to convince him.]
[Hmm...]
While Lulu and Miru thought about what to say...
They felt a presence from the other side of theke.
"It seems my judgment was correct after all."
Swoosh...
Jin calmly drew Bradamante and spoke.
Valeria also tightly gripped her staff, scanning behind theke.
"...Have the pursuers arrived yet?"
It would still be some time before Zipple''s expected arrival.
As She had foreseen, the traitor was not just M. Vermont had arrived even before them.
Naturally, the Wantaramo Forest was Vermont territory, so it was to be expected.
''In any case, things are in order on this side. It''s better to eliminate them all and enter the tomb before any additional support arrives.''
If they didn''t take out all of the pursuers and entered, they would be too distracted inside the tomb to concentrate.
"Step back."
[She, it''s best to heed Jin''s words. Since things havee to this point, we should act in a way that causes minimal burden.]
She let out a sigh.
[Understood.]
Jin handed the Royal Melodic Wine back to She, making sure not to damage it during the battle.
''Open armor.''
Uttering the activation words, Shadow Energy emanated from Bradamante, enveloping Jin''s body.
He removed his cloak and handed it to She and the Cat Tribe members.
A function Pic¨®n had added for moments like this.
[Be careful.]
"Don''t worry."
As She and the Cat Tribe members stepped back, the light that had been illuminating them disappeared.
The spot where the group had stood returned to darkness.
Everything was silent.
Not a single sound could be heard, only the whisper of the cool breeze among the bushes. However, amidst all of this, Jin and the enemies sensed faint traces of each other''s energy.
With their senses sharpened to the extreme, Jin came to a conclusion.
''There are nomanders.''
At that moment, the greatest concern vanished.
A smile formed on Jin''s lips, and the fierce Shadow Energy surrounding his body and sword began to flicker aggressively.
However, due to the darkness of the forest, the visual effect wasn''t apparent.
''Aria.''
Jin whispered, calling Valeria.
What?
''Don''t step forward; refine your mana even further.''
It seemed better for her to conserve her strength for the battle against Zipple.
Valeria nodded.
The distance between Jin and the enemies was gradually decreasing.
The Vermonts believed they had not yet entered each other''s attack range.
Since they had already learned of the presence of ''Jin Runcandel'' in the forest through the traitor descendant of the Fairy Tribe, the Vermouths believed that the Jin Runcandel they knew wouldn''t be able tounch effective attacks from this distance.
But that was a significant mistake.
''Six of them.''
"Argh!"
Blood suddenly spurted among the Vermont Imperial Guards.
The sound of a ck sword imbued with shadow force cutting through throats and the air, and even the sound of Jin''s footsteps, were absent.
All that could be heard was the chilling sound of a head hitting the cold ground.
''Now five.''
As the Imperial Guards instinctively dispersed, their aura-infused swords gleamed, and Jin stood behind his second target, driving Bradamante into the throat.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 369
C369 - The Reason Why They Visit Temar''s Tomb (1)
''Thanks to the Shadow Energy Armor, it''s much easier to erase my presence.''
Once again, the warriors were slow to react to Jin''s movements.
Partly because of Jin''s incredible speed, but reading the presence weakened by Shadow Energy was as challenging as perceiving a shadow at one''s back.
Shahk...!
Amidst Vermont martial artists'' aura-imbued swords, illuminating the surroundings, blood once again gushed forth.
Droplets of blood mixed with Shadow Energy particles, creating a murky color.
''It was shallow.''
Unlike the first time, Jin couldn''t kill with a single strike.
Bradamante left a long, dark streak in the air, grazing the martial artists'' neck veins.
However, that streakcked any element that could be called "flow" or "sound."
In other words, there was no sense of the weight naturally extending when swinging a heavy object, nor the sharp sound that rang out when a sword cut through the air.
There was only faint energy around the wound, like a passing ghost.
In reality, the warriors mistook the entity attacking them for a ghost.
The overwhelming speed of the assault,bined with the fact that they couldn''t even see the sword movements, prevented them from confirming Jin''s appearance amid their chaos.
Even in the current bright environment, due to Shadow Energy, they couldn''t perceive Jin''s presence, which wasn''t an unreasonable feeling.
Where is he? Where has he hidden?
The same thought echoed in the minds of the Vermont martial artists.
At the same time, they all felt their pride as martial artists crumbling.
Being attacked, losing a member in a single strike, almost losing another in the immediate follow-up attack.
The fact that they couldn''t immediately identify the attacker''s position caused them a feeling of self-loathing.
''What is this...! It''s not Jin Runcandel but the best Nameless Assassin. No, does this mean it''s the Nameless King?''.
To them, an attack of this level was something only the Nameless King could do.
The problem was that it wasn''t the Nameless King but Jin, who had minimized his presence using Shadow Force.
"Stay together in pairs!"
One of the Vermont martial artists shouted loudly, gripping his lower abdomen tightly.
He was the leader of the warriors gathered here.
Following the leader''s order, everyone quickly paired up, watching both directions.
Although they were struck down with a single blow, they were still among Vermont''s best, a formidable force.
''They''re the Imperial Guard under themand of the Imperial Family.''
Jin observed their attire, hidden in the darkness of the forest.
The golden insignias on their shoulders gleamed as symbols of the Imperial Guard. Their blood-stained pristine capes and Jin''s Shadow Energy armor contrasted with each other.
The leader stood among the guards and scanned the forest''s darkness. He was looking for Jin.
Cold sweat was already dripping from his chin.
The leader was on the verge of panting due to extreme tension and senses sharpened to the limit.
Indeed, he was a figure worthy of the title of leader of the Imperial Guard division.
"Come out...!"
The leader pointed his sword at the darkness where Jin was hiding. His subordinates had no idea of Jin''s presence on the other side.
In the darkness, Jin deliberately moved his steps.
The Imperial Guard members who caught sight of his figure couldn''t help but be astonished.
With the Myulta Rune, the Shadow Force armor, and the darkness, Jin truly seemed like a form shaped by the very shadows themselves.
"I am Rick Helter,mander of the Fifth Division of the Imperial Guard of the Grand Vermont Empire. State your name."
"It seems you''re scared, judging by your need to dere my affiliation."
"...We are here under themand of His Majesty the Emperor to carry out our mission. Whoever you are, I advise you not to foolishly interfere with the Imperial Guard, as you would put the entire empire against you."
"Are you kidding?"
"We havee to meet Jin Runcandel."
Internally, Jin couldn''t help but smile.
"It''s been a long time since the fact that I''m the Shadow Contractor was revealed to the world, but it seems the Empire''s main intelligence unit, which also serves as the Imperial Guard, still didn''t know."
Rick''s and his subordinates'' pupils dted.
Due to the extreme tension, they hadn''t been able to recognize what kind of power covered the sword swinging between them and the man in front of them.
They had only thought the assassin had painted the sword ck to blend in with the shadows.
A period of silence followed.
During this time, Rick Helter''s and his subordinates'' fearful gazes transformed into murderous intent.
There was no trembling from shame or fear, no signs of their swords wavering, only a thirst for blood.
They were also part of the Imperial Guard.
Although they had just shown confusion andck of skill, when the target became clear, they were humans who never backed down.
When they were first attacked by Jin, they didn''t fear the "unknown enemy" itself.
They only feared the possibility of being defeated by a third party and not carrying out the Emperor''s orders.
"What was your n in meeting with me? Did you n to kill me? Or were you going to propose a negotiation?"
If they encountered Jin Runcandel, the top priority of the Imperial Guard was to capture him alive.
And Rick realized it immediately.
It was simply impossible to capture him alive with only these six members, let alone with sixty members of the Imperial Guard.
''No, even if there were sixty members of the Imperial Guard, it would still be impossible to capture him.''
With a growl, Rick gritted his teeth.
"...Disperse!"
His subordinates quickly surrounded Jin.
Rick advanced with all his might, wielding his scimitar, and simultaneously, the encirclement tightened as swords flew in all directions.
Naturally, the Imperial Guard expected Jin to dodge the attacks.
They assumed he would dodge some and deflect a couple whileunching a counterattack.
However, Jin stood firm, not evading their swords.
Tang, tang!
There were no openings in the Shadow Energy Armor.
Nevertheless, Rick and his subordinates instinctively struck at points where normal armor might have openings, but what they got was the futile sound of swords bouncing off.
Jin even grabbed with his hand a de that hade from the left.
Crunch~
The sword trying to escape scratched the gauntlet.
Jin brought it closer, and the Imperial Guard member, who hadn''t released his weapon in time, was helplessly dragged.
sh!
Bradamante pierced his chest.
Four.
Where Rick''s scimitar hit the Shadow Energy Armor, it left a mark.
The part of Rick''s scimitar that made contact had cut deep, barely grazing the flesh.
However, like the super-fast regeneration of high-level demon creatures, the wounded areas healed quickly.
The Shadow Energy emanating from Jin was restoring the armor.
Although their determination hadn''t wavered, it was undeniable that as members of the Imperial Guard, they were growing increasingly tired.
"Aaargh!"
"Ugh!"
The Imperial Guard members closed their eyes and let out groans of pain.
sh Cannon.
Tzenmi''s ancient light magic had an even more dramatic effect in the darkness.
Especially at a time like this when they were overwhelming the opponent.
Swish!
Once again, blood sprayed through the air.
The brief moment often described as "in the blink of an eye" was an opening sufficient to determine victory and defeat among warriors who had reached the highest peaks.
Thus, after closing their eyes, either an extraordinary stroke of luck or considerable skill was required to survive against Jin.
This time, two were struck down simultaneously.
Those facing the sh Cannon were the ones who suffered.
Two.
Rick and his sole subordinate.
They were the only ones left now.
They kept their distance from Jin, desperately racking their brains to find a way to turn the situation around.
Reaching a conclusion wasn''t difficult.
However, epting this reality wasn''t easy.
It wasn''t easy to admit that they were utterly powerless, incapable of doing anything, and that they had to forfeit their lives as human beings.
It''s not that the Imperial Guard was weak.
They were individuals who could easily be called the strongest in the world of warriors.
However, the misfortune of the Imperial Guard was that Jin had started to exist on apletely different ne than ordinary strong individuals.
Even if they had initially unleashed the destructive sword techniques of the Imperial Guard without regard for the damage to the forest, it might have led to a fight that seemed less futile.
But now, they had no other option.
Escape was impossible, victory in battle was impossible.
They had never been trained to beg for their lives like dogs, and Jin and they had met with the intention of killing each other from the beginning.
If there was something just for everyone in the world of warriors, it was the attitude of epting defeat and death.
Suddenly, Rick and his subordinate turned around.
Even though the situation didn''t allow them to expose their backs.
"Your Majesty, please forgive the unworthy ones who did notplete their mission and chose to embrace death first."
As a final act, they had turned toward Emperor Vermont.
When Rick and his subordinate had turned their backs, Jin had considered the possibility of killing them instead of sparing them. It would have been easier to finish them off than even bothering to sneeze.
"If possible, after death, I would like to continue serving Your Majesty and enjoy the honor."
However, he had decided to show them respect.
It wasn''t difficult to show that level of mercy to an opponent he held no personal grudges against.
''Is Emperor Vermont''s leadership remarkable, or is the brainwashing ability of the Imperial Family exceptional? They are truly loyal.''
Rick and his subordinate turned back again and straightened their postures.
"Thank you, Jin Runcandel. Thanks to you, I''ve been able to bid farewell to Your Majesty as a member of the Imperial Guard."
"Is it over?"
Rick nodded.
He even smirked in disgust, but Jin paid him no mind and aimed Bradamante at him.
sh!
Jin''s and the Imperial Guard''s swords shed.
While Rick''s only remaining subordinate faced a relentless barrage of twelve strikes, he couldn''t even graze Jin''s armor and met his end.
Rick, though certainly wielding sword skill superior to his subordinates, was no match for Jin.
"Urgh, ugh...!"
After the twelfth strike, Rick was left panting, covered in wounds all over his body.
Many of those wounds were mortal, and he bled profusely, on the brink of sumbing to death just by staying still.
Tap!
In the end, Rick fell to one knee.
With his body already filled with wounds, he gasped heavily.
He couldn''t continue fighting.
Jin looked at him with indifferent eyes.
"There are no more words to say, I suppose."
Rick didn''t respond, trembling.
Jin couldn''t discern whether Rick''s tremor was due to feeling cold from the hemorrhage or to a newfound fear of death as it drew nearer.
Swish...
Instead, just as Jin was about to finish Rick''s life by bending down, he realized why Rick had been trembling.
Something sinister was starting to happen within Rick''s body.
''The blood is forming a magic circle...!''
The blood flowing from Rick was forming a peculiar magic circle on the ground.
Upon closer inspection, not only Rick but also the blood of the fallen Imperial Guard members was drawing identical magic circles on the ground.
"Jin, this..."
Valeria, who felt something strange, ran to Jin''s side and spoke.
"Although I''m not entirely sure, it''s some kind of magic circle that transforms the body."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 370: The Reason They Visit Temars Tomb (2)
C370 - The Reason They Visit Temar''s Tomb (2)
The blood spilled by Rick and his subordinates spread on the ground like a snake.
It didn''t happen before he died.
Jin raised his head in surprise.
"Body transformation? Something like a biological golem?"
"Simr, but slightly different. Ancient Dark Magicians called it Demonification."
"You really seem to know everything."
Jin shrugged and replied.
''She never transmitted it to me, but my Master was undoubtedly capable of using significant levels of Dark Magic. I don''t know if she can still use it.''
In his past life, Valeria had acquired Dark Magic at the sessional temple of Histor.
However, due to its danger and the terrible catalysts required, she never used it herself and didn''t share it even with her only disciple.
She believed that Dark Magic should disappear from the world.
"First, the biological golems of the Legends, and now this Demon Man. What a nuisance. I''m always getting involved with these kinds of things. Rick Helter. I thought he was a decent guy in his own way, but it seems he''s capable of betraying us like this."
It was curious that Jin showed mercy so Rick could say his final words to his Emperor.
Jin thought, naturally, that he would possess the pride and self-esteem of a Warrior.
Anyone would.
It was the view of maintaining determination and loyalty even in the face of overwhelming opponents who couldn''t be easily handled.
''It''s an honor to be able to serve even after death... I knew it would end like this, Rick Helter.''
Looking back, the first time Jin encountered an opponent who transformed out of nowhere was during his cadet days.
Starting with the guards who turned into biological golems when he went on a mission to seize relics in Colon, Jin had often faced victims sacrificed in magical experiments.
"The Magic Circle isn''t perfect."
Jin nodded at Valeria''s words.
"I see it that way too. Activation is slow, and at first nce, it seems unnecessarilyplex and messy."
"It''s theplexity that usually shows when trying to force magic that shouldn''t work to actually work."
As both of them spoke, the Magic Circle formed by the blood of the Imperial Guard was iplete.
In other words, it was still in the experimental phase.
''Using the Imperial Guard as test subjects means the Imperial Family has a certain level of confidence in this Magic Circle.''
Setting aside ethical questions, the members of the Imperial Guard were undoubtedly the highest-level personnel within Vermont.
They wouldn''t have used them merely as test subjects.
Jin judged that Vermont had reached the final stage of the magic called Demonification.
Moreover, unlike the transformed Humans or Warriors he had encountered before, Rick and his subordinates couldn''t be considered victims.
They were simply repugnant Humans who participated in the experiment under the pretext of loyalty to the Imperial Family.
Amidst the raging fury, there was a part of him that found it somewhat satisfying.
''I''ve gained unexpected information. Kinzelo is also creating golems from the Cat Tribe, and Zipple continues experimenting with biological golems. So it''s safe to assume that Vermont is also preparing something.''
Suddenly, a fact crossed his mind.
''Vermont is looking for Temar''s body...''
The reason the Imperial Guard came to the Wantaramo Forest, searching for Temar''s body...
Are they nning to do something with his body?
Do they intend to demonify it?
Use Temar''s body to create a Demon Man?''
ng...
Jin''s teeth ground together.
If that were true, it was a matter he, as a Runcandel, couldn''t simply ignore.
Even if it meant destroying the Imperial Family.
Of course, it was a conjecture.
At least, Jin didn''t know of any magic that used "the body of the deceased" as material.
However, ancient Dark Magic was still an unknown realm to Jin, so it might be something possible.
"Would my Family also know about Vermont''s Demon Men?"
Well, it didn''t matter.
Even if the Family had information about the Demon Men, they wouldn''t have shared it with him.
It was evident that Rosa, Joshua, and their subordinates might have continued to disregard him, waiting for the moment when they could use him in the way that benefited them the most.
Therefore, whether the Family had information about the Demon Men or not wasn''t important.
''I''ll just use this information before my Family does.''
Jin had already calcted how to make use of the information about Vermont''s Demon Men.
Whether they nned toplete the Demonification using Temar''s body or for any other reason, from the moment they began secretly searching for the body, they were alreadymitting a crime against Runcandel.
''I will make them pay for it.''
Thud!
Jin struck the ground with his fist.
The vision of the earth mercilessly cracking beneath his anger-filled fist continued.
He attempted to break the Magic Circle.
"...Do you think you can break a Magic Circle with your fist?"
In reality, he didn''t expect to destroy the Magic Circle by punching it.
He was just testing it, as it was the first time Jin and Valeria encountered such a Magic Circle.
"Well, it''s an unstable Magic Circle in the first ce, so I thought I''d give it a try just in case. As I thought, it doesn''t work."
Although the ground waspletely disturbed, the ominous magic circle continued to form.
They looked like writhing insects.
"We need to gather evidence, Aria Owlheart."
"Why is someone who just tried to break the Magic Circle now trying to collect evidence?"
"I thought I''d cut off the magic and collect the corpses. I thought any talented magician could easily discover the use of Dark Body Transformation Magic in the members of the Imperial Guard, but... well, this is unexpected."
Jin stopped talking as he turned his head.
Chak!
It was because he heard the strange sound of the flesh and bones of the dead Imperial Guards writhing.
"It seems it will be difficult to deal with intact corpses."
Jin stepped forward to Valeria and spoke.
The corpses of the Imperial Guards were swelling and shrinking at a rapid pace.
The gruesome scene could make even someone with a strong stomach nauseous.
Moreover, the decapitated bodies picked up their own heads and reattached them.
Even the severed heads were grotesquely swollen, to the point where Jin and Valeria felt disgusted.
There was no need to continue watching that spectacle.
Swish!
Jin lunged forward like an arrow and severed the neck of a corpse that was reattaching its head.
The corpse lost its head and hands again and slumped forward.
Now that the opponent was no longer human, he proceeded to ensure death.
With a swift motion, as the body was about to fall to the ground again, Bradamante traced a path and scattered the remains, sweeping away the corpse.
The reddened flesh and bones were thrown off with a dull thud.
Not even a first-level Demon Creature with super-speed regeneration would be able to breathe again once cut into pieces.
However, Jin didn''t seem to have the intention of finishing it off, as he used his mana to set fire to the shattered remains.
The charred remains began to burn fiercely.
In no time, the three corpses were reduced to ashes.
Valeria also unleashed her Magic, helping Jin eliminate the remnants.
In an instant, they ordered the three bodies that had tried to revive themselves.
However, the other three were already nearing the end of their transformations.
Moreover, the first of them toplete the transformation was already raising his sword to strike at Jin.
nk!
Jin spun his body and deflected the sword aimed at him.
The impact transmitted through his wrist was quite powerful.
It was noticeably stronger than the Imperial Guard he had just faced.
It was a natural progression that they would be stronger now that their transformations wereplete.
Although the force transmitted through a single blow had increased, Jin didn''t consider it necessary to tense up.
It was likely that they hadn''t controlled their strength with rationality.
Among the transformed corpses, Vermont''s distinctive curved swords immediately caught Jin''s attention.
He immediately recognized the sword belonging to Rick Helter, and upon confirming the face...
He couldn''t help but feel perplexed.
''Doesn''t it have a face? Moreover, this appearance...''
When he saw the bodies forming and shrinking repeatedly within thepleted Magic Circle, Jin had naturally expected the Imperial Guard to transform into grotesque forms, just like the biological golems and the golems inspired by the Cat Tribe.
However, it was not the case.
The transformed bodies appeared like human figures carved in marble.
However, they hadpletely smooth and peculiar faces, devoid of hair and facial features.
They looked like dolls with skeletons covered in cotton.
"It seems you don''t even have consciousness."
The transformed Rick, now a Demon Man, didn''t reply.
As he had no mouth or any kind of organ, he couldn''t produce sound either.
Although he alsocked eyes, whether he moved through senses or there existed some unique method, it seemed he had some form of vision.
Rick distanced himself calmly.
Meanwhile, the other two alsopleted their transformations and began to position themselves near Rick.
''Even though theyck consciousness, they don''t seem like simple beasts.''
The Imperial Guard disyed calm behavior in battle, even more so than before their transformation.
It was apletely different sight from the victims of other experiments that Jin had witnessed until now.
In other words, these were ready-to-usebat units.
Despite being unfinished, Vermont''s Demon Men were not inferior to Zipple''s biological golems or the Legend Tribe golems from Kinzelo.
Hwoooom...!
The Shadow Energy imbued in Bradamante became even denser.
"Jin."
"What?"
"The three Demon Men you just killed turned into ashes too quickly when you set them on fire. They might have been designed to burn rapidly and erase any information after suffering a certain level of damage."
"Are you saying one should be captured alive?"
"Only if possible. As you said, it would be wise to gather evidence. If capturing them alive is not possible, give me a signal before killing them. I can preserve parts of their bodies using Magic to prevent oxidation."
Jin nodded.
If it was Valeria''s Magic, it was possible.
The Demon Menunched an attack, charging at Jin.
The ''forest must not be harmed'' seemed to be a deeply ingrained principle in their minds.
They only used focused sword techniques without causing harm to the forest.
aaash!
In a single strike, the waist of the Demon Man who had charged first was cut in two.
The Demon Man had clearly blocked Jin''s Bradamante''s strike urately.
The physical abilities of the Demon Men were not socking that they couldn''t deflect Jin''s direct sword strikes.
However, the reason why the Demon Man''s waist was severed and fell mercilessly to the ground was unknown to the Demon Men.
When facing the Imperial Guard, who were now Demon Men, Jin had not used the Shadow de at all.
What had cut their waist and continued was the Second Movement of the Shadow de, Scissors.
The moment the Demon Man blocked Bradamante, the de of the Shadow de extended from behind the Demon Man like an afterimage, cutting his waist.
And just as Jin was about to attack the next Demon Man...
Tiing!
Unexpectedly, several rays of light shot out from the other side of the forest, aiming at Jin, Valeria, and the Demon Men.
While Jin dodged both his own and Valeria''s rays and even counterattacked with his sword technique, the Demon Men barely managed to roll on the ground to avoid the rays.
"Zipple, it seems the second unwanted guests have arrived."
Once again, it was a moment when he couldn''t help but think that maybe everything had turned out fine after all, as before entering the tomb, he had nned to eliminate all pursuers.
"You might have to consider fighting to protect the Demon Men. If Zipple kills them without warning and they oxidize, we might lose the opportunity to preserve the evidence."
"I saved your strength for that. Now, Aria, it''s time for you to showcase your skills as well."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 371: The Reason They Visit Temars Tomb (3)
C371 - The Reason They Visit Temar''s Tomb (3)
In the dark forest, the Magicians revealed themselves.
This time, there were twenty of them, and M was among them.
"Look at this! Haha, I knew it. If it were my sister, she would have hidden the tomb seal somewhere else. But it''s obvious! The only ce in Wantaramo where she can hide the seal from my eyes is the Red Lake."
M stepped forward and spoke with a recently recovered voice.
She seemed out of breath, perhaps from rushing to get here.
The Magicians also had sweat-soaked faces.
"I was a little worried about the Specters, but luckily, it seems that only the Magic Tower Magicians hase. The Third Magic Tower must havee in a hurry, so there wouldn''t have been time to bring the Specters as well."
The Specter Corps is Zipple''s elite secret force and the direct subordinates of Octavia Zipple, so it''s a force that the Third Magic Tower wouldn''t dare to summon.
"But still, they must have reported that I''m in the Wantaramo forest, so eventually, the Specter Corps wille. They even sent fivest time to catch me."
The n was to kill them all before reinforcements arrived, check the Tomb, and then leave the forest.
"When I said we should ally with Zipple for the sake of our people, you ignored me, calling it nonsense! Runcandel? And with that weak kid who isn''t even Cyron Runcandel? Absurd!"
M''s body temporarily swelled as she shouted in anger.
It was a phenomenon that urred when a descendant of the Fairy Tribe became emotional or disyed power.
"Is this the path for our people that my sister talked about? No wonder everyone turned their back on you. Where are you? Come out! Come out and say something at least!"
There was a moment of silence.
M''s resolute breathing grew stronger.
Meanwhile, Jin and Valeria calcted Zipple''s approximate power, and Vermont''s Demon Men also remained cautious, watching them closely.
"Haha, I got excited for no reason. Anyway, listen well, sister. I''ll give you onest warning as your sister. If youe out now and beg, I''ll let you die without suffering. We share the same blood after all... Kyaaa!"
Suddenly, M screamed.
It was because her wings were grazed by Valeria''s Mana bolt.
She had hidden the Magic in her hand since the Magicians appeared.
"My wings! My wings, ugh!"
Screaming, M shrank behind the Magicians.
The Magicians showed no particr reaction to M''s injury.
"They can''t even block this? Kill them all immediately! What are you doing, huh!?"
"Shut up. You dare step forward fearlessly and shout, to whom do you dare to me and give orders?"
One of the Magicians said, looking disdainfully at M.
M fell silent at his icy attitude.
"Allow me to introduce myself, Jin Runcandel. I am Drew Mga, the Vice Lord of the Third Magic Tower."
Mga is one of the central Families of the Lutero Magical Federation.
Before taking charge of the Third Magic Tower, he had been the second inmand of the White Night Magicians unit.
"Pleased to meet you, Luna-nim. I am Maul Hensirk, the second inmand of the White Night."
"You? It seems the second inmand changed without my knowledge."
"My predecessor Drew Mga retired..."
"If it were Drew, he would have descended those stairs before greeting me."
Jin recalled the conversation Luna and Maul had during the Holy Kingdom Incident.
"I''m d to see you, Drew Mga. I heard you retired."
"Not too long ago, I returned as Vice Lord of the Third Magic Tower."
"It seems the Lutero Magical Federation is short on personnel."
"Haven''t all the former ck Knights of Runcandel retired? But they''re still on unofficial missions, aren''t they? I have a simr situation."
"Compared to the former ck Knights, you seem to fall short. Is it overconfidence, or do you not know shame?"
"That was an inappropriatement. If it has offended you, I apologize."
Drew was not a person who easily sumbed to provocations.
Having served as the second inmand of the White Night and then being named Vice Lord of the Third Magic Tower again despite his retirement, there was a reason for his choice.
"Jin Runcandel."
Drew spoke as he stroked his beard.
"Tell me."
"I have a proposal."
"A proposal?"
"Just leave. Superiors are about to send reinforcements, and you can''t handle them. I can''t afford to lose my subordinates unnecessarily to stop you either."
"You think you can stop me by losing your subordinates. What do you think of my answer?"
"I can''t help it. Just one more question, who is that Magician standing by your side? I heard she uses forgotten Magic..."
Drew knew Valeria was a Record Magician from what he had heard from M on the way here.
Ever since M used the Tower Master''s Staff to summon them, they came without any prior information.
Drew didn''t know from the start that there was a record magician here. But even if I kill all the magicians, it''s likely that the information that I apanied a record magician will reach Zipple.
Just as Jin had thought, Drew Mga had already sent a letter to Zipple''s main house informing them of the existence of a Record Magician as soon as he found out from M.
M''s betrayal was an unexpected event, so it couldn''t be helped.
The instant Jin was about to sigh, Aria unexpectedly stepped forward and spoke.
"You take care of the Demon Men, Jin Runcandel."
Are you going to face twenty of them alone?
Jin didn''t bother asking such a question and just nodded.
If his Master said so, it meant she could handle it on her own.
"Be careful."
As Jin began to unsheathe his sword to confront the Demon Men, Valeria observed the magicians.
"Listen carefully, Zipple''s hounds."
Valeria removed her hood, revealing her face.
Her mana-infused silver oak staff illuminated her face.
"I am a Magician who will one day erase Zipple''s name from this world, a descendant of those trampled and disappeared at the hands of Zipple, a sister to the innocent Gray Owls who were killed by Zipple. My name is..."
Valeria Histor!
As she finished her words, Drew''s pupils dted.
And Jin could only feel considerable shock.
Had the Master just revealed her true name?
She hadn''t even revealed her real name to Jin yet.
While battling the Demon Men, Jin kept a close eye on Valeria.
The reason Valeria had revealed her name was none other than her intent to kill each and every magician before her.
"There''s no way they can leave here alive."
She was confident she could do it.
"...Watch out for the ground!"
The moment Valeria''s staff moved, Drew suddenly shouted.
In the blink of an eye, without anyone noticing, chains of lightning had spread across the ground beneath them.
''She had cast the spell while revealing her true identity...!''
It was a shocking spell even for Jin.
Not even Jin, who was next to her, noticed that she was channeling mana.
It was unlikely that the magicians of the Third Magic Tower had noticed either.
"Kraaaah!"
"Argh!"
The magicians who hadn''t managed to dodge the lightning chains screamed. Blood was already flowing from their mouths, noses, and ears, and those who barely protected themselves were left with a spine-chilling sensation running down their spines.
"Ugh..."
The magicians entangled in the lightning chains writhed, and the five of them soon soaked in blood, coughing up foam as they met their end.
In an instant, twenty percent of the Magic Tower''s strength had been annihted.
However, the misfortune of the magicians from the Third Magic Tower did not end there.
The lightning chains, even after killing five of them, continued to writhe like living entities, attaching themselves to the remaining magicians'' protective shields.
These chains not only exerted pressure on the shields but also obstructed the magicians'' line of sight, maximizing their sense of terror.
"I''ll buy you some time! Stay calm and respond, or we''ll be swept away by the mana bacsh!"
Drew truly demonstrated the qualities of the second inmand of White Night.
He continued to give excellent orders to prevent his startled subordinates from falling into the bacsh.
However, Valeria hoped that Drew would be able to handle that level of situation.
Therefore, she intended to deal with them in a way that exceeded his expectations.
Kaga-gang!
Suddenly, a dimensional portal opened in the air, as if summoning a Phoenix.
Valeria hadpleted a summoning spell.
However, the portal didn''t open near Valeria but ''above'' the heads of the Magic Tower magicians.
Craaaash!
What emerged from it were hundreds of sharp icicles.
Like the ovepping teeth of sharks, these icicles shattered upon hitting the protective shields but immediately regrew and continued their assault.
The magicians whose protective shields had been broken died with gruesome wounds all over their bodies.
The fallen flesh and entrails had turned into charred remains that still emitted crackling sounds, consumed by the lightning chains.
The magicians from the Third Magic Tower had never expected to be attacked in this manner.
Despite having learned magic in Zipple and considering Zipple''s library as a repository of all the Magic in the world, they werepletely unprepared.
One thing was certain.
The Magic Valeria was unleashing was something they had never seen before.
In fact, the Magic she was using was a variety that had undergone numerous transformations, making it nearly impossible to trace back to its original form.
As a result, they were utterly defenseless in response.
Although they believed to know nearly all forms of Magic in the world, the strange and unfamiliar spells of Valeria made their fellow magicians burn and die impaled.
The spectacle was a true embodiment of terror.
sh!
Amidst this confusion and panic, a faint sound of something being unsheathed could be heard.
It wasn''t Bradamante.
It was the sound of Valeria''s dagger being unsheathed from the sleeve of her robe.
Thud, thud...
Valeria began to approach the Magicians with deliberate, not particrly fast, steps.
Her eyes were tainted with bloodlust.
Until Valeria was within close range, the Magicians were too preupied with surviving the lightning chains and icicles to pay attention.
The chains lying on the ground formed a path following Valeria''s steps.
The icicles sprouting from the portal above their heads also avoided the direction Valeria was walking.
From then on, it was a literal massacre.
Like a grim reaper, every time she moved her dagger among the Magicians, a life extinguished.
Thud, thud.
Valeria stabbed the Magicians in their throats and hearts with a cold and indifferent expression.
Slowly, she made her way towards Drew Mga, who was shielding his subordinates with his shield.
Drew had already epted defeat and death even before Valeria stood in front of him.
Since the initial surprise attack that had killed five of his subordinates.
Even as Valeria stood right in front of Drew, he had no energy to counterattack or move her aside.
Without stabbing Drew, Valeria locked eyes with him for a moment.
"Among the Magicians who massacred the Gray Owl Mercenaries, there was someone named Holden Mga."
"Is he?"
"It seems they''re from the same family."
Drew remained silent, avoiding Valeria''s gaze.
"Are you also afraid that your own brothers will die?"
sh!
As Valeria shed Drew''s throat, the lightning chains and icicles finally broke through the protective shield he had been barely holding against them, engulfing Drew''s subordinates.
In the midst of the chaos of blood and screams, Valeria shot another mana bolt to cut off the wings of M, who was attempting to escape.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 372: The Reason They Visit Temars Tomb (4)
C372 - The Reason They Visit Temar''s Tomb (4)
[Aa, aaah! This btch... my wings, it hurts, ugh! It feels like my whole body is on fire! I''ll kill you, I''ll definitely kill you! Btch!]
M, lying on the ground, screamed and cursed at Valeria in every possible way.
The heat from the Lightning Chains still lingered on the ground, causing M unbearable pain throughout her body.
Amidst the continuous screams, Valeria confirmed that M was in a state from which she couldn''t escape, then leaned against a tree and took a breath.
Corpses were everywhere.
Every Magician from the Third Magic Tower who hade to the Wantaramo Forest had died, without exception.
And it was a girl who had just turned seventeen who had done it.
No one would believe it.
Even Jin, who had personally experienced Valeria''s previous life and had witnessed this kind of battle, was stunned.
"I knew my Master was a monster, but I never imagined she''d be this strong at seventeen. No wonder they never caught her until now."
Naturally, Valeria''s Mana was far from enough to match the twenty Magicians of the Tower.
Drew Mga and his subordinates were not weak at all.
However, the overwhelmingly decisive victory was due to Valeria Histor''s overwhelming and unexpected talent.
Just as it had happened in Jin''s previous life.
It felt to Jin as if he were glimpsing a new horizon of Magic from his Master''s hands.
"When I met Master in my previous life, I wondered what she believed in and acted so arrogantly. It gives me vertigo to think about it now."
Suddenly, Jin remembered the moment when Valeria had taught him how to use Lightning Magic, and he shivered.
Tk...
Valeria took a crushed cigarette from her pocket and lit it.
It wasn''t for smoking.
She expelled the smoke that remained in her mouth when lighting it and ced the cigarette in the midst of the dead Magicians.
It was amemorative cigarette from the Gray Owl Mercenaries. Valeria stared at it for a while.
Valeria, contemting the gruesome corpses and the destely burning cigarette, and M struggling and cursing, created a scene of confusion.
And the Demon Men sensed that she was in a vulnerable state.
Indeed, she had helped the Cat Tribe Members create the passageways and had almost exhausted all her Mana due to the recent battle.
St!
All the Demon Men rushed towards Valeria at once. Their aura-stained scimitars were aimed at Valeria.
Of course, their strikes never reached Valeria.
Although the physical abilities of the Demon Men had improved significantlypared to when they were human, they weren''t as fast as Jin had remembered.
When Bradamante and the two curved swords shed, sparks flew.
Jin tried to use his scissor technique once more, but as if they didn''t want to fall victim to the same move again, the Demon Men defended each other, deflecting the scissors to both sides.
"Don''t disturb the duel."
Thudd-!
Bradamante moved in a trajectory and swung a sh at Rick''s chest.
Although it would have been a mortal wound for a human, the wound quickly healed.
Jin used the scissors again and examined where the dead Demon Man''s body had been.
As Valeria had exined, the deceased Demon Man had already rusted, leaving only ck residue and disappearingpletely.
"I need to control my strength properly. To leave evidence without any difficulty."
Capturing them alive seemed to be a challenge due to the Demon Men''s regenerative abilities.
Furthermore, the Demon Men were weakerpared to Jin, but not weak enough to be bound with ordinary tools.
Regeneration, physical enhancement, oxidation to prevent information leakage and sanity.
Is it okay for now?
Oh, one more thing.
Battle power level.
Rick Helter.
When he was human, he was the leader, which made him much stronger than the other Imperial Guards.
However, after bing a Demon Man, he showed no difference from the others.
Whether an ordinary guard or Rick, they now possessed the same level of battle prowess.
The importance of this fact was enormous.
"It''s possible that Transformation Magic to be a Demon Man doesn''t require elite Imperial Guards but individuals with a certain level of skill. Or perhaps evenmon people could be Demon Men with this level of battle prowess..."
Considering that she had managed to kill three during her transformation, if all six hadpleted their transformation into Demon Men, Jin wouldn''t have been able to deal with them so easily.
"If Transformation Magic can be applied to ordinary people, and if Vermont controls more than just a few Demon Men... the world''s bnce of power could changepletely."
Jin had already experienced something simr in his previous life.
Using the ''Mirror,'' Colon''s artifact, Zipple had mass-produced 7-star Magicians, solidifying their dominion over world power.
Jin had been a direct witness to how they had further consolidated their dominion.
"I need to collect the body of a Demon Man as evidence and investigate thoroughly. I have to find out how far the Demon Man Transformation Magic has developed. The reason it hasn''t been mass-produced yet is probably because it''s iplete."
Step!
Jin increased his speed, forcing the Demon Men into a defensive position.
Although they had be stronger with the transformation, the initial difference was too great.
Despite the element of surprise, even if the Demon Men''s weapons struck Jin, they wouldn''t pierce his Shadow Energy Armor and cause him mortal harm.
"Considering their response to the Scissors, it seems they have a learning capability, but it appears they don''t retain memories from their time as humans."
If the Demon Men had retained memories from their time as Imperial Guards, they wouldn''t have aimed at Jin''s throat while sacrificing their bodies.
Thunk...!
The curved sword was deflected by Jin''s Shadow Energy Armor and bounced back.
Taking advantage of the recoil, Jin wielded Bradamante and struck the Demon Man''s waist.
The de enveloped in Shadow Energy silently pierced flesh and organs.
The dull sensation of a severed spine was transmitted through the de, and Jin wielded his weapon again, cutting the mine in a cross.
Despite being divided into several pieces, the twisting body segments seemed to possess enough regenerative power to recover.
However, the Demon Man preferred oxidation over regeneration.
It was a clear indication of the creator''s intent: leave no evidence behind.
Now only one remained, the Demon Man known as Rick Helter.
He too was about to fight to the end and then oxidize.
Swiish...!
Suddenly, sparks of blue mes flickered around Bradamante.
The power of Tess, blue mes.
As that energy umted, the Demon Man''s weapon noticeably slowed down.
It was the power of ''Heavy Pressure,'' suppressing it to the point where it couldn''t move properly.
Even when it could exert its full power, it was no match for Jin.
All the Demon Man could do at that moment was oxidize.
Although only his arm had been cut, the Demon Man showed signs of oxidation.
He was turning into ashes, like other dead Demon Men.
Normally, oxidation urred very quickly.
However, the strong pressure was affecting not only the Demon Man''s movements but also dying his disintegration.
"Valeria, now!"
As Jin closed in on him like an arrow, he cut off the Demon Man''s two arms and shouted.
As Valeria had requested, Jin signaled her before delivering the final blow to the Demon Man. It was time to act ording to her words.
Despite the pressure slowing the pace of oxidation, every passing second noticeably shrunk the Demon Man''s body segments.
Phwooosh-!
A single thread of mana, imbued with the freezing attribute, flew from behind.
When the mana touched the Demon Man''s body, it quickly formed a magical ice barrier with a melodic sound.
Fortunately, thepletion of the magical seal urred faster than the oxidation process.
The seal, which had fallen to the ground, produced a dull sound. It took the shape of a sphere, containing only the Demon Man''s head and chest inside.
Jin had already cut off the two arms in advance, and the rest of the body had already turned to ashes in the air.
"If you had been a littlete, we might have missed it."
Jin wiped his forehead as he looked at the magic seal. Valeria approached him and nodded.
"If it weren''t for the power of the blue mes inside your sword, it would have been much more precarious. I could barely seal half of the head."
"Anyway, you did well. Now, we just need to visit the grave before more reinforcements arrive."
For a moment, the two remained silent, gazing at the seal containing the head and chest of the Demon Man.
"Jin Runcandel."
"Yes."
"You told the Demon Men not to disturb my duel. Why did you do that?"
"It''s hard to think of anything other than mourning when you''re lighting a cigarette that you don''t even smoke. Besides, you spoke to Drew about the people trampled by Zipple and your deceased brothers."
In reality, Jin knew that Valeria''s actions were a tribute to him due to memories from his past life, but responding this way wouldn''t be strange either.
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
"And you didn''t seem particrly surprised that I used a dagger."
"Among Magicians, there are those who train their bodies and martial arts. Your dagger skills were quite impressive. It''s a shame you couldn''t use aura."
"It was the first time I revealed my true name, and you casually called me Valeria a while ago."
He could barely suppress a start.
"Is it strange? I''m not quite sure what you mean."
Valeria shrugged.
"Well, it doesn''t mean much. I was just curious why you did it."
"That you revealed your true name when I was listening means I''ve earned that trust with you. I liked it, so I thought about calling you by it."
Valeria stared at Jin.
Jin looked at her calmly, waiting for her next words.
[Kuugh! Aaaah!]
The sound that came first wasn''t Valeria''s response, but M''s screams as she continued to roll on the ground.
"...First, we have to ask the Queen of the Descendants of the Fairy Tribe how to deal with that."
"I agree, Valeria Histor."
Meanwhile, at the edge of the Wantaramo Forest.
Two Magicians with perplexed expressions searched for their horses.
They were Magicians from the Third Magic Tower who had apanied Drew Mga into the Wantaramo Forest.
Originally, their purpose was to locate Jin.
However, Drew had ordered them to report to Zipple''s main house as soon as possible.
The content of the report was about the presence of a magician using ''Record Magic'' within the Wantaramo Forest.
"A Record Magician... Things are going to be chaotic for a while."
"Just by reporting this, my promotion is practically guaranteed, and I can raise my ess level to the library..."
Chak!
The Magician who was responding suddenly slumped forward.
"Hey, you! What''s wrong with you? Are you okay...?"
The other Magician couldn''t finish his sentence either.
A long stinger of unknown origin had pierced his throat.
The two Magicians didn''t even realize that they had been killed until the moment of their death.
"Hmmm, hmm-."
And behind those two steps, there was a woman humming a tune.
The woman cheerfully rummaged through the belongings of the deceased Magicians and found a letter with her beloved younger brother''s name on it.
She smiled broadly as she looked at it.
"Well, it seems my little brother has a cunning side when you look closely. Hehehe."
It was Yona.
After picking up the letter, she said,
"I was thinking about what to do during the holidays, should I spend the time killing those guys whoe looking for our little brother?"
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 373: The Reason They Visit Temars Grave (5)
C373 - The Reason They Visit Temar''s Grave (5)
The trees and nts of the Wantaramo Forest also groaned in pain.
The trees twisted and oozed sap, while the nts shed their leaves and emitted a noxious odor.
With She having lost her authority, the Wantaramo Forest was now connected to M''s body.
[Ahhhh!]
Jin and Aria frowned at the unpleasant screams that scratched their eardrums, and She, along with the members of the cat-like tribe, emerged from hiding.
[Sister! Coff! Please, save me!]
Without shame or pride, M begged for her life as she looked at She.
Despite writhing in unbearable pain and lying on the ground, she pleaded as tears streamed down her face.
She''s two pupils gazed at M with a somber gleam.
[I was your sister, your friend, and your mother. Furthermore, I was also the queen of you and our people.]
[I was wrong...]
[I''ve always been lenient with you. Even when you decided to betray us, I never held a grudge. After inciting our people to strip me of my authority and be their leader, I never hated you.]
[Sister! Sister!]
At that moment, M seemed to glimpse hope in She.
She had the appearance of a reliable older sister forgiving her foolish younger sister, as always.
[I''ll return control of the forest to you, sister! Please, forgive me...]
[I will forgive your attempt to harm me.]
M lifted her head, meeting She''s gaze, her expression soaked in astonishment as if she were seeing light for the first time.
However, She looked at her for a while and then spoke.
[But endangering the forest and our people is unforgivable.]
[Sister...?]
[Goodbye, my dear sister.]
When She finished speaking, her appearance underwent a rapid transformation.
The seductive, shimmering wings vanished like melting snow, and her small fairy body swelled with a red hue.
Soon, she took on a human form and emitted a red light.
Then, She gently lifted M, who writhed on the ground in despair, with both hands.
[No, please, sister!]
M struggled but couldn''t escape She''s grip.
Hoo...
She blew gently toward M, as if scattering dandelion seeds.
When the breath touched M, her body shattered like a snowke.
AAAAAAAHHHH!
M''s final scream cut through the wind, dispersing into the air.
The bright red particles that had once formed M left traces in all directions.
The forest stopped mourning as She''s grip emptied.
The twisted trees regained their original shapes, and the nts once again emitted their sweet fragrance.
The darkened sky cleared as the clouds dissipated, revealing a pale yellow dawn moon.
The corpses on the ground were swallowed by the earth, disappearing without a trace in an instant.
In less than a minute, the ce they had been became an incredibly pristine scene, as if there had never been a battle.
For a while, She stared at her empty hands without saying a word.
She was glimpsing "her past" through thete M.
[Jin Runcandel]
She turned to look at Jin.
"Yes."
[The name written on this Royal Melodic Drink originally belonged to me.]
Jin epted the Royal Melodic Drink and looked at the name again.
(Royal Melodic Drink - Shil Damiro)
The name of the person who crafted this liquor to leave behind a story.
It was none other than She''s ancient name, the Queen of the Descendants of the Fairies.
Jin didn''t respond and silently contemted the Royal Melodic Drink.
And he recalled a conversation he had had with She before.
[M. It seems she, along with other girls, didn''t like the idea of fulfilling the promise with Solderet. They think that all the descendants of the Fairy Tribe are making unnecessary sacrifices. Or they think I harbor meaningless hope.]
-So, are they practically dethroning you and allowing M to take control of the forest, She-nim?
-[Yes. Waiting for you was too uncertain, and the rewards were unclear. However, there were those willing to provide us with everything we wanted with just a bit of information. In a way, betrayal was a natural course of action.]
-What do the Descendants of the Fairy Tribe want?
-To reim our original forms.
Original forms...
The beings of the Wantaramo Forest were not originally ''descendants'' but the fairies themselves.
[I hope there''s something in this wine that can help you.]
Tap...!
She opened the lid.
Then, using the lid as a cup, she filled it with wine and handed it to Jin.
Amidst the intoxicating fragrance in the air, the shadow''s strength inside the cup began to glow.
Jin and Valeria began to drink from the cup alternately.
Unlike the Royal Melodic Drink Jin had consumed when he met Shuri, there were no singing voices.
Instead of songs, they heard the sound of someone sobbing inconsbly.
It was the sound of She crying as she prepared the wine before losing her name.
After a while, they could immerse themselves in the story contained in the Fourth Tomb of Temar.
--------------
The Primordial Forest.
A mysterious ce where fairies lived.
After drinking the Royal Melodic Drink, Jin and Valeria could clearly realize that the ce they were in was none other than thatnd.
Despite never having been there and not even seeing an image of the Primordial Forest, the power of the Records contained in the Royal Hymn Drink made them feel as if they had known the Primordial Forest from the beginning.
Their footsteps left no trace on the grass-covered ground, and their voices did not reach the individuals present in the records.
In a sense, Jin and Valeria observed the forest as ''spectators.''
And for some reason...
As soon as Valeria entered that ce, she felt a longing as if someone were cutting her chest, like when she lost the Gray Owl Mercenaries.
Unbearable sadness scratched at her heart.
As a result, she had no choice but to sit for a while, gasping for breath.
"Valeria."
"I''m fine."
Valeria got up after a while, and the two resumed their march together.
As they walked, they felt the information about the Primordial Forest from the Records flowing into their minds.
Currently, this forest was ruled by the current Queen of the Fairies, Lueth Damiro Yul.
"Is that person Lueth Damiro Yul?"
As they ventured into the forest, Valeria spoke, looking at a Fairy who was there.
Red-haired, with a cold and angry expression.
Jin and Valeria stood next to her.
Jin examined her closely and then shook his head.
"No, she''s not the one I saw in the recording device from the third tomb. She seems to be a different Fairy."
Before long, the two were able to learn her name.
"Shil."
Another Fairy emerged from the deep forest, shouting her name.
Lueth Damiro Yul.
She hade to this ce to meet her sister, Shil Damiro, who seemed very angry.
"My queen."
As Shil knelt, Lueth lowered her head.
"No need to be so formal, Shil."
After Lueth''s words, Shil stood up.
"Elder sister."
"Speak, dear sister."
Lueth and Shil silently gazed at each other for a while.
Before this encounter, the two had had a major argument for the first time in their lives.
Lueth seemed to convey an expression of understanding, while Shil''s eyes showed disbelief in not being able to understand her elder sister.
"Do you really n to get involved in human affairs?"
In the end, as Shil began to speak, Lueth nodded.
"Alright," Shil muttered, biting her lower lip.
She couldn''t understand her elder sister''s decision, and the other fairies who followed Shil thought the same.
"Do we really have to? As long as we don''t intervene, Zipple won''t attack us."
"Shil, Zipple has been attacking us from the moment they began manipting history."
"No, that''s just your way of thinking, elder sister. Zipple wants us to step back... let the humans solve their problems."
"Why are you so sure of that?"
Shil didn''t respond to that question.
"...Elder sister, think it over. Even if we offer help, do you really believe Runcandel can defeat Zipple? Will they be grateful?"
"That''s not the important issue."
"No, there''s no more important issue than this! The lives of our entire tribe are at stake. Your misguided judgment could lead to the deaths of our tribe members."
While Shil vehemently shouted, Lueth closed her eyes.
"You are putting our tribe in danger, elder sister. More than half of our tribe members oppose this decision, don''t you wonder why?"
"I know."
"If you know, then change your decision now, please."
"Shil."
Lueth opened her eyes again and looked at her younger sister.
"People can make wrong choices. But a queen must always make the right decision."
"Elder sister..."
"Someday you will understand when you be queen. Why I have no choice but to make this decision..."
Shil couldn''t ept those words.
"Honestly, elder sister. I think you''ve fallen in love with the patriarch of Runcandel. That''s why you''re risking our entire tribe to help Temar Runcandel and make a good impression on him."
"Do you really think that?"
"I simply can''t trust you anymore."
With a sigh, Lueth said, "...So. Because you no longer trust me, Shil, you have brought so many members of our tribe here to corner me."
When Lueth finished speaking, other fairies revealed themselves in the dark corners of the forest.
They were fairies who shared Shil''s thoughts. They all looked at Lueth with hostility and wielded their sharp daggers.
"Are you going to kill me and be the new queen?"
"If my elder sister doesn''t yield, I can only do that," Shil replied, staring at Lueth.
Lueth''s gaze toward her sister remained as serene as at the beginning.
Shil believed that her elder sister would eventually step back.
She believed that her elder sister would always make the right decision for the Fairy Tribe.
That''s why it was so impossible to believe, to ept, the recent decision made by Lueth.
"You can''t do this."
"Does that mean you''re going to change your decision?"
Lueth shook her head.
"No, if that''s how it has to be... then kill me."
Lueth began to approach Shil.
Shil drew a dagger from her chest and pressed it against Lueth''s throat.
However, Lueth continued to advance, even with the de against her neck.
Shil gritted her teeth as her mind went nk.
Damn it...
With a metallic sound, Shil ended up dropping the dagger to the ground.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 374: The Fourth Tomb of Temar (1)
C374 - The Fourth Tomb of Temar (1)
It was because of belief.
The belief that her elder sister Lueth would always make the ''right decision'' as queen made Shil drop the dagger.
Shil gritted her teeth as she looked at the fallen dagger.
Fresh crimson drops dripped from Lueth''s neck.
The fairies following Shil also reluctantly lowered their weapons, as if they had no other choice.
They all seemed very disappointed with Shil.
"Shil, my little sister."
Shil just stared at the fallen dagger without responding.
"For now, it may be difficult for you to ept, no matter how I exin it to you. However, I believe that someday you will understand my decision. Now, go back the way you came."
Shil turned around and left.
As Shil started to leave, the fairies also began to move, seemingly without any other option.
Hah~
Lueth let out a sigh as she watched the forest beyond which Shil and her group had departed.
It was a sigh mixed with unease and a sense of relief.
The relief did note from the fact that she had not been stabbed by her sister and her family''s swords.
"Fairy culture is really amusing. They unsheathe their weapons, seemingly ready to kill the Queen, but with a few words, they turn and leave... Haha."
From the darkness of the forest behind Lueth, a person revealed themselves and spoke.
The individual''s face was not clearly visible due to a tightly pulled hood, but they wore a ck robe adorned with Runcandel''s ck sword emblem.
"Lokia."
Lueth turned around and spoke the person''s name.
Lokia Ganesto.
She was one of Runcandel''s ten great Knights, an unrivaled mage when it came to pure magic.
"In Runcandel, no, even in the human world, it''s unimaginable. Still, I''m d. If they had really intended to harm you, I would have killed them all without exception."
As Lokia spoke and let out a chuckle, Lueth''s eyes narrowed.
"Are you enjoying this situation?"
"Yes, it''s amusing and cute. It''s like watching children ying at war. Well, Lueth-nim, you were impressive. You didn''t even flinch when you had a dagger at your throat. No, was it because you trusted her so much?"
"Think what you will."
"Honestly, if the dagger that touched your neck had gone in even half a nail more, I would have killed her immediately. I had endured it my way, but if I had killed her, I would probably have earned her resentment, Lueth-nim."
Lokia continued to speak with a slight smile.
"However, earning Lueth''s resentment is better than arousing the anger of our patriarch. From now on, do not undertake such reckless actions without consulting the patriarch. If I hadn''t taken it upon myself to be your escort..."
"I never asked for an escort."
"That''s the problem. That''s why, being a perceptive person, I followed you. Anyway, if I hadn''t been your escort and the fairies fleeing had stabbed you, the patriarch would have been furious. It wouldn''t have ended with just a few of the rebels dead."
Temar is a good person.
That was his nature.
But can someone remain good even after losing their own people?
Runcandel''s patriarch would not be so pusinimous.
"In my opinion, you really put the entire fairy tribe in danger. Just as your sister said."
Lueth had nothing to say.
Lokia gave her an affectionate pat on the head, as if she found her adorable.
"Let''s go back. Oh, and from today, you are the Chief Steward of Runcandel. The patriarch has ordered me to inform you about it."
--------------
After that day, Shil and the fairies who followed her left the Primeval Forest.
And they fell into oblivion.
Starting with five members of the Fairy Tribe on March 4, 797, in just a few years, the existence of all the fairies in the world had been forgotten.
It was because Runcandel had been defeated.
Although they had been forgotten, their forms still lingered in the world.
However, they weren''t truly alive.
Their forms were.
To others, the forms of the forgotten fairies appeared dark and eerie, like shadows.
But no one paid them any attention.
Whether walking through bustling cities or traversing forests teeming with all kinds of wildlife, no one noticed them.
No one cared about the forgotten fairies turned into ghosts.
They were as insignificant as passing wind,pletely unnoticed.
Even the fact that Shil and the forgotten fairies were lingering around was just instinct; they couldn''t evenmunicate with each other.
Hearing, reading, or remembering the words or text of the forgotten beings was impossible.
Feeling emotions was the same.
The forgotten fairies roamed through time like empty shells, their emotions reced by a sense of emptiness, like flowing air.
Such were the forgotten beings.
Existing but not existing, incapable of making any impact on the world, unable tomunicate with anyone.
There could be no more horrifying punishment than this.
The fairies, along with those crushed by Zipple''s power, were paying a cruel price.
"Oh."
In the midst of that timeless, immeasurable time...
Shil and the fairies heard a voice...
A voice...
A phenomenon that would have beenpletely ordinary before being forgotten now caused the two eyes of the forgotten fairies to open for the first time.
They opened their eyes and saw their transformed, shadowed appearance.
As they regained consciousness, they realized the dire situation they were in and trembled with despair.
All of this led them to turn their heads in the direction from which the voice hade.
"Oh."
And what appeared before the eyes of Shil and the fairies was a woman even darker andrger than their shadowy forms.
"Jojo, look at all the little orphans."
The woman looked at the fairies with great interest. Although her face was not clearly visible in the darkness, the fairies could sense that she was smiling.
And even though they had never seen her before, they were able to discern her name.
"Heluram," said Shil.
She had learned the name of that Witch while fulfilling her duties as a Fairy before being forgotten.
Upon hearing that, Heluram let out a satisfiedugh.
Haha~
As herughter continued, Shil and the fairies clung to hope.
There is someone who recognizes us.
There is someone who can help us exist again.
For the forgotten fairies, harboring that hope was natural.
Even if the other party was a legendary Witch who had caused numerous catastrophes in the world.
"How did you end up like this?"
"Zipple erased our existence from the entire world."
"Do you feel it''s unfair?"
"Yes, it''s unfair."
"Why?"
"We... We haven''t done anything wrong."
In responding, Shil felt shame.
She couldn''t immediately understand why she felt ashamed. So, she pondered for a moment and soon arrived at an answer.
She had abandoned her elder sister and distanced herself from those fighting against Zipple.
Faced with that fact, she felt stifled.
It almost seemed better to have been forgotten, to have felt nothing at all.
Heluram saw through Shil''s thoughts.
It seemed like she knew the entire story of Shil and the forgotten fairies.
"What a pathetic response."
Even in the face of such a derogatoryment, Shil and the fairies couldn''t reply.
Moreover, they just wanted to appear decent.
They wanted somehow to present themselves well to Heluram and regain their existence in the world.
The shame and self-loathing for betraying the Queen and their kin would fade over time if they could exist once more.
"Do you repent?"
Shil and the fairies nodded.
"A while ago, you said you hadn''t done anything wrong, but now you speak of repentance. I have a question for you."
"Tell me..."
"Certainly and inevitably, a simr time wille again. At that time, what kind of decision will bold beings like you make?"
Heluram looked Shil in the eyes. Energy and a ck aura emanated from her hands.
Shadow Energy, a power known only to Solderet and his Contractors.
Mana and shadow strength intertwined, forming dozens of threads that wrapped around the fairies.
Woo, woo...!
The appearance of the fairies wrapped in threads was changing.
Bodies that had be as dark as shadows were regaining their original colors, and the distinctive red hair of the Fairy Tribe flowed down.
Shil and the fairies could only shed tears as they looked at each other.
They felt as if they had returned in theirplete forms after eons.
However, just as tears began to trickle down their cheeks.
The fairies had to experience their appearances changing once again.
"This... can''t be!"
"It can''t be!"
The fairies'' bodies contorted.
The red hair ruthlessly fell like the fur of a sick animal, and their harmonious faces grotesquely transformed, appearing monstrous.
Their limbs twisted eerily, and a metallic sound echoed in their necks.
Their appearance had be so horrific that they looked like rotting corpses, gued by disease.
Then, the transformation momentarily stopped.
"This is your true form."
Heluram brieflymented and waved her hand once.
Then, the threads began to move again, and the appearances of the fairies began to change once more.
Their bodies shrank to the size of a child''s head, and tiny wings sprouted from their backs.
Swish, swish, the wings made a cute sound as they moved.
It was an appearance that most people would find endearing.
However, the fairies felt humiliation.
"How amusing. You haven''t done anything wrong, but you repent. Moreover, you were filled with the desire to exist again and now you''re also experiencing a luxurious emotion like humiliation."
"What have you done to us?"
"I have given you a chance. A chance to exist again in the world."
Heluram grabbed Shil. And on her back, Heluram attached a pair of especiallyrge wings.
"From now on, you will be their Queen. When a simr moment you''ve regretted so much happens again, I will watch over the decisions made by bold beings like you."
Moments of regret.
Moments when she betrayed her own and didn''t confront Zipple.
If such a situation repeats someday, what decisions will Shil and the fairies make?
Heluram was precisely curious about that.
"Don''t forget this difficult lesson."
Heluram released Shil and continued speaking.
"Furthermore, as you''ve be so inferiorpared to before, you will have to think diligently to survive. Now, be off."
The fairies didn''t even dare to look at Heluram.
As soon as Heluram''s words were finished, the fairies turned around and pped their wings.
In this way, they regained their existence and wandered the world once again.
Several more years passed until they found a sanctuary called the Wantaramo Forest.
By that time, most of the fairies, except for She, had forgotten much of their memories of when they were true fairies.
They had regained existence only through Heluram''s power, not their true "form."
What they had forgotten wasn''t just memories of when they were true fairies. Except for Shil, or rather She, most of the fairies were slowly forgetting even the actions and words that Heluram had bestowed upon them.
Because it was boring...
Life that continued without purpose, meaning, or hope was a series of boredom.
So, they found pleasure in killing the humans who ventured into the forest, and that was enough for them.
Only She contemted her future as Queen.
She''s contemtion ended when a human arrived in the Wantaramo Forest to deliver Solderet''s message.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 375
C375
The messenger was a woman, clearly weakened. However, despite her weakened state, she was by no means an enemy that could be dealt with simply by the petty tricks of the lesser fairies.
Some bold fairies even attacked recklessly without recognizing the enemy.
All those fairies had their wings torn and their bodies burst when facing death.
It was fortunate that there weren''t many of them.
"Who are you?"
Even in the face of She''s question, the woman didn''t reveal her name. Only her eyes hidden under the hood shone alone.
She seemed like she had just finished a battle because she smelled of blood and ashes.
"I''vee to deliver Solderet''s message."
The God of Shadows has a message for us?
The woman silently looked at She.
She gestured for the other fairies to step back.
As the fairies stepped back, the woman spoke again.
"Do not forget your duty. And promise that you will leave behind a story that you must never forget."
That was the message Solderet left for She and the fairies who followed her.
"Is that all?"
"That''s all."
"Why should I follow this message?"
"This is probably the only andst hope for you to restore your honor and regain your original form. That''s what he said."
She''s pupils widened.
Solderet knew everything that had happened to She and the fairies.
He even knew how they had be pitiful forms after encountering Helluram.
The woman turned around.
After delivering the message, she seemed ready to leave immediately.
"Where are you going?" She asked.
Naturally, she felt intense curiosity toward the woman, and for some reason, she could only ask where she was going.
The woman halted her steps for a moment.
"To a ce I haven''t destroyed."
With those words, the woman left the Wantaramo Forest.
Since then.
The fairies, no, the Descendants of the Fairies began to make the Royal Melodic Drink.
--------
As if awakening from a deep sleep, Jin and Valeria simultaneously gulped in air and stood up.
Both instinctively reached for their weapons and scanned their surroundings as soon as they opened their eyes.
An entirely unfamiliarndscape stretched out before them.
A subspace made of Shadow Energy.
Jin immediately understood that this was the Fourth Tomb of Temar.
"We''re inside the tomb."
While Jin said that, Valeria lowered her staff.
Cold sweat ran down both of them.
"Inside the tomb? Then everything we''ve seen so far was just Records contained in the Royal Melodic Drink."
"It seems so. With the Records in the Royal Melodic Drink concluded, the seal of the tomb must have been released."
A straight path extended in front of Jin and Valeria.
After examining it for a moment, the two quickly came to the same conclusion.
"Someone has attacked this tomb."
"The previous tombs were the same. Starting with this being the Fourth Tomb, it means there have been at least four interments. It also shows how Zipple persistently sought and desecrated Temar''s tombs. It could have been the work of the Vermont Imperial Family, not Zipple."
They began to move again.
It was a long path.
However, even after walking for a while, they couldn''t sense the hostility or the unique presence of the Guardian that protected the tomb.
"It seems there are no Guardians."
Although Jin felt relieved at the thought of avoiding another tough battle against the Guardians, he also felt a bit disappointed.
The absence of Guardians meant that there probably wasn''t anything important left inside the tomb.
Thud, thud...
Finally, the two reached the end of the path.
There was a massive tombstone where Temar should have beenid to rest.
The interior waspletely empty, immacte, without a speck of dust.
The lid was shattered, with fragments scattered around.
Jin first conjured a shadow energy flower over the tombstone.
"There''s nothing here," Valeria said as she inspected the inside of the tomb.
As she had said, the only thing left in the fourth tomb was the empty tombstone.
There was nothing like Solderet''s Recording Device or the legacy of the ancient Runcandel.
A moment of disappointment washed over them.
"I guess there really is nothing to be gained from this tomb. Even though we''ve seen the ancient secrets through the Royal Melodic Drink, we gain absolutely nothing... Ah!"
As if something had urred to him, Jin cut off his own words.
"Now that I think about it, you''re a Record Mage, right? This tomb is practically a piece of record in itself, isn''t it?"
That''s right.
To Valeria, this tomb was a treasure trove of Records.
In some ways, it was even easier to analyze than a Recording Device like a Shadow Energy Pearl.
"Exactly."
"Can you check the Records right away?"
"I can''t read events from a thousand years ago with my current level of Record Magic."
Valeria pulled out a neatly folded leather bag from her robe.
"Instead, let''s gather these fragments and go back. When my Record Magic level has improved, I can investigate them thoroughly."
Like an archaeologist discovering an ancient artifact, Valeria carefully ced the fragments in the bag.
Jin helped her collect the fragments.
"No need to gather them all. After all, it was just an object."
He collected stone fragments from the tombstone and the hallway and also carefully picked up a few bloodstains that were beginning to show.
He only ced the bloodstains in an empty ss bottle.
"Bringing you along was a good decision."
If he hadn''t met Valeria before arriving at the fourth tomb, Jin would have had to return without gaining anything from here.
Valeria shrugged.
"I think this should be enough. Let''s head back now."
Jin nodded.
However, there was a problem.
How would they get out?
The other Temar''s tombs Jin had visited so far had been different from this Fourth Tomb.
In the First and Second Tombs, he fought Guardians, inspected Records and Recording Devices, and then, naturally, the subspace copsed, and they exited the Tomb.
Lueth guided him to the exit in the Third Tomb.
But what about the Fourth Tomb?
When they opened their eyes after drinking the wine, all they saw was a deste subspace of Shadow Energy.
There were no Guardians or other information... nothing.
As Jin silently pondered, Valeria became concerned and asked.
"Jin Runcandel, could it be... you don''t know how to return?"
"Well... I''ve never been in a situation like this before. Until now, I had always encountered Guardians or, after checking the Records, the subspace would automatically copse, and I could exit."
There was a moment of silence.
Jin felt a bit embarrassed for no reason, but surprisingly, Valeria didn''t seem scornful or mocking towards him.
"Well, it seems that''s how things are. This ce isn''t an ordinary subspace. Let''s think about it together."
First, they retraced their steps.
They had already taken a look before reaching the tombstone.
Even then, there was no exit-like structure in sight, and the result was the same after a second inspection.
"Should we try to break the subspace itself?"
This time, Jin shook his head at Valeria''s words.
"Perhaps it''s best to leave it as ast resort. If the subspace copses, the fragments we''ve gathered could be affected and disappear. I can feel that the Shadow Energyposing the subspace is interconnected with the samples."
"Oh, that seems quite likely."
"Let''s wait a bit, Valeria. The power that sealed this tomb within the Royal Melodic Drink won''tst forever anyway. Once its effects expire, we should naturally be able to return."
----------
For Jin, it was a stroke of luck that Yona followed him.
Furthermore, it was a strangely peculiar fact that the ce where she awaited him was the entrance to the Wantaramo Forest, and the forest sky was overcast with heavy rain.
Shoout, shooout...! Crrr!
Early in the morning with heavy rain and thunder.
Time passed differently outside and inside the tomb.
Three more hours had passed outside since Jin entered the Fourth Tomb of Temar.
This meant that the reinforcements from Zipple, the "Specter Corps," had arrived in the Wantaramo Forest.
A total of three Specters arrived in the forest.
However, they didn''t recklessly enter the forest even after receiving the report that there was a pure-blooded Runcandel inside the forest.
"It seems like a mistake that only the three of us came."
"The mana response of the Magicians from the Third Magic Tower who went to the Wantaramo Forest was cut off, and... it seems like there''s something inside. Especially because Yona Runcandel is there."
Yona Runcandel.
Among the members of the Corps, she had a reputation for being a very dangerous person.
This wasn''t just within the Specter Corps; it applied to all high-ranking Magicians of Zipple.
She was someone who should never be taken lightly.
The members of the Specter Corps hadn''t anticipated encountering Yona when they arrived at the Wantaramo Forest.
"Moreover, with the rain pouring down, there''s no way the three of us can take on that woman."
Even for the Specter Corps, facing the Assassin Yona Runcandel under a downpour like this would be suicidal.
"Even the captain seemed shaken by the name Yona Runcandel. Now that I''ve faced her directly, I understand the reason. Even though she''s just standing there, I feel like her sword is already at my throat."
Yona continued to sit where she had killed the Magicians from the Third Magic Tower, humming a melody to herself.
Although she was an assassin, she didn''t bother to hide; she openly watched the entrance like a guardian.
However, the members of the Specter Corps still felt it intuitively.
There was no hope of victory unless they burned Yona Runcandel along with the entire Wantaramo Forest.
It didn''t seem like they could kill Yona even if they burned the forest along with her.
In the end, if they only ended up burning this sacred forest, Zipple would suffer significant losses dealing with the aftermath.
"Maybe there''s nothing important inside the forest after all. Yona Runcandel might have been rummaging through the forest for fun when M called for help, and naturally, there''s a possibility that the Magicians from the Three Magic Towers were killed."
"If it''s Yona Runcandel, she''s entirely capable of that. Was there even a report about that woman that didn''t include the expression pletely crazy person''?"
"So, should we retreat?"
The members of the Specter Corps remained fixed on Yona, unsure of what to do.
Originally, they should have received information about the presence of ''Jin Runcandel and the ''Record Mage'' inside the forest.
In that case, instead of just three, the entire alert Specter Corps would have gathered here.
Even if only three hade, they would have faced Yona in battle, prepared for a fight to the death.
However, the Magicians from the Third Magic Tower, who should have ryed the information contained in the letter about this matter, were turned into lifeless corpses by Yona''s hand three hours ago.
As a result, the Specter Corps was in the dark about what was happening inside the forest, who was there, and what was going on.
"Damn, it''s hard to make a judgment."
Amidst the Specter Corps'' hesitation, Yona contemted to herself.
"Are they perhaps here to kill my little brother? No, that''s not possible; the letter those corpses had didn''t reach them. Did they coincidentally run into me as they passed by? I''m not sure. Should I kill them? Or forgive them? Kill them? Forgive them?
Hehehe.
Yona smiled with satisfaction and turned her gaze toward the trees where the Specter Corps members were hiding.
And at that moment, the Specter Corps had no choice but to reach a conclusion.
Perhaps it would be best to simply withdraw.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 376: Descendant of the Fairies
C376 - Descendant of the Fairies
"It seems like the subspace is about to copse soon," said Jin, sensing the vibrations of the distorted subspace.
"That''s right. I''m d we didn''t have to destroy it, as you suggested."
Valeria stood up, casually took off her robe, and continued speaking.
"It''s been a rather intriguing conversation, Jin Runcandel."
During the three hours they spent inside the subspace, the two shared a considerable amount of stories.
Primarily, Jin talked while Valeria listened.
As a disciple of a past life and a currentpanion, he recounted how he had lived.
Of course, he wasn''t talking about random things; Jin shared valuable information aspanions.
Since bing a Shadow Contractor at an early age (technically right after the Regression, from the moment of birth), the world''s secrets he had uncovered since his Cadet days, the things he gained as a Provisional gbearer, the experiences he had as a gbearer, and his future ns...
Up until he met Valeria.
Valeria was genuinely interested in Jin''s story.
She believed that the density of time umted by the human, Jin Runcandel, was incredibly profound.
"He''s only neen, but he''s been through so much."
Of course, Jin also knew the events that had unfolded in Valeria''s life. But right now, she was nothing more than a seventeen-year-old girl just entering adulthood.
She was very aware that the happiness of her childhood had been short-lived, and she had endured more loneliness than anyone would expect from a young girl.
So, just before the subspace was about to copsepletely, Valeria shared an emotional story from her past.
"Do you remember what I wasmemorating earlier?"
"Yes."
"It was a tribute to the Gray Owl Mercenaries and my deceased family. After Zipple massacred them, I vowed never to let others get close to me again."
Valeria looked into Jin''s eyes.
Then she began to say something but stopped herself.
"What is it?"
"It''s nothing. Anyway, after hearing your stories, I have a slightly clearer idea of what we''re going to do together in the future."
Jin was surprised that she had mentioned the Gray Owl Mercenaries first. And he felt he understood the words Valeria had swallowed.
Fssss...
The copse of the subspace was elerating.
Shadows Energy particles fluttered like ck pollen, spreading in all directions and disappearing.
Although only about three hours had passed inside the subspace, the outside world was approaching noon.
[They''re here!]
[They''ve returned, She-nim!]
The Cat Tribe members Lulu and Miru were the first to approach the two.
Both were wrapped in the Shadow Energy armor that Jin had provided, making them look likerge tufts of fur.
The heavy rain had stopped, and the clouds parted, allowing the sun to shine down on them.
[Have you returned?]
She flew toward them and spoke.
She looked tired.
Despite the distinctive fairy light flowing from her body, she appeared fragile.
Betrayed by her own family and having killed her only sister with her own hands in a single day, it was only natural.
"I didn''t know time would flow like this. In my absence, haven''t more pursuerse?"
[Yes. Someone is blocking those who approach the forest.]
"Who...?"
[That person introduced themselves as Mr. Green Rose.]
[Yes, Mr. Green Rose. That person said you''d know if we said that.]
[We''ve never met a human who could find us so easily.]
[And we didn''t even notice Mr. Green Rose until he was right beside us.]
Lulu and Miru spent the entire night hidden, afraid of the pursuers, keeping watch over the forest''s entrances.
Then, at one point, when they turned their heads, they saw Yona smiling at them.
They got very frightened and tried to run away.
However, Yona found the Cat Tribe members incredibly adorable and gave them their new alias.
''Sister Yona helped me.''
Jin felt grateful but also got goosebumps at the same time.
''When did big sister start following me...?''
Jin had no way of guessing.
It meant that Yona could have killed him at any moment.
Of course, Yona would never do that, but still...
[What''s your rtionship with Mr. Green Rose? An ally? Or just someone pretending to be an ally?]
"I''m d we''re on very friendly terms. We are allies."
Lulu and Miru breathed sighs of relief.
They had considered that if Yona turned out to be an enemy, Jin wouldn''t be able to handle it.
''I don''t exactly know when my sister started following me, but news of my journey to the Wantaramo Forest and that a Record Magician is with me won''t reach Zipple.''
There was no need to hastily leave the forest.
While in the subspace, Jin had worried about not being able to converse with She due to unfavorable external conditions.
Jin looked into She''s eyes.
"That you were descendants of the fairy tribe was just a name given to you by people, She-nim. You''re not descendants..."
[Nothing more than Fairies who lost their honor and were cursed by the Witch]
She''s response was filled with self-reflection.
[We''re terrible beings. We kill powerless humans who approach us, exchange the Royal Melodic Drink with rulers in exchange for protection, and we''ve withered away in our small world.]
At that moment, Jin remembered a specific detail from the records of the Royal Melodic Drink.
They had regained existence solely thanks to Heluram''s power, but not their true ''form''.
What they had forgotten weren''t just memories of when they were true fairies.
Except for Shil, no, She, most of the fairies were slowly forgetting even the actions and words Heluram had bestowed upon them.
Because it was boring.
Life that continued without purpose, meaning, or hope was a series of boredom.
So they found pleasure in killing humans who ventured into the forest, and that was enough for them.
Only She was reflecting on her future as their Queen.
"...Nevertheless, you kept Solderet''s promise."
[I didn''t keep it; it was kept because you came. You are the promised Thousand Year Contractor, so I made no effort to keep Solderet''s promise.]
"Among humans, there is a saying that the best way to substitute guilt is self-loathing. But, She-nim, you are not human."
Jin paused briefly before continuing.
"So please, ept it. She-nim, you made mistakes long ago. You suffered cruel consequences, and that wasn''t enough; you were cursed. However, while other fairiespletely lost themselves, you haven''t forgotten Solderet''s message."
That should suffice.
As Jin concluded his words, She''s wings trembled slightly.
[Thank you.]
"It may have sounded presumptuous. Thank you for listening kindly."
She''s gaze shifted to Valeria.
[Come closer.]
Valeria stepped in front of She.
She had an expression as if she sensed something.
[What did you feel from the records seen through the Royal Melodic Drink?]
Valeria slowly closed her eyes and then opened them.
"Strangely, upon entering the Primordial Forest, a nearly agonizing sense of longing surged within me."
[It''s because your soul originates from there.]
"My n has existed since the year 1400. And now it''s the year 1799. There''s a significant time gap between the records of the Royal Melodic Drink and the current era."
[Yes, the records I left behind are a thousand years old. However, your soul has its roots in the Primordial Forest.]
"Why are you so sure of that?"
[For the first time, a human using the name Histor approached me.]
Valeria''s pupils widened.
[The human''s name was Minka Histor. Like you and my kin whom I betrayed, she had distinctive red hair that one never forgets once seen.]
Minka Histor.
Valeria also knew that name.
She was the ancestor of the Histor, the first person to emerge from a "Session Temple," and also the first human to use Record Magic.
Histor''s unique Record Magic had originated from Minka.
"...Why did my ancestore to see you, She-nim?"
[To inform me.]
"About what?"
[About the fairies who fought against Zipple until the bitter end... they were all forgotten. And my old sisters left behind a single spark before beingpletely forgotten and disappearing forever...]
She''s body reddened.
Remorse, sadness, resentment, passionate waves of emotions tore at her heart.
[That spark finally ignited and became like you.]
A thousand years ago, the fairies had beenpletely forgotten due to Zipple''s maniption of history.
But they left behind onest record.
A record in the form of "Souls."
The fairies living in the Primordial Forest understood the natural order more deeply than any other existence.
The only order the fairies understood; The Cycle.
Whether they were humans, animals, nts, or even ancient eternal steel, everything would eventually break down with time, bing part of the earth, flowing in rivers, carried by the wind, and ultimately absorbed by the world.
They would be nourishment, mingling with seeds, giving birth to life anew.
The fairies had thus gathered all their souls and sent them into nature.
Someday, with fervent hope that these souls would bloom again somewhere...
Four hundred yearster.
Finally, the souls of the fairies took the form of a single name.
The name was Histor.
While She exined these facts, tears continuously streamed down Valeria''s cheeks.
She breathed heavily, unaware that she was crying.
Valeria looked like a precious niece in She''s eyes, but she couldn''t console Valeria thoughtlessly because she hadmitted unforgivable sins against her niece.
"What kind of person was my ancestor?"
It was a statement brimming with countless questions.
[She was so beautiful and graceful that I''m ashamed to mention it. Incredibly strong yet seemed lonely. Seeing you makes me wonder what kind of person she was...]
Minka Histor was the human who disappeared alongside Histor from history when Zipple erased Histor from it.
That''s why She couldn''t recall the fact that Minka hade four hundred years ago.
She could barely conjure up a faint image, but she had a strong sense of foreboding ever since Valeria arrived in the forest.
And now, she had just glimpsed Minka''s image from Valeria.
Only now did the vivid face of Minkae to her mind.
Alongside Minka, she also remembered the face of her older sister, Luetj Damiro Yul.
Memories of She of the ancient fairies that had been erased were igniting.
[Can you tell me your name?]
"Valeria. Valeria Histor."
[You''re a Descendant of the Fairy Tribe, not the ghosts of the Wantaramo Forest. And you''re the only person who will inherit the existence of the fairies.]
It was the moment when Valeria''s long and heavy task hade to an end.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''75'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 377: The Warning (1)
C377 - The Warning (1)
Valeria couldn''t speak as she struggled to sort out the emotions that had been building up for a while. Although she now knew her roots, she still felt lonely.
However, it was iparable to the days when she was alone without knowing the reason.
A new good reason had been added to the task of restoring Histor''s history.
To avenge the ancient fairies, Histor, and the Grey Owls.
"I''m grateful to have met you, along with keeping Solderet''s message."
"Now, She-nim, what do you n to do?"
She closed her eyes at Valeria''s question.
Although M had left, the cursed fairies still remained in the Wantaromo Forest.
"I''ll continue to stay in this forest and create Royal Melodic Drinks. It''s thest sense left to our cursed existences."
An intense light began to emanate from She''s two wings.
"I will make sure no information about you and Jin Runcandel leaks out. I''ll eliminate the traitors and restore order in the forest."
After M''s death, no one had control over the forest for a brief period of time.
But when She regained her memories through Valeria, power over the forest also returned to her.
She became the queen of the cursed fairies once again. She also became stronger.
"Just a moment, Jin Runcandel."
"Before leaving the forest, I have a question for you."
"You''ll probably ask about the location of the Fifth Tomb."
"That''s right."
"This was the only clue I had. You must find the fifth tomb on your own."
From this point on, Jin had to start from scratch and find the tomb.
"Zipple, Vermont, Kinzelo, and others will continue to search for Temar''s tomb. And now that Elder Mary has made information about the Tomb public, others in Runcandel will surely start searching too."
Once the four major factions began moving in earnest, it would be impossible for Jin to secretly search for the tomb, even if he wanted to.
Furthermore,pared to the four major factions, Jin''s influence was incredibly insignificant.
If it weren''t for my master, I wouldn''t even have been able topete with the four major factions.
Just as he had found the Cat Tribe, Valeria would now have to search for Temar''s tomb alongside Histor''s Session Temple.
So, until Valeria and Runcandel''s ''potential allies'' found the tomb''s location, Jin didn''t need to waste his energy unnecessarily.
After organizing his thoughts, Jin nodded.
"Understood."
"You should leave now. The fact that you found this forest won''t be revealed to the outside. And Lulu, Miru."
"Yes, She-nim."
"Both of you have worked hard. Thank you very much."
"After all, weren''t we all in the same position as She-nim? We had promises for the Thousand-Year Contractor. It was just part of that."
"Please convey my greetings to Neru. I won''t ask where you''re heading."
Jin and Valeria exchanged a brief embrace with the members of the Cat Tribe.
"Our tribe will always bless you, Jin Runcandel. How are the little beastmen doing? It seems the cosmetics business is thriving, but still."
"They''re all safe in the Hidden Pce. If you have the chance,e and visit us."
"Of course. When we return, I''ll suggest creating a hideout near the Hidden Pce. Our tribe will need some time to recover."
Then Lulu looked at Valeria.
[I apologize. At first, I had thought you had no connection to Jin, so I had intended to harm you.]
"Don''t worry."
[And I won''t forget. We''ll meet again someday. And when the timees, we''ll use the remaining artifact for something good for the world. Just as you and Jin Runcandel were born with destinies for the world.]
Born with destinies for the world.
Lulu expressed it that way for a reason.
Jin and Valeria.
Lulu foresaw that the little sparks left by Solderet and the ancient fairies would eventually ignite Zipple and reset the course of the world''s history.
It was time to bid farewell.
With a firm handshake and a wave, Jin, Valeria, and the little beastmen began heading in different directions, leaving the Wantaromo Forest.
Before disappearingpletely from view, Valeria turned once more and made a respectful bow to She.
"...After glimpsing that there''s a connection between the Fairies and Histor in your Records, I never expected to find the answers so quickly."
I want to thank you.
As Valeria continued her sentence, Jin smiled and handed her a handkerchief.
"Take it, Valeria Histor."
"...A handkerchief?"
"You still have traces of tears on your face."
"Ah."
Seeing Valeria''s nervous expression was quite unusual.
Of course, she quickly regained herposure and wiped her face with the handkerchief.
"We''ll soon meet this Mr. Green Rose. It might be awkward if you meet them looking like that."
"The person who stopped Zipple''s reinforcement, and you said it was lucky that person was nearby. Who is it? If it weren''t for that person, things could have gone wrong."
"My older sister."
"Older sister?"
Yona, her dear older sister.
Meeting her was always a charming yet worrying event.
''She wouldn''t cause a ruckus wanting to kill the Mistress, right? After all, my Mistress is also Samil''s benefactor...''
"Hehe, what are you saying? Little brother?"
Crack!
Jin clenched his teeth reflexively.
He was so startled that he was on the verge of wielding his sword towards where he had heard Yona''s voice.
It seemed that Valeria had the same reaction; her eyes suddenly shifted to the left.
Yona was behind them, with a wide smile at the corner of her lips.
"...I thought my heart was going to fall out, Older Sister."
Jin was sincere.
Jin hadn''t felt at all that she was approaching, even though he had been prepared for Yona''s arrival with his senses fully sharpened.
Jin''s martial skill was already approaching nine stars.
That meant that in a state where his senses were fully awake, it wouldn''t be easy for even the best assassin in Samil to find a gap.
''Certainly, an assassin of Sister Yona''s caliber in a forest like this is practically akin to the God of Death. Or rather, it''s Sister Yona, so she could approach like this from the beginning.''
As Jin grew, Yona had also reached a new level. Yona had be an even better assassin than Jin had imagined.
"My little brother, is it because of this girl you have by your side? I''ve been walking behind you for about 30 seconds, and you didn''t notice at all! What if I suddenly stab her?"
"Don''t make such terrifying jokes casually, Older Sister."
"Hehe, I''m not joking. Little brother, you may not know, but I can stab that one next to you."
Step!
When Yona approached Valeria with slightly unfocused eyes, Jin was startled and had no choice but to stand between them.
"Older Sister!"
"Step aside."
"She''s mypanion. You shouldn''t...!"
Shhh-!
Before Jin could finish his sentence, Yona suddenly pulled something from her clothes and threw it toward Valeria''s forehead.
Swish!
If Jin''s strength had been even slightly weaker, he wouldn''t have been able to deflect Yona''s projectiles.
It was lucky that he barely managed to do so.
He couldn''t discern precisely what Yona had thrown.
"What are you doing...!"
Temporarily blinded, Jin tried to push Yona away, but soon he saw something falling forcefully towards Valeria''s head.
Ping!
Yona threw two more projectiles, but they were nothing more than wild grass stems.
Wild grass, are you kidding me?
It was the wild grass that gently settled on Valeria''s head, as if it had been there all along (which was actually the case, as Yona had meticulously calcted).
The two wild grass stems looked like rabbit ears on Valeria''s head.
"Hehehe, long time no see, Riley Hazzard!"
Yona addressed Valeria by one of her aliases, waving her hand cheerfully.
"...You''re still the same, Lady Yona. It''s been a while."
The two women were acquaintances.
"A moment ago, I felt so envious. I wish my little brother would protect me like this when I''m in danger."
"Have you been well?"
"How could I not be?"
"...It seems like you''ve been doing well."
"That''s probably because I''ve been with my little brother. Although, it can be tough. Riley, you''re clever, so suggest something."
Yona wasn''t paying any attention to Valeria''s words at all.
And Valeria simply shrugged indifferently.
She had experienced Yona''s way of speaking before.
"Well, I wouldn''t actually kill my little brother''s friend. I''d hate myself if I did. Riley is also a benefactor of Samil, after all."
Well, there''s actually no one I couldn''t kill, but since that would upset you...
For some reason, it seemed like he could hear such a statement, but Jin pretended not to.
"I''m so touched I could cry, Older Sister."
"Hehe, right? Aren''t I great?"
"Yes."
"Then, praise me quickly."
"How?"
"Um, like giving me an autograph?"
Suddenly, Jin remembered Enya and couldn''t help but burst intoughter.
It was a bit over the top, but she was a sister he really couldn''t hate.
"I heard you stopped Zipple''s reinforcements, Older Sister."
"I did well in that too, didn''t I?"
"If it weren''t for you, I would have almost died."
"Yeah, that might be true. They were very capable individuals. I let them go because Lord Owal might be in a tricky situation if I killed them. But now that I think about it, I should have killed them. It could have been advantageous for you."
"No. I''m genuinely moved that you considered Lord Owal''s perspective. Older Sister, you''re taking another step towards bing a florist owner. Your social skills are improving."
"Well, I''m improving day by day too!"
As Jin and Yona continued to banter for a while, Valeria couldn''t help but think they were a very likable pair of siblings.
Like Yona, Valeria''s guard against others had gradually softened since she met Jin.
"But sister, how did youe to protect me?"
"Are you asking me since when I started following you?"
"Something like that."
In response to Jin''s question, Yona''s eyes sparkled.
She seemed eager to exin herself.
"I was on vacation because I recently disabled a big fish. So I went to see you at the main house, and our family''s atmosphere was quite special. Hey, little brother. You caused quite a stir, didn''t you?"
"You''re talking about Sister Mary."
"Yes. The Garden of Swords was turned upside down by the information you gave Sister Mary. And she seemed quite infatuated during the meeting, which put her in a tight spot. She got furious, saying she would scold you."
"I see."
"You''ll have to calm her down. Hehe, and because of the circumstances, I ended up protecting you while trying to tell you this information, but do you want to hear something more interesting?"
"Something more interesting?"
Yona responded with a sly smile.
A deep and dark murderous intent mixed within herughter.
"Some members of the Elder Council are actually conspiring to kill you, little brother."
--
Chapter 378: The Warning (2)
C378 - The Warning (2)
"Some members of the Elder Council want to kill me? And they haven''t sent you to kill me, right? If so. Then, there''s no choice for me..."
"It would be suicidal for those old and boring pieces of meat to entrust me with a request."
Due to Cyron''s strict orders, there was currently no one within the Family who could use Yona.
Even in the past, Joshua had indirectly crossed paths with Yona (and Yona''s return to the Family was dyed due to dealings between Jin and Owal) while trying to contain Jin.
Joshua received a p in the face and had to return the ck Light Heart.
"And even if they did, do you think I would kill you?"
"Yes, you''re right. You wouldn''t kill me, Older Sister. I''m also a benefactor of Samil. It was just a joke."
"I don''t like those kinds of jokes!"
Jin chuckled softly.
"Alright, who are these guys?"
The fact that some members of the Elder Council were trying to kill him didn''t particrly surprise him.
After all, he was sure there would be plenty of people who would want to kill him once he became a gbearer.
Jin had always caused trouble for his Family since his Cadet days.
By the end of his career as a Provisional gbearer, there was even a three-hundred-million reward just in Runcandel for him.
He had constantly vited Runcandel''s ancient and humiliating traditions by using Magic, so in a way, assassination attempts were natural.
''Actually, it''s quitete. No, it''s toote.''
The corner of Jin''s lips curved.
At this point, an attack from the Elder Council, even if it were only some of them, no longer frightened him.
However, Yona''s grave expression bothered him a bit.
"Who are these guys?"
"I don''t exactly know which of the Elders they are. If I had known, I would have killed them all..."
"No, the assassins weremissioned by some unknown Elder."
"Eh, how do you know? I haven''t even mentioned the assassination request yet."
"It''s obvious. The only ones who have the power to unsheathe their swords and kill me directly are the leaders. Among them, there''s no one who would benefit from my death right now."
Jorden Runcandel, of the ck Sword Association, Lynn Milcano, of the Law Guard, and Tellot Runcandel, of the Civil Guard.
Among them, Tellot was a potential ally of Jin, Jorden was a clear enemy, and Lynn was a potential enemy.
But even Jorden gained nothing by killing Jin right now.
-You''re clever but you show a careless appearance in an obvious problem. Isn''t it clear? Jorden Runcandel, the council president, and the Second gbearer have a mutually prosperous as well aspetitive rtionship.
-You''re right about the mutually prosperous part, but I''ve never heard of thepetition.
-Oh, right. Well, it makes sense. You''re different from me, and much more so the higher-ranking gbearer, so it''s understandable. Just remember one thing. The Council President hasn''t given up on his dream of bing the patriarch.
Jin remembered the conversation he had with Tellot Runcandel during their dealings.
"It''s more of a loss for him as he hasn''t given up on the patriarch position. The head of the ck Sword Association wants to see Joshua and me continuously restraining and devouring each other, ultimately ruining us both together."
Although Lynn Milcano''s intentions were still unclear, at first nce, she was affiliated with Jorden.
"Therefore, it''s likely that the Elders who want to kill me have entrusted the task to outsiders. It''s unlikely to be someone from among the leaders themselves; they are probably not powerful individuals who could confront me in direct confrontation. And Older Sister, you probably used Samil''s intelligencework to confirm this."
"Hehehe, correct. That''s absolutely right. You''re very clever."
Yona ruffled Jin''s hair as she continued speaking.
"I won''t tell you who the assassins are."
"Why not?"
"I''ll tell you if you go out with me. Little brother, it''s been a long, long time since we''ve seen each other like this to have a real conversation!"
It had been almost two years, and it was the first time they had seen each other since he became a gbearer.
Jin smiled at her words.
"That''s true. I''ve missed you, older sister. I received the letter you left in my roomst time, and the rose ring, and I felt really good all day after seeing them as soon as I woke up."
Yona showed her pure, white teeth as she smiled.
It always seemed strange to think that the world''s greatest assassin could smile with such innocence.
"I''m d!"
"Before I became a gbearer, I disappeared without a word, and I''m sorry. I couldn''t help it because things weren''t going well."
"I understand. So, what do we do now? Any ns?"
"Let''s start by filling our stomachs. We haven''t eaten anything in the forest."
"How about we y hide and seek first? Or maybe throwing knives?"
"Throwing knives?"
"It''s when we stand a hundred paces apart and take turns throwing knives at each other. Every time you dodge or block, we take a step closer, and the one who gets stabbed first loses."
"Isn''t there another game?"
"Alright, how about an axe-throwing game?"
"What''s that?"
"We use axes to hit each other''s ears..."
"No, I get it now. Older sister, we should have fun like normal people do, you know. Things like shopping, watching ys, having a drink and chatting."
"Jin."
Valeria called out to Jin in a calm voice.
At the same time, Yona suddenly turned her head, oh, you were still here.
She had that kind of expression.
"I''m leaving now. I''ll take care of the body of this Home Demon from the Imperial Guard, so get in touch if you need me."
Valeria pointed her finger at the body of an Imperial Guard Home Demon she had wrapped in her cloak.
"Where are you going?"
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Yona grabbed Valeria''s wrist.
"You should join the party too."
"Lady Yona?"
Valeria''s pupils shifted leftward again.
It was strangely amusing for Jin to see Valeria getting nervous over and over.
"Besides, something has been bothering me, Riley. What''s going on between you and my little brother?"
"What''s going on between us...?"
"Don''t tell me you two are lovers? What were you doing in the forest?"
"No, we had some matters to attend to."
"I see tear marks all over your face. Were you having a great time and suddenly had a lover''s quarrel? Little brother, when you''re in love, don''t make your partner cry. And Riley, don''t make my little brother cry even more. Seriously, I''ll kill you if I find out."
"It seems there''s a misunderstanding, Lady Yona."
"Is that so? I''ll really kill you. Even if you''re Samil''s benefactor. Hehehe."
It seemed futile to provide further exnations.
Yona extended her arms and wrapped them around both of them.
"Let''s go!"
When Jin and Valeria finally came to their senses...
They had already left Kyken and were enjoying good food in another city, shopping, renting a whole tavern to drink (Valeria just watched), and much more.
"Hehehe! Being with little brother is more fun than killing people, after all. It enhances the taste of alcohol, right?"
Throughout the day, Valeria was somewhat absent, listening to Yona''s continuous chatter and impulsive actions, but at some point, she seemed to give in and asionally burst into hollowughter.
But asionally, she also genuinelyughed.
In a way, she had spent a normal day like herpanions.
It was the first time it had happened to her since the Gray Owl Mercenaries were annihted.
In her previous life, she had never experienced it until she met Jin, or rather, she had refused to experience it.
"...So when that big shot turned around, I cut off his arm. He didn''t scream, but his eyes were so wide it looked like they were going to pop out. Yes. Riley, until next time."
When the morning sun rose, Yona exined how she had crippled a big shot on her recent mission and sent Valeria away.
Valeria hadn''t said she was leaving before Yona said "until next time," but she was quietly packing her things.
Watching Valeria, who walked somewhat unsteadily as she guided her exhausted body after being tormented by Yona all night, Jin asked.
"Isn''t it okay to do this kind of thing once in a while?"
Valeria turned around and met Jin''s gaze.
"Yes, I suppose so. I''m leaving."
As Valeria left, Yona''s eyes lit up again.
"Little brother, we should leave too."
"Where all of a sudden?"
"To have some real fun."
"Just a moment ago, were you pretending to drink and have fun all night? I had no idea."
Seeing Yona raise the corner of her lips, Jin felt a chill down his spine.
"Hehe, just follow me. I''ll show you many fun things."
-------------
It wasn''t for her feelings.
After leaving the tavern, Jin had to endure Yona''s various ''games'' for two whole days.
Games like throwing daggers and throwing axes, among other gruesome and terrifying games.
''...I had forgotten what kind of person my older sister is. I should have realized from the moment she suggested we go out.''
When Jin was a Provisional gbearer, to her, it was just a game to send executioners one by one to kill him when he visited Samil.
So imagine how it would be now, now that he had be a gbearer.
During the two days of revelry with Yona, he narrowly escaped death several times.
It was an advantage that he hadn''t slept a wink.
"It''s been fun, little brother! Let''s y again if I have some free time. Hehehe."
Compared to him, who hadn''t closed his eyes, Yona returned to Samil looking refreshed, as if she had slept all these days.
"Phew..."
Jin felt his body heavy as lead.
His face darkened, and he experienced constant muscle twitches around his eyes.
''It''s a bit annoying, but I feel like I''ve had proper training after a long time. I still get goosebumps on my back even after going through Yona''s unique killing intent for two days.''
Jin let out a hollowugh without realizing it.
If it weren''t for Yona, no one could reek of such a thick bloodlust until they left.
"Wee to the central transfer gate of Baria. Please state your destination."
"Hufester, Calon. First ss."
"Your identification has been verified. Have afortable journey."
The fake identification documents used by gbearers posed no problems anywhere in the world.
Jin sat in the first-ss seat as if he were buried in it and closed his eyes.
He felt like he needed to rest before the boarding gate opened.
There wouldn''t be time to rest once he returned to the Garden of Swords.
But unfortunately...
Jin couldn''t rest.
''I didn''t know living in my older sister Yona''s killing intent would be so useful.''
Jin didn''t notice as soon as he entered the room.
But sitting quietly, he started to feel it.
There was an ordinary ''different'' kind of killing intent coursing through his entire body.
Jin wouldn''t have felt it on a normal day.
Not with such an exhausted body.
Furthermore, even though it was normal, the killing intent surrounding Jin was extremely refined.
"Teleportation will begin shortly. You may experience headaches and dizziness due to teleportation side effects, so passengers..."
"Attendant."
"Yes, sir?"
"Leave."
"What are you suddenly saying... If I''ve somehow displeased you, please tell me..."
"It means you should leave if you''re not on the same side as the passengers. Those are assassins who havee to kill me from the Malevolent Spirit Fortress."
The Malevolent Spirit Fortress, the headquarters of the Malevolent Spirit Base.
They were the ones who had received the request from the Elders.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 379: How Runcandel Deals with Assassins (1)
C379 - How Runcandel Deals with Assassins (1)
"I never expected the Assassins from the Malevolent Spirit Base to arrive so quickly."
It was because he believed his movements hadn''t been discovered.
Moments ago, he had been with Yona, and when they were searching in the Wantaromo Forest, he had been disguised as Valeria.
Especially when Yona was nearby, it was impossible for the assassins to be so close.
Did they find me right after older sister Yona left?
It hasn''t been even two hours.
How did they manage to track my movements in such a short time?
He had no idea.
It couldn''t be just a coincidence, given the thoroughness of the Ghost Mercenaries'' preparations.
It seems all the first-ss passengers were assassins in disguise.
"Well, I''ll find out how they managed to follow meter..."
After dealing with the situation.
"My physical condition isn''t very good, but older sister Yona''s killing intent could be quite useful in this fight."
It would be useful for sensing the ''difference'' in ordinary killing intent.
If Yona''s killing intent was like a nk canvas, then ordinary killing intent was a palette of various colors.
This, in itself, had a kind of filtering effect.
No matter from which direction an attack came, he could respond at a level close to prediction, thanks to the killing intent imbued in his sword.
Just like how we can distinguish colors on the canvas with our naked eyes.
That''s why, even though he was quite tired, Jin had confidence. He fought at an advantage topensate for his disadvantage.
Sighing as he looked around, the guide seemed perplexed.
"Sir, I apologize, but do you happen to have any narcotics or simr substances with you? I need to check for a moment, please cooperate."
The attendant reached out to Jin.
At that moment, Jin punched him while still seated.
The savage sensation of the attendant''s finger bones breaking sessively was heard, and before he could scream, Jin cut his throat with his hand.
It wasn''t a sword.
It was just his hand, but the cut on the neck was clean.
Jin had also already surpassed the point where he could use his whole body as a sword.
Shriek!
The aura-stained hand left a bright trail.
Blood should have sttered everywhere like a fountain, but no blood was spouting from the cleanly severed neck of the guide.
His entrails were nearly empty.
There were parts resembling the figure of a human and an animal, but the attendant had a ''mask,'' created from materials of both.
The familiar sensation when he broke the fingers was due to this.
"Oh, look at you, being so rough. What would you have done if I were really an attendant?"
The young woman wearing a mask as a disguise had been the one in the attendant outfit.
She had now moved away from the cabin entrance, holding two daggers in both hands.
At the same time, there was a chilling sound of swords being drawn all around.
The assassins disguised as passengers were unsheathing their weapons.
"Asking first-ss passengers about narcotics possession is something only high-level administrators can do. You need to study more."
Jin seemed to know who the woman was.
"Fey Proch."
The Proch Family.
Originally a simple peasant family, they gained notoriety in the world thanks to a man named "Smarion Proch."
Despiteing from a peasant background, Smarion Proch disyed a talent for assassination from a young age.
He first killed his parents and thenmitted countless murders.
Eventually, he wiped out the Seigal Family, the family that had ruled the Malevolent Spirit Fortress for centuries, and made the Proch name known to the world.
Smarion left behind two children before his death: Lata Proch, the current leader of the Malevolent Spirit Fortress, and his younger sister, Fey Proch.
And like Smarion, they were born with the destiny of assassins.
In just one generation, a peasant family had turned into a group of assassins, and people referred to them as the ''Proch Demons.''
"So, did you recognize me immediately? Well, the infamous Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel. I don''t hold a grudge against you, but you''ll have to die here today."
In response to Fey''s words, Jin calmly observed the various colors of killing intent.
A total of ten highly trained assassins, including Fey Proch. Their killing intent was undoubtedly exceptional.
But Jin didn''t find it impressive.
Just two hours ago, he had been in the presence of the very killing intent (Yona).
"If you want that, I suggest you bring more people."
Fey nodded, seemingly unfazed by Jin''s provocation.
"That confidence, I hope it continues even when your entire body is paralyzed."
Woooosh...!
As Fey finished speaking, the interior of the cabin began to be enveloped in red smoke.
It was a poisonous gas that caused hallucinations and nervous paralysis.
The lethality of the poison itself wasn''t high, but it could instantly strip even trained Warriors of their senses.
It was one of the symbols of the Malevolent Spirit Fortress.
"Hah!"
Jin took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air, and drew his sword.
He then charged towards the cabin entrance where Fey was blocking his way.
She smiled beneath her mask as if everything was over.
Thud!
Fey easily dodged Jin''s desperate strike.
Furthermore, the other nine assassins were also closing in on Jin, making it seem impossible for him to escape the cabin.
With a face contorted in desperation, Jin sweated profusely as the assassins closed in on him.
They hoped the poison would finish him off.
"Ugh...!"
Jin staggered, feeling dizzy.
The assassins'' swords were getting closer.
Thud!
"Y-yugh... I demand to make a deal."
Finally, Jin fellpletely to the ground, barely managing to open his mouth.
Fey''s eyes turned cold.
"Where did that audacity go?"
Fey was very disappointed, or perhaps she had expected this to happen.
Fey Proch had witnessed many formidable individuals who initially seemed confident but ended up bing despicable.
"To make a deal..."
"Kill him. Retrieve the body and return."
When Fey turned around and gave the order, the assassins simultaneously sprang into action.
At that moment, Jin copsedpletely on the ground, barely holding onto his sword.
There was no need to be cautious when thrusting a sword into the back of someone who was lying down, defenseless.
And Jin had been waiting for that moment when the assassins of the Malevolent Spirit Fortress would lose their caution and lower their guard.
"They probably took the antidote beforehand, but they wanted to kill me as quickly as possible and get rid of this poison."
The Thousand-Poison Antidote.
The antidote that turned the drinker''s body almost immune to various poisons.
The assassins didn''t have it. That''s why when they used extreme poison, they had to suffer some damage themselves.
In other words, the assassins of the Malevolent Spirit Fortress used the poisonous mist because they were determined to kill Jin, even if it meant harming their own bodies.
So, despite their best efforts to kill him, when Jin disyed a sublime attitude, Fey let her guard down.
Thud, thud!
The assassins'' swords struck mercilessly.
However, the swords weren''t aimed at Jin but at the floor where he had fallen.
Since Jin was lying down, he couldn''t see from which direction the assassins'' swords wereing.
Even if he was alert, dodging the swords in that state was difficult for Jin.
Especially considering the exhaustion that had built up in his body.
However, what mattered was the killing intent that Jin perceived in them.
Even with his eyes closed, Jin felt like he could easily dodge all their swords.
"Kkuhk!"
Fey, who was about to leave the room, turned towards Jin at that moment.
At the instant her neck was broken, the assassin let out a death scream.
Fey''s eyes widened in disbelief.
What...?
Could it be that Jin Runcandel had been acting all along until now?
She realized instantly.
Whether he possessed the Thousand-Poison Antidote or had a venomous body like Kuzan, Jin had immunity to poison, and he had used it to act.
However, as fast as she had realized, it was already toote.
Another assassin''s body had been cut horizontally, and in the midst of the severed body, Jin could be seen wielding a sword tainted with dark energy like a demon.
Thump-!
Red blood sttered as lifeless bodies fell to the ground, forming a grotesque sound.
"That''s why the assassins of the Malevolent Spirit Fortress are considered worse than the Nameless Assassins. Poison? Did you really think you could assassinate Runcandel with something like that?".
Jin, blood dripping from his lips, briefly nced at Fey.
In that fleeting moment, Fey felt intense defeat for the first time in her life.
In her 25 years of existence, she had never experienced such a humiliating moment.
"Kill him!"
Fey charged forward, shouting.
Three assassins were already dead, and yet, with a 7-to-1 advantage, they believed they could still kill Jin using sheer brute force.
Fey and the assassins believed so.
Up to the moment when Fey, who had caught Jin from behind, thrust her dual des, hoping that this time the des would prate his body and kill him...
ng!
However, Fey''s twin des, which had fallen on Jin''s back, produced only an empty sound as if they bounced off metal.
Shadow Energy Armor
The Thousand-Poison Antidote was not the only thing the assassins of the Malevolent Spirit Fortress were unaware of.
They also had no information about Bradamante''s Shadow Energy Armor, which had beenpleted not long ago.
Sh*t!, Fey cursed as she realized it.
The reason Fey was able to easily position herself behind Jin was thanks to the other assassins who were diverting Jin''s attention to the front.
Two out of the seven were engaged in a perilous battle to create an opening.
If Fey''s des had sessfully pierced Jin''s back, their lifeless heads wouldn''t be rolling on the floor right now.
However, two lifeless headsy on the ground, tossed there without much care.
What remained was Fey and the remaining five assassins, who suddenly felt a pressure in their chests.
A strange fear gripped their hearts, despite still being superior.
But even that sense of superiority wouldn''tst long.
"Fey Proch, you had two chances. When you were disguised as an attendant and when I personally told you that you would need more people to kill me. If you had withdrawn then, this wouldn''t have been so disappointing. What a shame."
"Your sarcasm is excellent as rumored. I admit I was careless, but your death is inevitable."
"If I were you, I would have escaped even now. This is your third chance."
"Shut up!"
Fey''s and the assassins'' swords were now crackling with a fierce aura.
They were determined to kill the opponent in front of them, even if it meant facing death themselves.
"Unfortunately..."
Swiiish!
Bradamante''s Shadow Energy grew even stronger, and it also added the pressure of the Legend Tribe''s suppression.
From within the sword, a strong pressure of blue mes erupted.
The power of Shadow Energy, Lightning Bolt, and the blue mes merged, emitting a deep and sinister aura.
"Well, now there won''t be any more opportunities."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 380: How Runcandel Deals with Assassins (2)
C380 - How Runcandel Deals with Assassins (2)
Regardless of who started first, Jin''s sword and the assassins'' swords began shing.
Sparks flew incessantly as the des collided, and the entire room vibrated from the aura they emitted.
BAM!
The thick wooden chairs, interior decorations, and pirs shattered like fragile ss under the shockwaves.
The assassins were no longercent.
The killing intent infused in their swords had be more refined, and their movements had sharpened.
Especially the strike from the general-level assassin in the center of the formation was delivering menacing blows with each passing moment.
In terms of status, Fey Proch held the highest position, but that was only because she was the sister of the leader of the Spirit Evil Fortress, Lata Proch. In terms ofbat ability, the general-level assassin was far superior.
Fey''s twin swords were formidable, and she undoubtedly had the potential to be called a genius wherever she went.
However, she was just a twenty-five-year-old.
No matter how talented she was, to Jin, she was nothing extraordinary.
"I have to quickly finish off the general-level assassin to end this battle."
Having already lost five subordinates, he was filled with panic.
He moved across the battlefield like a venomous snake, countering smoothly andunching his most challenging and powerful attacks, making for quite an infuriating situation.
Jin had started this battle already fatigued.
Up until now, he had managed to lull the assassins intocency with his hidden cards, but the Spirit Evil Fortress was not just any group of assassins.
They had their strengths.
"Your sword seems to be infused with some kind of magic, creating attraction. You adjust your movements ordingly."
The general-level assassin immediately recognized the power of Jin''s Legends Sword.
Hearing this, Fey and the assassins regrouped.
"It seems like there''s someone worthy of being assassinated here. What''s your name?"
The general-level assassin didn''t respond to the question.
"If you won''t speak, then there''s nothing I can do."
Woong!
Shadow Energy swirled through Bradamante, and along with its flow, a ck aura spread in all directions.
Jin used it once again as a shield to disrupt the assassins'' vision.
He was out of breath from releasing his techniques so relentlessly.
As he pushed his concentration to the limit, he could clearly sense Yona''s killing intent in that state.
As his perception sharpened, the assassins'' killing intentions became easier to read.
Jin skillfully slithered between the seven swords, and it only appeared precarious.
To Jin, the passing swords seemed distant and safe, as if they were just grazing his Shadow Force Armor.
I''ve heard that there''s a level where you canpletely control the battle by reading the killing intent.
Is this what it feels like?
At the pinnacle of his mind''s eye, Jin experienced a simr state.
Despite the danger of the situation, the corners of his lips involuntarily lifted.
Jin always preferred fights like this.
Dangerous, but he never felt like he would lose.
Although his face was hidden by the Myulta Rune, it wasn''t visible to the assassins, but the general-level assassin was unmistakably aware of it.
"He''s enjoying this, even when we''re right in front of him...!"
The general assassin couldn''t help but feel that Jin was ying with them.
Although the assassins objectively had superior power, or at least the battle was intenselypetitive, Jin should have shown some sense of urgency.
However, it seemed as if he were a predator with a delicious prey in front of him.
He was incredibly arrogant.
However, as someone who had wielded a sword all his life, he couldn''t help but feel a strange reverence.
"Are you saying we''re different, Jin Runcandel?"
Kwaaaah!
The general-level assassin unleashed a powerful strike, and Jin was forced to step back.
His stance faltered, and the Spirit Evil Fortress assassins didn''t miss the opportunity.
Fey''s twin swords and the other four converged on Jin.
However, they couldn''t perceive any familiar sensation of swords prating flesh and bone.
Once again, the only thing transmitted through the swords was the hollow sound of metal shing.
Jin wasn''tpletely unscathed.
"I''m using too much Shadow Energy."
Even with his Shadow Energy release of nearly 8 stars, it wasn''t enough.
Releasing enough energy to overwhelm the assassins and even form an armor was exhausting.
The energy of the Shadow Energy Armor had weakened.
Normally, Jin would have easily blocked the six swords that pierced through his body without suffering any damage, but cracks had formed in his bones and muscles.
Creaking, Jin gasped for breath as he felt his ribs and femur tearing.
In life, losing something often led to gaining something else.
While using the Shadow Force Armor to defend himself, Jin executed a precise strike with his Second Shadow Sword Technique, Scissors, cutting the main assassin''s wrist.
Jin severed the hand holding the assassin''s sword.
He fell mercilessly to the ground before he could make a sound. Jin, who had lunged at him, impaled him in the chest with Bradamante.
"Now, there are five left."
Only Fey and four other assassins remained.
Jin and the assassins were breathing heavily.
Although the battle had been rtively short, everyone had exerted all their strength.
Shriek!
A sharp buzzing rang in their ears.
The one who lost concentration first would lose.
Jin tightened his grip on his sword, ignoring the buzzing in his ears.
In a brief moment, Jin''s and the general-level assassin''s gazes met.
In his mind, Jin once again imagined the impending sword strikes, and the general assassin made a decision.
He regretted it.
He shouldn''t have missed the three opportunities Jin mentioned a while ago.
From the general''s perspective, this situation was a blow to his pride, but his position was different from Jin''s.
He had a duty to protect his master''s only sister, Fey Proch.
"Mydy, I will buy you some time. Please, escape."
Swoosh...
The general-level assassin''s sword, enveloped in an aura, emitted a somber vibration.
It wasn''t a Runcandel Final Move, a secret technique of Hairan, or any other martial art from a prestigious family or n.
It was simply the culmination of an individual''s constant training, the fruit of a Warrior''s sword.
Jin had a premonition that this would be his final blow.
"We received the order to kill Jin Runcandel. And I gave the order to kill him."
"So we shall. But I cannot put your life in danger, Lady Fey."
"If you put your life on the line, I will put mine on the line too."
"My Lady."
"Such are the Assassins of the Spirit Evil Fortress and the honor of the Proch. If we fail, my brother will seek revenge."
The general-level assassin could no longer stop Fey.
Jin gathered all his aura once again and tried to muster all the strength he had left to block the final blow from the general assassin.
"If I can''t stop it, there won''t be a next time for me."
The oue would be decided with a single strike.
If he could unleash the Sword of Legends, the Secret Sword Technique of the Magic Sword, or Riol Zipple''s legacy, it would be perfect.
However, he had no energy left.
What Jin could unleash was a strike that contained the essence of the Shadow Sword, more than anything else.
"Well, here we go..."
And the will of the Warrior.
As if casting a spell, Jin poured his will into the sword.
For a moment, the surroundings fell silent, and everything ahead turned as ck as coal.
Although Jin''s vision had be blurred, the shapes of the assassins were barely visible, but it was easier to calibrate distances than when everything was clear.
Naturally, the Myulta and the Shadow Energy Armor dissipated.
Even the minimal Shadow Energy for his protection had transformed into a "will to cut" and merged into Bradamante.
In this way, for about ten seconds, while Jin and the general-level assassin faced off, Fey and the other assassins couldn''t attack Jin, who remained motionless.
Because there was a moment when a barrier, invisible to others but visible to those of the same level, formed between Jin and the general-level assassin.
Fey and the assassins believed that the general-level assassin would finally finish Jin off this time.
Even if he couldn''t kill Jin, they hoped he would inflict enough mortal wounds to secure their victory.
"They''reing."
Almost simultaneously, the swords of Jin and the general-level assassin moved.
A sh of light and dark energy crossed between them, and their swords, moving as fast as light, pierced each other.
Such bright swords weren''t limited to those with extraordinary talents.
Anyone who devoted their life to the sword could achieve it through unwavering determination.
For the general-level assassin, this was the moment.
A moment when the flickering ember burned fiercely before extinguishing.
It was perilous.
"He must have suffered a mortal wound."
If he had known in advance about Jin''s hidden final move, he would have surely inflicted a mortal wound.
The general-level assassin''s sword grazed Jin''s waist.
On Jin''s back, where the sword had passed, a scorching ember had formed.
It was the blue me contained in Bradamante.
"If it weren''t for the strong pressure..."
In thest moment when the swords shed, the strong pressure of the blue me suppressed the general-level assassin.
In the midst of the fierce battle with the Spirit Evil Fortress Assassins, Jin intentionally hadn''t used it, and it ultimately decided the oue.
The assassins knew Jin was a Magic Swordsman and the contractor of the Phoenix Tess.
But since Jin hadn''t summoned Tess throughout the battle, they had excluded the blue me from their calctions.
They never thought the Phoenix would infuse its power into the Contractor''s sword.
Kugh...
The general-level assassin, with his chest pierced, exhaled hisst breath.
At the same time, Fey and the assassins rushed at Jin, but they had lost their center and were no longer able to oppose him.
The broken room was now covered in blood and flesh.
The remaining four assassins didn''t take even three minutes to meet their deaths.
The poison was spreading, and despite taking an antidote beforehand, their bodies weren''t as immune to poisons as Jin''s.
Finally, only Fey Proch remained, shedding tears of blood as she gazed at Jin.
During the battle, she had also suffered injuries, and the poison had already started to paralyze her body.
"Without a doubt, my brother Lata Proch will kill you. In my name, in Grimol''s name, and in the name of my fallenrades."
"That guy was named Grimol?" Jin said as he turned to look at the lifeless body of the general-level assassin, Grimol.
At that moment, Fey, with all her strength, lunged at him, but Jin easily dodged her sword.
Fey lost consciousness and copsed.
"I will remember that name."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 381: Who Is the Real Runcandel? (1)
C381 - Who Is the Real Runcandel? (1)
Due to theplete copse of Baria''s central transfer gate, Jin could only make his way to Calon at night with great difficulty.
"Young Master Jin...!"
Hastily, the first to rush over was Butler Petro.
After Mary publicly discussed the contents regarding Temar''s tomb at the meeting, Petro had been waiting every day for Jin''s return at Hufester''s central transfer gate.
Ten days had already passed since the meeting.
During those ten days, Petro''s concern for Jin had almost given him a heart attack.
"As expected, I knew you would be the first toe looking for me."
While Petro sweated profusely, Jin smiled calmly.
However, due to the fact that he had gone through a fierce battle, Jin''s appearance seemed quite worn out to Petro.
"Why do you look injured? Hey! Call the medical team immediately and bring a warm towel!"
"I don''t need the medical team."
"Young Master, what''s with thatrge sack?"
"Oh, this."
Swoosh!
Jin tossed the robe he had been carrying over his shoulder onto the ground like a sack.
Petro''s face immediately changed upon reflexively checking what was inside the sack.
"Is she... Isn''t she Fey Proch from the Spirit Evil Fortress?"
Inside the sack was Fey, still unconscious, with her limbs tied up.
"She''s a hostage for negotiation."
The reason Jin kept Fey alive was that her value as a hostage was extremely high. Killing her would only increase the Spirit Evil Fortress''s resentment, but keeping her alive could prove useful.
"The Spirit Evil Fortress Assassins attacked you, Young Master?"
Petro clenched his fists and looked at Fey.
"Yes. Lata Proch sent his sister and ten assassins after me. And as you can see, I captured that woman, Fey, in the process."
"...It''s the Council of Elders."
Petro immediately deduced the client.
At this moment, there were no others besides the Council of Elders who would havemissioned the Spirit Evil Fortress Assassins.
Jin nodded.
"Even before Lady Mary revealed the information she received from the Young Master, I had a feeling the Council of Elders would do somethingter. I didn''t expect things to escte so quickly, and I couldn''t prepare for it. I apologize."
"Are you saying you couldn''t prepare? Is Gilly okay?"
Petro''s expression darkened quickly when Gilly''s name was mentioned.
"She''s currently under arrest."
There was a brief sh of killing intent in Jin''s eyes.
But he quickly regained hisposure.
"Where is she? She can''t be in a dungeon, can she? If she were, Murakan wouldn''t have stayed quiet."
"When the arrest order came, Murakan-nim destroyed a part of the Garden of Swords. The Guardian Knights worked hard to contain him."
"Has any separate action been taken against Murakan?"
"No, Murakan-nim has not been punished."
Despite damaging part of the Garden of Swords and having more information about Jin than anyone else, Murakan had not faced any consequences.
"It could have been an irreversible situation if Gilly hadn''t stopped Murakan-nim."
Being considered the ''Guardian of the Family for a long time,'' the Family had its limits when it came to courtesy.
If he had crossed that line, even someone like Murakan might not have emerged unscathed.
"It''s a blessing in disguise."
"And I''ve heard that Gilly is detained in one of the Council of Elders'' secret hideouts. The Chief of the Civil Guard has promised humane treatment, so you don''t have to worry too much."
Gilly was detained due to her involvement with Jin in the search for Temar''s tomb. Additionally, as Jin''s nanny, she knew more about him than anyone, so it was natural for the Council of Elders to interrogate her. Information about the ''Tomb of Temar'' was sensitive enough to provoke a significant reaction from Runcandel.
"It''s a relief that Murakan wasn''t in the Wantaramo Forest. It was a wise decision to leave him behind in the Family. With him nearby, no one could have treated Gilly lightly. Although it would have been dangerous if he had gone too far."
Furthermore, Tellot, Chief of the Civil Guard, had taken good care of Gilly. While preventing Gilly''s arrest was an exaggeration, he had tried to be as considerate as possible to Jin.
"I have a lot of work to do when I get back."
Jin wiped the bloodstains from his face with the towel brought by a servant. It was time to get some fresh bloodstains.
"Let''s go."
He traveled to the Garden of Swords in the steel carriage. The other Guardian Knights at the transfer gate quickly headed to the Garden of Swords, reporting Jin''s return.
nk...!
The sound of the gate chain being lifted at the entrance of the Garden of Swords was particrly loud. As expected, the Garden of Swords had an unusual atmosphere from the entrance.
Hundreds of Guardian Knights stood threateningly, with members of the Council of Elders and gbearers standing tall in front of them.
Finally, Jin descended from the carriage. The des of four swords encircled Jin''s neck. They were the swords of the Executioner Knights.
"Twelfth gbearer, drop all your weapons."
Jin chuckled softly in response to the Executioner Knight''s low voice. "It seems I''ve be a traitor."
"Do as I said."
"And if I don''t?"
"We''ll have no choice but to enforce thew."
"President of the Council of Elders!"
Suddenly, Jin shouted with a resonant and thunderous voice that tore through the garden''s silence. It was unthinkable. The youngest in the family, the Twelfth gbearer, addressing the President of the Council of Elders with such disrespect. Immediately, a thick vein bulged on Jorden''s forehead, and the eyes of the Council of Elders'' members nearly popped out in astonishment.
''Wow, this crazy kid. Although he''s my younger brother, he''s really cool.'' Among the gbearers, only Mary felt satisfaction as she clenched her fists. The other gbearers just stared at Jin in disbelief. Even Luntia, who was usually annoyed by everything, blinked in disbelief.
"You...!"
"This is outrageous! How dare the Twelfth gbearer address the President of the Council of Elders with such disrespect?" The Council of Elders'' members, who hade to their senses btedly, watched Jorden''s mood. Jorden seemed quite flustered and kept staring at Jin with a somewhat vacant expression. The Executioner Knights, with their emotionless faces, still held their swords at Jin''s neck.
"...Sir!"
"Cough, cough..."
Finally, Mary couldn''t contain herughter and let out a suppressed cough. In reality, she had been quite angry with Jin for not showing up at the meeting, but her younger brother always provided her with so much entertainment that she didn''t dare to hate him.
"Since you probably won''t kill me right here, how about treating me a little more lightly?"
"What...?"
"The Family must have a lot to hear from me. How will they find our ancestor''s Tomb without me, and how will they recreate the Family''s ancient glory?"
Jorden''s forehead furrowed. He could barely hold onto his sanity and stared at Jin as if he wanted to kill him.
"Do you believe in that and act so recklessly, Twelfth gbearer?"
Despite the murderous intent in his eyes, Jorden''s tone was rather calm.
"Yes."
"You don''t seem to value your life. It remains to be seen if the information you gave to the Seventh gbearer has any value."
"It seems like the President of the Council of Elders is the one not valuing his honor."
Every word Jin spoke grated on Jorden''s nerves. The bulging vein on his forehead looked like it would burst at any moment.
"Do you think you can talk to me about honor?"
"What can''t I talk about? In fact, I mentioned honor because I wanted to help the President of the Council of Elders. You even brought the Executioner Knights from the ck Sword Association to put a sword to my throat..."
Toc~.
Jin continued speaking as he tapped the swords of the Executioner Knights.
"This. If you don''t cut me down here, what kind of humiliation will you face? It''s not like there are just one or two people watching. It means you won''t be able to contain the rumors."
Standing next to Jin, Petro felt his life expectancy decreasing with every word Jin spoke. Cold sweat drops ran down Petro''s pale face.
But Jin was sure. ''The President of the Council of Elders won''t kill me.'' It wasn''t that he couldn''t. It was entirely possible that Jorden, unable to contain his anger, would order the Executioner Knights to kill Jin. But it was only a possibility, and it wouldn''t benefit Jorden in any way. On the contrary, he would suffer significant losses. Not only would he lose the means to keep Joshua in check, but if other factions benefited from Temar''s Tomb in the future, the consequences would be dire. Even if Jorden was determined to kill Jin, it wasn''t certain that he could. ''Even if the President of the Council of Elders orders the Executioner Knights to kill me, Mother is very likely to stop him.'' Unless Rosa had more information about Temar''s Tomb than Jin. From her perspective, Jin shouldn''t die yet. There wasn''t a 100% chance that Rosa would stop Jorden if he lost hisposure, but Jin trusted it. Jin briefly raised his gaze and looked at the main house of the Garden of Swords. He even smiled as he focused on Rosa''s office. Silence passed. This unprecedented situation couldn''t be described with words.
"Your arrogance and recklessness have no bounds. To think someone like you could hoist Runcandel''s g, it seems times have truly changed."
When Jorden had made the decision to press Jin with the Executioner Knights, he hadn''t expected this oue. What he had expected was for Jin to realize the gravity of the situation and seek help from others to rectify it. If Jin had proposed a deal, asking for assistance from other gbearers or Tellot to alleviate the pressure from the Council of Elders, Jorden nned to use it as a pretext to find out exactly who Jin''s potential allies were. He never expected Jin to be this audacious. Just like everyone who had dealt with Jin before. So, Jorden had no choice. If he simply let this pass, as Jin suggested, it would undoubtedly lead to a severe loss of honor, just as Jin said.
"Adapting to change is not an easy task, President of the Council of Elders."
"True, you''re right. But you, you haven''t lowered your weapons yet."
Jorden slightly raised his chin and spoke softly.
"Cut off both his arms."
Swish-!
The Executioner Knights, without hesitation, aimed to sever both of Jin''s arms at Jorden''smand.
Thud, thud.
Then, the severed limbs fell to the ground with a dull sound. And Jin didn''t even spare a nce at his fallen arms.
Step, step~
Jin approached Jorden.
"Are you done?"
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 382: Who Is The Real Runcandel? (2)
C382 - Who Is The Real Runcandel? (2)
Drip, drip...
Blood flowed from Jin''s severed arms.
Puddles of blood quickly formed on the ground, and thew-enforcing knights took a step back, their swords still pointed at Jin.
Jin maintained a serene expression.
And he never took his gaze off Jorden.
For Jorden, that calm look from the rookie couldn''t be more unsettling.
Even as Jin approached him with severed arms, Jorden felt a chill down his spine, as if a de were cutting through his back.
"It''s a reflex...!"
Such a thought briefly crossed Jorden''s mind.
A reflex.
What he saw in this insolent boy now was a reflection that reminded him of Cyron''s youth.
Back then, when Jordenpeted with Cyron as the Second gbearer, Jorden had received a warning from Cyron.
A look.
A look that said, "If you keep challenging, I will eliminate you."
Young Jorden only truly realized the weight of Cyron''s casual warning after facing him.
They were on different levels, lived in different worlds, and were beings of different dimensions.
He was nothing more than an ant Cyron could crush at any moment.
"At that time, the Patriarch was already at the pinnacle of the world. He truly was a supreme ruler."
But then, why did this Twelfth gbearer with severed arms possess the same aura?
A terrifying aura that Jorden had never experienced from anyone since Cyron!
Blink...!
He closed his eyes for a moment, and in that instant, all those thoughts passed as fast as light.
All that deja vu feeling melted into a fleeting moment in which he barely blinked.
"Call the medical team, now!" someone urgently shouted, and he heard the sound as if it wereing from underwater.
Hah!
It was only then that Jorden could finally swallow the lump in his throat and break free from the deja vu.
Goosebumps covered Jorden''s entire body.
"Get the medical team here quickly! Damn it, hurry!"
The one shouting was Butler Petro.
A mere butler couldn''t use suchnguage when Elders and gbearers were present.
But in Petro''s mind, there was only one thought: Start treatment before Jin''s arms necrotized.
Even for high-level healers,pletely healing an amputated limb was not an easy task.
Reattaching a severed limb might seem simple, but a Warrior''s arm was different from that of an ordinary person.
If it didn''t fully regain its original function, a Warrior was no different from a bird with broken wings.
Even the most renowned healers on the continent couldn''t restore an amputated limb if even a moment had passed after amputation.
"Medical team!"
Mary also called for the medical team, biting her lower lip.
The knights ran to the medical facilities as if possessed.
In less than twenty seconds, the knights returned with the medical team.
Meanwhile, Dyfus and Mary did their best to stop Jin''s bleeding and applied pressure to his arms.
"Uncle Jorden, your ending won''t be a good one."
In the midst of the chaos, Jin suppressed a victorious smile.
However, even though Jin hid his smile, everyone present in the central court who had witnessed this scene knew who the winner was between Jin and Jorden.
"Make way!"
"Both of you, go get the necessary medicinal herbs! We need emergency treatment first, and then we''ll move the Twelfth gbearer to the operating room!"
The healers of Runcandel shouted as they examined Jin''s body.
"Is the little brother okay!? Can you give him his arm back!?"
The Tona brothers, who had been watching with bated breath, rushed over to the medical team to ask.
"We can''t give a definite answer."
The situation was dire.
Jin had umted fatigue from battling assassins even before returning to the n, and his bleeding was severe.
Although Runcandel''s medical team consisted of the best healers, they couldn''t be certain they could fully restore his arm.
"Make sure to treat him perfectly, no matter what!"
"Seventh gbearer, don''t worry too much about me."
Jin gave Mary a faint smile.
The healers were working diligently to infuse mana into the amputated limbs.
"And I apologize for leaving you alone during the meeting."
"Don''t worry. Damn it. I still have to spar with you for a long time."
"Petro."
"Yes, Young Master!"
Jin nodded toward Fey in the carriage.
"That''s my spoils of war."
It meant not to let anyone touch or inspect it during its operation.
Originally, it was a difficult order for Petro to fulfill.
In such a situation, if the Council of Elders demanded it, Petro and Jin had no choice but to hand over Fey.
But with this incident, Jin Runcandel''s name within the Family had gained a higher status.
No one could casually interfere with Jin and his possessions.
Even the President of the Council of Elders had pressured Jin with some usible reasons but ended up with such a disgrace.
Now, it had be a matter that required serious determination to touch Jin within the Family.
"Understood!"
Despite still being concerned for Jin, Petro''s chest swelled with pride from the depths.
"Twelfth gbearer, we will move to the operating room!"
"I''m counting on you."
"I''ll do what I can."
The medical team, once they hadpleted emergency treatment, began to transfer Jin to the operating room.
Jorden and the older council members watched in silence for a while.
It wasn''t the time for the council of elders to tell everyone to step back, reprimand the butler for calling the medical team, or forw-enforcing knights to punish the gbearers for breaking thew.
The elderly council wasn''t in the mood for such things.
Above all, Jorden had lost some of his fighting spirit.
"For a moment, I, Jorden Runcandel, felt fear from that boy just from his aura."
Was the fear he felt from Cyron in his youth really so tremendous, or had the Twelfth gbearer shown an indescribable will?
Jorden couldn''t quickly distinguish between the two.
"One thing''s for sure, he''s not an opponent to be taken lightly...!"
Indeed, Jorden had recognized Jin''s potential long ago.
Jin had some exceptional qualities that set him apart from other gbearers.
Still, Jorden had never judged him as a ''true opponent'' with whom he could truly spar.
He had always thought of him as someone he could crush at any moment, just as Cyron had done back then.
And today, that thought hadpletely changed due to today''s humiliation.
For the first time in his life, he felt the bitterness of being defeated despite cutting down his opponent at will.
"He might be a greater threat to me than the Second gbearer. No, perhaps...!"
He couldn''t turn to see, but Jorden was aware of Rosa''s gaze from the main house.
"He might be even more dangerous than Rosa."
There was someone else who shared a simr thought to Jorden''s.
Joshua Runcandel, the Second gbearer of the Family.
He contemted the pool of blood that Jin had shed with a premonitory feeling.
"...At first nce, it seems reckless, but it''s clear it was a calcted move. From the moment Mary made the issue of the first patriarch''s tomb public, he was preparing to detonate this bomb within the n."
What had just transpired between Jin and Jorden was only the beginning.
Joshua was sure of it.
"He''s definitely not the kind of person who would let himself be pushed around so much. He must have had a well-founded reason for doing this."
After Mary had made the information public during the previous meeting, Joshua had been pondering Jin''s intentions all along.
The legacy.
Undoubtedly, Mary had mentioned that Solderet had left legacies in the first patriarch''s tomb for Jin.
Not just because he found it difficult to search for those legacies on his own.
There was something more.
"What is Jin exactly?"
Before Jin''s operation could conclude, it was crucial to understand his intentions.
Undoubtedly, another disturbance would ur within the n right after the operation.
Various scenarios swirled in Joshua''s mind. He felt like his head was about to explode, and an inexplicable anxiety weighed on his chest.
"There has to be something fundamental. All of little brother''s actions are ultimately directed at getting what he wants."
After much contemtion, Joshua finally arrived at a conclusion.
The battle for session!
He wondered why he hadn''t thought of it immediately.
"Why didn''t I think that this little brother leaked information about the first patriarch to Mary to gain an advantage in the session battle?"
Encouraging other Runcandels to participate in the search for the tomb through Mary, having Mary attend the meeting alone while he stayed on the sidelines, and even undermining Jorden''s prestige by losing both arms ¨C all of these actions were aimed at gaining an advantage in the session battle.
"Having Mary leak information about the first patriarch''s tomb was to gain legitimacy. Having Mary attend the meeting alone was to obtain thest legacy that could be obtained without relying on the n''s power. And weakening the prestige of the elderly council president..."
A show of presence.
Joshua, who had reached this conclusion, nced around once.
What he saw was the agitated Runcandels.
It was undeniable that Jin''s actions were having a significant impact on the Runcandel Family.
At a certain point, Jin had stopped observing the atmosphere of the Family, and instead, the Family had begun to follow the current created by Jin.
This meant that the position of the twelfth gbearer carried considerable weight.
It also implied that cracks were forming in his position as the future patriarch, which he had built up until now.
"Howard."
Joshua called his butler.
"Yes, my lord."
"Starting today, those who seek to determine their own fate as the little brother will begin to appear."
Howard was surprised to hear this.
"No need to be surprised. From the beginning, he was someone our father had an interest in, so it''s natural for this to happen. They may be few for now, but a snowball can grow in an instant."
"How do you n to approach this?"
"Gather all my knights in the Garden of Swords. Anyone who can arrive before the little brother''s surgery ends, without exception."
"I understand."
The reason Joshua was assembling his knights was for this very purpose: when Jin recovered from surgery, or when he detonated any bomb, they needed to show the dignity of the Second gbearer of the Family and the future Lord.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 383: Who Is The Real Runcandel? (3)
C383 - Who Is The Real Runcandel? (3)
Murakan, who had learned of the newste, tried once again to cause a disturbance, but Petro desperately stood in his way.
"These crazy bastards, do they dare to cut off Solderet''s Thousand Year Contractor''s arm...? And I''m the Dragon Guardian, for God''s sake! Hpmh! It''s already frustrating that they locked up Strawberry Pie, but do they really want to tempt fate?"
"Please, Murakan-nim, calm down. The young master must have a n."
"Damn bastards! I''ll tear them apart and feed them to the dogs."
"You must not go out, Murakan-nim! Please! If you do, it will be... No, the young master will be in even greater trouble!"
Petro desperately blocked Murakan''s path.
Stopping Murakan with pure physical force was naturally impossible for him.
Instead, Petro emphasized multiple times that if Murakan moved, it would be problematic for Jin.
"They''re cutting the arms off a Warrior! If he''s not securely held down, he won''t be able to wield the sword as before."
The room trembled with Murakan''s anger.
Everyone in the Garden of Swords could feel his energy.
Therefore, outside, hundreds of Knights waited nervously.
"I know. But, Murakan-nim, you''re a Dragon Guardian, aren''t you? So, in any situation, it''s right to make a decision for the Young Master. Please hold on and wait until the Young Master''s surgery is over."
"Haa."
"Even if something goes wrong with the Young Master, it''s not toote to express your anger then. Please, Murakan-nim. I implore you...! Please also think of Gilly!"
Petro felt like he might suffocate under Murakan''s energy. His lips, pale blue, trembled.
"AAAAHHH!" Murakan shouted, and Petro barely held his ground beside him.
Fortunately, Petro''s pleas reached him.
Murakan decided to ept Petro''s words for the time being.
"...Alright, what you''re saying makes sense. I''ve calmed down, butler. It''s not just the kid; even Strawberry Pie could have trouble if I make a move."
"You''ve made the right decision! Let me prepare a drink to cool your head quickly..."
Murakan walked past Petro.
"Hey, where are you going!? Murakan-nim!"
"No matter how you look at it, I''m his Dragon Guardian. I can''t just stand still. At the very least, I must give them a warning. And I have to go somewhere."
Swiish...!
As Murakan transformed into his true form and left the hallway.
Petro could do nothing but watch once more.
Thud! Crash!
The walls and ceiling of the hallway were shattered by Murakan''s enormous body, and debris fell.
Servants fled in terror, and Murakan soared into the sky, breaking through the roof.
''The Garden of Swords has been destroyed again...''
Petro, like everyone else in the Family, was experiencing something they had never lived through before.
The Garden of Swords had been destroyed twice in such short intervals.
Murakan looked toward the Garden of Swords, which covered the moon.
The darkness of the night sky deepened, and the Knights formed ranks.
[If the arms of Solderet''s Contractor, Jin Runcandel, don''t return to their original state...]
Murakan''s eyes shone as he continued.
[Runcandel will start facing its destruction from that day]
His voice was audible to all Runcandels, and they knew that the current Murakan alone couldn''t bring about Runcandel''s destruction.
They were just words.
But they sounded like an ominous curse.
Maybe it was because Runcandel had a tendency to venerate strange superstitions, but the members of the Family felt as if his words had weighed on their hearts.
In this way, Murakan began to leave the Garden of Swords, flying towards an unknown destination.
--------------
The operation continued throughout the early morning.
Healing the amputation required extreme concentration, and the n''s healers looked like they might faint at any moment.
"Director, intermittent seizures are urring in the amputated arm...! We can''t control them!"
"I have eyes and a brain too, so keep your mouth shut and infuse mana. What we''re reattaching isn''t an ordinary person''s arm; it''s the arms of a Runcandel gbearer."
Although the arms had been reimnted for a long time, the unknown convulsions persisted.
This drove the medical team crazy.
If they couldn''t perfectly control the seizures, the operation would be a failure.
"If we can''t restore the Duodecim gbearer''s arm perfectly, the entire medical team must be prepared to die together. Damn it, there was no necrosis. What the hell is this damn seizure? Hey! Run quickly and bring more resources!"
Chak!
When the door to the operating room suddenly opened, the head of the medical team stood up and shouted.
"Who the hell entered the operating room during surgery?"
Even though this was the Garden of Swords.
Inside the surgery room, the head of the medical team was the ultimate authority.
Even if the person who entered was Cyron, the orders of the head of the medical team were valid.
That''s how Runcandel treated the medical team.
Even when they were injured during a mission or in battle.
If the medical team couldn''t properly support them, they couldn''t fight properly.
Naturally, the head of the medical team thought that the intruder who had entered the operating room so recklessly was a troublemaker from the Council of Elders.
That''s why his anger red even more.
Regardless of internal disputes or power struggles taking ce within the n, the authority of the medical team had to be respected.
It had been a tradition for the medical team to maintainplete neutrality within the n for generations.
"Get out right now! I said get out..."
The irritated head of the medical team shouted, but he stopped speaking when he saw who had entered.
The medical team''s eyes nearly popped out in surprise when they saw the face of the intruder who had just removed her hood.
"It''s the Holy King... The Holy King of Vank!"
The head of the medical team couldn''t help but utter these words.
The Holy King, Lani Salom¨¦. She had just arrived at the Garden of Swords.
She had been brought here by Murakan, who had personally gone to the Holy Kingdom.
The only ones who could summon the Holy King for personal matters were Jin and Murakan.
"I''ve brought the Religious Fanatic... No, the Holy King. Why can''t you address her properly? Huh?"
Murakan, who stood behind Lani, growled, causing the members of the medical team to bow their heads.
"We greet Your Majesty, the Holy King!"
"We greet Your Majesty, the Holy King!"
To the medical team, it felt as if their savior had arrived.
"I haven''te today as the sovereign of the Holy Kingdom but as Jin''s friend, so there''s no need to treat me so formally."
Lani knelt beside Jin.
"What''s the situation?"
"The reinsertion has beenpleted, but there''s an unidentified cause for the ongoing seizures."
Lani nodded as if she understood.
"I will examine him."
"Yes!"
As soon as Lani arrived, the medical team naturally focused their efforts on her treatment.
They were considered the best medical team in Hufester, but no medical team in the world could surpass the Holy King in skill.
Wooong!
As Lani began to radiate her energy, the operating room was instantly bathed in a bright yellow sacred power.
Since bing the Holy King, her holy power had deepened day by day.
"Ay will protect my friend."
--------------
Jin woke up from anesthesia in the morning.
When he saw Lani sitting by his side, he smiled as if he had known she woulde.
"You''ve woken up."
"Lani."
Judging by his expression, there was no need to ask if the operation had been a sess.
"Thank you."
"You treat me like a personal healer."
A few months ago, Lani hade to Tikan to treat Valeria, who had suffered a mana reflux.
"I saw a ck cat by the window early in the morning, so I thought of Murakan-nim. But I didn''t expect it to be really him."
At that, Jin''s expression turned serious.
"Isn''t the security in the chambers of the Holy King a bitx? Should I get you a good sword?"
"Well, I''ll think about it. I''ve already received quite a bit of money from you, and I feel a bit guilty about receiving more support."
Jin had been consistently sponsoring funds for the Holy Kingdom.
Since the sess of his cosmetics business, an astronomical amount of money had been flowing into the Holy Kingdom every month.
The financial crisis of the Holy Kingdom, which had started due to threats and persuasion from Zipple, was quicklying to an end thanks to that funding.
"My arms are worth that much. They feel even better than before they were cut off."
Jin felt incredibly light as he moved his arms.
"The fate of the Holy Kingdom that you and Murakan-nim saved is worth more than that, Jin. So don''t worry too much about it."
"Religious Fanatic! Thank you for your hard work."
Murakan, who entered the room with a drink (prepared by Petro), ruffled Lani''s hair as he spoke.
"I''d like to spend more time with you than with a drink, but the current situation doesn''t allow it. There are many bastards I have to beat to a pulp. Next time, I''lle without any business, so bring some good liquor to your room."
Murakan treated Lani like a close rtive.
"...Murakan, asfortable as you are with her, how do you dare to drink alcohol in the Holy King''s bedroom?"
"I''m fine with it. Bring Jin along too. Don''t keep calling me all the time."
"I''m fine with it too. Why are you the only one making a fuss, brat?"
The twoughed heartily for a while.
To Lani, those two were more precious friends than anyone else.
"I should leave soon."
"Alright. It will be hard for me to say goodbye."
"I understand. Especially now, the Garden of Swords, famous for its brutality, is literally infested with bloodlust."
Before Jin woke up, Lani had already been informed of the situation by Murakan.
"I hope there won''t be another morning when I have toe and treat you, Jin."
"That won''t happen. Our medical team might be a bit busy today, but..."
"Don''t you feel sorry for your arms? They''ve just been reattached."
Lani had only wished the best for the exhausted and overworked Runcandel medical team that had worked all night to treat Jin.
"Even my arms need a chance to shine."
Lani shook her head sympathetically.
"You''re not nning another rebellion, are you?"
"Do I look that stupid, Lani?"
"Actually, you don''t, but... well, I hope I won''t be called again for these kinds of matters. Until next time. And take care of your body from time to time."
When Lani left, Jin''s and Murakan''s eyes were filled with killing intent.
"You''ve held up well, Murakan."
"I''m still holding up. I''d love to chew up and swallow those Council of Elders idiots right now. Yes, you must have some n in mind, right?"
"I''ll make a statement."
"A statement? What kind of statement?"
"A statement to restore Runcandel to its status as a Family of Magic Swordsmen."
A war to reim the throne of the Family.
In that war, Jin nned to carry out a feat that only he could achieve in Runcandel.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 384: Who Is the Real Runcandel? (4)
C384 - Who Is the Real Runcandel? (4)
Blink~.
For a moment, Murakan just blinked, as if he had heard something bad. He had a bewildered look, but soon his eyes gleamed with a wicked smile.
"Hahaha! Are you saying you''ll bring Runcandel back to how it was before? Are you serious?"
His voice was excited, like that of a child receiving an unexpected gift.
"Do you think it''s just a joke?"
"Have you found something while investigating the tombs of Temar? Can you lift the curse inflicted by Zipple and its gods?"
A thousand years ago, Runcandel suffered the humiliation of Zipple and the curse called "The Covenant/The Oath."
Never use magic again.
Furthermore, do not worship those ancestors who used magic.
That was the reason why Runcandel, once a Family of Magic Swordsmen, had been reduced to an ordinary Knight n.
As a result of the curse, all Runcandels born from then on had bodies incapable of using magic.
"No, it''s not like that."
"Then?"
"When I looked into the Tombs of Temar, I simply made a decision. At this rate, Runcandel has no future."
From the recording devices left in each tomb, Jin glimpsed the majesty of ancient Runcandel.
He confirmed secrets as the descendant who inherited their legacy, and experienced firsthand the invincibility of the great Magic Swordsmen of Runcandel.
Ancient Runcandel was undoubtedly a glorious n.
However.
Even the glorious Runcandel of that time knelt before the power of Zipple.
Even the great Magic Swordsmen of Runcandel from those times had no choice but to kneel before that dark and colossal power that could manipte reality and history at will.
All they could do was leave a small spark of hope for the future.
"Their ability to manipte history is not limited to that time. Just as we are trying to recover the history of ancient Runcandel, Zipple is also trying to recover the power of that time."
At that time, Zipple did not emerge unscathed either.
Zipple suffered significant losses in breaking ancient Runcandel.
If they had ended the war without significant losses, it would have been impossible for Runcandel to exist now.
A thousand years had passed, but both Runcandel and Zipple had not regained their former power.
"Indeed. Just by seeing their attempts to reproduce the Origin Orb, it''s clear they are determined to dominate the world."
"In my opinion, as things stand, it''s more likely that Zipple will regain ancient power faster. So I have to start moving seriously from now on."
Until now, he hadn''t.
Since his return, Jin had almost always concealed his power from his n.
Only when his tenure as a provisional gbearer was about to end did he reveal to the world that he was a Magic Swordsman.
Even after bing a gbearer, he had not fully revealed his abilities to the members of his n.
It wasn''t because he enjoyed hiding his power. It wasn''t because he didn''t find it frustrating.
It was simply because he needed to. Until he had the necessary confidence to withstand the pressure from his n when his power was revealed.
Jin judged that now was the right time.
-Younger one.
-Yes, Father.
-Appointing you as gbearer would be a significant loss for Runcandel. I will observe whether you are worth the trouble it would cause.
-I understand.
-I don''t have much time left. The appointment ceremony will begin in an hour, so stay here until then.
Jin remembered the conversation he had with his father, Cyron.
The fact that Cyron didn''t have much time left meant one thing: there wasn''t much time for the world''s strongest Knight to protect Runcandel.
As long as my father is alive, Zipple won''t attack Runcandel.
Jin hade to that conclusion not long ago.
It was well known that, despite Zipple having a clear advantage in power, they avoided direct confrontation with Runcandel because of Cyron.
However, Jin''s conclusion was that even though there were ample reasons and justifications for both sides to engage in a major battle, there would be no total war as long as Cyron remained alive.
"I''ve already vited the covenant between Runcandel and Zipple."
Furthermore, Jin had defeated Zipple''s elite forces, including pure-blooded Zipple like Andrei, Karl, and Myuron, as well as some of the top Magicians, the Specters.
He had also destroyed Zipple''s gship, Kozec, the symbol of their power, not once but twice.
Especially during the Holy Kingdom incident, when Jin was still a Provisional gbearer, he had humiliated Zipple to the extreme, reducing their prestige to nothing.
Recently, he had been scratching the inside of Zipple through his cosmetics business.
Although he had tried to avoid leaving traces and had created justifications to prevent issues from escting, each incident could have easily led to total war.
However, Zipple had still not attacked Runcandel.
Even though I''ve caused all these disturbances, and my father is exploring the ck Sea.
That was partly because Cyron was a formidable presence, but Jin believed that Zipple also realized that Cyron didn''t have much time left.
"They must think that if they wait silently, victory will be theirs..."
"I don''t have much time left."
Jin seemed to understand now why Cyron had left him with those words.
"Now, even if I dere that I''ll restore Runcandel to a Family of Magic Swordsmen as you used to be, no one in the Garden of Swords can lightly punish me anymore. My presence has be too significant."
"Well, look at you, saying embarrassing things with such a serious face. Do you really have the confidence for that? Huh?"
Both Jin and Murakan chuckled.
"Instead of punishing me, maybe they''ll split into factions, with those advocating for restoring the status of Magic Swordsmen Family and those clinging to traditional values."
"Joshua and you are likely to lead each faction."
"Likely."
"Do you think your mother will oppose it?"
"My mother probably won''t be a major issue. It''s too burdensome to eliminate me at this point, and more importantly, there''s a lot she needs to find out about me, especially after I personally mentioned the Tombs of Temar. There''s a lot to use."
"Anyway, you''re an irritating person. By the way, tell me what you learned from the Fourth Tomb. I was dying of curiosity while waiting for you."
"In the fourth tomb..."
Jin went on to exin the events he had experienced in the Wantaramo Forest.
Murakan listened attentively with wide-open eyes.
"So, is that Histor girl a descendant of the Fairies? And were the fairies of the Wantaramo Forest cursed by Heluram?"
"That''s right."
"Damn, I barely remember anything about those Fairies back then. I don''t know if it''s because of history maniption or because I slept too much."
Murakan touched his forehead in frustration.
He often felt dizzy when confronted with the fact that his memories were iplete. It stemmed from a deep sense of self-guilt for forgetting hisrades and feeling powerless for having survived alone.
"You''ll gradually recover those memories, Murakan. Don''t me yourself."
In response to Jin''s words, Murakan gave a faint smile.
"Yeah, brat. With you around, I''ll end up getting it all back. And about that Valeria..."
"Yes?"
"Maybe she''s also one of Solderet''s arrangements."
"That''s possible. In fact, Histor is probably the only one who can perfectly counter Zipple''s history maniption."
"Where is she now? I''d like to have a conversation with her too. Just as she examined your Records, maybe she can look at mine to revive some memories."
"Valeria is probably traveling the world in search of the Fifth Tomb. I have some contact addresses, so I''ll arrange a meeting ce soon."
"Well, she can use Record Magic, so she''ll probably find it much better than us or our enemies. Excellent. When I meet that Histor girl, I should expect some gains from my Records."
"It seems like everything is more or less settled. I should start heading out."
While Jin was in surgery, the Garden of Swords had maintained a state of emergency.
They were concerned that Murakan might cause amotion, but everyone knew that once the twelfth gbearer woke up, he wouldn''t let it slide.
The Garden of Swords would start to stir.
The moment Jin left the room, a new meeting would begin.
"Very well, let''s go. I want to see how the faces of those Runcandel brats change after your deration."
"No, if you join, things won''t go well."
"What?"
"I should make the deration alone and bear the aftermath that follows. In case I have to carry a Guardian Dragon on my back when one Runcandel is dealing with other Runcandels."
"Well, there''s a thing called ''what if,'' brat. What if someone like the Second gbearer or those who follow him, or even your mother, try to kill you after hearing your deration?"
In response, Jin shrugged.
"There''s no chance of that happening. But even if it were, do you think I would die?"
Jin was confident he could escape even in the worst circumstances.
With the help of a few people who clearly favored him, including Mary, it was possible in any situation.
"Ha, it feels like yesterday when you were learning to release your Shadow Energy. You''ve grown a lot, you little rascal."
"And you have your own tasks to attend to."
"What is it?"
"Strawberry Pie - no. I mean, you have to bring Gilly."
As soon as Gilly''s name was mentioned, Murakan''s eyebrows furrowed.
"I''ll tell you in advance, if there''s even a small scratch on Strawberry Pie, you better be prepared because I''ll kill anyone who''s directly involved even if you stop me."
"That goes without saying. First, go to Elder Tellot and find out where Gilly is being held. You''ll have to bring her personally for me to feel safe."
Once Murakan left the room, Jin took a deep breath.
Phew...
If he said he wasn''t nervous, he would be lying.
Amidst the tense anticipation, there was also a sense of excitement.
After confirming that Murakan flew out the window, the sunlight seemed unusually bright as Jin opened the door.
"Young Master!"
Petro approached Jin and bowed his head.
"Thanks to you, my arms have healed well. I''m very grateful. It''s been very moving."
"It''s nothing."
"Is Mother, the gbearers, and the Elders in the central meeting room?"
To Jin''s question, Petro shook his head with a heavy expression.
"They are at the training ground."
"The training ground?"
"Yes. As soon as you woke up, they asked to take you there... I have a bad feeling. It''s too obvious why they''ve summoned you to the training ground."
It meant they were willing to resolve it by force if necessary.
While Petro was worried, Jin smiled as if things were going well.
"I felt a little ufortable wrecking the meeting room anyway. This is better."
"Are you telling me?"
"Bring me something to snack on. Something like a sandwich."
As Petro''s eyes widened in surprise, Jin continued.
"You can''t wield a sword on an empty stomach, can you?"
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 385: Who Is The Real Runcandel? (5)
C385 - Who Is The Real Runcandel? (5)
"I understand, Young Master."
Step!
A little whileter, Petro returned holding a sandwich filled with ample meat.
Petro couldn''t help but wonder if it was appropriate to be looking for a snack in this situation, but Jin had a rxed expression.
"Oh, it''s perfect. Well done."
"Young Master."
"Yes?"
"Is this really okay?"
"Well, Gilly and Murakan will return, and we''ll have a delicious meal together, so just wait for me."
"...I wish you all the best, Young Master!"
Petro''s resolute voice was overshadowed as Jin, with a carefree expression, took a bite of the sandwich and continued walking.
Nom, nom...
The Garden of Swords was so quiet that the sound of Jin chewing the sandwich seemed deafening.
And there were sharp gazes watching him.
How many Guardian Knights of the Family have been prepared?
Rosa and the Council of Elders had stationed Knights all along the garden''s paths.
Although they tried to conceal it as much as possible, most of the Knights harbored hostility towards Jin.
The disruption caused by Jin within the n was not well-received by the Knights.
Jin didn''t pay much attention to their stares and focused on devouring his sandwich.
For others, it must seem like Runcandel is preparing for war.
Indeed, that''s what was happening.
The Knights were not only stationed in the Garden of Swords.
The city of Calon had also been cordoned off, and Guardian Knights were ced everywhere.
News had spread worldwide that the gathering of Knights in Calon was not a good sign and needed special attention.
Zipple, Vermont, Kinzelo, and the other factions were on high alert, wondering if Runcandel was truly preparing for war.
It all came down to one person, the Twelfth gbearer, Jin Runcandel.
As he strolled casually and enjoyed his sandwich.
Finally, when he reached the entrance to the training ground, Jin ignited a small me in the palm of his hand and burned the wrapping paper.
The gatekeepers nearly jumped when they saw him.
While it wasn''t a secret that the Twelfth gbearer was a Magic Swordsman, seeing Runcandel use magic so casually in the Garden of Swords was quite surprising.
"Open the gate," Jin said as he wiped his mouth.
The gatekeepers were also Guardian Knights.
They had undergone extreme training for an ordinary human, and they could feel the energy contained in Jin''s voice.
So they couldn''t help but be amazed.
While they weren''t surprised by the use of Magic, Jin''s voice carried an unknown dignity and held profound power.
"...The Twelfth gbearer has arrived!"
Tang!
As the massive iron gate swung open, the first person Jin saw was Rosa, sitting in the highest seat of the arena.
The gbearers and members of the Council of Elders beneath her turned their heads toward Jin, and the Guardian Knights behind them shifted their gaze.
They were ready to make a move if any orders were given.
"I apologize for beingte, Mother. Thank you for waiting."
Even with such a greeting.
Isn''t there too much of a crowd gathered just to intimidate me?
Jin didn''t make such a sarcasticment.
He just stood there for a moment, facing their gazes head-on.
Like a beast entering the enemy''sir.
And waiting for the enemy to bark first.
"Twelfth gbearer!"
When someone stoically uttered his name, Jin inwardly smiled.
''Yes, I thought you''d be the one to bark first.''
It was Miu.
She had an anxious and expectant look, not hiding her intent to kill. She felt her face tingle at the prospect of witnessing Jin''s defeat.
She exuded a bloodlust that could send shivers down one''s spine.
However, Jin knew that this bloodlust did not belong to Miu and Anne alone.
It was something felt by all Knights with a level higher than 9 stars in this training ground.
"Is this where you can stand like a statue?"
"Immediately bow before the Acting Patriarch, the Chief gbearers, and the members of the Council of Elders with respect!"
Miu and Anne''s stern and resonant voices echoed throughout the arena.
Jin remained silent for a long while. He didn''t respond to his sisters'' voices, behaving as though he couldn''t hear their loud and overbearing words.
For Miu and Anne, being ignored alone was humiliating and unbearable.
Their faces turned red with anger, and the veins on their necks bulged as if they were about to burst at any moment.
"This arrogant guy."
Hah~
Jin let out a sigh.
Miu and Anne, who had drawn their swords to their hips, were momentarily taken aback by his action.
It was startling to see Jin sighing in apparent frustration.
However, within Miu and Anne''s turmoil, there was an unrecognized sense of wonder.
Indeed, could I do the same if I were in that situation?
Could I be capable of sighing even when I saw them unsheathing a sword at me?
Could I stop it with a simple sigh?
And why, exactly, was no one getting angry at this insolent behavior they were witnessing?
In that incredibly brief moment, several questions crowded into both of their minds.
They had lost. Or perhaps, they couldn''t win.
The moment they unsheathed their swords, they would embarrass themselves in front of everyone. Miu and Anne''s intuition warned them.
Yet, both sisters had to draw their swords.
It was necessary to maintain Runcandel''s honor.
"It''s nice to hear a sigh. I''ve sighed many times because of you."
Miu and Anne felt lucky.
Mary stepped forward, gently interposing herself between them.
It was to help her younger, inexperienced, and weaker sisters avoid making a single mistake that could cost them everything.
Miu and Anne felt their hearts race as they gripped their swords tightly.
"Seventh gbearer... Stand aside!"
"If you''re asking the Twelfth gbearer to be polite, then look around as well. Although the Acting Patriarch hasn''t said anything yet, do you think you can act this way? I could strike you right here. Behave yourselves; it''s better to be courteous."
Mary''s defeat of Miu and Anne at her hands was not a disgrace, at least not in the eyes of the public.
Everyone in Runcandel was well aware of the clear hierarchy among them from the beginning.
It wasn''t any different from Mary giving Miu and Anne a chance.
It was because she judged that if both of them were killed or maimed by her beloved little brother, it would result in a loss for Runcandel.
It''s impossible for Mary not to have seen what Miu and Anne had intuitively felt.
Indeed, Mary could vividly imagine an excited Miu and Anne pouncing on Jin and being taken down with a single blow.
"I warn you, do not make annoying sounds like ''hpmh'' or ''tcf'' towards me. Stay silent as the dead until the situation is over."
Miu and Anne managed to regain theirposure with great effort.
Silence settled in once again.
Jin hadn''t said a word until that moment.
In the midst of the oppressive silence, those gathered in the training ground had various thoughts, but most couldn''t help but feel a certain fear toward Jin.
Just as Miu and Anne had felt, it was almost inconceivable that someone in that position could disy such an attitude.
Some members of the Council of Elders even had a sense of apprehension.
''... It reminds me of the First gbearer.''
''The day the First gbearer dered she would resign from the position of Patriarch was like this too.''
The First gbearer, Luna Runcandel.
She was the object of Cyron''s expectations and everyone within the Family.
When she dered that she would resign from the position of Patriarch, she had been as confident and imposing as Jin was now.
No one, and nothing, seemed capable of stopping her.
However, there was a vast difference between Luna then and Jin now.
Jin hade to this ce with the intention of making the exact opposite deration.
"Twelfth gbearer."
Finally, Rosa''s voice echoed from the seat of honor.
"Yes, Acting Patriarch."
Jin looked at Rosa.
"Your fate here can be decided in a matter of seconds with just a few words from me, something so weak and trivial."
"Is that so?"
"Therefore, you must speak only the truth when I ask you."
"Understood."
"Why did you leak information about the Tomb of the First Patriarch to the Seventh gbearer?"
"Because I believed the Seventh gbearer would represent me and discuss it publicly."
"As you say. So, what is your n now?"
"I would like to hear the opinions of those gathered here, including the Acting Patriarch."
Jin briefly looked around before continuing.
"I have felt it while visiting the Tombs of the First Patriarchs since my days as the Provisional gbearer. Runcandel can never surpass Zipple."
"How dare you!"
"What are you saying now!"
Among the Elder Council members, it was Jorden, the head of the ck Sword Association, who reacted first.
"I said I wanted to hear your opinions, not insignificant outbursts. Council of Elders members, does any of you believe that Runcandel stands a chance when it goes to war against Zipple in the future?"
"What...?!"
"If you really think that, then go stick your noses in a bowl of water and drown yourselves right now."
Swing!
The Council Elders who had shouted drew their swords.
"You''re crossing the line, ignorant brat."
"Relying on unfounded hopes and dreaming of an uncertain future is the mark of weak and corrupt individuals. Runcandel doesn''t need people like that."
"What do you know? Are you capable of evaluating the oue of a war between Runcandel and Zipple, let alone speak about its results? Do you think you''ve contributed as much to this Family as you believe? Do you think you''ve fought against our enemies as much as you im?"
"Allow me to rephrase the question. It''s been a long time since the Patriarch became a Demigod, and yet, he hasn''t engaged in a total war with Zipple. What is the reason?"
Jin stared at the Elders and continued.
"It''s because the Patriarch judged that we can''t win. Even my father, who can sweep you all here like dust, thinks the same! But dare anyone say we stand a chance against Zipple?"
The older members of the council did not respond and instead stared at Jin.
Jin had directly referred to Cyron, leaving them speechless.
"No, none of you can. None of those gathered here can possess greater power than the Patriarch."
Furthermore, as Jin continued, the older members of the council drew their swords once again, unable to tolerate it any longer.
"However, I have a solution."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 386: Who Is the True Runcandel? (6)
C386 - Who Is the True Runcandel? (6)
"The sin of insulting the Patriarch must be paid with death!"
Two elders from the ck Sword Association lunged at Jin.
Although they had retired long ago, they were once high-ranking Knights.
Their swords, shrouded in a terrifying aura, emitted a sharp ng.
Their movements were as formidable as those of young Guardian Knights.
The way their swords cut through the air was precise, and their continuous strikes, unpredictable.
However, Jin effortlessly evaded their attacks, twisting his body with ease.
Not even the hem of his cloak brushed against their swords.
The elders'' swords only sliced through the air.
In an instant, Jin vanished from their sight, and the elders could feel a chilling aura, as if ice had been ced on their backs.
"I dare."
The elders sharply turned their heads in response to that voice.
What they saw were straight fists and thepressed air distorting along the path of those fists.
Bam!
The elders managed to block the consecutive punches with great effort, but their stances crumbled.
Before they could regain their bnce, Jin struck them with his fists again.
A direct hit from those fists would probably shatter my headpletely, leaving no trace...
Simultaneously, a thought crossed both elders'' minds.
There was no avoiding it.
All they could do was keep their eyes open to avoid looking pitiful in this futile moment of their demise.
Their vision darkened.
It was because of the fists that had stopped just in front of them.
Like statues, the elders remained motionless, unable to respond to Jin''s mercy.
"Was the Patriarch someone you could insult with a few words?"
Jin turned around after retracting his fists.
"I won''t hold back next time. Return to your positions."
Most of the spectators were utterly amazed.
"I had heard that the Twelfth gbearer was powerful, but he subdued the two elders from the ck Sword Association..."
He did it without even drawing his sword!
Was he really capable of this?
Especially Miu and Anne, who had been the first to face Jin, seemed to havepletely lost theirposure.
"You should be grateful to me. After all, you probably wouldn''t have survived, right?"
They couldn''t deny Mary''s whispering voice.
"Gulp!"
The Tona siblings involuntarily let out a sigh and quickly covered their mouths.
Normally, anyone would have scolded the Tona siblings for such behavior, asking them if they knew where they were showing such unbing conduct.
However, no one reprimanded the Tona siblings.
The shock from the recent incident left them speechless as well.
Of course, not everyone present here was unsettled.
"Stop and return! Do not disgrace yourselves any further."
It was Lynn Milcano, the Head of the Law Guardians.
She had been irritated from the moment the elders raised their voices in response to Jin.
"And you two are no longer part of the Council of Elders."
"Tch... Head of the Law Guardians..."
"That''s enough. Or do you really want to end up with your noses in a bowl of water as suggested by the Twelfth gbearer?"
When Lynn''s eyes sharpened, the two elders had no choice but to return to their positions without a word.
They knew that speaking unnecessary words at a time like this could cost them their lives.
"Twelfth gbearer."
"Yes, Head of the Law Guardians."
Jin made eye contact with Lynn.
"It''s not a good sight to see someone like a gbearer boasting about their strength against the elders."
"If I had truly boasted about my strength, this ce would have disappeared without a trace."
"Have you always liked to brag?"
"Wasn''t what I showed a bit too modest to call it bragging?"
As he responded this way, Jin silently reevaluated his information about Lynn.
Lynn Milcano, the Head of the Law Guardians, held significant influence even over the elders of the ck Sword Association.
''She''s someone who has worried me even more than Uncle Jordan.''
Lynn''s expression, which had be calm, made it difficult to read her thoughts.
''If possible, it would be good to make the Head of the Law Guardians my ally.''
To be Patriarchter on, the support of the Council of Elders was an absolute necessity.
Of course, there would be no problem if he achieved great sess and eliminated opposing elders.
But realistically, that was a difficult task unless he reached the Genesis Knight Realm before Joshua.
''For now, the Head of the Law Guardians and Uncle Zed are temporary allies, but it''s not enough.''
Who is Lynn Milcano, and what does she want?
As this thought briefly crossed Jin''s mind, Lynn spoke again.
"Modest, you say? Well, then it wouldn''t hurt to take a good look."
Swoosh...
Lynn smoothly unsheathed her sword.
"You mentioned a way to surpass Zipple. That must mean it''s rted to your qualities as a Magic Swordsman. Am I correct?"
"Yes."
"In that case, let''s see this disy of strength."
"Are you sure you won''t regret it?"
"That depends on what you show me."
"Very well, then."
Jin unsheathed Bradamante as he finished his sentence.
"I will restore Runcandel''s status as a Family of Magic Swordsmen."
A heavy silence hung over the arena.
However, after the humiliation of the elders, everyone refrained from challenging this arrogant Twelfth gbearer immediately.
"...No one''s saying anything, but I hear a lot of noise. What you just said directly challenges the legitimacy of our great family."
"Legitimacy..."
Mana power enveloped Bradamante.
"Among the Runcandels here, I wonder if there''s anyone who can speak of legitimacy before me. A thousand years ago, Runcandel was originally a Family of Magic Swordsmen."
This fact was not known to everyone in the n; it was a well-kept secret.
For those who didn''t understand the context, Jin''s words seemed like gibberish.
"After losing to Zipple, our family made a humiliating pact and lost its magic..."
Fwoosh!
Then, the mana swirling around Bradamante turned into mes.
"The glorious history has been erased, and the names and pride of the ancestors who protected Runcandel have been forgotten."
The blue mes, the power of Tess, and the darkness, Solderet''s Shadow Energy, dyed the sword.
The sound of swords being unsheathed echoed from various ces.
"I am the sessor of Runcandel''s Magic Sword, the Contractor of the God of Sword and Shadows, Solderet, and the sole descendant who honors the spirits of our ancestors. I am the continuator of Runcandel''s brilliant will from a thousand years ago."
Jin''s entire body was now covered in fierce mes, and his eyes gleamed with fire.
Lynn could no longer maintain her serene expression and tightly gripped the hilt of her sword.
Who dares to speak of legitimacy against me?
Who is the true Runcandel?
A deep, resonant voice shook the spectators in the training field.
It was the ancient Runcandel spirit that had begun to emanate from Jin.
"This fire belongs to Sarah Runcandel, a great Knight of the ancient Runcandel."
Runcandel''s Magic Sword Secret Technique
Hellfire - Sarah Runcandel
Suddenly, it seemed as if a volcano had erupted in the middle of the arena.
The mes spreading across Jin''s body, marked with runic characters, rapidly expanded from dots to lines, from lines to surfaces, instantly engulfing the arena.
At that moment, the first to perceive the danger among the gbearers was Luntia.
She, who always seemed drowsy and lethargic, moved faster than anyone and leaped in front of Lynn.
"Head of the Law Guardians."
"Third gbearer...!"
"I apologize for my rudeness. However, please understand that this is by order of the Law Guardians. Guardian Knights, form a defensive formation and carry out the check."
Woosh!
Following Luntia''smand, the Guardian Knights formed a defensive formation.
Other gbearers did the same.
Luntia''s swift actions made everyone realize the seriousness of the situation.
Woosh!
The hellfire began to erupt.
If Luntia had been a little slower to react, there would have already been casualties at this point.
Guardian Knights who blocked the explosions with their swords barely managed to avoid greater harm.
Screams echoed everywhere, but even those were drowned out by the fire.
Rtively powerless individuals were already dozing off, leaving their lives in the hands of theirrades, and several parts of the training field had already exploded and lost their original shape.
However, Runcandel''s Magic Sword Secret Technique was still in its initial phase.
Amidst the mes, a sharp sword energy descended.
Jin unleashed hellfire as punishment for daring to challenge the legitimacy of Magic Swordsmen using the name their ancestors protected a thousand years ago, even after death.
The sword energy filled with mes and shadow strength enveloped the Runcandels.
If they blocked, their swords melted, and if they dodged, there was a wall of mes.
Most Guardian Knights and elders didn''t have the power to break through that wall.
If this were a real battlefield, those individuals would have turned into ashes within a dozen seconds.
The reason they didn''t die and held their ground was because of the other knights who had ascended to superhuman ranks.
gbearers, the core members of the Council of Elders, as well as the executing knights.
They relentlessly wielded their swords to protect those facing death.
There was no time to be amazed by the greatness of the ancient Magic Sword Secret Technique unleashed by the Twelfth gbearer.
They were too busy desperately fending off the mes, unable to think of anything else.
Within the scorching mes, there was overwhelming pressure.
The blue mes were suppressing the Runcandels.
Amidst the raging mes and swords, Jin shouted once more.
Who is the true Runcandel?
For the Runcandels, his question sounded like the voice of the fire itself.
Even screams, like beasts howling in madness, were drowned out, but Jin''s question was clearly heard by all.
The mes grew denser and more intense.
Amidst the mes, a particrly bright glow unmistakably belonged to Jin.
And his sword was pointed at Luntia.
They had always been curious.
Among the gbearers, excluding Luna, who was the strongest?
And when he extended his sword with all his might at the strongest among them, what result would he obtain?
Frrr!
Bradamante, dyed by the fire, fell onto Luntia''s forehead.
When Luntia repelled it, the mes that had been near her burst into explosions everywhere.
Jin and Luntia''s gazes shed.
"...You''re always so annoying."
To this, Jin grinned maliciously.
"If you don''t like it, you''d better cut my throat right now."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 387: Who Is The True Runcandel? (7)
C387 - Who Is The True Runcandel? (7)
The arena turned into an infernalndscape, with waves of fire burning fiercely around two individuals in the center.
The mes clung persistently to the Runcandels, growing even more intense instead of weakening.
The sword energies unleashed by Jin''s sword, resembling hellfire, didn''t easily dissipate even when they encountered obstacles along the way.
Like the mes were wind, they bounced and scattered in all directions.
The deluge of sword energies, gushing like a torrent of hellfire, overwhelmed the Knights guarding the others.
However, these energies didn''t reach Luntia, who stood right in front of Jin.
Her body radiated an aura, a colossal strength that pushed aside the sword energies.
Jin knew very little about his Third Sister, Luntia Runcandel.
In his past life, they rarely crossed paths, and the same was true in his current life.
"Elder Sister Luntia is the only one Elder Sister Luna finds difficult to deal with."
Oddly, despite her indifferent attitude towards most things, many members of the Family still had high expectations for Luntia.
They believed that she, and not Joshua, was the most suitable to be the next patriarch.
"Now that I think about it, even in my past life... my parents didn''t take Luntia lightly."
-Luntia, Ran, and Vigo.
-Yes, Mother.
-Miu and Anne are responsible for causing this crisis, but as gbearers, they cannot evade their responsibility either. Especially you, Luntia, I am deeply disappointed in you. You must take some time to reflect, and both Ran and Vigo must each return one of the swords.
During their cadet days, Rosa had scolded the gbearers in Jin''s presence.
At the time, Jin believed that Luntia was being punished with "self-reflection" simply due to her position as the Third gbearer.
But it wasn''t so.
It was undeniable that Luntia possessed something uniquepared to her other siblings.
"Hah~."
Luntia sighed with a furrowed brow.
It wasn''t a sigh of exasperation at Jin''sment.
From the moment the hellfire was unleashed, no one here could underestimate Jin.
But Luntia seemed extremely bothered by the situation itself.
Since Jin had left Stormcastle and arrived at the Garden of Swords, everything had been like this.
The boy, who was only ten years old, quickly got under the skin of his siblings.
When Jin went on a mission to Mamitt during his Cadet days, he had received a self-reflection punishment from Rosa.
Jin''s mere presence posed a significant threat to the mission, and Luntia''s attitude, which had longed for a life free of trouble, was affected.
During his time as a Provisional gbearer, Jin suddenly broke the rules and caused an uproar upon his return, turning the Family upside down.
Simrly, during the Holy Kingdom incident, she had to be dispatched due to Jin.
Looking back, it was always Jin who stirred up problematic storms.
Luntia could assert one thing with certainty.
For nearly a decade, no one had worn her out more than Jin.
Those who knew her personality never dared to provoke Luntia recklessly.
In fact, it had been a long time since Luntia had felt boiling anger deep within her chest.
Nothing in the world irritated her more than untimely consequences that disrupted her peaceful world.
"It doesn''t seem like it''s going to work, you, the youngest."
Swish!
As soon as she spoke, a sword, imbued with blue mes, once again pierced into Luntia''s chest.
There was a contrast between Bradamante, who had grown immense with mes, and Luntia''s slender sword, ''Charles.''
At first nce, it appeared as a thin and fragile sword, ready to break at any moment.
However, the next moment, when Luntia wielded it, it seemed to represent a phenomenon that didn''t exist in this world.
It could be described as if solid light rushed towards Jin.
Swing!
Charles'' sword tip urately pierced through Bradamante''s de.
It could even be said that it was miraculous to precisely pierce through a single strand of thread gently descending through the air.
Luntia''s thrust undoubtedly went beyond that.
It precisely pierced the de of the sword, which fell at lightning speed.
Bradamante was deflected at a right angle, and Jin could feel the sensation that his wrist was about to break.
"This is what the Third gbearer of the Family is capable of...!"
That single strike was more than enough to describe Luntia.
Unimaginable speed.
A swift sword that you couldn''t counter unless you could predict its trajectory. In the scorching heat where the entire arena seemed to melt, Jin felt a shiver down his spine.
When he blinked once, the next thrust came.
Charles, which had grazed Jin''s cheek, was now stained with mes instead of blood.
He felt as if a hurricane had suddenly unleashed in front of his eyes.
Just like the wind couldn''t be seen, neither could Luntia''s thrust.
Jin felt the dangerous sensation that something was flying at an iprehensible speed, relentlessly.
It felt familiar.
It was an emotion he always felt when facing formidable opponents.
Jin had no doubts or fear.
All he had to do was stand his ground and fight, and instill the same feeling in the opponent.
The mes in Jin''s pupils intensified.
"You are certainly very brutal."
Crackle!
Charles continued to graze Jin''s body, emitting sparks with each contact.
"But it doesn''t seem like it''s enough to stop me. It''s disappointing, considering you said it wouldn''t work."
The sword energies, which previously shot out like projectiles, began to converge, guided by Jin''s will.
It was like the coordinated movement of dozens of snipers, all aiming at once.
As these sword energies converged and rained down on Luntia, her relentless thrusts began to decrease in frequency.
Although the sword energies had been deflected, there was no respite for the Runcandels engulfed in mes.
The hellfire, which was already at its zenith, became even more intense.
The ce that had been called a ''training ground'' had almostpletely disappeared.
The melted and broken roof allowed sunlight to enter, tinting the blue sky red.
Beneath it all, Jin''s and Luntia''s swords shed once more.
"It''s strange how fire flows from your wounds instead of blood."
"Elder Sister, unleashing such a deadly sword with a rapier is no small feat."
"Seriously, what are you trying to achieve with this?"
"I''ve already told you. I want to restore Runcandel''s status as a Family of Magic Swordsmen."
Crash!
It didn''t sound like swords shing but rather the sound of a giant beast gnawing on bones.
The shockwaves generated by the collision between the two distorted ces.
At first nce, they seemed equal in offense and defense, but in terms of swordsmanship, Luntia was clearly ahead.
That''s why Luntia kept thinking the same thing every time Jin showed weakness.
It''s over.
This time, it''s really over.
No... Is it over?
Certainly, it seemed like they had reached the end several times as their swords pierced each other''s bodies.
When he thought he had pierced her throat, it turned out he had grazed Jin''s ear, and when he felt he had pierced her heart, mes instead sprouted from his shoulder.
"Why?"
There were undoubtedly ws in the youngest''s fencing, so why did Charles only yield futile results?
It was strange.
Despite understanding the youngest''s movements perfectly, the battle was not turning in her favor.
It was a peculiar phenomenon that her rapier wasn''t reaching the youngest.
And a premonition gripped her.
"Didn''t something like this happen when I faced Elder Sister Luna?"
Something simr happened when she faced Luna.
And Luntia didn''t take long to find the answer.
The reason her sword kept failing to hit the opponent wasn''t because of the opponent, but because of herself.
"I... have been avoiding getting injured too much."
When facing formidable opponents like Luna, Luntia unconsciously chose to move in a way that minimized injuries.
Being wounded was more bothersome than anything in the world, and in such situations, Luntia''s desire for the annoying time to pass quickly outweighed her desire to defeat the opponent.
That''s why her sword had be shorter, her steps narrower.
It was easier to ept defeat than to endure wounds.
"I didn''t expect this to happen even when facing the youngest. It''s something that hasn''t happened to me many times in my life..."
Although Luntia didn''t take Jin''sbat prowess lightly, she didn''t consider this duel as a life-or-death battle.
She needed to reassess her judgment.
"I''ll risk my life as well."
Of course, when the battle ended, there was a much higher chance that the result would be survival rather than death.
However, there was a significant difference between entering a fight where one''s life was at stake and one where it wasn''t.
Just as the attitude of predators in the open field depended on how big their prey was in front of them.
The fact that she unconsciously avoided injuries when facing a challenging opponent was also a kind of test.
Luntia Runcandel was a somewhat peculiar human being. No, even throughout her entire life, the fact that there were very few times when she had been "injured" was a testament in itself.
For Luntia, apart from those few asions, all other fights were almost the same, with a level of danger simr to breathing, eating, and going to bed.
But this fight with Jin was different.
Luntia sensed that this battle was one where one side would be defeated, lose everything, and disappear.
Therefore, every moment was a struggle where her desire for survival and victory outweighed the boredom.
"It seems you''re finally taking this seriously, Elder Sister."
Jin immediately recognized Luntia''s change.
Luntia''s suffocating intimidation suddenly disappeared, which was only natural.
Her aura was now as calm as water.
"You''re strong. You''ve grown well."
Luntia adjusted her posture and continued speaking.
"But you shouldn''t have provoked me."
With no aura shield, Jin''s fire pierced through her.
In an instant, Luntia was engulfed in mes, leaving behind only a dark silhouette.
She faced the hellfire with her bare body.
At that moment, Luntia remembered Luna looking at Jin, and Jin couldn''t help but think of his elder sister''s image.
Luntia''s body was known as the best among the blessed bodies of Runcandel...
It was even stronger than Luna''s transcendent body.
Even after turning around the mes, Runeitia (Luntia) approached Jin with determined steps. Even amid the dancing mes, not a single blister could be seen on her body.
"This is incredible."
Jin gathered the mes that had spread everywhere.
The mes that had spread like a gue throughout the training ground and even beyond were being absorbed into Bradamante.
"I never imagined there would be someone tougher than Elder Sister Luna among us..."
Not just Jin, but all his siblings thought the same.
Except for Luna, none of them had imagined that there would be such a strong sibling.
Because none of the other siblings had ever made Luntia feel threatened even once.
"I didn''t know you would also be willing to fight with all your might, so there''s no need for us to feel disappointed in each other."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 388: Who Is the Real Runcandel? (8)
C388 - Who Is the Real Runcandel? (8)
The distance between Jin and Luntia slowly closed.
Late screams echoed on the ground that was the training field.
Ahhh, ahhh...!
ording to estimates, more than a hundred guardian knightsy moaning in all directions.
The Warriors who had protected them had barely taken a breath, but they had the premonition that a newmotion was about to ensue.
''The Third gbearer is furious...''
''So far, we had no choice but to save the knights, so we couldn''t interfere to stop the Twelfth gbearer. But now, we won''t be able to interfere.''
In particr, those who ''knew a little'' about Luntia (mainly the senior members of the Elder Council) judged that it would be difficult to prevent the fight from starting again.
They knew how dangerous Luntia was, who had finally made a move.
And there was no need to stop her.
''The Family''s Guardian Knights nearly died burned.''
''If this isn''t treason, then what is it?''
Jin had scorched the entire central field of the Family, and at worst, over a dozen Guardian Knights could have turned into ashes.
Thanks to the efforts of the gbearers and the high-ranking knights, there were no casualties, but it was an incident that could easily be called treason.
Moreover, they had witnessed bold statements that not only questioned the legitimacy of the Family but also undermined it from the perspective of the attacked Runcandels.
Of course, Jin had deployed ''Hellfire'' under the judgment that the top gbearers and the knights could adequately protect the Guardian Knights, and there was a situation where Lynn Milcano encouraged the situation by speaking of a show of strength.
However, that wouldn''t serve as a mitigation.
Everything has a limit.
From now on, what Jin had to demonstrate was nothing other than valor.
To prove that the deration of returning Runcandel to a Family of Magic Swordsmen was not just words.
And for that, there was no need to mention that he must win.
The moment he was defeated in the battle against Luntia.
However impactful the words were.
However remarkable the challenge was.
However powerful the warning was.
However brilliant the truth was...
All the words Jin uttered would lose their value.
Initially, merely engaging in a decent fight with the Third gbearer as the Twelfth gbearer would have been a noteworthy achievement, but not now.
The responsibility for the weighty words containing a thousand years of history rested on his shoulders.
As an individual of Runcandel.
With ten steps between them, Jin and Luntia silently locked eyes for a moment.
The spirit ofbat and the intent to kill filled Jin''s eyes, while Luntia''s held a deep gaze.
Bradamante, the sword that had consumed Hellfire, and Charles, the fine sword infused with aura, vibrated.
The two swords emitted sharp resonances, like beasts trying to tear each other apart.
There was no signal.
However, both swung their swords at each other without the slightest error.
It was as if they were wielding a bludgeon, not swords, with no restraint whatsoever.
Thus, the first sh between them began.
Thump!
When the energy contained in the swords was released, a thunderous sound and shockwave urred.
Before the shockwave could escape the arena, the swords shed once more.
Like giant pieces of ss shattering, a rain of mes and aura burst from their swords.
"Kugh!"
It was as if nails had been driven into their bones and organs.
Jin''s expression contorted in pain, and Luntia clenched her teeth tightly.
Despite being covered in mes, Luntia seemed serene, even managing to resist the Hellfire flowing through Bradamante.
"I will kill you." She didn''t open her mouth, but it seemed he could hear Luntia''s voice. Her intent to kill seemed to take shape and pierce through Jin''s mind like an icicle.
''It''s impossible that she hasn''t taken any hits.''
No matter how resilient Luntia was. What Jin had just unleashed was Sarah Runcandel''s Secret Sword Technique.
It might still be inferior to what Sarah could unleash in her prime, but it was a sword that had pressed all present Runcandels in the arena until now.
''You can''t keep resisting like this, Elder Sister. That''s impossible for anyone in the world, except for our Father.''
Jin having an indifferent attitude didn''t mean he wasn''t truly shaken.
The Hellfire intertwined with Bradamante constantly gnawed at Luntia''s body.
But Jin''s body was breaking down at a much faster rate than Luntia''s.
''Hellfire alone isn''t enough.''
If he had deployed it solely to defeat Luntia from the beginning, the story might have been different.
However, over half of the Hellfire''s power had been consumed when facing the other Runcandels.
Merely igniting the remaining me wouldn''t be enough to contend with Luntia.
''The elder sister hasn''t unleashed her Final Moves yet. If this continues, I''ll surely lose.''
He had to y his trump card.
With a sword that matched or exceeded Hellfire.
Frrrrrr-!
Jin poured out thest remaining mes from Bradamante and distanced himself.
The mes roared with powerful energy, enveloping Luntia.
In that moment, Luntia showed signs of hesitation for the first time.
But it was only a moment.
In the next instant, while Luntia emitted her aura, the Hellfire turned into embers, emitting a faint light.
The mes that had surrounded Jin also dissipated. His body, which had burned like fire, returned to its original state.
Woooogk, wooofk...!
Jin''s breath became heavy. Blood dripped from his parched lips.
Even the wounds that had burned like fire were now oozing blood, and his staggering appearance seemed like he could copse at any moment.
On the other hand, Luntia''s movement became light, as the Hellfire that had been troubling her had disappeared.
Furthermore, she showed no signs of exhaustion like Jin.
''It''s over...''
It was certainly remarkable, but it''s the Third gbearer''s victory. Judging by the state of the Twelfth gbearer, the match would end in three minutes.
The Third gbearer wouldn''t spare the Twelfth gbearer. Even if he lives, she will surely leave him crippled.
That''s what the spectators thought.
It was a fact that Jin, as a Magic Swordsman, had demonstrated incredible power that they couldn''tprehend.
However, from the beginning, the Third gbearer, considered the strongest after Luna, and the Twelfth gbearer, now neen years old, were too different in ss.
Nevertheless, it was still shocking.
Some Runcandels were on the verge of going mad with remorse, thinking it was a pity for Jin to end up like this.
Just ten minutes ago, they had wanted to strangle the Twelfth gbearer after seeing his actions.
They were excited about the power of the Magic Sword that Jin had shown.
They felt that Jin''s words about the possibility of that power breaking Zipple had credibility.
So they considered other possibilities.
''If the Acting Patriarch steps forward, the Twelfth gbearer might survive.''
If the Twelfth gbearer dies, it will be harder to find out about the First Patriarch''s grave. If the Acting Patriarch intervenes before the Third gbearer kills him...
Opposite thoughts swirled in the minds of the Runcandels. However, those wishing for Jin''s death and those wishing for his survival shared the same thought.
Jin''s fate rested in the hands of Rosa Runcandel.
Rosa Runcandel, and the seat of honor in the training field where she was sitting, remained unchanged from before the Hellfire was deployed.
She sat calmly, brushing aside the mes from the Hellfire with an indifferent expression.
While the gbearers and senior knights protected the guardian knights, Rosa had watched the battle between Jin and Luntia from beginning to end.
"Third gbearer."
At Rosa''s call, Luntia stopped.
If Rosa hadn''t called, Luntia would have taken two more steps and cut Jin''s throat.
"Yes."
"Are you going to kill him?"
"Yes."
Rosa didn''t add more words to Luntia''s response.
In the silence, Jin''sbored breathing sounded especially loud.
Even for those unfamiliar with swords, it was clear that his endurance had reached its limit, considering how rapidly he was breathing.
After about fifteen seconds, Luntia had no choice but to ask.
"Is there a problem with killing the Twelfth gbearer? I would like to know why you haven''t said anything."
Upon hearing this, Rosa slowly raised her head.
"I had my doubts, so I was thinking."
"What doubts..."
"I find it curious why everyone thinks the fight is over."
At Rosa''s words, all the Runcandels turned their gaze toward Jin.
He was still panting and standing as he thrust Bradamante into the ground.
Jin unsheathed a new sword.
The de that emerged from the sheath was as pale as the dawn sky.
The Thunder Sword, Sigmund.
A divine sword of the Legends Tribe that Jin inherited from the Battle Goddess, Vahn.
Crackkkkkkkk...
The de, infused with lightning, emitted a deep and ominous sound.
The pupils of the Runcandels who saw this filled with astonishment.
Does he still have the strength to fight...?
''After unleashing that insane me sword a moment ago, does he still have energy left?''
No, the Acting Patriarch must have examined the fact that the Twelfth gbearer still had some willpower left. His current endurance would no longer sustain him.
Jin no longer had the strength to fight.
Even if he did, it would never be enough to change the course of the battle.
That''s what the Runcandels believed.
"Hah... I thought I hadpletely destroyed everything, but one remains."
Finally, when Jin opened his mouth, Luntia felt goosebumps on her skin.
She also thought that Rosa''s words meant Jin still had some willpower left.
It wasn''t that.
"It seems today I mustpletely destroy even the seat of honor where my mother is sitting to make my statement more meaningful."
Upon hearing this, the Runcandels once again felt as if their heads had been struck by a heavy hammer, numbing their senses.
Sword of Legends, Battle God''s Technique, Tenth Move:
Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends: Initiation
Jin''s eyes filled with lightning.
The ground twisted and darkened as lightning radiated outward, splitting the scorched earth.
A horrifying heat, distinct from the Hellfire, quickly spread and engulfed the surroundings.
[Everyone, keep your eyes wide open... Look carefully. Who is the true Runcandel and what has Runcandel been protecting? And...]
What the current Runcandel has forgotten.
Jin looked at the Runcandels again with his shining eyes and continued to speak.
The lightning energy covering his sword nketed the chaotic, broken ground.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 389: Who Is the Real Runcandel? (9)
C389 - Who Is the Real Runcandel? (9)
The power of the Battle God of Legends was reenacting on the melted ground of the training field.
The Legends. They were the most powerful beings in the world, who had challenged the Gods as world conquerors five thousand years ago.
From within the lightning that resembled their souls, Jin examined the eyes of the Runcandels fixed on him.
There was fear in the eyes of those being protected and confusion in the eyes of those protecting.
Everyone was biting their lips.
Who could have expected someone to disy such skill in battle against the entire Runcandel, and that after unleashing the Hellfire?
[And I will give an order to the Family members below the gbearer]
A voice full of resonance, as if dozens of Legends were speaking at once. The Family members could feel a kind of prestige in that voice.
Although they had never seen the Battle God of the Legends Tribe even once, they instinctively felt that Jin exuded his aura.
[Do your best to protect the Guardian Knights so that not a single knight dies by my sword]
Craaaackle!
As Jin''s body was covered in lightning, blue sparks erupted.
The pale light of Sigmund, the Sword of the Battle God of Legends, stood out in hands whose nails were tinged with lightning.
It seemed as if death had a color; a pale color.
And it added to the heat of the Hellfire that had not yetpletely subsided.
While the hot air, hot enough to make rocks melt and burst, pressed heavily on their chests, the Runcandels felt strangely overwhelmed by the sensation that their entire body was cooling down, as if they were touching a long-dead corpse.
"Everyone, get out of here...!"
As soon as the sword began to fall, the first person to shout loudly was none other than Luntia.
I let my guard down. I thought I could finish him now, that I could kill the younger one at any moment.
But that boy had be a monster that far exceeded her expectations.
"I should have realized that sooner."
She should have known earlier that if she confronted him with such an arrogant attitude, she couldn''t win, that she had to stake her life as well.
When Luntia''s pupils blinked, what she saw was Jin''s sword, rushing toward her like lightning.
With a speed that seemed like the strike of thunder, the power contained in that single strike was by no means inferior to any Sword Technique Luntia had experienced before.
Her body couldn''t react immediately.
In that moment, she raised her voice, concerned for the Knights behind her, and that was a colossal mistake.
aash!
Blood spurted from the center of Luntia''s chest. If she hadn''t stepped back, her body might have been split in half.
"Kughh!"
Fortunately, there were no injuries to her vital organs.
However, the wound, which couldn''t be considered light at all, once again shook Luntia''s concentration.
Before she could readjust her posture, Sigmund''s lightning bolt was heading her way.
Her entire body was engulfed in unbearable pain, as if she were burning.
A strong body that surpassed even Luna''s.
How much pain did he have to endure to develop such a body?
After Luna announced that she was giving up bing the patriarch, Luntia had briefly held the expectations of many as a possible alternative.
The reason Luna found it difficult to face Luntia was because she had seen Luntia ''destroy'' herself to have such a strong body.
That''s how she obtained her body.
A body obtained by following the unfortunate answer that life is only boredom and pain, without the slightest pleasure, thought, or action.
That rigid body was shattering.
Flesh tore, bones broke, and blood burst.
The excruciating pain that stabbed into the wounds left her breathless.
"Damn it...!"
Luntia gritted her teeth and cursed. Due to the thick fog caused by the lightning covering the training field, it wasn''t easy to locate Jin''s exact position.
The sharp lightning piercing through her eyes added a constant sense of impending darkness.
However, at that moment, what Luntia thought of was not the desire to escape this ce without getting hurt or the desire to survive.
"At this rate, the Knights will die."
There were her mother, the gbearers, the key members of the Elder Council, and the Execution Knights. As formidable as Jin''s power was, surpassing them all was beyond imagination.
However, "fighting" and "protecting" were clearly distinct things.
Could other strong individuals protect the knights facing imminent death in the storm of these lightning bolts?
She couldn''t be sure.
Above all, there was no one protecting the knights who had rushed to stop the Hellfire first.
Because she herself was fighting Jin.
Above all...
"Mother isn''t someone who protects the knights."
Luntia bit her lip.
Rosa still sat in her seat, doing nothing.
The reason she was so convinced wasn''t that she disliked Rosa.
It was her perception that Rosa Runcandel, her mother, was someone who wouldn''t bother saving the Guardian Knights being swept away like discarded goods by the Twelfth gbearer''s Sword Technique.
Such individuals were considered worthless in Runcandel.
Or perhaps she was trying to leave only stronger knights in the Garden of Swords after this incident.
That''s how Luntia perceived Rosa.
And others saw Rosa in the same way.
Still, she could be a person who cared about others.
There were no screams like before when the Hellfire was unleashed. However, Luntia and everyone else were well aware.
How much agony the Guardian Knights, engulfed in mes and lightning, were enduring, not to mention the screams.
A new bright aura enveloped Charles.
Luntia had made her decision on how to end this fight.
"You''ve shown a glorious sword technique, little brother... So, I must respond with a sword technique befitting that."
In Luntia''s eyes, filled with killing intent and determination, something new was reflected...
A new sense of responsibility as a gbearer that she had long forgotten.
Third Secret Technique of Runcandel:
Golden Ring Eclipse. (Note: These characters represent a sr eclipse where the moon covers part of the sun, leaving only a ring of light around the edge, hence the trantion of this ability as "Golden Ring Eclipse")
When Luntia extended Charles, a single circle, norger than an egg, appeared in the lightning-filled space.
The circle emitted a peculiar light, as if it allowed no intrusion.
Bang!
Jin attempted to strike the circle with Sigmund, but it bounced off.
It was unexpected that Sigmund, which had been strengthened by the Reign of the King of Legends'' Sword, would rebound like that.
Moreover, the Golden Ring Eclipse was growing, expanding its territory.
Although it possessed enough power to repel Sigmund''s attack, Jin strangely didn''t feel threatened by the annr sr eclipse.
A Final Move?
Or maybe a secret technique?
Either way, it was an unusual sword technique.
A sword with no killing intent.
Shortly after, Jin realized that the purpose of this sword was not to kill.
The Third Secret Technique, Golden Ring Eclipse, was Runcandel''s only sword technique intended to protect others.
The sword''s firm energy forming the circle acted as a kind of shield.
It wasn''t difficult for Jin to reach a conclusion.
"If I can break that, it''s over."
The blood of the Battle God and lightning surged within the Light Heart.
If it didn''t crumble with a single blow, he would wield an even more powerful strike.
Jin had no intention of ending it with restraint today.
He didn''t intend to use only the power necessary to avoid killing his opponent.
He was determined to finish her off by any means possible.
After all, it was a sword that even resisted one of the ten great knights, Sylderay''s great sword.
As sturdy as Luntia''s Golden Ring Eclipse seemed, it couldn''t keep blocking Sigmund indefinitely.
Bang!
When Jin swung Sigmund again, the same result urred.
The de was deflected by the expanding ring of the Golden Ring Eclipse.
However, amidst the fluttering aura and lightning, Jin keenly observed something.
He saw that Luntia, who had just repelled the second sword strike, spat out a handful of fresh blood.
She had already suffered injuries even before unleashing the Golden Ring Eclipse.
It wasn''t certain she would have been able to block Sigmund''s strike when she was in full health.
Having done so while already injured, Luntia''s struggle was quite understandable. She had staked her life. However, the meaning of her determination was different from the first time she faced Jin.
She didn''t intend to kill Jin but to protect her own knights from him.
The sh between the sword and the ring created a deafening noise.
Although not a single word was exchanged between them amid this battle, Jin could understand Luntia''s mindset.
After having seen the faces of those trying to rescue people several times, he knew what it was like.
"You''re not someone to be taken lightly, older sister."
Ironically, Jin felt relieved.
If Luntia, with all her strength, could block Sigmund, there would be no unnecessary deaths among the knights.
Not a single one.
But there was no room for mercy in Jin''s sword.
Jin wielded Sigmund, disregarding Luntia''s life.
All members of Runcandel watched him: if he showed any sign of weakness, the statement would lose its meaning.
"If you survive, I will recognize you as a worthy rival, older sister."
Crunch!
It looked as if enormous fangs were tearing into their prey.
Under the relentless rain of sword strikes, Luntia''s bleeding worsened.
On the other hand, Sigmund grew fiercer with each passing moment.
The lightning, coursing along Sigmund, fell like a torrential rain onto the expanding ring of the Golden Ring Eclipse.
The sword energy on Charles''s de, supporting the ring, was trembling.
She had been bearing 50% of the power of the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends alone, so it was clear that Luntia had reached her limits.
Suddenly, the shape of the lightning attacking the ring changed.
Battle God''s Technique, Third Sword: Condemnation.
A punch of condemnation, imbued with the power of the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends, exuded overwhelming energy even within the storm of lightning that had spread in all directions.
As the five punches advanced simultaneously, the ring of the Golden Ring Eclipse finally shattered.
Luntia didn''t release Charles until the end.
However, the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends and the energy of Condemnation were already sweeping her away, heading for the knights who stood steadfast on the outside.
Just as he was about to unleash his lightning energy again, Jin saw Luntia, who had stopped in the same posture as when she had unleashed the Golden Ring Eclipse.
There was no need to confirm whether she had lost consciousness or had died.
In any case, it didn''t matter.
Jin advanced confidently.
His gaze was fixed on Rosa, who sat in the seat of honor as if she were the true Patriarch of the Family.
It was time to shatter that seat.
The moment Jin tried to release his lightning once more...
Thud...
Suddenly, something solid and sharp lightly pricked Jin''s back.
It was Luntia''s sword, Charles.
Nevertheless, Jin didn''t turn around to check on his second sister''s appearance. He knew that the simple act of her cing the sword on his back was thest effort she had left.
Jin believed that what touched his back was not Charles, but the will that held it.
A will he could respect as a member of the Family, as a brother.
Swoosh!
In the blink of an eye, as Luntia fell, Jin''s and Rosa''s gazes met.
[Will you continue to sit like this?]
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 390:
C390 - Who Is the Real Runcandel? (10)
The momentum of the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends was growing stronger by the moment. It seemed as if the world''s lightning was converging on the Garden of Swords.
Amidst the earth crumbling under the lightning''s onught, the shattered Golden Ring Eclipse fluttered through the air like flowers.
For several seconds, Rosa remained silent, gazing at her younger son.
Amid the devastation of the training ground, only Rosa''s high and intact seat of honor remained, like a solitary pir.
Neither the Hellfire''s glow nor the lightning of the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends could prate her energy.
Just meeting Rosa''s gaze made Jin feel as if a mountain was crushing him, and his entire body became heavy.
"She is truly strong, stronger than I could have ever imagined."
There was no doubt about that.
Rosa Runcandel.
The ck Panther.
She was more formidable than any enemy Jin had ever faced.
She possessed a power that far exceeded his expectations.
And it was natural.
The figure seated in the ce of honor was none other than the second-inmand of the great Runcandel, who had been leading the Garden of Swords in Cyron''s ce for a long time.
She was the Empress of the Runcandel and had earned the recognition of the entire family, as well as the admiration of all the world''s master swordsmen.
In the presence of such an influential figure, if Jin had not felt that overwhelming presence from her, he would have been disappointed.
Slowly, Rosa rose from her seat.
Rosa''s field of vision only increased slightly, but the sense of intimidation had multiplied exponentiallypared to when she was sitting.
Jin felt his body as heavy as if he were submerged in water.
"You might think you''ve rxed, but I never imagined you woulde this far after defeating Luntia."
Rosa''s voicecked all emotion.
In Jin''s mind, memories of Rosa passed like andscape.
Memories of a past life when he had recognized her not as an enemy but as his "mother."
After Jin''s exile, his mother had cut offmunication with the outside world for two days.
And before his exile, she had even vited the family''s rules to transmit certain information to prepare him for when he became a gbearer.
"She must have known that Joshua cursed me when I was just a baby, so why..."
Why had she regarded him with such disdain? Was it herst shred of motherly consciousness?
But Rosa Runcandel was not a weak human swayed by something as insignificant as conscience.
Jin couldn''t know, and he didn''t want to know.
He would probably never understand the reason.
What mattered now was breaking that seat.
That was the only representation Rosa was offering of Runcandel, a significant blot on the authority of the second-inmand.
Sigmund''s lightning grew stronger.
[I''m also surprised to havee to this, but I never thought you would still be so rxed, Mother.]
"Go on."
[If it were my father, he would undoubtedly have done the same.]
Rosa smiled slyly.
"I must admit, you''ve achieved impressive growth."
[Perhaps I can give you a chance.]
"A chance..."
[Everyone in the family has seen my power. That means Runcandel sees the potential for me to be the future sessor.]
When Rosa''s sword was drawn from its sheath, it made a sharp, hissing sound.
[In this situation, do you really think the Second gbearer can be the Patriarch?]
"So, do you want me to support you instead of the Second gbearer?"
[No. I don''t need your help to ascend to the throne.]
Jin replied.
"Just disappear somewhere at the right moment. When I be Patriarch, there won''t be a ce for you in the Garden of Swords, Mother."
Even with such a strong provocation, Rosa remained unfazed.
Instead, she seemed subtly satisfied and smiled in secret.
Yes, she had that typical Runcandel look.
It also meant that she recognized Jin.
On the other hand, it was a smile that hinted that Jin was not yet up to her level.
"I''ll put an end to that arrogant confidence."
A bitter taste of blood filled his mouth as Jin clenched his teeth.
Using Hellfire and then the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends had carried the risk of a bacsh.
Rosa was aware of it, so she kept herposure.
Moreover, she believed that just this incident, going this far, was already Jin''s victory.
As Jin said, since he had shown such power in front of everyone, there would now be an important and certain variable in the family''s session structure.
Perhaps the family would descend into uncontroble chaos.
Rosa had foreseen this day since Jin''s return, from the moment Cyron forgave him, or perhaps even before.
"You''ve won the game, so you can stop now. But your greed knows no bounds."
Rosa raised her sword and spoke.
"Come to me, my son."
Her favorite sword, ''Frenzy,'' shone with a dazzling light.
A single sword shining like a beacon in the midst of the zing lightning storm.
As Rosa''s energy increased, chunks of the ground rose into the air like bubbles and disintegrated.
Finally, Jin began to move slowly.
And the moment he took his first step, those gathered there felt an ominous premonition weighing on their shoulders.
It was because a sudden earthquake had urred, and the entire Garden of Swords began to sway slightly with Jin''s steps within the intense thunder''s noise.
Thud~.
In the midst of the intense thunder noise, a strong vibration arose, growing more pronounced.
The earthquake was the messenger of the change brought by the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends.
It was the battle anthem that only those who inherited Sigmund''s power could sing.
Sword of Legends.
Battle God''s Combat Technique: Tenth Sword, Second Movement.
Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends: War
Open, a roar signaling that a person had reached the pinnacle among the kings of light.
It was simply a gesture to boost morale before the battle.
The second form of the ''War'' god of battle movement disyed the solemn will to annihte the enemy.
Rosa''s pupils dted.
Once again, even more powerful.
It was a phenomenon that even Rosa couldn''t help but be amazed at, witnessing gigantic lightning bolts.
"You still have this kind of power...!"
The word that Rosa thought of first was iprehensible.
Living as a Warrior for decades, she had never witnessed something like this.
Unleashing such overwhelming force, far superior to anything Jin had shown before, even when he could suffer a bacsh!
But Jin, her younger son, was human.
As a human, he couldn''t escape the consequences of defying the world order.
Rosa immediately understood what Jin had staked on this power.
What Jin had wagered to unleash this power was his own life.
Is it really worth risking your life just to shatter this symbol, this seat I upy?
After gaining so much...
Even without destroying Rosa''s seat.
Today, Jin had gained immeasurable things.
Even if he were to fall now, upon waking, he would see countless master swordsmen offering him their loyalty.
But risking his life for this, what the hell...
Rosa, who had ridiculed Jin just moments ago, ground her teeth in anger.
The judgment she had made with a smile, realizing that Jin knew what a true Runcandel was.
She realized her judgment was wrong and arrogant.
"This is Runcandel, Mother."
Like a person always thirsty for battle, who never backs down when the battle begins.
Even making clearly stronger enemies doubt and hesitate before their fighting spirit.
Creating a phenomenon that would deny that the fight was over even when the opponent thought it was.
That''s what Jin and those who believed in the ancient Runcandel thought Runcandel was.
Suddenly, as if millions of migratory birds had taken flight, a dark cloud covered the sky.
Under that ominous cloud, the only ones who could remain unscathed were the Legends and those who ruled over them.
Craaack...!
Incredible lightning rained down like an absurd electrical storm.
Countless thunders struck the ground without warning.
A deluge of lightning ravaged the Garden of Swords.
Throughout the Garden of Swords, gbearers and Elders unleashed their Final Movements.
They fought with desperation on their faces, giving it their all as if their lives depended on it.
However, even the several dozen Final Movements that were deployed simultaneously seemed minusculepared to the thousands, even tens of thousands, of lightning bolts falling.
Can this be called Sword Technique?
It seemed more like an authority.
The master swordsmen defending against the lightning felt as if they were trapped in a long and dark nightmare.
They couldn''t believe that this horrible nightmare had been initiated by the Twelfth gbearer.
Rosa, who had maintained herposure until now, also felt overwhelmed by the power she was sensing.
With each swing of her sword, the thunder was annihted, but the cloud continued to unleash even more violent lightning.
Amidst this chaos, Jin advanced calmly.
He advanced with confidence, as if he were a king reiming his territory, heading straight for Rosa.
The resonant sound of Sigmund reverberated strongly.
Jin''s sword was aimed at Rosa''s throat.
His mother''s imposing posture, sitting high and mighty, seemed strangely bitter as she brandished Frenzy.
Now was the time to decorate the end of the statement.
Crack!
As Jin raised Sigmund, it seemed almost unbelievable.
The lightning ceased.
The thunder, which had been roaring as if announcing the end, disappeared abruptly.
But the lightning hadn''t vanished.
It was simply converging toward Sigmund''s sword at great speed.
So much power effortlessly converged into that single sword.
Everyone was witnessing something they had never seen before.
Everyone knew what was going to happen in the next moment.
That sword... that had swallowed everything... was about to fall towards Rosa.
The distance between them as they faced each other was short.
Jin thrust his sword directly into the center of her.
There was no way for Rosa to dodge that sword.
As the second inmand of Runcandel, her only option was to face it head-on.
Kwak...!
When Sigmund shed with ''Frenzy,'' the veins in Rosa''s eyes burst.
Her eyes, which had widened for a moment, narrowed and expanded again, causing spasms.
Although there was only one tear of blood, it was the first time someone had seen Rosa cry.
The seat she had been sitting on copsed as if it were nothing more than a toy in the hands of a giant.
"I, Jin Runcandel, the Twelfth gbearer, dere..."
Before losing consciousness, Jin managed to conclude his words.
"...I will be the Patriarch."
As Jin copsed...
Rosa vomited a mouthful of blood.
The master swordsmen couldn''t help but feel a strange sense of dismay as they gazed at Rosa''s pale face and the unconscious Jin, as if reality were crumbling.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 391
C391 - Even if You Cover It Up, You Can''t Hide It (1)
October 1, 1799. The depths of the ck Sea.
A man ran with his body covered in ck blood, monster guts, and flesh.
He was the Guardian Knight Kahn.
In his arms, he carried a letter he had received from the Executor Knight who had made it to the beginning of the ck Sea.
For more than ten years, he had been delivering letters to Cyron about Jin.
However, Kahn''s face was more serious than ever.
He couldn''t examine the content of the letter, but he had learned from the Executor Knight what had happened at the main house.
"I have to go as soon as possible. Before Patriarch-nim enters the territory of the Five Kings of the ck Sea...!"
Territory of the Five Kings of the ck Sea.
Cyron and his Knights were now nning to enter thend ruled directly by the Kings of the ck Sea beyond its depths.
Before that, Kahn had met the Executor Knight while doing onest inspection at the beginning of the ck Sea and its surroundings.
The cursednd had always been like this, but from the territory of the Five Kings of the ck Sea, it would be apletely unknown world.
Perhaps after entering, they would bepletely cut off from the outside world for a while.
Today, there were unusually many monsters clinging to him.
Each of them was a creature that could be a demonic creature with a Core as long as they had the time and opportunity, and Kahn had to fight them for another day and a half even after entering the depths.
Huff...
When Cyron''s expedition team began to be visible, it was when he could no longer hold on.
Fortunately, they had not yet entered the territory of the Five Kings of the ck Sea.
Cyron and the Knights were taking a short break, using the corpses of monsters as fuel for a fire.
The foul smell of burning monster meat stung their noses.
"Patriarch-nim."
Kahn bowed his head and took a breath.
The unpleasant smell of burning monster corpses pierced his nostrils.
"What''s the matter, Kahn?"
Cyron, as always, remained seated in the air.
The emaciated faces of the Knights contrasted with his clean face.
"I received an urgent letter from the main house. It''s about the Twelfth gbearer."
Cyron slowly opened his eyes, full of curiosity.
"Give it to me."
With a courteous gesture, Kahn handed him the letter.
For the Knights, except for Kahn, seeing Cyron break the seal with intense curiosity was a very unusual sight.
Kahn felt a strange sense of pride in that fact.
"It''s been a long time since Patriarch-nim showed so much interest, especially after the First gbearer."
"I''ve heard the older ck Knights talk about it a few times, but it seems that the Patriarch has great expectations for the Twelfth gbearer."
While the ck Knights marveled at the situation, there was a monster that discreetly wondered if it was okay to intervene.
[Ha, ha, ha. Oh, it looks like there''s good news!]
It was the legendary monster Ozdock.
Of course, Cyron didn''t respond to Ozdock''s tteringment.
Instead, the cold gazes of the ck Knights were directed at Ozdock.
That meant he should shut up and sit quietly in a corner.
Unfortunately, Ozdock didn''t know how to read the room (and even interpreted Cyron''sck of response as a positive sign) and continued to cheerfully raise his voice.
He did it out of exhaustion.
Without a word, the relentless days of killing and fighting had worn down even Ozdock, a demonic creature who had lived for two thousand years.
Ozdock desperately wished to say something, be it a light joke or casual chatter, anything.
"Well, if it isn''t the Twelfth gbearer. Isn''t that your youngest son, the one who fought with me back then? He took one of my Inner Cores. Oh, of course, I don''t mean it was a waste. He''ll surely put it to good use... Hehe. Your son was an impressive guy. Handsome too... Hik! P-please don''t hit me. I apologize!"
Just as the ck Knights were about to intervene and forcibly silence Ozdock, Cyron raised his hand slightly to stop them.
"Leave him be."
"Yes!"
As the ck Knights withdrew their raised fists and awkwardly bowed, Ozdock nervously scratched the back of his neck.
"I apologize. I just thought you might have received good news. Um... I''ll go get some tea right away!"
True to Ozdock''s words, a faint smile had already appeared on Cyron''s lips.
He began to read the letter.
(Patriarch, the Twelfth gbearer has caused an incident)
"Zed."
He knew it from the first line.
It was his younger brother''s handwriting, the only one of his siblings who had survived the battle for hegemony in their youth.
(He leaked information about the Tomb of the First Patriarch through the Seventh gbearer. The Patriarch probably knew it even before, but that alone caused chaos in the Family.
Do you know what happened while everyone was waiting to confirm the truth after his return?
As soon as he returned, he fought with Jorden, the Elder Council President. Due to this, the Elder Council President cut off both of his arms. But the Holy Queen came and healed him, and he narrowly escaped without wielding the sword as before.)
Upon hearing those words, Cyron''s eyebrows furrowed, and Ozdock suddenly knelt and extended a skull, not a tea cup but a monster skull filled with tea.
The fire used to prepare the tea came from the burning monster corpses, making it truly dreadful tea.
However, the fact that this tea was one of the greatest luxuries one could enjoy in this ce was something no one would believe.
(Anyway, right after the treatment... he made a statement to restore Runcandel''s status as a Family of Magic Swordsmen.
Then, he himself suppressed opposing Elders and defeated the Third gbearer in a direct confrontation.)
Cyron''s pupils dted. Ozdock and the ck Knights couldn''t help but be surprised by his reaction.
Luntia.
The Third gbearer.
If she had lost to Jin, it was undoubtedly because she had let her guard down.
However, Luntia''s defeat to Jin was still a surprise to Cyron.
Whether it was because she had let her guard down or because Jin had reached a new level, a defeat was still a defeat.
(The training ground where the incident urred disappeared without a trace and nearly razed the entire central courtyard and main house.
After wielding a fire-type magical sword, he unleashed insane lightning... it''s hard to exin. You had to see it firsthand.
I knew that lunatic brat would one day cause a major incident in the Family, but I never expected it to be so catastrophic... and so soon...
Below is a summary of the damage in the Garden of Swords while we were struggling to handle the Twelfth gbearer.
Acting Patriarch, seriously wounded.
Second gbearer, Fourth gbearer, Fifth gbearer, Sixth gbearer, Seventh gbearer, Eighth gbearer, Ninth gbearer, Tenth gbearer, Eleventh gbearer, minor injuries.
Third gbearer, seriously wounded.
Twelfth gbearer, in critical condition.
Head of the ck Sword Association, Head of the Law Guard, Head of the Civil Guard, minor injuries.
Elder Council, over 50% with minor injuries.
Guardian Knights: Over 40% with major and minor injuries.
Execution Knights: 12 seriously injured, 54 with minor injuries.
Numerous others injured.
Nobat casualties.
No casualties outside ofbat.
At the request of the Main Family, the decree for the second phase of the state of emergency in Hugester has been activated,plete blockade of the Alliance of Hugester''s transfer gates, and ongoing media control.
The Garden of Swords has recalled all dispatched knights and is maintaining wartime conditions.
...The precise list of injuries is detailed in the final section.
The Acting Patriarch suffered deep internal injuries because she did not evade the boy''s final blow containing everything with her body.
The medical staff says she needs extreme rest for a while.
Can you believe it? It wasn''t a sudden assault by Zipple''s main force, nor an invasion by Vermont, nor a rebellion.
All of this happened because of the power of the Twelfth gbearer. Because of that reckless brat who hasn''t even turned twenty!
Elder Brother.
If possible, it would be good for you to return for a while. It would be a great source of strength for the Family members.
And...
It would be a pleasure to see how he has grown with your own eyes)
Hahaha...!
Cyron suddenly burst intoughter.
Ozdock tried tough discreetly, but when he met Cyron''s eyes, he had to close his mouth.
Cyron suppressed hisughter at that moment.
By now, the Knights were also eager to know the contents of the letter.
So, subtly, they signaled to Kahn.
After all, he had been responsible for the letters concerning the Twelfth gbearer for some time, so they wanted to try their luck.
"My Lord, isn''t the situation in the Main Family as bad as I''ve heard?"
"What have you heard?"
"I''ve heard from the Execution Knight that all of Hugester has been blocked, and it''s in a state of war."
"That''s also written in the letter. But it''s not something that can be covered up by hiding it, and it seems everyone was in turmoil."
"To be honest, I''m worried about the Twelfth gbearer."
"What should concern us is thend beyond."
Kahn and the Knights nodded heavily.
Cyron''s gaze extended beyond the depths, towards the territory of the Five Kings of the ck Sea.
The Five Kings of the ck Sea, only a few days more, and they would arrive in that territory.
A day''s journey away, Luna, Vanessa, and Tuben were conducting reconnaissance.
In thatnd, even Cyron would have to exert all his strength in the many battles toe.
With a whisper, Cyron turned the letter back to the front.
He wanted to reread the part that had bothered him from the beginning.
Twelfth gbearer, in critical condition.
There was a clear distinction between critical condition and minor injuries.
Since the "Deration to make the Family a Family of Magic Swordsmen," Jin had not yet regained consciousness and remained in a hospital bed.
Towards the end of the letter, there was a plea from Zed to Cyron, asking him to return for a while.
It meant he didn''t want the mes of the Twelfth gbearer to be extinguished like this and wished for Cyron to take direct action.
It also carried the meaning of seeking support, if possible.
It was the first time in his entire life that Cyron had seen Zed make such a request.
"Considering the impending battle with the ck Sea Kings, it would be impolite to worry about Family matters."
Although he didn''t deny Zed''s request, Cyron had no intention of going back and seeing things for himself.
"But before the opportunity is lost, I should give him a suitable reward."
The reward Cyron was talking about had nothing to do with the incident Jin had caused this time.
"I will inform the Lord that the Twelfth gbearer is the first to discover this demonic creature. If the Lord considers the demonic creature valuable, there will be amensurate reward."
What Tuben had told Jin as he took Ozdock away.
Since joining Cyron''s expedition team, Ozdock had been proving his worth.
Although his memories were blurry, he had made significant contributions to the task of finding the territory of the ck Sea Kings.
Even after entering the territory of the Kings, he remained a valuable asset.
"Kahn."
"Yes, Patriarch-nim."
"Quickly contact the Main Family and make arrangements for Jin to use it."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 392
C392 - Even if You Cover It Up, You Can''t Hide It (2)
As Cyron said, it was not something that could be hidden.
They sealed off all of Hufester, controlled all media, and strictly restricted ess for those waiting in the Family during Jin''s deration.
Amidst the Garden of Swords, after the eruption of Hellfire, dozens of Final Movements simultaneously unfolded.
The battle that took ce in the center of the city of Calon was something the residents couldn''t remain oblivious to.
It wasn''t a scale of conflict that could be hidden.
Through informants from each faction already present among the residents, the chaos caused by Jin spread beyond the Garden of Swords and quickly and forcefully disseminated throughout the world.
The speed at which rumors were spreading was as fast and intense as a storm.
"...My goodness, I asked him if he was going tomit treason, but I never thought he''d actually do it. If this isn''t treason, then what is?"
Holy Kingdom of Vank, office of the Holy Queen.
Upon hearing the news from the saints of the Dawn Chariot Society, which could be considered the intelligence division of the Holy Kingdom, Lani furrowed her brow with a worried expression.
What on earth had happened that after secretly treating someone in the dead of night, such a major incident urred...?
"I should have known from the moment he said he needed to give his arms a chance to shine. Phew, what do you think, gentlemen? Do you believe Lord Jin is currently unharmed?"
The Saints shook their heads.
"The security was too tight, so we couldn''t investigate directly, but based on information leaked by city residents and various faction informants, he doesn''t appear to be doing well at all."
"Some even say that he''s not just in critical condition but already dead."
"What did you say, dead?"
"...No faction has been able to confirm Jin Runcandel''s condition since the incident."
"Phew."
One Saint stepped forward, resolutely, and spoke.
"Your Majesty, as a Saint and recipient of Ay''s grace, if you''ll permit me the audacity... I believe you should make a decision for the sake of the nation''s benefactor."
Following the incident in the Holy Kingdom, the name "Jin Runcandel" had be a symbol within the kingdom, rivaling even the Holy Queen herself.
Furthermore, those in the know were aware that Jin continued to provide astronomical support to the kingdom.
Hence, such a direct proposal was put forward.
Lani reflected for a moment with a serious expression before responding.
"...Very well. I''ve heard that Hufester has dered a second phase of emergency alert, but if I formally request a visit, they''ll have no choice but to agree. I will go personally to assess Lord Jin''s condition and take measures for his treatment. However..."
Lani looked at the Saints with determination and continued.
"As far as I know, he always has a n. He hasn''t done this recklessly. If I were to intervene thoughtlessly, I might inadvertently provide an excuse to his enemies. Moreover, neither Lord Jin nor his Dragon Guardian have directly requested my help yet. For now, I will wait for further news."
Lani''s decision was met with nods from the Saints.
If there were indeed significant issues regarding Jin''s life or death, the Holy Kingdom was ready to use all avable means to assist Jin.
-----------------
"Grandfather!"
At the same time, discussions about Jin were taking ce in the Emperor Sword Castle of Vermont.
In the moment Dante urgently looked for Ron with a worried expression.
Ron was also hearing the same news from the Knights of Hairan.
And just like Lani, Ron furrowed his brow.
It wasn''t Jin''s situation that worried him.
Ron wasn''t distressed by that.
It was because he didn''t know how tofort his grandson, who was shouting that he would run straight to the Garden of Swords.
"Has my grandson arrived?"
"Grandfather, if I may speak. Today might be thest day my grandfather sees me."
The words st day" struck Ron Hairan''s head like a hammer from the beginning.
"...Why is my grandson suddenly like this? Did he eat something bad? Haha."
"I intend to head to the Garden of Swords immediately."
"Well, Dante."
"Even if you try to stop me, I will definitely go. Regardless of how annoyed you and the n might be. However, shamelessly, I would like to make a request before I go."
"Well, Haha... Go ahead, first talk."
"Please help me save my friend. Furthermore, if my friend has already passed away by the time I arrive. Please respect any decision I make at that time."
If Jin had died, it meant that Dante was willing to fight to the death with the Garden of Swords.
Of course, at the end of the road, he would face death or a crippled life, or the misfortune of all of Hairan, who would fight desperately to save Dante.
Since the moment Ron first saw the scoundrel who deceived his pure-hearted grandson, or rather, since his grandson went to the Cosmos Arena and met that friend and got excited, Ron had felt an inexplicable foreboding.
''If I''m not careful and pass the n to my grandson, in the end, the Emperor Sword Castle could fall into the hands of that demon.''
Just thinking about it made his blood boil.
Maybe it wouldn''t be such a bad oue if Jin was already dead.
After all, he had worked so hard to prepare his grandson to be the n''s heir!
"Dante Hairan, my dear grandson."
"Yes, Grandfather."
"First of all, stay calm. This old man hasn''t taught you to be like this."
"I understand. However, I''m ashamed to admit that I can''t prioritize the n over my friend. I''m nothing more than an insufficient human to be the young patriarch."
If it were up to Dante, he would willingly resign from his position as the next n patriarch and forfeit all his rights just to be able to go to the Garden of Swords alone.
That''s the kind of person his grandson was.
Naturally, Ron couldn''t just stand by.
"What I mean is not that. Don''t you trust your friend?"
With those words, Dante''s eyes widened as if he had been struck in the back of the neck.
He had taken the bait, just as Ron had thought.
"What I know is that that little demon... No, your friend Jin Runcandel is not one to do things so brashly. He''s always a cunning strategist, always with a hidden n. I''m sure he''ll appear without any problems."
Ron didn''t genuinely believe it.
Given the magnitude of the incident, it wouldn''t be surprising if Jin were dead.
However, for now, he needed tofort his grandson, so it was necessary to tell a little lie.
It was astonishing how easily it seemed to work.
Dante''s face showed deep gratitude for those words.
"Grandfather...! Now that I think about it, it seems possible! No, you''re right. In that case, there has to be a chance! I thought too hastily!"
"Haha, good. Then, train quietly while you wait. There''s nothing better than training in seclusion to clear your mind. You must trust your friend. If it is known that you have to make a decision, I will intervene personally."
Dante nodded with bright eyes.
"Yes! Thank you, Grandfather! I''m heading to the training grounds right now."
"Good. Refresh your mind while wielding your sword."
With a joyful heart, Dante had no choice but to withdraw.
He hadn''t expected his grandfather to intervene personally, but the gesture of cooperation relieved his anxiety.
As soon as Dante entered the training grounds, Ron called the Knights and issued the following order:
"As soon as it is confirmed that Jin Runcandel has been crippled or has died, take measures to continue the young patriarch''s closed-door training for another ten years. Seal it hermetically so that he cannot leave under any circumstances. So that sorrow, despair, and anger can be sublimated into his sword."
"As youmand!"
This was the best course of action Ron could take for the sake of his beloved grandson if things went wrong with Jin. Not seeing his grandson for ten years would be more agonizing than any torture, but he couldn''t let his grandson die because of Jin, nor could he go to war with Runcandel.
--------------------
"Hmm, my son-inw... What should I do?"
Hidden Pce.
Trisy on an ice bed she had made herself, stretched on her side. The small beastmen of the Golden Peng tirelessly manicured her nails, and members of the Watertails Tribe gently massaged her scalp with slow, deliberate motions.
"Daughter, your husband... might be dead..."
"Jin. Dead. No."
"Oh, Darkme, can you change your words a bit? It sounds very unfortunate."
Peng gave Darkme a sharp look.
"No, Jin, dead."
"Oh, enough already. I expected too much. If that''s the case, why don''t you go and kill him yourself?"
"Quiet, and keep doing what you''re doing. Hmm? My lovers will be here soon. If they don''t like my nails, I''ll kick all of you out. Even if some wild beasts eat you, I''ll pretend not to know."
Crunch!
While the small beastmen were busy, Tris gazed at her daughter with a mischievous look.
"Well, if you''re worried, why don''t you go see him once?"
"Based on Mother''s reaction, I don''t think it''s necessary. If I go now, I''ll only get mistreated."
"Oh, so you''re saying you''re worried?"
Siris stood up, lightly pounding the ice table with her fist.
"Mother, do you think I''m a fool?"
"Oh, you startled me. Why are you so angry all of a sudden?"
"An item from the underwater storage has disappeared. Do you think I wouldn''t know that it was taken by Runcandel''s first-ss butler?"
Siris''s reason for anger was simple.
"When did you search the underwater storage?"
"Mother, you stopped managing the underwater storage a long time ago, it''s been 10 years. During my time at the Hidden Pce, I''ve checked it without fail every day."
A single item, a Blood Drop of Numerus, had been stored in the Hidden Pce''s storage for a long time.
She knew that the blood drop that butler Heinz took had been in possession of the Hidden Pce for a long time.
But the fact that Runcandel was iming it as his property and taking it abruptly didn''t sit well with her.
"Really, did I ever tell you it was ours..."
"Whose is the underwater storage? It''s the Hidden Pce''s. What I''m saying is that Runcandel shouldn''t use our things without permission."
"Well, I did promise that to Cyron a long time ago, but... were you upset because they were taken while you were managing the storage?"
"Anyway, I''m upset because Runcandel treats us like a storage."
"In that case, should you receive something in return for Jin? Don''t get into unnecessary conflicts with your mother."
"That''s already my n."
As Siris turned and left the hall, Tris shook her head.
"My dear daughter, but she can be a bit irritating at times. In any case, that item originally belonged to Runcandel, and they''re using it to save my son-inw. What''s there to be angry about?"
"Well, that, that."
Suddenly, when Darkme spoke, all eyes turned to him.
"Maybe... she... you know, doesn''t know how to express... her... friendship."
"Indeed, huh. So she wanted to give it with her own hands? That makes sense."
At that moment, Peng had no choice but to widen her eyes and exim.
"That, that! Now you can talk in the right order! Why didn''t you do it earlier?"
"I did, I tried."
"Argh! How annoying!"
"Now even these bugs are arguing in front of me. Do you really want me to kick you out? Once you''re done with the hand and foot nail manicure, prepare a special perfume."
While the small beastmen of the Golden Snow Tribe were busy preparing the perfume, Tris contemted what decision Kelliark Zipple would make regarding Jin''s ''Deration''.
"Cyron will soon enter the territory of the Five Kings of the ck Sea... I hope Kelliark doesn''t find out."
If he knew, it was entirely possible that Kelliark Zipple...
Would dere total war on Runcandel.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 393
C393 - Even if You Cover It Up, You Can''t Hide It (3)
When Jin opened his eyes, the first things he saw were two people.
Gilly, crying with red eyes, and Murakan, who was holding her by the shoulders.
Jin was sure that these two would always be by his side; he felt a warmth enveloping his entire body.
"Brat!"
"Young Master!"
Gilly and Murakan lowered their bodies to check Jin''s condition.
"Gilly, Murakan."
"Young Master, are you really okay now? Do you feel any pain in your body?"
"I''m perfectly fine. Did any Knights die by my hands?"
Jin was concerned about this from the moment he copsed.
He didn''t want to kill innocent Knights in his Family''s struggle.
Of course, most of them were Knights from the ''Enemy,'' but they were clearly weaker than him and had been loyal to the Family.
In the future, if he had to deal with such Knights, he wanted to do it through an honorable battle or a reasonable purge, not this kind of attack.
Just like when he dealt with Joshua''s Knights who followed him in Samil.
"They''re all fine, Young Master."
"That''s a relief."
-[And I will give an order to Family members below the gbearers]
-[Do your best to protect the Guardian Knights so not a single Knight dies by my sword]
It was also significant that the words he said when he unleashed the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends were upheld.
Indeed, the members below the rank of gbearer didn''t immediately act on Jin''s orders, but that''s how it seemed in the end.
"Is it right to worry about the Knights the moment you open your eyes, brat? While you were unconscious, Tarta de Fresa and I..."
"I know, I''m sorry for worrying you."
As Jin gently embraced the two, Gilly let out a relieved sigh.
Murakan, on the other hand, quickly excused herself, finding it distasteful.
"No, it was me who caused great concern to the Young Master the moment he returned."
"What kind of concern did you cause Gilly? It''s the Family that treated you harshly."
Jin naturally shifted his gaze to Murakan.
"Murakan, did Tellot-nim really treat Gilly humanely?"
"Well, that guy seems to know a couple of things. It seemed like he had made it easier for her therepared to when you were tiptoeing around."
"Of course, that''s what Tellot-nim would do. However, I couldn''t help but think that after the incident, people like Jorden or other elderly council members might have meddled with Gilly for no reason."
"If that had happened, would I have just stood by and done nothing?"
"Of course not."
"Furthermore, is there anyone foolish enough to step forward and meddle with your people in the current situation? Hahaha, it''s aplete mess. Your mother and the Third gbearer are still in intensive care, and the Elder Council members are all busy trying toy low."
The Garden of Swords was still in shock.
Jin''s disy of battle prowess had far exceeded everyone''s expectations.
Of course, those who had seen him wield the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends knew that Jin had risked his life for such a dangerous sword.
But he was only neen.
At that age, even if he risked his life...
Could there be another person capable of overthrowing all of Runcandel?
All who experienced it could confidently assert that Jin was the only one, and it''s unclear if even Luna, at the age of 19, could have done something like Jin.
Furthermore, in the end, he had injured Rosa.
Rosa and Luntia were still receiving intensive medical treatment.
Even those who disliked Jin for this incident had to admit the fact that he had greater potential than Luna.
"It was quite impressive."
"You damn brat, how many days have you been lying there just for a bit of a show?"
"Just a bit? I was quite impressive, you know?"
Impressive.
Jin felt that he could say that without embarrassment in front of the Garden of Swords, which had been lukewarm at best.
Thanks to that, he had lost both arms and had gone through a near-death experience.
"Yes, you were impressive. But if you try to be impressive once more, there might be no turning back."
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Ten days."
"You almost died, huh? It seems like I''m getting too much in debt to Lanitely."
"You were in a state where not even the divine power of the religious fanatic could guarantee your recovery, brat."
"So who treated me? It would have been difficult with just the family''s medical team..."
Suddenly, Jin stopped speaking and looked around his own body.
Now that he thought about it, his physical condition was remarkably good for just waking up.
"...It was Numerus''s Blood."
Murakan and Gilly nodded.
Just three minutes ago, his pulse had been weak, his breathing irregr, and his body unconscious.
Even the Light Heart had gone out like a snuffed-outntern.
His body, in that state, absorbed a drop of blood left by the God who had vanished, and it instantly regained its vitality.
As if the extraordinary battle had been all a dream.
"Who exactly?"
"Your father."
"You''re joking, right?"
That response slipped out without him realizing it. In his entire life, not once. Jin had never imagined that his father, Cyron Runcandel, would help him in this way.
Even though he knew his father held a favorable opinion of him, this waspletely different.
His father had directly lent him his strength in the session battle.
So far, none of his siblings had received such support from their father.
"Young Master, just a moment ago, the Chief Steward brought it personally. He said it''s the only one in the family."
"This dumbfounded expression doesn''t suit you."
"I''m just... genuinely a bit surprised."
Dumbfounded, Jin couldn''t immediately think of what to say.
"Even now, aside from Murakan-nim and me, no one in the family knows that Numerus''s Blood drop was used for the Young Master."
"No one knows?"
"Yes."
Family members thought that Heinz hade to Jin''s room just to check on his condition.
No one expected that the n patriarch would personally bestow a drop of Numerus''s Blood.
Pft.
Jin burst intoughter.
"Young Master?"
"Why are youughing, brat?"
"There''s a reason why my father gave me Numerus''s Blood in secret from everyone. It seems I''ve misunderstood my father all this time."
"Is there a reason...?"
There''s no need to reveal it if my father wants to keep it hidden. Let''s spend one or two days in private. If we leave immediately, the Chief Steward will suspect."
"Oh!"
Understanding the implications, Gilly pped her hands.
"You don''t n to reveal that you received the Numerus''s Blood drop from the patriarch?"
That''s right. Among outsiders, I''m sure more than half of them would wish for my death. I''m curious to see what kind of expressions they''ll make in a few days."
"Is it okay to do that? Anyway, since you woke up suddenly, it won''t be long before they find out that you used the Numerus''s Blood drop."
"Just say it was something I acquired during my days as a Provisional gbearer. Believe it or not, they have no means to prove that it was something my father granted."
"But it''s a sacred object personally granted by the patriarch... I''m concerned it might provoke the patriarch''s anger."
"If my father wanted to boast about it, he wouldn''t have given it to me in secret. Since he gave it to me, it means I''m free to use it as I please. And more importantly, tell me more about the Family''s atmosphere. How many are trying to align with me?"
"I can''t say for certain. However, ording to Petro''s evaluation, approximately a tenth of the Guardian Knights and a small fraction of the Execution Knights seem to have shown favor toward you, Young Master."
"For the moment, it''s hard to be sure who the allies are. If we assume that approximately two-tenths are neutral or belong to other gbearers, the rest are probably from the Elder Council and Joshua''s faction."
"That''s correct."
Even if they managed to consolidate all the neutral factions (which wouldn''t be easy), it would still be an overwhelmingly advantageous battle for the Elder Council and Joshua.
It was an undeniable fact that Jin had caused tremendousmotion.
However, the concept of ''entrenched power'' wasn''t always easy to dismantle.
This applied not only to Runcandel but to all factions in the world.
"Moreover, most of the other Knight Families of Hufester were absorbed by Joshua a long time ago, so those aligned with Joshua are unlikely to change sides in the short term."
"I don''t understand humans. Even after witnessing you single-handedly overthrow the Garden of Swords, they won''t change?"
"It''s because no one died."
While it was certainly fortunate that none of the Knights under protection had died, on the other hand, it also showed the limitations of Jin''s individual power.
The fact that not a single person died amidst the Hellfire and lightning assault was due to this being Runcandel.
"In the early days as a Provisional gbearer, even Luna, my sister, had trouble when she came to meet with my father and me. It''s true that personal strength is crucial, but alone, you''ll never be able to take on Runcandel. Everyone knows this well, so they keep supporting Joshua. It''s because he provides stability."
"So, if you said those who seemed to favor you were around 10%, we should start by holding onto them tightly. Should I meet with them?"
"You?"
"I''m still a symbolic entity in this damn Runcandel, right? If I start seriously recruiting Knights, it''ll be quite effective..."
Both Jin and Gilly burst intoughter simultaneously.
"Why theughter?"
"You''d just lose face, Murakan. If they were the type to switch sides upon seeing you, they would have done so a long time ago."
"Anyway, I need to regain my strength quickly!"
"And I won''t be meeting with those who seem to favor me."
"Why? Why not?"
"It''s like, ''You seem to like me, so please stay by my side.'' It''s not very appealing. I should make them follow me and pledge loyalty on their own. I''ll put on a little show only when necessary. I n to expand my influence in Runcandel like that..."
Jin looked at the two and continued.
"For now, what we need to know are the other forces that aren''t under our influence."
As always, Jin was thinking about strengthening himself from the outside.
"The Vermont families and the Lutero Magical Federation, the knight ns of Hufester that still have potential, high-level mercenaries, and other major neutral factions. We should start expanding our influence from there."
Jin nned to show that his ability went beyond mere individual power, using these contacts to gain influence.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 394
C394 - Even if You Cover It Up, You Can''t Hide It (4)
In the midst of the solemn atmosphere, Runcandel was stirred by Jin''s ''Deration'' of bing a Magic Sword Master.
Both the gbearers and the Elders, along with the Knights following them, talked about Jin whenever there was an opportunity.
Would Jin really awaken, and if he did, what kind of punishment would he face?
How many Master Swordsmen would align with him?
Among these questions, there was only one thing that Runcandel and the others could predict.
The fact that around 10% of the Knights would support Jin.
Therefore, Runcandel thought it would be difficult topletely turn the tide, even if the situation changed.
"...It''s this kind of atmosphere. So, unnie, it might be a good time for you to start moving more actively than before."
Miu and Anne hade to look for Luntia and had made such statements.
They had exined in great detail, for more than 30 minutes, how the youngest had shown his fangs and how the proper power had to be given to Joshua.
It wasn''t something Joshua had ordered.
However, they wanted to reaffirm their loyalty to the future patriarch during this opportunity.
''If Elder Brother Joshua bes the next patriarch, the governing rights of the Five Eastern Regions will be ours.''
''Even if we don''t bother looking for that human named Histor.''
Since they had decided to be Joshua''s people a long time ago, they had never dreamed of bing patriarchs even once.
They only wished to control the Five Eastern Regions and other territories through Joshua and survive.
They hoped that if Joshua became the patriarch, he would most likely purge most of the other siblings.
"Luntia, sister?"
Luntia only stared at the pure white ceiling.
Due to the stiff nature of her body, it would take some more time to fully recover, but the major treatment had already beenpleted a few days ago.
"Are you listening to us?"
Throughout the entire conversation, Luntia hadn''t answered even once.
Is it my fault...?
For the past twelve days, she hadn''t spoken to anyone who came to see her.
She just remained silent, like someone with aphasia, lost in her thoughts.
"...Unnie, it''s understandable that you''re shaken by the severe injuries you received."
"But staying like this will only make you aughingstock."
Miu and Anne avoided using the word ''defeat,'' instead referring to her as a ughingstock.''
In reality, they didn''t believe Luntia had been defeated by Jin.
Luntia''s defeat was nothing more than an ident, and they were confident that if she faced him in an official duel again, the result would be different.
It wasn''t just Miu and Anne; everyone in Runcandel had simr thoughts.
But Luntia herself didn''t think the same way.
For twelve days, she had done nothing but reflect on her battle with Jin, every minute without rest.
Even if she were to fight again, even if she stayed vignt and gave it her all from the start, she still wasn''t sure if she could change the oue.
It''s true there were things she hadn''t shown, and it''s likely Jin had many hidden cards as well. In Luntia''s empty eyes, a strange fervor grew, something Miu and Anne still couldn''t understand, the depth of her determination.
Miu and Anne exchanged nces and nodded.
"Well, think about what we''ve said. Besides, you already believed that Elder Brother Joshua would be the patriarch."
"At a time like this, if the sister helps, it will be a great force. We''ll be waiting, so contact us when you feel better."
After Miu and Anne left, an older woman entered the room.
Luntia''s maid: "Lisham."
"Miss."
Luntia turned her head slightly to look at Lisham.
"It seems the younger master has just awakened."
Suddenly, Luntia sprang to her feet, and Lisham smiled.
It was the first time she had seen Luntia react this way in almost twenty years.
"How is he? Can he wield his sword again?"
Luntia still didn''t know that Jin had consumed Numerus''s Blood. That''s why she asked this question first.
"I heard he''s surprisingly well. Enough to recreate that battle right away."
"My sword and my g coat..."
"I thought you would be looking for them."
Lisham handed Luntia her beloved sword, Charles, and the g Coat she had prepared in advance.
As she watched Luntia hastily put on the clothing, Lisham reminisced about Luntia''s childhood.
Young Luntia used to say she wanted to be the strongest in the Family.
''When I look back, after the First gbearer gave up everything, Miss lived like someone who had lost the meaning of life...''
Lisham''s eyes filled with tears.
She too had dreamed once, like all the other maids, of seeing her young mistress at the top of the Family, ruling the world.
But Luntia had lost her purpose too early.
Climbing to the top and challenging the giant star Luna, showing that she could shine even brighter than her, was the only thing that had driven Luntia.
After the disappearance of that giant star, a sense of boredom had settled in her.
Her life was full of silence and meaningless inner peace.
And Lisham had a premonition.
When the Twelfth gbearer''s sword pierced Luntia''s chest, when her mistress fell in front of that pale de, she felt that a new star had been born in her mistress''s heart.
"Where is the younger brother? Is he going to see mother?"
"No, I heard he''s heading to the mausoleum."
Lisham spoke as Luntia was about to leave the room.
"Miss."
"Yes?"
"I wish you good luck. As I always have, and forever."
As Luntia turned around, she watched Lisham for a moment.
And then she started to walk with renewed vigor, like a general on campaign.
There was no longer a sense of heavy boredom in her eyes.
The desire that Miu and Anne hadn''t discovered was gradually shining more brightly.
The gbearers, the Elders, and the Knights following them had already headed to the mausoleum to confirm Jin''s awakening.
So many people going to the mausoleum at once was a novelty for the past several years.
But among the crowd at the mausoleum, Luntia saw nothing but Jin.
Seeing her younger brother standing amidst the people around him, she couldn''t help but smile.
"You look like you weren''t in aa until yesterday, so lively."
"How in the world did you wake up?"
"You should have visited the acting patriarch first. Why did youe to the mausoleum first, Twelfth gbearer?"
Jin remained silent amidst the voices of the Elders.
Instead, his gaze wandered around until it settled on Joshua.
"Second gbearer, I heard you struggled with the aftermath and that you had already summoned the Knights, which is verymendable."
After Jin''s Deration, Joshua had quickly stabilized the Garden of Swords using the Knights he had pre-summoned when Jin''s arms were cut off.
He presented himself as the next patriarch.
If Joshua had let the situation unfold without forethought and had kept the Knights as they were, there would have been several more days of confusion.
At worst, there could have been an invasion by external forces taking advantage of the situation.
With most of the fighters, including Rosa and Luntia, having suffered varying degrees of injury, it was the most opportune time for outsiders to attack Runcandel.
No one dared to reprimand Jin, even though the Twelfth gbearer spoke as if he were evaluating the Second gbearer.
Even Joshua, the person in question, showed no signs of difort.
"gbearers exist not to disrupt the Family but to organize and lead it. I simply did what was expected of me."
He spoke in an easily understandablenguage, sounding humble but carrying a message that anyone could grasp.
"Even though I did what was expected of me, you put the Family in danger."
"In a way, I merely cleared a path through stagnant waters. Isn''t that why the acting patriarch didn''t punish me because she knows it?"
"The reason mother doesn''t punish you is that she believes you have value. It''s also rted to why you went to the mausoleum as soon as you woke up."
Temar''s legacy and ancient Runcandel.
Everyone had closely observed that power.
Jin''s power, as just the Twelfth gbearer, overthrowing the Garden of Swords in an instant.
Eyes filled with greed were fixed on Jin.
They hoped that if Jin could consecrate the Knights of ancient Runcandel in the mausoleum, that power wouldn''t be limited to just the Twelfth gbearer.
So, what the Elders wanted to hear from Jin now was just one thing.
Is there any way for you to make us ''Magic Swordsmen'' immediately?
Jin was sure.
If he said, "I will immediately share that secret with those who follow me," at that moment, a considerable number of Elders would be favorably disposed toward Jin.
"You must have a n on how to bring the first patriarch and the ancestors to this mausoleum."
"It seems there are only idiots everywhere."
Suddenly, Jin frowned as if feeling ufortable.
"If you want to know, step outside. Challenge me, fight, and take advantage of it. I tell you to follow what I taught you that day. Otherwise, you will disappear from history without leaving a single trace until the day of your death."
"Don''t think only you can use that power, Twelfth gbearer."
"Don''t think the Second gbearer is at the same level as me,mitting all sorts of wickedness with the help of the Prophet."
The Prophet.
Jin mentioned her directly, and Joshua didn''t seem surprised.
Some Elders already knew of the Prophet''s existence.
From their reactions, Jin could expect that Joshua would also soon reveal the Prophet to the Family.
I need to let them know that the legacy of ancient Runcandel has the power to counter Zipple.
Kinzelo and Vermont will soon start seriously arming golems.
Joshua probably knows this.
Even in the previous life, when Zipple began possessing ''mass-produced Magicians,'' the bnce of world power changed significantly.
The living golems of the Legends tribe and the Demon Men that Kinzelo and Vermont were producing could exert far greater power than the mass-produced Magicians.
It wasn''t easy to face them in a "normal" manner.
Blink~
After lighting the mes in the center of the mausoleum using mana, Jin took a step forward, passing by Joshua.
And just as he was about to leave the mausoleum, Luntia blocked his way.
Jin and Luntia stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.
"I will also be the patriarch."
When Luntia spoke those words, everyone gathered in the mausoleum could only doubt their ears.
Even Joshua seemed to have trouble hiding his emotions this time, and his eyes widened in surprise.
Smiling, Jin replied:
"I thought there were only idiots, but it seems there''s a real one. Let''s do our best, big sister."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 395
C395 - Even if You Cover It Up, You Can''t Hide It (5)
It was impossible to keep the Garden of Swords in a state of war and block all of Hufester''s territory. This was because the war had not truly erupted.
As much authority as the Runcandel n had as the ruling n of Hufester, they couldn''t continue suppressing the convenience of all the residents without special justification.
Furthermore, the cause of the incident had already spread among the residents and Calon spies.
The rumor was that Jin Runcandel had caused the ident.
And the rumors spread like a buoy resurfacing on the surface.
No matter how much it was pushed down, words about Jin circted among the residents of Hufester.
Starting with the news that the Twelfth gbearer had fallen critically ill.
And rumors that a rebellion had urred in the Garden of Swords (which could be interpreted differently depending on one''s perspective).
Dangerous rumors even suggested that the Twelfth gbearer had defeated all the gbearers and even suppressed the acting matriarch.
Amidst the overwhelming flood of rumors, Runcandel had to make a decision.
In the end, before Jin could awaken and before a week had passed, Runcandel lifted all the blockades and restored Hufester to its original state.
Unless they were going to eliminate Jin, it was better for the reduced truth to be spread, not the rumors.
Jin Runcandel, the twelfth gbearer of Runcandel, the continent''s greatest swordmaster, had destroyed the Garden of Swords!
The Swordsmen Family originally belonged to the Magical Swordsmen.
The thrilling and tumultuous deration to restore Runcandel''s status as a Magical Swordsmen Family resonated throughout Hufester.
The true identity of the lightning Jin Runcandel had used in his early days as a provisional gbearer was the power of the ancient beastmen tribe that had disappeared thousands of years ago...
Would Runcandel consider Jin Runcandel a traitor or a gbearer of evolution?
"I will be the Patriarch," a single phrase that echoed in the Garden of Swords...
It was also reported that the Third gbearer, Luntia Runcandel, had made the same deration.
The possibility of a three-way battle in the Runcandel session was high.
The derations spread like wildfire.
The Fourth gbearer, Dyfus Runcandel, and the Seventh gbearer, Mary Runcandel, reaffirmed their determination not to give up the throne.
Would it be a five-way battle?
What about the position of the Second gbearer, Joshua Runcandel?
Where is Jin Runcandel, whom the people of Hufester wanted to see?
From the moment the blockade was lifted, articles spread like wildfire.
As always, led by Dino Zan, the journalists sympathetic to Jin had no rest for a while.
The appearance of a hero is always exhrating.
The public had been enthusiastic about Jin Runcandel since the Holy Kingdom incident, and his name had long been synonymous with a hero.
Initially, Runcandel wouldn''t have let such media articles go unnoticed.
However, at this point, suppressing the media was quite burdensome.
There was no benefit in killing those who were friends of Jin.
On the contrary, it could be detrimental. Moreover, simr articles were already appearing outside of Hufester, making Jin''s presence impossible to conceal.
Of course, alongside the endless words of praise, journalists on the opposing side to Jin also lived turbulent days.
Was Runcandel truly a Magical Swordsmen Family?
Baseless rumors, Runcandel was a Family that had be a conqueror of the continent with just a sword.
Could the Twelfth gbearer dare to tarnish that glorious history?
Denying the legitimacy of the family was equivalent to rebellion, and it was a moment when Runcandel''s strict judgment was needed...
The limitations of a Magical Swordsman had already been extensively tested in human history, so there was no need to be fooled by the extravagant stories of the Twelfth gbearer...
Considering this simply as a form of rebellion was an excessively radical move.
Those who referred to it as merely ''radical'' should have their heads chopped off with an axe and disyed at the entrance of the Garden of Swords.
While the lower-ranking gbearer made patriarchal derations, the Second gbearer stood firm.
The Second gbearer encouraged the lower-ranking gbearers, saying, ''Healthypetition is always necessary,'' and disyed a dignity worthy of the next patriarch.
Where is that madman now?
Strip Jin Runcandel of his gbearer status!
Amidst the praising and malicious articles stirring the world, there was one thing that interested both sides equally:
Where is Jin Runcandel right now?
After visiting the Garden of Swords, the only news was that Jin had left the Garden of Swords, and his whereabouts remained unknown.
"Hahaha...!"
Zipple, the First Magic Tower, the Tower of Stories.
As usual, Kelliark Zipple sat in front of the crystal orb on the top floor, passing the time.
Next to him, several newspapers from different countries were piled haphazardly.
Contrary to what was known to the public, there was a childlike expression on his face. He underlined the newspapers as he read them, unmistakably a noble with silver hair.
[What''s so funny again!]
Kadun, the Fire Dragon, was roasting nearly five-meter skewers with his fiery breath, standing at a good distance.
Despite his true form, his face was filled with irritation.
"I''ve felt it before; the youngest of Runcandel has always been quite interesting."
[Interesting? Are you out of your mind?]
"Why not? At his age, he singlehandedly turned Runcandel into aplete mess. Even I couldn''t do what he''s doing. It''s amazing, isn''t it?"
Crack!
Kadun angrily bit into a cooked skewer.
[How much damage have we suffered because of that damn brat? Your brother died, and the Demon God Orb was destroyed, not to mention our alliance with Kinzelo. The Holy Kingdom incident... I dare not even mention it. And recently, we lost a ck Knight spy, Kelliark!]
"Including the fact that we lost some of the Specters."
[Yes, that too. Is that all? A Magical Swordsman...! That brat is breaking the oath!]
Kadun''s anger stemmed from that.
A thousand years ago, he and the Zipple of that time had painstakingly wrested Runcandel''s magic away.
Kadun could understand that Jin, as an individual, was overturning the world as a Magical Swordsman.
The problem was that Jin had dered his intention to turn all of Runcandel back into a Magical Swordsman Family.
It was unbearable.
Remembering how powerful Runcandel had been in those days made his teeth grind and sent shivers down his spine.
"Calm down, Kadun."
[You haven''t lived it a thousand years ago, so you wouldn''t know. If it weren''t for those bastards... the world would have been entirely ours since then. It''s because of those dreadful Magical Swordsmen that I had to wait for a thousand more years.]
"A thousand years isn''t that long for a Dragon, right?"
[A thousand years is a lot for a Dragon too! Damn it, can''t you see that I''m reacting so sensitively to this?]
"I understand. It''s about how important this matter is."
[We have to meet with the acting Patriarch of Runcandel again and press them to remember the oath.]
In response to that, Kelliark smirked.
"No, it''s not necessary."
[Give a more convincing exnation.]
"Of course. Think about it, Kadun. Based on what we''ve observed so far, the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel is not one to recklessly cause trouble. The fact that he openly mentioned restoring Runcandel''s status as a Magical Swordsman Family is because he has a reliable safety."
[Are you talking about Cyron Runcandel?]
"Yes, Cyron Runcandel. What the Twelfth gbearer believes in is his father. I don''t know how much of the ck Sea''s secret Cyron has shared with his younger son, but one thing is certain..."
Cyron Runcandel had not yet entered the territory of the ck Sea''s five kings.
As Kelliark continued, Kadun''s pupils dted.
[...It can''t be. Runcandel''s strongest Knights, along with the Demigod, have been searching for decades. By this point, they should have undoubtedly found the territory of the Five Kings.]
"I was hoping for that from Cyron and his Knights as well. However, judging by the Twelfth gbearer''s actions, it''s more likely that he''s still wandering, unable to find the territory of the Five Kings."
If Cyron had already found the territory of the ck Sea Kings and couldn''t leave for some time, Jin wouldn''t have made such a deration.
That was Kelliark''s judgment.
"The ck Sea is truly an unknownnd. Even if Cyron hasn''t found the territory of the Five Kings yet, it wouldn''t be surprising."
[Hmm, that''s true.]
"Perhaps he gave up on finding the territory of the Five Kings. So, as long as he''s alive, he might be looking for an opportunity to break the oath with the Twelfth gbearer."
[Anyway, it''s annoying.]
"Kadun, Cyron is just a human after all. And I assure you, he won''t get what he wants."
Kadun nodded silently.
A human, and one with limited time.
Once Cyron disappeared, Runcandel would no longer be a problem.
"Furthermore, the oath is just a symbol. What is truly engraved in Runcandel''s blood is a curse. So, don''t rush, let''s watch him. It''s quite interesting, you know."
[Agreed. But still, it''s a good idea to confirm Jin Runcandel''s whereabouts for now. It''s unsettling.]
"That''s a valid point. Let me see, I''ll check the crystal ball..."
[You can''t see anything in there!]
While Kadun eximed in frustration, something caught Kelliark''s attention beneath the crystal ball.
There was a sealed letter.
It had flown to his beloved son, Beradin Zipple.
"...We may not need to search. I''m quite sure he''sing here."
Kelliark waved the letter in his hand.
[What''s that?]
---------------------------
While everyone was curious about Jin''s whereabouts, he was simply passing the time with hisrades in the Tikan Free City mansion.
He was flipping through newspapers while enjoying some Latrie cookies.
However, Jet rushed over and handed him a letter.
"Sir! A letter has arrived in Tikan with your pseudonym. It seems to be some kind of invitation."
"Give it to me."
Jin was already expecting an invitation, so his reaction was quite calm.
When he opened the seal, the first thing he saw was an image of a lion holding a sword.
The ''Emperor Sword Seal.''
Only the Lord of the Emperor Sword Castle could use it.
(Paul Gray Mick! You are invited to the Emperor Sword Banquet.
Join us to enjoy the splendors of the Emperor Sword Castle and make your name shine.
Ron Hairan - Lord of the Emperor Sword Castle.
P.S.: Thanks to my grandson, I have no choice but to send you this invitation as well. If possible, don''te.
Don''te!)
After reading the content, Jin let out a chuckle.
He could almost imagine how desperately Dante must have pleaded with Ron Hairan to invite him to the banquet.
Jet, who nced at the content, sighed.
"My lord, why did that guy bother sending the invitation if he didn''t want you toe? Ron Hairan is quite petty."
"Jet."
"Yes, milord."
"Do you have appropriate attire for the banquet?"
"Yes, I do, but... Why do you ask?"
"Then prepare it. Also, let the others know. We will all go together to meet this little lord."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 396: Emperor Sword Banquet (1)
C396 - Emperor Sword Banquet (1)
October 25, 1799.
Influential families and ns from Hufester, Vermont, and the Lutero Magical Federation gathered at the main residence of Hairan.
The banquet at the Emperor Sword Castle had begun.
Their procession was truly grand.
The various colors of the banners from each n and family around the imposing Emperor Sword Castle looked like a colorful garden of flowers from a distance.
The individuals gathered under those banners were the central figures and pirs of each n.
Compared to Runcandel''s rare banquets, held once every ten years, Hairan was known for hosting banquets frequently.
However, it wasn''tmon for key figures from every n and family to attend each time.
It depended on who the ''host'' was.
Depending on the host, individuals worthy of that status attended the banquet.
In that regard, this Emperor Sword Castle banquet was worthy of beingpared to the Runcandel banquet held when Jin was fifteen.
The fact that Ron himself was the host made the difference.
Ron had personally organized a banquet for the first time in an astounding 22 years.
Thest time he had gathered people was for his newborn grandson.
However, his grandson had be a stubborn fool.
"Wow, sir! It''s my first time attending such an event. Everyone, look over there. That''s the esteemed Sir John Cena of the Dragon King''s Knights! And right beside him is Captain of the Imperial Magic Division, Serri, and that person is..."
"Hehe, Enya-nim, why are you so amazed? They''re not that impressivepared to our lord these days."
"Well, I think so too. However, since so many famous individuals have gathered, it seems appropriate to react a bit more energetically."
"It''s a fun thought, hehe."
Enya and Jet still got along well.
Beris and Kuzan nodded at their interaction (Yulian didn''t attend as she was taking care of Caltor), Gilly let out a smallugh, and Murakan clicked her tongue.
Alisa and Kashimir, on the other hand, had somewhat serious expressions.
"Kashimir, Alisa. Are you worried about meeting the Emperor?"
Quikantel asked.
She was still unofficially sought after by Vermont, along with Enya, but she no longer needed to hide.
Jin had be a gbearer, and his faction was growing into a force that couldn''t be ignored.
"It''s not necessarily that, but it feels strange," Alisa shrugged.
"Even if we don''t meet the Emperor in person, I''m sure we''ll meet some members of the imperial family. Anyway, if we intend to elevate Tikan''s status to a country, we can''t keep avoiding them forever."
The entire group had used products from the Golden Snow Tribe to disguise themselves, just like they did during the Compass Robbery Operation.
However, even with their extravagant disguises, people didn''t pay them much attention.
With so many prominent figures around, Jin and his group were perceived as nobles dressed fashionably, easily blendable anywhere.
"It''s almost our turn."
The group had been queuing for five hours since dawn.
"Show your invitations."
The eyebrows of the gatekeepers twitched as they examined Jin''s invitation.
"Paul Gray Mick? That''s a name I''ve never seen before. Besides, the patriarch left a note telling you not toe if possible, and yet you''ve broughtpanions."
"If it''s absolutely necessary for you to enter, yourpanions can step aside."
"Well, you''ve allowed thepanions of the nobles in front to enter as well."
When Enya asked, the gatekeepers exchanged ufortable nces.
"It''s customary... Anyway, it''s not allowed. Since the patriarch doesn''t seem to wee your presence, there''s nothing we can do. It''s better for only you to enter."
"Wait a moment."
Jin whispered something in his ear, and the eyes of the guardians widened.
"... Are you really Jin Runcandel?"
"Ron-nim sent the invitation using my alias, so I''vee using that name. Please lower your voice a bit, out of courtesy."
"If you''re the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel, show me the proof!"
When the gatekeeper suddenly shouted, the eyes of the other nobles in the adjacent line widened.
"Is it really Jin Runcandel?"
"What did you say? Jin Runcandel is here? Where? That person?"
Suddenly, all eyes turned to Jin and his group.
Some nobles even eximed they had seen ''that handsome blond'' even in the feudal state of the Empire, Berd, confirming that it was indeed Jin Runcandel.
Following the recent Sword Garden incident,monly known as the "Youngest''s Deration," Jin''s whereabouts had be a major concern for the public. It was only natural for gossip-prone nobles to stir up amotion about it.
And as themotion began, someone took the opportunity to intervene.
"Oh! Wee, Jin!"
It was Dante Hairan, standing on the castle wall, looking at the guests.
Beside him, Ron Hairan stood with an ufortable expression.
And one more person.
As soon as they heard the name Jin Runcandel, a figure from the VIP entrance area turned to look.
"Jin? Jin is here? Where, where!"
This good-natured white-haired idiot was none other than the next patriarch of Zipple, Beradin Zipple.
As he craned his neck to get a glimpse of Jin, his attendants were touching their foreheads, trying to restrain him.
"Young Master, please, maintain yourposure."
"He''s the gbearer of the enemy. If you act as if you''re d to see him..."
Despite the objections of the attendants, Beradin kept looking for Jin, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
"Beradin is here too!"
Dante gestured toward Beradin.
At that moment, Beradin met Jin''s gaze and shook his hand.
Jin, in turn, naturally avoided his gaze and continued walking into the Emperor Sword Castle.
He was concerned that Beradin might get into trouble.
As a result, those who came to the banquet responded to Dante''s gestures, thinking they were being weed, and shook hands in turn.
Nobles near Beradin also reached out their hands.
Some things remained the same, Jin couldn''t help but think.
Simr situations had urred in the past, during the Cosmic Arena.
He didn''t expect him to attend. Is he in his right mind today?
On the other hand, he had a bitter taste in his mouth.
Thest time they had met, Jin and Beradin had confronted each other.
On that asion, Beradin not only didn''t greet Jin as he did now but acted like someone determined to kill him.
He couldn''t draw hasty conclusions.
Not until he had a conversation with him.
No, even if we talk in person...
Can I be sure that his mind hasn''t been manipted?
It would probably be difficult. There was no clear information on the extent of Zippel''s mental maniption.
Still, it wasn''t so bad to see his friend looking healthy after a long time.
When they entered the castle, the reception area was already crowded.
If Jin''s identity as Runcandel hadn''t been revealed, they would have had to wait quietly in the reception area until evening.
The entrance of regr guests wouldn''t begin until all VIPs had taken their seats.
Thanks to themotion, Jin and his group were able to enter the banquet hall immediately.
"I went to the trouble of disguising myself, but now it seems pointless. I wanted to see Ron-nim''s smug expression when he realized I wasn''ting."
True fans of the banquet hall had already heard the news.
They were openly scrutinizing Jin and his group with curiosity.
Even the banquet''s guests had noticed Jin''s presence.
They were openly examining the group, and their curiosity was evident.
Jin''s arrival at the banquet hall was a surprise to everyone, but except for a few, the people Jin had brought with him were unknown to them.
Officially, Hairan hadn''t sent an invitation to Runcandel.
Ron made that decision out of consideration for Rosa, who was still recovering.
Ron also had his own reasons for not being particrly thrilled with Runcandel.
As they were led to their table, a person with an interesting gait approached them.
"Pleased to meet you, Jin Runcandel-nim."
She was an incredibly fair-skinned woman, of almost supernatural beauty and a slender figure.
It was the first time Jin and his group had seen her, and she carried an incongruouslyrge weapon on her back, an "axe-sword."
"An axe-sword...?"
"Was there anyone else, besides the older sister Luna, who used such a sword as a weapon?"
Although part of it was hidden, it was clear that it was an axe-sword.
"Who are you?"
While Jin inspected the axe-sword, Murakan asked with a somewhat mocking tone.
"I am Zephyrin, from the ck King''s Mercenaries. I''ve always admired Jin-nim, so I''vee to greet him."
"Admire who? Him? Why the heck? Are you like this girl?"
When Murakan pointed at Enya, someone urgently pronounced Zephyrin''s name.
"Hey, Zephyrin!"
Someone with an anxious voice called out to Zephyrin.
A man rushed towards her from behind, someone Jin knew.
"Oh, Captain!"
Bang!
Before Zephyrin could respond, Murka, the captain of the Third Division of the ck King''s Mercenaries, gave her a light tap on the back of her neck, causing her to slightly bow her head.
He had a natural look, as if dealing with a troublesome student.
It seemed somewhat routine.
"Are you following me shamelessly? Hm, hm! I''m sorry, Jin Runcandel-nim. I didn''t supervise my subordinates properly. She''s a neer who recently joined, and she''s quite rowdy. If the rookie came here thanks to the leader, she should behave quietly..."
"No need to worry, Murka-nim. It''s been a while."
Murka had been in charge of Jin''s escort when he left the Storm Castle.
The nickname ''Young Emperor'' that the ck King''s Mercenaries, who protected him, had given him had gained attention againtely due to recent events.
"It seems you''ve been promoted to Captain."
"It happened shortly after escorting you, Sir."
"Though it''s quite bted, I must congratte you."
While Jin chatted with Murka, he couldn''t help but feel subtly annoyed by Zephyrin.
"Is it because of the axe-sword? I have a strange feeling for some reason..."
Murka, apparently aware of this fact, pointed at Zephyrin.
"Her real weapon is a regr longsword. She carries this axe-sword on her back and ims to admire Lady Luna, always saying she does it out of respect. Please don''t think badly of her."
While talking to Jin, Murka asionally scolded Zephyrin but showed affection for his subordinate.
"Of course."
"Thank you for understanding. Hey, hey! Why don''t you say thank you right now?"
"Thank you!"
Once again, when Zephyrin quickly bowed her head (she did it with so much energy that the handle of the axe-sword hit her in the neck), Murakan shook his head as if he weren''t surprised.
"Ah, I''m tired. That''s enough. Go on."
"Yes, until next time. Enjoy the banquet."
After Murka and Zephyrin left, the group exchanged nces.
"Our Lord doesn''t need to do anything; beautiful women like here to him on their own. As expected."
"That woman Zephyrin seems a bit suspicious, doesn''t she?"
"Surely it seems that way to you because she''s going to be yourpetition. What''s suspicious about her? She just seems a bit inexperienced."
While Jet, Enya, and Murakan made theirments, Jin and Quikantel continued to gaze at Zephyrin''s back with furrowed brows.
"Jin."
"Yes, Quikantel-nim."
"That Zephyrin, she doesn''t look like she''s of the human race."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 397:
C397 - Emperor Sword Banquet (2)
The group''s gaze once again turned to the backs of Murka and Zephyrin at Quikantel''s words.
Murka had been scolding Zephyrin all the way back to the ck King''s Mercenaries'' table.
"Eh? Quikantel-nim, what are you talking about?"
"Quikantel. Are you saying you see them as so insignificant that you don''t even consider them human? This girl didn''t seem that way to me."
While Jet and Murakan expressed their doubts, Quikantel sighed.
"Murakan, are you so naive that you didn''t notice theck of scent from that girl? Oh, right, you''re naturally insensitive, aren''t you?"
"I don''t need to hear that from you."
"You didn''t notice any smelling from that girl?"
"I don''t get it. I only smelled a strange perfume. These neers to banquets always seem to spray their perfume so heavily. Maybe they don''t usually bathe..."
Upon Murakan''s words, Enya and Jet wrinkled their noses and sniffed their own clothes at the same time.
They were neers to the banquet too, so they had used a lot of perfume.
"Well, that kind of people doesn''t necessarily not bathe regrly, you know?"
"Well, you''re right. Haha, I identally spilled a bit of perfume on myself while handling it this morning."
Of course, the scent Quikantel referred to wasn''t the smell of perfume.
"It was the smell of our people, Murakan."
Everyone looked at Quikantel in surprise.
"What...?"
"It was covered by the perfume, but I''m sure of it. The scent I sensed from that human was the blood of our people, and not just one type of blood, but several mixed together."
Hiding the scent of blood from seasoned mercenaries who had been on countless battlefields was impossible.
The pungent scent of blood was as strong and intense as meat sizzling on a grill.
But dragon blood was entirely different from that of humans.
Dragons had a unique and mysterious scent that was difficult to discern with human sensory organs, and it varied from species to species.
"The Terror of the Ant Mountains. The scent was even stronger than what I sensed from that human."
"Hmm, that''s something. So, Quikantel, are you saying Zephyrin might be a Dragon yer?"
"A Dragon yer? There''s nothing like that in the world, you bastard. Vanessa Olsen was probably the closest thing. Well, if it''s the scent of our rtives... then was the perfume used deliberately to mask that scent?"
"There''s a possibility."
"If what you say is true, then that person is probably a Demon or a Demon Dragon. But as far as I know, there''s no Demon who can transform perfectly into a human, so there''s a high possibility she''s a Demon Dragon."
Demon Dragon. It referred to dragons that served gods or demon kings, either by choice or coercion.
They were called the same whether they were created by Demon Gods from the beginning or were dragons who served other Gods and moved to the Demon World.
"Thest time a Demon Dragon appeared in the human world was during the Holy Kingdom''s Protection War. Before that, it was about 1,200 years ago when Heluram summoned the Demon God."
"Before the Demon God appeared, they were asionally seen, but nothing more. So should I go and ask? Are you a Demon Dragon?"
"And what will you do if she says yes?"
"We''ll have to confront her."
"Hmm, maybe it''s better for you to stay silent, Murakan."
When Jin tried to stop him, Murakan shrugged.
"Why?"
"If she denies it, there''s no way to prove it. It might not be true. Besides, if you suddenly make a scene iming you''ve discovered her true identity, there''s no solution. This is Ron-nim''s banquet hall, after all."
If Murakan''s actions disturbed the banquet...
The responsibility would fall directly on Jin.
"Jin is right, Murakan. Why are you so stubborn? Plus, there''s a slight possibility that the smell of our people ising from the sword. It''s unlikely, but if that''s the case, then she could be an ordinary human, and the weapon might have belonged to a Demon Dragon or someone like Vanessa."
As if she had heard something, Zephyrin turned her head as she scratched her neck.
While doing so, she made eye contact with Jin and waved with a goofy smile.
"Hey, if you''re as strong as I am, you don''t need to use your head so much. What do you guys know? Heh. Oh, by the way, that Zephyrin or whatever, from here, she looks like aplete idiot."
"But, Quikantel-nim. If she''s really a Demon Dragon, there must be a reason she came to me. In my opinion... it''s probably the Grimoire of Rontelgius."
The Grimoire of Rontelgius.
The object that hade to their minds was the one they had obtained a few months ago when they attacked Joshua''s secret vi.
If a Demon Dragon had something to discuss with him, that would be the only reason.
"I agree with that, Jin. Once the banquet is over, we should investigate Zephyrin. I think we need to find out more about her."
"Anyway, we also have business with the ck King''s Mercenaries. After the banquet, we should go to the headquarters of the ck King''s Mercenaries. It might be a good opportunity to meet the leader of the ck King''s Mercenaries in the banquet hall."
The ck King''s Mercenaries, the most renowned mercenary group in the world, were the most crucial of the neutral factions that Jin needed to recruit.
It was a mercenary group that not even Runcandel could afford to ignore.
"Moreover, if Zephyrin''s connection to Rontelgius is revealed, we can also investigate Joshua''s rtionship with them," added Jin.
"But, Jin-nim," Enya chimed in, "how did Zephyrin know that we had the Grimoire?"
"Probably because she sensed the unique mana of Demons or Demon Dragons. We''ve been carrying that sinister thing with us for the past few months, so she probably could feel it in our presence," Quikantel responded on behalf of Jin.
"Oh, so Demon Dragons have extraordinary senses," Enyamented.
Since they found the Grimoire, Tikan had been gathering information about Rontelgius.
However, they had made no progress so far, and the appearance of Zephyrin might provide a potential lead.
Moreover, it was not likely that the presence of a Demon Dragon would have a positive impact on the human world.
It was important to quickly discover Zephyrin''s true identity and purpose.
Of course, if she turned out to be an ordinary human, the situation would change.
While the group discussed Zephyrin, another figure approached their table.
Unlike Zephyrin, this neer had an unmistakable air of hostility and malice around him.
He didn''t even bother to hide his murderous intent, causing other diners to fix their gaze on him.
"What is this now? It''s been a while since I''ve seen such unfriendly eyes," Murakan said, visibly irritated by the neer''s attitude.
However, hispanions did not react.
"Jin Runcandel."
Jin lifted his head to meet the eyes of the neer.
Immediately, Jin could tell who he was.
Lata Proch.
He was Fey Proch''s brother, whom Jin had captured as a prisoner not long ago.
He was also the young leader of the Ghost Legion.
"Kid, pass on a message from this fearless little punk to him. Tell him that if he doesn''t start showing some respect with those pretty eyes of his, he won''t be able to see anything ever again," Murakan said.
"As you heard, Lata-nim. What business does the Proch Demon have with me?" Jin replied casually, unfazed by Lata''s attitude.
Murakan''sment and Jin''s calm attitude did nothing to change Lata''s expression.
However, it seemed that he hadn''t regained hisposure but had arrived already boiling with anger from head to toe.
"Did you kill her?"
He was referring to Fey.
"I spared her."
"I won''t ask you twice. Tell me what you want."
The atmosphere was tense.
This was because the nature of this ce was clearly different from Runcandel''s banquet and the one-legged group''s event.
It wasn''t an event where they could freely fight just because they held grudges against each other.
However, despite that, everyone was curious.
The Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel, who had single-handedly turned the Garden of Swords upside down, and the leader of the Ghost Legion, acimed as the reincarnation of Smarion, were quite a spectacle.
Furthermore, such a spectacle was rarely seen elsewhere.
"Will Runcandel''s Twelfth gbearer cause another sensation in the world?"
"Lata Proch is a monster among monsters. If the Twelfth gbearer defeats him, Runcandel''s gbearers will surely feel threatened once again."
Those who watched were full of expectations, but Jin didn''t want to fight Lata.
The Ghost Legion, like the ck King''s Mercenaries, was an important neutral force that needed to be recruited as an ally.
The Ghost Legion''s headquarters was located in Vermont, and if convinced, they could provide significant aid in curbing the Empire''s power.
Of course, despite the efforts of major ns like Runcandel, Zipple, and Vermont to recruit them as allies, there was a good reason why neutral forces like the ck King''s Mercenaries and the Ghost Legion had remained neutral for so long.
Naturally, if they made the wrong decision, their very existence as a group would be in danger.
That''s why important neutral forces sometimes offered their loyalty to Runcandel, sometimes to Zipple, sometimes to Vermont, and sometimes refused to deal with any of them, maintaining their existence.
But now, all neutral forces had to unite.
"Beyond ascending the throne of Runcandel, I must overthrow Zipple. It''s an absolute necessity."
Once Zipplepleted the Demon God Orb and started achieving what he desired. At that moment, not only Runcandel but also those in the gray zone woulde to an end.
In a manipted world, even existing as oneself would be impossible.
I must let everyone know that only I have the means to prevent that.
While Jin briefly lost himself in these thoughts...
Lata was bing increasingly hostile.
"In some way, it seems it will be difficult to turn this guy into an ally. Maybe if I had told him that I killed Fey, he wouldn''t have hesitated and would have plunged his sword without a second thought."
Before him was undoubtedly the infamous leader of the Ghost Legion.
However, to Jin, he seemed more like a rebellious brat who needed to be disciplined and guided onto the right path.
Someone who needed to be properly educated and appeased.
"I haven''te up with anything yet."
"Then think of something right now."
"And what if I don''t want to?"
"I said I wouldn''t ask you twice. There will be no negotiation, and you''ll be my enemy forever."
"It sounds like you''re treating all of Runcandel as your enemy."
"I heard you''re not the type to blindly follow your Family. Well, if you want to interpret it that way, be my guest. By the way, Beradin Zipple is here too. I''m willing to have a conversation with him as well."
Despite openly showing his hostility, Lata was undoubtedly the leader of the Ghost Legion, capable of understanding what would effectively press Jin.
Even when he was boiling with anger from head to toe.
While Jin contemted his response, Beradin, who was behind Lata, cleared his throat.
He smiled at Jin and said, "Well, Lata-nim, I''m not exactly prepared to talk to you. But you two seem to get along quite well. When did the Ghost Legion and Runcandel form an alliance?"
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 398: Emperor Sword Banquet (3)
C398 - Emperor Sword Banquet (3)
Lata abruptly turned his head, meeting Beradin''s gaze.
His eyes, which had been filled with anger, seemed to tremble momentarily, as if surprised by the sudden conversation.
It wasn''t just Lata; others in the banquet hall also appeared taken aback.
This was because Beradin had mentioned a topic as delicate as the ''Alliance between Runcandel and the Ghost Legion'' quite casually.
What a funny guy, Jin thought.
Beradin''s impulsive behavior was unexpected and amusing.
Suddenly, he recalled the first day they had met at the Mitel Transfer Gate when he was heading to the Garden of Swords.
-Well, aren''t you quite an interesting fellow, Jin Runcandel?
-I''m Beradin Zipple. I was just provoking you to test you, but I apologize formally.
"At that time, I thought he was just a weird guy."
In reality, Beradin was someone with a fervent sense of justice, willing to risk his life to rectify his Family''s wrongdoings.
Those who used this well-intentioned fool for their own benefit were his greatest enemies.
He seemed carefree before and even now, it seemed he was helping me, but...
I can''t be sure if Beradin is in his right mind.
Mind maniption.
Jin didn''t know much about that sinister magic.
During the ''ck Knight Assassination Mission,'' he had limited it to manipting his mind to the point of turning him into a killing machine, but since then, mental maniption magic might have advanced, allowing for more subtle control outside ofbat.
Even if his friend appeared to show signs of goodwill, he couldn''t trust him.
That fact was unsettling and made Jin''s stomach turn.
"...An alliance? What are you talking about, Beradin Zipple?"
"You seemed like good friends, so I assumed you formed an alliance. Isn''t that the case?"
"Are you here to mock me?"
"Eh? Why do you interpret it that way? Weren''t we getting along?"
At least one person found it amusing to watch them.
However, as all three of them were such notable figures, it wasn''t prudent to interfere in their conversation, as it could lead to unexpected consequences.
Especially with Lata, who seemed to be on edge, mocking him at that moment would only invite trouble.
Beradin, smiling, met Lata''s gaze, who seemed ready to explode at any moment.
"Although I consider the actions you''ve shown today to represent Zipple, it wouldn''t be too far off, right?"
"Haha, I''m not that impressive."
The sharp gazes that had been directed at Jin were now focused on Beradin.
''Lata Proch, this guy is something else too. Baring your fangs against Zipple, even that just because you''re in a bad mood.''
It was a testament to the strength of the Ghost Legion, but in Jin''s eyes, Lata seemed like an ignorant frog in a well.
''After Smarion Proch eliminated the Seigalga n, which led the Ghost Legion, Lata inherited power smoothly. That''s why his political ability is on the level of a firefly.''
However, despite his low status as the leader of a mercenary group, there was a reason he held the position of leader.
''I wonder if it''s his individual power, or if it''s Lata''s leadership ability, which I''m unaware of.''
Perhaps it''s thetter, but if it''s the former, then Jin didn''t know what kind of power Lata might possess.
While Jin was lost in his thoughts, Lata turned his head again and red at him.
"An alliance, you say? The Ghost Legion doesn''t ally with any faction. We only have contracts and clients. Jin Runcandel, I challenge you to a duel."
Cough~
Faced with Lata''s sudden challenge, Jin could only cough in disbelief.
A duel?
What kind of lunatic are you?
The onlookers wore bewildered expressions as no one had expected such a turn of events at Ron Hairan''s banquet, held after 22 years.
The appearance of an individual willing tomit such madness exceeded anyone''s expectations.
"Leader of the Ghost Legion, Lata Proch!"
"Hail to the Proch Demon!"
Amidst the astonished crowd, voices in support of Lata emerged from one side of the spectators.
They were the members of the Ghost Legion who had followed Lata.
"Why are you so surprised, Jin Runcandel?"
"I''m sure the only ones not surprised by Lata-nim''s actions are the Ghost Legion."
"You''re not going to back down, are you?"
"I refuse."
"Lack of confidence?"
"This is a banquet organized by Ron-nim. Fighting here would be an insult to Ron-nim."
"Then we can settle it after the banquet is over."
In this situation, there was no choice but to ept the challenge.
"I would have preferred to avoid a fight and have him join as an ally, but I suppose there''s no choice. Well, this kind of person doesn''t know when to give up."
Jin shrugged.
"It seems fair to me. However, I''m not interested in defeating weaker opponents."
Somehow, it seemed that a thread of reason in Lata''s mind had snapped.
"Say it again."
"Not long ago, I fought against all of Runcandel. And you could say the result was some sort of victory. Do you think it would be thrilling for me to fight Lata-nim?"
Lata''s pupils dted, and the conversation buzz around him instantly fell silent.
The silence wasn''t due to Jin''s effective provocation but because the spectators were surprised by the im that he had fought against all of Runcandel.
"I''ve heard you have guts and a sharp tongue, and it turns out to be true. I suppose you can handle a sword."
"I was being careful with you. But when you cross the line to this extent, there must be consequences. Let''s have the duel. However, it wouldn''t be appropriate to fight willy-nilly. As you know, I''m a businessman."
"Are you suggesting a bet?"
"Isn''t there something you need from me?"
"Before I kill you, I''ll have you sign a blood oath, then."
"Blood oath or whatever, if you win, I''ll grant you whatever you desire. If you take my life or perform any act that can humiliate me while I still breathe, it''s all fair game. But if I win..."
Jin smiled satisfactorily as he finished the sentence.
"The Ghost Legion will fulfill one of my requests."
We only have contracts and clients.
That statement caught Jin''s attention.
After defeating Lata, he nned to use him as a leash around his neck.
"Very well."
"There are many onlookers. I hope you don''t disappoint themter by changing your mind. You can withdraw now."
When the conversation ended, Lata didn''t seem as angry as he did at first.
Instead, his eyes gleamed with delight, and a smile adorned his face.
He was excited about the prospect of crushing Jin.
And that was what people thought as they watched him.
In reality, Beradin hadplicated Jin''s situation by pretending to help him.
With just a few words, he had pushed Jin into a duel with Lata, and whether Jin won or lost, Zipple wouldn''t suffer any loss, so the interpretation wasn''t entirely incorrect.
"You''re quite temperamental, Leader of the Ghost Legion. I just came to greet him, and he got jealous, eh? How have you been, Jin?"
Beradin said cheerfully, extending his hand for a handshake.
Upon seeing his behavior, a mix of emotions crossed Jin''s mind for a moment.
The onlookers couldn''t help but be captivated once again by intense curiosity.
They couldn''t decipher the connection between the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel and the next patriarch of Zipple, or whether Beradin was simply provoking.
"It doesn''t seem like we''re on friendly terms, Beradin Zipple."
Jin responded promptly to his curiosity.
"Why would you say that? That''s quite harsh."
Beradin exaggerated his expression.
Jin chose not to respond andpletely ignored him.
Whether Beradin was behaving this way of his own free will or being manipted for nefarious purposes, it wasn''t a good idea to show a close rtionship with him at this moment.
Especially since Jin had dered his intention to break the shameful oath between Zipple and Runcandel just a few days ago.
Whether Beradin was acting under maniption or not, Jin couldn''t be sure of Beradin''s intentions.
In the end, Beradin withdrew his extended hand and left, still wearing his characteristic wide smile.
Naturally, the onlookers also dispersed.
From that day on, their words would spread far and wide, carrying with them the story of Jin, Beradin, and Lata.
And on the top floor of the banquet hall, hidden from view, there was someone who had been watching the recentmotion with displeasure.
"Dante."
Ron Hairan, upon seeing a young man daring to create a scene at his own banquet without fear, was more than exasperated.
"Yes, Grandfather."
"Do you have to associate with people like them? There are plenty of good young people in the world."
"Those two are fighting and rebelling against their respective families, unlike me. So, to me, they are cherished friends because they''re better than me."
"Haha, it seems like you value those misfits more than this old man."
"That''s not true!"
Ron ruffled Dante''s hair with a smile.
"But speaking of misfits, it''s true that the Runcandel scoundrel, but what about that idiot from Zipple who opposes his family? I''ve heard that, unlike Jin, Beradin was designated as the next patriarch and has long enjoyed all sorts of privileges."
Dante hadn''t told Ron about Beradin''s mind maniption yet.
Bringing up that topic would mean that Hairan would have to make a decision.
Whether to return to the world''s number one n, capable of "mind maniption," against his enemy, or continue building a slow friendship as he has until now.
It was a decision that Dante, as the young patriarch, had to carefully consider when discussing Beradin with the patriarch.
Dante had decided a long time ago but hadn''t found the right opportunity.
"Grandfather, if I told you that magic can manipte the human mind and memories as one pleases, would you believe me?"
When Dante spoke with a serious tone, Ron''s eyes deepened.
"For the past few years, Zipple has been using mind maniption magic on Beradin, perhaps even longer. They have manipted Beradin like a puppet. Despite that, Beradin has opposed the secret wrongdoings of his Family."
"Go on."
Dante began to exin the events that had been hidden behind the incidents in the Holy Kingdom.
Beradin setting fire to the gold ingots, the Specter Corps chasing Jin, the diary and Beradin''s confessions, and more.
"I would never have shared my thoughts with you if it were just a decision I made out of pity as a friend. However, as the young patriarch of Hairan, I believe that Zipple, with its maniption abilities, is an evil force that must be eliminated."
"So, your argument is that we should now form an alliance with Runcandel and counteract Zipple."
"Yes, Grandfather."
Without hesitation, Ron shook his head.
"Dante, my beloved grandson. Normally, in situations like this, what you should expect is for Runcandel and Zipple to fight each other until they kill each other. Or, for the two of them to engage in a war until one weakens, and we can conquer them both."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 399:
C399 - Emperor Sword Banquet (4)
As if anticipating the reaction, Dante calmly looked at his grandfather.
His gaze troubled Ron''s heart.
The grandson he had in mind, Dante, was a resilient human being.
No one in Hairan had imagined that his naturally fragile and diminutive grandson would be the next patriarch.
Although Ron''s overwhelming support yed a significant role in Dante bing the young patriarch, behind that supporty relentless training.
Dante''s struggles, shouting himself hoarse as he ascended the steep path of the sword, were an inspiration to Ron, unlike anything the world had ever seen.
It was an achievement far beyond what people typically called extraordinary mental strength or determination.
Even Transcendental Warriors who reached the ten stars needed an incredibly powerful and umon will to undergo such training.
It had been 17 years since it all began when he was only five years old.
Anyone who could endure or withstand such brutal growth, or even those who could, would inevitably harbor a deep demon within.
That''s why Ron believed his grandson wouldn''t be an entirely kind and just person.
The world was not a fairy tale.
Sometimes, one had to be as ruthless as Runcandel without hesitation, and other times, as two-faced as Zipple.
Like all other powerful ns, there were times when they had to do all kinds of dirty deeds.
Performing such feats without any guilt was the basic principle for bing a leader of a group.
However, contrary to what he believed, Dante, whom he had observed all the time, had not deviated even once from his innate goodness.
Yes...
Dante.
My grandson.
You usually are that kind of kid.
Suddenly, such a thought crossed Ron''s mind.
Whether Dante became the patriarch or wallowed in the mud, his desire was to wield power and rule the world.
''What you''ve endured all these painful days was to keep yourself. Or maybe you just liked wielding your sword.''
If he looked at it from a slightly different perspective.
Thanks to his extraordinary will, Dante might have retained his singr straight nature all these years.
Anyone can be tempted at least once.
The temptation to be stronger more easily, the temptation to gain power more easily, the temptation to eliminatepetitors more easily...
His grandson had never shown any interest in such temptations.
He had simply silently wielded his sword.
"... That''s a value that only you possess, my grandson."
"Grandfather?"
When Dante voiced his confusion at Ron''s disjointed words, he weakly smiled.
"Dante, we can''t form an alliance with Runcandel. No one in our Family desires that," Ron said solemnly.
Dante nodded heavily in response, saying:
"I understand."
"However, when Zipple uses mind maniption magic in the future, we''ll need a means to counteract it."
Ron continued, cing his hand on Dante''s shoulder.
"I believe Jin Runcandel is seeking the means, or maybe he already possesses it."
Slowly, Dante''s eyes widened.
"So, instead of bing a person of Runcandel, make Jin Runcandel your subordinate. Then, when you be the patriarch, no one will oppose your decisions."
"Grandfather!"
"Of course, that''s only possible if your friend is equally useful at that time," Ron added casually.
It was an unexpected story for Dante.
He knew very well that his grandfather was sometimes more rational than anyone.
However, despite that, Ron''s subtle approval of Dante''s opinion implied the seriousness of the matter called mind maniption.
No matter how strong a Warrior was, if their mind was manipted, they might act involuntarily for Zipple.
''If Zipple''s mind maniption is as advanced as Dante described and if it continues to progress, anyone could end up like that. The Swordsmen of Hairan who will aid Dante, Dante himself, and even me,'' Ron worried.
That was precisely what concerned Ron.
Mind maniption had never appeared in the power structure of the world until now.
It was likely that factions aware of Zipple''s mind maniption were extremely limited.
Even Ron had just learned about it through Dante...
Within Runcandel itself, apart from that demon, there might not be many who knew.
Cyron Runcandel.
Ron wondered if his lifelong adversary was aware of this fact...
''Even if he knows, there must be a reason that monster doesn''t leave the ck Sea,'' Ron thought.
Ron shifted his gaze to Jin.
Not only he but everyone was looking at Jin.
Initially, Ron had nned to use this gathering to publicly announce once more that Dante would be the next patriarch.
He also wanted to make it clear to Dante''s brothers, who recently seemed to have other ideas.
He wanted to tell them that supporting Dante was the only way to secure their position in the Sword Emperor''s Castle.
However, the untimely guest was stealing the spotlight at his own banquet after 22 years, which didn''t sit well with Ron.
"Now that we''vee to this, I might as well use that guy for Dante''s sake," Ron thought, stroking his beard.
"Do you understand?" he asked Dante.
"Yes, Grandfather. I''ll keep that in mind," Dante replied.
"Haha, good. Now that it seems all the guests have gathered, it''s time to announce the start of the banquet."
When Ron pped his hands lightly, the chaotic banquet hall instantly fell silent.
Although it was just a p, there was a deep and imposing aura contained within it, and those who had reached a certain level could feel Ron''s aplished martial prowess.
Naturally, everyone turned their gaze to Ron and Dante.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you foring to the Sword Emperor''s Castle. I, Ron Hairan, patriarch of Hairan, wee you."
Ron waved to the guests who apuded for a while, thanking them.
Normally, the next step would have been an expression of gratitude to the ''royalty'' who had organized this gathering.
However, as if indicating that he didn''t care about the royalty, Ron continued with his next words.
"I''ve organized this banquet today to celebrate my grandson here, Dante Hairan. As you all know, I''m famous for having high expectations for my grandson. I believe this young man will soon inherit my sword. I''ve spent many sleepless nights thinking about it."
The members of the imperial royalty showed no signs of displeasure at being tantly ignored.
On the contrary, they responded with lightughter to Ron''s words.
This revealed how much power Ron wielded in the Vermont Empire.
Even if there were an emperor present instead of the royalty, Ron Hairan would not have thanked him separately, thought Jin, looking at the imperial family''s table.
The Imperial Mystics.
In Hufester, people referred to the Vermont Imperial Family as "mystics."
It was because they rarely took a leading role, except for the ''Emperor.''
The Vermont Imperial Family often attended meetings like this, where powerful figures gathered or important imperial events took ce.
''However, the reason the imperial family had such influenceparable to figures like Ron Hairan and other dignitaries was due to their role in recruiting the Imperial Guard and the Special Forces.''
The authority to appoint the Imperial Guard and the Special Forces in the Imperial Pce was an exclusive right of the imperial family.
The living golems I saw in the Wantaramo Forest were probably the work of the imperial family.
I will soon prove that they are not mystical beings but disgusting bastards, Jin thought as he exchanged a nce with one of the Vermonts, and they shared a subtle nod.
Meanwhile, some of the pure-blooded Hairans, excluding Dante, were visibly ufortable.
They didn''t openly show signs of displeasure, but the very act of sitting in their seats seemed like torment.
"However, it seems there are those who want to cause unnecessary trouble on this joyful day," Ronmented, suddenly wiping his smile away.
At that moment, the pure-blooded Hairans adjusted their postures, seemingly taken by surprise.
But Ron wasn''t looking at them.
"The Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel and the Leader of the Ghost Legion. Your actions were a significant discourtesy, to the point where I can reprimand you as I see fit."
The people''s attention shifted back to Jin and Lata.
"My apologies, Ron-nim."
"My apologies."
When the two replied, Ron smiled again.
"I understand it''s a time of youthful exuberance, but you must pay the price. I thought I should prepare some suitable entertainment for the esteemed guests who have joined us today. It seems that just this old man''s face won''t be enough."
Upon hearing this, Lata''s eyes sparkled.
As the Ghost Mercenaries originated from Vermont, the two groups generally maintained a friendly rtionship. Therefore, Lata understood that Ron''s offer was a form of assistance.
Soon, he would put Jin in his ce.
"I, the Leader of the Ghost Legion, Lata Proch, dly ept Ron-nim''s consideration and proposal."
At that moment, cheers erupted from various parts of the room. Naturally, people assumed that Jin and Lata''s duel would be resolved discreetly away from the crowd, increasing anticipation for the results.
It seems that Ron-nim is indirectly raising Dante''s status by punishing both Lata and me, Jin thought.
The Hairan n was undeniably one of the world''s leading ns, butpared to Runcandel, their stature was somewhat lower. However, when Jin and Lata dueled to celebrate Dante, it was only natural that Dante''s status would increase.
"I, the Twelfth gbearer of the Runcandel Family, ept," Jin said.
Ron appeared satisfied with Jin''s response and smiled contentedly.
"Good. Then let''s all enjoy the banquet I''ve prepared and eagerly await the exhibition of these two warriors at midnight."
As the atmosphere in the meeting hall quickly heated up, a group of people seated behind Jin engaged in a hushed conversation.
"Thanks to Lata Proch''s impromptu actions, the duel should be more exciting."
"After midnight, Zipple and Hairan will be enemies."
While no one paid particr attention to Jin''s group, there was an exception. Zephyrin watched them with a cheerful smile.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 400:
C400 - Emperor Sword Banquet (5)
When Ron''s greetings concluded, the banquet began in earnest.
The imperial orchestra, personally sent by the Emperor, took its ce and started ying music, filling the hall with delightful melodies.
Fireworks burst in all directions, and colorful and bright flower petals rained down.
Various performances prepared by the Vermont Magic Theater Company also caught everyone''s attention.
Inside, magic had shaped fire, ice, and lightning, decorating the venue like giant sheets of colored paper.
Among Vermont''s acts, the Hairan banquet was the most popr.
While Runcandel gatherings were practically battlefields for settling grievances and Zipple banquets were stiff and dull, the Hairan banquet lived up to its name.
It was lively and a beautiful social gathering.
The nobles waiting in the reception hall gradually made their way into the banquet hall.
Dressed in their finest attire, they cast admiring nces at the warriors gathered here.
For those born into noble families, the warriors present were like stars in the sky.
The most radiant figure among them was Dante Hairan, the banquet''s protagonist.
At twenty-two years old, he was the young patriarch of Hairan, known for his youthful appearance and outstanding character, a Vermont supernova.
Regardless of gender, many aspired to form an alliance with Dante, and every time he shook hands, cheers erupted among the nobles.
Among the nobility, there was a rumor that this banquet had been organized by Ron Hairan to find a partner for his grandson.
However, in reality, Dante, along with the nearby Beradin, only showed interest in Jin. Lata also stared fiercely at Jin with murderous intent.
"Hey, kid, crush that guy at midnight. Make sure to show him what happens when you mess with the wrong person," Murakan said, and Gilly lowered her head, worried for Jin.
"Although he tends to be underestimated due to his youth, the Leader of the Ghost Legion is considered one of the strongest in the mercenary world. He''s even known as one of the Three Great Mercenaries, alongside Am, the great mercenary of the Gaifa Inds, and the leader of the ck King''s mercenaries. Are you okay, Young Master?"
Hearing Gilly''s words, Jin''spanions all nodded in unison.
"Didn''t he just recently destroy the Garden of Swords and turn the Third gbearer of Runcandel into minced meat? Who is this guy to speak that way?"
"Although the Leader of the Ghost Legion is known as one of the Three Great Mercenaries, he''s undoubtedly not on the same level as Am or the leader of the ck King''s mercenaries. In my opinion, Jin-nim has a good chance of winning."
"Moreover, this duel is held in the presence of Ron-nim, so even if the lord loses, he won''t lose his life. In fact, his reputation will only grow even if he loses. Of course, in my opinion, our lord is likely to win, but we shall see."
Kashimir and Alisa also expressed simr views.
As Alisa mentioned, at the moment, the Leader of the Ghost Legion, Lata, had a greater reputation than Jin.
Jin''s recent victory over the Third gbearer had garnered attention, but it had not yet be widely known.
After all, less than a month had passed since the incident.
The gazes of Dante, Beradin, and the other warriors fixed on Jin, sparking the interest of the nobles.
"Is that person Jin Runcandel?"
"His face matches the advertisement. He doesn''t even need cosmetics."
"You should try those cosmetics too; you''ll never want to use anything else."
"Wow, look over there. Isn''t that Siris Endorma from the Hidden Pce? It looks like she''s heading toward Jin."
Next, Siris approached Jin.
When the two faced each other, with their morous golden and shining silver hair, the nobles eagerly anticipated what would happen next.
"Jin."
"Siris-nim, it''s been a while. You came to the banquet too."
"You look good; I''m d."
"Did you worry about me?"
Siris nodded when Jin asked in surprise.
Jin felt somewhat perplexed.
It was strange for Siris to treat him as someone close.
"The blood drop you used was one that our Hidden Pce had been keeping."
Jin and hispanions had no idea about this fact.
They only knew that butler Heinz had brought it.
"I didn''t know. I should express my gratitude. Did Tris-nim give it to me?"
"...Not exactly. Cyron-nim gave it to my mother a long time ago. Since my mother never told me, I''ve always known it belonged to the Hidden Pce."
"Ah."
"And, from what I''ve heard from my mother, Cyron-nim hasn''t paid it back yet."
"If there''s anything you wish for, please tell me. I will take responsibility on behalf of my father."
"In that case, dance with me."
"What?"
"It seems it''s time to inform Zipple that the Hidden Pce has a friendly rtionship with you. Especially because the next patriarch of Zipple is watching. There couldn''t be a better opportunity to send a message," Siris said, extending her hand.
It was a moment that left not only the nobles but also the warriors open-mouthed.
As far as the Warriors knew, Siris Endorma wasn''t one to show interest in others in a public event like this.
"Very well. It''s an honor to dance with you, Siris-nim."
When Jin took her hand and stood up, some of the warriors seemed to ept it with a nod, as if they had expected it.
That''s what those who had attended Runcandel''s banquet four years ago had thought and had "misinterpreted" the rtionship between Jin and Siris.
There was an unusual atmosphere between the two even at Runcandel''s one-trunk bridge party.
"At that time, the Fourth gbearer of Runcandel was amazed at their bold intimacy."
"Perhaps Runcandel wants to send the Twelfth gbearer as a son-inw to the Hidden Pce. It''s not the right time to topple the firmly established Second gbearer. It would be advantageous in many ways to secure the Hidden Pce as a reliable ally."
"Anyway, they make a good pair, don''t they?"
Of course, in reality, the two had secretly battled without anyone knowing, and that remained a secret known only to theirrades.
Most middle-aged warriors showed smiles of satisfaction, while the younger generation had to suppress their inexplicable anger and jealousy.
And two years ago, the nobles who had visited Berd''s Gambling Den felt a strange sensation.
At that time, Jin Runcandel was acting under the alias Bamel.
"Come to think of it, the woman named Julia in the gambling den looks like Siris-nim, doesn''t she?"
"It can''t be. Could it be that Jin Runcandel and Siris Endorma worked together even during their days as Provisional gbearers? Could Julia from the dive be Siris Endorma?"
While each of their thoughts passed, Jin and Siris took the stage and began dancing gracefully.
Their dance was destined to be sung across the continent through the verses of bards from today.
Warriors had already praised the two until they ran out of voice, putting Jin and Siris on a pedestal.
"Oh, how I envy my lord...! Phew. I can''t even remember thest time I danced with ady..."
"Let''s dance together!"
The spirited voice belonged to Zephyrin.
Unnoticed by anyone, she had approached Jin''s table again, avoiding Murakan''s gaze.
"I''m so grateful for this! Oh, gods! This is..."
Just as Jet was responding with joy, Quikantel pinched Murakan''s side.
It meant: Go and find out about Zephyrin.
"Did you say your name is Zephyrin? I''ll dance with you."
"Oh, you remembered my name! Shall we?"
"No, Murakan-nim!? Are you doing this? Murakan-nim? Huh?"
Murakan had already gone to dance with Zephyrin.
Having seen Zephyrin btedly, Murkan could only sigh deeply, almost as if he wanted to bury himself, and clenched his fists in frustration.
Azabache, with hawk-like eyes, stared at Murakan and Zephyrin''s backs.
In the end, Gilly, who was watching, reached her hand out to Jet.
"Well, Jet. If you''re okay with it."
"I''m just overwhelmed, Strawberry Pie, I mean, Gilly!"
This time, Murakan looked at Jet as if he were about to kill him. In fact, if he could kill with his eyes, he would have turned Jet into minced meat on the spot.
Jet was simply thankful that even someone like him could dance at such a banquet.
Kashimir went to dance with Alisa.
Kuzan and Beris did the same.
At the table, only Quikantel and Enya remained, enjoying some refreshments.
As if waiting for this moment, several warriors and nobles approached them, asking for dances.
But in the end, Enya was paired with Beradin, while Quikantel danced with Dante.
This peculiar arrangement added another level of amusement for the banquet''s guests.
Especially because Dante knew that Enya and Quikantel were unofficially sought after by the Empire. So, he intentionally wanted to reveal his friendship with the two to have the arrest orders revoked.
"Oh, I want to dance too!"
Meanwhile, someone watched the procession of dancers with sorrow.
Margie Ivlianos.
She also attended the banquet as Ivlianos.
Bishkel and Bouvard disguised themselves to be by her side.
Bishkel had a somber expression.
"Ah, it''s not like I''ve been in a wheelchair for a day or two. There''s no need to feel so sorry for me, brother."
"Indeed, Bishkel-nim. By the way, the croquettes here are to die for... Bishkel-nim, do you have any contact with Hairan? If possible, could you bring croquettes from here at least once a week?"
As always, Bouvard was scratching Bishkel''s already somber heart, annoying him.
Shut up, Bouvard.
Bishkel was too immersed in sorrow to even respond like that.
"Brother?"
"Margie. I... It pains me to think that I have to use you in situations like this."
Hearing this, Margie smiled.
"That is precisely my role, brother."
"But..."
"Don''t be disheartened. And Bouvard-nim, please stop eating croquettes. You promised to lose weight, remember?"
"Haha. Really? Margie-nim."
Night was approaching.
The banquet was scheduled to continue into the next day, so it was natural for people to start leaving around dinnertime.
However, not a single person left the banquet hall until midnight.
Of course, it was to witness the battle between Jin and Lata.
No one had requested it, but when midnight arrived, all the guests took their seats and waited for the duel to begin.
"Thank you all for waiting. The knights will now guide you all, so let''s proceed to the training ground."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 401:
C401 - Emperor Sword Banquet (6)
The Central Training Field of the Sword Emperor''s Castle was known to be thergest in the world.
It was also a ce one couldn''t normally visit unless they were a member of the Hairan Family.
When outsiders entered the training field, they would catch their breath at the vastness of the arena.
In the center of the arena, the Hairan knights were lined up.
At Ron''s signal, the knights split, leading the spectators to the left and right.
The spectator seats were quickly and orderly filled.
Jin and Lata faced each other in the center of the arena, and Ron took his ce between them.
Despite therge crowd, not a single sound was heard.
Everyone silently wished for the person they supported to emerge victorious.
"Lata Proch, Jin Runcandel."
"Yes, Ron-nim."
"Yes."
"I don''t know what dispute there is between you two. But as a senior warrior and the owner of the Sword Emperor''s Castle, I feel I must offer you some advice."
"Please, go ahead."
"Refrain from incapacitating or killing your opponent. Anyone who vites this rule will face my sword."
In reality, Ron was warning Lata.
Even those who didn''t know the circumstances between them could tell that Lata held a unteral grudge against Jin.
Murder during the banquet was strictly prohibited, even at Runcandel banquets.
"I''ll keep that in mind."
"Victory brings honor, and defeat brings wisdom. I hope this battle between you two is splendid, worthy of my grandson and all gathered here."
As Ron stepped back to the spectator seats, a knight to the side of the arena struck a giant drum with all his might.
Kwang!
It was the signal that marked the beginning of the duel.
And even before the sound of the drum faded, Lata extended his weapon.
Like Fey, he also used dual swords.
ng!
The sh of the two swords and Sigmund resounded with a deafening noise that echoed in their heads.
"I expected it, but it''s quite brawny."
As the two stepped on solid ground, cracks spread beneath their feet.
Those among the spectators who hadn''t anticipated such a powerful exchange from the start were quite amazed.
"I thought you''d show some moderation, especially considering you''re my superior and have a great reputation," Jinmented.
"Well, I''m not the kind of man who likes to show that kind of courtesy to you."
"True," Jin replied with a smirk on his face, "If we look at it purely from a martial skill perspective, regardless of age or fame, this seems to be the right match."
Hearing this, Lata couldn''t help but feel a surge of anger.
He had felt it the moment their swords shed.
"The rumors about how you went wild in the Garden of Swords... they don''t seem to be false."
The des of the twin swords, the "Phantoms," trembled in response to the formidable energy emanating from Jin.
The shiver that ran down Lata''s spine from the sword''s tremor was unsettling.
"He''s strong."
At first, Lata had thought that Jin had just been lucky or that his own direct subordinates of the Phantom Legion had made some mistake, allowing Jin to survive.
Even though his younger sister had secretly participated in the mission, Lata had thought that as long as "Grimol" was by his side, they couldn''t fail.
But that wasn''t the case.
"In the first ce, it should have been me or my direct subordinates in charge of this mission. Or maybe we should have gathered a team of mercenaries like Grimol."
Lata had underestimated the weight of the title "Twelfth gbearer."
Though not well-known, Lata had defeated other Runcandel gbearers in the past.
ng!
The sh of the three swords continued to create explosive sounds.
While Jin''s strength was undeniable, that didn''t mean Lata''s anger had subsided.
He still believed it was impossible to lose to Jin.
Throughout his life, Lata had faced numerous formidable opponents and had never failed to ovee them.
Enemies who seemed impossible to defeat had ended up kneeling before him.
The future of the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel in front of him would be no different.
On the other hand, Jin didn''t feel as enthusiastic about facing Lata.
Even considering Ron''s strict rule against killing opponents, Lata''s sword didn''t seem particrly threatening, despite the constant approaches of Lata''s twin swords that grazed or came dangerously close.
''...Have I been recently fighting only formidable opponents?'' Jin wondered.
A little over a month ago, he had fought with all his might against the entire Runcandel n.
In that battle, Jin had narrowly escaped death several times, which meant he had broken through his own limits.
In other words, Jin''s sword had be more refined than before.
He now possessed knowledge he wouldn''t have attained at his age, and even those who had reached the peak of their martial art would struggle to grasp its depth.
It was as if he could predict the trajectory of Lata''s sword movements in advance.
"It seems like the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel has fallen behind," someone in the audiencemented.
"It''s still too early to say he''ll surpass the Leader of the Phantom Legion," another replied.
Those who had little knowledge of martial arts guessed the oue like this.
However, the Warriors who urately discerned the course of the battle barely concealed their astonishment.
While they exchanged divergent opinions, Ron remained confident.
"Is this really the level of the Twelfth gbearer?"
"At this rate, the Leader of the Phantom Legion will undoubtedly be defeated."
In his eyes, Jin and Lata already lived in different worlds.
''This demon has already reached the level of transcendence... The Leader of the Phantom Legion has quite some potential, but he still remains in the world of criminals.''
To the audience, it appeared that Jin was retreating, but in reality, it was because he couldfortably withstand the iing attacks.
Ron turned his head to look at his grandson.
To his surprise, Dante seemed to be in a state close to ecstasy, as if a devoted follower were witnessing their god.
Is it only the excitement of rivalry orpetition that excites you about your friend''s aplishments, Dante?
It was a strange feeling.
Ron had always believed he was the only person Dante looked at with those eyes.
Indeed, during his childhood, Dante had always looked at Ron that way.
He had considered Ron as the ultimate goal he had to reach.
But at that moment, Ron suddenly realized the most significant difference between Dante and Jin.
Jin Runcandel, unlike my beloved grandson...
This demon...
He doesn''t have a final goal.
He must have seen his father and the world''s strongest knight, Cyron Runcandel, merely as a ''wall.''
He probably believed that the extreme pinnacle he had to reach was somewhere beyond that.
Realizing this, Ron felt chills run through his body.
It had been a long time since he had felt such emotions while watching someone else''s fight.
Swish!
Suddenly, blood sttered in the air.
It was Jin''s blood.
The twin swords, the Phantoms, had grazed Jin''s hand.
If it had been a little deeper, it would have cut his hand.
Jin quickly distanced himself.
Or at least that''s what it seemed to Lata.
"You should have gone all out and settled the match, Twelfth gbearer."
The twin swords came down diagonally. Jin, already in a disheveled state, seemed unable to avoid the attack.
sh~
Or, rather, he should have been cut.
The moment the twin swords, the Phantoms, grazed the empty space, Lata felt as if the world''s time had stopped.
''Impossible, the distance was perfect...!''
In the next instant, Lata saw a single point in his vision.
It was the tip of Jin''s sword.
He couldn''tprehend when he had executed such a devastating thrust; it was beyond his understanding.
Drops of blood sttered on Lata''s cheek.
He had turned his head at thest moment to avoid Sigmund''s blow.
That evasion alone was an astonishing feat for someone like Lata.
But Lata knew.
"He aimed at my face on purpose, to avoid giving me a fatal wound."
In a fight, the face was naturally one of the worst weak points.
However, it was also one of the body parts easiest to protect.
A slight turn of the head or a slight body tilt usually sufficed to fend off attacks directed at the face.
That''s why in battles among warriors, wounds on the neck or other areas were often deadlier than those on the face.
If Jin had aimed somewhere other than the face, like the heart, he would have responded as he would have responded, ending up with a wound that could have cost him the match.
"What''s the matter this time?"
"You intentionally aimed for my face..."
"I aimed for your face because I deemed it safer than other parts. If I had aimed for your heart or abdomen, you would have counterattacked, even at the cost of your life."
It wasn''t a lie.
In that case, Jin would have suffered some injury, and one of the parties would have died or suffered equivalent damage.
"And if I fought properly, you wouldn''t survive, Lata-nim."
Unfortunately.
To Lata, these words didn''t sound arrogant.
They simply sounded like a natural assessment from someone who was clearly stronger than him.
"At least in this training field, that''s the case. If this were a battlefield or my bedroom, the story might be different."
The "Mercenaries of the Phantom Legion" didn''t engage in one-on-one duels like knights. They were a group of mercenaries specialized in efficiently facing stronger opponents. Lata was their leader. This didn''t mean heckedbat skills, but when the opponent was too formidable, there was nothing to be done.
For a while, the two of them remained in silence, staring at each other. Some in the audience saw it as a new phase of the battle, while others interpreted it as a moment of acknowledgment between victor and vanquished.
And Lata felt ashamed.
He wasn''t ashamed of losing or challenging an opponent without knowing their true strength and causing amotion like thunder. He was simply embarrassed to realize he had less at hand than the young man in front of him.
Jin had saved his younger sister, who hade as an assassin, and so far, he hadn''t demanded too much from him. Lata had barked like a scared dog with the determination to rescue his sister.
Amid the silence, Jin suddenly felt immense energy emanating from Lata. Even though he had epted the oue... Lata thought the same as Jin.
He believed Jin was emitting that dangerous energy. Therefore, as a Warrior, Lata was about to offer to cut a part of his own body based on the result. It was natural to think that Jin would get angry.
However, that dangerous energy was neither from Jin nor Lata. It originated right beneath their feet.
"Move!"
"Dodge!"
Both of them realized and shouted at the same time.
The next moment, the entire arena floor cracked open, and something massive shot out. Ron was already prepared with his sword to stop it.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 402: Emperor Sword Banquet (7)
C402 - Emperor Sword Banquet (7)
It was the first time Jin had seen a demonic creature emerging from the ground.
This is insane.
Is it a demonic creature?
Where did this thing suddenlye from?
The creature had a massive body, almost unbelievable unless someone saw it with their own eyes. Jin and Lata were caught by the monster''s fangs and thrown into the air; meanwhile...
Ron brought it down with a single blow.
''Rashid,'' the sword that only the Hairan patriarch could wield, gleamed with dazzling light.
sh...!
As if he had struck a wave, the space rippled following Rashid''s movement. Although it didn''t reach the level ofpletely disintegrating objects like Cyron, it was still an attack from a knight who was close to being the strongest.
The colossal monster, which had just revealed itself as a mountain, split in half as if it were a lie. ck blood poured out like a torrent, and before that blood could stain the ground, a series of consecutive strikes tore the demonic creature into hundreds of pieces.
"Hairan''s swords prioritize the protection of guests. Gather all the Knights waiting inside the castle. Execute a level 1 counter-terrorism response."
When Dante gave the order, the Knights immediately assessed the situation. Panic-stricken screams resounded from various ces among the ordinary guests.
The pleasant tension that had been building up during Jin and Lata''s duel was set aside, and real danger had arrived.
Naturally, most of the guests had never experienced such an act of terrorism. The same was true for the Warriors. Who would have imagined a terrorist attack in the Emperor Sword Castle, and even more so, at a banquet hosted by Ron Hairan after 22 years?
THUD!
It wasn''t just one. Enormous demonic creatures were continually emerging throughout the vast arena. Due to the monsters bursting from the ground, an earthquake urred. The roof seemed as if it could copse at any moment. The massive pirs standing like giants were breaking, worsening the chaos along with the screams of the ordinary guests.
Fortunately, over 30% of those sitting among the audience were Warriors who hade to the Emperor Sword Castle as honored guests.
"We''ll help too!"
"We''ll clear the way so Hairan''s Knights can evacuate the guests!"
"The ck King Mercenaries will protect the guests. We''ll sort outpensationter!"
The Warriors drew their weapons and shouted. Under normal circumstances, Hairan would have refused the help. Relying on external power in his own stronghold was something his pride could never ept.
However, the situation was cmitous, with too many guests in imminent danger, and the fact that the terrorist attack had already "progressed" was a disgrace in itself. If the event attendees ended up as corpses, it would leave an irreversible scar on Hairan''s reputation as one of the top swordsmanship ns.
"Damn it, what''s happening...!"
Lata, who hadnded on the ground, looked at the demonic creatures. Ron had already torn one of them to unrecognizable shreds, but there were still ten more in sight. And it didn''t end there. A continuous and intense vibration could be felt from the ground. It meant that more creatures of that magnitude were relentlessly attacking Hairan one after another.
"Dante!"
While breaking a second demonic creature to pieces, Ron called his grandson.
"Yes, Grandfather!"
"The Knights can''t gather in one ce. These bastards have already spread outside as well."
"!"
"As the future lord of the Emperor Sword Castle, take responsibility and evacuate the guests."
Among those present in the arena, only Ron was aware that demonic creatures were also spreading outside Emperor Sword Castle.
Just as Jin and Lata were like beings from different worlds, he was an entity entirely different from all the Warriors here.
Dante nodded heavily.
Is the outside being attacked too?
The moment Ron mentioned the outside, everyone present in the arena thought of one thing:
War.
Someone had dered war on Hairan, or perhaps on Vermont, with this surprise attack. It was a scale that no one could simply dismiss as a terrorist attack. And the force capable of deploying such demonic creatures... did not exist.
As far as they knew, no one among those present knew of any current faction capable of using demonic creatures. In the first ce, humans were incapable of controlling demonic creatures. If there was any possibility, it might have been Zipple. However, they had never used demonic creatures in war, and there was no apparent reason for them to suddenly attack Hairan.
"It looks somewhat like a demonic dragon... Could it be demons?" Quikantel said, raising her protective shield.
Both she and the dragons present in the arena, including Murakan, remembered the demons. Unlike the Warriors, the dragons had memories of witnessing demons controlling demonic creatures at least once.
"Quikantel, don''t you think these monsters are too crude?"
"Although they possess an aura more powerful than even most high-level monsters, do you find them crude?"
"It''s not a matter of strong or weak, but the flow of energy feels strangely unnatural. As if someone forcibly created them. It''s also the first time I''ve seen demonic creatures like these."
"I have that feeling. It''s rare for you to make such a usible deduction, Murakan. Anyway, it''s not a normal situation. You should also prepare yourself and protect your Contractor."
Jin was already using the Sword of Legends while facing the demonic creatures. Although he couldn''t turn the giant monsters into minced meat like Ron, thanks to Jin and Lata guarding the center, damage to the audience was minimized.
[Very well]
Murakan transformed into his true form and soared into the sky. By then, the roof had already copsed, and debris was falling in all directions.
"Murakan! The demonic creatures keeping! Help Dante!"
[I am Murakan, Jin Runcandel''s Guardian Dragon. I will protect you as per my Contractor''s will, so do not fear.]
Murakan''s deep and ominous voice echoed as the sky darkened. The protective shield of shadowy energy extended behind his two wings covered the entire sky. From the banquet held in Vermont, numerous contracted mages of the Empire attended. Their guardian dragons also soared into the sky following Murakan. Murakan naturally became the center of the dragons. The dragons of other Contractors were in awe of the awakening of this ck dragon after a thousand years and dared not disy their majesty.
[Roar!]
The giant monsters extended their jaws toward the dragons. Mana umted in those jaws. It looked like a mana cannon, but the orbs gathered in the monsters'' jaws had the same effect. However, the problem was that the power contained in those orbs was different from typical mana cannons. It wasn''tparable to Kozec''s mana cannons, but it possessed firepower that could be considered a cmity. A dozen giant demonic creatures were gathering mana in this way. As soon as they fired, the blinding white light almost blinded everyone. It seemed powerful enough to turn a small castle to dust without a trace.
[These insignificant flies have no idea who they''re dealing with.]
Murakan easily blocked the mana cannons. The protective shield of Shadow Energy he unleashed created a whirlpool that swallowed the projectiles. However, the attacks from the arena were not the only ones. The demonic creatures outside were also firing mana cannons at the outer walls of Emperor Sword Castle. The shockwaves from the crumbling walls spread inside, and from that moment, it became truly inevitable. Unless one was an omnipotent being who could control everything, there was no way to avoid casualties. Outside, there were many more demonic creatures firing cannons than inside the arena. Even if it were Cyron instead of Ron, it would still be impossible topletely avoid all damage. But the surprise attack had only just begun. Suddenly, the monsters torn apart by Ron and the Warriors underwent a strange mutation.
The flesh stuck together like wet y, forming new shapes.
It was unclear what they were transforming into.
Before the transformation could bepleted, Jin continued to fire lightning bolts and shes with Sigmund.
It was an impossible task topletely eliminate tens of thousands of chunks of flesh.
Human...!?
Thezy flesh slowly took on a more human-like form.
Living golems using demonic creatures.
The masses of flesh that filled the Warriors'' view were precisely that.
At that moment, even veterans who had been through all kinds of battlefields showed expressions of bewilderment.
Even if someone said the gates of hell had opened in Emperor Sword Castle, it seemed believable.
Dante, Lata, the other Warriors, and the mages fought to defeat the advancing living golems while disying disgusted expressions.
Whether it was a Warrior or not, they were all shocked by this unknown and horrifying situation.
Among them, Jin had the calmest expression.
This was not his first encounter with these detestable living golems. He even had a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.
Kinzelo, Zipple, Vermont. These gigantic factions are creating living golems.
Jin had personally confirmed the development of living golems by these three factions.
At this moment, it was impossible to know which faction was behind this or what the reason was for attacking Hairan.
One thing was certain.
Regardless of which of the three factions was responsible, Hairan would suffer a severe blow.
Jin felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
Of all times, the attack had to happen while he was sparring with Lata.
The once beautiful and pristine central arena of Hairan was no longer recognizable.
It was now filled with twisted living golems and gigantic demonic creatures.
Crunch...!
Finally, the entire wall on the other side copsed, revealing the outside.
Whaty beyond was a battlefield even more chaotic than the arena.
Knights and Dragons stood firm, but human corpses were scattered everywhere.
They were the corpses of servants and regr soldiers. The casualties were also increasing within the training field.
On reflex, Jin turned his head and scanned the area to locate Beradin.
Jin had not yet seen Beradin''s magic.
It worried him.
He couldn''t help but wonder if Beradin, whose mind might have been manipted, was orchestrating this attack.
If it was the Beradin he knew, then he should be tirelessly working to save people in a situation like this. But it wasn''t a situation where Jin could confirm Beradin''s whereabouts calmly.
The number of living golems continued to increase, and Jin had been continuously breaking through their encirclement.
Every time Sigmund released lightning, the living golems were swept away in piles.
Jin continued to sh and cut them.
But there was a moment when he came to a sudden stop.
Among the remains of living golems and the bodies of demonic creatures, he spotted some familiar figures dressed in in gray robes.
A group of people wearing gray robes without a faction.
As soon as he saw them, Jin felt a chill down his spine because those gray robes belonged to the ''Specter Corps.''
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 403: Emperor Sword Banquet (8)
C403 - Emperor Sword Banquet (8)
Very few people knew what the gray mantle symbolized.
The Specter Corps was not like the ck Knights of Runcandel, a group of Warriors that openly revealed themselves to the world.
The gray-robed figures remained amidst the monsters, watching as the Emperor Sword Castle crumbled.
It seemed as if they were waiting for the central training field''s walls to copse.
Slowly, they approached the central training field.
Are they waiting near the Emperor Sword Castle and came to escort Beradin?
It was possible.
However, Jin couldn''t help but feel a strange unease after seeing them.
Somehow, it seemed like they were in control of demonic creatures and living golems.
It was more than just a feeling of unease.
He quickly realized that the living golems were moving away from the direction they were walking.
Ron had an indifferent expression even as he saw this.
It didn''te from indifference but rather from theposure of a Warrior who had reached the peak.
Woong-!
Red-colored mana umted in the staff of the gray-robed figure.
Jin had personally experienced that magic in Beradin''s vige, near the end of his days as a Provisional gbearer.
-["Those who call themselves conquerors seem willing to unleash even the Red Abyss just to capture a simple brat; the old Specter Corps would roll in their ugly graves."]
At that time, Misha had told him that the name of that magic was the ''Red Abyss.''
Large red spots began to spread across the aura-saturated sky.
The "Red Abyss," a great chain magical spell that could be called the Final Movements of the Specter Corps, had also faced off against the Shadow Energy of the ck Dragons at that time.
That day had been one of the most dangerous moments in Jin''s life.
That''s why he remembered it all vividly.
The blood-red swords and chains raining down from the red-tinted sky, the feeling of his palms tearing as he deflected them.
And there was one thing Jin remembered clearly.
-''It''s strange; each of them is supplementing the mana toplete the magical spell.''
Jin had felt it while reading the flow of the Red Abyss used by the fifteen members of the Specter Corps.
Based on this fact...
Jin had an intuition that the Red Abyss required arger number of participants.
''But the mana flow of these guys is too clean.''
The gray-robed figures who hade to Emperor Sword Castle were only six.
Even fifteen struggled and clumsily cast the spell, but these six executed it perfectly.
ording to Jin''s knowledge of magic, this was undeniably impossible.
At first, Jin thought they had used the Red Abyss of the Specter Corps.
But upon closer examination, it seemed simr but clearly different.
It''s not the Specter Corps.
These six are incredibly skilled at imitating the Specter Corps and their Magic Sight Spell.
Jin was the only one who saw it clearly.
First of all, there were very few Warriors who knew about the existence of the Specter Corps.
Moreover, none of them had firsthand experience with the Red Abyss.
There was a possibility that Zipple might attack Hairan, but using abination of the Specter Corps and demonic creatures was out of ce.
Especially after the incident in the Holy Kingdom, it would be madness to associate monsters and endanger their reputation.
''It''s not Zipple. That leaves Kinzelo and Vermont. The former seems more likely to attack Hairan for various reasons. It''s strange to think that the Emperor would orchestrate something like this just to undermine Ron-nim''s authority.''
Kinzelo.
Jin felt irritated by what these people might be plotting this time.
There had to be a reason for them to stage such a clumsy act, pretending to be Zipple''s secret mage unit.
The magical spell of the gray-robed figures resonated in the surroundings.
Red swords and chains made of mana rained from the red spots in the sky.
It may not have matched the Red Abyss of the genuine Specter Corps, but this spell, also a great chain spell in the hands of mages of equal caliber, contained terrifying destructive power.
Murakan and the Dragons couldn''t stop it all.
They were preupied dealing with the continuous onught of gigantic monsters on the ground, so they couldn''t halt it unless their role was to neutralize that only.
"It''s ufortable to use my Authority in Vermont, but we have no choice."
In the end, Quikantel decided to transform into her true form and wield the authority of time.
[Enya, extend the fire shield. Don''t get too far from me.]
"Yes...!"
Quikantel didn''t take to the skies but directed her power towards the sky.
The silver waves emanating from her forehead continued to envelop the chain magic spell.
The situation on the ground seemed to improve significantly as the Authority of Time and the Fire Shield were deployed.
However, the increasing casualties could not be avoided.
Among the Warriors, some suffered mortal wounds or died instantly.
"Aagh-!"
A woman cried out in pain as she was thrown to the ground.
"Margie!"
Bishkel shouted with a bloodthirsty voice.
She was rolling on the ground with her wheelchair, which was crushed by the fragments of the chain magic spell.
Bishkel had been fiercely attacking anything that threatened her sister since before, whether it was the flesh and bones of the monsters, mana cannons, or the chain magic spell, showing no mercy to anyone who posed a threat.
Bishkel didn''t harm everyone, but for those who indiscriminately attacked her sister to the point of being a threat, she showed no mercy.
Bouvard was already seriously injured and could barely stand behind Bishkel.
In the midst of the chaos of shing monsters, Jin happened to see that scene.
Strangely, seeing Margie in such a precarious state turned his doubts into certainties.
But it seemed that Margie didn''t care if she got caught; in fact, she was confident that Jin had already identified the culprit.
When their gazes met...
Margie said through lip-reading,
"You''ll benefit a lot from this, Jin-nim."
Jin could read it clearly.
Margie''s confident look indicated that Kinzelo had already achieved his goal.
"...I see. Kinzelo doesn''t care if we discover that those who imitate the Specter Corps are not Zipple''s people."
Jin looked around as he thought about this.
Difort sent shivers down Jin''s spine, but he couldn''t confront the situation right there.
The number of colossal monsters emerging from the underground showed no signs of decreasing.
Crack!
With a roar, the ominous sound of the ground copsing resonated all around, creating pits in all directions.
People fell into these newly formed pits, leaving behind long screams.
However, the brave efforts of the knights of the Emperor Sword Castle and the Warriors had not been in vain.
More than half of those who had been in the central training field had managed to escape.
Nevertheless, as long as the demonic creatures from the outside continued to attack the outer wall, their safety could not be guaranteed until the enemy waspletely defeated.
Who would have thought that this attack was orchestrated by Kinzelo?
The means to prove it were limited, and even if they captured Bishkel''s group and tried to interrogate them, they might not confess.
Although Hairan, supported by a pir named Ron, would confront the enemy directly.
The other small and medium-sized ns affected by this attack had different circumstances.
Among the victims, rumors would circte that Hairan was using Kinzelo to conceal the fact that it was attacked by Zipple.
Even if Ron would probably silence it, Hairan''s reputation would never be the same as before.
Of course, Zipple would extend a helping hand to the troubled Hairan.
Or, if the Emperor Sword Castle demanded exnations, Zipple could use Hairan, saying:
"Hairan is using them after being attacked by other forces."
In any case, Hairan was suffering significant losses.
''Ron-nim would probably reject any deal offered by Zipple even if they''re not behind this, and this incident would end with Hairan looking like a fool.''
That was Jin''s assessment.
So, what did Kinzelo intend to gain from this?
''Hostile rtionship of Hairan with Zipple. Kinzelo probably hoped that other major ns would more actively restrict Zipple.''
It might be a wild assumption.
However, Jin concluded that he would be perfectly safe if he didn''t let the "final piece" of this event slip by.
''I have to report this to Ron-nim!''
The gray-robed figures were retracting their chain spell.
It seemed like they were preparing for a new attack rather than nning tounch it again.
Then, a beam of light was fired at the gray-robed figures.
The beam pierced through four gigantic monsters, crushed hundreds of living golems, and tore throughyer afteryer of protective shields until it finally pierced the chest of one of the gray-robed figures.
The gray-robed figures, now reduced to five, dispersed and began to reestablish their protective shields.
"Do you think you could deceive me by wearing those gray robes? I''ve heard that those guys are Octavia Zipple''s subordinates."
Despite having already killed more than a hundred gigantic monsters and thousands of living golems, Ron''s energy continued to grow.
To Ron, the number of demonic creatures and living golems made no sense, like grains of sand in a storm.
However, there was a reason he couldn''t just end the situation.
The guests who had arrived at the Emperor Sword Castle were being held hostage.
Ron felt his insides boiling for the first time in a long while.
The anger surging within him was even more intense than when he recognized his defeat in thepetition against Cyron.
"Ron Hairan, you''re mistaken. Deceiving you was never part of our n from the beginning."
"Whatever your n is, I''ll make you spit it out bit by bit as I crush your mouth. So, have you shown everything you can?"
The gray-robed figures remained silent as they prepared to shatter thest piece of the puzzle in Jin''s mind.
"Ron-nim!"
Ron turned his gaze towards Jin.
"There''s something more important than killing them. We have to find Beradin."
"What...?"
"If Beradin returns to his n injured, it will be difficult to handle Kinzelo''s plot. Surely Hairan will openly be hostile to Zipple."
Ron''s eyes widened at Jin''s words.
In an instant, all the scenarios Jin had considered passed through Ron''s mind.
Jin was right.
If Beradin didn''t return unharmed, regardless of how the situation developed afterward...
Hairan and Zipple would inevitably be enemies.
Even if Kinzelo continued to feign ignorance, even if the victims suspected Hairan, even if Zipple used it to pressure Hairan. As long as Beradin returned to his n without a scratch, they would be able to handle all these situations properly.
Though their faces were hidden by the robes, Jin could sense their expressions of bewilderment.
He could also see from behind the distorted faces of Bishkel''s group, pretending to be injured.
"There are likely more mages of their level, and they might be pursuing Beradin!"
Ron opened his eyes.
"Can I entrust this to you, Jin Runcandel?"
Ron had a duty to save the members of his n and the guests who were dying in front of him.
"Of course, Ron-nim. I will ept it as an honor."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 404: Emperor Sword Banquet (9)
C404 - Emperor Sword Banquet (9)
Jin pulled the Red Ruby from his pocket and summoned Shuri.
[Nyaah!]
While Jin rode on Shuri, Ron cleared the path for them.
Thud!
Ron''s sword''s immense energy swept away the monsters in front of them in an instant.
Blood and flesh sttered like a fountain, and Shuri rushed through the chaos.
Seeing this, Murakan quickly descended and transformed into his human form.
He appeared as if a ck wind was rushing toward Jin.
"Kid, where are you going?"
"I have to find Beradin."
"Why?"
"Kinzelo is behind this terrorist attack. Their goal is to instill hostilities between Hairan and Zipple."
Murakan tilted his head but soon showed an understanding expression.
"Well, I get the main point."
"Did you see Beradin from above?"
"No, it didn''t seem like he was here."
"Go back up and check again. If you see him, let me know immediately. If not, you''ll watch from above."
"Are you going to look for him alone? Who knows what kind of monsters might appear."
"They can''t leave any evidence, and there shouldn''t be anyone as formidable as Berakt. If I find myself in a situation I can''t handle alone, I''ll send a signal."
"Understood."
Murakan returned to his true form and ascended into the sky.
After observing for a while, Murakan was unable to find anything.
It meant that Beradin had already left the battlefield.
''There were also terrorist forces mixed among the audience. Beradin must be avoiding them.''
Who were the ones sitting near Beradin?
The masked royalty was the closest.
Given that Beradin was the next patriarch of Zipple, it was natural that he could stand shoulder to shoulder with Vermont''s royalty as well.
The most reasonable assumption was that Beradin had been attacked by them and was fleeing.
There were Jin, Lata, and Ron.
In the front of the battlefield where the outer wall had copsed.
Since that was the only way out, excluding the inner passage, it was impossible for Beradin to have escaped.
''They took advantage of the Imperial Family always wearing masks, those bastards from Kinzelo.''
Jin thought as he changed direction, choosing to first examine the inside of the castle.
However, they couldn''t use the usual passageway.
The hallways were stillpletely congested with knights trying to evacuate the usual guests.
Without hesitation, Jin unsheathed his sword.
Shriek!
In one swift motion, the thick wall was cut like a sheet of paper.
The rear Warriors were fighting to stop the approaching monsters and protect the guests, and they couldn''t make their way through because of the pressure of damaging the castle wall.
Thump!
The square-cut wall fell with a heavy thud.
"Move to the passageway!"
Jin shouted before leaving the central arena.
The inside of the castle was equally chaotic.
Servants were running frantically, and living golems were asionally seening through the outer wall.
When a group of servants was about to be attacked by a living golem, Shuri leaped forward and struck it with her front paw.
When its head exploded, the servants let out a collective scream, and their faces turned pale.
"Thank you!"
"Have you seen Beradin?"
"Who?"
"Beradin Zipple. He has long white hair and wears a white robe."
"I haven''t seen him."
"But, Jin-nim. Although we haven''t seen Beradin-nim, there was also amotion near the castle''s ceramic store."
They were the servants responsible for the store.
"Tell me more."
"We heard that the terrorist attack was starting in the central training field and tried to spread the news to others. However, there was a sudden explosion in the store, and we were in the middle of trying to escape."
"I don''t know the details, but it seemed the explosion had been caused by magic. Guards went in to investigate, but we haven''t heard anything since."
As soon as Jin entered the castle, it seemed he had a lead.
"Where is the warehouse?"
"I''ll personally guide you there."
"I can''t guarantee your safety. You''d better draw me a map."
The servant hurriedly took out paper and a pen from his pocket and drew a map.
"Here it is."
"Other servants might being out soon. So, don''t move and wait here."
Jin followed the map and headed to the ceramic store.
The ceramic store was one of thergest in the Emperor Sword Castle, housing over 90% of the ceramics gathered for more than a hundred years, since the previous patriarch.
The entrance to the store waspletely destroyed.
Embers were visible here and there.
It''s not regr fire; these are traces of me-type magic.
''And it''s at least 9 stars.''
Beradin''s primary attribute was fire.
When Jin entered...
Ceramic fragments crumbled under Shuri''s steps.
And there were traces of other types of magic, not just fire.
Earth, ice, lightning.
And darkness.
Clusters of dark mana that looked like ck beads were rolling around.
Jin hadn''t seen much dark magic, but it was unmistakably that, or he couldn''t exin the shape it took.
''The Dark Magic Society waspletely destroyed, so where did Kinzelo find mages like this?''
It was impossible for a renowned high mage to have participated in the attack on Hairan.
Mages like Chukon Tolderer, Susan Lillista, or Kidard Halll are already dead.
There had to be more unknown mages within Kinzelo, or they had allies.
Finding Beradin was Jin''s immediate priority.
It was clear that fierce battles had already taken ce, so the situation was urgent.
All that could be seen were shattered ceramics and debris, and it seemed that Beradin and Kinzelo''s terrorists had already moved elsewhere.
Apart from the entrance, there were no battle signs inside the warehouse.
There had to be another passage leading to the ceramic store.
The map showed another passage leading to the ceramic store.
It was long and dark.
Even after riding Shuri for a while, the passage continued.
But Jin stopped Shuri as he ran after seeing the corpses.
Three bodiesy there, and they were Beradin''s bodyguards from the banquet, although not all of them.
Still, it wasn''t difficult to deduce that Beradin was in trouble, given the situation.
When Jin exited the passage, a drainage canal appeared before him.
One of the ceramic store''s passages served as an emergency escape route.
Above Jin''s head, the dark sky was tense with Shadow Energy.
The distant explosions and shockwaves from the battlefield continued to signal the ongoing conflict.
In which direction should he go?
There were no visible tracks, and there were too many obstacles to find the route using earth or wind magic.
As Jin contemted, he saw a faint glimmer of light in the distance.
It was a familiar light that appeared when the me Orb erupted, and it was unmistakably Beradin''s magic.
And as soon as he saw that magic, Jin was certain that Beradin was already "injured."
Beradin had reached 9 stars, but the magic felt unstable and weak.
"Let''s go, Shuri!"
[Nyaaah!]
Finally, Jin spotted Beradin in the open field.
Beradin, with the two bodyguards left, was locked in battle with gray-robed mages, along with the living golems theymanded.
"Beradin!"
Beradin turned his head at the sound of Jin''s voice.
Jin?
Zzz!
The living golems surrounding Beradin exploded as Jin unleashed lightning bolts.
Jin hurriedly checked Beradin''s condition.
Blood was dripping from his lips, and his body was covered in wounds.
Fortunately, there were no fatal injuries, but the bleeding was severe. If the battle had continued, he could have easily died.
"I knew you woulde," Beradin said with a slight smile, and his words had a strange meaning.
"What do you know? You got yourself into this mess, and these guys gave you a beating."
"They''re quite powerful. It makes me wonder if there are mages like them among the ones I don''t know. At first, I thought they might be my aunt''s subordinates."
At that moment, a question crossed Jin''s mind.
Was Beradin truly in perfect condition?
Even if he wasn''t in perfect shape, rescuing Beradin was still the top priority. However, a strange thought suddenly urred to him.
Why hadn''t Beradin sent a rescue signal even once on his way here?
Even if he didn''t have a signal re on him because he was attending the banquet...
He could have used magic to send a signal at any time.
Even if he was being attacked by those disguised as royalty among the audience, he could have shouted.
Surely there would have been many other Warriors who would havee to his aid.
If his mind was manipted, then he deliberately prepared this situation.
It would be advantageous for Zipple in multiple ways if Hairan got into trouble.
Jin thought again about the traces of magic that remained in the ceramic store.
Upon reflection, there were certain artificial aspects in those mana traces.
In particr, the traces of dark magic stood out conspicuously, as if it were evidence that Beradin had fought alone against those using dark magic.
All of this within the heavily guarded Emperor Sword Castle.
But when Jin looked back at Beradin, who sighed in relief upon seeing him, he appeared to be the same old white-haired fool.
''I can''t be certain. Just like at the banquet.''
Jin turned and looked at the gray-robed figures.
The gray-robed ones had momentarily halted their attacks upon Jin''s arrival, and though their robes concealed their expressions, they appeared perplexed.
"Beradin Zipple."
"Yes, Jin."
"Why didn''t you send a distress signal?"
"I didn''t have a chance. I was attacked from the audience, and I had to escape. I didn''t think of anything else."
It was the expected response, but Jin still couldn''t shake the feeling that Beradin''s mind was at least "not entirely" intact.
"I, Jin Runcandel, the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel, havee to rescue you under a special order from Ron-nim, Lord of the Emperor Sword Castle. Make sure to remember this fact. Understood?"
"...I understand. I am in debt to Ron-nim."
"Your escort guards are recovering. I will take care of these bastards."
As Jin increased his energy, small stones from the field began to float in the air.
The gray robes also began to release their mana once more.
They definitely weren''t at the Specter Corps level.
Although they didn''t reach the Specter Corps'' level, they were still skilled mages.
If their true intent were to kill Beradin, they would have attacked him within the Emperor Sword Castle.
They intentionally sent just enough for Beradin to barely escape.
If they sent four mages because they believed Beradin could handle himself in a fight...
It means they are too insignificant to pose a threat to Jin.
Jin only needed to be cautious of the dark magic.
"Don''t even think abouting out of this alive."
As Sigmund started to shine, mana swirled and umted in Jin''s palm.
It was the legacy of the Archmage Kidard Hall: Reverse Sky.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 405:
C405 - Emperor Sword Banquet (10)
Ding!
The mana umted in Jin''s palm swirled into a sphere and emitted a sharp sound.
The figures in gray robes immediately recognized the magic and hastily deployed a protective shield.
The Reverse Sky sphere shone like a moon under the dark night sky.
Bolts of lightning also rained down around the sphere.
The lightning relentlessly struck the protective shield of the gray-robed figures.
Normally, the power of the lightning from the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends wouldn''t have been able to prate the shield of the gray robes.
After all, they were also great mages.
However, the problem was the power of Reverse Sky.
The strongly held shield seemed as though it could crumble at any moment.
Moreover, the lightning was not meant to break the shield but rather to disrupt their vision.
Crack!
The lightning against the protective shield dispersed and disrupted the gray robes'' vision.
Therefore, they couldn''t easily follow Jin''s movements.
[Kaaaahh!]
The living golems charged at Jin.
Each possessed considerable strength, but it was pointless if they couldn''t reach him.
The charging golems lost their bnce due to the suppression lightning.
Jin didn''t waste the opportunity and quickly spread his sword energy in all directions, instantly killing them.
Jin''s closebat abilities were on par with those of superhumans, and his magical capabilities were so advanced that it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to refer to him as a great mage.
Such crude living golems couldn''t pose a threat to Jin.
"Is this also Joe''s doing?" Jin asked as he focused the Reverse Sky mana towards the gray golems.
Cold Joe is Rolt Joe''s older brother and the leader of the Dark Magic Society.
He had created living golems called ''legend-type,'' imitating the Legend Tribe.
These were much less sophisticated than living golems of the Legend Tribe type.
They probably wanted to hide that Kinzelo was behind the terrorist attack, and they must have deliberately sent these golems.''
The gray robes didn''t respond but concentrated their mana.
There was something else that Jin was truly curious about.
How were so many living golems created, and for what purpose?
Especially because they seemed like mere disposable items.
The living golems in this in numbered around three hundred, and those he had seen in the Emperor Sword Castle undoubtedly exceeded ten thousand.
At least ten thousand humans had served as material for these living golems.
And there was a high chance that this wasn''t even all of it.
''Someone is helping Kinzelo gather humans.''
Gathering such a number of humans on their own would be difficult for Kinzelo.
It meant that there were sponsors at least at the level of a high-ranking feudal state or even a kingdom.
In those days, Kinzelo could barely gather thousands of humans with the support of the Holy Kingdom when the headquarters of the Dark Magic Society was in Oterium.
''If possible, I''d like to capture them alive and find out, but I don''t think they''ll give information due to torture. They probably have means ofmitting suicide.''
Woosh!
In the blink of an eye, Jin had broken through the shields of the gray robes.
The gray robes couldn''t perceive Jin''s attack because the lightning had obscured their vision.
The sword rebounded, but the shield also shattered.
Fragments scattered, and Jin adjusted his posture and thrust Sigmund forward.
He felt the familiar sensation of flesh and bone being sliced by the sword.
Jin had pierced the shoulder of the forwardmost mage, but other mages were casting attack spells behind him.
There were two types: a mana bolt and an ice sword.
Jin dodged the mana bolt and extended the energy of his sword to block the ice sword.
Shattered ice fragments scratched Jin''s cheek and sttered drops of blood.
But at that moment, the gray robe whose shoulder had been pierced found death.
The sword energy that had deflected the ice sword had torn through his entire body.
Three left.
The hood of the fallen gray robe was torn off as he hit the ground.
Jin would undoubtedly recognize his face as that of a mage of this level, but it was the first time he had seen them.
He couldn''t say if they were disguised by Bouvard or by a mage who had been active in the shadows.
The Reverse Sky sphere was spinning faster and faster.
The mage who had cast the ice sword was spitting blood, and the other two started restoring their protective shield.
They were about to fall into mana bacsh.
It seemed like the fight could easily end.
Although the gray robes were great mages, they weren''t familiar with fighting against magic swordsmen like most people in the world.
Even the best martial artists found it impossible to control the distance in closebat with Jin.
Furthermore, the mages had few options to face Jin.
Without the Reverse Sky, they might have been able to create distance using a different type of magic, but they couldn''t find the opportunity to cast different spells while maintaining their protective shields.
The living golems continued to obstruct Jin, but each time they got close, they were swept away like fallen leaves.
"Damn it!"
The remaining two gray robes were also sumbing to mana bacsh.
When mana bacsh began, even Jin''sbat ability decreased drastically, not to mention the gray robes.
"Why are you in such a panic? Did you think you could attack the Emperor Sword Castle with just this? I thought you hade prepared to face death."
The reason why the Emperor Sword Castle fell into chaos after this attack was mainly because it was a "terrorist attack."
The gray robes, the gigantic monsters, and the living golems were not weak and could deliver a catastrophic blow to a small or medium-sized country with just them.
However, facing the Emperor Sword Castle in a formal battle, especially one with Ron Hairan, was an impossible task.
If it weren''t for the fact that it was a terrorist attack, not a frontal assault, they would have been killed by Ron''s sword before even getting close to the Emperor Sword Castle.
They would have be corpses at the hands of Hairan''s knights without Ron even having to appear.
Even without considering Vermont as their sponsor, Hairan is one of the most powerful ns in the world.
While Sigmund traced its path, the right arm of another gray robe was severed.
The de didn''t reach his head only because of the protective shield, but the fact that he was going to die was unchangeable.
Jin was getting more and more rxed, while the mages were continuously caught in a desperate situation.
Furthermore, the mana of the Reverse Sky had reached its peak.
The wrinkles forming on the mages'' hands were visible through their gray robes.
It was amon urrence when someone tried to forcibly stop the bacsh, and if it continued for a while, their bodies would wrinkle, and blood would flow from all the holes in their bodies.
The faces of Beradin''s guards paled as they watched this from behind.
In a way, they felt distant from their lord having topete against someone like this.
Although there seemed to be some sort of friendship between their lord and Jin, both were ultimately archenemies.
Jin could face the mages, but in this situation, he might change his mind suddenly and drive his sword into their lord''s neck without hesitation.
In fact, from the guards'' perspective, it would be more beneficial for Jin to kill Beradin and themselves.
Although they had received special orders from Ron to save Beradin, Jin didn''t have to follow them.
After all, there were no witnesses.
If it had been another Runcandel, there would have been no one to save Beradin.
As if he were reading those thoughts, Beradin made eye contact with his guards.
"Jin is not that kind of man. Rx and wait."
CRACK-!
Now, the gray robes screamed each time lightning struck.
They couldn''t withstand the shock even if the lightning hit their protective shields.
There was no need to use the Sword of Legends or the techniques of the Battle God...
Jin was leading them to their death with just his sword and magic.
Their breaths became ragged, and it seemed like they might copse at any moment.
Jin coldly stared at their shattered protective shields.
It was time to end this.
However, just as Jin took a step to finish off the gray robes, he hesitated and turned around.
Suddenly, a powerful and familiar aura spread from behind.
Woosh...
In an instant, the area was illuminated by a bright light.
When Jin turned to look, he saw the Emperor Sword Castle covered in thousands of lightning bolts.
It wasn''t like the lightning tsunami Jin had caused in Runcandel.
But it was on a scale that couldn''t be exined even by 10-star lightning-type magic.
What was even more astonishing was that this thunderstorm wasn''t produced by a magical spell.
My brothers'' power...!?
The power of the Legends, the most powerful warrior race in history.
The electric storm ravaging the Emperor Sword Castle clearly resembled that power.
Slightly different but so simr that even Jin could have been mistaken.
Jin suddenly recalled the living Legends-type golems.
Does this mean that Cold Joe haspleted the living Legends golems?
Even if it''splete, I thought they had sent other failed living golems to hide the fact that Kinzelo is behind all of this...!
Jii, jii~
Amidst the sudden change in situation, Jin heard an unpleasantugh.
It was theughter of the dying gray robes.
"Monsters like you have always made what we''ve dedicated our lives to seem insignificant..."
"That''s why we decided to be monsters ourselves. You, who were born a monster, will never understand the desperate choices we''ve made until you die."
The mages were removing the gray robes that covered their bodies, exposing their bare chests.
Jin involuntarily swallowed hard when he saw what they had embedded in their chests.
It was a gem simr to the "Light Heart."
"You expect this power to belong to you entirely, Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel."
"A new world is opening up. There will be no ce for you there."
Jin clenched his teeth as the gems embedded in the mages'' chests began to glow.
It wasn''t because of the unexpected strength of the "lightning" the mages were releasing. Jin felt extremely uneasy.
The same unbearable difort that Jin had felt when he encountered the unfinished living Legends-type golems in Oterium.
Jin''s expression twisted in anger.
"Phew."
As simr as the gems on the mages'' chests were to the illuminating heart, as powerful as the energy of the lightning was, the power they possessed was ultimately stolen and, in itself, a falsehood that insulted their brothers.
Bastards...
You''ve crossed a line far beyond the limit.
As if it was no longer worth watching, Jin rushed forward and swung Sigmund.
The mages had shown physical abilities vastly different from when they wore their gray robes, and they used their fists to deflect Sigmund.
The mages were overconfident, thinking they could defeat Jin.
But the next moment...
Thud!
Jin grabbed the head of the mage in front of him with his bare hand.
The mage''s head waspletely crushed and scattered in all directions as Jin squeezed his fist.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 406:
C406 - Emperor Sword Banquet (11)
Even with its head destroyed, the Legends Golem remained standing.
It even swung its lightning-wrapped fist at Jin.
Jin spun Sigmund and struck the Legends Golem''s fist with the hilt of his sword.
The Legends Golem was vulnerable when its fist sank down, and Jin thrust his sword into the opening.
sh!
The sword pierced its chest, but once again, the Legends Golem didn''t fall.
It used both hands to grip the sword and prevent Jin from moving.
Two other Legends Golems closed in on Jin from the sides.
Jin quickly analyzed their attack trajectories, cut the Golem in front of him in half, and blocked the attacks.
Their movements were surprisingly good.
As Jin dodged, the Legends Golems adjusted the trajectory of their fists.
Their movements would be difficult to imitate even for most martial artists.
Moments ago, they were mages, but now they moved like top-tier martial artists.
And their regenerative power seemed almost immortal.
Furthermore, the light energy was bothersome.
Jin felt frustrated, and anger welled up from deep within his heart.
The Legends Golem, with its head destroyed and its body split in half, regenerated quickly.
Beradin''s guards couldn''t help but gasp at the grotesque spectacle.
The first gray-robed mage, who had seemingly stopped breathing, was now standing again, and a blue aura shone on his chest.
The other four mages seemed unable to continue using magic as they became Legends Golems.
"Did you really renounce your entire lives as mages just to obtain such a false power?"
Jin''s cold voice made the living golems burst intoughter.
"Can a mere mortal call an immortal body false...?"
What are youughing about?
Have you gone mad?
Swoosh!
Sigmund made a horizontal sh, and the head of the living golem fell to the ground.
The fallen head was incinerated by the mes Orb, as Jin struck its body with the Cascade, the Sword of Legends Technique.
The lightning attached to the sword rained down and covered the living golem.
As the name suggested, the lightning fell like a cascade, leaving only a massive pit where the living golem had been.
Only some small, charred pieces of its body were scattered near the pit.
It was hard for anyone to imagine they were the flesh and bones of a living being.
However, Jin had a hunch that this was not the end, and the Legends Golems did not seem to lose confidence.
"It seems you are ignorant of the true meaning of immortality, Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel."
The charred flesh quickly regained its original color.
The scattered bones and organs reformed from the empty space where the Legends Golem had been.
The living golems seemed to take pride in this fact.
Jin remained expressionless, but the living golems thought Jin was quite shaken.
For Jin, it was repulsive.
It sent shivers down his spine, as if a cockroach had suddenly appeared on his bed, and he had instinctively crushed it under his feet.
He struck the regenerating body with lightning again.
Without any other Legends Golem defending, the body once again scattered in all directions.
And once more, it regenerated.
By then, the Legends Golems were more than proud, and their expressions were intoxicated with victory.
Normally, in a situation like this, you''d be gripped by an unknown fear.
Your instinct would tell you to flee when facing an enemy you couldn''t kill, no matter what you did.
The Legends Golems thought Jin would do the same.
After all, he was only neen years old and had no experience fighting an immortal like them.
"Phew."
Jin shrugged and let out a sigh.
You''re a bunch of delusional fools.
Immortals?
This is just high-speed regeneration; you''re nothing but idiots.
It wasn''t the first time Jin had faced rapid regeneration.
He had recently fought against Ozdock, an ancient demon creature with an inner core, possessing a simr ability.
"It''s almostughable how you so-called great mages get caught up in this useless power."
Crunch!
Suddenly, ice crystals formed in Jin''s clenched fist.
The ice crystals grew and shrank repeatedly with furious force, creating a chilling sound.
"Anyway, you can''t kill us."
"Is that so?"
The Legends Golems still didn''t quite understand the situation.
"Is this how it''s done, maybe?
The ice barrier magic Jin was casting was the same one used by his master, Valeria Histor.
Ice Barrier Seal.
Jin remembered how Valeria had sealed the Demon Man''s corpse in the Wantaramo Forest.
It seems to be a versatile spell, so I asked Valeria how to use it...
But I don''t know if I can get it right in one go.
When Jin had left the Wantaramo Forest and spent several days with Yona and Valeria, he took every opportunity to ask Valeria for advice rted to magic.
From that time, he remembered some clues about the Ice Barrier Seal magic.
-Anyone can use Ice Barrier Seal magic. But to seal and maintain it correctly, you need to know how topletely separate the mana from your body. You use that separated mana to form a kind of lock.
-How do you separate the mana?
-That''s a bitplicated to exin. I gave you a simple concept to work with, so try practicing on your own.
Valeria''s exnation was wrong from the start.
Among ice barrier magic spells, sealing was considered the most advanced spell.
Only a small fraction of mages specialized in ice barrier magic could handle seals.
Furthermore, maintaining the seal as intended was an entirely different skill.
Normal mages'' seals onlysted until their mana was depleted.
As far as Jin knew, Valeria was the most talented mage in the world, and Jin was her only recognized disciple.
Separating mana from the body.
Suddenly, he remembered his first mission as a cadet.
Back then, I infused Shadow Energy into my sword when I fought Quazito Truka and also separated Shadow Energy from my body when I lost control of it.
It''s a simr feeling to back then.
Jin had that feeling.
The randomly changing ice crystals in his palm gradually stabilized.
"You won''t die. Instead, you''ll be sealed and be subjects for research."
Soon, Jin reached out, and white energy emanated from the ice crystals, enveloping the regenerating Legends Golem.
Crack!
The Legends Golem froze instantly and stopped regenerating.
However, the horrible part was that the heart of the Legends Golem, encased in ice, continued to beat.
Using the mana separated from his body, Jin applied anotheryer of magic to maintain the seal.
Jin felt that his mana was no longer depleting, which meant the magic spell had been sessfully cast.
It worked on the first try.
In my past life, I had never seeded so well, not even when learning from my master.
However, there were still other bodies to seal.
When the Legends Golem''s body fell to the ground, the remaining Legends Golems lost their triumphant expressions.
"It seems you don''t understand the definition of ''immortality,'' after all."
"You...!"
"You simply denied yourselves because you no longer had the will to achieve anything more. And is battle prowess really the criterion for determining the value of life?"
"If you simply think that immortality means you can regenerate your body infinitely, it''s because your world is nothing more than that. Humans like me tend to deny what we''ve achieved in our lives."
Jin said with a chuckle.
"...Anyway, your mana won''t be infinite. You can''t maintain that seal forever."
"You''re still mistaken. It can be maintained; I don''t need to do anything. I''ll cut it into pieces and seal it. Then, I''ll hand it over to the mage researchers. From then on, they will maintain the new seals."
In an instant, the Legends Golems felt their "immortality" slipping away.
Just as Jin exined, once ced in the mage researchboratories, the inability to die as they desired became a bitter curse.
One of the Legends Golems who especially feared this reality was the first to turn around and start running.
They were trying to escape.
"Where do you think you''re going?"
A burst of energy from Jin''s sword pierced through its two legs.
Though their regeneration was swift, they couldn''t recover their fear-filled hearts along with their bodies.
Their regenerated legs refused to move due to fear.
Meanwhile, the random lightning attacks posed a threat not only to Jin but also to the other golems.
"Tsk."
While the other golems dodged the lightning bolts, Jin skillfully positioned himself between them and swung Sigmund.
It didn''t take long to cut them into suitable pieces for sealing.
"It''s even more bothersome when it''s a mage."
As he watched the random lightning rain falling indiscriminately, he couldn''t help but feel bitter.
The fact that so many powerful figures in the world had fallen for Kinzelo and Zipple''s empty promises.
Crack-le...!
Soon, all the Legends Golemsy on the ground, sealed within Jin''s Ice Barrier Seal.
"Hey."
Jin turned around and called Beradin''s guards.
"Guards, return to the Sword Emperor''s Castle on your own. I''ll take Beradin with me. Shuri, pick them up."
[Nyaah.]
Shuri swallowed the entire seals, and Jin reached out to Beradin.
Beradin stared at Jin''s hand for a moment.
"It''s hard to believe you got beaten by these kind of bastards if I think about how you fought in Ventica."
It made no sense.
From the beginning, he didn''t ask for help, and the fact that Beradin had been brought to the brink of death by these guys.
With the power Beradin had demonstrated in Ventica, he could have easily dealt with these living golems.
This only fueled Jin''s suspicions, not about Beradin, but about who was controlling him: Kelliark Zipple.
"At that time, I wasn''t myself, Jin."
"You can still do it. The proposition I made to you back then still stands."
-I want to make you a proposition.
-What is it?
-Leave Zipple.
Jin made this proposition to Beradin when he visited his mansion during his days as a Provisional gbearer.
Beradin didn''t respond but took Jin''s hand and got on Shuri.
Since then, the two didn''t exchange a single word until they returned to the Sword Emperor''s Castle.
That was because Beradin had passed out due to his injuries.
But even if he had been in perfect condition, it would have been the same.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 407
C407 - Why, Hairan (1)
Ron''s aura drove away the thunder.
Every time he wielded his sword, Rashid, an aura akin to a tidal wave shot up into the sky.
Even the electrical storm that seemed like it could engulf the Sword Emperor''s Castle looked like child''s y in front of Ron''s aura.
How many people in the world can shield a castle of this size by extending their sword aura like an umbre?
That was the question that crossed Jin''s mind as he witnessed the scene.
It was an achievement only possible for the very best among the 10-star knights.
What was even more astonishing was that Ron showed no signs of exhaustion, even as he continuously unleashed such a powerful aura.
"Ron-nim!"
Ron turned his head as Jin shouted. He checked on Beradin, who was unconscious and tied to Shuri, then vigorously nodded at Jin.
Good job!
That was the expression on his face.
Though Beradin hadn''te out unscathed from it, just Jin''s rescue meant they could now handle the enemy''s plot more easily.
And Lata, who was still dealing with the monsters and living golems on the front lines, felt a strange sense when he saw Jin return.
It could be described as a form of admiration.
Truly, it was an emotion he hadn''t felt in a long time.
Regardless of how their rtionship with Jin had been so far, there was no reason not to admire him.
Not even Ron had realized that Beradin was the key.
"He''s an impressive guy."
I never thought the day woulde when Lata Proch (humanly) fell in love with a man.
Shuri jumped after stepping on the giant monsters andnded beside Ron.
"I don''t know why I had forgotten about this guy. Is he severely injured?"
"His life isn''t in danger."
"All right. I''ll give him a properpensation when all this is over. Those pieces of ice... I more or less understand it."
Ron had only been cutting the mages into pieces every time they regenerated.
He hadn''t used any "sealing" means at all.
That was because he didn''t have a mage''s way of thinking, and all the mages waiting inside the castle didn''t have experience with it either.
Plus, as Ron was able to continuously unleash such tremendous aura without tiring, there was no need to find other means.
"Castle mages, listen! Seal the golems that use lightning attacks."
At Ron''smand, the knights behind him cleared the way. The mages emerged from the gaps and released ice-attribute mana.
"But it''s strange. Why doesn''t the storm abate?"
Although the sealed bodies of the living golems appeared here and there, the lightning striking from the sky showed no signs of calming down.
Could there be other Legends Golems?
Ron-nim''s aura is impressive enough to overshadow everything, but this can''t be the lightning energy of only about four or five golems.
I didn''t have time to think about it while running over here.
At least more than five hundred Legends Golems.
Or something more than Legends Golems. If not, it was an inexplicable storm.
Ron was also thinking the same as Jin.
"It feelspletely different from those sealed golems..."
Ron''s pupils dted as he gazed at the sky.
The sky shone wildly due to the mix of shadow energy, sword aura, and lightning.
"I need to take a closer look at what it is."
After his words, Ron retracted the aura he had been emitting.
The lightning was striking as if a dam had burst, but it seemed much weaker than before.
And then, out of nowhere, the sky "opened."
What was revealed through it looked like the underside of a battleship.
What is that?
Everyone present, including Jin, knew that there was only one airship in the world that could float in the sky.
Kozec, Zipple''s aerial battle weapon.
However, what emerged after parting the dark clouds was not Kozec.
It was an entirely different flying ship, although its shape was simr.
"... Now that an airship has appeared, it makes me think it might really be Octavia''s subordinates."
Ron murmured with a bitter smile and shrugged.
"It''s Kinzelo, not Zipple, Ron-nim."
"That''s right. But do you really think they are unrted?" Ron asked as if it didn''t matter.
Jin shook his head.
"I don''t believe Zipple ispletely unconnected to this terrorist attack. Even if they didn''t instigate it directly, they must have seen it as a situation that would benefit them, so there might be some tacit agreement following the incident."
"They are despicable bastards."
Craaack...!
Dark clouds charged with lightning gathered near the battleship.
The ship seemed to have a much moreplex structure than Kozec on the surface, with spike-like protrusions scattered across its hull, gathering mana to form the clouds.
The battlefield fell silent as the battleship appeared.
Rampaging monsters came to an abrupt halt, and martial artists stared at the ship with vacant eyes.
Most of them felt instinctively overwhelmed.
It was a natural reaction, considering the giant monsters and living golems emerging from the ground, followed by Legends Golems and now a flying battleship.
Jin turned his head and exchanged nces with Murakan and Quikantel.
Their reactions suggested they had never seen a ship like this before.
Ron was the only one who remained undisturbed.
"State your name, intruder."
It was a voice full of profound energy.
Though spoken calmly, Ron''s voice resonated and reached the ship.
Finally, familiar faces appeared at the front of the ship.
"He is Berakt Sidricker! The great warrior of the White Wolf Tribe, the Chief of the Sidricker Tribe, the master of the Roskal Great ins, the absolute ruler of the Antomac Mountains, and..."
The man introducing Berakt was indeed Cold Joe.
"Cut the crap, Joe."
"Well, in that case, let me skip some details... He is themander-in-chief of our Kinzelo!"
This time, deciphering the ns of these people proved more challenging for Jin.
Not only did they carry out the terrorist attack, but they openly admitted to being responsible, which was unexpected.
However, in the next moment, the most surprising statement came from Joe.
"The reason we brought the Grenille battleship to the Sword Emperor''s Castle is to rescue our vice-leader and his little sister."
Crazy bastards...
Jin couldn''t help but think the expletive.
Did they carry out the terrorist attack and now im they came to rescue Bishkel and Margie?
Jin couldn''t easily grasp the motives of these people this time.
It was excessively audacious and simplistic, to the point that one might wonder if they were even doing calctions before taking action.
"Did they orchestrate the terrorist attack, deliberately causing harm to Bishkel and Margie, and then use it as a pretext to im they weren''t involved in terrorism?"
Naturally, it was incredible.
But, on the other hand, it was usible.
It was well known that Bishkel cared for his sister more than anyone in the world.
No one would have thought that Bishkel would orchestrate a terrorist attack using the security of his sister as leverage.
Above all, there was no evidence.
Although the Grenille battleship could use lightning attacks through mana, except for conviction, there wasn''t a single perfect piece of evidence to prove that the Legends Golems, living golems, and monsters belonged to Kinzelo.
''Or maybe Ron-nim decided tobel them as criminals based solely on conviction. They''re underestimating Hairan too much.''
Were they nning this from the beginning?
In response to a fleeting question, Jin quickly concluded that it wasn''t the case.
They probably intended to do it subtly and withdraw.
''However, as I rescued Beradin, it also caused them trouble.''
If Beradin returned safely to his n, it would be difficult to establish hostile rtions between Hairan and Zipple.
Ironically, as Jin rescued Beradin by Ron''s order, it didn''t give them a reason for hostility.
Although their n failed, there was only one reason for them to show up without even thinking about it:
Kinzelo was determined to deal a significant blow to Hairan in one way or another.
''Since they lost the pretext for creating hostile rtions with Zipple due to my actions, they might as well trample over Hairan themselves.''
Otherwise, Berakt and Joe wouldn''t have appeared and provoked Ron like this.
The actions Berakt and Joe were demonstrating weren''t any different from saying, ''Let''s have a fight.''
"Hahaha."
Ron burst intoughter.
"Even the Emperor uses his own voice when he wants to speak with me. Besides... I didn''t expect someone to belittle me in the Sword Emperor''s Castle. Descend, beast-man."
Hearing that, Berakt chuckled.
"What will you do if I refuse, Human Swordsman?"
"I will make you descend."
Ron didn''t demand exnations from Berakt and Joe about the current situation.
Why they had attacked the Sword Emperor''s Castle, what this whole plot was about...
Those were questions to be asked when there was room for conversation.
Ron had also made a decision.
He was going to wage war against Kinzelo.
They believed they could toy with Hairan at will.
''It''s impossible for Ron-nim not to know this.''
Despite that, there was no way to withdraw from this situation.
If Ron were to retreat now when Kinzelo hade out like this, Ron''s prestige in Hairan would never recover.
From the moment the Grenille battleship appeared, everyone present began to have the same suspicions about Kinzelo.
Although they hadn''t discussed it, they all seemed to be in agreement.
Rashid''s sword gleamed.
"I will give you a warning only once. Descend immediately and show some respect."
"I clearly stated my purpose. To deliver Kinzelo''s vice-leader and his younger sister."
"Isn''t your life precious to you?"
The raised sword aimed at the battleship emanated its aura.
Ron''s sword aura instantly bathed the entire area in blinding light.
The Grenille battleship seemed to bepletely submerged in the light, as if it had fallen into the sea.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the light to dissipate.
Although Grenille was a battleship on the same level as Kozec, it didn''t seem like it could withstand such an attack.
It was a blow delivered with the utmost sincerity.
It was the sword wielded by the 10-star knight, Ron Hairan''s sword aura striking the battleship, and surprisingly...
The Grenille battleship remained unscathed.
Ron Hairan''s pupils trembled slightly...
Grenille still floated in the sky just as before.
"If you truly want to fight me, how about both of us find a more suitable ce, Human Swordsman, Ron Hairan? If you and I fight here, not a single member of your family will survive."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 408
C408 - Why, Hairan (2)
All the Warriors who witnessed this scene couldn''t help but be surprised.
Many of them were so astounded to see Grenille without even a scratch that they fell momentarily silent...
Ron didn''t use any Final Movements or Secret Techniques.
It was simply a precise strike, one that didn''t even contain his full power.
However, the fact that Ron Hairan''s sword aura resulted in such a futile oue was something none of those present could have imagined, except for Berakt and Joe, who were at the forefront of Grenille.
"Did Ron-nim''s sword aura getpletely... blocked?
Jin was also shocked and couldn''t take his eyes off Grenille for a while.
They used a protective shield.
It''s surrounding the entire helmet and seems transparent.
Not only did they not realize it immediately due to the dazzling light emanating from both the luminous energy and the sword aura, but Grenille was using a transparent shield made of mana.
He couldn''tprehend the principle of this shield.
All he could specte was that some kind of authority had been added to the mana.
A great silence enveloped the Warriors, and the massive demonic creatures and living golems roared and wreaked havoc in the castle again.
The momentum of the monsters and living golems was not as formidable as before.
They also seemed somewhat intimidated, as if they were afraid of Grenille floating in the sky.
Ron and Berakt''s gazes met in the midst of this chaos.
Ron was momentarily puzzled by the fact that his sword aura had been blocked, but his eyes regained the demeanor of the absolute ruler of the Emperor Sword Castle.
Berakt recognized the desire flickering in those deep eyes.
They were the bloodthirsty eyes of a wild beast facing its adversary.
It had been a long time since Berakt had encountered someone with such eyes.
Crack...!
Crack!
Hahaha...!
Ron touched his forehead and suddenly burst intoughter.
Tears welled up in his eyes as if it were a joke heard once in a lifetime.
The ground shook every time Ronughed.
The monsters stopped moving as they were overwhelmed by the energy contained in thatughter, and the living golems writhed on the ground.
Those who were nearby even had to put up shields as a precaution.
Ron spoke again after a minute ofughter.
"It seems like you''re Cyron Runcandel, Berakt Sidricker, or are you just too confident in that thing?".
Ron shook his head and wiped his tears.
On the other hand, Berakt''s subtle smile disappeared.
He was not offended by the insult, nor was he ufortable with Ron''s arrogance.
He felt something entirely different.
He was noticing the change in the explosive aura that Ron had been emitting.
The fierce and volcanic aura that had suddenly surged began to refine.
Like light converging at a single point, the aura gathered around Rashid at an incredibly fast and silent pace.
Those who hadn''t reached the pinnacle of power werepletely unaware of this change.
However, most of those who had reached that level also did not notice the fact that Ron had wielded his sword once right after the aura had refined.
''Something just happened...''
It cut through the air.
Even Jin, who was standing next to him, realized an instantter that Rashid had left a trace in the air.
However, he recognized it only with his Mind''s Eye and did not confirm it with the naked eye because it had happened so quickly.
Crack!
A crack appeared in the shield surrounding Grenille.
The aura of the intangible sword that pierced the shield was formless, colorless, soundless, and intangible, possessing only Ron Hairan''s light, the unmatched Warrior.
It was the pinnacle of a sword that only Ron Hairan, among the current generation of warriors, had reached.
A Hairan could truly be the rightful owner of the title "Sword Emperor" when they reached the sword known as the intangible sword.
Using the title of "Sword Emperor" and being the master of the Emperor Sword Castle werepletely different matters.
"The Men of the White Wolf Tribe, a beastman."
Shaaak!
The intangible sword''s energy pierced Grenille''s protective shield once more.
Joe didn''t understand why the shield was being destroyed and hid behind Berakt.
Just as the Warriors had never imagined that Ron''s sword energy would fail to strike Grenille.
Joe had never thought that Grenille''s shield would be broken by an invisible and inexplicable force.
"In a way, you are a beast. Among beasts, there are some that are loyal and unique like loyal dogs, but most are ignorant and bark without understanding their ce."
Every time the transparent shield was torn by the intangible sword''s energy, the space around Grenille distorted.
"Especially vicious beasts like you, who recklessly threaten people without fear, must be eliminated as soon as they appear."
"Considering that among humans, they call you the Sword Emperor, I tried to show some respect. But you used a cheap wordy. I wonder who the true beast is..."
"Berakt Sidricker, a wicked beast. You keep looking at me from your ship."
As Ron finished speaking, Berakt unsheathed therge sword hanging from his back.
nk!
Finally, the energy of the intangible swordpletely pierced Grenille''s protective shield and shed with Berakt''s sword.
Dozens of invisible sword energies were shing Grenille''s body.
The bulge forming the thundercloud was cut, and the ship continued to shake with fragments flying.
Woooosh...!
Grenille was shaking unstably, and it wouldn''t be strange for it to crash at any moment.
It was incredible that a battleship that had just been struck by such massive sword energy had not a single visible scratch.
A blow fueled by pure power and a blow containing enlightenment representpletely different dimensions.
In fact, Ron was using much less aura than when he first directed the sword energy at Grenille.
However, something like mental strength or willpower was being consumed topensate for it.
Is this the true level of the Warrior who haspeted with my father for the longest time?
Jin felt a chill as he looked at Ron''s sword.
It seemed that what Jin had known about the sword so far was crumbling and opening up a new realm.
Despite the pressing and dizzying situation...
Ron''s intangible sword was so enticing that it sent shivers down his spine.
"Berakt-nim! Something is wrong. What the hell is Grenille breaking...! Could that damned brat be up to something?"
Cold Joe had never been able to shake off his fear of Jin since the destruction of the Dark Magic Society.
Not for nothing did Chukon Todlerer fear him...
Moreover, with his limited power and senses, Joe couldn''t evenprehend the fact that Ron was using this sword, let alone recognize that the intangible sword was a level of unique and transcendent mastery.
He mistakenly believed that the power breaking Grenille was from Jin.
Seeing Joe like that, Berakt felt so frustrated that he couldn''t find the words.
"Joe, you piece of sh*t... bastard!"
Bang!
He was briefly interrupted as he blocked the intangible sword.
"This intangible sword energy is the power of Ron Hairan, not that brat. Get yourself under control and find the vice-leader''s group immediately before he kills and devours you!"
"Understood! An intangible sword energy... Yes, that''s right. It''s impossible for that brat to possess such tremendous power. I must have lost my mind for a moment."
"Shut up and find the vice-leader and his group!"
The vice-leader and his group.
Ron knew he was referring to Bishkel and Margie, as well as their subordinates.
Therefore, his curiosity was piqued.
Before Kinzelo''s identity was revealed, Bishkel was known as the hope to revive the fallen Ivlianos.
Although it wasn''t to the extent that Cyron and Ron were deeply interested, it could be assessed that he had the potential to shake the world in the future.
However, now the great warrior of the White Wolf Tribe, who has the power to shake the world, and a mysterious ship had arrived at Hairan, saying they would rescue Bishkel and his group.
Is it because they are trying to cover their tracks of terrorism, or is it that Bishkel has some extraordinary ability?
First of all, it was strange that Bishkel Ivlianos was the vice-leader of those ragtag guys.
He needed to capture them.
"Emperor Sword Castle! Secure Bishkel Ivlianos and his subordinates!"
"Yes, sir!"
"If they resist too fiercely, you can kill them. Make sure to capture or kill them, without exceptions!"
"As youmand, sir!"
The giant monsters and living golems were nearly annihted, but the problem was the Grenille ship, operated by Joe and Berakt.
Aah!
Berakt''s roar startled the knights, leaving them motionless.
Those with exceptional reflexes instinctively activated their shields to protect themselves, but others were not so fortunate, and blood poured from their ears and noses.
Their internal organs were damaged, and their eardrums ruptured.
Seeing the knights hesitate, Jin had to make a decision.
Should he go after Beradin, as he had done before, or search for Bishkel?
''...This time, it''s better to protect the personnel inside the castle.''
He didn''t think much and quickly came to a conclusion.
The real battle between Ron and Berakt had just begun.
If they engaged in arge-scale battle, the shockwaves alone could kill people within seconds.
Berakt''s im that every Hairan member would die was not an empty word.
Ron was aware of it and didn''t give Jin any specific orders to find Bishkel.
Jin and the other elite members present at the Emperor Sword Castle had a duty to protect people from the fight between the two and safeguard them from the Grenille ship.
The intangible sword energy was bing more aggressive against Grenille.
Berakt could only fend it off with his senses, and now it seemed that he was reaching his limits.
Even Berakt couldn''t fight while protecting Grenille from the intangible sword energy.
Since he couldn''t afford to lose Grenille in vain...
Berakt had no choice but toe to the ground.
If Grenille was destroyed, it would cause significant dys in returning with the vice-leader''s group.
Thud!
Beraktnded on the ground and squinted his eyes.
Ron pointed his sword at Berakt and smiled.
"Now that you''vee down, beast-man."
"Ron Hairan, you will regret making mee down."
"But you''re quite the beast, aren''t you? It seems the level of your eyes is still higher than mine."
Berakt''s right thigh was suddenly cut, and blood sttered.
It wasn''t deep, but it was an effective blow as soon as he descended from Grenille.
Moreover, Ron didn''t even swing his sword directly at Berakt.
It was the intangible sword energy that wandered through the air and struck him.
"If you kneel, you''ll be at just the right height, don''t you think?"
Ron smiled, satisfied, as he said this.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 409
C409 - Why, Hairan (3)
The energies of the intangible sword roamed around Ron and Berakt, emitting eerie sounds.
Berakt let out a mocking chuckle.
"You''re very arrogant."
The blood flowing from his thigh quickly stopped.
It didn''t seem like a regenerative ability but rather Berakt''s own method of controlling his physical body.
Jin sensed a strange sense of difort in Berakt''s smile.
No...
It was more a feeling of impending danger than difort.
''Why am I feeling such an ominous sense of crisis even with Ron-nim by my side.''
Murakan had assessed the great warrior of the White Wolf Tribe as indomitable when he first saw him.
A warrior against whom not even Luna could guarantee victory.
Berakt didn''t show the slightest surprise even though his thigh had been shed by Ron''s intangible sword.
Instead, there was a strange sense of pride in his eyes.
Pride in encountering even stronger beings and defeating them all.
''The power of the Grenille battleship has not been fully revealed yet.''
So far... it had only shown the transparent shield and the storm clouds, but there was probably something more.
Not only Jin came to the conclusion that a crisis hade to Hairan, but everyone present thought the same.
Although Ron still seemed calm, he also shared the same feeling.
Berakt adjusted his posture and began to walk.
"Human lives won''t be spared in this fight. And they will all die because of you, Ron Hairan."
Thud, thud...!
Berakt''s steps were getting heavier and heavier.
He was only ''walking,'' but it felt like the ground was splitting, and a deep, resonant tremor emanated from the depths of the earth.
It was as if the ground was screaming as it was trampled by Berakt.
In a matter of seconds, his steps were causing an earthquake.
"It would have been better if you had listened to me when I told you to leave with me in peace."
Ron''s intangible sword energies gathered toward Berakt but couldn''t easily reach him.
This was because Berakt emitted an aura that distorted the surrounding space.
Vortexes the size of a fist spread through the distorted space, and piles of rocks were lifted under the influence of the aura and turned into fine dust after being sucked into these vortexes.
The intangible sword energies also seemed to be influenced by these vortexes.
Although the intangible swords didn''t disintegrate like the rocks or pieces of earth, they couldn''t move along the trajectories as Ron had originally envisioned and crumpled just like a piece of paper when exposed to heat.
The swordless foam, whose paths changed, turned whitish and became visible to all.
The earthquake initiated by Berakt''s steps grew more intense with each passing moment.
When the distance between Ron and Berakt was reduced to just ten paces, Berakt struck the ground with his great sword.
An incredibly massive sword aura cleaved the ground and the air as it charged toward Ron.
It was evenrger than the sword aura Ron had fired at Grenille.
Instead of dodging it, Ron took a step forward and swung Rashid.
And the pure, white de stopped the approaching sword aura as if it were a lie.
Berakt''s sword aura disappeared without a trace.
It was a battle between two individuals who were closer to the strongest.
Thendscape of the battlefield was constantly changing every time the two wielded their swords.
Finally, they closed the distance, and their swords shed.
The entire ground around them copsed under the force generated by the collision of the great sword and the long saber.
The shockwaves were so powerful that even Jin had to move away to avoid being crushed.
The problem was that this single collision was only the beginning.
Kah!
Berakt''s and Ron''s swords shed without rest.
Shockwaves rippled outward with each collision, and the outer walls of the Emperor Sword Castle crumbled under the constant pressure.
At this rate, the Emperor Sword Castle would copse.
"Murakan!"
A formidable energy was building up in the Grenille battleship.
It was the cannon.
Like Kozec''s, golden-colored mana was umting in the cannon.
The Emperor Sword Castle wouldn''t withstand that st.
"They won''t fire the cannon immediately. Not until Bishkel''s group is secured."
The Hairan knights were searching for Bishkel, but it was not an easy task due to the chaotic situation.
"You, too, search for Bishkel!"
[Understood]
In the midst of the dizzying battlefield, Jin''s mind was filled with all sorts of thoughts.
''Keeping Bishkel''s group as hostages is important, but those bastards undoubtedly have other ns...!''
If he were in their shoes.
If he were a member of the group that attacked the Emperor Sword Castle...
What choices would he make?
How could he effectively pressure the Emperor Sword Castle?
Jin found an answer almost instinctively.
Kinzelo mentioned Bishkel''s group as soon as they appeared.
It was as if they intentionally brought up their name and suggested that they would leave immediately if they found them.
In other words, Kinzelo had redirected everyone''s attention to Bishkel''s group.
But what if Dante Hairan fell into Kinzelo''s hands in the meantime?
''The moment Dante is captured, this battle will be over. The Emperor Sword Castle will lose everything.''
Dante Hairan.
If Jin were a member of Kinzelo, his top priority would be to kidnap Dante. There was no easier way to win this battle than that.
He needed to find Dante.
"Shuri!"
[Nyaah!]
Jin mounted Shuri again and scanned the surroundings.
Shuri still carried Beradin tied to her back.
"Let''s enter the castle; we have to find Dante!"
[Nyaa-ah!]
Shuri began to sprint inside the castle with a leap, and Berakt didn''t miss this sight even in the middle of his fight with Ron.
''The Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel... Could that guy be going to find Dante Hairan? That idiot Joe should have him controlled.''
However, Joe wasn''t even aware of Jin''s movements.
"Hehehe!"
In the absence of Bishkel, Joeughed like a madman and unleashed lightning from the Grenille.
He seemedpletely intoxicated by the overwhelming power of the Grenille.
''I was a fool to expect anything from that idiot.''
But Berakt couldn''t give orders to Joe.
Raising his voice to give orders would alert the Emperor Sword Castle to start actively searching for Dante.
All his means of escape would fade once Dante was mentioned.
"Quikantel-nim!"
Jin stopped to address hisrades before entering the castle.
[Jin]
"I need to find Dante. Take care of Beradin for me," Jin told hispanions.
Casually, the others seemed too busy to respond, so Enya ended up taking Beradin from Jin''s hands.
"Oh, it''s lighter than I thought... eh. Jin-nim, where are you going?"
"Inside the castle. I have to find Dante Hairan. Kinzelo probably has him in their sights."
"They''re looking for Dante-nim, Bishkel?"
"They''re looking for Bishkel too. I''m not sure if they''ve already been taken to a safe ce. Secure them if you see them."
Jin and hispanions couldn''t move together because they were responsible for an important part of the defense.
Leaving their posts would result in significant casualties among the civilians.
Upon entering the castle, Jin encountered an even more chaotic scene.
Many parts of the inner castle had already copsed under the impact of Ron''s and Berakt''s attacks.
Fortunately, the castle''s residents had managed to secure an escape route to the back gate, but people were still trapped under the copsing walls and roofs, crying for help.
"Where is Dante Hairan?"
"He was conducting a rescue operation in the main hall just a moment ago!"
Jin immediately headed for the main hall upon receiving the soldiers'' response.
ording to the map that the servants had provided him earlier, the main hall was included in the route.
Upon entering the main hall, Jin realized he was right.
"Dante!"
Dante was surrounded by a group of people disguised as servants.
It seemed he had been in a fierce battle, as his breathing was heavy.
Dante''s body was covered in wounds, and his clothes were stained with blood.
"Jin...!"
Jin could see dozens of corpses piled nearby Dante.
They were Hairan members that Dante had been rescuing.
He even saw the corpse of a high-ranking Hairan knight.
It was the body of a high-ranking knight who had just fought alongside Dante against the attackers.
''These aren''t just regr criminals.''
There were only three attackers.
And yet, they hadpletely overwhelmed Dante and the high-ranking Hairan knight.
The fact that only three of them had done it said it all.
Undoubtedly, they were people from Kinzelo, but there was no one among them that Jin could easily identify.
Most of the skilled individuals from Kinzelo he had encountered so far were mages or beastmen.
In contrast, these attackers were warriors.
Jin could intuitively sense it.
They were pure human martial artists, unlike the gray-robed individuals he had fought before.
"As far as I know, Kinzelo was severely understaffed. Are they fully equipped now?"
"They''re no ordinary folks, Jin," Dante responded with a bitter smile.
As Jin approached, two of the attackers stepped forward to block his path.
Swish...
Jin unsheathed Bradamante.
"What are you lunatics doing in someone else''s banquet hall?"
The two attackers were the first to brandish their swords.
Two of them simultaneously extended their swords towards Jin, and it was powerful.
They possessed at least an 8-star or higher battle skill. Still, these two shouldn''t be a problem.
What concerned him the most was the one pressuring Dante.
That attacker emitted a much more dangerous aura than the other two. Jin had the feeling that even if Dante and he fought together, he would have to unleash Final Movements and the secret magic sword technique to have any chance against him.
And there weren''t many who possessed such transcendent martial skill among famous warriors.
It mainly applied to those who had reached thest stage of the 9 or 10-star aura.
However, it was unlikely that a famous Warrior would suddenly join Kinzelo.
Hairan''s other swordsmen would eventuallye to fight if the battle prolonged in the main hall.
Therefore, even a 10-star Warrior couldn''t hide under a mask for long.
Once their true identity was revealed, it was inevitable that they would have a hostile rtionship with Hairan in the future.
So Jin had to quickly deal with the two and help Dante.
The swords of the two attackers cut through the air.
And in the next instant, Jin ended the life of one of them with a single strike.
This was because the attackers had fought out of habit, as if facing a mon knight.''
sh!
The decapitated attacker had clearly struck Bradamante, but it was a ck sword that beheaded him.
It was the Second Shadow de Technique, "Scissors," that severed his head.
Perhaps the attackers hadn''t anticipated that one of them would die in the first exchange against a Runcandel gbearer, which made the other one hesitate and step back.
He still didn''t know what had severed hisrade''s head.
He simply sensed that Jin had used some kind of trick.
"You must have been prepared to die as well when you attacked Hairan, so there''s no need to feel remorse."
Once again, the Scissors rushed towards the attacker.
The attacker might have been able to block the Scissors'' de a couple of times if given another chance to observe it.
Only now did he realize that the de was forming behind him, and death seemed inevitable.
However, the attacker who had faced Dante lunged forward and blocked the ck de.
The impact pushed Jin back, and he struggled to breathe.
The sword that had deflected the Scissors seemed oddly familiar to Jin...
And at that moment, it reminded him of a certain group of warriors.
The ck Knights?
Jin tightly gripped his sword and made eye contact with the masked attacker.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 410
C410 - Why, Hairan (4)
Of course, it could have been a coincidence.
After all, they had only exchanged a few blows.
There was no concrete evidence that he was a ck Knight.
"But it''s too simr to the unique sense of danger I always felt when facing the ck Knights..."
Jin pushed his sword forward once more to confirm.
Bradamante''s ck de came between the two enemies'' swords.
Dante took advantage of that opening to strike at the other enemy from behind.
The one who looked like a ck Knight swung his sword in aplete circle and simultaneously blocked both attacks, while the remaining enemy turned around and aimed at Dante''s neck.
Since Dante was already exhausted and focused on his original target, he intended to deal with Dante first.
"Kuh!"
Dante took a step back as he dispersed his sword aura.
Dante''s aura shone brightly despite appearing to bleed heavily.
Although they hadn''t fought together often, Jin and Dante moved as if they had practiced together for a long time and fluidly read each other''s swordy.
It was natural for the tide of battle to change, and the enemies had to acknowledge that their n was falling apart.
nk!
Jin pierced the enemies'' swords and positioned himself next to Dante.
Looking down, Jin noticed that Dante''s sword was trembling.
It wasn''t out of fear.
It was out of rage.
The numerous corpses lying around were people Dante had tried to save or who had tried to save him.
Dante!
Yes, Grandfather!
It''s impossible to gather all the knights in one ce. These bastards have already spread outside.
Outside too...!
As the future lord of the Emperor Sword Castle, take responsibility and evacuate the guests.
Ron had given Dante that order when the attack began.
However, Dante was not only not following that order but had led more people to their deaths.
Jin could clearly see Dante''s troubled mood.
"Dante, you need to regain yourposure."
Jin had noforting words to offer.
Andforting him wouldn''t solve the issue at hand.
"...I know. Thanks to you, I''ve regained some of my sanity."
The tremor in the hand holding the sword ceased.
The dark and sunken eyes that didn''t quite match Dante''s own looked at the enemies.
However, it was almost unbelievable that someone with such dark eyes could exude the bright aura now surrounding Dante''s sword.
I''ll buy you some time.
Jin understood Dante''s intent without a word.
The Sword of the King.
The Hairan sword that was only given to the most worthy.
Dante was about to use a secret technique.
The enemies who recognized this sword began to wield their own swords once again.
Jin intercepted their attacks to ensure Dante could safely raise his aura.
Jin could easily handle one opponent, but the ck Knight-level enemy wielded a formidable sword.
Each of his strikes had the power equivalent to a high-ranking warrior.
Even an ordinary vertical sh that seemed to be thrown casually carried the weight of a mountain.
It was a perfectly refined sword, free of impurities, like pure gold.
Those who could wield such a sword were truly rare. Jin was reminded once again of the name ''ck Knight.''
sh!
The enemy''s sword grazed Jin''s nose.
Jin''s stance crumbled, and the ck Knight-level enemy swung his sword at that opening, and Jin would have been decapitated if he hadn''t reacted in time.
Three swords gleamed like fire.
Sweat and drops of blood evaporated in the air as soon as they left their bodies due to the heat emanating from the swords.
"This is a tough situation, damn it."
At first nce, it seemed like the battle was tilting in their favor.
But that was only because the ck Knight-level enemy had not yet unleashed his full power.
He had been strangely conserving his strength since Jin appeared, but it wasn''t clear if he did it out of caution or for some other reason.
In the meantime, Jin needed to reduce their numbers.
''I don''t know why he''s not using all his power, but I need to deal with the weaker one at least.''
Whoosh!
Shadow Energy gathered around Jin.
Instantly, coffin-shaped Shadow Energy curtains appeared around him, and Jin moved back and forth between them while unleashing his sword energy.
He didn''t forget to protect Dante in the midst of all this.
Dante needed about ten seconds to fully execute the Sword of the King.
It wouldn''t have taken him this long if his body were in better shape, but it was inevitable due to the severe bleeding.
Considering Dante''s chronic issue with ''endurance,'' using the secret technique itself was already a monumental feat.
Sshk-!
The ck sword energy shot out from within the curtain and pierced through one of the enemies'' arms.
It was the arm holding the sword.
Just as the enemy recoiled and tried to retrieve his sword, Bradamante charged at his throat.
Taang!
Once again, the ck Knight-level enemy managed to deflect Bradamante.
So annoying...!
However, at that very moment, Dante''s secret technique waspleted.
It was much faster than Jin and the enemies had anticipated, and Dante''s sword was already heading towards the enemies.
A bright light filled the entire main hall like a sh cannon.
And the sound followed the sh of light.
The sharp and unique sound of a sword slicing through the air amplified to the point that it resonated in their ears.
"Have you underestimated Hairan...?!"
The sword emerged from the re.
It wasn''t just one sword.
Pure white swords sprang from various points of brightness that filled the main hall.
Sword of the King; Secret Technique: Sun
The name of the sword technique Dante used.
Just like its name, the brilliance of the aura filling the main hall resembled the sun.
Even the Shadow Energy curtain Jin had set up waspletely covered by the radiance of this aura.
There were hundreds of swords.
The ck Knight-level enemy managed to block Jin''s sword, but he couldn''t stop all of the Sun swords.
One sword deeply prated the enemy''s back, whose arm had been severed.
The enemy shuddered and tried to evade, but he could do nothing against the swords flying in all directions.
Before he could even scream, the new des stabbed him in the abdomen, chest, neck, and head.
Soon, the enemy disappeared entirely in the Sun''s radiance. His flesh, his bones, and even his blood turned to ashes from the heat of the aura.
''You''ve grown stronger, Dante.''
Hairan was the second strongest swordsman n in the world after Runcandel, and Dante was their next patriarch.
And he disyed power befitting that position.
Now, only one ck Knight-level enemy remained.
The Sun swords kept raining down on him.
However, unlike the enemies who had died before, the ck Knight-level enemy showed incredible strength and dodged every one of the hundreds of swords with unwavering resolve.
Only his robe was being torn apart, and it seemed that Dante''s sword wouldn''t be able to directly harm him even after a few more seconds had passed.
He''s already exhausted, so he won''t be able to use all his power as he originally intended, thought Jin.
Even if the opponent were an enemy of ck Knight level, it was impossible for Dante''s secret technique to cause the slightest injury.
Dante emerged from the Sun''s radiance.
He felt frustrated that he couldn''t kill the enemy despite unleashing the Sun.
However, his eyes remained determined and resolved.
Uf, uf...
Jin felt Dante''s heavy breathing at his side.
He had be even more agitated than when Jin had arrived.
Jin sensed that Dante had reached his limit.
The ck Knight-level enemy was in a simr state.
He also clearly recognized that it would be nearly a miracle for Dante to continue fighting.
"You could die if you use more power, Hairan''s next patriarch."
The ck Knight-level enemy spoke for the first time.
His voice was somehow muted and distorted.
However, even if it were the true voice of the enemy, it wouldn''t have made sense to Jin because there were only a few ck Knights he would recognize by their voices.
As expected, they weren''t trying to kill Dante.
If their sole goal was the destruction of Hairan, it would have been best to kill Dante.
There were numerous opportunities to kill Dante.
Despite the overwhelming power of the ck Knight-level enemy, he fought with the intention of capturing Dante alive.
"Those honorless don''t need to worry about my life."
The ck Knight-level enemy then shook his head.
"It seems difficult for you to even stay on your feet. But if the bacsh begins, you''ll have to live with a disability for the rest of your life. Are you still okay with that?"
The enemy''s words were urate.
Even the finest healers of Hairan wouldn''t be able to heal Dante immediately.
He would either be a cripple, lose his aura, or die.
When the bacsh began, these were the only three possibilities Dante could face.
''And in those cases, his value as a hostage will plummet. It''s probably the situation the enemies would most like to avoid.''
The enemy''s goal was to kidnap Dante.
Kinzelo would probably use Dante for negotiations with Hairan or other ns in the future.
If Dante wasn''t in good condition at that time, it could cause problems.
However, Dante was not one to back down or make a humiliating decision under any circumstances. That''s Dante Hairan for you.
Dante wouldn''t take a step back orpromise his beliefs, even if it meant begging for his life.
His determination andmitment to his principles were unwavering, and there was no way he would choose a more efficient path.
But he''s a cool and nice guy.
Jin couldn''t stand idly by and watch his friend be a cripple or die.
"Your concerns are unnecessary...!"
Tang!
Jin struck Dante on the nape of the neck with the palm of his hand.
"Cough, kek!"
Dante coughed up blood and staggered forward, but he didn''tin or express anger at Jin''s actions.
What Jin did was ast-ditch effort, a risky move that could have killed Dante if he had used a bit more force.
But there was no other way to stop his stubborn friend.
Both Beradin and Dante were the same in that regard.
Jin often resorted to this method to knock them out.
Dante, who had fallen to the ground, stopped moving.
Jin immediately checked his pulse and watched for any signs of a bacsh and fortunately found that Dante had simply lost consciousness.
"Phew."
Jin heaved a sigh of relief.
The blow he had just delivered could have triggered a bacsh if it had been a bit less precise.
It was a gamble on Jin''s part.
The radiance of the Sun that had filled the main hall began to fade.
There was a moment of silence between Jin and the ck Knight-level enemy.
"However you look at it, you seem to be a ck Knight of Runcandel."
Jin said, pointing Bradamante at the enemy.
"If you''re a ck Knight, I rmend you withdraw. Trying to take down the Hairan n and losing the favor of the next Patriarch of your own Family doesn''t seem like a smart decision, does it?"
Woosh!
Bradamante zed with Tess''s blue mes as Jin unleashed his Shadow Energy.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 411
C411 - Why, Hairan (5)
The enemy remained silent.
It was hard to anticipate their expression hidden behind the mask.
"...I wondered if you''d finally make the right decision and attack Dante Hairan. You''replicating things, Jin Runcandel."
The reason the enemy expressed that kidnapping Dante was the ''right'' decision was because it benefited Runcandel.
Hairan wasn''t just a key figure in Vermont, one of the four major factions, but also the second-best swordsman n after Runcandel.
Therefore, the fall of Hairan would be a significant blow to Vermont.
Runcandel and Zipple were clearly at odds among the four major factions.
The enmity between Vermont and Kinzelo was not clear yet.
But Vermont had maintained significant interactions with Zipple for a long time, making it more likely that they would choose Zipple as an ally if they had to choose one.
"It''s you who''splicating things. I''ve been trying to make Hairan my ally, and here you are, casting ashes on the cooked rice."
Swish!
A ck sword swung toward the enemy''s face.
The enemy raised their sword to parry, but they didn''t engage in a direct sh of forces.
It seemed the pressure from the mes bothered them.
''Judging by their words, it''s clear they''re a ck Knight.''
He decided to be sure.
It didn''t matter much whether they were a ck Knight or another Warrior.
In any case, the enemy was acting in a way that would benefit Runcandel, and it was evident they possessed the skills of a ck Knight.
"If you''ve understood, get lost, Joshua''spdog."
Whenever he swung Bradamante, a sharp path was left behind as Shadow Energy and blue mes merged.
Unlike when the enemy initially blocked the attack, they didn''t directly confront the sword but effortlessly evaded it.
There weren''t many warriors in the world who could so cleanly dodge Jin''s nned attack.
However, few warriors could keep dodging so ''casually.''
At first nce, it might seem like the enemy was rxed, but that wasn''t the case.
As Jin''s attacks continued, the evasion radius decreased.
Now I understand.
Jin smiled to himself as he watched the enemy''s sword.
An ordinary steel sword, that was why the enemy avoided receiving the attacks with their swords.
It wasn''t to peacefully evade Jin''s attacks and wait for the right moment to strike.
If they had brought their original sword or a famous de, it would have been a test in itself, and they wouldn''t have been able to handle it.
The sword was ordinary by Jin''s standards, but if it were shown to any cksmith, it would undoubtedly be considered an excellent sword.
However, this in steel sword was facing Bradamante.
One of the masterpiecespleted by the legendary cksmith Pic¨®n Minche, who became a God.
People often tend to think that famous swords are irrelevant to enlightened warriors, essentially believing that the quality of a weapon doesn''t matter to them.
However, this is a misconception of those who haven''t wielded a sword.
When two warriors with exactly the same strength fight, the one with the better weapon naturally has the upper hand.
That''s why Cyron used Barisada, known as the unrivaled sword, Ron wielded Rashid, and Tris used Full Ice.
All other warriors were the same.
Even an ordinary steel sword, no matter how well-made, can break when its user possesses transcendental strength.
''The sword''s durability has already hit rock bottom due to deflecting my sword and Dante''s techniques, in addition to dealing with Hairan''s knights.''
If the fight continues in such a situation and their weapon breaks...
No matter how skilled a ck Knight was, they couldn''t face Jin with their bare hands.
A stroke of luck for Jin, but a grim situation for Dante.
Thanks to the previous King''s Sword, Sol, the swords of the fallen knights lined on the ground were all damaged.
Even if the sword were to break now, the enemy wouldn''t be able to get another weapon.
Jin smiled.
"What should I do if you''re so openly worried about your weapon, ck Knight?".
Jin increased the speed of his attacks.
Once again, Jin deployed the curtains of Shadow Energy and relentlessly shot sword energy amidst them.
The pressure from the mes in his sword energy pressed heavily on the enemy.
The enemy couldn''t keep dodging forever and finally blocked part of the sword energy.
The enemy had to block the attack, but they couldn''t exert their full strength.
On the other hand, Jin kept releasing sword energy effortlessly.
The only weapon they could grab is Dante''s sword.
Jin positioned himself as he thought of the fallen Dante.
If, by chance, the ck Knight got Dante''s sword, the situation would take a turn.
"Did you bring any spare weapons just in case?".
Bam!
There was a deafening metallic ng as the enemy abruptly closed the distance and parried Jin''s strike.
Amid that ng, Jin could feel the distinct vibration traveling through the metal.
It was a fact that couldn''t be hidden even if he were shrouded in an aura.
"Oh, were you originally nning to use other knights'' swords as reinforcements?" The Scissor de of the Shadow Sword extended behind the enemy.
They managed to evade it by bending their body, but they couldn''tpletely dodge the vertical sh that immediately followed.
Drops of blood sttered.
Bradamante''s de barely grazed the enemy''s shoulder and couldn''t inflict a deep wound, but itnded a sessful blow.
"Go back. Your mission has failed."
"I can''t understand it."
The enemy shrugged.
"Do you really think Dante Hairan would side with Runcandel just because you have a friendship with him?"
"Is there any reason for him not to?"
"I didn''t know you had such a naive side."
"That naivety will result in an alliance between Hairan and my Runcandel. Your master or the rotten current Runcandel couldn''t achieve such results."
"It seems like talking won''t get us anywhere."
"We don''t need to understand each other."
Crash!!
This time, the noise didn''te from the sh between Jin and the enemy, but from the outside.
The battle between Ron and Berakt was intensifying.
Even though they were so far away, the powerful aura emitted by both was palpable, and the entire castle was filled with an ominous vibration.
"Finish what you were doing."
Shadow de - First Technique: Soul Cut.
A longsword de silently advanced like a shadow, and the elongated de scraped the enemy''s face.
This Shadow de was Jin''s very will, a manifestation of his determination to cut through anything.
Finally, the enemy''s sword fell to the ground.
However, the enemy didn''t seem surprised or nervous, as if they had foreseen it.
Suddenly, something sharp came out of their sleeve.
A w?
It was a weapon not used by many.
It symbolized the McRn n, Gilly''s original n.
Was the enemy a ck Knight of McRn?
Such questions crossed Jin''s mind in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the enemy was approaching Jin like an arrow.
Were the ws their true weapon?
Jin had considered it fortunate that the enemy wielded a seemingly ordinary sword.
However, it turned out the ws were the enemy''s real weapon.
It was undoubtedly a weapon made of ancient cold iron, and Jin could no longer have an advantage in terms of weapons.
"You have a talent for surprising people."
nging!
The ws and Jin''s sword shed, producing an unpleasant friction.
The enemy, who had brought out a new weapon, exhibitedpletely different movements from before.
Strangely, they didn''t seem as formidablepared to the intense danger Jin felt when he first saw them.
I think it was because of their weapon.
Three streams of sword energy were unleashed every time the ws moved.
Dozens of attacks wereunched in a matter of seconds, and Jin found it difficult to keep up with the pace.
If he hadn''t activated his Shadow Energy armor, he would have already suffered minor wounds all over his body.
"You were supposed to hide your identity, weren''t you? Using such a distinctive weapon..."
"There''s no need to worry as long as there are no witnesses."
"But I''m the only witness here."
"Exactly, that means I''m going to get rid of you."
"Such an unpleasant joke isn''t very funny. Killing me right now would be a significant loss for Runcandel, wouldn''t it?"
The enemy didn''t respond and extended their ws.
Jin had limited experience facing someone wielding ws.
In fact, he had sparred a few times with Gilly after bing a gbearer and when Gilly''s seal had been released.
"It''s clear that I''m much stronger than you, Gilly, but it feels quite challenging."
"ws are different from a regr sword, young master. There''s no reason to be afraid when used by amateurs, but when it''s in the hands of a true expert... the sword rarely moves ording to your will during battle."
A conversation he had with Gilly during their light sparring sessions.
As she had advised, controlling the sword exactly as he wanted wasn''t easy.
The sword''s movement was restricted within the w''s space.
Jin held the sword with his left hand and used his right tounch close-range attacks.
Despite activating the Myulta Rune, he felt a chill every time the ws grazed his face.
This is no joke.
Jin tried to counterattack during the few opportunities he had while backing away, but he couldn''t push back the enemy''s momentum.
Using Hellfire or the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends would be too dangerous with Dante nearby.
First, he needed to create some distance.
His Shadow Energy Armor provided him with protection.
But if the close-quarters battle dragged on, he would inevitably suffer a mortal wound.
However, the enemy clung tenaciously to Jin as he tried to gain distance.
He unleashed Soul Cut sessively, but the enemy''s ws didn''t break like the steel sword.
However, that didn''t mean there was no impact.
The relentless w attacks suddenly slowed down.
This gave Jin the opportunity to create a distance of about ten paces, and he nned to maintain that distance while continuing the fight.
There was very little Jin could do in closebat unless he possessed superior sword skills to the enemy.
Woosh!
At that moment, the enemy turned around and changed targets.
"Dante!"
From the beginning, the enemy''s primary target had been Dante. He had intentionally lured Jin to create an opportunity to capture Dante before proceeding with his original n.
Jin and the enemy rushed toward Dante simultaneously.
Due to the ten-step difference, the enemy reached Dante first.
The enemy''s gleaming ws were aimed at Dante''s exposed neck, as if he could kill him without taking him as a hostage.
In an instant, as the ws were about to pierce Dante''s throat...
Jin threw Bradamante to block the ws'' path and drew Sigmund at the same time.
However, Jin''s stance was inevitably altered when he forcefully threw his sword.
Meanwhile, the enemy redirected the ws toward Jin.
nk!
The ws managed to pierce Jin''s Shadow Energy Armor, causing him to cough up a bit of blood.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 412
C412 - Why, Hairan (6)
Kuuuugh!
The ws had struck Jin in the neck.
Although the Shadow Energy Armor had no joints and therefore perfectly protected the neck, it was impossible topletely block the blow of a ck Knight-level enemy without suffering any shock.
Blood spilled into the helmet formed by the Myulta Rune.
The pain was so intense that Jin felt as if his throat had been ripped open, sending chills throughout his body.
Zass! Zass!
The ws struck Jin''s neck once again.
Jin managed to move Sigmund even amid the excruciating, hair-raising pain.
"You talked about being the next Patriarch, and yet, you risk your life so easily. What value does that friendship hold? If you didn''t have this armor, you would already be dead."
It was because of the armor that I could withstand the blow.
You knew it, and that''s why you aimed at my neck.
Although Jin wanted to give that response, his voice didn''te out immediately.
Kugh
All he could hear was the blood gurgling in his throat.
"I''ve taken a direct hit. It hurts like hell..."
The enemy''s intention wasn''t to kill Dante but to kidnap him.
Jin had forgotten this due to the enemy''s sudden actions.
If Jin had stayed still, the ws would have stopped before piercing Dante''s neck.
But Jin wasn''t going to just take the hits.
Suddenly, a peculiar Shadow Energy sphere began to form behind the enemy, who was frantically moving his ws.
It was a sphere stemming from Bradamante, stuck in the ground.
The enemy was unaware of this energy.
Shadow Energy was an energy that couldn''t be sensed, unlike mana and aura.
Zass!
Sigmund emitted bright lightning, and the enemy had no chance to focus on what was happening behind him.
However, Jin couldn''t help but silently marvel at how the enemy remained steadfast, unfazed.
Even when the Lightning Energy surged through his body with each sh between the ws and the sword.
"Uf, I can finally talk. You keep saying that I''m risking my life for Dante... And you?"
Shouldn''t you risk it too?
As Jin muttered behind him, he unleashed the Sword of Legends Technique: Cascade.
Countless rays emanating from his sword disrupted the enemy''s vision.
The ws managed to deflect the lightning energy, leaving behind residual images, and Jin intentionally slowed his pace as if catching his breath.
Jin eagerly awaited the enemy''s relentless approach with the patience of a fisherman who had cast his fishing rod.
Because the enemy was still unaware of what was happening behind him.
"He bit the bait."
The enemy received part of the Cascade lightning with his body and closed the distance to Jin.
His bright eyes behind the mask sent shivers down Jin''s spine.
Jin threw Sigmund with all his might.
It was a blow full of tremendous power, and the enemy couldn''t block it with a single hand.
Instead, the enemy ovepped his ws to block Sigmund, then turned the sword downward and aimed for Jin''s neck again.
No matter how formidable the armor was, if it continued to receive blows in the same spot, it would eventually break.
He''s too confident.
Did he think I would yield if he attacked with all his strength?
However, it was at that moment that the Shadow Energy sphere formed behind the enemy began to move.
The enemy''s reaction was so sudden and abrupt that it could only be exined by the unique instincts of those who had experienced countless life-or-death battles.
"What''s this out of nowhere...!"
A dangerous sensation, as if a de were touching his neck.
Certainly, he had blocked the Twelfth gbearer''s attack from the front, so he should have tried a counterattack...
But for some reason...
Jin seemed to be smiling beneath his helmet.
He withdrew the ws that had approached Jin''s neck.
At that moment, what the enemy had gained by retreating was only a brief instant, a fraction of a second of an opening where one could barely blink.
To gain that brief moment, the enemy had to give up a blow that could have even knocked Jin unconscious.
Impressive, it''s truly worthy of being called a ck Knight.
Jin was genuinely impressed by this sight.
This was because he knew very well that in this situation, giving up an effective strike and preparing for defense wouldn''t be an easy decision.
"Well, if the pawn dies, it''s a problem in itself."
If Jin hadn''t shifted to defense, the enemy would have lost his life. Jin was convinced of it.
"Kuk...!"
Something grazed the enemy''s back.
It was the energy of the ck sword emitted by the Shadow Energy sphere.
Just before throwing Bradamante, Jin had stored his Shadow Energy in it.
Shadow Energy moved at Jin''s will, much like forming a curtain or an artificial flower.
It was an attack that could never be achieved by simply controlling Shadow Energy; it belonged to the realm of ''authority'' rather than mere ''power.''
Thanks to the energy of the sword emanating from the Shadow Energy sphere, it was curiously the enemy who had his stance disrupted.
Jin wouldn''t miss this opportunity.
Sigmund rushed toward the enemy at that moment, charged with lightning energy.
The enemy judged that stopping Sigmund was more urgent, even if a single ray of ck sword energy cut his back.
But even that wasn''t a real attack.
"I can''t let this hard-won opportunity end with a single move."
Kwak!
Suddenly, a mass of mana with a luminous attribute burst from Jin''s palm.
It was the Lightning Cannon, an ancient spell, a legacy from the great magician Chenmi.
It was a rarely useful magic against high-level martial artists, but in the current situation, things were different.
No matter how skilled the ck Knight was, when an unexpected light suddenly shone in his eyes, there was nothing he could do.
Unless there was a significant difference in skill, even closing his eyes wouldn''t make much difference.
Blood sttered.
Sigmund had cut the enemy''s chest.
This time, it wasn''t a superficial wound.
Jin clearly felt the heavy sensation of the de cutting through flesh and bone.
The enemy quickly used the ws as a shield.
But that wasn''t all.
Recovering vision affected by the Lightning Cannon wouldn''t be easy, even for a highly trained knight like him.
The initiative was entirely in Jin''s hands until the enemy regained vision.
"What do you think? It must be the first time you''ve fought against a Magic Swordsman, right?"
Bam!
This time, the sword pierced through the shield and struck the enemy''s thigh.
Despite reacting quickly to each attack, it seemed that regaining the advantage wouldn''t be easy for the enemy, even when he regained his vision.
For the enemy, it felt like an eternity, like hell, but for Jin, it was like a refreshing oasis in the desert.
It had been almost five seconds since the enemy lost his vision.
Gradually, the enemy regained his sight.
Ah, ah~
Unlike the calm he had shown throughout the battle, the enemy''s breathing was now ragged as he adjusted his posture.
Jin made eye contact with the enemy with a smile and said, "It seems you haven''t understood what I told you before, so let me exin it to you again. Retreat; this mission is a failure. Tell your master that I''ll take care of Hairan my way."
The ck Knight had heard rumors about how formidable the Twelfth gbearer was.
He hadn''t witnessed the scene where the Garden of Swords was turned upside down himself...
But even those who had tried to thwart the Twelfth gbearer still praised his immense power, so he wanted to cross swords with him.
He wanted to see for himself what kind of person the Twelfth gbearer was.
At first, he felt disappointed.
It seemed like a waste to miss the opportunity to bring down Hairan for something as trivial as friendship.
All those rumors about him being an incredible fighter seemed like lies.
Next, he felt a sense of frustration when Jin used a crude sword.
He wondered if Jin still hadn''t realized that with mere tricks and skills, he could never reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
However, there he was, letting himself be overwhelmed by that same trick.
Despite having a clear advantage in terms of power.
No...
But even the Twelfth gbearer hasn''t used his full strength yet.
I can''t guarantee victory if we both fight for our lives.
It was strange.
Those thoughts crossed his mind as he faced Jin.
Even though he didn''t seem like someone with the dignity of an Emperor.
Jin is a swindler who does whatever it takes to achieve his goal, but his gaze was so deep that it defied easy analysis.
Jin has a unique demeanor that he had never felt from other gbearers.
Doubts began to creep in.
Should he continue to ensure Dante''s safety no matter what, or should he retreat as he was?
What was the right judgment?
Jin seemed to read his thoughts perfectly.
"No, you can''t do that, ck Knight."
The enemy''s eyes widened behind the mask.
"The ck Helm is for the good of the Family, not the gbearer. What you need is not to fight but to efficiently fulfill your mission. Risking your life for a mission that has already failed is a significant loss for the Family. Go back and prepare for the next one."
Kuk, Krur...!
The shockwaves from the ongoing battle outside continued to reverberate within the castle.
Cracks formed on the walls of the main hall, as if they were about to copse at any moment, and debris rained down from the ceiling.
The pirs supporting it trembled dangerously and seemed as if they would break if struck.
"It seems like a good time to leave when you have the chance."
As Jin spoke, one of the pirs broke, and the floor began to give way.
The destruction of the main hall caused the entire Sword Emperor''s Castle to crumble.
In the end, the enemy turned around.
He carried the bodies of other fallen enemies on his shoulders.
Before leaving, he spoke without looking back.
"I''ll pretend I didn''t notice you were bluffing. If your choice today poses a threat to Runcandel, the ck Helms themselves wille for your head."
Before Jin could respond, the enemy exited through the broken wall of the main hall.
And as he disappeared from view, Jin knelt down on one knee and panted.
"Although the Shadow Energy armor protected me, I still have some wounds..."
If the enemy had continued the fight, Jin would have suffered considerable damage.
He had thest resort of the ck Light Call, so he wouldn''t have lost his life, but it was uncertain if he could protect Dante.
After all, the enemy''s decisions when cornered were unknown.
Even Dante''s death wouldn''t be entirely bad from Runcandel''s perspective.
The fatigue of the intense consecutive battles was hitting him hard.
"I should escort Dante and take a look outside."
The roof began to copsepletely.
Jin quickly lifted Dante and left the main hall, heading toward the castle''s exterior.
The outer walls near the main hall also seemed to have copsed.
While Jin climbed over the still intact outer wall, he saw the battlefield where Ron and Berakt were fighting.
There was nothing left in the vicinity of the battlefield.
The central training ground had disappeared without a trace.
And all the nearby buildings had copsed, leaving only the marks of destruction.
"U-Ughh..."
Dante regained consciousness and let out a deep groan.
Are you awake, Dante?
But Jin didn''t ask him that.
That was because Jin''s mind went nk after looking at Ron Hairan, who was drenched in blood and struggling to breathe.
He could also see Berakt injured next to Ron.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 413
C413 - Why, Hairan (7)
"Grandfather..." Dante''s voice didn''t sound loud, perhaps because he had just woken up and had no energy.
It was so quiet that Jin could barely hear him despite being by his side.
However, Ron turned his head at that faint call.
His gaze fixed on the outer wall, where Dante and Jin were.
"Grandfather!"
He smiled. Ron smiled as he looked at his grandson.
Despite having blood all over his body, it seemed not all of it was Ron''s blood.
''Berakt is undoubtedly one of the strongest figures in the world, so I expected this fight to be quite impressive, but I can''t believe Sir Ron has been injured so much...''
It didn''t seem real at all when Jin saw Ron injured firsthand.
Except for Cyron, Ron is one of the top contenders when ites to the strongest individuals in the world.
''Besides, Berakt''s injuries seem somewhat less severe.''
Is Berakt stronger than Ron? It didn''t make much sense.
Jin had heard countless heroic stories and praises about Ron from his previous life, while Berakt was someone he had just met in this life.
He had long realized that Berakt was Rosa''s opponent, but that was all he knew. Certainly, Berakt didn''t seem to be a very famous figure in the hierarchy of the human world.
It seemed that even Ron and Berakt were meeting for the first time.
"Calm down, Dante."
Dante struggled as he tried to go to his grandfather, but he was so exhausted that all he could do was wrestle.
"But... Grandfather...".
"We are in the Sword Emperor''s Castle, and that knight over there is Ron Hairan, the best knight in the world. Do you think your grandfather would lose here?"
Ron Hairan being defeated by someone in the middle of the Sword Emperor''s Castle...
It was an unimaginable sight for anyone.
Such things seemed impossible unless Runcandel or Zippleunched abined attack.
Even if the Emperor of Vermont led arge army and personally intervened, there were many doubts about what he could do to the Sword Emperor''s Castle guarded by Ron. The world was vast.
Even if Berakt was stronger than Ron, it wasn''t entirely imusible.
However, Jin had a hunch that there was something more involved.
He calmed his startled heart and calmly observed the battlefield again. The shape of the outer wall and the copsed buildings did not look familiar. The shed surfaces were excessively rough for something that had been destroyed by sword energy.
It seemed as if some giant had randomly smashed them. Of course, it could be exined as energy fragments flying in all directions when sword energies collided, or the building could be shattered by shockwaves, but that exnation alone was insufficient.
Most of the debris seemed charred.
Jin looked up at the sky.
Grenille...
Grenille, Kinzelo''s aerial battleship.
Thick smoke was rising from Grenille''s cannon forefront.
''Is Ron-nim retreating because he''s trying to stop those cannon shots?''
At that moment, mana began to umte in the cannon as if in response to Jin''s thoughts.
Crack-le! A huge lightning bolt was building up in the cannon, even from Jin''s perspective.
It was shocking that such lightning could be generated without warning.
"This is madness!
Just before the cannon fired, Jin hurriedly raised a protective shield.
Kwaah...!
The cannon emitted a colossal lightning bolt.
The blinding light was brighter than daylight, and the shockwave spreading from the cannon not only tore through the clouds but also struck the ground.
And an unimaginable formless sword energy that was not visible to the naked eye blocked the cannon fire. It was Ron Hairan''s sword energy.
Its function was to disintegrate the cannon shot before it reached the ground. The cannon shot was shattered by the sword energy, and its debris wreaked havoc on the Sword Emperor''s Castle, emitting an ominous blue light.
Hairan''s knights and warriors desperately blocked the cannon fragments.
The shockwave from the cannon hit Jin''s protective shield violently. Dante''s bloodshot eyes trembled as he clenched his teeth in helplessness.
He even vomited a handful of blood, and his recoil elerated due to his anger.
"Kaah...!"
"Dante, please, listen to me. I''ll evacuate you as soon as the explosion is over, so calm down. Your reflux is getting worse due to your anger. Please. Think of Ron-nim; he wouldn''t want you to get hurt anymore."
It reminded Jin of the moment he faced Kozec in the ancient ruins of Colon.
He could say with certainty that the power of the battleship Grenille was iparable to that of Kozec back then. On that asion, Tris had single-handedly blocked most of the cannon shots, and Jin had barely survived by deflecting the debris falling towards the natives.
Currently, there are thousands of knights and warriors in the Sword Emperor''s Castle. Unlike during the Colon incident, it seemed they were not enough to stop the destruction of the Sword Emperor''s Castle even if they were all clearing away the debris.
''Is this why they were so confident when they invaded the Sword Emperor''s Castle?''
However, the Sword Emperor remained the Sword Emperor.
Originally, only one or at most two cannon shots would suffice for the entire Sword Emperor''s Castle to copse, and it was not an exaggeration. But Ron Hairan was preventing the castle from falling.
Like the cannon shots, his formless sword energy split into small pieces and intercepted the falling debris before it reached the ground.
In other words, Ron was not only facing Berakt; he was fighting while protecting the entire allied camp.
Describing such arge battle skill with just the adjective "strong" was not easy.
That''s why Jin didn''t see the Sword Emperor''s Castle ending today despite the unfavorable situation.
''I don''t think those Kinzelo bastards n to destroy Hairan. If they did, they wouldn''t have created a situation where the Bishkel group is isted in the Sword Emperor''s Castle from the beginning.''
Moreover, the fact that they were firing the cannons meant they had already secured the Bishkel group, and there was a high probability that they would withdraw.
The shockwaves hitting the protective shield were decreasing.
"Shuri, take Dante to the healers. It seems the infirmary has copsed too, so take him to the healers who seem most capable in the rear of the battlefield."
[Meow!]
Jin said as he tied Dante to Shuri''s back.
Dante had almost no strength left.
Just before Shuri took a step, Jin firmly grabbed Dante''s shoulder.
"My fight is your fight, and your fight is mine. Today, I will fight on your behalf. I will never let those bastards go, so control yourself."
Dante responded by blinking his bloodshot eyes.
Jin''s gaze turned cold as Shuri started moving to jump off the outer wall.
Ron and Berakt''s swords shed again as the aftermath of the explosion ended.
"It would have been better if you had followed my suggestion and moved to the outside. Ron Hairan, the mountain of corpses has formed today because of you!"
Ron brandished his sword, Rashid, without saying a word.
However, it wasn''t because of overwhelming strength that he couldn''t respond; he had nothing to say to a beast that knew nothing of honor.
Their battle progressed where both seemed evenly matched, but Ron might have had the advantage if Grenille hadn''t been there.
-You will benefit greatly, Jin-nim.
Suddenly, he remembered what Margie had said when the situation had started.
Something warm surged within him as Jin contemted the battered Sword Emperor''s Castle.
The Sword Emperor''s Castle is the home of his friends. They are also people who would someday be hisrades in the battle against Zipple.
Benefits?
I''ll make sure you scoundrels suffer such a great loss that you''ll never dare to do something like this again...
Ssssh...
Shadow Energy began to gather around Bradamante.
It was a special technique he had saved as ast resort when facing a formidable enemy.
Shadow de: Special Technique - ck Light Call
The sword wrapped in Shadow Energy cut through the air.
Following its trajectory, the surrounding space distorted and formed a single ck gate...
A portal leading to the world of the ancient Legends Tribe.
It was impossible to predict which brothers would appear through ck Light Call.
Even if an ordinary warrior were summoned, it would still be a significant help to turn the tide of the battle.
Jin focused his mind andpleted the special technique.
Then, Jin couldn''t help but smile in relief as a brother emerged from the ck gate.
The one who came out of the gate was Rinpa, the Fourth Battle King.
"It''s been... a long time, Brother Jin. I... have won."
It had been a short time since he started speaking again, so Rinpa''s speech was somewhat choppy.
However, his few words contained a deep and powerful aura that made everyone present on the battlefield turn their attention to the outer wall.
Who is that person?
Could it be a new enemy...?
No, he''s with Jin Runcandel.
He seems to be an ally.
But still, where did he suddenly appear from?
As the warriors exchanged nces and opinions, Rinpa drew an enormous sword from his back.
Wissh!
Even though he had just unsheathed his sword, a strong sword wind spread in all directions.
"I apologize for summoning you, Sister Rinpa."
"No... I''m fine. Are... they enemies?"
Rinpa pointed his enormous sword at the battleship Grenille and Berakt.
"What do you want... Brother Jin."
"Topletely annihte my enemies."
Rinpa nodded in response to the firm answer.
"I understand..."
The battleship Grenille was reloading its cannons.
Ron exerted his strength to block the cannon shots, and Berakt couldn''t take his eyes off Rinpa.
''That''s... the Legends Tribe the leader talked about,'' Berakt thought to himself.
It was the first time he felt such a strange emotion.
He had never seen a Legend before, let alone fought one. He had only heard of their tremendous power and had not experienced it personally.
Even so, it was enough for him to feel a wave of nausea and his body hair standing on end.
He waspletely sure that if it had been other White Wolf Tribe warriors instead of him, their legs would have given in.
A terrible sense of crisis weighed on his body.
He hadn''t felt a hint of fear even when facing Ron Hairan, but now, even Berakt experienced terror.
''Damn it...! I am Berakt Sidricker, the great warrior of the White Wolf Tribe. I shouldn''t be so afraid of someone like this.''
Haa!
Berakt roared with determination and shook off the fear. His heart was now filled with anger towards Rinpa, not fear.
"I am... Rinpa, the Fourth Battle King of the Illustrious Legends Tribe."
The cannon was aiming and ready, and everyone on the battlefield braced for the imminent explosion.
However, Rinpa continued calmly, as if nothing unusual was happening.
"I answered my brother''s call... and came here.... My duty is.... to be his sword. As for my enemies..."
Leave your final words.
Bam!
When Rinpa finished speaking, the battleship''s cannon unleashed its devastating beam and painted the ground blue.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 414
Chapter 414
C414 - Why, Hairan (8)
This time, a sword energy that shone with an even more dazzling blue than the battleship''s cannon shots blocked its path even before Ron''s formless sword energy could.
It was a breathtaking moment for everyone on the battlefield.
It seemed like the convergence of two enormous beams of light.
It was the sh between Rinpa''s sword energy and Grenille''s cannon shot.
Boom!
The cannon shot shattered, and blue fragments rained down like hail.
However, this time, the other warriors didn''t have to deal with those fragments.
It was because Ron''s formless sword energy swept the fragments in the air.
The energy fragments disappeared without a trace, like dust carried away by a strong gust of wind.
Joe couldn''t help but exim when witnessing this:
"My God, what the hell is going on!"
Swoosh! The battleship Grenille tilted to the side.
It was Rinpa''s sword energy that had pierced through the cannon shots and even the transparent protective shield, hitting the hull directly.
Such a feat with a single strike was only possible because Ron had previously weakened the protective shield.
Superhuman strength, on another level. Rinpa had instilled fear in the warriors on the ground with just one strike.
It was the true power of the Fourth Battle King of the strongest fighting race that was destroyed in the past.
As people in the world didn''t know much about the existence of the Legends Tribe, they simply thought of it as one of Jin''srades.
They found it incredible that such an amazing being would fight for Jin.
"Uwaaa, Uncle Joe! Didn''t you say we would be safe when we got on the ship?" Margie shouted.
She, along with Bishkel and Bouvard, had been receiving treatment inside the ship while Jin and the attackers were engaged in battle.
"That was the n, but now there''s an unexpected variable..."
"Margie, your wounds will reopen. Don''t move," Bishkel cautioned.
"Ugh, my, my back! Mr. Bishkel, my back!"
"Shut up, Bouvard!"
Joe leaned on his cane and carefully assessed the situation once again.
At first, Joe couldn''t see it clearly due to the surprise...
But it was unmistakably the Legend that attacked the ship''s hull.
It was the existence that served as the basis for the creation of the Legends Golem.
"Huh, Legend...!"
Joe''s eyes lit up, and he smiled.
"They are from the Legends Tribe, Margie! Once we secure a sample, I will undoubtedly be able to create a perfect living golem... Cough!"
Thud!
Once again, a shockwave reverberated inside the ship.
This time, it was the result of Ron''s formless sword energy hitting the front.
Since the protective shield hadn''tpletely broken, it didn''t fully receive the power of the formless sword energy, but still, chaos erupted inside the ship.
"Aghh!"
"Margie!"
"My back... my back!"
"We need to secure a sample..."
Amid the reflective exmations, something peculiar flew towards the front.
At first nce, they looked like rocks emerging from the ground amid the shooting sword energy...
But Kinzelo''s members on board could discern blinking eyes inside.
It was Rinpa.
He had jumped from the outer wall to reach the forefront of the Grenille ship in a single leap.
The wall from which he had jumped couldn''t withstand his power and crumbled.
Kinzelo''s members held their breath, and the next moment, they faced Rinpa''s massive sword.
It was as if a colossal beast from mythology had wielded its ws.
The trajectory of the enormous sword drawn in the air wasrger than Grenille itself.
Crash!
The blue sword energy pierced through the ship''s hull.
In an instant, Grenille''s demeanor decayed, and the intricate machinery adorning the ship''s surface shattered, sending debris cascading like dust.
Thud!
Rinpanded on the ground, and a deep semicircr pit formed.
Before the vibrations could dissipate, she jumped again, aiming for the ship''s underside.
Even the ck Knight Barton used his sword energy to fly, but Sister Rinpa... she just jumps and soars, Jin marveled.
Jin knew from his training in Lafrarosa that Rinpa was one of the strongest Battle Kings.
However, this was the first time he saw her fully unleash her power.
Suddenly, he recalled how he had first mocked Rinpa''s silent training.
Jin felt a sense of vertigo thinking about it again.
Swoosh...
Another hole appeared in the ship''s underside as Rinpa''s great sword struck it.
It was nothing special: a simple thrust had caused a crack extending across the ship''s hull.
And just as Rinpa was about tond again.
A stormposed of lightning suddenly erupted from Grenille.
It was even fiercer than the hellish cannon that had been firing moments ago.
Rinpa was swept by the lightning storm and couldn''tnd as nned.
An unexpected blow struck Rinpa when she was defenseless in the air, and everyone on the battlefield who witnessed this scene thought of one thing.
Will Jin''srade be okay when theye out of that storm?
ording to theirmon sense, it seemed somewhat difficult.
Considering Rinpa''s battle prowess, she might be able to escape, but it was unlikely she would emerge unscathed.
Countless lightning seemed to coil around battleship Grenille.
The entire Emperor Sword Castle was bathed in a bright blue light, and the shadows of those on the ground lengthened.
In the midst of this, Ron''s and Berakt''s swords shed.
Ron had regainedposure, but he seemed somewhat fatigued from protecting the entire castle all this time.
However, his fatigue didn''t diminish the majesty of his swordy.
Despite shedding much blood and being tired, Ron''s formless sword energy kept sharpening.
Jin continued to observe the battlefield from the outer wall, and, of course, he wasn''t worried about Rinpa, who was trapped in the lightning storm.
"I didn''t know they had such means of attack besides the cannon. These lunatics... will only provoke Sister Rinpa."
The lightning storm was subsiding.
And contrary to everyone''s expectations.
Rinpanded on the ground without a scratch.
Her first words uponnding were these:
"Imitating... our power... they are... unpleasant..."
The lightning gathered around her sword emitted an even sharper light.
Rinpa didn''t jump towards Grenille but directed her gaze towards Ron and Berakt.
Since the ship was already damaged to the point of not being able to function properly, she considered eliminating the enemies on the ground a priority.
The White Wolf Tribe.
Truth be told, since it was first summoned, Rinpa felt invaded by a strange sensation after smelling the distinctive scent of the White Wolf Tribe.
It was like encountering an old forgotten toy...
Berakt, who felt her gaze, distanced himself from Ron.
At this point, Berakt, too, was breathing heavily andboriously.
"You get in too. I''ll face both at once."
Berakt spoke with a resolute and determined voice.
The title of ''Great Warrior of the White Wolf Tribe'' is not easy to obtain.
It''s not at all easy to suppress the absolute fear imprinted in one''s blood for thousands of years, known as the Legends Tribe, only with ''will.''
Among the current generation of beastmen, there were only a few who could muster the will to ovee that fear.
From Berakt''s perspective, saying he would take care of Rinpa wasn''t a bluff.
He had absolute confidence in his own power, like any other warrior who has reached the peak.
But from Rinpa''s point of view, it was no different from a puppy barking.
"You... always bark when you''re scared... whether then or now... Although you seem to be better than... the average White Wolf Tribe warrior..."
Rinpa and Ron charged towards Berakt simultaneously.
There was no avoiding it.
Berakt stood firm against two swords, but the ground he stood on sankpletely.
"I don''t know who you are, but thanks to you, my knights can take a break."
If this battle had been an honorable one-on-one duel, Ron would never have allowed Rinpa to join.
However, for Ron, this battle was simply about repelling the terrorist group that attacked the Emperor Sword Castle and bringing it under control.
There was no need to consider honor when it came to hunting beasts.
"Thank my brother... Anyway, I won''t remember the events of today."
This was the first reason why Jin didn''t want to call his brothers, although there were many more.
The being that manifested through ck Light Call was more like a guardianposed of shadow and soul force than traditional summons.
They would forget anything they had experienced during their stay in the human world when their souls returned to Lafrarosa.
Jin felt it would be a shameful act to call his brothers who had already perished and been forgotten.
"Is Jin Runcandel your brother?"
Ron hadn''t personally witnessed Rinpa''s exit from the ck Gate as he was busy dealing with Berakt and defending the Emperor Sword Castle alone.
"Yes, he is."
"I will express my gratitude when the battle is over."
"How dare you when I''m right in front of you...!"
Berakt roared and swung his greatsword, but he couldn''t resist thebined power of both.
His skin and flesh were being torn apart.
If there had been aerial support, perhaps he wouldn''t have been pushed back so severely...
But Grenille couldn''t gather lightning as quickly as before.
Completely defeating Kinzelo.
That was Jin''s goal.
He wanted to destroy Grenille and, if possible, finish off Berakt and Kinzelo''s members at the same time.
However, there was a consideration.
''If the situation keeps deteriorating like this, the leader might appear... they could escape with him just like in the Dark Magic Society incident.''
But Ron and Rinpa weren''t the only ones on the battlefield.
There were still dragons, including Murakan and Cuicantelle, in the sky, and now that no more fragments were falling, ground forces could rejoin the battle.
Even if the leader came, it wouldn''t be as easy to escape as it was back then.
Jin clenched his teeth and reached that conclusion.
At that moment...
Psss...!
Suddenly, pieces of "metal shrapnel" gathered in front of Grenille.
Murakan, who sensed the metal pieces,nded next to Jin and revealed his energy.
[Jin. It''s him.]
"Yes, I knew he woulde. He''s not one to sit idly."
Murakan narrowed his eyes with apparent displeasure.
Fortunately...
Jin had time to recover and prepare a specific spell before the leader''s dimensional portal waspleted.
"Let''s deal with him, Murakan."
Jin said as he elevated his mana.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 415
C415 - Why, Hairan (9)
Most people on the ground couldn''t immediately recognize the metallic gate forming in the sky out of nowhere.
However, they had a gut feeling that whatever came out of that metallic gate wouldn''t be on their side.
"What is that?"
"Is it a person...?"
"It''s blurry and can''t be seen..."
While warriors exchanged looks and words, Ron, Rinpa, and Berakt also momentarily stopped their fight and looked up at the sky.
Then, the leader emerged through the steel gate.
A unique whitish body surrounded by a dazzling glow.
Surprisingly, the leader floated in the sky.
He floated in front of Grenille without visible wings or equipment, calmly looking down for a moment, as if he were a god in person.
The battlefield had an atmosphere that would make one believe a god had descended.
Giant monsters, wizards, living golems, flying ships, and now an unknown figure shining brightly.
For a moment, most warriors on the battlefield felt an unsettling fear and unfamiliarity toward Kinzelo''s leader.
Warriors had the ominous premonition that the tides of the battle might turn against them once again.
And Jin didn''t particrly like that the warriors had such feelings as they looked at the leader.
A divine being, or a strange fear.
In Jin''s opinion, those grandiose images didn''t fit Kinzelo''s leader.
"A ruthless criminal."
No more, no less.
He might even add the adjective "foolish."
''If you wanted to give me a great benefit, you shouldn''t have addressed me so dignifiedly.''
Craack-le...!
A spark of fire shot out from Jin''s grip.
It was a faint spark.
However, the tiny shadow of that spark, like a dot in his palm, would soon turn into formidable Shadow Energy that would envelop the sky.
Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-The Final Version Of The Demon Empress
The shadow of the spark shot up into the sky.
Murakan''s Shadow Energy curtain that had covered the entire sky tore and filled with holes.
However, it began to regenerate rapidly byunching the legacy of the Demon Empress.
Jin released his Shadow Energy and initiated the connection between him and the sky.
The sky, suddenly darkened and unfamiliar, was a sight the warriors couldn''t be more unustomed to, much like the feats Kinzelo had carried out in the Emperor Sword Castle until now.
However...
Unlike the leader''s appearance, warriors could clearly identify whose power that was and what exactly it was about.
Shadow Energy.
The Contractor of Solderet, the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel.
Warriors were also excited to see what kind of surprise Jin would show.
"Murakan."
[Yes?]
"Fill in the gaps of my Shadow Energy."
Although Jin had recovered a bit, he wasn''t in perfect condition.
[Understood]
There was no shortage of Shadow Energy tounch the legacy of Riol Zipple with Murakan nearby.
Swish!
When Murakan spread his wings and released his Shadow Energy, ck particles scattered in the area like ripples.
The particles surrounded Jin and Murakan and shot up into the sky.
It was as if they were opening a door.
The Shadow Energy particles extended up to the sky and drew a line that seemed to split the sky in half.
Finally, the line split, and a ridiculously enormous gate opened right in the middle of the sky, while the radiant runic characters of Riol Zipple shone all over Jin''s body.
The runic characters danced gracefully in the empty space, like sparkling snowkes.
-[Ah! Damn it!]
-What''s happening, leader?
-I left it behind. Damn it, the situation was so urgent that I didn''t even think to grab it. Ha, what a mistake...!]
-What did you forget? Oh, wait...!
-[Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-The Final Version Of The Demon Empress. I left behind the legacy of Riol Zipple that was stored in the Dark Magic Society headquarters... Did you happen to bring it, Joe? Please tell me you did.]
-Huh. Well, that... leader, I didn''t have the chance...
-You insignificant and useless bastard! Are you telling me that you, the leader of the Dark Magic Society, forgot it? Does the leader have to pay attention to every little thing?
At that moment, the members of Kinzelo could only recall that conversation.
The transcendent grand magic Jin was unfolding had been acquired through the destruction of the Dark Magic Society.
The legacy of Riol Zipple that the leader and Joe had forgotten to retrieve was now about to be a disaster that would engulf Grenille and the members of Kinzelo.
The runic characters streaking across the sky were the marks.
When the marks pointed towards Grenille and the members of Kinzelo, a massive sphere revealed itself in the open sky.
People instantly thought it was the sun. Otherwise, there was no way toprehend the enormous ball of fire radiating intense heat toward the ground.
"This is... damn it! It''s from Riol Zipple...!"
"Joe! Quick! Deploy the shield!"
"Grenille hasn''t been repaired yet... Aaarh!"
"Aagh!"
Whoosh!
A rain of fireballs descended from the me orb.
The rain of fireballs converged towards the Grenille ship and the leader instead of hitting the ground.
Tens of thousands of fire tentacles coiled around the Grenille ship.
Grenille was trapped like prey caught in a trap, and the leader''s faint figure waspletely obscured by mes.
The sound of the Grenille ship being destroyed echoed along with the fire under the ck and reddened sky.
Bam...!
The hull was being destroyed with eachsh of the fire tentacles, and the fragments turned into ashes even before reaching the ground.
"Damn it...!"
Berakt roared in frustration and swung his great sword.
The leader fell victim to the mes as soon as he appeared, and the useless Joe didn''t know how to face the situation again, and the vice-leader was injured and barely rescued.
So, he was the only one who could stop Jin.
I have to get rid of that damn magic.
Otherwise, the leader''s vitality might be in danger.
Berakt wildly swung his great sword while frothing blood and saliva...
But his opponents were Ron and Rinpa.
The two calmly blocked Berakt''s attacks.
"You seem quite desperate. It looks like your master is in danger."
Ron urately saw through Berakt''s thoughts andmented, while Berakt responded with a roar.
However, Berakt''s roar couldn''t instill the same fear on the battlefield as before.
If Ron and Rinpa hadn''t already disabled Grenille, they wouldn''t have been able to push them into such a desperate situation so quickly after Jin cast his grand magic.
Grenille''s initially majestic form had disappeared, and the ming ship looked like it would be shot down at any moment.
On the other hand, the mes emanating from the Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-The Final Version Of The Demon Empress continued to visibly intensify.
Naturally, the ground forces came to the conclusion that the situation had changed.
But Jin, Murakan, and some exceptional warriors felt a strange uneasiness.
''Even though the battleship Grenille is doomed to be destroyed, but the leader... It''s not over yet.''
The leader was truly an enigmatic figure, veiled in secrecy. As a result, neither Jin nor hisrades, nor any other faction, precisely knew how formidable his abilities were.
However, considering that he leads the great faction called ''Kinzelo'' and has wielded a power worthy of being called authority, Jin couldn''t imagine that everything would end so easily.
Crunch...
Crash!
Finally, the Grenille battleship began to plummet.
It was split in half and destroyed to the point that its original form was unrecognizable, and anyone would find it hard to imagine the Grenille battleship returning to its original state.
As the colossal hull was about to crash to the ground, it seemed like the people on board...
Including Bishkel and his group... would also meet theirst moments.
However, for some reason, Jin felt a chill even as the ship was falling.
It was as if a cold piece of iron passed by his back...
Suddenly, Jin turned his body and saw something.
Metal pieces, steel.
It wasn''t just a feeling born of a premonition but rather a sensation originating from a real object.
Unknown metal pieces emerged out of nowhere and rose into the sky after passing by Jin and Murakan.
These metal pieces not only affected the two of them but were enveloping the entire battlefield.A whirlwindposed of steel fragments devoured the entire battlefield.
"That''s his power, brat..."
"...Yes, it seems so."
The leader of Kinzelo possessed the ability to manipte steel like the cksmith God.
And Jin also had the feeling that the leader''s power surpassed Picon''s metal authority.
The runic characters rose in the air and marked the metal pieces.
Chains of fire followed the runes and melted part of the metal, but they were unable to eliminate them all.
There was an overwhelming amount of metal in the air, enough to overshadow Jin''s mes.
Fortunately, these metal pieces didn''t seem to have especially dangerous energy...
Maybe they''re not made for killing?.
The metal pieces didn''t seem to attack enemies like Jin''s mes.
Instead, they were enveloping the falling Grenille battleship.
Suddenly, a giant metal hand formed, holding Grenille.
"It has been a great weing party. I''ve had a hard time all this time because of Riol Zipple''s legacy. It seems that great wizard and I don''t get along well."
As the mes dissipated, the leader''s form was revealed again.
Unlike the initially misty and radiant form, now he was in the semnce of a "skeleton."
''Did he use his metal maniption abilities to create bones...?''
-Well, before, you assumed quite a bit based on Murakan''s memories, right? This time, let me guess your psychology. You came here to save those three, and you set some kind of trap. But now, your guts are churning because we''re not falling into your trap.
-[Kekeke...]
-Why are youughing like garbage? Did I get it wrong? Where do you want to take us? Answer me.
-[Well, I took a good hit there. You''re right, Jin Runcandel. You guessed almost everything correctly. Right now, I''m not in a condition to deal with you properly. As you can see, my body doesn''t even have bones]
The conversation Jin and Murakan had with the leader the day they met came to Jin''s mind.
The leader, who now formed ''steel bones,'' exuded an incredibly powerful aurapared to that time.
Although his face was not very clear and difficult to see, Jin could be sure that the leader was smiling.
"It''s been a while, Jin Runcandel. How have you been all this time?"
"We''re not here for a friendly reunion..."
Jin averted his gaze behind the leader when he stopped talking.
There, what had seemed to be the Grenille battleship,pletely destroyed and falling apart, emerged from the gigantic steel hand, fully restored to its original state.
It looked exactly the same as at the beginning, without a single scratch.
"...Really?"
Jin said, and the leader shook his head.
"It''s unfortunate that you think that way. In my case, I''ve missed seeing you. After all, I also need to recover the stolen legacy of that powerful great wizard."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 416
Chapter 416
C416 - Why, Hairan (10)
It''s amazing...
Does this make any sense?
Jin was left speechless as he gazed at the perfectly restored Grenille.
Not only Jin but also the other warriors were astonished by the fact that the fearsome battleship had returned to its original state.
Even Zipple was dedicating a considerable amount of time to the maintenance of the Kozec battleship, which could take several months or even years depending on the extent of the damage.
However, the time it took the leader to repair Grenille was no more than a mere ten seconds.
It was hard for everyone to ept the idea that this could be called "repair," even after seeing it with their own eyes.
Craaack-le...!
The Grenille battleship formed new storm clouds and cast a dark shadow on the ground as the leader''s metallic hand gathered metal pieces to form a sword.
It was the same sword that had ended the lives of the great wizards Susan Lillista and Chukon Tolderer in Oterium.
"Did I steal Riol''s legacy? It doesn''t seem like an appropriate way to put it. In the first ce, it wasn''t your property."
[We kept it, so it was ours]
"Following that logic, it''s mine now since I have it."
[Haha, that''s an interesting perspective]
The leader chuckled.
Although Jin had encountered Kinzelo members several times, it was the first time he had seen the leader in person since the days of the Provisional gbearer.
Suddenly, Jin remembered the first time he saw the leader in the Second Tomb of Temar.
-[What kind of nonsense is this?]
-Are you talking nonsense? I''m just a lucky guy who survived when all of you were crushed by the weight. I''m just trying to be generous with poor orphans]
-[Get lost before I kill you too]
-[Don''t be so blunt. Listen to my proposal. My old friend. I''ve prepared a bright future for everyone]
In the records, the leader presented himself to Temar, the ten great knights, and Murakan, who fought in the "Tower" of the ck Sea.
Jin had always been curious about the rtionship between the leader and Murakan, and about what the "bright future" the leader proposed to everyone was in the records of the second tomb.
One thing is certain...
The leader possesses tremendous power, whether a thousand years ago or today.
There weren''t many who could stand in Murakan''s way a thousand years ago, and in the present era, the leader is the only person who can use the "teleportation" ability and instantly repair a ship.
Furthermore, the leader''s abilities didn''t end there.
"In the end, I had our leader use his powers...."
The great warrior, Berakt, watched as his numerous wounds,rge and small, disappeared as if they had been washed away.
Ron and Rinpa carefully evaluated the situation instead of pressing Berakt again.
A moment of silence passed.
The leader''s appearance had been followed by a series of shocking events.
Everyone had thought they had cornered the terrorists, but now it seemed like they were back to square one.
No...
The situation was worse than at the beginning.
Since the limits of the leader''s regeneration capability were unknown.
[Kinzelo Leader, every time I see you, I feel disgusted. Hey, hey. Where do you get that omnipotent act? You''re nothing more than a damn demon. Anyway, you won''t regain your senses until I beat you to death]
Huuu, Woo...!
Murakan breathed out dark energy towards the leader.
Shadow Energy surged towards the leader as if to annihte him, but he effortlessly dissipated it with his sword.
[Murakan.]
[You''re saying my name again as if you know me. Ah, I''m going crazy. Don''t expect toe back safe today]
Jin didn''t try to stop Murakan, who showed intense fighting spirit.
This was because he didn''t seem to have lost his reason, unlike when he first met the leader.
[Well, if you want to fight so badly, I can''t help it]
The battle resumed again as Murakan ran towards the leader.
The Grenille ship spread thunderclouds, and Berakt made aplete recovery, rushing into the fray.
However, the overall situation remained challenging even though his wounds were healed.
Berakt couldn''t face Ron and Rinpa simultaneously.
"I will... take care of... this white wolf."
Ron nodded in response to Rinpa''s words, which meant leaving Berakt to her and going to confront the leader and the Grenille ship.
"I humbly ept."
Although Berakt raised his sword and tried to prevent Ron from leaving, he couldn''t withstand Rinpa''s relentless attack.
"Damn mutt... I am your sworn enemy... Understand the situation."
The Grenille ship still couldn''t unleash its lightning as recklessly as before.
Jin continued to control the final form of the Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky, and chains of fire continued to coil around the Grenille ship.
''Kinzelo''s leader seems to be handling Murakan quite calmly.''
Murakan had been continuously using a lot of Shadow Energy to defend the ground...
But even taking that into ount, the leader clearly surpassed him.
The leader''s sword skills were exceptional.
The leader''s sword possessed a depth that would never fall behind any sword Jin had seen before.
Murakan alternated between his human form and his true form as he engaged the leader in aerialbat.
The leader moved through the air as if it were solid ground, demonstrating his familiarity with aerialbat.
[I felt it back then too, but are you really the Murakan I know? Why have you be so weak, my friend? Remembering those days when you were so imposing makes me want to shed tears]
[Is that so? I admit, I''ve grown weaker. I''ve regained some strength, but I''m still not what I used to be in the old days. That''s why I learned something]
Murakan surprisingly epted it without being shaken.
"It''s bing more and more surprising. Murakan, the strongest in the world, is learning something? What did you learn?"
[Humans use phrases like ''one person attacking many people'' or ''many people attacking one person'' or something like that.]
Swoosh-!
The wind passed by the leader''s back.
It was the formless sword energy of Ron.
When Ron''s formless sword energy grazed the leader''s steel bones, it created a friction sound that tore at the eardrums.
"Metal, it''s quite an unpleasant sensation."
Ron leaped forward and made a horizontal sh that cleaved the leader''s torso.
Although the steel bones were easily cut by Ron''s formless sword energy, the leader effortlessly reconnected them.
In other words, Ron''s sword had passed through like water, and it had no impact on the leader.
In a sense, Ron''s sword felt like it had just passed through him, but that didn''t mean it hadn''t caused any damage.
"In the end, this is also just regeneration; it can''t be infinite. I''ll cut you until you can''t regenerate again..."
Jin and Murakan shared the same judgment as Ron.
They couldn''t read the leader''s intentions at all...
But they made this judgment based on Berakt''s change in behavior.
Since the leader appeared and started using his powers, Berakt has be increasingly anxious.
The leader''s abilities probablye with a high cost.
It must have been a very high price if someone like Berakt has lost hisposure.
It must be crucial to Kinzelo, like the leader''s vitality or something.
Murakan swung his front paw to create an opening, and Ron once again struck the leader''s spine with a horizontal sh.
The leader''s steel sword grazed Murakan''s forehead, but it wasn''t a fatal blow.
On the ground, Rinpa continued to press Berakt, while other warriors tended to the wounded.
Among them, only the knights of Hairan were organizing their ranks and dispersed to pour sword energy towards the Grenille ship, which was bound by arge magic.
The situation was stabilizing quickly.
However, the problem was that Jin was still holding Grenille alone.
The ground assault would resume if he let go of Grenille, and while elite warriors would suffer few damages, ordinary civilians and lower-ranked warriors who hadn''t left the battlefield would face death.
"Ughh!"
A thread of blood flowed from Jin''s lips.
The mana bacsh was beginning.
"It''s still fine, for now."
Jin wouldn''t be able to maintain the magic while suppressing the bacsh in a situation where the attack coulde from anywhere.
But for now, he could focus solely on his magic.
''I don''t know if the leader''s power runs out first or my bacsh erupts first, but it''s probably the former.''
Isn''t it time for them toe?
Jin spat blood and nced towards the sky.
In any case, this battle would undoubtedly tilt in favor of Hairan when they arrived.
''The Dragon Knights.''
The Runcandels have the ck Knights, the Zipples have the White Nights and the Specter Corps, and the Vermonts have the Imperial Guard and the Special Force.
Hairan also possessed elite knights worthy of the three great families.
Hairan''s strongest knights, the Dragon Knights.
Jin only had to hold on until they arrived.
Even if he left the battlefield right now, no one could point fingers at him.
Jin was already exerting himself to the fullest in a fight where he didn''t need to participate as an outsider.
Kaah!
A sharp howl echoed from beyond the ck dawn sky.
A smile appeared on Jin''s lips upon hearing the sound.
Ron and the other warriors had the same expression.
It seemed that a flock of dragon-like creatures, Dragon Birds, was rapidly approaching the Sword Emperor''s Castle like shooting stars.
There were about thirty of them.
''It''s the first time I see them in person.''
The Dragon Knights deployed in formation and surrounded the battlefield.
The concept of an "encirclement" might not seem feasible with only thirty of them, but each of them was Hairan''s finest sword.
The entire battlefield was filled with the aura of the Dragon Knights in an instant.
"Commander of the Dragon Knights!"
When Ron shouted, the man riding thergest of the dragon birds raised his sword.
"Yes, sir! At yourmand!"
"Half of you will take care of thend, and the other half will follow me. We will annihte the enemies."
Without the need for separate orders, the Dragon Knights quickly divided into two groups.
Half of them descended, while the other half ascended and gathered around Ron and Murakan.
At that moment, Jin released his control over the Grenille ship.
The chains of fire that had swirled in the sky converged into a me orb as the Dragon Knights approached.
Jin pointed his finger at the Grenille ship.
Then, once again, the ck sky opened its jaws wide and spat out a massive me orb.
Grenille tried to increase its thrust to escape the me orb, but the Dragon Knights blocked its path.
Finally, Grenille had to endure another round of destruction as the me orb struck the hull. The leader was already enveloped in the sword energy of Ron, Murakan, and the Dragon Knights.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 417
Chapter 417
C417 - Why, Hairan (11)
Grenille''s debris couldn''t even fall to the ground.
It was due to the sword energy filling the ck sky.
The debris was turned into dust by the sword energy and scattered like smoke, and the leader''s form dissipated like dispersing smoke.
''It''s over.''
Now that the Dragon Knights have arrived, it''s impossible for the situation to change again.
That''s how Jin assessed the situation.
There was no way to turn the situation around unless Zipple suddenly sent reinforcements to Kinzelo, or the Vermont Imperial Family betrayed Hairan.
The alliance between Zipple and Kinzelo had long been broken, so the first was impossible, and the second, the same.
Originally, the Dragon Knights belonged to Hairan, but themand was held by the Emperor.
It was the result of the Imperial family''s constant pressure on Hairan for generations.
The Dragon Knights hade to defend their home under the Emperor''s orders.
''Before they escape, we must inflict as much damage as possible.''
Even if the Dragon Knights joined the battle, it was impossible topletely annihte Kinzelo here today.
There was no way they would have attacked Hairan without preparing an escape route.
Kwak...!
The furious mes of the me Orb that had been spinning fiercely suddenly stopped moving.
A huge crescent-shaped mark appeared on Grenille''s front, as if a giant had taken a bite out of it.
In the end, Jin wiped the blood from his mouth as the mes disappearedpletely.
There was no need to worry about a bacsh anymore.
From now on, Jin''s only task was to observe the battle.
On the ground, Rinpa and the Dragon Knights continued to press Berakt.
His body, which had fully healed, was once again covered in wounds. However, Berakt couldn''t be easily defeated as he was also among the world''s top warriors.
The Dragon Knights were entrenched in the broken vanguard battleship Grenille.
It seemed they couldn''t easily infiltrate due to Kinzelo members'' resistance inside and the battleship''s structure, but it was only a matter of time.
A momentter, Jin could see the leader suddenly reappearing in Grenille''s broken vanguard.
The dispersed and misty energy formed the leader''s body in front of the ship. It was clearly an action to prevent the Dragon Knights from entering.
Moreover, the process seemed to have taken quite some time, as the newly formed body of the leader trembled like a quaking aspen.
''I think he''s overdoing it... To protect Grenille.''
Jin thought so, and everyone witnessing the scene thought the same.
More precisely, he''s not doing it to protect Grenille but the passengers.
Everyone aboard Grenille were key members of Kinzelo.
Bouvard, the Chaos Sculptor, Vice-leader Bishkel, Cold Joe for living golem development, and Margie.
Although it wasn''t clear exactly what abilities Margie possessed, judging by how they treated her, she was more than just Bishkel''s sister. She also had a connection to chaos.
"All Dragon Knights in the sky, attack the battleship!"
When Ron gave the order, the Dragon Knights densely formed their ranks.
The sharp sound of the explosion was created as the Bird Dragons swooped down.
Jin had already cast a powerful spell, and it seemed the Dragon Knights could easily annihte Grenille in an instant.
But at that moment...
Everyone on the battlefield had to realize that Kinzelo''s leader had not yet revealed all his power.
The vague figure of the leader darkened.
Blood-red pupils revealed a distinctive glow.
It wasn''t just a thirst for blood or special energy but an inexplicably ominous feeling.
The leader''s steel sword caused a shockwave in the empty space, and Jin couldn''t help but gasp as he saw the sword emit a beam of energy.
The elder sister Luna''s sword...
Mind''s de?
Crimson sword aura.
It was the same sword technique Jin had only seen once, when Luna used it to cut down Andrei Zipple using the Demon God Stone.
Although it didn''t have exactly the same form as the "Mind''s de - Blood Moon" Luna used back then.
The crimson sword aura disyed by the leader unmistakably resembled Luna''s sword.
It was simr enough for one to believe that it was the same person who had unleashed it.
"Be careful!"
"Block it!"
Ron and themander of the Dragon Knights shouted simultaneously.
The Bird Dragons charging suddenly twisted their bodies, and the Dragon Knights deployed their sword shields instead of attacking with the sword aura.
The leader''s sword exerted a terrifying force that cut through Hairan''s finest knights'' sword shields like a piece of paper.
It wasn''t just a mere visual resemnce to Luna''s sword.
Fortunately, no Dragon Knight lost their life or suffered mortal wounds due to the crimson aura of the sword.
Only after piercing through the Dragon Knights did it finally stop upon colliding with Rashid''s radiance.
The elder sister Luna mentioned defeating a demon when she recovered the Orgal Pendant.
Could it be that the leader of Kinzelo is rted to that demon?
Jin couldn''t confirm it immediately.
Even the Dragon Knights who had almost prated deep into the battleship were being pushed back.
The Bird Dragons that hade too close had their wings torn by the consecutive strikes of the crimson sword aura.
Thud!
Other Dragon Knights descended to rescue the fallen Bird Dragons.
At that moment, Jin clenched his fist unintentionally.
This was because a person with the leader''s skill level couldn''t miss such an opportunity.
It seems the formation of the Dragon Knights is about to break.''
Losing formation in such a chaotic battle would be more than a setback; it could have devastating consequences.
Especially if they lost the Bird Dragons, they would lose their aerialbat capability.
However, the leader couldn''t exploit that opening and attack the knights.
Instead, the leader showed signs of exerting too much force.
It was a vulnerability that should never have been shown to the enemy.
The leader was far from being in perfect condition, as Jin had predicted from the beginning.
But if that would be good news for Jin, hisrades, or anyone who had to fight against Kinzelo was another matter.
It''s scary to think that he can unleash such power even in his current state, where he''s barely forming his entire body with his unique authority.
If he fully recovers in the future...
Jin couldn''t even imagine how strong he could be.
Maybe he''s on par with my father, if not stronger.''
Except for the Battle Goddess Vahn and Temar, no one had given Jin such an impression.
The power the leader had shown was that stunning.
Woong!
Murakan carried Ron on his back and headed towards the leader.
The leader swayed in the air and missed the opening among the Dragon Knights.
Of course, it was an extremely short opening.
But the story could change when the one taking advantage of that opening was Murakan, the ck Dragon, and Ron, the Sword Emperor.
[Destroy him, Ron Hairan!]
Murakan used his Shadow Energy to form a shield around himself.
It was a shield to protect himself from Ron''s attacks...
But it also acted as a curtain, partially obscuring the leader''s view.
Ron''s entire body shone brightly.
Shortly after, he leaped forward from Murakan''s back, and a dazzling light illuminated the area.
Supreme Sword: Secret Technique
Sun.
It was the technique Dante had used against attackers, but Ron''s Sun and Dante''s Sun were only simr in name.
But, of course, they were on a different level.
Woo!
The aura radiating from Ron formed a sphere literally like a sun.
Both the leader and the battleship Grenille were engulfed by this sphere.
The Dragon Knights, including those who had been rescuing their fallenrades, joined forces again.
Their role was to prevent the Sun''s energy from reaching the allies on the ground.
Despite their efforts, deep and massive craters had formed on the ground.
Only shockwaves made the entire terrain vibrate, and the copsing Sword Emperor''s Castle swayed dangerously as if it were about to copsepletely.
The ear-splitting noise buzzed in the ears, and shes of light pierced through the eyes like finely sharpened des.
It seemed impossible for any living being to emerge from Ron''s Sun. Countless des were shot inside that sphere, shing through the battleship Grenille and the leader.
"Leader!"
Berakt looked up at the sky with a worried expression.
But before he could fully examine Ron''s Sun, Rinpa''s enormous greatsword crashed.
Berakt''s chest was cleaved by the greatsword, and he lost his ear in the subsequent attack.
His two toes were severed just before the distance between them widened again.
In contrast, Rinpa remainedpletely unharmed.
"Now... die."
Just as Rinpa was about to cut Berakt''s life short.
Ahh...!
The roar of a person and a sharp sound of the Sun being "shattered" echoed in the sky.
It was the leader of Kinzelo who had released that roar.
A crimson light spread through the cracks that had extended throughout the Sun.
It was the crimson sword aura.
The Sun had been destroyed.
Ron''s secret technique, which he had unleashed with all his might, was now being shattered by someone else''s sword under the Sword Emperor''s Castle sky.
The light of the Sun and the crimson sword aura, which had filled the entire sky, faded away like receding waves.
Not even Murakan''s Shadow Energy, staining the entire sky ck, could ovee the impact.
The sky quickly regained its original color.
And amidst it all, the half-destroyed Grenille darkened the morning moon and the leader who stood in front of it.
He no longer had a vague form as before.
He was a demon very close to the human form.
[Ke...!]
His entire body was torn and burst, far from being in a recognizable state.
His body was torn to the point where it could be said to be half-shattered, and he spat out blood.
Even his head, which was only left halfway and oozing blood, took on a ghastly shape that sent chills down the spine.
In front of the leader, Murakan floated with his wings curled.
Ron Hairan emerged as Murakan spread his wings.
He was injured, but unlike the leader, who was almost split in half, he didn''t seem to have suffered additional injuries.
However, Jin and the Dragon Knights, as well as Murakan, knew the truth.
Ron had suffered internal injuries to a point that could be dangerous if he continued to fight.
On the other hand, the leader seemed to have an inexplicableposure despite his shattered body and vomiting blood.
The protecting battleship Grenille remained in the same state as before the grand spell had hit it.
The leader remained intact while Ron seemed to be on the verge of copse.
Hufff...
The leader gasped and raised the remaining arm to wield the steel sword.
Then, a massive steel gate, evenrger than battleship Grenille, opened in the sky, and the Dragon Knights tried to fly toward it to prevent Grenille from reaching the gate.
However, Ron stopped them with his gaze.
They didn''t know what might happen if the battle continued.
The leader nodded as if Ron''s judgment was correct and looked at Jin as Grenille passed through the steel gate.
Then...
A smile appeared on the leader''s remaining half of the face as he calmly passed through the steel gate.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 418
C418 - Treason (1)
What the hell just happened...
Everyone couldn''t help but think it.
No one could have predicted that the home of Vermont''s finest knight n, which seemed unbreakable as long as there was no world war, would be destroyed so ruthlessly and unexpectedly.
And on top of that...
The attackers who had destroyed the Sword Emperor''s Castle had already left using an unknown power.
Even the Dragon Knights had joined at the end of the battle.
But it wasn''t as if the terrorists had suffered significant losses and retreated.
It was aplete defeat.
Only ck smoke rose all over the Sword Emperor''s Castle, which had almost be a ruin.
"...Brat."
"Brother Jin."
Murakan and Rinpa approached Jin.
Murakan seemed exhausted from the battle, and Rinpa seemed as calm as when she was first summoned.
Murakan had desperately defended against cannon attacks and the leader alongside Ron, while Rinpa had not had the chance to use all her power.
Rinpa held Jin as he staggered forward.
Jin felt sorry for Rinpa, just like when he summoned Garmund in the past.
He had a sense of guilt that came from the fact that she returned to Laprarosa without remembering anything.
Rinpa nodded as if she understood without Jin having to say anything.
"The outside world... has changed a lot. It''s the first... time I''ve seen a toy causing so much trouble."
"I think brothers are the only ones who can describe Berakt Sidriker as a toy in the world."
"I... will return. You have a lot to do."
"Thank you, Sister Rinpa."
Rinpa tousled Jin''s hair with a teasing smile.
Then, she spoke with a heavy expression,
"That demon... seems familiar."
"Are you referring to the leader of Kinzelo?"
Rinpa nodded.
"Clearly... I''ve met him before... with our... siblings."
Upon hearing those words, Jin exchanged a bewildered look with Rinpa.
"What does that mean? Has he fought against the siblings of the Legends Tribe before?"
"I''m not sure... to that extent. But... I''m sure. We have crossed paths..."
Rinpa tried to remember more about the leader, but she could only be sure that they had indeed met; everything else remained elusive.
-Do you mean that I had met the leader of the Kinzelo even a thousand years ago...? I thought he was just some random demon I had encountered somewhere. It seems that demon has some connection with me.
Suddenly, Jin remembered the moment when he had talked to Murakan about the leader after entering Temar''s second tomb.
It was right after the disc he saw protected by the guardian Sarah.
''I simply thought Murakan had memory issues at that time and couldn''t remember anything about the leader... but maybe...''
Maybe the records about the leader had been manipted.
That thought crossed his mind.
Murakan had seemed to know the leader from a thousand years ago ording to the records, and as soon as Rinpa saw him, she was sure she had seen him before but couldn''t remember.
If the story and records about themander were manipted, it''s natural for Zipple to be involved.
But why?
The exact reason is still unknown for now.
However, it was a problem that couldn''t be simply dismissed.
Because it represents a threat.
The authority and strength shown by the leader were undoubtedly threatening even to Zipple from a thousand years ago.
Everyone clearly saw how the leader, without anyone''s help, pressed the entire Sword Emperor''s Castle, blocked Ron and Murakan, and continued to restore the strength of his allies in real-time despite not being in perfect condition.
Everyone had the intuition that if the leader of Kinzelo had been in "perfect" condition, the battle wouldn''t have ended at this point.
"Be careful... Brother Jin. He''s a... dangerous guy."
"Understood."
"See youter."
Rinpa''s body slowly faded into particles of Shadow Energy.
Jin watched Rinpa''s fading image with a bittersweet sigh.
He observed the situation.
The Dragon Knights and other Hairan swordsmen tended to the wounded and assessed the damage. The allied forces that had fought together were regrouping.
Beradin continued to receive support from Enya, and Shuri approached him to report on Dante''s safety.
''The fact that they''re unharmed means we''ve at least avoided the worst-case scenario.''
Jin was the first to move to rescue those two amid the chaos of battle.
Now, what remained was the cleanup and counterattack, which was not Jin''s responsibility.
"Sir!"
The Commander of the Dragon Knights descended alongside Ron.
Blood dripped from Ron''s lips, but he observed his surroundings while breathing heavily.
Again, Jin thought that even that was unreal.
Jin could feel Ron''s heavy breathing despite there being quite a distance between them.
Ron still exuded a majestic aura despite his disheveled hair and numerous wounds all over his body.
Ron approached Jin with steady steps.
All the warriors who had been watching the scene blinked in surprise.
It was because Ron was approaching the gbearer of Runcandel instead of the members of the Hairan n right after the battle.
All eyes followed the two. Ron wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and suddenly grabbed Jin''s right arm.
Bam!
Ron raised Jin''s right arm in the air as if paying tribute to the winner of apetition.
It was as shocking as the recent terrorist attack for the warriors.
Some unconsciously covered their mouths with their hands and swallowed saliva.
The Sword Emperor, the patriarch of Hairan, praised the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel immediately after the terrorist attack.
Jin was also inwardly surprised...
No, actually, he was as stunned as the warriors who held their breath.
However, he maintained a serene expression.
Of course, in addition to the surprise, Jin quickly understood why Ron had positioned him in the forefront.
It''s to stop Runcandel.
After the terrorist attack and the severe injuries suffered by the Sword Emperor, Hairan was in a desperate situation.
The optimal moment for one predator to attack another is when the prey is wounded.
In other words, external forces seeking to restrain Hairan would have the best opportunity after today.
Among them, Runcandel was undoubtedly the most problematic force.
If Runcandel realized the situation and decided to make a move, Hairan would have no means to stop them.
Their only support was the imperial family and Zipple, but the former had always been cautious with Hairan, even going so far as to confine the Dragon Knights.
Zipple, on the other hand, was more dangerous than the imperial family if approached carelessly.
In such a situation, what if he attended first to Jin, who was actually attending the banquet as a "representative" of Runcandel?
No matter how powerful and dominant Runcandel is, it would be challenging to attack Hairan immediately after the emotional atmosphere (witnessed by all attending factions) of the banquet.
''Well, Runcandel probably wouldn''t attack Hairan even if Ron-nim didn''t do this, but there wasn''t a safer and more efficient option avable to Hairan.''
In a way, Jin got goosebumps.
The fact that Ron made such a keen judgment immediately after the chaotic incident had ended...
That''s what makes it even more remarkable.
The world''s best knight, who, to begin with, has an arrogant attitude.
"Jin Runcandel, I, the lord of the Sword Emperor''s Castle, will never forget your dedication and valor in this incident."
However, there was one thing Jin hadn''t considered.
That statement was not like the empty words of a politician but was filled with genuine gratitude.Ron genuinely appreciated Jin for his role in this incident.
Instead of responding, Jin simply nodded silently.
"I am also deeply grateful to those who fought alongside the Hairan n against the terrorist attack. Too many have sacrificed their lives... I express my condolences. I promise to take responsibility in any form."
As Ron lowered his head, the other warriors who had been observing the situation had no choice but to follow suit.
When they raised their heads again, their gazes naturally turned towards Jin.
It was burdensome to continue looking at Ron, and it was natural to feel awkward in front of the twelfth gbearer of Runcandel, who had recently shaken the Garden of Swords and excelled in the Sword Emperor''s Castle.
Jin shifted his gaze away from the especially bright eyes of Lata Proch and looked at Zephyrin, who was receiving a scolding in a corner.
''Demon Dragon.''
Of course, there was still no confirmation that Zephyrin was a Demon Dragon, but he thought it was time to meet with the leader of the ck King''s Mercenaries once the situation calmed down.
For now, everyone here would stay in Hairan for the investigation anyway.
------------------
November 10, 1799.
Approximately two weeks had passed since the incident of the ''Terrorist Attack on the Sword Emperor''s Castle.''
Not only Hairan but the entire Vermont Empire had not yet recovered from the shock of that day.
Even people from distantnds who only received the news by word of mouth found themselves in a simr state.
The Sword Emperor''s Castle remained in ruins.
Restoration had not yet begun.
Most officials had set up tents near the castle, giving the impression that only the Sword Emperor''s Castle was at war within Vermont''s territory.
In reality, the Sword Emperor''s Castle was waging a war.
Against those who believed they were its allies.
The imperial family of Vermont had not helped Hairan at all.
Not helping would be one thing, but they had gone so far as to defend Kinzelo.
Despite clear evidence pointing to Kinzelo and the tremendous damage they had inflicted on Hairan, the imperial family refrained frombeling Kinzelo as a terrorist.
They used vague expressions like ''an unfortunate ident.''
Furthermore, the imperial family had dered that they couldn''t be sure if the giant monsters and living golems used in the attack were really from Kinzelo.
Not many expected the imperial family to handle the situation with such lukewarmness.
However, everyone who observed the current attitude could deduce the same conclusion...
After the incident, there must have been some kind of deal or understanding between the imperial family, Kinzelo, and Zipple.
Not only Kinzelo but also Zipple denied any involvement in terrorism after taking Beradin, and the Imperial Family turned a blind eye to these actions.
Initially, since there was evidence that Kinzelo had attacked Beradin, Zipple should have had to pay some kind of price to Hairan.
But the imperial family intended to tame or hunt Hairan.
In a way, Hairan had been betrayed by the imperial family.
"Huhh..."
Dante let out a tired sigh in the basement of the Sword Emperor''s Castle, and his face showed signs of fatigue.
The basement of the Sword Emperor''s Castle was in rtively good conditionpared to the surface.
Jin ced his hand on Dante''s shoulder.
"Dante, are you nervous about meeting him?"
"If I weren''t, I''d be lying."
"Let''s hope his diary remains intact."
Step~
Footsteps were heard from the darkness.
Soon, a figure in a robe and the knights apanying him appeared.
It was Beradin.
The knights stepped back as Dante signaled them, and Beradin lowered his hood, revealing his face.
In the dimness of the basement, the three figures cast deep shadows.
Dante did not greet the neer with the usual warmth and politeness, and Beradin remained silent with a determined expression.
There was a heavy silence for a while, but it was Beradin who spoke first.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 419
C419 - Treason (2)
"Kugh, damn it. This won''t work. Just hit me, Dante."
"What''s that supposed to mean?"
"It means you hit me until you feel better."
He seemed sincere.
Jin and Dante looked at each other as Beradin held his jaw.
"My damn family and the imperial family have conspired and screwed over Hairan. So hit me until you feel better."
"Say something that makes sense, Beradin. If Dante hits you with even the slightest sincerity, you won''t end up with just a bruise. Can your frail body handle that?"
"Sh*t, I know."
"Why does someone who knows that say foolish things?"
"Sorry, but I''m dying inside from frustration, and I''m going crazy, so I have to say something... I guess it''s a way to make myself feel better in the end."
"The way you put it, it doesn''t sound so bad to hit you."
"Beradin, it''s not your fault."
Beradin sighed in response to Jin and Dante''s words.
"I was hoping you''d say that. Dante, if there''s anything I can do to help, tell me... I''ll take responsibility for my family and do whatever is necessary."
Jin and Dante weren''t entirely at ease after seeing Beradin look around with an expression of helplessness.
If Beradin is guilty of anything, it''s only of being born into the Zipple family and being used by his father.
"No need to use such strong words as ''responsibility.'' I haven''t called you to ask for ountability, but to request your help as a friend. The situation on Zipple''s side is probably far from ordinary, so the fact that you''vee to us is something I should be grateful for."
"Uf... Dante, you''re like apletely different person!"
Beradin exaggeratedly reddened his eyes and hugged Dante, and Jin clicked his tongue after seeing this.
In any case, as Dante had said, Beradin''s visit to the Sword Emperor''s Castle without his family''s knowledge was a risky move.
Zipple continues to insist firmly that they are not responsible for the current situation.
If Beradin''s covert operation came to light, that argument would lose strength.
A faint smile appeared on Dante''s lips as he rubbed his shirt, shocked by tears or fake tears.
It was the first time Jin had seen Dante smile since the incident.
That''s how serious the situation was within Hairan.
Not only was the imperial family engaged in dirty backroom dealings with terrorist forces, but traitors were also emerging one after another from within.
Moreover, the main figures behind the betrayal were Dante''s brothers and rtives.
They had always been treated as "non-existent" by Ron Hairan.
They had never dreamed of betrayal.
Instead of unnecessarily provoking Dante and suffering a miserable death at the hands of Ron, they ced a faint hope in the generation after Dante.
Ron had controlled Hairanpletely for a long time, and Dante was inheriting that power smoothly.
In the midst of all this, a unique opportunity in life had been presented to them.
If it had been a situation involving only significant damage due to terrorism, they wouldn''t even have dreamed of betrayal, as usual.
But the imperial family had offered their support.
Up to this point, things were fine.
Ron and his Hairan could easily clean up and rise against the traitors without anyone''s help.
However, the problem arose from the fact that there were too many "victims besides Hairan" due to terrorism.
It wasn''t just aboutpensating royalty and aristocrats but also important warlords.
Sir Ron, in a way, expected the situation to unfold this way.
So, he gave priority to me as a precautionary measure.
Jin had foreseen it.
However, there was something else that Jin hadn''t imagined at all.
The reason the imperial family is pressing Hairan so aggressively, even making deals with Kinzelo, is to obtain a certain ''object'' that Hairan has protected for generations.
To be precise, it should be expressed as the ''object protected by the patriarch of Hairan,'' not just by Hairan himself.
Originally...
Only the patriarch could know the existence of the object.
However, from the moment Ron designated Dante as the next patriarch, he revealed the existence of that object to him and recently broke the taboo of a secret that should be transmitted to the patriarchs of Hairan.
He also informed Jin of the existence of the object.
-...White stone, ominous pebble, pointed wedge, and more.
-The previous patriarchs called that stone by various names.
-The fact that there are so many names might suggest that no one knows the true name of the stone.
-That''s right. My grandfather defined the stone as the greatest nemesis of the Hairan family when he first informed me of its existence.
-The greatest nemesis of your family?
-The meaning of the stone that passed only from patriarch to patriarch lies in cutting it. Only a patriarch who has truly cut the stone can carve his name in the highest ces of Hairan''s history.
-It doesn''t seem like the imperial family is so eager just for an object like that.
-You''re right.
-In broad strokes, I understand. The stone must be an incredibly dangerous object that no one in the world should know about. Therefore, Hairan''s first patriarch who acquired the item probably tried to destroy it but must have failed. So, he only left the order to destroy the object without revealing its true nature to prevent future patriarchs from bing greedy.
-Did you figure all that out from my brief exnation? Impressive.
-All the previous patriarchs of Hairan, as well as Ron-nim himself, couldn''t cut the stone, which is even more surprising. What does the stone look like?
-I haven''t seen it. My grandfather has it kept.
-Anyway, the reason the imperial family covets the stone is probably that they want to take hold of the danger that the old patriarchs of Hairan kept at bay.
A conversation Dante had with Jin a few days ago.
The imperial family seemed to have been waiting for an opportunity like this to snatch the "stone" from Hairan.
It wouldn''t be surprising even if it turned out that the imperial family had orchestrated terrorism to get the stone.
It was a fact.
Dante had informed Jin about the stone because he thought Jin''s help could be useful in protecting it.
Naturally, it was Dante''s opinion, but surprisingly, Ron agreed.
He had suffered severe injuries, the n''s prestige had fallen, traitors had emerged, restoration works on the castle had not yet begun, and there were no allies.
Even the Dragon Knights had returned to the Imperial Pce.
In other words...
Ron was a person who prioritized his grandson''s safety over the trivial secrets of the n, given the current situation where a minor incident could leave him isted.
Above all, Ron was sure that Jin did not belong to the category of people who coveted the stone.
Jin cleared his throat and separated Beradin from Dante.
His way of dealing with Beradin seemed like that of a child having a tantrum.
"Beradin, listen."
Dante wiped away his smile and made eye contact with Beradin.
Jin and Dante had not yet shared the information about the "stone" with Beradin.
It was natural since they couldn''t be sure of Beradin''s mental state.
However, not knowing that information didn''t pose a problem for Beradin in helping Jin and Dante.
"Yes, go ahead. Dante, what''s your request?"
"Please encourage Zipple to directly pressure Hairan."
"What...?"
"Right now, Zipple has only been indirectly pressuring Hairan through the imperial family. Instead, I want Zipple to take a more direct approach to attack Hairan."
"Why the hell? Eh, Jin. What is our friend talking about?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"Dante would nevere up with a n like this! Exin, why do we need to do that?"
"To make the distinction between friend and foe even clearer."
"What?"
"We need to find out whom the Imperial family values more. Even if you push Hairan to the limit and the imperial family doesn''t change its stance, then Hairan may no longer need to be part of the empire."
It was precisely about determining what the Imperial family considered more important among Zipple, Hairan, and the "stone."
"I understand what you''re getting at. But what if the imperial family definitively chooses Zipple and decides to end Hairan with my family''s help?"
"You''ll have to deal with that."
"I''m not the patriarch of Zipple, but the next patriarch. Do I have the authority to do that?"
"It''s a joke, and by then, Runcandel will ally with Hairan."
"In the same way, you''re not the patriarch of Runcandel but the next patriarch, right?"
"I have that authority. More precisely, I have the confidence to manipte the situation, and after forming an alliance with Hairan. I''ll have my family follow suit."
Beradin''s eyes lit up as if Jin''s words and attitude were cool, and he awkwardly cleared his throat.
Now wasn''t the time for Beradin to praise Jin and have fun as usual.
"I understand, but aren''t there too many variables? And what if the imperial family definitely chooses Zipple and abandons Hairan? Everyone knows that."
"That''s something we don''t know."
"...If the main family intervenes, Hairan could be destroyed to the point of no recovery."
"Aren''t you underestimating Hairan too much? With Dante in front of you."
"Mm. I''m fine."
"Sorry, but there are so many variables... And I''m not in the best mood right now. What if I try to guide this n to make sure it turns out most favorably for my family?"
"That''s the worst-case scenario, but don''t worry, there are security measures."
"Oh? Security measures! What are they?"
"Do you think I''m going to tell you?"
Upon Jin''s words, Beradin showed a bitter smile.
"Well..."
"Beradin, be careful until your mind stabilizes. We''ll also watch out for you."
Beradin nodded.
"Let''s identify our enemies, the objectives and priorities of the imperial family, if possible, find out what backstage deals the imperial family made with Kinzelo and Zipple."
These ndestine tasks were the responsibility of Jin, Dante, and Beradin.
It was Ron and his knights'' responsibility to keep Hairan safe from internal and external pressures.
"All three of us must be solid allies even if our ns be archenemies externally. Then, we can also restore external rtions when each secures the supremacy of their family."
"That''s right."
"Oh, yes."
While the three were talking, a knight arrived at the basement chamber.
He was one of the knights who had initially escorted Beradin here.
"Young patriarch."
"What''s going on?"
"Well..."
The knight briefly nced at Beradin to gauge his reaction before continuing.
"His Majesty the Emperor is looking for Jin-nim."
"Jin?"
Why?
"I can''t be sure, but there are rumors among the eunuchs... It seems they want to reward him for this recent incident."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 420
C420 - Treason (3)
"Reward?"
"A reward, you say?"
Dante and Beradin asked at the same time.
"Yes, Young Patriarch."
"Hairan is also His Majesty''s territory, so does he want to show gratitude to Jin for protecting it?"
"I see."
Dante''s expression darkened.
It was due to the Emperor''s abominable deal.
He was praising Jin in front and pressuring Hairan from behind.
Dante couldn''t openly express his displeasure due to his temperament and naturally gentle speech, but he felt quite upset inside.
The knight delivering the news also seemed to be suppressing his devastated feelings.
"That bastard... Dante is such a good person, and he doesn''t appreciate it."
Dante and the knight shuddered, and their eyes widened in surprise when Beradin spoke in such a manner out of the blue.
They had never heard anyone address the Emperor like that before.
Not even Ron, who was famous for not using honorifics with the Emperor, had ever uttered such disrespectful words.
"I think it''s time to take a look at the pce the courtiers dare to call the Celestial Pce. How lucky."
Jin added these words.
Dante and the knight reflexively looked around.
They knew there were no attentive ears, but it was a reflex act.
Aside from this incident, Jin had never had favorable feelings towards the Emperor.
Jin had participated several times in the Special Forces and, not long ago, had even shed with the Imperial Guard in the Wantaramo forest.
Moreover, the Emperor didn''t respect the Tikan Free City, and the fact that he was secretly working on something called the "Demon Man." Therefore, the Emperor was up to no good.
"Ahem, hmm. Friends. He''s still the supreme ruler of the Empire..."
"Neither Jin nor I are citizens of Vermont, so it''s fine. No problem."
In the end, Dante smiled awkwardly. He felt relieved after hearing his friends'' words.
"I''m d you''re here."
"Yes, I feel the same. Dante!"
Dante and Beradin looked at Jin simultaneously.
They seemed to want to say the same, with that expression on their faces.
Jin ignored their small wishes, but it was clear that his words had warmed their hearts.
"I wonder what kind of gift the emperor will give me. Can I go right now?"
"Yes, Jin-nim."
Jin stood up from his seat and stretched his body.
"It happens that other factions are also leaving the Sword Emperor''s Castle today, so I think I''ll visit the pce before heading home."
"So suddenly?"
Beradin widened his eyes and asked.
"It''s not sudden. You''ve just arrived, but I''ve been here for about two weeks. We''ve sorted things out regarding our conversation, so it''s time for me to go home. The gbearers of Runcandel are very busy, you know."
Dante also felt disappointed like Beradin, but he couldn''t hold Jin back.
Jin could go home whenever he wanted from the beginning.
If there had been another gbearer at the site of the terrorist attack instead of Jin, Hairan wouldn''t even have asked them to stay until the investigation was over.
Jin had spent his time solely helping Dante as a friend.
Now, it was time for him to go back and take care of his own responsibilities.
"But I''ve just arrived."
"Yes, now go back and make sure Zipple presses Hairan seriously. You''re busy too."
"I''m sad..."
Jin turned to his friends once again, just before leaving the basement chamber with the knight.
Beradin looked dejected, and Dante was consoling him.
"No matter what the situation, everything will be fine as long as the three of us don''t betray each other."
A small smile appeared on Jin''s face as he saw his friends nodding vigorously.
If he had been born as the eldest in a normal family instead of Runcandel, perhaps he would have had younger siblings like them.
Suddenly, that thought crossed Jin''s mind.
"Take care, Jin. We''ll see each other soon. Then we''ll grab a drink."
"Take care, my friend."
Jin left with the knight.
The bright sunlight stung his eyes as he exited.
The Sword Emperor''s Castle, half-destroyed and ckened, created a eerie atmosphere under the clear sky without a single cloud.
"I must bid farewell to Ron-nim. Where is he?"
"I''ll apany you."
Ron was sitting alone in the almost destroyed training ground.
Strangely, the seat of the Sword Emperor in the training ground remained intact despite everything being in ruins.
To Jin, it seemed to symbolize Hairan''s situation.
No matter how much they attacked him from inside and out, in the end, the great knight Ron Hairan would protect that seat.
"Did the Emperor summon you?"
Ron spoke upon sensing Jin''s presence, and the knight stepped aside.
"Yes."
"Royalty has a talent for summoning busy people, don''t they? You''ll go there and probably hear the obvious."
Ron''s attitude toward Jin had changed.
He no longer saw Jin as the ''demon'' possessing his grandson.
Since the terrorist attack, Jin had shown not only his skills but also his loyalty and affection for Dante.
"How''s your health?"
"Not very good."
It was true that Ron had suffered severe injuries facing Kinzelo, but they didn''t endanger his life.
However, Ron''s injuries were not improving but worsening over time, to the point of casting a shadow over the rigid body of a 10-star knight.
"It''s a big problem."
Dante was unaware of Ron''s physical condition.
Only Jin and a handful of Ron''s closest aides knew the truth.
"It is indeed a big problem. This Ron Hairan has to rely on you to protect his grandson; it''s quite a situation."
It was a carefree tone.
It wasn''t arrogance but rather confidence stemming from the belief that there wouldn''t be significant issues even with such injuries.
But if it turned out Ron''s injuries were much more severe than known, it would naturally cause significant problems in Hairan''s current situation.
"I don''t know if it was that aura of the crimson sword or some other factor. I thought if the day came when I suffered internal injuries I couldn''t control, it would definitely be the day I shed swords with your father... It''s shocking that I''ve suffered so much at the hands of the leader of a group that until recently was known as a third-rate terrorist organization."
"His identity hasn''t been revealed, but he must be a formidable demon."
"That''s right. He couldn''t use his full power due to his current state, but he must be at the same level as your father when he fully recovers."
Jin didn''t see Ron''s assessment as an insult to his father.
He thought the same.
Aigoo~
Ron let out a deep sigh.
It wasn''t because of his injuries.
It was because he felt a choking sensation in his chest thinking about how his grandson would have to fight such a being in the future.
He hoped the second generation of the major factions would fiercelypete with each other, and Dante would eventually emerge victorious...
But it seems it''s not time for such ttering fantasies.
To face a demon like that, it wouldn''t be enough for the second generation topete with each other; they would have to fight hard.
This applied not only to demons but also to Zipple.
"What do you think of Beradin Zipple?"
-Grandpa. If magic could manipte a human''s mind and memories at will, would you believe it?
The words his grandson had spoken at the banquet.
Since then, Ron hadn''t stopped worrying about mental maniption.
"On the surface, he seems fine. We have no way of confirming whether his mind has been manipted or not for the moment."
"Hidden demons, mental maniption... It''s a dirty and difficult era if you only think about these things. When I was young, I could conquer the world with just one sword."
"It was simple and romantic."
"Your father was the one who realized that romanticism, not me."
Ron shrugged and looked at the clear sky as if he wanted to pierce through it.
There seemed to be a hint of bitterness in the deep wrinkles surrounding his eyes.
"After we distinguish between friends and enemies, and once this side is resolved, I''ll help you take the Runcandel throne more easily."
Ron didn''t say he would make the impossible happen.
Ron knew Jin would take the Runcandel throne, so he would help him take it morefortably.
Ron no longer had any doubts that Jin would be the Patriarch of Runcandel.
He couldn''t imagine how the other gbearer of Runcandel would handle this steel behemoth.
"Thanks just for your kind words, Ron-nim."
"You can go now."
"Yes."
"Oh, and..."
When Jin turned around, Ron smiled wickedly, and there was a hint of malevolence in his smile.
"Tell it to the Emperor."
"What should I tell him?"
"In many ways, it''s good to make wise decisions."
"I''ll let him know."
---------------------------------
In the capital of Vermont, you could turn your head to see the majestic view of the Imperial Pce no matter where you were.
The gigantic bright yellow spires rose as if touching the clouds, the expanding pces beneath them, the four rivers surrounding the pce, and the extensive white-paved roads weaving through it all.
Citizens took pride in the grandeur of their greatest architectural masterpiece and often referred to it as the ''Celestial Pce'' instead of the Imperial Pce.
Compared to the Vermont Imperial Pce, any other pce in the world would seem like a miserable pile of stones.
The pce lookspletely different up close than it did from afar before my regression.
He had heard it was luxurious and grand, but...
Jin had no idea it would be on such a majestic scale.
Moreover...
He couldn''t see a speck of dirt on the wide roads that seemed to stretch hundreds of steps and left him wondering how many caretakers were responsible for their maintenance.
ck, ck...
The royal carriage carrying Jin stopped smoothly, and the guards lined up in a row raised their swords.
Jin epted the sword ceremony with naturalness, and the Emperor had been watching the scene with his eunuchs from the upper floors of the spire.
"What do you think, will Jin Runcandel ept the Emperor''s offer?"
The eunuchs didn''t respond to the Emperor''s question and simply nodded.
"Well, I guess it couldn''t be predicted in advance. I asked you a meaningless question."
Again, the eunuchs nodded.
In reality, the eunuchs brought to the spire by the Emperor had long lost their voices, so they couldn''t respond even if they wanted to.
"Instead, I can get a glimpse of Jin Runcandel''s basic disposition through you."
ng!
Suddenly, the Emperor threw open the window and grabbed the eunuch nearest to him by the neck.
He lifted the eunuch, then threw him out the window without hesitation.
The eunuch couldn''t scream, but Jin didn''t miss the sight of the eunuch plummeting to the ground.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 421: Emperador (1)
Chapter 421: Emperador (1)
C421 - Emperador (1)
It was fortunate for the eunuch that Jeremiah perceived the imperial pce as an enemy.
Jin noticed something unusual from the top of the spire because his senses sharpened.
A person?
A fall happens in an instant, no matter how high the spire is.
There was no time to ponder who the falling human was or what the circumstances were.
Jin''s body moved on reflex.
Kwak!
Power surged from his swollen thigh, and the white pavement broke, creating cracks as Jin''s body shot up into the air like an arrow released from a bow.
There was no preparatory action, but the nearby guards were too slow to block him.
Their eyes widened in astonishment as they watched Jin soar away.
And the Emperor couldn''t help but smile as he observed Jin, who was getting closer to the spire.
It''s risky, but I can catch him.
In that moment of confidence, Jin heard a familiar and sharp snap near his ear.
It was the sound of a sword being unsheathed, and it seemed like there were dozens of them.
It was the Imperial Pce, the most guarded ce in the world.
There were guards ready to protect the Emperor from visible and invisible threats.
The Imperial Guard, which had been hidden throughout the pce since Jin''s arrival, was also on high alert.
Although Jin was trying to save the falling person, the Imperial Guard had the duty to subdue him because this was the Imperial Pce.
In the Imperial Pce, all actions had to be universal and sensible.
A "sudden leap" like this was considered a threat to the Emperor''s security.
The swords of the Imperial Guard leaped toward Jin.
Jin evaded the attacks by spinning his body in the air without unsheathing his own sword.
As exceptional as Jin was, he couldn''t dodge all the Imperial Guard''s attacks with bare hands, especially in his desperate state of suspension in the air.
Several swords grazed Jin''s body, and multiple minor wounds appeared on him.
Drops of blood sttered his body, but all the injuries were rtively superficial.
Allowing such wounds also created an opportunity.
Jin managed to dodge the des of the Imperial Guard and catch the eunuch just before they hit the ground.
"Are you okay?"
Simultaneously, the swords of the Imperial Guard that had followed them in the fall pointed at Jin from all directions.
"Stop!"
"This is the Imperial Pce, Jin Runcandel."
Jin didn''t respond immediately but assessed the condition of the person he had saved.
"It must be a eunuch."
He realized it by the attire.
He also noticed the prominent scar on the eunuch''s neck and quickly recognized it as a deliberate wound that prevented him from speaking.
At that hour, there were only two possibilities for a eunuch to fall from the spire of the imperial pce:
Suicide or an imperial order.
There were very few chances for any other possibility.
Jin acted reflexively to someone''s death, but from the moment he jumped, Jin believed that thest possibility was more likely:
An imperial order from the Emperor himself.
The coincidence of someone''s suicide and his visit was too borate to consider.
He lifted the eunuch and looked up at the top of the spire.
He couldn''t see the Emperor, but the corners of Jin''s lips lifted as he watched the window of the spire close.
The reason the Emperor threw the eunuch was obvious.
It was to see how Jin would react.
Arrogant bastard.
Jin shrugged and looked at the Imperial Guard.
"Stand down; I was merely returning the Emperor''s greeting."
At these words, the eyes of the Imperial Guard filled with murderous intent.
But a group of servants rushed toward them, shouting from a distance.
"Halt the Imperial Guard!"
"He is His Majesty''s guest; how dare you show such disrespect!"
The Emperor had invited Jin as the highest-ranking guest and had assigned attendants befitting his status.
These attendants were taken aback by Jin''s unexpected actions and the Emperor''s...
But unlike the Imperial Guard, they immediately recognized the Emperor''s intentions and reacted ordingly.
"I am Chancellor Barkam. I apologize for the discourtesy on behalf of the Imperial Guard."
Jin looked at Barkam for a moment before speaking.
"You find yourself in afortable position."
Jin omitted ''Emperor,'' but Barkam and the attendants understood the meaning and concealed their embarrassment.
Since the other party had acted rudely first, there was no need to strictly adhere to etiquette.
Besides, no one held a higher rank than the gbearer of Runcandel outside of Runcandel.
"We will escort you to His Majesty."
Jin followed Barkam and the attendants, traversing the pce for about an hour.
The pce disyed the pinnacle of grandeur he had anticipated from the outside.
Vermont is the third most powerful group in the world after Zipple and Runcandel, and its extravagant luxury is worthy of the name of the continent''s sole empire.
After a while, they reached the Dragon Pavilion.
Imperial Guards and the special force blocked Jin''s passage into the Pavilion.
"Surrender your weapons."
"No."
"What... do you mean?"
"It means I will face the Emperor with my weapons."
"Eh?"
"Besides, I suppose the Emperor is already apanied by the best warriors in the pce, isn''t he? I will leave if it is absolutely impossible."
This was the first case since the current Emperor''s ascension.
As the Imperial Guards and the Chancellors pondered how to handle it, the eunuch''s voice was heard from inside the Dragon Pavilion.
"His Majesty says, ''Let him pass!''"
The fine and shining fabric covering the entrance to the throne room was drawn aside, and dozens of pce servants appeared out of nowhere,ying colorful pieces of cloth palm-sized on the floor like a long carpet.
Jin advanced, and the pce servants picked up the pieces of cloth in his path and ced new ones on the still-intact floor.
Once Jin reached the end of the pieces of cloth, the pce servants retreated into the shadows on both sides.
Jin saw the Imperial Throne, which seemed excessively high, as he lifted his head.
Normally, those in that ce, regardless of their status, should bow deeply.
However, this did not apply to Runcandel and Zipple.
Amir Vermont...
Jin briefly thought of the Emperor''s name as he stood there.
Kashimir''s older brother and the original owner of the Myulta Rune in Jin''s previous life, a human who fostered experiments with living golems.
In my previous life, I only thought of him as skilled at walking the tightrope between Runcandel and Zipple.
Indeed, most people view the current Emperor that way.
The Emperor''s initial appearance was far from what one would expect from a skilled tightrope walker.
Proportionate nose, thick eyebrows, and eyes that shone with dignity.
He looked more like an experienced general who had been enlightened on the battlefield.
The Emperor spoke first as Jin looked at him in confusion.
"You have been through a lot toe here, Jin Runcandel."
"I imagine the emperor also had his share of troubles returning to his seat after that tumultuous wee ceremony."
The emperor smiled in response to Jin''s provocative words.
"Did you feel offended?"
"Yes."
"I heard you''re quite a fiery individual. I was just curious about you."
"Are you suggesting that you threw the eunuch just to satisfy your curiosity about my personality?"
"That''s right. You''re a bit fierce, but you seem softer than I expected. How is it that you only focus on the immediate future?"
The Emperor chuckled and continued speaking.
"The eunuch you rescued is a criminal of a serious offense. He dared to covet a pce maid, so I silenced him a few years ago and reduced him to a pitiful existence."
"Is that so?"
"How could you risk the lives of honorable guards just to save a miserable human like him?"
The sound of chains being pulled echoed in the darkness on both sides of the throne room.
The guards who had initially saluted Jin emerged from the darkness.
They had been brutally punished throughout the journey to the throne room.
The Emperor continued with a smile on his face.
"These guards were punished and dismissed for failing to prevent your impulsive actions. They had to endure such brutal treatment, and now they have been ordered to return all the rewards they received for their service. It''s a small punishmentpared to not stopping a threat to me, but it''s a great tragedy for them."
Jin remained unfazed as he looked at the guards.
"In other words, you saved a scoundrel and brought ruin to these guards and their families. Moreover, this is the pce, my domain... Your actions have been a serious offense from the beginning. Whatever happens here, you have no right to obstruct it. You have hindered my orders."
The Emperor spoke forcefully, and Jin nodded.
"You''re making interesting arguments."
"You can still ask for forgiveness."
"But there''s something you''re mistaken about."
"Am I mistaken about something?"
"Do you think I tried to save the eunuch without knowing it would offend you?"
The Emperor''s pupils narrowed.
"I didn''t calcte it in the first ce, although I don''t agree with the excuses the Emperor has given. I acted on impulse because I felt I was being tested."
"Hahaha..."
"Do you dare to think that the Emperor of Vermont would test a gbearer of Runcandel?"
The Emperor''sughter stopped.
However, it didn''t dispel his difort and, instead, he seemed quite intrigued as his eyes sparkled with interest.
"There are many swords here that can kill you. Even if I killed you, Runcandel wouldn''t retaliate too harshly. They would think I''m removing a defective stone on their behalf. I have plenty of justification."
He wasn''t entirely wrong.
If the Emperor killed Jin, Joshua and his allies could easily cover up the incident as long as they returned Jin''s body intact.
"Whenever I''ve been in situations like this throughout my life... I''ve always had one thing to say."
"What thing?"
"Try it if you''re confident."
p!
Suddenly, the Emperor stood up from his seat and expressed his admiration.
"Indeed, considering that you recently destroyed the Garden of Swords, this ce should pose no challenge for you. I can only praise your audacity."
The Emperor even apuded with an amused expression, genuinely seeming to enjoy it.
"Release the guards and reinstate them, then lower the golden crown."
The Emperor smiled once again as the Imperial Guard took away the dismissed guards.
"I think I''m starting to understand you a bit more now."
"But I still don''t know much about the Emperor."
Jin and the Emperor locked eyes.
"You will learn more about me as we progress. Today, I have summoned you here to grant you a reward, and I hope our rtionship can develop in a positive direction."
"What will you give me?"
"Power."
The Emperor looked at Jin and continued.
"I will grant you the power to swallow up Runcandel and even oppose Zipple."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 422
Chapter 422
C422 - Emperor (2)
"...Look at that confidence."
A softugh escaped Jin''s lips.
He expected some kind of alliance proposal as a pretext for a reward.
Everyone knew that the Empire had betrayed Hairan.
So it was obvious why the Emperor had separately summoned Jin to offer him a reward.
"The power to swallow Runcandel and oppose Zipple, right?"
"How do you see it? It''s a very tempting offer, isn''t it?"
Jin looked at the Emperor''s bright eyes for a moment.
Still, he''s the Emperor of the Empire; he has quite a strong gaze.
It wasn''t easy to read what was behind those eyes.
"Do you know?"
"What are you talking about?"
"A few days ago, I showcased my skills in the Garden of Swords. That day, I dered that I would be the patriarch."
"It''s impossible for him not to know. The majesty you showed that day was named ''The Return of the Family of Magic Swordsmen and the Deration of Patriarchy.'' Even the bards of Vermont sang your song for a while. I liked that song too, and I ordered the Imperial Orchestra to y it."
"I''m embarrassed that such a thing happened. Anyway, the reason I made that deration in front of everyone is simple. I already have the power to be the patriarch."
The Emperor blinked softly at Jin''s words.
"I''ve heard that most members of the Elder Council, as well as the Execution Knights and the ck Knights, have already fallen into the hands of the Second gbearer. Moreover, your forces seem quite weak."
Jin couldn''t help butugh again at that.
That''s how outsiders see me.
Weak.
There was a time when that was undoubtedly true.
A time when Jin was in Storm Castle, and his only ally was Gilly.
However, since he awakened Murakan from the secret underground library of Storm Castle...
Jin''s power had never been considered weak in absolute terms.
Murakan had lost some of his strength, but he could ascend to the ranks of the strongest at any time if given the opportunity to recover.
In addition to Murakan, there were Luna, hisrades from Tikan Free City, Lafrarosa''s Tribe of Legends, the Holy Kingdom, Misha, Solderet''s arrangements, the small beastmen, Wantaramo Forest, Ron and Dante from Hairan.
Furthermore, within Runcandel itself, there were Yona, some Elders and knights who had shown favor to Jin after the deration of patriarchy...
And Beradin in his usual state.
Apart from these, there were also considerable potential allies.
Currently, Jin''s power was one of the most notable in the world, and his potential for expansion in the future was also significant.
However, he couldn''t help but find it amusing to hear the word "weak."
"Your well-crafted public image serves you well. I know the power you hide is enormous."
"I don''t need the Emperor''s help to the extent you''re suggesting."
"Well, even if you don''t know the power of Runcandel''s Second gbearer... I thought you knew the power of Zipple."
"Is there anyone in the world who doesn''t know the power they have?"
"Their power is like an iceberg, and even a fraction of it can overwhelm the entire world. I ask you if you''ve ever glimpsed what lies beneath the surface of Zipple. If you have..."
The Emperor paused for a moment.
Then he shivered, recalling the "true power" of Zipple that he had briefly glimpsed.
It was hard to tell whether the tremor was excitement or fear.
"Regardless of whom you encounter, you can''t say you don''t need help."
"It seems the Emperor fears Zipple."
"Isn''t it natural to fear them?"
"A moment ago, you said you might know me a little, but now you''re talking nonsense."
"The first patriarch of Runcandel, Temar Runcandel."
The Emperor suddenly mentioned that name.
But Jin maintained a serene expression.
What other faction is looking for Temar''s tomb?Who do you think it is?Zipple.Right! But that''s not all.Even the Vermont Imperial Family is looking for the tomb of the first patriarch of Runcandel. Their movements have been exposed to them.A recent conversation between Jin and Margie when Berakt came to look for Rosa.
Jin then first learned that forces other than Runcandel and Zipple were looking for Temar''s tomb.
Even more surprising was the fact that Vermont was interested in Temar''s remains.
He didn''t expect him to bring up the topic of Temar first.
Jin fixed his gaze on the Emperor and waited for his next words.
"ording to records, that man had a power stronger than anyone in history. It is said that no one from his time could do anything against Temar Runcandel..."
"Where is this record?"
"But even he couldn''t cross the wall called Zipple. Do you think you can face that great evil alone?"
"I asked, where is this record?"
"I''ll show it to you if you be mine."
Jin released a powerful aura without warning and erupted like a volcano.
The ground cracked beneath him, and the air instantly became heavy and fell downward.
Although it was the Emperor''s pce, there was no reason for Jin to restrain his anger after hearing such words.
Temar is an ancestor of Runcandel, and no one can dare to mention a record that not even Runcandel himself knows.
The Imperial Guard began to move...
But the Emperor raised his hand to stop them.
Jin didn''t release any more of his aura.
"The Emperor has halted his swords, so I''ll consider this your apology for what you just said."
Jin spoke calmly.
He remembered the "Demon Man" from Vermont he had encountered in the Wantaramo Forest.
Vermont was trying toplete Demon Men using Temar''s remains.
Jin had harbored such suspicions since their encounter in the Wantaramo Forest.
Now, those suspicions were approaching certainty after his encounter with the Emperor.
If he became sure, he wouldn''t hesitate to annihte the imperial family.
"And I''ll give you a warning, Emperor. If, by chance, you get hold of the first patriarch''s body and create a miserable puppet or something simr... all of Vermont''s history spanning thousands of years will be in vain."
"Jojojo, talking to you feels like walking on a tightrope."
"As long as you find clues about the tomb of Runcandel''s first patriarch, you must report to Runcandel, no matter what."
The Emperor showed no anger or difort no matter how much Jin spoke.
"I''ll think about it after you be the king of master swordsmen."
He seemed to say it casually, but his intention was clear.
You probably can''t be the Guardian without my help, the Emperor was hinting.
"Well, it seems we can''t be allies now. But let''s leave it at that; I''ve already decided to reward you..."
The Emperor paused and pped his hands as if remembering something.
"Hairan. How about you take charge of that entire n? I called you to reward you for saving Hairan in the first ce."
"You talk as if you can handle Hairan at your will."
"Of course, there''s nothing in Vermont that the Emperor can''t handle."
"Loyalty muste first to take control of a n. Even if the Emperor grants me his governance, can I expect Ron-nim and Dante to swear loyalty to me? It would beughable," Jin said.
"Don''tplicate simple things too much. Do you really think there''s no way?"
"Having Dante as a hostage to pressure Ron-nim?"
"Not a bad idea, but there are some other options."
"I did my best to minimize the damage to Hairan during the terrorist attack. Do you think I would stab Hairan in the back like the Imperial Family?"
"Why?"
It was the first time the Emperor showed such intense emotions during their conversation.
He seemed puzzled.
He didn''t understand why Jin would protect Hairan.
"I was very curious when I heard that you were active in the Emperor Sword''s Castle. This terrorist attack could benefit Runcandel a lot, so I couldn''t understand why you were protecting Hairan. What is the reason?"
"I don''t need a big reason to help a friend."
"...What did you say, a friend?"
The Emperor abruptly rose from his seat and shouted as if he couldn''t believe it.
"Are you saying you will give up such benefits just for that?"
The Emperor vividly expressed his disappointment...
But Jin shrugged off the Emperor''s strong reaction.
"Is that a problem?"
The Emperor, who had just sat down, sighed.
"The feeling of excitement and emotion I felt during our conversation seems to have cooled now. I didn''t expect you to utter such weak words..."
"Is it disappointing?"
"Yes, and because of that, you will find it difficult to survive in future battles."
"I have always survived being like this."
Now, the Emperor''s eyes showed confusion, but he quickly regainedposure and shook his head.
"Hey."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Hand over the gold crown to Jin Runcandel."
Upon hearing this, Jin bowed briefly and turned to leave.
"Jin-nim," the Emperor called out as he was starting to leave the throne room, and said:
"From today, it is safe to say that the possibility of you and I bing allies has faded. Make sure to understand it, and the next time we meet... behave with more decorum."
Based on their conversation, the Emperor hade to the conclusion that he must choose a side instead of walking the middle path as he had been doing.
He concluded that there was no need to join forces with Runcandel.
He would never consider it unless he saw new potential in someone else in Runcandel.
So the Emperor was telling him that after this, there would be no deal like the one he had received today.
"By the way, I almost forgot. Ron-nim asked me to convey a message to the Emperor. He said it would be wise to make your decisions carefully in many aspects."
The Emperor did not respond, and Jin concluded his farewell words.
"In other words, it means you should choose your side wisely. So that you won''t regret it."
Jin left the throne room...
And the Emperor remained for a while staring at the ce where Jin had been.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 423
Chapter 423
C423 - So suddenly?(1)
"Hey, hey. Baldy. Do you have any idea what this is?"
Murakan grabbed Picon, who had manifested through Vin Branche''s body, and shook him as he spoke.
Jin had left the imperial pce and visited Voltaga''s territory with Murakan and Gilly.
After learning that the Leader of Kinzelo had the ability to manipte "metal" like a God Smith, Picon had asked them to retrieve a piece of it.
After the Leader of Kinzelo had withdrawn with his group, fortunately, the metal formed by his authority still remained on the battlefield.
Most of the metal had been collected by Hairan and handed over to the magicians for research...
And Jin had brought some back.
[Don''t be impatient, do you think analysis is something that can be done instantly just by looking at it? Analysis takes time.]
"How long will it take?"
[At least a week.]
"Can''t it be faster?"
[A week is already incredibly fast. If we''re unlucky, it might take several months, and we might not gain anything at all. Do you think it''s easy to identify user information with just this piece of metal?]
"Aigoo! Who the hell is that bastard?"
The Leader of Kinzelo.
Two things had be clear about him after the battle.
First, that he was a demon, and second, that he possessed immense power.
[He''s a demon with power that can overwhelm even a 10-star knight, right? If he''s that kind of demon, there definitely remains unique demonic energy in the metal, so be patient.]
"Alright, I got it."
[But what are you going to do with the remaining metal?]
Picon pointed to the pieces of metal still in Jin''s hand.
"I''m going to give them to Aria Histor."
[The disc mage, right? That''s a good idea; maybe that mage can give us more information than I can.]
Valeria was having the busiest days among Jin''spanions.
She was tracking Histor''s magic, restoring the recording devices she received from Jin, and even searching for Temar''s tomb on her own.
I hope we can meet soon, but she''s going to be very busy and rushed.
I need to send a letter with the item.
Also, I have to prepare a gift to send to the Emperor.
The gold crown granted by the Emperor as a reward had already passed through the transfer gate and arrived at the Garden of Swords.
It needs to return the favor.
''The corpse of the Demon Man.''
Rick Helter, the leader of the Fifth Division of the Imperial Guard, whom they had found in the Wantaramo Forest, along with his subordinates.
They had thought that their bodies would rust away without a trace after choosing to be Demon Men.
However, Valeria''s ice barrier seal had preserved part of their bodies as evidence.
Jin nned to publicly reveal this evidence soon.
After talking with him, it became clear that the Emperor is willing to abandon Hairan. He seemed eager to get rid of Hairan as soon as he recovered the stone.''
Kinzelo refused to take responsibility for the attack, and Zipple subtly pressured Hairan, but the Imperial Family did not intervene to help Hairan.
It was inevitable that he would have to send the Dragon Knights at thest moment, especially for the sake of the authority of the Imperial Family.
He also needs to find the whereabouts of the stone. Personally, he would have hoped for Hairan to be destroyed at that moment.''
The Emperor wanted a more obedient Hairan instead of Ron''s ''arrogant and uncontroble'' Hairan.
It was definitely painful to lose Vermont''s strongest knight, Ron Hairan, and his grandson, Dante, designated as the next strongest.
''However, it''s not an irreceable force from the moment the variable ''Demon Men'' was created. The Emperor considered Ron and Dante''s potential threat to the Imperial Family a bigger problem.''
-Body transformation? Something like a living golem?
-It''s simr but a bit different. Dark mages call it ''Demonification.'' It''s not a perfect magic circle.
-It seems that way to me too. It''s slow to activate, and it looks unnecessarilyplex and crude at first nce.
The conversation Jin had with Valeria about the Demon Men of the Wantaramo Forest revealed that the current Demon Men were not in aplete state.
Nevertheless, the Emperor believed that Demon Men could sufficiently fill the power vacuum left by Ron and Dane.
''In any case, we will be able to strike a blow to the Imperial Family''s image just like when the issue of Zipple''s living golem was revealed.''
The Imperial Family seemed to be helping Kinzelo more than Hairan after the terrorist attack.
But people were not foolish, so rumors spread even as the media were being manipted and controlled.
Rumors that the Imperial Family was trying to abandon Hairan.
Hairan and Jin''s feathers constantly published such articles, and the people of Vermont were very angry about it.
Living golems and giant demonic creatures that seemed to obey human orders.
Most ordinary people trembled at the idea of a living golem, especially after the incident in the Holy Kingdom.
This was thanks to Jin, who had exposed how brutal and cruel the process of creating living golems could be.
"Hey, kid. What are you thinking?"
"I think the public can''t distinguish between Demon Men and living golems."
"Eh? What are you suddenly talking about?"
"We''ll publish an article iming that the corpses of the Demon Men obtained from the Wantaramo Forest are not Demon Men but living golems of the Imperial Family."
"Young Master, is that really okay?"
"We''re just manipting information, but the Imperial Family might cut ties with Hairan faster than expected. I need to prevent that. The controversy about the living golems is critical, so they won''t be able to handle Hairan properly while exining and covering that up."
The moment articles and evidence about the "living golems of the Imperial Family" started circting, the Imperial Family would have to pay the price for even subtly supporting Kinzelo.
They would also have to clearly draw the line with Kinzelo.
If they continued to show an ambiguous attitude, they could be falsely used of being the owners of the living golems that attacked Hairan in the first ce.
In that case, the Imperial Family would appear to have failed in purging Vermont''s most famous n by coborating with terrorist forces without any justification.
"Now that I think about it, the Emperor didn''t know that you had the Demon Men''s corpses, did he?"
"No, he didn''t know. That''s why he was so confident. If he had known, he would have proposed an exchange more humbly. Although I wouldn''t have epted. But Dino will be very busy for a while."
Jin smiled at the thought of the Emperor''s expression when articles about the Demon Men''s corpses began shaking all of Vermont.
"Ron Hairan was born in the wrong era. If he had been born when your father wasn''t around, he would have been worthy of being given the title of the strongest. This kind of treatment is not evenparable to Cyron Runcandel."
Murakan shrugged.
"Anyway, Picon-nim, we''re leaving now. Please contact us if you find any clues afterpleting the analysis."
[Understood.]
--------------------------------
Jin, Murakan, and Gilly were greeted with unexpected cheers and apuse as soon as they arrived in the city of Calon through the transfer gate.
"Wiw!"
"The hero of the Hairan incident!"
"The gbearer recognized by the Sword Emperor!"
"The great ck dragon!"
Thousands of people weed the group.
They had been waiting near the transfer gate for several days and eagerly awaited Jin''s arrival.
Jin had been staying at the Sword Emperor''s Castle until recently and had returned immediately after visiting the imperial pce, so he hadn''t realized the extent of the situation.
However, in the outside world, he was already praised as the hero of the terrorist attack on the Sword Emperor''s Castle, along with Murakan.
The news of their remarkable feat had spread throughout the continent, including Hufester.
Of course, there were many martial artists who had also shown notable courage that day, but it was natural that Jin and Murakan had stood out.
Murakan hadpletely imbued the skies with his shadow power to protect the Sword Emperor''s Castle, while Jin had fought side by side with the Emperor himself on the front lines.
There were even rumors that the Sword Emperor''s Castle would have beenpletely destroyed that day if not for Jin and Murakan.
"Oh mighty ck Dragon, please look this way!"
Normally, causing such amotion in the center of Calon would have been unthinkable.
The transfer gate area used to be well-maintained, as it was mainly used for official missions.
Moreover, it was impossible for people to gather like this to wee the Twelfth gbearer, who was rumored to be out of sight.
However, the fact that the residents had gathered to enthusiastically wee the Twelfth gbearer was the result of the "10%" of followers that Jin had gained after dering the Patriarchy.
"What are they?" Murakan said in his sharp tone, but he didn''t entirely dislike the voices of the humans praising him.
"It seems like people who support you, Young Master."
"Strawberry Pie, is it really necessary for people to make such a fuss just for helping the Sword Emperor''s Castle?"
"I think it''s because we still yed an active role despite having Ron Hairan... People probably expect this incident to lead to an alliance between Runcandel and Hairan."
The alliance between Runcandel and Hairan was a topic that was frequently mentioned among the people of the world.
Right now, Zipple is ahead of Runcandel, but everyone has expectations about how much the difference will shrink if Hairan joins Hufester.
Of course, it was mostly wishful thinking...
But people held onto hope since the imperial family kept Hairan and Jin''s activities in check.
"It seems like there are more people here to see you than me, Murakan."
"I have the same feeling."
"Why do you think that is?"
"Well, you''ve been Runcandel''s guardian for thest thousand years, and you also showed quite some dignity in Hairan. So don''t just stand there with that stern expression; smile a little."
"Why should I do that?"
Murakan shook his head and smiled despite his response, and among the residents, even more enthusiastic cheers erupted.
Then, a man wearing a monocle approached the group along with the guardian knights.
It was Petro, the first-ss butler.
"He''s here, Young Master."
"It seems like it''s been a while since someone greeted me so calmly."
Indeed, as he had mentioned, Petro used to hurry to find Jin every time he returned.
Most of the time, Jin arrived at the Garden of Swords after causing an incident or stirring up the n, and there were always people trying to kill him.
This time, Jin had also returned after causing an incident.
Given the circumstances, he had provided significant help to Hairan.
He also stopped an attacker believed to be a ck Knight.
"I hope there''s no swordsman sharpening their des waiting for me this time."
"Not exactly, but there are fewer people openly dering their enmity against youpared to before, Young Master."
"It''s really good to hear that."
"However, an uninvited guest arrived a while ago, Young Master."
"Who is it?"
"The Leader of the Phantom Legion, Lata Proch. He came to see you and appeared in the Garden of Swords without notice. He also brought a considerable number of mercenaries..."
Petro sighed as he spoke.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 424
Chapter 424
C424 - So suddenly? (2)
"You said he came with mercenaries to the Garden of Swords?"
"Yes. There are approximately more than five hundred mercenaries."
"Five hundred mercenaries... he certainly has guts. It''s almost madness. When did they arrive?"
"They arrived about three hours ago."
"I suppose the mercenaries couldn''t enter."
As Jin said, the only one who entered the Garden of Swords was Lata Proch.
Lata and the mercenaries of the Phantom Legion had been at the Sword Emperor''s Castle until a while ago.
In other words...
Lata came directly to the Garden of Swords as soon as he left the Sword Emperor''s Castle.
Of course...
Runcandel couldn''t wee them as he had arrived unannounced with such arge army.
''At least, they avoided the worst possible scenario since they are host mercenaries.''
If any mediocre group of mercenaries had made such an unexpected visit with that size, Runcandel would have wiped them off the face of the earth.
The mercenaries of the Phantom Legion are one of the most prominent neutral factions, and their base, the Phantom Fortress, served as a meeting point for major factions, and that''s why they get away with suchck of etiquette.
"Yes."
"That unpleasant-eyed bastard probably came to you for his little sister, but why did he bring five hundred subordinates? Does that mean he wants to intimidate us with those cute threats?"
"I don''t know why he brought his subordinates either. We''ll find out when I meet with him."
The group started moving, and the cheers from the crowd grew louder.
A group of boys and girls shouting Murakan''s name at the top of their lungs was particrly impressive...
And Gilly gently pushed Murakan''s back to make sure he wouldn''t disappoint his young fans.
"They''re young fans, so please, shake hands with them, Murakan-nim."
"Strawberry Pie, if you wish it, then..."
The most shocking thing happened when Murakan smiled at them, and suddenly people among the group of boys and girls fainted one after another.
"My goodness, I thought only Enya could do that."
"I don''t think Enya has ever fainted."
They left the transfer gate and boarded the steel carriage.
The red sunset warmly embraced the entire city, but Jin had the nagging feeling that something tiresome was about to happen and shook his head.
Jin suddenly stopped the carriage as they headed towards the Garden of Swords.
"Wait a moment."
He stopped because he saw Lata''s subordinates standing idly at the entrance of the Garden of Swords.
Although there were more than five hundred of them, they simply stood there among the bushes.
It was unthinkable for them to set up camp in Runcandel''s territory, especially near the Garden of the Sword.
However...
There was no ce for them to sit or rest, and there were no inns to amodate the sudden arrival of five hundred mercenaries.
So Lata''s subordinates had no choice but to stand there as if they were trees.
Jin stuck his head out of the carriage, and all the eyes of the mercenaries turned towards him.
"Follow me."
The carriage started moving again after Jin said that, and Lata''s subordinates exchanged nces for a moment before silently following them.
"The Twelfth gbearer is entering!"
The gate bars lifted, and the guardian knights patrolling inside saluted.
The guardian knights brandished their swords at me when I returnedst time.''
It was the day the patriarchate deration was made.
Even if it wasn''t that day, Jin barely had memories of being weed back from his days as a provisional gbearer.
It can be said that there was no one who weed him, except Gilly and Petro.
Whether they were his brothers or his seniors, there was always someone showing hostility and murderous intent, and each of them was a formidable opponent (outwardly).
But today was different.
The Ten Percent of the Guardian Knights of the First Division, a very small number of execution knights and elders.
In other words, it was a force slightly less than 10% of Runcandel''s total strength, but now there were knights weing Jin.
"Thank you for your hard work, Twelfth gbearer!"
"You''re here, Twelfth gbearer. Your name has caused a stir in the Garden of Swords all this time."
The knights and elders greeted Jin on his way, and he felt that he had finally returned to Runcandel as a gbearer.
However, those who greeted him still seemed curious about the reason he had brought the mercenaries waiting outside.
And Jin saw a few people walking towards him with dismayed faces from the main house.
They were Miu and Anne.
"Twelfth gbearer."
"What the hell is this?"
Jin couldn''t help but admire them in a way after seeing their sudden and conflicting expressions.
Were they foolish?
Or fearless?
One thing was certain...
They had a spirit that even Jin had to acknowledge.
Jin clearly showed the power difference between them during the patriarchate deration, but it''s clear that they are still fighting without taking it into ount.
Moreover, they werepletely sure that the two of them together "never" could defeat Jin even now, but their attitude remained the same.
"What were you thinking when you let these pests in?"
"Hah... even these pests start disrespecting the Garden of Swords since you behave like this. Last time, didn''t Kinzelo''s beasts boldlye to look for you? The situation of the Family is more than ridiculous."
Jin silently looked at his sisters for a while, and then burst intoughter.
"Are youughing?"
"I''m almost disappointed, my sisters. I don''t feel at home unless someone shouts at me like that."
"What, what did you say?"
"This idiot...."
"They are my guests. Just like me, they were staying at the Sword Emperor''s Castle due to the recent terrorist attack, so they couldn''t notify the Garden of Swords about their visit in advance."
"What kind of guest brings more than five hundred mercenaries without prior notice?"
"Is that a problem? Five hundred Phantom Legion mercenaries are no more than a threat equivalent to five hundred fallen leaves in the Garden of Swords. In fact, Lata showed me respect by bringing as many subordinates as he could."
Jin continued smiling unlike his furious sisters.
His strange confrontation, or rather, a one-sided disy of power by Jin, left the mercenaries who had followed him astonished.
It''s clear that the Twelfth gbearer is crazier than our leader.
Can he do that to higher-ranking gbearers?
We can wait outside and leave quietly when the leaderes out.
''Our headquarters, the Phantom Fortress, is quite respectable, butpared to this ce, it''s like dust, just dust.''
''But it seems like we''re being somewhat ignored. I can''t believe we''re beingpared to leaves...''
None of the mercenaries shouted that they disliked Jin''sment.
Instead, Miu and Anne kept raising their voices.
"Fallen leaves? Have you reached a new level of mediocrity to speak like that? ording to your words, didn''t the leader of the Phantom Legion show you respect, and yet, you make statements that belittle him?"
"I don''t think it''s very rude to say thispared to the fact that they were waiting outside."
Anne took a step towards Jin, but Miu blocked her way.
"He can''t do this. Now, not only are they ridiculous, but they even look cute. Anne wants to step forward, and Miu is trying to stop her. It''s like they nned it beforehand."
So, Miu and Anne kept grinding their teeth and spoke.
"Can you take responsibility?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, can you take responsibility if any problems arise because of the guests you brought here?"
"You speak as if problems are destined to happen. Well, let''s do it. I''ll take responsibility."
Gilly let out a sigh of relief when Miu and Anne turned around and left.
She wasn''t worried about Jin.
"Phew, I was so nervous that the Young Master would end up with the youngdies."
"They are quite troublesome sisters, but there''s no need to deal with them yet."
"Your other sisters aren''t like this, so I don''t understand why only those two are like this. Kid, now I''m going to enjoy some Strawberrie Pie, so go meet alone with that guy."
Murakan looked at Gilly with shining eyes, but Gilly coughed and avoided eye contact.
"No, Murakan. You have work to do."
"What?"
"Take care of the Phantom Legion mercenaries and lead them to my personal training ground."
"What? I''m the mighty ck Dragon. Haven''t you seen all those people praising me before? Can you really force me to do such insignificant tasks? Eh?"
"And protect them."
"What? Why are you talking about protection all of a sudden?"
"There''s a good chance the Phantom Legion mercenaries will be attacked. Do you think my sisters left without a reason? It''s the perfect opportunity for them to strike."
"What... You can''t be serious, right? Doing something like that?"
"They can do anything. It doesn''t hurt to be cautious. Want to make a bet? I bet my sisters'' knights will attack the mercenaries. If not, why would they ask me to take responsibility?"
The reason Jin insisted on taking the mercenaries to the training ground instead of the guest rooms or the reception was precisely that it would be much easier to protect them in the spacious training area.
Murakan frowned.
"Darn it, fine. I''ll bet too. If I win, I''ll have fifteen full days off to enjoy with Strawberrie Pie. I''ll order you to take the vacation even if you don''t want to. Got it?"
"I really don''t need a vacation..."
"Deal."
"Kid, what are your conditions?"
"I have no conditions. I''m going to win anyway. Instead, be careful not to let any of the mercenaries get hurt."
"Don''t give me any excusester. Heh, let''s go! Mercenaries!"
Murakan led the mercenaries to the training ground, humming a tune.
He was already exultant at the thought of enjoying fifteen days of vacation with Gilly.
Jin couldn''t help butugh as he watched their figures leave, and Gilly offered an awkward smile.
"The Acting Matriarch has dered that you can skip the report," Petro said.
Rosa was still recovering from the injuries she suffered during the Patriarchate Deration.
"Then I must meet with Lata immediately. He''s in the reception hall, right?"
"Yes, Young Master. Shall I prepare a separate room for him?"
"No, I''ll go meet him in person."
The spacious reception hall was filled with guests. There were merchants conducting business with Runcandel, nobles, and mercenaries hired for missions, etc.
The most prominent figure was undoubtedly Lata among them.
He exuded a heavy and sharp aura with crossed arms.
He leaned against the wall with closed eyes, and there was no one within about ten steps of him.
"Lata-nim."
Jin entered the reception hall and called him by name.
Lata slowly opened his eyes and...
Stomp, stomp. He quickly approached Jin with swift and menacing steps...
Swish!
Suddenly, when he was a step away from Jin, he drew a short dagger from his waist.
This sudden gesture scared the people around them and the guardian knights.
"Stop...!"
The guardian knights shouted and rushed forward. It seemed like Lata''s dagger was heading towards Jin.
Kwak-!
However, Lata''s dagger didn''t fall onto Jin''s body.
Thud~
What fell to the ground with a dry sound was Lata''s right index finger.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 425
Chapter 425
C425 - So suddenly? (3)
"Ah!"
"Ooh!"
The non-warrior nobles and merchants shouted reflexively.
They mistakenly thought Lata had attacked Jin, and it took them a while toprehend the situation even when they saw Lata''s severed finger on the ground.
"What does this mean, Lata Proch?"
"This is the Garden of Swords!"
The guardian knights, their swords pointed at Lata''s neck, blinked.
Although ten swords pressed against his neck, the guardian knights felt one thing.
If Lata decided, he could easily push away their swords and move freely.
''The Phantom Legion Leader is more dangerous than the rumors suggest. He can overwhelm us even with a severed finger.''
He just cut off his own finger, but what would have happened if he had decided to attack the Twelfth gbearer...
The guardian knights who thought so shook their heads internally.
It doesn''t seem like anything important happened.
The Twelfth gbearer is no ordinary monster either.
A sticky stream of blood oozed from the severed surface, and Jin stared at it without moving.
What does this mean?
Jin didn''t ask that question.
He just waited with an expressionless face.
He expected Lata to first exin the reason for his actions.
That''s why Jin didn''t draw his sword, even though Lata made a sudden move.
On the contrary, Jin exuded an even more mysterious aura.
First of all, the weight is different.
Regardless of his battle prowess, Jin possesses a dignity hard to describe...
Lata felt that way.
He wondered why he had realized this fact sote.
Jin had something different from other supernovices he had met so far.
"I understand, allow me to formally introduce myself again. I am the owner of the Phanton Fortress, the leader of the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps, Lata Proch."
Everyone in the room couldn''t help but be surprised by his polite tone.
It was a natural reaction since everyone had heard rumors about the Phantom Legion Leader one or two times.
The image ordinary people had of the Phantom Legion Leader was that of a ruthless demon king without blood or tears.
"I am Jin Runcandel, the Twelfth gbearer of the Runcandel Family."
"I havee to the Garden of Swords today to apologize for the rudeness Imitted at the Sword Emperor''s Castlest time."
Jin looked at the severed finger.
"So, is that why you cut off your finger?"
"That''s correct."
Losing a finger didn''t cause significant damage to Lata''s martial skill.
It might be a problem for ordinary warriors, but this level of obstacle was insignificant for those who had already reached a certain level of mastery.
However, Lata cutting off his own finger meant he was willing to pay the price with blood.
"Put away your swords."
At Jin''smand, the guardian knights withdrew the swords that had been against Lata''s neck.
"Lata-nim."
"Yes, please speak."
"There is no grudge between you and me. So, sir, you don''t need to apologize to me, and your finger has no value to me."
Lata''s pupils trembled.
But they didn''t tremble with shame or humiliation.
The emotion in his eyes seemed closer to anxiety.
"...Even if I cut off a few more?"
No, seriously, why do you keep wanting to cut off your fingers?
Instead of asking that question, Jin opted for a different response.
"It''s the same even if you cut off your arm instead of fingers, sir."
"Damn it, I should have prepared something else. How can I cover my mistake? Tell me. I''ll do what I can."
At that moment, people inside the room exchanged nces.
Was this person really the Phantom Legion Leader?
Everyone reacted like that, and even the guardian knights, who couldn''t show their feelings, were deeply shocked.
Even Jin himself couldn''t help but feel perplexed.
Lata Proch cannot be that kind of person.
Why is he being so obedient?
The reason Jin was slightly underestimating Lata was another one.
Lata''s personality.
In other words, Jin behaved like this because it was necessary to appear intimidating and challenging when dealing with a beastly person.
As hierarchy is very important among beasts, he believed it was necessary to make it clear that he was superior to Lata.
Therefore, Jin expected another duel in this process.
Actually...
The duel at the Sword Emperor''s Castle had ended in Jin''s favor, but due to the terrorist attack, the result wasn''t conclusive.
''I thought Lata would go wild and attack me for my attitude, and I was going to use that as an excuse for a duel.''
It would undoubtedly be a good oue if he defeats the Phantom Legion Leader in front of the entire family.
Then, they would proceed to acknowledge each other in a friendly atmosphere, and naturally, it would convey that he had received a considerable favor from the Phantom Legion mercenaries.
That was the scenario Jin expected for this meeting.
''If it goes like that, there won''t be a need for a fight.''
No need for another duel, and it''s not lost on anyone that Lata was showing a submissive attitude.
''Come to think of it, Lata didn''t stop hovering around me during my stay at the Sword Emperor''s Castle after the terrorist incident. I thought he might be trying to negotiate under different conditions for Fey''s release. Could it be that he was looking for an opportunity to apologize to me?''
Drip~
Thick drops of blood kept falling from Lata''s severed finger to the floor.
"Lata-nim, to be honest, I thought you were going to challenge me again."
"I''m not that foolish. I realized back then that I''m nowhere near being able to fight against you, Twelfth gbearer."
In the end, when Lata said that, the people in the room began to murmur.
''What is he saying?''
They had a duel before the terrorist attack at the Sword Emperor''s Castle, and there were rumors that the Twelfth gbearer had the upper hand.
No matter how you look at it, can the difference be so significant for the Phantom Legion Leader to say that?
Since many martial artists had judged Jin''s superiority over Lata during the duel, ''Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel'' and ''leader of the Phantom Legion'' were positions where thetter had more weight.
"In that case, Lata-nim, it seems you have a debt to me instead of apologizing. Do you remember?"
-Are you suggesting a bet through a duel?
-Isn''t there something you need from me?
-Before I kill you, I''ll have you sign a blood oath then.
-Blood oath or whatever, if you win, I''ll grant you whatever you wish. If you take my life or engage in any act that may humiliate me while I still breathe, it''s all fair game. But if I win...
Lata recalled the conversation from their previous duel and said:
"Of course, I remember."
"Sir Lata, you need to be even stronger than you are now to fulfill my request. It''s not the time to cut off your fingers. However, I have doubts about whether you are truly the person who can undertake my request. Guardian Knights, quickly bring the head of the medical team to my room."
"Yes!"
Swoosh!
Then, Jin used his ice barrier seal magic to preserve Lata''s amputated finger before saying:
"Follow me."
As they left the reception room and headed to Jin''s room, a powerful vibration urred within the Garden of Swords.
It wasn''t a natural phenomenon like an earthquake.
It was the result of someone using tremendous power.
The sky even darkened with an ominous darkness.
Lata had already experienced a simr phenomenon once when Murakan had used his power at the Sword Emperor''s Castle.
"This is the Guardian Dragon..."
"Oh, it looks like it has already started. You don''t have to worry."
Lata wondered what had started but refrained from asking, seeing that it wasn''t something Jin wanted to talk about.
On their way to the room, Jin wondered why Lata was behaving like this.
I hope he hasn''t suddenly changed his attitude for no reason.
The head of the medical team, whom the guardian knights had summoned, arrived first at the room.
He quickly reattached Lata''s finger and then disappeared abruptly.
"...Thank you."
"Enough with thepliments; let''s get to the point. Why are you behaving like this?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The Lata I remember held a significant grudge against me and was a very reckless person. That''s why he challenged me to a duel and almost made a fool of himself."
"Hmm! Hmm, that''s..."
"If you don''t give me a reasonable exnation for this sudden change in attitude, I won''t ept any price from you for the victory."
Lata''s eyes widened, and after a moment of hesitation, he nodded and finally spoke:
"I have fallen for a man named Jin Runcandel."
Jin was about to spit out the tea that Gilly had served him.
"You''ve fallen for me? That''s not a convincing reason to do all this. Just for something like that?"
Jin''s eyes narrowed, and he continued with a stern expression.
It was the first time anger appeared on his face.
"I think the elders of my family might have hired the Phantom Legion mercenaries to assassinate me. So, you shouldpensate for your failure and carry out the request again. Does it make sense for you to try to join me if you resort to such actions just based on having ''fallen for'' someone?"
"If I were from a prestigious knight family like you. But, Jin-nim, I''m just a mercenary who lives by the sword. I can act vilely and despicably, like any other loathsome beast. Especially in times like these."
"In times like these? Please exin."
"I dueled with you, Jin-nim, and we went through the terrorist attack at the Sword Emperor''s Castle together. After that, I stayed at the Sword Emperor''s Castle for about two weeks, and I observed how the situation unfolded. As a result, I came to a conclusion."
"What conclusion?"
"If the Phantom Legion mercenaries are to survive, they can no longer remain neutral."
-An alliance? Phantom mercenaries never ally with any faction. We only have contracts and clients. Jin Runcandel, I challenge you to a duel.
This statement by Lata at the banquet not only contradicted his previous words but also directly denied the values that the Phantom Legion mercenaries upheld as a mercenary organization.
"That day was a special day for me. It was the moment I realized my arrogance through our duel, and the terrorist attack gave me the confidence that the future war and power dynamics would take apletely different form than I knew."
The underground tunnels.
The demonic creatures.
The living golems.
The massive battleships and shape-shifting mages.
Above all, the overwhelming power and regenerative ability disyed by the demon.
As Lata had said...
Kinzelo''s terrorist attack that day was shattering themon sense of most people.
"Despite that, the Imperial Family did not protect Hairan afterward. Even when such a crazy group attacked the Sword Emperor''s Castle, they acted as if even the Sword Emperor''s Castle with Ron-nim had little use for the imperial family."
"Maybe they saw it as a good opportunity to keep Hairan in check, don''t you think?"
"Thinking that way, it still seems like Sir Ron''s power is too enormous. The Imperial Family must have had their own preparations, and perhaps they decided to abandon Hairan for that. If the Imperial Family was prepared for such a situation, then I wonder how Runcandel or Zipple would be. I saw Kinzelo''s power for myself."
Since that day, Lata had the feeling that a New Era was dawning.
He believed that a burdensome era had opened in which it was difficult to continue living as a mere martial artist or a group of mercenaries.
Even Ron Hairan was treated as unnecessary, not to mention the Phantom Legion mercenaries.
That''s why he judged that he must wisely choose who would take hegemony in the new era and form an alliance with them.
"Because of that, I am convinced that you will be the next patriarch of Runcandel. That''s why I came here to stand by your side, Jin-nim. Is this exnation sufficient?"
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 426
Chapter 426
C426 - So suddenly? (4)
The two looked at each other in silence for a while.
Does Lata Proch really have this side?
The Phantom Legion mercenaries and their leader, Lata Proch.
The truth was that Jin didn''t have a favorable opinion of them.
He was attacked by the executioners of the Phantom Legion mercenaries, led by Fey...
Andter, when Lata confronted him, Jin felt that both were fools.
But for Lata to have that level of insight...
It was amazing that he saw through the situation and the flow of events after the terrorist attack.
No, no.
It''s impossible for Lata to be so smart.
Someone must be giving him information or controlling him.
Jin suppressed his admiration and shook his head internally.
Oh, really? It''s unexpectedly excellent judgment.
Jin was about to say it out loud.
Who could it be?
Zipple?
Kinzelo?
No...
Individuals from those two groups couldn''t have approached Lata.
Because we were all confined in the Sword Emperor''s Castle.
Most of them had undergone intense investigations during their stay at the Sword Emperor''s Castle for about two weeks, even though they had helped suppress the terrorist attack.
The Hairans hadn''t discovered any involvement of Zipple and Kinzelo.
"Zephyrin."
Jin suddenly thought of the woman who is presumed to be a Demon Dragon.
Maybe she was behind Lata.
Zephyrin''s true identity had not yet been revealed.
Therefore, it wouldn''t be too surprising if she was affiliated with Zipple or Kinzelo.
But that would be too much.
Even if Zephyrin approached Lata with some purpose, it''s impossible for Lata to adopt this submissive attitude.
Regardless of whether it was Zephyrin or someone else, it seemed unlikely that a figure of Lata''s stature would be a pawn for someone and abandon his reputation.
At this moment, if Jin rejected Lata and sent him away, the weight of the title "Leader of the Phantom Legion" would plummet immediately.
It wasn''t just a couple of people who had seen them in the reception room.
Of course, it wouldn''t be difficult to make them seal their lips, but there was no need to cover for Lata if Jin didn''t form an alliance with him.
After a moment of contemtion, Jin concluded that Lata hade to him of his own will and insight.
"Jin-nim, what are you thinking? Is there something strange in my words?"
"No, there''s nothing strange. In fact, you have read the situation too urately, and I find it incredible that you have figured all that out on your own."
"Hahaha!"
Lata burst into a sincere but sharpughter.
"Well, that may seem so from your perspective. My little sister and I haven''t shown ourselves in a good light so far. But, Jin-nim, I am also the leader of a significant group. And a very respected one."
Lata looked at the perfectly reattached index finger, which showed no trace of a cut.
"Do you know why my five hundred subordinates followed me?"
It was a bewildering question.
Five hundred were far from enough to showcase his prestige or buy time when problems arose against the Garden of Swords.
Moreover, considering the size of the Phantom Legion mercenaries, it seemed like an ambiguous number to be brought with the intention of saying:
"Please ept us as subordinates."
"I don''t know."
Lata smirked.
"They were the five hundred who never backed down even if I had reduced them."
"What...?"
"When I said I would cut off my fingers as an apology to Jin-nim, those guys followed me by force and said they would also offer their fingers to you, Jin-nim."
This time, Jin''s pupils had to widen.
Is this serious?
There was no doubt in Lata''s eyes.
Anyone who met Lata''s gaze now could feel his pride.
"At first, many more subordinates said they woulde with me. Runcandel might have mistaken it for a deration of war if I had brought all those guys. Anyway, the ones who came with me insisted a lot and didn''t back down, so I had no choice but to bring them."
"So, if I tell them to, will they all cut off their index fingers?"
"That''s right."
"What peculiar loyalty."
"It''s something rarely seen elsewhere. They even said they couldn''t bear to see me alone lose a finger. Now you know how respected I am, right?"
"Is there no way for all of them to keep their fingers intact?"
"It might be possible if the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel allows it."
"I meant, wasn''t there a way that you didn''t even think or try in the first ce?"
"If someonemits a sin, they must pay the price. Even more so if you want to approach your future partner."
"But you just said you''re not a person but rather a despicable and low beast."
"Yes. Is that a problem?"
It was difficult to express it in words, so Jin simply shook his head and felt a sense of astonishment.
Then he remembered the expressions of Lata''s subordinates that Murakan had taken away.
They all seemed to have expressionless faces, even though they were about to lose a part of their bodies, just like their lord.
"It seems you''re not a straightforward man, Lata Proch."
If everything Lata had said was true, then he was an extraordinary leader.
Regardless of how excellent Lata''s battle skills might be, it was no small feat topletely control the Phantom Legion mercenaries at such a young age.
"I have one more question, Lata-nim."
"What is it?"
"Why did you behave so despicably in the banquet hall of the Sword Emperor''s Castle?"
Jin felt that today''s Lata and the Lata back then werepletely different people.
"I ampetent and an excellent leader in most situations, but asionally, an imperfect aspect of my personality shows, like when my only family member, my rtive, was taken hostage."
"Your little sister is being treated quite well ording to the strictest treaties on prisoners of war."
"Well, I appreciate the treatment, but since she''s a tough girl, I don''t mind if they treat her to the point of keeping her alive. And besides... this can also happen when I lose one of my most precious subordinates."
Jin remembered the day Fey had attacked him.
"Wasn''t he called Grimol?"
He was the only one among the assassins of the Phantom Legion mercenaries who had overwhelmed him.
He wielded a sword much better than Fey''s.
"I dispatched him without much pain. He was willing to sacrifice himself to the end to save Fey Proch."
"...I always wondered what his end would be like, but he had an honorable death for a mercenary. We spent a lot of time together, but Grimol was more suited to be a knight than an assassin."
Lata closed his eyes and seemed to mourn Grimol for a moment.
"Looking back, it was my own arrogance that led to the consequences because I underestimated you, Jin-nim. I shouldn''t have epted themission in the first ce, or if I did, I should have gathered the best assassins, including myself. So, this time, I won''t make any mistakes and will try to make the best decision. Please help me."
There was a sense of sincerity in his calm tone.
Of course, appearing sincere now didn''t mean he could retract the recklessments he had made before.
But Jin knew that everyone could make mistakes.
"Lata Proch-nim."
"Please speak."
"If you truly want to form an alliance with me, you must show me trust. Mere apologies and offering meaningless fingers won''t allow you to be my ally."
Finally, Lata smiled as if he had shed his stiff clothes.
"What do you want me to do? What can I show you?"
"The Phantom Legion mercenaries and I first met as targets for elimination and assassins."
Lata''s eyes narrowed upon hearing this.
"To change that bad rtionship into an alliance, shouldn''t you bring at least the heads of those who ordered me to be killed?"
Assassinating the members of Runcandel''s council of elders.
That was undoubtedly one of the worst assignments a group of assassins could receive.
"I know the reason why you didn''t take action before we spoke."
Like being pierced by a needle, Lata shivered and awkwardly smiled.
Probably because you don''t want to take risks. If you had brought the heads of the elders, and I hadn''t epted you as an ally, then there would be no turning back."
"...I''m starting to feel it again. You really are extraordinary, sir."
"Also, even if I weed you with open arms after bringing the heads of those elders, you would still doubt whether the Twelfth gbearer could protect the Phantom Legion mercenaries from Runcandel''s retaliation."
Jin stood up from the chair.
Then, he moved slowly behind Lata.
Lata remained seated and couldn''t get up.
A few secondster, Jin''s hand lightly touched Lata''s shoulder.
Lata felt a chill, as if it were the scythe of a Reaper.
"If you truly believe in me, if you''re sure that I will be the patriarch of Runcandel. Then take the risk, Lata Proch."
Jin''s voice was as cold as ice, sending shivers down his spine.
"I''ll give you a week," Jin said as he withdrew his hand from Lata''s shoulder.
"In that time frame, bring me the heads of those who tried to kill me. Don''t make mistakes; I want the job done properly. I will take responsibility for the aftermath. Understand?"
Lata nodded heavily.
''Twelfth gbearer, this is an unexpected turn of events...''
Certainly, Lata believed that Jin would eventually be the patriarch of the Runcandel Family.
However, he didn''t believe that Jin had significant power within Runcandel at the moment.
That''s why his n had been to first join forces and then gradually help Jin gain power within his n.
But now, a situation had arisen where he needed to be enemies with the ''existing Runcandel'' within a week.
''I nned to join the Twelfth gbearer, but this ispletely unexpected.''
Show your trust.
As Lata pondered Jin''s recent words in his mind, Jin spoke again.
"If the deadline passes, and there is no contact from you, I will conclude that you have allied with another faction, Mr. Lata. That means we will be enemies again."
"Mmm..."
"Please make a wise choice."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 427
Chapter 427
C427 - Elderly In Crisis (1)
The Phantom Legion mercenaries left, but Murakan couldn''t contain his anger.
He had dreamt of happy times with Strawberrie Pie, but once again, the situation unfolded just as that "damned brat" had anticipated.
Over a hundred guardian knights had attacked Jin''s personal training ground.
It was a number that could hardly be considered a mere warning to Jin and the Phantom Legion mercenaries, and that''s why Murakan felt a surge of anger as soon as he saw them.
The entire sky darkened with the force of shadows, and Jin''s personal training ground was partially destroyed with just a breath from Murakan, and even the roof had a few holes.
The guardian knights and those who had given them orders, and even the five hundred mercenaries who had been sitting on the dirt floor, all watched cautiously as the threatening gaze of the fierce ck Dragon.
In an unexpected turn of events, Murakan quickly subdued the guardian knights.
It was better that the guardian knights were moderately subdued.
Although they had received orders from Miu and Anne, it was considered madness to fight against the guardian of the Family and face certain death at the hands of the Phantom Legion mercenaries.
Moreover, neither Miu nor Anne had expected Murakan to protect the Phantom Legion mercenaries.
"Hey! You''re dead, damn it. I''ll kill you, bastards! How dare you point your swords at this body? Huh? Straighten up, I said straighten up! Today, neither you nor I will sleep. Understood? Damned..."
After the Phantom Legion mercenaries safely left, a truly extraordinary scene unfolded in the Garden of Swords courtyard.
Murakan was reprimanding the guardian knights who had attacked him.
"One, in front of the great ck Dragon, two, noints. You, in front, yes, you. Represent us."
"Rule number one: Call me the Great ck Dragon. Rule number two: Don''t mess with the Great ck Dragon. You in front, yes, you. Say it out loud. Rule number one."
"Gr... Great ck Dragon."
"Two."
"...Don''t mess with the Great ck Dragon."
It was apletely unreal scene, but no one dared to step forward and stop Murakan.
It might have been a different story if it had been Jin acting like this, but dealing with Murakan was a burden for the whole n.
And there was someone who vented their frustration while watching this scene from the main house window.
"Haa! Seriously, I''ve never seen such a mess. Does the Garden of Swords really have to descend into this chaos?"
"Oraboni, this is too much. First the younger one, and now that strange ck Dragon!"
Miu and Anne couldn''t take it anymore after witnessing the unexpected oues from Joshua''s room.
Joshua remained lost in thought and ignored the annoyed voices of his younger sisters.
''Did they predict all this just because Miu and Anne argued a bit, the younger ones?''
It was a judgment that couldn''t be expressed as mere caution. However, it alwayses with bold actions and repercussions that stir the Family...
Joshua was anxious despite his stoic behavior.
He felt as if his younger brother had already climbed up to his chin.
The younger one, who seemed like he could be crushed at any moment, was no longer the same.
"...Think twice before messing with the younger one again in the future."
Miu and Anne blinked in surprise when Joshua spoke.
It was apletely unexpected response.
"Oraboni?"
"What do you mean?"
"Both of you poked a ho''s nest without thinking. You''re the only ones who think it''s fun to pick a fight with the Tona siblings, but that just makes you look foolish."
Joshua smiled gently as he observed Miu and Anne.
"And their reputations also affect me."
Miu and Anne, surprised, stared at Joshua.
Luna always found faults with them, Luntia always found them annoying even when showing affection, Dyfus and Mary looked at them with disdain, the indifferent Ran and Vigo had no interest in each other.
Among those older siblings, Joshua was the only one who had consistently shown them kindness and recognition.
That''s why it was really rare for Joshua to speak to them with such coldness.
"Sorry, Orabeoni."
"We''ll do better in the future."
"...Right. Our job is to organize the mess he made in the n. And we shouldn''t stir things up any more clumsily. We must prepare properly, and when the timees, we''ll engage in an all-out confrontation."
"Yes."
"We''ll keep that in mind."
"Whatever our younger brother does, we must make sure not to lose ourposure."
"Understood, Oraboni."
Joshua shifted his gaze outside.
He remained pensive as he watched Murakan angrily reprimanding the guardian knights.
''Phantom Legion mercenaries... Another conflict between the younger ones and the Council of Elders is inevitable.''
Joshua had already deduced that the Council of Elders hadmissioned the Phantom Legion mercenaries to assassinate Jin.
The mission ended in failure, and instead, some kind of rtionship formed between Jin and the Phantom Legion mercenaries.
So the Phantom Legion mercenaries would have to silence the clients or clean up the mess. I wonder how Jorden, the President of the Council of Elders, will handle it.
Jorden Runcandel.
The Head of the ck Sword Association.
Joshua hoped that Jin would waste his strength in a confrontation with him, eventually leading Jorden to seek help from Joshua.
--------------------------------------------
November 16, 1799.
In a vi in the eastern part of Huphester.
A group of elders sat on an open terrace, gazing at the beach.
The massive table was filled with exquisite ying cards.
The hands holding those cards looked incredibly strong and powerful, almost unbelievable for men of their age.
"Damn it, I can''t win a hand."
"At this rate, you''re going to lose all your pension money. Are you worried about something? You''re getting a little carried away."
"I can''t help but worry about the Leader of the Phantom Legion visiting the Twelfth gbearer. What if he informed him about the contract?"
"And if he did? The Twelfth gbearer and the Phantom Legion mercenaries can''t easily mess with us. If the rumor spread that they revealed the identity of the client, the reputation of the Phantom Legion mercenaries would be tarnished. No one would want to hire them anymore."
"I doubt the Leader of the Phantom Legion would do something so foolish."
"Hmm, you might be right."
"Anyway, let''s have a talk with the president of the council of elders. Let''s wait for that."
These were the Elders of Runcandel.
The Elder was a rank that didn''t need to reside in the Garden of the Sword unless there were special circumstances.
Some of them dedicated themselves to training to enhance their martial arts, others held positions in the Garden of the Sword, while some lived their lives indulging in leisure and pleasure.
Even beautiful women who solely entertained the most powerful nobles, and bottles of alcohol worth hundreds of gold coins rolled on the floor.
"How about we call it a night, Elders?"
"Yes, let''s head to the beach to cool off."
The expressions of the Elders changed just as the woman spoke.
"Shhhh, silence."
As the Elders stood up one by one, their gazes turned toward the distant sea.
Only the sound of waves breaking on this moonless night, but the Elders felt that something else lurked beneath the surface.
"What is it, a fishing boat?"
Naturally, the location of the Elders'' vi by the beach was not essible to ordinary people.
"It''s unlikely to be a lost fisherman; is there anyone we suspect...?"
Bam!
Before the Elder who was speaking could finish his sentence, a dagger appeared from somewhere and pierced through the back of his neck.
The person holding the dagger was a woman who wanted to go to the beach.
The other Elders drew their weapons at that moment and tried to attack the woman.
However, the ground of the vi cracked open with a loud crunch, and a group of men emerged to block their attacks.
"Even my monstrous brother is amazed by the person you''ve dared to touch. And here you are enjoying carefreely."
The woman took off the "mask" she was wearing, revealing her true identity.
It was Fey Proch, and with a shrug, another Elder''s head rolled on the floor.
The Elders of Runcandel were all skilled individuals who had survived in Runcandel until now, but their habits andcency had made their swords rust.
They had be so confident in their position that they always used the same ce to entertain themselves, thinking that no assassin would attack them.
Today, the Elders found themselves defenseless against the Phantom Legion mercenaries for that very reason.
Veins appeared on the necks of the Elders as Lata revealed it.
"Leader of the Phantom Legion...!"
"This madman!"
"Indeed, you don''t give me that creepy feeling."
Chk, Lata lit a cigarette and looked at the surrounded Elders.
The vi was already filled with paralyzing poison, just like when Fey had fought Jin in the past.
Moreover, dozens of snipers positioned around the vi had shot poisoned arrows into the arms and legs of the Elders.
However, the exceptional Elders still emitted a formidable presence, despite their weakened state.
However, they were no match for Lata, even in their prime.
Especially with the elite members of the Phantom Legion mercenaries led by Lata, death was inevitable once they infiltrated.
Creepy feeling? What... are you talking about, Phantom Legion Leader?".
"You don''t give me that creepy feeling I felt when dealing with the Twelfth gbearer."
"And do you think you''ll be safe after this? Even if you kill us, the fact that you took our contract is already documented. The Council of Elders, Runcandel! They will annihte all of you. The Phantom Legion mercenaries will disappear without a trace."
The Elders didn''t plead for their lives.
They simply shouted convinced that the Phantom Legion mercenaries would also meet their end.
"I''ve chosen the right side. Seeing that I''m not even remotely afraid of that threat."
"Are you talking about the Twelfth gbearer?"
"That''s right. Why would I bother going to the Garden of Swords to meet him? I was there to board the same ship as him. Even after witnessing that, you failed to prepare for this. me it on yourcency and ipetence. Runcandel''s background sometimes makes people so foolish."
"Ugh!"
Swish!
As Lata began to swing his sword, the heads of the Elders fell one by one.
After...
Lata spoke once all the Elders were dealt with.
"Take only the heads, and load the bodies onto the ship."
-------------------------------
The next day, the office of the president of the council of elders.
"... Almost ten Elders were found dead without their heads. What the hell is going on?"
"This is an insult and a challenge to Runcandel! We must find out who these people are and who is behind them! They must pay for this with blood."
"What kind of lunatics wouldmit such acts..."
Almost all the Elders had gathered to discuss the murder that had happenedst night.
Council of Elders President Jorden was nowhere to be seen.
"Chief of thew guardians! Please, say something. How should we perceive this situation?"
Lynn Milcano was about to respond, but...
Click!
The door to the office of the council of elders president opened, and a person appeared.
"Greetings, honorable Elders."
Jin entered while greeting them.
He carried a heavy bag on his shoulder and a single paper in his hand.
As soon as Jin entered...
The Elders felt that something was terribly wrong.
"What... What do you carry on your shoulder?" asked an elderly person with a trembling voice.
Jin ced the bag on the long table.
The heads of the deceased elders rolled one by one across the table.
"These are the heads of the Elders who wanted to assassinate me. This is a contract signed by the deceased Elders, requesting the Phantom Legion mercenaries to kill me."
Jin spoke calmly, but most of the Elders felt shivers running down their spines.
The Elders had to feel something they had long forgotten.
It was terror.
--
Chapter 428
Chapter 428
C428 - Elderly In Crisis (2)
What the hell is going on here?
This can''t be real...!
The elder members of the council struggled to conceal their surprise and disbelief.
The pale heads of the deceased elders swirled on the long table.
As if to indicate the absurdity of the situation, Jin swept away some necks lying before him and ced the contract in its ce.
"I''ve brought some copies just in case. It wouldn''t hurt for each of you to read it once. I say this so you can easily understand, you''ll have to pay this amount if the elders want to assassinate me with the help of mercenaries on the level of the Ghost Legion in the future."
Why was it so difficult to raise their voice against this brash and crazy Twelfth gbearer?
They felt as if a rock was blocking their throats, and the atmosphere in the meeting room was oppressively heavy.
On the contrary, Jin continued with a friendly smile.
"Of course, it means it''s only the minimum cost. If you''re unlucky, you might end up like this even after paying so much."
The room fell so silent that even the sound of breathing seemed amplified.
Jin calmly assessed the reactions of the elder council members as they struggled to figure out where to direct their gaze.
Undoubtedly, they were the oldest members of the Runcandel council.
They had been recognized as prodigies from an early age and became Runcandel cadets...
And after bing Knights, they had survived for a long time and had various achievements.
They held various positions in the Garden of Swords, even in their old age.
However, the reason they were so rigid was not solely due to Jin''s recent disy of monstrous power.
They had already experienced such overwhelming power countless times in many battles.
But, undoubtedly, there was something different about Jin.
This couldn''t be exined simply by stating that his power is extraordinary or that his audacity surpasses imagination.
It was as if they were facing a wall that they could never ovee, no matter how hard they tried or what they did.
In a way, the elder council members were observing the youthfulness of Cyron in Jin.
However, resembling Cyron at first nce didn''t mean he was the true Cyron.
Being crushed by fear was also something they couldn''t tolerate as Runcandel Elders.
"Is this what you''ve seen? The actions I''ve taken were because you lost to me in our fight. If this is humiliating for you, then break me and trample on me, whatever!"
"You''ve seen such a crazy bastard! Twelfth gbearer, do you know what you''ve done?
"How dare you show this nonsense!"
"It''s disrespect towards the elder council, do you have any proof that the deceased members of the elder council were trying to kill you?
"You''ve killed more than ten council members, and..."
"This is sphemy against the Elders Council."
When the dam of their emotions finally burst, the elder council members stood up with their faces twisted in anger.
Their angry expressions made it seem like they were going to devour Jin right at that moment.
Jin''s whole body tingled at the murderous intent emanating from the elders, but now Jin was beyond their power.
He couldn''t care less about their indignation.
"Respect, sphemy, betrayal."
He...
Augh escaped him.
Heughed to further infuriate the elder council members.
It was a natural response to the absurdity of their usations.
He loathed the idea of sharing the name "Runcandel" with those old and rotten people.
"Are youughing? Have you lost your minds...!"
"You, rotten ghosts of the past, really don''t know shame?"
Once again, the elder council members blinked with their eyes wide open.
They felt as if they had been struck on the head with a hammer.
"Are you asking for respect? Are you telling me not to spheme against Runcandel?"
This time, Jin''s expression twisted with anger.
Jin''s eyes were filled with a formidable and intense murderous intent, but his mouth disyed a mocking smile.
His face looked like that of a demon tainted by malevolence.
"It is you who spheme the glorious name of the fight, Runcandel! It sickens me to share the samest name with you, who confine yourselves to sitting in your old positions and delighting in withered power."
"Twelfth gbearer!"
"Enough, before I put your heads on this table alongside the others. You should listen carefully to what I have to say from now on."
The elder council members were ready to draw their swords at any moment...
But Lynn Milcano raised her hand to restrain them.
Though she seemedposed, even Lynn''s hand trembled slightly.
It was a tremor born of anger and emotion.
She was one of the few who had witnessed the majesty of Jin during his ''Patriarchy Deration.''
"Do not forget our essence. The reason I kill elder council members and insult you like this is because you lost to me in our fight. If that enrages you, then crush me and trample on me, however the hell you want!"
A battle of hegemony.
Jin epted the fight between him and the elders as such.
It''s not a fight of gbearer against gbearer but of Runcandel against Runcandel.
Once again, Jin''s heavy breathing became palpable amid the reigning silence.
Jin''s breath calmed, the bloodthirst in his eyes subsided, and he returned to his usual calmness.
"Please... from now on, I hope to face you in a way that is not shameful, members of the Elder Council."
With those words, Jin turned around and left the meeting room without waiting for the response of the Elder Council members.
The elders stayed silent as they looked at the spot where Jin had disappeared, but they all shared the same feelings.
Feelings of defeat, shame, and anger welled up within them.
"Hah~, after thest uproar, the president of the Elder Council mentioned that the Twelfth gbearer would have a lot to do for the Family... but this is going too far. We need a n, and we can''t let him run wild like this forever."
"The Twelfth gbearer is insane,pletely insane! First, we need to prepare the funerals of the deceased Elder Council members, and then we must report to the President of the Elder Council and the Acting Matriarch. This is a matter that requires severe punishment..."
ck, ck!
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway.
It was the ck Panther, Rosa Runcandel.
"Elder Council members, there is no need to convey these news to me separately. I have already heard and seen everything directly."
As Rosa entered the meeting room, the Elder Council members stood up and bowed their heads.
Although Rosa''s expression remained neutral, the elder council members sensed a dangerous aura emanating from her.
It''s likely that she encountered the Twelfth gbearer on the way, but the Acting Matriarch has not taken any action.
It''s impossible that she and the Twelfth gbearer have formed an alliance...
Something doesn''t add up.
While the elder council members pondered, Jin had encountered Rosa on his way...
But they exchanged not a word nor a nce, as if avoiding each other in a moment of unfavorable battle, like predators.
Rosa looked at the necks on the table with an expressionless face.
Without a moment''s hesitation, she conjured an aura in her hand, as radiant as the sun, and used it to disintegrate the heads of the deceased elder council members.
Blood, bones, flesh, and brains disappeared without a trace.
The heads cleanly evaporated from the radiant heat emanating from Rosa''s hands. The elder council members could only gasp in amazement at the spectacle.
''Surely the Acting Matriarch has not fully recovered from her injuries yet, but what is this level of power?''
''It''s as if she has gained a new enlightenment. It''s like watching the sword of the true Patriarch.''
The level ofpletely disintegrating an object.
What Rosa had just demonstrated clearly resembled the level Cyron had reached, but it was undeniably different.
Rosa herself keenly felt this fact.
''I have truly gained a new enlightenment after barely surviving the blow Jin unleashed that day. But the mastery you have achieved is still infinitely far, Patriarch.''
After suffering severe injuries from Jin''s sword, Rosa managed to break anotheryer of her limitations.
Regardless of his power, Jin''s sword had shocked her more than any other sword she had encountered.
Today, she was showing for the first time the results of that breakthrough to the elder council members.
"Congrattions, Acting Matriarch! You have reached a new level."
"This kind of hope amid the Family''s confusion... you haven''t fully recovered yet, but the strength you possess is tremendous."
Rosa''s gaze turned cold as the elder council''s most senior members began to congratte her.
They could feel the chill in Rosa''s eyes, and involuntarily shivered.
"What did you expect to achieve by informing me of the actions of the Twelfth gbearer, members of the Elder Council?"
The smiling faces of the Elder Council members froze in response to her words.
"Did you expect me to take action against the Twelfth gbearer on behalf of the Elder Council?"
"Acting Matriarch-nim, it''s just that..."
"Or perhaps you wanted me to be a shield, ensuring that the Twelfth gbearer would not harm the Elder Council again?"
They dared not answer.
Their wrinkled faces turned red with shame as they struggled to endure it.
"Chief Law Guard, why don''t you answer?"
When Rosa pointed at her, Lynn took a moment to catch her breath.
"The words of the Acting Matriarch arepletely correct, and this old one is filled with shame."
"After today..."
Rosa turned to the members of the Elder Council and spoke.
"The Elder Council will have to demonstrate again the importance and value of its existence. If you disappoint me once again after today, I will temporarily close the Elder Council until the Patriarch returns."
"No, Acting Matriarch! What are you saying?"
"Temporarily close the Elder Council? That''s going too far..."
The council member who spoke couldn''t finish his sentence.
Swing!
In an instant, a sword aura extended from Rosa''s palm and cut him in half.
Fshhh...
Instead of blood, white particles stained with the aura flowed from the cut surface and tainted the air.
When the flowing particles finally stopped, the lifeless body of the elderly council member had taken on a peculiar appearance, as if it had been burned.
"I believe there will be no more people who think that the years of freedom give them strength to disobey my words."
Lynn Milcano knelt on one knee, and the rest of the Elder Council members followed suit.
Rosa looked at them and said:
"Whether you choose to persistently fight or live as scavengers, remember that depending on your choice, I can be infinitely merciful or ruthless to both the Elder Council and my blood."
At Rosa''s final words, the faces of the Elder Council members paled.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 429
Chapter 429
C429 - Elderly In Crisis (3)
A dark forest where it seemed not even a ray of sunlight could prate.
Rumors circted that this forest was haunted by ghosts and evil spirits.
[Nyaah!]
Jin rode on Shuri and traversed the intricate and dimly lit path of the forest.
He had no otherpanions with him.
Theplexity of the path made him think that a maze might have been a better option.
If it weren''t for Shuri, he might have regretteding here alone.
"Young Master, please take Murakan-nim with you."
"Are you sure about this, Sir? If you go alone and he has ill intentions, securing an escape route won''t be easy."
"Is there a reason you have to go alone?"
Before departing, all of Jeremiah''spanions had expressed their concerns.
It was because they still didn''t fully trust the owner of thesends.
As the forest grew denser, the unsettling and ominous sound heard from all directions became more intense.
Phantom Fortress, huh?
The name suits this ce incredibly well.''
It was the first time he saw it in person, but as always, Shuri navigated skillfully without getting lost, and they arrived without incidents.
It''s huge andpletely ck.
That was Jin''s immediate impression when he saw the castle-shaped fortress suddenly rise at the edge of the forest.
Not even the thick fog covering the area could hide the strange demonic energy emanating from the Phantom Fortress.
It was difficult to even breathe when standing in front of the castle due to that dreadful aura.
Once again, Jin marveled at having defeated the lord of that enormous castle, Lata Proch.
He sent Shuri back to the ruby and waited for a while by the castle gates.
After a while, the gates creaked open, but he couldn''t see who had unlocked the massive iron doors.
He wondered if someone had opened them.
It felt like the wind or a specter had passed through it without more, and what immediately appeared to his sight was not the ordinary interior of a castle but darkness.
Advancing towards it didn''t seem different from jumping off a cliff.
However, Jin advanced without putting more strength into his grip on the sword hilt at his waist.
Screech, one felt like traversing a nightmarendscape due to the eerie and chilling sounds of the wind.
Momentster, a dark clearing appeared.
"Twelfth gbearer, you''ve endured much toe here."
Jin heard the familiar voice of Lata Proch.
Jin wondered if Lata had just finished a battle or if he hade to interrogate those imprisoned under the Phantom Fortress.
Lata had a scent of fresh and acrid blood.
"The smell of blood seems to linger here."
"Our job is not exactly pleasant. Aren''t you used to it already?"
"I just wanted to mention it."
As they approached, Jin glimpsed Lata''s face illuminated by the torch he held.
"You didn''t seriouslye alone, did you?"
Lata was genuinely surprised that Jin hade alone to the Phantom Fortress.
It wasn''t just Lata; all members of the Phantom Mercenary Corps shared the same sentiment.
At least, since Lata became the Leader of the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps, or even before when Smarion Proch led the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps, no one had evere alone to the Phantom Fortress.
Whenever the leaders of Runcandel and Zipple held secret meetings, they always brought a group capable of presenting a meaningful battle.
It was natural.
The Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps had maintained their neutrality to a certain extent...
But it was a faction with significant influence.
Especially in their headquarters, the Phantom Fortress, they held a position among the highest-level neutral factions.
The Phantom Fortress is located in the territory of the Vermont empires...
But they chose to acknowledge its autonomy instead ofunching an assault against the Phantom Fortress.
"The Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps has taken risks to fulfill my request, so I should also show a certain level of trust, shouldn''t I?" said Jin.
Lata nodded, as if moved by Jin''s statement.
Jin felt a bit uneasy about Lata''s response, but he didn''t show it.
"Of course, it''s impressive. Alright, let''s draft the contract now."
After sending the elder chiefs away, Lata immediately contacted Jin and asked him to visit the Phantom Fortress.
The reason was to draft a contract for the alliance.
The paper Lata handed him contained the simplest terms of any contracts Jin had seen before.
Additionally, it contained unexpected content.
(Lata Proch and his Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps will recognize Jin Runcandel as their lord, and this matter has theplete agreement of all members of the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps)
It was more a promise of loyalty than a contract.
"This is not just an alliance but a blood alliance between the lord and his subjects."
"What... is this?"
Jin decided that he would first form an alliance with the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps and gradually build a strong bond in the future.
He never expected something like this.
"Is there something you don''t like?"
"No, it''s not that. It''s just a bit surprising."
"I respected you at the Emperor Sword Castle, and then I feared Jin Runcandel more than the elders of Runcandel. So, I killed the elders."
The day they met in the Garden of Swords, Lata decided to ept Jin as his lord, convinced it was the only way for the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps to survive in this "new era."
"And I am practically an absolute authority within the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps. My will is essentially the will of all ghosts. The Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps will be the most important force under yourmand," proimed Lata.
There were numerous leaders in the world, but those who received unwavering support from their subordinates were not somon.
Lata was exceptional among them.
No different from his subordinates.
Jin took a dagger from his belt.
He cut his palm and marked the paper with his blood, and Lata did the same.
"I ept, Lata-nim."
"Please, follow me, my lord."
Jin followed Lata to the central hall of the castle, and saw the Phantom mercenaries lined up.
There were probably thousands of mercenaries dressed in ck assassin uniforms, maintaining an unwavering posture.
Lata stood before them and raised the sword to salute Jin.
The rest of the Phantom Legion Mercenaries followed suit and raised their swords.
It was the moment Jin became the new master of the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps.
It was also the moment the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps abandoned neutrality for the first time.
"I will introduce you to the members one by one."
"Alright."
Jin looked again at the phrase on the paper.
The part that caught his attention the most was:
"This matter has theplete agreement of all members of the Phantom Mercenary Corps."
"Seeing the troops lined up here, it doesn''t seem very different from the usual size of the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps. Were there many who opposed the idea of forming a blood alliance with me?"
"Some who used to serve my father opposed. The elders, so to speak."
"Neither you nor I get along with the elders. What happened to them?"
"All of them left the Phantom Fortress."
"Do they know any special secrets or vulnerabilities of the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps?"
Lata hesitated at that question.
"I didn''t expect you to think of that. Yes, they do. And I''m embarrassed to admit it, but I haven''t faced them yet. I''m still trying to locate them."
"It''s been several days already, so it''s very likely they''ve sought refuge in other factions for protection."
"I apologize for showing suchx attitude from the beginning."
"No need to apologize. Just in case, I''ll also hire someone to search for the elders who fled. Please inform me of any secrets or vulnerabilities of the Phantom Fortress that they may know."
"It''s the monster sealed deep in the basement of the Phantom Fortress."
"...Monster?"
Jin expressed his doubt, and Lata continued exining with a bitter smile.
"We can''t deal with that monster right now. It''s been locked in the basement for decades. It can''t eat anything, yet it''s still alive. And the seal that keeps it at bay weakens every year."
"Sounds like a monster straight out of a legend."
"It might be a sudden revtion, but you don''t seem particrly surprised."
"I''ve encountered a demon-core creature sealed before."
Naturally, Jin assumed that what was sealed in the depths of the Phantom Fortress was a demon-core creature.
"How powerful is it that not even members of the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps can handle it?"
"It''s immeasurable. It''s hard to exin... Do you want to go see it for yourself?"
Jin followed Lata downstairs and headed to the basement.
The further they went, the more Jin felt a dreadful, unsettling, and malevolent aura.
"Is this the source of the dense, eerie aura that permeates the entire Phantom Fortress?"
It wasn''t just the ghostly aura that spread a suffocating feeling throughout the castle.
"We''ve arrived."
Reaching the lowest level, they encountered a massive iron door with a red seal engraved on it.
It was a type of seal Jin had never seen before, but he could sense that humans had been used as materials for this seal.
It was a seal with immense containment power.
"This is..."
"I heard it''s a seal that was only passed down to the elders, and even the previous leaders of the Phantom Legion didn''t know about it. This seal was created by other elders, excluding those who fled, using themselves as materials."
As Jin approached the seal, he felt the weight of the eerie aura pressing strongly on his entire body.
"Are you saying this seal weakens every year?"
"Yes."
Jin now understood why Lata had proposed the blood alliance so quickly.
''If the monster hidden behind this seal is released, the Phantom mercenaries won''t be able to survive unless they abandon the castle.''
Of course, the probability of the seal breaking immediately was low, and Lata hadn''t proposed the blood alliance solely for that reason.
However, it was undoubtedly an important matter.
"I showed you this ce first because this is currently the biggest and only problem the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps is facing. It''s shameful, but you could even say that this seal threatens the existence of the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps."
Now that they were bound by a blood alliance, they needed to discuss and resolve this problem together.
Although it was an action that revealed vulnerability right after forming the blood alliance, Jin didn''t find Lata resentful orughable.
After all...
Lata had chosen him over figures like Runcandel, Zipple, the Imperial Family, or Kinzelo.
If Lata had allied with Runcandel or Zipple, it probably would have been easier to solve this seal and other problems.
"Indeed... I can feel it just from the eerie aura leaking from the seal. So, what kind of demon creature is sealed inside?"
In response to Jin''s question, Lata shook his head.
"No, it''s not a demon creature."
"Not a demon creature?"
"The entity sealed inside is my father."
Smarion Proch.
The monster sealed in the depths of the Phantom Fortress was none other than the former Leader of the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 430
C430 - Elderly In Crisis (4)
Smarion Proch.
Jin didn''t know much about him.
However, as someone who had a lot of time in his past life, he knew certain names of strong individuals, and Smarion Proch was an almost mythical figure among them.
Smarion was born into a simple peasant family.
But from a young age, he showed talent for causing harm to humans, and the first people he killed were his own parents.
Over time, he overthrew the ruler "Seigalga" who had ruled the Phantom Fortress for hundreds of years and nted the Proch g there.
He was the father of Lata and Fey.
I think Smarion died more or less when Lata-nim entered adolescence.
It wasn''t easy to grasp that the owner of this eerie aura was Smarion.
".....Is it true?"
"My father was a demon from birth. He killed his parents and tried to kill Fey and me too."
However, Smarion''s attempts to kill Lata and Fey were more for "education," as other assassin guilds or ruthless Knight Families used to do.
Although they didn''t want to admit it, Lata and Fey knew they had be stronger because of it.
In other words, Smarion had always used a certain level of madness to achieve results.
"However, the elders who died and became the materials for this seal said that Smarionpletely lost his mind from a certain point onwards. He literally became insane," Lata added.
The elders close to Lata at that time imed that Smarion began to show "signs" when Lata was about ten years old.
Smarion was already known to be a ruthless killer, but unlike previous leaders, he was famous for caring for his subordinates.
That''s why the Phantom Mercenaries showed absolute loyalty to Smarion, and he always trusted them.
After the "change" began, his behavior gradually changed.
"They said he used unimaginable and strange methods to torture and kill his men and family."
"I''ve never heard such negative rumors about the former Leader of the Phantom Legion."
"The deceased elders consciously prevented the records and stories from that time from being known to the outside world. He didn''t just mistreat his subordinates. They said he inflicted horrible harm on himself."
"If the former Phantom Legion Leader really showed such signs, then it wouldn''t have ended with just a rebellion."
"There were several uprisings. But they were crushed each time due to my father''s overwhelming power. Maybe you don''t know, but there was even a time when my father faced off against Cyron-nim."
"My father and the former Phantom Legion Leader...?"
Jin didn''t know that such a secret existed between Runcandel and the Phantom Mercenaries.
Indeed, this record is not stored as a document in the Phantom Fortress, and Runcandel ssified it as an extremely confidential secret known only to the patriarch.
"I haven''t seen it myself because it happened before I was born. However, the fightsted a whole day, and Cyron-nim emerged victorious in the end. But for some reason, he spared my father''s life."
Cyron spared the defeated''s life.
Jin couldn''t imagine such a scene, but Cyron was young at that time, so it was possible.
"Afterward, Cyron-nim would asionally visit this Phantom Fortress. He would either fight my father for a few rounds or talk about various things."
"Really?"
"I don''t know anything about the day-long fight, but my sister and I witnessed how my father and Cyron-nim would drink together. It was strange, but my father never seemed to hold a grudge against Cyron-nim after losing to him."
Cyron talked with someone and shared a drink.
It was also difficult for Jin to imagine.
"At that time, even that madman became a quite kind father. He would sit us siblings on his knees and even make usugh."
"It must be a good memory for you."
"Now that I think about it, maybe my father wanted to impress Cyron-nim."
"Do you remember what kind of conversations they mainly had?"
Jin wondered about the connection between his father, Cyron Runcandel, and Smarion Proch.
Despite the dreadful and eerie aura that surrounded his entire being, a strong curiosity arose within him.
"I was too young, so I barely remember anything. But..."
Lata looked at the red seal and continued.
"There''s a scene I remember vividly. I was sitting with Fey, ying with her and enjoying snacks after a long time. Cyron-nim asked my father a question after observing us for a moment."
-Smarion. How''s that beentely?
"That...?"
"And my father replied."
-How can that be okay, Cyron? As you know, I don''t have much time left.
"I was insanely resentful of my father when he finally turned into aplete monster, and the veteran members who had been protecting me became the materials for the seal. However, somehow, I remember my father saying, ''I don''t have much time left.''"
Jin had a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu after that remark.
When he returned from Lafrarosa and was bing the gbearer, Jin had heard Cyron say exactly the same words.
I don''t have much time left...
What the hell does that mean...?
At that time, he hadn''t thought much about the reasons behind Cyron''s limited time. Instead, he had focused on the importance of bing the Patriarch before Cyron''s time ran out.
Smarion...
How''s that beentely?
That...
What if "that" was the connection between Cyron and Smarion?
What if Smarion had be a monster because of something my father referred to as "that," and if my father also has the same issue...?
Smarion became a monster, and his father was also affected by the same problem.
This led Jin to a horrifying assumption.
Could my father also... turn into a monster?
Like Smarion Proch...
Beyond this seal?
Smarion''s words could only haunt Jin.
Normally, such a statement was only made when the other person also knew the situation.
Jin''s heart pounded, and his thoughts raced.
"Lata-nim, have you ever heard what my father meant by ''that''?"
"Unfortunately, no. I''ve asked some of the deceased elders, but they didn''t know either. Cyron-nim is probably the only one who knows."
The ck Sea.
It has some connection to that darknd.
Jin felt a strong conviction.
It must be deeply rted to why Cyron is so obsessed with the ck Sea.
''Why my father is fixated on the ck Sea and what he''s looking for there might be rified when the older sister Luna returns.''
And the monster behind this red seal could be a clue.
Of course, it''s the Phantom Mercenaries'' greatest weakness rather than the possibility of being a clue.
Jin organized his thoughts and met Lata''s gaze.
"Since we can''t ask my father now, we have to figure out what ''that'' is."
"Yes, my lord."
"But finding the escaped elders is our top priority. Not only do they possess information about this seal, but they also know about our blood alliance. We can''t let that information spread."
In most cases...
Jin didn''t want to make public the fact that the Phantom Mercenaries had be his force. He preferred to reveal the extent of his influence once it had grown more.
Moreover, the Phantom Mercenaries needed to maintain a facade of neutrality and preserve their connections to interact with other factions.
"That''s right."
"The issue is more significant than I expected. It''s highly likely that they may have already conspired with others, but... Let''s hope it hasn''t happened yet. Whether it''s Zipple, Kinzelo, the imperial family, or even Runcandel. If any of them tries to break this seal and invade the Phantom Fortress, there will be no solution."
"I am ashamed, my lord."
"I''ll return and immediately start dispersing my people. Please give me the map with the escape routes marked and all the information about the traitors."
"Understood."
"And Lata-nim..."
"Yes, my lord."
Jin smiled and added:
"I''m counting on you from now on."
"I''ll do what I can, my lord."
----------------------------------------
Meanwhile, as Jin received the oath of loyalty from Lata and the mercenaries within the Phantom Fortress, the elder members of the Runcandel council were holding another somber meeting.
''Tension is at its peak.'' A perfect phrase for their current situation.
"I didn''t expect the Acting Matriarch to act this way."
"She can''t do this. Do you know how much blood we''ve shed for the Acting Matriarch all these years?"
"Huh, testing the importance and value of the Elders Council... What more do we have to prove?"
Shouts!
The door opened as the council members vented their frustrations one by one.
"Has he arrived, Elder Council President?"
"Elder Council President!"
"Elder Council President, have you heard what happened..."
The neer was the Elder Council President, Jorden Runcandel.
The council members had been eagerly awaiting his arrival.
It was because they believed that if it was Jorden, he would find a way to salvage the situation.
If it hadn''t been for the recent series of events surrounding Jin.
Jorden must have been quite satisfied with the appearance of those old ghosts that had been waiting for him like eager puppies.
The elders couldn''t pass a proper judgment because they were intoxicated by the sweet acknowledgment they had received all this time.
But not anymore.
''These pathetic old bastards...''
Jorden immediately filled with anger and disgust at the spectacle that greeted him.
Since when?
Since when had Runcandel''s sharpest swords be like this?
He was filled with overwhelming doubts and regrets...
As if the bones in his chest were shattering.
As much as Jorden wished he could end those corrupt council elders right now, he never forgot that they were thest remaining support he had.
Indeed, he too had been drunk on power from a certain point onward, though not to the same extent.
''We must renew ourselves and be the pirs of Runcandel again!''
Otherwise, an era woulde when not only ascending to the throne but even surviving in the Garden of Swords would be uncertain.
"I can''t help but feel disappointed in you and in myself."
"This... Elder Council President...?"
Jorden looked at the council members with a different expression in his eyes.
"The time hase to reim our lost instincts and spirit. If we continue on this path, we will wither away and disappear. From today, the Elders Council will no longer participate in safe confrontations, so those who feel fear should withdraw now."
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 431
Chapter 431
C431 - Elderly In Crisis (5)
The elders did not take Jorden''s words too seriously. They simply considered it a nonsensical remark, much like when Jorden asionally unted his authority without any real reason.
"Haha, who dares to suggest that anyone could defeat us? Elder Council President."
"Of course, such a thing is improbable, but whatever happens, we are all willing to follow your will, Elder Council President."
"Yes, that''s right! If the Elder Council President wishes, I even have thoughts of returning to active duty immediately..."
Jorden''s expression turned cold as the elders exchangedpliments.
Jorden was infuriated by these empty, insincere responses.
"Oh, really? It seems you all understand my intentions well. None of you need to return to active duty. However, as I just mentioned... we will start a war with the Second and Twelfth gbearer from this very moment."
From that moment on, the elders realized that something had gone terribly wrong.
"Elder Council President, when you say ''war''..."
"Exactly as I said. Between the Second and Twelfth gbearer, we will start by shattering the forces of the Twelfth gbearer."
"What do you mean?"
"The Free City of Tikan."
When that name came out of Jorden''s lips...
The expressions on the faces of the elders hardened.
"That ce is the most crucial stronghold of the Twelfth gbearer, and the people there are his most trustedrades."
"Are you saying we''re going to attack Tikan?"
"Yes."
"But, Elder Council President. Haven''t you forgotten something?"
"No Runcandel can invade Tikan, Elder Council President."
"Did I deceive you? You''re wrong. It was just a stroke of luck. In fact, I had formed a connection with Kashimir-nim as soon as I arrived in Tikan."
"Very well. Despite everything, you passed the test. From today, no Runcandel, not even me, will set foot on Tikan soil without your permission."
"Thank you, Father."
A conversation between Cyron and Jin, which broke the taboo and briefly returned to the Family during his days as a Provisional gbearer.
At that time, Jin passed Cyron''s test and gained freedom from his base.
And regardless of the incidents Jin had caused, Runcandel members never directly attacked Tikan.
Even when the search order was issued near the end of his career as a Provisional gbearer, the Guardian Knights could not visit Tikan directly.
The Patriarch''s order is absolute.
Since Cyron had never revoked that order, Tikan remained an unreachablend for any other Runcandel except Jin.
"That''s correct. However, there is a way. We can send individuals who are not from Runcandel."
The elders could only open their eyes once more.
"Elder Council President, it''s not entirely incorrect... But isn''t it just for show? Surely, the Patriarch''s orders also prohibit Runcandel from attacking Tikan with the help of a third party."
"That''s true, Elder Council President. Besides, we all saw firsthand what happened when we recklessly used external forces to attack the Twelfth gbearer..."
The air seemed to chill as the elders remembered the moment when Jin had filled the table with the heads of the deceased elders.
"It seems that it is burdensome for all of you to fight against the Twelfth gbearer. It''s understandable. Those who follow my orders to attack Tikan would be nothing more than a mockery against the Patriarch''s orders. However, how many times has the Twelfth gbearer mocked and ridiculed us through such jests?"
Jorden was right.
Jin had broken the rules on multiple asions during his time as a Provisional gbearer...
And each time, he used jests to gain a reward instead of punishment.
"We should do the same. We have reached a point where a direct confrontation is no longer the answer. I have stated it clearly. There is no safe fight anymore. Those who are afraid can leave, but the Elders of Runcandel must let go of stubbornness and pride."
At that moment, most of the elders recalled Jorden''s youth.
Even before bing the ck Sword Association Head, Jorden had used purges to eliminate those who opposed him.
In the early days of his tenure as the ck Sword Association Head, he had continued the cycle of bloody purges for several years.
So, if one decided to resign and leave here, it essentially meant that someday they would inevitably face the sword of the ck Sword Association.
"The Twelfth gbearer... has not yet experienced the death of those beneath him. As the Elder Council President, I must make him understand that pain," Jorden continued.
"Elder Council President, then... whom do you n to send to Tikan?"
----------------------------------
An unnamed desert in the eastern part of Caskal, a feudal state of the Empire.
While Jorden and the elders nned to attack Tikan, Jin tracked down the renegade elders of the Phantom Legion Mercenaries along with some of hisrades.
"I would never have imagined that the Seigal n would establish a secret stronghold in such a remote ce. And the fact that the renegade elders have been coborating with them."
Lata spoke seated next to Jin.
Jin was disguised, sitting in a local restaurant and sipping tea.
Seigal n.
The main family of the Phantom Legion Mercenaries.
Most of their leaders were killed by Smarion Proch in the past, and they had fallen into ruin.
However, having ruled the Phantom Legion Mercenaries for generations, the Seigal n had hidden thest force they had in this arid and small desert.
When the Seven-Colored Peacocks and the Phantom Legion Mercenaries joined forces, their information-gathering capabilities exceeded expectations.
They discovered this desert just a few days after forming the alliance.
"Is it confirmed that the traitors leaked the secrets of the Phantom Fortress to the outside world?"
Lata nodded heavily.
"Yes. But we don''t know exactly which faction received the information: whether it was Vermont, Zipple, Kinzelo, or any other faction."
"Well, we''ll find out from now on. How big is the remaining force of the Seigal in the fortress?"
"There isn''t muchbat personnel, including servants. However, there are still some big ones, like the brothers Rox and Lox Seigal, who were once known as sacred figures before my father became the leader. The renegade elders are not pushovers either."
Rox () and Lox () Seigal.
Those were the names Jin had seen several times in the war history books.
They were individuals who would have easily be the Leaders of the Phantom Legion Mercenaries if Smarion had not existed.
Although they had kept a low profile for a long time, they hadn''tpletely sheathed their swords.
If they had, they would still be formidable fighters.
"Sir, you can wait here. My subordinates and I will take care of this."
"No, I will go with you. I need to gather information about the enemy forces and try to match our teamwork."
Fey and her team set up a perimeter, while Jin, Lata, and some squadron leaders prepared to assault the fortress.
"Be careful not to destroy too much inside, as there may be valuable information. If possible, subdue them quickly and quietly."
"Yes, my lord."
"And if there are civilians, all must be categorized as rescue targets. Do not kill them just because they are inconvenient."
Unlike prestigious knight ns and noble families, mercenaries normally handled these situations differently.
If they encounter a civilian during the mission, especially those who don''t contribute money, they kill them and deal with them if any issues arise.
However, the Phantom Legion Mercenaries were no longer just a group of mercenaries.
Since they were under Jin''smand, they had to follow the customs of a famous knight n.
"I will keep that in mind."
A whileter, Fey signaled that the perimeter was set, and Jin, Lata, and squadron leaders stealthily ventured into the dark desert.
Thest stronghold of the Seigal was an underground fortress.
They umted wealth by distributing narcotics and various ck market goods here, dreaming of driving out the Proch brothers and regaining control of the Phantom Legion Mercenaries with the help of the renegade elders.
While Jin brushed aside the sand to check the entrance, a voice came from the other side of the door.
"Who''s there?"
As it was a secret fortress, they didn''t post guards outside, but there was always someone behind the door.
Before the man could inquire about their identity, one of the squadron leaders drove a poisoned arrowhead into the door.
Bang!
A slight noise apanied by a brief tremor beyond the door was quickly suppressed.
Shortly after, another squadron leader used specially crafted and exclusive Phantom Legion Mercenaries explosives to silently blow the lock.
Indeed, they showcased exceptional infiltration skills, characteristic of one of the world''s top mercenary groups.
Upon entering, a vast space unfolded before them.
It seemed like they were stepping into a colossal anthill, and soon they coulde face to face with the remnants of the Seigal.
"Ku-!"
Seung!
But not a single one of them had a chance to alert the others.
They all ended up with their throats slit by Jin and the Phantom Legion Mercenaries'' swords, and not a single death cry escaped their lips.
Jin spared the life of one man and gave him a brief opportunity to speak.
"Please, spare me. I''m just a hired mercenary."
"Where are the Seigal brothers?"
"In the innermost central room... Please."
The man held no direct animosity towards them, willingly revealed the Seigal brothers'' location, and posed no significant future threat; he was just a hired mercenary.
However, Jin did not grant him mercy.
While Jin prioritized avoiding unnecessary deaths, he was not one to show mercy even to enemy soldiers who posed no immediate threat.
Bang!
Jin swiftly ended the man''s life, and the squadron leaders nodded in agreement to themselves.
"I was worried he might show some hesitation when mentioning the rescue of civilians."
"There''s no way our leader would have asked such a fool to swear loyalty. We won''t have to worry in the future."
Jin wiped the blood from his sword and nodded to the squadron leaders.
"Let''s move separately from here. Lata-nim and I will take care of the Seigal brothers, and the squadron leaders will search the rest of the area."
"Understood."
The squadron leaders dispersed, and Jin and Lata quickly and silently headed towards the Seigal brothers'' room.
Jin and Lata moved using their exceptional skills, and most of the enemies they encountered along the way didn''t even recognize them and met their demise without alerting others.
Finally, they reached thest room, and the two could confront the Seigal brothers.
Both were armed and ready.
"Lata Proch, you bastard...!"
"How did you find your way here?"
Lata didn''t respond and casually spun his paired swords.
"All right, it seems we''ve finallye to this. But do you think you can handle us alone?"
"Let''s go!"
Theypletely ignored the possibility that Jin might be a more skilled Warrior than Lata.
Therefore, Rox Seigal had focused solely on Lata''s movements...
And soon suffered the humiliation of having lost a leg from the start.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 432
Chapter 432
C432 - Elderly In Crisis (6)
Shriiek!
Sigmund pierced Rox''s bone and flesh with a sharp noise.
Rox wasn''t the kind of person to be easily defeated, but the result of solely focusing on Lata was bitter.
He btedly tried to step back, but blood was already spurting from the severed leg.
"Kugh...!"
The battle had ended the moment he lost his leg.
Jin calmly severed Rox''s other leg, then shifted his gaze to Lox, who barely clung to his spirit.
"Make sure this one doesn''t die, Lata-nim."
"How dare you, Rox!"
"Eh? Do you know who I am to speak so recklessly, Lox Seigal?"
Swoosh!
Jin''s sword descended toward Lox''s forehead. Lox easily reacted to the attack, but he was surprised by the force pressing his wrist when he stopped Jin''s strike.
What kind of force is this?
He blocked the blow, but it felt like his wrist was about to break, and the muscles supporting his posture were on the verge of tearing.
Just as Lox pondered over Jin''s identity.
Craack-le!
Lightning emanated from Sigmund''s sword, faintly shining with a bluish tone.
Until a few years ago, lightning symbolized the contractor of Peitel, but not anymore.
"Jin Runcandel...!"
"If you recognize me, then ept my sword peacefully."
The lightning from the Sword of Legends descended upon Lox''s head.
Lox, too, was a warrior who had reached a certain level, showing a resilient response against an attack he experienced for the first time.
But that was all he could do.
Even in pure swordsmanship skills, Jin was far ahead of Lox.
As the battle started in earnest, Rox was pushed back and seemed to be retreating.
"Have you really be Runcandel''s hound, as I''ve heard the elders say, Lata Proch?"
Lata shrugged as he roughly bandaged Rox''s leg.
"It seems the traitors informed you incorrectly, Lox. I''ve be a hound of Jin Runcandel, not Runcandel."
"You have no shame, bastard."
"Shame? Losing is the greatest shame in the mercenary world. You and the elders made a wrong decision, and you''re paying the price for it."
Lox red at Lata and charged at him, but Jin simply blocked his charge.
ng!
Sigmund and his sword shed, sparking as they collided.
Lox Seigal quickly came to the conclusion that escaping was impossible, not to mention winning this battle.
"Lox Seigal. We''ve just met as enemies, and I have no pent-up feelings against you. So, if you answer some of my questions, I''ll bid you farewell without pain."
"It''s frustrating that our throne was taken by that monster, Smarion, who appeared out of nowhere. But I never thought I would hear such words from someone like the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel."
"Can I take this as you rejecting my offer?"
As Jin asked, some of the squadron leaders who had gone in another direction entered the Seigal brothers'' room.
"My lord! We''ve captured them."
The squadron leaders had captured the traitorous elders from another room.
They had been poisoned to the point where they could barely speak.
Lata''s eyes gleamed with bloodlust as he looked at the elders.
"These old rats... Did they think they could defy my will? They even dared to coborate with Seigal and sought other factions that could end us."
Naturally, Jin felt no emotion about the betrayal of the Phantom Legion Mercenaries'' elders.
However, for Lata, their betrayal was a shock. The elders were not only people from Seigal, but they had also been closely rted to Lata for a long time.
"Thanks to you rats, my Lord had to bear the burden of the potential threat from the Phantom Legion Mercenaries as soon as we formed the blood alliance. So, from now on, answer my questions truthfully."
Lata seated Rox next to the Elders and continued speaking.
"First, which faction did you choose? Second, did you reveal the alliance between my lord and me, and the secrets of the Phantom Fortress? If you don''t answer my question truthfully, I''ll massacre you, your rtives, and even the dogs you raised."
It was not an empty threat. Lata was more than capable of carrying it out.
"Hahaha..."
There was silence for a moment, and then one of the captured Elders suddenly burst intoughter.
"Lata Proch! Do you think killing our rtives and family will be a tremendous pain for us?"
"What did you say?"
"What do you think, Jin Runcandel? Would we have left the Phantom Fortress if we were afraid of such things?"
Not only the Elders but also Rox Seigal was raising the corners of his lips.
"Lata, you said that I, Rox, and the Elders made the wrong decision and are paying the price. Losing is the greatest shame in the mercenary world. Yes... that statement is not wrong."
Lox spoke calmly, his voice firm and filled with a strange sense of confidence.
Jin felt like he had seen such an expression somewhere before.
"However, are we really the ones who made the wrong decision?"
"Lox Seigal, what nonsense are you babbling?"
"In my opinion, in the end, it will be you who pays the price, not us. Runcandel? You chose the wrong side, Lata."
The Seigal brothers and the Elders disyed enthusiastic behavior even in the face of death.
There was no sign of humility or mockery in their behavior.
What undey their attitude was neither courage nor pride.
Jin made that decision intuitively.
And suddenly, he thought of a person.
''Barton Vicenna.''
The only ck Knight who betrayed Runcandel and sided with Zipple.
Thest words of that man were like this.
-There are two things that will never change even if you kill me today. First, if Cyron-nim disappears, Runcandel will inevitably perish. Second, even if my body is destroyed, I can exist longer than you.
-When that timees, you''ll finally have to admit that Barton Vicenna''s choice was not wrong.
The Seigal brothers and the treacherous Elders had the same look that Barton had that day.
The gaze that only those who believed they had already entered a world where death had lost its meaning could have.
"Zipple?"
When Jin opened his mouth, all eyes turned to him.
"They joined Zipple and leaked information to you. They must have promised you immortality or transcendent power. So the idea of dying here now probably doesn''t scare them."
Jin wielded his sword and looked at Lox.
"But you know what? Someone told me the same thing before. And I told him how my sister and I broke the Demon God''s Orb."
The words "Demon God''s Orb" caught the attention of the Seigal brothers and the Elders, and they seemed bewildered.
"So... it would be wise not to put too much faith in the Demon God''s Orb. If it truly possesses such omnipotent power, then your deaths here would be meaningless. Lata-nim."
"Yes, my Lord."
"We don''t need to extract any information. Execute them all."
The moment Lata nodded, Lox stared at Jin.
"I have a gift for you, Jin Runcandel."
"It''s not necessary..."
Swing!
Suddenly, red characters began appearing all over Lox''s body.
Rox, along with the Elders, had suffered the same phenomenon.
And Jin and Lata had just seen something very simr to those red characters not long ago.
''It''s the same seal that imprisoned Smarion...!''
A seal that uses the user''s life as material, passed down from generation to generation only to the Elders of the Phantom Legion Mercenaries.
The remnants of Seigal were attempting to unleash this seal onest time.
Rox and Lox had inherited this seal from the Elders who had betrayed Lata long ago.
"You''re going to be sealed just like your father, Lata!"
"These lunatics...! Do they really n to kill everyst member of their family?"
Lox released a mockingughter in response to Lata''s question.
"Is there any reason for me to even bother with those things? It will be enough if weter take care of the Phantom Legion Mercenaries."
In other words, the remnants of Seigal were attempting self-destruction.
It wasn''t clear whether they sincerely believed that the remaining family members had no value in the fortress anymore, or if they were simply putting on airs of grandeur and pretending they were unharmed.
What was clear was that these remnants were nning to seal the entire fortress.
The red bodies seemed about to burst at any moment.
"Think about who really made the wrong decision in hell!"
Hahaha, kugh...!
Lox''sughter had continued for a long time, and suddenly, it quieted.
A red seal was drawn around, and the bodies of the Seigal remnants twisted and broke, being sucked into the seal.
They were attempting to imprison them just as they did with Smarion.
The red energy contracted as if the w of a giant was closing.
Lata and the squadron leaders instinctively wielded their swords against the seal.
The swords made contact, but the imprinted areas soon returned to their original state.
"My Lord! The squadron leaders and I will clear the way for you. Please, escape."
Although only a few days had passed since they formed the blood alliance, Lata spoke without hesitating for an instant.
"If we keep cutting the seal before it fully recovers, there might be a chance for you to escape, my Lord."
While Lata spoke, Jin examined the properties of the seal.
When he tried to cut it with his swords, like Lata and the others did, it immediately reversed, and it was clear that it took longer to recover when Jin used the lightning.
They could probably escape together if he used the Cascade or the Battle God''s Techniques, but there was no need for that.
I felt it when I cut open the gates of hell opened by Myuron Zipple in the past; undoubtedly, Shadow Energy will work better against it.
Jin wielded Bradamante infused with Shadow Energy, and the seal shattered like a sheet of paper.
Moreover, the recovery of the seal was extremely slow this time, unlike previous attempts.
"Lata-nim, there''s no need for all of you to risk your lives. I''ll clear the way for you. Let''s go."
Lata and the squadron leaders snapped back to reality upon hearing those words.
In the uing new era, it was clear that they were the ones who had grasped the best lifeline.
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 433:
Chapter 433:
C433 - Raiders, Brothers (1)
Therge pot simmered slowly...
And steam rose from its contents, which included octopus, mussels, abalones, scallops, ms, crab, creating a delicious aroma.
Seafood Soup.
It was a dish that Euria, the daughter of Kashimir and Alisa, had loved since she was two years old.
Now, she is nine.
She couldn''t go to school due to some circumstances, but she spent her days without feeling lonely or bored, along with Enya''s younger brother, Pinte (and the old dog Puffy), and Jet''s son, Kou.
And the day Euria especially enjoyed was when everyone, kids and adults, gathered to cook and eat Seafood Soup in this manner.
"Seafood Soup, Seafood Soup!"
Thanks to Euria''s enthusiastic chants, all the kids sang along to this strange and delightful song.
It was such an endearing sight that even Veris, whom the kids usually considered a witch, couldn''t help but chuckle.
Especially Kashimir and Alisa felt deep and intense emotions seeing Euria like this.
''If it weren''t for Jin-nim, Euria...''
''It''s a blessing to witness our daughter in these moments.''
The couple couldn''t help but get emotional as they served Seafood Soup to the children.
"Eat a lot, kids. Make sure to chew well."
"Yes!"
The adults raised their sses in a toast as they watched the children enjoy their meal.
It was a moment of harmony.
"Not only were we able to save Euria, but if it weren''t for Jin-nim, we wouldn''t have moments like this," Kashimir said.
"You''re right, Kashimir-nim. Thanks to Lord, people who would never have met are now gathered like a family. It''s so sweet andforting. It''s been a while since I''ve tasted such fine wine. It''s a shame that Lord isn''t here..."
It was the first time Tikan''spanions had such peaceful moments after the terror in the Emperor Sword Castle.
Along with the tasks they had left pending during their stay at the Emperor Sword Castle, there was a mountain of information to gather.
"Today, without Uncle Jin, no. Without oppa, it feels a bit empty," said Euria.
Everyone agreed with Euria.
"Aunt Strawberry Pie too."
"Butterfly too."
"Yes, we''re also disappointed. Is it delicious?"
"Yes, yes."
"Jin-nim said he''s overseeing the Guardian Knight promotion exam, right?"
"That''s right, Miss Enya. Indeed, you''re aware of Jin-nim''s schedule. It seems he intends to supervise the promotion of the Guardian Knights so that it doesn''t go ording to the Elder Council''s wishes. Even Murakan-nim mentioned that he would support Jin-nim and attend as an observer."
Although they couldn''t see the scene directly, they could easily imagine Murakan causing amotion.
After all, he was the guardian of the n and a powerful ck Dragon, so it wasn''t hard to imagine him shouting and making a scene.
"I think Murakan-nim might be the only one able to stand up to the guardian knights of Runcandel."
"I think he''ll do the same with the Elder Council in the near future."
Everyone chuckled and savored their food with a somewhat disappointed look.
They felt let down thinking that only Jin, Murakan, and Gilly couldn''t experience this intimate and warm moment.
"Next time, we should invite the Phantom Legion Leader to eat together with Jin-nim."
"At first, he behaved like a real madman, but I heard that once again, he risked his life to protect Lord. He''s notcking as my sessor."
"I think Jet, if you ever say something like that elsewhere, you might really disappear without a trace. I tolerated it because you''re cute, but Lata Proch doesn''t have that kind of personality."
"Probably, at least some of your fingers would have disappeared if you had him in front of you. Do you think the leader of the Phantom Legion is a coward?"
In response to Kuzan and Veris, Jet replied indifferently, as if unimpressed:
"I''m just trying to act tough sometimes. What''s wrong with you guys? Now that I think about it, you two are also my sessors."
For his part, Yulian, who was beside them, silently nodded in agreement. His Guardian Dragon, Caltor, still couldn''t wake up even though Quikantel gave him elixir every day.
However, since Jin brought the inner core of Ozdock, he had shown a very favorable attitude toward all hisrades.
Alisa brought a new bottle of alcohol amidst this conversation and looked at herrades.
"We''ll be busy again for a while after today. Everyone knows that Jin-nim is quite worried about Tikan these days, right?"
Indeed, Tikan has been one of Jin''s major concernstely.
Since the deration of patriarchy, internal conflicts had intensified, and there had recently been tensions with the emperor. Additionally, Zipple and Kinzelo had shown constant suspicious movements.
Now everyone knew that Tikan was Jin''s force, so it was not an exaggeration to say that it was a situation where an attack coulde at any moment.
"It''s fortunate that Runcandel can''t attack us directly thanks to Jin-nim. He said the Phantom Legion Mercenaries will soon send support troops, but we can''t rely only on the Lord. We have to prepare ourselves too."
Of course, those stationed with Tikan had considerable power, surpassing the forces of most small countries.
However, the issue was that their individual forces were excellent only inparison to small countries, and their limited number of troops was a significant problem.
"Jin-nim''s preparations for war and disaster response, which he has been working on since his days as a provisional gbearer, are slowly beingpleted."
"That alone isn''t enough, dear. Besides, that system is specialized for escape, not for defense or counterattack. Hm, maybe I should find and train some of my juniors who were abandoned by the imperial family."
"The abandoneds from the special forces are too dangerous."
"I know, it''s just something I said out of frustration. I''d rather hire the mercenary Am, even if it''s just for that."
Am, the great mercenary from the Gaifa inds, was a figure rivaling the leader of the ck King''s Mercenaries and was among the top three mercenaries in the world.
"Even if it''s not Am, we should consider the ck King''s Mercenaries. We should meet with their leader before the Lord arrives."
Said Kashimir, and someone approached them with lively steps.
"Dessert! We have special Latrie cookies! They''re fresh, crunchy, and delicious, too deadly for kids to eat!"
It was Latrie.
His appearance instantly captivated the attention of the children, leaving them spellbound, and even the adults couldn''t resist his appetite.
"Give me one!"
"Me too!"
Latrie smiled satisfactorily as the children rushed towards her.
However, a momentter, while Latrie distributed cookies, she suddenly nced towards Euria.
Unlike the children, Euria didn''t hurry to grab a cookie and was staring into empty space with vacant eyes.
"E-Euria!"
Latrie''s urgent voice made everyone immediately realize what was happening.
Euria was in a state where the power of Az Mil was manifesting.
Although it had significantly improvedpared to when she was very young...
Euria still couldn''t fully control the power of Az Mil.
It was a side effect of glimpsing too much of the future during her childhood.
Latrie quickly tried to "resonate" with her, but it wasn''t as easy as when Euria was very young.
"Latrie, Euria is fine!"
"I think I need to transform into my original form to get in..."
"No, I''m fine, Latrie."
It was Euria''s voice.
She continued to look into the future within her mind, but unlike before, she seemed to be aware of the boundaries between what she was "seeing" and the present.
"Can you hear my voice, Euria?"
"Yes, I can hear you."
"Does it hurt?"
"I don''t think so, not yet."
Latrie and herpanions exchanged nces.
Finally, Latrie sat in front of Euria and closed her eyes.
The resonance still wasn''t happening.
Instead, Latrie decided to calmly ask Euria what she was seeing.
"Euria, tell me what you see."
"Tikan..."
Euria responded in a dreamy, sleepy voice.
"In what part of Tikan? In our mansion, in the soda shop, or on the streets?"
"Everywhere. I can see everything... as if looking from afar."
"Is there something you''re riding? Like Murakan-nim or perhaps me?"
"Neither of you."
"Then, what does it look like?"
There was a moment of silence.
It was the result of intense concentration to discern the exact context that Az Mil''s power was showing.
"A boat... a small boat. And..."
"Kyaaah!"
Out of nowhere, Euria let out a scream and opened her eyes.
Latrie and the others immediately embraced Euria, who was trembling as if she had witnessed something extremely terrifying.
"Tikan."
Euria whispered with a trembling voice.
"Tikan will be attacked."
"When?"
"Right now..."
Boom...!
Before Euria could finish speaking, a terrifying explosion was heard from outside the mansion.
It felt like a small earthquake apanied by vibrations.
Something powerful was hitting the outer walls of the Free City.
"Are those cannon shots? Mana bombs?"
Jet reflexively shouted as he looked out the window, but Quikantel and the Warriors already knew it was something else.
What was attacking the Free City was the sword energy of the Warriors, and not just any sword energy - it was from individuals with at least 9-star power level, and there were many of them.
"Take the children to a safe ce, and everyone, prepare forbat. These are not ordinary individuals. Immediately contact Jin and the Phantom Mercenaries."
Quikantel shouted, and the explosions and vibrations continued to reverberate.
-----------------------------------------------
In the central training ground of the Garden of Swords, a solemn atmosphere prevailed as the guardian knights underwent their promotion examination.
Jin and Murakan were sitting on the opposite side, observing and evaluating not only the guardian knights but also the elders assessing them.
"If it weren''t for the elders, I would have promoted only those who fit perfectly with my taste. Having too many geniuses in the Family is a problem. We wouldn''tck knights even if we did things my way, tsk," said Murakan.
"Those who couldn''t be promoted despite their outstanding skills were being rotated among the gbearers anyway. Hm, that guy doesn''t seem bad," replied Jin.
Jin and Murakan were scrutinizing the gems among gems when someone hurriedly entered the training ground.
Crunch!
The door opened, and it was none other than the butler Petro.
Petro tried to maintain a serene expression not to reveal anything to potential enemies, but Jin saw through his anxiety and apprehension.
"Young Master, we''ve received an urgent distress signal from Tikan," Petro whispered as he approached.
Jin had to make an effort not to show his concern.
Jin calmly inquired about the situation:
"What is the exact content of the signal?"
''There''s a report of an invasion by 9-star or higher Warriors. There have been no additional signals.''
If there were no additional signals until they reached the transfer gate, it would mean an extremely serious situation.
"Have you contacted the Guardian?"
Of course.
''We depart immediately. Also, were any of my affiliated forces near Tikan?''
Fortunately, there were, otherwise, it could mean a disaster, Petro replied.
''Young Masters Daytona and Haytona have been wandering near Tikan for several days to see you.''
-
KO-FIBUY ME A COFEE
''Ko-fi o ''Buy Me A Coffe'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 434
Chapter 434
C434 - Raiders, Brothers (2)
The Tona brothers were fishing on a small uninhabited ind near Tikan.
They carried hidden weapons in a wooden boat and disguised themselves with straw hats that made them look like ordinary fishermen.
"When will we be able to meet the younger brother?"
Haytona asked.
As soon as Haytona spoke, a fish bit the hook.
Ssh~.
As the fishing rod trembled, Daytona quickly reeled it in.
Daytona thought it was a great catch after seeing therge arc drawn by the seawater in the air and the tension of the fishing line, but what he caught was a small fish.
The Tona brothers lost their appetite at the sight of the tiny fish.
"It seems like the younger one has be a very big person; it has be difficult for people like us to casually encounter him."
Daytona carefully removed the hook and gently released the fish back into the sea.
Naturally, that small fish could not be the protagonist of this vast ocean.
It was nothing more than a tiny creature among all the predators of the sea, including whales and sharks.
However fiercely it fought, it would find it difficult to be the sovereign of the sea.
In a way, the Tona brothers seemed to see themselves in the small fish swimming away.
Lately, the two of them had been feeling a deep sense of crisis.
They received even less attention within the Family, and they had not received expectations from Cyron and Rosa either.
The younger one at least showed some interest in them, so they wanted to get a little closer to him.
Their nanny Emma told them to use Jin''s strength to secure a ce within the Family or seek help for their survival.
But they just wanted to talk to him without any particr reason.
In other words, it was an unconscious desire to seek encouragement andfort from the object of their admiration.
However, the Tona brothers did not know what that feeling was.
No one had ever told them that sometimes humans can naturally feel those emotions when they are tired and going through a hard time.
Because they were born and raised in Runcandel.
"That''s true. He''s not someone we can meet without a special reason. But the problem will arise after we meet him. What will we say when he asks why we''vee? It would be pathetic to say we came because we missed him, right?"
"That''s true."
"Ah, if we hadn''t been so ignorant when we were young, maybe the younger one would have thought a bit more about us."
"Back then, we were truly fearless."
Their gazes turned toward the city of Tikan, beyond the fishing rod.
Tikan rose tall above the blue sea.
The ind towering high like a tower is the brilliant achievement of the younger brother.
They thought it would be more meaningful to be a part of that ind than of Runcandel.
After all, it seemed unlikely that they could gain much value from the Garden of Swords.
"...Let''s go back. We''ll only disappoint him more if we meet him like this. He''s a busy guy, so we can''t bother him just because we want to meet him."
"Yeah. It''s better to catch and kill Zipple''s fanatics or inspect the assigned territory."
"Hah~"
An incident urred as the brothers sighed deeply while packing up their fishing rods.
"What, what!"
"Crazy!"
The Tona brothers jumped up and looked at a small boat.
That boat was doing something different from several other fishing boats in the waters near Tikan.
The boat was filled with Warriors, not fishermen.
There were twenty of them standing on the deck.
The boat was very close to Tikan, and the Warriors did not hesitate to unsheath their swords and began firing sword energy towards the free city.
Boom...!
The outer wall, reinforced by magic, was suddenly sliced through by the sword energy, spilling like tofu.
"Who the hell are they?"
They couldn''t quickly identify their affiliation.
However, as the terrorist attack began, the brothers had an immediate certainty that they were facing a group of highly talented individuals.
At least 7 to 9 stars, possibly even more.
Who sent such skilled individuals?
Are they mercenaries?
There weren''t manyrge groups of mercenaries like this.
Is it Zipple?
Or the Imperial family?
Regardless of who sent them, can we win if we fight against them?
No, we can''t.
Strictly speaking, we have no reason to fight them.
We might get involved in something unnecessary.
After all, aren''t Jin''spanions in Tikan?
Various thoughts crossed the minds of the Tona brothers in an instant.
Naturally, the rational choice would be to stay still or retreat, but the Tona brothers shouted in unison:
"Let''s go!"
The fact that they coulde just to see the younger one meant they could also fight for him.
They didn''t care about gains or losses.
They used sword wind to propel their boat.
The distance was short, so the Tona brothers quickly reached the outer wall of Tikan.
They couldn''t win in a fight, and they had alreadye to that conclusion before arriving, but the Tona brothers startedughing as they approached the battlefield.
People in the world didn''t give them the nickname "Sons of Hell" for nothing.
"Stop, you bastards, no. Die!"
Daytona shouted.
His eyes flickered as he swung his great sword.
The sword aimed at the assassins trying to enter Tikan.
Swish!
The energy released from his sword cut through the air with a powerful roar.
At the same time, Haytona also extended his chain sword.
The Tona brothers were currently at 7 stars, but the blessed body of Runcandel enhanced their sword energy, making it no less powerful than the swords of those who had achieved even higher enlightenment.
Five of the assassins managed to deflect the sword energy.
The remaining fifteen had already entered Tikan and engaged inbat with Jin''srades inside.
"Die!"
Daytona and Haytona continued to unleash sword energy.
Four of the five assassins hesitated for a moment due to their momentum.
Blocking such powerful sword techniques on the unstable ship required incredible skill.
However, the four assassins didn''t need to block the sword energy from the Tona brothers.
The fifth person blocked it perfectly.
It was the captain of the five assassins remaining outside the ind.
The assassins carried ordinary longswords, perhaps to conceal their affiliations.
"This wasn''t in the information."
"What should we do?"
The captain and the assassins spoke.
They looked at the bold Tona brothers but only showed a dull reaction.
As if insignificant figures like them posed no threat.
As if they could decide when to spare or kill the Tona brothers.
That was driving the Tona brothers crazy.
"What should you do? Did you just discuss what to do with the two of us?"
"Hahaha, I''m going crazy. To think you''re so rxed with two gbearers from Runcandel in front of you. And the ce you attacked is the base of the Twelfth gbearer."
The Tona brothers fired sword energy once again, but this time the captain dispersed it effortlessly.
"Daytona Runcandel and Haytona Runcandel. I heard you''re stupid, but I didn''t know it was this severe."
The captain shook his head.
"What?"
"Didn''t you feel it from the beginning? You won''t stand a chance against me even if you die ande back to life."
The Tona brothers couldn''t deny it.
"Oh, I understand. But why?"
"It seems like you don''t value your lives much. Even if you rush at me and die here, do you think the Twelfth gbearer will appreciate it afterward?"
"Puh-huh, are you saying you''re showing us mercy, and we should retreat quietly?"
"That''s right."
"Unfortunately, someone reminded us recently that facing stronger opponents is a virtue of Runcandel. We can''t afford to back down now."
The Tona brothers jumped simultaneously, and the piece of the boat split due to their force.
Theynded on the boat where the assassins were, and the eyes of the Tona brothers gleamed with killing intent.
"I won''t stop you if you insist on wasting the chance to survive."
"It''s been a while since we shed swords with those not intimidated by the name Runcandel."
"Get in, heh! No, I''m going in!"
Haytona and Daytona charged, but the captain waved his single sword and pushed the brothers back.
"I''ll stay outside. I''ll finish this as quickly as possible and join you inside, so you should go meet the others."
The assassins dispersed.
The Tona brothers didn''t try to prevent the assassins from entering Tikan.
To be precise, they couldn''t.
They had no chance of victory with only the captain remaining on the boat.
He overwhelmed us by just standing there...
It''s clear that these assassins have been hired by the Second gbearer or the Elder Council.
Where the hell did theye from?
There are some more assassins of their level inside Tikan.
We need to reduce their number even if it''s by one if we can, but that seems difficult given the captain''s skill...
The oue the Tona brothers were expecting was clear:
Endurance.
''The younger brother must have received news of the attack on Tikan by now. We just have to endure until then. He won''t be long ining.''
Of course, there was a possibility that Jin''srades inside Tikan would defeat the assassins ande to support them.
However, that possibility wasn''t very high.
There were too many high-level assassins heading inside, and other assassins might infiltrate through different routes.
Therefore, it was natural.
A thunderous noise echoed as the swords of the Tona brothers shed with the captain''s sword.
The Tona brothers gritted their teeth with each blow they received, while the captain seemed calm, as if ying with a toy.
"Maybe you''re hoping for the Twelfth gbearer or other factions toe to your aid."
The captain spoke as he pointed to the sky amidst the fierce battle.
The number of clouds in the sky was strangely abundant.
"You should know that the transfer gate can''t be used when it''s snowing or raining."
When the captain finished speaking, lightning fell from the sky, and heavy rain began to pour.
"How... could this be? Did you control the weather?" Haytona asked, gritting his teeth, and the captain shrugged.
"One could say it''s observation, prediction, and experience. This storm willst at least two more days. After that time, you and Tikan will cease to exist in this world..."
Boom!
A sudden scream was heard amid the sounds of the torrential rain and howling wind, the desperate voice of the Tona brothers.
It was the cry of the spirit beast, Snow Toad, Mort.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 435
Chapter 435
C435 - Raiders, Brothers (3)
Mort appeared in the middle of the sky out of nowhere, as if splitting the sky in two.
"What... is that?"
"A giant toad...?!"
The Tona brothers eximed at the same time.
Mort''s solid white body cast a shadow over the Tona brothers and the assassins'' boats.
Although they shouted in surprise, the Tona brothers knew perfectly well that Mort, the white toad, was Tris''s summoning beast.
It was the first time they had seen him in person, and they screamed reflexively given the circumstances.
The captain''s eyes also widened under his hood.
Hidden Pce Mistress, Tris Endorma...?
However, he had no idea why this monstrous woman hade here.
The captain hadn''t heard anything about the Tona brothers from the elders, but dealing with that level of variables was manageable.
But it was a different story if it was Tris.
People in the world knew Tris as the Abyssal Spider.
However, very few people knew the exact reason behind that name.
In fact, names like ''Solitary Tower in the Western Sea,'' "Full Ice," and "Winter" might fit Tris and the Hidden Pce better.
That''s why people in the world often thought it was simply due to the dark and fearsome image conveyed by the words "abyss" and "spider," or that it symbolized their truly immense pushiness by men.
The assassin and Tris locked eyes.
To him, Mort''s descent seemed very slow.
The assassin felt as if the end of the world were descending upon him.
Boom!
Before Mort''s huge four feet could touch the sea, the sound of something freezing rapidly was heard.
It was the sound of the sea freezing near Tikan.
A white cold emanated from Tris and covered the sea like a spiderweb.
The torrential rain froze, and the waves subsided.
The waves didn''t stoppletely but rode on the cold and spread towards the sky.
The frozen waves took less than 5 seconds to berge enough to form a kind of shield covering Tikan.
And it didn''t stop until it covered the entire ind.
Visibility dimmed due to the ice darkening the sky, but Tris''s Full Ice and cold energy illuminated intensely.
"Ugh, stupid toad. You should have arrived inside the mansion instead of here."
[Kwong....]
Tris shrugged while reprimanding Mort.
As she had pointed out, they had originally intended to appear inside the mansion, but Mort''s mistake had led them to fall into the sea.
Fortunately, this turned out to be a stroke of luck for the Tona brothers.
"Hey, the youngest one!"
"Jin...!"
The Tona brothers shouted again simultaneously.
Tris wasn''t alone on Mort.
Jin, Murakan, Siris, and along with the seven swords of the Hidden Pce, were also riding on Mort.
"It worked out well, Mort. This isn''t a totally inappropriate ce."
[Boom!]
"It seems these weaklings were trying to fight for my son-inw, huh? I''m proud of you, eh..."
While Tris spoke, the assassin quickly rushed towards the Tona brothers.
As they had been fighting a while ago, the distance between them was very short, and the assassin intended to use the Tona brothers as hostages.
If Jin hade alone, it would have been difficult to stop him, given the short distance.
However, Tris didn''t even lift Mort''s foot from his back and simply prevented the assassin from getting close to the Tona brothers with a carefree gesture.
Whoosh!
Ice pirs shot out between them after Tris''s gesture.
The assassin desperately swung his sword but couldn''t break the ice, and the Tona brothers quickly headed towards Mort.
"That''s not very polite when someone is talking."
"Are you okay, brothers?"
The Tona brothers nodded vigorously.
Jin couldn''t help but feel a strange mix of emotions as he watched their actions.
''They tormented me so much in my past life... but now, they are fighting to protect myrades.''
"We''re fine!"
"Everything is thanks to you."
Their responses were filled with newfound vitality.
Ping, ping!
Raindrops, turned into hail by the cold, continuously struck against the ice curtain, creating a pleasant sound.
''It would have been tough for my brothers to survive if we had arrived a littlete.''
There must be scattered enemies inside Tikan, so Jin''spanions couldn''t have alle out unscathed.
Undoubtedly, civilian casualties would have been significant.
If it weren''t for Tris, Jin would have arrived here when the attack had already ended.
"Young Master, we can''t use the transfer gate due to the bad weather conditions in the Tikan area."
"The Hidden Pce! What about the transfer gate leading to the Hidden Pce?"
A conversation Jin had with Butler Petro just before arriving in Tikan.
It was possible to instantly use the transfer gate between the Hidden Pce and Runcandel, and fortunately, Jin was able to request Tris''s help.
Moreover, thanks to the "direct line" of the Seven-Colored Peacock, Lukas Manfran, Tris was already aware of the situation just before Jin arrived.
Even if Jin hadn''te to seek her, Tris would have moved Mort to help Tikan.
The Hidden Pce was Jin''s most reliable ally from the moment Tris showed the seal of "Elona Zipple" or even earlier when she began to take an interest in Jin.
"Daughter."
"Yes, mother."
"You, along with my son-inw and the Seven Swords of the Hidden Pce, protect the interior of the ind."
"Understood. Seven Swords of the Hidden Pce, move quickly into the interior of Tikan! The goal is to protect the forces and civilians of Tikan, and if possible, subdue the enemy without resorting to excessive violence."
"As youmand!"
"Darling. No, handsome oppa, how about you transform into your true form and assess the situation?"
[Well, I was nning to do that anyway. But who are you calling ''darling''?]
"Heh, sorry."
Murakan transformed, revealing his ck and massive wings.
Jin climbed onto his back and reached out to the Tona brothers.
"How about you ride with me and help?"
The Tona brothers responded with expressions that said, "Are we really going to ride on the back of a big ck dragon?" with a hint of excitement.
Murakan decided to tease them a bit.
[How are these bastards going to ride on my back? You better hold on tight, or I''ll drop you, understood?]
Swish!
Murakan rose into the air.
And Siris and the Seven Swords of the Hidden Pce rode Mort towards the interior.
Only Tris and the assassin remained outside.
"Would you rather surrender and die without suffering, or would you prefer to resist and have a cruel death? I hope you choose wisely."
Tris aimed Full Ice at the assassin.
The option to survive ande out alive had disappeared for the assassin and hispanions after Tris''s appearance.
The assassin adjusted his stance.
He released extraordinary energy.
The person in front of him was Tris, but she was by no means an anonymous nobody who could disappear without a trace.
"...How is it possible for the master of the Hidden Pce to move for the sake of the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel?"
"Can I understand that you chose the second, right?"
Swish!
Tris slid on the ice and swung Full Ice.
The assassin blocked the blow and dispersed the sword''s energy.
Of course...
Tris didn''t put all her power into her first attack, but she didn''t expect the assassin to defend so cleanly.
"My son-inw said something beforeing here. He was sure that the Elder Council had hired you. He thought you might be ck King Mercenaries or from Am Mercenaries, but it doesn''t seem like it at all."
Tris had fought many battles in her youth against ck King Mercenaries and Am Mercenaries.
But the patterns she saw in the assassin''s sword werepletely different from what she had encountered in the past.
And the sword emitted a much more familiar feeling than the mercenaries of ck King or Am.
"Assassin, have we met somewhere before? It feels familiar."
Although they were engaged in a fierce battle, the assassin didn''t have time to respond to such a question.
He''s exerting all his strength, while Tris faces him effortlessly.
"I''m curious. How about revealing which organization you belong to?"
Tris increased her pace, and the assassin''s defensive posture became increasingly precarious.
Tris, armed with Full Ice, was almost invincible over the sea.
In addition to her unique physical abilities as a ten-star first-ss knight, the power of Full Ice emanating from all directions relentlessly pressured the assassin.
Swiish!
Instantly, the energy of Tris''s sword brushed against the assassin''s right cheek.
The assassin''s hood was torn off, and his face was exposed.
Tris couldn''t help but be surprised at that moment.
The assassin''s facial skin seemed to be melting.
It almost covered his eyes; his lips had nearly disappeared, revealing his teeth without him even opening his mouth.
His ears had been crushed and were not visible at all.
Not even an enemy does something like this.
Thebored breathing sounded as if he had problems with his respiratory system.
Haa~
The assassin gasped, and Tris stopped her attack.
She stared at him.
asionally, she saw a too-familiar face among his shattered features.
"You... It can''t be."
Tris''s eyes widened abruptly.
She had remembered who he was, or more precisely, his "affiliation."
"Aren''t you an Execution Knight of Runcandel? We fought before, right?"
Tris nodded as if understanding what had happened.
"Ah, you''re no longer an Execution Knight; you must be in exile, looking at your face like that. Your fighting style seemed quite unique. Yes, I remember now. It was a long time ago, but I recall fighting against you. Back then, you were the leader of the first division of the Knights of the Law. Your name was..."
"I have no name."
"Why not? I think I remember."
The assassin spoke after tearing off the hood and putting it on like a mask.
None of us can survive since you came here. You can kill us brutally or painlessly, as you wish."
The assassin''s sword emitted intense heat again.
Tris grinned evilly, seeing the assassin''s determination.
"Eh? Why would I kill you? It would be better to keep you alive if possible."
"What are you talking about, Mistress of the Hidden Pce?"
"If things go well, my son-inw might make use of you. For now... pray. Pray that your men haven''t harmed my son-inw''s people."
In that case, I couldn''t do without you even if I wanted to.
Tris continued speaking, extending her cold energy towards the assassin.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 436
C436 - Raiders, Brothers (4)
The coldness spread like a spider''s web and quickly enveloped the assassin.
He tried to escape but found himself powerless in his desperate attempts to avoid Tris''s sword with his feet bound.
"Kuk...!"
In just a few seconds, the assassin was trapped in Full Ice crystal, unable to move.
He could barely move his eyeballs within the ice after a while.
The reason he effortlessly dominated a 9-star Knight was that he was Tris Endorma.
"Ung, you''ve frozen quite well. Wait there quietly until everything is sorted out. Don''t even think aboutmitting suicide or self-destructing. It''s not like you can lift a finger."
Tris left the assassin behind and entered the interior of Tikan.
Once again, she reflected on where she had seen him before.
''Oh, yes, it was about thirty years ago. It was the day I went to see Cyron.''
About thirty years ago, there was a time when Tris had visited Cyron''s secret residence.
The only reason Tris sought out Cyron at that time was for a duel.
She couldn''t even remember how many times she had challenged Cyron, but she had been defeated by him over a hundred times.
That day, her frustration was more intense than usual, even after losing.
As a result, she continued causing a ruckus even after the duel ended and was determined to settle things once and for all.
She barged into Cyron''s secret hideout, insulted him, and insisted on fighting him to the death.
Well...
It was a quite dark chapter when I think about it now.
Back then, I felt like I might go crazy if I didn''t do something like that.
In thest thousand years, the hidden pce had surpassed the power of Runcandel, but it wasn''t umon for the master of the hidden pce to possess powers superior to those of the patriarch of Runcandel.
Tris also aspired to that goal and challenged Cyron every day. However, she never seeded.
In any case, Cyron had tolerated the unruly Tris.
-Tris. Instead of aspiring to defeat me, it would be better to dream of surpassing Runcandel.
For Cyron, Tris was almost his only friend and someone who could provide him with the greatest help if he was ever consumed by "Chaos."
There was no reason to kill her.
However, for some of the Execution Knights who had witnessed everything, Tris was a thorn in their side at that time.
Her disrespectful attitude towards Cyron was just the tip of the iceberg, and rumors about them spreading like a gue were also a problem.
There were rumors that Cyron spared Tris''s life because he felt sympathy for her and was unable to harm her.
I remember now...
Luton Ferman, that was definitely his name.
Luton Ferman.
He was the assassin who had just been trapped in the ice crystal by Tris and had been the leader of the First Division of the Execution Knights about thirty years ago.
Luton, along with the Execution Knights of that time, believed they had to confront Tris.
They considered it a way to increase Cyron and the Family''s prestige.
Of course, Cyron had never ordered them to attack Tris, but he hadn''t forbidden it either.
This led Luton''s division members tounch an assault against Tris.
''They broke into the Hidden Pce uninvited, and I beat them to death.''
Although Luton and hisrades were mostly 9-star knights, they couldn''t match Tris, especially within the Hidden Pce.
Tris defeated and subdued the knights.
She found their excessive loyalty adorable.
It was fortunate that someone as cold and ruthless as Cyron had such devoted subordinates.
So, although she didn''t appreciate Luton''s roughness and his team, she didn''t dislike them either.
Tris never reported the knights'' insubordination to Cyron, and they continued to challenge her repeatedly (although they all conspired against her) and kept losing.
It was somewhat simr to how Tris had acted with Cyron.
She saw Luton and hisrades as passionate, pure, and beastly guys.
In fact, she had developed a brief romantic rtionship with some of them, and Luton had been one of them.
Tris couldn''t help butugh as vivid memories began to resurface.
However, her expression immediately hardened afterward as she couldn''t help but think.
Seeing how he speaks now, he seems like someone who has lived as a wanderer, but why did such a loyal guy end up like this?
Maybe the others who attacked Tikan with him are also exiles.
I don''t think Cyron did this to them.
If Cyron really wanted to eliminate them, he would have done it cleanly, but disfiguring their faces to that extent wasn''t Cyron''s style.
''Whatever happened is Runcandel''s business, and I shouldn''t interfere. However, if possible, I would like my son-inw to absorb those disgraced beasts.''
If Jin bes the patriarch of Runcandel, in Tris''s eyes, they would be a significant force if Jin could absorb those exiles.
Even if they weren''t absorbed as a force, these exiles could be an important pretext when dealing with the Elder Council in the future.
At first nce, the interior of Tikan seemed like a battlefield.
The sky was darkened by the Full Ice curtain and Murakan''s shadow force, and below, a mixture of mana and aura caused explosions on every level (the Tikan Free City has a tower-shaped structure).
But contrary to appearances, the interior remained unharmed.
This was thanks to the reinforcement from the Hidden Pce and the fact that the territory was small, making it easy for dragons to quickly inspect it from the air.
Murakan and Quikantel flew between levels, rescuing civilians who hadn''t managed to evade the chaos.
Jin, Siris, the Seven Swords of the Hidden Pce, the Tona brothers, and Tikan''srades contained the assassins.
Tris rode Full Ice and quickly inspected all levels.
She lent her power to those who seemed to need it.
"Son-inw, I''ve discovered who these intruders are..."
Tris approached Jin and began to speak but stopped mid-sentence because she had never seen Jin in that state before.
The Jin who was killing the assassins had an almost demonic face.
The depth of his anger and bloodlust was so astonishing that even Tris felt taken aback.
He looks a lot like his father in this state.
She had seen something simr in her youth when Cyron filled with hatred after losing hisrades.
Perhaps what she saw in Jin was even more intense.
After all, there was still no confirmation of any casualties among hisrades.
Although the assassins were not all former Execution Knights, they were all highly skilled individuals.
However, Jin effortlessly mowed them down as if they were dead leaves.
"You wretches dare to attack here...!"
Jin quickly turned his head to look at Tris. He had btedly sensed her presence and managed to regainposure. He pushed back the emotions that had overwhelmed his senses.
"I apologize, Lady Tris. I didn''t hear you well. Please repeat what you said."
"I mentioned that I had discovered the identity of these intruders. They are exiles from Runcandel."
"I suspected as much. There are only a limited number of organizations capable of mobilizing mercenaries of this caliber..."
"Hmm. Some of them, including the one I just faced outside, may have a past as former Execution Knights. Before considering annihting them all, it wouldn''t be a bad idea to have a conversation with them if Tikan''s losses are not too great. Some of them weren''t so bad from what I recall."
Jin nodded.
"I will do that, Tris-nim."
"It seemed like you had turned into a furious demon a moment ago, but you recoveredposure very quickly."
Jin awkwardly smiled at Tris''s words.
"It was a mistake. I had been prepared for the possibility of something like this happening, but it wasn''t easy to control my anger when facing it directly."
What if Tris had been absent?
What if Mort couldn''t use dimensional jump in the current situation?
What if he was in a ce where he couldn''t receive updates from Kashimir and Petro?
These assumptions had fueled Jin''s anger.
"Fortunately, there doesn''t seem to be significant damage, from what I observed whileing here. There hasn''t been a single visible casualty so far."
"Even among civilians?"
"Yes. Although there is considerable damage to buildings and facilities. Once you have subdued them, you can assess the exact extent of the damage yourself. Also, keep in mind that the assassins may be your allies, given their status as exiles. Show them a little mercy."
"Thank you, Tris-nim."
"If you''re grateful, marry my daughter as soon as possible."
Jin didn''t respond to that statement and just nodded.
On the night they discussed in the Hidden Pce, Jin and Siris had agreed to ignore Tris''s frequent mentions of their marriage.
[Jin.]
While flying, Quikantel spotted Jin and descended to the ground.
"Quikantel-nim! Is everyone safe?"
[The mansion has suffered no damage. It''s thanks to your swift arrival with Murakan and the Hidden Pce group.]
Jin sighed in relief upon hearing that, and Quikantel and Tris exchanged greetings with a nod of the head.
[You have my gratitude, Fifty-First Master of the Hidden Pce.]
"Don''t mention it. I''ve heard you often had connections with my predecessors. I look forward to your kind cooperation."
The terrorist attack waspletely suppressed within 30 minutes after Jin, Murakan, and the Hidden Pce group arrived at Tikan.
The assassins who attacked Tikan numbered seventy in total.
In addition to the twenty encountered by the Tona brothers, fifty assassins had entered from the opposite direction.
Once Tris confirmed the magnitude of the attack, she judged that Tikan would have been safe even if they hadn''t arrived.
"It seems that the elders of your Family thought Quikantel-nim wasn''t here and sent only this number."
If Quikantel hadn''t been there, and if Jin''s reinforcements hadn''t arrived promptly, these attackers would have been more than capable ofpletely destroying Tikan.
Jin looked at the assassins who had been captured and brought to the mansion.
There was Lutan Ferman, who was bound with ice crystal, another former execution knight in exile, and three normal assassins.
All the others had been killed by Jin and hisrades.
Jin addressed the three ordinary assassins.
"Are you exiles from Runcandel too?"
"No."
"You could have done the same if the roles were reversed. Don''t assume that I''m unjustly judging you."
sh!
Jin ended the lives of those three without hesitation.
He didn''t wield the sword with rage, as before.
After all, they had to pay for attacking his territory without sufficient reason.
Now there were two exiled former Execution Knights left.
Jin''s cold gaze settled on them.
"How dare you touch this ce despite being exiles? I can''t understand what promises the Elder Council made to you. Or perhaps, did the elders take your families as hostages?"
"All members of our family were killed a long time ago. It happened on the same day we were exiled. Did you ask why we attacked under the orders of the Elder Council despite being exiles, Twelfth gbearer?"
Lutan spoke in a low and cold voice.
"For revenge."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 437
Chapter 437
C437 - Raiders, Brothers (5)
"Revenge, huh? There was no resentment between you and me. Until today, that is. So, if you attacked me, it must mean you wanted revenge through the power of the Elder Council."
When Jin responded, Luton''s gaze turned to Tris.
He hadn''t used the past to plead for his life.
"Hmm, why are you looking at me? Even if I wasn''t here, you wouldn''t have been able to do much against Tikan. You haven''t lost your senses so much that you can''t calcte that much, right?"
The assassins who attacked Tikan possessed enough power to potentially annihte a small country.
If Tikan didn''t have Quikantel, he would have suffered significant damage or even disappeared altogether.
"...I know. We haven''t heard anything about the Silver Dragon being here either. It seems the Elder Council has be quite ipetent, much like our dull swords. The information about this mission was full of variables from the start."
"Aren''t the Execution Knights of Runcandel supposed to carry out their assigned missions wlessly even amid those variables?"
"That''s true, Tris. But we are just exiles now, no longer Execution Knights. Anyway, it seems strange that you''re working for the Twelfth gbearer."
"Why is it strange? I''m just helping my son-inw."
Pfft~
A strangeugh emerged from the distorted lips of the exiles.
"I had a premonition that someday I would meet amentable death. I don''t know if encountering an old friend in that process is a curse or a blessing."
"If I have to say, it''s closer to being a blessing. You used to allow yourself those sentimental things without meaning even when you were young. Luton, tell me what happened. I thought one of you had be a ck Knight, as I haven''t heard anything from you for a long time."
Tris had a curious look, wondering how they had ended up in this situation.
Although they didn''t consider themselves friends, they had created a certain bond, so it was natural for Tris to feel curious.
Jin also had his doubts about them, as they were "Execution Knights" before being exiled.
Apart from the ten ck helmets, being Execution Knights was normally the highest position a Runcandel knight could reach.
If used of treason, no matter how great their merits, they would have lost their lives instead of being simply exiled.
But aside from treason, normally there is no punishment more severe than exile for Execution Knights.
Purge.
That word came to Jin''s mind.
''I understand in broad strokes.''
Jin and Luton''s gazes met again.
Luton had been silently looking at Jin for a while.
He never thought that the Twelfth gbearer would adorn hisst moments.
With a smile, Luton opened his mouth.
"Twelfth gbearer, we were Runcandel knights long before you were born, and we were the swords of the current Patriarch. Although we couldn''t wear the ck helms, we could boast of being among the best knights of the time."
If his face hadn''t been disfigured, and if he hadn''t suffered terrible wounds all over his body, Luton could have be a ck Knight.
"When Cyron Runcandel spent a long time in the ck Sea, we served under the patriarch under the First gbearer."
"Big sister Luna?"
It was the first time Jin had heard this.
Luna was famous for her unfriendly behavior, true to her nickname of the White Whale.
"During that time, everyone was convinced that the First gbearer would undoubtedly be the next patriarch. But, Twelfth gbearer, it must have been around the time you were born."
When the First gbearer dered she would not be the patriarch.
Luton kept talking, and Jin could still see an expression of deep bitterness on his face even though it waspletely disfigured.
"Over the decades, our affiliations have gone from being the family''s guardian knights to execution knights, then knights of the patriarch, and finally knights of the First gbearer."
If that was the case, then the next step would have been for them to be knights of another gbearer or to join the Elder Council as execution knights for the family.
However, Luton and hisrades had to face a future they had never imagined.
"The Second gbearer..."
Joshua Runcandel.
Luton paused momentarily when mentioning the name.
"We thought we would be his knights. Even before the First gbearer resigned from the throne, Rosa-nim often showed signs of wanting to support the Second gbearer."
At that time, Cyron had spent more time in the ck Sea than in the Garden of Swords.
Therefore, managing the family was mainly Rosa''s responsibility at that time. Rosa did not appoint the exiled knights as the Second gbearer''s knights.
Luton and hisrades were a total of fifteen at that time, meaning there were fifteen high-ranking Execution Knights.
"He just pushed us aside as if we were worth nothing."
Rosa purged them just as Jin predicted at the beginning of the conversation.
Rosa got rid of everything rted to them as if they had never existed in the world.
She took away their lives, their families, their fellow swordsmen, the animals they had raised, and even their acquaintances.
Although Luton and hisrades believed in their abilities as high-ranking knights, they felt defenseless when stabbed by the same swords they trusted.
They had never thought that the Family would end up abandoning them.
"The four out of fifteen of us managed to survive with the help of the ck Sword Association Head. We ended up in this miserable situation. However, one of us died shortly after, and another died while assisting the Elder Council with their work a few years ago."
"So, that''s why only you two are left?"
"That''s right."
They had devoted their entire lives to Runcandel, but why were they purged so brutally?
Exiled Execution Knights could never escape that persistent question throughout their lives.
"It seems my mother judged that it would be difficult for the Second gbearer to handle swords like you."
"...Probably so. Otherwise, there would have been no reason to purge us."
Luton and hisrades had been Cyron''s knights back in the day, and they attacked Tris without his orders.
They looked so savage that even Tris described them as "ferocious beasts."
That''s why Rosa didn''t assign them to Joshua.
They were not assigned as family execution knights to the Elder Council either because Rosa judged that the Elder Council could gain more power than necessary.
They were left to face the purge without even having the chance to pledge loyalty to other siblings who had not yet be gbearers or to those who had recently be gbearers.
Of course, it was an unreasonable situation for them.
But in the face of an iprehensible and irrational situation, they had no power to resist.
The adversary was Rosa Runcandel, after all.
"Hmm... Luton, there''s something that makes me curious in this story."
Tris squinted slightly and spoke.
"What the hell was Cyron doing when things reached that point? Did Cyron just sit back while Rosa-nim executed you without any legitimate reason?"
Luton slowly nodded.
"Yes."
"Why the hell?"
"...I doubt you''re asking because you really don''t know, Tris."
Tris sighed.
It was because he remembered his friend, who had be even more emotionally deste than the desert.
"Cyron used to worry about you quite a bit 30 years ago. So, did he really do nothing to intervene until it got to this point?"
"After the First gbearer resigned from the throne, the patriarch seemed disappointed with everything in the world for a while. Maybe that''s why he no longer cared about us. He has never shown curiosity about our well-being, has he?"
"Well, of course, I thought there wouldn''t be major problems with your safety. How could I know the inner workings of Runcandel? Andparing Cyron and me in terms of taking care of you would be inappropriate."
"That''s true. Since the patriarch didn''t care, there was no reason for you to know about us. But, aside from the patriarch, you were the closest to us."
Luton continued as he observed Tris, who paused.
"Of course, I''m not bringing this up to hold a grudge against you."
"Yes, I understand that. And you shouldn''t hold a grudge against me. Unless you''vee to the Hidden Pce seeking help after surviving, perhaps."
"That''s right. We never came to you because we thought you had nothing to do with this. You were the closest person to me and myrades, but objectively, it was nothing exceptional. To you, we were just a passing rtionship."
Tris shrugged.
However, if you hade to me, I would undoubtedly have tried to help you in some way.
Tris didn''t say it out loud because it didn''t make sense.
There was a brief silence.
"I have nothing more to say."
"That''s something I''ll decide. I still have a few questions," said Jin.
"Earlier, you mentioned that the reason you attacked me was revenge. Is the target of your revenge my mother?"
"Yes, that''s right."
"How did ite to that?"
"The ck Sword Association Head ordered me for his own benefit. And everything he does is in pursuit of bing the patriarch."
"Do you really think that the Elder Council President Jorden can defeat Joshua and be the patriarch? Seriously?"
Jin gave a look of genuine bewilderment, and Lutan nodded.
"No matter the odds. We have no other choice."
"In other words, you''re trying to achieve revenge through the ck Sword Association Head. Judging by what you''re saying, it doesn''t seem like you''re acting out of gratitude for being saved."
"Gratitude? Jorden used us like dogs whenever he wanted, so we''ve already paid that debt. Maybe we would have been more grateful if he had freed us from this ordeal and let us live, but s."
Indeed, the exiled Execution Knights were motivated by revenge.
"Well, then let me ask onest question."
"What is it?"
"You mentioned that you survived with the help of the ck Sword Association Head, Jorden Runcandel. However, does my mother know?"
"She doesn''t know."
"I suppose so. You wouldn''t have survived until now if my mother knew. And that fact is your only practical means of revenge against her... I can offer you a more dignified death."
"A dignified death?"
"In any case, you''ll never see a future where the ck Sword Association Head bes the patriarch. It will all end if you die by my hand now, and your revenge won''te to fruition."
"What are you trying to say, Twelfth gbearer?"
When Lutan raised his head, Jin continued.
"Return to the Garden of Swords. Go there and make sure the news spreads that the Leader of the ck Sword Association defied my mother''s directives. Undermine his authority. That would be the most impactful revenge you can achieve."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 438
C438 - Someday, when you have forgotten, like an unforeseen catastrophe (1)
Five days had passed since the exiles and wanderers attacked Tikan.
However, despite receiving reports, the Twelfth gbearer still showed no significant movement, leaving the elders in growing anxiety day by day.
In a vige of the Elder Council in the city of Calon, Jorden and his fellow Elders sat around a round table with frustrated expressions.
In front of them were stacks of newspapers from various countries covering the recent incident.
Free City Tikan attacked by unknown assants.
Some facilities and structures were damaged, but no casualties reported...
The reason the garrison of Free City Tikan turned into the steel army, and about Jin Runcandel.
As demonstrated during the Emperor Sword Castle incident, the Twelfth gbearer has an exceptional ability to respond to terrorism.
It''s not that the Twelfth gbearer is particrly outstanding; it''s just a virtue that any Runcandel gbearer should possess...
Injured: 12
Deceased: 0!
All terrorists dead, the dignity of the Free City.
Why do terrorists thrive so soon after the Emperor Sword Castle terrorism?
The identities of the terrorists are still unknown...
What kind of response will the Twelfth gbearer show?
The cover of all newspapers was filled with reports on the Tikan terrorism.
This was true not only for Hufester but also for some newspapers from Vermont and the Lutero Magical Federation.
Some of the Elders sighed as they looked at the newspapers.
In reality, everyone wanted to sigh, but they held back because they were observing Jorden, whose body trembled with anger.
At that moment, sighing was a privilege reserved for high-ranking Elders.
"No casualties... not a single one!"
Jorden shouted as he tightly gripped the newspaper in front of him. His eyes, with bloodshot pupils, were filled with grim anger.
"Is this possible?"
Bam!
Jorden''s fist shattered the round table into pieces, sending fragments flying in all directions.
Jorden had never expected such an oue when he decided to send the exiled execution knight to Tikan.
It might have been impossible topletely eliminate Tikan, but he thought that at least some of Jin''srades and many civilians would lose their lives.
Since the terrorist attack was carried out by two exiles and at least 7-star attackers, it was not at all excessive to expect such damage.
"This is unbelievable, Elder President of the Council. As bad as they were, a few hundred civilians, no. That''s too little too. There should be at least a thousand civilian casualties."
"Please calm down, Elder President of the Council. Have some cold water. Look, let me bring you some cold water!"
"It''s clear that the exiles betrayed us."
"But what could have led them to betray us? Their goal was revenge. They know the power of the ck Sword Association better than anyone, so they wouldn''t have valued the Twelfth gbearer more than the Elder Council President."
"However, the results don''t make sense if it''s not betrayal. Moreover, these articles are based on information intentionally leaked by the Twelfth gbearer to the media. So it means he''s lying about the death of all the exiles and unaffiliated swordsmen."
"Doesn''t it also mean he''s lying about the absence of casualties in Tikan?"
"Can you really say that after knowing the Twelfth gbearer? That demon would never do anything against his interests. It''s an issue that will be clearly revealed once we investigate properly, and the damage in Tikan has already been verified by several organizations from different countries."
"Well, yes. The Twelfth gbearer. It''s worrying that he had the audacity to bring back the heads of the deceased Eldersst time, but he hasn''t shown any movement yet."
The Elders chatted among themselves, and all eyes were on Jorden''s reaction.
The oue of the situation could either be covered up or worsened depending on the decision he made.
Jorden''s heavy breath, sounding like a whistle, gradually calmed down. He could barely control his anger.
"I understand that everyone is concerned. The Twelfth gbearer, that lunatic may be inactive for now, but we can''t let it slide. He will undoubtedly seek revenge likest time when he brought back the heads of the Elders."
As Jorden spoke, the dark expressions on the faces of the Elders deepened once again.
Some of them secretly thought that Jorden had "lost his touch."
He had boldly waged war against the Twelfth gbearer with confidence, but the result was disappointing from the beginning.
"So, what should we do, Elder President of the Council?"
"I am worried about what the Acting Matriarch saidst time. If we disappoint her again, she mentioned temporarily dissolving the Elder Council..."
"Oh, please, let''s not dwell on such negative remarks!"
Jorden sighed and rubbed his temples.
"First, the ck Sword Association..."
Before Jorden could continue, they heard the sound of someone running down the hallway.
"Elder President of the Council, something terrible has happened!"
It was a Guardian Knight affiliated with the Elder Council.
His desperate attitude, distorted expression, and anxious eyes immediately filled Jorden and the Elders with a sense of foreboding.
It seemed that the Twelfth gbearer had started his retaliation.
"What''s going on? Speak calmly," said Jorden, his eyebrows trembling slightly as he made an effort to appear calm.
"The exiles... have reached the Garden of Swords!"
The members of the Elder Council let out a collective sigh of despair at the Guardian Knight''s response.
"Prepare... a carriage immediately!"
----------------------
December had arrived, and winter was in full swing, but absurdly intense rain fell.
In this strangely gloomy and erratic weather, the Guardian Knights guarding the Garden of Swords frequently found themselves gazing at the sky.
The sky seemed to weep inconsbly.
"It''s noon, but it looks like night. What the hell is up with this rain?"
"Yeah, this kind of weather gets you down. Let''s have a strong drink when it''s over..."
The gate guards and the Guardian Knights who were chatting fell silent and adjusted their postures.
They had seen a knight dressed in bright gray armor approaching from a distance.
The gray armor symbolized that this knight had the task of enforcing the Family''sws.
It was something all Guardian Knights of the Family aspired to and respected, along with the ck helmet.
The Guardian Knights stood at attention and saluted.
The execution knight returned the salute gracefully, and the gate leading to the Garden of Swords opened.
The Guardian Knights did not lower their hands until the execution knight disappeared from their sight.
"Certainly, the behavior of execution knights is different from that of ordinary guardian knights."
"But the person who just passed was wearing the old armor of the execution knights, right? It looks like something I''ve seen in the training manuals during our cadet days."
"Really? I''m not sure. I don''t see them often... I wonder if the day wille when I can wear that armor."
The gate guards had no idea that it was an execution knight who had been purged long ago.
Even if the armor was of an older design, they couldn''t imagine anyone being crazy enough to make and wear a fake Runcandel execution knight outfit, let alone in the heart of Huphester, the Garden of Swords.
"It''s armor that not just anyone can wear, so we show a lot of respect."
Thud, thud, thud.
Mud and water sshed under the steps of the exile.
The soaked cloak felt unusually heavy, as if it carried the weight of the years it had taken to return to this ce.
The Twelfth gbearer''s words were correct.
Damaging Rosa Runcandel''s authority and bravely exposing the truth was the ultimate revenge they could achieve.
''Why didn''t we think of such a simple idea all this time?''
The Exile knew the answer.
Because their desire for revenge was directed against "Rosa Runcandel," not Runcandel itself.
If they entered the Garden of Swords right now and revealed that they had survived all this time, Rosa would undoubtedly suffer significant harm.
But that wasn''t all.
If the other knights learned the truth, that the price paid for loyalty and dedication to the Family was this horrible punishment and exile...
That could potentially shake all of Runcandel.
The Exiles fiercely denied it, but they continued to love Runcandel even after their punishment.
Some might mock it as a twisted sense of loyalty, but it didn''t matter.
Their brightest days were undeniably linked to thisnd.
-As the Twelfth gbearer said, this is undoubtedly the only revenge we can take. But what we are about to do will not only threaten Rosa but all of Runcandel.
-Indeed.
-The unity of the Family will weaken, and it will be an opportunity for major factions like Zipple. Don''t you see?
-Is that the kind of Runcandel you want?
-What do you mean?
-A ridiculously weak and dirty Family that can be devoured by enemies if you don''t hide the stench? I don''t think you want that Runcandel. Anyway, the choice is yours. Whether you want to die here or go and reveal the truth.
Suddenly, he remembered a conversation they had with the Twelfth gbearer before reaching the Garden of Swords.
We could have been the Twelfth gbearer''s knights if he had been born a little earlier.
We could have defended honor to the end.
He took one step after another with an unsettling sense of regret inside.
He walked, savoring the Garden of Swords they had built with their own hands.
He looked at the countless swords nted around the garden and stopped for a moment.
And when he encountered the familiar faces of the aging stewards and assistants, he silently remembered their names.
At that moment, he saw a construction site on the side as if nothing had changed since before his exile.
Is that what the Twelfth gbearer did?
It was the central arena that the Twelfth gbearer had destroyed when making the patriarchal deration.
He stood there for a moment, imagining how fierce and extraordinary that battle must have been.
The raindrops falling indifferently on his armor felt cold.
He resumed his march, and finally, his steps stopped in the courtyard, right in front of the main house.
He stood tall and looked towards the main house.
And the attention of everyone nearby gradually shifted to him. All began to perceive that his actions were not normal.
Why is the execution knight there so calmly?
Has there been any execution knight wearing old armortely?
They began to wonder as they passed one by one, and in the midst of their passing...
The exile shouted loudly at the person standing in the main house, the person they had deeply despised.
His voice echoed like thunder.
"Rosa Runcandel,e out and listen to me!"
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 439
Chapter 439
C439 - Someday, when you have forgotten, like an unforeseen catastrophe (2)
A sharp and thunderous voice resonated in the dark sky as if it could tear it apart.
Raindrops falling scattered in all directions, unable to reach the exile due to the energy contained in the voice.
Rosa Runcandel,e out and listen to me...
All inhabitants of the Garden of Swords couldn''t help but doubt their ears after hearing this.
Neither the execution knights nor the ck Knights could address Rosa in such a way.
Family members and Guardian Knights passing by his sideit was a scene they couldn''t believe unless it was a dream.
''Was the strange and cloudy weather a sign that something like this was about to happen?''
Why did he stand like that in front of the main house?
Swing!
The Guardian Knights who unsheathed their swords were confused by the spectacle.
Judging by his strong and heavy aura, he was undoubtedly an execution knight, but they had no idea why he was doing this.
Certainly, they weren''t supposed to be his opponents.
They just had to hold on until other execution knights or the gbearers waiting inside came out.
The exile easily dodged the swords of the Guardian Knights flying towards him.
He effortlessly stopped the attack of the Guardian Knights, who fell on the wet grass, and the exile shouted once more.
"You must have remembered my voice, Rosa Runcandel. Reveal yourself."
The gbearers watched this scene from various ces in the main house.
"Well... I thought my ears were ying tricks on me."
"I''ve never seen someone so crazy. What the hell is going on?"
Miu and Anne, who were in the library, almost dropped their tea cups.
The same happened with Ran and Vigo, who were sitting across from them.
"...Judging by his skills, he''s indeed a true execution knight."
"Isn''t that an old-style armor? Is he someone who was expelled from the Family a long time ago?"
Ran and Vigo spoke, and a vein popped in Miu''s neck.
"Damn it! How the hell is Family disciplineing to this? The younger brother has always caused trouble, and now even the lower ones are making a ruckus. Isn''t it too much, Oraboni?"
Dyfus and Mary also observed the exile from another room.
They were silent for a while and couldn''t say anything.
"...Eh, what''s going on? Oraboni, do you have any guess?"
"I don''t. But somehow... it seems to be rted to the younger one."
"The younger one? Looking at the armor, it seems like this person was already an execution knight before the younger one was born. How is that possible?"
"It''s just a hunch."
"Well, he does resemble the style of the younger one. Turning the Family upside down like this. Hm... Let''s go down for now. I need to find out what this former execution knight has to say before being killed. We also need to see if there really is a connection with the younger one."
The exile continued to push back the attacking Guardian Knights, assisted by other guards.
Although it was a moment showcasing the dignity of the 9-star knights known as the "One-Man Army," this was still the Garden of Swords.
He couldn''t continue dealing alone with so many Guardian Knights, and high-ranking knights who had realized the emergency situation began toe out one by one.
Knights wearing gray armor simr to the exile''s began to appear all over the courtyard.
They were the execution knights of the Family.
They showed no signs of panic, not even in the face of this unexpected and unprecedented situation.
They didn''t care why the exile was doing this or which faction the execution knights belonged to.
Their only concern was to subdue him as soon as possible so that the Family leaders could make a decision calmly.
Kaaaaaaa!
The roar of the exile made nearby Guardian Knights step back.
That was the exile''s final struggle.
The swords of about ten execution knights extended among the Guardian Knights, and he no longer had any chance to resist.
At first, he managed to dodge some des, but soon the swords of execution knights of equal or higher skill pierced through his armor.
Like a chaotic vortex, shining swords tore through the outdated gray armor of the exile.
They pierced his arm, stabbed his breastte, wrinkled his shoulder pads, and shredded his gauntlets.
Blood and muddy water sttered in all directions, but the incessant rain prevented his blood from leaving a crimson trail.
"Kuugh...!"
A stream of blood spurted from the exile''s helmet.
Finally, the execution knights were able to kneel the exile in the middle of the courtyard.
Thud, thud!
The execution knights used their swords to pierce the exile''s thigh and immobilize him, and they stepped on his back to prevent him from lifting his head.
It looked like a young hunter capturing and exhibiting an old and fierce beast.
The exile didn''t scream even when the sword pierced his thigh and knee, nor did he make a sound when his arms were about to break.
The reinforcing knights sessfully subdued the exile.
Now, it was time for those making the decisions.
All gbearers, except Luna, who had gone to the ck Sea, and Luntia, who was on a mission on the continent, headed to the courtyard.
The execution knights tried to remove the helmet from the exile so that Joshua could clearly see his face.
But Mary shouted at that moment.
"Stop! Show him the mercy of being able to remove the helmet himself."
Mary believed that, regardless of the reason that led the exile tomit acts of rebellion, preserving his honor by allowing him to take off his own helmet was the right thing to do.
The execution knights only followed Mary''s order after Joshua nodded.
The exile took a long time to remove his helmet with broken and trembling arms.
Meanwhile, gbearers and important figures of the Family arrived at the scene.
Jorden, who had just arrived, felt an intense pressure in his chest.
If the exile started muttering nonsense, there would undoubtedly be problems regarding his position.
However, he couldn''t shout for them to kill the exile immediately.
Jorden suppressed his feelings of anxiety and silently observed the situation.
"State your name."
Joshua and the exile stared at each other.
Instead of revealing his name, the exile raised his voice again.
"Rosa Runcandel! You won''te out until the end. But you must be listening to my words."
"I asked for your name."
"I have no name to reveal to people like you, Second gbearer. We were crushed and trampled by Rosa without even having the chance to be your knights, so if you''re curious about my name, ask your mother."
Joshua''s eyes widened.
He had no idea that the former execution knights had been purged by Rosa because of him.
".... What are you talking about?"
"Jahaha, what am I talking about? Don''t tell me you know nothing. I can''t help butugh."
"Exin it so I can understand."
"Myrades and I used to serve the patriarch and the First gbearer. But, to the Second gbearer, we couldn''t serve. Rosa Runcandel deemed us unfit as your knights. She judged that you couldn''t control uspared to the First gbearer."
Joshua always felt inferior whenpared to Luna. However, he didn''t seem very affected by these words.
"So, did that lead you tomit treason?"
"Treason? I''m just revealing the truth. The traitors are elsewhere. Isn''t it strange, Second gbearer? The ck Panther herself purged us, and yet here I am, alive."
The exile turned his head with difficulty to find Jorden and the elder council members.
Jorden felt the urge to tear him apart when their gazes met, but he managed to restrain himself.
"Head of the ck Sword Association, Jorden Runcandel. He saved me and some of myrades without your mother knowing."
At that statement, the knights turned their attention to Jorden.
Joshua was the only gbearer who looked at Jin, not Jorden.
''Bastard... this is your doing.''
''Your Runcandel is full of lies and betrayal, Joshua.''
The two thought as if they were speaking to each other, and Jorden finally unleashed his anger.
"How dare you spout such nonsense, filthy traitor! Did I save you? At the time, it was me who confirmed your corpses, following the orders of the Acting Matriarch."
"So, you created fake corpses to save us. Your acting skills are impressive, Head of the ck Sword Association."
"Moreover, you were punished for your treacherous acts, not because the Second gbearer wascking. Did you suddenly develop a desire for honor as death approached and resorted to lies?"
"Lies? I came here with my own feet, seeking the Garden of Swords and my death. If it''s not the truth, what could be another reason?"
Just as Jorden was about to respond with a desperate voice...
"As the Head of the ck Sword Association said, there''s no proof that you''re not a traitor."
Joshua spoke.
"And the Acting Matriarch did everything for the good of the Family. A few words from a dirty traitor can''t tarnish the faith the Runcandels have. Your n has failed."
It was also a message to Jin.
The ck de of the Kainer Sword emerged from its sheath with a soft sound.
"If you have anyst words, speak them now. I will listen."
"Someday."
The exile began to say hisst words, staring fixedly at Jin.
"When you least expect it, like an unforeseen disaster."
The exile weakly smiled through his torn mouth, and Jin chose to forget that the exile had once attempted to kill hisrades.
"A rooted soul will appear and reveal your dirty actions to the world."
Sshhh!
''Thank you, Twelfth gbearer.''
The exile thought as the ck de of the Kainer Sword severed his neck.
Thest remaining exile, Luton Ferman, will someday find redemption through the Twelfth gbearer and tread thisnd again.
The day when the spirits of the unjustly deceased execution knights return.
Thud...!
The head of the exile fell to the ground.
"Leave the corpse for the dogs to feast on."
Joshua said, and turning around, the spectators in the courtyard began to disperse.
Those who witnessed the exile''s final moments were left with a lingering question:
Was he really a traitor?
In the midst of betrayal, doubt, and death, Jin stood firm until everyone left the courtyard.
Then, he took a flower from his pocket and ced it on the exile''s chest.
He also picked up the broken sword that the exile had wielded.
It was to nt it someday in the Garden of Swords.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 440:
Chapter 440:
C440 - To the ck King (1)
After the death of the exile, no one dared to openly discuss it.
But there was an unusual atmosphere among the members of the Family.
Given the many uncertainties surrounding the exile''s death, it was natural.
"Do you think what the exile said could be true?"
"What are you talking about?"
Two guardian knights, who had just finished their shifts and were starting their break, were engaged in a conversation.
"The part about the Acting Patriarch being concerned about the Second gbearer and punishing the execution knights at that time." Hearing this, one of the guardian knights nervously looked around.
Speaking ill of the Second gbearer could have irreversible consequences.
"Be careful with what you say!"
"There''s no one in the courtyard at this hour. You''re getting nervous for no reason. It''s the most secluded ce in the Garden of Swords, isn''t it?"
"Well, anyway, now that the exile is already dead, we can''t verify the truth behind those words."
"It was a situation where a thorough investigation should have been initiated, but the immediate execution of the exile seemed quite suspicious."
Joshua''s swift execution of the exile appeared to be an action to quickly cover up the incident.
"The same goes for the actions of the ck Sword Association Head. If he really didn''t save the exile, it would have been better to keep him alive and somehow prove his innocence."
The guardian knights fell silent for a moment. They seemed to be in a state of confusion.
"...If the exile''s words are true, then one can''t help but think that the price paid for long dedication to the Family is truly cruel.
Even the Acting Matriarch has not said anything about it yet."
"There''s now saying that we won''t end up like that someday."
"Yes, it''s quite an ufortable year-end..."
Kak!
The guardian knights suddenly heard the sound of a door opening from the ground.
The guardian knights startled and immediately assumed a defensive posture at the sound.
The Tona brothers emerged from the hidden door in the ground.
The guardian knights remained in a contemtive state.
"Sir!"
"Sir!"
The guardian knights saluted, and the Tona brothers let out an exasperated sigh.
"It seems you don''t value your lives much, discussing such dangerous matters."
"Uh, uh. You haven''t been here for even two years. Are you so eager to die?"
"We''re sorry!"
The guardian knights lowered their heads.
There was a fact that not only they but also all the knights who had been resting in this backyard did not know until now.
This ce was the mostfortable space within the garden for the Tona brothers as well.
The Tona brothers had built their own refuge here one day after being exhausted from Miu and Anne''s harassment.
It was a simple underground ce with a crude door attached...
But the Tona brothers were gathering more information than they had expected in this ce.
Just like now, they could casually overhear the conversations of Family members who came to this backyard.
The Tona brothers pretended to brush off dirt from their bodies, and the guardian knights approached them cautiously and stayed close.
Contrary to their words, the guardian knights felt that the Tona brothers didn''t regard them as harshly as they had initially thought.
"If it were all lies, why would he bother risking his life toe to the Garden of Swords? How unjust would he feel?"
"Huh?"
The eyes of the guardian knights widened at Daytona''s words.
"We believe the exile''sst words are not lies."
"Yes, that''s true." The Tona brothers had never participated in the hegemony war, except for a brief dispute with Jin during their cadet days.
It was a well-known fact among the guardian knights.
However, now the Tona brothers were openly speaking against the Second gbearer.
When the guardian knights hesitated to respond...
The brothers spoke again.
"The reason they''re not conducting a proper investigation is because the elder brother and the Elder Council have their own interests."
"Also, they left the body to be eaten by dogs. And it really could have gone that way if it weren''t for the younger one. Only the younger one was willing to go against our elder brother''s wishes and retrieve the body."
"What do you think?"
Faced with Daytona''s question, the guardian knights were at a loss.
It was natural since these guardian knights were neers who had not yet decided which side to align with.
"Well, we..."
"It doesn''t matter; we''ve troubled you."
"No, it''s not like that!"
"The younger brother said."
"The elder brother and the Elder Council should have kept him alive."
"Do you want to know why?"
The guardian knights could only reluctantly nod their heads.
"It''s because there is another exile who has not yete to the Garden of Swords."
"It would have been better if the elder brother and the Elder Council didn''t kill the exile who came this time and somehow recruited him or brainwashed him. Then, when the surviving exile arrives, they could have used his words as a means to deny the usations. Wasn''t his name Luton Ferman? Back then, he was the leader of the First Division of the execution knights."
Throughout the conversation, the guardian knights felt like they were sitting on pins and needles...
But in the end, they felt genuinely curious during that part.
"Is that really true? One more person..."
"Shh!"
Haytona covered his and the guardian knights'' mouths with his index finger.
Then, he smiled satisfactorily.
"What we want to tell you is..."
"The younger brother understands the value of loyalty better than anyone. That''s why we want to participate in the hegemony war seriously, along with the younger one."
"So you guys too..."
"It would be good to think it over carefully. If you want to receive proper rewards for your brilliant dedication in the future. That''s it for today."
"Watch your mouths wherever you go!"
The guardian knights left the courtyard in shock.
"Do we stop here today, Haytona?"
"Let''s. It seems everyone has a loose tongue, and rumors don''t spread very well."
The Tona brothers intentionally waited for the guardian knights seeking the backyard.
They listened to the conversation from inside the cave and only contacted those who expressed doubts about the recent events.
"As the younger brother said. Rumors will take some time to spread since everyone has been well trained. Let''s wait patiently. There will surely be results. Like everything the younger brother does."
"Once the rumors start to spread, Family members will have doubts. They will wonder why some of the Second gbearer and certain factions within the Elder Council are always looking for something."
Hidden Pce, the attention of those present focused when Jin spoke.
The icy bed where Trisy receiving a massage, along with Luton sitting by her side, Murakan and Siris on the opposite side: Everyone''s gaze was fixed on Jin.
"If it is revealed that their actions were not to resolve internal conflicts within the Family but to conceal something once again, then both will truly suffer significant consequences."
Jin had no intention of using the exile''s death just to create an ufortable atmosphere within the Family.
He wanted to shake the foundations and position of the Second gbearer and the Elder Council.
"Yes, the day Luton returns will probably be the day of the worst scandal in Runcandel''s history."
-The Twelfth gbearer is right, but one person must survive. Captain, please witness the end of those people. And someday, when the Twelfth gbearer bes the Patriarch and allows it, then please live on behalf of me and those who have died.
Luton gently caressed the sword left by the deceased exile, recalling hisst words.
At that moment, Luton wanted to say he would rather die. However, he didn''t dare utter those words. He knew better than anyone how painful it was to continue living with nothing but hatred.
Surviving was the most difficult and burdensome of all. Luton survived to take on more responsibilities.
"What should I do now?"
Luton asked.
"First, recover your body."
After the death of the exile, Jin and Luton used formalnguage when addressing each other.
Jin forgave Luton for attacking Tikan...
Believing that it was now right to treat him as an execution knight.
Luton had decided to be Jin''s sword, so he thought it appropriate to use honorifguage.
"Yes, you''ve weakened quite a bit. You''re still hovering around the 9-star level, but you weren''t supposed to be easily surpassed by me, right?"
After being severely injured by the Elder Council, Luton was in a significantly weakened state.
Although he was still at the 9-star level, he had originally been the leader of the First Division of the Execution Knights, making him one of the individuals closest to the ck Knights.
This also included the ck Knights of the previous generation, who were considered the "strongest in history," in other words, Cyron''s ck Knights.
Luton could have easily be a ck Knight if not for the purge that had urred.
"I also think I need to recover, but it seems there''s no way."
"You should go to the Holy Queen (Holy King) for treatment."
"...The Holy Queen?"
"Unless you use Numerus''s legacy, there will be limits even for her. However, is there anyone else who can provide better treatment than the Holy Queen? I''ll write a letter for you."
"Even the patriarch couldn''t easily make requests to the former Holy King, Min. You''re truly remarkable."
"You should leave without exposing yourself to anyone."
"Of course, that won''t be a problem."
"Well, you should improve to some extent with the Holy Queen''s treatment. Once you regain your former strength, focus on taking care of my son-inw, Luton."
"What will I do after the treatment?"
"You should be the master of my knights."
The younger division.
Jin nned to entrust their education to Luton.
"Train them mercilessly, just like the Execution Knights."
The younger division should be the focal point of the knights who would gather around Jin in the future.
For that, they must have corresponding skills.
The current younger division, aside from Bellop, Mesa, and Scott, had skills that barely reached the average level of the Guardian Knights, so it was necessary to make them grow quickly.
"There is a risk that they will lose their lives if I take that action. Moreover, those who have recently acquired the title of Guardian Knights generally do not show a willingness to undergo a new training period, as they are always eager to reap rewards."
Bing a Guardian Knight required an exhausting process, and it was natural that those who achieved it sought rewards for a while.
"If there are those who strongly object, you can dismiss them without informing me. But I don''t think anyone will refuse."
"Understood. Tomorrow, I will go to see the Holy Queen, so please have the neers sent to me immediately. It would be best to start right away."
"By the way, Jin..."
"Yes, Tris-nim."
"When do you n to visit the headquarters of the ck King''s Mercenaries?"
"I think I''ll go immediately tomorrow. It would be better to find a force to protect Tikan as soon as possible."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 441
Chapter 441
C441 - To the ck King (2)
"Hmm, tomorrow? Why don''t you spend more time with my daughter?"
"Mother! Am I still a child? Why do you keep saying such weird things..."
Tris coughed lightly as Siris shot her a sharp look.
It was unusual for Siris to speak so brusquely.
"Mmm! It was just a suggestion. You shouldn''t talk to your mother like that, you know?"
"And to avoid situations like today, we should get reinforcements as soon as possible. You can''t always protect Tikan, Mother."
"You''re absolutely right, Siris-nim."
When Jin replied, Siris''s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"It''s not that I dislike it. Since we are allies, it''s natural that we protect each other. But that doesn''t mean my mother or I will always be waiting in the Hidden Pce, so we need alternative options."
Siris spoke, making it even more apparent that they needed to gather forces to protect Tikan as soon as possible.
''I can''t always rely on luck like this.''
The fact that there were no casualties other than damage to the team and facilities during Luton and the exiles'' attack was almost like divine intervention.
Of course, it was also the result of Jin and hisrades constantly being on guard against enemy invasions.
If Tris had arrived a littlete or had been absent, they wouldn''t have been able to defend Tikan so wlessly.
In the future, enemies would surelye prepared, calcting even the possibility of the transfer gate as Luton did.
''Runcandel still can''t attack directly, but there will be those, like the Elder Council, trying to bring external forces to attack us.''
Furthermore, Kinzelo, Zipple, and Vermont.
At least Kinzelo still maintained a somewhat friendly stance toward Jin, so the possibility of him suddenly turning hostile was low.
''I don''t like this fact, but it''s not bad in terms of the security of my colleagues.''
On the other hand, Zipple and Vermont werepletely different.
They could attack Tikan at any time without warning.
Tikan, under the name of the "Free City," had essentially given up the neutrality it had maintained for a long time.
It''s likely that, especially Vermont, sees Tikan as a thorn in the side.
Jin recalled the unpleasant encounter with the Emperor.
The Emperor hinted at having hidden forces and proposed an alliance, but Jin had firmly rejected it.
Moreover, as Tikan was also the city of the exiled prince Kashimir...
So the Emperor might attack this ce at any time.
''My enemies within Runcandel and the Emperor might form a temporary alliance.''
It had only been a few days since the exile''s death, and there had been no significant changes between the Elder Council, Rosa, and Joshua.
''Mother is the one holding the reins in the Family. There might be some kind of deal between Mother and the Elder Council, or Mother might be unable to decide what action to take against the Elder Council.''
It was a dilemma for Rosa.
If she attacked the Elder Council, she would, in fact, acknowledge that she had purged the execution knights long ago.
Of course, she could bring up the pretext that the ck Sword Association had not properly punished the knights who hadmitted treason years ago, but it was difficult to cover it up given the atmosphere of the Family.
However, letting it go without any action was too important a matter.
Whether it was an unjustified purge or not, it still meant that the Elder Council had not properly carried out the orders of the acting matriarch years ago.
In the end, Rosa had to impose some kind of punishment on the Elder Council.
If the punishment was too severe, there would be strong opposition, and if it was too lenient, the authority of the acting matriarch would weaken.
''The former could lead to aplete split between the Elder Council and Joshua''s faction, while thetter could be a vition of the Family''sw.''
Jorden had his ambitions, but outwardly he seemed closer to Joshua''s faction.
And Rosa was pushing an image of Joshua as a prominent next Patriarch who had already taken control of the ck Knights and the Elder Council simultaneously.
Meanwhile, threateningpetitors like the Twelfth gbearer and the Third gbearer had emerged, so if the Elder Council turnedpletely against Joshua, it would be a painful blow to that image.
Although Mother holds the reins, the Elder Council has more options.
The elders could align with older brother Dyfus or sister Mary, or even betray Runcandel and align with external forces.
In other words, the Garden of Swords had entered a new phase due to this incident.
In other words, amid the rapidly changing situation, what mattered most was victory.
And for victory, the safety of allies always took priority.
"I''ll have two of the Seven Swords from the Hidden Pce, Ryu and Hiten, stationed here from now on."
Tris''s pupils dted.
She didn''t expect Siris toe up with such a radical suggestion.
p! p!
Tris pped to celebrate the progress they had made, and even Luton joined in, following the cues.
The small beastmen also joined the apuse, and even Murakan got involved, but only Jin and Siris didn''t understand the reason.
"Siris-nim, thank you for considering this."
"Sure, I think I need to rest for now."
Siris stood up from her seat, and Tris poked Murakan in the side.
"Ahem, what do you think, handsome brother? It would be a big problem if my future son-inw marries someone elseter, don''t you think?"
"Are you threatening the kid?"
"Not necessarily. Anyway, about tomorrow. The ck King said he would meet with you, right?"
"I n to go see him. There''s also someone peculiar I need to investigate in the ck King''s Mercenaries."
"Someone peculiar?"
"A rookie mercenary named Zephyrin, but Murakan and Quikantel-nim believe there''s a high probability she''s a Demon Dragon."
The presumed Kinzelo Demon Leader and the Legends Golems, the sealed Smarion Proch under the Phantom Fortress, and the Demon Dragon, following the Demon Men and the Emperor, who proposed an alliance.
"Indeed, times have changed. In my younger days, such strange things didn''t roam like this. And your greatest enemy, the Second gbearer, seems to have someone like the Prophet, right? These are dangerous times."
Tris shrugged, weary.
She was aware of most of the information Jin had recently acquired.
"Among them, there''s something I can guess about Smarion Proch."
"What is it?"
"The power of chaos."
"What is that?"
Jin''s pupils narrowed.
"It''s a strange power that asionally appears in the world, like the one your younger sister, Yona Runcandel, carries within."
-Have you ever thought it''s unfair?
-What? Was I the only one looking out for you? I told you before, when you bathe or do things like that...
-Not that. You''ve been treated like a killer doll all along. Since you were so young. It was terrible and absurd even considering you''re a pure-blood Runcandel.
-Is that bad?
-It''s bad.
-Have you nevermitted murder, younger brother?
-That''s not the point.
-I was born this way from the beginning. So there''s no need to be sad.
-Born this way, what does that mean...?
Jin recalled the conversation he had with Yona in the past.
Since then, she hadn''t sincerely told him what kind of power she was born with.
"Not only older sister Yona, but even Bouvard and Margie Ivlianos from Kinzelo have special powers. Does that mean it''s the power of chaos?"
"Yes. It can be innate or acquired. I don''t know the details, but one thing for sure is that the owner of that power can be consumed by chaos at any time."
"Consumed, you mean..."
Jin remembered the sealed Smarion Proch.
"It means turning into a monster like Smarion Proch. I''ve also faced people who changed after being contaminated by chaos in my younger days."
Tris paused for a moment.
Unwanted memories that she didn''t want to recall resurfaced.
Tris suppressed the bitter and painful memories that arose for a while and then spoke.
"On the other hand, I''ve seen people who ended their lives with elegance, without letting themselves be consumed by chaos. Based on my experience, it seems that transforming into a monster is rted to the owner''s will and the size of the chaos they possess."
"Tris-nim."
"Speak."
"Could it be that my father is also rted to that power called chaos?"
That was a secret known only to a few.
Tris had no intention of revealing so much at first, but now that it hade to this, she saw no need to deny it.
"Yes. Cyron has also been fighting against that power for a long time. How did you find out?"
"Lata-nim told me about a conversation between my father and Smarion Proch. I deduced it from that conversation."
Jin couldn''t help but feel deeply disturbed.
The idea that Cyron and Smarion shared "the same matter" had been a foreseeable problem from the moment he first encountered Smarion in the Phantom Fortress.
But could it be that the issue wasn''t exclusive to Cyron and Smarion?
Older sister Yona and my father too.
Could they suddenly turn into monsters at some point...?''
Just imagining such a scenario tore at his heart.
Given the immense power they possessed, it seemed unlikely that the size of the chaos they harbored was small.
Jin thought it must be different from people like Bouvard and Margie.
"Cyron acquired it, and Yona''s is innate. That''s what I heard directly from your father."
"So that''s why my father is obsessed with the ck Sea."
"Yes, but even though I''m an intimate friend of his, Cyron didn''t tell me everything about his Chaos, so I have nothing more to say."
"Just this is enough."
"The important thing is that Smarion Proch must be eliminated. Once chaos consumes a person, it only grows stronger over time."
The power of the sealed Smarion was getting stronger.
It needed to be eliminated before it became something unmanageable.
"By the way, handsome brother, it seems you have no idea about the power of chaos. It seems like something you should know more about, right? Why this power disrupts the bnce of the world, what its foundation is. You don''t know anything about it?"
All eyes turned to Murakan.
He shook his head as if he didn''t know.
"I don''t know. Maybe it disappeared from my memory. I don''t even know if I never knew it in the first ce. I hate to admit it, but... It seems like a question worth asking when I meet my sister."
Sigh!
Murakan let out a frustrated sigh, and then added.
"Kid, before you meet the ck King''s Mercenaries, let''s make a brief stop at that ce."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 442
C442 - To the ck King (3)
The next day, Luton headed to the Holy Kingdom, while Jin and Murakan went to the M Kingdom.
They were going to visit Grace Shields'' (Misha) ultra-secret tavern known as "The Tabernacle."
The bartender recognized the two immediately but gave them the same response as thest time they visited.
"The Mistress is not here at the moment."
"She wasn''t here even when we came a few months ago. When will she be back?"
"The Mistress hasn''t returned since you twost visited."
It was customary for Misha to be absent for a month or two. She not only represented Solderet but also had many hideouts besides The Tabernacle.
However, it was almost unheard of for her not to visit The Tabernacle, even when the seasons changed.
"Did she leave a separate message for us?"
"No. It''s been a long time since we had a case like this, so we''re also worried about the Mistress."
"When she returns, please let her know to contact us here."
Jin handed a paper with the address and a small purse with gold coins, and the bartender nodded with a dignified attitude.
Until dusk, the two crossed through various transfer gates, visiting the other hideouts Misha had informed them about.
Once again, they couldn''t find her anywhere.
"Haha, they say there''s nothing as useless as dog poop when ites to medicine!"
Murakan seemed satisfied with not having to meet her.
"Aren''t you too happy? There might be reasons to worry a bit, you know?"
"What''s there to worry about? It''s not a big deal if a Dragon leaves her post for a few months. It''s not like it''s been decades. She''s probably snooping around somewhere."
"I have a strange feeling about this," said Jin, and Murakan snorted.
"A strange feeling? Well, it might not be so bad if some powerful human beats her to death. But the problem is, there probably aren''t many people in the world who can defeat her like that."
As Murakan said, it was safe to say that there was no one who could catch Misha. During the thousand years Murakan had been asleep, Misha had never been caught, even while fighting the Specter Corps.
"You''re right, but..."
Jin had so many things he wanted to know from Misha as soon as possible. Things like Temar''s tomb, Kinzelo''s leader, the Demon Dragon, Chaos, Valeria, and more. Even if Misha couldn''t exin everything clearly, she could provide some clues. Especially when it came to Valeria and her ''Record Device Restoration,'' only she could give the most appropriate exnations.
"Don''t worry; let''s go look for the ck King''s Mercenaries."
--------------------------
The ck King''s Hideout was in the "Bise Kingdom," an unprotected territory in the central continent.
The Bise Kingdom was a minor country that didn''t belong to any of the three prominent factions, now four (Zipple, Runcandel, Vermont, Kinzelo). Although the royal family and the army were maintained, no one actually considered the ruler of the Bise Kingdom to be the royal family.
It was amon belief that the ck King''s Mercenaries and their leader were the true rulers of the Bise Kingdom. It was a natural consensus. The ck King''s Mercenaries had enough power to destroy the Bise Kingdom with just a portion of their Third Division. It was widely believed that the ck King''s Mercenaries didn''t take over the kingdom just to maintain their identity as a "mercenary force."
"Well, these guys are something."
"What do you mean?"
"Normally, when a military organization like this is established in a small country, they tend to take control of the royal family and exploit and oppress civilians."
The ck King''s Mercenaries were far from that. They provided substantial support to both the royal family and civilians, to the point where it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that they were actually nurturing the Bise Kingdom.
As a result, the Bise Kingdom was perceived as a pleasant ce to live, and immigration requests never ceased. It was a ce bustling with the footsteps of academy professors, schrs, and students due to well-preserved ancient ruins and artifacts.
"It goes against the typical image associated with mercenaries obsessed with money."
"These seemingly kind and cute guys, indeed. If they be uncooperative, we can persuade them kindly."
"Kindly, huh? We''ll see about that."
Jin responded with a mocking smile.
"Why? Is there a problem?"
"The fact that the ck King''s Mercenaries manage and take responsibility for the Bise Kingdom isn''t because they''re kind-hearted phnthropists. This Bise Kingdom is a hostage warehouse for the ck King''s Mercenaries."
As Jin said, the ck King''s Mercenaries were using the Bise Kingdom as a hostage warehouse and the ultimate shield to maintain "neutrality." For any major faction to forcibly subjugate and absorb the ck King''s Mercenaries, they would have to trample the Bise Kingdom. It would lead to the deaths of numerous residents, and the destruction of ancient ruins would be inevitable.
When Jin exined this, Murakan''s eyes widened.
"I see... They are really clever and cunning. Although I don''t particrly like the name ''ck King.''"
Of course, the ck King''s Mercenaries could maintain their neutrality without the Bise Kingdom, but having more options at their disposal was always preferable.
"Well, no hostage has been killed since I was born. We''re almost there. You should transform."
Murakan transformed into a cat andnded on Jin''s shoulder.
Jin had altered his face and dyed it red using cosmetics from the Golden Snow Tribe, making him unrecognizable to the guardians and civilians of the Bise Kingdom.
However, Jin was convinced that someone from the ck King''s Mercenaries would recognize him if he moved through the Bise Kingdom in this form.
Murka and the members of the Third Division couldn''t forget this appearance.
When it was revealed that the ck cat Jin had when he departed for the Storm Castle was actually Murakan, the story became a topic of discussion among the ck King''s Mercenaries for quite some time.
After all, they couldn''t believe that the "Young Emperor" carried just an ordinary cat with him.
The city was frequented by outsiders, so Jin and Murakan didn''t attract too much attention.
Jin wandered around the bustling city while observing billboards and bulletins hanging around.
He subtly emitted an aura that those below six stars couldn''t perceive.
Before long, as expected, Jin felt a mercenary approaching him.
"... That cat. Don''t tell me it''s you."
He seemed unsure, but the mercenary soon convinced himself that the feline in front of him was none other than Jin Runcandel, whom he had directly escorted on a protection mission some time ago.
"Mr. Latam."
Jin spoke before the mercenary could say more.
The mercenary seemed surprised and could only look at Jin in astonishment.
He didn''t expect Jin to remember his name.
"I didn''t know you remembered my name. I''m ashamed of myself for not recognizing you right away."
Latam hurriedly responded with a silent bow.
"I remember you as the one who was often by Murka-nim''s side back then. It''s good to see you."
As they shook hands, Latam realized the truth of the rumors circting about Jin in recent times.
He also felt secretly impressed by the immense power emanating from Jin''s grip.
"You haven''te here for nothing, have you? Do you have business with our leader?"
Latam explicitly mentioned the leader without referring to any other superior, showing how he assessed Jin''s stature.
"Yes."
"Fortunately, the leader is in the mountain fort. I will personally guide you there. However, please understand that there is another guest who arrived before you."
The Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel is in a position where he can meet the leader at any time without prior notice.
However, Jin couldn''t meet the leader without considering another guest.
Jin deduced information from Latam''s words.
The other guest is someone of higher rank than me.
And he was right.
At that moment, there was a guest of higher rank than Jin in the ck King''s Mountain.
Therefore, Jin had to wait until that person''s affairs concluded.
Who could it be?
There weren''t many people who immediately came to Jin''s mind.
Jin didn''t care about this peculiar guest as long as it wasn''t someone meddling in his affairs.
"Of course, I understand."
"Thank you, please follow me."
Following Latam, Jin arrived at the ck King''s Mountain, and it was close to midnight.
Although it didn''t exude an overwhelmingly powerful aura like the Phantom Fortress, there was a unique energy in the rugged mountain range where the fortress was located.
Visitorsing to the ck King''s Mountain were neither guided nor escorted.
If you couldn''t traverse the mountains on your own, you''d have to be transported by someone, looking quite pitiful.
Traveling on a dragon or airship was the only way to maintain dignity.
However, there were only a handful of people in the world capable of soaring the skies of the ck King''s Mountain Hideout.
Finally, when Jin beheld the spectacr view of the ck King''s Mountain, he couldn''t help but be impressed.
The deeply carved mountain slopes gave the impression of being excavated by giants, and towering over them were huge and dark castles.
There also seemed to be fortified walls.
It looked as if they were prepared for a dragon invasion.
Rows of massive mana cannons pointed towards the sky, and various magical devices and traps twisted like serpents.
''The Garden of Swords seems quite straightforward when I see something like this,'' Jin thought as he marveled at the formidable defenses of the ck King''s Mountain.
Entering the central castle, a row of mercenaries in formation saluted.
The news of Jin''s visit had already spread throughout the mountain hideout even before he began to climb.
"Wee, Jin Runcandel-nim! I''m d to see you again."
Murka greeted Jin.
As they headed to the reception room, Jin asionally searched for that girl, Zephyrin.
Just when Jin was curious, he heard Zephyrin''s unique and lively voiceing from ahead.
She was right in front of the reception room of the ck King''s Leader.
"I''m sorry, Second Captain!"
"Sorry? Is that all? Do you know how much trouble you''ll be in when the Third Captain finds out? Hm? What were you thinking, showing such disrespect in front of the leader''s guests!"
"I didn''t know!"
"No, and the leader didn''t even call you, so why did youe to greet the guest? Are you shameless? Also, why the hell do you want to meet the First gbearer of Runcandel...?"
"Don''t hit me, please!"
"Oh, my head. Eh, can someone please move her out of my sight!"
Just like the first time he saw her at the Sword Emperor Castle, Zephyrin was causing trouble again and was visibly agitated.
"Oh... Haaah! I''m sorry, Jin-nim. I''m showing such rudeness again."
"It''s okay."
"What do you think you''re doing, huh? Zephyrin! Come here right now!"
Zephyrin ran over in a hurry, and Jin couldn''t help but smile.
Jin and Murakan couldn''t take their eyes off the enormous sword-axe strapped to her back, which seemedrger than her body.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 443
Chapter 443
C443 - To the ck King (4)
Thuk!
The thick handle of the axe-sword struck Zephyrin on the back of the head.
It wasn''t done by someone else; it was an incident that urred when she bowed before Murka.
"Ugh!"
Watching Zephyrin clutch her neck, Murka ended up hitting her chest with frustration.
It was not at all clear where these kinds of problems disrupting the discipline of the Third Division wereing from.
"Sorry, Captain!"
"If you''re sorry, your mercenary career is over...."
"Oh, but you''re Jin Runcandel-nim!"
Zephyrin looked at Jin with sparkling eyes.
To Jin and Murakan, it seemed strange that this foolish-looking girl could be a Demon Dragon.
However, Murakan carefully sniffed the scent emanating from her.
-Murakan, why are you so absent-minded? Oh, you''ve always been a carefree guy, haven''t you?
-I don''t expect to hear those kinds of words from you.
-Didn''t you smell something off about that human?
A conversation between Murakan and Quikantel in the banquet hall of Sword Emperor Castle.
Zephyrin had a strong and dreadful dragon blood scent that human senses couldn''t recognize.
And it was a dense and horrifying dragon blood scent.
It was an odor that came from various types of mixed blood.
Nyaa!
Suddenly, Murakan emitted a threatening sound and bristled his fur.
He had smelled something he didn''t recognize in the banquet hall.
Therefore, Murakan was ready to scratch Zephyrin''s face with his sharp ws at any moment.
"Wow!"
Zephyrin jumped back in surprise.
Murka understood that Murakan was showing his displeasure with Zephyrin''s appearance.
"...I''m sorry, Jin-nim. Murakan-nim. The leader is still busy with the previous guest and his affairs. My subordinates will inform you when it''s your turn."
Murka spoke and tried to suppress his boiling anger as much as possible.
Shortly after, he took Zephyrin and disappeared somewhere, leaving only the mercenaries, Jin, and Murakan in the empty hallway of the reception room.
"Why did you just do that? Did you smell what Quikantel-nim mentionedst time?"
"Nyaa!"
"Transform and speak like a person."
Puff!
"Yes, it was that scent. If Quikantel hadn''t mentioned it, maybe I wouldn''t have noticed it again because of the fragrance."
"What do you think?"
"I think that woman might be a Demon Dragon."
"Yes."
"Well, it could just be the scent of the weapon, as Quikantel suggested."
If Zephyrin was a Demon Dragon, then the two previous encounters might not have been mere coincidences.
In that case, Zephyrin''s only reason for approaching might be the Rontelgius Magic Tome.
''I heard something like she wants to meet the First gbearer.''
ording to Murka, the reason Zephyrin carried a battle-axe she couldn''t even use properly was her admiration for Luna.
If she were a simple human, one might think she''s a bit entric.
But suddenly, Jin remembered how Luna obtained the "Orgal Pendant."
''My sister said she got the pendant by defeating a demon in the past.''
A pendant obtained by defeating a demon, a magic tome obtained by killing a demon, and a Demon Dragon.
They were puzzle pieces that seemed to fit perfectly.
"If Zephyrin is a Demon Dragon, then the three encounters may not have been mere coincidences."
In that case, Jin thought that Zephyrin might intentionally approach them just to get the magic tome.
"Let''s ask her directly if she''s a Demon Dragon when we finish our business with the ck King Leader. I didn''t ask her at the banquet because it would be awkward then."
"Yes, that''s better. But she may not tell us directly."
"Don''t worry, there''s a way to confirm it. And if she turns out to be a Demon Dragon, we might also find out about your brother''s connection to Rontelgius. We''ll squeeze out all the information we can."
"And what if she''s stronger than us?"
"There''s no dragon stronger than this Murakan in the world... Well, yes. I haven''t fully recovered my powers yet, so I guess it''s possible. Anyway, if things end up like that, we''ll escape."
Jin shrugged.
"By the way, the guy inside seems to be Runcandel. Considering what Zephyrin said about wanting to meet the First gbearer."
"He''s probably one of the main gbearers or his representative. I think he''s from the Second gbearer."
Joshua needed a force to replenish what hecked after the recent conflicts within the Elder Council.
He also needed to demonstrate his ability to recruit and unite neutral forces as the next patriarch.
But the ck King''s mercenaries have maintained neutrality for a long time, so recruiting them without substantialpensation is almost impossible.
Regardless of who the person meeting with the ck King Leader was, if they hade not for a simple contract but for "recruitment," there was a possibility that they were well-prepared for negotiations.
The servants brought a simple refreshment and tea.
The two enjoyed it quietly while waiting for the meeting to begin.
The door to the reception room opened around three in the morning.
"We will meet again tomorrow morning, ck King Leader."
"Understood."
Voices of the ck King Leader and the guest were heard.
It seemed they nned to continue the conversation tomorrow.
The person who exited the reception room was wearing a robe and a hood that covered their entire body.
Jin immediately recognized it wasn''t one of the gbearers but their representative.
The man also noticed Jin and Murakan.
He tried to pass by them without a word, but Jin called out to him.
"Hey."
The hooded man stopped and turned to look at Jin.
"You''re the guy from earlier, right?
The guy from earlier.
The ck Knight who had tried to kidnap Dante at the Emperor Sword Banquet.
Jin was sure the person in the robe was the same.
"I was a bit confused, but now that you''re approaching, I''m sure. w users usually have a distinctive way of walking. Should I say they have a unique posture?"
ws were notmonly used weapons, but Jin had spent a lot of time with Gilly and was familiar with their characteristics.
"It seems like the Second gbearer had something very important to discuss if he sent a ck Knight. Tell me what happened inside. I also need to meet the ck King Leader."
"...You''re still as bold as ever. You''re not afraid, probably because you have a ck Dragon by your side."
"Well, I think I''m the same whether I''m alone or apanied. Could you havee here alive if things had gone like back then?"
The man turned away without answering.
He judged that he might get involved with Murakan if he kept talking to Jin.
"Tell that to the ck Knights. I''m always open."
"The ck Helmets will never be your sword."
"Keep that in mind."
After the ck Knight left, the mercenaries signaled Jin to enter the ck King Leader''s reception room.
"Please,e in."
"Just in case, Murakan."
"What''s wrong?"
"Even if the ck King Leader isn''t as courteous as you expect, don''t scowl at him or try to hit him."
"...Am I a fool?"
"I''m just concerned."
"Tch."
The fact that such a grand space unfolded at the end of a not-so-wide hallway was astonishing.
The reception room was impressively grand, withrge windows letting in moonlight and starlight from the imposing ceiling.
It was a surreal sight that didn''t seem to fit with the dark profession of mercenaries.
Below it, the ck King Leader, "Valkas Krahn," sat at his desk, weing the two men.
Am, the great mercenary from the Gaifa Inds, Valkas Krahn, the ck King Leader, and Lata Proch, the Leader of the Phantom Legion.
Among the three top mercenaries in the world, Am and Valkaspeted for the top spot.
Certainly, he emits a much more powerful vibepared to Lata-nim.
The first impression Jin had of Valkas was that he seemed taller even when sitting.
Jin didn''t know much about him beyond the fact that he had achieved some legendary feats before bing the leader and had built an impressive reputation as a mercenary.
He had a rough idea of his personality, but that was about it.
Both in his past life and the current one, Jin had never encountered Valkas, so he didn''t have much information about him.
Valkas wasn''t a public figure with much known information.
-Valkas Krahn. Hmm, it''s more romantic than I thought.
-Really?
-Should I say he cares a lot about his family? That''s why the ck King''s Mercenaries are generally friendly, despite being the best mercenaries in the world.
-I see.
-The problem is that, aside from his family, he treats the rest of humans as clients who only serve to pay money or living meatballs.
Before reaching ck King Mountain, Tris had said that about Valkas.
''Although Zephyrin makes those mistakes, it usually ends with a sermon. Is it because he values his subordinates so much?''
Or maybe Valkas also has suspicions about Zephyrin and ordered to keep a close watch on her.
Thetter seemed more likely.
As much as he valued his subordinates, the ck King''s Mercenaries were known for being a disciplined and sharp organization.
Valkas raised his hand and began to speak.
"Wee, Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel."
"It''s an honor to meet you, Valkas-nim. Thank you for the hospitality."
"Hospitality might be an exaggeration. And the one beside you, is that the great ck Dragon?"
Murakan nodded, despite his somewhat disrespectful tone.
Fortunately, Valkas didn''t go beyond that level of rudeness.
"My subordinates have been talking quite a bit about you. It seems escorting you when you were young is still a fond memory for the Third Division."
"Is that so?"
"And the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel is probably the hottest topic in the world right now, not only for my subordinates. It''s impossible for stories not to circte everywhere. I was also curious and wanted to meet you at least once."
Jin and Valkas smiled, and their gazes met.
Somehow, Jin felt as if Valkas was looking through him, trying to figure out why he hade and what kind of request he might have.
And that feeling turned out to be true in a few seconds.
"You''vee to me most likely to entrust me with the task of protecting the Tikan Free City, haven''t you? Or am I wrong?"
Jin was internally surprised but nodded without showing it.
"It seems I identally sent a letter with the details of the request in advance. Yes, you''re right, Valkas-nim."
The need for "Tikan Protection Measures" was a matter that most powerful figures in the world knew to some extent.
Valkas couldn''t ignore it either.
Above all...
Valkas was currently more aware of the matter, given that Joshua''s representative had just visited him.
"Unfortunately, it seems difficult to ept that request."
"But you haven''t even heard the conditions."
"It''s true, but I mean to say you came a step toote."
Joshua hadn''t sent the ck Knight to hire the ck King''s Mercenaries for a mission, etc.
He had sent the ck Knight to "prevent" the ck King''s Mercenaries from epting Jin''s request.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 444
Chapter 444
C444 - To the ck King (5)
Jin reminded the ck Knight he had encountered in the hallway.
He decided to meet with the ck King Leader again in the morning when he left the reception room.
In typical cases, one would think of the process of drafting a contract and then spend some social time before proceeding.
However, the other person was not just anyone; he was a ck Knight.
A person like a ck Knight wouldn''t be here chatting if the deal had already been closed.
This wasn''t that kind of ce.
Jin could be sure of it...
Valkas had not yet epted the request from the ck Knight on behalf of Joshua.
However, there were many reasons why the ck King''s Mercenaries might not ept Jin''s request.
In the current world situation, an individual like Jin Runcandel was like a poisoned chalice.
If you drank from it thoughtlessly, it was very likely that you would sh with the true ''maximal'' authorities of the world.
Although Jin was one of the superior beings among the ''supernovas,'' it was still uncertain whether he could break through the solid defenses of the world rulers.
No one thought so unless someone was close to Jin or knew him well.
As remarkable as his achievements and sesses were, miracles always came to an end someday.
Most of the world''s poption couldn''t imagine or believe that miracles would continue.
Most still considered Joshua Runcandel the next master of the Garden of Swords...
And this perception even extended to figures like Valkas Krahn.
It seems he doesn''t want to incur Joshua''s resentment by epting my request.
It wasn''t just Joshua.
Jin had left an indelible mark on Zipple after the "Incident of the Holy Kingdom."
Recently, there were rumors that his rtionship with the Imperial Family was not good either.
This was because the only thing the Emperor granted Jin after the meeting was the golden crown.
Moreover, the Emperor had even ordered that his encounter with Jin should not appear on the front pages of the Vermont bulletin.
It was not considered a significant event.
In other words...
Jin had poor rtions not only with the future patriarch of the Runcandel and Zipple family but also with the Imperial Family.
To the point where it wouldn''t be surprising if he found himself in a dangerous situation.
Valkas expressed all these reasons in one sentence:
"You''re toote."
He conveyed his clear intention to decline without hurting the other party''s feelings.
Joshua also made a direct request:
"Don''t help Jin," without diminishing Valkas''s pride.
He subtly warned Valkas by merely sending the ck Knight.
Both showed a stance befitting strong and experienced yers in power.
''However, I can''t stand idly by in this situation.''
Although Jin felt a little irritated, he had to seize the opportunity.
In moments like this, denying their rejection is a poor method and only has negative effects.
Jin needed a sure card to change Valkas''s mind.
He had to make the other side willing to be a temporary ally of Jin despite all the risks. Because the ''Protection of Tikan'' was not just any request.
But at this moment, Jin didn''t have that card.
Jin didn''t know much about Valkas Krahn, and he wasn''t particrly cooperative, so the possibility of creating such a card in the near future was slim.
Zephyrin.
There was information suggesting that the troublemaker of the ck King''s Mercenaries could be a Demon Dragon, but it wasn''t especially valuable.
If he used her without any evidence andter she was dered innocent, it could have serious repercussions.
''Should I try to recruit ck King''s Mercenaries after Joshua and Zipple''s true nature is fully exposed?''
Jin quickly reached a conclusion.
To begin with, he hadn''te with high expectations.
Of course, Jin was confident.
In the not-too-distant future, either the ck King''s Mercenaries woulde to him first, or Valkas would regret not advancing the conversation today.
''I should go visit Am, the great mercenary of Gaifa Ind. Seeing that the ck Knight is here, Joshua might have already sent someone to Am.''
For Joshua, it was undoubtedly a rare opportunity to deal Jin a significant blow.
It wasn''t a mortal blow, but it was annoying enough, like a small thorn stuck in the foot.
If both the ck King and the great mercenaries didn''t help, then the task of protecting Tikan would overly depend on the Hidden Pce.
"I can''t do anything if I arrive a step toote," Jin spoke calmly, and Valkas narrowed his eyes.
"Well, surprisingly, you''re willing to back down."
"It seems the rumors about me haven''t been very favorable if you add the word ''surprising.''"
"Well, it''s not exactly like that. It''s just that I hear many stories about you achieving what you want... It seems you''re especially liked by the Third Division."
Valkas poured himself a drink from a drawer as he spoke...
Indicating that they could have something light since there was no need to talk about work between them.
Valkas showed his gratitude in his own way.
Although he couldn''t ept the request, Jin wasn''t displeasing to him as a person.
In fact, Valkas thought that if Jin were the Second gbearer instead of the Twelfth, they could have joined forces at any time.
"Thank you, Valkas-nim."
"Do you want a drink, ck Dragon? It''s good liquor."
"Sure, pour me one."
The three sses clinked lightly, creating a pleasant sound.
Jin didn''t believe the situation was so bad.
The request had already taken a wrong turn before being raised, so it wouldn''t be surprising if he couldn''t exchange a single word and had to leave.
"The dragons that have some history with us say that you were the strongest being in the past, Murakan-nim."
Although holding the position of ck King Leader, Valkas never forgot simple ways to please those of higher status.
He intentionally started the conversation with a somewhat disrespectful tone at first.
Sometimes, lowering expectations at the beginning could make the conversation even more enjoyable.
"It''s true, if you mean the sky. I am the strongest and the best in history."
"Oh, so the Dragon stories were true. But it seems like you speak as if you had rivals on earth."
"There were some who could be called nemeses. There were some who could be considered equals, but no one could clearly determine who was stronger. I think I would have won if we had fought to the end."
"I would have challenged you even now if I were in my prime, Murakan-nim. Facing a strong and historic figure is not an easy thing."
"Well... even in my time, you would have been quite impressive."
"Haha, you''re too kind."
Valkas refilled Murakan''s empty ss.
He didn''t lower himself excessively but satisfied the opponent''s sense of superiority.
"Among all the humans I''ve met who are closest to being the strongest, you have the most exceptional awareness of the situation."
In terms of individual power...
Valkas had reached the level of Five Stars long ago.
Such transcendent individuals were hard to find disying this kind of behavior.
It was due to the confidence they had, not having to worry about anyone''s feelings or even stronger individuals or factions that couldn''t touch them carelessly.
(Because if they did, they could only expect death)
Valkas had something different from other Five Stars beings.
He continued to act cautiously as a neutral party between the giant factions.
He had his reasons despite being in a position where he could do as much as any other transcendent.
The reason was simple:
Valkas Krahn, the ck King Leader, cared deeply for his subordinates.
In Valkas''s opinion, there was no need for his subordinates to be senselessly sacrificed in conflicts between giant factions if he put in a little effort.
Jin could see through Valkas''s feelings.
It wasn''t difficult.
Valkas wouldn''t have shown such behavior if it weren''t for his subordinates.
I see why he initiated this drinking session with us.
Jin kept understanding the meaning of this gathering.
Clearly, this drinking session would continue until dawn, until Joshua''s ck Knight returned to this reception room.
Just as Joshua had subtly told Valkas not to get involved with Jin...
Valkas also intended to express his intentions by deliberately showing the ck Knight that they were drinking together.
He wouldn''t openly challenge his request, but he would watch the growth of the Twelfth gbearer.
That was the message Valkas wanted to convey to Joshua.
Jin nodded to himself.
I''ve learned something from this person, even if it was just a one-night encounter.
Jin smoothly joined the conversation and started drinking.
Murakan led the conversation, with Jin and Valkas intervening asionally.
Murakan discussed various topics, such as the greatest warriors and mages in history, the most prosperous era, the most peaceful one, the biggest differences between dragons and humans, life and death, apples and watermelons, the most beautiful women, and many more.
Only after ten in the morning did the topic shift to Zephyrin.
"How the hell did that weird creature join you? The brat says the ck King''s Mercenaries are the best in the world, but she seems a bit strange."
"She may seem entric, but she''s a top-notch swordsman. She even ims to be self-taught, so I think she''s a genius."
"What? Good with a sword? And she''s a genius on top of that?"
"She doesn''t fully demonstrate her destructive power due to theck of Aura. She seems to have a condition where Aura doesn''t umte well from birth. I also consider her quite a rare and unusual individual."
Shriek!
Coincidentally, Zephyrin entered the reception room at that moment.
She carried the samebat sword-axe on her back that Jin had seen the night before.
Next to her was the ck Knight.
They were supposed to meet again in the morning.
Although his face was hidden under the hood, he couldn''t help but show a displeased expression at the scene with drinks.
He hadn''t anticipated that things would turn out like this.
"Leader, I brought the guest!"
"...Yes, Zephyrin. But I heard that today, the Second Captain would personally bring the guest. Why are you here?"
"Oh, well, you see..."
Zephyrin shrugged with her characteristic lively and exaggerated gestures.
And Jin, Murakan, and Valkas couldn''t help but believe what they saw in the scene that followed.
Kak!
Suddenly, Zephyrin''s hand pierced through the ck Knight''s side.
Originally aimed at his chest, thanks to the ck Knight''s reaction, he was stabbed in the side.
Zephyrin''s purplish nails, which had grown significantly since the night before, now looked like poison-coated daggers, and the ck Knight desperately retreated, spitting blood.
"Ugh, cough...!"
"Do you really need to know? You''re about to meet death anyway, Leader."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 445: Zephyrin (1)
C445 - Zephyrin (1)
The hood of the ck Knight''s robe was soaked in blood as it spilled outward.
The poison from his nails was so potent that the wound on his side was already turning ck.
The ck Knight was no ordinary Warrior despite his carelessness.
Among the countless Guardian Knights of Runcandel, only ten were allowed to wear the ck helmet, and he retaliated immediately even in his wounded state.
However, his ws, protruding from the sleeves of his robe, did not reach Zephyrin.
He lunged for Zephyrin''s throat, but the ws only left an empty trail in the air.
Ssaaak!
Once again, the ck Knight''s ws shed with Zephyrin''s nails as she lunged.
The ck Knight''s body, weakened by the extreme poison, did not respond as it normally would.
The ck Knight staggered backward after just one strike, then spat blood again as he retreated further.
If the ck Knight had been alone, the battle would have been decided in that very moment.
He was already severely injured, so he had no chance of withstanding Zephyrin''s next assault.
But Jin, Murakan, and Valkas stepped forward simultaneously.
What''s going on?
Their reactions were incredibly fast, but the three were confused.
Most surprising to Jin was that the ck Knight had been defeated in a single blow.
''This is impossible even if he was careless. Unless she has skillsparable to Sister Yona or the Nameless King, or a battle prowess that surpasses the ck Knight.''
Skill and strength.
Zephyrin might have only one of the two, or she might possess both.
One thing was certain: she was a formidable adversary they had to face.
"Oh my, the ck Knight of Runcandel is quite remarkable. I had no idea he could avoid this."
The lips of the ck Knight were turning pale blue, and he could only lick them and offer no response.
He had no time to respond as he struggled to suppress the extreme poison coursing through his body.
"Zephyrin, you...! Don''t tell me you''ve done the same to the Second Captain...!"
Originally, the Second Captain had decided to bring the ck Knight.
Valkas was primarily concerned for himself and his subordinates.
The concern stemmed from the opinion that with the strength Zephyrin had just demonstrated, it was very possible for her to assassinate them before reaching here.
Valkas shot her a piercing look, and Zephyrin responded with a wide smile.
"I''ve already told you that you don''t need to know, Leader. My intention was to peacefully kill you, considering the bond we''ve created, but I have to kill you if you keep asking senseless questions."
Murakan snorted upon hearing this.
"Quikantel was right. Hey, woman. You''re a Demon Dragon, aren''t you? I was going to ask you anyway, so thanks for revealing your true identity first."
Woosh...!
Murakan transformed into his true form, and a dense Shadow Energy spread throughout the reception room.
[The reason you''re acting so arrogant now is probably because of that demon from the Rontelgius Family... And yes, it''s because you have enough confidence to charge despite knowing this Murakan is here, right?]
In the past, before the demon society disappeared from the human world...
Murakan had fought numerous Demon Dragons who had betrayed their kind.
He had not once been defeated.
Even against Demon Dragons known for their strength, he always achieved overwhelming victories, to the point where the best Demon Dragons of the Four Duke Families no longer dared to cross paths with Murakan.
Murakan''s reputation extended far beyond the human world.
His name was equally revered in the demon society.
However...
Murakan did not recall any powerful Demon Dragon using the name "Zephyrin."
''Is it because of my memory issue, or is it someone I''ve never encountered? Hm, even the most renowned Demon Dragons of that era got a beating from me at least once. Where has shee from?''
He couldn''t make a quick judgment.
Zephyrin casually turned her head to look at Jin and Murakan.
"Haha, you''re still quite arrogant, Murakan-nim."
[You speak as if you know me. I have no memories of someone like you.]
"Memories... Well, that''s possible. Is there any dragon in the world who doesn''t know you? You were the only Dragon capable of ruling the beautiful blue sky of the human world in those times."
[That''s why my attitude is not arrogant. Reveal your true name.]
"I won''t have to kill you unlike the leader. Instead, you will fall into a deep slumber with a broken heart once again. When you wake up again, you will see a world different from what you knew. Like this time."
Tap!
Suddenly, a purple energy emanated from Zephyrin''s grip.
Mana?
No, it''s different.
It resembles something like when the deceased demon from the Rontelgius Family cast an inexplicable magic...
But this is much deeper and darker.
Jin thought as he reacted to the spreading purple energy.
What Zephyrin had released was not mana but demonic energy.
And it was on arge scale...
Enough to make even Murakan shudder.
Demonic energy quickly enveloped the entire reception room, and Jin could instinctively feel that it was forming some kind of "subspace."
The demonic energy expanded, and Jin and Valkas lunged at Zephyrin.
Within the purple darkness, Sigmund''s pale sword and Valkas''s fists'' enormous aura trembled.
Valkas was known not only as one of the Three Great Mercenaries but also as one of the greatest "Warriors" in the world.
Swish!
Zephyrin struck the punch thrown by Valkas with the battle-axe she carried on her back.
A shockwave erupted the moment the fist and the sword-axe collided.
If it weren''t for the demonic energy covering the space, this single blow would have devastated most of the reception room.
The subspace made of demonic energy appeared as apletely different and empty ce, not like the reception room.
Jin seized the opportunity and thrust his sword at Zephyrin''s side, but she easily deflected it, wielding her battle-axe to counter his move.
Both Jin and Valkas felt an immense shock that pierced through their forearms.
Zephyrin''s seemingly effortless sword-axe strike caused pain and shock in both Runcandel''s blessed body and the ten-star Warrior''s sturdy frame.
Jin and Valkas instinctively stepped back after the attack...
And Murakan exhaled a breath of Shadow Energy.
This breath had the potential to destroy something as significant as a small fortress in a single blow, but Zephyrin resisted it effortlessly.
She had a face full ofughter.
"It''s as warm as I''ve heard, Murakan-nim."
Murakan didn''t respond but formed ck tendrils using his Shadow Energy on both wings and hurled them at Zephyrin.
Jin and Valkas went back and forth, darting through these tendrils, each timeunching an attack against Zephyrin.
As Jin watched the gracefully moving battle-axe, he felt a longing to see Luna.
Zephyrin maintainedposure and showed no signs of distress, despite enduring attacks from Jin, Valkas, and Murakan.
She was the most powerful among the female opponents he had faced.
Ahaha, sheughed yfully as she swung her battle-axe as if she immensely enjoyed the situation.
Swish! Thud!
The two swords, fists, and Shadow Energy interweaved, disorienting the dark subspace.
To outsiders, it might have seemed like they were evenly matched.
''We''re at a disadvantage even though it seems like we''re on equal footing.''
The ck Knight was on the verge of death behind them.
Of course, he was one of Joshua''s men and had been sent to the ck King''s Mountain to hinder Jin.
But the ck Knight was undoubtedly one of Runcandel''s main forces.
Losing a ck Knight in that manner would directly impact the Family''s power.
From a very strict perspective, he wasn''t just one of Joshua''s men; he was a person of the Family''s ''next patriarch.''
''He needs immediate treatment from the Holy Queen and her healers, or from an expert poison master like Kuzan.''
The ck Knight would be dead the moment he was stabbed by Zephyrin''s nails if it weren''t for his robust ten-star body...
Even Jin, who had the Thousand-Poison Antidote, could feel that he couldn''t bepletely immune to that dreadful poison.
How long will the ck Knight hold on?
Judging by his tremors and the foaming out of his mouth, he wouldn''tst much longer.
Jin quickened his pace.
The ck King was also on high alert because the ck Knight''s death in his territory could pose a significant problem.
[Who told you that? Every single Demon Dragon who faced me back then is dead.]
"That''s true. However, maybe I was friends with some ordinary Dragons at some point, right? Anyway, you might have been arrogant once, but now, you''re weakened and nothing more than an old veteran who can''t forget his prime. You better fight properly, unlike how you fought at the Sword Emperor Castle."
In response, Murakanughed again.
[Is that so? At that time, I couldn''t fight freely because I had to protect those humans. But as much as you desire, I''ll send you to hell.]
"Oh, I''m looking forward to it!"
Zephyrin''s aura, infused with the demonic energy radiating from her battle-axe, tore through the surroundings erratically as she swung it.
Murakan''s dark force curtain shattered...
And Jin and Valkas hastily stepped back and unleashed their sword energy.
To any observer, it was undoubtedly a powerful and grand sword strike.
However...
Jin and the others had noticed that Zephyrin''s swordsmanship was strangely careless.
''It''s undeniably fierce, but for some reason, her sword handling feels unnaturally clumsy.''
It''s as if she''s wearing ill-fitting clothes.
She was excellent at blocking, parrying, and striking, but there was something unnatural in the way her sword moved.
Of course, this was evident to Jin and Valkas, who had reached a high level of mastery.
It was almost impossible for anyone below the eight-star level to notice.
Suddenly, an unpleasant and unsettling thought crept into their heads.
"Could it be... that the battle-axe is not her primary weapon?"
At first, they were too caught up in the heat of battle to realize that Zephyrin was using rather careless "battle-axe" techniques.
Intuition turned into certainty, and a chill ran down their spines.
The three suppressed their bewildering thoughts, but Zephyrin seemed to see through them.
Then, as if she said, "Have you finally figured it out?"
She shrugged and said,
"Well, I found it interesting and got curious, so I tried using it. Still, it''s quite shabby, isn''t it? Haha."
She acted as if pretending to be human.
Zephyrin had never trained well with the battle-axe in her entire life.
She was just curious to know what kind of weapon was used to bring down one of the Demons she had to protect.
Bang!
Zephyrin yfully swung the battle-axe in the air as if she had lost interest.
She seemed to think that it would be challenging to kill them all with just this weapon.
So, carelessly, she threw the battle-axe to the ground, producing a loud thud.
"However you look at it, using something like this to destroy his heart would be disrespectful, Murakan-nim. Still, I''ll make sure to send him into a deep sleep with a little respect."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 446
Chapter 446
C446 - Zephyrin (2)
Dark and elongated nails sprouted from her fingers as Zephyrin hurled the axe-sword.
Those nails, which pierced through the ck Knight, were Zephyrin''s primary means of attack.
The menacing purple demonic energy of the nails was threatening.
Zephyrin leaped forward with a sharp whistle.
She flung her nails at Jin and the others.
Jin blocked Zephyrin''s attack with his sword, while Valkas intercepted it with a fist.
The sh of sword, fist, and nails sent sparks and energy fragments flying in all directions.
Using a familiar weapon has a profound impact on anyone. After discarding the axe-sword, Zephyrin''s posture and bnce improved, and her movements became more agile.
And the opponent who felt the strongest of all that Jin had faced became even stronger.
However, the real issue was that this was not the end.
She was a Dragon.
She had not revealed her true form yet, and her abilities as a "Demon Dragon" remained unknown.
Based on the power she had demonstrated, she was at least a 10-star level by human standards.
Jin came to think that she might rival his father, Cyron Runcandel, the Demigod.
Fortunately, Jin did not feel the absolute power aura transmitted by his father and Battle Goddess Vahn.
Although it was unclear whether it truly did not exist or if he simply could not sense it.
Shack!
Zephyrin dodged Jin and Valkas and charged towards Murakan.
The purple nails pierced through one of Murakan''s wings.
The nails went through a wing, and the wing rippled like smoke.
However, Murakan did not waste the moment as she closed in.
In an instant, Murakan''s entire body turned into ck smoke and enveloped Zephyrin.
While the smoke reshaped into Murakan''s form, Zephyrin found herself trapped inside one of Murakan''s wings.
It wasn''t visible from the outside, but a chaotic vortex of Shadow Energy roared inside the folded wing.
It pierced through Zephyrin''s flesh and bones with a chilling sound, creating a gruesome spectacle.
Just like how Murakan had transformed into Shadow Energy to dodge the attack moments ago...
Zephyrin also used demonic energy to evade the assault.
Unlike human battles,bat between dragons had its unique characteristics.
[Well, you seem to be the best Demon Dragon I''ve encountered so far. Were you holding your breath in fear a thousand years ago? I wonder where you came from.]
The purple smoke dispersed, and Zephyrin reappeared at a certain distance from Murakan.
"Haha, how bold you are. How dare you evaluate me like that? It seems you still don''t recognize me, Murakan-nim."
Swish!
This time, a sharp demonic energy extended from Zephyrin''s nails and shed through Murakan''s midsection.
Although the Shadow Energy form had dampened the impact...
This type of Shadow Energy expenditure would eventually exhaust Murakan.
"Even if I were dealing with you at your best, I wouldn''t be so scared. The reason you don''t know me well is that I couldn''t fight against you back then."
[You couldn''t fight with me?]
"There were some circumstances. You should know them. No, how could you?"
Pshhh!
The Sword of Legends Master Combat Technique, Petal Cascade, fell on Zephyrin''s head...
And Valkas unleashed his punch at full force simultaneously.
The subspace distorted due to the lightning and aura energy.
The Cascade crashed into the ground, and the punch broke the empty space.
Zephyrin jumped to avoid the attack, but Murakan lunged like a hawk and released a Dragon''s Breath.
The ck breath enveloped Zephyrinpletely, but even after it dissipated, it seemed she had not taken a significant hit.
However, just before the collision, Jin''s thunder de and Valkas''s Secret Technique were ready.
Dozens of thunder des and Valkas''s fists entangled with Zephyrin as she fell to the ground.
This time, Zephyrin couldn''t transform her body into demonic energy in time.
The thunder de pierced through Zephyrin''s body, and Valkas''s fists hit her right in the middle of the back.
"Kugh!"
With the sound of tearing blows, Zephyrin spat out blood and was sent flying to the other side of the group.
For a human, it would have been a mortal wound, with shattered bones and organs.
However, Jin and the others had the intuition that she hadn''t received such a critical blow; even her cries seemed somewhat yful.
Murakan transformed into a human and stood beside Jin.
"Murakan."
"Yes?"
"Do you really not know who that Demon Dragon is?"
"Well, I thought she might be one of the Guardian Dragons of the Rontelgius Family that you killed, but it doesn''t seem like it."
"Any guesses?"
"A direct subordinate Dragon of a Demon God-level being. That''s for sure."
Can we win this?
Jin didn''t ask this question.
It was because he saw Murakan with such a serious expression for the first time in a long while.
In short, Zephyrin was an unexpected cmity.
It puzzled Jin that there could be any connection between the seemingly weak demons he easily defeated in Joshua''s vi and Zephyrin.
Could she hold a grudge against me for the magical tome I acquired back then?
When Jin and hispanions first suspected that Zephyrin was a Demon Dragon at the Sword Emperor Castle banquet, they assumed she was approaching them because of the magical tome.
If not, it seemed unlikely that they would have dealings with beings like Demons or Demon Dragons.
However, Zephyrin was acting as if the magical tome didn''t matter at all.
Or maybe, she is nning to find out everything about me regarding the magical tome after she could subdue Murakan and kill the ck King Leader...
Wait a moment...
Just as this thought was about to cross his mind, Jin recalled a crucial fact:
Zephyrin explicitly stated that she would only "kill" the ck King Leader.
She mentioned subduing Murakan, and the situation suggests she is not here to kill him.
Why would she go to such lengths?
Jin was able to recall a conversation in a matter of seconds.
"I''llmend this ambush. However, you and your God will be the most important materials for the Demon God Orb, Jin Runcandel...!"
These were the words Andrei Zipple had said while using the Demon God Orb.
At that time, Andrei imed that the power of Soldelet was the core of the Demon God Orb.
Looking back, those seeking the power of the Demon God Orb or something equivalent tended to have a strange fixation on the ''Contractor of Soldelet.''
Both Andrei Zipple and Joshua Runcandel showed this fact.
Moreover, considering that the creator of the "Demon God Orb" was Bouvard Gaston, the power of Soldelet probably held special value for them in their grand cause.
''That''s why those Kinzelo bastards kept trying to persuade me.''
nk!
Zephyrin was grotesquely contorted and shattered, but she regenerated and stood up in an instant.
Her bones returned to their ce, and the torn wounds disappeared.
It seemed that no matter how much her body was torn and twisted, Zephyrin regenerated as if nothing had happened, simr to what the Kinzelo Leader had demonstrated during the terrorist attack on Sword Emperor Castle.
Kinzelo...
Jin soon had the hunch that Zephyrin probably was affiliated with that group of lunatics.
If it''s from Zipple, then it''s likely she moved with the Specter Corps.
However,beling her as part of Kinzelo doesn''t make much sense.
Zephyrin''s actions have beenpletely different from what Kinzelo showed me.
Jin hated Kinzelo, but Kinzelo always showed apassionate side towards Jin.
Ambushing Jin unexpectedly like this clearly goes against Kinzelo''s attitude.
"I think she''s the Dragon of the Kinzelo Leader."
"That damn bastard? That might be possible. The authority he showed during the terrorist attack on Sword Emperor Castle was divine."
"...This, Murakan-nim, Twelfth gbearer. It seems that this fight may not have an end if it continues."
Jin nodded as Valkas said this.
The ck Knight agonized behind them, and Zephyrin''s body regenerated instantly even when twisted and torn.
She showed no signs of fatigue.
"No end? It''s much worse than that. We''ll never be able to win against that."
Jin and Valkas''s eyes widened at Murakan''s words.
Jin, in particr, was even more surprised.
He had never imagined that someone as proud as Murakan would so easily ept defeat.
In any case, if Murakan spoke with such conviction, there was only one response.
"We should run."
When Jin said this, Murakan nodded, and Valkas''s eyes hesitated for a moment.
This ce was the ck King''s Mountain, and Valkas valued nothing more than the lives of his subordinates.
Abandoning his subordinates and fleeing was an impossible act.
Valkas believed that if his group fled, Zephyrin would not simply leave the ck King''s Mountain.
She had the power to annihte the ck King''s Mountain single-handedly in a matter of moments.
The countless defenses and traps of the ck King''s Mountain were meaningless against such a fearsome Dragon.
"I can''t run, Murakan-nim."
"I know. Who abandons their children and flees?"
"Then...?"
"I''ll hold her off somehow, so you and the brat guide the others to escape. I''ll shake her off and meet up with youter."
"Murakan."
"What?"
"Do you think you can handle her alone?"
Of course, neither Jin, nor Valkas, nor Murakan had yet used all their power.
But they couldn''t easily defeat Zephyrin even when all three fought together.
It was natural to worry if Murakan could handle her alone.
"Hahah!"
Suddenly, Murakan burst intoughter.
"Even in this state, I''ve recovered nearly 40% of all my strength. I can handle it even if it were a demon like Demon King Orgal instead of a Dragon."
"I''m not so sure..."
"Don''t worry, brat. There''s no way I''ll be left behind. And, after all, this is the best n."
Murakan pointed to one side of the subspace as he finished his sentence.
"First, let''s break this subspace. You''ve done this many times; do you know the method?"
Shadow Energy.
First Technique: Soul Cut, and Tess''s power.
When it came to cutting unwanted subspace from other worlds, these techniques and powers had never disappointed Jin.
Woo...!
A massive amount of Shadow Energy began to umte around Murakan.
Upon release, the entire purple subspace turned ck.
As the expression implied, the current Murakan was unleashing all his power.
[Hey, Zephyrin. Let''s have a little Dragon fight. Let me judge for myself if what you said about being able to stand up to me in my prime is true.]
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 447
C447 - Zephyrin (3)
Murakan rose and let out a roaring cry.
The surroundings, imbued with demonic energy, trembled unstably...
And traces of Shadow Energy leaked through the cracks.
It was as if Murakan had transformed into a massive, ck fire.
His sharp, amber eyes disyed the majesty befitting the Dragon that had once ruled the sky.
Zephyrin smiled as if she had been waiting for this spectacle.
"Now you feel a bit more powerful!"
Kwaak...!
Murakan opened his dark jaws and exhaled a sigh.
The Shadow Energy he exuded was iparably more powerful than what he had released before fully utilizing his strength.
Moreover, ck veins, resembling breaths, peeled off from his wings and the curtain of Shadow Energy, spreading in all directions.
Dozens of dark and shiny streaks struck the ground where Zephyrin stood.
These streaks were like swamps; no matter how Zephyrin cut or shed them, they would ensnare her again.
It was akin to a pack of dozens of snakes entering a cave simultaneously.
This was a true dragon battle.
Valkas had seen dragons fight a few times in his life, but he couldn''t help but feel that what was unfolding before him was on apletely different level.
Just as there was an insurmountable gap between human warriors and magicians...
He believed the same applied to battles between high-level dragons and ordinary ones.
But even though he didn''t know much about dragon fights, he could clearly see that Zephyrin had the upper hand in power.
She had not yet revealed her true form.
"I don''t know how long Murakan can hold out. We should prepare to escape as soon as possible," Jin said, holding onto Sigmund.
Jin wanted to join the fight alongside Murakan, but it wasn''t possible.
Just as Murakan had finally begun to reveal his full strength, both Jin and Valkas were brimming with untapped power as well.
Especially in Jin''s case, he hadn''t used some of his cards, such as Riol''s Legacy and Sarah''s Magical Sword Technique, nor the Sword Technique of the Reign of the King of Legends.
These techniques also yielded results regardless of the circumstances.
Murakan was convinced he would "never win," but if he used all his means, he might be able to defeat that mad Demon Dragon.
However, the likelihood of that happening was extremely low, and Jin had no intention of risking their lives here.
It was best to conserve all the power possible, destroy the subspace, and escape with the ck King''s Mercenaries.
Even if they managed to defeat Zephyrin or inflict significant damage using all their power, there was a high chance they would die in the process.
They needed to escape by any means.
Then they would determine Zephyrin''s true affiliation and purpose and devise a strategy.
How many opponents of their level could there be?
Jin wondered.
A new era had begun.
Since he met Jin, Lata Proch had often spoken of these thoughts with him.
Suddenly, Jin sympathized with that sentiment.
After the terrorist attack on the Sword Emperor Castle, Jin felt that enemies of apletely different level lurked in the shadows.
Kinzelo, Zipple, and Vermont.
Vermont was clearly considered inferior to Runcandel among these three.
Zipple was superior to Runcandel, and Kinzelo had revealed his true power during the terrorist attack on the Sword Emperor Castle.
''Zephyrin is probably affiliated with Kinzelo, and they may not have many Dragons or Humans withbat abilities at this level, but she probably represents a portion of their strength.''
A candle in the wind.
This phrase perfectly defined Runcandel''s current situation.
Jin knew that Runcandel didn''t have a "hidden strength" like the other factions.
Of course, they had Cyron and the former ck Knights, but they were all upied with the ck Sea.
However, the reason Runcandel was surviving was solely thanks to the existence of Cyron Runcandel.
Jin was convinced of that.
The moment Cyron disappeared...
Runcandel would ultimately follow the path of destruction.
''The reason Mother strongly supports Joshua is probably because she believes he has the means to face these formidable enemies in the future.''
Crash!
Murakan''s Shadow Energy and Zephyrin''s ws continued to sh and intertwine.
The ck veins grew stronger, while the traces of Zephyrin''s purple ws faded.
It seemed that maintaining the human form was bing increasingly difficult for Zephyrin.
"I will pierce the subspace. Valkas-nim, watch over the ck Knight."
"Understood, Twelfth gbearer."
Shh...
Bradamante''s white sword emerged from its sheath.
The shining sword was instantly stained ck by the Shadow Energy.
He didn''t expect to have to execute it so quickly.
And he wouldn''t be able to use it for a while after sessfully using it.
Before piercing the subspace, Jin intended to open the door to Lafrarosa.
Although Murakan could currently hold his own, the situation would undoubtedly change once Zephyrin revealed her true form.
As long as this subspace wasn''t a "dead space" like Solderet''s, there was no obstacle to executing the ck Light Call.
Woosh!
The ckened de cut through the air.
Thank goodness...
Jin felt it as he wielded the sword: the sensation that the door to Lafrarosa was opening.
If there was anything slightly disappointing, it was that the warrior emerging from the newly formed ck door was not one of the Battle Kings but an ordinary warrior.
"Oh, this time it''s me!" eximed Shaku cheerfully.
He was the member of the Legends Tribe with whom Jin had fought the most until he gained recognition from both Battle Kings and became his brother.
Shaku was the one Jin had fought against more than fifty times until he finally emerged victorious.
"I apologize for calling you, Brother Shaku."
"No, it''s an honor to fight for you, my brother. What do you want me to do?"
Shaku slung his lightning-infused longsword over his back and spoke.
Shaku of the Thunder, he had held such a title before the disappearance of the Legends.
"Help him."
"Understood. I have a rough idea of the situation. Do you need to clear a path here and escape?"
"That''s right."
Shaku''s gaze fell on Zephyrin, who was ensnared by the ck veins.
"A Demon Dragon, I suppose? It''s been a while since I''ve seen such dreadful demonic energy. This situation should have called for the Battle Kings, not me. Hurry and escape; I''ll do everything I can to restrain the Demon Dragon with the ck Dragon."
Shaku joined the battle.
Demonic energy and Shadow Energy once again mixed in a storm.
Shaku wasn''t discouraged even in the chaotic sh between demonic energy and Shadow Energy.
Although Shaku was an ordinary warrior, he was still a member of the Legends Tribe.
The inherent strength of his body shone in such a chaotic battle.
Watching this scene, Valkas couldn''t help but be amazed once again.
He had already witnessed Jin summoning ancient spirits of beast warriors in the Sword Emperor Castle, but seeing it again was as unfamiliar as it was fascinating.
Moreover, it made him have simr thoughts to Lata Proch.
''Irrespective of Zephyrin''s affiliation and reasons, causing such chaos within the ck King''s Mountain... it might mean that there is no longer room for neutrality in the world.''
Given the current situation...
It was evident that Zephyrin had reacted because of Jin and Murakan, but Valkas couldn''t me Jin for it.
The gbearer and the ck Knight of Runcandel hade to the ck King''s Mountain for a meeting with him.
They had unexpectedly been caught up in this danger.
So, ultimately, Jin and Joshua were in a position to be held ountable.
''First of all, I have to escape with the Twelfth gbearer and my subordinates, whatever happens. Even if we have to abandon the ck King''s Mountain.''
Valkas thought this with a determined expression.
The Twelfth gbearer, Jin Runcandel, will achieve what he sets out to do this time, as he always has.
After reaching the 10-star level, it''s the first time I feel this kind of confidence in someone weaker than me.
Swoosh!
Bradamante''s ckened sword was now surrounded by blue mes.
Tess was still in the process of recovery and couldn''t directly respond to the summoning call...
But the overwhelming pressure of the blue mes engraved in Bradamante grew stronger along with Jin.
The blue mes emanating from the sword began to press against the demon energy-infused subspace.
The subspace trembled under the pressure and seemed frightened, like people.
The sword, without the slightest tremor, slowly prepared to cut through the subspace.
Up to that moment, Zephyrin had limited herself to defending against Murakan and Shaku''s attacks.
But for the first time, she showed emotions.
"Blue mes! Using such transcendent power against those beneath you is unfair, Twelfth gbearer."
Just like Murakan and Quikantel had felt when Tess faced them for the first time, Zephyrin was also afraid of Tess''s power.
She also knew the majesty of Tess''s power within the World of mes.
This fear was something only those who had directly faced the "Master of the World of mes" could experience.
Wook!
Perhaps because Zephyrin''s attention had momentarily focused on the blue mes, or perhaps because she had reached the limit of what she could do in her human form.
Zephyrin''s formidable shield had been breached.
Murakan''s Shadow Energy and Shaku''s lightning attack tore through Zephyrin''s body as they dismantled it.
Despite the relentless assault, Zephyrin didn''t scream once.
Purple demonic energy particles scattered in all directions instead of blood.
It was followed by a long and eerieugh.
Haha... ha... Ha... ha...!
The sinisterughter suddenly ceased, and a massive purple smoke rose from the air.
The smoke was many timesrger than Murakan. He seemed small inparison.
Zephyrin''s true form was hidden within the swirling smoke.
She looked more like a serpent than the typical Dragons known to the public.
[Oh, really. These blue mes give me an ufortable feeling for no reason just by looking at them. You should put them out before I get angry and lose my patience.]
Zephyrin poked her head out of the smoke as she spoke.
Jin didn''t react to her words and remained focused.
He needed to simultaneously execute the First Shadow de Technique and Tess''s power to open the subspace in one stroke, just as he cut through Myuron''s Hell Gate.
Twack!
Zephyrin seemed about to say something more, but Murakan shot forward like an arrow and used his ws to pierce her eyes.
However, Zephyrin''s eyes remained unharmed, and it was Murakan who was repelled by a counterforce.
[Curse! Why is she so tough?]
Murakan regained bnce in the air and shouted.
Instead of responding to Murakan, Zephyrin was preparing to unleash a powerful breath towards Jin.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 448
Chapter 448
C448 - Zephyrin (4)
Woosh!
Zephyrin had ominous demonic energy swelling around her neck.
Shaku shot lightning at her other eyeball, but it couldn''t halt the building breath.
It was just an exhale, but it contained incredible power, enough to astonish both Murakan and Valkas.
However, Jin could remain calm even though Zephyrin''s breath was clearly headed toward him.
It was because he had confidence.
Zephyrin won''t kill me.
Or she couldn''t.
Whether it was due to the Demon God Orb or something even more terrible, Jin''s Solderet power was the most crucial element.
As he deduced during his time as a Provisional gbearer, both Zipple and Kinzelo knew a way to transfer the God''s Contract.
However, Jin believed the means might not be so straightforward.
If it were easy, Zipple, Kinzelo, and Joshua would have been more proactive in trying to kill him.
If her goal was to annihte us, she would have shown her power from the beginning.
Zephyrin''s breath power was certainly impressive, but considering the transcendent battle prowess she disyed, it was nothing unusual.
Besides, it wasn''t at a level that Jin and the others couldn''t handle.
In other words, Zephyrin had no choice but to forcibly control her strength to avoid killing Jin.
Kwaaaah!
Zephyrin opened her enormous mouth, and the subspace winds swirled wildly along with demonic energy, as if a storm had begun.
An attraction and repulsion force emanated from the breath, and a purple breath beam headed towards Jin.
[Ugh, how annoying!]
Murakan descended swiftly and blocked Zephyrin''s breath.
The breath first touched the Shadow Energy curtain beside Murakan''s wings before hitting the ground.
Most of the demonic energy was absorbed by the Shadow Energy curtain...
And the remaining fragments and other beams were pushed back by Shaku and Valkas.
The entire subspace precariously trembled due to thebined power of the dragon and humans.
It would be challenging for ordinary warriors even to endure the pressure of this battlefield.
Every time the force shed, their ears buzzed, and a shivering sensation ran through their bodies.
Perhaps because the group handled it well, Zephyrin released a second breath infused with even more potent demonic energy.
Although she had lived many more years than Murakan, like most of them, she had never experienced a battle like this before.
To kill, crush ruthlessly, or annihte without leaving a trace.
Such battles weren''t difficult, but to Zephyrin, killing Shaku and Valkas, attacking Murakan just enough not to kill him, and capturing Jin alive were bothersome.
Moreover, it was aggravating.
Murakan''s resilience far exceeded Zephyrin''s expectations.
She had heard rumors that he had partially regained his strength, but she had no idea it would be so intense.
Zephyrin also began to see Jin''s intentions.
''Sly bastard... you''re very confident that I won''t kill you, Jin Runcandel.''
The blue mes enveloping Jin sent shivers down her spine.
Furthermore, it seemed those mes would soon tear apart a portion of the subspace.
Suddenly, she thought maybe it would have been better to wait for another day and a better opportunity. She might have made a somewhat impulsive decision.
''I think I know why my Master is paying attention to you.''
Boom!
The second breath collided with the Shadow Energy curtain and was neutralized.
Although it seemed like she was struggling to maintain defense, Murakan was slowly preparing to counterattack.
[It looks like you shot quite well, and the power is quite decent.]
[Compliments don''t sweeten the deal, haha.]
[Well, that''s true. And this won''t be sweet either.]
As soon as Murakan finished speaking, the massive curtain split into three pieces like shadows moving with light.
One remained behind Murakan for his defense, while the other two took positions on both sides of Zephyrin.
Due to the nature of Shadow Energy, Zephyrin was unaware that the curtain had extended to her sides. It''s almost impossible to perceive shadows, no matter how vast they are. Her enormous body, several timesrger than Murakan''s, also contributed to the impossibility of checking the left and right Shadow Energy curtains.
If you can''t feel the flow of force, you can only confirm it with sight.
However, Zephyrin''s vision was limited,bined with the fact that her body was still mostly hidden by purple smoke...
It also influenced Zephyrin''s inability to perceive it clearly.
She couldn''t even see her own body, let alone the surroundings.
[What are you boasting about again? Ah...!]
Zephyrin realized something was wrong when she saw "demonic energy" starting to leak from the Shadow Energy curtains that Murakan had extended to her sides.
He was trying to shoot the absorbed breath through the curtains.
The Shadow Energy, or rather, the shadows.
This power not only had an efficacy at least 2 stars superior to that of aura or mana but also possessed another unique characteristic that normal powers could never imitate.
It was to imitate or mimic something as if projecting shadows.
What Murakan was doing by shooting Zephyrin''s breath with the curtains was based on that principle.
"I really didn''t like using this kind of method, but I have no other choice."
It wasn''t the method Murakan preferred.
In the past, he had enough power to subdue someone like Zephyrin using the characteristics of Shadow Energy.
On the other hand, Misha was good at handling the infinite excess of Shadow Energy, as demonstrated since her first encounter with Jin.
I never thought the day woulde when I would put into practice what I learned from that tough girl.
This wouldn''t have been possible if I hadn''t recovered at least forty percent of my strength.
Hmph!
Murakan snorted mockingly, recalling Misha''s insidious smile.
Woo!
The curtains on both sides made a sharp noise as they released demonic energy.
This demonic energy was more potent than Zephyrin''s exhaled breathbined with Shadow Energy.
With Zephyrin''s enormous body, avoiding the demonic energy was impossible.
[Ha! Where did you learn such unpleasant tricks...?]
There was no time to deploy a protective shield.
Zephyrin''s colossal body was an advantage in most battles, but against such an unexpected attack, responding was ufortable.
When the demonic energy struck Zephyrin''s torso, it produced a thunderous crash reminiscent of a copsing castle.
The scales and bones of her massive body creaked and twisted, creating a spine-chilling noise that sent shivers down the spine.
Aaargh!
A scream echoed, seemingly impossible to hear.
[Receiving your own breath must be the first time for you, isn''t it?]
Murakan spoke with an evil tone full of amusement, and Zephyrin writhed in pain for a while.
Zephyrin moved her tail reflexively and exhaled her breath in all directions.
She released demonic energy into the air.
She tainted the subspace with poison.
Murakan and Shaku pushed their senses to the limit as they dodged Zephyrin''s fury.
Even in Zephyrin''s simple charge, they could suffer fatal injuries if they made a mistake.
The two, jumping and flying between Zephyrin''s swaying tail and the demonic energy, had the same thought in their minds: this could be their best, or perhaps theirst chance in this battle.
Valkas, who had been protecting the ck Knight, couldn''t afford to miss this moment.
The three sought the wounds that Zephyrin had suffered before she could recover and tried to inflict more damage.
Shaku screamed and shot lightning, while Valkas gathered all his strength and delivered a punch.
The lightning and the punch hit where the scales had torn.
What appeared before their eyes was a terrifying spray of blood that was enough to make everyone, even those who had spilled blood on the battlefield their entire lives, pale.
Ugh!
Blood spurted like a waterfall from Zephyrin''s torn flesh.
The blood contained the poison that had left the ck Knight in aa.
Finally, Murakan flew through the poison, reaching the wound inflicted by Valkas and Shaku.
It was located around the middle part of the body, which could bepared to the abdomen in humans.
In other words, it was a vital point that anyone would consider a vulnerability.
Murakan infused all his strength into the wound, which was so deep it looked like a cave.
Soon, a beam of Shadow Energy pierced through Zephyrin''s body.
It would be appropriate to say that her back was cut. Everyone felt that Zephyrin''s spine was about to break under Murakan''s breath.
Ha, Ha...!
Afterward, Murakan took a breath and stayed in the air...
And Valkas and Shaku stayed below him, catching their breath.
The battlefield, which had been incredibly noisy, had be so quiet that only the group''s heavy breathing could be heard.
It was an extremely brief silence.
Zephyrin, who had remained motionless with her torso bent backward, let out a sigh and slowly raised her head.
"...Well, this is surprising, isn''t it?"
The demonic energy scattered around began to umte and fill the enormous hole in Zephyrin''s abdomen. Her regenerative ability was so fast that there was hardly a way to intervene.
"It''s hard to remember thest time I felt so much pain."
Murakan was convinced that she wasn''tpletely unscathed.
However, he judged that the damage she had suffered wasn''t enough to prevent Zephyrin from continuing the battle.
''It seems we''ve caught quite a troublesome one.''
What could be considered luck was that Jin''s will to traverse the spatial rift had just beenpleted.
Zephyrin had been momentarily distracted by the unexpected blows and pain.
Zephyrin''s eyes darkened as she saw the intense blue me burning in Bradamante along with Shadow Energy.
Bradamante''s sword created a bright and sharp trajectory in the dark subspace.
Then, as if a dimensional portal were opening, the subspace expanded and revealed the outside.
On the other side of that portal, they found themselves again in the reception room where they had started, with no objects destroyed and everything intact.
And in the next moment...
The group discovered something they didn''t expect: one of Zephyrin''s weaknesses.
''Her size decreased as soon as I cut through the subspace...!''
They intuited it.
And that was that Zephyrin could only transform into her true form in this subspace.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 449
Chapter 449
C449 - Zephyrin (5)
The subspace cut by Bradamante''s sword burst like a dam.
Zephyrin tried to return the subspace to its original state, but the blue mes clinging to the torn part of the subspace wouldn''t allow it.
The cracks repaired themselves and reopened, burning fiercely.
The subspace reacted to the blue mes as if it were a living entity.
The subspace emitted sharp screams with each crack, and purple demonic energy rained like rain.
Zephyrin''s appearance constantly changed as the subspace twisted.
Her body shrank and contorted, taking on a grotesque form.
It was clear evidence that her transformation only applied within the "intact subspace."
[Khaha, hahah!]
Murakan burst intoughter at the sight of her transformation. Despite his heavy breathing...
It was evident that the situation seemed so amusing to him that he could barely contain his joy.
[Hoho, you, vixen! You were nothing when you were outside your domain! No wonder you were so strong. I''ve never seen or heard of anyone like you before!]
[Ugh...!]
Zephyrin let out a small groan.
Apparently, she made a great effort to maintain her contorted form.
Damn it!
Blue mes, I had a bad feeling as soon as I saw that cursed power.
Zephyrin hoped that Jin could traverse her subspace since he is the contractor of Solderet.
However, she hadn''t foreseen the profound impact this would have on her transformation and her control over space and demonic energy.
The problem was that she didn''t include the power of the blue mes in her calctions.
The initial rupture of the subspace was due to the power of Shadow Energy...
But it was the blue mes that prevented the rift from closing.
Zephyrin also knew about Jin''s contract with Tess.
More specifically, she knew that Jin was Tess''s contractor.
However, she believed that Jin''s ability to control the power of the blue mes was very limited.
By the way...
How on earth is he using such dense blue mes without even summoning Tess?
Initially, when Jin first invoked the blue mes, Zephyrin hadn''t considered this possibility.
She felt overwhelmed by instinctive fear and aversion.
However, the blue mes now tearing and incinerating the subspace were much more intense and profound than any other "Tess contractor" Zephyrin had encountered in the past.
It was as if the Lord of the me World hadn''t limited himself to "lending" a meager amount of power but had delivered a substantial part of himself.
It could be...!
Zephyrin''s eyes widened as her thoughts reached this point.
-[Originally, I couldn''t have improved the attack part more, but thanks to Tess''s mes, a new power has been added before I realized it. They call it Heavy Pressure, probably].
These were the words spoken by Picon Minche, who had manifested through Vin Branche during the strengthening of Bradamante.
That day, Tess had permanently infused a part of his own power into the sword of the contractor.
In other words...
Tess wanted Jin to use the powerful pressure power of the blue me independently of his presence or absence of mana, even when fighting a formidable enemy in any circumstance.
Tess also intended to warn if Jin encountered a strong enemy who had ''crossed paths'' with Tess.
Those who harm this child will be my enemies.
The blue me imprinted on Bradamante was the seal and emblem of the Lord of the me World.
Only those who had personally known Tess could recognize it.
That the cruel Lord of the me World would grant his power to a mere human contractor was something Zephyrin couldn''t even begin to imagine.
As far as Zephyrin knew, human contractors were nothing more than tools for Tess''s amusement and surveince.
Although there were some contractors who had pleased him from time to time, what Tess had done was undoubtedly unprecedented.
Tess is an absolute being capable of eliminating at least a mid-tier God from the human world in a breath...!
Zephyrin realized and gritted her teeth.
''This is cheating! The power they couldn''t give to my master, given to a simple human...!''
Zephyrin''s anger erupted so rapidly that she wanted to destroy everything she saw immediately.
It would have been entirely possible if the subspace weren''t crumbling.
However, Tess''s actual mes showed no signs of extinguishing.
Boom...!
She couldn''t even breathe freely due to her distorted body.
Murakan, who couldn''t stopughing, shouted.
[Hahaha! Hey, what are you waiting for? Go and make mincemeat out of her!]
Murakan exhaled a ck breath and signaled Valkas and Shaku to jump forward.
Shaku shot lightning, and Valkas released his aura.
Jin protected the ck Knight instead of Valkas.
Zephyrin regained her form using her immense regenerative power, and everyone truly felt despair.
However, if Zephyrin continued in this unstable state, it seemed worth attempting to escape now. They might enter into a life-or-death battle, but they could still escape.
[Kaaah!]
Zephyrin screamed as the group began their assault.
The difference now was that the attacks from Jin''spanions hit her precisely.
Although she had lost all herbat capability, she wasn''t totally defenseless.
Every move she made was still a threatening attack to those approaching her.
The demonic energy vortexes emanating from Zephyrin''s body were also dangerous.
The fact that the fight continued was because the group originally possessed exceptionalbat power.
Murakan''s taunts became more persistent with each passing second.
It would be difficult to distinguish who the viin was just by observing that sight.
[Die!]
"For brother Jin!"
However, the lively and rhythmic battle cries that continued like mature sesame seeds being scattered could be seen as a sign of the anxiety harbored by the group.
Right now, they couldn''t do it because of the subspace in mes, but they still had the ominous feeling that Zephyrin would eventually recover her strength and find a way.
Too many cracks had opened.
The subspace was no longer aplete and independent structure.
Through the open cracks, they could see the scene of the reception room, and the ck King''s Mercenaries standing with stern faces.
Until Jin cut the subspace, the members had no idea what was happening inside the reception room, filled with demonic energy.
Some of the members who felt the shock opened the door to the reception room, but all they saw was a purple demonic energy.
The rest of the captains immediately dered a state of emergency.
"It''s the leader! The leader is fighting!"
"We have confirmed the well-being of the leader and the guests!"
Urgent voices of the members were heard.
Almost all of the ck King''s Mountain personnel seemed to be in the reception room or nearby, preparing to join the fight.
They seemed eager to enter the subspace and looked shocked at the sight of their leader fighting desperately.
The tide of battle could change in favor of Jin and his group once again if the First Division of the ck King''s Mountain joined.
However, Jin still firmly believed that the goal of this battle was not victory but escape.
He had no idea what might happen, and for now, he was solely focused on burning the subspace with blue mes.
The subspace was clearly the most advantageous area for the enemy.
"No, don''t enter! Immediate retreat!"
"What are you talking about?"
The members had no intention of listening to Jin''s words, of course.
However, when Valkas, who had noticed his subordinates toote, shouted the same thing as Jin, the ck King''s Mercenaries immediately stopped their entry.
"ck King''s Mercenaries! From now on, follow the orders of the Twelfth gbearer until further notice."
Before Jin started cutting the subspace, Murakan told Valkas that he would deal with Zephyrin and ordered him to escape with Jin and the subordinates.
Although the opportunity was there, Valkas decided he couldn''t escape leaving Murakan behind.
As the leader of the ck King''s Mercenaries, it was unthinkable to rely on others to protect his subordinates.
"My lord!"
"Understood!"
The members didn''t question Valkas''s orders.
This was a testament to how reliable the leader was.
[You, ugh...!]
Kaaah!
Suddenly, Zephyrin released explosive demonic energy with a tearing roar.
Then, she transformed back into her human form, giving up her true form.
It was more efficient to maintain a human form in the unstable state of the subspace duringbat.
Zephyrin was now fighting for her life.
Sharp demonic energy emanated from her nails as she began to rampage.
And that wasn''t all...
''The blue me is slowly weakening...!''
Even if it goes outpletely, it won''t be the same as before because it has already suffered too many blows.
By then, Jin and his group were also exhausted, so the fight became even more dangerous than before.
Therefore, they needed to evacuate the ck King''s Mountain members as soon as possible.
[I''ll shred all of you, pests!]
This absurd situation wouldn''t have urred if only the master had been okay.
Zephyrin felt her chest tighten as she thought that.
Although she wasn''tparable to Murakan...
Zephyrin had also weakened due to her master''s deteriorating condition.
''Of course, both of you y a significant role in why my master''s condition has worsenedtely.''
Murakan snorted again when Zephyrin used profanity instead of her formal speech.
[It seems people like you are destined to show their true colors sooner orter. Hey, brat, don''t worry and escape with the others.]
"Twelfth gbearer, I entrust my subordinates to you!"
"Go now, brother Jin!"
Jin nodded and replied:
"I''ll get everyone to safety and meet you again!"
[Uh, no need for that, so we''ll meet at home.]
[Nyaa!]
The ruby glowed, and Shuri was summoned.
Shuri immediately took the fallen ck Knight into her mouth, as if she knew the situation even though Jin didn''t say anything.
[Nyaaa!]
With Jin on her back, Shuri ran through the subspace, through the cracks.
The air of the human world tickled Jin''s nose.
The ck King''s Mountain members waiting in front of the subspace greeted Jin''s arrival.
"Give your orders, Twelfth gbearer!"
"We will evacuate all members. The Third Division will prioritize securing supplies, the Second Division will help evacuate the wounded and nonbatants. The First Division will cover the escape of everyone. Detailed instructions will be given by each captain and their subordinates."
"Understood!"
When Jin gave the orders, the members quickly dispersed.
The cracks and mes of the subspace visibly diminished behind them.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 450
Chapter 450
C450 - Zephyrin (6)
"And bring healers and poison masters who can detoxify immediately."
The ck Knight no longer trembled.
He only exhaled weak breaths of air and seemed on the verge of death.
Members carefully carried the ck Knight.
"We must keep him alive at all costs. If he dies, it won''t be good for the ck King''s Mercenaries or for me. Especially the situation of the ck King''s Mercenaries will be even moreplicated."
"Don''t worry, Jin-nim!"
Third Captain Murka replied, and healers and doctors from the ck King''s Mercenaries crowded around the injured knight.
"On the contrary, if we manage to save him, it will be a great advantage for both me and the ck King''s Mercenaries."
If the ck Knight died in the ck King''s Mountain, it would provide Joshua with a pretext to pressure Valkas, regardless of the circumstances.
However, if the situation were reversed, it would be Valkas who could demandpensation, not Joshua.
Jin wouldn''t lose the most powerful asset of his Family, and maybe he could even negotiate directly with the ck Knight.
"We''ve saved people in worse situations before."
"We will definitely keep him alive!"
ng!
The medical team began emergency treatment, and as soon as they rushed out, an unexpected explosion followed by tremors shook the entire ck King''s Mountain.
Shadow Energy, demonic energy, and aura erupted through the narrow subspace crack like a volcanic eruption.
Since Jin had escaped the subspace, the battlefield had be even more chaotic.
A monster is a monster.
It''s revealing more power even though it''s severely outnumbered and cornered due to the subspace rupture.
Murakan had thought that it wasn''t necessary for Jin to return, but he was still worried.
He needed to evacuate the ck King''s Mercenaries as soon as possible and then join the battle.
"... What kind of battle is raging inside there? Are you sure Zephyrin was really that monster?"
The Second Captain expressed his despair with a somber voice.
The sight of Zephyrin, transformed into her human form, fighting against her leader, Murakan, and Jin was utterly unbelievable.
Lately...
Zephyrin had been the troublemaker of the ck King''s Mercenaries.
She made life difficult for all the veteran members and administrators.
However, on the other hand, she was the youngest member who, despite getting scolded every day and getting into trouble, couldn''t help but spread her unique lively and cheerful energy, making it hard to dislike her.
However, that Zephyrin had now turned into the monster that was putting the ck King''s Mountain in an unprecedented crisis.
The sudden appearance of the enormous serpent form that asionally revealed itself sent shivers down their spines.
"Valkas-nim was very worried that his subordinates, including the Second Captain, might have been attacked by Zephyrin. Has anyone among the ck King''s Mercenaries been attacked by Zephyrin?"
"Absolutely not, Twelfth gbearer."
"That''s a relief."
Valkas''s greatest concern hadn''t happened yet.
"If we manage to evacuate everyone without casualties, then I can expect a positive oue when Valkas-nim and I negotiateter."
Kyaah!
Zephyrin''s roar echoed from beyond the cracks.
It was a distant sound, but even those who hadn''t experienced it personally could imagine the power of that roar.
The evacuation was speeding up.
Although something like this had never happened before, like all castles, the ck King''s Mountain had numerous special passageways, devices, and instructions for evacuation.
Stairs extended throughout the hideout, and magical devices were activated to transport supplies.
It was quite a spectacle despite the urgent and grim situation.
Like a giant organism, the huge fortresses lined along the mountain range moved without interruption.
Jin came out of the central fortress, where the leader''s reception room was located, and observed how the ck King''s Mercenaries were evacuating.
Hundreds of special ropes connected the fortresses and allowed people and supplies to move between them.
The fortresses moved tirelessly, like intricate mechanical devices.
The steep mountain ranges surrounding the fortresses were equipped with various mechanisms.
Every time a distant rumble was heard, an avnche urred near the fortresses, creating a slide path.
Nonbatant staff and supplies descended down the mountain with the help of these paths.
Meanwhile, several defensive shields were deployed around the fortresses.
These were not the work of the members but magical defenses established by the ck King''s Mercenaries.
There were so many shields that it was difficult to count them all.
''This is just what I can see, so I can''t even begin to imagine how much was invested in these defenses.''
It took more than money to get equipment like this.
The ck King''s Mercenaries had contacts with magical tool artisans from both the Empire and the Lutero Magical Federation.
Being a neutral faction and a mercenary group allowed them to achieve this.
For magical tool artisans, offering these items to Runcandel is nothing more than an act of betrayal.
Most of the magical tools that Runcandel used for war were obtained as battle spoils.
The evacuation was proceeding smoothly.
As expected from the world''s best mercenary group, the ck King''s Mercenaries showed excellent coordination even in their first experience in an emergency.
The mountain with the fortresses had copsed almostpletely.
Most members had alreadypleted their evacuation downwards, while Jin, the leader, and the officers hung from the created ropes and observed the central fortress''s battlefield.
Precisely, they were watching the copse of the central fortress.
"Huuuh."
"Leader...!"
The force prating the subspace crack was turning the central fortress into dust.
Although the blue mes attached to the crack had significantly decreased from before, the power of the blue mes continued to tear the crack very effectively.
''It seems like the subspace will bepletely torn soon.''
What would happen next?
Zephyrin wouldn''t be able to return to her original form, but the battle would continue.
She possessed at least a 10-star level of strength even in her human form.
However, this fight wouldn''tst much longer.
Zephyrin had taken multiple hits and was exhausted, while Jin and Valkas'' group were also tired, so it would be a short-lived battle.
''We can''t kill Zephyrin here. The members are safe for now, so it''s best to withdraw without causing fatal injuries to ourselves.''
Despite their exhaustion, it was unknown what other abilities Zephyrin still possessed. Given the shocking disy of her power, the tide of the battle could change drastically.
Moreover, if the battle extended "beyond subspace," external forces would undoubtedly intervene.
The ck Mercenaries were a neutral faction that everyone was watching. If a major battle urred in the ck King''s Mountain, nearby factions would surely be aware.
She probably created subspace from the beginning and did not kill the Second Captain and subordinates because she wanted to handle this discreetly.
The Hideout of the ck King''s Mountain was located in the unprotected region of the central continent, the Bise Kingdom. The Bise Kingdom did not belong to any of the four major factions...
But geographically, it was quite close to the territories of Zipple and Vermont.
Recently, Kinzelo''s rtionship with those factions had not been very friendly.
"If Zephyrin has in mind that they mighte, she will undoubtedly choose to escape."
While Jin contemted this, the sound of subspace tearing finally reached his ears. Jin and the members of the ck Mercenaries raised their heads to witness the central fortress copsing.
The view of the barely visible battlefield through the cracks was too chaotic to get a clear picture of the internal situation.
Kahahaha...!
The first to emerge from the rift was Murakan.
He roared triumphantly and then exhaled his breath towards the emerging Zephyrin.
Jin silently breathed a sigh of relief after seeing this.
He''s unharmed.
However, when he saw Valkas and Shaku, especially Shaku''s condition, Jin felt his heart tearing apart.
Shaku looked severely injured, to the point where he struggled to stand.
Jin had not witnessed the battle directly, but he immediately realized that Shaku had sacrificed himself in the fight.
He was a guardianposed of soul and Shadow Energy, so Shaku''s death or injuries were not real.
Therefore, Shaku had no reason to hesitate in sacrificing himself for Jin and hisrades.
The oue would have been the same even if Shaku''s body had been real and notposed of Shadow Energy.
It was the brotherly love of Legends.
"Brother Shaku!"
There was no need for apologies or expressions of gratitude.
Shaku responded to Jin''s voice, their gazes met, and a faint smile formed on Shaku''s lips.
"Make sure to tell me about thister, Brother Jin."
Shaku''s body dispersed into particles of Shadow Energy, and Jin clenched his teeth.
The time hade to end the battle.
"Keep protecting the members, captains!"
It was much more effective to protect them than to fight together.
Shadow Energy and blue mes gathered again around Bradamante. Jin wanted to execute the Shadow Sword Technique immediately, but there was a risk that others would be dragged into it.
Jin''s sword fell on Zephyrin''s forehead with a swift movement.
Zephyrin easily blocked the blow with her ws, but she seemed quite pressured by the blue me in front of her nose. Then, her energy appeared to weaken noticeably.
She still retained immense power, though it was weaker than her true form.
ng!
Bradamante shed with Zephyrin''s ws, and sparks flew.
Murakan switched between his true form and human form, providing support to Jin, while Valkas focused on regting his breathing.
Although not as serious as Shaku, Valkas was also gravely injured and poisoned by Zephyrin''s venom.
Zephyrin fought against Jin and said, "Jin Runcandel, you bastard...!"
"Why don''t you act arrogantly like before? As if you could kill us at any moment."
Zephyrin narrowed her eyes at those words.
But shortly after, she regained herposed smile and said, "We''ll meet again, Jin Runcandel."
"Yes, you always say that before running away..."
While Jin tried to continue speaking, suddenly, Zephyrin''s entire body started to swell with a purple glow, as if it were about to explode at any moment.
It wasn''t just Jin who felt it...
Before Murakan could shout, Jin had already distanced himself and was heading towards Valkas.
"Goodbye, then!"
Baaang...!
Zephyrin''s swollen body triggered an explosion.
It caused a powerful earthquake throughout the mountain.
The explosion wiped out all traces of trees and rocks at its epicenter.
Although it seemed like the enormous explosion would sweep away the entire ck King''s Mountain, the real destructive power was not on an apocalyptic scale.
Zephyrin had no intention of killing Jin from the beginning.
She initiated the explosion simply to facilitate her escape.
Fortunately, the ck King''s Mountain was well equipped with various magical defense devices, and Jin, Murakan, the captains, and their subordinates still had strength.
"Block it!"
"The Twelfth gbearer protects the leader! The First, Second, and Third Divisions protect each other!"
The demonic energy explosion had shattered the mountain range, and most members had already evacuated.
If they hadn''t, it would have been catastrophic. Jin, Murakan, and the ck Mercenaries fought desperately to protect themselves from the explosion and its consequences.
In particr, Murakan used the remaining Shadow Energy to create curtains in various ces on the mountain, saving many lives.
[Crazy, you never stop being a pain until the end!]
The phenomena of the explosion,ndslides, earthquakes, and more did not cease until almost an hour had passed.
In the end, the group managed to avert the explosion with minimal loss of life.
However, the once majestic ck King''s Mountain was nowpletely destroyed, buried under debris, and the cries and sobs of the ck Mercenaries filled the areas under the copsed mountain range.
Murakan, still floating in the dark night sky bathed in Shadow Energy, looked at the ck Mercenaries with a somewhat pitiful expression. For those who knew the full story, it was clear that his appearance stemmed from a sense of sorrow.
The personnel and Dragons sent by Zipple and Vermont had just arrived and detected the battle, but they could not immediatelyprehend the situation.
"What... What is happening in the ck King''s Mountain?!"
[Murakan!? Could it be Murakan?]
[Brother Murakan...!? Did Brother do this?]
[Mu, Mu, Murakan...!]
"If it''s Murakan, then maybe Runcandel''s Twelfth gbearer did this to the ck Mercenaries...!"
The neers from Zipple and Vermont were deeply confused as they witnessed the scene of destruction and Murakan in the ck sky.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 451: The Majesty of Murakan
Chapter 451: The Majesty of Murakan
C451 - The Majesty of Murakan
Those who came from Vermont were the Earth Dragon, Rabus, and the Earth Dragoness (Dragon Woman), Untiel, along with the magicians associated with them.
Those from Zipple were the Fire Dragon Theo, the Blue Dragoness Lmakua, and their magicians.
In total, there were four Dragons and eight Magicians, all gazing with wide-open eyes at the sky dyed by the Shadow Energy and the crumbling ck King''s Mountain.
In particr, the four Dragons had experienced Murakan''s prime moments.
The magicians felt the elerated heartbeat of the Dragons transmitting from the backs of the Dragons each one rode.
Are the dragons... feeling fear?
This is unprecedented.
Is it okay?
An extreme sense of tension.
The Dragons were stiffened, leaving the magicians no choice but to share the same anxiety.
The battle prowess of the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel and his formidable Guardian Dragon were well-known to the public due to incidents like the Sword Emperor''s Terrorist Attack.
Back then, Murakan had almost single-handedly defended the skies.
Furthermore, considering the Twelfth gbearer''s radical actions and battle prowess, it was natural for the magicians to harbor such misconceptions.
The Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel attacked the refuge of the ck King''s Mountain with his Guardian Dragon...
''And they won!''
The magicians swallowed saliva simultaneously, reflecting.
I heard that Murakan has regained his strength, but has he already reached the point of being able to handle the ck King''s Mountain alone?
The speed at which he is recovering his former power is remarkable.
Just a few years ago, he couldn''t evenpare to Sister Quikantel.
Rabus and Untiel exchanged nces and awkwardly coughed as they looked at Murakan.
[Uh, greetings, ruler of the high mountain and friend of the great Solderet, Murakan-nim. I didn''t expect to find you here.]
[I didn''t expect to see you here either. Have you been well, great ck Dragon?]
Rabus and Untiel spoke.
Jin had met these Dragons during his time as a Provisional gbearer.
These are the Dragons we met on the day I first saw Quikantel-nim.
Even then, they were very proud.
Murakan stared at the two dragons.
Specifically, it was Murakan who was looking at them, while they dared not meet Murakan''s gaze.
These two Dragons were among those who had faced Murakan most frequently during his prime.
[Rabus, Untiel. What brings you here?]
[We came because we sensed something unusual in the Bise Kingdom.]
[It seems like a great battle, but if it''s okay, could you give us more details? Hey!]
Flutter!
Before Dragon Untiel could finish her sentence, Murakan pped his wings forcefully.
It was a gesture of Dragons to express their displeasure, akin to delivering a strong punch to a human.
[Insignificant Earth Dragons! How dare you tell me to inform you about what happened here?]
[No, older brother. It''s not like that.]
[Murakan-nim, it''s a misunderstanding! We''re not demanding that you tell us what happened. We''re just asking if you could, if possible, share the details with us... Of course, we can understand if you don''t want to tell us anything.]
The tone of the Earth Dragons quickly changed.
They couldn''t help it.
If Murakan had truly regained all his previous power, there was no force in the world that could stand in his way.
At least, that''s how the Earth Dragons perceived it.
If they spoke too rudely, Murakan could turn them into ashes, and the Empire would bear the consequences.
[Is that so? It seems like it''s been quite a while since I taught you all a lesson. I see that my own kind doesn''t treat me as carefully as before, and this ufortable feeling has been growing day by day.]
Woosh!
The Shadow Energy covering the sky became even denser.
[And especially, all of you seem to have a death wish.]
In an instant, Shadow Energy spikes burst from the ck sky.
Rabus and Untiel were stunned and frantically lowered their heads.
[Older brother, that''s not what we meant. We''re sorry!]
[I think I made a mistake, please calm down, and let''s have a peaceful conversation!]
The sharp spikes effortlessly pierced through the protective shield the two dragons quicklyunched.
Even the Dragons themselves couldn''t react properly.
If Murakan had decided to, this single attack could have been fatal.
Initially, the target of these Shadow Energy spikes was not the Earth Dragons but the Fire Dragon and the Blue Dragon behind them.
Theo and Lmakua descended quickly and dodged Murakan''s spikes...
But they refrained from counterattacking because they were very aware of how serious the situation could be.
The reason for Murakan''s sudden fury was clear.
The Fire Dragon Theo.
He was a rtive of Kadun, another Fire Dragon and Guardian Dragon of Kelliark Zipple.
Murakan and Kadun had never gotten along well, and just before the incident in the Holy Kingdom, Kadun''s attack had nearly killed Murakan.
Now, for Murakan, Fire Dragons were a race he would like to shred with just a nce.
[Fire Dragon Theo, didn''t your king convey that message to you? Don''t confront me at all costs. And unfortunately, if we do encounter, you must flee as fast as you can with all your might.]
Shadow Energy spikes formed again, and Theo, Lmakua, and the Zipple magicians concealed their expressions of bewilderment.
Could that immense power we detected an hour ago reallye from that crazy ck Dragon?
Of course, that was just a misunderstanding on Theo''s part.
The power that brought down the ck King''s Mountain was not Murakan''s Shadow Energy but Zephyrin''s demonic energy.
However, since the demonic energy exploded and dissipated after Zephyrin left, they didn''t hesitate to think that this power belonged to Murakan.
''No matter if he has fully regained his strength or not, fighting against Murakan so arrogantly is suicidal.''
''I thought this might be like the battle between Valkas and Am, but it has gone far beyond what I expected. We need to retreat immediately.''
Like almost all Dragons in the world, Theo and Lmakua had also feared Murakan in his prime.
Especially, Theo harbored a deeper fear as he had seen Fire Dragons and red dragons suffer many times just for being rtives of Kadun.
[Answer me, Theo, and Lmakua. Depending on your response, I''ll decide whether to kill you or let you live. And this answer will affect the fate of the Earth Dragons as well.]
[Brother? Why? We haven''t done anything wrong. Please don''t do this.]
[Alright, we''ll withdraw.]
Murakan red at Theo and Lmakua, ignoring the heartfelt pleas of the Earth Dragons.
The Dragons could only p their wings, not knowing what to do.
All Dragons trembled.
Their eyes were filled with anxiety, and there was no trace of arrogance left.
''Murakan, that guy is really something... but I''m still not used to these situations no matter how many times I see them.''
To Jin, Murakan seemed much more familiar when he scratched his backside while reading hi magazines and ate a strawberry pie without dignity, a somewhat pathetic and unimpressive presence.
But in moments like this, where his millennia-old dignity stood out, Murakan seemed like an entirely different being.
Although he hadn''t definitively proven that he had fully regained his ancient power, he had managed to terrify both Zipple and Vermont Dragons.
''By the way, it might be a headache if they decide to resist.''
In reality, Murakan was exhausted.
Jin, as a Thousand Year Contractor using Shadow Energy, was the only one who truly understood this fact.
Murakan had already expended almost all his power in his battle against Zephyrin.
However, Murakan faced the Dragons confidently even in this state; it was simply his "personality."
Murakan had lived as the most powerful being since the moment he was born, for over 3,000 years.
Whether he fully regained his former power or only a quarter of it, or whether he had nothing left, Murakan couldn''t imagine having a different attitude than in his prime.
That''s why Jin didn''t step forward, even after knowing that Murakan was exhausted.
He didn''t want to hurt his pride.
If the Dragons decided to attack, he could fight alongside Murakan, which was fine since neither Zipple nor Vermont had any valid justification for attacking in the Bise Kingdom.
On the other hand, Runcandel had a legitimate reason after aiding the ck King''s Mercenaries.
The ck King''s Mercenaries remained silent amidst the misunderstanding and escting tension.
Perhaps it was better to consider that they couldn''t do anything.
The recent explosion caused by Zephyrin had left most of their high-ranking members incapacitated or still searching for theirrades.
Moreover, Valkas had lost consciousness.
The ck King''s Mercenaries had to act extremely cautiously.
They couldn''t risk trying to correct the misunderstanding and potentially facing an unpredictable situation.
Furthermore, before losing consciousness, Valkas had transferredmand authority to Jin.
Therefore, it was necessary to stay quiet until Jin tookmand.
After thinking for a while, Jin came to the following conclusion:
''If the Dragons from Zipple and Vermont retreat, I might somehow manage the situation in my favor.''
If only the Dragons from Zipple and Vermont would withdraw.
The reason Jin''s conclusion was this foggy was that he had not yet "felt" deeply Murakan''s presence despite hearing everywhere about Murakan''s greatness for a thousand years.
It was something only those who had shared those thousand years with him could truly understand.
In other words, the Dragons from Zipple couldn''t even think about fighting Murakan.
[... Murakan-nim, we apologize for unintentionally offending you. I, along with Fire Dragon Theo, will withdraw promptly. Could you find it in your heart to forgive us?]
Lmakua responded.
Her tone was calm, but her response was almost pitifully humble.
Jin was surprised once again.
Of course, Murakan had no intention of letting the matter slide.
He knew nothing about other Dragons, but the fact that a Fire Dragon hade to visit only angered him even more.
So, just as he was about to respond that he would let Theo go after incapacitating him, Jin spoke first.
"We ept! The Dragons from Zipple and Vermont will soon return to their homnds. Before my Guardian Dragon''s heart changes."
Hearing this, the Dragons from Zipple and Vermont were bewildered, and Murakan instantly understood Jin''s intention.
Murakan regainedposure.
Not controlling his anger at this moment would be endangering his Contractor.
The Earth Dragons continued to roll their eyes, while the Fire Dragon and the Blue Dragon locked eyes with Jin.
After a moment, they could only respond like this:
[Alright... we thank you for rifying the misunderstanding, Contractor of the ck Dragon. I hope we can meet again at a better time.]
Lmakua''s response carried a background of "today I retreat, but I will remember this humiliation."
But Jin couldn''t help but smile.
"You have nothing to thank for. Goodbye and take care."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 452
Chapter 452
C452 - New Year, Rumors, and Significant Events
Breaking News:
The ck King''s Mountain has been destroyed!
What fate awaits the Bise Kingdom with the copse of the ck King''s Mountain?
It is reported that the leader of the ck King, Valkas Kran, is currently in critical condition.
The fact that he has made no public statement suggests that his situation is dire.
Why was the ck King''s Mountain attacked?
So far, the most likely suspects are the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel and his Dragon Guardian, Murakan...
Do they have any grudges between them?
Was the power of the ck Mercenaries just empty talk?
A world mercenary myth shattered by a Dragon and an individual.
The ck Dragon Murakan, trampling the ck King''s Mountain!
Rumors have it that the Twelfth gbearer, Jin Runcandel, has brought the "Spectre Corps" to its knees even before this incident...
A coalition of neutral forces, perhaps?
What will be the fate of the ck King''s mercenaries?
As always, news articles poured in like crazy.
And, none of these articles were entirely urate, as is often the case.
Both the Bise Kingdom and nearby mediacked the ability to thoroughly investigate such an event...
And external news sources had to rely on Bise Kingdom''s reports for their own news.
As a result, misunderstandings,ck of information, and embellishments to fill the gaps made Jin out to be the destroyer of the ck Mercenaries.
The main reason was that the ck Mercenaries couldn''t properly control the media.
If they had confined themselves to the Bise Kingdom and its surroundings, they could easily have produced news to their liking.
However, the ck Mercenaries are not as influential as Runcandel, Zipple, Vermont, or Kinzelo, considered significant factions.
Not even the four major factions could fully control an incident of this magnitude.
You can''t stop a wave with your hand.
Moreover, after this incident, the perception was strong that the ck Mercenaries were "done."
Major media outlets had reached a point where they no longer needed to be cautious with their reporting.
Given Valkas''s real state and the fact that the hideout had been demolished, there was no other way to see it.
"Hahaha, hehehe... Truly, it''s the best year-end event."
Kelliark Zipple.
As usual, he sat on the top floor of the Zipple First Magic Tower, the Tower of Histories, and perused various news sources.
He had a face reminiscent of Beradin, full of a childlike smile.
[Ha, are youughing? Does this amuse you?]
"Kadun! Don''t you find it amusing? I think this is even more fun than thatedy I watched with you and Octaviast time."
[Hmm! How can you be like this every time? You did the samest time, and even when that damn brat was ranting about the return of the Magic Swordsmen, you found it amusing.]
Kadun felt like he was about to go mad when Kelliark behaved like this.
-[Is that amusing? Or are you crazy?]
"Why? At his age, he''s turning Runcandel into aplete mess all by himself. Not even Zipple could achieve that. How could I not enjoy it?"
-[How much damage have we suffered because of that damn brat, Kelliark? Your younger brother died, the Demon God Orb was destroyed, and on top of that, our alliance with Kinzelo fell apart. The incident with the Holy Kingdom... It''s indescribable. And not long ago, you even lost your ck Knight spy!]
"Don''t forget the loss of the Spectre Corps."
-[True, that too. Anything else? Well! Magic Swordsman...! That brat is breaking the oath!]
This conversation took ce a month and a half ago when they received the invitation to the Sword Emperor''s banquet.
At that time, Kadun urged Kelliark to pressure Runcandel immediately, but Kelliark ignored him.
The same was happening now.
Kadun thought it wasn''t the time for Kelliark to be so rxed.
''He hasn''t experienced the Runcandel of a thousand years ago, that''s why he acts like this. Kelliark doesn''t understand how dangerous they are.''
Whether Kelliark was aware of Kadun''s thoughts or not, he continued tough heartily.
[Enough, Kelliark!]
"Ah, my ears already hurt. Kadun, why are you so angry?"
[How can you say that...!]
"Isn''t it significant that the Twelfth gbearer brought down the ck Mercenaries? No, no, it''s more urate to say it''s not the Twelfth gbearer but the work of his Dragon Guardian, Murakan."
[Exactly why it''s a problem. Murakan is regaining his power.]
Murakan.
The reason Kadun was reacting so sensitively to this recent event was precisely that.
It was the information directly transmitted to him by the Fire Dragon Theo and the Blue Dragon Lmaka that Murakan was regaining his power.
[If Jin Runcandel subdued the ck Mercenaries, absorbed them, or simply fought and won, that''s not particrly important. But the fact that Murakan is returning to his prime is something we cannot ignore at all.]
As usual, Kelliark found Kadun''s reaction intriguing, just like before.
"Aren''t you too worried about that ck Dragon?"
[Unlike when I encountered him near Santel, this time he has clearly regained a part of his heart, and that too without the Demon God Orb.]
Kadun had effortlessly cornered Murakan at that time.
Murakan had been concerned with rescuing the people of Santel from Kadun''s attack, preventing him from confronting Kadun.
At that time, Murakan had barely recovered his strength, so Kadun was much stronger to begin with.
Anyway, after that battle, Murakan survived and demonstrated his strength for all to see.
Both in the terrorist attack on the Sword Emperor Castle and a few days ago at the ck King''s Mountain.
Kadun had been somewhat uncertain about Murakan''s recovery when he heard the news from the Sword Emperor Castle.
He wasn''t sure if the weak Murakan he had encountered in Santel had fully regained his strength.
[Now it''s safe. Kelliark, we need to prepare before that guy regains all his former power.]
"You''re quite afraid, aren''t you?"
[That''s right.]
Surprisingly, Kadun easily admitted that fact.
"Didn''t you say you were the Dragon closest to Murakan in power a thousand years ago?"
[Near and on par are two different things. Fine, I admit it, he was the strongest. So take my words seriously and don''t let that brat and Murakan go wild any longer.]
The smile disappeared from Kelliark''s face for the first time.
"You''re right. But, Kadun, it seems riskier to mess with the Twelfth gbearer and his Dragon Guardian."
[For Cyron Runcandel?]
"Exactly. When he''s gone, the world will fall into our grasp anyway. And he doesn''t have much time left. Can the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel ovee Cyron''s dominance in just that time?"
Absolutely impossible.
Kelliark continued speaking and made eye contact with Kadun.
"I have personally experienced the 19-year-old Cyron. I don''t think the current Twelfth gbearer is better than the Cyron back then. The Twelfth gbearer will never reach his level."
[Just as you have experienced Cyron''s power, I have experienced Runcandel and Murakan from that time.]
"I know. But, Kadun, look at the current situation. It seems to me that the fight will end as soon as Cyron disappears. The world will be ours. Why bother stirring the hive when all we have to do is wait for Cyron''s time to end and adjust the variables appropriately? It''s not like the opportunity has presented itself, right?"
Kadun didn''t respond.
He didn''t think Kelliark was wrong, but he couldn''t put into words the unsettling feeling filling his heart.
"If you''re worried, I''ll order an increase in the personnel tracking Misha. It should help ease your anxiety."
In the end, Kadun could only nod.
[...Agreed. It would be much better if Murakan''s sister is captured.]
"Yes. It''s a bit regrettable that we narrowly missed her recently. Anyway, I''m more concerned about my son than the Twelfth gbearer or the ck Dragons."
[Beradin?]
"Yes. It''s still difficult to manipte his mind and memories, perhaps because the stability of the mind control magic is deteriorating or due to some other influence. Manipting his mind and memories is bing increasingly difficult."
The factors that could influence Beradin''s mental world.
Kelliark couldn''t know what it was.
It was about the emotions he had forgotten for so long.
[In my opinion, it''s because the Twelfth gbearer and Dante Hairan have influence over Beradin.]
"Whatever influence they have over Beradin, the end result will be hatred and betrayal. And if that''s the case, we must be even more cautious about touching the Twelfth gbearer until the perfect timees."
[Tch!]
Kadun shrugged, and Kelliark fell silent for a while, toying with a crystal ball.
-------------------
Thend of the beastmen, Kinzelo''s Headquarters.
The faces of Bishkel, Berakt, and Joe were somber.
The table they sat around was filled with numerous news about Jin.
However, unlike Zipple, they didn''t mistakenly think that Murakan was the main culprit in this incident.
"Hmm, Zephyrin... she went to cause an incident."
Joe said, looking at Berakt.
Zephyrin.
Although Kinzelo had not sent anyone to the scene of the ck King''s Mountain copse, they were fully aware that this incident was Zephyrin''s doing.
Because the leader''s condition had deteriorated rapidly right after the copse of the ck King''s Mountain.
It meant that either the leader had overused his power, as he did in the Sword Emperor Castle, or someone had taken advantage of the leader''s power.
Now the leader suffered in the same way, and there was no doubt that only one being could borrow the leader''s power without permission: Zephyrin.
"No, hmm... the leader''s condition, um, isn''t very good, chomp, right? Because, hmm, the Demon Dragon, uh, did something wrong!"
Bouvard said irritably while munching on a sweet potato croquette.
Bishkel and Berakt had the urge to immediately kill that fat piece of meat, but they clenched their trembling fists.
"Vice-leader."
"Yes, Berakt-nim."
"What do you think about this matter?"
"I also think that Zephyrin''s recent actions went too far. After the events in the Sword Emperor Castle, our leader was already bound to have an extreme rest."
"Besides, she failed to even show her face during Kinzelo''s debut. I think she should be severely punished."
"Berakt-nim, Zephyrin is out of our jurisdiction."
"I am aware of that. I was just asking if the Vice-leader had any ideas. Our great cause may suffer a setback if our leader''s recovery is dyed."
In response, Bishkel closed his eyes and thought for a while.
"Then, I will request a meeting with her and ask her a favor. I will ask her to spend some time as a spy within Zipple. It seems like the most we can ask of Zephyrin."
"There''s a high probability she won''t agree."
"I will make sure to persuade her."
Berakt nodded satisfied. Bishkel always kept his word.
"Understood. I trust you and await, Vice-leader."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 453
C453
"It seems there is definitely a problem."
Said a knight with a grim expression.
He was reporting to Joshua Runcandel, the Second gbearer of the Runcandel Family.
Joshua remained silent for a while, and only the embers of cigarettes glowed.
Joshua''s face was illuminated by the faint light, and it had a stiffer expression than the knight''s.
Because it was no one else; it was the ck Knight.
The strongest guardian knight of the Family, only ten people in the Family could wear the ck helmet.
ck Knights never fail in their missions.
Even in the rare case of failure, they would undoubtedly find another way, or they would have encountered an insurmountable variable they couldn''t handle on their own, then return safe and sound.
If it was an impossible situation, to the point of having to give their lives, they were supposed to leave a message to the Family.
In other words, no matter what problem arose, it was unthinkable for a ck knight to disappear without any news.
At least, that''s how Joshua saw the ck Knight.
Most others thought the same.
However, it had been days since news about the ''ck King Mercenaries Incident'' starteding, and the ck Knight, whom he had sent to meet Valkas, had not yet returned.
It''s clear that he was involved in the battle at the ck King''s Mountain...
Joshua let out a deep sigh, and gray smoke wafted through the darkness.
He wanted to slit the knight''s throat who was reporting.
What''s the point of reporting what I already know?
Why scratch my guts by bringing up the topic when everyone already knows it?
No one would me Jin for unloading his unresolved hatred and anger on the knight.
Joshua''s hand, holding the cigarette, trembled slightly.
Joshua regainedposure after the intense impulse surged through him for 5 seconds.
It felt like thousands of bugs were crawling all over his body during those 5 seconds...
But during that time, Joshua didn''t show any emotion or even a twitch.
He felt great pride in being able to control even such a terrible impulse.
"I know, so leave. And call Howard."
"Yes, my lord."
The knight left, and Joshua plunged back into his thoughts.
His gaze was fixed on the stack of newspapers on his desk.
Amidst the destruction of the ck King''s Mountain by the ck Dragon Murakan, both the Twelfth gbearer and the ck King''s mercenaries have not clearly exined the motive for the war...
What are the most probable events in this situation?
The dragon contractors, who know Murakan, have consistently refused interviews orments about Murakan.
This indicates that they are very afraid of him.
Perhaps, the cause of this incident could simply be Murakan''s displeasure...
The Dragon, known as the King of the Sky a thousand years ago, terrorized the world...
What kind of being is Murakan?
Newspapers were filled with information about Jin and Murakan, especially about Murakan.
''If the ck Knight has really died...''
Then there was a high possibility that he was killed by Murakan.
It''s inconceivable that Valkas Kran, who is good at seizing opportunities, would participate in the assassination of a ck Knight.
But why Murakan?
Like many newspapers, Joshua couldn''t think of a clear answer.
''Surely my younger brother couldn''t have told Murakan to kill the ck Knight.''
The youngest, the Twelfth gbearer.
Joshua had always recognized Jin.
Even when the other siblings treated Jin only as a reckless youth, for Joshua, my younger brother possessed bright talent and potential.
Undoubtedly, the younger one was an exceptional individual.
He stood out not only for his sword or magic talent but also for his leadership as a monarch.
A monarch possesses countless virtues, but for Joshua, one of the most important was the affection he felt for his subjects.
''In that sense, my younger brother wouldn''t kill the ck Knight just because he belongs to me. Never.''
The youngest was also someone who loved Runcandel more than anyone.
''I heard from Mother, and I experienced it firsthand. The ck Dragon Murakan is a very capricious and malevolent being. If Murakan killed the ck Knight, he would have done it against Jin''s will.''
That would imply that Jin couldn''t properly control Murakan.
However, Joshua soon concluded that it couldn''t be the case.
If Murakan had escaped Jin''s control, there would have been too many instances where he could have caused even greater idents.
Step!
A man with white and neat hair and an upright posture entered the room.
It was the head butler, Howard.
"Did you call for me, my lord?"
"Howard, what are you thinking?"
Howard showed no sign of confusion even in the face of such a sudden and unexined question.
He already knew what Joshua was pondering.
"There are two possibilities. Either he died, or he escaped. I believe that, in either case, there may be an element of betrayal."
Joshua''s eyes narrowed at the mention of betrayal.
"Betrayal. He is... the younger nanny''s brother, Gilly McRn, before bing the ck Knight."
Joshua recalled the state of the rtionship between Gilly and McRn.
"...And Gilly McRn may harbor significant animosity towards McRn."
"I feel the same way."
"The report mentioned that my younger brother saw the ck Knight using the ws. Therefore, my younger brother could easily deduce that the ck Knight is somehow connected to McRn."
ording to Horward, my younger brother betrayed the Family and killed the ck Knight.
Unlike Joshua, he didn''t believe that the Twelfth gbearer really loved the Family.
Because in Jin''s eyes, Gilly held a higher position than the Family.
So, he killed the ck Knight to vent his resentment and strike at Joshua.
''It''s usible considering my younger brother cares a lot about Gilly.''
But Joshua shook his head.
"It doesn''t seem like my younger brother would be swayed so much by emotions," Joshua said.
"Yes, my lord."
"Perhaps Gilly''s desire for revenge will be resolved in some other way. If there''s any chance he betrayed us, it might be the case like Barton Vicenna."
"Are you referring to the traitor?"
"Yes. If the ck Knight had betrayed the Family like Barton, my younger brother might have killed him."
"But, my lord, in that case, it implies that our unity is in question. If it''s revealed that another ck Knight from the Family betrayed us..."
Howard interrupted.
Joshua hoped that wasn''t the scenario.
If it turned out to be a traitor, it would mean he couldn''t even detect it this time, unlike what happened with Barton.
The meeting with Howard didn''t bring any rity.
Joshua felt like he was wandering through the fog with a frustrating sense.
Suddenly, Joshua realized what he had to do.
"After all, the fact that the ck Knight is involved in the ck King Mercenaries incident is information that hasn''t been made public. Not only to the general public but also to enemy forces."
The information about the ck Knight''s involvement was known only to the ck King Mercenaries and Jin''s group.
''And my younger brother loves the Family, so he would never give that information to the Zipple or any other faction. Even if it could cause significant harm to me, he would prioritize Runcandel''s well-being.''
In other words, whether the ck Knight had betrayed them or not...
The Runcandel Family and Joshua had nothing to lose, at least externally.
"As long as the Twelfth gbearer and the ck King Mercenaries remain silent, no more information will be made public."
Of course, they were unaware of Zephyrin''s existence.
"Losing the ck Knight is a devastating blow, so the Family must seize the opportunity to minimize the damage," dered Joshua.
Howard nodded.
"You just have to say it."
"Prepare a statement praising the Twelfth gbearer, and describe the defeat of the ck King Mercenaries at the hands of Jin and how he absorbed them. It has to convey a sense of reality, not just rumors. It''s unpleasant, but Valkas Kran won''t be able to casually respond. It''s a matter that decides the fate of the ck King Mercenaries."
"Yes."
"Also, distribute newspapers praising Murakan''s might. Let the rumor spread that Zipple''s Dragons fear Runcandel''s Guardian Dragon."
This time, even Howard couldn''t help but ask.
"Are you sure about this, my lord? You might end up giving wings to the Twelfth gbearer. Plus, provoking Zipple like this..."
"My younger brother, out of nowhere, swallowed up one of the biggest neutral forces everyone had been eyeing for so long."
Howard tilted his head again.
"It''s been days since this ridiculous incident happened, and yet Zipple hasn''t made a proper statement. What do you think this means?"
Zipple has no intention of fighting.
Joshua continued his exnation.
Whether they fear my father or Murakan truly terrifies them, Zipple has abandoned the ck King Mercenaries as they always have. Runcandel took them.
Jin could predict and prepare for the ck King Mercenaries'' opposition, but Zipple couldn''t.
"Valkas Kran might protest vehemently, saying something like: what nonsense are you talking about when we''ve never surrendered or sided with Zipple if you keep pressuring us."
It happened to be the question Howard wanted to ask.
"If Valkas Kran protests strongly like that, we can eliminate the ck King Mercenaries."
After a few seconds, Howard finally realized what Joshua was saying.
"Ah...!"
Howard sighed.
"Zipple has already indicated that they have no intention of going all out against the Runcandels just to acquire the ck King Mercenaries. In such a situation, if the ck King Mercenaries rely on Zipple, will we enter a total war? Zipple will never assist the ck King Mercenaries if we take an all-out stance against them."
"I''ll set it in motion immediately."
"Yes, execute it ording to the detailed instructions."
"Yes, my lord."
After Howard left the room, Joshua leaned back in his chair.
He lit a new cigarette, and the sound of ashes burning sounded unusually loud.
Granting wings to the Twelfth gbearer...
Howard''s words echoed in his mind.
That was correct.
This incident would undoubtedly elevate Jin''s prestige once again.
But, in any case...
''Everything that Jin had gained and would gain over time wille back to me.''
Amidst the gray smoke filling the air, Joshua clung to that conviction.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 454
C454
January 1, 1800.
The new year had begun.
The families of Tikan gathered at Latrie Bakery and warmly exchanged New Year''s greetings.
Crunch, the sound of children breaking cookies with their teeth, filled the air, and candles in various corners spilled their colorful light.
The aroma of freshly baked bread and cookies was irresistible, and the magical fragrance wafting from Latrie''s kitchen made both young and old salivate.
It was truly a picturesque and refined scene of the first day of the new year, and the old dog Puppy yawned and approached where the children were.
Puppy had been sitting in his ce until now...
But the rough-looking men with somber expressions, in stark contrast to the warm atmosphere, were the reason he changed his position.
They hadn''t changed their blood-stained clothes or evenbed their hair.
They simply sat with contorted expressions as they tapped the table with their fingers, expressing their frustration and anger with their whole bodies.
They were the captains and officers of the ck King Mercenaries.
The reason they hadn''t changed clothes was their way of showing loyalty to the fact that they were still fighting alongside Valkas, who was in aa.
The reason they were here on the first day of the new year, and not in the Bise Kingdom, was that they hadn''t been able to repair the fallen ck King Mountain hideout.
More precisely, that right had been stolen from them.
It was all because of Runcandel.
In the year 1800, as a new century began, the star, the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel, was the first to shine.
The world''s finest mercenaries, the ck King Mercenaries!
What was the reason they joined the Twelfth gbearer?
It was revealed that the leader of the ck King Mercenaries, Valkas Kran, pledged loyalty to the Twelfth gbearer in the Tikan Free City...
Runcandel is now the lord of the ck King Mercenaries, a force no major faction could embrace.
Indeed, the year 1799 was practically Jin Runcandel''s year.
Would this momentum continue this year as well?
The war between the Twelfth gbearer and the ck King Mercenaries was one of the greatest events of the previous century, and the victors were the Twelfth gbearer and Runcandel.
The King of Sky, the mighty ck Dragon Murakan, roared in the world once again!
The mightiest of Dragons, the sovereign of the sky.
Even Zipple fears that name!
"Sigh...!"
"Sigh!"
The members of the ck King Mercenaries sighed and groaned as they read the newspapers spread on the table.
One character at a time.
It was beyondprehension how they could be filled with such unfair and exasperating content.
They wanted to go to Runcandel and confront them.
How foolish must they seem to undertake such actions, and when did we say we would join the Twelfth gbearer?
After the news spilled.
Runcandel sent knights and people to make sure the ck King Mercenaries couldn''t interfere in retrieving things from the ck King Mountain.
Externally, it seemed like Runcandel was performing the duties of a monarchial Family on behalf of the "soulless" ck King Mercenaries.
In reality, it meant that the ck King Mercenaries were under Runcandel''s control, so they had to follow his directives.
It was also an act to once again rify their affiliation to external and civilian factions.
It seemed like they were about to burst with frustration.
It was hard to ept losing their territory in an instant...
But the humiliation was even more unbearable!
Crunch!
The sound of children breaking cookies and the sound of the ck King Mercenaries grinding their teeth contrasted sharply.
It was as if a line had been drawn on a canvas, withpletely different images on each side.
The side with Tikan families and the side where the ck King Mercenaries sat.
"How about you rx your expressions a bit, friends?"
Someone from the Tikan side approached the table where the ck King Mercenaries were sitting and said:
"My lord has provided us with such an excellent framework. So, why are you still sitting here with such gloomy faces? Has any of you ever eaten cookies like these while living as a mercenary? This is my first time."
It was the Leader of the Phantom Legion, Lata Proch.
He hade to greet Jin on the first day of the new year.
Lata''s sister, Fey Proch, also joined him and added a few words.
"Yes, there are children around, so don''t put on such a fierce face. I''m also holding back from tearing all of you apart."
The rtionship between the Phantom Legion Mercenaries and the ck King Mercenaries was not very good, especially considering that Lata had been rated the worst among the Three Great Mercenaries.
He had been waiting for an opportunity to turn the tables.
Now that he had be Jin''s servant, his desire had diminished, but it was absurd to see the ck King Mercenaries with such an attitude.
"What did you say?"
"What did I say? It''s informal. Friend. Except for Valkas-nim, none of you surpass me in rank. Let''s work together from now on, so the hierarchy should be clear, right?"
"Work together? Who''s going to eat with you?"
Shouted one of the officers, and Lata''s eyes filled with murderous intent.
The officer shivered, and the captains narrowed their eyes.
Lata smiled as if he were holding back and said.
"I understand your feelings, but this is not the time for that, all of you. Don''t you see how the situation is changing? What do you think Valkas-nim will decide when he wakes up? Do you really think he''ll say he wants to go back to being neutral?"
Tension crackled between Lata and the ck King Mercenaries.
Just as Lata had mentioned, Valkas had not yet regained consciousness.
Immediately after the incident with the ck King Mercenaries, Jin, along with Valkas and the ck Knight, headed directly to the Holy Kingdom.
Jin believed that only the Holy Queen Lani could heal Valkas from Zephyrin''s poison.
But this time, even she couldn''tpletely heal them with her pure divine power.
To cure him, she requested around five hundred different medicinal ingredients, some of which were so rare that they were ssified as first-ss materials.
Even Runcandel only obtained them through high-priority missions.
As a result, Jin and some of hispanions had very busy days, even up to today, which is New Year''s Day.
They explored the corners of the world, traversed dangerous and unprotected areas to collect medicinal ingredients.
Lata and his people, as well as Kuzan, had been the ones who suffered the most among them.
However, Lata had no intention of revealing these hardships to the members of the ck King Mercenaries, who were tightening the screws of anger.
He believed he endured all these hardships not for the sake of the ck King Mercenaries but for his lord.
"....Lata-nim, do you really think our leader will submit to the Twelfth gbearer?"
"Well, I don''t want to admit it, but in every aspect, Valkas-nim is superior to me. In terms of strength, adaptability, judgment, experience, and more. Oh, there''s one thing I might be better at¡ªmaybe I have a bigger temper. I think my guts are bigger too."
"He''s an all-around better person, right, older brother?"
Fey said it with a mocking tone and a vomiting gesture.
Although the siblings had a very close rtionship, it seemed they didn''t consider each other handsome.
However, they praised each other in front of others.
"Anyway, when ites to Valkas-nim, can I really ignore what I''ve seen and read? Now, being part of my lord''s forces is the best and only option. If the ck King Mercenaries act recklessly, they will be rejected not only by Runcandel but also by Zipple. That could lead to their destruction."
"That''s a matter for the leader to decide when he wakes up. It''s not up to you to worry about."
"Fine, but you bastards have been talking too rudely for a while now...."
"Hey, mercenary bastards. Are you the only ones here? Control yourselves. If you find the Hidden Pce Guard amusing, should I give you a lesson?"
Ryu and Hiten were stationed in Tikan under Tris''smand.
They were sitting next to Tikan families, enjoying tea and cookies.
"Haha! What did you say? Say it again...!"
Creak!
Just as Lata and the ck King Mercenaries were about to burst with anger, the door opened, and a voice was heard.
"Hey, what''s this? Why are there so many idiots on the first day of the New Year? Huh? Are you fighting? You are, aren''t you? Can''t you see the kids ying around here?"
It was Murakan.
Upon hearing his voice, Lata and Fey immediately lowered their heads, and the ck King Mercenaries cleared their throats and turned their gaze.
"Sorry."
"Quikantel, couldn''t you have told them to stop fighting? They''ve been making a fuss since the first day of the New Year."
"I was afraid they''d die if I hit them."
"Ah, I see. Well done. Latrie, bring some cookies. Quick. They smell amazing."
"I was curious to see how far they''d go."
Next to Murakan were Jin, Valkas, and the ck Knight, who was still wrapped in bandages and was carried on a stretcher, just like Valkas.
And also Lani, the Holy Queen, hooded.
The ck Knight had not yet regained consciousness.
Lani took off her hood, and a deep, sacred aura seemed to envelop the inside of the bakery.
In this strange solemnity, the mercenaries instinctively bowed their heads.
They knew she was healing their leader, so they paid their respects.
"We greet the Holy Queen!"
"Today, I''vee here as a friend of Tikan. It''s awkward, mercenaries, please raise your heads."
Lani shrugged as she said that and then looked at Jin and Valkas.
"Anyway, seeing the atmosphere here, it seems like hard work awaits you. In any case, I want some cookies too. I need to eat and then go back to continue the New Year celebration."
She had found a moment during the New Year celebration to secretly seek out Tikan.
Then, she casually mingled with Tikan families and exchanged pleasantries before the members of the ck King Mercenaries raised their voices.
"Leader!"
"Are you okay?"
"I''m fine, so don''t make a fuss. And all of you, don''t be reckless and be careful with your attitudes."
At Valkas''s words, the members of the ck King Mercenaries lined up and bowed their heads.
"Do I speak, or would you prefer to address them, Valkas-nim?" Jin said, looking at the mercenaries.
Jin and Valkas had already discussed the future of the ck King Mercenaries beforeing to Tikan.
"Let me speak. This seems to be thest opportunity for me to speak as the independent leader of the ck King Mercenaries."
The eyes of the ck King Mercenaries widened at his words, and Lata nodded as if he had expected it.
The ck King Mercenaries had not expected Valkas to ept this imposed choice.
Valkas was aware, just as Lata had foreseen, that this was the only means by which the ck King Mercenaries could survive.
"From today, the ck King Mercenaries will swear allegiance as subordinates to the Twelfth gbearer. This doesn''t simply mean being our leader following his orders for money, as we always do in our world, but rather our lord, and we pledge our trust and loyalty through a blood alliance."
Although Lata had firmly taken control of a significant part of the Phantom Legion Mercenaries, the ck King Mercenaries had ced an even greater trust in Valkas.
At first, the members felt bewildered by his sudden decision, but they quickly regainedposure and nodded.
"Yes, Leader!"
"And from now on, the entire ck King Mountain team must be transferred to this ce, the Tikan Free City. Since the Tikan Free City will undergo aplete transformation, everyone must mentally prepare and make sure to bring their equipment with them."
It was the moment when Tikan''s maximum defensive system was established.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 455
Chapter 455
C455
From that day on, arge construction project began immediately.
Jin and hispanions had no time to exchange greetings or share New Year''s jokes with the new members.
They were busy from morning till night.
This was because the grand construction had literally begun.
"Jin-nim."
Kashimir stood next to Jin.
They were standing on a sailboat circling Tikan Free City, observing the progress of the construction.
There were hardly any external workers; instead, ck King Mercenaries personally transported and installed the equipment.
Even thebat sailboats had been brought by the ck King Corps.
Their base was onnd, but they had plenty of equipment for naval battles, like the mercenaries.
"Jin-nim, a day like this hase to Tikan thanks to you. Except for the main factions, there are hardly any regions in the world with the level of defense that Tikan has now."
Kashimir said that, and his expression was so deeply moved that it seemed tears could roll down his moist eyes at any moment.
Suddenly, Jin recalled the thoughts he had before meeting Kashimir for the first time.
When I tried to establish a base in Tikan, I thought what Kashimir-nim needed the most was the foundation of national power that would be needed after the city''s status was elevated to a nation.
Tikan had a small poption, and as a result, talent and human resources were scarce.
It was and that relied solely on the intelligence of the Seven-Colored Peacocks, so even after bing a nation, it couldn''t escape the status of a small country in Jin''s past life.
That''s why, when I didn''t know the danger of the Divine Artifact Mirror of Coln, I thought about proposing a deal to share its effects.
A defense system at the level of major factions was established without even using the mirror.
Both Jin and Kashimir had achieved such remarkable results that they hadn''t even considered it when they first met.
Once the construction was finished, there were many possibilities for Tikan''s status to be elevated from "Free City" to "Nation."
That''s why Kashimir was so euphoric.
"As soon as the construction is finished, I want to dere to the major factions and countries that we have also be a nation."
Kashimir changed the joy on his face to determination as he spoke.
"Yes, that seems likely."
"And if you wish, you can ascend as the king of Tikan."
It was an unexpected proposal.
It was also a proposal that Jin had no intention of epting.
"Why would I do that?"
"Because you have to achieve more."
It was clear that it wasn''t something Kashimir said just to test Jin, which left him even more perplexed.
"Do some gbearers of Runcandel also serve as kings of some nations?"
"That''s merely symbolic. In reality, they don''t perform the functions of a king but simply wear the crown on behalf of protecting that nation. It''s not a kind of protection you would like."
"I know. And my proposal is not for that."
Jin shrugged and shook his head.
"No, Kashimir-nim. The king of the Free Nation should be you. Besides, I am like a double-edged sword in Tikan."
"Jin-nim, a double-edged sword? What an analogy! I don''t believe that. Why do you think so?"
Because I saw before my return that the people here managed to turn Tikan into a free nation without anyone''s help, Jin thought to himself, but he didn''t say it out loud.
He stared at Kashimir.
"Kashimir-nim, you must understand it too. When we announce that Tikan has be a nation, the major factions, especially Runcandel and the imperial family among them, will pay a lot of attention to this fact."
The four main factions: Runcandel, Zipple, Vermont, and Kinzelo.
Zipple and Kinzelo were less likely to directly pressure Tikan, even if it became a nation.
As long as my father is alive, Zipple rarely interferes with me or with Runcandel, for that matter.
They may exert indirect pressure, but they won''t dare to do anything drastic.
Kinzelo''s Zephyrin aimed at Jin this time, but she also fled after suffering some damage.
She won''t be able to attack me until she recovers.
And her actions in the ck King''s Mountain were very different from Kinzelo''s usual tactics.
Attacking me first was a reckless move, and I can''t rule out that it was her decision.
Since the incident at the ck King''s Mountain, Jin and hispanions hade to the provisional conclusion that Zephyrin is the Demon Dragon of the "leader of Kinzelo."
-If she is as strong as Murakan said, she is undoubtedly under the direct control of a Demon God-level being. There are only a few names thate to mind immediately, but I have no knowledge of the name ''Zephyrin.'' Either it''s an ancient Dragon that was never active during my time and Murakan''s, or a being that has been erased from history.
-If she was erased from history...
-It''s not just the ancient Runcandel whom Zipple had erased from history. The same goes for Archmage Tzenmi, and there are quite a few people who have been erased from the memory of us Dragons who lived in those days.
-Then, the leader''s story may also have been manipted by Zipple. I was already leaning towards that when I saw Sister Rinpa express that she had met the leader.
-It''s not an entirely improbable possibility. It could be a forgotten figure from the time of the ancient power struggle. Anyway, Zephyrin will need more time to recover. Demonic Dragons usually borrow power from a Demon God or an equivalent being, and the Leader of Kinzelo was already in a bad state even during the fight with the Sword Emperor.
This was the conversation between Quikantel and Jin after the incident at the ck King''s Mountain.
There were many doubts and unanswered questions, but one thing Quikantel confidently asserted was that Zephyrin is the Dragon of the Leader of Kinzelo, and her recovery would be slow.
For these reasons, Jin thought that Zipple and Kinzelo would not directly intervene when Tikan became a nation.
On the other hand, the situation with Runcandel and the imperial family was different.
"Runcandel may act differently depending on what my mother decides, but most likely, she will establish policies that maximize the Family''s benefits through Tikan. At the very least, she might demand tribute payments, and at most, she might force mission assignments. She might even try to insist that Tikan serves as one of the bases for the Guardian Knights."
Of course, they wouldn''t just stand by and ept that, but it was an issue that could pose a significant burden for Tikan on its own.
"I am prepared for that matter. The pressure from the major factions was inevitable even if we take you out of the equation, Jin-nim. Also, regarding the imperial family, it seems like you''re thinking about the recent proposal you rejected and exposed their experiments with living golems."
Kashimir continued with a bitter smile.
The truth was that Tikan had always been a thorn in the side of the Empire. Ironically, having you here makes them act more cautiously, Lord Jin. That''s why I believe your contribution is the most significant for Tikan to be a nation.
Kashimir was not aware that he alone had elevated Tikan to a Free Nation before Jin''s return.
At that time, Tikan couldn''tpletely shake off the status of a small country, but Kashimir had been known as the Wise King and managed his small territory.
As far as Jin knew, no other faction threatened Tikan during that period, or at least none dared to challenge him.
That''s why Jin felt guilty.
Kashimir and Alisa had saved Euria on their own and had acquired immense national strength, far superior to the weak countries of his past life. And the more Jin intervened with them, the greater the risks.
''Can Tikan really have a better situation in the uing wars than in my past life?''
Since Jin had gotten close to his Tikanpanions and forged deep bonds, he had often asked himself this question.
He couldn''t help but wonder if his regression had only brought positive changes or if, indeed, it had burdened them with a dangerous fate.
Of course, it was a question he couldn''t answer no matter how much he thought about it.
Soon, Kashimir nodded as if he knew what Jin was thinking.
Of course, he was unaware of Jin''s regression, but he clearly understood his concerns.
Even excluding the element of Jin''s regression, establishing a deep connection with a person like "Jin Runcandel" had always involved taking on many risks.
From the moment Jin saved Euria, he had been a benefactor to Kashimir and Alisa, and the same was true for other members of their family.
From the moment he helped Quikantel rescue Enya, from the moment he epted Jet and his son, and Jin told Kuzan and Beris the truth about Taimyun and helped them, from the moment he helped Yulian save the Thunder Dragon, Caltor.
And the Phantom Legion Mercenaries and the ck King Mercenaries, who had joined more recently...
They also owed their lives to Fey and the mercenaries to Jin.
In this way, Jin had offered a lot first to all the people of Tikan before bing part of the family.
Their rtionships transcended mere consideration of benefits and losses.
"We''re always willing to sacrifice for each other, right? Jin-nim. So don''t think too much. Especially the expression ''double-edged sword'' is quite annoying."
Jin smiled and nodded.
"Still, I can''t be a king."
"In that case, I will. In fact, it''s not even an important question of who wears the crown between us. I only considered giving it to you if you wanted."
"Oh... Then, is it okay if I be the king?"
It was Jet who intervened and said this.
Jet was busy loading luggage, assembling equipment, and sweating profusely, like other mercenaries.
He skillfully navigated the tense atmosphere between the ck King Mercenaries and the Phantom Legion Mercenaries.
He made sure that neither party felt ufortable.
That''s why Jin and hispanions believed that Jet yed a vital role in resolving conflicts within the mercenary corps.
It was fascinating to realize that this capable individual had been a ndestine information agent in his past life.
"Are you serious? If you want to, well... I won''t oppose. But I can already see what the future holds for us."
"Haha, I''m joking, Kashmir-nim. Actually, I dropped by because I have some news to share. I overheard it while carrying luggage down the hall... Oh, here ites."
Jet saw a woman waving her hand in his direction.
It was Quikantel.
As soon as they saw her, Jin and Kashimir realized the news that Jet was about to convey.
"Jin! He just regained consciousness. Come quickly."
The one Quikantel referred to as "he" was the ck Knight they had rescued from the ck King''s Mountain.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 456
Chapter 456
C456
Jin descended to the makeshift infirmary in the basement of the mansion.
The reason for setting up an infirmary in the basement was simple.
The poison from Zephyrin that lingered in the ck Knight''s body had contaminated the air.
Jin opened the door leading to the basement room and was greeted by a strong, pungent smell.
It was the scent of the antidote that Kuzan had used to detoxify the ck Knight.
"Have youe, Jin-nim?" Kuzan said with a tired expression.
Beside him, the top healers sent by Lani and the Phantom Legion Mercenariesy exhausted.
It had been almost two weeks since the beginning of the new year. The ck Knight had just awakened, so they hadn''t been able to sleep well.
"Jet, take the healers to the recovery room. And increase the amount of gold going to the Holy Kingdom five times this month."
The usual five times already ounted for more than 30% of the Holy Kingdom''s annual budget, but there was no need to worry about money.
The more matters rted to Jin grew, the more items from the Golden Peng sold like hotcakes.
Jin could give fifty times the usual amount without hesitation, considering Lani''s recent performance.
After the news that the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel had taken control of the ck King Mercenaries, the executives at the Golden Peng only saw it as a way to make more money.
They began producing a limited edition of a product called "Limited Edition ck Dragon Murakan Cosmetics," both in deluxe and normal versions.
Golden Peng had intentionally limited the quantity of limited edition products to increase their value.
As a result, stores were constantly filled with long lines of customers, and limited edition items were traded on the ck market at prices many times higher than their original cost.
As a result, those who couldn''t get the limited edition started flocking to other products.
Perfumes, soaps, and even sneakers with images of Jin and Murakan.
All of them sold like hotcakes, and money poured in.
"Yes, my lord!"
"Kuzan, you should go up and rest too. You can rx with Beris for a day or two in a quiet ce."
"I''ll take a break when all the work is done, Jin-nim."
"Well, Kuzan is also a workaholic, hehe. So, let''s have a simple drink together tonight. I''ll also ask Valkas and Lata-nim to join."
Kuzan, Jet, and the healers left the basement room.
Creak.
Jin opened the door and saw the ck Knight sitting on the bed.
Jin knew from Quikantel that the ck Knight still couldn''t control his body well.
However, detoxification had beenpleted, so now he only needed rest, medication, and time.
"ck Knight."
Jin approached the ck Knight, and he slowly raised his head.
He had a dazed expression, like someone who had just woken up from a dream.
Although he was a 10-star knight, the potent poison and the antidote had been wreaking havoc on his body for almost two weeks, and he hadn''t fully regained his strength.
"No, can I call you Dox McRn?"
Dox McRn.
That was the name Jin had discovered while the ck Knight was unconscious.
He couldn''t ess the precise personal information of the ck Knight with the authority of the Twelfth gbearer.
To ess the personal information of an active ck Knight, one had to be at least the Fourth gbearer or hold a simr rank.
But to find out Dox''s name, Jin didn''t need to request information from the Family as in Barton''s case.
The ck knight is from Gilly''s Family.
"Twelfth gbearer..." Dox murmured with dry lips, looking around.
On reflex, he tried to grab a weapon, but his arms and legs trembled.
They were the specially tailored metal chains with which they had tied him, just in case.
Jin untied the chains.
"I never imagined a ck Knight would be in such a vulnerable state. I bet you didn''t either."
Dox silently looked at Jin.
However, it''s not that he was carefully choosing his words to respond.
Rather, he was organizing the remaining poison in his body.
He was also recalling memories he hadn''t reflected on since he had just woken up.
What the hell happened?
Damn it, to think the ck Helm would end up like this...!
Dox remembered everything clearly up to the point where he was ambushed by that strange mercenary, Zephyrin.
A strange and inexplicable fear invaded him as he recalled the chilling sensation of purple nails suddenly piercing through his body, making his body tremble again.
However, the memories after that became a chaotic jumble like shattered ss.
I immediately lost consciousness due to that unknown poison.
The mercenary kept attacking me, and I couldn''t defend myself due to the extreme poison.
''I thought I was dead.''
Indeed, if Jin and the others hadn''t been there, Dox would have met his end when the initial ambush was followed by additional attacks.
After that...
''A strange subspace suddenly formed, and the Twelfth gbearer, Murakan, and the ck King Leader protected me in battle.''
The Twelfth gbearer had saved him.
Dox could easilye to that conclusion.
So why?
Dox didn''t know how the battle between Jin, Murakan, the ck King Leader, and Zephyrin unfolded after that.
And he thought that if Zephyrin was strong enough to kill him in a single blow, then it would be absolutely difficult for the Twelfth gbearer and his guardian dragon to fight against her while protecting him.
Therefore, the Twelfth gbearer should have abandoned him and fled.
Especially considering the sharp conflict between the Twelfth gbearer and the Second gbearer.
Did he make that decision for the Family, putting aside his conflict with the Second gbearer?
There''s a possibility that he used the ck King Leader as a shield, but...
''Did the Twelfth gbearer risk his life for my sake, or rather, for the sake of the Family? Even if it means assisting the Second gbearer?''
Dox grabbed his head due to a sudden headache.
"Kugh...!"
"Don''t force yourself to dispel the poison. I have no intention of torturing you to extract information about the Second gbearer or keeping you as a prisoner. So rx."
Jin brought a chair closer and sat in front of Dox.
"Of course, I can''t open the ck Helm''s mouth through torture, and Joshua won''t mind even if you''re taken as a prisoner."
"You... saved me?"
"Yes. Murakan, the ck King, and I fought that monster to protect you."
"Huh."
"Once we escaped, I called the Holy Queen to take care of your treatment."
Up to that point, it was a development that Dox could easily imagine.
After all, there is no one in Runcandel who doesn''t know about the rtionship between Jin and Lani.
However, the next moment, Jin''s words left Dox bewildered and wide-eyed, and he couldn''t help but let out a gasp.
"But even Lani couldn''t fully heal you. So we had to open the Eternal Vault and use thest drop of Numerus'' blood left in the Holy Kingdom."
Cough, cough!
Dox was so stunned that he coughed uncontrobly.
It was the first time he had coughed like this since bing the ck Knight.
"You suffered such a potent poison, so you should know it better than anyone. No matter how extraordinary the Holy Queen''s divine power is, that poison was beyond its healing capacity. It took you almost half a month to wake up even with the use of Numerus'' blood drop."
"Huh, is that so?"
"Do you think I''m lying?"
Of course, Jin was lying.
He had never used Numerus'' blood drop.
Dox had fully recovered using only Lani''s divine power and the Holy Kingdom''s abilities.
But Dox couldn''t doubt it.
From his perspective, it was not unreasonable to think that the poison was something that could only be cured with Numerus'' blood drop, as Jin imed.
After all, he had never used it, and there was no one to tell Dox that it had been used on him.
"Why? I could express gratitude as a member of the Family, but did you think I would promise you loyalty using a sacred object for me?"
He was a ck Knight. ck Knights were not as superficial as to betray their lord just because the opponent saved their life.
Then Jin burst intoughter.
Jin didn''t say it with the intention of deceiving him but as a harmless lie.
"Loyalty? Well, I didn''t expect you to go that far. I just wanted to tell you this."
Jin handed him a handful of bulletins.
They were bulletins praising Jin and Murakan, written by Joshua''s scribes.
''What is this... Certainly, they look like newspapers from the Second gbearer''s media. Did the Second gbearer order these articles to be written this way? Besides, Zephyrin is not mentioned anywhere in the articles. It''s full of news about the Twelfth gbearer and his Dragon Guardian taking over the ck King''s Mercenaries.''
Opening his eyes, Dox immediately found many things he couldn''t understand.
But the meaning of these articles was clear.
It''s not the result of the Twelfth gbearer using me to make a deal with the Second gbearer.
Moreover, the Second gbearer believes I''m dead.
Dox believed he understood Joshua better than anyone.
He gave the Twelfth gbearer my wings thinking it would be beneficial for the Family.
It wasn''t entirely wrong.
He had put himself at Joshua''s service after the consent of the acting patriarch and matriarch and was always close to him.
"I don''t need to exin why Joshua published these articles, right?"
"I... have a general idea. Zephyrin fled, and you take credit for the fall of the ck King Mountain. The Second gbearer doesn''t know these facts, so he published these articles."
"Exactly. However, even if you tell Joshua about Zephyrin, it won''t change anything. And Joshua won''t trust you anymore when you return."
In Jin''s opinion, Joshua was that kind of person.
Once someone escaped from his control, he wouldn''t trust them again.
Moreover, for someone he believed was dead, like the ck Knight, toe back and reveal that the new recruits of the ck King''s Mercenaries had attacked him, and that the Twelfth gbearer had saved him...?
''For Joshua, this is an issue that disrupts his calctions. He has already secured the prestige and power of the n even if he has to endure the loss of a single ck Knight. Above all, he can''t trust the returned ck Knight who was believed to be dead.''
-The loss of the ck Knight is an unbearably painful event, but the Family must gain the maximum benefits from this incident.
Words spoken by Joshua during his conversation with Howard.
Jin didn''t hear those words directly, but he perfectly guessed Joshua''s calctions.
"...Think as you like. What are you going to do with me now?"
"What am I going to do? I''ll send you back to Joshua. It''s not my concern whether he trusts you again or not. Since you won''t betray Joshua anyway. Joshua and I are waging a battle for hegemony, but in a broader sense, you are the most critical force in the Family. That''s why I used the sacred object to save you."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, I''m serious. But before that, you have to pay me for saving your life. Before you go to Joshua, perform a task ording to my orders once your body recovers."
Dox looked at Jin with a perplexed expression.
Suddenly, an order?
He didn''t understand what the Twelfth gbearer''s intention was.
"All right, I ept. Tell me what the order is."
Jin grinned evilly and said.
"As soon as you recover, head to the city of Rikalton, south of Hufester. Investigate the truth about what is happening in Rikalton and report to me."
Rikalton.
It was a ce where it was suspected that Joshua gathered "human materials" for his clones.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 457
Chapter 457
C457
Late January 1800.
The Free City of Tikan was still bustling with activity as they dealt with the relocation and instation of equipment from the ck King''s Mountain.
The Guardian Knights sent by Runcandel to the ck King''s Mountain were initially seen as a factor that hurt the pride and self-esteem of the ck King Mercenaries.
However, now even the mercenaries were beginning to see their presence as convenient.
After all, they clung to the Bise Kingdom, preventing meddlers from causing chaos.
The forces of Tikan had to intervene without Runcandel.
It was an exhausting role amid the tumultuous international situation caused by the sudden copse of the ck King''s Mountain Hideout.
Above all, the ck King Mercenaries were pleased with the change of leadership among the guardian knights stationed in the Bise Kingdom.
"Hmm, those guys. I thought they would look like defeated soldiers. But it seemed like everyone had quietly epted defeat. No, they seemed satisfied."
Crunch!
Mary bit into an apple and spoke.
Standing next to her was, of course, Dyfus Runcandel.
They hade here to prevent other gbearers or the Elder Council (though thetter had practically copsed thanks to Jin) from misusing the "younger one''s loot."
As expected, the first time they arrived, Joshua''s knights stationed there showed an unpleasant attitude towards the ck King Mercenaries.
The mercenaries endured the unpleasant attitude because they didn''t want their new lord to get involved in unnecessary conflicts.
Only when Mary and Dyfus arrived could they work morefortably.
The two maintained discipline among the guardian knights.
But their actions didn''t stem solely from the desire to pamper the younger one.
It was a mix of stimulus and unease about what might happen in the n if someone carelessly touched the younger one, leading to an uncertain future.
Even Mary, who could be called "crazy" when it came to fighting, thought that Runcandel needed a brief period of stability, and that was the reason for her actions.
"We were all nervous the first day we came to y the role of an umbre. Not because of Jin, but because of the Second gbearer and his knights," Dyfus said as he caught the apple Mary had thrown to him.
For a while, the siblings sat under a tree, devouring dozens of apples and watching the work of the ck King Mercenaries.
"If I had known this would happen, I would have joined forces with all the ck King Mercenaries. It''s a bit disappointing. I envy the younger brother," Marymented.
"Strictly speaking, the younger one didn''t fight alone. Such a result would never have been possible without Murakan."
"I don''t know about that. Murakan''s strength has been proven in this situation, but the way the Second gbearer praises him is strangely persistent. It''s almost as if he wants topletely exclude Jin''s contribution to this incident."
"Praising Murakan excessively is downying Jin''s power, is that what you think?"
"That''s my gut feeling. The Second gbearer, us, everyone in the Family that day saw it with our own eyes, right? How incredibly powerful the younger one was on the day of the patriarchate deration."
Thinking of Jin, who demolished the Garden of Swords with the magical sword technique and the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends, sent shivers down their spines.
"At that time, he showed that power right after regaining his amputated arms. The chance that he was in top condition was extremely low. Perhaps he was close to being at his worst."
"That''s going too far, isn''t it? If he caused such a stir at his worst, then the younger one would have be the patriarch long ago."
"But can''t you imagine it?"
"What?"
"The vision of him alone destroying the ck King''s Mountain. Executing that tremendous magical sword and the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends..."
To Mary, it made her mouth water as if she were thinking about delicious food.
Dyfus shuddered but couldn''t deny his dear sister''s words.
It wasn''t difficult to imagine such a thing.
It doesn''t seem strangely unnatural that a person who destroyed the Garden of Swords without help couldn''t do the same with the ck King''s Mountain Hideout.
"If the result was achieved because Murakan fought in his ce, would the ck King Mercenaries be so content with their work now? It seems they''ve encountered a lord they can deeply recognize. Do you think they believe in a boy who trusts his guardian dragon? Do you think it''s possible?"
"Hmm, it makes sense," Dyfus replied.
"Moreover, after observing for a few days, the equipment and all the important things in the ck King''s Mountain are strangely intact. I don''t think it''s all pure luck."
"...Are you suggesting that the younger one controlled his power during the fight? To ensure that the important loot wasn''t damaged?"
"Yes."
Honestly, it was an incredible story.
But in reality... strangely.
None of the most expensive and hard-to-obtain equipment was damaged beyond reuse.
It might be unknown to the siblings.
That was just luck.
On the day Zephyrin went berserk, fortunately, his attack didn''t reach all of the ck King Mercenaries'' high-level equipment.
Not even the avnche that followed could destroy those items.
All thanks to luck!
Due to this level of almost unimaginable luck, Mary''s imagination knew no bounds.
Even Dyfus couldn''t help but feel there was no way, absolutely no way.
Once again, the ck King Mercenaries started singing a lively work song that echoed through the mountains while a silent understanding flowed between the siblings.
"Anyway," said Mary, crunching thest apple heart with her teeth.
"Oraboni, my intuition tells me we need to get stronger."
"What?"
"To fight the younger one."
Whether they faced him or fought alongside him.
For Dyfus, Mary sounded like thetter.
"The girl who always thirsted to get stronger for no reason... is suddenly like this now."
"My dear younger brother and archenemy among archenemies, each crossing mountains the other must ovee! Ah, isn''t this kind of thing great? Exciting."
Dyfus felt slightly uneasy and let out a chuckle.
"I understand your intentions, so figure out what remedy is needed for my aching head when you return."
Mary''s eyes sparkled, and Dyfus continued:
"For now, do as you please. Break anything and train however you want. I''ll handle the aftermath."
"There''s only one older brother who truly understands my heart!"
"Am I your older brother only in moments like these? When will you mature?"
"Don''t talk nonsense afterward. After all, the great Fourth gbearer of Runcandel wouldn''t say a word twice. I''m leaving now, so you have to oversee things here. You''ll handle my missions for a while."
"Hey, Mary! Hey!"
Before Dyfus could catch up, Mary was already running wildly down the mountainside.
Trees bent and raised a dust cloud as she raced downhill.
"Ugh... I hope she doesn''t cause an incident like in the old times. Maybe I should have chosen my words more carefully."
A sudden and intense feeling of unease washed over Dyfus.
---------------------------------
Dox McRn had not fully recovered, but he immediately left the city of Tikan once he regained his ws, reaching a point where he could move with 30% of his usual strength.
He left only this note:
I won''t forget what you did to save me. I admit, I might have died in vain without your efforts and wouldn''t have been able to dedicate the rest of my life to the Family.
However, as a ck Knight, I cannot follow your orders. Instead, I will carry them out as Dox McRn.
I''ll send you a letter as soon as I have something. I hope you understand that I didn''t break my promise and escaped.
Surprisingly, Dox left Tikan without anyone noticing, meaning the opposite was also possible.
The reason Joshua''s ck Knights hadn''t infiltrated Tikan was not theirck of ability but Cyron''s orders.
''He''s not ungrateful. I didn''t expect him to give me such a gift.''
Jin didn''t know that Dox had secretly announced this fact by leaving quietly.
"Valkas-nim."
"Speak, my lord."
"How much can the city''s defenses improve once all the equipment is relocatedpared to the current state?"
"That depends on how much you''re willing to invest in defenses, my lord."
"Whether in manpower or money, allocate whatever is necessary."
"I think the same. I suppose you''ve read the message the ck Knight left upon leaving. If the not fully recovered ck Knight can slip away like this, not to mention what a fully recovered ck Knight could do."
Valkas had epted Jin as his lord, but on the other hand, he also considered his role to test Jin every time an opportunity presented itself.
Jin appreciated Valkas''s approach because he was a leader who had sessfully led a considerable force for much longer than Jin.
"All right, my lord. What''s our next move?"
A leader has the option to gather their forces and reorganize the hierarchy when their power suddenly increases.
Valkas hoped Jin wouldn''t give such a textbook response.
"It''s time to gather our forces and reorganize the hierarchy."
"I see."
"But that''s not my job. Gather. No, to be precise, the current members of Tikan, excluding me, will do their best to maintain order, but it''s up to each one to decide their hierarchy. I won''t get involved in that."
"You won''t get involved at all?"
"Now that we''ve suddenly be a family, conflict seems inevitable, right? If I were to intervene, I''d have to take someone''s side, so I''ll let them establish their ranks as they see fit. However, no killing or mutting each other. I''ll personally cut their throats if anyone breaks those rules."
Valkas couldn''t help but apud inwardly.
''Lata Proch, no wonder that crazy young man has be quite a dog. Ten years ago, the kid the Third Division guys called Little Emperor has now turned into a giant ruling over Valkas and the ck King Mercenaries.''
Suddenly, he remembered something Lata and Jet had said during a recent night of drinking.
-In a way, maybe Valkas-nim has been lucky. I lost my dearest subordinate at the hands of the lord, and my only sister was captured. And I only realized the value of our lord after losing to him.
-Well, thanks to my lord... hehe, I literally suffered a lot. When I yed Beradin Zipple so convincingly. When I first arrived in Tikan, I became aplete beggar. But it was only after getting involved with the lord that I could be someone valuable.
-On the other hand, haven''t the ck King Mercenaries only lost their hideout and reputation? Even the hideout still contains almost all the important equipment. As for reputation... I''m absolutely sure the reputation will shine dozens of times more than before when our lord ascends to the throne of the world. My friend Jet and I are in the same situation.
Valkas smiled.
"It''s been an excellent answer, my lord. So, what''s your task?"
Then, Jin answered without a moment''s hesitation.
"The great mercenary, Am."
It was the correct answer.
"We need to recruit her. And if recruiting her is impossible, then we have to keep her in check."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 458
Chapter 458
C458
There was very little information about Am, the great mercenary from the Gaifa Inds, despite her reputation as one of the Three Great Mercenaries.
Everyone praised her anonymity, and special articles about Am were published every year without fail.
Am would take at least one war-rted assignment each year and always achieved "remarkable" results as if it were second nature.
However, this information was superficial.
Am rarely met with journalists in person, and she was seldom seen at public events, so it was safe to say that the articles were purely imaginary.
In his previous life, Jin had alsoe across Am through those articles.
But only once.
His teacher, Valeria Hister, had spoken about Am.
"Does Am wear the skin of the people she has killed? I often think so, but there are certainly strange stories about this person."
"Doesn''t she bother correcting journalists who make up false stories?"
"True. However, she has no idea at all how those articles affect her image among the people, and the fact that journalists write those stories about her."
"Completely unaware?"
"Yes, she''s the kind of person who doesn''t care much about how the world works. At least, from what I observed. And she was incredibly pure."
"Pure? Even I find it hard to believe she wears people''s skin, but it''s undeniable that herbat skills are extraordinary. But can someone like that be pure?"
"Being pure doesn''t necessarily have only positive connotations. Anyway, once you finish your tea, you should start your training."
In his previous life, they had breakfast together one day and discussed while looking at newspapers.
At that time, Jin didn''t hold Am in high regard, so he didn''t attribute any special meaning to her.
Being pure doesn''t necessarily have only positive connotations...
Now, looking back, the meaning of those words was clear.
Am is a human with a very blurred sense of right and wrong.
"Why do you think that?"
Valkas asked the final question.
He wanted to know the reason they needed to recruit or keep Am in check.
"It''s because of the alliance I made with the ck King and the Phantom Legion Mercenaries."
"It''s not an alliance but rather a lord-vassal rtionship; you don''t need to be so careful with your words while considering our feelings."
"Now everyone knows this fact. I wanted to keep it hidden until our power was even more solid. Anyway, now the two biggest neutral powers left in the world are Am, the great mercenary, and the Hidden Pce."
"That''s true."
"The fact that the Hidden Pce is my ally hasn''t been revealed to the world yet, but the major factions must have some suspicion."
"Well... I think people around the world consider them not only as allies but also as potential family members. Rumors about marriage between you and thedy from the Hidden Pce have been circting for quite some time, my lord."
"The only one left is Am, and anyone who is. It would be a bit awkward even for me to persuade her. Although I haven''t acted recently, other powers must already be trying to contact Am. If we''re unlucky, she may have already joined somewhere."
Jin''s recent actions have changed the course of the world.
Forces that had been neutral for a long time joined the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel, further escting tension among the major factions.
Those in the gray area had to make a decision.
Which side to align with?
Neutral forces were disappearing one by one.
"She might not be affiliated with anyone, my lord. She''s quite an elusive character," Valkas said.
"Do you know her?"
"We might be quite close considering Am''s standards. In general, we''ve crossed paths a few times on the battlefield and have eaten together a couple of times."
Since both Am and Valkas were famous mercenaries, they had received different assignments and had encountered each other on the same battlefield a few times.
Valkas'' forehead furrowed as he remembered those moments.
"You know, my lord. Am doesn''t have her own mercenary unit."
"Yes, she operates alone."
"Even so, I''ve never defeated her even once when I faced her on the battlefield."
"Are you saying there''s such a difference between Am and you?"
"Not between Am and me, but between the ck Mercenaries and Am."
Jin widened his eyes.
"What...?"
"I hate to admit it, but at least in terms ofbat skills, Am outmatches both me and the ck Mercenaries. Maybe in a one-on-one duel, it might be different, although she has the potential. But we''ve never had a chance to test it."
Valkas looked Jin in the eyes as he continued.
"That means we must recruit Am. It''s entirely different when you temporarily fight on different sides due to different bosses and when you be dered enemies. Personally, I think you should consider the possibility of having to kill her if you think she can be an enemy."
Jin nodded decisively in response to Valkas'' determined tone.
"I understand what you mean. Our top priority is to understand what Am wants. Do you have any specific information?"
"Scouting."
"Scouting?"
"Am has been wandering and exploring the world all her life. I asked her about it when we shared a meal after a battle. She seemed to have a strong desire to find something, but she didn''t exactly tell me what it was."
"If I can figure out what that something is, recruiting her will be easy." An intense intuition crossed Jin''s mind.
She doesn''t seem very interested in how the world works.
Perhaps that''s why my teacher described her like that in my previous life; maybe she''spletely dedicated to her goal.
Jin realized that he might have to ask the current Valeria if she knew anything about Am.
Bringing Valeria with him could also be a good idea.
"In any case, I should meet with her and have a conversation."
"Indeed, my lord. And it might be helpful to bring the Proch siblings."
"Do you mean Lata and Fey?"
"Am seemed to find those two strangely likable when they crossed paths on the battlefield. Although Lata didn''t seem to appreciate it."
It was hard to imagine anyone finding Lata cute, but having him along wouldn''t hurt.
"Understood."
"In that case, I''ll go back to overseeing the construction. If Am cooperates, please convey my best wishes to her."
As Valkas left, someone was already waiting for Jin.
Gilly.
"Young master."
"Yes, Gilly."
Jin had noticed a long time ago.
Or, to be more precise, Gilly had been trying to start a conversation with him for a while, especiallytely.
He had been waiting to have his thoughts sorted out.
''She had been restless because of the situation with Dox.''
The McRn Family hadn''t sent any greetings when he became a gbearer, and Dox, who had been rescued by Jin, had left without a word.
(In fact, from Jin''s perspective, it seemed more like he had been given a message to be even more attentive).
Gilly acted as if she hadmitted a sin.
"Oraboni... No, the ck Knight. I worry about what to do if he doesn''t follow your orders, young master."
"Why does that worry you, Gilly?"
"For my family."
Gilly paused for a moment, then continued with an uncertain voice.
"Because he is from my family..."
"Family means nothing to a ck Knight. And as I saidst time..."
He stopped for a moment, suppressing the growing anger.
Of course, the anger wasn''t directed at Gilly but at McRn, who made Gilly feel small.
"I won''t hold any particr grudge against McRn. As long as they don''t harm you directly. So don''t worry, Gilly."
When it came to Gilly, Jin struggled to control his emotions.
He told her not to worry, but his eyes were filled with an intense desire for revenge against McRn, enough to end them instantly.
Gilly couldn''t raise her head, troubled by the situation, and Jin realized the situation a beat toote.
''Ah...''
His priority should be Gilly''s feelings and not the anger.
He had always known it, but putting it into practice was difficult.
However, Jin understood it because he remembered it clearly.
In their past lives, McRn didn''t extend a hand to Gilly when she also suffered the same fate as him and was exiled from the Family.
McRn''s position in Hufester was significant, so they could have done a lot to help Gilly if they had wanted.
Of course, they couldn''t turn her back into an active gbearer of McRn, but they could at least have prevented her from having a lonely and miserable death.
That was the reason for Jin''s anger toward McRn.
"Hmm, whether the ck Knight obeys that order or not, I''ll obtain important information. If he doesn''t obey, we can assume that all active ck Knights are involved with Rikalton. If he obeys, it will reveal Joshua''s secret."
Jin spoke again, suppressing his anger.
"Moreover, Joshua will stop trusting that ck Knight, and it''s very likely he''ll be my person before I be the patriarch, as long as I don''t kill Joshua."
"Oh..."
"I will save him."
"What?"
"If Dox is in danger of being killed by Joshua, I will save him. As I said, he''s not just another member of McRn; he''s a ck Knight. He''s one of the most important members of my Runcandel Family, so I won''t let him die meaninglessly. I saved him this time for that reason."
Gilly nodded, and Jin shrugged.
"You have nothing to worry about anymore, Gilly. I''ll be leaving for the Gaifa Inds soon, so please prepare our things. I want to leave with the feeling that I''ll still be under your care, Gilly."
"Understood, young master. I''ll prepare it right away."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 459
Chapter 459
C459
When Gilly left to start preparing for Jin''s journey, Murakan entered the room this time.
Upon entering, he looked at Gilly and forced a smile (to make her smile), but she just nodded in greeting and walked past him.
"Hmm, today Strawberry Pie''s reaction seems to be 20% anger, 30% sadness, and 50% bitterness. There''s not a single digit of error in this calction, kid. You know that?"
"What nonsense is this again?"
"Well, what do you know? Ugh. You only know how to take advantage of Strawberry Pie."
A vein popped on Jin''s forehead.
"You, the great ck Dragon, don''t know how to flirt."
"What are you talking about?"
"And you only know how to make cheap jokes."
"You have no idea how much Strawberry Pieughs at those jokes."
"Well, you don''t need that kind of humor. Gilly onlyughs when she sees your face."
"Ha! Look who''s talking. The Thousand Year Contractor has no eyes, none. I raised you wrong. I should have known since the time you threatened to destroy the magazines!"
"And so what? Right now, Murakan, it''s better for you to behave with her. She''s frustrated enough for you toe and bother her, right?"
"Of course!"
"Because I can give you an excuse."
At this point, Murakan suddenly cleared his throat and gave a typical fake cough.
"Cough, cough, cough."
Jin burst intoughter.
"Go help Strawberry Pie, no. Help Gilly."
That was the reason.
If Murakan tried to help Gilly without this motive, the only response he would hear from Gilly would be, "It''s okay, you don''t need to bother."
On the other hand, he could naturally help her with this reason. All Gilly could respond was, "Oh, for the young master?"
"Hehehe, good. Well, kid, it''s nice to hear that. So, you go find that Am or whatever, and I''ll take care of Strawberry Pie, and we''ll do all the pending household chores together..."
"You''reing too. And there''s no need for you to do household chores."
"Okay, I''ll go... But why?"
"Aren''t you my Dragon Guardian?"
"Well, that''s true. But sometimes, the Dragon Guardian needs some time alone."
"Yes, you''re right, but this time you muste. It could be quite dangerous."
"You''ll be fine unless someone like Zephyrin shows up, don''t you think? Isn''t it better for someone like me to watch over Tikan?"
"There''s now that says Zephyrin won''t show up again. Also, the Gaifa Inds require a proper escort."
Murakan frowned at the mention of an escort.
"Escort? Are you saying you want to use me as an escort?"
"Yes. The four major factions will gather at the Gaifa Inds. There will be important figuresing to represent them."
"So you don''t want tog behind them, right?"
In reality, even if Jin were alone, without Murakan, Lata, or Fey, he wouldn''t be seen as a fool by anyone.
A year or two ago, many might have thought, "At most, he''s the Twelfth gbearer."
But now Jin had truly ascended to the ranks of giants.
Before, he was a notable rising star shaking the world and causing a sensation with his talent.
However, after swallowing the Phantom Legion Mercenaries and ck King Mercenaries, there was no doubt that Jin had be an undeniable giant.
So even without Murakan, his influence wouldn''t diminish, but he had the mindset that more is better.
The Gaifa Inds were like a small cage where all formidable beings in the world gathered.
That meant even a small spark could trigger a wild fight, and Jin and the Proch brothers might be insufficient in those moments.
Enemies could be numerous and powerful.
"True. We have to prepare for any unexpected situation."
"Well, I can handle quite a bit."
"Anyway, shall we? When youe back from helping Gilly, I''ll prepare some remarks that you can use on the Gaifa Inds for various situations."
"Remarks? What kind of remarks?"
"I''ll only tell you if we go."
-----------------------------------
In the Gaifa Inds, the sea was calm and transparent, a warm breeze blew year-round, the forest visible from the sea was lush and full of tempting fruits, and the trees in that forest wereden with all kinds of unknown fauna.
It was truly a worthless area.
The nearby sea was calm...
but just beyond the ind, treacherous currents and mysterious whirlpools abounded, making navigation for normal vessels impossible.
The warm breeze that blew daily would suddenly sweep the ind, making it unsuitable for installing a transfer gate due to the dry sand and drops it carried.
The ground, despite its beautiful colors, produced resources that essentiallycked meaning.
Moreover, many people who tried to settle here couldn''t endure for long, as a mysterious endemic disease erupted here every year.
The worst conditions in this ce were caused by monsters. Gaifa was an unprotected zone.
It wasn''t ssified as a high-risk zone, but orcs and other demonic creatures roamed the ind once or twice a week.
Therefore, Gaifa couldn''t be used as a tourist destination, residential area, or even as a fun ce for the wealthy.
asionally, there were people who tried to invest in the ind or establish a personal space despite these unfavorable conditions.
However, all of them disappeared about thirty years ago when the formidable mercenary Am set foot on this enormous and seemingly useless ind.
Swish, Swish...
The boat smoothly crossed the mist-covered sea.
The one exining this information was Lata Proch, who had been rowing the boat alone throughout the entire journey to the ind.
"There have been various rumors about that reason, my lord."
"Do you mean the reason why fewer people have approached the Gaifa Inds since Am arrived?"
"Rumors circted that Am killed everyone who came looking for something hidden on the Gaifa Inds. There are stories like hiding lovers, hiding kidnapped children, and so on."
"Naturally, there must have been stories about hiding treasures too."
"Yes. So quite a few mercenaries and pirates came to the Gaifa Inds. They were all a bunch of fools, and... no one ever saw them again."
People in the world might not know if one or two had disappeared, but if a group had vanished, it could only be because of Am.
"On rare asions, there were a few lucky ones who survived and came back, but they showed signs of fear at the mention of Am''s name."
Rumors like Am wearing human skin or being a cannibal arose from those incidents.
"One thing is clear, Am really dislikes guests whoe to these inds."
Exiting the misty area, Gaifa became visible.
"That''s right."
More guests had gathered in Gaifa than ever before.
Lata was sure.
Am wouldn''t be receiving the guests.
And if she met with them, it would undoubtedly be for military purposes, not hospitality.
"By the way, there''s a rumor that Am... has a favorable impression of the two brothers."
"I don''t care if Valkas-nim told you, but don''t worry about our feelings, Jin-nim," said Fey.
Valkas had told them the same story before his departure.
She continued with her words.
"And... I''m not sure if I can call it a ''favorable'' feeling. I think Valkas-nim mentioned it while thinking about the day we happened to eat together on the battlefield. But my brother and I have seen Am on other asions besides that day."
"If it''s not ''favorable''?"
"It''s difficult to express it in words. It seemed like she considered us as toys or ymates. She said talking is boring and brandished her sword against us."
"It''s an embarrassing story, but there was one time I got a cut on my forehead during one of her surprise attacks."
At that moment, Jin realized a strange sense of dj vu hearing the story about Am.
The ambiguity of the border between good and evil, the willingness to perform actions that could kill someone as a joke.
There was someone whom Jin wanted and who also had that trait.
''Elder Sister Yona.''
From what he had heard, Am had a lot inmon with Yona.
And a word naturally came to Jin''s mind:
Chaos.
''Maybe Am has the chaos of Elder Sister Yona.''
Of course, it could just be that she had a twisted personality.
But other circumstances fit well.
The part where Am single-handedly overwhelmed all the ck King Mercenaries in the war.
Valkas evaluated Am as someone with special abilities, more than as a transcendent War with a battle skill of 10 stars or higher.
-Am has spent her whole life wandering and exploring the world. I asked her when we ate together after the battle. She seemed to be searching for something with great longing but didn''t reveal exactly what it was.
Jin remembered what Valkas had said.
A sharp intuition seemed to pierce his head from all directions.
Am is looking for something rted to Chaos.
The source, the reason, or a way to control or eliminate the Chaos she possessed.
If Am is looking for that, what can I offer her?
Jin''s knowledge about "Chaos" was quite limited.
Most of what he knew came from Tris''s recent exnation.
But what about his enemies?
How much did they know about it?
The Imperial Family might not know anything, but Kinzelo and Zippel probably had more information.
Especially because the Leader of Kinzelo seemed to be a Demon God-level being.
''If Am''s goal is information about Chaos, I''m in a quite disadvantageous position, especially since I''m probably thest one to arrive at the Gaifa Inds.''
While contemting these thoughts, a familiar scene entered Jin and hispanions'' vision.
Not far away, smoke and mes began to erupt from the center of Gaifa.
There was no need for further exnations; the smoke indicated that a battle was taking ce, and it was unfolding rapidly.
"My lord."
"What should we do?" Lata and Fey asked, and Jin immediately made a decision.
If there had been only one major faction that had arrived at Gaifa, they would have hurried to see it immediately.
It was probably a battle between Am and the main factions.
However, it wasn''t the right time to intervene.
It could be a battle between the main factions, a skirmish involving Am, or a showdown between Am and some of the main factions.
They all had one thing inmon:
Interest in Am.
As long as the Four Great Factions didn''t collectively decide to eliminate Am, she was actually the safest in any situation.
Because they would all try to rescue her.
"For now, let''s go more slowly. And if possible, let''s find a suitable ce to hide and observe what happens and how the battle unfolds," suggested Jin.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 460
Chapter 460
C460
They tied the boat to the rock and headed to the ind.
"It seems like the guards were here not too long ago. Hmm... Judging by the tracks, smells like the bastards from the Special Force."
Lata said, looking at the nearby tracks.
"Special Force? Can you really tell just by looking at the tracks?"
"It''s a kind of intuition and experience, my lord. I''ve often crossed paths with them due to the nature of my work. There''s a subtle pattern that''s hard to exin."
"If even my brother says so, then it must be the Special Force."
"Not a beast, but it seems to recognize every little detail. Isn''t that right, kid?"
It was astonishing to see the Proch brothers so self-assured just by looking at the tracks.
That was a skill Jincked.
Although it would only be true once it was confirmed that the Special Force was really here.
Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the battles were not limited to just the central ind.
Smoke and fire were rising from variousrge and small inds lined up in a row.
In other words, battles were erupting in different ces on these inds.
The inds were so close to each other that swimming or jumping was enough to move from one to another.
Jin and his group decided to explore the situation by traversing the inds.
As they moved, screams could be heard from somewhere.
On a sunny day, amidst the pristine natural beauty of the inds and the warm breeze, the growing number of screams seemed out of ce.
The group couldn''t help but feel a strange sense of unease.
"Hey, kid."
"Yes?"
"Don''t you think there''s something odd about these screams?"
Jin nodded.
"These screams seem toe from ordinary people who haven''t received proper training."
"I agree, my lord."
The screams were too intense toe from the ind''s inhabitants or ordinary people.
Because they carried the energy of Warriors of at least 6 stars or higher.
While it was true that well-trained and battle-hardened individuals could scream out of fear, it was unusual for them to do so with such terror.
The people who had arrived at Gaifa consisted of troops from the Four Great Factions.
They were well aware of possible frictions among the Four Great Factions, so their ranks were filled with elite personnel.
Even the minimum level of these troops could be considered elite.
However, it was bewildering that these elite individuals were screaming in terror.
Jin and the others reached a new ind, which seemed to be a rugged hill.
Due to its rtive height, upon reaching the top, they could see at a nce the ind in front of them.
What they witnessed was a scene they had never imagined.
"Kuugh!"
"Aaahh!"
People ran chaotically and erratically, shouting like frightened beasts.
"What the hell is going on? What''s the situation?"
"It''s the Imperial Troops... Murakan-nim."
The frenzied individuals were members of the Elite Imperial Army.
Even worse, torn banners representing the Vermont Imperial Family were scattered on the ground.
The Imperial Family Army was running over them.
The question was, why had these troops of the Imperial Family been reduced to such a state?
There were no immediate answers.
However, it didn''t take long to figure out the cause of their madness.
"My lord, it seems..."
"They''re not fighting with someone else."
The troops of the Imperial Family were engaged in a battle among themselves.
Theirbat skills and movements were socking that it was impossible to consider them elite.
It was clear that what had brought these troops to this point was a matter of great concern.
As if possessed by something, or as if they couldn''t see anything beyond, they continued screaming and wielding their weapons without a moment''s rest.
Thud!
Swoosh!
Ugh...!
The group watched from behind a rock how they behaved.
And Jin was lost in thought.
What the hell was happening on this archipgo?
"It doesn''t seem like the result of hallucinogens since there''s no lingering smell. Hallucinogens would have a strong smell if they were potent enough to make them this crazy."
"It''s not a drug either."
Said the Proch brothers.
While they were discussing the smell, Jin inspected whether there were traces of mana on them.
It could be dark magic or psychic magic, something Jin was unfamiliar with. After all, there were Zipples here.
However, there were no traces of mana on the small ind where the Imperial Family troops were causing chaos.
It wasn''t a drug or a spell.
If not, what kind of trick could make the Imperial Family troops act like this?
Jin turned his gaze to other inds.
Loud noises, fires, and ck smoke could be heard.
Lord Lata mentioned that the tracks were not from the imperial family''s troops but from the Special Force.
The Special Force sensed that something was wrong with the imperial family''s troops and began to move elsewhere.
Jin quickly theorizes.
Although they couldn''t determine what was driving people insane, it didn''t seem to affect individuals beyond a certain level.
"Let''s move forward."
Verifying this hypothesis wasn''t difficult.
They just needed to observe the other inds where battles were taking ce.
On the next ind they visited, they saw Zipple magicians fighting each other.
"Kaaah!"
Simr to the imperial family''s troops, they were attacking each other in a state of madness, but the situation was even worsepared to the imperial family''s troops.
"Ugh, it''s quite unpleasant," Murakan said with a grimace.
Zipple magicians were fighting with staves and bare hands, not with magic.
While the imperial family''s troops might have lost their minds, they retained enoughbat prowess to kill each other in a single blow...
But magicians needed gruesome processes to kill each other without using magic.
"It''s pretty safe to say this situation wasn''t caused by Zipple. Let''s move on to the next ind. Kinzelo''s people should be there."
Locating the ind where Kinzelo was turned out to be particrly easy.
Because they heard sounds of beasts roaring from the ind right in front of them.
It was the screams of Kinzelo''s beastmen.
The ind was filled with members of the Red Tiger Tribe, scratching and biting each other with bulging eyes.
Therefore, Kinzelo wasn''t the perpetrator of this situation either.
"When was it, about fifteen hundred years ago? Or was it before that? It looked like this when Helluram spread that strange gue. Everyone wentpletely mad."
"Is there a chance the Witch was involved?"
As far as I can tell, no. Helluram''s gue started with a curse, and if she were here, Lata would have been affected too. Only you and I could rid ourselves of Helluram''s Curse if she were here, kid."
They explored a few more inds with signs of battles.
All seemed simr to the inds they had seen before.
The only difference was that various factions were fighting each other on some inds.
There were inds where Imperial Family Troops and Red Tiger Tribe Members were crazily fighting, and somewhere Red Tiger Tribe Members, Zipple, or all three were fighting together.
The crazed individuals showed a tendency to attack anything they could see.
Jin''s hypothesis seemed correct.
Now he was almost certain.
"It seems to be at least a level 7-star. Most likely, this situation is the work of Am."
Jin spoke, and the group''s attention shifted to him.
"Kid, what are you talking about?"
"Whatever is driving people insane, the threshold is exactly the 7-star battle prowess. From 7 stars and above, you can resist or not be affected by this."
The imperial family''s troops were a group of soldiers, not knights, and they selected only the best among soldiers.
Therefore, except formanders, all were 6-star or below.
The magicians killing each other were the same.
They weren''t the best magicians like White Night, Spectre Corps, or the first division of their respective magic towers, but magicians of six stars or less.
Red Tiger Tribe members were all 6 stars or less, and theirmanders were nowhere in sight.
"In all the inds where the three factions were fighting, there were no corpses ofmanders of 6 stars or more. This means that after the problem urred, themanders fled. The Special Force mentioned by Sir Lata also operated in the same way."
The reason Jin concluded that the minimum level is 7 stars is that all victims are 6 stars or less.
The main reason was this.
"And I don''t see any Runcandel knights going mad."
Runcandel didn''t send 6-star Guardian Knights on external missions.
That means all Guardian Knights who came here wereposed of at least 7-star level.
As the three factions had established their presence nearby, Runcandel probably would have set up a camp nearby too.
However, the fact that not a single person could be seen meant they had all safely retreated.
"Murakan."
[Yes.]
"I think it''s better to just fly."
The reason they had used an inconvenient boat toe here was that flying in someone else''s airspace was a serious vition of etiquette.
Since the major factions had brought their forces here to showcase their dominance, it served the purpose of making them stand out.
Woo...
Murakan reverted to his original form and pped his wings.
As they ascended into the sky, the group could now get a bird''s eye view of the Gaifa Inds.
Thergest ind, right in the center of Gaifa, loomed before them.
The entire ind was ckened, as if it had been engulfed by mold.
At first nce, it might have seemed simr to the force of shadows, but it felt much denser and heavier.
Anyone could sense that this ominous energy was the culprit behind driving people insane.
And individuals with the "judgment" of each faction had stationed themselves around the dark energy spreading in all directions.
They were working desperately to contain its spread.
Over time, the group could see how the form of the energy transformed, as if it were being molded like y.
Woosh!
What is that thing over there?
A human?
The ck energy covering the ind had taken the shape of a human figure.
It was smaller than Zephyrin but muchrger than a Murakan.
Oddly, the figure bore a striking resemnce to a human Jin deeply despised.
Bouvard...
Gaston?
As Jin recalled the name, the newly molded ck figure opened its mouth.
[You''ve tested my patience.]
Right after, the ck figure inhaled, as if preparing to exhale like a dragon.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 461
Chapter 461
C461
''However, this was not Bouvard''s voice.''
Bouvard''s voice is congested, as if clogged with oil clumps, and it didn''t match his nervous tone.
And it was a woman''s voice, with a touch of innocence but tinged with anger.
It wasn''t Margi''s voice either.
''So, who could it be?''
Someone else from Kinzelo?
Or maybe Am?
Jin had his doubts, but at that moment, a huge, dense sphere formed, from which Bouvard''s figure emerged with an open mouth.
Members of the powerful factions, who were not even affected by mental attacks, didn''t get scared but deployed their protective shields as Bouvard''s figure suddenly manifested.
They were the elite, impervious to various forms of mental attacks, so they remained calm even when facing something new.
Bang!
Bouvard''s breath expanded rapidly, creating a powerful and deafening sound, as if it could explode at any moment.
It was evident that a massive force was about to be unleashed.
Just before the breath burst, the protective shields of the elites shone intensely.
The first ce where the breath hit was where the Runcandels were stationed.
"Haaahh!"
The man at the front of the Runcandel formation shouted and released a powerful aura.
The man screamed as if he had split the breath in half with his shout.
It was because the breath was cut in half even before the sound resonated, but in reality, the man''s sword struck the breath.
Interestingly, he was armed with a sword and a shield, unlike the usual Runcandels, and exuded tremendous energy with each shout.
''Runcandel sent the older brother Vigo.''
Vigo Runcandel, Cyron''s fourth son and the Sixth gbearer of the Family.
Behind him were the Runcandel Guardian Knights and two Execution Knights who deployed their protective shields.
Jin thought Joshua would havee in person.
''Is he busy with something else?''
Am was one of the few remaining significant neutral forces, so Jin had anticipated that the major factions would send their standout members.
In other words, they would send someone from the major gbearers.
Vigo wasn''tcking, but this situation required sending an opponent worthy of Runcandel''s top gbearer.
However, when Jin looked towards the Zipple faction, he realized they hadn''t sent their gbearers either.
''Midor Elner...?''
Jin identified him first.
The breath attacking Runcandel suddenly shifted towards Zipple, obscuring others, but there seemed to be no one of higher rank.
Midor was Kelliark Zipple''s illegitimate son and hade to rescue Myuron Zipple during the Colon genocide.
''He has to pay some debts.''
At that time, Jin had almost lost his life because of the power of Kelliark, "Space Explosion," unleashed by Midor.
The memory of that day shed in Jin''s mind, and he instinctively clenched his teeth.
He had gone through quite a bit of trouble back then, but in the end, Midor had unintentionally been the one to help Jin.
Thanks to Midor, Jin had learned that Kelliark could "split" space.
Jin also surveyed Kinzelo and the imperial family personnel.
Apart from the gigantic figure of Bouvard, there were no familiar faces from Kinzelo that Jin recognized.
The imperial family troops concealed their faces, but they seemed to be formed only by a special group and the Imperial Guard.
Hairan had been unable to participate recently due to terrorism and political pressure; at the very least, leaders of the major families of the empire or individuals of equivalent status should have attended.
However, only regr members hade.
Of course, the individuals from each faction currently on the Gaifa Inds were undoubtedly figures who could influence any part of the world.
However, there was a clear sense that representatives were missing in this meeting of the four major factions where they were supposed to properly confront each other.
[Hey, Kid. Didn''t you tell me you''d use me as a halo?]
Murakan spoke.
Now, Bouvard''s breath was heading towards the imperial family troops after striking Kinzelo, and Murakan evenughed as he saw it.
[What kind of thing is that? I''ve never seen anyone release their breath like that. And it weakens with each collision, which is even funnier. Anyway, I don''t think you need to use me as a halo in front of these guys. It''s a shame, but honestly, you''re better than those people, aren''t you?]
"It''s an insult topare them to our lord."
[At first, you looked like a snake. But you''re also quite skilled at ttery].
"Thank you, Murakan-nim. But, in my opinion... I have a feeling that the people who should havee here originally are gathered elsewhere."
Jin nodded at Lata''s words.
He thought the same.
''There is a much more important figure somewhere else than Am here...!''
Otherwise, it was impossible that only people like Vigo were gathered here.
Jin couldn''t think of any other figure he should conquer besides Am.
Jin felt like he had been hit hard on the back of his head.
[Eh? So the guys who should be here are gathered somewhere else?]
"There is something more important than Am. Right now, I can''t even guess what or who it is."
[So you''re saying we''ve wasted our chance bying here to the Gaifa Inds, right? Without even starting anything?]
Meanwhile, the giant Bouvard was regaining his breath once again.
"You can''t be sure of that."
[Why?]
"So we need to clear out here as quickly as possible because only lower-level members are gathering here, and then go to where they are."
[By then, they might have secured something more important than Am.]
"That''s a matter of luck. But, haven''t we had enough lucktely?"
The giant Bouvard moved very slowly even when he shot the first breath and while preparing the new one.
However, despite that, the various factions struggled to respond quickly to Bouvard''s actions.
They couldn''t counter properly.
Warriors shot their sword energy from where they stood, and mages cast long-range attack spells...
But most of them had little powerpared to the level of Bouvard''s figure.
Most of them were unable to unleash their full potential due to some kind of obstacle.
Extraordinary individuals like Vigo and the Execution Knights protected those who couldn''t fight.
Moreover, they hadn''t even acknowledged the presence of Murakan and his group, floating in the sky.
The dense energy, breath, and protective shields shed, and dust clouds billowed wildly, and skilled individuals had no time to rest because they were constantly safeguarding their people.
"My lord, except for a few, everyone seems to be moving as if they''ve been poisoned or driven to madness."
"Undoubtedly due to the proliferating ck energy. Like the ones we saw before on the ind, itpletely drives anyone below 7 stars insane."
Lata and Fey exined.
"Lata-nim, isn''t it some kind of poison or hallucinogen?"
"That''s right, my lord. Initially, I assumed it wasn''t drugs due to theck of a persistent smell, but the color and scale of the phenomenon indicate that if it were poison, there would definitely be a distinct smell. There are few toxins that produce this color."
Murakan had lowered his flying altitude to avoid exposing himself to other factions.
So he thought it was better to minimize his presence and remain hidden from other factions.
However, as they approached the expanding muddy mist centered around the giant Bouvard, something changed in the Proch brothers.
"Kugh!"
"My lord...!"
Lata and Fey suddenly grabbed their heads.
They also released the scales from Murakan''s back, groaning in pain as if something was torturing them.
They had released protective shields as a precaution when approaching the muddy mist, but it seemed to be of no use.
"Lata-nim! Fey?"
Jin grabbed the two who were about to fall.
Only a few seconds had passed since they approached the muddy mist, but the Proch brothers had turned pale and were sweating as if it were raining.
"Wake up!"
[Eh, eh, what''s going on with you two all of a sudden?]
"Murakan! We need to get away from the energy... Huhh!"
Swish!
sh!
Something sharp grazed the cor of Jin''s coat.
He reacted quickly and dodged the blow, which only scratched the front of his neck, but sharp ws were aimed at his throat.
It was Fey''s w.
Jin''s dted pupils reflected the gradual change in Fey''s skin color. Her skin had changed, and now it had an astonishing resemnce to the tone of the giant Bouvard.
And then, Fey tilted her head with all her might.
It wasn''t her intention; it was herst act to convey a message.
After that, Feypletely lost her sanity.
"Waaaah!"
Fey attacked again, and Jin threw a punch with all his strength to knock her unconscious.
Jin felt his fistnd on her jaw, but Fey kept attacking as if she hadn''t been harmed at all.
Next to them, Lata was bent over and trembling.
He was unable to grab onto Murakan''s back scales.
He kept struggling against the muddy mist.
Unlike Fey, Lata''s resistance was greater due to his greater achievements as a warrior, but he seemed extremely precarious, as it was unclear when he would give in.
"Ugh... M-My Lord!"
"Lata-nim!"
"There''s something... in my head!"
At that moment, Murakan ascended and escaped from the muddy mist.
[Well, what the hell? Kid, do you think they''ve finally regainedmon sense?]
The expressions and skin color of Lata and Fey returned to normal at the same time, but the brothers still panted and seemed deeply shaken.
What is this murky mist?
What is its nature?
Why does it only affect Lata and Fey?
And itpletely ignores protective shields.
It''s not poison as the Proch brothers said.
Because Jin''s Thousand-Poison Antidote showed no reaction.
However, the murky mist exhibited simr effects to those of a potent drug or hallucinogen, so it looked more like an incredibly powerful poison or narcotic.
Even the most outstanding members of each faction were not entirely free from the influence of the muddy mist.
In other words, only Jin and Murakan were unaffected by the muddy mist on Gaifa.
It has affected everyone, but it can''t harm us, neither me nor Murakan.
A word passed through Jin''s mind.
''Damn!''
Of course...
The murky aura enveloping the entire ind was the energy of a curse.
That''s why only Jin and Murakan, the Contractor and the ck Dragon of Solderet, remained untouched.
''Lata and Fey are cursed. Once I send them away and move alone, I''ll have the advantage among all the factions in this situation.''
Therefore, he was about to tell Murakan that they should fly to another ind.
[Oh, what is this! Suddenly!]
Suddenly, the muddy mist spread like tentacles from Bouvard.
Murakan easily avoided the mist, but...
But the Proch brothers jumped into the muddy mist as if possessed by a spirit.
The tentacle-shaped muddy mist transformed into something like a cradle, wrapped around the brothers, and pulled them inside.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 462
Chapter 462
C462
It happened in the blink of an eye, and Jin had no chance to catch them.
"Murakan, let''s chase them!"
Murakan descended rapidly again.
Murakan narrowed his wings and descended like a falcon.
"Darn it, why is it so fast?"
He said as he looked at the "murky mist" cradle surrounding the Proch brothers.
The cradle was much faster than Murakan descending at maximum speed...
And it escaped in such a chaotic and bizarre trajectory that could be described as "weird."
The cradle split into two, each holding one of the brothers, and then merged back into one, repeating its spinning motion.
The view outside the "murky aura" became hazy, and the cradle appeared even more intriguing.
"Oh, my babies. Did you miss me so much that you came to see me, right?"
Moreover, a woman''s voice could be heard.
It didn''te from the giant mouth of Bouvard formed on the outside but from inside the "murky mist."
Now, Jin and Murakan were convinced that the owner of that voice was Am.
Furthermore, they thought that she wouldn''t immediately kill Lata and Fey.
-If it''s not "favorable"?
-It''s hard to express it in words. It seemed like she considered us as toys or ymates. She said that talking is boring and swung her sword at us.
-It''s embarrassing to admit, but there was a time when I got a cut on my forehead during one of her surprise attacks.
Like the conversation the group had when they entered the inds, the part where Am called them "my babies" was simr.
For Am, the Proch brothers were adorable toys.
She wouldn''t easily break them.
"My babies... sleep well."
She even sang a luby.
Am''s luby resonated with the tumultuous cradle and the murky mist, making it seem like they had entered someone''s whimsical dream.
Hoo-!
Murakan slowed down. Now, the cradle was no longer visible to Jin and Murakan.
"That Am seems to be a headache. I have a feeling that everyone we need these days has a loose screw in their head, like that demon woman, Zephyrin."
Instead of the cradle, they saw a much thicker and darker mass of murky aura.
The cradle had disappeared there.
"What are you going to do, kid?"
Would they continue chasing beyond that darkness, or would they consider other options?
There was no need to contemte.
"The effect of a murky aura is a curse. In any case, we are immune, and considering that the giant Bouvard is also exhaling, it seems to have some physical destructive power, but it doesn''t seem to be at an unbearable level. We''ll follow it. But..."
"But?"
"Let''s focus on defense and evasion until we canmunicate directly with Am. No counterattacks even if she attacks us."
"What nonsense is this?"
"Do you remember what Am said as soon as we arrived at the central ind?"
-[You''re bothering me too much.]
She said it through the giant Bouvard, but it was clearly Am''s voice.
"Why is that?"
"I don''t know what happened to Am when the four main factions arrived here before us. But she expressed that she found them so annoying that she wouldn''t mind killing them."
It wasn''t just something she expressed with words.
Runcandel seemed to have no casualties yet, but the factions of Zipple, Kinzelo, and Vermont had already suffered irreparable damage.
The reason the four main factions gathered here in the first ce was to recruit Am.
However, the four main factions that visited the archipgo found themselves in a situation where it wouldn''t be strange to have to fight a life-or-death battle with her, let alone recruit her.
If the expression "bothersome" came from an ordinary person, it might be thought that there were other intentions behind it...
But the other person is presumed to be tainted by the "Chaos."
Am seemed perfectly capable ofpletely ignoring the four main factions for such a trivial reason, even if it meant parting ways with them.
Compared to Yona...
"Everyone else outside is already screwed, so there''s no need for us to be a bother by provoking Am, right?"
Jin exined this, and Murakan sighed when he finished speaking.
"Hah! Are you saying that this Murakan only takes beatings? How miserable and pitiful."
"And I haven''t heard anything like that from Valkas or Lata-nim before."
With such stories, he referred to Am''sbat style.
She is one of the top three mercenaries and the best mercenary in the world, recognized even by Valkas for her pure solo skills.
Valkas and Lata had encountered her several times on the battlefield, and Valkas, in particr, had said that she was better in warfare than the entire ck King Mercenaries'' body.
However, in the descriptions they gave, there was no mention of Am using curses or that unheard-of murky aura.
"I only heard about herbat skills, the use of various war equipment that can''t be imitated by others, and her brilliant strategic ability. I also heard that she nts so many traps and equipment all over the battlefield that it was hard to believe she was moving alone."
"Hmm, I see. So, does that mean Am was hiding her skills?"
"If she was hiding her skills to that extent and could single-handedly dominate the ck King Mercenaries in a war, it would imply that Am is close to the level of a Genesis Knight. It doesn''t seem likely. I think there might be some reason for a change in Am."
"A change?"
"Maybe a change urred because her Chaos met Bouvard Gaston''s Chaos, and it''s somehow amplifying. And that''s giving Am an edge over Bouvard."
Jin made that judgment based on intuition, but it wasn''t entirely unfounded.
The giant Bouvard forming on the outside was almost certainly controlled by Am.
There didn''t seem to be any reason for Am to create Bouvard with the murky aura without any particr motive.
Or, more precisely, Bouvard''s murky mist.
As it is a means of controlling Bouvard''s Chaos, she has no choice but to use its form.
Jin soon reached such a conclusion.
[Hmm, it seems like a bit of a leap, but it also makes sense.]
"The reason why Am is particrly interested in the Proch brothers could be due to the Chaos."
[Aren''t those snake-eyed guys different from your sister or Am?]
"They''re different, but the father of the two brothers is Smarion Proch. He is a person who turned into a monster due to Chaos. Perhaps his Chaos has some influence on the Proch brothers, and Am might be feeling sympathy for that."
[So, what about Bouvard? Why does she show favoritism towards the Proch brothers and treats Bouvard that way?]
"That I don''t know either. After all, everything I''ve said so far is just spection. Hmm, but... Bouvard seems to be the type of person that disgusts everyone. I don''t think there has to be any other reason to hate him."
[Ugh, my head hurts. Whatever it is, we''ll have to meet her in person to find out if your hypothesis is correct. Let''s go. I''ll try not to counterattack.]
Bang, boom...!
The distant explosion noises from the outside were getting more intense.
The intensity of the battle between the main factions and Am was increasing.
Jin could hear the shouts of themanders when he focused for a moment.
"Deploy defense control around the Execution Knights...! I''ll clear the way!"
"Themander was hit, fell back! The murky mist is converging!"
"Follow the best warrior and the tiger king. I''ll kill all red tigers showing their backs!"
"Don''t miss the magic tower vice-director''s fire! If you step out of the fire, it will corrode the murky mist...!"
Jin could clearly hear their voices despite the considerable distance.
It was as if Am had momentarily decided to listen to their reactions.
[Alright, should I kill everyone except my darlings? That would be fine, right, darlings?]
Am spoke with unwavering confidence.
Despite facing the four main forces, she not only expected to win but was convinced she would win.
Listening to the voices from outside, it seems like Am is overwhelming them."
With that in mind, Jin was even more certain.
He believed that, for some reason, Am possessed a much greater power than usual.
Even though they hadn''t sent all the gbearers from each faction, there were very few individuals in the world who could single-handedly dominate people of that caliber.
It was an impossible feat even considering that Gaifa was the base of Am and based on the descriptions of Valkas and Lata.
Murakan''s ck wings silently cut through the misty aura.
As they entered the misty aura where the cradle had disappeared, Jin''s vision shifted from being nebulous toplete darkness.
The darkness didn''t dissipate even when Jin formed a me in the palm of his hand.
They continued forward with their Minds'' Eyes opened to the maximum.
They could hear distant chants and hums from inside, as well as the sound of someone whispering in a strangely pleasant manner.
[Kukuku, you''re the Elder Brother, you''re the little sister. I''m the Demon King!]
It was as if a child absorbed in ying with dolls was talking to himself.
A shiver ran down Jin''s spine...
But at the same time, it eerily reminded him of Yona.
Am''s humming gradually approached.
And as it approached, the darkness of the murky aura gradually dissipated.
There was a bright space in the distance, and Jin and Murakan naturally understood that it was the core of the mist, covering the entire ind.
Am was sitting in the center of it all.
She wore a camouge outfitmonly used by mercenaries, but this outfit, made of grass and twigs, had such arge weave that it was hard topare it to ordinary clothes.
As a result, Am didn''t seem to be wearing clothes; it was more like she waspletely hidden within a round bush.
Her two hands protruded from her camouge and toyed with small wooden dolls that looked like figures.
There were a total of three wooden dolls, and Jin immediately understood what each of them represented.
They were the Proch brothers and Bouvard.
Each of the figures corresponded to the real people standing in front of Am and moved as they touched them.
But...
Bouvard is transparent as if it were a soul.
While the Proch brothers seemed like themselves, Bouvard took on a luminous and ethereal form.
Bouvard''s doll was ced far from the Proch brothers'' dolls and seemed to be throwing punches...
(Which seemed to be the actions of the giant Bouvard on the outside).
Meanwhile, the dolls of the Proch brothers were seen drinking tea and conversing.
Murakan transformed back into his human form.
Am turned her head in surprise when Murakan and Jin touched solid ground.
She had no idea that Murakan and Jin hade so far.
[...Huh? What''s going on? How did you survive to get here?], said Am with reddened eyes.
She seemedpletely bewildered and tilted her head as if she didn''t understand anything.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 463
Chapter 463
C463
Boom!
As soon as Am finished speaking, something resembling a sword shot out from the murky fog that gathered behind her.
Jin and Murakan easily dodged it, as if they had expected it.
"I knew she had a side like the older sister Yona, but this person seems even crazier than I expected."
The des of the murky fog struck where Jin and Murakan had been.
Just by seeing how they cut through the ground like water, one could tell that this attack was not just for intimidation.
Murakan instinctively tried to counterattack but restrained himself.
He recalled Jin''s words, emphasizing focusing on defense and avoiding attacks until they couldmunicate with Am.
"Argh, damn it! It''s annoying to keep dodging like this."
Not even five seconds had passed when more than a hundred swords aimed at Jin and Murakan.
Am sat there, controlling the entire process with gestures and small hand movements.
It''s as if she''s a god in this area, Jin thought when a de flew right in front of him and he swatted it away.
The de fragments didn''t fall to the ground but flew towards Jin.
It was something that couldn''t be done with aura or mana.
It was a move that could only be achieved with a special type of power, the power of chaos.
[Hmph, dodging? You''re fast. Let''s see how long you can keep dodging!]
The number of des formed in the air began to rapidly increase.
Even with a rough estimate, it was more than double than before, and all these swords pressed on Jin and Murakan from all sides.
It was impossible to dodge or break them all with bare hands, even with all their efforts.
Am rolled her eyes and stomped in frustration.
As a result, the entire area began to dangerously vibrate, and the des multiplied again, now exceeding five hundred.
Swish!
It was impossible to evade or deflect so many des, even for Jin. So, he unsheathed Sigmund.
[Heh, look, you can''t just take it out because you''re annoyed, can you?]
"I took it out to defend myself, so bear with it a little longer."
Woo!
At the same time, more than five hundred swords shot out, blocking Jin and Murakan''s view.
However, in the next moment, Jin executed the Sword of Legends Technique: Petal Cascade and Thunderbolt.
Effortlessly shattering all the swords formed by the murky aura.
Jin destroyed the projectiles just like when they first entered this space, leaving Am visibly bewildered.
Why aren''t they affected?
Why aren''t they going crazy?
She still ignored that Jin was a Thousand Year Contractor.
In fact, she didn''t even know who these men in front of her were.
She didn''t know who Jin Runcandel and the ck Dragon Murakan were, nor the turmoil they had caused in the world recently.
In short, Am had little interest in worldly affairs, as Valeria had expressed in her past life.
"Great mercenary Am, I am Jin Runcandel, the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel."
[A Runcandel?]
"Yes."
[Still, I can''t let you live.]
Zipple and Kinzelo and the imperial troops killing each other under the curse, they were over a thousand.
If Am had cared about the aftermath, she wouldn''t havemitted such an act.
"You really are someone who doesn''t care about rumors."
As Jin retorted, the shape of the swords suspended in the air began to change and transform into a new form.
The newly transformed weapons no longer looked like des; they now looked like cannons.
Cannons?
All the cannons that could be seen inrge-scale wars were aimed at Jin and Murakan.
Bang!
Boom...
Unlike normal cannons, these cannons made of murky aura didn''t need to be loaded with ammunition.
Am''s will constantly formed and fired projectiles at high speed.
The barrage of projectiles from these cannons made it impossible for Jin and Murakan to see anything in front of them.
It seemed that traversing these cannons without Bradamante''s Shadow Energy armor would require battle god techniques or decisive killing moves, or something simr.
''But Lata and Fey might be in danger if I do that.''
Bouvard felt like a soul without a physical body, but there was no need to worry about him getting injured even if he did.
And it wasn''t clear if Am would protect her beloved toys even in extreme situations.
''I''d like to resolve it with the Sword of Legends even if it involves using force.''
Shadow Energy.
Jin initially drew Sigmund instead of Bradamante out of habit (to minimize the exposure of Shadow Energy to others...), but also due to his past experience.
-I lose control when I see Shadow Energy. You don''t have to apologize because I never told you. Haha, I thought you''d hide that power from me, at least until you became a gbearer...
During his time as a potential gbearer, Yona almost killed Jin in the ce where he first encountered Shadow Energy.
There were no guarantees that Am would react the same way as Yona, but it was better to be cautious.
Jin hade to her to make her an ally.
But at this point, Jin himself was defenseless.
He never thought it would be impossible to have a conversation to this extent.
The cannonade stopped for a moment.
Not because Am was tired, but because she wanted to check if Jin and Murakan were finished.
[I''m sick of this. I''m trying so hard to kill you, shouldn''t that mean you have to die?]
Of course, both of them were standing there and seemed perfectly fine.
The aura shield had been seriously damaged, more than a tattered rag.
Jin and Am locked eyes.
"You seem pretty calm for someone who ims to have tried so hard. You''re not even breathing hard."
While Jin and Murakan had used up their energy to create the shield, Am''s weapons remained unscathed despite the massive barrage of cannon fire she unleashed.
[That''s right. My power is infinite in this ce. So, why don''t we end this without draining each other? Just so you know, that strange lightning sword of yours can''t touch me.]
Suddenly, a dagger materialized in Am''s hand.
It''s fascinating.
She could form anything with the murky fog, especially here.
''As expected, Am temporarily gains transcendental power due to some special effect.''
Without hesitation, Am cut her left wrist with the dagger. However, the murky aura sttered from the cut wrist, protruding from her thick clothing, instead of blood, and immediately reformed her clone.
"You''re quite resilient, Am."
Murakan shook his head.
"Normally, that kind of rapid regeneration is the specialty of demonic creatures and demons. But now it seems even humans do it. Hey, did I get your name right? Am? You should be careful, or you''ll die for real."
[No matter where you go, those who are going to die are you. I just want to give you the opportunity to diefortably. And I hope you stop bothering my cuties and wasting my precious time.]
"I''ve done everything in my power to be as polite as possible, Am. So allow me one more question before we finish. Is there any faction among those currently on the Gaifa inds that is allied with you?"
The Four Main Factions were still fighting outside with the colossal form of Bouvard controlled by Am, but Jin asked the question on purpose.
Forming an alliance might not stop the attacks, and it wouldn''t be surprising given her personality.
[Why do you want to know that?]
"I came here like the others from outside, wanting to recruit you. I''ve heard that you wander the world, seeking adventures and searching for something. I think it might be rted to this murky aura, the Chaos."
[Do you know anything about Chaos?]
"I don''t know much."
[Then we can''t be friends.]
Jin''s gaze turned to Bouvard''s soul, which was furiously pounding the air and exhaling breath.
"Are you friends with Bouvard Gastn?" Jin asked in a calm tone, as if asking a child.
A while ago, Jin believed that Bouvard hade with Kinzelo and had been captured by Am.
However, unlike the Proch brothers, Bouvard seemed to be only a spirit-like form, so it might not be the case.
''Kinzelo probably has much more information about Chaos than I do. And Bouvard, who looks like a spirit, might be some form of Chaos or a sculpture, amplifying Am''s power.''
Am reluctantly nodded.
[Well... yes.]
It seemed she had no choice but to confirm it.
She befriended Bouvard in her quest for information about chaos, even though she had no desire to be close to him.
Jin''s gaze turned cold upon hearing her answer.
"So, you''ve sided with Kinzelo."
[I''m not entirely sure about that... Wait, why are you interrogating me like this? I can kill you!]
"I asked this question to determine if I can kill you, Great Mercenary Am."
A sudden crack appeared in the ground where Jin stood. Jin channeled his energy, and the air around him became oppressively heavy.
And the shining Bradamante Sword emerged from its sheath.
Jin hadn''te to thesends with the idea of recruiting Am unconditionally.
-I must recruit her. If recruiting her is impossible, at least I must keep her in check.
As he told Valkas, Jin had considered the possibility of her bing an enemy.
In that case, he would have to decide whether to kill her, spare her, or incapacitate her to face their enemies.
Jin''s choice would depend on the extent of her power.
It was definitely the first option, given this level of power.
How many Runcandels would die when the day came for the Runcandel Family to face Kinzelo in arge-scale battle, and if Am, with her nearly infinite power, entered the battlefield?
To prevent such a future, Jin had no choice but to kill Am.
"You didn''t wee me when I entered your territory, but I don''t hold it against you. Even if you had rejected my offer more politely, my decision wouldn''t have changed if you had be friends with my enemies. I hope you don''t hate me for this."
Swish!
The Bradamante Sword turned ck as it infused with Shadow Energy.
At that moment, Am''s eyes widened.
"Shadow Energy? Then, you''re the Thousand Year Contractor by any chance...!"
Am quickly began firing the cannons in response to Jin''s actions. However, Jin, protected by his Shadow Energy armor, advanced through the cannonades and swung Bradamante towards Am.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 464
C464
The ck sword, infused with Shadow Energy, pierced through the dense group and aimed directly at Am.
Each strike was aimed at vital points.
Jin''s eyes sparkled amidst the torn and bright cannon shots, indicating one thing:
Jin was truly determined to kill Am.
Am startled, and a shiver ran down her spine at the vivid murderous intent that seemed to materialize into something resembling a dark and venomous mass.
sh...!
Their eyes met, Jin and Am shed their weapons,peting with each other''s strength.
The aura cannons and Bradamante collided, creating an unpleasant sound of friction.
''It seems he won''t lose his sanity like Sister Yona when seeing Shadow Energy. Is it because of the type and size of the chaos or something else?''
The exact reason wasn''t clear, but it didn''t matter in the heat of battle.
In fact, it would have been more convenient if she had lost her sanity since she hadn''t been able to fully utilize her abilities.
Jin pulled back the sword that was in contact with the cannon barrel and tried to swing it again, but he felt something hard entwining with Bradamante.
They were thorns.
They appeared on the cannon out of nowhere, and the cannon looked like a hedgehog.
And the thorns entangled and clung to Bradamante.
There was a moment when he tried to forcefully remove them.
Of course, Am didn''t let it go to waste and detonated a bomb over Jin''s head.
It was a bomb she conjured in an instant using the muddy aura.
The explosion seemed capable of bursting eardrums, but it caused no real damage thanks to the runes and Myulta''s armor.
Meanwhile, Murakan tried to protect Lata and Faye, but suddenly felt something unknown and dangerous under his feet as he ran.
He quickly moved out of the way.
If he had been a moment slower, he would have suffered significant injuries because explosions were happening beneath his feet.
"How strange. Howe the bombs explode under the ground?"
Murakan looked at the strangely excavated ground and clicked his tongue. Valkas had informed him in advance about these attack patterns.
She had a wide variety of tactics.
Bombs exploding from below.
Arrows shot at different intervals.
Various traps andplex devices.
Normally, these kinds of things require preparation and a considerable amount of time, but the unlimited muddy fog made it possible.
Weapons and traps were continuously forming in all directions ording to her will.
Bombs, mines, huge pendulums, spikeds, rapid-fire crossbows, and much more.
If it had been anyone other than Jin and Murakan, maybe a warrior or a magician below 10 stars, they would have been defenseless.
The result would probably have been the same even if an entire order of renowned knights or a magical corps hade.
However, theirpatibility was at least unfavorable.
There were no openings, as her curses had no effect on Jin and Murakan, and the weapons and explosives she wielded were suitable for mass destruction but not for piercing the defenses of high-level warriors or magicians.
Of course, she had the infinite power of the muddy aura, so herpatibility didn''t seem to matter at all.
Am was sure she would win as long as the battle continued until one of them perished. Because her opponent would eventually tire.
Swish!
Bradamante traced a sharp arc.
Despite the overwhelming cannonades and traps, Jin kept closing the distance with evasive maneuvers and his Shadow Force armor.
The way he reacts to my attacks is nothingpared to high-level knights I know.
If she had fought without prior preparation andpletely exposed, Am wouldn''t have been able to defeat Jin even without her infinite power.
She would be a very difficult opponent if it weren''t for her infinite power and high-speed regeneration.
Jin believed in Tess''s mes.
The blue mes had already proven their worth when he cut through the Gates of Hell and Zephyrin''s subspace.
If this space, acting as the core of the murky aura, was the source of Am''s infinite power, he could deal with that too.
If the situation couldn''t be resolved through the pressure of the mes, he would demolish the ind entirely.
Or even if he had to destroy the entire archipgo off the face of the earth.
Jin was determined to settle things with Am.
However, there was something strange.
Why is she fighting so recklessly?
Jin wondered.
Am kept dodging or blocking Jin''s attacks as if she didn''t have the ability of rapid regeneration.
Given the level of rapid regeneration she had demonstrated moments ago, Am could fully utilize the "give flesh, take bone" strategy.
She could intentionally allow attacks to create an opening, catch the opponent off guard, or asionally attempt self-destruction.
Jin expected her to fight that way if she had high-speed regeneration.
Instead, she gritted her teeth and hastily dodged the ck des.
Could it be that she couldn''t bear the pain, despite the rapid regeneration?
But that didn''t exin why she had demonstrated her high-speed regeneration by voluntarily cutting her left wrist.
Could it be...?
Jin squinted his eyes within the Myulta Rune.
He quickly nced at Murakan and saw bombs and shields constantly forming with the murky aura.
Murakan refrained from recklessly breaking through, fearing that the Proch brothers might get injured...
But Jin could see how the Shadow Energy was breaking through the gaps in the muddy aura.
And every time the Shadow Energy emerged in that way, Jin noticed a slight change in Am''s breathing.
It was as if she was barely suppressing her fear.
She couldn''t deceive herself.
Unlike ordinary warriors, fear was an inevitable weakness that couldn''t be fooled or hidden when facing someone like Jin.
"Wounds caused by Shadow Energy can''t heal, can they, Am?"
Am''s two eyes widened within the hood of her bushy clothes.
How did he know...?
She was about to shout it out in surprise, but she managed to swallow it the next instant.
Bradamante''s fierce thrust hadn''t hit her shoulder.
A piece of her shoulder armor fell as leaves and branches shattered around her.
Bright red drops of blood sttered amid all of it.
Am hadn''t reacted correctly to the blow.
However, her shoulder armor was instantly repaired by the mud aura, but Jin hadn''t missed the moment just before the leaves and twigs formed.
Her shoulder isn''t regenerating.
The fact that the armor on her shoulder regenerated before her actual shoulder was an order of unnatural regeneration.
Therefore, Jin was convinced that his assumption was correct: the chaos energy, or at least part of the chaos abilities that Am possessed, could be neutralized by Shadow Energy.
"Look at this, the chatan has fallen silent."
A sharp blue me swirled over the Shadow Energy surrounding the sword.
"I''ll make sure you don''t suffer too much."
Shadow Energy and blue mes were growing stronger.
Am stared fixedly at the sword pointing at her without the slightest tremor, but she had an intuition.
''If this continues, I will definitely die!''
Am had experienced many battlefields throughout her life.
The Great Mercenary, the embodiment of the battlefield, Gaifa''s nightmare, and so on.
The titles that followed her represented the kind of life she lived.
There were intense battles where she felt suffocated, and there were battlefields asfortable as ygrounds.
She liked war, but she had never felt such an intense threat of death before.
Like many titles, the names Am acquired didn''t represent the depth of her nature.
In other words, the reason she showed little interest in the world despite having lived through many wars, and to top it off, the reason she didn''t even know the name of the person who had stirred the world for the past few years, Jin Runcandel.
The Chaos.
Am had always heard the voice of Chaos resonating within her.
Chaos prevented her from merging with a conventional life and protected her from being too absorbed in the lives of others.
The Proch brothers were exceptions because they had the "scent of Chaos."
No one had taught her what loneliness was in a life of war and death, and it was very hard to find someone strong enough to teach and guide her on the battlefield.
Even if they were to meet, there was no room to form such bonds in a ce where people use evil to kill each other.
The power of Chaos had covered many emotions that she should have naturally felt.
In a way, Am was like a child abandoned alone in her own world.
Thanks to the power of Chaos, she had naturally be a mercenary, but in reality, she wasn''t much different from a wild beast.
''I''m scared...! I don''t want to die.''
To some, it might seem amusing that Am wished to live.
After all, she had killed countless people on the battlefield and rarely forgave those who annoyed her.
But was it really the will of a poor newborn abandoned in a well, or was it the will of Chaos?
One thing was certain, no one had guided Am throughout her life.
Now, Shadow Energy and blue mes were not only emerging but pushing the fire outward.
"Kid! I saved the Snake Eyes brothers, let''s destroy him now!"
While Am was terrified and losing focus, Murakan was able to rescue the Proch Brothers.
There was no need to hold back their power any longer.
"Your lifelong fame won''t evene close to being enoughpared to this sword."
The blue mes and the force of the shadows, which had spread in all directions, quickly converged toward Jin.
Soon, Jin became the embodiment of the blue mes.
Sarah Runcandel''s Secret Sword Technique, Hellfire me.
Jin looked at Am with his fiery eyes.
The blue mes illuminated his face hidden by the bushy hood.
Am had an incredibly young face, almost too young for someone of the same age as Valkas.
For some reason, Jin felt ufortable.
Despite having be ustomed to a world where life and death were constantly at stake.
''What a waste that this wasn''t a better encounter.''
Jin cleared his mind and focused on wielding his sword to unleash the blue mes...
But at that precise moment...
[I surrender!]
Suddenly, Am extended both hands and shouted wildly, shaking her head in the process.
[I surrender! I was wrong, please stop...!]
Even more astonishingly, Am sat down and frantically shook her head.
What...?
Am''s sudden actions triggered a myriad of thoughts in Jin''s mind.
Is it a trap to escape the situation, or is she really surrendering?
Even if it''s thetter, is it right to spare her?
Am has already decided to join Kinzelo, hasn''t she?
Jin would face severe injuries if he forcibly stopped the half-unleashed blue mes.
However, Jin made a decision.
He would spare her for now and listen to her.
But he couldn''t stop the blue mes.
"Murakan!"
Bradamante was imbued with blue mes rushing towards Am, and Jin gritted his teeth and called out the name of his Dragon Guardian.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 465
C465
Jin barely twisted the sword.
If he hadn''t changed the trajectory, the de would have cut and burned Am in a single blow.
Jin felt relieved for saving Am, but he was worried about whether Murakan could withstand the Hellfire.
"Ah, this is insane!"
Indeed, Murakan is Jin''s Dragon Guardian.
He knew exactly what Jin wanted even though Jin only called him by his name.
Murakan lunged towards Am and quickly transformed into his true form.
[I just saved the Snake Eyes, and now you suddenly ask me to take care of her too!]
Boom!
Murakan swung his front paw and threw Am towards the Proch Brothers.
Am bounced like a ball, and the sound of her bones breaking echoed, but she regenerated instantly.
If she had been touched by the Hellfire, she wouldn''t have been able to regenerate.
The moment she fell among the Proch Brothers, she instinctively knew she could survive.
I surrender, please, stop.
The reason Am told that to Jin was out of intuition.
She felt she wouldn''t survive if she moved her body recklessly out of fear or tried to resist forcefully.
Somehow, she had a feeling that if she pleaded like this to Jin, he might extend a helping hand.
Her intuition hit the mark.
[Roar!]
Murakan had no choice but to exert all his strength in the lower belly and roar like a madman.
It was because Shadow Energy and blue mes were spreading like a tsunami from Bradamante.
Now Murakan had taken Am''s ce and bore the Hellfire.
The blue mes quickly covered the core of the muddy mist and the space they upied at great speed.
The muddy mist surrounding them rapidly retreated as if insects were hiding from the light.
That meant that the Hellfire Murakan had to block was enormous.
Murakan''s amber eyes were stained ck by the Shadow Energy.
The curtain of Shadow Energy he created was even denser than the blue mes.
But the blue mes tore through the curtain too easily.
However, when the curtain tore, it immediately reformed and continued blocking the iing mes.
[Boy, stop, please!]
Every time the curtain tore, the Hellfire got closer and closer to Murakan.
Like a burning rope.
For the first time in a long time, Murakan thought:
''No matter how big I was, my best moment had already passed, and if something like that hits me directly with a body that hasn''t fully recovered...''
Murakan shuddered and shook his head.
He thought he might have to endure Misha''s torture under the pretext of treating a minor injury, or even something worse.
Maybe I only have a minor or moderate injury, and I could spend a happy and pleasant time receiving care from Strawberry Pie.
Maybe I''m worrying too much about the boy''s mes?
The moment Murakan thought that, the fire that became even fiercer dyed his vision blue.
He was so dumbfounded that he burst intoughter.
It was impossible for that to happen.
If he didn''t stop it with all his might, it could be a stain that could never be erased from the history of the Great ck Dragon Murakan.
The ck Dragon Murakan, gravely injured by being struck by his Contractor''s sword...
Was he really the King of the Sky a thousand years ago?
The testimony of the Fire Dragon Kadun, of Kelliark Zipple, "He''s actually weak," is it the truth?
Jin Runcandel, as Solderet''s Contractor, severely punishes the negligent Dragon Guardian and establishes the hierarchy as Runcandel.
The Twelfth gbearer defeated his Dragon Guardian with a single sword.
Who protects whom?
Many Dragon Guardians in the world, including the ck Dragon Murakan, should be cautious...
Murakan instantly thought of a future where such senseless articles flooded the world.
He couldn''t bear such disgrace, having reigned as the King of the Sky for over 3,000 years.
He would rather die than live with such humiliation.
The curtain of Shadow Energy was no longer able to block the Hellfire.
The mes pierced through the torn curtain, and Murakan had no choice but to ept it, protecting his body with Shadow Energy.
He howled in pain as the mes touched his scales.
He felt a terrible pain, as if needles were piercing and scratching his entire body.
[Rooooooar!]
His heavy ck body trembled as he pushed away the mes. Even his tightly clenched teeth trembled unstably, and he felt as if a cold sweat was dripping down his scales.
His wrinkled face distorted even more due to the effort.
He was convinced that if he took a single step back, it would be the end.
He wasn''t going to die, but Am would be reduced to ashes, and not even bones would be left.
"Murakan...!"
Jin called Murakan again with a worried heart.
[Don''t talk to me! Because it breaks my concentration!]
"S-Sorry!"
Jin was reabsorbing some of the energy used in Hellfire while avoiding internal injuries.
However, the technique was so vast, and he executed it with all his might, that it was like trying to pour spilled wine back into the bottle.
He might be able to collect a few drops, but most of it was already gone.
''Sigh! This Am or whatever should be worth as much... even though she looked like a grasshopper. Now, wait. What is this sound!?
Bang!
An unsettling sound as if something was breaking or shattering came from the depths of his chest.
It was close to the heart.
And it wasn''t the first time Murakan had heard something like that.
Damn it, my heart...!
He heard a simr sound when his heart was shattered by Temar.
His scales stood on end due to the imminent anxiety.
But something strange was happening.
If there were a crack in the heart, his strength should weaken rapidly...
But instead, it feels like something is welling up like an endless spring, or like an oil well bursting in the middle of the desert!
The power he had used to block the mes and protect himself was now sprouting from the heart.
He felt the pleasure and fullness of Shadow Energy surging from the heart and spreading throughout his body.
He felt a tingling sensation down his spine.
"This will be my old strength! My strength."
What shattered near his heart was a security mechanism created by his detested sister, Misha.
When Misha had operated on him, she had implemented a security mechanism to prevent him from using too much energy and damaging his heart again.
At that time, Misha considered 40% to be a safe limit.
She thought that if he used more than 40% of his old strength, his heart, which had started to recover, might break again.
Now, Murakan had involuntarily released one of the security mechanisms because he felt very threatened.
Moreover, the reason the security mechanism unlocked was not because Murakan had forced himself to use more strength in response to danger.
It was because the heart had already recovered to the point Misha had initially foreseen, a safety limit of 50%.
A 10% difference is by no means small.
Like the gap between 10 stars and 9 stars is like the sky.
Hahaha, hahahahaha!
Suddenly, Murakan burst intoughter.
The murky aura, which had receded because of the mes, disappearedpletely, and the core they were in cracked like shattered ss, and the Gaifa Inds regained their original colors.
In other words, the sky openedpletely.
The figure of the giant Bouvard standing in the middle of the central ind, intimidating the four main forces, began to turn transparent as if it would soon disappear.
The giant Bouvard almost stopped moving from the moment Jin faced Am in the first ce, but now it''s about to disappearpletely.
Amidst this, the entire ind shook with Murakan''sughter.
The forces of the four main factions fighting with all their might were left dumbfounded.
"This sound!"
"Sixth gbearer, this is the voice of the guardian deity of the Family, Murakan-nim!"
"Could it be... the younger one...!"
Vigo and the Runcandel Knights also widened their eyes.
"The ck Dragon Murakan? Jin Runcandel is here too!"
"Commander, the contractors among the imperial magicians have told us to unconditionally avoid the ck Dragon if we encounter him during a mission!"
"Even the Fire Dragon and the Blue Dragon of Zipple were afraid and fled at the time of the recent ck Kings incident...!"
Vermont members were also frightened.
"Wow, Tiger King! Oh, I can''t stand because my legs are numb!"
"You stupid red-tailed bastards, don''t you get it? Tiger King! If even you tremble at seeing this... oh, what would happen if the mighty Tiger King also gets scared!"
"You guys, you surely tremble too! Well, if youe closer...! I can smell the scent of the Legends Tribe! We have to run!"
The Kinzelo beastmen, especially the red tiger tribe, immediately became terrified and fell into an extreme panic.
Unlike the white wolf tribe, the red tiger tribe only has good fighting power butcks the spirit of a warrior.
It''s also a racial characteristic, but the red tiger tribe had a more sensitive intuition to fear or crisis than the white wolf tribe.
"Hah, ck Dragon? Then... Jin Runcandel... is here..."
Finally, Zipple, among them, Midor Elner gritted his teeth with red eyes as soon as he heard Murakan''sughter.
Who are Jin Runcandel and Murakan?
They are the archenemies of Myuron Zipple, his most beloved brother in the world.
"Even the Fire Dragon Theo and the Blue Dragon Lmakua just withdrew after encountering Murakan. We have to retreat, Tower Master."
"Seeing that the giant form has disappeared, it''s very likely that the great mercenary Am has already been defeated by Murakan!
Midor ignited the mes with his mana.
"Seventh Tower Master!"
"Stand firm!"
The Magicians of the Seventh Magic Tower, both elders andmanders, tried to stop Midor.
But there was a woman,ughing at Midor.
Midor watched her warily, even as his anger boiled over his head.
"...If Lady Sandra tells us to retreat, we will."
"Hahaha! Anyway, you''re well-trained, bastard. Are you still aware of me in this situation, Hmmm? I''m quite satisfied."
Her name was Sandra Zipple, Kelliark''s daughter.
The moment Sandra smiled and tried to say something...
Rumble!
Suddenly, the earthquake that shook the entire ind became even more powerful.
It was a phenomenon that urred when Murakan pushed away the ''Hellfire'' he was blocking with his body.
And unintentionally, he also unlocked the security mechanism of his heart.
It rose into the sky with the me of hell.
Moreover, the mes mixed with Murakan''s Shadow Energy and became darker, so there were not many traces of blue mes.
[I am Murakan!]
Murakan shouted as he threw the me he held to the ground.
People had no choice but to mistakenly think that it was some kind of technique Murakan was using, not Jin.
"Avoid...!"
"Behind the Tiger King, no! Behind the best warriors! Let the white wolves take care of the red tigers!"
"Barrier, barrier! Hurry!"
"Curse! Gather to create a barrier!¡±
The forces of the four main factions had no choice but to be scared at the sight of the mes thrown by Murakan.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 466
C466
A ck tidal wave, seemingly originating from the sky, was engulfing thend.
From the perspective of the four main factions, it seemed like the ruthless ck tidal wave was about to devastate the entire ind, and they hurriedly raised protective shields.
The strong pressure from the blue mes crushed them as if a mountain weighed on them.
Crack!
Enormous cracks formed all over the ind even before the mes touched the ground, so the onlookers couldn''t help but think that this would be the end of the world.
Indeed, if the protective shield of the four main factions couldn''t withstand it, the mes Murakan had unleashed had enough power to ravage the entire ind.
This was because some kind of power boost had urred.
In other words, Murakan''s Shadow Energy (which had just recovered 50% of power) was added to Jin''s blue mes.
Instead of consuming and neutralizing each other, the blue mes and the Shadow Energybined as if they had been aiming for it from the beginning, unfolding an even more formidable force.
The blue mes that Jin had unleashed on his own had the power to turn the Guardian Knights present in the Garden of Swords into ashes if Luntia hadn''t stopped it.
Not to mention that now Murakan''s power was added to the blue mes.
Of course, it still wasn''tparable to what Sarah had executed at her best, but it had reached a level close to that.
In other words, among the four main factions visiting the Gaifa Inds, there was no one who could single-handedly block the hellfire.
Woo, woo-!
The blue mes began to sweep the ground.
As soon as the edge of the ck tidal wave began to sweep the protective shields, the people on the ground shuddered in fear and shock.
Even the protective shields on which the first divisions of the four main factions had put all their effort were breaking as easily as dry leaves.
Boom, crunch, puff!
Fragments of the shattered protective shield bounced and reflected the light.
The blue mes took less than a second to envelop everything in darkness.
"Aaaagh!"
Screams echoed simultaneously.
The blue mes turned everything they touched into ashes.
The whole body burned with just a touch of the fingertip, and it was impossible to escape due to the pressure of the blue mes.
Even if there was a chance to escape, it seemed almost meaningless.
Humans under the ck tidal wave felt like they were in hell.
And the terrible ck dragon Murakanughed maniacally as he watched humans burn (actually, he was looking in another direction) as if he were the god of that hell.
[Hahaha, hahahahaha, haha!]
Murakanughed with uncontroble joy, but the humans on the ground couldn''t ept it that way.
A terrifying existence that could massacre the First Division of the 4 main forces like stomping on ants...
"Argh! Bastard, do you really have to fight against something like this? If you provoke that ck Dragon, things could get very bad. I can rmend any other method if you want to be like Myuron Oraboni," shouted Sandra as she pushed away the blue mes using ice-type magic.
Sweat streamed down her face like rain as she warded off the ck mes.
"Every day I imagined killing... that man. They are the enemies of my older brother Myuron...!"
Midor protected himself and the surrounding mages using spatial explosions and fire-type magic.
"Is that so? The enemies of Myuron Oraboni, huh? It''s hard to find a funny guy like you. You speak as if your older brother is dead."
Contrary to what she said, Sandra was not sarcastic at all.
Instead, she spoke with a strangely cheerful tone.
"Well, do whatever you want! I don''t think you can wake up from the dead with your skills. I was also looking forward to meeting Jin Runcandel at least once... Aaah!"
Suddenly, Sandra screamed as the mes intensified without warning.
All the higher-level mages, who couldn''t respond quickly to the sudden change near Sandra, disappeared, lost in the force of the shadows.
Zipple''s side lost almost half of the mages due to a single amplification.
However, Sandra simply smiled.
"Heh, I almost fell too. It''s fascinating, really."
The situation on Kinzelo''s side was even worse.
Unlike the white wolf warriors, the red tigers were not helping cope with the situation.
In fact, beyond that, there were many red tigers not only stumbling aimlessly but also dragging white wolf warriors to death like water ghosts.
"Crazy red bastards! Let them go! Let them go."
"Sa-save me! I''m sorry! I won''t do it again!"
"What do you mean, you won''t do it again!"
"Save me too, argh!"
"My rtives are dying because of you, bastards!"
In the end, the best warriors of the White Wolf Tribe had no choice but to use their maces to strike down the red tigers standing in their way.
They would undoubtedly be annihted if they didn''t.
asionally, those who reached the level of Tiger King would counterattack, but their frenzied w strikes posed no real threat to the members of the white wolf tribe.
Despite the two races not getting along well, the white wolf warriors had no choice but toment the death of the red tigers.
''Damn! Soldiers destined for a great cause die in vain like this...!''
They don''t know themon red tiger warriors, but losing the Tiger King so absurdly was a particrly painful loss.
The Tiger King is a title given only to those who have fighting power equal to the ''best warriors'' of the white wolf tribe.
The heads and bodies of the red tigers flew in all directions and were lost in ck mes.
Even the white wolf warriors, who had rtively weakerbat power, were still dying.
While Kinzelo wandered through hell within the chaos, the members of Vermont were also going through a terrible time.
''It was ridiculous to fight with Am all the time, but now it''s the ck dragon Murakan...!''
Latz, the leader of the Third Division of the Special Forces, gritted his teeth as he thought about it.
Like other factions, Vermont members had never imagined such a situation when heading to Gaifa.
Who would have imagined that Am would engage inbat with the four main factions, even going as far as casting a curse?
He also thought that there wouldn''t be arge-scale war, even if there was a minor conflict among the four main factions.
Because it was clear that everyone was too cautious about provoking each other, as sending many troops to assert dominance was eptable, but actualbat caused significant losses.
Regardless of who ended up with Am, they would have preferred to negotiate if possible.
But he never thought that such arge-scale attack would ur.
And even though it was only the beginning of the attack, Murakan was already overwhelming the four main factions.
Ratz and other team leaders felt an overwhelming sense of dread as they watched their members die ceaselessly.
It wasn''t just a few casualties.
It was impossible to calcte how much time and resources would be needed to replenish the number of Special Forces members.
It was uncertain whether he would be able to survive and return to the Empire.
Zipple, Kinzelo, and Vermont.
These three factions naturally considered the Hellfire to be Murakan''s technique, but Runcandel had a different opinion.
''This is not Murakan-nim''s power... It''s the younger one''s power.''
Vigo cut through the mes and swallowed dry saliva.
Although it was somewhat different from what he had shown during the patriarchal deration, Vigo was very aware that the Hellfire was a secret technique of the magic sword.
''It has more power than what Sister Luntia stopped at that time, but this is definitely the younger brother''s sword technique, not Murakan''s!''
A chill ran down his spine, as if a chilling de had swept across his back.
Vigo also felt a strange mix of emotions, such as admiration, shame, self-doubt, and fighting spirit, which he found hard to describe.
It was because the ck tidal wave of hellfire was spreading particrly weakly towards Runcandel.
Of course, it was controlled by Murakan, but Vigo mistakenly believed that Jin was being considerate of him and the Family.
In any case, Runcandel hadn''t suffered a single loss unlike other forces.
In other words, the Runcandel Knights believed that their lives depended on Jin.
If Jin wanted to kill them, they would die, and if he wanted to spare them, they would live.
[Yes, feel it! Insignificant fools! Feel the power of the mighty ck Dragon and die, for that will be the best moment of your useless lives.]
Murakan momentarily stoppedughing and spoke.
He had a expression of great satisfaction on his face as he watched the chaos unfolding below.
He was savoring his enhanced power.
He felt a surge of joy and burst into uncontrobleughter.
His wide-open mouth gave him an undignified look, but luckily, no one could see his face due to the hellfire.
Only one person, Jin, looked at him and sighed in relief.
It seems he has suddenly be incredibly strong.
I wonder what''s going on.
It''s like some restrictions have disappeared.
Regardless of the reason, it was a fortunate turn of events.
Am was saved, Murakan became stronger, and an unexpected situation was created where they overwhelmed the four main factions.
Jin quickly racked his brain to see how to make the most of the situation. He didn''t need to think too much.
"Am."
[Yes, no. Well. Thanks for saving me.]
"I''ll hear your greetings and details after the situation is over. Instead, I''ll give you a suggestion."
[Tell me anything! I won''t be friends with Bouvard and Kinzelo anymore, but your friend]
"It''s a matter forter. It''s also important if I can ept you as a friend. Anyway, hide."
[Nyaaa!]
Jin summoned Shuri from the ruby.
As soon as Am saw Shuri, her eyes lit up just like when she saw the Proch brothers.
"She''ll help you. Hide as quickly as you can before this mess ends. Stay near the battlefield and don''te out until I say it''s safe."
Jin intended to treat Am as a "dead person."
Since Am had already turned her back on the four main factions, Jin decided it would be better to treat her as deceased and secretly include her in his faction.
Of course, that would be after he could trust Am, but after the extinction of the blue mes, there would be no chance for Am to hide.
[With this creature? Seriously? Can I take the cuties with me too?]
"No. And if you try to deceive me or escape, then no matter where you are or who is protecting you, I will surely find you and kill you..."
[No way! See youter.]
[Nyaaa, nya!]
Am mounted Shuri and departed; Jin could see that Bouvard''s soul, which had been bound to the Proch brothers, was rapidly fading away.
''I will listen to Am directly about that... Now, let''s clear the ce.''
Jin and Murakan''s gazes met.
Then, Jin conveyed the next message to Murakan as he uttered the words.
''Now prepare the thirdment, Murakan.''
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 467
Chapter 467
C467
-Halo? Do you mean using this body as a halo?
-Yes. The four forces will gather at the Gaifa Inds. Great figures wille as representatives.
-So you don''t want to be overshadowed among them, is that what you''re saying?
-Exactly. It''s also important to be prepared for any unexpected situation.
-Well, I guess I can do that.
-Anyway, are you ready to go? Come back after helping Gilly; I will prepare somements for you to use ording to various situations in Gaifa.
-Comments? What kind ofments?
-I''ll tell youter.
A conversation they had just before departing from Tikan to Gaifa.
The reason for preparing thements in advance was that this ce, where the four main factions gathered topete, was the perfect opportunity to create favorable rumors.
It was rumored that the twelfth gbearer and his guardian dragon already had great power, to the point that they could be said to have reached the throne of Runcandel.
The need for a halo was not just a word thrown out to please Murakan.
Murakan already possessed all the necessary aspects.
The legitimacy and symbolism of being venerated as the guardian deity of Runcandel, a past greatness that no one could surpass, and the uniqueness of being the ck Dragon.
There''s only one thing Murakancks.
The "present dignity."
However, even that had been unintentionally exaggerated by the recent "ck Dragon Incident," so it was necessary to continue with the same momentum.
If he demonstrates his prowess in battle a few more times, Murakan will be a halo that shines brighter than anyone else, and Jin is very satisfied that the situation has turned out this way.
''The situation has deviated a bit from what I expected because Am was already embroiled in a battle with the four main factions, and due to the blue mes, it has involuntarily be fiercer, but it''s better. To the point where I wonder if there could have been a better situation.''
Like the ck King incident, it''s a perfect scenario to spread rumors with a touch of deception.
The time Jin spent considering the phrases to use while holding the disobedient ck Dragon suddenly felt rewarded.
Thirdment?
Murakan raised an eyebrow.
Yes, the thirdment!
Jin raised three fingers and squinted, to which Murakan nodded vigorously.
It was as if he had understood perfectly.
Then he said in a majestic and deep voice.
[Insignificant humans, do you... desire...]
As soon as Murakan opened his mouth, Jin had to hold his forehead for the first time in a long time.
That wasment number 33, not number 3.
''Murakan, not 33, but 3! The Third!''
Comment 33 was meant to be used when enemies clearly dered their surrender and swore allegiance.
Naturally, it didn''t fit the current situation at all.
Swish!
The Hellfire was now at its peak, and thest mes were burning fiercely.
The ck tidal wave, the desperate screams of those who wanted to survive, and the destruction of humans, objects, and nature had reached its climax.
Therefore, Murakan''s mistake was drowned out by the deafening noise.
''It''s good that no one seems to have heard it.''
Saying irrelevant nonsense in such a solemn situation actually diminished one''s dignity.
Jin rubbed his chest.
Murakan seemed to realize that something was wrong and blinked, looking at Jin.
Murakan looked back at Jin''s three raised fingers and, after a while, seemed to realize his mistake and opened his mouth again.
[From this moment on, Gaifa Inds are thend of Murakan.]
Unlike the solemn and deep voice, this time it was dignified and full of strength.
Everyone could hear Murakan''s voice clearly even in the terrible disorder.
''Hisnd? Did the younger one kill Am, the great mercenary?''.
Vigo had no choice but to interpret the situation this way.
If he limited himself to ''subduing'' Am, he would have to show the injured Am or at least her corpse.
As expected, Am was defeated by the Twelfth gbearer and Murakan.
Latz came to the same conclusion.
He also thought that he would have killed Am if he had been in Jin''s ce.
If he kept Am alive and she didn''t show her willingness to be loyal like the ghost mercenaries or the ck Kings, then it would be inevitable for her to join another faction and be an enemy.
No one can touch Am recklessly after she belongs to another major faction.
In Latz''s opinion, now was the best time for Jin to kill Am ''without burdens''.
Furthermore, it''s the best time to kill all the witnesses...
A terrifying future passed through Latz''s mind in an instant.
What if only the knights of Runcandel, Jin, Murakan, and Vigo survive on the Gaifa Inds, and everyone else dies?
Therefore, what choice did Am make, what kind of death did she find, and how did the four main factions that had been searching for her end up, were questions that needed answers.
Even if Runcandel published an article as he wished, the other factions had no means to refute it.
Unless there were witnesses who witnessed the battles on the Gaifa Inds.
''Unlike other Runcandels, the Twelfth gbearer is particrly good at public opinion warfare. We have to prevent that from happening!''
In other words, he has to survive.
He had to survive somehow and tell the Emperor what he had seen and experienced today.
[And since you have invaded mynd, not a single person will survive]
Murakan finished his thirdment.
Latz clenched his teeth, and Jin let out a sigh of relief.
"I will kill everyone without exception."
That was exactly what the thirdment meant, but in reality, Jin had no intention of killing them all.
A few would have to return alive for the rumors to spread properly.
However, individuals like Midor Elner couldn''t be spared.
Excluding Runcandel, he would spare 5 people per faction, not key figures.
That was the amount of mercy Jin wanted to grant.
The ck tidal wave was fading.
The Hellfire wasing to an end.
Finally, the energy of the hellfire dissipated slowly, and what was seen on the ground was a devastatedndscape of ashes and death.
No screams or cries were heard.
Jin couldn''t even hear the painful sound of someone leaning on someone else.
All that could be heard was the noise of burning corpses and the survivors gasping.
In other words, there were no injured survivors.
Those who couldn''t withstand it were all dead.
''The sixthment.''
When Jin gave a new signal, Murakan looked down.
[Ho, I didn''t know there were so many bugs that wouldn''t die even if I stepped on them seriously. It''s quite unpleasant.]
The sixthment wasn''t all words.
As soon as thement ended, Murakan released his ck breath.
The breath shot towards Kinzelo, and one of the top warriors of the White Wolf Tribe was hit by it and died instantly.
Murakan''s strength reached 50%, and the resistance of the White Wolves was consumed like crazy trying to block the mes, so they couldn''t respond.
Of course, even considering those factors, there weren''t many beings in the world who could defeat the best warrior of the White Wolf Tribe so easily.
"Aah!"
The tiger king, the lucky survivor of the Red Tiger Tribe, panicked and took a step back.
He was terrified once again when he saw only the remaining ankles of the dead top warrior of the White Wolf Tribe on the ground.
Now, not only the Red Tigers but even the White Wolf warriors had difficulty suppressing their fear.
Gulp...!
Others who were watching involuntarily swallowed dry saliva repeatedly.
''The seventhment.''
At Jin''s signal, Murakan turned his head towards Vigo and Runcandel.
[And Runcandel, leave the ind as soon as possible and return to the Main Family. And tell Rosa Runcandel: I will question her for daring to send Family knights to mynd without permission. She must have a proper exnation.]
Vigo''s and the Guardian Knights'' eyes widened.
They could hardly believe what they were hearing.
No, you just said that thisnd belongs to you from now on.
And are you going to question my mother for sending us to yournd without permission?
We arrived first.
What kind of nonsense is this?
While Vigo thought, Murakan''s words seemed to make no sense, and it was clear that he was shamelessly despising the acting Patriarch.
But Vigo couldn''t argue with him.
It was because he didn''t know what would happen if he dared to fight in this situation.
Moreover, opposing Murakan would only worsen the situation.
"...Understood, Murakan-nim. I will deliver your message. But, may I ask you a question?"
Murakan discreetly lowered his eyes to look at Jin.
And Jin nodded.
[Speak freely, Vigo Runcandel.]
"What happened to the great mercenary Am?"
Murakan lowered his eyes again, and Jin gestured to slit her throat.
[I killed her.]
Everyone had expected this oue, but hearing Murakan say it directly left them with a hollow feeling.
They had rushed to capture Am, but they had only suffered significant losses.
Even she was killed by a ck Dragon they didn''t expect, and now the ck Dragon said he would kill them all.
At least, no one died in Runcandel, and it wasn''t bad because Vigo and his knights only fought in vain.
[You may find the ashes of that stupid mercenary if you look carefully on the coast around there.]
"...Thank you for letting me know, Murakan-nim."
[Now leave.]
"Murakan-nim, can''t you give us another chance?"
Murakan furrowed his brows at Vigo''s words.
[What are you talking about suddenly?]
"I have no problem if Murakan-nim massacres the imperial family and Kinzelo. However, soon, Zipple will receive reinforcements from the Magic Tower. It''s because there''s a master of the Magic Tower here. So we will help you."
The staff of the master of the Magic Tower.
Vigo was the gbearer of Runcandel, so he had read information about the staff of the master of the Magic Tower that had endangered Jin in Coln in the past.
The ability to call the main division in case of emergency.
Jin shook his head and frowned as much as he could, and Murakan put on the most threatening expression he could.
[Vigo Runcandel, it seems you hold me in little regard. Are you going to help me? Only to deal with Zipple''s main division?]
"Murakan-nim, I have no other intentions..."
[If you say one more word, I''ll kill you too. Get out of here...]
"I didn''t call them!"
Suddenly, someone interrupted Murakan and shouted with a bright voice.
It was Sandra Zipple.
The eyes of everyone, including Murakan, focused on her.
"I didn''t activate the master of the Magic Tower''s staff. So, great ck Dragon, please stop being a puppet. And you, hidden puppet master, Jin Runcandel. How about finally introducing yourself?"
She was very eager to meet him at once.
Sandra continued with a smile.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 468
Chapter 468
C468
Murakan didn''t forgive Sandra Zipple for her rudeness.
He didn''t need a special permission from Jin or carefully choose his words.
He just had to make her pay the price for being unpleasant.
Swoosh...!
The remnants of the Shadow Energy and blue mes near Sandra swayed at Murakan''s will.
Silently, the remnants took the form of leznas.
Then, like a descending hawk, they rushed towards Sandra.
There were eight of them.
Most of Zipple''s mages were on the verge of exhaustion from dealing with the mes, so they couldn''t even react.
Some mages, including Midor, recognized Murakan''s attack but didn''t act.
It was because they didn''t know what kind of trouble they might get into if they helped her.
Surprisingly, Sandra dodged three of the eight thrusts. She showed agile and light movements uncharacteristic of a mage, countering three with a protective shield.
However, the remaining two were a problem.
"Kugh!"
One pierced Sandra''s shoulder, and the other went through her thigh.
Even at a nce, it looked like a serious wound, with fresh flesh and blood sttering.
Murakan looked at Sandra, trembling as she fell.
Murakan seriously injured a pure-blooded Zipple without a second thought.
It was only possible because he had such battle prowess to support his action, and it meant he could engage in a total war against "all of Zipple."
At least the members of the other main factions watching Murakan couldn''t help but think so.
''He said he would interrogate the acting Patriarch, Rosa Runcandel, the ck Panther... Could it be that Murakan is not just symbolic as a guardian deity, but also has real power over Runcandel? Power beyond the acting Patriarch?''
''Indeed, the acting Patriarch of Runcandel might be the ck Dragon Murakan...''
''Then, what will be the true rank of the Twelfth gbearer?''
Anyway, Sandra Zipple is finished.
She''s doing this even after seeing the best warrior of the White Wolf Tribe die in an instant with only the remaining ankles....
Has she be so insensitive to fear after living as a Zipple?
The special force had such thoughts.
The White Wolves of Kinzelo and the Red Tigers had no thoughts.
They just ran around in panic.
''Not only Sandra Zipple is finished. We won''t survive without Zipple''s reinforcements...!''
Latz''s eyes were shaking.
Not a single person could survive.
Latz was convinced that what Murakan had just said was not a bluff.
The current crew members here couldn''t even inflict effective damage on Murakan, let alone fight against him.
Because of this, Latz made the decision that they had no choice but to surrender to Zipple in order to survive.
Sandra didn''t activate the master of the Magic Tower''s staff and was gravely injured in a single blow.
She will die soon.
Latz felt the urge to scream.
The master of the Magic Tower is not Sandra but you, Midor Elnor. Activate the staff, Midor.
[The reason I haven''t killed you instantly is because I''m curious to know where that arrogance and heavinesse from. A puppet? Me? Say it again, Zipple.]
The cold and deep voice once again sent shivers down the members of the main factions.
"Huh, huh."
Sandra took a breath.
It was natural to think that her breath had be faster due to the terror of death.
But in reality, she was simply a bit surprised by the intensity of her pain.
nk, nk...
Everyone heard the sound of gears turning out of nowhere.
It came from Sandra.
Those who watched her couldn''t help but doubt their own eyes.
It was because her pierced shoulder and thigh were healing rapidly.
Hey, she''s regenerating.
A human!
The White Wolves and Red Tigers had never seen a human perform regeneration at such a fast pace.
On the other hand, Latz and his team watched with wide-open eyes, astonished.
Has Zipple''s living golem experiment progressed this much?
It''s at a levelparable to the Demon Man treatment received by the imperial guards.
Living golem experiment.
Zipple, Vermont, and Kinzelo have been experimenting with living beings for a long time.
Zipple wanted to create a perfect living golem, Vermont aimed to create a Demon Man, and Kinzelo sought to make a golem using the characteristics of Legends.
Recently, Vermont had been confident that his experiments with living golems were clearly superior.
There were still many unstable aspects in his experiments.
Just like when Rick Helter, the leader of the imperial guards'' team in the past, lost his sanity after bing a Demon Man.
However, Sandra''s high-speed regeneration is at a level simr to that of a Demon Man, and she retained her sanity.
Latz thought that achieving this level of high-speed regeneration without using living golem surgery was impossible and superior to the Majin developed by the Empire.
''There may be someone within the empire who leaked information to Zipple. It''s very possible...
While Latz gritted his teeth, Jin also observed Sandra''s regeneration with a dyed heartbeat.
Jin had just escaped from the core of the murky aura, erasing his presence as much as possible with his Shadow Energy.
He thought it was necessary to check the outside situation in person.
''... Has she healed? High-speed regeneration?''
Jin never imagined, not even in dreams, that he would see Sandra using high-speed regeneration.
As Murakan mentioned while looking at Am, high-speed regeneration is the specialty of inner core demonic creatures or demons.
Am had a special power of Chaos and murky aura, which had been fully amplified, so she could be like that.
''Is Sandra also born with Chaos? If so, I don''t think she would have suffered so helplessly in the murky fog.''
Contrary to what Jin thought, Sandra is an ordinary human not tainted by Chaos.
And others didn''t even notice, but in Jin''s opinion, Sandra''s high-speed regeneration was something different from what he had experienced so far.
Sandra''s high-speed regeneration doesn''t seem to heal the wound itself; it''s as if the time of the wound is being reversed.
Jin wasn''t sure.
The wound was healing too quickly, and she was too far away for him to see up close.
Sandra Zipple.
Jin had never interacted with her in his current life.
However, in his past life, he had encountered her by pure chance.
He had been waiting for Valeria at the campus fountain when he had a casual conversation about magic with Sandra.
-"Matthew Morniak''s three-stage ssification of magic? Wow, you''re reading an interesting book. It''s hard toe by."
-"Who are you?"
-"I mistook Matthew Morniak for Matthew Worniak once, so I was scammed by a scammer. I guess you''re the type of person who doesn''t get easily fooled."
-"Do you know me?"
-"I''m not so out of my mind to be fooled all the time, but sometimes I get fooled even when I know. Cute, isn''t it?"
''I didn''t find out she was Sandra Zipple until a yearter.''
Jin believed she was the typical mage lounging in the park, but he was taken aback to confirm her face in a newspaper article.
Looking back, I wonder if she approached me with some intention.
She must have wondered how miserably the exiled Runcandel lived and why he was wandering around the mage area.
That was the extent of Jin''s interaction with Sandra.
So, in his current life, he didn''t pay too much attention to her.
It was because she wasn''t making a name for herself as a mage or contributing to her n as a tower master, like the other children of Kelliark.
Just looking at the mages of Zipple who arrived at the Gaifa Inds right away, Midor Elnor is the master of the Seventh Magic Tower, and he had the highest rank externally.
In other words, he was a pure-blooded Zipple holding a rank equal to the second-ss gbearer of Runcandel.
From Sandra''s behavior and Midor''s look, Jin could deduce that Sandra had more influence in reality.
Did she deliberately hide her power and abilities as Octavia Zipple?
I thought Octavia wouldn''t be the only one, but Sandra is really unexpected.
The reason Jin thought so was that, through the "marriage" article, he learned that the woman who spoke to him at the fountain was Sandra.
In Jin''s past life, she had an arranged marriage with a lower-ranking member of the Vermont imperial family.
It was amon practice that various powers, not just Zipple, used to their advantage.
The "surpluses" of the second generation were bound in political marriage and used as hostages or for some other purpose.
If Sandra was a powerful person and hiding her power in my past life, she would have had to retire or live secluded like Octavia, but I can''t think of any reason for a political marriage.
The moment Jin thought to that point, Sandra opened her mouth.
"Ouch, this hurts a lot. I don''t understand. Did my words bother you, Murakan-nim?"
[What?]
"I was afraid that the Twelfth gbearer and Murakan-nim would get into trouble, so I prevented the bastard from trying to activate the master''s staff. I just wanted to meet Jin Runcandel and have a fight; I didn''t know it would make you feel so bad!" Sandra said sincerely.
She thought there was no problem with the expression of a puppeteer or a puppet. To her, it''s just a fact and not said sarcastically.
(If others heard this)
What she told Midor was also in a simr context.
"To be honest, even if you receive praise, it falls short. I know the ck Dragon is strong, but I think it''s better to avoid troublesome things, right?" she said.
At that moment, even Murakan was momentarily silent.
Sandra''s calm way of speaking left no room for anything other than thoughts like:
"What''s going on here...?".
"Well, you''re not wrong."
Jin revealed himself and spoke.
Continuing to force Murakan to deal with her would undermine his dignity.
So, he decided it was better to deal with her himself.
He needed to confirm the details of her regeneration.
"Oh! Jin Runcandel!" Sandra eximed with sparkling eyes.
"Do you want to fight with me?"
Their gazes met.
And just as Sandra was about to nod, Jin closed the distance in an instant and stabbed her in the vicle.
"I think you''re not worthy of that, Sandra Zipple."
Before even pulling out the de he stabbed in her vicle...
Kung!
The sound of gears turning scratched Jin''s ears.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 469
Chapter 469
C469
"Kugh!"
Sandra leaned forward and vomited blood.
Bradamante had pierced her viclepletely,ing out the other side.
A human should have died there.
It was a mortal wound that couldn''t be healed unless the healing power of the Holy Queen Lani or Numerus'' blood drop was used.
But Jin felt an invisible force pushing back the de that had pierced Sandra''s vicle.
It wasn''t mana, and certainly not aura.
It''s like...
Authority/Order.
And it closely resembled the type of authority Jin was familiar with.
An authority often disyed by the Dragon of Olta, the Silver Dragon Quikantel.
The Authority of Time.
As expected, I wasn''t wrong from the beginning.
But why is Sandra using the Authority of Time?
It was impossible for Sandra to be the Contractor of Olta.
Because Enya has already been contracted for a long time.
Zipple couldn''t kill Enya and steal the contract as they did in Jin''s past life.
A God''s authority can sometimes be used through various means, like receiving blessings from a deity, being granted the right to serve them, or through other methods, even if the person is not a formal contractor.
However, in such cases, the Authority can only be used at a "low level."
sh!
Jin swung again the sword that had been pushed back, intending to cut Sandra''s throat.
But Bradamante couldn''t reach Sandra''s throat.
It was because the space near Sandra was strangely distorted.
When he swung his sword in the space, it only caused ripples as if cutting water, and it couldn''t inflict damage.
It''s just like the day I met Quikantel-nim.
At that time, she also countered my attack in this way.
The Authority to reverse time in an instant and ensure safety during the healing process was an authority that couldn''t be considered low level.
ng, clunk!
The sound of gears moving rapidly grew louder.
The only difference between Quikantel and Sandra was that this noise urred when using the authority.
Murakan was also acknowledging Sandra''s Authority.
He blinked as if he had received a considerable shock.
Vigo and the Guardian Knights were barely suppressing their astonishment.
''I keep seeing variables that are not included in the mission information. Apparently, Sandra Zipple''s ability seems to be part of the living golem experiment, but how could a pure-blooded Zipple be a test subject? And on top of that, she''s Kelliark''s daughter!''
As Runcandel''s sixth gbearer, Vigo knew about Zipple''s experiments with living golems.
As far as he knew, Zipple had never conducted an experiment with living golems using pure blood.
They used zealots, civilians, or mages from lower families as test subjects.
''Does this mean that the results were stable enough to test using pure blood? Or is there some other reason?
In any case, this alone is valuable information.
He couldn''t secure Am, but he could write something meaningful in the report that would be sent to Rosa.
Thanks to Sandra''s special powers, Vigo slowly observed the reactions of Jin and Murakan.
He thought that if he stayed a while on the ind, he might report even more significant findings.
"Phew, I''ve hurt myself several times today. I don''t like pain. I admit it; I''m a bit deficient when ites to fighting."
Sandra shrugged as she adjusted her clothes.
"That''s quite an unpleasant ability, Sandra Zipple."
"You know, you look much handsomer in person than on the Golden Peng poster. Maybe I should consider dating you instead of fighting."
"Wouldn''t it be a good time to activate the magical tower master''s staff right now?"
"Shall we have dinner? Or tea?"
Was it because she was so confident that she didn''t even feel nervous about the situation, or was it simply a matter ofmunication and conversational difficulties?
Even when we briefly met in my past life, she only said what she thought.
It took Jin a while to quickly understand Sandra Zipple.
"Hahaha, do you know how I feel right now? I feel like a prince who hase to meet the princess after oveing the obstacle of the ck Dragon."
Sandra was literally babbling non-stop.
There was no need for her to keep talking to someone with whom she couldn''t engage in any conversation.
''I will subdue her and capture her alive if possible.''
Jin reached this conclusion.
It was necessary to find out Sandra''s ability.
However, the reason he attached the premise of "if possible" was that capturing Sandra would once again reveal Zipple''s living golem experiment to the world, and he could use that information against the other major factions.
Zipple couldn''t be so careless.
''So far, they''ve kept me in the dark since I was a provisional gbearer, but they can''t let Sandra be captured alive.''
There was a high possibility that strong reinforcements were already nearby, or other means to prevent information leaks, so there was no need to use the magical tower master''s staff.
Just like Vermont''s Demon Men rusted and disappeared when they reached their limits.
''No matter how bold she acts, she must be so sure because she has something to believe in.''
The ice-type sealing spell he learned from Valeria.
Jin intended to use it to leave evidence of Sandra Zipple.
It might seem difficult to go against the authority of time, but there was nothing wrong with trying.
Bradamante vibrated as he became enveloped in energy and shadow aura.
Sandra also hastily raised her mana and created a protective shield.
The threatening fire-type protective shield shimmered, but that was it.
It was cut in half with a single sh, and as a result, it recoiled, and the attack magic formed in Sandra''s hands did not harm Jin.
On the other hand, Jin inflicted more than three severe wounds on Sandra even before 10 seconds had passed.
Including the initial stab in the vicle, it could be said that Sandra had already been killed by Jin four times.
It''s not that Sandra was weak; it''s that Jin had be immensely strong.
This was a fact that Vigo and the Guardian Knights, who witnessed the "Deration of Patriarchy," were already aware of.
Excluding the beastmen who were still in a state of shock, the members of Vermont and Zipple couldn''t help but sigh inwardly as they watched the battle between the two.
Murakan alone was already too much, but witnessing thebat prowess of the Twelfth gbearer left them in absolute darkness.
And that wasn''t all...
"Lord!"
Two people emerged from the broken center of the murky aura.
They were the Proch brothers who had just awakened from the curse.
"Just give the order. Fey and I will massacre them all."
A ck dragon pping its majestic wings, and the Proch brothers from the Phantom Legion Mercenary Corps standing beneath it.
And the difference in their ss was evident.
Crack!
For some reason, Sandra was regenerating even faster with each wound.
However, Sandra was unable to counterattack and only focused on recovering.
Jin couldn''t damage Sandra at all while her recovery reached maximum speed.
Regardless of where he cut her, the wounds would heal before the de left her body.
It was a strange battle.
For spectators who didn''t know him well, it seemed like Jin was unterally harassing the weak.
Jin continued to cut Sandra with an expressionless gaze.
The concept of infinite strength did not exist in this world.
Jin believed this and had often disproven those who imed to possess infinite strength, like Am, with her amplified murky aura.
"Haha, at this rate, I might actually fall in love with you."
"What?"
It was the first time Jin hesitated and stopped his sword at the unexpectedment.
At that moment, even Jin couldn''t help but feel a chill down his spine.
It''s possible for a human to be this insane without being tainted by Chaos.
Jin responded with a smile.
"Something terrible to say."
"Shall we get married? I heard you''re going to marry thedy from the hidden pce, what about me?"
"If you tell me the secret of your high-speed regeneration, I''ll consider it."
"Really? It''s not a very difficult condition. Do you know the Demon God Orb? With its help, we can imitate the Authority of some gods..."
Boom!
Suddenly, an explosion urred between Jin and Sandra.
Jin momentarily withdrew his body, and Sandra was unable to react, and in an instant, half of her head disappeared.
It was a spatial explosion.
It was the authority of Kelliark Zipple used by Midor Elnor.
Jin turned his head, and his eyes filled with killing intent.
"Sandra-nim! What the hell are you talking about?"
"Bastard! Do you know what you''re doing? Can''t you see that I''m interacting with Jin Runcandel? You acted like you were well-mannered before..."
Midor was so dumbfounded that he was left speechless.
He didn''t know Sandra would speak about the "Demon God Orb."
Jin was equally amazed.
Judging by Midor''s reaction, the Demon God Orb is still a highly ssified secret within Zipple.
Of course, it has to be.
They must be extremely cautious when revealing the name to the outside world.
Sandra not only mentioned the name but went on to say:
"Capable of imitating the Authority of some Gods."
It was an unexpected harvest for Jin, but it left Midor and the other Zipplespletely stunned.
"Just interfere once more, and I''ll kill you for real! Got it? I''ll tear off your limbs, chew them into pieces, throw them, and trample on them! Answer me right now, you bastard."
Sandra''s voice had transformed from the cheerful nonsense she was spouting a moment ago to something malevolent and sinister.
Even Murakan couldn''t help butugh at her poisonous energy.
''She''s crazy...! I can''t even imagine how far Sandra will explode things if left alone.''
What to do?
As Midor made his decision, Bradamante traced a sharp trajectory.
"Why would you do this to me, you bastard? Why don''t you respond... Ugh!"
sh!
What Bradamante cut off was Sandra''s right hand.
Distraction orck of concentration.
Sandra had briefly lost the maximum regeneration speed while cursing Midor.
There was no way Jin would overlook that opening.
Unlike before, Sandra''s wound didn''t heal immediately.
For the first time since the battle began, she suffered a wound.
In a way, her amputated right arm fell to the ground.
Click!
Jin immediately formed an ice seal before her right arm touched the ground.
Immediately, Jin could confirm that Sandra''s affected area was healing.
He could observe that Sandra''s cut surface wasn''t regenerating as if time was reversing like before but healing like normal regeneration.
Now that he had obtained the evidence he needed, there was no reason to continue hesitating.
"Murakan!"
[Yes!]
"Finish them off!"
At Jin''smand, Murakan grinned sinisterly.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 470
Chapter 470
C470
Whoa...!
The Shadow Energy released by Murakan began to color the sky as if ck paint had dissolved in a transparent water jar.
It was very fast.
In an instant, it darkened as if it had turned into a moonless night, and Murakan''s amber eyes stood out.
Murakan''s eyes blinked amid the darkness, resembling the eyes of a reaper, for those who observed him under the darkened sky.
-If I tell you to erase them all from that point on, you can freely use allments after number 100.
-Comments after number 100? It seems like everyone is talking about death and destruction.
-That''s right. You have to use thosements appropriately and really kill them all if possible. Just leave around five people who are not very important in each faction.
-Hmph, brat. It seems you''re mistaken. That''s something I can do well without separate instructions. Rather, it seems like yourments are used by trash trying to appear powerful. True experts like me instill fear more clearly.
-I know, but I said it because you need a bluff.
-What, a bluff?
-You''re not as strong as in your prime yet. Until you find all the strength, let''s try to act with it as much as possible. You know your reputation is about to go down the drain after the ck King incident, right?
-Curse it! I don''t like it. Anyway, I''ll do as you say. How did you choose those ridiculousments, like "I am Murakan, the worst nightmare a mortal can suffer, you will be killed that you can never dream of"?
-Was that 107? It''s not bad, is it? Anyway, when you kill enemies, use techniques that seem as important as possible. Inefficient but beautiful and majestic techniques.
-Okay, okay.
The conversation they had while makingments.
Murakan said he didn''t like it, but he actually felt a subtle satisfaction that his prestige had increased considerably after the ck King incident.
Of course,pared to the majesty of his prime, he was now far from it, not even worth mentioning.
However, he felt degraded when people, who didn''t know him, treated him like an ordinary Dragon...
(Although there were very few asions like that).
In a way, now was the opportunity to elevate that level of satisfaction even more.
[I am Murakan.]
Vortices formed all over the ck sky.
Hundreds of vortices were created in an instant, and a huge dark punch emerged from the center of all the vortices.
They were ck leeches spawning on the ground following Murakan''s will.
[The worst nightmare a mortal can suffer]
A solemn but chilling voice weighed on the entire ind.
It even resonated in all directions riding on the Shadow Energy curtain, and the ind''s beasts and insects hurriedly hid from the ominous vibration.
Birds flew off the ind, and wild animals and insects burrowed deep into their dens.
Once he had regained 50% of his strength.
It seemed like all the movements of the insignificant creatures were being transmitted to him.
The sound of a flock of birds frantically pping their wings as they took flight, the sensation of small animals digging their burrows with front paws to seek refuge, and the scurrying and flying of insects delving deep into the forest.
Murakan felt everything as he floated in the sky.
He savored it.
These were the senses he used to enjoy instead of music or magazines a thousand years ago.
Hepletely forgot about it until he regained 50% of his strength.
Then Murakan waited silently for a while.
He waited for the small creatures to have enough time to escape, and he also checked the positions of the small creatures that couldn''t escape to make sure they wouldn''t die when the massacre began.
The movements of the insignificant creatures became so clear.
Therefore, he couldn''t help but feel the fear of the people beneath him.
He created this kind of intimidation just by exerting his power...!
Imperial Dragons were not afraid of anything.
''They say his heart was wounded, but is this really the power of a wounded dragon? Has he recovered?''
''It''s terrifying, terrifying, save me!''
That''s what the members of the imperial family, Zipples, and the beastmen of Kinzelo thought.
Their heartbeats and trembles seemed like a good melody to listen to.
''Yes, this is how it felt. The feeling that I can kill and forgive everything at will.''
Murakan''s tail stiffened, and his chest trembled at the exciting sensation he had felt for the first time in a thousand years.
He wouldn''t be able to savor this feeling against the world''s top powers, but right now, he was like the God of the Gaifa Inds.
All of Jin''s enemies were extremely nervous, unable to open their mouths.
Only one person, Sandra Zipple, kept cursing incessantly.
"Midor Elnor, ungrateful bastard! I warn you in advance, don''t activate the tower master''s staff without my permission. Huh? I''ll cut your throat and ce it in the middle of Drakka Square."
She seemedpletely uninterested in her severed arm.
Her amputation had healed a bit, and she had only stopped the bleeding with normal healing magic and not with the power of time.
She not only kept pouring curses on Midor.
Also, she spoke to Jin with an infinitely sweet voice.
"There''s been a little problem with our date because of that bastard not worth feeding to the dogs. Will you generously understand it with a heart as good as your face?"
It would be better not to get involved with this human in any way.
Such an instinctive signal resonated strongly in Jin''s mind.
Not only did a chill run down his spine, but he also experienced a strange kind of fear for the first time, to the point where Jin''s entire body was covered in goosebumps.
"By the way, what were we talking about?"
"The Demon God Orb."
"Ah, that''s right. The Demon God Orb. The troubles we went through to get here without Kinzelo..."
"Sandra-nim! No, crazy! Could you lower your tone...?!"
Midor''s urgent shouts indicated that Sandra is about to reveal another secret, and Murakan noticed that the little creatures have either left or calmed down.
[You will be a dead person who can never dream again]
Murakan finishedment 107.
Then he scanned the ground with satisfied eyes.
It was to mark the ces where the leeches would fall.
Sharp ck leeches began to rain from the Shadow Energy vortices.
Each vortex relentlessly spewed a giant punch and hundreds of smaller ones forming around it.
From a distance, it looked as if a swarm of locusts were attacking the inds out of nowhere.
What was even more terrifying was the fact that these punches fell without making any noise.
"Stop!"
"Damn it, save Sandra-nim!"
"Gaaah!"
Despite the deluge of leeches, all that could be heard were screams and the sound of destruction.
Normally, a certain degree of coteral damage is expected even among allies when using magical spells or techniques of this magnitude.
However, none of the Shadow Energy punches had fallen on the side where the Runcandel knights were.
They were falling while maintaining a distance of less than a palm''s breadth from the Runcandels.
It was as if an umbre had been put up only on the Runcandel side.
Naturally, the eyes of the Runcandels could only turn towards Jin and Murakin.
Especially towards Jin.
In some ways, he seemed even more threatening than Murakan, who was busy raining leeches.
Jin stood there with an indifferent expression, savoring the spectacle of his enemies'' death.
For the Runcandels, it was as if they had surreptitiously spied on the hierarchical rtionship.
''Even if the younger one gives an order like that, does he act without a hint of difort?''
It is known that the rtionship between a Guardian Dragon and its contractor usually ces the former in a somewhat subordinate role, but isn''t this a case ofplete master and servant!
More than stabbing and prating, Murakan''s punch was literally ''crushing'' enemies.
Even if Ibine all the Guardian Knights and Application Knights under me, will I be able to keep up with one of Murakan''s attacks?
Vigo was convinced that he never could.
''My Guardian Knights can''t evenpare, and maybe not even my older brother''s forces...''
They might not be able to handle Murakan.
Vigo had a sudden thought.
Of course, it wasn''t the correct conclusion.
Even if Murakan had regained 50% of his strength, Joshua had the ck Knights, the top Execution Knights of the n, and elite Guardian Knights.
If Murakan could single-handedly face all of them, Jin would be the patriarch the next day.
Vigo was wrong and genuinely intimidated by the overwhelming strength he hadn''t seen in a long time.
And that misunderstanding would be one of the great rumors circting in the Garden of Swords after his return.
Sandra was also being torn apart.
"Uh, ooh, what, to do, think, marry me."
Surprisingly, she kept regenerating her body just as she had been doing all along, and her gaze fixed on Jin.
"Aaaghh!"
"Kugh!"
The elders who rushed to rescue Sandra let out a cry of agony as they opened a protective shield.
They had to rescue Sandra because it was an order from Midor, but in reality, the elders were powerless.
Midor knew it too.
The pureblood is being torn apart in front of his eyes, but he only gave an order because he didn''t know what troubles woulde to him after his return if he took no action.
He also needed to create justification.
So many were sacrificed to save Sandra, but in the end, she was not in a condition tomand the operation.
Therefore, he had to takemand in her ce.
"Seventh Tower Master, this is enough. Even if youmand now, the patriarch and the elders will understand...!"
"We will be annihted at this rate. Sandra-nim''s regeneration is not infinite. We have to use that method to save her!"
An elder said, looking at the punch that had pierced the protective shield.
Midor could do nothing but nod as if he had no other choice, biting his lips forcefully.
-Considering that the colossal form has disappeared, it is highly likely that the Great Mercenary Am has already been defeated by Murakan! Seventh Tower Master, I know you want to avenge the former Seventh Tower Master, but you must step back now!
-Seventh Tower Master!
-Stand firm!
That method was the real reason why Midor refused to surrender even after seeing Murakan and Jin''s identally coborated mes from the beginning.
"Ha~."
Midor took a breath.
He was trying to control his breath, stirred by the excitement of finally being able to revenge.
It might be better this way.
If Sandra had simply asked him to retreat, Midor would have had to leave with no chance of revenge, leaving his nemesis right in front of his eyes.
"Good."
Midor said as he took something out of his pocket.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 471
Chapter 471
C471
What Midor Elnor pulled out looked like a cube slightly smaller than a fist.
As he looked at the object, Midor''s face was filled with anticipation.
The cube had a blue color that seemed deafening.
Midor''s face was full of expectation as he gazed at the object.
The cube emitted a bluish light that seemed adorned with engravings.
''I will finally be able to avenge my older brother Myuron...!''
Myuron Zipple.
Something surged in Midor''s heart as he recalled his brother''s life, who had died in agony.
Midor had been unable toprehend the fact that Runcandel, who killed Myuron, was thriving, but Zipple had not avenged him as he deserved.
Click...!
Midor injected mana into the cube, and the blue color intensified.
It was a light so bright that it stood out for a moment even under the ck storm of the shadow force punch.
What is that blue light?
Jin was also checking the blue light of the cube from a distance.
''I don''t think it''s a magic spell. An artifact?''
Jin couldn''t see it clearly due to the ck streaks.
However, at first nce, it was clear that it was a type of artifact he did not know.
It also repulsed him.
In this situation, Jin also disliked Midor''s sinister expression, as if he were about to burst intoughter at any moment.
Midor had that expression when someone showed their trump card.
Murakan also narrowed his eyes at Midor''s appearance.
[There are always fools in every era who are eager to die quickly]
"Kukuku, hahaha!"
Suddenly, Midor leaned back and burst intoughter.
The cube in his hand floated in the air with each side opened.
"Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel, Jin Runcandel, and ck Dragon, Murakan! I have been waiting for this day when I can relieve the soul of my older brother Myuron with your filthy blood...!"
[I can''t let you get away with this. Disappear]
Woo-!
Murakan released a breath towards Midor and the Zipple mages.
It was a breath full of strong emotions and anger, more powerful than disintegrating the strongest warrior of the White Wolf Tribe with only one ankle left.
Moreover, the shadow force punches were pulverized along the path of the breath, and it seemed to have the size to turn the mountain range into dust.
Murakan and Jin were the only people in this ce who couldpletely block this breath.
The moment the breath reached the side of Zipple, Midor and the surviving mages had no choice but to open their eyes wide, surprised, and react cautiously.
"Oh, it''s still opening!"
"We have to block the breath...!"
The elders who shouted urgently were swept away by the breath and turned into ck particles without even finishing their words.
Then, the other mages squeezed all their strength to cast a protective shield, but it was toote.
Murakan''s breath mercilessly trampled Zipple''s defensive line.
The breath was like a war chariot rolling downhill, crushing dozens of houses before stopping.
Murakan''s breath, exhaled carelessly, only stopped after turning about thirty elders into dust and shattering the protective shield formed right in front of Midor.
Midor''s excited expression, full ofughter and anticipation, had disappeared.
Midor just stared with wide eyes, sweat pouring from every pore of his body.
The confidence he had when activating the cube had already been crushed.
''...Is this really a breath that can be fired without any warning or preparation?''
It seemed he had miscalcted something.
This premonition stabbed Midor''s heart like a knife.
He was wondering if today was really the right time to seek revenge.
It was already impossible to recalcte things.
Murakan became even more furious seeing Midor survive his breath.
His pride was hurt.
[Did you block it? You? It''s insane, right? Heh, you. Bastard, you''re pissing me off].
As a result, Murakan''s tone went a little beyond his usualments, but the enemies felt more fear because of it.
A powerful figure with unpredictable and whimsical behavior was always terrifying.
This time, Murakan took a deep breath.
He had gathered strength to exhale the breath.
The shadow force punch, which had beening out silently, instantly extinguished.
This was because he was adding the shadow force used for the ck force punch storm to the breath.
The area where the shadow force punch stopped looked like a sterile and deste test ground for mana cannons.
There was no t ground left, and the remains of those who had lost parts of their bodies rolled on the ground like dust.
The members of Vermont barely clung to their senses and organized their formation, and the beastmen of Kinzelo werepletely devastated, crying while urinating and defecating randomly.
From the side of Zipple, only a trembling Midor and some of the elders remained.
And in front of Jin, Sandra Zipple regenerated.
Clung, clung, the sound of gears turning felt notably slower than before.
''It''s more impressive than time authority just to see this.''
Time authority was indeed remarkable, but, as far as Jin knew, it was impossible to recover to that level after a certain death.
Not even Quikantel could restore his disintegrated body.
This is the power of the Demon God''s orb and the living golem. It seems clear that the two are being used together.
If Zipple can keep making people like Sandra...
Suddenly, Jin recalled a memory from his past life.
The mirror, the mana source.
In Jin''s past life...
Zipple continuously produced seven-star mages, called mass-production mages, after obtaining the Colon Mirror.
Andter, they were used to further solidify Zipple''s sole dominance over the world.
Sandra''s regenerative power was nothingpared to the mass-produced mages from his past life.
Could this be rted to my regression?
Could the fact that my regression stimted Zipple have a profound effect on the direction of his research and its oues?
''Then, is Runcandel now at a greater disadvantage than before?''
Jin suddenly thought, but quickly shook his head.
No, now that I think about it, Zipple couldn''t have dominated so much with just mass-produced mages.
No matter how many have five-star mana, they can''t handle nine or ten-star ones well."
The mass-produced mages at that time would have been just the beginning or material to create a ''weapon'' like Sandra Zipple.
At that time, mass-produced mages were a tool to externally propagate Zipple''s sole dominance...
But in reality, mages like Sandra Zipple would have been mass-produced to fight battles that were not exposed to the media.
As they did not acquire the mirror in Jin''s current life, the research on the living golem was likely much dyedpared to his past life.
Even assuming that, Zipple''s living golem had already reached this level.
Sandra regenerated even when her whole body was cut into pieces dozens of times.
''I don''t think what I''m seeing today is all of Zipple''s secrets...''
The cube shone brightly.
Jin felt intense curiosity about what could make Midor show so much confidence.
Although his momentum had waned a bit after the breath attack.
"You.... Bastard... Stop, just..."
Sandra, whose face had partially recovered, was the first to speak.
Midor could hear her clearly.
They could hear each other''s breathing in the silence that followed the cessation of the shadow force streaks.
However, Midor pretended not to hear Sandra''s orders and took control of his fears.
Thinking like that.
''Yes, I can win. Let''s not be afraid. Today is undoubtedly a day when I can drink the blood of our enemies.''
There''s no reason not to with my older brother by my side.
Midor knelt down and raised both hands in a courteous gesture.
As if he had be a believer invoking God.
That was a ritual unique to Midor,pletely unrted to the "full opening of the cube."
It was his way of weing and showing respect to the older brother he had finally reunited with.
Hwaaaaa...!
Light gushed from the fully open cube like water.
The light flowing from the cube surged through the surrounding space like waves.
Dark and ominous blue rays of light seemed to paint the space.
It was a strange sight for everyone except for Zipple, and they had never seen anything like it, not even for Murakan, who had lived for 3,000 years.
''The light is forming something... Ha, this is insane.''
Jin, who observed the progress of the cube''s light for a while, had to suppress the curses that came out of his throat.
The first thing the light formed was a human being.
It was Myuron Zipple.
"Older brother, wee...!"
Midor raised his head and looked at Myuron with sparkling eyes.
Before Jin realized it, Myuron had taken on a physical formposed of something with texture and weight, more like a substance than just light.
However, he was not apletely living person, like when they met in Colon.
His skin was dark blue, like that of an old corpse, and in some ces, it had peeled off, exposing bones, teeth, and internal organs.
Additionally, Myuron was not the only thing formed by the cube''s light.
A battleship.
Zipple''s ultimate weapon, a battleship symbolizing catastrophe in the sky.
A battleship simr to Kozec was also forming behind Myuron.
The blue battleship was significantlyrger than Kozec, exuding greater majesty just from its appearance.
The battleship contained numerous mages formed by light, ready for battle.
In other words, a battleship with a massive Zipple army formed in the middle of nowhere on the ind.
The shocking scene left everyone dumbfounded, their rationality overwhelmed by the surreal spectacle.
Even Jin was left open-mouthed, pupils trembling with disbelief.
[Ah, the air is so refreshing, Midor]
Myuron finally opened his mouth and spoke with a benevolent yet dignified voice.
Midor''s face filled with emotion, as if he were about to cry tears of joy at any moment.
He felt the conviction that now he could avenge his enemies and be recognized by his father.
The emotion that this certainty had produced made his whole body uncontrobly tremble.
He even felt foolish for ever doubting his older brother''s power and the strength of his battleship and army.
[And it''s been a while, Jin Runcan...]
[Oi, I was watching for a while, just to see what craziness you woulde up with this time. But this is what you''re showing me, What a nuisance!]
It was then. Murakan released the breath he had gathered.
A shadow force iparably denser than the ck streak that had just fallen rushed towards Myuron and his army.
Midor and Myuron hadn''t even thought that their breath could destroy the battleship.
Therefore, they initially nned to defend against the attack and then continue their assault once the breath disappeared.
However, in the next moment, the battleship formed by the light shattered in the easiest way possible.
It looked like paper burned with fire and disintegrated instantly.
Murakan''s breath pierced through the center of the battleship andpletely destroyed it.
Bum, bang!
The sounds of the ship breaking were unreal to Midor and Myuron, and everything seemed strangely peculiar.
[You damn bastards, you had the audacity to cling to something as substantial as this]
Murakan simply snorted with disdain.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 473
Chapter 473
C473
With a dull thud, Midor fell forward.
Now, the only ones left on Zipple''s side were Myuron, Sandra, and seven elders.
"Magic Tower Master...!"
"Midor-nim!"
The elders shouted.
But there was nothing more they could do.
There were no hidden secret weapons left, no reliable means.
There was no way out.
Whether they fought or not, death awaited them.
That''s why, bravely fighting and perishing in battle was the right thing to do, but the elders couldn''t lift their feet off the ground.
Just by looking at Jin, whose eyes glowed behind the ck helmet, they felt their entire bodies filled with fear.
It wasn''t just a feeling.
In reality, the elders exerted all their strength to resist the aura emanating from Jin.
Myuron Zipple.
Jin turned his gaze towards Myuron.
Only then did Myuron seem to regainposure.
He stopped muttering nonsensical words out of fear, and his eyes focused.
''I didn''t expect to see his repugnant face again.''
Jin thought and controlled his anger.
He clenched his teeth, thinking of the atrocities Myuron hadmitted in Coln, but that was not a vision he should ever show.
The daily lives of the colonists, whose vocal cords had been cut by Myuron, still remained filled with silence.
Their deceased family members had not yet returned.
Myuron touched his forehead and shook his head.
[Well, I''ve shown a shameful side, haven''t I? I whimpered and stiffened like a frightened dog]
The image of Myuron crying in fear until a moment ago had disappeared, and Myuron''s eyes were now filled with madness.
[I didn''t know you would be such a notable knight, Jin Runcandel. Back then, not even you two could face me together]
Jin continued to approach Myuron without responding, remembering something Myuron had said in the past.
-You probably think I''m crazy, right? But Jin Runcandel, it seems like you''re wearing a pretty good expression even though I can''t see it behind your helmet. You and I are of the same ss. I also like to fight.
These were the words Myuron had spoken during the climax of the battle in Coln.
The reason he said that then was probably because he was in a position to look at me and recognize me."
Jin had already seen through the person called Myuron Zipple from that moment.
A pure-blooded Zipple who indulged in alcohol every day, once known as the "Madman of the Magic Tower," butter fallen from grace and known for his atrocious acts.
All his actions stemmed from a feeling of "inferiority."
The disappointment of not being able to be the patriarch of the Zipples, the humiliation and jealousy he felt towards his more aplished brothers, and the bitter conviction that he could never achieve true greatness.
If he couldn''t elevate his reputation, he wanted to shine with notoriety.
That was Myuron''s greatest wish as a human being.
It was the only way he could hide his inferiority from others and express it from within.
A monster driven by the desire for recognition.
There was no better word to describe Myuron Zipple in a single phrase.
That''s why Myuron always hoped that his name would be remembered by people, and whenever he had the chance, he sought to "recognize" others.
If he recognized others, it became his own virtue.
The more magnificent and splendid the opponent, the stronger this tendency of his became.
Myuron felt that he wasrger and more stimting when he recognized bright individuals.
Recognizing Midor, whom everyone ignored, and earning his blind trust from a young age, and telling Jin that you are just like me, all fell within the same context.
[Now, are you going to kill me? Or torture me? Cooking me alive and feeding me to those red bugs you saved wouldn''t be a bad punishment. Do whatever you want; you will be the winner once again...]
All of this couldn''t be a punishment for Myuron.
No matter how cruelly they killed him or how much they tortured him, Myuron would finally achieve victory on his own terms.
He would believe that he had sessfully controlled Jin''s actions.
He would think that he had manipted Jin into hating him.
Aware of this fact, Jin deliberately refrained from saying a single word to Myuron, who hade to his senses.
[Oh, Tika, right? That wretched one who ruined my show. Is that little bitch still alive? If it weren''t for her, the situation might have been a bit more interesting...]
Myuron stopped talking.
His eyes, which had recently regained concentration, began to tremble rapidly, and the reason was simple.
It was because Jin had just walked past him.
[...Where are you going, Jin Runcandel?]
At that moment, the Zipples had lost the courage of death.
Death held little fear for the Zipples in most situations, as long as there was a means of resurrection.
This was especially true for people like Myuron.
That''s why Jin chose the most effective punishment for him.
His pride.
Peeling away theyers of lies adorning his unseemly self.
[Where are you going? Answer meeeee!]
Jin couldn''t suppressughter after advancing about ten steps ahead of Myuron.
Naturally, Myuron, lost in his own madness, didn''t hear it.
[Hey, stop, I said stop!]
Tiiing!
A blue me appeared in Myuron''s eyes.
It was Zipple''s vision magic, the Blue me Gaze, which he had also used in Coln.
That magical spell couldn''t withstand Jin even when he was a provisional gbearer. It extinguished immediately under Tess''s authentic blue me.
And even then, Myuron thought as he saw Jin summon Tess:
That Runcandel brat...
Is he going to be the greatest magician of the century?
Is he going to surpass me without my permission?
Myuron felt like something exploded in his head as the memory of that moment surfaced in his mind.
He was dying to immediately die from the humiliation and inferiority that permeated his entire being.
Following Myuron''s gaze, the Blue me Gaze produced blue mes on Jin''s back.
However, the mes repeatedly extinguished and left nothing but a slight burn on Jin''s Shadow Energy Armor.
The Shadow Energy Armor was part of the reinforced Bradamante, which included a part of Tess.
Therefore, Myuron''s vision magic couldn''t harm Jin in any way, even though it was his most powerful magic spell, excluding dark magic.
[Burn, burn, burn, bu-burn to death, or Kill me...! S-Stop!]
The true face of inferiority is really this ugly.
Most of those watching Myuron in this situation were so embarrassed that they couldn''t open their eyes.
Even amidst the chaos that had just urred, they were tormented by Myuron''s despicableness.
Some even felt pity and sympathy beyond shame.
They involuntarily clicked their tongues at his wretched misery.
In the end, Myuron''s vision magic left no trace on Jin''s Shadow Energy Armor.
He continued casting it until his mana waspletely depleted, even though the mana reflux had begun.
Myuron gasped for breath, and all the blood vessels in his eyes burst. He was shedding bloody tears.
A worthy ck Dragon.
And the members of the imperial family, the few remaining Zipple elders, the beastmen of Kinzelo, and the knights of Runcandel, who admired and revered Murakan.
In the midst of all that, he could clearly see the steely back of a man who had simply walked past him.
For Myuron, it was like a symbol. It seems that the four main factions admire Jin...
''Do you think... you have already... won... the era...!''
Kahak!
Suddenly, Myuron coughed up blood and leaned forward.
The mana reflux had begun.
Cough, cough, blood gushed from my throat without stopping.
[Coff, I, me... coff, coff, look at me... I say. Coff, don''t ignore me, pretending to be superior... pretending to be noble, coff, like this...]
Puf!
Myuron felt the sensation of something cold and sharp piercing through his back.
It was a dagger.
Sandra Zipple, who had just fully recovered, shouted.
"Oh my god! How can you be so pathetic? Miron, oraboni. With someone else, not my lover!"
Sandra spoke as she pulled out the dagger.
Myuron wasn''t surprised that Sandra stabbed him.
Although he knew he was about to exhale hisst breath, he continued to gaze at Jin''s back.
Please, look at me.
Jin Runcandel, recognize me.
It shouldn''t be that difficult for you...
Now, his voice was gone, and he could no longer shout like that.
Myuron faced his second death, within the truth and misfortune of himself.
Jin confirmed that Myuron hadpletely stopped breathing and finally turned around.
Sandra frowned as she wiped her brother''s blood off the dagger.
"I''m sorry, Jin Runcandel. My oraboni can be a bit exaggerated at times, right? By the way, I wanted to kill that bastard who interrupted our mythical first date. What should I do if you took away my part?"
"...You seem really crazy, unlike your brother who just died."
"No matter how much we love each other, we must maintain our limits. Don''t do this again next time."
Then, Sandra looked at her amputated right arm and shrugged.
"A right arm...."
She nodded as if she were calcting something for a moment.
"I think it''s more or less okay."
"What do you mean by ''more or less''?"
"I think it''s too early to give up everything I have. A right arm is neither too much nor too little. We''re just on our first date."
Jin got goosebumps.
"I''ll make good use of it."
"Please do. But, when can we see each other again?"
"Well, it''s better not to see each other if possible."
"Couples should see each other often."
There was no need to continue that senseless conversation.
Jin ignored Sandra''sst words, looked at Lata and Fey, and then headed towards Vigo.
The Proch brothers immediately stuck to Jin, ready to follow his orders, and Vigo shivered as he tried to read Jin''s mood.
He was worried that maybe Jin would remind him that Murakan had just ordered him to leave immediately and he might be scolded for still standing here.
"Lata, Fey. I entrust you with the cleanup. Save about five witnesses from Vermont and Kinzelo and eliminate the rest."
"Yes, my lord."
"Understood!"
"And, older brother Vigo."
"Uh, yes. Younger brother."
"Just in case, why don''t you lend a hand too?"
Vigo inwardly sighed with relief.
Jin had shown that consideration without diminishing his dignity.
".... I will help."
"Thank you. I''ll see you in the Garden of Swords when you return."
Jin said as he climbed onto Murakan''s back.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 474
Chapter 474
C474
Only fifteen people were left in Gaifa when the main unit of Zipple Magic Tower and reinforcements from the main house arrived.
Five Zipple members, five members of the Vermont imperial family, and five beastmen from Kinzelo.
The rest were killed by the Proch brothers, Vigo, and their knights.
Members of the three factions had already lost both their strength and fighting spirit, so they couldn''t stand against the Runcandels and the Proch brothers.
Vigo had considered capturing Sandra Zipple in the process.
But "Murakan and Jin just returned," he made a very wise judgment and decided not to capture her.
He remembered it was a situation where he should respect the position of a gbearer who, although lower in external hierarchy, had a much higher practical rank.
He thought he shouldn''t ignore the decision of the Family''s guardian deity and a gbearer whose real rank was much higher than his, though lower in external hierarchy.
"Vigo Runcandel, right? Hahaha, you must have wanted to capture me, but you made quite a smart decision."
Sandra chuckled while sipping the fruit juice in front of her.
They were in themander''s room of the Kozec battleship.
The other pure-blooded members of Zipple who had organized as a support team for the rescue had moved to other ces...
Naturally, she upied themander''s cabin.
"Vigo would have died today if he hadn''t given up on capturing me. Hmmm, if it had turned out that way, I wonder if my Jin would have been sad. Jin didn''t seem particrly close to him."
"Sigh~."
The elder sitting across from Sandra let out a frustrated sigh.
He was Zipple''s second-ss butler, named "Hedo."
Hedo was also a muscr man who didn''t fit the image of the butler for the world''s most famous Mage Family.
His bulging muscles seemed to express his very conflicted mood.
"Miss, you should have defended yourself properly even after Jin Runcandel left."
"Is that so?"
Sandra''spletely carefree attitude seemed to be churning Hedo''s insides.
"I don''t know if Vigo doesn''t know this, but if the Proch brothers had died, my Jin would have definitely been sad, Hedo. You should think about that. Jin and I are in love, you know?"
Hedo shook his head.
The fact that Sandra was an extremely entric youngdy was something he had known for a long time.
But suddenly...
Love?
Romance?
Moreover, she fell in love with Jin, of all people, the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel.
What kind of joke is this from the heavens?
Such a situation had never urred before.
However, what he was sure of was that, whatever the reason she had suddenly fallen in love with Jin, Sandra would never abandon her feelings in the future.
Hedo had seen Sandra Zipple for a long time, and she was that kind of person.
Apletely spoiled brat, an incredibly upromising human!
It was not a matter that would end as a mere love affair or fleeting romantic emotions.
Hedo found it difficult to suppress the tumultuous feelings.
"...And, Miss, that arm. Are you really going to leave it as it is?"
"Yes."
"You can heal it, right? Why would you leave it like that?"
"I canmemorate my encounter with Jin every time I see my amputated right arm."
"Miss, you''re right-handed. You''ve done everything with your right hand your whole life..."
"I can eat with my left hand from now on."
"It will definitely be inconvenient, very inconvenient."
Hedo was left speechless as he tried to control his anger.
"Heheh, it''s okay. It''s all for love!"
Hedo took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
A cigarette burned like a fuse as he took a deep drag, and a puff of smoke escaped out of themander''s room when he exhaled.
Hedo felt a bit calmer after smoking five cigarettes in an instant, quelling his urge to scream and curse.
Hedobed his hair back and looked Sandra in the eyes.
"...Alright, I understand. But, what about the technology leak? It''s highly likely that the youngdy''s right arm, as well as the space-time device that Jin Runcandel took, will be a problem."
Dealing with the first issue was rtively simple.
Sandra''s sealed right arm would have returned if she had attempted high-speed regeneration using the authority of time instead of normal healing.
''But the youngdy won''t heal her arm until recoverable time has passed.''
Although thetter is equipped with a security device to prevent the leakage of ''space-time device'' technology.
Hedo was not inclined to trust such technology.
He remembered the schrs and technicians who had been shouting that there was no way it would leak because they had prepared an infallible preventive measure.
That thought made Hedo feel incredulous.
"Yes, that''s true. But Hedo..."
"Please continue, Miss."
"I have to do that for my lover topete with our n, right. At least it bes something like apetition, doesn''t it?" Sandra said, smiling maliciously as she continued.
"There is literally an abyss of difference between my Jin and our Family. So I thought giving him that opportunity wouldn''t hurt."
"I see, it has a deeper meaning."
Hedo nodded as if giving up.
Sandra found his reaction quite amusing and chuckled for a while.
"Hedo, you understand me, right?"
Soon, Sandra stoppedughing and looked at Hedo.
After a brief pause, Hedo responded.
"...Yes, of course. I will do my best to exin it to the patriarch."
"As expected, there''s no one like Hedo. Hehe."
-----------------------
Thend of the beastmen, Kinzelo''s headquarters.
"Ahhhh! Aghhh! It hurts, too painful! I feel like I''m going crazy! Aaaah!"
Bouvard Gaston had been suffering for several days,ining about his pain and screaming in strange agony.
Each time he contorted his body and let out a scream that sounded like a pig being ughtered, his belly grotesquely swelled.
"Bring more painkillers, quickly!"
"Rather kill me!"
The medical staff and the beastmen barely holding onto Bouvard were sweating.
Berakt, Margie, and Cold Joe watched from a distance.
"Haah, I thought we were about to achieve the great cause. How things have gone so wrong with so much bad news piling up...!"
Joe clicked his tongue and said.
"Shut up, Joe. As if I''m not frustrated enough, hearing your annoying voice frustrates me even more."
"I apologize, Berakt-nim."
"I told you to shut up. Don''t say a word. If you don''t want to be eaten alive."
Joe turned his head with his mouth full of curses.
Bad news.
As Joe said,tely Kinzelo had gone through days filled with bad news.
The leader fell ill after using more power than expected during the terrorist attack on Sword Emperor Castle.
And to make matters worse, Zephyrin, she, went berserk on her own, causing more strain on the leader''s body.
And this time, it was Bouvard''s turn.
Although almost everyone in Kinzelo, excluding someone like Margie, despised him, Bouvard Gaston would y a crucial role in achieving the great cause.
The reason Bouvard was suffering so much was his "fusion" with Am.
The process of releasing the fusion was not smooth, causing damage to Bouvard''s soul and chaos.
If the leader were in perfect condition, he would have fixed it quickly.
But for now, Bouvard only relied on painkillers.
To persuade Am, Kinzelo decided to highlight the fact that they had more information about the "Chaos" than any other faction.
As a result, Kinzelo''s best warriors brought some of Bouvard''s Chaos when they went to Gaifa, in the form of sculpture.
The result was a great sess.
Am felt extremely satisfied when she realized that Chaos could merge, creating even more powerful abilities.
She felt like she had gained a clue about the Chaos she had been searching for alone for a long time.
From then on, Am didn''t even negotiate with other forces.
It was because someone had spoken to her through Bouvard''s Chaos.
"If you join me, I''ll tell you everything you want to know about Chaos..."
The voice was strangely trustworthy.
"The leader even sent a message to Am with his exhausted body. Am, she, showed her stance that she would kill our warriors once the negotiation was over, saying that we still had to pay for bothering her, but I decided to endure it."
Cracked, Berakt continued grinding his teeth as if going crazy.
In the healing room on the other side, five warriors from the White Wolf Tribe and the Red Tiger Tribe who had returned from Gaifa were receiving treatment.
"But now Am has died, our warriors have been massacred, the survivors arepletely mad, and Bouvard is in that state! We gained nothing and only suffered severe damage."
How to ept that the center of all these bad news is Jin Runcandel?
Berakt couldn''tprehend it.
Margie, who was also listening, showed a rare somber expression.
"I''m sorry, Berakt-nim. Honestly, I didn''t expect Jin-nim to be so uncooperative."
"You don''t have to apologize to me, Margie! I said it because I''m frustrated. The leader''s condition is constantly in danger... so something has to change, don''t you think?"
Berakt shrugged, pointing at a map on the table.
There were several marks on the map, representing Kinzelo, Runcandel, Zipple, and Vermont, indicating strategic points for their operations.
Berakt spoke while pointing at a point on the map where many marks gathered.
"What should we do if, by chance, Jin Runcandel causes trouble here and starts meddling again?"
It was the ce where the "thing greater than Am" was at stake, as Jin expected in Gaifa.
"At that moment..."
Margie paused.
"At that moment, I will seriously consider whether Jin-nim is the right person to be with us, Berakt-nim."
"Yes, you should consider it."
"I hope Jin-nim doesn''t know what''s happening here. If he continues to obstruct us, he might really be our enemy."
"Hmm!"
Not expecting Margie to take this calmly, Berakt cleared his throat as if embarrassed.
In reality, Berakt had no choice but to agree with Margie, even if she insisted that she was always right and expressed her disgust.
"Well, he probably doesn''t know. If he knew, he would have gone there first, not to Am."
"That''s true, Berakt-nim."
"By the way, it''s a pity that our vice-leader can''t witness Bouvard''s state. He would have loved to see Bouvard suffering like this."
"Yes, he would have been very pleased. But Berakt-nim, you know that Bouvard-nim is our friend, right?"
------------------------
Meanwhile...
The ck Knight of Runcandel, Dox McRn, was infiltrated in the southern region of Hufester, Rikalton, to fulfill Jin''s orders.
And as he checked the basement of Rikalton''s Execution Ground, he noticed a strange and terrible phenomenon.
"What... is this?"
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 475
C475
Dox McRn saw countless humans.
To be precise, it could be described as a kind of "tower" formed by countless humans.
It seemed to be at least a dozen meters tall.
The bodies of the humans forming the tower were grotesquely twisted and bent, resemblingrge bricks.
Dox had experienced many battlefields where blood, bones, and flesh mingled...
But he had never seen a tower constructed with humans like this.
Huh...
Dox involuntarily held his breath.
The toxic stench of decay and pestilence was so terrible that he felt like his lungs were rotting.
He also felt nauseous, making it difficult to endure.
They are alive.
All the humans turned into the tower''s bricks were alive.
Their waists werepletely bent in the opposite direction, their necks twisted, and their bodies bent into square shapes to form the bricks, but they were still breathing.
Sounds of humans exhaling heavily could be heard from various parts of the tower.
With each breath, the tower expanded slightly and then sank again.
And their pupils...
Countless pupils blinked.
Some simply opened and closed without focusing, while others seemed to do something by moving their gaze.
Thetter were trying to look at Dox.
Is it some kind of ancient dark magic?
Or perhaps a divine possession ritual?
Either way...
This was happening in Hufester, in Runcandel''s backyard.
Of course, this ce was an "execution ground."
Most of the humans used for the tower were probably serious criminals, but even so, this should not have happened.
Dox didn''t care how prisoners died, but this would desecrate thend that veneratesbat and battle skills.
-As soon as you recover, head to the city of Rikalton, in the southern region of Hufester. Investigate the truth of what is happening in Rikalton.
Dox remembered the words of the Twelfth gbearer.
Even a ck Knight like me knew nothing about Rikalton.
The Twelfth gbearer has less ess to records than I do, so how did he find out about this ce?
The Twelfth gbearer possessed an informationwork that exceeded expectations.
Naturally, he could reach that conclusion.
In reality, Jin discovered this ce by chance based on the story Emma had told him, rather than Tikan''s informationwork.
However, that was not an especially important matter.
What was truly important in Dox''s mind was how many people within the Family knew this fact.
''And who is the owner of this facility, and what is its purpose?''
The Patriarch, the deputy matriarch, the Chief of the ck Sword Association, and the top gbearers.
That was the limit of people who could own a facility of this size.
Cyron and Luna were out of the question from the beginning, and the Chief of the ck Sword Association had recently lost his influence.
If it belonged to the Chief of the ck Sword Association, someone from the Elder Council would have exposed this facility to gain an advantage.
The remaining possibilities were the acting matriarch and the higher gbearers.
''It is highly likely that this is the work of Rosa-nim, and the Second gbearer...''
The Third and Fourth gbearers wouldn''t have done such a thing. Until recently, Luntia had been living as someone who had renounced the world, and Dyfus couldn''t do anything because of Mary.
Rosa and Joshua, on the other hand, were different. Especially, Rikalton belonged to Joshua.
''After the First gbearer abdicated the throne, Rosa-nim showed an obsession with the Second gbearer that was sometimes iprehensible.''
And how everyone around the First gbearer was killed and taken in that process was a well-known fact to all ck Knights.
''When the Twelfth gbearer chose Barisada during the Selection Ceremony, there were reports that the acting matriarch and the Second gbearer were in contact with a magician who was good with Curses. They said it was just a circumstance.''
His head was heating up.
It was because he recalled that the senior knight, who mentioned this, was withdrawn not long after due to an injury during a mission.
He was naive.
It was by no means a typical injury, and Dox shook his head.
Still, I have to report to the Second gbearer.
I will personally confirm whether this ce really belongs to him and report to...
The moment Dox thought up to that point.
Kakaka, kekekeke-!
Suddenly,ughter echoed throughout the human tower.
They were the voices of the human bricks forming the towers.
Dox prepared himself and assumed a defensive stance as he was about to unsheathe his weapon.
"Kakakakka!"
Then he heard a woman''sughter.
Dox had the intuition that the owner of this voice was the manager of this facility.
Step, step.
The woman walked among the human towers.
It was the Prophet.
"Now, a riddle for the foolish intruder."
The Prophet stopped.
Her face was not visible, hidden in deep shadows, but she didn''t seem corpulent and gave the impression of being quite young.
"What are you doing here?"
Dox looked at her without answering.
Although she felt vulnerable, for some reason, he couldn''t extend his ws towards her.
Dox''s body had stiffened, like prey encountering a predator.
A ck Knight from Runcandel had gone stiff.
"You foolish child! It seems like you understand nothing. Well then, here''s the next riddle!"
The Prophet extended her open palm.
Woong...!
Dark energy gathered above her.
The power of Solderet, Shadow Energy, emanated from the Prophet''s hand.
"Whose ce is this?"
The Prophet smiled satisfied, and Dox felt like he had been hit on the back of the head with a mace.
Observing the Shadow Energy, he thought the Prophet was closer to Jin than Joshua.
"I am the subordinate of Jin Runcandel, the Solderet Contractor. So, if the ck Knight of Runcandel is here without permission, he''ll have to pay the price."
"...I came here under the orders of the Twelfth gbearer."
"Kakak, if that''s true, my master is ying another trick. Anyway, I can''t let you go. Surrender quietly. I''ll have to confirm it with my master. I''ll kill you if you resist."
Hahaha, the human bricks of the towersughed in agreement with the Prophet.
Dox''s body was not in its usual state.
He had hurried to Rikalton to settle his debt with Jin without fully recovering.
''I can''t win in these conditions.''
Dox turned around as soon as he made that judgment.
The Prophet seemed disappointed as Dox began to move.
"Tsk, that''s not fun."
When the Prophet extended her hand, a purple beam shot out.
After seeing that purple beam pass by him and graze his shoulder...
Dox couldn''t help but think of the ck King''s Mountain.
''This power is simr to what Zephyrin used!''
A shiver ran down his spine.
Dox had never experienced such a crushing defeat as he did that day after living as a Warrior.
The purple beams struck him again.
He managed to dodge or deflect most of them, but a few pierced through.
And it was unfortunate that the rays he missed aimed at vital points.
They were heading for his heart and throat, meaning certain death.
Strangely, as death approached, the face that came to his mind was not those of his Runcandelpanions but someone he hadn''t thought about at all.
Then, just as he was about to speak that name in his mind...
"Dox, wake up!"
nk!
Someone deflected the rays aimed at Dox''s heart and throat.
-----------------------
"...That''s it, Your Majesty."
The Imperial Pce.
Latz, wrapped in bandages all over his body, reported to the Emperor.
The imperial family sent so many people to Gaifa, but only Latz and the other four whom Jin deliberately left behind returned.
Even those five returned with severely damaged bodies.
Latz, in particr, could no longer perform his duties as the leader of the special forces division.
He couldn''t even carry out ordinary movements anymore.
Unlike Jin, the Proch brothers had no qualms about making their enemies as miserable as possible, regardless of their personal feelings.
"It''s a pity that the great mercenary Am died... Haha, but it''s quite a gain."
The Emperor''s first words after Latz''s report were about the "gain."
The first "gain" was none other than information about Zipple''s living golem and the Demon God Orb.
''Zipple''s living golem technology seems to have superior effectspared to our Demon Men, they''re using God Authorities without being the contractors.''
He shivered, and a chill ran down his spine.
The power possessed by Zipple, the world''s greatest, always filled the Emperor with reverence.
"Surely, Myuron Zipple has revived with the help of that Demon God Orb!"
The Emperor stood up, eximing with admiration.
Since Jin became a provisional gbearer, no, even before he was born, the Emperor had always been curious about the name of that object.
It was the name of the orb that the great Zipple had coveted.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Based on the circumstances, it seems that Sandra Zipple''s high-speed regeneration and Myuron''s resurrection were phenomena caused by the Demon God Orb."
"No doubt, there will be a price for it.
Besides, it''s probably stronger than the Majins, but there must be limitations to mass-producing these living golems.
The second gain the Emperor had in mind was information about Jin and Murakan.
"Jin Runcandel."
The Emperor smiled at the thought of Jin.
Although their first meeting was disappointing, the Emperor never underestimated Jin''s skills.
However, he was convinced that someday those seeking "friendship" in the battles of the major factions would naturally disappear.
Latz''s recent report on Jin and Murakan''sbat prowess made him think they might be a variable like "Cyron" in the future.
It was a remote possibility, but still.
''Does he have the unique confidence of people like Cyron Runcandel or White Whale? You knew that all information about Zipple would bemunicated to me... Why bother sending Latz alive, Jin Runcandel?"
Is this a provocation?
Or is it a sign that this information is not as important?
In any case, the Emperor felt ufortable with the sense that Jin is ''underestimating'' him.
The Emperor let out a light chuckle.
''Well... My difort is nothingpared to the pain you will soon feel.''
A smile formed on the Emperor''s lips.
Sword Emperor Castle.
Suddenly, the Emperor was curious to see how Jin would react when Hairan''s house, which was slowly being restored, copsed again.
Hairan was in an isted state, like an abandoned ind, following the terrorist incident in Sword Emperor Castle.
Zipple was constantly pressuring Hairan, and the imperial family did not protect them.
The dignity of the Sword Emperor was more necessary than ever, but Ron was gradually reducing his external activities.
Amidst the circting rumors that Hairan might fall as it is, the Emperor was determined to make those rumors a reality.
"I''m eager to see how that tough guy values his friendship."
The Emperor murmured to himself and organized his thoughts.
The Emperor was unaware that Zipple had been pressuring Hairan more than necessarytely,rgely because of Jin.
"Latz."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"I''ll give you a new mission. As soon as your body transforms, investigate Ron''s movements."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 476
C476
Tikan continued immersed in the transfer and instation of equipment for the ck Kings.
The works, which began with the arrival of the ck Kings, were a crucial task for the defense of Jin and hispanions and the safety of the residents.
It was a long and meticulous process.
"Lower it, further down!"
"There, adjust the cannon angle a bit! Left, left... That''s it! Well!"
The world''s most formidable mercenaries worked tirelessly day and night, but their voices were cheerful and lively for some reason.
It was all thanks to Am.
Deep down, everyone had been worried.
Worried that the great mercenary Am could surpass Jin and Murakan, or worse, that she wouldn''t surrender.
Of course, whether she did or not, they didn''t doubt Valkas''s unwavering loyalty to the new lord.
But somehow, they felt they might lose if Am resisted well.
Fortunately, Am yielded after a short time.
As soon as Jin began to show his true strength, she surrendered immediately.
"Haha, anyway, our leader chose the right side. I was a bit worried that both us and the lord would look bad because of the great mercenary. There''s also a matter of leader hierarchy."
"The title of great mercenary was just a bluff? I heard from Murakan-nim that she simply surrendered."
"Bluff? You''re saying frustrating things. So, are you saying the people who faced her directly on the battlefield were just a bunch of braggarts?"
"The great mercenary not only surrendered but also agreed to y dead. What does this mean? It means that our lord, whom our leader chose, is that remarkable."
In any case, the ck Kings were satisfied that their lord''s journey to the Gaifa Inds ended with satisfactory results.
The Phantom Legion Mercenaries sent to work with them also thought the same.
On the other hand, two brothers in Tikan''s mansion didn''t share the same sentiment.
"Ugh, go away...!"
"Huff, you''re so annoying!"
Lata and Fey, the brothers of the Phantom Legion Mercenaries.
They also believed that Jin''s forces were increasing even more thanks to Am, but they couldn''t ept the situation as entirely positive.
"Have you had enough, my cuties? y more with me! Let''s y."
Am reached out beyond her chubby and dense camouge and hugged them, and the Proch brothers clearly showed their displeasure.
However, the brothers tried to bnce things to some extent to avoid causing trouble for their lord.
Normally, they would swing their swords or at least curse, but for now, they only showed slight irritation and avoided running away.
''Lata and Fey surprisingly get along well with Am... Do they really not hate her that much?''
That''s what Jin thought as he watched them.
However, it was a misunderstanding.
The three were running around the mansion, ying what seemed like a hide-and-seek.
"You''ve been ying for a long time. Calm down and stop running. Do you want to run all day?"
As soon as Murakan shouted, Am stopped.
"Sorry."
Am bowed her head to Murakan.
Leaves and twigs fell from her chubby and dense camouge.
The Proch brothers wiped sweat from their foreheads and looked for a cigarette with faces that said life was tough.
Jin stared at Am.
"Sorry, Jin."
"Why did your tone change like that? You were so confident in the Gaifa Inds."
"I lost my head for a moment back then..."
From what they had observed since Gaifa.
Am was somewhat like a yful, poorly socialized beast,ckingmon sense and a sense of situations.
However, she didn''t show the killing intent they saw in Gaifa.
-asionally, those who survived by sheer luck and returned from encounters with Am showed signs of being terrified.
-It''s hard to express it in words, but it seemed like she considered us toys or ymates. She wielded a sword at us while saying she was bored.
Also, it matched what the Proch brothers had exined.
-So, it means we should recruit Am. It''s totally different when you temporarily fight on different sides due to different employers and when you be dered enemies. Personally, I think you should consider the possibility of having to kill her if you think she can be an enemy.
-I understand what you mean. Our top priority is to understand what Am wants. Do you have any specific information?
-Exploration.
-Exploration?
Am has been wandering and exploring the world her whole life. I asked her about it when we shared a meal after a battle. She seemed to have a strong desire to find something, but she didn''t tell me exactly what it was.
It felt somewhat different from what Valkas had described.
The Am who hade to Tikan was not as aggressive when ying with the Proch brothers, and she didn''t seem to have the intense desire to "search and explore something" that Valkas had mentioned.
She simply enjoyed ying (especially with the Proch brothers), had a friendly personality, and didn''t differ much from children who were a bit scary (especially Murakan and Jin).
"Am, big sister!"
"Am!"
As a result, she got along very well with the other children.
Not only with Kou and Pinte, Euria and the others, but she also seemed to closely follow Enya.
Because of this, it was quite perplexing for Jin.
''She''s still dangerous.''
At first nce, it might seem that, after surrendering, she instantly turned into an ally and integrated into Tikan, but Jin still couldn''t truly trust Am.
It was a fact.
With the unpredictable elements that Am possessed, you never knew when and how they mighte into y.
It was impossible that a bond had already formed between her and the people of Tikan.
-[Tell me something! I''m no longer friends with Bouvard and Kinzelo; I''ll be your friend].
There''s also the fact that she betrayed Kinzelo too easily.
If someone gives her clues about Chaos, she might betray Tikan in a simr fashion.
Someone who couldn''t be fully trusted or outright rejected.
That''s how Jin perceived Am.
"Am."
"Yes?"
"There are quite a few things you need to tell me. About Gaifa, how you used Bouvard''s soul to amplify the power of Chaos, the information about Chaos you''ve found so far, and more."
"You can ask anything, and I''ll answer."
"But right now, I can''t trust what you say."
"I don''t tell lies because I, Am, am a good girl."
"That''s why I''ve brought someone who might see through you."
Am raised an eyebrow, and her face hidden under the dense camouge seemed to have a question mark floating over it.
"Someone who can see through me? Ah, is it Euria?"
"Unfortunately, it''s not me, Am."
Euria didn''t address Am as "sister."
Her way of treating Am was more like treating a younger brother.
Of course, you could verify Am''s words with the truth-telling power Euria possessed.
However, Jin and hispanions had decided not to use Euria''s power on Am due to the uncertainty of how the power of Chaos might affect her.
They still had very little information about Chaos energy.
"Wow!"
"Eeek!"
Someone appeared out of nowhere and shouted loudly into Am''s ear.
Am jumped as if struck by lightning, and others nearby were equally surprised, their eyes wide open.
It was Yona, the person Jin had brought to examine Am.
As always, she approached Jin unnoticed using her ghostly stealth.
"Hehehe."
Yona smiled as she looked at Am.
Her first words were:
"Do you want to die?"
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
When Yona started walking, Am took a few steps back.
Before she could walk more than a few steps, she was trembling and unable to meet Yona''s gaze.
"Ugh... I don''t want to die."
"Hehehe, shh."
"Agh!"
Am reached the wall and cowered.
Yona looked at her with her characteristic murderous gaze.
I don''t know what''s going on with her, but if I stop her, I''ll be in an even worse situation.
No one interfered with Yona''s actions.
Even Murakan refrained frommenting on her actions.
''Come to think of it, she exuded a powerful aura the first time she saw Bouvard''s sculpture when I was a Provisional gbearer.''
Someone like me.
Back then...
Yona had mentioned that she was of the same type as her while observing Bouvard''s sculptures in the feudal state of Kurano.
At that time, Jin didn''t know it was rted to Chaos, but now he could understand.
Suddenly, a gust of wind began to blow near Yona.
Magicalmps randomly shattered, cracks formed in the walls, and the ceiling seemed like it would copse at any moment.
Jin signaled with his eyes, and the Proch brothers quickly ushered everyone out of the room.
Meanwhile, Yona''s power continued to intensify.
[Get out.]
Yona''s voice echoed as she began to float in the air.
In the darkness, Yona''s shadow, which had grown disproportionately, hid Am, who was crouched.
''Elder Sister Yona''s shadow is different from her...!''
The gigantic shadow was drawing a different shape, not Yona''s.
It seemed to be drawing the mouth and fangs of some kind of monster.
Instinctively, Jin and hispanions realized that was the shape of Chaos that Yona possessed.
And an instantter...
Suuuuh...!
Am slumped forward as if fainting, and something like a ck soul emerged from her.
It was Am''s Chaos.
Unlike Yona, this Chaos had a clear form.
It had a ck, humanoid shape, with horns and a tail.
If it had been alone, Am''s Chaos would undoubtedly have emitted a tremendous sense of intimidation.
But in front of Yona, her Chaos seemed paler than a fang.
[You thought you could hide, huh?]
Yona, with her cold gaze, observed Am''s Chaos.
[You... have mercy...]
[This is my first andst warning. If you ever harm my little brother...]
Thud! Swish!
[Aaaargh!]
The ck lump fell to the ground.
They were the cut arms and legs of Am''s Chaos.
Yona didn''t wield any weapon; she had simply moved her gaze to cut the limbs, and her Chaos devoured them.
[And you''ll never enjoy freedom again.]
[I will obey you. I will follow you and your little brother as my masters!]
Even after experiencing the loss of its limbs, Am''s Chaos obediently lowered its head in submission to Yona.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 477
C477
''Is it the manifestation of Chaos?''
Yona''s Chaos continued to lick its lips as if hungry.
Amidst the confusion caused by the sudden appearance of chaos forms, Jin focused on a particr aspect of the chaos taking shape in Yona''s shadow.
At first nce, it resembles Shadow Energy.
He had a simr thought when he saw Am using the murky aura on Gaifa.
However, Yona''s Chaos gave an even closer impression to Shadow Energy.
''Furthermore, this manifestation... It almost seems like a manifestation of a God.''
Some Gods could manifest through their Contractors.
In the Blue Bird Inds, Peitel manifested through Yulian, and Picon Minche and Olmango had also manifested in front of Jin in the same manner.
The manifestation of Yona and Am''s Chaos seemed like a phenomenon simr to the manifestation of a God.
The only difference between Am''s Chaos manifestation through Contractors and Yona''s Chaos was that Yona seemed to control her Chaos while they lost consciousness after the manifestation.
Am''s Chaos vomited something that looked like ck blood.
[You must keep that promise. From now on, you must treat my only little brother with more care]
[Understood, definitely...!]
Ssshhhh...
Am''s Chaos bowed its head and slowly faded away.
It vanished to hide deep within Am once again.
It was also due to the severe and irreparable injuries that it couldn''t maintain its form.
Yona, who had been floating in the air,nded on the ground, starting to absorb the Chaos energy.
However, the Chaos seemed reluctant toply with her intentions.
It lowered its head to avoid Yona''s gaze and groaned in an attempt to break free from the restraint.
But as the pressure grew stronger, it seemed it could no longer resist.
The form of Chaos returned to Yona''s shadow.
Just before disappearingpletely, Yona''s Chaos left these words:
[Run...!]
[Or kill him...!]
At that moment, Jin felt as if he had encountered the rebellious Chaos for thest time.
Jin had a hunch that the Chaos was referring to itself.
-From now on, you must never bring out that power in front of me. Please don''t ask me for details.
-I lose my nerves when I see Shadow Energy.
-You don''t have to regret not exining to me. Hehehe, I thought the younger one would hide that power from me, at least until he became a gbearer...
Suddenly, Jin recalled Yona''s words after they had investigated Bouvard''s sculpture workshop.
At that time, Jin had brought out Shadow Energy, a sign of his trust in Yona.
However, as soon as she saw Shadow Energy, she screamed in agony as if struck by lightning.
Yona''s Chaos feared Shadow Energy.
That''s why Yona''s Chaos whispers to kill Jin every time they meet.
For a normal person, no. Even someone who had grown up and trained to awaken extreme willpower found it difficult to ignore that sweet voice.
Yona had been oveing all those temptations and intimidations by herself.
Even at this very moment.
And she asked for nothing in return.
Protecting her dear little brother was something Yona simply considered her duty.
"Yes, go ahead and die. Keke."
In a short time, Chaos hadpletely faded away, and Yona''s shadow returned to its original form.
The darkened interior brightened as if the storm had passed and the weather had cleared, and all the objects that had been swept away by the wind fell to the ground.
"Ugh, coff! Wh-what?"
During a brief moment of silence, Am, who had fallen, suddenly got up and coughed.
Her camouge suit trembled, and her eyes anxiously moved behind the hood.
"Kugh!"
However, upon meeting Yona''s eyes again, she fainted once more and fell to the ground.
"Wow, is she dead? Hey, wake up... Ah, she''s just sleeping!"
As they approached, they heard the regr sound of her breathing.
Murakan seemed puzzled and shook his head as if expressing his surprise, then tossed Am onto the bed.
"She''ll sleep soundly for a good while, hehehe. Hello, Murakan. It''s our first meeting, isn''t it?"
"Pleased to meet you. The brat talked a lot about you."
"Really? Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously."
"He talked a lot about me?"
"That''s right. But why are you talking to me so informally? I''m a ck Dragon who''s over three thousand years old, and I''m the guardian deity of your Family."
"Because Jin also talks to me informally."
"I see."
Surprisingly, Murakan didn''t seem to have any issue or make any sarcasticments about Yona''sck of etiquette.
He simply shook hands with Yona.
"Elder Sister."
When Jin approached, Yona''s eyes sparkled.
In contrast, Jin could only look at her with a worried expression.
Yona''s face was unnaturally pale.
It was a face Jin had never seen before, a face that looked exhausted.
"I missed you, my little brother!"
"Are you okay? You look very pale."
"I''m not okay. I''m going to die soon."
"Don''t say that, not even as a joke."
Jin took out a handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat from Yona''s forehead.
Yona smiled, feeling proud of her little brother.
Then, suddenly, she made a pout and lightly tapped Jin on the forehead.
BAM!
If Jin had been a normal person, his head would have gone flying.
But Jin ended up with a bump on his forehead like a big chestnut.
''Wait... Is this the strength of Elder Sister Yona? Isn''t this Luna''s?''
Instead of feeling unfair or hurt by the sudden blow, Jin was more stunned by the overwhelming power.
"Ugh, as expected, you get stronger every time you call me. Sorry, little brother. I didn''t mean to hit you so hard. But it''s okay to get hit, right? No, you should be hit. Call me something so trivial!? You''ll get in trouble!"
Jin thought that the big issue Yona was talking about was Cyron''s order.
After all, Cyron had always made it clear that no one from the Family should use Yona for their purposes.
"Sister, if it''s about father."
"No, it''s not that! I was so happy that you called your Elder Sister for some reason. I thought you wanted to y with me, of course. But I had no idea you had another reason. Hehehe."
Jin got chills.
And he felt genuinely sorry.
As Yona said, it was a matter that could easily offend her.
"I''m sorry, sister."
At that moment, Kashimir, Valkas, and Jet, who had sensed themotion, arrived at the room where Jin was.
"Jin-nim! What''s going on...?"
"My lord, are you..."
Kashimir and Valkas began to inquire but fell silent upon seeing Yona.
''Is this Yona Rundel?''
Jet didn''t recognize her.
"If you keep acting like this, your precious friends will die one by one. Do you understand?"
Then Yona spoke with a yful smile,
"Hey! What''s this girl saying? I should give her a good beating! My lord! Please let me do it!"
Jet shouted without realizing the situation.
Yona looked at Jet as if finding his reaction quite interesting.
"Yes, Jet. I am Yona. Long time no see."
"Ha! When did we see each other for you to pretend to know me...? Wait, Yona. Yona... Yoona...? Oh, are you? Yona... Runcandel...-nim?"
At the words "Long time no see," Jet''s hair stood on end.
Although Jet couldn''t see her, Yona had seen him quite frequently.
The same went for the otherpanions.
"I take full responsibility for my boldness. I''ll do anything if you forgive me. I''ll teach you anything! Oh, my lord, please help me...!"
In reality, Kashimir and Valkas were on high alert, ready to protect Jet if they felt any killing intent from Yona.
"He is a loyal subordinate of our lord. What if you forgive him, Yona Rundel?"
Valkas had experienced Yona in the past, and he knew there were very few people she couldn''t kill if she set her mind to it.
Valkas also knew that she regarded life lighter than a feather.
"Hehehe."
Yona shrugged.
"Little brother."
"Yes, Elder Sister."
"Now you might understand why ordinary people find me so ufortable or frightening. Well, at least a bit."
Yona had recently gained the ability to control a part of Chaos thanks to her desire to protect Jin.
This made her stronger and closer to others.
Some of the emotions that Chaos had damaged had been restored.
In other words...
Yona no longer treated life as lightly as when she met Jin.
Of course, as she could only control a "part," her emotions had not fully returned to normal.
She didn''t give more exnations, but Jin felt that Yona''s words held deeper meanings.
"People who are precious to my little brother are precious to me too. I was just kidding, ck King Leader. Rx a bit. Jet, lift your head too, hehehe."
"Thank you, Yona-nim!"
Yona turned around and met Jin''s eyes again, who was regaining hisplexion.
"Anyway, the next time you call me, it''ll be for y. I''m dying to know how your deration as patriarch went! I always see it in the newspapers and hear it from others!"
Every word of hers made Jin''s heart race.
"So, from now on,e out with me for a stroll and let''s talk about the stories we''ve missed. Hehe!"
In fact, Jin had initially nned to ask for Yona''s help and deal with one more matter before returning to Samil.
Just to break the ice with her, as Yona said.
The reason Jin was moving so urgently was that there was something bigger than Mercenary Am.
Jin had not found any clues about this matter yet.
So, Jin had nned to go to the Garden of Swords as soon as he finished verifying Am''s words to meet Vigo.
Since Vigo had gone to Gaifa on behalf of Joshua, he likely possessed more information than Jin, which is why he had nned to use Gaifa''s debt as leverage to find out.
However, Jin couldn''t deny that Yona was important, not only out of regret, but because Yona is more precious to Jin than anyone else in the world.
Above all, there were times when family feelings took priority.
And that''s exactly what was happening now.
"I have so much to talk about and stories to share with you, Elder Sister. Thank you for your forgiveness. Shall we go for a walk?"
"Hehe, sure, sure."
ng!
Yona smashed through the window and jumped outside, and Jin followed her.
As theynded in the garden...
"Is that a ship?"
Jin could confirm that a ship was approaching Tikan from the other side of the sea.
The ship stood out because itcked identifying marks.
"Oh..."
Yona, on the other hand, tilted her head as if she knew whose ship it was.
"Eh? It''s Sister Mary''s ship."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 478
C478
"Is that the elder sister Mary''s ship?"
"Yes. It''s been a while since I saw that ship. The name of the ship is probably... Puberty. Hehe, the ship''s name is Puberty."
"That''s a strange name."
"Sister Mary didn''te up with the name herself. It was Dyfus Oraboni who named it."
Mary''s ship, which wasn''t thatrge, didn''t even have the hull number written on it. There were no sailors on deck, and it felt more like a ghost ship.
Why did the elder sister Marye to pick me up...
''Ah, is it for that?''
A duel.
Jin and Mary had signed a contract stating that "the two would duel once every three months." Thest duel had been at the end of Augustst year, when they were subduing Ozdock, so it was time for another match.
Hmm, Jin looked a bit perplexed as he shook his head.
The duel with Mary was a separate matter from the walk with Yona. He needed to find information about that important thing as soon as possible, and if he dueled with Mary, he definitely wouldn''t be in good shape afterward.
"Also, Sister Mary''s Puberty doesn''t sail alone very often."
"And why is that?"
"She always takes her obedient subordinates with her, hehehe."
A person appeared on Puberty''s deck.
The distance was too far to confirm if she wore an eye patch, but from the lively way she stood on the bow, dramatically raising her sword, it was clear that it was Mary Runcandel.
Jiiiiiin, Ruuuuun, Caaaaan, Deeeeel!
Mary shouted the names of her younger brother with a voice so loud and powerful that it shook the entire sea. Naturally, the inhabitants of Tikan opened their windows to see what was happening, as it was impossible to ignore such a striking and destructive spectacle.
Jin had to hold his head with his hands due to the headache caused by the sight.
"Hehehe, Sister Mary''s voice is really amazing, isn''t it?"
"It''s not just that, right? Anyway, luckily it seems like Sister Mary is alone right now... Wait, what''s that?"
Swish!
Above the calm sea where only Puberty sailed, white foam began to bubble and churn.
It looked as if something was about to emerge at any moment.
The next moment, what appeared on the sea was a fleet that at first nce seemed to have more than fifty ships.
What is this, submarines?
''They don''t look like submarines at all.''
The ships that surfaced were toorge and enormous to be considered submarines. Thanks to that, the unimpressive Puberty seemed to stand out even more.
It was impossible to know how such a fleet had emerged from the depths of the sea, but the important thing was that Mary had chosen that moment to appear.
"Hahaha! Rise, Mary Runcandel''s fleet! Unfurl the sails!"
While Mary shouted, the ships quickly raised their masts and began to unfold like wings on both sides of Puberty. All the unfolded sails had Mary''s face drawn on them.
"Fire the fireworks!"
Bang!
Boom!
At Mary''smand, the entire fleet fired their fireworks into the sky. Although the noon sun shone brightly, the nearby sea was filled with colorful explosions due to the thunderous fireworks.
"Wow!"
"Impressive, Mary Runcandel!"
"What a spectacle!"
"Everyone,e out and take a look!"
At first, the inhabitants of Tikan were a bit startled by Mary''s tremendous voice, but now they couldn''t help but get excited by the sudden spectacle of the fleet. Tikan had a tower-like structure. Before they knew it, all the residents hade out, waving, whistling, and cheering in the direction of Mary''s fleet.
Jin''s headache worsened, so he decided to ignore Mary.
"Well, let''s go for a walk."
"Yes, hehehe. We should finish before Sister Mary arrives."
"Elder sister Mary is an uninvited guest, and you are a guest I have personally invited. So, she should wait. Why do you think otherwise?"
"Well, I probably don''t sit well with Sister Mary, right? She probably dislikes me. Hehehe..."
Except for Jin, Yona had no rtionship with any of her brothers. Aftermitting her first murder at the age of eight, Yona had always been alone...
Even in the Storm Castle or the Garden of Swords.
She couldn''t even be a Cadet until she was sent to Samil, and until then, she hadn''t even had a proper meal with her other brothers.
That was Cyron''s will.
The battle for hegemony was important, but it was necessary to prevent all the children who grew up with Yona from dying in vain.
Young Yona was naturally much more vulnerable to Chaos than she is now.
At that time, Yona could have killed any of her brothers at any moment.
Since then, Yona had be one of the best assassins in the world and an uncontroble sword.
The reason Yona knew Mary''s ship so well, which she used in her youth, and the story of how Dyfus gave it the name "Puberty," was because whenever she had the opportunity, she investigated her brothers.
Her brothers didn''t know that Yona was curious about them, and sometimes she even tried to kill them impulsively.
Just like Jin didn''t know that she was the protagonist of the green rose.
It was because of Yona''s ability.
If Yona approached someone with determination, there was only one person in the world who could sense her presence and find out her location at any time and situation, and that was Cyron.
''I haven''t thought much about it consciously, as we''re quite close. If you think about it, the elder sister, Mary, and the elder brother, Dyfus, probably don''t know that she knows the name and origin of Puberty.''
Jin felt sorry for Yona, and something bitter seemed to well up in his heart.
"I think Elder Sister Mary would really like you if she knew you. You don''t bother her."
His words weren''t just to console Yona.
In reality, Jin thought that Mary and Yona, those unique sisters, would get along.
"Hehe, really?"
"Yes."
"I''m d you say that, Jin. But Elder Sister Mary has nevere to see me."
-You''re making me nervous.
-Think of it as my excessive love for my younger brother. You don''t know how surprised I was when you came. Not even the friendly Elder Sister Luna came to visit me.
-You''re making me sad too. Does Elder Sister Luna hate you?
-I don''t think she likes me. I broke some promises. No, actually, many...
Jin recalled a past conversation he had with Yona in Samil.
As the conversation implied, no one else hade to fetch her in Samil besides Ana, in her past life, and Jin, in the present.
The main reason was Cyron''s strict orders not to touch Yona, but it wasn''t the only one.
Lack of emotional ties.
It''s impossible to develop any kind of bond or rtionship between people who have never shared a meal at the same table.
Moreover, Yona was an extremely dangerous individual.
Therefore, her brothers had no reason to go look for Yona at the risk of being killed.
"Hehe, anyway, I don''t have much time left. I''m fine! Don''t make that expression."
Don''t hesitate, meet her once.
Elder Sister Mary will like you.
Jin kept that thought to himself.
It seems unlikely, but if Mary shows any sign of difort, Yona will feel emotionally hurt again.
A better idea came to Jin''s mind, a way for both of them to form a good rtionship in the future.
"...Understood."
Yona briefly nced at Mary''s fleet.
The fleet was now rapidly approaching Tikan.
"Uh, my sister is getting too close too fast. Maybe I should get straight to the point! Listen carefully, my little brother."
Jin nodded. The "straight to the point" she was talking about was rted to Chaos.
"Firstly, Am will never betray you. To be precise, she can''t betray you. I''vepletely subdued Am''s Chaos, so you can rx and manipte her at will."
Yona was now speaking at a very fast pace because she felt increasingly ufortable as Mary approached.
"Hehe, brat! Hurry up ande out to greet your elder sister. It''s time for our duel!"
Unaware of Yona''s feelings, Mary continued shouting.
Yona was now even moving her fingers and toes.
"And...! Am''s way of speaking and behavior are like that of a child. She''s roughly the same age as the ck King, but in reality, you should see her as a child. Just like me, she was born with an innate self that hasn''t been invaded by Chaos, but she''s old."
Yona grabbed Jin''s arm and took a step back.
Mary was almost at Tikan.
"Ah, there you are, younger brother! Jin Runcandel, my proud younger brother! Brat, you''re not even responding. Speed up! I need to see my little brother up close."
"Hahaha! Did you hear what the Captain said? Row faster! Scoundrels!"
Jin heard a familiar voice from the pirate.
''...Pirate King Cosmos? Has he joined Elder Sister Mary?''
Amidst an increasingly confusing situation, Yona seemed ready to escape at any moment.
"Elder Sister Yona, are you really going to leave like this?"
"Hehe, hehe. If you have more questions, ask them quickly, Jin!"
It seemed like Yona couldn''t contain herself.
"What is Chaos, Elder Sister?"
"I can''t tell you that! Anything else?"
"If you keep drifting away like this, how can I ask questions? Anything else? Oh, I''ll see you in Samilter, and exin it then!"
By then, Yona was quite far away.
"Alright! Hehehe, then I''m going!"
"Wait, before you go, Green Rose! Do you have any Green Roses with you?"
"Yes, I do."
"Leave them behind!"
"I''ve already put some in your pocket!"
When Jin checked his pocket, he found five woven green roses.
Jin hadn''t realized that Yona had slipped them into his pocket while they were together moments ago.
Looking up, Jin saw Yona crossing the mansion wall.
Jin couldn''t help but chuckle as he saw Yona look back onest time and give him a mischievous wink.
Elder Sister Yona is something else.
Once Yona left, Mary''s fleet reached Tikan.
Mary had anchored her fleet on the side near Jin, ignoring all the procedures to enter the city.
She was ready to jump off the ship and meet Jin directly.
"Little brother!"
"Elder Sister Mary!"
"You''re responding now! Wait a moment; I''ming up now. I guess you''re ready to fight with this elder sister..."
"I warn you, don''t jump here!"
"What!?"
"Have you forgotten Father''s orders? No Runcandel can set foot on Tikan soil without my permission."
"...Are you really going to break our contract? We decided to fight at least once every three months!"
Although Mary was close to Tikan, Jin was on the upper floor, so the two had no choice but to speak loudly.
All the residents who hade out to watch listened casually to this conversation.
"It wasn''t unconditional! Check the contract. Anyway, not today! I''ll contact you soon, and then we can fight!"
Mary seemed quite displeased, but she seemed to have expected this kind of development this time.
Soon, she shed a triumphant smile.
"Is that so!? Alright, then I''m leaving!"
The fact that Mary left so easily unsettled Jin.
"We can''t duel, but how about we share a cup of tea before you go?"
"Sure, that''s fine. But it will be after our duel, okay?"
"Well, in that case, agreed! Take care."
"Oh, by the way. What a shame! I was going to tell you about a great catch if you won this time."
Jin couldn''t help but feel like he had been hit on the back of the head with a hammer.
It must be something more important than Am...
Mary had brought a proposal that Jin couldn''t refuse from the beginning.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 479
Chapter 479
C479
Mary shared all the information with Dyfus, who is one of the main gbearers.
So, it wasn''t anything unusual for Mary to know something that Jin didn''t.
In fact, Jin had no idea about the most important thing, aside from Gaifa.
Other important matters that had crossed Jin''s mind were continuously checked by hispanions, but there were no unusual updates.
''Hehehe. Dyfus oraboni''s words were right after all. He''s reacting right away.''
Mary suppressed her innerughter.
It was a shame she couldn''t enjoy the look of bewilderment on the younger one''s face from a closer distance.
"Elder sister!"
Jin opened his mouth, and to Mary, who had turned around, his lips were almost reaching her ears.
"What!"
"I rushed into thinking! You''vee a long way, so it wouldn''t be polite to send you back just like that!"
"What are you saying?"
"Please,e up! I permit it!"
"I can''t hear you well!"
"I''m sorry. Come up, and let''s have a conversation!"
"Hahaha, kid, I can''t hear you! Say it once more!"
Of course, she heard him clearly.
It''s just that she pretended not to hear with exaggerated gestures, trying to mock her younger brother.
Of course, Jin showed no signs of embarrassment or difort, as Mary had anticipated.
Only Mary was incredibly amused.
When Jin continued Mary''s joke for a while, thanks to that, soon, everyone in Tikan saw her and her fleet.
At first, Jin''spanions and the residents shared Mary''s feelings.
It seemed incredible that Jin would y along with this childish prank.
This facet of Jin was not only unknown to Mary but to everyone else.
"Hey, Captain. Could you stop now...? The atmosphere is cooling down a bit."
Only after Cosmos spoke reluctantly did Mary stop her joke.
When she turned around, she saw Jin''s expressionless face and Murakan, who was looking at her sternly.
Other people, though they couldn''t show it openly, probably shared the same feeling as Jin and Murakan.
The situation was getting quite awkward.
If things went on like this, you should''ve told me earlier, asshole.
Mary whispered, and Cosmos nodded.
''I thought they would hit me likest time...''
''But it''s different from back then.''
''Even so, don''t worry. I''ll find a way to lighten the mood when the chancees.''
When Cosmos stepped aside, Mary looked into Jin''s eyes again.
"Coff, coff! Well, if you''re so eager to wee me, I''ll indulge you bying up!"
With a jump, Marynded on the outer wall and the construction, heading to the mansion''s garden.
"Hahaha! What''s with this act of being a fierce pirate, Mary Runcandel! It suits you very well."
"Hmph, what''s with this act? My dignity, that''s what."
"What? Dignity? Are you saying losing an eye is an honorable wound?"
"Or it could be a bluff. You''re still very amusing, Murakan-nim."
Although Mary had arrived at the mansion, Tikan''s residents continued to watch, not returning to their homes and workces.
"Ladies and gentlemen! I''m Cosmos, the pirate king and king of the corsair fleet operating in the waters of Hufester, with the permission of Captain Mary! The reason our pirate crew hase to Tikan today is..."
Because Cosmos began to work hard to create an atmosphere outside...
Bam, bum!
Fireworks exploded, and the pirates on the deck breathed fire and demonstrated various feats, capturing the attention of the crowd.
Moreover, the crowd was already filled with anticipation.
After all, Mary had shouted for a duel that shook the entire sea with a thunderous voice.
"Cosmos owes me, and he was going to lead the corsair fleet for me one day. But you''ve taken the lead. How did you find out, elder sister?"
After the incident of thepass theft, Cosmos Pirates were being chased by both Vermont and Zipple.
Jin had secretly worried about them from time to time, but strangely, Cosmos Pirates, a small pirate crew, had never been caught by any major faction.
"I ran into them while wandering around, taking down anyone who crossed my path. Besides, that guy was already familiar to me. I even thought he was quite useful when I was young. Good enough to run errands for me when I''m training."
"Training, you say?"
"Haha, yes. Lately, your dear sister has set some goals."
"What kind of goals?"
"You don''t need to know! There won''t be any more contract duels for a while after this. I''ll leave after deciding which of the two is superior today. I''ll go to very harshnds to look for demon core creatures and hermit masters."
I haven''t given a firm answer to the duel request.
Under normal circumstances, Jin would respond like this, gaining time to observe the situation and gain some initiative.
But he had no choice seeing Mary''s gaze.
The resolute and determined gaze of someone who has prepared firmly for something.
The Mary who had been full of joviality a moment ago now had that look in her eyes.
What has happened to my elder sister?
Jinpletely ignored that the reason for Mary''s determination and her training were the recent actions she had shown.
''Anyway, judging by the seriousness with which Elder Sister Mary approached this matter, it seems that the issue rted to that big thing is not very urgent.''
In a desperate situation, the Family would undoubtedly have mobilized Mary.
It was a case where the First Division of the 4 main forces had given up on Am and clung to her, and Mary couldn''te here for a duel in a hurry.
"It''s an honor that my sister''s training includes a duel with me. I''ll ept this challenge with gratitude."
"Yes, that''s the spirit!"
"In that case, shouldn''t you give me a hint about that big case?"
"I''ll let you know once you defeat me."
"I''m worried that I might be too curious and lose focus while fighting you, Elder Sister. Wouldn''t that be discourteous to you?"
Jin was half sincere.
He felt that he could figure it out even with a small clue. Jin had been wandering aimlessly since he left Gaifa, and that had left him frustrated.
"You''re trying to trick me again!"
"Elder sister, I can''t count the number of eyes and ears that have already seen and heard you. Please let me know, lest I take the lead and leave you out."
Mary stared at Jin as if she could see through him. Finally, she shrugged as if she had no other choice.
"I''m talking about Zipple, Jin."
Jin opened his eyes wide.
Members of the four main factions who hadn''te to Gaifa were preparing to contain Zipple.
''Zipple, huh? Is it living golems or a new type of battleship? Or... that cubic thing?''
From the perspective of the four main factions, these things were much more important and dangerous than Ame.
"Research facility or production nt!
Zipple.
That single word made a sharp intuition pierce Jin''s mind.
Living golem.
Kozec.
Myuron 2.
Research facilities for the cube and production nts.
The major factions had found them and were set to take control.
"Hmmm, it seems you''ve already figured it out."
"I feel my unease fading."
"I''ll tell you more details if you defeat me. If you can''t defeat me, then it''ll be something that never existed. We''ll fight one on one until one of us is unable to continue fighting. Let''s settle it without killing or causing permanent injuries."
"Very well. Do you have any ce in mind for this fight?"
"No, I''m nning to fight you right here."
"Well, Elder Sister, I''m speechless. If you and I fight seriously here, there might not be much left of Tikan."
Jin and Mary, both elites, possessed the power to easily reduce the entire city to rubble wherever they fought.
With the ongoing construction of defensive structures, a slight misstep could lead to the total copse of Tikan.
"It seems like today has been a special day to witness your reckless behavior. Fool, did you think I suggested fighting here without knowing what I was doing? Hey, Cosmos!"
Mary turned her head towards Cosmos and shouted.
"Speak, Captain!"
"Prepare the stage!"
"Understood! Did you hear that, you stinkers? Prepare the stageeee! Come on,e on,e on!
Booo-!
Cosmos blew the trumpet.
When Cosmos blew the trumpet, the ships in his fleet began to move in perfect order.
The scattered boats came together instantly, forming a space like a in, with no gaps between the decks.
It was like the arena of a battlepetition.
"As I mentioned before, thispetition is a one-on-one duel. It''s also a swordsman''s duel. The rules are simple. You and I will fight on the fleet. However, any highly destructive technique that excessively damages the fleet is strictly prohibited."
"Oh... I really like that, Elder Sister. In that case, Tikan won''t be destroyed."
"But you''ll be the one who is destroyed, however. Let''s start!"
Cosmos, who had been maintaining the atmosphere, cleared his throat before making the announcement.
"Coff! Please,dies and gentlemen, boys and girls, elders and children! Now, get ready for an incredibly, incredibly intense duel between two individuals! Are you all readyyyy?"
Cosmos hadpletely captured the audience''s attention and was an experienced organizer of this type of contest, given his long experience as a host of events.
"I''m also having a hard time containing the excitement. Let''s all apud together! Known by everyone and each one, the greatest fighter of our time! Truly crazy about fighting! The madwoman of the Southern Continent, oh, I guess she doesn''t like that nickname. And the madwoman of the wind, Mary! Her titles always include the phrase ''mad''! Who is this person? Who, I ask!"
"Mary!"
"Mary Runcandel!"
"Yes, Mary... Runcandel!! Step forward, please!"
Mary jumped onto the deck, and thunderous cheers erupted from all directions.
She seemed to be familiar with this type of situation and casually waved with a mischievous smile on her face.
She turned to Jin, pointing at him with her index finger, making a throat-slitting gesture with her thumb.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 480
Chapter 480
C480
Mary, Mary, Mary!
The atmosphere, already peculiar, had now literally turned into a frenzy.
The residents had be spectators of the arena, and witnessing a fight like this up close was undoubtedly a unique stroke of luck in life.
Ah, that''s it.
This is exactly what I felt...
Cosmos, the Pirate King and the king of corsairs, was truly experiencing the excitement and joy coursing through his body after a long time.
Since he assisted Jin in the operation to steal thepass three years ago, Cosmos had never celebrated apetition.
He always roamed the dark ces of the sea as a wanted criminal.
Come to think of it, Jin Gray and Paul Mick''sbat in my arena was the greatest spectacle of my life.
From today onwards, I hope to organize a genuine martial artspetition with Runcandel''s support."
Jin was more aware of Cosmos, who was looking at him with moist, shining eyes as if about to cry, than Mary''s mockery.
What''s happening?
He''s so moved it''s almost overwhelming.
Cosmos casually wiped the corners of his eyes and opened his mouth again.
"Yeeeeeeeah! Mary, it''s the wind''s fury/crazy Mary! Well then, the opponent is-!"
As if they had reached a prior agreement, themotion among the spectators suddenly subsided as Cosmos began introducing Jin.
Surprisingly, the connected covers started glowing, and subordinates resembling executives moved along the ropes between the masts, firing what looked like cannons in Jin''s direction.
Boom!
What the cannons fired were thick ropes with hooks on the ends.
The ropes were connected to dozens of thick cords, each tied to a bunch of silk and velvet, forming a bridge that connected Tikan and the ship.
This time, not only the spectators but also Jin and hisrades, even Mary, couldn''t help but admire Cosmos''s incredible performance.
"I''ve long felt it, but I can''t understand why someone with such skills would be a pirate."
Jin contemted the path of ropes that followed hisnding.
"He was the most famous Provisional gbearer, the assassin of Archmage Kidard Hall, the Solderet Contractor, and the ck Dragon Murakan, the savior of the Holy Kingdom of Vank, the Magical Swordsman, the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel, and perhaps the next patriarch of Runcandel... The winner of the Cosmos 1796 Contest!"
Thest part was unnecessary, but it wasn''t the right atmosphere to question it.
Jin Runcandel!
Jin Runcandel!
When a couple of people shouted Jin''s name from the railing, Cosmos silenced them by putting a finger to his lips.
He then continued, making a brief pause.
"...ording to thetest rumors circting among sailors, innkeepers'' stories, and recent gatherings of various critics'' associations, knight orders, and the alliance of warriors and mercenaries, he has recently been given this name."
Jin still didn''t have a "representative" title.
Shadow Contractor, Magical Swordsman, Hero, and many other titles were there, but there wasn''t a specific and widely recognized epithet.
"...I present to you! The ck Star and the sharp sword, Runcandel''s monster... Dark... Crown... Prince!"
At that moment, Jin coughed unintentionally, and Murakan pointed at Jin and hispanions in turn, eximing:
"Dark Crown Prince, Dark Crown Prince! Hahaha, Dark Crown Prince!" while Murakanughed hysterically. Fortunately, hisughter was drowned out by the continuous drumming.
Indeed, no one had ever called Jin the Dark Crown Prince.
Partly because Jin was not a member of royalty or nobility, but the main reason was Joshua''s existence.
The term "crown prince" referred to the person next in line to the monarch.
Joshua was the next patriarch in line, and there weren''t many brave souls in Hufester who would darebel Jin with such a title.
In that sense, Cosmos was a very brave person, and he had a hunch.
The nickname "Dark Crown Prince" he had just given Jin would be a symbol representing him worldwide in the future.
"Jiin, Runcandelll!"
As soon as the introduction ended, a thunderous ovation, more than double, no, triple that of Mary, echoed through the waters of Tikan.
Tikan was Jin''s base, and given how grand Cosmos''s introduction was, it was natural for there to be differences in reactions.
So, when everyone was still gaping at the sight of Jin descending slowly down the silk and velvet path, Mary pulled Cosmos''s earlobe.
"Bastard, who do you serve? Why is the little brother''s introduction much noisier than mine?"
"Ugh, my, ear, my ear, please! Ugh! No, Captain! How can you me me for that!?"
"What? This is insane..."
"The silk path was originally prepared for you, Captain. But you jumped even before I could use it, so I had no choice but to let your younger brother use it."
"Hmm."
"And do you really hate it when your younger brother does well? You couldn''t stop bragging about him throughout the whole journey here!"
"Of course, it''s great that the younger one is doing well, but it feels weird."
"Hehe, don''t worry. If you win, Captain, I''ll set off an even bigger fireworks show. I wish you luck."
Finally, Jin descended to the deck via the silk path.
The enthusiastic cheers continued, but the atmosphere became tense as Jin and Mary silently locked eyes.
The audience swallowed saliva, enjoying the tension, and the siblings remained silent for a while.
"By the way, is Yona gone? Hello, insect." (Note: Insect is Kashimir''s nickname)
"Yes, Murakan-nim."
"Who do you think will win? Make a bet. A thousand gold coins."
"A thousand gold coins might be too much for a bet, isn''t it?"
"You''re right, let''s bet more, then two thousand. Now that I think about it, I have something to buy."
"If there were no rules, I would have chosen Jin-nim without a doubt. But in this situation... Well, it''s hard to say. One thing is for sure, no matter who wins, the world will stir again. Many eyes are watching this."
"The current generation of pure-blood Runcandels rarely fought in public. This will be a battle to clearly show the public who is superior, and the losing side may have more to lose than they think."
Alisa gave an additional exnation, and Valkas nodded.
"Especially Mary Runcandel has a lot to lose. She is the Seventh gbearer, and many say she is the gbearer Cyron-nim showed the most interest in after the White Whale."
This was a well-known story among the Warriors. Indeed, Cyron had shown a lot of interest in Mary, to the point of directly imparting some of Runcandel''s secret techniques to her.
"And, Ghost de, did you mention that you don''t know what the result of their fight will be?" (Note: Ghost de is another nickname for Kashimir)
"Yes, Valkas-nim."
"You have never seen Mary Runcandel''s sword in person. So don''t say things like that."
"Valkas-nims, isn''t it true that you haven''t seen Jin-nim''s sword either?"
"If it were me, I would bet on Mary Runcandel without any doubt. There''s no need to worry if the Lordpetes in pure fencing. Absolutely."
"All right, you two bet on Mary. I will bet on the brat."
Swish!
While exchanging bets, Mary spun her chain sword in the air and began speaking first.
"Your nest is still under construction, younger one. It''s not an exaggeration to say that the entire hideout of the ck King''s Mountain is moving to Tikan. But didn''t you know that Dyfus and I protect your loot from pests?"
"I didn''t know, elder sister."
"I also wanted to have a good fight with the ck King Leader at least once. Brat, when did you grow so much? To the point of destroying the ck King on your own."
On your own?
Just as he was about to question it, Mary continued proudly with her statement.
"You were protected by Zipple mages by my oraboni and me untilst year. You used the Reign Sword of the Kingdom of Legends and the secret technique of the magic sword in the ck King''s Mountain just like in the Garden of Swords, right? In fact, the target I mentioned a while ago was precisely that. Surpassing you by a wide margin."
There seemed to be some misunderstanding, but Mary didn''t give Jin a chance to speak.
She was like an excited child, revealing her grand ideas for the first time.
"Somewhat, you had a look in your eyes as if you were determined to do something big from the beginning. Is that where the misunderstandinges from?"
Mary clenched her fists.
"Little brother."
"Yes, elder sister."
"Although we''ve decided to seal most of the great techniques in this duel, your elder sister is going to give her best. So don''t fool around. If you don''t fight properly, I''ll destroy Tikan immediately."
How am I supposed to fight you, elder sister?
It''s an impossible task from the start.
Instead of responding like that, Jin decided to choose other words.
Since this fight has be inevitable, Jin will use what he does best, as always.
The act of provoking and stirring up the opponent to create an opening was one of the elements that Jin considered most important in a fight.
"All right, sister. I understand. But if you''re evaluating me like that, isn''t there something you should fix before starting thebat?"
Mary''s eyebrow twitched.
"What is it?"
The conversation had been spoken quietly until now, in hushed tones up close, so it hadn''t transmitted to the crowd.
But the next moment, Jin shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Take off the eyepatch!"
Jin''s shout echoed on the walls of Tikan.
"...Huh, elder sister."
Murakan burst intoughter once again, scratching at Mary''s insides, and the crowd remained silent, unsure whether it was okay tough or not.
"I''m beginning to understand why Uncle Jorden cut off your arms in the past...."
In an instant, a bright aura gathered around Mary''s chain sword ''Viper.''
The aura was so dense and formed so quickly that it was almost unbelievable.
This is...
Jin immediately recognized what she was trying to do with her first strike, just from her posture.
On the other hand, Mary smiled mischievously, disying a secret technique she had further improved since thest time.
Runcandel''s Fifth Secret Technique.
Light Speed Thrust.
What Mary executed was the same sword she used to defeat Ozdock in the past.
''No, this is insane! She said to refrain from using the grand techniques that could destroy an entire fleet...!''
It was impossible to wonder whether the Runcandel gbearer retracted her words so quickly or lied.
Mary''s Viper was already rushing towards Jin.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 481
Chapter 481
C481
sh!
A dazzling light first darkened his vision.
There is not a single person in the world capable of "reacting" to the thrust at the speed of light.
It is something that cannot be avoided without predicting it, without reacting, or without gaining some kind of enlightenment that goes even beyond that.
Fortunately, Mary had not fully mastered the fifth secret technique yet.
Moreover, even though it was executed too quickly without any preparatory movement, Jin was able to move his body despite being caught off guard.
He threw his body to the left.
The range of Light Speed Thrust was not limited to a single point.
It started as a point, spread out like a fan, and converged back into a point.
Therefore, even though Jin had moved considerably away from the trajectory of the Sword Chain Viper, he still felt the energy of the sword passing near his cheek and neck.
His hair stood on end.
Is Tikan okay?
Along with the sensation of warm blood running through his clothes, Jin quickly calcted in his head how to handle the situation.
It''s toote to look back; I have to counterattack first.
He judged that the direction of Light Speed Thrust narrowly avoided Tikan.
It is unlikely that his sister would have gone to the extent of disobeying her father''s orders and risking enmity with him by executing the light-speed thrust.
Jin lowered his body and, leaping like an arrow, thrust his sword.
Sigmund''s pale and sharp de was heading towards Mary''s forehead.
She easily deflected her brother''s thrust.
Then, sheughed as if she were very satisfied.
The ongoing sh between the siblings was a fast and dizzying spectacle with two streams of light reflecting and intertwining.
The spectators could not keep up with the pace of the sword energy''s movements that flickered and dispersed and quickly rejoined.
"Wow! Mary-nim is amazing from the first move! Hey! What''s that, what''s that!"
There''s a hole in the sky above Tikan!
Cosmos seemed to have taken on the role not only of the host but also of thementator.
The spectators followed his pointing and looked at the sky, where indeed a huge hole had opened in the clouds, and they couldn''t help but exim in amazement.
The fact that a human could create such a phenomenon by wielding a sword just once was incredible, even seen with their own eyes.
This is Runcandel...!
Everyone could only admire it like that.
Not only Mary''s remarkable thrust but also Jin, who dodged it and even counterattacked, seemed like a monster.
Not only the audience but also Jin''srades were excited and amazed by Mary''s skills.
To perform such a thrust while standing.
Well, can that be called a thrust?
"I think I understand why Valkas-nim asked me to bet money on Mary-nim."
Valkas smiled silently in response to Kashimir''s words.
''Cosmos keeps talking smoothly, so it seems Tikan hasn''t been given up.''
Jin felt relieved that his decision to counterattack immediately was indeed correct.
If he had hesitated even a little or had tried to check on Tikan first, he would have had to endure the follow-up attacks with apromised posture.
"Tsk, still far from what father executed."
I''ve polished it quite a bit, but...
Anger quickly boiled inside Jin at seeing his sister licking her lips, but he barely repressed it and made eye contact.
"You really came with the intention of killing me. You almost wiped my head off."
"But you didn''t die, did you? I knew you''d naturally avoid it, hehe."
"...Didn''t you say first that we should avoid big techniques?"
"Kekeke, did I say that?
"You, really..."
"If you really think so, then remember what I said, little brother."
-The rule is simple. You and I fight in the fleet. However, highly destructive techniques that excessively damage the fleet are strictly prohibited.
-Although we decided not to use mostly big techniques in this duel, this older sister will do her best.
Highly destructive techniques that excessively damage the fleet are strictly prohibited, big techniques are mostly sealed, but I''ll do what I can...
In other words, it meant that any technique could be used as long as it didn''t excessively damage the fleet.
''It was just a way of speaking, wasn''t it.''
Thud!
Jin involuntarily gritted his teeth.
Now that he thought about it, his first duel with Mary had been like this too.
Back then, Mary wore shiny armor and scattered first-level mana bombs on the battlefield.
Although Jin normally didn''t fall for such wordy or superficial tricks, it was strange how he always seemed to fall for this kind of trick when facing Mary.
"Now I understand what you meant."
"Oh, really? It''s lucky that you finally get it. Come on, attack me again! Attack me! By the way, why didn''t you activate your helmet?"
Mary spoke excitedly and pointed the tip of her sword at Jin''s head.
"Ah, do you mean the Myulta Rune?"
"Is that what it''s called? Anyway, the ck helmet. If you had used it, you probably wouldn''t have been hurt so much."
"That''s the same reason you wore the eye patch, older sister."
Mary stopped at Jin''s response.
She hadn''t worn the eye patch because she had lost an eye.
She thought that if Jin couldn''t use his secret technique of the magic sword or the Sword of Legends, wouldn''t it be fair for her to have such a disadvantage?
Mary believed that, even though Jin was clearly superior to her, she had an advantage in pure swordsmanship.
"Oh, really?"
"Think carefully, older sister. We were evenly matched even in our first bout. I was even afraid you''d die back then, so I pushed my limits. But should I use such an artifact now?"
"It won''t be toote to say that after you create a situation where you have to take off my eye patch, little brother!"
As soon as they finished speaking, Mary closed the distance again.
When Jin blinked and opened his eyes, the Snake had already flown in front of his nose, blocking his vision.
Jin judged it to be a stab and raised his sword to block it, but the chain sword extended, and its trajectory changed.
The chain sword, moving like a snake or a whip, flew in all directions, making it hard to believe it was a single person''s attack.
In the eyes of the spectators, Jin seemed to bepletely trapped in the trajectory and aftermath of the snake. Every time the two shed, the deck cracked, and splinters flew.
The pressure of the chain sword was increasing.
It was the result of Mary''s entire body starting to be tinted with an aura. It was a variation of Runcandel''s Seventh Final Movement, more of a physical strengthening than a self-destructive move.
Seventh Final Movement of Runancel
Volcano - Mary Runcandel
Mary had named her Volcano, thanks to Cyron, who had given her permission.
Jin had only seen Mary execute her Volcano once.
The form was somewhat different then and now.
It''s a variation of the volcano she used when she came to rescue us from the little beastmen and me from the specters.
Maybe she has progressed since then, but it feelspletely different.
He didn''t have time to think about it with gratitude.
Moreover, there was no need to ask if it was okay to use such a powerful attack, given that it would surely destroy the fleet.
Kuh-!
As soon as Volcano was executed and his sword shed, Jin staggered backward, spitting blood.
It was a strange sword.
The blow from Mary''s Volcano sword could be considered a sincere blow from a 10-star knight, but for some reason, it did no damage to anything other than Jin.
''Why doesn''t the impact escape outward...?''
Mary''s Snake, tinted with the aura of the volcano, only aimed at Jin.
Even when Jin returned the blow with incredible force, the deck didn''t even crack slightly.
As a result, to the spectators, it seemed like the siblings were just fooling around.
They were waging an ordinary battle, except that Jin seemed to lean forward and spit blood every time the sword touched him.
At first, this phenomenon was extremely difficult for Jin to ept.
The shock should have escaped outward, following thews of nature, but it was firmly contained within his body.
"What''s going on? It looks like a light attack, but Jin is spitting blood! It''s a crisis for Jin!"
Like the spectators, most of Tikan''srades couldn''t understand what was happening.
Even Kashimir, known as the Ghost de, had never seen such a sword.
"Oh, indeed. Valkas, your assessment isn''t far off. Who would have thought that Mary Runcandel had already reached such a level. She has more delicate aspects than I thought. There weren''t many people who could use that even in my time."
Murakan, who had lived for over three thousand years and experienced the peak of Runcandel, immediately recognized what was going on.
"What''s happening?"
"Well, Quikantel. What was that called? It''s been so long since I''ve seen it, so I don''t remember."
"Temar called it Heart of the Sword. It''s a method mainly used by warriors rather than swordsmen."
"Oh, right. Heart of the Sword, that was its name. It''s a sword that only causes internal injuries, without external impact. That''s why the boy is suffering ordinary attacks."
ng, ng, nk!
Jin felt a terrible pain, as if his internal organs were pierced by awls every time their swords shed.
A cold sweat filled his bristled hair.
First of all, I have to increase the distance.
It was impossible for Jin not to know that natural response.
However, he couldn''t use any technique strong enough to push Mary away, and it wasn''t easy in the limited space.
''...he won''t be able to sustain a volcano and keep wielding a sword like this. After all, the variation of Volcano is a technique that subjects his body to enormous tension.''
Jin realized that relying solely on this was a gamble and an impossible task.
Mary already had information about his magical spells, including the Lightning Cannon, so he couldn''t buy time.
Therefore, she had to finish him off quickly.
And, indeed, that had been her n from the beginning.
Jin was somewhat nervous about the variables of Light Speed Thrust and the Volcano Sword.
Jin wasn''t prepared for a long battle in such a confined space.
Therefore, he first selected the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends with good reason.
Craaack-le...
Mary opened her mouth as the lightning energy radiating from the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends began to cover Jin''s entire body.
"Is that the technique you showed in the Garden of Swords? You''re definitely going to get a disqualification with that. Or do you want to kill your older sister, regardless of victory or defeat?"
Jin nodded, and Mary let out a mockingugh.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 482
Chapter 482
C482
Crack!
Jin released his lightning energy, and Mary felt a sensation as if thousands or even tens of thousands of punches were piercing through her flesh.
"He was just raising his energy, but it caused this overwhelming pressure. Jin...!"
Jin''s eyes, tainted with murderous intent, emitted a colorful light in the lightning energy that spread like huge blue blood vessels.
When their eyes met, Mary involuntarily swallowed saliva.
Her blood was boiling like crazy.
Her life had always been filled with battles and wars, but there weren''t many battles that made her heart burn so fiercely.
"Kugh!"
Cosmos staggered backward under the weight of Jin''s energy despite being quite a distance away.
For someone as seasoned as him, he could barely stay on his feet, but other pirates nearby had already retreated to the end of the deck.
The fiery and sharp lightning energy even reached the Tikan''s railing audience.
Of course, Jin''spanions had already ced protective shields to ensure that the spectators wouldn''t suffer any harm.
The energy caused waves that fiercely rippled.
A sea breeze loaded with lightning energy blew, creating shes of light everywhere, as if the starry night sky had shrunk and spread over the fleet.
If Jin unleashed this energy, not only the fleet and pirates would be swept away, but even the spectators behind the protective shield might be caught in the catastrophe.
"Incredible! Jin-nim! This is the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends! The sword that once belonged to the most powerful beings on Earth is now unfolding before all of you!"
Despite the danger...
Cosmos continued hismentary, and the spectators had no intention of leaving.
They didn''t want to miss the greatest spectacle of their lives, even if it was slightly risky.
Hoo!
Mary took a deep breath and was the first to act.
She hadn''t stayed still for a few seconds to wait for Jin, but to read the flow of his attack and find an opening to strike.
Mary waited patiently, unable to fully grasp the flow of Jin''s attack.
She knew that waiting too long would mean being hit by a perfectly prepared technique.
Has he reached a new level since the Garden of Swords incident, or is it different from the sword back then?
He released so much energy, yet the fleet remains unharmed.
''No need toin about cheating.''
To Mary, the phenomenon caused by Jin''s lightning energy seemed the most peculiar of all.
The sea was turbulent, and such powerful energy even reached the spectators.
However, for some reason, not a single scratch appeared on the deck.
In any case, Mary had no choice but to nervously entrench herself.
Crack!
Mary moved into the area of the lightning energy, feeling a powerful repulsion as if her entire body was being torn apart.
Mary also increased her Volcano aura to push back the lightning energy, but overall, Jin''s energy was stronger.
It was as if moving through water, and she found it difficult to advance.
"Fortunately, it seems that the younger one is struggling to maintain this energy," Mary thought, despite gradually closing the distance.
However, Jin remained motionless in his ce, like a statue.
End him in one move.
That wasn''t just Jin''s judgment.
Mary also believed that if the fight dragged on, it wouldn''t be in her favor.
That''s why she had executed the Light Speed Thrust from the beginning.
The lightning energy became denser as she approached step by step.
The vision inside the lightning energy area waspletely blurry, unlike when she had observed Jin''s eyes from outside a while ago.
Now, the distance between them was about ten steps.
Mary decided not to get closer, as if saying:
"This should be enough."
Instead, like Jin, she adjusted her posture and began to focus.
"What''s happening inside the lightning energy?"
Woo...
The aura that bloomed like smoke pushed back the lightning energy and formed its own area.
A hole was punched on one side of the lightning energy hemisphere, allowing the audience to see Mary inside.
What followed was a vortex.
A massive aura spun in a cross-shaped vortex around the snake''s de.
As the crossed vortex rotated, Mary''s area in the lightning energy hemisphere expanded.
At that moment, Jin felt a chill, as if a cold de had touched his throat.
"It seems she also wants to end this in one move."
Thank goodness.
Mary still misunderstood that Jin''s lightning energy was a form of the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends, or another equivalent technique.
"Probably why she''s trying to counter with strength against strength."
However, just as Mary didn''t know that Jin''s technique was nothing but a trick, Jin also didn''t know what kind of sword Mary was about to execute.
First of all, her current posture is that of a thrust.
He could anticipate that she would try the Light Speed Thrust again.
However, that couldn''t be all.
Even with the Light Speed Thrust enhanced using Volcano, there was no way she would finish a failed technique.
Jin tightly gripped Sigmund.
He opened his eyes wide to catch the moment the snake moved. That moment would determine the oue.
"I''ve prepared this sword for you, the younger one."
Mary''s shoulders trembled.
The scene seemed to unfold in slow motion.
She was so focused that she barely managed not to miss that moment.
Runcandel''s Fifth Secret Technique:
Light Speed Thrust.
Once again, she traced a trajectory that didn''t cause any direct harm to Tikan, but the second Light Speed Thrust had an iparable power to the first.
The hemisphere of lightning energy tore apart, scattering countless particles in all directions.
The vision waspletely obstructed, as if tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of pieces of ss had shattered at once.
Lightning energy particles fell like rain.
Not even Jin''spanions could immediately determine if Jin had managed to avoid the Light Speed Thrust amid the swirling particles.
But the hit didn''t end there.
Mary had decided to go all out on this attack without holding back, as it was the final duel with her dear little brother before leaving for her training.
Twice.
The Volcano Light Speed Thrust was not limited to a single attack.
Swish!
A dyed shockwave reverberated, revealing that the Light Speed Thrust had been deployed consecutively.
Three consecutive Light Speed Thrusts...!?
It was an unexpected turn for Jin.
However, it wasn''t an inevitable situation.
As incredible or fast as the Light Speed Thrust was, it could only be executed within a range that wouldn''t damage the fleet or the Tikan.
The Light Speed Thrusts came from both the left and the right sides.
So Jin had limited space to maneuver because the Light Speed Thrust attacked in both directions almost simultaneously.
The center.
Not even the center was entirely safe.
The two streams of Light Speed Thrust passing through the center constantly caused a vortex of destruction in the central area.
Amidst the lightning energy particles and the literally biting vortex, Jin could barely maintain bnce.
"The two streams of Light Speed Thrust are just a means to keep me in ce."
Now, Jin had no way to escape. With the Light Speed Thrusts upying the space on both sides, the siblings were on a tightrope.
The light extended.
As the Light Speed Thrust spread and left behind shes and remnants, the dazzling brilliance filled the space between the siblings.
And it approached.
Like a predator cornering its prey with no escape, Mary ran forward along the only path left.
There was no way out, only a final confrontation.
In other words, the central path where the two were was the true stage of this duel, created by Mary.
"You''re really impressive, aren''t you?"
Truly impressive.
Mary''s Volcano emitted an even brighter dazzling light than before.
The light of the Volcano grew more and more, trampling other lights.
It was closing in on Jin.
Jin couldn''t predict that Mary would create this situation.
When predictions went awry, one usually found oneself at a disadvantage.
But for Jin, this was the ideal scenario he desired most: an inevitable one-on-one fight.
For this, he pretended to use the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends, and pretended that he could handle it more delicately than when he made the patriarchal deration, so he sprayed lightning energy without aiming.
The lightning energy forming the hemisphere, now broken into incandescent particles, was nothing more than a means to disturb her vision.
It was apletely meaningless move.
At the moment Mary, stained by the aura of volcanic movement, was right in front of him, Jin released his grip on Sigmund''s hilt.
The pale de that fell defenseless exploded the lightning energy it contained as soon as it touched the ground and bounced somewhere.
What?
At that moment, Mary could only be surprised.
She naturally assumed that her younger brother would execute the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends or an equivalent sword technique.
"This rascal dropped his sword out of fear of killing me...! I''m sure he wasn''t that soft!"
Of course, she didn''t want to kill her younger brother.
He was her brother, and she always wanted topete with him or fight by his side.
"Right, he did something like this before. I heard that he even dropped his sword at a critical moment when he fought against Dante Hairan in the arena."
Even if Jin backed off, Mary had no intention of doing so.
That''s because it wasn''t the Runcandel way.
Right before driving the snake into her younger brother''s chest, Mary couldn''t help but feel a deep sense of disappointment.
Considering what Jin did during the patriarchal deration, Mary couldn''tprehend or ept his erratic current behavior.
The fourth Light Speed Thrust.
That was the sword move she chose for this final moment.
Originally, Mary had a different sword in mind.
She wanted to show her respects to her younger brother by executing his unfinished final technique.
"If you act like this, you also need a lesson. As your sister, I''ll remind you again."
The Light Speed Thrust directed at the center would undoubtedly damage Tikan.
"...But I don''t have as soft a heart as you do."
Sibling love.
The two people Mary felt the strongest bond with were Dyfus and Jin.
That''s why she decided to teach Jin a lesson by causing harm to his nest.
She wanted tounch the fourth thrust at the speed of light in a direction that wouldn''t cause irreversible damage.
However, she was determined to hit Jin until he was on the verge of death once the fight was over.
Also, she made sure Jin wouldn''t die by being hit by the Light Speed Thrust.
She nned to carefully examine Jin''s condition before striking him.
But that very notion of mercy was her own arrogance, as she realized when she heard a distinct and chilling sound.
Shrung!
The sharp de slid out of its sheath, producing a clear and chilling sound.
Mary momentarily forgot what kind of person her younger brother was.
Also, the fact that her younger brother had two swords.
It was her excessive love for her younger brother that made her forget these facts, even in this situation.
But in the world of warriors, one couldn''t afford to be naive.
"I was fooled!
Shadow de.
Seventh Technique.
Shadow Assault.
The sword move Jin had been hiding while aimlessly shooting lightning energy everywhere."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 483
C483
Mary''s Viper Sword struck forward.
The target had been determined, and only a point of the de and the lightning energy touched, but the blue field of vision cleared for the first time.
''Damn it!''
She couldn''t see Jin because he was covered by the lightning energy.
Her younger brother, who didn''t dare to kill her and thus released the sword, was nowhere to be seen.
Where are you?
As those who realize their mistakes often do, she gritted her teeth.
An indescribable chill seemed to run through her body.
She would die if she didn''t withdraw her sword.
Her instinct told her that.
The experience gained in thousands of battles warned her of the same danger.
She had to reabsorb her aura, even if it caused a bacsh.
She had to locate the position of the younger one.
Light Speed Thrust, a sword that pierced the sky.
So there would be a bacsh if she forcibly withdrew this powerful sword movement.
Kraaaah!
Mary let out a cry as she changed her movements.
She felt that the muscles and bones of her waist and lower body, as well as her grip on the sword, arms, and shoulders, trembled as if they were breaking.
She withdrew the sword.
The advance of Light Speed Thrust, which was tearing through the lightning energy, stopped as if it were a lie.
The waves of lightning energy surged again, and flickering lights interrupted her vision.
Mary twisted her body, in a fleeting moment, and could perceive that the energy surrounding her came not only from the lightning energy but also from the ck curtains.
What the half-sphere of lightning energy was covering was the force of the shadow.
From the beginning, Jin had released the lightning energy with the sole purpose of hiding the Shadow Energy curtains, to perform the Shadow Assault.
She turned the recovered Viper in all directions to secure her line of sight.
Every time the lightning energy rose, the ck curtains became instantly visible.
''Four, no. Seven!''
She thought that at any moment, something simr to a ck sword energy would shoot at her.
However, the curtains remained still, and there were no signs of them moving yet.
Instead, Mary turned her body to the side.
''He was there!''
Jin pounced on her.
With every sh of lightning energy, with every blink, the distance between them was closing.
Along with Bradamante, tinted in ck.
Finally, Bradamante and Viper collided.
It looked as if they had collided.
Mary showed an overwhelming response to Jin''s sudden attack despite her internal injuries.
However, Viper swung in the air.
The great sword energy that spread like a fan pierced through the lightning energy and shot up into the sky, disappearing.
Mary couldn''t help but be perplexed once again.
''He was right in front of me...!''
As if he were a ghost or had somehow teleported.
Her younger brother''s sword was charging from the front a moment ago, but for some reason, the sword was charging from her rear once again.
The shadows that spread around the two were some kind of "gate."
Only Jin, using the Shadow Assault, could enter and exit through it.
That''s why Jin could once again seize the rear of Mary.
Just before the collision, Jin had crossed the curtain.
''Even my elder sister is a monster.''
Blood sttered.
It was Mary''s blood.
Bradamante, who had been aiming for her throat, barely grazed her shoulder.
''I thought I could at least take off her shoulder.''
Viper''s de also grazed Jin''s cheek.
The fight was no longer visible from the outside due to the lightning energy and the curtains of shadow force.
However, everyone could hear the sound of the two swords shing, the battle cries of the siblings.
And everyone sensed that when the shadow force and lightning energy dissipated, the one left standing would be the victor.
Kaaah-!
Every time Mary roared, the half-sphere of lightning energy seemed to tremble as if it were about to tear apart.
Jin unleashed a flurry of attacks to prevent his sister from gathering strength again.
''If I give her even a moment, she mighte up with another technique.''
Just before Mary was about to execute the fourth Light Speed Thrust, Jin felt an inexplicable difort.
The sword movement he intended to use was not the secret technique but the unfinished "ultimate technique."
Jin didn''t know it, but his instinct warned him of danger, just like Mary''s.
Jin had to press on without rest, so it didn''t even ur to Mary to use something else.
Hoo~
Mary wasn''t the only one breathing heavily.
Jin was also losing stamina.
Jin hadn''t executed the Sword of the Reign of the Kingdom of Legends, but he couldn''t help but get tired as he was rapidly consuming a level of lightning energyparable to it.
Surprisingly, Mary was in slightly better physical condition.
Jin roared and gritted his teeth.
''It''s about time, but how is she still holding on like this?''
What he expected was clear.
''No matter how powerful my sister is, she can''t use the Light Speed Thrust so easily without a scratch.''
Kooh-!
The moment his thought ended, Mary leaned forward and vomited blood.
The time hade to end the battle.
Jin stood in front of Mary and knocked down Bradamante.
Mary focused herst ounce of concentration on reading the trajectory of his attack.
Bradamante, who was raised at an angle, aimed at Mary''s neck.
Mary was about to miss the trajectory, but she raised the sword and managed to block it.
That fell within Jin''s expectations.
He had anticipated that a superhuman like Mary would be able to handle it naturally up to that point.
''But in the meantime, she''s counterattacking...!''
However, blocking wasn''t everything.
She was even counterattacking.
To be precise, Mary didn''t exactly "block" Jin''s final strike.
Shadow de.
Second Move: Scissors.
Jin''s final trick.
The ck de of the scissors was forming on the other side of the trajectory traced by Bradamante.
In the end, Mary couldn''t block the final de of the scissors.
The Shadow Energy de grazed Mary''s face.
What the de cut was the pirate patch she was wearing.
If it had aimed at her neck instead, it might have easily cut it.
''It''s over, elder sister.''
From the beginning, Jin had foreseen his victory the moment Mary used the Light Speed Thrust.
Jin hadn''t let his guard down even at the final moment.
After all, his opponent was Mary Runcandel.
But the fact that Mary counterattacked at thest moment would remain a haunting experience for Jin in the future.
Mary Runcandel, the Seventh gbearer of Runcandel.
Regardless of each one''s battle prowess, all her siblings considered her the most formidable opponent when fighting for their lives.
When the mist cleared, both the lightning energy and the Shadow Energy on the battlefield vanished in an instant.
Suaaaa-!
Suddenly, a stream of water fell from the sky.
It was a stream of water falling from a massive water wall formed when part of the sea split behind Jin.
It was the aftermath of Mary''s final counterattack.
"What just happened?"
"Did you see that?"
Cosmos, the pirates, the crowd, and most of Jin''srades had no idea why the water wall had formed.
Only those who had reached the rank of superhumans were aware that Mary had "wielded her sword."
"Heh, how did she manage to wield her sword at thest moment?"
"I... couldn''t see it clearly, Murakan-nim."
"I don''t know what it is, but if she had wielded the sword properly, the oue might have been different."
Murakan and Valkas spoke, and Jin tried to swallow his dry saliva.
I thought it was a simple counterattack, but it was faster than the Light Speed Thrust...
No, even if I had known beforehand, I could never have dodged it.
''It was a cut close to divine power.''
Runcandel''s ultimate technique.
Jin immediately convinced himself that thest horizontal cut that passed by his side was one of Runcandel''s three ultimate techniques.
Definitely iplete.
If it had been aplete ultimate technique, Jin would never have remained standing.
Woo~
The water wall copsed like a sandcastle and returned to the sea.
"Both... both seem to be perfectly fine! But the fight is over...! Neither Mary nor Jin-nim is moving!"
Cosmos raised his voice, with trembling pupils.
The siblings made eye contact as they pointed their swords at each other.
Bum!
Mary knelt, and relieved sighs were heard.
"Argh! Damn it, I lost. I had no idea you could y with me like this with your tricks...!"
Mary spat blood and wiped her forehead.
Then, Cosmos announced the result of the battle with fireworks bursting everywhere.
"The winner is... Jin, Runcandeeeeeel! Congrattions! A fiery and unforgettable battle, a great fight that won''t be seen twice in a lifetime! Everyone, show your appreciation with apuse!"
Amidst thunderous apuse, Jin approached Mary and extended his hand.
"Why did you try to end the fight with Light Speed Thrust when you can use an ultimate technique? If you had executed your ultimate technique at that moment, I think I would have been the one defeated."
"I thought you had released the sword because you didn''t want to kill me, so it was a waste to show you this sword movement, but I forgot for a moment that there was no way you would have backed down like that. Damn it. I never thought I would fall for something like this."
"I used this sword technique against the guardian inspired by one of the Ten Great Knights, Sarah Runcandel. She wasn''t at her best and couldn''t defend herself. However, assuming she had the ultimate technique, I''m not sure it would have worked against you."
"Hmph, are youparing me to the old heroine of the Family out of fear that your sister might get angry?"
"Don''t you feel a bit upset?"
"Tsk, turns out I''m the one who backed down."
Mary took Jin''s hand and stood up.
Despite her tone, she had a refreshing smile on her face.
"...Jin, my younger brother."
"Yes, elder sister."
"Today, you officially defeated this Seventh gbearer of the Family."
"Can we really call it an official match? We had too many restrictions between us."
"That''s true. I fought with an eye patch the whole time, and you restricted the use of magic. But what does it matter? You didn''t let your guard down until the end, and I made mistakes that led to my own defeat. That shows you''re stronger than me."
As Jin didn''t respond, Mary burst intoughter.
"So, from today on, you hold the fifth position in the hierarchy of the Family gbearers. Hold it well, as I might reim it after rigorous training. And for that... Hey! Cosmos!"
"Yes!"
"Bring that here."
At Mary''smand, Cosmos hurriedly took something from his bag.
What he kindly handed over was a book.
Fifth Secret Technique, Light Speed Thrust - Cyron Runcandel.
It was none other than a training manual on the Light Speed Thrust Technique that Cyron had written for Mary.
"It''s not reasonable for the Fifth gbearer not to know a single secret technique of her Family, right?"
Jin received the training manual but couldn''t hide his astonishment.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 484
Chapter 484
C484
"Hmm! So you thought Jin-nim would win from the beginning and still told me to bet on Mary-nim, Valkas-nim? You even lied, saying that if I had seen Mary-nim''s sword in person, I would have thought the same..."
Tak!
Kashimir put down his ss and said.
Murakan and Valkas patted him on the back with a chuckle.
"I recently joined Tikan, shouldn''t I make a good impression on Murakan-nim? Jojojo, please understand."
"Anyway, you''re foolishly stubborn, aren''t you? Hey, even if we think the kid will lose, we must bet on him no matter what. Can you boldly bet two thousand gold if it seems like the other side is going to win or not?"
Kashimir''s forehead wrinkled as he saw the two peopleughing.
"No, didn''t you order Valkas-nim and me to bet on Mary-nim, Murakan-nim?"
"Oh, now you''re shouting at me. Have you gone mad? Huh? Are you acting like this because you lost the bet and don''t want to give up the money? You, the second richest man in Tikan?"
"When did I shout again! And it''s not about the money!"
"You just shouted again. No, I can''t stand it, little insect. Oh, did you dodge? Come here! Hey!"
As if ying tag, Murakan and Kashimirically started running, andughter erupted around them.
"It''s a peaceful show."
Mary said as she watched all this.
After the duel and Cosmos-style awards ceremony, Jin and hispanions, as well as Mary and the pirates, were celebrating a light after-party.
They were congratting Jin on his victory.
Jin was sitting next to Mary, fiddling with the book that Cyron had written himself.
He was still as stunned as the first time he received it.
''It seems like my father is really interested in the elder sister.''
Jin couldn''t imagine the sight of his ruthless father writing a training manual for someone.
Even if he tried to force himself to imagine it, he could only vaguely see the man''s back.
"Is Tikan always like this?"
"Most of the time."
"It''s really different from the gloomy atmosphere of the Garden of Swords. By the way, you can''t stop looking at it. Do you really like it that much?"
When Jin turned his head and smiled, Mary burst intoughter as if she couldn''t stand it.
"Even my cold-blooded little brother can make such a silly expression. I thought the only thing you were interested in was fighting like crazy, but this is also quite nice."
Jin adjusted his expression and gently tucked the book into his pocket.
"If you want, I can make youugh more. What kind of expression should I put on?"
"Suddenly speaking so dryly makes it boring. You have to be a little embarrassed to make it funny."
ng!
They clinked their sses together.
"Little brother."
"Yes, elder sister."
"All the major factions that haven''t gone to the Gaifa Inds are gathered in a desert called Sota. Have you heard of it?"
Mary was talking about the information she promised to tell Jin.
[Nyaaa!]
Before Jin could respond, Shuri, who had been lounging between Mary and Jin (they had called her because Mary missed her), let out a shout.
Shuri lifted her body and used the ws of her front paw to draw on the ground the location of the Sota Desert, indicating that she knew where it was, and Mary eximed.
"Well, it always happens to me every time I see you, but you''re really smart. Yes, Shuri. It''s there. The desert is near the center of the Lutero Magical Federation."
In the center of the Lutero Magical Federation, not only is the Sota Desert, but also the capital and the headquarters of the Zipple, "Drakka."
The first divisions of the three major factions are gathered near that area.
"What''s happening in that desert?"
"They are producing new Kozecs."
From the moment Mary first mentioned the word "Zipple," Jin had a certain expectation.
''This is thebat ship that Midor summoned with Myuron from that cube.''
The highlight here is not the new ''Kozec,'' but the use of the term ''Kozecs'' in plural.
"...So they are building and mass-producing giant battleships like Kozecs in facilities located in the Sota Desert."
"Yes, who would have thought they could mass-produce that?"
"So we have to go and destroy that production facility."
"That''s right."
It was a top-secret mission like no other.
In enemy territory.
Near the headquarters.
It was an attack on a secret facility, and only a very small number of people could be sent back.
Jin immediately began calcting various strategies for the mission.
The solutions were so grim that he had no choice but to grit his teeth.
"When did the n find out that Zipple was operating a flying battleship shipyard?"
"The n seems to have known about the shipyard operation for a while. They only found out the exact location shortly after you destroyed the ck King''s Mountain."
"Elder sister, you just said that not only our family but also Kinzelo and the imperial family are waiting in the Sota Desert. So, is it possible that our n got the information after them?"
"That''s not true. They also got simr information at the same time and hurriedly sent their top executives to the Sota Desert instead of Gaifa. I''m sure about Kinzelo, but the Imperial family may not have sent people to Sota."
"Runcandel and Kinzelo, and the Imperial family got simr information at the same time. This is... clearly a trap."
Jin was convinced.
Zipples deliberately leaked information about the Sota Desert shipyard.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for Runcandel, Kinzelo, and the imperial family to send people at the same time.
"Dyfus Oraboni" said the same.
"He probably also said it was a trap we couldn''t avoid."
Mary nodded.
Indeed, it was a trap they couldn''t avoid.
''Attacking the shipyard in the desert right next to Drakka is indeed a crazy idea. Even if we were sessful and returned with our best effort, the benefits that the n and other factions would gain would be minimal. Primarily, we would only consume Zipple''s resources and slightly dy the mass production of Kozec.''
Of course, considering it''s a project to build a battleship, an astronomical amount of resources and manpower could be invested, but it''s not worth top-ranking personnel from each faction, excluding Zipple, risking their lives.
As long as the technology is preserved, they could rebuild the shipyard if it were destroyed.
But they couldn''t allow Kozecs to continue being manufactured.
In this operation, Zipple was effectively starting from scratch, trying to defeat other factions from the beginning.
If they had already lost.
Jin needed to find a way to win as best as possible, and only then could he avoid being defeated next time.
Or even if the n lost, Jin had to create a situation where he could gain the maximum benefit.
That way, he could use those benefits when the n finally became his.
What does Zipple want?
Why did they suddenly leak information about the shipyard at this moment?
To lure top-ranking personnel from each faction to the center of the Lutero Magical Federation and eliminate them one by one?
No, that vites the main premise that there would be norge-scale war as long as my father is here.
If the main gbearers were to die at the shipyard, it could lead to arge-scale war.
''If they intended to fight properly, they would have first built all the battleships andunched a preemptive attack at an unexpected time instead of revealing the location of the shipyard.''
In that case...
What was their intention...?
A word suddenly passed through Jin''s mind.
Check.
''Is Zipples trying to check the strength of the representatives from each faction who attacked the shipyard or if they possess any special abilities?''
The Sota Desert was near the capital, Drakka, and Drakka was located in the center of the Federation.
Drakka hadn''t been exposed to any external force attacks in thest thousand years.
Even for Runcandel, it would be nearly impossible to create an infiltration team that could prate all borderworks to Drakka.
''Attacking the secret shipyard next door wouldn''t be much different. If Runcandel, Kinzelo, or the imperial family manage to infiltrate the shipyard, it''s like Zipple checking the capabilities of external forces.''
Kinzelo had the leader, the Legends Golem, and Bouvard; the imperial family had the Demon Men, and Runcandel had Jin, Murakan, and Joshua, the Prophet.
Of all of them, the only one that Zipple might not know exists is the Prophet.
A sharp intuition struck his mind.
''Zipple discovered that Joshua has a special ability and wants to know his power...!''
That''s why theyid out the sweet poison, the trap he couldn''t avoid falling into.
Of course, it could have been an excess.
But if that wasn''t the case, he couldn''t think of any other reason why Zipple would reveal the location of the secret shipyard.
Moreover, it''s very likely that Zipple didn''t include me in their calctions.
I chose to go for Gaifa instead of infiltrating the secret shipyard in the Sota Desert.
''Besides, they would have concluded that Joshua and I wouldn''t be able to carry out a mission together, considering our hostile rtionship.''
Finally, a faint smile appeared on Jin''s lips, which had been dark all the while.
Once again, it was his role as a variable.
"But, elder sister."
"Yes?"
"Why do you entrust this mission to me instead of going to the Sota Desert yourself? Is it because of the training you mentioned earlier?"
"That''s one reason, but if I had won the duel earlier, I intended to go myself. Sending the strongest increases the chances of Dyfus Oraboni not getting hurt."
Joshua and Dyfus were the two gbearers currently stationed in the Sota Desert, waiting for an infiltration.
Mary stood up, emptied her ss, and said, "It''s time for the losers to leave. This is a letter from Dyfus Orabeoni. The infiltration route is marked in the letter, so follow it. In case something happens to our big brother, I''m counting on you not to let him die."
"Elder sister, wait."
"Hmm? What''s wrong? Trying to thank me for the training manual? Heh, try it five times."
"No, that''s not it. Well, of course, I''m incredibly grateful. Please take a look at this."
What caught Mary''s attention as she tilted her head was a woven green rose.
"Actually, elder sister Yona was here before you arrived. She even confirmed that the ship was yours, but she was too busy to meet you in person, so she asked me to pass this on to you."
Mary''s eyes sparkled upon hearing a story that contained somewhat well-intentioned lies.
"Ah, really? Yona, that girl?"
"Yes."
"Haha! Yona had such a cute and adorable side! Isn''t she more embarrassed than busy? Alright, I like it. To show my gratitude for her kindness, my next challenge will be in Samil!"
"Elder sister Mary?"
"Cosmos!"
Mary rushed to the railing and shouted the pirate''s name.
"Yes, Captain!"
"Weigh anchor. We just decided our next destination!"
Immediately, the pirates, scattered on the deck, hoisted the anchor and prepared for the journey.
Mary covered her eye with the ck patch again and, before running off, turned around and shouted.
"Return to Dyfus Oraboni without getting hurt. Understood?"
Jin smiled and nodded.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 485
Chapter 485
C485
On February 27, 1800, a furious sandstorm obscured everything in sight outside the camp.
The relentless sandstorm, blowing with the power to bury everything all day, was so tedious that even just observing it could induce nausea...
But the fact was that this very sandstorm had hidden Runcandel''s members for the past few weeks.
It had also concealed the existence of a massive battleship construction shipyard here until Zipple intentionally leaked the information.
"Kugh..."
Dyfus groaned softly, pressing his forehead.
He felt a strong headache after reading the bulletin brought by the execution knights who had gone to the nearby vige in the morning.
The Furious Wind and the Dark Crown Prince engaged in a battle on the deck near Tikan...
The sea split, and the sky opened every time the two knights wielded their swords.
The rank war had started out of nowhere due to Mary Runcandel''s provocation!
The winner was the Twelfth gbearer...
Cosmos, the confidant of the Seventh gbearer, revealed, "The captain wanted to keep fighting the Twelfth gbearer as soon as she learned that he had defeated the ck King''s Mountain alone. Were the rumors about the ck King incident true?"
Rumors circted that the Twelfth had participated in the recent unknown battle near the Gaifa Inds...
Did Jin Runcandel kill (or make disappear) Am?
Zemo, the confidant of the Twelfth gbearer, confirmed, "Am was indeed sent to the other world by our lord with a single stroke."
Jin Runcandel ascended to the fifth rank in just a year after bing a gbearer.
Has the session structure of the Runcandels truly changed?
Crushing victory against the Seventh gbearer!
The Twelfth gbearer continued to rise, how long will his legendst?
''Mary, I expected you to cause a great incident, but I never expected you to have a duel with the younger one in front of the public.''
They couldn''t visit the vige every day, so it had been over a week since the news became known.
While the infiltration team hid in the Sota Desert, the world was in chaos due to the battle between Jin and Mary.
"Do as you please for now. Cause as many incidents as you want, train as you like. I''ll deal with the aftermath."
Dyfus remembered the words he had told Mary some time ago.
His true intention was to help Mary live her life to the fullest.
However, Dyfus desperately needed Mary''s help due to Zipple''s unexpected leak of information about the battleship construction shipyard.
Luna and Luntia were on different missions and not avable, and lower-ranked gbearers would likely be more of a burden if he called them.
So, with the intention of getting help onest time before Mary left, he hastily sent a letter indicating the infiltration tunnel.
Dyfus never thought he would hear the news that she had fought with the younger one.
Could it be that she didn''t receive the letter?
No, it can''t be.
Knowing Mary''s style...
She probably challenged the younger one to a duel with the intention that the winner woulde here to support me.
Sigh~
Dyfus let out a sigh.
Asking for support from Jin was not something that hadn''t crossed his mind at all.
He had just officially be the Fifth gbearer, but Jin''s strength and abilities wereparable to the most prominent gbearers, as demonstrated during the patriarchal deration.
However, the reason why he preferred Mary''s support to Jin''s was clear.
Coordination and teamwork.
Needless to say, the brother Dyfus trusted the most was Mary.
If Dyfus had to entrust his back on such a dangerous mission, it had to be Mary.
Moreover, in terms of teamwork, Mary fit much better than Jin.
Just knowing the rtionship between Joshua and Jin would make anyone think that.
''Of course, Jin and Joshua would probably divide the work, but... This doesn''t sit well with me.''
Swish!
While thinking that, the front and rear doors of the barrack opened simultaneously.
Joshua and the ck Knight, who had gone out to explore, entered through the front door, and Jin, who had just arrived, entered through the back door.
"...Younger one? Why are you here?"
When Joshua raised an eyebrow, Dyfus shrugged, and Jin asked a nonchnt question.
"There are quite a few strange tunnels along the infiltration tunnel. Did you make them, Second gbearer?"
Strange tunnels.
That was a question that had intrigued Dyfus as well.
Joshua had created the entire infiltration tunnel in the Sota Desert.
Dyfus had tried to create a different tunnel from another direction but had failed and ultimately joined Joshua''s tunnel.
During this process...
Dyfus had also confirmed that Joshua''s infiltration tunnel had a shape that no ordinary person or average magic could create.
Joshua''s infiltration tunnel clearly dug deep enough to cause the ground to copse, but for some reason, it maintained its shape without copsing.
"Yes, I did."
"It seemed like an infiltration tunnel that couldn''t have been made by humans."
"Do you think your limited standards apply to everyone? I have clearly overestimated your intelligence."
"Aren''t you hiding the fact that there''s an assistant, the so-called Prophet or something?"
Since Jin met Joshua in the mausoleum, right after the patriarchal deration, he immediately judged that Joshua wouldn''t take long to reveal the existence of the Prophet to everyone.
Even then, Jin had openly talked about her in front of other gbearers and elders, but Joshua hadn''t shown any signs of being particrly upset.
"It seems you have some misconceptions."
Joshua shook his head and continued speaking.
"I''ve never hidden the existence of the Prophet. The fact that you and the other gbearers didn''t know was simply because youcked the necessary ess to information."
Jin chuckled.
"Well, I didn''t bring up the topic to get a strong reaction from you. It reassures me to think that someone who has been a high secret for a long time is helping me in my work. Now, there are also two ck Knights."
The ck Knights didn''t react to Jin''s provocative behavior.
Joshua''s gaze rested on Jin''s shoulder, where Murakan, in cat form, was snoozing.
"I''m relieved to think that the guardian deity of the Family is watching over this mission. Our goals are infiltration and assassination, so you are more suitable for the job than Mary."
While the two conversed, Dyfus kept pondering over the word "Prophet."
How much information did the younger one find out about Joshua?
And how did he find out?
Dyfus felt a mix of bitterness and curiosity. He had long been aware that Joshua had some power or special helper behind him, but that was all he knew. Dyfus had been investigating for a long time, but he hadn''t found any clues about what Joshua possessed. He had assumed that Rosa had hidden information about Joshua from them, making it impossible to find out.
On the other hand, Jin seemed to know everything about the Prophet since the patriarchal deration.
Dyfus couldn''t help but feel a sense of defeat.
A defeat is a defeat, and I have to find a way for the younger one to share his information with me.
I have to gather as much information as possible and move faster than Joshua, even if it''s slower than the younger one.
Dyfus came to that conclusion as Joshua and Jin continued to gaze at each other.
"I mentioned the ck Knights on purpose, but there was no reaction. Has Dox not gone to Rikalton yet?" Jin thought.
He hadn''t received any contact from Dox, so he didn''t know how his orders were being fulfilled. Also, regardless of whether Dox had gone to Rikalton or not, it wasn''t that difficult for someone like Joshua to conceal his true feelings.
Joshua smiled and pulled out a stack of documents from his bag.
"Here is the information on the secret shipyard we''ve been monitoring and the details of the operation until your arrival."
The document provided detailed information on the internal structure of the secret shipyard, the surveince personnel, risks, and special considerations.
Are all facilities of this magnitude built underground?
Jin examined the internal structure and was surprised by the magnitude of the secret shipyard.
It was muchrger than he had anticipated.
Joshua smiled, as if he had expected Jin''s reaction.
"There are a total of 24 sections, each equivalent in size to a decent-sized castle. More than half of the desert''s underground is the secret shipyard. It makes me wonder how they built a facility of this size and kept it a secret all this time."
A few sections marked in red stood out.
"These marked sections are believed to be the most critical areas for the battleship''s design or essential resources for its construction. The Fourth, Eleventh, Seventeenth, and Neenth sections have the strictest security, and we haven''t been able to ess them yet."
So far, the infiltration team had been exploring the internal structure with the power of the Prophet.
The fact that they couldn''t infiltrate those areas even with that special power and the abilities of the two main gbearers and the two ck Knights meant that the only way was to enter by force.
And the moment they forcibly entered those four areas, the real time limit for this mission would begin.
"We have to choose our initial entry points carefully because we might only have one chance."
"Yes. The real operation will begin tomorrow at 2 in the morning. From then on, we will get information directly from the inside, select one of the four sections, and start the mission of destruction and takeover. The top priority is to secure the battleship blueprint and destroy the most critical resources. I suppose this exnation is enough, isn''t it?"
Jin nodded.
"Alright, then I guess I''ll have to get some rest."
Joshua turned around, picking up the bulletins that were on the table.
"And congrattions on reaching the fifth rank. I''ll treat you to a bottle of good wine when we get back."
"Thank you, I''ll dly ept that. Ah, and thanks for your help during the ck King incident."
The conversation turned back to Dox.
When Joshua saw that Dox hadn''t returned during the ck King incident, he instructed his bulletins to write favorable articles about Jin and Murakan, thus increasing the n''s prestige.
"As I was looking at those articles, I came up with the thought that there were times when the Second gbearer and I got along well."
"I hope the same happens during this mission, Dark Crown Prince of Hufester. Hahaha..."
As soon as he heard the title of Dark Crown Prince, Jin felt an intense desire to try killing Cosmos again.
When Joshua and the ck Knights left the tent, Jin and Dyfus''s gazes naturally met.
"Second older brother."
"Yes?"
Jin spoke after a short pause.
"...Let''s kill that person during this mission."
Dyfus was surprised by the sudden deration.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 486
Chapter 486
C486
Cough!
The sound of Dyfus clearing his throat echoed in the barracks.
"What did you say?"
For a moment, he thought his ears were ying tricks on him, but he received an immediate response.
"I said we should kill the Second gbearer on this mission."
To kill Joshua.
Dyfus had never heard such words since he was born.
Not even Mary in her prime had said anything like it.
''I''ve been thinking about it, but he''s really crazy, and...''
It''s also frightening.
He''s not someone who would say things without careful consideration.
Saying ''Let''s kill Joshua'' means he had already finished nning it.
The neer to the headquarters seemed to be nning to kill Joshua.
Dyfus couldn''t immediately figure out the basis of that n, but it sent a shiver down his spine.
"Anyway, you have a knack for surprising people. Why do you want to kill that person? I''m sure it''s not because you''re angry with him for mocking your new title, Dark Crown Prince."
"Of course, that''s not the reason, but it wasn''t pleasant."
"Joshua might have genuinely thought your title was cool. When he was young, what he liked the most was his title of ''ck Lion.'' He said it felt like he was seeding our mother."
Jin and Dyfus shared a lightugh.
"I didn''t know the Second gbearer had such a cute side."
"You would have found him even cuter if you had spent your childhood with him. Anyway, what if I decline your offer?"
Dyfus adjusted his expression and asked, and Jin shrugged.
"Do you have a reason for it?"
"Once the infiltration into the underground shipyard begins, all the Execution Knights of the Sota Desert will return to the Family."
"Is this because withdrawing after the infiltration is impossible if they are not at the level of ck Knights?"
"That''s right. So the personnel directly involved in the mission are just you and me, Murakan-nim, the Second gbearer you want to kill, and his ck Knights. That means each person is valuable toplete the mission."
Jin let out a sigh upon hearing this.
"You speak as someone who came to this secret shipyard in the Sota Desert without knowing it''s a trap set by Zipple, older brother."
Dyfus''s eyes narrowed.
"Anyway, this mission can only seed halfway at best. The best oue will be to return safely after destroying the facility. The battleship blueprints? Do you think Zipple left something like that intentionally after leaking information? Clearly, there''s nothing significant in Sections Four, Eleven, Seventeen, and Neen."
The purpose of Zipple leaking the location of the secret shipyard in the Sota Desert.
That was a problem Dyfus had been pondering all along.
He knew it was a trap, but it was too extensive to ignore.
However, it was difficult to understand what Zipple''s true purpose was.
Does the younger one have a guess about Zipple''s purpose?
Killing Joshua is not an empty statement, but what are his intentions?
While Dyfus contemted, Jin spoke again.
"Stop thinking and make a decision. Will you join me in killing Joshua, or not? I''ll give you five seconds. After that, even if you change your mind, I''ll handle it alone. 5, 4."
"Hey, hey, younger one! Wait a moment!"
"3, 2..."
In the end, Dyfus nodded before Jin finished counting.
Though he felt dragged into it, he realized that if he didn''t negotiate with Jin now, he would probably be the one suffering in this mission.
Above all, it was an opportunity.
An opportunity to "definitely" kill his older brother, the Second gbearer, whom he had wanted to kill all his life.
The younger brother that Dyfus saw was undoubtedly the person who would carry out his words.
"Darn it! Let''s do it together."
"A beautiful moment of brotherly solidarity, you won''t regret it."
Seeing Jin smirk, Dyfus muttered under his breath that there was no devil like him.
"But, there''s a condition."
"Go ahead."
"Share with me all the information you have."
"For example?"
"Information about Joshua''s assistant, the figure known as the Prophet, and what you think Zipple''s purpose is. Above all, why do you want to kill Joshua now?"
"Is that all?"
"Yes."
"I''ll tell you the first one after the mission is over. However, I''ll tell you the second and third ones right away. In my opinion, Zipple''s purpose is to assess the capabilities of the forces of other major factions."
"Are you saying Zipple is using this shipyard as bait to assess the strength of external forces? Isn''t that a bit exaggerated? I can''t even estimate the manpower and resources that have been put into this facility."
"You can think of it that way. However, perhaps you''ve also pondered Zipple''s purpose beyond what I just mentioned. Is there a more reasonable exnation than what I mentioned?"
There wasn''t.
Dyfus was also more concerned because he was aware of the main premise that "as long as Cyron exists, there is no total war."
"Especially, Zipple would have needed to confirm Joshua''s abilities. More specifically, Zipple wants to see if Joshua and our mother have the strength to guard Runcandel instead of our father. Hasn''t the timee when we can no longer survive just on the name of the world''s best swordmaster?"
Kinzelo had the mysterious power of its leader, the power of Bouvard''s Chaos, the Legends Golems, the Empire had the Demon Men, Zipple''s living golems, and mass production of battleships, and maniption of history.
In such a situation, Runcandel had only clung to his sword.
At least, that''s what has been revealed so far.
"So, by the time we start the infiltration, Zipple will have already achieved part of his goal. After all, he wouldn''t have been able to create such a perfect infiltration tunnel without the power of the Prophet."
"I understand. And what about the third? Leaving aside the method of killing the Second gbearer, what is your real goal? What benefits does the death of the Second gbearer bring to the Family?"
Dyfus asked this, but he had already drawn his own conclusion.
What effect will Joshua''s death have on the Family?
If the younger one and I kill the Second gbearer on this mission, it will undoubtedly bring division to the Family.
''Then I''ll have to change the tides and rearrange things.''
Remove the rotten Runcandel from Rosa and Joshua.
That was the reorganization Dyfus had in mind.
After Jin made it public through Mary that information about the ''legacy of the first patriarch'' existed within the Family.
The siblings, especially Dyfus and Mary, no longer respected Rosa''s favoritism.
The premise that "Rosa always makes decisions for the family" had shattered.
From then on, Rosa''s favoritism was the biggest culprit for the destruction of the Family in Dyfus''s eyes.
''Of course, the utility value of Joshua and mother has notpletely disappeared. When the reorganization is over, I will have to confront my mother as well. The Prophet would be under the control of my mother, not Joshua anyway.''
Whates next?
The remaining gbearers would continue to fight for the throne, seeking the legacy of the first patriarch of the Family to restore Runcandel''s ancient glory.
He needed to break the curse that bound the Family and enter a bright era of Magic Swordsmen that Jin briefly showed.
Although theypeted for the throne, Dyfus was in favor of Jin''s statement about the return of the Magic Swordsmen.
Jin seemed to see through Dyfus''s thoughts.
Dyfus''s thoughts seemed to have a shape that wasn''t bad.
''The future ns that older brother Dyfus is thinking about are close to the right path. The problem is that there''s no way Joshua would have sent his real body to this dangerous ce. Older brother Dyfus doesn''t know, so he''s just thinking that this is a golden opportunity to change the Family, and he epted my offer as if he were attracted to it.''
Jin hid a bitter smile within himself and made eye contact with Dyfus.
"What benefit does it bring to the Family? It''s an opportunity to cut the rotten chain of favoritism and purify the Family. Even if we kill Joshua, the Prophet will be under our mother''s control anyway, so we can decide what to do with her abilities at that time."
Dyfus''s eyes widened.
He felt a strange sense of kinship knowing that Jin had the same thoughts as himself.
It was disappointing to think that his younger brother wasn''t his perfect ally like Mary.
"Older brother, honestly, I didn''t n to make you this proposal. I thought I could kill Joshua on my own. But elder sister Mary asked me toe back with you without getting hurt."
"Mary said something that doesn''t suit her. Spooky. But I didn''t know that you''re one who gets moved by such tepid words."
"It''s not that, but I''m also a human being. Sometimes I feel family love, and sometimes I want to repay my rtives'' favor. That''s why I told you in advance, so that you wouldn''t get hurt while I killed Joshua. Incidentally, our goals align."
Jin was sincere.
"Is that exnation enough?"
Dyfus nodded and reached out to Jin.
"Alright, it''s a moment of beautiful brotherly solidarity, even if it''s temporary."
As they shook hands, Jin couldn''t help but feel a twinge of conscience for the first time in a long time.
Well...
Even if it means killing a clone, I''ll surely make it beneficial for the Family in the end, so older brother Dyfus will understand.
Even if he doesn''t understand, it will only be Dyfus who looks foolish after the incident is over.
That''s if everything goes ording to Jin''s n.
"Now, let''s talk about your n to kill that older brother. There can be many variables, so until we start the infiltration, let''s put our heads together to figure things out."
-----------------------------
February 28, 1800, 2 AM.
Once the execution knights cleared the barracks and withdrew, the operation began.
Jin, Murakan, Dyfus, Joshua, and two ck Knights, a total of six individuals, donned their infiltration gear and ran underground in the Sota Desert.
They were using a tunnel that extended from where the barracks were to the secret shipyard, and it had been formed in advance by Joshua using the power of a prophet.
And as soon as they reached the beginning of the shipyard after running silently for a while.
The group encountered an unexpected sight.
"...Looks like the rats used our tunnel."
Joshua said as he examined a round object ced on the ground, resembling a human head.
He checked its face, and it turned out to be one of the shipyard''s overseers.
"It seems to be Kinzelo, Second gbearer."
The moment one of the ck Knights made that statement, a loud sh and explosion noise began toe from beyond the tunnel.
"...Seems like the bastard beasts are causing trouble."
Joshua said, looking nonchntly beyond the tunnel.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 487
Chapter 487
C487
The initial divisions of Runcandel and Kinzelo, which didn''t reach the Gaifa Inds, set up camp in the Sota Desert while Jin met with Am.
Simr to how Joshua used the power of a prophet to create tunnels in the desert...
Kinzelo members also utilized their skills to form an exploration tunnel, secretly employing some of Joshua''s tunnels.
Jin''s gaze fell on the head of the deceased shipyard director.
The messy cut surface of the neck looked as if it had been torn apart.
It was far from suitable for infiltration and assassination.
Moreover, it''s quite a distance away, and yet themotion is significant.
It''s not an incident that happened on the spot during the infiltration; it was a direct attack on the shipyard.
It seemed that Kinzelo members had decided to approach the secret shipyard in the Sota Desert in apletely different way than the Runcandels.
Why would Kinzelo members dare to act so boldly?
''They must have a solid reason for it.''
The Sota Desert is adjacent to Drakka, the capital of the Lutero Magical Federation.
That''s why the Runcandels choose this method of infiltration.
But the Kinzelo members were boldly stirring the world''s most dangerous ho''s nest.
"There''s no way our information leaked, but they started their operation at the same time... Is it just an unfortunate coincidence?"
As Jin began to reflect, Joshua clenched his teeth and frowned.
THUD!
Joshua''s words were suddenly drowned out by a deafening explosion, as if they were waiting for the Runcandels.
The vibrations were so intense that it felt like the tunnel would copse at any moment.
For example...
It seemed that Runcandel''s n hadpletely failed.
The thunderous rm of the defensive magic, sounding like madness amid the deafening explosion, was getting on their nerves.
Jin had been calcting how to kill Joshua and seed in his mission since the night before.
However, Kinzelo''s sudden terrorist act was unexpected.
But perhaps this turn of events is not so bad.
''At least not for me and elder brother Dyfus.''
Jin was sure that Joshua had ''information about this mission that he hadn''t shared with him and Dyfus.''
As he had told Dyfus before, the sections Four, Eleven, Seventeen, and Neen marked on the shipyard''s interior map made no sense.
Joshua probably believed that I or elder brother Dyfus would naively choose one of those sections to investigate.
He must have thought that we had no choice but to do something, even if it meant destroying the shipyard anyway.
And he would try to take advantage of the chaos to sneak off on his own to the real location with valuable information.
Jin had assumed that the location of the information Joshua was trying to monopolize was the "Second Magic Tower."
Drakka wasn''t the only ce near the Sota Desert shipyard. Not far away was Zipple''s "Second Magic Tower."
Of course, it was only an assumption that Joshua was trying to monopolize information about the Second Magic Tower.
So, when the infiltration began, Jin had nned to watch Joshua with Dyfus''s help.
He would intentionally mention the Second Magic Tower or focus the search on the part of the shipyard closest to it.
There''s little chance that Zipple has prepared an infiltration to the Second Magic Tower, considering how close Drakka is.
It''s hard to believe that we or Kinzelo would dare to meddle with the Second Magic Tower.
''Both of us would have more than enough with destroying the shipyard....''
Woo!
The moment Jin thought to that point, he felt a chill running down his spine.
''Maybe there''s no need to watch Joshua; it''s definitely the Second Magic Tower. Kinzelo members are trying to attract the attention of the Second Magic Tower forces and lure them to the shipyard, then steal the empty house!''
That''s why Kinzelo is shamelessly terrorizing the shipyard.
They were aware that the truly important data was not inside the shipyard but outside, specifically within the Second Magic Tower.
Moreover...
''Damn bastards from Kinzelo! Do they also know that part of the battleship ns is in the Second Magic Tower and not in the shipyard?
Joshua thought the same.
However, unlike Kinzelo, who was confidently destroying the shipyard, he felt a chill in his bones.
It can''t be a coincidence that they started the terrorist act right during our infiltration time.
Information about our operation and the Second Magic Tower must have leaked, although I don''t know the exact route....
Joshua had originally nned to entrust Jin, Murakan, and Dyfus with the task of distracting Zipples as Kinzelo members were doing now, while he took the opportunity to advance toward the Second Magic Tower.
The underground shipyard was huge, so he thought it wouldn''t be that difficult to deceive his brothers and Murakan.
That''s why when he confirmed that it was Jin and Murakan who hade yesterday instead of Mary, he inwardly rejoiced.
But now, the situation had worsened!
Amidst distant explosions and the silence that followed, the attention of the Runcandels focused on Joshua.
It was an unspoken pressure for him to make a decision, being the ultimate decision-maker in this matter.
He felt anxiety as Kinzelo members outmaneuvered him...
The pressure of having to reassess all his moves from the beginning, and the emotionless face of his younger brother right in front of him.
Due to these factors, Joshua could barely maintainposure.
First of all, I must stay calm.
If I show the slightest hint of panic, Jin will notice.
He''s not one to miss a scent, that''s for sure.
No matter how cautious...
Jin was already reading Joshua''s most intimate thoughts.
Joshua hadn''t realized, not even in his dreams.
And it wasn''t only Joshua whose guts were burning.
Given the magnitude of Kinzelo''s terrorist attack, the mission to destroy the shipyard is practically finished. Moreover, as the younger one said, the importance of the four sections that Joshua imed was just a trick to deceive both me and the younger one, so it''s right for Joshua to make the decision to withdraw now....
Dyfus also felt his mouth drying up as he remembered the conversation he had with Jin the night before.
-I mentioned earlier that there wouldn''t be anything important in sections Four, Eleven, Seventeen, and Neen, right?
-That''s right. Since Zipple deliberately leaked the shipyard''s location, it''s impossible that they left crucial data like battleship ns here.
-But there must be important data somewhere near the shipyard. Most likely in Drakka. But we can''t rob that ce, so the most probable ce is the Second Magic Tower.
-So what you''re saying is that the genuinely vital information is in the Second Magic Tower, and Joshua is pretending to infiltrate the shipyard with us while nning to gather information from the Second Magic Tower alone?
-Yes.
-Hmm, let''s assume you''re right. And our elder brother is undoubtedly a piece of trash, but he''s not so foolish as to jeopardize the Family''s interests for his own benefit. Recently, he used the media to support you during the ck King incident.
-You''re right. However, for Joshua to safely extract information from the Second Magic Tower, it would be better to deceive us as well, don''t you think?
-That''s possible. But, Jin, your argument is based on possibilities, not concrete evidence. It''s just spection. And even if that spection were true, what does it have to do with killing Joshua?
-When Joshua goes to the Second Magic Tower, he won''t take both ck Knights with him. At least one ck Knight has to stay in the shipyard for the purpose of deceiving us and buying time. However, we''ll also go to the Second Magic Tower without Joshua knowing. After all, there''s only one ck Knight left in the vast underground shipyard.
-And attack Joshua who is with only one ck Knight?
-We''ll attack him after he gets information from the Second Magic Tower. If we''re lucky, both ck Knights will remain in the shipyard. Then, he might be alone.
-And what if there''s still a ck Knight with Joshua in the Second Magic Tower?
-But since Murakan is there, we can easily kill him.
-No, I''m asking how we n to deal with the ck Knight. Subduing him without killing is impossible for us even if Lord Murakan is with us. Moreover, killing a ck Knight is a different problem than dealing with Joshua.
-Well, that''s more an act of treason than a session war.
-It''s not even close. Killing the ck Knight while carrying out such an important mission? That''s definitely treason. I''m disappointed because there are too many variables in your spections. I thought you had a strong hand.
-It''s the assassination of Runcandel''s Second gbearer. Furthermore, he''s known as the next Patriarch. If you can''t handle this level of risk, you won''t be able to do anything for the rest of your life. Even such a dangerous opportunity may nevere again.
-Sigh~
-And I have no intention of killing the ck Knight. I never thought the elder brother would be so scared, but please, if you want to give up, go ahead.
-...For now, after we infiltrate, let''s search the area closest to the Second Tower to assess Joshua''s intentions.
Dyfus was trying to suppress his restless thoughts since he had this conversation yesterday.
The disappointment he felt for his younger brother, adamant about killing Joshua with weak spections, and the sense of despair that made him want to jump onto a rickety boat were overwhelming.
But if Joshua chooses to continue the mission instead of a retreat, then...
''It means Jin''s spection was correct...!''
Unlike Joshua and Dyfus, Jin cleared his confused mind and was already calcting new variables.
''Kinzelo, those bastards have helped me again. You''re going to choose to enter, Joshua. You might want to die of frustration, but as elder brother Dyfus says, you won''t give up on the important Family interests.''
Jin hid a smile.
It wasn''t yet aplete victory, as spection was only bing reality.
"Oh, this is so frustrating!"
Suddenly, Murakan shouted at Joshua indignantly.
"Aren''t you the one with the authority to make decisions? Make a decision quickly. Are we continuing the mission or not? Why are you just standing there stupidly? Come on, I''m busy! If we''re going to retreat, let''s retreat quickly. I want to see Strawberry Pie."
Joshua had no choice but to respond this way.
"...We''ll continue the mission."
The moment Dyfus heard the decision, he felt his heart pounding like a drum.
He was stunned.
He couldn''t gauge to what extent Jin had been thinking ahead.
Yes, I suspected without reason.
''I can kill Joshua if I follow Jin''s movements.''
Once again, Jin realized that Dyfus''s disappointment was turning into anticipation.
He couldn''t help but feel a little sorry. What disappointment he will face when he finds out that the current Joshua is not the real one.
''I feel a bit guilty.''
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 488
Chapter 488
C488
Jin, Murakan, Dyfus, and Joshua lifted the masks hanging from their necks.
Boom!
Bang!
Barely a minute had passed, but the noise and vibration of battle had already significantly increased.
Now that the decision was made, they had to enter as soon as possible, even if it was for a second.
Drakka and the Second Magic Tower would provide immediate support.
"However, since the situation has changed, we''ll skip regrouping after gathering internal information and disperse immediately upon entry to confirm sections Four, Eleven, Seventeen, and Neen. The ck Knights and I will handle sections Four and Eleven, while the Fourth and Twelfth gbearers will take care of sections Seventeen and Neen."
Sections Four and Eleven were rtively farther from the Second Magic Tower than sections Seventeen and Neen. Joshua was also extremely cautious.
Even in such a situation, he wanted to make sure that Jin and Dyfus were as unaware of the Second Magic Tower as possible.
"Secure battleship ns or destroy the most important resources, and return safely to the main house. Also, prioritize escape if there''s a chance of being captured or killed by the enemy. All other decisions are at your discretion."
"Understood."
Joshua extended his fist toward Jin and Dyfus.
The two briefly looked at his fist and lightly bumped it.
"I wish you good luck, younger brothers."
"As we live, the day has finallye when my elder brother wishes me good luck. Well, let''s have a celebratory drink that you decided to give to Jin when we all return safe and sound."
"Good luck, Second gbearer."
First, Joshua and the ck Knights entered the shipyard beyond the tunnel.
Jin, Murakan, and Dyfus watched their backs for a moment.
"Ha! Kid, if you hadn''t stabbed me in the side, I would have turned his jaw without hesitation. Did he talk to me informally just because I make him ufortable by making decisions quickly? Someone like a Second gbearer? Many people died at the hands of this Murakan, indeed. I think about that every time something like this happens. He didn''t even wish me luck."
"Oh well, I appreciate your patience."
"Murakan-nim, that guy''s head will fall off his body before dawn anyway."
"Right, it''s like he''s already dead."
"Jin, I take back what I said about being disappointed yesterday. You were right all along. Kinzelo went beyond our expectations, but still."
There was no need to monitor Joshua anymore, but they still had to properly assess the situation after entering.
''I need to calcte when Kinzelo will make their move in the Second Magic Tower. It''s a problem if I go too fast or too slowpared to them. However, I must enterter than Joshua.''
The key was to capitalize on thepetition between Kinzelo and Joshua in the Second Magic Tower.
Now, it was time to think fast and adapt.
"Reinforcements will arrive in 30 minutes at thetest. They may have already arrived."
Even if dragons flew to the location, it would still take a minimum of 30 minutes to reach the Sota Desert.
"If that cubic thing you mentioned is also here, it''s possible."
A space-time device.
The unidentified cubic object that Midor Elnor used in Gaifa.
Jin had shared information about it with Dyfus beforehand.
Since the survivors of Gaifa had witnessed the space-time device, there was no point in keeping it a secret.
"I think it''s very likely that it''s also in the shipyard. While Joshua was here, he might have received information rted to it from elder brother Vigo or our mother, so it''s best to assume that he''s aware and taking measures."
Zipple was also aware that the other three major factions knew about the space-time device, so there was no need to hide it.
The reason Sandra Zipple got so angry when Midor Elnor used the device for revenge in Gaifa was that it should have been revealed at a more critical moment, such as directly attacking the Runcandel main house or forcing one of the major factions to surrender.
Midor believed he could kill Jin and his enemies and leave no evidence.
"Anyway, we''ll have to join forces with Kinzelo for a while."
After entering, Jin decided to massacre the Zipples with Kinzelo first, rather than going to the sections assigned by Joshua.
"We need to take care of as many as possible, especially those from the Second Magic Tower."
"I suppose that way we can reduce the number of troops returning after entering the Second Magic Tower, right? If there''s a cube in the Second Magic Tower."
As Dyfus responded, it was necessary to reduce Zipple''s forces as much as possible due to the cube.
Kinzelo was well aware of this fact, which is why they were carrying out such arge-scale terror operation.
It wasn''t just about ensuring easy entry into the Second Magic Tower.
"That''s right."
"Oh, my head hurts! So, kid, in short, are you saying we should go in and kill all the Zipples?"
"That''s right, but don''t reveal your true form and conserve your strength. If they find out that you and I are here, the level of reinforcements may change. Anyway, let''s start making our way through."
The tunnel led to the sixth section of the shipyard.
Upon entering, the first thing they saw was the dpidated facilities, mes ravaging various ces, and red tigers massacring executives with a sinister and mockingugh, as if they were third-rate viins.
"Die, you miserable humans!"
"From today, this ce is under Kinzelo''s control!"
"Please, forgive us!"
Jin and his group hid among devices, pirs, and pipes, observing them for a moment.
It seemed that Joshua and his group had already gone elsewhere.
''The Zipples are impressive.''
Despite the destruction and fire, seeing the underground shipyard for himself, Jin couldn''t help but be amazed.
Only the sixth section was filled with countless mechanicalponents and devices.
At first nce, there seemed to be dozens of identicalponents.
That meant at least that many battleships were being mass-produced in series.
"I was deeply shocked when I saw it in person for the first time. Even if they are battleships with half the power of those in Kozec, if they are mass-produced like this, the world will soon bepletely under Zipple''s control," Dyfus whispered, reading Jin''s thoughts.
"There''s nothing to fear, Dyfus Runcandel. I destroyed that finished product in a breath."
Unlike Murakan, who snorted, Jin felt somewhat troubled.
I have to analyze the space-time device as soon as I get back.
I don''t know about Kozec, but the Family must acquire mobile summoning device technologies or any means that can counteract them.
One reason Murakan could destroy Kozec-2 in Gaifa with a single breath was that his strength had recovered to 50%.
The level of the mages on the battleship was rtively low.
The battleship''s engine was influenced by the mana and magic of its passengers.
If the mages aboard that mass-produced battleship were at the level of Specters or Zipple''s elite mages, the oue could have been different.
A heavy weight pressed on his chest, as if a rock were crushing him.
''...There''s no need to be impatient. We''ll catch up. We must.''
If he could reim all of Temar''s legacy, and if he could lift the curse engraved in the Runcandel blood.
If he could restore the ancient glory of the Runcandels.
"By the way, it''s strange that Joshua and the ck Knights had no idea that the information had leaked."
"Are you referring to the operation time? I don''t think it''s a coincidence that Kinzelo initiated the terrorist attack right now. That said, I don''t think there''s a spy among the ck Knights Joshua brought. He would be extremely cautious about potential information leaks."
"Could there be a spy among the Execution Knights?"
"No, impossible. Even if there were, no one among the Execution Knights knew the exact timing of the operation. The control was executed perfectly."
"Joshua couldn''t have leaked it directly, so it means someone stole the information in the headquarters while avoiding Joshua''s, yours, and the two ck Knights'' guard."
"Joshua always carried the operation n with him. It''s almost impossible. Besides, he never spends time alone, and even when he sleeps, at least one ck Knight is always with him. It''s as if some kind of ghost is haunting him..."
Suddenly, Dyfus stopped speaking, as if something had crossed his mind.
At that moment, Jin and Dyfus thought of the same name.
"Could it be?"
"Yona...?"
Yona Runcandel.
There were only a handful of people in this world who could do such a thing, and the biggest one was undoubtedly Yona.
Both thought of their younger sister at the same time and felt an inexplicable chill.
"No, wait. It can''t be Yona. If Yona were involved in this matter, it would only be if Mother personally entrusted the request to No Name. But does Mother have any reason to hide that fact from Joshua?"
Due to ack of time, it was not impossible for Jonas toe as well.
But Jin believed that if his younger sister had known about the shipyard information, she would have warned when she came to see Tikan.
"No, she wouldn''t have."
"...In that case, is it Owal-nim, the Nameless King?"
"I think if anyone from the Nameless is involved, it would be the Nameless King rather than the older sister Yona. I don''t think Mother would have entrusted this, but Kinzelo would have sought help from the Nameless."
"Right, whether it''s amission or something else, it wouldn''t make sense for Yona to be used by the Nameless to steal information from Runcandel. If Owal-nim and the main assassins of the Nameless are involved, that would roughly exin it."
Of course, it wasn''t a definitive conclusion.
It would make sense as long as they left no traces, but still, the Nameless, who had been maintaining neutrality, had little reason to intervene in such a delicate matter.
"Hmm. Even if the Nameless were involved, it''s unlikely that they would get more involved in this matter. In the end, it''s not a bad situation for us, so we don''t need to worry too much about it."
"That''s correct. They probably just handed over the operation information to Kinzelo and then withdrew. Let''s head to section Seventeen and the Second Magic Tower for now. We should assess the situation in other sections as we go."
The group began to move, leaving behind the sight of the Red Tigers massacring the managers of the shipyard''s Section Six.
But it seems a bit strange.
Could it really be her...?
No, it can''t be, right?
It''s probably a trick. Even if she came, as Brother Dyfus said, she has probably already returned to Samil.
She would have only passed on information to Kinzelo.
Despite his unease, Jin opened his senses and observed his surroundings more carefully.
However, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Jin couldn''t fathom that a woman was smiling and watching him, even in his dreams.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 489
C489
"Kyaa! He just saw me, he saw me! Kekekeke!"
"...Until a moment ago, you were smiling calmly and maintaining some dignity in your own way, miss. Do you really have tough like a maniac every time?"
"But Jin looked at me!"
"It''s natural to thoroughly check all directions during the infiltration. He didn''t look at you."
"Besides, it''s been so long since Ist saw him like this."
"Miss, it hasn''t been more than a month since your first andst encounter with Jin Runcandel. That can be considered a long time."
"Jin must be happy to see me, right?"
"Strictly speaking, you haven''t seen him, except for the fact that you''re secretly spying on him. Jin Runcandel doesn''t know that you''re pressing your flushed face against the crystal ball, miss."
"How much did he want to see me toe all the way here?"
"Miss, Jin Runcandel didn''te to see you but to harm your n."
"Oh, my Jin has left Section Six! Does this crystal ball show the next section? No, is that it!? I don''t want to miss a single second of that handsome face. Hedo, Hedo!"
The one behind is the crystal ball for the next section. And what face are you exactly talking about? All I can see is a ck mask. Since we can''t hear a voice, it''s even hard to identify who Jin Runcandel is.
"Hehe, but I can see it all with my eyes."
"Please control yourself, miss..."
Hedo''s gaze fell on Sandra''s right arm.
To be precise, it was a prosthetic.
She wore a golden prosthesis since she had never recovered her right arm mutted by Jin. Moreover, she had engraved Jin''s face on the inner side of her forearm, and Sandra''s room was filled with things rted to Jin, such as carefully cut advertising brochures and newspaper articles.
As a second-ss butler and Sandra''s personal butler, how could Hedo not sigh at her like this?
"Huu."
In the end, Hedo lit ten cigarettes in a row.
That''s how it had been since that day.
Sandra had been constantly talking about Jin,pletely disregarding all n matters.
It seemed that stress was making her hair fall out.
"Miss."
"Shut up, shut up. I need to focus because Jin is going too fast."
"Miss Sandra."
"Oh, what is it!"
"You have to report."
"Report what?"
"Jin Runcandel has reached the shipyard, which means you need to report to the Patriarch. You''re on duty now."
Sandra opened her eyes and looked at Hedo for the first time.
Then she said.
"Hedo, then my husband will die. Or he will cease to be Jin."
"Well, that''s probably true. But considering the survival skills the Twelfth gbearer has shown so far, you never know."
"So don''t bring up such nonsense again."
Hedo hadn''t brought up this topic with any expectations.
He knew his miss would naturally react this way.
He had just mentioned it with the feeling of grasping at a straw.
"And if you mention it again, even if you''re Hedo, I''ll split your mouth. Not horizontally, but vertically. Don''t ruin my happiness. Understood?"
"Yes, yes. Do you want to try it?"
"It probably won''t work."
"Just don''t let it happen. If you''re not going to report, at least stay quiet. This time, I have nothing to say to the Patriarch either."
"I have to meet Jin!"
The two were in the office of the Master of the Second Magic Tower.
When Zipple built the secret shipyard, they deliberately chose the Sota Desert, near the Second Magic Tower.
This was to inspect the shipyard through the use of crystal balls.
If they wanted to thoroughly control everything, including technology leaks, proximity to the tower was ideal.
Currently, as Jin had predicted, Zipple had presented the shipyard as bait to external forces to assess their power and abilities.
However, that was not its original purpose.
If Kinzelo had not revealed himself and if Joshua had not used his mysterious abilities, the shipyard would not have been wasted like this.
While Sandra rummaged through the office closet, Hedo touched his forehead and carefully examined the scattered crystal balls.
Almost all sections were being attacked simultaneously.
Beastmen and members of Kinzelo were wreaking havoc, and Joshua and his group were also seen.
Hedo especially observed the movements of Jin and his group.
''...It doesn''t seem like they''re trying to search the four sections they deliberately let escape.''
The movements were excessivelyplex.
If their intention was to destroy the shipyard and only check the important section, they should have taken the shortest route from the moment Kinzelo initiated the attack.
''But Jin Runcandel seems to be moving as if trying to oversee the entire internal situation, like someone who doesn''t know Sections Four, Eleven, Seventeen, and Neen. Perhaps the Second gbearer didn''t share those false pieces of information... No, wait.''
There was something strange.
This time he wasn''t thinking about Jin but about Kinzelo.
''Not a single high executive of Kinzelo is visible among the people destroying the shipyard.''
Even after looking through the crystal balls of all sections, not a single high executive was visible.
There were no figures like Berakt or Bishkel, and most were beastmen at the assault team leader level.
At that moment, Hedo fully understood the situation.
Kinzelo didn''te alone to destroy the shipyard.
They used the attack on the shipyard as a diversion, and high executives are targeting other ces. Some ce with the real information.
Right here, the White Night Tower.
As long as Kinzelo isn''t insane, they won''t target Drakka.
After convincing himself of Kinzelo''s intentions, he observed Jin again and understood his movements.
''Jin Runcandel is also aiming here. And he is calcting when to enter the Second Magic Tower to take full advantage of Kinzelo.''
Once the objectives and movements of the intruders were understood, it was time to respond.
"Hedo, how about this shirt and coat? I ordered them especially for the high circles of the Golden Peng, and they say they are exactly to his liking. They even went into detail exining how close they are to him. It made me jealous, and I almost killed them."
"Miss, how many reinforcements did you send earlier?"
"How does the outfit look?"
"They are beautiful. But, could you tell me how many Tower Mages you sent to the shipyard?"
"I sent them all."
"....I must have misheard. Could you repeat that?"
"I thought Tower Mages would cause amotion and disturb my enjoyment with my husband, so I told them to leave."
"Emergency reserve personnel?"
"Yes!"
"And the space-time device..."
"That bastard used it in Gaifa and shattered it into pieces."
"Oh, I see."
"How foolish!"
Ting!
Hedo''s muscles bulged even more, causing the buttons of his shirt to pop off.
When Hedo felt intense stress or anger, his muscles tended to swell.
However, what angered him was not Sandra''s cheerful response.
The first reason was the broken space-time device, and the second, the actions of the Spectre Corps.
Are those specters fools?
Even if the youngdy ordered them, how can they just leave like that?
It was highly unlikely.
The Spectre Corps had underestimated Sandra.
Sandra''s orders would have seemed irrational and strange to anyone who heard them, so at the very least, they should havee to receive her confirmation.
"Octavia Zipple underestimated the youngdy, so her subordinates will see her as a brat and treat her as such."
Thud! Crack!
His shirt waspletely torn, revealing his "enormous" physique.
The incredibly powerful muscles, which no one could forget once they saw them, had repeatedly exceeded their limits. Theybined remarkable strength with indescribable beauty.
''I suppose I should give them a warning.''
Hedo gritted his teeth, and Sandra hummed.
"Anyway, isn''t my outfit beautiful? Having Hedo praise it is the first time since I was five, isn''t it? Haha, what if Jin falls in love with me? Here I go, Jin! Just a little more... Ah!"
When Sandra was about to run out, Hedo grabbed her by the nape.
"What are you trying to do?"
"...Miss, your outfit is very nice, but it has too many wrinkles. And your hair is messy."
"Really?"
"It''s better to have a well-dressed appearance, especially when you''re about to meet someone you admire and want to impress. You should take a bath; in the meantime, I''ll prepare your clothes. I''ll also choose appropriate jewelry for you."
Hedo carefully removed dirt from Sandra''s shoulders.
"And what if I can''t meet my husband? Jin has to escape soon. Reinforcements will swarm from Drakka like cockroaches."
"Don''t worry, miss. Jin Runcandel wille here."
"What did you say? Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"And what if he doesn''te?"
"If by chance my assumptions are wrong, I will personally capture him and bring him here."
Hedo had never disappointed her, so Sandra nodded immediately.
"Very well! Good thing I sent everyone away. A second meeting in this empty tower is very romantic. Hedo, you''ll leave too when Jines, understood? I want some alone time with him."
To avoid lying (since Kinzelo and Joshua would also arrive), Hedo changed the subject with a smile.
"And, miss, before you go take a bath, please give me the key."
He referred to the key to the vault that held the most important items of the Second Magic Tower, including the ship ns.
In such a situation, it was safer to have them in his possession than to leave them in the vault.
"Here, take it."
Sandra handed him the key hanging from her neck.
As she was about to turn around, she remembered something and told Hedo.
"Oh, Hedo, before telling me to dress nicely, you should put on some clothes too. What''s wrong with you? Everything is in tatters, and you''re barely wearing scraps of fabric. Even your sses are crooked."
Sandra jumped up and adjusted Hedo''s sses.
They were still crooked, but Hedoughed.
"I never thought I would serve someone as shameless and crazy as you."
"I didn''t know I would fall in love with Jin either."
The two left the room together.
Sandra went to the bathroom, and Hedo headed to the vault.
By the way, Runcandel and Kinzelo really have potential.
''I thought they would only focus on the shipyard, but it seems they are also aware of this ce.''
While Hedo inserted the key into the vault, he paused and raised an eyebrow.
The sensation of inserting the key into the lock was strange.
It was as if someone had already opened the vault today.
An unsettling feeling, as if the key went in too smoothly.
Click!
He quickly opened the vault.
The inside was empty, and Hedo could only touch his forehead once again.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 490
Chapter 490
C490
Woo-!
Joshua swung his sword once, and the bodies of five magicians were split in two.
Other nearby magicians tried to escape and were killed by Jane''s Sword...
The ck Knight standing next to them couldn''t even emit a final scream.
It had been thirty minutes since their infiltration.
During that time, they had killed over two hundred bosses and magicians, and also taken down over thirty members of Kinzelo and beastmen who, unfortunately, witnessed the scene.
Reinforcements from Drakka and the Second Magic Tower had already entered the underground shipyard.
They had managed to suppress Kinzelo, but had not yet encountered Joshua and his group because the shipyard was immense, coupled with Joshua and his group''s exceptional stealth capabilities, but it was only a matter of time before they were discovered.Instead of pressing forward, Joshua and Jane waited for another ck Knight while purging the trials.
"Mon is here, Second gbearer."
Joshua turned his head in response to Jane''s words.
The ck Knight named Mon had been observing Jin''s movements for the past 20 minutes instead of moving with them.
The reason Joshua had ordered Mon to stay behind Jin was simple:
He wasn''t sure if Jin had discovered that the blueprints were in the Second Magic Tower.
"What did it seem like?"
"He didn''t take the shortest path to Sections Seventeen and Neen. It looked like he was carefully monitoring the actions of Kinzelo''s members."
"Did you personally hear what my brothers were discussing?"
"The Twelfth gbearer was on high alert, and Zipple''s reinforcements were continuously added. Especially, Murakan''s senses were sharp. If I had approached even a little, it would have be a problem."
Not everything is possible even for the ck Knight.
It was challenging for the ck Knight to get close enough to hear Jin, Murakan, and Dyfus without being detected.
The only reason he could glimpse their path at all was because Mon was a ck Knight.
"They''re not taking the shortest route."
Joshua pondered on that fact and shook his head.
"I think it''s best to proceed assuming that Jin is well aware that the battleship blueprints are in the Second Magic Tower. My ominous premonition seems to have been correct."
"I share the same opinion. Even if he wasn''t aware at all of the Second Magic Tower, he would have realized after seeing Kinzelo''s terror. The Twelfth gbearer is sharp and perceptive, so it''s impossible that it would have escaped his notice."
"We should actively use Jin and his group from now on. Kinzelo will also send true powerhouses to the Second Magic Tower who won''t engage in terrorism."
"It''s a bit annoying that we haven''t shared information about the Second Magic Tower with the Fourth and Twelfth gbearers from the beginning."
"That''s not an issue, Mon-nim. Jane-nim. I didn''t withhold information about the Second Magic Tower from my brothers because I wanted to monopolize it."
Joshua sincerely believed that Jin and Dyfus would divert the attention of Zipples within the shipyard, and he could easily get the blueprints.
If only Kinzelo hadn''t acted this way.
"That''s right. The real problem is that our information leaked to Kinzelo. The only individuals who could prate the guards of the three and extract information are mainly Yona Runcandel and the Nameless King. But it seems unlikely that Nameless personnel were involved in this incident."
"The leader of Kinzelo may have used a special power, or there may have been some demon involved. At the moment, not even the Prophet was able to find the location of the battleship blueprints without leaving a trace and without anyone knowing."
Mon and Jane responded like this, but indeed, there were traces that numerous humans were used to help the Prophet find the location of the battleship blueprints.
Her prophecies and magic always required a living human as a catalyst.
However, the two ck Knights were unaware of this.
"We will confirm the information leak through the Prophetter."
Joshua thought for a moment.
''No matter how the information leaked, I have topete with Kinzelo. And Jin... is probably thinking of taking advantage of the opportunity created by my involvement with Kinzelo to steal the Second Magic Tower.''
For now, let''s follow Jin''s ns.
That''s the conclusion Joshua arrived at.
Perhaps it''s for the best.
After all, my original n was to infiltrate the Second Magic Tower alone, without Kinzelo.
The cooperation of Jin, Murakan, and Dyfus could be really helpful.
''Besides, both Jin and Kinzelo won''t let this slide.''
Joshua reached into the pocket of his infiltration suit and touched an object.
It was a key, the key to the armored vault of the Second Magic Tower that Sandra Zipple wore around her neck.
Before infiltrating the Sota Desert, the Prophet had meticulously copied the location of the vault and its contents, even replicating this key.
-essing the armored vault of the Second Magic Tower quickly is impossible without this key. There are hundreds of illusory and defensive spells. They won''t activate if you have the key.
-Are you sure?
-When have I lied?
-Wouldn''t it have been better to copy the blueprints?
"You''re talking nonsense again. That wouldn''t have been possible with more materials. I managed to create the infiltration tunnel, locate the armored vault, and even replicate the key for you with the limited resources I had. You should be grateful for that. Did you think a dead demon like Rontelgius could achieve something like this?"
-What do you mean?
-Did you think I wouldn''t know that you relied on that bastard demon? I just turned a blind eye to your pitiful andical acts. Now make sure to seed this time, and bring back the battleship blueprints and the object.
Joshua recalled the conversation he had with the Prophet before his departure.
He didn''t know the Prophet had information about Rontelgius, but that no longer mattered.
Jin will discover the true nature of the shadow force marble, and if it is as significant as my intuition suggests, I can retrieve it at that moment.
For a while now, the Prophet had been needling Joshua, probing his pride, and showing signs of betrayal, but the Prophet was undoubtedly Joshua''s most crucial asset.
''Besides, if Kinzelo''s leader and other special individuals had abilities equal to or superior to the Prophet''s, they would have taken not only the ns of our operation but also this key.''
Joshua remained the most likely candidate to loot the objects from the second magic tower.
As his thoughts converged, he felt reassured that the situation would unfold once again ording to his calctions.
"Mon-nim," Joshua said with a determined tone.
"Please tell me, Second gbearer."
"We will stop lurking in the shadows and move swiftly. Mon-nim, you must divert Zipple''s attention from now on."
Although they had already killed more than two hundred bosses and magicians, as well as over thirty members of Kinzelo, Joshua and his group were still in the midst of their infiltration mission.
Zipple had only suffered losses due to acts of terror.
Joshua''s words meant they had to cease the infiltration and start causing destruction.
If the Kinzelo members with the rank of assault teammander or lower, roaming freely in the shipyard, were small fish, the ck Knight was a whale.
The misceneous fish couldn''t match his presence.
"I and Jane-nim will head straight to the Second Magic Tower. If possible, join us after the destruction, but prioritize your survival and escape."
"Understood."
"And, Mon-nim, please tell me the path Jin and his group took. It''s time to team up with him again."
------------------------------
A sudden pause.
Jin and his group, who were running, stopped at the same time.
This was because they felt a strong energy and an explosion out of nowhere, as if a punch had been thrown.
Although acts of terror were continuous, this level of change was something even those who had reached this level could feel.
"Hey, what''s going on? Were there Kinzelo guys with so much energy? With this kind of vibration, a couple of whole sections over there seem to have disappeared."
"It''s towards sections Four and Eleven, Murakan-nim. That''s where Joshua and the ck Knights were, so it might be that a battle erupted between them and the specters who came for support."
"...No, I don''t sense any magic, Elder Brother Dyfus. If an explosion of this magnitude were caused by magic, it should have altered the mana flow within the facilities."
"In that case, Joshua might have genuinely attacked sections Four and Eleven."
"As I anticipated, Joshua may have left a ck Knight in the shipyard to act as a distraction."
"Is the ck Knight pretending to have genuinely attacked sections Four and Eleven, and Joshua takes the opportunity to head to the Second Magic Tower?"
Normally, one would have questioned if their conjectures went too far...
But Dyfus had decided to trust Jin after seeing Joshua''s decision to continue the mission.
At least for this mission.
"In any case, now it''s likely that Zipple''s reinforcements will converge over there. This means that the optimal time for us to enter the Second Magic Tower is imminent. Let''s wait a moment to see if the vibrations are approaching or receding."
The vibrations were rapidly receding.
"It seems like the ck Knight..."
Jin, who had been talking until then, suddenly held his breath and brought his index finger to his lips.
Seeing that, Murakan and Dyfus also quickly ended their presence.
A distant scream was heard.
Jin and his group were at that moment near Section Seventeen, and like Joshua and his group, they hade this far and killed most of Zipples and Kinzelo members.
In particr, they didn''t leave a single magician alive who came to support from the Second Magic Tower.
In other words, there weren''t many survivors near Section Seventeen.
Therefore, unless there were newly arrived reinforcements, there should be no sound of fast footsteps.
''The sound of footsteps is too scarce to be reinforcements. And the footsteps are too fast. They seem like highly trained warriors running at full speed.''
Someone was approaching Jin and his group after massacring the remnants near Section Seventeen.
Dyfus and Murakan could also feel the sound of those footsteps running carelessly, as if there was no need to be cautious.
And shortly after, Jin and his group, who were hidden in the pipes near the entrance to Section Seventeen, could witness two figures disappearing as fast as light.
"Joshua and the ck Knight...!"
Dyfus was the first to speak.
There was only one ck Knight.
He got goosebumps all over his body checking that Jin''s prediction was right once again.
"Oh, kid. You were right."
Murakan also whistled amazed, but Jin had a rather stern expression.
"That might not be good, Elder Brother Dyfus."
Dyfus raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"Why?"
"It was perfect to leave a ck Knight to draw attention and sneak into the Second Magic Tower in the meantime. But doesn''t it seem like he''s heading to the Second Magic Tower if he wants us to see it?"
"Hmm."
"If they''re running at full speed, it means they must want to get there as fast as they can. Although we''re on a path that''s rtively close to the Second Magic Tower, there''s a separate shortcut. In other words, Joshua should have taken another path, not this one."
Listening to Jin, they realized it was indeed so.
"If that''s the case, Joshua might have been following us to figure out our path."
"Kid, maybe they were running fast without thinking much?"
"Murakan, didn''t you say earlier that it seemed like someone was following us from behind?"
"Well, I did mention it. I had a feeling, but I wasn''t sure."
"And Elder Brother Dyfus and I also had that feeling, right?"
There was a moment of silence.
"...Ugh, fine. I don''t know about Joshua, but a ck Knight could have confirmed our path from a distance. So why? If they checked our path, it should be with the purpose of secretly infiltrating the Second Magic Tower, right? There''s no reason for him to intentionally let us know, right?"
Dyfus spoke, sounding frustrated, and Jin pondered for a moment.
"Well, maybe because he''s sure of something. But what that something is... honestly, I can''t think of anything. I guess we''ll have to be dragged by that guy."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 491
Chapter 491
C491
Jin decided to follow Joshua and his group and head slowly towards the Second Magic Tower.
Joshua and his group advanced while massacring Zipples and Kinzelo members in the following sections, so there was no need to engage in battles or hide.
Scenes of corpses, blood, and destruction continued.
From behind, the vibrations and noise of ongoing battles could still be heard, and it seemed that at this rate, the entire shipyard was going to copse.
I guess it''s up to us to be dragged by Joshua.
As they moved, Dyfus recalled Jin''sst words.
Yes, not even Jin can understand everything perfectly.
That fact did not disappoint him at all.Joshua, that viper, is not only skillful at scheming but also possesses the abilities of the prophet...
It''s impressive enough just to perfectly understand the flow of events so far. Honestly, I wouldn''t have been able to keep up.
Dyfus felt anguish knowing that he still couldn''t be of much help.
"Second elder brother, honestly, I didn''t n to make you this proposition. I thought I could kill Joshua on my own. But sister Mary asked me toe back with you without getting hurt."
(Note: Remember that Dyfus is the Fourth gbearer but also the Second Elder Brother of Jin.)
He remembered the words Jin had told him just before starting the operation.
If things continued like this, even if he managed to kill Joshua, he would end up being led by Jin.
As a fellow gbearer and as an elder brother.
He couldn''t ept such an oue.
I need to be of help.
Just like in the time of Barton, I must not fall into a situation where I have to retreat unless I receive help from Jin.
Since Jin had mentioned that he didn''t know why Joshua felt confident at that moment, Dyfus also couldn''te up with an immediate solution.
However, what was important was that he could cling to his spirit and will, which had momentarily been lost in the excitement of being able to kill Joshua.
Dyfus had rarely failed in what he had set out to do so far.
The group soon crossed to section twenty after passing through neen.
ording to the shipyard''syout, there was an emergency passage near the Second Magic Tower.
Looking around, they saw signs that Joshua and the ck Knight had forcefully opened and destroyed the passage.
"Jin, it seems there was no fight in the passage. Did Kinzelo use a different passage?"
"Or maybe they used their leader''s steel door ability."
"That ability he showed during the terror attack on Sword Emperor Castle, damn it. Except for Runcandel, everyone has surpassed the limits of transfer gates."
"Vermont hasn''t shown such advanced technology or capabilities yet."
"The Empire can''t bepared to us. That''s why Vermont hasn''t appeared here yet. Anyway, I feel bad. Let''s move on."
Outside the passage was the Sota Desert.
Whoosh!
Fierce and thick sandstorms covered the entire desert.
The giant sandstorms scattered here and there gave an ominous feeling.
Naturally, from this point onward, there were no traces of Joshua and the ck Knight''s movements.
The footprintssted not even an instant and were covered with sand, and it was difficult to breathe without forming a protective shield.
Natural disasters and adverse conditions that for civilians would be nothing more than catastrophes were not fatally effective on most trained martial artists.
Even dying uselessly from falling rocks or being struck by lightning with astronomical odds, individuals with a power level of 8 stars or higher would never die unexpectedly.
And much less for those like Jin or Dyfus, who could be called superhumans.
The Sota Desert environment threatening the group at that moment far exceeded that normal level.
''It''s no joke...''
It was such a fierce environment that a civilian couldn''t survive for even a second.
The sandden wind cut through protective shields like a sharp knife.
The entire desert seemed to be infested with a terrible destructive magic.
Indeed...
''These arerge-scale barriers and chained defense magic maintained at all times. They are to protect the Second Magic Tower from intruders.''
The Second Magic Tower was one of Zipple''s most important areas. It was close to the center of the Lutero Magical Federation, right next to their headquarters, Drakka.
Such levels of barrier and defense magic were natural.
Dyfus pointed further ahead with his hand.
The White Night Tower could be seen in the distant hazy sky, obscured by the sandstorm.
The problem was that there was no tower.
"It''s an illusion barrier."
"I never observed this phenomenon during all my explorations before your arrival."
"This defensive magic, including the illusion barrier, is likely to be activated when someone deviates from the predefined path or enters a specific area."
There were a total of five towers.
All but one were illusions created by the illusion barrier.
And as with this type of barrier, another trap was activated upon reaching one of the false towers.
This time, Murakan pointed to the sky.
"Hey, why is it so dark like that...? Brat, Dyfus, take a look at that."
Numerous battleships floated in the sky.
At first nce, it seemed there were more than a hundred.
If Jin, Murakan, and Dyfus feared Zipple, it would have been a sight that would have weakened their legs.
Unlike the towers, they couldn''t be sure that the battleships covering the sky like a group of whales were an illusion.
Considering the size of the shipyard they had just checked, it was a number that could easily exist if there were several more shipyards.
In other words, these battleships could be finished products of mass-produced battleships deployed to support the shipyard.
"Shall I fly up to the sky and deal with those first? I can also check which of those towers is real."
"If you start flying up there in your original form, the three of us will be as good as dead, Murakan. And by the looks of it, there are more than a hundred."
Even if these battleships were illusions like the towers, flying openly above the Lutero Magical Federation would be madness.
If it were that easy, there wouldn''t have been a need for the infiltration n.
"Ah, this is a specialty of that despicable demon."
"Misha-nim?"
"Yes, that''s right. I don''t have the ability to discreetly eliminate these barriers. Although I might be able to break through them with brute force."
"I can roughly understand the basis of the confidence Joshua has shown. He has a means to avoid being exposed to the barriers. Unlike me, he probably nned to steal the Second Magic Tower, not the inside of the shipyard, from the moment we set up camp, so he must have prepared the necessary means in advance, using the power of the Prophet," said Dyfus. Jin had simr thoughts.
"And he probably thought that we couldn''t get through it. He moved as if he wanted us to follow him," Dyfus continued.
As he said, Joshua had a hidden motive to "actively use" Jin and his group.
Since Jin and Kinzelo wouldn''t be able to pass through the barrier as quickly as he could with the key, he naturally wanted to use them as bait after breaking the vault.
Even if the vault opened without a trace with the key, the fact that there was an intrusion and theft would soone to light.
Naturally, Zipple would have to locate the culprit.
To do that, all barriers near the Second Magic Tower would have to be removed to facilitate the search for allies, and then Jin and his group, along with Kinzelo, who were still wandering among the barriers, would be the main suspects and be subjected to intense pursuit.
This was part of the scenario that Joshua desired.
Ttak!
Dyfus clenched his teeth, vaguely guessing the process.
He couldn''t let things go on like this.
"Murakan-nim."
"Yes."
"How about advancing while using my body as a shield? I''ll do my best to handle the traps, while Jin and you follow Joshua as fast as possible."
"Is that so? Are you as sturdy as the First gbearer of Runcandel?"
"I can endure to a certain extent."
"Do you know how destructive these traps can be?"
"As Jin saidst night, this is a time to take risks. Such a risky opportunity may note again. Let''s go in, gather real information, and kill Joshua."
"That''s bold, I like it. Put your body on the line, and let''s ovee this crisis."
Murakan, speaking as if he agreed, looked at Jin for a moment.
As always, the decision had to be made by him.
Jin tly refused with an attitude that there was no need to worry.
"No, that''s ast resort. If by any chance you fall into a trap, the losses will be too great, older brother Dyfus, and if our location is exposed due to the activation of the barriers, there will be no escape."
"I knew you''d say that, the younger one. Do you have any other option?"
Swish!
Bradamante came out of its sheath.
"...I have experienced this terrible desert once. I have a sword that I obtained along with enlightenment at that time, and I think it might work."
Shadow de
First Movement: Soul sh.
Jin had passed through the final gate of the Great Mitra Desert with that sword.
Although Zipple''s barriers and magic were formidable, they didn''t seem superior to Solderet''s trial.
After forming a blood alliance with the Phantom Legion Mercenaries, the Soul sh had also been effective when the remains of the Seigal n tried tomit suicide in the unnamed desert in the eastern part of the Empire...
Swiish...
The de of Bradamante darkened.
"If the Shadow de doesn''t work, then I''ll consider using my knowledge to personally unravel the barriers and spells. And if that doesn''t work, then I can consider putting you in the front, older brother."
Jin closed his eyes and began to concentrate.
The will to cut, the belief that he could cut, the will to cut and pass through.
The strength of will and knowledge acquired in the Great Mitra Desert passed through his entire body and mind.
Before swinging the sword, a smile appeared on Jin''s lips.
This was because a mysterious and indescribable sensation extended from the tip of his sword, as if he had already glimpsed the future and the oue.
The barrier and magic were cut with a gentle stroke of the sword.
Every time he lightly swung the sword, the sandstorm diminished, and the illusions covering the tower gradually faded away.
Jin continued to wield Bradamante until all the spells were erased, and it seemed as if he were performing a sword dance.
When Jin opened his eyes again, he felt refreshed, as if he had just taken a bath.
The horrible sandstorm and tempest had mysteriously disappeared.
In the serene twilight, with a gentle breeze blowing, the lonely White Night Tower appeared.
The White Night Tower was much closer than the illusions had hidden.
"The moment you have to risk your life for the Family shouldn''t be due to mere barriers like this, older brother."
After saying that, Jin waited for Dyfus to respond.
He felt that he owed him.
But for some reason, there was no response even after a few seconds.
Instead, the sound of Murakan clicking his tongue was heard.
"Hmm... Tsk. Well, after all, they were all real."
Dyfus was momentarily speechless, realizing that all the flying ships filling the sky were indeed "real."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 492
Chapter 492
C492
Jin''s eyes widened as he looked up at the sky.
''This is madness...''
A curse escaped his lips reflexively. Anyone not belonging to Zipple''s g would have reacted the same way.
The massive battleships, over a hundred of them, looked like a dark and vast tumor in the early morning sky. The battleships blocked out the stars, and the peaceful serenity of the clear night sky was nowhere to be seen, reced by a gloomy darkness.
The situation had two fortunate aspects. Firstly, the fleet seemed close due to the illusion barrier, but in reality, they were quite separated. Secondly, not a single battleship emitted light. The ships remained stationary in the sky, unmoving.
For a moment, the three couldn''t take their eyes off the sky.
Mirror.
Jin immediately thought of Colon''s divine artifact. To handle so many ships, it would require at least seven or eight-star magicians, tens of thousands of them, even more to maximize the power of the battleships. If there was an artifact like the Mirror, providing infinite mana, so many magicians wouldn''t be necessary.Even without the Mirror, there were means such as the living golems and the Demon God Orb. Jin had confirmed back on the Gaifa Inds that they could operate and produce battleships by reviving the deceased.
Of course, the Demon God Orb was not yetplete. But for how much longer?
When the Demon God Orb isplete, and the mass-produced battleships go into full operation.
''If even the cube is used in conjunction...''
Runcandel, or rather, the world, will be over. It was impossible to predict when the Demon God Orb would beplete, but one thing was certain: Jin himself was the most crucial material for the Demon God Orb.
I have to focus more on escaping. And...
I must get the battleship blueprints.
Having the blueprints was essential to effectively confront the mass-produced battleships. Blueprints were the most important means to identify the weaknesses of the battleships and the critical resources needed for production.
Moreover, Sandra Zipple''s right arm and space-time device must have something inmon with the blueprints.
''Since they all use the power of the Demon God Orb, it should be useful for research.''
Jin remembered that it was from the core of the Demon God Orb, so renewed tension ran through his body and mind, making him more alert to the fact that this was Zipple''s headquarters.
Murakan spat abruptly.
"Tsk! These Zipple maniacs, when did they make and park something like this? About a hundred ships... well, I can bring down a battleship with one breath, so I guess a hundred breaths would be enough."
Contrary to the content, there was a hint of confusion in his words. This time, even Murakan was surprised.
"Damn it."
Dyfus spoke as if chewing the words. As soon as he saw the fleet, for the first time in his life, he couldn''t help but think.
''Is it possible for our Family to win in a total war against Zipple?''
Dyfus had never doubted or suspected it. He believed that someday, Runcandel would surpass Zipple and be the true victor of the world. But facing the fleets that filled the sky, it seemed like such a thing would never happen.
Moreover, this fleet might not be everything there was. There could be another fleet hidden somewhere, not in the Sota Desert.
Born in Runcandel, today he finally saw the true identity of the enemy, and his vision became distant. Still, he quickly pushed his feeling of frustration aside and regainedposure, thanks to a fact that came to his mind.
Even with a fleet like that, Zipple can''t conquer Runcandel.
''They couldn''t conquer my father''s Runcandel.''
Jin knew it because he heard Cyron say it directly, but Dyfus had been vaguely guessing it for a while.
The fact that his father, Cyron Runcandel, didn''t have much time left.
My father will disappear from our Family in the not-too-distant future...
Before that happens, I must prepare for any contingency, no matter the cost.
''My mother''s favoritism toward Joshua must be for that reason, though it''s hard to ept.''
Dyfus''s gaze settled on Jin. Jin, who remained motionless, reminded him of the day he turned the Garden of Swords into a battlefield.
Magic Sword.
The legacy of ancient Runcandel.
To confront Zipple''s power, they must reim that power.
''The strength and ability of Jin are desperately needed.''
Aside from the Magic Sword, he had just used Solderet''s divine power to instantly destroy barriers and defensive magic, and he also had the Sword of Legends. He needed to purify Runcandel as soon as possible.
Dyfus made up his mind and turned around.
"Yes, just as you say, Jin... I guess the reason I risk my life for our Family isn''t just the barrier."
"Oh, Dyfus, are you thinking of dying to destroy all those things right now?"
"If destroying those battleships and fundamentally dismantling them could deal a significant blow, I would. Damaging the material wouldn''t be trivial either, but our top priority is securing the blueprints. We need to reproduce them or identify their weaknesses. That''s what we must do to move forward."
After pushing aside the frustration, Dyfus''s unique tenacity pulsed in his heart. Now he felt he had to grit his teeth and fight against Zipples, not against his brothers. This didn''t mean giving up patriarchy, but it seemed necessary to minimize unnecessary conflicts.
''We reproduce them...''
Jin pondered that part of Dyfus''s recent statement. He hadn''t considered that idea before, although it wasn''t entirely unfamiliar to him. Jin wasn''t a fan of living golems, but space-time devices and battleships were undoubtedly valuable if they could be manufactured. Since all of them relied on magical engineering and research, there had never been high expectations for Runcandel and Hufester to match the magical prowess of the Lutero Magical Federation.
But suddenly...
Jin remembered a conversation he had with his brother Tantel just before leaving Lafrarosa.
"After our time stopped, we can never go back to that world. This is a replica of Laprarosa, where we lived, but it''s actually some kind of other life."
"So, wouldn''t the outside world be more interesting?"
"What''s the point of wishing for something we can''t have, brother? Besides, you should know that none of the brothers we loved were there. However! I heard this story from the Battle Goddess sister."
"What is it?"
"5000 years have passed outside, so there might be magical spells or developed devices that could bring us out. So, if you don''t mind. I''d like you to find out, brother."
The reason Jin remembered this conversation was simple.
"We didn''t have the concept of magicians like other races, hehe. Instead, everyone who could manipte mana became cksmiths, like me."
The words spoken by the fifth battle king Boras as he imnted a new "mr" in Jin''s mouth. At that time, Jin had experienced the "Memory Transfer Magic" through the mr, and it had been an incredible shock to him.
The magical civilization established by the Tribe of Legends had some remarkable aspects, evenpared to the present.
Jin ced his hand on his chest. Under the infiltration suit, he felt a solid Light Heart.
The Light Heart was formed from the blood of the Battle Goddess Vahn, but it could take a different form if not transnted into a person. It felt like an artist suddenly exposed to an intense wave of inspiration. Thoughts like these crossed Jin''s mind.
''If we could create battleships powered by Light Hearts using the technology of the Tribe of Legends...''
It might just be a extravagant dream, but he wouldn''t achieve it until he tried. I need to meet my brothers again.
''I have to prepare for my third trip to Lafrarosa and find a way to bring my brothers back to this world...''
Calling the true brothers back to the human world, not in the form of guardians with the ck Light Call. This had always been one of Jin''s most important concerns since the first trip to Lafrarosa. It wasn''t just a means of rewarding his brothers, but also a sincere desire to be with them once again.
''I still don''t know what the principle of the cube is, but it''s an object that can also summon resurrected dead.''
''If I study and analyze it properly, it might be useful for calling my brothers back.''
Even after seeing Zipple''s cutting-edge technology and its fleet of over a hundred battleships, Jin suddenly felt grateful for being able to harbor such deep hopes.
"Let''s go to Joshua again. Just like he had the means to bypass the barrier, he most likely also knew the exact location of the blueprint. I didn''t expect us to break through the barrier like this, so the faster we get there, the more chances we''ll have to catch him off guard."
Silently and quickly, they began their sprint towards the White Night Tower.
The White Night Tower emitted a soft glow, very different from the fleet floating behind.
A tower that truly lived up to its name of the white night. Even after running for a while and getting quite close, the group realized that there were no additional defensive magic or barriers near the White Night Tower.
Jin supposed that there would be more traps and magic around the tower. Jin thought there would be some types that couldn''t be easily disarmed even with the Shadow de...
But even when they reached a distance of only a few hundred steps from the tower, nothing had been activated yet.
"This can''t be. Was the barrier we encountered earlier the only one?"
"It''s as if someone deliberately blocked all defensive barriers and magical spells. There''s no trace of the magicians who should be monitoring the defenses, and not a single guard in sight."
"Kid, since you broke the barrier, something has felt suspiciouslyx. Hmmm."
"....Could it be a trap?"
Jin''s eyes narrowed at Dyfus''s words, and at that moment.
Rumble, boom!
The ground beneath them started to shake and tremble, as if it were an earthquake. It wasn''t caused by a trap activated under their feet or the start of a barrier. The entire area around the White Night Tower was shaking. And the group immediately realized the source of this tremor.
Aura...!?
This phenomenon urred when arge-scale battle took ce, or when overwhelmingly powerful beings released their energy. And the epicenter was none other than the White Night Tower.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 493
C493
It wasn''t just the aura they felt, but also a vast and highly pure mana.
"There are people fighting!"
The moment Dyfus spoke, the vibrations intensified even more.
And then, an explosion urred around the middle levels of the White Night Tower, and light shed.
It was a kind of explosion that the group had seen numerous times in their lives.
The area around the White Night Tower was illuminated with bright colors not seen in battles between knights or magicians.
"And it''s not a fight between Kinzelo and Zipple."
There was nothing that could be called brotherly love, but the three Runcandel brothers who came here all mastered the same sword.
"It''s Joshua. He and the ck Knights have started a battle with Zipple''s Magicians."
Even without seeing it directly, Jin and Dyfus could urately perceive the destructive aura unique to Runcandel''s sword.
They also identified the owners of the mana.
"The Spectre Corps."
Both had personally encountered Zipple''s most powerful magical unit.
Without a doubt, they were the ones Joshua was fighting.
"I don''t know if they discovered him while infiltrating, or if it was a trap from the beginning and he fell into it. I think it''s thetter."
In any case, it was an ufortable situation for the group.
Judging by the scale, there probably weren''t many other magicians in the Second Magic Tower, but it had been revealed that Joshua and the ck Knights were in the Second Magic Tower.
''Drakka will soon send reinforcements.''
This was Zipple''s headquarters.
This means that there can''t be a shortage of troops to the point where they can barely send support to the underground shipyard in the Sota Desert.
Moreover, the Second Magic Tower was much more dangerous than the shipyard.
The shipyard was just a bait thrown out to test the capabilities of external forces.
But the Second Magic Tower would undoubtedly contain the blueprints for the real battleship.
"However... it''s a bit strange. The mana I sense is from about two or three members of the Spectre Corps, or four at most. Why did they deploy such a small number?"
If Zipple had already foreseen that there might be an intrusion into the Second Magic Tower and nned to set a trap to catch the bigger fish of external forces, they would have tried to kill them all even if it meant risking a total war.
This was the perfect opportunity.
There shouldn''t be only two or four members of the Spectre Corps but a muchrger force waiting in front of the White Night Tower.
It wouldn''t be strange for someone like Kelliark Zipple himself or a figure of Octavia''s caliber to appear in this situation.
But there are only a few members of the Spectre Corps.
''Could it not be a trap?''
It wasn''t easy to quickly understand the situation, but it was a moment that required a decision.
If it''s a clear trap, we should retreat even if it means giving up the blueprints.
In that case, Zipple wouldn''t have left any blueprints in the Second Magic Tower.
''Besides, even with me, Murakan, and the older brother Dyfus, we won''t be able to escape from aplete force of Zipple.''
But what if it''s not a trap?
The reason why only a few people are guarding the White Night Tower is the result of various twisted causal rtionships that are difficult to take into ount immediately.
What if it was just a negligence and mistake on Zipple''s part?
What if Joshua had already obtained the blueprints, and a battle broke out during his escape?
Since they arrived in the Sota Desert, Jin''s head had always been hurting, but this time, it felt like it was about to burst.
It was almost impossible to calibrate how many unexpected variables they had encountered so far and how many unforeseen situations awaited them.
But one thing was certain.
''If we don''t act today, we won''t have another chance to get Zipple''s battleship blueprints.''
With the fact that the Runcandels not only attacked the shipyard but also the Second Magic Tower, Zipple would undoubtedly strengthen security regardless of the oue of this incident.
This wasn''t just any n; it was the most powerful one in the world.
It wasn''t a n that would make the same mistake.
Jin quickly came to a conclusion.
"...It doesn''t seem to be a trap, older brother Dyfus. If they had lured us from the beginning, they would have had more troops."
"That''s true. Ugh, this is so frustrating. If it''s not a trap, why are they catching that idiot Joshua and causing us so much trouble?"
At that moment...
The central section of the Second Magic Tower exploded again, and debris rained down.
The battle continued to escte.
"This is the moment to take a risk."
Jin took a deep breath and continued speaking.
"Even if it''s not a trap, reinforcements will arrive soon, so it would be a reasonable decision to withdraw. But we can''t rule out the possibility that Joshua has obtained the blueprints."
Dyfus nodded.
"I understand what you''re saying."
"If you want to withdraw now, you can, older brother."
The youngest one, what are you talking about?
The decision to kill Joshua in the first ce was a risk.
''Do you really think I''m going to leave now?''
"I just wanted to mention it just in case."
"Besides, this might be an opportunity. If he has the blueprints, we can kill him after escaping and take the blueprints. Surely, Joshua will be injured in the battle against the Spectre Corps, making it easier to achieve both objectives. Also, if we don''t act today, we''ll never get the blueprints, that''s for sure."
Dyfus had already been thinking the same as Jin.
The way things were unfolding was undoubtedly the best course of action.
If they had known for sure that the blueprints weren''t in the vault of the Second Magic Tower, neither of them would have made that decision.
"Let''s go, Jin, Murakan-nim. Let''s save him and kill him ourselves before Zipple''s reinforcements arrive."
Of course, the issue they had to consider was that Zipple''s reinforcements weren''t the only ones present.
''Kinzelo hasn''t shown much presence since the terror of the shipyard.''
Either they''re moving slowly because they''re blocked by the barrier on the other side, not the area Jin released, or they''re still looking for more opportunities even though the situation has progressed to this point.
Jin looked back for a moment.
In the distance, the Sota Desert was now a battlefield between Kinzelo and Zipple, not only underground but also on the surface.
It seems they are biding their time. However, if Kinzelo hasn''t achieved his goal yet, the members of the terrorist group should have already retreated.''
The three quickly reached the entrance of the tower.
The central part of the tower, where Joshua and his group and the Spectre Corps were fighting, was filled with debris and piles of rocks, but there were no signs of other magicians or guards.
Upon entering, a vast interior space unfolded before them.
Whether it was soundproofed with magic or for some other reason, the sounds and vibrations of the battle were surprisingly silent inside, indicating the impressive construction of the tower.
"There''s not a single soul here. Does this mean they''ve almost given up?" Murakan said, chuckling.
Even Jin and Dyfus, who saw it in person, couldn''t help but find it strange.
It''s impossible to guess that the reason for the absence of anyone in the Magic Tower is simply due to the whims and craziness of Sandra Zipple.
In the center, there was a massive spiral staircase with an elevator in its center, but the elevator was not operational.
They hurriedly climbed the stairs.
The tower was much taller than it seemed from the outside.
Even when they sprinted, it felt like Joshua and the Spectre Corps on the intermediate floor weren''t approaching quickly.
This reflected the urgency that Jin and Dyfus felt because they feared the blueprints might be lost during the ongoing battle.
Fortunately...
The group soon felt the vibrations of the battle again, a sign that they had reached the middle floor.
They opened the imposing iron door that was firmly closed.
The Spectre Corps was, indeed, the Spectre Corps.
Even in the midst of a fierce battle, they immediately shot a mana bolt towards Jin as soon as the door opened.
Crack!
The bolt was deflected by Dyfus, with the de of hisrge sword, Volgar.
The Spectres didn''t let panic set in and reorganized their formation as more enemies arrived.
Jin and Dyfus couldn''t help but grind their teeth as they assessed the situation.
Damn it, it''s four.
They were hoping for between two and four, but of course, it had to be four.
Joshua and Jane had been fighting against those four Spectres until Jin and his group arrived.
Jin and his group approached Joshua. He was breathing heavily but not severely injured.
However, the problemy with the ck Knight, Jane.
Jane had injuries ranging from minor to moderate, with bleeding from small andrge wounds scattered all over her body.
There were even some deep wounds that could be fatal.
A ck Knight might have a chance to fight in a 2v2 scenario, but facing four Spectres meant she had to put her life on the line.
Moreover, they were in Zipple''s territory, inside the Magic Tower, and it was very possible that the Spectres used the tower''s special devices or energies to enhance their magic beyond their normal capabilities.
It was evident that Jane''s injuries, of course, were the result of her protecting Joshua.
It was natural for a ck Knight to protect the next patriarch of the Family...
But isn''t the Joshua present here just a clone?
Hasn''t the ck Knight realized that Joshua is a clone?
Damn it.
''The best sword of the Family sacrificed to protect a simple clone.''
Jin''s blood boiled, and he wanted to slit Joshua''s throat right there, but not the clone, the original.
However, Jin didn''t overlook a crucial fact in the midst of all this.
Joshua still doesn''t have the blueprints.
As cowardly as he is, Joshua''s assessment is not entirely wrong.
If he had obtained the blueprints, he would have told the ck Knight to escape with the blueprints, saying that he would somehow hold off the enemy.
Even hidden behind a mask, Joshua would undoubtedly have an expression of surprise and happiness.
The expression came from the fact that they had sessfully seized information about the Second Magic Tower and had arrived earlier than expected, giving them the opportunity to turn the tables.
"Fourth and Twelfth gbearers."
"Hey, aren''t you going to greet me again? Can''t you see me? Eh? Are you blind?"
"...And Murakan-nim. I will exin the situationter...."
"No need for that, Second gbearer."
Jin cut off Joshua''s words and unsheathed his sword.
"Instead, tell me immediately the location of the blueprints. Let me tell you in advance that if you refuse to cooperate, you will be considered responsible for obstructing the mission and executed immediately. You know very well that I don''t make empty threats."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 494
C494
The Specters couldn''t hear due to the distance, but ck Knight Jane could clearly hear Jin''s voice.
"Twelfth gbearer, you''re making inappropriatements," Jane said.
"ck Knight, please refrain from intervening. I don''t wish to harm even the ck Knights who have dedicated themselves to the Family."
Jane''s eyes widened beneath the mask.
Since bing a ck Knight with Mon a year ago, no one in the Family had spoken to her like this.
However, this was not a situation to hastily argue about etiquette andws.
There was no justification, and there were four Specters attacking Jin in front of them.
They know the Second gbearer and we have been hiding information from the start.
Moreover, this is not a bluff or intimidation.
''If we don''t reveal the location of the vault, he really intends to kill the Second gbearer.''
The Jin that Jane had personally observed was truly an unyielding individual.
He never spoke empty words, as if he had just revealed.
-It''s worrisome that we haven''t shared information about the Second Magic Tower with the Fourth and Twelfth gbearers from the beginning, but worrying about it now is useless.
She remembered Mon''s words.
They didn''t tell Joshua anything more at that time, but indeed, both Mon and Jane were concerned about this aspect of Jin.
And what about the Fourth gbearer? If we''re talking about resentment against the Second gbearer, he has much deeper resentment.
It could be very dangerous if we provoke him.
''Mon... You muste.''
Even though the Runcandels had arrived as support, Joshua and Jane felt more pressure than when they were being pushed back by the Specters until now.
"Obstructing the Mission?"
Jin''s eyes became even more severe at Joshua''s words.
"Your arms are still attached to your body because the enemies are right in front of us. But if you give another senseless answer, they''ll be cut off."
For Dyfus, the sight of Joshua being pushed to such an extent was something he had only imagined thousands of times, except when Luna ran wild during her childhood.
It had been a long time since Joshua was in this state.
''It might not be bad to kill him now, but it''s better to watch Jin''s judgment.''
The Specter Corps'' attack began again.
Dyfus, Jane, and Murakan defended against the spells falling on them. However, Murakan refrained from using his Shadow Energy, aware of Jin''s words to hide his strength as much as possible.
That''s why the Specter Corps suspected that Murakan might be one of Runcandel''s ck Knights.
In the midst of the battle noise, Jin and Joshua''s eyes met.
"...It''s the 17th floor."
Finally, Joshua answered, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket and spreading it out.
The paper showed the detailed location of the vault and the path.
"I guess this isn''t all, Second gbearer."
"What are you talking about?"
"A means to bypass the barrier. I want that too."
"There''s no such thing."
"I thought you had a good head, but you don''t understand what I''m saying."
ng!
Jin brandished his sword without hesitation, and Joshua blocked the strike, taking a step back.
The Runcandels and the Specters who had just started the battle also looked towards Jin and Joshua.
"Jin, do you understand what you''re doing right now?"
"As I just said, I hold you responsible for obstructing the mission. Second gbearer, you should have informed me and the Fourth gbearer about the information of the Second Magic Tower when Kinzelo started the terrorist attack and the situation changed drastically."
Unlike Joshua, who was so angry he spoke in a low voice, Jin had a calm voice.
"...I don''t know what you trust in, but you should know. If you attack me now, you''ll lose a lot that you can''t evenpare to me."
"We''ll only know that when the situation is over."
"Unlike me, you don''t have another chance."
At those words, Jinughed.
"I''m well aware of that. I only have one life, unlike you, Second gbearer clone. So, isn''t your role clear?"
Give it all up and die for the Family.
Jin kept talking and swung his sword again.
It seemed like they were just entangled in a power struggle, but the highly concentrated aura entwined in their swords was about to burst at any moment.
"Either use the Volcano as you did back then, or use any other means. Buy time by somehow attracting the enemy''s attention. I''ll secure the blueprints and take them to the Garden of Swords."
Swish!
Joshua''s aura was pushed back, and an explosion erupted from Bradamante.
Joshua couldn''t use all his power because he had just engaged in a fierce battle with the Specter Corps.
He stepped back as the next blow from Jin came, quickly adjusting his posture.
It was a peculiar battle.
The battlefield was divided into two, Runcandel and Zipple were fighting each other at the front. Runcandel fought against Runcandel in the rear.
"You...!"
"Did you focus a bit on your training? The Second gbearer was definitely stronger than me three years ago on Bluebird Archipgo. Even considering that you were fighting the Specter Corps, your sword skillsck depth. More reinforcements will arrive soon, which means we''re running out of time. Make a decision quickly, Second gbearer."
The reason Joshua''s sword was dull was not just due to fatigue.
It was due to distress.
It wasn''t just Jin who had been dealing with variables in the Sota Desert.
Joshua was also grappling with the continuous variables and uncertainties, both physical and mental.
''Damn it, not only did I encounter the Specter Corps right after entering the Tower, but now I''vee to this...!''
The Prophet''s key had undone the magic tower''s barrier, but they still hadn''t reached the vault.
Therefore, Joshua had also been contemting.
He wondered if it would be better to buy time and entrust the rear to Jane.
As Jin had said, there was no time.
And if Jin didn''t back down and they continued the fight, it was likely that Runcandel would end up losing their gbearers and ck Knights without gaining any benefit.
Moreover, if Jin is captured or killed here, my prophecy will be invalidated.
''I doubt it will happen, but this could be another piece of the prophecy or a turning point.''
Blood flowed from my clenched teeth.
Every form and every method will be different.
Moreover, it cannot be said that all hearts are right or good.
Naturally, all the gbearers prioritized and loved the n above all.
Joshua was the gbearer who had an obsession with Runcandel above all.
He was always the person making decisions for Runcandel.
''I should... listen to the words of the younger one.''
From the moment his younger brother spoke, he should have responded without raising the sword against Jin.
It was only that his judgment was momentarily clouded when he felt that an emotion that had been severely damaged for a long time was once again being shattered by the people he most wanted to resemble and surpass.
Pride.
Once again, Joshua had resolved to set aside that emotion for the sake of the Family.
Swoosh!
Joshua took the key from his bag and tossed it to Jin.
"It''s the key to the vault. Thanks to it, I''ve been able to ignore the barrier."
"I''m curious. Where did you get it from?"
"I don''t think it''s necessary to tell you the details. But don''t doubt that this object is authentic. In fact, you can read the mana it contains."
The key to the vault was a type of artifact.
The mana flow inside the key had many simrities to the external barrier.
Moreover, imbuing suchplex mana into a key of this size, only Zipple could achieve that.
"Did you have something like that, but only nned to use us as bait?"
"I thought Dyfus and you could escape and return while I got the blueprints. After all, the Family''s guardian deity is also with you."
"Ha."
Jin sighed.
"In the end, you made a reasonable choice, but there''s one thing I have to say. If this mission fails, it''ll be because of your greed. Did you risk the lives of the genuine gbearers and ck Knights for a clone?"
"Call it greed if you want. But one thing, if I didn''t love the Family, I wouldn''t have given you the key in the first ce," Joshua said as he turned away.
He believed that Jin wouldn''t stab him in the back, considering they had just pointed their swords at each other.
He also acted based on his faith that Jin would carry out the mission for the good of the Family, rather than seeking revenge against his own Family.
"Go to the vault immediately. You might have already expected it, but the fact that only the Specter Corps remains here is not a trap. I don''t know the exact reason, but I guess it''s because they were preparing for Kinzelo. So there must definitely be blueprints in the vault."
The aura around Joshua''s sword became brighter.
He had decided, and now that his concerns were gone, he had regained his original battle prowess.
"...Once you secure the blueprints, give us the signal. Then I''ll escape with the ck Knights."
"Understood."
Jane nced at the atmosphere between the two and felt relieved.
''I couldn''t hear the exact conversation, but judging by the flow, it seems like the Second gbearer has decided to buy time, and the Twelfth gbearer aims to obtain the blueprints.''
Jane felt relieved that Runcandel''s gbearers were no longer killing each other in this enemy territory.
Jane and Joshua were not only being pushed by the Specter Corps.
Even in a numerical disadvantage situation, they had worn down a considerable amount of the Specters'' resistance, so Murakan and Dyfus were able to damage the Specters rtively easily.
''Now, all that''s left is to endure somehow. For the Twelfth gbearer toplete the mission! It would be perfect if the Twelfth gbearer could leave behind the Fourth gbearer or the guardian deity. But even if they all leave, the fight against the Specters will be much easier than before...''
Jane was lost in her thoughts when she heard a sudden dull noise.
The loud thud came from outside the steel door where they were.
It sounded as if a giant creature was walking towards them.
The battle paused for a moment, as if the sound had promised it, and everyone''s eyes focused on the door.
Momentster, the source of the sound appeared.
It was a muscr man dressed in a perfectly fitted suit.
Enormous and strong muscles that couldn''t be covered by the clothes and didn''t seem at all human flesh.
It was Hedo, Zipple''s second-ss butler and exclusive butler to Sandra.
In his gloved hands, he held the severed head of another man, from which blood was dripping.
"There are still some members of the Specter Corps who aren''t very smart."
Tuk.
He casually dropped the man''s head to the ground and pulled out a cigarette.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 495
Chapter 495
C495
Chiiik.
The sound of Hedo striking a match resonated.
The once tumultuous battlefield, where swords and magic shed violently, instantly fell into silence.
Just as it should be since thisrge, muscr man appeared.
An overwhelming pressure.
There was no clearer and simpler way to express the presence of a man named Hedo.
Just by standing there blocking the entrance, the entire lobby seemed like a dead end, and the atmosphere became as heavy as mud, making it difficult to breathe.
What the hell is that monster...?Whose head is that?
The Runcandels exchanged silent nces.
Although the members of the Specter Corps knew exactly who he was, they also exchanged nces.
However, unlike the Runcandels, the looks from the Specter Corps contained emotions.
Confusion, sorrow, shock.
And fear.
The source of these emotions was none other than the casually dropped severed head belonging to a Specter Corps member, just like them.
"Hedo killed Rube!
Damn it, I came back to the Magic Tower because I feared something like this might happen.
Of course, the emotions of the Specter Corps were not conveyed to the Runcandels who had just fiercely fought against them.
Not only did their hoods cover their faces, but the Specter Corps was not a loose group that showed emotions to the enemy, no matter how terrifying the situation.
Because they are the elite of the elite.
However, those who had been selected from birth and had donned the gray robes of the Specter Corps through terrible efforts and training knew better than anyone that sometimes there are untouchable monsters in the world, and that at the top of one mountain, there is another mountain and the sky.
Just like some of the superhumans they had encountered while living as Specters, and this man in front of them!
The long cigar burned quickly like a fuse.
The thickened ashes didn''t flutter but fell in heaps.
With a single puff of smoke, the entire cigar turned into ashes.
Huuuu!
Hedo then exhaled the umted smoke in his lungs, and the acrid smoke, which might as well be called poisonous smoke, covered the voluminous upper part of his body.
"Eh?"
It was Murakan who broke the silence.
He continued speaking with an expression that seemed as tough and inflexible as possible, but it didn''t seem like he had lostposure and was impatient.
"What''s your problem, punk? You''vee uninvited. And now showing off your body? Did youe from a bodybuilding contest? If you don''t want me to break your face, pretend you haven''t seen anything and move on."
As he said this, he subtly nudged Jin''s side and whispered:
"Kid, you better leave."
Jin also felt it instinctively.
The four members of the Specter Corps were formidable opponents, but with Runcandel''s current strength, they could handle them easily.
However, that unidentified man was beyond their capabilities.
Even with Jin, Dyfus, Joshua, the ck Knight, and Murakan, who had regained 50% of his strength, it was not something they could handle.
Definitely not a Genesis Knight.
Runcandels and Murakan, who had experienced the majesty of a Genesis Knight more closely than anyone, were sure.
Although he is not a Genesis Knight, he is undoubtedly close to that level...
A giant standing in such elevated domain.
They had never heard of such an incredible being in Zipple.
Could it be Kinzelo?
Not only Jin but also Joshua, Dyfus, and the ck Knight were unaware of Hedo''s true identity.
There was no description of Hedo even in the confidential document about Zipple''s secret forces that the ck Knight and the main gbearers could ess.
Hedo crushed the dead Specter''s head with his foot, bursting it, and spoke.
The Specters didn''t even dare to open their mouths when they saw him.
"No punches, eh? I haven''t thought about that issue after bing Zipple''s second-ss butler, ck Dragon. This isn''t Runcandel''s territory, right?"
So, he was Murakan, the ck Dragon?
The moment Hedo said that, the Specter Corps members realized they were wrong.
It''s not that they didn''t consider it at all, but they thought it was more likely for Murakan to be the ck Knight since he wore a mask.
"Eh? The mask wasn''t broken, was it? How did you recognize me?"
"Everyone knows that the ck Dragon prefers a somewhat vulgar tone. The person wielding the great sword is the Fourth gbearer, the person wielding the ck sword Kainer, painted to look like an ordinary piece of iron, is the Second gbearer, and that person is the ck Knight Jane. And thest one is the Twelfth gbearer, Jin Runcandel."
It was only a matter of time before his identity was revealed, although they had only fought against the Specters, so it wasn''t that surprising.
They had also put on the infiltration outfit to minimize unnecessary exposure from the beginning.
However, all the Runcandels couldn''t help but be surprised by the second-ss butler''s introduction.
That an individual of such caliber is simply the second-ss butler is something that goes far beyondmon sense.
Moreover, Zipple''s "Butler List" had been publicly avable for a long time, without the need to consult Runcandel''s confidential intelligence documents.
Not only Zipple but also Runcandel, the imperial family, and other prominent ns and factions usually did not keep information about their butlers confidential.
Butlers not only handled internal n affairs but also various external tasks such as negotiations, guest reception, banquets, and various events.
The media often reported on these incidents, and the names of butlers who handled rted tasks were frequently mentioned.
"The publicly known second-ss butler is Melvin Grauchy. Known as the best brain. But is that monster the second?"
If Hedo''s words were not false, he held that position for some reason, ''because he wanted to.''
Everyone in the group thought so.
"Second-ss butler? Eh, Mr. Physical Beauty. Are you saying you''re just a second-ss butler?"
"Well... I also perform other functions. Among them, I have the role of Guardian of this Tower."
"Guardian of the Tower?"
"Yes. It would be better to introduce myself formally again. I am Hedo, the Guardian of the White Night Tower."
Hedo bowed, bringing his right arm to his abdomen, saluting them.
The Guardian of the White Night Tower.
By revealing another position, Hedo was subtly examining Jin.
''Jin Runcandel...''
The Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel, whom his youngdy, Sandra Zipple, had ''decided to love.''
He was generally indifferent to external matters, but since before Sandra started making a fuss about love and marriage, he had asionally shown a bit of curiosity.
Who the hell is that person who so often causes such a stir in the world?
It was the first time that a Runcandel gbearer had attracted so much attention since Luna.
However, if it weren''t for Sandra, Hedo wouldn''t have been very interested in Jin at this moment.
"Could you take off the mask for a moment?"
"No."
"Although we belong to opposing Families, I have shown courtesy by revealing who I am. It doesn''t seem like a difficult request to unveil your true identity."
"I appreciate you revealing your alias and position. But it''s impossible for a gbearer of a Great Swordsman Family toply with a request from a mere Butler of Zipple. Please reveal your real name and position. In that case, I will take off the mask."
"Too much audacity is sometimes called foolishness, Twelfth gbearer. As you wish."
Swoosh.
Hedo slowly unsheathed the long sword strapped to his waist as he spoke.
It was twice the length and thickness of a normal long saber but not as robust as a great saber.
Instead, it had an elegant and agile shape.
For a moment, Murakan showed a doubtful expression as he looked at the sword.
"However, you must understand that my mercy decreases in proportion."
A sharp, tearing sound, as if a needle pierced the eardrum, covered the entire room.
Hedo took a step forward and swung the long sword.
The group couldn''t believe how such a huge body like his could move so quickly.
Moreover, the sword''s energy did not travel in a single direction.
Although it rotated from the center, the sword''s energy formed a giant fan that covered everything in front of Hedo.
A single strike but hundreds of sword energies.
It was a state of "Wave of Swords" that was transmitted as a legend among martial artists.
The sword energy spread like waves, enveloping everything in its path.
The Runcandels raised their energy, raised shields, and used their best sword movements to resist Hedo''s attack.
Terrifying.
Everyone who faced the sword felt the same.
In the midst of themotion, the Runcandels couldn''t help but ask themselves a question.
''If he attacks like this, won''t the Specter Corps be affected too?''
Hedo''s sword energy not only threatened the Runcandels but also seemed to be directed towards the Specter Corps.
Although Jin and the others still couldn''t deduce the reason, one thing was certain.
Within Zipple, Hedo had the power to trample at will even the Specter Corps.
Does Hedo have an authority that surpasses even Octavia Zipple?
''No, thinking like that might be a bit strange...''
At the moment, Jin sensed something strange in the Specter Corps'' attitude.
''If this situation is Hedo rebuking the Specter Corps as a superior for some reason, the Specter Corps should have at least sought forgiveness.
But these guys seem to ept Hedo''s attacks as if it were inevitable...
''Ugh!''
Crack!
Before he realized it, Hedo''s long sword approached Jin and fell on his forehead.
The feeling of just blocking the sword was as if his wrist was about to break.
Before Hedo could retrieve his sword, Murakan and Dyfus attacked him with sword and fist, while Joshua and Jane tried to nk him.
And in the moment when the Runcandels'' attacks were about to fall.
Hedo''s muscles expanded, and in the next instant, the group had to perceive how their swords and fists pierced and hit not human flesh but something indescribably solid, resembling hard mineral.
The swords and fists bounced off.
Although they attacked hastily, it was the first two gbearers, the sword of the ck Knight and the fist of Murakan, who had regained 50% of his strength.
Everyone was shocked, especially Murakan, who had his eyes wide open.
The other Runcandels couldn''t divert their gaze from his stunning physique, Murakan was studying his unusually long sword as if something had hit him.
"Uh... that sword. Where did you get it?"
Murakan spoke softly, looking puzzled.
Hedoughed, tilting his head once.
"What a peculiar question, ck Dragon. By the way, I''ve heard about your battle prowess from those who went to Gaifa, but it didn''t reach this level."
Inside the mask, Murakan''s eyes, fixed on Hedo''s long sword, trembled.
"Oh, maybe. If you''re worried about revealing your true strength because you''re concerned about main house support, don''t worry. You don''t have to worry about reinforcementsing from the n."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 496
Chapter 496
C496
"Runcandel and Kinzelo invaded the Second Magic Tower. Is that all?"
The white-haired elder responded calmly to the journalists rushing through the transfer gate.
It was Kelliark Zipple, the strongest archmage of this era and the leader of the world''srgest n.
At the time the shipyard was attacked, he was on an uninhabited ind in the western sea, where Beradin''s vi was located.
During the "Battle of the Western Sea," fought by Tris, Misha, Octavia, and the Specter Corps, the uninhabited ind waspletely destroyed and vanished.
But now, the ind, the vi, and all the objects used by Beradin had been perfectly restored.
"Furthermore, Miss Sandra has sent all the forces to the Second Magic Tower. If you give the order, I will immediately send Drakka''s mages to the Second Magic Tower."
For a while, Kelliark flipped through the pages without saying a word.Then, as if he found an interesting passage, he raised mana in his fingers, underlining it, and smiled.
"Don''t be too surprised; it''s inevitable."
Before Kelliark could speak, the journalists felt as if their guts were being torn apart.
Time was of the essence.
However, Kelliark had anticipated from the beginning that external forces might attack not only the shipyard but also the Second Magic Tower.
He wondered if it was necessary to prepare separately.
''Hedo.''
Because that man was in the White Night Tower.
''This incident might be an opportunity to test him again.''
Since Hedo became a member of Zipple, Kelliark had always wanted to put him to the test.
Even he couldn''t easily guess whether Hedo was truly someone who would wholeheartedly devote himself to Zipple.
"Send reinforcements only to the shipyard. Also, as the capabilities of external forces have already been confirmed, losing more resources is pointless. Preserve as many resources as possible."
"As youmand!"
The journalists bowed in unison and retreated into the darkness.
Kelliark silently looked across the sea, recalling the moment he met Hedo a long time ago.
------------------------------
"Hoo...!"
Suddenly, Murakan covered his head with both hands.
His back bent as if he was invaded by an unbearable headache.
Jin and the Runcandels quickly surrounded Murakan, casting a protective shield around him.
Although they had predicted it from the moment Hedo appeared, the tension after receiving the sword was nothingpared to what it was before the battle began.
Needless to say, showing such weakness before a transcendent being like Hedo was undeniably fatal.
Fortunately, he didn''t take advantage of Murakan''s weakness.
Not that he couldn''t.
Hedo didn''t demonstrate it, but he was a bit intrigued by Murakan''s recent words.
''It''s the first time I''ve seen someone talk as if they know Bale. Even the patriarch and Cyron-nim seemed to have no idea about the identity of this sword.''
Bale.
Such characters were engraved in small letters on the de of a long sword that Hedo obtained by chance a long time ago.
He didn''t know exactly whether it was the name of the sword, the name of the cksmith who made it, or the name of the person who used it.
In his youth, when he actively sought extremes as a warrior, he was curious about the true nature of the longsword.
But soon after, Hedo came to the conclusion that, even if he knew the identity, it wouldn''t matter much.
So, he decided that Bale was probably the name of the sword.
Hedo didn''t seize the moment when Murakan''s stance crumbled because he was simply waiting for him to speak about Bale.
It was also a matter of trust.
Even with this level of leisure, the oue wouldn''t change. The reason Zipple didn''t send reinforcements to the Second Magic Tower was also in the same context.
Kelliark knew that Hedo was present here, so it was undoubtedly the case.
"Murakan."
Jin called softly and checked Murakan''s condition.
He seemed very distressed and confused.
It''s simr to the day we met the leader of Kinzelo in old Oterium.
''I don''t know why, but Hedo''s sword is stimting Murakan''s confused memories...!''
Unlike Jin, the other Runcandels didn''t know that Murakan''s memories were iplete and that such issues could arise in times of conflict.
The sudden panic of the n''s guardian deity in a desperate situation only served to bewilder them.
"Kugh!"
Murakan groaned again.
1 second...
2 seconds...
3 seconds...
With each passing second, the Runcandels felt the sense of crisis multiplying.
If Murakan couldn''t fight properly, there was a high probability that Runcandels would be captured or killed.
Jin made a decision.
''It has to work like back then. Like the day we met the leader of Kinzelo, when he was spouting nonsense!''
Swish, bum-!
Suddenly, a fierce strike that shook the eardrums burst into the silent room.
Jin literally swung his fist with all his might, delivering a swift blow to the back of Murakan''s head.
Jin''s actions were based on experience, but since the others didn''t know the circumstances, they couldn''t help but think that Jin had gone mad.
After receiving such a strong blow to the back of the head, Murakan stood erect like a rigid pole for a while.
He seemed to have turned into a stone statue.
Only his head was slightly tilted in the direction where Jin''s fist had struck.
"Jin, what is this?"
Dyfus spoke with a trembling voice, trying to calm down.
For a moment, he thought Murakan might have died.
Of course, that wouldn''t make sense, but Murakan was so motionless that it wouldn''t be strange even if he had died standing.
The direction of the neck seemed somewhat ambiguous, and receiving a blow with all of Jin''s strength in a defenseless state couldn''t be riskier.
"Ugh... Damn. It hurts like hell."
Fortunately, after what felt like an eternity to the Runcandels, Murakan finally spoke with an irritated voice.
"Are you awake?"
"I guess I had a... chronic illness? Yeah, it seems like I had a chronic illness. Brat, even if that''s the case, why did you hit me so hard?"
Thud! Crack!
Murakan turned his head, loosening the joints in his neck as he continued ranting.
"Can''t you see how many eyes are watching us, huh? My image is going to be ruined. My image! Huh?"
Excitedly talking, Murakan stumbled and lost bnce.
Although he had regained consciousness, there was a fact that Jin had overlooked.
When he used the same shock therapy in old Oterium, Jin was exhausted, and now he had all his stamina.
And he had also be much stronger than back then.
Wow, this is crazy.
You should have controlled your strength a bit, brat.
My bones ache, and the world is spinning.
But what the hell is that damn sword?
It seems to have a close connection with me.
''I feel like my head is going to explode when I try to remember.''
He was curious to the point that it was driving him crazy.
But for now, he had to focus on the fight.
After all, he had to save his Contractor.
''This physical beauty doesn''t seem like someone who would tell lies or use superficial tricks. She clearly said that no reinforcements woulde.''
It was time to unleash all his power.
"Kid."
"Yes?"
"I''ll transform into my true form. If, for some reason, that physical beauty turns out to be a insignificant liar, and reinforcementse, leave me and escape. Understood?"
Jin nodded heavily.
He didn''t really intend to abandon Murakan, but for now, it was better to ept. Regardless of whether reinforcements came or not, if Murakan didn''t go all out, there was no solution.
"...There are some parts I don''t quite understand, but let me make it clear that you needed time for the operation. Do I have to wait longer?"
Hedo, who had been waiting for Murakan to speak about his sword, concluded that no more patience was necessary.
"Hmph, undoubtedly, you are the best of this era among those I''ve seen with my own eyes. However, I am Murakan. Although my majesty and the long rivalry with your master''s Family have faded over a thousand years, I am still Murakan."
Woong...!
As Murakan finished speaking, his shadow grew.
Soon, it dispersed into ck smoke with a gust of wind, transforming into the true form of a ck Dragon, beating a pair of dark wings.
Kaaaah!
After the sharp and ominous roar, Hedo casually adjusted his sses with a courteous gesture.
"I''ll look forward to it."
A ck curtain spread out of nowhere, dyeing the ceiling ck. The vortexes of shadowy force swirling wildly inside seemed like the eyes of giants, and each one pointed at Hedo.
In the shadow-infused Bradamante, blue mes formed, and from the swords of Joshua, Dyfus, and Jane, a dazzling aura emanated.
The members of the Spectre Corps also gathered their mana, and Hedo took a deep breath.
The sky seemed to tear apart from the amplified energy of the superhumans, and the entire tower vibrated unsettlingly and unpleasantly.
Expansion just before the collision.
It was Hedo who first broke that precarious situation.
"Hmm!"
The contained spirit of Hedo''s longsword, Bale, rushed into the chaotic scene where shadow force, aura, and mana mingled.
It was a simple thrust.
Moreover, it was perfect.
The trajectory of his sword cut through the center of the entangled energies in a diagonal line.
The target was Murakan.
It was a speed and distance that could never be avoided with Murakan''s uniquely gigantic body.
Normally,pensating with a simr or greater force or counterattacking to avoid mortal wounds were the only options for the dragon.
However, at that moment, Murakan turned back into ck smoke, dispersing his body to avoid Hedo''s sword.
At the same time, he counterattacked with dozens of shadow force vortexes.
''Ugh!''
He didn''te out unscathed.
At Hedo''s level, the sword wave swept through, scattering Murakan''s particles in the smoke.
Hedo, furthermore, instead of just receiving the attack with his body this time, used footwork to evade it.
Not only did Murakan''s thrust miss, but the poisonous strikes of the Runcandels also followed.
As a result of Murakan dodging Hedo''s thrust, the extraordinary energy of the sword left no chance for the Spectre Corps behind the Runcandels.
Therefore, the Spectres felt so betrayed and unjustly treated that they almost went mad.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 497
C497
Sword energy akin to a storm scraped against the Spectre''s protective shield.
The Spectres never expected Hedo to fight them with such intensity.
''I didn''t expect Hedo to cooperate or join forces with us, but this attitude towards enemies is not very different!''
Wielding Bale once again, Hedo showed no intention of ensuring the safety of the Spectres.
A lightning spread under the ck curtain Murakan had deployed.
It was the light emanating from Joshua''s ck sword, Kainer.
Runcandel''s Sixth Decisive Final Movement:
Lightning Bolt.
It had already been proven that ordinary attacks couldn''t inflict damage on that tremendous physique.
Unless it was a special attack, like a decisive lethal move, a secret technique, or a crimson sword aura obtained through some enlightenment, it might even be a vulnerability.
The condensed aura in Kainer exploded, scattering sharp fragments like shattered obsidian.
Thousands of fragments emitted an intense sound, as if brain energy were erupting, and the dazzling light contained in each fragment flickered on and off repeatedly with surprising speed.
Finally, Kainer, leaving a varied trajectory, rushed towards Hedo.
The sword energies, irregrly scattered, momentarily covered Hedo''s figure as they reflected the light.
''He knows the form of the Final Movement, Lightning Bolt. Just like Barton Vicenna,'' Jin thought as he followed Hedo''s movements with his gaze.
He had already experienced Runcandel''s lethal decisive movement several times.
Thus, he skillfully predicted the lightning''s trajectory and used his footwork.
The ground trembled with each step Hedo took, and the air became stifling.
He was not only evading but also deploying his energy to contain the Runcandels.
Crack!
The lightning dissipated, and Hedo''s figure reappeared.
Hedo either dodged or deflected most of it, and the group was no longer surprised to see him resist the Second gbearer of the Family''s decisive lethal move without a single scratch.
Everyone had regained theirposure.
They were the gbearers of Runcandel and the ck Knight.
No matter how desperate the situation, those at the forefront of the Swordsmen n always found a way out.
Next was Dyfus''s sword.
The de of the greatsword, Volgar, descended as if it could touch the ceiling.
The third final movement, Meteor Shower.
As the name suggested, countless sword energies fell like a meteor shower, eroding Hedo''s area.
Hedo''s figure blurred.
It was not obscured by the meteor shower as the lightning did.
He simply moved from the point where the meteor shower was falling at an incredible speed.
Beyond the speed of sound.
A shockwave spread from where Hedo was, and a loud explosion sounded.
The next moment, Hedo was under Murakan''s wings.
He was right in front of Jin.
Jin felt as if a wall had suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Dyfus had just executed the meteor shower, so he couldn''t casually recover the aura.
He adjusted his posture a bitte, and Jane couldn''t match Hedo''s speed.
[Brat!]
Murakan descended like a hawk to protect Jin, but Hedo had already swung the longsword, now lying on the ground, towards Jin.
It was toote to dodge.
"It seems like a rather dangerous sword, Twelfth gbearer."
"Ah!"
Jin managed to block the attack, but he couldn''t exert all his strength because he was focused on gathering aura and mana for the magic sword.
He ran the risk of being pushed back, just like Dyfus, who hadn''t recovered the aura used in the meteor shower recklessly.
Although he activated the shadow force armor to mitigate the impact, Jin felt excruciating pain in every bone of his body as his swords and Hedo''s shed.
The next sh was also an upward strike.
Jin turned his body to the side to avoid the sword, and meanwhile, Murakan, who had charged, blew ck breath over Hedo''s torso.
However, Hedo easily evaded the ck breath.
As a result, the breath flew back towards the Spectres behind Hedo.
One of them ended up letting out a death scream but was drowned out by the deafening noise of explosions and destruction throughout the room.
Swish...
Jin''s mask split in half and fell to the ground.
Hedo''s second upward strike wasn''t meant to kill Jin from the beginning but to remove his mask.
He looked at Jin''s face for a moment and said:
"You''re very handsome. But I''m not sure it''s worth celebrating to the point where thedy would give her right arm."
The words "thedy would give her right arm" were muttered so low they were barely audible.
"Stop babbling nonsense and fight!" Joshua shouted with bloodshot eyes.
In the trajectory of his charge towards Hedo was a posterior image, and the ck Sword Kainer was ready to execute the fourth final movement, Fallen Petals, with the aura prepared.
It''s not that he was angry for being ignored and used recklessly.
''I need to gain time...!''
Time for Jin to execute the Magic Sword Secret Technique.
It seems like a rather dangerous sword.
Joshua was attentive to what Hedo had just said.
If Jin could breach with his Hellfire once, Joshua and the other Runcandels, as well as Murakan, could inflict damage on Hedo.
Even if they couldn''t finish him off, they could wound him and secure an escape route.
''If that''s not enough, I also have to consider using that power...''
With those thoughts, Joshua dove into the fight.
Dyfus and Jane also charged at Hedo with simr determination.
''When Jin executes the Hellfire, I''ll pour everything I have...''
However, the Spectres didn''t stand idly by. Although they hadn''t experienced the power of Hellfire, they could clearly see how the Runcandels were moving and what ns they had.
Kwaaaah!
Murakan unleashed his breath and a barrage of shadow force spears towards Hedo and the Spectres.
The spears sprouted not only from the ceiling but also from the floor.
The aura dispersed in the air kept turning into decisive lethal moves, pressing on Hedo.
It wasn''t even easy to determine the other''s location among the dazzling lights of the decisive lethal moves.
Jin prepared to attack again under Murakan''s protection.
"But there''s something off."
Jin suddenly had a strange thought while umting mana and aura.
"If I were Hedo, I wouldn''t fight like this."
Frustrated.
Hedo had two clear opportunities that could have been fatal for Jin.
Maybe he could have killed Jin.
"He feels strangely passive. Why?"
Even now, Hedo could easily break through the defensive line.
If he wanted to enjoy the fight or revel inbat itself, he would have fought more aggressively.
If he belonged to the category that adores the tension of life-or-death battles, the group was an inadequate opponent.
Actions follow reasoning to achieve objectives.
And if you know the other person''s purpose and can use it.
The fight was destined to be easier.
Does he want to capture me alive instead of killing me and use me as material for the Demon God''s Orb?
That doesn''t make sense either.
"Is it just the whims of the powerful?"
There''s no time for deep contemtions.
The brothers who had thrown themselves at Hedo were continuously repelled and rose repeatedly.
Hellfire wasplete.
The azure color of the de intensified, and as the shadow force armor was released, the glowing runic characters created mes.
In an instant, Jin turned into fire.
From him, the mes began to spread like a tidal wave in all directions.
The blue mespletely consumed the interior but didn''t engulf the allies.
Is this the achievement of the Twelfth gbearer?
Is this the power that single-handedly demolished the Garden of Swords...?
The Spectres immediately ceased their attacks and concentrated all their mana on defense.
Even in their best condition, the four Spectres couldn''tpletely block Jin''s Hellfire.
They had to avoid the damage.
However, it seemed impossible to evade it without a ce to retreat and with obstacles everywhere, including the Runcandels and Murakanunching an offensive.
"If Hedo doesn''t help, we''ll suffer mortal wounds that will at least incapacitate us for fighting. Or death."
They were already exhausted from the battle with Joshua and Jane before Hedo arrived; the Spectres were dragging considerable fatigue.
Furthermore, they were simultaneously enduring the attacks of both Runcandels and Hedo, so surviving in this situation seemed challenging.
"Notable."
Hedo felt impressed for the first time as he cleared away the blue mes flooding him.
The swords of the other gbearers and the ck Knight were mediocrepared to the Runcandels he knew, and Murakan''sbat prowess, of which there were only rumors, was still below expectations.
On the other hand, Jin''s Magic Sword Technique had something dazzling even to Hedo''s eyes.
However, Hedo could sense that Jin''s Magic Sword was not yetplete.
Well, if it keeps growing like this...
He might be able to handle my troublesome miss.
"Of course, assuming the miss isn''t a Zipple, and the Twelfth gbearer isn''t a Runcandel."
Suddenly, Hedo felt bitter.
Sandra''s love would never bear fruit.
After all, Jin and his Family were no different from patients diagnosed with a terminal illness, so maybe.
He wondered if it would be better to slit Jin''s throat now rather than let him be an ingredient for the Demon God''s Orb.
What should I do?
In the moment of confusion, the screams of the Spectres scratched at Hedo''s nerves.
"Hedo! Are you just going to stand there looking?"
Hedo had no ns to help them from the beginning.
Letting them all die would serve as a proper warning to Octavia Zipple.
"Why are you calling me? You should be begging for your life from the enemies... Hm!"
Swiish!
Suddenly, Jin, who had lunged forward, thrust his sword into Hedo''s face.
"Guardian of the White Tower, you are undoubtedly a Warrior worthy of respect even as an enemy. But you are too rxed."
Although Hedo managed to block Jin, he felt as if something oily fell on him.
The mes flowed over Hedo''s body through the Bale sword.
In an instant, the upper part of his body waspletely immersed in blue mes...
But Hedo looked at Jin without showing any signs of pain.
At first nce, it seemed like the mes were burning him, but there was no visible impact.
However, Jin didn''t hesitate.
The power of Hellfire and the strength of Runcandel were not his only abilities.
"Twelfth gbearer, I have a suggestion."
"A suggestion?"
"If you happen to have picked up something here, give it to me now. Then I will consider sparing your life for now."
Something picked up here.
There was no need to think about what that meant; it was clear.
It was the battleship''s blueprints.
''What is he talking about suddenly?''
''Have they already stolen the blueprints?''
In that moment, Jin tried to suppress his absurd feelings and choose a response.
Among the Hellfire surrounding Jin, something fell with a dull sound.
It was the key Joshua had given him.
Hedo fell silent for a moment and could only open his eyes and fixate them on the fallen key.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 498
Chapter 498
C498
No, why is this falling now?
Jin looked at the key with that thought.
Jin felt his heart sinking.
If the battleship blueprint had already been stolen by someone, then Runcandel had gone through all the trouble for nothing.
Could it be Joshua?
No, considering the timing and the situation, it doesn''t make sense.
''Even when handing over the key, he seemed to have made his own decision.''
If that''s the case, the only one left was Kinzelo.''Only the four Spectres remained in the Second Magic Tower because the rest of the forces went to track the stolen blueprint!''
For now, there was no other usible deduction.
However, Hedo''s goal remained a mystery.
"If by any chance you have picked up something here, give it to me now. Then I will consider sparing your life for now."
Logically, it wasn''t something one would say to the enemy.
Thud, swing-!
The fallen key was swept away by the hot wind of the hellfire mes and disappeared into the fire.
Hedo exhaled a sigh as if he couldn''t believe what had just happened.
It was a moment that could lead to more misunderstandings.
It wasn''t easy for Hedo to quickly realize what the situation was.
Because Jin also had the same key that Sandra had given him.
Why did Jin Runcandel have the vault key?
Until now, Hedo knew that there was only one key.
At least, that was the case until a moment ago.
"Twelfth gbearer, I don''t know where you got that key from. But what I just said still stands."
Hedo narrowed his eyes and spoke as if he didn''t want toplicate things too much.
If the key was duplicated, or if there were really extras that he was unaware of, or if Runcandel had stolen it...
Whatever the case, the verdict was simple.
As long as he could retrieve the blueprints and send Jin away alive, it was enough.
Sandra Zipple awaited Jin on the rooftop of the tower, fully adorned. There was even a table set for a dinner for two in the center...
(Hedo prepared it himself just before the group arrived)
And to endure the anticipation and excitement, Sandra was sipping on an aperitif while watching the view of the explosions in the secret shipyard of the Sota Desert.
As that unsettling image came to mind, the veins on Hedo''s forehead thickened.
"Miss Sandra."
"What?!"
"You must report it."
"Report what?"
"Jin Runcandel has arrived at the shipyard. You must report this to the patriarch. Since you are currently on duty."
"Hedo, then my husband is dead. Or he won''t be Jin anymore."
"Probably. Well, considering the survival skills the Twelfth gbearer has shown so far, you never know."
"So don''t say those things twice."
Considering that conversation, he thought it would be better to keep Jin alive and send him away if possible.
He had set the table to calm her down, but expecting a dinner would not be realistic.
"I don''t have the blueprints."
"You just dropped the key, didn''t you? Don''t make foolish judgments. I don''t want to kill you if it''s not necessary."
"You make me cry. But what do you want me to do if I don''t have it? And it seems you''ve forgotten."
We keep fighting, Tower Guardian.
Jin was able to continue his words, and the Hellfire became even more ferocious.
The mes clinging to Hedo''s body caused an explosion, and the spreading mes gathered to engulf him.
Sarah Runcandel''s secret technique, renowned as the strongest among the ten great Knights of the ancient Runcandel.
Although the technique was still iplete, it couldn''t be taken lightly.
With a small groan, Hedo took a step back for the first time.
The Hellfire had a much greater power than his expectations.
Blocking or avoiding this sword from the beginning would have been the right choice.
''I might have been toocent, as Jin Runcandel said. This could be a bit exhausting...''
The heat of the Hellfire prated through the protective shield and flesh, reaching his internal organs.
It had been a long time since he felt so much pain.
Even if he emitted energy to push it away, it seemed that it would take some time to diminish this fierce heat.
The problem was that the Hellfire was not the end.
Other Runcandels had been waiting just for this moment.
"Well done, younger one!"
The first to follow was Dyfus.
The second meteor shower he executed was falling behind Hedo.
Not only that, the destructive power of the meteor shower was undoubtedly one of the highest in the final movements, but it seemed that by itself, it wouldn''t deliver a proper blow to the giant.
Dyfus had prepared another sword movement, the most refined sword he possessed.
Runcandel''s Fifth Secret Technique:
Light Speed Thrust.
A sword he had perfected beyond the limits several times with Mary.
sh!
A dazzling sh surged towards Hedo''s back before the meteor shower.
It was the Light Speed Thrust, surpassing Mary and reaching its peak.
Hedo couldn''t dodge Dyfus''s sword.
The Light Speed Thrust distorted space and pierced through his mountainous back.
Hedo bent forward and vomited blood, but even the Light Speed Thrust couldn''t prate his immense body.
The shockwave that spread along with it shook the entire tower.
There were six streaks of those shes in session.
Dyfus would inevitably fall into a recoil, but anyway, there was no turning back.
Dyfus realized that this was hisst chance to turn the tables.
After finishing the attack, Dyfus spat out a dark puddle of blood.
Kraaaah!
Hedo screamed in agony.
It wasn''t clear if it was a scream or a roar.
However, one thing was certain:
Hedo showed no signs of copsing even after being struck six times by a Light Speed Thrust along with a meteor shower.
Even in the midst of this, Hedo continued to wield his longsword to restrain Jin and was aware of another sword that woulde next.
Monster...!
Next were Joshua and Jane.
Although the six Light Speed Thrusts didn''t deal a significant blow to Hedo, that didn''t mean he was unharmed.
Jane, she, approached amidst the meteor shower, thrusting her sword into the wounds created by the Light Speed Thrust.
The wounds were barely an inch wide.
However, Jane''s sword clearly pierced Hedo''s wounds.
Blood sttered, and flesh tore.
"You!"
Hedo rolled his eyes and pushed Jane away, releasing sword energy.
Jane, she, superficially stabbed Hedo about five times, and Hedo threw Jane against the wall, shattering her wrist and causing significant internal injuries.
However, Jane wasn''t disappointed.
Blood gushed from the depths of her chest, but she finally managed tond a valid blow on that monster, creating a small opening.
A very small opening.
Joshua''s sword pierced through that gap.
"Kaaaah!"
A desperate and venomous scream, an effort from the heart.
No one said Joshua was the best gbearer in pure martial skill.
He was always overshadowed by Luna, and among the siblings, the prevailing opinion was that he became the next patriarch not for his sword skills but due to Rosa''s full support.
It wasn''t entirely wrong.
However, he was undoubtedly Runcandel''s Second gbearer.
He had challenged and lost against Runcandel''s strongest gbearer many times.
In other words, Joshua also had potential.
He gained enlightenment through numerous defeats and humiliations, learning to incorporate it into his sword.
This was the result.
The ck Sword, Kainer, was enveloped in a dark aura.
The energy was simr to shadow strength but not as intense, and it possessed the characteristic glow of the aura.
It wasn''t Joshua''s unique domain, like Luna''s Mind Sword, but rather a unique-colored sword energy one must reach to obtain Runcandel''s ultimate technique.
Runcandel''s Fourth Secret Technique: ck Cross
Joshua''s sword drew a perfect cross.
Bright ck sword energy spread through a perfect cross without a single inch of deviation.
The point where the sword energy intersected was Hedo''s shoulder.
Originally, it aimed at the center of his face, but it altered due to his reaction.
However, ck Cross wasn''t a type of sword technique that significantly lost its power if it deviated slightly.
ck Cross wasn''t a cross formed by two lines, as its name suggested.
As soon as the secret technique began, Joshua''s ck sword energy expanded into a giant circle, pointing at Hedo from all directions.
Swoosh!
As if snipers who had finished the siege opened fire simultaneously, numerous ck sword energies in the form of crosses gathered at the intersection and began to sh at Hedo.
If Joshua had executed the ck Cross alone, it would have been difficult tond a precise blow.
However, the Runcandels'' swords that had attacked Hedo before did not do so in vain.
He writhed in agony atst. Though small, he let out more of a groan than a roar.
And he couldn''t deflect at least 1/10 of the countless ck sword energies from the ck Cross.
If it were anyone other than Hedo, just that 1/10 would have torn the body into hundreds of pieces, turning into minced flesh.
"Kugh!"
Joshua sat down, breathing heavily.
Damn it, it wasn''t enough...!
Hedo, who began to shake off the ck Cross, seemed to regain strength with each passing moment.
He was covered in blood, but he hadn''t suffered mortal wounds.
"Just as the ck Dragon said that Murakan is Murakan, a Runcandel remains a Runcandel. I was a bit surprised."
Tsk, Hedo spat blood, wiping his face, and spoke.
[I''m tired of this bastard.]
Murakan was absorbing the remnants of the Hellfire with a vortex.
At this point, the Spectre Corps was barely standing, having exhausted their strength in constantly protecting against the Hellfire, Final Movements, and Secret Techniques.
[Hey, brat. It seems it won''t work. It''s a desperate situation. Take care of the others and escape. I''ll deal with him somehow and catch up with youter.]
"Well, it seems like a reasonable n, but unfortunately, I can''t help you, Murakan-nim. Unless Runcandel returns what they stole, I have no choice but to withdraw."
[What?]
"This means I will request support from the main house. I don''t want to waste my strength unnecessarily anymore. My patience is running out."
[You''re saying two things with one mouth. You''re starting to show your true colors. It''s not that you don''t want to waste your strength unnecessarily, but it seems the battle is starting to weigh on you. You''ve taken more beatings than expected.]
"Feel free to think as you wish. But you know very well that doing so won''t improve the situation, ck Dragon."
[Hmph, and what nonsense is this about us stealing the blueprints? We haven''t raided the vault here yet, have we? You''re making unfounded usations.]
Murakan and the other Runcandels hadn''t witnessed the moment when the key burned in the Hellfire.
Nor did they hear the conversation between Jin and Hedo.
Hedo decided to speak with Jin instead of Murakan.
"You have a talent for making difficult problems simple, Twelfth gbearer. If you keep insisting, you''ll regret it. Before that happens, let me rify one thing: I''ll give you the greatest consideration I can offer..."
Just as he finished saying that-
Hedo suddenly turned around and brandished his longsword.
He felt that someone had eluded his senses and was approaching him at close range.
It was an assassination attempt.
And the number of people in the world who could attempt an attack on Hedo is so few that they can be counted on one hand...
One of them is a rare assassin born in the Garden of Swords.
She was Yona.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 499
Chapter 499
C499
On the day Mary led the fleet and Puberty Ship to Tikan, Yona had nowhere specific to go, so she immediately returned to the Nameless City of Samil.
She had been in a bad mood all day, feeling sad and disappointed for not being able to take a proper stroll with her younger brother, Jin. So, she looked at her mission list.
It was about erasing distracting thoughts by doing something.
The more difficult andplicated the mission, the more effective it would be, so she only looked at requests ssified as higher grade or ones she decided to reject.
One of them was Kinzelo''s request.
Owal was only going to tear up the request letter, as it asked to steal an object from Zipple''s second magic tower.
"Heh, Owal-nim. Why don''t you ept it?"
"Because it''s a perfect job if you want to die.""Why?"
Considering the recent unusual trends among the major factions, the international situation, theplicated rtionship of interests, and the position Samil should take in this flow, etc.
"...So I thought it would be better not to ept it. Understand?"
"Even if I hear such bothersome stories, I don''t really know what you''re talking about. You just don''t want to do it, right?"
That''s how it might sound. But still, you listened to me, so it''s much better than the days when you wouldn''t even listen to what I said and suddenly disappeared."
"Hehe, anyway, it seems like a very important matter. Why isn''t my n looking for me?"
Perhaps they are nning to use you for an even greater purpose than this, and there are orders from Cyron-nim.
Owal concealed those words behind a sly smile.
"Well, whatever the reason, it''s better not to look for you. Especially in cases like this."
"Did Leader Kinzelo make the request personally?"
Leader Kinzelo.
Since Yona was able to control Chaos, she was a bit interested in him.
It was because she knew that he understood "Chaos" well.
"Why do you ask?"
"I just wanted to meet him once."
"Why?"
"I wanted to ask him some questions."
Owal shrugged.
Although heined about the difficulty of the mission, Owal was notpletelycking in ambition.
"It''s an object from Zipple''s Second Magic Tower."
Owal was convinced that the object was the blueprints of a battleship.
He also knew that Zipple had recently leaked information about a secret shipyard in the Sota Desert.
Obtaining the blueprint was an excellent business from the Nameless perspective.
This had a high potential to be the best means to proactively negotiate among the major factions.
''Regardless of the request, if Yona, and not me, acts unterally, it will be difficult for the major factions to hold us ountable.''
Especially, Runcandel would never demand ountability.
No, beyond that, if Yona got the blueprints, it would actually be about protecting and thanking the Nameless.
Moreover, in the first ce, Yona would leave no trace of having entered the Second Magic Tower. Her infiltration and assassination skills far surpassed those of Owal.
''She''s not the type of person who will listen to me even if I try to stop her anyway... Maybe it''s not a bad idea to let her go at once.''
Without the need for further considerations by Owal, Yona had already made a decision.
"I will ept this request."
"No, you can''t."
"Even if you stop me, I''ll go, hehe."
"If you really have to go, I have some conditions you have to follow."
In the end, after reaching a non-negotiable agreement with Owal, Yona headed towards the Second Magic Tower.
And in the process, she learned that Joshua, Dyfus, and the youngest would also participate in this mission.
From that moment on, Yona''s top priority became notpleting the request, but confirming the life or death of her younger brother.
Not only because her younger brother seemed to be alone in the middle of Zipple''s territory.
''Wow, can there really be something like this in the Second Magic Tower, it''s not even Drakka? Seriously?''
While they were stealing and returning the key in the Second Magic Tower, the siblings witnessed a monster that was far beyond what they could handle.
----------------------------
These were the background details of Yona''s arrival at the Second Magic Tower.
She had been watching Jin and Murakan from the moment they entered the underground shipyard.
And she sought the right moment, a moment when she could approach her younger brother avoiding the surveince of the crystal ball, Hedo''s senses, and Kinzelo''s eyes.
In the end, she didn''t seed.
Even Yona had her limits, and not everything was possible for her.
Therefore, what had just appeared was inevitably apromise she had chosen.
The optimal moment to assassinate the monster called Hedo was far from ideal, but if she didn''t step forward now, her younger brother might really lose his life.
Swing!
Yona''s sword, ''Death,'' and the longsword, Bale, shed, leaving sharp traces.
Except for one person, Hedo, who was the target of the assassination, no one else realized that Yona had appeared.
It was a moment when the transcendent power of Hedo''s strength became even more evident.
''Elder Sister Yona?''
Yona?
All the Runcandels widened their eyes.
Yona''s sudden appearance was shocking, but even more surprising was the fact that Yona had left a long and deep wound on Hedo''s chest with a single sword movement.
aash!
A fresh spurt of blood gushed from Hedo''s robust body.
The wound inflicted by Yona was far more severe than all the Final Movements and Secret Techniques the group had used to stake their lives.
On the other hand, Hedo''s counterattack only sliced the tips of Yona''s hair, who had once again stabbed him in the side.
"Ugh...!"
Death had momentarily pierced Hedo''s side before reemerging.
It was a clearly grave injury.
Normally, Yona should have seized this opportunity to finish the target, but she refrained from continuing the assault and distanced herself.
The extremely limited advantage she had gained using the "Silver Dragon w" that Jin had given to Sin Nombre had ended.
Sin Nombre''s assassins had always regarded the Silver Dragon w as a divine artifact.
If processed in their unique way, it could freeze any target in the blink of an eye.
The reason Yona could easily cut and stab Hedo''s body was thanks to the divine power of Sin Nombre''s weapon.
Of course, her assassination skills were exceptional as well.
"Younger one, ugh!"
"Elder sister!"
As Yona withdrew from Hedo, her legs wavered, and she suddenly swayed towards Jin.
A thin stream of blood flowed between her lips.
When she shed and stabbed Hedo with Death, the longsword, Bale, did not directly touch Yona, but she still suffered internal injuries from the energy explosively released by Hedo.
This was due to the aftermath of having used Chaos not long ago, and Yona''s chaos had notpletely calmed yet.
"...It was you!"
The one who stole the ns!
Hedo, with ming eyes, charged towards her, Yona, like a bullet.
Murakan blocked his path with his breath and punch, and then, the siblings and Jane stood in front of Hedo.
Despite being severely injured, Hedo''s formidable strength persisted.
Like a wounded beast bing even more ferocious.
The group was amazed by his relentless charge, even after being hit directly by the Shadow Energy punch and breath.
But Hedo was still human.
He could be close to the strongest among the Ten-Star Warriors, but he was not a Genesis Knight.
He endured the umted blows with sheer willpower.
The Runcandels were well aware of this fact.
''We must escape with Elder Sister Yona!''
This was the first andst chance to get rid of Hedo.
The entire group was thinking the same as Jin.
Moreover, as Yona had the ns, if they managed to escape unharmed, this situation would be a victory for the Runcandels.
The long veil of the sword fell upon the gathered siblings'' heads, with the feel of a copsing mountain.
Kaaah!
The warriors'' shouts echoed as their swords shed.
The Runcandels defending against Hedo''s strike had their ankles embedded in the ground, and finally, the sturdy space that had not copsed even amid the battle crumbledpletely.
The roof waspletely destroyed as well.
The shockwaves created by the swords wielded by the Runcandels to stop the longsword and Murakan''s punches were responsible for this destruction.
The entire tower was copsing. While the Runcandel and Hedo fell, they stepped on debris, engaging in a battle in mid-air.
Every second, dozens of sword energies shed fiercely, intertwining and devouring the airspace.
The wound is deep.
I''ve been hit by a rather extreme poison, which even spreads every time I move.
Hedo gritted his teeth and analyzed the situation.
Not even Hedo expected the variable Yona Runcandel.
If he had known of her existence, he would never have casually involved himself in the fight, as Jin had suggested.
''In the end, I need to request reinforcements from the main house.''
As long as the Runcandels kept fighting, Hedo was confident he could defeat them all.
However, the Runcandels were not fools.
Escaping was the only natural course of action.
Therefore, Hedo could no longer tolerate this.
Among those falling, Hedo was the first to reach the ground.
At the same time, the thick gold ring on his index finger, engraved with mysterious runic characters, began to emit light.
The ring was an artifact, a type of signaling magic simr to the inscriptions on each tower master''s staff.
The signal was immediately transmitted to Drakka, Zipple''s main house.
Even before three seconds passed since the ring emitted light, arge-scale rm magic was activated from afar.
I''m sorry, miss.
I can only hope that the Twelfth gbearer has celestial luck beyond rumors.
Hopefully, he''ll be able to survive even the pursuit by Drakka''s main force.
Hedo still had no intention of killing Jin.
However, in this situation, if he let the Runcandels go, not only would it raise suspicions about himself, but it could also bring disadvantages to Sandra.
This was an unavoidable choice.
Now Hedo had only one thing to do.
Eliminate the "witnesses" who had seen him offer to spare Jin''s life.
The Specters were exhausted and continued to fall, or gasped caught in the cracks of the broken tower.
Hedo raised his head to confirm their positions and prepare to shoot sword energy, but he was surprised to see that the tower''s roof waspletely open.
''Certainly, didn''t the roof copse? Why is it open like this?
Throughout the battle, Hedo controlled his energy to ensure that even if the inside of the tower was destroyed, the rooftop would not suffer major damage.
In other words, someone had damaged it.
Hedo had a feeling he knew who the culprit was, and that thought gave him a throbbing headache.
Hedooo-!
The owner of that incredibly loud, sharp, and irritable voice was none other than Sandra Zipple.
She had been waiting all this time for Hedo to bring Jin, and upon realizing the activation of the support signal, she pierced through the floor and leaped into the battlefield.
"You useless, muscle-brained idiot! Are you crazy? Are you insane!? Why did you call the main force!? Do you n to kill my Jin?"
While she shouted vehemently, Sandra, who had justnded on the ground, made eye contact with Jin.
Then, she spoke in a different tone.
"My love! I was waiting for you. Where do you think you''re going? Let''s go together."
Even in the midst of urgency, Jin felt a chill hearing Sandra''s words.
But, at the same time, he had the intuition that she might be of great help in escaping from that ce.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 500
Chapter 500
C500
Sandra had her arms wide open as she descended, wearing a radiant smile.
For those unaware of her circumstances or entric personality, it seemed as if she were weing her lover, whom she hadn''t seen in a long time, with a heart absolutely thrilled.
Is that Sandra Zipple...?
Did she just refer to the Twelfth gbearer as ''my love''?
Is there some kind of rtionship between the Twelfth gbearer and Sandra Zipple?
Joshua, Dyfus, and even Jane couldn''t help but squint their eyes as they looked at Sandra.
It was absurd for her to appear out of nowhere and call Jin ''my love,'' and it was shocking to see how Hedo, who looked like a monster, awkwardly reacted to her words.
Thunk!
Sandranded about ten steps away from Jin with agile and light movements uncharacteristic of a magician.
"Hahaha, I thought you''d catch me and embrace me coldly. Are you going to avoid me like this?"
"In this world, some people consider avoiding a wise move."
"How do you like my outfit today? I ordered it with a special rmendation from the upper echelons of the Golden Peng. Do you like it?"
Jin''s eyes didn''t focus on the ck coat and shirt that looked simr to his Runcandel ceremonial uniform, but on the golden prosthetic hand.
Jin also recognized that the engraved drawing on it was his own face.
-A right arm... that seems fair.
-What do you mean by ''fair''?
-I think it''s too early to give everything I have. A right arm is neither too much nor too little. We''re only on our first date.
Jin got goosebumps again, recalling the conversation they had in Gaifa.
The ongoing battle came to a halt, and everyone fell silent for a while, with only the sound of debris and shattered stones falling to the ground.
Jin simply nodded.
It wasn''t a difficult decision. It suited Jin''s tastes, and, more importantly, it seemed she could be of some help to get out of this dreadful crisis.
"I''m relieved! If you had deceived me, I was thinking of ordering that stupid muscle pig to kill those cute rats... Damn muscle pig!... Damn it! Hedo! How are you going to handle this? How are you going to take responsibility? Huh?"
Baaaaaa-!
The rm sound grew louder.
In the sky, Drakka''s dragons had already taken flight, and the battleship Kozec was preparing to depart.
"You said you''d definitely let me have dinner with Jin-nim!"
"...There was a small hup, miss."
"A hup? A hup! At this crucial moment, really, I''d rather die! How long have I waited?"
The Runcandels couldn''tprehend it at all.
The sight of that monster being so defenseless against Sandra was surreal.
And at that moment, Jin understood why Hedo didn''t actively disy hisbat skills.
It''s because of Sandra''s orders.
Jin''s feelings becameplex.
The fact that he could be alive thanks to Sandra was more humiliating than relieving.
Jin had no choice but to think this way because her entric behavior, which didn''t seem like an enemy''s trick, was beneficial in some way.
If it weren''t for Yona and Sandra.
This mission was already a failure.
It might be possible to escape, but undoubtedly, Runcandel had suffered a significant blow without any substantial gains.
''Not only Zipple and Hedo werecent. I and other Runcandels also thought it was too easy.''
But it wasn''t the time toment or me himself.
The problem could be fixedter, and today''s humiliation would be paid with an even greater misfortune.
''What''s somewhat fortunate is that the enemies didn''t calcte all these unexpected variables.''
So, even now, he had to be the first to perfectly read the unexpected variables.
I don''t know why, but Hedo values Sandra Zipple''s orders more.
However, today Sandra and I won''t be able to have dinner together.
''So he probably just tried to keep me alive to avoid Sandra''s resentment.''
-If you have anything you''ve picked up here, leave it and go. If you do, I''ll let you live for now.
As Hedo spoke those words, Jin couldn''t help but feel uneasy about the phrase ''I''ll let you live for now.''
''After retrieving the blueprints, Hedo nned to kill everyone except me and Murakan.''
Not only Joshua, Dyfus, and Jane, but also the Spectres who behaved pitifully like shrimp.
Jin was convinced of that.
The reason he wants to deal with the Spectres is either to erase the evidence that he prioritized Sandra''s orders over his n or because he didn''t want to be bothered.
''And the reason he called the main house despite the fact that I might die was because if itteres out that we stole the blueprints of the battleship and escaped unharmed, Sandra could also be in trouble.''
Jin felt like his mind was about to explode with consecutive thoughts about assumptions.
''Not only Murakan and I, but everyone in Runcandels must survive. At least until we escape from the Second Tower."
Drakka''s main force would provide support, and after escaping the second tower, there might still be a challenging battle.
Yona, Dyfus, Jane, and even Joshua needed to survive to have the slightest chance of making it through that and escaping the Lutero Magical Federation.
''How should I do it? I need a way to negotiate with the Tower Guardian.''
As he pondered up to that point.
Jin saw in the distance, behind Hedo, through the fleet filling the open sky...
He could see something familiar.
And the word that came to his mind at that moment was precisely this.
Divine luck.
The sky is helping me.
No, maybe this was already nned from the moment they arrived.
Jin immediately arrived at the conclusion of how to use this newly revealed variable in the sky.
Moreover, it seemed crucial not to miss the opportunity to gather as much information as possible about Hedo.
Jin brought his sword closer to Sandra Zipple''s throat. Even when the de touched her neck, she seemed pleased to be closer to Jin.
"Make way, Tower Guardian."
Hedo shrugged at Jin''s words.
Hedo: "Do you n to use the youngdy as a hostage? You should know that''s not a great threat, considering what you experienced on the Gaifa Inds."
"Of course, I know Sandra Zipple is half-immortal. However, that fact itself hasn''t been adequately revealed to the outside world yet, has it? Besides, the fact that Sandra tried to help me escape won''t have a good effect on both you and Sandra if it bes known worldwide."
"I''ve said it several times, return the blueprints. If you do, I''ll let you live."
"I''m giving the same answer. I haven''t stolen anything. And when I said to make way, I meant not to harm anyone from Runcandel here, not just me and Murakan."
Hedo''s gaze hardened.
"Don''t you think you''re making excessively unreasonable demands on enemy territory?"
"Even if you block my path, I trust I can escape from this ce with Sandra. So, can you really control the mouth of this strange woman? There must be limits to controlling the media."
"You''re crossing the line."
"Even if we engage in intense battles during the escape, Sandra won''t die, and the fact that she is half-immortal is actually an advantageous condition for me in the current situation."
"You speak confidently, but I''m sure you''re aware that it''s impossible to take the youngdy and leave the Lutero Magical Federation. Only you and Murakan can leave."
Jin shook his head firmly.
"I''ll say it onest time. Make way, Tower Guardian."
Apparently frustrated, Hedo took out a cigarette.
The reason the Twelfth gbearer is obsessed with the youngdy is that they need insurance in many ways.
Even if he lets them go, it''s impossible to escape the pursuit of the main house.
Why insist on this?
''I thought he wasn''t such a foolish person.''
Regardless of whether I step aside or not, unless the heavens'' luck favors him, all the Runcandels here will inevitably face death...
Hedo had been thinking this since the moment he called the main house.
The reason he wanted to kill everyone, excluding Jin and Murakan, was that he needed a pretext.
He needed to have something to say when interrogated by Kelliark in the future.
Although he didn''t see Jin and Murakan due to negligence, he can im to have eliminated everyone else.
"Uh, honey."
Sandra, who was so excited looking at Jin''s side profile, opened her mouth.
"I more or less know why you''re doing this. You hate that damn musclehead, right? Today, I also feel like tearing him apart. How dare he put you in danger... But shouldn''t you also consider Hedo''s perspective a bit?"
Surprisingly, she had urately deciphered all the hidden currents between Jin and Hedo in their conversation.
The fact that Jin needed insurance and Hedo needed a pretext.
However, she had been unable to realize the change in the sky because she had only been admiring Jin''s profile.
"If everyone manages to escape safe and sound, both Hedo and I will be in trouble. We''ll undoubtedly be interrogated. You don''t want that either, right? Our married life hasn''t even properly begun, and if I get stuck in some dungeon of my n, you''d be sad, wouldn''t you?".
"A dungeon? Miss, you won''t end up in such a ce."
"Hedo, shut up! I got this!"
Sandra shouted vehemently, then giggled and looked back at Jin.
"So let''s go, the three of us, you, me, and the ck Dragon, quietly. That way, it''s almost certain that you''ll survive. I''ll be the bait. Then, no one else will get hurt, right? We''ll even have a dramatic escape date!"
She didn''t seem to ssify the other Runcandel as people, except for Jin.
Instead of responding, Jin stared directly at Hedo.
"It seems the Tower Guardian still doesn''t understand why I insist so stubbornly."
Jin pointed his finger to the sky behind Hedo.
"When you see that, you''ll think it''s not a bad idea to ept my offer."
Hedo turned around.
In the sky floated over a hundred mass-produced battleships by Zipple; strangely, only one of them was illuminated.
It wasn''t a Zipple battleship.
It was the battleship Grenille.
The gship of Kinzelo that attacked the Sword Emperor Castle.
Grenille''s cannons were aimed at the stationary mass-produced battleships.
"Wouldn''t it be better if you let us go to stop that thing? I don''t think there''s a better pretext for both you and your young miss than that."
Jin smiled, and Hedo''s expression wrinkled as he smoked a cigarette.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 501
Chapter 501
C501
Is that Kinzelo''s battleship that withstood the Sword of the Sword Emperor?
Was it called Grenille?
Hedo btedly checked the battleship, feeling a wave of irritation.
Thick veins fiercely twisted over his robust muscles.
Since entering the Ten Stars realm as a Warrior...
Hedo had never experienced such a frustrating situation.
His skill always simplifiedplex matters.
But now, the opposite was happening.
What should have been the simple task of saving Jin and Murakan had be tangled andplicated like a twisted rope.
Nothing went as nned.
The vault was suddenly breached, and even when trying to save Jin, he continued to resist with his strange spitefulnguage.
It turned out that Yona was the one who opened the vault, and he received a serious injury from her sword.
Sandra, more impatient than usual, tore through the roof on her own, and now even Kinzelo''s battleship was causing trouble.
Even the timing of Grenille''s appearance seemed like an absurd coincidence.
If things continue like this, it will seem like I asked for support from the main house not for the Runcandel but solely for Kinzelo.
Sigh~
Hedo sighed and tousled his white hair.
Suddenly, he thought that maybe this situation could be less troublesome in various ways.
''Well, it might have been more of a headache to exin to the patriarch that the reason I asked for support was because I couldn''t handle these intruders. So, it''s better.''
Hedo, considering everything from his perspective, nced at the hundreds of ck dots in the dark dawn sky behind the Runcandel.
They were Drakka dragons flying towards them with magicians on board.
Among them, the one that stood out the most was the gship Kozec, with Octavia probably on board as themander.
If Kelliark hadn''t been absent, it would have been him instead of Octavia.
A request for support from Hedo meant that such a situation had urred.
Something had happened that he couldn''t handle alone, so the n had to be on guard.
Ridiculous.
''Is it time to once again shed the shell of arrogance and presumption?''
Hedo chuckled and shook his head.
It seemed amusing to him that he, who considered himself strong, had handled the situation so negligently.
Cyron Runcandel, the strongest being he couldn''t even match, would undoubtedly not have let his guard down even in this situation.
"Eh? What''s that, Grenille? Are they firing cannons at our fleet?"
Said Sandra.
Boom, bang...!
Cannons were firing from all directions of Grenille.
The mass-produced battleships anchored began to be mercilessly destroyed.
Majestic mes swept through the darkness as if the gods were ying with fireworks, and the falling fragments looked like a meteor shower.
If the public witnessed this, they would probably think that Zipple was copsing.
It was natural to think so, considering the astronomical investment made in creating such a fleet.
However, the Runcandel swallowed dry saliva and were captivated by the unpleasant intuition that even this horrible blow to Zipple might not be enough.
Only after participating in this mission did the Runcandel truly experience the dominance of Zipple, the world''srgest.
"Hedo! If we do this, the chances of saving Jin will increase! The main house will surely think you asked for support not for the Runcandel, but for Grenille. Right? Honestly, it''s absurd to ask for support from the main house for intruders of this level."
Whether she was right or not, Sandra''s voice was cheerful.
That fact made the Runcandel feel more frustrated.
"So let''s save them all, make way! If you don''t move fast, I''ll split your ipetent muscr mouth in half!"
While Sandra shouted again, Hedo made eye contact with Jin.
''Truly, the heavens favor Jin Runcandel.''
Hedo came to a conclusion, and Jin peeked into his thoughts.
Jin intuitively read the gaze directed at him the moment Hedo decided to discard arrogance, shed presumption, and enter a superior domain, thinking of Cyron.
It was a look that only someone with that level of determination could understand.
Does it mean you''re going to be stronger the next time we meet?
Is that possible, Tower Guardian?
Chilling shivers ran down his spine.
He had to be prepared.
Before that monster achieved another transcendence, he and Runcandel had to achieve an even more dazzling growth than that.
nk!
Suddenly, the longsword Bale emitted a sharp metallic sound and was dyed in a bright white light.
Hedo wielded his sword in the blink of an eye, and the Runcandel barely reacted, adopting a defensive posture.
However, the sword''s energy wave didn''t touch the Runcandel but extended behind them and towards the top of the magic tower.
"No...!"
"Hedo, oh, oh... no... no...!"
His sword pointed at the Spectres panting and lying in various ces in the White Night Tower.
If the light moved like waves, it would look like this.
Due to the sword energy scattered by Hedo, the Spectres disintegrated like salt and scattered through the cracks that opened throughout the Magic Tower, disappearing.
The screams the Spectres let out in their final moments vanished like faint echoes.
At that moment, the Runcandels were once again stunned.
It was not surprising that he had killed the four Spectres, but the sword technique he had just unleashed was proof that Hedo had never revealed his full power until now.
Furthermore, his sword "disintegrated" the targetpletely, resembling the level of mastery Cyron had achieved.
"Leave, Runcandels."
Amidst the eerie silence, Hedo finally spoke.
The Bale Longsword he held in his hand still emitted a dazzling light.
[Eh, beauty. If you''re going to clear the way, how about putting down the sword and talking about it? Eh? It''s not like we''re going to continue this. Aren''t the kids getting scared?]
"I say this because I don''t think the courage of the Runcandel, who opposed me so much until now, is fake, Murakan-nim. If you feel offended, allow me to apologize."
[Well, you don''t have to go that far.]
Murakan transformed into a human and stood next to Jin.
"Keep that sword safe. It seems to have a connection with me. Come on, kid."
As Jin withdrew the sword from Sandra''s neck, the rest of the group exchanged nces and followed him.
Passing by Hedo without showing him their backs was almost like an act of suicide, but Jin didn''t look him in the eyes and walked on.
Jin wasn''t afraid that Hedo would swing the sword from behind.
There was no doubt that he was not a man to be taken lightly.
"If the heavens favor you."
Hedo spoke quietly and deeply as Jin passed by his side.
"It must be because your father turned into the heavens themselves."
It was a story about a coincidence and celestial luck that worked in Jin''s favor in a way that Hedo couldn''tprehend now.
"I''ll make sure to tell my father that I''ve learned a couple of things from you."
"Miss Sandra."
"Again!"
Looking at Sandra impatiently turning her head, Hedo smiled gently.
Then, he carefully adjusted Sandra''s disheveled clothes with his huge hands.
"Have a good time."
Hedo still trusted that Jin wouldn''t escape with Sandra.
It wasn''t an easy situation for him either.
Moreover, Jin acknowledged that Hedo was not an easy man and walked past the Bale Longsword.
Hedo also judged that Jin was not someone who would kidnap Sandra and take her to the Garden of Swords.
Sandra had only provided tremendous help to the Runcandels, and Hedo considered it as their short adventure.
Even if they were enemies.
Forcing and greedily using Sandra any further would tarnish the kind of trust they shared as Warriors.
"All right."
"Don''te back with a missing limb in the name of celebrating your reunion likest time. During your ytime, consider retrieving the items they took."
Sandra chuckled.
"Why take away what I''ve given? It''s not that big of a deal, right? Is it important to have ''mine'' and ''yours'' between a couple? I got a little mad when Jin-nim killed that bastard instead of mest time."
"Is that so?"
"We''re leaving, so handle the matter over there properly. In my opinion, that''s a bigger problem than the assault on the vault."
Sandra pointed her finger at the sky on the other side.
The Grenille battleship was literally ramming like crazy.
"Yes, understood. See youter."
Jump-!
In a single leap, Hedo''s figure shrank to a point in the blink of an eye.
He shot up into the Sota Desert sky almost as fast as a cannon shot.
The Drakka Dragons were also approaching Grenille and the fleet.
As if the fierce battle that had just taken ce was a lie, a fresh morning breeze swept through the broken White Night Tower.
When Hedo disappeared, the Runcandels breathed as if they had awakened from a nightmare.
Undoubtedly, he was the worst and strongest enemy the gbearers had faced.
The gbearers'' chests filled with a feverish warmth.
Although it couldn''t be called brotherhood, the gbearers urately read each other''s emotions without saying a word.
It was a firm determination and resolution to be stronger.
However, one person, not a gbearer but a Runcandel, had a different thought. Yona had been enduring reflux and internal injuries since she inflicted a serious wound on Hedo.
"Elder sister, are you okay...!"
Jin supported her, expressing concern with a worried tone.
"I''m... fine."
"What?"
Yona pointed at Sandra with a trembling finger.
"Hey, younger one, that noisy troublemaker said she''s your lover... Partner? Jin... I''ll kill her."
Sandra''s affection for Jin was so annoying to Yona that she wanted to kill her.
Even in the face of Yona''s cold and deep murderous intent, Sandra''s eyes gleamed.
"Oh, little sister! Can I call you little sister? Look at me, are you okay? You''re so close to my Jin, aren''t you? I know, I know. Sandra knows everything. Wait a moment, I''ll help you quickly so you won''t hurt yourself more!"
"Go away... Die..."
"It''s not good for you to keep suffering until we leave the Sota Desert, little sister. We still have a long way to go, right? Where was the anesthesia?"
Everyone who witnessed that scene couldn''t help but remain silent for a moment in absurdity.
Jin and the Runcandels thus left the White Night Tower.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)
-
Chapter 502
Chapter 502
C502
A massive cloud, resembling an inverted mountain range, covered the sky of the Sota Desert.
It was the cloud formed by Kinzelo''s gship, Grenille.
The dark clouds continued to spew bright blue lightning bolts. It looked as if a tidal wave had spread across the sky.
Inside, lifeless Zipple battleships simply shattered and crashed to the ground.
Twenty battleships, each the size of a small moon, had already sunk.
Dragons numbering over a hundred and fifty, over fifteen hundred magicians, and the gship Kozec.
Most of Drakka''s reinforcements were eagerly heading towards Grenille.
They thought that no force, except Runcandel, would be able to harm Zipple.
Kinzelo, once nothing more than a third-rate terrorist group before the Holy Kingdom incident, was overshadowing the airspace of the Lutero Magical Federation.
Of course, after the terrorist attack on the Sword Emperor Castle, it became public that Kinzelo was notcking in any of the three major factions.
Grenille looked even stronger than when it first appeared at the Sword Emperor Castle.
The spikes protruding from the hull emitted mana that distorted the surrounding space.
The fall of the debris from the battleships made the entire Sota Desert tremble.
The sandstorm mixed with lightning raised fierce vortexes in various ces, and the battleships were slowly absorbed into them.
''This day had toe someday...''
Octavia Zipple...
She was in themand room of the Kozec, observing the situation with expressionless eyes.
Octavia, along with some high-ranking magicians who knew Kinzelo''s power from before, showed no surprise.
However, it''s not that it didn''t affect them, but they were more infuriated than those who had underestimated Kinzelo.
Octavia, fully aware of Kinzelo''s strength, had predicted such a turn of events.
However, it was bitter to see them unfold.
It was expected that Kinzelo''s invasion of the Sota Desert was not a simple act of aggression but had underlying reasons.
Surely, their leader has not fully recovered from the Sword Emperor Castle terrorist attack, and yet they rampage as if ready to start a total war.
Runcandel.
They were the reason.
As long as Runcandel stood firm, Kinzelo took advantage of the fact that Zipple could not recklessly involve itself in a total war.
At least for now.
Handling both factions at once was impossible.
Well, it might be possible, but Zipple would suffer catastrophic losses close to destruction after the war.
In that case, another would take over world hegemony, not those who have lived under the tension of war for thest thousand years.
Even with hundreds of flying fleets, the recreation of the Origin Orb, and the almostpletion of the immortal living golem.
The fact that they couldn''t dominate their opponents in the long tug-of-war of nightmares was giving rise to intense resentment, as enemies exploited their vulnerability.
We have to be stronger.
''We must recover the lost magic and divine powers of our n as soon as possible.''
So, they wanted to be used that indeed, they would be the masters of the surface before Cyron''s era ended, and before the Leader of Kinzelo fully recovered.
Dragons, magicians, and fleets surrounded Grenille.
Perhaps the term "surround" is not appropriate.
At first, Grenille showed no signs of fleeing, not even when everyone gathered against it.
Octavia left themander''s room and stood in front of the Kozec.
Then, she raised her glowing staff towards the sky.
"Bishkel Ivlianos!"
Octavia''s resonant voice, amplified by mana, echoed in the sky.
Bishkel was on board Grenille.
He maintained his characteristic cold expression even with Octavia''s arrival.
"I have always wondered why the Leader of Kinzelo holds you in such high esteem. Is today an opportunity to see your skills?"
Bishkel had nothing to respond.
He still possessed no particrly special ability.
His virtuey in being a meticulous vice-leader, always maintaining a rational intellect.
He could be considered skillfulpared to other Kinzelo executives, who tended to be temperamental or somewhat entric.
In a way, he easily gained favor from both internal and external people.
In any case, Bishkel''s unmoving and unresponsive demeanor heightened Octavia''s strange anticipation.
"I hope a glimpse of your power is worth this humiliation."
Swish!
When mana emanated from Octavia''s staff, Grenille''s thunder that reverberated through the area calmed for a moment.
For a brief moment, she used mana greater than Grenille''s engine.
That mana transformed into a massive, enveloping Grenille, even managing to intercept falling battleship fragments.
Wuuuu-!
Warning sounds signaling impacts were encoded in Grenille.
Although the protective shield that resisted even Ron''s formless sword still had not a single crack, the battleship staggered under the force of the.
''Octavia Zipple is truly the second inmand of the world''srgest n.''
A warm drop of sweat slid down Bishkel''s forehead.
He wondered how much time the newly recruited woman could buy against their opponents.
Haaam-!
A woman behind Bishkel yawned as if she was about to open her mouth.
She was dressed in an extravagant outfit unsuitable forbat, and a pair of small wings, the size of a palm, protruded from her back.
"It seems like the time hase! Hey, vice-leader. I just have to fight them until they find those Runcandel, right?"
"...Ainas. It would be better to approach the situation with a bit more caution."
Ainas Caligo, that was the woman''s name.
"Hmph! Are you saying that the second princess of the great Kaligo family should take these lesser beings seriously? Oh, there are also Dragons."
Ainas'' arrogant and carefree attitude had been unsettling Bishkel since before they arrived in the desert.
"Oh, don''t look at me like that. It''s fine, it''s fine. I just have to do well, right?"
Ainas casually lifted therge sword she had by her side.
The way she stood up and twirled around her sword seemed quite rxed.
"Instead of just buying time, can''t I end them all if possible? Hehe."
"Now is not the time for jokes."
"See whether it''s a joke or not. Vice-leader, why not rx and wait with a cup of hot tea while I sweep them all before dinner?"
Octavia squinted her eyes as she watched Ainas, who had taken the lead ahead of Grenille.
"Demon... Could it be that you have opened the gate? So this is your ability, Bishkel Ivlianos."
Octavia''s eyes gleamed, and she began releasing mana again.
Ainas snorted as if it were ridiculous, and suddenly she leaped into the air towards Octavia.
"You''re noisy, human... Waa!"
However, instead of reaching Octavia, Ainas was intercepted by the magic of the other magicians and fell to the ground.
Ainas, who was covered by the breath of the Dragons and magical bombardment before hitting the ground, ended up screaming like that.
"Vice-leader! Help me! Help! Quickly!"
Bishkel sighed deeply, touching his forehead.
Most regrettable was that Bishkel''s despair did not end there.
Suddenly, a sword energy tidal wave surged from the ground.
Unlike Octavia''s, this sword energy directly hit Grenille''s protective shield.
It was Hedo''s sword.
Wooosh!
A crack appeared in Grenille''s lower hull, and Bishkel had no idea why someone like that demon woman, simr to Bubare, apanied him.
''I heard it withstood the Sword of the Sword Emperor, and indeed, it''s a sturdy battleship.''
Hedo, leaping once again, unleashed sword energy waves as she jumped to the forefront of Kozec.
Octavia was surprised to see him injured and widened her eyes, astonished.
"It seems that Kinzelo has firmly decided. I was surprised that she asked for support, but how can you be so injured, sir? Also, on the way here, I saw that the Second Tower waspletely destroyed."
Like Bishkel, Hedo also had nothing to say in response to Octavia.
So, he decided to reprimand her.
"It would be good if you took better care of your subordinates from now on, Captain of the Spectres. (Spectres Captain)"
"Take care of my subordinates?"
"They followed Miss Sandra''s orders without thinking. That''s how I got into this mess."
It wasn''t entirely wrong, but it wasn''t entirely true either.
Nevertheless, Octavia had decided it wasn''t the time to argue with Hedo.
"It seems my subordinates have earned your displeasure. We''ll talk about itter. First, we need to find those who gravely wounded him, sir. Who are they, and in which direction did they flee?"
Hedo got to see Ainas struggling to dodge the constant onught of attacks.
"Uwaaaaah, Vice-leader, what are you doing!"
Demon.
It seemed like a reasonable excuse.
He hoped it was.
"...It seems they were demons. They fled in the direction of the Kuta Forest, but I didn''t know their path after that."
"Was there any Runcandel with them?"
"gbearers, ck Knight, and the ck Dragon Murakan were with them."
Hedo couldn''t deceive her about that.
Although not perfect, it certainly came closer to the truth, so saying that he has never known Runcandel would be a betrayal beyond simple deceit.
If that happened, Sandra would be in danger.
Octavia''s eyes widened once again upon hearing the word "Murakan."
"The fact that the ck Dragon came means that the Twelfth gbearer is also in the Sota Desert. It makes more sense why he fought, sir."
"You should hurry if you don''t want to miss them."
Octavia drew a long line in the sky with her staff.
A light made of mana moved, formingmand runes in the sky.
Focus on the direction of the Kuta Forest and search for the fugitives.
Capture Jin Runcandel alive.
As soon as the order was given, ten Dragons broke away from their ranks and began flying at full speed towards the Kuta Forest.
Having already experienced several times the misfortune of letting Jin slip away before their eyes...
The Spectres were now determined to capture him at all costs.
Unfortunately, the direction indicated by Hedo, the Kuta Forest, was exactly opposite to the one Jin and Sandra had taken.
Hedo cleared his throat and redirected the sword energy towards Grenille once again.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 503
Chapter 503
C503
Runcandels and Sandra also watched the battle taking ce in the sky.
A bit lower, explosions continued to ur in the ground area.
The battle between Kinzelo and Zipple continued in the underground shipyard.
The situation remained unfavorable for the Runcandels.
Yona was unconscious, supported by Jin.
Joshua, Dyfus, and Jane also suffered significant injuries from the recent battle.
The fate of the ck Knight Mon, who remained in the shipyard, could not be immediately confirmed.
Among the group, only Jin and Murakan were in a condition to continue fighting.
Moreover, leaving the Lutero Magical Federation would still take a considerable amount of time.
"Hahaha, Jin, it seems Hedo has yed his role well. Seeing my aunt''s magicians heading in the wrong direction is quite revealing."
Sandra spoke with an excited voice, but the Spectre Corps was not foolish.
If they find no traces of escape in the Kuta Forest, they will undoubtedly change direction and expand the search area widely.
''Considering the state of emergency dered some time ago, not only the Spectre Corps but the entire area adjacent to the Sota Desert would have been under lockdown and surveince.''
They had to go through all that and return to the n.
''What is somewhat fortunate is that there is a high chance that Kinzelo will help us escape.''
Kinzelo.
Another enemy appearing at just the right moment.
Jin was convinced that Grenille''s appearance was by no means a coincidence.
They might not know the situation in detail from what just happened in the Second Magic Tower, but they at least know about us.
No, they know that Elder Sister Yona has stolen the vault.
''Since shemissioned it.''
Just before losing consciousness, Yona handed Jin two things.
One was the blueprint of the battleship, and the other, a small and unknown type of machinery.
The machine had the shape of a board a little smaller than the palm of the hand, and when shaken, it emitted a sound resembling that of aplex tangle of gears inside.
Its purpose was unclear.
Even Joshua, who had heard about the blueprint and the existence of the machinery from the Prophet, and Sandra Zipple, could not determine the exact use of the machine.
However, since it was apanied by the blueprint, it was undoubtedly an essential item.
The energy emanating from the object was strangely extraordinary.
''Kinzelo must have sent Grenille to prevent us from being attacked by Drakka''s reinforcements.''
The reason was clear.
Kinzelo was causing this disorder to loot the vault in the first ce.
Naturally, they needed to take the items obtained by Runcandel.
If Runcandel was forcibly captured by Zipple''s main force, they would never be able to get those items back.
The identity of the Kinzelo member who assumed the role of finding the group, and when they would arrive, was crucial.
Or they can deal with them with their current power, or they can have a conversation.
It would be good if someone arrived who fulfilled at least one of the conditions.
However, even if someone who did not meet the conditions came, it would not be a significant problem.
''As long as we have the blueprint and the machine, I will have the initiative, whoeveres for Kinzelo after us.''
While Jin organized his thoughts, Sandra continued talking without pause.
"Ah, if it weren''t for my younger sister, I might have been the one carrying you on my back. It''s a shame, but I can''t make someone who fainted like this walk... How about we join our arms?"
The other Runcandels watching Sandra could barely disguise their difort.
Why is Sandra Zipple trying to help the younger one?
Judging solely by Sandra''s demeanor, they seemed like a newlywed couple who couldn''t live without each other.
Thanks to her, we easily escaped from the Second Magic Tower, but is this really right?
Even if Sandra Zipple hadn''t intervened, the younger one and Murakan probably could have escaped from the Second Magic Tower.
''It''s hard to understand, but Hedo followed Sandra Zipple''s orders absolutely, and he was clearly trying to kill me, Dyfus, and Jane until Sandra ordered her to clear the way.''
If it weren''t for Sandra, the other Runcandels, excluding Jin and Murakan, would have undoubtedly died.
Dyfus and Joshua were convinced of that.
In reality, it probably would have been the case.
Even considering Yona''s contributions, Hedo was not someone the current gbearers could handle.
Jin also struggled to decide how to treat her.
"Sandra Zipple."
"Yes, Jin-nim."
"I am not your lover, let alone your husband."
Jin couldn''tprehend Sandra''s feelings.
Putting aside their ipatible origins as Runcandels and Zipples, her unteral affection was something that couldn''t be simply exined as peculiar.
The two first met in Gaifa, and it was as enemies.
Sandra''s behavior wasn''t scary or seriously unpleasant.
However, Jin wasn''t content with the situation where he only received help from her without giving anything in return.
"But it is a fact that thanks to you, the lives of my brothers and the ck Knight were saved. I want to repay you in some way. If there''s anything you need, ask for it. If it''s within my power, I will take care of it after we escape."
Sandra closed her mouth for the first time at Jin''s calm voice.
No matter how much of an enemy he was, this indifferent attitude was hard to ept withmon sense.
But a line had to be drawn.
That was Jin''s stance, and he believed that anyone in the world would think the same.
Sandra seemed visibly surprised by Jin''s serene words.
"Oh... brat. That was a very coldment. Impressive, very impressive."
Murakan, feeling ufortable seeing Sandra silent, uttered those words for no reason.
He had never seen a person like Sandra in his over 3,000 years of existence.
However, the reason Sandra remained silent was not that she felt hurt by Jin''s indifferent attitude.
"Right, Murakan-nim. You sure know how cool my Jin is..."
She simply closed her mouth because Jin''sposure seemed astonishingly cool.
How could such a reaction arise from my words?
It was a series of surprises.
A chill ran down Jin and everyone else''s spine.
"The more I see you, the more attractive you seem! I''m more certain each time. Falling in love with Jin-nim was the best decision of my life."
"No, what is this..."
"I will definitely marry you, Jin-nim. It''s true, we''re not lovers or spouses yet. I think I''ve jumped the gun a bit."
"Just... a bit?"
Jin almost stumbled over his words.
"Jin-nim, I decided to love you for no reason. So, I don''t ask for anything in return, and, like many other types of love, there''s no need to understand it."
Sandra smiled and continued her words.
"It''s just a spark in a boring life. asionally, lightning can strike a clear sky, right?"
Seeing how Sandra unexpectedly praised love, Jin concluded that there was no need to worry about her anymore.
There was no response.
"I understand what you mean."
"Of course, my unrequited love is only for Jin-nim and the little sister. As for the rest, since I saved you... What should I receive in return? Hm."
"I understand the reason for the younger one, but why is Yona included?" Dyfus asked.
"Because she''s the little sister."
"Ah, I see."
He decided not to think about it tooplicatedly now.
It seemed easier to understand that Sandra Zipple was a person like that.
"Above all, Jin especially values his little sister, right? As far as I know, the only siblings he has a good rtionship with are the older and younger sisters."
"Maybe Mary is included too."
"I''ll keep that in mind. And you, Fourth gbearer?"
"I don''t know, but it''s almost certain that the younger one despises that guy more than anyone else."
"That''s why I was a little puzzled too. If I were Jin, I would have killed the Second gbearer using Hedo."
"It''s a situation where we need all the help to escape. I can''t help it. But even if it were me, I would have done the same. The younger one has a truly big heart."
"There''s nothing that''s not cool about him from start to finish."
Dyfus and Sandra, whoughed heartily, seemed strangely in sync.
"Dyfus, wake up. She''s showing goodwill, but she''s still an enemy. Moreover, she''s a pure-blooded Zipple. Is a rtionship worthy of such ridiculous jokes?"
As if expecting this reaction, Dyfus''s eyes darkened with murderous intent.
"Is it a joke? Damned bastard."
"What did you say?"
"I would like to crush you right now. You should know better than anyone the mistakes you''ve made. You, the Second gbearer of the Family, became the next patriarch thanks to our mother! You put everyone in danger on this mission. It''s nothing short of treason."
"Treason? Are you doing this because I didn''t share all the information? I know you don''t like it, but I judged that it was the best for the sess of the mission. Hedo was an unknown variable."
"Bold words from you. If it weren''t for the younger one, you would have perished due to your brilliant judgment, that''s a fact that can''t be denied."
"You''re acting like a child, Dyfus."
"...Fourth gbearer, you better stop. Escaping enemy territory is our priority."
When Jane intervened, Dyfus let out a bitterugh.
"It''s for the mission, for the Family... I feel bad. How much benefit have you gained so far with such pompous words? Surely, the time wille when everyone finds out whether what you say is true or false."
Once again (excluding Sandra), silence fell.
The wind erased the group''s footsteps.
And when the noise of the battle and explosions in the sky and the shipyard became much more distant...
And the thick sandstorm obscured the view...
The group could confirm that a dark silhouette was approaching them from the distance.
''They are here.''
Someone from Kinzelo.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 504
Chapter 504
C504
The group unsheathed their swords in silence.
Due to the sandy storm, it was impossible to quickly identify who the approaching figure was.
The approaching person''s silhouette showed no signs of intimidation at all.
This fact unsettled the group a bit.
"...It doesn''t seem to be Zipple. Judging by the fact that they''re not immediately firing a signal re," Joshua said in a low voice.
As he mentioned, if it were Zipple, the person would have immediately fired a signal re upon recognizing the presence of the Runcandels.
The distance between the group and the person gradually closed.
"Oh, but the Second gbearer really has excellent knowledge of the situation, right? However, what is that on their back... a sword? Isn''t it toorge to be called a sword? It looks peculiar. I heard of someone using such a weapon in this world. Who was it?"An incrediblyrge and rough-looking sword.
"Ah! Elder Sister! Right, the elder sister. White Whale uses a weapon like that, doesn''t she?"
It could be called an axe rather than a sword.
There was only one person in the world who used such a weapon, Luna Runcandel.
At least until recently.
Jin and Murakan had encountered an individual wielding Luna''s symbolic axe-sword like a toy not long ago at the ck King''s Mountain Hideout.
It can''t be...!
"Darn it, that crazy dragoness?"
Both recalled the memories of that day at the same time, while the rest of the Runcandels had no idea of the person''s true identity.
After all, Luna was not present.
Finally, the group could see the face of the approaching person.
A face so white and beautiful that it seemed to glow even in the sandy storm, and a physique so slender that it seemed strange for them to carry an axe-sword.
The Demon Dragon, Zephyrin.
"Wow, Jin, and the ck Dragon Murakan. What a coincidence. I didn''t expect to find you here."
Sandra was the first to react to Zephyrin''s appearance.
"Hey, who are you? Are you close to Jin-nim?"
"Hmm? Ah, Sandra, right? Is there a reason you''re asking if we''re close?"
"If you''re close to him, I''ll treat you like an elder sister or consider you a cute little/younger sister."
Murakan nudged Sandra on the shoulder.
Sandra, who had been irritated by the clear signal that they didn''t have a rtionship, began to show her hostility.
"I almost made a mistake. What''s the point of pretending we''re close, acting friendly?"
"Wow, your words are quite harsh. Are you sure you won''t get into trouble if you criticize me so confidently? Miss living golem."
"Eh? Would you like to see if I die first, or you die first?"
"How amusing. Did something go wrong in your head when you became a living golem?"
Seeing Zephyrinugh cheerfully, Jin and Murakan remembered the challenging fight they had that day.
-I think it might be the Dragon of Kinzelo''s Leader.
-That annoying guy? It''s possible. The power he showed during the attack on Sword Emperor Castle was divine.
-...Murakan-nim, and the Twelfth gbearer. It seems there''s no way out if the fight drags on.
-Is there no way out if the fight drags on? It''s not that simple. We can never defeat her.
Once they escaped from Hedo, facing Zephyrin seemed like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
Within Jin''s embrace were the things Zephyrin hade for.
Joshua, Dyfus, and Jane had not yet discovered Zephyrin''s true identity, but they recognized that she was extraordinary.
And Murakan, who would have uttered curses, showed no signs of fighting.
In fact, Murakan''s mouth itched so much that he was going crazy, but he restrained himself because Jin might die if he fought Zephyrin now.
It wasn''t just about settling scores with Zephyrin.
If they engaged in a battle with her, Zipple''s pursuit unit would inevitably join, and Kinzelo''s forces, including Grenille, could also follow suit.
Sandra, on Murakan''s behalf, cursed and swore constantly.
It was a mystery where she had learned such terrible words, but they were terrifying enough to make even the worst alley thugs cower.
And Jin silently sighed in relief.
Fortunately, it''s what he expected.
Just as other Runcandels read the atmosphere from Murakan''s attitude,
Jin grasped the situation through Zephyrin''s actions.
It is clear that the ns of the battleship and the stolen machinery from the Second Magic Tower''s vault are also crucial for Kinzelo.
It had already been proven by the resources and manpower Kinzelo had invested, but Zephyrin''s actions made it even more certain.
The Zephyrin that Jin remembered was not someone who prioritized talking when a problem arose.
Her usual approach was to stab her opponent without warning.
But now, she narrowed her eyes and spoke.
"Well, I guess there''s no need to talk too much. I can''t stand the shrill voice of that living golem anymore. Jin-nim, hand over the items stolen from the vault."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then they will be killed. Simple, right? Or do you also want to know how they will die?"
At the mention of being killed, the other Runcandels felt a renewed sense of shame.
Both Hedo, with whom they had fought a moment ago, and the woman in front of them looked at the Runcandels with disdain.
But there was no other way.
"We are weak."
That was the truth.
Born as pure-blooded Runcandels, after bing gbearers, there had never been a time when they experienced such consecutive misfortunes.
While the brothers gritted their teeth, the smile Jin hid inside deepened.
"I almost won."
Even if pure strength wasn''t on their side, the situation and conditions were changing in their favor.
Even on the ck King''s Mountain, Zephyrin had no intention of killing him.
"Killing me could pose a problem in obtaining Solderet''s Contract."
If that was the case back then, it was probably the same now.
Unless Kinzelo had made extraordinary progress in the meantime, Zephyrin couldn''t kill Jin yet.
And this ce was Lutero Magical Federation, near Drakka.
If a fight erupted and turned into a showdown where members of Kinzelo and Zipple gathered to fight for Jin, there was a high chance that Zipple, not Kinzelo, would end up taking Jin.
In that case, they would not only lose the items but also Jin, a substantial loss for Kinzelo.
"Kill? You talk about it too easily, Zephyrin."
"Do you think I can''t do it?"
"That''s right."
"You seem very confident, believing thatst time you caught me off guard and beat me, but today, I''m not in a good mood."
Murakan had assessed Zephyrin as someone he couldn''t defeat at that moment. Also, she, like Murakan, seemed unable to use her full power for some reason.
In the ck King''s Mountain, Zephyrin had left the battlefield without gaining anything.
"It''s probably because she hasn''t fully healed from that blow Tess dealt her back then."
Of course, it couldn''t be determined for sure, but intuition spoke.
It said that there would be no problem even if he went all out.
"So, what are you suggesting? Are you asking me toply whileining?"
"Are you going to keep not cooperating until the end? Ah, probably because you think I won''t kill you unless necessary."
"Why make useless threats when you know very well?"
"I said unless necessary. And even if I keep you alive, killing your younger sister you''re carrying, your brothers, and the ck Knights won''t be a problem. Wouldn''t that be sad?"
"Then stop talking so much that your mouth hurts and give it a try."
"Sure, do what Jin-nim says! Stop barking if you can''t bite."
While Jin and Sandra spoke at the same time, Zephyrin''s lips curled.
The effort to maintainposure and a smile despite the boiling anger appeared as a spasm.
For a moment, a tense silence filled the air.
The group recognized that Zephyrin was stretching her patience.
In reality, she was considering whether it would be better to kill them all given the circumstances.
Jin handed Yona to Murakan and carefully took out the ns and machinery from his embrace. He then held one in each hand and waved them gently towards Zephyrin.
"You look so intimidating that I had no choice but to bring these out."
"...Give them to me."
"It seems you still don''t understand, huh? Huh? Huh? Don''t move. If you keep threatening us, I wonder what will happen to the items we worked so hard to obtain... I don''t know either."
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a flickering me appeared in Jin''s left hand, holding the ns. It was a fire formed with mana.
Zephyrin stood like a stone statue, eyes wide open, and the Runcandels showed simr reactions.
"Didn''t you know how hard we worked to get these?"
"Enough!"
"You, stop your clumsy threats, Zephyrin. Are you not feeling well today? Neither am I. That''s why I could really throw these away. After the ns burn, I won''t hesitate for a second to destroy the machinery."
Crackle...
The me contained at most a 3-star level of mana, but to everyone''s eyes, it seemed like a disaster.
Of course, Sandra internally expressed her admiration again.
"Jin Runcandel, you bastard...!"
"This is what you have to do for threats, right? You came to us with an attitude as if you were grabbing straws, don''t you think you''re being too arrogant, Zephyrin."
"If something happens to those items, you''ll all die."
"I know, okay? In a way, I''m just gambling. Let''s see whose hand is stronger."
Naturally, the ns were protected by defensive magic.
However...
At best, this protected a single sheet of paper, and as there were sensitive runic characters everywhere, the paper would have suffered irreparable damage in seconds.
Like a burning nail.
Jin''s words were not wrong. Kinzelo and Zephyrin were also clearly aware that the whole situation was unfavorable from the moment she came to visit them.
However, they had no idea that Jin would show himself so strong.
More specifically, Bishkel and Margie expected it, but they hadn''t foreseen that Jin would be so upromising.
Or, rather, they thought Jin would give them a break, especially because Zipple and Hedo had pushed them to the limit throughout the journey.
Jin wasn''t fooled.
Once again, he used his means without hesitation.
"...Put it out!"
"Putting it out won''t be so easy."
"I won''t attack, so put it out, right now!"
Yes, I think you can put it out, younger one.
Hurry.
It''s burning, it''s burning!
The brothers thought the same as Zephyrin.
Jin hadn''t exined it to them, but now they almost perfectly understood the situation.
But Jin shook his head again.
Joshua almost shouted at that moment, telling him to put out the fire.
"It''s not enough. There''s one more condition."
"Damn it, what more do you want, you bastard!"
Jin smiled satisfied and said:
"You and Kinzelo lost the bet, so you have to pay the price."
"Speak quickly!"
"Zephyrin, until we leave Lutero Magical Federation, you must escort the Runcandels away from Zipple. If you agree, then I''ll put out the fire."
Zephyrin was already nodding even before Jin finished speaking.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 505
Chapter 505
C505
Just one second. Or maybe even less than that.
If it had been dyed even a bit, the battleship ns would have suffered irreparable damage.
Those who confirmed that Jin''s fire had been extinguished were unable to move for a while, even after seeing that the ns were safe.
"Just in case."
Jin put the blueprint and the machinery back into his coat pocket with an expressionless face.
"It would be wise for you not to break your promise or plot anything behind my back. If you want to leave room for negotiation on the ns and machinery in the future, of course."
"...For someone worried about that, you seem very sure of yourself, Jin-nim. Rest assured, that won''t happen. However."
Zephyrin showed intense killing intent to the point that her facial skin tingled."You''ll have to negotiate with us for those items somehow in the future. If you back out or change your words, I don''t know how things will go for you at that time. It''s a warning, and I''ll break you into ten thousand pieces."
"Why do you try to maintain a bloody atmosphere to the end for a debatable point? If you kill Jin-nim, I won''t break you into ten thousand pieces, but into a million."
"Living golem, humans already have a short life, so don''t hasten your death too much. Do you want me to tell you how many semi-immortal beings I''ve sent to hell in my lifetime?"
Jin lightly tapped Sandra''s shoulder with his finger.
Jin''s intention was not to provoke Zephyrin any further.
"I was nning to negotiate with Kinzeloter even if you hadn''t intervened. We obtained the ns, but our Familycks the technological capability to decipher or produce them."
It was a weakness that didn''t need to be hidden or disguised.
Runcandel had only survived a thousand years with a single sword.
Having an extreme aversion to magic, it was natural that Runcandel had contributed little to the development of civilization derived from magical research.
Other major factions had achieved various technological advances and innovations during that time.
Zipple, the imperial family, and even Kinzelo, which had recently revealed its prominence, were no exception.
It might have been a miracle that the Family had survived so far solely based on strength.
Looking at it another way...
It could also be a testament to how remarkable Runcandel was.
The overwhelming strength that each Runcandel possessed, the power that had sustained them for a thousand years, wasing to an end.
All current Runcandels felt it deeply.
Now, Runcandels needed something more.
Indeed, the Genesis Knight level reached by Cyron, for the first time since Temar, was paradoxically proving it.
Even though a new Genesis Knight had finally appeared, Runcandel was unable to avoid its inherent decline.
The time for change hade.
And even now, slowly but surely, it was changing.
Among the gbearers, there were certainly those who tried or thought about change.
Jin, who dered the reinstatement of the magic sword, Joshua, who believed in the power of prophecy, and Dyfus, convinced of the need for innovation after this incident, were representative examples.
Each of them had these thoughts:
''I need to escape the desert and dy as much as possible the moment of sitting at the negotiating table with Kinzelo. I must obtain information about the ns and devices somehow within that time. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to make a losing negotiation.''
''Negotiation? There''s no need for that, younger one. Even without Kinzelo''s technological capabilities, I already have the means to produce battleships.''
''Joshua, Mother, and that entity called the Prophet... Maybe they already have the means to produce battleships. Protect the ns, and choose whom to trade with between the Family and Kinzelo. It will all be a tough battle. Before returning, I have to deal with Joshua to lighten my burden.''
Dyfus hadn''t given up on killing Joshua.
''We have to assassinate him before escaping from the Sota Desert, if possible. Even if I can''t kill him this time, I''ll create an opportunity when I return to the Main Family. Definitely. That is the way for us.''
Zephyrin smiled cheerfully.
She was hiding her agitated emotions again.
"That''s right, for Runcandel, those things are really like a pearl ne around a pig''s neck. I won''t make such a foolish mistake in the next negotiation. So, enjoy today''s small victory, Jin-nim."
Jin, Murakan, Yona, Joshua, Dyfus, Jane, Sandra, and Zephyrin.
And so began a strange and ufortablepanionship.
Zipple and Kinzelo were still waging a fierce battle in the sky and on the ground, and the dawn in the desert wasing to an end.
Being protected by an enemy of another was not a pleasant situation.
The Runcandels, who walked expressionless, felt a choking sensation in their chests, as if arge lump of lead settled there.
Although it was not yet visible, the group felt that the Spectre Corps'' pursuitwork was slowly closing in.
At least two more hours.
They will undoubtedly find us in that time.
''It would be good if they didn''t expose us until we leave the desert.''
Zephyrin was strong. The confidence that she could face Murakan at her best was not false.
However, Jin believed that she, like Murakan, was not in perfect condition.
The same thing happened when they first fought on the ck King''s Mountain, and now the shock from back then would worsen the situation.
In reality, Zephyrin currently did not possess transcendental power at the level of Hedo.
Her strength came from the Leader of Kinzelo, and he was in an extremely unstable state after the terrorist attack on Sword Emperor Castle.
''Even if Zephyrin were in apletely healthy state, contrary to what I thought, she wouldn''t be able to face the entire Spectre Corps alone.''
That would be impossible even for Hedo.
If someone discovers the group, they would send a signal, and then the entire Spectre Corps woulde here.
Also, Zephyrin won''t sacrifice her life to protect us.
In the worst case, she may abandon both us and the merchandise and escape alone.''
Jin nced back for a moment.
He intended to check the situation between Zipple and Grenille unfolding in the sky.
Zephyrin let out a mockingugh at that sight.
"You seem anxious. There''s no need to hope for Grenille to divert Zipple and join this escort."
"This isn''t a crisis where I need more help from the enemy. This just confirms once again that the power of your battleship is stronger than back then."
"Anyway, it seems like you''ll never shut up even if you drown, Jin-nim."
"You''re nothing more than a kind of insurance. And insurances don''t speak. If you don''t want Murakan or Sandra''s useless curses, it''s better to stay silent."
"That''s right."
If one leaves Sota Desert heading opposite to Kuta Forest, they will reach Romin Forest, and crossing that forest will lead to the central border of the Lutero Magical Federation.
The border is guarded by Zipple and five autonomous districts, and eight autonomous countries.
If they pass through all that and go beyond, they will reach the sea, the Lutero Western Sea...
And then, they will have to travel a long way to reach neutral waters.
Infiltrating and escaping from the very center of the Federation is almost impossible.
The former was achieved rtively easily through the infiltration tunnels created by the Prophet, but that path couldn''t be used for escape.
The group moved assuming that the infiltration routes and tunnels created by the Prophet had already been exposed.
Therefore, their speed was slower, and the burden of unpredictable dangers was significant.
Hoo, hoo~
In the midst of the desert winds, the rough breathing of a group member became increasingly audible.
It was the rough breath of Jane, the ck Knight.
She suffered the most significant injuries during the battle with Hedo.
Despite being a ck Knight, she couldn''t withstand the continuous bleeding and setbacks without showing any signs.
"Jane-nim, are you okay?"
She nodded, but her whole body trembled like a quaking aspen.
Blood flowed from Jane''s boots with every step she took.
She carefully removed the cloak covering her body, and they could see her ribs exposed between the torn infiltration suit and bandages.
ck blood oozed from her pale bones.
The reason she kept walking was that she is a ck Knight.
If she weren''t, she would have already passed out and found death.
"I need to wrap new bandages."
"Ugh."
Healing magic bandages were only improvised first aid.
She was feeling death.
Not only she, but everyone felt the same.
This time, Jin couldn''t hide his conflicting emotions.
''Even though she follows Joshua, she''s a ck Knight of the Family... a person who has dedicated herself to the Family more than anyone. Is this the only way it ends?''
If they didn''t leave quickly, Jane would surely die.
But they simply couldn''t escape that fast.
While the group changed the bandages, Sandra gave painkillers to Jane.
"I take this when I have aftereffects from experiments. If you swallow it, you''ll feel a little better. It''s the most effective painkiller in the world. Don''t feel pain, Jin-nim looks sad. It interferes with our date."
Jin stared at the painkillers for a moment, and at that moment, he couldn''t help but feel a pang of self-hatred for the thoughts crossing his mind.
"It''s a scene that makes me want to cry. Do you happen to have a handkerchief? I might need one too. That girl''s death seems inevitable, so wouldn''t it be better to send her offfortably? Even considering the efficiency of our escape, it seems like a better option."
Zephyrin said that and pointed forward with her finger.
The entrance to Romin Forest was visible.
"That forest was already besieged right after the terrorist attack on the shipyards began. It was such a tight siege that no one could sneak in, except Jin-nim''s younger sister. We have to force our way through, but you wouldn''t think it''s possible with a patient, right?"
There was no need to confirm the credibility of her words.
Except for teleporting and flying, the only possible escape routes were toward Kuta Forest and Romin Forest.
It was impossible that Zipple had left those routes unguarded.
"At least, the Spectre Corps hasn''t discovered us during our journey here. Not yet."
Jin exchanged a nce with Zephyrin.
"It would have been difficult without you. That''s your role, Zephyrin."
"Huh?"
"From now on, clear the way on the right to divert their attention. We''ll escape the desert after the Spectre Corps focuses on you."
"I think it would be more rational for all of us to clear the way to the border as soon as possible, and I act as bait from there, right? If there''s amotion, the Spectre Corps wille, right? Do you really think the ck Knight can survive? Do you n to use me as bait, thinking she can survive here?"
Jin remained silent.
"You don''t know that, anyway, it would be impossible for everyone to return alive, right? You''re being too greedy, Jin-nim. That ck Knight is already practically a half-orc."
"Shut up and go quickly. I''m the one making decisions, not you."
The reason Jin didn''t give up on Jane''s life wasn''t just emotional issues.
Although Zephyrin and Sandra, who don''t show it but actually agree with that opinion, can''t know that fact.
"Why do you care about me? It won''t be a big loss for you."
Zephyrin shrugged at those words.
"Well, I''ll go along with it. It''s not really harmful to me, as you said. It''s a bit ufortable, but rejecting it won''t set you back at all. You''re doing this for the life of the ck Knight... I thought you werepletely cold, but it seems there''s a childish side to you."
There would be no chance during the escort, but he judged that the possibility of stealing items would increase as Jin and his group escaped Zipple''s pursuit.
After all, she wasn''t the only one from Kinzelo here.
Moreover...
Even after bing bait, she could escape without getting caught and return to Jin''s side at any time.
At that moment, Jin being in a critical situation was best for Zephyrin.
"See you at the border. Take good care of the items, ah."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 506
Chapter 506
C506
Chiiiiing-!
Zephyrin''s axe-sword emitted a purple demonic energy.
At the same time, signal res shot up from various ces in the desert and the Romin Forest.
A variety of magical signals painted the sky in an instant, turning the battlefield into a festive disy.
"Enemy detected! The enemy has been detec... Argh!"
The magician who shouted couldn''t finish the sentence and met his death.
Zephyrin''s purple energy sword cleaved his body in half.
Although it was dawn, visibility remained blurry due to the sandstorm, and magicians waiting in the Romin Forest were extremely nervous and on guard.They made a fatal mistake due to excessive tension.
Detonating unidentified signal res without urately identifying the enemy was clearly a fatal error.
"Gather! Gather! They are nning to force their way through, block them!"
Zephyrin''s sword energy ruthlessly swept through the forest.
Magicians spent the first few seconds desperately blocking the sword energy, butmanders soon realized something was wrong.
"What...?"
"It''s not Shadow Energy or an aura... that demonic energy, it''s not Runcandel! It''s a Kinzelo demon!"
"How many?"
"Confirmed as one! Unknown identity, presumed to be female!"
"Damn, the signal res...! Ugh!"
Zephyrin closed the distance in an instant and beheaded the shoutingmander.
"Haha, what can I do if everyone is so stupid?"
The eyes of other magicians almost popped out as they confirmed her identity.
"Are you... Zephyrin?"
"Third ss Researcher, Zephyrin...?"
-Berakt-nim, Miss Zephyrin is someone we cannot punish.
-I know. I just asked because I wanted to know if you had any tricks up your sleeve, vice-leader. If the leader''s recovery is further dyed, it will postpone our great cause.
-...In that case, I will personally meet and make a request to him. I will ask him to remain among Zipple''s ranks as a spy for a while. I think it''s the most we can demand from Miss Zephyrin.
After forcing the leader''s power on the ck King''s Mountain.
Zephyrin agreed to Bishkel''s request and became a third-ss researcher in Zipple, working as a spy.
Therefore, her appearance was an even greater surprise to the magicians in the Romin Forest.
"Yes, I am Zephyrin. Now that I think about it, themander who just died held a grudge against me, didn''t he? Ugh, he wasn''t supposed to die so easily!"
"What kind of betrayal is this!"
"Are you all too bewildered to understand the situation? I''ve been a spy from the beginning. You fools were just captivated by my appearance."
"Aaargh!"
Magicians were almost swept away like fallen leaves by Zephyrin''s axe-sword moving in all directions.
At least three or more magicians died with each swing, but the number of magicians gathered after the initial signal re easily surpassed a thousand.
Chain barriers were erected, and attack spells rained down in all directions.
Meanwhile, confusion among those observing the signals from the desert intensified.
res were fired in the Romin Forest!
Have they found Runcandel?
What is this?
A yellow signal is being fired to indicate an internal betrayal.
What is happening in the Romin Forest?
From Drakka to the Sota Desert, passing through the Romin Forest and up to the border of the Magical Federation...
All Zipple members in the area were too preupied deciphering the chaotic content of the signal res to focus.
Octavia still had to deal with Gurnil, so she had no spare room.
However, Drakka and the Spectre Corps needed to make quick decisions.
"Was their escape to the Kuta Forest initially just a distraction?
''This could be a double bluff, or it could be another attack from Kinzelo.''
But there are still no traces of their escape near the Kuta Forest.
''Squad leader, decide!''
The Spectre Corps Squad Leader soon made a decision.
"Squads 1, 2, and 3 head to the Romin Forest. The rest continue searching the Kuta Forest!"
Squads 1, 2, and 3.
The dragons transported almost twenty members of the Spectre Corps and changed direction.
Now it was Jin''s turn to make a decision.
''The entire Spectre Corps won''te after us. Since the signal is unclear, they can''tpletely abandon the search in the direction of the Kuta Forest.''
Hoo, hoo~
Jane''s heavy breathing calmed down after taking the painkiller.
"Brat, that crazy demon dragon sure knows how to draw attention. Move out. Hey, ck Knight, can you hold on a bit?"
"Yes, Murakan-nim. I can fight."
"What''s the point of fighting with that body? Are you trying to show off? Get on my back. Hey girl, carry Yona again."
Surprisingly, Jane willingly climbed onto Murakan''s back.
"...I apologize for showing such an unpleasant sight to the Family''s guardian deity."
"Don''t be so embarrassed. Even knights from ancient Runcandel, stronger than you, have vomited and caused a ruckus on my back."
In which direction will they move?
As forces converged on the right side where Zephyrin had cleared a path, choosing the opposite direction seemed the obvious option.
Everyone thought so, but Jin was reaching a different conclusion.
"Wait a moment. Then, we will break through in the same direction as Zephyrin."
"Brat, what are you talking about? If that''s the case, why did you tell Zephyrin to draw attention?"
"What did you say?"
"The Spectre Corps ising, so why do you want to wait?"
"Ohh! Jin-nim, do you have something else in mind?"
The group expressed their doubts.
"The Spectre Corps''s objectiveing to the Romin Forest for support is not to subdue or kill Zephyrin. The Spectre Corps''s top priority is to find us, whether the magicians die or not."
The group''s eyes widened at his words.
"In other words, the Spectre Corps will search the entire Romin Forest, avoiding fighting Zephyrin as much as possible. Fighting her would only hinder the search."
Jin''s words were correct.
Even in the midst of urgency, the group couldn''t help but admire him.
They couldn''tprehend how he could have such insight in such a short time.
"Wow... he''s so crazy, so cool that I might faint."
"The moment the troops are more focused on Zephyrin, we''ll follow her path. Then, we''ll silently escape the Romin Forest, dealing with any enemies that may follow us. We must refrain from using aura as much as possible not to be distinguished from Zephyrin."
The demonic energy, which was frantically cutting through the forest and magicians, was emphasizing Zephyrin''s presence.
The moment the aura blended among them, the group would immediately be exposed to the Spectres.
"I''ll give you a signal when I think it''s the right time."
Hidden in the sandstorm, the group waited for Jin to speak again.
It had been five minutes since Jin spoke, just after Zephyrin raised a storm with her demonic energy.
"Let''s go!"
The Runcandels charged into the Romin Forest.
The magicians pursuing Zephyrin were visible from the start.
They were too busy reading the situation and spreading information, so they didn''t notice Runcandel swords falling on their necks.
Thud!
Not using aura didn''t mean the sword would dull.
The Runcandels gritted their teeth and ran, leaving behind the fallen magicians'' necks.
"Ugh!"
"Run, Runcandel, quickly!"
They were desperate.
Throughout the time the Runcandels were running, they prayed in their hearts for the forest to end quickly so they could get out unharmed.
Fortunately, the magicians didn''t discover them, and even if they did, they killed them immediately.
After running for who knows how long, the sound of the air being abruptly cut reached their ears.
The dragons carrying the Spectre Corps were flying in the air. They had just arrived in the Romin Forest.
As Jin had predicted, the Spectre Corps refrained from facing Zephyrin and instead seemed to focus on searching the area.
The shadows of the forest protected the Runcandels from their eyes.
"Haa, haa!"
"Haa!"
Finally, as morning shone fully, the Runcandels managed to escape from the Romin Forest.
Their bodies were covered in sticky magician blood, sweat, wood fragments, and dust, but no one was dead or severely injured.
The forest magicians were still chasing Zephyrin towards the border.
Additionally, some Spectre Corps members were also following Zephyrin due to the severe damage she had caused in the forest.
Now, if they could cross the central border of the Federation, the chances of escaping would increase dramatically.
However... It was inevitable that the group would be exposed to the Spectre Corps before they could choose a new escape direction.
The Runcandels found themselves facing figures dressed in gray, their staffs pointing at them.
''... About ten.''
Jin calmly counted their heads.
Ten members of the Spectre Corps.
The ones who had chased Zephyrin wouldn''t return.
Instead, the Spectre Corps stationed in the Kuta Forest would hurry to support them when the battle began.
Bang!
Their leader fired a signaling re, indicating that the target had been found.
"Murakan-nim..."
Jane spoke.
"Please let me down."
The first time she obediently climbed onto Murakan''s back wasn''t any different.
She wanted to conserve all the remaining strength she had.
And the reason Jin tried to save Jane at all costs was the same.
The sacrifice of a ck Knight was necessary in times like these.
Although they didn''t say anything, both Jin and Jane had prepared themselves from the moment they decided that Zephyrin should draw attention.
"Jane-nim."
"There''s no need to say it, Twelfth gbearer."
"...I see."
"Your choice to bring me here was the right one. Sandra Zipple, even though we are enemies, I am grateful for your help. The painkillers are proving somewhat useful."
Jane unsheathed her sword and stood in front of the group.
There was no room for apologies.
"I won''t forget the sacrifice today, ck Knight."
"A death dedicated to the Family is more valuable than life. Therefore, this is not a sacrifice but the greatest glory."
The tremor that felt like it could break at any moment while being carried on Murakan''s back soon subsided.
Jane''s sword calmly and firmly pointed at the enemies.
"I may not be able to prolong this for much longer. Go quickly. You must survive to witness my glory."
Although there were other unspoken words within her, Jane didn''t say them out loud.
''Twelfth gbearer, truly, if the opportunity arises, I would like to serve you. Not the Second gbearer...''
After looking at Jane for a moment, Jin shouted, calling his elder brother.
Second gbearer, Joshua Runcandel!
And then continued.
"Don''t just stand there. Help Jane-nim in her final battle. That may be the only way to wash away a bit of your dishonor and betrayal.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 507
Chapter 507
C507
It was an event that no one had foreseen.
However, Jin had nned to use Joshua like this from the beginning of the escape.
It''s a crisis that can only be ovee if someone makes a sacrifice.
And, of course, the only one in the group who didn''t mind dying was Joshua, the clone.
Jin also wanted to save Jane with a desperate heart.
But Jane was already in a state where she couldn''t be revived unless there was a Numerus legacy, and realistically, she wouldn''t be able to withstand against ten Spectres, along with additional reinforcements.
There was a brief silence.
"I was going to do it even if you didn''t say it."Soon, Joshua replied with a calm voice, and even Jane looked at him in surprise.
The person who was most shocked was Dyfus.
"What? Joshua, are you serious?"
"Second gbearer, you won''t survive if you join me."
"I''m d to be able to risk my life now instead of fighting the Tower Guardian."
"Joshua, what are you thinking?"
"It''s simple, Dyfus. I''m making a decision for the Family. If you have anyints, step forward in my ce."
"I''m notining. On the contrary, the thorn I have has disappeared on its own. However, I know better than anyone that you''re not the kind of person who would give up their life so easily."
It wasn''t the time for a long conversation.
"See youter, Second gbearer."
Swish!
Joshua threw the ck Sword, Kainer, he carried at his waist, towards Jin.
Even if the clone died, there was no need to lose the sword.
"I''lle back for it."
"I also thought the sword is precious, but with what else can you fight..."
At the moment Jin spoke up to there.
Suddenly, Joshua''s pupils turned ck, even the whites of his eyes.
-If it''s still not enough, I should consider using that power...
The thought Joshua had when he fought against Hedo.
The power he hesitated to use in the battle with Hedo now colored his eyes with an opaque ck light and formed a new sword in his hand.
Joshua, what is this?
Hmm?
... Tainted energy?
What surrounded Joshua seemed simr to the tainted energy used by Am in Gaifa.
However, it felt much denser and refined than that.
Joshua''s tainted energy had a color almost identical to Shadow Energy.
I anticipated to some extent that the Prophet is deeply rted to Chaos...
''Is it possible to use the tainted energy to strengthen others like this?''
The Spectres'' staves shot rays of pure white mana at the same time.
It was a concentrated attack on Joshua, who had just started moving.
And the group was surprised once again to see him easily block or deflect all mana rays with a protective shield.
These can''t be the abilities of that type, Joshua.
Is it also the Prophet''s ability?
Dyfus narrowed his eyes.
Joshua definitely isn''t at the level to be called a very strong Warrior or a superhuman.
Moreover, he had suffered internal injuries in the fierce battle just now, so it was impossible for him to effortlessly deflect attacks from ten Spectres.
[I can''t maintain this state for much longer. I''ll try to hold them off as much as possible, so make sure to bring the stolen items to the Main Family]
Jin and Murakan, who knew that Joshua was a clone, were calm, but Dyfus felt a strange sensation.
He had always wished for Joshua''s death, but he had never thought it would end like this.
Of course, he was a bit bewildered, but there was nothing sentimental about it, like realizing that his feelings for Joshua were actually love and hate, not just hatred.
"Well, I don''t know what you''re thinking, but it''s better to leave before you change your mind. Elder brother, make sure to decorate yourst moment with grace. After all, you''re in front of enemies. It probably won''t be necessary, but if by any chance youe back alive, I''ll personally kill you at that time."
Before leaving, Jin and Dyfus waved their swords at Jane.
She was wielding her sword towards the newly emitted mana rays aiming at the group.
sh!
She made an incredibly fast and precise vertical sh, and it was hard to believe that just moments ago she had been on the brink of death.
Jane was burning thest of her will.
Like a fire that reveals a greater light just before going out, her sword surpassed the level she had reached throughout her life, even if only for a moment.
She went one step beyond.
With her duty''s courage.
Then, a group of three Spectres approached to block her, and the rest of the group seemed to try to attack Jin and his group, who were already moving away.
[Aren''t you underestimating meleebat against Runcandels too much?]
Crash!
Two of the staves falling towards Jane were blocked by Joshua''s sword.
The remaining one, transformed into a spear, was repelled by Jane.
[Moreover, she''s a ck Knight.]
Squeak!
One of the three rushing people didn''t hear Joshua''s words.
Because Jane, who had thrown herself backward, cut his neck with a single sh.
She was stabbed in the shoulder because she had also thrust too forcefully, but she couldn''t let that overshadow her final resolution.
As the head of one of the Spectres fell, the Spectre Corps paused momentarily.
As formidable as the sword of a ck-helmeted one was, they never expected that an almost lifeless body could achieve such results with a simple sword.
The Spectre Corps had expected Jane not to be able to inflict any significant wounds, let alone decapitate those who attacked.
What is this?
Did she kill him with a single blow?''
"Seriously, just being there is a miracle in itself!
''These Runcandels are particrly unpleasant when this iprehensible power asionally manifests...''
Jane forcefully set her dislocated shoulder in ce as she looked at the Spectres readjusting themselves.
"They can''t pass... Zipples."
Although her entire body was torn and battered, only her eyes emitted a dim and piercing light.
The remaining nine Spectres felt a chill run down their spines as they met her gaze.
Despite losing one person, they still had an overwhelming advantage, but the indescribable eerie feeling made it difficult to express difort.
Some stay, and others pursue those who flee.
Given the power difference, they could easily choose those options.
However, the Spectres were enveloped by a strong intuition that leaving only four or five would result in irreparable damage.
''Not only the ck Knight but also Joshua Runcandel''s power has suddenly increased.''
''We can''t afford to lose members so fruitlessly. Squad 4, 5, and 6, and the main force will arrive soon, so let''s decisively finish off those two and resume tracking!''
''Sandra Zipple is probably still absorbed in her crazy love game. She won''t provide any significant help without Hedo.''
The Spectres reorganized their formation.
Those who were going to pursue Jin and his group began to open their mana and draw magic circles.
"It seems like you''re determined to fight properly, Spectres."
[It is an honor to join you in your final battle, Jane-nim]
Joshua stood shoulder to shoulder with her.
"...Second gbearer. It seems the rumors were true."
Instead of expressing gratitude for his participation, Jane first brought up a different matter.
[Rumor?]
"That your body is not just one."
She said this in a dry tone, but inside her, Joshua keenly felt a deep contempt towards him.
It was the first time he had seen the ck Knight so openly reveal her emotions.
[...Is it wrong?]
Jane didn''t answer.
[Regardless of how you see it, I am fulfilling the highest value of the Family in my own way].
Although she harbored the desire to serve Jin, Jane didn''t feel dissatisfied when following Joshua under Rosa''s orders.
It was because she believed it was a way to show loyalty to the Family.
However, she was still human, so she couldn''t help but feel disappointed just before her death.
"Fight, is that what you''re talking about?"
[Yes.]
The sky was turning red as the Spectres spread their mana.
What unfolded in the sky was the exclusiverge-scale magic of the Spectre Corps, "Red Abyss," which Jin had encountered the first time he faced them.
Hoo...
Jane took a long sigh.
"It''s so regrettable... You should be ashamed, Joshua Runcandel."
Like red rain resembling blood, red mana particles scattered from the sky, turning into swords and chains and raining down on the two.
Swoosh, ng!
Jane''s first move in response to the Red Abyss was to block the red sword falling towards Joshua''s back.
nk!
Witnessing the scene, Joshua felt something familiar and terrifying welling up inside his chest.
Self-loathing.
A monster that had taken root in the depths of his soul one day and had never retreated from there, not even once in life.
[What... How dare you speak so lightly without knowing anything, Jane-nim!], Joshua shouted, cutting the chains falling towards Jane''s head.
Joshua''s eyes, now tinged with ck, trembled.
"What is fortunate is..."
[Despite the harsh contempt shown by my father, my sister, my brothers, and sometimes even my mother, and the countless disappointments I faced... I never gave up even once in the face of so much bitterness. I was more desperate than anyone].
"I dedicated my final glory to the true, not the false."
The two swords moved relentlessly.
They were blocking the red des and chains falling on each other''s corner, and if one didn''t look closely, they could almost mistake them for wielding their swords to cut each other.
[Why does no one recognize me...! No one, no one! No one...!]
Screams that were almost like continuous wails continued to disperse in the air with the deafening sound of the two swords and the mana of nine people colliding.
How much time had passed?
In the end, Jane''s me was extinguished.
nk!
The de of the Red Abyss pierced her back.
Until a moment ago, she had fiercely swung her sword like a vengeful ghost, but suddenly, her movements stopped.
Now her body had reached a stage where it couldn''t be moved by will or any transcendental thing a human could possess by themselves.
[Damn it, Jane!]
Joshua instinctively extended his sword, but protecting her was impossible, and even if he seeded, it would be meaningless.
In the moment her devastated body was finished off by the chains and swords.
Jane looked directly at Joshua onest time.
I hope my current state serves as a lesson for you.
And thus, Runcandel''s ck Knight, Jane, met her end.
The remaining clone continued the battle alone, while Jane''s corpse scattered through the Red Abyss.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 508
Chapter 508
C508
There were two red skies on the battlefield, and a red abyss also stretched on Zephyrin''s side.
The Spectre Corps pursuing Zephyrin had put all their efforts into subduing her...
But so far, they hadn''tnded any significant blows.
''A monster like this was a spy and worked as a Third-ss investigator not too long ago...!''
"The re signal went off a while ago, but how is the situation developing?
The battle on that side is dragging on, and that ck power seems to be Shadow Energy...
Is the Twelfth gbearer going directly intobat?''
''We urgently need support from squads 4, 5, 6, and reinforcements from the main base. Something is not right.''Zephyrin was trying to avoid revealing her true identity to Zipples, and her physical condition was not optimal yet, so she wasn''t using her power to its full extent.
However, Zephyrin managed to keep the Spectre Corps at bay.
She was so skilled that those unfamiliar with the axe she awkwardly used, as seen on the ck King''s Mountain, might mistake her for Luna.
However, like the Spectre Corps, Zephyrin was also puzzled.
What is this?
That is not Shadow Energy; it''s the power of Chaos.
Moreover, it''s not Yona Runcandel''s Chaos...
What''s happening with Jin?
The sword energy that Joshua unleashed from the edge of the Romin Forest almost seemed like Shadow Energy.
However, Zephyrin quickly recognized that it wasn''t.
I don''t think the Fourth gbearer or the ck Knights are using the power of Chaos.
It''s probably the Second gbearer...
''It''s unpleasant because it strangely resembles that woman''s power.''
That wasn''t the only unpleasant thing.
Zephyrin was aware that the situation in the rear, in the Sota Desert, didn''t seem favorable.
The storm created by the Grenille battleship was slowly contracting. Meanwhile, Zipple and Kozec''s dragons seemed to find more stability.
''Even if wee this far, if I can''t get hold of Jin''s items, it seems unfair, and I won''t be able to sleep. Come to think of it, it seems difficult for those idiots from the Kaligo family to steal Jin''s items with their stupid brains. What should I do?''
Once again, Zephyrin''s gaze turned to Joshua.
And she could discern something strange in the situation.
Apart from the Chaos power released by Joshua, there was no trace of Shadow Energy, nor aura, nor blue me, etc.
What that meant was clear.
Is the Second gbearer fighting alone...?
Two reasons immediately came to Zipple''s mind.
First, the Second gbearer could be facing the Spectre Corps alone using Chaos power, and then retreat, meeting up with the escaped Runcandels.
Second, sacrifice.
Whether it''s the first or the second, the crucial point was that Joshua was fighting alone.
''It could be a backup n.''
He can rescue Joshua and hold him hostage for future negotiations with the Runcandels for the items.
Zephyrin soon came to such a conclusion.
Zephyrin dodged the red abyss sword that was approaching her back and took out a re from her pocket.
------------------------
"Phew, Vice Leader! Help! Help! Is help very far away?"
The Second Princess of the great Kaligo family, Ainas Kaligo, had been shouting like that since her grand invasion from the Grenille battleship.
Sweat ran down Bishkel''s forehead as he looked at Ainas.
It wasn''t because of Ainas''s appearance, whom he recognized as the demonic female version of Bouvard.
Although she looked very out of shape, surprisingly, she was doing well in battle.
Although a considerable amount of time had passed since the start of the battle, the fact that she was still alive was proof enough of Ainas''s skill.
Of course, Bishkel did not highly evaluate Ainas''sbat skills or abilities.
''...It''s almost like the survival power of a cockroach. It even looks like that disgusting chubby guy in that aspect.''
Ainas shouting for help wasn''t because she was engaged in a convincing exchange of blows with the enemies.
It was due to the transcendent regeneration exclusive to the highest-level demons.
Even if her body exploded, her head was cut off, or her limbs were dismembered, she instantly recovered and got on the nerves of both Bishkel and her enemies.
"I don''t know if there''s everything, Hedo-nim."
Octavia shrugged.
While Bishkel associated Ainas with Bouvard, Octavia saw Sandra in her.
"...I also wonder how different they are from the demons I fought before."
Octavia had no doubt about Hedo''s lie.
Hedo felt a bit sorry for her.
"That demon may seem funny, but honestly... the Grenille battleship is quite impressive."
There was only one battleship that didn''t seem to be in perfect condition, and a demon that only had good regenerative capabilities.
Octavia was justing to terms with the fact that these things had been holding their own against the main force she had led so far.
"That battleship had already faced the Sword Emperor''s sword. Seeing the majesty of their battleship, it seems that their sword hasn''t dulled. Still, it seems like they''re gradually being pushed back now."
"If the Sword Emperor hadn''t damaged the armor and shield, it would have been tight even now. Even if it weren''t for the demon that injured the Sword Emperor, we might have gained the upper hand earlier."
As she spoke, Grenille was in a much worse state than before.
Several parts were destroyed, and nearly half of the spikes forming the storm had lost their functionality.
The cannons, excluding the main cannon, were now at a level where they wouldn''t pose a threat.
"Anyway, we have to make a decision soon. The situation near the Romin Forest doesn''t seem promising."
Octavia said, increasing her mana.
The dragons were also ready to unleash their breaths, and the magicians were preparingrge-scale defensive spells again.
It''s almost the limit. If we expose ourselves to attacks of this level a few more times, escaping will be impossible.''
It wasn''t a situation where the leader could restore Grenille, as he did during the terrorist attack on the Sword Emperor Castle.
''Zephyrin, hurry...!''
At that moment, Bishkel gritted his teeth, searching for her.
In the distance, a signal re burst in the sky over the Romin Forest.
It was the signaling reunched by Zephyrin.
The Zipple immediately recognized that it wasn''t their signal.
''Alright!''
Ainas also saw the signal and raised her greatsword.
"Oh, it''s the signal of the Grand Duke Zephyrin! I don''t know what''s happening, but the Grand Duke! After all, she''s our Grand Duke! Let''s get out of here, vice-leader!"
Chiiiiing-!
The sharp metallic spinning sound emanated from Grenille''s engine.
It was the energy they had been saving from being hit until now.
Those who had handled Kozec knew what that sound meant.
It was the sound just before initiating high-speed flight.
"Escape? After being hit like this, there''s still so much energy left!"
Octavia squinted her eyes and shouted.
Everyone knew that Grenille''s goal was to gain time in the first ce.
However, Zipples believed that they couldpletely defeat Grenille unless the leader appeared, as happened during the terrorist attack on the Sword Emperor Castle.
"Hey, hey! Vice-leader! I''m still here!"
Bishkel had no intention of rescuing Ainas Kaligo and leaving.
Not only because he disliked her, but also because it was dangerous to waste time boarding and revealing weaknesses.
We can''t do anything if you die.
If you be a captive, we''ll rescue you through negotiation, Ainas Kaligo.
But I hope you survive on your own.
''So I won''t have to waste bargaining chips unnecessarily.''
Ainas ran frantically towards Grenille, which had started spinning its hull.
However, she couldn''t get close to Grenille, as Kozec''s cannon shots, Hedo''s sword energy, magician offensive spells, and dragon breaths were being bombarded and exploding in all directions.
"Vice leader! You forgot about me, ugh! No, eh, kuck! Kuduk! Let''s go together!"
Having turned towards the Romin Forest, Grenille concentrated all the remaining power on the rear shield and eleration.
Kozec couldn''t keep up, and the dragons followed him, barelyunching breaths, but none hit.
The colossal barrier erected by the magicians collided with the front of Grenille and shattered.
At that moment, Hedo explosively lunged towards Grenille.
"Wow!"
Ainas, who stood in his way, was thrown somewhere by the shockwave created by Hedo''s eleration, and Octavia matched Hedo''s jump by generating a gust of wind with her mana.
Sssaaak-!
The longsword, Bale, rose in the air, unleashing a storm of twenty sword energies.
If not for the injuries, as Octavia had mentioned, Hedo''s sword wave would surely have shattered Grenille''s rear shield, preventing it from advancing at full speed.
''A bit too superficial.''
The sword wave only grazed the rear shield, narrowly missing its target.
At the same time, the heat and shockwaves from Grenille''s engine enveloped Hedo''s body and the dragons following closely.
Even in the midst of this, Hedo dispersed his sword waves in all directions to protect the dragons, allowing them to descend and avoid the shockwaves.
However, Ainas was once again thrown somewhere by Grenille''s shockwave.
"Pursue them!"
Octavia''s eyes burned with dark murderous intent as she shouted, and Kozec took the lead to catch up with Hedo.
-----------------------
Meanwhile, on the central border of the Lutero Magical Federation, beyond the Romin Forest.
A woman dressed in white cleaned the blood off her greatsword.
In front of her was a man covered in wounds and scars, breathing heavily and missing his left arm.
It was Bianca Kaligo, the first princess of the Kaligo family, and the ck Knight, Mon.
''She suddenly stopped moving...''
Mon encountered her while escaping from the shipyard.
He couldn''t defend against her attacks throughout the battle, although he fought tirelessly.
Well, calling it a battle might be an exaggeration.
Mon''s resistance was low due to fighting all the time in the shipyard, but Mon was sure of one thing.
Bianca was an opponent he couldn''t defeat even if he fought in his best condition.
The only reason Mon was still alive was that Bianca suddenly stopped her attacks, as if possessed by something.
''Those who entered the magic tower... Are they okay? I have to somehow escape from this monster and ask for support from the Family. Definitely. But why is she looking at that thing so intently?''
What Bianca was looking at was the signal re fired by Zephyrin.
"Uh, uh, that... The Grand Duke''s signal. I have to go. What should I do...?"
A slow but dragging voice.
Bianca was conflicted.
Whether she should kill the human in front of her before leaving or just hurry and leave.
"The orders of the Grand Dukee first. If I don''t follow them, I''ll have problems. You''re lucky, human. And it was fun."
Saying this, Bianca ran towards the Romin Forest.
She said it was an important signal re, and even though she had such remarkable physical abilities that she could overpower Mon, it was impossible to know why she was running away carelessly.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 509
Chapter 509
C509
Crack!
Mon knelt down and vomited a handful of blood.
If they had exchanged a few more blows, Mon would have met his death facing the sword of the monstrous demon.
''...I''ve heard that there are formidable demons among the currently active ones, but I didn''t expect someone like this to be affiliated with Kinzelo. Was the demon that the First gbearer cut down in the past also like this?''
It had been a long time since he suffered such a powerless defeat and was so tantly ignored.
Mon managed to recover his amputated left arm...
But it would be difficult for him to continue his duties as a ck Knight if he didn''t immediately receive treatment at the level of the Holy Queen.
But now was not the time to sumb to despair.''The demon is heading towards the signal from the Romin Forest. The battleship Grenille is also flying towards the Romin Forest, and seeing that Kozec is following, there''s a possibility that Jane and the others are also there.''
Mon didn''t know the exact situation in the Romin Forest.
However, the fact that the forces of Zipple and Kinzelo were converging must have a good reason, and the most crucial thing in this situation was the contents of the vault of the Second Magic Tower.
Did the Second gbearer seed in looting, or did Kinzelo obtain something and escte the battle?
''Either way, what I need to do now is request support.''
It made no sense to detain Bianca.
Mon survived thanks to the enemy''s mercy, but he needed to move somehow to ensure the sess of the mission.
After performing first aid and healing the wound, Mon took a step forward.
But border security was very strict.
Every high watchtower along the border emitted light.
The border troops of the five autonomous districts and the eight autonomous countries alternately watched their assigned zones, the battlefield of the Romin Forest, and the Sota Desert, with the highest alert status ever.
The battleship Grenille and Octavia''s forces were quickly approaching the Romin Forest as if possessed.
As the battle intensified, the border troops began to worry that the Romin Forest mightpletely disappear from the map.
The bordermanders decided to divert search teams towards the direction where Mon and Bianca were fighting.
Since it was an individual battle, it was nothingpared to the turmoil of the Romin Forest and the Sota Desert, but it was enough for the guards not to overlook it.
Mon advanced, seeking a loophole in the border without being discovered by them.
''Damn, my body is starting to stiffen up.''
The bleeding was severe.
Like Jane before, Mon had suffered significant injuries, enough to lose consciousness if not for the mental strength and willpower of a ck Knight.
Ha, ha....
Mon leaned against a tree for a moment, catching his breath.
The surroundings seemed foggy due to the fever, and with each shiver, it felt like his bones were about to break.
As his senses faded from the pain...
Mon suddenly changed his posture and aimed his sword beyond the bushes.
He felt someone approaching.
It''s a guard...!
They were probably border troops.
If there were only a few below 7 stars, Mon could handle them calmly.
However, if there were more, it was impossible to kill them all before the signal re was shot.
A momentter, when the owners of the approaching steps revealed themselves, Mon could finally exhale in relief.
"Mon-nim!"
It was Jin and his group.
They had limited routes to avoid border surveince.
Jin and his group had followed the same path as Mon, and in the process, they had noticed the trail of his blood.
Therefore, their encounter was more destined than coincidental.
"Twelfth gbearer."
"What happened... Sir, your arm."
"How did the mission go? Why are you the only ones here? And Jane and the Second gbearer?"
Mon, who had been speaking, stopped upon encountering Jin and the others'' dark and heavy gazes.
"...We escaped from the Romin Forest with Jane-nim''s sacrifice."
Mon remained silent for a moment and then looked back in the direction of the Romin Forest where his lover had faced death.
After bing a ck Knight, theypletely gave up their personal lives, but Mon and Jane always believed that their hearts were connected.
They had nned that if they ever retired safe and sound, they would spend the rest of their lives together.
That hope hade to an end.
"I see..."
Mon responded with a calm voice.
Just like Jane had prioritized the Family and disappearance over choosing words to leave to her lover until the end, Mon did the same.
Personal pain doesn''t help the Family.
That''s what ck Knights believed.
That''s a ck Knight of Runcandel.
"Did the Second gbearer also stay behind?"
"Yes."
Mon didn''t ask why the next patriarch stayed instead of another gbearer.
Is it intentional or not?
Why does Jin have the ck Sword Kainer?
If not, what does the Second gbearer fight with?
Mon didn''t ask because he somehow knew why Joshua stayed behind.
"Did the mission seed?"
Jin took out the objects from his pocket and showed them.
"As long as wee out unscathed, the mission is a sess. Let''s save detailed stories about my wounds, Yona Runcandel, and Sandra Zipple for after the escape. Let''s get moving before I copse."
Mon''s gazended on Sandra.
She was once again rummaging in the pocket of her coat, searching for painkillers.
"Oh, luckily, I still have some. Swallow this. The other unnie felt great after taking it. It''s hard to run when something hurts, right?"
"...Unnie? Could it be that you''re talking about Jane, Sandra Zipple?"
"Yes, that''s right. She thanked me."
Mon took the painkillers without saying a word and swallowed them.
Then, Mon lightly touched Sandra''s shoulder.
Mon hadn''t explicitly revealed their romantic rtionship, but the group somehow seemed to understand the sentiment behind Mon''s gesture towards Sandra.
They resumed their journey.
Passing without an armed conflict would be difficult.
It was natural, as it was the center of the Lutero Magical Federation, and the surveincework was several times tighter than usual.
While Jin contemted the most efficient route to break through, Sandra spoke up.
"Ha, it seems like it''s time to end our first date."
The group''s attention shifted to Sandra.
She was biting her lower lip, trying to console herself.
"I guess I have to step forward now so that you can escape, Jin-nim. From now on, even if you want to see me, you can''te looking for me like this. Jin-nim, today is thest time, okay?"
Jin and Sandra''s eyes met.
"I''ll divert the attention of the border guards for you. Escape without getting caught. However, do you remember what I said?"
-However, thanks to you, my brothers and the ck Knight could save their lives. If there''s anything you need, ask for it. If it''s in my power, I''ll do it after the escape.
Both Jin and Sandra remembered those words at the same time.
"What do you need?"
Sandra extended her golden prosthetic hand towards Jin, making sure that her face engraved on the forearm was clearly visible.
"I would like you to engrave your name below this drawing."
"Wow... You''re really amazing. I thought only Enya, the brat''s fan club president, was crazy, but even she''s nothingpared to you. I might not see another human like you even if I live another three thousand years."
"Fan club? After the announcement of the Golden Peng, all sorts of unofficial fan clubs emerged. I even created and approved a bill rted to fan activities and registered it officially. There have been several articles about it, even on the Hufester side."
"I think I''ve seen something like that. It was someone named Nodav Sarsaeng, probably."
"That''s my alias. So, what Enya does is just a personal fan activity, while mine is an official fan activity. There''s a big difference."
Jin silently unsheathed his dagger and, as requested, signed below the drawing of the prosthetic hand.
Sandra was about to scream, but she covered her mouth.
"Wow! I''ll treasure this more than my life!"
The feeling of her arm turning into a golden prosthetic hand, with her face engraved on it, and even Jin''s signature below, the feeling of hearing her say she would treasure it more than her life...
There were no words to express it.
However, at the moment the signature waspleted.
Kururur...!
Suddenly, a tremendous explosion urred in the Romin Forest.
It was a massive explosion, felt even in the central border, causing an earthquake.
And this explosion wasn''t caused by Kinzelo or Zipple.
It was an explosion caused by Runcandel''s decisive killing move.
Everyone in the group was recognizable at a nce.
The Family''s only self-destructive sword move, a sword created with the ultimate purpose in mind.
The Seventh Final Movement, Volcano.
It was the same one Joshua used when facing Jin and Garmund in the Archipgo of the Blue Birds.
Joshua''s clone had chosen the volcano as a desperate final act.
At that time, Joshua''s volcano had demonstrated the power to ravage the entire Ind 32 of the Archipgo of the Blue Birds.
The volcano unleashed by the current Joshua, enhanced with murky energy, far surpassed that power.
The aura mixed with murky energy rose to the sky and fell to the ground, destroying the Romin Forest.
It literally looked like a massive erupting volcano.
Even from where the group was, the shockwave distorted and shattered the space and sky across the entire region of the Romin Forest.
The battleships urgently deployed their shields to the maximum, and the strongest ones did their best to save allies who couldn''t withstand the explosion.
"They''re alsounching congrattory fireworks there to celebrate the birth of my treasure!"
Sandra seemed joyful, as if the fact that the volcano was destroying her n''s territory wasn''t particrly important.
"Now, Jin-nim. Thanks to that explosion, the border guards seem a bit disoriented. If I cause a little more confusion, there should be a gap in their surveince."
"Sandra Zipple."
"Yes!"
-But, Jin, I have a responsibility to fulfill on my own. If my n is going astray, shouldn''t I correct it? I''ll make everything normal. I''ll return Zipple to the proud n that I know.
-That''s a storycking in reality.
-I don''t think there''s anything I can''t do if you help me.
-Regardless of us being friends, there are things that can''t be done. It''s impossible for Runcandel to help Zipple.
Suddenly, Jin saw in her his friend.
He remembered their conversation at Beradin''s mansion.
Leave the n, discard the name Zipple.
That moment shed in his mind.
"I would like you to convey my greetings to Beradin."
"Oh, I never thought I would at least shake hands with you again... I already had ns to meet with Radin and talk about Jin-nim."
When Jin extended his hand, Sandra''s eyes widened.
Of course, it wasn''t to fulfill Sandra''s request but rather a handshake request from someone who had received significant help in this situation.
"Then, until we meet again, Jin-nim."
"Goodbye, Sandra."
Sandra didn''t waste time turning around and running out from among the bushes, and as soon as she encountered the guards, she shouted:
"I''m Sandra Zipple, the acting master of the White Night Tower. Intruders are fleeing towards checkpoint 16. Track them quickly."
While the border guards moved in response to Sandra''s order.
The Runcandels were finally able to cross the border and escape from the center of the Lutero Magical Federation through the Western Sea.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 510
Chapter 510
C510
March 5, 1800, a day has passed since those who participated in the special mission in the "Sota Desert" returned to the Garden of Swords.
The mission was sessful, but the losses were enormous.
"We saved him. However, the arm... The necrosis and tissue loss were so severe that we couldn''t do anything," said the medical director with a heavy voice.
It was Mon.
Although they managed to recover Mon''s amputated arm after the battle with Bianca, those who participated in the Sota Desert mission fought several fierce battles with the Federation Navy even after crossing the central border of Lutero.
Even at the end of the battle with Bianca, the arm was in a state that could not be remedied without treatment at the level of the Holy Queen.
"Will he be able to continue with missions in the future?" Jin asked, suppressing the anger boiling within him.
Jin didn''t ask that question about whether Mon, one of the best Knights of the Family, could perform missions.He asked with the hope that Mon would maintain his existence and pride.
"Except for the left arm, the rest of his body will recover perfectly soon. It may be difficult for him to perform ck Knight missions, but I believe he can handle missions below that level."
"...Thank you, Medical Director."
"Please,e in. He''s awake."
When Jin entered the operating room, he saw Mon wrapped in bandages and medical equipment.
"Mon-nim."
After his return, Jin heard from Zed that Mon and Jane were lovers.
"Twelfth gbearer."
Mon remained silent for a while, looking out the window.
The sky over the Sota Desert during the mission was either blurry or filled with the mes of battle, contrasting with the unusually sunny light now filling the hospital room.
"It''s inevitable that I''ll be demoted to Guardian Knight or Execution Knight. This arm will only be a burden to the other ck Knights."
"The mission couldn''t have seeded without you, sir."
"The weather is nice."
Mon neither affirmed nor denied Jin''s words.
He was simply reflecting on the information he had heard from Jin on the way back.
"Don''t burden your heart too much. Being a ck Knight is just a symbol of loyalty to the Family. Even without it, my essence remains unchanged. However..."
Mon turned his head towards Jin and continued speaking.
"If your words are true... if it really is so, it seems that things have changed."
The word "changed" did not refer to himself but directly to this ce, the Garden of Swords.
-The Seventh Final Movement, Volcano, the Second gbearer was probably facing certain death...
-No, he''s alive. The one who executed the Volcano was not the real Joshua but his clone.
-Clone?
-Young one, what are you talking about?
While escaping from the Lutero Magical Federation, Jin informed the group that Joshua might be a clone.
It had not been proven yet, but Dyfus and Mon couldn''t shake off the uneasy intuition.
"Twelfth gbearer."
"Please, speak."
"Jane really wanted to serve you. And the moment your words are proven true..."
At that moment, someone entered the medical room.
It was Jin''s butler, Petro.
"Young Master!"
Jin instinctively felt why Petro hade so urgently. Mon felt the same.
"The Second gbearer has returned...!"
When Petro finished speaking, immense energy radiated from Mon.
The entire building shook so strongly that it was hard to believe it belonged to a person who until yesterday was on the brink of death.
Tears of red and bloody tears welled up in Mon''s eyes. Soon, he gathered strength, rose from the bed, and looked at Jin.
"Come quickly, Twelfth gbearer."
They went outside.
They saw Joshua standing in front of the steel gate.
He was in good health, without a single injury, and led all his knights except the ck Knights.
A g with the Runcandel symbol, the ck swords, was raised.
The knights who were outside the gate and hade with Joshua and the knights gathered inside the garden held the same g.
The sight was horribly repulsive.
"Your words were true."
Dyfus stood next to Jin and spoke. Dyfus''s tremor was palpable as he barely contained his anger.
"Jin."
"Yes, elder brother."
"Make sure to drag that guy and kill him. And if Mother shields that disgusting one again this time, I won''t let it slide."
Betrayal.
Or reform.
Dyfus had made a decision.
Jin too.
However, unlike Dyfus...
Jin was almost sure that his trusting elder brother would find it difficult to evade responsibility this time.
Looking at the knights behind Joshua, Jin felt more convinced.
He must have brought his knights here out of fear.
''But he hasn''t realized that, I don''t know about the hounds, but the n knights don''t pledge loyalty to him...
It was aplete mistake for Joshua to bring the knights en masse to the Garden of Swords.
Joshua should havee alone.
That''s what Jin thought, and so did his mother, Rosa, who came out of the main house.
The knights formed a line on both sides of the path.
Rosa, walking among them, had indifferent eyes.
"Second gbearer, Joshua Runcandel. Reporting afterpleting the mission."
Joshua''s voice, struggling to maintain confidence,cked the pride of having sessfullypleted a challenging mission.
There was no boasting aboutpleting a difficult mission.
There was only the fear of a son who couldn''t be sure if he would receive punishment or reward from his mother.
Until he entered the Garden of Swords, Joshua always believed that he would receive a reward as usual.
No, he wanted to believe it.
However, as soon as Joshua faced Rosa''s cold expression, he felt that hope fading.
It''s challenging for small children to endure their parents'' unusual facial expressions.
Joshua even rationalized the act of apanying the knights.
It was not because he feared Rosa''s decision but a mere act to elevate the dignity of the next patriarch, who had returned after diligentlypleting the mission.
"I received the report that you died during the mission. What happened?"
No matter how much Joshua tried to rationalize it, he knew it from the first words.
His mother didn''t seem pleased with his return.
It was time to realize the painful reality.
"Mother, that..."
"Address me properly. Right now, I am not here as your mother."
Joshua''s eyes widened.
Those who were watching were also surprised.
It was the first time Rosa, and not Cyron, trampled on Joshua''s authority in front of everyone.
"I apologize... Acting Patriarch. I made a mistake."
"Exin clearly how the Second gbearer, Joshua Runcandel, is standing there instead of being dead."
Why are you alive?
You should have died there.
That''s how Joshua heard Rosa''s words.
Joshua couldn''t help but shudder at his mother''s voice, which went beyond a simple reprimand and even felt malicious.
"Answer me; the Fourth and Twelfth gbearers wouldn''t have dared to lie to me!"
When Rosa shouted again, a strong pressure filled the surroundings.
"The reason I''m alive is..."
Joshua stammered.
His eyes flickered, and he felt infinitely smaller. There was a deep sense of contempt in the eyes of the family members looking at him.
"I sent a clone on the mission..."
At that moment, Jin thought to himself.
''Not only did you make the senseless mistake of bringing the knights, but you''re also missing thest chance to change our mother''s mind, Joshua.''
Joshua had no idea why his mother was exploding in anger that way.
It was because he had forgotten his essence.
Hoo!
Joshua took a breath and looked at Rosa. However, his trembling legs couldn''t hide the fact that he was scared.
"The reason I''m alive is that I sent a clone created through a Prophet on a mission. As a result, the mission was sessful."
"A ck Knight died, and another was left disabled. Can you call that a sess?"
That was the main reason why Joshua was being reprimanded now.
Mon survived, but in reality, Runcandel lost two ck Knights in this mission.
As the person in charge of the mission, Joshua had to take responsibility.
But there was another reason why Rosa went so far.
The essence of Runcandel, the fight.
Joshua had forgotten it.
Maybe he hadn''t forgotten it, but it simply didn''t exist from the beginning.
The method didn''t matter.
Even if he used a false body for the mission, even if it resulted in a ck Knight facing death and another being disabled, even if it caused greater losses.
Joshua should have fought.
As the next patriarch of the family, he should have elevated the values of the family.
He shouldn''t have trembled and stammered like a scared dog, like a terrified child.
He had to prove that he had never been wrong.
He had to face Rosa and face the family.
He should have roared, asking if there was a superior way to use the power of the Prophet and cloning, why no one had done anything if there was a better way, and who really caused the death of the ck knight of the n.
Just like Jin did when he made the patriarchal deration.
''If you had shown that you never forgot the essence of Runcandel, Mother would have defended you again this time.''
Jin felt nauseous.
He, more than any other Runcandel and more than any of his children present here, understood Rosa Runcandel better.
It was a fact that made him shudder.
"I made a mistake..."
Rosa''s eyes became even colder.
Why?
Why didn''t you recognize me?
Didn''t I sessfullyplete the mission for the family?
Haven''t you tolerated my use of Prophet and cloning power until now, Mother?
Aren''t I your most beloved son?
Joshua''s head was full of those thoughts.
The essence of Joshua Runcandel was nothing more than a child fighting to be recognized by his parents.
It couldn''t be called a fight.
"Fourth gbearer."
"Yes, Acting Patriarch."
"Speak. Did you know that the Second gbearer sent a clone?"
"I didn''t know."
"Twelfth gbearer, did you know?"
"I had a suspicion."
"But why did this mission require the sacrifice of the ck Knight, and not just his clone?"
"As I reported yesterday, because our family invested the least among the three main factions in this incident. However..."
Jin looked at Joshua and continued.
"If he had shared all the information with me and the Fourth gbearer from the beginning, if he had offered the sacrifice of the clone in advance, there would never have been the death of the ck Knight Jane-nim or the loss of Mon-nim''s arm."
"Mother, no! That was just a hypothesis! Let me exin; my n was clearly perfect, but there were too many variables in this mission...!"
A smile more than of disdain appeared on Rosa''s lips.
"ck Sword Association, submit Joshua Runcandel."
"As youmand!"
Those who responded to Rosa''s order were the knights led by Joshua from outside the garden, not from inside.
Except for the ck Knights, all of Joshua''s higher-ranking knights were formed by the Execution Knights of the Runcandel Elder Council.
Although Joshua himself had just found out.
"Lain, Becks, Rihanna... and even Sinatra. Are you all... members of the ck Sword Association...?"
The Execution Knights of the ck Sword Association removed the masks hiding their faces and revealed their identities.
Everyone in the room held their breath as the old, ruined, and unrecognizable faces were revealed.
"From now on, the status of Joshua Runcandel as the Second gbearer of the Runcandel Family is suspended. Furthermore, I issue a secret search order for both his real body and the clones, which may be active outside."
"Lock him up in the dungeon."
"Mother, Mother...!"
Fall.
Everyone watching Joshua Runcandel crying for his mother was thinking of that word.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 511
Chapter 511
C511
Luna abdicated the throne, Jin''s patriarchal deration, and Joshua''s fall.
Among the significant events of the current generation, this incident was undoubtedly the one that had the greatest impact on the Family.
No one expected Joshua to fall like this.
He had always been the next patriarch after Luna abdicated the throne, with strong support and favoritism from Rosa behind him.
However, it was Rosa herself who brought Joshua down.
Furthermore, she did it in a cruel manner, trampling on his dignity and tarnishing his honor, all in front of everyone.
"Ha, it''s refreshing. But it feels a bit ufortable. He wasn''t someone who would copse so easily... Well, regardless of his intentions, he obstructed an important mission and lost two ck Knights. It''s not unreasonable."
Pong, clink...Dyfus''s eyes were nk as he spoke while filling his ss.
He had been waiting for the day Joshua would fall since his childhood, but seeing it end this way made him feel an unpleasant sense of futility instead of excitement.
Even after pouring himself a strong liquor that an ordinary person couldn''t drink in one gulp, the bitterness in his throat didn''t ease.
In reality, Dyfus harbored not only resentment but also affection for Joshua.
It wasn''t a lukewarm feeling; it was a mix of regret for not being able to confront his old enemy with his own hands, and the feeling of helplessness that his mother''s words weighed iparably more than the authority and fighting spirit he still maintained as a high-ranking gbearer.
These things tormented Dyfus.
"By the way, younger one, you''ve gone too far. If you knew he was a clone, couldn''t you have at least warned me? No, wait... I must have been a fool not to know until now. Since you told me with your wicked tongue and ridiculed him, suggesting killing Joshua together in the Sota Desert, I felt there might be something."
"You''ve been talking to yourself and answering on your own since before. It seems like you don''t need a drinkingpanion, elder brother. If my elder sister Mary were here, you would have found out quite a few things."
"That girl would have understood me. If she sees someone snatching away the prey she''s had in her sights for decades, her guts will churn, whether she admits it or not."
At those words, Jin smiled coldly.
A total of 48 years, 28 in the past life and 20 in the present.
For almost half a century, Jin''s greatest enemy changed twice.
In the past life, his own family, the Runcandels, was his greatest enemy, while in the present, he faced Zipple as Runcandel through various events.
However, opponents and enemies are different concepts.
The one Jin personally held the most resentment towards hadn''t changed since he discovered the details of his Curse.
''Joshua Runcandel....''
So, Jin also lost his prey, and it was impossible for him not to feel worse than Dyfus.
The reason was simple.
"I don''t think it''ll end like this."
"It would feel less dirty, but this time it''s definitely over. There''s no way Mother would forgive him, and even if she did, who would follow Joshua after seeing him quiver and tremble like that? It''s unthinkable in other Knight Families, but this is Runcandel."
Jin took the drink Dyfus offered and downed five or six sses in a row.
"Come to think of it, isn''t it a bit strange?"
"What thing?"
"If Mother had officially referred Joshua to the Family''s trial and ordered an investigation to uncover the truth of the mission, maybe he wouldn''t have fallen so dramatically. Frankly speaking, even if she had shared the information from the beginning, it would have been impossible to save the two ck Knights as long as there was a variable like Hedo."
Hedo, the guardian of the White Night Tower.
After reporting the mission, Jin and Dyfus still knew nothing about him from Rosa and the Elder Council.
They didn''t know if Rosa and the council were unaware or if there was some other reason. They only spected that thetter was much more likely.
"If Mother had done that, it could have caused both you and me to fall instead. Joshua is the ultimate decision-maker, but we also have responsibilities as gbearers. Even if he''s a clone, didn''t he use the volcano for the good of the Family in the end?"
"If that assumption holds, Joshua could even strangely twist things to make us traitors by involving Sandra Zipple''s help. Plus, his kinship with Beradin Zipple is a factor."
"It doesn''t seem like Mother wouldn''t have known what we might think. No, she must have known. And Mother''s goal has always been to make Joshua the next patriarch, but now she has made apletely opposite decision."
"In the end, Mother must have recognized that he is not fit to be the next patriarch. I don''t know why she realized it only now. Damn it, he was so scared that he even dragged the knights and ended up looking like a fool... If it were me, I would have cut his throat right there."
While Dyfus nervously kept emptying his ss, Jin wondered why Rosa had attacked Joshua instead of them.
The end.
Dyfus''s words were not wrong. Those who witnessed Joshua''s pathetic state yesterday would not recognize him or follow him again.
Suddenly.
A new assumption appeared in Jin''s mind.
"The Prophet."
"What?"
"If Joshua''s mind was manipted by the divine power of the Prophet and dark magic..."
"How can that be? The Joshua who stuttered yesterday was the very image of him being trampled by Father and the elder sister in his childhood. It was the essence of Joshua."
"I know that too. I don''t really believe the Prophet manipted Joshua''s mind. However, if Mother ims itter and forgives Joshua again... what do you think?"
Dyfus set down his ss.
The Prophet, she has provided critical help in this mission using unknown powers and has also been assisting Joshua and his Family''s missions until now.
She had also created Joshua''s clone.
Although the true identity of the Prophet had not been fully revealed, everyone in Runcandel now knew her actions and her existence.
Some would argue that the Prophet had deviated from thew and should be expelled, others would say she was necessary to face the enemies, and others would maintain neutrality and remain silent.
But they all had to admit one thing:
Joshua''s Prophet possessed truly divine abilities.
-I understand. And what about the third? Leaving aside the method of killing the Second gbearer, what is your real goal? What benefits does the death of the Second gbearer bring to the Family?
-Second elder brother, I feel like I''m being graded for my exam. What benefit does it bring to the Family? It''s an opportunity to cut the rotten chain of favoritism and purify the Family. Even if we kill Joshua, the Prophet will still be under our mother''s control, so we can decide what to do with her abilities at that time.
A conversation between Jin and Dyfus in the Sota Desert.
Not only Rosa but also Dyfus believed that the Prophet''s power should be used for the Family.
To find the legacy of the first patriarch, to massacre the enemies.
This thought became even more solid through the experiences of this mission.
A fleet of over a hundred battleships, Hedo, and even an unknown demon that turned ck Knight Mon into a cripple.
Although only a part of the enemies'' hidden powers had been revealed, they far exceeded the gbearers'' expectations.
"Mother will never give up the Prophet''s power. The reason she brought down Joshua this time... might be a warning to the Prophet. It''s very possible that the rtionship between Mother and the Prophet is not as close as with Joshua."
"So what you''re saying is that Mother ns to bind the Prophet, andter me her for everything and reinstate Joshua?"
"Not just that, Mother restores her authority by bringing down Joshua. This will erase the stains caused by the exile incident. She showed strong determination by personally destroying the second gbearer, whom she had supported so much. Regardless of the details, Family members can''t help but fear Mother even more from now on."
"After elevating her power to the limit, bringing Joshua back to the surface, and transferring all authority back to him... and both me and justification fall on the Prophet."
There was a moment of silence.
Neither of them refilled their sses.
"... That''s not entirely impossible. No, it''s quite probable. If Joshua at the time of his reinstatement can show a strengthened appearance, convincing enough for someone to think that his previous ws were due to the Prophet''s mental maniption."
If Rosa gains the power to mercilessly purge anyone who doubts Joshua at that moment, and if her own battle prowess bes the strongest in name and reality.
The reinstatement of Joshua was very possible.
"There''s one more thing."
"More?"
"Do you know how the Prophet creates Joshua''s clones?"
-Do you also know how that woman creates Joshua''s clones?
-I only know that it requires a lot of humans.
-What?
-It seems they use the death row inmates from Hufester. If Joshua-nim sends them to the Prophet, new bodies are created... She mainly uses those bodies to handle tasks like dealing with people like me. To strengthen potential contractors and suppress them directly when they go out of control.
After killing Joshua''s clone for the first time in Bluebirds, Jin heard Yulian say that the Prophet used humans as material.
Later, he learned from Emma about the strange execution of death row inmates in "Rikalton" and tried to find out rted details.
After the ck King incident, he sent ck Knight Dox there.
"Human beings are used as materials. Arge number of them. It''s information I obtained by capturing her direct hunting dog when I was a Provisional gbearer."
"Ha. If that''s true, he has to face an even greater punishment..."
"But Joshua is already in the dungeon. There''s no way to delve deeper. At least not officially. Who would dare to assert that Joshua, whom Mother personally brought down, must be trampled even more? I have a witness, but there is still no concrete evidence. I can''t make such ims lightly."
Dyfus felt as if a cool breeze passed down his spine.
His senses dulled by alcohol suddenly sharpened, and a shiver ran down his spine.
If what the younger one is saying is true...
Then Joshua''s fall is nothing more than a sessful stratagem of Mother''s...!
Of course, all of this was nothing more than spection.
However, two people who knew the human called Rosa Runcandel as their mother...
They had the intuition that this spection was very close to the truth.
"So, it''s not the time to soothe our bitterness with alcohol. The fight has only just begun."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 512
Chapter 512
C512
Tap, tap, tap
Anne couldn''t stop tapping the table with her index finger.
Sometimes she bit her nails, unable to hide her anxiety.
"Damn, damn, damn, damn...!"
On the opposite side, Myu couldn''t hide her worried expression either.
It''s not an exaggeration to say that the sisters survived in the Family by focusing solely on Joshua.
They never stood out in any period.
Not when they were Provisional gbearers, not when they became gbearers, not even now.Specifically, things have gone downhill since they lost a rank war to Jin, who was a 15-year-old intermediate cadet.
Cyron and Rosa never showed interest in them.
They weren''t praised even when they achieved something that could be considered an aplishment.
And they weren''t severely reprimanded when they made mistakes.
Myu and Anne were like air.
Just like other purebloods who didn''t show an "exceptional" appearance.
"Even air is necessary... tch. We''re just useless decorations to highlight the exceptional brothers. Looking back, we''ve always been in that position."
"What are you talking about all of a sudden, older sister? Is this the time to get lost in such thoughts? Our Elder Brother is already finished!"
"It hasn''t happened, it''s already over. So, we''re also finished. Now, we''re no different from chickens about to have their necks wrung."
"Ha! Mother would never abandon Elder Brother so easily. She must have some thoughts. Something, definitely, on her mind..."
Unfortunately, Myu and Anne had no way of seeing what Jin had intuited.
The sisters fell silent, their faces gloomy, remembering the day Luna had pped them, a long time ago.
-From what I''ve observed, the younger one is not a very merciful child. You better be careful from now on.
-Is there still something left to ridicule? Elder sister.
-No, I say it because I''m genuinely worried about you. It''s been a long time since things seemed to be going wrong, but you two are still my sisters.
The younger one is not a very merciful child.
When Myu and Anne heard these words from Luna, they trusted that Jin would never be able to defeat Joshua.
However, it would have been better if they had been a bit more cautious.
The sisters always showed more hostility towards Jin than necessary, and the results were never good, especially now, which was the worst.
"...Should we go beg the younger one?"
"Anne."
"You never know. Just like we did with our Elder Brother, we can offer to be his right hand if he asks us."
"We were never his right hand. What benefit did we give our Elder Brother? If we caused trouble, Elder Brother just covered it up. He took us in because we were pitiful. Maybe he saw himself in us, who were always trampled."
"Damn it, so are you suggesting that we sit still and wait to die, older sister?"
There weren''t many brothers who could fill the vacant position of the next patriarch.
There were only four: Luntia, Dyfus, Mary, and Jin.
Among them, the sisters considered Jin to have the highest chances.
Anyone who saw his patriarchal deration would think the same.
And if Jin became the patriarch, they were destined to be purged.
The same would happen even if another brother ascended to the throne instead of Jin.
They figured there was no way to avoid the purge, as Jin wouldn''t be eliminated and would hold important positions due to his ability and the legacy of the first patriarch.
"...No, we have to find a new umbre."
"Yes! Elder sister, that''s it! We can''t die like this."
"First, we have to find out why Mother abandoned Elder Brother. Maybe... could it be because of our Elder Sister?"
Anne''s eyes widened.
"Elder Sister?"
"Why would Father take Elder Sister to the ck Sea Expedition for no reason? Maybe Father wanted to show her something there and try to change Elder Sister''s mind. Mother knew it, that''s why she abandoned Elder Brother Joshua. It''s frustrating, but Elder Sister is still the best gbearer."
"If Elder Sister only expresses her intention to be patriarch as you said, then there is no one who can oppose her. I think we can survive if our Elder Sister ascends to the throne..."
Desperation sometimes leads people to a dark world of imagination.
The sisters were talking nonsense, distancing themselves from the reality that there was no way that would happen.
"Or, isn''t Elder Sister Luntia looking for the legacy of the first patriarch? If she achieves good results, Mother might push her instead of Elder Brother Joshua. The possibility is higher for her than for Elder Sister."
"After a few days, I might go visit Mother...."
The moment she said that, augh suddenly came from behind the table.
"Hahaha...."
Srrk!
The sisters unsheathed their swords at the same time, adopting a defensive stance.
The ce where the sisters were was Myu''s room.
Despite being in a state of despair, they were still gbearers of Runcandel.
They got goosebumps at not realizing at all until someone approached so closely.
Wasn''t there any sign?
''This voice...!''
Surprisingly, theughter belonged to someone the sisters knew well.
"I can''t listen anymore! Ladies. Do you really think Joshua is finished?"
Shining mischievous eyes, ck hair, and a delicate body.
"Ilina...?"
Ilina Runcandel.
It was already quite shocking that someone had infiltrated without any signal, but the fact that it was her made it even more surprising.
She is Joshua''s wife.
"Since when have you been there?"
"How can someone so foolish and ipetent wear the gbearer''s cloak? The Runcandel I knew was not like this."
Ilina had never been so rude and hostile to the sisters.
Runcandel''s gbearers rarely married until the patriarch of the generation was determined, and the battle for hegemony came to an end. This was because the risk of their spouses and children being purged and killed was too high.
Furthermore, when a new patriarch was chosen, surviving brothers usually entered strategic marriages ording to the Family''s orders.
However, since Joshua had been the next patriarch for a long time, he married Ilina.
Everyone thought the reason Joshua married Ilina, who was not the daughter of a famous Knight Family, had an unknown origin andcked special skills, was just an impulse or a passing passion.
To prove this, the wedding was very modest, and the marriage was not made public.
Ilina lived quietly like a shadow after marriage, never interfering in power struggles or expressing greed.
Moreover, Joshua barely visited her after their honeymoon.
So, Family members believed that once Joshua found a new girlfriend after bing patriarch, Ilina would naturally disappear.
Even the sisters, who now unexpectedly faced her, thought the same.
She had no personal power; she was just Joshua''s wife, a powerless figure.
However, such an powerless figure was mocking them.
It wouldn''t be a problem to kill her with a single blow.
Since Joshua was imprisoned in the dungeon, Ilina would also undergo a process of downfall or expulsion.
However, for some reason,
Their hands holding the swords did not move.
The sisters sensed something.
Ilina was not the discreet person they thought.
Furthermore, if they drew their swords now, it wouldn''t be Ilina, who until yesterday was a nobody, who would fall, but themselves.
"You... what is this?"
"What''s wrong, Ladys? I''m your sister-inw, no one else."
"I''m not asking that because I don''t know!"
"Anyway, you have no more talent than barking. That''s why our orphan loves you, precisely because of your ipetence."
Step, step, Ilina approached slowly step by step.
"Step back."
"Go away...!"
Myu and Anne unconsciously stepped back as they saw their shadow growing.
The shadow under Ilina''s feet represented somethingpletely different from her delicate body:
Something like a demon, a monster, or something even more horrifying.
The sisters'' breathing suddenly became heavier as they observed the change in the shadow.
They had the feeling that an irresistible darkness was approaching.
In the end, the sisters couldn''t wield their swords until Ilina was right in front of them.
They were trembling and sweating.
"P-please, forgive us... forgive us..."
The Runcandel gbearers begged for their lives, stunned.
Theypletely surrendered by just facing Ilina.
Even if they were considered ipetent, it was only insufficient when it came to the next Runcandel patriarch.
The sisters had traversed countless battlefields as Runcandel gbearers, facing numerous formidable opponents and defeating them.
The sisters had never shown signs of fear, even when facing opponents stronger than them.
Whether it was Luna pping them, Mary hitting them, or challenging Jin whenever the opportunity presented itself.
However, as they had never experienced Cyron''s wrath, the sisters could only be sure that there was no greater terror in the world than this.
Ilina looked at the sisters and smiled gently.
"You don''t have to be afraid, Ladys. I won''t hurt you."
Swoosh...!
Ilina''s enormous shadow surged upwards, enveloping her.
The sisters, looking at that figure,ughed and shed tears.
In a moment of despair, it seemed like they had grasped the helping hand offered by fate.
"Hahaha...!"
[I am the Prophet of Cmity]
Ilina, emerging from the shadow, had apletely different appearance than before.
The darkness that could be described as her body filled the spacious room, and her button-like face in the middle of it all had a grotesque shape, swollen as if it would burst at any moment.
[Take the hand of our orphan].
Myu and Anne knelt down, extending trembling hands towards Ilina.
Something indescribable, cold but warm, seemed to grab their hands.
[I will be your father. Say that you desire it.]
"We desire it..."
Then, the shadow of the sisters shattered like broken ss.
One of thergest pieces was absorbed by Ilina''s arms.
[The despair you have embraced as grieving orphans will make you even more valuable...]
Soon, Ilina''s body became smaller again.
There was an ordinary-looking shadow under her feet, which had returned to how the sisters remembered.
The sisters remained kneeling.
"The role of saving our orphan, Joshua Runcandel, falls to you, Ladys. Can you do it?"
The sisters, with a faith they had never had before, nodded.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 513
Chapter 513
C513
In the lowest level of the Dungeon...
It had been two days since Joshua was confined here.
His limbs were tied to the wall, and his eyes were unfocused.
The gag tightly in his mouth prevented him from biting his tongue.
It can''t end like this...
But what could he do?
His bound limbs were pierced by iron spikes, and the knights he trusted turned out to be servants of his mother.
The sisters he cherished, like Myu and Anne, didn''t have the power to save him, and the Elder Council was the same.He couldn''t pin his hopes on the hunting dogs raised outside the Family.
They wouldn''t be able to traverse this dungeon, and, from the beginning, his hunting dogs were not as blindly devoted as Taimyun''s offspring.
The hunting dogs would lose their focus and copse.
Now that he had fallen, the other gbearers closer to the throne.
Luntia, Dyfus, Mary, and Jin.
There was only a remote possibility if they personally requested it, but that was absolutely impossible.
Even if his father in the ck Sea knew of this fact, there was no chance he would revoke the order of his mother.
Even ending his own life was impossible.
The Runcandel dungeon was not a ce to kill prisoners.
Whether the subject was human, dragon, demon, or anything else, the goal was to iste the prisoner inplete solitude until the end of their life.
If a person refused to eat, they were forced to eat, and suicide attempts were futile.
Not even the prophet could get him out of this ce.
I can''t do anything.
''I can''t trust anything.''
If there was at least one thing, a glimmer of hope to bet on.
''Mother.''
The cruel mother who had pushed him into this very hell, personally presenting herself to offer him a way back to the surface.
That was the only means to ascend again.
Tiiing...
The sound of the entrance to the lower level opening echoed from afar.
Joshua, fixing his blurry gaze, looked towards the closed door.
If that door opened, his mother would enter, or so he hoped.
It took a while until Joshua''s cell door finally opened.
"What a sight, Second gbearer... Oh, no, you''re not a gbearer anymore."
An old, snake-like voice.
It was Jorden Runcandel.
He removed the gag from Joshua and clicked his tongue.
"How does it feel to fall?"
"Sword Association Chief...!"
"Don''t look at me like that. I didn''te to mock you."
Jorden then released Joshua''s limbs that were tied to the wall.
"I may not have been imprisoned, but my situation is not much different from yours."
"What are you talking about?"
"I may not have lost my limbs, but I''ve lost everything else. Although I haven''t suffered a public disgrace like you, my pride has been trampled by the acting matriarch of the Family."
ck Sword Association, a n''s punishment unitposed of particrly powerful elders.
Jorden was no longer its leader.
Although he still held the position of Chief of the ck Sword Association,mand hadpletely passed to Rosa.
Of course, all the n''s forces were in the hands of the patriarch and the acting matriarch.
Even so, Jorden could no longer personally maneuver the ck Sword Association under any circumstances.
It was due to the Exile Incident.
"Both you and I. We fell at the hands of the Twelfth gbearer."
"I..."
"Are you trying to say that you''re here not as a result of being defeated by the Twelfth gbearer, but because of the acting matriarch?"
Joshua couldn''t answer.
"Stop denying it. We lost. Completely."
"...What are your ns, Chief of the ck Sword Association?"
"Fortunately, my head is still attached, so I have to n the next step. You''re asking the obvious. And... aren''t you in the same situation?"
"In the same situation... As far as I know, you have never suffered a fall like this. Didn''t you survive after being treated like an insect by my father? Did you gnaw yourself with the futile desire to be the patriarch? Did you lose the ck Sword Association? None of them canpare to the cold floor of this dungeon."
Smiling, Jorden let out augh.
"Children like you might think that."
"Huh, you said you didn''te to mock. In the end, you''vee to revel in a loser who is even lower than you."
"No, I''vee because I envy you."
"What?"
"Soon, the acting matriarch wille to visit you."
Joshua''s eyes widened.
Only now did he seem to understand the meaning behind Jorden''s words.
"If you show your mother the same degrading behavior you''re showing me now, then it might really be the end. I came earlier because I was worried something like that might happen."
"Mother... Mother said she woulde to visit me?"
"Mother, Mother, Mother. You really are fundamentally a child. It''s almost humiliating to share the samest name as you. I never had a mother. Besides, my rival wasn''t the Twelfth gbearer, but gbearer Cyron Runcandel. Once I fell, I had to spend an eternity unable to surface again."
A bitter smile appeared on Jorden''s lips.
"Now it''s time for you to bear that weight. When you finish your seclusion training and return to the world... I''d like to see you shed your fragile shell."
"Seclusion training? Do you think I can change things now with something like that?"
"In the end, what rules the Family is the overwhelming martial prowess that everyone has no choice but to follow. I too have ignored that fact for too long, using the shadow of your father as an excuse."
Jorden turned around.
"It''s up to you to change hell into paradise. I''m not saying this as Chief of the ck Sword Association, but as a fellow."
Jorden left the dungeon.
And on the stairs, he encountered Rosa, who was descending into the dungeon.
"Acting Patriarch."
"I guess you didn''te down to see the ghosts of the dungeon. Did you meet Joshua?"
"That''s right."
"You''ve done something unnecessary."
"If parents are cruel, someone in the family should treat them with kindness, right?"
"Have you regained confidence after losing everything? You talk with such arrogance."
"I just remembered the essence of the Family that I had forgotten."
"If many people hadn''t forgotten it from the beginning, today''s Runcandel wouldn''t have been so precarious."
"But the acting matriarch hasn''t be dull either."
Rosa smiled, as if it were ridiculous.
"The words of the powerless are nothing more thanints. If you want to discredit my mood, let alone my sword and body. Prove it. Finish perfecting that humble sword of yours, as I suggested. That''s why I left you with your neck."
During the brief time Rosa passed by Jorden and entered the lowest level,
Joshua thought about what Jorden had just said and what ck Knight Jane had shown him before dying.
-I hope my current state serves as a lesson to you.
Jane''s farewell words and the visit from the Chief of the ck Sword Association.
They couldn''t change Joshua Runcandel''s essence in an instant.
They remained just points of discussion.
As Rosa entered, Joshua straightened his posture.
"She''s here, acting patriarch."
Crack!
Rosa suddenly drove Frenzy''s de into Joshua''s right shoulder.
"Ugh...!"
The flesh tore, and blood spurted.
Then, with a swift and quick strike, the sword left a gash on Joshua''s left shoulder.
Fear struck him again.
A fear he had never ovee, the fear of his parents.
A new fear created by the indiscriminate attacks of his mother, who seemed determined never to let him go.
"You''ll say you''ve exhausted your strength, but does that mean you can''t even react to a sword like this? It was a speed even advanced cadets could avoid."
"Acting Patriarch...!"
"Well, now you don''t dare call me mother anymore. But is that all? If it had been those exceptional kids, your sisters and brothers, they would have avoided it."
Frenzy swung again, this time shing Joshua''s chest.
The depth of the de cut was anything but superficial.
"Guh!"
"No, did you barely manage to dodge? Luntia, Dyfus, Mary, Jin wouldn''t be screaming like you. They would be looking me directly in the eyes and trying to counterattack. No matter the reason or who was wrong, once the sword strikes!"
Shriiek!
"And if it were Luna, she would have grabbed her weapon, Frenzy, and aimed it at my neck. Wouldn''t that girl be able to do that even after losing her strength? Then, why wouldn''t wement Cyron and me?"
What Joshua was enduring, the stabs and shes of the sword, was truly nothingpared to the unbearable pain inflicted byparisons and feelings of inferiority.
"Kraah! What do you expect me to do?"
Joshua''s jaw twisted, and his sternum shattered as he recklessly lunged at her.
It wasn''t a counterattack but a frenzy.
"Kuk, coff."
"Why can''t you do something like this? Why couldn''t you, the son of the prophecy, do it?"
At those words, Joshua med his mother for the first time in his life.
"You... raised me like this."
"I have no memories of raising you like this."
"No, you''re right. You raised me like this."
"No, I didn''t raise you like this."
"And didn''t you give birth to me like this? Luna, Luntia, Dyfus, Mary, Jin! Why didn''t you pass on talents like theirs to me? They are all your creations...!"
"Talent? Well, I admit Luna''s. But do you really think those other kids have more talent than you, and that''s why I put you here? You just didn''t try as hard as them. Despite giving you so many opportunities... Ah, if I say this, now you''ll im those opportunities were poison, won''t you?"
Rosa let out a bitterugh.
Joshua fell forward and trembled.
He wanted to rise again, but his body, ruthlessly stabbed and pierced by Frenzy, refused to respond.
"I also admit it. Now that I think about it, the opportunities I gave you over thest few decades seem to be poison. I didn''t expect that feeding you only with a spoon wouldn''t be enough. If I had known I had to chew it for you in advance, maybe you wouldn''t be here now."
"What kind of... nonsense is this?"
"Did you really think I would send only you, a gbearer, and the two ck Knights from the Sota Desert on that important mission...?"
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 514
Chapter 514
C514
Sota Desert.
gbearers and ck Knights were not the only ones fulfilling their mission there.
''Other members... were there more?''
Joshua barely raised his head and looked at Rosa.
Her expression was not visible due to the darkness of the dungeon.
"Four ck Knights, the First Division of the ck Sword Association, and others I personally hired... I was also there in the desert."
"What...!"
Certainly, not just Joshua.Jin, Dyfus, Mon, and even Jane had no idea that Rosa and her knights were in the Sota Desert.
They didn''t start together.
Rosa and her knights entered the desert after the group initiated the operation.
And their goal was not just to seed in stealing the blueprints.
"I observed them."
What decisions do the gbearers make, and how do they seed in their mission?
In particr, what kind of judgment does Joshua make?
Rosa had closely watched the overall development of the mission in the desert with the troops she personally led.
-Acting Patriarch, only Mon is left in the underground shipyard. The Second gbearer seems to have decided to monopolize the information. However, since Kinzelo also moved at the same time, it will be revealed soon.
-We confirm the Fourth gbearer, the Twelfth gbearer, and Murakan starting to move. We decide to withdraw as further tracking would likely expose us to detection by crystal balls.
-If it''s the youngest one, he probably already knows that it''s not the shipyard but the Second Magic Tower. Wait near the Second Magic Tower and report when the youngest one and his group ovee the barrier.
-Alright!
Even when the barrier of the Second Magic Tower copsed due to the Shadow de, and more than a hundred battleships were exposed, Rosa waspletely unfazed, unlike Jin and his group.
She had already figured that out a long time ago.
The gbearers who went to the Sota Desert didn''t know, but it wasn''t the first time in the long history of the cold war that Zipple attempted to build a flying fleet centered on Kozec.
-How many spies does Zipple currently have in the Garden of Swords?
-Exactly confirmed: 97 servants, 20 low-ranking Guardian Knights, 12 intermediate-ranking Guardian Knights, 5 high-ranking Guardian Knights, 15 stewards, stewards, and scribes of Second ss or higher, 2 gbearers, 5 Execution Knights, 7 Elders, and one ck Knight. Additionally, it is estimated that there are at least twenty more spies capable of fatal-level intelligence.
-And our spies in Zipple?
-In Zipple''s main house, there are 40 servants, 10 low-ranking magicians, 5 intermediate-ranking magicians, an elder, and a tower master. That''s all.
It was thest meeting of the gbearers personally convened by Cyron just before departing for the ck Sea.
On that day, the conversation between Cyron and Luntia had the nuance that Runcandel was far behind in the information warpared to Zipple.
However, in reality, it was Runcandel who extracted more critical internal information.
Barton Vicenna, the ck Knight who was the worst spy, was killed by Jin and Dyfus.
-It was Yona who informed Kinzelo of the operation time of the gbearers.
-So it seems. I didn''t expect her to ept such a double request, Rosa-nim.
It''s no different from the fact that Rosa was able to hide in the desert throughout the Sota Desert mission, avoiding the eyes of Jin, Yona, Zipple, and Kinzelo.
There is only one person who rules the Samil City, the Nameless King Owal.
It was thanks to hiring him and the best Nameless assassins.
-I''ll take care of this mission.
-No.
-Even if you stop me, I''ll go, hehe.
-If you really have to go. There are some conditions.
Rosa found Owal shortly after Yona left.
-I know that when the youngest was a Provisional gbearer, you dyed Yona''s return to the Family under the pretext of the Thousand-Poison Antidote, Owal-nim. However, that doesn''t mean you can use Yona to betray Runcandel...
-Betray? I simply received a request. Rosa-nim, your words seem a bit excessive.
-It ends up being a bit excessive, given that Cyron is absent and I am here in his ce.
-Shouldn''t Runcandel be grateful to me for sending Yona to the Sota Desert?
-In this turbulent world, if you do it purely out of your will to be on Runcandel''s side, it would be something to be grateful for.
-That''s not too bad either.
-You would have let Yona go with a condition. Bring back the original or a copy of the blueprint to Samil. You intended to weigh the bnce between the major factions, holding it as a bargaining chip. That''s not too bad either, right?
-Hmm.
-Even if Cyron is here, the price of deceiving Runcandel is high. But I don''t want to turn an ally like Nameless into an enemy for this. Please join me in the Sota Desert.
-The Nameless of my generation is an ally of Zipple, Rosa-nim.
-I won''t make it too difficult for you. I''m not asking you to participate in fights and thefts. Just help with hiding. Can''t you hide others better than Yona?
Owal did exactly that, only assisting with concealment and observation.
He, and the best assassins who came to the Sota Desert with him, did not draw their swords even once until the incident was over.
-Acting Patriarch, the only confirmed individuals remaining inside the Second Tower are Sandra Zipple and 4 members of the Spectre Corps. Since the Twelfth and Fourth gbearers have also entered the Tower, the battle should already be over.
-Phenomena of a first-level superhuman using force have been detected.
-This vibration is the sword wave height. Could it be that he''s here...?
-The phenomenon is intensifying. There is a high probability that the gbearers and the ck Knight Jane will die soon at this rate. Rescue operation, preparations areplete.
-Ready.
-...Just now, there was a time distortion in the Second Tower. The Silver Dragon w was used. Yona also participated in the battle. Rosa-nim, are you really okay with this?
-It seems you''re worried about Yona, Owal-nim.
-The Second Tower is starting to copse, Drakka''s main force will arrive soon. Acting Patriarch Rosa, now is thest chance to approach.
-Continue to wait.
If the sole purpose was the sess of the mission and the survival of the gbearers...
Rosa should have entered at that moment.
But Rosa Runcandel wanted to confirm something more.
She was anticipating the moment when Joshua Runcandel would awaken and bloom.
If that wasn''t possible, at least she wanted to see him make better judgments than Jin.
She believed she would get at least that.
"First-level superhumanbat halted, presumed to be influenced by Sandra Zipple. The battleship Grenille is on its way."
"The battle in the Second Tower has ended. The gbearers managed to escape. It is confirmed that the ck Knight Jane is gravely injured, and Sandra Zipple has joined them."
Afterwards, the gbearers regrouped with Zephyrin, requested an escort, Jin used his wisdom to traverse the Romin Forest, and at the moment Jane sacrificed herself at the central border.
In the end, Rosa didn''t see what she was expecting.
Once again, it wasn''t Joshua but Jin who led the mission to sess.
"You had poor judgment throughout the mission, demonstrated that you were trying to save the clone at all costs, and lost the Family''s ck Knight in the process."
"Hah... You saw how everything unfolded."
"Your younger brother risked his life at every moment and sessfullypleted the mission without my or the Family''s help."
"Why didn''t you help! If you had intervened, we could have saved Jane-nim!"
"Oh? That is actually the question I want to ask. Why didn''t you use the power the Prophet imnted in the Family when you were fighting against Hedo?"
Joshua only used that power when Jane sacrificed herself.
"Did you want to save the clone? Maybe it''s not just that. You had expectations that you would achieve better results without using the clone if the youngest, Dyfus, Murakan, and the ck Knight were there! What disgusting expectations."
"No, I... in the end, the Volcano."
"That was because at that moment, there was no other option for you. Weak people like you end up thinking that a forced choice is their own will."
"I did it... for the Family."
"If you had used that power when facing Hedo, Jane wouldn''t have died. Although everyone was constantly prepared for her inevitable death, you saved your clone until the end. That was your true choice and will."
Joshua couldn''t say anything.
He felt that even if he were stripped naked, exposing his internal organs, he wouldn''t feel more pierced than this.
"After that, you led the Knights when you returned to the Family, stuttering at my few questions, trembling, and apologizing... You couldn''t even let out a scream or retaliate when my sword fell a moment ago."
A will beyond good and evil, a transcendental struggle.
Until the end, Joshua had only brought disappointment to Rosa.
What made it even more bitterly ironic for her was the fact that she, too, had harbored expectations of Jin.
From a certain point onward, just as Joshua had focused on how far Jin could go, Rosa had also shifted her focus to what Jin could achieve.
Jin Runcandel, her younger son.
He always had the power to make everyone expect more.
Just like Luna did once.
"It''s not just the Sota Desert, Joshua. I have watched you during the numerous missions you have participated in. And I was never satisfied."
"Kill me... I''m not worthy of living. Neither my mother nor the Family members. There is no one left who expects anything from me."
"This is a ce where you can''t die, even if you want to. Your sin is not so light as to be resolved with death. And, as you said, I no longer expect anything from you. But the prophecy you have."
......
Cyron Runcandel will call and possess the shadow again...
......
.....
Joshua Runcandel.
Joshua Runcandel will call and possess the shadow again.
That shadow will never disappear from the world in Joshua Runcandel''s splendor.
Finally, your war will end in victory, and thend will receive an eternal blessing.
Worship the one who called the shadow.
"I think it''s still worth waiting for that absolutenguage of God."
Joshua involuntarilyughed at that passage.
"Haha... prophecy? Until now, you were praising my outstanding brothers and the values of the Family, telling me that my ce should be in the abyss... Are you saying you''re waiting for the prophecy that has not yete true?"
"You''re not dead yet. And I hope not only for the fulfillment of the prophecy but also for the struggle that will break it. I don''t think your younger brother Jin''s struggle can break the prophecy, no matter how absolute it is."
"Hah~"
"Prophecy and struggle. Which one do you think I put more expectations on?"
Rosa turned around.
She added these words with venom in her voice.
"If a day everes when your prophecy takes you to the real world of struggle from this underground prison, and if you survive that world. I will bring you back to thend. Of course... as always, your prophecy will disappoint me this time too. As you always have."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 515
Chapter 515
C515
The White Night Tower
The White Night Tower, which always emitted a soft light even in the midst of the gloomy desert, lost its mana and looked miserable due to the Sota Desert catastrophe.
Three elderly figures and a dragon that had transformed into a human stood on a rooftop with a massive hole.
Kelliark, Octavia, Hedo, and Kadun sat on chairs created by Kelliark''s mana, gazing at the Sota Desert.
Traces of the battle still lingered in the desert.
The underground shipyard had exploded, causing the entire center of the desert to copse, forming a horrifying and gigantic pit.
The blowing sand carried sparks and heat, permeating the air.
The fire and lightning erupting like tumors all over the desert showed no signs of ending despite being suppressed for several days.The remains of dead dragons and destroyed battleships filled the surroundings.
Twelve dragons died, 43 battleships were destroyed, and eight Spectres and more than 250 magicians perished.
Additionally, some battleship blueprints and parts of the "machinery" were stolen.
"This is the first time our n has suffered such a blow since the Holy Kingdom Protection War 500 years ago."
Kelliark spoke calmly, eliciting a snort from Kadun.
"I couldn''t evenpare this to that time."
Although he spoke as if it were a trivial matter, Kadun was the most disturbed among them.
The Duke of the Demon World family has reappeared, and Murakan seems to have regained a considerable amount of his former strength.
These two factors troubled Kadun.
He felt as if the nightmares of the past wereing back to life.
Of course, Murakan had only recovered about half of the strength he had in his prime, but those who heard Hedo''s report had the misconception that he had fully recovered.
The misunderstanding about Murakan''s battle prowess, stemming from the ck King incident, continued to grow.
"The Runcandels escaped sessfully even when you were present, Hedo-nim. It seems Kadun is not afraid of Murakan for no reason."
"No, I never said I was afraid."
"You said that with your own mouthst time. It was right after the ck King incident."
"Do you have to talk about that in front of others?"
"...It wasn''t just the Runcandels and Murakan; Kinzelo and his demons were a problem too. Based on the circumstances, it seems a demon named Bianca Kaligo injured Hedo-nim."
Kelliark and Kadun nodded at Octavia''s additional exnation.
Unlike the demon Ainas Kaligo, Bianca Kaligo showed battle prowess at the level of a first-level superhuman. The damage was limited to this extent thanks to Hedo-nim.
"That''s right. If Hedo hadn''t been there, this tower would have disappeared without a trace, Kelliark. And your daughter would be dead or captured for experiments or imprisoned."
"Her decision to evacuate all forces from the Magic Tower in advance was excellent. It would have been a massacre if everyone had been there. Because of that, my subordinates seem to have incurred Hedo-nim''s hatred a bit..."
"Kelliark, your daughter sometimes makes exceptional judgments with a strange intuition. That''s the only thing Sandra has inmon with you."
Hedo remained silent, fixing his gaze on the distant desert again.
He had started telling lies he had never said in his life since he began serving Sandra, but this was the first time it was about something so serious.
"If there''s something you desire, please tell me, Hedo-nim."
"As long as you don''t hold me responsible for not protecting the chamber, it''s enough."
"That''s not your fault, Hedo-nim. Stop avoiding it and speak."
"...If you could grant me a few days off, I would appreciate it. Including the miss."
Kelliark smiled.
Hedo felt ufortable under his prating gaze that seemed to see through everything.
"Very well, take a ten-day break. You can leave immediately."
"Then I''ll see you upon my return, patriarch."
Hedo immediately left when Kelliark finished speaking.
Mainly because constantly telling lies was bing unbearable, but the rest of the group admired his dignified departure.
"I like Hedo-nim''s confident demeanor."
"That human is undoubtedly Zipple''s treasure, Kelliark. You should hold onto him tightly so he doesn''t change his mind."
"Yes, that''s true. By the way..."
Kelliark''s gaze shifted between the Romin Forest and the central border.
After the battle, the ce where Joshua executed the Volcano remained inessible to recovery personnel.
"That power was undoubtedly Chaos, right? Octavia."
"Yes, patriarch."
"Runcandel and Chaos... both the infiltration tunnel and the power he showed at the end make it clear. The Prophet of Cmity is with Runcandel."
The Prophet of Cmity.
Since Solderet disappeared, Zipple had been constantly tracking her.
As far as Zipple knew, thest time Solderetmunicated with humans was with her former patriarch, Riol Zipple.
After that, there were her Contractors, but there was no record of Solderetmunicating with them.
So, Zipple had assumed that Solderet had lost her power or sealed herself to avoid fulfilling the oath.
That was until Jin appeared, and evidence surfaced that the Prophet of Cmity was with Runcandel.
"And the fact that Joshua Runcandel openly used the Prophet''s power indicates that Cyron has entered the territory of the five kings."
"Yes, patriarch. Cyron Runcandel would never have allowed the use of that unstable power. Still, it''s surprising. He must have known about the existence of the Prophet, yet he tolerated it until now. I wonder if he thought there was no other way."
"No, it''s not that. That monster is not such a weak human as to rely on something other than himself."
"Then why...?"
"Well, maybe he was looking forward to seeing his children and rtives surpass even the prophecy of cmity through Runcandel''s values and fight."
"He probably didn''t know when his time would run out, and once we regain our former power, Runcandel is destined to perish. Why would he make such a choice? I''m sure he had some expectations of the prophecy."
"He''s different from us. He''s old-fashioned."
Suddenly, Kelliark''s appearance began to rejuvenate.
The wrinkled face and rough hands became smooth, and the disheveled hair regained its shine.
No one could recognize that it was Kelliark Zipple, who instantly took on the face of a yful child.
"Anyway, we can''t start a total war just based on the suspicion that Cyron has entered the territory of the Five Kings of the ck Sea. Moreover, the enemy''s capabilities exceed our expectations, considering what has just been confirmed in this incident."
Runcandel and Kinzelo.
Through this incident, Zipple was able to reaffirm their strength.
The Prophet of Cmity, Demon Dragons, the power of the Demon World Duke family, and more.
Even that might not be everything.
"It seems that the price of arrogance gained by dominating the world for a thousand years is a bit painful. We intentionally lured them to confirm their power, yet we suffered the most significant damage."
"Hmph, do you see that? I told them time and again that it wasn''t the time to calmly look at crystal balls that show nothing. They have the blueprints and the machine, so those guys will be even stronger."
"Therefore, I have to be a bit more cautious from now on. I have to speed up all my ns."
Thepletion of the Demon God Orb, the confirmation of Cyron''s entry into the territory of the Five Kings of the ck Sea, efforts to confirm and reinterpret the exact content of Runcandel''s prophecy, the restoration of the ancient civilization, understanding Solderet''s true intentions, tracking Temar''s tomb, and much more.
To elerate and aplish all these tasks, one person was indispensable.
"I will allocate more manpower and resources to find thest survivor of Histor."
"Do we have that manpower avable right now? When are you going to recover all that?"
"You''d better try harder to find it yourself, Kadun."
"Ah, this is so frustrating!"
"I also need to move a bit..."
"Really!? You''re not going to waste time looking at crystal balls again?"
"Yes."
Valeria Histor.
She was the key to all major factions.
The key to victory, the key to dying defeat, the key to gaining new opportunities.
"Perhaps I''ll have to sit back at the negotiating table with Rosa Runcandel. If we meet again because of Histor, the deal will be much more disadvantageous thanst time."
-----------------------------
Kinzelo''s Headquarters.
Most high-ranking executives, including Bishkel and Berakt, alternately looked at the tightly closed door of the leader''s room and the Grenille battleship anchored in the rear.
Since the incident at Sword Emperor Castle, the Leader had never fully awakened.
However, this time, Zephyrin and the Grenille battleship again used their power, and the leader''s condition continued to deteriorate.
Thud~
The partly destroyed Grenille fell even when standing and seemed to scream in agony.
This furtherplicated the executives'' feelings.
"So, Vice Leader! You used me as bait very appropriately. I''ve never seen such a cunning human."
"Hahaha, although Bishkel-nim seems ruthless, she''s actually a very nice person. She always invites me to sweet potato croquettes."
"Wow, this tastes good. I should ask for this every day too. Anyway, if the Vice Leader hadn''t devised a n to use me as bait there, I would probably have been captured. Those humans are stronger than you think... ugh. Still, they''re nothing more than ephemeral bugspared to my elder sister."
"Let''s toast to Bishkel-nim!"
"Very well, Bouvard! Let''s toast to sweet potato croquettes!"
Only two people, Bouvard and Ainas, spoke enthusiastically.
Ainas was unaware that she had never been used as bait, and Bishkel had simply refrained from using the battleship''s power out of fear of wasting it to save her.
It was true that, in the end, she saved Ainas.
The Grenille battleship and Bianca followed Zephyrin''s signal, and while Zipple pursued them, Joshua executed the volcano, and Ainas was quickly forgotten by everyone on the battlefield.
Bishkel''s real hair fell out when she heard Bouvard and Ainasughing heartily.
Seeing a handful of hair in the palm of her hand, it was difficult to suppress the urge to immediately slit their throats.
"Stop tormenting the poor vice leader, demons."
Zephyrin grabbed Bouvard and Ainas by the hair.
"That''s right, as good as my older brother may be, everything has to be in moderation. Besides, the Leader is lying there not only because of this incident but also to heal Bouvard-nim. Shouldn''t we be a little quiet today?"
Even Margie stood by Zephyrin and spoke.
"I think you two should go there and sit in a corner. It was frustrating enough that Jin Runcandel mocked me over and over again, and on top of that, Joshua Runcandel, whom I should have taken as a hostage, self-exploded... Understand? My mood is very, very bad."
In the face of Zephyrin''s words, Bouvard and Ainas seemed to break out in a cold sweat and disappeared with hesitant steps.
"Uh... I''m sorry, Grand Duke. My younger sister... is still kind."
"I understand, I understand, Princess Bianca."
"I''m sorry, I''m sorry."
Bianca repeatedly bowed her head instead of Ainas and disappeared, following her younger sister.
Zephyrin sighed deeply, reflecting on whether they were really the ones who would carry the future of the Demons.
"What are you going to do now, Zephyrin-nim?" asked Margie, and Zephyrin clenched his teeth.
"I guess I have to negotiate with Jin Runcandel. If he ys with me again this time, I''ll do whatever it takes to kill that brat..."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 516
Chapter 516
C516
While Joshua fell, the ceremony honoring ck Knight Jane proceeded solemnly.
Servants held a long silent prayer outside the mausoleum, carrying mourning flowers in their hands...
And the Guardian Knights, holding their swords upside down, formed a path leading to the mausoleum.
Rosa held Jane''s ck helmet as if it were a portrait, and Murakan stood by her side.
The ck Knights, gbearers, Elders, Family scribes, and Guardian Knights followed. All wore ck uniforms and mourning attire.
They passed by the densely nted swords in the courtyard, heading to the deepest part.
Even before the procession entered the mausoleum, a thick iron-like scent permeated the air, like the aroma of blood.
The ck Sword g fluttered slowly in the cold mausoleum wind.The sound echoed through the stones inside like a mournful cry, but there was no one truly weeping.
Those capable of shedding tears swallowed them, while those who couldn''t suppressed their emotions.
Only Jane''s ck helmet asionally gleamed in the darkness.
This was a special ce prepared for those who had faithfully protected the Family until the end.
For the ck Knights, the mausoleum could be considered the final point of their pilgrimage.
Unless theymitted treason, they were destined to be buried here.
The mausoleum darkened as it deepened.
And the procession gradually diminished.
Family members, including scribes and stewards, stopped walking at the entrance, and the elders stood upright in the middle.
Those who remained in the procession until the end were Rosa, the ck Knights, the gbearers, and Murakan.
Only their outlines were visible when they reached the end.
Rosa ced Jane''s helmet on the specially prepared stone coffin.
"Even if the dayes when the Garden of Swords crumbles into pieces, scattered by the wind, and the world forgets even the name Runcandel. Your loyalty and glory will never leave this ce."
Murakan created a mourning flower with Shadow Energy and ced it in front of Jane''s ck helmet.
"Thank you, Jane."
The stone coffin closed, and the procession exited the mausoleum after a while.
Upon leaving, the order reversedpared to the entrance, and those who had been waiting at the front rejoined the procession.
The procession finally exited the mausoleum, and the knights who had been waiting raised mourning gs all over the Garden of Swords.
Thus, the ceremony to bury Jane''s soul in the mausoleum, which hadsted from dawn until noon, came to an end.
Originally, the burial in the mausoleum would take over a week, but Rosa and the gbearers informally celebrated it, considering the various circumstances of the Family.
Factors such as the absence of the corpse, the recent and significant battle, and the fact that Joshua, the next patriarch of the Family, was incarcerated.
A more turbulent and sunken stream flowed in the Garden of Swords than ever before.
"It feels ufortable..."
"Yes, it does."
Daytona and Haytona.
The two took shelter under the eaves of the shed to avoid the suddenly pouring rain and smoked cigarettes.
Naturally, some of the gbearers gathered there.
It wasn''t to avoid the rain or because of the Tona brothers.
Because beyond the eaves, a woman was kneeling in front of Joshua''s private quarters.
She was Ilina Runcandel, whom the brothers knew as Joshua''s wife.
She was recognized as Joshua''s wife, but she had no real authority, and her position within the Family had be ambiguous, preventing her from participating in Jane''s ceremony.
People thought that the reason she came out of the private quarters and kneeled was not to honor Jane in this way but to make some kind of plea, perhaps begging for her husband''s release.
"I understand her feeling, but it might have been better to stay inside."
Ran shrugged and spoke.
Vigo nodded.
"There must be a reason Mother decided to leave her in that state. Leave her alone; she''ll stop when she realizes it''s futile, and she might end up dying like that."
Dyfus thought that the fact that Rosa didn''t stop Ilina''s actions was ultimately because it provided the slightest justification for Joshua''s reinstatement.
And the two who knew his identity, Myu and Anne, had indifferent expressions.
Jin was more focused on Myu and Anne than on Ilina.
''Their behavior has strangely changed...''
If they were Myu and Anne, he knew.
Naturally, they should be showing signs of anxiety because they couldn''t be sure that Joshua would be reinstated just like him and Dyfus.
''Did Mother inform Myu and Anne about the fact that Joshua might be reinstated again?
''No, Mother wouldn''t need their or others'' help.''
Now, it didn''t seem like Myu and Anne had any hidden power or will, but for some reason, it didn''t feel right.
''Are they just determined, or is there something more?''
It felt like looking at someone other than Myu and Anne.
"Elder brothers Ran and Vigo. Let''s talk."
"Us?"
"Yes."
"About what?"
"Is it going to end like this? Even the lower-ranking gbearers must join and take charge of a faction within the Family. Otherwise, we''ll be purged if someone else takes the threr."
Myu spoke without hesitation, though Jin and Dyfus were listening.
"Myu, Anne. Who says someone will kill you? No matter which of the younger gbearers ascends to the throne, I don''t think that will happen."
"If the youngest takes the throne, it seems our heads will roll that day, Elder Brother Dyfus."
"Oh, you might end up dead by Mary''s hand if you keep acting this wicked. The Family is in this state, and you''re still only concerned about your own survival? Fulfill your duties in your positions. When are you going to be a responsible person?"
Upon hearing that, Myu and Anne let out a bitterugh.
"...It seems bing a person is a lost cause now."
"Ran and Vigo, if you intend to speak, don''t hesitate toe to my room whenever you want."
After Myu and Anne left, Petro sought out Jin.
"Young Master, the acting matriarch is looking for you."
Then Dyfus nodded as if he knew what wasing.
"Take care, Jin."
"Yes, Elder Brother."
The reason Jin and Dyfus showed this reaction was that Jin had not yet handed over to Rosa some battleship and machinery blueprints obtained from the armored vault of the Second Magic Tower.
Jin followed Petro.
Rosa awaited him in the central training ground.
The training ground had not been fully restored yet after Jin''s patriarchal deration.
The rain ceased along the way.
"Have youe?"
"Yes."
For a moment, mother and son looked at each other in silence.
"Last night, the Prophet sent me a message."
Rosa spoke first about that, not the blueprints and the machine.
A message?
''Wasn''t Mother in direct contact with the Prophet?
-The Mother will never give up the Prophet''s power. The reason she brought Joshua this time... could be a warning to the Prophet. It''s very possible if the rtionship between the mother and the Prophet is not as close as that of Joshua.
-So, what you''re saying is that Mother ns to bind the Prophet, andter me her for everything and reinstate Joshua?
A conversation Jin had with Dyfus not long ago.
As Jin suspected at that time, Rosa had nevermunicated directly with the prophet.
They had seen each other before, but she still didn''t know Ilina''s true identity.
It wasn''t because Rosacked the ability; it was simply because the divine power of the prophet was that exceptional.
"What was the message?"
"She ims to have the ability to interpret and perfect unfinished blueprints to create a fleet."
Jin hadn''t delivered the items yet, but during the report, he informed Rosa that the blueprints were encrypted with magical codes, making them impossible to decipher with Runcandel''s current technological capabilities.
It was natural that, unlike general blueprints, the blueprints for mass-produced battleships could not be deciphered or copied by anyone.
And it was impossible to even guess the use and identity of the obtained "machine."
"She also mentioned that she knows the purpose of the ''machine.'' She says it''s an item that can change the course of future wars..."
"Acting matriarch."
"Speak."
"Do you know what the catalyst for the Prophet''s power is?"
"Living humans."
Rosa''s voice contained no remorse or shame.
"The infiltration tunnels and spells used in this mission, and the information rted to the key to the Second Magic Tower, were all obtained by the Prophet using humans as materials. She used prisoners from Rikalton."
It was the tower of living beings that Dox had seen in Rikalton.
The Prophet used those humans as material for Joshua''s mission in the Sota Desert.
"I sent one of the Family''s ck Knights to Rikalton. However, he didn''t return even after the deadline passed, and when I went there personally, all that was left were the bones of at least an estimated ten thousand humans. Maybe there were also bones of innocents."
Jin had also sent Dox to the same ce, and he had not yet received any reports from him.
And when Dox was in imminent danger of death, it was a ck Knight sent by Rosa who came to his aid.
"The ck Knight hasn''t returned yet?"
"No."
"You already knew that the Prophet was using humans, so why did you send the ck Knight to Rikalton? What were you trying to confirm? Did you dismiss the possibility that the Prophet would harm the ck Knight?"
"I don''t have to answer all your questions. I haven''t called you here to exin everything to you. If you don''t like my judgment and actions, prove me wrong and move forward. You sound very uncharacteristic of yourself. If I seem despicable to you, that only shows that you fear me."
Jin calmed his boiling blood.
As Rosa said, she wasn''t in a position to answer all of Jin''s questions.
"Originally, I nned to use those items with the help of the Prophet."
If Joshua had shown signs of awakening, Rosa would have handed over the blueprints and the machine to the Prophet without hesitation.
She didn''t entirely trust the Prophet, but she was certain that all her actions revolved around "Joshua Runcandel."
If someone had confronted the Prophet''s absolute prophecy even once, they would inevitably have been convinced.
"But this time, I changed my mind by suspending Joshua from his position as gbearer. I''ll postpone negotiations with the Prophet. During that period, show me that you have a method superior to the Prophet''s."
Histor.
And the record magic of Histor.
When the constant mission of finding "Aria Owlheart" was entrusted to the gbearer, as Joshua foresaw, Rosa already thought that Jin was in contact with the survivor of Hister.
"If I fail, you... will hand them over to the Prophet. Is that what you''re saying?"
"That''s right."
"Even if I fail, those things won''t go to the Prophet."
"If you fail and don''t hand them over to the Family, I''ll take them by force."
"What the Family seeks is domination, not immorality. epting and actively using the Prophet''s power is an act that goes beyond the line. You speak as if you''re affected by some kind of curse or something."
"You must have learned a lot about enemies in the Sota Desert. However, you speak like a spoiled child. Listen well, Jin Runcandel, my youngest son."
For me, the survival and prosperity of Runcandel are more important values than anything else.
Nothing can surpass those values.
"Even if tens of billions of humans die in the process of achieving it, even if the world is destroyed in the struggle, and what remains in it are only a few members of Runcandel. I don''t care."
"If that''s the case, then what I have to do is destroy you as always, Mother."
"I look forward to it."
Jin turned around and left the training ground.
Rosa remained alone in the training ground for a long time, even after Jin left.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 517
Chapter 517
C517
Tikan was still under construction.
The massive equipment of the ck King''s Mountain was being reviewed and reinstalled, so it was natural that it would take some time.
However, even though the construction was notplete, Tikan now possessed over 80% of the defensive power of the ck King''s Mountain.
Considering only the defensive power of the equipment brought from the ck King''s Mountain Shelter, it was at 80%.
If one took into ount the strength of Jin''spanions and the newly formed blood alliance...
(Although they were considered subordinates...)
Tikan stood as an unparalleled city in defense, excluding the two main factions.
At the moment, there was no small nation that could surpass Tikan.Since the union of the mercenaries and the ck King, Tikan had be and that could easily be called the fifth faction.
"Oh, the nation''s deration is just around the corner..."
Perhaps because of this, the man who was the leader of Tikan, the owner of the Seven-Colored Peacock, and the Ghost Sword Kashimir Alfrion, had been crying a lottely.
It was due to inexpressible emotions, an overwhelming sense of gratitude, heightened sensitivity as he approached middle age, and the conviction that a long-cherished dream was about toe true, as well as gratitude towards hispanions.
These were the reasons why Kashimir shed tears of happiness.
"Oh, Kashimir-nim is crying again."
"Euria, please bring your father''s handkerchief. Young Master Jin is also there, what kind of insolence is that?"
So said Jet and Alisa, and Am added,
"Why are you crying, Kashimir?"
Truly, after a long time, all thepanions gathered to eat.
(Thanks to Murakan''s persistence)
Except for Gilly, who went for a walk with Murakan, everyone sat at the dining table.
"It''s still not enough to make a nation deration," Jin said.
He was also excited.
However, after this mission, a sense of urgency naturally settled in Jin''s mind.
"Yes, as the Lord says, we''re stillcking. Although the chances of Zipple and Kinzelo touching this ce in the near future are slim, they will try to press whenever the opportunity arises," said Lata, and Valkas nodded.
"The instation speed of the defense equipment is slower than expected, my Lord," Valkasmented.
"I heard it''s because the equipment was specialized for the mountain range where the ck King''s Mountain was located, Valkas-nim."
"That''s right. Compatibility with Tikan is not bad, but it''s not perfect. Also, since our time at the ck King''s Mountain Hideout, I''ve felt that there is much room for improvement in our equipment. Thanks to Am, many improvements have already been made."
Am.
As demonstrated on the Gaifa Inds, she is a war master who uses the power of Chaos.
In Gaifa, she showed even greater power by merging with Bouvard''s Chaos, but even without that, she was already the world''s best war team operator.
Valkas rated her higher than all the mercenaries of the ck King, not in terms of pure strength but in the aspect of "war."
"Although not all equipment has been installed yet, it''s producing 80% of the energy. However, I understand seeing Am reinforcing the equipment. It can still improve. It means we can surpass the power of the old ck King''s Mountain Hideout."
"Is that possible?"
"It''s possible, my Lord!"
Said Am, waving her hand out of her bushy clothes.
Jin felt somewhat ufortable with her behavior.
On the Gaifa Inds, she fought with the intention to kill them all the time, and after Yona''s interrogation, she fainted, so he left for the Sota Desert without keeping a word of conversation.
On the other hand, Am behaved very friendly and referred to Jin as the Lord, just like Valkas and Lata.
This was because her Chaos had submitted to Yona and fundamentally had the nature of a somewhat affable girl. The slight fear she had towards Jin and Murakan seemed to have disappeared.
"Most of the old Valkas''s equipment is a product of modern magical engineering. However, some are relics,monly called masterpieces. Like the Lord''s helmet. It seems that old Valkas and my cuties didn''t know each other so well."
Before meeting Jin, Am roamed the world as a lifelong mercenary and chaos explorer.
Thanks to that, there were not many people in the world more knowledgeable about relics and artifacts than her.
"Haha, I can''t believe I''m listening to an old man from myrades."
"Heavenly, don''t call me handsome...!"
Am, hidden in the thick clothes, seemed younger not only than Jin but even than Enya.
For some reason, Valkas felt strangely hurt.
Those who reacted strongly to the term "cutie" were Lata and Faye.
"Masterpiece?"
"These things were made by demons, or by ancient Zipples. An example is what old Valkas calls ck King Cannon Number 1, but in my opinion, it''s more appropriate to call it a full-range mana absorption percussion cannon. Old Valkas didn''t know, so he used it like a normal cannon."
"Mana absorption... what? Hm, Am-nim, you know how to use difficult words. Did you understand it?"
"Full-range mana absorption percussion cannon...?"
Jin, who had always lived with academy critique books, was familiar with such long official names.
"Well, will it improve?"
"If all functions arepleted, it will be the most powerful cannon ever. Um... topare, where is Kozec! It would be more powerful than Cozek''s full-range mana absorption percussion cannon."
Evenparing the slightly different names, the first one seemed stronger.
However, it couldn''t be confirmed if Am''s words were true.
"If that''s true, how did that thing end up at the ck King''s Mountain? During the time when the ck Kings existed independently, there were asional exchanges with Zipple or the imperial family engineers for equipment maintenance. They couldn''t just leave when they saw mana cannons... something."
"Hehe, you ask cute questions. Did they send top personnel to the ck King''s Mountain? Since they always sent people who looked like confused scarecrows, it wouldn''t be surprising if they didn''t know. It''s a problem that can be solved with a bit of brain."
"That''s true."
"Hey, the cutie is a fan of Am!"
"Well, anyway, it seems to be an amazing cannon. Can Am-nim restore it?"
To Enya''s question, Am shook her head.
Because Lata had her in a tight grip, her neck hardly moved, and she only shook the bushes.
"Ah, ugh, that, aack, I, I can''t. Ahh, bones, bones, they''ve got me! Wait! Ick skills. And I''m not sure if there''s personnel capable of restoring it."
"My Lord, whether Am''s words are true or not, it seems necessary to recruit a suitable magical engineer. There are many devices to improve, and above all, we need to find clues about the machine obtained in the Sota Desert."
An object that could change the course of the future war.
That''s how the Prophet described to Rosa the machine Jin had acquired.
Mother also did not hear the Prophet talk about the exact purpose of that object.
''If she had heard, she would have told me too, as it will undoubtedly benefit the Family.''
Of course, the Prophet''s words could be false.
She might also not know the true purpose of the machine.
But the machine wouldn''t be alone with the blueprints; there must be a reason for its existence.
To find that reason, Histor''s Record Magic was needed, and the help of a genius magical engineer.
"Jet."
"Yes, my Lord!"
"Inform me immediately if Aria contacts."
Jin has not met Valeria since leaving the Wantaramo Forestst year.
She kept the Demon Man''s corpse obtained in the Wantaramo Forest as evidence to pressure the imperial family.
Furthermore, she was analyzing the metal used by the leader of Kinzelo that Jin had obtained from the sword emperor''s castle and the recording device Jin had given her, and also tracing the Temar''s tomb while restoring Histor''s magic.
Theck of contact could be due to no progress or that she is exposed to some danger.
It must be one of the two.
''If not, she may have entered the next session temple.''
In addition to Valeria, Jin still couldn''t contact Misha, so he was a little anxious.
"Of course. Ah, no news is good news, so don''t worry too much. We haven''t contacted her for quite some time, but is something wrong with that haughtydy?"
"That would be great. Hey, Murakan. Misha-nim..."
"My Lord, Murakan-nim went for a walk with Gilly... Ah, there hees! Eh? But why is there a giant toad... Is he riding Tris-nim''s Death Snow Toad?"
The Seven Swords of the Hidden Pce, Ryu and Hiten, who were sitting at the table, stood up and bowed.
"Greetings, Mistress!"
"Greetings, Mistress!"
Not only Murakan and Gilly, but also their Mistress was on Tris''s Death Snow Toad.
Next to them, for some reason, Kuzan, Beris, and Yulian were standing with seemingly nk expressions, as if they were some kind of assistants.
"Hehe, son-inw. Long time no see."
"Tris-nim, Lady Siris."
"Why don''t you ever call this mother even when there''s such an asion, my son-inw?"
"Didn''t you receive an invitation from Lucas Manfran?"
"Oh, it must have been a confusion. I almost feel resentful again. Hahaha... Ha! It''s amazing. On my way here, I heard from that handsome ck Dragon that something strange clung to my son-inw."
It was a story about Sandra Zipple.
At thatment, Siris let out a sigh as if she no longer had the strength to argue with her mother.
"To my son-inw, she''s not to your liking, right? The daughter of a hostile n?"
"Mother, even if she''s Zipple, she''s a person who has helped Jin a lot."
"Ara, you''re acting stiff as always. Can''t you even ept a joke?"
"It wasn''t a light matter."
Of course, Siris was never aware of Sandra Zipple.
However, even though Jin is her friend, she seemed unable to help betraying the Hidden Pce, but she felt strange that Sandra did.
If it had been me in the past, I would haveughed and mocked about this.
After meeting Jin, it seems that I have changed a bit.
Tris shrugged.
"Ara, I thank you too. But it doesn''t give you the right to humiliate your mother in front of people. This mother is still the owner of the Hidden Pce."
"I apologize for that, Mother."
"Hehe, I was just joking. Don''t be scared."
"Ah, really."
"I can still enjoy teasing my daughter. Anyway, it''s nice to see everyone. It''s a bit strange and fascinating to see the three great mercenaries eating together like this. Indeed, this is the work of the charm of the man I marked as my son-inw... So, what were you talking about?"
"Full-range mana absorption percussion cannon..."
At the moment Jin responded to that point.
Suddenly, an rm sounded throughout Tikan.
The equipment installed by the ck Kings was causing the rm.
Wuuu, wuuu.
The rm went off due to the sudden appearance of an unidentified object in the sky.
And the protagonist who triggered the rm was the person who escorted Jin and his group in the Sota Desert not long ago.
Zephyrin.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 518
Chapter 518
C518
Zephyrin had the appearance of a harpymonly depicted in novels.
In general, she looked human, but her entire body, except for her face, was covered in ck feathers, and she had wings instead of arms.
And she flew very fast.
She appeared as a dot in the distance, but in an instant, she came close enough to be recognizable.
"Hmm, what''s with that human crow? Is it a surprise circus act my son-inw has prepared for me?"
"It''s a Demon Dragon named Zephyrin. It seems she hase here for some matters with me."
"Another woman, huh? Anyway, you''re very popr among women, my son-inw."
Naturally, Zephyrin didn''t seem very friendly.She had already suffered humiliation from Jin in the Sota Desert, and her n to take Joshua hostage had failed.
Furthermore, thest-minute battle and the damage from the Volcano had left the Leader on the brink of death.
''Somehow, I feel a chill.''
If it had been at another time, there might have been some tension, but Jin calmly turned his head to observe hispanions on both sides.
A sly smile appeared on his face.
"That, that thing. Zephyrin. Isn''t it Zephyrin?"
"Zephyrin? This damn...!"
"How well we treated her!"
The eyes of the ck Kings on external guard duty sharpened like des.
"She''s an enemy of our leader, charge ck King Cannon Number 1!"
"Open all cannons, including ck King Cannon Number 1. We will avenge our leader!"
"The sacrifice of our leader will not be in vain!"
The ck Kings Mercenaries spoke as if Valkas had died in that moment.
It wasn''t clear if it was to inspire anger or if someone had used the term "enemy" to create a strange trend in the flow, but it couldn''t be known.
The cannons were aiming.
The ck Kings Mercenaries stationed at the central watchtower were sending signals.
It meant that the preparations to shoot down that damn thing had beenpleted, so give the orders immediately.
"Well, my Lord. Please make a decision."
"Let''s do a defense test."
Valkas raised his hand, and the staff in the watchtower nodded.
Boom!
The defense devices installed by the ck Kings in various ces on Tikan''s walls began to appear at the same time.
It was a perfect and seamless transformation, like the rotation of precisely interlocked gears.
Cannons appeared in the embrasures to press and suppress the intruder.
There were also devices firings, and there were over 40 giant bows operated by various members.
Additionally, numerous defense setups were aimed at Zephyrin.
I heard rumors that the fortress defense had started, but was it to this extent?
Moreover, to receive such treatment when they should greet me politely...
''It''s absurd, Jin-nim!''
Start firing!
While themanders shouted, the sky instantly turned red with projectiles, mes, arrows, hooks, ands.
If it had been an ordinary dragon, it probably would have met its death at that moment.
However, Zephyrin skillfully dodged the attacks.
''...She''s quite fierce.''
Zephyrin was surprised first by that part.
Under normal circumstances, she might haveughed at such a pitiful sight.
However, it was a different story in the current situation where she couldn''t harness the Leader''s power.
"ck King Cannon Number 1, fire!"
"Fire!"
As soon as it was determined that a blind spot had been created, ck King Cannon spewed fire.
BANG!
A strong but refreshing explosion, as if something blocked had been pierced, sounded after the cannon fire had already grazed Zephyrin''s cheek and shoulder.
''Huh, just now... what was that?''
If she had taken a direct hit in her weakened state, she would have suffered death or equivalent damage.
The intuition was so clear that Zephyrin had no choice but to block ck King Cannon Number 1 after it flew at an impossible-to-dodge angle.
She had harnessed the Leader''s strength.
(Cough! The Leader, who was lying down at that moment, was vomiting blood, and the Kinzelo members were on alert.)
"It''s quite excellent, isn''t it?"
During the ck King incident, the battle took ce almost in a different subspace, and the members couldn''t use it as everyone was evacuating.
The power of ck King Cannon Number 1 was at an extraordinary level.
"It''s the pride of our ck Kings."
"Now I have an approximate idea of its performance. Now, please guide Zephyrin tond here."
When Valkas ryed Jin''s order, the firing pattern changed from suppression to guidance.
After that, Zephyrin rolled through the sky for about 5 minutes beforending in the mansion''s front yard, somewhat battered and bruised.
"Huff, huff... th-this... Jin Runcandel! Bastard, are you mocking me again? Have you forgotten our agreement? Come out. I''ll rip off all your limbs."
She spat out such words in the heat of the moment.
All of Jin''spanions gathered in front of her.
"Hmm, who are you going to tear apart?"
"Zephyrin, you turned the ck King''s Mountain into that state and still dared toe here."
"Lower your gaze and behave properly."
Tris, Valkas, and Lata spoke simultaneously.
Especially Tris, without waiting for Zephyrin''s response, closed the distance in an instant and delivered a punch to Zephyrin''s jaw.
Thunk, thud!
The sound of a fist imbued with the power of Full Ice colliding with the jaw of a demon dragon was a sensation that anyone who heard it couldn''t help but wonder.
Isn''t she dead?
Zephyrin received the impact of her punch for the second time.
"Kwung!"
Shockwaves and gusts of wind swirled around her, followed by a sudden cold that froze Zephyrin''s limbs and held them like chains.
"No. Ugh!"
"How do you mean ''no''?"
"Ha! Hidden Pce Master, it seems you don''t know who I am, Agh! Ahhh!"
"Hmm, I guess you need to take a few hits until you soften up."
Bang!
Without the need for further intervention from the otherpanions, Tris ruthlessly and triumphantly struck Zephyrin with overwhelming blows.
After enduring such a ruthless beating for five minutes, Zephyrin, with a severely swollen face, could only think of one thing.
''This, this is not...''
Of course, this was not what she expected.
Even if she couldn''t use the Leader''s full power (though she had used it once again), Zephyrin''s strength was by no meanscking. She was just slightly thrown off by Tikan''s defensive setup, forced the Leader''s power a bit, and fell to the ground somewhat fatigued. Moreover, her opponent was none other than Tris.
Zephyrin also expected that, if Jin had any decency, he would have received her with some elegance. After all, they had made a promise in the Sota Desert.
"Ah, you said something like that, Zephyrin. If you had contacted me in advance, I would have received you politely. I thought you were a terrorist. Well, you are a terrorist, aren''t you? Because you''re from Kinzelo."
Jin responded as if he didn''t know, and Zephyrin''s eyes turned purple with demonic energy and murderous intent.
"Jin Runcandel... you bastard!"
"No, now is not the time to speak so recklessly. It won''t do you any good if you keep fooling around, right?"
Zephyrin, calming her anger, observed Jin''s group.
"...Jin, it''s been a long time."
In the end, she admitted that now was not the time to stir up trouble, realizing it could cause a big problem if she used all her power.
"Not so long,rade from the Sota Desert. It seems you also safely escaped from that desert."
Bastard...
Zephyrin smiled, barely suppressing the growing urge to say something vulgar.
"You speak as if we''re nothing if you could use your power properly."
The truth was, no. You''re interpreting it strangely."
"I''m curious sincest time, what the hell do you believe in and keep moving alone? Moreover, this is my territory. It means you shouldn''te like this without an invitation."
There was a clear reason why Zephyrin preferred to move alone.
She, the Grand Duke of the Demon World, having someone unnecessary around...
She thought it was beneath her.
However, it was an awkward situation to say that, so she didn''t respond.
Beings like dragons, demons, those close to immortality, tended to have such strange and outdated cultures and ideologies.
"I was going to kill him, but I spared your life just for our promise. So I hope this kind of rudeness doesn''t happen again."
"Fine, I get it... Now, can you let me go and have a chat?"
"No."
When Tris tly refused, Zephyrin murmured.
"Hidden Pce Master, it''s not very effective to y tricks like this. There must be records left by the previous Hidden Pce Masters about me..."
Then Tris slightly burst intoughter.
"Hmm, today is full of kids taking jokes seriously. Demon Dragoness Zephyrin, there is a very short record about you."
"Most of it must have disappeared. I had quite interesting encounters with the Hidden Pce Masters. Wasn''t there anything like ''do not mess with her at all'' in the records?"
There was.
The record left by the previous Hidden Pce Masters about Zephyrin was just one line.
Avoid her if you encounter her.
She is not the target of sealing or assassination, and her current level of strength is only average.
''There must be a reason for leaving such a record.''
Fzzzz...
The ice binding Zephyrin dispersed into the air.
"I didn''t see such content, but be aware that if you threaten my son-inw like that again, it won''t end as a joke. Moreover, on your own territory."
The fact that the Hidden Pce Master, Tris Endorma, was very friendly with Jin was well known to everyone.
The public already knew that the marriage between Jin and Siris had been confirmed.
However, those who knew "The secret of the hidden pce" knew that they maintained absolute neutrality.
To resolve anomalies in the world, sometimes it was necessary to ally with certain forces.
''She''s warning me, implying that she can deviate from neutrality... The Hidden Pce doesn''t seem the same as before.''
It was new information for Zephyrin.
"Hmph, I''ll keep that in mind. Anyway, Jin. Keep the promise we made."
Zephyrin was very curious when she came for a visit, but now she was angry and anxious.
-That''s right, those things for Runcandel are actually like pearls around a pig''s neck. I won''t be fooled in the next negotiation. So enjoy today''s small victory, Jin.
If Jin changes his words again this time, she would return with no gains, only being beaten like a fool.
"I will."
Surprisingly, Jin was obediently responding to Zephyrin''s demand.
"Are you talking about handing over the blueprints and the machine?"
"That''s going too far. I will have a formal meeting with Kinzelo. I will give you the opportunity to decipher the blueprints and the machine at that time. The deciphering process will take ce in front of both factions, and all information must be shared with our side."
"Haha! You still talk like a tough guy."
"You''re mistaken, Zephyrin. The winner of that day in the desert was me. Since the items are in my hands, Zipple and your Kinzelo are losers. Thank my generosity. If you don''t like it... just go back empty-handed. And leaving your head behind wouldn''t be a bad idea."
"The day wille when all demons will curse you, Jin."
Jin responded with a mocking smile.
"It''s fine, I''m immune to curses. I will decide and notify the date of the meeting. I think we''re done here. What are you going to do? Since we were having a meal, try some dishes before you leave."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 519
Chapter 519
C519
Kinzelo Headquarters.
The bitter loss in the Sota Desert wasn''t enough for the leader to suddenly stop coughing up blood again, so the atmosphere wasn''t good.
Only Bouvard and Ainas wereughing.
"Ha, Zephyrin used the Leader''s power again...."
"The leader needs to regain consciousness properly and control Zephyrin, but he lost his energy again. It seems like this keeps happening. I''m starting to think we should say something too, Vice Leader."
As Bishkel and Berakt seemed to express their frustration, Joe nodded.
"No, and so what if she''s the Grand Duke of the Demon World. Isn''t this a bit too much? The leader coughed up blood again."
"Don''t interfere, Joe. Seriously, do I have to personally tell you to shut up every time so you keep that snorting closed? Should I break your jaw so you can''t talk again?""Zephyrin-nim must not have had a choice. She must be more anxious than anyone for the leader''s recovery. She''s in a simr situation to Jin-nim''s Dragon Guardian, Murakan-nim, so she must be frustrated."
"Well, that''s true. Margie."
Joe found it difficult to hide his ufortable feelings every time this happened. If he had said exactly what Margie had just said, Berakt would probably have lunged at him, threatening to kill him.
''Ugh, this narrow-minded, foul-mouthed, dirty, and discriminatory bastard!''
While Joe thought that, Margie turned her head and met his eyes.
''Don''t have such bad thoughts, Joe-nim.''
She said this by moving her mouth, and Joe let out a dry cough as he felt a shiver down his spine.
The door opened.
Zephyrin entered.
"Zephyrin-nim!"
Everyone who was sitting stood up, showing their respect.
"Oh, Grand Duke.... You''vee. The White Wolf... just mentioned you."
Zephyrin gestured for those standing to sit, looking somewhat annoyed.
"I told you, elder sister! Zephyrin-nim, you''re here. Everyone was talking about you."
"They were talking about me? What?"
"Oh, what were they talking about? Everyone, about Zephyrin-nim."
"We were talking about how awesome you are. Going alone to enemy territory is a heavy task for us, the lower beings. Thank you for your hard work, Miss Zephyrin."
Bishkel hastily interrupted Ainas and changed the subject, sensing Zephyrin''s low spirits.
Even Berakt, who had said he would speak, sighed just by looking at Zephyrin''s mood and "face."
''Damn it, I, a great warrior, am in a situation where I have to be cautious. Why is her jaw so... like that? Could it be that she was hit?''
Zephyrin''s jaw was very swollen.
"Hehe, but Zephyrin-nim! Where did you get this bump? Will somethinge out if we pop it?"
On the other hand, Ainas, despite being warned once, shamelessly touched the swollen jaw,ughing softly.
Of course, the giant bump was the result of a blow from Tris.
"Ohh, ahhh, Ainas... that, that''s not good. The Grand Duke might get angry."
"Hehe, I''ve never seen such a big bump! Sister! Sister, try touching it too."
"Ah... you shouldn''t... you... shouldn''t, crazy thing! Die, die! What are you doing to the Grand Duke? Die! Die!"
Bam-!
Bianca''s way of speaking suddenly changed, spitting curses and punches in rapid session.
Ainas ran away, but Bianca soon followed her with a cudgel in hand.
Margie rolled her wheelchair towards Zephyrin.
"Hmm, what happened? Zephyrin-nim."
"...We''ve decided to hold a meeting, Margie. Jin will notify us of the date, and we can discuss things during the meeting. We must share all the information we find at that time. Damn that Jin Runcandel."
"Wow, it''s an impressive harvest!"
"Do you really think so?"
"Of course, if someone else from our group had gone, we wouldn''t have gotten anything!"
Meanwhile, the Kaligo sisters, who had been wandering among the executives, regained some of their senses.
"Oh... what have I done? I''m sorry... it must hurt, Ainas."
"Oh, uh, no. It''s fine... huh? But what''s this smell? Grand Duke, did you eat something delicious there? There''s a really appetizing smelling from you, Grand Duke."
This time, even Bianca sniffed the air near Zephyrin.
After the beating, Zephyrin had eaten something in Tikan before leaving. She couldn''t help it because refusing to eat in such a situation seemed to go against the dignity of the Grand Duke of the Demon World.
''Sigh... why were those cookies so annoyingly delicious, and that strawberry pie too...''
Zephyrin took out cookies from Latrie, and the Kaligo sisters immediately bit into them, expressing their joy by hopping around.
In other words, it was a mess.
Bishkel couldn''t help but feel bitter and sad, wondering how Kinzelo had ended up in this state.
"Shall I tell you a funny story for the downcast Zephyrin-nim?"
Chirr, Margie said as she rolled her wheelchair.
"What''s it about?"
Something sad might happen to Jin-nim soon, Zephyrin-nim."
"Something sad...?"
Margie smiled gently.
------------------
"Hmm, you really ate a lot. You even took all the cookies I left for the kids."
"But I saved the strawberry pie, Jet. I couldn''t resist eating strawberry pie at the table, but it''s not as good as the strawberry pie my Strawberry Pie makes. No way."
"Sure, Murakan-nim is the best!"
After dinner, the group gathered to chat or smoke.
Tris listened to everything that happened in the Sota Desert and examined the blueprints and the machine.
"Hmm, we might need a specialized magician to properly interpret the blueprints. This encrypted magic is probably a new type created by Zipple. As for the machine... did that prophet say this would change the course of future wars?"
"Yes, Tris-nim."
"I''d say it might be true about a ck King''s cannon calling it something like mana absorption, but I have no idea how such a small thing can be used..."
All of Jin''srades and allies so far had the same reaction.
"I felt the same. But as I kept thinking, I came up with an idea. It might have something to do with the cube that Zipple used in the Gaifa Archipgo, the summoning device...."
"Thest survivor of the Histor n named Aria Owlheart and Misha are crucial. I''m sure it will be possible to decipher the blueprint code using record magic, but can''t we at least find out who made the machine?"
"I agree."
"And it would be great if Kinzelo can decipher the codes... the ck Dragon Misha might be of some help."
"I haven''t been able to contact Misha-nim. It''s been a year already. So I''m starting to worry a little."
Thest time Jin saw Misha was around this timest year. He had sought her out to inquire about the recording device after visiting the Second Tomb of Temar.
By then, Jin received information from Misha that Aria Owlheart was in Mamit, leading to a natural reunion with Valeria.
"A year, well, that''s nothing for dragons, so don''t worry, son-inw. Having fought together, I don''t think she''ll be caught easily. I''d also like to share a drink with Miss Misha as apanion."
"Yes, brat. The Hidden Pce Master is right. That crazy woman will show up when she feels like it, so let''s stop worrying about that. Huh? Uh, thinking about her face gives me chills. And she''s not perfect either. She''s good at shady things like deciphering codes, but she also messes up a lot."
"Heh, is the handsome elder brother really scared of his elder sister?"
"Huh, who''s scared?"
"Ah, so you''re the one who''s really worried?"
"If you knew that crazy as well as I do, you''d realize how insignificant the act of worrying is. If she hides with all her heart, not even the Gods could find her, let alone humans."
"The Demon God Orb is thebination of the abilities of various gods, so who knows? Maybe you need to be a little too honest."
"Too loud. Anyway, I think it''s more useful to find the genius magical engineer as soon as possible, not Misha. Improving the equipment of the ck Kings and understanding that unidentified machine is important."
"We need a magical engineer, and we also need to meet Miss Misha. I have many things to ask her."
After recalling the need for a magical engineer, Jin diligently searched through the memories of his past life.
He tried to remember which truly great magical engineers he knew who were not affiliated with Zipple or the imperial family by that time.
Ramos Phil?
No, he was already affiliated with the imperial academy when I was a Provisional gbearer.
Tolva Newman?
No. The Sr n...
Wasn''t it a n that existed only until the early 18th century?
Magical engineering rankedst among Jin''s magical interests. As a result, he didn''t know many memorable figures, and most were either dead or already affiliated with someone.
"A magical engineering genius, huh? Hmm... There were some individuals like that among my past lovers. Should I contact them sometime? Son-inw."
"Past lovers? I really don''t trust that, Hidden Pce Master. Did you like those shy types?"
"I''d appreciate it, Tris-nim. I n to meet all magical engineers who are not currently affiliated."
"Alright, but I have a condition. Call me mother-inw, and I''ll do it."
"Of course, mother-inw. I should address you as such after all you''ve done for me."
"Jin, you too!"
Siris looked surprised.
"Haha, exactly! Only my son-inw responded well to my joke today. The rest stayed serious. Hahaha."
Tris and Jin burst intoughter.
Does my mother and Jin find it so funny?
But, for some reason, I also feel likeughing.
Maybe it''s because of the peaceful and friendly atmosphere.
Siris resisted the urge to smile that was forming.
"Oh, son-inw. Look. If we tease her a little more, she might smile too. Son-inw, you know? When she was young, she called herself the Ice Princess."
"Ice Princess... No, Ice Princess, you say, Lady Siris? How old were you then?"
"Eh? Ice Princess? The brat got the nickname of Dark Crown Prince. Have you heard of that? The Dark Crown Prince, Jin Runcandel."
"Dark Crown Prince? That''s pathetic. I think Ice Princess is better, Jin."
Pfff, in the end, Siris burst intoughter and responded to those who wereughing under their breath. Thinking, ''Well, alright.''
Afterughing and chatting for a while, Tris got up and fixed her hair.
"Haha, thanks to my son-inw, I''veughed a lot."
"Are you leaving so soon, Tris-nim?"
"Yes, I have to go."
"I''ll prepare the farewell."
"Son-inw, you shoulde too."
"To the Hidden Pce?"
"Yes. Specifically, to the Hidden Pce training ground."
"Why to the Hidden Pce training ground..."
"I heard you received from your sister, Mary Runcandel, a training book for a Secret Technique written by Cyron. This mother-inw will personally help you perfect your mastery of the elements. It''s the price of myughter."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 520
Chapter 520
C520
At the Hidden Pce, the leaders of the Golden Peng informed Jin about the status of their business.
Now, Golden Peng cosmetics were bing nearly "irreceable" items.
Thanks to the development of various skincare products, not just makeup but also clothing, people of all ages worldwide were using Golden Peng products regardless of gender.
It had be a representative product of the era.
"Who would''ve thought that the flowers and snowkes of the Hidden Pce could be so good for human skin? If it were a world where only money mattered, I''d already be near the top as an individual. I offer this glory to the great, beautiful, and all-powerful Tris."
Jin nodded at Peng''s words.
"How is the development of magical items going?"
"We''re still pouring water into the bottomless well. But don''t we have a lot of money? If we keep pouring like this, in the end, we''ll see some results. Money doesn''t lie."The money earned from the Golden Peng business not only fattened Jin and hisrades'' pockets but was also invested heavily in the development of magical items.
Eventually, it would change the market dominated by Zipple.
Time passes, and the world develops.
The more the world developed, the more Zipple''s influence solidified, while Runcandel declined.
To stop Zipple''s monopoly and Runcandel''s decline...
Runcandel needed something more than military power.
"However, recruiting magical researchers or engineers isn''t easy. Except for the best, we only managed to get people big enough to work with us in secret, so slow progress can''t be avoided."
For Tikan''s defense, analyzing the machine from the Second Magic Tower, and developing magical items, the situation demanded a genuine engineering genius.
Of course, it was highly unlikely that all these problems could be handled by the skill of a single engineer.
However, things couldn''t go well without recruiting anyone.
"I''ll actively look for more people in the future, so keep up the good work."
"Then, don''t worry,rade. Oh, and the guy who bought clothes from us, Nordav Sarsaeng. Did I hear his real name is Sandra Zipple?"
"Yes. If he didn''t approve of your clothes, he was going to kill all of you."
"He''s a damn customer, but we''ll have to be careful when taking orders from now on. Oh, and I didn''t write it in the report. I put the watertails together as a test on their bulletin board. People reacted well, saying they were cute. Take a look at this."
When Peng showed the ad design, Jin chuckled slightly and headed to the training field.
Tris was waiting there.
"Huh, it looks like Cyron really liked Mary. Seeing such meticulous work in the Secret Techniques training book. Well, if he trains well and finds the right direction, he can be one of the strongest in the current Runcandel generation, excluding Luna."
Tris examined the book of secret techniques written by Cyron.
As Jin entered the practice room, her eyes changed.
"I tried to help lightly, but your serious face is a bit overwhelming. Hmmm, I guess this mission has been quite impactful in various ways for you, my son-inw."
" I always have a strong desire to be stronger, but it was particrly impactful in the Sota Desert."
"Because of that Hedo? I''ve been thinking about that person for a while, but no onees to mind. As I said before, most likely, it''s the warrior your father saved in the ck Sea in the past."
"Not just because of the Tower Guardian. Overall, I felt powerless."
"I heard your judgments were great. The handsome elder brother said the mission would never have seeded without you. Well... I think Runcandel must have prepared security measures in case you failed."
"If my battle prowess had been higher, Jane-nim, the ck Knight wouldn''t have died inbat."
"On the contrary, if it weren''t for you, even the ck Knight named Mon would have died. You certainly did well. And now, at barely twenty years old, how much stronger do you think you need to be?"
"I think I need to be as strong as my father was at my age."
"Now you seem stronger than Cyron at twenty."
"I doubt that."
"Irrational impatience will only eat you up in the end."
"I''ve heard this many times before. I know it well. So I n to systematically alleviate this feeling of impatience. First, I''ll master the secret technique, then I''ll fix the overall situation, and then I''ll start closed-door training."
"Closed-door training?"
"I''ll go to the world of the Legends Tribe, Lafrarosa. I won''te out until I reach 10 stars."
"You''lle out soon. Hmm, You also have to figure out how to bring the Legends Tribe from the dead world... My son-inw is busy. My head is about to explode. But in times like these, there''s nothing better than training. Especially for cooling your head, there''s no better technique to perfect than Runcandel''s Fifth Secret Technique, Light Speed Thrust."
Runcandel''s Final Movements, secret techniques, and ultimate techniques can''t be used unless you have the blessed body of pure-blood Runcandel.
Therefore, it can''t be taught unless you are pure-blood.
However, Tris knew the Fifth Secret Technique, Light Speed Thrust, better than most pure-bloods.
It was because she was the person who had shed swords the most with Cyron Runcandel in the world.
"I can''t even teach you theplicated things of Runcandel''s secret technique. It''s impossible to know something like the gathering and organizing aura that only pure-blood Runcandels can use because their body structures are different. But that''s not the case with this technique. This is very simple, my son-inw."
"Simple?"
"It''s just an incredibly fast thrust. Most of Runcandel''s sword movements are like that, excludingplex ones like the Third Secret Technique, Annr Sr Eclipse."
"Just an incredibly fast thrust..."
"Other warriors can''t imitate Runcandel''s swords for one reason. It''s because they don''t have a body that can withstand that tremendous eleration and explosive power."
A pure white chill gathered in Tris''s right hand, forming a single sword.
It was Full Ice.
"But if you''re a skilled warrior like me, you can do something simr like this. Watch closely."
The Full Ice Sword cut through the air in the training field of the Hidden Pce. A dazzling aura spread, and space distorted and cracked in the shape of the sword tip.
There was no preparatory movement, but Tris''s thrust surpassed Mary''s.
The reach of the strike was clearly shorter, but it was of a higher level.
It was the concentration of force with minimal dispersion,pletely focused on one point.
"Amazing. If Tris-nim unleashes this kind of thrust at full power, probably... I wouldn''t be able to react."
Tris didn''t even go all out.
But Jin was sure that she could disy an even more remarkable thrust.
"What do you think, isn''t it simr?"
"It''s not just simr, it''s far superior to what Elder Sister Mary showed."
"Of course, I showed exactly the same technique. It''s nothingpared to the original executed by your father. Ah, my waist. It feels like my shoulders could tear as well."
"Are you okay?"
"As expected, imitating Runcandel''s sword skill is something I can''t do. That''s why it can''t be applied in realbat. I''ll end up receiving more wounds than the enemy."
Of course, the vast majority of warriors couldn''t handle the thrust Tris had just executed.
However, if Tris were to fight a warrior of a simr level, this thrust would undoubtedly act like a handshake.
Naturally, there was a huge gap between superhumans like Tris and Jin.
There was a certain wall that couldn''t be expressed with simple numbers like 1 or 2 stars.
''Knowing that gives me chills. If Tris-nim decides to kill me...''
It will end in less than 10 minutes.
When Jin felt that certainty, he had no choice but to admit it, but he also felt strangely bitter.
Tris smiled as she read Jin''s thoughts.
"If I were to try to kill you with all my might without anyone interfering, the result woulde in five minutes, my son-inw."
"I thought it would be ten minutes, but it seems even shorter than that."
"The domain where I stand may seem distant. And indeed it is. But if wepare it to stairs... There are only a few steps of difference. And I don''t know about Cyron, but I was in a lower position than you when I was your age."
Jin didn''t believe it, but it was the truth.
"And your growth rate keeps increasing sharply. Is enduring 5 minutes against me really that little? Considering the time density we both have experienced, it''s quite unfair for me, son-inw."
It''s not bad. Jin slightly tilted his head.
"I think I''ve been arrogant and disrespectful to you, Tris-nim."
"Reasonable arrogance is not unpleasant. Now, show me your Light Speed Thrust, son-inw. I''ll teach you the theory Cyron deliberately wrote in aplicated way. I''ll simplify it for you."
The training book Cyron gave to Mary was borate but quite difficult to understand. He ced traps in each paragraph hoping that Mary would further illustrate the sword theory.
Shriekkkk-!
Bradamante emitted a glow.
The concentrated aura left a dazzling afterimage, and along the de, a sharp band of aura drew in a diagonal line.
It was a Light Speed Thrust simr to the one Tris had just executed. In terms of speed and power, Light Speed Thrust surpassed Mary''s.
Jin read the book whenever he had free time, but he rarely practiced it.
Still, the reason Jin was able to execute a single Light Speed Thrust was Tris''s assistance.
The moment I unsheathed my sword, the power of Tris-nim...
''Supported me.
The key to Light Speed Thrust is, of course, eleration.
There were a total of seven elerations using the aura in a single sword-wielding motion.
To ensure Jin could feel each precise moment, Tris assisted in the seven elerations with her own power.
Is it possible to assist with such precision to match my speed?
Although Jin had questions, there was no need to doubt.
He had experienced it firsthand.
Tris smiled as if she expected him to be surprised.
"It''s hard to understand the eleration points withplicated theories, but now you can understand them urately, right?"
"Huh... Yes, Tris-nim."
"It means you have to execute it not by releasing the aura at once but by precisely dividing it into seven moments. Ordinary knights wouldn''t be able to do it due to their low sensitivity to aura. Even if they managed it by luck, their shoulders and waist would break."
Jin immediately prepared for the next practice.
"After receiving my assistance for a day or two, you''ll feel it more clearly. If you let your body memorize that feeling..."
Swoosh!
While Tris exined, Jin unsheathed his sword again.
This time, Tris didn''t help him.
She hadn''t anticipated that Jin would practice a second thrust before she could finish her exnation.
However, Jin was in a trance.
Completely immersed in the sensation that Tris had awakened, he unconsciously executed a second thrust.
The pleasure of that simple response was so ecstatic that he didn''t even hear Tris''s exnation.
And the Light Speed Thrust he shot the second time was 90% of the first, which extended with assistance.
The second Light Speed Thrust shattered the ice wall of the training field, and Jin was surprised by his own unconscious action, ignoring Tris''s words.
Tris''s eyes widened as she was surprised by the results after the "sole" assistance.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 521
Chapter 521
C521
"Hmm... Am I being treated unfairly again? I thought it would take you at least two months to achieve such a perfected Light Speed Thrust, even with my help. However, you didn''t do it in a day but in just an hour."
It wasn''t easy to understand, even for Tris.
In fact, executing a perfected light-speed thrust in two months didn''t make sense.
She only thought that if Jin''s potential and her own help werebined, it would be possible in that amount of time.
"...Did you do it in one go?"
Tris was surprised by Jin''s reaction.
Since he did it without much difficulty, Jin naturally assumed that reaching that level would be within Tris''s expectations.
"Is it surprising?"First of all, Jin apologized for cutting off Tris''s words and made a slight bow.
"I''m sorry, I didn''t realize."
"No, is that what''s important now? Son-inw, what the hell? Were you practicing this technique even beforeing here?"
"It''s been a few days already."
"Haha, that''s fine..."
In some way, it reminded Jin of the first time he learned magic from Murakan during the Storm Castle days.
Tris was showing the same reaction as Murakan, who was surprised at Jin''s talent back then.
"Well, I guess I''ve chosen a good son-inw. It''s a shame to have such talent only for the hostess of the Hidden Pce. The Second gbearer, Joshua, also fell into the abyss... Eh, should I send my daughter to Runcandel? There''s no precedent for a marriage between a patriarch and the owner of the hidden pce, but we can make it happen now."
When learning magic from Murakan, Jin deliberately downyed his abilities and adjusted progress to avoid suspicion.
Now there was no need for that.
"For the eleration... instead of seven times, it seems I can divide it into nine."
"What did you say?"
"More precisely, it''s better to say that it''s divided into three times. I can group nine aura focus points into sets of three that count as elerations. If I grasp the sensation of elerating a total of three times like this, it will be a proper thrust."
At that moment, Tris was surprised once again.
There was a rather difficult passage in the book Cyron left.
Could it be that what my son-inw is saying now is what he meant...?
''I thought it was a problem for Mary.''
Tris quickly reviewed the book again, and she could deduce that Jin''s words were exactly right.
"Weren''t you saying that your sister''s Light Speed Thrust is inferior to mine?"
"Yes."
"Then Mary shouldn''t have transmitted it to you. Because she couldn''t understand the mystery. She might be thinking that the reason her Light Speed Thrust is inferior to Cyron''s is just the difference in martial arts achievement and experience."
"If it''s Elder Sister Mary, someday she''ll find the answer for herself."
"Hmm, that girl is definitely special, so that might be true."
Butpared to you, even that great talent is dull. Tris swallowed those words.
"Anyway, I think I know where the focus points of the nine aura concentrations are. Just by teaching it again, my stomach hurts. Show me yours again."
"I think I need a preliminary action."
"Take your time, push with the utmost perfection."
Jin focused, refining his posture.
And the Light Speed Thrust showed itself more powerful than the sword Tris showed him at the beginning..., as it seemed it was about to be revealed.
The sword''s aura kept breaking without being able to stretch forward as much as possible.
His thrusting posture also copsed, and Jin was about to fall forward.
"Hahaha! You just surprised this mother-inw, and now it''s your turn to be embarrassed!"
Seeing Trisughing so cheerfully, Jin couldn''t help but feel a little ufortable too.
"Maybe my greed took over, and my center of gravity came down. It''s embarrassing."
"Yes, you should also have that human side. Thanks to that, I had a goodugh."
However, contrary to her words, Tris didn''t ignore that Jin had "almost seeded" this time.
He was so focused on gathering aura that he missed the basic posture at thest moment.
Indeed, this time he practically did it again...
''If he tries again, he will undoubtedly seed.''
Jin adopted his posture again.
Tris silently waited for him to unsheath the sword.
Jin, who changed his gaze, raised his aura while checking the mistake he had just made.
Soon, a shining sword burst into the air, exuding an aura worthy of being called Runcandel''s secret technique.
Fifth Secret Technique of Runcandel:
Light Speed Thrust!
A sh of light pierced through the eyes.
Jin distorted the space abruptly extending at the "chasing" speed of the sh, leaving a long afterimage like aet''s tail.
Only those who had reached a certain level could see that fleeting afterimage.
It was because the aura line, which started from the sword but only advanced after the movement finished, rushed toward the path indicated by the sword.
A huge crack formed in the ice wall of the training field.
If Tris hadn''t reinforced it in advance with the power of Full Ice, Jin''s aura would have reached the outside of the hidden pce and left a trail in the sky.
Now, instead of being surprised or scandalized, Tris expressed pure admiration.
"Wow, I don''t know the speed, but the power definitely surpasses what I showed."
Jin, finishing the secret technique, caught his breath and shook his head.
"It was just a light demonstration. In any aspect, my sword can''tpare to Tris-nim''s mastery."
"No, it''s the same even if you used it correctly. Since it''s Runcandel''s secret move in the first ce, there are limits to imitation. And... Well."
"And why is that?"
"Nine times..."
Tris had just observed Jin''s Light Speed Thrust, and at first sight, she felt that she was facing the next level of the secret technique.
"Could you divide your aura focus points into ten times?"
Jin instinctively understood why Tris was saying that.
"Could you be considering the possibility of improvement?"
"Well, it''s an improvement... In the first ce, it''s clear that the Light Speed Thrust is theplete form of the nine focus points and three elerations you mentioned. However, you''re not an ordinary Warrior, right, son-inw?"
Shadow Energy, Light Energy, Mana.
Unlike ordinary Warriors, Jin can use a total of four powers, including Aura.
And Tris judged that maybe, one of those powers could serve as the "tenth element" of the Light Speed Thrust.
People usually don''t question something that''s already perfect.
The same goes for swords.
But Tris wasn''t an ordinary Warrior like Jin.
"There are various techniques in our Hidden Pce that are extremely fast thrusts or stabs. And all those swords are reinforced with the power of Full Ice. It seems the same method can be applied to the Light Speed Thrust. No, I''m almost sure. Those who only use aura can''t think like that."
Jin felt a chill. It was like a sh of enlightenment.
"Of course, it might not be the case for all types of swords, but it won''t be difficult to add another power in the Light Speed Thrust due to its simplicity. And I think adding lightning energy would be the best."
Some of Runcandel''s decisive moves and secret techniques have their origins in Plutonian fencing.
In the case of the Light Speed Thrust, it''s a sword that Runcandel formed on his own, but fundamentally, if you follow the source, there''s no choice but to have a part influenced by the Sword of Legends Technique.
Of course, Tris doesn''t know this.
The reason she thought lightning energy would be the most suitable was purely based on the insight of a Warrior who had reached the peak.
"It will definitely fit. Now, what you and I have to do is find the final eleration point. It will be a splendid sword. I''ll name it after my son-inw."
"I haven''t done anything."
"Hmm, I know. But I can''t put my own name on it, right? Consider this as a reward for making meugh, Dark Crown Prince."
"I''m thinking about how to kill the pirate who gave me that nickname."
-----------------------
Without further ado, two weeks passed since Jin and Tris started training.
Kinzelo kept cursing Jin every day for not informing him of the meeting date, and Runcandel and Zipple controlled information about the Sota Desert, engaging in a media war.
And dark rumors about Joshua began circting worldwide.
Runcandel never officiallymented on his fall.
However, even the general public could infer Joshua''s fall just from that, so secrets openly formed everywhere.
However, Joshua''s feathers subtly covered him in articles. They insisted that his failure was an unfounded rumor and that he was only entering closed-door training.
Rosa didn''t particrly object to that.
"Hmmm! Now, our lord is no different from the next patriarch of Runcandel, but there are still rumors that the Second gbearer will sit on the throne. It''s frustrating. That guy is finished," Jet said as he closed the bulletin.
"Jet, you shouldn''t say those things in other ces."
"Kashimir-nim, I''m not that foolish, hehe. Anyway, our lord left as if he were going to learn for a few hours, and it''s already been two weeks without news... I''m worried."
"You worry about everything. Do you say that because you don''t know how much Tris-nim cares for Jin-nim?"
"Not at all. I just miss our Lord. If I had been born with true talent, I would have fought alongside our Lord every day. Right, Enya!"
"Of course, Uncle Jet! If you practice every day like me, you might find a hidden talent, you know?"
"Hehe, dreams are for young people like you."
"Old Jet."
Nearbyrades burst intoughter.
But soon, leaders like Kashimir, Valkas, and Lata had serious expressions.
"Ghost de. I suppose we should inform the lord about this."
In front of the table where they were sitting, there were reports from the Seven-Colored Peacocks mercenaries and Phantom Legion along with informational bulletins.
"I also think so, Valkas-nim."
"I have seen with my own eyes how much our lord cares for him. Of course, nothing seems to happen immediately, but still, it''s better to inform him quickly. I don''t have a good feeling."
The reports they were reading contained information such as:
(Confirmation of low-level purge: All Dragon Knights of Hairan are gathering at the imperial pce. There is a possibility that it''s not just pressure from the emperor, ording to the circumstances.
The whereabouts of the Dragon Knights cannot be understood with the current level of intelligence.
If we increase the intelligence level, the risk of being detected is very high, so approval from the Tikan Headquarters is required).
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 522
Chapter 522
Good, thising week I will go out all week for family reasons. :(, But don''t worry, here I am publishing the entire week''s chapters today just this once. Greetings and really thank you for the support shown :''D.
See you next week
C522
Jin caught his breath and looked towards the ice wall.
There was an exceptionally clean and deep hole amid the traces of chaotic destruction, as if some giant beast had gone rampant.
It was a hole formed by the Light Speed Thrust that Jin had just unleashed.
Among all the ones he had practiced in thest two weeks, only thest one had pierced through the Full Ice wall.
The hole had the shape of such a perfect circle that it seemed strangely artistic.
Great artists'' works give the impression that, if looked at closely, one can see the spirit and tenacity consumed until their birth.The hole formed by Jin''s Light Speed Thrust was no different.
Jin and Tris, who jointly created the result, remained silent for a while, unable to take their eyes off the hole.
"It''splete, my son-inw. It only took 15 days to make a sword like this... Haha, I wonder what Cyron will say when he sees it. He''ll surely be satisfied. Anyway, I don''t know if Cyron is okay."
"I think it''s the first time I''ve seen someone worry about my father, Tris-nim."
"Well, because we are friends. And I made a promise to your father..."
Tris smiled bitterly.
Argh!
Jin tried to respond, but suddenly spat out blood.
"Son-inw!"
"It seems I used too much aura and had a superficial reflux. Don''t worry, Tris-nim."
"If you were as strong as your first or second sister, you wouldn''t have fallen into an aura reflux. Haha, you''re weak."
She said it, but indeed, Tris was also admiring Jin''s resilience.
However, she only joked in the sense of being alert.
"It seems I can see a bit of what kind of mastery Elder Sister Luna has."
"White Whale, Luna Runcandel, if that girl''s sword ability stops in my memory, then you are already technically equal or superior."
Jin shook his head.
"I don''t know when Tris-nim''sst memory will be, but my sister must have achieved great things too. I think I still have a long way to go to catch up with my sister."
"She wouldn''t have risen as high as you. And Luna''s true strength wasn''t herrge body or her sword ability. She... haha, how should I express it? She has the ability to always win."
"The ability to always win...?"
"You are definitely stronger than Luna. You surpass her in almost every aspect. Still, if you were to fight Luna, you can''t be sure of victory. There''s something about your elder sister that is hard to describe in terms of potential or talent. Of course, you are strong too. And..."
Tris looked at Jin again and stood behind him.
"While teaching you this time, I see something in you simr to that girl. I think that is the greatest blessing a Warrior can have."
"It''s nice to hear that."
"Moreover, since neither you nor Luna achieved it for free, there''s no reason to cherish it even if you like it."
Jin felt a presence as he was about to convey his gratitude for the training.
"Jin-nim!"
It was Kashimir.
As soon as he entered, he couldn''t help but be startled at the state of his ice wall.
He was also briefly distracted by a single perfect trace amid the destroyed ice walls.
Are these traces the result of the training?
Especially that mark...
It seems that Jin-nim haspleted a new sword.
An ice wall reinforced with the power of Full Ice.
Kashimir had the feeling that even making a deep crack in these ice walls would not be easy with his sword.
"Kashimir-nim?"
"Huh, I was about to send my son-inw today. Have youe to notify me that I have kept him for too long?"
"No, Tris-nim. I''vee because there''s a problem that Jin-nim needs to check quickly."
When Kashimir pulled out the report from the Seven-Colored Peacocks and showed it to him, Jin''s eyes grew heavy.
A purge signal?
Tris took a look at the report and snorted.
"Hahaha, that bastard emperor. When we were young, I saw him eyeing Ron like a hawk. Ron had been on the soft side since before the attack on Sword Emperor Castle, but he''s so audacious."
Indeed, the imperial family has been controlling Hairan from when they were young until now.
And as Tris said, the controls of the imperial family gradually increased in proportion as Ron weakened.
Most of the time, Ron simply didn''t bother with it, like a prey animal tolerating the days of unconscious and agile cubs.
He thought it was the path for the Empire unless he rebelled.
All the previous patriarchs had done it, and the imperial family knew it, so they rarely crossed the line.
But this time, the imperial family crossed the line.
''ording to the report, the emperor is intentionally dropping the dragon knights.''
Of course, the reason was to prevent the dragon knights from immediately reaching Sword Emperor Castle when something happened in Hairan.
Although the emperor hasmand over the dragon knights, they were the ones prioritizing the safety of Sword Emperor Castle over the empire''s orders when Hairan was in danger.
Even if that meansmitting treason by disobeying the emperor''s orders.
Of course, they can''t be sure that there will be a purge based only on this situation.
Just as they have always increased the level of containment on every opportunity, this time they might be merely putting on a show for the public, using the Sword Emperor Castle terrorist attack and its aftermath as an excuse to demonstrate the absolute power of the imperial family.
But Jin didn''t seem to think so.
''In the end, the empire chose a stone over Hairan.''
A white stone kept by the patriarch of Hairan.
The imperial family has coveted the stone for a long time.
Just as the Hidden Pce is sealing Elona Zipple, Hairan is also handing over the white stone to future generations.
So that the strongest patriarch can cut it and get rid of it.
Jin doesn''t know what the white stone is.
He can only guess that it probably has something to do with Chaos.
In return, one thing was certain.
It was a fact that the emperor clearly made a mistake.
''Crazy bastard. I don''t know how big the stone is, but are you going to throw the strongest knight of the empire away like this?''
Ron''s sword is the strongest in Hairan.
Although it suffered unexpected damage from the terrorist attack, as long as Ron and his key personnel are in good health, the fact that Hairan is the empire''s top martial artist and a prestigious family doesn''t change.
It''s not an exaggeration to say that the reason the Empire is able to enjoy the status of the third force after Runcandel and Zipple before Kinzelo''s rise in the current generation is because of the existence of Ron and Hairan led by him.
''The reason I asked Beradin to urge Zipple to properly pressure Hairan was to more clearly confirm the distinction between friends and enemies and the purpose of the imperial family. Judging by their behavior, the results havee. In other words, Vermont chose the Stone and Zipple over Hairan.''
What''s surprising is that Ron has yet to react differently.
Even though there are signs of a purge that even the Seven-Colored Peacocks informants know.
"Sigh, there must be something they believe in, so they''re doing things like this. I have no idea. Besides asking if there is justification to purge Hairan in the first ce, how are they going to handle Ron?"
Tris thought that even if the imperial family is "hand in hand with Zipple," they would have no choice but to use Zipple''s power.
So it''s nothing more than publicity that the imperial family had sold the empire to Zipple.
"...It seems there is something they believe in, as Tris-nim said."
"It makes me wonder if they''re holding Dante hostage. Hmm, son-inw, you seem quite worried."
"Yes."
"Ron was injured during the terrorist attack on Sword Emperor Castle, but a martial artist living in such times would prefer to worry about the imperial family and the empire. Would you worry about Cyron if a group of Runcandels went mad and threatened to purge your father?"
That''s right.
If Ron were in a normal state, Jin wouldn''t have worried at all if the emperor had tied the dragon knight''s feet or borrowed Zipple''s power.
-I don''t know if the crimson sword was the problem or if there were other factors. If the dayes when he suffers internal injuries that can''t be controlled like this, I thought it would be, of course, the day he mixes swords with his father... it''s amazing that he was the leader of a group recently known as a third-category terrorist group.
Immediately after the terrorist attack on Sword Emperor Castle, Jin learned from Ron about his internal injuries.
Ron was unable to recover from the injuries he had suffered in the battle back then.
For a superhuman like Ron, it''s normal to recover quickly, but the internal injuries gradually worsened over time.
Not even Dante knew.
Only Ron''s five closest aides and Jin knew.
''...Maybe the emperor realized Ron-nim''s condition.''
The emperor still doesn''t seem convinced that Ron is not normal.
''If he fully understood Ron-nim''s condition, he would have hurried immediately instead of checking it like this.''
Jin also didn''t know exactly what Ron''s current condition was.
If Ron''s wound is the same as the first or worse.
That worried Jin.
Ron''sck of response so far (maybe he''s dealing with it but hasn''t been informed) might have something to do with his condition.
"That''s right, Tris-nim. Still, I''ll go to Sword Emperor Castle myself."
"Yes, yes. Go and show off your new great skill."
"In the future, no matter who asks, I will tell them that I learned one of Runcandel''s secret techniques from Tris-nim. It was an honor to learn from you, Tris-nim."
"How adorable you are. Ah, and, just in case. If you think something bad is going to happen to Sword Emperor Castle, make sure to let me know too."
"I will."
As soon as Jin left the hidden pce with Kashimir, he immediately boarded the Tikan transfer gate to the empire.
The transfer gate only emitted a warning sound and did not work.
It was a phenomenon that appeared when the other side of the transfer gate was closed.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 523
Chapter 523
C523
All the transfer gates of the empire were closing.
The armies of the imperial family''s vassal states were also seen heading towards the empire bynd and sea.
Clearly, the Empire was preparing for war without a doubt.
A war with Hairan.
Bang-!
A white dimensional portal formed in Tikan''s front yard, and Mort, the snow toad, appeared.
As soon as Tris realized that the atmosphere was unusual, she visited Sword Emperor Castle.
Mort looked quite tired because he had moved too many dimensions in a short time."Tris-nim!"
As Jin and hisrades approached, Tris shook her head bewildered.
"The emperor has gone mad. It''s really a atmosphere for a purge."
"Have you seen Ron-nim?"
"I''ve been told he wasn''t there. I haven''t heard other details. But Sword Emperor Castle was alsopletely poisoned... War is inevitable. All the knights following Ron are also gathering at Sword Emperor Castle."
War between Hairan and the entire Empire.
Originally, Tris thought that as long as Ron was there, the oue of the war would surely be Hairan''s victory.
However, now that she had been to Sword Emperor Castle herself, she wasn''t sure either.
It wasn''t because she hadn''t met Ron in person.
"Strangely, few ns have decided to help Hairan. I don''t know what trick the imperial family yed, or if Ron lost his reputation without me knowing."
Jin knew why.
"Tris-nim."
"What?"
"Tris-nim told me to let you know if something bad was going to happen. Could you tell me what might be the reason?"
The Hidden Pce has always been neutral, but now it must be called Jin''s ally.
But the rtionship of the Hidden Pce with Hairan was not clear.
In fact, the Hidden Pce didn''t have to step forward even if Hairan was destroyed.
It shouldn''t step forward exactly.
The Hidden Pce would turn the empire into an enemy for no reason.
So Jin would tell Tris about Ron''s ill health only after she had fulfilled her purpose of aiding Sword Emperor Castle.
Tris shrugged and looked at Jin''s allies.
"Everyone, go out for a while. I need to talk to my son-inw."
Jin''spanions left.
"Son-inw."
"Yes."
"Do you remember what I told you about the duties of the Hidden Pcest time?"
-The Hidden Pce has maintained its neutrality for most of the years, but it hasn''t always been that way. We also made a vow when the First Hidden Pce Master was chosen by Full Ice and Mort for the first time.
-The same goes for the power of Full Ice that our Endorma ns obtained. In exchange for gaining too much power for a human, we were tasked with helping to resolve the anomalies of the world.
Jin nodded as he recalled the story.
"The previous masters recorded that Hairan had something that could be a threat to the world."
White stone.
That''s what it was.
It is Hairan''s secret that was passed down only to the patriarch, but the Hidden Pce had known about the existence of the stone for a long time.
"Our Hidden Pce presumes that the object Hairan has is from the witch Helluram. And as I said before, preventing the disaster that Helluram brings is one of the representative duties of the Hidden Pce."
"So, Tris-nim''s main purpose in this war is to prevent the danger that Hairan harbors as the Hidden Pce Master."
"Yes."
Tris responded calmly.
Tris''s words about fulfilling her duty as the Hidden Pce Master could be interpreted in many ways.
It''s perfectly reasonable to say that for Tris-nim, handling the white stone takes priority over Hairan, but if you think about it another way...
''It means that as soon as the white stone reveals its danger, Tris-nim might attack Hairan instead.''
Jin has no idea what the condition of the white stone is right now.
Also, when the situation reached an extreme, he wasn''t sure what decision Hairan would make.
Jin believed in his friend Dante, but the patriarch of Hairan is Ron, not Dante.
If Hairan is at its worst in this war.
Ron is a person who might use the power of the white stone if he could to protect his beloved grandson.
-I don''t think there''s any reason for the imperial family to covet something that is all there is.
-That''s right.
-I understand in broad strokes. The stone must be dangerous enough for no one in the world to know about it. That''s why the patriarch of Hairan who acquired the object for the first time tried to cut it and failed. After that, he only left the order to destroy the object without informing them of its identity so that future patriarchs wouldn''t be greedy.
-Do you mean you deduced all that from my brief exnation? That''s surprising.
-It''s even more surprising that not even all the patriarchs in the history of Hairan have been able to cut the stone, not even Ron-nim. Where did the stonee from?
A conversation with Dante about the White Stone.
In that conversation, the danger of the white stone was already revealed.
The same was true for the emperor''s actions to obtain the stone, even forsaking Hairan.
''Yes, by chance, if the stone threatens the world, and Tris-nim is on the side of stopping Hairan.''
There''s no way to stop it.
That''s why Jin hesitated to give Tris information about Ron.
After Jin remained silent for a while, Tris smiled mischievously, as if she knew everything.
"Son-inw."
"Yes."
"I think I know what worries you. It''s easy to read your thoughts."
"Yes, I am worried. I will help Dante as a friend no matter what."
"Even if there''s a conflict with me during that process?"
"Yes."
A heavy silence fell between the two.
"... Ron, that fool might use Helluram''s things to save his grandson. Because nothing is more important to him than his grandson. But, Jin. Just as Dante Hairan is your friend, Ron Hairan is my friend."
Cyron and Ron, and Tris.
For those three, the closest friends orpanions were each other.
That''s how life with absolutes is.
The higher you go, the stronger you be, and the deeper you enter the realm.
And people be lonely.
They gained absolute power at the cost of falling into the deepest solitude.
Only those who entered the realm could understand each other.
However, just like stars collide and disappear when they get too close, their rtionship was no different.
If one of the three could embrace them all, they would have be more affectionate friends than anyone.
However, Cyron, who could assume that role, ascended to a higher and solitary realm and lost his emotions as a human being, and since then the three couldn''t get closer.
There still exists a feeling of friendship.
That''s why Tris hoped she would never have to fulfill her duty, and she was willing to let things work out like this if possible.
"So be a bit more honest with me, tell me everything you know. Right now, we''re talking about the worst situation, but isn''t it just an assumption? We have the power. The power to discard the worst."
Jin felt her sincerity.
Moreover, realistically, Tris''s abilities were needed to help Hairan as soon as possible.
The fact that all transfer gates are closed means thatnd and sea routes are also blocked.
Jin was prepared to approach Sword Emperor Castle bynd and sea while fighting the imperial army, and he trusted in making his way through without difficulty.
But it''s toote to follow that path.
If Hairan can''t hold out until then, it will only make enemies with the Empire, let alone help his friends.
To hurry and fight together was also something to lose to the Empire, but if it brings the war to victory, then it might make quite some sense.
Jin is the gbearer of Runcandel.
As the gbearer, Jin intended to support Hairan without the permission of Rosa, the acting matriarch.
"And maybe, you and I areplicating things too much. Although there are fewer Knights of the n with Hairan than I thought, but if it''s Ron..."
"Ron-nim... has not recovered at all from the internal injuries suffered during the terrorist attack at Sword Emperor Castle."
Tris''s eyes widened.
"... What?"
"Ron-nim''s condition has not improved at all after fighting against the Leader of Kinzelo and suffering internal injuries. I don''t know the details of the situation, but he may be worse than back then. And the only ones who know this are me, Tris-nim, and five of Ron-nim''s closest aides."
"Sigh, I was aware that Ron hardly had any external activities after the attack on Sword Emperor Castle... Could it be for that reason?"
"The reason why the Emperor is carrying out the purge and why there are few Knights with Hairan may also be the same. Perhaps those within the Empire know that Ron-nim is not in normal condition."
"...Contrary to appearances, Ron is good with tricks, so maybe he''s doing it on purpose. Pretending to be sick, and right now, he intends to deal with Hairan''s enemies, and maybe even the emperor... Damn, things are not so good to think about it. Ron is not one to covet power or even force a fight."
Well, Tris sighed.
Hearing about Ron''s condition worried her even more.
Even assuming he enjoyed good health, it was only natural for her to be concerned about the danger of the white stone.
"Tris-nim."
"Speak."
"Please help me and myrades get to Sword Emperor Castle with Mort''s help."
"Agreed. But right now it''s impossible. Mort is tired from traveling so much. He needs time to recover."
Jin nodded.
"Anyway, I need a bit of time. I have to gather all myrades and men, and I also have to create means to protect Tikan while we''re away."
Jin intended to dedicate all his strength to Hairan.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 524
Chapter 524
C524
From the public''s perspective, life was nothing out of the ordinary just a few days ago.
But now, even they could feel a heavy atmosphere looming over the entire empire.
Everyone knew that the Emperor''s sword was not aimed at foreign forces but at Hairan, who was called the pir of the empire.
"I know better than anyone that the Imperial Sword has long been fighting for the Imperial Family and the people."
In front of the Imperial Pce, the Emperor of the Empire, Amir Vermont, stood on a giant golden tform, towering over the crowd.
The tform was supported by about two hundred convicted criminals dressed in red robes.
The crowd felt bewildered by the Emperor''s unexpected announcement, but they dared not express it.
The Emperor stated that the cause of the purge was treason and civil war."It would be curious. What kind of treason did the lord of Sword Emperor Castlemit? You might dislike it too, but I am also aware that you favor Ron Hairan more than me."
The Emperor slowly looked at the people.
"I, too, as the supreme ruler of the Empire, trusted the most loyal servant Ron Hairan. Additionally, as a human, I respected and admired him, so there''s no hiding my frustration. However, Ron Hairan, the lord of Sword Emperor Castle, ignored my orders as well as my fervent pleas, putting the empire in danger of terror, war, and destruction."
As the Emperor gestured, two ckened gs torn from the masts on both sides of the tform unfurled.
They were the gs of the Empire and Hairan.
"Everyone remembers the day when the disaster urred at Sword Emperor Castle. These gs were destroyed that day, and I will inform the people about the cause of the terrorism that happened that day. It was because of... a single object possessed by Hairan."
The crowd gathered in the square murmured for the first time.
Then, the Emperor cast a sidelong nce, and a Warrior wearing Hairan''s armor stepped forward.
He is Ron Hairan''s second son and a gbearer of Hairan:
"Tion Hairan."
After the terrorist attack on Sword Emperor Castle, traitors appeared one after another within Hairan.
They were all those who were pushed by Dante and treated as ''nonexistent people'' by Ron Hairan.
They, who had never imagined betrayal under Ron''s majesty, saw an opportunity when the Imperial Sword suffered an unprecedented blow, coupled with the Imperial Family taking a back seat.
Tion was the first and took the initiative to betray Hairan.
"...there is a white stone in my n that was passed down only from patriarch to patriarch."
Originally, Tion had no idea, but the Emperor informed him about the white stone.
And the Emperor didn''t hesitate to reveal the white stone to the public, unlike Hairan, who kept a secret that threatened the world by being passed down from patriarch to patriarch.
The eyes of the crowd watching Tion were tainted with disdain.
Unless one was a fool, it was impossible not to realize that he had betrayed his n and was in this position to covet Hairan''s power, which would soon pass to Dante.
"It may be hard to believe, but if you can melt and use that white stone, it has the power to support all the magical equipment of the empire and make the empire many times stronger in an instant."
From the crowd''s perspective, it was an absurd and exasperating story.
Wuuubuuu!
Finally, the crowd booed Tion.
As the Emperor mentioned earlier, Hairan is a n more beloved by the people than the imperial family.
Those gathered in the square wanted to stone him to death at any moment.
"Your Majesty."
The leader of the imperial guard, ''Alton Hairan,'' met the Emperor''s eyes.
It meant that if the Emperor gave an order, he would immediately suppress themotion.
However, the Emperor, with a corner of his mouth raised, silently ordered him to let it be.
"But isn''t it just an unpleasant noise? Let them vent their anger at least a little."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Emperor didn''t deliver this speech to reprimand Hairan out of fear of public opinion or fear that the people would side with Hairan and rebel.
The first was to expose Hairan''s secret and pressure them, and the second was simply because he loved the people in his own way.
It meant raising his voice a little, showing his displeasure, and relieving their anger.
"After all, they have no power to stop me, nor the will to do so. Hairan may like them more than me, but they won''t risk their lives for it. The silly and annoying look of the people seems quite charming and adorable to me."
The Emperor was sincere, and his eyes shone as if the public were fascinating.
"...Your Majesty, my n was ordered long ago to return the white stone to the imperial family. The term ''return'' implies that the stone was originally entrusted to Hairan by the previous Emperor."
Of course, the imperial family had never entrusted a white stone to Hairan. They only say this because the public can''t know the truth anyway.
"What a bunch of rubbish!"
The boos grew increasingly furious.
"But, as you can see, Sword Emperor Ron Hairan is not following Your Majesty''s order. Enemies seeking the stone even carried out terrorist acts in the Empire''snds, Sword Emperor Castle."
"Get lost! Dirty traitor!"
"Living golems and unknown giant demonic creatures threatened the empire because of the stone! However, Hairan clings to his greed and doesn''t return the stone to the imperial family. As a member of that n, I know better than anyone that the lord of Sword Emperor Castle is using that power to plot treason."
The Emperor apuded, and the enraged crowd immediately calmed down.
"Tion Hairan''s testimony may seem dubious. I also know very well that it will be difficult to ept as it is such a sudden story. But listen to me, my people. I am willing to forgive Hairan for instigating civil war and treason if they return the stone even now."
As the speech reached this point, a mix of curiosity and anger was brewing in the hearts of the crowd.
What the heck is this white stone?
Does it really exist? If so, why doesn''t Hairan return it to the imperial family? Such questions naturally arose.
"I, Amir Vermont, the Emperor of the Empire, dere. I will stop the purge as soon as Hairan returns the stone. However, if they do not apologize to me until the end, Sword Emperor Castle will disappear from the face of the earth."
------------------
The content of the Emperor''s speech quickly reaches Sword Emperor Castle.
"Emperor, this damn bastard...! How could he do this to Hairan? White stone? Ridiculous! He makes up such absurd stories because he has no justification. And he pretends to be the supreme ruler of the Empire?!"
"That lunatic will surely pay the price. He acts as if Hairan is powerless and silently endures, being supported only because he is the Emperor."
"The throne will be stained with his blood. It was Hairan who deserved to sit there from the beginning, not the Vermont family. If it weren''t for Hairan, the empire wouldn''t have existed!"
Each Warrior in the meeting room raised their voice with anger.
Most seemed ready to storm the pce and fight, but undoubtedly there was an underlying unease among them.
Anxiety had already begun even before the Emperor''s speech.
"We can''t stay here gathered; we must take action first! We must show that child the dignity of Sword Emperor, the meaning of that name."
"We are used of treason, but we must show what true treason is. A few traitors switching sides and the Emperor raising an army? As long as Ron-nim is here, those who turned their backs will end up kneeling before our sword!"
They all shouted, looking towards a person sitting atop.
It was Dante Hairan, the young patriarch of Hairan.
Dante could barely hide the signs of fatigue on his face.
However, bloodshot eyes and dry lips could not be concealed.
"Come out, Ron-nim...!"
"Ron-nim...!"
The restlessness of the Warriors was no different.
It was because of Ron Hairan, the man who summoned all the Warriors to this ce with only dignity without any action.
Several days had passed since the Warriors gathered, but Ron has not appeared in front of them even once.
''Grandfather....''
Now even Dante was aware of Ron''s condition.
In the past few days, Ron''s health had deteriorated so rapidly that it was impossible to hide.
Ron was unconscious.
Dante was inmand of Sword Emperor Castle in his name.
As time passed, the gathered knights began to doubt if Sword Emperor was really in good health.
The suspicion was bing undeniable.
Ron''s absence equaled the absence of all Hairan.
Although there were still individuals in Hairan without Ron, the result of waging a war without him was as clear as day.
A sense of pressure, powerlessness, and nausea overwhelmed Dante.
Dante felt dizzy after not being able to sleep for several days, and cramps hit various parts of his body if he didn''t concentrate.
''A weak body makes it difficult for me even at times like this...''
Dante gritted his teeth and looked into the eyes of the gathered knights.
It seemed that he had to reveal the truth.
"...My grandfather is sick at the moment, and he is unconscious."
At Dante''s words, the angry voices of the knights faded away.
Those who had already realized didn''t startle too much, but those who didn''t know were hit by thunder.
"Ron-nim... unconscious? Could it be that the wounds he suffered that day have worsened?"
"Why are you telling us this now?"
"Without Ron-nim, how will we respond to this...!"
When Dante was about to respond, an old knight opened his mouth, clicking his tongue.
"If Ron-nim is absent, are you saying you won''t fight with Hairan? You''re talking nonsense. Without Ron-nim, are the rest of you nothing more than a bunch of foot soldiers? We came here to fight against the tyranny of the Emperor, to protect our friendship with Hairan. We didn''te to overthrow the Empire with Ron-nim at the helm."
The one who spoke was Shuras Helter, the patriarch of the Helter Family.
Dante avoided giving an ufortable answer to Shuras''s words, but as long as Ron remained in bed, Dante had no means to dispel their anxiety.
They faced adversaries who would be difficult to handle even if they united solidly.
However, a significant number of knights couldn''t help but contemte the crack created by Ron''s absence.
''Without Ron-nim, the war is lost.''
''If we lose the fight against the Emperor, not only will we die, but our entire family and kin will be brutally murdered...''
Moreover, once they learned of Ron''s illness, thoughts like these crossed their minds.
''The white stone the Emperor talked about... What if it really exists?''
''If the Emperor''s speech is true, it''s best to return the stone and resolve the situation. Should I wait for his absurd story to be real...?''
A tense silence fell.
Just as someone was about to raise the question of whether the Emperor''s speech was true, urgent footsteps were heard from outside.
It was the sound ofmanders rushing in.
"Young patriarch! The Emperor''s forces'' movement has been confirmed. The vanguard will reach Sword Emperor Castle in approximately three hours...!"
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 525
Chapter 525
C525
"...The scale of the Imperial Army''s vanguard?"
"1000 knights, 100 magicians, and 5 dragons. Themander is Kevin Ferrell of the Dragon King Knights. Notable knights include Scott Harlow of the Central Knights, Marvin Pan, and Gloria Zenderer of the White Knights. The magicianmander is Loya Lilitha, mainlyposed of the Second Division of the Lilitha Magic Corps."
"50 lion-ss cannons, 3 red dragon-ss cannons, and a number of barrier amplification artifacts have been confirmed as war artifacts."
Even with that, there weren''t many nations in the world that couldn''t be conquered.
Excluding the main factions, it was overwhelming for a single nation or n.
Furthermore, the lists recited by themanders were only for the vanguard.
The size of the main force that would arriveter was iparable.
"The scale of the main force has not been determined yet, but it is estimated to be at least ten timesrger."The atmosphere in the conference room became heavy.
Those who guessed Ron''s condition renewed their determination once again, and those who didn''t continued to think about the white stone.
"Three hours, faster than expected. The Emperor must know that Ron is not in a condition to fight. Probably, that''s why they''ve rushed toe. The main force will probably arrive a couple of hours after the vanguard."
It was as Shuras said.
Crack!
Suddenly, Shuras split the long table in the conference room in half and walked among them until he stood in front of Dante.
Then, he knelt down and bowed.
"I, Shuras Helter, patriarch of the Helter Family. My knights under my control and I will share the same fate as Hairan."
As Shuras pledged, the other knights fell to their knees as well.
"Sellington will also fight alongside Hairan!"
"My Lofermo Family would have perished in antiquity if not for Hairan. It''s weak, but it will help."
"My Traga Family will support Hairan."
"My n...."
Thirty representatives from each n and family in the conference room swore loyalty to Dante and Hairan.
Then, there were seven people left.
They were the most shocked by the news that Ron had lost consciousness.
After Dante solemnly ced a sword on the shoulders of those who had sworn allegiance and they responded, he looked at them in silence.
"Family Kingzel, Family Felicie, Family Metingh, Family Baizerin, Family Panega, Family Mitro, Family Zinion."
"Dante-nim, we...."
"You have betrayed your trust with Hairan. You have forgotten that my n, my grandfather, and my ancestors fought for your well-being."
The representatives of the seven ns and families couldn''t lift their heads at Dante''s words.
The knights who still knelt were ready to behead them at any moment if Dante gave the order.
"But I don''t want to believe that you abandoned Hairan''s faith simply out of fear for your life and the survival of your n. I will assume that you chose to maintain loyalty to the Empire rather than loyalty to Hairan. So, before you leave, there is something you must do for the Empire."
"Speak... please."
"Help evacuate the people from Sword Emperor Castle. If you''re not even willing to do that, it means you haven''t chosen loyalty, and I have no reason to forgive you."
The seven knights who didn''t swear loyalty bowed their heads and left the conference room.
"Golo-nim."
"Yes, my lord!"
"Evacuate all nonbatant vassals and subjects. If the seven ns don''t help in the process, you can behead them immediately."
"I will do as youmand."
"Also, all rank-and-file soldiers must be evacuated."
The rank-and-file soldiers were mainly responsible for operating equipment and supply, as well as maintaining guard and post-battle control. If rank-and-file soldiers were absent, lower-ranking knights would have to operate equipment like cannons themselves, causing a certain loss of power. However, Dante didn''t want to make them assume too harsh a responsibility.
If they lose the war, their entire family will die just by standing on the walls.
After the evacuation, only 3000 low-ranking knights, 1000 high-ranking knights, and 50mander-level knights, including Dante, remained in the castle.
They could handle a vanguard force, but it was unfortunately insufficient to face the entire empire.
Dante and hismanders climbed the walls.
The restoration has continued since thest terrorist attack, but Sword Emperor Castle has not yet regained its original appearance.
Cracks remained everywhere on the walls, and there are many empty spaces.
Anyway, it wasn''t a fight for defense.
All rank-and-file soldiers were sent out, and more than half of the war equipment was damaged during the terror, so they couldn''t hold the fortress for long.
Regardless of the war''s oue, today marked the end for Sword Emperor Castle.
Dante simply wanted to capture this scene in his eyes for thest time.
"I know what you mean. What if the imperial family chooses Zipple and decides to end Hairan?"
"You stop that on your own."
"I''m not the patriarch of Zipple, but the next patriarch. I don''t have that much authority."
"I''m joking; Runcandel will join Hairan at that time."
Dante suddenly recalled his friends'' conversation as he watched them tear down the tents set up under the walls and evacuate people at themanders''mand.
When he and Jin asked Beradin to urge Zipple to press Hairan even more.
The three had assumed to some extent the possibility of such a total war.
However, it was entirely unexpected that Ron would lose consciousness and that the emperor would reveal Hairan''s secret to the entire world.
Who would have imagined that Ron would be unable to fight?
Ron''s injuries during the terrorist attack were not at all severe. It should have been a normal injury that would take at most a week or a month to recover.
Dante didn''t know why Ron''s injury had worsened so much.
"My grandfather cannot wake up, and it seems unlikely that we can win this war now, even if Jines."
Dante thought that getting Jin''s help would be like dragging a friend into a quagmire.
Jin was not yet the patriarch of Runcandel.
And, if objectively evaluated, Hairan without Ron had no value for Runcandel to confront the Empire.
Dante received paper and pen from themander next to him.
It was to send a letter to Jin, asking him not toe to their aid.
"Send this to Tikan immediately."
Themander took the letter and descended the wall.
If Jin came, there was a good chance that Dante could survive.
As Jin had mentioned during his conversation with Beradin, even if he couldn''t bring the entire Runcandel with him, he would undoubtedly bring enough troops to rescue Dante.
But Dante was convinced that he would rather die fighting together than choose to escape and survive alone.
Thousands of Warriors risked their lives for Hairan and rebelled.
He was never able to prioritize his survival as the lord of Sword Emperor Castle.
Following Dante''s orders and themanders'', the knights deployed throughout the castle.
The eyes of the knights were heavily stained with the resolution of a desperate struggle.
All that was left was to await the arrival of the enemies.
--------------------------
"A white stone? Does he n to eliminate Sword Emperor Castle with such a justification?"
Rosa, examining the report, raised an eyebrow.
"We have never obtained any information about this White Stone. It could be a lie created for justification."
"It could be true. However, that''s not important. The fact that the Emperor is making such a move indicates his confidence in defeating Ron''s Sword Emperor Castle."
"After the terrorist attack on Sword Emperor Castle, Ron Hairan almost stopped his external activities. And he has not been active at all for thest 15 days."
"It may be that he cannot fight, as I predicted before... Not seeing a response even though the Emperor has raised an army is almost certain."
"There is still no full-scale movement, but Zipple may be taking care of the Emperor."
"If the White Stone is worth as much as the Emperor said, Zipple will surely back him up."
"Should I prepare the knights?"
Rosa thought for a moment about her youngest son, rather than responding to the scribe''s words.
"And the Twelfth gbearer?"
"He is safe inside Tikan, but the detailed internal situation is unknown due to the patriarch''s order."
"That child will definitely go to Sword Emperor Castle. I think the sudden vacation request of the Fourth gbearer has something to do with it."
"Leading Runcandel''s knights and going to Sword Emperor Castle without permission from the patriarch in function..."
"You are making quite an absurd assertion. When has the youngest acted with such timidity? Besides, even if the youngest doesn''t have the n''s knights with him, he has a solid force of his own."
The scribe tilted his head.
''I don''t know exactly what kind of White Stone Hairan has, but there''s nothing wrong with having it, seeing that the Emperor is so eager for it.''
However, it was burdensome to take a step forward without any information or justification.
If, by chance, the White Stone had no special value, Runcandel would be interfering in the Empire''s civil war without any benefit.
"For now, let''s see how the youngest handles the situation. However, if we detect a situation where Zipple or Kinzelo is activelying out, we will act ordingly. Watch the ce closely. Also, make a statement that Runcandel has nothing to do with the civil war in Hairan."
This way, if Jin''s actions led to unfavorable results, they could naturally position it as not representing the judgment of all of Runcandel.
On the other hand, if it ended well, it would once again highlight the capabilities and tenacity of Runcandel''s Twelfth gbearer.
"Yes, as youmand."
------------------------
The emperor''s vanguard army arrived at the ins of Sword Emperor Castle.
Dante stood in the middle of the wall at the gate and observed them.
Five dragons, a thousand knights, a hundred magicians, fifty-three cannons, and barrier equipment were aimed at the main gate of Sword Emperor Castle.
The back gate and the side gate seemed to be surrounded by the main force anyway, so there was no need to pay attention.
"I am Kevin Ferrell, Vanguard Commander of the Civil War Repression Army under His Majesty, the great Emperor Amir Vermont! Ron Hairan, Lord of Sword Emperor Castle,e now and receive the edict of His Majesty!" shouted Kevin Ferrell as he gazed at Sword Emperor Castle from atop a red dragon.
Dante and themanders did not respond to his words.
Kevin, feeling somewhat ignored, raised his voice even more.
He had heard from the Emperor beforehand, but he had just seen with his own eyes that Ron couldn''t fight.
"Is Ron Hairan absent? If so, young patriarch, Dante Hairan, heed His Majesty''s edict and obey...!"
Swish!
Before he could finish his sentence, Kevin felt a chilling sensation like the wind entering his chest.
"What...?"
A hole appeared in his chest.
Kevinpletely ignored that moment, but it happened right after something shed on the walls of Sword Emperor Castle.
The light came from Dante''s sword.
The sword that had pierced through Kevin''s chest had already returned to its sheath, and only a few were aware of its speed.
As Kevin began to fall from the back of the dragon, Dante spoke.
"No one dares to scorn Sword Emperor Castle in the Empire, not even the Emperor. So, if someone wishes to convey the Emperor''s will, they must defeat me and speak."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 526
Chapter 526
C526
Thunk!
A dull sound echoed as Kevin''s body crashed to the ground.
After falling, he died after a few convulsions.
The final order to receive the Emperor''s edict became Kevin''sst words.
The vanguard leader, who came to attack Sword Emperor Castle, met his end with a single sword strike.
The Emperor''s vanguard soldiers couldn''t take their eyes off Kevin''s corpse for a while.
epting his death, even after seeing it with their own eyes, was challenging.
It wasn''t because there were many who normally respected Kevin or had a deep friendship with him.More than 90% of the vanguard soldiers didn''t understand why Kevin had died.
''What just happened?''
''Did the leader really die? Seriously?''
At the moment when frontline knights had doubts, two beams of light shed again on the walls of Sword Emperor Castle.
The second sword shot extended further than the first, cutting both wings of the red dragon and leaving a bright trail in the sky.
[Roar!]
Finally, even the red dragon lost its wings and fell to the ground, and all vanguard soldiers realized that it was Dante''s sword technique that had killed Kevin.
"Did the dragon not heed my words? I told it not to dare to look down on Sword Emperor Castle."
He seemed to speak softly, but the energy-filled voice spread across the entire in.
Now, everyone daring to look down on Sword Emperor Castle had disappeared.
In their ce, Dante looked down at all the vanguard soldiers from atop the castle walls.
It was then that the vanguard soldiers could feel that the ce they came to join was Sword Emperor Castle.
In the face of that terrifying realization, frontline knights froze for a moment.
Some primitive fear, derived from the name "Hairan," pierced their minds.
"Did he shoot the sword from that wall... with this speed and power?"
Scott Harlow, themander of the Central Knights, spoke, and other key knights shook their heads in astonishment.
"It''s no joke; he is the sessor of the Sword Emperor."
"Dante Hairan. I always remembered him as dignified and gentle, but seeing him like this, he is truly a formidable beast..."
Not only frontline knights but alsomanders felt a shiver run down their spines.
Dante had be one of the most famous figures in the Empire, skipping generations and bing the young patriarch of Hairan.
From the moment he became the young patriarch, various rumors followed Dante.
Such as his small physique, weak endurance, and his attractive face, which didn''t seem boneless by nature, made people doubt Dante.
Moreover, Dante did not often participate in the Empire''s martial artspetitions.
Even those were mostly privatepetitions, so few people knew Dante''s true abilities.
But those who had seen Dante''s sword, witnesses of his growth, unanimously gathered and said:
The next First Sword of the World has already been decided.
In the midst of the cold silence, only the cries of the fallen red dragon filled the in.
Magicians hurried to cast healing magic and tried to support its wings, but it was not enough.
"I am Dante Hn, the young patriarch of Hairan and deputy lord of Sword Emperor Castle. Exin why the Imperial Army hase to seek Sword Emperor Castle."
Scott Harlow took a step forward.
"Scott Harlow of the Central Knights! Dante-nim, do not do this. You are going down an irreversible path. His Majesty has ordered to stop the war as soon as Hairan returns the White Stone!"
"There is no such stone, Scott Harlow-nim. Even if there were, the Emperor cannot treat Hairan like this."
"Dante-nim! You still have a chance. I, as a Warrior who has always admired Hairan, hope that Sword Emperor Castle returns to the people''s and His Majesty''s embrace!"
"Opportunity? Don''t you know that the Emperor is blinded by power and intends to break the empire''s pir? If it is indeed so, I will give you onest chance. Drop your swords immediately and surrender. I will forgive everyone. But if you decide to join the Emperor knowing his intentions...."
Dante raised his aura and continued his words.
"Not a single one of those who raised their swords against Hairan will survive. The fact that you are simply forced to obey orders cannot be considered any excuse. All of you... are knights."
Even if they were ordinary people, there was no room for leisure against more than a thousand knights.
Rather, they had to eliminate them as soon as possible before the main force arrived to make the next battle less burdensome.
From the moment the Emperor''s purge began, Dante was determined to kill and die.
Even if he had to kill a thousand, ten thousand, or more people, Dante had no intention of stopping before the Emperor.
Damn it, it''s not Ron-nim, but I thought Dante Hiran would give me a little space to talk.
There will be no response to this.
''In the end, if he chooses to perish...''
It was then.
One of the knights in formation dropped his sword to the ground.
Thud!
In an instant, all heads turned towards him.
"I... I can''t fight against Hairan. If Hairan hadn''t intervened in the Shuka battle, our entire n would have been annihted."
"What is this...!"
ng!
Starting with him, frontline knights dropped their swords to the ground like oil-soaked paper catching fire.
"I can''t fight against Hairan either. The reason I could be a knight as an orphan was due to Hairan''s knight schrship."
"I was also supported by Hairan''s schrship...."
"I am also indebted to Hairan...."
More than half of the rank knights dropped their swords like this.
It happened in less than a minute.
"Pick up your swords immediately!"
"Fools! Do you think you can defy the Emperor''s orders and survive?"
The vanguardmanders were left speechless by this sudden turn of events.
The frontline knights who had discarded their swords even went as far as to kneel.
Dante killed the vanguard leader with a single sword strike, and with just a few words, the morale of the vanguard waspletely demoralized.
Commanders like Scott, Marvin, Gloria, and Loya had never imagined such a case.
They didn''t know what to do and could only look alternately at the knights dropping their swords and Sword Emperor Castle.
''This is madness!''
Scott clenched his teeth.
He knew better than anyone that if they showed this kind of appearance when the main force arrived, both themanders and the rank knights would not end with a simple punishment.
Swish-!
Scott brandished his sword and struck the neck of a knight who had dropped his sword.
The decision was made.
"What kind of insolence is this in front of the traitors? All who have abandoned their swords will be executed without dy!"
The knights of Sword Emperor Castle hadn''t even drawn their swords yet...
But sources of blood spread throughout the Emperor''s vanguard camp.
The knights who dropped their swords offered no resistance.
Therefore, it was difficult for the vanguard knights to suppress the feeling of unease in their hearts as they wielded their swords to kill their fellow knights.
"Fools! Do you think anything will change by doing this? When the main force arrives, Sword Emperor Castle will be doomed anyway!"
Indeed, the vanguard armymanders had been uneasy from the moment they set foot in this ce.
Kevin Ferrell, of the Dragon King Knights,cked the skill and virtue necessary to assume the role of leader, and most of the thousand rank knights wereposed of those who received Hairan''s grace.
The results were evident: Kevin Ferrell rushed forward like lightning and met his death, and the knights, who refused to fight, now offered their necks.
When the situation reached this point, themanders couldn''t shake off the feeling that the Emperor''s intentions were hidden in theposition of the forces and the selection of the leader from the beginning.
"Damn it, pick up the sword...!"
More than fifty knights'' necks had already been severed.
The vanguard armymanders and squadron leaders who didn''t drop their swords seemed on the verge of losing their heads.
The words "irreversible" seemed more fitting for them than for Sword Emperor Castle.
"Sword Emperor Castle!"
When Dante shouted, the knights waiting in the castle all climbed the walls at once.
"Rescue those who have not forgotten Hairan''s grace. And bring down those who stand in the way."
As soon as the order was given, the wall knights rushed down to the in.
At the same time, the castle gates opened, and knights came out from there.
Those who came out from the gate took care of clearing the way, and those who jumped took care of the siege, and a formation was established in an instant.
Just as Dante was about to take a step forward, Shuras Helter grabbed him by the shoulder.
"Young patriarch, don''t go out. The main force will arrive soon, so you should save your strength until then. Excluding the Five Sword Saints, you are the only one who can handle the main knights of the main army, young patriarch."
Both in body and mind.
Dante was barely keeping hisposure.
He tried to run immediately to save the people who remembered Hairan''s grace dead in front of him, but he, who was naturally weak, was already exhausted from the encounter.
And Dante is the strongest knight and the deputy lord of Sword Emperor Castle along with the Five Sword Saints of Hairan, who are currently Ron''s followers.
"I see."
The Five Sword Saints of Hairan were not currently in Sword Emperor Castle.
There is hope as long as everyone returns safe and sound, and Dante can fight to the fullest.
All the knights of Sword Emperor Castle thought the same.
Instead of Dante, half of the patriarchs of the thirty ns threw themselves to the ground.
The battle with the vanguard army was bing a unteral victory for Hairan.
Although there are dragons, magicians, and war equipment, there is too much difference in the number of knights.
However, the goal of the knights of Hairan was not to annihte but to rescue the knights who had abandoned their swords, making the suppression less swift.
Hairan currentlycked an outstanding knight capable of sweeping the battlefield.
If Dante yed that role, it would be an instant, but considering the main unit, Shuras'' judgment was 100% correct.
"For the glory of Hairan!"
"Those dogs of the empire dare not speak of honor!"
As the evening battle concluded, the suppression wasing to an end.
All that remained were a few key knights, a dragon, and about ten magicians including Loya.
On the other hand, there were only a handful of casualties among Hairan''s knights.
More than a hundred knights who dropped their swords were rescued, and the battle with the vanguard was aplete victory.
However, around that time, the knights who were guarding the side and reading gates of Sword Emperor Castle were checking the main force of the imperial army that had begun to appear in the distance.
"The main force of the imperial army is approaching!"
"About 20 pieces of Yellow Dragon-ss artillery have been confirmed! We will activate the defense equipment!"
Not only at the side and rear gates but also beyond the main gate, the support of the main force of the imperial army was approaching.
The earlier report of at least ten times the size of the vanguard seemed to be true.
At first nce, the number of knights besieging Sword Emperor Castle far exceeded 10,000.
"....The rescue operation is over. From now on, we will begin the annihtion operation, everyone," said Dante as he looked at the newly appeared enemies.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 527
Chapter 527
C527
The enemies were taking positions everywhere.
The guard knights continuously reported the scale and dynamics of the enemy,municating swiftly.
"Activate the defense equipment!"
"Helter Family, unsheathe your swords!"
"Lofermos, support the rear. Form up!"
Whoa-!
The defense artifacts installed in Sword Emperor Castle activated, causing vibrations and resonating sounds.
The blue shield of the artifacts and the white shield from the swords wielded by the knights quickly enveloped the entire Sword Emperor Castle.Dante observed the reinforcements appearing at the main gate.
More than five thousand knights and magicians, and about twenty dragons.
And over four fifty cannons of Yellow Dragon-ss or higher.
Although it called itself an "Empire," it had been pushed back by Runcandel and Zipple and was now even behind Kinzelo.
Nevertheless, no one denied that Vermont was one of the four major factions.
Regardless of the quality of the troops, the Empire was the only force that could mobilize so many people in a short time.
Dante''s eyes, staring at the Emperor, were filled with bloodlust.
Even though the Imperial Army was surrounding Sword Emperor Castle with more than ten thousand soldiers, Dante and the knights of Hairan didn''t feel intimidated at all.
Since the appearance of knights and magicians in the world, there had never been a war where the number of heads was the most crucial factor.
In front of a superhuman, even thousands of knights below 5-star rank were no different from fallen leaves and insects.
Although Dante was not yet a superhuman, he possessed a swordparable to one.
With the Five Sword Saints, including Dante, and other Hairan knights, suppressing those numerous sub-5-star rank knights was not a difficult task.
The crucial factor was the enemymanders.
If all the knights and magicians who could single-handedly sway the battlefield were eliminated, they could win even if the number was overwhelming.
And Dante estimated there would be around a hundred such individuals.
The main force of the Imperial Army entered the in in front of the main gate.
And among them, there was a massive cannon led by five dragons and a hundred knights.
"Young Patriarch, this...!"
The main cannon of the Imperial Guard.
It was the "Dragon Spear," a war equipment exclusive to the Emperor, existing only in the empire.
Originally installed in the center of the Imperial Pce, the cannon had firepowerparable to Zipple''s battleship Kozec.
Since its withdrawal from the imperial pce, the Dragon Spear couldn''t exert its full power.
However, the appearance of the Dragon Spear meant that the Emperor himself had stepped forward.
"Confirm the Dragon Spear''s charge!"
The voices of the knights observing the Dragon Spear trembled.
It was only a matter of time before it could pierce through the current defense artifacts of Sword Emperor Castle, which were not fully restored and couldn''t even properly face Yellow Dragon-ss cannons...
But Dragon Spear was on apletely different level.
Dante silently looked at the rear of the Dragon Spear.
Somewhere across the in, it seemed as if he could see the Emperor, with a face soaked in greed and arrogance, waiting for the report of victory while sitting on a high tform.
"Young Patriarch! Dragon Spear is soon...! Evade it!"
"To them."
Dante slowly unsheathed his sword.
ank..!
At the moment Dante''s sword shimmered, the ominous sound of Dragon Spear covered the battlefield.
A slight earthquake urred throughout the area, and those in the midst of fighting turned their gaze towards Dragon Spear.
"I will show you the dignity of Hairan."
Baaaa-!
Dragon Spear spewed out a massive mana projectile.
The ce where the projectilended was exactly on top of the castle wall where Dante was standing.
The shieldyers of the artifact shattered like ss.
It was so fast that those who didn''t reach the level couldn''t follow it with their eyes, and Dragon Spear''s cannonball seemed to destroy Sword Emperor Castle in a single blow.
Dante did not dodge.
At the moment Dragon Spear''s projectile approached dangerously, he swung his sword.
Emperor Sword''s Secret Technique
Divine Radiance - Dante Hairan
Dragon Spear''s cannonball split in half.
Not even the knights standing beside him could perceive the moment Dante swung his sword.
All they could do was watch as the cannonball split in half followed the trajectory of Dante''s sword, which soared into the sky and disappeared.
And, true to the name of the secret technique, a long and radiant streak remained in the increasingly dark sky.
Everyone present on the battlefield looked towards the light for a moment.
Hairan''s admired sword was right there.
For a few seconds, time seemed to stand still, and those on the battlefield only felt the beating of their own hearts.
Awe.
Recalling the word that symbolized Hairan in the Empire.
Wooooow-!
The knights gathered under the banner of Hairan shouted in unison.
Then, when Dante jumped off the wall and onto the in, the approaching enemies hesitated and stopped moving.
"I have no intention of showing mercy to those who have forgotten their honor. So if you''re afraid, flee. Hairan won''t pursue those who retreat."
The knights gathered behind Dante.
"Young Patriarch... Are you okay?"
The leader of the assault squad asked while looking at Dante''s face. Blood was dripping from his blue lips.
However, Dante nodded slightly.
''Even with the technique my grandfather designed for me, to think it woulde to this after using it just once.''
Although everyone around him was amazed...
Dante knew better than anyone that the true power of Divine Radiance was not something he had fully unleashed.
It was regrettable.
It wasn''t the regret of not being able to execute a better sword; it was the sudden realization that he could no longer dedicate himself to thisnd, to his grandfather, to the knights and servants.
''For some reason, my body feels lighter....''
Perhaps because he bore everything his ancestors and his grandfather had built and protected, epting the perspective of death, Dante entered a kind of awakened state.
Until the war ended, he felt confident in maintaining the best sword he could execute, even at the cost of his life.
"First, I''ll destroy the Dragon Spear. I''ll cut my way to the front, so that the assault squad follows me."
While the Hairan knights began their charge, the Emperor monitored the battlefield in real-time from the rear.
"Oh, oh, oh...! Truly, Ron-nim''s sessor is remarkable!"
Standing next to the Emperor was Johncena Ferrell, the Imperial Army''s chiefmander and leader of the Imperial Army''s Dragon King Knights.
Unlike the Emperor, who was very excited, he had a somber face.
Johncena Ferrell was the reason why the Emperor appointed Kevin Ferrell as the Vanguard Army''smander.
He believed that his rtive''s death was necessary to alleviate the guilt of the Imperial Sword of Justice.
"You must have heard the report, Johncena Ferrell-nim. Dante Hairan killed your younger brother, and he even killed the rank knights who tried to maintain their faith in Hairan...."
Johncena nodded heavily.
He wasn''t foolish.
The reason why the Emperor ced his younger brother at the vanguard, the fact that Dante couldn''t have killed the rank knights, and how unreasonable this purge was.
Johncena never knew.
"I definitely gave Hairan a chance. However, what returned was your younger brother''s neck and betrayal of faith. If we don''t end this today, that venomous and arrogant wolf will plunge the entire empire into death and terror."
Yes, Johncena followed the Emperor not for personal reasons.
He followed because it was a path for the Empire, or more precisely, for the people of the Empire.
"Your Majesty."
"Speak, Johncena-nim."
"Please keep your promise. Also, make sure they keep theirs......"
In response to those words, the Emperor smirked.
"Of course!"
As Johncena got up and headed towards the battlefield, the Emperor waved his hand in farewell.
And as soon as Johncena disappeared, he wiped away his expression.
Dante and the Hairan knights were already heading towards the Dragon Spear with blood all over them.
All that blood belonged to the rank knights who threw themselves in their way.
Except for the vanguard, all the main force knights believed that Dante had killed the knights trying to maintain faith with Hairan.
There was no time to correct misunderstandings and reveal the truth in the midst of a brutal and ruthless battle.
In the end, the rescued hundred knights couldn''t survive the onught of sword blows and magic.
In the new battle that started as soon as the main force arrived, the Hairan knights couldn''t afford to charge through all of them.
This was because the main force arrived earlier than expected.
In the eyes of the Imperial Army''s main force, it seemed as if Hairan had indiscriminately massacred the vanguard.
If disobeying the Emperor''s order was death, and fighting against Hairan was death, then thetter was better.
To avoid a future where all their family and rtives would be executed as traitorster.
Blood and war breed madness.
The knights who blocked Dante''s path, even facing imminent death, had chosen madness over fear.
So did Dante, who cut them down.
The path of righteousness.
The words that summarized Dante''s character''s humanity were tainted in red and dark.
''How many have I cut down already?''
Even in the moment of sudden doubt, Dante''s sword brought down the rushing necks.
The burden of guilt, heavier than blood, pressed on his back, but he dared not acknowledge it.
Like many others swept up by war.
Dante naturally substituted that immense guilt for hatred.
There''s no turning back now.
My n, my grandfather, and I never betrayed the Empire.
''Why do you try to stab us with your swords...!''
Dante stopped for a moment, catching his breath, with about five hundred steps remaining between him and the Dragon Spear.
Until then, the assault squad following Dante was unharmed.
However, as they tried to advance again, someone infiltrated their nk.
"Argh!"
"Stop them!"
In golden armor, they were members of the Imperial Guard.
As soon as they appeared, they quickly cut down the two Hairan knights at the rear.
Dante stood for a while looking at the dead Hairan knights.
"There''s no devil like you, Dante Hairan. Was everything you showed so far false? I never knew you would be so familiar with killing innocents... Huuk!"
Dante lunged at him like a shot and swung his sword.
The opponent showed no signs of panic, but as Dante increased his speed, his arm was soon severed.
The Imperial Guard knights, who had appeared confident, couldn''t help but shudder at that moment.
The knight Dante disabled in a few seconds was the leader of the Third Division.
"Shut up. I have nothing to say to trash like you," Dante said coldly as he beheaded him.
"Bastard!"
"Young patriarch, we''ll take care of this ce. Go to the Dragon Spear!"
Without hesitation, Dante took a step forward...
Leaving the Hairan knights behind.
He realized that if he hesitated even a little...
The Hairan knights would die even faster.
Moreover, he felt that he had to keep eliminating those who stood in his way to keep his spirit from going insane.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 528
Chapter 528
C528
The swords of the Imperial Guard lunged at Dante, who stood alone.
The knights of the Hairan assault squad blocked them, but the number of the Imperial Guard was overwhelming.
In addition, the rank-and-file knights continued their assault on Dante.
Every time Dante moved, sharp shes of light apanied his actions.
With each move, more than one knight died.
Even though they knew they were no match for him...
Dante couldn''t fathom the relentless charge of the infantry soldiers, like moths to a me.
"I can''t afford to go easy on them...!"The sword of the Imperial Guard was visible among the bodies of the foot soldiers who had just been struck down.
On reflex...
Dante turned his head to dodge it, but the de grazed his forehead, leaving a trail of blood running into his eyes.
As Dante took a moment to wipe the blood away, a gap opened, and the Imperial Guard seized the opportunity.
Dante would have faced a mortal wound if not for the Dragon Sword Armor, another secret technique of the Sword Emperor.
The blue aura band enveloping Dante''s body blocked the Imperial Guard''s sword.
The aura band didn''t stop there but pierced through the chest of the imperial guard like a thorn.
The golden armor was ruthlessly pierced, and blood spurted out.
Three other Imperial Guard knights who had wielded their swords alongside him either suffered mortal wounds or were forced to retreat.
Of course...
The Imperial Guard wasposed of individuals of unparalleled talentpared to foot soldiers.
Some had passed the Runcandel cadet exam in their youth and were often assessed as geniuses or prodigies.
However, next to Dante, they seemed like mere foot soldiers.
Talent, effort, the will to ovee one''s natural limitations, the determination to stay on the battlefield until now...
Dante surpassed the Imperial Guard knights in every aspect.
"Do you really think you can kill me? Is that why you''re rushing at me? You''re not even close. At the very least, you should be on the level of the Captain of the Imperial Guard...!"
Dante stopped talking and looked at a man standing in front of a Dragon Spear.
The Captain of the Imperial Guard, Alton Hairan.
He was Dante''s uncle and had been the gbearer of Hairan before joining the Imperial Guard.
"Stop, Dante."
Dante let out a mockingugh.
"Alton Hairan, my uncle. Grandfather always found you pitiful, but I tried to understand and respect you. The reason you became a member of the Imperial Guard wasn''t because youcked the qualifications and potential to be the patriarch of Hairan... I thought it was another form of loyalty to the n and the empire."
Dante slowly advanced towards Alton.
Those who were still alive among the Imperial Guards and the foot soldiers who had rushed in at the beginning continued to extend their swords...
But Dante took their breath away without taking his eyes off Alton.
"Grandfather was right. You''re nothing more than garbage who couldn''t have anything in Hairan, so you became thepdog of the Emperor for a meager bit of power."
"If you stop now, everything can go back to normal. Dante."
"Heh, what?"
"A meager bit of power? I am the Captain of the Imperial Guard. If you show your intention to surrender even now and hand over the white stone, Hairan can continue to exist as a pir of the Empire. I swear by my name. Stop. Stop now. This massacre doesn''t suit you. Everything can be forgotten."
"Hahaha...!"
Dante''s face contorted.
"You''re crazy, Alton Hairan. How many do you think have already lost their lives? If I stop, will theye back to life? Will the fact that the Emperor branded Hairan as a traitor disappear?" Dante shouted with bloodshot eyes.
"The fight won''t end until one of the two, Hairan or the Empire, is destroyed."
"Fool... don''t you feel any responsibility as the young patriarch? If you don''t stop, Hairan will be destroyed! Even its history will be erased without a trace."
Dante lunged, extending his sword.
Alton deflected Dante''s sword head-on.
ng!
A loud noise and a shockwave erupted, and the Imperial Guard knights who were trying to help Alton couldn''t approach hurriedly.
Kugh-!
Dante spat out a mouthful of blood.
Blood flowed from his eyes and ears, and the hand holding the entwined swords seemed about to break, as if the bones could shatter at any moment.
"And what do you think you can achieve with that body? What choice have you made as the young patriarch? Aren''t you plunging yourself and the n members into a senseless massacre? Even though the path for everyone to live is right in front of you!"
As if it made no sense to continue responding, Dante silently swung his sword.
As Alton said, it seemed that his weak body had already surpassed its limits.
However...
The fact that he kept moving his shaky body with such roughness implied that Dante was crossing a certain threshold as a martial artist.
Unlike the blood oozing from his body, Dante''s sword emitted a stronger and brighter light.
It stabbed into Alton faster and sharper.
The wind let out a shrill cry as the swords collided and cut through the air.
The energy fragments from the swords bounced in all directions, forming a vortex, and the ground beneath them constantly trembled with their footsteps.
The nearby knights kept their distance, waiting for the shockwaves to weaken.
For those who hadn''t reached a certain level, it was a battle they dared not approach.
The oue of the fight soon arrived.
Just as Alton was about to execute the Hairan secret technique, Dante reached him by shing at his wrist.
Thud-!
Dante''s sword, which stabbed Alton in the back and emerged from his chest, was dyed a dark red by the blood.
Dante twisted the sword, and Alton grimaced and shook his head.
The blood flowing from Dante''s forehead continued to spread into his eyes.
In an instant, several childhood memories with Alton passed through Dante''s mind.
Moments when Dante admired him as his uncle and how he struggled to ward off the inferiority he felt towards his nephew as his uncle.
But it had gone too far for his sorrow.
Dante wasn''t truly sad about the thought that floated like a bubble bursting on the water''s surface for a moment.
"Alton Hairan, Hairan never abandoned you, but you abandoned Hairan. Hairan never betrayed you, but you betrayed Hairan more than anyone. Even this death is not enough to pay for that sin."
"Tch..."
Alton was also recalling something simr to what Dante was thinking.
He wasn''t as strong and resilient as Dante.
That''s why he left Hairan, suggested saving Hairan a moment ago, and now said hisst words.
"Stop..."
Swiish!
Dante unsheathed his sword, and Alton fell forward, convulsing.
Enough, Zipple ising...
Dante...
The voice of his imminent death was so weak that he could barely open his mouth.
Dante hadn''t heard that Zipple was approaching.
Even if he had heard, it wouldn''t have changed his determination.
When Alton found death, the Emperor''s army had no choice but to suffer a great shock.
No one expected the captain of the Imperial Guard to be killed like this.
The one currently making his way through the battlefield was not Ron but Dante.
"Assault squad! Continue supporting the young patriarch!"
Like a ghost, Dante started running towards the Dragon Spear again.
At that moment, nearbymon soldiers regained the fear wrapped in madness.
They didn''t dare to face the young patriarch of Hairan.
Hundreds ofmon soldiers waiting alongside the Dragon Spear took a step back, and only high-ranking knights, including the Imperial Guard, barely pointed their swords at Dante.
The dragons behind the Dragon Spear roared.
The dragons unleashed their breaths simultaneously, and at that moment, knights from another assault squad that had just arrived shielded Dante with sword shields.
"Come on, young patriarch!"
Hairan''s knights were not all monsters like Dante.
The assault squad held their breath.
The situation wasplicated, as Red Dragon and Yellow Dragon ss cannons aimed at Dante were flying from all directions.
When the Dragon Spear is destroyed, and the Sword Saints arrive...
Hairan''s knights shot their sword energies at the dragons.
Dante closed the distance with the Dragon Spear by cutting the remaining fire from the dragons.
While Dante and the assault squad cleared the path, the Dragon Spear fired two more projectiles at the Sword Emperor Castle.
The castle''s wall where Dante was located had copsedpletely, exposing the inside of the castle.
Dante wasn''t fighting with the goal of defending the castle, but Ron, who had lost consciousness, was present in the deepest part of the castle.
As a member of Hairan and as the grandson of the Sword Emperor.
Ron remained Dante''s greatest hope.
Ron still couldn''t regain consciousness, as the Sword Emperor Castle was being destroyed...
But Dante believed that Ron would awaken before the end of the war.
When he wakes up, he will show the weight that the name Sword Emperor carries for Hairan''s enemies...
Dante believed so.
If there wasn''t even that hope, his tired and battered body would have copsed on the cold ground long ago.
"Hoo, hoo...!"
Dante exhaled heavily, gripping his sword.
The Dragon Spear was right in front of his eyes.
Seeing it up close, the Dragon Spear seemed enormous and emitted an indescribably ominous aura.
He cut it with a single sword.
The Sword Emperor''s secret technique, Divine Radiance, pierced the center of the Dragon Spear, leaving a bright afterimage.
The Dragon Spear, split in half, copsed on both sides and crushed themon soldiers and magicians who couldn''t escape.
Dante kneeled for a moment, hiding his body amid the dust and smoke that spread when the Dragon Spear fell.
Then, before the enemies could see his state, he stood up again, stabilizing his trembling body.
It was the moment when Hairan achieved a small victory in this war.
"The young patriarch has defeated the captain of the Imperial Guard and the Dragon Spear!"
"The Emperor''s Dragon Spear has copsed...!"
But at that moment...
Kwaaa-!
Kwaaaaa...!
Somewhere, the sound of an explosion resonated.
Although the distance was far, it was exactly the same sound as when the Dragon Spear fired cannonballs.
When he turned around, he saw the protective shield of the Sword Emperor Castle and the outer wall copsing.
''Is there... another Dragon Spear?''
There was only one Dragon Spear in the Empire.
However, in preparation for such a moment, the Emperor had replicated the Dragon Spear using Zipple''s ability.
"Kuugh!"
"Ha, ha... The second Dragon Spear has been confirmed at the back gate!"
"The Hensick Magic Corps, the Lilitha Magic Corps are operating the Dragon Spear! At least the 4th, no, 7th, 9th...!"
Dante was too far for the urgent voices of the vignt knights to reach.
However, even without hearing their reports, he could tell that the situation was not just bad but much worse.
"Should I keep advancing and aim at the Emperor, no, at the Sword Emperor Castle, at the Hairan knights, at my grandfather...!
Nausea overcame him.
He had to somehow pull himself together and face the situation.
It couldn''t end like this, so futilely.
Dante was plunged into despair, and the Emperor smiled.
However, both Dante''s despair and the Emperor''s smile...
It was only for a fleeting moment...
From beyond the rear of the Sword Emperor Castle, a massive stream of shining swords fiercely cut through the dark night sky.
A unique blue color created by thebination of lightning energy and aura.
There was only one person in the world who wielded a sword like that.
That''s why everyone on the battlefield who witnessed the sword was able to understand it in an instant.
Jin Runcandel had arrived.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 529
Chapter 529
C529
Dante couldn''t take his eyes off the blue sword that extended from the far end of the rear.
Everyone in the n was risking their lives, so he didn''t want to survive cowardly alone.
However, the blue sword Dante saw with his own eyes felt like a light cutting through despair.
Jin...!
Jin did not receive Dante''s letter.
Even if he had received it...
He and his people would have surelye to aid Sword Emperor Castle.
Hairan!We have arrived! Jin shouted with determination, and the entire battlefield vibrated with his voice.
Even Dante, who was alone at the forefront of the battlefield, could clearly hear his friend''s voice.
The Imperial Army at the rear looked up.
Jin stood alone on the cliff behind Sword Emperor Castle.
"The Vamel Alliance and the Tikan Kingdom will now defend Sword Emperor Castle with Hairan."
The Sigmund sword, pale blue, the lightning sword granted directly by the Battle Goddess, was stained with a sharp beam.
The Dragon Spear cannon, aiming at the back gate, hurried to target Jin.
"So, let all enemies make way."
The moment the Dragon Spear cannon fired, Jin''s sword emitted light.
Fifth Secret Technique of Runcandel
Light Speed Thrust - Legend
The light of a single sword illuminated the night sky for an instant.
And the Dragon Spear projectile disappeared without a trace, leaving only the sound of the explosion.
It was engulfed by the energy of the Light Speed Thrust sword.
The sword''s energy that swallowed the projectile pierced through the protective shields of the imperial army''s knights and magicians and evenpletely destroyed the Dragon Spear.
It happened before the sound of the explosion could disperse in the air.
Those who witnessed it couldn''t understand what was happening.
Only by observing Jin''s movements and the illumination and aura that remained in the straight line between the cliff and the shattered Dragon Spear.
They could only deduce the fact that he had thrust his sword once.
But the shock didn''t end there.
"Kugh!"
"W-What is this...!"
Lightning began to burst from the point of impact of the light-speed thrust, where the Dragon Spear was shattered.
The original light-speed thrust was just an incredibly fast thrust, as Tris said.
However, Jin''s Light Speed Thrust, named in honor of his brothers, carried the fierce energy exclusive to the Sword of Legends.
The ruthless power of a race that once ruled and dominated as the sole victors.
Blue lightning trampled the knights and magicians of the imperial army.
They had no means to defend against its power.
With a single sword, the rear ranks of the imperial army copsed.
Both allies and enemies, feeling the thrill of Jin''s sword, could only think the same.
This is the kind of knight that overwhelms the battlefield.
Jin raised his aura again.
And he fired a series of Light Speed Thrusts until the cliff copsed because it couldn''t withstand the force.
In the eyes of the enemies, the blue shes falling on the battlefield seemed like the punishment of a god.
It seemed like they were paying the price for daring to betray Hairan as part of the Empire.
It seemed like they were being punished for not standing up against the tyranny of the Emperor as humans who were safe within the shield called Hairan.
The cliff copsed after five Light Speed Thrusts.
And the fact that the cliff had copsed meant that the monster would now sweep directly across the battlefield.
The enemy''s fear had to be heavy.
The Sword of Legends was created solely for conquest and destruction.
There was no more specialized martial art in the world for war than that.
As soon as Jin entered the battlefield, the death toll changed.
Lightning struck every time the lightning energy spread, and when lightning fell, dozens or hundreds of enemies died or were so severely injured that they could no longer fight, lying on the ground.
Not only foot soldiers, but even knights who considered themselves part of the Imperial Army dared not block Jin''s path.
If they faced him recklessly, their entire bodies would burn before they could even sh swords.
Screams loud enough to pierce eardrums were heard.
But Jin couldn''t hear their screams.
Only the rough voice of his friend, whose heart must be shattered by the madness of war, broke his heart.
"Back off, you bastards. How could you do this to Hairan...!"
Even in defeat, people witnessed another name called Runcandel.
The Dragon Spear aiming at the back gate and the entire cannon of Yellow Dragon ss or higher followed Jin''s movements.
First of all, the Dragon Spear that Dante stabbed at the front line was nothing more than a deception.
In the rear and on the nks, many more Dragon Spears were deployed.
More than fifty Dragon Spears were being loaded.
Additionally, enemymanders were also prepared for a joint attack.
"Jin Runcandel! Are you aware that the people you are killing are the troops of His Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Vermont Empire? Runcandel is now intervening in the Empire''s civil war, do you understand what that means...?"
Themander of the Magical Corps, Lilitha, couldn''t finish her words.
Immediately, Jin fired another Light Speed Thrust in the direction of the voice.
As soon as she died, the knights of the Central Order of Knights, a hundred key figures in the Imperial Army, as Dante had predicted, formed to block Jin.
Jin snorted.
"The fact that you can die at the hands of a Runcandel on the battlefield is the greatest honor trash like you can have."
The Central Order of Knights did not add more words like Commander Lilitha.
It was because they knew it at first sight.
No matter what they said, Jin would not stop.
"So I don''t even want to give you that honor, bastards. That''s the price you pay for forgetting honor."
As soon as Jin finished speaking.
Bang!
A sudden cannon shot from somewhere rained down on the Central Order of Knights.
It was a Dragon Spear.
The knights hurriedly raised their shields and brandished their swords, but the gship cannon of the Empire ended their lives.
''Damn it, why is the Dragon Spear attacking us!''
''The Hensirk Magic Corps wouldn''t make such a mistake. Could it be...?
Jin smiled coldly and shrugged.
"I clearly shouted that we wereing, not just me. Have you forgotten, idiotmanders?"
Boom!
Dragon Spear shots continued to rain down on the Central Order of Knights.
Who aimed the cannon from the left rear of the battlefield was not the imperial army.
"It''s a sess! Hehe, my lord will praise me, won''t he?"
Amughed and loaded the next cannon.
The great mercenary Am...
As soon as she entered the battlefield, she quickly assessed the enemy''s equipment and began confiscating it one by one.
"Old Valkas. That one looks usable. Hand it over."
"...Fine."
"It would have been better if they brought it to me instead of old Valkas, but our cute brothers Proch are organizing the side battlefield well."
Valkas, the ck King Leader, and Am, the great mercenary.
The two people who could be called the embodiment of war were also stirring up the rear battlefield with Jin.
Realizing this fact btedly...
The Imperial Army felt again a horrible sensation, as if blood were draining from their heads.
Valkas raised the Dragon Spear pointed by Am.
He lifted the huge cannon led by hundreds of foot soldiers as if it were a light rock.
The number of troops meant nothing in front of a human who had risen to the ranks of superhumans.
"It''s nothingpared to ck King Cannon Number 1, but this one isn''t bad either. I''ll take a few of these and hang them in Tikan after the war is over! Fire, fire!"
In the end, the Dragon Spears handled by Am annihted all the knights standing in Jin''s way in less than thirty seconds.
"Ugh... agh..."
Jin didn''t even cut them directly, as he had said.
There was no glorious death in battle at the hands of Runcandel left for them.
"Even if you die, apologize for what you''ve done. And hope that Dante doesn''t die or get hurt. If such a thing happens, I will not only exterminate your families but also your rtives and their kin..."
At those words, the knights of the Central Order of Knights couldn''t believe that this was the end even facing death.
It was a deep and dark voice that no one could consider a lie if they heard it in person, and it was the threat of the pure-blooded Runcandel.
When Jin started moving again, the imperial troops surrounding him retreated.
The in was wide, but it seemed like there was a cliff right behind them.
If they kept retreating to avoid Jin, they might fall off that edge.
However, their steps didn''t seem to advance at all.
The Emperor''s orders and the madness of war were overshadowed by a huge and terrifying shadow approaching step by step.
When they thought they were going to face Hairan without Ron, all imperial troops were confident of victory.
They thought the sword Emperor would finally fall in front of numerous dragons, knights, magicians, and the empire''s strongest war equipment, including the Dragon Spear.
That''s why the imperial army attacked the sword Emperor, even though they knew this purge was not reasonable at all.
Regardless of right or wrong, staying on the losing side in a war will ultimately bring death and destruction.
The moment they defend Hairan, they will also be traitors and be executed.
However, they overlooked that Hairan is not alone.
They didn''t recognize the rtionship between the young patriarch of Hairan and the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel, which was thicker than blood.
Therefore, now the conviction that "they cannot win" and despair weighed on the Imperial Army.
Beyond that, even questions arose.
Could the Empire continue to exist as it has until today?
They wanted to confess their sins immediately and beg to be on Hairan''s side now.
They wished to speak humbly, admitting that they followed the Emperor''s orders only because theycked strength and that, in reality, they respected Hairan more than the imperial family.
It was impossible for Jin and Hairan not to heed such a ridiculous plea.
They knew better than anyone that iming to have only followed orders was no excuse.
Some lost their heads and sobbed uncontrobly, while others dropped their weapons, trembling all over.
Some shouted, but it was not to fight against the opponent but only to lose reason and be a frightened beast.
"I swear in the name of the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel. Flee, I won''t pursue you. However, any enemy who remains on the battlefield will die without exception. But I think..."
I think it''s better for them to die here than endure a lifetime of dishonor and self-hatred.
Jin kept talking and looked at the enemies.
Those who saw his gaze keenly perceived the harsh reality.
Whether they faced him or fled, only hell awaited them.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 530
Chapter 530
C530
The psychological pressure was unbearable for the guilty.
The Imperial Army started this war without any justification, reason, or hatred.
Those who participated in the fight, choosing the side of victory or defeat like children picking teams,cked unwavering willpower and a fiery fighting spirit.
All the knights and magicians in the rear hadpletely lost morale.
It happened in the first thirty minutes after Jin appeared.
When Jin started moving again, the infantry knights and magicians who had stayed there, or rather, were quite far from Jin, scattered and avoided him.
Whether they fought or fled, it was hell.
Not a single foot soldier decided to face him.Those with shaky legs ran off the battlefield as if they were mad, and those who couldn''t do that cried and crawled.
True to his promise, Jin didn''t pursue those fleeing enemies.
However, the enemymanders couldn''t do the same.
"These madmen...! Fight! Those who run will die by my hands, I said."
"Do they think they can endure the crime of defying the orders of the Emperor? It''s better to fight and die, thus preventing your blood from being exterminated!"
Despite the ruthless orders of themanders of the Imperial army, foot soldiers didn''t stop fleeing.
It had already been decided which of the two was more fearsome, the Emperor or Jin Runcandel.
In the end, themanders began directly reducing the knights and magicians who were fleeing.
However, even after the scene continued, foot soldiers didn''t stop leaving the battlefield.
When the situation reached that point, themanders had no choice but to fall into panic.
The Runcandel knight, whom they couldn''t handle even united, was approaching, but the formation had already dispersed so much that it could barely be called an army.
Only the senior knights, Hensick, and the Magic Corps Lilitha were left.
But all they could do was prepare for death.
Most of the Dragon Spears, which were the greatest power, were destroyed or snatched away, and Jin wasn''t tired at all, even after fiercely unleashing decisive killing moves, pressing them with bloodlust.
They couldn''t receive support from the front or the sides of the battlefield.
The front was still in Dante''s hands, while the nks were organized by Brother Proch, Kashimir, Alisa, Yulian, Kuzan, Gilly, and others.
Even the Imperial rear forces were trying to use the refugees from Sword Emperor Castle who hadn''t left yet as hostages.
It might be the worst-case scenarioter, but they thought it could be a way to stir up the situation.
But even that was going to fail because of Jin''spanions.
"Mesa, Scott! You two and your crew must prioritize protecting the refugees. Bellop, you and I will deal with the enemymanders."
Luton Ferman, the former Execution Knight of Runcandel, and the younger division were also participating in this war.
Having gone through hellish training under Luton''s orders and being Runcandel guardian knights in the first ce, the Imperial rear knights couldn''t be their rivals.
Thus, Jin and hispanions tore apart the battlefield while shouting.
"For our Lord!"
"For our Lord and Hairan!"
"Rescue our allies, take care of the wounded!"
As the rank-and-file enemies fled, the shouts grew louder than the screams.
Everyone knew that the war wouldn''t end in victory so easily.
However, the knights of Sword Emperor Castle now had hope to escape from despair and head towards victory.
"The Dragon Spears are gathering around Lady Am! Currently, eight cannons, and the number keeps increasing!"
"She didn''t die on the Gaifa Inds, she became a subordinate of the Twelfth gbearer...!"
Am''s skills shine especially inrge-scale warfare.
She was continually gathering Dragon Spears using her own murky energy and Valkas''s power.
At the same time, she was remodeling them at a great speed.
Dozens of hands made with murky energy were moving diligently, removing broken spears, parts from other cannons, and pre-prepared objects, and attaching them to the stolen Dragon Spears.
"Cannonplete! My Lord, we''re almost ready! If you give the order, I''ll start the front cannon support fire!"
Jin nodded, and Am waved her hand from her bushy suit, saluting.
"Order received! Look forward to the thrilling cannon support fire from Am."
The Dragon Spears raised their cannons in unison, following Am''s hand.
"Bang!"
Eight Dragon Spears simultaneously fired into the sky at an angle.
The cannon shots seemed to go beyond the castle, far ahead, towards where the Emperor was.
Despite having nothing in sight, Am fired without hesitation.
She was gauging the precise distance where her allies wouldn''t suffer damage only from the vibrations on the battlefield.
It wasn''t a lie when Valkas imed that no one could match Am when it came to war.
Dante caught his breath and looked at the cannon shots falling like meteorites on the Imperial army in the distance.
It was evident that the cannon shots were blocked.
The best of Hensick and Lillista''s magic bodies were extending a protective shield.
However, the Dragon Spear was originally the Empire''s strongest weapon of war.
It wasn''t something magicians could easily block, especially when eight cannons were firing simultaneously.
The mana from the Imperial magic bodies was amplified to the point that even the knights could feel it, and foot soldiers could see it with their own eyes.
As far as Dante knew, the Empire didn''t possess that level of technology.
The ability to amplify mana on such a scale was almost unheard of in the academic world and history books.
Zipple.
Only they could do something like that.
Dante paid no attention to Alton''s warning...
But he was sure the Emperor had struck a deal with Zipple.
All for that white stone...!
The white stone, that object had tainted Dante''s insides from before the war began.
And as the cup of war overflowed, the hatred and anger originating from the white stone grew faster and faster.
It wasn''t that Am''s Dragon Spears didn''t manage to inflict any damage on the Imperial army.
The elite members of the Magic Corps were only protecting the Emperor and other important personnel, not the lives of the foot soldiers.
Dante gripped his sword again.
Dante, who felt no emotion at the deaths of the Imperial infantry and magicians bursting before him, was rather suddenly scared as he found himself surrounded by a pleasant sensation of death.
The war had only just begun.
"Get out of the way; I will kill the Emperor."
The Imperial Guard and the infantry scattered as Dante advanced with his sword.
After a while, arge man appeared among them.
"...Dante-nim."
The leader of the Dragon King Knights, the Imperial Sword.
Johncena Ferrell blocked Dante.
His blue armor shone even in the darkness, unlike Dante, who was covered in blood and looked like a demonic creature.
Heroic stories of Johncena and various legends had instilled dreams in countless knights worldwide.
Although his individual strength didn''t receive much attention rtive to Ron, Johncena was a role model for knights.
Dante also held great admiration for him.
That''s why a bitterugh escaped him.
"Ever since Kevin Ferrell came... I expected you to be in the Imperial Army too. But when I saw you standing in my way, sir, I couldn''t help but feel disgusted."
Dante spat blood.
Johncena raised his aura instead of responding.
The surrounding ground vibrated, and small mounds of rocks scattered and rose.
"Did you perhaps harbor an ancient sense of inferiority toward my grandfather? Or did you want to see your Ferrell Family rece Hairan as the Empire''s pir?"
Dante''s voice trembled with a sense of betrayal.
He was sure that even if all the Dragon King Knights blindly followed the Emperor''s orders, Johncena wouldn''t forget his honor.
Just as Dante was about to mock him again, Johncena disappeared from his view.
When he hurriedly looked, Johncena''s great sword was already falling on his shoulder.
Thud!
The blow immediately dislocated his shoulder.
Dante was pushed backward, crashing onto the ground, and Johncena''s sword energy descended upon him.
Dante quickly reset his shoulder bone, stood up, and deflected Johncena''s sword energy.
His two wobbly legs seemed to lose bnce at any moment.
It''s the Imperial Sword''s sword.
With his body on the verge of breaking, Dante couldn''t easily dodge the attack.
"Enough."
"Is this guy or that guy only telling me to stop when you stabbed Sword Emperor Castle first? Don''t you feel ashamed, hypocrite?"
Dante lunged at him shouting, but Dante''s sword couldn''t pierce through Johncena''s great sword.
Every time they exchanged swords, Dante spat blood as his bones and organs shook, and Johncena couldn''t even lose his breath.
It was like an iron wall.
Johncena was showing a clear difference in skillpared to the knights he had faced until now.
"Please."
"Ha, please?"
"I don''t want to see you die."
"You talk as if you''re taking care of me, leader of the Dragon King Knights... It might seem amusing while I get tired and vomit blood..."
Dante''s body was stained with an aura.
It was a sign that another secret technique of the Sword Emperor was about to be executed.
And Johncena knew the price of that sword.
Dante''s life.
"Are you going to die with me? How long will you be stubborn, Dante Hairan! Instead of clinging to illusions, n for the future!"
You''re the lord of Sword Emperor Castle! Johncena shouted with wide-open eyes.
"If you die, Hairan won''t be able to rise again. Why do you keep throwing yourself into the darkness with a hand''s breadth advantage? Do you think this is what Ron-nim wants!"
"How dare you speak my grandfather''s name from your filthy mouth......!"
[Nyaaa-!]
At that moment, as soon as the rear battlefield was cleared...
Shuri, the ruby cat running tirelessly, leaped between Dante and Johncena.
Jin was riding on Shuri.
Dante recognized that Jin hade from the first time the blue sword illuminated the night sky...
But he hadn''t expected him to clear the rear so quickly ande towards him.
Moreover, Dante didn''t even think Jin would join him on the front lines.
That''s how trapped he was in his internal confusion.
Hairan''s future and the knights following him depend on him.
He has already realized that surviving alone is impossible.
"Dante."
Jin spoke as if understanding Dante''s inner struggle.
"If I had only pretended to save you, I wouldn''t have bothered toe. I came to save both you and Sword Emperor Castle. So now, don''t fight as if this is the end. Don''t forget that there is a future ahead."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 531
Chapter 531
C531
As soon as he saw his friend, who ran towards him immediately, the blood flowing from Dante''s eyes seemed to have lightened a bit.
Dante couldn''t take his eyes off Jin for a while, as if time had stood still.
The inner hatred, madness, bloodstains, and destruction seemed to rapidly subside.
It was like when you find yourself in a dead-end and realize you have someone to rely on.
Dante didn''t want Jin toe into this quagmire, but that was based solely on the judgment that it was the right thing to do as a friend.
In fact, he wished more than anyone that Jin would fight by his side.
If the situation were reversed, he would have gone to help Jin with everything at stake.
"...Jin, you''vee.""You speak as if it''s a surprise. Yes, it''s me."
Dante dropped to one knee and sat on the ground as he saw Jin.
Upon seeing Jin, the hidden exhaustion in the rage began to shake his whole body.
His bones rattled even when he was still, and ck blood oozed from every pore on his face.
Jin found it hard to believe that Dante had been standing with his body until now, and that he had even fought.
"Did you try to die intentionally, Dante?"
"To my shame..."
"Do you have any intention to live now?"
Dante nodded.
"I was worried about what to do if I had to knock you out again, but fortunately, it seems unnecessary."
"If you hit me in my current state, I might die."
"Anyway, you''ve held up well. Rest a bit until you can fight again."
Jin smiled satisfied and helped Dante onto Shuri''s back.
Mounted on Shuri, Dante alternated his gaze between Jin and the battlefield for a while, then nodded.
As his friend says, he realized there must be a next time.
"...Thank you."
When Jin gave the signal, Shuri sped towards the Sword Emperor Castle.
The enemies dared not stand in front of Shuri due to the terrifying mana bolts emanating from her eyes and the swing of her front paws.
High-level healing priests from the Holy Kingdom, brought by Jin, awaited inside the Sword Emperor Castle.
"...It''s the first time I''ve seen you grow, Jin Runcandel."
"First of all, I would like to thank you for waiting. Leader of the Dragon King Knights, Johncena Ferrell-nim."
It wasn''t about not interrupting their conversation with Dante a moment ago.
Jin believed that Johncena hadn''t intentionally killed Dante and had waited for him.
Judging by Dante''s condition, Johncena could have finished him off in five minutes.
Although there was a secret technique after staking his life, the moment it was executed, Dante''s death was genuinely certain.
In that case, Johncena nned to somehow render Dante unconscious before the secret technique was executed and send him back to the Sword Emperor Castle.
In other words, Johncena had no intention of killing Dante, and Jin was curious about the reason.
"It''s bitter. I never thought a man like you would abandon his faith and join the Emperor''s tyranny. Meanwhile, what''s the point of trying to save Dante? Guilt? Hypocrisy? I hope it''s not such a tepid reason."
"I am a knight of the Empire."
It was a statement with many meanings.
Johncena, as a knight of the Empire, simply chose the path that could save the most people.
As a knight of the Empire, there was no better choice than that.
The reason he tried to save Dante was the hope that the fire called Hairan would not bepletely extinguished.
As long as Zipple was with them...
Hairan would never win this war, so he hoped the fire would restore the empire again in the future.
If it were Dante Hairan, he could undoubtedly do it.
He would be able to transcend hatred and revenge, ultimately choosing radiant justice.
Johncena was convinced of that.
Jin easily deciphered the underlying meaning.
"It seems Zipple threatened to destroy the empire if it didn''t hand over the white stone."
Johncena didn''t respond.
For some reason, he stood as an enemy of the Sword Emperor Castle...
And it was a correct choice considering the well-being of the people, but by no means honorable.
"Your choice was wrong, sir. Do you have any intention to correct that choice even now? Dante and I will never give up on Hairan."
"I don''t know about you, but I don''t think all of Runcandel supports the Sword Emperor Castle."
"If the white stone is so valuable as to move all of Zipple, then the Garden of Swords won''t stay still either."
"Even if that''s the case, I don''t wish for a future where the Empire bes the battlefield between Runcandel and Zipple. Civilians aren''t as ustomed to death as we Warriors. Protecting their lives is the only duty of an imperial knight."
"I will respect that."
A person''s life represents everything about them.
As far as Jin knew, the human named Johncena Ferrell was never someone who made bad decisions for personal desire or survival.
However, choices always brought consequences.
Crack-le!
Sigmund was dyed blue with lightning energy.
Johncena''s great sword emitted a brighter light than before and resonated.
The two charged at each other simultaneously.
As their weapons shed, the ground trembled, and shockwaves spread.
The nearby imperial troops hurried to put up a protective shield, but not many could withstand the light shes mixed with the shockwave.
It seemed as if shes of light were emanating from various ces.
With each sh, the shes illuminating the surroundings were nothing more than afterimages created by the movement of the two swords.
For those who couldn''t ascend to their level, the only moments they could confirm the battle were when the swords collided, engaging in a contest of strength.
''Is it really the imperial sword?''
Jin saw no openings.
Johncena thought the same, shing swords with Jin.
I''ve heard that the Twelfth gbearer''s techniques are extraordinary, but...
To this extent?
It''s impossible to dominate him.
''The fight will only prolong.''
However, Jin had no intention of prolonging the battle.
Johncena was indeed a strong person, but he wasn''t the core of this war.
Jin found it challenging to fight him, and if he spent too much strength, he wouldn''t be able to handle the next, the reinforcements from Zipple, which would soon arrive.
First of all, as powerful as Jin''s abilities were, it was absolutely impossible to defeat Zipple''s main force with that alone.
Unless they sent only the Second or Third divisions.
''The Emperor wouldn''t have started the war with such confidence if he had received the support of the Second and Third divisions.''
Jin had to conserve strength to stop the oing enemies and allow Dante and the knights of Hairan to escape.
Swish-!
Jin was pushed back, adjusting his stance.
Johncena closed the distance without hesitation, and at the same time, Sigmund stretched forward.
At a speed and angle that Johncena couldn''tprehend.
It was Runcandel''s Fifth Secret Technique, Light Speed Thrust.
The thrust seemed to erase Johncena''s face, but shortly after, Jin saw him stagger and readjust his posture.
The reason Johncena could dodge the Light Speed Thrust wasn''t due to talent or reflexes.
It was experience.
Decades of fighting against numerous strong opponents had made his head unconsciously twist.
However, he couldn''t avoid itpletely.
The de of the thrust tore off part of Johncena''s right cheek and ear.
Along with the burning sensation of his flesh, a sharp buzzing filled his ears.
Johncena almost turned around to see the aftermath of the passing sh.
"What the hell, a thrust at this speed?"
Obviously, it wasn''t a mortal wound.
However, the temporal stiffness due to the impact was much more incapacitating than the injuries he had just suffered.
Jin didn''t waste the opportunity and executed the Light Speed Thrust again.
Like all decisive killing moves and secret techniques, the Light Speed Thrust was an especially dangerous sword when onepletely ignored its existence.
Those who had reached the pinnacle could somewhat cope with the Light Speed Thrust if they were aware that an extraordinarily fast thrust coulde from a blind spot.
Johncena tried to make a sh by sidestepping.
No, he tried to dodge.
If it hadn''t been for the lightning that suddenly started at the impact point of the Light Speed Thrust, it would have been possible to finish the move.
Swish!
He recognized the Light Speed Thrust but didn''t think about the specificity of the lightning.
The fact that Jin''s Light Speed Thrust caused a replica had already been confirmed in the rear of the battlefield, but there wasn''t a single person left to report it to Johncena.
Because everyone had died or fled.
The second thrust that followed pierced Johncena''s shoulder.
Before he realized it, Johncena was wielding a different sword, Bradamante.
While Sigmund executed the second thrust, he threw it and lodged it between the two.
It was as if the rain of relentless lightning was fixed to the ground.
Sigmund spewed lightning, eroding the entire surrounding terrain, and Johncena screamed and raised his energy.
A bright light shed, vivid enough to illuminate the dark battlefield, and through it, a stream of dark energy blended.
Second Technique of the Shadow de: Scissors.
Johncena perfectly blocked one of the ck swords even as his posture copsed, but he was unaware of the shadow force rushing from the other side.
Thanks to his explosive aura and strong body, his body was saved from beingpletely bisected.
But the de that had pierced his ribs had already reached halfway into his chest.
It was very bitter to cut down a martial artist he had admired since childhood.
Johncena could no longer defend himself.
The oue of the battle was decided.
"Hai... Ran. Please.... protect him."
He sided with the Emperor for the safety of the empire''s people.
Facing death, Johncena wasn''t asking for Hairan''s survival.
It wasn''t the rationality of an imperial knight, but what he sincerely desired was for Hairan to survive.
Jin didn''t feel cowardly in hisst words.
Whether it was due to respect or the fact that his most sincere wish was Hairan''s survival, more than that of the people, his family, or the Empire.
In the distance, behind Johncena, a group of dragons and flying ships were approaching the Sword Emperor Castle.
It was Zipple''s force.
Jin confirmed the sight and reassured Johncena.
"Don''t worry, close your eyes, Johncena-nim. My Runcandel will be stronger than Zipple."
The moment Johncena breathed hisst.
The other dragons also appeared in the rear of the Sword Emperor Castle on the other side of Zipple''s reinforcements.
ck Dragon and Silver Dragon.
And the Dragon Knights of Hairan.
Murakan and Quikantel saved the Dragon Knights along with Hairan''s five Sword Saints.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 532
Chapter 532
C532
From the moment Jin decided to aid Sword Emperor Castle, he first sought out the fourth gbearer, Dyfus, and requested Tikan''s protection.
Utilizing information from the seven-colored peacock, Murakan and Quikantel were sent to the imperial pce, where the Dragon Knights were located, but Dante also dispatched the five Sword Saints of Hairan.
Murakan and Quikantel rescued the Dragon Knights, and the five sword saints rescued the dragons, joining forces with them.
"The Dragon Knights of Hairan havee to defend Sword Emperor Castle!"
As the leader of the Dragon Knights, Calmine Aita, shouted, thirty bird dragons howled in unison.
Murakan and Quikantel, in charge of the nks of the Dragon Knights'' formation, also let out a roar.
A shockwave erupted with just the emitted energy, and the sky near the Dragon Knights'' formation distorted.
The sword saints were atop the five dragon leaders alongside the leader of the Dragon Knights, Calmine.The pure white cloak symbolizing Hairan''s sword saints truly looked like a star, just like their title.
It was clearly smallpared to the enemy reinforcements that appeared simultaneously.
Zipple had more than 10 visible battleships, and the number of dragons approached 20. There were no subspecies like the Red Dragon, and all of them wereposed of higher-level species.
And what about the magicians aboard the fleet and the dragons?
The gs of elite forces, including the White Night, and secret elite magicians, the Spectre Corps, not yet revealed to the public, could also be included.
And there was a high possibility that this was not their entire force.
Still, just seeing the five sword saints and the Dragon Knights made the hearts of Hairan''s knights swell, and tears seemed about to burst.
Although Ron remained unconscious in his sickbed.
The fact that Jin Runcandel and Hairan''s best knights were with them instilled in them an indomitable courage.
Murakan and Quikantel took the lead and red at the enemy.
At that moment, everyone present on the battlefield could clearly see how Zipple''s dragons faltered.
It was evident that Zipple''s dragons feared Murakan.
In particr, Zipple''s reinforcements included dragons who had personally experienced Murakan''s 50% power on the Gaifa Inds.
Even if they didn''t have to go through the nightmare of Gaifa.
There were no dragons in the world who didn''t know Murakan''s ancient power.
Even young dragons born after Murakan''s slumber had spent their years listening to his legend.
"I, Murakan, am the existence that ughters the enemies of Solderet."
A somber yet majestic voice weighed on the battlefield.
Zipple''s Dragons hadpletely halted their advance, fixing their gaze on Murakan.
The magicians riding on their backs couldn''t help but feel bewildered as they realized the dragons trembled in fear.
"So, Dragons, immediately leave the battlefield if you don''t want to be enemies of Solderet."
Murakan spoke as if Jin were on par with Solderet.
Jin''s enemy was implicitly defined as an enemy of Solderet.
This fact was indescribably shocking to dragons and magicians.
ording to theirmon sense, no contracted dragon or world guardian could equate gods and humans.
However, no one dared to question Murakan''s words. There was only about ten seconds of silence.
The reason the dragons didn''t flee despite being terrified was because Zipple was behind them.
It was because Zipple was the world''s strongest n, and nothing could overthrow it.
"They''ve made their choice."
Whoa!
Murakan''s wings became enormous with Shadow Energy.
The night sky darkened even more with the eerie shadow, and vortex swirls spread like poison, darkening the moon and stars.
"The price of that choice is death."
As soon as Murakan finished his words, a cry spread from Zipple''s air force.
"Roar!"
"Kyaaak...!"
It was the cry of the Dragons.
There was also an explosion, and battleships burst and crashed.
"Darn it, suddenly from behind...!"
"Put up a protective shield!"
"Block it, block it!"
Murakan''s Shadow Energy dominion was not limited to the area where he floated.
His Shadow Energy had already taken control of the airspace above Zipple and the Imperial Army.
The power of shadows was a silent divine power.
Unlike other powers, including aura and mana, the power of shadows could dominate all directions without any signal.
Zipple rushed to block Murakan''s onught from behind, but that wasn''t all.
A ck breath cut through the sky and came from in front of Zipple.
"Disperse!"
Zipple''s fleet split to the left and right.
The intention was to scatter and avoid Murakan''s breath, but in their fear, they forgot about the silver dragon beside them.
Ttting!
With a sharp resonant sound, silver waves began to spread from the front of Quikantel.
The immense circr force was none other than the divine power of time.
Murakan and Quikantel.
Dragons who had lived in the era when they were lovers knew clearly what would happen if shadows and divine power of time werebined.
Fear and destruction.
Facing the darkness of shadows in a state where they couldn''t even lift a finger makes them wish for death.
"The helmet stopped... Kuck, agh!"
"My arm, my, my arm...!"
[Murakan! Why are you doing this... Kugh!]
Murakan didn''t kill the enemies bound by the divine power of time at once.
He subjected them to agony, letting them feel the pain.
Offering afortable death to those who dared to be enemies of Solderet despite his warning was a luxury.
There was literally blood and cries in the sky.
Enemies fighting on the ground looked up with stunned eyes unknowingly, and even allies felt a chill witnessing Murakan''s overwhelming presence.
The fleet consisted of mass-produced ships floating in the Sota Desert.
The mass-produced battleships, more than 100 ships that Jin had seen in person, had not yet been unleashed upon the world.
Therefore, the Imperial Army and Hairan''s knights shuddered when they saw the fleet.
Now they felt that, no matter how many battleships there were, they wouldn''t be able to ovee the power of Murakan and Quikantel.
Can this be called a battle?
Isn''t it more like a punishment?
As people thought, the majesty of Zipple''s fleet shown when it first appeared was eclipsed.
They couldn''t even think of a counterattack to ward off the divine power of time, and they were busy raising a protective shield.
Nevertheless, Zipple was still Zipple.
The White Night Magicians were considered elite, except for the Spectres.
Some of them were slowly escaping from the divine power of time and attempting to counterattack.
"Form a chained magic circle!"
"That power is limited to this! Hold on! Victory will be ours in the end!"
If Murakan had regained all his strength, not just 50%, they wouldn''t have dared to say that.
The current Murakan was obviously remarkable, but Zipple''s forces didn''t lose hope, confident that they could prevail in the end.
And indeed, even facing death as individuals, they were convinced that the immense power called Zipple would crush them.
"Hold on until the main force arrives!"
"We can''t directly hit the ck Dragon and the Silver Dragon, but we''ll take more Hairan knights with us before we die!"
"Fleet, aim for the ground forces!"
While dealing with the power of Shadow Energy and time, it was impossible to attack from the distance where Murakan and Quikantel were.
So Zipple''smanders decided to attack the ground forces instead.
It was a decision based on the conviction that, if it was Jin Runcandel''s known tendency, he would never abandon his allies.
It was a cowardly but correct move.
As they thought, Jin would give orders to focus on protecting allies for the moment.
However, Zipple''smanders were overlooking something crucial.
To execute any n, there must be something equivalent to it: power or ability.
"That''s a good judgment, but you won''t have the luxury for that."
As soon as Jin said it.
Suddenly, a blue protective shield spread across the field of Sword Emperor Castle like an umbre.
Enya, the time magician.
On the walls of Sword Emperor Castle, she cast the "Dragonfire Shield," Chukon Tolderer''s legacy and the essence of extreme defense magic.
Enya''s protective shield, whichpletely enveloped the castle''s facade, showed performance worthy of the Dragonfire Shield name.
The barely exhaled breaths of Zipple''s dragons collided with the shield and vanished, and the mana rays from the magicians couldn''t prate it.
For the Archmage of Anz, Chukon Tolderer, the current Dragonfire Shield was stronger and more perfect than when he cast it himself in life.
Although Enya was a prodigy, it was impossible to surpass Chukon''s mana in a few years.
However, it was thanks to Tikan''s divine item that Enya''s shield unfolded with mana that far surpassed hers.
As it had the power to destroy the world, Jin had always kept away from that evil thing, unlike Zipple in his past life.
It seemed that he would need a bit of help from that power to save his friend and his people.
"Kuaggh, uhh. Eh, it''s too much mana! I- I can''t control it!"
"Hey, hey! Stupid, get yourself together! Do you have time to babble nonsense? If you mess up, you and I will die, and those knights over there too! Got it? Did I teach you that way? Huh!? Open your eyes wide! Focus onbining the mana at the four points. We''ll all die if you make a mistake, seriously!"
She was Beris, who was yelling at Enya and giving her advice and assistance.
Even with a depleted mana reserve, she remained a genius in magical theory and an excellent fighter.
"Yes, teacher! Teacher!"
"An attack ising at the Second Point, bind and block until the Third Point!"
"Yes!"
The infinite mana shield held Sword Emperor Castle.
Jin smiled coldly as he watched Zipple''s magic shatter against it.
"Ah, as all calctions were wrong, I can''t say your judgment was good. Zipple, today you won''t get what you want..."
The bird dragons, carrying the leader of the Dragon Knights and the sword saints of Hairan, began to run towards Zipple''s army.
"Sorry for beingte, our Hairan."
"From now on, we''ll prove it together. May the sword of Hairan never break."
The leader of the Dragon Knights, Calmaine, and the leader of the Sword Saints, Ruyan, raised their voices...
And the Sword Saints unsheathed their swords in unison.
Emperor Sword''s Secret Technique
Divine Radiance - Sword Saint
Emperor Sword''s Secret Technique
Imperial Charge - Dragon
Then, the appearance of the five-line Divine Radiance and the exclusive secret technique of the Dragon Knight Commander shone through the night sky and pierced through the enemies.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 533
Chapter 533
C533
The fleet crumbled under the power of the five Sword Saints and the Sword of Tranquility.
Shadow and the power of time continued to trample the enemies.
The shattered fragments of the destroyed battleships menacingly crashed to the ground...
But even that couldn''t cause significant damage to the Vamel Alliance and the Knights of Hairan, as they were protected by the Dragonfire Shield.
Am, she, also continued her support from the rear.
The captured Dragon Spears were now more than twenty, and all of them became artillery to strike the enemy rear.
"Dragon Knights! Crush the enemy, block their magic so they can''t counterattack."
At Calmine''smand, the Dragon Knights began to fly toward the enemy camp.There was no group in the world that could keep up with the Dragon Knights in aerial warfare.
Thirty Dragon Knights, soaring through the sky with unparalleled agility, were truly showcasing the greatest advantage in aerial battle against the mighty magicians.
"Kyaa!"
"Wounds, wounds... agh!"
As Calmine and the Sword Saints pierced through the protective shield, the Dragon Knights infiltrated and cut off the breath of the magicians.
No one would have ever imagined that Zipple''s magicians, apanied by a fleet and dragons, would die so futilely.
The cries and pleading voices of the enemies spread through the air and sky, everywhere.
Every time the five Sword Saints and the Dragon Knights encountered pleading eyes and voices, they responded like this:
"You invaded thend of the Sword Emperor with such light determination."
"Not a single one of you will survive!"
Of course, Zipple''s forces weren''t just taking a beating.
The White Night Magicians were showing fighting spirit and potential even while on the defensive.
"The brilliant light of Great Zipple will eventually devour you!"
One of the White Nightmanders raised his staff, growling.
Then, the gship of the unit was dyed in mana and caused an ominous resonance.
Not everyone had experienced the flight of battleships, nor knew all of Zipple''s magic andbat tactics.
They could sense it intuitively.
The ominous resonance clearly signaled one thing: self-destruction.
[That was an ugly move. Murakan, you should do something about it. It''s too massive for me to contain with my abilities. Even if it''s a mass-produced ship, it''s a flying ship after all, right?]
[They''re annoying me, insects...]
"Praised be Zipple!"
"Dragon Knights, disperse!"
Just before the gship exploded, Murakan, who had closed the distance, enveloped the gship with his wings.
The outspread wings remainedrge enough to cover the flying battleship.
"Murakan-nim!"
"It''s going to explode!"
"Fool, can you really stop that...!"
Boom...!
The worried voices of the Hairan Knights were soon drowned by the subsequent explosion.
The mocking White Nightmander, who had been making disdainfulments, disintegrated within Murakan''s wings, dragged by the fleet''s explosion.
However, the self-destruction wasn''t visible from the outside.
It couldn''t prate Murakan''s wings.
When Murakan unfolded his wings again, all that could be seen were the remnants of the exploded gship mixed with Shadow Energy, falling to the ground like a ck rain.
[You have a talent for bothering me, as you have for a thousand years...]
Thousands of ck tendrils emerged from the still giant wings.
Surprisingly, the tendrils did no harm to the allies in the sky, and they spread, massacring only Zipple''s magicians, dragons, and fleets.
Murakan.
People were astonished.
A thousand years ago, everyone revered the legendary power of the ck Dragon, the King of Sky.
No one couldprehend that he represented only fifty percent of his true strength.
That''s why Zipple''s dragons were mistaken now in thinking that Murakan had regained all his strength.
Zipple''s forces were left with no choice but to lose all their will to fight.
The tables had already turned from the moment Jin appeared, and with the addition of Murakan, Quikantel, the Dragon Knight, and the five Sword Saints, it seemed that Hairan''s victory was inevitable.
[Murakan!]
A Blue Dragon took her ce in front of Murakan.
It was Lmakua, whom they had encountered before on the ck King''s Mountain.
[Blue Dragon Lmakua. Have youe to repay me for sparing your life back then?]
[...Murakan, I know why you''re involved in this fight. It must be to save your Contractor''s friend, Jin Runcandel]
[It seems like you''re talking as if you''re not pleased with that]
[Never, I don''t disapprove. There is no being in this sky who dares to say they are displeased with you. But... I would like to make you a proposal]
Murakan''s wings grew evenrger.
Lmakua was weighed down by Murakan''s arrogant demeanor, and it was difficult to even meet his gaze.
[Speak.]
[Can you take your Contractor and leave?]
[I allowed you to speak at most, but now you mock me?]
[Not only your Contractor but also hisrades and all the Knights of Hairan. If you do, Zipple will immediately dere defeat and a ceasefire. I swear by the honor of my lineage and the name of Kaon, the Sea God whom I serve]
At Lmakua''s words, the eyes of everyone present on the battlefield widened.
In particr, the Emperor, who was in the rear of the battlefield, was furious with bloodshot eyes.
"What nonsense is that insane Blue Dragon spouting...!"
When Zipple officially dered defeat, the Empire naturally had to follow suit.
This went beyond jeopardizing imperial prestige; it was something that could lead to the destruction of the entire imperial family.
The Emperor hadn''t heard anything about this when he made a deal with Zipple to lend his strength in this civil war.
It was a proposal that the Emperor couldn''tprehend.
Zipple''s reinforcements would keeping anyway, and the "temporal space device" had not yet been used.
The imperial army also had several secrets prepared for the worst-case scenario.
''Even if Cyron Runcandel is here instead of the ck Dragon Murakan, he won''t be able to face Zipple alone. Why is she spouting such nonsense? This is an opportunity to obtain the White Stone; is she implying that these troops are not worth it?''
The moment Murakan epted the terms, the Vamel Alliance and Hairan would achieve a crushing victory over Zipple and the Empire.
Is that all?
As Jin told Dante from the start, he could leave the battlefield, saving not only Dante but the entire Sword Emperor Castle.
Jin''s status would rise even more within his Family just with the great victory against Zipple, and there were high chances that Hairan would be his ally, maintaining all its strength.
The deafening roar and darkness that had resonated on the battlefield until now were reced by an eerie silence.
People stopped fighting and fixed their eyes on Murakan and Lmakua.
Murakan didn''t respond.
Because he didn''t believe it was a question to answer.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Vamel Alliance, and the one acting on behalf of Solderet, was his own Contractor.
"I refuse!"
When Jin shouted, the Emperor smiled and sighed, and Lmakua gritted her teeth.
The Hairan Knights showed no change in their behavior.
It was because what they were trying to protect was the honor from the moment they decided to stand against the emperor''s tyranny, not their lives.
Moreover, spilled water cannot be collected again.
Although the losses in Hairan were not severe yet, if a single person died due to the betrayal, it meant everyone had died.
If that was the case, not only honor but they had to protect one more thing.
They must never give up what their enemies coveted.
"Blue Dragon, it seems you are mistaken. Why did this war happen? Because of the White Stone: the Emperor imed it as his possession. The Empire betrayed the Sword Emperor Castle just for that insignificant object, and Zipple engages in the fight with dirty desires."
[Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel... Your words are excessive.]
"I am here as the Commander-in-Chief of the Vamel Alliance, not as the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel. So mind your manners and show some respect, Blue Dragon."
Lmakua was stunned by those words, but Murakan, in front of her, seemed ready to tear her wings off at any moment.
"Mind your manners."
The meaning behind those words was a gesture.
Jin didn''t look at Lmakua.
In the end, Lmakua descended to the ground and transformed into a human in front of Jin.
Jin looked at her with an expressionless face.
Is that boy, Jin, the same person I met on the ck King''s Mountain?
''It hasn''t even been a year since then...''
The intimidation was different.
At that time, Lmakua hadn''t felt particrly impressed by Jin due to Murakan''s power, but now she did.
The heavy and powerful power weighing within Jin wouldn''tck even if he maintained this position as the representative of Runcandel, not as the leader of the Vamel Alliance.
It wasn''t just a feeling that came from the result of Jin''s remarkable growth in the meantime.
It was because the "Power of Existence," first known through records left by Solderet in the past, was slowly awakening in Jin.
The numerous changes that Jin had caused in the world, and the power awakened by those who followed him.
That power was forming a transcendent ss beyond battle prowess and divine power.
"...May I ask why you reject my offer?"
"As I said before, the war was caused by greed for the White Stone. If anyone should withdraw, it should be you. Give up Hairan''s White Stone and withdraw. If you ept my revised proposal, I will immediately persuade Dante and the Sword Emperor to dere a ceasefire."
"Isn''t saving your friend and his people enough? It''s not like that White Stone is so important to Runcandel...!"
"It''s not up to you to decide whether it''s important to Runcandel or not."
"Are you really nning a total war against Zipple!"
Considering the immediate situation, perhaps Lmakua might have been right.
If they kept fighting like this, they would have to prepare for devastating damage to Jin and Jin''s people, as well as the Sword Emperor Castle.
However...
Jin was convinced that if the White Stone fell into the enemy''s hands, the consequences would be even more terrible.
Just looking at Zipple''s desire alone, it was something that would end up bringing destruction to those who were not Zipple.
"There''s nothing I can do. But the one who really fears total war is not me but all of you, right? That''s why I suggested negotiating before the war escted. If you''re confident, go ahead. And what I mean is, don''t insult me, myrades, and the Sword Emperor Castle by making unreasonable suggestions."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 534
Chapter 534
C534
At the moment the White Stone was handed over...
The war in Hairan would lose its meaning.
If the war could have been stopped simply by delivering the White Stone, Jin wouldn''t havee here.
"If the fighting intensifies further, I won''t be able to propose the same offer with my authority. I just want to minimize unnecessary deaths."
"Now that Zipple and I have offered support to our friends, it''s hard to say this war is just a struggle between the Empire and Hairan. Unnecessary deaths? Does such a thing exist between Runcandel and Zipple? Anyway, it''s our destiny to keep fighting until one side ispletely finished."
In the end, Lmakua, she, had no choice but to give up on negotiations.
"...You will regret this."
"The talk is over, return to your side. And don''t add anything unnecessary to continue provoking me."Indeed, Jin didn''t trust pushing so hard.
A total war with Zipple was too heavy a burden even for Jin.
No, beyond the burden, it was a dangerous event, and there was still no answer.
However, Jin did not withdraw for a reason.
Zipple talks about a total war against Runcandel...
There must be something in the White Stone that makes it so important.
The White Stone.
If that cursed object, undermining the honor and pride of his friend''s n, was something Zipple had to acquire even at the cost of total war against Runcandel.
Then Jin must not back down.
Jin didn''t retreat because he didn''t want to, but because he couldn''t.
It was no longer just about the Sword Emperor Castle.
If the White Stone held so much value, Zipple would undoubtedly use it to take one step further.
And preventing Zipple was Runcandel''s greatest mission.
Of course, there was a part of Jin that didn''t believe that at all.
''My mother and the elites of the Family must be monitoring the situation.''
The Emperor revealed the existence of the White Stone to the world, and Zipple sent reinforcements even revealing the mass production ship.
It was impossible for Runcandel not to take action in the face of such a magnitude of incident.
My mother probably hasn''t judged the value of the White Stone yet, so she decided to observe for now.
However, if Zipple shows a more desperate move, the Family will definitely intervene.
''Without a doubt.''
It''s the same with Tris.
She was still watching the battle as a spectator, but the moment she came to the conclusion that the White Stone threatened the world in any way, she would join the fight.
If Ron and Dante don''t use the White Stone as ast effort, she will point her sword at Zipple.
''I don''t know about Ron-nim, who is unconscious, but if it''s Dante, he would never make that choice.''
Even if he made that extreme decision, I can stop him.
''If I can prevent it, there won''t be a need for Tris-nim to press the Sword Emperor Castle.''
Ron''s condition was reported by the Hairan knights on the way to the front.
The thought that Dante was still holding Ron, who couldn''t wake up, in the Sword Emperor Castle, pricked Jin''s heart again.
"Beradin."
At the same time, Jin remembered another friend.
''I think you''re also doing something for Dante.''
He would definitely do it if his mind were sane.
Jin sincerely hoped that Beradin wouldn''t be a pawn of war, attacking Hairan like in the mission to assassinate Barton.
It was too cruel for everyone involved.
Lmakua turned sharply, transforming into her true form.
The battle resumed as soon as she repositioned herself in the sky.
The brief pause in the fight until now seemed unreal, as the battlefield was now filled with cries and explosive sounds.
Most were the cries of Zipple''s magicians and dragons, and the explosion that spread when their fleet was destroyed.
Along with Murakan, the power of the five sword saints stood out, especially.
Unlike Dante, they have a rigid body, so they suffocate their opponents with a burst of secret techniques.
Including the Divine Radiance, the sessive secret techniques dazzled the night sky, and at times Jin''s lightning energy revealed its dignity.
The imperial army''s ground forces could no longer tighten the encirclement.
It was because Am''s cannon support had not ceased, and Jin''spanions, including the Valkas brothers and Proch, were still active in the rear and nks.
The initial and middle battles of the war were progressing towards the victory of the Sword Emperor Castle.
However, those fighting for Hairan were not enthusiastic. Rather, as the situation improved, they were preparing for the next fight with even stronger determination.
This was not going to end like this.
Zipple''s initial reinforcements had significantly dwindled in number.
There were barely five battleships left, and most magicians and dragons had perished.
It seemed that even these remnants would find their fate in a matter of minutes.
The leader, the blue dragon Lmakua, could barely let out a roar with a missing wing.
''At this point... I think it''s enough,'' Lmakua thought.
There was an issue that neither the imperial army nor the knights gathered for Hairan knew.
In preparation for such a situation, the Zipples had devised a methodbining unfinished technology and ancient dark magic.
Suddenly, the blood flowing from Lmakua drew a magic circle in the air.
It wasn''t especiallyrge or brightly visible, and as it was drawn in an instant, no one in the chaotic battle recognized the moment it took shape.
Jin and hispanions recognized it only a few seconds after the magic circle waspleted.
What is that?
A blood magic circle.
As soon as Murakan recognized the magic circle, he unleashed his breath against Lmakua.
The dark breath pierced through Lmakua''s chest, and the blood drawing the magic circle was also scattered by that power.
However, the blood soon gathered again, maintaining the form of the magic circle.
And it wasn''t just Lmakua forming the blood magic circle.
The surviving dragons and high-ranking magicians of Zipple also drew simr blood magic circles.
What served as a catalyst for them was death, which was constantly blossoming all over the battlefield.
Keek-!
The blood magic circles resonated, producing strange metallic sounds.
Hairan knights capable of aerial strikes continued attacking the magic circle, but even if the magic circle was torn, it continued to maintain its shape and merged.
Soon, thebined magic circle took the form of a cube.
Cube?
Suddenly, Jin remembered Gaifa.
The artifact that Midor Elnor used to summon Myuron Zipple was also a perfect cube like this.
''It can''t be.''
Space-time artifact.
''It''s possible to perform the summoning by magic, not by artifact...!''
Lmakua copsed, spitting blood, and her deathpleted the magic circle.
There was no need to shout that it was dangerous.
Allies in the sky already sensed that something was wrong and were retreating.
The magic circle began to emit a dark red light.
The light, resembling an ominous sun on an ill-fated day, soon formed a massive portal.
The first thing that emerged from the portal was a battleship, simr in shape to Kozec.
The battleship came out, distorting the space around it.
Tremendous force sucked in the bodies and blood remaining in the air, creating a peculiar noise.
Kozec, who was the only flying battleship before the existence of mass-produced battleships, is known to have different performance depending on the upant.
The same applied to mass-produced battleships.
All battleships could either be just a means of transportation or a formidablebat weapon, depending on the upant''s mana.
Zipple''s mass-produced battleships, which were destroyed earlier, didn''t show much effectiveness.
However, the new fleet was powered by magicians of another level.
It was something that could be known without having to fight.
The mana density surrounding the battleship waspletely different.
It was so dense that even knights who couldn''t read mana could feel it throughout their bodies.
"Specters."
More reinforcements were expected.
Summoning through dark magic simply elerated time, and it wasn''t so shocking because Jin was aware of the appearance of Specters from the beginning.
Still, the reason Jin let out an emptyugh was that there were too many.
The number of mass-produced battleshipsing out of the portal reached thirty.
And all those mass-produced ships were being operated by the Specters.
How is it possible that they have so many Specters...
In his time as a Provisional gbearer, the first number of Specters Jin encountered on Beradin''s ind was fifteen.
At that time, Jin was sure their number would exceed at least twenty considering the instability of Specters'' chain magic.
However, in front of him were more than 30 battleships, and each of them was powered by the mana of at least two Specters.
Even with simple calctions, it meant there were at least sixty of them, and that was an impossible number without even delving into contemtion.
If Zipple had maintained that level of Specters all along, they could have ended Runcandel as much as they wanted before Cyron''s time ran out.
In that case, two hypotheses fit.
''Maybe they have recently invented a training method that far surpasses the conventional, and the number of Specters has rapidly increased...''
Or they resurrected the dead.
The fact that Zipple could resurrect humans through the Demon God Orb had already been proven long ago when he fought against Andrei Zipple.
Jin assumed it was thetter.
Magicians were resurrected with Myuron Zipple in Gaifa...
It''s the same as back then.
Only the size and quality were different.
Hahaha!
Jin heard a familiar voice from the first battleship that appeared.
It was the voices of Midor Elnor and Myuron Zipple.
[Fate is fate, and you are also here...!]
[I, Myuron, have returned from hell twice...!]
Before they could finish speaking, Jin and Murakan simultaneously fired a Light Speed Thrust and exhaled breath.
The power of Runcandel''s Secret Technique and the breath of the ck Dragon shattered the protective shield and shattered the front of the battleship where Midor and Myuron were.
Midor and Myuron found their second and third deaths in vain.
Only their ankles remained aboard the battleship after Jin and Murakan''s power swept through the vanguard.
[They''re not some kind of cockroach, but they keeping out even if we kill them. They''ll only disappear after showing such a pathetic state.]
Murakan spoke sarcastically.
But he and Jin knew.
The reason why Zipple''s idiot brothers died was that the Specters from other battleships didn''t protect them.
Despite being on the front line, Myuron and Midor were not themanders of the Specters.
The Specters considered them mere scavengers who only held their positions because they were Kelliark''s sons.
It didn''t matter if they were dead or not.
Because of this, the Specters quietly elevated their mana even though the vanguard fleet was destroyed, and Myuron and Midor died.
Those guys...
They are quite tenacious.
Jin gritted his teeth and thought.
He hoped that the resurrected Specters wouldn''t be as good as the real ones he had experienced the first time.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 535
Chapter 535
C535
No one was fazed by the deaths of Myuron and Midor.
A fleet of thirty-three battleships emitted a red light.
A powerful mana that seemed impossible to control at all caused a resonant sound with enough momentum to tear the sky apart.
''Is this the reason why the Emperor and Lmakua were so confident?''
Dante defeated the vanguard, and the Vamel Alliance, the Dragon Knights, and the 5 Sword Saints crushed the first reinforcements.
The significant victories of the pre-war and half of the war they obtained were overshadowed.
Although the Sword Emperor Castle''s camp was still in good shape, it was impossible to deal with more than sixty Specters.
''Even if the resurrected Specters have fewer abilities than when they were alive...''Each Specter has at least 9-star level mana, and the ships operated by them will have an incredibly powerful performance unmatched by those operated by the previous reinforcements.
The battleships extended their main cannons with barrels open like mouths.
"Enya, hold on tight. The mirror''s mana is unlimited. In theory, you can handle thousands of them. Increase the strength of your shield, open your eyes, open your eyes, and breathe..."
Beris, she, said that, but she knew Enya was already reaching her limits.
Blood flowed from her nose and mouth, and her body trembled.
Enya barely nodded.
"Haha... I can do it. Huk, huk! I can do it!"
Block it!
As soon as Jin shouted with all his might, the battleships fired their cannons.
It was notparable to Kozec''s golden main cannon...
But the thirty-three cannons mixed with the unique red mana of the Specters seemed to easily obliterate the Sword Emperor Castle.
It was thanks to Enya that the Sword Emperor Castle did not copse the moment the first bombardment was fired.
She managed to control the mirror, and her dragon fire shield, endowed with almost infinite mana, perfectly blocked the bombardment.
"Well done, Enya, well done!"
Even Beris hugged Enya with pride.
''But it''s over if she tries to control the mirror again... she will be like me.''
Enya''s body in her arms was as hot as a fireball.
Beris''s clothes turned red instantly from her convulsions and severe blood loss.
"Ugh! Hoo!"
Enya had a hunch that if she continued using the mirror, she would either die or never be able to use her magic again.
However, she picked up the mirror again.
"Enya, no more than this."
"If I don''t do it..."
Too many people will die.
That thought made Enya move again.
The mass-produced battleships seemed unable to reload their main cannons as fast as Kozec.
But their means of attack were not just the fleet''s cannon shots.
Red Abyss.
The Specters'' chain magic began to spread through the sky and thend.
[Eradicate Zipple''s enemies...]
[The patriarch wants the White Stone. Kill them and find it!]
The eerie voices of the specters spread.
They all had the same voice, and their tone was quite dragging, like that of someone drugged or something.
''The density of the Red Abyss is also lower than I remember.''
It wasn''t difficult to deduce from such factors.
They all have the same voice, the resonant sound characteristic of resurrected dead, and magic inferior to the original.
There was a clear difference between the summoned Specters and the Specters Jin had experienced in the past.
Of course,pared to the Red Abyss Jin had known before, it was only slightly inferior.
From a general point of view, it was still great magic.
It looked like a rain of blood.
The red mana turned into swords and chains wreaking havoc on the ground.
Most of them were blocked by the dragon fire shield, but Enya continued to endure the attack.
Murakan also spread a curtain with his shadow force to protect the ground, and Quikantel roared and extended the divine power of time.
However, the mana was too massive.
In addition to the red abyss, various offensive magics fell from the entire sky.
Elemental magics like hellish wind, me orbs, and ice des burst in and broke through the dragon fire shield.
The dragon knight and the sword saints tried to counterattack, but it wasn''t easy.
Hairan''s decisive killing moves were countered by countless magical spells before reaching the enemies, and even if he barely approached, he was often repelled by momentary concentrated attacks.
The Specters'' magic leaked through the cracks in the dragon fire shield.
The magic didn''t differentiate between the Imperial Army and the Sword Emperor Army.
Because of this, the Imperial Army suffered more damage than the Sword Emperor Army, which was protected by the Vamel Alliance.
"Bastards, we are allies...!"
"Ah!"
A gigantic cauldron of death boiled amid shouts and thunderous explosions.
The battlefield was transforming again, and Jin had to make a decision.
''Mother... she still has no intention of joining the war.''
There were still no signs of Rosa and Runcandel appearing.
The reason was simple.
My mother is waiting to destroy or loot the White Stone.
Or she has nned to appear when the Sword Emperor Castle ispletely destroyed and can no longer counterattack.
Unlike Jin, Runcandel''s purpose is not to rescue the Sword Emperor Castle. It was the ''White Stone''.
For Runcandel, his sole purpose was to prevent Zipple from benefiting from the stone.
Rather, it would be the best oue for Runcandel if neither side could obtain the white stones and be destroyed.
While Zipple knew exactly what the stone was for, Runcandel did not.
Furthermore, the moment Runcandel intervened directly, the risk of total war would increase.
That''s why Rosa was waiting for the oue of whether Jin would urge Hairan to destroy the White Stone.
Thus, Runcandel would appear when the Sword Emperor Castle''s camppletely copsed and retreated.
Do I somehow grit my teeth and continue blocking?
Or do I save the power of the Vamel Alliance and make Runcandel appear even if the Sword Emperor Castle suffers significant damage...
Jin chose the former.
It was by no means an efficient decision.
It was very likely that in the current situation, it would be better to make Runcandel appear even if the Sword Emperor Castle copsed, and thousands of knights died.
However, Jin believed that using his friend and his people as leverage in this way was not the right thing to do.
Some mightbel him as immature and naive, but he was convinced it was the right decision.
In a way, Jin was making a decision for the sake of his friend and his people, while Rosa was doing it for Runcandel.
If he had only considered Runcandel''s interests from the start, he would have raised Runcandel''s banner as the Twelfth gbearer, not as the leader of the Vamel Alliance.
As always, Jin needs to prove why it''s the right choice.
''I can''t use the Sword of the Reign of the Kingdom of Legends.''
If it''s the Sword of the Reign of the Kingdom of Legends, it would be able to pierce through the protective shield of more than 60 Specters and destroy the fleet.
However, if Jin executed the Sword of the Reign of the Kingdom of Legends, there would be no "next."
As themander-in-chief of the Vamel Alliance, Jin had to observe the beginning and end of the war and make judgments and orders.
Zipple and Runcandel, no matter what forces ran rampant, he had to protect Hairan''s me.
Only Jin wished for Hairan''s survival, unlike others who were after the White Stone.
Jin opened his eyes and called Shuri.
Shuri, who was rearranging the battlefield after transporting Dante to the Sword Emperor Castle, arrived by Jin''s side like an arrow.
"To the castle walls!"
[Nyaaa!]
As Shuri ran at full speed, the specter body magic began to concentrate on Jin.
More than half of the Dragon Fire Shield had already been destroyed, unable to provide adequate protection.
"Protect the lord!"
[Help the brat!]
Warriors of the Vamel Alliance, including Proch and Valkas, ran toward Jin, clearing a path and diverting magic.
Jin also wielded his sword frantically, and Shuri roared and shot lightning from her eyes.
Several enemy attack spells and lightning shots directly hit Shuri...
But they couldn''t prate the curse of immortality.
Meanwhile, Enya kept trying to control the mirror.
"Enya! Stop, you''ll die!"
"Haha, people keep dying...!"
"Jin-nim ising, if something happens to you, it will affect his mind. That could end up killing more people! Is that what you want?"
If it weren''t for Beris''s words, Enya would have strengthened the Dragon Fire Shield once again and would have died.
In the end, Enya lowered the mirror and shouted with her face stained with tears and blood.
"They are too much... such horrible people. It seems like there are only bastards in the empire and Zipple, haha!"
"Argh!"
A red spear made of mana impaled the ground where Enya and Beris were. Fortunately, the first one only knocked down part of the castle wall, but the second spear that followed precisely aimed at them.
At that moment, Shuri jumped over the castle wall, and Jin diverted the second red spear away from the two.
"Jin-nim...!"
Jin took off the gbearer''s cape and put it on Enya''s shoulders.
Enya looked at her back and burst into tears.
The corpses of Hairan''s Knights piled up under the castle wall, beyond her steel back.
Enya, she, wasn''t as strong as Jin.
Facing so much death was a horrifying agony in itself.
"Good job, Enya, and Beris. If it were me, I would have fallen short."
Hearing those words, Enya lost consciousness.
Jin picked up the mirror lying on the ground.
"Beris, get on Shuri. Take Enya to the healers and tell Dante. I don''t know much about the White Stone, but don''t you dare use that damn thing."
Contrary to Jin''s concerns, Dante still didn''t know how to use the white stone.
But as the war intensified, Dante could clearly hear a dark voice whispering to him.
It was the voice of the White Stone.
Now that I think about it. Even when Jin obtained the mirror, Zipple trampled on countless natives of Colon and only coveted power.
Now it was Jin''s turn to trample them with the power that Zipple finally missed.
A magic circle formed under Jin''s feet.
Baaang......!
Then, the sharp spinning sound characteristic of reflux magic spread, and a reflux sphere followed, rising into the sky.
It was as if the moon was rising right in front of them.
Reverse Sky, which far exceeded Jin''s mana limit, absorbed the red abyss mana and showed a gigantic appearance every time it flickered.
"It''s an Infinite Mana Reverse Sky. Even if your mana is huge, I wonder if you can show off in front of me."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 536
Chapter 536
C536
The Reverse Sky sphere was engulfing the sky.
Simultaneously, the sky, the in, and the entire battlefield began to tremble as if they were about to shatter at any moment due to the power of Reverse Sky.
Broken rocks, piles of stones, and corpses floated randomly, dragged by gravitational attraction...
And the air around the sphere was grotesquely distorted.
Jin shouted as he controlled the mana gushing madly from the mirror.
It''s a magic rank not allowed for humans.
From the beginning...
Jin had been using more than several times the mana Enya had extracted from the mirror.It was a cry he uttered unconsciously because he felt like his head was about to burst, but it was a desperate voice that rather sounded like a scream.
But for those who heard it, it was just a terrifying and horrible sound that sent shivers down their spines.
It seemed as if some divine being threatened them by announcing punishment.
Everyone present on the battlefield stared at Jin, who remained blurry in the distorted space.
Is this really the magic of a single human being?
Neither the enemy nor the ally.
Even after seeing it with their own eyes, they couldn''t help but be astonished that it was the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel who unleashed Reverse Sky.
Even the nk eyes under the hoods of the Specters twitched at the light scattered by the Reverse Sky orb.
Most of the battlefield ignored the existence of the mirror.
However, they were able to know that Jin''s magic far exceeded human limits.
They were also convinced that no one would be able to do this with the help of any artifact.
An Archmage.
No, a Magic Swordsman.
The Reverse Sky Jin had justunched was like a signal that the history of Runcandel''s Magic Swordsmen would be revived.
[Infinite mana... Is that Colon''s Artifact]
[Flight withdrawal, hurry to reload the cannon...!]
To escape the influence of Reverse Sky, the mass-produced battleships began to retreat.
However, an enormous invisible force was already holding back the entire fleet.
Some parts of the ship were crushed, and protective shields shattered every time they tried to force an escape.
Fragments of the shattered ship fell to the ground and crushed the enemy ground forces.
asionally...
The fragments caught in the whirlwind also fell onto the allied camp, but the dragon knights and the sword master seemed to eliminate them.
Murakan and Quikantel also protected their allies by spreading the force of shadow and the divine power of time.
If not for them, the allies would have suffered considerable damage, but in the first ce, Jin decided to use the mirror for Reverse Sky because he believed in them.
Over 40% of the swords and chains of the Red Abyss had already been absorbed by Reverse Sky.
If the Specters had exactly the same power as the Specters Jin had experienced, they would have blocked even the Reverse Sky from the mirror.
It was possible that there were up to sixty superhuman-level magicians.
However, just like the mass-produced ships couldn''tpare to Kozec, the resurrected Specters were no different. In essence, they were nothing more than imperfectly resurrected dead.
Even so, they have tremendous power, but they do not possess the unique transcendence or the ideal quality of a true superhuman.
[Kaaaaaaa!]
[We can''t retreat, give up the battleships that have already been caught too much!]
The red mana veins absorbed by Reverse Sky looked like blood vessels.
These veins were constantly being cut and burst, plunging the Specters into a mana reflux.
There were Specters who vomited blood.
Some lost consciousness and fell out of the shattered battleship, but they were caught in the Reverse Sky vortex and disappeared.
Not a drop of blood remained, let alone a corpse.
It would be okay if they could finish off the cannons before they recharged...
But those who were not Jin could not afford to protect their allies.
The battlefield had be a hell difficult to stop for ordinary people.
At least, Murakan summoned dark force leeches outside the protective shield of his allies and attacked the enemies, but even that was unsessful due to the gravitational force of Reverse Sky.
He couldn''t help it either if he didn''t focus entirely on the attack.
That''s why Murakan was worried about Jin.
He''s on a different level than the great fan (Enya) used to say, Kid...!
''You can''t maintain so much mana intact.''
If not controlled, not only could it end in a mana reflux but it could lead to death.
''I can''t check it because visibility is very poor, and I hope he hasn''t already gone, right?''
Indeed, Murakan had to save Jin even if everyone else died.
Of course, Jin wouldn''t want that, but his duty as a dragon guardian came first.
Moreover, if he fell into the reflux while Reverse Sky had already advanced so much.
Not only Jin''s life, but everyone''s might be in danger.
The infinite mana that has already escaped from the mirror doesn''t stop until the magicalunch is over.
''The boy has control now, but when it''s over...''
Murakan didn''t know what was going to happen.
Because there is no such case.
However, there is no way this huge spell that has already been cast on the battlefield will disappear like a lie the moment Jin loses consciousness.
Reverse Sky becamerger andrger without control, and it might have swallowed the allies in no time.
When all that is over, there may be no one alive on the battlefield, let alone Jin.
When he thought about it, Murakan''s scales stood on end with tension, and his hair seemed to soften.
Even if he gave up protecting his allies for a moment, should he approach Jin and check his condition?
If he did, his allies would die within seconds.
He couldn''t allow the hard-won victory to be tainted by the death of an ally.
Quikantel, on the other hand, recognized Murakan''s intentions.
[Murakan, it''s already toote to investigate. We have to focus on our part]
We have no choice but to believe.
As Quikantel said, if the limit had already passed, he wouldn''t be able to save Jin by himself.
Even as he agonized, the power of Reverse Sky kept growing.
Over 30% of the fleet had already beenpletely destroyed, and the Specters were unable to counterattack at all.
[Damn it! I know, I know.]
If Murakan were in his best condition, he wouldn''t have to worry about this.
What bothered Murakan is his own ipetence.
Quikantel is also a Dragon Guardian, and she knew that fact better than anyone.
[Our Contractors have always been stronger than us. Jin has always been special among them. So, wait, he''ll be fine as always.]
Murakan roared and expanded the curtains even further.
And whenever the opportunity presented itself, he checked where Jin was and waited for the vision hidden by his mana to clear.
Perhaps his intentions had reached Jin, and soon the mana covering Jin rose.
[Brat!]
Murakan was worried...
But Jin, who had suddenly appeared, seemed to have regained some stability, unlike the first time when he was screaming.
He was calmly adjusting the magic circles of the Reverse Sky that spread everywhere.
Along with the mana, a familiar ck aura enveloped Jin.
Shadow Energy, the power of Solderet.
Jin, wrapped in that, seemed to be receiving Solderet''s protection.
And that shadow force was not directly controlled by Jin, but it came from Solderet''s masterpiece engraved in the mirror, the seal.
-[The seal is a masterpiece created by pouring all the power of Solderet when it possesses a stronger power than ever. It''s not just a high-density Shadow Energy; it''s also part of Solderet.]
The words of Kallum, the Mana God, when he saved Colon in the past.
A part of Solderet.
The remaining will in it guided Jin on the way.
How to use that infinite mana, which could destroy the world if left unused, to turn it into the power that would save the world.
Jin truly felt that he wasmunicating with it after a long time.
He couldn''t hear its voice, but he felt a clearer will that guided and protected him.
''As a Contractor, this is the feeling of having a Deity with me....''
The sea of infinite mana moved ording to its own will.
Forgetting for a moment the horrors, deaths, and madness of war.
Jin was momentarily in a state of ecstasy and yed with his magic.
With the will of the two gods trying to save the world.
All the mana from the Reverse Sky that was heading towards the allies returned to the enemy.
It was the result of Jin starting to fully control the mirror''s mana.
The confusion in the friendly field quickly disappeared, and the enemies were limited to screaming.
However, that sound was blocked by the cheers of the allies and the roar of Reverse Sky and did not reach anywhere.
Surprisingly, not a single ally died in Jin''s reversed sky.
Both the Vamel Alliance and Hairan were defending him tenaciously.
Although he was said to have risen to the level of superhumans, Jin was only twenty years old.
If they let Jin bear the weight of an ally''s death like that, they wouldn''t be able to look him in the face after the fight.
[Look, I said he''d be fine. Now wake up and strengthen your shield. The Reverse Sky is diminishing, but your contractor doesn''t seem to intend to end it here.]
Mana and Shadow Energy.
A red me burned in him.
[Main fleet cannon reloadpleted!]
[Loaded!]
At that moment, the remaining battleships finished loading their cannons.
The Specters have not yet confirmed the mes that have begun to spread from Jin.
So they thought that if they could somehow fire it, they would be able to reach Jin.
Even if they couldn''t finish him off, they were sure they could thwart Kidard Hall''s legacy and kill at least a thousand enemies.
17 cannons opened.
It was a reload that had been done diligently while flying away.
Moreover, the Specters, although inferior to the real ones, wore gray robes.
They were prepared not only for their main cannons but also for their final link magic.
[Send Zipple''s enemies to Hell together!]
[Colon and White Stone artifacts. Everything will be in the glory of Zipple...!]
The Specter Commanders couldn''t finish theirst words.
It was because they were confused as if they had fallen into the absolute darkness for a moment.
The darkness was so deep that even the person next to them couldn''t see them.
It can''t be!
''This is...!''
That darkness was the power of shadows.
It was a darkness deeper than when Murakan had colored the sky with a shadow force curtain.
Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-The Final Version Of The Demon Empress
As soon as Jin finished chanting, the cannons fired.
However, everyone on the battlefield didn''t even recognize the moment when the main fleet cannons opened fire.
It was because, as soon as it was fired, it dispersed into the sr mana created by the me orb.
Legacy of Riol Zipple.
The great magic among the great magics, which can only be fully cast with Solderet''s power, was swallowing Zipple.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 537
Chapter 537
C537
It seemed as if the sun had just pierced through the sky.
The eyes of the people gazing at the me orb formed by Jin turned red.
For allies, it was the mes of hope and victory, but for enemies, it was the mes of fear and defeat.
The runes left by Riol Zipple scattered light throughout Jin''s body.
The runes, scattered like snowkes, had already been seen by those who suffered the terrorist attack on the Sword Emperor Castle.
Back then, Jin used this magic to destroy Kinzelo''s flying ship, Grenille.
And now, the Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-The Final Version Of The Demon Empress was a gigantic orb unmatched by what people witnessed that day at the Sword Emperor Castle.
Although they had not yet recovered from the shock of the Reverse Sky, Riol Zipple''s legacy far surpassed even that.It transcended human limits.
Now, not even those words could exin Jin''s spell.
A spell of divine magic.
As the will of the two Gods was united, people felt them through Jin even if they did not know their names.
Solderet and Kallum.
Some involuntarily ced their hands on their chests, others knelt, and some closed their eyes.
Almost everyone present on the battlefield unconsciously worshipped Jin.
Although the war continued, the act was almost a disy of strength.
Those with the highest rank among beings are called Gods.
And even in the world of Gods, the two beings sitting on the highest throne were revealing their majesty through Jin.
Although it was not a perfect manifestation, even the small creatures and nature that felt the majesty of the two Gods showed respect.
The ground insects shivered, the birds flying in the distance uttered a voice, and the wind stopped moving for a moment.
The darkness of the night receded before the shadow of Solderet.
So, humans at war had no choice but to worship.
In particr, Murakan was a Dragon born of Solderet, and he was more impressed than anyone by Solderet''s subtle appearance.
''Solderet...!''
He never expressed himself, but since he woke up after being stabbed by a friend''s sword and falling into a thousand-year-long sleep.
No, since Solderet''s voice began to fade before that.
Murakan missed his own God.
The loss of a God by a being born of a God was an iparable pain to that of a human losing their parents.
[Huh, Murakan. Are you crying?]
[What nonsense? Look directly into my eyes, are there tears here?]
[He cried seeing how sensitive you were reacting.]
[Hpmh! Do you think I''m you? The King of Sky does not shed tears.]
Murakan''s veil was also filled with new strength.
It was a temporary strengthening that urred thanks to Solderet''s will in the mirror...
But it was the most satisfying moment for Murakan than the moments when he gradually regained his old power after waking up.
The darkness grew deeper.
All the lights ced under the influence of the me orb quickly lost their power.
Torches went out, and cannonballs that had been fired everywhere disappeared into the darkness.
The protective shields shining like bubbles all over the battlefield lost their color, and even the power of time that Quikantel had spread faded away.
In reality, not everything disappeared, but it seemed like it.
Jin''s magic was just a source of light in the darkndscape.
Jin''s body floated in the air guided by the me orb.
The remaining seventeen battleships were superior in sheer size, but they seemed like insects in front of the sun.
No matter how massive, it was Zipple''s fleet.
A fleet that wasn''t even a ship.
Not long ago, there was only one Kozec flying ship in the world.
With the appearance of Grenille, even mass-produced ships arrived, but the majesty of the flying ship itself has not disappeared.
Still in war, a flying fleet meant ughter and terror.
Such a flying fleet was blocked by a single person and could do nothing.
[The legacy of the best magician of my n, a Runcandel dares to...!]
[You''re spheming us!]
The opportunity for bombardment, earned by sacrificing half of the fleet, disappeared, leaving only futile results.
Now, all that was left for the Specters was thest prepared linking magic.
[You are the ones spheming. The God of infinite mana is revealing his will before your eyes, but you can''t even recognize it....]
Can you still call yourselves magicians?
Jin continued the conversation with a cold voice.
[You are nothing more than chunks of flesh with strong mana, and you are nothing more than dead men who fearlessly challenged providence. Rather, if your leaders were here, they would have first paid their respects as humans.]
Jin''s finger pointed at the fleet.
Then, the runes swirling around him moved towards the fleet.
Looking from the ground, it looked as if the gxy was flowing.
Riol''s runes left a mark on the fleet and the specters.
At the same time, the wands of the specters also spread their magic.
No matter how great the mana of the Specters, there is no rival for him.
That''s why theirst chain magic, the self-destruction movement dedicated to the Specters, ''ming Star,'' disappeared without even revealing its sharp brilliance.
It was the result of having no element that would challenge the majesty of the gods.
The explosion couldn''t even generate a small light like that of a candle.
Aaa...!!
They screamed like monsters; the summoned specters rusted without destroying anything in the Sword Emperor Castle.
However, seventeen flying battleships were exploding together in their self-destruction.
The horrible machines built to kill humans exploded and poured ck debris.
[Murakan, we must stop it!]
[Oh, that''s a lot of debris! It''s too wide; I can''t block it all with the veil...!]
Murakan stopped and opened his eyes.
There would be countless deaths on their side with each falling fragment.
But Riol Zipple''s runes were being engraved.
Following Jin''s will to ensure none of his allies died or got hurt.
[... You and I worried for nothing; Solderet''s will has manifested.]
The runes werepletely dissolving the fragments falling onto the heads of their allies in the air, to the point that Murakan and Quikantel''s determination, who had been strengthening their powers and shields from before, had no color.
And the me orb hanging from the sky began to advance.
Thousands of streams of mes sprouted from the me orb, connecting the shattered ships.
The crashing ships halted their advance, but those not touched by the fire continued to fall to the Imperial Army and the Zipple Army.
"Even, run...!"
"Avoid, avoid!"
It seemed to be pouring heavily.
They couldn''t even think of stopping it.
There''s no way to block it with a normal protective shield, and only superhumans who have reached the level will be able to withstand its weight.
So all enemies shout to run and avoid it, but it was a random word because there was no other way.
Where do you want to run?
All sides are blocked by the darkness of the Shadow Energy.
In the darkness, where you can''t even see the person next to you, the enemies had no choice but to await death.
Even more horrible is the fact that what they couldn''t stop are the fragments of the fleet.
As the Reverse Sky had already been deployed, not only the specters but also the ground forces had copsed.
Command lost its value, and orders were not transmitted.
It''s not that the imperial army doesn''t have many powerhouses.
Although they followed the emperor''s orders, themanders wanted to end this war with minimal damage from the beginning.
Who likes war except a madman?
Needless to say, it was a war in which the pir of the empire was destroyed by themselves.
They don''t know about Zipple, but the imperial army was now certain of their defeat.
Because of this, themanders of the Imperial Army wanted to save as many of their subordinates as possible, even if they were to die.
It wasn''t a desire to regret this unjust war, but rather the belief that amander should do so.
But if that sun falls to the ground...
''At this rate, it''s annihtion; no one can survive....''
Ordinary knights and magicians, and maybe even the emperor in the end.
If the mes spread to the rear and sides, everyone, even those who stayed there, would die.
Tens of thousands would die.
The unreal number of deaths was a predetermined reality.
The fact that so many humans could disappear from the face of the earth in a few minutes was a problem that no one in the imperial army had considered.
"How... how should we... Do you mean we can avoid it?"
"Jin Runcandel! We lost, please stop, please!"
Finally, surrender statements emerged from the entire imperial army.
Themanders shouted surrender without an order from the emperor.
Although the skies and the earth trembled with all kinds of explosions and roars, Jin heard all those desperate and small voices.
And he responded immediately.
[No matter the background or circumstances, the fact that you tried to trample and kill my friend will never change.]
With the heart of a condemned man, the emperor knelt and banged his head against the ground, crying.
Please forgive me, please forgive me.
"Please..."
[That''s why I think it would be good to burn all of you, but my God seems to have a different heart than mine.]
While Jin slowly clenched his fists, the sun in the dark sky began to extinguish slowly.
At that moment, the emperor''s soldiers, who had been prostrated for a moment, shouted that they could live inside.
Not a few howled like animals and shouted thanks.
However, Jin''s and the Gods'' mercy was not always merciful.
[I will take away the magic.]
The dark sun that colored the entire sky disappeared in an instant like a lie.
By then, not a single piece of debris had fallen on the allies, and the camp was in perfect order.
On the other hand, even if the dark sun disappeared, the fragments of the fleet were still falling on the heads of the enemies...
And as a result, explosions continued to ur in various ces.
Jin''s and the two Gods'' wills could block everything sufficiently, but they didn''t.
That was the price the imperial army had to pay.
[So those who can survive, survive and flee. My promise not to catch and kill those who withdraw still stands.]
Jin concluded his speech.
And the rest of the emperor''s army seemed to be fleeing randomly, like worms under an exposed rock.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 538
Chapter 538
C538
Regarding the Runcandel camp, which was observing all of this from outside the Sword Emperor Castle.
It was truly a series of shocks.
If it were only about annihting the enemies, it would have been possible with just the gbearers and some of the ck Knights, or even the first division of the ck Sword Association, without Rosa stepping forward.
However, ensuring that none of the allies died in the process was apletely different issue.
Silence hung over the headquarters.
Everyone seemed to have forgotten what to say because they were contemting Jin''s divine prowess in battle.
The elders cleared their throats and nced at Rosa''s expression.
"The Twelfth gbearer shows shocking things every day. Are you saying it''s a piece of cake?""It was nothingpared to what he showed when announcing the reintegration of the magic swordsman. Now you can''t underestimate the Twelfth gbearer''s magical sword with the value of legitimacy..."
Ran and Vigo, Myu, and Anne were also in the headquarters.
The siblings moved and nodded from time to time, unable to recover from the shock, while the sisters had expressionless faces.
Rosa looked at Myu and Anne.
''Since I stripped Joshua of his position, these two girls have definitely changed.''
Rosa had never cared about Myu and Anne.
As she always did with other kids who didn''t stand out.
Among them, Myu and Anne were especially unremarkable girls.
To the extent that even scolding them or reprimanding them to stimte them was a waste of time.
However, after that day, although the feeling changed, it changed too much.
If they were her original self, even if they didn''t know the subject, they would go crazy and say nonsense, but their calm appearance was strange.
That''s why Rosa has been watching them these days.
''They weren''t Warriors who could gain weight through some enlightenment.''
What made her daughters change?
They maintained theirposure even after seeing the overwhelming appearance of the younger one...
However, they don''t seem to have given up everything while waiting for the day to die.
Rosa quickly reached a conclusion.
It seems they met the Prophet.
That''s why they can have the belief that a greater power is with them than the one the younger one showed.
Rosa closed her eyes and opened her mouth.
"There must be restrictions."
People who were talking non-stop fell silent.
"If the younger one can keep using powers without any restrictions, the battle for the hegemony of the Family will be over."
"That... That''s correct."
"You''re right. Since the Twelfth gbearer is the Contractor of the Shadow, he must have borrowed Solderet''s power through some condition."
"Wasn''t there a report that he used an artifact? It could be a God''s thing."
"Moreover, being the youngest, he wouldn''t have known he could wield such power. If he had known, he would have revealed his power as soon as the war began. Unlike before the restoration of the magic swordsman deration, he''s now in a position where the youngest doesn''t have to hide his power."
Those gathered in the headquarters nodded.
It was a power that could be understood if there''s a contractor and God''s help.
Runcandel is a Family far from the Contractors of God, and everyone was so surprised that they couldn''t think about it.
"The first battle ended with a perfect victory for the Sword Emperor Castle. But I don''t think Zipple will surrender with that White Stone."
The headquarters door opened, and two ck Knights entered.
"Madame, Zipple''s troop movement has been confirmed."
"What''s the size?"
"Over fifty flying battleships, including Kozec. We don''t know the exact number, but it is estimated that at least three hundred elite magicians, including the Specters, are on board. Octavia Zipple assumed overallmand, but we can''t rule out the possibility of Kelliark Zipple."
"Kelliark Zipple...?"
"Huh."
It wasn''t certain yet; it was just a report that it might be.
However, the size of the Second Reinforcement wouldn''t be strange at all, even if Kelliark were to appear.
Kelliark Zipple.
The leader of the world''s number one n and the pinnacle of magic.
His direct move in Zipple is the same as Cyron leaving Runcandel.
Rosa''s eyes narrowed.
"What is the basis for Kelliark''s possible involvement in the war?"
"The Fire Dragon, Kadun, was seen leaving the First Magic Tower. We also confirmed that theposition of magicians in the First Magic Tower changed rapidly to the Second Division."
"Then it''s almost certain that Kelliark will intervene."
"That''s what I think."
"How long do you think it will take us to reach the Sword Emperor Castle?"
"Two days. The teleportation ability shown in Gaifa in the past and in the first battle of this war is unusable."
"It''s technology we''re unfamiliar with. It also seems to have some limitations."
There was another heavy silence.
Runcandel and Zipple had foughtrge and small wars from time to time.
The thousand-year battle was no longer a war but rather a daily routine.
It was when Cyron and Kelliark were young that the dispute reached its peak.
When they had not yet ascended the throne, the two ns fought more fiercely than ever.
And after they became patriarchs of their ns, they entered a period of stability.
This was because, from then on, the moment the patriarchs faced each other directly, one side would surelye to an end, and the other would also be on the brink of destruction.
That''s why Cyron and Kelliark rarely brought their followers to the battlefield.
No matter how they turned out, as soon as they appeared, the war ended instantly on any battlefield.
The two are literally the absolutes of the world.
Such Kelliark came out directly.
He headed to the Sword Emperor Castle, not Hufester, but standing in front of him meant total war.
Everyone was worried about total war as soon as his name came up, but Rosa had a different idea about them.
"Kelliark is someone who prioritizes negotiations, unlike the patriarch. Although it is said that the patriarch is in the ck Sea, he is still alive, so they wouldn''t think of total war with us. Did everyone forget? He is afraid of the patriarch."
Rosa judged that Kelliark came in person to negotiate with her.
"However, we can''t avoid total war. ck Knights, go immediately to the ck Sea and report the situation to the patriarch."
Cyron would have already entered deeper into the ck Sea; even the ck Knight couldn''t make a quick report.
Maybe they couldn''t meet at all.
However, Rosa deliberately gave the order as if the report reached her so that the n members wouldn''t worry about such a thing, and the ck Knights immediately understood her meaning.
"Honorable name!"
"Also, summon all the ck Knights, the Execution Knights, the first division of the ck Sword Association, the Guardian Knights, and all the gbearers, except the scribes, and have the allies ready. When I give the order, they can move immediately to coincide with the war scenario."
"As youmand!"
Some of the Elders and secretaries of the ck Sword Association hurriedly left the headquarters to carry out Rosa''s orders.
"Total war is something that cannot be ruled out, but what''s important is not that, but the White Stone. It has already been shown that the fleet was summoned in the first battle, andrge-scale reinforcements areing again now. The White Stone is something indispensable for them. But we still don''t know what it is."
"Should we send someone to the Sword Emperor Castle?"
At the words of the scribe, Rosa shook her head.
"No. If the younger one knew exactly what the White Stone is and is sure that the Family needs it, he would have asked for help from the Family first. The younger one is probably still judging. Above all, the Hidden Pce Master is with him. It could provoke her for no reason. For now, we have two days, so we will watch a little more."
"Hmm, I don''t know why the Twelfth gbearer doesn''t leave the Sword Emperor Castle. If the purpose of participating in the war were to rescue Dante Hairan, he should leave now when the opportunity presented itself, but there is no sign of that."
Even Rosa found that part strange.
ording tomon sense, the younger one should have taken Dante and the knights of Hairan to retreat even now.
It''s impossible that they don''t know thatrger reinforcements areing.
At this moment, it is the way of the younger one to absorb Hairan and start a public opinion war to influence the empire and urge the n to step forward...
But why doesn''t he leave the Sword Emperor Castle?
Is it because he can''t leave?
If only Dante were stubborn, the younger one would have forced him to leave the Sword Emperor Castle by hitting him until he was almost killed.
It was the same in the case of saving not only Dante but also the other knights of Hairan.
If the younger one is the person Rosa knew, he might have taken Dante as a hostage, or even threatened all of Hairan to leave the Sword Emperor Castle.
"It''s also suspicious that Kinzelo is not moving. As reported so far, there has been no troop movement in the Land of the Beastmen."
"As in the case of the sword emperor''s terrorist attack, they can use the portal to suddenly go to the battlefield. Don''t lose sight of it."
Runcandel didn''t know, but Kinzelo was currently in a state where they couldn''t use the leader''s power.
Therefore, for them to participate in the War of the Sword Emperor Castle, troop movement should have already begun.
"Thest magic used by the Twelfth gbearer is Riol Zipple''s legacy. The reason Kelliark is moving may not only be for the White Stone. Recovering Riol Zipple''s magic seems to have been included in the purpose. Also, the artifacts used by the Twelfth gbearer could also be from Zipple."
Rosa nodded as Tellot Runcandel spoke.
Rosa urately read the hidden meaning in his words.
"That makes sense. Tellot-nim is worried about the younger one."
"...Joshua is done, and now he is the best gbearer of the Family, except for the First gbearer. I have no choice but to worry."
"If Kelliark''s purpose is to find not only the White Stone but also the magic and artifact, then he wants to negotiate with me. That part will not be included in the contents of the negotiations. It is uneptable to ask for the return of what was taken."
It meant that even if there were negotiations instead of total war, she would never make Jin lose anything.
"Tellot-nim, you think I''m foolish for worrying like this."
It was a joke, but no oneughed.
Only Tellot smiled and lowered his head.
There were really only a few people in the Family who could take Rosa''s jokes like this.
"Well, the meeting ends here. Let''s go to our respective positions. And Myu and Anne, stay for a while."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 539
Chapter 539
C539
There were about 20,000 casualties in the imperial army and 2,000 at Sword Emperor Castle.
The Emperor''s army losses consisted of all knights and magicians, not just ordinary soldiers.
Many significant figures, including the imperial sword Johncena Ferrell, also perished, and over 90% of dragonnces and war equipment were captured or destroyed.
Most of the casualties at Sword Emperor Castle were Hairan and ordinary knights who gathered for Hairan.
People like Shuras were injured, but key figures of the Vamel Alliance and Hairan suffered few damages.
It was challenging to find mortal injuries among those above themander level.
The overall death ratio was around 30% and 10%, respectively, and the first battle was truly an overwhelming victory for the Sword Emperor.
However, both sides suffered devastating damages.The Emperor lost too many talents due to unjustified purges.
The empire''s prestige would not be the same, nor would the authority of the imperial family.
It wouldn''t be surprising if a new rebellion started around the Hensick or Lilitha ns.
Or they could gather around Hairan.
The cause and poprity of the empire pointed to Hairan.
Unlike the Emperor who forgot his honor, Hairan kept his promise against his unrestraint.
The promise not to kill those who flee.
Jin, Dante, and his people followed those words.
Even those who had attacked Hairan until yesterday had the desire to stand with Hairan if they could.
However, Hensick and Lilitha also suffered significant damage, and everyone knew that Zipple was behind the Emperor, so that didn''t happen.
There was no way Hairan would ept those who had aimed their swords at him just before.
Above all...
The war is not over yet.
The fact that Zipple''s new fleet is heading to Sword Emperor Castle is now known to everyone in the world, not just on the battlefield.
The sight of the fleet is being captured everywhere.
Unlike Runcandel, the Vamel Alliance and Hairan were unaware of the change in the First Magic Tower.
However, seeing the confirmed fleet''s size, it wasn''t difficult to deduce that at least Octavia Zipple, and possibly Kelliark, mighte.
As Rosa said, it was best to abandon the castle and retreat.
But as she expected, Jin was not going to leave.
He couldn''t.
"Dante...."
Dante Hairan.
At that moment, he was trapped in a seal, presumably due to the influence of the White Stone, and was in a state wheremunication was not possible.
It''s a ck seal like a shadow force.
The ck power forming the seal was the murky Chaos energy that Jin had experienced many times.
Its purity was higher than any murky energy Jin had experienced so far.
Jin used to easily cut such seals with the power of shadow force and blue mes...
But this time, no matter what he did, it was useless.
The Healing Saints of the Holy Kingdom standing next to Jin showed an apologetic look.
"I''m sorry, Jin-nim. After the first round of healing, while I was away for some time taking care of other injured people..."
"Don''t say that. If the Saints weren''t there, I might have died. And this seal has nothing to do with the Saints. It''s the Vamel Alliance and Sword Emperor Castle that we shouldment and thank."
"...From the beginning of the healing, it showed strangely strong resistance."
After saving Dante from Johncena Ferrell, she told him to rest until he could fight again.
In fact, Jin didn''t believe Dante could participate in this war again.
Dante''s fragile body had already exceeded its limits several times.
It seemed it would take more than three days to walk properly again, and at least three months to recover enough to fight.
However, Dante recovered enough to leave the healers in just a few hours since the healing began.
It was the power of the White Stone.
Then, like a possessed person, Dante sought the deepest part of the castle.
He followed the voice of the White Stone to where his grandfathery unconscious.
And as soon as he took out the white stone his grandfather had been holding and returned to the arena, he was sealed.
"... Saints, please continue taking care of the wounded. The Vamel Alliance and Sword Emperor Castle will not forget the grace of the Holy Kingdom."
"If it weren''t for you, we wouldn''t have been able to fulfill our mission as Saints after the Holy Kingdom Incident, sir. Please, I sincerely beg Ay not to get hurt."
As the Saints withdrew, Murakan and Quikantel entered the arena.
"How are the knights?"
"Well, they all have the spirit never to leave Dante. Damn it, that white stone has been holding us back all the way. Neither I nor Quikantel have ever seen a seal like this."
Dante looked blurry, hidden by the seal of the murky energy, but the white stone emitted a gloomy light inside.
It looked like Dante''s heart.
"Few humans are disturbed by the fact that the White Stone really exists."
"It''s useless to say that I can''t use the same power again. It''s not that I don''t understand, but staying still like this is just suicidal...."
After Jin expressed the will of Solderet and Kallum, the mirror lost its power.
Every time Jin injected shadow force, the function gradually returned, but it was too slow.
It couldn''t be used again in the war.
Jin could understand the hearts of the knights.
Jin didn''t trust leaving Dante like this right now.
Boing-!
They heard Mort''s scream from behind.
Tris had only transported Jin and his group with Mort''s help, but she had not officially participated in the Sword Emperor Castle battle yet.
In the first ce, she hade to fulfill her mission as the Hidden Pce Master, not as reinforcement for Jin, so she hadn''t introduced herself to anyone except Jin and hispanions.
As soon as she appeared, Jin tightened his heart.
It was because there was no response if Dante tried to use the white stone and if Tris presented herself to fulfill her mission as the Hidden Pce Master.
It''s because it now seems that Dante has been sealed for attempting to use the White Stone.
"Tris-nim, Dante...."
"I know what worries you, son-inw."
Tris knew what the seal of the white stones was made of.
It remains in the records of the hidden pce.
"This is the barrier thates from rejecting chaos. Your friend, Ron''s grandson, is fighting against chaos within himself right now. So there is still no reason for me to fulfill my mission."
Jin felt relieved, but the word "still" bothered him.
The barrier created by rejecting Chaos...
If Dante is defeated in the fight against Chaos and uses that power, Madame Tris will not assist Sword Emperor Castle.
The hidden pce assumes that the white stone is the object of Helluram.
And Helluram was a disaster in itself.
In any era and any space, the power of the witch brought great disaster to humanity the moment it manifested. Always, without a single failure.
"Son-inw."
"Yes, Tris-nim."
"In my opinion, this war may not be just a war between the Empire and Sword Emperor Castle, and between Zipple and Runcandel."
It''s a problem for all of humanity.
Tris interpreted the White Stone in this way.
A myriad of ice formed in Tris''s hand.
At the same time, she condensed tremendous energy in the de of the myriad of ice and threw it at the seal.
However, not even with her strike did a small crack appear in the white stone seal.
Rather, Tris recoiled as if bounced back and caught her breath.
"...It''s a seal that can resist even the absolute power of the myriad of ice. Do you know what that means?"
It means there is chaos that I cannot handle even."
Tris continued.
"Hey, Hidden Pce Master. Is it that much?"
"It''s not an exaggeration, brave knight. Right now, I can''t imagine which of these and the other dangers our Hidden Pce is hiding will be more problematic for the world...."
Elona Zipple.
Most of Tris''s and Full Ice''s powers are used to maintain the seal of Elona Zipple.
She was considering whether to block the White Stone, even if Elona''s seal were partially damaged.
"I assumed it would be something considerable, seeing that Zipple is restless, but I didn''t expect it to be this much."
"Dante... Can hee back?"
"If I told you he couldn''te back, would you leave him behind?"
Tris had seen simr cases in secret records.
Even in that record, humans exposed to Chaos became monsters.
Jin also knew of the existence of a Chaos-infused monster named Smarion Proch.
Dante may have already crossed the point of no return.
"It''s not like that."
"I guess we can only hope that both Dante and your father and younger sister endure the acquired chaos. Somehow... Maybe it''s good that Zipple''s main force is on the way, and Runcandel is waiting nearby. If the Chaos of the White Stone awakens, they will have no choice but to fight against it, like it or not. If it''s not them and us, no one can stop it anyway."
Great forces are fighting for supremacy in the world.
Therefore, just like during the Holy Kingdom War, when an incident that could destroy the entire world urred, it was natural to resolve it first.
"It will be the same for you and yourrades. At best, Chaos won''t awaken until the end. Then the situation will end with a war or negotiations between the giant forces."
At that moment....
The White Stone inside the seal began to emit an even gloomier light.
The shape of the light looked like a human mouthughing at someone.
"...To be honest, I don''t think it''s very likely. The situation is not good in many ways."
If the war or negotiations continue without Chaos awakening, Hairan will perish in one way or another.
Conversely, the same happened when Chaos awakened.
Even if everyone on the battlefield fought against Chaos, Hairan could not avoid destruction.
In that case, it would be Dante who awakens Chaos.
"Well, first, I will go see Ron. If even that guy awakens, I''m sure there will be a bit of hope for Sword Emperor Castle."
Tris, who opened the dimensional door, looked at the castle from inside...
And Jin looked at Dante beyond the seal.
Thus, the two could only fervently wish that their friends would awaken.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 540
Chapter 540
C540
Kinzelo Headquarters.
Zephyrin bit into a cookie.
It looked like Latrie''s cookies...
But the taste was...
So terrible that it was hard to describe.
''How the hell do you manage to make such a dreadful snack, Kaligo princesses.''
Beside him, the Kaligo sisters, who had made the cookies themselves, awaited his evaluation with bright eyes.
Zephyrin nodded awkwardly and forced a smile, and the sisters jumped for joy, taking that as a sign of honor."As expected! Our cookies beat yours, sister."
"Oh, thank you... for eating... delightfully... Grand Duke."
Beyond just running, they joined with Bouvard and sang a strange song while running around the meeting room as if it were a yground.
Since the demonesses arrived, there hasn''t been a single quiet day at the headquarters...
I can''t say anything because of the Grand Duke.
''Berakt obviously doesn''t want to see them either. But if I say something, he''ll tell me, "Shut up, or I''ll break your mouth." He doesn''t even know I''m on his side!''
''Bouvard... and that woman who looks like Bouvard... both are so repulsive. The Bouvard woman is still funny sometimes, but no. Damn it! What am I thinking? Both are intolerable beings. How can Bianca-nim associate with such things?''
Berakt, Joe, and Bishkel clicked their tongues inwardly, while Zephyrin looked out the window without understanding...
"Zephyrin-nim."
Margie wheeled her wheelchair next to Zephyrin.
"Miss Margie."
"What are you thinking about so much? It seems like you have a lovesickness. There''s a subtle sorrow in your gaze. Perhaps a secret lover in the demon world...? How romantic."
It was strange.
Zephyrin, when in a rational state, used honorifics for everyone and seemed friendly, but she was truly ruthless with those who crossed the line even a bit.
She was like that with demons and dragons, especially those who were not superior to her.
To tease her, one had to be at least the leader or the next in line among the dukes of the demon world.
Or at least be a fool like Ainas.
But for some reason, Zephyrin had never felt ufortable with Margie''s jokes.
''Well, considering the entity residing in her, it''s not so surprising after all.''
Zephyrin lifted Margie and sat her beside her.
"I''m not in love, but there are simrities in some aspects, in the sense that I can''t stop thinking about it. It''s not love but rather resentment... Anyway, I was thinking about how sad Miss Margie said the other day."
-Can I tell you a funny story for the depressed Zephyrin-nim?
-What''s it about?
-Something sad might happen to Jin-nim soon, Zephyrin-nim.
-Something sad...?
"You were thinking about Jin-nim."
"I didn''t know that what Miss Margie was talking about as sad was that stone."
"Ah, are you disappointed I didn''t mention it earlier?"
"I would be lying if I said no, but I suppose I had something on my mind about my lord, who was lying there bleeding like a weakling."
"But...! It was Zephyrin-nim who made the leader vomit blood."
When Margie brought up the topic, the other executives in the meeting room were startled and watched.
Lately, the leader''s health has been the biggest issue in Kinzelo.
He kept having troubles as he improved.
It was the leader''s will to use his power during the Sword Emperor''s attackst year, but the subsequent issues¡ªnamely, the ck King incident, the Sota Desert, and the idents during the visit to Tikan this time¡ªwere all Zephyrin''s responsibility.
However, no one dared to question or scold Zephyrin.
The only punishment she received was Bishkel asking her once to work as a spy in Zipple.
Oh, as expected of the vice-leader''s younger sister!
She knows how to scratch the itch! Well, I hope Zephyrin-nim doesn''t intimidate Margie, right?''
Even if it''s Margie, if she speaks so bluntly... Is it okay?
Even if I recall some of the stories I heard from Bianca-nim about the demon world, Zephyrin-nim is a bit more ominous than Berakt.
''Margie! Good job! No, why would you say that!''
Zephyrin nodded gently, dismissing the concerns of Berakt, Joe, and Bishkel.
"That''s true, it was my fault. I tried to be as careful as possible, but as you know... Jin Runcandel. That bastard is simply inscrutable, you know?"
"Of course, I know him well. He really isn''t ordinary, is he? Thinking about how we''ve been defeated by Jin-nim all this time..."
"Killing him a hundred times wouldn''t be satisfying."
"Of course, that''s a reasonable im! Actually, I still want Jin-nim toe to our side."
"I''ve seen that kind of people often in my long life. Humans like him will never associate with those who have different beliefs."
"You talk as if you recognize Jin-nim."
Zephyrin didn''t answer and turned her head to the window.
"Our Kinzelo is always open, so someday an opportunity might arise. But before that, I think Zephyrin-nim''s and Uncle Berakt''s patience might run out."
"You have a bit of a strange side, Miss Margie."
"Haha, I hear that from time to time."
"If you really wanted Jin Runcandel on our side, you should have informed him first of the true nature of the stone and persuaded him not to get involved in this matter as much as possible."
"I''ve also considered that. However, even if we revealed the true nature of the stone, we couldn''t avoid the fated oue, right?"
Fate...
As Margie said, it meant Dante Hairan''s death.
"Your friend will surely die, and the white stone is a dangerous object, so you must never go there. Jin-nim is not the type of person who would listen if we told him to stop. As Zephyrin-nim said, Jin-nim is that kind of person."
In response to Margie''s words, Zephyrin nodded.
"Hehejjee, fools! They don''t even know that the stone is a bomb...!"
When Bouvard intervened, Bishkel quickly covered his mouth.
She intended to prevent Bouvard''s repugnant voice from being heard to avoid offending Zephyrin further.
In Bishkel''s opinion, the White Stone was something people like Bouvard shouldn''t speak of carelessly.
"... Anyway, I''ll be more careful when using the master''s power from now on. First of all, let''s have a snack while watching the fire (while the Kaligo sisters weren''t looking, Zephyrin threw the cookies they had made out the window). I hope that when the incident is over, Jin will choose the meeting date rationally."
-----------------------
April 4, 1800.
Everyone in the Sword Emperor Castle spent the night with wide-open eyes.
A massive enemy approached the castle, and the white stone seal surrounding Dante revealed a chaos color darker than yesterday.
The knights gathered in the castle still showed no signs of leaving Dante behind.
It wasn''t because they believed in the power of the Vamel Alliance.
It wasn''t because they gained any hope from the overwhelming victory in the first battle.
It wasn''t because they believed Jin could deploy another miraculous power.
The knights knew very well that when Zipple''s true main force arrived, the Vamel Alliance and themselves couldn''t stand against it.
The reason the Hairan Knights didn''t leave was a matter of loyalty, belief, and efficiency.
"If someone has to leave, it should be Jin-nim, not us," said Shuras Helter.
He didn''t look good due to the injuries suffered in the first battle. Jin looked into his eyes without responding.
"Jin-nim and the Vamel Alliance have already fought enough for us. I can''t express my gratitude in words:... But Jin-nim, you and your people will be swept away by Zipple''s fire at this rate."
"Shuras-nim, I am Runcandel. Runcandel and Zipple are originally enemies from long ago."
"That''s not a reason for you to die on thisnd, Jin-nim. Don''t you have a whole life ahead of you? Wouldn''t it be right to n for the future instead of dying fighting with us here? The enemies wille when midnight passes and dawn breaks."
"I won''t die on thisnd, Shuras-nim. And it is right to n for the future... The same goes for the Hairan Knights."
"No, it''s different. We don''t have a future. You may have ns to evacuate and incorporate us into the Vamel or Runcandel for our safety. But if you do, we will bear the guilt of abandoning Hairan for the rest of our lives."
While Jin chose his words, Shuras looked at Dante''s seal and continued.
"Jin-nim. To put it bluntly, we are worthless. Strength, wisdom, wealth, and influence within the empire. Everything is insignificantly small. The role of most knights gathered by Hairan in this war is like cannon fodder."
"Oh,e on. Why are you talking like that? Thanks to you, refugees have saved their lives, and Dante too, right? He gained courage, and it doesn''t look good when you belittle yourselves. You were great. Why underestimate yourselves?"
"Since the ck Dragon said that, I don''t know what to say. But even after all that, we are insignificant beings in this war."
"Oh, are you saying that it doesn''t matter if you die, so you''ll just stand still and die?"
"Rather, we can strike a blow to the enemies by dying on thisnd. Zipple and the Empire trampling on the insignificant knights who fought to the end to uphold their faith... Our enemies will lose their honor by killing us. Jin-nim, haven''t you defamed them often more than anyone?"
"I''ve never sacrificed my life to tarnish the honor of the enemies."
"Although you may not have sacrificed it, you must have risked it all the time. We also risk our lives for that. To tarnish their honor. This is the most meaningful counterattack that ordinary knights like us can make against a great force."
From Shuras''s perspective, his words were not wrong.
Jin knew it well too.
The reason he wanted to save the knights gathered by Hairan was simply that he didn''t want to witness their deaths.
"If you continue like this, I will save you even if I have to force it."
"Sir."
Shuras grabbed Jin''s hand and bowed his head.
"Jin-nim... Please, respect us. As fellow Warriors, aspanions who fought together."
"Isn''t that too much for me, Shuras-nim? It''s like you''re asking me to watch you die."
"There is no other ce to ask for respect than you. I''m sorry, it seems that only miserable beings are left who throw away their grace."
Shuras held Jin''s hand for a while, then turned around and walked away with firm steps.
"Murakan."
"Yes."
"Before midnight tonight, stun all the knights except Hairan''s front line with Valkas-nim, and the Proch brothers, and send them to Tikan."
"All of them?"
Just as he was about to answer "all of them."
Quikantel sighed as he grabbed Jin''s shoulder.
"Quikantel-nim."
"That man, Shuras, even though he said that... He spent the night going around trying to convince all the ns and families gathered for Hairan. He said it was too hard for them to bear, and he told them to leave and lighten the burden on the rest, leaving only himself and the old knights."
"Wow."
"It seemed like something he did not because he wanted to survive, but because he knew it was a trial for you. And even I could feel his inner pain."
"Still, there are too many lives at stake. Are you telling the brat to let them die? Are you kidding me?"
"...Besides, the knights still haven''t lost hope for Ron. Imagining being absent when Ron wakes up is even more horrible than death for them."
Obviously, it''s painful for Jin that the Knights don''t leave the castle and prepare for death.
But for the knights, the meaning of their existence was at stake.
"That''s why respecting them might be a good idea. Jin, it''s painful for you too. But for them, it''s a matter of their own existence."
For a while, Jin couldn''t take his eyes off the door through which Shuras had left.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 541
Chapter 541
C541
Inside the castle, the Saints and medical personnel were busy tending to the wounded.
Despite achieving a great victory in the first battle, there were nearly 2,000 casualties at the Sword Emperor Castle.
It was impossible for the healing Saints to attend to all of them in just two days.
Outside, Am, she, was repairing the defense equipment of the Sword Emperor Castle.
Her speed in restoring the equipment was truly remarkable.
Even with thousands of gifted professional engineers, they couldn''t match Am''s ability on their own.
However, equipment repair was also a problem that couldn''t be resolved in two days, much like the recovery of the wounded.
The dozens of hands formed by murky energy never rested a moment after the war, but only about 1/5 of the restoration waspleted."Old Valkas! From now on, I''ll focus only on improving and distributing the Dragon Spears. Since Enya can''t use the Dragon Fire Shield, I have to calcte numerous variables when I''m under attack... I must find positions where I can fire the cannon at least two or three times even if I''m hit hard... Sigh, it''s really frustrating not to find a good angle!"
She had fought in countless wars, but it was the first time she prepared for a war that seemed so insignificant.
"Instead of sitting idly, it''s better to concentrate on improving even a little. This is really like hitting a rock with an egg. If Kelliark is on board, the range of his cannons will far surpass that of the Dragon Spear. The results are too meagerpared to the efforts I put into it."
The Sword Emperor Castle had to fight with less power than in the first battle, while Zipple came with the greatest strength.
Even if Ron was in good health and the Empire did not betray them, there was no chance of winning this fight.
Runcandel was the only n in the world capable of putting up a fight worthy of being called a "battle" against the entire force of Zipple.
"Ghost de."
Valkas found Kashimir.
"What do you think, sir?"
"Are you talking about Runcandel?"
Even without any further exnation, Kashimir immediately understood what Valkas meant.
The Vamel Alliance knew that Runcandel was camped nearby.
They hadn''t witnessed it directly, but they trusted Jin''s prediction about the camp.
"Now that Zipple''s main force has shifted, the value of the White Stone has been proven, as Jin-nim said, so they won''t stay still. However, Runcandel will want the White Stone to be destroyed somehow during the war, without their involvement."
"I also believe so. It''s a dangerous object that even the Hidden Pce Master distrusts due to its unknown use, so Runcandel must be hoping it gets destroyed during the war."
"Regardless of the stone''s value, the probability of the two ns engaging in total war is low. I''m sure it will lead to a negotiating atmosphere... In my opinion, the key lies not with the two giant ns, but in Jin-nim''s choice."
Whether Runcandel and Zipple would engage in total war or negotiate depended on Jin''s choice.
That''s how Kashimir interpreted the situation.
"If Lord gives up Hairan with his friend, there will be negotiations, and if he doesn''t give up, it will be total war... That''s what you''re saying."
"That''s right. And as you know..."
"The Lord is never one to choose the first option."
"But he''s not the type to choose the second without any countermeasure, driven by emotion."
They both nodded at the same time.
"Jin-nim believes in his Family. To be precise, he is in the process of using them."
Is he really going to take the White Stone while engaging in an all-out war with Runcandel?
Can he afford it?
Kashimir thought that Jin would press Zipple with his n, Runcandel, behind him.
That''s why he chose to persist in his initial n, rescuing Dante and the knights of Hairan and abandoning the Sword Emperor Castle, even if it failed.
So far, Jin has been able to ovee almost all adversities without the help of his Family, only with the power of himself and hispanions.
This will be the first time he uses the power of his origin, called Runcandel.
Even when Rosa is inmand.
"If Zipple feels that pressure and initiates total war, Lord Jin will force the Vamel Alliance and all the knights of Hairan to withdraw from the fight. From then on, this war will no longer be the War of the Sword Emperor Castle but will be a rotating battle between Runcandel and Zipple, excluding all allies other than Runcandel even by using the n''s strength."
"That''s the Lord''s way. I''m sure he''ll do what he said. He wanted to send everyone ahead during the process of excluding those who are not Runcandel in case of arge-scale battle, but those gathered in Hairan did not withdraw."
"What do you think of the possibility of Rosa-nim subduing Jin-nim and negotiating with Zipple?"
That was what worried Kashimir the most.
Except for Cyron and the former ck Knights, the most elite knights of Runcandel, led by Rosa herself, are close to the total strength of Runcandel.
The Vamel Alliance now has the power to ascend to the Fifth Faction, but it wasn''t enough to protect Jin against Rosa.
"I don''t think you should worry about that yet. The Lord is now the closest gbearer to bing the next patriarch of Runcandel. It''s impossible to subdue or punish the Lord by force in front of Zipple."
"So, Rosa-nim has no choice but to respect Jin-nim''s judgment after all."
"The lord is also Runcandel. Although the methods are different, Rosa-nim and the lord have the same goal as Runcandel. As long as the Lord''s actions do not deviate from the assumption that it is an act hindering Zipple''s interests, even if it seems like the Lord is forcefully carrying the n on his back, it won''t be a fatal problem."
"... I have the feeling that this war can decide the fate not only of the Sword Emperor Castle but also of the world."
"I feel the same."
"Even if Dante-nim wakes up, and we all escape from the Sword Emperor Castle, in the end, it will only put the situation on hold. Total war or negotiation. One of the two is destined to happen. Unless the White Stone is destroyed."
The White Stone was destroyed, and the chaos that had beentent within it never awakened.
That was the only scenario that could lead the situation to a stable conclusion, but Tris assessed the likelihood of it happening as very low.
"We just have to focus on supporting the Lord in any situation. The Lord won''t abandon his friend, but if the Lord is in danger of falling because of that...."
We must ensure that the Lord doesn''t fall even if we have to trample on his heart, Valkas continued with a somber voice.
The words held many meanings.
If Jin risked his life saying that he wouldn''t give up Hairan even in the worst situations, they were willing to make Jin step back...
Even if it meant killing all the inhabitants of Hairan in front of him.
"The Lord is obviously a strong man. However, that same strength he carries within is sometimes his weakness. It''s been a long time since I served the Lord, but it seems that way to me."
"... I understand what you''re saying."
"I hope such a situation never arises."
It''s past midnight.
May the Sword Emperor awaken and restore the dignity of thisnd, may Dante safely escape the Chaos seal, may the enemies arrive a littleter, and may today''s dawn, which is likely thest, not be gloomy and deste.
Time flowed cruelly and swiftly, mocking the countless hopes and prayers gathered at the Sword Emperor Castle.
"...Zipple''s main force has been confirmed over the Ketu mountains. They will reach the Sword Emperor Castle in about three hours."
The knights who went out to scout informed the castle that the enemies were close at hand.
"Kashimir."
"Yes, Jin-nim."
"Order the Saint Healers to return to the Holy Kingdom, and give orders to Luton-nim and my Guardian Knights to return as well. Also, please evacuate all the wounded from the Vamel Alliance as well as Gilly and below her level."
The younger division officially belonged to Runcandel and not the Vamel Alliance.
Luton, who led them, was an outcast, so it was right to leave the battlefield before Runcandel arrived at the front.
The Saint Healers fulfilled their duty.
"Very well."
The name of this war remains the War of the Sword Emperor Castle.
That''s why Jin onlymanded the Vamel Alliance, but the Knights of Hairan considered Jin theirmander.
Jin didn''t give orders separately.
Strictly speaking, the current Commander-in-Chief of the Hairan army in the Sword Emperor Castle is Ruyan, the Chief of the Five Sword Saints.
However, Ruyan didn''t give orders to the Knights of Hairan, and also treated Jin as their Commander-in-Chief.
There was no need to give an order because all the Knights of Hairan were already in their respective positions in a desperate fight...
And the reason why Jin is the one who puts everything aside when the war begins and puts everything into the Sword Emperor Castle.
It was a sign of respect and admiration towards them.
Before climbing the castle wall, Jin looked onest time at Dante, who was trapped in a seal.
"Dante."
The Chaos seal imprisoning Dante contained a darkness much deeper than the first.
Neither the color of the White Stone that shone as if mocking someone nor the blurry figure of Dante were visible.
Jin remained silent for a while as he touched the seal.
He couldn''t find words that expressed his feelings, and he feared that if his troubled voice reached his friend''s ears, it might affect the internal battle Dante was fighting against the chaos.
Instead, Jin stared at his friend for a long time.
He conveyed that there was someone firm and waiting, someone who would never abandon him.
The time hade.
Jin''spanions approached him, indicating that the enemies had arrived.
"See youter."
Finally, as Jin climbed the wall, the Five Sword Saints and the leader of the Dragon Knights, Kalmain, saluted him, expressing their respect and gratitude.
"I am Sword Saint Ruyan. I express my respect and gratitude on behalf of Hairan. It is an honor to fight alongside you."
"I, Kalmain Aita, leader of the Dragon Knights, Hairan and thisnd will not forget that you were our benefactor even in death."
Jin slowly met their gazes.
"I, Jin Runcandel, Commander-in-Chief of the Vamel Alliance, Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel. I am infinitely grateful to Hairan and those gathered for Hairan for allowing me to fight for my friend."
Jin raised his eyes and looked at the dark dawn sky behind Ruyan and Kalmain.
He could see Zipple''s fleet, shrouded in fire mana, all in a radiant red.
It looked like a sinister rising sun.
And in this world, the person who could protect the entire fleet with vast and profound fire, disying impressive power.
There was only one.
''Kelliark Zipple...''
The pinnacle of ruthless and dirty magic.
He personally led the Zipple and arrived at the Sword Emperor Castle.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 542
Chapter 542
C542
Meanwhile, Tris looked at Ron deep within the castle.
Ron''s breath was so faint that even Tris had to concentrate to hear it.
He had weakened since the day of his first visit.
The mighty body of the Sword Emperory stretched out in a way that couldn''t be concealed by clothes or nkets, and the air was thick with the scent of death.
"Ron..."
Tris sat beside the bed, cautiously holding Ron''s fragile hand.
"Your beloved grandson, the friend of that boy, and your knights... they are all fighting for Hairan. Did you really not know this was going to happen?"
There were only two people Tris could call friends.Cyron Runcandel and Ron Hairan.
Tris shook his head, reminiscing about their past.
"Ah, these pitiful people. The stronger they be, the more they disappoint me."
Of course, the fact that Kelliark Zipple coulde in person was anticipated by many...
But people felt a choking sensation when faced with his majesty.
The entire fleet was enveloped in fire magic.
The gship, Kozec, looked so distant that it could only be seen as a dot.
Still, everyone in the Sword Emperor Castle felt like they were facing Kelliark directly.
An overwhelming presence, the fleet led by the patriarch of the world''s number one n was slowly approaching the Sword Emperor Castle.
Not a single knight among the Sword Emperor Castle feared death.
However, no one thought they could defeat him.
It seemed impossible for any change or miracle to ur.
But their morale did not waver.
They were only slightly worried.
Worried that even if they couldn''t win, the battle might end without a single significant counterattack.
"I will finally get to see the face of the current head of the Zipple n," Murakan said quietly.
It was the first time Jin would see Kelliark Zipple in person.
In both past and present lives, he had only seen him through news articles and n records.
"A giant among giants. I wonder how he''ll be in person."
Fortunately, Zipple''s main force did not immediately attack the Sword Emperor Castle upon appearing.
The issue Am had feared did not ur.
The current Kozec was able to unleash a power different from what Jin had experienced so far.
"Ruyan-nim."
"Yes, Jin-nim."
"Runcandel must have finished preparing for total war as well."
"I suspected as much. If it''s the object Zipple so coveted, Runcandel won''t stand idly by. If Runcandel intervenes, some Hairans might survive, but..."
"I will save everyone. Not just some."
"I know you''re sincere and capable of doing it. But we will never retreat leaving the young patriarch."
"That goes for me too, Ruyan-nim. However, I''d like to ask for one promise."
"Promise?"
"The Chaos seal that imprisoned Dante happened because he resisted the Chaos."
Jin informed Ruyan that Tris was here.
She had agreed to let Ruyan know more about the hidden pce''s mission and the dangers of Chaos.
Tris allowed it out of consideration for Jin, not for Ruyan.
For a while, Jin exined the stories about it, and Ruyan listened.
"...If the young patriarch can''t ovee the power of the White Stone, he will awaken a monster that not even the Hidden Pce Master can handle, correct?"
"That''s right."
"Then how do you give the young patriarch... ah."
Ruyan didn''t wonder why Jin was bringing out this information now.
It was only because he knew Jin was the reason the Hidden Pce Master was handling the situation even while informing foreigners about the hidden pce''s mission.
Moreover, the situation wouldn''t change even if Jin informed them in advance.
"...If such a thing happens, please promise to withdraw all remaining Hairan Knights at that time."
When Dante died, Chaos would awaken, and the Sword Emperor Castle would be a battlefield between Zipple and Runcandel, or a battle to subdue Chaos. The right thing to do was for the Knights of Hairan to leave.
Dead from the war between the two ns or dead from the monsters of Chaos.
It would only lead to senseless death.
Even in that case, Chaos would kill the young patriarch, we must fight and kill that monster.
Ruyan couldn''t bear to say that.
Ruyan also understood how Jin felt by making such a promise.
Facing the possibility of Dante''s death was itself a heartbreaking experience for Jin.
"...I will," Ruyan replied with a somber voice.
Hairan''s fate was absurd.
Jin risked his life to protect Dante and the pride of Hairan...
But Hairan could only survive if the Chaos from the White Stone didn''t devour Dante and awaken.
A miserable and terrible existence.
"In return, please promise me one thing too."
"Tell me."
"In some way, if the young patriarches back...e back when we''re gone. Please help the young patriarch so that he doesn''t turn into a monster."
No one knew how things would end.
Ruyan was talking about when only Dante survived, and Hairan was destroyed.
At that time, he asked Jin to help Dante, who knelt under the weight of loss, pain, and wounds, not to lose his way and not to be a monster.
That''s something only friends can help with.
"The young patriarch has already endured too many wounds. It must have been tough. Even now."
"I won''t let go of Dante, even if Dante falls into hatred and attacks me."
"Yes, you''re that kind of person. I just wanted to say it. There''s so little Hyiran can do for that boy."
Kelliark''s fire now dyed the Sword Emperor Castle red, and the fleet stopped advancing.
Everyone on the walls looked up and stared at the fleet.
An elderly man with long gray hair wearing a white robe emerged from among the magicians on Kozec''s deck.
It was Kelliark Zipple.
"Deploy the shields!"
Shouted the leader of the Dragon Knights, Kalmain, with wide-open eyes.
It was because the heat from the fire that had already engulfed the fleet was permeating the entire Sword Emperor Castle.
For the middle-tier knights, it was too hot to bear.
The stones forming the walls were red-hot, emitting heat, and the air was hot enough to melt every lung and organ.
That was something no one expected.
Magic had not yet been cast correctly, and the entire fleet had not moved, and only Kelliark, at the forefront of Kozec, was the cause of this phenomenon.
The knights deployed their shields and activated their defensive equipment.
Instantly, the entire castle was covered in a blue film that seemed to block the heat.
However, in the next moment...
Kelliark brandished Zipple''s exclusive wand, "Hroti."
And the protective shield surrounding the Sword Emperor Castle continued to disappear.
As if it had never been deployed in the first ce.
"I have onlye to share a few words with someone I am curious about, so there is no need to get too worked up."
"You speak nonsense after spitting fire with enough force to melt our castle."
In response to Kalmain''s words, Kelliark smiled gently.
Like a gentle elder listening to a mischievous child''s chatter.
"Ah, I haven''t been on the battlefield for a long time. I haven''t paid much attention to that. I''ll take care of it for you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the heat disappeared as if it were a lie.
The fire mana still burned around the fleet, so Kelliark''s power definitely reached the realm of power beyond magic.
"And, I say this out of consideration, do not interrupt my conversation any further. If I decide, I could end all of you in a matter of seconds. Show me the same consideration I have shown you."
"Kelliark...! How much do you intend to mock us!"
The one who shouted that was Golo, themander on the left side of the wall.
He had evacuated nonbatants and civilians during the first battle.
He shouted with no particr intent; it was an unconscious act of defiance against overwhelming pressure and fear.
"Your words sound ominous."
Those who had reached a certain level of enlightenment could anticipate what might happen.
However, there was no way to stop it, and no time to warn of danger.
Moreover, their intuition was misguided.
Boom!
Spatial explosion.
Kelliark Zipple cast his magic.
But the target was not Golo.
Everyone expected Golo to explode and die, but Kelliark''s magic harmed another person:
Kalmain Aita.
An explosion erupted from Kalmain''s shoulder.
The explosionpletely tore off his right arm.
The right arm, torn and bounced by the explosion, scattered without a trace in the subsequent spatial explosion.
The only remnants were the pitiful sound of the fallen sword hitting the stone floor.
"Kughh...!"
"Leader!"
"Kalmain!"
The Dragon Knights and Sword Saints shouted at the same time and tried to approach Kalmain.
Kelliark halted their movements, detonating spatial explosions right in front of their faces.
It seemed to be the final warning.
And he even said...
"Consideration ends here."
Most of the inhabitants of the Sword Emperor Castle had never heard a more chilling voice than the one Kelliark had just used.
An oppressive and sudden silence fell.
Kelliark waited for about five seconds to make sure no one was moving, and then locked eyes with Jin.
With an indescribably benevolent smile.
Jin Runcandel.
Kelliark Zipple.
Jin felt his blood chilling and his bones tingling under Kelliark''s gaze.
Now, he emitted an energypletely different from the transcendent figures Jin had encountered before.
Gentle yet powerful, elusive yet sharp, light yet heavy, kind yet evil...
That''s how Jin defined the feeling of Kelliark Zipple.
I understand why people who have seen Kelliark in personpare him to a god.
Undoubtedly, he was a figure that left an indescribable impact.
But I see why Kelliark is number two.
Jin sensed the divine and mysterious atmosphere surrounding Kelliark, and the emotion hidden behind his smile.
That perception allowed him to understand why Kelliark was behind Cyron.
So, Jin smiled at him.
"You hate me, Kelliark Zipple-nim."
If the person Jin had in front of him were Cyron instead of Kelliark, Jin would never have been able to discern his emotions as he did now.
First of all, his father is in a position where he wouldn''t harbor emotions as clearly human as hatred towards someone like him.
Even if Jin had tried to provoke Cyron in some way, he would have felt nothing but annoyance.
Even if Jin had been born as a Zipple and had killed everyone in Runcandel.
"Is it noticeable?" Kelliark asked in a calm voice.
"Yes, to the point where the divine power you have shown so far seemed dimmed," replied Jin, wiping away his smile.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 543
Chapter 543
C543
It was evident that having his pride wounded by being overshadowed by a younger individual in terms of status, age, and experience was hard to swallow for Kelliark.
However, Kelliark didn''t reveal the scars of his pride but erased his smile and unveiled his genuine hatred.
That deep and horrifying hatred resembled a swamp, making Jin''s body feel heavy just by facing it.
Deliberately exposing his hatred was a testament to Kelliark acknowledging Jin.
I see, it''s an intimidation worthy of the absolute leader of Zipple.
Hatred.
In retrospect, Kelliark had reasons to hate Jin.
It started with Jin killing Zipple fanatics when leaving the Storm Castle, pretending to be Tessing and learning Tzenmi magic, which was erased from history.Then, killing Andrei and destroying the Demon God Orb, saving Colon natives by killing Myuron Zipple, annihting the Dark Magic Society, and obtaining Riol Zipple''s legacy.
Later on, the theft of the Compass, Holy Kingdom Incident, Western Sea Battle, Temar''s Tombs, Specters'' Assassination, Barton''s Elimination, Wantaramo Forest, Gaifa Inds, Sota Desert, and even this moment.
Everything Jin did after the regression was a story that blocked Kelliark and Zipple''s path without exception.
Killing Kidard Hall and monopolizing his magic was an indirect blow to Zipple...
And Valeria Histor, whom Zipple yearned for, was only connected to Jin, although Kelliark was still unaware of her.
Even Beradin resisted mental maniption under Jin''s influence, and Jin rejected the humiliating pact Runcandel made with Zipple through the Deration to Restore Magic Swordsmen.
There was not a single reason not to hate Jin as Zipple.
''This hatred is probably why you didn''t reach the Demigod mastery my father touched...''
Just as Jin sees through Kelliark.
He, too, saw through Jin.
''Outstanding, in itself. For a long time, I thought Solderet would break the oath and join Runcandel because of Cyron and Luna... Jin Runcandel, seeing him in person, I understand why Solderet chose him over those two.''
Kelliark even resented Cyron.
He had remained in the background eclipsed by him for the rest of his life, but not even his children, the next generation, could surpass his legacy.
"Sometimes, when I talk about you in the Tower of Tales... My colleagues think I take you lightly. It''s a bit useless to see you read my hatred that they didn''t even notice."
"Why don''t you have morepetent and profound people around you?"
The Vamel Alliance and the knights of Sword Emperor Castle felt Jin''s responses like fire against oil.
They were concerned that Jin was making excessive provocations against Kelliark, who had just paralyzed Kalmain with a single attack and showed the power to annihte the entire Sword Emperor Castle in seconds.
But Jin knew.
No matter what happened, he would never attack the castle until negotiations were off the table.
If he had intended to destroy Sword Emperor Castle by force withoutpromise and take the white stone, he wouldn''t have initiated a conversation in the first ce.
''Kelliark Zipple feels overwhelmed by an all-out war with Runcandel.''
There must be many reasons, such as Cyron''s existence, Runcandel''s potential, and Kinzelo''s power.
Maybe Kelliark is also aware that a Chaos monster can awaken from the White Stone.
No, that''s certain.
He knows the value of the White Stone better than any of us.
''That''s why he wants to have it.''
Therefore, Kelliark wanted to end the situation through negotiations with Sword Emperor Castle (actually Runcandel) without armed conflict as much as possible.
Indeed, just by Kelliark pulling out the ''negotiation'' card, Zipple''s external prestige would plummet.
It wasn''t possible for the world''s most important magician n to prioritize negotiations over battles after losing so many dragons, magicians, and fleets.
''Above all, I can''t see the Fire Dragon, Kadun.''
Fire Dragon Kadun.
The most powerful Fire Dragon created by the Fire God, Sheenu.
Jin was aware of not seeing Kadun''s appearance from earlier.
Of course, Kadun could be on board the fleet in human form.
However, Jin judged the possibility to be very low.
''Is it strange to ce the strongest Fire Dragon out of sight after they bragged by putting huge mana to cast fire over the entire fleet, throwing fire over the entire Sword Emperor Castle while pretending not to know, and creating a sense of intimidation?''
There were Zipple Dragons among the fleet of about fifty battleships led by Kelliark.
There was no reason for Kadun not to disy his majesty at the center.
However, Jin found it difficult to deduce the reason Kelliark hadn''t brought Kadun.
Is it because there will be problems with Zipple''s air defense without Kadun?
No, even if they prioritize negotiation, it doesn''t mean they haven''t considered total war at all, so if that''s not a reason.
''Then....''
Suddenly, Jin remembered the name of another friend.
''Did Beradin take any measures to prevent Kadun from being included in the fleet...?''
He was correct.
Beradin had run wild forcibly and created a situation where he had to be protected by Kadun.
Because if it ended with Beradin, all the ns Zipple had prepared up to that point would go down the drain.
Jin didn''t know the truth, but for some reason, he had a strong impression that Kadun''s absence was the result of a friend''s sacrifice.
"You''re aware of Kadun''s absence."
At those words, Jin almost showed an expression of surprise.
"I''ve heard that the power of the Fire Dragon is necessary to use fire perfectly."
"The one who makes a fire magician perfect isn''t the Guardian Dragon but the Phoenix."
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a phoenix appeared behind Kelliark.
A phoenix renowned as the strongest alongside Tess, Maniere, and Sanquiche.
It was ''Beloit.''
Indeed, it was the summoning of someone who had reached the pinnacle of magic.
Beloit cast a dark shadow over Sword Emperor Castle with its enormous and fiery body,rger than any recorded document.
It was literally aze.
The night sky over the Vamel Alliance and Sword Emperor Castle was filled with the fire from the fleet and Beloit.
To the point of wondering if the target they had to fight wasn''t Zipple but Sheenu, the Fire God.
A fire greater than Riol Zipple''s legacy, which Jin had shown through the mirror and the will of the two Gods, dyed his vision red.
But Jin wasn''t discouraged.
"I thought you knew about my Phoenix, sir."
"Your Phoenix is the only god in the world of mes and the owner of all Phoenixes. But you still can''t handle its power properly."
That was the point at which Kelliark acknowledged Jin in front of everyone.
And the word "still" implied the possibility of the future.
"If you truly believe that, go ahead, try to blow up my head right now. I wonder if the power bestowed by Sheenu, the Fire God, can prate Tess''s absolute dominion."
"As I''ve heard, you have a very thick face. How dare you make such a visible bluff against me. Your courage ismendable."
Kelliark could figure out that Jin couldn''t summon Tess at that moment.
Jin got goosebumps realizing that fact.
He didn''t explicitly express such things, but it was an area where he could instinctively know it.
"Kelliark-nim, you''re more cautious than I''ve heard. You refrained from using spatial explosions only because there''s a slight possibility that I can summon Tess."
"I''m not refraining from blowing your head off just for that reason."
Kelliark smiled again.
Now, not only hatred but alsoposure was in the smile.
"Jin Runcandel."
"Tell me."
"I''ve heard that you''ve been generous enough not to catch fleeing enemies. I''ll also grant such leniency. Hairan, leave the White Stone immediately and exit Sword Emperor Castle. Then, no one will die."
Swish!
A small spark formed on Kelliark''s finger.
He wrote in the air with sparks, which was a ''Fire Seal'' that only Sheenu''s contractors could handle.
Additionally...
Zipple swears to rescue Dante Hairan, who was invaded by the White Stone, with all the efforts the n can mobilize.
Once recovered, Zipple swore to send him back to Hairan.
Everyone in Sword Emperor Castle looked at the glowing red letters.
"Along with this, if you ept my conditions, Zipple will do everything in its power to destroy the imperial family that betrayed Hairan."
With no time to reflect on how Kelliark knew Dante''s status, Hairan''s Knights couldn''t help but stir for the first time since the incident began.
The promise to destroy the empire didn''t matter too much.
However, more valuable than the pride they had tried to maintain by sacrificing their lives was Dante''s life.
The use of the Fire Seal meant that Kelliark was swearing by his god Sheenu. The conditions he presented were undoubtedly sincere.
"Zipple knows how to save Dante Hairan. I can''t guarantee his unconditional salvation, but I can guarantee a sess rate of at least 80%."
Jin immediately addressed Hairan''s Knights.
"It''s a trap. There''s surely no lie in Kelliark''s oath...."
The moment Hairan epts the conditions, he will be destroyed by Runcandel, not by Zipple.
Kelliark omitted the word that he would protect Hairan from Runcandel.
Jin couldn''t bear to say thest word.
It was natural for Runcandel to attack Hairan, who had epted Zipple''s conditions.
If that happens, Runcandel will have to watch as Zipple obtains the White Stone without gaining anything.
Rosa couldn''t stand idly by.
She was a person who wouldn''t back down even if Sword Emperor Castle and Hairan''snd turned to ashes.
And if Jin went against Rosa.
It would soon be a betrayal towards Runcandel.
''You''ve shown a good hand... Kelliark Zipple.''
Objectively, Jin and Runcandel couldn''t offer Hairan a better condition than that.
Runcandel had no way to save Dante, and only Jin cherished Dante''s life among Runcandel.
Runcandel is satisfied as long as Hairan disappears from history or prevents the White Stone from falling into Zipple''s hands.
Jin gritted his teeth, and Kelliark showed confidence in victory with a serene face.
Kelliark''s gaze reached Ruyan.
"Now I will give Hairan the opportunity to speak with me. What do you say, Ruyan? There''s no better condition for Hairan than this."
Ruyan looked at Kelliark in silence for a while.
"Hairan... And the knights gathered for Hairan...."
Finally, just as Ruyan tried to continue.
I refuse, Kelliark Zipple!
The voice of a giant resonated in the silent sky, but muted and deep, and everyone in thisnd was familiar with it and longingly wished to fight together.....
All turned to the owner of the voice who had just climbed the wall.
"Who dares to save Hairan and my grandson in my name? It''s only permitted to me."
Ron Hairan, the Sword Emperor, stood there upright.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 544
Chapter 544
C544
"Patriarch-nim!"
"Patriarch...!"
All the Knights of Hairan kneeled at once.
A powerful enemy they couldn''t handle lurked in front of them, yet they all bowed their heads to Ron, giving their backs.
In a situation that should never ur in a deployment of such desperation, the knights couldn''t help expressing their faith and respect for his appearance.
Not even Kelliark Zipple would be able to recklessly attack Sword Emperor Castle if Ron were present.
The knights barely suppressed their fiery emotions.
Step, step, step...As Ron stepped forward, the knights stood up and returned to their positions.
Even without deliberately emitting energy, both allies and enemies could hear his steps like the beating of their own hearts.
Jin, who was at his side, gave a respectful nod, and Ron ced a hand on his shoulder.
"I owe you again, Paul Gray Mick."
Seeing Ron calling him by a pseudonym, Jin smiled.
For some reason, he felt like he had be very good friends with an unstoppable giant named Ron Hairan.
"I think you''ll pay me back when you want to, Ron-nim."
Don''t die and make sure to live to pay me back...
Ron read the underlying meaning in Jin''s words and chuckled.
"Leader of the Sword Saints of Hairan, Ruyan."
Then, he looked for Ruyan.
"Yes, Patriarch-nim!"
"Answer me. As the Acting Commander-in-Chief of Sword Emperor Castle, did you have the intention of epting Kelliark''s conditions?"
"Absolutely not."
Ruyan answered without hesitation.
He really had no intention of epting Kelliark''s conditions.
That would be betraying the Vemal Alliance that fought for Hairan and humiliating Hairan.
The reason Sword Emperor Castle trembled at Kelliark''s words was solely because Zipple knew how to bring back their young patriarch.
Ron nodded in satisfaction and replied:
"Good job. You''ve held up well."
Ruyan seemed to choke on the sincere evaluation Ron gave him.
It was because he thought he hadn''t done anything.
He hadn''t done anything against Kelliark Zipple until you arrived, my lord, and even in the first battle, I let the young Patriarch be so shattered.
If it weren''t for Jin-nim...
Hairan would have been condemned immediately, and I was just filling the position....
Not only Ruyan but all the Knights of Hairan had the same thought.
If they had been morepetent, Sword Emperor Castle wouldn''t have be a mockery.
"Knights of Hairan, it''s my fault too. So stop ming yourselves and obey the orders of thiste Sword Emperor."
"...Please order anything, Patriarch-nim."
"Leader of the Dragon Knights, Kalmain Aita."
"Yes, Patriarch-nim!"
Kalmain responded, holding his sword with his left arm. Intuitively, he knew what order Ron would give.
"Immediately take the Dragon Knights, excluding the Sword Saints, along with all the knights gathered for Hairan, and leave Sword Emperor Castle."
Kalmain didn''t object to the orders.
It was clear that he and the knights below the Sword Saints wouldn''t be of any help in the uing battle.
But even if the Knights of Hairan weren''t needed for the current fight.
They are the people who must be necessary for the "reconstruction."
When Ron was unconscious, the reason they didn''t leave the castle even if it was the death of the dog was that there was no future.
But now, they could think about the future.
It was necessary to prepare for the future.
They needed people to wee back the Patriarch and the Young Patriarch when they returned.
"I, Kalmain Aita, Leader of the Dragon Knights, will obey your order."
Suppressing the strong desire to fight and die together, Kalmain respectfully saluted Ron.
"Ron Hairan..."
By then, Kelliark had narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth.
"I didn''t expect you to wake up. I thought you had already gone to hell."
"I''vee back to see how my brothers and sons are doing."
Belot, Kelliark''s Phoenix, showed fierce hostility from the moment Ron appeared.
Ron looked from side to side between Kelliark and Belot and stroked his beard.
"You might as well go there soon too. Unfortunately, your summoned Phoenix, whose neck and wings I cut off, won''t be able to go with you due to its immorality."
Suddenly, Belot''s two wings swelled.
He seemed to be trying to tie Sword Emperor Castle with fire ording to Kelliark''s will.
In an instant, the two wings, which became asrge as battleships, enveloped Sword Emperor Castle.
Even as they enveloped it, they spewed fire incessantly, and the swelling wings seemed to melt the entire castle at any moment.
"Do you think I would allow your knights to escape?"
Ron slowly drew his Rashid Sword from his waist.
Swish...
The sound of the Rashid Sword leaving its sheath was especially chilling in the dense fire that filled his vision.
The shining Rashid Sword cut through the air, creating a silent ripple.
Then, formless winds sprouted from the sword in all directions.
Countless streams of invisible sword winds slowly began pushing back Belot''s fire.
Belot roared, unfurling its wings...
But Ron never lost hisposure, even as the sh of powers intensified.
At that moment, Kelliark was left with an ominous doubt.
''No way... Ron has crossed the wall...!''
Genesis Knight.
The realm of transcendence and a power reserved only for Cyron.
For a moment, Kelliark glimpsed the realm that Cyron had attained from Ron.
Even though the hand holding Rashid was so pale that it was unimaginable the owner was the Sword Emperor due to a long battle against illness and unconsciousness.
Ron''s body was too thin to be covered even with clothes.
Now, the achievement of the Sword Emperor disyed a light and majesty stronger than ever.
To the point that even Kelliark Zipple, the current patriarch of the world''s most powerful n, mistakenly thought he was standing in Cyron''s domain!
''No, Ron hasn''t... reached there yet.''
Perhaps if Kelliark hadn''t experienced Cyron firsthand, he would have been convinced that Ron had finally entered the realm of the Genesis Knight. (Note: In other trantions, it can also be called: Divine Star Knight)
If Cyron hadn''t existed in the world, Kelliark would have now fallen into fear and helplessness.
The Genesis Knight was a realm only Cyron had reached, and Ron''s current power had not yet reached that domain.
Still, a chill ran through his body as if thunder were roaring, and he felt a shiver as if a sword had already been thrust into his back.
Not only Kelliark, but everyone was in the same state of shock.
The Dragons and Magicians of the fleet, the allies, Runcandel observing the situation from afar, and Tris guarding Dante''s seal.
In particr, the Phoenix Belot, directlypeting with Ron, couldn''t ept the fact that the enemy who had cut off its wings had be so strong.
[Whaaak-!!]
In the end, Belot''s wings, enveloping the castle, opened wide and tore apart.
Belot released a mournful roar, and the fire from the torn wings fell to the ground like hailstones.
The strongest Phoenix summoned by the absolute magicians suffered the humiliation of having its wings torn off once again by the same person.
Moreover, Ron hadn''t brandished his sword even once.
Zipple''s main force couldn''t believe the fact that this was the result of Ron drawing his sword and revealing his energy, even after witnessing it with their own eyes.
Belot shuddered and unfolded its smaller wings, frantically revealing resentment...
And Kelliark felt a single invisible sword wind brushing against his neck.
"...You''ve gotten stronger, Ron Hairan."
"I haven''t been idle."
"Is it the power of the White Stone?"
"It''s the power of Hairan, who is breaking it."
Jin paid attention to Ron''s meaningful words.
-This is a seal thates from rejecting Chaos. Your friend, Ron''s grandson, is fighting against Chaos inside him right now. So there''s no reason for me to fulfill my mission yet.
Dante''s inner war against Chaos began after he took possession of Ron''s White Stone following the voice of the White Stone.
Of course, it was Ron Hairan who had been fighting against the Chaos of the White Stone until then.
Ron achieved a new domain through that long, fierce, and terrible struggle.
It''s the power of Hairan that is "breaking" it.
The meaning behind those words was no different.
''The Chaos of the White Stone couldn''t defeat Ron-nim and tempted Dante. Or perhaps, it lost to Ron-nim and transferred to Dante.''
Perhaps, there was an expectation that Dante might win the fight against the White Stone like Ron. The expectation that a friend would be able to get rid of it and return.
"If in the end, I lose the fight against you, my Knights who withdrew will die. So why don''t you try to defeat me somehow and let my knights go? I think it will look better when historians record this battleter."
Kelliark showed no particr reaction to Ron''s provocation.
"Recording history... You''re talking about something interesting. Anyway, it will be recorded ording to the will of the victor. If that''s how you want to fight, I won''t interfere."
"Today is the first time we can trulymunicate since we met."
Kelliark shook Hroti, erasing the fire seal in the air.
"Knights!"
Ron turned around and looked at the Knights of Hairan still in front of him and shouted.
A strong voice shook the sky.
Then, the knights collectively saluted and bit their lips to hold back tears.
"I, Ron Hairan, the Lord of Sword Emperor Castle...".
Ron also slowly saluted the knights.
It wasn''t just to respond to the subordinates as the Lord of Sword Emperor Castle, but a genuine expression of gratitude and respect for those who had not betrayed Hairan.
"I express my sincere gratitude and respect to all who leave Hairan for the sake of Hairan."
Bearing more pain than having their bones cut and their skin torn off, all the Knights of Hairan could contain their tears.
They could bear it now because if they cried, they felt that this might really be the end.
When Kalmain lowered his sword, the Knights followed suit, and Ron continued to maintain the salute.
"...Hairan! Everyone follow the Dragon Knights... let''s retreat."
Only after all the Knights withdrew under Kalmain''smand, and their backs crossed the copsed cliff beyond the back gate and disappeared into an invisible ce...
Ron released the salute and looked out at the battlefield, now filled with enemies.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 545
Chapter 545
C545
As the knights departed, Zipple''s fleet distanced itself from the castle.
As Am predicted, Zipple''s fleet cannons, including Kozec, had a significantly longer range than Sword Emperor Castle''s defense equipment, so there was no reason not to increase the distance.
If it weren''t for Ron, they could have quickly dealt with Sword Emperor Castle, disregarding its effectiveness.
However, the situation was different now.
As Hairan''s knights left, the fleet also had the opportunity to move slightly out of Ron''s range.
Except for Cyron, Zipple had never fought against an opponent stronger than Ron.
Most magicians aboard the fleet had not experienced Cyron firsthand.
Even the dragons, who had not encountered Cyron, remembered Ron''s nightmares.It reminded them of Murakan in his prime.
For the dragons, there was no more formidable existence than Murakan at his best.
The problem was that the terrifyingly powerful ck Dragon was also standing next to Ron with its eyes wide open.
Of course, Murakan had not fully regained his former strength...
But the Dragons, unaware of this fact, found Murakan even more terrifying than Ron.
The wind dragon, Salion, took its ce next to Kelliark.
He was the one who had recently be Octavia''s guardian dragon when she became the new Contractor of Melzaire.
"It''s like seeing one of the old Runcandel''s ten great knights and Murakan together... huh?"
Salion, who said that, tilted his head as if something strange had happened.
It was because he felt confused about himself using the term "ten great knights."
The other dragons who heard him only felt that Salion had confused the ck Knight with the name of the ten great knights, and they did not feel any other sense of discord.
Soon, Salion also forgot that he had used the term of the ten great knights.
The Dragons wouldn''t be aware of it even if someone else mentioned that name again.
''Certainly, the power of history seems to have weakened a bit...'', Kelliark thought quietly.
''There may be an influence from Ron, who is close to the Genesis Knight''s domain and has the power to go against fate... but the biggest problem is probably Jin Runcandel.''
Power of Existence.
Kelliark carefully examined the power Jin possessed.
Things were worse than he thought.
The fact that Ron awakened, the fact that he became stronger, and the fact that Jin''s Power of Existence expressed itself to a greater extent because of it.
All of this exceeded Kelliark''s expectations.
Kelliark felt great difort at these unexpected developments.
It was a difort derived from a kind of intuition.
He felt as if things were about to twist...
"Octavia."
"Yes, Patriarch-nim."
"When the battle begins, you and the true Spectres will infiltrate the castle and secure the White Stone."
Not long ago, he lost his fleet, some blueprints, and the machine in the Sota desert.
If he couldn''t get the White Stone today, Zipple would have to return without any gain even after fighting a knight close to the Genesis Knight.
"Yes, I will prepare the Demon God Orb for infiltration."
To take the White Stone that was already being opened, the Demon God Orb was needed.
"The Demon God Orb will take some time to open, so until then, I will fight alongside the patriarch."
"No, I will personally use the Demon God Orb. You will make arrangements so that the consequences of the battle inside the castle do not affect the White Stone and wait."
"It seems like you are concerned about the possibility of Runcandel joining forces with Hairan."
Since Ron had awakened and reached a new domain, there was a possibility that Runcandel would join Hairan from the start.
But Kelliark thought it unlikely that Rosa would make such a judgment.
With Ron appearing, Runcandel had the opportunity to observe more.
"No, the Demon God Orb is necessary even if I am supposed to be dealing with Ron Hairan alone. The current Ron... no one will be able to defeat him except Cyron."
Octavia opened her eyes in surprise at this statement.
She had also seen Ron''s transcendent battle prowess, but she did not recognize the level as perfectly as Kelliark did.
Only those at a simr level can know for sure.
All magicians of Zipple, including Octavia, were significantly lower in level than Ron.
''I didn''t expect that not bringing Hedo and Kadun would lead to such a painful situation. I didn''t want to reveal the power of the Demon God Orb unless it''s time to deal with Runcandel.''
-I heard that the power of the Fire Dragon is necessary to use the perfect fire.
He remembered Jin''s provocation from earlier. Now he couldn''t deny those words.
It seems that maintaining dignity is not that simple.
Now I understand how the inferiors who faced Jin Runcandel have felt so far.
Octavia nodded.
"....Alright. Be careful, Patriarch-nim."
"You be careful too. Infiltration won''t be easy."
The Spectres gathered around Octavia.
Those thirty gray robes were real spectres on a different level from the resurrected ones.
Kelliark knew what concerned them without looking at the faces of the dragons mixed among the fleets.
"Murakan hasn''t recovered the battle prowess from a thousand years ago. If he had, there''s no way the first battle would have ended like this, so don''t let the Dragons make a mistake by being possessed by ghosts."
As soon as Kelliark finished speaking...
A new and deeper sense of terror entered the eyes of the Dragons.
It wasn''t because he was more fearsome than the old Murakan.
Shii...
A faint sound of wind echoed through the fleet from somewhere.
It sounded like the breath of a monster.
As soon as the sound started, Zipple''s dragons trembled, their scales standing on end.
It was the sound of the Demon God Orb beginning to open.
The replica, reproducing the "Origin Orb," had the power to suppress Dragons with instinctive fear, just as Quikantel, herself, experienced for the first time when fighting Andrei in the past.
The current Demon God Orb was still unfinished, but it was much more refinedpared to back then. The fear the dragons felt was amplified ordingly.
"Ugh...!"
"Quikantel!"
Even Quikantel, who was far from the Demon God Orb, stumbled as if she had fallen.
Murakan helped her up, but she let out a rough and unstable breath.
"Those bastards from Zipple brought the Demon God Orb... damn, I can''t draw strength from my body."
"Don''t speak, take deep breaths. Kid, she can''t participate in the battle. In this state, she can''t even retreat on her own. I''ll evacuate her outside the range of the Demon God Orb ande back."
Quikantel didn''t insist on joining the fight.
She was disgusted, but she admitted that at this rate, she would only be a burden.
Among the currently active dragons, the number of beings capable of resisting the Demon God Orb''s energy could be counted on one hand.
Among them, only Murakan and Misha werepletely immune.
[If Quikantel is struggling so much, most of the Dragons there should already be foaming at the mouth and falling. That shiny thing... is it a ne? It seems to be blocking the Demon God Orb''s energy to some extent], said Murakan, transforming into his true form and putting Quikantel on his back.
All the Dragons on Zipple''s side wore something shiny around their necks.
[It''s more like shackles than a ne. It looks quite unstable... Ron, those things seem to fear you more than anything. Seeing that he brought out the Demon God Orb while harming his allies. Everyone fight well until I return]
Ron felt the energy of the Demon God Orb more deeply than the dragons.
The Demon God Orb emitted an aura simr to the chaos of the white stone within which he had been fighting while unconscious.
While Murakan flew towards the rear, most of Zipple''s dragons mistakenly believed that he had left because he feared the power of the Demon God Orb and felt even more relieved.
"Jin."
"Yes, Ron-nim."
"There will be those infiltrating the inner castle. Maybe Octavia will take on that role. I''ll cover the entire battlefield, but there will surely be gaps. You and the Vamel Alliance work together with the Sword Saints to stop them. Can I entrust you with this?"
It wasn''t different from Ron leaving Jin his back.
"It''s an honor."
"When the fight is over..."
Ron ced his hand on Jin''s shoulder and added a farewellment.
"Let''s have a drink together with my lovely grandson."
It was an indescribably gentle voice, as if speaking to Dante.
To Jin, it seemed as if he could feel the warm affection of a "grandfather," something he had never experienced before.
It was like receiving an unexpected gift before an imminent war.
Rashid emerged from the sheath.
"Kelliark! Let''s begin."
Ron''s calm and deep voice resonated throughout the area again.
At the same time, the fire surrounding Zipple''s fleet grew denser, and the phoenix Belot roared.
The war had started again.
The first attack belonged to Sword Emperor Castle.
Ron directed his sword towards the center of the fleet, at a not very fast pace.
However, the trajectory that even ordinary people could easily read contained the transcendent state he had reached.
His formless sword began to attack the fleet before the action even ended.
The invisible energy of the sword continued to fiercely gnaw at the fire curtain that Kelliark and Belot had opened.
And that was not all.
The formless swords that pierced the fire curtain soon turned into a typhoon andpletely covered the entire area of Zipple''s fleet and Sword Emperor Castle.
For allies, it served as a protective shield; for enemies, it was a terrifying icy wind that cut flesh and bones.
In one fell swoop, Ronpletely took over the battlefield.
Ron''s words of "covering the entire battlefield" were not just an expression.
From the beginning...
Belot grew tired of that ignorant invisible energy of the sword, and Kelliark wielded Hroti with wide-open eyes.
Octavia couldn''t prate Ron''s territory, so it seemed she couldn''t even begin to infiltrate.
Kelliark forced his way through, continuously firing spatial explosions inside...
But it wasn''t easy to squeeze his body through the unstable opening.
While the real Spectres spread the Red Abyss to make way, Kelliark began chanting another legacy of Riol Zipple.
"Ruyan!"
But Ron wasn''t the only one on the battlefield.
There was a reason why Ron prevented the Five Sword Saints of Hairan from leaving.
The Sword Saints were able to deploy their greatest strength only when Ron was present.
"I allow the use of the Supreme Sword. Show the power of the Sword Saints to the enemies."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 546
Chapter 546
C546
Supreme Sword, the sealing sword of Hairan''s vision.
The sword conceived about 500 years ago and developed by the patriarch of Hairan and the Sword Saints until today.
The existence of the Supreme Sword has never been known to the world.
When Ron mentioned the name, the eyes of the Sword Saints changed.
The aura that suddenly sprouted from their bodies carved strange patterns all over them as if they were runes.
Muddy whirlwinds spread through their eyes, and the pure whiteyers symbolizing the sword saints were dyed gray.
It didn''t seem like an aura, but a change caused by ancient dark magic or other forbidden spells.
''Supreme Sword... Is this Hairan''s sword?'' Jin thought.The Supreme Sword is a sword that symbolizes the "right path."
The swords wielded by the heirs of the Sword Emperor were meant to radiate a unique, pure, and strong aura, but now the changes in the Sword Saints werepletely opposite to that.
Murky, dark, and ominous.
It seemed more like a form of curse than martial arts.
Anyone witnessing the energy of the Supreme Sword couldn''t help but sense it.
Those who wield this sword could never go back to being who they were before.
Moreover, strangely, the energy of the Supreme Sword emitted a strangely simr feeling to the sword Jin was familiar with. Runcandel''s sword.
"The reason the Twenty-Fourth Patriarch invented this sword wasn''t to fight against Zipple, but to prepare for a battle against Runcandel that might happen someday," said Ron.
The reason why the Supreme Sword wasn''t known to the world until now despite being crafted 500 years ago...
It was only to prepare for Runcandel''s invasion; it was a sealing technique following his sword skill.
The meaning of the Supreme Sword doesn''t include the righteousness of Hairan.
An extreme sword made to withstand supreme power for a brief moment if you abandon your body.
In a way, the Supreme Sword emitted a wilder and fiercer aroma than Runcandel''s sword, which had a safety device called the "blessed body."
Jin could hear the terrifying breath of the beasts that had forsaken their future to win the battle.
"It''s a sword destined for Runcandel, but I ended up bringing it out fighting against Zipple... It''s strange."
ng!
The Sword Saints unsheathed their swords, lowering their stances.
The stone of the wall they stood on exploded, leaving deep imprints.
"I, the Leader of the Sword Saints, Ruyan. I will obey the patriarch''s order."
"I, the Sword Saint, Aquita Hairan. I will obey the patriarch''s orders."
"I, the Sword Saint, Errol Lyman. I will obey the patriarch''s order."
"I, the Sword Saint, Bell Artemiro. I will obey the patriarch''s order."
"I, the Sword Saint, Franz. I will obey the patriarch''s order."
The Sword Saints unsheathed their swords in unison.
At the same time, the energy of the sword sprouted from their swords towards the fleet.
In an instant, the sword, shining with a gloomy gray color, pierced through Kelliark''s fire curtain and advanced towards the inner fleet.
A horrible trail remained, as if some gigantic being had scratched it.
Ron''s formless sword aided the attacks of the Sword Saints and tore through the fire curtain in an instant.
There was a smell of ash from the falling and dispersing fire pieces.
A dark smoke enveloped the fire,pletely darkening the view.
The five swords that glowed in the darkness continued attacking without hesitation.
No matter where they swung it, the entire area was filled with enemies, and any lost sword energy effortlessly joined Ron''s formless sword, finding its ce seamlessly in the coal-ck visibility.
Formless and gray, the two sword energies relentlessly struck the fleet.
asionally, Jin heard the screams of humans and dragons who didn''t know who they were.
Ron had already exceeded expectations by getting stronger, but the transformation of the Sword Saints added an unexpected twist.
''It''s bing more aggressive.''
But Kelliark was no longer caught off guard.
The reason he clenched his teeth when he first confirmed Ron''s martial arts wasn''t that he was anxious about losing this war.
There was not a hint of that anxiety.
The reason Kelliark felt invaded by a sense of inferiority for a while was the fact that he had been defeated by Ron in thepetition in the "human" category.
It was a revival of the deep sense of inferiority he had always felt towards Cyron since his youth.
I admit it, my friends.
''As a human, I have been defeated by you.''
However, the Demon God Orb could elevate him beyond mere humanity.
Towards Gods or even something transcendent...
A red light spread from Hroti.
Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-Second Version Of The Demon Empress.
Jin watched as the me orb engulfed the smoke and spun.
The orb, evenrger than the one Jin had formed with the help of Solderet and Kallum during the first battle, emitted an awe-inspiring majesty, as if it had been cast directly from the pinnacle of magic.
Jin had only seen the Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-Second Version Of The Demon Empress once in his past life.
"This is our Lord...."
Lata looked at the fire orb and said.
Most of the Vamel Alliance and Sword Emperor Castle mistakenly believed that Kelliark used the same magic as Jin.
It was thought that power increased by using the same magic with a stronger magician.
And everyone couldn''t help but get very nervous because they knew what the power of Riol''s legacy was.
"Kelliark Zipple, you weren''t sitting idle. Ruyan!"
"Yes, Patriarch-nim."
"I''ll take care of that. Meanwhile, Octavia will undoubtedly try to infiltrate during the opening...."
As Ron spoke, Jin recalled the conversation he had with Valeria in his past life.
-ording to records, the Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-Second Version Of The Demon Empress is superior to the final version.
-It seems the final version is superior in other aspects. Is it stability?
-Yes, stability. The final version is refined so that the second version can be used stably. But that''s not all.
-In what else does it differ?
-Weakness. The second version is the strongest, but its weaknesses are too apparent. There are errors that aren''t even in the first version. Normally, if you see this magic, you won''t survive, and there are few people big enough to dare to analyze Riol''s perfect magic, so it''s an unknown area... Well, look here.
At that moment, Valeria had exined whileunching the second version directly near the Histor Session Temple.
Behind her floated a horrifying fire orb just like now.
-"Paper that shows letters when wet. It''s the same. When the second version starts, release your mana and spread it in all directions. Try it yourself, because I can''t keep up with this and sing at the same time."
Following her instructions, as Jin dispersed his mana, he immediately understood the weak points of the second version.
He began to see the mana flow that constituted the second version.
The runes that were once invisible shone, and numerous lines appeared between the runes.
-Cutting those lines can release the second version. And you know the bacsh when the magic is interrupted by someone other than the caster, right?
-Mana bacsh...
-Yes, if you cut those lines now, there''s a high chance I''ll die. I wouldn''t be able to handle this amount of mana bacsh.
Therefore, the natural enemy of the second version was a magical swordsman or abination of a magician and knight who knew the weakness of the second version.
The magician had to make the runes and lines with mana visible, and the knight had to y the role of cutting them.
Unlike the second version, the final version was stable because the exposed runes didn''t be a weakness.
"Ron-nim. I''ll stop that with the Vamel Alliance and the Sword Saints."
Ron''s eyes widened.
Jin was determined to stop the magic that even he could ovee if he was ready to use an aura beyond Jin''s ability.
However, Ron didn''t ask Jin to confirm it.
He didn''t even tell him not to be so brave as to do something that even he couldn''t easily do.
He just trusted Jin.
To Ron, Jin was no longer a child or a knight inferior to him, but a knight who always aplished what he said.
"How can I assist you?"
"If possible, please allow the knights to fly through the sky with your sword energy."
In the aerial battles of the 10-star Warriors, they used sword energy as a means of flight.
Ron went beyond that and had reached a level where he could lift others, not just himself.
"How long?"
"5 minutes, no, 3 minutes will be enough. If you could perfectly protect the allies in the air."
Ron smiled.
It was because there was no need to waste so much time.
"It''s child''s y. Shall we start right away?"
"Yes."
Suddenly, an intense formless wind enveloped the bodies of the Vamel Alliance and the Sword Saints.
Knights caught in the wind and rose into the dawn sky.
"Until Kelliark''s magic ends, all the Sword Saints will follow Jin Runcandel''s orders."
Jin had raised his mana.
A thick, white mist blossomed as Jin''s vast mana and nature''s mana intertwined.
And within it, the Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-Second Version Of The Demon Empress began to descend.
me swirls fiercely attacked the knights rising into the sky.
Ron shouted a war cry and emitted the formless sword energy.
The sh between the sword energy and the mes created a deafening explosion...
And the knights heightened their senses as they confirmed that all the explosions were happening right in front of their noses.
The sh between the sword and the fire, a precarious confrontation, was taking ce.
Jin didn''t quickly disperse his already open mana.
So that Kelliark wouldn''t be aware of the weakness of the Second Version.
''At this moment, I can spread it all at once.''
About a minute passed like that.
"Vamel Alliance, Sword Saints! Destroy the runes and cut the connected mana lines!"
When Jin shouted, the most surprised was undoubtedly Kelliark Zipple.
''Releasing theunch of the second version... It means he has found out!''
No, it couldn''t be.
It was a survival mechanism that only someone who already knew it could handle.
And for Kelliark to know, there was only one human besides him who could know the weakness of the second version.
Valeria Histor, thest survivor of Histor.
Now Kelliac could be sure that she had already made contact with Jin.
However, it was already toote.
Even if it were Kelliark, not Riol Zipple, he couldn''t retrieve the second version alreadyunched in an instant.
The Vamel Alliance and the Sword Saints were already aiming their swords at the runes and lines of the second version.
And Jin prepared Runcandel''s secret technique, grasping the location of the runes and lines that were too far for their swords to reach.
Fifth Secret Technique of Runcandel
Light Speed Thrust - Legends
Far from the mes, lightning extended through the shining runes.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 547
Chapter 547
C547
Excluding Ron, Jin was the only Warrior with the longest-reaching attack in the Sword Emperor Castle camp.
The Lightning Bolt wrapped in lightning retained its power even in the mes of the second version.
The sword energy, fiercely advancing, cut the runes and lines hidden in the depths of the second version''s mes.
If he had done this before Jin had risen to the ranks of "powerful warriors," he would have faced many doubts and checks before undertaking such actions, so he might have missed the opportunity.
But not anymore.
He didn''t have to exin how he knew the weakness of the second version and why one had to follow unfounded words.
Ron just had to act ording to his will.
Because Jin hadn''t disappointed those who believed in him, not even once.The Vamel Alliance and the Sword Saints, who were cutting the runes and lines, checked that the mes of the second version were getting smaller and fading.
It was a disaster that came from perfect harmony.
Ron''s formless sword wind that could protect and lift all allies, Jin''s magical and dispelling ability, and the Warriors floating in the air.
Without any of them, this disintegration wouldn''t have seeded.
Even if they knew the dissipation, not many could handle the mana in this terrible hell and wield a sword correctly.
''For Jin-nim... He has the power to call victory. An inexplicable power.''
''How can you not serve my lord!''
The scene of the Vamel Alliance and Jin, and the Sword Saints blocking the second version while floating in the formless sword wind exuded a mythical atmosphere in itself.
It was full of a sublime feeling.
The desperate and pure struggle of those who would not yield, who would not bend, to protect something precious was always like this.
That''s why those who opposed Zipple, even in the evil mes of the Second Version, in battles where they faced life or death every second, even as they swung their swords and shouted.
They could feel their insides being filled.
"Ugh..."
Kelliark swallowed the heat rising in his throat and opened his eyes.
His eyes were bloodshot, and the blood drops flowing from his nose dyed his beard red.
"Patriarch!" Octavia shouted.
Not Cyron, not Ron.
It was difficult to ept the fact that Jin Runcandel had made the Patriarch bleed for the first time in decades.
Kelliark raised his hand towards her as if to reassure her.
Unlike the mana reflux reaction, his hand holding Hroti didn''t tremble at all.
"It seems that Histor reported the weakness of the second version. Histor, they are terribly persistent..."
Kelliark was calmly recovering mana from the second version despite the mana reflux reaction.
He had long since surpassed the limit of the magician''s "mana reflux."
There might be physical damage, but not being able to use mana due to reflux was no longer a problem for Kelliark Zipple.
It was not the power of the Demon God Orb, but an achievement solely of the human Kelliark Zipple.
"Octavia, I''ll open the way again. Deal with the nuisances, so I can focus on Ron Hairan."
"Understood."
Kelliark''s eyes tinted blue.
Blue me Gaze, Zipple''s vision magic used by Myuron Zipple in the past.
Naturally, its power couldn''t even bepared to Myuron''s magic. At the same time, another me formed in his left hand, and Hroti began emitting blue lightning bolts.
Kelliark also went beyond the scope of the "initial simultaneous chant" that uses three or more types of magic. He was using four major magical spells at the same time, up to the 2nd version whose recovery had not yet beenpleted.
Blue me Gaze.
Crazy Lightning.
Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky - Kelliark Zipple.
Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-Second Version Of The Demon Empress.
Among them, the second version was quickly recovered and reced by Zipple''s ice barrier vision magic, ''Frost Hell.''
Each of these four magical spells had powerparable to the second version.
The total amount of mana was three times that of the second version, meaning that Ron''s mana burden also increased by that amount.
Crazy lightning fell from the sky, and the second version that disappeared was reced by the Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky enhanced by Kelliark Zipple, and a cold explosion echoed in the frozen air, and blue mes blossomed wherever his gazended.
And the advance of the invisible sword that hadnded on the battlefield slowed down.
Ron''s sword was losing strength as it shed with Kelliark''s magical spells.
The flight of the Warriors riding the formless sword became precarious.
Their center of gravity, which had been solid as if they were stepping on the ground, wavered, and fire, cold, and lightning attacked them from all sides.
Kelliark Zipple''s power waspletely beyond the realm of magic they knew.
More than magic, it approached an irresistible disaster.
The group gritted their teeth and had to find a safe path through the invisible sword, feeling like they were stepping on a bomb.
In the intertwined air of wild magic, a drop of cold sweat soaked their backs with each step they took.
Stepping on the frozen formless sword, they felt as if their ankles were about to be cut off...
And when they looked for a ce to step back, two mes pressed against their entire bodies.
Crazy lightning easily pierced through their shields, and they felt like their wrists would explode if they were hit with a sword.
Until Ron reached the pinnacle, Kelliark Zipple was clearly the most powerful magician in the world.
The reason the group could even ''feel'' that they were fighting against him was because Ron existed.
Jin knew nothing about the release of the casting of the new magical spells.
Even if he knew, he couldn''t dissipate them in this state.
In terms of purely magical achievements, Kelliark was clearly far above what Jin had achieved.
That fact did not dampen Jin and the others'' fighting spirit.
It only made things moreplicated in their minds.
It pained them to figure out how they could reach the pinnacle of magic again.
"Yes, you can''t im to be the Zipple Patriarch if Jin takes you down. Isn''t that right, Kelliark?"
Ron was in apletely different realm than those fighting in the sky.
That''s why he wasn''t worried like them.
For him, it was a matter of facing the strength.
Ron observed Octavia''s battleship heading towards the castle.
Just as Kelliark entrusted Octavia to deal with the Vamel Alliance and the Sword Saints, Ron had to entrust them to Octavia.
The fight to focus on the opponent that suited each of them had begun.
Kelliark, Fleets, Dragon, and Ron.
Octavia, Specters, Vamel Alliance, and Sword Saints.
The battlefield was rapidly divided into different areas.
As Octavia approached, Ron gradually reduced the invisible sword wind protecting the allies...
And Kelliark also reduced the mana helping Octavia prate as the Vamel Alliance and the Sword Saints retreated.
Kelliark and Ron took less than three minutes to pour all their power onto each other.
At that moment, Jin''s group and Octavia''s battleship were on the ground, avoiding the sh between the two giants in the sky, settling on the in in front of the Sword Emperor Castle.
Those who hadn''t reached the level couldn''t even breathe properly in the overwhelming battlefield storm.
Octavia''s battleshipnded on the ground as if crashing. Due to being swept by sword strikes and magic, it was already half-destroyed and unable to function correctly.
Even that was the result of Octavia and the Specters desperately extending a protective shield.
They had much longer flight distancespared to Jin''s group, meaning they had to endure even more the power of the two giants.
"Jin Runcandel...."
In Octavia''s dark and deep voice, there was a profound killing intent in her eyes as she looked at Jin.
Even beyond the hoods of the Specters, the bloodlust vibrated everywhere.
All of them had memories of losing members because of Jin.
"Octavia Zipple."
"I never expected letting you live after leaving the ind of Beradin would be such a troublesome issue."
Octavia was recalling the conversation she had with Murakan that day.
-Do you think Runcandel can defeat us and ascend to the throne of the world? You must have forgotten your old Contractor''s lesson from a thousand years ago.
-[Kekeke... Hahaha! Who said anything about the Runcandel Family bing the king on the surface? I mean my current Contractor. You''re making noise without even knowing that today was thest chance to change the future.]
Back then...
Octavia couldn''t help but mock the grandiose words that Jin Runcandel, not the Runcandel Family, would be the king on the surface.
Then, a terribly unpleasant memory came to her mind, and that unpleasant intuition continued to wrinkle Octavia''s forehead.
She had never felt such an ominous sensation in her entire life.
Why?
And how?
It was in early 1798 when she failed to kill Jin in the Beradin vige.
Now, it was April 1800, so not even two years had passed since then. However, during those two years, Jin had be incredibly strong, a true giant, facing her directly in the war.
In just two years...
"First of all, I truly salute you. Jin Runcandel, you''re a crazy and impressive human being. It''s inexplicably impressive... you even survived after meeting me and Hedo-nim."
Jin didn''t respond.
Objectively, the Vamel Alliance and the Sword Saints were clearly inferior to Octavia and the Specters.
The 30 members of the Specters, directly led by Zipple''s second inmand, were at a level that could only be faced with the First Division of Runcandel, including the ck Knights.
If the Sword Saints hadn''t executed the seal called Supreme Sword, the odds of winning wouldn''t have existed in the first ce.
''Even if I use the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends, the chances of winning are not very high. But if they push me... My Family won''t be able to keep watch.''
While Jin thought, Rosa read the flow of the battle and inferred the situation Jin was facing.
''The younger one''s power can''t match Octavia and the Specters. Will the Hidden Pce Master participate in the war? I''ll have to send the ck Knights if she doesn''t step forward.''
Even if problems aroseter in the negotiations with Zipple, even if they entered into total war, Runcandel couldn''t afford to lose Jin now.
Rosa thought the same.
However, instead of relying on the Family, Jin considered stopping Octavia by bringing out the variable he had, the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends, to the limit.
The odds of winning were low, but there was still a chance.
Because Jin had countless victories with such low odds so far.
''If my mother intervenes, Dante''s survival chances will disappearpletely. My Family is here only to destroy or obtain the White Stone; anything else doesn''t matter at all.''
Above all, that was what mattered.
Dante, his friend, could have already reached a state of "no return."
Jin had no intention of severing his bond with him, regardless of the circumstances.
Octavia was seeing through Jin.
"You want to save your friend. But if your Family steps forward, he will surely die. If you had handed him over, you could have saved your friend. An 80% chance, as our Patriarch said."
"Do you think Runcandel will step forward to save one person, Octavia Zipple?"
"Absolutely. Now you have such a position within Runcandel."
"Thank you for thepliment, but that won''t happen."
"You must be saying that because you still have hidden power. I''m looking forward to it; show me everything."
"And rather, you''d better pray that my Family doesn''t show up if you want to live."
Octavia smiled.
She didn''t fear Rosa stepping forward herself.
"Now that I think about it, I don''t see your Guardian Dragon. I have something to return to him..." Octavia said but stopped abruptly.
It was because two ck stars suddenly rose over the sky, where Kelliark''s magic and Ron''s sword shed wildly.
She had seen the same thing two years ago.
["Bastard!"]
Murakan.
[Jin.]
and Misha.
Two Guardian Dragons of Solderet''s Contractor descended towards Jin.
At the same time, Octavia, herself, felt the terrible difort pressing on her brain once again.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 548
Chapter 548
C548
It was no coincidence that Murakan escorted Quikantel and encountered Misha.
Furthermore, Jin not finding her lurking around his hideouts was no coincidence either.
"If you''re so concerned, I''ll order to increase the number of people tracking Misha even more. Will that help ease your anxiety?"
"...Okay, I understand. I think it would be much better if we could capture Murakan''s sister."
"It was a pity that I lost her by a narrow margin some time ago. Anyway, I care more about my son than the twelfth gbearer or the ck Dragons."
Misha had been evading Zipple''s pursuit. She sensed the unusual atmosphere within the Empire, so she was preparing to meet Jin.
However, she had to be cautious about joining the battle at the Sword Emperor Castle even after it started. If she were severely injured in this war, it would cause irreversible setbacks in all matters of Solderet that she handled on behalf of Jin.
Nevertheless, since Jin''s death or capture didn''t end the setbacks, she immediately joined Murakan and stayed here. As Jin''s other Dragon Guardian, her first duty was to protect him.Misha transformed into a human and stood beside Jin. Murakan was behind them like arge ck mountain, with his amber eyes burning like mes.
"It''s been a while."
Misha''s firm yet clear voice seemed more reassuring than anything else.
"If that''s the case, I might be able topletely remove the Sword of Legends from the calction."
The Sword of Legends was literally thest resort. Even if he used the sword to defeat Octavia and the Spectres, Jin, who executed the sword, would never witness the direct end of this war.
Still, the only reason Jin wanted to use the Sword of Legends was that it was the only answer.
Misha was by far the most powerful Dragon that Jin knew. The image of her effortlessly defeating Murakan, who had regained 40% of his total strength, was vivid in his mind.
Once again, Murakan had said something unnecessary to Misha along the way, and due to that, there were traces of Shadow Energy flowing like blood in her mouth. It wasn''t a serious wound, but it looked like a proper hit, as always.
"It''s been a while, Misha-nim."
"I wished to see you too. I have many stories to share with you. But before that..."
A ck spear formed in Misha''s hand. The spear technique, which Temar directly called the "Shadowless Spear," had stopped Octavia and the real Spectres on the ind of Beradin two years ago.
"Firstly, we need to get rid of those who interfere with our meeting. We''ve met before, haven''t we? Daughter of Zipple."
Octavia''s eyebrows twitched.
"ck Dragon Misha... Like two years ago, and even now. I thought you were only good at running away, but it seems you have experience in scratching the insides of people. You must have been busy avoiding pursuers, yet still managed to find your way here."
In response, Misha smiled cheerfully.
"I felt it even two years ago, you. Don''t you think you should improve your manners a bit? Even Riol Zipple was extremely careful when talking to me, but your casual tone and informal behavior make me ufortable..."
Everyone who heard that voice seemed to feel a cold bloodthirst running down their spine. Especially Murakan, upon seeing Misha genuinely expressing her anger after a long time, recalled unpleasant things, and the scales on his back trembled.
''I have never seen a mortal livefortably after poking at the temper of this sinister demon... That woman named Octavia will never be at peace, not today, not ever.''
Of course, Octavia was not intimidated at all.
"Really? I didn''t know. I''ll tell the n scribes. If there''s any record of the former Patriarch Riol using honorifics for you, erase it."
"Uh, uh. You''d better stop now."
Murakan, who reflexively opened his mouth, interrupted Octavia after reading the atmosphere. Naturally, Murakan was not offering advice because he was concerned about Octavia. It was just that he was worried that the fierce monster would somehow release the irritation and anger that still lingered on him in the future.
''Ah, this monster has also aged, so let''s hope he doesn''t have that behavior. Let me recover all my strength...''
Jin wasn''t the only one reassured by Misha''s unexpected appearance. The Vamel Alliance and the Sword Saints thought the same.
They were surprised that, even though she was standing next to them, showing her back, there was no gap or opening.
''Thatdy is the ck Dragon Misha, our lord''s second Dragon Guardian. The atmosphere is no joke.''
''Murakan-nim even expressed that she is a terrifying being, and the rest of the enemy seemed very afraid... Indeed, she''s incredible.''
''It''s scary, really scary. I have to look good.''
Lata, Valkas, and Am thought in unison.
All the others thought the same.
"When are you going to stop this?"
Shadow Energy extended from the ck spear and formed a ck armor on Misha''s body. After finishing her armament, Misha looked exactly like the Grim Reaper from legends.
"You can think you can erase history as you like. However, it would be wise to face reality head-on. The world you dream of is already crumbling."
Casually, just as Misha finished speaking, the sky lit up, and a deafening explosion urred. The cannon of the Kozec ship infused with Kelliark''s mana collided with Ron''s sword.
The entire space, no, the entire sky distorted and swirled with the impact.
It was a force that shattered even the protective shield of Jin and Octavia, the two groups that had held together.
Magicians reflexively chose to re-cast their shields, and martial artists made the decision to rush at them.
There was no need for Jin to give orders or signals.
It was close-quartersbat with incredible speed.
That was the only thing a martial artist could do against first-ss magicians.
The ck spear stretched first, and then the eyes gleamed.
Just like two years ago, Misha demonstrated her strength this time as well, shattering Octavia and the Spectres'' shield center with a single blow.
As if Octavia had expected it, she immediatelyunched her light magic as a counterattack, and at the same time tried to bind Misha''s feet with her mana.
Thirty Spectres reacted almost as fast as Octavia and fired various types of magic without pause.
All kinds ofrge magical spells were unleashed continuously.
The swords of the Vamel Alliance and the Sword Saints also created sharp aura waves.
Dozens of swords and staffs intertwined, and with each sh, the ground screamed, causing earthquakes.
''This should be manageable.''
Indeed, Octavia and the Spectres were a bit tired.
As evidenced by Octavia''s battleship, which waspletely destroyed as soon as it touched the ground, their path through the battle of the giants was much longer than that of the Sword Emperor Castle camp.
Still, facing the Vamel Alliance and the Sword Saints would have been enough, but the addition of Mishapletely changed the situation.
It wasn''t just that the odds of winning were slightly higher.
Misha was stronger than Jin thought, and above all.
She had extensive experience facing the so-called "Spectres" for longer than anyone else in this world.
A whopping thousand years.
Even the Spectres she remembered were iparable to the current ones.
Just like the difference between the Ten Great Knights of Runcandel and the ck Knights.
"A while ago, you said I fled after fighting you on that ind, is that right?"
Misha''s ck spear brushed Octavia''s cheek.
The spear''s edge re-entered between the sttering drops of blood, and Octavia hit the ground with her staff to create shockwaves of light attribute that would hinder the attack.
In that opening, a thrust followed at the speed of light.
Without the Spectres'' shield, not even someone like Octavia would have escaped without serious injuries.
"On that ind, I limited myself to fighting by killing as few of you as possible. Do you know why? Killing too many would be burdensome in the long run. Zipple cares too much about victory or defeat."
"You''re good at boasting."
Like Octavia''s response, there was a bit of bluff mixed in, but not entirely false.
However, all the magic from Octavia and the Spectres was unable to hit Misha.
It was thanks to Jin, the Vamel Alliance, and the Sword Saints holding out, but the crucial point was that she perfectly understood the magic of the current Spectres, thanks to the battle two years ago.
Moreover, Jin couldn''t help but break into a cold sweat when he met Misha and saw her ability.
She had very strange abilities.
"You''re good at boasting."
Octavia couldn''t help but turn her head at the sudden sound of "her own voice," even though the enemy''s ck Spear loomed in front of her.
It was an unavoidable greater force.
At the next moment, what Octavia saw before her eyes was another figure, identical to her, standing there.
Naturally, it was a forgery created by Misha''s Shadow Energy.
However, that fake Octavia was telling the real Octavia something.
"What is this?"
What is this?
A gaze that doesn''t understand why another "self" is there.
At that moment, Octavia instinctively realized that all of this was Misha''s ability and tried to respond.
But it was already toote.
It''s always fatal to show an opening in a fight.
Especially if it''s someone like Misha.
Thudddd-!
The ck spear pierced Octavia''s shoulder.
"Hehehe, you''re truly the Spectres Captain. You managed to avoid it. I wanted to get rid of that uncouth mouth of yours."
The Spectres took a step forward, and Octavia retreated as she distanced herself from Misha.
Unlike their drastic formation change, Misha was smiling as if she had no intention of continuing with an additional attack.
"I, too, once challenged fate like you. How does it feel? It''s not very pleasant, is it? What you''re doing is exactly that," Misha said.
The fake Octavia disappeared, and in that moment.
The dawn sky distorted once again.
The showdown between Ron and Kelliark was bing more intense.
The advantage was tilting towards Ron.
Ron''s sword skills were gradually pushing Kelliark''s magic away.
"Your leader seems to be losing to the Sword Emperor. Somewhere, Runcandel might be patiently waiting for an opportunity. Still, the fact that you''re not showing signs of withdrawal must mean there''s something you believe in, right?"
Whatever it is.
You''ll die without seeing the oue.
As Misha continued with her words, Octavia could only grit her teeth.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 549
Chapter 549
C549
Now, the Runcandels were closely examining the battle situation.
As Ron and Kelliark were engaged in a serious fight, no one on the battlefield was aware of their location.
The battlefield was a chaotdscape, as if the entire sky were exploding.
All the Runcandel Knights who were watching couldn''t help but shudder.
"Ron Hairan..."
Rosa spoke softly.
Surprisingly, Rosa''s voice was filled with a lot of regret.
The reason for such regret was none other than the absence of their Patriarch.If only Cyron Runcandel, Luna, and the former ck Knights were here at this moment...
And if only Ron Hairan had sought Runcandel''s help.
It was all because of the idea that today could mark the end of the thousand-year war between Runcandel and Zipple.
No one expected Ron to be so close to reaching the Genesis Knight''s mastery.
"Lady Acting Patriarch."
Themander of the ck Knights, ''Stam,'' stood next to Rosa.
He was the only person who could directly discuss the current war situation with Rosa.
"Stam."
"How do you see this?"
Stam was asking whether Ron Hairan could really win in the fight against Zipple.
"Without Kadun and Hedo, Kelliark''s odds don''t seem high. No, even if they were here... I don''t think Ron would lose that easily."
"I think so too. Unless it''s our Patriarch, no one can defeat the current Ron Hairan."
"But still, sir, you seem skeptical about getting involved in the war. Probably for the same reason as me."
Stam nodded.
Slowly but clearly.
Zipple showed signs of distress.
Despite that, they kept up the momentum without considering a retreat, and they hadn''t sent anyone to negotiate with Runcandel.
What that meant was clear.
"Yes, Zipple must have means to turn the situation around on their own."
"Seeing that they don''t even pretend to be cautious with us, it must be a very secure means. I think it''s the replica of the Origin Orb that the Patriarch mentioned in the past."
Cyron had assessed that power as dangerous.
It was truly a rare case for him to use the expression "danger."
"This time, we may have to settle for confirming that power. What if the ck Knights who went to the ck Sea return without encountering the patriarch?"
White Stone.
Both judged that once Ron was defeated, it would be difficult for Runcandel to possess it.
They also thought that a total war should never be waged if Zipple made a formidable move and Ron couldn''t deal a serious blow to them.
"Lady Acting Patriarch."
"Speak."
"Would it be eptable for me to infiltrate the battlefield with three ck Knights?"
Stam was concerned about Jin''s survival.
If Kelliark pulls out a means that can defeat Ron, it was doubtful that Jin could survive.
It was confirmed that the battlefield was divided between Ron and Kelliark, Octavia''s Specters, and Jin''s group.
In the first ce, Stam had the perception that Jin would be in danger even before Zipple made a formidable move.
"Do it. I think it seems necessary."
"I won''t intervene unless it''s right before the battle."
"That''s how it should be. And one more thing, make sure to bring him back alive."
------------------
Blood spurted from Octavia''s shoulder.
Since all the Specters'' magic was focused on Octavia, their joint efforts were destined to be somewhat boring.
Originally, that should have been the case.
However, Octavia was a magician capable of handling the "light attribute," which was said to have been lost long ago.
"Predestined fate... Maybe because you''re a Dragon, you don''t know much. The history of mortals, including humans, has always been an effort to go against the absurd principles andws set by the Gods. Just like we changed the incurable disease into curable, and just like one would turn misfortune into fortune."
A fist-sized orb of light materialized at the tip of Octavia''s wand. When the orb touched her shoulder, the light prated, and the wound healed rapidly.
"Even light magic was cut off, with the Gods murmuring that it was predestined fate. They said that mortals should not possess somethingpletely wless."
Light magic is almost a dream for all magicians.
The legendary transmitted light magic is an attribute that can handle attack, defense, and healing at once, and its power differs significantly from other magical spells.
Also, lost dark magic can achieve all that, but it always requires catalysts and sacrifices.
Light magic has no such restrictions. The only thing it consumes in return is mana.
So, the light magic extending from her staff formed wings on Octavia''s back.
"So don''t speak as if challenging fate is a great sin, ck Dragon Misha. It''s disgusting and hard to listen to."
While the light wings stretched forward, a sharp sound of cutting wind resonated.
Shards of cutting light shot out like arrows, and Misha spun her darknce to block the attack.
However, the scattered light shards exploded in all directions.
Misha used her footwork to avoid the explosion, and the rest of the Warriors dealt with the aftermath.
Zipple''s second-inmand position was not handed to her on a silver tter.
She was a bit tired from enduring the battle between Kelliark and Ron, but only the Specters were heavily affected by that.
Octavia was a magician who had already entered the realm of "transcendence," so her physical burden was not a big issue.
As long as she didn''t face overwhelmingly powerful enemies from her perspective.
"I don''t know why you suddenly mention the Gods. Is it difficult for you to understand that your actions were offensive to my standards, and I simply want to give you punishment for that?"
"Life is too short to worry about such things. As you expressed out of a sense of superiority, we are mortals."
"And you are the ones who erased the history of Tzenmi, the Archmage most beloved by the light."
Bang!
Octavia''s light magic and the darknce shed constantly.
Octavia, who began to use her light magic seriously, showed no signs of being repelled even in closebat against Misha.
Jin and Misha were dealing with Octavia and the rest of the Specters.
Murakan also tried to focus on Jin and Misha, but he retorted.
"Hey. Protect our allies while ying the role of my Shadow Energy source. It''s much more effective for you to handle that over there if you want to capture it. Don''t waste your energy attacking and charging."
[What did you say? Shadow Energy source? Me, Murakan? Ha! Are you crazy?]
"I don''t have the luxury of worrying about your feelings, so shut up and listen."
[Doesn''t matter... Tch!]
The ck smoke emanating from Murakan enveloped Misha.
The cknce and armor became even more dyed in ck, and Misha''s movements became sharper.
While the Lord''s sword formation was executed, the Specters'' magic couldn''t be directed towards Jin, Misha, and Octavia at all.
The patterns on the bodies of the sword saints became increasingly ugly.
Deep wrinkles appeared on the hand holding the sword, revealing the fact that they were aging rapidly.
Jin felt uneasy about this development, but Ruyan said.
"Jin-nim, don''t worry about us. We won''t copse until the end of this war."
The entire sky and earth vibrated wildly from the impacts of the war.
The aftermath of the battle in the sky hit the ground like a cannon shot, but no other sh intervened in the battlefield between Jin, Misha, and Octavia.
Fourth Technique of the Battle God of the Sword of Legends
Erosion.
Taking advantage of the time gained by Misha...
Jin stabbed Sigmund in front of Octavia and used the Battle God''s Technique; Erosion.
A pir of lightning rose, and a thousand blue points headed towards Octavia.
Right after Jin summoned Bradamante, the erosion lightning bolts spread along the mark.
As the lightning bolts started to fall, Octavia had already left the area where the mark concentrated, leaving only persistent traces of light where she had been.
''The battle reached the point where I have to use a battle god''s technique to create an opening.''
It wasn''t easy even to create an opportunity for an attack without that level of technique.
Fortunately, Octavia was facing a simr situation.
She had no choice but to use magic at the level of a secret technique to attack Jin and Misha.
Amidst the tangle of lightning and elemental magic, the three individuals were limited to observing each other through their afterimages.
Bang!
The tip of Octavia''s wand stabbed someone in the chest.
Thus, she concentrated her mana at the tip of her staff and burst it, only after seeing how the opponent was torn apart could she recognize who it was.
Jin Runcandel?
No, it must be a Shadow Energy doll created by the ck dragon.
Octavia calmly prepared for her next move.
Looking around, she could see Shadow Energy dolls everywhere.
"¡!
Octavia couldn''t rule out the possibility that they were all baits or traps.
Every ten dolls were in different postures.
The posture of wielding the Shadow de and the Lance Without Shadow.
Which one was real, and were the disyed sword andnce techniques just illusions?
Octavia had no way of knowing.
Handling all of them at once should solve the problem.
A glow hovered over her hilt and staff.
She intended topletely erase the battlefield where the three were fighting with light-element magic.
"Quaaak...!"
The moment Octavia shouted, the Shadow Energy dolls that rushed towards her exploded or melted in the shockwave of light.
Were they all illusions?
I didn''t perceive any resistance.
If so, it has been proven that the attack on the illusion was an illusion.
Thanks to this, it is possible to eliminate one of the trap elements.
At that moment, Jin and Misha briefly left the battlefield while taking advantage of the opportunity to ce the doll.
They headed directly to the terrain where the group and the Specters were fighting.
Both took the opportunity to surprise attack the rear of the Specters facing the group, managing to behead one individual.
"It''s like watching a stupid bullfight, Octavia Zipple. Did you really think we would concentrate all our power only on you?"
Misha spoke with a smile, and Jin shrugged as he tossed the decapitated head of the Specter.
"Specters have never had a favorable oue when facing me. Now there are only twenty-nine left. How many do you think will survive and return?"
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 550
Chapter 550
C550
Octavia focused exclusively on the two individuals.
To be precise, she couldn''t afford that luxury.
Murakan hadn''t feared Misha for no reason.
There were barely a dozen people in the world who could afford to take things lightly when dealing with her.
Moreover, as she was fighting alongside Jin, it wasn''t an easy task for Octavia, even considering she was leading all the Specters in the battle.
On the other hand, Jin and Misha also didn''t directly attack Octavia even after using erosion.
That was a testimony to the perfection of their magic, forming an impable defense.
"The dead Specter showed an opening while avoiding your magic."As she said.
The dead Specter was trying to avoid the magic Octavia had just used to deal with the Shadow Energy dolls.
"I can understand it without your kind exnation, Misha."
"Really? I was just saying it to get on your nerves."
"Then you seed. If you want a messier fight, I''ll be more than willing to oblige."
Octavia aimed her staff at the Vamel Alliance and the sword saints.
"We have also surpassed the providence of death. But can you im the same?"
"Murakan!"
Hundreds of rays of light shot out from her staff faster than Misha''s voice.
The light beam casually tore through Murakan''s Shadow Energy curtain, which blocked the front, and aimed at the people inside.
Through the torn Shadow Energy curtain, they could see martial artists cutting through the lightning bolts.
Especially notable was the sword of the leader of the sword saints, Ruyan.
As soon as the curtain was pierced, Ruyan stepped forward alone and showed his incredible strength by deflecting almost half of the prating lightning bolts on his own.
After that, the rest of the sword saints and the Vamel Alliance took the offensive against the Specters.
"Haaaa!"
It was Lata''s shout.
While assisting the rtively melee-weak Am, he took a light lightning to the chest.
"Oh, cutie!"
"Are you crazy? Calling me that in this situation?"
"You''re a cutie! Are you okay?"
"If you''re in your right mind, make a shield or something with your murky energy!"
"It''s all broken!"
Fortunately, Lata''s wound wasn''t deep, but in a battle like this, even that would be apparent quickly.
Following Valkas, the Proch siblings, Am, Kashimir, Alisa, Yulian, Kuzan, and Murakan, the Five Sword Saints of Hairan, who opened the Lord''s sword, were also on the defensive.
However, Octavia''s magic easily pressed them.
"You still have time to scream."
Just as the lightning bolts were about to fire again, Jin and Misha blocked Octavia once more.
The cknce and the Shadow Energy stained with Bradamante fell from her back and front.
Once again, only afterimages were left in the ce where the sword and thence were embedded.
Octavia quickly dominated the battlefield with such high mobility that it was impossible to think of her as a magician.
Every time she changed position, shes of light pierced the eyes, and the battlefield on the ground, which had split into two, became one again.
If Jin were alone, it would have been impossible to fight while protecting the allies.
A few would have already been fatally injured, or maybe even dead.
I have to focus.
''If I show an opening, Octavia will attack mypanions behind me now, not Miss Misha and me.''
First Technique of the Shadow de: Soul sh.
Second Technique: Scissors.
Seventh Technique: Shadow Assault.
The swords Jin always used as a means to create variables in critical moments were being continuously employed.
asionally, the attacks reached Octavia, but they only inflicted small cuts or scratches.
The erosion lightning bolts wereing to an end. When the lightning bolts ceased, Octavia could attack their allies more freely.
Jin had to prepare the most powerful magic sword while not stopping his attacks. Misha also had the same thoughts as Jin.
Furthermore, they had to think about the "next."
Even though the battle with Octavia had ended, the war would continue.
Now, Kelliark was being pushed back, but it was unknown how the battle situation would change the moment the Demon God Orb was unlocked.
That''s why Jin chose the magic sword instead of the Sword of the Reign of the Kingdom of Legends.
''He''s executing the magic sword as Hedo-nim mentioned.''
Octavia urately predicted Jin Runcandel''s magic sword secret technique.
She also learned about the power of Hellfire from Hedo, so she finished thinking about how to deal with it.
mes suddenly spread in the light scattered everywhere. It was Octavia''s eyes spreading the mes.
Crimson me Gaze - Octavia Zipple
It was Octavia''s Final Movement that transformed from the Blue me Gaze.
It was an upgraded version not to lose power even in the ''real blue me.''
''The problem is not Jin Runcandel''s magic sword but Misha''s cknce.''
That was something even Octavia couldn''t predict.
After fighting Misha on the ind of Beradin two years ago, Octavia searched all of Zipple''s records to find information about Misha.
There weren''t many records.
The predecessors of the Specters who fought against her were either dead or insane, unable to leave proper records.
But the way Misha killed the predecessors of the Specters was mostly not in direct confrontation but in the form of prolonged and grotesque murder.
This was the reason why the predecessors of the Specters couldn''t leave a proper record.
For decades, he had killed them physically and mentally like a ghost.
"There must be something. The Warrior who has been tested so far is transcendental."
Whatever it was.
Octavia was confident in facing it head-on. The position of the second magician of Zipple was never obtained in vain.
Octavia wanted a sh of pure strength and power instead of catching something like a Shadow Energy doll.
Crimson me Gaze melted the ground.
The Warriors'' feet were deeply embedded in the molten ground, emitting a smell of burnt flesh.
One after another, the wounded began to appear on Jin''s side. Lata took a deep breath and fell back, and the magical spell directed at him was barely dodged by Kashimir, Am, and Fey.
However, they also had a handful of fresh blood on their lips.
Yulian''s Thunderbow ''Harmi'' fired a stronger bolt than before, but it was almost ast effort.
Kuzan, who protected him, continued to drink extreme poison to try to regain his vitality, but even that wouldn''tst much longer.
Valkas, fully armed Alisa, and Murakan along with the Sword Saints were holding their ground, but at this rate, casualties were only a matter of time.
Octavia''s attack added to it, and the Sword Lord''s defensive formation was also slightly disturbed.
However, in the midst of the unstable situation, the Sword Saints and Jin''spanions did not think they would die soon.
It wasn''t because they thought they were superior to the Specters, and that Jin and Misha were stronger than Octavia.
It was the power of existence.
The mysterious and inexplicable power that the ancient Runcandels had sensed from Temar, and that Tris had identified in Jin, was dispelling the fears of theirrades.
Octavia also stared at the power emanating from Jin.
She concentrated even more to erase the dirty intuition.
"It''s still more of an illusion, just like Misha''s Shadow Energy doll. Before it bes real..."
I have to break it.
At that moment, Jin''s magical sword technique was executed.
Just as Octavia expected.
"Do you think you can do anything against me with the remnants of the ancient Runcandel!"
Crimson mes rose as if a mountain had sprung up out of nowhere.
And the mana of the wind mixed into it.
Octavia was the new contractor of the Wind God, Melzaire, and Jin had realized it recently.
The wild and fierce wind, iparable to Andrei Zipple''s magic, known as the King of the Wind, was blowing the crimson mes.
The storm of crimson mes engulfed the magical sword''s mes that had just started to bloom.
The blue me, which was supposed to spread by riding the runes left by Sarah Runcandel, was swallowed by the Crimson mes.
The runes scattered in the wind and couldn''t easily find their ce, and Jin''s body, which had turned into fire itself, swayed precariously as if it would extinguish at any moment.
Octavia''s scattered light spell was reced by fire mana and further strengthened her magic.
Octavia judged that she dominated Jin''s Hellfire.
The essence of the magician named Octavia filled the battlefield on the ground.
"Now, all that''s left is Misha''s final move."
It seemed like anything flying from anywhere wouldn''t be a problem.
The wind and the power of the crimson mes had already made the entire area their domain.
But in the next moment.
Octavia looked into Jin''s blue eyes...
She couldn''t help but doubt why he was so calm and firm.
They weren''t the eyes of a person being dragged down by a blow.
"Well... I haven''t seen this in a long time. I had forgotten."
Contrary to what Octavia thought, Misha didn''t prepare his own decisive move to kill.
What he prepared was a recreation of the battle a thousand years ago when he fought alongside Sarah Runcandel.
Just before executing the Hellfire, Jin received these words from Misha.
"Don''t be afraid even if the Hellfire is extinguished with Octavia''s magic. I will be your strength."
Misha, who had transformed into his true form before anyone knew it, spread his wings behind Jin.
Just as he protected Sarah''s back in a fierce battlefield a thousand years ago.
The reason why so many magicians in the world always chose Solderet as the supreme god was no different.
It was due to the superiority of the power called "Shadow Energy."
Magicians have always longed for Solderet to open new horizons in their magic through the power of Shadow Energy.
And, although most magicians don''t know it...
Shadow Energy was originally a power more suitable for a sword than for magic.
And more suitable for a magical sword than for a regr sword, and Misha was a ck dragon specialized in the power of Shadow Energy itself rather than individual power.
Misha had always supported Runcandel in this way.
"Did you say the remnant of the ancient Runcandel?"
Misha''s wings were stained with blue mes.
In addition, the blue mes that enveloped his skin regained their form, and the runes of Sarah, which were lost in the storm of crimson mes, strengthened with Shadow Energy and found their ce.
The crimson mes and the winds of Melzaire retreated.
The more that happened, the stronger the mana Octavia released, and she was clearly ahead in terms of power.
However, there was no choice but to have a limit when it came to the "case" of strength.
"That''s wrong. This kid''s magical sword is the current Runcandel itself. Bold mortal Zipple."
Runcandel Magic Sword Secret Technique
Hellfire - Jin Runcandel, Shadowless Shadow of the ck Spear
While Jin brandished Bradamante, ck and blue mes struck Octavia like a tidal wave.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 551
Chapter 551
C551
The sky seemed to be on the verge of copsing at any moment due to the sh of power between the two giants, resonating with an immense roar.
Absurd explosions and shocks rendered Hairan''s territory uninhabitable.
Beasts and small creatures howled as they fled the aftermath of mes and shattered sword energies that stretched far into the horizon.
Buildings melted, forests turned to ashes, and water veins boiled and evaporated.
Who could believe that this was a battle between a knight and the world''s greatest magician?
Meanwhile, the Sword Emperor Castle stood firm.
The tall and sturdy walls of the castle had notpletely lost their function, and even with the broken gates, enemies dared not venture inside.
Even the castle remained almost the same as when Ron regained consciousness for the first time and climbed the walls.He had to save the ce.
The ce where his grandson fought alone with the White Stone could never be destroyed.
The first thing the boy should see after oveing the stone must not be the broken Sword Emperor Castle.
Ron was defending his castle with such determination.
His lips were stained with dried blood, and his hair was scattered like that of a wanderer.
The top of his slender body was covered with new wounds along with numerous scars he had umted throughout his life, and his breathing was rough.
Still, the two eyes staring unwaveringly at the enemy shone without trembling, and his beloved sword, Rashid, consistently emitted brilliance, causing vibrations throughout the sky.
The guardian deity of Hairan.
That was the Sword Emperor.
"Hey, Kelliark Zipple. You''re losing, but... it seems you have other methods since you''re not negotiating or fleeing. Wouldn''t it be better to reveal it soon?"
Although it was a low voice, everyone on the battlefield could hear it.
The walls of the Sword Emperor Castle were lower, but Zipple''s magicians and dragons'' voices seemed toe from higher up in the sky.
As Ron took a step forward and swung his sword horizontally, an indistinct sword wind spread and scattered Kelliark''s powerful magic.
Meanwhile, the Sword Emperor''s secret technique, Divine Radiance, was executed.
A deep blue sword pierced through the center of the fleet, and Kelliark wielded Hroti to counter most of it.
But it was a hard hit.
He coughed up blood, and the hand holding the staff trembled.
Still, as the first time, no.
Despite using greater mana.
Ron showed no signs of crumbling under Kelliark''s attacks and the fleet.
As time passed, the fleet and dragons were falling one by one on Zipple''s side.
''Not an unexpected result... It feels quite bitter.''
Such arge gap...?, Kelliark thought, swallowing the bitter lump that rose in his throat.
Ron''s level was not a domain he had directly touched, so the result could only be bitter.
Just as Ron fought while protecting the Sword Emperor Castle, Kelliark was not showing his full ability in the fight while protecting the Demon God Orb from getting damaged.
But even taking that into ount, Kelliark had no choice but to admit hisplete defeat.
The Demon God Orb has not fully unlocked yet.
It was due to ack of mana.
Kelliark had no spare energy while dealing with Ron, who had be stronger, and with Octavia and the Spectres infiltrated into the Sword Emperor Castle to obtain the White Stone, so the only magicians and dragons he had left were being used to unlock the Demon God Orb.
From start to finish, everything was beyond his calctions.
Fortunately, the opening of the Demon God Orb wasing to an end.
And Ron was feeling that fact.
''The fleet''s attack is not as strong as expected.
The Demon God Orb, maybe it couldn''t focus on the battle to use the object as Jin said.
Although he said it as if he were rxed, Ron was actually worried about the power of the Demon God Orb.
Kelliark and Zipple didn''t realize, but Ron was also getting tired.
The long struggle against the disease and the ongoingbat inside had undoubtedly taken a toll on his body.
Transcendental martial arts and the ss difference were the only things hiding this fact from the enemies.
Ron himself was fully aware of it.
If he had only had one more month, or even 15 more days...
He could have fought in his best condition.
In his current state, if Kelliark pulls out his trump card, will he be able to handle it?
If not, how much longer could he endure?
Ron was unable to answer that frustrating question.
Just like Kelliark had never reached Ron''s level, the Demon God Orb waspletely unknown to him.
Ron only thought of his grandson.
After fighting with a body like this, I now understand perfectly how much pain you must have endured all this time...
''Grandson, this grandfather finally understands the path you have walked.''
He had to fight as his grandson did.
All he had to do was continue the fight silently.
Rumble...!
Kozec''s main cannon was dyed golden.
The cannon was fired following the trajectory left by Divine Radiance.
Ron made a sh with Rashid and cut through the center of the cannon shot.
The fragments of the cannon shot and the sword did not touch the ground and disintegrated in the air.
They didn''t know how many times such enormous and powerful forces had shed already.
Zipples used less than half of his normal firepower while unlocking the Demon God Orb, but the attacks of the other magicians and dragons, except Kelliark''s, were barely visible.
Only Ron''s sword and Kelliark''s magic covered the sky and the ground.
Suddenly, a new power emerged in the center of the battlefield.
As if a great vortex unfolded in the middle of the sea, another power cut through the space between the giants.
"Is this power originating from the ground?
''This, no way.''
Both Kelliark and Ron had no choice but to be momentarily distracted by the power.
Even as Octavia and the Spectres constantly used grand magic, their power never reached the sky.
Furthermore, the power visible to the giants was not of light or natural elemental magic, but consisted of unique blue mes and ck energy.
Jin and Misha''s mes.
It was the magical sword that surprised the giants.
"Haha."
Ron involuntarily let out a dryugh.
Even he, who had reached the edge of the Genesis Knight, did not expect such a formidable power to emerge from the ground.
On the other hand, Kelliark could not find amusement in the situation.
He had no time while dealing with Ron, but Jin and Misha''s mes reaching the sky were extending their energy even to Zipple''s fleet.
Sarah''s runes, rewritten with Shadow Energy, began to emit ck light like tumors all over the fleet formation.
"Avoid it!"
Kelliark gave orders to evade instead of blocking.
Even before the order was given, those who felt an ominous intuition immediately maneuvered to dodge.
However, those who had no energy left for Ron''s attack could not discern those small runes well.
Kelliark hastened to deploy shields towards them, but the fire from the ck and blue mes was already erupting like crazy.
It was a type of fire that no one had seen before.
No one knew that the name of the mes was a condemnation to punish Zipple''s work.
All they could know was this.
This fire, which would by no means easily extinguish or disappear, originated directly from the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel on the ground.
The Shadow Energy and real blue mes had long be Jin''s symbol.
Each of the magicians in the fleet was Zipple''s best.
Instead of sumbing to panic, they seemed to be striving to somehow expel the mes, so the advance of the fire was not very fast.
''Most of the power should have been directed at Octavia and the Spectres, but are the aftereffects the only cause for this reach?''
It''s true that Kelliark held Jin in high regard, but Jin could never release this power on his own.
''Murakan, or Misha, one of them must have unleashed all their energy to help Jin. Jin Runcandel must have used most of his strength.''
It was as if the ground battle had already ended.
If Octavia and the Spectres blocked it, the result would be Zipple''s victory, and if not, the side of the sword emperor would win.
Kelliark was not sure which of the two would win. The peculiarity of the power called Shadow Energy could not be urately measured even by a magician like him.
Moreover, Kelliark had other matters to attend to first.
[This is... Sarah... Runcandel...!]
Wind Dragon, Salion.
He was a Dragon who demonstrated that the power of history was weakening by unconsciously mentioning the "Ten Great Knights" when the second battle began.
Now, he vividly felt the nightmares of that time.
He vividly remembered how many of his rtives and magicians were killed by this dreadful me from hell.
The monstrous appearance of the me Empress, Sarah Runcandel.
As Salion stirred, the other Dragons also began to show signs of convulsions.
The aftermath of the battle, the instinctive fear of the Demon God Orb suppressed by the cor, and Salion''s voice...
All these factors were awakening forgotten stories in them.
[Run, we must run! Aagh!]
Kelliak struck Hroti on Salion''s back.
It was better to stun him, lest he elerate the weakening of the Power of History.
Theck of power would decrease even further, but it was nothingpared to the aftermath when the power of history was further damaged.
''Anyway, if I endure a little longer, the Demon God Orb will unlock.''
Within the next 30 minutes.
Kelliark raised his mana once again.
The front was filled with Ron''s sword.
---------------------
Ttttining-!
Octavia heard a sharp buzzing in her ears.
It felt as if someone was tearing and disarranging her mind from her.
What the hell happened?
She couldn''t feel her limbs.
It wasn''t paralysis.
It was just that her body was not responding due to the extreme shock of the hellfire, and for a moment, Octavia recalled the instant when the ck-blue mes covered her.
Did I manage to block it?
What happened to those bastards?
''Damn it, I can''t remember.''
She didn''t remember it very well.
Soon, when she barely moved her hand and touched her face reflexively, Octavia realized that her own left eye had disappeared.
It was an area she couldn''t recover with light magic.
I...
Did I lose?
With no possibility of being phased, someone flew to her side and dropped.
It was one of the Grey Tunics and a Spectre, and they had already died.
Only then did Octavia realize that the Spectres were fighting to protect her from the enemies.
She also knew that she would have died on the spot without them, and that she wouldn''t even have opened the only eye she had left.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 552
Chapter 552
C552
Octavia thought she wouldn''t be defeated even if Rosa herself led the ck Knights.
It was shocking to assume that she would lose, and it was the result of fighting against Jin and Misha.
It wasn''t even the result of a careless mistake.
Obviously, she cast the best magical spells she could, and yet, it wasn''t enough to withstand Jin and Misha''s Hellfire.
It''s not over yet.
She wanted to rise again, but her broken body only convulsed.
"The captain has regained consciousness!"
"Captain, give us orders...!"The Specters guarding her shouted hastily.
Due to the sh between Jin and Misha''s mes and Octavia''s vision magic, the battle on the ground reached its climax immediately.
Both sides desperately squeezed the remaining strength as Octavia fell.
The Specters had to stop the Warriors trying to take advantage of the opportunity...
And Jin and the others had to somehow finish Octavia off.
Everyone was sure that if they couldn''tpletely cut off Octavia''s breath, there would be no next time.
They had to consolidate their victory while the Specters watched Octavia and couldn''t attack properly.
Three Specters were killed, and six Specters were injured to the point where they couldn''t fight.
On the other hand, the entire Vamel Alliance was injured, but no one died.
It was the result of Runcandel''s magic sword breaking Zipple''s magic.
Of course, this would have been impossible if Jin had been alone.
But Misha also gave it her all like Octavia.
As the battle resumed, Misha was unable to fight.
She even transformed back into human form to ease her shock from the aftermath of the battle and seemed out of breath.
"Misha-nim, are you okay?"
Jin was also a bit tired, but not enough to hinder the battle.
Misha nodded and smiled faintly.
"I thought she would disappear without a trace, but it seems I underestimated her a bit."
"Icked."
"Not at all. That thing is nothing but a monster..."
Ugh, Misha spat out a murky Shadow Energy and looked at the backs of the Specters.
She had hoped that Jin''s Hellfire, with all its power, would surely kill Octavia.
"Be careful, Jin. Octavia Zipple... she might... probably resurrect."
Jin had that premonition.
Despite losing an eye, suffering severe reflux symptoms, and having a broken body, it didn''t seem like Octavia would end like this.
A new mana of light began to gather near the copsed Octavia.
The bright mana clung to Octavia''s body and healed her.
The Specters awaited Octavia''smand.
It was because they still had options.
Will they retreat or fight?
On the other hand, the Sword Emperor Castle camp had no choice.
Because there was no ce to retreat anyway.
If the Specters had judged that Octavia waspletely incapacitated, they would have chosen to withdraw with her.
Octavia slowly got up.
She seemed about to faint at any moment, but the light mana stabilized her.
"No retreat... Continue the battle."
At hermand, the Specters'' magic became more aggressive.
Misha retreated to the rear ranks and hid among Murakan''s curtain, and the rest of the Warriors regrouped around Jin.
Now, there were a total of twenty Specters who could fight.
However, once Octavia recovers, Jin and the others will have no choice but to fight harder than before.
"Same here, Octavia Zipple."
Remnants of mes still lingered on Bradamante.
Jin released the mana he had left to reignite the fire.
It seemed to be a signal for something.
As soon as the sword began to burn, Jin''s group and the Specters once again shed swords and staffs.
Everyone was tired and injured.
No one could fully deploy their original abilities on the terrestrial battlefield.
That''s why their battles were approaching more and more the original form of the act of "fighting."
It was a primitive and brutal skirmish, simr to a brawl.
Magicians stabbed by swords and knights hit by magic roared like beasts instead of screaming.
In particr, the strength of Jin and the Sword Saints stood out.
In this pure fight, it was natural for Runcandel''s sword and Hairan''s Supreme Sword, made from that sword, to shine the most.
Desperately...
Jin advanced towards Octavia.
Bradamante, dyed in ck, shed with magic and shields with every blow, and blood spurted from her throat due to the bacsh, but Jin didn''t stop.
If he stopped, it was over.
Since he had already entered the enemy ranks, stopping or falling here meant death.
The same applied to hisrades following him towards the enemy line.
It was like crossing a sea from which there was no turning back once you started swimming.
The moment you stopped before reaching that end, all that awaited you was cold death.
There was always the danger of dying and being maimed.
Not a single Warrior was afraid as they charged down that path.
They simply looked at Jin''s back, pushing aside enemies flying towards their blind spot, and trusted him as they advanced.
''Why doesn''t the Twelfth gbearer fall...!''
''Damn it, does it mean he still has strength after reducing the captain to that state!''
From the beginning, the human named Jin Runcandel couldn''t be understood by Zipple''s magicians.
How is it possible that he always performs miracles like this?
What was that strength he had?
When did he be such a formidable enemy...?
Even if they used great magic with all their might, Jin''s advance showed no signs of slowing down.
This time he will stop, this time he will take a step back, this time he will fall...!
All those predictions proved to be wrong.
Even when the Specters'' chain magic struck Jin''s chest directly, he showed no signs of having been hit.
The chain magic seemed to pass through him like a ghost.
Wait, did it seem like it passed through a ghost?
At that moment, the members of the Specters had to realize a terrible fact.
The fact that they were deceived by the antics of the ck Dragon Misha once again.
From the center of the gap, what the Specters were attacking was not the real Jin.
It was the illusion of Jin that Misha had created before retreating to the rear.
Unlike the Shadow Energy doll, the virtual image had no physical power, but it was enough to deceive enemies losing focus.
"Can you afford to devote so much effort to illusions? I don''t think so," said Jin, thrusting his sword into the stomach of a Specter.
He hid among the Specters while his attention was focused on the illusion.
And the Specter he killed was the one guarding the front of Octavia.
By then, Octavia herself was in a considerably improved condition.
However, she was only better than right after being hit by Jin and Misha''s Hellfire, and she still couldn''t fight.
"Stop him!"
A mana bolt pierced through the bodies of the Specters, who hadn''t copsed yet.
Jin barely turned his head, and the light bolt barely grazed his cheek.
He couldn''t afford to dodge the subsequent attack, but the Sword Saint Ruyan moved at an incredible speed to protect him.
Ruyan''s wrist was as thin as a dry twig.
It was amazing that it was the wrist of a knight who had trained all his life.
The rest of the Sword Saints following his also had a thin appearance like him.
But as they thinned out, their swords became sharper. Just like a me in full bloom just before extinguishing.
Jin didn''t even have time to say thanks or exchange a nce.
Jin continued to advance, leaving the Sword Saints behind.
"Octavia Zipple!"
Swish!
The Shadow Energy and mes surrounding Bradamante grew denser.
Octavia was avoiding Jin''s sword by taking clumsy steps backward.
It was inherently uneptable for someone of her caliber to take a step back in battle so clumsily.
As much as she was a magician, she had the basic closebat training needed to face knights, and she never took a step back even when facing Sword Saints who were clearly superior to Jin.
The moves she had to resort to were something that could be seen in a street fight, but Octavia had no other choice.
If only she had one more minute to recover...!
However, Jin couldn''tnd a clean hit on her, despite his reckless attacks.
The Specters were a formidable force.
Although the Sword Saints and theirpanions risked their lives to push them back, it wasn''t enough topletely break through thest line of defense.
If Octavia were in perfect condition, they wouldn''t havee this far in the first ce.
The sword wind grazed her nose, and Octavia felt her whole body chilling from cold sweat.
Now 55 seconds...
54... Damn it!
Time seemed too long.
It seemed like her subordinates wouldn''t be able to protect herpletely in that time.
It wasn''t because the Specterscked skills.
Jin was so special that he could never be exined in terms of strength, greatness, or luck...
Amidst the onught of sword strikes and magic, Jin, as always, had a single thought.
Before learning the First Shadow Sword Technique from his brothers, he practiced the essence of the magic sword he had already mastered.
He was armed with the will to cut without fail.
That will reached Octavia once again, escaping the Specters'' encirclement.
At the moment when the ck energy of the sword rose into the sky to cut Octavia, she had to face a massive and dark emotion she had long forgotten.
Fear.
The fear of inevitably dying in this situation.
"Ahhh!"
At the moment the sword fell, Octavia and Jin screamed at the same time.
The Specters'' mana bolt hit Jin''s back.
Jin''s Shadow Energy armor blocked it, but the impact made his eyes nk for a moment, so Bradamante couldn''t cut Octavia in half.
What Jin shed was Octavia''s right hand, which reflexively extended her staff.
The ck-blue me adhered to the cut surface and prevented recovery with light magic, and her severed hand instantly turned to ashes and scattered.
It was too risky to continue pressing on.
I need to regroup with my allies and seize another opportunity.
Octavia''s recovery will be dyed anyway, so we should be able to win...!
If he kept going, even if he survived, his allies would undoubtedly die.
Jin stepped back, looking at the fallen Octavia.
"For someone who once spoke as if there was nothing to fear in the world, what about now, Octavia Zipple? Is that arrogant spirit still intact?"
Octavia had lived a long life, and there was only one more moment when she faced humiliation than today, the day she faced Chiron.
Whether it was Misha''s involvement in the war, or Jin''s sword skills and fights exceeding expectations, or Jin''s special nature.
For whatever reason, Octavia had lost in the ground battle.
She had beenpletely defeated despite having absolute superiority.
Octavia herself couldn''t deny this fact.
"This battle is your victory, Jin Runcandel."
"I haven''t cut you yet, so it''s not over. And it would be more urate to say it''s the victory of the Vamel Alliance and the Sword Emperor Castle. If you die, you won''t be able to...."
At the moment Jin said that.
Suddenly, Jin felt a terrible aura emanating from the sky, an aura he had only felt once a long time ago.
Jin''spanions were feeling the same aura Jin sensed.
Octavia said with a calm voice.
"However, my defeat doesn''t necessarily mean Zipple''s defeat... now you will see our true power."
What the group felt was the energy of the Demon God Orb that had finally opened.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 553
Chapter 553
C553
In 1795, Jin heard the same sound when Andrei Zipple was cornered and pulled out the Demon God Orb.
However, this time was different. The current Demon God Orb was in a state ofpletion iparable to back then.
Kelliark began to use the Demon God Orb seriously...!
As the second battle began, Jin and hispanions discovered that Kelliark had brought the Demon God Orb.
Quikantel was terrified, and Zipple''s dragons seemed to convulse even with safety devices around their necks.
Nevertheless, when they felt the power of the Demon God Orb being unleashed, their skin crawled.
"That must be the hidden power specifically for dealing with Runcandel. It seems your patriarch has finally decided that he cannot face Ron-nim without it."
Jin responded calmly...But he couldn''t help but assume that the situation could turn either on the sky or on the ground battlefield.
As soon as the Demon God Orb opened, Octavia''s recovery elerated.
It reminded Jin of a conversation he had with Sandra Zipple on the Gaifa Inds.
"Shall we marry? There''s talk that you would marry thedy of the hidden pce. And me?"
"If you tell me the secret of your regeneration, I''ll consider it."
"Really? It''s not a very difficult condition. Do you know the Demon God Orb? With it, we can mimic the divine powers of some Gods..."
''High-speed regeneration by the Demon God Orb...''
The embers of the me remaining in Octavia''s amputated right hand were fading away.
In its ce, ck smoke rose and formed a new hand.
Jin witnessed the same rapid regeneration in 1795 when he fought against Andrei and Biuretta.
ck bones formed, and murky, grotesque flesh emerged.
Not only Octavia was recovering this way.
The Specters that were injured also began to regain their strength with high-speed regeneration...
Even the already dead Specters rose unpleasantly.
Soon, Octavia reattached the broken staff with light magic, meeting Jin''s eyes.
Blood still flowed from the left eye.
"Yes. Both Ron Hairan and you surprised us too much."
"Why didn''t your eye recover?"
"Don''t forget today."
"Anyway, you won''t be able to forget it, but you''re doing all sorts of useless things."
Jin spoke calmly, but it was difficult to swallow his regret.
The opportunity to kill Octavia had vanished.
If that were all, he would have somehow epted this bitter situation, but the problem was that, unlike him, most of his allies were either injured or exhausted.
They desperately needed the participation of Runcandel or Tris.
"...Lord."
Valkas stood next to Jin and said.
"It''s time to retreat," Valkas spoke low and solemn.
He was recalling the conversation he had with Kashimir before the second battle.
"... I feel like this war can decide the fate of the world, not just Sword Emperor Castle''s fate."
"I agree."
"Even if Dante-nim awakens, and all of us escape Sword Emperor Castle, it will only suspend the situation after all. Total war or negotiations. One of the two is destined to happen. Unless the White Stone is destroyed."
"We just have to focus on supporting the lord in any situation. The lord won''t abandon his friend, but if the lord is in danger of falling because of that... We must make sure the lord doesn''t fall even if we have to trample on his feelings."
Valkas felt that now was the time.
If he didn''t retreat now, it seemed that death would be the only future Jin and the Vamel Alliance could face, as well as the Sword Saints.
Of course, for Valkas, Jin''s survival was more important than Dante''s life.
Everyone in the Vamel Alliance thought the same.
In particr, they couldn''t let Jin die in such a desperate fight.
They didn''t know what situation they would be in if the Demon God Orb hadn''t healed Octavia and the Specters, but right now there was no answer.
Regrettable as it was, Valkas, too, was pushed to the edge of madness, but all the more reason to ept reality calmly.
"Lord... you''ve done enough."
He tightly gripped the sword handle, his jaw seemed to tense as he clenched his teeth.
Jin knew better than anyone that Valkas was right.
In the end, Jin made his decision.
"I will withdraw."
Of course, Jin had no intention of giving up on Dante.
Continuing to fight would only lead to death not only for him but also for those who followed him.
The name "Jin Runcandel" and the influence he possessed were no longer solely personal.
The lives of numerousrades depended on him.
Abandoning them for the sake of a friend who may have already crossed the river would be nothing less than betrayal.
It was an uneptable choice as their lord andrade.
"But... I''ll have to take a look inside the castle."
If there really was no hope even after withdrawing to the castle where Dante was, if there was no way to save him, then he would unconditionally withdraw.
Jin was saying that.
"Lord, withdrawing from the castle may be more difficult."
"No, I have to go to the castle to increase everyone''s chances of survival. My Family won''t be able to observe inside the castle, so they''ll definitely send someone."
Indeed, Rosa had already given the order to Stam, the leader of the ck Knights, to save Jin.
Runcandel''s people might not care about anyone''s life other than Jin''s, but if they fought against Octavia, that would inevitably facilitate the group''s escape.
Another titan that still maintained neutrality, the Hidden Pce Master, Tris Endorma, might also be inside the castle.
Above all.
Jin evoked an old memory.
The day his first sister, Luna Runcandel, cut the Demon God Orb.
It seemed that there was nothing in the world that Ron couldn''t cut.
Runcandel, Tris, and Ron.
Among the three, Runcandel''s intervention was decisive, so there was no reason not to check inside the castle, and Valkas agreed.
By then, Octavia had alreadypleted the recovery of her body,
Light magic and chain magic flew towards the group once again.
Bang!
Valkas stepped forward and shed the lightning that fell on Jin in one stroke.
"I will protect the rear with the Sword Saints. My lord, head into the castle as soon as possible with the rest of the group."
-----------------------
The eyes were empty, and a grotesquely twisted ck face upied the space where the sky should be.
It was a face protruding from the Demon God Orb.
Aaahh!
It screamed incessantly, as if suffering great agony from exposing its face to the world.
Perhaps it wasn''t a scream but a threatening roar towards enemies, or maybe it was just a senseless, meaningless scream.
One thing was clear...
The eerie and terrifying voice overwhelmed everyone in Sword Emperor Castle.
They felt their entire body be heavy as they stared directly at the face of the Demon God Orb.
They had never seen anything more terrible than this in their lives.
It wasn''t just a sensationing from the horrendous shape, but an inexplicably deep and dark energy that colored the battlefield.
''Zipple did something like this... Are you saying humans created this?''
Until now, he had faced only Kelliark and Zipple''s fleet and hadn''t faltered a bit.
But not now.
I can''t....
It seemed impossible toprehend.
It seemed that if there was anyone in the world capable of cutting it, it had to be Cyron, not him.
Ron was "sure" that no one else would be able to cut it if it wasn''t him.
He was sure that Cyron could because Ron was a Warrior closer to the mastery of the Genesis Knight.
''Dante, my grandson.''
Dante''s face came to his mind.
The thought that he might not be able to protect his grandson, and if that happened, what he could do for his grandson.
There was only one thing.
''If I can''t protect you, I''ll make sure you cane back alive.''
Ron embraced Rashid.
He gathered his emotions and willpower to push away the certainty of defeat.
If he fought without dispelling that conviction, nothing would change.
Shortly after...
Ron could face the Demon God Orb again with the same eyes as always.
"Ron Hairan. To be honest, I never thought I would use this power against you," said Kelliark as he floated in front of the face of the Demon God Orb.
His appearance waspletely different from before.
He looked like a young boy, not a gray-haired elder.
And Ron intuitively knew that it was a phenomenon caused by the assimtion of Kelliark and the Demon God Orb.
"It''s a sign of respect."
"How can a monster show respect to a human, Kelliark Zipple? You''re no longer the human I knew. The fact that I oncepeted with you as a human is disgusting."
Kelliark smiled bitterly at those words.
"I understand."
Hroti turned ck.
It was a dark and deep ck color that wouldn''t be out of ce even if stained with shadow energy.
"The only consideration I can offer you is to facilitate your rest."
A ck gleam of light spread from Hroti.
The ck gleam had no sound or presence. Like a shadow de that had reached its peak.
At the same time, Ron also swung Rashid.
However, Ron did not perceive it happening "at the same time."
He felt that his reaction had been dyed by a second, even less than a moment.
The ck gleam pierced through the enormous shapeless sword that stretched between them so effortlessly and reached Ron.
Thanks to the shapeless sword slowing down the advance even a little, Ron managed to ovee the time difference andpletely cut through the ck gleam.
Swish-!
At the moment Rashid and the ck gleam collided, a strange sound was heard.
And Ron, who was confident that he had deflected it, suddenly felt the ck gleam brushing against his cheek.
Something that should never have happened at his level.
Waaak!
The scream of the Demon God Orb sounded as if it wereughing at Ron.
Ron wiped the blood running down his cheek with a stern expression.
On his palm, ash-colored patterns like runes emerged.
He activated the Supreme Sword.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 554
Chapter 554
C554
Ron''s aura turned gray.
The unpleasant sensation of being consumed by dark power began, and his vision darkened.
Therge body, which had been trained throughout his life without a single apostle, now exuded a dark and ominous aura.
The shapeless sword also lost its unique transparent color and began emitting a murky gray.
As a result, it lost its singrity of being invisible, but its power was so enormous that it didn''t be a weakness in the first ce.
Zipple''s magicians could now realize how immense the pressure of the Shapeless Sword was once it took a visible form.
The sky and the ground were filled with the gray aura of the sword. Furthermore, as the Supreme Sword opened up, the power increased even more, and wherever they looked, it was filled with gray swords.
But now, Zipple''s magicians were not afraid.The power of the Demon God Orb that had opened up was strengthening not only Kelliark Zipple but also the other magicians and Zipple''s fleet.
The dragons roared incessantly. It was because they lost theirposure due to the energy of the Demon God Orb, but they didn''t attack their allies.
They awaited orders like a well-trained fighting dog.
An order to bite the enemy.
Gaaaaa-!
Except for Kelliark, it was Belot who showed the most overwhelming presence.
With the energy of the Demon God Orb, Belot spewed ck fire, and the heat was iparably stronger, pushing away the nearby gray swords.
Hoo....
Ron slowly collected his breath and assumed the stance.
The pattern of the newly engraved Supreme Sword lightly covered his slim body.
His condition was far from perfect.
That''s why the Supreme Sword couldn''tst longer than the Sword Saints, but that didn''t matter.
The fight probably wouldn''t have been too long.
Suddenly, Ron Hairan felt there was something inmon between the Demon God Orb and the "White Stone," which constantly screamed Kaak, kak and terrible sounds.
The White Stone, the greatest enemy of the Hairan patriarch.
An ominous stone, a wedge pointing to the end, and the previous Hairan patriarch referred to the White Stone by many names like that.
No one knew the true name of the stone, and no one had been able to cut it.
The meaning of the stone''s existence, only transmitted from patriarch to patriarch,y in "cutting."
Only when you reach the level where you can cut it can you stand out in Hairan''s history.
And yet, there was no one in Hairan who had managed to cut the stone.
In the end, the stone plunged Hairan into a crisis, and it kept whispering thenguage of destruction while keeping Dante captive.
The Demon God Orb was the same.
The White Stone and the Demon God Orb.
If he didn''t cut them, Hairan would disappear from the world starting today.
"Come, shameless monsters."
As Ron lifted Rashid, it seemed as if a gray mountain suddenly rose in front of Sword Emperor Castle.
The aura of the sword formed a barrier in the ce of the copsed and broken walls.
ck gleams emanated from Hroti again. That ck power pierced through theyers of gray barriers without hesitation.
However, before Kelliark could confirm that the ck gleam reached Ron, he had to face a sharp sword flying through a crack in the gray barrier.
However, the energy of the sword quickly dissipated before touching Kelliark''s face.
Just like dust disappears before touching fire.
The power of the Demon God Orb was protecting Kelliark and the fleet.
In an instant, more than a hundred sword auras shot one after another, disappeared in the same way.
Kelliark slowly reached out to the image left by the disappeared sword aura.
He could only feel the faint warmth generated by the power of the Demon God Orb countering the sword aura.
He didn''t act to defend himself seriously or to avoid it.
Although Kelliark only showed a slight will not to be hit, hepletely blocked Ron''s sword aura.
''...Cyron, have you always felt this way when you see those who oppose you?''
Kelliark thought as he swung Hroti again.
The gray swords that Ron shot were ruthlessly shattered every time he swung his Hroti.
The attacks of magicians, dragons, and fleets, which had been constantly blocked by the shapeless sword, were much more effective than before.
Ron hadn''t dodged any of their attacks even once until the Demon God Orb opened up.
Before the attack approached him, he cut them with a formless sword wind or blocked them while staying in ce.
But now...
Ron was sweating as he walked back and forth between the castle wall and the gray aura he had formed.
Ron didn''t stop at this fact.
He simply held the sword in silence, observed the battle, and counterattacked whenever he had the chance.
With each passing second, scars grew on the engraved pattern of the Supreme Sword.
[Kwaaak!]
Like a tidal wave, Belot''s ck fire rushed toward the castle.
The gray barrier exploded, and 30% of the left side wall waspletely destroyed, and Ron prevented Belot from entering through the gap.
As Belot charged, the space distorted, creating a shockwave and a roar.
Ron''s Rashid, who turned to face it, hit Belot''s head but didn''t cut it.
It was as if the swords shed and fought for their strength.
When the sh ended, Belot was the first to retreat, but it was Ron who was bleeding.
A handful of warm and hot blood rose up his throat.
"Kagh...!"
He spat blood, and before it could touch the ground, ck fire and gleams covered Ron.
The fire pierced through his chest, and the gleams hit his shoulders.
Because of this, the fleet and dragons bombarded him as soon as it calmed down a bit.
It was the first time he suffered such a unteral attack after earning the name of Sword Emperor.
The Demon God Orb continued to mock Ron.
Zipple''s magicians, dragons, and Belot felt this way.
They were already intoxicated by victory and madness.
But Kelliark thought differently.
Does the Demon God Orb... feel uneasy?
Does it consider Ron still a threat?
Kelliark couldn''t understand why.
The battle was truly overwhelming.
Although Ron still had some power left, Kelliark was only using a part of the Demon God Orb''s power.
Even if he didn''t understand it, he had no doubts. Currently, there were more than thirty gods dwelling in the Demon God Orb, and the total sum of their wills produced an absolute conclusion.
Kelliark''s gazended on the ground.
He saw Jin and his group, who had just entered the castle to escape the aftermath of the battle, and Octavia and the Spectres chasing them.
Ron was unable to exert all his strength to prevent the impact from reaching there.
''Maybe it''s because of the divine power of the shadow residing in Jin Runcandel.''
The Demon God Orb was superior to Andrei''s, but it still wasn''t in perfect condition.
Shadow.
The Demon God Orb could never bepleted unless the power of Solderet was obtained.
Even if the power of all the Gods except him and the gods who had already died or disappeared wasbined.
"Where are you looking, Kelliark!"
Ron''s sword cut through the onught and arrived right in front of Kelliark.
Unlike before, this sword energy couldn''t be casually dissipated with a simple will.
While swinging Hroti to erase the sword energy, he felt pain in his wrist.
It was surprising that he could feel pain despite assimting into the Demon God Orb.
He thought that maybe the ancient race that disappeared after resisting the gods had also provoked the gods'' anger in a simr way.
"Don''t worry. For now, killing you is the priority."
Like a tumor, spheres of ck fire began to form in the sky.
The five Decimating me Orbs Of The Dark Sky transformed by Kelliark and strengthened by the Demon God Orb were aimed at Ron.
In terms of sheer power, it surpassed the Second Version of Riol Zipple''s Legacy.
Even when Ron saw that, he didn''t retract the power used for ground defense.
Kelliark frowned as if he were displeased.
"Did my words sound like lies?"
Following Kelliark''s staff, a ck me orb fell first on Sword Emperor Castle.
Belot continued pressing Ron to prevent him from avoiding the ck me orb.
But Ron had no intention of avoiding it in the first ce.
Shh...!
Gray Rashid made a resonant sound, and the pattern of the Supreme Sword engraved on Ron''s body became thicker.
Ron''s gray eyes were steadfast as he looked at Belot and the ck me orb.
Emperor''s Sword, the first decisive move to kill.
Rashid emitted a gray glow.
Huge energy enveloped the darkness scattered all around, enough to make even Belot, who was strengthened with the Demon God Orb, reflexively step back.
The ceaselessly emanating gray light from Emperor''s Sword upied its ce, revealing the majesty of the Supreme, and at that moment, the expression of the Demon God Orb floating like an ominous moon wavered.
''This sword is like...''
Kelliark couldn''t help but think of a sword he had faced some time ago.
The Supreme Sword was originally a sword modeled after Runcandel''s sword, for the decisive battle against Runcandel.
That''s why all Supreme Swords resemble Runcandel, but that doesn''t mean they are mere clumsy imitations of unblessed bodies.
The Supreme Sword was made to defeat Runcandel.
Meteorite Destroyer.
It resembles the meteorite shower from Runcandel''s Third Final Movement.
The sword Kelliark remembered was the Third Final Movement of Runcandel, directly used by Cyron, and the First Final Movement of the Supreme Sword.
It was a sword forged to surpass Runcandel''s meteorite shower.
The air split in half along the direction of Rashid''s trajectory.
The gray aura of the sword emerging from the gap took control of the space that the ck mes had engulfed, and regained dominance.
Kaaaaaaaaa!
The voice of the Demon God Orb conveyed more anxiety and rage than before.
It seemed to say:
"Do you dare to think that humans can possess such power?".
Belot retreated and roared.
It was impossible to block the gray aura of the meteorite destroyer.
As soon as Belot dodged, Kelliark threw the remaining four me orbs at once, but the speed didn''te out due to the repulsive power.
It wasn''t much, but they dispersed even before reaching the wall.
The five me orbs had already lost their power, and their form couldn''t be called an orb.
"You just said a moment ago that you didn''t know you would use the power of the Demon God Orb against me.... I say the same.."
"It''s not just hidden power...... by any chance, are you getting stronger by facing me?"
Kelliark squinted his eyes with such conviction, and Ron, holding a handful of scattered ck mes, closed his fist, extinguishing them.
"No matter how this fight ends today... You and I will lose a lot. And the real winner won''t be you or me. It will be the new generation."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 555
Chapter 555
C555
The recovered Octavia and the Spectre Corps were fiercely chasing Jin and his group.
Valkas and the Sword Saints, who were supposed to take care of the rear, were already exhausted...
But fortunately, Ron''s gray sword aura was scattered all along the way to the castle.
Strangely, his sword aura didn''t hinder allies at all; it only oppressed the Spectres.
Just like a divine being only lends aid to those under its protection.
Octavia''s tremendous mobility was also dimmed by the gray sword aura, losing its luster.
Thanks to this, the group advanced towards the castle more easily than expected.
That doesn''t mean they moved fast.In the sky, shockwaves from the giants were constantly erupting, and the ground churned and screamed every time they stepped on it.
As the battle between Ron and Kelliark intensified, the aftermath transmitted to the Sword Emperor Castle.
And for the most part, Octavia and the Spectres had to endure it.
It was a strange formation.
The Spectres seemed to be covering Jin and his retreating group like an umbre.
Octavia couldn''t help but burst into anger.
Since thend battle began, she and the Spectres had received more damage from Ron and Kelliark''s battle.
''Hedo-nim said he seemed to be a human favored by the Heavens... it seems like infinite luck is on my side.''
-If the Heavens are favoring you, it''s probably because your father has be the Heavens itself.
Just like Hedo told Jin in the Sota Desert, Octavia felt the same way.
Strangely, Jin seemed to be lucky.
Of all things, the battlefield of giants caused more damage to itself with its backs to the sky, and as soon as the battle began, reinforcements called Misha arrived at just the right moment, and they couldn''t finish her off even after strengthening with the Demon God Orb.
Again.
Octavia couldn''t shake off a sense of imminent doom.
A dirty intuition was piercing her mind, suggesting that perhaps they wouldn''t be able to kill Jin and his group.
Sh*t...!
Even if it wasn''t enough, that Valkas and the Sword Saints hadn''t fallen yet was horrible.
The ck King and the Sword Saints were undoubtedly very strong, but they were in no wayparable to her and the Spectres.
Even if they were able to withstand the impact of the giants, they should have been eliminated by now.
Especially the Five Sword Saints.
At a nce, they already looked like corpses.
Their faces were not just gray but almost ck, and the swords they wielded while retreating were not as sharp as before.
Still, they didn''t die.
They had been pierced through the chest, so this would be the end; the running speed would decrease, the leg would break, and now they should fall...
Octavia can''t count how many times all those expectations have failed.
With battered bodies, they wielded the sword almost as if they were staggering, but why and how could they continue to defend the rear, even against herself and the Spectres!
There were moments when the consciousness of the Sword Saints flickered like a flickering magical light.
The inner castle was getting closer.
After the Demon God Orb was opened, the Sword Emperor Castle lost most of its castle form.
However, the inner castle remained almost the same as the first time.
Among the copsed buildings and broken ground, the only intact inner castle somehow exuded a sublime aura.
It gave the feeling that something precious, which should be protected even if the world copsed, was right here.
However, not even Ron could prevent Octavia from hitting it directly.
If Jin''s group and the Spectres enter the castle, the inner castle will copse.
"You can''t pass, Zipples...."
The Sword Saints stopped retreating in front of the castle.
Jin and hispanions stopped and looked at them.
They realized without saying it.
We will buy time onest time, check on how Dante is doing, and if possible, if possible... we will bring him with you.
That''s what the Sword Saints'' backs were saying.
Anyway, among them, there was no one who could live even if they received treatment right now.
Sacrifice, truly terrible.
"Yes, the right choice... It''s going to be very hard to make sense now."
Octavia said quietly, with hatred.
She and the Spectres pointed their staffs at the Sword Saints.
As she said, the miracle of the Sword Saints, which had continued hundreds of times until now, was about to end here.
Jin turned around and took a step toward the Sword Saints. He drew the pale blue sword, Sigmund.
Lord...!
''Jin-nim!''
Jin''spanions felt the same as him.
They didn''t want to move to the next step by stepping on the sacrifice of theirrades.
But they had to make a rational decision.
This must be something that the Sword Saints didn''t want either.
Feeling Jin''s energy approaching them, they also wanted to shout:
"Please, go."
That''s why all hispanions had to stop Jin, but Jin wasn''t losing his mind and heading towards the Sword Saints just because of his emotions.
Won''t theye even if I do this?
Runcandel...
Jin was asking his own Family with his action.
''Whoeveres from the Family. If I fight with them even by executing my Sword of the Reign of the Kingdom of Legends here, you won''t know that not only the Sword Saints will die.''
It was a friendly threat, and as always.
Jin got what he wanted.
The moment Octavia and the Spectres'' magic rained down on the Sword Saints and Jin''spanions tried to forcefully bring him back.
A group of knights hidden among the fire blocked the front of Jin and the Sword Saints.
They were five ck Knights.
''Again, seriously...!''
Octavia gritted her teeth and red at the ck Knights.
"Do you think Runcandel wille to save me, Octavia Zipple?"
"I''m sure. Now you have such a position in Runcandel."
Just like she had a conversation with Jin as soon as they met onnd, indeed, Octavia had in mind from the beginning that Runcandel''s support would arrive.
Still, the reason she was scandalized was that she was fed up.
The fact that the situation was favoring Jin more and more each time made her blood flow backward.
The knights'' swords cut through Octavia and the Spectres'' magic.
They must have endured the giants'' might along the way, but they showed no signs of fatigue.
On the contrary, the aura of one of the swords was stronger than any active ck Knight Jin had ever seen and instantly blocked their path.
Jin''spanions could breathe a sigh of relief, and Jin finally felt a bit of satisfaction at that moment.
Not only was he pretending to fight alongside the Sword Saints, but it was a prelude to knowing that the ck Knights would never have stepped forward if he hadn''t genuinely shown his willingness to rejoin the battle.
"Twelfth gbearer."
Stam''s calm and heavy voice remained undisturbed even in the chaotic battlefield.
Jin had never heard Stam''s voice and had no idea of his status, but he knew it instinctively.
That he was the leader of Runcandel''s ck Knights.
"To think you would pull me out like this, you always have a knack for surprising our Family members."
Stam''s sword created a fierce resonating sound and pushed other energies away.
As soon as he appeared, Octavia and the Spectres had no choice but to change their pursuit formation back to battle.
"Stam... Hasn''t Rosa Runcandele in person?" Octavia asked.
Stam didn''t answer Octavia and looked back at Jin and the others. As if there were no problem even though there were Spectres in front of him.
For a few seconds, Stam''s gaze moved back and forth between Jin and the others and the intact inner castle.
In the end, it settled on the battered Sword Saints.
Before being a ck Knight, before being a human, he was a Warrior.
He felt a deep respect for them.
"Thanks to the Twelfth gbearer, I can pay my respects to all of you. It''s not my intention, but it''s an honor to assist you in your final moments."
Even though he felt moved by them as a Warrior and wanted to help them as a human, the original mission and the Family were the top priority for the ck Knights.
Therefore, it wasn''t very appropriate to step forward now, but considering Jin''s injury or death, he couldn''t help it.
"...Stam-nim, definitely. The day wille when Hairan returns the favor. Even if it takes a thousand years."
Stam nodded and looked Jin in the eyes.
"Go, Twelfth gbearer."
He didn''t ask Stam for time to say goodbye to the Sword Saints.
Since thend battle began, Jin and hispanions had already said their goodbyes to the Sword Saints.
The battle itself was like a long farewell for them.
For once, Jin and hispanions saw the backs of the master swordsmen and turned back towards the castle.
As they left, Octavia couldn''t capture them.
"A while ago, you asked if Rosa-nim hadn''te in person, Octavia Zipple."
Stam pointed his sword and continued speaking.
"Be thankful that Rosa-nim decided to send me in her stead."
Stam''s disdainful voice pierced through Octavia''s lungs.
--------------------
Dante Hairan.
In an inner war with the White Stone, he walked on an endless gray path.
How much time had passed, why he was here in the first ce, what he resisted against...
He couldn''t remember those things now.
Am I doing okay...?
He vividly remembered the fact that he had engaged in an intense battle, a fight so fierce that it seemed impossible to express with words.
But now, he felt calm.
He no longer heard the voice that had seduced him, the voice that he didn''t know why, but he believed he should never follow.
I''m doing just fine.
And, I overcame it...
Suddenly, such a thought sprouted like a horn, and his steps became lighter.
He didn''t know what he had ovee, but somehow good things seemed to happen if he kept walking.
After traversing that gray area for so long, Dante could hear a new voice.
Dante...!
Dante!
It wasn''t a tempting voice that he thought he should never pass by, but apletely different, very friendly and familiar voice.
It was the voice of a friend.
Jin...
Dante smiled widely and began to run towards Jin''s voice.
The voice got closer before he got too far, and he saw a door emerging out of nowhere on the gray ground.
He put his hand on the door.
By the way, even if I open it and go out...
Is it okay?
Suddenly, an unfamiliar feeling of unease filled his joyfully beating heart.
Dante!
He heard his friend''s urgent voice again...
And Dante opened the door, stopping his troubled thoughts.
And as soon as he stepped out through the door...
The White Stone looked at the wide-open door and thought:
Finally.
I can get out.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 556
Chapter 556
C556
Before the start of the second battle, the ck Knights Rosa sent to inform Cyron of the situation couldn''t meet him.
As fast as they traveled, reaching the depths of the ck Sea in two days was impossible, and, above all, Cyron''s expedition team had already entered the territory of the Five Kings of the ck Sea.
This meant total istion from the outside world.
The territory of the Five Kings of the ck Sea was notnd belonging to humans but a vast subspace prepared for them.
There, the sun didn''t set, and there were no shadows or traces on the ck ground.
There was only infinite darkness, with no distinction between day and night.
The only things there were monsters that asionally emerged from the darkness and attacked the group, or more precisely, "remnants of Chaos."
Cyron, Luna, former and current ck Knights, and a legendary talking monster walked through that deep and cknd.[Hah~ These clinking and tasteless bastards. Knights! The food is ready; I did my best to cook, but as the ingredients are what they are, the taste isn''t that great today... Ugh, sorry. Please don''t hit me!]
Ozdock turned the te of monstrous food (made with Ozdock''s skill) around and squatted with an exaggerated gesture.
Of course, it''s true that Ozdock had been beaten by Tuben and knights since he was captured.
However, since then, he behaved well and was rarely beaten, and thanks to Cyron recognizing Ozdock''s usefulness, he was proudly acknowledged as a member of the expedition team.
Although not perfect, Ozdock''s memories of the ck Sea undoubtedly helped the expedition.
Without him, it would have taken them much longer to find the territory of the Five Kings of the ck Sea.
So, Ozdock was now making a joke.
Unfortunately, no one reacted to his desperate attempt to lighten the mood.
[Ha, ha. Enjoy the meal!]
Ozdock stood up and scratched his head shyly.
Luna and the knights sat down and silently chewed and swallowed their portions.
They sounded like a wild beast gnawing on bones.
Ugh...
I''m suffocating.
How long has this atmosphere been going on?
Damn it.
Ozdock sighed to himself as he watched them eat.
He didn''t eat the food he made.
First of all, meals meant nothing to him unless they were made of gold.
However, Ozdock had another important reason not to eat monsters.
The remnants of Chaos.
It was because after entering the territory of the Five Kings of the ck Sea, there was something in the energy called "Chaos."
Ozdock was slowly regaining his old memories.
''Chaos, it never lets go once it clings to life in any form. Until the target bes apletely mad monster...''
Temar Runcandel.
He also remembered hearing rumors that even he, the Patriarch of Runcandel a thousand years ago, had been consumed by Chaos and turned into a monster.
Chaos was a force that should be avoided not only by humans but by all living beings in general.
''Everyone must have already umted quite a bit of Chaos. I hope it doesn''t drive them crazy and kill me. Seeing that they can eat and fight without any hindrance, they seem fine for now...!''
All Ozdock could do was hope that such a thing wouldn''t happen while keeping an eye on the situation.
While he thought, Luna and the knights were busy pushing back the Chaos that umted in them.
In thisnd, survival required a constant struggle against Chaos, even without battles.
[By the way! I''m a bit worried. Since the day before yesterday, there hasn''t been any monster attack, so there might be a problem with the food. This is quite troublesome; I can''t even go out to look for it.]
"Ozdock."
[Heuk!]
The reason Ozdock was so surprised was that Cyron called him.
After entering the territory of the Five Kings, all members of the expedition team became less talkative as they struggled against the Chaos energy, but Cyron was especially severe.
It was rare for even a simple order toe out of his mouth.
Cyron almost didn''t feel like a living person.
[I... showed such a pathetic image. Sorry, old man.]
"You''re doing very well."
Ozdock could only widen his eyes at Cyron''s unexpected praise.
He didn''t know what to say, so he bowed his head as if bowing to an elder.
In his life of about two thousand years, he wondered if anything bigger than this had happened.
Praise?
Uh, from the old man, to this Ozdock!
Cyron really thought that Ozdock was doing well.
In this terrifyingnd, he constantly joked, casually cooked with monster corpses, and asionally hummed to himself.
In other words, it was impossible for "Humans" to maintain universal emotions of an intelligent being.
Ozdock''s actions were helping the knights push back the Chaos.
He was helping to keep their emotions as humans.
''When we get back, I should reward the younger one more generously.''
Cyron''s gaze reached into the darkness beyond.
The fact that Ozdock was worried about the food, saying that he saw no monsters, and how his daughter and the knights had been focused for the past few days without uttering the slightest word.
There was a reason why he looked in that direction.
Five Kings of the ck Sea.
Finally, the time hade to face one of them.
"Luna."
"Yes, Father-nim."
"The battle will start soon. If you can''t endure, hide behind me."
Luna was well aware that Cyron, her father, was the most affected by this terrible Chaos.
Not only her, but all the Knights were aware of it.
Unlike the others, Cyron had already been fighting against Chaos before entering this ce, and it was something Luna and the Knights couldn''t even imagine.
For the first time...
Luna felt pity for her father.
No, perhaps she had felt pity for him for a long time.
It wasn''t until she came to thisnd that she began to understand her father and herself by looking at him.
"I will do my best to prevent that from happening."
In response to Luna''s answer, Cyron smiled weakly.
The knights left their tes.
Then, as they approached Cyron, they patted Ozdock on the head or shoulder.
Then, as if they had been waiting.
The darkness in the expedition team''s field of vision became even denser, and Ozdock could do nothing but copse.
His legs gave way, weakened by the overwhelming force.
''Oh, a ck Sea King....!''
Five Kings of the ck Sea.
One of them revealed great Chaos to the expedition team.
Ozdock was overwhelmed by the energy and couldn''t even breathe, but all the Knights stood tall and faced it head-on.
Barisada slowly emerged from its sheath.
The Chaos, which hade like a tidal wave, stopped due to the light that began to spread from Barisada.
Cyron was the only one in the expedition who had fought directly against the Kings of the ck Sea.
Cyron knew that the countless eyes staring at him and the expedition from beyond the darkness symbolized...
"Kial."
Kial.
The name of the King of the ck Sea, whom the expedition encountered for the first time.
Soon, thousands or tens of thousands of eyes focused on a single person.
[Cyron Runcandel... you managed toe this far with that heavy fate...]
A dark and eerie voice echoed throughout the subspace.
The demonic creatures from the depths of the ck Sea they had faced until now and the remnants of Chaos they had killed in the subspace were nothing but dustpared to Kail.
Even the monsters that asionally posed a challenge for Luna and the former ck Knights were no match.
Cyron didn''t respond and approached Kial slowly.
Every time he took a step, the Chaos energy that had been pressing on the expedition was pushed toward Kial.
[Judging by the atmosphere, it seems you didn''te here in response to the proposal we made back then.]
The proposal...
Kial and the other Kings of the ck Sea wanted Cyron to join them.
[Do you want to have the same fate as your ancestors?]
"Whether then or now, my only task is to end you. I won''t be a fragment of a broken object."
Origin Orb.
The Five Kings of the ck Sea are all fragments of the broken Origin Orb.
And the Kings of the ck Sea couldn''t approach each other except under special circumstances.
It was due to the persistent will of the Gods that remained inside the broken Origin Orb.
So, the Kings of the ck Sea only wanted one thing: a means to gather them without restrictions.
An existence that could sever the persistent will of the Gods imprinted like a stigma.
That person was none other than Cyron.
[You know better than anyone that your wish can''te true, idiot...]
Suddenly, Kial narrowed his eyes and stopped speaking.
He seemed very annoyed by something.
Not only Kial, but Cyron also showed momentary surprise.
They both had the same feeling.
What they both recognized at the same time was that another King of the ck Sea had awakened.
Not in this subspace, but in the human world.
Soon, Cyron''s face contorted, and Kial narrowed his eyes and let out a sinisterugh.
[Finally... I found you. So, you were out there, my brother, Gliek!]
Gliek.
Kial.
Nirgand.
Seu.
Morganiel.
Among the Five Kings of the ck Sea, Cyron had not met Gliek in person, and the other Kings didn''t know Gliek''s whereabouts either.
It was the White Stone of Hairan.
It was the fifth fragment of the broken Origin Orb.
Cyron swung his sword against Kial, and Kial roared triumphantly even as his body was shed.
----------------------------
As Jin and his group entered the castle, the first thing they saw was the indescribably gigantic and solid iceyer covering Dante''s seal and the entire interior.
It was a scene in which this formidable ice was violently breaking under some dark force.
Tris had kept the inner castle safe shortly after the second war began, but she couldn''t even prevent the chaos seal from breaking.
"Tris-nim!"
"Hidden Pce Master!"
Blood flowed from the corners of Tris''s mouth as she fell towards the group.
The ck power released from the seal spread in all directions without signs of stopping even after being crushed by the power of myriad ice.
The inner castle that Ron and the Knights of Hairan had carefully guarded vanished without a trace in an instant.
At that moment...
Jin couldn''t help but remember what Tris had told him.
-Somehow... Maybe it''s a relief that Zipple''s main force is on the way, and Runcandel is nearby. If the Chaos of the White Stone awakens, they have no choice but to fight against it, whether they like it or not. If it''s not them and us, no one can stop it anyway.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 557
Chapter 557
C557
"Retreat, everyone!"
Tris quickly regained herposure.
Instead of the inner castle, a massive ice barrier extended in all directions, epassing Tris''s full strength, except for the power used to bind Elona Zipple''s seal.
However, Chaos energy pierced through it effortlessly.
The advancing Chaos hitting her and Jin''s group could be dyed a bit, but that was all.
"Kkugh!"
Tris, herself, spat out blood again and widened her eyes.
Her eyes twitched, and her grip on the sword trembled.She wasn''t trembling in fear, but neither without apprehension.
The Chaos tsunami emanating from the White Stone was so vast that even she couldn''tprehend it.
-It might be hard to believe, but if you can use that White Stone, it has the power to support the entire magical equipment of the empire and make the empire many times stronger in an instant.
The traitor Tion Hairan''s testimony.
-Now, it has been proven thatrge-scale reinforcements areing. The White Stone is something indispensable for them. But we still don''t know what it is.
Rosa''s evaluation.
-The previous Hidden Pce Master left a record that Hairan had something that could be a threat to the world. Our Hidden Pce spectes that the object Hairan has is the witch Helluram.
-...It''s a seal that can resist even the absolute power of Full Ice. Do you understand what this means? It means there is a Chaos even I cannot handle.
Tris''s spection.
All those stories were wrong or iplete.
What slept in the White Stone was an existence far beyond their expectations.
The King of the ck Sea.
Gliek.
The Fifth Ruler of Chaos.
The only one who knew his true identity was Kinzelo.
Not even Kelliark expected that Gliek was sealed in the White Stone.
Full Ice emitted a dazzling glow.
Its energy, which would normally illuminate the entire area, was as weak as a candle against Gliek''s Chaos.
The Full Ice Sword unfolded.
If she hesitated even for a moment, at that moment, neither she nor Jin''s group would be safe.
Third Technique: Avnche
Fourth Technique: Frost Crush.
Tenth Technique: cier sh.
A ghostly white sword, infused with Tris''s essence, spread amidst the chaos.
The Chaos received all of Full Ice''s attacks as if mocking them.
''The White Stone was a King of the ck Sea...!''
Full Ice assimted even more with Tris, releasing a harsh resonant sound like a roar.
The rushing chaos showed signs of slowing down for the first time at that moment.
Full Ice''s Final Technique.
White.
While Tris struck the ground with Full Ice, ice flowers bloomed everywhere like mountains.
The cial ice, absurdly sharp and hard, enveloped the space at a speed close to that of light.
Tris, herself, trembled, and dark blood flowed continuously from her mouth and nose.
Along with Elona''s seal, she had been single-handedly guarding the tumult of the White Stone, so even Tris couldn''t help but feel overwhelmed.
Huh, huh, and Tris breathed heavily, amplifying the energy of the final technique, White.
She seemed to be fighting against the chaos.
She was desperately blocking the Chaos trying to break out by crushing White''s sword.
"Damn it... Why is that here and not in the ck Sea?"
Saying that, Tris''s face turned pale.
Her hair was already disheveled, and sweat poured down her body, and the sword formed by the power of White wavered unsteadily as if it would be torn from the ground at any moment.
Tris Endorma, the Hidden Pce Master and world-renowned strongwoman even acknowledged by Cyron, faced a crisis as Chaos awakened.
"Tris-nim!"
"Jin, listen carefully. Maybe even with everyone on the battlefield joining forces... those bastards out there!"
The space where Tris was blocking the Chaos was extremely limited.
Chaos was already spreading across the battlefield beyond the ice formations...
Although it had not yet broken the final move, White.
Tris was only buying time.
Time for Ron, Kelliark, Runcandel, and Zipple outside to push the Chaos a bit.
If the final move broke inside, that was the end.
"And that thing, kugh, wants you...!"
The ck Sea King''s resentment directed straight at the shadow.
Tris, herself, keenly felt that hatred while resisting the Chaos.
It was so difficult for her to fend off the Chaos, and the hatred was aimed at Jin, not herself.
Jin felt the same.
He sensed that the Chaos was directed at him as soon as it awakened.
Such thick hatred that it almost seemed to have a form weighed on Jin''s entire body.
A sense of oppression that seemed to petrify his body, as if his father were disying fighting spirit by focusing on himself.
If it weren''t for Tris, Jin wouldn''t have survived this time.
He alone could do nothing, hispanions were tired, and the Dragons they had to protect were not the same as before or their forces were depleted.
Moreover, the enemy was so massive and strong that it had noparison to anything Jin and hispanions had faced, and the time Tris could hold out wasn''t much.
After the final move, White ended, she needed a break to properly recover her strength and regain some of the power used for Elona Zipple''s seal.
If the Emperor hadn''t made a deal with Zipple, if Zipple hadn''t revealed such unbridled greed, if the world hadn''t cornered Hairan and the Sword Emperor Castle....
That horrifying being would never have awakened in the human world.
Thud.
The blood flowing from Tris''s face left red stains on the icy ground.
And another problem arose within the territory of White that Tris formed.
[Kuuk-! Kwaak!]
Suddenly, Am''s eyes rolled back, and she was having convulsions.
It was because the Chaos within her was reacting to Gliek''s energy and going out of control.
If Yona hadn''t stepped on her Chaos once, Am would have gone mad and attacked her allies within seconds.
[What, what should I do, aghhh!]
Even Lata and Fey were also sitting and groaning.
Even the faint scent of Chaos inherited from Smarion was responding to Gliek''s power.
"My lord, if I ever attack myrades, do not hesitate to finish me. Even right now... my sanity... is fading away!"
Lata used her willpower by stabbing herself in the thigh and shoulder, barely regaining consciousness, but she could no longer continue the fight.
"Leader of the Phantom Legion!"
"Lata, Fey!"
The territory of White was crumbling.
Jin had to judge what he could do.
At this rate...
''Tris-nim and all myrades are in danger. I have to find a way to do it...!''
The Special Technique of the Shadow de.
ck Light Call...
That technique was still unavable.
''Instead, Stam-nim and the ck Knights behind me.''
Stam and the ck Knights, just outside the broken castle, were now facing Chaos, not Spectres.
There was no time for swords and staffs.
''Stam-nim received the order to save me from the Family. Also, due to the location, Stam-nim is also assisted by Tris-nim.''
As expected, Stam was now fighting to enter the territory of White.
It was because he judged that none of hisrades would be able to defend Jin the moment the final move, White, was pierced.
"Tris-nim, is it possible to harvest some of the scattered forces from the rear?"
Tris understood immediately.
Before Gliek awakened, she had also felt the presence of Stam and the ck Knights.
She couldn''t think because she was frantically trying to keep the chaos at bay.
"Stam and the ck Knights. But Jin, it''s a risky bet. Chaos will enter as soon as White from the rear disappears."
Before responding, Jin was anxiously chanting an invocation spell.
To summon his Phoenix, which had been recovering after infusing part of its power into Bradamantest year.
It wasn''t a random act of luck.
''As soon as Chaos awakens, the blue mes residing in Bradamante reacted intensely. Just like when Tess forcibly manifested using my power in old Oterium.''
Jin''s fervent wish received a response within seconds.
First of all...
Tess had been preparing for the manifestation right after Gliek was released from the White Stone.
Tess hadn''t fully recovered her strength yet, but now was not the time to argue about that.
Tess stepped out of the summoning circle, showing the dignity of the Master of the World of mes.
Moreover, unlike in old Oterium, Tess didn''t use Jin''s power as a guarantee to bring forth her own abilities.
Tess used the authority as the owner of the World of mes to purify part of the chaos spreading everywhere and use it as a medium.
Tess couldn''t use chaos as a medium indefinitely.
Even for Tess, exposing herself to chaos in this way was obviously dangerous, but she judged it was better than risking the contractor''s life.
"Tess!"
Tess?
"Oh, how d I am to see you!"
Jin, Misha, and Murakan shouted at the same time, and when Tess appeared, the Chaos that weighed again on the ice formation showed signs of retreating.
At the same time...
Tris broke part of the ice formation in the rear, and Stam and the ck Knights entered.
Octavia and the Spectres were nowhere to be seen.
They were retreating to the main unit to escape the Chaos.
"Twelfth gbearer!"
"Fortunately, you''re unharmed!"
Crack-!
Then, the ice formation in the front exploded and shattered, and the Chaos that had hesitated poured inside.
Stam and the ck Knights advanced without hesitation and brandished their swords in favor of Tris, even though they didn''t act to save her or other allies.
The situation simply didn''t allow rescuing only Jin.
Anyway, thanks to them, Tris could catch her breath for a moment, and Jin and hisrades could hear the voices of the two people shouting and giving orders from the outside.
"All Knights of Runcandel, protect the Twelfth gbearer, by all means!"
"Secure Jin Runcandel, he must not be consumed by Chaos under any circumstances!"
Rosa Runcandel and Kelliark Zipple.
Following the orders of their respective leaders, all members of Runcandel and Zipple rushed to save Jin.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 558
Chapter 558
C558
As soon as Gliek awakened, the war that was raging outside naturally came to an end.
Kelliark and Ron also had no choice but to defend against the chaos energy sweeping the battlefield.
Runcandel, who had been observing the situation, could no longer remain idle.
As soon as Gliek awakened, his power extended its influence even to where the Runcandels were hiding, and the option to escape was no longer avable.
It was because Jin was inside.
Although Rosa hoped that Zipple and Hairan would either face defeat ore to negotiate, Jin''s death was absolutely excluded in Rosa''s calctions.
Above all.
Those on the battlefield could instinctively feel that if they didn''t defeat the awakened ck Sea King here and now, the next sequence would inevitably lead to the end of the world or a catastrophe of equal magnitude.Rosa and Kelliark also realized why Kinzelo had not participated in this crucial battle until now.
''Kinzelo, those bastards knew that the White Stone was the ck Sea King.''
''...Now I understand. That''s why Ron suffered such a serious injury. It was because the ck Sea King reacted to the energy of the Kinzelo Leader that remained in Ron''s wounds.''
Rosa and Kelliark thought about this as they gritted their teeth.
Both were correct. Kinzelo knew the identity of the White Stone, so they called it a bomb, and Ron''s injury deepened when Gliek reacted to the power of the Kinzelo Leader.
Roar!
Deep blue mes erupted from the Chaos on the ground.
As soon as Rosa and Kelliark saw the mes, they inwardly sighed in relief.
The mes were proof that Jin was still alive.
Rosa had to save Jin.
Now that Jin had be the next influential patriarch externally instead of Joshua, and if she lost Jin, then the information about Histor and Temar would be lost again.
Kelliark also needed to save Jin.
If Jin died, he might somehow recover Solderet''s powers, but things would change if he got "eaten" by the ck Sea King.
Kelliark wouldn''t be able toplete the "Demon God Orb" forever.
A Chaos storm was unleashed.
The Demon God Orb hanging in the sky trembled with a distorted face.
Cchchhha, chhhaa...
A deep, fear-soaked voice mixed with Chaos and gradually disappeared.
What the Demon God Orb feared was not Ron but Gliek.
It was the countless Gods sealed inside the Demon God Orb...
The fragments of the Origin Orb that they themselves broke because they couldn''t handle the power.
Rosa''s sword, ''Frenzy,'' was dyed with a white aura and created a sharp resonant sound.
An aura resembling mist protected the Runcandel Knights behind her.
Unlike Tris, Rosa could fight without restrictions.
Thanks to her enlightenment after Jin''s deration at that moment, she could unleash a swordparable to the current Ron.
The fiery de cut through the iing Chaos, and the Runcandel Knights followed her step by step in the storm, slowly forming a defensive formation.
In the sky, Kelliark and Zipple''s fleet descended slowly to the ground, making its way through the Chaos.
The fact that all of them mobilized to save Jin was undoubtedly something no one on the battlefield expected.
If Tess had not been summoned, Jin would not have avoided the loss of some of his allies.
The blue mes were forming a barrier in ce of the broken ultimate technique, White, in the front.
The power Tess was exerting now far exceeded that of the day she destroyed the Dark Wizards Society with a single roar, but now the opponent was Gliek.
Defense alone was not reasonable.
Tess didn''t know how long she could even pierce through the unstable chaos catalyst.
"Huh, huh...!"
Breathing heavily, Tris lifted her head and looked ahead.
Maintaining White had reached its limit, and she retracted her sword, relying on Jin, Tess, and the ck Knights.
At the same time, the entire white ice formation melted, and Stam and the ck Knights took their ce and stepped forward.
The ck energy touching the de is as heavy as a mountain.
However, the Hidden Pce Master is not a person who exhausts all her strength to that extent, so why is she so tired?
Tris spat blood and looked at the backs of the ck Knights.
"I need time to refine my energy. Hold on until then, Stam. It will be difficult to break through the withdrawal route like this, so don''t think about taking only Jin."
"Understood, Hidden Pce Master."
Tris sat up straight.
Then, dozens of white portals opened around her, and from within them, an energy that far surpassed the power Tris had used until then flowed and began to surround her.
''As expected, there was still strength left.''
However, the situation remained unfavorable.
Stam and the ck Knights felt it too.
The chaos energy was pointing at none other than Jin.
Why is iting at me?
Jin didn''t have time to wonder about those things.
He had already experienced through Yona that Chaos beyond a certain level showed hostility towards him.
Jin moved his steps to Stam''s side.
"Twelfth gbearer."
"We''ll hold him together. We have to endure until they clear a retreat route from the outside, so it shouldn''t interfere with your mission, Stam-nim."
Bradamante, engulfed in blue mes, blended with the swords of the ck Knights and began cutting through the chaos.
Murakan and Misha also squeezed out the remaining strength, opening the cknce and curtain, and thepanions who still had strength seemed to be clearing the chaos they couldn''t avoid.
No one spoke a word.
Only the sh of swords and Chaos reverberated in Tess''s mes.
Slowly...
The Chaos storm faded.
However, the knights felt it wasn''t because the power of the ck Sea King had weakened, but rather the result of him fully awakening and organizing his strength.
This vast power that turned the entire battlefield into chaos in an instant was nothing more than a prelude.
The real thing will begin from now on.
[Ahhh....]
Everyone on the battlefield could clearly hear that voice.
A creepy sensation that couldn''t be described pierced the hearts of knights and magicians.
Then, the chaos storm stopped.
The Chaos energy that swirled wildly and swept the battlefield stopped in its ce like a picture.
Only at that moment could people face the true form of Gliek, the ck Sea King.
A dark and massive phantom.
The two crushed feet didn''t touch the ground but were firmly fixed in the air, and the hundreds of arms attached to the torso pointed in all directions, holding spears and swords.
These arms were thick and long enough to reach the broken spires of the Sword Emperor Castle, and the weapons covered the entire sky.
Even the face of the Demon God Orb seemed smallpared to him, and the fleet floating in front of him looked like flying insects.
They can''t believe it came out of that small stone...
A giant mass of an unfathomable abyss dominated humans.
However, the ck eyes swayed unstably like an alpine tree.
If looked closely without being intimidated by its majesty, a twisted feeling could be found in every part of Gliek, as if something was distorted.
For some reason, he couldn''t awaken perfectly.
The human world was and where Gliek shouldn''t exist, and he had been sealed for too long.
But this fact couldn''t console those gathered on the battlefield.
Most hadn''t even realized that Gliek had been released in an imperfect state from the beginning.
"Is... a ck Sea King?
Five ck Sea Kings.
The first time Jin heard about them was when Myuron Zipple was facing his end.
-Once I was the lover of the Witch Helluram, who shared a cup with the Kings of the Tigris Mountains, west of the ck Sea......
During the Columbus Incident, a spell cast by Myuron, using dark magic to be possessed by the Demon King Orgal.
Since that day, Jin had heard no information about the ck Sea Kings anywhere.
Even when Tris exined the Chaos directly to him, she didn''t speak of the ck Sea Kings.
But as soon as Jin faced Gliek''s figure, he knew instinctively.
That the dreadful being was the reason his father was so obsessed with the ck Sea.
"I hoped it was part of the Chaos and Helluram''s artifact, but Gliek...!"
Like Kelliark, Misha also hoped that the White Stone was the Chaos and Helluram''s artifact, not the ck Sea King.
Unlike Misha, whose face turned white, Murakan seemed to be hearing the name Gliek for the first time.
But whether he knows the name or not...
It didn''t matter.
The issue the group faced was survival.
[I woke up... from a long sleep... but I am... far... far away... from my brothers.]
Aaaahh!
Before Gliek could finish his words, a roar erupted from the sky.
Zipple''s fleet, excluding Kozec, faltered and opened fire.
The cannons of the flying battleship were filled through the mana of the magicians.
However, Kelliark didn''t give the order to fire, and Zipple''s most elite magicians aboard the battleship didn''t lose their heads in fear.
The Chaos energy filling the entire space was causing malfunctions in devices and magical artifacts.
The Dragon artifacts that Murakan described as shackles were turning off or shattering, and magicians, attempting to control the battleships, fell victim to the mana bacsh in seconds.
Even the fired cannons didn''t even reach Gliek and disappeared into the Chaos.
Kelliark tried to control them using the Demon God Orb, but it wasn''t easy.
The terrified Demon God Orb couldn''t easily lend strength to Kelliark as before.
[The smell of... bitter hatred... fills the air...]
Slowly, Gliek lowered his head.
Soon, his two eyes turned towards where Jin was.
As soon as Jin made eye contact with him, he sensed the next moment.
That countless swords and spears would strike him.
Before he could even finish thinking about it, Jin raised his sword.
Stam, the ck Knights, and theirpanions also got into position.
The ck swords, sharper and heavier than the Chaos they had fought so hard against, descended.
It wasn''t easy to ept the fact that those enormous swords and spears fell at such a speed that it was difficult to react.
Five attacks falling in rapid session, it was impossible to know how the hell he would dodge or block them.
If Rosa and the ck Knights hadn''t shot sword energy, and Kelliark hadn''t supported them with magic, everything would have ended.
But they were still too far away.
Defense had its limits, and Gliek''s swords pressed on Jin with increasing intensity.
At a moment when they were about to fail one of the sessive attacks, Jin could confirm that one of Gliek''s swords was suddenly turning gray.
Ron Hairan had lunged forward and stopped Gliek''s sword.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 559
Chapter 559
C559
Ron''s back heaved with elerated breaths.
Trembling legs, a body more emaciated than before, and the thick gray patterns on Lord''s sword showed how dire his condition had be.
"Ron-nim!"
Ron didn''t look back and swung Rashid again to unleash the sword''s wind.
The gray des halted the fall of Gliek''s swords and spears.
Ron wasn''t the only one standing in Gliek''s way to protect Jin.
Ruyan, Aquita Hairan, Errol Lyman, Bell Artemiro, and Franz.
The Five Sword Saints of Hairan also stood beside Ron, pointing their swords at Gliek.They also unleashed all the remaining energy when the Chaos storm erupted and helped Ron reach Jin.
The Sword Saints standing next to Ron remained unmoving.
After clearing the path for Ron, they faced death while standing.
That was the true end of the Sword Saints.
''Sword Saints...!''
Jin didn''t know how they were able to fight until this happened.
The bodies of the Sword Saints turned into ashes and scattered.
It felt like his heart had been cut with a de.
The prolonged battle seemed like a farewell, but the Sword Saints had dedicated everything to Hairan and those who fought for him until the end.
When the Sword Saints vanished into the wind, only Ron became the figure guarding the vanguard.
Everyone gazed at Ron''s back.
That''s why no one knew what expression he wore.
Tears, sweat, and blood flowed through the deep wrinkles around his eyes, and sobs escaped like the wind from his empty mouth as he tried to suppress his sorrow.
The Sword Emperor Castle had been destroyed without a trace, and his grandson, more precious than anything and irreceable, had been devoured by that monster.
Finished...
Almost everything Ron Hairan had cherished and loved throughout his life had gone far beyond his reach.
To a ce he would never see or touch again.
And as always...
Despair didn''t give humans time to cry.
Gliek waved his hundreds of arms in all directions as if he didn''t care about Ron''s pain.
Most of them were heading towards Jin.
Kaaagh...!
Ron''s hoarse voice, roaring in agony, resembled Dante''s, who had been born with frailty and hardened through despair.
Revenge was out of his reach.
He was exhausted, and the newly emerged enemy was too colossal.
Ron couldn''t ignore Gliek and engage in a final battle against Zipple and the traitors.
However, the only reason he returned here and fought without giving up was one.
If everything ended like this, he wouldn''t even be able to see his grandson''s face, not even in death.
Still, there were things to protect, and his grandson''s friend who fought for him.
He had to send him off alive and give him the chance to live as an adult.
Even if he couldn''t repay the favor, he couldn''t let him die in this destend.
The gray glow of Rashid intensified.
Only Ron had diverted more than 70% of Gliek''s des falling on Jin.
The rest were blocked by Stam, the ck Knights, and Jin himself.
He still possesses that power, even now...
Kelliark Zipple, watching Ron leap like a wild beast from a distance, fell into shock once again.
It should have ended, but it didn''t; he should have died, but he didn''t; he should have stopped, but he didn''t.
Ron fighting against Gliek was obviously an advantage for Kelliark now, but Zipple''s members were still demoralized by the Knights of Hairan.
Both Kelliark and Octavia felt an unfamiliar anxiety about Ron and the Sword Saints.
Even after using the Demon God Orb, he couldn''t easily move towards the ground.
He was still vastly superior in terms of sheer strength, but it didn''t make sense.
Although Ron was a bit closer to Gliek, Kelliark knew that even if it were him in that position, he wouldn''t have reached the ground faster than Ron.
Moreover, if he were Ron, Kelliark would have kept fighting somehow against Zipple instead of rushing towards Gliek to save Jin. Even if that meant taking a shortcut to mutual destruction.
Trust and loyalty were everything between Hairan and Jin, unlike Zipple, whose goal was toplete the Demon God Orb.
Even if he had made the decision to save Jin, it would have been for negotiating with Zipple afterward, not out of trust.
''Anyway, thanks to his naivety, I can rx for now. Please wait until we and Runcandel can join properly.''
Kelliark looked down, forming the Decimating me Orb Of The Dark Sky-Second Version Of The Demon Empress.
Its pure me, not mixed with the power of the Demon God Orb, was clearing the chaos.
Rosa, Runcandel, and even Octavia and the Spectres were heading to save Jin from the ground behind them.
Rosa didn''t order any attack even when she saw Octavia and the Spectres'' unprotected backs in the distance.
It was time to join forces.
''Although Ron-nim is blocking him, if we continue like this, almost all myrades will die.''
Since the attacks had consistently targeted Jin from the start, he had to move for the safety of hisrades.
But changing ces was a risky gamble.
There were no guarantees that Gliek wouldpletely neglect that side if Jin left that position.
It''s better than standing still.
Instead...
Jin tried once before moving.
He deliberately decided to further reinforce Bradamante''s Shadow Energy and observe Gliek''s reaction.
[Solderet...!]
Gliek reacted as Jin''s Shadow Energy amplified, attacking with increased ferocity.
"Murakan!"
"Yes!"
"I''ll divert the attention of that monstrosity. You, and Tess, protect everyone. Until Tris-nim regains his strength!"
"Damn it, I got it!"
As Jin started running with all his might, Ron and the ck Knights followed suit.
Fortunately, Gliek immediately shifted its focus.
All chaos swords and spears moved in Jin''s direction.
"Good job, Jin. I lost my moment of emotions and didn''t think about yourpanions."
Jin felt a warm sensation choking his throat at Ron''s words.
"Ron-nim, please don''t say such things. More importantly, your body..."
"I won''t die until I save you. I''ll endure stubbornly until that monster gets bored and gives up."
Boom!
The seven swords of the knights shed continuously with Gliek''s weapons.
Just like at the beginning of the second battle, Ron''s sword energy was aiding everyone, and it seemed they could hold on until reinforcements arrived.
However, that feelingsted briefly.
[You dare mock me.... Solderet!]
As Gliek awakened in an iplete state, it seemed to recognize Jin as Solderet himself, not as a contractor.
"Kugh!"
Simultaneously, Ron, who had taken swords, leaned forward and vomited ck blood.
Jin, Stam, and the ck Knights quickly covered his opening, but the bnce was broken.
Gliek''s means of attack were not limited to hundreds of swords and spears.
As soon as Ron lost bnce for a moment, a tremendous pulling force suddenly generated from Gliek.
Naturally, Gliek was trying to pull Jin towards him with the power of chaos.
Stam burst his energy and created a counterforce, but he couldn''t prevent Jin from being dragged through the air.
Following Gliek''s gaze, Jin rose into the air.
Tess, who confirmed it btedly, let out a sigh.
If the strong pressure contained in the blue mes hadn''t suppressed Gliek''s pull, Jin would have been dragged right into Gliek''s eyes.
Fortunately, it stopped midway, and Jin met Gliek''s eyes.
Gliek''s trembling eyes were like an endless abyss.
Although it seemed like he could be absorbed just by looking at them, Jin focused his mind and gripped the sword.
Dante.
The monster that swallowed his friend.
The fear of the overwhelming power that even dominated the strongest of the century was overshadowed by a deeper and darker hatred.
[Now, I see.]
Smile~
Gliek''s mouth opened like a crescent moon.
[Solderet, bastard, it seems you also lost... your power.]
"Damn monster, what did you do to Dante?"
[Now I see... a human... Somehow it seems, you are Solderet''s Contractor.]
"What...?"
[If I couldn''t imitate your voice, it would have been more troublesome...]
As if something had struck Jin''s head, his spine tensed, and a sharp ringing sound rang in his ears.
Jin intuitively knew it without needing detailed exnations.
Dante was fighting against Gliek in the Chaos seal and was deceived by his voice in a certain situation.
"...Then what happened to Dante? Is he still inside that seal?"
Jin asked with barely calm voice.
[You keep... asking useless questions..., Solderet. It''s strange, you should know best.]
"I don''t know."
[He disappeared.]
Jin''s eyes widened.
[He disappeared.]
"What a load of crap."
[Yes... And now it''s your turn.]
"Tess!"
Just as Gliek was about to move, Jin shouted Tess''s name, revealing his intention.
It meant lifting the heavy pressure.
''I need to create an opening for Ron-nim to attack.''
Having Ron jump to rescue him was just another loss in the battle.
''Even if I deepen, Tess can pull me out at least once. I''ve only been defending all this time, so I have to make an attack at least once.''
When the pressure decreased like a broken rope, Jin''s body rose towards Gliek.
Hundreds of enormous des formed a ck forest.
It felt like it would cut off his limbs even if he brushed against it. Jin rotated his body, reached Gliek''s eyes, and thrust the sword.
Thud...!
However, Jin realized that even though he stabbed Gliek''s eyes directly, he felt no impact.
"Kaak!"
Instead, it was Jin who was struck.
As soon as he stabbed Gliek''s eye, one of Gliek''s swords pierced through Jin''s chest.
The Shadow Energy armor didn''t break, but all the bones in his body trembled as if they were about to shatter.
Gliek tried to attack Jin again as he fell, but Ron had already thrust his arms and swung his sword, as Jin wished.
The moment he hit the ground, Jin vomited blood.
He couldn''t help but recall the moment Gliek''s sword struck him.
He felt the sword before it touched his body, so it undoubtedly had enough power to break the Shadow Energy armor.
Right before hitting Jin, someone or something seemed to withdraw Gliek''s sword, stopping the attack.
''It can''t be.''
Thump, thump!
Jin''s heart pounded wildly.
It was because he thought it might be Dante who made Gliek hesitate at that moment.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 560
Chapter 560
C560
Gliek.
It was clear that the ck Sea King, existing in the form of a white stone, had awakened using Dante as a vessel.
As Gliek had stated, it was highly likely that Dante''s body had already vanished, but there was a possibility that his consciousness still lingered, even if only partially.
Of course, Jin could be wrong.
The desperate hope that his friend survived might be clouding his rationality.
Nevertheless, Jin couldn''tprehend why Gliek hesitated for a moment when the enormous chaos sword attacked him.
Is it because he just woke up, and his condition is not perfect?
Jin was aware that Gliek was not in perfect condition. Although it was the first time he saw him, his distorted body was full of ws.Above all, Gliek mistook Jin for ''Solderet.''
He spoke as if he knew Solderet well and hated him intensely, yet he''s so confused as to mistake me for Solderet. There must be an issue with his senses.
This fact sent a chill down Jin''s spine.
Despite not awakening in full condition, Gliek overwhelmed everyone on the battlefield.
Boom!
Rashid, tainted in gray, soared towards Gliek''s upper body.
Ron struck with all his might, managing to break several of Gliek''s swords and spears for the first time since Glyeck had awakened.
The broken weapons fell like an avnche, crashing to the ground.
Ron jumped once again through the shattered weapons, riding the sword''s wind burst, and mmed Rashid into Gliek''s face.
Hundreds of arms once again blocked his path, and this time, a repulsive force instead of attraction pushed him.
Nevertheless, Ron managed to leave a long and deep scar on Gliek''s face.
It was not without cost.
Ron was also pierced everywhere by the spikes protruding from Gliek''s face out of nowhere.
Jin and the ck Knights jumped at the same time to protect Ron, who was momentarily defenseless.
A total of fourteen spikes stabbed his body, and dark red blood oozed from his body, fortunately without very deep wounds.
However, the fact that Gliek''s reflexive attack injured Ron was a problem in itself.
The speed of the spikes that Jin and the ck Knights sensed was certainly not at a level that a knight like Ron couldn''t avoid or block.
Ron was physically reaching his limit.
He wasn''t normal since the beginning of the second battle, so it wasn''t surprising that Ron could copse at any moment.
"Ron-nim, are you okay!"
At first nce, Jin saw that Ron''s pupils were clouding over.
He sensed the peculiar scent of ash characteristic of those nearing death.
"I''m... fine."
Jin and the ck Knights protected his sides and back.
Tris remained seated, and support from Runcandel and Zipple continued toe from afar.
Although Gliek''s senses were not intact, he directed almost all his attacks at Jin''s side.
But Gliek didn''tpletely neglect the rear.
He continued to explode Chaos outward to prevent Runcandel and Zipple from getting closer.
More than 90% of Eaos''s energy was spent blocking reinforcements.
Therefore, what Jin and the others were enduring were mostly pure physical attacks from Gliek.
Ron stood up, nting his sword in the ground.
In the process, he suddenly noticed that the ground was turning strangely ck. Jin and the ck Knights also saw the same phenomenon.
"The earth, this..."
It wasn''t darkened by the roar of battle or cannon fire.
"It''s simr to... the ck Sea."
Thend called the ck Sea.
Stam, who participated in Cyron''s expedition long after bing a ck Knight, had personally experienced this phenomenon firsthand in the past:
The phenomenon ofnd turning into the "ck Sea."
Jin also encountered the same when he heard about Ozdock from Picon Minche.
-[When the ck Sea expanded rapidly, Ozdock was covered by the toxd of the ck Sea. It must be assumed that he was buried alive while trying to hibernate.]
Thend where the Sword Emperor Castle once stood was turning into the ck Sea due to Gliek''s energy.
And where people cannot live...
Crunch!
Ron clenched his fist and grabbed a handful of soil.
Instead of ck soil, his fist was filled with solid chaos crystals.
"To what extent will you trample mynd..."
The chaos crystals disintegrated into particles in Ron''s grip and dispersed.
Jin couldn''t say anything to him.
Perhaps all the tragedies that urred in the Sword Emperor Castle were caused by its own regression, so a terrible guilt clung to Jin''s heart like rancid oil.
Even before his regression, Zipple created the Demon God Orb, and the imperial family always sought an opportunity to expel Hairan, and the white stone was always there.
The War of the Sword Emperor Castle was destined to happen regardless of Jin''s regression.
Rather, it might be that Jin is now advancing towards a better oue.
However, no one could tell Jin that it wasn''t his fault.
Jin himself couldn''t think otherwise, and the sorrow experienced by the giant in front of him was bitterly intense.
All that was left was for him to fight with all his might.
As always, that was the best Jin could do.
The strong pressure pressing on Gliek was fading.
Tess''s energy had run out.
Gliek paused for a moment from the impact of the sh on his face, but then wielded hundreds of swords and spears again.
And Ron stumbled.
Ron trod on unstable ground with his wavering legs, so Jin and the ck Knights were almost in position to protect Ron.
As the ck Sea began to form, Gliek''s energy quickly ckened the ground.
Jin was also getting tired.
Stam and the ck Knights were better off than him since their battle wasn''t as prolonged, but they had to deal with chaos all the time and quickly lost their stamina to fill Ron''s vacancy.
What was even more painful was the fact that Gliek''s distorted appearance was bing more stable as the transformation of the ck Sea progressed.
Gliek''s attacks became fiercer as time passed, and his energy expanded.
The advance of Runcandel and Zipple was further dyed.
Crack!
In the end, Ron was brought down by a single scythe-shaped de that Jin and the ck Knights had overlooked.
He managed to counterattack but fell to the ground without more ado.
He had surpassed his limits several times already.
Since he woke up after a long period of unconsciousness until now, Ron had been performing miracles.
But now, he had reached the end...
"Ron-nim!"
"Twelfth gbearer!"
Jin and Stam shouted simultaneously.
Jin instinctively rushed to save Ron, which Stam thought was a wrong decision.
Stam was right.
If he lost focus while defending Ron, he would only be giving an opportunity to Gliek.
Jin thought that Gliek would naturally target him if he approached recklessly.
If that happened, with Stam and the ck Knights, they could still save Ron even if he was injured.
But Gliek was regaining sanity as thend turned into the ck Sea.
He decided it would be better to kill Ron first when the chance presented itself.
Furthermore, Gliek''snce was faster than Jin''s.
A massive cknce descended towards Ron like lightning.
''Damn it, damn, aah!''
Jin raised his energy and thrust at the speed of light.
Blood flowed from his mouth, nose, and ears.
Jin narrowly missed hitting thence and failed.
In that fleeting moment, Jin bitterly resented not being able to intercept the massivence.
Ron no longer had the strength to repel thence.
At the moment when the de of thence was about to strike Ron, it imprinted like a slow-motion screen in Jin''s field of vision.
And the next moment, Jin saw it again.
He saw Gliek hesitating.
Thence stopped just before hitting Ron.
[What is this....]
It was only a brief moment, around a second, but enough time for Jin to throw himself again and push Ron.
"Aaaahhh!"
Instead of Ron, Jin let out a scream as he caught thence.
Due to the recoil, he felt like his bones and organs were about to burst, but Jin felt a sense of relief that he almost thanked the pain.
Stam and the ck Knights repelled the attack.
And now, they also felt that there was something off with Gliek.
However, they hadn''t thought about Dante.
Ron, on the other hand, was clearly aware, even as his consciousness faded and his eyes darkened.
Dante...
Dante, my grandson...
How are you?
Ron''s eyes clouded over.
Earlier, when Jin asked if he was okay.
Ron responded vaguely, not just because he was exhausted.
At the moment when the fourteen spikes protruding from Gliek''s face pierced his body, he also thought that Dante''s consciousness might linger somewhere within that monster, just as Jin thought.
Ron was convinced now.
"I sense it, Jin. Dante, my grandson, is inside him."
[You''re persistent]
Ron''s vision faded.
He lost sight.
"Yes, grandson, it''s your grandfather."
The fire of the flesh faded, and all that remained for Ron was the unwavering will of his blind love for his grandson.
He kept talking with a hoarse voice and little sensation in his entire body.
"Ron-nim, Dante is in there. So, you must hold onto your consciousness!"
"Dante. I will save you..."
Crack, thud!
While Ron murmured, Gliek swung his sword again.
Jin and the ck Knights responded, but if they missed one more attack, Ron would be shredded without a trace.
Unlike Jin, the ck Knights no longer saw sense in protecting Ron.
It was because reviving him seemed impossible unless the Tears of Numerus were used.
But Jin insisted on protecting Ron.
"Twelfth gbearer, you have to give up. More than this is impossible."
"No, we must save him. Stam-nim."
"Are you saying that you really don''t know that this is a situation where acting emotionally won''t help!"
That statement was incorrect.
Rather, Jin was now making judgments almost without any emotion.
The reason he wanted to save Ron wasn''t different.
Kelliark Zipple.
It was because Jin was aware that the culprit who pushed Hairan to such a desperate fate was about to arrive.
''He... will definitely save Ron-nim.''
With the power of the Demon God Orb.
Jin doesn''t know if he should describe it as ''saving,'' but one thing was certain.
Using the power of the Demon God Orb, Ron could fight again.
Although it''s far from the limits.
Stam read Jin''s thoughts and recognized his true intentions btedly, and a chill ran down his spine.
If it were a matter of facing grief, Jin might have given up on Ron.
It would be better for him to rest now than rely on that damned object called the Demon God Orb to force him to fight again.
However, what Ron desired was not to rest.
What he wanted was to fight until he found any trace of Dante in this deste battlefield.
Even if it meant using extreme and brutal means, there was no need to hide it.
Ron knew that his grandson''s presence lingered somewhere inside that monster.
"Kelliark Zipple will act to save Ron-nim, and Ron-nim will fight. Above all, Ron-nim is absolutely necessary for this fight. Because our patriarch is not here. Leader of the ck Knights, do you really think I''m ruining things because of emotions?" Jin retorted, barely suppressing his miserable feelings.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 561
Chapter 561
C561
He will use the power of the Demon God Orb to bring Ron back into the fight.
The situation was so urgent and dangerous that Stam, sincerely, hadn''t thought about it until now.
Deciding to manipte someone who was recently an enemy, and moreover, the patriarch of Zipple, was not an easy decision even when thinking calmly.
Stam could see how Jin''s grip on the sword trembled.
It wasn''t due to fear, nor was it a reaction to recoil.
He trembled because he had to face the harsh reality of making such a decision.
What kind of thing was the Demon God Orb?
Until Gliek awakened, the Vamel Alliance and the Knights of Hairan risked their lives to protect the Sword Emperor Castle, with Ron and Jin at the center.And now, Jin was saying he would use that thing to revive Ron and make him fight again.
It was a decision he hated making more than anyone, and he couldn''t understand how he had made it.
"I made a great mistake with the Twelfth gbearer."
Stam was ashamed.
Moreover, Stam could now understand once again why Cyron had shown so much interest in Jin.
Boom!
Stam and the ck Knights dodged the swords and spears aimed at Jin.
"I will definitely take responsibility for the rudeness I justmitted, Twelfth gbearer."
Jin ran frantically amidst hundreds of swords and spears falling with Ron on his back.
This can''t end like this, Ron-nim!
Ron''s murmuring voice, resonating behind him, was louder and heavier than any noise on the battlefield.
My grandson is in there.
Those words, weak but like a lifeline, echoed in Jin''s heart.
It was certain that Dante''s consciousness remained. Otherwise, the hesitation in Gliek''s sword just before attacking Jin and Ron could not be exined.
However, if only a part of Dante''s consciousness remained.
After killing Gliek, whates next?
If they killed him, would Dante''s remaining consciousness also disappearpletely?
Can Dantee back?
There was no time to ponder such questions.
Tess''s me faded, Ron was incapacitated, and the ck Sea''s transformation advanced.
Gliek''s attacks pressed the group with more intensity with each passing moment.
The only fortunate aspect was that Gliek''s attention remained focused on Jin''s side and the rear.
Tris and the Vamel Alliance were defenseless, but ironically, Gliek''s attacks barely affected them.
Jin was gradually feeling the heat.
It meant that Kelliark''s fire was cutting through the chaos and approaching Gliek.
He desperately pushed away the chaos and approached Jin.
Kelliark couldn''t see the interior situation well from the outside, and even Tess''s blue mes had disappeared, so he was about to go crazy.
Gliek''s twisted members returned to their ce.
The more this happened, the sharper his sword and spear became, and Stam and the ck Knights'' defenses were reaching their limits.
Boom!
A Chaos energy erupted behind Jin.
He rushed to dodge, but it was impossible topletely avoid the impact while carrying Ron on his back.
Rashid, who had been clinging to Ron until then, rolled on the ground with a dull noise.
Trying to go in to retrieve the sword was almost suicidal.
Reluctantly, Jin prepared to run towards Kelliark''s fire.
"Now you have lost even the sword, pitiful man."
A chilling energy suddenly emerged, enveloping Jin and Ron.
Tris Endorma, the Hidden Pce Master, had finallypleted her recovery and rejoined the battlefield.
Tris''s eyes were moist as she looked at Ron, who was in a pitiful state.
[...There was also a human chosen by Full Ice]
Gliek looked at Tris.
Tris exuded apletely different level of energy than before, after extracting part of her power from Elona Zipple''s seal.
But she couldn''t maintain that power for long.
It was because she had already suffered internal injuries while executing the Final Movement, White, and also because she couldn''t bear to awaken Elona Zipple in this situation.
The attack stopped momentarily.
Gliek, he, had begun to clearly recognize Tris.
Stam and the ck Knights caught their breath, and Tris picked up Rashid and approached Jin and Ron.
She shared the same thoughts as Jin.
"Your dear grandson is still fighting alone against that monster. Ron, it''s not time for you to stop yet...".
Tris judged that Dante had notpletely disappeared yet.
If the seal holding Gliek had beenpletely broken, everyone near Gliek would have been unable to survive.
-[How persistent.]
Gliek didn''t say it just for Ron.
He also said it to Dante, who was still holding back hisplete awakening.
Full Ice created a resonant sound, spreading cold energy in all directions.
The energy froze the ground, and the ck Sea transformation visibly slowed down...
But Gliek could realize that Jin was not Solderet but a contractor under the protection of the shadows.
Even so, his murderous intent did not fade.
On the contrary, Gliek would now fight more carefully and calmly.
Because if the opponent was a contractor, not a Solderet, there was no need to fear or be impatient.
Gliek feared Jin even though he thought Solderet had lost his power when he hadn''t fully regained his rationality.
Gliek''s mouth opened abruptly, and he smiled.
Then, as if ying a joke, he threw his sword and spear towards Jin''s allies.
His attack was blocked by a massive ice wall formed by Tris before it could overwhelm the Vamel Alliance, and Gliek seemed to enjoy it even as he continued to hit the ice wall and burst intoughter.
[Ha-ha-ha...!]
Every time Gliekughed, the Chaos filling the battlefield vibrated wildly.
Tris was well aware of where her maneuverability came from.
The power to defy fate.
In the records of the Hidden Pce, it was stated that only beings who reached the mastery of the Genesis Knight could defy and kill the Chaos King.
No matter how deep and immense the power one possessed, the only thing that could fundamentally harm the ck Sea Kings was the sword and magic of a Genesis Knight.
The reason the Patriarch of Hairan couldn''t cut the White Stone was no different.
It was because no Genesis Knight had appeared in Hairan.
If the information about the White Stone had not disappeared at some point in history, like swept away by the tide, it would have been handed over to those who reached the mastery of the Genesis Knight in Runcandel or Zipple.
However, assumptions were meaningless in the face of the history that had already happened, and that Gliek awakened today in thisnd was a predetermined destiny.
"Jin."
"Yes, Tris-nim."
"All we have to do is hold him off until your father arrives."
Or I can only hope that the records I know are wrong.
Tris swallowed her words and ced Rashid in Ron''s lifeless right hand.
Even in the midst of losing all his senses, Ron did not release the grip on the handle in his hand.
Tris didn''t give much importance to Dante still being conscious in Gliek.
As she couldn''t have the power to go against fate, his extinction was inevitable.
Buying time until Cyron arrives.
Despite having the most powerful humans, excluding Cyron, and almost all the elite forces of Runcandel and Zipple gathered in one ce, it was a harsh reality that their only option was to wait for Cyron.
Although Full Ice''s energy was blocking the ck Sea, it hadn''t stopped.
As the ground turned ck, Gliek''s body grewrger andrger.
An indescribably ominous purple light shone from the empty sockets of his eyes.
Just looking at the eyes made them feel a strong headache along with a buzzing that seemed to burst their ears.
Chahhha!
The more perfect Gliek''s condition was, the more violently the Demon God Orb expressed its fear.
And finally, Kelliark Zipple broke through the Chaos wall and entered inside.
The first thing they saw as the rear opened was Kozec''s helmet, descending rapidly as if falling.
Kozded, scratching the ckened ground.
Kelliark, who had cast a magic circle in front of him, looked around with bloodshot eyes.
He wanted to find Jin.
Soon, he realized that Jin was alive, and the breath he was holding burst out unconsciously.
He''s alive.
A me orb like the sun rose behind Kelliark.
[Are you the owner of that horrible imitation?]
"Kelliark!"
Tris shouted.
Kelliark also had the same thoughts as Tris.
He also thought that if Ron had already been killed or fallen into a state where he couldn''t fight, he would heal Ron with the power of the Demon God Orb and make him fight again.
However, there was barely any characteristic ck energy of the Demon God Orb mixed in Kelliark''s me orb.
That was the problem.
The Demon God Orb still couldn''t properly bestow its power to Kelliark.
The power was intertwined as if hiding in Kelliark''s staff, Hroti.
The power of the Demon God Orb intertwined within Hroti was not being released.
Jin, Tris, and the ck Knights couldn''t help but feel that something was wrong.
The most bewildered was Kelliark himself.
He knew that the Demon God Orb had shrunk, but he didn''t expect it to be to this extent.
This is...
Impossible!
The Demon God Orb is iplete.
The powers of the Gods imprisoned within it are not yet fully under Kelliark''s control.
A failure...
Kelliark and Tris simultaneously thought the same word.
''If Ron can''t fight again, I don''t know how long I can hold out even if Runcandeles.''
''Does this mean that even the will of more than thirty Gods cannot go against a ck Sea King?''
But at that moment...
Suddenly, Ron got off Jin''s back and walked towards Kelliark.
The murmuring had stopped.
Ron, who seemed to be either dead or already dead, walked with a life cut short.
As if time had stopped for a moment, everyone froze watching Ron approach Kelliark.
Rashid was still clinging to Ron.
For some reason, as Ron approached Kelliark, the terrified cries of the Demon God Orb faded away.
The Demon God Orb...
Reacted to Ron!
Ron stabbed his sword into the ground and knelt in front of Hroti''s ck energy.
As if praying.
Then, the Demon God Orb fell silent, and Kelliark could feel it.
The fact that the frightened Gods gave him strength.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 562
Chapter 562
C562
Oooh...!
A dark and shadowy energy began to flow from Hroti.
The energy of the Demon God Orb wrapped around Ron like hundreds of ck snakes.
That power transformed into Ron''s flesh, bones, and blood.
From his open mouth escaped a warm breath, and his broken body gradually regained its original form.
Ron''s resurrection took a different form than those who had been resurrected with the power of the Demon God Orb before.
It was iparable to the Specters who only had a physical body.
It was the result of all the Gods of the Demon God Orb admiring his will.Since Numerus''s disappearance, the Gods had never seen a human ovee death solely with their pure will, without Numerus''s protection.
They hadn''t even heard of it.
Such was the impact of this event.
Although the Gods were trapped inside the Demon God Orb, although they felt fear towards Gliek and were stunned, they could still clearly recognize the miracle that Ron had caused.
A miracle so bright that neither the Demon God Orb nor any other deception or trick could hide.
And it illuminated this dark and terrifyingnd.
''I thought such an almost perfect resurrection would be impossible withoutpleting the Demon God Orb...! Ron Hairan, how many times do you intend to surprise me?''
Amazement beyond respect.
Kelliark''s heart beat faster.
Before Gliek awakened, the fact that he looked down on Ron while drinking from the power of the Demon God Orb was humiliating.
Even Gliek seemed impressed.
The power of the Gods to resurrect the dead did not inspire him, but a miracle achieved solely by the will of a single human was worth seeing.
Gliek was notcent.
It''s just that in a lonely and long immortality like punishment, he didn''t believe there would be another chance to see such a bright miracle.
Moreover, Gliek was looking forward to it.
That human named Ron Hairan could be a being like them.
Just as Kail and the other ck Sea Kings had that wish for Cyron.
Unfortunately, Dante''s will remaining inside Gliek was unaware of Ron''s miracle.
After the beginning of the ck Sea, Dante''s will, which had been like a faint candle, was fading away faster.
Finally, the ck energy of the Demon God Orbpletely permeated, and Ron opened his eyes with a long sigh.
His body was no longer fragile, like when he had awakened from the brink of death.
The newly attained state of almost mastering the Genesis Knight made him feel the strong power he had never experienced in his life, and all the bones and organs he had lost in exchange for the Supreme Sword were restored to their ce.
In the midst of the fully healed body.
There was only one thing that remained the same.
The sorrow of having lost everything.
The sorrow that not even death could make him forget continued to tear, scratch, and shatter his heart.
"Ron-nim."
Ron turned towards Jin.
Jin couldn''t bear to lift his head.
Jin was suffocated by the guilt of thinking of resurrecting Ron with the Demon God Orb and witnessing it in action.
Ron didn''t say anything to Jin.
Instead, he gently stroked Jin''s shoulders.
It was because he didn''t know words that could convey gratitude andfort to Jin.
Walking slowly towards Gliek, Ron passed by Kelliark Zipple.
The Demon God Orb no longer trembled in fear.
It wasn''t because it thought it could now defeat Gliek, but to show respect to the human named Ron Hairan.
Kelliark followed him without saying a word.
Tris, Stam, and the ck Knights also naturally formed around Ron.
Along the path that Kelliark had traversed toe here, Octavia and the Specters and other Zipple Wizards also entered inside, and Rosa and the Knights of Runcandel also joined the battlefield at the same time.
Unlike Zipple''s troops, where it was difficult to find healthy people, the Runcandel seemed to have suffered almost no power losses.
Unlike Kelliark, who put everything aside and rushed to save Jin, Rosa arrived protecting all the knights of her n.
''Did Kelliark resurrect Ron Hairan? No, that''s not all.''
Rosa did not directly witness the miracle Ron caused.
But she realized.
The fact that Ron not only revived by the power of the Demon God Orb.
It was because an indescribably pure and strong energy radiated from his back.
The meaning of that energy was clear.
''He is continually transcending his limits....''
Continuous transcendence.
The current Ron is stronger than the previous Ron.
Rosa''s whole body shivered just with the energy flowing from him.
However, Rosa also knew about the ck Sea King.
The fact that he was an existence that can never be severed without a Genesis Knight.
In the past, she had seen Cyron leap over the wall at every moment just before reaching the Genesis Knight, just like Ron now.
But even Cyron needed a considerable time to climb thestdder.
Rosa thought that as much as Ron transcended in this fight, it would be impossible for him to reach the end.
Above all, she was worried that if there was even the slightest possibility, she might unknowingly trust him, and that could cloud her judgment.
Except for the ck Knights and the first division of the ck Sword Association, all the Runcandel Knights took their positions on the side of the Vamel Alliance.
They had been ordered to quickly evacuate Jin''spanions and escape from Gliek once the battle began.
Jin didn''t mind.
If Rosa had only worried about Jin, she would never have given such an order.
The reason Rosa saved Jin''spanions was to avoid increasing the number of variables in the already difficult fight.
It was impossible to know how Jin would act if hispanions died.
On other asions, she would control him by force, but she couldn''t afford to against Gliek.
Like Tris, Rosa also knew that they could only do one thing.
''If Cyron has already gone beyond the depths of the ck Sea... it will take at least 10 days even if we use the Mortal Snow Toad.''
That meant they had to hold Gliek for more than ten days.
This ce was now like the world''sst line of defense.
The moment Gliek pierced through the knights and magicians gathered here and went outside, the world would be under the threat of destruction from that day on.
There were no forces in the current world that could stop a ck Sea King.
Kinzelo was still there.
But the fact that Kinzelo wasn''t here, even though they were the only ones who knew the identity of the White Stone, meant that this was a scenario they wanted in the first ce.
''We will neverst that long withbat alone.''
Rosa locked eyes with Tris.
''So the key is not Ron Hairan, who has be so strong, not Zipple, who has brought out the Demon God Orb, not our Runcandel, but the Hidden Pce Master....''
The absolute seal of the Hidden Pce.
Only that could buy time until Cyron arrived.
Rosa and Kelliark, the two people who knew the sealing ability of the Hidden Pce, thought the same.
The question was whether the absolute seal of the Hidden Pce could buy more than ten days.
Gliek''s shadow fell on those facing him.
[You... tell me your name]
It was the first time Gliek showed so much attention to someone other than Jin.
"Ron Hairan. The grandfather of the child you devoured, the owner of thend you''re exterminating, and the man who will kill you."
[Just now, your grandson''sst will has disappeared]
Ron remained undisturbed by those words.
The void within him could no longer be influenced.
He could no longer feel sadness.
The pain entrenched in his heart was like the sea.
Anything added to his sea of pain, the result was that it would sink into the depths of the sea and disappear, and Ron himself couldn''t measure its size and depth.
"Is that so?"
[Not even death could erase your pain. The only path to salvation is to be an existence like me]
Rashid turned gray.
The pattern of the Supreme Sword was engraved on Ron''s body once again.
He had no lingering feelings about the life he had just recovered.
Even if they killed Gliek, what meaning could life have for him afterward?
One of Gliek''s colossal limbs reached out towards Ron, as if to grab him.
[So, if you want to escape eternal agony,e to me]
Instead of responding, Ron lifted Rashid and cut off the arm.
However, the arm that fell to the ground was absorbed by the ck Sea soil and returned to Gliek.
[You always fail to see one step ahead]
It was the moment when Gliek''s interest in Ron suddenly disappeared.
Gliek fixed his gaze on Jin again, and the battle resumed immediately.
Hundreds of swords and spears pressed on the humans faster and more precisely than before, and Ron shouted like a demon and swung Rashid.
The gray sword that extended like a furious de shed with Chaos energy.
However, Gliek seemed to have judged that even the Supreme Sword, which Ron had extended in perfect condition, was not such a great threat.
He barely blocked the attack even if Rashid cut anywhere on his body, and he was directing almost all his attacks only on Jin.
Just as Rosa predicted.
Gliek kept Tris at bay more than Ron.
It was because he realized that there was a person in the current world who had the power to defy fate, and the humans nned to bring him here.
Just as Kial and Cyron recognized the moment Gliek awakened, he, too, was aware of his existence.
Gliek felt his power more clearly as the ck Sea formed, and his mind awakened.
Gliek thought that nothing would be a problem as long as he could prevent the demigod who was fighting his brother froming.
However, even if the Demigod came here, the possibility of bing a threat was very low.
It was because he couldn''t be in good condition right after the battle with Kial.
In other words, whether Cyron came or not, the fact that Gliek kept Tris at bay was just an act that discarded the slightest possibility.
"Hidden Pce Master. If you open the seal, how long can itst against that thing?" Rosa asked, stepping in front of Tris.
"...It''s difficult for it tost more than three days, Rosa Runcandel."
Upon hearing the answer, Rosa had no choice but to grit her teeth.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 563
Chapter 563
C563
Three days...
It was impossible for Cyron to reach here in that time.
In fact, even if it were not ten days but a few months, it would still be insufficient.
Cyron''s expedition had long entered the territory of the ck Sea Kings, and only they knew the way to get there.
Even if Rosa and the others knew the way, they couldn''t reach there in a short time, even with Mort''s dimensional travel capability.
Kinzelo...
What the hell are they nning?
Kinzelo, the only faction that knew the identity of the White Stone.Suddenly, a question arose in Rosa''s mind.
What do they intend by putting the world in danger of destruction?
Of course, it couldn''t be just destruction itself.
Not long ago, Kinzelo stopped being a third-rate terrorist group and became the fourth most important faction.
Even after their potential was revealed, they continued recruiting members and expanding their influence just as before.
However, those enticed by their forces and power, from the lower ranks to the true talents, flocked to them iparably more than before.
Their leader is convinced that the world will not end with this incident.
It probably isn''t because of Cyron.
He may not know that Cyron won''t leave the ck Sea.
The ck Sea King couldn''t be killed without the power of a Genesis Knight.
The individuals gathered here knew this fact, and Kinzelo, who was aware of the true identity of the White Stone, probably knew it too.
''Kinzelo probably has a means or something to stop Gliek.''
So it was clear what they wanted.
Runcandel and Zipple.
The decline or extinction of the two great ns and families that divided the world.
Therefore, if Kinzelo participates in this battle, it will surely be just after both ns are on the brink of annihtion.
''These bastards have really bitten off more than they can chew.''
Assuming all these conjectures are correct.
There was only one way to slightly deviate from Kinzelo''s n, and it was to withdraw immediately.
Just in time, the Runcandel Knights, excluding the ck Knights and the first division of the ck Sword Association, were attempting to retreat after rescuing Jin''spanions.
But what will happen after the withdrawal?
Runcandel, Zipple, Hidden Pce, and Ron.
The moment even one of them leaves, the bnce of the battlefield will quickly copse.
Kelliark will also withdraw, and Tris will be forced to stay due to the secret mission, and Ron for revenge, and they will surely die.
It doesn''t take much imagination to know what will happen after a monster that not even thebined power of the world''s strongest Warriors and Magicians can handle is released into the world.
From then on, the great forces couldn''t reunite, and Gliek would regain all his original power without any interference.
It wasn''t even possible to calcte how far the transformation of the ck Sea would go.
Beyond the territory of the Sword Emperor Castle and the Empire, there was now stating that thend of Runcandel and Zipple couldn''t transform into the ck Sea.
There was no way to stop the ck Sea for those currently fighting on the battlefield.
Therefore, the final withdrawal only postpones the situation, and the expected cost was by no means small.
He didn''t expect the fate of the Family to hang by a thread at such an unexpected moment.
Even if Jin hadn''te to the Sword Emperor Castle, he wouldn''t have been able to escape Kinzelo''s trap.
The moment Rosa confirmed that Zipple was obsessed with the White Stone, Runcandel would have had no choice but toe here anyway.
In other words, it was destined to happen from the beginning.
''It''s quite fortunate that the younger one is on the battlefield. If that special and enormous power he showed at the end of the first battle can be used again, then it might be a variable.''
The powerful sword manifested through the will of Solderet and Kallum.
A power simr to the Gods.
Rosa had seen that power with her own eyes.
His strength was undoubtedly inferior to Cyron''s sword, but the Magic Sword used by Jin at that moment was clearly imbued with the dignity of defying fate.
Although it was an instant, the realm itself was simr to that of the Genesis Knight.
But if the younger one could use that power again, he would have done it before.
It wasn''t a situation where he could save the cards.
Thud!
The Runcandel Knights, who had managed to rescue the Vamel Alliance, were making their way through the Chaos energy blocking their retreat.
Rosa saw other kids about to join them.
Myu and Anne.
The daughters who were supposed to have met the "Prophet."
They maintained their expressionless faces as when they were in the quarters before Runcandel joined the war.
During the moment Rosa contemted whether to ask them if the Prophet had foreseen this situation, Myu and Anne approached her first and whispered.
"Acting Patriarch Lady."
"Speak."
"Please reinstate the Second gbearer. Then the Prophet will assist you."
Rosa''s eyes widened.
No one else heard Myu and Anne''s voices.
Soon Rosa looked at her daughters with a smile.
"Yes, indeed, you are my daughters if you don''t disappoint me."
Rosa''s gaze, looking at Myu and Anne, darkened.
They bowed, but unlike before, their faces were not filled with fear or shame.
"Go away from here. When I return to the Family, if even one of the Twelfth gbearer''spanions is dead, you two will be executed immediately."
Rosa dismissed Myu and Anne''s proposal as if it was no longer worth hearing.
Rather, she felt that her thoughts were rified thanks to the two openly discussing the Prophet''s intentions.
''If the Prophet is just spinning lies to reinstate Joshua, there''s no point in epting it, and if she really has a way to stop the ck Sea King, then the Family won''t perish anyway. She exists to fulfill the prophecy.''
Myu and Anne lowered their heads and withdrew.
The Eighth and Ninth gbearers of Runcandel? Were they in a position to tell Rosa Runcandel anything about this situation?'' Kelliark thought as he observed them.
''Prophet. It seems Joshua fell, and the Eighth and Ninth gbearers became his messengers.''
He was also thinking almost the same as Rosa.
About Kinzelo''s purpose and how to ovee this situation.
And Kelliark''s conclusion was the same as Rosa''s.
Even in his opinion, withdrawal made no sense.
The Demon God Orb has be more stable than before due to Ron''s transcendence...
But if it''s notpleted, it can''t harm the ck Sea King.
It''s unlikely that Kadun and Hedo will join the war to buy time and sacrifice Beradin.
It''s impossible toplete the Demon God Orb if Gliek absorbs Jin here on this day.
So Kelliark had no choice but to be more furious than anyone else on the battlefield.
The battlefield was Chaos itself.
Even as he thought, Gliek''s attacks constantly pressed on the humans.
The transformation of the ck Sea was gradually elerating, and Gliek showed no signs of retreating even after being cut dozens or hundreds of times by Ron''s sword.
Jin, along with Murakan, was in charge of the rear, leading the Knights trying to escape with the Vamel Alliance.
Kelliark''s gazended on him.
In an instant, a picture came to his mind where Zipple could be the most benefited.
''I guess I''ll have to secure Jin Runcandel and leave the battlefield.''
Jin was obviously tired.
It wasn''t that difficult for Kelliark to subdue a tired Jin in an instant.
And if he secured Jin and escaped, andpleted the Demon God Orb, it would be possible to eliminate the ck Sea King in the future.
Is that all?
Runcandel will suffer damage close to destruction, Ron and the Hidden Pce Master will die, and Kinzelo''s n will be twisted.
On the other hand, no matter the damage Zipple would suffer if only the Demon God Orb werepleted.
Perhaps, Gliek''s awakening could be the greatest opportunity for Zipple.
However, it was impossible for Kelliark to subdue and secure Jin immediately.
It was because Runcandel, Tris, and Ron Hairan stood firm with wide-open eyes.
When Kelliark tries to capture Jin, they wouldn''t stand still.
I''ll stop Gliek for the moment, but when Ron finishes, and Rosa and Tris are tired, I''ll subdue Jin Runcandel.
''But the process surely won''t be easy.''
The situation might be difficult, but Jin was undoubtedly someone who would figure out his ns, and he wasn''t someone who could be easily handled.
Not only Rosa and Tris, but even Ron, who had be a vengeful demon, would have predicted it.
Does Rosa Runcandel have a separate belief?
It seems she rejected the proposals of the Eighth and Ninth gbearers.
''Then it''s Jin Runcandel''s turn to make me a proposal.''
The Runcandel Knights opened the retreat path.
"Good luck!"
"Good luck!"
In the end, the Knights managed to escape with the Vamel Alliance.
As soon as the Knights left, the retreat path was blocked again.
The Chaos wall imprisoning the humans thickened as time passed.
Ron and Tris plunged into battle, disregarding the aftermath, for revenge and mission, while Kelliark and Rosa calcted the survival and benefit of their own ns.
Amidst all this, Jin was immersed in contemtion.
Jin''s main priority was hisrades who had fled the battlefield.
So, he only had to survive himself, his Family, and Ron and Tris.
Jin had yet to release Ron, to be precise, ''Hairan''.
Even though Gliek had said he had swallowed Dante''sst consciousness, and Ron reactivated his Supreme Sword.
It was because in the moment he gave up Hairan, all the meaning of hising to this battlefield would disappear.
That''s why he had no intention of giving up Hairan until the end.
''Father can''te.''
The moment Jin heard the answer that Tris was three days away, he saw Rosa gritting her teeth.
''And in the current situation, if I were Kelliark... Somehow, he''ll secure me and escape. That''s the only better option Zipple can choose.''
However, even though he foresaw that n, it was difficult to immediately devise a way to stop it.
The current situation was such that everyone was holding onto each other''s leash, and Kelliark had the most advantage.
So Jin had no choice but to go all-in.
First of all, to ensure that Kelliarc wouldn''t change his mind.
"Kelliark-nim."
Jin approached Kelliark and met his eyes.
"You know that to deal a fundamental blow to the ck Sea King, the power of a Genesis Knight is needed. However, it''s impossible for my father toe within three days, and... maybe you want to secure me and leave the battlefield when the opportunity arises."
"What are you trying to say, Jin Runcandel?"
"Three days. While Tris-nim can seal him away, let''s negotiate with Kinzelo. So please, do everything in your power to help Tris-nim activate the seal."
Kelliark furrowed his brows.
When he was about to say something, Jin continued speaking.
"If you don''t ept my offer, I''ll jump in front of Gliek and die on the spot."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 564
Chapter 564
C564
"Secure Jin Runcandel; he must not be consumed by Chaos!"
Shortly after Gliek awakened, Kelliark had shouted with such urgency that it made Jin''s throat knot.
And Jin could deduce something from thatmand.
''Even though there is a means of resurrection through the Demon God Orb, Kelliark showed confusion as soon as Gliek awakened.''
That only meant one thing.
Jin doesn''t know the other forms of death, but if Gliek killed him, thepletion of the Demon God Orb would be fatally interrupted.
That''s why Kelliark is wary that he might die or get into trouble because of Gliek.
Moreover, Jin felt a kind of resentment towards Gliek.The fact that Gliek not only tried to "kill" Jin...
But Gliek was attempting to absorb him just like he devoured Dante.
"If Gliek defeats me, Zipple won''t be able toplete the Demon God Orb."
Jin drove it home.
Kelliark did not deny it.
It was Kelliark himself, and no one else, who gave Jin a clue, and that was a ring mistake.
"It seems you would never fulfill those words even if I rejected the proposal. To be precise, you can''t."
"Is that so?"
"You are also human and carry many burdens. How many people have risked their lives to save you, not to mention the actions you have taken to save Hairan? But risking your life just to stop my obvious n is uneptable. You are bluffing too boldly."
This time, Kelliark cut off Jin''s response and continued without taking his eyes off Rosa.
"But your mother wouldn''t."
Rosa was listening to the conversation between them.
"The moment I reject that offer, your mother won''t hesitate for a moment to throw you into Gliek''s jaws. Isn''t that right, Rosa Runcandel?"
Rosa smiled coldly.
Rosa evaluated Jin''s judgment with precision and uracy.
If Jin had said something different, she would have directly made a simr proposal to Kelliark.
The moment you try to do something unnecessary, Jin loses his life.
And it wasn''t a bluff or a gamble, as Kelliark said, it was a real threat.
Rosa also read Kelliark''s weakness when he said that Jin "should not be consumed" by Chaos, and she was attentive to whatever he mighte up with.
That''s why she still didn''t use her power seriously.
"You know it well, Kelliark Zipple. So, if you want to keep waiting for thepletion of the Demon God Orb, it would be wise not to y petty tricks."
Jin''s proposal to Kelliark was also one of the reasons why Rosa tly rejected Myu and Anne''s proposal.
There were still means to shake Kelliark''s leash using Jin as leverage.
"It''s exhausting to have weaknesses."
"We have lived like this for a thousand years, so there''s no need to feel unfairly treated."
Kelliark shrugged.
"I ept the offer. It''s a temporary alliance."
"Twelfth gbearer, what kind of negotiations are you going to have with Kinzelo?"
On the front lines, Ron and Tris, knights and magicians were attacking Gliek.
Tris still couldn''t start casting the absolute seal seriously.
Jin made eye contact with Rosa.
"It seems they knew the true identity of the White Stone from the beginning, and it''s very possible that they had the means to stop Gliek. Whether it''s the power of the Genesis Knight or something else. And what they want seems to be the result of everyone present attacking each other and Gliek, receiving irreversible blows."
Jin pointed behind him.
Towards the Runcandel Knights who escaped after rescuing the Vamel Alliance.
"We will ask them toe forward and deal with Gliek. If those bastards from Kinzelo don''t join this fight, we will leave here immediately and go to their headquarters."
If Kinzelo doesn''t meet the conditions to deal with Gliek, we''ll attack Kinzelo even if we have to give up thest line of defense in the world.
That''s what Jin said.
Is it choosing betweening and stopping Gliek together or dying together?
''It''s a strong move.''
Kinzelo wants to reduce forces, not the destruction of the world.
If they have the power of the Genesis Knight as a means to stop the ck Sea King, or some other means.
It may not be possible to win this war with everyone who was fighting against Gliek right now.
So far, Jin had confirmed that Kinzelo''s strongest forces were the Leader and Zephyrin.
However, the Leader was not in perfect condition, and Zephyrin, who was active using her power, was also in a state where she could not show her full strength.
Of course, even if they were excluded, there were newly appeared demons in the Sota Desert, along with the battleship Grenille and Berakt, beastmen warriors, and living golems called Legends Golem.
Among them, there were some showing the level of a first-ss superhuman, like Bianca Kaligo.
There must be other forces that have not been revealed yet, but it was unlikely that they could immediately withstand thebined attack of Runcandel and Zipple.
If so, global supremacy would have already passed into the hands of Kinzelo a long time ago.
Rosa was very pleased with Jin''s n.
The fact that he proposed an offer that Kelliark couldn''t refuse, even with his life as a hostage, and urged Kinzelo to act immediately, even if the n and the world perished, perfectly matched Rosa''s thoughts.
"It''s decided then."
Rosa''s sword gleamed.
Her aura, which began to erupt like an active volcano, was forming another vortex on the battlefield.
In addition, Kelliark''s Hroti also began to radiate energy, creating a mncholic resonant sound.
Rosa fought alone while defending the knights of her Family, but Kelliark showed no signs of fatigue after a long battle.
If Gliek was not the ck Sea King but simply a monster with the same level of battle prowess as him.
If killing him did not require a Genesis Knight.
They wouldn''t have needed to negotiate with Kinzelo, putting the world at stake.
Now they only had one thing to do.
Help Tris open the absolute seal of the Hidden Pce and determine the number of people for negotiations with Kinzelo.
However, even after the seal was released, Rosa, Kelliark, Ron, and Tris could not leave the battlefield.
It was because Tris had to maintain the seal, and the rest had to hold their positions in case of an emergency.
Even if the seal waspleted, there was no guarantee that Gliek would stop movingpletely, and the three-day deadline mentioned by Tris was not secure.
Jin couldn''t go.
He had always achieved favorable results against Kinzelo, but sending Jin to Kinzelo''s headquarters now was just exposing vulnerabilities.
The only reason Runcandel and Zipple could temporarily unite was Jin''s life.
If Kinzelo captured Jin, Zipple would negotiate with them, not Runcandel.
If that happened, Runcandel would be definitely condemned.
"Stam-nim!"
Stam stepped out of the front lines and stood in front of Rosa.
"At yourmand."
Rosa briefly exined the results she had obtained with Jin and Kelliark.
"Inform the Hidden Pce Master, and proceed yourself with negotiations with Kinzelo."
"Understood, Acting Patriarch Lady."
"Octavia!"
This time, Octavia approached Kelliark.
"Negotiate with Kinzelo along with the Leader of Runcandel''s ck Knights."
"I understand, Patriarch."
Thus, Stam and Octavia decided to go to Kinzelo''s headquarters.
Stam then conveyed the n to Tris.
Tris showed signs of difort because negotiating with Kinzelo''s n could deviate from the secret mission of "defending the world from anomalies."
If Kinzelo refused to negotiate, and if the forces of Runcandel and Zipple actually went to his headquarters and did not deal with Gliek, then the destruction of the world was inevitable.
In that case, Tris would have to fight against Gliek alone or with Ron.
However, Tris had no choice but to ept the ns of the main factions.
Cyron couldn''te, so there was no other way.
''...I can''t help but think aboutpletely unsealing Elona Zipple.''
If Kinzelo refuses to negotiate, things would change irreversibly.
Tris would have no choice but to release Elona''s seal.
Her power in the records was clearlyparable to that of the Genesis Knight, so she should be able to stand up to Gliek.
However, what would happen when she reappeared in the world was an unknown variable.
-The Hidden Pce has been hiding this woman from Zipple for a thousand years.
-Are you saying that if they find out, this woman could be active again?
-I don''t want to imagine that future. If such a monster is added to Zipple, which is already dominant, the bnce will cease to exist.
A conversation Tris had with Jin in the past when she first revealed the Hidden Pce''s mission.
As those words suggested, even if Elona stopped Gliek, she would side with Zipple...
Tris didn''t know if that would be a better oue than the fact that Gliek would consume the world.
Anyway, the moment Kinzelo rejects the offer, there will be no solution.
I mean, I can''t do anything as the Hidden Pce Master.
A cold wind began to spread across the battlefield.
"I will start the absolute seal!" shouted Tris, sliding to the rear and taking her position.
She raised Full Ice in front of her.
At the same time, Rosa and Kelliark charged against Gliek, and Stam and Octavia also positioned themselves on both sides of Tris, opening their protective shields.
Jin stood in the center and looked at the backs of the giants fighting.
Despite Ron''s gray sword energy, Kelliark''s magic, and Rosa''s Final Movements, which raged like a storm, Gliek showed a slight hesitation but smiled.
As if he knew all their ns.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 565
Chapter 565
C565
While swords, magic, and Chaos intertwined and shed in all directions, only the small space where Tris had begun casting the sealing emitted a pure white glow.
It looked like a pearl that never loses its light even in the depths of the sea.
And as Tris began casting her absolute seal, Gliek focused all his attacks only on her.
Gliek didn''t even defend himself despite his body being torn apart by the giants.
The ck Chaos flesh, cut and burst, kept returning to thend of the ck Sea...
But that wasn''t the concept of rapid regeneration familiar to humans.
For the Chaos King, the "form" was merely a means of minimal convenience.
The true Gliek was not the body that grewrger and more borate as the ck Sea advanced but the Chaos energy scattered and mixed throughout the surroundings.In other words, the giants'' attacks didn''t truly harm Gliek; they just distorted his form.
Even if there were a sword capable of cutting the sea in one stroke, even if there were magic capable of erasing the sky in one stroke.
The sea and the sky cannot perish on their own.
Even if the waves cease and the clouds disappear, the sea and the sky always remain there.
Gliek was the same. Even if he received many attacks and the Chaos dissipated, not a single point was extinguished.
"What the hell is that?"
Murakan transformed into a human and stood beside Jin.
Misha and Murakan, among the Vamel Alliance, chose to stay and fight alongside Jin instead of escaping.
"Hey, demon. Is there really no answer to that?"
Misha shook her head.
She was exhausted to the limit and endured by absorbing Shadow Energy from Murakan.
"I think it''ll be manageable if I regain all my former strength, so can''t you do something like surgery right away? Even if it''s a bit risky."
"If that were possible, I would have done it immediately. Say something that makes sense, please. I mean, show someposure and do what''s called thinking. Right now, there''s only one way, as Jin said. Kinzelo must have the means. They have to agree to negotiations."
"Oh, then why did you stay? You''re using all my strength. You should have withdrawn earlier with the others! If things go wrong, Jin and I have to take care of you too!"
"The situation hasplicated since that thing woke up. For now, I need to focus, so shut up."
The reason Misha had exhausted almost all her strength and stayed on the battlefield was none other.
It was because there was still one thing she could do.
The release of the absolute seal of the Hidden Pce.
Misha was going to assist with that.
She also thinks that the absolute seal of the Hidden Pce is the only means by which they could be prepared to respond to Gliek the moment he awakened.
"Hidden Pce master, I''ll help you seal it. The Chaos wall is getting thicker, so it''ll be difficult for the snow toad to make its way and help with the sealing of the Hidden Pce."
Mort is a high-ranking being that can be said to be on par with Tess, but because of that, he can''t use all his original abilities in the human world like Tess.
Moreover, Mort was still exhausted from the long-distance dimension movement after the Sword Emperor Castle war began.
This means that in such thick Chaos, Mort''s ability to move in dimensions cannot be used.
Misha nned topensate for that part with her Shadow Energy.
"I didn''t think about that part because I was in a hurry. So I''ll trust you, Miss Misha."
Tris didn''t ask Misha if she had ever cast a secret pce seal.
Firstly, you couldn''t participate in theunch of the Hidden Pce seal if you didn''t know how to read the flow.
Like food falling on the white snow, Shadow Energy began to mix with Full Ice energy.
The Full Ice energy and Shadow Energy showed a betterbination than Tris expected.
It seems that in the past, she had sealed with the predecessors of the Hidden Pce.
Thus, the burden will be much lighter.
In the midst of the battlefield resounding with mor, the space where the sealing spell was taking ce was filled with a faint but strangely pleasant sound of wind.
But that didn''t mean it was safe.
"Kuh...!"
Tris, who was in the middle of casting the seal, suddenly spat out blood.
It wasn''t Gliek''s sword and spear, nor the Chaos energy that struck her.
All those attacks were filtered by giants, knights, magicians, Jin, and Murakan.
"Tris-nim!"
Thend of the ck Sea was like Gliek''s body.
Gliek not only struck but also performed attacks using the ck earth where Tris was.
It was only blocked by the Full Ice frost covering the ck earth.
Full Ice, like a shield, was slowly giving way.
Others couldn''t block the Chaos chains and leashes that emerged out of nowhere from the ground, and Tris, who began casting the seal, had to maintain perfect immobility.
The ck Chaos leashes protruded through the sole of her foot.
Although Tris was being pierced by Gliek''s attacks in this way, she couldn''t respond.
That means she has to be exposed to Chaos for a long time.
If Full Ice frost hadn''t immediately frozen the punch and the affected area, not even Tris would havested more than ten minutes in that state.
Jin was going crazy watching her.
But showing signs of distress could only hinder Tris.
Jin gritted his teeth and focused on dodging the attacksing from the front.
Two hours passed like this.
Full Ice was forming a huge light iparably stronger than the one that initially spread over a small area.
It waspleted.
Tris''s entire body was impaled by Chaos punches, bound with chains, and covered in blood.
''I might not have seeded without Miss Misha.''
Tris, who had maintained her immobility all the time, reached out to the floating Full Ice for the first time.
Then, the light of Full Ice surged towards her all at once.
Full Ice Magic Seal Release.
Great Ice Field.
The moment Tris opened her eyes.
All movement on the battlefield stopped for an instant.
The hundreds of weapons Gliek wielded, the giants fighting against him, the knights and magicians.
All of them ceased moving for a moment due to the energy of the absolute seal of the Hidden Pce.
True to the name of the great ice-covered field, there was no area left unfrozen wherever you looked.
The Chaos energy that had just violently swayed over humans froze and shattered, turning into thick sleet and spreading across the ice fields.
Tris stood like a tree in the center, radiating white energy.
It was almost blinding when looked at directly.
Gliek was frozen and cracked by the seal''s energy.
Like a copsing sandcastle, the Chaos energy forming his appearance flowed down.
For those who didn''t understand the nature of the being called the King of the ck Sea, it might seem that he waspletely finished.
Yet, this essentially didn''t annihte Gliek''s chaos.
When the sealing time ended, the scattered chaos particles would reform Gliek''s appearance.
Moreover, Tris was not satisfied with the sealing results at all.
''Damn it, I even exerted the power used to seal Elona Zipple once again. Ha, this is truly the limit...!''
The Great Ice Field was clearly cast correctly.
However, it couldn''tpletely seal Gliek.
Tris''s gaze focused on the only thing left behind, beyond the ice fields like a ck star.
It was the White Stone.
Amidst all the frozen and crushed Chaos, the cursed Stone that awakened Gliek shone in ck.
And everyone was feeling it.
The fact that the white stone was sowing chaos and causing cracks in the Great Ice Field.
The three days Tris predicted at the beginning became meaningless.
At most, it would be two long days or one short day.
Tris concluded that she could only maintain the seal for that time.
Fortunately, thanks to Mort''s ability, they can go to Kinzelo''s headquarters.
"We only have two days or a day, that''s it. Misha-nim, please open the way."
Woong-!
Mort emerged from the Great Ice Field.
While Misha conjured the icy path in the air, Shadow Energy formed a circr passage like a dimensional portal.
Mort immediately recognized that the passage yed a supporting role in opening the portal to the snow garden.
Stam and Octavia climbed onto Mort''s back.
Kelliark used the fire seal to form a letter announcing the temporary alliance between Runcandel and Zipple and handed it to Octavia.
"Hidden Pce Master, how long will it take for the Snow Toad to reach thend of the Beastmen?"
Rosa asked.
"With Mort''s current state, I think it will take three to five hours."
"If Stam doesn''t return in 12 hours, we can consider the negotiation a failure. Good luck, Stam."
"Please be careful, Acting Patriarch."
The Shadow Energy passage closed as Mort entered.
And Ron continued swinging Rashid on the white stone even after it was sealed.
ng!
However, Ron''s sword was blocked by the stone barrier, and he swung his sword over the barrier without stopping even after being bounced back.
No one dared to stop Ron. Since his resurrection, he seemed like a demon determined to fight until his body stopped moving.
The sound of the sword shing against the barrier sounded like Ron''s longing roar.
-----------------------
As Tris had said, Mort was able to reach the Beastmen''s Land after five hours.
Unlike those suffering in hell, Kinzelo and the Beastmen''s Land were not much different from usual.
Kinzelo had already deployed members throughout the Beastmen''s Land to ensure a smooth and direct route to the headquarters.
As soon as Stam and Octavia arrived, they followed the White Wolf warriors and headed to Kinzelo''s headquarters.
There was a maze that seemed to have been built by the Cat Tribe, so it was impossible to memorize the way to the headquarters.
"...So, are you saying that Runcandel and Zipple have temporarily sealed the King of the ck Sea and will abandon him and send their entire army here?"
Zephyrin, who came out as Kinzelo''s representative, listened to Stam and Octavia''s proposal, and confirmed the fire seal.
"Yes."
Zephyrin looked at the two without smiling for a while and raised the corners of her lips.
"Well, it may sound a bit rude, but you really don''t know much, do you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you really think you can escape the Fifth Chaos King ande to attack us?"
After saying that, Zephyrin erased her smile.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 566
Chapter 566
C566
"When he woke up, it was already his territory. The fact that you are now in front of me outside the Sword Emperor Castle is simply because he allowed it, not because your power is formidable."
Trap.
Zephyrin was convinced that Gliek had led them into a trap.
He could have annihted or ignored them all and fully awakened in no time.
Still, the reason he set up a trap...
There are probably only two reasons.
The first is the existence of Cyron Runcandel.
The second is the probability of efficiently devouring Jin.But Cyron Runcandel has already entered the territory of the Five Kings of the ck Sea, so he won''t be able to participate.
''Then they won''t be able to prevent Jin Runcandel from being absorbed by the Fifth King of Chaos.''
That didn''t mean there wouldn''t be damages for Kinzelo.
They were still manufacturing the Demon God Orb and its counterparts, and Jin''s power was needed in the core, as Zipple needed it.
However, unlike Zipple, Kinzelo had the means to pull Jin out again before Gliek fully absorbed him, even if Jin were swallowed by Chaos.
Stam and Octavia couldn''t read Zephyrin''s thoughts.
They couldn''t help it because they didn''t have as much information as Zephyrin did about the ck Sea King.
"Are you saying we were deceived by him?"
Octavia spoke angrily.
Zephyrin acted as a spy in Zipple and had things done in the Sota Desert, so Octavia wouldn''t mind tearing her apart right now.
"Exactly, Octavia Zipple."
"You seem confident. Your leader hasn''t recovered yet, and I and the Leader of the ck Knights of Runcandel have been ordered to attack immediately if negotiations break down."
"If I were afraid of that, I would have met with you somewhere other than the headquarters, right? It''s true that my frail master is still in bad shape, but I can handle you two alone. The leaders should havee in person if they wanted to make threats, not you... Ah, but with the current problem, that would have been impossible."
"Do you think you can handle me and Octavia Zipple? It doesn''t seem like you have enough strength," said Stam.
Zephyrin turned her gaze toward him.
"So it would be good if we set aside unnecessary provocations and stuck to the main point. Anyway, if you decide to listen to our proposal, doesn''t it mean there''s something you expect from us? Otherwise, you could have closed all channels and waited for the fight to end."
"There is someone who can speak a little. Well, the conditions for Kinzelo to participate in this war are very simple."
"What is it?"
"Jin Runcandel. That bastard... Uh, if he swears allegiance to Kinzelo, we will join the battle."
Stam''s eyes narrowed in the ck helmet.
"Don''t you know the Twelfth gbearer?"
"Yes, I know him. Swearing allegiance is something he can do at any time, and, of course, there is the possibility that he will betray us once the incident is over. But there is a way to prevent that from happening, so you just have to hand him over to us."
"So your n is to force Jin Runcandel to be loyal to Kinzelo with a demon contract," Octavia said.
Zephyrin nodded.
"That''s right. It requires the person''s consent and sincerity for it to work. In other words, if he wants to save everyone, he must be willing to be loyal to Kinzelo wholeheartedly. I wonder what the next leader of Runcandel will choose between his own life and everyone else''s."
Stam shook his head as if there was nothing to think about.
"The negotiations have failed."
"It''s a pity. So, are you going to attack us now as you nned?"
"We''ll leave."
"We won''t stop you. We''ll also wee you back with your entire army."
Octavia did not oppose Stam''s unteral decision.
It''s frustrating, but the situation was definitely in favor of Kinzelo.
"But, please convey the message when you return. If he just signs a contract with us, he can save not only his Family but the world."
Stam and Octavia turned and left the meeting room.
Zephyrin shrugged as she watched them walk away, and the executives in the next room pounced on her.
"Oh, as expected of the Grand Duchess. Defeating those powerful bastards with just words! Did you see, Bouvard? This is the majesty of the only Grand Duchess in the demon world!"
"I saw it! My inspiration is flowing; today, I have to work more on my art!"
"Great job... Grand Duchess. Did our cookies give you strength...?"
Zephyrin nodded awkwardly, and the three jumped back into a circle, showing their joy.
"By the way, it''s unexpected."
Joe said that, looking around.
He also wanted to express his opinion on the current situation, but he was worried that Berakt would get angry again.
"Instead of prioritizing negotiating with us, I thought the Prophet of Runcandel or Zipple would bring out some hidden cards. Isn''t that so?"
For some reason, Berakt nodded in agreement with Joe''s opinion.
Therefore, the negotiation proposal was an unexpected event for them as well.
Kinzelo hoped that even if Runcandel and Zipple couldn''t kill Gliek, they would at least be able to seal him.
Even at an unstable level.
So, although Zephyrin knew that Gliek would awaken, she hoped that after the incident, Jin would "reasonably negotiate" with Kinzelo about the items he obtained in the Sota Desert.
"They may not have as much potential as we thought."
"It may be. But it''s natural that they can''t deal with the Five Kings of the ck Sea, Vice Leader. Even when my master was well, he avoided being hostile with them. More than that, Miss Margie, it would be quite disappointing for you if Jin Runcandel refused to negotiate."
Margie pushed her wheelchair next to Zephyrin.
"That''s right, Zephyrin-nim. But didn''t you admit that, even though you called him a demon to be torn apart, you would care if Jin-nim ended up consumed by Chaos?"
Margie hoped that Kinzelo would unconditionally help Jin.
Only then would there be a possibility that Jin Runcandel in his plete" state would be a confidant of Kinzelo.
"Anyway... Even if Gliek devours him, it will be enough to pull him out of there thanks to my master''s power. He may be a fool instead of the demon we knew, but still, the fundamental fact that he is the contractor of Solderet will not change."
------------------------------
Mort returned to the battlefield eleven hours after heading towards Kinzelo.
The absolute seal of the Hidden Pce, the Grand Icefield, was in good condition.
Even then...
Ron had been swinging his sword on the White Stone barrier without a moment''s rest.
The White Stone still revealed its impable shine without a scratch on the barrier.
Even so, no one stopped Ron.
He no longer felt the sadness of a man who had lost everything.
He was filled with unfathomable madness.
Unable to cope with such deep grief, he had plunged into madness.
Ron''s sword became increasingly destructive, but that did not mean it became stronger immediately.
Rather, it was the opposite.
The sword had lostposure and only radiated its power randomly.
However, Ron''s body, which had opened the Supreme Sword, showed no signs of fatigue as he continued to maintain the same powerful energy as the first time.
"...That''s it."
Stam and Octavia finished their reports.
Kelliark and Rosa rejected Kinzelo''s condition of handing over Jin, but one thing Zephyrin said triggered an ominous intuition in them.
"It was thanks to the permission of the ck Sea King that the Hidden Pce Mistress''s Snow Toad was able to go there..."
"If that''s true, I''ll have to rethink countermeasures."
Both thought at the same time.
It was time to confirm it.
"Runcandel will invade thend of the beastmen from now on."
"Zipples, line up. I will open the way."
Tris and Ron were excluded from attacking Kinzelo.
It was not just because the two were not under their control, but they also needed some people to stop Gliek while they attacked Kinselo anyway.
Moreover, faced with the determined decision of Runcandel and Zipple, Tris had no choice but to make a decision.
''The moment Runcandel and Zipple withdraw from the battlefield, the world wille to an end.''
Elona Zipple.
Tris decided to unseal her.
After all, if she only saw the lesser evil, it was better for the world to be ruled by ''Humans'' called Zipple, rather than being eroded by the ck Sea King.
"Kelliark Zipple."
Tris spoke as Kelliark and Rosa released their powers against the Chaos-encased ice wall.
"It''s an inevitable choice for us, Tris Endorma."
"It''s not that..."
Tris took a breath.
She dared not speak, but like Kelliark, she had no choice.
"In the Hidden Pce."
There is a sealed magician of the ancient Zipple.
Just as she was about to continue her words, Tris suddenly opened her eyes.
It was not because she was indecisive in the end.
It was because she felt the change in Full Ice, and the Grand Icefield was rapidly copsing.
Not even the minimum number of days she had predicted had passed, and the seal, which had been working firmly until now, began to crumble out of nowhere.
"Kugh..."
As soon as Tris spat out dark red blood, the energy of Full Ice enveloping the battlefield dissipated.
At that moment, Kelliark and Rosa could only intuitively realize that Zephyrin''s words were not a lie.
Gliek, before being sealed and after being "subdued" to the seal.
At some point, he had been watching and listening to all the actions and words of humans.
Therefore, he knew that they negotiated with a group called Kinzelo to find a way to kill him and were rejected...
He also had a clue about how Kinzelo would pull out the Solderet Contractor when he absorbed Jin.
[Jin Runcandel...]
The eyes of Gliek formed within the White Stone stared at Jin.
[With this, all the opportunities given to you and Solderet have disappeared....]
As soon as Gliek finished his words, Jin felt his vision darken in an instant.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 567
Chapter 567
C567
What is this?
Jin, no matter where he looked, the surroundings were filled with oppressive darkness.
The sharp roar that urred when the Grand Icefield broke...
The voices of those shouting in response to the sudden change and the sound of debris, swords, and magic shing...
None of that could be heard.
Jin couldn''t hear anything.
The feeling of being separated from the world with no time to recognize or resist made him uneasy...
But the only thing he felt was the singr empty energy of this ck space.Jin even felt the illusion of having died, but he kept hisposure.
It seems I''ve been dragged into Gliek''s subspace.
Jin raised his hand and looked at his sword.
The only thing that didn''t lose its original color in the absolute darkness was Jin''s body and his belongings.
Jin had entered a nearly simr space before.
It''s almost identical to Solderet''s subspace.
Certainly, there is a strong connection between Shadow Energy and the Chaos energy that I am unfamiliar with. It''s ufortably simr.
The darkness formed by Gliek resembled a subspace of shadows.
One could say everything was the same except for one thing.
Does the space have favor or hostility towards him?
In Solderet''s subspace, there was a strangely unfamiliar andfortable feeling, but this darkness was full of indescribably huge hostility.
Moreover, this hostility was not content with just staring at Jin.
Jin began to feel that an invisible, eerie, and cold energy was prating his entire body.
"Agh!"
The icy de seemed to cut through his flesh and pierce his bones.
Jin''s fist clenched reflexively, and a groan escaped from his clenched teeth.
Chaos.
What tormented Jin was the Chaos imbued in Gliek''s will.
This power surpassed the various types of physical and mental pain that Jin had endured until now.
If it weren''t for his robust mental fortitude, honed through countless challenges and trials, Jin wouldn''t havested more than five minutes and would have copsed.
"Chkkakk...."
Jin couldn''t help but feel terrified.
There were no allies who could help him in this dark space, and he didn''t believe he could escape this ce alone.
Emotions he had never experienced even when facing the imperial army, as well as Zipple''srge army, tried to overpower Jin.
"Damn, my hand...!"
Suddenly, Jin took a step back, feeling a chill down his spine.
It was because he saw that his hand held the sword, and the tips of his fingers were tainted ck by Chaos.
Immediately, he could recognize things he had never experienced.
The fact that this terrible discoloration was the result of being eroded by Chaos.
A chill ran down his spine, and he felt his blood freeze.
Upon closer inspection, he could see that the Chaos-tinged energy on his index finger was growing more and more like a creeping caterpir.
Furthermore, the erosion didn''t just start at the fingertips.
The ces where the pain was especially intense, like the fingers, were all points where erosion was urring.
What would happen when the invasion wasplete?
Jin intuitively reached the conclusion that he would be part of Gliek.
Just like Dante.
He had to ovee it.
It''s only different in size and depth, but it''s not fundamentally different from the despair I''ve always ovee.
''I''ll somehow avoid the invasion and find a way to get out of here.''
Jin lifted his head and struggled to stand.
But he fell as soon as he took a step, and it happened five times in a row.
Jin concluded that walking in those conditions was impossible.
Just as no one could walk with amputated legs, Jin, in his current state, couldn''t move forward.
He couldn''t endure with willpower alone.
So Jin sat down.
Not just sat down, but sat down to concentrate.
Release of Shadow Energy.
First of all, it seemed that he had to push away the Chaos spreading through his body with it.
The shadows trapped in Chaos emerged along with the release of Jin''s Shadow Energy.
Fortunately, it worked.
The released Shadow Energy washed away the Chaos like clear water.
There was hope. For those without the power of the genesis knight, only the Shadow Contractor could catch a glimpse of the possibility of escaping this way in Gliek''s subspace.
But there were two problems.
The first was that he couldn''t release his Shadow Energy as stably as usual due to the pain.
It was necessary to pour it like a waterfall topletely eliminate the erosion, but the power of the shadows only reacted weakly.
The second was another phenomenon that urred as soon as the release of Shadow Energy began.
The Chaos that had not been expelled was trying to "blend" with the Shadow Energy.
It was like a stream of water returning to its source.
''There''s nothing easy in this damn war and struggle from the beginning.''
The Shadow Energy mixed with Chaos was escaping Jin''s control.
Moreover, it was getting stronger. Except for Solderet''s manifested will during the first battle, Jin had never seen Shadow Energy fluctuate as intensely as now.
It was like when Shadow Energy mixed with aura and mana to strengthen them.
It was hard to control, like an enraged beast.
The release of Shadow Energy was weak, and the shadows mixed with Chaos were explosive.
Although it was dangerous, there was no reason not to use it.
Maybe it''s another trap by Gliek, but there''s no other option.
''I can only halt the invasion with pure Shadow Energy release.''
Jin''s choice was nothing more than plunging into the turbulent stream without knowing where it flowed.
But, for some reason, he felt confident.
An attribute of Chaos that enhances Shadow Energy.
It urred to him that it might also be the disposition of the existence that created the beginning.
Perhaps it was the will of God, Solderet.
I have to make this power mine.
Shadow Energy began to move ording to Jin''s will.
Instead of vaguely resisting Chaos to survive, the flow elerated when the milestone of the "struggle" was created.
Jin suppressed the Shadow Energy, which had be too rough, and grasped the bulges that had be stronger.
Blood flowed incessantly due to the recoil of Chaos, and sometimes his consciousness blurred, but Jin trusted himself.
His body, trampled by pain, was improving.
No, it wasn''t just that.
It was unstable, but a power beyond his limits seemed to burst forth at any moment.
At that moment, Jin noticed that another power from within him, not Shadow Energy, reacted to Chaos.
The blood.
The Blood of the Battle Goddess, the only Runcandel who had gone beyond recognition and turned a part of her human physical essence into something akin to her siblings, was expelling Chaos ferociously.
''It seems you''re not the only one allowed to devour, Gliek!''
Lightning mixed between the force of shadows and Chaos.
As if Vahn''s blood did not fear the invasion, but rather dragged all the trapped Chaos towards the illuminating heart.
Soon, Jin stood up and straightened his body.
His shoulders felt heavy, as if he were still trapped in the water, but the pain subsided as he walked slowly.
Each step forward caused the Shadow Energy, mixed with Chaos, to fluctuate and return to its ce.
When he took seven steps like this, Jin could feel that he had ovee the first trace of this subspace.
The invasion stopped, and Jin no longer felt pain.
The Chaos that had run so wildly, mixed with Shadow Energy, crisped weakly like a telegraph wire.
And his body, exhausted from the long battle, was now filled with a greater strength than before the war began.
To the point where Jin felt there was nothing in the world he couldn''t cut through.
''Did I achieve temporary growth by surpassing Chaos? Or... Is it some kind of side effect?''
Jin couldn''t figure it out immediately.
Seeing traces of discoloration all over his body, it was clear that there would be consequences regardless of the path he had taken.
Jin also realized that his fighting spirit burned too intensely.
It was the opposite of his intention to remain as calm as possible.
It''s a dangerous power if it can''t bepletely mine.
''As the invasion of my body has ceased, it seems that this time it''s trying to destroy my mind.''
Jin judged that Chaos was trying to erode his body first, but now it was targeting his mind.
Just like what happened to his younger sister, Yona.
However, he couldn''t guarantee that he could ovee it.
Neither the release of Shadow Energy nor the blood of the battle god could directly protect his mind.
Jin had to find an exit while maintaining the utmost rationality.
The external situation was one of two.
Either everyone tried to save Jin, or they fought against Gliek.
Jin was worried, but he tried not to let it bother him.
He couldn''t afford to suppress the fighting spirit and the killing intent that grew like foam.
It was still dark, and the only thing he heard was the sound of his own breathing and the faint noise caused by the lightning spreading from the battle god''s blood.
He turned around the Bradamante stained with Shadow Energy.
Despite his firm conviction that nothing would resist him, the subspace showed no reaction.
No matter how many times he tried, there was only one option for Jin. He only had to walk until something else appeared.
And Jin faced something different from the darkness faster than expected in the vast subspace.
A person...!?
It seemed hazy and dark, but he could see the shape of a person crouching on the other side of the darkness, in the distance.
Jin ran towards the figure, and soon he could identify who it was.
"Ron-nim!"
Jin didn''t believe that someone else had been trapped in this subspace.
In particr, Ron, who was the farthest from him.
"Then other people...!"
The moment Jin thought that,
Ron raised his head and looked at him.
As soon as their gazes met, Jin couldn''t help but abruptly stop walking.
Mad hostility.
The intense and deep hatred emanating from Ron was as palpable as the resentment Jin felt towards Gliek for the first time, and it was directed straight at him.
"Ron-nim! I''m Jin Runcandel. You may not recognize me..."
"Why?"
Ron interrupted Jin.
At that moment, Jin noticed that Ron''s eyes were as ck as oil.
Because Ron had been invaded by the Chaos that had previously been crushing Jin.
Ron stood up and said.
"This monster is looking for you, but... why, why did my grandson be its prey in your ce? Tell me, why was he sacrificed instead of you...?"
When Ron finished speaking, Rashid''s ckened sword was already at Jin''s throat.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 568
Chapter 568
C568
At that moment, the reason Jin could prevent Ron''s sword from cutting his throat was probably the Shadow Energy reinforced by Chaos.
Even Jin himself couldn''t believe how quick his reaction had been.
Obviously, he couldn''t widen the distance even after being ambushed by Ron, who rushed at full speed.
A stream of warm blood ran down his neck.
Finally, he met the most reliable and powerful ally in this subspace, but Ron tried to kill him without a second thought.
That fact was much more shocking than the sense of danger that he was about to die.
Moreover, what Ron said about him.
"Why was it Dante who got devoured and not you!"Ron''s voice, shouting once again, was colder than any dagger and scratched the inside of Jin.
Guilt, an emotion that had tormented Jin since all of this began.
The guilt he had hidden so much to focus on the fight burst forth like revenge.
''Ron-nim must not be in his right mind right now.''
No matter how desperate he was, he could never say such things.
Jin himself had just suffered how his body and mind were consumed by Chaos.
Once past the torment of physical pain, he barely managed to suppress the growing madness.
''Just by looking at the eroded eyes, Ron-nim went through the same process as me. I''m sure...''
As soon as Jin thought that, he felt nausea in his stomach.
An unbearably repugnant knot seemed to stick in his throat.
It was because of the ''doubt.''
Despite being consumed, what Ron was saying now was probably the hidden truth deep within himself.
Considering the recent tragedy Hairan had suffered, it was very possible.
Anyone would resent Jin.
And what was even more unbearable for Jin was the Chaos madness that began to infiltrate his mind...
And the murderous intent that was emerging had begun to turn towards Ron.
Whether Ron''s resentment towards Jin was genuine or not.
Jin believed he was unworthy of holding a grudge against Ron.
After all, Ron had continued trying to save him even after Dante''s disappearance.
The tip of Ron''s sword, upying his position, headed towards Jin.
Somewhere on the now ckened edge of Rashid''s sword, the true essence of Ron, which had once shone so brightly before Gliek awakened, seemed to be.
That invisible light guided Jin.
If Jin hadn''t seen the effort Ron made to save Hairan and keep him alive.
Jin would have given in to the fighting spirit and fought against Ron.
Jin also slowly raised Bradamante and focused.
The madness that had crowded into his mind was gradually subsiding.
Jin began to perceive that the current Ron was no different from Shadow Energy or the Blood of the Battle Goddess that had previously saved him from invasion.
Just like Shadow Energy and the Blood of the Battle Goddess helped him control the Shadow Energy strengthened by Chaos, the light called Ron Hairan was causing another significant leap within Jin.
He surpassed the invasion of the body and shook off the madness of the demonic heart.
In other words...
Jin achieved growth and transcendence in this subspace.
Even the suspicion that all of this was a trick by Gliek might fade away.
To break through a wall means being able to see beyond.
In the new domain, Jin could not sense any of Gliek''s intentions.
Jin saw it clearly.
When Gliek dragged Jin into the subspace, he had foreseen that Solderet''s dirty power would soone to an end.
That''s why Gliek said that all the opportunities given to Jin had disappeared.
As much as the power of Solderet, it was so weak that it couldn''t resist.
Moreover, what exceeded his expectations was not only that.
Gliek hadn''t brought Ron to this ce.
''Now it''s my turn to help Ron-nim.''
Jin couldn''t think of anything to help with.
However, Jin decided to ept Ron''s anger.
Now that Chaos had strengthened his Shadow Energy, he felt he could engage in a sword fight with Ron.
Jin resolved to fight him.
Until Ron''s fury subsided even a little.
Ron''s sword rushed andnded on Jin''s forehead.
Still, there was no hesitation in the tip of Ron''s sword.
Jin was no longer saddened by this and firmly wielded his sword.
"Why wasn''t it you!"
No matter how heartbroken and sad he was.
Jin couldn''tpare to the pain Ron was going through.
So Jin can''t show more sadness than that.
It would be an insult to Ron''s suffering.
The battle began with shes and strikes.
Both knights stood firm without yielding an inch, their swords entwined in a fierce duel.
However, even though Jin insisted on wielding his sword, he had not managed tond a single sessful attack.
Not because he couldn''t bear to cut or stab Ron, but because he couldn''t afford to.
Simrly, Ron, attacking unterally, couldn''t prate Jin''s defense either.
"Give me back my grandson...!"
As if in agony, Jin endured the resentment of the man named Ron Hairan.
In the abyss, their solitary battle continued.
It was impossible to tell how much time had passed since they entered the subspace.
However, probably not much time had psed, but Jin felt a sensation akin to aging.
To embrace Ron''s pain, the giant had to be even harder, inevitably giving him a strange feeling of aging.
Ron must have needed someone at some point.
Someone who would allow him to cry and unleash his limitless rage, someone he could rant wildly to, whether it provided relief or not...
Someone should have told Ron to unleash his anger only for himself, not to save Jin or for revenge.
Hot tears ran down Jin''s cheeks with more fervor than the blood from his neck.
Ron overcame death for his grandson and friend, even after losing everything, because his duty was too heavy.
Simrly, Jin had no choice but to resurrect Ron with the detestable Demon God Orb.
In this war, neither of them had chosen for themselves even once.
They had only wielded their swords for others.
And the reason Jin kept fighting for Ron, not for himself, was that he had suffered less than Ron.
As a result, Jin consoled himself.
He genuinely pitied his own suffering with Ron''s pain.
He couldn''t contain the tears streaming from his eyes.
Humans are born to be able to see themselves in others.
Now Jin glimpsed the sorrow he didn''t know about Ron.
But that doesn''t help in the battle.
Ron''s sword, which was narrowly blocked, was closing in.
At this rate, Ron''s sword would soon pierce Jin.
There were residual scars.
Perhaps because the Chaos staining Ron''s sword intensified during the battle, the cut made by Rashid spewed ck blood as if it had been poisoned.
Shadow Energy and the blood of the Battle Goddess couldn''t suppress Ron''s Chaos.
Although it was poisonous, the Thousand-Poison Antidote did not respond to it.
Death was imminent.
However, what Jin feared was not death.
Jin feared that Ron wouldn''t return before his life ended.
sh!
''Ah...!''
Suddenly, Ron''s sword pierced Jin''s abdomen.
Jin would die the moment Ron twisted the sword or cut it aside.
''No, perhaps I''m already... in trouble.''
Even the remnants of Chaos in the scars caused severe toxic reactions.
Needless to say, Chaos energy prated his abdomen.
Ron stopped moving and kept his head bowed.
If Jin had the strength to move even once, he could easily stab Ron with the sword he held.
However, Jin only managed to cling to the sword, unable to move a single finger.
Soon Ron raised his head, and Jin could look at him.
Tears stained with Chaos welled up from Ron''s eyes.
"Ron-nim......."
There was no response, and Jin only heard his sobbing.
Ron''s hand holding the sword trembled.
It was because he was resisting the Chaos energy whispering to him to twist the sword and kill Jin.
Jin said nothing like "you have to ovee this," "you have to stop it," or "you shouldn''t do it."
Jin just waited.
So that Ron could climb thest step of the abyss.
The reason Ron postponed the death he so desired until thest moment was the same as Jin''s.
Just as Jin gained enlightenment after seeing the light of a human named Ron Hairan, Ron also learned from Jin, who wielded the sword for him until the end.
He became a monster because he was buried in pain.
"It''s okay even if you hold a grudge against me..."
Ron''s eyes twitched.
He was slowly pulling out Rashid, which was embedded in Jin.
Ron''s darkened eyes began to regain their true color, and as soon as he recovered his sword, Jin sat up and vomited blood.
Chaos spread through his body like poison, and the hemorrhage and internal injuries were so severe that he would surely die.
But Jin felt he wasn''t going to die.
Ron stared into space without looking down at Jin.
In that empty space, which was invisible to Jin''s eyes, and even if someone else were on this battlefield, they wouldn''t see it... there was something.
There were only two humans in the world who could see it.
Cyron Runcandel.
And another was Ron, who had just entered the domain of the Genesis Knight.
A pure white light that only Ron Hairan could see filled the air.
Ron remained motionless for a while, gazing at that light.
If he pierced the wall, he could see whaty beyond.
As soon as Ron faced the light of the Genesis Knight, he realized some things he hadn''t even thought about, or barely expected.
Jin couldn''t see the light directly, but he felt it.
The fact that Ron had finally taken thest step to challenge fate.
The murky Chaos energy no longer transmitted from Ron.
''...I can see it... hope.''
Ron reached the light of the Genesis Knight, and Jin smiled and lost consciousness.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 569
Chapter 569
C569
ck Sea, Land of the Five Kings.
Cyron and Kial''s expedition team had been fighting for over twelve hours.
Ozdock waspletely stunned and thrown far from the battlefield in the aftermath of the battle, while Kial continued to scream and unleash Chaos energy.
The Chaos that Kial spilled was at a different level from Gliek''s energy.
Unlike Gliek, Kial had awakened long ago and could use his full power.
Huh, huh~...!
Luna breathed heavily as she looked at Kial.
She was on one knee, leaning on her axe-sword, Krantel, and was covered by the ancient ck Knights."Just a little more... please."
"Don''t worry, take a break for a bit, First gbearer."
Even in Vanessa Olsen''s response,bored breaths were evident.
ck bruises-like Chaos covered the bodies of the revealed ancient ck Knights through their shattered armor.
Without Cyron, they would have already been annihted.
Although each of them was no different from the strongest Knight on the surface.
''Was my father fighting against these things alone?''
Since the battle began...
Luna couldn''t count how many times she had been amazed.
She heard some stories from Cyron in advance, but when she really entered the battle, she felt dizzy all the time.
All the expedition''s attacks, except Cyron''s, had nevernded a single effective blow on Kial.
Luna and the ancient ck Knights yed the role only to cover for Cyron.
''Even that is confusing whether we are protecting my father or the other way around.''
Luna felt ''impatient'' for her father''s back against Kial.
Of course, it was a feeling she had never experienced before.
Indeed, Cyron was in the midst of the fight while controlling his urgency, and the reason was no different.
It was because, at this moment, Gliek had awakened in the human world, not in the ck Sea.
Cyron judged that there was no way to stop Gliek in the current human world.
If it weren''t for the situation with Kial, Cyron would have returned without hesitation.
The inability to stop Gliek meant that his Family would also be destroyed.
Although there was a variable called Kinzelo, the possibility of theming out to prevent the Chaos disaster didn''t seem very high.
Cyron thought that Runcandel, Zipple, and the rest of the forces, including the Empire and the Hidden Pce, would eventually manage to stop Gliek.
It was the worst-case scenario.
However, it was impossible to retreat with Kial in front, and even if it were possible, the issues that would arise upon return were difficult to face.
"It seems like you''re in trouble, Cyron Runcandel."
Kial''s eyes narrowed like the crescent moon.
He was seeing through Cyron''s emotions.
"Seems like you still have the luxury to worry about those things."
As if a storm were unleashed, the aura of the Genesis Knight gathered in Cyron''s sword.
It wasn''t just Cyron who was in a hurry.
Kial also felt overwhelmed by the fact that Cyron''s power had be stronger than when he faced him in the past.
Monster.
All humans who experienced a ck Sea King recognized them as monsters, but Kial couldn''t help but see Cyron as one.
And just as the aura gathered in Barisada was about to explode...
Kial felt something happening in the human world and could no longer maintain the rxed smile.
Cyron also stopped moving, and his eyes widened.
''This...!''
Just like they felt Gliek awakening when the battle was about to begin...
Cyron and Kial were aware that a new Genesis Knight had appeared in the human world.
The only thing that could propagate that energy to this distant subspace was the light of a Genesis Knight.
Luna and the ancient ck Knights didn''t feel the light.
''It''s Ron Hairan!''
It wasn''t the aura of Tris, Rosa, or the other superhumans he knew.
Cyron felt the aura of the bright attribute, the right path of justice exclusive to Hairan, as if it were right in front of him.
However, for some reason, in the light of the Genesis Knight, Cyron could feel not only the just energy but also a faint Shadow Energy.
''Why is there Shadow Energy... Could it be that the younger one has somehow helped? There''s no reason for Solderet''s energy to be buried in Hairan''s just energy.''
Cyron couldn''t draw hasty conclusions, and it wasn''t an important matter right now.
In any case, Cyron was now able to specte about the situation in the human world.
''The ck Sea King has awakened in the Empire''s territory, and Ron Hairan has crossed the wall while fighting against him. Otherwise, it''s an inexplicable event.''
The person Cyron knew, Ron Hairan, was a Knight who could reach the Genesis Knight''s domain if given the chance.
Although Cyron thought that the possibility of falling into demonization like Smarion was much higher.
In any case, there was no reason for Cyron to hesitate in the fight against Kial.
Of course, even if Ron reached the Genesis Knight, it didn''t mean he could unconditionally subdue the Fifth King of Chaos, and it wouldn''t be the case that subjugation would end without any harm to the world.
A clear hope had emerged.
Moreover, if Gliek was annihted by Ron''s sword, then one of his missions would be fulfilled.
''If he manages to stop Gliek, I must personally thank him.''
This time Cyron smiled.
"Don''t you think it''s better to keep smiling, Kial? If you reveal your true feelings so easily, I don''t think you deserve to be called king of anything."
At that moment, Luna realized that her father''s sword was regaining stability...
And she could be sure.
This battle will end with the victory of the expedition team.
------------------------
Had there been any moment when Jin didn''t feel so uneasy at the crossroads of life and death?
Even when his breath ceased, and his consciousness faded, Jin felt a strange sense of relief.
He himself didn''t know why, but there was actually a reason.
The first thing the person entering the domain of "Semigods" did was to bestow their blessing upon Jin.
The light of the Genesis Knight floating in the air slowly approached Ron''s chest.
It emitted a light that only he could see, spoke in anguage that only he could hear, and revealed a meaning that only he couldprehend.
About to ovee his death, Ron challenged fate once.
Solely by his own will.
Therefore, the size of the pure power he possessed was no different from that of the Genesis Knight at that moment.
That''s why he was able to fight for so long with the Supreme Sword.
However, after that moment, Ron''s mind quickly crumbled.
Immersed in pain and Chaos, he became a ve to the demonic heart.
As a result, he turned into a monster just like the ancient phantom leader, Smarion Proch.
He could escape the abyss thanks to seeing Jin.
Everyone who gained the power of the Genesis Knight ran the risk of bing monsters, and even after bing Semigods, that danger never disappeared.
It always remained as an illness that could explode at any moment.
And that''s because, even as a Semigod, he couldn''t fully handle the power, as he was essentially human.
If Jin and Ron hadn''t met in this subspace, Ron would never have reached the domain of the Genesis Knight.
After the war began, Ron''s demonization progressed uncontrobly.
Therefore, it was Gliek who gave the final push to his demonization, and it was Jin who prevented Ron from crossing the linepletely.
Ron slowly reached out to the light of the Genesis Knight that stopped in front of his chest.
It was like a roaring fire.
As he grasped it with both hands, the light flowed through his fingers back and forth, repeatedly telling Ron his final enlightenment.
Then, Ron gently pulled a piece of light with his hand and bent down to let the light flow towards the fallen Jin.
Like ripples on the calm water surface, the light of the Genesis Knight scattered and prated Jin.
However, that single ray of light couldn''t be absorbed by Jin.
Only less than 10% of the energy could be absorbed by Jin from the beam of light.
The rest of the energy would disperse somewhere and disappear forever.
Ron didn''t mind.
Rather, he was grateful to be able to heal Jin''s wounds at this price.
The remaining light of the Genesis Knight in Ron and the energy flowing towards Jin became one with two people, respectively.
Ron''s ruined body, which had turned ck, regained its original color, and the blood flowing from Jin''s affected area turned red and subsided.
And the subspace vibrated.
Gliek was angry.
Gliek found it impossible toprehend why a single human was messing things up, and not the shadow of the dreaded Solderet he had been so wary of.
Above all...
He never allowed that human toe here in the first ce.
If he had stayed outside, he would have approached the King of Chaos just like himself.
Gliek thought it had to be that way.
Since he judged that Ron''s mind waspletely subdued.
Both men leaked into the light of the Genesis Knight.
Huh....
Then, breath escaped from Jin''s lips.
It wasn''t the dark and moist breath of death but a breath as clear and pure as if a new life were being born.
All wounds have been healed.
As the light of the Genesis Knight is fundamentally different from Numerus''s Legacy, internal injuries have not beenpletely healed, but Jin feels that his body has be very light.
All the Chaos that strengthened the energy mixed with Shadow Energy had disappeared.
Therefore, his battle prowess also returned to its original state, but it didn''t matter at all.
Because it was the power he had no choice but to use to confront Ron.
There were some traces of Chaos that remained ck like stains all over his body, but that didn''t be an issue immediately either.
Jin didn''t see the moment he was healed.
Still, he felt that he could figure out what was happening without having to hear Ron''s exnation.
"Jin."
Jin grabbed Ron''s extended hand and stood up. The light of the Genesis Knight, which Jin couldn''t directly see a moment ago, was creating a subtle glow on Ron''s body.
"Ron-nim."
The two looked at each other without speaking for a while.
Likerades who have fought together for a long time, it seemed like they could see clearly into each other''s hearts.
"If it weren''t for you, I would have ended up turning into a monster and killing Dante with my own hands. And I wouldn''t even feel the sorrow and pain caused by it."
At those words, Jin''s eyes widened.
Because Ron was talking as if Dante were still alive.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 570
Chapter 570
C570
Of course, Ron wasn''t crazed with pain over losing Dante, nor was he baselessly iming that Dante was still alive.
"Ron-nim, Dante... is he still alive?"
Ron nodded, and Jin barely managed to calm his emotions, surging like a torrent.
His heart raced, as if it had reached its limit.
Since the beginning of the war, Jin never once gave up on Dante.
Even when the monster that devoured his friend spoke hisst will had disappeared, even after the moment when the hesitation of his sword and spear piercing both him and Ronpletely faded, even when he was trapped in this subspace.
Jin still believed that the existence of Dante Hairan had notpletely disappeared from this world.
Or more precisely, he wanted to believe it.Because he couldn''t bear this dreadful struggle if he thought Dante hadpletely vanished.
Indeed, deep down, Jin couldn''t shake off the idea that Dante was already dead.
"I can feel his energy. At the end of this subspace..."
The enlightenment Ron gained as soon as he encountered the light of the Genesis Knight.
It was revealing the "truth" that had been covered by the curtain of Chaos until now.
This subspace wasn''t created solely from Chaos; it was Gliek''s innermost being.
And as the aftermath of the long sealing hadn''t fully disappeared, and the ck Sea hadn''t fully reconciled, Gliek still hadn''t realized whaty beneath his own depths.
Dante Hairan.
His will, which Gliek imed had extinguished, still persisted in a corner of his abyss, resisting.
It''s faint like an infinitely distant star, but it undeniably exists.
Even if it''s in a state of "unconsciousness."
In other words, it was Dante''s will that left Gliek unconscious that led Ron into the subspace with Jin.
So that Jin wouldn''t plunge alone into this fearsome ce, and to prevent him from disappearing here in solitude without any hope, there was only one person who could help him: his grandfather.
Dante was also like Jin and Ron in this respect.
He, too, had never made a decision for himself in this horrible struggle.
"From now on, I will go to rescue that child."
Ron''s voice trembled slightly.
It trembled with excitement, certainty that Dante was out there, but more than that.
Fear.
Fear of not being able to save Dante even after reaching the level of a Genesis Knight, fear of whether he would ever be able to cut down Gliek alone, fear that the hope he finally gained might disappear like a bubble...
Those feelings were buried together in Ron''s voice.
It was an emotion he hadn''t felt even when he was immersed in the demonic heart and subjected to demonization.
The dry and cold heart of the being who had just ascended to the domain of the Genesis Knight couldn''tpletely erase the inherent fear.
It indicated how serious Ron was.
Despair, death, and demonization had nothing to do with him.
Yearning for his grandson was making him tremble.
"I''m scared."
Ron confessed the emotion to Jin.
"So, will you go with this old man? Can you do that?"
"Of course."
"In life."
Suddenly, Ron tilted his head to Jin.
Jin couldn''t react, but he didn''t show a sigh of surprise.
"I will remember it as an honor that won''t be repeated."
With those words, Ron turned around.
Rashid emitted a glow.
That de shone brighter than any sword Jin had ever seen.
The light of the Genesis Knight that reached Ron had an attributepletely different from Cyron''s.
If Cyron''s Genesis Knight attribute was akin to the essence of the domain, Ron''s light was righteousness/justice itself.
Therefore, unlike Cyron, his sword wasn''t meant to break, cut, or kill.
It was a sword destined to preserve, protect, and save.
Hairan has shared the history of the Empire, and for most of that time, they have always sought the safety of their people, not usurpation, even if they had power ahead of the empire.
Even though Hairan decided to embrace the White Stone, they had borne it alone for fear of the disaster the power would bring to the world, and they have never been greedy.
The long years of guard, from ancestors to the present, were now illuminating the darkness through the sword symbolizing the patriarch of Hairan.
The subspace, responding to that light, vibrated even more intensely.
It seemed like Gliek''s resentment and anger would materialize at any moment and attack the two.
Indeed, Gliek had nned to do so, but he was blocked by the repulsive power of the glow emanating from Rashid.
Then, when Ron gently swung his sword, the subspace earthquake stopped.
In its ce, a hissing wind blew from all directions, which was Gliek''s agonizing cry full of suffering.
The power of the Genesis Knight going against fate was finally hurting Gliek.
It was the first time Gliek felt pain in thousands of years.
A sound like sand swept by the wind was heard.
The faint sound rapidly amplified, causing an intense resonance throughout the subspace, and the next moment.
Jin could confirm that the empty darkness of the subspace, which seemed never to fade, was dispersing.
A crack was forming in the subspace.
As if a closed door were breaking.
When Ron traversed the space in a straight line again, a new path that hadn''t been seen before opened.
The passage opened like the jaws of a dead beast and led to Gliek''s abyss.
Thendscape beyond waspletely different from the subspace, which maintained a solid and stable form until it vibrated.
It was a vast Chaos, raging like a stormy sea.
There came a point when Jin wondered if he could really cross that hellishndscape even though a Genesis Knight was by his side.
However, the two entered the abyss without thinking for a second.
Holding two swords that shone likenterns.
"Do not force yourself to fight if you''re unable, and hide behind me."
"I hope it doesn''te to that, but I might not be able to cross without relying on your strength."
"Isn''t it always like that? That''s why I asked you toe with me, trusting you in the first ce."
As soon as they entered the abyss passage, Chaos as sharp as a needle stabbed both of them.
Each had a power that was too much for Jin. Jin hid behind a shield named Ron whenever he felt overwhelmed.
These were not just physical attacks.
Like before, the Chaos energy continued to taint his mind.
But unlike before, Jin was unaffected by the Chaos trying to erode his mind.
Ron cut the Chaos needle with his sword and used his aura to block attacks to both his and Jin''s souls.
Only Cyron and Ron can traverse this long abyssal passageway.
Without the power of the Genesis Knight, preventing soul erosion was impossible.
But Ron was the only one who could walk this path with another person.
It was because Cyron''s Genesis Knight power couldn''t protect others from the mental corruption caused by Chaos.
Like a ship tossed by a storm, the two swayed and stumbled asionally, but it was clear they were making progress.
As they approached, Gliek desperately blocked the entrance.
However, even though it looked like they were going to copse, they endured several times, and not once did they show a crushed expression.
It was as if an unbreakable stone rolled down a cliff.
Contrary to before, now it was Gliek whose interior was eroding, not them.
And he still didn''t know.
Why did those hateful humans venture so far into his abyss at such risk?
If they want to kill him, it''s better toe out and join other humans than to destroy the abyss, which ispletely iprehensible.
He still didn''t know that Dante was bound at the bottom of his abyss.
"It seems like we''re almost there..." Ron said with a tired voice.
Before they knew it, the two were nearing the end of the corridor.
Originally, Ron''s power shouldn''t be depleted even after traversing the waves of Chaos, but because he shared a portion of the Genesis Knight power with Jin, it was inevitable.
However, his exhaustion didn''t prevent him frompleting the rest of his mission.
Kaaaaaa..!
Gliek''s ceaseless screams faded away.
In the end, the Chaos reaction was iparably weaker than at the beginning.
It meant that the end of this abyss was a realm not under Gliek''s control.
He had been able to control this ce after the ck Sea had progressed a little more.
Dante would have truly perished if he had control of it.
Finally...
The two faced a chaotic space that didn''t attack them.
Instead of Chaos, a gentle ck energy surrounded the two, reminiscent of Shadow Energy.
And they saw.
The White Stone...
Just as it was in the Sword Emperor Castle before it broke, and the sealed figure of Dante began to appear within.
It was darkened by the seal but was clearly recognizable.
In this silent and chaotdscape, which hade to an end after oveing and transcending so much despair, the two couldn''t even speak Dante''s name.
Ron''s eyes were moist as he swung his sword against the seal.
The barrier was dispersed with a single sword, and finally.
Ron could embrace his grandson, who had been liberated from Chaos.
A lump formed in his throat, and he couldn''t say anything for a while.
"Grandfa..."
Jin''s voice choked up, and he couldn''t speak either.
Meanwhile, Dante spoke with a weak voice, making their hearts weigh even more.
"I, managed to ovee everything... But fell for his trick in the end... I''m a fool..."
"It''s okay, Dante. It''s okay, my beloved grandson...."
Ron couldn''t help but burst into tears like a child.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 571
Chapter 571
C571
In the deepest abyss on the surface, the sound of a cry resonated, illuminating the darkest corners of the human heart.
Ron''s transparent tears were infused with light.
"Because... because I was deceived."
Dante repeated the same words with nk eyes.
He was overwhelmed with guilt more than joy for the fact that two people more precious than his own life, his grandfather, and Jin, hade all the way there to save him.
That''s why he couldn''t stop ming himself.
While imprisoned in Gliek''s unconsciousness, Dante felt everything happening outside.
It wasn''t possible to examine the exact details of the entire situation because he was chained to the abyss, but at least it was clear that Gliek had killed Ron, destroyed Hairan, desecrated thisnd, and tried to devour his friends, and he realized all those terrible things.Dante thought that all of that was the price for not being able to defeat Gliek.
If only he had held on a little longer...
If only he hadn''t sumbed at thest moment...
If only he hadn''t been so foolish and weak at that instant...
He resented himself.
Everything was his fault, but he was driven mad by resentment for not being able to stand tall on his own, let alone having the power to undo it all.
"Don''t say that, Dante. No one could have handled it as well as you. The fact that I and your friend coulde this far is all thanks to you," Ron said, wiping Dante''s tears.
"So now it''s okay to rely on this old man and your friend. If it weren''t for you, no one could have survived."
Dante lost consciousness and couldn''t respond.
His breathing wasbored, his pulse weak, and his body was covered in ck marks left by the chaos.
But his life was not in danger.
There might be some traces of chaos invading him like Jin, but there were no fatal internal injuries.
With treatment and rest outside, he could recover as much as he wanted.
However, one thing remained to be done.
To finish off Gliek, the Fifth King of Chaos.
Ron lifted Dante and ced him on Jin''s back.
He could feel it...
The final battle of this war would soon begin.
The fact that Ron and Jin reached Gliek''s abyss also elerated its awakening.
Originally, Gliek would have taken control of the unconsciousness naturally as the ck sea formed, but it was awakening faster than expected because the two trampled on the abyss.
"The attack will start soon. Take Dante and get out of here somehow."
The end of the abyss began to sway unstably.
An energy greater and fiercer than the chaos storms they had experienced crossing here shook the space they were in.
Although Ron finally reached the Genesis Knight and rescued Dante.
To end the war, he had to face Gliek.
Jin felt pity for Ron and Hairan''s fate, who still had to fight after oveing so much hardship and death.
Kiii-!
In every corner of the abyss, chaos boiled like a gue.
It turned into swords and spears and continued stabbing from below, but it was blocked by Ron''s protective shield and couldn''t enter.
Ron raised his sword and looked toward the center of the abyss.
The unsealed white stone vibrated.
Ron couldn''t take his eyes off the white stone for a moment.
"From now on, I won''t treat you as Dante''s grandfather, but as the Sword Emperor of Hairan..."
Saying this, Ron slowly wielded Rashid.
Looking at the speed of the sword falling slowly toward the white stone, it seemed like it could cut anything.
Like Cyron''s sword, which Jin faced before bing a gbearer, it had the illumination and weight of the Genesis Knight.
Jin seemed to see Gliek''s expression, the white stone facing the sword.
A face twisted with anger and fear.
On the other hand, of course, there was no madness in Ron.
He had a unique absolute look in those who reached the Genesis Knight, that is, he had a look that said there was no one he couldn''t defeat or who he couldn''t defeat.
Crack!
The white stone creaked when Ron''s sword touched it.
It began to break apart like cheap jewels.
The sword continued to slowly cut the white stone.
Then, Gliek''s distant scream was heard again.
It seemed to express agony, as if the slow cutting process were unbearable.
The more Ron focused on Rashid, the stronger the chaos swords pressing against the shield became.
As a result, the protective shield gradually narrowed, but not a single spear pierced through.
Gliek seemed to be concentrating all his power on the abyss.
Jin felt a nauseating sensation realizing that Gliek still possessed such power.
Gliek also felt the same about Ron.
"Ron-nim!" Jin shouted.
He had seen Ron suddenly cough up blood.
The light of the 1/10 he received just after reaching the Genesis Knight realm and the energy consumed while crossing the abyss were testing his body.
Ron nodded to assure Jin that he was okay.
Body limitations were no obstacle for the Genesis Knight.
Just as Chaos was nothing more than a form of the King of the ck Sea, the body of the Genesis Knight was nothing more than a means to embody his illumination.
Although he spat blood, Ron''s sword skill was not disturbed at all.
The spilled blood soon evaporated in his aura and disappeared without a trace.
By then, there was only one step between the protective shield and the chaos sword.
Either the White Stone split in half first, or the shield broke.
Jin was not worried about thetter at all.
With that thought, Rashid''s sword finally split the white stone in half.
In the ce where the stone had been floating, only the shining trace that Ron drew slowly remained.
For over a thousand years, Hairan had silently protected the world, and now, finally, the time hade.
The White Stone had finally been cut.
And Ron and Jin could feel the world''s light tickling their eyes, not the darkness of Chaos.
Finally, they emerged from the abyss to the outside world.
However, the glow of light was not as bright and dazzling as they had expected.
This was because the sky, where the light was supposed to shine, was still shrouded in Chaos.
The light was dim, like the sparse grass sprouting in the wastnd.
The Chaos barrier was also stronger than the one formed when Gliek awakened, and Jin was aware that heat and poison were everywhere.
As expected, the battle also continued outside.
It had been a whole day since Jin and Ron entered Gliek''s subspace.
And those fighting outside were unaware of what had happened to the two.
They had no way of knowing if they had been captured or perished.
"Phew, Twelfth gbearer, huff, confirmed alive!"
One of the ck Knights breathed heavily and shouted.
Runcandel had not given up on Jin.
However, most of the Knights couldn''t help but think of the possibility that Jin was not alive, just like Dante, who had been absorbed by Gliek.
Moreover, if he was alive, he would stay inside Gliek, but there was no one with the power of the Genesis Knight on the outer battlefield, so they couldn''t prate it.
It was impossible even to get rid of the Chaos barrier protecting Gliek even after stabbing and shing.
But out of nowhere, the barrier copsed on its own, and Jin appeared.
Even Rosa opened her eyes wide and sighed in relief.
"[You brat...!]" Murakan shouted as he ran toward Jin.
However, due to the Chaos tendrils rising from the ground, it wasn''t easy to get close to Jin, who seemed on the verge of losing control.
Murakan had only one thought now: he had to grab Jin and escape, regardless of the situation that would unfold afterward.
Kelliark had simr thoughts to Murakan.
It seemed that even if Gliek were to resolve things by negotiating with Kinzelo in the future, he would have to secure Jin and leave the battlefield.
Even if the world was in danger of being destroyed.
"Twelfth gbearer...!"
Rosa also extended her sword and jumped forward, and Kelliark followed suit.
The corpses of Knights and Magicians were trampled under their feet.
However, Tris, who was as concerned about Jin as they were, couldn''t easily approach Jin.
She could barely stand, as her entire body was covered in blood.
Elona Zipple was the reason her sealing had been suspended until now.
Tris had been fighting without being able to use most of her power.
The reason Tris canceled the release of Elona Zipple''s seal was no different.
Ron Hairan.
It was because he disappeared with Jin.
If it''s Ron, if only that old fooles to his senses...
It was because of the expectation that another miracle might happen.
Tris thought that breaking Elona Zipple''s seal should be postponed even if there was such a small hope as a grain of rice.
"Younger!" Rosa shouted with a sharp voice, heading toward Jin.
There were about a hundred steps between them, but suddenly, she saw a Chaos like a tsunami attacking Jin.
It was by no means the energy that Jin could handle.
If she couldn''t block it, his entire body would shatter, and he would disappear without a trace.
In the midst of the horror and despair of those trying to save Jin...
SLAAAAASH...!
They witnessed a single shining de cleaving the Chaos, splitting it in two, which attacked Jin.
Then, when the Chaos tsunami dissipated, people could see Jin carrying Dante, and even the appearance of Ron Hairan, standing tall beside him.
At that moment, everyone stopped for a moment and doubted their eyes.
Especially giants like Rosa, Kelliark, and Tris were startled to see Ron.
To the point that they even forgot their eagerness to reach Jin in an instant.
''Ron Hairan has reached the Genesis Knight Realm!''
''Really, Genesis Knight... Moreover, Dante Hairan is still alive...!''
The giants'' heartbeats elerated as if they were about to burst.
Even if all of human history werebined, there were fewer than 10 beings that had the power of the Genesis Knight.
Even if both ancient and current ones, whose history was erased by Zipple, were included.
Particrly, giants of this era thought that another Genesis Knight couldn''t appear because the world already had a Genesis Knight named Cyron.
They were convinced that the difference between Cyron and them was so great that they couldn''t surpass it even if they dedicated the rest of their lives to it.
Even Cyron predicted that Ron was more likely to be a monster than to achieve Genesis Knight mastery.
Chaos attacked Jin several times even after being blocked, but it was blocked by Ron''s sword and turned back into nothingness.
And looking at the chaos fragments falling like meat, Ron said:
"Gliek... There''s nothing more you can take from here. Not even your own life."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 572
Chapter 572
C572
After Jin and Ron disappeared into the subspace, the outer battlefield fell into a state of defeat in an instant.
This is because Gliek has demonstrated greater strength than before being sealed in the magic seal of the Hidden Pce.
Gliek had judged that all the variables humans could expect were blocked.
In a battle thatsted the whole day, the giants were unable to inflict any damage on Gliek.
As at the beginning, they couldn''t even attempt an attack properly.
They couldn''t fundamentally harm Gliek, and its energy was strong, so they rushed to protect their allies.
It was like the sea, which eventually regained its true form no matter how much it was cut.
They couldn''t tire it out, and they couldn''t reseal the magic seal, so the war flowed somberly.Until the return of Ron, Jin, and Dante.
The only moment Gliek stopped attacking was when Ron was cutting the remaining White Stone in its abyss.
It was only a matter of time before the giants from Zipple, Runcandel, and Hidden Pce would die in battle.
Kelliark had thought of retreating, but even that seemed unlikely due to the transformation of the ck Sea.
In such a situation, Ron gained the power of the Genesis Knight and returned to the battlefield.
Also, with Jin and Dante.
How the hell did Ron achieve mastery of the Genesis Knight in such a short time, and what happened while he disappeared with Jin?
The giants didn''t know, but one thing was clear.
Fights from now on will never be as absurd as before.
Gliek was being beaten.
The shining sword that extended like a whirlwind protected Jin and Dante like a barrier.
The Chaos energy seemed unable to approach the shield as easily as beasts faced with fire.
["What... have you done? Ron Hairan"]
Gliek''s ominous voice still had the power to terrify humans on its own.
But the giants, no. Even others on the battlefield who hadn''t reached the realm of transcendence yet felt it.
That there was fear in its voice.
Gliek trembled every time Ron wielded his sword.
Gliek''s body was about to beparable to the Sword Emperor Castle that was destroyed, but Ron standing in front of it seemed evenrger.
"That''s what I''m going to ask. What have you been doing to my Hairan."
Whoa!
Rashid resonated intensely.
The formless sword, the illumination symbolizing the Sword Emperor, Ron Hairan.
The sword continued to lose its pure form after the beginning of the Sword Emperor Castle battle.
As the situation became more difficult, it lost its transparent color and turned gray, and when it fell into Chaos, it was dyed ck by Chaos and even stabbed its own allies.
Now, Ron''s swords, which had started sprouting from Rashid, once againcked form.
However, the reason his fencing is invisible is not only because his fencing is as grand as before.
Just as those who did not ascend to the realm of the Genesis Knight could not recognize the light of the Genesis Knight, Ron''s new formless sword was the same.
Therefore, the current formless sword is only an invisible sword for the vast majority of humans.
For someone like Cyron Runcandel, it would seem like a sword that shines even more than that...
Gliek saw it that way too.
Gliek shrank back from the dazzling sh that seemed to blind it.
Just by looking at it, it felt as if its entire body would tear apart and disappear somewhere.
"Answer me," Ron said as he made eye contact with Gliek.
Then, following his will, the swords of the Genesis Knight rushed into its body.
[Kwaaak...!]
Gliek writhed in pain and let out a scream.
The formless sword was dissolving the Chaos forming it into particles.
A calm storm.
Those who knew Ron''s intangible sword couldn''t help but think of such a strange expression.
Such a vast power as the sea is shattering Gliek, but they can''t see it at all.
Even the giants couldn''t urately recognize how the energy of the formless sword flowed.
"I don''t think you have anything to say. If that''s the case, I''ll recite it for you."
Squeak!
Ron swung his sword and cut five or six of Gliek''s arms, which it extended reflexively.
"White Stone, Gliek. You destroyed Hairan''s territory, made thend uninhabitable again, and tried to kill the next Hairan patriarch. As the lord of the Sword Emperor Castle, I will hold you ountable for the crime and execute the sentence."
The punishment is extinction.
As Ron finished his words, his eyes shone intensely.
And there wereughs mixed with Gliek''s screams. Screams that shook the heavens and the earth, and mockery like a somber wind sounded simultaneously.
[Kekekkeakka...! That''s amazing. It''s clear that you''re more special than any human I''ve ever known. Imend you for that.]
Gliek''s size rapidly decreased as it began to speak.
Ron felt nothing special about Gliek''s rxed appearance.
[However, even if you have the power to defy fate... it doesn''t necessarily mean you''ll seed.]
Swish...
Gliek''s body began to dissipate.
As its unnecessarily huge form disappeared, the Chaos lost by the formless sword reduced.
Now it turned into a ck wind and dispersed across the battlefield.
The giants were still unable to prate the Chaos and enter where Ron stood.
Even though Ron was delivering an essential blow to Gliek, it was still filled with Chaos that they couldn''t withstand.
Nevertheless, the giants were slowly regaining theirposure.
''Anyway, it would be safer for Ron Hairan to take care of protecting Jin Runcandel than myself, but... Actually, the question is whether he will defend Jin to the end.''
''Forcibly securing the younger one is quite dangerous. It seems that the Chaos King has other means, so we should prepare for it. If Ron Hairan gives up on the younger one, it''s a factor that can''t be changed without worry.'' Thought Kelliark and Rosa.
They were concerned about Gliek''s outbursts and that Ron might abandon Jin.
Of thetter, it seems there is no need to worry, but for them, it was no different to think that way.
Although they hadn''t reached the mastery of the Genesis Knight, they knew well how those who reached the Genesis Knight lost their humanity.
Those who reached the Genesis Knight were in danger of bing monsters for the rest of their lives.
In particr, Rosa had firsthand seen what state Cyron was in just after reaching the Genesis Knight.
The Cyron of then was no different from a killer.
It was only after a long time that Cyron remained as stable and unfeeling as he is now.
There was now against Ron either.
In fact, like Rosa and Kelliark''s concerns, Ron was still in the midst of an inner struggle with his mind trying to devour him.
[Especially if you still have strong mortal feelings like now...]
Gliek''s voice echoed in the ck Chaos wind.
While it''s true that he made a mistake in his own calctions, and as a result, Ron Hairan stood by his side and climbed to the realm of the Genesis Knight.
Gliek still clung to the possibility that Ron could be of its kind.
With the premonition that even Ron''s ascent to the realm of the Genesis Knights might be just a precursor.
Moreover, even if Ron could eventually maintain human emotions, Gliek was convinced that hisbat power was superior to Ron''s...
And he was also aware of the fact that Ron''s Genesis Knight attribute was specialized in "protection."
Gliek''s scattered Chaos began to form a vortex in the middle of the battlefield.
At the same time, the Chaos energy that had colored the ground gushed out.
It seemed as if a ck tidal wave was surging from all directions.
All humans on the battlefield, except Ron, were silent for a moment.
It had already been quite tough until now.
But now, the energy Gliek had started to reveal far surpassed the power humans had experienced.
Gliek''s Chaos was in full bloom.
That meant the ck sea hadpletely be the necessary amount for him to fight with his natural strength.
Until now, he had been unable to use his power because he absorbed Jin and prevented them from entering the abyss.
The Origin Orb is an object made bybining the energy of all the gods, and even the Legend Tribe in its heyday faced the result of destruction when opposing its power.
And it was the kings of the ck Sea who divided that power into five parts.
What has been revealed so far cannot be everything.
Since the beginning of the war, time has never been on the side of humans.
Even up to this moment.
"Ha!"
The approaching giants stopped charging and caught their breath.
The Chaos poison rising from the ground was holding them back.
All humans except the giants couldn''t even breathe properly.
Even the ck Knights and the Specters were vomiting blood because of the Chaos prating their bodies, and the lesser knights and magicians quickly lost consciousness.
Tris'' condition was not good either.
As Elona had not been unsealed, she had no strength to defend herself.
Still, the reason Tris didn''t fall immediately was that Rosa quickly made a judgment and returned to her side.
"Hidden Pce Master, stick close to me."
Rosa remembered how Tris had tried to tell Kelliark that she had onest move before Jin disappeared.
As Rosa and Kelliark predicted, Jin and Dante were unaffected by the Chaos poison rising from the ground.
Ron''s power protected them.
It also meant that Ron would have to keep protecting them and fight against Gliek.
And Jin realized that something was happening to Dante, who was behind him, as soon as Gliek''s outburst began.
''Dante''s body... It''s being engulfed by Chaos again...!''
He could see how Dante''s hand, which surrounded his own neck, was slowly turning ck.
Ron was also aware of this fact and was furious, but he didn''t express it enough for Jin to notice.
However, Gliek was attentive.
The fact that Ron was angry.
That anger would soon turn into hatred and seduce Ron again.
[Ron Hairan, if you want to defeat me, you must have nothing to protect....]
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 573
Chapter 573
C573
Dante convulsed.
His ck blood flowed down Jin''s neck.
Jin clenched his teeth as he observed the blood stained with ck Chaos.
Dante''s body against his back was cold and rigid.
Obviously, Dante was dying.
How many trials had Jin gone through to save Dante?
Jin didn''t even have time to feel anger towards Gliek, thinking that he couldn''t lose his friend, who had ovee everything and finally saved, in vain.
Jin only thought about how he could save Dante.Jin remembered what Ron had told him before leaving Gliek''s abyss.
The words urging him to somehow take Dante away and escape while he fought Gliek in his final battle.
"I must go to the rear of the battlefield and find Tris-nim!"
He had to ask Tris if he had a way to seal Dante, to postpone his death.
He had to make sure and get the means to keep Dante alive, not just her, but also Rosa and Kelliark.
If they possess the Legacy of Numerus, Jin had to tell them to use it with Dante.
Initially, they would never use such a formidable object to save Dante in such a situation, but not now.
Now that Ron has reached the Genesis Knight Realm, the major ns had to save Dante to avoid his wrath.
"It''s unlikely that Runcandel and Zipple have any Legacy of Numerus. Even if they did, considering the current situation, they must have already used it. Still, I have to go there first...!"
Jin urgently turned his head in all directions.
Gliek''s Chaos blocked the path no matter where he looked.
Jin followed the path left by Ron''s sword and relentlessly advanced towards any possible opening.
The shapeless sword continued to dissipate Chaos energy...
But there seemed to be no trace of a spacerge enough to escape.
Moreover, while Ron wielded his sword to clear the way, there inevitably was a slight gap in Jin''s security.
The Chaos sword plunged into the gap.
Fortunately, it wasn''t to the point where he couldn''t evade, but it wouldn''tst.
Ron separated a portion of the energy protecting him and applied it to Jin and Dante.
Strictly speaking, Jin wasn''t fighting against Gliek, and unlike Ron, who had reached the Genesis Knight, he couldn''t urately read the flow of his attack.
Therefore, Jin didn''t know that Chaos energy outside his field of vision was also aiming at him.
It was only after a ck punch flew from behind and pierced the shield that he realized.
"Jin, don''t dodge or block, keep going forward!"
Jin nodded.
Ron sent his energy every time the punch caused a crack in the protective shield surrounding Jin.
Having the power to defy fate didn''t necessarily mean it would happen...
Gliek''s words were not false.
Humans only had a chance to win the battle thanks to Ron bing a Genesis Knight, but victory was not guaranteed.
All the power...
Now Gliek was literally pouring all his strength.
And the fact that the ck Sea King was doing his best meant that the consequences of the battle were not limited to this ce, the territory of the Sword Emperor Castle.
Kwaaah......!
Everyone on the battlefield, except Ron, reflexively looked up at the sudden roar.
The sky, dyed ck by Chaos, was opening.
A rift of a different level was forming than when the sky was changed by the Demon God Orb.
A ck lightning bolt pierced the swirling Chaos.
The ruthless ck lightning imed the lives of knights and magicians barely holding on, creating bottomless craters where it struck the ground.
Even within those craters, Chaos erupted likeva.
In the intensifying disaster, the elite forces of Runcandel and Zipple died helplessly.
This wasn''t only happening in the territory of the Sword Emperor Castle.
They could see Chaos swirls in the sky.
The Chaos spreading beyond the battlefield was moving towards the Empire, beyond the Empire, and towards the territories where other people lived, the territories of Runcandel and Zipple, at an indescribable speed...
Is it going to attack all of humanity?
Even Rosa, who had told Jin that it wouldn''t matter if the entire world perished as long as only Runcandel survived, was surprised to see Chaos spreading across the world.
She wondered if she had ever encountered a more shocking case in her life.
Even the elite forces of each faction wouldn''t be able to withstand this Chaos.
If something like this were to be unleashed randomly in the human world, ordinary humans would never be able to endure it.
The destruction of the world seemed an inevitable sequence of events.
"Do we have no choice but to hope that the Prophetes up with something? I don''t know what she''ll ask for in return."
Kelliark had simr thoughts to Rosa.
"If this continues, the empire will be destroyed, of course... but Zipple is also in danger."
Both ns had already suffered heavy blows.
In Runcandel, the ck Knights began to lose their lives, and Zipple almost lost its fleet, and the number of Dragons and Magicians killed was unknown.
The fleet can be rebuilt, and they can find Dragons of the same attribute that were inactive.
However, even if Zipple''s experts were revived with the Demon God Orb, they could never return to their original form once dead because the Demon God Orb was iplete.
The Demon God Orb was affected again when Gliek started using all his power.
Before, it only trembled in fear, but now it showed an unstable state, as if it would go out of control at any moment.
''I should have restrained Beradin''s unrestraint from the beginning. I can only hope that Kadun and Hedo make the right decision without me.''
As Kinzelo predicted from the start, Runcandel and Zipple were notcking ast resort.
However, both ns absolutely wanted to exclude those means.
If they had known about Gliek''s existence from the beginning, maybe it would have been different, but now it seemed toote to bring it to light.
''Thend where my daughter is supposed to live will be... how can I prevent it?''
Tris, who had sat down to catch her breath, lifted her head and looked at the sky with a devastated face.
The Chaos that began to spread worldwide and the giants had no means to stop it.
Gliek didn''t say anything, but his feeling of triumph seemed to prate to the bone.
However, his despair did notst long.
Because the next moment, they saw an enormous protective shield that humans had never seen in their lives.
A huge dome-shaped shield, made of light, covered the entire battlefield, extending beyond the coast, out to sea.
The attribute of the Genesis Knight obtained by Ron Hairan is protection.
That power, no...
The "divine power" reacted to the Chaos and began to block it from being unleashed in the world.
The speed at which the protective shield expanded was faster than Gliek''s Chaos could spread.
It''s incredible that a human created it, and a great power began to protect the entire world.
It''s something not even the gods can do.
It''s a protection that only Ron Hairan can provide.
"You said I had nothing to protect if I defeated you."
Saying that, Ron extended his sword forward.
Then Gliek''s scattered Chaos followed Ron''s hand and formed a figure resembling a human in front of him.
It wasn''t something Gliek had created...
Ron had forcibly drawn the Chaos to form a suitable state to eliminate it.
When Rashid stabbed the figure, the entire space contaminated by Chaos trembled.
The growth of the Chaos escaping from the vortex also stopped in an instant, and Ron forcibly seized Gliek''s energy as soon as the figure dispersed.
"If it weren''t for that, I wouldn''t havee this far..."
Ron kept cutting at Gliek like that.
If Gliek was dealing with Cyron, it would have been a good decision to take all of humanity as hostages.
Cyron might kill him faster than Ron, but he couldn''t avoid the damage to the human world.
But it was an obvious mistake against Ron.
Rather, Gliek should have focused his power on one man, Ron Hairan.
This wasn''t what Gliek did without any calction.
He had hoped that when Dante died and the world was on the brink of destruction, Ron''s demonic heart would elerate.
The threat of Ron turning into a monster still existed.
However, Ron''s protective light had reached a much greater realm than Gliek sensed.
Ron''s protective shield wasn''tpletely blocking all the Chaos outside the battlefield.
Still, people outside could handle it if so much Chaos leaked out.
There would be inevitable casualties, butplete annihtion of the world could be avoided.
"No matter what you do, I will never be a monster like you. Even if Dante, my grandson, whom I rescued so desperately, finally meets his end at your hands, absolutely not."
[We''ll see about that.]
At those words, Ron smiled and said.
"Do you think you can see it?"
Gliek remained silent.
Dante, carried on Jin''s back, spat out ck blood again.
Although the convulsions hadpletely stopped, Jin could barely feel Dante''s heartbeat.
Thanks to Ron''s protection, Jin was considerably far from the battlefield between Ron and Gliek.
However, it would still take time to reach Tris, Rosa, and Kelliark.
It seemed unlikely that Dante was still alive inside.
Regardless of Dante''s survival, Ron clearly had the advantage.
Because Gliek had dispersed his power, he couldn''t prevent Ron from forcibly forming his body and cutting him.
Every time Ron reduced Gliek, the vibrations on the battlefield became stronger, and the amount of Chaos escaping from the protective shield also decreased.
For the first time, Gliek was on the defensive.
Ron was sessfully pressuring Gliek like a wild beast that wouldn''t release its grip on the neck.
Finally, those fighting outside also got a break.
Rosa and Kelliark quickly ordered to move the wounded to the area with less Chaos, outside the protective shield.
And Gliek focused solely on Ron.
Watching Ron, who entrusted Dante to Jin, concentrate on Gliek, he suddenly felt a strange sensation.
It was clear that Ron''s goal was to save Dante.
Thinking this, Gliek concluded that what Ron had to do first was not to attack him, but to share his Genesis Knight energy with Dante.
[Ah.]
Gliek spoke as if he had gained some assurance.
The conclusion he came to was this:
[Ron Hairan... you want to self-destruct with me, don''t you?]
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 574
Chapter 574
C574
"What is that?"
"Shadow Energy? No, that''s..."
The magicians on board the unfinished gship of Zipple''s Third Fleet, ''Lucia,'' opened their eyes wide.
They were crossing imperial waters to provide support in the War of the Sword Emperor Castle.
Kelliark didn''t directly order reinforcements, but as the warsted longer than expected, Zipple decided that something was wrong at the Sword Emperor Castle.
"Inform themander''s office quickly!"
Before news came from the crow''s nest, another magician on board burst into themander''s room.
"I just came from a scouting ship! Near the Sword Emperor Castle, the sky is turning dark, and unidentified energy keeps falling...""Unidentified? Stupid bastard, it''s Chaos energy! And it''s from one of the Five Kings of the ck Sea!"
Kadun shouted, cutting off the magician reporter''s words.
It felt absurd, and he had the sensation that all his internal organs were twisted.
It was not only because of the magicians'' ignorance, who didn''t even recognize Chaos energy, but also because they didn''t know who owned that immense power.
''The White Stone, isn''t it Chaos and records from Helluram, but a sealed King of the ck Sea...?''
A throbbing headache seized Kadun.
He knew that without the power of a Genesis Knight, they could never stand against a King of the ck Sea.
Hedo, standing next to Kadun, also had a solemn expression.
He didn''t know much about the Kings of the ck Sea, had experienced Chaos in the ck Sea in the past...
But it was the first time he saw Chaos so vast.
"It seems like the patriarch is in danger."
"Father?"
At Hedo''s words, Sandra Zipple tilted her head.
"We need to increase speed. We need to clear the way. Hedo, you should take the lead and open the way."
"Kadun-nim. If we increase speed, it''ll be difficult to maintain the young patriarch''s state."
Beradin Zipple had forced himself to go crazy to prevent Kadun and Hedo from participating in the War of the Sword Emperor Castle.
Therefore, even though they decided to provide support, Kadun had brought Beradin, who was forcibly sealed in the device.
Since it''s an object that must be securely fixed, they are flying at a slow enough speed not to overload the device.
The moment Beradin went out of control, Zipple had a lot to lose.
However, Kelliark was Kadun''s top priority as a Guardian Dragon.
Indeed, losing Beradin could be painful but receable, while Kelliark was not.
Hedo, on the other hand, observed the situation more calmly.
"Calm down."
"Calm down. In my opinion, even Kadun-nim and I would find it hard to break through that level of Chaos anyway. Besides..."
Hedo''s eyes narrowed as he looked at the sky over the sea.
"I can feel the energy of the Genesis Knight. Someone on the battlefield has reached the Genesis Knight Realm. It seems to be the Sword Emperor. His aura is suppressing the Chaos."
Originally, Kadun could have easily perceived it, but in his urgency, he missed it.
Through the ck sky, he could see the protective shield that Ron had extended, gradually standing out.
There was no way to know how Ron, who was immersed in internal trauma, had suddenly be a Genesis Knight.
But Hedo thought it wasn''t an important issue.
"If the Sword Emperor has reached Genesis Knight, it would be even more problematic. Doesn''t he already hold a grudge against the patriarch?"
"He''s not one to seek personal revenge when ites to something like this in his own territory. If he had wanted to kill the patriarch first, he wouldn''t have avoided Chaos like this."
"What an impressive old man!"
"...Miss. There must be the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel in this living hell."
"Oh, right! Darling! Damn it! Hedo, what are you doing! Like Kadun-nim said, we have to speed up right now!"
"He may already be dead."
"Say that nonsense again with your mouth."
"Kadun-nim."
Hedo made eye contact with Kadun.
"It might be better to wait."
"What! Can''t you hear me, Hedo?"
"Why do you think that?"
"The way the Chaos is spreading seems unusual. It seems impossible to break through. It would be better to take measures to prevent the Chaos that breaks through the Sword Emperor''s shield from destroying the n''s territory. At this speed, it will soon reach not only the Empire but also the n''s territory."
Kadun thought for a moment.
Hedo is right.
Despite everything, the Sword Emperor is the only one who can face the King of the ck Sea, and it''s very risky if Beradin goes out of control.
Moreover, no matter how the battle of the Sword Emperor Castle ends, either Ron or the Chaos King will undoubtedly die.
The victorious side is also unlikely toe out unscathed.
So, at that moment, the side with the remaining greater power would be advantageous in every aspect.
Therefore, it was necessary to conserve strength as much as possible, and for that, defending the territory was a necessity.
"I''ll do as you say, Hedo. Until there''s a significant change in the situation, we''ll prevent the spreading Chaos from reaching our territory."
--------------------------
Runcandel''s reinforcements were in the exact same situation as Zipple.
As the war prolonged, they were heading to the Sword Emperor Castle ording to the war scenario that Rosa had outlined.
"Is that catastrophic power spreading known as Gliek, the King of the ck Sea?"
It was Dyfus who led the Knights of the Second Division of the ck Sword Association and allied ns on behalf of Jorden.
Originally, he was protecting Tikan at Jin''s request as the Sword Emperor Castle War began, but given the circumstances, he had tomand the reinforcements.
Dyfus received information that Gliek had awakened from the Vamel Alliance, which escaped from the battlefield, not from the knights who went on exploration.
"Moreover, what is preventing Chaos from spreading throughout the Empire is the power of the Genesis Knight... Maybe Ron-nim."
Dyfus was also checking Ron''s aura that was holding back the Chaos.
Now it''s impossible to advance through the battlefield with all our might.
Anyway, we can''t inflict damage unless it''s a Genesis Knight, so even if we can enter, the chances of it being useful are low.
"Rather, we''ll be a burden."
So, as soon as Gliek woke up, Rosa ordered all the Knights, except the ck Knights and the first division of the ck Sword Association, to escape outside.
Dyfus was making the same judgment.
"Oraboni, what do we do?" Mary asked, standing next to Dyfus.
She had recently started her personal training, entrusting all the Seventh g duties to Dyfus, but she had been urgently called.
There was a hint of nervousness in Mary''s voice.
The idea that not only Jin but the entire Family mighte to an end made it difficult for her to maintainposure.
Dyfus made a quick decision.
"There''s no guarantee that Chaos energy escaping from the empire can''t invade the Family''snds. Until it is deemed feasible for the main house and its allies to enter the battlefield, we will contain the Chaos and prevent it from spreading."
"Damn, why do our older sisters have to be absent at a time like this?"
Luna was in the middle of a battle with Kial, and Luntia was unaware of the current situation as she was tracking Temar''s Legacy.
Mary ruffled her hair in frustration and looked at Myu and Anne.
Why do they seem strangely rxed?
"Hello to both of you."
"What?"
"What are you whispering about?"
"Oh."
Myu smiled.
"I think you''re worrying too much."
"What?"
"Would the Seventh gbearer be so worried even if our father were in the Sword Emperor Castle? Ron Hairan has ascended to the Genesis Knight realm, so he will defend his territory, and he is even friends with the Twelfth gbearer. I don''t think we should worry too much about this."
"How many of our Knights do you think are dying in there?"
"I don''t know exactly, but we''re certainly receiving less damage than Zipple. Ron Hairan is helping the Twelfth gbearer. Isn''t it an advantage for our Family if the situation ends with rtively much damage to Zipple?"
Mary was momentarily speechless.
There was nothing wrong with Myu''s answer.
But it wasn''t for that reason that Mary hesitated.
"Oh, right. You might think that, huh? How crazy, saying that now. Let''s talk when the situation is over. Outside here, I might punch you right now."
As Mary replied, Myu and Anne left their positions.
"... Dyfus Orabeoni."
"Yes."
"There''s something those two believe in. Something must have happened since the Second gbearer fell. Let''s find out after this job."
"Agreed. But we have to resolve this first, so get ready."
----------------------------
Upon hearing the word self-destruction, Jin hesitated for the first time and looked back.
What...?
Not only Jin, but everyone present on the battlefield was startled to hear Gliek''s voice.
But Ron burst intoughter upon hearing his words.
"Self-destruction? You''re talking nonsense because you''re cornered."
Ron didn''t say this to conceal his true feelings.
Ron quickly erased hisughter and focused on shing and tearing at Gliek.
But Jin couldn''t rx for some reason.
A strange and unexinable ominous feeling slid through his brain.
It''s not the time to lose sight of these concerns.
Let''s assess the situation.
''If Ron-nim really had self-destruction in mind from the beginning, he would have told me at least.''
Chaos energy prating Ron''s guardian wall came into Jin''s view as he started running again.
The other major ns from outside are not fools.
They will undoubtedly choose to stop it instead of entering.
''We have no choice but to do it.''
The moment he wanted to start running again...
Jin''s eyes widened.
It was because, for the first time, he felt Dante move behind him.
"Kugh, aghj..."
"Dante! Are you awake?"
The reason Dante was regaining consciousness was clear.
It was because Ron began delivering a harsh blow to Gliek, and the Chaos power affecting Dante became unstable.
A slight warmth circted through his cold and stiff body.
Jin realized, for the first time in a long while, how difficult it was to see his friend go through the crossroads of life and death.
"Jin..."
"Dante, don''t try to speak until you''re feeling a bit better. Hold on a little longer; we''ll heal you..."
A smile appeared on Ron''s lips.
In the midst of the deafening noise of battle, he could clearly hear his grandson''s voice, a little voice that started from so far away.
Dante seemed to want to say something more, but after struggling to breathe for a while, he couldn''t muster the strength to speak.
Dante''s consciousness was returning and fading each time Ron stabbed Gliek, the cycle of regaining consciousness bing shorter each time.
"It seems like it''s time to end this, Gliek," Ron said as he tightened his grip on Rashid.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 575
Chapter 575
C575
When Ron felt Dante''s vitality gradually returning, something warm rose in his chest.
Although his heart was still numb due to the Genesis Knight''s energy, his eyes brimmed with an undeniable emotion.
The amount of Chaos escaping through the protective shield was clearly decreasing.
The speed at which Ron''s sword energy shattered Gliek also increased.
Gliek, who had effortlessly overwhelmed the elite forces of the world''s strongest ns so far, was no longer recognizable.
sh, thunk!
Ron forcibly gathered and cut down Gliek''s form in a matter of seconds.
As Gliek''s momentum rapidly diminished, Ron''s sword showcased its true value.Gliek''s screams were quieter than before.
It wasn''t because the pain had reduced, but because his strength had diminished.
The ck Chaos vortex enveloping the sky also became smaller.
Jin was able to reach Rosa and Tris as its influence decreased.
"Younger," Rosa said, wiping blood from her mouth.
For a moment, they exchanged looks without saying a word.
Jin didn''t express gratitude to Rosa foring to save him, and Rosa didn''t expect it.
Both simply did what they had to do.
After silently bowing to Rosa, Jin turned his gaze to Tris.
And as soon as he saw her, he could immediately tell.
That if Rosa had continued entering the battlefield to save him, Tris might have died.
It wasn''t reasonable to ask Tris to seal Dante because she couldn''t even control her own body at the moment.
Fortunately for him, Dante is alive, so it seemed like it wouldn''t be a big issue without Tris''s help.
However, Rosa''s expression as she examined Dante''s body was not good.
"His life has been saved, but as a Warrior, he''s as good as dead."
"Excuse me?"
"...The blood vessels throughout his body were blocked, and all aura channels, including the nervous system, are fatally damaged. Didn''t you know?"
Jin had been running so frantically that he didn''t have time to notice.
When he checked, it was as Rosa had said.
It seemed like Dante could never fully recover unless it was Numerus'' Tears that brought the dead back to life.
Jin closed his eyes tightly and swallowed saliva.
"As long as he''s alive, it''s enough. The fact that he''s not dead... It''s enough for me."
"I wish I could say the same for Ron-nim and Dante Hairan."
"Kid, are you okay!"
Upon hearing Murakan''s voice, Jin nodded.
Murakan still wanted to escape with Jin even now, but Jin didn''t ept it.
"It''s impossible to break through that Chaos and Ron-nim''s protective shield. Moreover, even if it were possible, leaving now would be quite risky."
This means that if Jin and Murakan can leave the battlefield with theirbined strength, so can Kelliark and Rosa.
In that case, Kelliark wille after me and Dante.
''Even if the Family manages to repel them, my mother is as dangerous as Kelliark.''
Now Kelliark had to ensure both Jin and Dante.
Jin was needed toplete the Demon God Orb, and Dante as a means to tie down Ron so that he couldn''t recklessly attack Zipple in the future.
The situation was the same for Rosa.
She didn''t appreciate Dante like Jin.
Like Kelliark, Dante was just a pawn for Rosa to move Ron Hairan.
Currently, Jin and Murakan had no power to protect Dante from them.
Therefore, Jin had to make sure that, after the war, Dante would return safely to Ron.
It was both a duty as a friend and a responsibility as a human.
Gliek''s forcibly forming body struggled.
After waking up from the seal, everything he had nned had failed.
The predestined fate was changing, which meant a twist of events.
Gliek had been sealed for so long, but he had to die in this way.
It was something Gliek couldn''t ept.
Why wasn''t Ron falling into despair?
While his body was being torn apart, Gliek naturally thought about the cause.
The Genesis Knight''s power he knew could never stabilize so quickly.
Soon, Gliek came to a conclusion.
[Bastard... The moment you reached the Genesis Knight, you shared that energy with the Contractor of Solderet. Yes, thanks to that, you were able to resist demonization.]
"It''s unpleasant to keep hearing a monster speaking humannguage."
[Why did you do that?]
"It''s something beings like you can''t understand."
[Don''t you regret it?]
"Of course not."
[You''re a special human being. Even if youbine hundreds or tens of millions of mortals, they can''t surpass the value of the power you gained.]
"Then, you''re perishing for it."
[Kekeke...!]
Gliek let out a self-deprecatingugh.
He was admitting that he couldn''t defeat Ron.
However, he didn''tck means to cause a scandal.
[Self-destruction was my role, not yours.]
Ron narrowed his eyebrows.
He hadn''t even considered the case of Gliek''s self-destruction.
Even if he managed to save Dante, if he died in the process, he couldn''t protect him in the future.
That''s why, deep down, he was skeptical of Gliek''s self-destruction.
If the massive Chaos thatposed Gliek exploded suddenly, not even Ron himself could be sure.
Suddenly, the Chaos wind stopped.
As the Chaos invading the ground and sky abruptly ceased, humans felt an ominous premonition washing over them.
Like rivers converging into the sea, the halted Chaos began to gather in the middle of the battlefield.
Ron tried to catch the flow, but his energy wouldn''t stop.
Choose!
Ron Hairan!
About ten secondster, Gliek''s voice echoed throughout the battlefield.
It was an ultimatum for Ron.
[You can easily escape alone. Whether you protect yourself or save the pitiful mortalspared to you, I will watch until the end. With a smile on your face...]
For Gliek, that was the best decision, and the final choice.
As long as Ron shared the light of the Genesis Knight with Jin, Ron could neverpletely avoid Gliek''s self-destruction.
Even if Ron prevented it, he would either die or be unable to keep fighting, so he had to do it for the sake of his brothers beyond the Tigris Mountains.
Even if Ron escaped alone, it wasn''t so bad.
The fact that he abandoned his blood and rtives he wanted to protect so much would amplify his demon heart once again.
At that moment, Dante stood up.
"Dante!"
His vitality was returning, but he still couldn''t move properly.
However, Dante was taking steps toward his own grandfather, like Ron oveing his death.
"No... no, Grandpa..."
Ron turned to look in the direction his grandson was running.
Ron smiled as he saw his grandson running toward him with a broken and battered body.
He didn''t say anything about stepping back while all of Gliek''s Chaos was about to explode.
Instead, he illuminated a path, allowing his grandson to approach him directly.
The light of the Genesis Knight aided Dante''s steps.
"Come closer, Dante."
Blood tears welled up in Dante''s eyes as he approached Ron.
Soon, Dante copsed and reached Ron''s arms.
Ron patted his grandson''s back a few times, then grabbed him by the shoulder and lifted him up.
"Dante Hairan, my beloved grandson."
"Grandpa, gran-grandpa..."
"I have always intended to give you everything. Time has advanced a bit. My life has been yours since the moment you were born."
Dante was unable to speak.
The understanding that this might be thest moment with his grandfather, the conviction that his grandfather would never change his decision. It was unbearable, and he couldn''t contain his emotions.
"After fighting against pain all this time, I understand how difficult it must have been for you."
Ron handed his sword, Rashid, to Dante.
Dante kept shaking his head while maintaining eye contact with Ron, but Ron''s hand holding Rashid was too firm.
And it was warm.
Even if he wanted to shake it off, he couldn''t.
"Now..."
You are the Sword Emperor.
You will be the Sword Emperor.
At Ron''s following words, Dante burst into tears of pain.
Then Dante realized that an incredibly powerful vitality was entering his body.
The light of the Genesis Knight obtained by the human named Ron Hairan and the true energy obtained by a Warrior named Sword Emperor were moving from him to Dante.
Just like sand escaping through the cracks of hands, all his power couldn''t be fully transmitted to Dante.
Just as it happened when he shared the light of the Genesis Knight with Jin.
However, it was enough for Dante''s blood to run wild again and for his broken organs to return to their ce.
Moreover, the "Innate Chaos" that made Dante so fragile from birth was disappearing.
It was the result of Gliek, the White Stone forming that Chaos, beginning to lose its identity.
Now, there was no existence in the world that could be called Gliek.
Only the enormous Chaos, ready to explode like a volcano, filled the battlefield.
"You''ve always made me proud."
"Grandpa, please, please stop. It should be you who survives, not someone like me, I..."
"And above all, I have loved you more than anything else in the world. You have been the blessing of my life."
Ron lifted his head and met Jin''s eyes, who had followed Dante.
"Please take care of Dante. I owe you to the end, without giving anything in return."
Jin couldn''t say anything.
Ron finally embraced Dante for thest time.
He felt relieved as he felt his grandson''s heart beating vigorously.
"Now go, Dante. This is not the end for you and me; don''t linger in sadness too long."
Ron turned around, and Dante''s and Jin''s bodies floated in the air.
Dante struggled and reached out to Ron, but their bodies moved away from him along the path of light.
"GRANDPA, GRAN..."
After Dante''s voice calling faded awaypletely, Ron turned to look at the disappearing path of light.
Only after the voice calling him ceasedpletely, Ron turned to look back.
Then he formed a sword instead of Rashid.
To end the war, he ventured into the core of Chaos.
It was the moment when the Chaos''s fate, Dante''s death, and Hairan''s destructionpletely changed.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 576
Chapter 576
C576
May 10, 1800.
It has been about a month since the war ended.
Now, even those who did not directly witness the battle at Sword Emperor Castle and the subjugation of Gliek knew what had happened in the world.
The fact that the Emperor had led the pir of the empire as traitors, the identity of the White Stone, and the oues of all these events were constantly reported by newspapers from each faction.
Ultimately, Ron Hairan had managed to single-handedly avert the final explosion of Chaos.
However, he found it impossible to dealpletely with the aftermath of Chaos and the self-destruction that had already breached his protective shield during the battle with Gliek, even for him, who had ascended to the Genesis Knight.
As everyone feared on the battlefield.
The Chaos beyond the protective shield was making the world uninhabitable."This is madness, it has no end. Is this really a remnant of that monster, the Chaos King or something?"
Daytona and Haytona.
The two were on a mission to subdue the "remnants of Chaos" that had fallen near the Delki Kingdom.
The fatigue on the faces of the brothers and the Guardian Knights leading them was evident.
Night watch had been endless for several days.
Innds worldwide where Gliek''s Chaos had fallen, monsters called Chaos Remnants were emerging.
Delki was just one of them.
The currently discovered "contaminated zones" were about fifty, and the count increased every day.
It was unknown how many contaminated zones remained undiscovered.
If Ron couldn''t handle Gliek''s self-destruction, if Ron''s divine power attribute of the Genesis Knight was something other than protection. Then the world would have been irreversibly destroyed.
"The youngest, the people in that battlefield... What kind of monsters did they fight against?"
"It must have been quite terrible if the remnants of that monster are so many."
Haytona replied as he sliced the body of a monster into pieces.
The monsters in the contaminated zone had vitality unmatched by any known monsters in the world.
When torn apart, they multiplied in number, only ceasing when they were almost reduced to pea-sized flesh.
Some individuals not only possessed multiplication but also a rapid regeneration ability.
These creatures belonged to a particrly strong category, and monsters in contaminated zones varied in abilities.
The strongest known individual required thebat skill of a ck Knight to be subdued.
The behavior of these creatures was very different from typical demonic creatures.
They specialized in parasitism rather thanbat, turning living beings, including humans, into their hosts.
Infected beings showed contagion, and humans attacked by such entities showed signs of being consumed by Chaos, leading to chaos.
Fortunately, not the entire human poption was vulnerable to infection.
Trained Warriors and Magicians showed a considerable level of immunity, but the Tona brothers didn''t want to even imagine how it would have been without it.
The Magic Society termed it "Contagious Chaos."
In other words...
The world was facing a great catastrophe.
Evenpared to the greatest known catastrophes caused by Helluram, it was more than enough.
Not only the Tona brothers but all members of each faction, including Zipple, were suppressing chaos worldwide.
"It''s still terrible, but if the Elder Brother Dyfus in our Family and Kadun the Fire Dragon in Zipple hadn''t quickly opted for the initial suppression, things would have been even more chaotic. Damn, it gives me chills. However, it''s the first time the Family has been hit so hard since the Holy Kingdom protection war 500 years ago."
"Isn''t it fortunate that not only our Family but the entire world, and Zipple suffered so much damage..."
Runcandel and Zipple.
Excluding the Empire, these two ns were undoubtedly the most affected in this war.
Runcandel lost almost three hundred elite Knights, including five ck Knights, and Rosa suffered serious injuries.
Zipple also lost the entire First and Second Magic Fleet, including Kozec, lost more than 30 Dragons, and over 500 Magicians, with Kelliark severely injured.
Especially, the aftermath of the final explosion was a problem.
Gliek''s self-destruction continued for three days.
Forces from each faction could only withdraw from the battlefield after two days of the unprecedented explosion in history.
Currently, the remaining strength of the two ns was less than that of a n just a month ago.
And, of course, the injuries suffered by Rosa and Kelliark were typically incurable due to the influence of the Chaos power that inflicted them.
"The Tenth and Eleventh gbearers. I just received a message from the main house."
A Guardian Knight approached the Tona brothers.
"Report."
Upon hearing the Guardian Knight''s report, the eyes of the Tona brothers widened.
"...So, it''s finally decided."
"We''ll have to hurry if we want to meet the deadline."
Without even taking the time to remove the monster flesh stuck to their bodies, the brothers ventured into the contaminated zone.
Just after finishing the war, they felt a strange power beginning to develop within them.
------------------------
"A ceasefire has been decided with Zipple."
In response to Rosa''s voice, Dyfus nodded as if he had expected it.
A dark stain could be seen on Rosa''s wrist, revealed through the sleeves of her dress.
When Dyfus''s gazended on it, Rosa instinctively covered her wrist.
"It''s for Kinzelo."
"Yes. They are the only ones who didn''t receive any blows in this war. And they probably watched this war from the beginning with the hope that it weakened us and Zipple, and the result is just as they wished."
Suppressing a cough, Rosa recalled the final moments of the war...
The horrific explosion that swept through Runcandel''s Knights and Zipple''s Magicians...
And the moment when Zipple''s Demon God Orb shattered.
Since the Demon God Orb was destroyed, it was impossible for Zipple to recover its power quickly.
If Cyron were present, this would be the opportunity to end the thousand-year war with a victory.
However, the ck Knights sent to the ck Sea at the beginning of the war returned to the Family without being able to contact Cyron.
Therefore, on the contrary, now was the best time for Zipple to attack Runcandel, but they couldn''t venture against a publicly known enemy called Kinzelo.
For Zipple, restoring the Demon God Orb was the most urgent.
It was said to be for healing, but the real reason was different.
"Mother. As you know, strange things have been happening to the purebloods, including me."
Dyfus referred to the power felt by the Tona brothers.
"Are you talking about starting to feel mana?"
"...That''s right."
Mana.
Right after the war ended, the purebloods of Runcandel, excluding Jin, felt mana for the first time in their lives.
Rosa didn''t feel that sensation, but she was aware that the mana acquired by her children was still at an extremely weak level.
As a result of the Demon God Orb breaking, both Runcandel and Zipple took a hard hit.
The Power of History, Zipple''s magic manipting history, was weakening.
Therefore, the thousand-year-old oath and curse that had suppressed Runcandel were also bing unstable.
That''s why Kelliark hastily proposed a ceasefire.
Although Rosa knew it, she had no choice but to ept.
"What should we do?"
"If you''re asking if we need to watch and be on guard, it''s not necessary."
Dyfus shivered and looked Rosa in the eyes.
"Why are you so surprised? The youngest has already told all members about the fact that our Family is a Great Family of Magic Swordsmen. The current situation is the result of Zipple''s influence weakening, and the curse they cast on our Family is fading away."
"Once they regain their strength, we''ll be back to square one."
"That everyone can handle mana doesn''t mean everyone can be like the youngest. Besides, unless wepletely destroy Zipple, this power will remain at a level where they won''t be able to use it properly."
Rosa decided that it made no sense to find a way to use the weak mana immediately.
She thought they could regain their status as Magic Swordsmen only when they eliminate Zipple, and the Family''s curse truly ends.
"The gbearers won''t have time for personal training until Chaos ispletely suppressed anyway. Stay alert and start cleaning the contaminated zones."
Dyfus nodded solemnly.
"And, is the Twelfth gbearer still there?"
"Yes."
When Gliek''s self-destruction extended for three days, Jin and Dante suffered no additional harm in the Chaos storm.
It was because Ron''s will was focused on protecting the two.
Currently, thend where Sword Emperor Castle was located was in a more severe state of contamination than any other ce where Chaos fragments had sshed.
For thest month, those responsible for suppressing Chaos from each faction haven''t been able to initiate the purification of Sword Emperor Castle.
They were only camping and binding the Chaos that still swirled within the territory so it couldn''t escape.
Just as Rosa was about to say something, a Guardian Knight hurriedly approached her office.
"Acting Patriarch! There''s a report that the Twelfth gbearer entered the Territory of Sword Emperor Castle two hours ago...!"
"What?" Dyfus eximed.
Like Rosa and Kelliark, Jin is still in a state where the invasion of Chaos hasn''t endedpletely.
And since it has already been revealed that those submerged in Chaos respond to a greater Chaos and proceed with demonic nature, entering Sword Emperor Castle territory was nothing more than suicide.
"Mother, I''ll go myself..."
"No, there''s no need for that," Rosa said calmly.
"It must be because he''s confident that something will protect him. If the youngest had fallen into demonic nature after entering the territory, there would have been other peculiar reports, like attacking allies."
What exactly are you saying is protecting the youngest?
Seeing Rosa''s bitter eyes, Dyfus couldn''t bring himself to ask.
-------------------
At that moment, Jin was not the only one who entered the territory of Sword Emperor Castle.
There was someone who entered the territory that turned into chaotic hell before him.
So, as Rosa expected, the two walked on the contaminated ground with the help of a certain power.
If it weren''t for the two of them, no one else could have enjoyed such protection.
"Dante."
Looking at his friend''s back, Jin spoke his name.
"Jin."
Dante didn''t turn to look at Jin.
Jin sat next to Dante, shifting his gaze to where Dante was looking.
In the midst of the Chaos storm enveloping the entire territory, only one point toward which both were looking radiated a bright light.
That single spot of light.
It was the light that had protected the two from the Chaos of the contaminatednd.
"This is not the end for you and me, so don''t get too caught up in sorrow; this is what my grandfather meant..."
Jin patted Dante''s back for a long time without seeing him cry.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 577
Chapter 577
C577
He probably cried for an hour.
In his heart, Dante wanted to cry until the end of his life in this ce.
He wished to disappear into the gentle light, like the smile his grandfather used to show, like his embrace.
If there was nothing left for him.
The n, the people who fought for him, the friends who came running after leaving everything behind, his people, thend he had to protect, and himself.
If all of that had truly disappeared, Dante probably wouldn''t have gotten back up.
But all of that remained.
And what remained was because his grandfather gave his life in exchange.He truly gave his everything...
"Although I would like to sit down, I couldn''t."
Dante wiped away his tears and looked back at Jin.
"I''ve kept you waiting for too long, I''m sorry."
It had been a month since they reunited.
Dante needed time, and Jin had been unconscious for over two weeks receiving intensive healing.
Thanks to Ron''s protection during the escape, there were no additional injuries, but the umted shock was too much.
Today, Dante had finally made up his mind.
He wouldn''t bury himself in his pain anymore.
That''s why he came here.
To bid farewell to his grandfather with Jin.
As Ron said, not a farewell forever, but a farewell to move forward.
Now, Dante had to inherit the duty of protection that Ron had taken on.
However, Jin, in reality, couldn''t take a step forward like Dante.
The guilt still weighed on Jin''s chest like a piece of rusted iron.
"I know what you''re thinking."
When Jin was about to speak, Dante spoke first.
During the war, in thest moment when Ron sent them both out of the path of light, Dante was able to receive Ron''s will, which Jin didn''t recognize.
"You haven''t done anything wrong, he said. This is what he told both you and me."
Not only Jin suffered from guilt.
Dante also struggled to ovee the idea that he had lost his grandfather because he himself hadn''t saved anything.
How many people had died for him to stay alive, and how much had been destroyed?
"You''ve done quite well. Maybe it was beyond what I could have done."
Like leaves catching fire, Jin''s eyes welled up.
This time, Dante turned his head not to see Jin''s tearful face.
"There''s only inevitable sadness. So, it''s better to forget everything that didn''t happen."
Dante spoke as if he knew Jin''s regression.
It was because Ron acknowledged that fact just before bing the light.
Dante had vaguely glimpsed the secret that Jin kept from Ron''s will.
He didn''t know it clearly, but he was aware that his friend''s guilt was somehow rted to that secret.
And Ron knew everything at the moment of death and said it.
His grandson or Jin did nothing wrong.
Because they really didn''t.
"The secret you keep, tell it when the timees. Like Beradin did."
Another friend who isn''t here.
Jin and Dante were grateful to him.
Now they knew that Beradin had sacrificed himself for his friends.
It was thanks to the secretly sent letters by Sandra.
("My dear Jin! Hello, the reason I''m writing this letter today is to schedule our next date!
And I think I should tell you something.
Do you know that our Radin worked hard to keep the main force of my n from attacking the Sword Emperor Castle?
I can''t tell you in detail, but he decided to risk his life to help his friends.
Isn''t that admirable?
Going so far to support this elder sister''s love!
I''m so proud.
Anyway, if it weren''t for Radin, this battle would have definitely been more difficult.
Congrattions on your victory.
The atmosphere in my n is a bit tense, but hey, as long as you''re happy, that''s what matters.
Even though my little brother almost died, and I almost got beaten to death by Kadun while begging him to help you instead of suppressing Chaos, and I heard a sermon from Hedo for a few days, and my head was about to explode because of resource restoration.
Haha, don''t stress too much.
It''s just a matter of going on a date.
You understand?
I''ll be waiting for you.
~Your only love, Sandra Zipple)
Although the letter was a bit messy, there was no doubt that Beradin was helping them.
"...But Jin, are you really dating Sandra Zipple? Then the Hidden Pce Master."
"A certain Sandra Zipple is enough to talk nonsense, Dante."
The two burst intoughter.
"It would have been good if Beradin were here too. People think I hate him too because Zippel attacked our castle, but that''s not true. He will always be my friend, wherever he is."
Even if Beradin lost his identity one day due to mental maniption and turned into a monster, even if he attacked himself, Dante was prepared not to hate him.
That was the trust he believed in, and that was righteousness. Even after going through so much pain and suffering, he didn''t turn into a vengeful demon or fall into madness like in the first battle.
The tough and bright heart of a human named Dante Hairan had not lost its original shape.
Just like his grandfather finally overcame demonization.
"Let''s create an opportunity to meet him soon."
"You talk as if you''re going somewhere."
"Yes, I''ll go for training."
"When?"
"Not immediately, but after sorting out the situation and taking care of some things."
Jin had already nned to go to Lafrarosa and achieve 10 stars, but the weakening of Zipple and Runcandel came especially handy for him.
There will definitely be a truce agreement, so the possibility of myrades being threatened while I''m away has been greatly reduced.
Even if the truce were to be broken while he was training, the Vamel Alliance was now a force that even Runcandel couldn''t avoid protecting.
It couldn''t be said that they were fully part of Runcandel, but it was because they were Jin''s people.
With this incident, Jin has further solidified his position as the next patriarch, and by the time he bes the patriarch, the Vamel Alliance will be Runcandel''s force.
Above all, people were more valuable than ever now that the power of the great ns had weakened.
There was no reason not to maintain friendly rtions with the Vamel Alliance, which was emerging as the fifth force after Zipple, Runcandel, the Empire, and Kinzelo.
"How long do you think it will take?"
"Tris-nim said it would be a short training, but I think I''ll know when I try."
"You''ll be strong again."
"Now I''m in a condition to follow you."
Dante shook his head.
"Not to that extent. Although my grandfather gave me part of his true energy, it seems it will take a long time to fully be my strength."
"More than that, what are you going to do?"
It was a question about the empire.
Currently, the imperial throne is vacant.
Although the Emperor did not officially abdicate the throne, it was impossible for him to rule the empire again.
When theplete story of the incident was revealed, public sentiment literally plummeted, Zipple did not receive what was promised, and Runcandel and the Hidden Pce were also severely affected by the Emperor''s and Zipple''s decision.
That''s why the main factions did not covet the empire, which turnedmunist, even though talented people became precious.
The strongest sword of the empire was killed as soon as it reached the Genesis Knight Realm, and most of the top figures of the Empire, including the second sword of the empire Jonsina Ferrell, died in this war.
Furthermore, upying the empire now only added more problems.
Whichnds had Chaos contaminated the most?
Whoever swallowed the empire had to deal with and purify the contaminated area intact.
"The Emperor cannot be forgiven. Apart from personal grudges and revenge, he has done irreparable damage to the Empire. And the throne will be mine for the time being. In the form of putting up a scarecrow and acting as regent."
"Don''t you just consider ascending to the throne? If legitimacy is an issue..."
"Since the birth of the empire, the imperial family has never been more loved than Hairan by the people. Legitimacy and justification are not the problem."
"Then why?"
Then Dante slowly drew Rashid.
"This sword is not for ruling. Rashid was forged to protect thisnd. I won''t forget my duty, as my grandfather and ancestors didn''t. Instead..."
Dante turned his head to Jin.
"When the empire returns to its course, do me a favor. The Vamel Alliance is Kashimir-nim, the King of the Free City Tikan. Let him ascend to the throne. At that time, I will resign as regent and return to being the lord of the Sword Emperor Castle. This is my conclusion."
"The fact that Kashmir-nim takes over the empire you restored means that the empire will soon be mynd, Dante."
"All the people of the Empire know that you fought for us until the end. And, you don''t know very well, but the Empire will need your strength in the future anyway."
Dante was sincere.
He thought he wouldn''t be able to continue defending the empire with his own strength.
"Amir Vermont is already a dead man, but there will still be other cards in the imperial family. I may negotiate again with Zipple, maybe even with Kinzelo or Runcandel. Even if not that, after the restoration of the contaminated area, the giant forces will aim again at the Empire. In such a situation, in whom should I trust?"
Although it was emotionally ufortable for Jin to take what Dante would build, Jin had nothing to refute.
"You are the only one. There''s also Beradin, but he''s always exposed to threats. So don''t be afraid, but take good care of me in the future."
Jin grabbed Dante''s outstretched hand.
Dante took a bottle of wine from his chest and three cups.
The bottles were intact, but the sses were all broken or cracked.
The sses were Ron''s favorite ceramics.
From the broken cabin across the ins of the Sword Emperor Castle, Dante hade for a visit.
"Miraculously, there is still some ceramics in the ruins of the cabin where my grandfather used to y with me when I was a child. I picked the most intact ones, glued them together, and brought them. With the wine my grandfather liked to drink."
Tang...
Dante uncorked the bottle and looked at the ground.
The ck soil they were sitting on was gradually regaining its original color.
Ron''s light was purifying the contaminated territory of the Sword Emperor Castle.
Very slowly, andzily, but...
Like taking steps, it would surely bepletely purified someday.
One in front of Ron''s light, another in front of his own, and another in front of Jin''s.
Dante and Jin raised their sses toward Ron''s light.
Jin was remembering what Ron had told him: "After the battle, let''s have a drink with my dear grandson."
After slowly emptying their cups, the two stood up.
Before leaving, each drew their swords and engraved these words under Ron''s light.
Emperor Sword, Ron Hairan.
Here, it became the light of Hairan, or the light of the world.
''Goodbye, Grandfather.''
Dante, as he left the ce, smiled with a faint glow like light.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 578
Chapter 578
C578
Dante did not dere himself regent the next day.
It was because there were matters he had to attend to before making such a deration.
In the central region of the empire, inside an underground mansion.
A man walked aimlessly through the hall.
His pale and tired face and shaky shoulders revealed his anxiety.
It was Tion Hairan, Ron Hairan''s second son and former gbearer of Hairan.
He was the first to betray Hairan and join the Emperor''s betrayal.
He took refuge in this underground mansion even before the end of the Sword Emperor Castle War, with about fifty imperial Knights following him.''Damn it, why did this happen...!''
There were many reasons why he betrayed Hairan.
Despite being gbearer, he never once pleased Ron, and he was always overshadowed by his nephew, Dante.
Tion believed that all this discrimination was due to the difference in talent.
Although he was well aware of Dante''s efforts to ovee the extreme frailty with which he was born, Tion preferred to ignore it.
It was easier to think it was a difference in talent.
He harbored resentment towards the n, and Ron, who seemed like he would hold his position for the next twenty years, suddenly copsed due to illness.
The Emperor then made a sweet proposal to Tion.
There''s a thing called ''White Stone,'' so if you give false testimony about it to the people, I will make you the patriarch when Ron Hairan dies.
At that time, the Emperor had said he was genuinely interested in Tion''s potential.
So Tion epted the Emperor''s offer without thinking for a minute.
Not even dreaming that the n had been silently waiting for Tion to return to the right path even after sensing signs of his betrayal and disloyalty.
"I thought we would never lose, as the imperial army would be backed by Zipple if we were pushed..."
"But the ck Sea King? Why the hell does he show up now?"
Bang~
The table shattered as Tion''s fist crashed into it, sending fragments flying.
The knights, who had been watching him cautiously, shuddered and involuntarily cleared their throats.
"Uh, Tion-nim... Has there been any contact from His Majesty?"
A knight asked cautiously.
"Do you really think there would be? And you, fool. His Majesty is already done. Our chance of survival now depends on the imperial family, not His Majesty."
"Still, His Majesty doesn''t seem to have been defeated yet. From what I''ve gathered about the situation outside, there are rumors that Dante Hairan will soon dere himself regent..."
"Haha, the n is not enough for him, so now he wants to swallow the empire? My nephew''s world hase. If only my father were alive, this wouldn''t have happened, damn it!"
Tion shouted defiantly.
"Tion-nim, the imperial family has already ignored our calls three times. Anyway, what if you try to contact His Majesty somehow?"
"How many times do I have to say that His Majesty is finished! What''s wrong with you?"
"The reason His Majesty hasn''t been captured yet might be because of the protection of the imperial family. Perhaps the imperial family hasn''t given up on His Majesty yet. There might still be a card that His Majesty has to change the situation. So it''s worth trying to talk to him."
"If you mutter about finding His Majesty once again, I''ll break your neck..."
Tion, who had been talking until then, fell silent and met the knight''s eyes.
Suddenly, an ominous intuition seized his mind.
Among the knights following him, there was no one who would argue with him like this.
"You... Who are you? Why do you keep talking about finding His Majesty? Did you receive any orders from the imperial family?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Take off your helmet."
"Tion-nim?"
"I said take off your helmet! Your obsession with His Majesty is suspicious. Look here! Surround him. I doubt he''ll speak willingly, so be prepared!"
Other knights approached cautiously, sensing the tension.
The knight continued with the helmet on, then sighed and said:
"It''s true, it doesn''t fit my character."
The knight reached into the air.
Then he grabbed something invisible and pulled it, and the three knights approaching were sliced like a fish.
sh-!
What he threw was an invisible weapon in the form of a thread.
The blood that spurted out like a fountain instantly reddened Tion''s face, and as he blinked, he realized that the knight had disappeared from his sight.
"Hey, what is this...!"
The knight was standing behind Tion, holding a dagger to his throat.
He had taken off the helmet, but what covered his face was a milky white mask.
A week ago, Bizen, the best Assassin of the Nameless, had infiltrated Tion''s underground mansion.
During that week, Bizen had more than ten thousand opportunities to kill Tion.
Still, he acted for two reasons.
Firstly, there was a possibility that the whereabouts of Emperor Amir Vermont could be traced through Tion if he still had any directmunication with the Emperor.
Secondly, there was a request from his client.
-Watch him for a few days. If he shows any sign of remorse, please capture him and bring him. As a n member, I will give him time to repent.
That didn''t mean forgiving Tion.
It was just being considerate so he could die with some regret.
Tion had justpletely lost that opportunity.
"S-Nameless...!"
"It seems like reaching Amir Vermont is really impossible. I''ve been patient in the hope that our princess would have fewer troubles."
"Now, w-wait, as long as I can contact the Emperor, will he forgive me? In that case, let me contact the Emperor right now..."
"Unfortunately, the carriage has already left. Besides, it would take a bit of time to find him, and he''ll die anyway, now that the best Nameless Assassin is on him."
Suk!
The dagger smoothly and quickly pierced Tion''s throat.
Tion Hairan met his end just like that.
The rest of the knights seemed to be trying to flee in terror, not even thinking about fighting against Bizen.
However, when Bizen pulled another invisible thread in the air, they were helplessly cut into pieces.
"Uh, ah!"
"Forgive me, forgive me!"
Before 10 seconds had passed, every remaining knight had breathed theirst.
Bizenpleted his mission without a single drop of blood on his body.
------------------------
The same thing that happened to Tion was happening in the main houses, estates, and secret hideouts of the ns that were on the Emperor''s side during the first battle of the Sword Emperor Castle War.
"Come on, acting patriarch! It seems Dante Hairan has already started the purge. Knights from the n in the main house are being killed...!"
Harlow''s shelter.
They attacked Hairan by deploying knights, including Scott Harlow, from the Central Order of Knights in the imperial army.
Those killing the Harlows were also Nameless Assassins.
They were tasked with killing all the top knights of Harlow, except for a few.
"Kakaka... So we''vee to this. Well, having lost everything, I might as well be the avenging demon."
The Cenderer n''s home.
They also attacked Hairan with Gloria Cenderer from the Order of the White Lance Knights.
In this way, the Lilitha n, the Lillista Magical Corps, the Panga n, and other ns that sided with the Imperial Army were paying a price close to extinction.
Nameless Assassins ended their lives without hesitation.
"The world is truly unpredictable. Dante Hairan... I heard rumors that he became a demon in the war, but I didn''t expect him to act so quickly."
The second inmand of the Hensirk n said resignedly.
In front of him stood another superior Nameless Assassin, "Ahn."
"You''re wrong."
Ahn said with a dry voice as he looked at the second inmand of Hensirk.
"The one who asked us to kill you is not Dante Hairan."
"What?"
"I''m just saying. I don''t need to tell you this in the first ce, but I''m afraid you''ll be resentful toward a straight person for no reason after you die."
Ahn''s sword beheaded the second inmand of Hensirk.
The corpses of the dead magicians lined up behind him, but not a single drop of blood remained on his milky white clothes.
Dante had no intention of killing them immediately.
Just as he pretended to give Tion time to repent and die, he also wanted to give them a chance to contribute to the restoration of the Empire before dying.
It was the imperial family, not Dante, who requested the annihtion of the ns that were on the Emperor''s side.
They were trying to create a justification to minimize the impact by cutting off the tail.
Those disgusting mystics valued their own well-being more than the stability of an empire tainted by Chaos.
The imperial family sincerely believed that they needed to be strong for the Empire to return.
They still believed they had the power to achieve it.
Nameless is a neutral assassination sword.
Anyone from any faction could borrow the Nameless Sword, as long as they were qualified and paid a sufficient price.
If the umbre called "Ron Hairan" had continued to exist in the empire, Nameless would never have epted the imperial family''s request.
The fact that Nameless epted the imperial family''s request was solely because Ron no longer existed.
The Nameless did not ept all the requests assigned by the Imperial Family this time.
They did not ept the assassination request of a single n from those that were part of the imperial army.
Nameless rejected the imperial family''s request to assassinate the remaining leaders of "Ferrell."
It was not exactly a refusal but because the requests "ovepped."
Nameless received the request to protect the Ferrell n from assassination for the time being before the imperial family''s request.
-Kevin Ferrell was trash, but Johncena Ferrell-nim ended up siding with the Imperial Army in favor of the people. Even though that choice was ultimately wrong... As a Knight, as a Warrior. I want to honor Johncena-nim''s life. Please protect them from assassination for the time being.
That''s how Ferrell was able to preserve his life at the hands of the Nameless Assassins.
And fortunately, those who remained in the Ferrell n mostly had the same kind of thinking as Johncena Ferrell.
-----------------------------
It has been more than four days since the best Nameless Assassins found Emperor Amir Vermont''s hiding ce.
Amir Vermont was hiding in an unknown forest in the south of Vermont, and there were no guards or escorts left by his side.
"Hello?"
Yona Runcandel.
Seeing her smile and speak, the Emperor could feel it.
In the end, death had alsoe for him.
Chapter 579
Chapter 579
C579
Dante''s request to Nameless was to assassinate the Emperor and bring back his head.
He wanted to capture the Emperor alive if possible, but Owal assigned Yona as the assassin to kill the Emperor.
Owal was concerned that no Assassin could find and kill the Emperor faster than her, and he worried that the imperial family would secure the Emperor''s whereabouts before Nameless'' sword could reach him.
This was the reason why Owal refused to capture the Emperor alive.
Yona had an assassin skill that surpassed even himself, but she was unable to control it.
There was no way she would let the Emperor live after seeing him in person.
After all, the Emperor''s attack on Hairan threatened not only the Empire but also Yona''s dear little brother, Jin.
Unfortunately, Dante had no choice but to ept the condition for the same reason as Owal.As much resentment as Dante had, he was not inclined to capture the Emperor and torture him.
So Dante had to secure the Emperor''s neck by the safest and fastest means, and hang him in the square to announce that the empire was out of the Emperor''s dominion.
But, contrary to everyone''s expectations.
Yona brought the Emperor alive with a bright smile on her face.
In the second castle of Hairan, the imperial capital, Jin and Dante awaited.
"Hello, little brother. You have no idea how much I wanted to kill this skinny piece of meat."
The most surprised by that was Owal.
Seeing Yona dragging the unconscious Emperor like luggage, Owal almost dropped his cigar.
"Oh, Yona... How did youe up with bringing him alive?"
"I think my little brother will want to take care of this more than I do, hehehe. Did I do well?"
While Yona lightly threw the Emperor in front of them, Owal frowned with anxiety.
"Are you okay?"
After Gliek''s Chaos covered the human world.
Yona''s Chaos, which she had recently been able to control, hade back to haunt her as before.
It was because Yona''s Chaos was reacting to Gliek''s Chaos, the source of that dark power.
Owal was aware of this fact, and he was here to discuss it with Jin.
"For now, I''m okay, hehe. I don''t kill anyone I see, you know? And if my little brother likes it, I can tolerate it a bit!"
Yona''s face was pale as she said she was okay.
It was never easy to suppress the murderous intent that Chaos forcibly amplified.
She was born as an Assassin, tainted by Chaos from birth, but her essence was formed by a kind and pure energy that was unlike Runcandel''s.
As a Provisional gbearer, Jin first recognized Yona''s inner side, and thanks to that, she was able to control her Chaos, which still resisted even when it became unstable.
"I won''t assign you capture missions in the future."
"Thank you, elder sister. Still, I hope you always prioritize your health from now on."
"My little brother cares about me."
"Of course."
"Well, well. Then, I need to take a break. I''ll be fine by tomorrow afternoon, so, little brother, wait for me. Let''s have some fun!"
"Of course."
Owal touched his forehead as Yona went out the window and disappeared somewhere.
Jin''s expression also darkened.
It was because there were things they had discussed before Yona arrived.
"Sit down, Owal-nim, was it really that bad?"
"Yes. The moment Gliek woke up, she had an attack and went out of control. There were no casualties because I and the best Assassins were nearby, but if we hadn''t been there... I don''t even want to imagine it."
Jin focused on Owal''s face and the scars on his hands.
It was a wound caused by subduing Yona, who went out of control.
''Is he saying that despite the best Assassins being together, Owal-nim got injured?''
Jin never thought that Gliek''s awakening would trigger Yona''s rampage.
At that moment, Am-nim and the Porch brothers also showed signs of having attacks due to Gliek''s energy...
''But the elder sister went berserk despite being so far from the battlefield.''
Not much is known about Chaos in the world.
All they know is that the Chaos Kings were created due to the mistakes of the Gods, Orbe del Origen, and after experiencing Gliek directly, they could never confront them without the power of a Genesis Knight.
Still, Jin was able to infer the connection between the situations.
"Right now, Gliek''s remains are not causing the same reaction as the elder sister Yona to everyone infected by chaos."
The seizures of the brothers Am and Proch subsided shortly after the Vamel Alliance escaped from the battlefield with Runcandel''s help.
Now, with only the remnants of that being left, the situation does not differ from before the incident.
"It must be a phenomenon that only urs in those infected from a certain level of Chaos, right?"
"I think so. Have you ever seen the true nature of the Chaos that elder sister Yona has?"
"I saw it."
"Am-nim is infected by Chaos. Elder sister Yona found out about this and came to subdue Am-nim''s Chaos, but the difference between my sister and Am-nim''s Chaos was so great that it couldn''t even bepared."
Then Jin pointed to the documents on the table.
"In addition to Sister Yona, these documents contain cases of demonization and unrestraint caused by Chaos. The informants and journalists of the Vamel Alliance have discovered that simr things are happening worldwide."
However, among those who lost control, no one showed a force as powerful as Yona.
Of course, they also needed at least seven or eight-star knights and magicians to suppress them, but it was notparable to Yona.
If the reaction to Gliek''s energy really depends on the size of chaos, then it means that Yona''s chaos is at a different level than theirs.
"Ha."
Owal sighed with frustration.
From now on, there is no way to prevent the phenomenon of Chaos-infected loss of control.
And Owal considered Yona more than his sessor and genuinely appreciated her.
Jin was frustrated too.
"I will keep investigating the reasons."
"As soon as Nameless finds any information rted to it, I will share it with the Vamel Alliance."
Owal now treated Jin as themander-in-chief of the Vamel Alliance, not just as Runcandel''s gbearer.
Not only because he personally held Jin in high esteem and was grateful for Yona, but also because the global powerndscape has changed due to the War of the Sword Emperor Castle. Nameless might not have much time left to remain neutral now.
"Anyway, I''m going to go keep an eye on Yona for now. With this, all requests have beenpleted. Jin, and Dante Hairan."
Dante kept his eyes fixed on the Emperor lying on the floor as they spoke.
"Yes, Owal-nim. I''ll pay the additional reward for the capture as you ordered..."
Owal shook his head at Dante''s words.
"You don''t have to. After all, am I not indebted to Ron-nim? Besides, I owed Ron-nim since my youth."
Owal took a single flower from his chest.
"I can''t offer it to Ron-nim''s light in the Sword Emperor Castle, so if a temporary memorial stone is built in the empire, please put it for Ron-nim instead of me."
As Owal left, Jin and Dante looked at the Emperor.
His torn clothes and haggard appearance revealed the hardships he must have endured during his escape.
"It seems like he hasn''t received any protection from the imperial family."
Dante nodded at Jin''s words.
They knew very well that the reason the imperial family did not protect the emperor was not solely due to public opinion.
It meant that the Emperor no longer had the most crucial imperial personnel, including the "Demon Men."
"I will inform the people of my reign at noon."
Snap, snap!
Dante pped the Emperor and lifted him.
"Kagh!"
"Amir Vermont."
"What, Dante Hairan, the traitor?"
"In two hours, you''ll be in the Imperial Pce Square, where you incited Hairan to be a traitor. Your fate will be decided there."
The Emperor seemed unperturbed, as if he had already abandoned any lingering attachments.
He was well aware that the imperial family had abandoned him.
Moreover, even Zipple broke his promise to him during the first battle, so he really had no support left.
"Pfft... Do you n to execute me publicly, dering the era of Hairan, taking advantage of this opportunity? Or will you personally decapitate me with that sword?"
"No, killing you is not for Hairan''s revenge, but..."
Dante opened the central window, moistening the curtain, revealing the distant crowd gathered like clouds.
People were shouting.
Hurry up and take Amir Vermont to death.
Otherwise, they would incite a riot on the spot.
"It''s the imperial public sentiment."
The Emperor''s eyes, once calm, quickly darkened and trembled.
What Amir Vermont feared was not death or torture.
It wasn''t even being abandoned by the imperial family or losing the emperor''s position.
It was the people''s voices full of hatred.
Although he didn''t know.
Amir Vermont was a cruel and monstrous figure, but he sincerely loved the people of the empire as Emperor.
-Anyway, they don''t have the power or the will to stop me. They like Hairan more than me, but they really don''t risk their lives. Their foolish and annoying actions are cute and adorable.
The words Amir said to Alton Hairan in the Imperial Pce Square just before the War of the Sword Emperor Castle.
Unlike then, now people showed determination to kill the Emperor, even if it meant sacrificing their lives.
This sight was destroying the Emperor''s inner side, which wasposed of arrogance, tyranny, and pride.
He was not ready to part with the people yet.
A pitiful man who had spent his entire life living in unrequited false love was about to die at their hands.
Amir Vermont found it more distressing to realize that he was going to die at the hands of imperial people than facing death and losing his imperial position.
Two hourster...
The Emperor, thrown into the square, was stoned by the people until nothing was left of him.
The people cursed without abandoning their position even after what remained on the ground where the Emperor was were stains of blood, flesh, and bones.
Chapter 580
Chapter 580
C580
The most ignominious death in imperial history.
That''s how media worldwide described the end of the Emperor.
Since the birth of the empire, it''s not that the position of the Vermont family has been in jeopardy or that the Emperor has not been overthrown for abusive conduct, but there has never been a more inglorious end than that of Amir Vermont.
Amir Vermont was the first Emperor who died and couldn''t have a proper funeral.
Instead, the people wanted to leave the ground in the middle of the square, where Amir became a dark stain, as a lesson for the rulers of Vermont.
Near the spot where Amir''s stain remained, there were manyrge and small stones thrown by the people.
Those stones will never be removed.
It was an ugly sight that didn''t fit the pce square, famous for being beautiful and clean, but the people of Vermont were proud of it.Although the public booed the Emperor when he called Hairan a traitor, they couldn''t protest, but it was nice to be able to express the fact that they always supported Hairan more than the imperial family.
Of course, to Dante''s eyes, such people didn''t seem unpleasant or hypocritical.
"If anything, thete Amir Vermont did well in giving voice to the people," said Dante, filling the tea cup in front of him.
One of the two cups belonged to Kashimir.
"However, I''ve rarely heard of him. Still, I admit he didn''t catch and kill or oppress just because people raised their voices. There are many emperors who can''t even do that."
"Kashimir-nim."
"Yes, Dante-nim."
"You must have heard something from Jin."
"Well, I..."
What do you think about ascending to the throne after the empire normalizes?
Dante didn''t ask that.
As if he didn''t have the right to refuse.
"Why me?"
"Aren''t you a member of the imperial family? Moreover, you are the Chief of the Seven-Colored Peacocks, who have not forgotten their loyalty to the Empire, not the imperial family... Besides, seven families are also with you."
Kashimir''s originalst name is Vermont, not Alprion, and he is the younger brother of Amir Vermont, the former prince.
Dante thought that Kashimir''s job to rule the empire was more about fulfilling his duty as an imperial family member than gaining power.
In other words, as an imperial family, they had to pay the price. Being a good ruler.
"Among the rest of the trash in the imperial family, no one can take responsibility for this incident. The reason I asked to see the lord was not to inquire about your wishes. I just wanted to share a story in person. And..."
Dante bowed his head once.
"I also wanted to personally apologize."
"Why apologize?"
"Because, sir, you surely needed a chance for revenge."
Jin awaits the day when Kashimir tells him why he became the ruined prince, but Dante already knew.
Dante is currently the patriarch of Hairan.
Therefore, he could see all the information of Hairan, and many records disappeared when the Sword Emperor''s castle was destroyed, but the documents about Kashimir remained here, in Hairan''s second castle.
ording to the record...
Kashimir became a deposed prince due to Amir Vermont''s direct nder.
It''smon. Kashimir lost his loved ones in the process and settled in Tikan with the remaining loyalists and Alisa, who were almost devastated.
It wasn''t something he couldn''t tell Jin, but Kashimir still found it hard to recall.
"...I would be lying if I said it''s not true, but avenging Amir Vermont is just one aspect of my life. If revenge was everything, I would have told the whole world what he did to me and my family at the time, and how he held people hostage."
Kashimir let out a long sigh.
"So there''s no need to feel sorry for me. Let''s get to the point. It seems that what the Lord wants to hear from me is about politics."
"That''s right."
"Dante-nim, you will announce your regency tomorrow, right?"
"Yes."
"Move it up right now."
Dante''s eyes widened.
"For what reason?"
"If my predictions are correct, the Imperial Family will release an article about Amir Vermont who died today. It''s not just spheming and ridiculing his death, like other news outlets, but a statement that the imperial family has nothing to do with the turmoil he caused."
It was a problem that Dante had already foreseen.
So there was a n to respond calmly, but Kashimir had a different idea.
"Your regency must not give the impression of being slower than the Imperial Family from the beginning. Although it''s a day before the official announcement date, so fewer people wille to your campaign, but it doesn''t matter because public sentiment is towards the lord anyway."
"It''s slower."
"If the imperial family cuts ties right after dering the regency, it will be a blow to them. In particr, the people may not know it, but the nobles will definitely see it that way."
"But if we announce it a day earlier for that reason, doesn''t it break the promise we made to the people from the beginning?"
"That''s a good point. Obviously, it''s not good to make that decision just because you don''t want to lose the first strike."
If the regency deration is moved up by a day, the imperial family will urgently send an article ordingly.
The fact that Dante broke his promise and tyranny were personal deviations of the emperor.
However, the Vamel alliance has a card that the imperial family didn''t know.
"It''s a trap. If the imperial family starts responding to the regency promation earlier than expected, we will present undeniable proof that the imperial family participated in the emperor''s madness."
"Proof?"
When Kashimir exined it, Dante''s eyes widened.
"Indeed... As expected, I think my choice to entrust the empire to you was correct. I have no power in that realm of politics and governance."
"Well, in my opinion, you have a kind of power simr to Jin-nim, sir. There''s the power to attract people. That''s why Hairan is loved by the people even though it was revealed to have a White Stone."
The White Stone existed, causing Chaos throughout the empire.
Indeed, Hairan could earn people''s resentment just for having the White Stone, regardless of the causal rtionship.
Even if Gliek couldn''t awaken if it weren''t for Zipple and the Emperor.
"If such a thing exists, it would be the power that my grandfather and all of Hairan have, not me."
"Anyway, let''s go. To strike against the filthy mystics."
The expectation that the people wouldn''te in masses for the regency deration was unfounded.
As soon as Dante left Hairan''s second castle and set out, the people waiting for him rushed to the imperial pce like a tide.
When the emperor expelled Hairan as a traitor, he climbed onto a huge golden pnquin and looked at the people.
Dante stood on a stone thrown by the people.
"Until the empire returns to normal, I, Dante Hairan, will act as regent for the heir of Amir Vermont, Kuron Vermont."
The people cheered as if they had been waiting for it, and the faces of the imperial family''s servants, who hurriedly came out to the square, wrinkled.
But it was still too early for their faces to distort.
"There is no way Kuron Vermont will officially ascend to the throne. He will remain just a scarecrow for a cause until the end of my regency, and when the timees, he will be disqualified and be an ordinary person again, not a member of the imperial family."
It was Kashimir''s opinion on how to openly tell Kuron that he is a scarecrow.
"What, what! It''s an insult to the imperial family!"
"His Highness Kuron did nothing wrong in this incident! He is only nine years old now. He did not participate in Amir Vermont''s depravity."
"Whatever the reason, they will not be strangers to the damage caused to the empire by the White Stone. Do you think Hairan is qualified to usurp the throne?"
A few nobles raised their voices.
"Hairan is not usurping the throne. It''s impossible for any family other than Vermont to ascend to the throne. So, when a cleaner imperial family that everyone can recognize appears, I will actively support them so that they can ascend to the throne."
"Ha! Aren''t you saying that you will build another scarecrow after Kuron-nim falls to rule the empire from behind?"
Dante made eye contact with the noble who said that.
He seemed to shudder at the killing intent he felt from Dante for a moment.
"Don''t you know Hairan''s loyalty, proven throughout history? If we wanted to do something like that, Hairan would have be a new imperial family long ago. It''s possible even now when my grandfather is not here."
When Dante raised his aura, the entire area shook.
Having inherited all of Ron''s talent and being freed from chaos, he was revealing energy iparably greater than before.
"Does the imperial family have any means to stop me now? It will be difficult to borrow Zipple''s power right now. The reason I still keep the rotten imperial family and the empire''s nobility alive is not because I have erased my resentment... It''s just because you still have work to do on thisnd."
"Ha... That''s good. Let''s correct that what you are doing is seizing power, not the throne. But don''t forget, the people may be on Hairan''s side now, but unjustified usurpation will eventually turn the public against you again!"
After this, the nobles left the square with trembling legs.
It was because they had to go back and prepare for a response.
Dante turned his gaze back to the people.
"As regent, the first thing I will do is relocate the capital. I don''t mean to move all facilities and administrative institutions, including the imperial pce, but I will simply choose the territory of the Sword Emperor''s castle as a symbolic capital."
The people were in an uproar.
And indeed, moving the capital to the Sword Emperor''s castle seemed truly like a power seizure, as the nobles imed.
"Currently, the Sword Emperor''s castle has be and of death where you can''t even enter due to the aftermath of chaos, but there is a light to purify the contaminated empire. It will be possible to observe that light in a few months, so you should take a look then. After seeing it, if the symbolic capital relocation is considered unreasonable, I will withdraw it. And the second thing to do..."
Dante''s eyes filled with sadness.
"It''s a joint funeral. For ten days from today, we will hold a national funeral and erect a tombstone in honor of those who fought for the Empire and Hairan."
Everyone agreed on that part.
It''s time for both those whomitted atrocities and those who defended the Empire from them to pay the price.
"The third is to make every possible effort to clean the contaminated areas. Afterpleting these three tasks, I will step down from the regent position and return to defend the empire as the lord of the Sword Emperor''s Castle."
From that day on, Dante''s brief and bold statement about the regency and articles about the state of the empire poured out in torrents.
And as Kashimir expected, the imperial family immediately started cutting ties to the emperor.
As soon as articles began to pour out that the imperial family and the emperor were not rted, the empire received "proof of their solidarity."
It was the corpse of a Demon Man that Jin obtained in the Wantaramo Forest in the past and left with Valeria.
Chapter 581
Chapter 581
C581
(-The Shocking and Ugly Unveiling of the Vermont Imperial Family
-About the White Stone and Living Golems.
After the awakening of the monstrous ck Sea King, the empire is going through the darkest and most terrible spring in history.
Now, there will be no one who doesn''t know that the white stone Hairan had been holding was the ck Sea King.
The fact is that Hairan had been watching the awakening of the white stone alone for a long time.
Hairan has been wary that someone would covet the power of the uncontroble monster and unleash a disaster on the world as it is now.
This was revealed to be true when Hairan''s patriarch, Dante-nim, who recently dered the regency, made public the exclusive documents and records of Hairan''s patriarch, and Tris Endorma-nim, the Hidden Pce Master, also revealed records about the white stone to emphasize Hairan''s innocence.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my great gratitude as a human to Tris-nim, who, despite being neutral, revealed the secret information to resolve the danger facing the entire world and devoted herself to subduing Gliek.To the former Emperor, Amir Vermont, who was stoned to death by the people and the imperial family.
Who would have thought that the imperial family wouldmit what Hairan was worried about.
They even went so far as to sell the empire to Zipple to obtain the power of the White Stone.
Why were they so obsessed with the power of the White Stone?
Meanwhile, the Empire has maintained a stable rtionship through diplomacy with other giant forces, including Runcandel, although it is more friendly with Zipple.
There was no reason for the emperor to be obsessed with the white stone, even sacrificing the safety of the empire''s poption in a move equivalent to gambling.
Even if the imperial family managed to seize the white stone and harness its power, there was no guarantee that the empire could outsmart the great n, and the world would be on the brink of a major war.
At that time, of course, it was the people of the empire who suffered the most.
However, it is presumed that Amir Vermont''s obsession with the white stone is due to the Living Golem.
Amir Vermont nned to use the power of the White Stone toplete the research on the living golem that the imperial family was secretly investigating and mass-produce it.
The evidence has been made public today.
The person who presented the evidence was the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel, Jin Runcandel-nim.
As everyone knows, Jin has a history of revealing the truth about living golems during the Incident of the Holy Kingdom in the past and informing the world about their harm and danger.
This time, Jin-nim proved to be right.
The imperial family''s desire to mass-produce living golems is contaminating the world with chaos.
Living golems are made from living creatures, including humans.
Such cruel witchcraft as ck magic, which had been severed by its horrific methods.
The living golem, which the imperial family called the "Demon Man," did not deviate from that method.
Moreover, it was said that each of the Demon Men of the imperial family that Mr. Jin directly experimented with possessed abat power superior to that of a 9-star knight and had the ability to super-regenerate.
The imperial family wanted to achieve world hegemony by mass-producing thousands or tens of thousands of such Demon Men.
Then there is a strange thing.
If they wanted to achieve hegemony, the fact that they ''sold'' the empire to Zipple for the white stone doesn''t exin it.
Zipple attempted several negotiations with Jin-nim during the first battle of the sword emperor''s castle.
Zipple even offered to return the then-sealed Dante-nim to his original state and destroy the empire, if only Hairan handed over the white stone.
Regarding this, Jin-nim said in an interview.
-Maybe the Emperor borrowed Zipple''s power to get the White Stone, produced Demon Men in mass, and then tried to betray Zipple.
They would have judged that they had a chance of winning if they could mass-produce Demon Men even if they waged war against Zipple.
Above all, the Emperor knew exactly what the white stone was.
Unlike us, Runcandel, and Zipple, he knew from the beginning that it was Gliek, the King of Chaos...
ording to Jin-nim''s interview, the Emperor coveted the White Stone despite knowing everything and had a n to betray Zipple.
This reporter hopes that Jin-nim''s opinion is not wrong, and once again, it''s time for the entire empire, including the imperial family, to reflect on the value and righteousness that Hairan has upheld...)
Immediately, new articles with evidence that it was the bodies of the Demon Men began to be written and distributed.
Members of the imperial family and aristocrats of the imperial faction who saw the article expressed their resentment.
"Imperial Chambein, Barkam-nim, are these recent newspaper articles really true!? Please say something!"
"Is it true that the former emperor knew the identity of the white stone from the beginning?"
"So the imperial family condoned the tyrannical behavior of the emperor even after knowing that such a catastrophe could befall the world due to Gliek?"
Chief Chambein Barkam shook his head with a haggard face.
"No, Your Majesty... No, the former Emperor."
"Your Majesty? What is this madman saying now!"
"The former Emperor never shared anything with the imperial family. Even I, the chambein, knew no information about the Demon Men."
"Currently, there is a story that the living golem, Demon Men, presented as evidence belongs to the Imperial Guard. Among the grotesque masses of flesh revealed, the golden epaulets of the imperial were seen, and the cape as white as blood-soaked snow, it was not an imitation. Please tell me about this as well."
"Is the Demon Man''s corpse from the Imperial Guard?"
Reporters and people who had flocked to the imperial pce buzzed at hearing those words.
It was absolutely uneptable to use knights who had been loyal to the imperial family more than anyone as mere test subjects.
"Uh, we are still figuring out why the object of the imperial guards was mixed with that piece of meat, but it''s a fabrication...."
"Fabrication! Jin Runcandel-nim was the one who risked his life to inform us about the dangers of living golems during the Incident of the Holy Kingdom. Even in this war, he helped Hairan without asking for anything, just out of loyalty! Why would someone like him manipte evidence?"
"If Jin and Dante-nim want to end the imperial family, they can do it by force. Dante-nim has already demonstrated his power in the square. On the other hand, what about the imperial family? It has nothing to do with the emperor; I don''t know why the Imperial Guard''s things are there. It''s just words. Give a proper exnation."
"Hmm! I''ll stop here for today. Instead, within three hours, the Imperial Family will issue a statement and distribute articles to exin what happened, so please go..."
As Barkam said, three hourster, new reports arrived, and the imperial family issued a statement.
There was nothing special to turn the situation around.
All they could do was reiterate, in more orderly phrases, that they had nothing to do with it and didn''t know.
It wasn''t any different for the imperial family toe out like this.
It was because the public''s angry sentiment was destined to fade away someday.
Moreover, above all, the corpse of the Demon Man brought by Jin could not be conclusive evidence of solidarity between the imperial family and the emperor.
This was because there were no documents or witnesses about those who participated in or contributed to the research on the Demon Man.
It was argued that the epaulets and white coats like blood-soaked snow of the Imperial Guards were coincidences or fabricated through objects of Imperial Guards who died in this war.
Except for Jin and Valeria, no one had seen the Imperial Guard in the Wantaramo Forest in September ofst year.
The imperial familypletely ignored the existence of "Valeria Histor."
As long as she was there, this kind of evasion would be useless.
Meanwhile...
Valeria, she, has been using record magic on the corpses of the Demon Man, and she has known the area where the ''Demon Man Research Institute'' of the imperial family is located.
The imperial family had boldly established and operated aboratory in the capital of the empire, not on the periphery.
And as soon as the announcement of the imperial family''s statement came, Jin''s faction''s newsletters immediately revealed the location of the research institute.
Of course, as soon as the war ended and the emperor died, the research institute was closed, and all the staff fled.
But they didn''t have time to clean it up properly.
It was not reasonable to blow it up because it existed in the middle of the empire, and above all, the imperial family did not have the will topletely destroy theboratory.
Research on Demon Men is now really thest string left to the imperial family.
Anyway, they thought no one had been able to find out the location of the research center, so the imperial family had ns to reopen it once the world calmed down.
Thanks to Jin receiving Valeria''s location and revealing it, even that has now be nothing.
"I didn''t know that you could find out the location of the Demon Man Laboratory through the Demon Man''s corpse. It''s dark under themp, these fools. They set up a researchboratory in the middle of the imperial capital," said Jin as he drank from the tea cup in front of him.
Valeria was sitting across from him.
She arrived at Hairan''s second castle without a disguise, which meant that she now had some confidence in Jin''s allies.
In this war...
Jin and his allies were fighting for the protection of the world, not for personal gain.
That incident transmitted some kind of vibration to Valeria''s dry and cold interior.
"I never thought people would trust you so much, Jin Runcandel. Originally, Demon Men and living golems are fundamentally different, but since you said this, no one says that an investigation is needed."
"Of course, the people have no choice but to do so, and the imperial family will say no, but there''s no way. Now reporters, people, and even people from each faction are rushing to theboratory, so they can''t deny it any longer. The evidence we deliberately left will receive the angry people."
The imperial family and its Demon Man researchers stole most of the important data even in the midst of an emergency, but they left rtively trivial documents in theboratory, such as the list of participants and donors, one by one.
Jin intentionally left it in view of the people, and the documents had the names of numerous members of the imperial family written on them.
"Moreover, the Demon Man of the imperial family is of a different type than the old Demon Man of ck magic."
While Jin spoke with a bitter voice...
Valeria nodded.
"Yes. I was able to find out by looking at the records of the Demon Man corpses. It is undoubtedly the demonization that the imperial family is investigating, but it is no different from experiments with living golems. Therefore, your im that research on Demon Men is actually research on living golems is not false."
Originally...
Demon Men and living golems are ssified based on whether a human body and a living creature are used or not.
Demonization is magic, and living golems approach magical engineering.
However, the demonization research that the imperial family was conducting had those two attributes at the same time.
"...It''s because the body of the first patriarch of Runcandel, Temar Runcandel, was used in the demonization."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 582
Chapter 582
C582
-Who are the other factions searching for Temar''s Tomb?
-Who do you think they are?
-Zipple.
-Correct! But that''s not all. The Vermont Imperial Family is also searching for the tomb of the first patriarch of Runcandel. Their move has been exposed to them once.
A conversation Jin had with Margie when Kinzelo arrived in Runcandel to offer Jin to join them.
It was the first time Jin learned that Vermont was also seeking Temar''s Tomb during that visit.
One cannot use the legacy Solderet left in Temar''s Tomb unless it is under the protection of shadows.
Furthermore, all legacies discovered so far were already arranged by Solderet a thousand years ago.Therefore, Zipple must prevent Jin and Runcandel from using the legacy, but in fact, Vermont has no reason to track Temar''s tomb.
At that time, Margie had let him know that Vermont was tracking Temar''s tomb and that they wanted a "body," not a legacy.
Jin didn''t know what they were trying to do with Temar''s body.
However, after experiencing the Demon Men in the Wantaramo forest, he spected on the possibility that they were looking for a way toplete the Demon Men.
This ominous and terrible spection eventually proved true.
"I don''t know exactly when Vermont obtained Temar Runcandel''s body. Maybe it''s because it''s a distant point that I can''t confirm with my record magic right now, or it could be Zipple''s overwhelming influence manipting Temar Runcandel''s history."
Valeria''s spection was correct.
When she first got the Demon Man''s corpse and used record magic, almost all the information was obscured.
Due to Zipple''s maniption magic, which was erasing the "History of Temar Runcandel," even the location of the research institute that had nothing to do with Temar was not revealed.
However, the situation changed thanks to the weakening of Zipple''s ''power of history'' by Gliek.
From the Demon Man''s corpse, records that had not been seen before began to appear.
However, the power of history did not disappearpletely, and it was a thousand years ago when Vermont obtained a ''part'' of Temar''s body.
With Valeria''s current abilities, it was impossible to confirm that time.
"...I think they used only a part of his body, not his whole body. If it were whole, the Demon Man would have already beenpleted, and there would be no reason for Vermont to continue searching for his tomb."
Crunch!
Jin''s eyes darkened upon hearing this.
"Crazy bastards... Were they not afraid of the consequences? Or did they think it was better to finish off the Demon Man, even if they had to deal with the consequences when Runcandel found out?
In any case, it was a situation that made Jin''s blood boil.
''Until now, it seems that not even Zipple knew the information that the imperial family had part of Temar''s body, so he must have been sure they would never find out.''
If it weren''t for Valeria, Jin would never have found out.
The reason Jin was able to keep up with the imperial family was that they didn''t assume the rtionship between Jin and the Histor survivors.
"Are you going to attack the Imperial Family immediately?" Valeria asked with a calm voice, but Jin felt she was quite concerned about the matter.
It had been just over a month since the end of the Sword Emperor Castle war and Gliek''s submission.
Once Jin revealed the atrocities of the Imperial Family to his Family and attacked the empire, thisnd would face another catastrophe.
Valeria was worried about how many ordinary people would die for no reason.
Jin found her concern bothforting and heartbreaking.
Jin Runcandel...
''It seems like his expression is scrutinizing my thoughts again.''
While Valeria pondered, Jin shook his head.
"No, this is thend Ron-nim and Hairan fought so hard to protect. I can''t turn the Empire into a battlefield again so soon."
"Is that so?"
"Besides, it''s not appropriate for Runcandel to wage war right now. It''s impossible to attack the Empire without justification, so my Family must disclose information about Temar to the public, which means Zipple will also know, and my Family will have to deal with the Empire and Zipple at the same time."
Although he wanted to smash the entire imperial family immediately, the situation was not favorable. Even Dante hardly had a way to help Jin if Runcandel attacked the empire.
The role of the Sword Emperor was to defend the empire.
"Now is the time for my people and me to monopolize the information and prevent the Imperial Family from spheming and humiliating Temar."
"That''s a good choice."
"Did you know how to givepliments?"
"Sometimes. I was silently worried that you might share my hard-won information with your n. If Runcandel finds out about this, from then on, the matter rted to Temar''s body would be under your n''s jurisdiction, not yours, and it would also make it difficult for me to continue examining the records of the Demon Man''s corpse."
"And weren''t you worried that innocent people would die in another war?"
Valeria did not respond to that question and raised her tea cup.
"Anyway, many things have changed since the end of the Chaos King. I begin to see clues by interpreting not only the Demon Man''s corpse but also the recording devices of Solderet that you gave me. And it seems that the Runcandels have regained some of the power of the magic sword."
"Yes. The curse Zipple cast on Runcandel is fading."
"The same goes for the curse imposed on my ancestors. Even the Histor''s history they erased has changed a bit."
Valeria suddenly stood up and bowed her head to Jin.
"It seems I must express my gratitude."
Jin barely managed to conceal his expression of bewilderment.
"I think it''s better if you tell Sir Ron, not me."
"I n to pass by the Sword Emperor Castle area before leaving."
"You talk as if you''re leaving right now."
"Well, there''s no need to be disappointed since we''ll be seeing each other much more often from now on. There are more things to share between us, and we have more reasons to help each other. I intend to use Tikan asionally to evade Zipple''s pursuit in the future."
"I never gave you permission for that, but you''ve made a good decision."
Valeria smiled at that remark.
From their past lives, Jin''s spirits would lift whenever she smiled like that.
After the War of the Sword Emperor Castle, there were always Runcandel Guardian Knights near Tikan.
Now, not even Runcandel could stand idly by watching over Tikan''s fate.
Both for Jin and for the Family.
Except for the Temple of Session, there was no safer ce for Valeria than Tikan.
Particrly since Zipple''s pursuit had be more persistenttely, most of her hideouts had been discovered or destroyed.
"If you treat me as an unwee guest, I''ll find another ce."
"Come often, even when you have no business."
"I''ll try."
"By the way, I don''t think I''ll be seeing you from my end for a while. I''m nning to leave soon, once I''m done with some matters I have to attend to."
"The Chaos. Is that it?"
At Valeria''s response, Jin reflexively covered the back of his right hand.
The ck stain of the Chaos from Gliek''s abyss still remained.
Even after Gliek''s death, the traces of Chaos enveloping Jin hadn''tpletely disappeared.
It''s not that the intense demonic heart was pressing against Jin''s interior, but asionally he felt a bit of demonic nature.
And that demonic nature was slowly but steadily growing.
If left unchecked, it could be as formidable as the experience of Gliek''s Abyss.
Jin had already met with Holy Queen Lani.
Even she couldn''t heal the stains Gliek had left on Jin''s body, meaning for now, there was no way.
However, Jin remembered that the Battle Goddess''s blood remaining in his body resisted the invasion of Chaos.
The Lafrarosa siblings, especially the Battle Goddess sister, might be able to tell me how to do it.
Jin nned to find a way to stop the demonic nature in Lafrarosa.
And it wasn''t just Jin sumbing to the Chaos invasion.
The same phenomenon was happening to Rosa and Kelliark, as well as some key figures from the two ns who participated in Gliek''s subjugation.
While Jin was in Lafrarosa, they would find a way to stop the demonization in the outside world.
"That''s one thing, but now is the right time. To train in my brothers''nd. Originally, I intended to go, but as both ns have weakened and mine has started to protect Tikan in earnest, I can return with a much lighter heart."
Jin had already shared information about Lafrarosa with Valeria.
It was because it seemed her ability would be needed in the future to bring his brothers from the dead world of Lafrasara to the mortal world.
The punishment suffered by the Tribe of Legends was also intertwined with Zipple''s history maniption.
"I''ll also try to find a way to cure your Chaos."
"Thank you for doing so."
"Don''t expect too much. It''s really hard to look through Chaos records. Oh, and before you go, show me that thing you mentioned earlier."
The object Valeria was referring to was an unknown mechanical device Jin had obtained in the Sota Desert.
Jin pulled out a mechanical device from his pocket and handed it to Valeria.
It also included some blueprints of the battleship.
"You''re asking for battleship blueprints too? You''re pushing it."
"Is it impossible to create aplete version of the blueprint with record magic?"
"Record magic isn''t omnipotent either. If the designer of the blueprint is here, and their memory isn''t intact, I can assist with restoration to a certain extent. But using just record magic to uncover the entire blueprint from just a part is impossible."
"Even if your record magic reaches perfect level?"
"It might be possible for my n at its best."
A blue and transparent mana window floated in front of Valeria.
The mana emanating from her extended over the mechanical device and the blueprints, inscribing characters onto the window.
Valeria''s expression didn''t change as she looked at the window where the blueprint records were written.
"...As expected, the blueprints can''t be restored. However, the year of manufacture and the producer''s name are mentioned. It was manufactured in 1775 by someone named Tingen Bauer."
"Tingen Bauer?"
It was the first time Jin had heard this name.
He also recalled the names of the other participants, but they were all magical engineers belonging to Zipple.
Then Valeria, who was looking at the records of the mechanical device, showed a look of astonishment.
"What''s wrong?"
"This is the key piece of the teleportation device you first saw in the Gaifa Inds. Likewise, it was made by Tingen Bauer... Wait, isn''t that his real name?"
It''s not that record magic couldn''t reveal a person''s pseudonym. But Valeria felt that a strange repellent power was preventing Tingen Bauer''s true name from being revealed.
That meant Tingen Bauer''s history had also been manipted by Zipple and that Tingen Bauer might be someone rted to Histor.
Valeria began to focus again.
For some reason, she felt that his true name would appear if she lessened the repellent force a little.
That intuition wasn''t wrong, and after about five minutes, Valeria was able to find out what Tingen Bauer''s real name was.
As Jin saw the name, he couldn''t help but widen his eyes. It was because he had seen someone with the surname "Ganesto" in Solderet''s recording device.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 583
Chapter 583
C583
Lokia Ganesto.
One of the ten great knights from a thousand years ago, and one of the most powerful individuals in pure magic from old Runcandel.
Jin and Valeria had seen her in the recording left in Temar''s fourth tomb.
"...It''s surprising that a key piece of the teleportation device is Ganesto."
It''s not amon surname. At least Jin had never known anyone with the surname Ganesto, neither in his previous life nor in the current one.
Manipting the history about the ten great knights must have been the reason people stopped using the Ganesto surname itself.
"Tingen Bauer, it''s very likely that the man named Qwaul Ganesto is a descendant of Lokia Ganesto. Looking at the records, I felt the reaction of the history maniption."
In an instant, several assumptions came to Jin''s mind and all were bad.Lokia Ganesto, she, betrayed ancient Runcandel, and her descendants have been using aliases and contributing to Zipple, or they have forgotten their grudge and be Zipple''s subordinates because history has been erased, or Zipple tells his descendants the wrong story. As a result or something like that.
''In the recoding Lokia Ganesto... she was a cruel and cold character. She even seemed friendly with the witch Heluram.''
-"Patriarch, no! Brother. I can''t do this. I will meet the Witch who is in the ck Sea. Lokia said that if she is the witch, she might have a way to stop Zipple''s maniption of history...."
The words spoken by Sarah Runcandel in the video recording from the third tomb.
A thousand years ago, when the war was in full swing and the history of the Fairy Tribe and Runcandel was being manipted, Sarah heard Lokia''s opinion and wanted to meet Heluram.
Of course, it was not a matter of jumping to conclusions. Because Jin doesn''t know what happened a thousand years ago. Above all, Qwaul was just a descendant of Lokia, not one of the ten great knights of Runcandel.
"I need to find and meet that person named Qwaul Ganesto. You won''t be able to determine his location from the ns and records left in the machine, right?".
"Yes. The year of manufacture of the piece is 1780. The year you were born."
The n was made in 1775, and the teleportation device, in 1780.
Jin said he would have to find him and meet him, but in reality meeting Qwaul would be almost impossible.
It was impossible for Zipple to neglect a magical engineer of that level.
Surely, Qwaul is the best magical engineer of the moment.
''My mother said she had heard from the Prophet that this machine would change the tide of war.''
The Prophet was right, as the machine turned out to be part of a teleportation device.
''Furthermore, the Prophet had told my mother that she could start production immediately of the fleet byplementing and strengthening the ship design...''
If so, the Prophet could have the ability to perfect the machine as well.
Only for efficiency, it would be better for him to contact the Prophet immediately to know the details about it and proceed with the negotiations.
In reality, Rosa intended to do just that.
-"Originally, I nned to use them through the Prophet.
-However, this time I have changed my mind by suspending Joshua as gbearer. I will suspend negotiations with the Prophet. During that time, show that you have a better path than the Prophet."
Rosa did not specifically tell him the time period. However, Jin guessed that it would have taken longer than Rosa''s original n due to Gliek''s submission.
Currently, Rosa was in a disheartening state just to organize the Family.
Many Family Knights died in the war. Over three hundred elite Knights, including five ck Knights, were lost.
Runcandel put a ck helmet on high-performing Knights every time a ck Knight retired or died.
However, keeping 10 ck Knights like this has reached its limit. To the point that Mon, who was demoted to Execution Knight after the Sota Desert, was reinstated as a ck Knight.
''Furthermore, my mother will also have no choice but to be cautious due to the Chaos invasion.''
If only the power of the Family is lost, then Rosa is more likely to have advanced negotiations with the Prophet.
That''s how she could quickly restore power because Zipple is weak now and it''s an opportunity to attack them.
However, Rosa had no choice but to postpone negotiations as she was now in a situation where she could not properly exert herself.
For now, she had no choice but to negotiate with the Prophet on the right terms.
"Production may have started in earnest since then, but it must be recently that the technology has developed to the point where it can be used in practice."
"Regardless of when it was avable, Zipple probably wanted to reveal the fleet and teleportation deviceter. The reason they used the fleet as bait in the Sota Desert was to confirm the existence of the Prophet in your Family."
Valeria returned the ns and the machine to Jin.
She tried several times to obtain new information with the magic of the disks, but she got nothing.
"Now I really have to go. Whatever happens, I will send you a letter to Tikan if there are any new developments. Maybe sooner orter your sister will find a small clue about the Fifth Tomb of Temar."
"Are you talking about Elder Sister Luntia? No wonder, I heard that Elder Brother Dyfus was in charge of preventing Chaos, not Elder Sister Luntia. She''s looking for Temar''s Tomb. It''s surprising how useful she is to me."
"There may be information within Runcandel that you don''t know. The Third gbearer is moving based on that."
Valeria offered to shake Jin''s hand.
"See youter."
"Take care".
--------------------
Two dayster, in an unexpected ce.
Jin was able to find clues about Qwaul Ganesto.
"Did you say Qwaul Ganesto''s alias was Tingen Bauer?"
A hidden mansion within the Hidden Pce.
Tris, with a haggard face, asked Jin with wide eyes as soon as she heard the name.
"Do you know him?"
"Neither Qwaul Ganesto nor Tingen Bauer aremon names. Especially when ites to the magical engineer Tingen Bauer... I''m pretty sure he''s someone I know."
-He''s a magical engineering genius, huh... Among my lovers there were quite a few like that. Do you want me to get in touch with them? Son-inw.
Shortly after obtaining the machine, Jin also talked to Tris about the need for an engineer.
And surprisingly, she, Tris, had a romance with a man named Tingen Bauer in her youth.
"He was my seventy-seventh lover. It was a lucky number and I remember him very clearly for his unique personality. A cool guy who is the perfect definition of a nerd."
"Huh, Tris-nim. Is there any way I can contact him now?"
"I remember the house he lived in, but the chances of him still living there are low, right? A wooden cabin on the outskirts of Palin Kingdom, it must have been more than 30 years ago."
"Still, I''d like to go once. What kind of person was he?"
A small smile crossed Tris''s lips as she remembered her memories with Qwaul. It seems that her memories with him were not so bad, but when Tris thought more deeply about him, her expression wrinkled.
"He was a bad boy. I didn''t know there would be another human in the world who could leave me, except for your father!"
"...Eh? Did my father leave you?"
"Ara, you''re mistaken. I''m not talking about a rtionship, your father left me in the duels we had. Anyway, Tingen, he, cut off his rtionship with me then, saying he was busy with some research, and I haven''t heard from him since then. Anyway, I''ll give Mort to you until my daughteres back, so go see the house where he lived."
"Alright."
Booong-!
As soon as Jin replied, Mort appeared in front of Tris and let out a cry.
There were ck Chaos stains all over Mort''s body. However, unlike Jin and other infected, Mort was slowly purifying the Chaos with his energy.
"Anyway, my daughter is toozy to be a noble."
"Mother."
It was the first time Jin had met Siris since the war.
"Lady Siris."
So Jin thought she would be angry with him, as he was responsible for Tris suffering severe internal injuries and losing most of her powers.
"Jin."
However, contrary to what Jin expected, Siris did not show anger towards Jin.
Rather, she looked at the stains left on Jin''s hand back and showed a hint of concern for him.
"...Are you alright?"
"Yes, I''m still fine."
Siris silently looked at the back of Jin''s hand for a while.
Jin coughed because the situation was somewhat awkward.
Siris used to get angry every time Tris often got involved in matters rted to Runcandel and Zipple and lost something because of Jin.
However, she wasn''t angry with Jin, but rather hated the fact that the major forces looked down on the Hidden Pce.
She had long recognized Jin as an ally.
Only for a while did she act harshly, with some kind of blow and strangepetitive spirit.
Specifically, even if it wasn''t for Jin, Tris herself had to intervene anyway to fulfill her secret mission.
Therefore, Siris understood that, thanks to Jin, the Hidden Pce only suffered this damage.
Tris had told her that without Jin, she would have to break Elona''s seal.
If that woman, Elona, were freed from her seal, the Hidden Pce would have had to remain isted from the world for a long time until it disappeared.
Moreover, Jin''s help didn''t end there.
Siris''s gazended behind Tris.
She could see that Elona''s Zipple seal was mixed with Shadow Energy.
ck Dragon Misha.
As soon as the subjugation was over, Tris required her and she came here to help maintain the seal. Elona could be freed if she didn''t, so Misha poured all her strength into the seal.
Because of this, Misha was in a state of binding by Elona''s seal, Misha''s current state was no different from that of a statue.
Jin followed Siris and observed Elona''s seal and Misha.
Before entering the seal, Misha told Jin that she was fine, but it was natural for them to feel sorry for her.
"Thank you for your concern, Lady Siris."
"I''m sorry I couldn''t help."
"Eh, are you two in a good mood? Daughter, go on a date with my son-inw to Palin Kingdom right now."
When Jin exined about Qwaul, Siris nodded.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 584
Chapter 584
C584
Tower of Stories.
"There was aboratory in the middle of the Empire..."
Crunch, Octavia gritted her teeth.
She had her entire body wrapped in mana bandages, as if she hadn''t fully recovered from the aftermath of the war yet, and several maintenance devices were connected to her back.
The visible ck spots through the bandages were thick.
In addition to the chaos invasion, the Demon God Orb had subjected her to super-regeneration, so for now, she had to use a maintenance device every day.
"The Imperial Family, those wicked bastards'' guts are bigger than I thought. Isn''t the Imperial Capital a ce where our Magicianse and go every day?"
Kadun, beside her, also calmed his anger.Hedo lit a cigarette with a calm face.
He was only keeping hisposure because he really didn''t think anything of it, but to Octavia and Kadun, it didn''t seem so.
He gave the illusion of considering the situation with coldness and superhuman patience.
"It''s embarrassing, but it''s fortunate that the Imperial Family still has a trump card. So calm down, Kadun-nim. The same goes for you, Specter Commander."
At Hedo''s words, Kadun and Octavia cleared their throats in embarrassment.
"...Hedo-nim is right. I''ve shown a shameful side."
"Yes... those bastards are cornered, so they won''t hesitate to approach us again."
The power structure of the world changed after the war of the Sword Emperor Castle.
Now, it hase to the era where it is impossible to say for sure that Zipple is the only n at the top.
Of course, they didn''tpletely lose their position as the number one n, but the major powers of the world don''t know the exact situation of their respective damages.
They can only assume it''s beyond their imagination.
Therefore, the two great ns had to watch each other''s backs and strengthen their forces as soon as possible, at any cost.
Even in Runcandel, Cyron is still alive and kicking.
It was a foreseeable fact that he had entered the Kingdom of the 5 ck Sea Kings, but Zipple had to assume the possibility of him returning to the Continent at any time, and the existence of the Prophet was also a cause for concern.
In that sense, Zipple had no choice but to covet the Demon Men technology of the imperial family.
In any case, the imperial family couldn''t conspire with Runcandel.
It was because Jin was there, and even though Rosa ignored him and asked for an alliance first, it was an unattractive offer for the imperial family because Runcandel wouldn''t have any expert magic engineers.
Above all, the imperial family has maintained a closer rtionship with Zipple than with Runcandel.
Although it seemed they had pped each other on the back once in the war of the Sword Emperor Castle, they were now in a position where they needed each other.
"You''re right. The tail cut of the Imperial Family failed because of the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel, so they have no choice but to rely on us. Any negotiation can be carried out on favorable terms. It''s not something to be angry about, but rather something to be d about."
Zipple didn''t exactly know the power of the Demon Men.
It was highly likely that the information spread by Jin''s press, iming that the Demon Men had super-regenerative abilities and a power superior to that of a 9-star Knight, was an exaggeration.
Still, they thought there must be a reason why the imperial family dared to deceive them.
As forbat power, they can simply look at the samples during negotiations.
"It''s not toote to punish them after they lose their abilities and the n recovers."
"But one strange thing is, how did demons know the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel the location of theboratory? It''s impossible for our n to have less intelligence than him."
Octavia nodded at Hedo''s words.
"I think it''s because the survivor of Histor is with the Twelfth gbearer. From the moment the Twelfth gbearer destroyed the patriarch''s grand magic in the war, it has been confirmed that he and the record magician are together."
The Second Version Of The Demon Empress, in the war of the Sword Emperor Castle, Jin easily dissipated that magic as if he already knew it.
Octavia''s gaze rested on another maintenance device behind her.
There was Beradin Zipple sealed there trying to escape.
He hasn''t regained consciousness even once since the beginning of the war of the Sword Emperor Castle.
Even Octavia and Beradin weren''t the only ones helped by the maintenance device.
Kelliark is also within one of the maintenance devices on the top floor of the Tower of Stories.
In other words, Zipple was facing its worst moment in a thousand years.
"It was when Kelliark finally dered that she would personally find the survivors of Histor, but Misha the ck Dragon and the survivor of Histor were also very lucky."
"First of all, we''ll have to wait for the Imperial Family to contact us. And when that kid wakes up... I''ll have to ask him to meet with the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel."
"Octavia, no matter how close the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel is to Beradin. Do you think he''s going to spit out information about Histor?"
"There''s nothing wrong with trying, Kadun-nim. Anyway, the Twelfth gbearer will also be curious about Beradin''s condition, so he''ll never avoid the meeting."
As the conversation progressed like this, Hedo was a little perplexed.
It was because before attending this meeting, he received a request from Sandra Zipple.
"Surely Auntie will make Beradin meet with Jin when he wakes up. Hedo tells them, then I will go with him."
"No, Miss."
"Why?"
"Miss, you are actuallymitting an act of treason by meeting with the Twelfth gbearer. So far, the patriarch has turned a blind eye, but if you continue..."
"Oh! I also have an idea. Have I heard that that Record Magician is with him? Then Auntie wouldn''t be able to send Radin with a manipted mind, so she will have some anxiety. Because she won''t know what Radin will say! I''ll take on that surveince role."
"From my point of view, I think your mouth is more of a problem, Miss."
"Anyway, tell her that. End of story."
Sigh...
Hedo let out a deep sigh along with the smoke from his cigarette.
Inevitably, he finally rhymed.
"Specter Commander, how about we send Young Miss Sandra with the young patriarch?"
If anyone else had said it, Octavia would have considered it unworthy of hearing.
"Why do you think so? Hedo-nim."
"I believe we should keep an eye on the young patriarch. What memories he regained or lost due to this attempted mind control. We can''t figure it out quickly, and there is a possibility that the survivor of Histor will check if the young patriarch''s mind was manipted."
"That makes sense. But for that kind of role, Sandra is another time bomb, so a more reliable person would be better for this role..."
"If you send the right person, it will be difficult to avoid the suspicions of the Twelfth gbearer. Naturally, the scope of the conversation between them will also be narrowed."
Hedo felt like something was missing in what he was saying, but he thought it was better to deal with Sandra''s uproarter.
But surprisingly, Octavia and Kadun readily epted his opinion.
"I prefer to do as you say. I''ve heard there''s a strange atmosphere between the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel and Sandra. That might help again. And even if she wasn''t the Record Magician, the Twelfth gbearer had an Az-Mil Contractor. Recognizing mind maniption is not a difficult job."
The strange atmosphere was Sandra''s unteral love attack, and the Twelfth gbearer would never lose his cool over something like that, but Hedo remained silent.
"Alright, Hedo-nim. As soon as Beradin wakes up, tell Sandra to get ready."
Hedo would have felt morefortable if they had rejected him. Hedo simply nodded with an ufortable smile.
-------------------------
Of course, Tris, she, had not expected at all that her seventy-seventh lover from thirty years ago would still be living in a wooden cabin on the outskirts of Palin Kingdom.
Giving them to Mort was like expecting her daughter and son-inw to have a date.
A young man and woman, a remote country, an old log cabin that may still be standing. Few conditions are better for love to happen.
Boong!
Thendscape that appeared when the pure white dimensional portal opened was very romantic, as Tris had hoped.
In the dense forest without sunlight, the curved trees formed a semi-spherical space, and in the center, an old log cabin stood quaintly.
"It looks remote. To think that the log cabin Tris-nim talked about really exists."
"Huh, Mort. My mother''s ''affairs'' are your fault too. If my mother didn''t have the ability to move through dimensions, her lover count would have been halved."
[Booh, boong...]
"Anyway, I can''t see anything particrly damaged here, so we can take a look and return soon."
"Yes, Lady Siris."
Contrary to Tris''s expectations, the two seemed like people who came to do "work," looking straight ahead.
"If I had known it would be so easy to get clues about Qwaul Ganesto, I would have asked Valeria toe with me here."
If there were Record Magic, she would have been able to easily look at the records Qwaul left here without having to search every nook and cranny of this uninhabited ce.
If he didn''t find more information, Jin thought it would be a good idea toe back with Valeriater.
However, as soon as the two entered the log cabin, they could find traces of people living there.
There was a strong smell of cigarette smoke in addition to a slight smell of food, as if they had eaten a few hours ago.
There were so many cigarette butts and empty bottles on the floor that there was no room to step.
"...Are people living here? It''s definitely not the person called Qwaul Ganesto."
"It should be good if it were Qwaul Ganesto, but it would be a bit awkward because it was so easy to find him."
"Don''t think so, maybe it''s someone who still works as an engineer for Zipple, so there''s no way they''re living in a ce like this without an escort."
"But let''s see who it is."
"Mort, look around you. Hide and move..."
Siris, who was talking to Mort through the window, suddenly stopped speaking.
It was because she could see a person walking from behind Mort, there.
He had a scruffy beard, disheveled hair, and had the typical look of a bandit, but upon seeing him, Siris abandoned any expectation that he was Qwaul.
It was because her mother''s taste was nowhere to be seen in his appearance.
But the next moment, he shouted at the two and pulled something from his arms.
''...A small mana cannon?''
Kikik, Kiririk-!
The mana cannon he pulled out looked small at first, but as he moved the parts, it quickly transformed into a medium-sized orrger one.
"Who are you?"
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 585
Chapter 585
C585
Usually, after aiming a gun at someone, if you ask who they are, you expect an answer.
Pew-!
However, the man in front of them belonged to the category of individuals who renounced that stereotypical form of intimidation, and instead, he was seen firing a pre-loaded hand cannon.
Yet, what was even more shocking to Jin than being attacked by a cannon, and it showing much greater power than his expectations, was the target the man had aimed at.
It wasn''t just Jin and Siris, but the cabin that housed the lingering memories of that remote ce, where he had been cooking and eating for over 30 years.
Pew-pew!
Siris reacted faster than Jin and stepped forward to deflect the bullets.
A wall of ice extending from her grip covered the front of the cabin, blocking the bullets.Siris gritted her teeth at the powerful st hitting the transparent ice wall.
Her eyes quickly darkened with murderous intent.
"You trash of a man."
"Um, Lady Siris? You can''t kill him. I believe he''s Qwaul Ganesto. Or at least has something to do with him. I haven''t heard of a portable hand cannon of this level before."
Bang, bang, bang!
The hand cannon continued firing as Jin spoke.
In a matter of seconds, the entire scene was obscured by ck smoke.
"Then let me cut off both his arms."
"That sounds more fitting for Elder Sister Yona than for you, Lady Siris. Let''s make him surrender and decide what to do with him afterward."
Jin leaped out of the ice wall.
Creating a sword wind as he swept through the nearby smoke, Jin encountered an unexpected sight.
''Have these weapons been installed already?''
Unidentified blue rods protruded among the strangely bent trees.
In between, there were objects resembling muzzles and cannons.
The ground, once covered in weeds, had turned into a t metal surface.
The intricate lines on the ground emitted a vibration implying it could transform into traps simr to the defensive equipment of the fortress.
All of this had changed in less than 10 seconds.
''As surprising as when I met Lady Am.''
Back then, Am''s murky Chaos Energy amplified, but the changes brought about by the man were solely the result of pure magical engineering.
As expected, the trap was activated as soon as Jin stepped onto the metal ground.
Lines extended, and sharp hooks protruded from within,tching onto his ankles.
Of course, the engineering was impressive. Probably not for an ordinary martial artist, though.
Not even a 7-star Warrior or above would have been able to withstand some of the traps from that man.
But the opponents were Jin and Siris.
The hooks broke without leaving a scratch on Jin''s Shadow Energy Armor.
It wasn''t to the point where he couldn''t avoid it, but he deliberately opened the armor to test the power.
Not bad to feel my ankles weighing me down.
It would be quite effective if installed in Tikan.
For Jin, who had activated his Shadow Energy Armor, it was of a considerable level, and it had a cutting force that could easily sever even the ankles of well-trained Knights as if cutting through butter.
Next, a cannonball grazed Jin''s back.
Simrly, Jin felt satisfied by the slight sensation of pain in his lower back.
The bright that attacked him next was also inevitable.
The is so tough that it''s hard to cut even with an 8-star strike...
This would be useful too.
Rip!
Jin smiled as he tore the with his hands.
In a way, Jin had already decided to recruit that man.
Whether he was Qwaul or not, regardless of his personality or intentions.
There was no need to worry about those things because he had the ability.
It was uneptable for such a person to belong to the enemy.
Especially in times like these.
If the man was human trash, he would force him to work; if he was a man he couldmunicate with, he would be generous, and if he was loyal to Zipple, he would break his spirit.
He was by no means a person to be in Zipple.
And suddenly, a thought crossed Jin''s mind:
What if that man could mass-produce such objects?
If so, wouldn''t the era of Knightse to an end?
The next moment, Jin felt even more of that bittersweet sensation.
Something is obstructing aura concentration...
It wasn''t at a critical level.
Originally, a hundred auras would gather even if he used his energy as naturally as breathing, but now, it condensed to about ny-five.
However, this was only when relying on the general standard of a martial artist.
Because Jin''s aura affinity far exceeded the general standard.
Even this would be fatal for an ordinary martial artist, and assuming Jin was also dealing with a person equivalent to a superhuman, it was a dangerously close phenomenon.
Siris also had a stiff expression, as if she sensed the same thing.
There would be no problem in subduing the man, but as a warrior, it was inevitable to feel surprised.
She quickly rolled her eyes to find the presumed causative element.
The rods emerging through the gaps in the trees were the cause.
The strange energy emanating from the rods was disrupting the flow of aura.
The rods only affected aura.
The mana and Shadow Energy that Jin tested were not hindered by this flow.
For a moment, a chill ran down his spine.
If that man was Qwaul Ganesto, then the reason he was crafting that rod artifact would be to aid Zipple in facing Runcandel.
Like the blueprints of the production ship and the teleportation device.
Verification of the man''s magical engineering artifacts wasplete.
Jin burst his aura in an instant, diverting the traps and projectiles that were about to envelop him.
As he rushed forward, the ground he stepped on exploded, sending debris flying.
It wasn''t the traps that exploded, but rather the explosion urred due to the discharge of his aura.
Sigmund''s blue lightning energy fiercely rebounded against the man''s artifacts.
Most of the artifacts were instantly disabled or destroyed, but the rod remained steadfast, apparently on apletely different level among his creations.
Nevertheless, Jin had no intention of breaking the rods. It would be foolish to damage something so precious.
"Tingen Bauer."
Before Tingen could even blink, Jin''s voice, which had been in front of him, resonated from behind.
Of course, being a person capable of fortifying the entire space in an instant, the man also wore a plethora of defensive artifacts to protect himself.
But Jin''s figure was visible from the front, his voice heard from behind, and even before he finished uttering his words, a sword pierced through the man''s left side.
Moreover, as soon as the shield on the left side broke, the same happened on the right.
The blue lightning energy spreading like light struck all around before he could realize.
"Who are you! How do you know me and found this ce?"
As the man admitted he was Tingen, Jin smiled inwardly again.
The distressing feeling that things were going too well hadpletely disappeared.
Only the thought remained that he had struck gold in the middle of a jackpot, and he shouldn''t waste it.
"Some kind of headhunter?"
When the shields all exploded at once, Tingen''s body was thrown backward.
Normally, with such a jolt, the impact would reach the human inside the shield.
''He told me not to kill him, yet he''s treating him more violently... Wait, did hepletely eliminate only the shields?''
However, Jin''s attacks surprisingly onlypletely destroyed the shield, and only thanks to the wind spell did Tingen''s body float and avoid damage.
Jin gently held Tingen before he could m against the hard metal floor.
Siris watched him and inwardly clicked her tongue because she felt the gap again.
Jin Runcandel always goes far ahead every time we meet...
Siris no longer resented Jin''s achievements being much faster than hers.
She genuinely cared for him and, above all, knew how he had gained that power and what paths he had walked.
Somehow, she couldn''t help but feel a little disappointed.
"I can''t afford to harm your precious body. Tingen Bauer. No, Qwaul Ganesto."
This time, Tingen felt a shiver down his spine at the mention of his name.
As far as Tingen knew, there wasn''t a single person in the world, except himself, who knew that name.
Not even the Patriarch of Zipple, where he had worked until recently.
"What did you just say...?"
"Qwaul Ganesto, descendant of Lokia Ganesto, one of the ten great knights of ancient Runcandel. Judging by the reaction, I''m pretty sure it''s you."
Pee-!
A sh of light burst from Qwaul''s handle.
It was an artifact simr to Tzenmi''s sh cannon that obscured the opponent''s vision.
Jin raised a handful of Shadow Energy andpletely swallowed the light from the artifact.
Long ago, he had surpassed the level where such a trick worked against him.
"I am Jin Runcandel, the current Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel and the rightful heir of the ancient Runcandel."
"What the hell are you suddenly talking about?"
"That''s what I want to ask. Why is the descendant of the Ten Great Knights working for Zipple?"
Jin sincerely didn''t believe it.
To be honest, if the family they originally dedicated themselves to didn''t protect them or remember them after a thousand years, they would have no choice but to betray to survive.
"Hey, do you think it makes sense? Even a passing dog or de of grass wouldugh at that im."
"Without delving into events from a thousand years ago, you have made numerous contributions to Zipple. That alone should be reason enough for you to die by Runcandel''s sword. As you said, I am a headhunter. Whether that turns into a recruitment or a true beheading depends on you."
"Hah, in that case, it''s a refusal. Kill me if you can."
"You surrender too easily."
"You just attacked me a moment ago. How many skills do you think you need to confirm from me? How interested do you think I am? You''ll never be able to kill me. Didn''t you just say a moment ago that you wouldn''t harm my precious body?"
"That''s right. So I''m thinking about how we can work together a little better. Forcedbor is always painful, isn''t it? Judging by the way you live, it seems there''s something wrong between Zipple and you. As the saying goes, all that glitters is not gold."
"Do you want to have a conversation with me?"
Jin nodded.
"Not like you, who attacked me suddenly with a mana cannon."
"Let me burn a few cigarettes and we''ll talk again."
"Whatever you want."
After smoking five cigarettes in a row, Tingen said:
"I''ll consider leaving this cabin if you answer some questions and meet the conditions I propose."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 586
Chapter 586
C586
Jin smiled to himself.
Although Qwaul started shooting from the beginning, it was the moment when it was revealed that Qwaul was not entirely incapable of conversing.
Moreover, isn''t it Jin''s specialty to answer questions and align with the conditions the other party desires?
"Let''s start with the question."
"How did you find out I was here?"
"I found out from Tris-nim."
"Tris...?"
Tingen showed a surprised expression upon hearing her name.It was as if he heard the name for the first time.
At first, both Jin and Siris wondered if Qwaul and the Tingen mentioned by Tris were different people.
However, after a moment, he startled and said:
"Ah! Tris. Yes, Tris Kendorma."
"Wasn''t it Endorma?"
"Endorma? Was it? Right... There was a woman like that..."
Not only Jin, but Siris also couldn''t help but be amazed at Qwaul''s reaction, whose eyes deepened as he recalled his old memories.
In particr, Siris felt a kind of fresh shock beyond difort.
He never wanted to, but Siris had firsthand dealt with quite a few of the many humans who had been lovers of Tris.
They clung to her to the point of being pathetic.
In severe cases, they even threatened to end their lives if she didn''t meet them, but Tris never approached those former lovers.
Siris had even dealt with those who, in some severe cases, insisted on tarnishing the image of the Hidden Pce by spreading exaggerated rumors about Tris.
Like when Jin was a cadet intermediate, Siris went to Mamit to remove Tris''s 307th boyfriend, Alcaro Chender.
Jin and Siris first met there.
''Did... he even forget my mother? What kind of human is he? No, is that possible?''
Even if they weren''t lovers, once you saw Tris, she was an unforgettable figure.
First of all, the public didn''t even have the chance to see her, and her unique white-silver hair and her aura, characteristic of the Endorma bloodline, emitted an inexplicable mystique that no one else could feel.
But it seemed that Qwaul really had forgotten her.
However one looked at it, he wasn''t pretending to have forgotten her.
"...No, didn''t you already know? Until now, it was Full Ice energy that blocked your bullets."
Full Ice energy emitted apletely different sensation from ordinary ice-type magic.
However, Qwaul pped as if he had just remembered.
Mort was even here.
"That''s right. Now that I think about it, that friend is using the same power as Tris Kendorma!"
"Endorma!"
Siris shouted.
Qwaul kept looking mncholic, whether he said it or not.
At that moment, Siris was about to lose her nerves.
"Oh, Mort. It''s been a long time, my friend. So you must be her daughter. Nice to meet you. I''m Tingen Bauer."
"Get lost."
"And you must be her son-inw, or a future son-inw. Now that I think about it, I heard there are marriage talks between the Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel and thedy from the Hidden Pce. How is Tris?"
Before Jin could choose what to respond, Qwaul shook his head.
"No, well! Forget it. I''m not interested in past love affairs."
"Hah, amazing."
Aren''t your eyes too deep for that kind of thing... Jin wanted to say that, but he stayed silent, looking at Siris.
"Well, anyway, if Tris told you about this ce, it makes sense. She remembered this ce."
Qwaul seemed to have many questions about Tris, but he held back.
Siris stepped away from them, thinking that if he watched Qwaul any longer, she might draw her sword.
Jin gave Qwaul a moment to gather his thoughts.
A few minutester, Qwaul''s eyes returned to being cautious.
However, it was much milder than the first time.
"Next question. It was exined how you found out about this wooden cabin and Tingen Bauer''s alias. But how do you know my real name?"
"My informants found out."
"I''m telling you beforehand. If you y a joke or tell a lie, the conversation ends there."
"You''re strict."
"Do you think Runcandel''s intelligence is superior to Zipple''s? Moreover, you are still just a Twelfth gbearer, your intelligence doesn''te from Runcandel but from the collective abilities of the Vamel Alliance. It''s hard to believe you found out my real name to that extent."
Qwaul''s words contained information.
''Didn''t even Zipple know Tingen Bauer''s real name, Qwaul Ganesto?''
How did you know something even Zipple didn''t know?
He seemed to ask that.
"It''s true that my informants found out your real name. My Family didn''t even know of your existence, let alone that I was looking for you."
Jin couldn''t ssify Valeria as a simple informant, but, broadly speaking, she could also be ssified as an informant of the Vamel Alliance, so he wasn''t lying.
Qwaul stared at Jin for a while without saying anything.
"Hmm, I don''t think you''re lying."
That prolonged eye contact was Qwaul''s way of detecting lies.
It seemed there was no proof, but since they had surpassed it, it was fine for Jin.
"I also have some things I want to ask."
"Do it after I finish my questions."
"Why is Zipple''s engineer, especially a crucial figure for the development of the teleportation device and mass-produced battleships, trapped in a ce like this? Moreover, why isn''t there any magicianing to escort him, not even to this point?"
Qwaul didn''t really hate Jin''s behavior, ignoring his words and asking questions.
He thought this aspect was better than the powerful ones from Zipple, who usually showed a servile appearance by carefully looking after themselves.
Perhaps this small favor was the price for helping him remember a long-forgotten past love, but Qwaul vehemently denied it.
"Even those rods you made seem to have the ability to interfere with the concentration of warriors'' auras. No matter how I think about it, it''s strange that an engineer of your caliber is left aside in a ce like this."
"Left aside? Did you say I was left aside? Ha! You don''t know me well. No one can contain me."
For some reason, at that moment, Jin thought of the ck Dragon he knew well.
''It reminds me of Murakan...''
These kinds of individuals, whether described positively as simple and unique or negatively as somewhat foolish and arrogant, sometimes showed signs of being obsessed with something.
Jin hoped Qwaul also had those kinds of elements.
"Zipple released you, is that what you''re saying?"
"I was trying to be nice, but you keep talking about things that scratch my pride. Zipple? They only cared about my skills and took me in for a while. I''ve never been affiliated with them."
Jin had a rough idea.
It''s likely that Zipple was unable to recklessly deal with this entric individual.
This person seemed to be someone who, even if slightly offended, would never cooperate.
So they had no choice but to y along.
Nothing was known about this arrogant engineering genius, Tingen Bauer.
If Jin hadn''t obtained some mechanical device blueprints and battleship ns from the Sota Desert, and if Valeria hadn''t been there, and if he hadn''t had any connection with Tris, he probably wouldn''t have found this ce.
Even if he had found it, it would have been muchter.
Additionally, Qwaul had the ability to confront quite a few people, and Zipple suffered from a severe energy shortage after the Sword Emperor Castle War.
''But still, it''s insufficient to exin why Qwaul Ganesto has been sidelined. Maybe it''s because the name Ganesto is still unfamiliar to Zipple.''
Mind maniption.
Suddenly, one of Zipple''s spells came to Jin''s mind.
At least from what he had seen so far, Qwaul didn''t seem to be affected by mind maniption.
His mental control was not yet perfect, so if we exclude that, things fit a little.
And why was Qwaul working with Zipple in the first ce?''
Although he wasn''t from an academy, and his fame wasn''t widespread, it was evident that Qwaul Ganesto was a genius engineer of another caliber.
Therefore, it was very possible that Zipple took notice of him because of his exceptional abilities.
He''s not someone who can be easily recruited.
If he only needed advanced engineering equipment or resource support, he probably would have turned to the academy first.
Zipple must have made an attractive offer to Qwaul.
To redeem himself, he''s going to put Zipple as an enemy for a while.
Jin reached that conclusion.
"Maybe you were working with Zipple because there was something that attracted you?"
"Think what you want about that part."
Jin thought it meant yes.
Originally, upon hearing Qwaul''s response, Jin would have felt a bit stuck.
Because the Vamel Alliance and Runcandel had no alternative offer against teleportation devices and mass-produced battleships.
But now, the situation was different.
There''s a multi-purpose mana spraying cannon, something Am imed was a masterpiece of ancient artifacts, and they also have some of the battleship ns and teleportation device parts.
In particr, the parts and ns were clearly a masterpiece among masterpieces even for Qwaul.
"Let me ask you directly, Qwaul Ganesto. If I could make you an offer as attractive as Zipple''s, would you consider working with me?"
"That''s not possible."
"Do you want to hear my proposal? You said you would consider leaving the cabin if I answered your questions and if I fulfilled your conditions. Is that correct?"
"Although I said that, I don''t really have any expectations. If you''re thinking of moving me through torture or something, feel free to do so. However, by doing so, you will be the viin who will set back the progress of this world for centuries."
Jin didn''t respond to that and instead pulled out a mechanical device from his pocket, presenting it to Qwaul.
"I thought you''d want toplete this thing, but it seems I was mistaken."
Then Qwaul''s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
"What, what! Why do you have it?"
Jin couldn''t help but smile once again.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 587
Chapter 587
C587
Qwaul reflexively grabbed the machine, and Jin slightly dodged his touch and tilted his head.
"You shouldn''t snatch someone else''s belongings like that."
"How did you get it?!"
"Because I acquired it from Zipple."
"Hah! Zipple, those bastards! Did they let you take it?"
"You talk as if there was a reason it belonged to Zipple."
Qwaul had been reacting violently all this time, but the fact that his face was now red and blue as if he were about to explode was truly furious.
Even his eyes reddened quickly, and his hands and feet trembled."These... These bastards! How dare they deceive me...?"
"Did Zipple deceive you?"
Jin narrowed his eyes.
He needed to hear more of the story, but Qwaul''s resentment towards Zipple was definitely advantageous for Jin.
"It''s not from Zipple, it''s mine!"
"You need to learn another lesson about handling possessions."
"Give it back to me."
"You probably don''t think of Runcandel as a Family that acquires something and then easily gives it away."
It wasn''t just ament to provoke Qwaul.
The mechanical device and the blueprint of the battleship, how much sacrifice had Jin made in the Sota Desert to obtain these two items?
He had acquired them with the death of the ck Knight Jane.
For Jin, it was distasteful that Qwaul dared to im ownership of an object in front of him.
It''s hard to imagine the value of Qwaul, so Jin refrained from revealing his murderous intent.
If it had been anyone else, they would have been immediately used of a crime.
"Fine, I admit it. However, I would like to know where and how you obtained that item."
"Why should I?"
"Did you say you wanted my ability?"
"That''s another matter. If you want to hear the background, this time, try telling me something that captures my interest."
Qwaul gritted his teeth. The initiative had changed in an instant.
He had never before experienced a loss of control like this.
Powerful individuals, including Zipple, who identally discovered his abilities, had usually resorted to senseless threats and persuasion, attempting to manipte him with empty promises.
As long as he had the ability as an engineer, Qwaul had always been the "strong one," except for this moment.
It seemed these things were more valuable to Qwaul than he had expected.
Jin''s thoughts about Qwaul''s desire as an engineer toplete his masterpiece turned out to be urate.
Therefore, the acquisition was no different from the fact that it was already half-finished.
What remained to be seen was how cooperative Qwaul would be.
"...Jin Runcandel, you said it was a teleportation device, right? That item is not a teleportation device, but an instant summoning tool. It''spletely different from teleportation."
"What''s the difference?"
"Teleportation has weather limitations, like transfer gates, but this device doesn''t have that, and it can transcend time and space."
Hearing Qwaul''s response, Jin couldn''t help but widen his eyes.
''If it could transcend time and space.''
Perhaps, it could be the technology that could bring his brothers from Lafrarosa.
Of course, Jin couldn''tpletely trust Qwaul''s words.
It could be just an absurd story or an exaggerated interpretation driven by hope.
However, until recently, space-time devices were considered impossible technology.
Jin hadn''t heard of such technology even in his past life.
"Is that all?"
"Yes. For now. Now it''s your turn to respond."
"It seems like a tug-of-war between lovers. I got the items in the Sota Desert. I acquired both the mechanical device and the blueprint of the vault of the Second Magic Tower. It''s strange that you didn''t know. Weren''t you working for Zipple when the incident in the Sota Desert happened?"
"Hmph, was that why you repressed your murderous intent as soon as I imed ownership? You must have made many sacrifices."
"That''s true, but it''s impressive that you noticed."
"I apologize for it. The device obviously belongs to you."
This time, Jin liked Qwaul''s attitude.
Despite being somewhat entric and mboyant, Qwaul at least seemed to have a basic understanding.
For a while, the two remained silent, organizing their thoughts.
Qwaul was the one who broke the silence.
"There''s something you''ve misunderstood. To be precise, I didn''t create that item."
Jin had no choice but to ept Qwaul''s words as lies.
The fact that Qwaul was the creator of the machine and the blueprints had already been revealed by Valeria''s Record Magic.
"So, who created it?"
"Lokia Ganesto."
"What?"
"Lokia Ganesto. The mechanical device wasn''t made by me; it was created by my distant ancestor. The space-time device I created through him is nothing more than an attempt to restore objects from that era."
If what Qwaul said was true, then the space-time device was created a thousand years ago.
A thousand years ago, Runcandel and Zipple possessed much greater power than now, and it was true just by observing the fact that they often encountered relics called masterpieces with performance far superior to advanced technology.
It wasn''t entirely imusible that the creator, revealed by Record Magic, was Qwaul.
Since he improved an existing object, he could also be considered a creator.
Above all, the maniption of the history of the ten great knights, including Lokia Ganesto, had only faded slightly, but it was still in effect.
"Is the blueprint also made by Lokia Ganesto, not by you?"
"If the blueprint you have is on paper, then yes, I made it. But even that is a restoration using relics left by my ancestors. Like the space-time device, it''s crudepared to the original that existed a thousand years ago."
It was the first time Jin had heard this information.
Jin pretended to know that the original was in the form of a tablet, but Qwaul burst intoughter.
"No matter how high you fly or crawl, you couldn''t have stolen that. Because that item is in the First Magic Tower, the Tower of Stories."
"Is the original blueprint also originally yours?"
"No, it would have been good if it were. It belonged to Zipple long before. It''s different from the parts that were always in my possession until I started investigating."
"My informant said that construction of the blueprints began in 1775 and the machine was manufactured in 1780."
"You have an impressive informant. But it''s very strange. As far as I know when my research began, only Kelliark, Kadun, and Octavia were in Zipple...".
Qwaul narrowed his eyes as if guessing something.
"Now I understand. Your so-called informant, is it a survivor of Histor? Record Magic. If not, it''s information you would never know. Unless Kelliark Zipple gave it to you."
Jin didn''t answer and looked at Qwaul''s expression.
There seemed to be a burning desire in his dark eyes.
"Furthermore, my real name. That doesn''t even suppose Kelliark could know it. Unless it''s Record Magic, he''ll never know. That person must have seen Ganesto''s name on the device through Record Magic."
The fact that there is a survivor of Histor has been known among the major forces for a long time.
And the fact that he is with Jin has been noticed to some extent by the two major ns recently.
It was perhaps natural for Qwaul to make such an analogy.
"Are you going to say it''s an exaggeration?"
"It depends on the reasons you think so."
"I''ve lived my whole life under the name Tingen Bauer. Until recently, I didn''t know my real name, Qwaul Ganesto. After the world was dyed in chaos. Unless it''s Record Magic, what else could have revealed it?".
Only a month ago, there was a problem with manipting history in the name of "Ganesto".
The weakening of Zipple''s power caused by Gliek was causing a chain reaction between Jin and Qwaul.
And neither Jin nor Qwaul knows it.
It''s not the first time Zipple''s history maniption has gone wrong.
Even in the era when Qwaul was born, and during the lives of his other ancestors, there were times when the maniption weakened.
In particr, Ganesto''s history maniption was often problematic.
"It''s a shame you didn''t know Kelliark didn''t know your name. Yes, the Histor survivor is with me."
It wasn''t a situation to continue hiding.
Jin continued to observe the desire reflected in Qwaul''s eyes.
Qwaul is a descendant of Lokia Ganesto, and he is the world''s best engineer.
And what he desired most was not wealth, power, or personal sess, but to restore andplete technology.
Therefore, the ability to use Record Magic, which only Histor could use, was more essential for Qwaul than anything else.
"The conditions I was going to mention to leave the cabin were originally these. Firstly, you must own the machine. And secondly, recruit a person who can use Record Magic and make them my assistant. So I didn''t expect anything from you because both seemed impossible."
Hiss, said Qwaul, lighting a cigarette.
"The first condition is already met, and the second depends on how closely rted you are to the Record Magician. Is it possible?"
"I think it''s possible if you are the assistant, not them."
"Well, title doesn''t matter much. Anyway, once they confirm my abilities, the question is to help each other."
Jin thought Valeria would never do that, but nodded.
Rather, Jin imagined Qwaul volunteering as Valeria''s assistant.
Qwaul reached out to Jin.
"There will be no greater luck than having me in your life, in your family, and throughout your faction."
Jin responded by taking his hand.
"I will serve you diligently in my own way."
"What do you mean ''in my own way''?"
"It means I wee you to the Vamel Alliance."
Although Qwaul protested that he wasn''t officially part of it yet, Jin effortlessly subdued him and threw him into the mouth of the Mortal Toad.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 588
Chapter 588
C588
Jin was a little worried because Qwaul had a rather gruff personality, but surprisingly, as soon as he arrived, he seemed to get along well with Jin''spanions.
Of course, Qwaul had a belligerent side, but Jin''spanions quickly epted him because he showed a tough but affectionate side with the children.
"Young Master, it seems like everyone misses Murakan-nim."
Gilly spoke as she sat next to Jin.
She and Jin watched as the children teased Qwaul for looking like a bandit or a bandit leader.
"Murakan?"
"When Murakan-nim was around, Tikan always felt lively. He took care of everything and yed with the children. I should say that Dr. Qwaul seems to be taking on the role."
"Although he seems to get along with the children, it''s only been three hours since Qwaul came here."Gilly''s eyes widened at those words.
Now that she thought about it, it was as Jin had said.
In thest three hours, all Qwaul had done with hispanions was name Am as his assistant, propose the same role to Beris, only to be tly rejected, and exchange a few words with the others.
Qwaul even received a p from Quikantel for teasing her, but he didn''t seem fazed.
"Oh, well, that''s true."
I guess you miss Murakan, Gilly...
Jin understood it that way.
''It feels a little weird to think that these two could be lovers...''
The two were practically like parents to Jin, so whenever there was a strange atmosphere between them, it made Jin feel uneasy.
Cringe, is that what the kids call it these days?
"Um, alright then. I''ll go take care of the pending tasks, Young Master."
As Gilly disappeared, Jin let out an ironic smile.
"I wonder if Murakan will be okay."
Murakan was currently absent to y the role of Misha.
He was taking over Solderet''s duties in her ce.
Jin had no idea what exactly he was doing.
Since it was a task from God, he assumed it was about maintaining the bnce and order of the world.
Not even Misha fully understood everything he was handling.
This was beyond mortal perception.
"Am-nim."
This time, Amelia, dressed in a round bush, rolled up to Jin.
"Speak, sir."
"You''ve had a long talk with Qwaul before. What do you think?"
"About his abilities?"
"Yes."
"Even if there were ten of me, I wouldn''t be able to keep up with Dr. Qwaul''s little finger."
"Is it that much?"
"Technically, he''s hundreds of years ahead of us. We''ve decided to study ck King Canyon Number 1 together, and he''s already solved some problems that I couldn''t solve. However, it will take some time to perfect it. He won''t take long to surpass Kozec''s main cannon."
"Oh..."
Indeed, Qwaul''s im that meeting him was the greatest fortune was not an exaggeration.
Am, a former researcher even before bing a mercenary, seemed to show respect for Qwaul''s abilities.
"It''s really crazy that the Zipple n discarded that old man. It''s their biggest mistake."
There was another reason why Qwaul was abandoned in the remote area.
Zipple mistakenly believed that they had already utilized most of his skills.
''They weren''t entirely wrong until recently.''
It was true that Qwaul was a genius among geniuses from the start.
However, his engineering skills increased in real time.
Just as he realized he was a descendant of ''Ganesto,'' some of the sealed ''inherited memories'' were being released, weakening the power of history after the War of the Sword Emperor Castle.
''Great knight Lokia Ganesto has set up a mechanism to ensure that memory continues to be passed down to her descendants... Is that so?''
The inheritance of memory.
Jin had already firsthand experienced that it was possible thanks to the help of the brothers from the Tribe of Legends.
Histor also left behind magic, mana, records, and memories to his descendants through the "temple of session."
Simrly, Ganesto was achieving the transmission of memories through some method.
Zipple waspletely unaware of that fact.
Still, Zipple should have either killed Qwaul or taken special care of him.
Zipple would have done so if they hadn''t suffered a major blow in the War of the Sword Emperor Castle.
"It won''t be long before theye looking for Qwaul again. So, Am-nim, watch over Qwaul. You must prevent him from leaving Tikan."
"Are you telling me to confine him for research?"
"Something like that."
"Don''t worry about that. He''s one to stay locked up in the researchb even when told to go out. But I''ll make sure to pay more attention to him."
There was a lot of work to be done through Qwaul.
And all of that will have better results than when Rosa chose ''The Prophet.''
-Originally, I nned to use them through the Prophet. However, this time I have changed my mind by suspending Joshua from the role of gbearer. I will postpone negotiations with the Prophet. During that time, show that you have a method superior to the Prophet.
-If I fail, you... will hand them over to the Prophet. You say this, acting matriarch.
The machine and blueprints of the battleship, Rosa kept insisting on handing them over to the Prophet at any time.
''If Zipple hadn''t suffered such a major blow during the War of the Sword Emperor Castle, my mother would have taken those things away from me immediately.''
Although Rosa never told Jin, she actually wanted to negotiate with the Prophet right now toplete the machine and battleship fleet.
She had an internal change after the war, like Qwaul.
Still, there was only one reason why Rosa was dying negotiations.
This was because the Family''s power was weakening, if any variables arose in negotiations with the Prophet, she would have fewer means to deal with those issues.
It is still unknown how much power the Prophet possesses.
Only deducing from the fact that she has not directly exerted her influence over the Garden of Swords can it be deduced that she cannot overthrow the n as she desires.
"But for now, please disguise Qwaul with Golden Snow products. Am-nim, get ready to go out."
"Hmm, where are we going?"
"There are people who have to pay for their sins. If they try to cheat me again, I won''t have the means to investigate, so I need both of your help."
---------------------
Kinzelo Headquarters.
As always, Kinzelo executives watched Ainas and Bouvard running around with distressed eyes.
"Ron Hairan... I never thought he would be a Genesis Knight."
Even in Margie''s always cheerful face, there was evident deep concern.
She had foreseen Dante''s death long before the War of the Sword Emperor Castle even began.
Not only that, but she also knew how the bnce of the world would change after Gliek awakened from the White Stone.
However, all the futures Margie foresaw had turned out to bepletely wrong.
All because Ron reached the Realm of the Genesis Knight at thest moment.
"I don''t feel well. Making Jin-nim join us seems like something that will never happen in the future."
"Did you confirm the future with your ability?" Zephyrin asked, and Margie shook her head.
"Jin-nim''s fate ispletely invisible to me. However, now that things have turned out like this, it seems like Jin-nim has moved one step further away from us."
"That little demon is already far away from us."
"That''s not a bad thing."
"And even if the fate you saw hade out as predicted, wouldn''t Jin-nim have moved further away from us?".
"He may have lost his mind, but he must have found himself in a situation where he needed our help."
A member of the Red Tiger Tribe found the executives in a hurry.
"What''s going on?" Berakt asked as he looked at the breathless Red Tiger running carelessly.
"Jin Runcandel has arrived at the Land of the Beast Men! Huk, huk. He said he''s here for the negotiations you mentionedst time..."
The Red Tiger member was out of breath after running for so long.
And the reason he was running was no different.
"Well, if you don''te to the Yukayuka market before noon, I''ll consider the negotiation non-existent and leave!"
The executives'' eyes all reached the clock hanging on the wall at the same time.
There were only two minutes left until noon.
Even if Zephyrin immediately transformed into her true form and flew at full speed over the roof of the headquarters, it was impossible to arrive on time.
"Ha! Is that arrogant trying to humiliate us again like this? No, Berakt-nim. Let''s send a letter to Tikan. If Jin Runcandel doesn''t return to thend of the beast men by the end of today, we''ll attack Tikan immediately!"
For some reason, Berakt tried to respond positively to Joe''s shout.
But the moment Margie shook her head, Berakt scolded Joe.
"Shut up, Joe."
"Right, Joe-nim. Jin-nim never speaks empty words. If it''s not now, we won''t be able to see the machine and the blueprints again."
The blueprints of the battleship and the machine were also very important to Kinzelo.
In the first ce, they also suffered considerable damage in the Sota Desert and tried to gain them.
Margie soon made a decision.
"I''ll open the door. I''m sorry, Leader!"
As she waved her hand in the air, a huge steel door suddenly formed in the middle of the conference room, and at that moment, the Kinzelo Leader, who was lying in the inner room of the headquarters, had no choice but to vomit blood once again.
"If I get involved with that demon, my master''s recovery will be dyed..."
"Let''s go together!"
All the executives went through the steel door that Margie had opened.
As soon as they arrived at the Yukayuka Market, they could see Jin holding a pocket watch.
"11:59:57 am. What a pity, if you had arrived just 4 secondste, there would have been no conversation between you and me. It seems that the objects we acquired in the Sota Desert are very necessary for you too."
"Um, it''s been a while. Jin-nim! How have you been?"
Margie forced a smile.
"I don''t think we''re so close as to ask about each other''s well-being, Margie."
"I also believe so, Jin-nim. We were in a hurry and couldn''te with the engineers, so I''m sure you''ll understand. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be fun for both parties."
When Zephyrin gritted her teeth, Jin snorted.
"Fine. I can understand that part. But you''re the ones used of the crime. Did you know Gliek could awaken?"
"Even if we did, what''s the problem? It''s just that our intelligence surpassed yours. We''re not close enough to exchange greetings, let alone allies, so there was no need to share that information."
"You''re right. Since we''re not allies, I preferred to me you for the crimes. In fact, I didn''t need to share with you the items we acquired in the Sota Desert. Therefore, there''s one more condition for this negotiation. If you want to see the items..."
Exin how Vermont found Temar''s body.
Jin finished his sentence with a stern expression.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 589
Chapter 589
C589
"Hahaha! What are you talking about? Did the Vermont Imperial Family find the body of the first patriarch of the Runcandel?"
Margie rolled her eyes to the side and said.
"Don''t pretend you don''t know. You surely had that information."
"Well, what do you base such a im on?"
In the past, Margie visited the Garden of Swords with Berakt and informed Jin that the imperial family was searching for Temar''s Tomb.
At that time, Margie said that if Jin joined Kinzelo, she would tell him why they were looking for Temar''s Tomb.
Naturally, Jin tly refused andter found out the purpose of the Imperial Family and the fact that they already possessed part of Temar''s body without Kinzelo''s help.
"Intuition."At Jin''s curt response, the expressions of Kinzelo''s executives wrinkled.
"I thought Jin-nim is a very rational, pragmatic, and impressive person. Just like my elder brother. But intuition is a word that doesn''t suit you, Jin-nim, right?"
"Miss Margie, this devil is originally that kind of person. Do you know how much trouble I''ve had because of his fiery temper?" Said Bouvard.
"This guy is the Jin Runcandel that our friend Bouvard cursed so much about. I''m Ainas Kaligo! the princess of the Kaligo Family and I love sweet potato croquettes. I challenge you. How many can you eat?"
"What?"
"How many sweet potato croquettes can you eat at once? Probably five at most. I can eat the whopping five hundred... hehe! It''ll be a massacre."
"Haha, enough, Ainas..."
"Listen carefully, inferior human. If my Unnie hadn''t stopped me, you''d be dead!"
Suddenly, Jin remembered that Am might have been among those idiots.
His head throbbed for some reason when he thought that if it had been Am, she would have fit in well among them.
"You have more interesting friends since thest time I saw you."
At Jin''s sarcastic response, Bishkel''s face seemed to redden more, almost as if it were about to explode.
"And you said it''s not like me to propose based on intuition? I guess you misunderstood me. Whether it''s my intuition or anything else, it doesn''t matter. What matters is that if you don''t release information about the Imperial Family, you can''t examine the objects I brought."
"Haha! You''re going too far again! How are we supposed to know how they obtained Temar''s body?"
"If you don''t know, you should find out, Bouvard. I think you''re the one who wants to analyze the blueprints and the machine the most among Kinzelo. Since we shouldn''t waste time, it would be good if you told meter if you really don''t know. Then I''ll leave immediately."
Saying this, Jin took out a machine and a blueprint from his pocket and waved it in front of Kinzelo''s executives.
''Murakan often said that gentleman had a very unpleasant side, but I think it''s the same case right now...''
''This guy, whether in the cockpit or now. There seems to be something inhuman about roasting people.''
While Jin smiled cheerfully, hispanions pondered on those things.
Kinzelo''s executives struggled to contain their boiling emotions.
"Zephyrin? It seems Margie and you are themanders, except the leader."
"Our vice-leader is Bishkel Ivlianos," said Berakt with a twisted expression.
With Zephyrin''s arrival, Berakt felt a slight crisis in his position.
"Is that so? Whoever the leader is, decide quickly. Time is money, haven''t you heard that saying?"
"Wow, today''s Jin-nim is somewhat unfavorable."
"I don''t need to favor you."
"Why are you doing this? Have you forgotten how my good friend and I helped you, Jin-nim?"
"I''ve forgotten all that, but I remember everything you did to the Holy Kingdom and the Sword Emperor Castle..."
Margie''s eyes smiled, but there was malice in them.
After a moment of contemtion, she finally decided to ept Jin''s proposal.
"Jin-nim. First of all, we really don''t know how the Imperial Family got the body of the first Runcandel patriarch."
"Then, goodbye."
"Instead, we know what part of Temar''s body is in their possession. If I tell you this, will you share information about the objects?"
"Tell me right away."
"Intimidation at its finest. Curse it. Margie, is there any reason to listen? Jin-nim, I don''t know what you believe in and you''re poking your nose into it again? This is Kinzelo''snd. Even if we just entertained the idea of having bad intentions, wiping you out would be a piece of cake..."
"Of course, there''s something I believe in. Mort!"
[Boong!]
As Jin shouted, Mort and Siris, who had been hiding nearby, appeared. First, Jin and hispanions rode Mort to find thend of the beastmen.
"Thank you, Lady Siris. And to Mort. I wouldn''t havee here without some security measures, Zephyrin."
"Tch."
"And this is just a security measure. Do you think you can take us down if you set your mind to it? It''s an exaggeration."
Jin wiped his smile and began to reveal his energy.
As he did so, vibrations urred in the area, and a blue lightning spread in all directions.
Members of the Red Tiger Tribe and the White Wolf Tribe, patrolling or waiting near the market, sank to the ground, faltering.
''He''s grown...''
Of course, Berakt didn''t flinch at all at the aura of the Tribe of Legends spread by Jin, but he was shocked by the fact that Jin possessed an aura different from what he remembered.
The pace of growth was too fast.
Although he was only twenty years old, Jin was emitting an aura close to ten stars.
Even the flow of energy is unusual.
Chaos energy is also mixed in and, given the right opportunity, is in a state where it can explosively be stronger at any moment.
Did he transcend during the war of the Sword Emperor Castle?".
Jin red at Zephyrin.
"Also, you''re in a situation where you can''t use your strength properly. That''s why Tris-nim hit you unterally in Tikan. Seeing that the leader hasn''te out now, you won''t be able to use his power either. Am I wrong?"
"Oh! Zephyrin-nim, he''s right... Oops."
"Then the one who punched the Grand Duchess in the chin at that time...! Ugh!"
Bishkel covered Bouvard''s mouth, and Bianca covered Ainas''s.
"So, if you want to fight, I''ll ept it."
"You''re too arrogant, Jin... How will you deal with the aftermath afterwards?"
"I guess you''ve forgotten that thisnd of the beastmen is very close to Zhan Kingdom. Zhan Kingdom is Runcandel''s territory. So if a fight breaks out here, we''ll have to hold out until support from my Family arrives. It seems that Stam-nim has something in store for you."
Of course, since they''ve just used the leader''s power again, they can''t really attack.
In the end, as always, Zephyrin had no choice but to give in.
"Now that you seem to understand the situation a bit, let''s get into details, Miss Margie."
"The part of Temar''s body that the imperial family possesses is an arm."
Valeria''s Record Magic only knew that a "part" of Temar''s body was being used.
Jin felt his heart sink upon hearing the direct name ''arm'' instead of such an ambiguous expression.
It means that even after death, his body was torn apart and used in various ways.
"Arm?"
"Yes, his left arm. As you may already know, the Imperial Family is trying toplete the transformation of Demon Men through it."
"How did you know they had a left arm?"
"Because we made a deal with the Imperial Family."
Indeed, it was recognized by the leader''s ability.
Jin didn''t bother pointing out that part.
"For what we''ve seen, Temar Runcandel''s body itself is no different from a collection of Ancient Magic information from his prime days. Because the deal went sour, we didn''t have the chance to analyze it properly."
Valeria had also hoped that Temar''s body would be a collection of Ancient Magic information.
"You''re not going to ask how to prove this, are you?".
At Zephyrin''s words, Jin nodded.
"I''m not that distant a person."
"How did I know that the Imperial Family had Temar''s body, Jin-nim? I don''t think you even tortured the Emperor... After all, is it because the Record Magician is with you?".
Jin didn''t answer and pocketed the objects he had taken out again.
"Why are you storing them like that? Now that you''ve found out, don''t think you can escape. If so, this won''t end with just words. No matter what damage we suffer, we''ll fight."
"Ah, don''t misunderstand me, I just stored them because it''s ufortable to hold them. The conversation window is still open. Originally, I was only nning to listen to information about Temar''s body, but just now, another annoying crime was added. You''re going to wipe us out. What can I do? I don''t feel well after hearing that."
"Hey, Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel. Calm down. I can''t tolerate this anymore."
Berakt spoke as he drew therge sword hanging from his back. Margie smiled as she grabbed him by the arm.
"Uncle Berakt, it''s okay. Let''s listen to him. It seems today is the day Jin-nim has a lot of questions for us. And Jin-nim, it would be good if you remembered my appearance again today. This pathetic effort to resolve things by talking, let''s try to make the most of it."
"Let''s make an effort, okay? Alright, this is thest question. Kinzelo, what is your ultimate goal?"
In his previous life, Jin never felt curious about Kinzelo''s goal.
Jin only thought of them as a third-rate terrorist organization that began causing some problems worldwide shortly before his death in his past life.
However, the current Kinzelo was on another level.
To be precise, Kinzelo had this power back then, but they probably concealed it.
''Many things have changed thanks to my regression.''
Margie''s and Jin''s gazes met.
"As far as I know, your goal is to elevate your leader as the sole king of the world. But I believe that''s not all."
"That''s it."
"It''s all about making your leader the sole king of the world. So, is world domination your purpose?".
Then Margie smiled and replied:
"I mentioned it once, didn''t I? We just want to create a better world. So instead of the word ''conquest,'' I think ''purification'' suits us better."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 590
Chapter 590
C590
Jin and hispanions momentarily doubted if they had heard correctly, questioning their own ears.
Until recently, the word "purification" was not something that could casuallye out of the mouths of the notorious group known for various acts of terrorism and espionage.
Did Kinzelo not stay on the sidelines knowing that Gliek would be awakened?
As a result, the world had be contaminated with Chaos, and Chaos spread among living beings like an epidemic.
Jin was so astonished that he was speechless at hearing the word purification.
"...Purification?"
"Yes, purification! Our Kinzelo''s goal is to make the world more beautiful."
Margie spoke with a confident and vibrant voice, regardless of whether Jin and hispanions were scandalized or remained silent.Beside her, Ainas and Bouvard nodded as if confirming that this was indeed the case.
''I knew they were crazy, but I never expected them to go this far as a group.''
Everyone seemed serious.
Margie even went as far as to imagine a world beautified by Kinzelo''s actions, her eyes shining.
"It seems that the meaning of purification that we know and the meaning of purification that you think are a little different."
"Probably the same. Haven''t you ever thought about it, Jin-nim? This world is full of pain and unnecessary contradictions."
"I often think about it. You guys are contributing quite a bit to that kind of environment."
"Right now, you might see it that way."
"For fundamental purification, isn''t a certain amount of sacrifice and destruction absolutely necessary?"
"Exactly!"
"Setting aside whether it''s right or wrong, I''m skeptical about how you n to achieve such an idealistic utopia."
"The method isn''t that difficult. We''ll annihte all the Gods in the world."
"It''s getting more absurd by the minute."
"Once we eliminate all the Gods as nned, our leader will be the sole king of the world."
Jin''s eyes narrowed.
Killing all the Gods... Perhaps it wasn''t an impossible task for Kinzelo.
As Jin knew, the original creator of the Demon God Orb was Bouvard Gaston.
Although they coborated with Zipple, but the key personnel was Bouvard.
The alliance between Kinzelo and Zipple broke down because Zipple used the Demon God Orb "without permission" and damaged it in the first ce.
And the orb had the function of sealing the Gods and replicating some of their divine powers.
All the Demon God Orbs I''ve seen so far have been iplete.
''If it''spleted, it''s highly likely to go beyond sealing the Gods and annihte them.''
Jin shrugged.
"Do you and your leader believe that all the evils and contradictions of the world are the responsibility of the gods?"
"Not necessarily, but most of the responsibility lies with them. To describe our great cause in a more splendid and concise way, it''s like a revolution against the Gods."
Jin felt a headacheing on.
Zipple and Kinzelo.
One wants to be the sole victor of the world through the power of the Gods, and the other wants to kill all the Gods and purify the world...
''They''re both insane.''
A bitterugh escaped him as he realized that such beings were in charge of a major axis of world power.
''Well, if you think about it, not even Runcandel wants to kill or use the Gods. In the end, it''s not so different; they just want to defeat Zipple and be the world conqueror.''
Perhaps the goals of the major factions are more clich¨¦ than strange.
In reality, it doesn''t matter who wants what.
The crucial point is whether they have the power to achieve it.
"I''ve heard your goals well. The reason why people, dragons, and demons gathered in Kinzelo even after hearing such an empty dream. Maybe it''s not just because they''re stupid..."
Jin paused.
"Hehehe, it tickles, heehee! Miss Ainas!"
"Hehehe!"
Meanwhile, watching Bouvard and Ainasughing and talking, Jin thought that stupid people might have gathered in Kinzelo.
"...The power of Kinzelo must be extraordinary for them to believe in the idea of eliminating the Gods and purifying the world."
At the time of the terrorist attack on Sword Emperor Castle, Kinzelo''s leader disyed transcendental power.
He possesses divine abilities, such as teleporting through a steel door and repairing a half-destroyed Grenille at once, in addition to brute strength.
Moreover, the leader performed all these feats in an "imperfect" state.
"What is the identity of your leader?"
A demon, a demon king, or an equivalent existence.
Jin''spanions assumed this to be the leader''s identity.
Currently, not only the Vamel Alliance but the entire world was curious about the identity of Kinzelo''s Leader.
After Kinzelo emerged as a third faction, many people deduced the leader''s identity, but he remained veiled.
In particr, the number of people tracking down the leader''s identity had rapidly increased in recent times.
Suddenly, Jin felt strange about that fact.
The fact that Kinzelo had the means to subdue Gliek was not revealed to the public after the War of Sword Emperor Castle.
''But why have people suddenly started searching for the leader''s identity after the war ended?''
When his thoughts reached that point, Jin''s eyes widened.
''Because Zipple''s maniption of history has weakened since the War of Sword Emperor Castle...!''
The fact that Kinzelo''s leader was also a person affected by the power of history was expected back in the time of the Sword Emperor Castle terrorist attack.
-That demon... looks familiar to me.
-Are you talking about the Leader of Kinzelo?
-I''m sure... I''ve met him...
-Who is it? Are you saying that he once fought with the brothers of the Tribe of Legends?
-That... I don''t know. But... I''m sure. He looks familiar to me...
Rinpa, who was summoned at that moment, was also convinced that she had met Kinzelo''s Leader, but she couldn''t exactly remember who he was.
Not only Rinpa but also Murakan.
From the recorded video left by Solderet, Murakan and the leader seemed to know each other well, but he did not recognize the leader.
Margie smiled.
"Jin-nim, you may not know it, but you actually have a deep connection with our leader. You''ve received help from the leader several times. There were cases where you used the leader''s belongings to save your life."
"The leader''s belongings?"
"The white whale Luna Runcandel, long ago. She would have given you a gift, Jin-nim."
Instantly, a chill ran down Jin''s spine.
"Oh. Kid, that thing around your neck! Could it be from Orgal, the Demon Beast King? That''s right! Hey, you''ve got a precious birthday gift. A thousand years ago, there were dozens of kings who gave their lives to get it."
"Who is Orgal, the Demon Beast King?"
"Yes, he''s a great demon who was active in my era. I can recognize it at a nce. It must have been given by the owner of that powerful energy before, so it''s like winning a life. Congrattions, kid."
"The pendant of the Demon Beast King, Orgal..."
"Yes, the owner of that pendant is our leader."
Demon Beast King, Orgal.
He is Kinzelo''s Leader.
Orgal was the original owner of the pendant Jin wore, and he was the lover of the witch, Heluram, and the one who gave her her ruby cat, Shuri.
And in the recorded video Jin saw, he was also the person who appeared when Murakan tried to kill the madman Temar.
Contrary to the recorded video, in the present, when Murakan met him for the first time, he mentioned that it was he who prevented "mad Murakan from killing Temar."
The contradiction between what he said and the recorded video, the fact that Murakan didn''t recognize him, and the fact that even Murakan and Quikantel, who knew about ''Orgal'' all along, couldn''t rte him to Kinzelo''s Leader.
Jin intuitively knew that Orgal''s history was manipted in a veryplex way.
Or, perhaps, the contradictions in Orgal''s history were the result of his resistance against Zipple''s maniption.
In fact, Orgal constantly resisted the maniption of history even before his power was weakened by Gliek.
That''s why Murakan and Quikantel remember Orgal even though they don''t recognize him.
"Luna-nim cut down one of the Demons to get the leader''s pendant, and she gave it to you. This is what people usually call destiny. If the leader hadn''t entrusted the pendant to someone else at that time, it wouldn''t have reached you."
Jin didn''t reply to that.
"So you probably wouldn''t have received help from Luna-nim, and you would have been killed by Andrei Zipple on the remote ind of Vermont, Jin-nim. We wouldn''t have had any chance to meet and have this conversation."
Jin''s mind was filled withplicated thoughts.
"So, could you feel a little grateful to our leader? It''s fate, created by the leader."
"Let''s say the Demon Beast King Orgal is a great being who can decide fate. Even if I managed to survive from Andrei on that ind thanks to him, it was ultimately for your sake, not mine."
"Why do you always think in such convoluted ways?"
"If I had been absorbed by the Demon God Orb at that time, Zipple would have finished off that dog-shaped object before you."
"Well... That''s true."
"No matter what others say, what saved me that day was my elder sister Luna, not Orgal. She decided my fate, so I hope you don''t put his name while writing a novel. It''s very distasteful..."
Margie pped her hands.
"Has another crime been added?"
Without a word, Jin took out the machine and the blueprints again.
Bouvard, who had been yfully interacting with Ainas all the while, suddenly focused on the objects.
"Zephyrin, do you remember what I said in Tikanst time? Discussions about object analysis must be conducted with both parties present, and all information Kinzelo has obtained must be shared with us."
Jin remained consistently demanding and irritable with Kinzelo to the end.
"Hey, Grand Duchess! Have you grasped any of your weak points? Even if we stay below, I think we stay too far below!"
"Huh, I remember."
"Go ahead. I''ll give you three hours to analyze. Bouvard Gaston, only youe forward. The rest stay back and wait."
Bouvard snorted excitedly and approached Jin''s group.
Am and the disguised Qwaul set up the prepared workstation, and immediately the three began analyzing together.
Kinzelo''s executive had faith in Bouvard.
They believed that no engineer, whoever they were, could surpass Bouvard''s skills.
But as soon as Qwaul saw Bouvard''s analysis, he coughed once, ssifying Bouvard''s engineering knowledge far below his own.
The cough was a signal.
Before entering the territory of the beastmen, Qwaul had pre-installed engineering traps in the objects, and Kinzelo''s side hadpletely failed to recognize them.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 591
Chapter 591
C591
"Oh, oh...!" eximed Bouvard in admiration,pletely unaware of the fact even in his dreams as he gazed at the machinery and blueprints with insatiable wonder.
"Is this what you call engineering? Ha! Hey, unfortunate youth. Do you really think this is just engineering?"
Young, the so-called Qwaul seemed to be warming his face for some reason.
The products of the Golden Snow Tribe made the bandit leader Qwaul look like a muscr young man.
The face hidden by the beard also seemed quite handsome.
"It''s engineering."
"Idiot! This isn''t just engineering, it''s art, art! Ah, it''s frustrating to leave such a precious work in the hands of people like you. Complex and geometrical codes, designs that no masterpiece can match."
Since all theplicated codes that Bouvard mentioned had been created by Qwaul, he was receiving both curses and praises from him at the same time.Heung, hat, hoo, and so on.
Listening to Bouvard''s unpleasant and eerie praises was a painful experience for both parties.
As if Jin had barely tolerated the sound all the time, he quickly retrieved the items as soon as the time came.
"Oh, already!?"
"Yes, it''s over, so leave."
"Can''t you let me see a bit more...!"
"Get your hands off me before I cut them off."
Bouvard shuddered at Jin''s cold voice and took a step back to move away from him.
"Hehe! After all, you''ll need my help to understand this masterpiece. When that timees, even if you beg me, I won''t help you!"
Bouvard mistakenly believed he had gathered enough information from the items.
From Bouvard''s perspective, it was partly true.
The executives of Kinzelo also pitied him, but they guessed he might have obtained some substantial information when they saw the excited Bouvard.
If he really set the trap without knowing anything, suspicions could arise.
Qwaul had thought about that part and set the device to the point where Bouvard couldn''t recognize the key information (ording to Qwaul''s standards).
"So, here ends the meeting."
Suddenly, Jin followed Bouvard back.
"No, you lunatic! You remove your hands from me as you said, so why are you doing this?"
Bouvard naturally assumed Jin was following him with the intention of assaulting or cutting him.
He perceived it only that way.
The rest of the executives knew clearly whose bloodlust Jin was directed at.
Bianca Kaligo.
Jin was heading towards the first princess of the Kaligo Family after passing by Bouvard, who had fallen while fleeing.
"What''s your name, demon?"
"Bianca Kaligo.... What... business... do you have with me?"
"I was wondering how strong I should be to make you pay the price for the left arm of ck Knight Mon-nim."
"Who... is?"
An invisible fighting spirit roared between the two.
Like a powder keg ready to explode at the slightest spark.
It was Jin who first withdrew the energy.
"I''ll tell you next time."
Bianca turned and looked at Jin as she returned to herpanions, and in an instant, she realized her hair was standing on end.
"Damn, you''re rude to the end! A humble human bastard! Unnie, you should have thrown your weapon without hesitation!"
Ainas, who had been cowering from the energy of the two, suddenly shouted in anger.
If Jin had simply drawn his sword and started the fight, Bianca would have had a guaranteed 100% victory.
But then, a strange unease overtook her.
She felt that the moment to defeat Jin was now and only now.
"Great Duchess... Margie."
"Tell me, Princess Kaligo."
"It''s better... to kill him... now, isn''t it?"
If not now, he might be more dangerous than the entire Runcandel Family.
Bianca was saying that.
"Well, it seems unlikely he''s on our side. But he still has things to do in the world."
"He seems to know well that even if he runs wild like this, we still won''t kill him, Miss Margie. You gave the devil too much information."
"Isn''t the devil originally an absurd being? When the angel wakes up, he''ll regret it."
Even after Jin''s group disappeared into the Mort Swamp, Bianca couldn''t take her eyes off the spot where Jin had left.
While Jin and his allies talked, Jet transferred all of Qwaul''s inventions from his cabin to Tikan.
"Bouvard Gaston, right? That filthy bastard. Still, he''s pretty cool. I don''t know about his head, but just his skill seemed to surpass mine," said Qwaul, examining his inventions.
Jin broke some, but most were intact.
Am''s eyes sparkled as she looked at the inventions.
"He couldn''t get essential information because of the trap, but he was the original developer of the Demon God Orb, and is presumed to be the reincarnation of the Sculpting God. Maybe he''ll get something with the information he''s obtained this time. He seems to have a special power even for the leader of those bastards who are presumed incapable of external activities."
"As long as his technological advancement doesn''t exceed Qwaul''s expectations, it shouldn''t be a big problem."
"Even if you have good hands, if you don''t have a head, there''s no answer. As for the battleship, they already have a finished product called Grenille anyway, so they''lle soon, but they won''t even dream of a space-time device."
"Although they already have teleportation abilities in the form of a metal gate."
Game-changing technology, battleships, and teleportation devices.
Now, Runcandel''s technology, which was far behind Zipple and Kinzelo, both in development capacity and will, will be on par or even ahead of them.
To be precise, it wasn''t Runcandel''s technology, but the technology of the Vamel alliance.
"Orgal, the Demon Beast King..."
As the two talked, Quikantel thought of the Leader of Kinzelo.
Orgal, the Demon Beast King, Quikantel had also mentioned him several times to Murakan.
She was especially confused in her head.
"I know he was betrayed by Heluram and died. Also, at the time of the Colonn Massacre, I heard that Myuron summoned Orgal from hell and tried to possess him..."
"I''m curious about that part too, Quikantel-nim."
To confirm Orgal''s death, Jin briefly summoned Tess, who was recovering, but Tess also seemed to know he had died.
The same went for Shuri, who was Heluram''s Ruby Cat.
"Now that I think about it, every time Orgal''s name came up, Murakan and I would naturally change the subject. I didn''t think much about him, but maybe that was also due to the maniption of history."
"What kind of person was Orgal?"
Jin had only heard Murakan say he was a "remarkable demon."
However, there weren''t many beings in the world that Murakan would personally evaluate as remarkable.
"I don''t remember the details. However, Murakan and I didn''t dislike him, and in a way, we even respected him."
"Respected him? Murakan also respected him?"
"Yes. Just enduring Heluram''s curse was enough for the entire world to owe him."
"Did he prevent Heluram''s curse from spreading throughout the world?"
"Yes. I remember that clearly. The fact that he stopped one of the insane Temar or Murakan is not in my memory."
"If that''s the case, perhaps not even Zipple himself knows that Orgal''s history was manipted."
If so, it also exined why Myuron Zipple tried to possess Orgal.
Above all, at that time, Myuron''s possession dark magic hadn''t been fullyunched.
Before the magic could bepleted, Jin cut the hell gate he had summoned.
"Even if Zipple knew, there''s also the possibility that the information didn''t reach Myuron."
"It''s very possible. Because there''s a lot of history that has been lost or manipted over a thousand years. Even my memories of him protecting the world from Heluram can''t be consideredplete. Anyway, if Kinzelo''s goal is to purify the world, then there''s something inmon with the image of Orgal in my unstable memory."
Whatever Kinzelo''s true intentions were, everyone agreed that those madmen should not be allowed to take over the world.
In any case, the only way to find out the truth of the story was to find and confirm Solderet''s legacy while they waited for Valeria''s record magic to be perfected.
"It will be important when Orgal fully recovers."
Runcandel, Zipple, and Kinzelo.
Recovery was the key for all three factions.
No one could predict which faction would recover first.
Therefore, what the leaders of each faction had to do was regroup as soon as possible during the ceasefire.
In that sense, Jin already had the best conditions.
He was fortunate to have acquired Qwaul from the beginning, and since the ceasefire was signed, he could focus on his growth without obstacles.
However, Jin felt a little uneasy because he couldn''t be sure he had the upper hand.
"Yes, but don''t worry too much. The world will keep running even if you''re not there."
Quikantel could exactly discern what kind of unease Jin harbored as he was about to depart for Lafrarosa.
"If something happens to Tikan while you''re not there, Murakan won''t be there either, but now we have Runcandel''s protection. Also, since the master of the hidden pce is also focused on his recovery, Misha will soon return to her original ce. Then Murakan will return to Tikan again. Take it easy."
"Alright, Quikantel-nim."
"Jin-nim."
Kashmir entered the meeting room and searched for Jin.
"Miss Nodav Sargent hase to Tikan."
Nodav Sargent, that''s the alias of Sandra Zipple.
Jin was no longer surprised by her unexpected behavior when she openly visited Tikan at this delicate moment.
She was a madwoman who could do worse things.
"Did shee alone?"
"No.
Jin hoped she hade with Hedo, but Sandra was apanied by another person.
"Beradin Zipple came with her."
Jin''s eyes widened.
Before leaving for Lafrarosa, he had been concerned about the possibility of meeting him again.
Because the encounter with the unfortunate friend depended entirely on Zipple''s judgment, not his own.
"In fact, we''ve already entered a ceasefire, but sending the two without an escort. It seems Zipple is having a hard time."
Jin immediately understood Zipple''s leaders'' intentions when he learned they hade without any important escort.
"Yes, I think they''re trying to use the rtionship between you two and want to extract information, Jin-nim."
"Let''s meet with them immediately".
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 592
Chapter 592
C592
"It''s been a while, Jin!" Beradin eximed cheerfully.
"My darling, Jin!"
Sandra, who stood beside him, swung the golden prosthetic arm that reced her right hand and cookie crumbs covered her mouth.
Jin was momentarily taken aback seeing the image of his face engraved on Sandra''s golden prosthetic arm.
"I received your response to the letter I sent youst time! Where did you learn such a romantguage?"
"...Response? Romantic?"
Of course, Jin didn''t recall sending a response.
However, Sandra firmly believed that Jin had responded to her through some sort of invisible signal."You asked me to go to Radin vige and go out with you next time."
"No, when did I do that?"
"Oh, Jin. Are you really dating Elder Sister Sandra!? So now you''re my brother-inw...?"
"How many times do I have to tell you, Radin? Don''t assume he''s your brother-inw, he already is your brother-inw."
"I can''t believe my friend is my brother-inw, it feels a bit weird!"
"Isn''t it nice?"
"It''s weird!"
"What kind ofmotion is this in someone else''s store, especially on a festive day?"
As soon as the brothers arrived at Tikan, they headed to Latrie''s shop.
They entered reluctantly saying "We''re Zipple!" to Latrie, who announced to them that today was a holiday.
Instead, they paid arge sum of money that Latrie''s refreshment stand wouldn''t touch even if it worked tirelessly for a whole year.
The issue was that the two of them weren''t the only uninvited guests forcing their way into the shop.
Behind the central table upied by Beradin and Sandra, sat a person deeply cloaked.
''...Valeria!? What is she doing here?''
It was Valeria, whom Jin had seen just a few days ago at the second castle of Hairan.
Jin hadn''t been informed by Kashimir that she was also at Latrie''s shop.
"Anyway, you don''t have to regret it, because from now on, we''ll see each other much more often. There are more things we have to share and help each other with. I intend to asionally use Tikan in the future when avoiding Zipple''s pursuit."
At that moment, Valeria had clearly mentioned that she would stop by near the territory of Sword Emperor Castle to express gratitude to Ron and visit the session temple, but she stopped by Latrie''s shop to take a rest for a while.
It was because she was tired of dealing with Chaos around the Sword Emperor Castle.
Valeria was always a weed presence to Jin.
Recently, he had found Qwaul much earlier than expected and recruited him, so he was about to get back in touch with Valeria.
However, the current situation was a bit awkward.
He didn''t want to encounter Valeria alongside the two pure-blooded Zipples.
Fortunately, Beradin and Sandra showed no interest in Valeria, who remained seated in a corner.
"Let''s go out and talk."
"I like it here! It was my dream to have a cup of tea with Jin in such a pleasant atmosphere."
"There''s a better ce..."
"Where?"
"The meeting hall of Tikan Kingdom."
There was silence for a while.
"Is it because of Histor sitting there?"
The only one surprised by thatment was Jin.
"Ah, what are you worried about between us? Even if she''s wearing a robe, is red-haired, and has a silver pine wand, but Radin and I are pure-blooded Zipples, can''t we recognize her?"
Valeria already knew they recognized her.
During the long pursuit, her red hair and silver pine wand had long been revealed.
Valeria chose to remain silent, knowing she had no chance of being captured by them.
What worried Jin wasn''t that they would catch Valeria, but the opposite.
Jin was rather worried that she would kill or capture the two of them and use them.
For Valeria, Zipple is the mortal enemy who destroyed her n and annihted the Gray Owl Mercenary Corps.
Since she heard about the two of them from me and mypanions, has she decided to wait and see what happens?
Valeria was curious about the two, especially Beradin. Was he really the one who could lead the purification of Zipple, as the people of Tikan imed?
Reluctantly, Jin took a seat at the table of the two.
Jin''s and Beradin''s eyes met.
Excited Sandra chattered non-stop, and the two remained silent for a while.
Thest time Jin met Beradin was during the terrorist attack of Sword Emperor.
That day, Jin and Dante asked for a favor from Beradin.
So that Hairan could clearly distinguish between friends and enemies, they asked him to make Zipple seriously press Hairan.
The results were known a month ago.
It was a bitter, sad ending that everyone knew.
Because the imperial family chose Zipple and the White Stone over Hairan, and as a result, Gliek awakened and the world was contaminated.
It was an incident that had to happen even without Beradin''s intervention, but he carried a heavy guilt as punishment.
"How are you?"
"Fine, fine."
"No, it''s not fine! Radin, speak up. If you hadn''t been forced to lose control, wouldn''t Kadun-nim and Hedo have participated in the War of Sword Emperor Castle?"
It was predicted from the battlefield that Beradin would do something for Dante.
"You lost control? Were you in the same condition during the Ventica mission?"
During the mission to kill Barton Vicena, the ck Knight, Beradin lost his sanity and attacked Jin.
"Simr."
"Although the mana you showed then was amazing, it wasn''t to the extent that you couldn''t be subdued without Kadun and Hedo."
"My mana had be much stronger than during the Ventica mission. This isn''t surprising, right? Until yesterday, I was trapped in the life support device. Thanks to that, my n won''t be able to manipte my mind for a while."
Until now, Zipple had been manipting Beradin''s mind through special methods, including dark magic and the Demon God Orb.
However, it was now impossible because the Demon God Orb was broken and Kelliark was tied to the life support device, and Beradin''s body and mind were damaged from running so much.
In the past, when Beradin first confessed about his mental maniption, Jin thought it was simply for Zipple to prepare Beradin as a suitable sessor.
Now it didn''t seem like that.
"Then it seems you''ve lost all your mana now."
Jin didn''t feel Beradin''s mana at all.
The current Beradin had a body that couldn''t be called that of a Magician.
"Not only the mana, my memories also have some issues. I don''t remember my brothers'' names well, and I''ve forgotten a lot about magic. It''s a side effect of losing control. Mana will definitelye back, but I can''t be sure about memories. As for magic, I can always learn it again."
The current Beradin had lost many more memories than Jin thought.
Still, among the lost memories, the conversations he had with the two people he valued most, Jin and Dante, remained intact.
"What the hell does Zipple intend by manipting your mind and enhancing your mana?"
"Well, the only thing I''m sure of is the fact that Elder Sister Sandra and I are some kind of test subjects. As you know, my elder sister is the living golem, and in... I still can''te up with anything. It''s not to prepare me as a sessor, as you mentioned earlier. It''s because my father is getting closer to immortality."
The appearance of Kelliark rejuvenating thanks to the power of the Demon God Orb was confirmed by everyone who participated in the War of Sword Emperor Castle.
It was unlikely that such a Kelliark Zipple would hand over the patriarchy to Beradin.
Suddenly, a guess urred to Jin.
''Sandra Zipple''s physical abilities, which she demonstrated on the Gaifa Inds, far exceeded those of an ordinary magician. And since Beradin''s mana is strengthening at the same time as his mental maniption...''
A powerful body with high-speed regenerative abilities and artificially increased mana.
What if Zipple''s purpose is tobine both to create a living golem weapon?
It''s just like thest magical swordsmen of ancient Runcandel...
Furthermore, Beradin had contracted with more than one god at the same time.
It wasn''t just because Beradin was a blessed magician, it was likely the result of an experiment.
Jin didn''t express that thought.
It made him feel nauseous, as if he were about to vomit.
"Anyway, I''m sorry. You and Dante have suffered a lot because of my n."
"It''s not your fault."
"I''m Zipple. Judging by the way the world is running now, my lineage itself is a sin."
"Such self-pity doesn''t suit you, so get rid of it. Dante still has no intention of fighting against you, and I don''t think you''re to me."
"Are you going to abandon our Radin?"
"I think I need to think about it."
"Okay, abandon Radin and live happily with me."
Jin let out a chuckle at those words.
"Beradin, do you remember the things I told you during the terrorist attack?"
-"No matter what the situation, it''s good as long as the three of us don''t betray each other."
Beradin remembered it well. During the time he lost consciousness in the life support device, Jin''s words at the Sword Emperor Castle were the only milestones in Beradin''s subconscious.
Just like Ron, Dante, and Jin, who were tainted by Chaos during the War of Sword Emperor Castle, reflected each other and didn''t lose sight of each other in the end.
"Of course. If it weren''t for those words, I wouldn''t havee here."
"It''s enough."
"I don''t understand what you''re talking about, but count me in too."
"It''s about betraying Zipple."
"If you swear to officially marry me, as many times as you want."
In reality, Sandra had never done anything harmful to Jin. And she had already made the decision to join Beradin to purify Zipple.
Just because she believes Jin will love her more if she does.
Of course, Jin didn''t fully trust Sandra, but she would never willingly harm him in the future.
"I''ll call Dante, soe back after having a drink. When youe back, report that the Histor survivor was here. That way, Zipple''s upper echelons won''t think there was no gain. It''s like turning suspicion into confirmation.
"No, no. Jin, you should have a date with me. You promised, right?"
"I would appreciate it if you considered having a date with all four of us, Sandra Zipple. I never promised."
Less than an hourter, Dante visited Latrie''s shop.
As soon as Dante saw Beradin, he hugged him for a long time without saying a word.
And when the drinking party ended and Latrie''s shop returned to quietness, Jin and Valeria stayed to examine the record showcase together.
"The Record Magic can''t confirm if Beradin Zipple''s words about his mind not being manipted are false or true," Valeria said.
Instead, the record window clearly revealed a record left today in Latrie''s shop.
.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 593
Chapter 593
C593
Qwaul and Valeria surprisinglymunicated well.
"Hmmm, my lord. That colddy seems to get along really well with Dr. Qwaul. That arrogant guy who used to boast to others acts like a meekmb around her."
Just like the characteristic arrogant personality he disyed in the cockpit, Qwaul was the human version of Murakan.
When he first introduced himself to Jin''spanions, he described himself as the most valuable person in the world.
He even told them all that he would hit them if they felt offended by him and spoke informally.
Of course, it wasn''t out of malice or truly belittling others. It was just his way of speaking, something intense like Murakan''s, and given his exceptional abilities, hispanions went along with it.
Although he grumbled, he showed a particrly affectionate side with children.
There was no need to reveal his true self.However, as Jet said, Qwaul maintained a polite and respectful attitude towards Valeria, so Jin''spanions couldn''t help but be reminded of Murakan.
It was like seeing Murakan dealing with Jin when he had to get a limited hi magazine.
"...Hey, that part was a problem that could be solved as you said! Yes, I''ve been trying to solve everything too technically."
"It''s amon mistake engineers make. Even a five-star magician could easily amplify the effects of that stick device."
"Assuming you learned the magic form I made in 10 minutes while talking to me. I''ve worked with countless magical geniuses in Zipple, but none of them coulde up with such thoughts and immediately create a spell on the spot. You''re in a league of your own."
"For an eight-star magician or higher, it''s possible to create more than ten effects with a stick device. Let''s stop here for today. Your thoughts seem quiteplicated."
"Yes! As you said, it seemed like I had to order the device upgrades that came to mind immediately. And when will our next conversation be? Let me know. I need to adjust my work schedule to yours."
"I''ll decide this afternoon and let you know."
Qwaul immediately took out a pen and wrote something, and the others admired Valeria as she turned away arrogantly.
As his disciple, should I say I''m proud of my teacher?
Jin felt somewhat better seeing Valeria''s erudite bearing after a long time.
"No one is as fortunate as you, Jin Runcandel. Not only do you benefit from my help, but you have also managed to capture such a person."
"It''s all thanks to you. One of the conditions Qwaul mentioned was having a Record Magician as an assistant. As expected, it seems that the one who became the assistant isn''t you, but Qwaul."
"As expected?"
Valeria looked Jin in the eyes.
She was aware that Jin seemed to speak as if he knew her well.
"Well, it''s just unimaginable for you to be someone''s assistant."
Jin chuckled awkwardly.
''By the time the teacher acquires Record Magic at the level of the past life... Will she find out about my regression?''
How would Valeria react at that moment?
And this thought made Jin''s heart feel uneasy.
However, on the other hand, he also thought that Valeria was the only person who could fully unravel his secret.
If the day came when Valeria could check all the "records of Jin Runcandel," and if she could share them with hispanions, there would be no need to give any exnation for everything he had done up until then.
Jin, as a regresor, might feel guilty or responsible, but there was not a single thing he could be ashamed of.
"Sometimes you speak as if you know me well."
At Valeria''s direct words, Jin quietly nodded.
"Anyone who saw you even once would have thought the same as me. And you too, as soon as you saw me, said my name as if you knew me from before."
The two remained silent, looking at each other for a while.
Valeria had remembered Jin from her dreams a long time ago, and Jin remembered her from his past life.
''It seems to me... It''s definitely not an ordinary rtionship. Has he ever looked at someone of the opposite gender with those eyes?''
At least not that I know of, Jet.
Yes? Valkas-nim, do you think the same as me? Ha, this. Our Enya will be burning inside. What about thedy from the Hidden Pce? If this reaches Tris-nim''s ears....
Both of you, it''s better to change the subject. Even if Miss Valeria doesn''t hear, but the Young Master could hear from this distance.
Just like what Gilly said, Jin was broadly understanding what Valkas and Jet were saying.
Valeria seemed oblivious.
Even if she heard it, she was not someone who would show interest or react.
Valeria subtly avoided eye contact first.
"Anyway, I didn''t expect to see an engineer like this in such a short time. Qwaul''s skills will be very useful even for my personal matters. Prepare a room for me in Tikan. I suppose I''ll have to spend a lot of time here."
"Choose any avable room you like. If you need anything, ask Gilly or Jet."
"Alright."
"And Valeria."
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
"Why?"
"For not harming Beradin and Sandra Zipple. It could have been a golden opportunity for you."
"I didn''t let them go because of your rtionship with them, so there''s no need for that. I judged that keeping those two alive would have a greater impact on Zipple in the future."
It was a lie.
Valeria only confirmed Beradin''s loyalty to his friends after they had left.
Until she saw that record, she couldn''t be sure of Beradin''s mindset.
Also, depending on how Zipple used it in the future, it could be a problem for her.
Therefore, Valeria had simply decided to trust Jin for once before seeing that record.
"...And it''s been a while since I''ve seen that kind of record. Right now, it''s difficult to read a person''s mind with my record magic."
"So how?"
"It means Beradin''s sincerity towards you and Dante Hairan is deep enough to be recognized by my record magic. I hope he doesn''t forget that feeling and takes the initiative to end Zipple."
Beradin''s goal is not the destruction of Zipple but its purification.
Naturally, Zipple would weaken, and Valeria nned to annihte them when they weakened.
"Let me tell you in advance that no matter how close someone is to you, to me they are nothing more than Zipple. They took away my roots and my family. If the timees when I destroy him and his n, and then you stand in my way, our alliance ends there."
Jin didn''t answer, and Valeria walked past him a momentter.
Seeing Valeria leaving, Jet teased Jin, asking if Lord had been abandoned.
------------
Late May 1800.
The ceasefire agreement between Runcandel and Zipple was officially announced.
The ce was the central square of the imperial capital, the same ce where the emperor was executed.
Since the foundation of the Empire, there had never been such arge crowd in the central square.
People from all over the world gathered to witness the announcement of the ceasefire between the two ns.
From Runcandel, the leader of the ck Knights, Stam, and from Zipple, Octavia emerged as representatives.
The public guessed that Quiron was in the ck Sea, so they sent other members of the same rank from the n as representatives, but it was Runcandel''s consideration that chose them.
Unlike Rosa, Kelliark still couldn''t move.
"...With this, the announcement of the ceasefire between the two ns concludes. On behalf of the Empire, I would like to thank both ns for making such an important decision. In addition, our Empire will do its utmost to reduce suffering in the world, working together with these two ns."
At the end of Dante''s speech as a witness, cheers spread from the crowd.
The atmosphere of the crowd made it seem more like the announcement of the end of the war than a ceasefire.
The contaminated areas continued to grow, so the crowd hoped that the major factions would quickly restore the world, regardless of who caused the problem.
However, those with military, noble, and political knowledge who knew the situation understood that the current ceasefire was a false peace that would barelyst a few years.
In their eyes, the identification of friends and enemies only became clearer.
Dante appeared as a witness, but all of Hairan''s witnesses were on Runcandel''s side, and the imperial family was all on Zipple''s side.
After the announcement of the truce, Hairan handed over the corpses and belongings of the two ns, and Runcandel and Zipple returned to their respectivends and held a funeral ceremony.
The Garden of Swords had long been adorned with ck gs in mourning.
After the funeral, more swords were nted in the garden ground, and the number of ck helmets in the mausoleum increased.
And Jin visited Rosa''s office for a private meeting with her.
It was the first time Jin had returned to the Garden of Swords since the end of the war.
Normally, it would have been an unthinkable act, but now the members of the Family could not openly show hostility towards him.
Not even the Elders of the ck Sword Association openly criticized Jin, who had now returned to the Family.
It was all due to Rosa''s strict orders for Jin to be well treated upon his return.
From the moment Rosa showed her determination to save Jin in the War of the Sword Emperor Castle, Jin had practically solidified his position as the "next patriarch" of the Family.
"You''rete," Rosa said dryly.
Jin was careful of her eyes so that she wouldn''t see the Chaos that his clothes didn''t cover.
"I had many things to attend to."
"There should have been a harvest."
It was a story of machines and blueprints.
Rosa also wondered if Jin had found any clues about the "Chaos Erosion."
"You seem impatient, mother."
"Are you getting bold with me now?"
"I said it out of concern."
Rosa smiled.
"As the situation has elerated more than you expected, it seems you''re worried that I''ll rush into negotiations with the Prophet."
"I won''t deny it. I n to leave the human world for a while after today."
Rosa''s eyes narrowed at those words.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 594
Chapter 594
C594
There was not a single member of the Family who was in a position to "report" to Cyron and Rosa.
Rosa didn''t get angry with Jin, who said he would leave again as soon as he arrived.
On the contrary, she felt some anticipation towards his confident attitude.
She even saw Luna''s figure in Jin.
Luna also unterally informed the Family that she would resign from her position as the next patriarch.
However, Luna reported that she was resigning as patriarch, and Jin did the opposite.
From Rosa''s point of view, everything Jin did was solely to swallow up the Family.
"Now that you''ve just returned, you tell something interesting as soon as you see this mother. You must know how bad the Family is at the moment. It seems like youck a bit of awareness as a gbearer."Contrary to the tone of the words, it wasn''t a sarcastic tone. Jin responded with a slight smile.
"During this time, I received intensive healing in the Holy Kingdom, and I discovered the use and the maker of the items obtained in the Sota Desert."
"What did you find out?"
"As the Prophet said, it was an item that could change the course of the war. The machine is a key piece of the teleportation device."
Jin deliberately said it was a teleportation device, not a space-time device.
The two seemed to have simr but clearly different concepts, and there was no need to share them all with Rosa.
"It''s information you obtained through Aria Histor."
Rosa wasn''t surprised by Rosa''s confident voice.
Having Valeria with him was no more than public knowledge among the major factions.
"That''s right."
Capturing Valeria and taking her to the Garden of Swords was an ongoing mission for the gbearers.
Rosa also didn''t react differently to that.
By knocking down Joshua, Rosa had already allowed Jin a certain degree of freedom.
Jin wasn''t crossing the line she had set.
"The creator of that item is Lokia Ganesto, one of the ten great knights of ancient Runcandel."
"...... Lokia Ganesto?"
"Yes. Lokia Ganesto fell into oblivion due to Zipple''s maniption of history a thousand years ago. But just as the curse of the Family has been lifted as Zipple''s power has weakened this time, the history of ancient Runcandel, which was destroyed by them, is being gradually revealed."
Ganesto.
Rosa knew that name long before the power of history began to fade.
"ording to what you said, teleportation devices and battleship construction were already millennia-old technology, and our Family lost them to Zipple at some point."
"Are there no records rted to that in our Family?"
"There are none. Even if there were, the records about when the items were lostck meaning, and if there were records that informed about how to use them immediately, you would have had to attribute them to the Family immediately."
What was important to Rosa was immediate victory and survival, not the discovery of lost history.
Jin believed that they could never win without restoring the glory of ancient Runcandel, but Rosa didn''t share that belief.
"The item is still in an unusable state."
"Then, how much longer do you need?"
"I don''t know. The reason I leave the human world is toplete things with the help of my brothers."
The reason Jin wanted to leave for Lafrarosa wasn''t just for his personal training.
A flying battleship using a Light Heart as its power source.
Upon seeing Zipple''s mass-produced fleet in the Sota Desert for the first time, Jin dreamed of something like that.
If only the master and Qwaul couldplete the space-time device and use it to summon my brothers from the human world.
''It wouldn''t just be a foolish story.''
In theory, it was possible, as Qwaul had already assured him while looking at the Light Heart on Jin''s chest.
"Although it takes time, can it bepleted with the help of the Tribe of Legends?"
"I can''t guarantee it."
"Still, I don''t know, I can''t guarantee it. You keep saying things that don''t suit you. Granting you autonomy doesn''t mean you can say whatever you want."
"It won''t be different from the acting matriarch suspending judgment on whether it would be better to negotiate with the Prophet instead of me. And I think you''ve already resisted the Prophet''s temptation once in the War of the Sword Emperor Castle."
-Please restore the Second gbearer. If you do, the Prophet will support you.
-Yes, you are not my daughters if you disappoint me. Get lost! Yes, when I return to the family, if any of thepanions of the Twelfth gbearer are dead, you will be executed immediately.
Jin didn''t hear the conversation between Rosa, Myu, and Anne during the war, but he was sure that the Prophet had suggested something to Rosa.
The fact is that Rosa also rejected it.
If my mother had made a deal with the Prophet at that time, things would have changed before Ron-nim became a genesis knight.
Joshua would have been restored now.
Joshua remains imprisoned in the dungeon.
And the reason Rosa cut off Myu and Anne''s proposal at that desperate moment was because she knew that in the end, the Prophet would have no choice but to "coexist" with Runcandel.
She calcted that if Runcandel was truly going to be destroyed by Gliek, the Prophet would lend her strength even if she refused.
The Prophet had no other option for the fulfillment of the prophecy.
"You haven''t disappointed me so many times, acting matriarch. So trust me."
"The younger one."
"Yes."
"Do you fear negotiating with the Prophet to the point of having to beg me?"
Only now did Rosa realize what Jin was trying to tell her.
"It may seem like I''m begging. Then, this time, I''ll ask you, acting matriarch..."
How much time do you have left?
Jin spoke with solemn voice.
What worried him was Rosa''s "Demonization."
He had no way of confirming at what speed Rosa was being enveloped by the Chaos contaminating her.
''My mother was definitely exposed to the highest level of Chaos.''
When Ron sacrificed his life to prevent Gliek''s self-destruction, naturally it was Rosa and Kelliark who suffered the most consequences.
Kelliark was able to protect himself to some extent by using the Demon God Orb as a shield, but Rosa was left with only a sword and the n members waiting for death behind her.
It was thanks to her brute strength that she seemed to move quite well despite being exposed to more chaos than Kelliark.
Demonization.
Jin experienced a greater Chaos than anything else in Gliek''s subspace.
So he knew well how that power could plunge people into madness and dementia.
Even Ron would have turned into a monster without being able to ovee demonization without Jin and Dante.
Jin hoped that Rosa was undergoing a simr process to what he and Ron had experienced at that time.
No, he was convinced.
In Jin''s eyes, it was clear that Rosa was resisting demonization to maintainposure at all times.
"It seems like you''re underestimating me a bit."
Rosa didn''t show her anger this time either.
It was because she wasn''t sure if the magnitude of the rage that surged at this moment was entirely hers.
If there was the slightest influence of demonization mixed in, she had to suppress it by all means.
"Just like me, please, be honest with me, acting matriarch."
They looked into each other''s eyes.
Both looked at the enemy.
Both had the same goal of Runcandel''s survival and prosperity, but the paths they walked were so different.
To the point where they couldn''t help but be enemies even though they ran towards the same destination.
"If my answer is negative, does that mean you''ll change your ns?"
"My visit to the brothers of Lafrarosa doesn''t change. It''s the only way toplete the items. However, if the time you have left is shorter than I expected, I''ll cut off the Prophet''s limbs before leaving."
"The Prophet''s limbs?"
"After Joshua''s death, I''m sure the Eighth and Ninth gbearers have be the new messengers of the Prophet. If I kill them, the Prophet will need some time to recover. Then, naturally, the chance of the Prophet approaching you, acting matriarch, will be reduced. Even while I''m not here," Jin said confidently.
The fact that Miu and Anne became messengers of the Prophet was nothing more than a suspicion.
Furthermore, it was uncertain what impact the Prophet would suffer if they were killed.
Jin had no real intention of killing them.
Even if it became clear that Miu and Anne were members of the Prophet, there would be a lot of information to obtain through them.
"Yes, as you said, even if Miu and Anne became members of the Prophet. Do you think I would sit idly by?"
"I''ll deal with the two even if the acting matriarch and the whole Family are against it."
In other words, Jin was threatening Rosa based on mere suspicions.
The reason for this was that Rosa and Runcandel were not in a situation where they could crush the Vamel Alliance and Jin with a single word as before the war.
"And I don''t know about the Family, but the Prophet probably doesn''t have the power to stop me right now. If she had that kind of power, she would have already taken over the Family when Joshua was around. It''s true that the Prophet uses special abilities with Chaos, but she''s definitely in trouble."
Just like the Leader of Kinzelo, Orgal, the Demon Beast King.
Jin swallowed his words and smiled.
"Furthermore, I''ll announce the existence of the Prophet to the world with the justification of killing her. Especially now, when the world hates Chaos because of Gliek. If the fact that our Family has been dealing with Chaos for a long time is revealed by my own words..."
"Enough."
Jin stopped speaking.
"Even in your absence, you can ssh the Family''s reputation with fecal water at any time when negotiating with the Prophet. After all, your four people are out of Lafrarosa, aren''t they?"
"Yes."
Rosa, who had been ring at Jin since it became known that he would kill Miu and Anna, ended upughing out loud at that moment.
"Now you''re speaking for yourself."
"I''ll take it as apliment."
"Your warning was well received. I''ll make my calctions more carefully, so set aside your worries about my demonization. Just remember that the threat is only valuable until it''s executed."
"Of course."
"3 years."
Rosa looked at her ckened wrist and said.
"Assuming my demonic nature proceeds at the same pace as now, I should be able to hold out for about three years. Make sure to return within that time."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 595
Chapter 595
C595
Within three years, Rosa Runcandel''s time wille to an end.
It was uncertain whether it was death or bing a monster like Smarion Proch, or something else.
The possibility was extremely slim, but if she managed to ovee the "demonization," she could reach Genesis Knight status like Ron.
However, Jin decided to exclude the possibility of Rosa ascending to Genesis Knight.
Not just anyone, Rosa herself used the phrase ''I''ll endure,'' and ording to Jin''s thoughts, Rosa believed that it was impossible topletely rid herself of demonization with her own power.
Even Cyron, who had already reached the rank of Genesis Knight, was aware that his remaining time wasn''t so long.
Rosa knew her condition better than anyone.
"Rather, what you should worry about is Zipple''s recovery, not me. Kelliark Zipple can''t even move right now... but he''ll probably regain his strength faster than I will."Rosa wasn''t the only one in the n who fell into demonization.
The ck knights and elite knights who survived the war were also exposed to chaos, big and small.
The same happened with Zipple.
"When he regains his strength, he won''t be able to move recklessly within the agreed period."
"I suppose so. However, it''s impossible for him not to be aware that that means nothing. When the ceasefire ends, if they have overwhelming power over us. That day will mark the beginning of extinction."
The official ceasefire was for five years.
The public hoped for the ceasefire tost forever, but both ns knew it was thest breath of the thousand-year-long war, the calm before the storm.
Once the ceasefire ended, the winner and the loser would be definitively decided.
"So, this is yourst chance. Use every possible means to prove you were right. If you seed, you''ll have everything the n possesses."
''If I give them confidence to stop their demonization,plete the machine and fleet, and bring the Thousand-Year War to victory.''
Jin will be the patriarch. Rosa spoke of that.
Jin embarked on the final journey to ascend to the Runcandel throne. However, one thing seemed a bit strange to him, but Jin didn''t immediately believe Rosa''s words.
"The younger one."
"Yes, Mother."
"The Prophet has already said that you can immediately execute anything you propose. But the reason I give you a chance is because Cyron believes in you... and there''s a part of you that has influenced me a bit."
"I didn''t think the day woulde when I''d hear a joke from my mother. I don''t know if you''re weighing me and the Prophet."
Rosa smiled at Jin''s lifeless voice.
"I hope the scale tips in your favor."
"Mother, the Prophet. And the former Provisional gbearer, Joshua Runcandel, who is imprisoned in a dungeon."
Jin turned around and stopped speaking for a moment.
"I will certainly end them with my own hands, so I wish you all well until then."
"It''s been a bold statement that moved me to tears. I think the conversation is over, so let''s leave."
Jin followed Rosa casually and left the office.
Suddenly, Jin realized it was the first time he walked through the Garden of Swords with Rosa.
Moreover, Rosa''s steps were as cheerful as someone who had good news.
It was the first time Jin had seen Rosa like this.
"All members on standby in the house, line up in the garden."
Rosa didn''t call anyone separately, nor did she even raise her voice. She simply spoke it into the air, but Rosa''smand spread instantly.
Though not in a normal state, her presence still exuded majesty.
The gbearers, knights, elders, stewards, scribes, and servants took less than three minutes to gather in the garden.
Rosa stopped walking, and Jin looked for a while at the n members apanying her.
"Starting today, the Twelfth Provisional gbearer will begin closed-door training. I''ve gathered you all to announce it, so wish him good luck."
The Family was in a precarious situation, and everyone was enduring busy days, yet closed-door training.
Most were scandalized, but no one dared to express it.
It was because Rosa had acknowledged it.
"When the Twelfth Provisional gbearer returns, everyone here must show an appearance better than now, as the Twelfth Provisional gbearer has always done."
Indeed, Rosa''s actions now were nothing less than a promation that the hegemony war of the current generation of gbearers had ended.
She was saying that once the training was over, Jin would immediately be the patriarch.
All gbearers, except Luna, Luntia, and Joshua, were gathered.
The youngest... will be patriarch?
When he finishes the closed-door training...
The Tona brothers barely concealed their confusion.
Ran and Vigo were startled for a moment, but immediately lowered their eyes.
From the beginning, they had never actively participated in thepetition for the patriarchate.
Miu and Anne didn''t react.
It was well known that they had changed.
But Dyfus and Mary were sure, just as Jin had said in the office, that this wasn''t the end.
In particr, Dyfus remembered the conversation he had with Jin right after Joshua''s fall.
"So what you''re saying is Mother is going to manipte the Prophet and then throw everything on her and reinstate Joshua, right?"
"Not only that, but Mother once again established her authority by dismissing Joshua. The stain of the exile incident will disappear after this incident. Because she showed strong determination by directly suspending the second gbearer who supported her so much. Regardless of the details, Family members can only fear Mother more in the future.
"After she raises her power to the limit, she will lift Joshua up again and transfer all authority... All sins and justifications fall on the Prophet."
''The hegemony battle won''t end until Mother, Joshua, and the Prophet die.''
Miu and Anne had some kind of rtionship with the Prophet.
They hadn''t found any confirmation yet, but that''s what Dyfus and Mary assumed.
Their job was to keep the Prophet under control until Jin returned.
One of the reasons Jin could leave like this was his trust in them and Luntia.
Unlike them, Luntia didn''t have an openly friendly rtionship with him.
Still, her pure fighting spirit was never easily tarnished by the Prophet''s schemes.
"Go."
As Rosa said, the Knights split into two sides and formed a path leading out of the Garden of Swords.
The first journey to Lafrarosa during the Reserve gbearer days in 1796 was a choice to prevent Zipple and Kinzelo from obtaining the Compass.
The second journey to Lafrarosa in 1798 was to hide from Runcandel and Zipple''s search and capture orders.
And now, the third journey to Lafrarosa.
For the first time, it wasn''t about fleeing but confidently departing for full realization.
That too, while receiving the farewell of all Family members.
As Jin walked slowly, the Knights raised their swords in salute as he passed.
Rosa watched the back of her younger son, who was gradually moving away from the Family, thinking of the name "Ganesto," the fate of the Family, and Cyron.
-------------
Shortly after the end of the Sword Emperor Castle War, Cyron''s expedition team also concluded the fight against Kial.
The battle ended in victory for the expedition team, and no one died.
It''s true that the strength of the expedition team was transcendent, but originally Cyron had expected to lose some Knights.
When the battle reached its climax, Gliek''s death also affected Kial.
As soon as he recognized Gliek''s disappearance, Kial became frantic, losing his sanity.
Of course, there were no casualties, and the damage the expedition team received was by no means small.
It had been a month since the battle, but the expedition team couldn''t advance, and they were taking care of themselves.
It was because they were all exposed to chaos.
[Ha, ha, ha. Friends! The food is ready... If everyone takes a seat, I, Ozdock, will bring it to you!]
Ozdock said as he put the dish made from the Chaos remnants into a bowl.
Even Ozdock, who had passed out after being bounced to the other end of the battlefield, had a trace of Chaos clinging to him.
However, he was still at a level where he couldn''t affect his sanity.
In other words, he was the only one in the expedition team in a rtively unscathed condition.
And the Knights found an unexpected side in him.
When the battle ended and the Knights were on the verge of death, Ozdock could have easily fled.
Ozdock, however, chose to stay and help in the Knights'' recovery.
It wasn''t because he feared facing a gruesome death at the hands of Cyron upon returning from the expedition.
It was a decision made only because he felt a sense of loyalty as a member of the expedition team, and also because he considered it the right thing to do.
The Knights were very aware of this fact.
"Thank you... Ozdock."
"Thank you."
Ozdock felt his chest swelling with emotion at Luna and the Knights'' voices.
On the other hand, it also pained him.
Although they weren''t dead, most of the Knights were already irreversibly engulfed in Chaos.
The only future left for them was to be monsters during the expedition or die.
As the power of the story weakened, Ozdock also regained some of his old memories.
ording to the faintly emerging memories, the only one who had the power to eliminate Chaos was the Witch Heluram.
''A thousand years ago, I heard that Helluram disappeared somewhere in the ck Sea. Ugh, my memories are slowlying back, but it''s still vague. The old man''s condition is like this, so he can''t ask me if I know anything rted to it...''
Naturally, Cyron was the one who suffered the most from Chaos.
Since the end of the battle, he had remained silent, sitting upright without uttering a single word.
"Ozdock."
[Hey, hey, old man!]
Ozdock raised his head while clutching his sore buttocks.
Cyron had suddenly called him after being like a statue for a month, and Ozdock felt like his liver was falling out.
[Oh, old man! You''re okay! You''re awake!]
"Patriarch!"
Ozdock quickly got up, while Luna and the Knights almost crawled to Cyron.
Cyron slowly got up and extended his energy towards them.
It was a mixture of Genesis Knight aura and mana. That energy seemed to instantly dispel the Chaos clinging to the bodies of his daughter and the Knights.
The invasion hasn''t been resolved.
However, the expedition team was able to lift their bodies as if they were going to live just with that.
"Are you forced to be so surprised every time?"
[I''ll be careful not to show an embarrassing appearance! I''m so moved and overwhelmed that you''ve finally gotten up...]
Cyron gave a slight smile at those words.
Ozdock, like the Knights, couldn''t help but be surprised by Cyron''s appearance.
Interestingly, Cyron''s condition seemed even better than before being swallowed by Kial''s Chaos.
Everyone felt that his energy had be cleaner.
"Starting today, bring me provisions made from Chaos remnants. I''ll purify them with my energy and redistribute them."
[Yes! That''s what I''ll do, old man!]
While Ozdock energetically retrieved food from the Knights, Cyron looked out towards the human world and lifted Barisada.
It was to pay respects to Ron, who had stopped Gliek in the end and sacrificed himself in battle.
And suddenly, curiosity and confidence towards his younger son arose in him.
''Seeing that I can feel the Shadow Energy from Ron''s weak remaining energy even now... The youngest must have yed a part in his final enlightenment. In the end, restoring the Family to its rightful ce is undoubtedly his responsibility.''
Luna, who regained her energy, also raised her mana naturally contributing to Cyron''s energy.
Filled with determination, Luna also channeled her mana to naturally aid Cyron''s aura. She shared the same idea as him.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 596
Chapter 596
C596
The Blessing of the Cat Tribe
When Jin visited Lafrarosa in the past, he received its protection for the first time and was able to safely traverse thend of the beastmen.
That protection was still in effect.
Jin returned to thend of the beastmen in a simple disguise, but this time, the Red Tiger Tribe and the White Wolf Tribe patrolling did not inspect Jin even once.
Or is Kinzelo''s main defensework not as robust as he thought?
"It really doesn''t matter if my entry into the Great Mitra Desert is known to the outside world, but I wondered if Kinzelo might be a little annoyed."
It was a closed-door training session in which Rosa directly sent Jin.
Runcandel''s journalists were already distributing articles rted to Jin''s closed-door training.The fact that Jin was on the final path to the throne of master swordsmen had be a major topic for the newspapers.
When Jin reached the path leading to the Great Mitra Desert, after passing through the Yukayuka Market, he smiled unexpectedly upon encountering a familiar face.
"It''s been a while, Jin Runcandel."
A face like that of a cat with pure white fur and mysterious purple eyes.
It was ''Neru'' of the Cat Tribe.
The person who protected Jin and led him to the Third Tomb of Temar.
The reason Jin went unnoticed by Kinzelo in thend of the beastmen was thanks to her help.
"I heard from Lulu and Miru, in the Wantaramo Forest, that day you escaped unscathed from the specters. The day has finallye when we can meet in person and thank you."
"We are grateful to each other, so there''s no need to make a big deal out of it. It seems you''vee to the Great Desert; can we walk together for a while?"
Neru might not have known exactly what Lafrarosa was, but she assumed there was an arrangement that Solderet left for Jin in the Great Desert.
Upon entering the Great Desert, Jin called Shuri.
Neru and Shuri exchanged greetings as if they were d to meet each other.
"It''s a great blessing that Shuri escaped from that witch and met someone like you."
"Jin."
"Yes, Neru-nim."
"I''vee to fetch you because there''s a problem we need to discuss together."
The area contaminated by Chaos.
Neru spoke about it for a while.
The Chaos of Gliek permeated not only human society but also the world of the small beastmen.
"We, the Cat Tribe, are trying to participate in cleaning up the contaminated area, at least to protect the small beastmen. And among humans, the only people we can trust are you and the survivor of Histor."
ording to Neru''s exnation, the Cat Tribe was able to cope with the chaos of the contaminated area thanks to its unique barrier ability.
However, their power is weak due to the absence of the current and previous Felin Gods, so they wanted to strengthen their abilities by finding their ''forgotten temple'' through Valeria''s record magic.
Jin dly epted Neru''s offer and took out paper and pen.
"Go to Tikan and show them this letter. Perhaps Valeria won''t refuse."
"Yes, Lulu and Miru express that she was born with a destiny for the world, just like you."
"It''s an exaggeration that makes my face flush every time I hear it."
Thanks to the events of the Wantaramo Forest, Valeria had a favorable attitude towards the Cat Tribe, including Lulu and Miru.
"If we can borrow the power of our Gods thanks to her, I won''t just use it for the small beastmen."
Afterwards, Neru rode Shuri and escorted Jin to near the entrance of Lafrarosa.
"I''m leaving now."
"It''s been a pleasure seeing you, please greet Miru and Lulu."
As always, when Neru left, Tantel, a member of the Tribe of Legends, greeted Jin.
"Brother Jin! Ah, and Shuri! It''s been a long time!"
"Brother Tantel. How are you?"
"We have nothing else to do but wait for you, right? There''s also some concern. In case you die outside, we won''t even hear the news. If you were strong enough, there wouldn''t be a need to worry, brother."
Jin chuckled.
Tantel immediately recognized that Jin had gotten stronger, but Jin was still not a transcendental warrior by Tribe of Legends standards.
The Tribe of Legends was the only group in the world that could refer to Jin as a "promising warrior."
"So, this time I n to stay and train for a while."
"It''s a good idea!"
As Tantel''s sword sliced through the air, the portal to Lafrarosa opened.
Buildings adorned with all sorts of jewels on the golden path, and the illuminated hearts of the deceased brothers hung in front of the doors of each house.
This dazzling dead world was now Jin''s second home. Thinking that he could bring thisndscape to the world made his heart pound.
Passing through the Golden Path, neat stone pathways and a gigantic monument in honor of the deceased Warriors of Legends, they arrived at the Hall of the Battle Gods.
Before opening the main door, Jin tapped several times on the hearts of the legends'' warriors embedded in the outer wall of the Hall of the Battle Gods.
"Kugh...!"
"Boom!"
"Bam!"
As the door opened, the brothers of the Tribe of Legends who had been waiting in advance greeted Jin.
"Brother Jin!"
"Shuri!"
Jin couldn''t help but smile at the boisterous wee from his brothers.
Excluding Tantel, 63 ordinary warriors, as well as 12 Battle Kings and a Battle Goddess, awaited Jin on the other side of the door.
Jin first showed courtesy to Vahn.
Vahn still exuded immeasurable dignity, but Jin noticed that she had be somewhat haggardpared to thest time they saw each other.
Is it the effect of the blood they gave me during thest training...?
Every time Jin transfused with Vahn''s blood, it was as if he was transmitting true energy. Just like Ron delivered his true energy to Dante at thest moment.
"I have much to tell you, Sister Vahn."
When Shuri saw Vahn, she purred and nestled into her arms.
Although she didn''t seem very graceful due to the significant size difference, Shuri had immensely missed the touch of Vahn since theirst encounter.
Shuri tended to enjoy the touch of transcendent beings like Tess and Vahn.
"I suppose so. Since you''ll be here for a while, we can take it easy today and catch up over a meal."
"Oh, Sister Battle Goddess. How did you know Brother Jin would stay for a long time? I was the only one who heard it, so I tried to surprise the brothers."
"Because he has to, Brother Tantel. Brother Jin is in a state where he has already epted the day he will die."
At Vahn''s response, the eyes of the other members of the Tribe of Legends opened wide as if they were about to pop out.
"Huh! Sister Battle Goddess, what do you mean by that!"
"Brother Jin is dying...!"
"Brother Jin, you only said you would stay for training before, is there really something wrong with your body?"
Not only the Tribe of Legends were surprised...
I thought Sister Vahn would immediately recognize that there''s Chaos in my body, but...
''A time limit?''
Jin didn''t feel like his condition was exactly the same as Rosa, Kelliark, and others tainted by Chaos.
Jin felt that the demonic heart exerted pressure on his insides, but it was nothingpared to what he experienced in Gliek''s subspace.
Of course, it could worsen in the future, which is why he sought out Lafrarosa.
Using as a clue the fact that the Battle Goddess''s blood resisted Chaos.
Jin was worried, but he didn''t expect it to be this much.
If Vahn had had the chance topare Rosa, Kelliark, and Jin.
Without thinking, she would have judged Jin to be the most serious.
"A month at the shortest, two months at the longest. If Brother Jin hadn''te to Lafrarosa, he would have be a monster and died."
"...Was I in such a serious condition?"
Heavenly luck.
It was truly lucky that Jin found Lafrarosa at this moment without knowing his own state.
If Qwaul''s search had been dyed even a little, or if Rosa had changed her mind and interfered with Jin''s departure for the closed-door training, external affairs would have taken at least a month to resolve.
The other members of the Tribe of Legends also realized what was happening to Jin.
Beliz, the Seventh Battle King, grabbed Jin''s wrist and seemed frightened.
"Ah, these are traces of Chaos!"
"Traces of Chaos? Aren''t we immune to chaos?"
"Brother Jin is different from us, Brother Twelfth Battle King."
"That''s true, but since he was transfused with the sister''s blood and even has a Light Heart, he must be immune!"
"The form of the stigma... this is the trace left by the First Chaos!"
"Darn it, it''s true, we''re not immune to that! The First Chaos suddenly? Is it still in the outside world?"
"What the hell have you been through out there!? Did you meet the Witch? Huh?"
The people of the Tribe of Legends shouted frantically with serious expressions.
The Chaos King and the Witch Heluram existed even in the era of the Tribe of Legends.
At that time, Heluram had no name and was simply called The Witch.
"Calm down, brothers."
When Vahn raised her hand silently, the others bowed their heads and closed their mouths.
"Those things only make Brother Jin more anxious. It''s not toote, so we just have to prepare and start the purification."
It''s a calm voice, as if it''s not a big deal.
But Jin couldn''t feel calm even after seeing Vahn''s attitude.
It was because all the other brothers, who surely knew the method of "purification," constantly showed signs of concern.
Fortunately, they were worried about Jin not because of death.
"Damn it... Let''s cheer up, Brother Jin."
"It''s painful, but what can we do? As you''ve always done, you have to bear it well...."
"We''ll help you with whatever, okay?"
"Yes, yes. No matter what state or appearance you''re in, we''ll always consider you a brother."
"Even if you forget us, we won''t forget you, Brother Jin. Yes, no way."
Jin had already endured the Tribe of Legends'' extreme training twice.
Still, the people of the Tribe of Legends were convinced that it would be difficult for Jin to endure it, so even Jin couldn''t help feeling a little uneasy.
"Eh? What do you mean by ''state'' or ''appearance''? And what do you mean by I might forget my brothers?"
"For now, enjoy the day. It may be difficult to have fun for a while."
Instead of answering Jin''s question, the others lifted him up and headed to the banquet hall.
Vahnughed at Jin, who kept asking questions with a puzzled expression, and at the brothers whoforted him.
Naturally, Vahn was also worried about Jin. However, she believed that Jin would be able to handle it this time as well.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 597
Chapter 597
C597
"Hahaha!"
"For Brother Jin!"
"For you!"
Just an hour ago, the Tribe of Legends, who had been talking as if Jin were to die immediately, were still drinking excitedly.
Apart from that, they were exaggerating their excitement considering Jin''s feelings, but Jin was anxious and curious, so he didn''t know where the alcohol was going to end up.
"Brother Jin."
It was the first time Vahn had spoken since the banquet began.
"Well, now you decide to talk. Sister Vahn. Please, give me the chance to speak."As Jin spoke with a slightly hurt tone, Vahn smiled.
Should I say it''s like looking at an adorable little brother? Although she was worried about him, she weed the lively atmosphere of Laprarosa, which hade after a long time.
Like all the other siblings.
Jin wasn''t very upset either.
"I needed some time to sort out my thoughts. How to purify your chaos, brother."
The noisy voices stopped. All the members of the Tribe of Legends lowered their cups and fixed their gaze on Jin and Vahn.
Jin recalled what his siblings had said.
The Tribe of Legends is basically immune to Chaos, but that doesn''t apply to the "first Chaos."
"It seems I''m not the first brother tainted by Chaos. I don''t know what the term ''First Chaos'' means."
"I mean the Chaos originated by The Witch. Did you say it''s now called Heluram?"
"Yes, Joshua Runcandel, whom the summoned brother Garmund once faced. Since I left Lafrarosa thest time, I''ve found a clue that the Prophet behind him might be Heluram. I found a recording device that belonged to Heluram when killing the demon in his vi."
"First, tell me what you''ve been through. I''ll exin it to you after I''ve heard everything."
"It will take me a whole night to talk about everything."
The brother''s eyes shone brightly.
The brother didn''t know a single thing about everything Jin had experienced since leaving Lafrarosa thest time.
Bing the gbearer of the Family, finding the Tombs of Temar, acquiring the legacy left by the ancient Runcandel, meeting Valeria, discovering the truth of the Fairies, gaining influence, causing Joshua''s downfall, facing the Chaos King, obtaining the artifacts left by Lokia, and much more...
All in just two years.
Jin had lived adventures far beyond his siblings'' expectations.
Jin''s story didn''t end until noon the next day.
"Wow... It''s almost like hearing a legend or a myth."
"That''s right. The Fourth Battle King Sister and Brother Shaku were directly involved in the brother Jin''s life story, right?"
"This Garmund has been summoned before!"
"Damn it, I envy you! I wanted to be chosen too!"
"That... The Brother Shaku and I don''t remember anything at all. Don''t be so envious..."
"You should fix that expression that says you''re going to die of pride, before saying something like that, Fourth Battle King Sister."
Jin smiled as he saw his siblings'' reaction, whom they called the true legendarybat race.
"By the way, the name of the Demon that Fourth Battle King Sister said we found. Didn''t she say Orgal, the Demon Beast King?"
"If Fourth Battle King Sister warned Brother Jin that he was a dangerous guy, we should remember... but it''s the first time I''ve heard that name."
"In those days, there weren''t many impressive demons that we remembered."
"The strongest was the one associated with The Witch, wasn''t it?"
"Then, that person is probably Orgal, the Demon Beast King, brothers. The reason why all of you don''t remember him is because Zipple manipted the history."
"Hmph, I can''t believe humans manipte history. It''s not just about writing history ording to the conqueror''s taste, but manipting it as if it were just correcting a text..."
"If you listen to Brother Jin''s words, although thebat power of those Zipples is insignificant, their authority has already reached the realm of the gods. He said that Zipple even reproduced the Origin Orb."
"The role of that human Record Magician seems crucial. The outside world is in a state where even the truth that someone knew clearly can be modified at any time."
The Tribe of Legends knew exactly what the Origin Orb was.
It was the power of the Gods that caused their destruction.
On the other hand, they were almost oblivious to Zipple''s maniption of history.
This was because there was no ovep between the activities of the Tribe of Legends and Zipple.
The people of the Tribe of Legends had exchanged some information with Temar, who arrived as a sessor a thousand years ago, and had heard from him stories about Zipple.
However, it was limited, and thest appearance of Temar that Vahn remembered was not very intact.
"Brothers, I''ve forgotten a very important thing. Come on, focus."
Like cats watching a moving toy, the Legends all turned their heads at once.
"The space-time device I mentioned earlier. I think that object could be the key to returning you to the outside world."
ng!
Upon hearing those words, several members of the Tribe of Legends dropped their sses to the ground.
There were also those who gasped in surprise, and even Vahn''s eyes widened.
"I''ve already recruited an engineer, who is probably the greatest genius in history, and the Record Magician who will restore the records of the space-time device. And I will free you thanks to their abilities, by all means."
Initially, until Jin came to Lafrarosa as the sessor of the Shadow Sword.
The Tribe of Legends had never expected the day woulde when they could escape from this dead world.
That''s why, during Jin''s first training, they consciously avoided talking about the outside world.
Talking about thend they could never return to would only make the punishment even harsher.
However, some members of the Tribe of Legends still dreamed of going outside.
One of them was the Goddess of Battle Vahn, and that''s why she transfused her blood to Jin. She thought her brothers could be saved through Jin.
Now not only Vahn, but everyone believed the same. Right now, Jin dered he would do it.
"The outside world... just hearing it sounds fantastic."
"Kahaha, the era of our Tribe of Legends ising again!"
"The enemies of Brother Jin are our enemies! The moment we are freed, they are doomed!"
"The problem is..."
Jin rolled up his sleeves, revealing the dark stain of Chaos on his wrist.
Then, the faces of the Legends, who were so excited, suddenly became thoughtful.
"This."
"First Chaos. Wow, I almost forgot..."
"If anything were to happen to Brother Jin, wouldn''t the space-time device and everything else mean nothing?"
"If something bad happened to Brother Jin, the rest of my brothers will continue to work to free the brothers, but I prefer to be there. To begin with, I am the only one who can enter Lafrarosa directly."
Jin met Vahn''s eyes.
"Sister Vahn. Unlike other brothers who say I must die or change in some strange way, it seems you believe purification is possible enough."
Vahn nodded.
"Brothers, fortunately, the Chaos that enveloped Brother Jin didn''t leave him alone with The Witch. It has a simr form, but ording to Brother Jin''s exnation... the fragment of the Origin Orb and the power of the Gods mixed, so it can''t be called a perfect First Chaos."
"Oh. Are you saying it''s just a little of the mixed First Chaos?"
"Yes. It''s a power that shouldn''t exist in the world, but if it remained, it would have been a very small amount."
"Then, during the purification process, the chances of Brother Jin going mad or losing his intelligence and bing a monster will be low. If he''s unlucky, he might turn into an insect."
"He could change his sex or be a hermaphrodite."
They were all horrible just to hear.
Only then did Jin know why the brothers were like that, what they looked like, and why they talked about it.
It seems there are other types of demonic transformation besides turning into a monster.
The mistakes of the Gods, the Chaos caused by the Origin Orb, only destroy the ego of the invading target and turn it into a monster.
As the name implies, Heluram''s ''First Chaos'' had the strange power topletely disorder the essence of the target.
Until the results were known, it wouldn''t be known if the target would be a monster or a small creature.
And the Chaos surrounding Jin was, as Vahn said, a mixture of the Chaos of the Gods and Heluram.
"The White Stone that sealed the fragment of the Origin Orb. The Witch probably had it before it belonged to the Hairan n. At that time, Gliek must have had the Witch''s First Chaos."
If the Chaos invading Jin were only Gliek''s, Vahn wouldn''t have worried about him.
Although Jin was human, it was because he had the Light Heart and the Blood of the Goddess of Battle.
As long as she kept training him, Jin could be immune to Chaos like his other brothers. From all kinds of Chaos except the first chaos.
''Then, Mother and Kelliak? And the others who were infected with Chaos at that time...!''
As Jin was about toe up with such an idea, Vahn continued her exnation.
"Brother Jin. I think, in the battle with Gliek, only the brother was infected by the First Chaos. If an ordinary human who doesn''t have my blood, like Brother Jin, were swallowed by the First Chaos, the result should have alreadye out."
Heluram''s Chaos made it impossible for even the Legends to resist.
"Listening to this, it seems lucky, but I don''t understand why only I was exposed to the Witch''s chaos."
"It must be because the witch hates Solderet. Because Solderet himselfpletely sealed the Witch''s First Chaos. Brother Jin, you were infected with the original Chaos that the Witch left before being sealed. The fact that the brother arrived safely in Lafrarosa means that, fortunately, the Witch''s Chaos that affected you is much weaker than we remembered."
This was a story Jin had never imagined.
Naturally, he had only recognized it as Gliek''s chaos.
"...After all, purification means certainly exist. It would be good to start as soon as possible."
"I need some time to prepare. In the meantime, the other brothers will confirm the achievements that Brother Jin achieved outside."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 598
Chapter 598
C598
When Vahn gave the order, the Legends began to vacate the banquet hall in perfect order.
Just as Jin was about to organize the table, the Fifth Battle King Boras approached him.
"Haha, brother Jin, stay still. Let''s hang out together."
"Brother Boras."
"As you may have felt already, sister Vahn firmly believes that Brother Jin will ovee the first Chaos. The faith of the great Tribe of Legends has never gone astray... Well, it did a couple of times, but... Hmmmm."
"Oh, really."
"Anyway, don''t worry too much. I''ll make a very good Chaos Extraction Aid for you."
That''s why Vahn said he needed some preparation before starting the chaos cleanup.Boras, the greatest cksmith in the history of the Legends and the Fifth Battle King.
It was because he had to do something to help Vahn.
"Chaos Extraction Aid?"
"It''s a device to assist sister Goddess of Battle in extracting chaos more easily. It also increases stability."
"Is sister Goddess of Battle able to extract chaos from others? Even if it''s the first chaos?"
"Yes, she is."
Boras'' eyes filled with sadness.
He thought of the brothers who were stained with the first Chaos before perishing.
"Of course... Will there be side effects? Like the brothers said before, like turning into an insect."
"Yes, there will be. We also expected side effects when injecting Sister Goddess of Battle''s Blood. But the result was perfect. Brother Jin, you are a man who excels in trials and experiments, so you will do well this time too."
Jin decided not to ask for more details.
In fact, it was because there was no choice.
The moment Jin rejected purification out of fear of side effects, the only future left for him was death or a more disastrous oue.
''I need to know more, so I''ll just be bothered.''
If I''m going to attempt purification anyway, I have to trust my brothers and follow them.
And anyway, if sister Goddess of Battle has a way, when they cane out...
Other people will be able to heal too.
No one knows when the Tribe of Legends cane out into the human world.
Furthermore, there were severe side effects, so it might not be of much help to other infected people in the human world.
''I hope I can find a way to reduce side effects through my chaos purification.''
The banquet hall was finished.
Except for Vahn and Boras, the rest of the Legends and Jin moved to the training field.
They drank all night, but that didn''t matter at all on the training field.
"Let''s decide who willpete with Brother Jin first, using rock-paper-scissors."
"Rock, paper, scissors, it''s not fair!"
At the words of ordinary warriors, including Shaku, Baltirok shook his head.
"Brothers, this time only the Battle Kings like me will check Brother Jin''s skills."
"Are you going to do this disrespectfully, the battle king brothers?"
"Sister Goddess of Battle told us to check Brother Jin''s skills, not to train through sparring with him. Therefore, this sparring is an inspection process for purification."
"Ugh, something''s unfair."
"If it''s unfair, the other brothers also fight. Kyahaha. If you control Brother Jin with ordinary warriors'' skills, only useless idents can happen."
''Teto,'' the Twelfth Battle King, said sticking out his tongue, mocking the ordinary warriors.
Seeing that, the Second Battle King ''Lumora'' hit Teto on the back of the head.
Bam!
There was a sound like a piece of metal breaking.
"How many times do I have to tell you to speak kindly, Twelfth Battle King Brother? Then you will be hated by our brothers."
"Ugh! I just said the truth. And I don''t have brothers who hate me. Everyone knows I just speak without thinking anything."
"Anyway, brothers. It''s not that the Twelfth Battle King brother was wrong. The ordinary warrior brothers will just watch, and the battle kings will take turns examining Brother Jin''s skills."
Lumora pushed Teto from behind.
"Starting with the twelfth battle king brother. The rest of the battle king brothers gather here, let''s y rock-paper-scissors."
"Kekeke, of course! Although you often beat me, think of me because you are the best."
Teto gently twirled hisnce and moved his steps towards the center of the training field.
He was the one who used thence among the Tribe of Legends.
During the first and second training sessions, Jin didn''t face Teto many times.
However, one thing was clear.
"I tell you in advance, I''m the weakest among the Battle King brothers."
Jin chuckled.
It was the reason Lumora put Teto first.
"I know, Brother Teto. I heard you became a battle king through pulls."
"Still, Brother Jin won''t be able toe to his senses because of my shynce skill."
Shaak!
As soon as he finished his words, Teto stretched hisnce.
The blow, clearly aimed at the neck, could have caused death or mortal wounds if Jin wasn''t careful enough to avoid it.
Brothers never maim or threaten each other with death.
Teto''s attack vited that principle, but none of his brothers pointed it out.
They all believed it was impossible for Jin to fall for Teto''s surprise attack.
Even if he wasn''t an ordinary warrior, it was a surprise attack by a "Battle King."
"Kyakyakya! As expected, you''ve gotten stronger, Brother Jin!"
"You better be more serious, Brother Teto."
Jin responded in a cold tone, but he seemed excited that he was finally being recognized.
Only the Battle Kings and the Goddess of Battle can engage inbat with the Battle King in this manner.
Even during thest training, the battle king brothers yed with me like children. Now it''spletely different...''
Sigmund''s lightning shed.
After the first battle began fast and lightly, the entire training field was dyed with the lightning of the two before even five moves had passed.
Since the audience is the strongest fighting race in history, the shockwave posed no problem.
The lightning of the Battle Kings and the ordinary warriors formed a thick protective shield over the entire training field.
Of course, as long as it didn''t actually vite the rules of sibling rivalry.
The two can''t use their own abilities, like their decisive killing moves and secret moves.
It would be possible if either side had more overwhelming abilities, but the difference between Teto and Jin wasn''t that much.
Therefore, the two had to fight using only the level of energy that wouldn''t kill each other.
Naturally, it was inevitable that it would be a battle of technique against technique, not power against power.
"I can''t use my lightning properly, so I''ll lose if I''m apprehensive."
"It''s over if Brother Jin takes the distance once."
"It seems almost impossible to get that distance."
As he said, Jin couldn''t shorten the distance with Teto.
As the battle dragged on, Teto''snce pressure range increased, and Jin''s area narrowed.
He hoped the difference would be smaller if they fought with pure weapon skills at a simr level of usable power.
It wasn''t.
Teto''snce, who described himself as the weakest, had difficultying to reason, as predicted at the beginning.
"Left, right, left! Strong, medium, weak! Oh, good block. But you couldn''t avoid the thighs, could you? Oh, it''s a shame. Brother Jin, you have a cut on your thigh and then on your right cheek!"
Teto''s unpleasant expression and way of speaking made it seem like heat was spreading.
It''s not an illusion.
Indeed, Jin felt his anger was about to burst suddenly. And every time his anger increased like a snowball, Jin''s eyes opened wider and his body became lighter.
The sword and thence stuck together due to the attraction of the Oppression of the Sword of Legends, which the two men opened simultaneously.
Teto deliberately used the Oppression to further weaken Jin while keeping their weapons united.
With the weapons bound in this way, both would be forced to exchange blows with the free arm.
"Brother Jin is a bit weak in closebat, isn''t he? So just after we became real brothers, you challenged Brother Shaku to closebat and ended up receiving a bunch of kicks. And I, of course, have bigger fists than Brother Shaku!"
Puck, puck!
Teto pulled thence stick and punched Jin''s chin.
Jin also threw a punch to counter, but there was a gap between Jin''s physical strength and Teto''s.
It was the part that the brothers found strange.
Why doesn''t he use the Fine Runes?
''Brother Jin is not a person who passes victory so easily.''
''The unique demonic nature isn''t revealed. Doesn''t it seem like he was hit almost aimlessly?''
Anger.
After the sparring with Teto began, demonization suddenly began to progress.
Jin was unable to focus on the battle because he was resisting that very thing.
To be precise, he wasn''t paying attention at all.
Jin had already lost his reason.
All the Battle Kings, except Teto, recognized this fact.
"It doesn''t seem reasonable to continue checking Brother Jin''s skills. I would like to stop it for now."
When Beliz was about to leave, Baltirok grabbed her by the shoulder.
"No, let''s watch a little more. Sister Seventh Battle King."
"The lightning that forms Brother Jin''s oppression is fading quickly, Brother First Battle King. The Twelfth Battle King brother is not aware of Brother Jin''s condition, so he is careless. If Brother Jin lifts the Oppression, Sigmund will stab Brother Teto in the chest."
"Still, I want to trust Brother Jin. Sister Goddess of Battle must have foreseen this situation...."
Baltirok, who had been talking up to there, rushed forward.
The same happened with the other battle kings.
What Beliz feared happened.
In the end, Jin''s oppression was released, and Sigmund flew towards Teto''s chest with lightning that surpassed thew of the duel between brothers.
As fast as the Battle Kings were, the speed was unstoppable.
First of all, the distance between Jin and Teto was only one step.
"Hup!"
The reason Teto wasn''t aware of Jin''s condition, unlike the other battle kings, was because he was very focused.
Furthermore, as his brother, he had faith in Jin.
Teto only spoke meanly to express himself, but he wanted and trusted his brothers more than anyone.
Teto trusted that, no matter what happened during the sparring, Jin would never stab him.
"Ho, ho, Whoo...!"
Fortunately.
The brothers rushed forward, confirming that Jin''s sword stopped just before stabbing Teto in the chest.
Jin barely regained his senses and gasped, and the battle kings who came running also sighed in relief and wiped their hearts.
Ttak!
Jin, who reflexively threw his sword, sweated as if it were raining.
And while his brothers surrounded him, hugged him, and gave him words offort, Jin thought of one thing.
Teto''snce, which had been a burden, was clearly visible at the moment demonization began.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 599
Chapter 599
C599
"It was a sensation simr to when I dealt with Ron-nim, who fell into demonization..."
Jin had a simr experience in the Abyss of Gliek.
At that moment, Jin felt his powers growing as Chaos and Shadow Energy mingled.
That power seemed to vanish after the battle with Ron, who had fallen into demonization, but it remained as a stain in the form of invasion and harassment on Jin.
Jin''s heart pounded as if it were about to burst.
He couldn''t hear the voices of his surrounding brothers.
Jin''s head buzzed as if it were submerged in water, and meanwhile, strangely heightened senses formed an unwanted fighting spirit.
Jin had just nearly fatally wounded his brother, but he wanted to keep on fighting.It wasn''t easy for him to suppress that feeling, as if he were under the influence of a strong drug.
Jin wouldn''t have been able to stop his sword if the person in front of him were a stranger instead of his brother.
Since the end of the sword emperor battle, Jin had never fought against an opponent strong enough to awaken his demonic nature.
He hadn''t even warmed up after the battle with Qwaul, so he wasn''t going through the same state now.
Good and evil, justice and apostle, light and darkness.
Such conflicting desires caused wild ripples within Jin.
Jin thought he had managed to keep it under control, but his demonic energy kept writhing like a fierce snake.
If I use this power, I''ll be able to enter the transcendental state at once...
As a Warrior, there couldn''t be a sweeter thing than that.
It seemed that if he decided to "do it" just once, his body would be filled with immeasurable power like the great sea.
It was to the point he felt like someone had blessed him. It seemed that even the uncontroble nature inherent in demonization would disappear if he fully epted his power.
Why should he reject it?
When the stream of consciousness reached that point, Jin''s demonization amplified even further.
The voices of the brothers ceased to be heard as if they had been crushed.
Even the figures of the brothers looked like ck forms.
To the point that Jin regretted having thrown away the sword.
The brothers, who began to appear as ck figures, started to feel threatening.
Jin felt he had to protect himself from those evil spirits at that moment.
"Ah...!"
Jin screamed and shook off one of his brother''s outstretched hands.
It was Beliz''s hand.
As Jin shook it with all his might, Beliz''s hand would have been cut or torn off if it weren''t for the Battle King of the Tribe of Legends.
Beliz remained unfazed and grabbed Jin again.
Beliz''s physical strength ranks among the highest of the battle kings. Even so, he had to strain to hold Jin''s arm.
"Hold Brother Jin!"
The rest of the Battle Kings also joined in the suppression.
The reason they were able to firmly subdue Jin despite receiving punches and kicks with monstrous power was because they were the Battle Kings of the Tribe of Legends.
"Brother, wake up!"
The suppression led to a very tough situation.
They had no choice but to break Jin''s limbs and hold him down so tightly that his body was crushed.
Jin vomited blood and screamed, but he recovered in an instant.
He even grew stronger with each recovery.
As the harsh repression continued, some of the ordinary brothers seemed to tightly shut their eyes, as if they couldn''t bear to watch.
It was because it was difficult for them to bear seeing other brothers tearing apart their brother''s body.
Jin had no choice but to stop.
The suppression by the Battle Kings was limited.
Because they didn''t know how long Jin''s body wouldst.
"Brother Jin!"
"Cheuk, kuh...!"
Soon, Jin coughed up ck blood and stopped the onught.
At thest moment, when demonization was reaching its peak, the blood of the Goddess of Battle clung back to Jin.
Even after that, the Battle Kings couldn''t release the hands holding Jin for a while.
They all felt as if they were holding a bomb about to explode.
"Are you okay?"
Jiny face down and looked at his brothers'' concerned faces.
At that moment, the brothers let out a sigh of relief, but Jin felt his heart breaking as he apologized.
"Brothers..."
"Kekeke, Brother Jin. Don''t feel guilty!"
While the brothers chose their words carefully, Teto was the first to shout.
"It''s poison. What''s inside, Brother Jin? The mind? Anyway, things aren''t very well now, so if you''re engulfed in guilt, you''ll probably be weaker, right? Then, naturally, the will to reject the chaos invasion will weaken. So, we have to get rid of those feelings even for reasons of efficiency."
"Oh, why is the Twelfth Battle King brother talking about something usible? Will the Second Battle King brother''s hardships finally shine?"
"The Twelfth Battle King brother is right. You need to calm down, Brother Jin."
Jin made eye contact with his brothers for a few seconds before nodding.
Instead of feeling guilty, he chose to feel grateful.
He had almost killed his brother, and it wasn''t any different that he could have such an easily changeable heart even though it was a nuisance.
Brothers don''t count the silver.
It was because Jin was also a person who followed the order of the Legends.
If the target he almost harmed were anotherpanion, it wouldn''t have been easy for Jin to take it lightly.
"Huh, thank you. Brothers."
"Take a sip of cold water."
"Right, let''s think clearly, clearly. If we were in your shoes, Brother Jin, what would have happened if it were the human world?"
"I don''t know how many times my limbs were broken."
"Well, you were cut dozens of times when you first came. In a way, it''s better than then."
Instead of getting serious, Jin and the Legends lightened the mood.
Then, Jin felt the remnants of demonization sinking quickly.
It wasn''t the first time the Legends experienced a case like Jin''s.
They knew perfectly well that the mental aspect was what influenced demonization the most.
"Brother Jin."
"Yes, First Battle King Brother."
"My brother, you are undergoing rehabilitation training right now, so to speak. You fell once, and you may fall again and again in the future."
Baltirok put a hand on Jin''s shoulder.
"Every time brother needs to, like now, you just have to quickly pick yourself up and get up. You shouldn''t worry about why you fell or if you hurt someone when you fell."
"And our job is to keep extending a hand and lifting our brother up every time he falls."
"It''s amazing, Brother Teto keeps saying the right things...?".
Jin nodded. It was so good to have warm and reliable brothers and a hometown.
"Take up your sword again and assume your stance."
It had only been a few minutes since he had almost stabbed Teto.
The brothers seemedpletely oblivious to that fact.
"Do you mean right now?"
"You shouldn''t be afraid of going crazy again. The Sister Goddess of Battle must have foreseen this situation, and yet she told us to check your abilities and condition."
"That means the God of Battle sister believes in Brother Jin just like the other brothers, and it probably means nothing will happen if you keep running like a madman...?"
"Maybe?"
It''s true that Jin loves and trusts his brothers a lot, but sometimes he felt embarrassed by the Legend''s insensitive behavior.
"Brother Tantel! Brother, hurry up and ask the Sister Goddess of Battle. Now that the situation is like this, can we continue?"
At Garmund''s words, Tantel left the training ground. Tantel quickly returned and nodded.
"Go ahead!"
"That''s right. Now that I think about it, we made a littlemotion. The Sister Goddess of Battle told us to do it."
"That''s right. The Sister Goddess of Battle told us to do it, so everything will be fine, right?"
"Well, everyone says it like they''re not sure. Are you really okay?"
"Who was next? The one who won rock, paper, scissors before? Oh, it was me!"
"Brother Garmund, why do you lie? The 12th battle king brother was followed by the 2nd battle king brother. Then came Brother Baltirock, and the rest... Damn it, what was the order?"
"You can''t even remember it all anyway, invalidate it and decide again with rock-paper-scissors."
"Aren''t you going to let us in? The battle king brothers."
"Oh, even after seeing the situation! Ordinary warrior brothers should keep watching until Brother Jin''s chaos is purified. Instead, let''s watch the audience a little more closely. If Brother Jin goes mad again, we must quickly subdue him together."
There was no time to refuse.
Jin grabbed the Sigmund again and continued fighting.
The battle continued for four days.
During that period, Jin kept fighting with the Kings of Battle, except for sleeping (they even slept together in the training ground to prepare for a loser controlmotion).
And he went through more than twenty attacks.
When Jin fell into the most seriousmotion, he rioted to the point of destroying the training ground in half, and when he fell into the weakest, he ended up taking two punches to the chin.
''I have no energy in my body...''
He had been fighting so intensely that even the chaos seemed to drain his energy.
He was in a state where he didn''t even have the strength to run.
The demonization hadn''t really ended.
Just as Dante opened the door due to Gliek''s temptation, in Jin''s heart there was always a door that could be opened.
A temptation door that convinces you that you can befortable and strong if you open it.
The Kings of Battle also showed signs of being a little tired.
It wasn''t just about sparring, but every time Jin lost control, they clung to Jin, so they had no choice but to be exhausted.
If I hadn''t heard Dante talk about the temptation of Chaos...
And if I hadn''t suffered the tragedy of Sword Emperor Castle.
''I would have opened it already.''
Jin trembled and a grinding noise shed.
Jin stretched out his trembling hand and gripped the sword again.
"Who... is next?"
The Kings of Battle coughed and avoided Jin''s gaze.
The Kings of Battle, who had made such a fuss saying they would fight first, now subtly yielded the turn to each other.
Ordinary warriors urged the Kings of Battle to approach one by one, as if they were reciting spells.
In the end, just as Teto, the youngest Battle King, was about to raise his battered body, a voice of salvation was heard from the other side of the training ground.
"Chaos Extraction Aid isplete, brothers!"
It was the voice of the Fifth Battle King Boras.
What happened while he was making the recement for the extraction aid, so his whole body also got tanned.
The battle kings tried to honor Boras, hoping they could finally rest, but they corrected their posture when they saw the strong eyes of the Goddess of Batlle Vahn standing next to him.
And half said a word like this...
"Keep doing what you''re doing, brothers".
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 600
Chapter 600
C600
"Wow, what are you saying, Sister Goddess of Battle?"
"That, the Fifth Battle King haspleted the machine...."
Vahn didn''t respond immediately but remained still for a few seconds.
Seeing her hair waving like fire, and her calm, deep eyes, the Battle Kings had no choice but to rise from their seats.
All the Legends quickly lined up and bowed their heads.
There''s no hierarchy between the Battle Kings and ordinary warriors, but the Goddess of Battle Vahn is truly the absolute leader of the Tribe of Legends.
Jin watched them and took his ce among the ordinary warriors.
Then, Tantel and Shaku pushed Jin a position forward, to the seat of the Battle Kings."Brother, stand in front!"
"I''m not a battle king, am I?"
"Hurry up."
And the same happened after standing next to the Battle Kings.
"Brother, stand next to Sister Goddess of Battle!"
"Next to Sister Goddess of Battle? Is that okay?"
"Brother Jin, you have seeded Sigmund, you are the only sessor of Sister Goddess of Battle. You have more rank than us."
Reluctantly, Jin stood beside Vahn. Then he opened her mouth as if the lineup was fine.
"You are bingcent, brothers."
"Sister Goddess of Battle, we are showing an ugly side. Please, teach us."
"Everyone seems to have forgotten."
Vahn pointing at Jin.
"Here, Brother Jin said he would take us out on the first day he visited Lafrarosa. So, what should we prepare, my brothers and I?"
"It''s to be Brother Jin''s strength."
"Yes."
Swoosh...!
Suddenly, the entire training ground resonated with Vahn''s energy and began to tremble.
The Battle Kings felt their vision darken for a moment, and the ordinary warriors gritted their teeth not to copse.
Jin was unaffected by her energy. This was because Vahn hadn''t spread her energy in his direction.
"Our golden age has ended, and our glorious era also came to an end 5000 years ago."
Vahn''s energy grew stronger as she spoke.
The more he did, the more the vibration shaking the training ground faded, but Vahn''s energy was a calm storm.
Calm, Storm. As ifpletely opposite words wereing together, her energy contained a divine majesty.
"It''s not that they can''t withstand it because of the hierarchy. All my brothers... really feel the weight of the energy."
The strongest warriors Jin knows.
Jin wondered if this would be possible even for Quiron Runcandel, Ron Hairan, and Temar, whom Jin had experienced in the Great Mitra Desert, against no less than 12 Battle Kings and 64 ordinary warriors of the Tribe of Legends.
"This means that even though we can all go out, we will have no choice but to provide Brother Jin with a shameful and weak powerpared to those days. Can we protect ourselves with just that?"
"I think this will be enough to sustain..."
Jin wanted to respond to that, but he remained silent.
Vahn released her energy.
The Tribe of Legends took a deep breath and shouted "no" at the same time.
"From now on, not only Brother Jin, but all the other brothers must practice and train with all their might. There must not be a singlezy brother in your former glory."
"We will keep this in mind, Sister Goddess of Battle!"
Excluding Jin from the warning wasn''t because Vahn wanted to give him preferential treatment. It was because Jin was the only one who wanted to continue sparring and asked who was next.
"Sister Goddess of Battle."
When the Eleventh Battle King ''Nata'' spoke, Vahn made eye contact with her.
"Speak."
"First of all, I''m sorry once again for showing a poor image. However, if we continue training like this, the other brothers may not know it, but Brother Jin may be a little in danger."
"Do the other brothers think the same?"
"Yes, Sister Goddess of Battle. It is true that we feel tired, but we are actually worried about Brother Jin''s condition. If he keeps training like this..."
"Could he die?"
"That''s right."
"It seems the brothers'' hearts have be morex than I thought, seeing them say something new again."
"I''m sorry."
"Training is something that can lead to death."
The Legends closed their mouths again as they saw Vahn speaking forcefully word by word.
Looking back, Goddess of Battle Vahn had no qualms about making Jin strong aggressively since he arrived in Lafrarosa.
She proceeded from blood transfusion to death with a certain degree of thought in mind.
Like many strong men, she believed that Jin could not achieve transcendence without risking his life.
First of all, the training of the Tribe of Legends was more radical and dangerous than that of any martial arts group that had ever existed in history.
The reason they reigned as conquerors of the human world was not only because they were born to fight.
"Baltirok, Rumora, Palem, Rinpa, Boras, Dalpir, Beliz, Garmund, Baba, Kaio, Nata, Teto. Fight again with Brother Jin from the beginning in the order they became Battle King. I will suppress him when he loses control, so those waiting their turn can warm up in pairs.
"Well, Sister Goddess of Battle? I guess I need to look at the device a little more..."
"Didn''t you say it was finished?"
"The training will be intense, so I think I should wait to treat my brothers. I don''t think there''s anything special to use. There are 11 battle kings only if I leave, so if one of them spars with Brother Jin, wouldn''t it be good for the other 10 to pair up?"
"Then let everyone except Brother Boras start training. Even the ordinary warriors form a group."
Boras chuckled and wished his brothers good luck.
-------------
Another four days passed.
Jin''s consciousnesses and goes, like a flickering magic light, while the rest of the Tribe of Legends barely stands on their shaky legs and finds their opponents.
"This time, the Twelfth Battle King will go against me..."
"Huhhhhhhhhh"
"What are you spitting out, Sixth Battle King.......?"
"Hee, hee, it''s a butterfly, a butterfly."
"Calm down, Sister Nata! That''s not a butterfly, it''s vomit."
Vahn and Boras watched the fallen Jin in such a deplorable state that it was hard to tell if it was training or torture.
"Brother Jin lost control less than 10 times in thest four days... If so, I think we can start slowly. What do you think, Sister Goddess of Battle?"
"I guess so. Brother Jin must be tired of the chaos gradually invading him, so get ready. Training over! Brothers, take a seat."
As if they were finally alive, the Legends took their seats, and Boras brought the Chaos Extraction Aid in front of Jin.
The machine looked like a column, but when Boras pressed a button, seams opened and things like chairs and belts came out.
Boras sat Jin, limp like seaweed, in a chair, and tied belts around his head.
As in training, it also looked like a scene of torture.
Then, Vahn ced her hand on Jin''s Light Heart.
Then, the Light Heart spewed out a dazzling light like a waterfall, and Jin felt his mind clear in an instant.
"Whoa...."
"Come to your senses, Brother Jin."
"I thought it was the underworld, but fortunately, I''m still alive. Sister Goddess of Battle."
"From now on, I will remove the Chaos from my brother."
"How... Uh."
Swook-!
Suddenly, Vahn''s hand plunged into Jin''s heart. As Vahn had taken some measures, the Light Heart was as soft as mud.
''Crazy... By extraction, did she literally mean physically removing it? It''s much worse than when Sister Yona briefly removed Chaos from Am-nim.''
As if searching for something hidden in the barrel, Vahn squeezed her hand and caught the hidden chaos energy in Jin''s Light Heart.
The feeling of having caught the chaos was very clear. And also the "Chaos is feeling" the fear.
"...As expected, it''s not in good condition."
"Will the side effects be worse than what Sister Goddess of Battle thought?"
"I hope not."
Thud!
Vahn''s energy-stained grip remained somewhere on the chaos as if she were subduing a beast by grabbing it by the neck.
And just as Jin was about to ask something else.
[Kii......!]
Vahn began to withdraw her hand from the heart, and immediately a scream of chaos was heard.
''Demon God Orb, it sounds like Gliek''s voice. I never thought I would hear this horrible sound here again.''
If the brothers hadn''t been nearby, Jin would have felt overwhelmed by great pressure as soon as he heard the screams.
The incident at the Sword Emperor Castle was Jin''s worst nightmare.
However, at that time, the Demon God Orb and Gliek terrorized everyone with just their voices, but now it was the opposite.
[Kii, Keek!]
The Chaos screams were filled with a sense of urgency more than dignity, almost to the point of sounding like a plea for help.
[Kiii, Keee!]
Finally, the part that seemed to be the "head" of Chaos protruded from the heart. Its head was unattractively wrinkled by Vahn''s grip, and its eyes constantly rolled. He didn''t even dare to make eye contact with Vahn.
"Come out quietly... if you want to disappear with less pain."
Surprisingly, Chaos stopped rattling from then on.
Instead, he showed an attitude ofplete submission to Vahn, enduring the pain with tightly closed eyes.
Just like Am''s Chaos feared Yona.
Finally, when more than half of the Chaos came out, Jin was first surprised by how gigantic it was....
He couldn''t help but be surprised by the fact that it wasn''t just Chaosing out of his body.
Strength.
The strength Jin had umted throughout his life as a magic swordsman was also mixed with Chaos.
"Sister Vahn! My strength is mixed with chaos...!".
Vahn, she, nodded as if she knew it, andpletely extracted the Chaos.
Kudk!
Vahn pulled it out as if she were digging up sweet potato roots, but the thrown Chaos had a body almost as big as Murakan''s. Its shape was simr to that of a Dragon.
And as soon as it came out, it fell face down in front of Vahn, letting her know that it had no intention of fighting.
[Kiiii.......]
"Oh, fortunately it was extracted at once. Fortunately, it seems to have almost no side effects, so once Sister Goddess of Battle subdues it..."
"It seems you didn''t listen to Brother Jin because you were ying with the device. The side effect is loss, Fifth Battle King."
Losing Strength, Boras touched his forehead as soon as he heard Vahn''s words.
"Loss? Isn''t loss the mind, the invasion, or the transformation?"
"Yes."
"This."
Even in the midst of the conversation, chaos continued to look around.
"So Sister Vahn can''t take care of that for Brother Jin..."
Vahn met Jin''s eyes.
"Brother Jin will have to fight for himself from now on."
"...It took all my strength, Sister Goddess of Battle."
"That''s why only Brother Jin should handle it. If I take care of it instead, Brother''s energy will inevitably disappear along with it. Brother Jin has to fight and reim it."
At those words, Chaos immediately understood the situation and smiled.
Immediately he realized that Vahn''s "weakness" is Jin.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 601
Chapter 601
C601
Did he justugh?
Jin certainly saw it.
Despite having a facepletely different from that of a human, his expression clearly exuded a sinister vibe.
However, there was no time to dwell on such things.
Because in an instant, all the strength he had trained for his entire life vanished.
Jin couldn''t even sense a trace of the aura and mana nearby at ten stars.
It was as if they had never existed.
"You must feel lost, Brother Jin. But you just have to retrieve it from the Chaos."Naturally, it wasn''t as easy as it sounded.
But instead of despairing, Jin lifted his head and stared straight at the Chaos.
Anyway, there''s no choice.
Come to think of it, it wasn''t such a bad situation.
If Jin had arrived in Lafrarosa a littleter, he would have been attacked by that chaos monster without knowing why.
Although he had lost his aura and mana, most of the formidable enemies Jin had fought until then had much greater power than his own.
Fighting against stronger opponents and somehow winning was one of the things Jin excelled at.
The chaos entity looked at Vahn with a smiling face.
He''s very afraid of the Sister Goddess of Battle. He reveals everything by rolling his eyes without thinking.
Fear is a weakness.
In that sense, Chaos seemed very immature in Jin''s eyes.
Chaos isn''t the only one who recognizes Vahn''s weakness in Jin.
"Sister Goddess of Battle. This situation is definitely purification, not training, right?"
"Yes. I don''t lie to train my brother. Indeed, that''s something neither I nor the other brothers can do for you."
"Yes, I didn''t ask because I thought Sister Goddess of Battle might have tricked me into training."
"So?"
"Since it wasn''t training, I wondered if I could receive help from my brothers in case of emergency."
Vahn nodded.
"Of course, it''s possible."
Sss...
The straps of the chaos extraction aid device attached to Jin''s head loosened.
Jin, who slowly sat up, lifted Sigmund.
Habits are scary.
Naturally, he tried to imbue the sword with lightning energy, but received no response.
Even Sigmund felt heavy without the power of the aura that always supported the body.
Chaosughed again at that part.
"That means I''ll never die fighting him."
The Legends couldn''t directly hit Chaos, and if Jin was in danger, they could always save him.
"Of course, you won''t be left crippled."
"Furthermore, if it damages me beyond recovery. The brothers will definitely avenge me."
"I will always personally witness the fight between Brother Jin and Chaos, so there won''t be incidents like that. However, if that thing kills you through a method we can''t get involved in. At that time, I will definitely seek revenge."
The corners of Chaos''s mouth, which had been subtly mocking, stiffened.
He had the intelligence to understand the words, but does he have the ability to think just one step ahead?
He kept revealing superficial intentions.
Jin doesn''t know exactly how much power Chaos possesses, but even the energy it stole from him was at a level close to ten stars.
Moreover, it possesses Chaos energy, so it is very likely to have been a formidable opponent even before Jin lost his strength.
It was lucky for Jin that its intelligence was low.
"Are you going to fight right now?"
"Yes, Sister Goddess of Battle."
As Jin began to approach slowly, Chaos also spread its wings and rose.
The shadow of Chaos covered Jin and Vahn.
''The feeling of intimidation... is no joke.''
Jin felt it even more because he had lost his strength.
Jin was even convinced that he would die if Chaos lifted its front paw and pressed down as if squishing an insect.
A nervousugh escaped Jin due to the trembling helplessness.
Jin''sbat prowess, which until just thirty minutes ago had engaged in sleepless sparrings with the Battle Kings of the Tribe of Legends, had truly disappeared.
However, the confrontation between Jin and Chaos progressed somewhat strangely.
The closer Jin got, the more Chaos backed away. Of course, it wasn''t because Chaos was afraid to face Jin.
It was because Vahn was about five steps behind Jin, preparing for any unforeseen events.
''Is this what it feels like to fight with someone behind you?''
Vahn''s two eyes emitted a fiery bloodthirst toward Chaos.
It was a gaze that quietly said:
"Stay still and let Brother Jin gather his strength, then die quietly."
Jin felt frustrated by Chaos only widening the distance.
"Hmm."
In the end, Jin started charging first.
Chaos also tried to increase the distance faster, but when it met Vahn''s ming eyes, Chaos was unable to move as it wanted.
And Jin was surprised that it was so "slow."
A body that isn''t assisted by an aura is barely more than a low-level martial artist.
Anyway, Jin vigorously thrust his sword.
He couldn''t jump to Chaos''s head, so his point of impact was Chaos''s front feet.
With all the force from his abdomen and a powerful strike, the downward sh produced a small, picturesque impact sound: not a sh, not a metallic noise, not a dull thud, but a pretty "pong."
Once again, Jin''s posture was broken.
But that wasn''t all.
Even though Jin himself attacked, he even bounced back due to the repulsive force of the protective shield Chaos reflexively deployed.
"Coff!"
-----------------
Surprisingly or unfortunately.
Only a dayter, Jin opened his eyes. It felt to him like he had blinked just once.
"Ha..."
As soon as Jin woke up, he involuntarily sighed.
Jin quickly understood the situation from the worried faces of his brothers looking at him.
"Brother Jin! You''ve awakened. Are you alright?"
"Uh, don''t try to get up right away. Your bones aren''t fully healed yet."
"Bones? Have my bones been broken?"
"About seventeen... Normally, if it were your robust body, they would heal quickly, but now it will take some time."
Only the bones and organs were damaged thanks to the training to the limit of his blessed muscles.
If it had been another low-level Warrior, they would have died instantly from the recoil of Chaos.
For Jin, it was a series of shocks.
Still...
"I couldn''t even perceive the moment I lost consciousness? Me?"
It was frustrating, but memories of the countless battles he had endured until the end passed through Jin''s mind.
Jin has memories of enduring with sheer willpower in any situation, but such an unpleasant defeat!
"What happened to that guy?"
"Well..."
"No, it''s fine. I asked the obvious."
Chaos was sleeping in the middle of the training ground.
Compared to a person, it seemed to have received a shock equivalent to not losing a single hair.
It''s not a situation where mental strength or willpower can make a difference.
Even if an ant tried its hardest, it couldn''t defeat a tiger. The distance between Jin and Chaos was almost of that magnitude.
While lying down, Jin clenched and unclenched his fists, checking once again the state of his body.
It seemed he could feel extremely faint aura and mana.
The control that allowed him to move at his will had disappeared. It took him a considerable amount of time to realize it.
Should I gather strength from the beginning and confront him?
No, that would be futile in three years''.
Once he traversed that path, he might reach the destination faster than before.
However, three years wouldn''t be enough.
As Jin reflected, the door opened and Vahn entered.
"Sister Goddess of Battle."
Unlike Jin''s somber and serious demeanor, she had a slight smile on her face.
"I didn''t know Brother Jin would have such a foolish look."
"I really made a fool of myself. It''s embarrassing."
"I didn''t mean that."
As if unable to contain herself, Vahn burst intoughter.
Jin didn''t resent her for teasing him.
Instead, he felt relieved to see a humble side rarely seen among the absolute beings.
"Well, Sister Vahn is immune to demonization, so even if it reaches extremes, doesn''t she be deste inside like my father or Ron-nim?".
Vahn looked at Bradamante, whoy beside Jin.
"It was a little strange, since Brother Jin naturally chose Sigmund instead of Bradamante before facing Chaos. It seemed that the intelligent Brother Jin missed something so simple."
"What do you mean...? Don''t tell me?"
"Yes, Brother Jin, you''ve only lost your aura and mana. It means your Shadow Energy still remains."
In an instant, Jin''s face flushed.
The other Legends couldn''t contain theirughter, making Jin feel even more embarrassed.
Jin hadn''t thought about the Shadow Energy because he had the feeling of having lost all his aura and mana.
"How foolish I''ve been to forget about this!"
"I thought you were pretending to lose your Shadow Energy just to catch Chaos off guard, as usual."
A lump of Shadow Energy formed in Jin''s grip as hey down.
Jin let out a heartlessugh at seeing it.
"If I had faced him with the Shadow de..."
"The result would have been the same, but the process would have been different."
"I''ll confront Chaos as soon as I feel better. In this fight, I couldn''t even figure out his approximate power at all."
"True. And even though it''s invisible to my eyes and those of other brothers, you should be able to sense the power he took from you, Brother Jin."
The key was to fight and regain strength.
The more Jin regained his original strength, the more naturally Chaos would weaken.
The recovery ended after five days. Jin, along with his brothers, returned to find Chaos lying in the training ground and lifted his sword.
Chaos reluctantly raised its head, as if expressing exhaustion.
There were two reasons why Chaos was so rxed.
First, because Jin was incredibly weak, and second, because even after inadvertently harming Jin, the Legends did not retaliate.
Therefore, Chaos nned to continue postponing its death by making Jin faint every time it attacked.
[Haaaaam.]
After yawning profusely, Chaosy down to take a nap again with the protective shield on.
Doesn''t it know that I have Shadow Energy, or does Shadow Energy not pose a threat even if it knows?
In any case, Jin should check it out.
Jin approached Chaos with confidence, and with Bradamante wrapped in Shadow Energy, he struck the protective shield with all his might.
[?Kyaaak!]
As soon as the Shadow Energy touched the protective shield, Chaos jumped and blinked.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 602
Chapter 602
C602
He looked like a startled cat jumping up like a drawn bowstring.
Though the Chaos body was too big to bepared to a cat.
Kwoong-!
When the Chaos fell onto its back, an earthquake shook the entire training ground.
Jin took a step back with just the slight tremor that urred.
"He certainly reacts sensitively to Shadow Energy."
Yona, Am, Gliek, etc.
Almost all the Chaos Jin had experienced either greatly feared or harbored deep resentment toward Solderet''s power.The first chaos derived from Helluram was no different.
The creature had opened its eyes as if they were about to pop out at any moment, and it breathed ceaselessly.
One couldn''t see it, but it seemed like the chaos was even breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Oh, this time, it looks like Brother Jin is making a move from the beginning..."
"Brother! Well done, keep it up, give him a real beating!"
The Legends who hade to watch the match (with refreshments and alcohol prepared among the audience) clenched their fists and cheered. Also this time, Vahn kept a distance of five steps.
"Kuh......."
However, it wasn''t easy for Jin to close the distance with Chaos again.
Contrary to how the chaos had been distracted or looked at Vahn until now, the chaos now exuded clear hostility toward Jin.
Jin''s legs didn''t move, as if he had faced Tess''s strong pressure.
He was either terrified or had lost the will to fight. It wasn''t a mental issue.
The reason Jin''s legs stiffened was purely the real pressure created by the chaos''s fighting spirit.
"How dare you."
The Chaos immediately seized the fighting spirit as Vahn spoke in a low voice.
Instead, itined of unfairness with a tremendously gloomy voice unique to "chaos of different ranks."
[Squirm... Nng.]
The voice of the different rank chaos had a certain prating power that prated into the depths of humans.
It wasn''t just because they were strong beings like the Demon God Orb and Gliek that broke human will to fight with just screams.
The same happened with the first chaos that slipped away from Jin. Even Jin felt pity for the whining sound in broad daylight.
''Insane, am I feeling sorry? What am I thinking?''
Especially Jin couldn''t help but react more sensitively to the creature''s voice.
What constituted the creature wasn''t just chaos; it had naturally intertwined with Jin''s inner self upon acquiring its energy.
In other words, there was a kind of inner connection between Jin and the creature, which made them feel each other''s emotions more intensely.
That''s why when Jin approached the creature to strike again, he had to constantly control his emotions.
One should never pity the creature; it was only a threatening existence to be eradicated.
[?Kiiing, Kiiing!]
"What do you mean?"
[?Kiii!]
"Noisy. Shut up and take Brother Jin''s sword."
On the other hand, the chaos considered this situation absurd.
The human tried to eliminate it, but with Vahn confidently watching his back, the situation seemed reversed.
All the more so because even though the chaos appealed to Vahn, all it got in return was cold, haughty treatment.
Indeed, the Chaos intended to release Jin as long as he didn''t try to harm it.
Initially, it should have be "one" by devouring Jin, but now that they were separated, it thought each could live their own life.
The Chaos didn''t even perceive that it had taken over Jin''s power. It felt that it was originally its possession.
The chaos began to distance itself from Jin, and he found himself in the dilemma of chasing the fleeing creature.
And the fleeing chaos agonized over why Jin had "Shadow Energy."
Jin thought about how to get rid of that superficial, unpleasant fellow.
''I''m sure the Shadow Sword is a threat to him, but my body doesn''t respond well enough to open the Shadow Sword.''
Whoosh!
Jin gritted his teeth.
He couldn''t properly strengthen his body just with Shadow Energy.
Jin released the Shadow Energy Armor (the Myulta Rune couldn''t be used due tock of mana), but it was impossible to open Bradamante.
''Should I learn to strengthen my body with Shadow Energy? I also don''t know how long it might take. If I''m not careful, my aura release might go wrong when I recover my aura after mostly using Shadow Energy.''
Jin never thought there woulde a time when he would miss the aura filling every vein so much.
It was strange to imagine filling the empty dantian and operating organs with Shadow Energy instead.
"Mmm."
"At first, it seemed like Brother Jin had just hit him, but there''s no difference. Can this be called a fight?"
"I feel really sorry for Brother Jin. Our powerful brother has be so weak..."
"Eh, don''t say such negative things. If you keep saying that, Brother Jin might never be strong again."
However, as time passed, Jin and Vahn began to understand this battle at apletely different level than the others on the training ground.
''It''s as the Sister Goddess of Battle said. I''m still far from closing the gap with her, but I''m beginning to feel little by little the strength sister Vahn spoke of.''
Like a hidden light in thick fog, Jin''s energy, which Chaos had taken, softly shone throughout Chaos''s body.
It was only visible in Jin''s eyes, and it seemed that if he clung to it, he would crash against Chaos like a wave.
''Damn it, it''s risky to let the Sister Goddess of Battle break that damn shield for me. Just hitting the shield could cause problems with the strength she has. Sister Vahn must be quiet because that worries her.''
That''s what Jin thought.
However, it''s not just that, Vahn also felt a strange sensation as he kept five steps away from Jin.
Is there some kind of resonance between Brother Jin and me...?
The Light Heart of the Tribe of Legends and the power it contains can be amplified in response to Vahn''s power.
That was why the Battle Kings'' Light Hearts shone especially when Jin first visited the Gods of Battle'' hall in Lafrarosa.
The Legend called the phenomenon "Resonance of the Gods of Battle."
Jin also has a Light Heart, so he can resonate in the same way, but not now.
''Right now, Brother Jin''s Light Heart won''t have the slightest energy left for resonance... why?''
Suddenly, as if something urred to him, Vahn grabbed Jin by the shoulders.
"Sister Goddess of Battle?"
"Brother Jin, don''t you feel it?"
"What...... huh?"
Jin stopped walking.
Thanks to Vahn strengthening him with the Resonance of the God of Battle, Jin could now feel the same sensation as her.
It seems that the power of the Goddess of Battle''s is connecting with me...".
It was also an unfamiliar sensation for Jin. However, it wasn''t the first time.
Ind 32 of the Blue Bird Archipgo.
-(My brother, Peitel, whom I want to kill)
-(Did you dare to think you could descend into my grave...?)
Something simr happened on the Archipgo, where Joshua''s clone was first killed.
That day, the memory of the Thunder God ''Gram'' that remained in Sigmund resonated with the sword and strengthened his lightning energy.
A simr sensation enveloped Jin.
"It seems I can help you after all, Brother Jin."
Gooo...!
The sky spread out of nowhere, as if engulfed in a tidal wave.
The entire training ground was filled with blue lightning energy. It was a phenomenon that urred when Vahn spread her energy.
[??Kek, kek!?]
The Chaos misunderstood that Vahn had changed her mind and thought he was trying to harm himself, whether Jin was harmed or not, but that wasn''t the case.
If that were the case, the Chaos would have shattered just from Vahn''s energy.
The reason Vahn released her energy was to send it to Jin.
Just as God grants divine power to humans.
She had never lent her energy to others like this, but he trusted that Jin would be able to ept it.
The Chaos crouched in fear, still not understanding the situation.
Jin shuddered at the sensation of "rebirth."
Puzzzz-!
Like sparks scattering, light emerged from Jin''s chest.
The Light Heart began to sh again with luminous blue energy.
Even in Bradamante''s ck sword, soaked in Shadow Energy, there was blue energy.
Jin''s body, which had been as heavy as a stone, became much lighter, and it seemed he could cut through the chaos''s shield.
''Now, I suppose I can fight properly.''
How the two of them came to resonate, how they will cultivate this new form of ''transmission'' in the future, and what problems there are with the resonance?
It''s not toote to think about these issues when this battle is over.
After all, there''s no way Jin will die or be crippled while fighting Chaos.
"I recently found out I''m on borrowed time. It was quite surprising. Feel it, Chaos. Now, you''re on borrowed time."
Shaak-!
Even the seemingly endless protective shield felt much closer, as Jin closed the distance with just two leaps.
Jin wielded his sword with eyes almost full of joy, but Vahn stayed back again at 5 steps from Jin.
As for the Chaos, it went berserk and leaped...
[?Kyaaaaaagh!]
Jin was knocked back once by the chaos''s roar, but he didn''t faint as before.
It''s quite bearable.
''It''s not likest time where I''m going to take such a beating.''
Of course, the power shown by the chaos was only a small fraction.
However, now the Chaos had be a target Jin could pierce through, not an imprable wall.
Bradamante managed to pierce a part of the chaos''s protective shield.
Surprised by Jin''s sudden increase in strength, the chaos couldn''t immediately restore the shield, and Jin, seizing the opportunity, attacked.
Slipping through the protective shield, Jin dodged its forearm''s reflexive movement and aimed at the instep.
On top of the foot was a bulge of energy that originally belonged to Jin.
Jin quickly jumped onto its instep before starting to wrestle in earnest.
Like grabbing a fallen object, Jin reached out for the energy.
Jin felt as if he were savoring the sweetness of a delicious fruit after days of hunger, awakening his entire bloodstream in an instant.
He could feel his lost strength entering the dantian.
The power recovered from Chaos was about 10% of aura.
The moment of joysted briefly.
As the energy returned to his body, consciousness abruptly cut off again, like a broken thread.
However, unconscious Jin wore a smile of happiness, as if recovering something precious.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 603
Chapter 603
C603
It''s been over 15 days since Jin entered Lafrarosa.
Jin, who had opened his eyes, stopped counting how many times he had woken up from fainting.
"Well, at least this time I woke up feeling refreshed."
This was thanks to him regaining 10% of his strength just before fainting.
In fact, Jin not only felt fine, but he also noticed that his whole body felt light.
The regained aura was naturally infusing strength throughout his body.
"Brother Jin has awakened again."
"It seems you regained some of your strength at thest moment, and the recovery is really fast!"The brothers approached and handed him water and "Cakto," a traditional snack from the Legends.
"How long has it been this time?"
"Five hours?"
"Five. It''s been a while since I regained some of my strength. But I really don''t remember how I got knocked out..."
"You didn''t faint because of the Chaos attacks, Brother Jin."
As Vahn entered, the Legend stood up and bowed courteously.
Originally, they had always been polite with Vahn, but after being scolded the other day, they were showing true military discipline.
"The reason Brother Jin lost consciousness was not his attack, but the Resonance of the God of Battle."
ording to Vahn''s exnation, the reason Jin passed out was some kind of "overload" phenomenon.
Jin couldn''t handle his power.
"Just before you copsed, my energy suddenly resonated with you at an extremely fast speed."
The fact that the Resonance of the God of Battle started, and the fact that the resonance amplified so quickly that even half of it was out of control.
It all happened regardless of his intentions.
"Has this never happened before?"
"No. First of all, the Resonance of the God of Battle was not fully achieved even though you had an optical heart."
"Yes, I remember too."
Jin''s Light Heart formed when Vahn''s blood was transfused to him during his first Lafrarosa training.
Afterwards, he tried spontaneously a few times to fight the Resonance of the God of Battle, but unlike other Legends, Jin''s Light Heart didn''t respond too much to Vahn''s power.
"I''ve been thinking about what could be the reason."
"Even though I have a Light Heart, wouldn''t it be because my body is fundamentally different from my other brothers''?"
"I thought that too. Boras also deduced that. But today, seeing the unexpected rise of the Resonance of the God of Battle, I am convinced that there must be another reason."
"What kind of...?"
"In terms of a bowl, you were always full. That''s why there was no room to add my strength."
"It could be."
"Also, since our bodies are fundamentally different, you couldn''t resonate with the power of the Sister Goddess of Battle!" said Boras, interposing himself between them.
He had an excited expression with sparkling eyes, as is usual with researchers making new discoveries.
"But this time Brother Jin lost all his strength, so there is room for it. Haha."
"Brother Boras, what about the body?"
"That part is particrly interesting, Brother Jin."
Tup, nap!
Boras quickly pressed Jin''s whole body with his fingers.
"Didn''t you say that when you were engulfed in Gliek''s subspace chaos and the Blood of the Goddess of Battle resisted it? At that time, it''s clear that the blood of the Sister Goddess of Battle changed Brother Jin''s body to be able to survive."
"Hmm."
"Evolution, so to speak! And his resonance ispletely different from the form that is unique to our species. It should be seen as the Resonance of the God of Battle of the Legends and Jin Runcandel, not the Resonance of the God of Battle and the warriors of the Tribe of Legends."
"What''s the difference?"
"It means it''s a clue topleting the legendary martial arts..."
"Legendary martial arts?"
Boras''s words sounded a bit scammy somehow, but he couldn''t help but feel intense curiosity.
"Come on, have you heard of synchronizing with the God of Battle?"
"It''s the first time I''ve heard of it."
"Another God of Battle that existed before the current Sister Goddess of Battle. Brother Nana, the great warrior of the Legend Tribe... It is said that he was able to give all his strength to his son, Kaka, through the God of Battle Fusion."
At that moment, the Ninth Battle King ''Baba'' nodded proudly.
Baba was a descendant of Nana, a great warrior of the Legend Tribe.
"Brother Nana couldn''t give that power to the other brothers either. It was only possible to have a normal resonance. Anyway, Brother Kaka, Brother Nana''s son, received all of Brother Nana''s strength and became the next God of Battle."
If power transmission could continue in that way, the current God of Battle would be Baba, not Vahn.
Nana and Kaka were very special cases in the history of the Legends.
And this story belonged to the "ancient legend" from the Legends'' perspective.
It was no different from founding myths or epic hero tales found in any culture.
"So, I believe that the Sister Goddess of Battle and Brother Jin are also capable of using the same martial arts as our great ancestors."
It might sound a bit spective, but it had only been five hours since Jin experienced fusion with the god of battle.
Also, Vahn didn''t add anything more, as if he agreed with Boras''s opinion.
''If I could use Sister Vahn''s power...''
Chaos, still sleeping in the training ground, is not a problem.
Furthermore, it will be difficult to find an opponent for Jin in the human world.
But things aren''t going to be so simple.
"Even if it''s a really feasible martial art, it seems there will definitely be a price to pay. You haven''t said anything about that, have you?"
"Definitely? The side effects are that the Sister Goddess of Battle couldn''t control the resonance and Brother Jin fainted."
"I see."
"Get ready, Brother Jin. Let''s go straight to the training ground."
Vahn met Jin''s eyes and said.
It wasn''t for a direct rematch with Chaos, but to go to the training ground in order to make several attempts at fusion with the Goddess of Battle.
"Okay, Sister Goddess of Battle."
Chaos, who was deeply asleep in the middle of the night, jumped up and showed a suspicious look when Jin, who had fainted, ran to the training ground with the Legend in just five hours.
[Rooo!]
Although he had won the previous fight, from Chaos''s point of view, he showed a more hostile look towards Jin since 10% of his aura had been stolen.
As always, Vahn killed the chaos spirit with a nce.
"Go to the corner to sleep or y alone. Spend the rest of the time alone."
[Rooo...!]
Jin thought Chaos looked pitiful once again as he watched him go to the corner.
''I don''t think it''s that bad... No, it formed from Heluram and Glyek in the first ce and took away all my strength. Damn it, I still feel a strong sympathy for its psychology.''
He''s pretending to be pitiful...
Although Jin tried to think that way, it wasn''t easy.
Indeed, Chaos was crouched in a corner, looking at Jin and the Legend with very pitiful eyes.
He wondered what they would be doing.
Specifically, earlier Jin had suddenly be stronger with the power of the God of Battle, and had threatened himself, so he couldn''t help but worry more.
Anyway, Jin managed to look away from Chaos and started to focus on Vahn.
Ugh...!
After a while, a glow illuminated Jin''s heart.
However, the Light Hearts of the other Legends remained the same.
"Just as Brother Boras expected. This is certainly an exclusive resonance of Brother Jin and mine. I haven''t elevated the Resonance of the God of Battle yet."
"That''s true! Our hearts don''t shine, right? Only the hearts of the Sister Goddess of Battle and Brother Jin shine."
The Legends looked at the two of them in turn as if curious. Jin also smiled as he felt Vahn''s energy filling his whole body again.
It''s an energy that seems to be several times greater than the 10% of power regained. If Chaos doesn''t have an ace up its sleeve, I think I can finish it off immediately.''
At the same time, Jin was also anxious. It was because, regardless of Chaos''s attack as before, he might suddenly faint as a side effect of the God of Battle Fusion.
And Vahn tilted her head, as if wondering about something.
"But it''s strange. Why does it only happen in the training ground? There was no response in the hospital bed."
"Did the Sister Goddess of Battle activate something when you came to the training ground?"
"No, I didn''t do anything. The resonance started as soon as I was trying to remember the feeling of the fight between you and that guy."
[Krrrr, Kiiiiii. Kiii, kiii.]
At that moment, Chaos let out a pitiful cry, as if asking something of Vahn.
And Jin sensed that there might be some kind of rtionship between the guy and the God of Battle Fusion.
''No way.''
Vahn didn''t think the same as Jin, but Chaos''s cries were annoying.
"First Battle King and Second Battle King. It''s hindering the training more than I thought."
"We''ll immediately move it to the second training ground."
Baltirok and Lumora immediately approached Chaos with somber faces.
"How dare you interfere with the Sister Goddess of Battle''s training?"
"Even if you didn''t have Brother Jin''s power, it seems like an immediate judgment! Follow me."
Chaos was terrified and had no choice but to follow their lead. And Jin silently watched Chaos as he left the training ground.
Jin hoped his intuition was wrong.
''Ha, damn it.''
But unfortunately, Jin felt the resonance between him and Vahn loosening as soon as Chaos left the training ground. The same thing happened with Vahn.
"Sister Goddess of Battle, I suppose."
"...... I felt it too, Brother Jin. First Battle King and Second Battle King, bring it back."
Shortly after, the two battle kings brought Chaos back to the training ground, and Jin''s Light Heart shone again with intense light.
"Huh."
"What happened? Is the resonance between the Sister Goddess of Battle and Brother Jin rted to Chaos?"
The Legends, who were watching, scratched their heads in confusion, and Boras said.
"The God of Battle Fusion was achieved through chaos...!"
And Chaos, like the first time, was very cunning. He unconsciously smiled when he realized he had be valuable to them again.
"Punk!"
He averted his gaze with a groan at Vahn''s following words.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 604
Chapter 604
C604
Boras was burning with enthusiasm due to his continuous new discoveries.
"If the God of Battle Fusion is achieved through the chaos medium, then the ancestral brothers Nana and Kaka might also have something to do with the first chaos. It''s a very historical discovery."
As for her, Vahn directed her gaze to Boras; Chaos looked at Jin and burst intoughter.
Jin''s anger surged.
''Wow... I''m pissed.''
A feeling of swelling in the stomach. When Jin stepped forward, Chaos bared its fangs and took a step back.
"Hey, can you talk?"
[?Kiii, kiiii?]"You know what I''m saying, and you''re cunning. However you look at it, it doesn''t seem like you wouldn''t know how to use thenguage. Exin yourself right now, why are you influencing the God of Battle Fusion?"
Chaos simply shook its head as if it didn''t know what it meant.
"That must also be because of the blood of the God of Battle, Brother Jin."
"Brother Boras."
"As I said before, the Blood of the God of Battle brother resisted the chaos during the battle with Glyek and achieved a kind of change or evolution. And at that moment, not only the blood had changed... that chaos. It must also have been affected by the Blood of the God of Battle."
The blood of the God of Battle and chaos.
Boras determined that both had mutually changed their natures while intertwined in Jin''s body.
Just as the Blood of the God of Battle resisted Chaos, Chaos shed with the Blood of the God of Battle, and a kind of connection was created between them.
"Originally, the two forces tried to blend within you, but they failed. It ended without one sidepletely invading the other."
However, the struggle had returned to a chaos victory decision. If Jin hadn''t reached Laprarosa, he would have been destroyed in less than a month by the hidden chaos.
"In other words, both the blood of the God of Battle and Chaos epted part of each other''s nature and were in a state of transformation. But now, there is naturally God of Battle Fusion since there is a close presence where two energies can react at the same time!"
Boras was saying that Vahn aura had attributes that werepatible with both damaged chaos and the Blood of the God of Battle...
"Yes, I am a genius. Toe up with these thoughts in an instant."
"The 5th Battle King brother is clever."
"... ording to the 5th Battle King brother, it seems to exin it to a certain extent. The reason why the God of Battle Fusion is only used when the bastard and the Sister Goddess of Battle are nearby."
Nana and Kaka are the only rted cases, but there is no detailed record, and therefore the God of Battle Fusion is a legendary martial art of which there is no theory left.
So they had no choice but to infer and experiment.
"Brothers. Take the chaos away again."
At Boras''s words, Baltirok and Lumora brought Chaos back out of the training ground.
Indeed, as soon as the chaos moved away, Jin and Vahn felt the resonance ending again. By bringing it back into the training ground, the resonance began again.
The same phenomenon did not ur only in the central training ground. They toured all parts of Laprarosa and repeated the same experiment, but the results were always the same.
"This proves it..."
Boras opened a notebook in which he briefly noted the process of the experiment and the results.
"About 500 meters. Regardless of the location, if the distance between the brothers and Chaos increased beyond that, fusion would not ur. For God of Battle Fusion to ur, all three must be within 500m of each other."
During the experiment, Vahn raised a question. It was a question about ''distance doesn''t matter, and if Chaos can manipte God of Battle Fusion at will.''
The experiment on it was resolved by covering the chaos''s eyes, blocking the rest of the senses as much as possible, and adjusting the distance together for a long time with Jin and Vahn.
The conclusion was that Chaos did not have the ability to control God of Battle Fusion. The only thing that matters is the distance.
Regarding the fact that in the first battle with Chaos, God of Battle Fusion did not ur, Boras concluded that it was because "Chaos energy, Blood of the God of Battle, and Vahn''s energy took time to provoke fusion."
As the experiment progressed, Chaos became more triumphant. Without me, he wouldn''t be able to achieve God of Battle Fusion... that kind of attitude.
"Brother Jin."
"Yes, Sister Goddess of Battle."
"Now that I think about it, our goal is to purify your chaos and regain your strength, not to acquire unexpected legendary martial arts."
"That''s right."
"Then let''s end the God of Battle Fusion experiment here. You better gear up to finish him off."
"I think the same, Sister Goddess of Battle."
Boras was saddened that the legendary discovery had ended like this, but he did not oppose Vahn and Jin''s decision.
"It''s a pity as a cksmith and researcher, but it can''t be helped. Still, just in case, even after dealing with chaos, it is an established fact that Brother Jin''s blood has changed anyway, so maybe we can still find a way to achieve God of Battle Fusion."
"It was a mysterious matter in its own way, so fortunately it wasn''t a waste of time. What are you going to do, Brother Jin? Are you going to start fighting him again today? Or do you need a break?"
At that moment, Chaos had no choice but to be pale. Things are goingpletely differently than what Chaos expected.
"I''ll start right away."
Anyway, Jin could continue to use God of Battle Fusion until he put an end to chaos. First of all, when the three are within 500 meters of each other, God of Battle Fusion manifests automatically.
Puzzzz!
Vahn''s energy began to flow towards Jin''s illuminated heart. Since he had already regained 10% of his strength, Jin was iparably stronger than in the previous battle.
As the fight was about to begin, Chaos turned its head ashamed.
But there is no one to stop the fight, and there is nowhere to run. The only thing Chaos could choose was to counterattack.
Vahn also kept her five steps this time, preparing to protect Jin, so that even if Jin fainted due to God of Battle Fusion overload as before, there would be no problem.
Chaos could never win this battle.
Fzzzzt-!
Of course, it was Jin who rushed first.
Bradamante, imbued with lightning energy and shadow strength, now had the same power as before. It was thanks to Vahn''s energy added to the 10% recovered aura.
Chaos was oppressed by Vahn''s bloodlust, so it couldn''t even recklessly counterattack. It continued to form a protective shield and back off.
''Somehow, I feel like a viin.''
Fortunately, Jin was able to get rid of that unpleasant feeling shortly thereafter.
There is a bond between Jin and Chaos that connects each other''s inner worlds. Through it, Jin could be sure that Chaos was really "pretending to pity".
Chaos got irritated when ns went wrong.
Damn human, you''re nothing on your own, but you mess with monsters like this?".
As soon as Jin heard Chaos''s sound in his mind, he widened his eyes and made eye contact with Chaos.
Plutonians cannot hear that sound.
''You alone are nothing? Does the guy who took away all my power think that?".
It was a series of absurdities for Jin and irritation for Chaos.
''Hey, it would have been fine if we could each live our own lives together! As for this, I also have an idea. Mercy is over. Still, it''s a shame to end it like this, so hit first! with the powerful ws of this body''.
If Chaos''s thoughts hadn''t been transmitted. Jin wouldn''t have been able to avoid the chaos''s ws attack that followed in the next instant. It was a speed that the current Jin couldn''t react to even if there was a 10% synchronization between aura and God of Battle.
How did you dodge it?
''You''re attacking exactly as you thought.......''
''Is it luck? No, did you dodge it again?
Jin managed to go beyond evasion and pierce its side. Before chaos, panicked, reflexively pulled its body away, Jin also took away 10% of the mana attached to its side.
''Dammit! You took away my strength again...... Ugh!''
Bradamante struck him on the forehead. Jin couldn''t cut due tock of strength, but there was a dull thud of the blow.
"How''s that your strength, huh?".
To Chaos''s stomach, whose posture copsed as he wrapped his head in pain, Jin threw his sword again with all his might.
[?Kyaaah!]
Meanwhile, Jin regained the 10% aura he had pinned to his abdomen.
"Oh, Brother Jin''s energy is increasing!"
"By the way, didn''t Brother Jin just say something as if he were responding to something?".
"Is that so? Anyway, if that''s the case, he''ll recover everything soon, right?".
That''s what the Plutonians observing said. The strength Jin had already gained during the day was 20% of his aura and 10% of his mana.
I understand how Murakan feels. When I lost my power, I felt like the whole world had disappeared, but when I started to regain it, it was so refreshing. And apparently, unlike me, he can''t read my thoughts''.
Jin didn''t know why there was such a difference, and it didn''t matter too much.
''What matters is the movement that remains to him''.
Just a few minutes ago, Chaos thought it had an ace up its sleeve.
Chaos was going to use that method while venting its anger against Jin for as long as possible, but the situation wasn''t going well, so it had to pull it out right away.
''Hmph, now you won''t be able to get help from those monsters''.
Chaos spread its wings.
Jin jumped and tried to attack, but suddenly stopped moving when he saw Chaos''s body disintegrating into particles.
Chaos''s shape is changing.
Transformation?
Vahn showed her anger at Chaos''s sudden action, but even she herself had no way to stop it. Vahn couldn''t directly strike Chaos.
Instead, as Chaos''s form dissipated, Jin was able to instantly acquire more strength than he had left in the air.
Chaos seemed to have endured so much damage, but it didn''t reveal its thoughts.
To be precise, Chaos''s interior was no longer being transmitted to Jin. As soon as Chaos changed shape, the natural sound of the mind waspletely cut off.
Chaos''s transformation soonpleted. About ten secondster, Jin and the Plutonian tribe could only tilt their heads as they confirmed Chaos''s transformation.
"That......."
"A door? Is it a door?"
Door.
The way Chaos transformed was a door simr to the one Dante saw in the past when he was trapped in a white stone.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 605
Chapter 605
C605
Jin and the Legends gathered in front of the Chaos turned gate. Vahn disyed her frustration, but the Chaos showed no reaction, as if it had truly be an inanimate object.
"It seems Brother Jin has won... Has it fled?"
"Calling it fleeing doesn''t seem right; it''s more like the Chaos itself has be the gate. Quite a peculiar fellow. From what we know, it could be the first Chaos."
This time, even Jin hesitated to enter.
His thoughts were blocked.
"It''s not that he''s not speaking, it''s that he''spletely cut off once he bes the gate."
Thest thing Jin felt within the chaos was that this gate was his ace.
"Brothers, I''ve just been able to read the thoughts of the chaos. That''s why I''ve been able to easily handle its attacks."As Jin exined the situation, a sigh escaped the Legends.
"I thought it would be easily resolved thanks to the God of Battle Fusion, but it seems we''ve encountered another challenge."
"Still, since Brother Jin recovered his strength much faster than I thought, there must be a way. The God of Battle Fusion hasn''t risen yet."
The God of Battle Fusion wasn''tpleted even after the chaos turned into a gate.
However, unlike the other brothers, Jin and Vahn rather thought it was a problem.
It was because Jin didn''t know when he would lose consciousness, and Vahn was still forcibly transferring her energy to Jin.
"Brothers, it seems it''s time to think it over, so let''s first go somewhere else and discuss it."
Jin and the Legends left two ordinary warriors as guards and left the training ground.
"He doesn''t show it, but Sister Vahn seems a bit tired..."
The Goddess of Battle Vahn, originally her energy was practically infinite.
However, as she herself said, her prime has passed.
She lost some of her strength even at the time when the Legends were on the verge of extinction 5000 years ago, and she weakened even further after passing her true energy to Jin several times.
Therefore, for the current Vahn, the God of Battle Fusion was a kind of forced amplification, and it was somewhat exhausting.
She couldn''t control the energy as she wished, and the effectiveness of Jin epting power from her wasn''t good.
The other Legends couldn''t even imagine that Vahn could tire just from "transferring" her power.
Naturally, the eyes of all the Legends were focused on Boras.
"Brother Fifth Battle King, can you guess something this time?"
"Yes, Brother Fifth Battle King is a genius. He must have thought of something, right?"
Boras awkwardlyughed and scratched his head.
"Well, I don''t have a clear idea either. The God of Battle Fusion, Brother Jin reading the thoughts of Chaos, Chaos turning into that gate... It''s all unheard of. Let''s observe for a few days and collectively think about what to do."
---------------------
A week had passed since Chaos turned into a gate.
Meanwhile, Jin spent his days training or participating in various experiments with his brothers to understand how the gate worked.
However, he only discovered two definite things.
Firstly, only Jin could enter the Chaos gate. Any attempt by another person was met with strong resistance.
Secondly, not even with the Shadow de could he force the gate.
Any attempt at attack caused the gate to briefly blur like water before quickly regaining its original form.
Most of the power Jin had lost was still tied to the Chaos.
It wasn''t visible to Jin''s eyes, unlike when Chaos took the form of a dragon, but he could feel it.
He refrained from trying to attack Chaos with the lightning energybined from the Legends, fearing it could harm their united strength.
The Phoenix Tess, who had always been a solution in those moments, couldn''t be summoned.
After all, Lafrarosa was a dead world.
"In the end, Brother Jin has no choice but to go through the gate."
"That seems to be the case, Sister Goddess of Battle. After all, thest thought it transmitted to me was that I could no longer receive help from my brothers."
Entering the unknown trap wasn''t difficult if you strengthened your determination.
The problem was that after entering through the gate, if something unbearable happened to Jin, it was very likely that his brothers couldn''t help him.
In any case, the Legends decided to gather in front of the gate and wait.
Jin, just like when he embarked on a journey, carried a backpack full of provisions.
"Ah, is it really okay to send Brother Jin like this?"
"Brother Jin, it might be difficult to ept... but even if you lose some strength, what if you travel with the other brothers?"
"I can''t do that, brothers."
"Ah, I said something stupid. I didn''t want to say something without considering your feelings."
"Why exin all that? I understand. Don''t worry too much; maybe things will work out better than expected inside the gate. I''ll be back."
"Good luck, brother."
"Even when you enter, I hope that the power of Sister Goddess of Battle will continue with you..."
The Legends felt as if they were sending a child alone to the sea.
Jin waved to them as if to reassure them, but he also felt uneasy.
Whoosh!
As soon as he stepped on the other side of the gate, thendscape suddenly changed.
"I expected it to some extent, but it''s simr to when I entered Gliek''s subspace."
The surroundings filled with grotesque darkness, and only Jin''s silhouette could be distinguished.
Now, such subspaces were not particrly new to Jin.
Do I proceed blindly...?
The moment Jin thought to that extent, he heard a grave and somber breathinging from somewhere.
"Youe...."
It was within the first ten seconds of Jin''s entry into the subspace.
Jin, trying to find the direction of the voice, instinctively looked up and immediately was stunned.
Madness.
It was because he encountered Chaos.
Even when Chaos was in the training ground, it was already huge, but now it was different.
A single eye wasrge enough to overwhelm Jin.
For a moment, every fiber of Jin''s being tensed, but he quickly wielded Bradamante, striking the Chaos''s huge eye that seemed about to engulf him.
Crack!
It was like being struck by an ancient eternal steel, but the one who received the impact was Jin himself.
With that single blow, he could clearly discern one fact: at that moment, he had no chance of defeating Chaos.
"The God of Battle Fusion hasn''t even been severed yet, but there aren''t even any scars...!?"
Jin couldn''t be sure even before losing his power.
The best course of action was to retreat.
Far from things turning out better than expected, the situation was even more dire than when Jin first extracted the Chaos.
"God of Battle Fusion, that''s what you call it, right? That monster''s power resonates with the remnants of me remaining in you, so I had a pretty hard time."
It was an even more desperate turn of events.
In the training ground, Jin unterally read Chaos''s thoughts, but here it was the opposite.
Chaos was spying on Jin''s most intimate thoughts.
Jin quickly turned around, but there was no trace of the gate.
It was absurd to think that he hadn''t even taken five steps beyond the gate.
This is the worst. Even after considering all scenarios with my brothers, there''s nothing worse than this''.
Bang!
Jin felt dizzy from the blow that seemed to make his body disappear.
It was the result of Chaos''s enormous front paw sweeping him away.
[Last time, you didn''t get to taste the powerful blow of my front paw! Bang, bam.]
The bones and organs throughout his body shook with that single blow, and blood spurted from every hole in his face.
If Jin hadn''t been protected by his Shadow Energy Armor, he would have died instantly.
There was no surge of anger, no pain.
It was simply baffling.
''This kind of deception doesn''t even exist in scams.''
[Exactly! I felt the same. It was great when I was the one getting beaten up by that monster, right? What does it feel like when it happens to you?]
"I don''t think I want to hear that from someone who stole all my strength."
Jin said calmly, but inside he felt like his head was spinning.
[Are you wondering why the gate disappeared and how to get out?]
Once again, a powerful swing of the front paw, the area was too vast to avoid it.
Even if it was smaller, the speed couldn''t be avoided.
Jin, rebounded, barely kept consciousness.
Jin never thought he would feel that sense of powerlessness even after regaining almost 30% of his strength, and even the God of Battle Fusion!
There was no gate.
If that was the case, he had to make one.
Fortunately, Jin had experienced something simr in the past a few times.
Shadow Energy enveloped Bradamante.
[Here, that power is no great threat to me either.]
"Is that so?"
Jin spun Bradamante not towards Chaos, but towards the empty space one step ahead.
Like a lie, the space tore apart, and an exit formed.
Through the gap, he could see Lafrarosa''s training ground and even his waiting brothers.
''Didn''t you read that I used the Shadow de to escape from a subspace like this?''
Did he not read it, or did he intentionally leave an opening even though he knew?
It wasn''t something to worry about now.
After escaping, he could think about the aftermath.
Jin, who suddenly darted into the crack opened by the Shadow de, burned with a spirit of fighting more intense than ever, apart from his urgency.
''I''ll get stronger and end you, for sure.''
Swush!
Just before Jin could escape from the crack, hundreds of ck thorns suddenly formed in the air and pierced through him like arrows.
Chaos had created these thorns in the brief opening, savagely attacking Jin, but they couldn''t prate the Shadow Energy Armor.
"Ugh!"
"Brother Jin!?
"You''re back already, right! Brother Jin, you''re bleeding!"
"Brother Boras! Hurry and treat Brother Jin......!"
Thud!
As Jin copsed on the training ground floor, the Legends rushed to him, shouting.
Jin could barely hear their voices.
Instead, Jin stared at the opening through which he had escaped, lying face down, until he was about to lose consciousness.
With a fanatical look promising retaliation, no matter what.
''I''ll kill you... no matter what it takes.''
And Chaos, unlike its previous behavior, stared fixedly at Jin beyond the crack with a stern expression.
When the crack quickly closed upon Jin''s escape, Chaos muttered to itself.
[Heh,e again. Stupid bastard!]
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 606
Chapter 606
C606
How many days have passed since I passed out?
As soon as Jin opened his eyes, he could see his brothers looking at him with their usual worried faces.
"You''re awake, Brother Jin."
"I''ve lost count of how many times I''ve heard that. I''m tired of losing consciousness. How long has it been this time?"
"Two days."
"Haha."
A sense of defeat, or anger.
Those emotions burned within Jin''s chest.Ssh!
No matter how many times Jin drank the cold water offered by Nata, there were no signs of the heat dissipating.
The more Jin thought about it, the more he felt like he was going crazy because he hated chaos.
"What the hell happened in there? I didn''t expect you toe back one or two minutes after entering. No one else, Brother Jin......."
"Tell us what happened for now."
"I entered and it was his subspace. It was evenrger, right in front of me, and it knocked me out with a single blow. It even read my thoughts, just like when I was outside."
There wasn''t much to exin. The oue was decided in a single blow.
"He even said there that my Shadow Energy wasn''t threatening at all. That damn bastard could talk. He even taunted me, asking me how it felt to receive a powerful blow from the front paw... I''ve never felt so helpless."
"Is it really your first time?"
Vahn spoke as she sat by the bed where Jiny.
While Jin and the other brothers took the situation seriously, unlike them, Vahn seemed to find it amusing, sporting a subtle smile.
"When you first came here, most of us considered you a naive genius. Probably because you hadn''t faced many defeats outside, and we assumed your mental strength would be weak."
"Sister Goddess of Battle."
"But the truth was, Brother Jin, that you were someone familiar with defeat. When you arrived at Laprarosa, you couldn''t help but be defeated by the other brothers until you left."
"That''s true."
"So, don''t give this defeat any special meaning."
Jin felt like he was waking up.
As Vahn mentioned, she had already experienced numerous defeats.
She had faced despair and absurdity countless times greater than being drained of her strength by chaos.
In particr,pared to the time before her regression, when she fell into the curse, the current situation was somewhat "manageable."
"Brother Jin."
"Yes, Sister Goddess of Battle."
"Let me ask you one thing. Do you still want to deal with him on your own, without mine and the others'' help?"
"Yes, that''s right."
"Then, you will train from now on."
Vahn decisively reached a conclusion.
"The time given to you is three years, and within that time, I and the other brothers will personally train you to be able to defeat him. And you will have a rematch with him when you reach a certain level."
Unlike Jin, the Legends did not experience chaos in the subspace.
They had no choice but to deduce their martial arts based on Jin''s exnation, and the gap in progress was sorge that they couldn''t know it urately.
One thing was certain: for the moment, Jin considered himself at a level where he could be easily defeated.
It wasn''t a matter of training for a day or two; it meant Jin had to be prepared for death every time he entered the subspace.
"I don''t know if it was luck or if there were other reasons. Today you came back alive, Brother Jin. Even if you lose in the next battle, you just have to survive and escape."
Of course, it was dangerous, but the Legends remembered what Vahn had said.
"I''m worried about Brother Jin. As Sister Goddess of Battle said, training is originally something that can lead to death..."
"If Brother Jin wants to fight alone, there really is no other solution."
Jin and the Legends seemed to agree with Vahn''s opinion in an instant.
"Furthermore, other brothers will also train with Brother Jin."
"Then, Sister Vahn, when do you think my next rematch will be?"
"A monthter."
It was an insufficient time to close the gap.
Even the Legends seemed to question if it was okay to be so fast, but Vahn stood firm.
"You will fight again in a month to gather more information about him. Reconnaissance, evaluation,bat, escape. As only Brother Jin can do all this, it will be a long and dangerous battle. Everyone, move to the second training ground."
That month became the most hellish time of Jin''s life, and it really was just the "beginning."
''I never thought there woulde a day when I wished the next day wouldn''te because training is so painful...''
Ugh, as he vomited his gastric juices, Jin''s whole body became covered in goosebumps.
The training of the Tribe of Legends was iparably toughpared to that of humans.
However, the level of "God of Battle" was higher than that.
The other members of the Tribe of Legends also looked at each other in a near-death state.
However, they quickly regained their energy after a few hours of rest, and Jin continued training with the taste of persistent death.
Vahn, she, relentlessly informed Jin that the scheduled rematch was imminent.
"Brother Jin, take a day off and enter through the door tomorrow. So today''s training is over."
Jin misunderstood her words as an instruction to "rest by entering the door."
So Jin left the second training ground and headed to the central training ground (of course, Vahn thought Jin was going to the room to rest) and tried to enter through the door, but was stopped by Tantel and Shaku, who were on guard duty.
If those two hadn''t been there, he would have faced Chaos again.
"Brother Jin, are you entering through the door to rest? Sister Goddess of Battle couldn''t have said that."
"This is... part of the training..."
"We''ll check, so wait a moment. Hmm, he fainted."
"Oh well. Let''s take him to his room."
When Jin opened his eyes again, it was a familiar ceiling.
''Sister, the God of Battle told me to enter through the door and rest...! No, there''s something strange. Did I hear it wrong?''
As soon as Jin regained consciousness, Vahnughed at Jin''s dazed appearance as if finding it amusing.
Then, as Vahn''s eyes met Jin''s, she wiped her expression and said this.
"Come on, it''s time for the Second Battle."
As always, all the brothers were waiting at the door.
Having just gone through hellish training, the Legends were as sharp as honed swords.
Jin had only slept for a day.
Naturally, the fatigue hadn''t dissipated, and his body felt heavy, as if submerged in water.
Jin had to wage the Second Battle in that state.
''At this point, it seems that Sister Goddess of Battle is determined to kill me.''
Blind faith in the brothers, especially in Sister Goddess of Battle Vahn. Without that, Jin would have shouted that this was madness.
"I''ll be back."
"Good luck."
"Come back alive, Brother Jin!"
When Jin entered through the door, the same thing happened asst time. Darkness spread from nowhere, and Jin heard his voice.
[Oh, are you here?]
Swoosh!
As soon as Jin faced Chaos, he felt all the umted fatigue reced by anger.
It was time to confirm the results of the infernal training...
Jin returned through the door exactly 3 minutester.
[Well, you bastard. When are we going to have a real fight? Yawn. I''m getting bored. Yawn.]
Once again, Chaos taunted Jin to the fullest before the crack of the Shadow de closed.
"Brother Jin has returned alive!"
"Brother Fifth Battle King, give him treatment!"
The Legends made a fuss, but Vahn simply spoke calmly.
"Three minutes, much better thanst time."
"Sister Goddess of Battle, but Brother Jin''s injuries are more severe thanst time. I think he got out of there by luck this time too, but it''s better to postpone the Third Battle......!"
"No, we will proceed with the third battle as nned in a month. Brother Fifth Battle King, use whatever means necessary to ensure Brother Jin can train from tonight onwards."
For Jin, it was as if there were two demons. The Chaos on the other side of the door, and Vahn on this side of the door.
Instead, Jin felt a strange sensation along with anger.
''Somehow, Sister Vahn... is quite confident that I will never die. Am I wrong?''
There was no time to think seriously. Indeed, Boras healed Jin "so he could move" from that night on, and the infernal training resumed immediately for a month.
"I''ll be back......."
[The idiot showed up again. Last time, you were lucky to escape, right? Today, you''ll die]
Jin returned without dying.
"2 minutes and 34 seconds. It''s actually shorter thanst time!"
"But the wounds have decreased. It seems that Sister Goddess of Battle''s escape training for the past two months is starting to show its effect. Brother Jin, the battle time was shortened because you escaped at the right moment, right?"
A simr pattern continued in the fourth battle, which took ce after another month.
On all asions, Jin was easily defeated, and Chaos seemed to miss Jin by a narrow margin.
"3 minutes and 57 seconds!"
[Hehe,e at me a hundred times!]
"4 minutes and 12 seconds!"
[No, no. That''s why you can''t even cut one of my scales.]
"12 minutes and 36 seconds! Also, this time Brother Jin came back with only a broken arm!"
"Just one? You call that just one? Would you like to have a broken arm?"
[Now you''re pretty good at dodging powerful blows from the front paw, aren''t you? But what to do, I haven''t even shown you my ultra-powerful tail blow yet.]
"18 minutes and 27 seconds......!"
[You''re running away again...! Next time, I''ll make sure to send you to the afterlife!]
The day they recorded 18 minutes and 27 seconds marked the passing of a year.
From that moment on, Jin faced Chaos with some mentalposure. It was still very small, but hope had begun to appear.
"You always miss me. I''ve been silently watching you for the past year, and you''ve only talked about it. See you in a month, wait with your neck out. Save my strength well."
[I hate you, I hate you! Ebebebeb!]
Jinughed for the first time without realizing it. It was the first time in the past year.
"Oh, Brother Jin has finallye back without major injuries! Any effective hits?"
"Not yet. I managed to dodge some deadly blows, but I haven''t dealt any significant damage."
"Where''s that, Brother Jin? Great job!"
That day, the Legends were celebrating seeing Jin return unharmed.
Some brothers couldn''t help but shed tears, remembering the horrendous training Jin had endured during that time.
Vahn also ruffled Jin''s hair and praised him for the first time.
"Good job, Brother Jin. In your next fight, you''ll be able to truly intimidate him."
"I believe so too, Sister Goddess of Battle. I have regained more strength from him, and I think I will reach the pinnacle of the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique that I am mastering..."
After responding like that, Jin looked at the empty space behind the door.
Suddenly, Jin wondered what Chaos would be doing there when he wasn''t around.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 607
Chapter 607
C607
[You''ve taken quite a while this time, haven''t you?]
Chaos raised its head and spoke.
Today, on the first day of October 1801, Jin had entered Chaos'' domain three months after theirst encounter.
It was the first time he had engaged in battle in a month.
"I''ve brought you a gift."
Jin replied quietly.
That calm response was imbued with a deep hostility towards Chaos.
To those who could discern such deep enmity, Jin would seem almost like a demon."A gift?"
Over the past year and three months, Jin had undergone significant changes.
Through challenging battles of the past, he had regained almost half of his strength and umted new power through training.
However, until now, he had not be a match for Chaos.
Even the record he achieved in theirst bout, a battlesting 18 minutes and 27 seconds, could barely be considered a proper fight.
Most of the time, he focused on evading and ultimately retreated.
However, Jin believed today would be different.
"Well, have you brought a toy for me?"
Chaos snorted.
''Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique... Has hee after perfecting the technique he used to think about every time he fought?''
In this space, Chaos could read Jin''s thoughts.
That''s why, in every battle, Chaos would gain information about all martial arts Jin was learning, including the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique, and easily thwart him.
He didn''t even need to do anything to be urate.
Even the technique that seemed somewhat decent he hadn''t executed entirely because itcked the power he possessed.''
Until now, what had irritated Chaos was solely Jin''s sheer enmity.
Just by sensing that enmity, Chaos felt uneasy.
Chaos rose and looked at Jin. As always, in its eyes, Jin seemed weak enough to be killed simply by squeezing with its forelegs.
However, after a while, Chaos felt Jin''s enmity suddenly fading away.
"Oh, what''s this? Have you realized it''s no longer effective against me... Eh?"
And that wasn''t all.
Not only that, along with the decrease in enmity, Chaos realized Jin''s inner thoughts were no longer readable.
It was also the first time.
"What have you done?"
Jin didn''t respond.
Suddenly, Bradamante appeared in his right hand, dyed ck by Shadow Energy, and Chaos couldn''t help but be surprised to see it.
It was because Chaos hadn''t perceived at all the moment Jin unsheathed the sword.
An ominous premonition sent a chilling shiver down its spine, and its scales stood on end.
"What is this!"
Shaak!
Chaos swiftly swung its foreleg, but it didn''t feel the impact of a solid blow.
Even swinging its foreleg again or hastily striking the surroundings with its tail yielded the same result.
Where did he go?
No matter how much it turned its head, Jin''s figure was nowhere to be found.
It was as if Jin had never entered this space.
''There''s no trace of him opening the door and fleeing.''
Therefore, if Chaos released its energy throughout the space, Jin would inevitably be caught.
However, Chaos was worried about a problem that might arise if it did so, but now wasn''t the time to be so rxed.
Chaos'' vision suddenly became blocked.
"My eyes...!"
For a moment, Chaos had no choice but to mistakenly believe it had gone blind.
This subspace was originallyposed of Chaos, but Chaos'' color and outline and Jin''s body were not covered by empty darkness.
But not now. Even though Chaos put its forelegs and tail in front of its face or turned its head to look at its wings, all it saw was absolute darkness.
Invisible.
Only then did Chaos realize what had happened. Jin''s hostility hadn''t disappeared; it had just been blocked as if its vision had suddenly vanished.
Chaos didn''t even have to think about what was blocking them.
Shadow Energy.
In an instant, Chaos'' energy thatposed the entire subspace was shrouded in Shadow Energy.
"It seems that this time it affects even you..."
When Jin''s deep voice was heard again, Chaos twisted its body reflexively.
Chaos couldn''t tell from which direction it started.
At that moment, Chaos was explosively releasing energy in all directions without any concern, but it didn''t even feel the sensation of striking Jin.
Since the dawn of life, darkness had never shed the symbol of "terror" even once.
That''s why Chaos, for the first time, was enveloped in fear.
"Hey, wait, wait. How is this possible? This is my territory...!"
"Finally showing your true panic-stricken self, huh?"
"This bastard!"
"Oh, I suppose you can''t read my thoughts in this state either? If you had kept your mouth shut, I wouldn''t have known."
It was a "sign" that Chaos'' vision was blocked when the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique was unleashed.
The sign naturally colored the subspace from the moment Jin decided to use the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique, and from then on, all his senses dulled without Chaos realizing it, and it was at that moment Jin drew his sword.
Chaos hadn''t noticed Jin''s sword because it had let its guard down.
"Thanks to that, I''ve gained more confidence."
During the past year and three months, the Shadow Sword Technique, which had plunged Jin into despair countless times, was beginning.
Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique - First Move
First Night
The darkness enveloping Chaos deepened. Though Chaos opened or closed its eyes, only infinite darkness disturbed Chaos'' mind.
Its mind felt distorted.
It wasn''t a feeling.
Chaos was aware that its known senses were fading away one by one like flickering candles.
After sight.
The sensation of moving its body, the feeling of the air touching its skin, the sense of sound reaching its ears... all these senses were fading away.
It was as if it had be an inanimate object.
Despite the overwhelming fear, it couldn''t even express its frustration.
No sound came out, as if its throat had suddenly closed.
Chaos couldn''t see, move its body, or emit any sound.
It couldn''t even feel the struggle to wriggle. Chaos couldn''t do anything but die, like a puppet with its strings cut.
Thoughts... even thoughts?
Thest thing to be blocked was consciousness.
The darkness covering all sides was eroding Chaos'' mind like water.
It desperately tried to cling to its fading consciousness, but it was futile.
No...!
With that thought as itsst, all of Chaos'' senses and consciousness were extinguished.
However, it couldn''t be in a more vulnerable state.
Chaos had been in a state where no matter how much it was attacked, it couldn''t wake up, and it couldn''t even feel the pain of the impact.
Swoosh...
Finally, Jin''s figure emerged, slowly approaching Chaos in the darkness.
Unlike Chaos, Jin was capable of recognizing exactly what he was doing.
Chaos remained motionless, gripped by the curtains of Shadow Energy.
It''s different from when I used it with Sister Goddess of Battle.
''I''m able to seed like this only because he was nothing more than a strong demonic creature.''
Jin observed Chaos for a moment.
Jin didn''t rx.
It was because he was so exhausted that he couldn''t do anything else for a moment while unleashing his Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique.
''Certainly, as the brothers said, the Shadow Sword feels more like an ability than a technique.''
Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique - First Move, First Night is based on the First Shadow Sword Technique: ''Soul sh.''
-By the way, didn''t you say that the Soul sh is the beginning and end of the Shadow Sword?
-Yes.
-Then, even if you master the Soul sh, does it mean leaving a sword mark only 100 steps away in this training field is the limit?
-If you only master the Soul sh, that''s the limit. However, when you reach the pinnacle of the martial art called the Shadow Sword, the Soul sh isn''t a technique but bes an ability.
The conversation Jin had with Garmund when he began training for the Shadow Sword in Lafrarosa.
Back then, Garmund had said that if Jin reached the pinnacle of the Shadow Sword and executed a Soul sh, he could end the life of anyone weaker in will than him at any moment.
The First Night could be considered an intermediate stage leading to the ability to wield the "Soul sh" at that level.
If Chaos had a stronger will than Jin''s, the oue would have beenpletely different from now.
"Whoa..."
Jin took a deep breath, adjusting his posture.
It was time to end Chaos and put an end to this long nightmare.
Swoosh, sh!
Jin leaped through the darkness of the Shadow Sword enveloping the surroundings, wielding Bradamante.
Each time, shes of sharp ck energy cut through Chaos.
Like shattering ss.
Chaos'' body broke into pieces.
Jin had nevernded a single blow on Chaos until now, but as soon as he mastered the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique, he effortlessly shed Chaos.
The feeling of having easily defeated Chaos filled Jin with both helplessness and excitement.
It was also the pleasure of finally regaining his power.
Every time Chaos'' body was cut into pieces, one by one a piece that shone like mineral was revealed, all of which were Jin''s strength that Chaos had stolen.
Jin snatched them away and replenished his energy, increasing the speed of his sword strikes.
In no time, Jin was able to recover all the strength Chaos had stolen from him.
Jin''s eyes widened at the power filling his entire body, and what he saw right after was Chaos'' body disintegrating beyond recognition of its original form.
When the First Night technique ended, I was ovee by such intense exhaustion that it eclipsed the feeling of having regained all my strength.
''No, if I tire out like this now.''
Jin still wasn''t convinced he had put an end to Chaos. It almost seemed like it, but there was still plenty of room for Chaos to recover.
And in a matter of seconds, the fear became reality.
"You, damn...!"
Chaos, which had reformed before anyone realized, now floated in the air, staring fixedly at Jin.
Fortunately, it was iparably weaker and smaller than before.
On the other hand, Jin was only temporarily exhausted, so if he could ovee this crisis, he would undoubtedly secure aplete victory in the next battle.
"Bastard!"
Chaos descended and thrust a punch at Jin''s chest.
Jin managed to block the first three, but the fourth was inevitable.
The fourth punch aimed at his face, and if it connected, his head would disappear.
Jin gritted his teeth and raised his sword, but it was a little toote.
Has he stopped?
For some reason, the punch ceased to move before Jin''s eyes.
If it hadn''t stopped, it would have ripped off at least half of his face.
Seizing the opportunity, Jin could have opened a rift with the Shadow Sword and escaped, ensuring victory in the next battle.
However, Jin suppressed the impulse to do so and made eye contact with Chaos.
"You can''t kill me, can you?"
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 608
Chapter 608
C608
"[Get lost!]"
Chaos yelled.
There wasn''t pressure like before.
Chaos now had a body roughly the size of a wolf, and even that seemed difficult to maintain as it kept shrinking every moment.
As Jin carefully chose his words, more punches flew towards him.
Although he managed to dodge them again thanks to a brief opening, continuing to face off in his exhausted state was unreasonable.
"Now that I think about it, in thest battle there were always moments when Chaos could have killed me."
Attributing it solely to luck seemed strange.However, Jin couldn''t be sure that Chaos wouldn''t "kill" him.
Only now was the fact clearly revealed by stopping the punch at the crucial moment, but there were more than one or two times when Jin was on the brink of death.
"I better get out first."
Jin never knows when Chaos will change his mind.
Jin used thest of his Shadow Energy to open a rift to Lafrarosa.
Before leaving, Jin looked at Chaos, which was roaring unstably.
"Oh, are you leaving so quickly this time?"
"Brother Jin, have you finally defeated that guy!?"
"It''s too soon to say I''ve won. I used the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique to weaken him and regain my strength."
"Come to think of it, I can feel a powerful aura back in you... congrattions, Brother Jin!"
"Furthermore, since he''s weakened now, it''s over in the next battle! We should prepare for a celebration soon."
As the brothers shouted excitedly, Jin felt ufortable for some reason.
The long-awaited victory is right in front of me, but why do I feel so bad?".
As Vahn approached, Jin exined the situation he had gone through inside.
"....Seeing the punch stop at the end made me think he couldn''t kill me. Before I thought it might be possible, but... Sister Goddess of Battle, did you know anything?".
"Rather than saying he can''t kill you, it''s more urate to say he won''t kill you."
At Vahn''s words, the Legends tilted their heads.
"He won''t kill me?"
"Yes."
"Exin, please."
"When you visited his subspace for the first time, Chaos''s internal thoughts were also transmitted to me."
Vahn''s gaze reached Jin''s illuminated heart.
So far, they could use the God of Battle Fusion if both were together within 500m of Chaos''s gate.
The God of Battle Fusion was a kind of resonance, and the catalyst triggering it was Chaos.
Jin''s Goddess of Battle blood mixed with Chaos''s and caused changes.
As a result, Jin and Chaos could read each other''s thoughts in a certain area.
And the resonance wasn''t limited to Jin and Chaos.
Like Jin, Vahn had also established a connection with Chaos, thanks to his inherent characteristics.
"The resonance between Chaos and me only urs when you create a rift and escape from Chaos''s subspace. Just like there you could only read Chaos''s thoughts."
Therefore, Vahn had read Jin''s and Chaos''s feelings after each battle.
In the process, the information Vahn discovered was as follows:
First, Chaos couldn''t escape from the subspace on his own once he''s in "gate" form.
Second, Chaos was awaiting Jin''s arrival.
After Vahn exined these things, Jin seemed to understand why Vahn had vehemently urged for a duel.
She was sure Chaos wouldn''t kill Jin.
The reason wasn''t another.
"Because he feels lonely. Chaos has been forced into his territory, but there he feels extremely lonely. Moreover, only you can go to that ce, so if he kills you, he''ll be alone forever, Brother Jin."
-[Tch, you run away well...! Next time, I''ll definitely send you to the afterlife!]
-[This time you took a long time, didn''t you?]
-[What, did you bring a toy for me?]
Suddenly, Jin remembered some of the things Chaos had said.
Most were taunts and jeers, but sometimes Chaos subtly revealed expressions of loneliness.
Did he mean it?
He had developed sympathy for Chaos.
Of course, it was a strange emotion.
Just recently, Jin''s feelings towards Chaos were closer to hatred towards a mortal enemy.
But even after Chaos received such a tremendous blow, knowing he couldn''t win next time, he still stopped the punch at the end...
In reality, he had been hoping someone woulde to kill him in that dark space.
Jin couldn''t help but feel sorry.
"And I think at some point you must have known he wasn''t killing you. Just that you couldn''t think more about it because of your anger towards Chaos."
It was as Vahn said.
"...It wasn''t just anger. It''s Chaos. It also stole all my strength. So, to me, it was a target that needed to be punished, regardless of its mood."
He wasn''t a good opponent to fight, not even a bit shaken bypassion and other emotions. He was so strong that even if Jin fought in a well-prepared state, he couldn''t win.
Vahn nodded slowly.
"Yes, that''s true. That''s why I didn''t stop you from fighting him until you could win. It seemed like it would be of great help to your training, and indeed it did."
One of the greatest drivers of human growth is hatred.
During the past year and three months, Jin had dedicated himself to training and fighting with a deeper anger than ever before.
The result was the First Movement of the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique, first night.
Moreover, today he had regained all his former strength, and the umted aura and mana remained intact.
Purely in terms of power magnitude, Jin had already reached 10 stars in both aura and mana.
Jinpleted his Ultimate Technique and reached thest part of the 9 stars in Shadow Energy.
Swoosh..!
Suddenly, Jin''s and Vahn''s Light Hearts radiated an even brighter glow. As always, it wasn''t a phenomenon that both Jin and Vahn desired.
"Kuh......!"
An unexpectedly huge force surged in Jin''s Light Heart.
Jin would have fainted after a few seconds if he hadn''t regained his original strength just a moment ago.
Now he could endure it. Although fatigued, the energies flooding his body again absorbed Vahn''s power like trees weing rain after a drought.
The problemy with Vahn. Vahn stumbled momentarily because the force released was so enormous that it was iparable to before.
"Sister Goddess of Battle!"
"Sister Goddess of Battle...!"
The Legends panicked and rushed to Vahn.
She raised her hand as if to reassure them, but her face showed signs of exhaustion.
"There''s no need toin, brothers. Let''s leave the training field."
As soon as they moved 500m away from the training field, the God of Battle Fusion was canceled.
"Now that I think about it, now that Brother Jin has regained all his strength, can''t we bring down the gate?"
"If you do that, the God of Battle Fusion phenomenon will disappear, but... Since that wasn''t Brother Jin''s purpose in the first ce, there''s no need for Brother Jin to intervene to defeat Chaos."
Boras responded to Nata''s words.
"Brother Jin."
"Yes, Sister Goddess of Battle."
"What are you going to do?"
"Are you asking if I want to kill Chaos?"
"Yes."
The eyes of the Legends focused on Jin.
Vahn remained expressionless, while other members of the Tribe of Legends seemed divided in their opinions.
Some wanted to eliminate the first Chaos immediately, while others suggested watching for a while, considering its pitiful state.
"Hmmmm. Brother Jin. This is a matter you must decide, but I think sparing his life might be a good idea."
"Brother Boras! What are you talking about? That thing is the first Chaos. Now that Brother Jin has regained his strength, we should get rid of it quickly. We don''t know if it has any hidden power, and leaving it alone could cause problemster."
"Yes, it may seem regrettable, but we know better than anyone how dangerous the first Chaos is, right?"
"I can''t even admit it''s regrettable. If Sister Goddess of Battle hadn''t taken it away from Brother Jin in the first ce, he would have killed Brother Jin!"
"I know, I know. But, Chaos is valuable as a subject of research. The enemies Brother Jin dealt with outside also use Chaos''s power, and we can study the God of Battle Fusion only with that Chaos."
"Everyone."
When Jin spoke, the Legends stopped talking.
"First of all, my problem isn''tpletely resolved yet. I''ve regained my strength, but..."
Jin rolled up his sleeves.
"There are still ck spots here. It seems his strength has weakened, so they''re milder."
"Then, if you kill him, they''ll disappearpletely. Just to tell you, we can''t directly enter Chaos''s subspace, but getting rid of the gate is a piece of cake."
"He gave me many chances, for some reason."
The eyes of the Legends widened.
Whether because Chaos felt lonely or because his only pleasure was ying with me like a toy. He can still kill me anyway, but he has spared my life many times. So I would like to give him a chance."
"No, Brother Jin! Since when have you be so merciful?"
"It''s not just for that reason. As Brother Boras said, it''s worth studying him. Apart from the God of Battle Fusion, we might find something from him that could be useful when we face Chaos in the future."
The brothers, who had fiercely opposed until now, nodded helplessly as Jin made his decision.
"Of course, if he shows any sign of resistance, I''ll eliminate him immediately."
"If that''s Brother Jin''s decision, then we have no choice but to follow him."
"Well, it''s not something that doesn''t make sense."
"I''ll focus on recovery over the next two days and re-enter through the gate in the best possible condition. Whatever form it takes, the final decision will be made then, so be patient."
During the next two days, Jin was able to rest properly after a long time.
And he gave the others, who had been working hard, a chance to rest, but during that time, Vahn would often go alone to the empty training field.
Vahn was seen sitting quietly in front of the gate leading to the subspace, as if listening to Chaos.
"Can you hear inside Chaos? Sister Goddess of Battle."
Vahn, she, shook her head and answered:
"No, I can''t hear it because there''s no rift created by you, Brother Jin."
She had an incredibly bitter expression. She too seemed to be hoping that Jin would kill Chaos.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 609
Chapter 609
C609
"Thanks to Miss Valeria and the Cat Tribe, it seems like the world of the small beastmen is being cleansed smoothly," said Kashimir, setting down his teacup.
"The barrier ability of the Cat Tribe is astounding. They''re sessfully achieving the plete purification'' that even Runcandels and Zipples struggle with," Quikantel nodded.
On the table where they sat, therey a letter from Jin to Valeria.
The content was about aiding members of the Cat Tribe in finding the "forgotten temple" of the ancient Feline Gods.
As per the letter, Valeria was currently searching for a forgotten temple with the Cats and was making rapid progress.
"Last time, Valeria mentioned that she might be able to further enhance the purification efficiency bybining the divine power of time with the barrier ability of the Cat Tribe. Do you know about this, Kashimir?"
"Yes, I''ve heard about it too. As time goes by, Miss Valeria is bing more open to us, sharing quite a bit of information. She even ys with the children. Still, it''s a bit difficult to interact with herfortably."
"It''s like handling a knife. Should I say it''s like seeing a cold-hearted Jin? Anyway, the key to adding the divine power of time to the barrier abilities of the Cat Tribe lies with Enya. This will only be possible if Enya can better handle the divine power of time.""Miss Enya is training with fervent dedication every day, so it should happen soon. Dr. Qwaul''s development is progressing smoothly... By the time Jin-nim returns, many things are likely to change. However..."
Kashimir''s eyes narrowed.
"I''m concerned that everything is going too smoothly. I''m especially worried about the entanglement between the Imperial Family and Zipple. For now, we can''t delve deeper into it."
Temar''s left arm.
Currently, not even Valeria''s record magic could pinpoint the location of the part of his body in the possession of the imperial family.
It''s unknown whether it remains solely owned by the imperial family or if it''s being shared with Zipple and a new technology of the Demon Men is being researched.
However, based on the situation, it was possible to guess. Kashimir concluded that it had already been shared with Zipple.
"Although Zipple has been so busytely, pouring efforts not only into purifying the Lutero Magical Federation but also into cleansing thends of the Empire, it''s not just to atone for sins," Kashimirmented.
The purification of the Empire carried out by Zipple was primarily advancing in the eastern region near the Lutero Magical Federation.
"Once the purification of the eastern part of the Empire ispleted, and when Zipple regains strength, it''s likely that the Imperial Family will decide to join the Lutero Magical Federation along with the eastern regions. Expanding the territory of the Lutero Magical Federation may not have significant meaning, but what''s crucial is the technological experience in Demonization."
"If we can''t find and kill the leaders of the imperial family, that will happen. What we need to focus on is strengthening the barriers of the Cat Tribe before Jin returns and applying their barriers to the human world once the world of the small beastmen is purified."
"Yes, I''m very much aware of it. Anyway, we can only hope that Dante-nim provides us with information about the Demon Men; let''s wait and see."
The Garden of Swords, the Tona brothers were sitting in the central courtyard and smoking.
"Ah, this mission was a bit difficult. Infection of an 8-Star Warrior level... The people of the Ken n must be devastated. Losing someone groomed as the next best swordsman of their n."
"We had no choice but to dispose of the infection, but let''s visit the Ken n soon and express our condolences."
They had just returned from a mission to cleanse a contaminated area.
Over the past year and three months, the Runcandels had cleansed over 70% of the contaminated areas that had initially urred after the Sword Emperor Castle War.
At this rate, suppressing the chaos that had invaded Runcandel''s territory was only a matter of time.
However, for some reason, reports of "individuals infected by Chaos" being discovered were increasing as the purification zones expanded.
In particr, high-ranking martial artists or people infected by magic were still being found.
So far, the Runcandels had swiftly subdued them before they could cause significant harm.
However, the members of the Hufester Alliance always felt like they were carrying a bomb that could explode at any moment.
This time, the next best sword of the Ken n, and the other time, an elder of the Tuko n was infected and subdued.
Even the Guardian Knights of Runcandel had been infected several times, so although they had reached a ceasefire agreement with Zipple, the atmosphere in the Hufester alliance was much worse than before.
The only constion was that the Lutero Magical Federation was facing a simr situation.
"Phew, I''m tired. Do we have to rest only for an hour and then move on to the next mission?"
"This time it''s Delki Kingdom, right? At least the infected area is far from residential areas, so we might see less human blood."
"Anyway, it''s good that we can take a break here for now."
Originally, they mainly used the courtyard of the Guardian Knight residence.
This was especially true when Miu and Anne were waiting in the chambers, buttely, they weren''t intimidating the Tona brothers.
Not only that, but as gbearers, they were making outstanding contributions to the purification mission every time, and naturally, their position in the Family was also rising.
Most Family members understood that they were trying to avoid being purged by Jin, who would returnter.
Not many guessed that Miu and Anne had be messengers of the Prophet.
"It''s been over a year since the youngest went for closed-door training..."
"I wonder if he''s doing well."
"He probably is. We don''t know how much stronger he''lle back."
"Didn''t our mother say she''d make him patriarch when he returns?"
"She didn''t exactly say that, but it felt almost like it."
Closed-door training.
Although it was a ceasefire, Jin went alone to train when the Hufester Alliance was more dizzy than ever.
However, no one in the n criticized or looked down on Jin.
Rather, they considered it the final test of his abilities before ascending to the throne.
This was because of the achievements Jin had made.
First of all, without him, not only would the Hufester alliance, but the whole world would have found itself in a more terrible situation than the current one.
Furthermore, since Rosa personally sent him off, most Runcandel members had simr thoughts to the Tona brothers.
When Jin returns, he will be the patriarch.
"I vividly remember the time we teased the youngest for choosing Barisada at the selection ceremony."
"It''s a relief we didn''t die back then."
"It''s because it was the Storm Castle. But we would''ve been doomed if it had been at another time."
"But still, we''ve both gradually warmed up to the youngest since then. Miu and Anne, those crazies... (At this point, Daytona looked around just in case), might not have tormented us because they were aware of the youngest."
"If the youngest purges those crazies (Haytona also nced around), let''s be the first ones to finish them off! Kihikihi, they''re finished. Seriously."
Phew, boom!
At that moment, an explosion suddenly sounded from the main house within the central courtyard.
As for the Tona brothers, their hearts sank. They thought Miu and Anne had heard their gossip and exploded in anger.
"Ugh, uhhh. I''m sorry, elder sisters!"
However, the object of the explosion wasn''t Miu and Anne.
"Wait, it''s not those crazy bitches. It''s from the main house! Miu and Anne aren''t that strong...!"
Kurur...!
As if an earthquake had urred, the entire Garden of Swords was vibrating.
Like prey facing a beast, the Tona brothers froze even after knowing it wasn''t Miu and Anne.
Currently, as far as they knew, there were only two people in the Family who could spread such an aura.
The ck Knight Leader, Stam.
And their mother, Rosa Runcandel.
Thud!
"What the hell. What head!?"
In front of the Tona brothers, the head of someone and the debris of a broken building fell.
It was the head of an elder.
As soon as the Tona brothers saw it, they frantically ran toward the main house, and on the way, they could see gbearers and knights rushing in the same direction.
"Elder sister Mary! What happened!?"
"Daytona, Haytona! You two, don''t go to the main house and control the media!"
"Elder brother Dyfus?"
"Tenth gbearer, Eleventh gbearer, get yourselves under control! It''s an emergency! Under no circumstances should this be known outside. Understood! Take all low-ranking Guardian Knights, and prepare to control the press! From now on, this is our top priority until the situation is resolved."
"Ah, understood!"
The Tona brothers disappeared to lead the Guardian Knights, and Miu and Anne continued running toward the main house.
The main house was already in ruins, with nearby scenes filled with corpses of those who had been in the house and scattered wounded.
"...Personnel below the level of ck Knight and high-ranking gbearers are prohibited from entry. Let everyone wait outside," Stam shouted, who had arrived first and was guarding the entrance.
Stam, the ck Knights, and the top gbearers calmed their bewildered hearts and entered the broken main house.
In the middle of the house, a woman enveloped in Chaos was roaring with a sword in hand.
Rosa Runcandel, was rampaging.
Dyfus and Mary couldn''t help but grit their teeth at the sight.
Why has Mother gone mad at this time...?
There was no time to ponder why Rosa had gone mad.
Themotion was truly an unexpected ident.
Furthermore, just 30 minutes ago, Dyfus and Mary had a normal meeting with her.
If Rosa didn''t stop rampaging, Runcandel would fall into the abyss from today onwards.
It was possible to subdue her with gbearers and ck Knights waiting inside, but it was impossible to deal with the situation afterward.
Rosa was the most important strength in Runcandel and the acting matriarch in Cyron''s absence.
Once news of her being in trouble spread, Zipple would undoubtedlye running with vengeance.
The ceasefire agreement could only be maintained as long as Runcandel and Zipple refrained from ending each other.
Fortunately...
Rosa stopped her roar upon seeing the gbearers and ck Knights.
"Acting matriarch, are you aware?"
"Sir Stam..."
"Fortunately. If you''re in a situation where you can use your rational judgment, give the order."
At those words, Rosa stabbed herself in the chest with her Frenzy Sword. She could control her sanity, but her body didn''t move as she wanted.
A high-speed regeneration phenomenon urred as the sword pierced chest.
Rosa fiercely resisted as her body attempted to unsheathe the sword against her will.
Until all the energy from her body was drained due to excessive high-speed regeneration.
And just before losing consciousness and copsing, she gave an order to Stam.
"Make sure... to keep silent about today''s incident, everyone.."
Stam silently nodded his head.
"I will."
Then, as Rosa copsed, Stam grabbed the Frenzy Sword.
He could see how the Chaos spreading around Rosa seeped into the affected area and regenerated it.
At that moment, Miu and Anne, who were outside, said this calmly.
"Now our mother will know. If she keeps going against ''her'' will, she''ll have no choice but to face a catastrophe."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 610
Chapter 610
C610
Once again, Jin stood in front of the Chaos Gate.
As usual, all the Legends alternately nced at Jin and the Chaos Gate.
"Today, that guy''s fate will be decided."
"Whatever decision Brother Jin makes, we will sincerely follow."
Jin looked at Vahn, who stood with an expressionless face.
In Vahn''s calm eyes lingered the feeling of loneliness he had harbored while gazing at the Chaos Gate for the past two days.
"I''ll be back."
As Jin entered the gate, empty darkness and Chaos greeted him.Initially, every time Jin entered, he would immediately see Chaos''s massive body.
Chaos would initiate the fight each time with a powerful front paw strike or a mighty tail p.
Now, whether due to loss of strength or some other reason, Chaos was not visible.
So, Jin advanced aimlessly. He walked slowly for an hour.
And for the first time since entering Chaos''s territory, he realized there was an "end" in this dark space.
Jin began to see an unusually dark curtain.
At first, he thought it was a point connected to Chaos''s unconsciousness, as it was in the abyss of Gliek.
However, it was simply the end.
It seemed to be blocked by a wall, and Jin couldn''t advance.
Even if he shed it with the Shadow de, the crack wouldn''t open and it wouldn''t be destroyed.
As Jin walked along the wall, a figure of Chaos lurking in the distance became visible.
Chaos lifted its body when Jin came into view, appearing even smaller thanst time.
Though maintaining the form of a dragon, it was overall round and almost resembled a rabbit pup.
It seemed it wouldn''t even fill Jin''s palm if ced on it.
Moreover, there was no longer the destructive force that used to emanate from Chaos.
The moment Chaos was struck by Jin''s ultimate sword technique, it lost almost all its power.
"Eh, bastard. It''s disgusting to see your arrogant face already drunk with victory."
Jin had an expressionless face.
"The Sister Goddess of Battle said this outside. It''s not that you couldn''t kill me, it''s that you didn''t kill me out of fear of feeling even more lonely. Is that true?"
"What do you know, you said you were going to kill me now."
Jin unsheathed his sword and ced it beside him.
Then, after raising his hand as if with no intention of harming, he sat down ten paces from Chaos.
"You never know, your answer might make me change my mind."
"Huh! Are you taking it easy because you think you can handle me even without a weapon?"
"You''re distorting the meaning quite a bit."
"Don''t you think? My life is ruined because of you. Originally, I was supposed to hatch perfectly by merging with you, but thanks to your sister, that n went awry. So, we should be able to live our own lives, but you hurried to kill me."
"Isn''t it natural since you took away my strength?"
"Your monstrous siblings just sided with you. Ignoring all my pleas."
"If you had returned my strength, the problem would have been solved."
"If I returned it to you, it would be useless, and I would have died by your and those monsters'' hands! Did you ever think to speak as you do now? Besides, you keep saying that you stole it from me, but that''s my strength."
There was a moment of silence.
"You just said your life was ruined. Is it because you lost all your strength? Or is it because once you enter this ce, you can''t leave on your own?"
"...Wait, how do you know I can''t leave on my own?"
"The Sister Goddess of Battle told me. Every time a crack opened, your inner thoughts were transmitted."
Chaos''s eyes widened.
Chaos waspletely unaware of this fact.
"Haha! Really? You mean she knew everything. And yet she remained aloof? That''s great."
As if it were unfair, Chaos gnashed its teeth.
"She''s my sister. It''s natural to ssify you as an enemy."
Jin took a moment to reflect on the dark space he had traversed.
Nothing but absolute darkness, and it even took an hour of walking to reach this ce.
When Jin thought that this was all Chaos was allowed, he felt even more sorry.
The reason the Sister Goddess of Battle kept looking at the gate with such lonely eyes was probably because she deeply felt its loneliness.
Jin could also read Chaos''s inner thoughts when he was outside.
At that time, he felt sorry for Chaos, despite the overwhelming anger directed at it.
In a way, Chaos reminded Jin of Shuri.
For nearly a thousand years, Shuri was abandoned and alone in the deste thorn forest in the corner of the ck Sea.
Let''s spare its life.
That''s the conclusion Jin came to.
"You don''t seem to be able to read my thoughts right now, do you?"
"Are you thinking about how to kill me?"
"It''s quite the opposite. However, I do have some concerns."
"What?"
"Firstly, I''ve heard that you are the First Chaos originated by the witch Heluram. And the first chaos have unpredictable characteristics."
"Who is the witch Heluram?"
"What?"
"I don''t know anything about that. I just woke up inside you."
Chaos was in a state where it was unaware that it was the "First Chaos Originated by the Witch".
This was the reason why it had always perceived Jin''s strength as its own.
Chaos believed it was not born from the Witch but originated in Jin.
"Then why did you react so sensitively to the Shadow Energy?"
"It''s instinctive fear. It''s like not knowing how I could exist from someone like you with that kind of thing."
In other words, Chaos was a kind of "seed".
Heluram''s power was imnted inside Jin as a sprouting seed.
To Chaos, it didn''t matter who nted the seeds, and it didn''t even care.
Initially, trying to devour Jin and be one was nothing more than an instinctive growth process from Chaos''s perspective.
When Chaos exined these things, Jin couldn''t help butugh.
"They''re incredible stories."
"Whether it''s true or not will be revealed as soon as we step outside. Your monster sister can read my inner thoughts."
"Don''t you have tricks to get out?"
"I really don''t trust you all the way. I fled to this ce because I was afraid of your monster sister, and you kept getting stronger by resonating with her. Now, I''ve even lost my power. What can I do if I go out? I have nothing left, thanks to you!"
It didn''t seem like a lie.
''Well, he was terribly afraid of my siblings even when he had power.''
Jin nodded.
"Alright, I''ll take you out. What do I do?"
"If you just open a crack... really?"
"Since I''ve regained all my strength, there''s really no reason to kill you. Personal resentment has also been somewhat resolved. There''s onest problem, but for the sake of the Sister Goddess of Battle, I''m willing to endure it."
"...For the monster sister?"
Swoosh-!
Jin unleashed his Shadow de and opened a crack.
"Let''s go."
Chaos followed Jin and stood in front of the crack, then hesitated for a moment.
"If I leave, won''t your monster sister hate me?"
"Well, if you want to stay here, feel free to do so."
"No, no. I''ll leave, I''ll leave."
Finally, when Jin and Chaos stepped out into the training ground, the Legends widened their eyes in curiosity.
"Is that the First Chaos?"
"It''s gotten very small, hasn''t it?"
"Brother Jin, you said you wanted to give him a chance, but it seems you decided to let him live."
"Now that it''se to this, let''s give him a warm wee. He even looks a bit cute."
"Oh, Brother Jin. Well done! I was actually worried about what would happen if you killed that guy. Nice to meet you, I''m Boras, the Fifth Battle King! Since we need to proceed with some investigations with your help, it would be good for us to get closer quickly, right?"
Surprised by the unexpected wee, Chaos seemed bewildered and hid behind Jin.
Additionally, Jin noticed Vahn''s eyebrows furrowing.
She could now read Chaos''s inner thoughts.
On the other hand, Jin didn''t hear Chaos''s inner thoughts.
"Come closer."
Vahn reached out to Chaos. Chaos looked at her and cautiously climbed onto her hand.
''Although he kept saying she was a monster, he seems very docile with Sister Vahn.''
There was onest problem.
When Jin said that just beforeing out, he referred to the ck stains that had remained on his body.
It was hinted that they might disappear if he killed Chaos, but Jin spared Chaos for Vahn''s sake.
It was because he had seen Vahn sad. Vahn had felt Chaos''s loneliness as if it were her own, and she felt a kind of camaraderie with Chaos.
A feeling of being trapped in a dead world, unable to escape even if she gave her life for it.
That''s why she had been looking at the Chaos Gate with such a lonely expression.
Chaos seemed to be continuously talking with an inner voice while sitting on Vahn''s hand.
asionally, Vahn nodded in response.
"...So, does that mean you can get rid of the stains on Brother Jin? I understand. Brother Jin."
"Yes, Sister Goddess of Battle."
"Now, I''ll take care of this child."
Jin didn''t question Vahn.
Her choice meant she trusted that Chaos could never threaten her and the siblings.
A ck energy, like Shadow Energy, flowed from Chaos''s body.
The energy hovered near her, Vahn, and was absorbed by her Light Heart.
As Chaos''s energy seeped into Vahn''s Light Heart, the ck stains in the form of tumors on Jin''s body faded and disappeared.
It seemed like some kind of contract, and from Chaos''s perspective, it was a "relocation".
''But how can you be so cruel? You''ve been reading my thoughts all along.''
''That''s because you tried to harm Brother Jin.''
''In the end, the reason you agreed to ept me is that I could be of help to that damned one.''
To that, Vahn responded by stroking Chaos''s head and said,
"It''s not just for that."
And Chaos read Vahn''s inner thoughts.
The truth is, I''ve felt a lot of pity for you since the first time your inner thoughts were transmitted through the crack.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 611
Chapter 611
C611
Lingling.
It''s been a month since Vahn gave that name to the Chaos that became herpanion.
Thanks to bing the familiar creature of the Goddess of Battle, Lingling naturally gained a position as a pet among the Legends.
"Lingling, the name sounds nice, don''t you think?"
While Jin took a bite of the Cakto and said, Lingling, who was on Vahn''s shoulder, suddenly showed his fangs.
[So, are you unsatisfied?]
Still, Jin and Lingling often engaged in yful squabbles.
Although they harbored no real animosity towards each other."Unsatisfied? I was just thinking that Sister Goddess of Battle has an unexpected side."
[Hmm! Are you saying you didn''t like it when Vahn chose that name for me?]
"You misunderstand again. I''m just surprised that Sister Goddess of Battle prefers cute names like that..."
[I don''t like you.]
"Haha, is that so? I''m not particrly fond of you either."
[Wanna test me?]
"Alright, you two."
[Nyaa, nya!]
Vahn and Shuri, who were listening, shook their heads.
They had spent a month watching Jin and Lingling fight like this every time they met.
"Sorry, Sister Goddess of Battle."
[Okay, Vahn.]
"And Lingling. Brother Jin is right. Why do you always misinterpret Brother Jin''s words?"
[Why does Vahn always take that bastard''s side?]
"Because you''re the one who''s wrong."
[Hmph... If Vahn thinks so, I guess?]
Jin shrugged, and Lingling clung to Vahn''s cheek, showing a mischievous look.
"Brother Jin, you haven''t been entirely right either. Lingling has just started living in a group, so there are many things shecks. So even though he makes some mistakes, you should understand him."
Nyah, nyah!
Lingling teased Jin by sticking out his tongue and lowering his lower eyelids, but Jin suppressed augh and stayed still.
Every time Lingling did that, he received a light p from Vahn.
Bang!
[Ow!]
Lingling briefly rubbed his forehead and then leaned back on Vahn''s cheek.
''Anyway, he''s very fond of Sister Goddess of Battle. To think that guy was such a terrifying Chaos...''
Jin thought it was very nice to see Vahn and Lingling living together.
"So, since it seems you''ve rested enough, let''s start training again."
Vahn and Jin sat face to face.
After deciding to ept Lingling, they had been practicing the "God of Battle Fusion" every day.
Naturally, the fusion was stabilizing at a rapid pace unlike before.
Now, they could control ''Harmony.'' The idents where Jin would lose consciousness or Vahn would be exhausted due to involuntary God of Battle Fusion hadpletely disappeared.
It was thanks to Lingling willingly bing a link between them.
Wow!
As both their Light Hearts glowed, Vahn''s energy began to flow towards Jin.
Adding Vahn''s power to the 10-star energy he had already achieved didn''t have a dramatic "visible" effect.
ording to Vahn, Jin was still in a state where he couldn''t properly control his power.
Though the size of his power had reached 10 stars, Jin couldn''t produce as much efficiency because hecked the control over his power typical of a first-ss superhuman.
"We need to know exactly how much power you can handle, Brother Jin. So focus."
"Yes, Sister Goddess of Battle."
Vahn''s method was simr to Luna''s Mental Eye training in the past.
Just as awakening his Mental Eye, Jin was "recognizing" his own energy with his eyes closed.
It was like swimming in the sea.
It was a task to form the image of the sea of power in his mind and figure out its size.
How far can it go and where is the end?
As always, Jinpleted the process faster than Vahn expected.
In the end, when Jin furrowed his brows, Vahn smiled satisfactorily.
"Do you recognize it?"
"Yes. As you said, Sister Goddess of Battle, I can clearly feel that I''ve reached the end. This is the limit. And beyond this... I can see the sea that seems to be a manifestation of power. In the middle, there is ayer of dark energy."
The dark energy belonged to Lingling.
He served as a conduit connecting Jin and Vahn''s powers and also acted as a sort of safety mechanism.
Lingling''s will prevented the powers of both individuals from mixing too much.
Without it, Jin and Vahn would have no choice but to run into issues, like when Fusion had manifested before.
"Now that we''vee this far, controlling the fusion is no different from beingpleted."
"...Right now, my vessel isn''t enough, so even if I synchronize with you, Sister Goddess of Battle, I can''t generate more power than the total amount of my strength."
When Lingling took Jin''s strength away, he felt his whole body fill with Vahn''s energy.
At that moment, Jin''s vessel was empty, but now it wasn''t.
There was no room for Vahn''s strength to intervene.
However, the God of Battle Fusion remained transcendent for two reasons.
"Now, as long as you''re with me, you''ll never tire."
In the Fusion state, Vahn''s power was added every time Jin''s energy ran out.
This means he could always have maximum strength.
If the "mirror" gave Jin divine mana during the Sword Emperor Castle War, Vahn gave him infinite aura and lightning energy.
But there was something else that really surprised him.
"Yes, besides that, the experience, senses, and perspective of Sister Goddess of Battle are being added..."
Jin, who had been speaking up to that point, suddenly shivered.
It was because a shiver ran down his spine.
Right now, Jin was urately recognizing the maximum level of his strength, and he was recognizing the connection point of Lingling and Vahn''s strength beyond it.
Thanks to the progress Jin had made in a month, the Fusion showed a level of synchronization different from before.
The result was the exchange of experiences, senses, and perspective of Vahn.
Everything Vahn had umted through his experience as the Goddess of Battle was being filtered into Jin''s brain.
Just as Boras shared his experience through the memory transfer forging technique, Valeria''s recording magic, and Solderet''s recording device.
If those were legacies, what Jin was experiencing now was a literal "Fusion."
In other words, Jin was no different from being Vahn.
''I guess this is what a blind person feels like when they open their eyes...''
Even the view of the training grounds, familiar as home, seemedpletely different.
Jin could discern which wall was weak, which floor was firm, how the wind flowed differently; he could recognize everything.
It was a feeling like overseeing the world as a God, not as a human.
Jin was excited by that feeling.
Even the breaths of the other brothers, far from the training ground, were transmitted sharply.
"Does that mean Sister Goddess of Battle usually lives with this sensation?"
Current Jin couldn''t maintain that state for long.
Just remaining still overwhelmed him with information and sensations hard to bear.
Dealing with it alone was enough to leave him breathless.
Jin felt as if he had been reborn when he experienced the first God of Battle Fusion.
That was nothingpared to now.
The light tinting both their hearts dimmed.
Before Jin exhausted too much, Vahn canceled the Fusion.
"Hoo."
Jin could only show a bewildered expression, like a person who had just experienced an incredible miracle no one would believe.
Additionally, he had to barely suppress an extreme feeling of disappointment.
It seemed as if the world returned to monochrome as soon as the Fusion lifted.
The ground and wind of the training ground were no longer transmitted urately and perfectly, and the brothers'' breathing couldn''t be felt.
The feeling of bing a God disappeared as if it were a dream.
"You seem quite shaken, Brother Jin."
"Not exactly. A moment ago... it felt like I reached the realm of the Genesis Knight effortlessly."
"It''s a mistake to say there was no effort. Firstly, my senses were transmitted to that extent because you have that level of skills."
Just as Jin felt Vahn''s feelings, Vahn also keenly felt Jin''s sensations.
"...To that extent? Are you saying that wasn''t all of it?"
To that, Vahn gently smiled and replied:
"Brother Jin, I am the Goddess of Battle."
[Yes, Vahn the Goddess of Battle! Poor bastard, I think it''s an honor!]
[Nyaa, nyaa?]
At Lingling''s reaction, Shuri shouted as if she were proud of Jin, but Jin couldn''t get out of his astonishment for a while.
He had just realized that the ''Vahn'' he had experienced wasn''t everything.
''How strong is the Goddess of Battle...?''
At the time of the first training in the past, the day Jin was able to share the Fusion.
Even then, Jin felt Vahn like a huge wall, and it had always been that way since then.
But now, stronger than ever, she seemed more distant than ever.
"You''ll be able to enter the same realm as me. If you couldn''t, you wouldn''t even be able to ept my senses."
Vahn wasn''t speaking empty words.
Jin silently nodded his head.
Jin didn''t know when it would be, but if she said that, it meant he could definitely reach it.
"The senses may have gone, but the memories will remain, Brother Jin."
"Yes, Sister Goddess of Battle."
Although it seemed like the world had returned to monochrome, Jin vividly remembered the sensations he experienced during the Fusion.
"We''ll proceed with training through those sensations. In other words, learn to fight like me. Additionally, try to extend the duration of the Fusion at the same time."
There was no training that could make one grow faster than that. Jin was convinced of it.
[If you want to increase the time, it would be better if you behaved well with me.]
"Sure, Lingling."
[Huh.]
"When Brother Jin''s skills reach a certain level, from then on, you''ll start training again with the Battle King Brothers. The first opponent is the Brother Twelfth Battle King."
Twelfth Battle King, Teto.
The reason Vahn chose Teto as Jin''s first opponent was because he was the weakest of the Battle Kings.
Vahn was looking forward to seeing Jin defeat the Battle Kings one by one in order of battle prowess.
"Alright."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 612
Chapter 612
C612
January 15, 1802.
It had been more than a year and a half since Jin entered Lafrarosa.
Most of that time was dedicated to purifying the Chaos, so it had only been about two months that Jin had beenpletely focused on training.
Since Vahn epted Lingling until now.
However, in thest two months, Jin had experienced a period of astounding growth.
"Hah, hah~."
Jin sheathed his sword, catching his breath.
In front of him was the enormous sword mark he had just created. It was much deeper and more ominous than the one Temar had left in the training field.Then, as always, a strong sense of exhaustion set in, and the God of Battle Fusion dissipated.
For 10 minutes, the current Jin and Vahn were able to stably maintain the highest level of synchronization during that time.
This meant that, during those 10 minutes, Jin became nearly invincible.
"How does it feel, brother Jin?"
"It''s a pity. I still need your power to reach this state, sister Goddess of Battle."
"You''re talking nonsense. If you say that elsewhere, you''ll be resented."
"I know. Where else could I talk about such hardships if not with my siblings?"
Pouring everything into bing stronger, feeling the thrill of clear achievements every day... it was a happiness that Jin wouldn''t trade for anything.
Of course, the power avable during the God of Battle Fusion couldn''t be attributed solely to Jin.
However, what he had gained by training with Vahn''s shared experiences and senses was undoubtedly Jin''s strength.
''I thought so, but... as expected, the final ability of the Shadow de when I cut Lingling was at a level that could never be calledplete.''
The experience of Vahn.
As the synchronization speed of the God of Battle Fusion increased, Jin vividly absorbed everything Vahn told him.
Thanks to this, he was also able to glimpse the knowledge of the Shadow de and the Sword of Legends.
In other words, Jin learned the Shadow de and the Sword of Legends without any dedicated training.
Certainly, there is a considerable distance between understanding something intellectually and applying it in practice, so repetitive training is always necessary. However, training with a clear understanding of the essence promises overwhelming efficiency.
''If it''s now, I can execute a Shadow de better than then. The Sword of Legends too...''
Unlike when Jin temporarily became stronger due to chaos demonization, there are no side effects in training through the God of Battle Fusion.
''If I can keep growing like this, I might be able to return sooner than expected.''
Rosa had granted him three years. Now that half of that time had passed, Jin suddenly felt curious about how much the outside world had changed.
"What are you thinking about? Brother Jin."
Boras, who had just entered the training field, sat next to Jin and asked.
"Brother Boras. I was just reminiscing about the outside for a moment."
"You seem worried."
Jin shook his head.
"We don''t get along well, but my mother, who is now the acting matriarch, is strong. She is someone who takes responsibility for what she says. There probably won''t be any problems with the n within three years."
Jin trusted Rosa''s obsession with surviving as a Runcandel. As long as Rosa was there, Jin believed there would be no problems with the Runcandel Family even in his absence.
''...If my mother wasn''t there,ing to Lafrarosa might have been a much harder decision.''
Looking back, the majesty of the Runcandel that he knew from his past life had considerably diminished.
From Jin''s perspective, Runcandel was an absolute fortress that would never copse if a family member was missing.
But not now.
''My father and my elder sister Luna are still absent, and after the war at Sword Emperor Castle, the Family doesn''t have the same solidarity as before. It''s the reason why I brought Joshua, but that''s not all.''
Kinzelo hid the existence of Orgal, the Demon Beast King, and his powers, and Zipple is trying to transcend "humanity" by creating an orb and fleets of Demon Gods, and even the Empire has created Demon Men using Temar''s body.
Meanwhile, only Runcandel remained stagnant.
The fact that clearly revealed this was the War of Sword Emperor Castle. Until that dreadful war finally concluded, Runcandel did not live up to its name.
The fact that Rosa, who is clearly his "enemy," supports the Family is bitter.
When Jin returns, he will have to eliminate her and reorganize the entire Family.
To regain the dignity that could match the old Runcandel, to restore the glorious appearance of the old Runcandel.
"Brother Fifth Battle King."
"Yes, sister Goddess of Battle."
"Call all the brothers to the Hall of the Gods of Battle."
Jin could sense what Vahn would say.
Is it time to start my duels with the brothers?
Jin began to feel curious. How much difference was there now between him and the Battle Kings brothers?
Until a year and a half ago, all the Battle Kings of the Legends had greaterbat prowess than Jin.
Even if it was a light sparring, even Teto, the Twelfth Battle King, almost overpowered Jin and overwhelmed him.
All the other Kings were stronger than Teto.
"Are we leaving already?"
"No, you and I will go when we have rested enough. To the point where we can use the God of Battle Fusion again."
"Yes."
A few hourster, as the two slowly made their way to the Hall of the Gods of Battle, they saw the brothers who had already gathered waiting in line.
When Vahn ascended the throne in the hall, 76 Legends, excluding her, all the surviving Legends erased from history, admired her. Her Light Heart and that of Jin resonated with Vahn''s energy, generating a more intense light than usual.
The radiance spreading from the Light Hearts filled the atmosphere, but the sight of them all gathered gave a somewhat empty and lonely feeling.
Once, the entire main hall of the Hall was filled with their light, like a vast in.
Now, from a distance, it would probably seem like just a handful of light.
"The reason I have gathered the brothers today is tomemorate."
Lingling also read the atmosphere and behaved ordingly.
"Since our time stopped, the first to awaken us was Temar. However, more than Temar, the one who helped us enjoy even more time is none other than the brother Jin present here."
When everyone nodded, Jin felt ufortable again.
Jin believed that what he received from the brothers was much greater than what he gave.
"And brother Jin dered that he would return us to the human world."
For now, there were only hints, and no definitive means yet, but the Legends had no doubt that Jin would surely do it. Jin himself believed in it.
"Our story will soon begin again. Therefore, I want to revive a tradition long forgotten. A tradition allowed only for the strongest among the strong."
"Oh, oh!"
"No way!"
The Legends showed great excitement at Vahn''s words.
"The rebirth of history and uninterrupted tradition must be initiated, naturally, by brother Jin. Do you all agree?"
"Yes!"
When the Legends responded energetically, Vahn smiled and shouted:
"Let''s initiate the Great Battle Kings Tournament!"
As everyone roared, Jin had no choice but to discreetly ask Vahn.
"Sister Goddess of Battle, what is the Great Battle Kings Tournament?"
"It is the greatest festival of the Legends. As its name suggests, it is apetition where warriors fight against the Battle Kings. The same goes for the Battle Kings."
"Battle? Isn¡¯t it a duel?"
"Yes. The Great Battle Kings Tournament is the onlybat where it is allowed to be harmed by a sword."
The Tribe of Legends holds no enmity. Moreover, Legends never fight with the purpose of killing each other.
Whatever the form of dispute, the problem between brothers is resolved through barehanded fighting, and it is only possible to use swords to the extent that they do not cause mortal wounds.
However, such prohibitions did not apply in the Great Battle Kings Tournament.
Of course, "brother-killing" was absolutely forbidden, but mortal wounds that could be treated were allowed.
Upon Vahn''s exnation, Jin tilted his head, puzzled.
"idents can happen, right? If you fight without those restrictions, there is a possibility you might kill each other."
"idents are inevitable."
"...Yes?"
"Unexpected idents originally apply to everything in the world."
It was indeed an answer fitting for someone who said, "Training is originally something that can lead to death."
"We have always sincerely cherished each other, brother Jin. But even in the history of our tribe, there were many betrayals, murders, conspiracies, and schemes. They were just fewer than in other races."
As always, Boras continued the exnation instead of Vahn.
"In the era of the current sister Vahn, it was truly a time of peace and prosperity for us. That¡¯s why there was never a murder in the Great Battle Kings Tournament, which was held before the destruction, but it was different before. There were times when factions split in fights, and they deliberately killed their opponents to achieve political ends."
There were two reasons why the Legends were excited about the revival of the Great Tournament.
The first is that all the battles of Battle Kings that took ce under the leadership of Goddess of Battle Vahn were purely confrontations of strength, and the second. The revival of tradition meant the realization of hope.
After resisting the Gods and being destroyed, the Legends have always lived like the dead in this dead world.
There was no reason to continue traditions or festivals.
The fact that Vahn revived the Great Battle Kings Tournament symbolized her faith in Jin and the history of Lafrarosa, which would be liberated with him.
"Haha, this time I will also free myself from being the weakest among the Battle Kings!"
"Keep dreaming, Brother Twelfth Battle King."
"When does it start? Sister Goddess of Battle! Today? Tomorrow?"
"The opening ceremony will begin immediately."
At Vahn''s words, the eyes of the Battle Kings immediately changed. Their eyes shone with a bloodlust to kill Vahn, who was right in front of them.
''...This look is not just a duel close to a real battle; it''s a look that really intends to kill Sister Vahn. Is that possible?''
Bang...!
Vahn, she, stomped her foot once, and suddenly the main hall of the Hall of the Gods of Battle separated from the other buildings and began to rise into the sky.
The main hall transformed into a stage for the Great Battle Kings Tournament.
Of course, it was a series of shocks for Jin.
Then, when the main hall settled in the middle of the sky, Vahn pointed at Jin.
"As you all know, the inaugural match of the Great Battle Kings Tournament originally begins with me fighting all my brothers."
"We are all prepared."
"But this time, I will let brother Jin, who has the God of Battle Fusion, take that role."
As soon as those words were released, all the bloodlust of the Battle Kings, which had been directed towards Vahn, began to turn towards Jin.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 613
Chapter 613
C613
"No, what is this all of a sudden? But more importantly, doesn''t it bother anyone that the main hall is floating out of nowhere?"
There was no more time to think.
Jin and Vahn''s Light Hearts resonated, activating the God of Battle Fusion. Right after, a spear flew before Jin''s eyes.
It was Teto''s spear.
''Damn it, I''mte...! No, are you waiting calmly?''
It was clear that he would have seen his blood. Or, he suffered an internal injury while pushing him away.
But now Jin couldn''t see the blue de of the spear flying towards his face so slowly.
To the point where it took effort to ovee it!That''s why Elder Sister Goddess of Battle said to rest enough to perform the God of Battle Fusion beforeing to the main hall.
''As soon as the initial battle began, everyone really showed their bloodlust. It''s because it doesn''t make sense to have a sloppy fighting spirit against Elder Sister Goddess of Battle.''
Jin didn''t even have to unsheathe his sword.
''Well, I wanted to use Elder Sister Goddess of Battle''s power in actualbat at least once.''
Jin extended his fist towards the spear de almost at the speed of light.
From Teto''s perspective, he couldn''t even perceive the moment Jin moved.
Bang!
The blow containing the aura of the Twelfth Battle King and a human''s fist shed, but the one pushed back was Teto.
No, he wasn''t just pushed back.
"Ugh!"
Teto, spitting blood, was sent flying away from the main hall. It was as if he was flung away like an arrow or fragments when a rock shatters.
As soon as Teto flew out, all sorts of weapons appeared in Jin''s clear vision.
Swords, spears, bows, and even a mysterious suitable for capturing giant monsters.
The fact that everything hade so far with a sense of ''safety'' made Jin feel excitement unconsciously.
''It was really that powerful...!''
It''s a fact that Jin has long known that Vahn''s techniques are like the great sea.
However, wielding that power directly was literally a different experience.
Aah-!
With a single burst of energy, Jin was able to repel the brothers who pounced like hungry ghosts.
The long saber of Baltirok, Lumora''s spear, Palem''s long saber, Rinpa''s great saber, Boras'' fists and hand cannon, Dalpir''s twin swords, Beliz''s great saber, Garmund''s great saber, Baba''s long saber, Kaio''s bow, Nata''s flying kick, Teto''s spear rejoining the fray.
And countless weapons of the ordinary warriors. All those attacks couldn''t prate the energy unleashed by Jin.
On the other hand, Jin was able to attack sessfully so easily.
The ordinary warriors were swept away like fallen leaves by the strong wind, and the Battle Kings raised their energies.
The whole sky trembled as if it was about to copse under their collective pressure.
To the point that the surging energy created a storm like a tidal wave in an instant, and in the distorted space, screams resonated like cracks.
In an instant, a scene reminiscent of the Apocalypse unfolded.
Some ordinary warriors couldn''t withstand the storm and copsed.
To prevent further damage to the fallen, Jin sent his energy towards them, forming protective shields around them. Naturally, as if it was his own power.
It seemed he could afford to protect all the ordinary warriors that way.
"Hahaha..."
A bitterugh escaped him. This was the power of the ''Goddess of Battle'' of the Tribe of Legends.
"Kaaaa!"
The First Battle King to break through Jin''s lightning was Nata.
Kaio shot an arrow to clear the path, and within that opening, Nata roared and jumped.
It was then that Jin unsheathed Sigmund.
The sword was imbued with lightning energy unparalleledpared to any other moment.
And when the sword left its sheath, Jin had a firm conviction.
If he wanted to, he could strike down Nata in one blow.
Jin didn''t articte those thoughts, but Nata instinctively understood.
"If you had been the true Elder Sister Goddess of Battle, she wouldn''t have hesitated. Elder Brother Jin."
Swoosh! Pzzz! Lightning energy swirled and gathered in Nata''s fist.
An illusion?
No, it''s a variable.
''Created by Elder Sister Nata.''
The moment Jin was sure, he had to strike wherever. Even if that meant Nata wouldn''t die and somehow managed to take another step tond a punch.
She was a Battle King of Legends. Though she didn''t reach the level of God of Battle, she wasn''t someone who would fall to a simple sword.
Even the true Vahn had to be sincere to kill her. Especially in a situation like this, where the Twelve Battle Kings and all the ordinary warriors attacked at once.
Nata''s fist passed by Jin''s ear.
He momentarily lost his bnce due to the shockwave, but it wasn''t enough to pose a problem when counterattacking.
Jin cut her fists with his sword''s hilt and unleashed a sweeping blow.
Just as Nata''s blood was about to evaporate into lightning energy, Beliz''s great sword came in to deliver the second strike.
He dodged and stabbed, shot sword energy while parrying Kaio''s lightning arrows, twisted the attack trajectory of Palem and Lumora, pushed back Baltirok, knocked down Dalpir and Garmund, deflected Rinpa and struck Boras'' chin (adjusting the force, considering Boras'' tight schedule) and he struck down Teto''s spear.
It took him 3 seconds to do all this. Jin hadn''t yet received any effective blow, and in the midst of the chaos, tried to counterattack as his formation crumbled.
But one remained.
The Ninth Battle King, Baba. The direct descendant of the ancient God of Battle Nana. His blue sword rushed through the chaotic battlefield.
''This is dangerous.''
A chill ran down Jin''s spine.
In the midst of the confusion, a sense of danger, seemingly impossible in the state of God of Battle Fusion, abruptly awakened his senses.
The perfect solution to ovee this danger was to counterattack precisely.
His eyes and senses made him capable of wielding the sword without hesitation even in the midst of such a desperate situation.
However, receiving this blow would kill or severely injure Baba.
Had it not been for Nata''s earlier example, Jin might have hesitated again. After all, they weren''t enemies but rather siblings engaged in a sparring match.
"Reacting clumsily out of fear of hurting Sister Baba is more of an insult to her."
As if on cue, Jin''s lightning energy scattered in all directions, coalescing around Sigmund before anyone could blink.
Before the edges of their swords met, there was a brief moment where all of Jin''s energy focused.
Crackle...!
Baba''s sword distorted. His arm, wielding the sword, twisted, but Jin didn''t stop even after seeing it.
An expansive wave that seemed to destroy the entire hall spread instantly.
Nearby Battle Kings were thrown in random directions, and Jin didn''t retract the released energy.
Instead, he amplified it, fueled by the intent to annihte all the Battle Kings. The explosion whitened the entire surroundings, and due to the immensemotion, Jin couldn''t immediatelyprehend the situation even with the battle god''s senses.
And what Jin regretted didn''te to pass.
Through that enormous explosion, what appeared next was Baba''s sword descending like a lightning once again. A sword threatening him, tearing through the white storm of the shockwave.
It wasn''t as menacing as the first time.
Jin effortlessly blocked Baba''s sword and mmed him to the ground, not giving him a chance to rise. He lunged at him like a beast, aiming the sword at his throat.
Kaio''s arrow, flying just before the thrust, diverted Sigmund.
Once again, the linked attacks of the Battle Kings showed an even more formidable momentum.
Furthermore, some ordinary warriors cleverly followed the path opened by the Battle Kings and entered the fray.
At that moment, Jin could only show a look of joy once more.
Even after using the God of Battle Fusion, facing such an "exhausting" situation was possible, revealing that his opponents were truly his powerful and persistent siblings.
Jin felt proud of the greatest fighting race in history.
"Cover me, Brother Tenth Battle King!"
"Charge! Don''t face him one-on-one!"
"Brother Ninth Battle King, you need time to recover!"
The longer the fightsted, the more scratches formed on Jin''s body one by one.
Other members of the Legends had broken bones and crushed muscles in most cases, but their momentum did not diminish at all.
Rather, it became fiercer.
It would have been impossible if they were alone, but personal injuries were no issue for the Legends, who were immersed in coordinated attacks.
They moved as one regardless of whether they were battle kings or ordinary warriors.
There was no difference in battle skill level, and anyone could be the center of the attack whenever the opportunity arose.
Jin rushed among them without hesitation and broke the formation.
However, as much as he knocked them down, the Legends showed no signs of copsing.
Vahn watched them with satisfaction from above, riding on Lingling, who had transformed her body.
"Huh... Watching him fight well annoys me. He''s strong, but with Vahn''s added power, it''s like that guy sprouted wings."
"Lingling, why do you act as if you dislike Brother Jin when you don''t actually hate him?"
"Why do you ask when you''re reading my mind, Vahn?"
"That''s right."
"...More importantly, do you really think it''s okay to give it all to him, Vahn?"
Vahn smiled.
"I''m willing to give it all to Brother Jin and the rest of my siblings anytime."
"Hpmh, how can you say that sincerely, Vahn?"
"And you too, Lingling. You''re not a sibling, but a part of me, no. Because we''ve be a family."
Lingling didn''t reply, but she pped her wings shyly.
Whoa...
Vahn breathed out as if exhausted.
The time for the God of Battle Fusion to end hade.
The 10 minutes, which was the previous maximum, had been extended, so the current God of Battle Fusion was causing even greater fatigue.
The moment the battle ended,
Jin breathed heavily and held his sword against Baba''s neck, while the other Battle Kings aimed their weapons at him.
At first, Jin dominated them, but gradually the synchronization speed of the God of Battle Fusion decreased, and in the end, they pushed him back.
The Legends stopped all their attacks as soon as the God of Battle Fusion ended.
Although it was a short battle, less than 10 minutes, Jin and the Legends showed signs of exhaustion like people who had been on the battlefield for days.
"Phew, that was intense. Brother Jin!"
"The battle would have ended in an instant if not for Sister Vahn''s power."
"That''s obvious. Anyway, it''s been a pleasant fight!"
As always when Jin achieves an "achievement," the Legends suddenly open their mouths in the air of the main hall.
Then, like young beasts trying to eat the falling snow, they gulp the air.
It was a bit embarrassing, butughter erupted at the innocent appearance of their siblings.
"Excellent. With this, let''s conclude the opening match of the Great Battle Kings Tournament."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 614
Chapter 614
C614
It was like a dreamlike battle.
The sensation and experience of the God of Battle that Jin had in the initial battle lingered in his mind, stimting his thoughts even days afterward.
It was as if a warrior had been exposed to powerful inspiration just before creating a masterpiece.
Jin constantly reyed the initialbat in his mind, his eyes remaining distant.
''I was just blocking Brother Kaio''s arrows. Instead of blocking, if I had countered and redirected them as they were, it would have been easier to deal with the follow-up attacks from the brothers. And....''
The members of the Tribe of Legends clicked their tongues worriedly after seeing Jin like this.
"Since the initial battle, Brother Jin has be strange."
"It seems he has taken a liking to it. Is it because he regrets that the power of Sister Goddess of Battle is not truly his?""Brother Jin is not like that. I think he is just organizing the enlightenment he gained from that day''s battle."
"Anyway, now that everyone has been treated, the Great Battle Kings Tournament will begin today. That''s why I''m worried if Brother Jin will properly face Brother Twelfth Battle King."
As Vahn said, the first battle after the inaugural fight was between Jin and Teto. Unlike Jin, Teto continued to train hard every day as soon as Boras'' treatment ended.
Jin can no longer use the God of Battle Fusion until the Great Battle Kings Tournament is over.
He mustpete with his brothers solely with his own strength.
Ordinary warriors gathered to chat or train together, but the Battle Kings did not even exchange nces, except for Boras.
It was as if the once-close brothers were no longer so.
Regardless of who the opponent was, an intense mental battle was inevitable, leading to a fierce confrontation with willpower and fighting spirit.
Even if one became the final winner, apart from the God of Battle, all members of the Legends were simply brothers.
At least, it had always been this way in Vahn''s era.
However, the Battle Kings adopted such a severe stance due to their inherent pride and self-esteem.
They believed that giving it their all was the only considerate act toward their opponents.
Above all, the final winner of the Great Battle Kings Tournament means being "the closest to the God of Battle."
The existence of the God of Battle is the ultimate goal of the Legends.
Bing the closest to the God of Battle is the greatest honor a Legend can enjoy.
Jin also wanted to be the protagonist of that glory.
Kururuk-! Pzzz!
Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck from above the main hall.
It signaled that the match was about to begin. Challenging the falling lightning, the Legends on the ground rushed toward the main hall.
Using ropes, creating wind des to fly, or stepping on the backs of climbing brothers and jumping.
It was a strange spectacle, but amid the challenge to the lightning, there was a sublime atmosphere surrounding the Legends ascending to the main hall.
Vahn awaited them in the center of the main hall.
"Brother Twelfth Battle King and Brother Jin, step forward."
It was then that Jin and Teto looked each other in the eyes for the first time.
Unlike his usual yful behavior, Teto was full of fighting spirit, while Jin maintained hisposure.
"The rules are simple. Make the opponent unable to fight or throw him out of the main hall to achieve victory. Also, killing is strictly prohibited, but there are no restrictions on the use of any kind of sword techniques."
All the members of the Tribe of Legends waiting, including the God of Battle, were security personnel, so even if you used sword techniques at will, you couldn''t easily kill the opponent.
However, idents were inevitable.
When the lightning subsided, a moment of silence enveloped the surroundings.
The fight began with Vahn turning around as a signal.
Suaak-!
Jin extended his sword first.
The energy of the sword and the lightning bolts exploded in all directions and, meanwhile, Teto thrust his spear.
From the first sh, both clearly aimed for lethal blows.
Jin aimed at the chest, and Teto at the neck, and sparks flew from both areas without leaving a trace.
As the drops of blood sttered, they evaporated without a trace in the lightning.
The distance of about a hundred steps narrowed and widened repeatedly, and images of the two were left everywhere.
It was iparable to when they faced each other to check Jin''s skills before purifying the chaos.
The spectators were also very nervous.
It was so intense that it wouldn''t be strange for an ident to happen at any moment.
"This can''t be all you have, right? Fight properly, Brother Jin!"
Teto shouted and repelled Jin with a burst of energy.
Jin, who had been pushed back, became unstable due to consecutive attacks, and Teto relentlessly pressed on that opening.
However, something was amiss.
Even with Jin losing his center of gravity, Teto could only inflict superficial wounds on him.
Of course, although they were small wounds, they umted quickly, and the impacts were destined to build up. Still, for some reason, Teto acted cautiously, feeling uneasy.
''This doesn''t feel right...''
Meanwhile, Jin kept recalling the initial battle, trying to utilize that sensation to the fullest in his current state without the use of the God of Battle Fusion.
"Ah!"
When Jin widened his eyes and eximed, Teto suddenly stopped attacking.
"Sorry, Brother Twelfth Battle King. I couldn''t concentrate because I was thinking."
It wasn''t a lie, but he spoke intentionally with a sneer to provoke.
Teto narrowed his eyes and responded:
"Throwing out such shallow provocations suddenly ruins the mood, Brother Jin."
"Well then, I apologize."
It was just a test by provocation. Jin recalled part of the sensation from that moment.
Then, he felt confident he could defeat Teto in an instant. Although he might be the weakest among the Battle Kings, he was still a Battle King of the Tribe of Legends.
Zzzzz......!
The swirling lightning gathered in Sigmund.
At that moment, not only Teto but also those watching could see what kind of sword Jin would execute.
"As a gesture of apology, I''ll take your opinion into ount, Brother Twelfth Battle King."
10 Stars.
Jin''s aura had already reached that level. However, having a strength of 10 stars wasn''t enough.
What mattered was how transcendently and efficiently one could handle that power.
"I hope this sword remains as a glorious memory for you, Brother Twelfth Battle King."
Sword of the God of Battle, Tenth Sword Technique
Reign of the King of Legends - Unleashed
Except for Vahn, the brothers had never seen Jin using the Reign of the King of Legends.
Even if they had seen it, the members of the Tribe of Legends probably wouldn''t have been particrly excited.
The Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends that Jin had disyed in the meantime couldn''t even bepared to Vahn''s original version and was fundamentally iplete.
However, the current Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends was different.
Although its power was still far below the original, its form and execution were close to perfection.
This was achieved by Jin''s body, using Vahn''s senses to execute it.
''Brother Jin... as expected, did you learn the God of Battle''s Ultimate Techniques?''
The Ninth Battle King, Baba, who was watching, unconsciously smiled with a bitter expression.
Teto, who was facing the ultimate technique, couldn''t help but be stunned.
The floor of the main hall was crushed, and the lightning erupted likeva.
Jin''s eyes shone with the blue of the lightning, and the Light Heart vibrated as if it would explode at any moment, scattering brilliance.
The fierce lightning caused a storm, quickly forming Jin''s domain.
In response, Teto also executed his Battle King''s Spear.
Within Jin''s domain, Teto''s Light Heart swayed, clearly forming a prominent point.
The energies emanating from the two hearts collided, creating a blue me.
Compared to the real thing... it''s nothing!
The result was decided the moment Teto shouted this.
If it really were nothing, he wouldn''t have hastily executed the Battle King Techniques.
However, although Jin was confident in his victory, he didn''t stop the advance of his sword.
As he had experienced in the initial battle, the Battle Kings were beings capable of creating variables at any moment, even in absolutely unfavorable situations.
They were opponents who could sharpen the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends with all their might.
Following the Third Sword Movement of the God of Battle - Condemnation, the newly learned Seventh Sword Movement - Dragon yer and the Ninth Sword Movement - Annihtion targeted Teto.
An ordinary warrior wouldn''t be able to withstand even one of them.
In contrast, the ordinary warriors were enduring the storm of the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends without Vahn''s help and the Battle Kings.
"Kaaaaa......!"
Teto''s spear instantly deflected Jin''s lightning energy.
If Jin hadn''t extended his Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends, Teto''s spear would have had enough power to put Jin in a crisis.
[You shouldn''t have given me time to think, Brother Twelfth Battle King.]
The second form of the ultimate technique, the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends, The War Wasn''t Executed. If the intention wasn''t to deliberately take Teto''s life, it was already enough to end the fight.
It was the ninth sword movement, Annihtion, that defeated Teto.
A massive blue energy spread around Jin like giant wings, generating a storm of lightning that struck Teto.
Teto couldn''t escape.
Dodge, block, endure...
That was all Teto could do.
Little by little, Teto retreated and retreated, and the de of Annihtion shed at him more ferociously.
With power amplified to the limit through the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends.
"Ha, huh......!"
When Annihtion finally ceased, Teto appeared lifeless, covered in blood, and Jin didn''t stop there.
He shot the punch of Condemnation onest time.
As Teto lost consciousness, he tried to dodge Condemnation until thest moment.
It was inevitable that Teto would fall out of the hall, unable to withstand the impact.
Jin suppressed the rising energy, took a deep breath, and other brothers immediately rushed toward the falling Teto.
At the end of the battle, it was a tradition of the Great Tournament to rescue the loser in any way possible.
Zas!
Lumora grabbed Teto, and the other brothers pulled them back to the main hall.
"I told you to wake up. Brother Twelfth Battle King, it was because you fought with such a fragile mind that you were so severely wounded. Try again next time, Brother Jin. Originally, Brother Twelfth Battle King had to win to be normal."
"The battle is over, the winner is Brother Jin."
After Vahn solemnly announced the result, Jin didn''t hear the usual thunderous cheers from the Tribe of Legends.
Instead, what greeted him was the fierce gaze of the Battle Kings, as if they were ready to devour him immediately.
Even in the midst of this, there were Battle Kings who secretly swallowed air and ate up Jin''s achievement.
''This is the first andst easy victory.''
Jin had no choice but to swallow dryly while receiving the murderous res of his brothers with a smile.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 615
Chapter 615
C615
Even after unleashing the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends, Jin was not immediately consumed as he had been before.
This was a result of Jin''s growth, gained through the enlightenment he achieved by crossing life and death multiple times in the war at the Sword Emperor Castle and the sense of Vahn he obtained through the fusion of Battle Gods.
Jin defeated the Twelfth Battle King of Legends in an instant, without even using the newly learned Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique.
However, Jin was not satisfied at all.
Having experienced the pinnacle of martial arts, he found it difficult to feel a great sense of achievement even after aplishing something remarkable.
Even after the first battle of the Great Battle Kings Tournament ended, Jin still stared nkly, as if his mind was elsewhere.
The only moments when his gaze sharpened were when the other Battle Kings'' matches began. Only then did he focus his mind to analyze.
However, once the matches ended, Jin wandered aimlessly around Lafrarosa like a ghost with vacant eyes."I''m worried that Elder Brother Jin will really lose his mind at this rate."
Pop!
Tantel uncorked a bottle of jewel liquor and sat down next to Jin.
Jin was gazing at the sky from the spire near the Hall of Battle Gods.
"Elder Brother Tantel. Are you here?"
"Didn''t you even realize I hade?"
"What did you just say?"
"Oh, never mind. What''s bothering you? Exin it to me."
It was a dilemma. Also, a dilemma of abundance.
Due to experiencing the sensations of the God of Battle, Jin felt that his martial prowess was mediocre.
"Even though I''m full, it seems I''ve overdone it."
Upon hearing the circumstances, Tantel shook his head.
"If you think about your age, Elder Brother Jin, there''s a big difference between us. However, just moments ago, you defeated the Twelfth Battle King. Although Elder Brother Twelfth Battle King is the weakest of all, he is clearly a Battle King."
The fact that Jin defeated Teto meant he had the qualifications to be a Battle King.
"I know."
Jin knew this better than anyone.
However, this training was hisst chance before the inevitablerge-scale war between the major factions. The stronger Jin became, the more anxious he felt.
He wondered if he could protect hispanions and his n from the enemies when he returned.
As Tantel mentioned, despite the considerable achievements and power he had gainedpared to his age, the enemies were undoubtedly formidable.
If Jin could end his brothers immediately in the human world, he could change the situation in an instant. However, it was unknown when that would happen.
"Be careful if you know, Elder Brother Jin. Read the atmosphere a little."
"Atmosphere?"
"Don''t you feel jealousy?"
"Are my brothers jealous of me?"
"Ha, why wouldn''t they be?"
Jin had received all kinds of privileges in Lafrarosa.
Before bing a brother, he already mastered the Sword of Legends and even received the Blood Transfusion of the God of Battle.
"Of course, since you became our brother, all the achievements you''ve made are our pride. But, the other brothers are also living beings. Elder Brother Teto trained for over a hundred years before bing a Battle King, and many brothers worked even harder than that and never became Battle Kings."
It was a problem Jin hadn''t considered.
After being recognized as a brother, Jin had always been cherished by the Legends.
His brothers always tried to help him, wanted to be the first to share in his achievements, and felt proud of themselves when they were summoned by the ck Light Call, as if it was the blessing of life.
Jin found it hard to imagine that those brothers were now jealous.
"...I feel sorry for them."
"Well, you don''t have to feel sorry for everyone. Some brothers not only don''t feel jealous but also find it impressive. I''m one of them."
As Tantel handed him the jewel liquor, Jin felt warmth in his stomach.
"This Great Battle Kings Tournament is the only opportunity for everyone to express their resentment and jealousy. Even though the tournament follows the no-kill rule, all participating brothers are putting their lives and hearts into it."
As Jin listened to Tantel, his face warmed, and his chest tightened.
It was embarrassing.
"So you should pull yourself together and fight more seriously. When the Great Battle Kings Tournament ends, regardless of the results and the process, the brothers will surely appreciate you as before... but never forget that the brothers are also living beings. If there remains any minimum resentment, it will end up festering."
Jin looked into Tantel''s eyes.
Suddenly, Jin recalled the image of the Battle Kings who seemed to harbor a murderous intent towards him after his battle with Teto.
"Thank you, Elder Brother Tantel. Thanks to you, my mind is clearer. By the way, what''s that paper?"
"Oh, it''s nothing. Nothing."
Jin grabbed Tantel''s wrist as he hurriedly tried to hide the paper. The paper contained the following:
Seventh Duel of the Great Battle Kings Tournament
Eighth Battle King, Elder Brother Garmund vs Sessor of the Storm, Elder Brother Jin.
Odds 1.5 : 7
Who will be the winner?
"...Betting?"
"Well, it''s a simple pastime. You only bet with jewel liquor. It''s a secret we even keep from Sister Goddess of Battle!"
Come to think of it, Jin had recently seen Tantel carrying several bottles of jewel liquor.
Tantel had bet on Jin during the first match.
"You don''t truly believe that the Goddess of Battle Sister ispletely ignoring it."
"Anyway, you must win, Brother Jin! I''ve bet all my jewel liquor. If you win this time, I won''t have to worry about alcohol for the rest of my life!"
As Tantel vanished as if fleeing, Jin let out a chuckle.
The next day, the main hall floating in the sky was once again enveloped in blue lightning.
"I willmence the Seventh Duel of the Grand Tournament."
Jin VS Garmund.
As the two faced off, the lightning ceased.
Jin evaluated Garmund''s skill to be around the mid-range level among the Battle Kings.
''He might be below that level, but nheless, he''s undoubtedly different from Brother Teto.''
Originally, Jin couldn''t win against him.
However, Garmund''s physical condition wasn''t perfect.
Unlike Jin, who had rested since the battle with Teto, Garmund had engaged in an intense battle with ordinary warriors who had challenged him in a group this morning.
He wasn''t severely injured, but he seemed somewhat fatigued.
"Have you underestimated me, Brother Garmund?"
"Think what you want. The oue is already decided."
Garmund showed none of his usual nonchnce. Only a determined will to crush his opponent was evident.
As Vahn retreated, Garmund''s great sword descended within inches of Jin''s nose.
When he blocked it, he felt the impact as if his entire body were to be crushed by the de.
Unconsciously, Jin used the aura to dissipate the impact outward, and Garmund had no choice but to furrow his brows.
''It''s that sense!''
A sense of God of Battle.
It was difficult for the former Jin to so easily dissipate the shock that should have caused internal injuries.
The training to awaken Vahn''s sense, which had begun in earnest, was starting to bear fruit.
Not only that, but the memory of blocking Garmund''s sword in the God of Battle Fusion state during the initial fight also vividly came to his mind.
''Brother Garmund is slow.''
Of course, in a rtive sense.
He possessed the brute strength to wield a great saber like a dagger, easily surpassing the weight of several strong men, and left aftershocks every time he took a step forward, but he could never be said to be agilepared to other battle kings.
Instead, Garmundpensated for hisck of speed in battles against opponents of simr level with destructive power.
His method consisted of filling the gaps created by the absence of speed with explosive blows and aura.
''If I can expose that weakness, I can gain an advantage over Brother Garmund.''
The exposure had already ended in the first exchange.
It was a matter of dispersing the shock transmitted to the body outward.
Jin executed it immediately, and Garmund had no choice but to hastily respond.
It was an unexpected turn of events from the beginning of the battle.
''Ha! Having tasted the senses of the Goddess of Battle Sister, does that mean he has already developed his physical abilities to this extent? I shouldn''t have epted the challenge from ordinary warriors in the morning.''
Of course, Garmund didn''t openly show his confusion or panic. He skillfully sidestepped Jin, who had exposed his weakness, and devised a new tactic.
''I''ll execute my techniques. It will be over in one go.''
Garmund expected Jin to unleash the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends.
Although dispersing the blows worked well, Jin couldn''t perform anything beyond that.
Therefore, a decisive blow was needed, so a sword with such destructive power had to be unleashed.
Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends, Hellfire, or the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique.
As far as Garmund knew, those three were Jin''s strongest swords.
''Hellfire can''t wield its power without Tess, and Brother Jin wants to keep the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique as a trump card.''
All that''s left is the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends.
''He must be confident. He firsthand experienced how Brother Teto couldn''t even use his moves correctly and was defeated.''
Garmund believed that he could attack Jin''s current Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends head-on and break it.
No, it wasn''t a belief, it was a certainty. He was sure that his Battle King Technique surpassed the power of Jin''s Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends.
As expected, lightning energy began to gather in Jin''s Light Heart.
''Now, when Brother Jin executes the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends, I must break it with the Battle King Technique at once and provoke a bacsh...''
Garmund seized the opportunity like that.
Garmund had been looking for that opportunity, but even though the exchangested for over 30 minutes, the aura gathered in Jin''s Light Heart showed no signs of transforming into overwhelming force.
"Hoho, did you know my thoughts from the beginning?"
Garmund realized toote, and Jin smiled.
"There wouldn''t be brothers who couldn''t read Brother Garmund''s thoughts. You always wear them on your face, Brother."
"Well then, there''s nothing I can do. I''ll make the first move from my side!"
Even if his intentions were read, it wasn''t a problem. Garmund''s attempt to lead the counterattack was only a consideration to minimize Jin''s injuries.
Swoosh-!
Garmund''s energy began to gather at a point.
Even at a nce, the great sword was surrounded by enough energy to defeat Jin with a single sword stroke.
"Anyway, you can''t handle this sword."
But unfortunately, there was something else Garmund couldn''t calcte.
Garmund was about to unleash his move, but he didn''t realize that Jin, who had increased his speed even further, had darted into his blind spot.
He didn''t expect Jin''s physical skills and quick footwork, which hadpensated for his destructive power, to be even faster there.
''He''s been able to move even faster than before!? Prating my energy...!''
He felt the tip of Sigmund''s sword on his neck.
"It''s over, Brother Garmund."
Garmund shrugged and dissipated the umted energy in his great sword.
"Darn it, I didn''t expect to lose so anticlimactically."
["A-Another Battle King loses to that unpleasant guy? Weren''t you so weak when you pressed me!"]
Lingling intervened, and Vahn stopped the battle, announcing Jin''s victory quietly.
''If Brother Garmund had thought a little more, I would have undoubtedly lost. Well, I didn''t expect to win like this again after what happened with Brother Teto...''
At the moment Jin thought up to that point.
A member of the Tribe of Legends who was watching shouted.
"Darn it! Everyone is ying. Twelfth Battle King and Eighth Battle King. Can you still say you''re the Battle Kings of the Grand Tribe of Legends?"
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 616
Chapter 616
C616
The Legend that roared was the Tenth Battle King, Kaio.
"Brother Kaio?"
Everyone turned to look at Kaio. Seeing how enraged he was, Kaio''s clenched fists trembled.
"B-Brother Tenth Battle King, what''s wrong?"
"Did you bet on brother Garmund?"
Kaio did not respond to the words of several ordinary warriors who did not read the atmosphere well. Tantel, who had a good sense of humor, covered their mouths and coughed.
Instantly, a heavy silence filled the air.
Jin had never seen any of his brothers express so much anger since he arrived in Lafrarosa."...It seems you are not satisfied with me, Tenth Battle King."
Garmund narrowed his eyes and looked at Kaio. His pupils contained a much deeper and darker fighting spirit than he had shown while facing Jin just moments ago.
"Yes, now you show a look ready forbat in earnest."
"Don''t beat around the bush and say it inly."
"You should have shown that look when you were fighting Brother Jin, not against me."
"What?"
"If you''re going to treat Brother Jin like a child, why not change his diapers too?"
"Your words are harsh... Tenth Battle King. You''re crossing the line."
"You crossed the line first, Eighth Battle King. Do you think the other brothers won''t notice that you just deliberately lost to Brother Jin?"
"Deliberately losing?! The umted fatigue from the morning battle was greater than I thought, and again! It just means Brother Jin was stronger than expected."
"Such things are usually called unspoken intentions. Eighth Battle King, you secretly hoped for Brother Jin to win. So, even during the fight, you deliberately did not use your moves correctly."
"I''ve already said, it''s not like that but you keep talking nonsense...!"
"If it really isn''t true then."
Kaio stepped toward Garmund.
"Put the honor of the Goddess of Battle and all the brothers at stake. Did you fight with all your heart, Eighth Battle King? If you say yes, then I will cut off my right arm."
Looking at Kaio''s determined face right in front of him, Garmund involuntarily took a step back.
It wasn''t because he felt overwhelmed by Kaio''s spirit, nor because he feared confrontation.
It was because there was something stabbing at him. Indeed, every word from Kaio hit home with Garmund.
"Why can''t you answer, Eighth Battle King?"
"Hmm, hmmm! Well... Actually no, since you would cut off your right arm, Tenth Battle King."
"It''s shameful that you, the Twelfth Battle King, and I are the same Battle Kings."
"Uh... It''s true that I fought properly and lost. Do I have to endure this criticism like this? Tenth Battle King?"
When Teto spoke with a seemingly unfair voice, and Lumora roughly wrapped her arm around his neck.
"Shut up, Twelfth Battle King. It''s an important matter."
"No, the way Tenth Battle King is speaking doesn''t seem pleasant at all. Don''t stop me! Why is he yelling at me if I haven''t done anything wrong? Am I really so weak that I seem like a coward?"
"Do you want to fight Brother Kaio? Will you fight him, Twelfth Battle King, eh, will you!? Listen to this sister. And anyway, since you were also defeated by Brother Jin, it''s true that it hurt the pride of the Battle Kings."
Teto seemed to be struggling against Lumora''s strength.
Kaio doesn''t even seem to care about Teto.
"Are you going to endure such a humiliating situation and still refuse to answer? Eighth Battle King."
"Tenth Battle King, it seems you''re confusing with the Goddess of Battle. Why should I follow your words, Tenth Battle King..."
In the next moment, all members of the Tribe of Legends had no choice but to be frightened.
Bang-!
Suddenly, Kaio struck Garmund''s jaw with his fist. It was such a powerful blow that a shockwave spread throughout the main hall.
"Oh, oh. That must really hurt. Looks like his jaw broke."
Garmund, swaying as if he were about to copse, blinked.
"Kaio, you bastard!"
Then, as Garmund tried to counterattack.
"Enough."
Vahn spoke for the first time. And Vahn looked at everyone for a while from atop Lingling and said nothing more.
"The Seventh Match has ended. The winner is Brother Jin. The next match will be held after an hour of rest."
After announcing the results of the match in a calm voice, she disappeared.
There is no hierarchy among all the Legends, except the Goddess of Battle. To put it bluntly, Jin, the Sessor of the Goddess of Battle and heir of Sigmund, had a nominal position only surpassed by Vahn, but the real recognition was another matter.
That''s why an event like this urred.
Certainly, Jin had risen to the ranks of the strong even among the Legends, and had be the heir of the Shadow de and the Sessor of the Goddess of Battle. But his strength was still not recognized by everyone.
Being recognized as a brother and being recognized as a Battle King or sessor were clearly different things.
"The Sister Goddess of Battle left without intervening in the fight..."
"Does this mean that the Battle Kings should not stop fighting? It''s the first time something like this has happened since the battle with the Gods."
"It almost never happened before the war... It''s unsettling."
"By the way, is it true that the Twelfth Battle King and the Eighth Battle King lost intentionally?"
Is that why they''re fighting?
What does it matter if Brother Jin is doing well?
Honestly, it seems like the Tenth Battle King holds some resentment.
"Brother Jin is our only hope anyway."
"Exactly. Without Brother Jin, we can''t get out. Plus, Brother Jin has never believed in the favor of Sister Goddess of Battle and he turned wild like lightning, right? He has always proved his worth. That''s why he became our brother!"
"That''s true, but considering the significance of the Great War... I can understand the feelings of the Tenth Battle King. Honestly, it hasn''t been long since Brother Jin became our brother."
"And Brother Jin achieved everything that the Battle Kings desired so much in a short period of time. Although he was chosen by the Sister Goddess of Battle. In any other era, all this would have been nearly impossible."
"Above all, the Tenth Battle King worked harder than anyone to be the sessor of the Sister Goddess of Battle before our destruction. No one can deny that."
Ordinary warriors whispered and exchanged opinions.
They had no idea why Vahn had left. So they did not intervene hastily in the fight.
For Jin it was equally confusing. The brothers he knew never showed their fangs to each other. Moreover, from the moment he was recognized as a brother, Jin had never experienced discrimination or prejudice, always receiving unconditional support.
This was the nature and characteristic of the race called Tribe of Legends.
Sometimes, Jin thought there was no group with a more ideal society than the Legends''.
An absolute leader, equality, trust, and people who never betrayed each other.
However, as Tantel had said before. The Legends were also living beings.
"We don''t always care for each other with the same sincerity as now, Brother Jin. Even in the history of the Legends there were many betrayals, murders, conspiracies, and schemes. Just fewer than in other races."
"The era of the current Goddess of Battle, Sister Vahn, was truly an era of peace and prosperity for us. That''s why there was never a murder in the Great Battle Kings Tournament, which was held before the destruction, but it wasn''t like that before. There were factional fights, and some deliberately killed others for political ends."
Jin suddenly remembered what Boras had said.
"The peaceful era of Sister Goddess of Battle... In the end, she defied the Gods and faced destruction."
Perhaps the ideal aspect of the brothers that Jin had witnessed so far was possible because Lafrarosa was a "dead world".
Time for the Legends stood still. When Temar found Lafrarosa, as the first heir, even when Jin arrived a thousand yearster, Lafrarosa was a society without a future.
All the members of the Legends, who had only received visits from two people for a long time, could do was give everything they had to the heir.
So, they no longer needed topete among themselves. There was no need to fight for the Session of the God of Battle, and there was no reason to consecrate themselves.
But now that Jin had dered that he would return them to the human world, their time had regained meaning.
They had a reason to live, desires revived, and the spark of dreams ignited.
In other words, it wasn''t just a ghost who wanted to be a sessor, but now it was possible to face tomorrow as a living being.
That''s why some brothers were convinced that this fight among the Battle Kings had to be brutally fair.
Regardless of the oue, Jin would inevitably be the Heir of the Shadow de, but they believed that the Sessor of the God of Battle could change.
To remove the rust and moss attached to the stagnant history of the Tribe of Legends, inevitably, there had to be struggles and battles."
The Great Battle Kings Tournament was the final test and purification stage that Vahn and all the other members of the tribe gave to Jin.
For history to flow again, everything had to beid bare.
To achieve that, Jin came to the conclusion of what he had to do.
"Tenth Battle King."
Jin looked at Kaio with Garmund in the background.
"If you don''t like the actions of the Eighth Battle King, when it''s your turn, you can trample me with all your might."
"That''s what I n to do, Brother Jin."
"And no matter how sincere the Eighth Battle King may have been, the fact is that the oue would be my victory. This isn''t a match, it''s a bout. Now, it doesn''t matter if the Eighth Battle King did his best or not."
"True, that''s a valid point."
"So it''s better to stop this shameful scene now. As the Eighth Battle King said, you''re acting like the Sister Goddess of Battle, Tenth Battle King. There''s no hierarchy among brothers. You can''t order us or force us. It means only the Sister Goddess of Battle can do that."
The Tribe of Legends split between those who nodded in agreement with Jin''s opinion and those who remained silent.
Jin decided to be the antagonist who would incite their fights.
In the end, he would have to win and be recognized as the antagonist.
"In my opinion, it seems like you''re convinced that you''re stronger than the Eighth Battle King. If not, you couldn''t humiliate him like this in front of all the brothers."
Kaio''s behavior turned even fiercer.
"...Is that so? What an interesting story. Does that mean you''re now pressuring me in the same context? Is it because you''re sure you''re stronger than me, Brother Jin?"
At that, Jin smiled.
"Exactly. Tenth Battle King, you won''t be able to defeat me."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 617
Chapter 617
C617
Kaio remained silent, gazing at Jin with cold eyes for a while.
"When it''s our turn to fight, as brothers. I''ll give you a lesson and carve it into your bones."
"You call us brothers with that bloodlust in your eyes. Looking back, it seems you didn''t like me from the start, Brother Tenth Battle King."
"Brother Jin!"
"What nonsense is this? You''re going too far! How can you speak to the Brother Tenth Battle King like that...?"
Some members of the Tribe of Legends, who were watching, were startled and shouted. Even Garmund opened his eyes wide in surprise.
"Do you think I''m wrong, brothers? When the Goddess of Battle Sister handed me over to Sigmund, I don''t remember the Brother Tenth Battle King congratting me. Furthermore, now he dares to mock my victory in front of everyone."
There were some who didn''t congratte Jin at that moment, but he deliberately pointed at Kaio."That''s because the Brother Tenth Battle King was angry with the Brother Eighth Battle King......"
"If the Brother Tenth Battle King was truly only angry with the Brother Eighth Battle King, he shouldn''t have spoken about changing my diapers. The words clearly reveal how the Brother Tenth Battle King truly felt about me. Furthermore, the Brother Twelfth Battle King fought with all his might. But why does the Brother Tenth Battle King speak as if I couldn''t defeat him?"
The Legends couldn''t immediately refute Jin''s words. Jin continued to speak skillfully, preventing his brothers from intervening.
"Furthermore, why do you think the reason the Brother Tenth Battle King caused a disturbance a while ago has nothing to do with my honor?"
"Why do you think that?"
"The Brother Tenth Battle King assumed that the Eighth Battle King had lost to me deliberately, so he expressed his anger. But what did he say right after?"
Jin looked around once.
"Are you really a Battle King of the Great Tribe of Legends? That''s how it was. If it had been the Brother Tenth Battle King, he would have said something different. ''To fight like this is an insult to Brother Jin.'' Shouldn''t it be a priority to take care of brothers who have never participated in the Great Tournament, rather than the honor of the Battle Kings?"
Silence hung in the air.
Although Jin deliberately made his words more provocative, he was not wrong.
To drive the wedge further, Jin looked back into Kaio''s eyes.
"Brother Tenth Battle King. I want to say this onest time. Brothers do not tarnish the honor of the Great Tribe of Legends. A while ago, you insulted Eighth Battle King and me based on mere spection, and assaulted a brother. It was far from brotherly behavior. It''s disappointing."
"Brother Jin, stop now. Both Brother Eighth Battle King and Brother Tenth Battle King have made mistakes. But isn''t it too much to assume that Brother Tenth Battle King disliked you from the start?"
Jin nodded at Baltirok''s words.
"I too have only spected on the emotions of the Brother Tenth Battle King, as did the First Brother Battle King. And I have never been wrong. See you in our battle, Brother Tenth Battle King."
As Jin turned around and left the main hall, Tantel hurried to chase after him.
"Brother Jin! What are you up to? Have you already forgotten everything I told you?"
"I did it on purpose."
"What?"
"It was necessary to stimte the fighting spirit of the brothers. Seeing how Eighth Battle King lost to me, it seemed something like this was necessary sooner orter."
"Huh, tell me more."
"Alright, but I''ll only tell you. Promise it on the honor of the Goddess of Battle Sister and all the brothers."
---------------
After that day, the atmosphere of Lafrarosa changed.
First of all, the betting with jewel wine stopped.
The betting with jewel wine was for everyone''s entertainment, where practically no one was a victim.
Whether someone won or lost, in the end, everyone shared the jewel wine used in the bets,ughing and chatting together.
Everyone tried to cheer up the atmosphere. Such entertainment was only possible when Jin arrived and made time flow in Lafrarosa.
With the disappearance of betting with jewel wine, theughter of the Legends preparing for the Great Battle Kings Tournament also faded away.
Although they fought fiercely against each other until just before killing the opponent, the Great Battle Kings Tournament fundamentally pursued a friendlypetition.
Now, the atmosphere was different. Like before the peaceful era of the Goddess of Battle Vahn, invisible factions had emerged.
The faction that recognized Jin as the Sessor of the God of Battle, and the faction that thought it wasn''t enough.
The former adopted the stance that they should unconditionally support Jin as a brother, while thetter argued that the situation had changed, and strict scrutiny was necessary.
"I don''t know if we have to stay locked up, but if we can go out, thepetition for the sessor of the Goddess of Battle Sister should be clear."
"That''s right, that''s also good for Brother Jin. If the Sessor of the God of Battle is not someone everyone can recognize, our tribe will end up weakening. Then, we won''t be able to go out and support Brother Jin properly."
"Brothers, you''re talking nonsense! Brother Jin is chosen directly by the Goddess of Battle Sister. Are you doubting the foresight of the Goddess of Battle Sister?"
"No. At that time, we didn''t have hope of going out to the human world. The Goddess of Battle Sister had no choice but to choose Brother Jin."
"Nonsense!"
"If that''s not the case, why did the Goddess of Battle Sister leave when the Brother Tenth Battle King and the Eighth Battle King fought? It must be because it''s not right to forcibly push Brother Jin like the Eighth Battle King. It might have seemed odd if the Goddess of Battle Sister had stepped forward."
"That''s an insult to the Goddess of Battle Sister. Furthermore, since when has the Great Battle Kings Tournament be apetition to determine the Sessor of the Goddess of Battle Sister?"
"It has always been implicitly like that. The final winner of the Great Battle Kings Tournament would usually be the next God of Battle."
"Damn it, brothers! To me, it just seems like a meaningless fight. Is this all we can do to appreciate each other? Are you going to test Brother Jin, who has already been designated as the sessor? It''s shameful to see brothers fighting and arguing only for that reason!"
"In the end, the arm bends inwards. Surely, there will be brothers who consider Brother Jin as an obstacle. Ingrates, ignorants...!"
"Brother Shaku, don''t say that. No one thinks like that!"
"That''s something I don''t know. To be honest, I think the Brother Tenth Battle King sees Brother Jin that way. Am I the only one who saw the Brother Tenth Battle Kingugh as if it were ridiculous when Brother Jin lost his two battles in a row this time?"
2 consecutive defeats.
Jin was defeated by Palem in the 12th battle and by Dalpir in the 17th.
Unlike when Jin defeated Teto and Garmund, this time, he suffered a devastating defeat.
"Furthermore, the Third Battle King and the Sixth Battle King were also quite clumsy when facing Brother Jin. They didn''t finish him off in one go even when they had the advantage. If they really care about Brother Jin, could that have happened? Besides, those two are very close to the Brother Tenth Battle King."
"We, the Legends, are all close, and don''t make baseless spections!"
"Even if they intentionally made Brother Jin suffer, it was probably to enlighten him as a Battle King. And, whatever the reason, Brother Jin was defeated. It means he is even further from qualifying as the Sessor of the Goddess of Battle."
"Have you said enough, Brother Mouka? It happens that we are included in today''s preliminary battles. Let''s settle it there. Will the winner''s opinion be considered correct?"
"Heh, is that how it''s going to be? I have no intention of stepping back. Don''t regret it!"
Day after day, conflicts among tribe members deepened.
It was hard to believe that just a while ago they lived together so peacefully and idealistically.
Those who tried to remain as neutral as possible felt like they were standing on thin ice every day.
It hadn''t copsed yet, but at any moment, given the chance, everyone could explode, and it wouldn''t be surprising.
"Oh my... I thought there wouldn''t be such childish conflicts in our era. Shouldn''t we all be ashamed in front of our deceased brothers? How can this happen?"
Beliz, who watched them from afar, touched her forehead.
She was the one who had weed and appreciated Jin the most from the beginning, but now she worried about maintaining neutrality as the conflict escted.
"Doesn''t the Goddess of Battle Sister say anything else, Brother Fifth Battle King?" Beliz asked Boras, who was sitting beside her.
Boras shrugged and shook his head.
"Is it too unpleasant to watch, or do they have something in mind? Outside of the Grand Tournament, everyone seems to be ying."
"This is madness. If Brother Jin ends up like this with Brother Kaio, it seems a tragedy is going to happen..."
The 22nd match, the battle between Jin and Kaio was just around the corner.
Jin was still recovering from the wounds suffered in the previous defeat, while Kaio, having participated in more battles, was already in top form.
"...I don''t think the Brother Tenth Battle King has any intention of being gentle with him. He harbored resentment."
The conflict was the fuel, and the match between the two was the spark.
All tribe members predicted Kaio''s overwhelming victory, and since then, the divisions between factions had deepened even further.
Someone had to step back and stop this conflict, but Jin and Kaio seemed far from intending to apologize to each other.
"Ha, it''s impossible for the Brother Tenth Battle King to kill Brother Jin, right?"
"Surely he wouldn''t do such a crazy thing! He''s just angry. What''s wrong, Seventh Sister Battle King? Can''t you trust the Brother Tenth Battle King? There''s no reason for brothers to kill each other."
"Damn it, I don''t know. The way the Brother Tenth Battle King behaved that day was like seeing his madness in its day."
When Kaio went crazy. Beliz and Boras clearly remembered what Kaio was like during that time.
At that time, Kaio was always ready to cross the line.
Everyone worried, and at the same time, anticipated.
Without resolving anything, time came to the day of the battle between Jin and Kaio.
Above the main hall, all tribe members gathered, watching Jin and Kaio with suspense.
Vahn, as always, had a calm face that did not betray her emotions.
"Finally, we meet face to face, Brother Tenth Battle King."
In response to Jin''s words, Kaio nodded.
Kaio only responded with a cold, monotone voice.
"If you feel like you''re going to die, scream for mercy. Otherwise, there might be an incident."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 618
Chapter 618
C618
"Why do you openly dere that you will kill? It seems you could do it."
It wasn''t a bluff; Kaio truly had that kind of look. To the point that Jin trembled even if he deliberately made it sarcastic to anger Jin more.
Jin smiled outwardly, but his mouth was dry.
"I can''t even y the viin. This one''s scary."
Jin came to Lafrarosa to purify the chaos, regained all his strength, and was even more enlightened thanks to the God of Battle Fusion.
Jin never thought he would be so deeply and strongly pressured by Kaio''s "fighting spirit."
Jin knew beforehand that Kaio is one of the highest-level Battle Kings of the tribe.
Even when the opening ceremony was held with the God of Battle Fusion, all the Battle Kings fought with Kaio''s support.Kaio attended to everyone with a single bow, and his arrows were the most elusive and threatening attacks even in the state of Battle God Fusion.
"The 22nd battle begins."
As Vahn''s words ended, a storm of lightning energy gathered around Kaio''s Great Bow, the ''Godyer.''
Energy also umted in Sigmund, but Jin was slightly slower than Kaio.
The difference was enough that it could only be recognized by those who were at least at the level of the Battle Kings.
The moment the sword and arrow collided, ordinary warriors perceived that both had attacked at the same time.
It was heavy.
The feeling waspletely different from Teto, Garmund, Palem, and Dalpir, whom Jin hadpeted with before.
Especially in the previous two battles, although Jin lost, he thought the oue might have been different if he had used the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends to the limit.
This time, Jin was sure from the first strike.
At this moment, there was no way to defeat Kaio in a ''normal battle.''
"If I keep training, there might be a chance."
At the current rate of growth, it won''t take long.
The sense of the God of Battle Fusion was growing in Jin rapidly day by day.
Bang!
A resounding impact shook his body each time he stopped the arrows flying in a series of shots.
As if there was no need to check his opponent''s movements, Kaio pushed Jin to the limit from the start.
Jin could barely keep up.
To the eyes of ordinary warriors, it seemed like a close fight, but the Battle Kings already judged that Kaio had won the match.
No wonder.
Even ordinary warriors, who thought both were fighting on equal terms, believed the oue of the 22nd battle was decided.
"It''s only a matter of time. At this rate, Brother Jin will soon tire."
"I hope the Brother Tenth Battle King doesn''t hurt Brother Jin too much..."
Those who held that Jin, as the sessor, had to undergo another test with other Battle Kings, and those who saw him as a confirmed sessor, shared the same concern.
When Kaio said, "an ident could happen," Jin wasn''t the only one who heard it.
"Didn''t you say you could definitely defeat me? It''s disappointing."
"Why don''t you shoot another arrow while you have time to talk? I''m still holding... Kut!"
The arrow broke, and a bolt of lightning pierced Jin''s left arm.
The shrapnel deeply embedded, almost touching the bone, was not a coincidence but Kaio''s intention.
It wasn''t that Jin broke the arrow, but it was ''Scattered Arrows,'' a Battle King Technique.
Unlike the explosive-type bullets from the mana cannon, all dozens of fragments from Kaio''s scattered arrows moved ording to his will.
In the opening ceremony, Jin did not experience Kaio''s scattered arrows.
At that time, to pierce through Jin''s lightning energy, enhanced by the God of Battle Fusion, it was necessary to concentrate the destructive power at one point to the limit, so he didn''t use this skill.
Also, during the three victories, he did not reveal it to the other brothers, so it was apletely unexpected attack for Jin.
A shrapnel embedded in his left arm came loose, causing severe bleeding.
In the second round, Jin had no choice but to take another hit in the wounded area.
"This is no joke."
To change the situation, a significant technique was needed.
However, Kaio didn''t give Jin even the slightest time. He had fought countless opponents, but it seemed like Kaio was the first one who didn''t even give him a chance to catch his breath.
He couldn''t close the distance.
Kaio leaped like the wind, shooting arrows from all directions.
It seemed like not a single person, but about ten archers were indiscriminately firing.
"Compared to this, Yulian''s Harmi lightning is cute."
Rather, it seemed like an archer with the divine power of the Storm God.
Although Jin barely managed to defend himself, every time a vulnerability appeared, scattered arrows burst out, preventing him from moving away from his current position.
Jin changed his sword.
"Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique"? Ah, now that I think about it, you believe in that, Brother Jin. Yes, that sword is a bit dangerous."
Saying so, Kaio immediately increased his firepower even more.
Jin''s Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique, which even blocked Lingling''s senses, wasn''t unleashed.
It was because the shadow force curtain he was trying to color the main hall with was being shattered by Kaio''s lightning.
It wasn''t entirely ineffective.
The bow''s uracy decreased due to the obstruction of vision, and a considerable amount of shadow energy was wasted in expelling the Shadow Energy.
"Brother Jin, you know very well that stalling for time like this is pointless."
Every time Jin thought Kaio would stop at this point, the firepower of the Godyer increased.
In the end, Jin couldn''t fully use the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique and had to substitute the Shadow Sword Technique for the Magic Sword Technique.
Even that wasn''t perfect.
In a state where his entire body trembled from the impact like a ship caught in a storm, he couldn''t properly execute any technique.
He couldn''t even borrow Tess''s most crucial power.
Even so, the mes disyed tremendous power.
He set fire to the arrow, pushed the lightning energy and scattered it, and even attacked Kaio.
The opponent that crossed Jin''s mind at that moment was Hedo, the Guardian of the White Night Tower.
The fire that unfolded unstably had as much destructive power as the moment it struck Hedo in the Sota Desert.
And, just like Hedo at that time, Kaio showed his strength to easily shake off the blue mes.
If Tess''s power had been added and fully utilized, not even Kaio could have dealt with him so easily.
However, inbat, assumptions were meaningless.
That''s why Kaio didn''t feel very threatened by Jin''s mes.
Suaak-!
A dark sword energy emerged amidst the blue mes. Kaio elegantly dodged the sword energy and began closing the distance with Jin.
It wasn''t because he underestimated Jin to the point of giving up the advantage of mastering the distance.
Rather, it was a deliberate choice to end Jin more decisively.
The closer he got, the more the destructive power of the Godyer multiplied.
The lightning energy enveloping the entire main hall converged towards Kaio as he drew closer.
It was like tightening the grip on him.
Although the area invaded by Kaio''s lightning energy was shrinking, Jin couldn''t extend his energy there.
A more powerful force continued to suppress Jin.
The curtain of Shadow Energy, which had spread out in front of him, had been pierced.
With thest line of defense crumbling, Jin had to endure the Godyer''s lightning energy, which had begun to seep into him.
Maintaining an absurdly advantageous state while eroding the opponent''s territory with lightning energy is one of the characteristics of the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends.
Kaio''s technique resembled that.
Swoosh-! Tak!
While frantically blocking the arrows, the scattered arrows exploded again.
With the third burst, Jin felt his vision darken for a moment.
The eyes.
Two fragments had urately pierced Jin''s two eyes.
Thanks to the runes and Myulta''s protective shield, he wasn''t actually stabbed, but his head rang to the point of feeling dizzy.
"You won''t be able to stop the next one, will you? Will it be okay? Brother Jin? It seems better to shout for mercy."
Ten steps, the distance between Jin and Kaio narrowed to that point.
As Kaio said, the Rune of Myulta waspletely torn on the eye side.
A chill ran down Jin''s spine, and cold sweat broke out.
The moment his eyes were damaged, they could never be restored, not even with Boras''s healing power.
It was impossible to know exactly how the battle between them was unfolding due to the lightning energy and the shadow curtain.
Even if Jin lost both eyes, it would only be an "ident."
Jin''s heart raced.
''If I retreat, I''ll never achieve my goal.''
Great Battle Kings Tournament, a fight to determine the Sessor of the God of Battle.
In that fight, all tribe members risked their lives. Losing his eyes was nothingpared to that.
It was even more so when he thought of it as a price to unite his brothers by bing a viin.
"You''re weak. If it were me, I''d take your eyes out right away without warning, Kaio."
"I also believe that."
Kaio released the bowstring he had drawn.
Then, along with the lightning energy hanging from the bow, all the arrows that were arranged like pirs everywhere rained down on Jin.
Even if they were covered by lightning energy and Shadow Energy, it was a move big enough for all the brothers outside to notice.
The Legends gasped.
"In the end, Brother Tenth Battle King...!"
"For God''s sake, you didn''t need to go that far! You could have incapacitated him for the fight!"
"This isn''t right. Sister Goddess of Battle, we have to intervene!"
"It''s toote... As the Brother Tenth Battle King said, Brother Jin should have dered surrender before it came to this. We could have stepped forward and prevented it."
Aaaah-!
Jin let out a scream with a broken voice.
Finally, the ident happened.
After about ten seconds, the immense forces that had shaken the entire temple were calming down as if it were all a lie.
After everything cleared, what the Legends saw was Jin with arrows stuck all over his body and blood flowing from his entire face, and Kaio looking at him while breathing heavily.
The Legends couldn''t me Kaio.
The Great Battle Kings Tournament was originally such a fight, and he only did what he could.
The constant use of Battle King Techniques was a huge burden for Kaio as well.
He barely held his trembling legs and aimed his Godyer at the fallen Jin.
"Whoa, whoa...."
If Vahn didn''t announce the victory and he released the arrow, Jin would surely die.
Vahn watched him for a while.
"The 22nd match..."
But just as Vahn was about to announce the end of the match.
Suddenly, Jin, who had fallen, stood up and stabbed Bradamante into Kaio''s chest.
With his sword in his mouth.
"What the hell is this!"
"Brother Jin?"
Jin moved incredibly fast like an arrow, but it wasn''t at a speed Kaio couldn''t react to.
But Kaio couldn''t stop the Bradamante that pierced his chest. To avoid being stabbed, he had no choice but to release the bowstring that he had aimed at Jin''s head.
"You bastard...!"
Although Kaio was stabbed in the chest, he didn''t release the bowstring.
On the other hand, Jin turned his head and even rotated the sword in his chest as if he really was going to kill Kaio.
"I told you, Kaio... You''ll never defeat me. Never."
Then, as Bradamante''s energy exploded in his chest, the arrow grazed Jin''s cheek and split the sky.
Kaio coughed up blood and copsed, and Jin trembled for a few seconds, staring at him before losing consciousness.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 619
Chapter 619
C619
The two men, who had an astounding 22nd bout, were unconscious for over a week.
During that time, the Goddess of Battle Vahn halted the progress of the bouts.
Originally, even if an "ident" urred, the Great Battle Kings Tournament always continued immediately, but this time was different.
This was because Jin was the tribe''s only hope to escape the dead world.
His death meant halting the tribe''s history once again.
"Brother Fifth Battle King!"
"What happened, are our brothers alright?"
"Brothers"? Hey, Brother Eighth Battle King! Haven''t you seen what Jin did to Brother Tenth Battle King after the bout...!""Brother Tenth Battle King was the first to treat Brother Jin as an enemy. Not that Brother Jin did a good job either, but Brother Tenth Battle King shouldn''t have gotten that far in the first ce."
"So stabbing the unsuspecting brother in the chest and even bursting sword energy on him? This isn''t an ident, it''s an intentional assassination attempt."
"Brothers, calm down! Listen to what Brother Fifth Battle King has to say!"
Boras had a haggard face from the intensive surgery thatsted over a week.
"...both are alright. They won''t suffer any disabilities and their lives aren''t in danger. But they need extreme rest, so don''t meet with them until I say it''s okay."
The Legends nodded.
Boras, foreseeing any contingencies, had separated the hospital rooms of both individuals.
The Legends took their positions in front of the rooms of the individuals they supported.
Even before the 22nd bout, the Legends were divided and engaged in daily skirmishes.
However, now there was an overwhelming majority of Kaio supporterspared to before, when the faction was split in half.
It had to be this way.
It''s true that Kaio initially acted as if he couldn''t recognize Jin, but he didn''t cross the line.
Jin, on the other hand, clearly crossed those lines.
Furthermore, strictly speaking, Kaio followed the traditions and principles of the Great Battle Kings Tournament.
Until Jin''s provocation, Kaio hadn''t directly attacked Jin.
The Battle Kings in front of Jin''s hospital room were Linpa, Beliz, and Garmund.
Since there were fewer than 10 ordinary warriors, including Shaku, it clearly showed how most of the Legends felt.
However, even among those who were on Jin''s side, there wasn''t an unconditional stance of support towards him.
They also believed that Jin hadmitted a grave sin.
Still, it was only to point out that Jin hadn''t been expelled from the position called "brotherhood".
The rest of the brothers were mostly in favor of Jin being expelled, and not just expelled, but it should be apanied by a strong punishment.
"Damn it, how did we get to this...?" said Garmund, touching his forehead.
He felt the most responsible for this incident.
He believed that if he had fought properly, the situation wouldn''t have escted to this extent.
"Stop ming yourself... Brother Garmund. It''s not... your fault."
"Yes, let''s think about how to resolve this issue. Ha, does our brothers'' unity end here? Like this, we''re no different from the stupid other races we used to hate in the past."
Those who wanted to expel Jin, and those who didn''t.
In reality, they had no choice.
The absolute decision-making power of the tribe rests solely with the Goddess of Battle, Vahn.
Vahn only halted the Great Tournament Kings, but even then, she didn''t express her intention otherwise.
Not only that, but shepletely isted herself with Lingling from the rest of the world.
"The Sister Goddess of Battle should say something at a time like this."
"This is the first time Sister Goddess of Battle has stayed quiet at a time like this. What the hell is she thinking?"
As concern and anger among the Legends grew, Jin and Kaio woke up just two dayster.
Upon waking up, Jin immediately expressed his thoughts to the brothers who rushed to him after receiving permission from Boras.
"Unless the Sister Goddess of Battle disciplines me personally, I will continue to participate in the Great Tournament of Battle Kings as nned. If necessary, I will continue to adhere to the same methods as to defeat Brother Kaio."
It was unexpected for the brothers who had been waiting.
Naturally, they expected Jin to reflect on his excessive actions and apologize to the enraged Legends.
"Brother Jin, are you insane? Are you going to do it again?"
Jin nodded silently in response to Beliz''s furious voice.
"Yes. The Great Battle Kings Tournament isn''t fundamentally a simple sparring match, but a battle, Sister Seventh Battle King. And I will demonstrate my will and my qualifications in this battle."
"Is it alright to do such things just for victory? Do you really believe that trampling on the faith and affection of brothers and winning is really a fairpetition!?"
"I can do even more than that. If you think it''s unfair, the brothers fighting against me can do the same."
"....Unlike Brother Jin, Brother Tenth Battle King suffered such grave injuries that he can no longer continue in the Great Battle Kings Tournament. Brother Jin, you burst your sword energy into his chest! It will take him at least a year to recover. He''s currently at a point where he can''t even eat alone! Can''t you feel anything?"
"I almost lost both my eyes to Brother Tenth Battle King. In the end, my entire head was about to disappear."
"But that didn''t happen. Why? It''s because Brother Tenth Battle King wasn''t able to shoot you in the end."
"That''s right. If they really couldn''t finish me off, I don''t know. Anyway, Brother Kaio lost, and I will win in the next bout. You can''t kill me because we''re brothers? From the start, participating in a battle where idents and deaths are inevitable, adopting such a withdrawn mentality is the problem."
"What...?"
"And do you think the reason Brother Tenth Battle King didn''t shoot the arrow at me was because he really cared about me? It''s probably because if it''s not me, the hope for brothers to get out disappears."
Beliz raised her arm as if to p Jin. Then, she lowered her trembling arm again.
"I hope the brothers treat me as they should. If they truly ept me as a brother, they shouldn''t have denied me being Sigmund''s Sessor just because another possibility has arisen now."
"Not all the brothers did that."
"But many did. Even the Goddess of Battle Sister didn''t contain the atmosphere. And what''s the result? The brothers are already divided, and most of them support Brother Kaio. In a way, it''s not even a division. Now that the opportunity to deny my session, which they didn''t like from the beginning, hase, unity is closer."
In the face of Jin''s malicious words, all the brothers beside him bit their lips.
To the point of wondering if he''s the same Jin they knew.
"...I guess we''ve misunderstood Brother Jin."
"I''ve never really felt included in the words ''our tribe''. Now even you, in the end, will turn around and stay on the other side. After all, the arm will end up bending inward."
As Beliz turned around and left the hospital room, the ordinary warrior followed her. Rinpa and Garmund stayed behind for a while and looked at Jin.
"Brother Jin... why are you... doing this?"
"Brother Jin! You''re not like this. It started because of me, but now you''re definitely wrong! Brother Tenth Battle King might have been a bit rough, but do you really think the reason he couldn''t shoot you was because he wanted to get out?"
"Please leave."
Jin closed his eyes, and the two remained silent for a while.
"...Brother Jin... just remember this. If you continue like this, all the brothers might truly... drift away."
----------------------
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in Kaio''s hospital room was a bit heavier.
Everyone was silently repressing their anger.
If the lightning had exploded in a slightly more dangerous position, Kaio''s Light Heart would have shattered and he would be almost crippled.
"He should be banished."
"You''re right! I don''t even want to call him brother anymore, he''s crossed the line. This is clearly an attempted murder against a brother."
"If we banish him, we can''t leave forever, but we can''t just stand still."
Kaio silently swallowed the porridge that Battle King Baba gave him to eat.
"Sister Goddess of Battle just gave the order!"
Shouted Mouka, who had just entered the hospital room.
"What did she say?"
"She said that the Great Battle Kings Tournament will continue as soon as Brother Jin fully recovers."
Sighs sprouted from all around.
Of course, they wanted punishment for Jin, but it wasn''t easy to ept since it was announced that the Great Battle Kings Tournament would continue.
The fact that the Great Battle Kings Tournament was continuing again meant that Kaio would be excluded.
Kaio was now in a state where he could no longer participate in the Great Battle Kings Tournament.
"...This makes it clear. Sister Goddess of Battle has no intention of directly disciplining Brother Jin."
However, the tribe members didn''t think it was favoritism from Vahn.
Rather, they considered it giving them a "choice".
About what to do with Jin. Or, they thought it was giving Jin another chance.
To see how he behaves in the next match and how he treats his brothers.
"Sister Goddess of Battle must have the same thought. Even if it means we can''t leave, we can''t just get over it."
"Yes. If her intention were never to punish Jin, she would have given orders never to retaliate."
"Brother Jin is not qualified to inherit the God of Battle. Not only did heck strength, but he even tried to kill Tenth Brother using the fact that we couldn''t leave if Brother Jin died."
"When it''s my turn, I''ll take Tenth Brother''s ce...."
When several tribe members revealed their intentions to kill, Baba stopped the porridge.
"By the way, in the end, Brother Jin didn''t kill Tenth Brother. Everyone, let''s calm down a bit."
"Ninth Sister Battle King. Do you mean we need to think more?"
"When Eighth Brother did something stupid, the reason Tenth Brother got so angry was because of Ninth Sister Battle King. Don''t tell me you didn''t know."
Ninth Battle King, Baba.
Until their destruction, most tribe members thought that the person who would seed Vahn would ultimately be Baba.
The Battle Kings, including Kaio, had been fighting to defeat her all their lives. Baba was the final victor in thest Great Battle Kings Tournament before the destruction.
"Haha, I know. I know, but do you really want to kill Brother Jin? It might be a mistake. Besides, even though everyone says it, they don''t have the confidence to banish or kill Brother Jin."
"Baba...."
Finally, Kaio raised his head with a hoarse voice and everyone looked at him.
Kaio opened his eyes and said,
"If... if Jin makes another mistake. Then end... him yourself."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 620
Chapter 620
C620
"Are you really going to keep doing this?"
"Why did Brother Jin get so angry?"
"Did it bother you so much that we said a new test is necessary when you''ve already be the Sessor of the Sister Goddess of Battle? Enough to stab your brothers! Brother Jin might understand this if he really thinks about the situation of other brothers."
"Moreover, not all brothers imed that he should be tested again. Even the Tenth Battle King Brother just wanted a fair Great Battle Kings Tournament. It''s not about taking away what Brother Jin has."
"Say something!"
As Baba said, although the members of the Tribe of Legends were so angry, they still didn''t have the courage to kill or banish Jin.
In Kaio''s hospital room, they talked about it as if they were about to get rid of Jin, but what they most desired was a conversation with him.
The tribe''sw that brothers don''t calcte favors between them still applied to Jin.But Jin was only making things worse.
The Legends were willing to make amends if Jin sincerely apologized, but he just coldly dismissed all the brothers who visited him.
As time passed, the Legends'' disappointment grew.
Seeing Jin bing increasingly cold, selfish, and ruthless, they began to wonder if the person they knew actually existed.
"Everything he has shown us so far has been false. How can a person change so much in an instant? We were willing to give everything."
"Would we have ignored it if he had honestly told us not to test his ability anymore since he has already inherited Sigmund? Not only the Brother Tenth Battle King, but all the brothers would have epted it."
"He seems convinced that we''re causing amotion just to take away what''s his. Was it so unbearable to give equal opportunities to other brothers? If it''s not me, he can''t even go out, and now he dares to verify my qualifications? He has that kind of attitude."
"He can never be a true Legend. In the end, he was just a human being, always greedy!"
Sadness turned into anger, and anger soon turned into a feeling close to hatred.
The depth of the gap that separated them was a problem that no one would have imagined would ur at one point.
77 individuals, adding Jin makes 78, and including Lingling makes 79.
The city, once filled with golden glory, always emitted a lively and bright atmosphere, even with these few numbers, when Jin arrived.
However, now there was a tense and uneasy atmosphere.
"Sigh."
Jin spent time in empty houses on the outskirts of Lafrarosa, far from the Goddess of Battle''s room.
Even during the Grand Tournament, if it wasn''t his match, he didn''t visit the main hall.
"I''ve felt it since thest time, but it''s something I really can''t do."
Jin didn''t feelfortable.
When he provoked Kaio, when he maliciously stabbed him, and even now when he continued to provoke all his brothers.
Of course, his heart was bitter and sore, like filled with acid.
But as the situation grew more serious, he became more certain that he had to go through this process at least once.
"I must not leave the feeling that my Inheritance of Sigmund was a reward obtained too easily."
Hierarchy.
Except for the Goddess of Battle, all tribe members were equal. However, looking back, Jin had always held an exceptional position.
Although he wasn''t a brother, he mastered the Sword of Legends, and after bing a brother, he seeded Sigmund immediately.
That''s why, even when lining up, Jin''s position is next to Vahn''s, and in the openingbat, he fought alongside all the Legends.
All this happened in the few years they spent together.
They never fought a life-or-death battle behind others'' backs, never defended a territory, never conquered, never massacred enemies, never joined a war where fate was at stake.
Jin always came here to receive.
However, as Tantel said, the Legends were also living beings, so they had very ordinary emotions.
Even after the tribe epted Jin as their brother, even after Jin was ranked alongside Vahn, they always considered Jin someone they had to "take care of."
They were trapped in a dead world, and their time with Jin was very short, so they couldn''t treat him with total equality.
In other words, the Legends only saw Jin as a younger brother.
Jin, as a second-rank brother, believed that he shouldn''t be a subject to be taken care of but rather a target of struggle.
Beyond equal treatment, beyond equality, he believed he should be a subject to transcend.
If he had shown transcendent power like Vahn, if there had been a time when he could do so, there would have been no need for conflicts like now.
The same applied even when the tribe was still confined in Lafrarosa.
There would have been no problem as long as he had been treated like a beloved younger brother without conflicts.
But to fight with his brothers from outside and toe to control them as a leader, a real fight was necessary. Not a y that resembled reality.
After this fight, it was crucial to confirm what would remain.
It''s not that Jin wasn''t worried at all. There was no guarantee that the results obtained after the fight would be favorable.
''I have to clear my mind. Until the Great Battle Kings Tournament ends, I just have to focus on training.''
Meditation and retrospection.
After waking up, Jin continued to grow at all times, except in battles.
The wounds he obtained in the battle with Kaio stimted the feeling of the God of Battle Fusion, and Jin''s training progressed to a higher level than before.
The optimal paths for stabbing and shing, the unwaveringposure maintained in any situation, the feeling of avoiding death, andndscapes that seemed to be seen only by those who had transcended, and more...
In other words, the martial arts world that only transcendent beings couldprehend.
In his mind, the image of that world was constantly drawn without rest.
Jin absorbed everything with astonishing speed, of course, thanks to the sensation of Vahn he experienced through fusion.
But that was not all.
''The senses of the Sister Goddess of Battle are those of a person who has been strong since birth. Just like my father.''
Jin''s own mastery added to that sensation.
Jin Runcandel''s unique mastery, which he obtained through the abyss of the bottom and long despair, as well as through death, further enriched the transcendent world.
As a result.
In the 31stbat, which took ce three dayster, Jin directly defeated Nata, the Eleventh Battle King.
Nata was very resentful, and a fierce battle ensued, but in the end, Jin emerged as the victor.
Didn''t he use all his strength when he fought the Tenth Battle King?
''No, he''s getting stronger. In such a short time.''
''Huh, Jin must have known exactly how fast he was growing. That''s why he crossed the line and became so arrogant. He doesn''t think everything is due to the privileges obtained through the God of Battle Fusion.''
In the 38thbat, he lost to Beliz. However, Beliz''s right arm was cut off and he was in danger of death, and as Jin had warned him beforehand, he didn''t stop there.
"This...!"
Even once victory or defeat was decided, he stabbed him in the neck again, just as he did with Kaio.
The tribe members were paying more attention to Jin than before, so fortunately, the sword didn''t cut Beliz''s neck or any unfortunate incident urred where Beliz counterattacked and killed Jin.
The Legends shot lightning bolts and separated the two.
Jin''s limbs twisted in the process, but Beliz came out unscathed.
Now, not even the Legends had reservations about aggressively repressing Jin.
The anger towards Jin intensified even more.
"Crazy bastard... You really want to kill your brothers again."
"The Sister Seventh Battle King defended you until this morning. Now, the Sister Seventh Battle King must have changed her mind."
Again, after Jin''s recovery, he defeated Garmund in the 46thbat, and in the 50th and 54th, he was defeated by Baltirok and Lumora, respectively.
Every time he was defeated, he rushed like a demon to the end, only to be subdued.
But now, no one was surprised by that spectacle.
Jin''s body deteriorated slowly.
Even with Runcandel''s blessed body, he couldn''t keep resisting battles against the other Battle Kings, which he repeated after recovering.
The other Legends also umted wounds, but they fought apletely different battle from Jin''s.
The battles of the other Legends were not filled with the bloodlust and hatred that Jin''s battles were.
Those dark energies were consuming Jin like a parasite.
"I... can''t... fight."
In the 60thbat, Rinpa, facing Jin, said that as soon as the battle began.
She didn''t dare to fight against a defeated Jin. The other Legends respected her decision.
Rinpa was the one who prevented her brothers from challenging the Gods until the end, and it was she who stopped talking with a feeling of guilt for her failure.
''Anyway, the next battle is with the Sister Ninth Battle King.''
''No matter how fast he gets stronger, he can never win against the Sister Ninth Battle King. He has already been defeated by the other Battle Kings....''
In the end, Sister Baba will put an end to him.
''Sister Baba, who has endured Jin''s rampage until now, is now trembling.''
Baba, like Beliz, was also a person who didn''t give up on Jin until the end.
Even now, she was willing to forgive Jin if he reached out to her.
She hoped that Jin wouldn''t delve further into darkness and reach a point of no return.
"Won''t you fight me?"
In response to Jin''s icy voice, Rinpa nodded and turned away.
"Yes..."
"I warn you, Rinpa. If you take one more step, I''ll cut you right where you stand. Don''t avoid the fight."
Rinpa continued to advance, undeterred, and Jin...wielded the Shadow de towards her back.
The cut was shallow because Rinpa reacted, but a long scar remained.
Red blood welled up.
The bloodstain, as if the red lines had been sliced, seemed to symbolize the end of the rtionship between the Tribe of Legends and Jin.
"Sister Fourth Battle King!"
"That crazy bastard...!"
Vahn raised his hand to stop the Legends, who were about to rush forward.
"He hasn''t broken the rules yet. If Brother Jin kills Sister Fourth Battle King, I will personally take care of it. Will you continue, Sister Fourth Battle King?"
"...I resign."
Tension hung in the air.
Jin nced at Rinpa.
As Vahn dered the end of the battle, she turned away indifferently.
And just as Jin was about to leave the hall, Baba suddenly stepped forward to the center of the room and spoke.
"Sister Goddess of Battle."
"Speak, Sister Ninth Battle King."
"Sister Goddess of Battle, you referred to Jin as a brother a moment ago, but we can no longer consider him as such."
"What do you mean?"
Baba nced at Jin''s retreating figure and spoke.
"Therefore, may I kill Jin Runcandel in the next battle?"
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 621
Chapter 621
C621
"You can do it," Vahn responded in an indifferent voice.
Surprisingly, it wasn''t Jin who was shocked by that response, but the Legends.
Deep down, they had hoped that Vahn would intervene and mediate in this terrifying situation that was escting to the extreme.
Since the first sh between Jin and Kaio, or rather, since the first conflict between Garmund and Kaio, the Legends had silently wished for Vahn to step in.
But Vahn had not intervened even once in the affairs of the brothers, not even now, when things hade to this point.
It waspletely iprehensible whether she was disappointed in Jin, disappointed in herself, or if there was another reason.
If Vahn had sided with Jin, the Legends would have followed her without question.
Even if she had punished the brothers who demanded a new validation test for the sessor chosen directly by her, or if she had told them to consider Jin''s words as her own.''Why do you keep just watching... Is it because of the guilt from thest war? Are you trying to avoid making decisions now, thinking that the extinction of our race was due to your decision, Elder Sister Goddess of Battle? Even in such a crisis, when the brothers are so divided!''
Vahn looked into Baba''s eyes for a moment.
Baba felt that her internal thoughts were exposed, so she felt embarrassed and wanted to express her frustration, but she didn''t avoid Vahn''s gaze.
"If you can," Vahn continued.
Baba''s pupils dted at her words.
After a few seconds with a lost look, she clenched her teeth as if her mrs were about to break.
"...Understood."
As Vahn and Lingling flew away, Jin briefly turned to look at Baba and the Legends.
"You are very kind. Kaio and you too."
"What?"
"If you''re going to gouge my eyes out or kill me, do you really need to announce it in advance? If you''re confident, do it without making a fuss. Those actions only make you seem weak."
Baba slowly nodded.
"Advice duly noted."
-------
The fight between Jin and Baba was the 65th.
The revived tradition, which was once a beacon of hope, was now nearing its end, just like the rtionship between Jin and the tribe.
Although there were still some battles after the 65th, the Legends practically considered the fight between them as the final confrontation of the Great Battle Kings Tournament.
Before that battle, the other battles held little importance to the Legends.
Jin''s death was directly rted to the fate of Lafrarosa.
The guilt of being a leader when the people perished.
The Legends, including Baba, spected that the reason Vahn hadn''t intervened until now was due to that guilt.
Most of the Legends had simr thoughts.
"If Sister Baba kills Jin... Our time will probably stop forever. Maybe the next heir of the Shadow de will nevere."
"We were already doomed. No, that''s for sure. Thanks to Solderet, we only survived trapped in a dead world. Jin became our brother and showed us hope, but in the end, he abandoned us for trivial conflicts. He was not our brother from the beginning."
"Yes, from the beginning... we had to oppose when Sister Goddess of Battle asked for our opinion on the blood transfusion. If we had done that, we would have simply passed the Shadow de to him, and we wouldn''t have faced this betrayal..."
Betrayal.
The Legends understood Jin''s actions so far as a betrayal.
It didn''t seem reasonable to reach this extreme just because a few people demanded an additional verification.
"Anyway, it doesn''t seem real. The fact that tonight might be our true end..."
In the midst of the gloom and anger among the Legends, Baba had a determined and resolute look.
Time passed cruelly fast.
The Legends entered the main hall with gloomy and angry faces, unlike what they usually did.
Unlike usual, the sky of the main hall was dark.
The Legends suppressed the thunderous roars they used to let out whenever a match began.
Even Kaio, who had been bedridden since the 22nd battle, climbed to the main hall on Baba''s back.
"Before starting the 65th battle, I want to say something to everyone."
At Vahn''s words, the Legends'' eyes widened.
''Could it be?''
''Is Sister Goddess of Battle trying to mediate now, even at thiste hour...?''
However, Baba''s eyes remained unwavering even then.
She had already made a decision.
And at the next moment, Vahn''s words far exceeded everyone''s expectations.
"If Sister Baba kills Brother Jin in this fight, Lafrarosa''s time will note to aplete stop. Maybe it''s because it was originally Brother Jin''s Chaos. Lingling, this little one can y the same role as Brother Jin."
"I-Is that... Is that really true, Sister Goddess of Battle? Lingling can y the same role as Jin."
[It''s true!]
"That''s right. I''ve been feeling it since I epted Lingling, but it became certain two days ago."
Vahn didn''t give more details about how it was possible or what means were used to confirm it.
Despite that, everyone could clearly understand that Vahn''s words were true.
''Then, even if Jin dies, our time won''t endpletely...!''
''Lingling is the first Chaos, so maybe it''s possible even more. To the extent that Elder Sister Goddess of Battle speaks with such conviction.''
The fate of Lafrarosa, which only depended on Jin, now had a new alternative named Lingling.
A heavy silence hung in the air.
Except for Vahn, the only one who maintainedpleteposure amidst this silence was Baba.
Baba handed Kaio over to Garmund.
Garmund scratched the back of his head and positioned Kaio to make him asfortable as possible.
"I¡¯ll be back."
Baba slowly walked to the center of the main hall.
Behind her were the Eleven Battle Kings and 64 ordinary warriors.
No one stood behind Jin, who approached from the other side.
"The 65th battle begins."
Even though the battle had begun, Jin and Baba did not draw their swords for a while. However, the fighting spirit emanating from them weighed heavily on the entire hall.
''It''s been just over ten days, but not only has he recovered... He¡¯s be even stronger.''
The energy flowing from Jin was unusual.
He was apletely different person from the one who lost to Lumora in the 54th match.
"I can kill you if I can. I wondered why Elder Sister Goddess of Battle told me that."
"Do you understand now?"
"A little. And I was also curious about one more thing. Why are you doing this to such an extent...."
Swoosh...
Baba¡¯s sword, "Light," slowly came out of its sheath.
Light was the sword used by Nana, her ancestor and former God of Battle.
As its name suggested, the de shone with a dazzling brilliance.
"It was a trivial matter. This verification was neither unreasonable nor the wish of everyone. But you turned your back on your brothers just for that."
Jin also slowly drew his sword.
The pale de of Sigmund contrasted with the light.
"We thought you¡¯d be uneasy. We, who always provided unconditional support, must have seemed greedy at the moment when the situation changed in your eyes. It must have been an unexpected situation for you."
"Amusing. As soon as you had the hope of going outside and weren¡¯t even sure of it, you all revealed your true intentions. So I tried to provoke you a little, and in no time, most of you conspired to take this sword from me. And you even suggested banishing me."
"A little? Is that all you have to say?"
"That¡¯s the essence of what you call the concept of brothers. With just a few words, you divided into factions, rejected me, who had been recognized as a brother and inherited the sword after being chosen by the Goddess of Battle, and threatened me by talking about idents. I felt disillusioned by your actions."
"Before stabbing Brother Kaio, no. Even after stabbing him. Did you ever think of having a conversation?"
"I discovered that there are different kinds of brothers, what kind of conversation do we need? Although more effective control was possible, you forgave Kaio, who threatened me saying he could cause an ident, because he was a brother, and yet you couldn¡¯t forgive me for stabbing Kaio because I wasn¡¯t a brother?"
"Brother Kaio didn¡¯t shoot you after all. And the act ofmitting a deed and notmitting it are never the same. You tried to kill your brother...."
"I almost lost my eyes or head, but it¡¯s okay since Kaio didn¡¯t shoot me in the end. So, although I ended up stabbing Kaio, he didn¡¯t die. No one died."
"Besides, Brother Kaio intended to pressure you."
"So could he have had other intentions? Couldn¡¯t you have thought there might be a reason why I even stabbed Kaio?"
"Elder Sister Beliz, Brother Garmund, and Elder Sister Rinpa and ordinary warriors visited your hospital room to ask about that."
"Indeed. They all came to see me and reprimanded me. Did the other tribe members from the opposite side do the same with Kaio?"
Baba couldn¡¯t answer.
"You don¡¯t understand the essence of the problem at all. As soon as an opportunity arises, your true intentions are subtly revealed. Kaio is a brother, and I was just a friendly outsider."
"...You¡¯re being meticulous. Are you trying to justify stabbing your brother because you¡¯re upset? There¡¯s a limit."
"It¡¯s a difference in standards. If you want to prove you¡¯re right, stop talking and draw your sword. Now that Lingling is here, there¡¯s no reason to hesitate in dealing with me."
Baba¡¯s eyes turned cold.
"Lingling... to begin with, the important issue wasn¡¯t whether we could go out or not. I hope you don¡¯t think the reason we¡¯ve been enduring you all this time is because of that."
Cuzzz...!
As soon as Baba, she, began to raise her aura, the entire main hall was instantly enveloped in blue lightning bolts.
"Let me tell you clearly why my brothers think I am the one to inherit the God of Battle."
Ninth Battle King''s Technique of the Legends
Punishment.
Baba charged at Jin like a blue spear, and Jin faced her head-on, wielding Sigmund.
''Finally, the end of this damned viin is in sight.''
As she thought so...
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 622
Chapter 622
C622
Bang!
Upon receiving the blow, blood surged to Jin''s chest.
Jin had fought against all the other Battle Kings except Boras.
Except for the battle with Teto, all the fights had been chaotic.
Often, Jin had attacked his opponents even after the fight was over.
In the second round, against Teto, Nata, and Garmund, he showcased relentless swordsmanship as if facing arch-enemies, despite having won the matches.
He had even brandished his sword against Rinpa, who had expressed the desire to surrender.
As the other Legends said, if only he had tried to maintain a conversation or simply asked to be acknowledged as a sessor, his brothers would have easily granted his wish.But that is not enough.
"So, brother, control yourself and approach the battles with more reflection. Regardless of the oue and the process of the Great Battle Kings Tournament, the brothers will undoubtedly appreciate you as before... But let¡¯s not forget that brothers are also living beings. If even a small resentment persists, it will eventually fester."
Children who receive the favoritism of an absolute ruler will inevitably leave poisonous resentment among their siblings.
Jin learned this truth through the rtionship between Rosa and Joshua.
Of course, the tribe is different from Runcandel, but after all, they are also living beings.
Jin had always thought that the privileges and favoritism he received from the tribe might be a problem someday.
Today, Jin would destroy any potential threats without a trace.
Like the mystical technique of Kaio''s Battle King, Baba''s sword also resembled that of the God of Battle. ''Punishment'' had many simrities with the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends.
It also showed a much stronger impulse than the first form of the true Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends.
Despite Baba''s energy surpassing his, Jin was not being pressured like he was against Kaio.
He was wielding his sword at will.
Looking back, Baba was at the center of the Battle Kings when Jin fought the initial battle through the God of Battle Fusion.
At that time, the rest of the Battle Kings were helping Baba so she could attack properly, and Kaio yed a crucial role in that support.
"The senses of the God of Battle. If you hadn¡¯t learned that, if you hadn¡¯t shared the senses of the Elder Sister Goddess of Battle through fusion, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to sh swords with me in this way."
"Even if I received some benefits, can itpare to being born as a true Legend? You¡¯re talking nonsense."
Those watching thebat were left stunned, not by the conversations Jin and Baba had or by any inner thoughts revealed.
The Legends were amazed that Jin fought against Baba on equal footing.
Baba had foreseen this situation from the moment she saw Jin in the main hall.
Still, her mentality did not change, regardless of the oue.
Sigmund and Light shed fiercely.
The aura and luminous energy corroded in all directions, but as time passed, their battle approached the fundamental form of a "sword fight."
Loud noise and explosive sound.
The colossal sound of their swords shing reverberated through the sky, almost incredibly loud, as if it could drown out any other noise.
As their swords constantly shed, there was an eerie silence, as if no sound could be heard.
Both were increasingly wounded.
Surprisingly, the number of wounds they had was exactly the same.
When Jin struck once, Baba did too. Furthermore, the position of the wounds was perfectly symmetrical.
The intense battle continued.
Finally, the two distanced themselves simultaneously.
Jin expanded his space by executing the Erosion Sword Technique and the Reign of the King of Legends, and Baba, she, amplified her energy ordingly.
Baba''s power was slightly more dominant.
Although Jin''s ultimate technique, executed by changing swords,pensated for that difference.
"What will you do with a sword you don''t fully master, Jin Runcandel?"
Unlike during the time with Kaio, the Shadow Energy was clearly blocking Baba''s senses sessfully.
It wasn''t that Baba had failed to block it.
It didn¡¯t matter.
Before her sensespletely faded, she closed her eyes first.
Even in that state, she countered all of Jin''s attacks just as before.
If anything, she became even more formidable.
To prate the ultimate technique like this...
The ability to disy superior swordsmanship even with senses shut off.
For Jin, who hadn¡¯t experienced the Fusion before, it was a realm of monsters he couldn¡¯t even imagine.
Crack...!
A massive crack spread from the center of the main hall where both fought.
The main hall, which had withstood so many battles without losing its robust appearance, was copsing.
Once the crack started, it absorbed the blows like a vortex. Just like the rtionship between Jin and the Legends.
At this rate, it would soon copse.
Jin decided to end the fight at that moment.
It was clear that Baba was stronger than him.
''I will entrench myself at the moment she falls.''
Suddenly, if the ground they stood on disappeared, no matter how skilled Jin and Baba were, they would inevitably lose bnce for a moment.
"I know what you¡¯re thinking."
"If you know, counter it ordingly. Have you already forgotten my advice?"
The Hall of the Gods of Battle had never copsed in the history of the Great Tournament. Moreover, the rules of the Great Tournament included disqualification for fights outside the arena, meaning both were viting the rules.
It was an exceptional case, but Vahn did not stop the battle.
In fact, the fight between the two could no longer even be considered a fight of the Great Battle Kings Tournament. It resembled more the struggle between Jin and the Tribe of Legends.
If it were within Vahn''s power, she could forcibly contain the shockwaves to prevent the hall from copsing.
However, she chose to let it crumble.
The main hall, known as the battlefield for the encounters of the Great Battle Kings Tournament, was situated in the center of what is now known as the Great Mitra Desert and had be a dead world after losing the war against the Gods.
Vahn allowed the hall to copse, knowing it would destroy the heart of their homnd.
Boom, crack..!
As the main hall split in half, all the Legends tightly closed their eyes.
They couldn''t bear to see how the fight that had started as a small disagreement was destroying the heart of their homnd.
"Everyone, open your eyes and watch closely."
They followed Vahn''s solemn voice.
All the tribe members watched the copse of the hall and the two fighters battling like demons amidst the debris.
Just as nned, Jin hadunched his attack when the hall was about to fall, stepping on the debris to shorten the distance between him and Baba.
The Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique had already been released.
Baba also stood firm and faced him head-on, and both suffered the same injuries again.
Both had cut their left arm.
Their arms mixed with the debris of the falling main hall, disappearing from sight.
Then, bothnded simultaneously.
Thanks to the force of their mutual blows, Jin and Baba inevitably ended up back-to-back.
Next, as if they had made a promise, they turned and stabbed their swords.
Ha...!
The fight was over.
Jin''s sword stopped short of reaching Baba''s chest, and Baba''s sword pierced through the Shadow Energy armor and Jin''s chest.
When Baba twisted her sword once, Jin doubled over, spitting blood.
It wasn''t that Jin didn''t ''stab'' Baba.
It was just that Baba''s sword was faster.
"If you have something to say, say it now."
"Lightning Energy..."
"What?"
"Explode your Lightning Energy... like I did to Kaio."
"Do you think I can''t?"
"Prove it. You said you would kill me, right?"
Blood dripped from Baba''s lips.
Jin tried to lift his right arm, which held the sword.
His body, still pierced by the light, did not respond as he wanted, but his senses slowly returned to him.
Everyone watched as Jin struggled like a wounded beast to lift his arm and stab Baba again, but if given enough time, he could gather enough strength to do so.
"Let me ask you one thing, Jin. Why go this far? What is the reason?"
The conversations they had before crossing swords, the discrimination and anxiety Jin imed to have felt, and the reasons that led him to cross the line... none of it served as sufficient justification for the current situation, both for Baba and the Legends.
"You can''t explode it, can you?"
"I can. I can explode it whenever I want. But first, tell me one thing. Why have you taken this so far?"
Bradamante slowly rose to Baba''s neck.
It rose to within a hand''s breadth of the neck, then fell due to fatigue, rising again, repeating the process and getting closer each time.
Sister Baba, end this!
Not a single member of the tribe, so angry at Jin''s actions until now, screamed this way.
They simply watched the two with trembling red eyes.
"Please, please... tell me the whole story. It''s not all as you said before, is it? Isn''t it?"
"Are you going to keep talking loudly... and shouting?"
Squeaky...!
Finally, the tip of Bradamante reached Baba''s neck. Although it barely grazed, the sharp de easily prated Baba''s neck.
It only entered a little, but now, with just a little more strength from Jin, Baba would meet her death.
Even so, Baba could not explode the energy of the sword that pierced Jin''s chest.
"...Jin."
Through her clouded and darkened pupils, she saw the de at her neck, and then she saw Jin again.
After looking like that, Baba closed her eyes.
Tears mixed with blood slipped from her closed eyelids.
"It''s okay, Brother Jin. Even I can''t understand it, but if this is what my brother wants, I''ll ept it."
Resolution.
She had a resolution before this fight.
That even if it came to the end and Jin did not stop, and even if it meant he would kill her.
She would never let him go.
As his sister, as his dearest family.
"But before you stab me... know one thing. None of us, including myself, abandoned you while you went astray. Even if we got angry, spoke words full of resentment, even if we said you were no longer a brother, in the end, they were just words. It was just what we spat out in anger."
Baba released the grip on her sword, lightly.
Then, after opening her eyes again, she looked at Jin''s wound and grasped Bradamante''s sword with her right hand.
"If you truly hated us, you would have shattered Brother Kaio''s heart when you stabbed him, Brother Jin. You still have the strength to stab me, but you stopped the sword. But even if you move the sword again, I will not avoid it. If this is truly what you want, then pleasee back after I die. We are siblings after all..."
Even then, the Legends watching did not shout. No one told Baba to stop or asked why Baba was dying instead of Jin.
No one said they had Lingling.
They were the ones who would not abandon Jin, even if he killed them all this way.
"Why am I doing this? you asked. Sister Baba."
Sister. Hearing thatmon title before her own name, Baba lowered the hand holding the sword and caressed Jin''s face. Bradamante fell to the ground.
"Yes, tell me, Brother Jin."
"Even if I do this... my siblings always forgive me. That''s why I did it."
They should hate me at least once. We should have a real fight once. Even if we hurt each other so much, I was sure that in the end, we wouldn''t let each other go.
Jin finally confessed why he was ying the viin and copsed into Baba''s arms.
And all the siblings ran towards them.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 623
Chapter 623
C623
The final winner of the Great Battle Kings Tournament was Baltirok, not Jin nor Baba.
Kaio couldn''t participate in the remaining battles due to the injuries he sustained in the 22nd match, and Jin and Baba couldn''t continue either, as they had to recover their buried arms.
And Jin and the Legends became ufortable for a while.
Jin felt guilty for having pushed his brothers so aggressively for any reason, and the Legends were ashamed that, regardless of the sincerity of the cause, they seemed to have "let go" of Jin too quickly.
''Although at that moment we were only speaking out of anger... in reality, everyone seemed to have considered Brother Jin less close than the other brothers. The fact that we even questioned his eligibility for session was something that should never have happened.''
''We should have acted more generously. If we had shown the actions that Ninth Battle King Sister did at the end from the beginning, we wouldn''t be so embarrassed.''
''At that time, I was really mad to the point of insanity, but everyone easily said we should expel Brother Jin.''
''Even if we didn''t say it out loud, we couldn''t resist Brother Jin''s game.''''We''re rotten to the core if any of the brothers actually tried to kill Jin. Even if Jin betrays us, we should have shown that we would never abandon our brothers.''
''Looking back, we could have realized sooner that Brother Jin was only acting. Brother Jin injured Brother Kaio by avoiding the Light Heart, and even when he attacked Fourth Battle King Sister who turned around, he could have cut even deeper.''
''I have no face to see Brother Jin... how foolish we must seem.''
What if Kaio had prioritized Jin''s honor instead of criticizing Garmund before the shocking 22nd match?
What if, after the chaos of the 22nd match, Kaio had screamed while grabbing Jin''s head or punched him, and the rest of the brothers didn''t take it too seriously, thinking, ''It''s enough''?
Even after that, if everyone had acted like Baba from the beginning to the end, instead of fighting among themselves and then joining forces to defeat Jin...
If they had done that, they might now seem more admirable to Jin.
Such suppositions tormented the Legends.
They no longer cared if Jin acted well or badly.
Even if they said they would kill Jin, the final decision of the entire tribe was the same as what Baba showed at the end.
Unlike the countless malicious words they uttered out of spite, it was the only sincerity that didn''t need verbal confirmation from others.
The proposition that brothers should never be abandoned no matter how terrible the situation was always absolute and unbreakable.
If the remaining members of the tribe were thousands or tens of thousands and were being ruled by another god of battle instead of Vahn, things might have been different.
At least a few might have harbored different feelings.
However, the 77 members of the Legends in Lafrarosa were not like that. Their unity had not changed a single moment, and it was not going to change in the future.
"... Is your arm okay?"
Kaio sat next to Jin with a dull thud.
He had been wandering aimlessly around Jin''s room for an hour, and five minutes ago he had asked him the same question.
"Uh... Brother Fifth Battle King did a good job patching it up."
Jin''s response was the same as five minutes ago.
"What about Ninth Battle King Sister''s injuries?"
"It''s notparable to what I did to you, Brother Tenth Battle King . By the way, didn''t you say you could walk a bit already?"
"Yes..."
"Well. I was a bit too aggressive, Brother Tenth King Battle. I''m sorry."
Kaio was the only one who suffered an injury from which it would take more than a year to recover.
Jin and Baba''s arms were immediately treated with Boras'' special bonding technique, so they were healed.
"You didn''t do anything wrong, Brother Jin. It was I who went crazy. I felt like I was losing my mind for a moment during the anticipated return of the Great Battle Kings Tournament."
"My method was too extreme. So it should be me who apologizes."
"No, Brother Jin, your method wasn''t bad."
"Looking back, it doesn''t seem like it was the best choice."
-Brother Jin! What are you doing? Have you forgotten what I told you?
-I did it on purpose.
-What?
-I needed to stimte the brothers''petitive spirit. Seeing that Brother Eighth Battle King lost to me, I think something like that was necessary sooner orter.
The conversation that Jin had with Tantel after his first conflict with Kaio, which led to thistest animosity.
When Tantel heard Jin talk about bing a viin and pushing his brothers, he responded thus.
-I broadly understand the reason. But Brother Jin, one thing is certain. No matter how badly you behave, the oue is fixed. Nobody really hates you no matter what happens. At least now, all 77 brothers remaining in Lafrarosa are like this. Like Brother Jin.
-I also know that. I''m just curious how that can happen.
-If you''re going to do it, be wicked to the end no matter how tense the atmosphere gets. Even if it''s revealed they were jealous and envious of you, in reality, nobody wants to abandon you. They might treat you as if they were your archenemies, but nothing more.
Tantel¡¯s words were urate.
However, the reason Jin acted so maliciously until the end was not solely due to Tantel¡¯s response.
He also had the conviction that his brothers would never abandon him, and that saddened him even more.
Kaio ced his hand on Jin¡¯s shoulder.
Seeing therge, stiff hand that was trembling slightly, Jin felt even more remorse.
¡°That may be true. But the same goes for the other brothers. We¡¯ve shown the worst instead of the best. It may sound foolishing from me, but we can¡¯t always show our best.¡±
Jin didn¡¯t respond, and Kaio readjusted his bandages to make him morefortable.
¡°Well, as you can see, the other brothers are quite simple. They often can¡¯t even think of simple things. So, this time, everyone acted like viins. The Sister Goddess of Battle probably guessed everything from the start, so she remained silent. Although it seemed that way, I didn¡¯t intend to shoot you, Brother Jin. I only tried to threaten you.¡±
¡°Well, given the situation, it¡¯s understandable.¡±
¡°No, even after your Shadow Energy exploded in my chest, I didn¡¯t carefully consider the fact that my Light Heart was still intact. Most of us thought you might call us out as hostages and that we had to leave like that.¡±
¡°That¡¯s also a situation where one might easily think that way.¡±
¡°But it also revealed that we were treating you a bit differently in the process.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think so, Brother Tenth Battle King. It was because I provoked the brothers. And even when I pretended to try to kill Sister Baba, the brothers were still willing to treat me like a brother. In a way, I lost.¡±
¡°Brother Jin.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Ah,
wait a moment. I can¡¯t stand anymore. Please let me sit down. Stop wearing that worried expression; I¡¯ll get better within a year. Anyway, we will keep losing to you in the future. That hasn¡¯t changed.¡±
Kaio sat down in the chair with difficulty and let out a sigh.
¡°However, its meaning has changed a bit with this incident.¡±
¡°How?¡±
¡°We lose to you not because you are Brother Jin, but because you are a brother. Or you can say it¡¯s not that we¡¯ve lost, but that we can¡¯t win. Brother Jin, you are not weaker than us. I¡¯m not just talking about strength, but because among the rest of the brothers, no one can endure the hate and channel their willpower like you, Brother Jin.¡±
¡°Is that so?¡±
¡°Then forgive us.¡±
¡°Forgive you?¡±
¡°Indeed, we didn¡¯t treat you like a brother, but as Brother Jin.¡±
¡°What are you talking about?¡±
[They are in a pitiful state.]
Suddenly, Vahn and Lingling entered the room. Vahn lightly squeezed Lingling¡¯s head, who was sticking his tongue out.
[Ouch!]
¡°That¡¯s why I hit you, Lingling. And I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what you should say. Aren¡¯t you in a position where you couldn¡¯t kill Brother Jin?¡±
[Vahn only hates me! Oh, hehe, hehe.]
Lingling tried to be mean to Vahn, but when she gently stroked his neck, he burst outughing.
¡°Have youe, Sister Goddess of Battle?¡±
¡°No need to be polite, Brother Tenth Battle King.¡±
Vahn¡¯s gaze settled on Jin. It had been 15 days since the Great Battle Kings Tournament ended, but today was the first time Vahn spoke directly.
Outside the door, all the remaining members of the tribe were waiting with their heads bowed.
¡°This time you fought like children.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡°It felt somewhat cute to watch. In the future, there will surely be more fights, so make sure to fight like children. Even if I don¡¯t say it, you¡¯ll probably do so anyway.¡±
Vahn handed Jin the Sigmund he had brought.
Jin looked at the Sword Sigmund in silence for a while.
¡°Brother Jin. Whatever you did, and no matter how much the other brothers coveted it, the owner would not have changed.¡±
¡°...I know.¡±
¡°If that meaning has be even heavier for everyone, that¡¯s enough.¡±
Jin epted Sigmund.
Vahn added no more words to the situation.
Baltirok, the final winner of the Great Tournament, seemed regretful, not because he wanted the sword, but because he couldn¡¯t hand it over personally.
¡°Then, what do you think the brothers should do now?¡±
Upon Vahn¡¯s words, the Legends exchanged looks in silence.
They weren¡¯t sure what response Vahn expected.
Naturally, all the Legends¡¯ gazes turned to Jin.
¡°We should rebuild the broken Main Hall of the Gods of Battle.¡±
At Jin¡¯s response, Vahn nodded.
¡°Brother Thirteenth Battle King knows well. From now on, all the brothers follow Brother Thirteenth Battle King and start rebuilding the main hall.¡±
Vahn thought this as he watched the 77 brothers jumping into the ruins of the hall with enthusiasm.
Perhaps, from the moment Jin arrived, they were already escaping the dead world.
What Vahn saw was not the vision of those trapped in the forgotten dead world, but of living beings.
As she walked slowly behind the brothers, Lafrarosa also became part of the group of 78 people. Along with herpanion, Chaos.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 624
Chapter 624
C624
January 30, 1803.
The reconstruction of the Main Hall of the Gods of Battle had begun, and almost a year had passed.
Two and a half years had also passed since Jin entered Lafrarosa.
The three-year period granted by Rosa wasing to an end.
Jin was slowly preparing to go outside.
After the Grand Tournament, Jin had been training every day and rebuilding the main hall.
After the Grand Tournament, Jin made little progress.
This was because he did not feel particrly stimted unless it was a real life-or-death fight. That''s why Vahn focused on meditation and enlightenment to help Jin grow.There were times when it took him a day or a month to solve the martial arts theme that Vahn threw at him.
Jin could not ovee all the themes.
He also did not reach the level where he could proudly call himself "The strongest Battle King."
But now, except for Vahn and Baba, no one in the tribe believed they could defeat Jin.
"How does it feel to be the Second Strongest Battle King, Brother Thirteenth Battle King?" (Note: If you forgot, the Thirteenth Battle King is Jin)
Said Boras, Fifth Battle King, as he sat next to Jin.
Jin was sitting on the outer wall of the Hall of the Gods of Battle, watching his brothers, who were rebuilding the main hall.
"The Second Strongest Battle King? Well, I''m not there yet, Brother Fifth Battle King."
"Haha! You still don''t know your own strength, which is why you give that answer."
It was true that Jin had entered the transcendent realm of the 10 stars, but as Boras said, Jin was unaware of his exact battle prowess.
He only had the feeling that he had be iparably stronger than before entering Lafrarosa.
"Since the reconstruction of the main hall began, you only fought three times against Sister Ninth Battle King. And you won one of them."
"It was possible because it was a sparring."
"That''s right. If it had been a real battle, you would have fought three times and died three times. But do you know what? Among the Battle Kings, there is no one who can win against Sister Baba even in sparring."
Jin smiled shyly.
"So don''t put on that worried face. You''re leaving tomorrow, but if you make that expression, how disappointed the other brothers will feel."
"I''m not worried about leaving with insufficient training. On the contrary, my techniques and power have grown beyond expectations."
"Then, is it because the reconstruction of the main hall is not finished yet?"
"I feel bad about leaving all the remaining work to you guys, but it''s okay because Lingling is there."
-If Sister Baba kills Brother Jin in this encounter, the time in Lafrarosa will not stoppletely. Maybe it''s because it was originally Brother Jin''s Chaos. Lingling, this child can y the same role as Brother Jin.
What Vahn said before the start of the 65th match was, of course, true.
So far, the time in Lafrarosa flowed only when Jin was present.
And although the others didn''t feel it at all, Vahn had confirmed that the time in Lafrarosa momentarily stopped every time Jin lost consciousness or was in an agonizing state.
However, after Lingling''s appearance, that phenomenon disappeared.
Whenever the energy of Jin, which makes the time in Lafrarosa flow, faded for some reason, Lingling''s energy took its ce.
Vahn was convinced that even if Jin left, Lafrarosa would not stop. Thanks to this, Jin felt less regret for his brothers who would stay here.
"Ah, so that must be why..."
Boras cleared his throat as if he felt sorry.
"Brother Boras, you don''t have to feel sorry. Didn''t you help me as best you could?"
Training is not the only reason Jin came to Lafrarosa.
-So, how much more time do you need?
-I don''t know. The reason I leave the human world is toplete things with the help of my brothers.
-Even if it takes time, will you definitely be able toplete it with the help of the Legends?
-I can''t guarantee that.
-Still not, don''t know, can''t guarantee it. You keep saying things that don''t suit you. It''s not that I gave you autonomy for that.
-It''s no different from suspending judgment on whether it would be better to negotiate with the Prophet instead of me, Acting Matriarch. And in my opinion, you should have resisted the Prophet''s temptation once in the Sword Emperor Castle war.
Thepletion of the space-time device and securing a way to purify the Chaos.
-The Prophet already said she can do everything I want to do now. But the reason I''m giving you a chance is because Cyron believes in you... and because you impressed me a little.
After arriving in Lafrarosa, Jin achieved more than expected.
However, regarding the space-time device and the purification of the Chaos, he did not obtain results that could be said to be ''certain''.
''Regarding the space-time device, Doctor Qwaul and mypanions must have been analyzing it continuously, so it wouldn''tck results at all.''
Jin will have to go out to check it tomorrow, but he dismissed that hispanions have analyzed the space-time machine perfectly.
Valeria''s record magic was added instead of Zipple''s technology, but even the arrogant Qwaul admitted that it was impossible toplete the space-time device in three years.
The means of purifying the Chaos had already been created through Boras.
The Chaos Purifier was created by improving the "Chaos Extraction Aid" that Boras used to extract Lingling from Jin.
However, the reason Boras acted apologetically was due to the limitations of that device.
"I¡¯m worried that your enemies out there might have something better than what I¡¯ve made, Brother Jin. The Prophet and Zipple are truly ruthless and won¡¯t hesitate to use any means."
"Their devices might be superior to yours right now. However, they won¡¯t be able to provide fundamental healing like your purifier, Brother Boras."
The Prophet will amplify and control the chaos to use it as a means of strengthening, and Zipple will conduct research to suspend the demonization of chaos.
First of all, Kinzelo had been using chaos for a long time.
Jin expected the dynamics of each force dealing with "chaos" to be like this.
And what Jin wanted was fundamental purification.
He wanted a way topletely undo the invasion, not just use that disgusting power in any way.
Boras created a device that perfectly aligned with his wishes.
However, the healing period through the purifier was too long, and there was the issue that the Blood of the God of Battle was used as a purification medium.
Perhaps, it was alsopletely ineffective against the "First Chaos" that could be presumed to be handled by the prophet.
"I am proud and grateful for the purifier you made, Brother Boras."
"Hmm... Figure out how to improve it and mass-produce it bybining it with external technology. I will continue researching, but something that can rece the blood of the Elder Sister Goddess of Battle is very far off for now."
"Or, if we canplete the space-time device and bring everyone out, it would be perfect. The Elder Sister Goddess of Battle has the ability to extract Chaos without a purifier."
In Jin''s case, as he was the first chaos, he needed the help of a chaos extractor, and even she wasn¡¯t sure about the side effects after that.
It was another story when it came to a normal Chaos, and not so enormous.
If there was an extraction aid, Vahn could extract the chaos only with her own ability without major side effects.
Boras patted Jin on the shoulder.
"Anyway, if your Family dares to evaluate your growth as insufficient. Then counterattack and win. Now you have the power to do so, Brother Jin."
It¡¯s not just a story about battle prowess.
Jin smiled and nodded.
Upon returning to his n, it was inevitable to start a war with Rosa if she considered Jin''s achievements insufficient.
''After going outside, the possibility of creating achievements that canpletely convince my mother in the remaining six months is not great. My mother will end up joining the Prophet.''
Rosa Runcandel.
The nemesis of his life awaited Jin outside.
Not only her, but also Zipple, Kinzelo, and the Imperial Family, who were umting power.
But despite the concerns, Jin wasn¡¯t afraid because he had his brothers andpanions.
As the enemies grew stronger, so did Jin and his allies.
"By the way, I wonder how yourpanion, Qwaul, will react when we get out. He will surely have the honor of building the greatest flying fleet in history."
Flying fleet.
As seen from the floating of the main hall in the Great Tournament, the Legends already possessed flight technology 5000 years ago.
The Light Heart, the heart of the tribe, became a powerful power source after death and couldn¡¯t bepared to anything in the world.
The tribe made floating objects, like the main hall, with the hearts of their dead brothers and also developed flying warships.
The flying warships were revealed to the world for the first time during the final war against the Gods, and were destroyed after their defeat.
With countless Light Hearts. The name of the fleet was Gold.
The bundle of papers that Jin had just taken out of his bag was the blueprint of the Golden Fleet that Vahn had handed him.
The blueprint still bore the traces of the fierce war waged against the Gods.
"Some parts may be missing, but it seems yourpanion named Qwaul can somehowplete it."
"I will definitely show it to my brothers."
"It was a symbol of destruction and defeat for us, but... If it bes a symbol of victory and glory again through Brother Jin. It could be a smallfort to the dead brothers. We can¡¯t forget them either."
Boras gets up from his seat.
"Okay, let¡¯s stop chatting. Let¡¯s help the brothers with their work. We have to quickly finish today¡¯s quota to celebrate the farewell party."
Even on the eve of Jin¡¯s departure, the reconstruction of the main hall continued until midnight, as always.
Normally, the Legends would have stopped rebuilding for a day or so to have a bit more fun with Jin¡¯s departure.
However, this farewell was different from the usual.
Although Jin was leaving, time wouldn¡¯t stop, and the brothers had to prepare for tomorrow. For Jin and for themselves.
The drinking party continued all night.
Seeing the brothers open their mouths in all directions, saying they would eat their achievements and Lingling''s, Jin left Lafrarosa.
"See you outside, brother."
[Hmph, get out quickly.]
Lingling stuck her tongue out at Jin until the end, but when he hugged Shuri, she burst into tears.
"It¡¯s not even thest time, so why are you crying so sadly, Lingling. See you outside. I hope you speak a bit better by then."
[Again, don¡¯t let yourself get beaten like an idiot! U-Ugh!]
At that, Vahn grabbed Lingling¡¯s head again, and Jin smiled and exchanged nces with his brothers.
"See you outside, brothers. Even if it¡¯s not thest time, I want to say this before I leave. Lafrarosa is also my hometown. I will return."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 625
Chapter 625
C625
Last day of January, 1803.
When Jin left Lafrarosa, he expected the endless expanse of the reddish desert to wee him, as always.
Afterpleting his first trip to Lafrarosa, Jin identally encountered Darkme and remembered the felinoids he met upon entering this time.
"What...... is this?"
However, as soon as he opened the door with the shadow de and entered the human world, thendscape that greeted Jin was not the familiar Great Desert of Mitra.
A sticky wind, like rotten oil, blew relentlessly.
The wind carried an acrid toxicity, and thend and sky beyond were shrouded in an ominous darkness.
Moreover, unsettling and deep roars could be heard from various directions.Is this the Great Desert of Mitra..?
Jin thought it was the ck Sea.
Jin looked at the ground and realized that the destendscape of the Great Desert of Mitra was "contaminated by Chaos."
There were only a few scattered pieces of sand here and there.
Even thest vestiges of nature''s vitality had been forcibly embraced by this now murky and contaminated sand.
"Sigh."
The Great Desert of Mitra was originally thend of the Tribe of Legends.
The Great Desert of Mitra, which thwarted numerous adventurers seeking myths and legends, was thend that once housed the golden city, Lafrarosa, until the tribe faced its destruction.
Therefore, Jin dreamed of the day when the city of his brothers would shine again in this desert.
Just before stepping out through the door, Jin tightened the knot of the enormous backpack he was carrying even more.
The bag contained the Light Heart of the dead Legends from the past, a chaos purifier, Vahn''s blood, and the blueprint of the golden army.
''Even in death, you stir up trouble to the end, Gliek...''
Jin ground his teeth at the thought of the terrible King of the ck Sea.
It was also worrying.
''If the Great Desert of Mitra is in these conditions, what about other ces?''
Contaminated areas.
Two and a half years ago, there were about 50 known contaminated areas in the world.
As the days passed, new contaminated areas were discovered, but the Great Desert of Mitra was not contaminated until Jin went to Lafrarosa.
Just as the contagious Chaos was unleashed after Gliek''s disappearance, the contamination on the ground was also spreading.
At first nce, the contamination of the Great Desert was at a severe level.
Not only was it contaminated by chaos, but it was considered as if Gliek''s fragments had fallen directly on thend.
It was not an entirely unexpected problem.
There was now saying that the contagion of chaos had to be limited to living beings.
However, the fact that weak forces like Runcandel and Zipple "could not prevent it" was another story.
''Or maybe the Great Desert of Mitra has been excluded from the Purification Areas. If a great amount of manpower is still being dedicated to cleaning the contaminated areas around the world, this could well be the case.''
It was just a matter of leaving the desert and investigating other areas.
Anyway, Jin''s first impression of the human world after 3 years was very unpleasant.
"?Keeek!"
Suddenly, something viciously attacked Jin with a threatening sound.
Jin, without even looking at it, raised his lightning energy and killed it.
There was no need to observe because the monsters were swarming from all sides, led by him.
One hundred, two hundred, three hundred, four hundred... More than a thousand.
Jin quickly estimated the approximate number of monsters surrounding him, but soon gave up. Counting more than a thousand was not important at this moment. It was just a matter of killing them all.
Jin drew Sigmund from its sheath.
Battle God''s Techniques: Ninth Sword Movement
Annihtion
In an instant, the dark sky turned blue.
A lightning energy in the shape of a wing, formed behind Jin, scattered a dazzling glow.
The lightning energy seemed to tear the ck sky at any moment.
And as soon as the lightning energy was unleashed, a group of monsters running from the front died. They disappeared like dust consumed by fire.
Instead of screams, the bones and flesh of the monsters turned to ash and dispersed.
The nearby monsters, who reflexively saw the ashes disperse, met their death without more.
The pale de sprayed sword energy in all directions, like the light reflected from a sharp de.
It seemed that Jin was shooting randomly, but the countless des massacred the chaos remnants without making a single mistake.
The monsters seemed tock emotion.
Even when Jin lightly swung the sword, causing dozens of them to die at once, they kept charging without showing any sign of fear.
Jin did not want them to flee in panic.
If time and circumstances allowed, Jin wanted to eliminate all the monsters that profaned his brothers''nd.
Every second, dozens or even hundreds of monsters exploded or were split in half.
The ordinary chaos-infected retained some semnce of their previous appearance as humans.
However, the monsters Jin was massacring were all pure remnants of chaos.
''There are quite a few.''
If it had been Jin before bing the Battle King, he would not have decided to eliminate all the monsters in the desert. His original approach was to break through, escape, urately assess the scale, and then seek more efficient methods.
This was to avoid the possibility of exhaustion and bing vulnerable when facing the endless avnche of monsters.
That was no longer necessary.
Even as he poured out lightning energy and aura like a madman, his body felt asfortable as when he sat quietly meditating.
Monsters of this level could no longer threaten Jin, even if a million of them besieged him, just as ants could do nothing against a dragon.
At this point, it seems the entire world is using the Great Mitra Desert as a dump...
Or has Kinzelo fallen?
"But that''s highly unlikely."
The Great Mitra Desert belongs to the Land of the Beastmen, and the Land of the Beastmen was currently Kinzelo''s territory.
Even if the desert was considered worthlessnd, there was no reason to let it go to waste like this.
"If Kinzelo hasn''t really fallen, someone wille soon anyway."
Arriving at this conclusion, Jin momentarily halted his sword.
It was because among the monsters, a human figure could be seen.
They weren''t minions of any faction Jin would have expected toe after sensing his battle in the desert.
"Living golems"?
Or Demon Men.
They were distorted like the rescued victims during the subjugation of the Dark Magic Society, or they had neither faces nor hair like the Demon Men of the Imperial Family he faced in the Wantaramo Forest.
Intuitively, Jin could sense they were "discarded experiment subjects."
Furthermore, unlike the previous living golems and Demon Men, their bodies were fully contaminated by chaos.
Chaos Purifier could only be effective on infected individuals before full invasion and bodily transformation.
Moreover, these beings had already been subjected to experiments before being contaminated by chaos, so they were beyond the reach of purification even with Boras''s purifying device.
Like other monsters, they lunged at Jin.
Jin, watching them closely as he dodged their attacks, soon realized a shocking fact.
"There seems to be a certain pattern in chaos..."
Like a magic circle or alchemical symbols, the chaos clinging to the bodies of these infected beings disyed aplex yet discernible pattern.
The traces seemed to be part of an experiment.
The major factions were not only cleaning up infected and contaminated areas but also "using" them.
Broadly speaking, experimental subjects could be ssified into two types.
The iplete Legend type created by Kinzelo and the iplete Demon Men, which seemed to be created by coboration between Zipple and the Imperial Family.
The former used lightning energy, while thetter employed aura and mana.
It was no longer surprising that these experiments pursued the ideals of the Tribe of Legends and the magical swordsman.
All Jin could do for them was grant them a quick end.
Some of them might have been forcibly captured, or they might have been betrayed after swearing allegiance to a faction and turned into test subjects.
In any case, Jin wielded his sword to ensure they felt the least possible suffering, even though the basic sense of such feelings seemed absent in them.
Time passed, and the monsters Jin had massacred exceeded tens of thousands. The discarded golems and Demon Men were no longer in sight.
Although the density of monsters charging at him remained the same, Jin showed no signs of fatigue.
The more he wielded his sword, the more his anger grew.
Jin hoped that soon, someone would appear whom he could ask and discuss this dire situation with.
And soon, Jin felt a new energy, not Chaos, beyond the darkndscape of the contaminated desert.
"They''ve finally arrived."
It was still quite far away, perhaps more than a thousand steps.
However, the figure emitting the new energy seemed to sway the unstable chaos winds.
"A demon, and a strong one. Zephyrin or Bianca. Which could it be?"
The energy pushing Chaos carried a dark energy exclusive to Demons.
It resembled the demonic energy Jin had sensed in powerful figures from the demon world, such as Zephyrin and Bianca Kaligo.
Jin unleashed a burst of lightning energy and calmly awaited the neer.
The lightning energy that erupted converged back into Jin''s Light Heart, but the nearby monsters couldn''t even bear it and rusted away into ashes.
"Oh..!"
Finally, the Demon appeared before Jin.
It was neither Zephyrin nor Bianca. It was a male demon Jin had never seen before, and as soon as he saw Jin, he eximed admiringly as if he had seen something interesting.
"I wondered what kind of madman would be ying in my yard without any fear... Are you Jin Runcandel?"
d in an extravagant coat adorned with borate gold embroideries, gemstones, and embellishments all over, he seemed to carry himself with what he believed was graceful elegance.
In other words, he was revealing himself to be an aristocrat of the demon world with his entire body.
However, despite the excessive disy of vanity and extravagance, his mere presence made the monsters in the area falter.
When the monsters resumed their charge, a single gesture from him turned them into a bloody hailstorm.
It was clear he was strong, surpassing the standards of strength Jin had encountered so far.
"ck hair, handsome face, insolent gaze. That''s right, Jin Runcandel! I never thought I would find you here. Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am Ranke Halovice, the first prince of the Halovice Family, the fourth grand duke of the Demon World. The ruler and protector of the northern regions of the Demon World and its inhabitants, the owner of Mount Tna and Mount Karion...."
"Bastard, are you a member of Kinzelo? It''s clever of you to introduce yourself first."
Jin cut off his words and met Ranke''s eyes.
"As I''ve heard, youck manners....."
"Huh?"
Bang! Jin punched Ranke in the jaw before he could finish the sentence.
"Ugh!"
"If not, you would have introduced yourself with a broken jaw."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 626
Chapter 626
C626
The first emotion that came to Ranke Halovice''s mind was confusion.
''My jaw, broken?! And with a single punch...!''
Ranke was proud of having the best physique among the four great dukes of the demon world.
It was the first time a bone had been broken with a single blow in his reign as a powerful demon.
The next emotion that flooded Ranke was anger.
How dare someone interrupt him and even punch him without hesitation!
However, it wasn''t the time to loseposure yet.
Just because the opponent was rude didn''t mean a noble like him should stoop to the same level.Crunch!
Ranke, who had distanced himself, forcibly aligned his misaligned jaw.
The disced bone quickly healed as it returned to its original position.
"Attacking an unprepared opponent has always been the prerogative of the humble. Hmph, I greeted you first with a weing heart, and you respond with such discourtesy... Kek!"
Bang!
The jaw Ranke had just realigned broke again as Jin struck with his elbow.
Ranke once again increased the distance and felt tears welling up.
"Oh,e on!"
Ranke fixed his jaw as he retreated.
"Did you let your guard down again?"
"No, I was just trying to maintain my dignity."
"Then you''ve died twice at my hands for trying to maintain your dignity. If I had struck you properly, your head would have disappeared."
"Then, I have no reason to respect you anymore!"
Ranke''s eyes turned blood red.
A spiked whip materialized in his hand before anyone could notice.
"A spiked whip? What an elegant weapon you use."
Shaaaak!
The whip flew with a roar.
Ranke turned dozens of chaos remnants into ashes with just a slight hand movement and the release of demonic energy.
Of course, the power of the whip, properly imbued with energy, would be beyondparison.
''Now that I think about it, this is the first time I''m facing someone since thest sparring with Elder Sister Baba.''
Was that why?
To Jin, Ranke''s whip seemed harmless.
It was like watching the clumsy swordsmanship of a novice knight.
Jin didn''t have the impression that Ranke was strong.
''You don''t have any ns to avoid it?''
Thud, quack......!
When Jin grabbed the spiked whip with his own hands, Ranke''s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
The sturdy thorns of the spiked wood from the demon world broke lifelessly in Jeremiah''s grip.
''I''ve heard that he was far below Bianca until two and a half years ago...! Did everyone lie to me!? He grabbed it with his bare hands.''
All the information Ranke had about Jin came from the stories of the members of Kinzelo.
Therefore, he knew that Jin''sbat prowess was already around the 10-star level even 2 years and 6 months ago, and he also took into ount that Jin would have achieved considerable growth after entering closed-door training.
But the human now wielding the whip was different from what the members of Kinzelo had described.
"The only reason I haven''t killed you directly is for one thing, demon."
"Ranke. Ranke Halovice!"
"Because I have some questions. Why did the Great Desert of Mitra end up in this state, and why did you call this ce a yground? Exin in detail, and I might show some mercy."
"Show mercy? Ha, I''m speechless."
"I mean, I''ll kill you in a way that isn''t too painful."
"It seems you''ve grown a bit more than I''ve heard, but don''t get ahead of yourself. This Lord Ranke is really strong."
"Oh, really? Compared to Bianca Kaligo, you seem very ridiculous to me."
"I am superior to that lowly Kaligo... Don''tpare me to that lowly wench!"
Swoosh!
Ranke pulled the whip with all his might.
However, Jin was immovable like a giant stone, and Ranke''s posture only became more ridiculous. Additionally, Jin seemed calm, using just one hand.
"Ha, ha, ha. Alright, I admit it. Your strength... surpasses mine!"
Ranke drew a new spiked whip and resumed his attack on Jeremiah. Only then did Jin effortlessly dodge the whip with Sigmund.
"Do you really not understand the situation, or do you have something to believe in? Are you expecting your friends toe rescue you?"
"This Lord Ranke doesn''t need such things."
As he said that, Ranke suddenly felt a chill on his neck.
It was because Jin, who was supposed to be beyond the rain of whips, had disappeared.
"It seems you''re not used to fighting opponents stronger than you. In such situations, it''s not about forcing courage by pushing away fear..." Jin''s voice came from the side, ten steps away.
It was such a distance that it wouldn''t be strange for Ranke to be decapitated in the blink of an eye.
"The best thing is to quickly admit defeat and n survival. For that, you have to prove your worth to the opponent. Present immediate reasons and evidence why they shouldn''t kill you right away, so you can have a chance in the future. Besides, didn''t I personally tell you what I want from you?"
Aaaah-!
The demonic energy shot by Ranke attacked Jin like a dragon''s breath.
Of course, Jin easily dodged the demonic energy and resumed his position.
The demonic energy, which spread through the air, reached far, sweeping away everything in its path.
Thump, thump, thump...! Ranke''s heart pounded in his chest like the beat of a war drum.
Fear, an emotion he hadn''t felt in a long time, now overwhelmed him.
"Tell me why the Great Desert has be like this."
There was no killing intent in Jin''s voice. It was a calm tone, but Ranke could feel cold sweat oozing from every pore.
Ranke''s breathing becamebored.
He was thinking about his father.
"Is this green horn... really up to my father''s strength?"
It seemed as if his father was standing right in front of him.
A terrible feeling, as if an enormous unbreakable wall was closing in from all sides, throwing Ranke into a swamp of panic.
"The Great Desert..."
"Well, it seems you''ve finally decided to be a bit smarter."
"The desert... the desert... you''ll see..."
Jin waited for a while, but Ranke trembled and couldn''t say anything.
''This guy is in a strange state.''
Just as Jin was about to approach to threaten him, Ranke''s whip passed right in front of Jin''s eyes.
Although he reacted promptly, it was a clearly sharper attack than a moment ago.
It was an attack Rankeunched unconsciously.
Now Jin''s eyes were full of bloodlust.
"I don''t know if you''re scared or if unpleasant memories have surfaced in your mind. But you''lle to your senses if I give you a beating."
-----------
At the same time.
The former headquarters of Kinzelo, Land of the Beastmen.
"What? Ranke suddenly left, saying something happened in the desert?"
"Huh? Is there a problem with that?"
Ainas Kaligo and Bouvard Gaston.
As usual, the two shared sweet potato croquettes and received reports from the beastmen.
Among those who remained at the former headquarters, Ranke was the only one notable enough to sense the battle in the Great Desert.
"If it''s Ranke''s summoning technique experiment, it''s possible."
"Oh, that strange experiment where he wanted to summon the souls of the former grand dukes."
"Hmm. What do you think, Bouvard? Should I tell the Grand Duchess or my sister?"
"Wouldn''t Lord Ranke be upset if it were just an experimental ident likest time? Lord Ranke is the type who can''t stand epting help from others."
"What if it wasn''t Ranke''s experiment, but an intruder or something? The Great Desert is also the area where Jin Runcandel wasst believed to have moved..."
"Ah, it''s been over a year since the Great Desert was contaminated. Since then, everyone has been using it as a dumping ground for experiments. Do you think that bastard stayed there because he wanted to train? We also conducted a search."
"Indeed, that makes sense, right? Bouvard is undeniably smart! But well, even if it''s an intruder, it''s probably just people from Tikaning to retrieve waste."
"Although Lord Ranke is a bit foolish, he''s not someone who can be defeated by people from Tikan."
"Well, it wouldn''t even be a problem for my elder sister. But Ranke is also strong. He''s really strong, especially when he loses control. Even before the fall of the demon world, we were well aware of Ranke''s fury. Anyway, when Rankees, let''s ask him to prepare some food. Something delicious!"
"Let''s try new cookies that break Latrie''s snack shop!"
--------------
"Keuk, kek......."
While Ainas and Bouvard chatted, Ranke suffered a devastating defeat against Jin.
Whenever trauma rted to his father was triggered, Ranke would usually enter a rage, bing stronger. In that state, he was invincible against anyone.
However, as of today, the unbeaten streak of "Rampaging Ranke" has been broken.
When he won, he wouldn''t remember the process, but not this time.
Although it was a fierce battle, from the moment he started being seriously pushed back, the rampage stopped, and his consciousness returned.
"Wow."
Jin wiped his forehead and caught his breath.
He was also bleeding from cuts and bruises all over his body.
He wasn''t mortally wounded, but there were several injuries that could be considered serious.
However, if he hadn''t fought while protecting the backpack containing the items from Lafrarosa, he would have ended up with only minor wounds.
"So, demon, you mean."
"Stop... calling me... demon. My name is... Ranke... Halovice. Since I heard your request... You should also... show some... coff, respect..."
Ranke spat blood. He was barely breathing, with all his limbs broken.
"Yes, Ranke Halovice. I acknowledge your tenacity. Anyway, ording to your exnation, the reason the desert ended up like this is that all factions used it as an experimental dumping ground after the contamination. You used it as a yground because you liked being here, is that what you''re saying?"
"Yes..."
"The first reason is eptable, but the second is not enough. You were trying to do something here."
"I just... like being here, that''s all."
Jin thought for a moment about what Ranke was trying to do here.
And Ranke became aware of the backpack Jin had been trying to protect.
Finally, it seemed the only way to survive was to create an opening by aiming at it.
And Jin decided that, whatever Ranke was trying to do here, it was a matter to find outter.
"Well, that''s enough. I''ll handle the rest. Ah, and I''ll tell you in advance. If you''re thinking of doing something to my backpack to get out of this crisis, forget it."
Ranke lowered his head.
He had tried even before things got so rough, but he couldn''t leave even a small scratch on the backpack.
Now it would be even harder, and as long as Jin was aware of it, it was absolutely impossible.
"I''ve lost, kill me..."
"I will. Is there anything you want to say?"
"In this ce, erect a monumentmemorating my glory and nobility..."
While listening to Ranke''sst words.
Suddenly, Jin struck down the fallen Ranke with his sword.
Whenever an important figure from Kinzelo was in danger, he would appear without fail and unexpectedly. It was because Orgal, the Demon Beast King¡¯s steel door, formed over Ranke.
''Ha! It''s been a while since I saw that damned steel door.''
Ching-!
The speed at which the steel door sucked in Ranke was a bit faster.
Jin squinted his eyes, annoyed, and red at the steel door.
Even after saving Ranke, the steel door did not disappear immediately and Jin heard his voice.
[You have returned, Jin Runcandel.]
It was the voice of Orgal, the leader of Kinzelo.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 627
Chapter 627
C627
"Demon Beast King, Orgal..."
Jin gazed at the blurryndscape beyond the steel door.
Instead of Orgal¡¯s figure, a distorted and blurry form of space appeared.
[You disappeared two years and six months ago and suddenly reappeared in the Great Desert. It seems your god has hidden the remaining Legends somewhere here. As soon as you returned, you pushed my loyal subordinate to the brink of death...]
¡°If you don¡¯t like it, leave through the door immediately. Thanks to him, my body has warmed up a bit.¡±
[You¡¯ve be too strong to kill now. There¡¯s no reason for it either.]
Of course, Kinzelo had no reason to kill Jin.
There was no better hand than Jin to keep Runcandel and Zipple in check.From Orgal¡¯s response, Jin could infer that the bnce and tension between the major factions were still being maintained.
¡°Surely, the day wille when you all will be annihted while trying to keep the other factions in check through me.¡±
[Considering the actions you¡¯ve shown so far, it¡¯s a possibility. But don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll prepare on our end as well.]
¡°Doesn¡¯t that sound more like a warning than a concern?¡±
[If that¡¯s how you want to interpret it, it must be quite a threat.]
¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s out of confidence or because you had no choice but to save that demon. But this time, you¡¯ve made another mistake. You¡¯ve revealed that you haven¡¯t fully recovered your strength yet. Let¡¯s hope Ranke¡¯s life was worth enough to pay for it.¡±
There was a moment of silence.
Soon, as if it didn¡¯t make sense to keep talking, Jin turned around first.
Orgal watched Jin¡¯s back and added these words.
[You¡¯ll have to climb many mountains before you meet me. I also hope you don¡¯t die during the journey.]
When Jin disappeared beyond the winds of chaos, the leader immediately opened a new steel door to Kinzelo''s former headquarters. The same ce where Ainas and Bouvard were chatting while attacking Ranke.
¡°It¡¯s the leader!¡±
¡°Oh, leader!? Why are you here suddenly?¡±
[Ranke was struck by Jin.]
¡°What? Ranke? Jin Runcandel was there?¡±
¡°Lord Ranke was injured? By him!?¡±
¡°Ranke isn¡¯t dead, right?¡±
[Fortunately, he survived. Quickly gather the rest of the important documents from the headquarters. And how many of those Legends-type golems are there?]
¡°Five. No, was it four?¡±
[Whatever it is, only you and they pass through the steel door. Issue evacuation orders to the rest of the members to their designated branches. From now on, the entire former headquarters is closed.]
¡°I don¡¯t know how he defeated Ranke. He¡¯d be exhausted if he fought against Ranke, so I¡¯d rather deal with him now.¡±
[Jin wasn¡¯t even tired, and that¡¯s too heavy a blow. Prepare quickly.]
Ainas and Bouvard hurried to gather the documents. Four Legends-type golems also crossed the steel door.
And as they left, Jin exited the Great Desert of Mitra and began to destroy all the contaminated areas in the beastmen''snd randomly for twelve hours.
In the process, all the contaminated areas outside the Great Desert of Mitra were reduced to ashes, and Kinzelo¡¯s former headquarters, hidden underground, waspletely pulverized.
------------------
Vamel Alliance, Tikan Free City.
Kashimir and Jin¡¯s allies were receiving reports from the seven-colored peacock.
The reports about the massive destruction that had taken ce in the contaminated area in the beastmen¡¯snd and Kinzelo¡¯s former headquarters.
In the beastmen¡¯snd, where Kinzelo¡¯s former headquarters was located, there had frequently beenrge and small battles between each of the factions.
Until about a year ago, all the factions agreed to use it as a waste dump.
However, those who knew the details of those battles actually evaluated Kinzelo as the final winner of the struggle.
The Great Desert was used as amon waste dump, but it was managed solely by Kinzelo''s Demon, Ranke.
Zipple and Runcandel failed to ce personnel in the Great Desert.
Therefore, since the Great Desert was put under Ranke¡¯s management, Tikan had made constant efforts to determine what Kinzelo was doing there.
Of course, it was for Jin.
They judged that there could be a major problem when Jin returned and faced Ranke or some other strong person from Kinzelo right after leaving Lafrarosa.
Moreover, the reason why each force had so many unofficial battles in the Great Desert, even viting the ceasefire agreement, was also a problem.
If the main factions somehow discovered that Jin was in Laprarosa, they would n to wait for his return and eliminate him.
Tikan also had to be determined and prepared.
Of course, the reason why Runcandel was obsessed with the Great Desert might be different from that of Zipple and Kinzelo.
First of all, as soon as Jin went into closed-door training, the Runcandel side spread the relevant articles first.
The next patriarch of Runcandel has gone into closed-door training.
Therefore, unlike the other two forces, Runcandel''s reason for securing the Great Desert must be the safety of Jin.
Recently, the atmosphere in Runcandel, ording to Tikan''s perception, had been unsettling.
To the point that Tikan judged that even Runcandel might be trying to secure the Great Desert to eliminate Jin.
The informants of the Seven-Colored Peacocks only found out that there was a problem in thend of the Beastmen, but they didn''t know exactly what kind of struggle was taking ce.
"Since arge amount of Lightning Bolt energy was observed... Maybe it¡¯s Jin-nim? Kashimir-nim." said Valkas.
"If that is the case, even better. The attacks were strong enough to devastate the entirend of the Beastmen. It¡¯s more likely a battle between groups than between individuals," Kashimir responded, sounding frustrated, which made Valkas and Gilly sigh.
Even if Jin reached the ten-star level within three years, it was hard to imagine he could destroy the entire Beastmen area by himself.
Moreover, Ranke was there.
The demon who fought numerous battles against Runcandel and Zipple in the Great Desert and always showed overwhelming strength.
Tikan had confirmed that Ranke also won against the ck Knights and the Spectre Corps.
"Furthermore, thend of the Beastmen and Kinzelo¡¯s old headquarters were destroyed... This battle will be Kinzelo''s defeat. Authority over the Great Desert will pass to the victor."
Runcandel, Zipple.
No matter which of the two had the Great Desert, it was a bigger problem than Kinzelo.
Unlike Kinzelo, there would be no room for negotiation with other factions.
"Wow, if they confirmed the existence of Lafrarosa... We need to find out what they are doing."
"The worst of all, if Jin-nim is attacked as soon as Lafrarosa exists. Since we can''t be sure just by discussing it here, we have no choice but to go check it ourselves."
A heavy silence descended over the meeting room. Currently, Tikan was suffering from a severe manpower shortage.
Thanks to Qwaul''s skill, they had built a perfect fortification, but Murakan was still acting as Solderet''s proxy, and Misha was also sealing Elona.
Above all, the Phantom Fortress had a problem.
Currently, all of Tikan''s strongest members, except Valkas, were waiting near the Phantom Fortress, the base of the Phantom Mercenaries.
They couldn¡¯t even ask for help from the Hidden Pce and Nameless.
The internal injuries of Tris, which she suffered during the Sword Emperor Castle war, had not healed at all, simr to Ron''s state, and even Yona, who often visited Tikan after Jin''s departure, had suddenly stopped contacting them.
And Tikan could not rule out the possibility that Yona sumbed to the Chaos.
"Valkas-nim, it¡¯s too dangerous for you alone. I will go to my n and to Hairan to ask for help."
"No, Gilly. Runcandel is too dangerous. It would be better to go to Hairan."
"Your Majesty!"
Someone shouted urgently and entered the meeting room.
It was Jet.
And everyone¡¯s hearts leapt when they saw Jet¡¯s excited expression and Jin standing behind him.
"Jin-nim!"
"My lord¡!"
"Young Master¡!"
"Ha ha, our lord has finally returned!"
Gilly was the first to run and hug Jin.
Jinforted her for a while and smiled.
"I¡¯m back, Gilly."
"Young Master, I¡¯m relieved to see you back safe...! But these wounds¡"
The traces of battle were evident all over Jin''s body.
"Ah, as soon as I left Lafrarosa, a guy named Ranke attacked me. I couldn''t kill him because Orgal saved him."
At that moment, everyone present in the room couldn''t help but be astonished to the point where their concerns from moments ago seemed trivial.
"R-Ranke Halovice? Then, the Beastmen area... Did you really destroy it alone, Young Master!?"
While Gilly was examining Jin''s body, she realized that all the ck marks of Chaos had disappeared.
Moreover, he had be noticeably stronger than before.
"I guess we worried for nothing, Kashimir."
"I guess so... What kind of training did you undergo for three years, Jin-nim? Anyway, I¡¯m d you¡¯re back safe!"
"There¡¯s much to discuss and much to hear. But first, it seems I must go to the Phantom Fortress."
On the way to the meeting room, Jin heard about the Phantom Fortress from Jet.
Smarion Proch.
The father of Lata and Fey, and the former leader of the Phantom Mercenaries, considered the strongest in the history of the Phantom Mercenary Corps.
The reason why Tikan''s strongest members were currently waiting near the Phantom Fortress was because his seal was about to break.
"Let¡¯s discuss on the way. Kashimir can¡¯t leave his post, so for now, only Gilly, Valkas-nim, and I will go."
"What is this, Jin Runcandel? Did you just return?"
Qwaul also entered the meeting room.
He came to report to Kashimir about the investigation situation without knowing that Jin had returned.
He looked even more disheveled than before, as if his previous investigation had been especially exhausting.
"I think you haven¡¯t been smoking five cigarettes at once even in the presence of children, Dr. Qwaul."
"Hmph, no matter how hard it is, I don¡¯t do things like that. It looks like you have things from the Tribe of Legends."
"Please analyze them while I go to the Phantom Fortress. Dr. Qwaul, I also brought some ns that would drive you crazy. I¡¯ll listen to the details of your investigation when I return."
"Oh, I see. That¡¯s great, there¡¯s a dirigible I finished a month ago, so go ride it. The performance is quite amazing. It will serve as an answer to your research questions."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 628
Chapter 628
C628
"The fact that you''ve already built the aircraft surpasses my expectations."
"You''ll take the first flight, except for the few test flights I did with Valeria. Feel proud; I''ve created something no one else can even imagine! I''lle after inspecting the aircraft, so please wait while we talk about past stories."
"Alright."
Originally, the fastest way to get to the Phantom Fortress was to use the transfer portal.
The Phantom Fortress was located in the Vermont Empire, and the Vermont Empire had the most transfer gates in the world.
Moreover, since the current ruler of Vermont was Regent Dante, there were no procedural problems.
However, in the three years since Jin left, many things had changed in the world.
"By the way, wouldn''t it be faster to use the transfer gate?"At Jin''s words, Valkas shook his head.
Firstly, all the transfer portals in the world had been deactivated.
"It''s due to the Chaos that has spread worldwide, Jin-nim. Originally, the transfer gates became extremely dangerous only during heavy snowfalls and rains, but now the omnipresent Chaos Particles y that role."
"Moreover, all factions entered a cold war called a ceasefire and closed all connection points. Anyway, they can''t use them because of the Chaos Particles."
Additionally, battleships, which were considered exclusive to Zipple until Grenille appeared, are now quitemon.
Not to mention Zipple and Kinzelo, even the imperial family (which joined Zipple along with the eastern part of the Empire, as Jin predicted) received their blueprints and operated several battleships.
"If Dr. Qwaul hadn''tpleted the flying ship, we would have had to usend and sea routes to get to the Phantom Fortress."
"He haspleted more than ten flying ships so far, my lord. He just smashed them all, saying these kinds of things are trash. If it weren''t for the Merchant of the Golden Snow Tribe, Tikan would have already gone bankrupt."
"Anyway, geniuses are known for being entric, aren''t they?"
Additionally, there has been rapid development of Zipple''s living golem, the imperial family''s Demon Men, and Kinzelo''s Legend-type Golems.
The subjects Jin saw in the Great Desert were in chaos, and there were certain codes.
At that time, as Jin predicted, each force was strengthening the test subjects through their own "chaos control."
Kinzelo had the highest Chaos Control, followed by Zipple and the Imperial Family.
However, each faction did not know exactly the technological prowess of the other.
Valkas and Gilly took turns exining these things.
"By the way, the things that worried me when I saw the Zipple fleet in the Sota Desert happened exactly as I thought. I think it''s fortunate that the enemies haven''t added a few Kozec or Grenille-ss battleships yet."
Unlike other factions, Runcandel only captured a few battleships.
Although the Seven-Colored Peacock confirmed that Runcandel had kidnapped the shipbuilders, they could not secure the key personnel.
Even if they secured the key personnel and all the blueprints, finding an engineer to produce them would be another matter.
Runcandel also made no progress in chaos control.
Of course, it wasmendable to train only pure knights amidst horrible living golems and modified humans, but it was undeniable that Runcandel was falling behind.
"But there must be some things the Prophet has arranged. If my family is already under the Prophet''s control, they must be hiding it..."
The blueprints and parts of the space-time device obtained in the Sota Desert were still in Tikan''s possession, as three years ago.
And while Jin was away, Runcandel never targeted Tikan.
If the technological gap was really severe, Mother would have interrogated mypanions even if she had to break her promise to me.
Jin said he wouldplete both the blueprints and the machine through the brothers of the tribe, but it was not difficult for Rosa to realize while Qwaul''s research materials were continuously supplied to Tikan.
"But the reason my mother never pressured Tikan is because she judged it''s fine. Or... it''s the Prophet, not my mother."
After the rapid development of each faction''s technology, Runcandel''s external status had fallen to third ce after Zipple and Kinzelo.
People''s perception was definitely like that.
Some evenmented that Runcandel was a n with only a limited time left until it perished.
"If that assessment is true, it seems Zipple would have pressured Runcandel more regardless of a ceasefire."
"Yes, young master. The main factions still avoid serious conflicts with our n."
"Because they are aware of my father''s and the Prophet''s existence."
There was still no news from Cyron''s expedition.
At least, that Tikan knew.
"Didn''t you say it was half a year ago when the Garden of Swords started controlling news about me?"
"Yes, young master. Until then, articles about your achievements and progress in closed-door training were periodically published. It was like printing your status as the next patriarch to both the family members and the public. Now, even the non-family bulletins do not publish an article about you, young master."
It was the reason why Jin''spanions were worried about the possibility of Runcandel threatening Jin just before he arrived at Tikan.
It wasn''t just media control. For the past six months, Runcandel hadpletely hidden all activities of the n''s top brass, sealing off the entire city of "Kalon," where the Garden of Swords was located.
At that time, rumors were circting that the fallen Joshua Runcandel had been reinstated, or that Rosa had usurped the throne while Cyron was absent.
"As far as we know, Sir, there have been a total of seven explosions and earthquakes detected near Kalon since you left. We couldn''t confirm if it was a civil war or caused by something else."
"There''s a high possibility it was caused by Mother''s rampage. If Tikan detected seven, there must have been many more."
It was difficult to guess the current state of the Garden of Swords just by hearing the story.
If Rosa went berserk and the Family''smand was in danger, or if a civil war broke out, other factions wouldn''t have remained idle.
If the technological gap were severe, they would have attacked Tikan, and if Joshua had been reinstated, he should have already revealed himself at the forefront.
None of those scenarios were happening. This worried Jin even more.
The worst possible scenario is this:
The Prophet has already taken control of the Family, and their power is enough to make other factions fear them.
Runcandel has protected and left Tikan alone so far only to confirm and incorporate the "new information" that Jin would bring.
"...I''m sorry. We should have gathered more information before you came, Sir."
"The world has changed much faster than I thought. I am more than grateful that all of you endured without deaths or serious injuries. Don''t speak like that, Sir Valkas. You all did better than expected."
Indeed, Jin felt it was a miracle that all hispanions remained unscathed amid the world''s upheavals.
"Anyway, it''s better to reserve all judgments about my n until I visit them myself. Depending on the situation, I will either have to make more progress during the remaining six months promised by my mother or return immediately. Taking care of urgent matters like Smarion Proch is important for now."
As the conversation continued, Qwaul reported that the inspection of the flying ship had concluded.
Following him to the shipbuilding area prepared on the middleyer of Tikan, Jin couldn''t help but marvel.
''The scale isn''tparable to the shipbuilding area in the Sota Desert, but anyone can recognize at a nce that Dr. Qwaul''s shipbuilding surpasses Zipple''s technological prowess at the time.''
Tens of thousands of gears, machines functioning so borately they seemed beautiful.
In the center, in a spacious area prepared like an altar, the first masterpiece that Qwaul hadn''t destroyed disyed its elegant figure.
It wasn''t arge ship known in the world like Kozec, Grenille, and other mass-produced warships.
"It''s small."
"Yes. It can embark five people, and the mounted firearm is just a main cannon, which is an improved version of the mass-produced dragonnce of the imperial family."
Because of this, Qwaul said the firepower of the flying ship was poor, but the dragonnce was the strongest weapon of war in the Empire until before the War of the Sword Emperor Castle.
Reducing the mass-produced version of the dragonnce without deteriorating its performance and installing it in a small ship was something only Qwaul could do in the world.
In the first ce, only Qwaul is capable of producing a "small warship."
"However, the performance of the built-in protection artifact isparable to Enya''s dragon fire shield. It''s an artifact created by Valeria and me, akin to a definitive example of magic and magical engineering at this moment."
Qwaul''s eyes turned red while exining.
How many walls of magic and magical engineering had they broken before making this... At the moment ofpletion, even Valeria seemed to be crying.
"You''ve worked hard, Dr. Qwaul. Here''s a handkerchief...."
"Eh, damn it. I just got a speck of sawdust in my eye. Anyway, the official name of this warship is synchronous wavelength-tracking spatial jump ship. If I define it easily in one word."
"....You''re saying it''s a ship capable of instant teleportation?"
"Yes. Moreover, this ship surpasses all the deficiencies of the transfer gates, which have now be a symbol of the ancient era. But, it requires immense power, which is a challenge we will have to address."
Despite Qwaul''s credibility, it was hard to believe until experienced firsthand.
It was that shocking.
"The name Valeria and I gave this ship is Red Owl."
It seemed that Valeria hade up with the name on her own.
"It''s not going to happen, but the manual is inside, so take a look in case of an emergency. Now, try it!"
Jin, Gilly, and Valkas boarded the Red Owl''s cabin with puzzled faces.
"Don''t we need to operate it separately?".
"The arrival and return coordinates were set to the Ghost Castle and Tikan. When theunch bay opens, just press the button in the center of the cabin. In the blink of an eye, you''ll be in front of the Ghost Castle. Also, the camouge is still under development, so when you get there, pay attention to exposure first."
"Camouge?"
"I don''t know when it will be developed. Anyway, keep in mind that the day the Red Owl gets damaged, Valeria and I will kill you no matter what."
Creak..!
When Qwaul opened theunch bay, Jin could see the endless sky and sea.
Then, when Jin carefully pressed the button in the center of the cabin, the Red Owl enveloped itself in mana and vibrated for a moment, and the Red Owl started running with explosive eleration.
Just like the ship of the Pirate King Cosmos when he was a Provisional gbearer, or faster than that.
Jin and hispanions were stunned by that absurd eleration and, in an instant, felt their heads go nk and their vision darken.
When they opened their eyes a few secondster...
Jin and hispanions blinked as they beheld the destendscape of the Ghost Castle on the other side of the cabin window.
"...Is this really happening? Is it real?"
Even after seeing it with their own eyes and experiencing it firsthand, it was still hard to believe it was real.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 629
Chapter 629
C629
The Red Owl, a synchronous space jump ship tracking wavelength, was not affected by Chaos Particles, unlike the Transfer Gate.
ording to the manual, the space-time device built into the Red Owl operates differently from conventional transfer gates, as it uses the invisible "wavelength" existing in the world instead of mana for instant teleportation.
"I''ve seen previous failed works break apart during space jumps... It''s hard to describe the abilities of Qwaul-nim and Miss Valeria, young master."
Jin had already seen Zipple using the space-time device on the Gaifa Inds, butparing the Red Owl to Zipple''s technology at that time was itself an insult.
"It feels like entering apletely new world after 2 years and 6 months."
Brrrrrrr...
Chilling screams echoed in the gloomy forest surrounding the Sword Emperor Castle.
The coordinates set for the Red Owl were the camp of the Ghostpanions and mercenaries.Jin could once again realize the gravity of the situation just by seeing them camp and surrender before the Sword Emperor Castle, the headquarters of the Ghost Mercenaries.
As the Red Owl slowly descended, all eyes in the camp were fixed on it.
Everyone was witnessing the operation of the Red Owl for the first time.
But what surprised them the most was the presence of Jin among the passengers of the Red Owl.
"Jin-nim...!"
"Jin, you¡¯re back!"
The Ghost mercenaries greeted him, and thepanions shouted his name and rushed over.
Quikantel, Alisa, Kuzan, Veris, Yulian, Enya, Lata, Fey, Am.
And about 30% of the ck Kings mercenaries and more than 80% of the Ghost mercenaries.
Tikan was literally focused on Smarion, leaving only the minimum force for defense.
All of them had haggard faces due to the operation that had been going on for over three months.
''A terrifyingly thick chaos covers the entire forest of the Sword Emperor Castle... A nonbatant would have gone mad just being around here.''
The nerves throughout Jin''s body were on edge even though he didn''t want to be aware of it.
Others also vaguely felt that the chaos of Smarion invading the Sword Emperor Castle was immense, but it was nowhere near the level Jin recognized.
This is because they don''t have the same senses as Jin.
Such immense power could only be properly recognized by those who were at least at the level of the Battle King.
For a while, they exchanged words about each other''s well-being. But given the gravity of the situation, the conversation quickly changed.
"I apologize for overwhelming you so soon after your return, sir," Lata spoke in a heavy tone.
"The reason I showed you this ce first is because this is currently the biggest and only problem of the Sword Emperor Castle. It¡¯s embarrassing to admit, but this seal could be said to threaten the existence of the Ghost mercenary."
From the moment Lata decided to serve Jin as his sir, he felt sorry for sharing the risk of ''Smarion Proch.''
"Sir Lata, please don''t say such things. From the moment you became ourrade, this became a problem for all of us. In any case, I should apologize for abandoning my post until the situation reached this point."
As Lata lowered his head, Am approached Jin''s side.
"Our little cutie suffered a lot trying to manage things before you arrived, sir. We all did what we could, but with our own strength, we couldn''t do anything..."
Fortunately, the chaos of Am, Lata, and Fey did not resonate with the energy of the Sword Emperor Castle.
Jin took out the chaos purifier he had brought with him.
"It is a chaos purifier made by the brothers of the Tribe of Legends. I brought it just in case, but I don''t think Sir Lata and Fey''s father can be cured with it."
The chaos purifier was only effective against the infected before full invasion and bodily transformation urred.
Smarion had already deviated from that standard by the time he was sealed, and even if not, the size of the chaos itself was toorge.
Therefore, purification was impossible, and the only way to resolve the situation was by killing him.
"...Jin. If you¡¯re worried about the idea of having to kill our father, don''t be. We were here waiting precisely to deal with the monster that was our father."
Lata and Fey didn''t have very good memories of Smarion.
It was because they had endured nothing but abuse and training from a young age.
Rather, the emotions evoked when thinking of their father were closer to hatred.
However, they were notpletely devoid of ordinary family memories.
When Cyron was concerned about Smarion''s chaos and often visited the Sword Emperor Castle, Smarion would be a benevolent father and give sweets to the two while they sat on hisp.
Although these moments were few and far between, they were undoubtedly precious childhood moments for the Proch siblings. Even if they didn¡¯t want to admit it, given their resentment towards Smarion.
"Rather, we think that getting rid of that monster as soon as possible is the duty of the Ghost Mercenary. It¡¯s the right thing to do for ourrades. Of course, even considering such things is a shameless request to burden you, sir... but please, I ask."
Jin nodded heavily.
Then, Quikantel informed Jin of the current situation. ording to her, there had already been three chaos explosions at the Sword Emperor Castle.
The first explosion caused about 30 casualties, and from the second onwards, no damage urred thanks to the pre-expansion of the perimeter.
"...The explosions are bing more frequent and stronger. If this continues, there''s a high chance that the damage will spread beyond the forest to the neighboring territories of Vermont."
Since the Sword Emperor Castle was within Vermont''s territory, Dante was already supporting the Vamel Alliance.
The knights of Hairan and Perralpletely cordoned off the area.
This was to prevent other major factions from exploiting the vulnerability of the Vamel Alliance.
Meanwhile, Jin''spanions could only wait without being able to do anything.
They couldn''t intervene first because the expected casualties would be too high, and they couldn''t use their trump cards because they might be "annihted."
This was because Tris, Misha, Murakan, and Jin, their powerful allies, were not there.
"We prevented Dante Hairan from entering to subdue it alone."
If the sealpletely broke and they judged that the Vamel Alliance alone couldn''t handle it, then Dante would have no choice but to intervene.
Dante was the hope of the Empire and the ruler supported by all the people. In a situation where everything was uncertain, it was right to exclude him as much as possible from participating in the subjugation.
Moreover, Dante was already busy patrolling contaminated areas within the empire and containing major factions on his own. He didn''t have spare capacity.
In such a situation, if Dante decided to enter the Ghost Castle for Jin and hispanions, it would inevitably lead to more deaths elsewhere.
"You''ve done well," said Jin, looking towards the main gate of the Ghost Castle.
''Smarion Proch... Are you aware of my arrival?''
The pervasive energy of Chaos in the Ghost Castle area was growing deeper.
It had begun right after Jin''s arrival and, once again, only he was aware of it.
As if waiting for an opponent, the chaos energy spread by Smarion was slowly focusing on Jin.
Jin calmly confronted that powerful energy.
And he quickly came to a conclusion.
"I''ll rest for a day and enter the Ghost Castle tomorrow morning."
He needed some time to recover from the exhaustion and injuries sustained in the battle against Ranke.
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes. If the seal holds until tomorrow, or rather, if Smarion Proch waits for me until then, to be more precise. He''s already in a state where he can break the seal."
"What are you talking about?"
"As soon as I arrived, Smarion''s energy started amplifying. If the seal hadn''tpletely lost its function, the energy couldn''t have grown at such a rapid rate. The deep killing intent and hostility are all directed at me."
Jin''spanions didn''t know if he had reached enlightenment or acquired the senses of a Genesis Knight. They only had a vague feeling that Jin had grown stronger.
That''s why, although they doubted Jin could kill Smarion alone despite his newfound strength, they didn''t express it. Because it was Jin.
"So, what should we do?"
Jin scrutinized the artifacts installed in the camp.
They were the artifacts he had found firsthand the day he met Qwaul at the cabin.
They included the blue rod made for the great knight battle, the "Aura Disruptors," and the, iming to be all sorts of obstacles.
"Prepare for the consequences of the battle nearby. The neighboring cities may also suffer damage if the protective shield isn''t well-formed. And concentrate all the Aura Disruptors on the battlefield where Smarion and I will fight."
"Are you saying that those skilled enough to withstand the shockwave should keep their distance and continue using disruptors against you and Smarion?"
"Exactly, Quikantel-nim."
Naturally, such a strategy would impose some limitations on the use of Aura by both Jin and Smarion.
Consequently, external damage would be reduced ordingly.
If Jin were an ordinary martial artist, he would never consider such a method, as Smarion could still handle chaos energy even without Aura.
However, Jin had shadow force and mana.
"I can''t predict exactly how far the impact of the battle will spread, so it''s undoubtedly better for both Smarion and me that our power decreases. As long as the disruptors can withstand it."
"Anything else?"
"Please use all possible means to prevent damage to the imperialnds other than the Ghost Castle. Also, keep an eye on the Red Owl to ensure it doesn''t get into trouble. That''s all."
---------------
Noon, the next day.
Fortunately, Jin was able to head to the Ghost Castle after a full day''s rest.
He meditated all night, so he didn''t have a chance to talk further with hispanions.
Jin ssified Smarion as a target requiring his utmost concentration.
"There is a high chance the battle will begin as soon as I enter. So, Quikantel-nim, Valkas-nim, Lady Am, and Enya, please be especially cautious."
"Yes, sir!"
Those four people were the ones closest to the battlefield and had the role of protecting the disruptors and those using them.
Enya''s dragon fire shield and Quikantel''s divine power of time were the core of the protective shield.
Five hundred disruptors were stationed near the Ghost Castle.
That was more than 80% of the current disruptors possessed by the Vamel Alliance.
"My lord, I wish you luck."
"Don''t worry too much."
Jin turned towards Lata and Fey.
They still felt uneasy about entrusting Jin with such a role, but they had a determined look to ensure Jin didn''t feel more ufortable.
"If we hadn''t met you, my lord, the Ghost Castle would undoubtedly have been annihted by that monster that consumed our father. Just like our mother. Please be careful, my lord."
Jin patted the Proch brothers on the shoulder and headed towards the Ghost Castle.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 630
Chapter 630
C630
As Jin approached, all kinds of energies emanating from the Ghost Castle became even more powerful.
Not only Jin, but also hispanions and lower-ranking members of the Phantom Mercenaries and the ck King Mercenaries could feel it.
''I expected Smarion Proch''s energy to be strong... but is it really this intense?''
Will the young master be alright alone?
''It''s hard to breathe even from this distance.''
Jin''spanions looked at his back and thought.
They had heard that Jin had turned Ranke Halovice into a living corpse as soon as he arrived, but the energy emanating from Smarion now went beyond that.
Furthermore, what Smarion emitted now was not all.''If it hadn''t been for the preparation in Tikan, we would never have been able to handle Smarion Proch with the power we came here with in the first ce...''
Jin''spanions were astonished as they confirmed the reality of Smarion''s power.
If Jin had not returned from training at that moment, they did not want to imagine how many casualties the Vamel Alliance would have suffered.
Jin was also d he hadn''t arrivedte.
"I''m d I came right away."
If he had continued his training, if the Red Owl hadn''t beenpleted, or if Smarion had broken the seal earlier.
If any of this had gone wrong, surely people would have died.
As Jin approached the edge of the forest, thendscape darkened.
The Ghost Forest, eroded by chaos, looked as deste as the ck Sea, and the imposing Ghost Castle trembled as if it would explode at any moment.
Jin opened the castle door without hesitation.
The chaos clinging to the door stuck to his hands like ash, but it was soon swept away by the lightning energy.
In no time, Jin reached the lower level where Smarion awaited.
The huge iron door covering the seal had melted into chaos and only traces remained.
The seal, made by the elders of the Phantom Mercenaries with their lives, was already broken as Jin had predicted from outside.
"Why don''t youe out now, Smarion Proch?"
[Yes, you must be Cyron''s blood.......]
Although he had never seen Jin before, Smarion was confident.
"Is there any trace of reason left in him?"
Jin thought there might be.
If only his instincts and demonization remained, Smarion would have no reason to give Jin time as if facing the opponent of his dreams.
However, what remained in Smarion''s consciousness was closer to blind enmity than reason.
Towards Cyron, and towards the existence that wields shadows.
It was amon trait of all Chaos: aversion to Shadow Energy.
[He also has unpleasant powers.]
Swoosh...!
A crack ran through the seal from the inside, and a hand as ck as coal emerged.
When that handpletely tore through the seal, a sharp cry, like that of a human, pierced the ears.
It was the sound of the trapped souls of the elder phantom mercenaries, now liberated.
The spirits seemed confused and tried to escape.
Trapped by Smarion, they became his "prey".
Smarion devoured the souls as if chewing on the raw flesh of a beast.
"Before drawing my sword, let me ask you one thing. I don''t think I can rx while fighting you."
Jin stared at Smarion. There was no trace of anything human in his red eyes.
"Outside are children, Sir Laya Proch, Fey Proch, and mypanions. Do you have any intention to choose or cooperate for their sake?"
[Why should I bother with tasteless things like them?]
Sigmund and Bradamante emitted a dreadful friction sound as they came out of the sheath.
Jin''s eyes softened for a moment with bitterness before hardening.
"Regrettable. If Chaos hadn''t consumed you, you might have considered it even a little."
As soon as he finished responding, Jin''s vision darkened.
The Chaos harbored by Smarion exploded.
The explosion that began on the lowest level of the basement destroyed the entire Ghost Castle in the blink of an eye.
An earthquake spread outside, and those waiting reinforced their shields, widening their eyes.
It was over fifteen hundred meters away from where they were, but the shockwave that hit the shield was fierce and relentless.
Jin bore the brunt at close range.
Surprisingly, amidst the aftermath of the explosion and the debris of the shattered castle, Jin appeared unscathed.
Jin unleashed his Shadow de to counter all the chaos crashing down on him.
Amidst the explosion, Jin''s cold, shining eyes followed Smarion''s movements.
Smarion also formed his dual des with chaos to confront Jin.
The ground copsed.
Due to being eroded by chaos for so long, the Ghost Castle could not withstand the slightest blow and crumbled into dust.
The Proch brothers and the members of the phantom mercenaries did not even sigh after witnessing the Ghost Castle copse.
They thought it was an insult to Jin, who was fighting for them.
The erupting chaos naturally created a battlefield for the two.
The ground sank in a huge semicircle, leaving the bodies of the two in the air for a moment, and before their feet could even touch the ground again, they wielded their swords against each other.
The force of shadows, chaos, and the three ck swords intertwined dizzyingly.
Every time chaos erupted, the curtain of shadowy force countered it, and with each sh of swords, the cracks in the ground widened ceaselessly.
In just a few seconds, the unfolding destruction seemed unbelievable.
"Battle begins, we''re also entering, prepare to open the disruptors!"
At Quikantel''smand, the Vamel Alliance headed to the battlefield in perfect order.
They couldn''t enter quickly.
It was because Shadow Energy, chaos, aura, mana, and lightning energy surged like a storm.
[I have been waiting for someone like you. Of the same kind as Cyron Runcandel...! I will devour you and find him.]
Boom...!
The endless chaos swept the ground, distorting space.
If left alone, Smarion would not tire even after wiping the area off the map.
The sheer size of his pure power clearly surpassed Jin''s.
''As expected, even if there''s consciousness left, in the end, he''s just a demonic killer.''
What makes a martial artist strong is not the total amount of force, but the enlightenment of the level and martial arts acquired through fighting.
And Smarion forgot most of the enlightenment he had gained during his time as a human.
Bang!
Jin blocked Smarion''s twin swords, which had fallen like lightning.
The twin swords created by Chaos shattered and scratched Smarion''s neck.
The fragments of the broken twin swords changed like scattered arrows of Kaio and attacked Jin.
One grazed Jin''s cheek, but in the gap, Jin pierced through Smarion''s chest.
ck blood sttered, and Smarion scattered ck chaos as he increased the distance.
Hundreds of chaos projectiles falling in sphere form tore through the shadow and aura force shields.
The chaos piercing through and exiting the battlefield hit the entire forest.
It was more or less when Jin''spanions entered the battlefield and saw Jin and Smarion fighting for the first time.
''Is that our lord?''
''This immense power is not giving the lord a proper hit...!''
By the way, it was mostly Smarion''s power, not Jin''s, that hindered their entry.
Because of this, Jin''spanions thought Jin might be pushed back.
But it was far from reality.
If there existed in the world a ship that could not be tossed even in the raging waves and storm, it would resemble Jin, standing firm against Smarion''s onught.
The difference in caliber was evident.
At that moment, Jin''spanions could feel the fact that he had ascended to the ranks of transcendence beyond 10 stars.
Just by looking at Jin''s back, which began to look like a distant dot, they felt as if a giant were standing right in front of their noses.
His opponent was the highest-level chaos-infected and possibly the strongest phantom leader of all time.
Despite facing such a legendary figure and the overwhelming spatial control exerted by Smarion with his immense power, Jin''spanions did not think for a moment that Jin would lose.
In reality, Jin''s task was not to win the battle.
The keyy in how much external damage he could minimize.
That was the crux of the matter.
The oue was practically decided the moment they drew their swords.
What mattered was achieving maximum results with minimal damage.
That''s why Jin asked before the battle began.
You can''t defeat me. How about surrendering?
"Deploy the disruptors!"
At Cuicantelle''s shout, more than five hundred blue bars shot up into the air.
The disruptors floated in a circle and connected via mana, and the next moment, the phenomenon that blocked the aura of the two, who had been stirring up the battlefield all along, urred.
''There''s no need to doubt Dr. Qwaul''s things. If this also works for me, it won''t be different from rat poison for the martial artist I have below.''
Of course, concentrating five hundred disruptors on just two individuals was only possible thanks to Jin''s skill.
The size of the aura released by Jin and Smarion was significantly reduced, and the speed at which the forests and the ground were being destroyed decreased.
Smarion tried to intensify the chaos even further, but Jin heightened his senses and dodged the attacks.
The sense of handling aura.
But not even five hundred would be enough to hinder the functioning of the aura of those who transcended.
Before the disruptors deployed, in Jin''s illuminated heart, a muchrger aura than before was already forming.
It was something that Smarion, soaked in demonic energy, could never achieve.
''As things stand, thanks to that, it''s now easier for me to protect mypanions.''
Sword of Legends. Fourth Battle King Technique.
Guardian Brothers.
While Jin''s Light Heart emitted a glow, lightning bolts fell upon the heads of hispanions.
Instead of dealing a blow, the lightning bolts turned into a protective shield that shielded the target.
All forces of the Vamel Alliance nearby were protected by the guardian brothers.
Smarion''s chaos, which had pierced through the Aura Shield and the Dragon''s Fire Shield, could not prate the dense blue shield.
Jin gripped Bradamante tightly again and fixed his gaze on Smarion.
"Now you can''t kill anyone, Smarion Proch."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 632
Chapter 632
C632
February 10, 1803.
It''s been five days since Jin went to the Ghost Castle.
During those five days, Jin was able to hear from hispanions the details of what had happened over the past two and a half years.
Changes in the world, development of technology, situation of each faction, etc.
Most of this Jin had heard before going to the Ghost Castle, and details were added to it.
In other words, these were the pieces of information.
Kinzelo secured a new headquarters to rece the ''Old Headquarters'' in the Beastman Land and recruited arge number of demons like Ranke, and Zipple, on the other hand, closed all magic towers except the 1st and is restructuring the entire ''Lutero Magical Federation'' with a new system.
Additionally, the imperial family has been incorporated into Zipple along with the eastern part of the Empire, and like all forces belonging to the Luther Magic Federation, received technology from Zipple and operated various fleets.Furthermore, in the fleets, a technology called chaos control and "enhanced humans," such as Demon Men, legend-type golems, and living golems, are used.
Amidst all this, the only ones who have not used Chaos at all are the Vamel Alliance and its friendly factions.
"While you were away, Dante-nim made great efforts. Without Dante-nim, the entire empire would have been taken over by Zipple, not just the East, or it would have been divided into several factions."
Kashimir spoke modestly, but in reality, the reason the "forces that rejected chaos" could survive was the role yed by the Vamel Alliance, the Hidden Pce, and the Holy Kingdom.
Vamel Alliance, Hidden Pce, Hairan, and Holy Kingdom.
These forces represented the anti-chaos forces and supported each other to survive.
"In an era where flying ships and chaos control have bemon, we are the only ones who have made technological advances in the strict sense of the world."
Indeed, Zipple''s and Kinzelo''s technological feats have only just begun to be revealed.
Of course, there have been advances in Chaos control, but the production of flying ships has been possible since before.
On the other hand, the Vamel Alliance has achieved a technological revolution called "synchronous wavelength tracking space jump" beyond the manufacturing of flying ships and has even prepared a means topletely purify chaos in limited situations.
Although other factions could use Chaos, they couldn''t even attempt to purify it.
Their research is being conducted for the use of chaos rather than purification.
"Yes, Jin-nim."
"Meanwhile, Runcandel has been concealing all external activities while sealing off the city of Kalon for half a year..."
Runcandel. As one of the two ancient great factions, Tikan knew very little about them while Jin was away.
Their activities had been closed off, with seven explosions and earthquakes, and the only evidence was that they controlled the news about Jin.
"Additionally, there has hardly been any external activity from the gbearers in thest six months. There are only asional reports about the remnants of the contaminated area and the subjected contagion, but the gbearers do not appear in public."
The Dyfus brothers, Mary, and Tona.
For the moment, there was no news about these four gbearers who could be said to be friends of Jin''s, and they currently remained in the Garden of Swords. Until then, they often visited Tikan and inquired about Jin, like Yona.
"And as I said before, all our ways of contacting the young master and the friendly gbearers have been blocked. Even on the days when the gbearers came to visit, I hadn''t heard anything special about the n..."
"Even if there was some trouble in the Family, they couldn''t reveal it to the outside. I would have done the same."
It is true that the Fourth, Seventh, Tenth, and Eleventh gbearer are Jin''s friends, but they are notplete allies.
This is because Jin always kept a certain distance from them.
He had to.
Even if they were not the Tona siblings, the others were ultimatelypetitors no matter how close they were.
"Perhaps sooner orter, your sister will find a small clue about the fifth tomb of Temar."
"Elder Sister Luntia? I''m not surprised, I heard that Elder Brother Dyfus, not Elder Sister Luntia, was in charge of averting Chaos. She''s looking for Temar''s tomb. It''s surprising how helpful she is to you."
"There may be information within Runcandel that you don''t know about. The Third gbearer is moving based on that."
Thetest news about Luntia, another benevolentpetitor, was rted to Temar''s fifth tomb.
Valeria was also tracking Temar''s tomb while purifying the society of the small beastmen, and has found a decisive clue in the movements and traces left by Luntia. Therefore, even after Jin''s return, she has not yet returned to Tikan.
''Father, Elder Sister Luna and the expedition team must still be in the ck Sea. And... I can''t rule out the possibility that they have already been killed.''
All Jin could do was hope it wasn''t true.
He sighed and looked at hispanions.
"Anyway, it would be better to assume that my Family has been handed over to the Prophet."
Otherwise, it was an iprehensible situation.
"Then... do you have no intention of returning to the Garden of Swords, young master?"
"No, but I still need to go back and see for myself."
"It''s too dangerous, Jin-nim."
"My lord, I agree. How about we observe a little longer?"
Jin''spanions who observed the battle against Smarion had no doubt that Jin''s martial arts had reached a level worthy of being called the strongest.
Still, it was dangerous to venture alone into Runcandel.
If the Prophet truly took control of the n, then Runcandel would undoubtedlyy traps to capture Jin.
As dangerous as Smarion was, it was nothingpared to all of Runcandel.
"Of course, I will observe the situation for a while. But I cannot wait too long."
"Is it because of the promise with Rosa? If you''ve already judged that your Family has been handed over to the Prophet, then you don''t need to stick to the three-year deadline given by Rosa, right?"
"It''s not because of that, Quikantel-nim. There are two reasons why I want to visit my n. First, to properly assess the n''s situation, and second, because they still don''t know my strength."
If there is no problem regarding the first reason, if the family simply chooses to hide, then Jin can proceed to prepare to ascend to the position of Patriarch of Runcandel seriously.
Either the Prophet transfers her power naturally, or Jin brings her down by force.
However, if the Prophet''s control were to be clearly revealed during the confirmation process, Jin would have to ssify "Prophet''s Runcandel" as an enemy from then on and wage war.
"...I have to cause as much damage as possible while my n doesn''t know my strength. If the Prophet has taken over the Family, and they''re just hiding to get new information from me, that is."
"If things go wrong, do you mean you''ll fight immediately on the spot?"
"That''s right."
"In that case, it''s no different from old Murakan. What if you were to encounter a trap you couldn''t handle?"
"I''ll have to escape. Although I''ll need help from the Red Owl and Mort."
"...Yes, thankfully, you''re not like Murakan then. Because if it were Murakan, he would simply have said that nothing in the world could stop him."
"I understand what Quikantel-nim and everyone is worried about. But we can''t keep waiting outside without knowing the exact situation in Runcandel. Meanwhile, if the Prophet''s power keeps growing, it will be truly unbearableter on."
If the Prophet is just consolidating power over the family, then they need to attack as soon as possible.
Even if that means taking some risks. That''s what Jin thought.
"Furthermore, even ifmand were to pass to the Prophet, I don''t think everything would go smoothly. There must be some who resist, and we need to incorporate them into our forces before they are dealt with."
The Dyfus brothers, Mary, and Tona. Jin thought of these four.
"Wow."
Quikantel and the others sighed.
It wasn''t because they thought Jin was wrong.
Even though Jin hade back so strong, even though the Vamel Alliance had made so much progress.
It was frustrating that they still found themselves in a position where they had to make judgments facing many risks.
In any case, the best oue would be if the n remained intact, but the chances of that happening were very low.
"Everyone, don''t think too much. It''s something we have to face anyway, and fortunately, we''ve achieved some of what we wanted in the past two years and six months. And although my Family may have fallen to the Prophet, one thing is for sure: we still hold the upper hand."
New information that Jin received.
Assuming the Prophet has swallowed up the Family, the only reason Runcandel hasn''t pressed Tikan is because of that.
"First of all, let everyone know that I have returned. Let''s see how my n reacts."
"And?"
"If possible, please contact Beradin. The major factions should have more information about Runcandel than we do, so if we''re lucky, we might hear something."
"I''ll try, but it''s best not to expect too much. Beradin hasn''t been involved in any external activity since he entered closed-door training, Jin-nim."
Jin nodded with a bitter face.
"...If that''s the case, then we should give up on Beradin''s side. Well, if Beradin and Sandra don''te to me first when my return is announced, it''s safe to assume they have their own problems."
"I''ll contact the hidden side of the pce today... Oh, it looks like Mort is here."
Outside the window, they saw the white dimensional portal of the toad Mort opening.
Mort looked quite tired.
After the formation of Chaos Particles, Mort''s dimensional movement was also somewhat restricted.
"My son-inw! Do I have to be the one to find you every time youe back? Even in a time when transfer gates have disappeared, seriously."
As soon as Tris realized that Smarion had been subdued, she went to Tikan.
"It''s been a while, Tris-nim. I had something to tell you..."
"Uhhh, I''m sure you''re asking me for a favor. Are you nning to visit Runcandel?"
"Yes."
"Well, that''s why I''vee to find you too. I was worried you''d be too overconfident after subduing Smarion, and that you''d go alone without me. Anyway, let''s catch up first with the missed conversations."
From that day on, Tikan immediately announced Jin''s return to the world.
Reporters led by Dino Zan were constantly pouring out special reports, but there was nothing about Ranke and Smarion.
Instead, they spread false announcements saying that it was Dante who subdued Smarion.
It was better to hide Jin''s prowess in battle until he went to Runcandel, and announcing Dante''s power would be more beneficial in many ways.
Runcandel did not express any particr stance on Jin''s return.
Instead, they suddenly released a special report iming to have found a "legacy of the first patriarch":...
Until then, Tikan had not received any contact from Valeria.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 633
Chapter 633
C633
Tower of Stories, Zipple.
The gazes of Kadun, Hedo, and Octavia were fixed on the bulletin lying on the table.
(The war hero of Sword Emperor Castle, the Twelfth gbearer of the Garden of Swords, Jin Runcandel. He returned afterpleting closed-door training).
"It means Jin Runcandel is back...," Octavia murmured softly.
The aforementioned Twelfth gbearer disappeared shortly after the end of the Sword Emperor Castle war.
Hedo, who still held no grudge against Jin, had a calm face, but Octavia and Kadun''s eyes were filled with bloodlust.
''The attitude of people, who are high-ranking leaders of the world, is always like this towards that kid. I myself can''t control them without the patriarch.''
Kelliark Zipple.Currently, he was assisted by Chaos control devices, and his body was on life support.
It was natural as he was exposed to most of the Chaos along with Rosa in the Sword Emperor Castle war.
Until a year ago, Kelliark had engaged in some external activities to hide his shorings, but now he really had to "win" time.
Until Zipple achieves the perfect chaos control technology, or until Kinzelo epts the deal.
''Well, I underestimated him a bit when I first saw him in the Sota Desert...''
Looking back, that was the problem.
If he had finished off Jin before Sandra caused a stir in the Sota Desert, if he had stabbed Jin before she cleared the way, or if he had stayed with Sandra and followed her to Gaifas when she fell in love with Jin and cut him then...
It wouldn''t have been such a big concern.
Not for Zipples nor for Hedo personally.
If anything, the fact that Jin, who had now returned stronger, wasn''t such a bad thing for Zipple.
Hedo opened another bulletin lying next to the table.
(Sir Dante Hairan subdued the Ghost Castle Demon! Sir Dante is the first imperial guardian sword seeding thete Sir Ron Hairan, and is assessed to have entered the realm of the Five-Star after the Sword Emperor Castle war...).
"Smarion Proch of the Ghost Castle was probably subdued by the Twelfth gbearer, not by Dante."
"Why do you think so, Hedo?"
"Dante Hairan is still making public appearances. But there are no signs of injuries, and none of his knights have died. No matter how strong the Imperial Guardian Sword has be, it''s not strong enough to subdue that amount of Chaos unscathed. If he were alone, he would have to risk his life to do so."
"That''s right. But isn''t the same case for Jin Runcandel?"
"I don''t know. It''s a different matter depending on how strong the Twelfth gbearer has be."
"No matter how much he has grown in 2 years and 6 months, he''s not to that extent, right?".
"Obviously, he''s a different person. Everyone here must have experienced how he always produces results that exceedmon sense."
"Still, if he faced Smarion without injuries, then it would be the result of Murakan regaining his strength and appearing again."
Hedo nodded.
"Or the Twelfth gbearer has power close to that of the genesis knight, or Murakan has regained his former strength. Neither of those things is too bad for us right now."
Runcandel, Zipple''s former nemesis, whom everyone believes is in decline. Zipple and Kinzelo had apletely different judgment from the public''s assessment.
"Garden of Swords". Right now, there''s no better hand than the Twelfth gbearer to keep them in check."
Hedo opened another bulletin on the table.
(The Garden of Swords has discovered the legacy of Temar Runcandel, the first patriarch of the Family... Although there is no concrete announcement, it shows a firm will to reim the forgotten history of the n).
"The Twelfth gbearer probably doesn''t know the exact situation of Runcandel right now. That''s why, as soon as he returned, he felt something strange and announced his return to the world before his n. This is the reaction Runcandel showed after."
After losing most of its history when Runcandel was defeated by Zipple a thousand years ago, Runcandel has rarely made public issues about his ancestors.
Among them, directly mentioning the Temar is the greatest taboo.
But now, the power of Zipple''s stories that suppressed Runcandel had weakened, and they no longer cared about Zipple''s authority.
Runcandel didn''t say anything about the ''mana affinity'' phenomenon that urred in pure-blooded Runcandel after the Sword Emperor Castle war.
There can only be one reason for this.
Trust.
Runcandel now has the confidence and strength to not fear Zipple''s oath...
"Hmm... Did they find Temar''s tomb before the Hister survivor? Through the power of the Prophet?"
"Maybe. But it doesn''t matter if it''s true or false. The important thing is that the Twelfth gbearer has no choice but to turn to his n as soon as he sees this news."
"To ensure the survival of the Hister survivor and the legacy Runcandel has obtained, right?"
"Not only that, but Jin Runcandel''s return to his n is a forced choice. Even if Runcandel is not what he used to be. It''s not something he canpromise on."
"It''s as Captain Spectre and Lord Kadun said. Of course, the Twelfth gbearer won''t visit his Family without any preparation. It seems he''ll use the hidden pce master''s toad as an escape route, and won''t drag the Vamel Alliance along."
"Then he''ll surely die on the spot, Hedo-nim. He doesn''t know how dangerous Runcandel is right now!"
Octavia was furious that the opportunity for revenge was slipping away.
"No, Octavia. If Murakan regains all his former strength. Moreover, as Hedo said, if his battle prowess is at a first-ss or higher superhuman level... Only those two could do something like waging war with Runcandel."
"And unless the Twelfth gbearer chooses to submit to Runcandel with the Vamel Alliance, a fight in the Garden of Swords is inevitable."
"He''ll never make such a choice."
Indeed, how much damage Runcandel would suffer in that process was uncertain for the three.
However, the three predicted that Jin''s chances of survival were very low. Even in a situation where Murakan supported him with all his regained strength.
"Then let''s confirm Runcandel''s power through his battle this time."
Zipple knew that the Prophet had effectively taken control of the Garden of Swords with Rosa, and deduced that her power was beyond imaginable.
But they didn''t know exactly to what extent.
Therefore, they were avoiding total war under the pretext of the previously agreed ceasefire.
"Of course, it''s a good option to monitor the movements. But I don''t think it would hurt to go further."
"Go further...?"
Kadun and Octavia''s gazended on Hedo.
"If Runcandel is weaker than we expected, then they''ll receive a heavy blow in that battle."
Then it would be the perfect time to end Runcandel once and for all.
That''s what Hedo was saying.
"We shouldn''t give them time to recover. Do you all know how quickly the Prophet revived all those knights who died in the Sword Emperor Castle and how she strengthened them?"
It was an intelligence report they received when Jin was in Lafrarosa.
The informant, who reported on the resurrection and strengthening of the knights by the Prophet, died and "melted" in front of Kelliark as soon as he finished the report.
In other words, the Prophet, herself, intentionally disyed her power, knowing she was being watched by the informant.
Recalling that time, Kadun and Octavia shuddered as if feeling a chill.
"So, Hedo, are you suggesting we prepare for total war?"
"It means we should prepare for a responsemensurate with the battle situation. Not necessarily an unconditional total war."
"If the battle unfolds where both sides lose, then it means we''ll end up with both... if not, then we simply retreat."
There was a moment of silence, and then Kadun made his decision.
"It''s definitely the best oue if it works as you say. But it''s not up to us to decide. It''s better if we wake Kelliark for a moment and let him decide."
Then they went to the top floor of the Tower of Stories and informed Kelliark of the situation.
Kelliark nodded in the life support device, saying Hedo was right.
-------------------
Kinzelo''s new headquarters.
At the same time, they were also holding a meeting on the same topic as Zipple.
They were also reaching a simr conclusion to Zipple''s.
It was Bishkel Ivlianos who suggested taking the initiative and aiming for the defeat of both sides.
"Hmm, I think the vice-leader''s opinion is good, but... will he really go alone to the Garden of Swords? Even if he defeated Ranke, it would be madness to go alone to the Garden of Swords, which we can''t even touch. Much more if it''s that cunning guy, right?"
"Hmph! That Jin Runcandel seemspletely invisible after turning Ranke into a damn disaster!"
Bouvard and Ainas expressed their doubts.
Ranke was sitting in a corner muttering to himself fascinated.
Although sometimes, Ranke remembered that Jin "beat" him every time he heard his name, and looked at Ainas and Bouvard as if he wanted to kill them.
"As Lady Ainas said, unless his brain is damaged because he easily trampled Ranke, I don''t think he''ll go to the Garden of Swords. Ranke-nim and all of Runcandel are on different levels, right? Ah, of course, I''m not saying Ranke-nim is pathetic. He just lost..."
"Right, he just lost. So cheer up! Ranke."
Bishkel, as always, was fed up with Bouvard''s nonsensical chatter.
"...Lady Ainas and Bouvard. Stop emphasizing Ranke''s defeat. It doesn''t fit with the meeting''s theme, and it''s disrespectful."
The two didn''t even listen to Bishkel and took sweet potato croquettes out of their pockets and ate them, and Bishkel broke the pen he was holding.
"Umm, what do you think, leader?" Margie said as she patted Bishkel''s shoulder.
[The vice-leader''s opinion is correct. Perhaps Zipple had a simr n. When Jin and Runcandel receive a heavy blow, if we and Zipple attack Runcandel together. I don''t think it will be easy to handle, no matter how powerful the garden of swords is]
"Well then, leader. Are you saying we should prepare for a total attack?"
[I think that would be fine for now, Berakt. We''ll have to monitor the future situation. Since Jin can''t swear allies to the Prophet... the fight is bound to happen. And Ainas, Bouvard. Ranke''s defeat wasn''t without reason. Jin Runcandel has be iparably stronger than before]
The leader''s direct assessment widened the executives'' eyes.
In particr, Zephyrin had been with Orgal for a long time and remembered few cases where Orgal evaluated someone so highly.
"The oue will depend on how strong the power Runcandel has kept hidden really is. If he''s weaker than we think, then it will be our chance to end them all. Master, it''s been a long time since you made a decision that I like. I''m getting annoyed having to keep worrying about that person."
[Zephyrin, don''t speak lightly of the Prophet.]
"Hmph, anyway, I''m just a pitiful Dragon who doesn''t remember receiving favors from the master."
Again, Margie patted Zephyrin on the shoulder.
"So, the leader''s permission has been granted. Do we prepare too? The Garden of Swords and Jin Runcandel-nim. In the end, it will be a fight that will inevitably hurt both sides, so it should be enjoyable."
Margie smiled softly.
She thought this might be thest chance to recruit Jin.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 634
Chapter 634
C634
February 25, 1803, at dawn.
As expected, Jin was preparing to head to the Garden of Swords.
He even announced to everyone that he would return to the Garden of Swords on February 25 through Dino Zan.
Even the bulletin published by Dino himself subtly hinted that Jin would ascend to the position of "patriarch."
It was nothing less than a deration of war against Runcandel.
"Are Kinzelo and Zipple really going to participate?" Tris asked.
Jin''spanions, who were nearby, alternated their gazes between her and Jin, looking concerned.
"They will surelye. If they are not even capable of recognizing such an important opportunity, then they are not qualified to be the leaders of a major faction."Jin did not n for the two forces to participate in the battle from the beginning.
He was not sure of it when he decided to go to Runcandel 15 days ago, but now it became clear when seeing Runcandel respond to his return article.
The fact that the Prophet had already taken control of the n.
Also, the fact that Kinzelo and Zipple did not touch the garden of swords because they assumed that Runcandel possessed a force powerful enough to be a burden.
That''s why Jin overturned the odds.
He decided to create a grand stage that no one could ignore unless they were fools.
"Even if the enemy leaders are much more foolish than I anticipate and do note, I must go. For the sake of those who may be resisting the Prophet within the n."
Those who have never trusted or tried to trust the disgusting power of the Prophet.
Those who give advice until the end, the true knights of Runcandel, and the brothers.
They were supposed to be suffering in the Garden of Swords.
It was inevitable for Jin to go to them.
Furthermore, considering the articles about Temar published by Runcandel, there was a possibility that Valeria had been captured.
"As I said before, now is the right time when my n does not know my strength."
"Huh, well... yes. I think my son-inw''s current strength should be enough to escape no matter how things go wrong. Seriously, when I said it wouldn''t take you long to reach 10 stars, I never thought you woulde back stronger than me. Does that make sense?"
"It''s not exactly like that. You''re praising me too much, Tris-nim. And if it weren''t for your help and Mort''s, I would probably consider other options like the Red Owl."
"Yes, yes. There wille a day in my life when this Tris Endorma will be nothing more than a means of transportation for someone."
While Trisughed, Jin shrugged and chuckled. Now they seemed more like intimate friends than superiors and subordinates.
Siris was amazed at herself for not hating that sight.
"Jin."
"Yes, Lady Syris."
"Since our Hidden Pce has protected you countless times, now it''s your turn to protect the Hidden Pce."
Jin did not respond and made eye contact with Siris for a moment.
"So go ande back alive. You have to repay your debts by teaching me some of what you have learned."
"Of course, I will ensure rapid growth for you."
"Why is my daughter suddenly speaking like an adult?"
"Mother, you should also be careful. You shouldn''t overexert yourself with a frail body."
"Young Master..."
Gilly ced her hand on Jin''s shoulder.
"Please,e back safe and sound."
"As soon as you return, keep marching without a moment''s rest. My lord, I apologize for not being able to provide support."
"Jin-nim... is it really okay to go alone?"
Jin''spanions gathered around Gilly, expressing their concern for Jin.
Tris sighed as if frustrated by their concerns.
"Haha, really. Now my son-inw is not at a level where you have to worry about him. So stop acting like Jin is going to die. I''d rather see that nerd from theb buried in his research."
Qwaul seemedpletely absorbed in his research, apparently indifferent to whether Jin went alone to Runcandel or not.
He waspletely obsessed with the objects that Jin brought from Lafrarosa.
For a magical engineer, those were the only materials worth sacrificing for.
The only downside was that Valeria, with whom he could share that happiness, was absent.
"As Tris-nim said, don''t worry too much. I will return. It won''t happen, but if I don''t return in three days, prepare for evacuation."
"Even my son-inw adds unnecessary words at the end. Now, let''s go!"
Jin boarded the Red Owl.
"I will return. As always, I will make sure to bring back what we need."
Garden of Swords.
For over a thousand years, it has been the home of the Runcandel Sword Masters, revered and feared by all beings in the world.
In the midst of it all, Rosa remained motionless.
She had a pale face and dry lips.
With a body so fragile that it seemed doubtful she was the ck Panther and had evermanded Runcandel alongside Cyron, she looked up at the sky.
The sun, unseasonably bright, beat down.
However, Rosa felt no burning in her eyes, not even when she looked straight at it.
She just thought it was unnecessarily bright.
"The young one ising..."
A woman in a ck hood nodded.
Ilina Runcandel, the woman known as Joshua''s unfortunatepanion.
Now everyone in Runcandel knew her identity.
The Prophet of Cmity. The one who saved Rosa and other members of Runcandel from Chaos.
"You sound disappointed. Do you think things would have been different if he hade a little faster?"
Swoosh!
Rosa quickly drew her Frenzy Sword and stabbed Ilina''s neck.
Ilina immediately copsed, gasping, and then convulsed for a few seconds before getting back up.
Instead of blood, Chaos flowed from the affected area.
"Ah, really. How many times do I have to exin that it doesn''t cost one or two human lives every time something like this happens?"
"It''s uneptable for a member of Runcandel to speak to me like this. Even if it were yourst life, I would not hesitate to kill you."
"You could do it painlessly..."
"Are you eager to die again? The pain of death is something I have also experienced, and it''s not something I imagine you would take lightly."
Ilina lowered her head at Rosa''s deep voice.
"I''m sorry, I''ll be more careful in the future."
Rosa looked back at the main door in silence.
The main door. In retrospect, for Rosa Runcandel, that door represented countless lonely years of waiting.
With how much desperation and fervor she had longed for the day when Cyron, who had passed through that door toplete his task, would return and save the Family...
But that day never came.
Instead, what came was her younger son, who in the end would refuse to bend or yield, forcing her to bend him herself.
That fact was bitter.
"All Runcandel Knights, prepare to wee the Twelfth gbearer of the Family."
Rosa''s words were solemn and swift as the wind.
Like Cyron''s voice, no matter how small, there was no ce where it did not reach, and there was no one who could not hear it.
Knights rushed from all directions and lined up in front of her.
It was also the same as when the Family prepared to wee Cyron.
The gbearers stood at the front, followed by the ck Knights, the ck Sword Association, the Execution Knights, and the Guardian Knights.
It was a muchrger number than Jin remembered, but the gbearers were only four.
"Rosa-nim."
It was Stam, the Captain of the ck Knights.
"Speak."
"What should I do with the ndestine knights?"
The ndestine knights were those who rebelled against Rosa to the end.
Release all except the Fourth gbearer."
"Very well. And... can I return the weapons they were using?"
The reason Stam said that was no different.
Although they had now turned their backs on Rosa and the Family, they were all knights who had once dedicated themselves to the Family.
Their rejection of Rosa was not betrayal; they simply could not reconcile with the logic of power and corruption that Rosa now embodied.
So Stam wanted to offer them onest chance: to fight for the "honor" they believed in, alongside Jin.
Ilina wanted to protest loudly, but Rosa did not dislike Stam''s suggestion.
People like that were necessary.
"Do it. Also, all their swords will be nted in the garden."
"...thank you."
"May I dare say something? I think it''s dangerous. Jin Runcandel''s fate has already derailed once. Even the smallest thing can be a big problem."
Rosa dismissed his opinion.
And she began to focus on the energy of her younger son, who was rapidly approaching from afar.
She remembered the day when Jin first returned to the Family afterpleting his Reserve gbearer training.
It seems that someone else is trying to wee this elder.
Patriarch, what do you mean by that?
Rosa, I think you have also be boring. A fairly powerful force is approaching the Garden of Swords at a very fast pace.
''Now I can see what you felt then... Cyron.''
Excellent.
The first emotion that filled Rosa''s heart was no different from Cyron''s at that time.
Slowly, the main door began to open.
Jin advanced towards Rosa, despite the change in the Family and the ck energy of the Knights tainted by Chaos.
As the distance closed between them, the two felt as if everything around them was being erased.
Among these countless human and non-human beings, mother and son focused all their senses on each other.
Everything was like that day.
The day Jin proved he met the requirements to be a gbearer by receiving Cyron''s sword.
But today was not that day.
"The Twelfth gbearer, Jin Runcandel, has returned to the Family afterpleting closed-door training."
Jin did not raise his sword.
Rosa did not respond and looked at Jin in silence. As Runcandel, as a human being, as a mother, she wanted to hold on a little longer to this brief moment with her younger son.
So, just as Cyron did that day, she wanted to draw her sword. Just once, she wanted to savor her son''s sword, which had grown so much.
However, Jin did not allow that time to prolong.
"But mother... you have broken our promise."
Disappointing.
You no longer have the right to test me.
As Jin continued, Rosa''s hand, which had instinctively reached for her waist, stopped unknowingly.
That was thest emotion Rosa felt as a human being. A trickle of ck blood flowed from Rosa''s chapped lips. She wiped it with the back of her hand as she responded.
"The promise still stands. If you can prove to me what you set out to prove to me, I will return everything in the Family to its original state right now."
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 635
Chapter 635
C635
"What... do you exactly mean by restoring everything to its original state?"
The Garden of Swords from Jin''s memories and the Garden of Swords now before him.
The only thing both had inmon were the thousands of swords stuck in the middle of the garden.
All visible Knights were engulfed in Chaos without exception, and particrly Rosa was in a state that not even the Chaos purification device brought from Lafrarosa could handle.
There was a ck horn on Rosa''s forehead.
She didn''t seem to have any intention of hiding it, and even if she did, it seemed impossible to conceal.
Furthermore, the buildings were just the same as before.
From the moment Jin arrived at the Garden of Swords.No, from the moment he entered Kalon, he felt a strong Chaos energy hidden throughout the city.
Ha...
Jin sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"...Are you saying you can turn back time? Or does Ilina Runcandel, who is by your side, no, the Prophet, have some other method?"
"I cannot restore something that has already happened. However, if you fulfill your promise, I will immediately make you Patriarch, and from now on, Runcandel will trust you to survive, not the Prophet."
I will appoint you Patriarch.
The words Jin had longed to hear in his previous life pounded in his head.
Of course, he was not at all happy.
To the point of feeling nauseous with the disgusting sensation of insects crawling in his head.
"Haha......."
Unconsciously, a bitterugh escaped his lips.
"Since when are you in a position to appoint a Patriarch? Cyron Runcandel, the Patriarch of Runcandel, the owner of Barisada, and my father. All this, of course, must have been carried out without his consent. Under your own judgment."
Of course, Rosa hinted that she would make Jin Patriarch even before joining the Prophet.
However, Jin thought that Rosa would no longer interfere for him to be the next Patriarch, but he did not expect this kind of session.
He could only inherit Barisada directly from Cyron.
"So, what is your answer? Have you obtained the means to save the Family from this confusion, or not?"
"Whatever I have obtained, you and your Runcandel cannot benefit from it."
"In that case... I have no other choice."
Except to kill you.
Rosa''s eyes narrowed.
She had no intention of persuading Jin. Not because it wasn''t worth it. Now that she had decided to kill Jin, she suppressed feelings of pain more intense than ever.
But she couldn''t catch him. She knew her younger son was by no means apromising person.
He had never yielded in any situation, and he had never copsed, not even once...
Rosa knew better than anyone that such a bright youth was Jin Runcandel, her younger son.
"I will ask you onest question."
Rosa thought Jin would ask about Temar and Histor.
But even that exceeded Rosa''s expectations.
"Was this really the best course of action?"
"Yes."
"Then there''s no need for further conversation between us."
Jin''s gaze fell on the Knights behind Rosa.
"What have the Knights of the Family done for the Garden of Swords to reach this state? Were they watching Rosa Runcandel conspire with Chaos?"
"Save me the sermon, Jin Runcandel. All you''ve done so far is ruin Runcandel''s destiny. Furthermore, what about Cyron Runcandel? He was away from the Family all this time. What''s the result? Have you and he found a way to save the Family?"
Jin paid no attention to Ilina, who spoke up for the first time.
"If it weren''t for Rosa-nim''s choice, Runcandel would have ended long before the irresponsible Cyron Runcandel and you returned. In a way, this also seems like fulfilling destiny, doesn''t it? Ultimately, Runcandel has be much strongerpared to before..."
At that moment, a group of Knights appeared from afar from the main house.
They were the ndestine Knights.
They were all tired and weak, but thanks to Stam''s consideration, they were armed with clean armors and swords.
A faint Chaos energy emanated from them.
However, unlike the others who werepletely consumed, they showed signs of resistance.
''They are the ones... who resisted to preserve the values of the Family despite being consumed by Chaos.''
It''s worth saving them all and going back. But that was impossible.
They knew it too.
That''s why the Tona brothers shouted and told Jin.
"Jin, younger brother...! Don''t mind us, do what you intend to do!"
"It''s an honor to fight and possibly die fighting by your side as Runcandel...!"
The Tona brothers, who had tormented Jin so much in the past life and still showed a servile attitude towards the strong in this life, had be admirable Runcandels.
"Freeing them now is Rosa-nim''s final consideration for you and for them. Decorate your end with the rebels, Jin Runcandel. Anyway, even if you die, your power will be used for the Runcandels, so it''s not such a bad ending."
"Listen, knights of my Family."
Jin looked at the Knights rising from the underground. They were the only Family Knights.
"I salute you for your painful resistance. From now on, what you must do is survive at all costs. I will pave the way for you."
The Tona brothers and the Knights nodded solemnly.
"From now on, I dere Rosa Runcandel and those who follow her traitors, and as the Twelfth gbearer of the Family... I will execute them."
"From this moment on... I revoke your status as gbearer, Jin Runcandel."
Jin and Rosa said at the same time.
As if they had promised, all the Knights of the Garden, except for the two of them, drew their swords.
And everyone remembered an incident that happened in the Garden of Swords a few years ago.
-"I believe the meaning of the deration I made today will only grow stronger if I get rid of the honored seat where my mother sits."
-[Everyone, open your eyes wide... See clearly what the true Runcandel is, what has protected Runcandel, and what the current Runcandel is forgetting]
Patriarch''s deration. A blue me ignited in Jin''s eyes.
Secret Technique Magic Sword Runcandel
Hellfire - Sarah Runcandel
In Jin''s eyes, blue mes formed.
The will of the me Empress, who fought for the Family until the end and preserved Runcandel''s valor for a thousand years even in death, vividly manifested through Jin.
Those tainted by Chaos had no choice but to cower before the blue mes.
The Chaos energypletely paralyzed them inside.
They were paralyzed until Jin unleashed the Hellfire.
And an enormous fear that couldn''t be concealed even with Chaos energy, an overwhelmingly immense presence struck the rotten minds of the Knights.
"Stop him!"
When Miu and Anne stepped forward, the Chaos-tainted Knights followed suit.
Among them, there were also knights wearing ck helmets.
ck Knight, a ck helmet that was previously only given to the most honorable and strong Knights of Runcandel.
Roughly calcting, there were about fifty Knights with ck helmets in the garden.
However, Jin didn''t feel particrly threatened despite being surrounded by so many ck Knights.
Not everyone wearing ck helmets were true ck Knights, and not everyone who reached ten stars became transcendent martial artists.
"You are nothing."
Hundreds of sharp swords rained down on Jin.
They could easily bring down a mountain in an instant.
No one, aside from giant forces, would be able to withstand the onught they unleashed in a matter of seconds.
Yet, their swords couldn''t prate even the outermost part of the blue me unleashed by Jin.
They disappeared without a trace before even touching the mes.
Jin had not only trained the Sword of Legends and the Shadow de in Lafrarosa.
Right now, he was also on the verge ofpleting the Magic Sword Runcandel.
Anyone who had seen Sarah Runcandel even once would have recognized that it was her who was here.
A fire that burns the entire world, a fire that fights until the end without being extinguished by any powerful enemy, was staring at the Chaos-tainted traitors.
Gaaaa...!
Tess, who had just been summoned, let out a roar.
It did not manifest with the risk of using Chaos as a medium, as in the war of the Sword Emperor Castle.
Tess was summoned purely through Jin''s mana, and rather exuded an even stronger aura than before.
When Tess appeared, Jin once swung his sword towards the traitors.
Around a hundred Knights, including five who had be ck Knights by the power of Chaos, were burned, and their entire bodies melted and couldn''t even scream.
However, even though the body melted, the Chaos core remained like that of a living golem.
The cores returned to the Prophet as if being sucked into a vortex.
Jin grabbed one of the Chaos cores dragging the Prophet.
The Chaos attempted to infest Jin''s grip like a parasite, but when Jin clenched his fist, it simply burst.
For the first time, the Prophet showed a sign of hesitation.
"Is he immune to Chaos? Like the old Tribe of Legends..."
It was something the Prophet had never expected. There was a contrast between Jin shrouded in the mes of the old Runcandel and the Knights tainted by Chaos.
And as Jin said, Hellfire made its way among those released from underground.
"Ilina Runcandel."
"Yes, Rosa-nim."
"Show your skills. We must not allow that child to return alive from this ce today."
At Rosa''smand, Ilina bowed her head.
"Very well. Then, may I be allowed to open the Garden of Swords?"
"I allow it."
For the Prophet, it was nothing more than a stroke of luck.
By chance, if Rosa saw Jin and changed her decision by breaking the contract with her, she would have no choice but to wander her path for a long time.
"I will recreate the nightmare of that day, rotting ones. If it''s not today, it will be tomorrow, and if it''s not tomorrow, it will be whenever. In the end, none of you will survive."
At the moment Jin uttered those words, suddenly, the sun disappeared, and darkness enveloped the surroundings.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 636
Chapter 636
C636
The Garden of Swords, which had been shining with the sun and blue mes, darkened in an instant.
The peculiar darkness created by Chaos, Jin narrowed his brow and looked at the ckened sky and the garden of swords.
Everywhere, red eyes glowed.
They were all the gazes of the Knights facing Jin.
''As the darkness grew deeper, the aura of the Knights grew stronger... Is it the result of the Prophet amplifying the Chaos spread by the Garden of Swords?''
The Prophet and Rosa were nowhere to be seen. As if they had never been there.
Jin spected that both had used some means to amplify the chaos. The Prophet would have used Rosa''s power as a medium for amplification.
''Or did the acting matriarch move to prepare for defense against external attacks?''Kinzelo and Zipple.
Jin remained convinced that the two factions were watching the battle and preparing for a total attack.
''In that case, whether it was a valid decision or not, they will regret leaving me unattended.''
Whether to contain external attacks or for other reasons.
Jin was sure he would make Rosa regret leaving him behind.
And even all the decisions he had made so far.
New knights constantly appeared from somewhere.
Like insects lurking in the darkness, only to emerge and swarm towards their prey, unaware of the lethal poison they carried within.
The number has already surpassed a thousand, and if they continue to multiply at this rate, they will reach ten thousand within an hour.
Each and every one of those knights has an aura of 8 stars or higher.
''Although it is true, they are nothing more than battle dolls who do not even deserve their power.''
To Jin, they are no different from the monsters of the Great Desert of Mitra he encountered on the first day he returned to the human world.
Of course, it was Jin''s criterion.
The knights tainted by chaos had the battle prowess to wipe out quite a few kingdoms in one or two days, even if only as a group.
''The only thing that concerns me a little are the few genuine ones among them. They are only traitors who have not lost their enlightenment despite being tainted by chaos.''
Swoosh...!
The mes of hellfire grew even thicker.
"How do you not know that the values of the Family are struggle and dominance through power, not immorality..."
For an instant, the blue mes obscured Jin''s location.
The lost ck swordsmen who lunged at him futilely struck the barrier of blue mes.
Fifth Secret Technique of Runcandel
Light Speed Thrust - Legend
At the same time, five rays of Light Speed Thrust cut the battlefield to pieces.
Small holes opened in the chests of the knights at the vanguard, followed by chaos swept away in heaps by the resulting aftermath.
Before the knights could react and fill the copsed ranks again, Jin had already reached the point where Light Speed Thrust extended through the center.
At that point were those who resisted the chaos until the end, including the Tona brothers.
Furthermore, as soon as Jin settled, he dispatched the nearby knights by Bradamante and they vanished like dust blown by the wind.
"Oh, hey!, younger one!"
"Back, look back!"
The Tona brothers felt a mix of emotions seeing Jin rush to break through, but they could only urgently shout at him to look behind.
It was because a ck Knight had his sword at the back of his brother.
Jin didn''t even look at him, but embraced the Tona Brothers, who rushed at him and tried to shield him with their bodies.
"Brothers, you have worked hard..."
The moment the brothers gathered, the sword of the ck Knight attacking the rear could not reach Jin. The fire burned his whole body.
With a dull thud, the fallen ck Knight''s helmet hit the ground, emitting an empty sound.
"I have much to say, but for now, let''s get out of here."
As Jin saw the people who had been trapped underground, he figured a considerable number of them would die in this ce.
That''s why the Tona brothers yelled.
They told him not to worry and to do what he thought best.
Fortunately, things have changed.
''If the acting matriarch is not here, I can save many more Knights than expected.''
Why did Rosa let them live? And why did she leave without killing them?
Suddenly, Jin pondered such questions.
The Prophet exined to him that it was only a final consideration.
If that was the case, Jin felt he could never forgive Rosa, for someone who dared to defile Runcandel could not show consideration for Runcandel.
Of course, there were still many variables that could stand in the way of saving the Knights.
There is no way to know for sure if Rosa will return to the battlefield, how much the traitors will multiply, and there is no way to be sure that there won''t be something even Jin cannot handle.
So Jin had to evacuate them first.
"By the way, it''s surprising that you''re still here. Elder Chief Jorden."
Jorden Runcandel.
Jin made eye contact with him.
"...Judging by the atmosphere, it seems you were the leader of the rebels."
Even as they spoke, the traitors were unable to approach Jin.
Jorden looked back and forth between Hellfire and Jin, who protected them, and let out a bitterugh.
"I just remembered the essence of the Family that I had forgotten. Thanks to a crazy monster."
-You''ve regained confidence after losing everything? You speak with such arrogance.
-I just remembered the essence of the Family that I had forgotten.
That''s what Jorden said when Joshua fell in the past, he said the same to Rosa.
"And the leader of this rebellion was originally not me, but the Fourth gbearer."
"Where is Elder Brother Dyfus? And Elder Sister Mary?"
"I don''t know. I don''t even know if they''re alive or dead."
Dyfus was still imprisoned in the dungeon, but the other rebels didn''t know.
It was because he was incarcerated separately.
"....I''m sorry."
"There''s nothing you need to apologize for, Elder Chief. So, are all the confirmed survivors here now?"
"Yes."
Like those who resisted, Jorden''s body bore the marks of the pain suffered in the dungeon.
Almost only bones remained, and even the Chaos energy gnawed at his entire body.
Still, Jin felt in Jorden a certain transcendent level.
A force that never faded no matter how weak his physical body became.
"It seems your closed-door training was sessful as well, Elder Chief."
"I don''t think it canpare to yours."
"I can''t bear the responsibility of escaping to the end on my own. It would be fine if I could, but I don''t think the outbursts of the traitors are limited to just this. If I clear the path, you''ll take everyone and evacuate them to Tikan."
"Puhh... Interesting. We''ve always been enemies, and yet you''re willing to trust me?"
"No, not Jorden, the Chief of the ck Sword Association, who was as wicked as an old serpent... I believe in the Knight of the Family, Jorden Runcandel."
Jorden''s eyes widened.
"...I''ll support you, Twelfth gbearer."
Jin wasn''t forgiving Jorden. Jorden knew that too.
But in the end, the two ended up sharing the value of "struggle" that Runcandel represented, and that was enough.
As a reason to fight together for Runcandel, despite harboring resentments.
"By the way, Twelfth gbearer. As you just predicted, this isn''t all of Rosa Runcandel and the Prophet''s power."
"Tell me everything you know."
"The fact that the Traitors have strengthened now is the result of the Chaos unleashed tied to the Garden of Swords. We went through the same situation the day we were imprisoned in the dungeon."
At that time, the rebels had shown quite a fight against the chaos traitors.
Not as much as Jin, but they managed to take down many of the empowered knights.
It was thanks to Knights like Jorden, Dyfus, and Mary that they had reached the level after the closed-door training.
Whatpletely devastated them that day were not just the Chaos Knights who resurrected and multiplied endlessly, or the battle dolls with nothing but destructive power.
"...Soon the Knights enshrined in the mausoleum will appear."
"The mausoleum knights?"
"What we have personally confirmed are the gbearers and the ck Knights from the past. But if I were the Prophet, I would call forth many more and stronger beings against you...."
The moment Jorden said that.
Suddenly, Jin released ten Light Speed Thrusts and cleared the surroundings.
Additionally, the energy of Hellfire, which had been amplified, kept growing until it became unrecognizable.
No matter how many ants there are, they cannot kill a lion.
Just as Jin felt that the Chaos Knights were no different from the monsters of the desert, Jorden could see it too.
"....But I don''t think there''s anything to worry about."
Jorden shrugged. He realized that Jin had used a power that didn''t even reach 30% of his battle prowess.
The reason Jin cleared the surroundings was simple. He recognized that among the traitors, the true Knights were starting to show their energy seriously.
The Captain of the ck Knights, Stam. He was slowly heading towards Jin.
"Come on, Elder Chief."
The rebels began to leave the Garden of Swords.
The chaos-soaked ground was disorienting, but they took the blue path formed by the mes of hell as a reference point.
The rebels didn''t even have to draw their swords against the chaos knights rushing towards them. The mes surrounding them like a barrier protected them.
The struggle to escape would begin in earnest after they escaped from the territory of the mes.
"It seems you have no intention of attacking them, former Captain of Runcandel''s ck Knights, Stam. You should be able to deal ample damage in my fire. Is that like thest conscience remaining?"
Stam stared at Jin without responding.
A huge aura and Chaos emanated from him.
"No, former Twelfth gbearer, Jin Runcandel. Because I judged that I shouldn''t waste my strength dealing with you."
"Fortunately, you had no bad conscience."
Jin stared into Stam''s red eyes for a moment.
The Captain of Runcandel''s ck Knights, who had once fought alongside him in the War of Sword Emperor Castle, was now blocking him as an enemy.
"It''s a splendid choice to focus entirely on me. It''s regrettable that despite having such judgment, you didn''t stop Rosa Runcandel''s tyranny."
"The justification for seeking the survival of the Family is the privilege of thest survivor. You still don''t have the right to judge whether Rosa-nim''s decision was right or wrong. Likewise, I don''t yet have the conviction to say she was wrong. That''s a problem that can only be confirmed after your death."
"I didn''t know you had a talent for spouting nonsense in the midst of battle..."
Just as Jin was about to charge at Stam-
he felt another elite approaching from behind.
[Captain of the ck Knights, now I understand why you''ve been waiting for me all this time. At first, I thought that was Cyron Runcandel, the current patriarch].
When he turned around, Jin saw a Knight he had never seen before, a figure who had just emerged from the mausoleum.
-
KO-FI
''Ko-Fi'' for Adv4nc3 Ch4pt3r(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 631
Approximately five hundred aura disruptors.
Over the past two and a half years, Qwaul had raised the performance of the disruptors and rted artifacts to near the limit, and done numerous tests before that.
So far, none of Jin¡¯spanions had been able to win against five hundred disruptors.
In the first ce, there was no need to go up to 500, and even Valkas and Cuicantelle could not use their aura properly while dealing with more than 200 disruptors.
But now Jin was not affected by the disruptors.
Rather, as soon as the disruptors were deployed, Jin released tremendous aura and even covered all the people waiting outside the battlefield with new protective shields.
Just like how Ron Hairan protected people from chaos in the war of the Sword Emperor Castle.
¡®Ignoring all disruptors and granting individual shields to hundreds of people is something that cannot be aplished solely with an aura of over 10-star¡¡ It¡¯s not within human capabilities. You¡¯ve returned as a monster, Jin.¡¯
Cuicantelle involuntarily swallowed dry saliva.
Even for her, who remembered Murakan¡¯s prime, the martial arts that Jin shows now was shocking enough.
In a way, she even felt that Jin had already be more terrifying than Murakan back then.
At this rate of growth, even battle prowess would soon reach equal to Murakan, but the judgment and insight had never truly belonged to the young human.
Puzz-!
Suddenly, a blue radiance spread across the battlefield. After the battle began, Smarion¡¯s energy, which had been exceeding Jin¡¯s, was being eaten up by the aura and lightning energy.
[I¡¯m being treated as nothing more than a mere beast. Is this not a fight but a hunt for you?]
Smarion showed displeasure and fired his sword energy toward Jin¡¯spanions.
However, the sword energy seemed to disintegrate in the air before reaching the shields.
It was offset by the energy of Jin that spread inyers.
¡°It would be wise to focus on me. Attempts to threaten me through those outside will only work against you.¡±
Smarion narrowed his eyes.
Now, Jin couldn¡¯t see theposure that Smarion had shown in the beginning, while Jin had a calm face like the first time.
What Jin said was true. Taking hispanions as hostages in a state where he couldn¡¯t handle Jin properly right now was an effective method only until he ¡°arrived at Ghost Castle.¡±
Jin wondered why Smarion hadn¡¯t done that. It was not a sufficient exnation to say that he only had the desire to fight Chiron or that type of human.
¡®Maybe it¡¯s the result of Smarion resisting demonic nature. That¡¯s why mypanions are not dead by the time I arrive.¡¯
It wasn¡¯t a situation where Jin could have a calm conversation about him.
Whether hispanions are unharmed is the result of Smarion¡¯s resistance to demonic nature or not. There was no change in the fact that Jin had to subjugate him.
Even if it was the former, it would mean that Smarion¡¯sst humanity, which remained in demonic nature, was desperately desired.
[It seems I¡¯ve underestimated you after being absent from the world for so long.]
Squeak-!
An afterimage was left where Jin had stood. At the same time, Smarion¡¯s twin swords broke again, and he punched Jin¡¯s sword, which was prating into his chest, with his bare fist.
A deafening ng resounded from the sh between Bradamante and Smarion¡¯s fist.
Others trembled at the powerful shock waves transmitted through the guardian brethren, the dragon fire shield, the divine power of time, and various protective shields.
As they began to speed up the battle, the scars on Smarion¡¯s body increased rapidly. Jin didn¡¯t allow a single effective hit after the disruptors were deployed.
Before long, Smarion changed his tactics.
¡®All attacks have be heavier. He can¡¯t win if he dragged the fight, so he must somehownd a decisive blow.¡¯
The battle of top-notch martial artists had to be delicate and precise.
While most of Smarion¡¯s enlightenment gained during his time as the Ghost Leader had be murky due to demonic nature, his sword still retained the subtlety characteristic of a transcendent individual.
However, Smarion was in the process of breaking down even that remaining subtlety. As soon as he decided that a head-on confrontation was out of the question, he chose to end the both of them.
[Ha, ha, ha!]
Bradamante pierced Smarion¡¯s left shoulder.
At the same time, Smarion thrust the sword in his right hand towards Jin¡¯s chest.
The de prated the shadow force armor and dug into Jin¡¯s chest just a finger¡¯s breadth deep.
The de bears the decades of chaos that Smarion has built up. A murky energy iparable to any poison in the world spread through Jin¡¯s body in an instant.
Of course, Smarion has expected Jin to back down in panic. He thought Jin would vomit blood, bend forward, and struggle to subdue the chaos that had somehow entered his body.
However, Jin didn¡¯t care and exploded the sword stuck in Smarion¡¯s shoulder without a hint of panic.
Jin is a member of the Plutonian tribe. Through this training, Jin went beyond the concept of brethren as a human but also acquired nearly identical physical characteristics to them.
Unless it was the first chaos that Helluram used directly, or a power equivalent to it. All sorts of ¡®general chaos¡¯ in the world could no longer affect Jin. No matter how vast and dense it is.
[It¡¯s ridiculous¡¡. you bastard, what is your true identity?]
Smarion¡¯sst attempt did not work.
Smarion, who increased the distance, gasped for breath with his left arm dropping. As soon as Jin¡¯s shadow force armor was pierced, he concentrated all his energy, but Jin didn¡¯t even look tired, let alone hurt.
If he could somehow deal with Jin alone, he might have been able to escape and n for another day, even with only a fraction of his remaining power.
But in fact, the fight was already over.
Smarion couldn¡¯t think of any other way to threaten Jin. Even now, it was obviously impossible to take hispanions hostage, and there was no way to escape.
¡°You looked for my father when you saw me.¡±
Jin slowly moves towards Smarion.
Smarion was desperate and swung his sword, but Jin effortlessly evaded or parried every strike, demonstrating the disparity in their skills.
¡°When you were the leader of the ghost mercenaries, you must have been much stronger than you are now, but you couldn¡¯t be my father¡¯s opponent.¡±
Only Jin can say that the ghost leader Smarion Proch was stronger back than when he was encroached by chaos.
Without reaching Jin¡¯s level of transcendence, one could never think that way. It is because there is an realm that can never be reached by the demonicization instead of absoluteposure. Even if the power is much greater.
¡°But I wondered why my father, Chiron Runcandel, kept you alive in those days.¡±
-My lord, you probably don¡¯t even know that my father ever had a fight with Sir Chiron.
-My father and the former ghost leader¡¡?
¨C I didn¡¯t see it myself. It was even before I was born. However, the fightsted all day and in the end Sir Chiron won, but for some reason Sir Chiron did not kill my father.
Although Smarion, the leader of the ghost mercenaries, wasn¡¯t controlled by demonic nature, was strong enough to fight Chiron at that time for ¡®a day¡¯, and even after losing the battle, the ghost mercenaries did not give their allegiance to Runcandel.
However, Chiron often visited the ghost castle to inquire about Smarion¡¯s well-being.
¡°After shing swords with you, I have a vague idea of ??why my father did that.¡±
[What are you talking about?]
¡°My father would have respected the fact that you were resisting chaos.¡±
Resistance to chaos and respect for it.
If you think about it, there were many strange points in the fight between Jin and Smarion from the beginning. Smarion was able to open the seal at any time long before Jin arrived.
Therefore, Smarion could annihte the humans who surrounded him at any time until Jin came. Even if most of Tikan¡¯s strongmen were on standby, they would not be able topete with Smarion.
But Smarion did not do that. He rightly said that he waited for someone like Chiron.
A few times, the chaos of Smarion exploded and made the surrounding a mess, and casualties urred in the process, but there was no decisive damage to the Tikan side.
It was only after Jin appeared that Smarion focused all his chaos and bloodlust on him.
Jin felt that there was no reason why Smarion would do that, no matter how he thought it.
Except for one assumption, the premise that ¡®Smarion resisted demonic nature in order not to kill people¡¯.
¡°I¡¯ve decided to assume that you resisted chaos until I arrived. It must be thanks to that your sword has been so blunt all along, and that the Proch siblings and my people did not die.¡±
In other words, Jin spected that Smarion let go of thest thread of resistance as soon as ¡°a being who could kill him¡± appeared.
[Maybe it¡¯s because you are Chiron¡¯s blood, so you are good at talking arrogant nonsense.]
¡°So I would like to pay my respects before ending the fight. Not the monster of chaos standing in front of me right now, but the human Smarion Proch, who defended the Ghost Castle alone from the chaos until yesterday.¡±
Swoosh¡¡!
Suddenly, the aura and lightning energy that covered the battlefield disappeared.
The murky energy of Smarion, which it had tied up, also disappeared. It was Jin¡¯s shadow force that quickly began to fill the space again, and the battlefield, which was chaotic with mixed powers, quickly became quiet.
Within it, chaos rose like an awl a few times, but like a stone thrown into the sea, it seemed to sink into shadow force.
[Damn it¡¡.]
Jin stopped walking and aimed Bradamante at Smarion.
There was no need to use the Shadow Sword ultimate technique.
Gently, as if closing the eyes of a dead person, Bradamante prated Smarion¡¯s chest.
Smarion flinched once and grabbed the de, and Jin calmly stared into his fading red eyes.
Smarion¡¯s eyes were not looking at Jin, who had stabbed him, but at the darkness beyond stained with shadow force.
In a life stained by madness and chaos, the only warm memories were the time when he held Lata and Faye. Even that eventually ended up being years of abuse and violence towards each other.
Smarion was not sentimental as he recalled that time. As Jin expected, the moment he arrived, Smarion lost thest remnants of his humanity.
It was just a coincidence that Smarion focused on his children, or it was like human Smarion¡¯s rigor after death.
But in Jin¡¯s eyes, it seemed like the fateful result of Smarion¡¯s resistance to chaos.
¡°Farewell, Sir Smarion.¡±
Eventually, the fallen Smarion became particles and scattered among the shadow force that filled the battlefield, and Jin briefly paid a silent tribute to him.
[T/L: Join $29 membership on my ¡°buymeacoffee¡± page and read 55 chapters ahead and daily 1 new chapter update. I have introduced a new memberships, and you can read upto 75 or 85 chapters ahead.]
Chapter 637
Chapter 637
C637
He also had to be a Knight born from chaos, the power of the Prophet.
However, his appearance was different from that of the other knights. Instead of the dense, typical ck sensation of Chaos energy, his entire body was tinged with a subtle silver hue. Not even his pupils harbored the ferocity of a bloodthirsty beast.
Rather, they bore the deep and solemn gaze of a Warrior who had reached the pinnacle.
Strong. To the point where there was no need to test it by shing swords.
Jin examined him carefully and searched his memory.
He recalled the description of an ancient patriarch of the Family that he read in the library of Storm Castle.
The ancient patriarch of Runcandel, called the "Lion King" for his long mane that spread in all directions like a mane.
Lionel Runcandel, that was the name of the man who emerged from the mausoleum."The youngest son of Runcandel greets the sixth patriarch of the Family."
Jin showed courtesy to Lionel with a calm attitude.
[Oh, so you recognize me. I''ve heard there are hardly any stories about me left. Admirable.]
Almost all records about him remained in the library of Storm Castle.
Since his time was shortly after Runcandel''s defeat against Zipple, most records about him were erased.
"You said admirable, so can I ask you a question in return?"
[What is it?]
"Unlike other Knights of Chaos, you seem to have clear reason and will, ancestor. In that case, the current state of the Family must not seem very good to you. Which side did you punish with that corpse?"
[Haha! If I don''t take your side, it seems you''ll jump right away.]
"Please answer me."
[I''m just a ghost bound to the summoner. So my job is to punish you. You''re asking the obvious. Well, in my opinion, Rosa''s judgment isn''t so bad.]
"Then I can no longer respect you, Lionel. Even if from now on you endure the shame of being cut by the sword of your descendant, I hope you ept it humbly..."
[You are truly a descendant with great spirit]
The blue mes in Jin''s eyes sharpened.
At the same time, Lionel sliced through the air with a long sword formed by Chaos.
Swoosh...!
Lionel''s light strike distorted space and released a sword energy that had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
The nearby Knights of Chaos were swept away by the force and repulsion generated by his swordsmanship.
Lionel paid no attention to their safety.
Except for Temar and the current patriarch of Runcandel, who was undoubtedly the strongest of all time.
Lionel was full of thoughts that he had to kill the descendant who was obviously the boy who most resembled Cyron.
As Lionel''s sword energy enveloped Jin.
Stam aimed at Jin''s rear and was inwardly astonished.
''Even though hepletely exposed his back... there''s no opening.''
Stam couldn''t recklessly extend his sword against Jin''s exposed back. He was convinced that even if he rushed, the result would be a meaningless battle.
The Twelfth gbearer of the Family, whom he had saved just a few years ago, was revealing the dignity of an absolute Warrior.
Even Jin casually... ''tore'' Lionel''s sword energy.
Not even with a sword, but with bare hands.
"I thought you''d give me the first chance to attack, but it''s shameful."
Swoosh.
Jin was looking at Lionel, who was taller than him, but Lionel felt like his gaze hade from a higher ce.
[Though I''ve lived my whole life in arrogance, I don''t feel secure enough to allow such behavior against you.]
Lionel wasn''t surprised when he saw his sword energy converging on Jin''s hilt and disappearing.
He immediately recognized the fact that Jin was stronger than him.
[Little ones, get out of the way. Staying here won''t pose the slightest threat to him.]
Ran, Vigo, Miu, Anne.
Those four were the ones Lionel referred to as the little ones. They were Knights of Chaos, and they were looking for an opportunity to attack Jin all the time.
"You can''t do that, Lionel. My mother''s orders take precedence."
[Rosa couldn''t have told you to kill him. Can''t you tell heaven from earth? If they don''t want to waste their lives, do as they please.]
Siah-!
Once again, Lionel closed the distance first.
The air shattered as he charged, sending shockwaves, and Jin countered with Bradamante.
In terms of strength, Lionel had the advantage.
When their swords shed, Jin was pushed back, and that was when Stam found his first opportunity to strike.
A small crack spread through the Rune of Myulta and into the breastte of the Shadow Energy Armor.
If Jin hadn''t avoided it, Stam''s sword would have pierced his armor and broken his throat and heart.
Although Jin''s sword touched Lionel''s chest and Stam''s armor, it was clear that Jin was being pushed back in theposition of the first fight.
The three swords, shing several times in a second, produced a rumble and vibration akin to the copse of a mountain or fortress.
The swords of the n guardians stuck in the garden were being erased as a result of the battle of superhumans.
The rusty and shiny swords, which preserved history and pride, were being shattered.
Jin was the only person in this garden whose heart was breaking at the sight.
[You''re strong. Incredibly strong. Can''t you now stand by your mother''s side and fight? With your strength and Rosa''s, you''ll be able to hold the world in your own hands!]
"Lionel, you presented yourself to me as nothing more than a ghost bound to a summoner."
Jin pushed Stam aside and received Lionel''s diagonal sh.
"I say the same. I too am a human bound to the values of the Family. However tempting an easier path may seem, or however sweet the seduction, I cannot stray from those values... The struggle. That is the bitter truth."
[It seems I spoke futile words out of pure regret. However, survival is the essence of the struggle. Your mother fulfills it more faithfully than anyone.]
"I acknowledge that. If Rosa Runcandel belonged to another Family, I would have considered her a remarkable individual."
Zas!
A pale stream of blood spurted from Lionel''s right cheek.
He hadn''t realized the moment Jin''s sword passed through his face. It was the first time in his life that an opponent''s sword hadpletely failed him during a battle.
If he hadn''t reacted instinctively, he might have ended up there and then.
But Lionel wasn''t even surprised.
He only reaffirmed the fact that he was facing an opponent of unprecedented strength, one he had never encountered even in life.
Fear and joy tingled down Lionel''s spine. Stam too was engulfed in a simr sensation.
"Though you possess the power to be an absolute ruler in your era, you still cling to the dream of a mere child. It''s likely that''s why you''ll die here today."
Jin didn''t respond and swung his sword again.
The magnitude of raw power still favored Lionel and Stam. The speed at which the runes and Multa''s armor cracked increased as time passed.
Jin''s breathing also quickened.
On the other hand, Lionel''s and Stam''s swords gradually moved in perfect synchrony.
Every time Lionel created an opening, Stam''s sword pierced the armor without fail.
Blood dripped beneath the helmet.
As expected, facing two people in this state was impossible.
Just a bit more.
Though he had managed to maintainposure at all times, Jin was clearly being pushed back.
Lionel showed no signs of fatigue despite relentlessly using decisive movements to kill, and Stam controlled the flow of battle as if she hadbined Yona''s and Luna''s traits.
Stam was surprisingly silent when striking openings, and overwhelmingly heavy when being attacked.
Because of this, Jin concluded that Stam was a more formidable opponent than Lionel.
"Plus, I''m sure they both have some moves saved."
Jin thought the same.
However, Jin was constantly aware of an uncontroble variable. It would be a waste to y his cards now.
"The Chaos Energy hitting the mes is gradually fading. If this continues, the time I have to endure without ying another card..."
About 5 minutes.
As long as he held out, it would be fine to regain the power of the hellfire protecting the fleeing knights.
That had been Jin''s reason for facing Lionel and Stam only in a power struggle until now.
"Until then, it''s hard to know if I can withstand the attacks of both with pure swordsmanship skill..."
The moment Jin thought that far.
He could feel the chaos energy suddenly weakening, pushing back the hellfire.
And from afar, someone''s aura began to seriously push the chaos energy.
Jorden Runcandel.
He began releasing the power he had stored under the protection of the hellfire.
Roaring, Tess, who protected the knights from above, let out a roar. It was the signal for them to leave the Garden of Swords and head to Kalon.
Jin unconsciously smiled.
Finally...
The hellfire that had filled the Garden of Swords disappeared immediately.
At the same time, Lionel and Stam distanced themselves.
It was because they recognized that Jin''s energy had changed as soon as the mes disappeared.
However, the fire didn''t vanish, but returned to Jin. The fire centered around Jin returned to envelop him in blue light.
When Multa''s rune and shadow force armor were released, Jin''s body was exposed, perfectly reproducing the empress of me.
"Could it be that the hellfire we''ve been facing all this time was only half of his true power...?"
For Lionel and Stam, it waspletely unexpected. They knew the mes were protecting the knights, but they couldn''t believe he couldn''t wield his full power because of it.
It wasn''t because theycked insight.
No one would have guessed that the transcendent fire that had repelled chaos from the entire Garden of Swords all this time was only half the strength.
"Lionel, I think I must tell you something before we end this."
Lionel''s wide eyes trembled with astonishment.
Like a descendant blessed to witness the legend of the me Empress, Sarah Runcandel.
"Unlike you, Lady Sarah fought for Runcandel for a thousand years even after death. Though her entire body was broken and her mind more devastated than that... during those long years, she neverpromised on anything."
Would you still dare to qualify her thousand-year struggle and determination as a mere child''s dream?
Lionel couldn''t choose a response to Jin''s following words.
"I see you can''t answer. That''s why today you''ll face death once again in this ce."
Bradamante rushed towards Lionel and Stam, like the de of a guillotine falling upon a traitor.
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 638
Chapter 638
C638
At that moment, the fleets of each faction gathered in the airspace near Kalon, of the Hufester Alliance, just as Jin had predicted.
And they all watched the drastic changes beginning to unfold in the Garden of Swords.
No, they were watching the dark scene of chaos spreading throughout the city of Kalon.
"This madness... What is this?"
Themander''s room of the gship of the First Fleet, Kozec.
Kadun, unaware, slumped in his chair, unable to look away from Kalon.
Hedo and Octavia, beside him, had simr reactions.
Ever since Ron subdued Gliek in the War of the Sword Emperor Castle, the remnants of chaos had been sowing havoc across the world.However, the level of chaos spreading before them now was unprecedented, unlike anything seen before.
Even the Great Desert of Mitra, used as a dumping ground by the major factions, seemed pristinepared to the chaos emanating from Kalon.
It seemed usible to say that one of the Five Kings of the ck Sea had awakened in Kalon.
"I never imagined that the Garden of Swords would conceal such power. And Runcandel seems to be controlling all of this massive Chaos... Damn, could it be true that the identity of the Prophet is actually the witch Heluram?"
The chaos in Kalon presented apletely different aspect from ordinary contaminated areas.
It spread perfectly purified, without any erratic pattern.
Among the major factions, the one known to have the least technical development through chaos control was Runcandel until yesterday.
Because of this, there were not a few people in the world who rashly assessed that Runcandel was copsing, but that im waspletely wrong.
In the eyes of the leaders of Zipple, Runcandel was, in fact, entering its prime.
The massive chaos spreading throughout the city like a giant snake continued to proliferate ceaselessly as they watched.
But that wasn''t the only difficult-to-ept spectacle.
"Moreover, that fire... belongs to the Twelfth gbearer."
In the midst of the chaos covering Kalon, the area where the Garden of Swords was located, a blue me cut through the chaos.
It was far away, but they could see it. It was Jin Runcandel''s fire.
-And unless the Twelfth gbearer chooses the option to submit to Runcandel with the Vamel Alliance, there will inevitably be a fight in the Garden of Swords.
-He will never make such a choice.
-At that time, we will be able to check the power of Runcandel through his battle.
A conversation they had in the Tower of Histories not long ago.
The power of Runcandel, and the power of Jin that was stirring up in Runcandel''s main house. Both far exceeded their expectations.
Amidst a chill down his spine, Kadun turned his gaze to Hedo.
"Hedo, you were right. If we hadn''t prepared for a total attack, we wouldn''t have even known they were umting such dreadful power."
"If Runcandel had finished umting his power to satisfaction, then he would suddenly unleash it upon us without warning. If we weren''t properly prepared at that time... I can''t help but think that day would have been our downfall," Octavia intervened in Kodan''s narration.
Hedo silently watched Jin''s fire.
Despite appearing as small as a fingernail due to the distance, if Jin wished it, the blue mes could tear through the Chaos and incinerate everything up to where they stood.
I don''t sense the power of Murakan that worried Kadun-nim... Does it mean he''s fighting alone in the Garden of Swords?
Just as Lionel and Stam were experiencing in real time Jin''s level increase during the battle, the three of them had the same feeling.
"Kadun-nim."
A magician entered themander''s room.
"I just confirmed the position of the Kinzelo fleet."
The Kinzelo fleet is approaching from the opposite direction of Zipple.
With Kalon at the center, the fleets of the two forces on both sides were gradually closing the distance towards Runcandel.
"What''s the size?"
"Starting with the gship of the First Fleet, Grenille, Zion, Kiki, Alice, and Criul. The five main fleets have been observed."
Kozec, Kozec 2, Lucia, Andion, Pistro, Arcadia.
Likewise, Zipple brought together all six strongest fleets and gship of the n.
The strongest andrgest forces in the world were gathered in one ce.
Soon, Kadun stood up as if he had made a decision.
"Immediately transmit to Kinzelo."
The reporter, who perceived the order, bowed heavily.
"Let us form a temporary alliance and together attack the Garden of Swords. Today we will destroy Runcandel with them...!"
The reporter left themander''s room.
What will they do if Kinzelo rejects the proposal?
Hedo, Octavia, and the scribes did not ask Kadun such a question.
Because they were sure that Kinzelo could not refuse. Zipple and Kinzelo considered their powers to be roughly equal at that moment.
This meant that neither of them could face Runcandel alone. The difference wasn''t even significant enough to express it as "they didn''t know until they fought".
The power of Runcandel, witnessed by the leaders of each faction, was at a level they could never win without joining forces when the opportunity arose.
"By the way, I''m curious about one thing. Why did they keep their power hidden until now... It would have cost us a lot to resist if they hadunched arge-scale attack at any moment," said Hedo, exhaling cigarette smoke.
"Either they judged that it was still not enough to cleanly defeat us and Kinzelo separately, or there may be dangers and limitations we are unaware of, or there could be some issue between Rosa and the Prophet."
"It feels too overwhelming to simply exercise caution."
"I''m curious about that too, but we can''t back down."
"I believe so too, Kadun-nim. The Twelfth gbearer has stirred up internal strife, and I don''t think there''s a better opportunity than now to cooperate with Kinzelo."
An hour passed since the magician sent by Kadun arrived at the Kinzelo fleet.
Even then, the battle between Jin, Lionel, and Stam continued.
Just an hour ago, Jin''s infernal me seemed to gradually break through the chaos covering the Garden of Swords, but now it seemed that the chaos struggled to suppress the mes.
Just like the chaos spreading beyond Kalon throughout Huphester, the me kept growing in size.
"Among those remaining in Runcandel at this moment, the only person who can handle such a battle is the ck Panther. Leader, in my opinion, this is an opportunity that will note again. The ck Panther will surely be with the Prophet, and when the battle ends, there will surely be a blow to all the Chaos covering the Garden of Swords."
Upon Berakt''s words, Orgal shook his head.
[Berakt, it''s not Rosa Runcandel who is facing the Twelfth gbearer.]
"You said it wasn''t Rosa Runcandel?"
[The Prophet must have summoned the old swordsmen of Runcandel. Using the city residents as sacrifices. If Rosa Runcandel had been directly involved in the battle, the Chaos that had already tainted Kalon would have shown signs of instability. All that chaos spreading is through Rosa Runcandel as a medium...]
The leader was certain. All residents of Runcandel City, Kalon, without exception, had already be materials for the creation of Chaos.
This time, not even Bouvard and Ainas could utter any foolishments.
Runcandel, soaked in Chaos, instilled intense fear even in those fools.
"Huh, does that mean they can keep summoning such formidable beings in the future?"
[If the materials are sufficient, probably... any amount.]
"All right, Leader. Then... wouldn''t it be prudent to ept Zipple''s offer of a temporary alliance?"
[So we shall, Joe. You should go immediately and prepare the Golems of the Tribe of Legends.]
"Got it!"
There was silence for a while.
-[The vice leader''s opinion is correct. Perhaps Zipple had a simr n. When Jin and Runcandel receive a heavy blow, if we and Zipple strike together at Runcandel. I don''t think it will be easy to handle, as powerful as the Garden of Swords may be].
While Joe was away, Orgal recalled what he had said in a meeting not long ago.
Those words needed to be corrected.
[Today, even if we and Zipple join forces, it is impossible topletely destroy Runcandel].
"You don''t want to end the Prophet, do you?"
[Zephyrin, you keep acting recklessly.]
"Tsk. Can I mess around in front of anyone other than the master?"
[Her life or death isn''t so important to me. What matters is that we''re in a slightly different position from Zipple right now. We proceed with the war in a direction that inflicts damage to both Zipple and Runcandel. It seems necessary to suppress the power of both sides to gain time.]
"Of course, if we don''t want that to be noticed, we have to be prepared to lose quite a bit, right?".
Upon Margie''s words, Orgal nodded.
[Additionally, the second objective is Jin Runcandel''s survival.]
"Pardon?" eximed Zephyrin, and Margie''s eyes sparkled.
[Even now, don''t you see? He''s very valuable for containing both Runcandel and Zipple in the future. He must not die here.]
"Why don''t you think Jin Runcandel could ultimately end us too?"
[Zephyrin.]
"Why, why, why do you see it that way?"
[You seem scared.]
Zephyrin snorted.
"Yes, I''m a little scared. It''s because my wicked master is showing a very insignificant appearance."
[Don''t worry too much.]
"All right, then can you at least help me restore my dignity?"
[Zephyrin, you will lead the vanguard. You can use my power as much as you want, so make sure to inflict irreparable wounds on your enemies.]
At the moment Orgal said that. Suddenly, the sky above the fleets of the major factions began to darken.
And in that sky, a woman''s voice resounded, as if speaking as a God.
[Zipple, and Kinzelo. I''ve been very ufortable because I haven''t been able to smash you as I wanted...]
It was Rosa Runcandel''s voice.
[But now you''re staining even thest reunion with my son. You will have to pay for it. If you think you can''t bear it, I suggest you flee right now]
As soon as she finished speaking, a gigantic battleship descended from the ck sky from atop Kalon.
[If you can...]
-
Chapter 639
Chapter 639
C639
A ck ship that seemed to trample the sky as it floated.
With a hull length of nearly 5 km, "Ram"pletely overwhelmed other battleships in the sky with its size.
"Is that... a battleship?". Octavia spoke with an incredulous voice.
As she said, Ram''s shape was more like an "airborne fortress," like the main hall of the battle gods'' hall than a flying ship.
It wasn''t a battleship, but rather it looked like an entire ck ind floating in the air.
"When did Runckandel manage to create something like that...!". Kardun eximed through gritted teeth.
The main factions, who had visited Hufester with great vigor, once again felt their blood freeze at the hidden power of Runcandel.
It was almost despairing.How much did we really know about Runcandel until now?
The leaders of each faction could only ask themselves the same question.
''We knew nothing... absolutely nothing...! How could we be so unaware of the terrifying power they hid''!
Regret was useless.
"....I was wrong. We shouldn''t havee to Hufester," Hedo quickly admitted, realizing that his decision to prepare for a total attack had been wrong.
"It''s not your mistake. Kelliark also gave his final approval himself, believing that judgment was correct. It''s the mistake of all of us, who had no idea of their power until now. Damn it! Even fleet rotation seems difficult."
They were already too deep into enemy territory to retreat.
Even far behind each fleet, the sky was ck as coal. Chaos energy blocked the battleships'' way back.
It was also confirmed that the fleet was being drawn towards Ram beyond the rotation disruption. Zipple was forced to make a decision.
Stay and fight.
Ram''s attack had not yet begun.
It overwhelmed just by its energy and appearance, but they wouldn''t know until they joined.
The main factions also brought out their maximum firepower.
"If we try to retreat by force, we''ll only get unterally attacked. Moreover, there must be limitations in operating such a huge battleship. We must find and exploit those limitations somehow. Kinzelo must be thinking the same."
Kinzelo was thinking exactly what Kardun said.
[This is unexpected even for me. To think they have already created something like this. Was the despair harbored by Rosa Runcandel and Joshua Runcandel really of such magnitude? It''s truly a manifestation of the evil god...]
Orgal was the only one who had seen Ram firsthand in the past.
At that time, Orgal hade to the conclusion that not even he, at his best, could withstand Ram''s firepower.
If there was any hope in despair, it was that Orgal believed Ram was not yetplete.
[Jin Runcandel, it all depends on him]
"Leader, what do you mean by that?"
"Master?"
[Although it''s not yetplete, as long as Ram exists, neither us nor Zipple can prate the airspace and enter the Garden of Swords. Retreat would only result in great losses]
The leader''s dimensional portal was also affected by chaos. Chaos put restrictions on all kinds of transfer portals, like Mort''s dimensional movement and the red owl''s spatial jump.
If the dimensional portal were forced open, Kinzelo would suffer catastrophic damage without being able to inflict any significant blows to Runcandel in the meantime.
[The only one fighting from within is Jin Runcandel. We can only hope he can strike a blow at Ram''s power. Neither attacking nor retreating. Only then will it make sense]
Ram''s power.
The Chaos enveloping the entire Garden of Swords centered on Rosa Runcandel.
There had to be a problem with that.
So that Zipple and Kinzelo could gain even a little ground and n their next move.
[I''ll give new orders. The entire fleet responds to Ram and supports Jin Runcandel. Saving him is our top priority].
Directing the war to inflict damage on both Zipple and Runcandel.
Orgal quickly reversed this order.
He judged that if Jin died without reaching Ram''s power, then the only result the giant forces would receive would be catastrophe.
Thus, the aerial battle between the two main factions and Runcandel began.
Of course, it was Ram who initiated the preemptive strike.
The center of Ram''s hull distorted like a whirlpool, gathering Chaos energy.
The main cannon, typical armament of a conventional battleship, was unleashed by Ram.
But the next moment, Ram''s onught surpassed in scale all known types of cannons in the world.
It seemed to mock anyparison.
Kwaaaaah...!
The ck streak dividing the sky first struck Zipple''s fleet.
Kadun, who had already transformed into his true form and hade out of the battleship, had to spread the mes with all his might from the beginning.
The battleships were close to each other, deploying a protective shield.
The protective shield containing all of Zipple''s technology and mana seemed to fight against the ck energy thrown by Ram.
But in a matter of seconds, they were mercilessly torn apart.
The shield centered around the gship of the second fleet, Kozec 2, was the first to break.
Kadun and the other strong ones, along with nearby fleets, had no time to intervene.
[Ahhh......!]
Kadun''s roar was drowned out by the thunderous destruction of the fleet.
Rosa, standing at the front of Ram, let out augh at the sight.
[It''s so good to see you fighting like bugs... Zipple''s Fire Dragon].
Rosa''s voice trembled slightly, as if she were invaded by ecstasy. However, the Prophet felt uneasy about her behavior.
''The speed at which your mind copses is too slow. I''m showing everything, but why do you still distrust my power, Rosa Runcandel...''
A single cannon st silenced Kozec 2 and brought Zipple''s Second Fleet almost to annihtion.
The current power of Ram that the Prophet anticipated was at least 50% greater than that.
It was not fully realized due to Rosa''s caution towards her.
Rosa saw through the Prophet''s internal thoughtspletely.
[I guess you were bothered that I distrusted fully assimting you despite you demonstrating such a level of capability].
"It''s not that."
[The day will nevere when Runcandel ispletely subordinated to you. All you have to do is provide power. You''re just a parasite feeding off my Family...]
"Ha, it''s regrettable that you reject a more effective path. You always do."
[It all depends on my judgment. Don''t forget you''re nothing more than a servant of the Family, Ilina Runcandel. Is my younger son still there?]
"Since Stam and Lionel-nim are there, it will be resolved soon......."
[That alone won''t be enough, surely you know that. You expect me to take matters into my own hands]
The Prophet inclined her head.
Rosa was definitely on a different level than Joshua. The Prophet couldn''t control her in the slightest.
[This is yourst chance. If, after today, you dare to question me again, even once... I will terminate our contract.]
"I''m sorry."
[Call it.]
When Ram''s first discharge ended, scales covered Kadun''s entire body, and he was breathing heavily.
For the first time in his life. He felt a sense ofplete loss of will to fight.
A feeling he hadn''t even felt when facing Murakan a thousand years ago shook his core.
However, Kadun gathered fiery breath with all his might. If it had been any other dragon but him, they would never have done it.
[Sheenu''s protection will be with us...!]
As Kadun charged, Zipple''s fleet also advanced at the same speed using Ram''s gravitational pull.
Indeed, they also had potential.
The spot where Kozec 2 disappeared was filled with a new fleet of Specters that had been summoned before anyone realized it, and the shield that had copsed due to Ram''s attack was instantly restored.
They all relied on the fire emitted by Kadun.
Hedo, along with Octavia, rode on the Salion Wind Dragon and shot sword energy, and after that, the Specter performed chain magic.
Ram''s main cannon took some time to be ready again. As far as they could see with their eyes, the speed at which Chaos energy umted in Ram was not very fast.
From the rear, Kinzelo charged.
Unlike Zipple, which had withstood Ram''s attack, they had not yet suffered any damage.
Zephyrin, who was at the vanguard, wasrger than ever.
She was drawing upon all the power of Orgal, which she had not been able to use due to the restrictions.
However, since Orgal had not fully recovered yet, there were obviously limits.
About an hour.
Although not too long, during that time, she could engage in battle as one who approached the strongest in the Demon World.
Therefore, Zephyrin was filled with confidence.
Unlike those stupid bastards of Zipple who didn''t bring Kelliark, she was quite sure that she would be able to deal a decent blow to Runcandel.
Until Ram unleashed what it held within.
[Didn''t I tell you, Zephyrin? Before Jin Runcandel creates a variable on the ground, you won''t be able to strike at Ram. Don''t be greedy.]
[Damn it, Master! What else is that?]
[Chaos, its creatures...]
Aaaaaaagh-! Aww!
Hundreds of Dragons burst forth from Ram''s hull.
The creatures of Heluram that should be called ''Chaos Dragons''. And simrly, there were hundreds of ck ships.
The Chaos Dragon and the ck Ship escorted Ram.
Constantly breathing and firing its main cannon, and extending a shield to withstand the attacks of the two main factions.
The entire sky burned in chaos.
The war scene did not seem like a battle between humans, but rather mortals fighting against an evil god.
The Chaos Dragons let out grotesque cries as they bit into Zephyrin and the fleet.
Amidst explosions of blood, flesh, chaos, and bones everywhere,
Orgal looked down, in the midst of the Garden of Swords.
Jin''s Hellfire me faded.
-----------------
Ha~...!
Jin gasped and looked at the fallen.
Stam had stopped moving and only half of his body remained, and Lionel was on one knee, coughing up blood foam.
''Lionel''s Final Movements were definitely dangerous... Even if his mind was corrupted, a patriarch was still a patriarch.''
Jin''s wounds were revealed among the broken Myulta Runes and armor.
It was true that his stamina had been rapidly depleted, but not to the point of being unable to continue fighting.
Before going to finish off Lionel, Jin looked up at the sky.
He saw Ram, the Chaos Dragon, the ck Ship, and the fleet of the main factions fighting below him.
''Let''s go against those things... I don''t know if the Chief Elder will be able to survive.''
Just like those outside, Jin was getting a little nervous about the unexpected strength of the Family.
Even at a nce, it seemed that the two main factions were already being pushed back.
Lionel raised his head.
[You''re the strongest descendant of Runcandel I''ve personally faced... You were born in the wrong era. If there had been someone like you in my era... then the Evil God wouldn''t have been born in our Family]
Jin didn''t respond but approached Lionel and decapitated him.
Then, as he tried to locate the Prophet, Lionel''s severed head kept talking.
[Moreover, the heroes of the Family wouldn''t have to fight such a dishonorable battle against their brightest descendant...]
Jin felt the energy of another old hero appearing from the mausoleum.
It was an energy that Jin had already seen once.
-
Chapter 640
Chapter 640
C640
The weak blue glow illuminating Lionel''s body faded.
His soul departed.
Lionel''s body, now devoid of soul, turned into a shadowy, dark form like other masses of Chaos.
The soul went to the mausoleum like the wind.
Jin immediately unleashed the Shadow Sword, guessing it was the key to summoning Lionel againter.
Upon touching the de, a distinct sensation urred, as if cutting through flesh, yet the soul kept returning even as it was being torn apart.
Lionel will reappear.
However, it wasn''t Lionel who was the issue now, but the owner of the new energy emanating from the mausoleum."This energy..."
A blue energy like the lightning energy of the Legends surged from the distant chaos.
The energy of one of the ten great knights Jin saw at Temar''s Tomb in the past.
Padler Runcandel.
The second Knight summoned from the mausoleum was Padler.
Like Lionel, he too possessed a body glowing with a faint light.
There seemed to be some difference between ordinary Chaos summonings and Lionel and Padler.
"I, one of the ten great Knights, Padler Runcandel, have been granted the name Runcandel by the Patriarch and have enjoyed infinite glory since then. I will atone for the attack on the Patriarch, even after my death."
Upon seeing Padler, Jin recalled what had been said on the recording device.
A thousand years ago, when Temar was consumed by Chaos and Murakan decided to kill Temar, who was in the ck Sea Tower, he was one of the two Knights Murakan took with him.
Jin didn''t know much about Padler.
All he had seen were some fragmentary aspects in the records left by Solderet.
But one thing was certain.
It was an undeniable fact that Padler should never have been here.
First of all, none of the ten great knights were enshrined in the mausoleum.
Not only in the mausoleum, but nowhere in the Garden of Swords could mention of them be found.
Zipple hadpletely erased their history.
The ten great knights Jin had encountered so far had be guardians of Themer''s tomb, waging a solitary war for a long time.
"The Garden of Swords has announced the discovery of Temar Runcandel''s legacy, the First Patriarch... No specific details have been revealed, but it indicates a firm determination to reim the forgotten history of the Family."
A phrase suddenly appeared in Jin''s mind.
"The fifth tomb of Temar... Sir Padler, probably guarded it."
The Prophet was using Padler, who was the guardian of the Fifth Tomb.
Either the Family reached Temar''s tomb before Valeria, or they attacked whoever found the tomb.
In any case, Jin felt like his heart was about to rot.
As Padler approached, the bodies of Ran, Vigo, Miu, and Anne, who had been pushed away after the battle, disintegrated into particles.
Their particles seemed to flow towards Padler.
They became a material to summon Padler.
However, Jin didn''t think of it as the death of the four.
"....Padler Runcandel-nim. You may not know me, but I know you."
[No, I know you. Jin Runcandel, the Twelfth gbearer of the current Runcandel. Ilina spoke to me about you.]
"What did she say about me?"
[You are someone who resembles the man who was my lord, Temar Runcandel.]
"I''ve often heard suchments."
[But I have very few memories of him.]
"I thought I might hear stories from that time, but it''s a pity about what you said. Then, the reason you block my path now is... for Runcandel?".
Padler raised his eyebrows as if he had heard something strange.
[Jin Runcandel. You revered someone, devoted your kingdom and your whole being to them, and then they betray you... Can you fight for them?]
Jin didn''t respond and made eye contact with Padler.
ck tears sprouted from his eyes like dead blood.
[I only remember one thing about Temar Runcandel. He ended up destroying my kingdom, Idal, with his own hands, leaving not a handful ofnd or life behind.]
Padler Runcandel. Originally he was not a pure-blooded Runcandel. Like Sylderay, he was influenced by Temar and given the name Runcandel.
His real name was Padler Idal.
King of the Idal Kingdom that existed a thousand years ago, a magical swordsman called the "Blue Thunder King," and an umon genius who perfected the magic sword considered exclusive to Runcandel.
Jin couldn''t tell if Padler''s words were true or false, or if the story was made up.
But it seemed like no word could quell the hatred filling his heart.
[What I desire is not the rebirth of Runcandel, but its corruption and downfall. Descendant of Temar, your mother. This power that chose Rosa Runcandel will ultimately lead Runcandel to ruin.]
"Before meeting you, sir, I met Sylderay and Sarah-nim in Temar''s Tomb. Although to be exact, they were guardians made with a soul. I glimpsed them too, sir, and they were speaking on Solderet''s recording device. They...."
[You mean they were different from me? Because you want to impose sacrifices on me too?].
A satisfied smile formed on Padler''s face.
"Do you remember them?"
[I don''t. I don''t remember and I don''t want to.]
Seureung...
Padler slowly unsheathed his sword.
''Silus'', the sword symbolizing his thousand-year-old blue thunder, emitted blue light.
The sword was not forged by Chaos energy, but by what existed a thousand years ago.
[I will defeat you today and get my revenge against Temar, and that''s my only reason for bing a demon. I have no personal grudge against you.]
"I don''t know everything about what happened a thousand years ago, Padler-nim. And when I mentioned Sylderay and Sarah-nim, it wasn''t to say you should be like them."
Jin closed his eyes tightly.
"...I just wanted to say that you seemed to deeply appreciate each other, sir. Probably in your memory would be the time before the fall of the Idal kingdom."
-[Before you came, I killed them all. To be exact, I swept them away with Padler. You''rete again. Where have you been this time?]
-[Padler is a bit injured. I''m as strong as ever, but that weakling probably should be trained by you or the patriarch.]
-What the hell, shouldn''t you stop using expressions like "melting people"?
-For me, people are only those who are not enemies of Runcandel, weakling. Don''t act surprised when you find out.
-Still, it doesn''t seem good for you emotionally.
-Am I a teenager? Take care of your health instead of worrying about my emotions.
The words Jin heard when facing the guardian Sarah and the conversations he saw on the recording device.
Sarah and Padler seemed to have a particrly close rtionship, almost lovers rather than merepanions.
But now, Padler was devoid of all enthusiasm, even as he looked around at the remnants of Hellfire.
When Jin opened his eyes again, he gripped Bradamante.
It''s already possible to reopen Hellfire. He had lost the resistance from the previous battle, but that posed no problem.
However, it was too cruel to stab Padler with the sword inherited from Sarah.
Regardless of the circumstances Jin was unaware of, even considering Sarah, who was the first to utter Padler''s name upon awakening after a thousand years.
[The camaraderie we once shared cannot rece my lost wholeness.]
Jin nodded sadly.
"To cut you down today goes beyond discerning truth from falsehood, sir... It''s because I see it as the path for your own good, sir. Please, don''t me your poor descendants for their inevitable choices."
Padler clearly died a thousand years ago.
The life of the dead awakened by Chaos was only filled with useless hatred.
The only thing Jin could do for Padler was to quickly stop the time that dragged him like a broken carriage.
[Sure, they say you resemble Temar, yet you speak such arrogant words. How dare you want to cut me down with that tired body...]
As he said, Padler was not someone Jin could handle alone in a tired state.
He was one of the ten strongest knights, who always fought alongside Sarah. What that fact meant was simple.
Sarah, who was mentioned as the strongest among the ten great knights, thought of him as the most reliablepanion.
Even if Jin''s physical condition were normal, he wouldn''t have been able to guarantee victory.
"Also, don''t me me for not being able to handle him alone, sir."
Shadow Energy enveloped Bradamante.
Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique.
ck Light Call.
Bradamante''s ck de cut through the chaos-filled air.
Then, as always, following the path carved by the de, a ck gate opened leading to Lafrarosa.
Jin was nervous.
A Battle King had to be invoked to subdue Padler as soon as possible and receive help in the subsequent battle and even escape.
Although summoning an ordinary warrior would undoubtedly be of great help, Jin had to bet too much on the fight against Padler.
Fortunately, upon seeing the summoned brother, Jin sighed inwardly.
A great bow, incredibly huge for a weapon used by humans, the ''Godyer'' shot lightning bolts.
The Tenth Battle King of the Tribe of Legends, Kaio. He wasing out of the portal created by the ck Light Call.
"Forgive me for calling you, Brother Kaio."
"Brother Jin, has the timee when you need the strength of the other brothers even after bing a Battle King?".
He seemed to speak straightforwardly, but after Jin left, Kaio was wishing for such a moment toe before anyone else.
Just as Jin still harbored a feeling of guilt towards him, Kaio felt the same.
Although the brothers don''t keep count.
"Anyway, this is what it feels like to be chosen. I am Kaio, the Tenth Battle King of the Great Tribe of Legends. I came to this world by my brother''s call, so name the enemy."
Kaio suddenly stopped talking.
He recognized Padler''s lightning bolts, which resembled the energy of the Tribe of Legends.
"A human who wields powers simr to ours... Could it be that you are the descendant of Temar''s humanpanion called the Blue Thunder King?".
-
Chapter 641
Chapter 641
C641
Padler brandished his sword instead of replying.
Along with the sword, a blue thunder surged from behind him like a storm.
It was as if a sea of lightning spread from Padler out of nowhere.
Kaio quickly shot a series of arrows to counter the rushing blue thunder.
The space, tinged with chaos, was illuminated by the intermingled blue energies.
"Looking at you again, it seems you''re not a descendant but his ghost. Were you called Padler Runcandel?".
[I no longer use that name]
The Godyer''s arrow pierced through a blue thunder and aimed at the charging Padler.Kaio calmly distanced himself, while Jin plunged into the fray to intercept Padler in his pursuit.
The sword standing in Silus''s way was Sigmund, not Bradamante.
After switching swords, Jin''s entire body filled with lightning energy.
Aura-based lightning energy, mana-based blue thunder.
Though the lightning emitted by the three individuals was entirely different, they appeared exactly the same.
"I don''t know why you became a ghost, but your murderous intent runs deep. Although my memories of Temar aren''tplete, he seemed to hold you in high regard."
[I''ve also forgotten many things. However, I didn''t hear members of the Tribe of Legends talk much. Why do you need a long chat? You just have to face my weapon].
Quick and precise.
If you could summarize Padler''s sword in two words, those would be it.
The only downside to his swordsmanship reaching the realm of transcendence was its destructive power, but even that was surpassed with the addition of the blue thunder.
Kaio fought at mid-range, while Jin fought up close.
Therefore, both Jin and Padler fought with Kaio in mind.
Padler was convinced he had to defeat Kaio to aim at Jin, while Jin believed Kaio had to remain unharmed for what woulde next.
And the battle with Padler wasn''t thest.
''I have to finish it before Kaio tires.''
''I have to quickly kill that Legend called Kaio so I can face Jin.''
They didn''t need to check each other''s strength.
All three were exerting all their might from the beginning.
The ground and sky screamed each time swords, arrows, and lightning shed, as if they were turned upside down.
As if the sun rose over the rotten sea, the rays of the three tore through the chaos in the Garden of Swords.
If this sight wasn''t a battle between the ancestor from a thousand years ago and the current descendant... but resembled a bright light that purified the Family.
It couldn''t have been better.
The inevitable reality scratched at Jin''s insides.
That fact made Jin suffer even more than the blue thunder stabbing through his entire body.
As Padler was a person from a thousand years ago, Jin had never felt a true connection with him.
He had only glimpsed some of his records as an observer.
Still, it felt as if he was cutting down an intimate friend with whom he had been very close until yesterday, with whom he had a deep connection.
[Argh!]
Padler didn''t feel such pain.
It was true he had no personal feelings toward Jin before they crossed swords.
However, he didn''t see Jin as a distant descendant in the first ce but as a manifestation of Temar, the Runcandel of those days.
You also lose everything.
Padler''s dark eyes said it all.
"Brother Jin!"
Blood spurted from Jin''s neck.
The Rune of Mtulta is nowpletely broken and has no function.
Even if it were fine, it would have no meaning against one of the ancient ten great knights.
The wound wasn''t deep.
But if it had been a little deeper, it would have led straight to death.
It was only at that moment, as he watched the drops of blood scatter through the air, that Jin realized the unnecessary emotions dwelling within him during the fight.
Sympathy, pity, guilt, orplex emotions hard to articte. Padler wasn''t an opponent one could face with such feelings.
It''s not just about doing your best, but having the tenacity to finish him off.
Jin knew it better than anyone.
Jin''s body transcended the human limit, but not his mind.
Whether Padler''s words were true or not, there''s no doubt he gave his all for the ancient Runcandel.
But, as Padler said, the camaraderie they once shared couldn''t rece their total loss.
He can''t defend him, whose heart that once protected the Family has turned into a ghost.
Jin can understand this situation as much as he wants under normal circumstances.
But now, Jin faced Padler as the next patriarch of Runcandel.
Regardless of the reasons, harboring somber feelings toward someone intent on destroying the n was uneptable.
"There''s onest thing I want to ask, Padler-nim. Do you have any intention of stopping now?"
[None at all.]
"Then I will eliminate you not as a descendant of Temar, but as a member of the current Runcandel."
Jin closed his eyes for a moment.
In that fleeting instant his eyelids shut, the feeling directed toward Padler shut as well.
Before he opened his eyes again, Padler was unleashing the magical sword he had created.
Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique, Secret Sword Technique of Runcandel - Thunder of Retribution - Padler Runcandel
A magical sword secret technique paired with the Hellfire of Empress ma Sarah Runcandel.
At a nce, Jin and Kaio could think of the sword that was the basis of this technique.
The Hellfire and Thunder of Retribution were finallypleted after Temar taught the ten great knights how to use the Sword of Legends.
Kaio''s eyes hardened.
"So you too have spent your life chasing the shadow of the Absolute."
Kaio had also dedicated his life to reaching that sword.
To resemble the Sword of the God of Battle.
"But that''s a realm that can never be reached unless it''s the original."
Against the Thunder of Retribution, Kaio unleashed the tenth mystic technique of the battle king, ''tsunami.''
The lightning that started with Padler and Kaio took such an identical form that it could be called the same technique.
The process of those who want to rise to the top will eventually give birth to simr results.
"Do you mean you''re the original member of the Tribe of Legends?"
"No. I simply wish to pay my respects. To acknowledge that someone who was never a member of the Legends is fighting in the same way as I am."
If there was a difference between Kaio and Padler, it was the "body."
The lightning energy symbolizing the Tribe of Legends needed a body that could handle it.
Just as a blessed body is needed to use Runcandel''s Final Movements.
"But can you withstand it? With that defenseless human body of yours?"
That''s why Padler''s oldrades called him a weakling.
His sword was covering up his inherent ws with his life as coteral.
"I''ve already died once anyway; you keep saying useless things."
Kaio smiled.
Unlike Jin, he harbored no special feelings towards Padler.
He simply took satisfaction in having a strong opponent in front of him, fighting for his brother.
The tsunami and Thunder of Retribution ovepped.
Jin kept preventing Padler from closing the distance with Kaio.
It was about increasing strength while enduring until Padler''s energy was fully consumed.
From then on, Padler began pressing Jin instead of Kaio, and Kaio seemed to be covering Jin with all his might.
As a result, wounds were forming on Kaio''s body.
If they had maintained the samebined formation as before, Padler would have been the one to start suffering significant injuries.
''It''s not efficient.''
At first nce, that seemed it. Padler couldn''t help but specte. There must be a reason for this inefficient offensive attack.
It probably has to do with the energy currently shining in Jin''s illuminated heart.
Of course, even that was overwhelmingly vast power.
But for now, it was just that.
As Kaio hinted, Padler never thought that this power could be sublimated to the "original."
Because Jin wasn''t a Genesis Knight.
It was unlikely that Jin could disy the pinnacle realm that not even he had ever stepped into, the realm that only Temar had reached a thousand years ago.
However, by the time the tsunami and Thunder of Retribution reached their climax, Kaio said confidently:
"Brother Jin, show your ghostly ancestor now."
The original peak sword.
Kaio continued with his words, and the energy from Jin''s illuminated heart began to explode in all directions.
Sword of the God of Battle, Tenth Movement.
Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends - Unleashed
In an instant, the tsunami and Thunder of Retribution stopped moving; it was as if the fighting beasts faltered at the sight of a greater beast.
Jin didn''t stop there; he opened the next form, Sword of the God of Battle, Tenth Movement, Second form, Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends - War.
Sigmund had a strong will to annihte those who opposed the plutonian tribe.
Kaio breathed proudly, and Padler briefly looked at Jin with a stiff body.
Now he saw Jin''s own Temar, and soon realized it was just an illusion.
The man in front of him wasn''t Temar or a member of the ancient Runcandel.
It was Jin Runcandel. Not someone from a thousand years ago like him, but a shining Runcandel living right now.
''But... nothing changes.''
Padler didn''t feel moved or frightened by the vision.
Nothing changes; the determination to eliminate him and witness Runcandel''s downfall didn''t waver in the slightest.
The clouds that had gathered ording to Jin''s will covered Ram, which oppressed the sky.
Rosa, the Prophet, and the main factions attacking Hufester were able to witness that spectacle.
"Even if my body and soul cannot remain in the abyss of heaven and hell, even if my name and all that I have lost are erased from this world once more."
The light from the Thunder of Retribution, which began to fluctuate again, spread even brighter.
The renewed Thunder of Retribution transcended all the swords Padler had used during his lifetime.
"I won''t let you save Runcandel."
Suddenly, a faint memory surfaced in Padler''s mind.
It seemed like a long time ago, he had spoken simr words to what he had just said.
-Even if my body and mind, and those I love, ultimately vanishpletely from this world. Even if all that remains in the end is despair and nightmares. I will protect Runcandel with you.
For some reason, what Padler said at that time spread like a distant echo inside Jin.
However, Jin didn''t stop the sword.
Tears welled up in Jin''s eyes, soaked with lightning energy, and Padler''s eyes filled with infinite emptiness.
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 642
Chapter 642
C642
Ah...!
The lightning struck where Sigmund and Silus'' swords shed. They showed no signs of backing down, even as they were struck by the lightning from the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends spewed by the clouds and the blue thunder poured by the Thunder of Retribution.
On the contrary, they advanced towards each other with more ferocity and speed.
The aftermath of their battle now ravaged the entire Garden of Swords.
The storm of their sword energies had spread beyond the graves where the swords of the ancestral guardians were embedded, reaching the outer walls and the main house.
Kaio, who began attacking again, was not affected by the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends.
Instead, he seemed to empower the killer god with Jin''s lightning energy, resonating with the energy of the battle god.
Still, all of Kalon was eroded by chaos, but the Chaos energy could no longer be found in the Garden of Swords.It was because Jin''s, Kaio''s, and Padler''s lightning had erased the Chaos from the Garden of Swords.
But to Jin, seeing the now bright blue garden of swords seemed more distressing than when it was filled with chaos.
[Ahhhh......!]
Padler roared. His body was being torn apart.
He had a hole in his left cheek, while his waist twisted and split, emitting gruesome sounds of bones breaking and readjusting.
Just then, a giant arrow from the godyer pierced through the center of his chest.
Through the hole in his chest, the lightning behind him could be seen.
Still, Padler did not fall and swung his sword again. His body, which should have died and stopped more than ten times over, only emitted more formidable power with each strike.
Where do I have to cut to finish him?
It seemed like he wouldn''t stop even if his neck fell off.
It seemed like he would only stop if everything thatposed Padler''s body was destroyed: his blood, his flesh, and even thest bit of bone.
"Stubborn ghost..." Kaio said as he drew the string of his bow.
The word "stubborn" did not refer to the Chaos energy thatposed Padler.
It referred to a special condition Padler was going through.
Transcendence.
The transcendence of a Warrior surpassing limits while facing a formidable enemy, allowing Padler to keep wielding his sword despite being torn apart.
Just like Ron Hairan had transcended the fate of death in the War of the Sword Emperor Castle... Padler was also pushing past the limit as he shed swords with Jin.
''Temar. I can see it now too... the next level.''
With each passing second, Padler felt his body growing lighter.
It seemed like the destructive power of the original Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends, which dominated the Thunder of Retribution initially, no longer seemed like a threat.
There wasn''t much excitement as he pushed Sigmund away, and even when the lightning pierced through his body, he felt no pain.
"But even if it goes beyond that level... what meaning does it have?"
The godyer''s arrow pierced Padler once again.
"Nothing but futile hatred, unable to ovee even Chaos. You could never defeat Brother Jin. Even if he didn''t call me."
Just by transcending like Ron, it doesn''t mean everyone can achieve results like Ron.
The values of protecting people despite being consumed by Chaos and the desire to kill could not be the same.
As if to refute it, Padler stabbed and left a long gash in Jin''s chest.
Jin pushed Padler aside without flinching, and a snap was heard as Padler fell to the ground.
Then he rose again and aimed at Silus.
As he looked more miserable, the energy of the Thunder of Retribution amplified.
It grew incessantly.
In terms of power alone, the Thunder of Retribution reached a levelparable to that of the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends.
It seemed to be out of control.
The blue thunder went beyond the cloud formed by the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends and caused damage to Ram, the chaos dragon, and the ck battleships.
"In the end, you''ve lost your reason and started striking even your allies. From Brother Jin''s perspective, this isn''t bad at all."
[He''s not losing his reason, Brother Kaio.]
Jin rather thought the opposite.
"What?"
[Since it''s going to be the end anyway, it seems like he''s trying to destroy as much as possible in Runcandel...]
Wow...!
A huge crack appeared under the bottom of Ram.
The chaos dragons and ck ships flying beneath them instantly turned to ashes.
The major factions waiting outside could see Ram bing unstable for the first time.
Space began to tear open in the sky.
"As the leader said, the Twelfth gbearer is damaging Ram''s power..." said Berakt.
He was mesmerized by the immense lightning illuminating the Garden of Swords, following the blue me from before.
They felt both fear and excitement at the sight of such immense power, something they would never have seen unless it was the patriarch, Cyron Runcandel, or thete Ron Hairan.
[It''s not the power of the Twelfth gbearer, but the power of Runcandel''s great knight, the Blue Thunder King. Rosa Runcandel and the Prophet have been too ambitious.]
"...... Are you saying there''s another knight like the Twelfth gbearer in the Garden of Swords?"
[Yes. But it''s a dying ember. All fleet, ready for intensive bombardment. We can''t miss this opportunity.]
Unlike Zipple, the Kinzelo fleet has not suffered significant damage yet.
As the battleships, led by Grenille, gathered at the vanguard, the fleet of up to five hundred battleships charged all their main cannons.
Aaaaa..!
Like a meteor shower, the bombardment rained down on Ram and the Garden of Swords.
More than 80% of the fleet''s attack was directed towards the garden because it seemed like their attack wouldn''t be enough to hit Ram, but Zephyrin''s breath hit the side of Ram.
Seeing Kinzelo''s bombardment from the opposite side, Zipple also gathered his fleet. All of his main cannons were aimed at Ram.
[We must attack before Runcandel''s battleship recovers...!]
A mountain of fire formed behind Kadun.
He managed to release all of his stored power while enduring Ram''s main cannon and smashing the chaos dragon and ck ships.
''Damn it, the soul of the ten great knights... I didn''t expect this to happen.''
The Prophet bit her lip, looking at Rosa.
It was Rosa who ordered Padler to be summoned.
So even if Padler failed against Jin, Rosa wouldn''t me her.
However, regardless of whether the mission to kill Jin seeded or not, the Prophet''s inability to control Padler stemmed from her ownck of skill.
If Rosa questioned her about itter, the Prophet would find herself vulnerable to scrutiny again.
''Nothing ever goes as nned. Judging by the situation, it seems that not even Padler will be able to defeat Jin... I should have warned him about the dangers of using the soul of the Great Knight.''
Even the Prophet had predicted that Stam and Lionel wouldn''t be enough, but Padler''s case was truly unexpected.
She knew that even with variables like the invocation of members of the Tribe of Legends and the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends, if it was Padler, he would be able to finish Jin off.
''...Maybe, it might actually be for the best. If even Padler is defeated, then Rosa Runcandel will have to take matters into her own hands.''
If that were to happen, it''s highly likely that the speed at which Rosa''s mind copses will elerate. However, the Prophet had no justification to speak before Rosa.
So while she thought about it, Rosa spoke up first.
[Understood why Joshua in the past was defeated like that. Retrieve Padler''s soul.]
"Are you saying you''ll intervene personally?"
Rosa didn''t respond; instead, she diverted Kadun''s iing mes.
Fragments of Ram, chaos dragons, and ck ships floated in the chaotic ck sky.
Meanwhile, Kinzelo''s bombardment hit the Garden of Swords.
"Do these humans dare to challenge the Gods like us? We only heard from you that outside was dizzy, but I didn''t expect it to be like this."
Kaio fired the Godyer and intercepted the cannonballs falling towards Jin.
Most were countered by the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends and the blue thunder, but asionally, some projectiles managed to prate.
And it''s because Jin was organizing the power.
It was natural, because he was facing strong men like Stam, Lionel, and Padler, one after another.
They would have been absolute beings in any era without Cyron.
However, unlike Jin, Padler didn''t have anyone to block the bombardment, nor the will to defend against them by himself.
He didn''t even dodge the cannonballs, and continued to radiate blue thunder throughout the garden of swords and Jin.
An evil ghost transcending through hatred, the final destination Padler reached resembled a monster like Smarion.
His appearance was no longer that of a human.
Over 70% of his body, which had been emitting a faint bluish light, had disappeared. His body, floating without legs, was riddled with holes.
He held the sword with the three fingers he had left, had lost half his head, and his single eye was still full of hatred.
Can this really be called the result of transcendence?
Actually, the result was decided from the moment the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends was executed.
The reason Jin couldn''t deal with him was simply a matter of efficiency.
If Jin waited a bit, the Thunder of Retribution would dissipate and Padler would self-destruct.
After that, even if one of his fingers remained, it was clear that Padler wouldn''t be a threat even if he crawled on the ground towards him.
The thunder of retribution began to abate.
But the next moment. Just like what happened to Lionel. Jin could see how the soul drained from Padler''s remaining body.
Unlike Lionel, the soul refused to leave the body.
He clearly resisted the Prophet''s control.
"I''ve never seen so much resentment in my life, Brother Jin. Brother? Why are you approaching him? Isn''t your Shadow Sword still unable to cut the soul? It''s not even worthy of cutting. It''s already a ruin."
Jin had apletely different thought when he tried to cut Lionel''s soul.
Jin approached Padler because he wanted to tell him something.
[Padler-nim]
Padler swung his sword against the approaching Jin.
The sword was as powerful as if a child wielded it.
Not a scratch was left on Jin''s body.
As great as the resentment was, Padler''s energy had truly depleted.
[Sir, you will be summoned again. That''s the only reason the person who summoned you is trying to retrieve the soul now]
Still, Padler continued to swing his sword.
Resisting the Prophet''s soul retrieval.
[So at that time, take revenge on me, instead of Runcandel and Temar from a thousand years ago... Please harbor hatred towards me, not towards the distant past about which even your memories aren''t clear]
That would undoubtedly be better for you...
With those words, Jin watched Padler''s soul escape.
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 643
Chapter 643
C643
The lightnings of the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends slowly dissipated. Jin was breathing heavily. The fatigue from consecutive battles and mental shock made him feel nauseous.
"Brother, are you okay?"
"I''m fine, for now."
He could still keep fighting.
Although his condition wasn''t the best, they believed he could unleash his prowess at least once more.
Jin and Kaio lifted their heads at the same time and looked up at the sky.
When the cloud formed by lightning disappeared, the bottom of Ram became visible again.
The sight of chaos dragons and ck ships descending like a swarm of bees fleeing the nest, and the scene where they were destroyed by cannon fire, also shook their eyes dizzyingly.At first nce, it seemed that Runcandel was finally on the defensive... but it was far from over.
As if to ridicule the external assessment that Runcandel was falling behind in technological development, Ram continuously spewed out chaos dragons and ck ships.
Furthermore, Ram was reloading its main cannon.
The ck cannon that had led Zipple''s Second Fleet to annihtion with a single blow was now aiming at Kinzelo.
"However... we must prepare to escape."
Inflict maximum damage and rescue the knights when the n does not urately know its strength.
That was why Jin visited the Garden of Swords alone today, and hoped to have achieved the former to some extent.
"The knights killed today will eventually be resurrected, and summoned knights like Lionel or Padler-nim will appear again... but there must be limitations. There will definitely be a significant cost."
Rikalton.
Thend expected to be the area where humans are supplied to make clones of Joshua''s body.
Just cloning him required at least hundreds or thousands of humans.
It is incalcble how many human lives would be needed to revive people like Padler and Lionel.
"The escape of the rebels depends on the skills and luck of the elder chief."
Jin wanted to pursue and protect them even now, but that would rather put them in danger.
No new energy emerged from the mausoleum.
Intuitively, Jin sensed that Rosa woulde to look for him.
The chaos enveloping the garden of swords was converging again towards the same ce. The center of the ck ships, probably where Rosa would be.
From now on, there was no chance of winning against her.
As expected, all the maximum power of Kinzelo and Zipple has arrived, but even after dealing with the Captain of the ck Knights, the summoned former patriarch, and the great knight, Runcandel was still resisting.
"Good idea. Even in my opinion, it would be better to n for the future. We will need the help of our brothers if we are to defeat the master of thisnd."
"The same goes for escaping now. Please take cover, Brother Kaio."
Kaio snorted at Jin''s solemn voice.
"Hah, it seems you feel sorry for having used me as a meat shield. Don''t feel it, brother, the death of a summoned being is not real anyway."
Kaio was already convinced. He knew that for Jin to leave this ce, his sacrifice would be necessary.
Jin''s gaze turned to the mausoleum.
Before embarking on the escape, he wanted to strike the mausoleum onest time, but part of the chaos gathering in the center of Ram was forming a barrier near the mausoleum.
"They are openly cautious of any trouble with the mausoleum..."
"I was going to suggest hitting that ce before leaving, but I guess it''s better to go. Brother."
Needless to say, it seemed that the chaos barrier could only be destroyed with a sword that was at least of the level of Hellfire or the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends.
Or the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique.
But after that, escaping from here would be impossible.
"I am convinced that the mausoleum is a very important and weak ce, so it''s not bad."
Jin turned around.
--------------
Tris was in a forest about 150 km from the Garden of Swords.
After making his way there, Jin had to ride Mort and head to the area where the Red Owl was hiding.
"Shuri."
[?Nyaa!]
The two of them rode on Shuri, who had just been summoned from the ruby.
In the distance, Jin saw the Chaos Knights starting to gather again like cockroaches.
However, no matter how many there were, they posed no great threat.
They would only expend a bit of stamina.
"Let''s go to Tris-nim."
Following Shuri''s trajectory as she ran at full speed, the Chaos Knights began to explode in heaps.
And not long after they began to flee, Jin and Kaio realized one thing.
"I''ve been curious since earlier. Aren''t those also your enemies?"
Kaio pointed to the rear with his chin.
Kinzelo''s fleet had been providing ground support fire since they both fought against Padler.
Even now, their support continued to the point where Kaio didn''t even need to cover Jin.
The chaos dragons descending to catch Jin didn''t even reach Shuri and rusted in the air, and all the cannon shots from the ck ships were being intercepted.
"They are enemies. They only recognize that they will need meter. They must have judged that neither Zipple nor Kinzelo could defeat the Garden of Swords alone."
The same would happen to Jin if he couldn''t call back his Legend brothers to the human world.
No, he thought that even if he called back his brothers, he might need a temporary alliance with his enemies.
Current Runcandel is not just a huge force...
Like Gliek, Runcandel had be a huge disaster that struck the entire world.
"Well, they''re notpletely stupid."
They killed the Chaos Knights standing in the way and passed through the main gate.
Ahead, the endless ckndscape of chaos continued.
Finally, even when they got close to the center of Kalon, thendscape did not change.
Only then did Jin know that not only the Garden of Swords, but all of Kalon was invaded by Chaos.
It wasn''t entirely unexpected.
Undoubtedly, materials were needed to master such Chaos.
However, he couldn''t help but nk out seeing it with his own eyes.
-For me, the survival and prosperity of Runcandel have more value than anything else. Nothing can surpass that value.
-Even if billions of humans die in the process of achieving it, in the end, even if the world perishes in that devastating fight and struggle, and only a few members of Runcandel remain in it. I don''t mind.
Jin suddenly remembered what Rosa had said in the past.
"Are you really... going to destroy the entire world, leaving only Runcandel behind?"
Like a beast baring its fangs, the center of Ram split in half.
The main cannon fired straight ahead and reached Kinzelo''s fleet.
The enormous body of Zephyrin was pierced in half, and the ovepping protective shields behind her burst.
It was the first time Jin felt relieved to see that the enemy hadn''t died.
Although Zephyrin''s torso was pierced, she breathed out her breath as if she hadn''t been hit, and her power didn''t diminish at all.
For the first time in Kinzelo''s counterattack, including Zephyrin, the damage also extended to Ram''s hull.
The left side of the hull was copsing.
Clearly, Ram seemed weaker than before.
That fact only meant one thing.
The power of Rosa, which was being used by Ram, was being withdrawn.
The total amount of Chaos hadn''t decreased at all.
Amidst the intense war that continued regardless of the passage of time.
Before Jin realized it, Shuri had traveled 50 km outside of the Garden of Swords.
And Jin faintly felt the cold air piercing through.
Tris was also approaching Jin.
Before, whenever Tris came to rescue him, Jin felt an indescribable relief.
But now it was quite the opposite.
"No!"
The fact that the coldness transmitted so far meant that Tris had already enteredbat, and at that moment, she wasn''t in a state where she could unleash all her power.
And the Chaos-taintednd was Rosa''s domain.
An ominous intuition assaulted Jin''s head: Rosa couldn''t ignore Tris''s movements.
"Surely, Rosa Runcandel will try to deal with Tris-nim before me...!
It wasn''t certain how strong Rosa had be after epting Chaos.
However, even before the Garden of Swords became like this, Rosa was one of the strongest in the world.
The current Tris couldn''t match her.
[Meow!]
After sensing Jin''s anxiety, Shuri tried to speed up, but she was already at her limit.
"Darn it, Tris-nim...!"
If something went wrong, Jin wouldn''t be able to face Siris or his otherpanions.
He would have no way to repay the favors he had received from the Hidden Pce.
This thought was driving him crazy.
"Calm down, Brother Jin."
Kaio looked up at the sky and said.
He had been observing the fleet of each faction that had been supporting only Jin and himself, confirming that they were now aiming at a distant point.
Kinzelo and Zipple also found Tris and began providing support fire.
"The owner of the cold energy must be a very valuable person to you, brother. Should I provide cover for her?"
"Is that possible, from this distance?"
Kaio raised his long bow.
"It seems you''ve forgotten my specialty. I''m the only Battle King who can fight while supporting his brothers. When ites to long-range support, maybe I''m better than Sister Goddess of Battle. I need to focus, so clear away the distractions."
"I got it...!"
The arrows of the Godyer Bow rose into the sky.
The bright energy of lightning flew a distance of 25 km and created huge pirs of light.
With each shot, cold sweat ran down Kaio''s body like rain. Blood flowed from between his clenched lips, and his heart beat as if it would burst at any moment.
Jin didn''t ask Kaio how the situation was developing.
It was clear that the cold energy hadn''t been extinguished.
It was only precarious.
It seemed faint enough to flicker out at any moment.
Finally, when they reached the pirs of light formed by arrows.
Jin could see Tris, panting and covered in blood.
As soon as he saw her, his heart skipped a beat.
The blood didn''t belong to Tris.
It was Mort''s snow toad''s blood.
Mort had been teleporting continuously within Rosa''s Chaos energy while protecting Tris.
Even that would have been impossible without Kaio''s support fire and the fleet.
Mort''s pure white body was soaked in blood.
"Jin!"
"Tris-nim!"
Jin wanted to rush over immediately, but he saw a single ck de tearing through the pirs of light from the Godyer Bow in front of Tris.
It was Rosa Runcandel''s sword, soaked in frenzy and chaos.
"Have youe?"
Rosa greeted Jin with a mocking smile, and Jin drew Bradamante.
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 644
Chapter 644
C644
Somehow, Tris avoided fatal wounds, but his condition wasn¡¯t great. He had internal injuries, and the breath he exhaled was coated in blood.
The Warrior who challenged Cyron the most, if not for that, Tris would¡¯ve been torn apart by the Frenzy by now.
"Runcandel''s enemies are attacking the Garden of Swords, and yet you''vee here with Tris-nim. I didn''t know you held such deep grudges against him."
The Chaos Energy protecting the Garden of Swords, Kalon and Ram, has weakened. All that Chaos was converging on Rosa. In other words, it now solely depended on Rosa''s personal strength.
Jin was recalling the nightmare of the War of the Sword Emperor Castle because of the massive Chaos Rosa unleashed.
Rosa narrowed her eyes as if Jin''s words were amusing.
[Wouldn¡¯t you have done the same if you were in my ce?]
Undoubtedly, Rosa Runcandel would prioritize dealing with Tris-nim over me.Jin immediately thought of that as soon as he faintly felt Tris''s cold energy.
Looking back, there was no reason to be so sure.
It was much more efficient for Rosa to continuously overwhelm the formidable forces of Zipple and Kinzelo than to deal with Tris without hesitation.
After the Chaos Energy between Ram and the city faded, the cannon shots from each force pierced the sky over the Garden of Swords more easily than before.
When Jin didn¡¯t respond, Rosa smiled.
[You may not want to admit it, but you resemble me a lot]
Taang!
A thunderous sound rang out from the Godyer.
Rosa lightly knocked down Kaio''s arrow.
Although Kaio lost his energy due to the ultra-long-distance support, not even Jin, before getting tired, could have easily withstood such power.
"What do you mean he resembles you? Don¡¯tpare the Thirteenth Battle King of the Great Tribe of Legends to a monster like you."
[Tribe of Legends, this is the first time I''ve seen you in person. But the first impression is quite disappointing. You''re provoking me to save that boy... the Sword of Legends ability the younger one often disyed didn¡¯t emit such a pathetic feeling]
"The power gained through immorality, are you so arrogant as to believe in that?"
[Immorality... I''ve never distrusted such ambiguous human standards. Even before this body became Chaos]
Squeak-!
Suddenly, a ck sword swept across Kaio''s back.
If Kaio¡¯s reaction had been dyed, his body would¡¯ve been split in half.
Rosa didn¡¯t move.
What shed Kaio was the Chaos de formed at her feet following Rosa¡¯s will.
Before they knew it, dozens of those swords had formed.
The pirs of light were mercilessly sliced leaving only bright traces.
Before even the traces vanished, the ck swords swirled and aimed at Jin, Kaio, and Tris.
"Brother Jin! Don¡¯t worry about me, save yourpanion!" shouted Kaio as he pushed back the chaos swords with his arrows.
Jin didn¡¯t even have time to respond.
Tris and Mort''s frost protective shield, deployed in time to block the attacks, was breaking too quickly.
On the other hand, Rosa''s number of swords was increasing with every blink.
One hundred, two hundred, three hundred...
Rosa''s first move was the moment Jin lunged at Tris.
[The Family''s value is dominance through strength, not immorality. That¡¯s what you often said. It used to be like that. I''ve often thought about it, but I don''t know the difference no matter how much I think about it.]
Jin, blocking Frenzy''s Sword, stepped back.
[Runcandel has killed countless people so far, and has enjoyed conquests and looting. This too would be immoral to some people. What are your standards?]
Jin didn¡¯t hesitate to respond.
"I''m a human born into a Sword Family and the rightful heir of the Magic Sword, not a Chaos pawn. That''s all."
[That''s a good answer]
Jin stepped back and countered Frenzy.
The power of Rosa, felt in a single sh, clearly surpassed his.
It would''ve been the same even if Jin didn¡¯t have the fatigue and umted wounds from the previous battle.
Moreover, he felt the energy piercing his body through the shed swords.
''Like a poison, Chaos is poisoning my body...''
Chaos, a dark force that plunges humans into demonic nature.
Rosa herself is a massive Chaos and the most powerful source of infection.
Ordinary Warriors would be engulfed in Chaos by merely standing near her.
Perhaps not even 9-star or higher Warriors would be able to withstand it, and even superhumans would find it impossible to engage in directbat with her for an extended period.
No, it wasn''t just an idea, it was a certainty.
Jin could feel the God of Battle''s Blood and the Light Heart beating wildly and pushing away the Chaos transmitted by Rosa.
''It didn¡¯t happen when I first met her in the Garden of Swords... Is it the result of receiving something more from the Prophet after our conversation changed, or was she hiding it?''
In any case, Rosa''s contagion meant one thing.
Currently, Jin was the only human who could fight Rosa in the human world.
[Ilina''s words about the Tribe of Legends being immune to Chaos are true. If so, you too are beyond human.]
"I can¡¯t help feeling that you still want to converse with me as equals. What''s the reason? Do you want falsefort knowing you''re not the only one who crossed the line?"
[You''ll understand when you have a child, a satisfying child. How much joy it brings to have a child like yourself. That''s all there is to it.]
"You''repletely insane. I''d rather not be treated like you, who have sumbed to Chaos."
[Well, in that case, Runcandel would''ve ended before you arrived. It seems you still misunderstand this aspect about me]
Madness, or demonic nature.
Although she was said to be mad, Rosa was different from Ron before defying his fate or Smarion in the Ghost Castle, who had lost reason.
If she had epted such Chaos, she should have lost her sanity long ago, but Jin couldn''t perceive any of that in Rosa.
Instead, Rosa seemed more than ever a "living person".
In Jin''s memories, the acting matriarch rarely showed any emotion.
Especially emotions like joy and satisfaction.
The current Rosa seemed genuinely joyful. She also seemed sad, knowing she would have to kill her beloved son with her own hands.
Jin''s gaze fell on the rear of Rosa, where he saw Tris and Mort barely holding on amidst the Chaos des.
[Do you want to save the Master of the Hidden Pce? Surely you consider her more like a mother than me]
The Frenzy''s de pierced Jin''s chest.
He managed to block it with Bradamante, but lost bnce and was sent flying backward.
''I''m jealous, huh...''
Having spoken thus, Rosa disregarded Jin''s attempt to block her subsequent attack and turned her body to look at Tris.
For a moment, thoughts about Tris flooded Rosa''s mind.
Looking back, it seemed she had always felt jealous of the Hidden Pce Master, not just now.
Cyron had always been closer to her than to herself.
[I wonder how it would be if the first sword that saved you took the life of the Hidden Pce Master. If that were the case, would it hurt you a bit?]
Meteor Shower.
Runcandel''s Third Final Movement, the bloodline sword that saved Jin for the first time.
The raised Frenzy summoned ck meteors.
The power, surpassing even that of Luna''s Mental Sword: Blood Moon that ravaged an entire ind that day, shook the entire battlefield even before hitting the ground.
However, the ck meteor remained suspended in the sky for a while, as if caught in a loop.
Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique, First Movement.
First Night.
Sensory Blocking, the first sign of the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique.
For an instant, Rosa''s senses were blocked.
However, before three seconds passed, Rosa regained her senses and began controlling the meteor shower once more.
The shadow force of the first night and the chaos of the meteoric sword began to push against each other, and the struggle between Jin and Rosa began.
[Is this the best sword you''vepleted so far?]
The hundreds of ck sword energies that seemed to overwhelm the entire battlefield stopped moving.
It was the result of Rosa fully concentrating on the meteor shower.
Thanks to this, Kaio, Tris, and Mort could pause for a moment to catch their breath.
However, they couldn''t move.
The des that had stopped moving blocked their path like bars of a prison.
Kaio still had the strength to pierce through them, but Tris did not.
Mort attempted a brief dimensional shift, but the fatigue and thick chaos blocking the dimensional portal to the snow garden made it impossible.
It seemed like time had stopped on the battlefield.
The meteor shower and the first night advanced so slowly that one had to look closely to realize it.
Jin''s ultimate technique was losing ground.
The curtains of shadow forceyers were silently being shattered by the meteor shower.
Rosa lowered her head, seemingly disappointed.
[Very... impressive sword]
Her disappointment wasn''t because she thought Jin''s ultimate technique was ridiculous.
Contrary to appearances, Rosa knew that her meteor shower was beingpletely blocked by the Shadow Energy of the First Night.
The disappointment was that she couldn''t kill Tris with that sword.
As soon as Rosa finished speaking, the meteor shower disappeared as if absorbed by the First Night.
Jin was bleeding from every pore of his face, and Rosa seemed to stagger from the impact.
But that was all.
Rosa wouldn''t dy in unleashing her next sword move to finish off Tris.
Jin didn''t have much strength left, but still, heunched his body forward.
''If I use myst strength to unleash the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends again...!''
What wille next?
He couldn''t think that far ahead.
The only conviction filling Jin''s mind was that he couldn''t let Tris die.
In that single moment, his heart waspletely dominated by emotion.
To Jin, Tris was such a person.
Arade who always held significant meaning for Jin.
Kaio also pierced through the des of chaos and advanced with Jin, and Tris attempted to scream.
She tried to tell them not toe, to escape and survive.
She also received Rosa''s sword before Jin arrived.
That''s why she knew Jin was Rosa''s only opponent.
If Jin died trying to save her here, the world would no longer be able to face Rosa.
But before Tris could say those words, Jin realized he didn''t need to risk his life to save her at that moment.
Above Tris'' head descended a dragon.
A ck light descended like salvation.
[Long time no see, brat.]
The ck Dragon, Murakan, Jin''s Guardian Dragon.
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 645
Chapter 645
C645
Fourth Secret Technique of Runcandel: ck Cross.
Rosa released the sword as the meteor shower shattered.
The de of Frenzy, marked with a ck cross, emitted ck energy.
The energy in the form of a ck cross spilled towards Tris in a circle around the intersection point of the cross.
Rosa was not a pure-blood Runcandel, but she executed Final Movements and secret techniques perfectly even without a blessed body due to Chaos eptance. Her power wasparable to Cyron''s.
There was no way Tris and Mort could escape the countless ck cross-shaped des.
Initially, Jin and Kaio were supposed to risk their lives to pierce through Rosa and plunge into the energy. However, it wasn''t certain that their exhausted bodies could withstand Rosa''s secret technique.
Perhaps not only would they fail to save Tris, but they themselves would face death.If Murakan hadn''t appeared now, it would most likely have ended like this.
As the ck cross-shaped energy attacked Tris and Mort, Murakan''s huge body suddenly appeared behind them like a ck mountain.
At first nce, his body was muchrger than Jin remembered. His wings, spread like a wall, blocked the ck Cross, leaving enough space even for Mort to fit within them.
The energy from Frenzy''s extended sword constantly caused cracks in the wings.
It seemed as if the wings were about to tear apart in an instant, but it was nothing more than an optical illusion caused by the flickering Shadow Energy.
[And you too, Mistress of the Hidden Pce. How did you be so weak? It seems that Sir Mort is also quite injured].
Tris lifted her head.
She smirked in relief at being surrounded by Murakan''s protective shield.
Although she had just doubted death, she now felt that the embrace of this dark, gigantic dragon was the safest ce in the world.
"You''vee at the perfect time. How did you be so strong, Brother ck Dragon?"
[I''ve just recovered a bit more of what I had lost. And thanks to that, I think neither the brat nor I will lose you today].
"Uhhh, I''m going to fall in love with you."
Murakan possessed 50% of his former strength during the War of the Sword Emperor Castle, when he fought alongside hisrades.
Not only Jin but also Tris, who couldn''t sense Shadow Energy with such sensitivity, could easily recognize that Murakan''s current power level was near his prime.
Jin''s Shadow Energy, which had finally reached ten stars, and the crises Murakan had ovee on behalf of Solderet, were restoring his former strength.
Murakan spread his wings again.
Tris and Mort received no damage from the ck Cross, and Rosa''s expression distorted.
[The former Guardian Dragon of the Family... I didn''t feel any signal of your arrival].
That''s why Rosa was angry. She could feel all the battles that were happening in the Garden of Swords and throughout the Kalon area as if it were her own body.
However, she didn''t feel Murakan''s presence at all.
This means that Murakan didn''te from outside the Garden of Swords, but suddenly appeared from within.
[It seems you stillck enlightenment, Rosa Runcandel]
Rosa turned around and looked at Jin.
[You and yourrades are really lucky, younger son. When you''re in a crisis like this, someone alwayses to rescue you].
Rosa didn''t know all the details of Jin and hispanions'' adventures. But she knew they had always managed to ovee difficulties with the help of others or among themselves.
Nothing like that had ever happened in her Runcandel. No matter how much she hoped, there was no hope that ''someone'' would return, and Rosa didn''t bother to hide the bitterness that fact caused her.
[This mother... will break that cycle].
The Chaos de that stopped in mid-air began to spin again.
The des pushed the group more fiercely than before, as if fueled by Rosa''s anger.
At the same time, parts of Murakan''s body dispersed into Shadow Energy and trapped Tris and Mort.
He quickly moved like a hawk and instantly appeared next to Jin.
Rosa scattered swords in all directions from her position.
Parts of Murakan''s body, transformed into smoke-like forms, were swept away, but didn''t deal him a significant blow.
Despite Murakan''s arrival, the situation still overwhelmingly favored Rosa.
Jin, Tris, and Kaio were not in a condition to fight properly.
And that wasn''t all.
Jin could sense Murakan''s urgency without having the chance to properly greet him.
"Are you not in a condition to fight either?".
[It''s not that, but my time is running out].
After the end of the War of the Sword Emperor Castle, Murakan had been acting as Solderet''s substitute in ce of Misha.
Even Misha, who had previously been in charge of Solderet''s affairs, didn''t fully understand the details.
As it was beyond mortal understanding, Misha''s and Murakan''s functions were simply to maintain their "existence" in the Realm of Solderet.
And leaving that position poses a great threat to the world.
In particr, Murakan is not as skilled as Misha, so his absence could only be brief, especially when using such immense power.
That''s why Rosa hadn''t sensed Murakan''s presence.
Murakan had manifested here without any physical movement, directly from the Realm of the Gods.
There was no time to exin it in detail.
[So we have to escape quickly. You can''t keep fighting in your current state anyway].
Furthermore, Elona Zipple''s seal was also a problem.
As Tris''s internal injuries worsened, Misha had to bear an extra burden to seal them.
Tris had been worried about the seal since Rosa attacked her.
Jin nodded.
In Murakan''s opinion, Rosa''s power still had some limitations.
[Don''t underestimate me, Murakan. Do you think you can escape?]
[Don''t be pretentious, Rosa Runcandel. I''m not the only one with little time. Right now, I can see things that mortals cannot].
[You speak with arrogance when your only option is to flee...]
Swish!
Rosa lunged forward and split Murakan''s breath in half as he had just exhaled.
Shadow Energy tendrils from all directions blocked her path, but Frenzy only halted when it collided with Bradamante.
"I can feel your anger."
Rosa continued her assault, but Murakan''s Shadow Energy and Kaio''s arrows limited her movement.
While Frenzy halted Kaio''s attack, the puncture of Shadow Energy grazed Rosa''s forehead and cut her horn by half a finger, sttering ck blood.
Rosa''s chaos, which had previously been stable enough to resemble Shadow Energy, began to fluctuate from the moment the ck Cross was intercepted by Murakan; her chaos was chaotic.
The color and power became inconsistent.
''As expected, Murakan was right. There are limitations to this infinite power. It doesn''t seem to be due to an injury to the horn. Is the half missing? Or... could there be some psychological reason.''
Unlike Ron and Smarion before facing their fate, she remained perfectly rational.
Jin thought that might be the key.
It reminded him of what Rosa herself had said: I have not yet sumbed to Chaos.
In any case, the priority now was to escape.
Even if her Chaos became unstable, it wouldn''t affect her transcendent strength.
Suaak-!
Rosa''s sword aimed relentlessly at Tris.
Every time Frenzy and Shadow Energy shed, the sky cracked open.
Murakan used all his strength to prevent the impact from reaching Tris.
He had to worry about Tris''s life and Elona''s seal, so his nerves were on edge every passing second.
The battle was at a stalemate.
That meant Jin''s group was still at a disadvantage.
Although Rosa had limitations, Murakan''s forced return would be quicker.
"The escape point is in the forest about 75 km away, Brother ck Dragon. Can you clear a path there? There''s a teleporting flying ship."
Tris pointed her finger to where the red owl was hidden.
[It''s going to be a bit risky, but where?]
If he amplifies Shadow Energy to clear a path, his forced return will be quicker.
Murakan raised his Shadow Energy without hesitation.
It was better to attempt an escape than to continue at a standstill, even if his energy ran out before reaching the escape point.
"I''ll buy you some time, ck Dragon Murakan. Escape with Brother Jin."
The moment Kaio said that. Suddenly, a voice resonated from the sky.
[Murakan! I''ll cover you!]
It was Orgal''s voice.
Kinzelo''s gship, Grenil, floated in the air, charged with an immense amount of lightning energy.
The other battleships were still far away.
Orgal had read the situation and opened a dimensional portal to the battlefield where Murakan and the others were.
Of course, due to Chaos, his dimensional movement ability was affected.
However, since all of Kalon''s chaos was concentrated on Rosa, the restrictions were weaker than before.
Murakan recognized it was Orgal without Jin''s exnation.
Lightning rained down on Rosa.
At that moment, Murakan flew into the sky with Jin and Kaio on his back.
Rosa''s sword energy pierced Grenille''s lightning and emerged behind Murakan.
It was the fifth secret technique, Light Speed Thrust. Although it left deep wounds in Murakan''s tail, back, and left wing, he continued on without hesitation.
"Are you okay, Murakan?"
[Of course I''m okay, it just hurts. But it''s a small price to pay for saving you and the Hidden Pce Master.]
Thanks to Grenille, Murakan didn''t have to amplify his power, so he had some time.
But there was one element Murakan hadn''t taken into ount.
Ram, the fact that Runcandel''s huge ck ship was approaching.
And Rosa was no longer visible where Grenille''s lightning disappeared.
She stood in front of Ram, watching the direction Murakan was moving.
Ram and she were practically one body.
Ram reloaded the main cannon iparably faster than before.
The Chaos energy darkening the sky became increasingly unstable.
"Rosa-nim, how about we stop here?"
At the Prophet''s question, Rosa chuckled.
[Don''t you always want my sanity to crumble?]
"Honestly, right now it''s a bit dangerous."
Rosa quietly elerated Chaos amplification, and Ilina watched her with anxious eyes.
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 646
Chapter 646
C646
Ilina couldn''t understand Rosa''s intentions at that moment. Just a few hours ago, Rosa had been extremely cautious about the possibility of losing her sanity.
Rosa had never changed her attitude since she made a contract with her.
Threats, persuasion, temptation.
No matter how the Prophet approached her, Rosa never abandoned her principle.
The principle that she wouldn''t pletely'' assimte to the power of chaos.
But the current Rosa was showing behaviorpletely different from her past actions.
Ilina hoped, no, she was sure that if she elerated the chaos even more, Rosa''s mind would copse.
No, she was certain."If she fires Ram''s main cannon, she will surely lose both her sanity and her will...!"
As Rosa said, Ilina always hoped for her to break, but if it happened now, with so much consumed chaos, if Rosa''s will vanished, it would take too long to recover.
If at that moment the enemies regrouped and attacked the Garden of Swords again, Ilina didn''t trust she could endure it.
Unlike the two main factions that lost their entire fleet, Jin only suffered personal injuries, and since they weren''t fatal, he wouldn''t take too long to recover.
"Yes, that''s true. I''ve been wanting your will to crumble for a long time. But if it crumbles now, I won''t be able to bear the consequences alone. I''m serious. Wasn''t this part of your n from the beginning?"
The main cannon was about to reload.
"If you had made this decision before summoning the great knights and intervening personally, of course, I would have been d. But now... it''s not right. It''s an unreasonable decision!"
[It seems you''repletely terrified.]
Rosa''s eyes gleamed ck.
In the end, Ilina knelt to plead with Rosa, but as expected,
Rosa had no intention of stopping.
[I alone.... can defeat the younger one. I can break that radiant child and sever the ties that protect him.]
Kwaaang...!
Ram''s cannon spewed forth ck energy once more, splitting the sky. It seemed as if a ck tsunami unfolded behind Murakan.
Ram''s main cannon was a shock to Murakan, who had easily received Rosa''s secret technique all along.
[This is madness......!]
There was no way to dodge it.
The cannon that destroyed the Second Fleet in one blow had a more terrible power than before.
Heheh, hahahah...!
Amidst the tremendous roar of the cannon, Rosa''s crazedughter was heard.
The sky and the earth, enveloped in chaos,ughed with her.
"Up!" Jin shouted.
Murakan had originally nned to block the cannon and descend, but, as always, he followed Jin''s opinion.
Jin believed that Ram''s st should be directed upwards.
Although that would take them further from the escape point, Jin judged that if Ram''s main cannon was directed downwards, the entire forest with the Red Owl would disappear.
Then the escape would have ended.
The moment Murakan was forcibly withdrawn, the rest of the group would be sitting ducks.
Murakan increased his speed upwards. The protective shields and rear curtains were shattered.
Before they could bepletely shattered, the discharge began to spread. Jin and Kaio managed to hold onto consciousness amidst the pain.
[Aaaa...!]
Soon, Murakan swept through the chaos clouds as he escaped the cannon fire.
The Shadow Energy shield was broken, but there were no fatal injuries.
The shield quickly restored itself. Even Jin was impressed by Murakan''s strength, but the problem was that the cannon fire hadn''t ended yet.
[Tsk...! They won''t be able to reload that fast, right?]
"I don''t think so."
Unlike Murakan, who flew forward without looking back, Jin turned to check Ram''s condition.
"Just now..."
The abyssal ship, Ram, was opening its dark maw again, and a new cannon was already reloading.
[Darn it, it would have been nearly impossible to escape in the first ce if I hadn''t been able to save my strength thanks to Orgal....]
Rosa''s crazedughter continued to weigh on the group.
It seemed that Ram was mocking them.
A chill ran down their spines.
If Gliek awakened the primal fear of life, Rosa''s madness was digging its own dark hole in the human mind.
It wasn''t Chaos; it pierced through the deepest depths of those who looked, like a sharp arrow.
[Oh, oh...]
Rosa eximed in admiration.
It was a strange sensation.
Despite firing the cannon to kill, the fact that she always survived felt incredibly pleasant to her.
It was the first time in her life that she felt such great happiness.
The power gathered in Ram''s jaws aimed again at Murakan.
Although it looked like a point in the distance, Rosa vividly saw her son before her eyes.
"No, no...!"
By then, Ilina had judged that Rosa''s mind hadpletely copsed.
So before Rosa could fire the second shot, she had to somehow restrain her.
Rosa seemed like she wouldn''t stop bombarding until Ram waspletely destroyed.
Zas!
A dagger pierced Rosa''s back.
It was the dagger that Ilina pulled from her bosom.
The de pierced Rosa''s spine and pierced her heart, and Rosa writhed for a moment before ceasing to move.
"Stop! You''ll die too if you keep this up!"
Rosa didn''t look at Ilina.
She didn''t even look at the sword protruding from her chest.
Instead, she fired the main cannon.
Her eerieughter still emanated from her dry lips.
This time, she even gathered the minimal Chaos protecting Ram.
''If this continues, everything will end...!''
Ilina managed to pull the dagger from Rosa''s back with her regained strength legs. Then she tried to stab her again in the neck.
But for some reason, she couldn''t gather any strength.
More precisely, although she tried with all her might, her body wouldn''t move.
Something invisible was holding Ilina back.
Boom!
At the same time, Ram''s massive hull tilted slightly to the right.
With the protective shield of the hull gone, both fleets were now seriously pounding Ram.
Some of the cannons, numbering in the thousands, reached the forefront where they were over Ram.
There were holes all over the hull, and sharp fragments and debris pierced Rosa''s body.
Ilina could dodge as many cannon sts as she could.
Ilina could easily dodge those attacks, but only if her body could move.
It would be as easy as breathing if she could also handle the Chaos power apanying her.
But Ilina couldn''t do anything.
All she could do was watch the bombardment fall, just as she was about to stab Rosa.
''What the hell... is holding me back?''
Ilina''s heartbeats thudded in her chest as she looked at Rosa''s back.
''It''s impossible for Rosa to be doing this.''
Surely, a being that had already lost sanity and turned into a Chaos monster couldn''t hold her back. But what was holding her was undoubtedly Rosa''s power.
"S-Surely... You... Aren''t you... still in the process of, of assimtion...?" Ilina asked hesitantly.
[Silence...]
As Rosa began to speak, terror filled Ilina''s eyes.
[Silence... I don''t want anyone to bother me right now.]
Finally, Rosa released Ilina.
Ilina, who fell to her knees and began to pant, had no choice but to obey her words.
It was overwhelming.
To think she had been overwhelmed by a human named Rosa Runcandel.
[Do you see it too, my little one? Countless enemy bombardments rush to kill this mother! But none can touch me directly. There''s no need to block or evade anything.]
Because it is fate.
Nothing trivial can interfere with the fate that now separates us.
Indeed, as Rosa said, despite so many attacks hitting the vanguard, not a single shot reached her directly.
They all simply missed, bouncing off with only debris flying.
With all her heart, Rosa only watched her younger son, thinking only of shooting him down. A smile formed on Rosa''s lips.
At the same time, the second shot imbued with the power of Chaos began to spread towards Murakan.
The darkness of the abyss enveloped the group once again.
Murakan''s allotted time hade to an end, precisely at that moment.
"Down!"
This time, they were descending.
It made no sense to try to stop the second barrage.
Murakan was going to disappear now, and the group had no power to defend themselves against Rosa.
Before the barrage could reach them, Murakan''s time woulde to an end.
["Brat!"]
"I won''t die...!"
Jin held onto Tris and Mort with all his might.
Then he stuffed Bradamante into his mouth and pointed the sword downward.
Kaio understood exactly what Jin was thinking.
"What''s the aiming point?"
"The center of the forest!"
So Kaio also hurried to stick his feet into Murakan''s back wounds.
He pulled out the Godyer arrow and aimed it at Bradamante''s sword.
At that moment, Murakan''s body had be semi-transparent, and Ram''s barrage seemed about to touch Murakan''s tail.
As their gazes met, Kaio released the bowstring.
Snap!
The Godyer arrow struck Bradamante''s sword.
Though he felt a terrible bacsh from the arrow throughout his body, Jin endured it with all his might.
He held onto Tris and Mort tightly with both arms.
Jin began to fall towards the forest, where the Red Owl was.
Kaio''sst will to save his brothers was imbued in the arrow, which was firmly attached to Bradamante''s de like a ma.
At the moment Ram''s main cannon reached them.
Murakan disappeared with his eyes fixed on Jin, and Kaio raised his thumb to the sky.
His arrow demonstrated tremendous force, instantly mming Jin, Tris, and Mort into the center of the forest.
"Ugh..!"
Spitting blood, Jin got up immediately and checked on Tris and Mort, both in bad shape.
Tris was nearly unconscious from internal injuries and the arrow''s impact, and Mort remained still, like dead.
Looking around, there was no trace of the Red Owl. Although they fell in the center of the forest, it was about five hundred paces away from the Red Owl.
''What a way...!''
At that moment, the forest was like a maze.
The next attack would surelynd in the forest.
[Bong... Oog....]
In a moment of uncertainty, Mort opened the dimensional portal to the snow garden.
Dark spots of Chaos were visible across the pure white snowfield.
If they fell more than a hundred steps away, Mort wouldn''t have been able to open the portal.
As if it were destined, Mort only had the strength to open the portal just five hundred paces away.
Once they entered the portal, Jin, with Tris in his arms, headed to the Red Owl''s location using the snow garden as a shortcut.
When he pressed the button in the center of the cockpit, the Red Owl vibrated with mana and began to elerate.
The eleration needed to jump through space was about 10 seconds.
''Just hope the next barrage isn''t ready...!''
One.
Two.
Three...
...
Nine.
The space jump had begun.
As Jin was enveloped in the dizzying sensation of the space jump, he looked at Ram.
He felt as if he had made eye contact with Rosa.
[You''ll soon return to this mother. I''ll be waiting for you...]
Rosa gazed at the forest where Jin had disappeared, calming the overwhelming excitement that seemed to burst her heart.
Chapter 647
Chapter 647
C647
The Red Owl couldn''t teleport directly to Tikan, the designated return coordinates.
Originally, the Red Owl and Mort were not affected by chaos particles, but the chaos from Rosa covering Kalon was so thick that it exceeded those standards.
It had crashed several times in forests, seas, and unnamed inds.
The Red Owl''s helmet was corroded by chaos, and every time it attempted a space jump, the power source emitted an ufortable noise.
"ording to the manual, there is a high probability that we will eventually reach the designated coordinates as long as the energy core and the cabin are notpletely destroyed... but..."
The problem was Tris.
Heat like a fireball surged from her unconscious body.
Her pulse was unstable, and the backflow reaction was so severe that it sometimes discharged her aura randomly.She needed treatment as soon as possible.
Jin wanted to send Tris to Shuri for healing first.
However, even Shuri had to wander for a long time to find their current location.
Jin had no choice but to keep trying space jumps, hoping tond near the Holy Land or reach Tikan.
The ship performed five space jumps, but all were unsessful.
The Red Owl kept falling into the wrong terrain.
However, it was clear they were getting away from Hufester, and the Chaos adhered to the helmet was shedding with each jump, and the power source was bing more stable.
It seemed they would soon reach Tikan if they kept progressing like this.
Just as he was about to press the button in the center of the cabin again, Jin heard a familiar voiceing out of nowhere.
(Oh, Jin?)
It was Lingling''s voice.
It was very faint, but it was definitely Lingling.
"Li... Lingling!?"
Jin looked around as if possessed by a ghost at that moment.
Naturally, he couldn''t see Lingling anywhere.
But it wasn''t just Lingling''s voice he could hear.
(What, why are you suddenlying into my head?) No, more than that, can you hear my voice?)
"I can hear you. Can you hear me too?"
(Uh, I feel sick!)
(What, Brother Jin?)
(Brother Jin!? Didn''t you just call Brother Kaio?)
(Where''s Brother Jin!? Lingling, are you really talking to Jin right now?)
(How am I supposed to exin this? I suddenly saw that idiot''s face in my mind and heard his voice. He was babbling while pressing some button. There''s a white-haired human copsed next to him).
(Button? Babbling? Copsed human? Is Brother Jin in danger?)
"Brothers! Can''t you hear my voice?"
(Don''t you hear that voice?)
(Are you pulling a prank, Lingling?)
(Ah, this is frustrating! I''m telling the truth! Jin is really hearing your voices)
For a few seconds, there was confusion and conflicting messages between Jin, Lingling, and the Legends.
Jin could hear everyone''s voices, but it seemed Lafrarosa couldn''t hear him.
(Brothers, Lingling isn''t joking. It seems Brother Jin is hearing our voices).
(Ohh. What''s happening, Sister Goddess of Battle!)
As Vahn was internally connected with Lingling, she immediately recognized the situation.
(It seems there''s some kind of resonance between Jin and Lingling for some reason. Lingling, please ry Brother Jin''s message to us. Brother Jin, what''s happening outside? You summoned Brother Tenth Battle King, was there something you couldn''t handle?)
Jin briefly exined what had happened in the Garden of Swords.
(The human world is turning into a hell. It would be great if we could leave immediately to help our brother).
"You''ve already helped enough, Sister Goddess of Battle."
(Still, seeing this sudden connection between Lafrarosa and the human world, it seems the day we go out is not far away).
Synchronous wavelength tracking space jump.
Jin suspected this sudden "connection" had something to do with it.
"Probably because of the flying ship mypanion built. It seems the flying ship identally picked up Lafrarosa''s wavelength."
His spection was correct.
The reason the Red Owl picked up Lafrarosa''s wavelength was some kind of error.
(First of all, I heard yourpanion''s condition is critical. If it''s a white-haired person, it''s probably Tris Endorma, who has saved you many times, brother).
"Yes, her internal injuries are severe."
(Close your eyes, try to focus. Maybe I can help her through Lingling and you, brother).
Vahn''s words were no different.
She was going to try the God of Battle Fusion.
Jin immediately closed his eyes and focused on the resonance point with Lingling.
Then, just as it happened in Lafrarosa, Jin felt his Light Heart light up and could feel Vahn''s senses and energy gradually transmitting.
''It''s a little weaker than when I did it in Lafrarosa... but the God of Battle Fusion is clearly activating...!''
Perhaps because of the dimensional distance between the human world and Lafrarosa, Vahn''s sensation wasn''t fully transmitted.
But that alone was enough to examine Tris''s condition.
(Both the meridians and blood vessels are damaged. Divine power with the attribute of cold energy is preventing the worst-case scenario. But at this rate, she''ll reach her limit in one or two hours).
"If that happens..."
(She may not die, but she won''t be able to manifest the same level of power as before)
Until they entered the God of Battle Fusion, Jin could only assume the situation wasn''t as serious, but now Jin could urately perceive what Vahn was feeling.
(Follow my senses and infuse energy into her body. Immediately clear away the cold energy that seems about to detach and fill the void with lightning energy).
Jin followed Vahn''s words and ced his hand on Tris''s back.
Through the tangled blood vessels, Jin''s energy slowly pierced into her wounds.
Though it was only for an instant, Jin broke out in a cold sweat.
While she was unconscious, Tris expelled clots of ck blood, and Jin felt like he was walking on a tightrope over her life.
But Jin believed in Vahn.
Unlike his anxious self, he felt not the slightest concern within Vahn.
"Huh..."
Finally, the feverish heat melting her entire body subsided, and Tris let out a warm sigh.
Though Tris had not regained consciousness, she now seemed to sleep peacefully.
"Well done. But, Brother Jin, this is only a temporary solution. You must begin the full treatment in at least three days."
"Very well, Sister Goddess of Battle!"
Jin wanted to spend more time with his siblings, but the situation did not allow it.
Jin had to attempt the space jumps again.
Fortunately, he overcame the obstacle of Tris, but he would never be sure until he returned to Tikan.
Even after returning, there were still problems.
The power possessed by Rosa Runcandel, which he had firsthand experience of, overwhelmed all other major factions.
Jin had to hurry to inform hispanions of this fact and prepare for the future.
Perhaps he would have to make the decision to evacuate all of Tikan.
If Rosa''s Runcandel began to pursue Tikan with all her might, Jin and hispanions would have no way to stop her.
This story applied not only to Tikan but also to all other factions.
As formidable as the hidden power they possessed was, it seemed unlikely that they could ovee Rosa''s Runcandel.
They had already brought a fleet close to its full strength, yet they suffered defeat.
Jin did not witness the battle to the end, but he couldn''t imagine that Rosa had been defeated.
"Siblings, Lingling. I am leaving now. I will investigate this coincidence as soon as I return. As the sister said, this coincidence seems to be a great clue for our siblings to emerge."
The frequency of their fusion was decreasing. Vahn, she, was withdrawing her strength before Jin could release her.
"Go, Brother Jin. We will await the day we can be in contact again."
"Hmph, go quickly! Don''t cause trouble elsewhere."
After bidding farewell to his siblings, Jin pressed the button of the red owl again.
February 27, 1803.
Jin took two days to reach Tikan.
He made a dozen space jumps since stabilizing Tris''s internal injuries, but he did not reconnect with Lafrarosa.
Tris was evacuated to the Holy Kingdom as soon as she arrived, and Jin received information collected by his otherpanions. Fortunately. After that day, Runcandel had not sent troops outside.
"We are not sure if they are not sending or if they cannot."
"I think it''s thetter. Runcandel needs time to regain its strength, and more importantly, using so much power must have had a terrible cost."
"I agree, Jin-nim. However, reports indicate that over 50% of the entire continent of the Hufester Alliance, including the Garden of Swords and the city of Kalon, has been consumed by Chaos. It happened in just two days... between the time you escaped and now."
It was not an exaggeration to say that the entire continent of Hufester was being engulfed by Chaos.
And all this erosion urred in just two days.
The internal situation waspletely uncertain.
It was not even possible to enter thends where erosion had not yet urred.
"Perhaps the Garden of Swords ns to consume the entire world in this way. If the whole world falls into Chaos, they would have no need to track us or any other force..."
Zipple and Kinzelo.
They continued their relentless attack after Jin''s escape, but they finally decided to withdraw, having suffered significant losses.
"ording to the report received this noon, only three Zipple fleets appeared over the territorial waters of the Luther Magic Federation."
"If that''s true, it means they lost half of their six fleets. Has there been any confirmation regarding Kinzelo?"
"Yes, but there have been no reports of a withdrawal from any expected route. It is assumed that they withdrew through Orgal''s ability. In that case, their situation might be better than Zipple''s."
Unlike Jin, hispanions understood the situation solely through the reports of the Seven-Colored Peacocks after the battle.
All the reports were shocking. No one had expected Rosa Runcandel to achieve victory against Jin and the other factions.
Furthermore, Rosa Runcandel was no longer the acting matriarch.
She had announced to the world that she was now the "Patriarch" of Runcandel as soon as all her enemies withdrew.
First and foremost, it was necessary to meet with the leaders of Zipple and Kinzelo.
"The two main factions will contact us soon. They probably have the same thoughts as me. Please inform me immediately."
"I understand, Jin-nim."
"And what about the knights who escaped... Are there still no news?"
The Knights who resisted Rosa to the end.
Amidst his anxiety to know if the knights were alive or dead, Jet burst into the meeting room.
"My lord! The survival of the rescued knights has been confirmed...! Quikantel-nim is bringing them back personally."
Jin closed his eyes, running his hand over his chest.
If they had all died, there would be very few left in the world who could call themselves Runcandel.
Chapter 648
Chapter 648
C648
After Rosa became engulfed in Chaos, there were about a thousand knights who rebelled against her Runcandel.
They had fought great and small battles in the Garden of Swords, led by Dyfus, Mary, and Jorden.
However, before a month passed, more than sixty percent had been subdued, and the remaining ones had to make a decision.
Would they n for the future or would they fight to the end and perish?
Their choice was the former, but they couldn''t execute it.
Rosa easily found the rebels'' hideouts and hunted them down like moles, calling them to the Garden of Swords.
The rebels battled the Chaos Knights of the Family, but in the end, they faced defeat from the summoned gbearers and the ck Knights of the past.
At that moment, there were around two hundred and fifty imprisoned Knights in the dungeon.But the Knights brought by Quikantel were now less than a hundred.
In the process of escaping the Garden of Swords this time, more than half of the remaining knights lost their lives.
Only 97 were left.
Jorden looked at them silently for a while.
He felt his heart weighed as if it were being filled with hot foam.
"Thank you all... for your hard work," Jin finally spoke, and the Knights saluted.
No one shed tears.
Jin also suppressed his emotions and epted the Knights'' salute.
"Fortunately, none of the survivors are infected with Chaos to a level that cannot be treated with the purifier."
The Chaos contaminating the Knights was not too deep.
However, many of them suffered severe physical injuries, so they would need the help of healers from the Holy Kingdom.
"First, it would be best for everyone to receive treatment. There is a device that can purify the chaos."
Jin exined to the Knights about the purification device.
He also mentioned that the treatment period was long, the targets limited, and it would be of no use in the corrupted Garden of Swords, as the purification process required the blood of the battle god.
"I''m fine, Twelfth gbearer," Jorden said.
"Chief Elder?"
"What are you talking about? Chief Elder, you should be the first to receive treatment more than anyone else..."
The Tona siblings stopped midway through their response to Jorden.
They btedly realized the meaning behind his words.
Jorden appeared unscathed in appearance, but he had suffered irreparable internal injuries.
The price of survival for the 97 knights was his life.
Jin had realized Jorden''s condition from the moment he saw him.
"Why are you all putting on such foolish faces? Follow the Twelfth gbearer''s words and receive treatment and purification. I must fulfill myst duty before I die."
Jorden looked Jin in the eyes.
"Twelfth gbearer."
"Yes."
"From now on, I will pass on all the Sword Techniques of the Family that I know. It would be prudent to head immediately to the training grounds. I don''t have much time left."
Jin decided to follow Jorden''s words.
Even if Lani came directly, there would be no chance of recovery, and Jorden deserved that respect.
"Alright."
"The training won''t be too long, so don''t worry about anything else. Along the way, I''ll exin anything you''re curious about. You can also tell me your experiences in the Garden of Swords."
On the way to the training grounds, Jorden stopped asionally.
Jin recounted hisst battle, marveling at Jorden''s incredible determination to fulfill his final mission.
"So you fought Rosa one-on-one... and yet the Chaos didn''t affect you at all."
"I gained immunity."
"It''s not the kind of immunity you can share with others, I suppose. I envy you. Looking back, I''ve always felt that about you. The whole Family does."
Jin remained silent, waiting for Jorden to continue.
"The Garden of Swords has been like this for half a year."
"I had certain expectations since they sealed Kalon and controlled the information about me since then."
"Rosa Runcandel kept having seizures until then. And then she broke her promise with you and joined forces with the Prophet. It was a crucial moment. While Zipple and Kinzelo built their fleets and employed all sorts of new technologies, wegged behind. Of course, that wasn''t right."
It was as if they had no other choice.
Jorden spoke bitterly.
"Even if you hadn''t left, Rosa would have made the same decision. So your decision to enter closed-door training was probably the right one. If you were still in the Family, the first thing Rosa would have done would have been to eliminate you. Without the Patriarch... no one could have stopped her."
"Is there still no news of my father?"
Even in this rapidly changing era, the dignity of the knight named Cyron Runcandel has not diminished at all.
If he and the knights who departed on expedition were there, Runcandel would still be and that other factions wouldn''t dare to cross, even without the Prophet or the fleets.
"...Rosa said the patriarch was dead."
Jin came to a sudden stop.
"Was there any evidence supporting her im?"
"No. I don''t know if she found out through the Prophet''s ability or if she said it just to establish her own authority. She just said he was dead. But I also don''t expect the patriarch to be alive. Almost everyone who rebelled against Rosa thought the same."
Whether Cyron survived or died in battle, it was difficult for it to matter much.
If the Family Patriarch didn''t return from an external mission while the Family''s situation deteriorated, objectively speaking, he was already incapacitated.
It was as if he were dead.
"But some thought differently. Your uncle and your brothers did. Zed Runcandel went to the ck Sea to search for the patriarch as soon as Rosa''s tyranny began."
Zed hadn''t returned yet, so his life or death was also uncertain.
"The Fourth and Seventh gbearers have been missing since the final battle. Like I said then, I can''t say if they''re alive or dead. But if they escaped alive, they probably also headed to the ck Sea. Those two also said the only way to resolve the situation was to find the patriarch."
"So, no one witnessed the deaths of Elder Brother Dyfus and Elder Sister Mary. Maybe they could be prisoners in the Garden of Swords. It''s unlikely that Rosa released all the prisoners in the dungeon."
"That might be true. But if so, they''re likely to emerge as your enemies. The reason our 1,033 knights were able to resist Rosa was partly due to their willpower, but the fact that they were not directly exposed to the Chaos emitted by the Prophet yed a significant role."
"Does that mean that most of the knights remaining in the Garden of Swords didn''t rebel because they were consumed by the chaos?"
"There are probably some who did so voluntarily. But as you said, most likely did not. What sane knight would want to fight under that monster? No matter how strong that monster may be. Runcandel''s knights have particrly high pride."
It had already been known through several cases that it was almost impossible for humans to resist the madness of Chaos.
It was something achievable only by exceptional individuals like Ron. Even Ron waspletely consumed by Chaos until he received Jin''s help.
''Elder Brother Dyfus and Elder Sister Mary may appear as enemies...''
Just imagining that scenario made his head feel like it was about to explode.
Jin continued pacing his steps with Jordan''s without showing any emotion.
"It seems we''ve arrived. It''s a fairly decent training ground. Did you mainly hone your sword skills here during your days as a Provisional gbearer?"
"That''s right."
"Jin."
"Yes."
"Now, you are our Family''s only hope. Never forget that."
After saying that, Jordan firmly grasped Jin''s hand.
The only knight who could fight against Rosa Runeckandel''s immense Chaos without limitations, the only Provisional gbearer who could immediately cleanse the Family.
Jordan burst into tears.
The image of the current declining Runcandel, the regret of the past when he struggled to be Patriarch, the fallenrades, and the helplessness of having to entrust everything to the Twelfth Provisional gbearer.
These emotions mixed to make Jordan cry.
"...I understand, Uncle."
During the next three days.
Jordan taught Jin, Six Final Movements, four secret techniques, and one ultimate technique.
Jin, who had already reached a high level, quickly grasped the intricacies of those sword techniques in an instant, often demonstrating perfect execution with only Jordan''s verbal exnations, without needing to witness how Jordan performed them himself.
asionally, when Jordan needed to rest due to exhaustion, Jin received various reports about the current situation in the mansion.
As expected, the leaders of each faction urgently requested a meeting in Tikan.
Runcandel had not yet shown significant movements.
There were no troop movements, but there were reports that the speed at which Hufester was invading the area had slowed down a bit.
There were still no news of Valeria.
Jin wanted to find out once and for all whether she was alive or dead, but he couldn''t leave Tikan until the meeting with the main factions was over.
Because Jin had the responsibility to carry the shield of the Family and of the world.
"Now the entire inheritance isplete," said Jordan hoarsely.
As they passed down the sword movements, they conversed in a friendly atmosphere, not as enemies, but as uncle and nephew.
"Do you remember the day I cut off your arms?"
"How could I forget, Uncle?"
"In fact, that day I saw your father, the Patriarch, in you. The sight of you walking towards me, taking a step forward with both arms amputated, sometimes seemed like a nightmare to me."
"I was pretty scared that day too."
"Kuk, now you''re buttering me up when I''m dying."
"It''s true. I was very afraid my arms wouldn''t fully reattach. And to be honest, I was sure your end wouldn''t be pleasant, Uncle."
"Was that your n then?"
"At that moment, you and I were nothing more than enemies."
"After that day, I thought you might be even more dangerous than Joshua, perhaps even more than Rosa."
Sssshhh, siiitt....
A metallic sound came from Jordan''s breath.
His moment of death was approaching.
"Do you still have that thought?"
"Yes... you will defeat Rosa and be Patriarch. But..."
Bang!
Suddenly, Jordan squeezed hisst strength and grabbed Jin by the shoulder.
"Never, never think that you are already the Patriarch. Even if all the remaining rebels ept you as their lord. Even if your father is alive or dead. You must im the Garden of Swords to have the qualification. You must im the Garden of Swords... Understood...?"
Jin nodded with gritted teeth, and Jordan gave hisst breath.
And one day after his death...
A Runcandel gbearer arrived in Tikan.
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and
continue reading tomorrow, everyone!
Chapter 650
Chapter 650
C650
March 4, 1803. It had been approximately ten days since the conclusion of the Garden of Swords Battle, also known as the battle of the main factions.
The whole world trembled with an unprecedented fear.
Barely three years had passed since the official five-year ceasefire agreement, and out of nowhere, the main factionsunched a surprise attack against Hufester overnight, a shocking event in itself.
The fact that the practical victor of that battle was Runcandel, and that Runcandel hade to corrupt all of Hufester by partnering with chaos, plunged the world even further into terror.
(Rosa Runcandel revealed that Cyron Runcandel, patriarch of Runcandel, has died in the ck Sea. The being that killed the demigod was the King of the ck Sea, implying that there are still other beings like Glyek from the Castle of the Sword Emperor War...)
(ck Panther, as the new patriarch of Runcandel, announced her intention to continue the legacy of the previous patriarch and subdue the kings of the ck Sea. However, she emphasized that the unification of the entire world was the top priority).
(Jin Runcandel formed an alliance with Zipple and Kinzelo andmitted betrayal. Rosa Runcandel stripped him of his gbearer status and defined him as an enemy of the n...)
(The world is in turmoil. Is the thousand-year waring to an end?)Special reports came one after another.
The bulletins from Hufester were particrly active.
Everyone praised Rosa and branded Jin a traitor, but Jin felt relieved amidst so much ck propaganda and incitement.
"It seems Rosa has no immediate ns to exterminate all humans in the world. The fact that she resorts to propaganda implies she''s aware of public opinion."
Jin''spanions nodded at his words.
"As you''ve said, Rosa doesn''t seem intent on making all humans enemies. What''s the point of being the sole conqueror of the world if you have nothing to rule over?"
"She may be manipting people not with the purpose of ruling, but to effectively obtain sacrifices, Quikantel-nim. That day, perhaps the entire poption of Kalon was used as a sacrifice to power that powerful ck battleship and the chaos power. That woman is someone who thinks it doesn''t matter if everyone except Runcandel dies."
"The ruler of a ruined world... so, is she gathering human sacrifices to prepare for the next fight against us, Zipple, and Kinzelo?"
"That could be a reason, but..."
Jin''s gazended on the newspaper, on the content that said "Rosa will continue Cyron''s legacy."
"The remaining kings of the ck Sea. It''s probably true that Rosa said she would subdue them. They are probably the most threatening beings to Runcandel right now."
The Five Kings of the ck Sea.
Jin doesn''t know the exact number, but he is aware that they seek revenge from the battle against Glyek.
Along with the expectation that Cyron''s obsession with the ck Sea was because of them.
"Could the Kings of the ck Sea be allied with the Prophet?"
"That''s possible. We need to confirm if the Prophet is truly the Witch, and what the rtionship between the Witch''s first chaos and the Kings of the ck Sea is."
At that moment, Jin said that, Jet and Gilly entered the meeting room.
"My lord, Zipple''s and Kinzelo''s ships have entered our territory."
At three in the afternoon, representatives from the two main factions arrived in Tikan for the meeting.
"Let''s hope they have some useful information. Did they fulfill their promise?"
"Yes, my lord. Both sides only brought one gship each. They made no unreasonable demands, and they''re disembarking at sea and sending only a few individuals ashore. Four from Zipple and three from Kinzelo. They seem quite nervous,ing with such a reduced number and no escort, straight to our headquarters."
Just three years ago, a handful of key figures from the two main factions wouldn''t have felt threatened for their safety.
But now, they had a lot at stake to face Tikan.
Though Tikan''s overall power had increased, Jin''s presence was the main reason.
"They must be in a hurry, but we are no different."
Jin and his entourage left the mansion and headed to the first floor of Tikan, where they soon came face to face with the leaders of each faction.
Jin''s expression soured as he looked at them, seemingly disappointed.
"Why have youe? I have clearly conveyed that the leaders should discuss this matter."
The four Zipple representatives removed their togas.
Octavia, Hedo, Sandra, and someone Jin saw for the first time in his life.
Ronil Zipple...
Kelliark''s eldest son.
In his past life, he was known as a talented individual in Zipple''s second generation, after Beradin, and powerful people used to ssify him as someone who didn''t shine because he was overshadowed by Beradin and Luna.
Does that mean he was Zipple''s hidden force like Octavia?
Strictly speaking, Ronil was more of an "unknown force" than a hidden force.
Jin didn''t know in his past life, but even then, the leaders of each n regarded Ronil as a key figure.
While deliberately being sarcastic, Jin briefly noticed Sandra''s strange calmness.
Unlike usual, Sandra looked at Jin with emotionless eyes.
Has she learned to distinguish between work and personal rtionships? It''s certainly not the result of any Zipple experiment."
Ronil slightly bowed his head.
"My father is gravely ill, so I''vee as a substitute for the First Magic Tower. Twelfth gbearer of Runcandel, please understand."
Although he spoke first, Ronil had no higher rank than Octavia.
Jin realized he was handling an embarrassing situation instead of Octavia.
"Jin-nim, our leader hase in person! Haha. It would be nice if you congratted him."
Margie spoke as she pushed her wheelchair.
Just as she said that, Orgal, Bishkel, and Margie arrived from Kinzelo.
Jin didn''t reply and met Orgal''s eyes.
"You have a very lively expression, Leader. As someone who owes me."
[Is that so? Helping you at the Garden of Swords that day was a choice made by everyone. I don''t expect any specialpensation.]
"Well then, I''m relieved."
[But, Jin Runcandel. You seem more perceptive than you appear. Did you address me as ''Leader'' only because Zipple might not know my true identity?]
"No way. I don''t think the ones responsible for manipting your story don''t know Orgal''s name."
-If he''s that kind of being, maybe not even Zipple themselves know they manipted Orgal''s story.
-If that''s the case, that''s a relief. Even if Zipple knew, there''s a possibility the information didn''t reach Myuron.
A conversation Jin had with hispanions just after learning the leader''s identity.
Jin had been curious since then.
He wondered if Zipple was aware of the maniption of Orgal''s story and, if so, what was the motive behind manipting his story.
From Jin''s point of view, it was a strange situation.
Those who manipte history and those whose history was manipted were in the same ce.
"Besides, weren''t Kinzelo and Zipple very friendly when I was a Twelfth gbearer?"
[That was until you killed Andrei Zipple and destroyed the Initial Orb of the Demon God. But Jin, Zipple found out my name only recently. It was a bitter than when you found out].
"Meaning the world''s number one Zipple has been dealing with an unknown person for so long."
[If we can offer each other what we need, there''s nothing more to discuss. But are we going to digress from the topic as soon as we arrive at the meeting?]
The purpose of the meeting is, of course, a temporary alliance.
To oppose Rosa''s Runcandel.
"Well, is it really off-topic?"
Jin smiled.
"Orgal, perhaps you''ll gain more power when you free yourself from the maniption of history. In that case, isn''t it time for Zipple to undo your maniption of history to face the public enemy, Rosa?"
Jin didn''t really believe it.
It was just a statement thrown out there to see what stuck.
Octavia, who had been suppressing her emotions all along, narrowed her eyes at those words.
"Twelfth gbearer, that''s specting too much. We didn''t manipte his history."
"Is that so?"
"After calling a meeting, don''t you think it''s very rude to enter such excessive spection?"
"I guess that''s not what I want to hear from those who broke the ceasefire agreement as soon as I finished my training and returned to the Family. I understand the pain of losing much power instead of achieving what you expected this time, Specter Captain."
"You, how dare you..."
Octavia was already upset by Jin''s unteral notification from the beginning.
From her perspective, as much as Zipple suffered a setback, the Zipples were not a n Tikan could give orders to.
Moreover, receiving such disrespect was outrageous.
Even Hedo, who normally despised Octavia''s and Kadun''s temperaments (especially when dealing with Jin), understood the reaction this time.
However, regardless of understanding, he had to intervene.
So, just as Hedo and Ronil were about to leave, Orgal spoke first.
[It''s a very interesting idea to use me to face Rosa when I regain my strength... But Jin, aren''t you underestimating me too much?]
Orgal looked towards Zipple''s side. His face was blurred and not easily visible, but it seemed like he was smiling.
[The current Zipple hasn''t manipted my history. That would be impossible. It was the past Zipple who bound me, and they don''t have authority over magic to release it. So it would be better to set that aside].
"They don''t have the authority?"
[Yes. Even the current Zipple would probably prefer to release me. Unlike Rosa Runcandel, who is practically a King of the ck Sea, I at least am capable of holding a conversation].
That was new information.
Octavia gritted her teeth in embarrassment. Jin made eye contact with Ronil.
"Is that true?"
It seemed likely. But it couldn''t bepletely ruled out that it was a lie. Whether Zipple and Kinzelo had met first and agreed that the method was not feasible, or whether Zipple had hidden that it was possible.
"....yes, Twelfth gbearer. I hope you don''t provoke the Specter Captain any further. After all, isn''t our meeting today to discuss countermeasures as suggested by the Specter Captain?".
Instead, Jin had a way to check whether what they were saying was true or not.
"Well, I felt like maybe I went too far. My apologies for that. You''vee a long way. Let''s go in to eat and continue discussing".
"Thank you, Twelfth gbearer".
"However, there''s one thing I must inform you of beforehand, for the sake of full disclosure. We have gathered here hoping to speak openly and honestly..."
Jin slowly returned their gaze.
"Today''s meeting will be apanied by the Az Mil Contractor. The Contractor will personally censor all conversations, and everything will be recorded. If you don''t agree, there will be no meeting".
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 651
Chapter 651
C651
"And Zipple? Do you agree?"
"...we agree. It would have been better if you had told us in advance."
When Ronil spoke, Octavia seemed to calm her anger. Ronil didn''t seem like her superior, but he wasn''t in a position to be ignored either.
"Consider it the price for kidnapping the truth dragon in the past."
As they began to enter the conference room, the crowd waiting outside cheered.
Not only Tikan, but journalists from all over the world, except for Hufester, had gathered.
They were sketching ceaselessly and taking notes of their appearance in their notebooks.
It wasn''t an unofficial meeting.People from around the world were disillusioned by the fact that the truce agreement between Zipple and Runcandel had been broken long ago, but they had hope in this conference, directly organized by Jin.
The conference room was filled with refreshments and simple food prepared by Latrie.
Sandra had gone crazy over the cookies when she had visited Tikan with Beradinst time, but now she didn''t react.
Instead, surprisingly, Octavia''s eyes widened in surprise after taking a bite of the cookie.
During the brief meal, formalities were exchanged, and as soon as it ended, Euria entered the conference room.
At just thirteen years old, Euria stood confidently before the supposed world conquerors, with an unyielding gaze.
"Hello, I''m Euria Alfreon, who hase as a censor for today''s meeting. You can have afortable conversation, and ask me to inspect it when you deem necessary."
"I am Latrie, Euria''s guardian dragon. If a situation arises where there may be problems with the censorship process, I will let you know in advance," Latrie added.
At both their bold and friendly self-introduction, Jin smiled wholeheartedly without realizing it.
"Starting a meeting crucial to the fate of the world with cute orphans makes me smile."
"I''ve been bothered by the use of the term ''orphans'' since before."
"It reminds me that there is a world where people can''t even use the word ''orphan.''"
"What does ''orphan'' mean?"
Jin had heard the term ''orphan'' used by Witch Heluram on Solderet''s recording device.
It didn''t seem like a simple metaphor, Jin had been curious about it already.
He remembered how Quikantel had told Murakan that the expression seemed strangely familiar to him.
"It means exactly what it sounds like. It refers to someone who has lost both parents."
"You shouldn''t ignore that Euria is the daughter of Sir Kashimir and Lady Alisa."
At those words, Orgal smiled significantly.
"Before your biological parents existed, there were parents who brought you into existence."
"You mean God?"
"It''s a presence beyond."
"Have Sir Bishkel and Margie received this information from Orgal?"
"I''ve got it!"
"Euria."
At Jin''s call, Euria nodded.
"Sir Bishkel and Lady Margie, please look into my eyes for a moment. If it''s true, a blue light in the form of a rope will appear between the three of us, and if it''s false, a red rope will form."
Euria resonated with Latrie and met the eyes of the two, and after about three minutes, a blue rope formed between them.
"They''re not lying, Brother Jin."
Even if what Orgal said was false, at least they exined it to Bishkel and Margie that way.
Orgal didn''t seem willing to give them false information.
"I have no intention of telling a lie, even if there''s no truth contractor, Jin Runcandel. The reason the world is in its current state is because the parents of life have perished."
"It''s a nonsensical story. Anyway, it seems to be rted to the purpose of Kinzelo that I''ve heard about."
"It''s something that''s beside the point. First of all, why don''t we take a look at each other''s cards? I''ll refrain from using the word ''orphan'' in the future."
"I agree. Then first... let''s start by finding out the damage situation of each faction. I''ll go first. Except for my wound and the wounds of Tris-nim, and the wounds of the snow toad Mort, the Vamel alliance and its allies have suffered no casualties."
"Has the master of the hidden pce recovered?"
"He couldn''t fight due to internal injuries and chaos invasion. We don''t know how long it will take for him to recover."
"Euria-nim, please confirm."
As Ronil said, Euria made eye contact with Jin this time. Naturally, a blue light appeared.
"Zipple lost about 70% of its fleet, and Kadun-nim was severely injured. Additionally, about 300 elite magicians died, including 27 members of the Spectre squadron, and about a thousand more casualties urred, but most were resurrected with the demon god''s orb. However, it will take us two months to restore the fleet."
The damages suffered by Zipple, as identified by the seven-colored peacock, were around 50% loss of its fleet, but both Zipple and Kinzelo had been engaged in battles with the Ram for some time, even after Jin had escaped from Hufester. In the process, they suffered an additional 20% loss.
"Your patriarch did not participate in this battle. But I''m curious. Did Zipple''s patriarch suffer any damage in this battle?"
Ronil pondered for a moment before replying:
"...he was struck. But I can''t give you any more details."
"Euria."
"Yes, please wait a moment."
Jin requested confirmation not because he thought there would be lies in the damage situation.
It was hard to believe that a fleet of that size would be restored in just two months.
A blue thread formed between Ronil and Euria.
"It''s incredible that the entire fleet can be recovered in just two months. It''s impossible with just manpower."
Jin didn''t ask Ronil about the method.
Euria was only here to confirm the damages of each faction, not to unearth all their secrets.
After all, there were no guarantees that the other party would respond.
"Kinzelo lost around 10% of the fleet and about 1,500 mass-produced legend-type golems. I also took a hit, but I should be able to recover in about three years even without special measures."
"3 years? Are you saying that if we have to wage the final battle against Rosa in her, you won''t be able to participate in full condition? There''s a high probability of that. We''re in a situation where we can''t even guarantee tomorrow, let alone three years."
"Yes. If I had been in perfect condition from the start, things wouldn''t have turned out like this. You may not know it, but she''s no longer human. She has be a Goddess."
"A Goddess?"
"She is an Evil Goddess, born from Chaos. And everyone seems worried about when Rosa will move, let me tell you one thing. It will take at least a year before she moves herself. Until then, there will be no threat of world destruction."
"Still, it''s less than three years, knowing that she can recover without special measures. She probably has a way to elerate her recovery if the worst-case scenario happens."
"That''s right."
"What do you base your belief that Rosa will take at least a year to move on?"
"As a Goddess, don''t you think there''s an adaptation phase? She also needs to supply offerings for divine powers. As you know, Rosa and the Protofa use all life, including humans, as sacrifices. Do you know that on that day, all humans in the city of Kalon will be sacrifices?"
"...I expected as much."
"In the future, more lives, including humans, will be sacrifices for Rosa. If we want to reduce that number even a little, we must fight only once."
"I guess we must strike when we can defeat the Garden of Swords in one blow," said Hedo.
"Yes, Zipple''s butler. If it doesn''t matter how many humans die, it''s fine to attempt multiple attacks."
"Putting aside ethical issues, it''s also possible thatplications may arise if we provoke Rosa and the speed of obtaining sacrifices unnecessarily increases."
This time Octavia spoke up, and Orgal nodded.
"That''s obvious. But there''s something more important."
Orgal''s gaze fell on Jin.
"Jin Runcandel must be able to defeat Rosa in a one-on-one battle."
This meant nothing less than that.
"Is it because I''m immune to Chaos?"
That Jin was immune to Chaos was no longer a secret.
Everyone saw it when Jin directly faced Rosa in the Garden of Swords.
Orgal nodded.
"Because you are the only one immune to Chaos. In the current world, probably only you can kill Rosa Runcandel. If there are no special means in Zipple..."
"Euria."
As previously verified by Orphan Exnation, this time Bishkel and Margie were also verified on behalf of Orgal.
Once again, everything Orgal said turned out to be true.
"If one is not immune to chaos, then even if there is a person who bes a genesis knight, will they not be able to kill Rosa?"
"Yes, if your father could return from the ck Sea immediately and join the battle, the situation might change. But aren''t you currently unable to contact him?"
"Yes."
Jin didn''t bother to hide the content about Cyron this time.
This time, Ronil requested verification.
Zipple had long wanted to know about themunication between Cyron and Runcandel.
Of course, a blue thread was revealed between Jin and Euria.
There was a moment of silence.
"It seems like my shoulders weigh a little more since I''m the only one who can face Rosa. Kinzelo still has a variable called Orgal''s recovery, but does Zipple have no moves to counter?"
"...there is."
"I didn''t expect to be so relieved to hear that the enemy has hidden strength. Please tell me what it is. I suppose it''s a question that needs an answer. After all, we''re dealing with the public enemy."
"It''s maniption of history. However, it''s a means that will never be possible without your partner, the survivor of Histor."
Jin immediately changed expression and asked, "Sir Ronil, does Zipple now know the whereabouts of the survivor of Histor?".
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 652
Chapter 652
C652
Valeria Histor, thest time Jin''spanions saw her was about two months ago.
It wasn''t the first time she had been out of touch for so long, but even after the news of Jin''s return spread throughout the world, it was impossible for her not to stay in contact.
Above all, Rosa announced that she had found the legacy of the first patriarch to lure Jin to the Garden of Swords, and invoked Padler, who was supposed to be the guardian of Temar''s fifth tomb.
All clues indicated that something had happened to her.
"I don''t know why you''re asking us about yourpanion, the twelfth gbearer. Have you also lost contact with the survivor of Histor?"
"Yes."
Normally, Jin would never have asked Zipple for information about Valeria.
But now was not the time to hesitate.To that, Ronil sighed and Octavia touched her forehead.
"Judging by your reaction, it seems you don''t know either."
"Yes, we don''t know."
"Still, I have to check. Euria."
When the Power of Truth was used, a blue thread appeared between Ronil, Octavia, and Euria.
Just as Jin was about to be disappointed, Ronil revealed new information.
"Instead, we know the area where the survivor of Histor wasst estimated to have disappeared."
Zipple had been tracking Temar''s Tomb for a thousand years, and this time was no different.
While Valeria was tracking, Zipple was also searching for Temar''s tomb.
"Where is it?"
Ronil exchanged nces with Octavia.
Octavia nodded as if it was okay to say.
"Hufester, there''s a cave in the fifth eastern region of Kaldran. When we got there, there were traces of record magic."
"The survivor of Histor left the trail?"
"Yes, the blue window of record magic was left in the cave."
"Did you see the blue window yourself?"
"...Yes. I was tracking the survivor of Histor myself."
If it was Valeria whom Jin knew, she wouldn''t have made such a careless mistake.
Unless she deliberately induced a trap or distraction.
"Please, tell me more about the situation at that time."
"I confirmed the location of the survivor of Histor from afar, and followed her. As it was within the five eastern regions, there were many restrictions on my movement and that of the survivor of Histor. There was a three-day chase in the snowfield of Kaldran, and she entered a cave with a single entrance and a single exit."
"And she disappeared, leaving behind the blue window of record magic?"
"Yes, that''s it. There were no signs of fleeing from the cave. I wondered if the survivor of Histor had learned invisibility or teleportation spells at the Temple of Session, but there were no traces of any other magic being used except record magic."
"A person cannot disappear like that unless the Snow Toad Mort exists."
"That''s why we thought Mort rescued the survivor of Histor. Since the Hidden Pce is no longer neutral, it is no different from an ally of yours, sir."
"Did you continue investigating the Kaldran cave after that?"
"I couldn''t. Right after that, the Third gbearer of Runcandel started watching it."
"I really have to go now. Anyway, I''ll send you a letter to Tikan if there''s any further progress. Perhaps your sister can soon find a clue about the fifth tomb of Temar."What Valeria said before Jin left for Lafrarosa.
Luntia had been tracking Temar''s Tomb for a long time.
She was also one of the three siblings Jin knew nothing about their "current status".
"Given the circumstances, it is very likely that the Third gbearer of Runcandel also knew the location of the survivor of Histor. No, I must say it with certainty. The Third gbearer and her knights were camped around that cave."
Jin sighed, suppressing his emotions.
Neither Mary nor the Tona siblings, nor thete Jordan nor the resistance survivors, knew anything about Luntia.
To the point that Dyfus took Luntia''s ce, to deal with the aftermath of Gliek''s subjugation.
''As expected, Elder Sister Luntia...... Is she tainted by Chaos?''
However, even though they were unknown, Jin hoped that Luntia''s state was that.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for her not to have rebelled.
"Sir Ronil, did you encounter Elder Sister Luntia?"
"The situation was urgent, so I couldn''t approach the Third gbearer. However, the Snowfield of Kaldran was full of knights tainted by Chaos."
Euria revealed that everything Ronil had said was true. Luntia''s invasion was nothing but a certainty.
"What''s the possibility that the survivor Histor was kidnapped by Elder Sister Luntia?"
"If the Third gbearer found something that I didn''t find in that cave that day, it''s not impossible."
Jin looked at Orgal again. He smiled as if he knew why.
"Why, do you doubt me because I have the ability to move through dimensions? We know nothing about the survivor Histor."
It was as he said when Euria confirmed the Ivliano siblings.
If Zipple and Kinzelo didn''t know it, they wouldn''t have caught Valeria.
Jin was convinced of it.
If Rosa had gotten hold of my master, she would have used it to intimidate me already.
''She should have used the master even after calling me to the Garden of Swords.''
In the Garden of Swords, Rosa didn''t say anything more about Valeria.
There were some things Jin didn''t ask, but the decisive reason would have been that there was no way to use her.
Of course, Jin and the great forces gathered here are not the only ones tracking Temar''s tomb in the world.
The imperial family, which owns Temar''s left arm, was also searching for a tomb.
''But if the imperial family captured Valeria, it''s impossible for Zipple not to know. As long as they don''t betray Zipple and stick to Runcandel...''
Jin decided to ask openly.
"Sir Ronil, is the rtionship between Zipple and the imperial family still the same?".
"The Imperial Family has no capability to catch the survivor of Histor. Even less without the knowledge of our Family".
"Jin, you seem obsessed with the survivor of Histor. I don''t think it''s because you want to restore my history through her, or use Zipple''s history maniption to attack the Garden of Swords."
"Do you think I would have such a repulsive thought? She''s mypanion".
Jin showed a hint of anger at Orgal''s words.
"Anyway, it seems that for the time being you''ll be frantic to find her".
"I''ll handle that problem. Now, let''s get back to the topic of the Garden of Swords."
"No, this is still rted to the Garden of Swords, Jin. Have you forgotten? You''re the only opponent to Rosa Runcandel right now. It means you cannot act recklessly".
"...I agree with Sir Orgal on this matter, Twelfth gbearer. If you''re looking for the survivor of Histor right now, of course, you''ll have to first head to the five eastern regions, right? And I think you probably know the state of Huphester better than anyone".
"The world has reached a point where Zipple and Kinzelo are worried about me. Especially Zipple, who is concerned about Histor''s safety... it feels strange. I try to save her because she''s mypanion, but also because I need her skills to oppose the Garden of Swords. Her skills are not only needed by you".
"Perhaps to continue developing the space-time device they stole from us".
"It''s embarrassing to hear you say that".
"You don''t have to because our n didn''t handle it properly. But at this point, it would be better for you to reconsider going to Hufester for Histor".
Ronil spoke emotionlessly, but Jin heard his calm voice saying. I promise to retrieve it someday.
Although Zipple isn''t manipting history, there will be other means. Kinzelo will surely be able to elerate Orgal''s recovery if he pays a price.
The Power of Truth that Euria possesses is still not perfect.
Although it can urately distinguish between truth and lies, it was impossible for her to understand the ''truth of revenge'' deliberately left unsaid.
Jin didn''t believe that Zipple and Kinzelo didn''t know it, so he was sure there were things they weren''t saying on purpose.
But they were still concerned about their own safety, as that was the best means.
Even if Euria''s authority was at a level that could even reveal hidden truth, this was only a temporary alliance meeting, not a real one.
If she had used her authority so deeply, the meeting would have copsed in the first ce.
''From their perspective, the best oue is to use me to eliminate Rosa without showing another card''.
The battle prowess Rosa showed in the garden of the sword was undoubtedly so transcendent that it could be called an ''evil god''.
But when the dayes for Jin and the temporary alliances to face Rosa in the final battle, it will surely be even worse than now.
Even if Jin wins against her, there will be no way to achieve victory without suffering serious damage.
Of course, Zipple and Kinzelo would also suffer damage, but they wouldn''t beparable to Jin''s, who fought Rosa head-on.
And what will happen after the war?
Kinzelo and Zipple are no longer allies.
Although Jin wins the war against Rosa, he is very likely to encounter stronger enemies when he is weaker.
Of course, Jin had no intention of leaving them like that.
They don''t know that Valeria is not just a key to a space-time device, but also the key topleting the Golden Armada.
One year.
In that not-so-long time, Jin prepared to confront Rosa and used the other two factions as much as possible.
"If you''re so worried, attach someone. As soon as the meeting is over, I''ll go to the Snowfield of Kaldran".
"So soon...?"
"Attach someone... an interesting demand. I feel like he''s going to use us to the bone until the temporary alliance ends".
"Isn''t thatmon sense? No matter if they give anyone, I''m going alone anyway. Orgal said before that Rosa would take at least a year to move again. I have to do everything I can within that time. That''s why Histor is absolutely necessary".
"Kinzelo agrees!", Margie said with sparkling eyes, and Ronil nodded as if he couldn''t help it.
"Zipple will agree too".
"There''s one person from Zipple''s side that I want".
"...Who are you thinking of?".
Jin made eye contact with him and said,
"Beradin. Put Beradin Zipple".
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 653
Chapter 653
C653
She sighed and lowered her head.
"That child is no longer the Beradin Zipple you knew. He now... is almost like a newborn."
"A newborn? Could you exin it in simpler terms, Captain Specter?"
"It''s literally as I said. Beradin has lost everything, includingnguage, knowledge, magic, habits, and memories."
ording to Octavia''s expression, Beradin is currently in an expressionless state.
Jin also had the momentary sensation that his mind went nk upon hearing this news.
Ronil seemed slightly ufortable.
Jin wanted to immediately subdue Octavia and thrust a sword into her throat if she didn''t exin everything rted to Beradin properly.Jin finally regained hisposure, and his gaze settled on Euria.
Soon, the Power of Truth manifested, and a blue thread became visible.
"Until yesterday, I was trapped in a life support device. Thanks to that, my n won''t be able to manipte my mind for a while."
"So it seems you''ve lost all your mana."
"Not just mana, I also have some memory issues. I can''t even remember the names of my siblings, and I''ve forgotten a lot of magic. It''s a side effect of themotion. I''m sure my mana will return, but I can''t be sure about my memories. As for magic, I can learn it again."
A conversation Jin had with Beradin before departing for Lafrarosa.
At that time, despite starting to lose his memories, Beradin didn''t forget a single thing about Jin and Dante.
Upon returning to the human world, Jin felt uneasy upon learning that Beradin hadn''t engaged in any external activities during his absence.
Over time, his anxiety became reality and weighed heavily on Jin''s mind.
Unconsciously, he found himself staring at Sandra.
She seemed different from usual, as if she too had been affected by Beradin''s experimentation.
"Are you really saying he can''t remember anything?"
"...I know very well that Beradin is close to you and to the Sword Emperor Castle Lord. So I asked him a lot about you because I hoped it would help him. But he didn''t remember anything."
Jin couldn''t speak for a while and struggled to contain his anger.
This was a negotiation room.
It wasn''t a meeting to resolve personal grievances or resentments.
Moreover, Jin was the host of the meeting and the representative of the Vamel Alliance and its allies.
Octavia didn''t underestimate Jin for acting this way. She simply thought that, despite having almost the strongest power in the world, he still had a youthful side.
It was imperative to deal with that aspect before it disappeared.
"Beradin is our young patriarch, and he was by far the most talented person of the next generation of our n. His disintegration is even more heart-wrenching and painful for us than it is for you."
Jin didn''t know what to do with Beradin immediately. The idea that Valeria''s record magic would be useful briefly crossed his mind, but it was only a hope.
"You''re talking nonsense. You''re the ones who made Beradin like this. It''s probably a side effect of the living golem experiment. You experimented on a person to make him look like that."
"I won''t deny it. But that doesn''t mean it''s not painful."
"So what are you going to do with Beradin from now on?"
"We''ll find a way to make him normal again, whatever it takes."
The blue thread appeared again. Jin stared at the thread for a while and then closed his eyes once.
"Even with your luxurious Demon God Stone, it''s not easy, is it?"
"In the first ce, that child is not responsible. Anyway, because of that, I couldn''t send Beradin. Instead, Hedo-nim here will do the hard work for you."
"Since he is the strongest Tower Guardian on the Zipple side, we will send Zephyrin. Yes, even if Rosa Runcandel suddenly appears in the Five Eastern Regions, you won''t die in vain. It seems this part is more or less settled."
The remaining tasks were to set the time for the temporary alliance tounch a joint attack in the Garden of Swords and to n contingencies.
Opinions began to fly, but it was Orgal who took the initiative to lead the meeting.
Orgal had a deeper and broader knowledge than anyone else about Chaos, the attributes of that power that were only recently known to the general public, and about the evil god and the prophet.
"...So, it means Kinzelo has been checking the formation of the ship called Ram since that day."
At Jin''s question, Orgal nodded.
"Yes. If my prediction is correct, the currentpletion level is less than 50%. Maybe not even 30%."
"Then we must attack before it''spleted."
"I hope so, but it seems difficult at this rate."
"Ram... did she take thest letter of her name? The Prophet... no, Heluram seems very narcissistic."
When Jin said that, Orgal let out a lowugh.
"It seems you''ve been thinking of the prophet as Heluram all this time."
"I suspected that."
"If that''s the case, wouldn''t your Ruby Cat have reacted to something in the Garden of Swords? The Prophet isn''t Heluram, but her daughter. She''s just one of many daughters..."
"Many daughters? Does that mean there might be more beings like the Prophet in the world?"
"At least not in the human world. If there''s a space that Heluram hasn''t fixed, there might be some, but it''s not really significant. After all, they can nevere out in the human world until Heluram awakens. Anyway, the only thing her daughters are waiting for is the resurrection of my former lover, Heluram."
"Is that why she uses humans as sacrifices?"
"Not exactly humans themselves. Of course, things like flesh and bones are necessary, but their effectiveness isn''t as great. What is truly needed is despair. Only pure and massive despair can awaken Heluram."
"It seems you know a lot about Heluram. It seems like you want to awaken her."
"That''s not something people who have never been in love would say. Awakening Heluram wouldn''t benefit me at all. I don''t even want to hope for it."
Euria''s authority continued to form a blue thread, but Jin felt ufortable relying so much on Orgal''s knowledge and experience in that way.
''Once I find Valeria, I have to somehow learn more about Heluram and the Prophet. Dr. Qwaul said that before the mistress left Tikan for thest time, she talked about the marble I got in Joshua''s vige.''
The magical tomb of Schugiel Histor.
Before departing for Lafrarosa, Jin had entrusted half of Schugiel Histor''s magical tomb to Gilly.
Valeria discovered a year ago that Gilly had the magical tomb, and through it, she obtained a clue about the record magic.
Thanks to that, she was able to proceed with the restoration of Joshua''s marble and Solderet''s recording device. However, she is currently missing.
"Anyway, there''s no way to avoid the restoration of Ram at this point, so we have to assume that the final battle will proceed with Rampleted. What we''re going to do is, will we take care of Ram and send the Twelfth gbearer to where Rosa is?"
Orgal nodded at Ronil''s words.
"Very astute. Until then, let''s hope that Kelliark Zipple recovers and that the Demon God Orb reaches its final stage."
"Twelfth gbearer, I want to ask you something."
"What is it, Ronil Zipple?"
"Do you have any means to purify Chaos?"
Jin had intentionally ced Knights from his Family on the route to the conference room.
This was to demonstrate that they had a perfect means of purification, unlike other forces that use Chaos as a means of control.
"Yes."
Ronil and Octavia''s pupils widened as the blue thread appeared.
"Then... please use the purification method on my father."
"Didn''t you say earlier that you couldn''t urately inform me of Kelliark Zipple''s condition?"
"Because I needed to be careful."
"My purification method isn''t perfect. If there has been a physical transformation due to Chaos or if the enchantment has already beenpleted, purification may not be possible."
Ronil showed hesitation for the first time as another blue thread emerged.
"Seeing the reaction, it seems he is already in that state."
"I think this is not only about the survival of our Family but also about the fate of the world. Whether my father can fight in his full state or not."
"During the final battle, I also need Kelliark''s power. Of course, it''s unpleasant, but if the purification method is improved before the battle and if his power is needed at that time, I will allow you to use the purification method on him."
"...Understood."
The meeting continued for over two days, and the temporary alliance of the three forces made the world buzz from that day on.
---------------------
March 7, 1803.
As discussed in the meeting, Jin''s group had entered the Kaldran Snow Field.
This time he didn''t use the Red Owl.
He went with Zephyrin, Hedo, and Sandra Zipple.
Fortunately, unlike during the meeting, Sandra was showing the same side Jin knew.
"Hahaha, Jin! My performance was really convincing, wasn''t it? I wanted to express my immense love for you during the meeting. But no, no, Sandra! Wake up. If not, we won''t have the chance to see each other separately like this! That''s why I persisted with this farce!"
"...Initially, I didn''t n on asking Zipple and Kinzelo to send someone."
"Only those who are prepared can seize the opportunity at any moment. Since I acted like a madwoman that day when nothing was confirmed, I could be with you like this as soon as the opportunity presented itself."
After saying that, Sandra smiled widely and linked her prosthetic arm with Jin''s.
Jin didn''t immediately separate it.
It was because he felt relieved.
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 654
Chapter 654
C654
Kaldran Snowfield
During this time, it wasmon for experienced adventurers or trained martial artists to get lost and freeze to death in the Kaldran Snowfield.
Of course, this did not apply to Jin''s group that arrived in the snowy field, but finding the way with just the map given by Ronil was a herculean task.
If not for Shuri, it would have been even more difficult. Shuri was once again doing an excellent job as the group''s guide.
"Kyahaha! Come on, Shuri. Give this sister a kiss. How is Shuri so smart? Is it because he takes after his owner?"
[Nyaa.]
When Shuri gently pushed Sandra away, Zephyrin let out a chuckle.
"Sister? You''re saying something funny, youngdy living golem. Jin Runcandel''s ruby cat is a creature that is at least a thousand years old.""Wow, why are you picking a fight over something like that?"
"What do you mean picking a fight? I just find you amusing."
"Hedo, tear her mouth sideways."
"Since earlier, you''ve been saying ridiculous things because you rely on the butler of physical beauty. You should know there are more monsters in this world than you think."
"Hmph, if you''re so confident, why don''t you hit me first? I guarantee that as soon as youy a hand on me, Hedo will definitely draw his sword. Then we''ll fight until there''s a winner, and I have a feeling who will win."
"Ugh, really. How did I end up being treated like this? If not for my master''s orders...."
"In the Sota Desert, you didn''t attack for the things Jin stole, and this time it was on your master''s order. Being the Great Duchess of the Demon World is a decent position. There are many excuses even if you always lose."
"Ha, okay. Then hit me first, living golem. I''ll definitely kill you."
Unlike Zephyrin, Sandra tried to swing her fist immediately, but Hedo pushed her away before she could reach Zephyrin.
Hedo sighed deeply as he watched the twisted Sandra in his grip. Since the journey began, Sandra and Zephyrin had constantly been engaged in a verbal war.
Looking back, the atmosphere wasn''t very good when they met in the Sota Desert.
"Don''t you think there''s already enough tension meeting in enemy territory?" said Jin.
"But Jin, she keeps getting on my nerves. Did you see? She started the fight first."
"Is it a secret to Sir Jin that you''ve been deliberately stepping on my heels the whole time while walking?"
"If you both do it again, I''ll leave you somewhere and go alone. Everyone will not be able to retreat from the Kaldran Snowfield without me, right?"
Sandra and Zephyrin shut their mouths at the same time.
''Greatposure!''
''Damn it, if I told my master that I was thrown out for fighting with a living golem, he would treat me worse than this...''
Sandra took Jin''s words literally, and Zephyrin knew it wasn''t an empty promise.
When the two fell silent in an instant, Hedo felt resentment towards Jin for finally intervening.
The group moved forward in silence.
It was a very slow pace.
Since Ronil''sst visit to the snowfield, knights tainted with chaos had camped here.
As soon as they were discovered, the Garden of Swords would send the main force. In the worst case, Rosa mighte in person.
It would take a considerable amount of time toe directly from the Garden of Swords to the Kaldran Snowfield, but if he used something like the Prophet''s cave they used in the Sota Desert or the Chaos Dragon, it was hard to predict.
''If Owal-nim were here, we could have moved much faster than this, it''s frustrating.''
Owal could not help Jin while tracking Yona.
For the past three years, since the subjugation of Glyek, Yona''s cycle of rampages had been shortening more and more.
Jin''s heart ached when he thought of Yona.
''I also have to use the purifier with my sister... We must find her before the invasion isplete.''
ording to the news Owal had sent to Tikan a few days ago, Yona had not yet reached total invasion. The Vamel Alliance could not find Yona better than Nameless.
Jin felt a bit bittersweet realizing that even with such great power, he stillcked the ability to protect his family and n.
Then he felt he could understand his father, Cyron, a bit better.
They spent three days erasing their tracks.
Fortunately, the group was able to pass through the snow-covered rocky mountains without being detected by the scouting knights.
But they couldn''t get any additional information about Valeria during their journey.
All they saw was the pale, dark sky, with snow and rocks, without any difference between day and night.
"...looks like we''re almost there."
In the distance, they saw a dead-end cliff that separated the heart of the snowy mountains.
Shuri pointed with his front paw to one side of the cliff, which was where the cave was located, although the group could not see it yet.
Jin sent Shuri back into the ruby.
It was because Jin felt the energy of Chaos.
It had been like this for the past three days, but it was especially dense near the cave.
"Hmm, I expected this. Although it''s difficult to monitor the entire snowfield, they''re definitely watching the area around the cave where Histor disappeared."
"If they intend to enter the cave, it seems we won''t be able to avoid a battle from now on, Twelfth gbearer."
Zephyrin and Hedo said.
"Since it''s an expected problem, we''ll enter."
"Do you understand there are many variables from here on? Honestly, I don''t know. I wonder if the risk of saving the Histor survivor is worth it."
"That''s not something you need to decide, Zephyrin."
"There''s no such thing as a tyrant. Of course, there''s no need to worry about danger if Histor is in that cave, but do you really think there''s any chance of that happening?"
"Hey! Ourpanion disappeared over there. Whether there''s a chance or not, isn''t it reasonable to check? Don''t demons have a sense of camaraderie?"
"I hear barking from somewhere. Sir Jin, my point is to search elsewhere than the snowfield. Sir Ronil has failed, and from what I see Runcandel has too. If they had caught her, they would have already tried to negotiate or threaten."
As Zephyrin said, there was no chance that Valeria was still in that cave.
However, Temar''s tomb was alwaysposed of "subspace." In Bai of the Great ins of Anz, on the coast of the Schutzeron Kingdom, in the subspace of the Cat Tribe, and in the Wantaramo Forest.
Ronil said Valeria disappeared without a trace in that cave.
''If there''s a subspace leading to Temar''s tomb in that cave...''
It would mean Valeria had reached Temar''s fifth tomb and taken refuge there.
Or she might have been forcibly moved for some condition being met.
"There may be a subspace, Zephyrin. That''s how all the Temar tombs I''ve found have been."
"Are you saying the Histor survivor might have entered there? Now I understand why you haven''t lost hope."
"I can''t believe we can have a subspace date after a snowfield date! Romance, more romance!"
"And there''s something I didn''t understand from the beginning. Why did you bring this living golem? It''s not that she''s powerful, she always says stupid things like this."
Zephyrin was asking Hedo, not Jin. Hedo did not answer and wiped the frost from his sses.
"...Twelfth gbearer, so it''s decided that we will enter. How do we proceed?"
"I think Zephyrin should take care of all the knights first."
Although there''s a strong Chaos energy, Jin thought Zephyrin could overwhelm all the knights near the cave. Although she had always been defeated or outmatched by Jin somehow, she was undoubtedly one of the strongest in the world.
"Then the next step is obvious. Keep their attention until reinforcements arrive, right?"
"It''s too simplistic."
"Well, there''s no other way. We can''t kill all those people without leaving traces."
"Then what''s my job?"
"Please cover me while I look for subspace traces inside the cave."
"Well, that''s fine by me. I needed someone to vent my frustrations on some kind of living golem anyway."
"Zephyrin."
"Yes?"
"I have a request."
Jin met Zephyrin''s eyes and said.
Zephyrin almost showed a puzzled expression in her eyes. It was the first time she had seen that demon address her in such a respectful manner.
"...A request?"
"If possible, I want you to kill the knights without causing them too much pain."
-Does it mean that most of the Knights remaining in the Garden of Swords did not rebel because they were engulfed in chaos and not of their own will?
-There may still be some who do it of their own will, but as you said, most would be like that. What crazy knight would want to fight under that monster? No matter how strong he is. The knights forming Runcandel are especially proud.
Jin recalled the conversation he had with Jorden while receiving the n''s sword techniques.
Most of the knights in the Kaldran Snowfield were forced to be chaos monsters. It was impossible to purify them all. Judging by their size, they were almostpletely engulfed in chaos.
Just when Zephyrin was about to respond, Jin lowered his head.
Zephyrin shrugged as if she had no choice.
"...I''ll do it. I''m not doing it for you, but I guess it''s more dignified this way."
"Thank you. I''ll make sure to repay the debt."
"Shall we start now?"
"Yes."
"I''ll give you a signal if something unexpected happens. When I roar three times in a row, leave the cave immediately and prepare to escape."
"Go and die. No! You can''t die. You must live until we all get out of here, Demon Dragon! Keep your promise with Jin. Understood?"
Zephyrin snorted at Sandra while transforming into her true form.
[Make sure to have fun on your sad date, living golem. From my long experience, it seems the Histor survivor that Sir Jin is trying to save is more than just apanion... oops.]
"What, what did you say!"
The knights in the snowfield who sensed Zephyrin began to emit chaos energy seriously.
Sandra cursed at Zephyrin''s back as she flew up.
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 649
Chapter 649
[T.L: punisher87]
[My ko-fi link:- /punisher87 ]
A small sailboat was heading towards Tikan. Behind the boat, fifty or so ships emerged from underwater, with white foam bubbling behind them, rising to the surface.
It was a sight that Jin saw once before leaving for the Sota Desert in the past.
¡®Elder Sister Mary¡¡!¡¯
It could be Cosmos, who had be her subordinate,ing to deliver bad news.
Or perhaps they had already been engulfed in Rosa¡¯s chaos and came to attack Tikan.
But fortunately, as Mary approached Tikan, she appeared on the deck, and Jin was able to greet her, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
¡°The youngest!¡±
¡°Elder Sister!¡±
Their voices echoed over the blue sea.
Even the knights of Runcandel, who were undergoing purification treatment, rushed outside to greet Mary.
As she entered the mansion, Mary was filled with a sense of defeat, powerlessness, and sadness.
Jin¡¯s heart ached as he watched her.
Mary also had chaos, but it was not at a serious level.
Jin realized that it was the result of Mary¡¯s resistance against the chaos.
¡°¡¡ As I suspected, it was you who attacked the Garden of Swords not long ago. Zipfel and Kinzelo followed your movements and took advantage of the opportunity.¡±
As Jin recounted what had happened, Mary nodded as if she had expected as much.
She recognized Jin¡¯s growth at a nce.
¡°First of all, I must pay my respects to uncle Jorden.¡±
¡°Okay.¡±
Mary paid a moment of silence to Jorden¡¯s coffin.
Although she and Jordan were not originally on good terms, they had formed a bond of camaraderie andpanionship while resisting against Rosa.
In particr, Mary admired him for sacrificing his life to save the remaining knights.
¡°If you look at this, you never know about people. Rosa Runcandel, who seemed unlikely to betray the n no matter what, became a monster of chaos, while uncle, who seemed determined to swallow the n by any means necessary, ultimately became its protector. The body of uncle must be enshrined in the mausoleum after we reim the n.¡±
¡°That goes without saying. By the way, how have you been all this time, Elder sister? And what about elder brother Diphus¡¡.¡±
¡°Diphus Oraboni is imprisoned in the basement of the Garden of Swords. On the day you attacked the Garden of Swords, Rosa Runcandel must have released everyone except for Diphus Oraboni.¡±
¡°Did you see it yourself? Elder Brother Diphus being imprisoned.¡±
Mary¡¯s eyes narrowed.
¡°No, I didn¡¯t see it myself, but I heard about it.¡±
¡°Please tell me in detail.¡±
¡°That day, even after most of the rebels had been suppressed, Diphus Oraboni and I continued to fight. We were the only ones who had ventured so deep into the battle to the main house where Rosa was waiting.¡±
Then the siblings engaged inbat with Rosa.
More precisely, it was only Diphus who directly parried Rosa¡¯s sword. Upon receiving the sword strike, he confirmed the chaos prating his body and then excluded Mary from the fight.
It was a decision made after determining that engaging Rosa directly with the sword would lead to certain defeat.
¡°Rosa had be almost as strong as our father. And not only that, she could infect others with chaos, leaving us no choice. We immediately nned to escape, but not long after, Oraboni lost consciousness. To Rosa¡¯s sword.¡±
Mary¡¯s body was shaking when she remembered that moment.
Mary could escape Rosa¡¯s clutches thanks to Diphus¡¯s sacrifice.
The reason she left Diphus behind and escaped was solely to ensure his sacrifice wouldn¡¯t be in vain.
¡°At that moment, I felt an overwhelming urge to die there as well. But if I did, I wouldn¡¯t be able to exact Oraboni¡¯s revenge¡ But it wasn¡¯t over after leaving the main house. I safely escaped the Garden of Swords, but the pursuers surrounded me before I left the Kalon.¡±
The pursuers were about a hundred knights in total, and among them were members of the ck Sword association, who were stained with chaos.
At that time, Mary had no strength left to deal with them. She had already suffered severe injuries during her escape from the Garden of Swords.
¡°It was Lynn Milcano. It seems that Guardian of Law chief Lynn Milcano has reced uncle as the new ck Sword Association chief. And Lynn Milcano, just let me go.¡±
¡°If she just let you go¡¡±
¡°Lynn Milcano was also resisting Rosa. I don¡¯t know if Rosa knows that, or if Lynn Milcano lied to me¡¡ But at least it¡¯s clear that she allowed me to live.¡±
-I¡¯ll give you some painkillers, 7th gbearer. You should leave now. We¡¯ll report that you escaped.
-What kind of scheme is this?
-Don¡¯t think that you¡¯re the only ones who want to reim the Garden of Swords.
-You¡¯re also using the power of chaos even though you say that.
-I also made a separate contract with the Prophet like Rosa. There is only a difference in the method. We don¡¯t think Rosa¡¯s decision was right either.
-You made a contract? Damn, what the hell are you thinking?
-And what were you thinking when you attacked the Garden of Swords? Did you think you could win with just that level of firepower? You must have known about Rosa and the prophet¡¯s power to some extent. It was just a meaningless suicide mission!
-Hah. What about Diphus Oraboni and the knights now?
-Everyone will be imprisoned in the dungeon. 4th gbearer¡¡ Rosa had an eye on him from the beginning. He is likely to be one of Rosa¡¯s subordinates. Through chaos.
-Damn it, that filthy¡¡.
¨C Hurry up. Either go find the patriarch or bring the 12th gbearer. I don¡¯t know how long I can hold out.
Mary exined the conversation she had with Lynn that day.
Thanks to Lynn, she was able to barely escape from Kalon and take refuge with the Cosmos Pirates.
However, as time passed, her injuries and chaos only deepened, leaving her unable to do anything except focus on her recovery.
And as soon as she recovered, she sought out Tikan.
Jin couldn¡¯t even imagine how much she must have suffered during that time.
¡°If you hadn¡¯t been in Tikan, I would have left for the ck Sea immediately. Like Uncle Zed.¡±
She no longer believed that Chiron was alive. It was just that there seemed to be no other option.
But now Jin had returned, and changes were already beginning.
After Jin entered the Garden of Swords, all factions joined forces to attack Runcandel.
Although Kinzelo and Zipfel were enemies, it was still better to form a temporary alliance than rely on Chiron, who¡¯s life or death is unknown.
Jin paused to gather his thoughts and made eye contact with Mary.
¡°First of all, there¡¯s a high possibility that Lynn Milcano betrayed Rosa. I haven¡¯t seen Lynn Milcano in this fight.¡±
¡°If that¡¯s the case, she¡¯s probably already been purged. If she really rebelled like us, Rosa probably wouldn¡¯t have been unaware.¡±
¡°I think so too. Also, even if she hasn¡¯t been purged, the Guardian ofw chief has already made a contract with the Prophet. She is not going to be a perfect ally on her own. She will eventually sumb to Chaos.¡±
Therefore, it was best to exclude their support in the future battle against Rosa.
¡°And as for elder brother Diphus¡¡ I can only hope that he is in a state that can be healed with the chaos purification device I possess. As long as he doesn¡¯t undergoplete transformation or total assimtion, it¡¯s reversible.¡±
¡°Oraboni is a strong person.¡±
Mary gritted her teeth and continued her words.
¡°No matter what Rosa does, Oraboni will never be easily broken.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°What are you going to do now?¡±
¡°First, I will meet with the two major factions and exchange information with them. We¡¯ve decided to meet in Tikan tomorrow afternoon to discuss the forces Rosa¡¯s Runcandel possesses, and why they¡¯re not moving. And we need to determine the timing for attacking the Garden of the Swords.¡±
¡°Zipfel and Kinzelo must have suffered considerable damage this time, so we won¡¯t be able tounch a counterattack quickly.¡±
¡°It all depends on how much leverage the major factions can bring to the table. Also, if the Garden of Swords is unable to move for some reason, it might be better to bide our time and prepare thoroughly.¡±
When escaping the Garden of Swords, Jin identally connected with Laprarosa through Lingling, and Qwaul is currently conducting research on it.
¡®If brethrene outside before the final battle with Rosa.¡¯
Even if it was difficult to achieve, at least if he could perform ¡°battle god fusion¡± without relying on such coincidence, it would be of great help in the final battle with Rosa.
To destroy the Garden of Swords, Rosa must be killed, but anyone other than Jin who engages inbat with her will be consumed by chaos.
Therefore, Jin will almost certainly have to face Rosa alone in the fight, so battle god fusion is essential.
¡®In addition, there¡¯s also the matter of Murakan¡¯s return¡¡¯
Murakan. He hasn¡¯t shown himself since thest manifestation.
While Tris was injured, Misha took full responsibility for Elona¡¯s seal, so the time period for doing work instead of Misha had to be extended.
The battle god fusion, the return of Murakan, and the Golden Armada.
As Jin told Mary about his best cards, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
¡°As expected, you¡¯ve grown up. The youngest. Having you here makes me feel more secure.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll do my best to fight with all three prepared. We need to know why the Garden of Swords isn¡¯t moving so we can prepare properly. And having you here makes me feel secure too. So, please don¡¯t cry, elder sister.¡±
Mary was leaning against Jin¡¯s chest, crying her heart out. She was releasing the guilt of leaving Diphus behind, the pain of not being able to protect the n, all for the first time in six months. To her youngest brother who had grown into a strong man.
¡°Our Runcandel is not lost yet. We just need to reim it, elder sister. Our home.¡±
¡°Today will be thest time you see my weakness.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t look weak at all. But if it gets tough, you can lean on me like this anytime. We¡¯re family, aren¡¯t we?¡±
Suddenly, they sensed someone behind them. The Tona brothers were approaching, ncing around cautiously.
When the Tona brothers saw Mary crying, they were startled and tried to go back. But Jin silently gestured for them toe closer. Then the Tona brothers also hugged Mary and cried, and Jinforted them by patting their backs.
[T/L: I¡¯m not crying, you¡¯re crying.]
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and
continue reading tomorrow, everyone!
Chapter 656
Chapter 656
C656
Jin''s hand, which was holding the red hair, trembled slightly as he entered the cave.
Outside, Zephyrin was also brusquely organizing things.
First of all, the knights apanying her did not have the anti-air capability to face a dragon like Zephyrin.
"Hmph, that unfortunate demon dragon is strong, it seems to be almost over. If Hedo does well, will you lose?"
"It''s not over yet, Sandra Zipple."
"Really? It looks like things have been settled."
"Reinforcements are on the way."
Sandra tilted her head and looked at Hedo as if asking what he meant."What do you mean? Twelfth gbearer."
"Focus, Tower Guardian. At first, I thought the chaos energy was concentrated only near the cave, but as soon as the battle started, I could feel the faint chaos energying from far away."
Hedo, who closed his eyes once and raised his senses, immediately showed an expression of surprise.
He could feel an extremely weak energy, as small as a tiny insect hidden in a field, but he was sure it existed without having to search for it.
It was an energy that could never be detected without concentrating, especially in a snowstorm in the Kaldran snowfield.
"Did you... feel it without even concentrating?"
"I''ve been able to feel chaos more acutely for some time now. It''s not just one ce, the energy ising from all the snowfields. They will probably be here within an hour. And there will likely be more reinforcements behind them."
If he could feel such a weak chaos energy more than an hour away, then the scale of the presence would be huge when they met face to face.
"Tower Guardian, can you inform Zephyrin of the situation?"
At those words, Sandra''s eyes lit up like antern.
"Go quickly, hurry up! Ande back aste as possible."
Her eyes lit up with excitement at the idea of being alone in the cave with Jin as soon as Hedo went to inform Zephyrin.
Besides, Jin was walking very slowly.
Of course, it was because he wanted to explore the cave in detail after Valeria''s disappearance.
However, Sandra decided not to think about that and focus on the fact that she was alone with Jin.
"Come to think of it, this is the first time I''m walking alone with Jin. It''s so nice..." Sandra said.
But Jin was too focused on observing the interior of the cave to even hear her.
After a while, Sandra grabbed his shoulder and asked, "Is the person we''re looking for very important to you?"
"Yes. Why do you ask such an obvious question?"
"It might not be her hair. So don''t be too impatient."
"I''m sure it''s her hair," Jin replied.
"How can you be sure?"
"Because it''s an umon color."
Of course, Valeria is not the only redhead in the world.
However, Jin clearly recognized that it was Valeria''s hair, and it was something difficult to exin in words.
"Will youe to rescue me too if I get kidnapped somewhere in the future?" Sandra said.
"It depends on the situation," Jin responded.
"That''s very cold of you, but I forgive you because it''s cool. But I think you''lle to rescue me anyway," Sandra said.
"I don''t want to go through something like this again. So always stay with the Tower Guardian."
Sandra got teary-eyed as Jin continued observing the surroundings.
"I still don''t see anything unusual, as Ronil said..."
The cave was not very deep, and even after a few minutes, Jin hadn''t noticed anything noteworthy.
From that moment on, Sandra stoppedining and started meticulously searching the cave with Jin.
There was still chaos energy because the knights had been residing there, but since Valeria disappeared, the Garden of Swords hadn''t made any additional changes to this ce.
Despite being and where an important figure disappeared, they only dealt with the personnel without making any changes.
The meaning of this fact was clear.
"It seems that Runcandel... no, the Garden of Swords is being very cautious with this ce, dear. Although Histor disappeared, they didn''t dig up the ground or demolish the walls. Even the icicles remain intact. They must be hundreds, if not tens of years old."
"I thought the same."
"You said the tomb of the first patriarch of Runcandel is a subspace, right? I think they were looking for a way to enter that subspace. If Runcandel knows it''s a subspace."
"It''s very possible."
Finally, when they reached the end of the cave, Hedo, who had gone to inform Zephyrin, returned.
"Why did youe back so soon? Peace and quiet were starting toe, but you''re as unconscious as a musclehead."
"Everything has been settled there, and Zephyrin said she will first explore precisely. She also said that if possible, she would dy or annihte any reinforcements arriving."
"Alright, Tower Guardian."
If Zephyrin did that, it would add more time for additional troops to arrive, but it was difficult to calcte how much.
At the end of the cave was a chamber filled with a transparent substance simr to ice, without any part broken and reformed.
"Elder Brother Ronil was right, there''s only one way out of here, either we go back the way we came or we break through the ice wall... Now I understand why the survivor of the Histors couldn''t be located by my n."
Even after Jin and Sandra continued searching for any trace of mana in the cave, they found nothing special.
The blue window showing the record magic that Ronil had seen was also not there, which was to be expected since the Magician was no longer there.
''Valeria was out of contact for about two months before disappearing from here... and she didn''t leave any clues about Temar''s tomb.''
Most likely, Valeria was in a desperate situation where she couldn''t even contact Tikan during those two months.
And she suddenly disappeared from this very ce, with a slightly shaved lock of hair.
''...Sir Ronil didn''t get to face my master properly, but it''s certain that Rosa''s knights fought with Valeria.''
Valeria would have sought this cave after escaping that battle. Ronil would have pursued her, and Luntia too.
Even afterbining all of Ronil''s information, the incident became increasingly confusing.
More than ten minutes had already passed.
"Twelfth gbearer, I think it''s a trap. Rosa Runcandel must have expected you toe here."
"Maybe."
"In that case, she should have ced more troops or prepared to ambush us when we entered, or even appeared herself. It feels like Rosa Runcandel is giving you time on purpose."
Jin nodded, as he had been considering this possibility all along.
"As the Tower Guardian said, Temar''s tomb is supposed to be here. She must have waited, assuming I have a way to get there."
Suddenly, Padler Runcandel''s image crossed Jin''s mind.
It''s very possible that Sir Padler is the guardian of the fifth tomb.
However, if the Prophet took Sir Padler out of the tomb, she must have entered the fifth tomb at least once.
But why is Rosa giving me time as if she wants me to find this?
''Is it because Valeria is still inside the tomb? Maybe the Prophet who left the tomb for some reason doesn''t know how to re-enter.''
The problem is that not even Jin knows how to enter the tomb. It wasn''t like the first tomb, where there was a key or a guide.
Time was passing incredibly fast.
"Twelfth gbearer."
"Speak, Tower Guardian."
"We won''t be able toe back here. If it bes clear that there''s no other way, Rosa willpletely block this ce. So, how about we try something they haven''t done and leave quickly?"
"Are you suggesting we destroy the cave?"
"Yes. It seems there is no other option."
"We won''t destroy the cave. Even if we return today without any harvest, we don''t want to eliminate any reason toe backter."
"Then, are we going to stay like this? We have to be rational."
For Hedo, it was more important not to put Sandra in danger than to find Histor.
Especially in such a desperate situation as this, it was even more important.
"Hedo! You said it was someone very precious to Jin. Think of something more drastic!"
"I think it would be better to stay here, mydy."
Hedo was right. If they couldn''t harvest anything, they should return as soon as possible and reconsider their search.
"I''ll try onest thing, and if it doesn''t work, we''ll leave."
"Good idea. What''s the n?"
"I''ll fill the cave with Shadow Energy. If there''s no response, we''ll retreat without further dy."
Jin sat up straight and released his Shadow Energy.
When he used the key to the first tomb in the past, Murakan also injected arge amount of Shadow Energy this way.
Perhaps Shadow Energy itself is the key to responding to the subspace. Please open... Jin thought, but in reality, if Shadow Energy were necessary, Valeria''s entry into the tomb wouldn''t have been possible.
Jin was grasping at straws.
The Shadow Energy quickly filled the interior of the cave.
However, even though Jin released a massive amount of Shadow Energy in an instant, there was no response.
Watching from the side, Sandra bit her nails and turned her head towards Hedo.
"Can''t you do anything else, Hedo?"
"I don''t think I can do anything, mdy. I''m not a Shadow Energy user."
"Then pray! Don''t just stand there!"
"...Do you mean pray?"
"Yes, sincerely. Ask for help to find Histor, Jin''s friend."
Sandra closed her eyes and sped her hands together.
Seeing her, Hedo let out a deep sigh and adopted the same posture next to her.
He wanted to know what it was about, but he couldn''t help it because it was obvious that if he didn''t, there would be anothermotion.
And then, themotion came when Jin felt a sudden strike on the back of his neck.
''All of a sudden, the Shadow Energy is being absorbed in one ce...!''
It was the first time a change urred.
Jin immediately directed his gaze towards the ce where the Shadow Energy was converging.
It was where Sandra and Hedo were praying side by side.
"Hedo! Your sword! The sword is shining and doing something, the sky has answered our prayers!"
"I see it too, mdy. What the hell is this..."
Jin had a strong intuition that Hedo''s sword was the key to Temar''s Fifth Tomb.
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 657
Chapter 657
C657
The light extending from the sword de gradually transformed into a door-like shape.
The speed at which the door formed was exactly proportional to the infusion of shadow energy.
Sandra trembled with excitement, believing it was the power of her desires, while Hedo stared in bewilderment at his sword and the door.
"...Is it true that Bale is rted to the old Runcandel or Solderet, as the ck Dragon Murakan once said?"
The word "Bale" was engraved on Hedo''s sword de, which he had obtained by chance long ago.
"You... where did you get that sword?"
"You''re asking a strange question, ck Dragon. From those who have experienced your battle prowess in the Gaifa Inds before, I''ve heard it wasn''t exactly like that."
"Keep that sword safe. It seems to be rted to this Murakan. Come on, kid."When the group first encountered Hedo at the White Tower, Murakan suffered a brief headache upon seeing Hedo''s sword, as if a forgotten memory had resurfaced.
Even after escaping the Sota Desert, Murakan continued trying to recall memories rted to the sword but failed every time.
Due to this, the group assumed Hedo''s sword was also an object whose history had been manipted. But, of course, no one could have imagined that Bale would intertwine with Temar''s tomb in this way.
"I don''t know the reason. You used a great deal of shadow energy when you fought me in the past, and there was no reaction at that time."
"Probably because the positional condition of Temar''s tomb wasn''t met. It seems the sword is the key to opening the tomb. Where did you get that sword?"
"I obtained it by defeating a monster in the ck Sea when I was younger."
"I''d like to hear more details about thatter. Anyway, thanks to your sword, we have hope, Tower Guardian. Thank you."
Coincidence, it was almost pure coincidence that Jin brought Hedo to the Kaldran snowfield this time. However, Jin thought that if his sword had a story about Runcandel, it might not be a coincidence but fate.
"Twelfth gbearer. When the portal isplete, do you intend to enter it?"
"Yes."
"I will enter too!"
"No, mydy."
"You cannot go, Sandra."
Both Jin and Hedo spoke at the same time.
"Why not?"
"We don''t know what might happen inside. If the Histor survivor is alive, she might have entered and nevere out."
"I agree. This is a different matter from when we arrived at the Kaldran snowfield. If this door leads to Temar''s tomb, we can''t predict what will happen inside. It could mean that escaping is impossible."
"What about you, Jin? You are Rosa''s only opponent. What if you enter alone and die?"
"Temar''s Tomb is a tribute that my god and ancestors left for Runcandel. I have wandered these tombs and never been in danger. Also, I''ve always been able to escape through the shadow energy when I wanted."
Of course, this was a lie.
Jin had almost died at the hands of guardians in most of the tombs, and in the fourth, he didn''t know how to get out and had to wait endlessly with Valeria.
However, since Euria wasn''t here now, Sandra had no way of confirming the truth. Even if it was confirmed, Jin nned to enter alone.
"We can''t wait here during that time. We don''t know how long it will take or what the situation will be, so we have to think about what to do, mydy, the demon dragon, and I."
"Based on my experience so far, I might return to the human world in one or two days."
"We can''t wait here that long."
"I know, so please return. As long as Rosa doesn''te in person, I can escape in any situation."
"I won''t leave you alone!"
"Sandra, please."
First of all, although Jin had be very close to Sandra, she and Hedo were clearly Zipple people.
Jin couldn''t take them to Temar''s tomb.
"Even so, you can''t go alone. Although it was friendly before, this tomb could be hostile to Jin. Hedo and I can be of help. Moreover, just opening the door has exhausted Jin."
When the door was fully formed, Jin felt a great exhaustion, as Sandra had said. Jin consumed all his shadow energy just by opening the door.
I think the amount of shadow energy used is several times more than Murakan used in the first tomb."
Although Jin had aura and mana, he wouldn''t be able to fight with full strength if he encountered a tough opponent inside.
"And what about the third gbearer of Runcandel? It''s a problem even if there''s a third gbearer, not Rosa when you return. You have to deal with the Third gbearer alone in a tired state, right in the middle of enemy territory."
The Third gbearer of Runcandel, Luntia Runcandel.
Ronil said she herself led the pursuit team and chased Valeria, but they had yet to see Luntia.
The group spected that she might be among the reinforcements expected to arrive.
When Jin tried to enter the door, Sandra rushed in that direction first.
Hedo immediately tried to stop her but soon realized it wasn''t necessary.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
A shockwave urred when Sandra approached the door, bouncing her back.
"Damn it, what is this...! Hedo, see if it bounces you back too."
The same happened to Hedo when he tried to approach with superhuman strength.
As soon as he touched the door, he could no longer advance, as if blocked by a wall.
"I have a feeling there might be problems with the door if I keep pushing, mdy. Desist."
However, Jin didn''t experience the same phenomenon at all.
"Twelfth gbearer."
Jin looked back at Hedo.
"If possible, stay inside the tomb for at least three days. That way, we can return and ask for help from Kinzelo."
Hedo concluded that using the dimensional portal of the leader was the best option for now, and Jin immediately agreed.
"Understood. Please make sure to do so."
"Also, when wee out of the tomb, if we return to this cave, release all possible energy. We will use that as a signal to ask the leader to open the dimensional portal."
"Despite your appearance, it seems your brain processes information very quickly, Tower Guardian. It seems like a good idea. That would give me more peace of mind."
"I''ll put Orgal on standby as soon as possible. Good luck."
"Jin!"
When Jin was about to enter the door, Sandra hugged him and said:
"Remember this: if by chance only yourpanion returns alive to Tikan, I will do whatever is necessary to kill that person."
Jin''s head immediately throbbed, realizing that Sandra wasn''t joking, but he still smiled and replied:
"I''ll keep that in mind."
As soon as Jin entered the door, the light forming from Bale disappeared.
Sandra stared for a while at the spot where Jin had vanished, and Hedo patted her shoulder.
-----------
In Temar''s fifth tomb, the darkness was so dense it felt like being in Glyek''s abyss.
"Valeria!"
Even when Jin shouted Valeria''s name, there was no echo.
Jin didn''t have the same feeling offort he had in the other tombs, and he wondered if it was due to anxiety or something else.
Unlike the tombs I''ve passed through in the past, I don''t feel the shadow energy guiding me.
There are no traces of damage caused by Zipple or other forces.
Is there another reason?
He had no choice but to explore the tomb by himself.
[Nyaah!]
Shuri emerged from the ruby, and Jin immediately began searching the vast desert of the subspace on Shuri''s back.
The flow of time in the subspace was different from the human world. Jin had experienced time flowing much faster in the human world.
Where are you, Valeria...?
After an hour of searching with no progress, Jin started to feel uneasy.
Then, Shuri stopped walking and pointed with her front paw.
[Nya, nyaah!]
There was something transparent shining like crystal, emitting a faint light that was about to fade.
Jin recognized it as a mana fragment taking the form of a window.
It was a fragment of "Record Magic."
Jin''s heart began to race.
The Record Magic not only served to find past records but also to leave marks like this one.
Either it''s very old, or it was left in a state where there was almost no mana left, given how faint the trace is.
Above all, the fact that the magic remained meant that the caster was still alive.
Only then could Jin breathe deeply for the first time.
She''s not dead...
Definitely, my master is still in this subspace.
Jin''s heart filled with the conviction that he could save her.
However, as he followed the direction indicated by Valeria''s mana fragment, he felt an unpleasant energy approaching instead of Valeria''s magic.
It was pure and enormous chaos energy, qualitatively iparable to what he had felt in the Kaldran snowfield.
As he approached the source of the chaos, the subspace not only disyed deste darkness but also battle traces.
There were cracks and distortions all over the space, as if caused by destructive sword strikes.
Finally, Jin found himself face to face with a woman who wasn''t Valeria.
[It''s been a while... my younger brother.]
It was Luntia Runcandel, his second elder sister.
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 658
Chapter 658
Chapter 658
Jin''s eyes widened in surprise.
"Elder Sister... Luntia?"
Jin could not have imagined encountering Luntia here instead of Valeria.
The excitement he had felt at finally finding Valeria''s trail turned into an unpleasant anxiety, like rancid oil.
"Why are you here, Elder Sister?"
Luntia''s beloved sword, Charles, gleamed with ck chaos.
Jin could only stare at his second sister like someone who had lost his mind for a few seconds.
Luntia also looked at Jin in silence for a while.It was not easy to read what emotion her ck-stained pupils held.
On the other hand, Luntia clearly recognized Jin''s emotions.
[It doesn''t seem you like the fact that I appeared before you at this moment.]
Jin repeated Luntia''s words and involuntarily lowered his head.
A very strange and terrible pain, which Jin had never experienced in his entire life, gnawed at him from within.
The pain of losing a family member.
That was exactly the kind of pain.
Jin had already expected that Luntia would be stained by chaos.
However, Jin hoped that chaos would notpletely invade her.
Raising his head again, Jin observed the ck horn on his sister''s forehead.
She had already crossed a river of no return.
"I trusted you, Elder Sister."
[Was there ever that level of trust between you and me?]
Luntia had never been close to any of her siblings.
She believed that only Luna gave meaning to her life.
Winning against her sister in apetition, or even losing and following her for the rest of her life, was all she wanted.
That was why, when Luna voluntarily relinquished her position as the next patriarch at the age of neen, Luntia''s world became an existence without meaning or color.
It was in the year 1799 when Luntia felt fire in her heart again.
It was the same day Jin made the deration of patriarchy.
What happened between Jin and Luntia at that moment was far from an act of brotherly love.
They fought with their lives on the line until one of them fell.
Moreover, the two did not have a long conversation after the incident.
I will also be patriarch.I thought there were only fools, but there is one for real. Let''s do our best, Elder Sister.That was all, but Jin felt that at that moment a deep bond had formed between him and Luntia.
They had lived as strangers all their lives, but with just one fight, Jin felt they had be siblings with the same dream.
Luntia felt the same way.
That was why, before going to Lafrarosa for the third time, Jin believed that Luntia would keep the Prophet at bay.
"Did Rosa and the Prophet find your weakness?"
It was impossible for Luntia to ept chaos voluntarily.
Jin was convinced that Rosa and the Prophet''s tricks had defeated her.
In response to his words, Luntia smiled like a crescent moon and tightly grasped her horns.
[What difference would it make if I said yes?]
"There must be something I can help you with."
[Jaja... are you really the Twelfth gbearer I knew? You are talking nonsense. Wake up, Jin Runcandel. My younger brother. I am here as your enemy.]
Luntia slowly raised Charles and pointed at Jin.
[This means your only task is to fight me. I have been waiting for this moment for a long time, the moment when I can fight you again.]
Luntia''s ck eyes, difficult to read at all times, harbored a glint of bloodlust.
The madness of the demon''s heart.
Though she seemed capable of conversing, Luntia waspletely consumed by chaos.
Her deep and intense hatred was already piercing Jin with the tip of Charles.
Jin decided to control his emotions.
He could not fight an opponent while overwhelmed by sadness, pain, or any feeling of guilt.
It was an inevitable fight.
Therefore, the right thing to do was to end it as quickly as possible, even for Luntia''s sake.
To save Valeria, who might have suffered from Luntia''s attack.
Slowly, Jin''s eyes became firm.
Luntia nodded as if satisfied with Jin''s determination.
[Yes, that''s right. But, younger brother, you... you seem quite tired.]
ang-!
Suddenly, Luntia drew her sword, and Jin stepped back.
At the time of the patriarchal deration, it was a thrust that put Jin in mortal danger from the first strike.
Luntia''s sword had reached a much higher level of illumination than then.
[However, you have mysteriously be strong again. Thanks to you, my boring fate will be a little more enjoyable. The first time I fought you, I also had many limitations. I think it was the price of that time you reached me while exhausted.]
Despite being stained by chaos, Luntia had not lost her transcendent and indomitable dignity, like figures such as Stam, Padler, or Rosa.
The initial impression was that Luntia was pushing Jin.
Her sword left cracks and sharp traces in the dark space, surrounding Jin with them.
She is strong...
Even stronger than Lionel Runcandel.
In some aspects, she was even harder to deal with than when Lionel and Stam cooperated.
It was because she "ruled" this subspace beyond the size and level of her power.
The trajectory of Charles''s attack was not straight.
Every time Charles moved, the dark space twisted and turned following a random pattern, following Luntia''s will and constantly changing its trajectory.
It seemed like he was dealing with the entire subspace, not Luntia, and Jin quickly realized this fact.
That was why I didn''t feel the Shadow Energy guiding me when I first entered this ce, unlike other tombs.
Because Elder Sister Luntia had already taken control of the entire tomb.
Drops of blood flowed from four or five open wounds.
Like Jin, he only suffered that amount of wounds while understanding the characteristics of Luntia and the dark space.
A blue energy ray shot out from Sigmund and pierced the chaos sword.
And the two unleashed the n''s secret technique at the same time.
The Fifth Secret Technique, Light Speed Thrust, empowered with lightning energy, chaos, and each individual skill.
When they extended their swords, it seemed like they were going to pierce each other''s chests.
However, they had both anticipated each other''s swords and were stepping back to their respective sides ordingly.
The entire subspace split in half.
The two swords, extending and passing each other, struck the void at the edge of the subspace.
Luntia looked at that edge for a moment, while Jin did not.
[Do you remember? The first day I faced your lightning energy, I protected countless knights from you. I continue to fulfill my role of protecting the Family from you.]
"...How did you enter here?"
[Isn''t it obvious?]
"I know the Prophet yed some trick, but this space was originally prepared for me. It''s hard to understand why Solderet''s subspace treats you as its owner."
[It''s as you say. However, I think there are other things you''re very curious about.]
"Histor, after defeating you, Elder Sister, I will look for her myself."
[You suspect the red-haired woman is still alive.]
"You do not have perfect control over this space, Elder Sister Luntia. Didn''t you know that Histor''s magic was still present in the subspace?"
At those words, Luntia squinted her eyes.
[Oh, that''s quite interesting if it''s true. If there is still magic present, it means the caster is still alive somewhere. I knew the woman was hiding somewhere in this ce. I was sure she was already dead.]
"Is it because you inflicted significant damage on Histor, Elder Sister?"
Luntia nodded.
[That''s right. If that woman were still alive, it would probably be the result of epting Chaos. She wouldn''t have survived if she didn''t have exceptional healing abilities.]
Jin did not react sensitively to those words.
"That won''t happen, Elder Sister. If that were the case, the magic I saw should have already been contaminated with chaos energy. Anyway, thanks to you, I am even more convinced that Histor is still alive."
[Now all that''s left is to defeat me and save that woman?]
Saying this, Luntia showed her displeasure for the first time.
[You and Elder Sister Luna always think that way. You always believe you can defeat your opponents and take what you want, no matter the situation.]
"It has always been that way. This time will be no different."
The subspace began to vibrate in response to Luntia''s anger.
Jin could not know if her sudden outburst was simply madness or if there was another reason behind it.
Jin decided to regain hisposure.
Luntia''s words did not hurt him.
Because none of those words had been spoken by the "real Luntia Runcandel."
Even Ron Hairan had resented Jin in the abyss of Gliek.
"Soon I will stop the madness that enveloped you."
The aura umted in Jin''s Light Heart.
Prolonging the battle is disadvantageous.
Firstly, Jin started the battle exhausted, while Luntia was in perfect condition.
Furthermore, she is using the entire subspace as her own energy, and even if she gets hurt, she seems to recover immediately thanks to the chaos energy.
Jin needed to end her with a single strike if possible.
''I have to consider thebat situation after leaving the subspace... But it''s better to rely on Zipple and Kinzelo in that regard.''
If Jin tried clumsily to conserve his strength, he would not be able to avoid serious injuries.
[Trying to unleash the sword of the day you made the deration, are you...?]
"But unlike back then, this time you have nothing to protect, Elder Sister."
However, just like before, you would not be able to receive this sword.
While Jin continued his words and began to unleash his sword, Luntia smiled in satisfaction.
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 659
Chapter 659
C659
The First Form of the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique: Open
Along with a shockwave, a massive force and energy violently shook the space, causing the existing fissures to spew out bloody chaos.
In the unstable space, the two individuals stared at each other for a few seconds.
Jin was the first to close the distance. His shining blue sword and his body moved like light, charging towards Luntia.
Crack!
An earthquake urred as Sigmund and Charles shed.
In the first exchange after unleashing the Sword of Legends, Jin realized that Luntia had be even stronger than before.
¡°Elder Sister Mary''s Volcano?¡±The seventh final movement independently transformed by Mary Runcandel.
Her Volcano is used as a strengthening technique, unlike the original self-destruction mechanism.
Jin had never heard of Mary teaching Luntia her Volcano.
''...No, it''s different.''
Mary''s Volcano exerts great pressure on the user''s body but doesn''tpletely destroy it.
However, the Volcano that Luntia unleashed was tearing every part of her body apart continuously. Like a statue breaking, every part of Luntia''s body was tearing and exploding, repeating the regeneration process in an instant.
In other words, Luntia just changed the form of the "explosion" and essentially received a simr discharge to the original while unleashing the Volcano.
It was possible due to her chaos-induced regeneration and her transcendently strong body.
Jin felt sadness and regret facing such formidable power.
It was because the bloodline with the potential to be a powerful sword of this generation ended up bing a monster.
[This is the sword I prepared for you, younger brother.]
[Chaos users I''ve experienced so far have no qualms about breaking their bodies.]
Not just those without power but also those who have it mostly acted the same.
Ron, Smarion, Stam, Lionel, Padler, and Luntia, whom Jin had faced.
Only Ron Hairan finally overcame his madness and ascended to the rank of Genesis Knight, and the significance behind that fact was clear.
Only those who are cautious about breaking themselves can move to the next stage.
Otherwise, they can only end up jumping into the fire like a moth.
[What do you mean by that?]
[Elder Sister, you''ve be stronger, but that''s all.]
[You''re already vomiting blood.]
Even as her body broke and regenerated repeatedly without rest, Luntia remained stable.
On the other hand, Jin gradually retreated from the moment he started attacking seriously.
The three powers Jin possessed were organically connected and supplemented the deficient parts of each attribute.
Since Shadow Energy is the core of enhancement among them, it was logical that now that it was depleted, hecked in all aspectspared to usual.
[Of course, you must still have hidden sword techniques. Show them to me; I want to feel excited.]
With a crazedugh resonating like a maniac''s, Luntia became increasingly fierce as the fight intensified.
Is madness covering the pain? Jin thought as he watched her thrash.
Jin''s movements gradually slowed, unlike Luntia, who ran rampant.
Luntia judged that Jin''s physical strength was consumed faster because he was quite exhausted when he arrived here, and it was actually true.
Jin was just bing more cautious, waiting for the opportunity to end the fight with a single blow.
[It seems you know everything, right?], Jin mocked.
[Stop the nonsense; this is myst battle], Luntia replied.
Bones trembled and quivered.
As Luntia''s sword increased in speed, Jin could feel Charles digging deeper into his flesh.
It''s not that Jin gained nothing.
It seems there are gaps in her regeneration.
In real-timebat, there are inevitably physical limitations that can cause a fighter''s body to break down.
The intervals between attacks were so short that only someone as skilled as Jin could detect them.
Jin analyzed the pattern of those intervals.
Although they were irregr to the point of being unpredictable, Jin felt he could impose his own rules.
He would guide Luntia''s attack patterns in the direction he desired.
I don''t have Elder Sister Goddess of Battle''s senses, but it''s possible as long as Elder Sister Luntia doesn''t stop.
Jin''s swordsmanship began to take on a form as smooth as water.
Luntia thought this was the countermeasure Jin chose.
Of course, that doesn''t mean Luntia didn''t prepare anything.
She expected Jin to have some countermeasures. But she couldn''t follow Jin''s movements because she lost her mind.
And when Charles grazed her neck two more times, Jin had the perfect opportunity to finish Luntia.
"Now."
When Luntia''s attack started to change from bottom to top, Jin jumped into the air as if propelled by an external force.
Luntia didn''t miss the gap and unleashed a series of lightning-speed thrusts toward where Jin''s body floated and the anticipatednding point, a blind spot Jin couldn''t perceive.
You can''t avoid it.
At that moment, Jin unleashed the next form of the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique he had been holding back.
Sword of Legends, Tenth Sword, Second Form.
Sword of Legends - War
The lightning energy formed in Jin''s eyes emitted an even bluer glow.
As if Luntia had been waiting for that, she concentrated her energy on the tip of Charles'' Sword.
Along with the murky ck light unique to chaos, the heavy ck light of Aura was forming.
Runcandel, Fourth Secret Technique
ck Cross
A sword Jin had once seen when facing Hedo in the past.
Charles'' de, drawn in a cross, seemed to pierce through Jin side to side.
Although Luntia also felt the sensation of slicing flesh as she swung her sword, it was superficial.
There are times when Joshua is useful.
In the past, when he fought Hedo in the White Night Tower, Jin had once seen Joshua''s ck cross.
Luntia''s secret technique was iparable to Joshua''s, but Jin minimized the wounds thanks to the memories of that time.
Soon, the ck cross sword technique surrounded Jin, drawing a massive circle, and in the middle of it, a ck sword energy in the shape of a cross erupted, instantly enveloping Jin.
It all happened in an instant.
The ck cross sword technique was shattered by the lightning energy of the Sword of Legends.
Of course, the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique Jin unleashed exceeded Luntia''s expectations.
For the first time, Luntia seemed to retreat, but she still took most of the lightning energy that pierced through her body.
[Ugh.!]
Luntia''s body was repeatedly pierced with holes the size of human heads that kept appearing and disappearing.
The speed at which the Sword of Legends destroyed her body and the speed at which she was regenerating were almost the same.
''The Volcano hasn''t erupted yet. Still, Elder Sister Luntia is almost an immortal being in this subspace with such regenerative power.''
Luntia withstood the second form of the Sword of Legends and the blows of her Volcano.
Only a handful of people in the world can withstand this level of damage.
Even those stained with chaos.
Originally, Luntia couldn''t do it, but the reason she endured was the "subspace of Luntia."
All the chaos energyposing this subspace was no different from Luntia herself.
In other words, Luntia is using all the subspace energy originally created by Solderet.
That means Jin had to destroy an entire subspace to kill her. As long as the chaos energy remained in the subspace, it was impossible to kill Luntia.
[Kaaaaaa......!]
Luntia, who had been thrown by the shockwave of the Sword of Legends, struggled like a trapped beast.
She knew that if she reached Jin once, she could bring him down.
She also knew that if Jin had arrived without depleting his stamina, she could never have defeated him.
Jin sweated and controlled the lightning energy of the Sword of Legends.
He had reached the point where he experienced no bacsh, but he couldn''t stop the rapid consumption of his aura.
Luntia was right.
If Jin had entered the tomb with his Shadow Energy fully intact, the situation might have been the same, but the result would have been different.
If Jin had his Shadow Energy, he would surely have won the battle even if he had fought this kind of exhausting power battle with Luntia and her subspace.
But not now.
Although Luntia''s regeneration speed couldn''t keep up with the destructive power of the Sword of Legends, in the end, when the battle came to an end, Jin''s energy would deplete first.
Even if Jin added his mana from now on, it was the same.
It was quite dangerous to add mana to the unleashed Second Form of the Sword of Legends.
If an inevitable gap urred when using mana, the precarious power struggle would tilt towards Luntia immediately, and since the subspace is a "Dead World," Jin couldn''t summon Tess.
Luntia''s stride approaching Jin gradually widened. Even as Luntia''s body twisted, the sword she held, Charles, pointed at Jin precisely without moving, like a haunted ghost.
[You must be tired... and frustrated... I understand... it''s unfair].
At Luntia''s words, Jin closed his eyes once.
However, the decisive moment for Jin was now.
He had no intention of risking his life by adding more mana or unleashing more aura beyond his limit to face her, who had all the subspace energy.
Thest move Jin had kept to face her, who was connected to the subspace, was his Shadow Energy.
A connection point.
Jin had been convinced from the start of the battle that there would be a connection point between Luntia and the subspace.
Luntia was not originally the owner of the subspace.
She only became the owner thanks to the Prophet''s schemes.
Therefore, it was natural for there to be a connection point for assimtion with the subspace, and Jin had read the Shadow Energy''s movement throughout the fight.
Using the Sword of Legends was precisely a means to pinpoint the connection point urately.
There they are.
Srrr...!
Amid the roar, Bradamante silently emerged from the sheath.
He consumed almost all of his remaining Shadow Energy to open the door, and not a drop was left.
Jin gathered all his remaining Shadow Energy and activated Bradamante.
[No, this is the end, elder sister.]
The Sword of Legends was unleashed.
Immediately after, Luntia recovered from all her injuries, and Jin cut the connection points between Luntia and the subspace with the ck-stained sword.
Luntia showed no sign of subsequent recovery once the connection points were cut.
Her secret technique was iparable to Joshua''s, but Jin minimized the wounds thanks to the memories of that time.
-
Chapter 660
Chapter 660
C660
Pwooh!
ck blood tainted with chaos sttered across Jin''s face.
Luntia, who relentlessly wielded her sword despite her body being in tatters, finally ceased moving.
[Ha.......]
Disconnected points that seemed severed like threads could be seen behind Luntia.
The connection points tried to converge back into Luntia, but were blocked by the shockwaves left by the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends.
Chaos particles, like ck rain, fell between the cracks of the subspace.
Jin stabbed a sister who, in his view, had homogeneity within her.Although the situation couldn''t have been avoided, it still pained his heart as if something had broken.
[I''ve... lost]
A metallic sound came from Luntia''s tired throat.
Jin didn''t twist the sword that pierced her chest.
If possible, Jin wanted to speak to his sister onest time.
Luntia, facing her death, if only she could shake off the madness even a little.
"Elder Sister Luntia."
[Hu.]
"Have you regained your senses?"
[Little brother...]
Jin''s eyes widened.
Luntia''s reason was returning.
Luntia slowly grasped the Bradamante Sword.
Her eyes, alternating between the sword and Jin, were no longer filled with the darkness of chaos.
Suddenly overwhelmed by emotions, Luntia closed her eyes tightly for a moment.
[I did something terrible to you...]
She began to push the de out of her body with the few remaining strengths she had.
It wasn''t an action of revenge.
Jin carefully helped her remove the sword from her body.
Every time he moved or exerted force, hardened flesh fell like stones.
As soon as the sword was out, Luntia breathed slowly.
Jin didn''t know what to say to her.
[You had no choice but to stab me]
Jin had only seen a human regain reason even after beingpletely engulfed by Chaos once before.
It was when Ron Hairan became a Genesis Knight, but Luntia''s reason for returning seemed different from his.
She wasn''t a Genesis Knight like Ron.
[There couldn''t have been a better option than this. If it weren''t for you, I would have had to endure meaningless years dominated by this dark space and Chaos.]
"How... did ite to this?"
Luntia responded with a bitter smile.
[Because of the Family]
The Family.
The family she spoke of wouldn''t be Rosa or the other siblings.
When Runcandel used the word "Family," as if referring to something very precious, it usually referred to someone other than blood rtives.
A nanny who yed a more genuine paternal role than the parents,panions formed during the growth process, someone who gave their heart, or siblings who became intimate in very special cases.
So Jin immediately thought of a person''s name.
"...nanny Lisham. Did Rosa and the Prophet take Lisham hostage?"
Lisham is Luntia Runcandel''s nanny.
Before starting the battle, Jin asked Luntia if she had any weak points, because he had Lisham in mind from the beginning.
Luntia nodded.
[My nanny asked me for a favor]
"Did nanny Lisham ask you to ept Chaos...?"
Nannies in Runcandel have been so dedicated to the point of being cruel.
Personal life doesn''t exist for nannies. They exist solely for the children entrusted to them and never do anything that could harm them under any circumstances.
Taimyun Marius, who deceived Luna, ended up bing Joshua''s dog, but her essence was, ultimately, a twisted love for Luna.
Not just Gilly, but not even Taimyun would have asked her child to ept chaos.
As far as Jin knew, Lisham wasn''t that kind of person.
She is capable of paying any price, even death or something worse, for the sake of Luntia.
"Hasn''t nanny Lisham already been brainwashed?"
[No, the nanny was fine. It''s just that.......]
Luntia''s eyes turned red.
[She had a daughter.]
"Nanny Lisham had a daughter?"
Runcandel''s nannies can''t have children.
Even the adopted children raised by Taimyun in the orphanage were only weapons that could be used and discarded at any time.
If they were Taimyun''s biological children, Runcandel wouldn''t have chosen Taimyun as a nanny.
However, Lisham has a biological child.
Even without hearing it, Jin seemed to know the unpleasant circumstances that would follow.
[When I was in the Castle of Storms, my nanny was away for about a year. She said she gave birth to a daughter then...]
Lisham risked paying a cruel price for infringing a nanny''sws. In addition to the newborn child, her rtives from three generations were almost exterminated.
But Lisham didn''t pay any price.
[But at that time, Father covered it for me]
At that time, Cyron covered Lisham''s misdeed and saved her daughter and her rtives with a single word.
It was the first time a nanny had broken the Family''sw at the time, and Cyron covered it up.
In return, after giving birth, Lisham never saw her daughter or family again, and they were all exiled from Hufester and moved to a small town in the Lutero Magical Federation.
-...The reason the patriarch forgave me at that time was probably because of the youngdy.
-For me?
-Youngdy, you cared a lot for me when you were young. Of course, you still do.
-If I were my father, I would have thought that my current statecked determination and fighting spirit. So I wouldn''t have saved my nanny and her lineage.
-But I am alive, youngdy. And now, though I am old and don''t have much time left... After that day, the daughter I never saw again lives a normal and happy life with her family. A peaceful and happy life.
-Ha....
-Rosa-nim said she would kill them all now. Since it was originally the Patriarch''s work, even Rosa-nim didn''t know where the girl lived... but Lady Ilina found out.
-What, get up. Nanny. What are you doing?
-I have dedicated my entire life to you, youngdy. I gave my youth and everything to you. So, just once... just once, can''t you show mercy to this wretched person?
-I will try to stop my mother. Get up, don''t do this!
-But that alone won''t allow my daughter and grandchildren to survive...
Rosa''s condition was that Luntia "rece" the owner of this subspace, the person who originally owned this space.
Luntia epted the condition.
While Luntia exined these things, Jin struggled to control the hatred building inside him towards Rosa.
[She said it was only for a year and that it was enough to rece the original owner of this subspace for only a year. The old knight Padler Runcandel, he was originally the owner of this ce].
Jin had foreseen that the Prophet would retrieve Padler from his grave, but never thought Luntia would be the one to rece him.
He hadn''t even considered such a thing possible.
"Damn it..."
[But as soon as I took Sir Padler''s ce thanks to Ilina''s abilities, I realized it was a lie. I wouldn''t be able to leave this ce even after 100 years, not just a year. The Prophet might have another method I didn''t know, but I was sure. I havepletely be one with the subspace.]
That''s why Luntia could regain her sanity despite being consumed by Chaos. She was no longer the human Luntia Runcandel; she had be the subspace itself.
Therefore, as the chaos of the subspace consumed, the chaos that consumed Luntia also weakened.
This also meant that if the subspace copsed, Luntia would also face death.
Even now, the subspace was breaking in real-time. Dropping the ck rain of chaos.
Jin''s gaze fell on the connection points.
"If I reconnect them, can you survive?"
[Probably. The entire subspace hasn''t beenpletely destroyed yet. But I really don''t want that, little brother. It''s better to end like this. At least my sanity has returned, and I can die as myself.]
"How did you get in here, elder sister? In my opinion, the Prophet doesn''t know how to return here, even if she can rece Sir Padler with you, elder sister."
[It could be. But, does that matter? The purpose would have been to use Sir Padler, who was here in my name, as aplete force anyway].
"I know a sure way to enter here. If you''re alive, I''lle back when I can save you someday. It''s not yet possible to cure cases of total invasion like yours, but there is a way to purify chaos."
[If I reconnect to it, I''ll go mad again].
"I don''t want to lose you like this. If you hold on, I''ll make sure purification bes possible. If you disappear like this, you won''t be able to get revenge on them, right, elder sister? There''s no guarantee they''ve kept their promise to save nanny Lisham''s daughter."
[That''s right, there''s no guarantee. It was just our mother''s promise. If the nanny had told me before her family was taken hostage, I might have found another way. But at that time, I couldn''t ignore my nanny.]
"If it were me, I wouldn''t have been able to ignore Gilly either. I''ll check and protect nanny Lisham''s family, so please wait."
Luntia pondered for a moment before nodding.
[Alright. Since I''m trapped in a snare anyway... But, what''s the reason for going so far for me? Even if you kill me here, it wouldn''t be so bad for you.]
"Then, we couldn''t be a better family, elder sister."
Jin grabbed the connection points.
[Jin, if I regain the power of the subspace now.]
"I''ll connect you after finding Histor. If you have enough strength to move, please help me. You said Histor is hidden somewhere in this subspace."
[Agreed.]
-
Chapter 655
Chapter 655
C655
"Mydy, calm down."
"Hedo, did you hear what that crazy demon dragon just said?"
"I heard it."
"But how can I calm down? Jin is mine, I will tear that demon apart... Wait, is Jin married?"
"Jin Runcandel wouldn''t like the way you''re acting now. And he is not married."
"Really? Was that thing just spouting nonsense? One day, that demon dragon will truly die by my hands."
Sandra wanted to continue her tantrum, but she closed her mouth upon seeing Jin''s sad expression. He seemed very gloomy.
The gray sky over the snowy field was darkening with the demonic energy of Zephyrin in an instant.She was literally "annihting" the knights who had begun toe to her. She did not reveal her arrogance or theposure she usually hid behindughter and etiquette.
She was keeping her promise to Jin.
"We better leave now too, Tower Guardian. I don''t think there¡¯s much time left."
Of course, not all the knights began to fight Zephyrin.
About 20% of them still remained near the cave, keeping watch over the surroundings.
"Hedo."
"Yes, mydy."
"Can''t you face those knights alone?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Yes or no?"
"It is possible."
"Then, Hedo, clear the path alone for Jin''s sake."
Hedo was briefly surprised that Sandra could have such deep thoughts.
"Of course, I could do it, but I think the Twelfth gbearer would object."
"Why?"
"He is not the kind of person who yields his burdens. Anyway, you''ve made a verymendable suggestion."
Jin was already advancing. Bradamante was wrapped in jet-ck Shadow Energy.
About a hundred knights remained near the cave.
As soon as they realized Jin was approaching, thirteen of them fell one after another after being struck by the First Shadow Sword Technique, the soul sh.
''As expected... they are allpletely consumed by chaos.''
The knights, tainted by chaos, had be grotesque monsters who could no longer be called "Runcandel Knights."
Their twisted arms wielded their swords grotesquely, and their legs, transformed into spines, spilled chaos with each step they took.
Their pupils were as dark as coals, and only dark breaths and screams flowed from their mouths.
Jin swung his sword to finish them all in an instant. It was the only thing he could do for those who had given their lives to the n as knights.
''Rosa... I will definitely make you pay for what you have done.''
Hedo didn''t even need to draw his sword.
To be precise, he had judged it would be better not to help after seeing Jin''s swordsmanship.
''Not a single unnecessary movement... it''s like Cyron-nim''s sword.''
In terms of precision, itcked nothingpared to Cyron''s sword.
Hedo watched Jin''s sword as if admiring a great work of art, momentarily forgetting his position and beliefs.
"What''s with that silly expression? Don''t tell me Hedo has also fallen for Jin?"
"I was just a little surprised, mydy. Those who haven''t seen Cyron-nim''s sword in person will think the Twelfth gbearer has be a Genesis Knight."
"Just a few years ago, he was almost killed by Hedo in the Sota Desert. Back then, Hedo overpowered Jin and hispanions, but now?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Can you win?"
"I don''t think so. I expected it since he fought alone in the Garden of Swords, but it''s a different feeling seeing it up close."
Sandraughed as if it was something to be proud of.
"See! If it''s Jin, there''s definitely a chance. I didn''t think so at first either, so it''s not Hedo''s fault. So, why not do what I told youst time?... Oh, you scared me!"
Hedo shed a bolt of demonic energy that had fallen near Sandra.
Zephyrin was calmly extending shockwaves toward Sandra while facing the knights tainted by chaos.
"Ha, that''s very low. Despite being a few thousand years old, she acts like a child."
While they talked and moved, Jin had already dealt with more than half of the knights remaining near the cave.
In front of the cave were those believed to have been ck Knights or high-ranking executives of the ck Sword Association, or high-ranking knights in charge ofw enforcement.
As Jin cut down the knights and approached them, their chaotic energy increased.
''I wonder if they were hiding their power.''
A total of fifteen. Their mutant state took a form different from the previous chaos knights. It was a stable form, like a well-crafted doll, rather than a distorted and strange form.
It seems they haven''t lost their minds yet.
The eyes were also simr to those of ordinary humans, not ck holes, but chaos horns and des that strengthened throughout their bodies like Rosa.
"I am Jin Runcandel, the Twelfth gbearer. State your name."
[You are disqualified from being a gbearer, traitor Jin.]
The man in the middle of the group stepped forward.
Although his face was somewhat deformed, Jin had never seen him before. Because of this fact, Jin assumed his opponent was a ck Knight.
"It seems you wore a ck helmet in the past. Now that Rosa has embraced chaos, it seems she has significantly reorganized, but until then, it was a truly glorious helmet. Why are you standing there looking like that?"
[Whether you wore the ck Helmet or not, the duty of the family swords is only to fight for the family. The knights you are killing have only changed for the Runcandel.]
"I heard from Uncle Jorden that not many people have willingly be monsters."
[If the existence of such a family were allowed, would Runcandel have existed until now? Runcandel was originallyposed of domination,mand, and power.]
"That means you are a group that sincerely sympathized with Rosa''s rebellion, unlike the others."
[You just want to fulfill your personal desire to be the Patriarch, traitor. That''s why you''ve already formed an alliance with the rest of the forces. Thanks to Rosa-nim, Runcandel has finally be the best in the world. But do you know what? If they hadn''t betrayed you, Rosa-nim would have made you the patriarch.]
Hooook...
The Shadow Energy staining Bradamante disappeared.
[What do you think would have happened to Runcandel and even the Hufester Alliance without Rosa-nim? Surely Zipple and Kinzelo would have trampled them and begged for an alliance...]
"I will show you no mercy. And do not try to deceive me."
Instead of Shadow Energy, a fiery aura enveloped Bradamante.
At the same time, a sh of light streaked, and the right arm of the ck Knight speaking with Jin was severed.
Although an eleration was less than the Light Speed Thrust with lightning energy added, it was enough. As befitting its original name, the sword of the "secret technique."
"Don''t you think I knew you were buying time, making excuses until reinforcements arrived?"
The fallen right arm of the ck Knight regenerated quickly. Then, he prepared to retaliate, but Jin had already cleared other knights and made his way to the rear.
"Do you think you avoided it? I cleared the path to cut off your arms in the first ce."
The regenerating right arm was severed again, and the retaliating left arm also fell to the ground. Then Jin grabbed his horn and mmed his head into the ground.
[Argh!]
''I told you, I will show you no mercy...''
While the ck Knight was trampled and writhing in pain, the remaining knights drew their swords at Jin.
Jin calmly received all their attacks while remaining still.
Shockwaves spread, and the knights charging at him bounced back as if hitting a wall. All vomited ck chaos like blood and trembled in pain.
"Be grateful that I''m busy. I''d love to give each of you a beating, but I can''t afford that luxury."
Jin said it, but the knights attacking him felt pain beyond their bones, unlike the other knights being killed by Zephyrin.
By then, Hedo had also joined and began dealing with the remaining knights.
Hedo didn''t intentionally intensify their pain, but as he naturally wielded a more destructive type of sword than Jin, it ended up that way.
5 minutes.
It barely took that time to deal with the fifteen knights, including the ck Knight, who in the past were the highest-ranking knights.
It''s said they are the strongest in the world for a reason, but Jin was already aware of the decline in the "ss" of the chaos-tainted knights. Except in special cases like Stam.
Rather, if the knights had not epted chaos, it would have taken more time. Rosa and the Prophet chose to increase their overall strength, even if it meant diminishing individual strength.
Or maybe they can only do it while epting chaos.
Jin plunged his sword into the back of the ck Knight under his feet.
[There is no one you seek inside... You won''t find them.]
"Are those yourst pathetic words? We already know Histor is not in the Garden of Swords."
At those words, the ck Knight smiled.
[Yes, as you said. Because the redhead is already dead... haha.]
"What?"
When Jin reacted, the ck Knight smiled amusingly.
After a few seconds, Jin stopped moving and stared at him.
He was fumbling with something in his arms. Jin almost let out a roar when he saw what it was.
What the ck Knight had pulled out was a handful of red hair.
But instead of reacting, Jin decided to regain hisposure and ignited a blue me in the palm of his hand.
"I told you not to joke around. If it were a head instead of hair, I might have believed you a bit more."
As the me dropped like a bead of water onto the ck Knight''s back, a blue fire erupted over his entire body in an instant. A heart-wrenching scream followed.
[Ahhhh......! If you continue searching for Histor''s body, you too... will die in thisnd...]
The ck Knight couldn''t finish his words and waspletely reduced to ashes.
Jin turned his gaze towards the interior of the cave, hoping Valeria was still alive.
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
Chapter 661
Chapter 661
C661
From then on, the two began to wander through the subspace like ordinary siblings in search of something together.
Luntia¡¯s steps were slow due to fatigue, but after regaining her senses, she was gradually able to feel the "different energy" lingering in the subspace.
[When I was lost in madness, I couldn¡¯t feel it at all, but now that I¡¯ve regained my senses, I can feel the chaos and other energies in the subspace more clearly. There might be a reason why the subspace broke.]
The other energy Luntia spoke of was mana.
Even when Jin tried to sharpen his senses, he couldn¡¯t feel that mana as Luntia could.
It was because the chaos was too dense.
If Jin had to find Valeria alone, without Luntia¡¯s help, it would have been like finding a needle in a haystack.
"Is Histor seriously injured?"[Yes, there¡¯s nothing more I can say except I¡¯m sorry.]
"You didn¡¯t do it in your right mind, Elder Sister. As long as she¡¯s alive, she can recover somehow."
[The problem is if she epted the chaos as I said when I was out of my mind. If not, she wouldn¡¯t have survived. My sword pierced her chest...]
"As I said before, the magic I saw initially didn¡¯t have the energy of chaos. Even if the Record Magic was deployed before she was injured, the magic would have to be altered or lost if Histor was tainted by chaos. It¡¯s not your fault, so don¡¯t worry too much."
[You said that even if it were you, you wouldn¡¯t be able to reject the nanny, but if it were you¡ you would have chosen better than I did.]
"No. More than that, if the Prophet was here to recover Sir Padler from the grave, then you didn¡¯te here to track Histor in the first ce, Elder Sister. I was surprised that the knights guarding the outside gave me her hair."
[Histor found knights several times while searching for a grave. Perhaps that¡¯s when she got her hair. I¡¯ve been recing Sir Padler since Ronil Zipple lost her.]
The day Ronil lost Valeria, Luntia hadn¡¯t yet been consumed by Chaos, nor had she be the master of the subspace in ce of Padler.
From the beginning, Luntia wasn¡¯t chasing Histor but happened to cross paths with Valeria while searching for Temar¡¯s grave.
Instead, Valeria gained an advantage from Luntia¡¯s years of searching.
Valeria obtained a decisive clue that the grave was in Kaldran¡¯s snowy field by observing Luntia¡¯s exploration.
"It seems... there were separate groups searching for Temar¡¯s Grave and tracking Histor. You were in the former, Elder Sister."
[Yes. Beforeing to the subspace, I never received orders to kill or capture Histor. I suspected those orders were given to the ck Knights and the first division of the ck Sword Association.]
Luntia¡¯s attack on Valeria in the grave was purely because she was unable to control her bloodthirsty madness.
It wasn¡¯t due to any order given to her.
Jin now understood the situation.
The reason Valeria hurried into the grave without leaving any contact with Tikan.
Rosa and the Prophet must have thought Elder Sister Luntia would be reluctant to pursue Valeria.
Moreover, they were nning to make my sister the master of the subspace anyway, so they let her find the grave to avoid unnecessary resentment.
In other words, Rosa and the Prophet are aware of the bond between Luntia and Jin.
In particr, Rosa judged that Luntia could be Jin¡¯s ally at any moment since she observed the changes in Luntia after Jin¡¯s patriarchal deration.
Therefore, as Rosa, the best option was to use Luntia as much as possible and then tie her in the grave.
Only a few people possessed a pure and strong soul that could rece Padler.
If Luna had been in the Garden of Swords and had a weakness like Lisham, Rosa wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to use Luna to pull out Padler.
The time in the subspace and the human world flow differently.
That¡¯s why Jin felt more anxious as time passed, but he didn¡¯t show it outwardly because he knew Luntia was doing her best with her broken body.
And Luntia would have to be alone for a while when Jin left the grave, trapped in this lonely and terrible space, mired in the madness of chaos.
It was uncertain when Jin would return to her.
It was also impossible to know how long it would take the Chaos Purification Device to resolve the total invasion, and there were many chances that Rosa would strengthen the borders of Kaldran¡¯s Snow Fields after today.
While walking, Jin told his sister what had happened to him all this time.
When Luntia learned about the events in Lafrarosa, sheughed cheerfully as if she felt envy, but when she heard about the events Jin had experienced, she became very serious.
[I can¡¯t even imagine how painful it must have been for you to fight Sir Padler and those engulfed by chaos. It must have been terrible, including Sir Ron and Sir Padler, and now me.]
"Of course, it¡¯s painful. But just as we¡¯re having a friendly conversation as siblings, I¡¯ll also restore Sir Padler to his original state. Just like when I overcame chaos with thete Ron-nim."
[I think I know why Elder Sister Luna admired you so much. I wish I had gotten closer to you a little earlier.]
"I didn¡¯t get closer to you earlier either, did I? Of course, we both liked each other in our hearts after the Patriarchal Deration."
[This feels awkward after so long. But... Now that I think about it, didn¡¯t you say the weapon used to enter here was the sword of a knight named Hedo?]
"Yes."
[Ilina also said an object was needed to exchange Sir Padler with me. However, unlike the sword used as a key, it seemed to be a one-time consumable item. She didn¡¯t say there was only one, but she exined it as a consumable item.]
"Perhaps Hedo¡¯s sword and the items the Prophet used with you and Sir Padler are rted to the old Runcandel. In my case, I interacted with Hedo¡¯s sword with Shadow Energy, and you must have interacted with the Prophet¡¯s item and chaos."
[I don¡¯t know why Zipple¡¯s monster butler has something like that.]
"He also seemed unaware of the sword¡¯s true nature. If Zipple also knew the sword¡¯s identity, they would have handled it more specially."
[Then, did Histor also have items rted to the old Runcandel? She used nothing but her mana.]
How did Valeria manage to enter this grave? That was the question that had been bothering Jin all along.
Considering my case and the Prophet¡¯s, even if it¡¯s rted to the old Runcandel, it¡¯s unlikely to enter the grave without being able to use Shadow Energy or chaos.
''Or maybe the recording device of Solderet I gave her became the key.''
Jin didn¡¯t know until Valeria herself told him.
Luntia¡¯s steps were getting faster.
She hadn¡¯t regained her strength in the slightest, but she was trying to find Histor a second faster while Jin took care of her.
[I think we¡¯re getting closer... the strange feelinging through the subspace is getting stronger.]
Luntia pointed her finger towards a distant empty space.
[There it is. I did my best¡ but I can¡¯t walk anymore.]
She was unable to recover her body after being disconnected from the subspace.
Luntia¡¯s legs were nowpletely stiff like a statue and couldn¡¯t move at all.
[Go, younger. I¡¯ll wait here. Don¡¯t reconnect me and the subspace¡ I¡¯ll attack you immediately.]
"I understand, Elder Sister."
As Jin approached the point where Luntia pointed, his heart beat with anxiety.
He could now feel Valeria¡¯s mana like Luntia.
Her mana was like a fading me, infinitely weak and unstable.
"Valeria."
Jin called her name as he stopped walking.
There was no response or reaction.
Jin called several more times, closed his eyes, and focused his senses and Shadow Energy.
Thanks to recovering some Shadow Energy while walking, Jin could unleash the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique only once.
He felt he had to prate the subspace himself to confirm it.
I have to make sure Valeria isn¡¯t hurt when I cut through the space.
Jin measured the depth by reading the faint mana flow. He quickly closed the distance and swung his Shadow de without hesitation.
sh!
The space opened.
[No!]
It wasn¡¯t Luntia¡¯s voice.
That voice belonged to Neru of the Cat Tribe.
"Neru...!?"
Jin never thought Neru would emerge from beyond the space.
Neru extended her short arms and bit her lips.
It was a gesture people make unconsciously to protect something.
[Jin...? Are you really Jin Runcandel?]
Jin was speechless, staring at the person Neru protected behind him, Valeria Histor, who was trapped in an ice shell. As Luntia said, arge ck scar was visible in the middle of Valeria¡¯s chest.
"Valeria!"
As Jin entered the space, Neru patted his chest.
[Jin, Valeria sealed herself. The wound was too deep, so there was no other way.]
Alive.
Although he expected it because she still had mana, something hot struck his throat when he saw Valeria with his own eyes.
"Then, Neru, have you been with Valeria all this time?"
[Yes, since the first time I came here. Luntia Runcandel doesn¡¯t know. What about Luntia Runcandel? Perhaps the person behind you¡?]
"It¡¯s tooplicated to exin. Anyway, let¡¯s get out of here, Neru. Judging by the amount of mana, the seal won¡¯tst long."
[Yes, I¡¯ve already made an exit. Valeria couldn¡¯t move, so we couldn¡¯t leave.]
Neru pulled out the Cat God¡¯s w from her arm.
While Neru immediately tried to use the ws to open the door leading out of the subspace, Jin turned to look at Luntia.
She was waving her hand as if saying, "Go quickly."
The two were reading each other¡¯s thoughts without speaking, just as they did in their first encounter after the patriarchal deration.
''I¡¯ll be back soon, Elder Sister.''
''Return safely, little brother.''
The door leading out of the subspace opened, and Luntia stared for a while at the empty space where they had disappeared.
-
Chapter 662
Chapter 662
C662
Beyond the door was not the interior of the cave where they had entered the tomb, but a scene of the Kaldran snowfield.
And Jin realized, as soon as they came out, that another urgent situation awaited them.
''I had expected this, but it seems quite a bit of time has passed outside.''
Thendscape of the Kaldran Snowfield had changed.
The snow, which previously reached their knees, was nowpletely ck, and the oppressive gray snowstorm had turned into a coal-ck chaos.
"Is the entire snowfield dyed in chaos?"
There wasn''t a single spot in sight that wasn''t dark, and the chaotic snowstorm was so maddening that even those unustomed to it would probably lose their minds just by being exposed to it.
Kiehek, kaaak-!Moreover, the roars of the chaotic dragons shook the sky.
When Jin looked up, the Dragon was breathing ck breath like an artillery bombardment towards the ground.
On the ground, there were also knights consumed by chaos and monsters that could only be seen in the ck Sea, writhing back and forth.
[Jin, I can''t create more dimensional portals... You seem tired too, what should we do?]
Neru was already struggling to stay still since Jin had discovered him.
To open a dimensional portal requires a great amount of energy or the Cat God''s ws, but neither is avable.
"It''s okay, Neru. I still have enough strength to break through this level of encirclement. And..."
Jin paused, closing his eyes and focusing his senses.
His senses detected other powers amidst the chaos filling the entire snowfield.
Aura, mana, and demonic energy.
They were undoubtedly the powers of those fighting to save them.
"It seems there are people fighting to save us. If we join forces with them, we should be able to escape without any problems. I¡¯ll exin everything about you and Valeria after we escape and have some time to calm down."
[Really? Did you tell yourpanions before entering the tomb?]
"Not just mypanions, but also Zipple and Kinzelo, with whom I formed a temporary alliance."
[Zipple and Kinzelo?]
"They are good friends to have in a situation like this."
[Nyaa!]
Jin summoned Shuri, ced Neru on her, and tied up the sealed Valeria.
The non-chaotic energy did not gather in one ce.
North, East, West. Jin decided it would be better to make his location known to them and gather them in one ce if possible.
If we gather and someone like Rosa or someone of her leveles and we can''t escape, it will be a problem.
Jin did not perceive too many allies.
That meant that the allies who came to save Jin consisted of only a small number of elites from each faction.
Therefore, Jin decided that the best course of action would be to first make his presence known to the weaker allies.
Of course, those Jin had to find first were the Tikanese.
Since Tris was injured, it was likely that the elite of Tikan was rtively weak.
Depending on the situation, it might be better for Jin to rescue them and then join forces with other factions.
"To the East."
The most familiar energy was in the east.
When Shuri began to run, the eyes of all the nearby monsters focused on them.
Before Jin could even unleash his sword or magic, Shuri shot a mana ray that disintegrated the demons without a trace.
[Nyaa!]
Fortunately, as they headed east, they did not encounter any remaining chaotic forces.
In less than 15 minutes of running, Jin was able to reunite with the Tikanpanions who were fighting.
"Valkas-nim!"
Valkas and Am, Lata, and Yulian.
From Tikan, four people were in charge of searching the Kaldran snowfield.
"My lord! Old Valkas, protect the lord! Oh, and who is this cute little one!"
"My lord! My lord, you have rescued Valeria...!"
As Jin feared, they were struggling quite a bit.
The corpses of chaotic entities that seemed to be monsters and knights were literally forming ck rivers and mountains around them.
"We don''t have time, Valkas-nim. Please exin the situation first."
"It has been five days since you entered the tomb, my lord. The Garden of Swords has not directly attacked Tikan or any other faction, but the Kaldran Snowfield has beenpletely contaminated."
Despite theck of transcendent chaotic entities, they were struggling due to the endless waves of chaos they faced after arriving at the Kaldran Snowfield.
"It''s fortunate that there wasn''t a direct attack from the Garden of Swords. Were there any casualties?"
"There were no casualties among the Vamel alliance. The allies probably had a simr situation, though they might have lost some living golems and plutonian-type golems."
ording to Valkas'' report, transcendent chaotic entities did not appear on the side of the Vamel Alliance.
Instead, monsters at the level of inner core monsters had been appearing throughout the snowfield for several days.
"If Rosal knew that I escaped from the tomb, she might send some powerful beings immediately. How did you decide to escape after finding me?"
"We decided to use the dimensional door of the leader."
"Alright, let''s go!"
As soon as Jin joined them, the mood of the Tikan group changed.
It wasn''t just because Jin''s well-being was confirmed.
Despite being nearly exhausted from opening the tomb and fighting Luntia, Jin had no difficulty sweeping away the ordinary chaotic beings that appeared every few seconds with the mes emanating from his hands.
He tried to make the knights suffer as little as possible before meeting their end.
Kinzelo and Zipple were positioned to the northwest.
Shuri, carrying the entire group, grew increasingly anxious as they could encounter other forces.
The first they encountered were Hedo and Sandra, who had separated from Zipple and the others while searching for Jin.
Naturally, it was because Sandra caused amotion.
She insisted that she couldn''t rescue Jin in such an underwhelming manner (Zipple was seriously searching for Jin) and had left with Hedo to act separately as soon as they arrived back at the snowfield.
"Dear! Is that really Jin? It is Jin, right, Hedo?"
"Correct, it is the Twelfth gbearer, so please stop pulling on my clothes, mdy."
"I told you we had to move separately. The fools of my n still don''t know my Jin has returned."
"Mdy and I just found out. We didn''t evene to find him. It was the Twelfth gbearer who found us."
"Jin!"
Sandra ran towards Jin, intending to hug him on Shuri, but Jin unconsciously dodged her.
Thanks to that, Sandra could only fall on Valeria, who was tied behind Jin.
Kang!
The sound of ice shing against someone''s head echoed throughout the area.
"Damn it! If I had been a bit quicker, I could have hugged you... Ha! This woman is so, so precious that she almost made us disappear from the world... I want to destroy her, no, no, Sandra, for now, you should be d that Jin has returned safely!"
With that, even Sandra climbed onto Shuri''s back.
Since Shuri possessed tremendous power that could destroy a mountain given time, the weight of so many people wasn''t heavy, but sometimes Shuri turned her head as if ufortable.
Due to hisrge size, Hedo couldn''t ride on Shuri''s back and hung from her side. Although it didn''t look good, Hedo seemed unconcerned.
"It seems you''ve made it, Twelfth gbearer."
"Yes, Tower Guardian. I''ll show you my gratitude when we return. I''m also curious about your sword. I think you''re the same, Tower Guardian."
"Jin, and me?"
"Thanks to you too, Sandra."
"If you had told me you were very grateful, I would have extended the two days left of the woman trapped in the ice''s life. But now, I''ll aim myself."
"Thank you very much."
"Kya kya kya, that''s how it should be!"
Jin, Valeria, Neru, Valkas, Am, Lata, Yulian, Sandra, and Hedo rode on Shuri as she once again moved forward with vigor. However, it wasn''t long before Shuri had no choice but to pick a new person.
"Dear, who is that guy who looks dead? Who is he?"
"He''s a Demon named Ranke Halovice, Sandra."
Ranke Halovice. Judging by his state, he seems to have be "Furious Ranke," but has copsed from the exhaustion of dealing with inner core ss chaos monsters for several days.
"There''s not enough space, should we leave them? No, if we take them with us, I''ll be able to get closer to Jin and the ice piece will be further away. Hedo!"
Whoosh!
Hedo caught Ranke and threw him onto Shuri''s back. Valkas roughly tied him with a rope.
In this way, more and more people continued to board Shuri or hang onto her.
"Bouvard Gaston? He''s not evenbat personnel, why did Kinzelo bring him?"
"Hedo!"
Whoosh!
"...Ainas Kaligo? Oh, no wonder Bouvard is here."
"Hedo!"
Whoosh! nk nk.
"I don''t know his name, but he seems to be the leader of a White Wolf Tribe assault team or something."
"Hedo!"
Whoosh!
By the time they got near Orgal, Shuri was carrying about twenty people running like fruits.
Sandra, who was stuck to Jin, seemed almost ttened like a pancake, and Shuri seemed really tired.
And the personnel clinging to Jin and Shuri, in front of Orgal, realized why they had only been able to deal with the chaotic bodies until now.
Orgal and Zephyrin were dealing with Lionel, Stam, and the old unknown ck knights.
''Orgal... What a wonderful being. I know it wouldn''t be the end of Lionel, but I didn''t expect him to appear already. And all these corpses seem to be transcendent chaotic entities.''
However, Orgal looked tired. As soon as he saw Jin, he smiled and waved.
[Oh... Just when I thought it was my limit, you appear at a good time, Jin Runcandel. It seems you''ve found your lover.]
"No, was it me whom Jin saved? You''re saying something wrong."
[Now that the truly unruly guy was about toe out, that''s great. Let them flee immediately.]
Orgal said while deflecting Lionel''s sword.
Lionel was panting, having lost an arm.
[You think you can flee, demon!]
As soon as Lionel finished speaking, the steel door opened between the group and Orgal.
At the same time, the chaos door opened on the opposite side.
"By the way, Orgal, what''s with Zipple?"
[I never thought Runcandel would ask to take Zipple with him. It''s better to tell those friends to return on their own.]
"Well, even if it''s just a temporary alliance, we are still allies, so shouldn''t we at least inform them of the escape n?"
"Let''s go first! That personing out of that door looks really strong!"
"Mdy, Zipple is the name of their n."
"So what? Jin looks about to die anyway."
The oneing out of the chaos door was none other than Padler Runcandel.
Orgal also raised his head as if to say, "Look at that," and Jin nodded.
[I''ll shoot a signal re.]
"Good idea. Shuri, to the steel door."
[JIN... RUNCANDEL...]
Padler spoke in a dark voice.
Just before he came out of the chaos door, fortunately, Shuri managed to throw herself through the steel door with the many people she carried, unscathed.
Orgal and Zephyrin followed her example and ran to the steel door, and Padler could only watch them disappear through the door.
-
Chapter 663
Chapter 663
C663
Vamel Alliance, Tikan Free State Pce
The Vamel Alliance and their temporary allies remained tense after Jin''s safe return and Valeria''s rescue, although her wounds continued to be a concern for Tikan.
There was no way to heal her wounds, even if Jin mobilized the abilities of all the healers, medical staff, and the Cat Tribe of their allies, as well as Holy King Lani, who was dedicated to treating Tris.
¡°Whew.¡±
After leaving the medical room, Jin took a breath as if he were tired.
He was infusing mana into Valeria¡¯s seal every day.
It required a magician of at least Octavia¡¯s level to maintain Valeria¡¯splicated magic from the outside, so it was only possible for Jin in Tikan.
Even if Jin¡¯s mana reached the 10-star level, the external injection of mana caused too much mental fatigue.This meant Jin couldn''t exert all his energy while keeping Valeria alive.
¡°Valeria Histor, I always felt she was a remarkable person. As far as I know, most magicians can''t maintain any magic while unconscious. Not just magicians, humans can¡¯t do anything while unconscious either.¡±
¡°Syris.¡±
Syris patted Jin on the shoulder.
¡°I''m sorry I can¡¯t help with the power of the Hidden Pce.¡±
¡°Don''t say that, I''ve always received grace from the Hidden Pce.¡±
It wasn''t possible to rece Valeria¡¯s magic with the seal of the Hidden Pce either.
The same applied even if Tris, instead of Syris, were in a recovered state and tried to do it herself.
¡°Ha¡¡±
Qwaul, who had been sitting in front of the hospital room all the time, sighed as soon as he saw Jin.
The ashtray beside him was filled with cigarette butts, and his face was so gaunt that he looked like a dying person.
Qwaul viewed Valeria as a genius inventor who would carry the future of the world along with him.
In a way, he even believed Valeria had greater talent than he did and was convinced that if Valeria died without recovering, the world¡¯s development would regress hundreds of years.
Beyond this, Qwaul was the closest person to Valeria among herpanions.
Over the past three years, Qwaul had formed the deepest bond with her.
¡°If it were possible, I would sacrifice my life to save her. How can this be so hopeless¡ even with the abilities of Holy King and Tris Endorma?¡±
¡°It¡¯s Endorma, not Kendorma! How can a supposed genius get a letter wrong every time? Are you just mocking me? Even in this situation?"
¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s Kendorma or Endorma now! Without Valeria, all the research we¡¯ve done together and the future of the world is just darkness, darkness.¡±
¡°If you were ipetent, you would have died a hundred times, and ny-nine of those times would have been by my hand.¡±
¡°Then just kill me and save her!¡±
While dying the world¡¯s progress by a few hundred years was daunting, Jin also felt a sense of hopelessness when considering they needed to prepare for the next battle with Rosa without Valeria.
Above all, the figure in the hospital room was Valeria, the person who saved his past self, who had been disabled.
¡°I''ll find a way somehow, Dr. Qwaul.¡±
¡°The only way is to obtain Numerus¡¯ Blood or Tears. Don¡¯t these temporary allies have at least one of those? I don''t know about the tears, but they might have the blood.¡±
Numerus¡¯ Blood.
It was the legacy of the God of Hope that had saved Jin and Dante in the past.
At present, there was no other ce to ce their hopes.
¡®The chaos mixed in the affected area is at a level that can be resolved with a purifier. As long as the seal is maintained as it is now, it won¡¯t spread any further.¡¯
However, the fatal wounds in the vital organs, including the heart, could only be treated with the power of a god.
¡°I also have that in mind. Let¡¯s first wait for Kinzelo¡¯s response.¡±
Kinzelo¡
¡°Do you know when Demon King Orgal will wake up? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just talk to Zipple first?¡±
Due to the battle in Kaldran¡¯s Snowfield, Orgal fell back into a state of sleep.
From the perspective of Kinzelo''s members, it was like a nightmare, as Orgal asionally coughed up blood while asleep.
¡°Kinzelo is much friendlier with us than Zipple. And since Rosa is not yet attacking outside of Huphester, there¡¯s no urgent need for me to enter the battle. So let¡¯s wait for Kinzelo first.¡±
If they couldn''t get help from Kinzelo, they would have to seek assistance from Zipple, which was not ideal for several reasons.
First, Zipple had invested the most manpower in Kaldran¡¯s Snowfield.
And everyone else present at the snowfield had escaped, except for Zipple.
As a result, Zipple lost about a hundred unfinished living golems and Octavia and Kadun were wounded again by the transcendent chaos beings, Padler Runcandel and others.
While it was true that Orgal had truly exhausted all his power, from Zipple¡¯s perspective, it wasn¡¯t a matter that could be easily understood and overlooked.
But they had stayed in Tikan and returned to Zipple without revealing this fact, following Hedo¡¯s opinion.
In other words, Zipple didn¡¯t know that Hedo and Sandra escaped with Jin.
¡°It¡¯s frustrating. If we all worked together, someone might suffer losses, but Zipple simply gets angry.¡±
In fact, Zipple had yet to respond to the letter sent by Tikan and Kinzelo after the Kaldran¡¯s Snowfield incident, showing signs of anger.
¡°Although the temporary alliance won¡¯t break due to this incident, there will inevitably be some tension. Zipple may not have responded tomunication with Tikan and Kinzelo because they¡¯re angry, but they might also be in the process of organizingpensations or other demands.¡±
¡°If they ask for some inconvenient requests in exchange for Numerus¡¯ legacy, what will you do?¡±
¡°It will depend on the specific request. Why do you ask such a stupid question? Are you so dumb that you can¡¯t even remember the name?¡±
¡°It¡¯s better to ept any request, even if they ask to return the space-time device. Valeria is more important.¡±
¡°Dr. Qwaul, let¡¯s go there to smoke. You know how wise our lord is. He will definitely take everything he can from the temporary alliance, so let¡¯s not worry. Come on, let¡¯s go. Jet has brought the best cigarettes from M Mountain.¡±
Jet skillfully took Qwaul away, and Jin got lost in his thoughts.
Despite rescuing Valeria, he still couldn''t think of a sharp solution.
¡°Young master, please take a rest. Your face doesn¡¯t look good.¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, milord. Zipple couldn¡¯t make such unreasonable demands, right?¡±
Kashmir, Enya, and otherpanions approached and offeredforting words.
As soon as Jin stepped out into the front yard of Tikan Pce to clear his mind for a moment, a report came from the Seven-Colored Peacocks.
¡°Your Majesty, Jin-nim! Kinzelo¡¯s first flying ship, Grenille, is approaching Tikan.¡±
Even from afar, Jin and his group could see the silhouette of Grenille.
¡°Grant them immediate entry and bring them here!¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
Jin and hispanions naturally thought that executives like Bishkel and Berakt hade to visit to report on the leader¡¯s situation and to discuss how to improve the rtionship with Zipple in the future.
Surprisingly, Orgal descended directly along with Zephyrin, Bishkel, Margie, Bouvard, and Ranke from Grenille.
Orgal¡¯s nebulous body was weaker than before.
¡°Orgal, has your recovery finished?¡±
[Not really¡ cough, cough.]
¡°Master! Here¡¯s some water.¡±
[Thank you¡ Zephyrin.]
Orgal was in a state where he could copse again at any moment, much less recover. Zephyrin wiped the blood from him with an annoyed expression.
¡°That¡¯s why I told you to just report by letter or summon Jin Runcandel to our side.¡±
[Cough, cough.]
¡°Ah, really¡¡±
For a while, Orgal coughed like an old, sick human.
Once his coughing calmed down a bit, he exchanged some brief, formal greetings before getting to the point.
[I came here to answer your questions about Histor, Jin Runcandel.]
Jin¡¯s eyes widened.
[I see your expression changes. This is quite interesting, cough, ahem. I would like to enjoy this a bit more, but I can¡¯t.]
¡°If it¡¯s enough for you toe in person, could it be that you brought Numerus¡¯ Blood?¡±
¡°If we had it, would we give it to you?!¡±
¡°Yes, we¡¯d never give it to you!¡±
Bouvard and Ainas shouted at the same time.
[First of all, Numerus¡¯ Blood is useless. Without the tears, Histor can¡¯t be saved with Numerus¡¯ Blood.]
¡°How can you be so sure?¡±
[How many drops of that blood do you think I¡¯ve used in my long existence?]
¡°Then why did youe all the way here to tell us this? And in your current condition?¡±
[Because I need to examine Histor myself in detail. I could have summoned you as Zephyrin did, but if you were absent when Zipple found Tikan, things would getplicated. It would seem like only you and we were meeting separately¡ so someone from Zipple wille soon.]
Orgal had already contacted Zipple beforeing to Tikan to discuss the situation in Kaldran¡¯s Snowfield.
[Looking at my condition, even Zipple would have to admit we didn¡¯t do it on purpose. Rather, I think we should hurry and check on Histor before they arrive.]
Orgal wasn''t in a situation to beat around the bush. Jin guided him to Valeria¡¯s hospital room.
¡°What do you want to confirm about Histor?¡±
[The level of opening of theplete mana body. If Histor is in a well-opened state, there¡¯s a way to save her without Numerus¡¯ tears.]
Orgal ced his hand on Valeria¡¯s seal for a few minutes and closed his eyes.
Soon, he nodded and reassured Jin.
[She has far exceeded my expectations. If this is the case (this time, Jin wiped the blood), it¡¯s possible to treat her without any cost.]
¡°How?¡±
Orgal answered Jin¡¯s question as follows.
[You can take Histor to Zipple¡¯s holy ce. If she spends some time there, this woman will fully recover.]
-
Chapter 664
Chapter 664
C664
"The Holy Land of Zipple...?"
Jin had never heard of such a ce, neither in his past life nor in the current one.
[Yes, the Holy Land of Zipple. The fully opened mana body that has almost been opened is no different from semi-immortals as long as they can use that space. Just being there can heal all wounds.]
"The existence of such a space is one thing, but the fact that a fully opened mana body can perform such incredible regeneration there is like a lie."
[A lie? Hmm... is that what you''re saying?]
"For now, yes."
[Believe it or not, it''s up to you, Jin Runcandel. But, uh, uh... there is no other way to obtain Numerus Tears otherwise. I''m telling you now, we don''t have Numerus Tears. You can confirm this through Euria.]
"I said ''for now''. If you exin a bit more, I think I can believe it."[After going through all the trouble of bringing my sick body here and showing you the way, do I have any reason to be treated like a liar from the start?]
Jin chuckled at those words.
"Eh, Orgal. Is it necessary for the knowledgeable to spout nonsense? You wouldn''t havee looking for me in such a pathetic state just for the sake of the Vamel alliance, would you?"
Jin threw Orgal''s blood-stained handkerchief in the trash.
"You must have rushed here because you''d be in trouble if Histor died. Demon King Orgal, to restore your manipted history to its original state, Histor''s power is absolutely necessary. Am I wrong?"
Orgal shrugged.
[I didn''t expect such a reaction from a simple throwawayment. Yes, you''re right. Leaving aside my history, Histor''s ability is absolutely necessary to counter the evil god.]
"Then stop spouting nonsense and say something worthwhile."
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a small steel door appeared in the middle of the hospital room.
Unlike usual, where the door transported the user or the target through dimensional travel, this door revealed a greenndscape.
"A bright green sea...? It also looks like a desert."
[You can see it that way.]
"Thatndscape, is it the Holy Land of Zipple you mentioned?"
[Yes, but this is not its current appearance. I''m sharing my memories with you. It''s from a few hundred years ago, but it probably hasn''t changed.]
"I''ve never seen mana of this color."
[It''s not mana. It''s a power that has no name; I call it residual energy.]
"Residual energy? Does that mean it''s the power left by the existence beyond the gods you mentioned before?"
Orgal nodded.
"What does that have to do with the Fully Opened Mana Body?"
[The Fully Opened Mana Body is the only one among humans that reacts to residual energy. It can heal any physical damage, including diseases, wounds, and scars, as long as the residual energy is present. This is only possible when the Fully Opened Mana Body reaches a certain level or higher.]
"Is there any special reason why only the Fully Opened Mana Body reacts to residual energy?"
[Well, I don''t know the reason either. I just assume that it''s because some will of that existence is embedded among the owners of fully opened mana bodies. Perhaps the fully opened mana body is a blessing that was only allowed to those who possessed that being''s will in the first ce.]
ording to his exnation, the "residual energy" could heal any wound except for aging and mental shock, but only for the owners of Fully Opened Mana Bodies.
Then, a vague human figure appeared within the steel door''s scenery.
Although unclear, it was easy to see that it was missing an arm.
[That memory is vague, so it¡¯s not being shared correctly. Maybe it''s a Fully Opened Mana Body like Histor''s.]
The person in thendscapey down in the middle of the holynd.
''Crazy...''
After a while, Jin could see the person''s amputated arm beginning to regenerate.
The residual energy of the holynd and the person''s mana mixed, creating a magnificent iridescent light and bubbles.
[Why do you look so deep in thought? Do you think I''m showing you a fakendscape?]
Of course, Jin thought that possibility existed.
Given the powers Orgal had shown so far, it seemed possible.
But Jin decided to trust Orgal. Because if true, there couldn¡¯t be anything better.
Orgal had no reason to lie now.
Even so, the reason Jin was troubled for a while was because another thought came to mind.
"I think not only will you have a fully opened mana body, but you''ll also be able to recover if you go there. And right now, you don¡¯t know the location of the holynd. So, in exchange for saving Histor this time, you hope I¡¯ll find out the location of the holynd for you. Am I wrong?"
A slight smile appeared on Orgal''s lips.
[Sometimes you and Imunicate very well. That''s right, cough.]
"Aren''t you relying too much on me just because wemunicate well? Even if I find the location, I have no intention of sharing it with you, Orgal. If you regain all your power, it won¡¯t be different from another evil god awakening before me and the people of the world."
[It¡¯s sad you think that of me. Anyway, if you find the location, at some point, we can make a deal if your perception of me changes or if I have something you can''t refuse.]
"That¡¯s a rather ominous future."
[Zipple will never make a deal with anyone regarding the location of the holynd, no matter what. In the first ce, I would do the same.]
"But this time, they have to ept a deal to save Histor''s life, right?"
[That¡¯s correct. Zipple probably wants to save Histor more than you do right now. So, isn''t this a pretty convincing story?]
"If I assume everything you said is true, then it¡¯s very convincing. But I don''t think Zipple will reveal the location of the holynd so easily."
[Threats, persuasion, and seduction are more your area of expertise than mine. Besides, you have Histor, Zipple''s greatest weakness, so you should be able to negotiate favorable terms. I¡¯ll help more if I can.]
Jin met Orgal¡¯s gaze.
[The bright light and bubbles produced when residual energy reacts with the owner of a fully opened mana body. You can use it as bargaining material.]
"That would give Zipple something to investigate."
[As expected, you understand me immediately. Yes, that alone would be a significant reward for Zipple. Of course, they¡¯ll demand more than that. Cough! You¡¯ll regret it if you refuse.]
Jin was about to pull the handkerchief he had thrown into the trash but grabbed a new one from the drawer and wiped the blood.
"You gave the information because you wanted something, but let¡¯s thank you."
[Heuk, yes, sure, it seems you¡¯re thankful.]
The two talked for a while about how to handle the situations when Zipple came.
By the time the conversation ended, Jet found the hospital room.
"Milord! People from Zipple are alsoing. The Kozec ship has arrived."
"Okay, Jet. I''ll be out in a minute."
"Yes!"
The leaders of the Zipple side who arrived in Tikan were Octavia, Ronil, and Kadun. Hedo and Sandra were nowhere to be seen.
Kadun transformed into human form, with bandages wrapping around his entire body.
He still hadn''t recovered from the wounds he suffered during the attack from the Garden of Swords.
They were not wounds that could heal easily.
He was hit hardest by the chaos emitted by Rosa and Ram and was injured again in the Kaldran snowfield.
In fact, it was almost miraculous that he could even move now.
Jin faced them calmly, but inwardly he rejoiced at Kadun''s condition.
Looks like you desperately need a Chaos Purification Device.
Unlike Jin, Kadun had been openly showing his anger since entering the Tikan Pce.
"Are you here?"
Kashmir greeted hispanions directly.
"Are you here? Yes, we are here! Damn bastards, we formed an alliance just a few days ago. You left us alone in the Kaldran snowfield? Don¡¯t you think it''s too stupid, even if it''s temporary?"
"You seem very angry, Kadun."
Kadun nearly rolled his eyes at hearing Jin¡¯s voice.
The bandages wrapping his body burned intensely, revealing his wounds.
"Twelfth gbearer...!"
"By the way, wouldn''t it be correct to think that it¡¯s normal?"
"What?"
"The day Rosa''s hidden power was revealed, why did you and Kinzelounch a full attack against Runcandel? Let me guess. It was because you were sure there would be a decisive battle against the entire Garden of Swords. That¡¯s why you took the opportunity and tried to destroy me and the Garden of Swords."
"Ha, then we weren¡¯t temporary allies. It means we were enemies; do you think we¡¯re in the same position now?"
"I admit it, that¡¯s why I forgave that bastard''s behavior and epted you as allies. But now that you''vee, you don''t even ask about the circumstances and act recklessly. It¡¯s unpleasant to see you behave as quickly as a rogue. Do you think we abandoned you deliberately? Look there."
"What do you mean...?"
Kadun was speechless as he followed Jin''s finger to the entrance of the Tikan Pce.
There he saw Orgal, leaning on Zephyrin and coughing up blood with every step.
[Wow... you made it... Kadun, cough!]
"At that moment, we could escape through Orgal¡¯s metal door. How are we supposed to escape with Zipple in such a state? Even one of the ten great knights, Padler Runcandel, who you dealt with, was being summoned right in front of us."
[Sorry... for that... ugh, Kadun...]
"The situation was really urgent at that time. If you want, here¡¯s a Thousand Year Contractor you can consult."
Kadun had nothing more to say while watching Orgal, who kept copsing and being lifted by Kinzelo members.
Of course, Kadun wasn¡¯t a fool, so he had expected the situation to be urgent to some extent, but he didn¡¯t know Orgal would be in such a state.
"Moreover, even though the Zipple side suffered damage, no significant figures died, and the temporary alliances achieved their goals. We rescued Histor, and I survived. Isn''t that a pretty good oue?"
As Kadun tried to say something, Ronil stepped forward and made a slight bow.
"We think so too, but please understand that there is some emotional aspect to it, Sir Jin. Please understand a little of Kadun-nim''s anger."
"I will."
"What is Histor''s condition? We received some news from Kinzelo''s side, but we don''t know the details."
"She is barely alive. Orgal says she can recover if she goes to your holynd."
Ronil blinked for a few seconds.
As if asking, how do you know that?
"...What did you just say?"
-
Chapter 665
Chapter 665
C665
"It¡¯s as you heard, Sir Ronil. The Histor needs the Holy Land of Zipple to recover."
Ronil''s eyebrows furrowed as Jin responded naturally.
Jin had not seen him disy such emotions during their previous encounters.
Kadun and Octavia blinked in disbelief.
They never expected to hear such shocking news at that moment, when they hade to negotiate a temporary alliance.
"Sir Jin, there are many ears listening right now. Did you think it was appropriate to bring up such a topic here?" asked Ronil.
"I didn''t know it was such a big secret. The leader of Kinzelo mentioned it casually," Jin replied, and Ronil red at Orgal.
Orgal barely managed to stand up, waving his hands apologetically.A moment of silence ensued.
Meanwhile, Jin asked all hispanions to leave, except for himself and Kashimir, leaving only Orgal and Zephyrin by Kinzelo''s side.
"Sir Orgal, what were you thinking when you did this?" Ronil asked.
[Coff...]
"The master is not in a condition to continue speaking, so let me answer on his behalf, Zipples," said Zephyrin, lifting Orgal.
"First of all, I hope the members of Zipple do not get too excited and listen to my story. I understand that Sir Jin brought up a delicate topic without much thought, which may have caused frustration."
"Frustration? Is that all?" interrupted Octavia, causing Zephyrin to narrow her eyes.
"Please don''t interrupt me. Let it be clear that this is not a request, but a warning. My master knew of the existence of the Holy Land even before you called it that, and he used to be its caretaker. So you acquired it when my master lost his power," said Zephyrin firmly.
"Are you iming ownership then?" Ronil''s voice calmed again.
Jin thought Ronil''sposure was impressive but suspected there was more.
It seems he didn¡¯te here without considering the Holy Land.
Perhaps showing displeasure was part of the n.
"That¡¯s not true. If therees a time when we can reim it by force after defeating a public enemy, then who knows. But right now, that ce clearly belongs to the Zipple. However, it¡¯s hard to endure being treated as if I don''t even have the right to speak about what I know."
"What will you do if you can''t endure it, Demon Dragon?"
It seems the sessor of the Fire Dragon Trakalnis is curious about that, so continue if you wish.
When Trakalnis'' name emerged, Kadun''s eyes widened.
"How do you know about Trakalnis......!"
"It was quite a satisfying meal, as I recall."
Normally, Kadun would have raged at that moment, ready to kill Zephyrin.
However, the fire dragon Trakalnis was the king of the fire dragons before Kadun and the most perfect creature of Sheenu.
Nevertheless, there were no stories left of Trakalnis in the world, and even Kadun himself would struggle to remember his name if he didn¡¯t concentrate.
The reason was none other than the fact that Trakalnis'' death was the greatest "shame" of Sheenu and the Fire Dragons.
It was Sheenu''s will and the old Zipple''s doing to erase Trakalnis'' history to cover up that shame.
''Don''t tell me she killed Trakalnis... this demon dragon?''
Zephyrin smiled coldly, as if she saw through Kadun''s thoughts.
"Maybe Kadun is right. If it¡¯s hard to believe, ask your God directly, Kadun. I''m not sure if Sheenu can restore that memory, but... "
Kadun turned his gaze away from Zephyrin.
He didn¡¯t remember the moment Trakalnis died, nor did any terrifying memoriese to mind.
However, an inexplicable fear slowly crept into Kadun''s heart.
Even if I had faced you in your prime, I wouldn¡¯t have been so scared. The reason you don¡¯t know me well is because I couldn¡¯t fight you back then.Jin was recalling the day Zephyrin''s true identity was first revealed on ck King Mountain and the words she had said to Murakan.
''Did Kadun drop his tail in eleven...?''
Jin couldn¡¯t easily imagine her dominance just by looking at Orgal, who was hunched like an invalid, and Zephyrin who had shown herself so far.
However, it was evident that Kadun was visibly shocked even when speaking disrespectfully of Sheenu.
What surprised Octavia most was Kadun''s reaction.
Since Kadun had stepped back, she could no longer express her anger towards Zephyrin.
"Well, it seems Kadun''s curiosity has been satisfied. Shall we return to the main topic now?"
Zephyrin gestured towards Jin.
"...The atmosphere has soured for no reason. I didn¡¯t bring up this story with that intention, so I apologize to both parties."
"Sir Jin saved Zipple''s face, it¡¯s an important matter."
"If you intend to keep being so sarcastic, wake up Orgal, Zephyrin. I don''t think we¡¯re here to have a war of nerves."
"That''s why humans aren¡¯t very good. Is it because your lives are short that youck courage? Anyway."
"Sir Ronil."
"Speak, Jin-nim."
"Histor''s survival is necessary for us to eliminate themon enemy. If it¡¯s difficult to open Zipple''s Holy Land, at least provide the Tear of Numerus."
"I don¡¯t think we can even attach the words ''Tear of Numerus'' to it. And we don¡¯t possess the Tear of Numerus either. Let me take a look at Histor first."
The task of showing Valeria, who had lost consciousness, to Zipple.
Even merely doing so made Jin feel like he wasmitting a sin, but he had no choice to save her.
Since her appearance had already been exposed to Zipple, there was no reason to be cautious and hide it.
After going to the hospital room and looking at Valeria, the leaders of the Zipple side sighed or pointed with their foreheads.
Although they already knew the information, seeing it with their own eyes was another thing.
"...I understand why you first asked for the Tear of Numerus. Fatigue is an inevitable state. Did Sir Jin retain the seal?"
"Impressive. Only a few people in Zipple can maintain such a seal."
"What shall we do then? If you can¡¯t open the Holy Land and there are no tears, then what? Just by exposing Histor to Zipple, I''ve already suffered a loss, but I''ll bury it and take care of it myself."
Jin wanted to say that if you¡¯re not going to open the Holy Land, you should leave immediately.
"This is not a decision we can make on our own, Sir Jin."
"Our side and Kinzelo are participating in the meeting with responsible individuals who can make an instant decision on the spot always."
"I know. I''ll return immediately... to report this situation to my father and get a response."
"We¡¯ll be waiting for good news."
"Although everyone is trying to save Histor for the temporary alliance as a whole, or more precisely, for their own desires, a reasonablepensation will probably be needed for this, Sir Jin."
It took three days for the Zipple leaders to return to Tikan.
This time, Ronil came alone with some assistants, without Kadun or Octavia.
"My father also said there was no other way but to open the Holy Land. He allowed us to bring Histor to the Holy Land."
"What are your demands?"
"First, only Histor can enter the Holy Land. Second, aspensation for this incident, each alliance shares some information about purification and chaos control with Zipple. This must be apanied by the presence of the Thousand Year Contractor."
"I refuse."
Jin tly rejected the proposal as if he had nothing more to hear.
"Well... then we won¡¯t be able to save Histor."
"I heard Orgal say that if a full mana body goes to its Holy Land, it leaves some kind of mana trace. Zipple can receive considerable rewards just by studying that trace. We don¡¯t know how much damage that research will cause us after the alliance dissolves."
Jin shrugged.
"Who benefits more from Histor''s injury? It¡¯s Zipple. We all want Histor alive, but Zipple can even investigate. So, please, don¡¯t be too greedy. If it breaks this time, I''ll put aside all the talk about Histor. Don¡¯t push your luck."
"Agreed. If so, we¡¯ll open the Holy Land without conditions, but you must agree to move with senses blocked as much as possible to avoid exposing the Holy Land''s location. Also, I don¡¯t want Jin-nim and Histor to have another escort."
The requirements were just words Ronil had thrown out, and these words were based on the n elders'' opinions.
Ronil wasn¡¯t happy with their opinions.
"I understand perfectly. When would be a good time to leave?"
"If it suits you, we can leave right now."
-----------------
Since boarding the Kozec, Jin hadn¡¯t taken a single step in the windowless cabin.
He merely clung tightly to the sealed Valeria and waited for the ship to stop.
It hadn¡¯t been five days since the ship had reached its destination.
"Thank you for your hard work, Sir Jin. You may disembark now."
As soon as Jin got off the ship, he realized he was inside a huge building.
It wasrger than the construction yard he had seen in the Sota desert in the past.
Ronil guided Jin for about two hours. When they reached a door inside the building, Ronil stopped walking.
"This is as far as I can guide you. After this, I can¡¯t ess, so another person will assist you."
Only two Zipples could freely enter and exit through the door.
One was the patriarch, Kelliark Zipple, and the second.
"Are you Jin Runcandel?"
The next patriarch, Beradin Zipple, approached Jin from the other side.
The friend he hadn¡¯t seen in about three years greeted him in a dry voice instead of the usual cheerful one.
"Follow me, I¡¯ll guide you to the Holy Land."
Jin found Beradin¡¯s back very unfamiliar as he walked ahead through the door and saw a sword at Beradin''s waist.
-
Chapter 666
Chapter 666
C666
Sword.....?
At first nce, Beradin''s handcked the calluses typical of those who wield swords.
-We couldn''t send the young patriarch, Jin Runcandel.
-I wonder what the reason is.
-That boy is no longer the Beradin Zipple you knew. Now...... he''s almost like a newborn.
-A newborn? Can you exin it in simpler terms, Spectre Captain?
-It literally means what I said. Currently, Beradin has lost all hisnguage, knowledge, magic, habits, and memories.
A conversation that Jin had with Octavia not long ago, during the first meeting of the temporary alliance.Euria confirmed that all this was true. At the time of the first meeting of the temporary alliance, Beradin was really no different from a disabled person.
"Has something changed in Beradin during this short time?"
It was hard to even imagine that he seemed like a newborn, and Beradin was disying a very businesslike and stable attitude.
Jin even felt a certain sharpness in his steps as he walked at a moderate pace, and along with that, he sensed a familiar energy.
Aura...
It was at such a weak level that it didn''t even reach one star, but it was definitely an aura.
Curiously, there was only a tiny amount of manapared to the aura.
A magical swordsman.
The premonition that the experiments with living golems that Zipple had been doing so far might have been to create a magical swordsman had already been brought up several years ago.
However, Jin never expected to glimpse the result through Beradin at this moment, which could be the product of those experiments.
"Beradin Zipple."
"Why are you calling me?"
"I heard that until recently you were in a state where all your memories were erased, and you couldn''t do anything, but it seems your condition has suddenly improved."
"I''ve been able to live without anyone''s help for about a week."
"Haven''t you recovered any memories about me and Dante?"
Beradin stopped walking and turned to look back. Jin was slowly following him while holding Valeria, who was still sealed, in his arms.
He couldn''t walk fast. During the five days of flight, Jin had kept Valeria''s seal uninterrupted, and he was still doing so now. His mana wasn''t exhausted, but the mental energy consumption was too great. Jin was sweating.
"A lot of people have asked about you and the lord of the Sword Emperor Castle," said Beradin, moving next to Jin and cing his hand on Valeria''s seal.
As he did so, mana effortlessly flowed into theplex seal, even though he hadn''t taken any special measures like Jin.
"I don''t remember anything."
"Oh, really?"
Thanks to Beradin maintaining the seal, Jin was able to walk morefortably.
Jin didn''t ask any questions about Beradin''s abilities.
"But there''s something I''m curious about. Why did so many people only talk about you or the lord of the Sword Emperor Castle, and not about n members, when trying to find my memory?"
The two synchronized their steps.
"Why were you curious?"
"It''s strange, isn''t it? I don''t know the lord of the Sword Emperor Castle, but your n and mine have been enemies for a thousand years. Recently, we had to form a temporary alliance, but before that, we were always ready to destroy each other whenever we had the chance."
"Well, it was strange. Especially your personality."
"Was it strange?"
As he asked, confused, Jin felt that there was still a trace of his old self.
He even wondered if Beradin was just messing with him.
But that was all, even without Euria''s verification, the current Beradin is not the person Jin knew.
"Yes. You were strange from the first time we met."
"Now I''m even more curious. Can you tell me more?"
"No, I can''t."
At Jin''s firm refusal, Beradin shrugged as if he were disappointed.
But after a few more minutes, Beradin subtly released Valeria''s seal.
"If you''re not going to tell me, I see no need to be so generous."
"What great generosity? It just makes things a bit ufortable. But even without you, I can maintain the seal."
"Hmm."
"Besides, your actions don''t even align with the purpose of opening the Holy Land. Although I have no doubt I can maintain the seal, there''s always the possibility that something unexpected might happen. I wonder how your n would react in that case."
"You really have a way with words that is quite annoying..."
Beradin put his hand back on Valeria''s seal, but he showed no change in expression despite the ufortable situation.
The path leading to the Holy Land beyond the door had a strangendscape.
The ordinary corridor made of stone and various metals became more blurry as he ventured into it.
Like the vague form of Orgal''s body.
It wasn''t andscape that could be seen in the human world.
''There wasn''t an independent entrance to the subspace, but at some point, I started to feel the boundaries of the world bing blurry.''
The colors and textures that made up the space left traces as if washed by watercolors.
"How much further do we have to go?"
"I can''t tell you."
"It''s not difficult to measure the time myself, but is it a secret?"
"No, it''s because the time it takes to reach the Holy Land is different each time. It depends on how weing the Holy Land is to the three of us."
"As mysterious as its great name suggests."
"Thest time I came, I heard it took 15 days. It was just before Ipletely lost my memory."
"So it could take 15 days, but there must be a reason why we didn''t prepare extra food."
"Yes, since the remains of the corridor disappeared... we don''t feel hunger in the Holy Land. Instead, the more we walk, the lighter our bodies feel."
As he spoke, Jin felt his stamina recovering rapidly since crossing the "Boundary." His mind, which had been confused by maintaining the seal, was also much clearer.
Still, Jin wanted to calcte the time by measuring his steps, but, strangely, as his body and mind became healthier, the concept of "time" became more tenuous.
Even roughly calcting that each step was a second was difficult. After several attempts, Jin resumed counting a second.
"Is it because there''s a time gap between the Holy Land and the human world, like in other dimensions? It''s a strange feeling."
Therefore, Jin couldn''t know how long it took, but the two soon discovered a distant green light.
"It''s residual energy."
It was the same energy that Jin had glimpsed through Orgal''s steel door.
In the dark and blurryndscape, only the residual energy shone intensely.
"We have arrived."
The two stood in front of the green energy and ced their hands on it at the same time, as if they had made a promise.
Suddenly, as if the whole world had brightened, the surroundings turned blue in an instant.
The "Holy Land from a few hundred years ago" that Orgal had shown was no different from this.
A green and bright sea or a desertndscape.
"Now release the seal on Histor. As soon as Histor recovers, we will leave the Holy Land."
Anxiety arose when Jin reached the Holy Land and tried to break the seal.
What if the residual energy of the Holy Land had no effect on Valeria? What if there was no way to reseal her?
In the midst of that confusion, Jin realized that Valeria, within the seal, had shuddered.
Valeria started reacting to the residual energy of the Holy Land even before the seal was broken.
The pale seal was already turning green.
"Youe all this way and worry about everything."
Beradin said as if he had seen Jin''s intentions.
"As you said, since your n and mine are mortal enemies."
"There''s a reason we are trying to save Histor even by opening the Holy Land to the enemy, Runcandel. You know it better than anyone, right?"
"It sounds like you''re going to deal with me here right after Histor''s recovery."
"There were those who insisted on doing so."
"Are they Octavia and Kadun?"
"No, mostly the elders."
Jin came alone with Valeria, who was wounded, deep into enemy territory.
"The fact that only I can deal with Rosa makes my shoulders feel a bit heavy. Kinzelo still has a variable called Orgal''s recovery, but doesn''t Zipple have any hidden moves?"
"...Yes, they do."
"I didn''t know I would be happy to hear that the enemy has hidden powers. Please tell me what it''s about. I suppose it''s a question that needs answering. Facing the public enemy."
"It''s the maniption of history. However, it''s a means that can never be achieved without its ally, Histor."
During the first meeting of the temporary alliance, Ronil said that Zipple could face Rosa through "history maniption."
So, in fact, it''s crazy that Jin came to this ce at this moment.
It was a decision that Jin would never have made if not for Valeria or hispanions.
Jin can''t escape from here with the help of the red owl or Mort.
If Zipple doesn''t keep its promise, Jin would inevitably be in mortal danger.
"But my father was directly against it. Aren''t you curious about the reason?"
"It''s probably because he has to keep using me to deal with Rosa."
Zipple and Kinzelo didn''t want to lose Jin since he is the only one immune to chaos at this moment. That''s why even the high-level staff of each faction came to support them in the Kaldran Snowfield.
As Jin ventured deep into enemy territory, the only thing he believed in was this fact and his own strength.
"Exactly, and I thought the same. It''s unlikely we canplete the maniption of history through Histor faster than the moment the evil god fully awakens. At this moment, you are definitely more important than Histor to our n."
Whether it was a lie or the truth, Beradin didn''t seem to have any reason to hide anything about the maniption of history now.
"I suppose it doesn''t sound attractive that I am the most important asset of Zipple. If someone else were the guide, they would have attacked me at least once during this part."
Jin began to unseal Valeria slowly.
It wasn''t because he believed everything Beradin said, but because he judged it best to heal her as nned and leave.
"And, Jin Runcandel."
"Yes?"
"We made a promise before I lost my memory."
"Promise?"
"Once, I promised that even if you came to our family unannounced, I would spare your life at least once."
Be grateful that this is a banquet hall.
Haha, aren''t you too straightforward? I know, your father spared my uncle. Since we''re at it, let me make a promise too. Even if youe to the Zipple banquet unannounced someday, I won''t harm you.
That conversation took ce at the banquet of the unique bridge, just before Jin became the Provisional gbearer.
Beradin didn''t remember the conversation, but the remaining diary notes did.
"It was written that I would spare your life once even if you caused terrorism in my family, so I couldn''t help but wonder about our rtionship."
"I said before that the old you was a weirdo. It wasn''t a time when we were particrly close, we weren''t even friends."
"I suppose at that time I was the only one who considered you a friend. Anyway, if I tell you now that I''ll keep that promise, would it ease your mind a bit?"
Jin suppressed his bitter expression at those words and replied.
"I don''t believe it, but it doesn''t seem bad."
-
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and
continue reading tomorrow, everyone!
Chapter 667
Chapter 667
C667
When the mana of the ice seal disappeared, the speed at which the residual energy prated Valeria elerated.
Valeria was immediately enveloped in a bright, shimmering bubble, and her recovery was so rapid that it could be observed with the naked eye.
Even after seeing Valeria writhing and exhaling slowly, Jin couldn''t help but feel anxious.
What if her sudden recovery suddenly stopped? He felt as if a stone was weighing on his chest.
Beradin, on the other hand, found Jin''s reaction interesting.
"It seems that in the past I was very close to Jin Runcandel. Seeing that I still want to say useless things."
Since he regained consciousness, Beradin had be a cold person, unlike before.
He didn''t develop a cruel or horrifying personality, but he lost all emotional response to most things in the world.He no longer had feelings of affection for friendship, family, or loved ones.
The only thing Beradin had left now was a blind sense of purpose: the rebirth of Zipple.
Strangely, Beradin didn''t mind talking with Jin. In fact, he found it pleasant.
"Jin Runcandel, I''ve heard that you hardly have any weaknesses in any situation."
"What do you mean?"
"I can see the worry and anxiety on your face at the possibility that Histor won''t recover. Could she be your lover?"
"Could be."
"That''s a strange answer. Have you broken up?"
Jin didn''t hear Beradin''s next question, as he was too focused on watching Valeria.
Fortunately, her recovery was elerating.
Beradin didn''t care and took a crystal bottle out of his pocket and filled it with iridescent bubbles.
The bubbles in the bottle shone with beautiful colors like opals.
It wasn''t clear what kind of reward this trace of mana would bring to Zipple, but no matter the cost, it wasn''t more important than Valeria''s life for the Jin and Vamel alliance.
"Ah...!"
Finally, Valeria opened her eyes and took a deep breath. Jin hugged her without realizing it.
He almost shouted her name.
"Jin... Jin Runcandel?"
"Yes, it''s me."
"How... ugh."
"You''re not fully healed yet. It''s okay to wait and talk slowly."
Valeria looked at her chest.
She briefly felt the pain of the moment when she was stabbed with Luntia''s sword, as memories flooded in like a torrent.
Memories.
With the feeling that her head was about to split, the memories of the moment she fell came rushing back.
"Neru... is Neru okay?"
"He''s fine. Neru was protecting you."
"Thank God...."
Valeria''s gaze fell on Beradin, who was holding a crystal bottle with the trace of her mana.
She regained her usual cold demeanor, which hadn''t been affected by her recent awakening.
"Jin, I''ve recovered. We should leave here as soon as possible."
Valeria knew that the power of thisnd, the Holy Land of Zipple, had healed her.
She had seen the record about the Holy Land in the recently found Histor session temple.
The records weren''t detailed, but they stated that the Holy Land could heal a fully mana-imbued body.
Since Valeria sealed herself, she had hoped that Jin and hispanions would rescue her and bring her here.
Although others might not have been able to, she had a feeling that Jin could achieve it, and that intuition turned out to be correct.
Demon King Orgal, Jin probably obtained information about this ce from him.
''He was the one who informed my ancestors about this ce.''
Valeria was unaware of the current situation.
She knew nothing of the great battle that took ce in the Garden of Swords, nor that the three main forces had formed a temporary alliance because of it, nor that Jin was the only opponent of Rosa.
It seems the three forces have learned the power of the Garden of Swords. That''s why they formed a temporary alliance, and Zipple opened the Holy Land...
However, Valeria quickly deduced all these situations.
"Yes."
There was much to hear outside. Jin also didn''t want to stay in the Holy Land a second longer now that Valeria had recovered.
Most importantly, the only thing the residual energy of the Holy Land had fully healed was Valeria''s wound.
The chaos energy remaining in the healed wound hadn''t been cleansed, so they had to return to Tikan and use the purification device.
"Before leaving, I have one more condition, Jin Runcandel."
At the sudden request, Jin calmly met Beradin''s gaze.
"I didn''t know you were so good at quickly losing trust, Beradin Zipple. Are you going to threaten me after closing the deal?"
"You know what I''m going to ask, but you''re sharpening your de."
"If it''s the deal with Fire Dragon Kadun, then I''ll ept."
Fire Dragon Kadun. He has been exposed to enormous chaos due to the first total attack on the Garden of Swords and the battle in the Kaldran Snowfield.
Since the opening negotiations of the Holy Land, Jin expected Zipple to demand his healing.
"Yes. I believe you can take Kadun-nim with you when you go to Tikan."
"Understood."
The exit from the Holy Land was the same as the first.
If you go back the way you came, thendscape of the human world gradually darkens after crossing the border at a certain point.
After passing through the corridor, the door appeared, which is the entrance to the Holy Land.
And beyond the door, unlike before when they entered the Holy Land, there were numerous people waiting. They were magicians dressed in white robes and holding swords.
"Living golem...!"
Or perhaps modified humans who could be a form of magical swordsmen.
The number of people was endless, and no matter how far they looked, they couldn''t see the end.
"They are openly announcing that they are fostering the living golem magical swordsman. Are they trying to intimidate us now?"
Each of them had a significant amount of mana and aura, unlike Beradin and everyone else they had encountered so far.
If theirbat skills were at the same level, even Jin wouldn''t be able to handle them all, especially if he had to protect Valeria in that situation.
''They are not just dolls with energy. They arepletely different from those who are not trained, even in breathing.''
Another strange thing was that their physique waspletely the same, as if the Prophet had cloned Joshua.
When Jin approached the nearest living golem and tried to remove its hood, Beradin blocked his hand.
"Look at what we promised to show you, Jin Runcandel."
"I have a feeling that the face under that hood will be the same as yours."
"Do I have such amon face? My diary, which no longer exists, is full ofpliments about my good looks."
"I don''t know what your intention is. It was strange from the beginning that you didn''t hide the fact that you were reaching the level of a magical swordsman."
"Think of it as sharing power in the position of having amon enemy."
If there were so many living golem magical swordsmen, they surely could have actively participated in the first total attack on the Garden of Swords.
However, the living golems sent by Zipple''s fleet at that time were iparably inferior to them and were reinforced through "chaos control."
The same happened with the living golems that died in the Kaldran Snowfield.
Jin was able to figure out the reason intuitively.
"...These living golems seem to be able to exert their strength only near the Holy Land."
That was the only reason there were no living golem magical swordsmen during the total attack.
Even Kadun and Octavia participated directly, so at that time, Zipple had put almost all of its "exportable" power.
Beradin nodded as if there was no need to hide.
"Yes. We are looking for a way to take them out of the Holy Land. Right now, the moment they leave the vicinity of the Holy Land, they stop functioning like puppets with cut strings. It means death. But why do you feel ufortable? Do you think being a magical swordsman is a privilege only for your family?"
Jin shook his head.
"No, it''s because I''m your friend," said Jin as if he had nothing to hide.
"I see," said Beradin as he walked.
"But you should have said it in the past tense. You and I will note close again."
Jin and Valeria followed them from behind, and all the living golems'' gazes followed them like machines.
The number of living golems didn''t decrease even as they walked outside the Holy Land for a long time.
Finally, they reached the area where Jin first arrived, and Ronil was waiting with Kozec just like when he arrived.
By then, the living golems had disappeared.
Ronil was surprised to see Jin return and looked at the hourss.
"How much time has passed? Brother Ronil."
"...One day. Only one day has passed."
"The Holy Land has been very weing to Histor. Maybe... It was weing to Jin Runcandel."
"Father is looking for you."
"I also thought of seeing him. He may be curious about this."
While showing the crystal bottle to Ronil, Beradin turned around and extended his hand to Jin.
After looking at his hand for a few seconds, Jin shook it.
"Goodbye, Jin Runcandel. With this, I have fulfilled the promise I made before losing my memory."
Wait for me, Beradin.
Jin didn''t say those words out loud and let go of the handshake.
"I will take you to Tikan, Sir Jin."
"Alright, Ronil Zipple."
-----------
Back in the windowless cabin, Jin and Valeria sat across from each other and talked about the past.
Valeria thanked him several times, and for Jin, seeing her like this in the present life was both unfamiliar and pleasant.
"...As expected, a temporary alliance was formed. It must have been an inevitable choice to face the Garden of Swords. Then there''s one thing we must let them know before leaving the ship."
"Let them know? To Zipple?"
"The Imperial Family betrayed Zipple. And perhaps, your friend. The Lord of the Sword Emperor Castle might be in danger."
-
Chapter 668
Chapter 668
C668
Valeria Histor had finally discovered the location of Temar''s fifth tomb somewhere in the snow field of Kaldarn, just two months before Jin returned from Laprarosa.
Thanks to the use of Record Magic to track Luntia''s movements, Valeria was able to uncover the messages left behind.
And just after Valeria departed for the Snow Field of Kaldran with Neru, she was pursued by three forces: Runcandel, Zipple, and the Imperial Family.
From Runcandel, the ck Knight led the knights of the ck Sword Association, and Ronil led the pursuit group from Zipple.
They asionally crossed paths with Valeria, but that was all.
But it was the Imperial Family that put Valeria in the greatest danger.
Valeria was desperately pursued for two months and couldn''t contact Tikan even once, all because of the Imperial Family.
"Are there such outstanding pursuers in the Imperial Family...? Even the best forces from the Garden of Swords and Zipple couldn''t find Valeria.""Even though I am from the Special Forces, even the Special Forces or the imperial guards can''tpare to the first division of the ck Sword Association or the ck Knight. Even if they were strengthened by the power of chaos or majinization... I''m not sure. The same can happen with Rosa and Zipple''s subordinates," said Valkas and Alisa.
Jin was telling hispanions the things he heard from Valeria during the journey to Tikan.
"Some exceptional figures among the pursuers from the Imperial Family were knights from the Garden of Swords."
"Do you mean the Imperial Family betrayed Zipple?"
"That''s right."
"The people who just transferred the eastern part of the empire to Zipple... Hmm. It could have been the smokescreen they gave to the East, or it could have been that they changed their stance after recognizing the power of the Garden of Swords."
"I think it''s the first, Sir Valkas. For some reason, I have a feeling that the Imperial Family may have contacted Runcandel much earlier than we think. Since they possess a part of the first patriarch''s body, they could have used it as a bargaining chip."
Valeria herself hadn''t figured out when exactly the Imperial Family had betrayed Zipple. It wasn''t an especially important issue.
-From what we''ve seen, Temar Runcandel''s body itself is just a collection of ancient magic information. Since the deal went wrong, we didn''t have a chance to analyze it properly.
The words Jin heard from Kinzelo while sharing the space-time device.
"Jin, you said you saw arge number of living golem sword magicians in Zipple''s Holy Land."
"Yes, Quikantel-nim. We can''t rule out the possibility that they shared the left arm with both the Garden of Swords and Zipple. Maybe that''s why Zipple didn''t realize the betrayal of the Imperial Family at all."
"...He can''t rest even after a thousand years. His body is being torn apart and sent here and there. It''s almost a relief that Murakan isn''t here."
"What does it mean that the Sword Emperor is in danger?"
"Valeria said she killed some of the imperial pursuers she encountered and examined their records. Among them, this content was found."
"Airan Vermont ranked 30th in the imperial family''s session before Amir''s death. Neither Alisa nor I know the details about him, but he wasn''t a notable figure. He seems to have been Runcandel''s main contact."
Kashimir had little contact with Amir and Airan during his stay at the imperial pce.
There was hardly any chance of meeting due to the difference in rank, and in the first ce, the imperial family had a strong tendency to hide as much as possible even among members of the same imperial family.
"Since it means he''s practically a new person, we have to start gathering information about him from scratch."
"Don''t worry, my lord! I''ll find out everything about that Vermont guy, even the color of his underwear."
"By the way, are you referring to the knights of Runcandel, affected by chaos? It''s strange that the name of the person who gave the monster isn''t mentioned."
"There''s one person that immediatelyes to mind."
Said Jin, narrowing his eyes.
"Joshua Runcandel... I have a strong hunch that it''s him."
"Young master, that damn dog... ahem, the despicable bastard! Did Rosa readmit him?"
Jin smiled at Gilly''s furious reaction.
"Since the rebellion seeded while my father was absent, there''s no reason to abandon a well-behaved dog. Although he was like trash before, he might have changed now. Or rather, he might have been forced to change through chaos."
"It''s a dirty and depraved story. Just thinking about him and Rosa makes my heart ache so much it''s hard to bear."
"But if it''s Joshua, is there any reason why his name doesn''t appear in the Record Magic?"
"Well, it could be because he epted chaos and became an entirely new existence. Of course, I can''t be sure; it''s just a hunch."
"Anyway, it seems there are three things we need to start right away. The first is to search the Sword Emperor Castle, and the second is to rescue the remaining allies within Huphester. And finally... should we enter the sixth tomb Valeria found?"
Jin nodded at Quikantel''s conclusion.
"That''s right. It seems I need to personally take care of all three."
The remaining important allies within Huphester were Vin nche and Picon Minche, the godsmith he had contracted with.
Additionally, there were several individuals presumed not to be on Rosa''s side, such as Petro, Jin''s butler, and Heinz, Cyron''s butler, and the nanny and family of the "siblings," several people presumed not to have joined Rosa, and the natives of Colon in Luna''s territory.
However, there weren''t many individuals who could be of practical help, aside from high-ranking officials like Vin Branche.
But even if they weren''t a source of power, Jin couldn''t leave them alone.
That is not the way of alliance between Jin and Vamel. Above all, the Garden of Swords didn''t seem to care about them right now for some reason, but it was still unknown when Rosa might use them as hostages.
"No, it''s probably better for you to stay out of the rescue mission within Huphester."
"I think so too, young master."
"I think so too, young master!"
Jin''spanions unanimously opposed his reentry into Huphester.
"It''s almost a miracle you returned safely from the snow field of Kaldran this time. You are the leader of the Vamel Alliance, the center of the Temporary Alliance, and the only opponent to Rosa. So until the day we decide to go against Rosa, don''t even think about going to Huphester yourself."
When Jin was about to respond, Mary put her hand on his shoulder.
"Yes, younger brother. I know you''re the strongest among us, and that''s why you try to take on more burden than you should. But that doesn''t mean you have to get involved in everything. Even our father didn''t do that. Well, maybe he couldn''t."
"Elder Sister."
"I''ll gather a team to rescue the infiltrated in Huphester. I''m saying this in advance in case you''re worried, but in the process, even if it''s Elder Brother Dyfus... I won''t lose my cool even if I see that Elder Brother Dyfus has be like Elder Sister Luntia."
"I''ll ask for help from the Nameless. Although almost all the personnel are looking for Elder Sister Yona, I''m sure some will help."
Jin was unable to persist against the stubborn attitude of his siblings andpanions.
"Alright. Since I have to move personally for the matter of the Sword Emperor Castle and Temar''s tombs, I thought it was too much to do it myself, but I guess it''s time to say it out loud."
"Do you n to go immediately to the Sword Emperor Castle?"
"Yes, I n to go once Valeria wakes up and I hear the rest of the story."
Valeria had lost consciousness due to the reigning chaos on the way back and hadn''t been able tomunicate the information about the sixth tomb to Jin.
"I see."
"I miss Dante a lot."
Since returning from Lafrarosa, Jin hadn''t yet met with Dante.
This was due to the constant incidents urring since his return.
Moreover, just as Jin had personally intervened in almost everything in the Vamel Alliance, in the Empire, Dante yed that role.
Currently, except for Dante, there were hardly any individuals of the superhuman level left in the Empire.
Since the Empire''s best talents were lost during the time of Gliek''s subjugation, Dante had a lot of responsibility to take on.
Maybe because the shock he received from Beradin was great, the mere thought of meeting Dante soonforted Jin, even if it wasn''t for a good reason.
Even if Dante faced some crisis, Jin trusted he could handle it.
"I hope I can meet a friend and clear my head without problems for a while."
"That''s right, young master. If the person in the record Valeria found is at that level, no matter what they do, they can''t threaten the young master."
Of course, Gilly wasn''t really worried, but her words weren''t insincere either. Simply, it was difficult for Jin''spanions to imagine Jin in crisis because of Joshua.
Someone found the meeting room.
It was Qwaul and Valeria.
Qwaul had been waiting in front of Valeria''s room in the hospital, piling up cigarette butts like a mountain until she woke up, and had brought her with him.
"Uhhhh!"
Suddenly, Qwaul hugged Jin and burst into tears.
No one had imagined that rough and unrefined engineer could cry so miserably.
"Good job... Well done! You really saved our Valeria..."
Jin''spanions already recognized this fact, they consoled him for a while, sympathizing with Qwaul''s tearful appearance.
Valeria also didn''t say anything despite widening her eyes at Qwaul''s reaction.
"Huhuhuhuk, even the chaos haspletely disappeared!"
"I couldn''t tell you everything since I lost consciousness due to the chaos, Jin. How far did I tell you?"
"It was the location of the sixth tomb."
"Ah, that''s right. The ce where the Sixth Tomb of Temar exists is not a region, Jin."
"It''s not a region? Do you mean the subspace?"
Valeria responded by nodding her head.
"Yes, it''s a subspace. However, it''s not a region, but a subspace that exists within a certain sword."
-
Chapter 669
Chapter 669
C669
"Is the subspace that exists within the sword...?"
"To exin that, first, I need to tell you why Neru and I were able to enter the fifth tomb."
Valeria is neither a contractor of Solderet nor adept at handling chaos like the daughter of Helluram.
Nor did she receive guidance from anyone as in the Wantaramo Forest.
However, she did not force her entry as Zipple or other factions might have done.
Originally, she shouldn''t have been able to enter the tomb.
"You must be tired because of the chaos energy, Valeria. You mentioned it before. You obtained an item rted to the ancient Runcandel in the Cat God Temple with the help of the Cat Tribe."
"I''ve already told you about it. Did I mention what the item was?""You said it was a handkerchief."
A handkerchief.
It might seem like a trivial item, but that handkerchief held countless stories from a thousand years ago.
"Yes, it was the handkerchief that belonged to one of the ten great knights of old Runcandel. That''s why the tomb responded to the handkerchief and opened the door even without shadow force or guidance. The record and history left in the handkerchief became the key."
However, it was a one-time measure. Since the stories in the handkerchief were too distant and faint, Valeria nned to keep it safe and analyze it after advancing her achievements in Record Magic.
But as soon as the door opened, the handkerchief disappeared, and Valeria still regrets that fact.
"In that case... the Prophet might have opened the door using a method simr to yours."
"That''s possible. She must have opened it at least twice. Padler Runcandel''s fate, the original Guardian of the Tomb, fell upon your second sister. Anyway, I figured out how to enter the next tomb inside it before your sister reced Padler."
Unlike the other tombs Jin had found so far, the fifth one had a clue leading directly to the next one.
"In the fifth tomb, not only was Padler Runcandel there, but also a record of a person named Bale, the owner of the handkerchief. That was the reason the tomb reacted to the handkerchief."
"Bale...?"
"However, Bale''s records are too vague, so I only confirmed that the sixth tomb was hidden in his sword and the approximate location where the sword was originally hidden. It''s in the ck Sea, but the possibility that it is still there is not very high..."
At that moment, Jin felt a strong hit on the back of his neck.
"Wait, Valeria."
"What?"
"The handkerchief you got reacted to the fifth tomb, which belonged to Bale... and the sixth tomb is a subspace within Bale''s sword, and the ce where the sword is hidden is in the ck Sea... That''s what it means, right? You definitely said Bale, right?"
"Yes."
Jin blinked for a few seconds, and Valeria looked around, shrugging. The otherpanions didn''t seem to understand it either.
"I think I''ve already found that sword."
"What?"
-Hedo! Your sword! The sword is shining and doing something, the sky has responded to our prayers!
-I am also looking, mdy. What on earth is this...
-That sword seems to be the key to opening the tombs. Where did you get that sword?
-When I was young, I got it by killing a monster in the ck Sea.
A conversation between Sandara, Hedo, and Jin in the Kaldran Snowfield.
At that moment, Jin infused Shadow Energy into Hedo''s sword and naturally confirmed the word "Bale" written on the sword''s body.
The current owner of the sword, Hedo, also thought it was the name of the sword, so only Jin knew.
But that was the name of one of the ten great knights of the ancient Runcandel.
Jin now seemed to understand the reason why Murakan suffered as soon as he saw Bale in the Sota Desert, and the reason why Bale could serve as the key to the fifth tomb.
"I don''t think I''ve told you how I entered the tomb because I didn''t have much time either. That sword currently belongs to Hedo, the Guardian of the White Night Tower."
"I didn''t know it was a stroke of luck, but the rescue process was more reckless than I expected."
"When ites to things rted to you, luck seems to follow you strangely. And didn''t you say yourself before? That there aren''t many people as lucky as you?"
Oh...!
For some reason, such admiration burst out simultaneously among hispanions.
Jin and Valeria didn''t give it much importance and continued the conversation.
"I was thinking of taking a few hours off and heading straight to the ck Sea, but it saved me a lot of trouble. Sandra Zipple and Hedo seem to be very good friends of yours."
"Probably only Sandra Zipple, Miss Valeria. But that muscr butler absolutely obeys Sandra Zipple''s words, so I think we can call Sandra and examine the sword."
"Somehow it feels like Jet is referring to you as a piece of trash taking advantage of someone''s love interest."
"What? Miss Valeria, you shouldn''t misunderstand my words like that! My Lord seems to be quite friendly with you."
"I can''t call Hedo and Sandra immediately. Our side has asked a lot of Zipple recently, so we''ll contact them in a few days. In the meantime, I think it would be perfect to go to the Sword Emperor Castle."
"Oh, my lord, if you say that, I feel a bit embarrassed..."
"Even the bad side of our Lord Jin is cool..."
"Jet, Enya. I''m not just asking for the sword. I think it''s better to make those two our people. If possible."
Jin saw what happened to Beradin.
Jin was convinced that if Sandra Zipple stayed with Zipple, it would inevitably happen in the not-too-distant future.
He wanted to erase the surname Zipple from her.
Valeria felt ufortable hearing Jin''s proposal to make "Zipple" his ally, and she expressed her opinion in a calm tone.
"Do what you want. Do as you please. Just don''t forget that someday, all the Zipples in the world will surely die by my hands."
Valeria stood up from her seat.
"I need to go inside and rest for a while. Mr. Qwaul, let''s resume our research in the afternoon. Jin brought a lot of data from Lafrarosa, and since there was a singrity that the red owl was connected to that world, we will be busy again."
"Hmm, doesn''t Miss Valeria get tired? She said she had less work to do because there was no need to go to the ck Sea, but now she''s going to work again right away."
It''s not that she doesn''t get tired, but that she can''t afford to be tired. The resentment for the ruined n and the murdered rtives is embedded in her.
Jin didn''t say those words out loud.
"Then, I must also prepare to go to the Sword Emperor Castle."
As soon as Jin left the meeting room, hispanions naturally looked toward the door he had disappeared through.
"They look a bit alike, don''t they?"
"I think so too, old Valkas."
"The Lord exudes a more human feeling. They seem like people who learned from the same master or father for a long time."
"Then, I''m thinking of creating a Valeria fan club. Something like an extra job?"
"Sometimes you are scary, Enya."
"How can I hear that from Faye?"
"Let''s get to work. From now on, Jet will investigate Airan Vermont, and Lady Mary, Sir Heytona, and Daytona..."
"You can speakfortably, King Kashimir."
"Yes, speak freely!"
"What kind ofnguage is that to use with the king, you all? Are you willing to throw away your dignity as gbearer just because we lost the Garden of Swords? Can I take on the role of Myu and Anne?"
"No, Elder Sister. We will correct ourselves."
"We decided to be new people, Elder Sister."
"I will be watching you. Go and tell Cosmos to fix the ship. We will leave in a few days. And bring me a list of the recovered knights."
"Yes, Elder Sister!"
----------------
April 1, 1803.
"Wow!"
"Whoohoo!"
Two children, whose hair and eyes were dyed ck with cosmetics and disguise tools from the Golden Snow Tribe, shouted in excitement.
In fact, one of them was a dragon who had lived for hundreds of years, but outwardly looked like an ordinary child, caught in the excitement of the journey.
Latrie and Euria.
Jin decided to take the two on this trip to the Sword Emperor Castle.
In case of emergency, Quikantel also apanied them as a protector.
It''s not just the children (one by dragon standards), everyone had disguised themselves for the first time in a long while.
Jin and Quikantel had dark blue hair and yed the roles of dragon siblings.
"Jin oppa, Miss Quikantel! The red owl is amazing. We arrived at the Empire simultaneously like a transfer gate, right?"
"It''s good that there''s something that seems amazing to Az Mil''s contractor."
"It seems more surprising to me that Miss Quikantel chose this ce as our destination. This log cabin... It brings back so many memories."
A serene log cabin nestled in the middle of a forest outside Vermont''s capital.
This was the starting point where Jin changed the fate of Euria and Enya during his early days as a Provisional gbearer.
It was a house with the same structure as the one where Murakan and Quikantel lived a long time ago.
Euria had only heard about this ce through words.
She didn''t go out much from Tikan, of course when she met Jin, and even now, as Az Mil''s contractor, her special nature made her very cautious in all aspects of her life.
"Memories? Well... I can see some solid emotions, like regret or nostalgia, in every corner of this log cabin."
"Euria, let''s set that aside for now. It would be better to go and eat your favorite seafood stew before going to the Sword Emperor Castle."
"Okay, Miss Quikantel! Jin oppa, do you want to eat only seafood stew? Can''t we eat and y until nightfall?"
Euria''s innocence was cute and pitiful.
"Euria, you are the only princess of the Vamel Alliance and the free state of Tikan."
"All of a sudden?"
"It means if you want to have fun, the leader of the Empire wille to see you."
From then on, the party truly stirred the center of Vermont and spent money joyfully.
Although the world was gloomy due to the remnants of Gliek and Rosa, the capital of Vermont still had vitality, just like before the era changed.
It was proof that Dante was doing a good job ruling.
Jin contemted the peace of thend his friend had protected and nurtured with a proud heart.
By nightfall, when the second seafood stew was served in a new seafood restaurant, no one was left in the restaurant except them.
Even the waiters and the owner had left.
"It''s really like Jin oppa said, Sir Dante is here, right?" said Euria looking at Dante, who had just opened the door.
Jin and Dante smiled at each other without saying a word for a while.
It was a reunion after about three years.
"How did you find out about this ce, Dante?"
"I heard a report that a craftsman named Paul Gray Mick and his group were making checks all over the center of the capital, so I hurried to see them."
Jin smiled.
"Sit down, Dante. The food just came out."
-
Chapter 670
Chapter 670
C670
The friend Jin hadn''t seen in a long time still looked the same.
The handshake was even firmer than before, and Jin felt as if he could sense thest three years through it.
"It''s been a while, my friend. You''ve undoubtedly grown stronger."
"I thought you''d be a bit rusty since you''ve been so busy. But now you''ve turned into a man of iron, Dante."
"If I couldn''t even do this, I wouldn''t be qualified to be the lord of the Sword Emperor Castle."
"I was so busy when I returned that I couldn''te to see you earlier."
"No one will be unaware of the great things you''ve done once you finish your Closed Door Training. I myself was busy until a few days ago, so don''t worry."
The two looked at each other without speaking for a while.Although they hadn''t spent time together in the past three years, both had persevered in their respective positions with a single thought. Even without saying it, they felt how hard and deep the past was for the other.
"Oh! I''mte with my greetings. Princess, Miss Quikantel, and Sir Latrie. I am Dante Hairan, the lord of the Sword Emperor Castle."
"Why are you being so awkward, Sir Dante? It''s not like it''s the first time we''ve met."
"That''s right. Are you telling us to stop eating?"
Dante scratched his neck, embarrassed by Euria and Quikantel''s response.
"I wanted to formally greet the princess once. It seems I went a bit overboard."
Bubble, bubble.
The seafood stew was boiling.
The meal began when Euria ced the seafood soup in an empty bowl and served it first to Dante.
After Jin''s return, Dante already knew most of what had happened.
This was because every time an incident urred, Kashmir sent someone to inform him.
"...I see. So Beradin... haspletely forgotten us due to being a victim of such a dirty experiment. How could they do that to the next patriarch and his son?"
However, Dante learned about Beradin''s condition for the first time today.
While Dante trembled with rage, Jin patted his shoulder to calm him.
He already knew that Beradin was in a desperate state, but hearing the situation through Jin''s words filled his heart with venom.
"Zipple, we will surely save our friend from the perpetrators of this artificial catastrophe one day."
"Yes, we will, Dante."
"Until we destroy the evil god, I will suppress my anger. Like you, I will use them until I can and then crush them mercilessly."
Just as Jin learned the value of "righteousness" from Ron and Dante, Dante was also learning from Jin the necessity of "mastery."
If it had been the previous Dante, he would never have shaken hands with those who turned his friend into a miserable experiment, even if it meant dying.
But now, it''s different.
He had many lives hanging on his shoulders.
As the Lord of the Sword Emperor Castle and regent of the empire, the world he viewed waspletely different from when he was just a young patriarch.
Sometimes, he had to use his enemies, sometimes he had to take a step back, and sometimes he had to do things he didn''t want to do.
Otherwise, he couldn''t save the countless families and people who only looked up to him and the world.
''Dante, you''re bing more like Lord Ron.''
Dante''s face always had the look of a good friend, but it was clearly changing.
He had begun the path of the Emperor, not just a young patriarch.
The Emperor who is stricter with himself and will never fall.
Jin was proud of Dante''s transformation, and it was precisely what Ron had wished for in life.
His grandson, who was always ready to fight against evil with his life, was undoubtedly adorable, but he always worried about him.
Jin spoke to Ron in his heart. "It seems you can now enjoy watching him in peace."
"By the way, Jin."
"Yes?"
"I''ve been wondering since earlier, why did youe in disguise? It doesn''t seem like it was just to entertain the princess."
"There are people in the imperial family who want to kill you."
"Unless Zipple sent someone as capable as you, it would be impossible. Zipple has no reason to do that now, right?"
"It wasn''t Zipple, it was the Garden of Swords that provided the assassin."
Dante''s pupils narrowed.
"The Garden of Swords...?"
"Yes, the imperial family betrayed Zipple and sided with Rosa. That''s what Valeria confirmed. Did you know?"
"I''m ashamed to say I had no idea."
"The betrayed party was the same. Zipple also didn''t know that the imperial family had sided with the Garden of Swords."
Even after Jin informed Zipple of the betrayal, Zipple did not recklessly purge the imperial family.
Given the circumstances, they first had to assess how much information they had given to Runcandel.
"Valeria said she believes you''re in danger. We suspect that Joshua is the one who provided the assassin to the imperial family."
"With the strongest knight''s skills enhanced by chaos and the prophet''s abilities, it wouldn''t be a dream story for the imperial family to assassinate me. The reason the Garden of Swords is trying to eliminate me is probably because they find my presence annoying since I''m helping you."
"That''s why I came in disguise after a long time. I also brought our princess here."
Of course, Jin didn''t bring Euria into this dangerous situation just to give her some pleasant memories.
"...Are you nning to find the assassin through the princess''s abilities?"
"Exactly."
Dante was about to express his concern about bringing the young princess into such a dangerous situation but stopped when he saw Jin.
He wondered if Euria could be in danger no matter who the enemy sent, given that Jin was there with her.
"I think you wanted to say something," said Jin.
"I realized it might not be a big problem. Unless there are assassins or old swordsmen from Runcandel involved," replied Dante.
"Even if it''s Sir Padler, Euria won''t get hurt. Because you''re here too," said Jin.
"Then, what should we do now?"
"There is very little information aside from the fact that the Garden of Swords provided an assassin to Airan Vermont. So, call all avable personnel to the pce and start with the lower-ranking ones."
"Are you suggesting we call everyone just to ask if there''s an informant?"
Jin nodded.
"It''s the only way we can investigate with the princess present."
"Euria, Latrie-nim, Miss Quikantel, and I have to attend the imperial meeting. As it''s a meeting of the empire''s top ministers, we need a pretext to attend. I was thinking..."
"Jin, I''m no different from the sole absolute ruler of the empire. Not even thete Emir Vermont had more power than me. Therefore, we don''t need a pretext. All the empire''s subjects shoulde running to me when I call."
"Oh, I forgot for a second that you had changed. There was no need to invent a pretext."
"I''m curious. What pretext did you have in mind?"
"I was going to say that the dragons you rescued from the contaminated area came to repay their debt and asked for your help. Since you''vepleted many missions without knights."
"For what you''ve been trying to think, it''s a bit... There''s ack of usibility. Dragons that didn''t belong to any force are extremely rare in the world right now."
"Well, I''m d we don''t need it."
"But if anyone ever asks me about your origin, I''ll have to say it," said Dante.
"If the traitor is in the capital and the fact is revealed immediately, then there''s no need to lie," replied Jin.
The meal had ended.
Outside, the carriage was ready, and the group headed straight to the pce.
"Tell all the subjects waiting in the capital to gather in the pce''s first conference room within two hours. Everyone except ordinary knights and magicians on duty. All 10th-rank subjects as well. It''s an emergency summons. Tell them that those who arete will be severely punished."
"Yes, Your Highness the Regent!"
In an instant, orders spread throughout the capital.
"Has the Regent ever summoned us this way?"
"He told us to work tirelessly for the empire and the people, even to the point of sacrificing ourselves, but now he asks us to leave our duties to our deputies ande here. What''s happening?"
"What nonsense is this in the middle of the night! I''m very nervous. Could it be that he''s overthrowing the crown prince and ns to ascend the throne himself?"
"Even with the young voice of Crown Prince Kuron pleading for some mercy, this can''t be worse... if the lord of Sword Emperor Castle ascends the throne, we''ll truly die from overwork for sure...!"
"Whatever happens, let''s prostrate ourselves t. If we show any signs of reluctance, it''s over. You all know that, right? What happened to Baron Marglest time when heined about having too much work."
The fearful servants clung to their melted soy sauce, while the servants who admired Dante headed to the imperial pce with determination.
"This is an urgent call from His Highness the Regent. It''s clear that something important has happened."
"Everyone, don''t show signs of exhaustion. No one in the Empire can suffer more than His Highness the Regent."
Carriages and horses constantly entered the pce without a moment''s rest.
Before two hours had passed, more than a thousand servants had gathered in the conference room.
"Has everyone arrived?"
The scene the servants saw was Dante sitting on the throne and four unfamiliar faces standing behind him.
No one noticed that the group was in disguise.
"Yes, Your Highness the Regent!"
"Yes!"
Despite therge number of servants present, they did not dare to exchange nces with Dante.
Jin saw many with unfriendly faces after rolling their eyes for no reason.
It seems no one questions Dante about our identities.
He is as strict as Runcandel in the past when my father was hospitalized in the Garden of Swords.
"But on that side... it seems they expect something."
In the heavy atmosphere where it was difficult even to breathe, there were some groups that expressed their excitement carefreely.
They were ministers and knights of Hairan, and the reason their eyes shone was because of Quikantel, who was disguised behind Dante.
"Could it be that the lord patriarch has finally found his lover!"
"Maybe he''s going to present his lover and his family, or maybe not. No... it''s possible. It''s not like he''s urgently gathering his subordinates for personal reasons..."
Unfortunately, they soon became sullen and straightened their gaze.
The knights of Hairan knew very well how lonely and desperate Dante''s moment was, so they eagerly awaited the appearance of that lover who could be a bit of his sce.
Dante stood up.
"You''re all busy, so I''ll be direct. I gathered you all here because there''s a traitor within the empire."
"Ah...!"
"How can this be!"
"Do not open your mouth until I allow it. Let''s finish quickly and return to contributing to the empire''s stabilization. From now on, you can only answer my questions with a ''yes'' or ''no.'' Now, I will ask the first question."
Dante looked at his subordinates with fiercely severe eyes.
"Is there anyone among you who has ns to harm me or knows someone with such ns?"
"No!"
The servants responded, and Dante awaited Euria''s signal.
After studying the subordinates for a few minutes, Euria gently tapped Dante''s back seven times with her finger.
That meant seven of them had lied.
-
Chapter 671
Chapter 671
C671
Seven.
Despite the various tragedies that had urred, Dante had quickly gained absolute power in the Empire over the past three years.
Normally, power obtained so swiftly is precarious.
However, with only seven traitors, it was a testament to how well Dante and his advisor, Kashimir, had been doing.
Euria handed Dante a diagram of the traitors'' locations that had been previously drawn.
"Three tenth-grade officials, three seventh-grade, and one fifth-grade."
Jin also nced at the positions of the traitors.
"They are too insignificant to be recruited to assassinate the regent of the empire."At first nce, all of them were people who did not even have a trace of political power or notable skills.
They were simple officials.
Dante also had the same question.
He couldn''t think of anything these officials could do to assassinate him.
However, external status and skills can change at any time.
Zephyrin had proven it, and the Prophet''s power of chaos control could transform people in different ways.
"Well, I think everyone is too busy to even consider betrayal."
At those words, quite a few of his servants cursed in their hearts, saying, "What the hell is this?" but those who lied were not included.
Silence fell. Even as Euria was checking the liars, the hall remained silent for nearly ten minutes, and the officials couldn''t understand why Dante was acting this way.
Then, after a long period of contemtion, Dante turned his head toward Jin and gestured for him to approach.
What?
"I knew those seven could be traitors, but what''s the best way to ask the next question?"
"How have you be so stupid in my absence? You''re asking that question now."
"I''ve always had a somewhat dense side."
I should have organized the list of questions for you in advance. Don''t worry, Dante.
Ask if anyone has passed information to Runcandel.
That way, you''ll know if they just changed their minds or truly betrayed you.
I see.
Dante cleared his throat.
"Ahem! Since there aren''t many questions left, you must understand my entric behavior."
"No, it''s not!"
"No, it''s not!"
Euria thought about listing the liars as well, but she stopped because there were too many.
"Among those present here, has anyone informed the Garden of Swords about me or the Empire?"
Of course, the answer was no.
However, the seven who were first highlighted by the power of truth kept lying.
Jin soon discovered why the Garden of Swords had recruited such ordinary people as aides.
"The entrance to the imperial castle. If the Prophet didn''t grant them special abilities, it means they just need to enter the imperial castle."
The reason for needing to enter and exit the imperial castle was obvious. The internal structure.
The Vermont Imperial Castle was thergest exterior building in the world and had the mostplex internal structure.
Especially secret areas, like the emperor''s residence or underground passages, were unknown to most other powerful forces.
"Not even the seven traitors identified as low and mid-level agents can know all those secret areas."
It was natural that forces like Runcandel, Zipple, and Nameless couldn''t figure it out even after nting numerous spies in the imperial family for a long time.
Moreover, the location of the imperial family''s secret areas changed irregrly.
Then, why them?
Jin made a guess.
"The tunnel the Prophet made in the past in Sota Desert... What if she needs the help of an imperial servant to do it? She might need a rough idea of the pce''s internal structure, though not very detailed."
Even with that assumption, there were still questions.
Dante has often been alone on missions in the contaminated zone, so a time like that would be more appropriate if he were to be assassinated.
"I can gradually figure out why she chose the imperial castle instead when he was on a solo mission."
First, he needed to confirm what information they had provided and if his assumptions were correct.
"Jin."
"Finally, ask if any of the gathered subordinates have received chaos or other special abilities."
Dante nodded.
"Final question. Among the gathered subordinates, has anyone received chaos or other special abilities?"
"No!"
Not a single person lied this time.
That meant that even if they were captured immediately, there would be no other casualties.
"Arrest those individuals."
As Jin whispered, Dante revealed the anger he had been suppressing.
"Hairan!"
"Your orders, Patriarch!"
"Arrest Kima Wrights, Julian Wrights, Edmond Kell, Deva Rosk, Bernard Qian, Kine Knash, and Ata Boin immediately."
Hairan''s elite, who attended the meeting, detained them before even fifteen seconds had passed.
The subordinates were dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events.
They had been summoned out of nowhere and were now being intimidated by these thugs.
Some even thought that Dante had finally unleashed his revenge against Ron and had be a tyrant.
"Your Majesty, why are you doing this?"
"Your Majesty, why are you doing this to us?"
"I will tell my truth so that other subordinates do not misunderstand me. The person behind me is the Princess of Tikan Free City and a Thousand Year Contractor of Azmil."
"Ah...!"
Everyone eximed.
If the disguised girl was Euria Alfrion, then the identity of the man who was exchanging whispers with the regent was obvious.
There was no longer any reason to hide his identity.
"We are from the Vamel Alliance, Jin Runcandel. Our Alliance''s informants have discovered that the imperial family has betrayed Zipple and sided with the Garden of Swords. Therefore, it was urgent to find out if there was anyone in the Empire in contact with the Garden of Swords."
The imprisoned traitors knelt before Dante.
Dante immediately covered Euria''s eyes as he drew his sword and struck the neck of one of them.
Thick, spilling blood quickly stained the golden floor.
"Hee, hee."
"Oh, it''s a misunderstanding. I didn''t betray."
"Shut up. The one who died painlessly before was just lucky. You guys are unlucky."
The traitors trembled and looked around.
Not only Dante and Jin''s group but even the servants who felt rage and hatred for the terrible overwork under the regent looked at them as if they would kill them.
Although they didn''t like Dante, it was true that all the servants gathered here dedicated their lives to the empire.
They all felt great pride that the imperial capital was in such good condition in this chaotic era, and they thought there was no other path for the empire than Dante''s.
But those traitors were trying to ruin it all.
"If you want to save yourself even a little bad luck, it''s best that from now on, you answer my questions in detail withplete sincerity."
As Dante gestured, the attendants quickly dealt with the corpses and cleaned up the blood.
Euria, who opened her eyes again, saw that only six people remained, and she thought Dante had unexpectedly brutal power.
"First, what did the Garden of Swords promise you?"
Jin had expected it to be eternal life, as fools like the Bartons and Seygalga elders had said in the past.
"...survival."
One of the traitors looked Dante in the eyes.
He had the calmest eyes among the remaining six. He was determined for that day toe someday.
"Survival?"
"Majesty... we met personally with Rosa-nim. To be precise, it was an encounter through some kind of crystal ball, but we could see the power Runcandel possessed through a conversation with her. She said she would destroy everything in the world except Hufester."
"So you betrayed the Empire to get under Rosa''s wing and live a miserable life, is that it?"
"If you truly care about the Empire, you must surrender to Rosa-nim even now. I may be a traitor, but it''s the only advice I can give you."
ording to Euria, the traitors, including him, sincerely thought so. Not just the empire, but the entire world would be powerless against Rosa.
"I won''t me your weak decisions. So you must ept the punishment that wille to you in the future."
"...You intend to annihte our entire family."
"Everything in your family will be erased from this world. But if you confess the information you gave to Rosa, I will spare the innocent children and servants."
Euria showed a blue rope, revealing that Dante''s words were true. The traitor speaking with Dante lowered his head.
"There isn''t much information low-ranking subjects like us can know, Majesty. The information we gave to Rosa was the entire pce structure, as we promised."
At that moment, Jin recalled the Prophet''s Tunnel.
"Did they exin what they would do with that information?"
"No, they didn''t."
It was the truth.
As Jin expected, they had no information that could be passed to Runecandel, apart from the approximate pce structure.
In fact, Rosa did not ask for any other information.
"I will fulfill my promise. Take them away."
"Yes, sir!"
As the traitors were dragged away, all the servants showed distorted faces.
Their anger was directed at Rosa and the Garden of Swords, not at Dante.
Jin stepped forward.
"The Prophet of the Garden of Swords has the ability to create special tunnels. It''s highly likely that they asked the traitors about the internal structure to fabricate it. They might not only have tried to assassinate the regent but could have attempted to invade the imperial castle through the tunnel."
Therefore, their next task was to confirm if tunnels had already been formed inside the pce.
Dante had already thought of a way to do it.
"We will destroy the entire pce to find out. Since it''s filled with symbols of the lost imperial family anyway, there''s nothing to regret. We will start immediately, so prepare yourselves."
-
Chapter 672
Chapter 672
C672
As soon as Dante gave the order, his subordinates'' faces turned pale. They had never seen Dante break a promise before.
"Your Majesty, are you serious about destroying the pce?"
"Right now?"
They spoke cautiously, their mouths barely moving under the weight of the situation.
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
"The pce has been a symbol of the empire for thousands of years! It cannot be destroyed so easily."
"Your Majesty, although many of the main pirs of the Vermont Imperial Family betrayed the Empire, this Imperial Castle belongs to the Empire, not the Imperial Family."
"To the Empire..."Dante''s eyes narrowed.
"Although this isn''t happening now, I''ve been thinking about reducing the pce. How many people and resources are wasted maintaining thisrge golden pce?"
"Your Majesty, we trust Sir Jin''s advice. But isn''t this decision too hasty?"
"If we wait for our suspicions to be confirmed, it will be toote. What if a chaos legion emerges from an unknown tunnel and assassins starting out? How will we manage then?"
"But...!"
"Enough! I have no intention of reversing my decision. You subordinates should ept it. If I have to break this insignificant pce to ensure the safety of the empire, I will do it, no matter how many times."
Dante''s sharp voice silenced his subordinates.
If they said one more word, there would undoubtedly be consequences.
Jin thought Dante''s imperial demeanor was still impressive and believed this decision was one hundred percent correct.
However, he also thought that if he stepped forward, the situation would be even better.
Maybe Dante doesn''t know, but they are all deeply loyal to the Empire. However, there areints of overwork and pressure.''
Jin cleared his throat.
"Ahem. Can the Vamel Alliance formally present an opinion on the pce demolition, ording to Sir Mageil''s suggestion?"
"Please speak, Sir Jin."
"As Sir Mageil said earlier, the prophet''s tunnel is just a suspicion. Also, as the regent said, once confirmed, it''s an irreversible problem, and it''s unlikely the regent will change his mind."
"Shouldn''t you advise His Majesty to reconsider...?"
"How can I stop something even the imperial courtiers can''t stop? Instead, the Vamel Alliance, which was the first to mention the tunnel, will take some responsibility for the pce''s demolition. As an alliance."
The subordinates murmured among themselves, exchanging nces.
Jin smiled at them with pure kindness, but the subordinates worried about what the twelfth gbearer would take.
"Currently, the Tikan Free Nation possesses the world''s highest level capabilities. Equipped with several cutting-edge technologies, including improved mana cannon spears looted from the former imperial family."
"Are you saying you''ll share those technologies?"
"Yes. We will share more than before. I will send Lady Am, who has made the most significant contribution to Tikan''s defensive capabilities, and other personnel to assist in its development. The Vamel Alliance will also provide some essential materials needed. From the moment we build the new city that will be the Empire''s center, regardless of the existence of underground tunnels."
Now that Jin had shown his cards, the servants thought the next thing he would say would be about what he would get from the empire.
"We will also support the defense of the entire Empire and share technology rted to battleships. This should be sufficientpensation for destroying the old era''s symbol."
But when he mentioned additional support, the subordinates wondered why Jin was doing this.
"The Vamel Alliance and the Empire are allies, and the Regent and I are the closest of friends. The world is facing a crisis of destruction and chaos. I hope everyone knows we do not intend to support the Empire to take somethingter."
Anyway, even if he didn''t destroy the imperial pce, Jin intended to do so from the beginning.
Now that Rosa had be a malevolent god, and even after defeating her, the crisis faced by the Empire and Dante was no different from the crisis faced by the Vamel Alliance and Jin. After all, Zipple and Kinzelo still remained even if they defeated Rosa.
"Thank you for expressing your discontent. I have received an unexpected gift from Sir Jin. The benefits Sir Jin has promised are iparable to this pce."
Dante already knew about this matter but still felt a bit uneasy.
His subordinates were confused about whether they should like or dislike this situation, but within a few days, they were convinced they should like it.
Am arrived in the empire and showed various equipment. The artifacts developed by Qwaul far exceeded themon sense of the subordinates.
"...It seems the demolition isn''t progressing as quickly as I thought. I''m worried it''s taking too long."
Destroying thergest building on Earth wasn''t a problem that could be solved in one or two days.
Jin and Dante were searching for tunnels at the demolition site.
The high-level members and delegates who knew all the castle''s secretsbined their information to estimate the tunnels'' location, and Jin personally confirmed each new location.
This was because Jin was the only one who could correctly sense the chaos energy.
"It''s okay. We''ve resolved most urgent matters, so your safety is now the most important. And this is very fast. We can''t break everything as much as we want."
"Thank you for saying that. By the way, it''s suspected that Joshua Runcandel sent assassins to the pce... If that''s true, he''s really like a cockroach. He was stripped of his gbearer qualification, became a beggar, and still returned."
"Even if he''s not at Elder Sister Luntia''s level, he probably got stronger too. That doesn''t seem like a big problem, but I''m worried about what sword he gave the imperial family."
It was hard to guess who the assassin Runcandel gave to Airan Vermont was.
''Among the people I''ve encountered in the Garden of Swords so far, there aren''t many who can defeat Dante now.''
Except for Rosa herself, Padler Runcandel, Lionel, and Luntia.
However, Luntia is currently unable to appear in the human world, and Padler and Lionel''s destructive sword skills were not suitable for assassination.
''Of course, there may be other people who can defeat Dante, and if their purpose is not assassination but a surprise attack through the tunnels, they alone will cause catastrophic damage to the empire....''
-<..... Runcandel gave a monster to Airan Vermont, the Vermont imperial family, to kill Dante Hairan, the sword emperor.>
A monster.
That part bothered Jin.
"....Runcandel" was crossed out forck of magical record achievements or some other reason, but the vague term "monster" appeared precisely.
It wasn''t clear if the term "monster" referred to an extraordinary entity without equal or a strange being born from chaos, among other possibilities.
Before encountering it, there was no way to know for sure.
Above all, Jin was more concerned about the possibility of assassination than invasion because the term "monster" was singr.
"Isn''t there a high chance it could be the former patriarch of Runcandel or the ten great knights you met?".
"That could be true".
As they started demolishing the pce, a strange feeling seemed to settle heavily in Jin''s mind, as if something had been ced on him.
''Why do I feel so uneasy? Nothing has been confirmed yet...''
Maybe it was because it reminded him of the chaos that had tainted the Garden of Swords, but Jin struggled to suppress that sticky and ominous feeling.
ng!
The noise of buildings copsing was heard everywhere.
If it weren''t for the absolute support of the people towards Dante and Jin, who had been demolishing intact buildings for days without any results, the atmosphere in the capital would have been much more negative.
Jin, Dante, and the Empire''s pirs hoped no underground tunnels would be discovered.
However, exactly ten days after the demolition began, Jin''s prediction proved correct.
"It''s the chaos energy, Dante."
"Did you find something?"
"It''s on the first floor, third chamber. Prepare the troops and let''s go."
When the third chamber began to be demolished, the chaos energy that had been hidden was revealed.
No one else seemed to feel it.
Even after a closer inspection, the third chamber being demolished didn''t appear to have any notable features.
Swing!
When Jin unsheathed Bradamante, Dante and the troops waiting with him took defensive stances.
When the de, imbued with the shadow force, pierced the ground of the third chamber in a straight line, those who witnessed it couldn''t help but hold their breath.
What the hell is that?
"There''s really a tunnel under the pce...!
What was revealed as the ground under the de split was not ayer of dirt and rocks, but a chaos in the form of a ck well, unlike anything else.
About a hundred people could enter at once through the entrance of the massive underground tunnel.
"How is it possible that we knew nothing about this while it was forming under the pce?".
"Zipple didn''t even realize it when the Prophet formed a tunnel in the Sota desert. I wish it didn''t exist, but it''s already been discovered."
Jin looked at Dante and his troops.
"There are many chances there is another entrance. Now that the tunnel''s existence is confirmed, we must speed up the demolition and evacuate people near the pce as nned. You and I should go in to check it out."
Dante nodded. The two immediately entered the tunnel, and the others performed the tasks assigned to them.
The tunnel was impressively deep, and the bedrock remained intact.
Unlike theplicated tunnel structures Jin had experienced in the past, this one was rtively simple.
Upon reaching the end of the passage, Jin felt invaded by an unpleasant and ominous sensation.
It wasn''t that he feared an unknown enemy, but for some reason, he started sweating cold and his heart raced.
"Are you okay?"
"Oh, I guess it''s finally showing. I''ve felt weird since we started investigating. I don''t know why. It''s nothing to worry about..."
As soon as Jin said that, he felt a chill down his spine.
Although he didn''t feel any particr energy, he had a strong feeling that if he moved wrong, something would deeply cut his body. No, he was sure.
Dante also felt the same sense of crisis, a bitter than Jin.
And the only person who could make both of them so tense without warning was one person: the one known as the "god of death" among assassins.
No way...!
With an evil sound, a single sword passed by both of them.
Dante''s back was grazed, and Jin barely dodged it.
The moment their eyes met the surprise attacker''s, Jin could finally recognize the identity of the ominous feeling that had tormented him.
[Die...]
"Elder Sister... Yona."
Jin couldn''t help but grit his teeth as he observed the approaching figure once again.
-
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and
continue reading tomorrow, everyone!
Chapter 673
C673
Yona Runcandel.
Jin was about to lose his nerves as soon as he saw that figure and her ruthless eyes filled with chaos and murderous intent.
However, showing any vulnerability, even for a moment, in front of a being like her was nothing short of suicide.
Damn it, what have those bastards done to you, Elder Sister?
Jin¡¯s love and affection for his only younger sister were much deeper and greater than his hatred for Rosa and the Garden of Swords, which had emerged in an instant.
The reason Jin could maintain his sanity at that moment was because he was solely focused on protecting his sister from guilt and pain.
When his sister regained consciousness, he didn¡¯t want her to feel any pain or guilt he might have caused her.
Kang! ng!Bradamtante¡¯s de swiftly blocked Yona¡¯s sword.
Yona showed a moment of confusion, as if she hadn¡¯t expected to be blocked so easily, and Dante didn¡¯t miss that opportunity.
¡°Jin...!¡±
However, Dante didn¡¯t take advantage of Yona¡¯s moment of doubt.
He knew better than anyone what Yona meant to Jin, and he couldn¡¯t hurt her carelessly.
Dante missed the chance to end the situation as soon as it began, so he didn¡¯t know what could happen if he failed to subdue Yona quickly.
She could start an invasion in another tunnel while buying time, or she could indiscriminately massacre the people of the city if she managed to escape from the two of them.
In other words, Dante thought of his friend¡¯s feelings before the empire¡¯s safety.
As the supreme ruler of the empire, it was a decision he should never have made, but as Dante, he had no choice.
¡°Thank you, Dante.¡±
¡°Hmph, how should we proceed? I ask you this question too often, and it embarrasses me.¡±
Jin quickly regained hisposure.
He felt a stronger anger than ever, but at the same time, his mind and inner self grew even stronger.
From now on, if he made the slightest mistake, he would lose Yona.
¡®She¡¯s in a state of loss of reason due to chaos energy, and the Prophet probably did something to deceive her even further.¡¯
Maybe that¡¯s why she was duller than the Yona Jin knew.
Although she was more destructive, it was clear that Yona¡¯s unique movement, like a shadow, had faded.
Can she be subdued?
After two more attacks, Jin came to a conclusion.
¡°Dante, if we both get a little hurt, we can subdue her.¡±
If it was about killing, it would be possible without suffering so much damage.
For Dante, killing Yona was obviously the right thing to do, and Jin was making an unreasonable request.
¡°Alright.¡±
But Dante didn¡¯t hesitate. If it had been Ron in the tunnel, he would have made the same request to Jin.
¡°I owe you a lot.¡±
¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. I have a long way to go before I can repay what I¡¯ve received from you.¡±
Jin put Shadow Energy on Bradamante.
However, even though such thick Shadow Energy shone like fire and pointed at Yona, she showed no reaction.
Is it because of herck of reason? If it were my sister, she would have a strong negative reaction to the energy.
Yona calmly held her own sword against Bradamante, which was covered in Shadow Energy.
The sword was also not Yona¡¯s ¡®Death¡¯ sword.
At first nce, it resembled ¡®Death,¡¯ but it was longer, and above all, itcked the characteristic creepy feeling.
¡°Hup!¡±
Dante, who was on the side, exhaled sharply.
Yona¡¯s de cut a bit of Dante¡¯s hair.
She had decided to eliminate Dante first.
¡°I have to be prepared for some serious injuries.¡±
¡°It seems there¡¯s no major battle outside. There¡¯s nomotion at all.¡±
¡°Can you sense that from here?¡±
¡°Thanks to experiencing a bit of transcendent sensation. I hope this tunnel was made only for Elder Sister Yona¡¯s infiltration.¡±
Dante could barely concentrate on anything else as he was solely focused on watching Yona.
Even if that weren¡¯t the case, reading the outside atmosphere in this deep underground was a daunting task for him.
¡°As expected, you¡¯ve be a monster, my friend.¡±
¡°I keep experiencing these trials, and I wonder if that¡¯s why.¡±
When Jin started to seriously constrain her, Yona had to change her ns and deal with Dante first.
Thebination of the closest to the strongest magical swordsman in the world and the strongest swordsman of the Empire was a formidable force.
Moreover, the two worked together like twins, so Yona could onlyunch almost random attacks that were almost like reprisals.
The only problem was that each of her attacks was lethal.
Even if they were attenuated, they were still deadly, and the darkness of the underground made her even freer.
As soon as they saw her in front of them, a sword came from behind, and as soon as they thought they had hit her, a stab from the corner came back in.
Although Jin and Dante fought back-to-back, only Yona could make a blind spot and stab into it.
[I¡¯m going to kill you... Jin... Runcandel...]
That person couldn¡¯t be Yona.
This fact kept gnawing at him, but Jin didn¡¯t lose hisposure.
¡°Do you remember the day I first visited Nameless? Even then, my sister almost killed me with this friend.¡±
[Kill them... all...!]
¡°As I did then, today I won¡¯t let you kill me. I¡¯ll make sure of it, for your sake.¡±
There were many moments when Jin and Dante could end Yona together, but the opportunity to subdue her didn¡¯te, and the two were getting more and more injured. ??
After realizing that the two didn¡¯t even try to cut her deeply, Yona became more daring and risky in her attacks.
¡°Is everything still fine outside?¡±
¡°If the situation worsens, I¡¯ll let you know immediately... Wait, Dante.¡±
¡°Has it started?¡±
¡°No, not that. Did you call me a monster earlier?¡±
¡°Suddenly, why?¡±
Monster. Contrary to the name ¡®...Runcandel,¡¯ that word was urately recorded in Valeria¡¯s magical record window.
¡®Why does Valeria¡¯s record insist on calling Elder Sister Yona a monster?¡¯
-But if it¡¯s Joshua, is there any reason the Record Magic doesn¡¯t show her name correctly?
-Well, maybe because she epted chaos and became apletely new being. Of course, I can¡¯t be sure; it¡¯s just a hunch.
Suddenly, Jin remembered a conversation he had with hisrades before arriving at Sword Emperor Castle.
¡®As I guessed then, if she became a new entity by epting chaos, there should have been a nk space. Is there something different between Elder Sister Yona and ...Runcandel?¡¯
Then maybe it¡¯s not Elder Sister Yona.
Jin thought so. Maybe the Prophet made a clone of Yona or something like Joshua¡¯s clone.
¡®Moreover, judging by her state, she doesn¡¯t seem to be under proper control. It¡¯s strange that this vast underground space was created only for Elder Sister Yona. If they had nned to send more people, there would have been chaos outside already. It would be more effective to attack outside when Dante and I were trapped here.¡¯
If the Yona in front of them is not the ¡®real Yona,¡¯ then there¡¯s no reason to subdue her while enduring injuries.
And this Yona didn¡¯t resemble the Yona they knew.
¡®If it were Elder Sister Yona, she would have suffered at least once. Even if it wasn¡¯t the prophet but someone like Heluram or Gliek who directly consumed her, by now, she would have suffered from fighting me...¡¯
The Yona Jin knew is that kind of person.
Yona is always in danger because of chaos, and she had killed people without reason for a long time, and because of chaos, she always made others afraid.
But she was a person who overcame that horrible chaos and finally learned to love Jin, the family, and people.
She was the one who constantly greened roses for Jin, even while hearing a voice telling her to kill humans.
¡°Dante, go outside.¡±
¡°Jin, are you thinking of abandoning Lady Yona? Don¡¯t do that!¡±
¡°I have no intention of doing that. I¡¯m buying time, so go and bring Euria for me.¡±
¡°Princess Euria?¡±
¡°It may not be Elder Sister Yona. I¡¯ll exinter. I can¡¯t face her alone for long.¡±
It was natural for the two to prepare for serious injuries if they wanted to subdue Yona.
Because they were only taking the hits.
¡°I¡¯ll be back as soon as possible!¡±
As soon as Dante turned around, Yona¡¯s sword lunged at them without hesitation.
Jin vaguely cut the visible sword and blocked Yona.
¡°I used to feel like I was going crazy due to a dirty and ominous feeling, but now I feel like something is easing, and my head is clearing. I have a feeling you¡¯re not the real one.¡±
Pik-!
Yona¡¯s sword grazed Jin¡¯s cheek and passed by.
That¡¯s how he fought alone against Yona for about ten minutes.
Jin was covered in blood, but his breathing and movements hadn¡¯t changed at all.
Instead, his senses, which had been scattered, were now focused on Yona.
¡°Jin!¡±
¡°Jin oppa!¡±
Dante bit his lip at seeing Jin covered in blood, but Euria saw there were no deep wounds and didn¡¯t panic as much.
¡°And outside?¡±
This time, Jin asked Dante.
¡°It¡¯s fine, you¡¯re fine!¡±
¡°Jin oppa is fine. And that person is...¡±
Euria focused for a moment, activating Azmil¡¯s power, her eyes glowing green as she perceived Yona¡¯s truth.
¡°She¡¯s not Yona unni!¡±
¡°A clone like Joshua?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think so, just... a soullessbat doll. That¡¯s what it seems to me.¡±
¡°Are you sure she¡¯s not Elder Sister Yona?¡±
¡°Absolutely not.¡±
Upon Euria¡¯s confirmation, Jin¡¯s knees gave way, and he knelt on one knee on the ground.
Of course, the fake Yona took advantage of this moment and lunged at Jin, intending to finish him off, and Dante, horrified, shot his sword to protect Jin.
But Yona¡¯s sword was faster than Dante¡¯s.
However, while kneeling, Jin swung Bradamante, blocking the fake Yona¡¯s sword and then cut her neck.
¡°Yes... that seemed right. There was no way Elder Sister Yona would do this.¡±
The headless fake Yona twisted for a moment before disappearing into the air.
In her ce, a ck lump remained.
-
Chapter 674
C674
Thanks to the discovery and management of the chaos tunnel beneath the imperial castle, the Empire''s poprity towards Jin and Dante reached new heights.
Articles about the incident arrived daily, and as always, Dino Zan did not need to exert himself to influence public opinion.
Praise came from all directions.
The ministers, who were dissatisfied with Dante due to overwork, became more loyal to him.
They knew that without Dante and Jin, no one would have been able to uncover the plot to overthrow the Empire.
Hairan, Second Castle.
After the start of the demolition, the Empire used this ce as a provisional castle.
After the long meeting that had just ended, Jin, hisrades, the nameless king Owal, and the best executioner, Bizen, remained in Dante''s office."Sorry for the long meeting, Sir Owal."
"It''s alright. We came too early anyway," Owal responded quietly.
He looked exhausted as he continuously smoked his cigarette.
Those present stared intently at the ck object on the table. It was the object left after beheading the fake Yona.
Owal had seen it before.
"Although we suspected there might have been a time when we lost Yona, we never expected it to end up in the Garden of Swords."
The Nameless referred to the ck object as Yona''s "rampage residue."
The rampage residue had only recently been discovered and, as its name suggests, it was a type of chaos aggregate that remained in ce when Yona''s rampage ceased.
After subduing Gliek, chaos began to torment Yona again in response to her remnants.
As time passed, her rampages grew shorter and more dangerous, and it had now reached a point where even the entire Nameless could not contain her.
At Owal''s gesture, Bizen opened the box beside him.
Inside were six rampage residues simr to those obtained in the underground tunnel of the Imperial castle.
Although they had heard beforehand that there were six more, the group felt even more uneasy when they faced the residues directly.
The reason for their unease was none other than the fact that Valeria had discovered that the fake Yona was being created through these rampage residues using the power of chaos.
"...Owal-nim, how many unknown rampage residues are there?"
"At least three and at most five."
"That means there could be at least five or more fakes remaining. And in the worst-case scenario... no, there is a high probability that additional rampage residues are being generated, some of which we are overlooking."
Owal nodded heavily.
"Is there any possibility that Elder Sister Yona has beenpletely captured in the Garden of Swords?"
"I doubt it. At the moment you dealt with the fake, we were tracking the real Yona and engaging inbat."
Owal rolled up his right sleeve and said.
A long ck scar he had received while tracking Yona a few days ago.
As the search party consisted only of Owal and the highest-ranking assassins, there were no casualties.
If Yona had targeted the highest-ranking assassins instead of Owal, Bizen would not be standing in this ce right now.
"She must be suffering. She almost killed me; now she is someone too dangerous to bepared to the fake you fought."
"Do you think Elder Sister Yona was brainwashed by the Prophet?"
"You must have seen it once too, the immense power of chaos she possesses. And I heard from Cyron-nim in the past that the chaos she has is of a very special kind. It doesn''t seem like something the Prophet can easily control."
"My father said that."
"Yes. Are you still unable to contact Sir Cyron''s expedition team?"
"That''s right."
At Jin''s calm response, Owal closed his eyes for a moment. He did not believe Cyron and his expedition team were still alive either.
"As soon as the matter with Yona is resolved, someone from the Nameless should send a search party."
"Thank you, Lord Owal."
"Anyway, although it may be possible for the Prophet to control Yona''s chaos, it will be difficult to capture her in a short time, even with the current excellence of the Garden of Swords. However, unlike us, they may be able to generate fakes by obtaining these rampage residues."
In terms of tracking targets and assassination, the Nameless had even better skills than Runcandel before being tainted by chaos.
Such Nameless had not been able to capture Yona for several years, so Owal was sure that even a prophet would not be able to find her.
"You said thest ce she was seen was Akin, right?"
The ce where the Nameless hadst lost Yona was in the kingdom of Akin, within the Lutero Magical Federation. It was where Jin had dismantled the criminal organization Tesing and obtained Myulta''s Rune, Schugiel''s magic tomb, and Jet.
"She might still be in Akin, as the remaining search parties have not reported anything significant. Even if she has left, she is likely still within the Lutero Magical Federation."
The farther Yona was from Hufester, the better.
Especially now that they could receive help from Zipple due to their temporary alliance.
However, unlike the Valeria incident, Jin did not want help from the entire Zipple group.
''The case of Elder Sister Yona is different from that of my master...''
Valeria was someone essential to Zipple.
Therefore, even by merely receiving the price of investigating her mana traces, Jin''s unreasonable demands were amodated.
But Yona was not like that.
If possible, Zipple would want to take this opportunity to get rid of Elder Sister Yona.
Although at the moment they were unable to control her due to her rampage, the moment she recovered, it was obvious that Yona would be on Jin''s side.
Therefore, from Zipple''s perspective, there was no reason to capture her alive.
Even if Jin asked to capture her alive, there were many reasons to refuse.
For example, the civilian casualties that could ur in Akin or the fact that capturing Yona was impossible due to her martial arts.
Of course, the moment they killed Yona, the alliance would end.
However, it was nothing more than a struggle for the fate of the world as a whole.
Owal thought the same.
"We need Zipple''s help, but I''m worried. Unlike us, they have no reason to keep Yona alive. But if we don''t tell them, there is a possibility of civilian casualties or being caught off guard by Zipple''s weakness. It''s frustratinglyplicated."
"Until now, you have never seen Elder Sister Yona go on a rampage and kill civilians... have you?"
Faced with the heavy question, Owal made eye contact with Jin.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I swear there is nothing. It seems she has focused all her indiscriminate desire to kill on me and the Nameless executioners."
Huu, Owal let out a puff of smoke from his cigarette.
"That''s probably because she was thinking of you, the twelfth gbearer."
Jin felt a tightness in his chest.
Since meeting Jin, Yona had not killed anyone without reason.
She had always distrusted chaos, and his efforts continued to be effective.
"What should we do?"
Owal felt deep remorse in asking Jin about the anonymous assassin.
No matter how strong Jin was.
"She hasn''t undergone any physical changes yet, and as she resists chaos, it''s likely she hasn''t beenpletely consumed. We need to find her as soon as possible, before it''s impossible to use the purification device."
"So, it''s better to ask for Zipple''s help, even if it means risking Yona''s elimination?"
"Yes. However, I have no intention of speaking with Zipple''s top leaders."
Owal''s eyes narrowed.
"Then what?"
"I will only ask for help from Tower Guardian Hedo and Sandra Zipple. If it''s those two, they will probably help me find my sister without telling Zipple."
Jin had already sent a request to meet with Hedo and Sandra.
They had to examine Hedo''s sword, suspected to be the entrance to the sixth tomb, and make thempletely loyal to the Vamel alliance.
He could trust them, or Sandra Zipple had that level of authority.
Owal added no furtherments to Jin.
He felt he could perceive the young Cyron in Jin''s words.
That''s how heavy Jin''s words were.
"I see. Then, our Nameless assassins will resume their search from Akin starting now."
"Also, can we use any personnel not involved in searching for Elder Sister Yona to infiltrate Huphester?"
"Of course. We can''t maintain our neutral position in this situation. Starting today, the Nameless will officially belong to the Vamel alliance. It''s natural for us to step up for the alliance''s cause. I''ll send someone as soon as you hand me the list of rescue targets."
"Thank you, Owal-nim. The Red Owl and myrades will be on standby. Please contact Tikan immediately if you find Elder Sister Yona."
Owal stood up and shook Jin''s hand.
"It''s impressive to see a wild child from a few years ago who has already grown up and puts me under his feet. It''s something even your father couldn''t achieve, so you can be proud."
"The Nameless is only a member of the Vamel Alliance, and I don''t consider it my subordinate. Still, I believe it will turn a blind eye to the return of the thousand-poison antidote that was promised before."
"If you can save that child, I''ll do anything. I can honestly say now..."
Owal cleared his throat as if embarrassed.
"You see, Yona is actually the youngest daughter of our nameless n, a princess, and our greatest treasure. Not only me, but everyone cherishes Yona, perhaps even more than you. Even if that child lost her ability to kill, that fact would never change."
It wasn''t a special confession, as Owal and the members of the nameless n had always shown infinite weakness towards Yona.
Therefore, everyone did not find it anything new, but Owal continued to cough.
Yona was unaware, but even her subconscious considered the nameless n as her "family."
So, even wrapped in chaos, she only tried to cause trouble for her family. If it weren''t for her family, there would be no one to forgive her when she regained her senses.
"Sometimes there are people who seem to share deeper rtionships than their own blood rtives. For me, it was myrades and the brothers of the Tribe of Legends. For Yona, it''s the nameless n."
-
Chapter 675
C675
Tikan, Latrie Caf¨¦.
"Jin, did you know? These days, I''m very happy."
Crunch!
Sandra spoke while nibbling on a Latrie Cookie.
Hedo, sitting next to her, wiped the cookie crumbs from Sandra''s mouth with an expressionless face, and Jin felt they were more like father and daughter than butler and master.
"Isn''t it polite to ask why someone is happy in a situation like this?"
"It''s touching to hear the word ''polite'' from ady..."
"What do you mean?""It''s very touching. You should keep thinking about manners and decorum."
"What are you talking about? For starters, you have no manners. Normal people feel intimidated just by looking at these unnecessarily bulky muscles."
"Please stop scattering cookie crumbs everywhere. Why can''t you eat without making a mess, whether you''re five years old or not?"
"Hedo takes care of everything, why should I bother?"
"Then maybe I shouldn''t help you anymore from now on."
"Then I''ll tear you apart!"
Jin had the impression that they were a pair ofic actors.
Sometimes, he couldn''t help butugh while listening to their conversation.
"Why are you so happy, Sandra Zipple?"
"Well, because I see you a lottely! You''re asking the obvious, haha."
"I see."
Jin never imagined that one day he would ask a pure-blood Zipple and an unknown Tower Guardian to betray Zipple, except for Beradin.
The one with the key is not Sandra, but Hedo.
Although Hedo appeared to obey Sandra, Jin believed that Hedo had the true leadership among them.
Of course, Hedo followed Sandra''s requests to a certain extent, but there was a line he wouldn''t cross.
If Sandra demanded beyond that line, Hedo neverplied, and Sandra would just curse or urge him, but that was all.
The final decision-making power rested with Hedo.
"Wow, thedy shows such a positive expression every time she gets a call from the gbearer, which is why she easily tells us toe and go. Rtionships sometimes need mysterious pushes and pulls to maintain their charm. This means that Jin Runcandel cannot find the Lady attractive."
"Well... that''s an interesting point. But as far as I know, you''ve never been in a rtionship, how do you know so much about that?"
"Well, there are 24 hours in a day, mydy. And I spend an average of five hours a day not being with you."
"Then you used those five hours to go on dates, is that it? Tower Guardian?"
Asked Jin.
He was very curious. Hedo was only the second-ss butler and the Tower Guardian in name, but he actually acted as the top executive of Zipple.
So, undoubtedly, there would be a considerable amount of work or tasks to perform during those five hours, making it doubtful that he could go on a date in that time. §²
"...Well, is it strange?"
"It''s a bit fascinating. It seems that the top executives of Zipple are not as busy as I thought."
"Wow, Jin is more interested in Hedo than in me! Are you crazy, Hedo? Do you wag your tail like this?"
"I''m just a butler, not a top executive, Twelfth gbearer."
"If you''re just a butler..."
Jin squinted his eyes.
"Then I want to offer you a job transfer."
There was no need to beat around the bush.
Agreed.
Sandra immediately nodded with bright eyes, but Hedo''s gaze sharpened.
"A job transfer?"
"Yes."
"Do you know what you''re talking about?"
"I know exactly what I''m talking about."
"Then let''s pretend we didn''t hear anything."
"Hedo, why again!"
"Why again? It''s not ''again,'' mydy. The Twelfth gbearer is telling you and me to betray our n."
"What''s wrong with that? I''ve been doing it for a long time."
"Mydy, I know you tend to be indecisive at times, but this is something the Twelfth gbearer should never say. The alliance is temporary, and Zipple and Runcandel cannot coexist."
-Just a few years ago, he was almost defeated by Hedo in the Sota Desert. Back then, Hedo crushed Jin and his group, but what about now?
-What do you mean?
-Can you win?
-I don''t think so. I expected it because I fought alone in the Garden of Swords, but seeing it up close is a different feeling.
-Look! If it''s Jin, there''s definitely a chance. I didn''t think so at first either, so it''s not Hedo''s fault. So, how about we do what I suggestedst time... Oh, you scared me!
A conversation between Hedo and Sandra in the Kaldran Snowfield.
In fact, Sandra had been discussing supporting Jin before. Hedo was firmly opposed.
"Is it just because of the old animosity between Zipple and Runcandel?"
"Yes."
"You''re not a pure-blood Zipple. There doesn''t seem to be any personal animosity towards the Vamel alliance or Runcandel either."
"That''s right, you''re not pure blood. I, pure blood, said I would betray them, but why are you stopping me and scaring me!"
"I have no personal animosity towards you. But now it seems it''s going to happen. Don''t you think you''re taking advantage of mydy''s feelings for your own benefit?"
"Jin is not using me! And even if he is, what''s wrong with that? I''m happy with him."
"It may seem so. But I''m saying this for your own good, not just for the alliance or Runcandel''s benefit."
Jin was serious. Jin couldn''t understand Sandra''s feelings towards him, and she herself felt like an enigma.
In recent years, Jin developed a kind of camaraderie and empathy with her by going through various events together. As long as Sandra stayed with Zipple, he was convinced that her future would ultimately be bleak.
"Sandra, give us a minute."
"I don''t want to."
"Stay here, mdy."
"I''ll make dinner for youter, just give me 30 minutes."
"I''ll have a cup of tea with Enya. Well, I''ll be back!"
When Sandra disappeared, only Jin and Hedo remained in the caf¨¦. Hedo ufortably wiped his sses and took out a cigarette.
"Smoking is prohibited here."
Hedo''s shirt button bounced towards Jin as his bulging muscles swelled.
Hedo lit a cigarette and smoked it in one go.
The gray smoke temporarily obscured the vision of the two men.
"I don''t think I need to be polite to you when you cross the line."
"I understand that perfectly. As I see it, Tower Guardian, you are loyal to Sandra Zipple, not to Zipple."
Sandra Zipple, not Zipple.
That''s what Jin had intuitively felt since he first saw him.
The origin of that absolute loyalty is unknown, but Hedo would undoubtedly choose thetter when he had to choose between Zipple and Sandra Zipple.
"Am I wrong?"
Instead of answering, Hedo lit another cigarette.
"I''ll assume that means yes. That means I understand even less. If Sandra Zipple stays with her family, what do you think will ultimately happen?"
"It will stay the same."
"I met Beradin not long ago. He lost his memory and became a living magic swordsman golem test subject, a different person than before. I thought Sandra would end up the same, sacrificed to the experiment."
"Mydy will not end up like that, Jin Runcandel."
"Is it because you''re taking care of Sandra Zipple?"
"Yes."
"I don''t understand. Are you saying that the protection you''re talking about would allow a certain level of experimentation with Sandra?"
Sandra is already a living golem. She has been able to use some of the authority of time through some means, and she had a physical capacity that was not like a magician, along with her regeneration abilities.
"I think Sandra Zipple''s somewhat peculiar mental state and the experiments she''s undergone may not be entirely unrted."
"Lady Sandra is strange by nature. It has nothing to do with the experiment."
"Well, I hope so, but can you guarantee it won''t happen again in the future? If she changes like Beradin did, can she still be considered Sandra Zipple?"
"That''s not for you to judge."
"It''s not for you to judge either. It''s Sandra herself who must decide it. And what kind of protection is that? You allow experiments to the point where a person is notpletely destroyed, and beyond that, you say you''ll protect her? Is that really why you keep Sandra by your side?"
"I answered your call to find out the identity of my sword, I didn''te to Tikan with the intention of bing a traitor. And regarding the experiments..."
As if a certain memory came to mind, Hedo squinted his eyes.
"...It''s what thedy wanted."
"You''re talking cowardly. Even if Sandra wanted it, that doesn''t mean it''s okay to let her be a test subject. Or did you decide she needs at least that level of regeneration ability to protect her no matter what?"
"Then what can you do for her?"
"What?"
Hedo stood up from his seat.
"Let''s say Lady Sandra betrayed Zipple. So what? Can you and the Vamel Alliance always prioritize Lady Sandra''s protection, no matter what? Even if the entire alliance is annihted, can you still prioritize Lady Sandra?"
"Of course not."
"You''re undoubtedly strong. Now you''re even stronger than me. But when the fight with Rosa ends and the alliance breaks up, I still can''t imagine you defeating Zipple. It''s the same even if I join under yourmand."
"So you''re saying you''re willing to bet Sandra''s life on what you believe is the most likely oue."
"Yes. I would have refused even if Sir Cyron had made me the same offer. Now that I''ve said it so clearly, I hope you understand and desist."
"In that case, can I understand that you ept the proposal when I have the power topletely crush Zipple?"
Hedo nodded without hesitation.
"Of course. If you can give me that kind of confidence, even if you refuse, I might beg you to take us, me, and mydy with you."
-
Chapter 676
C676
"Thinking that I ate a dish cooked by Jin... Ah! I just want to live here in Tikan forever. Right, Hedo?"
"Not at all, mydy."
"Why are you always so negative? I''m starting to dislike what you dotely."
"If you continue like this, there''s a chance that news of the youngdy''s exploits will reach the n. If that happens, you might not be able to see the Twelfth gbearer even if you have the opportunity, like today."
"Wow, there''s no shortage of trash here, huh? Do you think a brute like you fits that size?"
"It seems like a good match. No one would think I''m a brute just by looking at my appearance, so it has an unexpected charm."
It''s been a day since Hedo and Sandra arrived in Tikan.
And the others who observed them, like Jin, felt that the two were like a well-matched father and daughter (but the daughter is quite a troublemaker)."Hmm, no matter how much I think about it, this Jet can''t understand it. What''s the reason why this incredible guy can''t even move against Sandra Zipple? It doesn''t seem like he has any weaknesses."
"It''s indeed a strange rtionship."
"Firstly, the existence of this person named Hedo is strange, Sir Valkas. We have no information about him in our Phantom mercenaries, and the same goes for the ck King mercenaries, isn''t that right? Moreover, our lord only learned of his existence after encountering him in the Sota Desert. Does it make sense that we know so little about someone of that caliber?"
"I think Sir Cyron, Runcandel, as well as the highmand of Zipple, seem to know about him, but... He''s definitely a person shrouded in mystery."
Tikan still knows very little about Hedo.
He is the exclusive butler and second-inmand of Sandra Zipple, yet he receives the highest treatment within the n.
Hedo has the position to request vacations based on the vague reason of "personal matters" in these times.
"The words written on the sword that Miss Valeria is examining are also mysterious."
Since yesterday, Valeria has been staying up all night examining the records of Hedo''s sword, "Bale."
Since the Bale Sword is rted to the ancient Runcandel, the history of the sword has been manipted as expected.
"Sir Hedo."
Valkas called Hedo on behalf of everyone.
"You can simply call me Tower Guardian, ck King Leader."
"It''s more convenient to refer to you as sir. I called you because I had a question."
"What is it?"
"I''m curious about the rtionship between you and Sandra Zipple."
"What''s curious about a butler serving his master?"
"Because you don''t seem like ordinary butler and master. ording to what I''ve heard from Jin-nim, sir, you are loyal to Sandra Zipple, not Zipple. If you have any special story, I''ll prepare good drinks and cigarettes."
Valkas was subtly good at socializing. Hedo didn''t show any signs of feeling ufortable with Valkas''s sudden approach.
"Good wine and cigarettes are always wee, but there''s no particr story."
"Don''t be like that, tell me. The curiosity about you and Sandra Zipple is paralyzing Tikan."
Valkas took out high-quality pine smoke from M Mountain from his pocket and offered it to Hedo.
Hedo smiled satisfactorily after enjoying the aroma once.
"This quality is so good that it might be the only box toe out of the M tobo ntation in a year. I''ll tell you."
The group perked up their ears, but Hedo gave a very disappointing answer the next moment.
"There are often people who care more about their dog or cat than their own body. The reason I serve thedy is no different from that. I''ve been by mydy''s side since she was young, so now it''s natural."
"Compared to a pet?"
"To put it bluntly, it''s thedy. Anyway,pared to the cigarettes I received, it''s a trivial matter. I hope you''re not disappointed."
"Then...! How did youe to be by Zipple''s side?"
Jet nced and intervened.
He also took out the best pine from M, a different type from Valkas''s, and offered it to Hedo.
He had stolen it from Qwaul''s drawer.
"You don''t have to be so scared. It so happened that I belonged to Zipple while wandering in my youth. Um, this is also a very refined aroma."
"It seems you enjoy taking people''s actions in Tikan, Tower Guardian."
Jin shrugged and spoke.
"If you have any doubts, feel free to ask if you have something that might pique my interest."
"No need for that, we''ll naturally know everything when you be one of us."
If Jin asks Sandra, he could find out Hedo''s past.
But Jin didn''t do that.
There was no need to make the giant ufortable by uncovering his hidden past, which wasn''t that important anyway.
The important thing was to enter the Sixth Tomb through Bale.
"More than your past, I''m curious about the story of your sword. It''s believed that the word ''Bale'' written on the sword is the name of one of the ten great knights of the ancient Runcandel."
"Like the guy we saw in the snowfield? I can guess to some extent."
"It''s a very bitter story for me that the sword of a ten great knight is possessed by Zipple''s servant. Well, Tower Guardian, you''re qualified enough to possess an equally good sword if we exclude the fact that you''re from Zipple."
"I thought you''d be scared."
"I''m just stating the facts. When I met you, I thought: ''Are there really monsters like this in the world?''"
"That won''t change my mind."
"One of the reasons I have to show myself well to you is also rted to the matter of Elder Sister Yona."
Jin had asked for help to find Yona as soon as Sandra and Hedo arrived.
"If that''s the case, didn''t thedy agree yesterday?"
"Hoho, don''t worry. Darling, I''ll save my sister-inw somehow."
"I believe in Sandra. But I have a feeling you might report to the higher-ups."
"You''re treating me like a snake in the grass twice. You can bring the Truth Contractor and confirm it."
"I''ll trust you."
"It''s not that you trust me, but you''ll think I won''t report even if Yona Runcandel goes wrong becausedy Sandra will persuade me."
"I''m not that cunning. But if the other party acts deceitfully first, then there''s nothing we can do."
"I don''t mind being kidnapped."
As the conversation continued, Valeria came out of theboratory.
She had the same dazed expression as usual at those times, but there was one different thing.
"Her eyes are quite shining..."
It was a look Valeria only showed when she made a particrly significant discovery.
Jin smiled inwardly, thinking about his past life, seeing her like that.
"Jin."
"Have you finished analyzing the records?"
"Yes,e with me. I''ll exin."
When Jin left, Sandra looked at Valeria''s back as if she wanted to kill her, and Hedo let out a sigh and calmed her down.
"You seem excited. The harvest seems to be greater than expected, right?"
"Of all the items we''ve found rted to the ancient Runcandel, this is the one that retains a record most intact."
"Didn''t you say the history of this sword was heavily manipted?"
"Yes, I did. At first, it was really like that. But this is the first time I''ve encountered something like this. As soon as my magic touched the sword, its history started to recover on its own."
"Recover its own history?"
Like a dry forest drinking rainwater, Valeria''s record magic slowly revived the records contained within the sword as soon as she touched it.
Valeria only maintained that state throughout the night without taking any special measures to restore the records.
"Yes. It''s safe to say that this sword perfectly contains a fragment of Runcandel from a thousand years ago. It''s in an iparably better state than the records we saw in the Wantaramo Forest."
Jin had never seen an "intact record" of the ancient Runcandel.
The records Jin had seen were always partially or mostly damaged.
"Then it will show us more than the recording devices left by Solderet."
"Of course. And maybe..."
Valeria paused and met Jin''s gaze.
"We might even meet an old Runcandel alive. Inside the tomb of this sword."
"What... did you say?"
Jin''s pupils dted.
"I thought about why the manipted history recovered so easily. It might have weakened naturally over time, but that alone wasn''t enough exnation. And it wasn''t because my Record Magic was exceptional."
While Valeria cast Record Magic on Hedo''s sword, she clearly felt that a certain living force within it began to resist the maniption of history.
"Do you mean a living ten great knight is resisting the maniption of history and reacting to your Record Magic inside the sword?"
"There''s no guarantee that it''s one of the ten great knights, but it''s very likely that someone still survives within the sword. Not as a guardian, but as a true living entity. And if their mind is intact and they show you favor, you''ll be able to hear stories from that time directly from them."
Jin''s heartbeats quickened.
The many doubts he had harbored could have been resolved if he could just directly hear the story of the mysterious old Runcandel.
The background of Sylderay calling Solderet a traitor in the first tomb, the reality of the manipted history, Temar''s death and the end of Runcandel at that time.
And the reason why Solderet hid the fact that he had already foreseen himself as the contractor a thousand years ago.
"It''s an amazing story. I didn''t expect to find such a clue in Zipple''s Tower Guardian''s sword. Without that sword, we couldn''t have entered the fifth tomb."
"Are you going to inform the Tower Guardian about this?"
"It would be a good idea to let him know. He''s a meticulous person, and he''ll probably ask us to verify it through Euria when we finish the story. We''ve mentioned Euria before, so if we''re caught in a lie, he won''t cooperate with us."
It wasn''t a matter of refusal.
Hedo is the Sword Master, so it would be better to be honest unless Jin ns to take it by force.
Of course, Hedo is a person from Zipple.
It was difficult to inform him of the existence of "an old Runcandel who might be alive," but there was no other way.
"Killing the tower guardian or taking the sword now would be madness, so it''s better this way. When are you going to enter the Tomb?"
"We should prepare now and try it outside, since we don''t know what might happen during the opening process."
-
Chapter 677
C677
An uninhabited ind in the waters of Tikan.
Jin chose this location to open the sixth grave, the subspace of the sword.
Prepared for an emergency, Jin and the powerful warriors of Tikan, along with the sword''s owner, Hedo, and Sandra, sat in the middle of an uninhabited ind.
"Are you going to open the subspace by spreading Shadow Energy likest time?"
"Maybe. To be precise, I¡¯m going to inject it into the sword."
"Hmm."
Hedo adjusted his sses, looking displeased.
"Didn''t you say in the Kaldran Snowfield that the location conditions had to be met to open Temar¡¯s grave, the Twelfth gbearer? I don''t think this uninhabited ind meets those conditions.""Not all graves are the same. I only spected about the situation back then due to unexpected circumstances."
Hedo shrugged and handed Jin his sword. Jin smirked as he received the sword from Hedo.
"Doesn''t it seem like a coincidence that you acquired this sword after a thousand years, Tower Guardian?"
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"Suddenly, I wondered if it¡¯s a coincidence that you acquired this sword after a thousand years of history. Thebination of one of the ten great knights and a Zipple butler is not just a coincidence."
"That''s a useless belief in destiny."
"I just want to pacify you by mentioning useless destiny theories. What if you are a descendant of the ten great knights called Bale? That¡¯s why the sword chose you, not by coincidence."
"That''s a romantic story, dear."
"Mydy, it¡¯s not romantic at all."
"Why does our stupid butler think that again?"
"When the patriarch first epted me into the n, he checked all my personal information. You remember, right?"
"Ah, those stingy people who abandoned Hedo. I remember, I never saw their faces because they were already dead."
"Did you hear that, Twelfth gbearer? My parents were poor criminals. They abandoned their children because they couldn¡¯t afford to raise them, and when they couldn¡¯t bear the guilt, they came looking for me at an orphanage, but never took me back. They were criminals who disappeared when their guilt became unbearable."
Hedo didn¡¯t seem affected by what he was saying.
In fact, he felt no special emotion about being abandoned by his parents since birth.
He didn¡¯t miss them, nor did he hate them.
"Moreover, the n checked their roots, and it turned out to be a family of merchants from the fallen Urot Kingdom. Whatever is inside the sword, it cannot be my ancestor."
"That¡¯s a bummer."
"It seems that you, not just thedy, need to learn the mysterious art of push and pull. If youe to me saying you want to recruit me, your heart will be even more unsettled, right?"
"I''ll keep that in mind," Jin replied, pretending to be disappointed while smiling contentedly.
Hedo felt a pang of dislike at his performance and thought he should have hit him more in the Sota Desert.
Soon, Jin looked at the people and spoke: "Now, I will infuse the sword with Shadow Energy. It would be good if the grave opens without incident, but I don''t know what variables may arise, so everyone should remain vignt."
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood, sir."
When Jin released the Shadow Energy, the area around them instantly darkened.
Although it was daytime, it seemed as if night had descended in an instant, and the bright sunlight was blocked by the ck veil.
As expected, this time too, arge amount of Shadow Energy was needed.
Jin thought, feeling tense due to the memory of the previous grave, where he had struggled to fight Luntia while running out of Shadow Energy.
He could also face a formidable opponent without Shadow Energy.
Most importantly, there was a high probability that a living member of the ancient Runcandel existed inside the sword.
That person could attack Jin like the guardians of the previous graves, and if it were one of the ten great knights, they couldn''t be weaker than Luntia.
A living member of the ancient Runcandel...
It was possible because the subspace is a ''dead world,'' or because they are beings like dragons or demons with a lifespan of thousands of years.
Because Jin didn''t know that all the Ten Great Knights are humans.
''Or they could be sealed. Like Elona Zipple.''
The Shadow Energy continued to spread ceaselessly, sometimes pouring into the sword and being absorbed.
Those watching couldn''t even imagine the size of the Shadow Energy Jin was handling.
It feels like the release of Murakan''s Shadow Energy in his prime.
That idiot must have finally found his strength, but he couldn''t even help Jin because he was doing Misha''s job...
We would be more at ease if he were here at times like this.
Except for Jin, the other members of the group were rejected by the grave in the Kaldran Snowfield.
Although they had fought together against the guardian Sarah in the past, Quikantel hoped that this time they could join Jin.
Time passed like this.
''Shadow Energy is being injected like crazy, but I don¡¯t feel any sign of change in the sword...''
Like before in the Kaldran Snowfield, Hedo''s sword remained motionless, neither emitting any glow nor forming any gate.
"Jin, do you notice anything different fromst time? Could the redhead have brought incorrect information?"
Sandra looked at Valeria suspiciously.
Valeria remained silent, watching Jin and the sword.
"If we fail like this, do we have to investigate how to open the sword gate again through record magic? Like the location conditions."
"I think the redhead is aplete fake, Hedo. It¡¯s strange that the old Runcandel is still alive inside the sword in the first ce."
"I also suspect."
"Uh, but if everything the redhead said is true and the gate suddenly opens. What if that old Runcandel attacks Jin? Just like in the Kaldran Snowfield."
"The issue that should concern thedy is not whether the old Runcandel bes an ally of the Twelfth gbearer."
"I hope that happens, Hedo. It would be something good for Jin. How could I be worried about that?"
"I lost my roots and family because of you, and I''ve been chased for a long time."
Valeria spoke quietly, without even looking at Sandra.
"What did the redhead say?"
"She means you should shut up and focus on your work because I feel like smashing your face in. Anyway, we all gathered here to work."
Valeria still didn''t look at Sandra, but the slight bloodlust in her quiet voice made Sandra blink.
And then, just as Sandra was about to scream, Hedo''s sword suddenly started vibrating and unleashed its first change.
"Is the subspace about to open?"
"Fortunately, it doesn¡¯t seem like any problem is going to ur...", Quikantel interrupted.
It was because of Jin''s expression.
"Jin, are you okay?"
"Dear?"
Jin''s face, which had been expressionless, was now filled with confusion.
The reason was simple.
''It seems like the Tower Guardian¡¯s sword is about to break free...
As someone who was directly injecting the Shadow Energy, Jin was more aware than anyone of the changes happening in the sword.
And, based on his intuition, it seemed like Hedo''s sword had chosen to "move" instead of opening a gate, like before.
Before three seconds had passed, Jin was sure the sword was about to beunched somewhere.
Although he tried to stop the flow of Shadow Energy into the sword, it had already gained enough momentum to move.
Zzzzap! Swoosh!
Like the shot of a mana cannon.
Suddenly, the sword shot up into the sky, tearing through the ck veil covering it and shooting upwards like the thrust at the speed of light from Runcandel.
The speed at which the sword shot up distorted the space, making everyone on the ind look up at the sky.
"Oh, Hedo¡¯s sword just shot up like a firework...!"
Hedo jumped, unable to hold his own sword, andnded on the ground with a bewildered expression.
Meanwhile, the sword had already changed direction and was flying into the distance.
"Catch it!", shouted Quikantel.
However, the sword that had risen in a straight line had already turned and was flying somewhere.
The Shadow Energy from Jin absorbed by the sword left long trails in the sky, like the tail of aet.
In the blink of an eye, the sword was more than five hundred meters away from them.
Intuitively, Jin supposed the sword was flying in search of a space to open its subspace.
If so, the opening of the grave had been sessful, but it wasn¡¯t a very good situation.
It means there are no means to pursue that sword immediately.
The red owl was on standby at the unnamed ce, while Mort was injured, and even if both were present, it would be difficult to chase the sword in that state.
The sword wasn¡¯t moving through space but was pure high-speed flight, faster than anyone had ever seen.
"Quikantel-nim!" Jin called out.
"Understood!"
Quikantel quickly manifested the power of time and transformed into her true form. But the sword had already flown into the distance, barely avoiding the effects of her temporal powers.
The group that had gathered in perfect order climbed onto Quikantel¡¯s back.
Quikantel immediately began to fly at full speed, but it was impossible to catch up with the sword.
[I will follow the traces of Shadow Energy left by the sword!]
Fortunately, Hedo¡¯s sword advanced, leaving a long trail of shadow force in the sky.
It had already flown so far that it was no longer visible, but if they followed the trails, they might still reach the sword''s destination.
The problem was that the destination was unknown, and the flight of the sword was prolonged.
¡®The situation haspletely exceeded our expectations. We thought that if there was any problem in opening the grave, it would be a battle against the guardian of the grave, not chasing a flying sword like this!¡¯ Quikantel thought.
Moreover, the sword had flown through the sky for a long time, leaving many traces of its shadow force.
This meant that any other force could easily discover what was happening, not just Tikan.
If all the forces like the Garden of Swords, Zipple, Kinzelo, and the Vermont Imperial Family gathered at the sword''s destination, it could create a big problem.
The temporary alliance might hesitate to act, but not the Garden of Swords...!¡¯
There could be a situation where all the great forces gathered at Temar¡¯s sixth grave.
Hedo¡¯s killing intent fell upon Jin''s back.
"It seems that for you, too, this is a totally unexpected problem. If I lose my sword because of this situation, it won¡¯t be very amusing. Twelfth gbearer..."
-
Chapter 678
C678
The sword flew for four whole days.
It flew over the entire continent and the seas without rest for four days.
The speed was so fast that the group only managed to see its tail for the first ten minutes.
After that, they relied on air defenses and witness reports from their allies.
¡°Damn it, where the hell is it headed?¡± Quikantel eximed angrily.
No one could foresee the sudden emergency, and for four days, she hadn¡¯t been able to close her eyes for a moment, flying around the world.
Of course, flying for four consecutive days wasn¡¯t unusual for a dragon, but it still took a toll on her stamina.
She never thought the day woulde when she would have a chase with the ¡°sword.¡±¡°My sword... Can I find my sword?¡±
Like all knights, Hedo loved his long sword dearly.
It wasn¡¯t just an object that no modern cksmith could match, but it also had sentimental value for him, having been acquired as a reward after a battle with a monster in the ck Sea in his youth.
Now, his beloved sword had been waving in the sky for four days and, like Hedo, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit overwhelmed.
Hedo had a paleplexion that didn¡¯t match well with his muscture, and Sandra kept offering him meaningless words offort.
¡°It¡¯s a shame we lost the sword, but thanks to that, I¡¯m going to have a date in the sky with Jin for four days, Hedo. It will be an unforgettable memory for the rest of my life.¡±
Those riding on Quikantel couldn¡¯t help but admire Hedo, who didn¡¯tsh out at Sandra¡¯s meaninglessments.
¡°We¡¯re almost at the point of seeing the destination¡¯s outline, Quikantel-nim. Please hold on a bit longer. And Tower Guardian, please be patient. I can only say I¡¯m sorry.¡±
Until now, Hedo¡¯s sword had been wildly iling in all directions, going north, then south, then east, and then west, driving its pursuers crazy.
It even seemed as if the sword was intentionally mocking them.
Of course, during those two days, the Garden of Swords, Zipple, and Kinzelo, as well as various coastal fishing viges, had been thrown into chaos.
¡°What is that?¡±
¡°Is it some kind of distant meteor?¡±
¡°Oh no, is it the remnants of Chaos? We have to flee!¡±
The fishing viges and cities along the coast were in a state of panic.
¡°Are those the remnants of Chaos?¡±
¡°After that, the silver dragon Quikantel is chasing it!¡±
¡°Oh, I see the Twelfth gbearer and the Vamel Alliance too! I suppose they¡¯re trying to suppress the chaos.¡±
¡°Jin Runcandel!¡±
¡°Hail to His Highness the Regent and Jin Runcandel!¡±
Even the people living peacefully in various cities under the protection of the Vamel alliance and Dante¡¯s powerful forces realized the situation.
In fact, in four days, more people knew about the situation than those who didn¡¯t.
It had be impossible to secretly enter Temar¡¯s Sixth Tomb.
¡°Excuse me? Will an apology return Bale to me?¡±
¡°I will take responsibility andpensate for the damageter.¡±
¡°It¡¯s already toote...! Thedy and I have already been exposed to our n¡¯s battleships!¡±
Indeed, during their pursuit of the sword, the group had already encountered several pursuers from other factions, including the dragon of chaos and the ck ships of Runcandel, the battleships of Kinzelo and Zipple, meaning they had been discovered by Sandra and Hedo.
¡°Is that Sir Hedo......!?¡±
¡°Isn¡¯t that Sandra beside him? Why are the two together with the Twelfth gbearer when they¡¯re on vacation......?¡±
¡°Come to think of it, that flying object looks very much like Sir Hedo¡¯s sword.¡±
Especially since Hedo¡¯s muscr body was so distinctive that anyone who had seen it once could recognize him from afar, pretending not to know was impossible.
However, pretending not to know was also useless.
Therefore, Hedo already felt anxious about having to go back and exin.
Currently, the Vamel alliance and Zipple are in a temporary alliance, and Hedo held a very special position within his n.
The problem was that he hadn¡¯tmunicated this in advance.
¡°And what does it matter? It¡¯s obvious that when Hedo goes out with me, I go out with Jin.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a problem because I didn¡¯t inform in advance that the Twelfth gbearer was trying to help me examine the sword, mydy...¡±
¡°Tower Guardian, why didn¡¯t you inform about that?¡±
It was because he didn¡¯t want to get tired.
Hedo didn¡¯t inform the n about the fact that Bale yed a decisive role in entering the fifth tombst time.
Although Zipple had already investigated their ancestors, if they discovered any connection between him and the old Runcandel, he would have to go through a series of troublesome procedures.
Moreover, he had kept secret the fact that he escaped the snowfield before the other Zipple due to Jin, so it wasn¡¯t an easy situation for Hedo.
¡°Because I didn¡¯t know things would get soplicated.¡±
Although he had been moody with Jin the whole time, Hedo thought all of this was his fault.
¡°Have I relied too much on the kindness of the patriarch and leaders, or have I been too careless?¡±.
He wasn¡¯t particrly worried about being punished for itter.
The problem was Sandra.
¡°Is it because you¡¯re protecting Sandra Zipple?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t understand. Does the protection you speak of allow experiments with Sandra to a certain extent?¡±
The conversation Hedo had with Jin before the sword went crazy.
As he had said, until now, Hedo¡¯s existence had been the reason Sandra had been able to avoid ¡°very lethal¡± experiments.
Zipple knew exactly what Hedo wanted. What he wanted wasn¡¯t more power, nor more opportunities to fight stronger opponents or rise to the top of the hierarchy.
It was solely Sandra¡¯s survival.
That¡¯s why Zipple turned a blind eye when Hedo broke the rules. Zipple didn¡¯t investigate seriously even if something suspicious happened because everything Hedo did always benefited Sandra and Zipple.
However, this time was different. If Jin became stronger again thanks to Hedo¡¯s sword or if there was any problem with manipting the history in the old Runcandel, Hedo would have nothing to say even if Zipple threatened Sandra.
¡°If a thorough investigation begins, my involvement in the Spectres¡¯ murder in the Sota Desert and that I released the Twelfth gbearer¡¯s party pretending to capture Ainas could also be revealed...¡±
Hedo hoped that the end of this incident would be clean and that it wouldn¡¯te to that.
But his wish couldn¡¯t be fulfilled.
¡°Huh, huh. The sword...... stopped!¡±
said Quikantel, breathing heavily.
In the middle of the territorial waters, which Hufester calls the Sea of Swords, and the Lutero Magical Federation calls the Sea of Magic.
¡°We passed through this area on the first day of our flight, but now you¡¯re telling me this sea was our destination?¡±.
¡°It could have been just a brief stop... luckily, it doesn¡¯t seem to be.¡±
Jin responded, and the sword stopped for the first time since it started moving, pointing towards the sea like the needle of a clock.
Suddenly, with a massive tearing sound, the sword struck the center of the sea as if it were about to pierce through it.
Pheeeew, shhuuaaaak-!
The air split and a tremendous roar resonated, while a huge wave rose like a mountain range, with water reaching up to the clouds.
Boom!
Quikantel and the others extended a protective shield and pushed back the seawater.
The sensation of weight was as strong as the attack of a powerful being transmitted from the seawater.
It might have seemed like the whole world trembled for a while.
And the power that made Hedo¡¯s sword explode was all the Shadow Energy Jin had absorbed four days ago.
That kind ofmotion would take a long time to subside.
The sea would continue to wreak havoc for a while, pushing the tsunami ind, and there¡¯s nothing more people can do until the disaster ends.
However, what the sword had caused was not a disaster, but a transcendental discovery.
The Shadow Energy pouring out of the sword began to move on its own, touching the bare ground of the ocean revealed beneath the water.
As if caressing a long-forgotten, dusty treasure, the Shadow Energy continued to descend into the depths.
¡°My lord, the Shadow Energy is pulling something that looks like a huge structure from the bottom of the sea!¡±
eximed Valkas, eyes wide with surprise.
All hispanions witnessed the same scene.
It was like a legend told in many regions, where an ancient civilization hidden beneath the sea was revealed.
Even Hedo, who had been consumed with worry until that moment, momentarily forgot his troubles and gazed in awe at the scene before him.
Everyone watching was filled with reverence.
When Olmango had pulled a giant m from the ocean while splitting it in the past, it had been shocking, butpared to the spectacle the group had now before them, it seemed small.
¡°Wow... Darling, is that your ancestor¡¯s sixth tomb?¡±.
Jin was about to respond when he caught Valeria¡¯s gaze.
¡°Didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s a subspace that exists within the sword?¡±.
In front of Valeria, a small blue window showing record magic opened.
¡°Jin Runcandel has finally opened the subspace within the sword...¡±.
The window disyed such a message.
¡°...Yes, the subspace within the sword has been opened. It seems that the subspace within the sword hase out into the open, instead of us entering through a dimensional portal."
If that was the case, the sword had been flying to find a position where it could eliminate that space.
"But this doesn¡¯t seem to be Solderet¡¯s subspace. If it were his, the name would have been indicated precisely."
Valeria let out a small sigh as she spoke, seeming doubtful. There was a more important matter than knowing to whom this subspace belonged.
"We found it!"
"The aircraft stopped! Cease attacking and check those traitors first!"
These were the words of the pursuersing from Zipple and the Garden of Swords.
Like the Vamel Alliance, they had been chasing the sword until now, and had fought each other during the process due to ovepping paths.
"Grand Duke, we found it. Please don¡¯t use your strength as the leader is in critical condition."
Kinzelo was the same.
Once again, three enormous forces had gathered in the middle of the ocean.
Jin''s group couldn¡¯t hear their voices due to the distance, but they knew they were near.
Jin continued to watch the seawater falling like a waterfall in all directions.
The Shadow Energy mixed the seawater that was pouring down like a waterfall in all directions.
Every area touched by the Shadow Energy was the subspace within the sword.
In other words, everyone who had been chasing the sword had already entered the subspace within the sword...
There was no way to avoid the fight within the tomb.
/SHADOWK
-
(Up to ''120'' more ch4pt3rs)Publication of up to 6 w33kly ch4pters, thanks.
-
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and
continue reading tomorrow, everyone!